I can't believe how excited I am to be writing this post for you guys!
It's been awhile since I've posted and the last few blogs have been kind of dark. But, they were honest and what was on my mind at the time, so that's what you guys got.
However, those of you who know me, know I'm not typically a depressing person. I have been depressed for about a year now, struggling with my anxiety and sadness. It's my life and I don't think any medication or therapy can fix it. However, I won't let it define me anymore.
What I can do is learn to live with it and push it back as much as possible. I know, not conventional at all, but I've tried everything and I think this is all that's honestly going to work. Which brings me to the excitement part of this post.
I was reading one of the blogs that I follow called All My Arrows. She posted about a yearly challenge called One Word 2013 in her post.
At first, I was like, "Great, another challenge for the New Year. I can't even manage to post regularly let alone complete some challenge."
However, after I rad what it was about, I realized I don't have to make a button for my blog (I don't even know how to properly work my twitter account. P.S. Here's my Twitter page and my Facebook.), and I don't have to go by the "rules" whatever they may be.
I just simply have to remember one word throughout the year.
You see, instead of resolutions and goals, you choose a word- one word- as your mantra for the year.
I figured it would take me forever to find my one word that encompasses all of my goals for this year. As I was driving the kids to school this morning, I was looking at the frost on the landscape and thinking, "I used to really enjoy the most simple things- like frost. Why can't I ENJOY anything any- Oh my gosh! Enjoy! That's my word!"
When I get stressed over finances, kids, relationships, get caught up in the moment, or let worry take over my thoughts instead of me focusing on what's in front of me, I simply remind myself to ENJOY what's going on.
It sounds kind of cheesy, but It changed my view on things already. I enjoyed the frost, the slow traffic so I could take advantage of the conversations with the kids in the car, Sawyer taking forever to get his show-and-tell out of his bag because he was so excited, and Sofie taking the long way from the car to the front porch to discover why the ground crunched.
I've already seen an improvement in my attitude and mindset. So, needless to say, I'm pretty stoked!
So, what's your word for the New Year?! I can't wait to hear!
Happy pondering-
Heather
Friday, January 4, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
Starting Today- I will Try Harder
I know that this will be one of thousands of blogs written about the Connecticut Elementary school shooting today. There are many different views about how this could have been prevented, but I think we can all agree that this was a tragic, senseless act.
Josh told me today that he read somewhere that some people are born broken, and some become broken over time. I could not possibly agree more.
My heart absolutely breaks. Sawyer is almost the same age most of those who were lost today. I have sat and imagined all day what those parents must be feeling. The last hugs, the last kisses, the last "Hurry up! We're going to be late for school!" The last one kills me...
I sat and thought about if that had been us. I know how mornings are in our house. I admit, there's lots of yelling and very little listening on all parts. What if that had been how my last morning was spent with my children?
Of course we as parents have short moments with our kids. Patience runs thin and our voices get louder. We're all guilty, no matter how hard we try.
But days like this, days like this make you stop in your tracks. They make you re-evaluate how you handle things. What if I'm breaking my child with my short temper? Am I breaking their spirit? Am I breaking their souls a little at a time? Of course I am. It happened to me, how could I even deny that I'm somewhat doing the same to them?
Today I will try- try to love with all my heart, try to teach them compassion, try to teach them right and wrong, try to embrace the chaos and just laugh, try to build up their little hearts, try to let them know they matter, try to let them know that at every second they are loved. I may fail some days- but I will try my hardest.
I can't possibly write anymore though I have so much to say. The tears won't stop so it's time to end this.
Prayers are being poured out from our family for the victims, the families, the administration, and the many children who had to grow up too quickly today.
-Heather
Josh told me today that he read somewhere that some people are born broken, and some become broken over time. I could not possibly agree more.
My heart absolutely breaks. Sawyer is almost the same age most of those who were lost today. I have sat and imagined all day what those parents must be feeling. The last hugs, the last kisses, the last "Hurry up! We're going to be late for school!" The last one kills me...
I sat and thought about if that had been us. I know how mornings are in our house. I admit, there's lots of yelling and very little listening on all parts. What if that had been how my last morning was spent with my children?
Of course we as parents have short moments with our kids. Patience runs thin and our voices get louder. We're all guilty, no matter how hard we try.
But days like this, days like this make you stop in your tracks. They make you re-evaluate how you handle things. What if I'm breaking my child with my short temper? Am I breaking their spirit? Am I breaking their souls a little at a time? Of course I am. It happened to me, how could I even deny that I'm somewhat doing the same to them?
Today I will try- try to love with all my heart, try to teach them compassion, try to teach them right and wrong, try to embrace the chaos and just laugh, try to build up their little hearts, try to let them know they matter, try to let them know that at every second they are loved. I may fail some days- but I will try my hardest.
I can't possibly write anymore though I have so much to say. The tears won't stop so it's time to end this.
Prayers are being poured out from our family for the victims, the families, the administration, and the many children who had to grow up too quickly today.
-Heather
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Homeopathic Cold Care
Alright, some of you know what dirty hippies my family can be. Not really, but that's how some view our choices when it comes to medicinal treatment of colds and other medical problems our family may encounter. I absolutely believe in mainstream medicine. It has saved many people's lives and we of course turn to it when needed.
However, I believe it shouldn't be the first go-to when you have the sniffles or a cut. So I've decided to let you guys in on my regiments. I am in no way a doctor or an herbalist, so you need to not just solely roll with what I have on here- ESPECIALLY if you're pregnant. There are many herbs and oils that are not good for you and the baby. I don't want to be liable. The best thing to do would be to go to Prairie Market here in town (or if you don't live here, go to your local health food store) and talk with the staff. They have extremely knowledgeable staff, and of course talk with your doctor if you have a serious problem.
I will do more blogs on other medical issues, but today we're talking about colds.
A few years ago when I was pregnant, I went into the health food store for information on all natural cleaning products. I ended up in the essential oils section. The staff member and I talked for an hour minimum about what oils were good for what and how to administer them. I can happily say that for the next two flu and cold seasons, we didn't have one. single. problem. Fast forward to this year, we hadn't stocked up on any of our essentials and we had slacked off on our echinacea. Lo and behold, I ended up with pneumonia and our household has had a lingering cold for months. Josh and I finally decided yesterday that this couldn't continue any longer. We cringed when we checked out (this stuff isn't the cheapest- but most of these treatments have more than one purpose, so it's saving us money in other places.)
Here we go-
Essential Oils- We are fans of Young Living Oils. They're more potent than other brands due to how the oils are extracted. Since they are more expensive than other brands, we only buy Young Living if we plan to use them for medicinal purposes. If it's for cleaning or diffusing in the humidifier, we just buy whatever other brand is available.
The ones we keep on hand are:
Lemon- We use this for our cleaning mostly. We do however also diffuse this to A) clean the air of bacterias and B) to lift our moods.
You can also mix in a smaller, portable spray bottle a few drops of lemon and water to make your own hand sanitizer or portable sanitizer to wipe of shopping carts or tables while out.
Young Living R.C.-
This wonderful mixture has proven time and time again to be amazing. It's a mixture of Eucalyptus, Myrtle, Pine, Spruce, Marjoram, Lavender, Cypress, and Peppermint. We put a couple of drops of Olive Oil and one drop of R.C. in our palms, mix it together and distribute to our chests and the bottom of our feet, then cover with socks. We also put 1 drop in the oil holder on our humidifier.
Eucalyptus- Obviously this is for when there's breathing ailments in the house. We use this in the humidifier as well.
Peppermint- This goes in the humidifier as well. This is also a wonderful oil if you have tension headaches. Just rub a drop on your temples for a minute or so. I've used it for headaches for about a year now and it always does the trick.
Cinnamon-
I don't see me ever using this topically, mainly because it feels hot. The reason this is in our arsenal is for when there are fevers. You know when you have a fever so high that you're freezing, but you can't cover up because that makes your fever higher? When you diffuse this, it actually makes you feel warmer without actually getting warmer. Nice, right?
We have other oils, but they have purposes for other ailments.
Moving on to teas!
We're pretty brand specific when it comes to teas that aren't my own mixtures. (Yes, I make my own tea. It relaxes me for some reason.)
We use Traditional Medicinal teas. They have a wonderful array of teas for all different purposes, but since we're talking colds, we'll stick with those teas.
Gypsy Tea- This is the absolute best tea for colds that we have found. It clears your nasal cavity, soothes a sore throat, minimizes coughing, etc....
P.M. Cold Care- Pretty much the same as Gypsy, but has chamomile to help you sleep at night.
Throat Coat- For sore throats. I'm told this one works wonders for a sore throat, but I can't drink it because it tastes like licorice (which I hate.)
Echinacea Plus- Obviously this is to boost your immune sysytem
Supplements-
Really the only pills we take when we have minor to moderate colds is our echinacea/goldenseal pill. They're a dynamic duo when it comes to helping your body help itself. I have a testimony for this little beauty, but that's for another post.
Gaia Kids Cough Syrup- This is a new addition to our cold team. It has honey and lemon to help soothe coughs. The best part about this is that it tastes like candy. My kids had no qualms about taking it after they tasted it first. In fact, Sawyer would constantly ask me if it was time to take his medicine. I thought that was great, but I got even more excited when I got to test whether or not it actually worked for myself. I had been hacking all day due to a tickle in my throat. I had used some cough drops at my sister's house and they worked until the cough drop was gone and the cough came right back. Josh told me to take some cough syrup and in 10 minutes, there was no more coughing... none... for a whole 15 hours.
Herbs for Kids Willow/Garlic Oil for ears- we were introduced to these ear drops when Sawyer was younger and had an ear infection. I've used it myself for when I had a sinus infection. It was instant pain relief. Anytime Sofia (or Sawyer when he was still little enough) was cutting teeth, we would use these drops for a few days. Sawyer has only had two ear infections and Sofia hasn't had any. I honestly don't know if they're lucky, or if this helped prevent them, but I know that when their ears hurt, this makes it stop.
Local Honey- Yes, it has to be local because local honey is made from pollen found in your area, which is ideal for allergies. It's benefited us this spring when after a mild winter, allergies were driving us crazy. It also helps relieve coughs.
So there you have it! Our cold arsenal!
Remember to use caution when dealing with herbs and oils, some don't mix and it's best to follow the dosing directions.
Happy Healing!
-Heather
However, I believe it shouldn't be the first go-to when you have the sniffles or a cut. So I've decided to let you guys in on my regiments. I am in no way a doctor or an herbalist, so you need to not just solely roll with what I have on here- ESPECIALLY if you're pregnant. There are many herbs and oils that are not good for you and the baby. I don't want to be liable. The best thing to do would be to go to Prairie Market here in town (or if you don't live here, go to your local health food store) and talk with the staff. They have extremely knowledgeable staff, and of course talk with your doctor if you have a serious problem.
I will do more blogs on other medical issues, but today we're talking about colds.
A few years ago when I was pregnant, I went into the health food store for information on all natural cleaning products. I ended up in the essential oils section. The staff member and I talked for an hour minimum about what oils were good for what and how to administer them. I can happily say that for the next two flu and cold seasons, we didn't have one. single. problem. Fast forward to this year, we hadn't stocked up on any of our essentials and we had slacked off on our echinacea. Lo and behold, I ended up with pneumonia and our household has had a lingering cold for months. Josh and I finally decided yesterday that this couldn't continue any longer. We cringed when we checked out (this stuff isn't the cheapest- but most of these treatments have more than one purpose, so it's saving us money in other places.)
Here we go-
Essential Oils- We are fans of Young Living Oils. They're more potent than other brands due to how the oils are extracted. Since they are more expensive than other brands, we only buy Young Living if we plan to use them for medicinal purposes. If it's for cleaning or diffusing in the humidifier, we just buy whatever other brand is available.
The ones we keep on hand are:
Lemon- We use this for our cleaning mostly. We do however also diffuse this to A) clean the air of bacterias and B) to lift our moods.
You can also mix in a smaller, portable spray bottle a few drops of lemon and water to make your own hand sanitizer or portable sanitizer to wipe of shopping carts or tables while out.
Young Living R.C.-
This wonderful mixture has proven time and time again to be amazing. It's a mixture of Eucalyptus, Myrtle, Pine, Spruce, Marjoram, Lavender, Cypress, and Peppermint. We put a couple of drops of Olive Oil and one drop of R.C. in our palms, mix it together and distribute to our chests and the bottom of our feet, then cover with socks. We also put 1 drop in the oil holder on our humidifier.
Eucalyptus- Obviously this is for when there's breathing ailments in the house. We use this in the humidifier as well.
Peppermint- This goes in the humidifier as well. This is also a wonderful oil if you have tension headaches. Just rub a drop on your temples for a minute or so. I've used it for headaches for about a year now and it always does the trick.
Cinnamon-
I don't see me ever using this topically, mainly because it feels hot. The reason this is in our arsenal is for when there are fevers. You know when you have a fever so high that you're freezing, but you can't cover up because that makes your fever higher? When you diffuse this, it actually makes you feel warmer without actually getting warmer. Nice, right?
We have other oils, but they have purposes for other ailments.
Moving on to teas!
We're pretty brand specific when it comes to teas that aren't my own mixtures. (Yes, I make my own tea. It relaxes me for some reason.)
We use Traditional Medicinal teas. They have a wonderful array of teas for all different purposes, but since we're talking colds, we'll stick with those teas.
Gypsy Tea- This is the absolute best tea for colds that we have found. It clears your nasal cavity, soothes a sore throat, minimizes coughing, etc....
P.M. Cold Care- Pretty much the same as Gypsy, but has chamomile to help you sleep at night.
Throat Coat- For sore throats. I'm told this one works wonders for a sore throat, but I can't drink it because it tastes like licorice (which I hate.)
Echinacea Plus- Obviously this is to boost your immune sysytem
Supplements-
Really the only pills we take when we have minor to moderate colds is our echinacea/goldenseal pill. They're a dynamic duo when it comes to helping your body help itself. I have a testimony for this little beauty, but that's for another post.
Gaia Kids Cough Syrup- This is a new addition to our cold team. It has honey and lemon to help soothe coughs. The best part about this is that it tastes like candy. My kids had no qualms about taking it after they tasted it first. In fact, Sawyer would constantly ask me if it was time to take his medicine. I thought that was great, but I got even more excited when I got to test whether or not it actually worked for myself. I had been hacking all day due to a tickle in my throat. I had used some cough drops at my sister's house and they worked until the cough drop was gone and the cough came right back. Josh told me to take some cough syrup and in 10 minutes, there was no more coughing... none... for a whole 15 hours.
Herbs for Kids Willow/Garlic Oil for ears- we were introduced to these ear drops when Sawyer was younger and had an ear infection. I've used it myself for when I had a sinus infection. It was instant pain relief. Anytime Sofia (or Sawyer when he was still little enough) was cutting teeth, we would use these drops for a few days. Sawyer has only had two ear infections and Sofia hasn't had any. I honestly don't know if they're lucky, or if this helped prevent them, but I know that when their ears hurt, this makes it stop.
Local Honey- Yes, it has to be local because local honey is made from pollen found in your area, which is ideal for allergies. It's benefited us this spring when after a mild winter, allergies were driving us crazy. It also helps relieve coughs.
So there you have it! Our cold arsenal!
Remember to use caution when dealing with herbs and oils, some don't mix and it's best to follow the dosing directions.
Happy Healing!
-Heather
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