Getting your kids to clean

Getting your kids to clean is sometimes a HUGE task, and I think overwhelming to most Moms.  It's just easier and quicker to do it ourselves.  But, let me tell you...for me, I've learned (through much prayer!) that teaching my kids to help clean is THE answer to a more peaceful home, and THE answer for me to get it done.  And not only that, it helps them in SO many ways - it teaches them how to clean, it teaches them responsibility, it gives them a sense of accomplishment, it helps them to learn how to think of others (how good it will make Daddy or a guest feel when they come to our home - I teach my kids that it helps people to feel welcomed and honored when they enter our home), and it helps them to feel what peace and order feels like so they can begin to crave that.  Now, I realize, that for some with itty bitty's (kids under two), this is not going to happen and it really is up to you to do everything...remember, this is only a season...it does get better!  First of all, I'll tell you who I've got working for me.  I've got a 7 year old son who literally did not start cleaning until last year.  I just could NOT get the boy to focus - he's like me - details, details.  It wasn't until I learned to clean, that I could teach him how to clean.  Then, I have a 3 year old who is GREAT at cleaning - most days.  She still gets distracted - but is WAY better at it than my boy ever was.  So, here is what I did:

1)  For my boy, I wrote out a "To Do" list (this works well for husbands too- must be a boy thing?)  He couldn't read, so I drew pictures of what needed to be done.  It went like this only with little pictures with squares beside the pictures that he could "check off" (which he loved):  Pick up all clothes off floor (draw a picture of a shirt), Pick up all trash off the floor (draw a little trashcan), Pick up all books off the floor and put them in bookshelf (draw bookshelf), etc.  It sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it.  You could just draw it one time and then put it in a plastic protector sheet (like you put in notebooks) so you can use a wipe-off marker to do the "checking," so you can use it over and over again.

2)  Walk it through with them a few times so they know exactly how to do it.

3)  Start small.  Maybe start with 10-15 minutes at a time.  Maybe put on the same "cleaning music" to cue them that it is ready to clean.  Also, a timer set for 10 minutes helps them to hurry and do as much as they can in 10 minutes, and, it helps them to know that there is a definite end to this cleaning!
4)  Help them at first until they feel confident to do it on their own.  But, don't do it for them - do it with them.  Even hold their hand and pick something up with them and walk it to where it is supposed to go in a cheerful manner - believe me, this does NOT work if you are too firm (I unfortunately know from experience that this only creates resentfulness and not the desire to want to help Mommy)!

5) Praise their efforts ALOT!!!  Give them big hugs and tell them what a big boy/big girl they are and how they are really helping you so much!

Part 2 will be coming soon with more details!

What to bring to Cub Scouts for snack!?

Okay, so here I'm the healthy lady, signed up to bring snacks to my son's Cub Scout meeting...I honestly don't know WHY we started this whole snack thing when Cub Scouts are from 7pm-8pm!!!  They will be dropping in the BED just after it!  Uggggh - very frustrating seeing that most of the time they get juice boxes and junk treats!  But, here's what I decided to bring:

A Strawberry-Lemonade drink (thrown in my Vita-Mix blender!  Recipe below)
Home-popped Organic Popcorn put in zip-lock bags
Clementines

Strawberry Lemonade Recipe (adapted from Dr. Josh Axe's recipe from his book, The Real Food Diet

     3 cups filtered water (this will make it taste better!)
     1 whole lemon w/out rind (seeds and all if you have a Vita-Mix!)
     6 Organic frozen strawberries
     About 2-3 tsp of Stevia - you need to start slowly w/ the Stevia - too much can make it NOT taste good - I'm not exactly sure how much I put in last time, so it could be less/more depending on what brand you have.

Combine until smooth.  I'm probably going to strain out the pulp in this b/c these kids are used to juice boxes.  I'm just going to bring little cups and bring the Strawberry Lemonade in a big Nalgene to serve.


PLEASE, if anyone else has any suggestions as to what you bring for snacks and really care about it being healthy, BRING ON the ideas!!!

What to do with all that Halloween candy???

If you're like me, you can NOT have candy around the house or you will eat it!!  And, those of you who know me, I strive to really live a healthy lifestyle and have very strong convictions about it - but even I struggle with eating that junk if it is just sitting there right in front of me!!  (Maybe also because I'm pregnant...sometimes even the strongest convictions fly right out the window when you have a really good excuse! HA!)  But, anyways, so...the solution, GET IT OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! NOW!!!!  So, here is one thing we've been doing the past 2 years, and we are about to go again today...do the Halloween Candy Buy Back program!  This is a program where local dentists will give your child $1 for every pound of Halloween Candy, and they will in turn send it to troops overseas.  My children like to know that it treating the soldiers as well.  You can go to this link to type in your zip code to find a dentist near your area who is participating.  Some only do it the day after Halloween, but the dentist we go to is still doing it today - so call, it might not be too late!  http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/search-results.html   I do let my children have about 10 pieces of Halloween candy, and then we give the rest away.  I try to steer them clear of candies that I know have a lot of yucky ingredients, like fake colorings, hydrogenated oils, aspartame and things like that.  I have taught them to identify those and steer clear of them.  Good luck, this is NOT an easy battle being a parent!!! 

Getting your kids to clean - Part 2

I may have a part 3 and 4 and 5 by the end of this year because my tactics seem to have to change because my kids HATE to clean (as do I when I'm trying to get THEM to clean!).  Anyways, here is the latest of how I got my kids to clean on just about a whole half of a day (which is a LONG time for an 8 and 4 year old).  I had to do it though because my house was driving me crazy it was so horrible, my husband was out of town, and I had no other option other than to slave-drive and bribe (I mean, give them incentives) to help me!!!!

1)  Prepare them.  First, I told them the day BEFORE to get ready, because Saturday, for most of the day, it was going to be a CLEANING DAY.  And, after we cleaned, we were going to do something fun (it was going to the park to listen to music, but then it changed to riding bikes on the street - which they love!).  And, this will be chores they were getting PAID for (which definitely interests my 8 year old).

2)  Make a good & filling breakfast that morning.  Otherwise, you'll have to stop a million times to provide snacks if your kids are like mine and eat every hour or 2 - good grief.  This actually happened, so next time, I'm going to make a BIGGER breakfast - like pancakes that they can eat on all morning.

3)  Make fun little GLASS containers with their names on it to hold their chore money.  This is actually a big part of it, because kids like something special that is theirs, and they LOVE that cha-ching sound when the coin hits that little glass container.  We used jelly jars.    

4)  Give your children 2 choices, and only 2.  Ask them, "Do you want to gather the trash and put the trash out, or do you want to gather up the laundry to put downstairs?"  This helps them feel like they at least have a choice in the matter.  :)

5)  Start with the hardest task and move to the more detailed.  Or, vice versa, depending on how your children operate.  My kids operate best when doing the hardest thing first.  That first thing may take a LONG time to get done, but I find that after they've accomplish that really hard thing, they feel good about it, and get motivated to do something else and make a little bit more cashola!  Or, it may be that they need to do easy tasks first to feel more confident - try both ways!

6) Give small amounts of change for each task done and give to them to put in their jar!  (Example, 25cents for watering garden that takes a bit of time, 1 cents for putting away shoes, etc.)  I give the amount based on how hard it is for them to do also. 

7)  Find out who your detailed kids are and put them on a detailed task.  A detailed task such as, "organize the bathroom" sounds really fun to these types of kids!

8)  Remember:  "Something is better than nothing!"  It is better that your child do something half-way as good as you would and help them to learn responsibility and the how-to's of cleaning than for you to just do it yourself 100%.  And, maybe you don't have the time or energy to even do it - so remember the slogan!

Here are some of the jobs I give my 4 year old daughter:

Gather up her shoes and put them in her shoe drawer
Pick up all the toys in the front room and put them in your room
Pick up all dirty clothes and put in hamper
Gather all the dirty clothes and throw them down the stairs (see, definitely not perfect!)
Find all dirty dishes and bring to put on counter or in sink
Scrub dishes in soapy water (sometimes this can be so fun for a 4 year old!)
Put away clean clothes from box
Clean room (put away play/dance clothes in box, pick up books to put on shelf, put toys in bins, etc).

Here are some of the jobs I give my 8 year old son:

Clean room
Gather up all trash, consolidate and bring to big outdoor trashcan
Sort laundry into piles to wash downstairs
Put away clean clothes
Pick up all off floor in room & sweep room into a pile (I usually do the rest)
Take out the recycle to big outdoor recycle trashcan
Water the garden
Organize bathroom (he's my detail-lover!)
Organize books under coffee table
Help your sister put away her clean clothes (chuckle)

I hope this helps you to help your kids HELP YOU clean your home!!!  If you clean on a Saturday, they will feel so good the next day when you can enjoy your day of rest in a clean & peaceful home!  Please share any other tips you do with your family!

A really, REALLY good sandwich

I have to tell you about this sandwich our friend Charlie made when he was over at our house.  He just kinda threw together what he could find from our fridge - but I was absolutely addicted to this sandwich for about a week straight - like, just craved it and had to have it everyday!  When I saw him making it, I thought, THAT is going to taste awful - but I was completely surprised!  Here it is:

2 pieces of Ezekiel bread toasted
Mayo on 1 side of bread
About 1/2 tsp Trader Joe's crushed garlic spread and about 1 tsp Trader Joe's Whole Grain Dijon mustard (w/ the seeds in it) on the other side of bread
3-4 slices of Trader Joe's sliced turkey heated w/ sprinkle cheese melted on top
Lettuce
Tomato
Sprinkle of Black Pepper on top of tomato

YUM!!!!  Just stay home a bit after you eat it and don't talk to anyone :)  but it is SOOOO GOOD!

Purple Smoothie Recipe

This is our purple smoothie we always do about 3 times a week - the kids love it, we love it and it's just chock full of good things!  You will need a high-powered blender such as Vita-Mix to make it super smooth.  You might need to change a few things up to your taste - it seems to taste a bit different everytime I make it because I never measure the ingredients, and raw food tastes a bit different each time.  This makes 2 tall glasses and 2 small glasses of smoothie.  If this makes too much for your family, pour the other parts you don't eat into freezie pops! 

1/3-1/2 can of full-fat coconut milk
About a cup or more of water depending on how thick you want it
1 to 2 leaves of kale or 2-3 cups spinach
1 ripe banana
1 large apple
1/2 of a 12 oz. bag of frozen strawberries
1/2 of a 12 oz. bag of frozen blueberries
2-3 TB of flax seeds

Blend on high for at least 30 - 45 seconds to blend the flax seeds.  ENJOY!

Veggie bean cakes and greens

First of all, I can't tell you how excited I am with myself that I actually created a new recipe!  I'm NOT usually one to fly solo without a recipe (because I've tried that before and it was pretty much a disaster everytime).  But, today, I tried something that the kids actually loved!!!  Woohoo!  Well, my husband wasn't there to taste it tonight - and he's my ultimate taste tester, because he is the chef in the family - BUT, the kids and I really loved it!  I will say, it probably needs a bit more herbs or something, but it still tasted good to me.  Here is the recipe:

1st, Steam or boil cubed sweet potatoes and carrots.

2nd, get some rice going (1/4 cup of dry white rice) to make 1/2 cup 

3rd, saute ingredients below:

1/2 onion

2 minced cloves of garlic

1/5 of a yellow pepper (I wasn't sure if the kids would like this, so I didn't put alot!)

(Saute above ingredients w/ grapeseed oil) until tender and then add for 2 minutes:

1 TB chopped fresh oregano (fresh from my garden - yay!)
1 TB chopped fresh basil

4th, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Or, you could just brown each side of the below patties in a skillet on medium heat w/ a tiny bit of grapeseed oil.

5th, throw in Vita-Mix or food processer ALONG WITH sauteed things above:

1/2 cup of cooked sweet potatoes (I had some left over from our sweet potato pancakes this morning!)
1/2 cup of cooked white rice (more leftovers!)
1 can of Great White Northern Beans (drained/rinsed)
2 TB of egg that has been beaten
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of cooked carrots (I steamed mine)

Put brown rice flour in bowl (or any kind of crumb mixture - we're gluten-free here, so that's what I used), and spoon out globs of mixture into and work flour into until you can form into patties.  Put on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on 1 side, flip and bake for another 10 minutes on other side.  Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on it to taste.

We had some collard greens (I think?) or some kind of greens that I got from my friend's CSA while she was on vacation, and I steamed those to go on the side.  Steam greens for 5 minutes.  I actually steamed mine a bit too long I think for 6-7!

YUMMO!!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  The picture is not very good - sorry, don't have a fancy camera!  Hopefully you get the idea of what it should look like.  I actually did some in the skillet and browned them a bit in just a tiny bit of grapeseed oil.  You could also do that - I actually liked the skillet ones better I think, even though they both pretty much tasted the same.  So, this 1st picture is of Mitchell choking down his greens - he did NOT like these, but he was willing to eat them all for a 3rd Veggie bean cake :)  Evelyn took that picture - she was taking a bunch of pictures!  HA!  The 2nd picture is of him finishing up his Veggie bean cake.

Bees, honey, and allergies...and GMO's

I went to Whole Foods today and there was a girl there that was selling raw honey.  I had a taste, and YUM!  I was wanting to get some because so many say that local honey helps with allergies.  Well, thankfully, I have not had any fall allergies this year for some reason???  I always do, so I have been baffled as to why I don't yet!  So, anyways, she went on to explain that her honey was raw (which means, not heated in any way - which I love because it preserves the healthy enzymes in the honey that heating destroys), and the bees that made the honey were in a nature preserve that had totally ALL non-GMO plants and vegetables, and soil that was pesticide/herbicide free.  For $5 that was totally worth it to me!  But, it was so sad because she was telling me that bees that pollinate from plants that are genetically modified will immediately start tremoring and will start trying to clean themselves from the pollen that they just collected.  And, there will be a ton of bee babies and it will look like a completely healthy situation, but these bees that are collecting from GM plants are just leaving their babies high and dry!  So, there are areas where bees are disappearing.  This is such a tragedy in ways I can't even begin to imagine.  We need bees!!!  I also just read the other day that many countries in Europe and Australia are banning GMO foods, and our good 'ole FDA here in America keeps touting the safety of these foods.  Ugggh...so frustrating to me.  So, if you're going to plant your own garden by the way, the best seeds to get are organic and heirloom seeds.  These are seeds that have not been genetically modified in any way and will keep producing seeds year after year.  There is a documentary I have heard of and have not yet been able to watch called, "Vanishing of the Bees."  I would think that it would be worth checking out for the health of our whole country.  Also, I went to Trader Joe's today and the lady at the checkout was telling me that the Trader Joe's brands should all be NON-GMO.  I was so excited to hear this; although, I probably need to confirm that with the manager there.  Anyways, food for thought.


I was just reading the other day about how several countries are now banning foods that are Genetically Modified (called GMO foods).  So, she was telling me

Funny stuff

I loved this article I read today on Baby Center today and I wanted to share it with you!  It really reminded me the benefits of cutting up and being silly with your kids - and how it helps them to cope with difficult things that will come up in their lives.  Some of my fondest memories at my Grandma and Grandpa's house were watching the Laurel and Hardy movies that my Grandpa had taped.  I can still hear my Grandpa laughing so hard at those movies he'd end up in a coughing fit.  I have since sat with my children and watched some Laurel and Hardy movies and some of them have left me crying and falling out of my chair I'm laughing so hard.  It's contagious and so my kids will be doing the same!  My sense of humor is very slap-stick - I just love silliness.  Anyways, hope you enjoy this article and do something fun and silly with your kids! 

Here is the link to the article if you'd like to give it a read:  http://www.babycenter.com/0_big-story-how-to-raise-a-fun-and-funny-child_1739289.bc?scid=bigkid_20110329:2&pe=ZmtsdXhPfDIwMTEwMzI5

A priceless picture of Mitchell and his friend Sera

  This picture was taken at a local Valentine's Day Dance - so cute!  :)

I love decorating cakes!

Well, this year Evelyn LOVES Angelina Ballerina, so I decided to attempt to do an Angelina cake!  The only thing I wish I did different was start sooner - which is always my wish...but the cake was a bit too hot, so it made the icing too warm and smear into the other colors...but here it was - I wasn't that excited about it really and didn't think it was all that great...until Evelyn exclaimed, "I LOVE IT!!!!!"  That just made my day - she absolutely loved it and I was so happy!!! :) :) :)  Here is a picture of it...and below that is my little Evie, so proud of her tinkertoy creation. :)

Free Couples' Money Assessment

Hello everyone!  I wanted to let you know of this free, limited time offer at http://www.crown.org/ called the "The Couples' Challenge."  I haven't taken it yet with my husband, but I plan to!  I think it helps you to determine your spouses' values and how that translates in how he/she spends money.  It sounded very interesting when I heard about it.  Just go to the website and it will scroll by on the flashing items on the front page.  Let me know if you do it and if it helps you! 

Do you often arrive late? It is because of this funny thing...

The funny thing is...we plan to get there ON TIME!  But, that's the PROBLEM!! 
We need to plan to get there 10-15 minutes BEFORE - and if we get there then, then great!  We can sit in our cars, and have a little reading time or whatever.  (But, really, you know that won't really happen because there are ALWAYS those things that will happen and eat up those 10-15 minutes).  Here are some of the reasons I've been late - today being the first:

1)  While going to the car, Evelyn was running around the car playing and bonked her head and just cried and cried.  THEN, literally 1 minute after that, while walking to the car to get in, she falls and skins her knee.  This time, she's SCREAMING and wants a band-aid.  Fumbling through the car, I find the first-aid kit and put a band-aid on her knee.  So, now I am 8 minutes late.

2)  Looking for the car keys - I'm so bad about changing jackets all the time and so I have to look through my jackets...oh, and my bags...love my bags and I have a zillion of them...always changing them, so I have to look through them to see which bag my keys are in!  I'm so weird. :)

3)  Shouting out directives to the kids to do things while I'm getting all my things together and then, I'm standing at the door ready to go, and I look at the kids and they have not listened to any of the directives.  Mitchell is standing there with his hair all crazy, no socks, no shoes and he did not brush his teeth with that toothbrush I left on the sink for him; Evelyn is still in her pajamas because I forgot to put clothes on her. :)  Typical :)

4)  I'm thinking I'm doing SO well with time and wondering why...the kids are fed, I'm dressed, they're dressed and so I even manage to read them a little devotion or something before we go.  We get everything ready to go and Mitchell says, "Where's my lunch Mama?"  Well, shoot.

5)  Can't find ANYTHING some mornings!!!  Ugggh...this happens when I don't do the dishes and tidy up the night before - it's BOUND to make me late the next day...not to mention, just stressed.  Bad idea to forego the clean-up the night before - makes the next day a mess.

What makes you late and have you ever tried this method?  I'm going to try it and will let you know how it goes. 

 

How a challenged homemaker decluttered her home

To preface this post, I want you to know that I am generally a "messy" person (this pains me a bit to admit), which means, I tend to leave a lot of clutter out and about and tend to leave a "trail" of things wherever I go.  Ouch, yes, I said it!  I blame that on my creative side who is very easily distracted and likes to go with the flow.  I don't like to be "forced" into cleaning up after myself in a robotic manner.  It is VERY against my nature!  Also, I'm very detail-oriented.  The first 8 years of my marriage, I really did not know how to clean.  I would pour my energies out for HOURS "cleaning" and my husband would get home and wonder what in the world I've been doing all day.  The house looked FAR from clean, and he would feel stressed out and cluttered himself when he would come home from work.  And of course, I didn't understand why he didn't appreciate how sparkling clean and organized the kitchen drawers were!!  I'm detailed, detailed - and my husband is big picture, big picture.  After many years of angst in this area of our lives, my sweet husband, had to literally TEACH me how to clean, and it has helped me tremendously!  Honestly, I realized that I needed help and wanted my home to look clean, orderly and peaceful.  So, if you are anything like me, read on!  This is what I did:

1)  Most important thing - GET THE CLUTTER OUT!  You are fighting a losing battle if you just plain have too much stuff.  And, we did.  So, I went through each room with bags ("giveaway*", "yard sale", "goes in a different room") and left NO spot unturned.  If it was an area with just a bunch of paper junk, I put it in a big plastic bin to go through later - just get it OUT - and put it in some kind of storage area.  Try to commit to do this as QUICKLY as you can so you can IMMEDIATELY enjoy the benefits of a cleaner and more "lighter" home.  That is such an energy-booster! 
 *"Give-away" can be tricky.  If you are like me and can think you can give this to little Harry, and this to little Sarah, etc., etc. and I'll just put one in this little bag, and another in this little bag - STOP.  Just put it in a yard sale.  You're making it TOO complicated.  Invite all your friends to the yard sale and when they come, you can just give it to them for free. 

2)  Find some good, loud, upbeat cleaning music.  This is important to help keep you on task.  It is especially helpful to use a particular kind of music for just this purpose and only play that CD for cleaning!  This is when I have to give up my love for folksy, melancholy music that only makes me go slow.  This is especially helpful for kids too, which I'll talk about it my next cleaning blog post.
 
3)  Had a HUGE yard sale.  I love making a little bit of money and decided I was going to use the money to buy ORGANIZING things!  (Which I LOVE!)  Also, it is helpful to invite the person in your life to the yard sale that is on a mission to help you get RID of things so you won't overprice things because you secretly don't want it to go or you think you're junk is a little too special (thanks sis)!

4)  Then, I brought organized-type people (thanks again sis!) into the rooms and had them come up with ideas of how to help the room.  This is VERY important if you're someone like me.  It helped me tremendously!  Then, I figured out what organizing item(s) I needed to use there, and if I didn't have anything, I could buy some fun organizing item (this was very motivating for me!  I know - I'm a bit weird).  If you don't have money to buy organizing things, think up ways you can change something around (shelves, etc.) to try to give it a fresh change.
 
5)  I asked my oldest WHY he never played with certain toys he did not want to get rid of.  In our case, my son wasn't playing with these certain toys/games because he couldn't ever get to them (they were up in the top of the closet and he didn't know they were up there-out of sight, out of mind).  So, we put games and things that were stacked up horizontally in the closet VERTICALLY on a big tall shelf so he could get to them.  Months later, if he's still not playing with these toys/games when they are easily accessible, I will have more leverage to encourage him to pass it along to another child.  I also LOVE those cardboard magazine holders - I like to organize "like" things in those such as, "educational games" with flash cards and things like that in one, small "readers" in another, etc. etc. 


6) After you get the clutter out, it is important to clean your floors very well to make them sparkling clean!  You will more likely want to keep them that way after you worked so hard.  If you haven't gotten all or most things off the floor after your organizing, you are not finished.  You need to get bins, shelves or something to collect anything that is sitting on the floor so you can more easily clean the floors next time.  One of my favorite inexpensive organizing items is just those Sterilite drawer bins.  I keep my craft supplies in them, and a ton of my sons toys, science experiment things, legos, etc. 

7)  Have a family meeting.  Talk about how everyone can help keep it clean.  Talk about the peaceful feeling you and everyone else in the family feels when everything is picked up.  Get the kids involved.  Now, I know, this is going to be a PROCESS.  I think this has taken me about a year to finally feel like I've got something working!  I will do a separate blog post on how I'm getting my kids to help!

8)  Once you get the big stuff done, cleaning and decluttering on a daily basis is WAY easier and you will truly have more time to do things you enjoy!  It doesn't take as long, and the kids can help if you have easier places to put things.  


Now take charge of your home and wage WAR on all that stuff!!  You can at worst make some improvements to make everyone's life easier, and at best, truly make a peaceful home most of the time anyways!  If I can make improvements (if you ONLY knew how bad I am)...I KNOW you can too!!!  Please feel free to add any tips to this - I am still learning and can always use other tips!

Learning how to clean and the "illusion of clean"

I feel that it wasn't really until last year that I really learned how to clean my home.  What I mean is, cleaning it to make an IMPACT on the home as a whole.  And I'm not talking about "cleaning" with cleaning supplies necessarily - I'm talking about the "illiusion of clean" as my sister likes to say.  Because, really, you can't really clean-clean until you can create that "illusion of clean" by picking up everything so you really CAN clean.  Here's how I had to learn to clean:

1)  THINK BIG.  Ask yourself, "What big items can I do in about 10-30 minutes that will make the most impact, or 'WOW'"?

2)  Put some upbeat, loud and rockin' music on to get you going and get your clean on.  I like to use the same CD to get myself in the cleaning mode.  This helps my children too to get focused.  If they stop and start playing, I stop the music to get their attention and tell them that we can't play our music if they aren't cleaning.  (They love the music, so they get busy again cleaning when I make that warning).

3)  Move fast.  Try to get it done.

4)  Clean before an activity that everyone wants to do so they will go faster.  For example, we will always clean before a) going somewhere fun b) eating c) watching t.v. or a movie d) going outside to play or e) reading a favorite book. 

5)  Sometimes you just need to throw things in a box to get a kick-start on your cleaning.  I know this drives some detail-oriented people (like ME) CRAZY - but, I've decided that it helps me not to feel so overwhelmed, and it gets FAST results.  For example, all those papers and tiny toys, barettes, earrings, CPR cards you need to file, papers your kids did for school you'd like to keep, progress reports, whatEVER - just throw it in a nice little wicker bin to go through LATER.  Remember, BIG IMPACT FIRST, DETAILS LATER!!!

Cabbage Minestrone Soup - GFCF

Cabbage Minestrone Soup  Serves 10; A hit with the kids! 

2 TB Grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 celery stalks chopped with leaves
2 cups green cabbage
2-4 cups diced or crushed tomatoes (I used some frozen ones from our garden), but can use canned
4 cups of water (more or less for desired heartiness of soup)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 tsp basil; use 1/4 cup fresh if you have it
1/4 tsp oregano
1-2 cans of garbanzo or Great Northern White beans
Sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste
Variation:  Add Chicken bits

Heat oil in stockpot and add garlic, onion, celery & cabbage - saute until tender but still have a crunch

Add tomatoes, water and spices.  Simmer 20-30 min.

Add spinach & beans.

Stir and simmer for 5 minutes until spinach is wilted and the soup is heated through.

Our pain often becomes our passion...

I love this quote as I heard it today.  It is so true in my case...so I will share my story of how my pain of an illness became a passion for health and nutrition.  One of the most wonderful and one of the most difficult times in my life was when I had my first baby seven years ago.  I can't describe the JOY I felt in holding that little guy for the first time!!!  Wow.  I just love thinking about it!  

Well, this little guy was also a little difficult to say the least, and I only made it worse by my wanting to be the perfect Mama!  I was bound and determined to have this child be 100% breast fed whether it killed me - and wow...it almost did!  I apparently had some minor health issues before I had my first baby that spiraled into some major health problems later on...Here's basically how it went:  lowered immune system to start + eating tons of sugar during pregnancy + LOTS of antibiotics from having a cesarean + not knowing ANYthing about probiotics at the time + low milk supply + baby not sleeping + new Mama not sleeping and the STRESS of baby not sleeping  = Mononucleosis.  I was diagnosed I think about 6 months after I had the baby.  I was extremely fatigued and thought it was just new motherhood, or maybe a thyroid disfunction.  So then...MONO + the depression from not being able to exercise (which I loved) w/ my new baby + isolation (I'm a major people-person) + digestion problems + nursing ALL the time...well, you get the picture.  My whole persona had changed from a very happy, energetic person to a very mellow, melancholy person with not alot of excitement.  It was too tiring to be excited.  At one point, I remember sitting on my porch steps thinking, "Wow, I'd really love to walk and get the mail...which was about 40 yards away...but, I'd be wiped for the rest of the day, so it'll just have to wait."

Along in my journey of trying to get better, I remember reading something that said that sometimes, people that have Mono more than a year often times are diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Woah.  At the time I read this, I had already had Mono for 10 months.  I think reading this brought out my fighting self..."I've got a baby to take care of, and I can NOT get Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."  Sadly, my doctor did not have much advice to give me...so, I started researching ALL I could on Mono and all the other myriads of symptoms I was having.  The main thing I kept reading was, "Eat as many RAW fruits and vegetables as you can."  I learned that when your adrenal glands were fatigued, which mine were, you need the enzymes from the raw fruit and vegetables.  Then began my journey...which included ALOT...to help myself to heal.  So, now I am 7 years into my journey and feeling GREAT.  Thanks be to God, I feel like my health was completely restored and then added to.  I'm so, so very grateful for my health today and do not take it for granted.  With all that the Lord took me through, I feel so very compelled to help others who may have a doctor that does not know the powerful healing that can take place through food.  So, this is one of the big "whys" of my blog.    

Just a side-note, I wanted to thank SO many people in this journey...
The Lord for taking me on this journey and helping me to learn so much, so that I can help other people; my husband for putting up with and helping me with the chaos at home during my sickness; my family for loving me through my stubborness and irrationality; my Mom and sister who made lots of meals for me; my Mother-in-Law for seeing that I really was sick and Paul needed to "step it up a notch"!; the one lactation nurse at Centennial that actually DID see that I was sick and told me to supplement; Andee Casey for introducing me to the book, "Patient...Heal Thyself" by Jordin Ruban; La Leche League of Williamson County for introducing me to the book, "The Yeast Syndrome;" Amy Hagely for introducing me to an easy way to take fruits and vegetables into my diet; Lisa Stafford for introducing me to the Vita-Mix blender; my Home Fellowship Group from our church that made so many meals for me; and I also want to thank all the people who prayed for my healing during this time - the Lord answered your prayers above and beyond what you could imagine! 

  

Welcome to my blog!

Hello!  I wanted to officially welcome you to my blog!  My hope is that you will be encouraged, learn something new that will hopefully help you, and maybe have a few laughs along the way.  This blog will cover a lot of different topics such as health (mind, body & spirit), recipes, parenting, and just sharing life and hopefully helping each other.  See you at the next post!

So, I tried some yeasty mac-a-da-cheese last night...

I was so excited to try it - cheeseless "mac-a-da-cheese" as we call it in our house...this is far better for my kiddos because it had those nutritional yeast flakes in it...and that sounds nutritional!  (Also, my son is supposed to eat a gluten-free, casein-free diet).  And, pimentos, and nuts and just other things you can't really put in real mac-a-da-cheese.  I even had my oldest boy (7) excited about helping me put everything in the Vita-Mix to mix it all up.  But then, when it came time to eat it, he pushed it away pouting and said, "This is AWFUL!" among other pretty horrible comments.  So, I calmly took that bowl of Mac-a-da-cheese away from the table and set it on the counter... and you would have thought that I took away the most cheesiest, most delicious mac-a-da-cheese you have ever SEEN!  He started BAWLING his eyes out and telling me how HUNGRY he was and wanted that mac-a-da-cheese SO BAD!!!  Meanwhile, Evelyn (my 3 year old) is just sweetly eating her new-fangled mac-a-da-cheese and telling me how good it is (I don't know if she truly thinks it is good, or is just afraid I might take HERS away too!)  After 10 minutes of being quite upset in his room (because I sent him there for complaining about the food - which is something we are working on), I looked at him and said, "Well, I thought you didn't want it because you talked about how horrible and awful it was."  "I DO want it!!!  I DO want it Mama!!" he said.  Then he proceeded to tell me that when he FIRST tasted it, it didn't taste very good, but then when he tasted it again, he kinda liked it!  So, we calmly walked back in and I gave him back the yeasty no cheesies and he gobbled them right up!  Happy Mama.