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FAMILY

FAMILY/ HEALTH/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ Natural Products/ RECIPES

Steps To Healthy Living

A few months ago I had the honor of doing a guest post on “The Mother Huddle.”  It was such an honor and I had great fun sharing my thoughts over at Destri’s blog.   Destri is a pretty special lady, one I consider a friend despite the fact that we have never met in person.

The guest post was titled “Steps I Have Taken To Bring A More Healthful Approach Into My Home.”

As the beginning of summer approaches, I am already feeling the pull of unhealthy choices when it comes to food.  BBQ’s, quick dinners at grandpa’s pool, lemonade full of HFCS, the ice cream truck…I don’t know about you, but for us summer brings a bunch more opportunities for healthful eating to go right out the window.  I do and will lighten up a bit during the summer when it comes to eating healthy, but I also want to keep in mind the good habits we have established and continue to pursue them.  Rereading the post I wrote for The Mother Huddle will help me do just that!

Steps I have taken to bring a more wholesome approach into my home:

We Follow These Rules:

  • Try to eat like our grandparents did, before convenience foods came about.
  • No high fructose corn syrup!  Studies show that this stuff causes confusion in the area of the brain that tells your body that you are full. It makes you crave more sweets! This is just one of many reasons to avoid it. Also, we found that it was triggering my youngest daughter’s asthma.  Since changing our eating habits, she is off all inhalers!  Yippee!!
  • No hydrogenated oils/trans fats and use only healthful oils (olive oil, coconut oil)
  • Think brown, not white (whole wheat flour, whole grain pasta, brown rice, 100% whole wheat breads, etc)
  • Stay away from foods if the ingredient list is long and full of words we can’t pronounce.
  • No more buying white sugar! We replaced it with natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, sucanat (rapadura), & stevia.

We Make Snacks Count By:

  • Making homemade treats containing ingredients that are beneficial to the body (we loveMudballs)
  • Having veggie fun! I cut up bright colored veggies into bite-sized pieces, fill a 6 cup muffin tin with a different vegetable in each cup, serve with toothpicks.  If I only have 4 types of vegetables, I’ll fill the 2 remaining cups with dip and toothpicks.
  • Eating fruit as our dessert.  I see my 3 girls (age 10, 9 and 7) eye the beautiful bowl of blueberries thawing on the table during dinner, excited to eat ‘em for dessert!  They also love frozen cherries, grapes, peaches, mangoes, melons, and pineapple.  We eat them all just slightly thawed.
  • Making homemade popcorn in the microwave using a brown paper lunch bag. My girls love this and do it themselves.  Big money saver!
  • Adding veggies to our fruit smoothies.  A large handful of fresh spinach disappears when blended into our sweet fruit smoothies.
  • Using leftover smoothies to make popsicles.  These are delish, and yes, they are the same smoothies that have spinach in them!  These type of real fruit/yogurt popsicles are so costly at the store.  Its amazing how inexpensive and easy it is to make your own!  If you don’t have molds, use paper cups and wooden craft sticks.
  • Staying away from empty calories–even treats can be beneficial to the body (dark chocolate, desserts with fruit/oats in them, ice cream topped with fresh fruit, whole wheat brownies)

We Are Going Greener:

  • We got rid of harsh chemical cleaners.  I use a vinegar and water spray for just about everything, and have simple recipes to make my own laundry detergent, dish washing detergent and liquid hand/body soap. (this saves us a TON of money, and I believe some of those chemicals contributed to my daughters past issues with asthma, so we are saving money on medical bills, too!)
  • We drink from reusable water bottles, keeping them in the refrigerator so they are cold and ready to drink.
  • We got rid of most plastic storage containers and use different sized mason jars instead.  I love how they look in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator.  They make it easy to see what is inside, and they look orderly.
  • If it comes in a package, I ask myself “Can I make this homemade?” It is almost always more healthful and saves on the packaging (pancake mix, granola bars)  I buy many ingredients from bulk bins and put them in mason jars when I get home.
Taking steps for more wholesome homes can be overwhelming, so be encouraged that these changes did not come overnight for us, nor do we do it all perfectly. We eat our share of junk food and sugar outside our 4 walls, (and even inside them on the weekends), so it ends up being about 80/20,
which I am comfortable with. It has been a step by step journey,
one I will never regret starting as I see such huge changes in the health of my family.

This post is linked to:
The Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things
Home And Family Friday @ Home Is Where My Story Begins
Its A Hodgepodge Friday @ Its A Hodgepodge Life
Tips Me Tuesday @ The Tip Junkie
30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady Mom
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple

18
FAMILY/ Marriage

Marriage Conflict-Start Somewhere

Push play, then crank your speakers..

Be angry, yet do not sin: do not let the sun go down upon your wrath.  Ephesians 4:26

From Study Bible:

 He teaches us how to bridle our anger in such a way that, even though our anger is fierce, yet it does not break out, but is bridled, and that it is without delay quenched before we sleep. And this is so that Satan may not take occasion to give us evil counsel. Let not the night come upon you in your anger, that is, make atonement quickly, for all matters.

Start Somewhere-By Toby Mac
Last night, everything was movin’ so fast
I could barely keep track
Oh, of my offenses or your defenses
In hindsight, I woulda, coulda, shoulda not gone there
But left without a word to spare
Was it your offenses or my defensiveness?

That’s got me thinkin’ that we’re never gonna get it right
I wanna straighten this before the sun goes down tonight
If I could only fight the bitterness I feel inside
This thing is eatin’ me alive

Well I’m right here
And you’re right there
And God knows we’ve got to start somewhere
Cause I’m messed up
And you’re broken
And those shots we fired are still smokin’

I’m tossin’ and turnin’ on the things I’d undo
As I wrestle with the painful truth
Oh, my sleep escapes me as guilt berates me
Exhausted, the memories are drawing so near
I can see it like a world premiere
When did my objective lose all objectiveness?

If I need you, and you need me
How can you turn your back and just leave me?
When I’m right here, and you’re right there
And God knows we’ve got to start somewhere

I said some things that I regret
And if I could, I’d take em back
If I could turn my words around
You wouldn’t hear a sound

But here I am, and there you are
The space between us is not so far
I’m reaching out my hand in love
Before the fading sun, forgive me for what I’ve done

John & Staci Eldridge-“Remember, Your Spouse Is Not The Enemy.  The Enemy Is Unseen, But Is Very Real, And Wants To Destroy Your Marriage”

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FAMILY/ HOME/ Natural Products/ Organizing

Spring Cleaning #1

Well, I have given up the idea of someone else spring cleaning my home, (I offered on facebook to trade hair/nail/waxing services in exchange for a spring clean, and it was met with little interest-I guess no one else wants to spring clean, either!!:))  Kathy, my mother-in-law, encouraged me to do a little at a time and enjoy the good feeling it will bring as I get it done.  I like that advice and I’m going to take it!  For some reason when it comes to spring cleaning, I want it all done at once, which paralyzes me!!  I have a pretty clear calendar this week, so I will do a bit at a time and let you know how it goes!

I found this awesome ebook “Spring Cleaning for Normal People“ at Simple Mom, and bought it for $7.00.  It was worth every penny!  She has a way of breaking spring cleaning down into manageable steps, and gives great tips which makes it much less overwhelming.  Last week she had a spring cleaning series on her blog that was very inspirational, you can click here to check it out.

1st Step: Decluttering

From Tsh @ Simple Mom:
Does every item in your home make your family happy?  Does the item add to your home, your life, your family?  Of if you were truly honest, would you say it’s more of a burden?
If it’s a burden in any way, get rid of it.  It’s not worth the valuable real estate between your four walls.

“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”-19th century architect William Morris 

This is what I will do today. I will start this spring cleaning week by going from room to room and getting rid of anything that does not fit in the above quote. (and sneaking it to the Goodwill before my girls get home!!:))
I plan on using my mornings this week to spring clean, then in the afternoons, do something I enjoy (gardening, cooking, reading). If I set aside a full days to clean, I will get bored, burn out, and give up.  I can handle the mornings knowing I will get to do something more enjoyable in the afternoon!  Here goes..wish me luck!
*do you spring clean each year?  is motivation as hard for you as it is for me?  do you have a system?  got any tips for me??

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FAMILY/ HOME/ Simplifying

Do Anything In 15 Minutes And Squash Perfectionism

Flylady (Sink Reflections) says “you can do anything in 15 minutes.”  I’m gonna take her up on it today.
I found myself waking up this morning feeling overwhelmed and discouraged with our home.  It is in a state right now where every room seems to be unraveling.  Stuff sitting where it shouldn’t, crumbs piling up, dust making itself at home…LAUNDRY.  Ugh, laundry.

It has been a very busy week, and I have been gone most of the day the last 2 days doing haircuts for family.  The days I spent at home, I was out in the yard gardening and getting our yard in shape.

 Needless to say, I HAVE ALOT TO DO! 

 I started having a pity party this morning with thoughts like “It’s never-ending.” “If only I could afford a cleaning service” “I’m starting to feel like a maid.”  I  know when thoughts like this enter my world, perfectionism is rearing its ugly head again.  This all started with the thought that I needed to get everything done (perfectly) so I can just relax this weekend and enjoy doing things outside with the kids. (and do what I want to do).

I know perfect is not the goal, so I needed to rethink things.  This is where the 15 minute thinking is going to come into play.  My timer is going right now as I type this 15 minute post, it won’t be one of my best but again, perfect is not the goal.

The rest of my morning I’ve divided into 15 minute segments- each area will get 15 minutes of my time, then on to the next, even if I am not done.  It is 9:00 am right now, I have a date with a friend to grab iced coffees and hit up some garage sales in this beautiful weather (yippee!) at noon, so I should be able to get quite a bit done in 3 hours.

Here is the plan:
15 min.-Living Room/Dining Room
15 min-Kitchen
15 min.-Study/Girls Rooms
15 min.-Hallway & Bathrooms
15 min.-Upstairs Landing Area/My Room
15 min.-Laundry (includes making laundry detergent-I’m out!)
15 min.-Shower
15 min.-Dressed/Hair/Makeup
15 min.-God time/Prayer Time
15 min.-Check On Garden/Water Plants

This equals 2 1/2 hours, and if I end this post now, I will have about 10 minutes of extra time before I  leave on my date.  Hope this works!!  The key will be stopping and going on to the next item on the list when the timer goes off!  Again, this will challenge my perfectionism, but it is also astep closer toward defeating perfectionism!
P.S.  This will all be done while listening to the happy music of “Ocean Eyes” by Owl City. Music is a must!
Oops! Gotta go, time’s up!
*UPDATE:  It worked beautifully!  An added bonus–I moved so quickly to beat the clock that I was out of breath most of those 2 hrs!  Built in cardio!!:)
The weather ended up being not so beautiful, but time with my friend sure was.
I am now sitting in a quite, clean up home, enjoying the computer while Todd has the girls at the park.  Family night awaits with recorded tv, pizza and popcorn.  Such a great day…almost perfect:)
This post is linked to:
30 minute blog challenge @ steady mom
Tackle It Tuesday @ 5 minutes for mom

14
Easter/ Holidays/Parties/ Love/ Spiritual

Good Friday-Remembering

These are two of my most favorite songs.  I couldn’t decide which one to share, so I shared them both.  I encourage you to watch the both of them, and remember with me why this Good Friday is such a very, very special day.

{both videos are very graphic, viewer discretion advised}

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Easter/ Holidays/Parties/ Love/ Spiritual

Easter Lessons

 

With Easter coming, my girls and I have been having quite a few discussions about sin and our need for a Saviour.  I was wanting a tangible way to show them different types of sin, how often we sin, and how great our need is for a Saviour.

I took a bulletin board square, drew a cross on it, and then we looked up some Bible verses and brain-stormed different types of sin, which I then wrote onto the cross.

 

~We discussed why and how Jesus died, and the amazingness– He took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty that we deserved, by dying for us.

 ~We talked about repentance, how we must acknowledge our sin, ask Jesus to forgive our sin, and turn away from our sin. He takes the burden of them onto Himself, and they are no more.

~We talked about how He makes us whole and beautiful, and how we can come to Him anytime, He will always be ready and willing to forgive us, making us new again.

~We talked about the beauty of Easter, how He conquered death and is Risen, indeed!!

With pins (reminding us to think of the nails that pierced His skin) and beautiful, shimmery circles (the circle shape represents how He makes us whole),  we have been coming before the cross this week and acknowledging this amazing thing our Saviour did for us.

It has been beautiful, seeing my girls ask for forgiveness more often, and going to the cross before their Jesus, on their own.  I see them walk away, with freedom in their eyes and a lightness in their step.

My youngest- “Oh, mom, the cross is becoming so beautiful!!”  I smile and think, “so are you, my child, so are you.”

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