It has been an honor to work with this group of women, and it has been good to revisit past struggles with perspective from life's experiences. We all have trials in our lives that push us to our limits. As we are going through these things, do we allow ourselves to be completely broken, or do we pick ourselves up and work through it to the best of our ability? Do we turn away from God or toward Him? Do we drink sour lemon juice or make lemonade? These may seem like simple questions, when many of life's trials are complicated and last for long periods of time. What we choose to do in the circumstances, how we choose to think about the circumstances, and what we choose in the aftermath make all the difference.
What are some difficult circumstances you have gone through? How have you overcome them? I would love to hear your stories! Everyone has a story. Most of us have multiple stories. These stories add depth to our character and help us feel empathy toward others in similar circumstances. They help us grow in ways that would not have been possible without those experiences. I have heard it said that you can assume everyone you meet is going through some difficulty. When you think of it that way, it helps you treat others more kindly, doesn't it?
For me, turning to God helps me gain perspective and feel gratitude. I know God is there for me in good times and in bad times. I can pray to Him anytime, anywhere and I know He hears me and helps give me perspective when I can't see the way ahead. Without His light in my life, I don't know what I would have done in some instances, because I fully relied on His grace to get me through. Gratitude brings light in so many ways. A person can choose to feel gratitude for even the smallest of things in the worst of circumstances. I say choose, because it is a conscious choice to look for the good and feel grateful. What are you grateful for today? Gratitude journals are a great way to start this if it is a shift in thinking for you. Just pick one thing each day to feel grateful for and write it down. At the end of a year, you have 365 gratitude entries!
For me, turning to God helps me gain perspective and feel gratitude. I know God is there for me in good times and in bad times. I can pray to Him anytime, anywhere and I know He hears me and helps give me perspective when I can't see the way ahead. Without His light in my life, I don't know what I would have done in some instances, because I fully relied on His grace to get me through. Gratitude brings light in so many ways. A person can choose to feel gratitude for even the smallest of things in the worst of circumstances. I say choose, because it is a conscious choice to look for the good and feel grateful. What are you grateful for today? Gratitude journals are a great way to start this if it is a shift in thinking for you. Just pick one thing each day to feel grateful for and write it down. At the end of a year, you have 365 gratitude entries!
I have been so inspired to read the stories of the strong women in this book! Have you gotten your copy yet?
There are so many ways we can find joy in our lives even through the darkest moments. Come read this inspiring book and find strength in the fact that you can make it through life's difficulties.
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A while back, I was having some major digestive issues. When I would eat, I would feel unwell in my stomach - no matter what the food was, and I would have cramps in my intestines - some foods causing worse cramps than others (Corn/wheat). I tried so many things to help, but nothing seemed to ease the discomfort. I started avoiding certain foods, but eventually almost everything caused discomfort, and it got to the point that I dreaded eating, and stop eating a variety of foods. I knew that wasn't healthy, but it seemed that almost everything was making me sick!
Then I was introduced to 3 things: essential oils, probiotics and enzymes. To say these were lifesavers is an understatement! I will never be without them again!! I'll discuss essential oils and probiotics in another post - today I am going to focus on enzymes.
So what are enzymes?
- Enzymes are a type of protein that creates a chemical reaction to break down food, destroy toxins, and even build muscles.
- Enzymes are sensitive to heat, disease/illness, pH, and chemicals/medications - meaning they are easily destroyed.
- Enzymes are produced in the mouth(salivary glands), stomach, pancreas, and small intestine mainly.
- Enzymes are present in raw, organic fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Why do we need enzymes?
- Lack of enzymes (both in diet and those produced by the body) leads to fermentation and putrefaction of undigested food. This rotting material gets into the bloodstream and can cause a wide variety of health issues.
- As we age, our body's enzyme production is reduced, leading to less than optimal digestion
- Raw/fermented foods and supplements with enzymes ease stress on the body by reducing the workload and energy needed for digestion
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Play Dough!
My kids love, love, love this stuff!!
I, however, have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how creative they get with it and how it keeps them occupied so I can get stuff done. I hate finding it ground into the carpet and spread everywhere! At one point, I had to put it away for awhile because the mess wasn't worth it.
If the mess was my only worry, that bright colored, commercial dough would have come back out sooner. But as I started to become more aware of ingredients in a lot of products on the market, I looked at the label. It said non toxic, but what did that really mean? Sure, if my kids ate some or played with it a long time, they wouldn't die from it, although it is clearly labeled not for consumption. But since the label had no ingredients on it (except for the allergy warning for wheat ingredients), I had no idea what was really in it. This should be illegal, in. my opinion. We deserve to know exactly what is in our products. I decided to dig deeper.
I had a lot of questions. I knew that the US allows companies to have trade secrets and not put everything on the label, which means it is pretty hard to find out the ingredients of the majority of products. Aside from making it so that no one can steal your recipe, would there be another reason not to be transparent about your ingredients? Maybe.
Here are some possible ingredients dug up from past patents:
Flour (starch based binder), salt, and water are no-brainers.
Retrogradation inhibitor (which keeps the dough soft longer).
Lubricant (reduces stickiness).
Surfactant (reduces stickiness by binding water and oil molecules)
Preservative (keeps it from going bad)
Hardener (makes it a little stiffer)
Humectant (adds moisture)
Fragrance
Color
Most of these are very vague. No real information on what the actual ingredients are.
Let's look even closer.
"According to another aspect of the invention, a starch-based modeling compound includes about 20% to about 50% water; about 5% to about 15% salt; about 2.0% to about 4.5% lubricant; about 0.2% to about 1.0% surfactant; about 30% to about 42% starch-based binder; about 0.1% to about 1% preservative; 0% to about 1% hardener; about 2% to about 10% retrogradation inhibitor; 0% to about 25% humectant; 0% to about 0.5% fragrance; and 0% to about 3.5% colorant. The salt can be selected from sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. The lubricant can be selected from mineral spirits, mineral oil, and vegetable oil. The surfactant can be selected from polyethylene glycol esters of stearic acid, polyethylene glycol esters of lauric acid, ethoxylated alcohols, polyoxyethylenesorbitan monostearate (e.g., Tween® 60, ICI Americas, Inc., Wilmington, Del.), and polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (e.g., Tween® 20, ICI Americas, Inc., Wilmington, Del.). The surfactant is preferably hydrophilic, and can have an HLB (hydrophile lipophile balance) value of about 12 to about 15. The starch-based binder can be selected from wheat flour, rye flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, and combinations thereof. The preservative can be selected from calcium propionate, sodium benzoate, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, butyl paraben, and borax. The hardener can be selected from sodium aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, aluminum ammonium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, and ammonium ferric sulfate. The retrogradation inhibitor can include amylopectin. The retrogradation inhibitor can be selected from waxy corn starch, waxy rice starch, and waxy potato starch. The modeling compound can also include an acidulant. The acidulant can be selected from citric acid, alum, and potassium dihydrogen sulfate. The modeling compound can have a pH of about 3.5 to about 4.5. The modeling compound can have a pH of about 3.8 to about 4.0. The humectant can be a glycol. The glycol can be glycerin or a low molecular weight polyethylene glycol."
EWG scores. Find these at EWG.org
Sodium chloride (table salt) - 1
Calcium chloride - 1
Potassium chloride - 1
Mineral spirits - 7
Mineral oil - 1-3
Vegetable oil - 1
PEG (polyethylene glycol)- listed in several specific forms - 1-3
Ethoxylated alcohols - listed in several specific forms - 1-3
Polyoxyethylenesorbitan monostearate (Polysorbate-60) - 1-3
Polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Polysorbate-80) - 1-3
Calcium Propionate - 1
Sodium Benzoate - 1-3
Methylparaben - 3-4
Ethylparaben - 3
Butylparaben - 9
Borax - 7
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Doesn't every mom want to live life to the fullest?! So what stops us?
For me it was when I was living in survival mode and dragging with super low energy. It is impossible to live a full life while in survival mode. So I went searching for some options to flip the switch for me.
For me it was when I was living in survival mode and dragging with super low energy. It is impossible to live a full life while in survival mode. So I went searching for some options to flip the switch for me.
Some days are extra tiring. And when you have little ones, a lot of hard work, or illness, you really feel it. I still remember feeling like I was in a fog and when I stepped out of the fog, I literally looked back and thought, "Wow! I can't believe how tired I was!"
5 tips for Living Life to the Fullest
1. Sleep 7-8 hours
I know! This is impossible during some stages in motherhood. Do your best, take naps if possible, and ask for help! Also, go to bed!! Don't stay up late watching TV or scrolling social media! Your body and your family will thank you.
2. Stay hydrated and drink Ningxia Red for an extra energy boost
So many of us walk around chronically dehydrated. This is a place for headaches, low energy, overeating, and it stresses all our organs. We need water, especially. Foods that have high water content like fruits and vegetables help, as well. Ningxia Red is full of nutritious fruit, and no matter how messed up your system is, your body can use its amazing goodness! It is like Energizer batteries for my body, I just keep going, and going, and going!
3. Eat a salad every day
It is really amazing what nutrition does for our bodies. We need so many nutrients and the Standard American Diet (SAD) does not provide them! Salads are a simple way to bring in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds that feed your cells! I felt a big difference when I started eating salads every day. (And it helps things move along, too!)
4. Essential Oils
These help both physically and emotionally. There are so many that support our bodies. Some of my favorites for physical support are the vitality oils: Peppermint, DiGize, EndoFlex, Copaiba, and Thieves. Some of my favorites for emotional support are Lavender, Stress Away, Joy, Magnify Your Purpose, and Transformation. Find these here. See the video below for a great essential oil recipe in a capsule! (Some also like to use this recipe topically.)
5. Exercise
5 tips for Living Life to the Fullest
1. Sleep 7-8 hours
I know! This is impossible during some stages in motherhood. Do your best, take naps if possible, and ask for help! Also, go to bed!! Don't stay up late watching TV or scrolling social media! Your body and your family will thank you.
2. Stay hydrated and drink Ningxia Red for an extra energy boost
So many of us walk around chronically dehydrated. This is a place for headaches, low energy, overeating, and it stresses all our organs. We need water, especially. Foods that have high water content like fruits and vegetables help, as well. Ningxia Red is full of nutritious fruit, and no matter how messed up your system is, your body can use its amazing goodness! It is like Energizer batteries for my body, I just keep going, and going, and going!
3. Eat a salad every day
It is really amazing what nutrition does for our bodies. We need so many nutrients and the Standard American Diet (SAD) does not provide them! Salads are a simple way to bring in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds that feed your cells! I felt a big difference when I started eating salads every day. (And it helps things move along, too!)
4. Essential Oils
These help both physically and emotionally. There are so many that support our bodies. Some of my favorites for physical support are the vitality oils: Peppermint, DiGize, EndoFlex, Copaiba, and Thieves. Some of my favorites for emotional support are Lavender, Stress Away, Joy, Magnify Your Purpose, and Transformation. Find these here. See the video below for a great essential oil recipe in a capsule! (Some also like to use this recipe topically.)
5. Exercise
This seems counterintuitive if you are tired, but exercise helps with both emotional and physical energy. If you are like me and need others to exercise with, get into a gym or a group in your area that will support you! You will feel energized and will build and maintain stamina with a fit body! If you are near me, check out my FB group for our workouts.
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Any purchase made is a blessing to my family at no extra cost to you!
Thank you for supporting us!
Credit for the photo in the above video: Carli Folsom
Speaker: Dr. James Neuenschwander, MD
On September 8th, I drove up to Sacramento with thousands of other Californians. The reason? Freedom.
After reading through amendments to bills AB 455 and AB 1102 which mandate Covid 19 vaccines for all Californians 12 and older and restrict their movement in society as well as their jobs and amends discrimination laws to allow for these mandates, I could not be silent. These bills go against the constitutional rights of millions of Americans.
What ever happened to "my body, my choice?"
This is not a one size fits all situation. This is an unprecedented and slippery slope of government overreach. There is so much wrong with this, including the over 13,000 deaths already reported from the vaccines. This is the most dangerous vaccine we have ever seen! In the past, less than 50 deaths warranted the vaccine to be pulled from use. Why is it ok to allow this many deaths?
This is not a one size fits all situation. This is an unprecedented and slippery slope of government overreach. There is so much wrong with this, including the over 13,000 deaths already reported from the vaccines. This is the most dangerous vaccine we have ever seen! In the past, less than 50 deaths warranted the vaccine to be pulled from use. Why is it ok to allow this many deaths?
There are alternatives, but these things are being censored left and right. I have been involved with ex-vaxxers for many years due to vaccine injury in my family. These last few years have been extremely concerning as I have watched friends and acquaintances get their social media profiles cancelled due to censorship, and have watched the government overreach again and again.
I was full of emotion to see many in attendance who had never been involved before. Some of us have been involved for many years in fighting against poor legislation and mandates. But now, this involves more than just children. This will affect half of the population and strip families of their livelihoods and their ability to exist in society.
With the President's announcement of more mandates on a federal level, he mentioned that his patience was wearing thin. Excuse me? Since when does another person or government have the right to tell me how to care for my body? I choose natural means and haven't been sick at all. I have no need for a vaccine with such a high death rate.
The last time I checked, the government could not go against the constitution. I have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Since this vaccine has a high rate of death, I have the God-given, constitution protected right to refuse, as it could very well take my life. I choose to pursuit happiness by using natural means to strengthen my immune system. My right to liberty equals my right to choose when it comes to my body.
Whether individuals choose to vaccinate or not is irrelevant. The right to choose must be protected. We must NEVER be coerced into a medical procedure. Everyone needs to stand up for our freedom to choose! What will you do? Will you remain silent or will you rock the boat with me?
Photo credit: thehighwire.com
See full video footage of the day at thehighwire.com.
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