Wellness Wednesday: Finding the JOY in Wellness

When I was a little girl there was nothing I looked forward to more than my weekly classes at Ms.Wendy Cutting's Dance studio. I was about 4 when my love for being on stage and shaking my hips converged as I performed in front of my community.

It was one of the best feelings in the world. As I made my way into middle school, my level of technique got kicked up a notch when I joined the preprofessional program at the world renowned Dance Theater of Harlem, in NYC.

They look like super heroes.

I was among the sickest, most gorgeously toned men and women, who had worked for years to hone their craft. I always looked at them in awe. Not only did they have the physiques of Greek Gods and Goddess', but their blistered toes and bruised...everything...never seemed to matter. Through their movement you could see the joy that shined from within.

I felt the same way about dance. I didn't mind doing the same steps over, and over, because I knew when it was performance time the synergy that my class created would bring people to their feet.

In college my best friend and I were pretty much known as "those girls" at our local hangout, the Metro. Not cuz we were slutty (only a little) but because the party didn't start until we got there. Every Wednesday night, as soon as our feet touched the floor our hips were shaking. It was like a school dance, once one person started having fun it gave everyone else permission to do the same.

We would request our favorite songs (Jill, remember how I'm a Slave for You would make us loose our shit?), grab our drink and dance until they closed up shop. It was one of the most fun and freeing times in my life and ALWAYS the highlight of my week.

Now, as an adult, dance for me has become a way to release energy and de-stress. I'm the first one to get excited about going to a wedding because I know I'll get to get on that dance floor. I no longer have the lean toned body of a ballerina, but there's something about rhythmic moving to music that helps me to let go of my worries, smile, and burn a crapload of calories.

Here are some of the AH-Mazing health benefits of dance:

• It can boost your memory
• Improve flexibility
• Reduce Stress
• Diminish Depression
• Help Your Heart
• Lose Weight
• Better Balance
• Increase Energy
• Make Friends

So maybe a traditional gym isn't the best way for me to get the body I desire. Maybe pointing my toes, doing grand plies, or shaking my goove thang is more my speed.

Taking care of your body and mind shouldn't be a painful experience. If you love nature then take hike up the steepest mountain you can climb. If you loves animals, run with your dog. If sports are your fancy then find a local pick-up league. If you love sitting on your couch eating Rice Krispy Treats while watching the Bachelorette, well....you've got some stuff to figure out. ;-)

Why not create wellness in your life WHILE doing something you love? 

What's ONE thing that makes you happy AND keeps you healthy? Share it below!

Getting my Groove on in Granolaville,

Fresh Idea Friday: Backyard Summer Olympics

Even though most of us in Granolaville aren't in any kind of shape to participate in the ACTUAL Olympics, wouldn't it be fun to get that feeling of accomplishment only experienced when wearing a gold medal around your neck?

Each year my family hosts an end of the summer BBQ for my husband who's birthday is Sept 3rd . Being that my hubs is kinda competitive (Read: must be on the winning team or there is hell to pay) we gather up all of our friends and family for a hardcore game---testing our strength, stamina and coordination playing...WHIFFLEBALL BABY!

You may laugh, but we take Whiffleball VERY seriously in our house. It started off as just a giant yellow bat and holy white ball. But after years of hosting these, my husband has perfected our "field", going as far as drawing a perfectly measured chalk infield, building a strike zone with with some plywood and a post, and setting up orange cones for foul balls

Like I said the man is serious.

It got me thinking, in honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics, wouldn't it be cool to have numerous summertime events where everyone can duke it out for prizes while enjoying a cold beverage and yummy BBQ? Hellz yeah it would!

So I've begun planning mode for our 1st Annual Backyard Olympics! 

Each person competing will get 1-3 points, depending on where they place for each event. Small medals, that you can get at the Dollar Store, will be given to the winner of the individual event. At the end of our Backyard Olympics the person with the most points will be awarded the super-awesome-kickass-uber-crunchy GRAND PRIZE! (Yet to be determined)

Here are some of the events I've come up with so far:

• Eating Obscene Amounts of Food: My husband LOVES the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest so we'll do our own version with mini cupcakes! (gluten-free of course)
• Did someone say obstacle course?! Set up your yard to look like a mini Hunger Games, with plenty of things to crawl under, jump through, and climb. Make it MORE challenging (and hysterical) by making everyone wear swimmies, flippers, and a snorkel.
• Anyone can hop on one foot, but can you do it while chugging a beer (or juice box for the kids)?
• Tug-o-War anyone?
• Shake your hips and see how long you can Hula Hoop for.
• Sprinting race wearing flippers.
• Ring toss with beans bags. 
• Nerf gun shoot out. Set up empty cups. Knock em down.
• Pillowcase races
• Play volleyball, but instead of trying to hit the ball back and forth, each team must catch the ball with a blanket and throw it back the same way!
• Set up six 2-liter bottles (put a few inches of water in the bottom of each bottle) like bowling pins, and see who can knock the most down by kicking a soccer ball.
• Last but not least our EPIC Whiffleball game where the winning team is awarded 3 points, and the losers (aka NOT my husbands team) get 1.

That's my short list.  I'm super excited to share with you all how our Backyard Olympics shapes up. Adding competition to any party can make it that much more memorable (beer pong anyone?),

Got any other fun, challenging, or just plain old ridiculous games we can use? Let me know in the comments section below!

Ready to Battle in Granolaville, 

 

Fresh Idea Friday: 50 FREE Ideas for a Fantastic Summer with Your Kids

Today marks the last day of school for my children and the end of my sanity. I kid, I kid (kinda).

I LOVE Summer time; the food, the weather, beaches. Aside from the Fall its my most favorite time of year. Everything is in full bloom, the sun shines, and we can spend most of our time outdoors.

BUT I have to admit, I pretty much suck at entertaining my little men. Don't get me wrong, we have tons of fun at my mom-in-laws pool, going to the park, and having picnics in our backyard. However, doing those activities day-in and day-out can get pretty old, pretty fast. I hate to even say this, but we spent A LOT of time watching movies or playing video games. Don't worry, I am ashamed. I try to mix things up with water parks or museums, but the cost of even a day trip can get expensive.

As a parent the LAST thing I want to hear is "I'm BOREDDDDDDDD". I try my best, but with three kids, in 3 different age groups (ages 18 months, 6, and ....13) it can be difficult to please everyone. I also don't want them to be so spoiled that they have to "do" something in order to have a good time. It shouldn't be about spending money. Sometimes you can have just as much fun doing something for free, or even something that helps someone else.

So I am determined to not let THIS Summer be completely LAME. My goal: do memorable, fun activities without breaking the bank.

Here are 50 FREE Ideas for a non-lame Summer with kids.

1. Build a fort
2. Write a play, dress up and perform it
3. Volunteer in a soup kitchen. Here's one we support in our Granolaville. You can find a full list of those in your state at Homeless Shelter Directory.
4. Go on scavenger hunt around your town or city and find 20 objects beginning with a certain letter or are particular color
5. Have a water balloon fight
6. Scour the neighborhood for cool rocks and paint them
7. Help a neighbor with yard work
8. Go to a free concert.
9. Visit a farm
10. Have a picnic in the park and fly kites
11. Read a Book
12. Melt crayons on a blank canvas 
13. Have your kids plan and make a whole meal 
14. Play a board game
15. Feed ducks
16. Have a dance party (Be sure to embarrass your teenage kids)
17. Visit a museum. I had no idea that many museums (like the Museum of Natural History &  The Metropolitan Museum of Art) only have a suggested donation, the price of admission is not required, so you could actually pay a penny if you wanted to.
18. Camp out in your back yard
19. LEMONADE STAND
20. Go to the library
21. Paint pottery
22. Go on a nature hike
23. Plant flowers
24. Make an indoor or outdoor obstacle course
25. Have a "date" with mom or dad with just one child
26. Skip rocks in a lake or river
27. Have a water gun FIGHT!
28. Plan a themed BBQ and invite their friends
29. Dig in the dirt
30. Build a sand castle
31. Go on a bike ride
32. Find a different constellation each night
33. Make "healthy" s'mores. ( Leave out the marshmallow and replace it with banana slices)
34. Have a Lego building contest. The winner with the tallest tower gets to pick the next fun activity.
35. Make tie-dye shirts. 
36. Play charades
37. Offer to help sweep outside a restaurant or storefront. 
38. Collect seashells and glue them to empty juice cartons to make a vase.
39. Check the newspapers (or my favorite local site Real Dutchess Moms) for local summer festivals
40. Build boats out of different materials, and see which one floats
41. Take a tour of a historic site
42. Have a pajama day
43. "Travel" around the world by making dishes from different countries. Asian stir Fry...YUM!
44. Have a "Yard Olympics". Create different events and have a medal ceremony
45. Make a magazine collage of things they want to do, see or be in the next 1, 5, and 10 years
46. Learn to juggle
47. Slip n Slide
48. Redecorate their room with things already in your house
49. Make a backyard firepit
50. Take a nap...this is my favorite :-)

Don't forget there's only 1 day left in our SUMMER SOLSTICE SWEEPSTAKES, so make sure you enter above!

Got any fun and free summer time ideas?

Loving the Summer in Granolaville,

 

Natural Mom Monday: Celebrating the Start of Summer

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky...

The Summer Solstice celebrates the longest day--and shortest night--of the year. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice will occur this year at 7:09pm EDT on June 20.

Since ancient times, people all over the world have celebrated the power of the Sun with festivals, usually in the hopes of a good harvest. Among the most famous celebrations were the Celtic Midsummer rites, where people jumped over bonfires in the belief that their crops would grow as high as they could jump.

This mystical day was also thought to mark the wedding of the Sun and the Moon, creating the tradition of June weddings being lucky. In fact, the full moon in June, was called the "Honey Moon" because of the special mead made from fermented honey which was part of the wedding celebrations. The bride and groom drank mead to bless their union with fertility.

Even if you're not planning a trip to Stonehenge this year to dance through the ruins, the Summer Solstice is still meaningful  in our lives today. What people have been seeking through the ages can be summarized as the continuation of Life by the Gifts of a bountiful Harvest, or food supply, and Fertility, or healthy children.

Regardless of our individual spiritual/religious beliefs, isn't that what we're trying to achieve with Holistic Living?

Ancient people were often helpless before droughts and other 'natural disasters', but today we're fighting an onslaught of unnatural disasters -- from unpronounceable chemicals in our everyday food, genetically modified corn, hormones in our meat, and an ever-growing list of 'recommended' vaccines for our children!

Yes, we want to do better, and live green, crunchy lives. But, what are we doing to make it happen?

Let's use the Summer Solstice as a day to take stock and ensure that we're actually 'walking the walk'.

Sometimes, the concept can seem overwhelming, and we make excuses that we're just too busy or money is too tight. So start by doing ONE new green thing for yourself or your family this week. Just ONE. Then next week, add one more green thing, etc. Before you realize it, you'll be a SUPER CRUNCHY Peep (or at least a little around the edges)!

Ask the kids for ideas. Especially since they're about to be free from the homework regimen in a few days, they can come up with helpful stuff.

In our modern mobile, app-driven world, Summer Solstice is especially important because it brings us back to the basics. When all is said and done, a healthy food supply and healthy children-- with fewer allergies and learning disabilities--is what most of us want. So, this June 20, do ONE thing to help make it happen!

To help you start out your summer of holistic living,  all week you can enter in our SUMMER SOLSTICE SWEEPSTAKES for a chance to win 1 of 3 AHHH-Mazing prizes including:

$50 Gift Card to Adams Fairacre Farms

Summer Survival Kit from Three Sisters Herbals

Gluten Free Gift Pack from Bob's Red Mill

What's ONE thing you'll do to celebrate health and natural wellness this summer?

Celebrating the start of Summer in Granolaville,

~Kalimah 

Kalimah Karim is the Executive Director of The Granolaville Group, a veteran writer and Registered Nurse. Her focus is on community outreach and children with special needs. When she is not commuting to NYC for work she's spending time with her 3 grandsons, and  building a successful Doula business with her daughter, Nacia. Kalimah wants people in co-ops and apartments as well as people in suburban areas to know the benefits of holistic living.

Thoughtful Thursday: It's the Little Things in Life...

  Potato Sack Races.

What "little" thing brings you joy?

Wishing I was a kid in Granolaville,