Healthy Moms Support Group?

I just applied to be a "Mom Embassador" over at http://www.greenmomsmeet.com/.  I've been contemplating putting together a support group for local health and planet minded people for some time now. Not sure if I'll be chosen but either way, I'll put something together. When I started the green process I had no idea how many obstacles I would encounter.  There are plenty of naysayers out there ready to criticize our efforts.  None-the-less, I do what's right for my family and I feel great about it.  My hope is start a healthier Halloween option ASAP!  I love Halloween but what my children come home with is more than I can be okay with.  Would you like to join me in my quest for a "Green Halloween?"  How fun would that be?!!!  http://www.greenhalloween.org/

Her Husband is not Her Soul Mate

A friend shared this blog with me a while back.  The writer talks about finding your soul mate, the one God has for you to marry.  It takes me back to my days of "waiting for God."  I asked God for my husband but he didn't show up until I was specific and genuine.  I asked for someone who is funny and kind, patient and caring and someone I could be attracted to AND like as a friend.  I specifically asked for someone older (Chad is 25 days older... ha ha God) and someone who was taller (Chad is like 1 inch taller... ha ha again God) and guess what, I got it all.  So all you single ladies, when you are ready to seriously ask God specifically for a husband, he will come.  But sometimes people never allow themselves to be truly available... time to break down some walls.  Anyway... here you go:

 http://theartinlife.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/my-husband-is-not-my-soul-mate/

Two Kinds of Learners

There are two types of learners and generally all people fall into one category or another but some seem to fit right in between the two. The audio-sequential learner tends fit in well in the classroom and easily learns by traditional, inside-the-box instruction. Then we have the visual-spatial learner who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere and, while is extremely brilliant, not only learns out-of-the-box but seems to have completely skipped and jumped over the box! The audio-sequential learner tends to follow directions easily, does everything step-by-step and has a general self-awareness as to keeping themselves fairly clean and orderly (they can make fairly good to great grades in school). The visual-spacial learner never follows directions, can not learn by instruction and is often a mess and unorganized, personal hygiene isn't important but they can become OCD about things if it's drilled into their heads long enough. Certain clothing bothers them if it doesn't feel right. The audio-sequential is pretty good in traditional math classes and follows proper procedures. The visual-spacial learner is awesome at math as long as they are NOT required to follow any specific algorithm. They can see the answer without following any particular reason. They skip the steps all together yet come out with the correct answer.

My point is: If your child or a child you know is so smart but you don't understand why they lost their homework, their lunch box and why their room is a mess and they can't remember simple instructions then you are probably dealing with a visual spacial child. If given a proper environment, proper tools, proper encouragement and discipline and someone to set them up for success, that child will grow up and change the world. Let's not tag these children with ADD, ADHD, OCD, dyslexic, dysgraphic, or aspergers, let's set them up to be AMAZING! 

Partner for life

I'm so thankful to have an equal partner in life's journey.  Not a boss, not a leader, not a doormat but a genuine partner.  We decide together if and what roles each of us are to fulfill and they can change daily.  We do what needs to be done to make life as smooth and abundant as possible.  We do not order each other around, we do not make demands.  We consider and respect one another.  We are each others support system.  We date, we laugh and sometimes we fuss.  One thing I can count on, he has my back and I have his.  

PCOS, Hair Loss, and Multi-level-marketing.

I have found a really, really, really great product that has stopped my hair loss due to poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).  When I use two droppers full, two times per day, of HERBALANCE my hair stops falling out.  I was so impressed by it that I shared the product with everyone suffering from the same issue.  Then I added a Superfood product (2 scoops, 2 times per day or 3 scoops 2 times per day for even more hair growth) from the same company.  Not only had I stopped my hair loss, but I had actually reversed it.  For months I had walked around with a bush-like head of new hair at the roots mixed with some stringy looking strands scattered randomly below.

I figured that since I was a walking advertisement for these two products I might as well get the commission from them instead of someone else.  So I enrolled with the company and got myself a link.  Here's where the problem comes in:  BECAUSE I have a link with this company people assume I am simply pushing a product and company just to make money.  People no longer believe that I truly believe in the products because I can make a couple of bucks off of it.  I understand because there are so many MLM reps walking around who are just pushing products and trying to recruit people just for the money.  But that's not me.  I do not push or recommend anything I do not believe in.  I would rather go ahead and let Joe Shmoe get the money if that means someone suffering will use the product that has helped me.

Anyway, if you are losing your hair due to PCOS, please, please try the products I use.  You can use my link and I'll get a small commission or go through someone else.  I trashed the Nioxin, Spironolactone (Aldactone), Metformin, etc.  I have altered my diet and use the following to products and what a difference it has made.  Granted, when I stop using HerBalance, within a couple of days the hairs start to come out again so I've resigned to having HerBalance as a part of my daily routine.  I'm good with that.

HerBalance literally STOPPED my hair loss:  https://traci.re-nuz.com/cart/Default.aspx?p=200HBAL

Superfood helps me grow new hair:  https://traci.re-nuz.com/cart/Default.aspx?p=100SupFood

Here are a couple of PDF brochures on each product:  HerBalance - https://traci.re-nuz.com/downloads/Brochures/HerBalance.pdf

Superfood - https://traci.re-nuz.com/downloads/Brochures/SuperFood.pdf

Keep in mind, all the supplements in the world won't do much good if you don't change what goes in your mouth or the habits that are making you sick.  Start with a smile...somehow that seems to get things rolling :)

Laundry Detergent Ecos and Purex and now Borax

I try to buy products that are as naturally derived as possible without spend a crap load of money.  I've been buying "Ecos" laundry detergent with hopes that it has fewer toxins and hormone disrupters than the traditional supermarket brands.  Dealing with PCOS and the hair loss thing really sucks so I try to do whatever I can to prevent female baldness :(.  I decided to check out EWG's website for laundry detergent ratings.  While there are 36 products that received "A's", Ecos wasn't one of them.  Ecos received a "C." But to my surprise "Purex" has two products that at least get a "B.".

Ultra Purex Powder Detergent with Renuzit, Mountain Breeze 

Purex 2 Color Safe Bleach Powder 

While there are 36 rated "A" brands, Seventh Generation is the only product I recognize that I can occasionally find in this less than environmentally conscious county in NC.  I'm happy to say that people are becoming more aware.  Considering the price of Seventh Generation, I will opt for the "B" rated Purex until I can finish my research and make my own laundry detergent.  If I see a grade "A" product on sale somewhere I'll be sure to pick it up... if I have an app or something to help me remember which brands are best :/.

Have suggestions, ideas, comments, questions?  Leave them for me here.  I'm fairly new to all of this so don't get too scientific on me :).

Oh, here's the link to EWG's Laundry Detergent grades:  http://www.ewg.org/guides/categories/9-Laundry?page=1

Happy Laundry Day!

Update:  Borax gets a flaming "F" from EWG which was shocking.  I thought this would be safe as a booster to my laundry and I use it often.  I had hopes to make a safer laundry detergent with it and now I see it has a big F-bomb!  Well, here's to doing your research.  Here's the link:  http://www.ewg.org/guides/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=borax&x=-1175&y=-86&page=1&per_page=15.  I'm on a mission to find a truly safe laundry detergent recipe.  Natural doesn't always mean safe, FYI.



"First, is it safe? NO. It is actually listed as a poison, pesticide, and a fungicide. It is poisonous, especially to young children. Even as little as a teaspoonful could prove fatal if swallowed by a young child. For this reason, be very careful if using it anywhere near food and wipe up spills immediately.

From the National Institute of Health:

The infant death rate from boric acid poisonings is high. However, boric acid poisoning is considerably rarer than in the past because the substance is no longer used as a disinfectant in nurseries. It is also no longer commonly used in medical preparations.

Studies by the EPA have linked it to reproductive problems, kidney and liver problems, nervous system issues, and it is a skin and lung irritant. The other big issue with borax is that it accumulates in your body. So, the more you use it the more toxic it becomes to your body. Chronic exposure is especially harmful in children.

As far as green, borate is an open-pit mined mineral and borax is toxic to aquatic life. Environmental Working Group senior scientist Rebecca Sutton wrote a great article here.

From Rebecca:

Borax and its cousin, boric acid, may disrupt hormones and harm the male reproductive system. Men working in boric acid-producing factories have a greater risk of decreased sperm count and libido. According to EPA’s safety review of these pesticides, chronic exposure to high doses of borax or boric acid causes testicular atrophy in male mice, rats and dogs.

Animal studies reviewed by the EPA indicate that while the female reproductive system is less sensitive to borax, exposure to it can also lead to reduced ovulation and fertility. Borax and boric acid can cross the placenta, affecting fetal skeletal development and birth weight in animal studies of high-dose exposures.

Find the full blog post here."  http://naturalmommie.com/2011/02/borax-not-the-safe-green-alternative-we-thought-it-was/

More burdens unloaded

God lead me to watch the movie, "October Baby" today while I was doing paperwork.  In fact, it's been set before me several times but today I felt compelled to watch.  I guess you could say I'm the "sister" of an aborted child and never realized the pain that was spilled over into my life because of this.  My mother passed away when I was 18 years old (2 weeks before high school graduation).  The pain from her choice as a single mother impacted our lives in ways unimaginable.  I personally have no memory of the event as I was very young but she painfully shared this with me during one of her emotional break-downs.  This was hard to hear as a 12 year old girl.  Unknowingly, I had been carrying her pain for her all these years (around 36 years).  As I watched this movie, the tears flowed effortlessly down my face and I felt a heaviness begin to lift.  I have never felt responsible for her decision but I loved her so dearly that I felt obligated as a child to bear this burden with her.  But I no longer have to do so as I shed the tears and set the pain free.  I can now free another layer of emotional baggage and another layer of health can make it's way to the surface and I can continue to glow.  My mother's pain is her pain and I am free to separate myself from that.  It will take some practice but there is no doubt that is exactly what she wants me to do.  Here we glow again!

Getting Behind the Eating Trance

I have days when I simply CAN NOT stop eating the crap!  I literally have no power over myself in those moments.  That might sound crazy to a lot of people but it's the truth.  When this happens I tend to get angry and frustrated at myself for something that I can not control.  I know it's dangerous to do that to my body, I know all of the side-effects that come from it but in those moments nothing matters.  Lately I've been trying to get behind the "trance" I go into and see if I notice a trigger.  If I look deep enough I find that even a cloudy day can trigger a hypnotic eating episode.  I can not control the weather, other people, or unexpected situations so I have to learn to get ahead of my emotions and circumstances so that I'm not so blind-sided and lose control.  How to do that will be coming up in a new post :).

Life-changing Documentaries

I LOVE documentaries, at least good ones.  Here are some that have really helped me to understand the food I was/am eating and helped me to lose weight:

• Hungry for Change
• Forks Over Knives
• Food Matters
• Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

All of these can be found on Netflix and some or all on Hulu.com.  They are very interesting so you don't have to worry about being bored.  

Soul Shine Juice!

My favorite Soul Shine Juice!

Put through the juicer a bag of apples, two pealed lemons, 1/2 or one cucumber with the skin, 2-3 celery stalks, a bunch of kale.  Served in my big Mason Jar over ice, yum!

This is a great juice for inflammation.  My kids drink it, too!

BEWARE, if you are prone to chronic inflammation, this will make you pee a lot!  Drink lots of water throughout the day to move those fluids out of the body!

Dealing with Food Temptations

As a compulsive over eater- junk food addict, I fight temptations of the old ways daily. It's so very much like what Paul says in the Holy Scriptures. For that which I committed I did not understand, neither was it anything that I chose, but I was doing what I hated~ Romans 7:15. I'm learning about which food make my body feel good and work properly and those that do not. Regularly the temptations pop up all around me. Considering that I've recently lost 60 pounds we can figure that I must not be doing too bad, right? I guess you could say that's true. But what about weeks like this past one? I ate pizza, cake, chips, fries, chicken tenders and sucked down a couple sodas. I just let it be what it was. My body is telling me that I have pushed my limits and therefore I've been recouping by drinking my favorite green juice and eating things to build me back up.

Here are a few things that have helped me when temptations are all around me:

• If I really, really, really want it, I go ahead and have it.
• Stop, drop, and roll if you will.  Stop - will this make me feel better or worse emotionally, spiritually, and physically?  If no, I ask for help to drop the thought or the food in hand.  
• Roll that thought away.  I try to grab something healthier, drink water and find something to distract myself.  
• I used to say that I forgive myself for eating something that is not helpful to me but instead I just roll on with a thought of all the fun fruits and veggie options I have ahead of me.  Dwelling on the negative choices just irritate feelings of insecurity and self-hate.  
• Praise myself for all the great choices that have gotten me this far.  Giving myself a pat on the back for eating that apple is by far more encouraging that beating myself for up for drinking that soda.

I plan for special occasions so that I may enjoy some of my favorite foods.  Date night with my husband is a time for enjoying our favorite foods without counting calories, fat or feeling guilty.  I just listen to my body.  It knows when enough is enough.  I ALWAYS carry my enzymes with me to be sure that my hard to digest foods go through my body with much more ease.  I feel even more confident knowing that I've faithfully taken my Super Food to keep my body built up and strong.

I accidentally lost weight

I didn't mean to lose weight for the sake of looking being skinny!  I just wanted to feel half way alive.  The physical and mental pain became too much and I needed to change.  After much prayer (and pleading) I was placed in the path of someone who had already walked through the fire and changed my life forever.  Life IS worth the effort!

What a week!

It's been a week for sure!  I've had a lot of painful situations that (though horrible at the time) have been God lessons.  I've hurt and I've been hurt but none without purpose.  In the midst of the madness I was honored as Teacher of the Month by HIS Radio!  My class parents took it upon themselves to  nominate me and I won!  I received some really cool gifts.  It came at a perfect time as I truly needed some clarification and confirmation!