The Zen Housewife

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Book giveaway: The Reincarnationist
2007-10-11 09:47:00
MJ Rose, author of The Reincarnationist and the blog post below, has kindly offered a signed copy of her new book as a giveaway prize to one Zen Housewife reader.If you'd like your name in the hat for the draw, please email me at tracy[at]zenhousewife[dot]com (replacing [at] with @ and [dot] with .) by the 14th November 2007.The winner will be notified by email.Check out The Reincarnationist blog.
More About: Book , Incarnation , Carnation

Novel beginnings
2007-10-08 17:27:00
This is a guest post by author MJ Rose.When I was three years old, I told my great grandfather things about his childhood in Russia that there was simply no way I could have known.He became convinced I was a reincarnation of someone in his past. And over time, after more incidents, my mother ? a very sane and logical woman -- also came to believe it.Reincarnation was an idea I grew up with that my mom and I talked about and researched together. It led to my interest in Buddhism, mediation, Zen thinking and a spiritual richness my life wouldn't have otherwise.For years, I wanted to write a novel about someone like my mother ? who was sane and logical ? who started out sceptical but came to believe in reincarnation. But I was afraid if I did people would think I was a ?woo woo weirdo? so I put it aside and wrote other books - psychological suspense. But the book of my heart - the book on reincarnation stayed with me.I tried to start the book ten years ago after my mother died but I ...

Turning within
2007-10-07 17:46:00
Over the summer months I've been erratic both with my meditation practice and with posting to this blog. As the seasons turn and we're heading indoors to keep warm, I'm also feeling a return happening within myself as I come back to myself and my meditation practice. And with that I'm coming back to this blog with the intention to carry on talking about my practice and my life as a Buddhist, a mother, and a housewife.Jacqueline Kramer's latest Hearth Foundation classes have been hugely instrumental in bringing me back to my practice that has waned over the past few months. I'm taking the 3 Refuges class, we've just got to the end of the second week, and my meditation practice has changed dramatically from what it was before. Jacqueline has urged us to stick to Vipassana meditation for the duration of the class. Since starting meditation just over a year ago I've stuck safely to tranquillity meditation, with a barrier firmly in place to trying Vipassana. For the first t...

Blog on hold
2007-09-28 16:46:00
I'm putting this blog on hold while I decide whether I want to continue with it or not. In the meantime, I'm still blogging over at EcoStreet.
More About: Blog , Hold

Vegan with a Vengeance
2007-09-09 14:30:00
I added to my vegan cookbook collection this past week, buying a copy of Vega n with a Vengeance . I've tried a couple of the recipes already, the Samosas and Fettucine Alfreda, and am very impressed with both. Naturally I forgot to take pictures of my creation. As well as snacks, pasta, pizza and lots of tofu recipes, the book includes loads of dessert and cake recipes, my favourite!My acquisition of Vegan with a Vengeance has sparked my interest in its author. Her name is Isa Chandra Moskowitz and not only does she write great cookbooks, she also hosts a rather different cooking TV show, The Post Punk Kitchen and has a website with lots of vegan recipes to try.Isa has two other books out Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and the brand new, not even quite out yet Veganomicon.

Link love flowing outward through the blogosphere
2007-09-07 20:26:00
Activist Mommy saves money by being green. Here is her list of 15 ways she saves money.Tip Nut is has more than 50 ideas for fabric scraps and remnants.Zen Habits gives us 5 inspirations for being in the moment.There are 62 little known uses for vinegar at because you value your body.
More About: Love , Blogosphere , Link

Planning a peace party
2007-09-05 14:52:00
I'm hosting a peace party on Peace One Day 21st September for 8 friends, their kids, our kids, Pete and me. I'm going to be cooking peaceful food, i.e. vegan food, we'll be listening to Peace music (Pete has spend ages sourcing anti-war songs from the 60's to current stuff) and there is an optional dress code of peace-rally attire. I am going to make a big peace sign wreath for the front door, will dress the table appropriately, and want to have some party games. If anyone has ideas for party games that would suit the occasion I would be grateful to hear them.Stay tuned to see how the party planning pans out.
More About: Party , Planning

Whooshing deadlines
2007-09-04 12:14:00
Douglas Adams once said: "I love deadlines. Especially the whooshing sound they make as they pass by." That's how I'm feeling at the moment. I've been back from our summer holiday for a whole week, but I haven't quite caught up with the backlog of stuff to do since we've been back. The laundry pile isn't faring to badly, this morning I got my email back to under 50 in my inbox (i.e. under 50 to-do's), I've vacuumed downstairs and I've given the front door and front doorstep a going over. I have to lug the Dyson upstairs later on, after I've hung up another load of laundry, but I'm taking a break and saying hello instead.We had a great holiday. Even the rain and mud we experienced at the festival didn't dampen the mood, and by the time we hit Cornwall we had lots of hot, sunny days. More about the holiday soon, I have some photos to share.The skottel was a godsend. We had some very nice stir-fries, stews and even falafels while we were camping, trying not to look t...

Doing the skottel braai boogy
2007-08-13 10:10:00
We had stir fry, veggie kebabs and sweetcorn on the skottel on Saturday afternoon. We mixed the veggies from the kebabs with couscous and caramelised onions. It was very good. I'm ready to get cooking on our holiday. We leave on Thursday.
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Vegan BBQ links
2007-08-10 22:37:00
I'm compiling a list of recipes for our camping trip we leave on next week, these are the websites I've used as inspiration:The Veggo BarbequeVega n Food - National BBQ WeekThe Vegan Diet - Time to BBQI should be able to throw together a few meals with all that help. We have some friends coming round tomorrow night to help us test-drive the skottel.
More About: Links

A Fairtrade soy latte & an avocado bagel please!
2007-08-10 19:21:00
Whenever my three year old daughter Piper and I head into Woking (our nearest town), she always asks if we can have lunch there. She's a lady who likes to lunch. Today we tried out Café Americano. I had my first ever Fairtrade soy latte and an avocado and gherkin bagel, and Piper had a jam bagel and an apple juice. They didn't have anything vegan on their lunch menu, but were happy to adapt something to accommodate me. I was impressed with the soy latte. It was yummy.
More About: Latte , Ease

Vegan BBQ (braai)
2007-08-09 17:30:00
I waited in all day yesterday for the delivery of a skottel braai (it's a South African thing) that we are planning to take with us on our camping trip. Then I realised that it wasn't being delivered yesterday, it was being delivered today. I felt a bit of a plonker, but I now have the said device lurking in the entrance hall and waiting for me to obtain a gas cylinder for it.I'm now on the lookout for vegan ideas for camping food, made with aforementioned skottel braai. All suggestions welcomed.
More About: Vegan , Vega

Book review: Old Path, White Clouds
2007-08-08 11:04:00
This is the fourth Thich Nhat Hanh book that I've read. I'm very taken with his writing style and find it easy to read and understand. He keeps it very simple, with an almost childlike simplicity, and consequently his story telling flows easily and is very uncomplicated.Old Path, White Clouds is the life story of Guatama Buddha, an Indian prince who lived about 500 years BC. He is a spiritual teacher and the founder of Buddhism. Having read a number of books on Buddhism, this is the one that I would most recommend. Thich Nhat Hanh draws you into Buddha's story, making you feel like you are there, and doesn't cloud understanding of his teachings with mysticism and myth. You read the story with no doubt that the Buddha was a man, albeit a very special man.If you are interested in Buddhism in any way, start with this book. You won't be disappointed.
More About: Book Review , Review , Book

Break the chains
2007-08-05 08:31:00
I've just discovered this amazing, outspoken folk band called Seize the Day.
More About: Break , Chain , Chai , Brea , Hain

Veganism, day 3
2007-08-03 18:43:00
I am a vegan. I've been one for 3 days. So far, so good. The food's been very good, and I haven't had any cravings for cheese, milk or meat. I did take the opportunity yesterday to stock up on some vegan fare from Holland and Barrett, so I can have a soya-cheese sandwich if I want one, and I have some tofu sausages for emergencies.I haven't mentioned this before, but I have a vegan past. Not something I talk about much, but I thought it may be worth mentioning here. I was a vegan for about a year and up until I fell pregnant with my now 3 year old daughter. Once I was pregnant, I just ate everything in sight, and wasn't as discerning as I'd been before about the origins of my sustenance.I have a great book that my sister gave me called Vega n Rustic Cooking, all this week we're eating out of that book.I've decided not to inflict veganism on the rest of my family, it just wouldn't be fair to them. I will, however, only be providing a flesh-based meal once a week. Th...

Neglect, neglect and thoughts on veganism
2007-08-01 00:04:00
If I was this blog, I'd probably be feeling a bit neglected. I'd feel the same way if I was my home. I'm remedying the blog issue tonight, tomorrow is another day. Perhaps my home will get a good once over tomorrow. Where is all the time going? It's the summer school holidays, we're pretty busy, and EcoStreet has been taking up more time than it used to. I'm not complaining. EcoStreet is a labour of love for my sister and I, and it has seen amazing growth in the past few months. It is making the past 5 years of work feel really worthwhile now.Talking about EcoStreet brings me to my next thought. Vega nism. A post that I wrote at EcoStreet yesterday has brought on my thoughts of giving up meat again. I toyed with this idea a few months ago, but have not acted on it. I feel ready now to make some changes. My motivation is 3-fold: I've been feeling for a while that meat-eating doesn't go hand-in-hand with my Buddhist practice; I've known for a while now that meat-e...
More About: Thoughts , Neglect

All aboard the peace train
2007-07-23 18:10:00
Following the theme of the last post, this song is as relevant to today as it was back then. We don't need war, we need peace.
More About: Peace , Train , TRAI

My shrine room
2007-07-16 12:09:00
Over the past 6 weeks, I have been taking an online "Shrine Room " class with the Hearth Foundation and Jacqueline Kramer, author of Buddha Mom. We've worked through the various items for our shrine (mine's not a room, it's the top of a chest of drawers), the Buddha image, candle, flowers and incense, exploring the meaning of each. And we've ended up with a little shrine to remind us of our practice, and to give us a dedicated space to meditate.Here is a photograph of the shrine that I've set up:The flower is a beautiful echinacea flower from our garden.

Karen Maezen Miller interview
2007-07-15 17:36:00
Karen Maezen Miller is a wife, mom, Zen priest and author. She's a kind, funny lady with lots of insight. I thoroughly enjoyed her book Momma Zen. Keep an eye out for my book review soon. This link will take you to an interview with Karen on a blog called Paying Attention to Mindfulness.
More About: Interview , Karen

Children see, children do
2007-07-12 11:10:00
A powerful look at how we influence our children, and how advertising and television can influence our children. There have been a series of ads playing on TV recently for a furniture retailer (I can't remember which now) where there's a lot of shouting and bad behaviour. Not only do I not want my children to see it, but I hate to think that it's representative of the human race.via Earthpal
More About: Children

Developing a good heart
2007-07-12 10:06:00
I read this verse in a newspaper article today."Eight Verses for Develop ing the Good Heart " by Dorje SengeMay I think of every living beingAs more precious than a wish-giving gemFor reaching the ultimate goal,And so always hold them dear. When I'm with another, wherever we are,May I see myself as the lowest. May I hold the other as the highest,From the bottom of my heart. As I go through the day may I watch my mind,To see if a negative thought has come;If it does may I stop it right there, with force,Since it hurts myself and others.It's not easy to "see myself as the lowest" and "hold the other as the highest". My ego makes it difficult to see this about someone who has accused me of something I haven't done, or angered me in some way. It's also hard to stop the negative thoughts in their tracks. From my short experience on this path, though, I can say without a doubt that the smallest effort to make these changes to your thoughts gives a reward that is big indeed.
More About: Ping

What's up with Carnival of Housewives?
2007-07-05 08:50:00
Hi folks, first of all, my apologies that the Carnival of Housewives for July hasn't appeared yet. I will be letting you know what is happening and when it's live as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.
More About: Ouse

Link Love Flowing Outward Through the Blogosphere
2007-07-04 23:09:00
Wade gives us 10 tips for working towards happiness at The Middle Way.Find out how to make your own meditation cushion.Dominique Leigh gets up close and personal with her housework in an article entitled Zen dust, Zen sweep.Panda Power is Daphne Lee's review of children's book: Zen Shorts.Get friendly with the Pastafarians at Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Hilarious!
More About: Love , Blogosphere , Link , Ward , Logos

Searching for the Dharma
2007-06-27 09:45:00
You've travelled up ten thousand steps in search of the Dharma .So many long days in the archives, copying, copying.The gravity of the Tang and the profundity of the Sung make heavy baggage.Here! I've picked you a bunch of wild flowers.Their meaning is the same but they're much easier to carry.Hsu Yun (1839 - 1959)---I'm delighted to have discovered the poetry of this Chinese Buddhist monk, his words are so simple but they speak volumes.
More About: Searching , Harm , The D , Arma

Just let it go
2007-06-22 16:10:00
I am an untidy control freak. I wouldn't have believed that they exist unless I was one, but I can assure you that they do exist. This afternoon I was vacuuming up the dried beans and peas that had been spread all over the dining room floor by my artistically minded three-year-old daughter. She decided to start helping me and I felt the tension rising in me as I could no longer push the vacuum cleaner where I wanted it to go. And then, a moment of clarity struck me, and I just let go. Not of the vacuum cleaner, but of the idea that what my daughter was doing was hindering me in my chore, and so it would take longer to finish it. And do you know what? We had so much fun vacuuming the floor together. I let her steer it and I just supported the weight of it. When we were finished, she beamed a big smile at me and said "I did it Mom."Photograph by Martin Abegglen

How my meditation practice helps me sleep at night
2007-06-19 14:10:00
Do you ever lie awake at night, unable to sleep because of all the thoughts rushing around your head? It used to be a constant problem for me. And as the thoughts went round and round in my head, I often found myself becoming anxious about not being able to sleep or about something that was due to happen the following day, which in turn made it even harder to sleep. Eventually, I'd fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, but wake feeling still tired in the morning. Or, sometime, be woken shortly after falling asleep by my baby daughter, and then have to go through the whole ordeal of trying to get to sleep again.Since I started practising meditation, less than a year ago, I've found that by using the method of focussing on the breath, as in tranquillity meditation, I can get myself into the right state to fall asleep very quickly and without the "full head" problem I was experiencing before. In fact, I can fall asleep so fast using this method that I was at first concerned that I ...
More About: Meditation , Practice , Night , Sleep

Finding the Brahma Viharas
2007-06-18 10:26:00
When a 19-year-old boy racer had a serious accident right outside my home on Saturday afternoon, I went on a little journey of emotions. At first the adrenaline kicked in as I called the police and ambulance, but once the ambulance had arrived (the boy wasn't seriously hurt thankfully) and my thoughts came back into play. I first felt angry with him, and I had a serves-him-right attitude. I was angry because if someone had been walking on the pavement outside our house at the moment that the accident happened, it would have wiped them out.Then mindfulness kicked in. I thought about compassion and loving-kindness for a while, and very soon I felt able to let go of the anger I had been feeling, and felt relief that the boy was fine, and that his parents wouldn't suffer the loss of a child, or seeing him seriously injured. But his car was a write-off and I was glad that there was one less "hot-hatch" on the roads of our village. For now, anyway.On Sunday morning, I attended my r...
More About: Brahma , Aras , Hara

How to host an eco-friendly children's party
2007-06-16 12:06:00
I wrote this post for EcoStreet, but wanted to share it here too.The children's birthday party has been grasped by many businesses as just another marketing tool, and they are churned out one after the other, with lots of waste and at a pretty penny too. You know the one's I'm talking about, MacDonalds, the bowling alley, extreme sports venues. Complete with processed junk food, plastic party bags with cheap plastic toys, and a supermarket cake full of additives. There's a culture of having to keep up with the Joneses by spending more per head than the next Mom, or at least appearing to be spending more, and the result is lots of mindless consumption and waste, waste, waste. What ever happened to the sort of parties my parents threw me as a child? There was always a homemade cake, homemade cupcakes, iced plain biscuits that Mom had made, jellies in orange skins, and ice-cream cones stuck to a biscuit with a marshmallow and some icing, remember those? If you're tired of commerci...
More About: Party , Host , Friendly

Developing good habits
2007-06-11 12:22:00
Contemplating our responsibilities as homemakers can be daunting. Keeping the house clean, doing mountains of laundry, washing the dishes, cleaning the toilet. And when they're done, we start over at the beginning again. It stretches out far into the future, a never-ending procession of chores. The thought of it can make us not want to even try.The term shugyo can shed a little light on this quandry. I have come across a number of translations for this word, and each of them adds another piece of the puzzle to developing good habits. Let's look at the definition of shugyo:"conduction oneself is a way that inspires mastery""mastering one's deeds""to learn the art""the art of discipline""polish one's spirit"The word hints at a parallel between spiritual progress and progress with housework. It also points out that we are working at self-mastery, and not mastery of what surrounds us. Housework can offer the opportunity to unify body and spirit. It can challenge us and ...
More About: Habits , Good , Ping , Develop , Abit

Zen and the Art of Clutter
2007-06-07 12:56:00
I just came across this article at The New Homemaker website, and wanted to share it. It's been a busy week and routine has given way to priorities for my family. We all have times like these.
More About: The A , The Art , Clutter