I've been wanting to share and list the many the benefits of co-sleeping for quite awhile, as hubby and I have been experiencing them! And Yes, I said benefits!! I LOVE co-sleeping...I loved it with one child, and it is making my life easier with two babes so far;] After almost two months of baby life, again, getting both girls down for naps and bedtime by myself has been a snap. Plus I am loving the good sleep and naps I am regularly getting because of it too!
When I was laying in bed a few months ago, all these benefits of co-sleeping just kept poking at me, as well as the realization that co-sleeping is not a "past, ancient and poverty stricken" practice, as I believe it is seen here in the states. In fact, hubby and I feel blessed to be able to spend as much time with our babes as we can, putting them to sleep and waking up next to them is amazing, hubby says so every day. And that is why I know it is the right choice for US:]
Now, I just must say, it gets me in the wrong place and sad at heart when I constantly have people in my life telling me that my child NEEDs to be in her "own" bed. And that it is wrong to sleep with our children. This may be some people's perception and belief, especially those who have the luxury of living in a 2-3 bedroom house, but I KNOW for a fact that it is not wrong, nor does God condemn such a basic sleeping situation. Because every time we condemn a lifestyle we know nothing about, nor have tried or truly acknowledged as "someone else's" either comfort zone OR only option, then how can we judge? Every time we tell someone they are wrong, but have not walked a mile in their shoes, or lived in their dirt floor one room hut with 3-5 children and tell them they are not honoring God, we are the ones that bring sadness to God's heart. This is why I feel God has been DE-Westernizing me and my hubby through raising a child, and now a second, and all the other lifestyle changes we have been making, either through choice, or through God's perfect timing and leading to the better health and well being of our family!
SO, the main reason I have fallen so in love with co-sleeping is because I feel it allows me to connect and feel what other parents across the ages, and across the world, feel! Though we all know the MAJORITY of the world have NO choice on their sleeping arrangements with their children, I do know it is as MUCH a joy, as a pain in the butt to co-sleep. There are pros and cons to everything. BUT, I love the fact that I can NO longer look down on co-sleeping families anywhere, like I used to do before I knew what it was like or even if I wanted to try it in our pre-kid age. But it does amaze me how judgmental Christians are, more than any other people in the nation right now, about co-sleeping! How can we be?! When, like I said before, most families across the world don't even have the luxury of having a second room, let alone the security to LEAVE their children in a second room, and most of the time relish the bit of protection they CAN give to their children by sleeping with them at night while their lives most likely are torn by their individual countries' political or religious violence that we are so lucky to ONLY hear about in the news, and not witness first hand...so far.
With that said, I again relish the fact that I have ONE thing in common with these humble, and many times, praying peoples, praying for US and our overly-plush lives, and yet we are so ignorant of theirs!
With that said, I am now going to delve into the benefits many of these parents don't even think TWICE about, because of their humble living, and even though these benefits are not even benefits to most of us in our current lifestyles, I think they are STILL worth mentioning, as many of them can also be lifesaving, without us even realizing it.
But my favorite saying has been, if it's working, and you get MORE sleep with what you are doing, why fix what is not broken? That is our situation right now, we get 8+ hours of sleep a night, why the HECK would I put my babes in another room, for the sake of the girls having a "bed of their own" only to be woken up and have to practically kill myself running across the house when my girl has night terrors or has to go pee, or I need to nurse the new babe...which is what is going on right now...either I or daddy takes older sis to the potty once a night, and I wake up on demand to nurse, and then instantly fall back to sleep.
hehe, ok,
moving on!!
Co-sleeping Benefit #1
-Less lost sleep during all night feedings, teething, which is the first 2 years of life off and on at no given time, as well as other growing transitions that hinder our little ones to sleep through the night. AND, most importantly, when our little ones are sick; when my little one is sick and has a hard time sleeping due to congestion, or a fever, or throwing up, I can not BEAR to think about sleeping far from her, because of various choking, crying, or breathing issues that arise quickly and suddenly and take my heart on a race even right next to her, let alone if she was in another room and I were listening via a monitor.
I feel we BOTH get better sleep through sickness when my little is close to me...which I think a lot of non-co sleepers do anyhow!!
Benefit #2
If you think about it and (want to) embrace minimalism, keeping kiddos in your room can also force you to keep their clothes and other basics in your room as well, which in turn can also reduce the amount of clothes that you use on them! I keep two drawers for both girls, reserved for a small amount of clothes, which forces me to only have a few season appropriate outfits and thus also reduces the laundry load, as well as the "storage" load, even though I store more clothes in "their" room. It also forces me to purge their outfits every few months with the changing seasons to keep their drawers from overflowing. But it is another benefit, as it is less laundry and stress in my life, love it!
Benefit #3
If, heaven forbid, the house catches fire, or there is a natural disaster such as tornado, flooding, earthquake, or even a break-in, to have your children in your bed, you do not worry about getting TO them from the moment your eyes open, as you know they are with you, and you (and your partner) then only focus on protection, either getting them out of the house, seeking shelter, or keeping a burglar from coming any further into your home!
Benefit #4
No worries about SIDS (as studies have proven, mommies and babies sync their breathing patterns when sleeping next to each other and thus, mommy wakes as soon as baby is in need, this is what I do, and even though I wake numerous times during the night, it is not anymore than when I was pregnant having to heft myself out of bed to pee 5+ times a night), no worries about crib malfunctions, sleep walking babies getting out of the house (my father actually escaped from his house quite a bit as a toddler!), and also, as we have all heard about recently, random furniture falling on children or other accidents that can happen when children sleep in another room.
*(hidden) Benefit #5
This one is going to be a "I see the glass as half full" type of benefit. As most of us don't see this as a benefit! You will not, most likely, be able to sleep in as often, or ever because the kiddos will most likely awake before you, the sleepy parent. However, waking up at the same time or earlier than you wish does allow you to keep THEM from getting into too much trouble if you were to sleep in, as well as, gets your days off to a early and productive start! Breakfast together, or activities together in the morning are memories that will not quickly be forgotten when you are finally an empty nest-er and can sleep in as much as you want, without any snuggle time too:[
Benefit #6
Your babe will inadvertently want to be closer to you throughout the day. I have heard this from numerous co-sleeping parents, as well as experiencing it myself. Even in the house, as I do chores or just go about the day, if I have been "absent" for too long, my kiddo comes looking for me, when she was just walking, she wouldn't hardly stray in the house, in fact, she only got in trouble if I happened to be in one room too long doing something (as in making dinner and she would decided to de-pot the kitchen cabinets). I still don't have to worry about her getting into to much trouble because we constantly are looking for each other if there has been silence for more than 10 minutes...I love it!
Benefit #7
Co-sleeping with multiple children from birth for each, well in this case, two: naps CAN be easier during the day as babes and toddlers prefer snuggling to fall asleep, and if the parent(s) fall asleep too, just forget about all the "stuff" that needs to be done and enjoy! We need our rest too for heaven's sake! Life is too short to only worry about dishes and laundry...take a nap when the opportunity presents itself, or start making a bit of an opportunity if you need one;]
And here is my take on "their" own room, I figure that when we do transition them to their own room, it will be easier to transition two kiddos who have been born sleeping almost next too each other since birth vs. putting a kiddo in a room all by themselves, especially if they are not wanting to be by themselves anyhow (which was me as a toddler and even young kid, and now that is my daughter!)
*random Benefit #8
Thunderstorms are no longer a reason for fear, in our household (as they were for me growing up), as they are now transformed into a time to snuggle up and enjoy a show! In fact, I have noticed that both babes don't even wake during storms if they have already fallen asleep, and I am still more freaked out by loud thunder than they are!
So take it or leave it, these are a few of my thoughts on co-sleeping benefits...I think it is kind of fun to compare these to what people in one room homes would benefit as well?
I think it is always great to get a chance to think outside our wonderfully safe and lavish lifestyles to at least ponder how everyone else must live, even if we aren't blessed with the ability to go and see it with our own eyes. Just thinking about others will continue to make our hearts more humble and thoughtful to the needs of those not only in our communities but to the rest of the world needing just a bit to survive and perhaps thrive:?]
This is just another part of how I love learning about "Living simply so that others may simply live". In this case, it is just an awakening of how crazy rich we are, and how this richness and security can easily overtake our lives and make us ignorant and less thoughtful of others who do not have such luxuries!
So, ENJOY how you get to live and raise your children, and now I wonder how we can give a little to those who need "just a little to simply live"
:?]
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Summer girl's Birth day story!
So I haven't been totally eager to write out this birth story...perhaps it is the lack of sleep and available time and arm space these days, or perhaps it is because of the stress and mental toll it took on me to wait for this baby, all to end up feeling a tad bit guilty once everything fell into place and worked out perfectly, and things could have gone quite wrong. You see, I had my dates wrong. I DID refuse an early ultra sound just for the fact that I didn't want to subject me or the baby to an annoying piece of radiation if I could help it AND it would be just another bill to pay. I was certain that my period date was September. However, it turns out, my date was off by an entire month...and it was completely my fault. As much as I could feel guilty over the possibility of having had a really really early baby because of the due date that was assigned, God {and my hubby's constant encouragement} showed me through this that He and our bodies do JUST what they need to, especially when given the time, nourishment and mental peace required for a healthy pregnancy.
The last four weeks of this pregnancy, I was having serious contractions, they would stop and go, stop and go, really freaking me out at first, and then driving me up the walls, once I had hit the "37 week" safe mark. As my 42 week over-due date approached, I grew more and more stressed, wondering what was wrong with my body. Even though hubby stoutly continued to tell me that I shouldn't worry, my body was doing what it needed. The only thing that kept me sane really, was knowing the baby was estimated to be no bigger than 7 lbs even at 41 weeks and 8 days!!! AH! So...the entire week past 41 I was having contractions everyday, that felt decently real, but would stop every time I would eat or sleep...same thing happend with Leenah. In fact, with Leenah, being 5 days "over due" I decided not to each lunch or dinner one day because I was pretty nauseous...and went into labor at midnight, lol. SO, midweek of 41 I did skip dinner just to see what would happen...NOTHING...I was super hungry though. Well, I went back to what the midwives kept telling me, eat if you are hungry. The days kept passing, and I would wake up each morning thinking, well...another day this babe decided to sleep through the night...just hope they want to sleep through the night this much on the outside!
June 24th came and the midwives sent me for a dreaded ultrasound, because the babe's heartbeat wasn't accelerating enough after measuring when they moved and turned. And the ultrasound was perfect, like it had been with Leenah when we did the same thing. With Leenah I was afraid she had switch positions one night and got an ultrasound days before she was born, that ultrasound also showed that everything was in it's place, lol. The only OTHER thing that kept me sane during this time was having my good friend Andrea, whose due date we 'thought' we had shared this entire time, of June 16th, and this is her first baby, was also just as late as me! She was going to be sent for an ultra sound that week too. Well, that night, Andrea texted me to say she was in labor and that the midwives were coming over. (yes, we were also sharing the same midwives) and the entire time of our pregnancies, my mommy intuition told me that we were going to go into labor either very close or at the same time. So as much as I wanted to be happy, I was actually quite sad...I think we all know why, lol.
Andrea had her baby girl, Charlotte, at 2:50am on June 25th.
That morning, June 25th, dawned a bit dreary for me...in fact, I actually had a complete melt down because I didn't want Beau to go to work. We were both SO drained from "hoping" I would go into labor so he wouldn't have to go to work, lol.
I begged/cried for him to just take a long morning and breakfast and not rush off to work. And I was having painful contractions once an hour since getting up at 6am that morning...but that HAD been the story of my life for the last 2 weeks, and being so upset that morning, I figured that my stress and flip out was just triggering the painful contractions. WELL, nothing spectacular happened to make him stay home after breakfast so he headed off to work as my mom headed over to "hang out" with me and Leenah and keep us company. She too had been hanging out and patiently waiting for the last week and a half for things to get going...all of this subconsciously put a HUGE stress on me, whether I tried to deny it or not...almost being 42 weeks is stressful anyways with the impending threat of being "induced" and taken to the hospital for "tests" anyhow...UGH.
Well, the midwives had set up an appointment for me to come in and get my membranes swiped that morning to once again try and get things rolling steadily...OH did I mention I had been 4 cm for about 8 days already? Yep, the midwives had come over the previous Monday, June 17th, due to constant contractions, checked me at 4 cm and left all their equipment because the contractions weren't consistent enough...just 20 minutes apart.
SO, yet another stress, as each of those 8 days passed, I became more frustrated. In fact halfway through the week I just flat out refused to go shopping because I was sooo tired of bumping into people who kept asking why I was still pregnant. UGH!!!
Well, after going to the midwives office and missing their call to tell me they were going to halt any increase to my labor, so they could rest from Andrea's birth, for at least 24 hours, I sat in the parking lot of their office and woke my poor midwife when I called her. All the while, sitting in the car with my mom, the contractions suddenly popped up to 5 minutes apart for half an hour. Dual reason to wake my midwife, right? Well, she said, sleepily, to call her back in half an hour once I was home, if they continued!
Got home, and they had relaxed back to about 15 minutes apart, but were painful and took a bit of concentration to get through. I was sure things were happening today! Then my mom and I decided that we should call Beau to come home for lunch, at least. He agreed. It was 10:30a at this point.
I can't even remember if I ate anything, I think I had my last dessert, and enjoyed it at this point (brownies and ice cream!).
After the ice cream, things really sped up. They jumped back up to 5 minutes apart. So I called the midwife, who was still trying to nap:![ and asked her to come over to check me...even though I didn't want to be checked (which was one of the joys of going so fast with Leenah, no one bothered me, lol). BUT I and my mom, and Beau, also didn't want them to miss another birth!!
The midwife said she would be over in half an hour so she could take a shower, but to call her if I thought things were dire and if she wouldn't have time to dry her hair,hehe. So my mom and I started prepping the tub...which had been sitting full of water since the 17th, and we had emptied and refilled this morning...and started to fill it the rest of the way with hot water, finally, I was so looking forward to that warm tub!
Twenty minutes later the contractions were still 5 and now 3 minutes apart, mom and I kinda freaked out and called the midwife again and asked her to hurry. I knew this was going to be quick, we both did, and we did not want another solo birth, just for our peace of mind, and the midwives happiness to be present, lol.
Just then Beau got home, so we COULD have gone ahead and had the baby at any time, hehe.
The midwife got there a few minutes later and checked me...I was still only 4 cm. She decided to check the babies heart beat through the contractions...and then they slowed to 15 minutes apart, as we waited for 45 minutes to catch a heart beat through 3 contractions, UGH!
The second midwife showed up and they decided they were going to leave for awhile due to my inconsistent contractions again, but began to set up all their equipment in our room and bathroom. As they did that, which took them half an hour, my contractions went back up and stayed at 2 minutes apart the entire time they set up their equipment! It was official, and Beau and my mom were NOT going to let the midwives leave, in fact, Beau went ahead and set up an excel spreadsheet and "charted" my contractions as my mom timed them for me, as at this point, I was having to have Beau "hug" me and press my hips, as this was what gave me enough comfort to get through the 2 minute contractions lasting longer than a minute, as this point. It was 12 or 12:30 now. The midwives came out, Beau showed them the excel spread sheet and they decided to stay, and of course checked me and said I had a laboring cervix. Well, I already knew that...and At this point I knew it would NOT be long. In fact, it only seemed like minutes, before the contractions REALLY started to get intense, where I could feel them realllly low and knew exactly what they were doing. I decided it was time for the tub!! Strange thing was, with Leenah, I was able to lean over the ball and get relief with Beau pressing my hips, but with this labor, I couldn't sit or bend over, I had to stand through it all. Took me a minute to figure out how in the world I was going to labor comfortably and managably in the tub! I got on my knees and faced out, and had Beau lean down on the other side of the tub, where he didn't have to get in, and I hugged him while on my knees. Knowing what happened the last time I got into the tub, only having 3 pushes and Leenah was out, I knew it was going to go fast...in fact the next contraction that hit, I PRAYED I only would have a few more because it was so intense, I didn't know how much more I could take. Another one hit and I quietly mentioned to the midwives that I could feel the baby moving down, I was probably in transition!! They quickly got into position! The next 3 contractions I was pushing. Her head came out on the second contraction slash push and then the rest of her came! My butt was just enough under water that my midwife was comfortable catching her in my current position, which was still on my knees with Beau hugging me. The midwife guided the baby out and in between my legs and instantly onto my chest! And as much as I was surprised to see that she was a girl, I was also flabbergasted at how much she screamed. She screamed the moment she was out of the water. It was 2:34p on June 25th!
She screamed for the next half hour! It scared me because Leenah hardly made a noise when she came out! But hey, she was breathing!!! After getting to the bed and having her rest on my chest, the placenta slowly came out. Then they set it beside me and let it pulse while little Summer calmed down. Thank goodness everyone was there, because my mom was with Leenah in the living room this entire time, in fact Leenah had fallen asleep until she heard her baby sister cry! When all was good, Leenah came in with Grandma and said hello to her new baby sister!!
After I got cleaned up a bit, started nursing within the hour and the midwives were happy with both of our recovery and progress, the cord was snipped after pulsing, daddy got to hold his brand new baby girl and mama had the strength to get up and go take a shower, with the midwives mindfully keeping an eye out to make sure I would be ok. WoW, I felt like I had done a 10 mile hike, but I felt GREAT! I knew it was the adrenaline, but I laid back in bed, nursed baby girl a bit more, ate a bit...got a little nauseas and threw up, but it was better than throwing up during labor! After that, I was good...probably the adrenaline, lol.
The midwives left us for the night and we actually had some good friends stop by to congratulate us! Let me tell you, I was NOT up for that with Leenah, I was so weak and tired, I didn't see anyone for the first week, or at least 3-4 days!
This birth was AMAZING!
My mind says to me, yeah, I could do that again! while the other half says...let's just wait five years, please!!! lol
I really do think all that raw milk, butter and bacon made this birth so healthy...of course chasing after my toddler also contributed to my overall "fitness" level, lol. AND, having done it once, it is amazing how the body takes over the second time and goes, yep, I know what we're doing, let's get it done.
AND every bit of "false" labor I had was worth it, I know it shortened the duration of real labor, even though it lengthened my impatience.
So very thankful for this experience.
Once Summer was in our arms, the midwives came over for the "baby check" the next day and confirmed their suspicions, after doing a few tests and checks on Summer's range of movements, they said that she was only 38 weeks!!! Yep...I wasn't almost 42, I was only 38 weeks. Oh relief and guilt washed over me...but I let it go, because once again, God had everything under control. Again and again He shows me every step of my life. I am going to do my best to show Him how grateful I am in living each day fully with my girls.
So blessed!
-Melissa
The last four weeks of this pregnancy, I was having serious contractions, they would stop and go, stop and go, really freaking me out at first, and then driving me up the walls, once I had hit the "37 week" safe mark. As my 42 week over-due date approached, I grew more and more stressed, wondering what was wrong with my body. Even though hubby stoutly continued to tell me that I shouldn't worry, my body was doing what it needed. The only thing that kept me sane really, was knowing the baby was estimated to be no bigger than 7 lbs even at 41 weeks and 8 days!!! AH! So...the entire week past 41 I was having contractions everyday, that felt decently real, but would stop every time I would eat or sleep...same thing happend with Leenah. In fact, with Leenah, being 5 days "over due" I decided not to each lunch or dinner one day because I was pretty nauseous...and went into labor at midnight, lol. SO, midweek of 41 I did skip dinner just to see what would happen...NOTHING...I was super hungry though. Well, I went back to what the midwives kept telling me, eat if you are hungry. The days kept passing, and I would wake up each morning thinking, well...another day this babe decided to sleep through the night...just hope they want to sleep through the night this much on the outside!
June 24th came and the midwives sent me for a dreaded ultrasound, because the babe's heartbeat wasn't accelerating enough after measuring when they moved and turned. And the ultrasound was perfect, like it had been with Leenah when we did the same thing. With Leenah I was afraid she had switch positions one night and got an ultrasound days before she was born, that ultrasound also showed that everything was in it's place, lol. The only OTHER thing that kept me sane during this time was having my good friend Andrea, whose due date we 'thought' we had shared this entire time, of June 16th, and this is her first baby, was also just as late as me! She was going to be sent for an ultra sound that week too. Well, that night, Andrea texted me to say she was in labor and that the midwives were coming over. (yes, we were also sharing the same midwives) and the entire time of our pregnancies, my mommy intuition told me that we were going to go into labor either very close or at the same time. So as much as I wanted to be happy, I was actually quite sad...I think we all know why, lol.
Andrea had her baby girl, Charlotte, at 2:50am on June 25th.
That morning, June 25th, dawned a bit dreary for me...in fact, I actually had a complete melt down because I didn't want Beau to go to work. We were both SO drained from "hoping" I would go into labor so he wouldn't have to go to work, lol.
I begged/cried for him to just take a long morning and breakfast and not rush off to work. And I was having painful contractions once an hour since getting up at 6am that morning...but that HAD been the story of my life for the last 2 weeks, and being so upset that morning, I figured that my stress and flip out was just triggering the painful contractions. WELL, nothing spectacular happened to make him stay home after breakfast so he headed off to work as my mom headed over to "hang out" with me and Leenah and keep us company. She too had been hanging out and patiently waiting for the last week and a half for things to get going...all of this subconsciously put a HUGE stress on me, whether I tried to deny it or not...almost being 42 weeks is stressful anyways with the impending threat of being "induced" and taken to the hospital for "tests" anyhow...UGH.
Well, the midwives had set up an appointment for me to come in and get my membranes swiped that morning to once again try and get things rolling steadily...OH did I mention I had been 4 cm for about 8 days already? Yep, the midwives had come over the previous Monday, June 17th, due to constant contractions, checked me at 4 cm and left all their equipment because the contractions weren't consistent enough...just 20 minutes apart.
SO, yet another stress, as each of those 8 days passed, I became more frustrated. In fact halfway through the week I just flat out refused to go shopping because I was sooo tired of bumping into people who kept asking why I was still pregnant. UGH!!!
Well, after going to the midwives office and missing their call to tell me they were going to halt any increase to my labor, so they could rest from Andrea's birth, for at least 24 hours, I sat in the parking lot of their office and woke my poor midwife when I called her. All the while, sitting in the car with my mom, the contractions suddenly popped up to 5 minutes apart for half an hour. Dual reason to wake my midwife, right? Well, she said, sleepily, to call her back in half an hour once I was home, if they continued!
Got home, and they had relaxed back to about 15 minutes apart, but were painful and took a bit of concentration to get through. I was sure things were happening today! Then my mom and I decided that we should call Beau to come home for lunch, at least. He agreed. It was 10:30a at this point.
I can't even remember if I ate anything, I think I had my last dessert, and enjoyed it at this point (brownies and ice cream!).
After the ice cream, things really sped up. They jumped back up to 5 minutes apart. So I called the midwife, who was still trying to nap:![ and asked her to come over to check me...even though I didn't want to be checked (which was one of the joys of going so fast with Leenah, no one bothered me, lol). BUT I and my mom, and Beau, also didn't want them to miss another birth!!
The midwife said she would be over in half an hour so she could take a shower, but to call her if I thought things were dire and if she wouldn't have time to dry her hair,hehe. So my mom and I started prepping the tub...which had been sitting full of water since the 17th, and we had emptied and refilled this morning...and started to fill it the rest of the way with hot water, finally, I was so looking forward to that warm tub!
Twenty minutes later the contractions were still 5 and now 3 minutes apart, mom and I kinda freaked out and called the midwife again and asked her to hurry. I knew this was going to be quick, we both did, and we did not want another solo birth, just for our peace of mind, and the midwives happiness to be present, lol.
Just then Beau got home, so we COULD have gone ahead and had the baby at any time, hehe.
The midwife got there a few minutes later and checked me...I was still only 4 cm. She decided to check the babies heart beat through the contractions...and then they slowed to 15 minutes apart, as we waited for 45 minutes to catch a heart beat through 3 contractions, UGH!
The second midwife showed up and they decided they were going to leave for awhile due to my inconsistent contractions again, but began to set up all their equipment in our room and bathroom. As they did that, which took them half an hour, my contractions went back up and stayed at 2 minutes apart the entire time they set up their equipment! It was official, and Beau and my mom were NOT going to let the midwives leave, in fact, Beau went ahead and set up an excel spreadsheet and "charted" my contractions as my mom timed them for me, as at this point, I was having to have Beau "hug" me and press my hips, as this was what gave me enough comfort to get through the 2 minute contractions lasting longer than a minute, as this point. It was 12 or 12:30 now. The midwives came out, Beau showed them the excel spread sheet and they decided to stay, and of course checked me and said I had a laboring cervix. Well, I already knew that...and At this point I knew it would NOT be long. In fact, it only seemed like minutes, before the contractions REALLY started to get intense, where I could feel them realllly low and knew exactly what they were doing. I decided it was time for the tub!! Strange thing was, with Leenah, I was able to lean over the ball and get relief with Beau pressing my hips, but with this labor, I couldn't sit or bend over, I had to stand through it all. Took me a minute to figure out how in the world I was going to labor comfortably and managably in the tub! I got on my knees and faced out, and had Beau lean down on the other side of the tub, where he didn't have to get in, and I hugged him while on my knees. Knowing what happened the last time I got into the tub, only having 3 pushes and Leenah was out, I knew it was going to go fast...in fact the next contraction that hit, I PRAYED I only would have a few more because it was so intense, I didn't know how much more I could take. Another one hit and I quietly mentioned to the midwives that I could feel the baby moving down, I was probably in transition!! They quickly got into position! The next 3 contractions I was pushing. Her head came out on the second contraction slash push and then the rest of her came! My butt was just enough under water that my midwife was comfortable catching her in my current position, which was still on my knees with Beau hugging me. The midwife guided the baby out and in between my legs and instantly onto my chest! And as much as I was surprised to see that she was a girl, I was also flabbergasted at how much she screamed. She screamed the moment she was out of the water. It was 2:34p on June 25th!
She screamed for the next half hour! It scared me because Leenah hardly made a noise when she came out! But hey, she was breathing!!! After getting to the bed and having her rest on my chest, the placenta slowly came out. Then they set it beside me and let it pulse while little Summer calmed down. Thank goodness everyone was there, because my mom was with Leenah in the living room this entire time, in fact Leenah had fallen asleep until she heard her baby sister cry! When all was good, Leenah came in with Grandma and said hello to her new baby sister!!
After I got cleaned up a bit, started nursing within the hour and the midwives were happy with both of our recovery and progress, the cord was snipped after pulsing, daddy got to hold his brand new baby girl and mama had the strength to get up and go take a shower, with the midwives mindfully keeping an eye out to make sure I would be ok. WoW, I felt like I had done a 10 mile hike, but I felt GREAT! I knew it was the adrenaline, but I laid back in bed, nursed baby girl a bit more, ate a bit...got a little nauseas and threw up, but it was better than throwing up during labor! After that, I was good...probably the adrenaline, lol.
The midwives left us for the night and we actually had some good friends stop by to congratulate us! Let me tell you, I was NOT up for that with Leenah, I was so weak and tired, I didn't see anyone for the first week, or at least 3-4 days!
This birth was AMAZING!
My mind says to me, yeah, I could do that again! while the other half says...let's just wait five years, please!!! lol
I really do think all that raw milk, butter and bacon made this birth so healthy...of course chasing after my toddler also contributed to my overall "fitness" level, lol. AND, having done it once, it is amazing how the body takes over the second time and goes, yep, I know what we're doing, let's get it done.
AND every bit of "false" labor I had was worth it, I know it shortened the duration of real labor, even though it lengthened my impatience.
So very thankful for this experience.
Once Summer was in our arms, the midwives came over for the "baby check" the next day and confirmed their suspicions, after doing a few tests and checks on Summer's range of movements, they said that she was only 38 weeks!!! Yep...I wasn't almost 42, I was only 38 weeks. Oh relief and guilt washed over me...but I let it go, because once again, God had everything under control. Again and again He shows me every step of my life. I am going to do my best to show Him how grateful I am in living each day fully with my girls.
So blessed!
-Melissa
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
My Unprocessed 2nd pregnancy vs. my 1st "conventional food" Pregnancy
SO, I am wanting to share my absolute joy and astound-ment at how my second pregnancy is going. Besides the fact that I have felt MORE sick with this kiddo than my first (though I KNOW it is the elevation of living at 7000ft, because EVERY time I go down below 4500ft, I feel like a normal person, UGH!) BUT, that as knocked off at 20 weeks, just as it did while carrying my Leenah girl, lol
FIRST, since we have been on a 100% organic and unprocessed diet at home, but not including the 1-2 times we eat out at our FAVORITE mexican food place (Tacos Los Altos westside, I can't give you up!) or are visiting family who have conventional/processed foods, I have gained HALF the weight that I did when carrying Leenah, AND I thought I was eating "healthy" while carrying her!!
Sure sheds light on how transformative a "food journey" can be!
BUT, I was sitting 6+ hours a day at an office, 4 days a week, with my first pregnancy, and even though ALL my snacks were considered "healthy" by most all doctors/obgyns and "healthy" people (carrots, apples, flavored Sam's Club water, and chocolate covered raisins), these snacks were still processed AND the fruit was not organic. HUGE difference with organic produce folks!!
The nutrition level spikes through the roof with organic produce, as the pesticides kill off a LOT of the things your body is supposed to be absorbing (makes sense, since it kills the bugs too, right?)
ALSO, that flavored water had "natural flavoring" which means, chemicals of unknown origin!! and those chocolate covered raisins also had a LOT of fake "hydrogonated" lab created oils!
SO, by the time Leenah came, I was at 50+ lbs, had a double chin, flabby arms...I looked icky, and felt gross too, not as bad as I COULD have been, but I didn't feel attractive, which I am beginning to believe IS possible when prego!!!
I am now 27 weeks, feel like I hardly have a belly to deal with, my arms are great, still nice and trim, my chin check is still holding, AND I have only gained about 15-18 lbs!!! THOUGH, I am sure my two year old has partly to do with keeping me on my toes, I notice this is NOT the same for a lot of second time moms. Here is the other totally interesting funny part about eating UNprocessed. We are eating FULL FAT everything!!! SO, I have wonderful free-range bacon with Leenah 2-3 times a week for breakfast...and then throw it into dinner for some things too...we drink at least a glass of WHOLE RAW milk a day...if not more...and I have been sneaking in organic strawberry ice cream at night too, 2-3 times a week (and you know what is so kewl about some of these Organic companies? They are obvious about their flavorings and colorings, in fact this delcious Elden's brand ice cream colors their strawberry ice cream with BEET juice! BRILLIANT! I love it!
OK...so for snacks, we do the usual fruit of oranges, bananas, kiwis and apples (however they ARE organic!) AND we do smoothies just about every day, which are those fruits, frozen berries, organic whole fat yogurt and/or coconut water with a bit of spirullina (green dried sea algea) for the extra immune boosting power! Also, dates...loving dates, they help with the sugar cravings and supposely (scientic studies back this) help make labor and delivery EASier!! I am LOVING my homemade chocolate AND the XOXO brand chocolates too!
Other than that, it is EGGS for every breakfast, and if not, Leenah and I MUST have a hardboiled eggs before Lunch to make it through the day. Plenty of FISH and sushi, and beef! AS much as I usually LOVE chicken, this baby PREFERS beef and fish! SO, I saddly have been totally bulking up our dinners with one or the other, while I would usually just use chicken! SO, you see the beauty of "unprocessed" eating, is the FACT that you then replace allll those processed items with FULL FAT items. OH, and we have full fat organic butter ON EVERYTHING!! And guess what? we AREN'T overweight. Leenah is gaining the weight SHE needs to right now, due to the bacon, lol. BUT, Beau and I aren't gaining the weight like we did WHEN I was carrying Leenah and we shopped at Sam's Club for all our produce, meat, and dairy needs! SO, while we pay a bit more for our "quality source" food items (which, honestly we have learned, we DO NOT pay more than our neighbors ALL across the nation who are also shopping strictly organic/local/free range, farm raised, CSA)... is it NOT worth it to use our money to "invest" in our health as a preventative rather than buying the cheapest food available and then having to "pay" once our health has declined? Which will be in MANY various forms, that range from "chronic" to "life threatening", weight gain being the simpliest and most obvious sign of poor quality food. We have learned that if you are eating good food, and not OVER eating, but also eating 5-6 times a day (3 meals with snacks in between), you can NOT gain weight easily, especially if you are eating more plant based anyhow! Exercise or NOT. Nutrition is 80% of healthy living. SO, exercise for the enjoyment and stress relief, NOT for the weight loss aspect, because THAT is stressful, because if you are exercising to LOOSE weight, when you do loose that weight, your "cheap food" diet is going to just put your RIGHT back to where you started when you can't keep up the hours of exercise that keep the enourmous amount of calories from processed foods, at bay in your body!
ALSO, here is another fat fighting tip, coconut oil actually HELPS fight the fat, and can keep your tummy trim! So, use coconut oil in your cooking instead of canola...or at least olive oil!!
Now:
THink about it! Every time you by local or "free range" brown eggs...even though you will be paying an extra $2-3 dollars a dozen, you KNOW how good it feels to be buying happy chicken eggs (BTW, I off set this cost BY having my own chickens, who cost less than owning a cat or dog, they eat your veggie scraps, keep your weeds down, AND are less maintenance than a cat/dog AND get along with kids;) Also, think about the fact, that EVERY time you decide to buy organic produce, you aren't only keeping your kids away from pesticides, but you are ALSO protecting and investing in the workers that pick the produce you JUST bought, without having to wear a gas mask or biohaz mat suit! Every time you buy food in it's most NATURAL and happy form, you are not only protecting your family and investing in YOUR health, you are investing in a farm, a worker, and the future of our children's families future, for a better life and health as well!
OK, so how much DOES it cost to go completely organic then? In the winter, is costs between $140-$160/week here in Flagstaff. Bountiful Baskets would probably drop this down to $125/week. Once the season turns warm, these figures will start to drop, across the country, (and for you, especially if you start to grow your own food!) to $110-$125/week. SO, no matter what food, and GOOD food is going to cost...just remember, everything comes at a price. While we pay $600-$800/month for food and make an allowance for this in our budget, our medical cost for the entire year of 2012 was $0. OF course this is also because we invest in learning about home remedies for the cold/flu and everything in between too!
I am getting off track here. I just wanted to share that with this pregnancy, I am feeing great...and weighing less, looking good (and YES, I would actually consider wearing a sexy bikini to a pool right now!!!) AND, enjoying this part of the pregnancy, and not feeling bad about indulging in conventional foods while visiting family, because 80% of the time, I am eating un-processed, and my body is handling it GREAT!
SO, eat well my friends, and PLEASE start learning/asking where your food comes from. I guarantee, that if you go to Safeway/Walmart/Frys and asked where their London broil steak or boneless chicken breasts came from, they would say..."uhh it's Johnson brand, can't you read the package?" which means, factory farm YUCK. While, if you go to your local CSA, or natural grocery store, there will be a SMALL farm name you have never heard of, as of yet, and a website or employee of the store will be able to get you the info ON that farm, just in case you wanted to visit it (because that farm will most likely be within a 200 mile radius!) I AM LOVING this journey of supporting these small farms, soooo excited to know where my happy animal meat/dairy is coming from, and paving the way to a really healthy future for my kids and my community!!!
OK, that is all for now;] xoxo EAT WELL my lovlies!
FIRST, since we have been on a 100% organic and unprocessed diet at home, but not including the 1-2 times we eat out at our FAVORITE mexican food place (Tacos Los Altos westside, I can't give you up!) or are visiting family who have conventional/processed foods, I have gained HALF the weight that I did when carrying Leenah, AND I thought I was eating "healthy" while carrying her!!
Sure sheds light on how transformative a "food journey" can be!
BUT, I was sitting 6+ hours a day at an office, 4 days a week, with my first pregnancy, and even though ALL my snacks were considered "healthy" by most all doctors/obgyns and "healthy" people (carrots, apples, flavored Sam's Club water, and chocolate covered raisins), these snacks were still processed AND the fruit was not organic. HUGE difference with organic produce folks!!
The nutrition level spikes through the roof with organic produce, as the pesticides kill off a LOT of the things your body is supposed to be absorbing (makes sense, since it kills the bugs too, right?)
ALSO, that flavored water had "natural flavoring" which means, chemicals of unknown origin!! and those chocolate covered raisins also had a LOT of fake "hydrogonated" lab created oils!
SO, by the time Leenah came, I was at 50+ lbs, had a double chin, flabby arms...I looked icky, and felt gross too, not as bad as I COULD have been, but I didn't feel attractive, which I am beginning to believe IS possible when prego!!!
I am now 27 weeks, feel like I hardly have a belly to deal with, my arms are great, still nice and trim, my chin check is still holding, AND I have only gained about 15-18 lbs!!! THOUGH, I am sure my two year old has partly to do with keeping me on my toes, I notice this is NOT the same for a lot of second time moms. Here is the other totally interesting funny part about eating UNprocessed. We are eating FULL FAT everything!!! SO, I have wonderful free-range bacon with Leenah 2-3 times a week for breakfast...and then throw it into dinner for some things too...we drink at least a glass of WHOLE RAW milk a day...if not more...and I have been sneaking in organic strawberry ice cream at night too, 2-3 times a week (and you know what is so kewl about some of these Organic companies? They are obvious about their flavorings and colorings, in fact this delcious Elden's brand ice cream colors their strawberry ice cream with BEET juice! BRILLIANT! I love it!
OK...so for snacks, we do the usual fruit of oranges, bananas, kiwis and apples (however they ARE organic!) AND we do smoothies just about every day, which are those fruits, frozen berries, organic whole fat yogurt and/or coconut water with a bit of spirullina (green dried sea algea) for the extra immune boosting power! Also, dates...loving dates, they help with the sugar cravings and supposely (scientic studies back this) help make labor and delivery EASier!! I am LOVING my homemade chocolate AND the XOXO brand chocolates too!
Other than that, it is EGGS for every breakfast, and if not, Leenah and I MUST have a hardboiled eggs before Lunch to make it through the day. Plenty of FISH and sushi, and beef! AS much as I usually LOVE chicken, this baby PREFERS beef and fish! SO, I saddly have been totally bulking up our dinners with one or the other, while I would usually just use chicken! SO, you see the beauty of "unprocessed" eating, is the FACT that you then replace allll those processed items with FULL FAT items. OH, and we have full fat organic butter ON EVERYTHING!! And guess what? we AREN'T overweight. Leenah is gaining the weight SHE needs to right now, due to the bacon, lol. BUT, Beau and I aren't gaining the weight like we did WHEN I was carrying Leenah and we shopped at Sam's Club for all our produce, meat, and dairy needs! SO, while we pay a bit more for our "quality source" food items (which, honestly we have learned, we DO NOT pay more than our neighbors ALL across the nation who are also shopping strictly organic/local/free range, farm raised, CSA)... is it NOT worth it to use our money to "invest" in our health as a preventative rather than buying the cheapest food available and then having to "pay" once our health has declined? Which will be in MANY various forms, that range from "chronic" to "life threatening", weight gain being the simpliest and most obvious sign of poor quality food. We have learned that if you are eating good food, and not OVER eating, but also eating 5-6 times a day (3 meals with snacks in between), you can NOT gain weight easily, especially if you are eating more plant based anyhow! Exercise or NOT. Nutrition is 80% of healthy living. SO, exercise for the enjoyment and stress relief, NOT for the weight loss aspect, because THAT is stressful, because if you are exercising to LOOSE weight, when you do loose that weight, your "cheap food" diet is going to just put your RIGHT back to where you started when you can't keep up the hours of exercise that keep the enourmous amount of calories from processed foods, at bay in your body!
ALSO, here is another fat fighting tip, coconut oil actually HELPS fight the fat, and can keep your tummy trim! So, use coconut oil in your cooking instead of canola...or at least olive oil!!
Now:
THink about it! Every time you by local or "free range" brown eggs...even though you will be paying an extra $2-3 dollars a dozen, you KNOW how good it feels to be buying happy chicken eggs (BTW, I off set this cost BY having my own chickens, who cost less than owning a cat or dog, they eat your veggie scraps, keep your weeds down, AND are less maintenance than a cat/dog AND get along with kids;) Also, think about the fact, that EVERY time you decide to buy organic produce, you aren't only keeping your kids away from pesticides, but you are ALSO protecting and investing in the workers that pick the produce you JUST bought, without having to wear a gas mask or biohaz mat suit! Every time you buy food in it's most NATURAL and happy form, you are not only protecting your family and investing in YOUR health, you are investing in a farm, a worker, and the future of our children's families future, for a better life and health as well!
OK, so how much DOES it cost to go completely organic then? In the winter, is costs between $140-$160/week here in Flagstaff. Bountiful Baskets would probably drop this down to $125/week. Once the season turns warm, these figures will start to drop, across the country, (and for you, especially if you start to grow your own food!) to $110-$125/week. SO, no matter what food, and GOOD food is going to cost...just remember, everything comes at a price. While we pay $600-$800/month for food and make an allowance for this in our budget, our medical cost for the entire year of 2012 was $0. OF course this is also because we invest in learning about home remedies for the cold/flu and everything in between too!
I am getting off track here. I just wanted to share that with this pregnancy, I am feeing great...and weighing less, looking good (and YES, I would actually consider wearing a sexy bikini to a pool right now!!!) AND, enjoying this part of the pregnancy, and not feeling bad about indulging in conventional foods while visiting family, because 80% of the time, I am eating un-processed, and my body is handling it GREAT!
SO, eat well my friends, and PLEASE start learning/asking where your food comes from. I guarantee, that if you go to Safeway/Walmart/Frys and asked where their London broil steak or boneless chicken breasts came from, they would say..."uhh it's Johnson brand, can't you read the package?" which means, factory farm YUCK. While, if you go to your local CSA, or natural grocery store, there will be a SMALL farm name you have never heard of, as of yet, and a website or employee of the store will be able to get you the info ON that farm, just in case you wanted to visit it (because that farm will most likely be within a 200 mile radius!) I AM LOVING this journey of supporting these small farms, soooo excited to know where my happy animal meat/dairy is coming from, and paving the way to a really healthy future for my kids and my community!!!
OK, that is all for now;] xoxo EAT WELL my lovlies!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Whoo Hoo!! Some awesome home off-grid finds!!!
So check this baby out, a STOVE top bread toaster from Italy!!!
http://www.toastercentral.com/non.htm
AND, since the Texsport cast iron waffle maker was a BUST in quality because it was made in China, we are actually going to have to choose to buy an "antique" off of ebay!! What do you think of these? They are all pretty sweet AND American made:]
May not get this actual type, which is Rome, almost prefer the 100 year old American made stuff, lol
OK, this is just pure awesomeness...found this from the "Banned from Baby showers" blogger;]
http://www.toastercentral.com/non.htm
AND, since the Texsport cast iron waffle maker was a BUST in quality because it was made in China, we are actually going to have to choose to buy an "antique" off of ebay!! What do you think of these? They are all pretty sweet AND American made:]
May not get this actual type, which is Rome, almost prefer the 100 year old American made stuff, lol
OK, this is just pure awesomeness...found this from the "Banned from Baby showers" blogger;]
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
OH Constipation, how you can be easy to rid;]
SO yesterday was an interesting day:p We all have days where we face the dreaded constipation monster. Us prego mamas seem to have more issue with it than most, a whole foods diet HAS been keeping me from it generally THIS pregnancy, even with my lack of latte consumption. But it's always a little embarrassing when our kiddos get it. Especially those of us ON a whole foods diet! It's like, "how the heck did that happen?!" Well, poor Leenah, mommy was super prego oblivious and stressed this weekend with daddy doing construction on the bathroom, (which also meant mommy was on FULL-TIME duty, more so than usual) that I didn't notice she had more BREAD than anything else ( I was just happy she had FINALLY passed her, eat-like-a-bird and live-off-air phase) and I didn't realize she wasn't eating the fruit I would give her...until too late:[
Well, the ONLY reason I am blogging about this (beside the fact that most of us know I don't mind talking pee and poop, lol) is because I figured out a fast way to help it pass!
I also hadn't noticed she didn't poo almost all weekend, which, for my once-a-day pooer isn't that strange. SO, come Monday, she kept saying she had to go potty. And when she sat down and actually started crying while pushing, I knew that "Houston, we have a problem". I had to actually help break her free of that one VERY dry poo. Poor girl. I KNEW how much it hurt! Usually, when I was having that problem I just made myself a mocha and popped a few dates, blueberries and most of the time, half way through my lovely latte, I was good to go!
BUT, my poor girl, even though we HAD been playing in espresso earlier that day (HINT, this is ONE of the things I am going to mention for constipated kids that may have helped Leenah a bit more than I realized within the hour!!) A friend laughed at me after posting a pic on FB with Leenah playing in espresso for our "water-color" craft, because she said it probably absorbed into her skin within 26 seconds (like ANYthing we put on our skin!) and though she wasn't bouncing off the walls, it DID take her quite a bit to fall asleep that night!
OK...on with this story. For some reason, while she was crying out in pain on her potty, my first instinct was to put her in the tub and fill it with warm water...so that is what I did! Talk about instant relief! Let her stay in there for 20 minutes, and she acted as if nothing was wrong, thank goodness, and I almost put some Epson salt in too, as another instinct, but since I didn't have a moment to Google THAT, I was just happy she wasn't crying in pain anymore!
got her out of the bath, dried off, and within 15 minutes, she was pushin' out another lovely...well, you know. This time it was softer, thank goodness! And after that, another 15 minutes later, again! After the second, I had a blueberry, banana and coconut water smoothie ready for her, and by the time she finished that, she had yet another good poo. That made me feel better! But here is where I think the earlier "coffee play" came into help more than the smoothie!!
SO, for those of you with a constipated kid, SKIP the over-the-counter drugs and butt pills (I say butt pills because I was traumatized as a kid with this...didn't help at all, as where a warm bath and smoothie and fewer processed foods most likely would have done the trick!), and brew your kiddo some coffee and let them dip their hands in it, make some art on water-color paper or some such thing, and then cut out the processed foods for the day, if you are realllly stressed about their constipation. Stick 'em in a tub and make them a smoothie or two!
NOW, the reason I have FULL faith in the coffee "play" besides the fact that it probably won't impact their behavior if they play with it vs. drink it, which most kids won't drink anyhow, is that a few alternative cancer treatment centers use coffee in enemas to help heal (YES, HEAL) cancer, by clearing and detoxing the colon of all waste with coffee enemas. Honest truth, I'd rather do coffee enemas AND a juice fast ANY day than chemo and radiation! Cheaper too btw!
If you just can't wrap your brain around the fact that there ALREADY is a cure for cancer, then check this out: http://gerson.org/gerpress/the-gerson-therapy/
http://www.burzynskiclinic.com/
BTW...once you realize that most EVERYthing that is marketed to us, is only for the company/government/medical institutes benefit and profit, and not ours, you will come a LONG way in beginning your journey to better health, wellness and frankly, happiness! LOL.
Once we realize that we don't need to buy that movie, or sweater, or box of tissues, or even that over-the-counter drug to make our kids feel better when they are sick (which actually does the opposite for them while they are fighting an illness), it opens our eyes to true living and healing!
Anyhow, I have digressed. Honestly, you can heal cancer on your own by just switching your diet to whole foods, or strictly juicing for a short amount of time, though like giving birth, I would MUCH rather have someone guiding me and helping me through the process:]
SO, stick with coffee play, smoothies and warm baths to cure yourself or kiddos of constipation! And then, if you really don't want it to come back...try staying away from the processed foods that most likely got you or your kiddo there in the first place. Seriously.
Honestly, a cup of tea/coffee and an apple a day and plenty of water to drink, with most diets will most likely keep everyone away from this icky monster!
Hope that is a bit of inspiration for you. I know I'd rather have constipation than see my kiddo go through it!! Just remember, you are what you eat...and if all you eat is carbs and sugar, and our bodies are made up of water and fat (YES fat! the brain NEEDs fat to function) all those carbs are going to soak up the water and plug up almost every decent function our bodies need to process in order to live well.
Take care, and eat WELL:]
Well, the ONLY reason I am blogging about this (beside the fact that most of us know I don't mind talking pee and poop, lol) is because I figured out a fast way to help it pass!
I also hadn't noticed she didn't poo almost all weekend, which, for my once-a-day pooer isn't that strange. SO, come Monday, she kept saying she had to go potty. And when she sat down and actually started crying while pushing, I knew that "Houston, we have a problem". I had to actually help break her free of that one VERY dry poo. Poor girl. I KNEW how much it hurt! Usually, when I was having that problem I just made myself a mocha and popped a few dates, blueberries and most of the time, half way through my lovely latte, I was good to go!
BUT, my poor girl, even though we HAD been playing in espresso earlier that day (HINT, this is ONE of the things I am going to mention for constipated kids that may have helped Leenah a bit more than I realized within the hour!!) A friend laughed at me after posting a pic on FB with Leenah playing in espresso for our "water-color" craft, because she said it probably absorbed into her skin within 26 seconds (like ANYthing we put on our skin!) and though she wasn't bouncing off the walls, it DID take her quite a bit to fall asleep that night!
OK...on with this story. For some reason, while she was crying out in pain on her potty, my first instinct was to put her in the tub and fill it with warm water...so that is what I did! Talk about instant relief! Let her stay in there for 20 minutes, and she acted as if nothing was wrong, thank goodness, and I almost put some Epson salt in too, as another instinct, but since I didn't have a moment to Google THAT, I was just happy she wasn't crying in pain anymore!
got her out of the bath, dried off, and within 15 minutes, she was pushin' out another lovely...well, you know. This time it was softer, thank goodness! And after that, another 15 minutes later, again! After the second, I had a blueberry, banana and coconut water smoothie ready for her, and by the time she finished that, she had yet another good poo. That made me feel better! But here is where I think the earlier "coffee play" came into help more than the smoothie!!
SO, for those of you with a constipated kid, SKIP the over-the-counter drugs and butt pills (I say butt pills because I was traumatized as a kid with this...didn't help at all, as where a warm bath and smoothie and fewer processed foods most likely would have done the trick!), and brew your kiddo some coffee and let them dip their hands in it, make some art on water-color paper or some such thing, and then cut out the processed foods for the day, if you are realllly stressed about their constipation. Stick 'em in a tub and make them a smoothie or two!
NOW, the reason I have FULL faith in the coffee "play" besides the fact that it probably won't impact their behavior if they play with it vs. drink it, which most kids won't drink anyhow, is that a few alternative cancer treatment centers use coffee in enemas to help heal (YES, HEAL) cancer, by clearing and detoxing the colon of all waste with coffee enemas. Honest truth, I'd rather do coffee enemas AND a juice fast ANY day than chemo and radiation! Cheaper too btw!
If you just can't wrap your brain around the fact that there ALREADY is a cure for cancer, then check this out: http://gerson.org/gerpress/the-gerson-therapy/
http://www.burzynskiclinic.com/
BTW...once you realize that most EVERYthing that is marketed to us, is only for the company/government/medical institutes benefit and profit, and not ours, you will come a LONG way in beginning your journey to better health, wellness and frankly, happiness! LOL.
Once we realize that we don't need to buy that movie, or sweater, or box of tissues, or even that over-the-counter drug to make our kids feel better when they are sick (which actually does the opposite for them while they are fighting an illness), it opens our eyes to true living and healing!
Anyhow, I have digressed. Honestly, you can heal cancer on your own by just switching your diet to whole foods, or strictly juicing for a short amount of time, though like giving birth, I would MUCH rather have someone guiding me and helping me through the process:]
SO, stick with coffee play, smoothies and warm baths to cure yourself or kiddos of constipation! And then, if you really don't want it to come back...try staying away from the processed foods that most likely got you or your kiddo there in the first place. Seriously.
Honestly, a cup of tea/coffee and an apple a day and plenty of water to drink, with most diets will most likely keep everyone away from this icky monster!
Hope that is a bit of inspiration for you. I know I'd rather have constipation than see my kiddo go through it!! Just remember, you are what you eat...and if all you eat is carbs and sugar, and our bodies are made up of water and fat (YES fat! the brain NEEDs fat to function) all those carbs are going to soak up the water and plug up almost every decent function our bodies need to process in order to live well.
Take care, and eat WELL:]
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Sustainable Living = Living better for less $
Here are some of the things I've been doing at home to not only save money, but just live greener, and better! Hubby has become quite a fan, as well as a lively commentator and idea creator. It becomes SO much fun and more of a hobby instead of a chore, once the habit has changed from spending and saving money, and moved to thinking about using what we have in our own homes, to employ earth friendly and budget friendly ideas, to the home!
If you have any tips, ideas on anything I have missed, please chime in!!
Also wanted to note, for those of us that call ourselves Christ's followers, a reminder I've continued to have throughout this green lifestyle change and food revolution at home: God calls us NOT to be of this world, but to be set apart, to be different, weird different. CRUNCHY different:] For it is the Lord who has called us to be stewards of this planet, as well as keepers of our bodies. We should be the greenest of all peoples on this earth...perhaps this the revolution God is calling for. FOR, it is when we are in a garden, and close to God's earthly creation, that we can be closet to Him, as the saying goes. We have become far from it these days, which would explain a good deal of our problems, I believe hardily!
Saddly, I have been feeling more set apart from my "church" friends and family on this journey, and feel closer to those not wanting to call themselves Christians.
As much as this breaks my heart, it renews my spirit to know that God is blessing these decisions with not just "budget" fixes, but also through the excellent health and home remedies that are keeping our family out of doctors offices and enjoying our lives together without many illnesses.
With that said, I hope you enjoy this list, a tad lengthy and not yet finished, because me and hubby, and friends also on this journey, are ALWAYS learning ways to continue simplifying, as well as saving money!
Enjoy loves!
TIPS from the Kitchen:
*Consider finding a constant producing meal plan source. We have found an inexpensive source that is saving us money AND has excellent recipes, who would have believed it could be found? Here is the EXcellent meal plans we've been using for over a year, and it has been enriching our life, to say the least;] check it out!
www.emeals.com
Funny thing is, it is endorsed by Dave Ramsey!
So, for 3 months of dinner meals it is $21 and for dinners AND breakfast menus, it is $30!! That is pretty affordable, especially for saving those of us mamas from the headache of coming up with it on our own! And even if you just use it for 6 months...that is 6 months of menus to rotate for a few years, right:?] What a savings!!!
*Another EXcellent source for GREAT food at a price just about better than Wal-Mart, and WAY healthier, is Bountiful Baskets, if you haven't checked this out, now is the time! Almost too much produce for a family of 4:] It is a blessing.
http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
NEXT:
*Start saving those glass jars to use in place of plastic for food storage. Not only does the keep you away from BPA, but it creates a more eclectic and old fashioned, yet fun feel to food storage;]
*Make your own chicken broth by crock-potting or dutch oven on the stove by using your bone-in chicken from last nights meal (btw, the most inexpensive free-range chicken to buy at New Frontiers is bone in split chicken breast...usually $3.49/lb). All you do is add water to cover the chicken bone and let it sit for 8+ hours, and afterwards you get an extra healthy broth, the bones and cartilage are what make broths SO nutritious!
*When you get those pesky extra envelopes in the mail from bills for return mail, keep them and use them for the bills or letters you send out each month, and WA-LA, no more buying envelopes, and less goes into the trash!
*Start buying the things you think that are "normal" to buy in cans, and buy them dry in bulk!! It is not much harder to prepare dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, rice, AND it saves money, keeps you away from BPA, and reduces the wast to be thrown out or even recycled:] Plus, I must admit, I LOVE looking at my glass jars full of colored dried beans vs. ugly cans!! BTW, rice and whole wheat grains are SO very inexpensive this way!! a 25-50lb bag is less than it's weight in cost!! You can easily find this is so at Natural Grocers, I am hoping our new Sprouts will also provide excellent bulk options!!
*Consider swapping your cook ware out for cast iron (preferably) and stainless steel. Reason being, they last a lifetime while the "non-stick" and lightweight aluminum pots and pans are disposable as well as hazardous to your health. Cast Iron is actually VERY affordable. Look for the *Lodge brand, at Cal-Ranch stores, as it is made in America!!! It is NOT a good idea to get extra aluminum into your diet by using an aluminum pan. BUT, it is advisable by doctors everywhere that using cast iron is a great way to get extra iron. Weird, but true;] With that said, I LOVE my cast iron dutch oven that my grandma passed on to me...from her father!!!
*Start recognizing the things you buy and what you can get packaged in paper and glass instead of plastic or metal. The benefits: you can more easily get glass recycled, or use it at home or around the house. For example, I splurge once in awhile on a cheesecake in a cute tiny mason jar, mainly so that I can have the jar for my spices!!
*Also- start buying spices and teas in bulk to put in your cute saved glass jars at home! Again, this saves packaging AND keeps you away from plastic BPA while saving you money! BTW, vanilla beans in bulk at New Frontiers are the MOST inexpensive you can find in town;] Great for those wanting to start vanilla extract...which is JUST vodka and split vanilla beans:]
*Consider starting to make your cleaning products, and even soaps, as this not only saves money, but it can very seriously save you from cancer!! It is now a growing knowledge and concern among doctors that a majority of breast cancer victims have had a close association with cleaning products.
I now make our hand soap for the kitchen and buy lovely bar soap for the bathrooms. Got this idea from my mother-in-law. The great thing about certain bar soaps is they not only are more natural and have MUCH better ingredients than commercial soaps, but my favorite part, they will have less packaging!! Or buy from local makers of soap to support our local businesses!
Hand Soap Recipe (for my kitchen sink!)
1 cup of water
1-2 TBS castille soap
5-10 drops of lavender essential oil OR any other oil scents you prefer! Lavender does have a certain amount of antibacterial properties, which is at a MUCH safer level than any antibacterial soap you buy from the store, which is usually too much, and kills the good as well as the bad.
*If you need recipes for certain, or ALL cleaners, please let me know, I would LOVE to provide those recipes if you don't want to seek them out, I've got them for just about everything now:] Including an Oxiclean replacement!!!
*Another option to make things more inexpensive...make a few of your own grooming products. Like toothpaste (my favorite homemade option now) and shampoos! AND, look into oil pulling. It is the safe alternative to mouth wash. Oil pulling with coconut oil can stop bleeding gums and it kills bad bacterial in the mouth since it is antibacterial! Just swish it for 3-5 minutes like you would 'Listerine' and have a new inexpensive and much more effective mouth wash option.
ALSO, consider the fact that cavities can be HEALED with diet. YES, I said HEALED.
Want more info on this? Due to this simple fact, we have NOT seen the dentist in over 3+ years, on top
of a few of my hubby's cavities disappearing...yet ANOTHER huge BONUS in changing our eating lifestyle habits!! Check this out to be blown away!
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/04/rethinking-oral-health-care-a-homemade-toothpaste-recipe-for-tooth-remineralization.html
Homemade toothpaste recipe:
NO MORE buying toothpaste!
2-4 TBs of baking soda in one of your cute saved glass jars
2 or more TBs of filtered water to make a paste
20 drops of peppermint essential oil (or other preference!)
You can also add the remineralizing drops at this point, I still have as yet to pick
some up and try them myself!
For the kiddos, who may be stuck on their super sweet toothpaste (like we are, but we as adults usually suck it up to change habits, right:?] especially if it means not having cavities anymore!!) Just put some coconut oil on their toothbrushes until they can slowly work up to the toothpastes salty taste. BTW, you aren't supposed to brush your teeth with fluoride OR sugar...they BOTH cause cavities.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/does-fluoride-really-fight-cavities.aspx
*Also consider starting to buy baking grains in bulk. Again, this will not only save you money in the long run, but it will save your health too. When you start to bake with whole wheat and other whole grains (whole grains we may not have heard of before, because the grocery stores only sell white and whole wheat), everything you make will being to taste BETTER!! In order to grind your own grain, you will need to invest in either an electric grain mill (between $200-$400), or an inexpensive hand mill (my first start) $60, great for the kiddos to help grind with btw, and even a high quality blender will grind grain into flour. I have been loving our Vitamix for making quick work for grain to flour! BTW, the 50lb bag of 'sweet' hard red winter wheat berries I just picked up at Natural Grocers was $41!!! That is less than the poundage! You won't find that for white or wheat flours even at wally world.
*Consider switching out as many consumable paper products in your home, as you can! We have been using cloth napkins, and bar towels instead of paper towels for years now. I love not having to buy that extra fluff, not to mention I love not having that extra trash! The next thing done, as hubby is still not a huge fan, is using old socks in replacement of tissues. He still prefers paper tissues, which is such a waste when you really think about it! Next project, this week actually, is making soft hankies from old clothes and material I have hanging around the house to fill an old tissue box!! I can't wait! AND, if doing extra laundry wants you to make this consideration NULL...consider going through your families' clothes. After watching an Australian house cleaning show, the gal suggested that each family member, espeically kiddos, should not have more than 15 outfits for each season! It's nice to have a number to go by! I usually enjoy FEWER than that for my kiddos wardrobe to keep laundry at bay. In fact, I think hubby's clothing collection is the largest of the entire family. BUT, that is his freedom, being the money maker and all;]
*Now, how to eliminate toilet paper, or reduce its use? A bidet of course! Yet another investment, but this is what other countries use for their sanitary needs, and do say it is MUCH better, safer, and cleaner than toilet paper. I had no idea that most of the time a bidet is a stand alone toilet unto itself, and at home depot they are as inexpensive as $98 for the unit, minus the faucet and plumbing. You can also pick up a spray attachment that ranges from $40-$100 as well! So that is our next move. Other folks I know, are actually moving towards re-usable cloth "wipes" which isn't that gross of an idea, if you can wrap your brain around it AND have or do cloth diapers anyhow, and considering cloth menstrual pads! My hubby wouldn't even entertain the idea, so we are going with the bidet.
http://products.mercola.com/toilet-bidet/
*Other excellent ways to save money are...Cloth Diaper your babes!!! I LOVE this option, and know many mamas do it!! Though it is a tad more work, the benefits are not only financially, but physical as well. Babes who are cloth diapered are also potty trained faster, have fewer chemical burns and rashes AND, the big buster, you save over $2000/per child, per year when you don't buy disposables, and cloth diaper. I am a HUGE advocate for this, and teach classes (so if you are interested but intimidated, please let me know, I will give you the info, and a face to face break down for FREE if you want to even consider it!) another reason I am a HUGE advocate, besides the fact that is WAY more kind to the planet, but it is also safer for babies. The chemicals in disposables are MUCH more harmful than what they allow to be put in ladies' menstrual pads and tampons, which is WRONG! The same chemical that was taken out of tampons causing toxic shock syndrome, are the same crystals that you see leach out and get all over your babies genitals. How is this allowed? If you have a problem with it (this chemical also causes asthma and other respiratory problems), I will happily help you make the switch!!
*AND, on the note of menstrual pads, there is an inexpensive solution for this as well, which I have enjoyed for years, even since my periods a few years back started getting worse, cramp and flow wise, I decided to stop using tampons and consider other options, because there are other options!! And btw, when I stopped using the tampons, my periods went back to normal:]
The cloth menstrual pads are SO much more comfortable, and the Diva cup works like a tampon, which is nice for those that JUST can't/won't give up the convience, thankfully the Diva cup is a safer solution. Want to check out these pads I'm talking about? They aren't any more work to launder, and if you are already washing cloth diapers, just throw them in with the loads, this is what I did, without even soaking. Without cloth diapers, I would do them as a load on their own. Just kept them in a plastic bag until my week was pretty much over. I did buy some bulk all natural, biodegradable panty liners for catching springs and leaks;] and that is nice to have in bulk because this ENTIRE switch over made my life happier when I realized I would NEVER have to go to the store and stand in line with an annoying box or bag of "lady pads" EVER again! Yea, that's the bonus!! So check out these options, the cloth, and for the all natural panty liners here.
http://lunapads.com/
Here are the panty liners...bought this same amount 3+ years ago, still have half of them...of course being prego half the time helps!! Lol
http://www.amazon.com/Natracare-Natural-Panty-Liners-Breathable/dp/B000EWDJWK
*This next opinion is mostly green and not too much on saving money, BUT I am seriously concerned about and plead with you all to consider changing this one small habit, especially for those with children at home.
Plastic Bags.
We are teaching our children that our world is disposable with every plastic bag, and other plastic items, we consume. It IS a habit that takes a bit of getting used to, BUT take this into consideration: The rest of the world has banned the use of plastic bags, due to the fact that these little thin bags have destroyed deserts, oceans and cities the world over. For some reason, we here in the USA don't seem to be plagued by the very thing we are causing most widely the world over, UNlike cultures across our seas, and the seas themselves.
Thankfully, but ohhh too slowly, city after American city, is banning plastic bags. So why not be ahead of the rest of the USA and make it a change you can be proud to explain to your kids! Please!
Btw, the only fair aspect of it all, which is not really fair unless it only happened to those who use plastic bags, is the fact that the majority of fish we eat today have, themselves, consumed these broken down plastic bags, as well as our other plastic waste.
SO, eat plastic my friends, because this situation is not getting any better until WE each take responsibility for our own waste, household by household. And it is SO very nice to be a part of the solution, not the problem:]
(Our first garden in Flagstaff, this past summer 2012...my secret? Duck and chicken poo!!)
*I've come all this way and haven't mentioned gardens yet! How dare I! Perhaps it is because it's snowing outside, hehe.
BUT, if you are wanting to switch to organic but can not afford it, gardening is the most inexpensive way to do it! Even in an apartment! Even in the winter!
If you have any space at all, you can garden! You can even make your own soil from the food scraps in your kitchen!!
SO, if you live in an apartment, the options you would want to consider are, container gardening, inside and out, or hydroponics, which is essentially, gardening with just water and lights.
http://www.ehow.com/how_7762065_build-small-hydroponic-system.html
There are so many options, and plenty to get started, with JUST what you have in your home and/or garage as well!
AND, if the indoor ideas don't pique your interest, when spring comes, consider starting and participating in a local or 'on the grounds' community garden. Not only is this healthy for the body, but it is healthy for the soul and spirit, as it will get you acquainted with neighbors and create a BEAUTIFUL space near your home!
Don't take this idea lightly. It takes a bit of motivation to get things started, but the reward is DOING it, and living your life through ACTION:]
Also know, that here in Flagstaff, there is a garden starts program, where you can pay to have your seedlings started for you! We took advantage of this, summer of 2012, and it was nice for us beginners!
This year, we will be doing it on our own!
http://flaggardenstartscsa.wordpress.com/about/
*Another fun part of having a garden in your life, however you can do it, is by taking the next, perhaps first step for some of us, by starting a compost. You can create a compost pile/bin outside, even though during the winter this is quite difficult, as the composting can slow if there aren't enough worms eating on it (like in our compost) or just the fact that it is hard to be motivated to take your scraps out into the cold. What has piqued my interest now, is having a worm compost bin INSIDE the house, year around, to eat the veggie and fruit scraps to create our own EXcellent, better than anywhere in town, garden soil! Not to mention, this again creates less trash for the dump AND it is the essence of reusing and re-creating what you have at home, into something you won't have to buy for your organic garden.
*Here is the site my dear girlfriend sent to me, that she has used, and perfected HER worm composter in order to have it UNDERneath her sink, without it smelling!! How wonderful is THIS?! An organic garbage disposal, practically!!!
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/getting-started/
*Let's not forget the awesome garden animals that can be added and enjoyed if you have a bit of yard space. Because if you have yard space, you should totally use at least HALF of it to garden. I did, and my babes LOVED playing in it, especially at the height of it's season, it was like a jungle play land for them!!
Now, the animals I am talking about are chickens, and perhaps ducks. Though ducks should have more land because they also prefer water/pond to be quite happy and .25 of an acre for a back yard still isn't quite enough for 4 ducks! But it is plenty for 4-6 chickens!
Now why do I bring up chickens? Because they are PERFECT for a garden!! Not only do you get EGGS, and they eat your veggie and fruit scraps, but they also give free fertilizer for your garden, and they enjoy keeping the bugs a bay!!!
PLUS, you don't have to take them for a walk.
LET me tell you how awesome it is, to have pets that not only my kiddo goes nutso over, but they also give back in SO many ways, don't eat that much AND don't require walking.
It is the sole reason we have not invested in a dog...because saddly, unless you have a flock or herd of something for a dog to watch over, dogs are like vehicles, and not an investment, but a hobby that requires a lot of work and money.
But chickens on the other hand...ahhhh, they are friendly, happy money saving creatures, and what is so wonderful, is that EVEN if an HOA says you can't have 'em, it is against the law to say so, because poultry is allowed inside Flagstaff (and most all) city limits...and outside city limits, anything is allowed, lol.
That is my HUGE 2 cents worth...think about getting some backyard chickens, it is another habitual sustainable habit that is also enjoyable!!
*Now you may be asking...but what other things can be made to save money?
I'll list a few I have enjoyed and am working on!!
THEN, if you are interested in getting recipes, just let me know!!
-Extracts - super easy for vanilla and almond...but don't stop there, you can make mint, orange, well almost anything your heart desires! Remember, it is simply vodka covering split vanilla beans or soaked almonds.
-Sprouts, bean or seeds - these are actually healthier for you than a smoothie...well, the same, they just pack a TON of nutrients, it's like eating the sun! You can get a sprouter at New Frontiers or Natural Grocers, or you can use a jar/mason jar and soak seeds over night, rinse in the morning, and then tip upside down with cheese cloth wrapped over the opening, so it can drain, and rinse 2-3 times a day...most sprouts take 2-4 days to finish sprouting. These can be used on sandwiches, in salads, soups, pasta dishes, the possibilities are endless, and the sprouts are quite addicting, they are SO good!
-Sauerkraut...this is WAY good to make at home, as it has allll the probiotics needed to keep the gut healthy, unlike pasteurized store kraut
-Chicken broth - easy
-Almond and coconut milk - easy (soak almonds over night, and blend with same amount of water,
for coconut, use hot water for the same amount of shredded unsweetened coconut and blend in blender. Put both in either cheesecloth over a bowl, or a kitchen towel, which I do, and squeeze all excess milk!)
-Chocolate, yes chocolate in almost any Form: syrup, bars, candies...super easy!!
*CHOCOLATE RECIPE:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut oil (melt in toaster oven for easier mixing)
2 TBs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix, enjoy dipping for fruit, or mix in favorite nuts/dried fruits and pour into oiled pan, set in fridge
or freezer for a few minutes, and cut, and enjoy and there you have it, a chocolate bar better, almost, than
Belgium sweets!
-Vitamin C powder, run out of chew-ables or supplements? WELL, the next time you eat an orange, keep the rinds, let them dry out completely, and then blend them in the blender. This powder packs the same powerful punch as any chew-able or supplement pill! All you do is use it in teas, smoothies, juices, whatever you can think of to help boost the immune system, because we all know, over dosing on Vit C during illness is a SURE way to kill a cold/flu FAST:]
These are just a FEW of the healthy easy foods you can make at home. Need more ideas? Let me know. Want a home recipe for a food you love AND buy ALL the time? Would love to find an easy-peasy recipe for you!!
If you have other recipes you want to see here, let me know...however this is what pinterest is for;] hehe
BUT, I love sharing, so let me know!
*Now...on to another bit of saving money and health.
Consider moving your medicine cabinet to more earthly options. Start looking/learning about herbal remedies and essential oils. These "remedies" are much safer and lighter on the bodies' system when the body is stressed by disease, illness and injury. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers KNEW what they were doing when they grew certain and strange herbs in their garden... sadly a lot of their wisdom has been lost...but thankfully we can re-gain this info to create EXcellent options to treat our families from headaches and sore throats, all the way to bruises, burns and broken bones (YES, there are herbs to help speed the healing of broken bones! GOD is amazing!)
AND a few of us mamas have used such remedies on our rambunctious children with GREAT pleasure at the outcomes!! I have used Calendula oil on burns, which soothes the pain instantly and heals the burn within 24 hours! My baby girl has slammed her finger in a drawer, and started a blood blister under her nail, used Calendula oil again, and the blister was gone within 24 hours!
My girl friend has used Calendula oil multiple times on her boys' burns, and again, it instantly takes the pain away and heals the burn within 24-48 hours, depending on the degree. Again, honey will help heal a burn too if there aren't any other fast options hanging around the house!
Baby girl got an ear infection this past month, and instead of getting antibiotics like every doctor suggests, we cut up an onion and held it by her ear, and her ear drained within an hour and she was good to go, and slept wonderfully after a long painful day!!!
GOD wants us to use what He as provided us here on earth, because He has provided everything for our health and well being. The fun part is learning this knowledge and applying it!!
*ONE last suggestion on saving money before calling it this LONG blog's end;] You may ask, how in the WORLD does a mama find time to do alll this, and more? To save money (and the planet, let alone our households) takes planning, time, and motivation. Personally, my first suggestion is to cut out Satellite/cable TV. We do NOT realize how much time this sucks away from our families, until it is too late! And it is one less bill to pay. I know many of you mamas have already made this excellent commitment to your families!! We recently have nixed Netflix and Hulu as well because we were starting to treat it LIKE cable every night, expecting to spend an hour or two in front of the tv, even though The Biggest Loser seems like a "good" thing to watch, it quickly makes 2 hours disappear each night watched! It amazes me, every time we stray with our time, and then re-commit to turning off the tube, even just after dinner (let alone during the day for us stay at home moms), I get more motivated to do things...it's like a 2 day detox though...the TV and movies are SOOOO addicting, especially during the winter!
BUT, I have to tell you, even nixing how much tv both ME and my girl watch, totally improves BOTH our attitudes towards each other, and we end up doing a LOT more things together. So far this week, my girl has helped me put together a batch of Sauerkraut, our first beautiful batch of cast iron baked bread, no grain brownies, AND coconut milk! And it's only Wednesday, and that of course doesn't include dinners! SO...cut the TV, detox your kids and yourself, yes, even from Oprah, and start living your own life!! Get those kiddos into the kitchen with you and make some yummy dinners, excellent bakes, and memories in a kitchen that will only become the best addiction ever for EVERY family member!
The way to a family coming together is through the KITCHEN:]
I most likely have more to share, but this was just a BIT of what I, and my friends, have learned together on this food/lifestyle/hippie journey that God has been totally blessing us and helping us create healthier bodies, as well as a healthier homes and a more beautiful planet! I ask you to join us, as the learning curve never seems to end, even though we are constantly learning how to simplify our lives! So much knowledge has been lost over the last 50+ years for the sake of convience. I feel like we are ALL being called back to such simple days of life, for the sake of our health and our Children's future!!!
Another great source I have been enjoying for not only the entertainment factor, but also learning from, is Mary Janes Farm, which is a magazine, but also an online community of women sharing their way of life, organic lifestyles, by way of either urban or country living, and how they are doing it every day, and making it glamorous to boot!!
Check it out, and once I get the Flagstaff Farmgirl chapter up and running, I will be sharing HERE, so keep it tuned in!!!
xoxox,
LOVE to all, enjoy this journey called life, for it only gets interesting when we decide to continue learning, loving and laughing all the way through!!! hehehe.
If you have any tips, ideas on anything I have missed, please chime in!!
Also wanted to note, for those of us that call ourselves Christ's followers, a reminder I've continued to have throughout this green lifestyle change and food revolution at home: God calls us NOT to be of this world, but to be set apart, to be different, weird different. CRUNCHY different:] For it is the Lord who has called us to be stewards of this planet, as well as keepers of our bodies. We should be the greenest of all peoples on this earth...perhaps this the revolution God is calling for. FOR, it is when we are in a garden, and close to God's earthly creation, that we can be closet to Him, as the saying goes. We have become far from it these days, which would explain a good deal of our problems, I believe hardily!
Saddly, I have been feeling more set apart from my "church" friends and family on this journey, and feel closer to those not wanting to call themselves Christians.
As much as this breaks my heart, it renews my spirit to know that God is blessing these decisions with not just "budget" fixes, but also through the excellent health and home remedies that are keeping our family out of doctors offices and enjoying our lives together without many illnesses.
With that said, I hope you enjoy this list, a tad lengthy and not yet finished, because me and hubby, and friends also on this journey, are ALWAYS learning ways to continue simplifying, as well as saving money!
Enjoy loves!
TIPS from the Kitchen:
*Consider finding a constant producing meal plan source. We have found an inexpensive source that is saving us money AND has excellent recipes, who would have believed it could be found? Here is the EXcellent meal plans we've been using for over a year, and it has been enriching our life, to say the least;] check it out!
www.emeals.com
Funny thing is, it is endorsed by Dave Ramsey!
So, for 3 months of dinner meals it is $21 and for dinners AND breakfast menus, it is $30!! That is pretty affordable, especially for saving those of us mamas from the headache of coming up with it on our own! And even if you just use it for 6 months...that is 6 months of menus to rotate for a few years, right:?] What a savings!!!
*Another EXcellent source for GREAT food at a price just about better than Wal-Mart, and WAY healthier, is Bountiful Baskets, if you haven't checked this out, now is the time! Almost too much produce for a family of 4:] It is a blessing.
http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
NEXT:
*Start saving those glass jars to use in place of plastic for food storage. Not only does the keep you away from BPA, but it creates a more eclectic and old fashioned, yet fun feel to food storage;]
*Make your own chicken broth by crock-potting or dutch oven on the stove by using your bone-in chicken from last nights meal (btw, the most inexpensive free-range chicken to buy at New Frontiers is bone in split chicken breast...usually $3.49/lb). All you do is add water to cover the chicken bone and let it sit for 8+ hours, and afterwards you get an extra healthy broth, the bones and cartilage are what make broths SO nutritious!
*When you get those pesky extra envelopes in the mail from bills for return mail, keep them and use them for the bills or letters you send out each month, and WA-LA, no more buying envelopes, and less goes into the trash!
*Start buying the things you think that are "normal" to buy in cans, and buy them dry in bulk!! It is not much harder to prepare dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, rice, AND it saves money, keeps you away from BPA, and reduces the wast to be thrown out or even recycled:] Plus, I must admit, I LOVE looking at my glass jars full of colored dried beans vs. ugly cans!! BTW, rice and whole wheat grains are SO very inexpensive this way!! a 25-50lb bag is less than it's weight in cost!! You can easily find this is so at Natural Grocers, I am hoping our new Sprouts will also provide excellent bulk options!!
*Consider swapping your cook ware out for cast iron (preferably) and stainless steel. Reason being, they last a lifetime while the "non-stick" and lightweight aluminum pots and pans are disposable as well as hazardous to your health. Cast Iron is actually VERY affordable. Look for the *Lodge brand, at Cal-Ranch stores, as it is made in America!!! It is NOT a good idea to get extra aluminum into your diet by using an aluminum pan. BUT, it is advisable by doctors everywhere that using cast iron is a great way to get extra iron. Weird, but true;] With that said, I LOVE my cast iron dutch oven that my grandma passed on to me...from her father!!!
*Start recognizing the things you buy and what you can get packaged in paper and glass instead of plastic or metal. The benefits: you can more easily get glass recycled, or use it at home or around the house. For example, I splurge once in awhile on a cheesecake in a cute tiny mason jar, mainly so that I can have the jar for my spices!!
*Also- start buying spices and teas in bulk to put in your cute saved glass jars at home! Again, this saves packaging AND keeps you away from plastic BPA while saving you money! BTW, vanilla beans in bulk at New Frontiers are the MOST inexpensive you can find in town;] Great for those wanting to start vanilla extract...which is JUST vodka and split vanilla beans:]
*Consider starting to make your cleaning products, and even soaps, as this not only saves money, but it can very seriously save you from cancer!! It is now a growing knowledge and concern among doctors that a majority of breast cancer victims have had a close association with cleaning products.
I now make our hand soap for the kitchen and buy lovely bar soap for the bathrooms. Got this idea from my mother-in-law. The great thing about certain bar soaps is they not only are more natural and have MUCH better ingredients than commercial soaps, but my favorite part, they will have less packaging!! Or buy from local makers of soap to support our local businesses!
Hand Soap Recipe (for my kitchen sink!)
1 cup of water
1-2 TBS castille soap
5-10 drops of lavender essential oil OR any other oil scents you prefer! Lavender does have a certain amount of antibacterial properties, which is at a MUCH safer level than any antibacterial soap you buy from the store, which is usually too much, and kills the good as well as the bad.
*If you need recipes for certain, or ALL cleaners, please let me know, I would LOVE to provide those recipes if you don't want to seek them out, I've got them for just about everything now:] Including an Oxiclean replacement!!!
*Another option to make things more inexpensive...make a few of your own grooming products. Like toothpaste (my favorite homemade option now) and shampoos! AND, look into oil pulling. It is the safe alternative to mouth wash. Oil pulling with coconut oil can stop bleeding gums and it kills bad bacterial in the mouth since it is antibacterial! Just swish it for 3-5 minutes like you would 'Listerine' and have a new inexpensive and much more effective mouth wash option.
ALSO, consider the fact that cavities can be HEALED with diet. YES, I said HEALED.
Want more info on this? Due to this simple fact, we have NOT seen the dentist in over 3+ years, on top
of a few of my hubby's cavities disappearing...yet ANOTHER huge BONUS in changing our eating lifestyle habits!! Check this out to be blown away!
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/04/rethinking-oral-health-care-a-homemade-toothpaste-recipe-for-tooth-remineralization.html
Homemade toothpaste recipe:
NO MORE buying toothpaste!
2-4 TBs of baking soda in one of your cute saved glass jars
2 or more TBs of filtered water to make a paste
20 drops of peppermint essential oil (or other preference!)
You can also add the remineralizing drops at this point, I still have as yet to pick
some up and try them myself!
For the kiddos, who may be stuck on their super sweet toothpaste (like we are, but we as adults usually suck it up to change habits, right:?] especially if it means not having cavities anymore!!) Just put some coconut oil on their toothbrushes until they can slowly work up to the toothpastes salty taste. BTW, you aren't supposed to brush your teeth with fluoride OR sugar...they BOTH cause cavities.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/does-fluoride-really-fight-cavities.aspx
*Also consider starting to buy baking grains in bulk. Again, this will not only save you money in the long run, but it will save your health too. When you start to bake with whole wheat and other whole grains (whole grains we may not have heard of before, because the grocery stores only sell white and whole wheat), everything you make will being to taste BETTER!! In order to grind your own grain, you will need to invest in either an electric grain mill (between $200-$400), or an inexpensive hand mill (my first start) $60, great for the kiddos to help grind with btw, and even a high quality blender will grind grain into flour. I have been loving our Vitamix for making quick work for grain to flour! BTW, the 50lb bag of 'sweet' hard red winter wheat berries I just picked up at Natural Grocers was $41!!! That is less than the poundage! You won't find that for white or wheat flours even at wally world.
*Consider switching out as many consumable paper products in your home, as you can! We have been using cloth napkins, and bar towels instead of paper towels for years now. I love not having to buy that extra fluff, not to mention I love not having that extra trash! The next thing done, as hubby is still not a huge fan, is using old socks in replacement of tissues. He still prefers paper tissues, which is such a waste when you really think about it! Next project, this week actually, is making soft hankies from old clothes and material I have hanging around the house to fill an old tissue box!! I can't wait! AND, if doing extra laundry wants you to make this consideration NULL...consider going through your families' clothes. After watching an Australian house cleaning show, the gal suggested that each family member, espeically kiddos, should not have more than 15 outfits for each season! It's nice to have a number to go by! I usually enjoy FEWER than that for my kiddos wardrobe to keep laundry at bay. In fact, I think hubby's clothing collection is the largest of the entire family. BUT, that is his freedom, being the money maker and all;]
*Now, how to eliminate toilet paper, or reduce its use? A bidet of course! Yet another investment, but this is what other countries use for their sanitary needs, and do say it is MUCH better, safer, and cleaner than toilet paper. I had no idea that most of the time a bidet is a stand alone toilet unto itself, and at home depot they are as inexpensive as $98 for the unit, minus the faucet and plumbing. You can also pick up a spray attachment that ranges from $40-$100 as well! So that is our next move. Other folks I know, are actually moving towards re-usable cloth "wipes" which isn't that gross of an idea, if you can wrap your brain around it AND have or do cloth diapers anyhow, and considering cloth menstrual pads! My hubby wouldn't even entertain the idea, so we are going with the bidet.
http://products.mercola.com/toilet-bidet/
*Other excellent ways to save money are...Cloth Diaper your babes!!! I LOVE this option, and know many mamas do it!! Though it is a tad more work, the benefits are not only financially, but physical as well. Babes who are cloth diapered are also potty trained faster, have fewer chemical burns and rashes AND, the big buster, you save over $2000/per child, per year when you don't buy disposables, and cloth diaper. I am a HUGE advocate for this, and teach classes (so if you are interested but intimidated, please let me know, I will give you the info, and a face to face break down for FREE if you want to even consider it!) another reason I am a HUGE advocate, besides the fact that is WAY more kind to the planet, but it is also safer for babies. The chemicals in disposables are MUCH more harmful than what they allow to be put in ladies' menstrual pads and tampons, which is WRONG! The same chemical that was taken out of tampons causing toxic shock syndrome, are the same crystals that you see leach out and get all over your babies genitals. How is this allowed? If you have a problem with it (this chemical also causes asthma and other respiratory problems), I will happily help you make the switch!!
*AND, on the note of menstrual pads, there is an inexpensive solution for this as well, which I have enjoyed for years, even since my periods a few years back started getting worse, cramp and flow wise, I decided to stop using tampons and consider other options, because there are other options!! And btw, when I stopped using the tampons, my periods went back to normal:]
The cloth menstrual pads are SO much more comfortable, and the Diva cup works like a tampon, which is nice for those that JUST can't/won't give up the convience, thankfully the Diva cup is a safer solution. Want to check out these pads I'm talking about? They aren't any more work to launder, and if you are already washing cloth diapers, just throw them in with the loads, this is what I did, without even soaking. Without cloth diapers, I would do them as a load on their own. Just kept them in a plastic bag until my week was pretty much over. I did buy some bulk all natural, biodegradable panty liners for catching springs and leaks;] and that is nice to have in bulk because this ENTIRE switch over made my life happier when I realized I would NEVER have to go to the store and stand in line with an annoying box or bag of "lady pads" EVER again! Yea, that's the bonus!! So check out these options, the cloth, and for the all natural panty liners here.
http://lunapads.com/
Here are the panty liners...bought this same amount 3+ years ago, still have half of them...of course being prego half the time helps!! Lol
http://www.amazon.com/Natracare-Natural-Panty-Liners-Breathable/dp/B000EWDJWK
*This next opinion is mostly green and not too much on saving money, BUT I am seriously concerned about and plead with you all to consider changing this one small habit, especially for those with children at home.
Plastic Bags.
We are teaching our children that our world is disposable with every plastic bag, and other plastic items, we consume. It IS a habit that takes a bit of getting used to, BUT take this into consideration: The rest of the world has banned the use of plastic bags, due to the fact that these little thin bags have destroyed deserts, oceans and cities the world over. For some reason, we here in the USA don't seem to be plagued by the very thing we are causing most widely the world over, UNlike cultures across our seas, and the seas themselves.
Thankfully, but ohhh too slowly, city after American city, is banning plastic bags. So why not be ahead of the rest of the USA and make it a change you can be proud to explain to your kids! Please!
Btw, the only fair aspect of it all, which is not really fair unless it only happened to those who use plastic bags, is the fact that the majority of fish we eat today have, themselves, consumed these broken down plastic bags, as well as our other plastic waste.
SO, eat plastic my friends, because this situation is not getting any better until WE each take responsibility for our own waste, household by household. And it is SO very nice to be a part of the solution, not the problem:]
*I've come all this way and haven't mentioned gardens yet! How dare I! Perhaps it is because it's snowing outside, hehe.
BUT, if you are wanting to switch to organic but can not afford it, gardening is the most inexpensive way to do it! Even in an apartment! Even in the winter!
If you have any space at all, you can garden! You can even make your own soil from the food scraps in your kitchen!!
SO, if you live in an apartment, the options you would want to consider are, container gardening, inside and out, or hydroponics, which is essentially, gardening with just water and lights.
http://www.ehow.com/how_7762065_build-small-hydroponic-system.html
There are so many options, and plenty to get started, with JUST what you have in your home and/or garage as well!
AND, if the indoor ideas don't pique your interest, when spring comes, consider starting and participating in a local or 'on the grounds' community garden. Not only is this healthy for the body, but it is healthy for the soul and spirit, as it will get you acquainted with neighbors and create a BEAUTIFUL space near your home!
Don't take this idea lightly. It takes a bit of motivation to get things started, but the reward is DOING it, and living your life through ACTION:]
Also know, that here in Flagstaff, there is a garden starts program, where you can pay to have your seedlings started for you! We took advantage of this, summer of 2012, and it was nice for us beginners!
This year, we will be doing it on our own!
http://flaggardenstartscsa.wordpress.com/about/
*Another fun part of having a garden in your life, however you can do it, is by taking the next, perhaps first step for some of us, by starting a compost. You can create a compost pile/bin outside, even though during the winter this is quite difficult, as the composting can slow if there aren't enough worms eating on it (like in our compost) or just the fact that it is hard to be motivated to take your scraps out into the cold. What has piqued my interest now, is having a worm compost bin INSIDE the house, year around, to eat the veggie and fruit scraps to create our own EXcellent, better than anywhere in town, garden soil! Not to mention, this again creates less trash for the dump AND it is the essence of reusing and re-creating what you have at home, into something you won't have to buy for your organic garden.
*Here is the site my dear girlfriend sent to me, that she has used, and perfected HER worm composter in order to have it UNDERneath her sink, without it smelling!! How wonderful is THIS?! An organic garbage disposal, practically!!!
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/getting-started/
*Let's not forget the awesome garden animals that can be added and enjoyed if you have a bit of yard space. Because if you have yard space, you should totally use at least HALF of it to garden. I did, and my babes LOVED playing in it, especially at the height of it's season, it was like a jungle play land for them!!
Now, the animals I am talking about are chickens, and perhaps ducks. Though ducks should have more land because they also prefer water/pond to be quite happy and .25 of an acre for a back yard still isn't quite enough for 4 ducks! But it is plenty for 4-6 chickens!
Now why do I bring up chickens? Because they are PERFECT for a garden!! Not only do you get EGGS, and they eat your veggie and fruit scraps, but they also give free fertilizer for your garden, and they enjoy keeping the bugs a bay!!!
PLUS, you don't have to take them for a walk.
LET me tell you how awesome it is, to have pets that not only my kiddo goes nutso over, but they also give back in SO many ways, don't eat that much AND don't require walking.
It is the sole reason we have not invested in a dog...because saddly, unless you have a flock or herd of something for a dog to watch over, dogs are like vehicles, and not an investment, but a hobby that requires a lot of work and money.
But chickens on the other hand...ahhhh, they are friendly, happy money saving creatures, and what is so wonderful, is that EVEN if an HOA says you can't have 'em, it is against the law to say so, because poultry is allowed inside Flagstaff (and most all) city limits...and outside city limits, anything is allowed, lol.
That is my HUGE 2 cents worth...think about getting some backyard chickens, it is another habitual sustainable habit that is also enjoyable!!
*Now you may be asking...but what other things can be made to save money?
I'll list a few I have enjoyed and am working on!!
THEN, if you are interested in getting recipes, just let me know!!
-Extracts - super easy for vanilla and almond...but don't stop there, you can make mint, orange, well almost anything your heart desires! Remember, it is simply vodka covering split vanilla beans or soaked almonds.
-Sprouts, bean or seeds - these are actually healthier for you than a smoothie...well, the same, they just pack a TON of nutrients, it's like eating the sun! You can get a sprouter at New Frontiers or Natural Grocers, or you can use a jar/mason jar and soak seeds over night, rinse in the morning, and then tip upside down with cheese cloth wrapped over the opening, so it can drain, and rinse 2-3 times a day...most sprouts take 2-4 days to finish sprouting. These can be used on sandwiches, in salads, soups, pasta dishes, the possibilities are endless, and the sprouts are quite addicting, they are SO good!
-Sauerkraut...this is WAY good to make at home, as it has allll the probiotics needed to keep the gut healthy, unlike pasteurized store kraut
-Chicken broth - easy
-Almond and coconut milk - easy (soak almonds over night, and blend with same amount of water,
for coconut, use hot water for the same amount of shredded unsweetened coconut and blend in blender. Put both in either cheesecloth over a bowl, or a kitchen towel, which I do, and squeeze all excess milk!)
-Chocolate, yes chocolate in almost any Form: syrup, bars, candies...super easy!!
*CHOCOLATE RECIPE:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut oil (melt in toaster oven for easier mixing)
2 TBs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix, enjoy dipping for fruit, or mix in favorite nuts/dried fruits and pour into oiled pan, set in fridge
or freezer for a few minutes, and cut, and enjoy and there you have it, a chocolate bar better, almost, than
Belgium sweets!
-Vitamin C powder, run out of chew-ables or supplements? WELL, the next time you eat an orange, keep the rinds, let them dry out completely, and then blend them in the blender. This powder packs the same powerful punch as any chew-able or supplement pill! All you do is use it in teas, smoothies, juices, whatever you can think of to help boost the immune system, because we all know, over dosing on Vit C during illness is a SURE way to kill a cold/flu FAST:]
These are just a FEW of the healthy easy foods you can make at home. Need more ideas? Let me know. Want a home recipe for a food you love AND buy ALL the time? Would love to find an easy-peasy recipe for you!!
If you have other recipes you want to see here, let me know...however this is what pinterest is for;] hehe
BUT, I love sharing, so let me know!
*Now...on to another bit of saving money and health.
Consider moving your medicine cabinet to more earthly options. Start looking/learning about herbal remedies and essential oils. These "remedies" are much safer and lighter on the bodies' system when the body is stressed by disease, illness and injury. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers KNEW what they were doing when they grew certain and strange herbs in their garden... sadly a lot of their wisdom has been lost...but thankfully we can re-gain this info to create EXcellent options to treat our families from headaches and sore throats, all the way to bruises, burns and broken bones (YES, there are herbs to help speed the healing of broken bones! GOD is amazing!)
AND a few of us mamas have used such remedies on our rambunctious children with GREAT pleasure at the outcomes!! I have used Calendula oil on burns, which soothes the pain instantly and heals the burn within 24 hours! My baby girl has slammed her finger in a drawer, and started a blood blister under her nail, used Calendula oil again, and the blister was gone within 24 hours!
My girl friend has used Calendula oil multiple times on her boys' burns, and again, it instantly takes the pain away and heals the burn within 24-48 hours, depending on the degree. Again, honey will help heal a burn too if there aren't any other fast options hanging around the house!
Baby girl got an ear infection this past month, and instead of getting antibiotics like every doctor suggests, we cut up an onion and held it by her ear, and her ear drained within an hour and she was good to go, and slept wonderfully after a long painful day!!!
GOD wants us to use what He as provided us here on earth, because He has provided everything for our health and well being. The fun part is learning this knowledge and applying it!!
*ONE last suggestion on saving money before calling it this LONG blog's end;] You may ask, how in the WORLD does a mama find time to do alll this, and more? To save money (and the planet, let alone our households) takes planning, time, and motivation. Personally, my first suggestion is to cut out Satellite/cable TV. We do NOT realize how much time this sucks away from our families, until it is too late! And it is one less bill to pay. I know many of you mamas have already made this excellent commitment to your families!! We recently have nixed Netflix and Hulu as well because we were starting to treat it LIKE cable every night, expecting to spend an hour or two in front of the tv, even though The Biggest Loser seems like a "good" thing to watch, it quickly makes 2 hours disappear each night watched! It amazes me, every time we stray with our time, and then re-commit to turning off the tube, even just after dinner (let alone during the day for us stay at home moms), I get more motivated to do things...it's like a 2 day detox though...the TV and movies are SOOOO addicting, especially during the winter!
BUT, I have to tell you, even nixing how much tv both ME and my girl watch, totally improves BOTH our attitudes towards each other, and we end up doing a LOT more things together. So far this week, my girl has helped me put together a batch of Sauerkraut, our first beautiful batch of cast iron baked bread, no grain brownies, AND coconut milk! And it's only Wednesday, and that of course doesn't include dinners! SO...cut the TV, detox your kids and yourself, yes, even from Oprah, and start living your own life!! Get those kiddos into the kitchen with you and make some yummy dinners, excellent bakes, and memories in a kitchen that will only become the best addiction ever for EVERY family member!
The way to a family coming together is through the KITCHEN:]
I most likely have more to share, but this was just a BIT of what I, and my friends, have learned together on this food/lifestyle/hippie journey that God has been totally blessing us and helping us create healthier bodies, as well as a healthier homes and a more beautiful planet! I ask you to join us, as the learning curve never seems to end, even though we are constantly learning how to simplify our lives! So much knowledge has been lost over the last 50+ years for the sake of convience. I feel like we are ALL being called back to such simple days of life, for the sake of our health and our Children's future!!!
Another great source I have been enjoying for not only the entertainment factor, but also learning from, is Mary Janes Farm, which is a magazine, but also an online community of women sharing their way of life, organic lifestyles, by way of either urban or country living, and how they are doing it every day, and making it glamorous to boot!!
Check it out, and once I get the Flagstaff Farmgirl chapter up and running, I will be sharing HERE, so keep it tuned in!!!
xoxox,
LOVE to all, enjoy this journey called life, for it only gets interesting when we decide to continue learning, loving and laughing all the way through!!! hehehe.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Hard week!
Doesn't it always figure that, we get a week all planned out, get excited that it HAS been planned and that there are things to do, and BAM. Something changes those plans. For me, it has been getting sick this week. So frustrating because it is worse than normal, because my compromised-baby-carrying-immune-system refuses to be strong because it needs to be strong for baby. So, I get to not breath through my nose, and not sleep. Gotta love being sick once mommy-ism hits!! LOL. This is yet another reason I LOVE finding herbal and home remedies, for this very situation. I don't take over-the-counter crap anyhow when I am usually sick, because my immune system doesn't need it, and I get better quicker with just the home remedies. But now that I CAN NOT even consider taking a de-congestant...I'm a little sad, with only 2 hours of sleep last night, and no nap today due to a very stuffy blocked nose. OH well. Such is life. But certain things have made the suffering a tad bit easier. Hydrogen Peroxide in the ears has helped open my nose on those last few occasions where I felt like I was suffocating, lol. And the apple cider vinegar in my orange juice is helping I can tell! What is not helping is our drat frozen weather! I can't step outside right now cause my snaughty nose will freeze to my face before it falls into a tissue! UGH. And that doesn't help with my Vit D intake either..no sun...oh how I miss thee! Oh well...hubs is on a run to the CSA to pick me up the good stuff, honey since I JUST ran out, and have been living off of 2-3 cups of tea a day with honey and my homemade Vit C powder!!
Usually the humidifier with peppermint oil at night works...did the first night, and it got little Leenah through the roughest spots of her cold. BUT it didn't last night, nor did the hot shower:[ GRR this is some heavy crap! BUT, I am still very grateful it will not turn into something more serious. That is the thing/trend I am noticing a LOT right now. Kiddos catching the "croup" left and right, bronchitis, and strep throat. The question is, how are these illnesses getting out of hand for the normal family?
My first theory: over-the-counter and prescription crap/drugs! Fever reducers and cough medicines, etc...these are chemicals and they inhibit the body from actually doing it's job!! Yet another reason to stick with home remedies!! And find mamas who use them as well, so you can banter with each other on ideas, and what does and doesn't work!!
It has been a pretty scary year so far, in terms of flu and colds. We have had a hard time staying away from it ourselves, just due to the fact that everyone else has not been able or thoughtful enough to stay home until they are better. Ugh, what is up with the American pre-occupation of being "stronger than you" and go-to-work or school sick?! Why?! So frustrating! Another reason illnesses get blown farther into danger zone, I guarantee it; people just expect the magic orange pill of Dayquill to save them so that their body doesn't "do" the work, or that they won't have to "feel" the pain.
UGH. Life is pain. The sooner we wrap our tiny brains around that, the healthier our lives will be! Lol.
Ok, done ranting. Just wanted to share a few fun links for ideas to keeping well!
http://wellnessmama.com/3516/natural-first-aid-kit/
hehe, I just reviewed this list, and was like..DUH, need to try that!! The Euctalptus oil in the humidifer worked much better than the peppermint for me and hubby, FYI!
And the Hydrogen P. drops really helped me get over this cold faster. Poor hubby, it is Saturday
and he is still suffering from his flu, he has been achy for 4 days now! He has finally relented and let me put
drops in his ears today, so perhaps this will kick his system back into gear!
have fun with this one site too!
http://puremamas.squarespace.com/blog_all/2012/7/13/beat-that-cold-enjoy-some-down-time.html
Usually the humidifier with peppermint oil at night works...did the first night, and it got little Leenah through the roughest spots of her cold. BUT it didn't last night, nor did the hot shower:[ GRR this is some heavy crap! BUT, I am still very grateful it will not turn into something more serious. That is the thing/trend I am noticing a LOT right now. Kiddos catching the "croup" left and right, bronchitis, and strep throat. The question is, how are these illnesses getting out of hand for the normal family?
My first theory: over-the-counter and prescription crap/drugs! Fever reducers and cough medicines, etc...these are chemicals and they inhibit the body from actually doing it's job!! Yet another reason to stick with home remedies!! And find mamas who use them as well, so you can banter with each other on ideas, and what does and doesn't work!!
It has been a pretty scary year so far, in terms of flu and colds. We have had a hard time staying away from it ourselves, just due to the fact that everyone else has not been able or thoughtful enough to stay home until they are better. Ugh, what is up with the American pre-occupation of being "stronger than you" and go-to-work or school sick?! Why?! So frustrating! Another reason illnesses get blown farther into danger zone, I guarantee it; people just expect the magic orange pill of Dayquill to save them so that their body doesn't "do" the work, or that they won't have to "feel" the pain.
UGH. Life is pain. The sooner we wrap our tiny brains around that, the healthier our lives will be! Lol.
Ok, done ranting. Just wanted to share a few fun links for ideas to keeping well!
http://wellnessmama.com/3516/natural-first-aid-kit/
hehe, I just reviewed this list, and was like..DUH, need to try that!! The Euctalptus oil in the humidifer worked much better than the peppermint for me and hubby, FYI!
And the Hydrogen P. drops really helped me get over this cold faster. Poor hubby, it is Saturday
and he is still suffering from his flu, he has been achy for 4 days now! He has finally relented and let me put
drops in his ears today, so perhaps this will kick his system back into gear!
have fun with this one site too!
http://puremamas.squarespace.com/blog_all/2012/7/13/beat-that-cold-enjoy-some-down-time.html
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Pondering Godly Stewardship this 2013
2012, in reflection, was a year of growing, changing habits and LEARNING. I used to hate learning...hehe...but now that the learning involves hands on techniques for saving money at home AND getting healthier in almost every aspect of life, I can not wait to do the same in 2013.
WELL, this post is mainly spurred on by another friend's post about how cloth diapering makes her a better Christian. And though she was mainly being sarcastic with that statement, her green-ness rings true about being a good steward with God's money in our homes, and our lives. Hehe, while I hear most of my friends, not on this food and habit changing journey, a resounding UGH. Right? Now, really, you should read her post, it is SO true in many ways other than just cloth diapering!!
http://onetechmom.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/why-cloth-diapers-make-me-a-better-christian/#comment-161
I love how she feels that the simple decision to cloth diaper put her and the family on a different path for everything...eating healthier, being less of a consumer and more of a creative home maker to save money and save resources, not just money resources, but space resources at home too! I also feel the same. Since having our baby girl, and choosing right away, emphatically to cloth diaper, due to keeping baby away from chemical burns and rashes, more than to save money, lol, this small deviation of consumer "thinking" got us pondering MANY other aspects of our lives too. What food we put into our bodies, and how it affects so much of our health and well being. The clothes that we wear, and the packaging used in our foods, and the needless things we buy on a monthly basis. The journey never seems to end...but it does always end UP in the same place. Simplify! Having less is so much easier, better, happier...it is a crazy struggle in this United States, to keep from having TOO MUCH. And yet, after learning about the HUGE amount of widows in Afghanistan yesterday, because of 30+ years of war, women have lost husbands, brothers and sons in most families, and they now struggle just to keep their children from starving since their main income creators are gone.
WoW.
Puts a new perspective on 2013 for me, even for just being more grateful for everything my husband does and IS for our family!!
AND, if you are in need of an inspirational story about two 9/11 widows, who in turn, raise money for the widows of Afghanistan, check this site out...it will surely make you smile and perhaps shed a tear!!
http://www.beyondthe11th.org/about.founders.php
Their awesome story is also on Netflix call "Beyond Belief". I don't care if they are Christians or not (the documentary never lets on if they are) but D-A-N-G, they did the most amazingly JESUS thing...reaching out to a country to understand what they could about the people of that nation instead of choosing to have been bitter and hateful about their lost husbands.
AWESOME. This is how we should live!!!
SO, what is a Christian to do, to transform more into the active personage that we know God wants us to be, especially in comparison to our struggling brothers and sisters around the world?! We are supposed to share in their struggles, and their grief. How can we do that beyond writing a check? To BE better stewards of not only our money, but of this beautiful EARTH He has given us?
Not only becoming LESS of a consumer, and more of a steward with not just the money, but actually becoming more of a CHRISTIAN, and to pay true homage to the word, not using it as a title. What does that look like in the U.S.? Well, I know it is NOT what we are doing now. The church, we as the church, Christians, ARE FAILING. Our lives aren't any fuller or happier due to what we have. In fact, they are full of disease and dragging illness, depression, untimely death, and disabled family ties.
SO. Now. What?
Our money matters. Dave Ramsey and the other Christian debt programs have taught us that much. We too are on the road to recovery and 2013 will be a debt freeing year for us. But it can't JUST be about debt freedom for us Christian Americans, to equal Godly living! Or about eating better, or about getting chemicals and dumb plastic toys and Tupperware out of our lives (btw, families who are healing their autistic kids are doing this...by switching to organic whole foods, ditching all processed foods, getting rid of AS MUCH plastic as they can in their homes, and all chemical cleaners and ALL commercial grooming products...and if this is healing autistic kids, wouldn't it be wise for us to do the same for our families, our kids, as well?)
And there is another issue, here in our "Christian" community that drives me emphatically NUTS. The Catholic church is the only church that truly supports the struggling mother who decides to keep her baby after being inundated with PP alternative info. The workers/volunteers at our local Pregnancy Care Center even say how hard it is to get our local "Christian" churches to help with ANYthing! WHAT is up with that?! With that said, PA-LEASE check out our local Pregnancy Care Center, they are busting at the seems and need as much financial and physical support as possible!!
http://hopecpc.org/
Well, I keep hearing about this book, RED LETTER REVOLUTION http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-letter-revolution-shane-claiborne/1111574858...a crazy book that actually says we should live like the red letters of Jesus, in the Bible. Things like, not having a retirement plan...scary? SO, I challenge you...read it with me, and let us each seek out ways that we can reach out, with our talents, loves, goals, to bless others!! Then, as we wade through and slowly get rid of the piles of stuff and the paradigms of Americanism we have accumulated over our lifetimes, to give more than we BUY at Target and other places of which I will not mention here (lol)...perhaps we can get a glimpse of a better, fuller, life. I know those of us who are parents-to-be and those of us in the trenches;] already know what it means to sacrifice...lol, that is what makes is so dang tough...sacrificing not only allll time and love, but giving to them more than we think of giving ourselves. It's easy, in the aspect that we love them. The hard part is doing this in other aspects of our life, for people we don't know or care about.
This year is going to be FULL of surprises, challenges, (which I LOVE;) and more hard lessons, good lessons on growing and learning. I just pray for more grace on my part. Now that I have learned to think like a hippy, AND enjoy it, its time to put a little more rubber to the road in terms of walking the Red Letters:]
But, that is what this year will be for, learning more about grace and how to always see things in that wonderfully beautiful light called God's Love!
I will leave you with a funny quote I saw on a magnet that I should have bought from New Frontiers:]
A Chef Says: There is a special trick that I do with low-fat and fat free foods...I throw them out. LOL
And hubby's wonderfully deep perspective on this: EAT NATURALLY!
hehe
ENJOY your food, but more importantly, enjoy your butter. Back in the day, 1890s and later, there was NO heart disease or obesisty to speak of, and they ate more animal fat AND 3 times as much fresh butter as we are told NOT to consume today...so eat your butter and enjoy your bacon;] Then go for a nice stroll, or hike:] hehe God is so good, He made these foods for us...so let us partake!! And then enjoy His outdoors with our children;] Till later lovelies!
WELL, this post is mainly spurred on by another friend's post about how cloth diapering makes her a better Christian. And though she was mainly being sarcastic with that statement, her green-ness rings true about being a good steward with God's money in our homes, and our lives. Hehe, while I hear most of my friends, not on this food and habit changing journey, a resounding UGH. Right? Now, really, you should read her post, it is SO true in many ways other than just cloth diapering!!
http://onetechmom.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/why-cloth-diapers-make-me-a-better-christian/#comment-161
I love how she feels that the simple decision to cloth diaper put her and the family on a different path for everything...eating healthier, being less of a consumer and more of a creative home maker to save money and save resources, not just money resources, but space resources at home too! I also feel the same. Since having our baby girl, and choosing right away, emphatically to cloth diaper, due to keeping baby away from chemical burns and rashes, more than to save money, lol, this small deviation of consumer "thinking" got us pondering MANY other aspects of our lives too. What food we put into our bodies, and how it affects so much of our health and well being. The clothes that we wear, and the packaging used in our foods, and the needless things we buy on a monthly basis. The journey never seems to end...but it does always end UP in the same place. Simplify! Having less is so much easier, better, happier...it is a crazy struggle in this United States, to keep from having TOO MUCH. And yet, after learning about the HUGE amount of widows in Afghanistan yesterday, because of 30+ years of war, women have lost husbands, brothers and sons in most families, and they now struggle just to keep their children from starving since their main income creators are gone.
WoW.
Puts a new perspective on 2013 for me, even for just being more grateful for everything my husband does and IS for our family!!
AND, if you are in need of an inspirational story about two 9/11 widows, who in turn, raise money for the widows of Afghanistan, check this site out...it will surely make you smile and perhaps shed a tear!!
http://www.beyondthe11th.org/about.founders.php
Their awesome story is also on Netflix call "Beyond Belief". I don't care if they are Christians or not (the documentary never lets on if they are) but D-A-N-G, they did the most amazingly JESUS thing...reaching out to a country to understand what they could about the people of that nation instead of choosing to have been bitter and hateful about their lost husbands.
AWESOME. This is how we should live!!!
SO, what is a Christian to do, to transform more into the active personage that we know God wants us to be, especially in comparison to our struggling brothers and sisters around the world?! We are supposed to share in their struggles, and their grief. How can we do that beyond writing a check? To BE better stewards of not only our money, but of this beautiful EARTH He has given us?
Not only becoming LESS of a consumer, and more of a steward with not just the money, but actually becoming more of a CHRISTIAN, and to pay true homage to the word, not using it as a title. What does that look like in the U.S.? Well, I know it is NOT what we are doing now. The church, we as the church, Christians, ARE FAILING. Our lives aren't any fuller or happier due to what we have. In fact, they are full of disease and dragging illness, depression, untimely death, and disabled family ties.
SO. Now. What?
Our money matters. Dave Ramsey and the other Christian debt programs have taught us that much. We too are on the road to recovery and 2013 will be a debt freeing year for us. But it can't JUST be about debt freedom for us Christian Americans, to equal Godly living! Or about eating better, or about getting chemicals and dumb plastic toys and Tupperware out of our lives (btw, families who are healing their autistic kids are doing this...by switching to organic whole foods, ditching all processed foods, getting rid of AS MUCH plastic as they can in their homes, and all chemical cleaners and ALL commercial grooming products...and if this is healing autistic kids, wouldn't it be wise for us to do the same for our families, our kids, as well?)
And there is another issue, here in our "Christian" community that drives me emphatically NUTS. The Catholic church is the only church that truly supports the struggling mother who decides to keep her baby after being inundated with PP alternative info. The workers/volunteers at our local Pregnancy Care Center even say how hard it is to get our local "Christian" churches to help with ANYthing! WHAT is up with that?! With that said, PA-LEASE check out our local Pregnancy Care Center, they are busting at the seems and need as much financial and physical support as possible!!
http://hopecpc.org/
Well, I keep hearing about this book, RED LETTER REVOLUTION http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-letter-revolution-shane-claiborne/1111574858...a crazy book that actually says we should live like the red letters of Jesus, in the Bible. Things like, not having a retirement plan...scary? SO, I challenge you...read it with me, and let us each seek out ways that we can reach out, with our talents, loves, goals, to bless others!! Then, as we wade through and slowly get rid of the piles of stuff and the paradigms of Americanism we have accumulated over our lifetimes, to give more than we BUY at Target and other places of which I will not mention here (lol)...perhaps we can get a glimpse of a better, fuller, life. I know those of us who are parents-to-be and those of us in the trenches;] already know what it means to sacrifice...lol, that is what makes is so dang tough...sacrificing not only allll time and love, but giving to them more than we think of giving ourselves. It's easy, in the aspect that we love them. The hard part is doing this in other aspects of our life, for people we don't know or care about.
This year is going to be FULL of surprises, challenges, (which I LOVE;) and more hard lessons, good lessons on growing and learning. I just pray for more grace on my part. Now that I have learned to think like a hippy, AND enjoy it, its time to put a little more rubber to the road in terms of walking the Red Letters:]
But, that is what this year will be for, learning more about grace and how to always see things in that wonderfully beautiful light called God's Love!
I will leave you with a funny quote I saw on a magnet that I should have bought from New Frontiers:]
A Chef Says: There is a special trick that I do with low-fat and fat free foods...I throw them out. LOL
And hubby's wonderfully deep perspective on this: EAT NATURALLY!
hehe
ENJOY your food, but more importantly, enjoy your butter. Back in the day, 1890s and later, there was NO heart disease or obesisty to speak of, and they ate more animal fat AND 3 times as much fresh butter as we are told NOT to consume today...so eat your butter and enjoy your bacon;] Then go for a nice stroll, or hike:] hehe God is so good, He made these foods for us...so let us partake!! And then enjoy His outdoors with our children;] Till later lovelies!
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