Health & Free Living

This past Sunday was my 42nd birthday. Normally, my husband and I go to downtown Chicago for an overnight and enjoy the city and great restaurants, but this year...COVID. I missed that time with him, but my birthday was still great. If anything, having a birthday close to Christmas makes you pretty flexible about celebrations. My family loves to celebrate birthdays and my parents always did a great job of making me feel special and that my birthday was separate from Christmas. But, as I grew up and became an adult, I knew that finding time to celebrate my birthday among the Christmas rush was difficult and the chance of celebrating on the actual day was rare.  Enter COVID. For one of the first times in a long time, my birthday was free and there were no parties to rush off to or events to crowd our days! The pandemic meant no getaway to the city, BUT I celebrated my birthday with my parents on Saturday, relaxed and had dinner out with my husband on Sunday (my actual birthday), trea...

About seven years ago, I began my journey to remove harmful chemicals from my life and home. Our health is affected by what we put in our body and on our body. A lot of products we used are filled with harmful chemicals that can mess with how our body functions and grows. This is a short list of some of my favorite chemical-free products. Try them out for yourself and start feeling better! 1. Skincare Did you know that it only takes a few seconds for what you put on your skin to be absorbed into your blood stream? Typical skincare products have tons of harmful ingredients added to them (to preserve it, etc.). My favorite skin care is USANA's Celavive line. USANA is known for have it's purity and potency guarantee in all of their products, including the Celavive line. Using patented Incelligence technology, the products help your body regenerate healthy cells and reduce the signs of aging and oxidation. You can check out the whole line here . 2. Make-up Just like skincare, our m...

I struggle with body image issues. I always have. Maybe it's because I grew before everyone else and was taller and bigger. In elementary school, I was never thin...just normal. Maybe it's because I always preferred to play sports with the boys and could never quite figure out where I fit in. I've been torn between wanting a fierce, athletic look and being model thin -- you can't have both. In fifth grade, I lost 12lbs and all my baby fat. I've remained thin and fit ever since. I still weigh the same as I did in high school even though I'm now in my 40s and have had two children. Yet why do I only see the imperfections in the mirror? And the hard part is that I can't talk about it. For real. Not because I don't want to or feel ashamed, but because sharing those thoughts  when I look great  might make someone feel less about themselves. And I would never want to make anyone feel less. My joy is helping people accept who they are and develop a correct mind...