happy father’s day

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When she received her Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Theresa was asked what could be done to promote world peace.  Her answer:

“Go home and love your family.”

I love her.

And this quote reminds me of my husband.

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He loves us so well.

He’s more than I could have hoped for in a husband and father.  Honestly, when we married at 18 he’s better now than I ever dreamed he could be.

We always assumed that we would have children one day. Then, seven years after we married, Henry was born.  We were still only 25.

Yes, seriously, that’s Hank with little tiny baby Henry :

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It seems that fatherhood is a turning point for so many men.

For some men it is the moment where they decide to grow up.  Really grow up.  The idea of having a child is exciting, an honor, and they are motivated to become a better version of who they currently are.  They work harder than ever before to provide for the new little one.  They quit bad habits. They intentionally pursue and love their child’s mother.  They become less selfish. They finally, truly, understand what unconditional love looks like.  They get a glimpse of how much God loves us, for the first time.

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There are the other kinds of men, but they aren’t the ones I’m talking about today.

I am talking about the first kind of man.  It describes who my husband is, who he has become, over these past 4 1/2 years of being a father.

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He loves his children in the most powerful way that he can: by loving me well and pursuing God.

I truly believe that for a traditional family, a strong marriage is the absolute best way to love and care for your children.

He does sometimes struggle with balancing work and home.  He loves his job. It’s his passion and his hobby. It’s also a very demanding and competitive business, so it would be easy for him to get lost in it and neglect his family.

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But he’s so, so amazing at including our boys in what he is doing.  They will go in his office and play guitar or piano with him.

He will get a free hour and whisk Henry off to go fishing in a nearby pond.

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He will often leave his studio for 15 minutes to change Miles’ diaper and wrestle with him or roll a ball around.

He makes our boys feel special, smart, strong, and capable.  He never puts them down, shames or humiliates them.  He is patient and kind, yet consistent and firm.

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When he is home he eats every meal with us, even if he is on a tight deadline.

He send us YouTube videos (usually of cute or funny animals) from the road that he thinks we will like.

He skypes with us from the tour bus.

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He brings home little gifts from his adventures.

He sets an incredible example for our sons: how to treat a woman, how to work hard, how to trust God, how to have fun, how to be so likable yet live with integrity and conviction, how to be loyal, how to be a really, really good friend. 

Just last Saturday Hank had to miss Henry’s very first t-ball game.  It broke his heart to be gone.  He called him right before the game started to encourage him and tell him how much he loved him and wished he could be there.

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He always wants me to text him photos and videos of anything new the boys are doing.

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Our boys don’t know that what their dad does for a living is unconventional.  Henry thinks that all daddys go on tour for a while, and then are home 24/7, and then leave again.

It’s not an easy life, but it’s the one that we have chosen, and Hank does a fabulous job of parenting, even when he is away.  Thank God for technology. Thank God for a good man.

Like I’ve said before, I don’t deserve him, but I’m so thankful for him.  I hope to never fail to show him how much I respect and love him.

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I can’t wait to see how he is with a little girl…only 2 more months.

We had a big day of good food yesterday – that’s kinda how we celebrate in this house.

Breakfast/Brunch: French Toast with organic blueberries, local, pastured bacon, farm eggs, organic coffee, and orange juice.

Lunch/Dinner: local grass-fed filet, roasted organic beets, fresh kale salad, roasted rosemary potatoes, carrots…almost everything was from the farmer’s market.  I’ll post details a little later today…

live well. be well.

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saturday confession: my desk is my McDonalds

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I like things tidy.

As a general rule I am organized, and appreciate a minimalistic approach.

I highly value cleanliness and order.

Here’s my living room:

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See?  Tidy.

The kids bathroom:

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Clean. Minimal.

**and please ignore the brass…we’re renting**

Even the “filled up” spaces are pretty orderly.

Here’s our kitchen mantle:

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My husband decorated it.  Isn’t he awesome?  And let’s not skip over how incredible it is that I have a fireplace in my kitchen!

So someone please explain the complete cluster that is my desk.

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Every time I walk past it I think “this isn’t me”  Or “how has this happened” or “what’s wrong with you?” or if I’m feeling sassy “dang girl…getcho crap together, that is nasty.”

There’s my second copy of “Pride and Prejudice” that has been there for almost a year…someone, please, take it from me!

Every night I tidy up the whole house before bed.  Except my desk.  Yep.  It just sits there.  Collecting more junk mail and papers that fit into a “to be filed” and “to be shredded” and “to be paid” and “deal with at some point int he future…” category.  It’s also the holding place for “things that belong to other people.”

I seriously almost bought a groupon for 2 hours of organizational help, just so someone else could deal with it.

It’s my “McDonalds”: that part of every person that they are ashamed to admit is actually a part of them…(stole this from a Jim Gaffigan stand-up on Netflix…complete hilarity by the way).

I mean, honestly, I should be cleaning it up right now rather than telling you people about it…

sigh…anyone else?

live well. be well.

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cheap, natural mole removal using supplies you have at home

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mole removal header

So, I wouldn’t say my skin is my best feature.  It’s freckly, tans well but in different shades  depending on where it is on my body, I have freckles on my knees, and I have moles.

Quite a few actually.

Ack.  

I had several removed by a doctor long ago but I paid about $150 each and they didn’t even do that great of a job! They bled, it hurt, I have scars…they didn’t even fully remove one of them.

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It’s vanity really, they aren’t a problem, I just think they’re ugly.  And you know what’s kinda annoying?  My husband has only one.

ONE.

Not fair I say, not fair at all.

Anyhow, I got to thinking that there must be some natural ways to get rid of the nasty little blobs so I started researching.

There are a lot of options out there, but I couldn’t find many testimonials of any of them actually working…so I decided to be your guinea pig.

You’re welcome.

The two methods I started with were garlic and apple cider vinegar.  Mostly because I had everything I needed on hand, and the supplies are SO stinking cheap!

Another product I have heard that works well is Oregano Oil, however, this has been said to burn pretty bad, and it’s not safe during pregnancy, but I’m totally up for trying it in the future!

I chose one on my face that particularly bothers me (I know, not smart to experiment with your face…), one on the back of my arm, and one that magically appeared on my chest during my first pregnancy (yay!)…

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I was expecting the garlic to work the best, so I did it on my face and chest and did the ACV on my arm.

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However, after 3 days the ACV one had turned black (I know….it get’s worse before it gets better) and the garlic ones were drying out, but it also seemed to burn the skin around the moles, actually causing a scab on my face.  The one on my arm was relatively focused just on the mole, with the skin around it only mildly red, mostly from the tape I think.

So, I switched them all to ACV.

Here’s my method:

      • soak a cotton ball in raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
      • squeeze out excess while still leaving the cotton saturated
      • cut off enough of the cotton to completely encompass the entire mole
      • place the cotton on top and surrounding the sides of the mole and cover with medical tape.  I know, sexy, right?  Remind me why I do these things when my husband is home?

**I prefer the tape over a bandaid as it locks the moisture in, preventing the ACV from drying out.

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Leave this on overnight, remove in the morning, and repeat every night until it dies, has become a scab, and falls off (or gets picked off if you’re impatient like me!)

Because ACV is so smelly, I preferred to just do this at night, and do coconut oil mixed with Frankincense essential oil during the day. This keeps it soft and the Frankincense promotes the death of the nasty little thing as well.

Like I said, after 3 days the mole was mostly black, and scabby.  After a week it seemed totally dead.  At 9 days I gently pulled the scab off to reveal a small white crater.  Unlike having them sliced off, the ACV had eaten away only the mole!  It’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

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No bleeding, stitches, numbing shots, costly visits to the Doctor…I’m sold.

The bonus?  It costs about 10 cents per mole!

Here it is today, healing, redness around it is almost completely gone.

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I expect a small scar, but I have scars from ones that I had removed by a plastic surgeon so that doesn’t bother me.  Daily application of coconut oil will help to diminish them drastically.

Because I started with garlic on the other ones, I had to stop and let them heal before starting again, so I’m just beginning the process with the ACV on those ones.

Alright, I hope this didn’t gross you out so much.  But I think moles are more disgusting…good riddance.

Now, I’m completely obsessed.  I’m doing this on every single one on my body…perhaps I should wait until the winter when I can cover up a bit more, but I’m not good at waiting!

I would LOVE to see how this works for you guys!

live well. be well.

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a little clarification, and a big haircut

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On a random note, I had to share a picture from a dessert I made the other night.  Vanilla Ice Cream, Organic Blueberries, and Homemade (still warm) shortbread cookies.

All-Natural? Yes.

Delicious? Yes.

Healthy? No.

Worth It? Definitely.

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Ok, so yesterday I wrote about helping our kids learn to eat healthy foods.  I did want to clarify: while we do insist that they eat the foods that they are given, we don’t require them to “clean their plate”.  I feel that forcing kids to eat everything can actually be quite damaging, promoting over-eating and anxiety when it comes to mealtime.

The problem we were having with Henry was his refusal to even try anything on his plate at dinner time.  Yesterday, I am happy to report that he ate 3/4 of the plate, really did seem to be full, and so we let him be finished.  It’s tricky, because I want our kids to stop eating before they are completely stuffed, while still requiring that they eat what they are given.

That’s where small portions come into play.  They are always welcome to more!  

Babies almost always leave a few bites behind, even when it is their favorite food, and I don’t want to undo this natural response from the body to stop when satisfied!

I hope this makes sense…like I always say, we are just learning how to do this parenting thing!

So, also, Henry got a haircut today.  We have always said that our kids are free to pick their haircuts and hairstyles, clothes they want to wear, etc.  So, even though I LOVED his long, beautiful hair, I took him to the salon with me today for a cut.  He had been asking for a few weeks to have it cut like Edmond from Narnia, and like his Papa, but with hair on top :)

photo 2-29I can’t get enough of his adorable ears!

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He looks 2 years older to me and I’m trying not to be too emotional about it!

He LOVES it…sniff…sniff…so handsome.

live well. be well.

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how we are teaching our kids to eat healthy foods

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Historically, my kids are great eaters.  We exclusively breastfeed for the first 8 months which introduces babies to lots of different flavors via my diet.

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Snacks are fruits or veggies, they are used to eating things like kombucha, kimchi, raw veggies, hummus, and even sushi from a young age.

They help shop for and prepare food, which gets them excited about eating it.

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Most importantly, we don’t have junk in the house and my husband and I eat healthy, as you can’t expect your kids to eat things that they don’t view as “normal”!

But lately, over the past few months, Henry has been fighting back.  Really hard.

I know it’s not a food aversion because it happens only at dinner time.  He will just flat-out refuse to eat.  Regardless of what it is.  The only thing we allow him to refuse is creamy soups, as he has literally thrown it up every time he has eaten them…that’s a true aversion!

Refusing to eat is a typical way that children try to gain control because you can’t force food down their throats.  They have to choose to eat it, so it often becomes that one area where parents just give up.  But we were determined not to!

We insist that our kids eat healthy foods for the same reasons that we insist they sit in carseats, not run into the street, hold our hand in the parking lot, not have free-reign of the cable, etc.

Because it is vital to their health and wellness.

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We had tried everything with Henry, or so we thought.  Taking away privileges, time-out chair, early to bed, loss of toys, no movies, etc.

Nothing was working and we were at our wit’s end.  He has always been compliant and so this rebellion was throwing us off a bit.

But last night, we instituted a new policy: if you don’t want to eat dinner, fine, but it will be your next meal.  No other snacks until that food is eaten.

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You can imagine how fun breakfast was this morning.  I made pancakes, but Henry had to eat last night’s reheated dinner: broccoli-cheese quiche with cinnamon sweet potato cubes….terrible, right?

Meanest mom in the world.

Anyhow, after 2 hours of crying at the table (thankfully we didn’t have anywhere to go this morning), he stopped and took a bite.

Then, he started this conversation:

“Mom, life doesn’t have to be this hard, huh?”

Me “You’re right”

“Wouldn’t it be great if I just ate it all up and then I could go play?”

Me “It would!”

“But I’m just making life harder than it has to be, aren’t I?”

Me “You are. Why do you think you are doing that?”

“Maybe it’s because I just want to be the boss”

Me “I think you’re right”

“Why do you want me to obey?”

Me “So that you will grow to be a good man like daddy who makes good decisions and is wise.  Who is disciplined and knows how to do things that you don’t want to because it is the right thing to do.”

“Oh!  That’s a good idea.  I love you infinity Mom”

Me “I love you infinity too Henry! Now finish your food”

Our conversation continued to include reasons why the kids in our house can’t be the boss.  Why mom and dad are the bosses together and always agree together about food and discipline and such.  And how one day, he will be a man with his own kids and he will be the boss.

As we speak he is eating…I think we may have had a breakthrough.

If not, it will be dinner for breakfast again tomorrow!

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Endurance, consistency, patience, love.  I am always learning…

live well. be well.

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natural {and effective} yeast infection remedy

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I know, ugh.

Nobody likes to talk about yeast infections.  But it’s something that most women will deal with at some point, and I am asked for natural remedies quite often for this one!

So, here you go.  It’s natural, effective, and quick.  Plus, you get to skip the nasty chemicals found in the drugs and that awkward check-out at the pharmacy!

(It’s ALWAYS a teenage boy working the register when you buy any feminine/sexual/pregnancy item, right?!)

1. Starve the yeast – this means no sugar, or things that act like sugar in the body: sweets of any kind, fruits, grains, corn.  The only exceptions would be granny smith apples, grapefruit and blueberries which have anti-fungal properties.

2. Kill it at the source – make a garlic clove “tampon”.  Peel a fresh clove of garlic, thread a string though (for retrieval) with a needle.  Plain silk dental floss is great for this.  Tie a knot to secure, and leave long enough to hang out about 6 inches (the longer the better). Insert vaginally and wear while you are sleeping.  In the morning, simply remove by tugging gently on the string. However, it will often come out on it’s own with your first trip the the bathroom. Repeat with new materials every night for a few nights until the symptoms are gone. Some have recommended tying the clove in muslin or gauze, but I don’t find this necessary.  For extra potency you can cut “notches” in the sides of the clove to expose the internal oils…careful, this can burn some women.

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3. Increase your “good guys” – Up your intake of probiotics (kombucha, sauerkraut, fermented beets, kimchi, raw yogurt are all great sources).

4. Up your intake of raw garlic - make super strong hummus, or really knock it out by drinking my Terrible Tonic.  GSE is another great way to kill yeast from the inside out.

5. Other things you can do to knock it out fast:

  • soak a tampon in pure organic olive or coconut oil and a few drops of tea tree oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia) to wear during the day
  • apply yogurt to the area to reduce itching and kill the yeast
  • increase your vitamin C intake
  • wear loose, natural fibers like cotton and go without underwear at night.
  • I always recommend avoiding any products with synthetic dyes or fragrances found in many panty liners, lotions, soaps, and fabric softeners and detergent; but these are especially important to avoid if you have a yeast infection.

***While some warn against the use of tea tree oil during pregnancy, my midwives have never had a problem with this, just be sure to check with your healthcare provider first!***

I hope this is helpful!  Love you girls!

live well. be well.

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saturday confession: my dog, the vacuum

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Our kids Miles is super messy.  As my husband put it the other day: “I’m pretty sure he’s the messiest kid I’ve ever been around.”  So every meal results in a massive amount of food on the floor.  Not because he intentionally throws it there, but because his eating method results in this:

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And to add insult to injury, he acts like he’s been thrown into the 7th circle of hell when being wiped down afterwards.

So, like any good mom, I’m down on my hands and knees, mopping it up, right?

Nope.

I just sit there and let my dog at it.  You know how you’re not supposed to feed your dog table food?

Well, I don’t care.

I love that he is a big pig and will eat anything.  He’s my own personal Roomba, and honestly, I appreciate that he contributes around here a bit!

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I’ve even been known to toss a bit of food onto the floor because letting him scarf it up is easier than getting up off my ever-widening rear to throw it away.

Maybe it’s third trimester exhaustion…I’ll tell myself that.

Oh, and this is totally unrelated, but hilarious.

Henry loves to write letters to my dad, whom he calls “Papa”.

The other day, he ran up to Hank and me and said “Did is spell Papa!?!”

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Almost buddy, almost.  

Happy weekend everyone!

live well. be well.

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