Make Day

As a Handmade Woman it's a bit hard to get everything made that I need for the week. I need to make things ranging from bread to toothpaste and shampoo. It's fun to make all these things but it got a little daunting for me to have everything prepared every week. So I decided to institute Make Day when I go down my list and make everything that we will be eating or using for the following couple weeks.

Knowing that I have one day set aside each week dedicated to making what I call our Home Inventory reduces the frantic making of things throughout the week. I decided Sunday was the best day to set aside because we rarely have anything going on that day.

Saturday Smorgasbord: DIY Cures for Bladder Infections

What is Saturday Smorgasbord?

Gurus and leading experts act like there's only one way to succeed. I believe there are so many ways to accomplish things that it's silly to narrow yourself to just one path.

So every Saturday I will list all the options, techniques and ways to accomplish various things from marketing your business to losing weight.

There is a Smorgasbord of tools at your disposal, why pick just one?

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Grow Where You Are Planted

I saw the title of this post, "Grow where you are planted", inside a handmade card at a cafe downtown. When I read those words for the first time I felt a jolt go through me. It's the simplest phrase but it packs a powerful meaning.

Sometimes during the course of our hectic lives we forget about those things that made us giddy when we were younger. We get caught up in "what I'm supposed to do" land that we forget about what makes us, us. Or if you are like me, you look at others who are "successful" and want to be just like them but forget about all the steps they had to go through to get where they are now.

For a while I have felt like a failure because I couldn't get to where "they" are. My goals have been so lofty and 5 years out that every day I woke up I still felt miles away from my dream. I guess I finally realize what "Take it one day at a time" means.

Trees don't sprout immediately from seed to full grown Spruce. Roots must branch out and feel the earth around them, learning and gaining nutrients as they go. This slow progression builds the tree so strong that even though trees might get cut down the roots remain.

This concept is what separates phonies from the authentic.

Whatever is keeping you from your dreams whether it's a hectic life or someone yelling in your ear to, "Do This, Be This!" Remember that even though your roots may be weak right now they are still there and can point you in the right direction.

The Sane & Satisfied Way to Exercise

One of the tenants of Sane & Satisfied is that we are all individuals and just because a plan works for one person doesn't mean that it's the best plan for someone else. That tenant can be no truer for exercise.

Here on the Sane & Satisfied Blog I try to teach and encourage you to find your own way of doing things. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain confidence, eat healthier or learn a new language you have a unique way of learning things. You also have your own unique set of motivations and inspirations to keep you going.

The Sane & Satisfied Checklist

The other day I saw something (doesn't matter what it was) and I automatically thought to myself, "That's Sane & Satisfied". And it occurred to me that I've never really laid down a set of criteria for something being Sane & Satisfied but somehow I just knew it was.

It's been difficult for me to put into words what exactly I mean by Sane & Satisfied but I thought it might be helpful for a newbie if I wrote a Sane & Satisfied Checklist. I envision this checklist being most helpful when you have to make a decision about something. That decision doesn't have to be life or death and can be as mundane as, "Should I say yes to helping out with the PTA this year?" Every choice we make takes up more of our time, energy and resources. So each choice can make us either more relaxed and happy or more stressed and unhappy. I find I'm most unhappy when I do things that go against my current path. Likewise, I'm most happy when I'm doing something in my element.

Paleo Diet: Sane & Satisfied Approved

My husband and I have been following a new eating plan called the Paleo Diet. It's also known as the Caveman Diet since it's modeled after the way humans used to eat before advances in agriculture and industry. The main idea of the Paleo Diet is that we are "genetically adapted" to the diet of our ancestors and that our genetic makeup hasn't changed much (from Wikipedia) The basic rules are to stay away from grains, milk products, starches, grain-fed meat and processed foods (including sugars). But everything else is fair game.

When my husband first told me that we should follow this eating plan I was skeptical. Because, for one, my husband has a sweet tooth just like I do and, for two, I thought just because cavemen didn't eat grain that doesn't automatically mean that we shouldn't today. I mean, I love my bread and pasta! I was glad however that I could continue eating meat, eggs and fruit to my heart's content.

Easy Peasy Monday: Yummy Veggies

Its Easy Peasy Monday! I bring you super easy things that you can do in a few minutes to make your life more healthy, yummy, simple and enjoyable.

Today is all about Yummy Veggies. Last week I did a detox program I found on Pinterest. The first three days are nothing but fruits and veggies. I love fruit but I had to get creative about how to make the veggies more palatable. And I thought I would share three tricks to eat your veggies without sacrificing flavor.

10 Household Items To Throw Away

I recently started cleaning my parents' house for extra money and I noticed that they have a lot of "cleaning supplies" that were supposed to "make cleaning easier". But after using some of them I convinced my mom that they should just be thrown away. So, bye bye to the steamer/vacuum and the fancy toilet scrubber with the one-time-use scrubber pad.

It's easy to get sucked into buying something like that. This is the 2000's, right? We were supposed to have flying cars and molecular microwaves or something. We shouldn't be cleaning our 21st century houses with the mops our grandparents used!

Kale Chips Recipe

I LOVE kale! Like seriously LOVE it! So when my mom told me about a recipe she saw on TV for kale chips I was like "Hold the phone! I can eat kale and it's like I'm eating chips but it's really kale so it's ok if I stuff my face cuz it's KALE?" And she was like, "Uh, yeah?"

I haven't used shampoo since January

Instead I've been making my own concoction. There are many recipes for what's lovingly referred to as "No-Poo" but the basic recipe is baking soda and water. That's it.

When I first heard of No-Poo is was skeptical. How can you wash your hair with only water and baking soda?! What about all the free-radicals I keep hearing about? Not only do I tell everyone I meet about how great No-Poo is but I also have opened my eyes to all the other household, bath and beauty products I can easily make at home.

What I've learned from Extreme Couponing

I have learned a lot from Extreme Couponing and frugal spending for the last few months. And I'm surprised how much of what I've learned has helped deepen my Sanity & Satisfaction.

1. I've been taught to love, and therefore buy, only certain types of brands. One of the first things you must learn to be successful at Extreme Couponing is to ditch brand loyalty. In order to save lots of money you must be open to using coupons for similar items you usually buy but aren't your favorite brand. It's a bit uncomfortable at first but after a while you stop noticing.