Charm Citizen

The Old Truck – It’s both mortifying and super cool that I drive my husband’s 1998 Toyota Tacoma on a regular basis. I need a more modern ride but high interest rates and the supply chain issues, as well as just being cheap and generally cash strapped, are holding me back from investing in more modern ride. We try to avoid transporting the kids in it but a scheduling challenge today forced me to take Farah and Kendall to camp in it. They are pretty amazed by the roll-down windows, manual locks, and streamline decor. It drives like a champ too! It feels like driving an actual car instead of a computer.

Podcasts – In case it wasn’t obvious yet, I love Podcasts, especially Sobriety and Alcohol-Free podcasts. I was super excited when an e-mail from Amanda Kuda landed in my inbox today announcing the launch of her new Podcast Unbottled Potential. Amanda is an alcohol-free life coach with a Course in Miracles-influenced approach to helping clients. I’ve taken one of her courses in the past and would like to take another one. Of course I binged 3 episodes in a row!

Vegan Nutrition – My husband John and I are about to celebrate our 2 year vegan anniversary. I love being vegan and rarely miss animal products. Since today was Taco Tuesday, we are soft shell tacos filled with pinto beans, roasted jalapeños from our CSA, and sautéed red onions. The kids are regular beef tacos. We haven’t implemented a vegan diet for them but try to show them a healthy lifestyle. They seem genuinely interested in what foods are vegan and which are not but tend to stick to what they like – which is lots of milk chocolate, ice cream, and pizza.

Night Meetings – Night meetings have been a regular part of my career as an urban planner. It’s par for the course I suppose. Tonight was no exception. Evenings seem to offer the best time to connect with community organizations and citizens after they return from work and school. Sometimes I just listen and other times I present info. Tonight I presented so it left me feeling simultaneously exhausted and wired from the exertion of energy. I hope the information was valuable to someone.

Feng Shui – I am interested in the art and pseudo science of Feng Shui. I’ve decided time snd energy into learning some of its principles. I hope to have a chance to share more in the future. There are some easy “cures” you can add to your home such as lucky bamboo plants, wind chimes, colors, shapes, etc. Today I watered my lucky Bamboo Plant and noticed my daughter was using her new Yin Yang composition book. Now if I could only keep my front entrance clutter free. I’ve got the red door taken care of but need to figure out what to do with all my kids shoes!