Health & Free Living

I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions. I understand why people make them -- the beginning of a new year makes for a convenient time to start something new or make a change (just like a student plans at the beginning of the new school year to make it the best school year ever). All that to say, 2014 was a lot about me and my transformation -- completely unplanned, but amazing. Now, I want 2015 to be about other people. God has blessed me in amazing ways this past year and taught me so much and I want to reach other people this coming year and help to transform their lives. (Ive got some cool ideas in my head that I hope I can pull off.) I want to help people learn how to make healthier choices. I want to help people learn more about essential oils and their amazing benefits. I want to help people learn how to eat correctly and supplement...and create a healthy lifestyle from the inside out. I want to help people get the "crud" out of their systems...

Okay, here are the recipes for some of the items I have made recently. 1. Homemade Deodorant  (my favorite) The original recipe calls for Castor Oil and Beeswax, but we heard that the beeswax can stain clothes so I made it without it and it works fine. 2 1/2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (I recommend Wildtree coconut oil) 1/8 cup Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) 1/8 cup Baking Soda Essential oils -- I did 8 drops of Lavender and 8 drops of Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree oil) Put the coconut oil into a saucepan and melt over low heat. Remove from heat and add the Arrowroot powder and Baking soda. Stir until it is dissolved. Add the essential oils and stir to combine. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into a clean deodorant container. Put container in the fridge to help it firm up. This recipe makes one stick of deodorant. I usually double/triple it and make more than one stick at a time. When using the deodorant, you only need to apply a thin layer under your arms. If you roll it u...

I've mentioned before how I started making my own deodorant and love it. Well, chemical-free hair products can be expensive, so I decided to start looking for a cheaper way to have safer products for my hair by making my own shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel. Yep. All three. (This time last year, I would have been rolling my eyes if someone said they were making their own hair products, yet here I am now -- oh the difference a year makes!). First up: Homemade Hair Gel My husband is actually the one who put the idea in my head to try making my own hair gel. I've talked so much about getting rid of harmful chemicals that he asked me if he thought the gel he was using was bad for him. Next thing I knew, I was looking for homemade hair gel recipes, saw how easy they were to make, and decided to go for it! The results of this gel  are great! The gel is thin, so I put it in a glass bottle with and spray top (got it at Whole Foods). Sprayed it all over my wet hair, scru...

When I was in Junior High, High School, and College, whenever I would think about the future, it always stopped at age 24 -- I imagined that by 24 I would be done with college, have a job, and married. I clearly remember sitting on my bed at my parents' house and crying on my 25th birthday -- I had finished grad school six months earlier, moved home to save money, just quit the job I got after grad school, and was dating no one. In fact, I had few friends in my life. I wasn't crying because I wasn't where I thought I should be, but because I had no idea what would come next. I had NEVER imagined life past age 24. I remember praying that God would just lead me and show me where to go because I had NO CLUE. Now here I am at age 36 and I could never have imagined how amazing my life would be. As much as I imagined falling in love and meeting the right guy, I never knew how wonderful it would be to be married to an amazing man of God who sincerely loves me and cherishes m...

Last week I completed a 5-day nutritive cleanse and detox through USANA called Reset and it was AWESOME! I felt great and had so much energy. I still have so much energy. If you have ever done a cleanse or are doing one and you feel tired...you might want to try something different. Here's how it works: I had a Nutrimeal shake (Dutch Chocolate is my favorite -- Dairy-free and gluten-free) for breakfast with a set of supplements called a HealthPak (includes a Mega Antioxidant and Chelated Mineral, Active Calcium, and an AntiOxidant booster for additional protection) and a Hepisal (to detox the liver). These supplements help to provide the nutrition and protection needed while resetting the system. 2-3 hours later I had a low-glycemic snack (usually an apple with 7 almonds or celery with natural almond butter). The typical USANA Reset kit comes with bars that you can eat for snacks, but I'm picky about bars, so decided to do my own snacks. Lunch was another Nutrimeal sh...

As promised, here is a list of my top 10 favorite essential oils and how it use them: 1. Peppermint I use peppermint for so many things. Peppermint wakes you up and keeps you more alert. I put it in my morning Nutrimeal shake, put it on my wrists and behind my neck before/during long workouts, and inhale it to relieve any nasal congestion. I also put it on my stomach for any abdominal discomfort. 2. Lavender This is the utility knife of oils -- it does SO much. I'll give you a quick testimony: a couple months ago, my 3-year-old daughter had a large board fall and hit her on the head. She obviously was crying and as I held her, I noticed that her head was bleeding. I quickly put Lavender on the wound to slow/stop the bleeding. The cut was only about a 1/2 inch long, but was split apart. I kept applying lavender and then applied an invisible liquid bandage. After an hour I did the lavender and bandage again. Since it was getting close to her bedtime, I took her to immed...

Top ten lists seem to be pretty popular these days, so here is a list of my top 10 favorite things right now: 1. Young Living Essential Oils -- these have totally changed how I approach illness, injury, etc. I will do a top ten list of my favorite oils (and why) in my next post. 2. USANA Nutrimeal -- I am currently on day two of a 5-day cleanse and detox with USANA called Reset (great name since you are resetting your system to make better food choices, etc.). I researched a lot of different cleanses and this one came out on top. Why? First of all, their products are the best out there -- tons of legit research (and my kids actually like their vitamins). Secondly, I LOVE their Nutrimeal and have been drinking it for breakfast for months. I am picky with drinks, etc. and can't stand any form of artificial sweetener. USANA uses fructose as a sweetener, which is the natural sugar found in fruit, so it is tasty and low-glycemic. I drink the Dutch Chocolate Nutrimeal (with a ...

Five years ago today my life changed for the better. Five years ago today began one of the greatest adventures of my life. Five years ago, Edmund David was born and Walter and I became parents. He came earlier and in a way I never could have planned or expected (go back to the last blog post I did in 2009 to read his incredible birth story) and stole my heart. He started out as the most easy laid-back baby ever, but once he started walking at 14-months, he was all over the place and has never slowed down. He is our crazy extrovert, which makes things interesting for two introverted parents, who loves life and lives it to the fullest. He loves people and anyone he meets he instantly calls his "best friend." It's been so amazing to watch him grow and change. I love hearing his stories and everything he learned at school that day -- he's learning to spell/write his last name right now (poor child). He loves his little sister and is so helpful with her. The...

My sweet little Elise Madeleine turns 3 years old today! Where has the time gone! One day old  11 months old  2 years, 11 months old I am so thankful for my fun, smart, silly, crazy, busy, stubborn, cuddly, loving little girl. I love her smile and big hug first thing in the morning when she wakes up (even though it's around 5:45/6:00am). I love how she could spend all day in my arms -- and I will hold her as much as I can. I love her relationship with her older brother -- how she plays with him, adores him, and will tackle him when he's not looking. I love her fearlessness and playfulness. I love her beautiful eyes and long eyelashes that make it soooo hard to tell her "no." I love that even though she is just turning 3, she already has quite the opinion -- and I pray that her strong-will continues in life so that she will hold tight to her beliefs and values when surrounded by peer pressure. I love how deeply she loves her daddy and looks forward t...

This past Sunday evening, the world lost a beautiful life. In just 18 short years of life, Clari de la Cruz did more and served more than most people ever do. She loved with a passion. She was full of joy and encouragement. She could welcome and engage anyone . And she served her Lord with all of her heart. She served others constantly -- whether here, in Kentucky, in Honduras -- without asking or expected to be served. She loved her family deeply and had a sweet relationship with her mom. I pray that my children grow up to be as loving, serving, caring, and welcoming as Clari. I pray that my children would hold on strong to their faith and their values, just as Clari always did. I pray that my children would put their faith into action they way Clari ministered to those less fortunate. Clari was an amazing young woman, gone all too soon, and we miss her greatly. I'm so thankful that Clari knew and loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm thankful that she is n...

I mentioned in my last blog post that I suddenly had to leave the Women's Holiday Dinner. It's kind of unfair for me to mention it, but not tell you the story... Around 8:55pm on Monday night, I received a text message from my husband that something was wrong with Elise (our almost 3-year-old) and that I needed to come home right away. My husband is a rockstar with the kids and RARELY calls or texts me when I'm not around. It's awesome because I know that I can truly enjoy being out without worrying about the kids or what is happening at home -- it is a gift. For him to text me to come home meant it was a serious situation. I grabbed my purse, ran to my car, and hurried home. As a mom, you can imagine all the thoughts that went through my head and I worked hard to fight down the panic. I tried calling my husband and sent him multiple text messages to get more information (illegally since I was driving his car and my phone wasn't hooked up to the bluetooth) but c...

Monday evening was the annual Women's Holiday Dinner at my church. I'll be honest, I was a little reluctant to go. I love my church and the women there, but I also struggle with women's events in general. And I feel like I struggle to connect with women at church. I know a BIG part of it is me -- I'm not always super vulnerable (I love talking with people, but I keep it a surface level) and I hate getting emotional (although, I swear I always end up crying and talking more than anyone :) ). I would rather hang out with guys and talk sports than hang out with a bunch of women. I've struggled to make strong friendships with women and many of the friendships I have developed over the years have fallen away through moves and distance.  I mentioned recently how God has brought amazing change in my life through the relationships with my neighbors. It's funny, I often feel more connected to my neighbors who take me as I am. They actually want to spend time with me...

This man is one of the most amazing men I know and love...he loves his family deeply... he works hard to provide for his family...he works long hours so that his wife can be at home to watch the kids...he's the first to respond to a friend in need of help -- moving houses, fixing computers, etc...he has a heart for the poor and oppressed...he is money-wise...he is introverted and quiet and often misunderstood...he is humble and caring...he is funny and fun to be around...he is athletic and outdoorsy. This man has changed my life in so many ways...he helped me to be less judgmental, to see through the eyes of those in need, to see myself as beautiful...he has shown me what it means to be adored and loved. This man is my husband and I am so blessed to be married to him. Today is his birthday and I pray for many more to share with him in the future. I love you, Walter. Happy birthday!

It's done. Finished. The end. Woohoo! I woke up this morning at 4:45am to get ready to run the half marathon. Most of the night I slept great, but the last two hours were horrible -- I had one of those dreams where I missed my alarm, woke up at 5:25am, friends came at 5:30am, we didn't leave my house until 6:55am for the 7am race, got there late, everyone had already started, hurriedly checked my gear, and took off. I woke up shaking from the adrenaline coursing through me after that dream. Ugh. So thankful, that's not how it went. Everything went smoothly and great. Whew! I have a love/hate relationship with taper week. I love it, because it means the race is near and I finally  get a break. My life doesn't revolve around my workouts, keeping my kids preoccupied while I run, moving our schedules around. I was in the BEST mood this week. I've been needing the break. I also hate tapering. Last night, I was filled with so much anxiety about th...