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Well 2012 is here… time  for a change! I no longer teach at Universal Class… but here is the good news, I will be creating more courses right here on Authentic Mama!  I plan on adding both video and audio. Before I start I would like some of your feedback. Anyone who helps me out will receive FREE access to the first course I create- a $150.00 value! Just leave your answers in the comment below and send me a personal email with your preferred contact email (link in the upper right hand corner of the blog). As soon as the course is created I will send you an email with the course log in instructions.

My course will be centered on home herbalism. My goal is to guide you so you can have the confidence to share your knowledge with your family (and community if you wish), and make medicinal plants and wild foods part of your everyday life.

In case you are wondering if one of my classes is worth your time… here is some feedback from a prior student: “What a difference Herbalist 101, and Angie Goodloe made in my life. 1 and 1/2 years ago I was sitting at my accounting desk, taking herbalist 101 tests during my lunch break. Today, I am an artist and Holistic Practitioner, with knowledge in Herbalism, Folk and Food remedies, Supplements and their benefits, (or not), Wellness Coaching, and I have taken a nutrition course as well. To top it off, I am being Yoga cetified on the 19th of this month and my artwork has started to sell very well. This, I credit to the teaching style and wonderful soul of Angie Goodloe. If I had not taken her class first, I do not think I would have continued my education like I did. Of all the classes I have taken thus far, hands down, Herbalist 101 was the best. Angie truly cares, you are not a number, she wants to hear from you always, and instills a confidence in her students. She reads everything you write in your assignments. It is this quality in her that made me continue to educate myself, confident enough to eventually quit my day job, and do this. You will benefit from just know her. Sincerely, Laura Cantrell”

If you haven’t read some of my prior students comments about my courses you can read them HERE.

I envision a world with a family herbalist in every home.

The questions:

1. What is the single biggest fear you have when it comes to engaging in hands-on work with medicinal herbs or collecting wild plants and foods and using  them for yourself, your family, and your community?

2. What is the single biggest frustration you have when it comes to learning how to practice working with medicinal plants and foods at home or with others?

3. What happened as a result of your frustration?

4. What have you tried so far that hasn’t worked (when it comes to learning about how to work with medicinal plants and wild foods- or stepping out to start practicing herbalism in your community)?

5. If you had a magic wand, what would be the ideal solution for you (when it comes to the perfect online learning to help you achieve your goals- more support or mentoring for example… or something else)?

6. What is the single biggest question you have when it comes to practicing home or community herbalism?

7. Are there specific herbal classes you would like me to create with a more narrow focus (for example, herbs for children, herbs for women -postpartum/ pregnancy, Stress/ burnout, first aid etc) Any ideas welcome!

Thank you so much for your time!

*Don’t forget to subscribe for more updates (in the box at the top of the blog with the ‘subscribe/ sign-up’ area).

This offer expires January 31st 2012

Sensitive to wheat ?  These flourless treats are really nice, easy and tasty. Don’t forget to check out the article on how to make your own vanilla extract below as well.

Carob Snack Balls

2 cups nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts, pecans are nice), chopped fine
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 carob (you can also use cocoa if you prefer)
1 tsp sea salt
1 T. all natural vanilla extract or natural vanilla flavoring (See how to make your own vanilla extract & learn more about the plant here!)

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1 cup grated coconut

Warm honey by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water. Mix honey, carob or cocoa, salt and vanilla and mix well. You can either chop the nuts in a food processor or the blender. Process until finely chopped. Add coconut and pulse until blended. Place in bowl and add cocoa mixture, blending well.

Place greased wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Spread mixture on top. Place in refrigerator until firm, typically several hours. Then form into balls, or cut into small squares.

*I buy my carob and vanilla beans from Mountain Rose Herbs- You can also buy your vanilla extract from there if you are in a hurry or want to skip making it yourself.  Also, if you buy from the above link it is a great way to support authentic mama (I get a small commission if you use the links on the sidebar or in this post to buy your herbal products- it is a great way to get the quality products you need and support this blog at the same time- thanks so much!)

I can’t beat these recipes- check them out! Related articles

• Delicious Dairy-free Carob Mousse (speltforchoice.wordpress.com)
• Cabernet Carob Cake (thedustybaker.com)
• A Reader Recipe: Gluten-Free Vegan Carob Chia Cookies (fitsugar.com)
• A Reader Recipe: Banana-Carob Protein Bars (fitsugar.com)
• I ‘Carob’ About You: Carob Cookie Confections (modcloth.com)

“Why is it that when I don’t know what I want, there is always someone waiting to tell me what it is? I’m just lucky I guess. ~ Anne Wilson Schaef

Do you really know what your needs are?

If you are not living authentically, you may wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and wonder who the person is that is staring back at you.

If we get used to doing what everyone else expects of us, we may loose the ability to determine what we want. We may get confused about what it is exactly that is good and right for us.  Our needs are not being met because we do not know what those needs are.

Unless you know what you want, what your values are, and what is right for you, you cannot be an honest person. You are not only being dishonest with yourself, but you are being dishonest with everyone you are trying to please. You may think you are pleasing them, but the reality is they will never get to know the real you.

People who will try to punish you for being authentic

In The Essential Laws of Fearless Living by Guy Finley he states ” Walk away from anyone who “helps” you to feel that it’s necessary for you to hurt; leave anyone who causes you pain for “your own good”.

Often we may fear being authentic about our wants, needs and values because of the reaction of others. In my view, honesty is the best policy. Real love is unconditional.

“Never accept as natural or necessary any relationship outwardly- or inwardly – with a person or psychological state that punishes you. Say “NO” and just go! A whole new independent life awaits you.” Guy Finely

Here is a great needs inventory from the Center For Nonviolent Communication

This list may help you in your path to authenticity, do you recognize any of these needs that may not be getting met in your life right now? Are you able to communicate these needs in a healthy way with others?

Here are some great products and resources:   Guy Finely Fearless Living

photo credit: Jocko B.

Maya is a mom with two small children and works 40 hours a week at a job she does not love. She gives time and energy to her children and to her job but feels in a constant state of stress. Her life is controlled by a to-do list and she has no time for herself. Some days she feels her authentic self disappearing as she tries to keep up with the needs of her family. Deep down she knows there is more to life than the way she lives now but she doesn’t know how to rejuvenate her life.

Have you ever felt like the woman in this story?

As a mom, do you ever feel as if your authentic sense of self is being smothered by people and things that demand your time, attention, and energy?

As moms, we are givers. We give time to our children. We give energy to organizing the family schedule and household chores. We give attention to those who are sick or who are in need. We give advice such as wash your hands and eat your veges. We give hope to those who need it most. And as if that was not enough giving, we also happen to give birth to life. As authentic mamas, we are givers.

I’m here to tell you that it’s time to give to the most important person in your life – YOU! If you are not putting yourself first, all of the giving you do will eventual leave you empty and exhausted.

Today I give you permission to put yourself first.

1. Take Time for Silent Relaxation. Even 5 minutes a day of meditation is enough time to feel the benefits within your body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Putting yourself first means connecting with your sense of self awareness.

2. Take Action Towards Your Dreams. When I started CreateaBalance.com back in February 2008, I realized I was living my dream simply by taking actions towards my dreams. Once you have determined what your dreams and goals are, incorporate baby action steps towards achieving these dreams. SARK recommends using micromovements to reach your goals, which means every action step is only 5 minutes or less. She figures everyone can manage almost anything for 5 minutes.

3. Connect with Like-Minded Women. Busy routine-filled lives can give us a sense of being isolated from others. To live fully and authentically, it is essential to find time to connect with people you enjoy. If you can’t remember the last time you spent time with friends (without your children) then it is time to put yourself first and schedule a fun day or night out with a friend! Connecting with online friends is a great way to get a quick friendship fix. Embrace the power of relationships and have fun connecting with others.

4. Get Moving. I don’t care if you are training for a marathon, using the farthest parking space from the mall, or taking a sun-lit walk around the block. You are putting yourself first every time you choose to move your body towards the goal of being physically fit. Creatively incorporate some sort of movement into what you already love to do.

5. Feed Your Body Love. I recognize there are many opportunities to make poor choices when it comes to diet and nutrition. Goodness knows almost every restaurant in my town loads piles of french fries onto my sons’ plates. I hate having to resist those fries all through my meal. I do resist them, however, because I am putting myself first and making an active choice to eat healthy. I am not 100% successful, but if I choose to eat unhealthy food it is usually a result of putting myself last.

6. Do What You Love. List twenty things you love doing. Then think about the last time you put yourself first and found time to do these things. Can you find a few things on your list that you can do this week?

7. Honor Your Time. In the Artist’s way, Julia Cameron suggests reflecting on the major activities of your week. Once you create a list of your major activities, think about how much time you gave to each one? Which were what you wanted to do and which were “shoulds”? How much of your time is spent helping others and ignoring your own desires?

If you could take one micromovement towards putting yourself first today, what would you do?

Bio:

Stacey Hoffer Weckstein is a life coach, change management consultant, presenter, trainer, and a global advocate for finding “me” time and putting yourself first. She brings over 14 years of experience in the field of adult learning and human development and helps thousands of people think about and practice the art of life balance.

Stacey’s coaching style and her blog, CreateaBalance.com encourage you to embrace your authentic sense of self, to live with intention, to practice putting yourself first, to hold yourself accountable, and to take action towards living your best life.

When Stacey became a working mom back in 2003, she knew she had to balance the needs of her inner authentic self with the needs of all of the other things that demanded her time, attention, and energy. This process of practicing the art of life balance was one of the most powerful and liberating experiences of her life.

She is now committed to helping other people balance their essential “me” time with everything else that demands their time, attention, and energy.

She has worked with entrepreneurs, large corporations, non-profit organizations, health care systems, academic institutions, and government agencies. She holds a Masters degree in Human Resource Development from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor’s of Science degree, with honors, from Michigan State University.

I am honored that Stacey provided this awesome post for authentic mama. Be sure and visit her awesome website Create a Balance today!

As a mom with a child who may not be considered ‘typical’ according to all of the developmental charts, I can completely relate to the anxiety one initially feels when you sense something may be ‘wrong’. It is easy to get caught up in information overload.  I got so many “shoulds’ from others. There is an ocean of information you can surf through on the internet. After my initial fear reaction, I realized I needed to take a deep breath, it was going to be OK. Once I started to come from a place of compassion and trust instead of fear, the people who were giving me all those ‘shoulds’ gradually just disappeared.

I remember when my daughter Ella first started showing some ‘red flags”, when she was 15 months old she lost the 10 plus words she had. She began having meltdowns, had extreme reactions to certain sounds, had extreme social anxiety,  and had problems transitioning from routine. Ella loved the show Signing Time (we saw it on Public TV). We began watching the show daily learning signs together. At first Ella only knew 2 or 3 signs, but months passed and she was able to pick up 10 plus signs. I noticed she was using signs just to show us she knew them- not in conversation (she would sign Table for example, not referring to a Table but to show us she knew the sign- she knew the sign for water and food but instead of using them she would scream or push when she wanted something)  An ‘expert’ told me not to bother with sign language because she was not using it pragmatically. That I should go with a picture communication exchange system or a communication device (small hand-held computer system). This did not resonate with me, I could not see carrying a book or computer around wherever we went, we are a very active  family and I have a baby son- what if these devices were lost? Plus Ella LOVED the signing, my heart told me there had to be a way. I explored other ways to teach Ella how to use the signs to communicate- I ran across a method called ‘manding’ (teaching how to use signs for commands) after several weeks of practice (and some resistance from Ella at first) the method worked!  I went with my intution and it has paid off! Ella’s confidence continues to grow as she practices a form of communication she loves, she can communicate with us any time and at any place. I am not discounting the use of PECS or computer systems- they are excellent for some children- just not ideal for our situation.

Following your authentic path as a family can be difficult- that is why it is so important to take care of yourself as a mom! If you are feeding your own body, mind, and spirit you will be available to make the right decisions for your family and your unique situation.  By focusing on self care when needed, you will not only be able to be there for your kids because you will have optimum health and state of mind, but you will be an excellent role model for them in the future. When you are centered you can be more confident that the decistions you are making are the right ones for your situation at that time.

The sign language debate was not the only choice we made as a family that people disagreed with and I am sure it won’t be the last… But at least I can feel confident that we are going with what is best for OUR authentic family and learning along the way!

There is an excellent post over at Close to the root blog about ‘parenting out of the box’- a perfect example of following your authentic path, enjoy!