5 things you'll only experience once in your lifetime

Lately, I’ve been having lots of conversations about the timing of things in our lives. Deep, I know.  Lots of stuff about how some things are forever, some are for a short time and others are just for once.  It’s the ‘once-only’ stuff that got me thinking. Although advertisers will tell you almost anything is once-in-a-lifetime, there aren’t many things that actually are. It was difficult to come up with this list, but here are 5 things I can think of that will truly only ever happen to you once.  (Of course, I could have included death, but I’m not sure we really experience it, plus it’s just dismal).  If you can think of more, please add them as a comment! 

1.     BIRTH – Sadly, we’re not really in the moment for this one.  Maybe because our bodies are being squeezed through a tube like a sausage through a needle. Or because our heads are squished through a hole like a tennis ball through a piping bag.  Or just because you’re pulled from a warm, safe, peaceful existence into a bright, loud world where all you can hear is yourself crying.  OK.  I retract my opening sentence. Perhaps it’s best that we only experience this once, and that the memory is stored far, far away in that amazingly programmed machine called the mind.

2.     FIRST LOVE – In this we are ever so present because it normally happens in the teenage years, when every emotion is heightened.  The joy, the lust, the longing and the inevitable pain when it all falls apart are experienced on an acute level unlikely to be repeated in your lifetime.  It’s giddy, giddy uncontrollable giddiness, accompanied by insecurity, uncertainty and pure bliss.  Sure, you’ll fall in love again and again, but every time afterwards will be influenced in some way by this very first time, so kids, if you’re reading (and you’re probably not), make it count!   Maybe mum or dad can pass that one on!

3.     YOUR FIRST KISS – So it looks like we’re working in a life-stage pattern, but here’s a most disappointing reality; you will only ever experience your first kiss once.  Unlike falling in love, which covers a period of months to years, your first kiss lasts only a few moments to minutes.  My first one was in an old-school shopping centre photo booth.  Caught on film.  Way before Paris Hilton and those bloody Kardashians made it popular. (I guess I missed my time).  Anyhoo, it was nerve-wracking, butterflies-in- your-tummy yummy weightlessness, and I’ll never forget it, and while I can only speak of this one experience, most people I know tell me the same thing.  Never-had-it-since innocent, nervous bliss.  

4.     LOSING YOUR VIRGINITY – This one is probably more subjective…Unlike falling in love and first kisses, but very much like being born, I’m glad this only happens once.  It’s a one-word reason.  AWKWARD!  It’s clumsy, weird and full of pressure; good or not good.  Where, when?  Right time, right place, right person?  Does it ever live up to the expectation?  Perhaps if there was no expectation it would be better, but it’s generally so built up by the time you get there that the weirdness overshadows the experience.  Next time is better.  And the next, and the next, but you’ve gotta start somewhere, huh?

5.     MEETING YOUR NEWBORN–The culmination of all this loving, kissing and mating brings us back to point number 1, birth.  Poetic really, and I didn’t even plan it.  Although technically you can do this once, twice, even 14 times if you’re that weird octomum in the USA, the first time you hold each new baby in your arms is a significant and never-to-be-had again moment.  Each child you bear is a unique little individual, and the first time you lay eyes on that special person is infused with emotion, meaning and thought. Yes, some of those thoughts are ‘glad that’s over, I’d love a shower and a nap,’ but most are observing, nuzzling and checking out the squirmy little creature in your arms, sizing each other up and setting up one of the most important relationships of your entire lifetime.  Treasure it.  You only get that time once.

So after struggling to find my 5 things, I’ve come up with something rather philosophical: every moment of your life is once-in-a-lifetime.  There are the big moments, like the ones on this list, but the reality is, you’ll never get a single moment back once it’s passed.  So I learned something from this: to accept that every moment is fleeting, to enjoy the moments you love, and to know the others will pass.  I told you this was deep. 

5 things to give instead of chocolate at Easter

If your house is anything like mine, when the bunny visits this week you’ll find yourself with an everlasting and overflowing stash of chocolate goodies that you’re ‘saving for the kids’ in a cupboard up high where they can’t be reached.  The kids will never see these ‘gifts’ because they’ll disappear down you or your partner’s big gobs on lonely Friday nights over the next few months.  SHAKE IT UP this Easter!  Give the kids something to do, see or play.  Throw in a few tiny choccies so you’re not forever known as the demon aunt, and you'll find that you're giving to the parents as well…just not to their waistline.   Check it out…

Our awesome creation from last year.

1.    EASTER CRAFTS – Hit your closest two-dollar shop and you’ll find a mega range of everything Easter.  From paintable foam eggs to cut out chickens, baby chicks, streamers, ribbons, glitter sparkles and anything else you might use for decorating.  Grab a stash of stuff and pop them into one of the beautiful Easter boxes also for sale at these wonderful establishments and voila!  Another non-edible Easter gift for the rascals that will keep them busy.  Along similar lines, you could invite a bunch of kids over and have an Easter-craft day, making hats, bunnies, eggs etc. Everyone gets to take their creation home, and OK, and maybe a little choccy egg or two as well!

2.     MOVIE TICKETS – I don’t know how much you spend on Easter Eggs, but it definitely adds up!  If you have a special kid or two in your life, you might want to consider movie tickets.  Again, every Easter comes with a school holiday and a mum scratching at ideas for things to do.  Don’t waste money on a crappy soft bunnies and eggs with gooey orange centres.  Buy a couple of movie tickets and you’re giving the kids something to do in the Holidays AND a holiday activity that mum or dad don’t have to pay for!

3. ACTIVITY BOOKS – a retro classic?  No!  Kids still love to do puzzles, word games, connect the dots and find the difference.  There are activity books for all ages from toddlers to school age.  There are ‘cool’ ones too, for the kids who think they’re too big for this kind of thing.  Practically every kids movie or TV show will have it’s own activity and or sticker book out there somewhere from Star Wars to Megamind, Toy Story and (already) The Lorax. These will keep kids busy and quiet during the holidays too, especially on rainy days, which helps mum and dad endlessly.      

Yes, she's real!  This is my little Easter Bunny.

4.     EASTER COSTUMES – I know I keep going back to the two-dollar shop, but at this time of year, it’s the place to be!  On their bountiful shelves, you will find Easter masks, hats, bunny ears and even the full bunny get up.  This one is probably more for the younger tots, but let me tell you, the more dress-ups they can have in their dress-up boxes the better.  They will love dressing up on the day, and for weeks and months afterwards when their mates come over to play.  For this reason, you may need to invest in a few el-cheapo costumes – you don’t want a bunch of bickering bunnies in the house! 

5.     HOME MADE EASTER BISCUITS– This is still foody, still sugary, but less likely to be stored and consumed by mums and dads.  Find a basic cookie or biscuit recipe and get busy in the kitchen with the kids.  Use Easter biscuit cutters to make shapes; you can easily find eggs, bunnies and chickens at most homeware shops.  The kids love cutting the shapes and decorating with whatever you see fit; smarties, sprinkles, choc chips.  You can then put them in cellophane bags with pretty ribbons, or paper boxes with stuffed with straw (again, the good old two dollar shop!).  Get creative.

Enjoy the holidays, stay sane and have a HAPPY EASTER!

5 things you can do to help the environment

You don’t have to be a hippy tree-hugging vegan animal activist in order to be kinder to the planet. It’s actually super-easy, totally relevant and incredibly important to do so. Slowly but surely, ‘regular’ people are awakening to the need to care for the space we live in, if not changing it. Here are 5 teeny-weeny itsy bitsy things you can do that won’t change your life, but may just change the future.

My two best mates

1. SAY NO TO PLASTIC BAGS AND BOTTLES - I couldn’t have written this without the shocking stuff I read in Peppermint Magazine a while ago. Stuff that told me that in just 1 year Australia produced 582.9 million plastic bottles and that 323 million of those ended up in waste. (I presume the others are making their way there). That to make 1 plastic bottle uses 400ml of oil, and to put 600ml of ‘pure’ water into that bottle requires 3 LITRES of water to begin with! Get a drink bottle, please! In fact, get 2! I stash one in my handbag and one in the car, and I’m (very) cool, hydrated and thirst-free all day long. You can be too.  As for the bags, I’m just going to say this: 1 bag = 1000 years to breakdown. 10 million used every day in Australia alone and 1923 marine animals and birds dead each day because of them. You know this. Get some hessian bags, or pull out the floral granny trolley and make a statement at your supermarket, or better yet, at your local market…

2. BUY LOCAL IN-SEASON PRODUCE – Preferably at a local market. They’re popping up all over the place, even in the big bad capital cities, so there’s no excuse.  Aside from the produce, there’s normally other organic and healthy stuff to try. Sometimes there’s music, clothes, bags, candles and other fun stuff to look at. You’ll be supporting local farmers, keeping Aussie dollars in Australia, and keeping those dollars local. You support real people, not massive corporations who don’t care what they put in or spray on your food. If you can’t go to a market, there are stacks of online delivery options. At the very least, you can buy in season; it’s healthier for you and for the environment as it hasn’t been refrigerated, flown and trucked across the globe, just so you can enjoy a pineapple in the dead of winter. This makes price whining unrealistic too. Some organic produce may cost a little more, but in-season foods cost way less than those internationally shipped pineapples. Get serious. Just think about where your food comes from.

3. COMPOST AND RECYCLE – I’m including recycling here because I’m amazed how many people simply can’t be bothered to separate cans, bottles and plastics, or newspapers, egg cartons and magazines. The hard work is done for you. There are special bins. It’s SO easy, and makes SUCH a difference. Just comply - it all helps. Composting is even better. We started composting a few years ago, and it cut our general rubbish in half. Every banana skin, vegetable peel, left over dinner and uneaten crust from every sandwich you lovingly made for your spoilt kids - all of it, in the compost. This does require a bit of work. Luckily my husband loves it. He takes the compost out, mooshes it around, turns it, looks at it, turns it over again, and eventually uses it to make a little part of the garden nicer. You can get special compost bins or worm farms (some councils give them away) and use them to make your own herb or vege garden. All keeping you away from the supermarket, saving a few dollars, keeping you healthy and doing that wee bit extra for Mother Earth.

4. CUT DOWN ON RED MEAT– There's so much information and environmental recommendations out there about this. The biggest problems associated with eating beef in particular are the levels of emissions it produces, the cost and energy used in grain/feed production and the deforestation and land degradation caused by producing all that feed. Put aside the nasty way animals are slaughtered, the hideous conditions they live in and the drugs they’re given to prevent disease, and consider this: the methane produced by cattle is responsible for up to 18% of ALL Greenhouse Gas emissions. It requires 8kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef. The land used to grow that grain now occupies almost 30% of the Earth’s surface. There go a few good rainforests. Astonishingly, it can take up to 100,000 litres of water to produce ONE KILO of beef! Then there are all the studies that suggest meat isn’t so hot for your health anyway. Not saying don’t eat red meat, just saying maybe not so often. You can start here: http://www.meatfreemondays.com/

5. HANG YOUR CLOTHES ON THE LINE – I’m pretty good with all of the above, but I struggle like crazy with this one. My ‘be nicer to nature’ side competes with my ‘I hate doing the washing’ side, and I wish the first team would win more often. This is one of those things that’s so simple, yet so hard to embrace, but here’s the deal; it’s better for your clothes to air-dry. It’s better for you to get outside and move. Yes…you bend over and get up again, several times, for ten minutes each day. It’s better for your hip pocket and it is SO much better for the environment. Them dryers suck lots of energy, and if you have a family, you’re using it all the time. If you live in a small place or if its winter, get a clothes horse! It’s annoying, it makes your home untidy and sometimes it can even smell, but it’s just something else, little, not time consuming better for you, better for the environment.

Funny how almost everything that makes the environment a bit healthier seems to make us a bit healthier too, ain't it? 

5 Things you should eat every day

Branded as fattening by Western diet ‘experts’ the following foods are often avoided. In truth, the fats they contain are incredibly healthy and vital for normal body function including the absorption and transportation of nutrients. Weirdly, they may actually help you lose weight (true story!) It’s all about the molecular structure of the fat (if you’re interested, research medium chain fatty acids/medium chain triglycerides), but for now, eat these!

Delish!  My Raw Cacao & Coconut Balls

1. COCONUT – The flesh, oil and juice are all super-rich in nutrients and have amazing health implications for the body. The fats help protect against heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They increase metabolism, are easily absorbed quickly used by the body, so they’re less likely to stick around and be stored on your arse. That’s just a start. There’s a plethora of other health benefits from improved diabetes health to better skin and hair, plus protection from common illnesses through antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Coconut water is gaining popularity too, with many athletes using it to replenish energy in place of ‘sports’ drinks. Coconut water can replace electrolytes for people who have had a bout of illness (like gastro) and has even been used to intravenously hydrate critically ill patients when saline/blood plasma is unavailable. Make sure your coconut water is young and preferably fresh, and your coconut oil is extra virgin and hexane free. Compromising on quality compromises the benefits!

2. AVOCADOS – Another awesomely nutritional food labeled ‘fattening’ and often avoided by westerners. Truth is, the fats in avocados actually help to digest, transport and absorb the real goodies – the carotenoid antioxidants that are abundant in the vegetable. It’s a perfect combination in a neat little package. That’s nature showing off again. Avocados contain vitamin E, Vitamin K, potassium, folate, selenium and zinc. They are associated with reducing inflammation in the body, with eye/macular health, heart health and lowering cholesterol. If you think cost is prohibitive – grow a tree! They take really easily from a replanted seed.

3. OLIVES – Yep, they're fatty too, but again, they are ‘good’ fats, essential for normal body function. The fats in olives are associated with reduced cardio illness, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reduced inflammation in the body. Olives are a great source of antioxidants including lutein, which strengthens eye-sight, fights free radicals and helps prevent premature ageing. Olives are rich in B vitamins as well as Vitamin A, E and K. They are mineral rich with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium , zinc and selenium, all of which are absorbed more easily by the presence of the olive’s fatty acids. There are loads to choose from, but again, pay attention to how they’re produced and where they come from. Organic is best!

4. CHOCOLATE (yes, chocolate!) – Celebrate! The antioxidant and flavonoid content in Raw cacao is said to be higher than that found in red wine, blueberries, green tea or any other food! In this pure form, chocolate is rich in magnesium, iron, copper, sulphur, calcium, potassium and manganese. It contains Vitamins A, B, C and E, amino acids and a myriad of elements vital for healthy body function. These nutrients have a range of benefits for heart health, and the high levels of magnesium support healthy brain function. Cacao also contains a range of plant chemicals such as anandamide and dopomine that stimulate mood and decrease stress levels, hence chocolate’s frequent association with love and pleasure. It’s a super healthy food, not a treat! But beware - mixing chocolate with sugar and milk ain’t the way to go, and raw, organic cacao definitely is. You can find a million articles and recipes for raw cacao online. Yum yum!

5. NUTS – I’m nuts about them. Walnuts and almonds especially, but we’ll include hazelnuts, pecans and cashews here too (unsalted, raw of course!). The health benefits make this whole post somewhat repetitive – antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Are you hearing me? In the fats! Again, it’s protection from cardiovascular illness, high cholesterol weight gain and other related illnesses; metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes. Yes, nuts are high in calories. But they are also high in Vitamin E, Calcium, magnesium, selenium and iron. They are mega rich in antioxidants for vital health, cell function, regeneration and repair and the fats in nuts are actually associated with weight loss, not weight gain.
Still want that bag of Doritos? Think again.

Happy munching!