Reading The Artist’s Way just now (after hearing about it on making it up), faithfully doing my morning pages, 3 pages of early morning scrawlings, uncensored beautiful brain drain, and recovering my creativity, dealing with my blurts of negativity and realising where they originated… very powerful stuff :)
I have experienced these sorts of connections through art before – dancing and writing. When writing a teen novel about ballet it naturally morphed into a piece on anorexia, pinpointing causal moments and situations in a totally new way for me, like joining up the dots. It is healing. The process was possibly helped along by doing a lot of ballet and watching Pineapple Dance Studios, bringing back more memories. I used to take the odd class there and I attended dance college with the gorgeous Louie Spence 
Anyway, to move on from my own personal artistic fun to yours! We are giving away a book. Any book we have ever mentioned on the blog, or on our book page, fiction page, or kids books sections – home education page, aspies and byothermeans included too. Of course it does not have to be about creativity – you can have the Artist’s Way if you like but if you’d rather have a parenting title, a cookbook, a kids storybook, a novel, a gardening guide… choose away. The competition is open to everyone, I will not be judging it but will read the entries to the rest of the family, not telling them the names of the entrants. This means real life friends need not feel they shouldn’t enter and people who have never commented before are equally as welcome and likely to win.
SO, just comment on this post saying what book you would like and maybe why? Link to the blog post or page where it can be found (don’t worry if you don’t know how to do this, I’ll add it for you). Tell us a little bit to grab our attention – why is this book what you need or want? Did you like that post where we mentioned it? Do you just want a nice late summer read? Need something to put under that wobbly table leg? Anything goes 
Be creative 
Competition closes at noon on Sunday 15th August, a winner will be chosen and informed shortly after, and I will procure the book for them from Amazon
Competition now closed – Congratulations to Mel, Nikki and Maria
daft photos of 15 year old selves not required (though might be amusing!!)
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yes it’s baby me
I have yoga to thank for the fact I have not totally lost the bendiness.
Dr Wayne Dyer – Change your thoughts change your life.
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/bookstore.html
But anyway..Quite simply it’s like this; I keep thinking I need to buy this book and get what I want from life, but my mind – a cruel thing by the name of Marvin – keeps saying… you don’t need to buy this book now do you! So of course I respond; But, I need to change my thoughts!
At which point Marvin snorts and reminds me ‘You wanted the book, I’ve just talked you out of it; I’ve changed them for you!”
Marvin is very cruel, every time I see the book on the shelf, he sighs and says ‘What are you doing?! You’re not going to buy that are you, there are children starving in Africa, bills to pay and you’re going to buy a book! Get your priorities right.’ He doesn’t like me to treat myself, however I’ve come to the conclusion if I was given the book Marvin could not argue with me about it or try to talk me out of it. As long as he doesn’t know what the book has in store for him then ignorance is bliss.
Truth be told Marvin and I have grown apart, no longer friends he doesn’t know what’s best for me but he is very persuasive and his doubt is infectious. Sometimes he is too harsh, weary and afraid and has issues to deal with. So this book isn’t for me, it’s for Marvin; it’s the help and therapy he needs. And I hope in the future that we can form a better and more loving relationship. So change a life; help re-unite one girl and her half-crazed mind.
What a wonderful first entry! Alas, poor Marvin, I know him well
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
I would like a copy of the Artists Way because I like the idea of being an artist. My efforts to date in the creativity department have been modest. I have left a trail of unfinished art, sewing and writing projects behind me. If a child of five (maybe up to eleven) can do it I am usually OK, anything more advanced I am stuck.
So I really need this book. I need to learn to think more creatively. I promise to read it and work through the exercises and return it after six months with an update of whether it has changed my life in any way
Hi, what a great competition – I don’t usually enter competitions but after taking another look at the books on your site I couldn’t resist!
So many books to choose from!!! I couldn’t decide between either of Grace Llewellyn’s books, The Teen Liberation Handbook and Real Lives
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/homeeducation.html
, or Keepers of the Children’ by Laura Ramirez
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/bookstore.html
Grace Llewellyn’s books appealed for inspiration for myself. I am home educating two little girls at the moment and though I know it is the right path, my own schooling and ingrained ways of thinking are hampering me – I love the idea from her book to “find what you’re good at, what you really want to do in the world.” Have been searching and struggling and keep feeling this is making home educating more difficult than it needs to be – I need to find my own strength in order to pass this on to my children!
‘Keepers of the Children’ by Laura Ramirez appeals as I came across this book before and loved the sound of it – it just sounds beautiful. I have so little patience and even after reading many books still find myself snapping at the smallest thing!!! (just did as I wrote this!) so maybe I should get one of
Grace Llewellyn’s books first…………
Needless to say they are not available from the library so if this post is chosen why don’t you choose any of the three books from above, which ever is cheapest/you feel most needed.
Thank you all for your very kind competition and your fantastic and inspiring website! Lots of luck choosing,
Gemma.x
Thanks for the competition. I would go for the ‘Milk: The Deadly Poison‘ book. The reason? I’ve been a vegetarian for years, and have managed to follow a vegan diet for a few months at a time, only to go back to being vegetarian. I think reading this book would very likely give me the shock, and information, I need to really commit to going vegan fully!
wow – more wonderful entries!!
Trish – I also have a wake like that!
Gemma – the teen lib book is my favouirite there, it’s never too late to liberate your inner teen and I love her fruit eating metaphor at the start
Mhairi – I do remember being quite disgusted when reading that one!
loving reading all these
How to Grow Your Own Food. I would love this book. I’ve always dreamed of living on a farm growing my own food and raising and living amongst animals for the pleasure of their company not the taste of their flesh.. I lack the proper knowledge in this area. When so many people are running out to eat and sitting at drive thru windows, with no concern for their health or the planet’s plight, I long to get the soil in my hands and eat what I’ve nurtured and tended to. In these desperate times, it is good to learn again, what our parents and grandparents knew all to well. If we treat our Earth, even our own little patch of it, with love and respect, and tend to it lovingly, our Earth will reward us with delicious sustenance. I am vegan and any book that helps me be the best vegan animal loving creature I can be is the book I crave. Please choose me so that I may make my patch of Earth spring up with glory!
This is my first attempt to write to this blog so hope it works.
I would like the Mango Soup book by Jenni Malsingh. As well as yummy recipes it shows photos of places in India. There seems to be a theme of India in my life at the moment. I’m reading a William Dalrymple book about the Moghuls. I recently went to two exhibitions – the first showing how portraiture in India has developed. It’s become more Western. The second exhibition is by the Singh Twins who live in Liverpool They do interesting contemporary paintings which started off very Western but are now introducing an Indian element to their work. So art has gone full circle!
All the best,
Jean x
I am not even going to enter due to the fact that our house may well burst at the seams any moment with the number of books it has to hold, which of course is why I placed an amazon order last week and a Book People order today, ssshhh don’t tell the house that
I’m with Pamela on this! But I’m just commenting that I love your blog and your photos are always beautiful. Oh, and I wish I had your house and garden! You’re not offering those are you? (Well, if you don’t ask…)
Thank you for your entries Deanne and Jean
They are most interesting to read – loving the Earth and all things Indian – I love it!
ooh, did you get anything exciting Pamela?
no, the house and garden are our perfect place but thank you for commenting so sweetly Penny
oh but Penny I think “The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook” would be perfect for you to give you the confidence to get out there and gather your own wild foods!
Ha! You’re right, Cat! But also, Lucy has already sent me a great book (fiction) and I wouldn’t want to be greedy!
Hello Lucy, the book that we are competing and crossing our fingers for is “Magic and Witchcraft in Scotland“. We have never been to Scotland but we have been watching avidly all your photos for years, and even keep some as wallpapers on our computers:) Olivia my little girl is mad about fairies & anything magical so it would be great to mix both our passion and dream of discovering Scotland and to read about witchcraft. Merci, a bientot. Beatrice & Famille.
Hi Beatrice – that is a very interesting book, I can’t remember where I mentioned it so have linked it straight to amazon
I hope you get to visit Scotland one day 
I would love to win “That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things” by Ruby Roth. I am a fellow Scottish home educator who has been vegan for 2 years. 1 1/2 years ago my husband and children became vegetarian but I have been nervous of taking the step of veganism for the children. Recently, however my daughter seems to have developed a dairy allergy and I think that this has been given to us to help us all to take this next step. My daughter, Savannah, is 7, and has been feeling quite upset about having to give up or change many of her favourite foods and I am hoping that reading this book will be help her to see herself as making a positive and kind change rather than just having to miss out on something.
Thank you so much for your wonderful and inspiring website which has been endlessly useful to me both as a home educator and a vegan. Our whole family loves your recipes!
Much love,
Nikki.
Aw, thank you for your entry Nikki – it’s just as well I’m not choosing as I don’t think I could pick – I want everyone to have their chosen book!! very glad you find the site useful
[...] broad beans post trackback [...]
Hi Lucy,
My friend introduced me to your family’s blog& I really enjoy reading all the
different sections& archives.I would like to read all the books!! However the
one that stands out for me is ‘Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism & Asperger Syndrome‘.I’d like this book because as well as being a fascinating read,it
would help us soooooooooo much. We home-ed/un-sch our 3 youngest
children,one of whom has Asperger’s. (We don’t like to label but that’s what
it is).She has a number of other behaviours which are ‘atypical’ & we’ve been
taking a psycological&holistic approach to helping her with the things she
finds challenging.I had a look at the chapter titles& sub-headings & every single
one is relevent in some way.As well as helping T directly,it would hopefully
have a positive ripple effect on the family dynamic & enable us to speak on a
new level with ‘the powers that be’ that involve themselves in our daughter’s
life.
I hardly ever enter competitions but this one is much more thought provoking
&it’s interesting to read all the other varied entries.
Bye for now,
Lmx
aargh, 4 mins to enter! I’d love to win a copy of the artist’s way, atm I’m just using the basic tools download that’s free on the site
3 minutes…
giggle, into moderation, and your blogtime is out by an hour…
Thank you for these last entries… both excellent – that book is empowering Maria, it does help you stand up against ignorance and bigotry.
Just got in from long day out – the winner will be chosen this evening
Jax, I know – I must change that blogtime!
family did not reach agreement so we have three winners
please email me your addresses – lucy@veganfamily.co.uk
Maria with Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism & Asperger Syndrome (Maria – your email has bounced back to me – could you email me your full name and address?)
Nikki with That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things
Mel and Marvin with Change your thoughts change your life
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and interesting entries, we loved reading them – there will be more competitions so don’t fret if you didn’t win this time
Hey!!
Thankyou so much for choosing us as one of the winners!! I was really surprised
when I read it & it gave me a smiley glow.The book will be such an enormous help,as well as deeply interesting.I also like what you have said on the ‘aspies’
part of your family blog-about acceptance & not trying to change into neuro-
typical etc.That is so true.Thankyou again.
Bfn,
Lmx
will order it for you this week
indeed, so much disrespect for anyone different in this world – needs to change!