I’m a total, unapologetic optimist. Of course, I’m an INFP, so that’s not totally surprising. It drives my ESFJ husband nuts sometimes, but I’m confident he’ll come around eventually. (<– see what I did there? #optimism.)
Pollyanna was a favourite movie of mine as a child. The young character had a significant amount of trials and hardships in her young life, yet was determined to play “The Glad Game” that her father taught her before he died, with the sole aim of “finding something about everything to be glad about.”
The author of the book (which became a movie in 1960) received criticism for her portrayal of an unfettered optimism thought to be naive or blind. It’s the age-old wrestling between the realist, pessimist, and optimist streams of thought.
Eleanor E. Porter, the author, defended her heroine, saying, “I have never believed that we ought to deny discomfort and pain and evil; I have merely thought that it is far better to ‘greet the unknown with a cheer.'” (Source)
Personally, I believe that The Glad Game offers the key to a more contented life. To this end – Pollyanna has indeed left her mark on my life in a most remarkable manner.
I have witnessed in my own life that the hardships and tough seasons of life ebb and flow in our modern, digitally lives just as they did a century ago, but one simple thing remains as the chief determining factor in our happiness: perspective.
The Glad Game can help with that.
I could write a thousand words on the hard stuff in my life right now, but what use is that without also acknowledging the good? Without finding something about everything to be glad about? Maybe not right away, especially in times of deep sorrow or pain. Certainly not in a trite or careless way – not at all.
But eventually.
In tousled-out perspective. We can find it.
When Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy posted a list at the beginning of the month of the “things that are saving her life right now,” I thought it was brilliant. And it reminded me of The Glad Game.
I don’t know about you, but I adore readings posts like that from my favorite writers. Fortuitously, then, a couple of other faves went and shared their own “saving my life” lists. Tsh shared hers at The Art of Simple, and then Stephanie shared hers on EntreFamily. Accordingly, I was inspired to jot down my own list, and share it with you.
Let’s play The Glad Game together?
Let’s acknowledge that while we may not know what comes tomorrow, we can certainly “greet the unknown with a cheer.”
10 Things That Are Saving My Life Right Now (The Glad Game)
We met with a real estate agent yesterday, and it was so symbolic to me. We’ve moved 14 times in under 13 years of marriage, and to say that we’re longing for some deeper roots would be an understatement of mammoth proportions. Our kids have lived in more houses than the number of years they’ve been on this earth.
When we moved to Ottawa it was such a fast turnaround that we had to rent. But this summer, we’ll buy a house and move in, and we’ll move again approximately NEVER. (Ok, probably not literally. But anything over 5 years sounds like forever with our history, so…)
The tender little bit of hope for some more permanent roots for our family is 100% saving my life right now.
In the summertime, I’m barefoot as much as possible – at home, around the neighbourhood, etc. But the Ottawa winters have 4-feet-of-snow and sub-zero temps sort of weather, so warm feet are a must.
I got these slippers for Christmas, and they are DIVINE.
I do product reviews from time to time here at R&H, and as you can imagine – not all products end up becoming long-term faves. However, the argan oil that I raved about three years ago still saves my life on a daily basis – the stuff is amazing.
Different parts of Canada vary widely in their climates. While some parts have milder temps and less snow in the winter, they also endure endless grey days without seeing much sun.
I’m grateful that I live in a city where there’s enough snow to really play in and enough sunshine and blue skies that I need to remember to keep sunglasses in the minivan year-round.
Right now, I’m gratefully focusing on the numerous benefits and perks of being public schoolers – the tight-knit community, the incredible teachers that champion my kids, and the daily diversity that they’re exposed to, both in terms of people (our city is so beautifully multi-cultural), and in terms of learning (my 7-year-old boy has wonderful exposure to the arts in his regular curriculum, including visual arts, drama, and dance, which I’m thrilled about.)
Kicking my stay-up-too-late habit has profoundly changed my life for the better. I know, I know – I’m prone to hyperbole. But this is legit, and I’m unbelievably grateful to myself for making this change.
We were never any good at budgeting. Not at all. Especially during our most cash-strapped times – it was far too demoralizing to look at the numbers in black and white each month when the bottom line was always red, no matter what. Not budgeting probably made things even harder, but it felt easier to ignore it at the time.
Now that we’re making enough to pay the bills, we’ve started tracking things again. I’m bound and determined to pinch every penny I can this year to pay off all of our debt.
Budgeting has become shockingly fun. (Who am I?!?)
After falling head over heels for Lorelai Gilmore and basically all of Stars Hollow in its entirety, I decided to give NBC’s Parenthood a whirl. (This poster on Etsy would make my life so complete, but I haven’t bought it because of the previously aforementioned penny-pinching.)
It’s a ridiculously brilliant show. I am especially appreciating the insightful portrayals of big feelings in common family life situations, and my inner empath is going beserk, tearing up at every other scene.
In the fall, winter, and spring, I wear a lightweight scarf all day, every day. When I leave the house, I layer a heavier knit scarf on top.
It feels like a perpetual hug, and it makes me so unreasonably happy. It’s the little things, I guess? Scrolling down this page makes me all warm and tingly.
When Chris went to Alabama last week to fly loop-de-doo’s* in airplanes, I solo parented for 7 days and 7 nights. I’ve had a lot of experience in this department, so I knew what needed done: brownies.
I made my grandmother’s brownie recipe – modified to be gluten-free, and using coconut oil because I’m toying around with going dairy-free, too. (No, I haven’t shared the recipe yet – I’m still working on replacing the white sugar with natural sweeteners. Once I’m satisfied with the modifications, I’ll share.)
They were just the reward I needed each night after the house was finally quiet and the dishwasher was humming away. (Except that the pan only lasted 4 nights. So sue me.)
*Not the technical aerobatic term, apparently.
So there you have it. These are the little things with mighty magical powers, helping me ‘greet the unknown with a cheer.’
In a cold and snowy winter, when my husband goes out of town, or works late, and we’ve living in our 13th or 14th home, and I’m battling adrenal fatigue that tries to suck the life out of me, and the kitchen faucet breaks, and nobody can find clean socks three days in a row…
I play The Glad Game.
And it saves my life.
Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site
You might have already made the organic transition, but have your children? The green movement is upon us, and we’ve already switched to using sustainable materials when building new homes and developed hybrid cars. These eco-friendly practices should have been transposed into your diet too. As an increasing number of natural food stores like Goodness Direct and organic brands surface, it is becoming easier than ever to feed your family organically.
Organic eating refers to the practice of eating food which hasn’t been chemically treated. Some people question whether the higher price of organically farmed produce actually results in better quality, healthier food. However, recent studies by experts have found positive benefits, and when it comes to your children, the findings suggest that it is well worth spending more and buying organic for them, too.
Health Benefits
Dr Therese Pasqualoni, who has spent over fourteen years researching nutrition, physical activity and stress management, has voiced concerns over children’s diets, and stressed that organic foods are far more beneficial than conventional ones. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition backed up Dr Pasqualoni’s assertions, finding that among 815 two-year olds, those who consumed organic dairy products had a reduced incidence of eczema and wheezing.
Preventing Mental Health Issues
The University of Washington conducted a study in Seattle that produced some very interesting results. Their research found that pre-schoolers who ate primarily organic foods were exposed to fewer organophosphate pesticides than children eating primarily conventional foods. This was significant as a 2006 study by the BBC had reported that pesticides found in fruit and vegetables, and the decreased nutrients in non-organic produce, could cause mental health issues like depression and memory problems in children and adults.
Battling Attention Deficit Disorder
An increasing number of children are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), a recurrent pattern of behaviour characterised by short attention spans, impulsivity and hyperactivity. This condition is usually treated with Ritalin. Ritalin is a stimulant that is used to treat daytime drowsiness and chronic fatigue syndrome. As with many drugs, it can have side-effects, including anxiety, nervousness and insomnia. A holistic alternative which avoids the risk of side effects is available in the form of a plant-based nutrition programme. The treatment works on the foundation that there is a relationship between diet and disease, working on the theory that everything the human body needs to live a long, disease-free life is provided by the Earth. High sugar consumption and a diet of processed foods and additives have been identified as possible ADD risk-factors. By eliminating the three from your diet, the theory posits that you should see an improvement. It stresses that parents should feed their children organic produce because it has the maximum nutrient density, and a minimal amount of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Now that you know the benefits of organic food for your children’s diet, shop smart and try swapping some of your more conventional shopping choices for organic alternatives.
My son is all boy. From the moment he wakes up until his head hits the pillow at bedtime, he is running. Or jumping. Or climbing. He’s on the go and has more energy than my husband and I combined.
He’s always been like this. Throughout my pregnancy, he was one wiggly, kicky little baby. And he was a squirmy newborn, an early crawler and was walking before he turned 1. While it may be a little tiring to try to keep up with him, I’m used to his high energy levels by now.
How My Family Has Dealt with Food Coloring {Accidentally Green}
Sometimes, though, all of his energy seems to take an excessive, aggressive turn. It’s been happening since he was 18 months old, and at first Prince Charming and I thought it had to do with his age. We watched Big Brother’s cheerful, energetic disposition turn aggressive – including violently and repeatedly banging his head against anything. Even concrete. We suspected something was wrong, and as his forehead began to turn deeper shades of purple with every head banging episode, we longed to help him.
I stumbled across online testimonies about other children with the same problems, but they improved when the natural food color annatto was removed from their diets. I ran to our pantry and refrigerator to search for annatto in our foods – and sure enough, the cheesy crackers we had given Big Brother for occasional snacks contained annatto, as well as the orange cheese he regularly ate and some ice pops. In an attempt to curb his extreme behavior, I threw out everything containing annatto or Red No. 40.
From that night on, the only major changes we made as a family were reading labels on food before buying, eating white cheese instead of orange cheese, sticking to fresh foods, and watching what kind of vitamins we give him. (While many vitamins include artificial colors, most naturally colored vitamins include annatto.) Surprisingly enough, those small changes have helped Big Brother change back to his normal self.
When I’ve mentioned the topic to our pediatricians throughout the years, they’ve dismissed my concern like it’s highly unlikely. I know my son, though. And I know how he acts when he does eat artificially colored foods – he’s crazed. Throw just a little bit of annatto in, and within a day or two he’s back to spazzing out and repeatedly banging his head.
For me, I don’t care what the FDA decided last week, or even what my pediatricians say about the issue. I know my son has major behavior issues when he consumes artificial colors and annatto. When they’re removed from his diet, he’s a pleasant little boy filled with energy. Does he have occasional temper tantrums? Of course. He’s 3. But they’re manageable – not alarming.
Is your child sensitive to food coloring? What steps have you taken to help him or her?
Original article and pictures take accidentallygreen.com site
Today's article is shared with the permission of Dr. Mercola. The gut microbiome is SO incredible and we are just now barely scraping the surface of this amazing part of our body. I am excited to see what the next 10, 20, 30 years brings in regards to this area of health research. I think we are going to continually become amazed at just how much our microbiome impacts our health and the health of future generations.
Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know about two amazing gut health summits that I highly recommend if people are interested in learning more about gut health, how to heal your gut, the role that gut health plays in our overall health, etc.
Sean Croxton's Digestion Sessions is an excellent resource. Sean continually puts together such amazing information in a high-quality, dynamic way. Such a vast amount of information all in an easy-to-use digital library. It is by far one of my favorite summits of all time. Learn more here.
The Heal Your Gut Summit was another favorite and featured some of my favorite speakers, as well as some new speakers that I have never heard of before. Another awesome digital library of both video and written content. Learn more here.
Your intestinal microflora—aka your microbiome—is an integral part of your immune system, and over the past several years, research has revealed that microbes of all kinds—bacteria, fungi, and even viruses—play instrumental roles in the functioning of your body.
For example, beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics, have been shown to:
Counteract inflammation and control the growth of disease-causing bacteria
Produce vitamins, amino acids (protein precursors), absorb minerals, and eliminate toxins
The composition of the microbiome varies from person to person based on factors such as diet, health history, antibiotic exposures, geographic location, and even ancestry, and it’s readily influenced by diet, chemical exposures, hygiene, and other environmental factors.
In fact, it’s become increasingly clear that destroying your gut flora with antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs, harsh environmental chemicals, and toxic foods is a primary factor in rising disease rates.
For all of these reasons, and more, I recommend a diet rich in whole organic, unprocessed foods along with traditionally cultured or fermented foods and plenty of fiber.
A high-quality probiotic supplement can also be a helpful ally to restore a healthy balance to your gut flora—especially when taking antibiotics, and/or when eating processed foods, as both of these tend to decimate the colonies of beneficial microbes in your gut.
Modern Lifestyle Depletes Beneficial Microbes
A study1,2 comparing the microbiome of the Yanomami—an indigenous tribe living in remote areas of the Amazon jungle—against those of Americans; a group of Venezuelan Amazonian indigenous people called the Guahibo; and people in Malawi in southern Africa, reveals that the modern lifestyle has dramatically altered people’s microbiome.
For all its conveniences, it takes a considerable toll on the microbes in your gut, which in turn can have far-reaching health consequences. For example, recent research3,4 suggests that repeated use of antibiotics may raise your risk for type 2 diabetes by altering the composition of your gut bacteria.
After analyzing health data from one million Britons, strong dose-dependent correlations were found between the use of certain antibiotics– penicillins, cephalosporins, quinolones, and/or macrolides specifically—and diabetes incidence. The correlation held even when other contributing factors were taken into account.
Two to five courses of penicillin increased diabetes risk by eight percent
More than five courses of penicillin increased the risk by 23 percent
Two to five courses of quinolones increased the diabetes risk by 15 percent
More than five courses of quinolones increased the risk by 37 percent
Interestingly, even the hunter-gatherer Yanomami tribe—which had never come in contact with outsiders prior to the researchers’ arrival, and have never been exposed to antibiotics—were found to harbor microbes with antibiotic-resistant genes.
“This adds persuasive evidence that bacteria already have the ability to resist antibiotics, even prior to being attacked by pharmaceutical drugs — a finding that underscores the urgency of the antibiotic crisis, where pathogenic bacteria are developing strategies for defeating even the most powerful drugs on the market.”
Americans Have Lost a Wide Variety of Health Protective Gut Microbes
In all, the Yanomami had about 50 percent greater microbial diversity than American subjects, and 30-40 percent more diversity than the Guahibo and the Malawians, the latter two of which have adopted some Western lifestyle components, such as living indoors and using antibiotics.
“As cultures around the world become more ‘Western,’ they lose bacteria species in their guts… At the same time, they start having higher incidences of chronic illnesses connected to the immune system, such as allergies, Crohn's disease, autoimmune disorders, and multiple sclerosis.
So the big question is: Are these two facts related? It's not clear if more diversity in the microbiome is healthier. But maybe we have lost species with important functions.”
Sophisticated Sanitation May Be More Detrimental to Your Microbiome Than Previously Thought
While antibiotics are indeed potent adversaries when it comes to maintaining a healthy diversity of microbes in your gut, other factors also play a significant role.
Pesticides, processed food, Caesarean sections, and an over-reliance on antimicrobial products have also contributed to the dramatic decline in the range of microbes occupying people’s guts.
In fact, another recent study7 suggests that sophisticated sanitation may be a greater factor than antibiotics when it comes to destroying microbial diversity.
Here, researchers looked at the microbiome of two indigenous populations in Papua New Guinea who, unlike the Yanomami tribe, regularly use antibiotics, yet still have significant microbial diversity in their guts. These two groups were found to have about 47 different species that Americans don’t have.
The data collected in this study suggests that lack of sanitation may be the reason for the Papua New Guineans’ microbial diversity. NPR reports:8
“Sophisticated sanitation and hygiene in Western society might be limiting the species that end up in our guts… Bacteria spread more easily from person to person in Papua New Guinea because the communities don't have sewage systems and clean drinking water. ‘Clean drinking water is one of the most important achievements of Western culture,’ [lead author Jens] Walter says. ‘It prevents the spread of infections, but it also prevents the easy exchange of our microbiomes.’”
The Importance of Fiber for a Healthy Microbiome
One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your gut health is via your diet. Beneficial microbes tend to feed on foods that are known to benefit health and vice versa. Sugar, for example, is a preferred food source for fungi that produce yeast infections and sinusitis, whereas healthy probiotic-rich foods like fermented vegetables boost populations of health-promoting bacteria, thereby disallowing potentially pathogenic colonies from taking over.
Fiber is also important for a healthy microbiome. Some of the microbes in your gut specialize in fermenting soluble fiber found in legumes, fruits, and vegetables, and the byproducts of this fermenting activity help nourish the cells lining your colon. Some of these fermentation byproducts also help calibrate your immune system, thereby preventing inflammatory disorders such as asthma and Crohn’s disease.9,10
As reported by Scientific American,11 recent research shows that simply eating more fiber can shift your microbial profile into one that is correlated with leanness. Fiber has long been considered a factor that promotes weight loss, and its impact on your gut bacteria appears to be one key mechanism responsible for this effect.
Other research has shown that microbes starved of fiber can begin feeding on the mucus lining of your gut, thereby triggering inflammation, which may promote or exacerbate any number of diseases, including ulcerative colitis.12 The study also found that in order to avoid this, you need to eat fiberevery single day.
Research published a couple of years ago also showed that common bacterial metabolites—short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)—selectively expand regulatory T cells called Tregs, which are critical for regulating intestinal inflammation.13According to one of these studies:14
“Treg cells suppress the responses of other immune cells, including those that promote inflammation. This finding provides a new link between bacterial products and a major anti-inflammatory pathway in the gut.” Other research15,16 has linked Tregs—which are fed by dietary fiber—to the prevention and reversal of metabolic syndrome, in part by stimulating oxidative metabolism in your liver and adipose tissue. So, as you can see, fiber appears to nourish microbes that in turn provide a variety of health benefits via a number of different pathways.
Probiotics Again Found Beneficial for Symptoms of Depression
Beneficial microbes also play an important role in your mental health—some researchers have even proposed that probiotics might serve the same role as antidepressants. Most recently, Psychologists Laura Steenbergen and Lorenza Colzato from the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition published a paper17 showing that people who took a multi-strain probiotic for at least four weeks reported a lessening of rumination—recurring, persistent thoughts about something distressing that has or may happen.
As explained by Dr. Steenbergen:
“Rumination is one of the most predictive vulnerability markers of depression. Persistent ruminative thoughts often precede and predict episodes of depression.”
According to Dr. Colzato:
“Even if preliminary, these results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. As such, our findings shed an interesting new light on the potential of probiotics to serve as adjuvant or preventive therapy for depression.”
Beware: Polysorbate 80 and Other Emulsifiers Can Have Adverse Effect on Your Gut Flora
A processed food diet is anathema to gut health for a number of reasons. First of all, processed foods tend to be loaded with genetically engineered ingredients of questionable safety, including corn-based fructose, which has been repeatedly shown to promote metabolic dysfunction to a greater degree than other sugars. Ingredients may also be contaminated with glyphosate (recently classified as a Class 2 A carcinogen), which can decimate gut health in a number of different ways.
Recent research published in the journal Nature18 also suggests that polysorbate 80, an emulsifier found in many processed foods (as well as vaccines) can alter your intestinal terrain, thereby promoting obesity and inflammatory health conditions. As reported by Prevent Disease:19
“The study used mice to test the effect of two common emulsifiers—carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80—on the microbiome make up and metabolism, finding that relatively low-level concentrations of the emulsifiers resulted in distinct alterations to the gut microbial ecosystem (microbiota) and led to low-grade inflammation and the onset of metabolic syndrome…
[T]he research team reported that the emulsifier-induced metabolic syndrome was associated with microbiota encroachment, altered species composition and increased pro-inflammatory potential. ‘These results support the emerging concept that perturbed host-microbiota interactions resulting in low-grade inflammation can promote adiposity and its associated metabolic effects,’ wrote the team.
Moreover, they suggest that the broad use of emulsifying agents might be contributing to an increased societal incidence of obesity/metabolic syndrome and other chronic inflammatory diseases.”
Optimizing Your Microbiome May Be One of Your Most Important Disease Prevention Strategies
Optimizing your gut flora may be one of the most important things you can do for your health, and the good news is that this isn’t very difficult. However, you do need to take proactive steps. To optimize your microbiome both inside and out, consider the following recommendations:
Do:
Eat plenty of fermented foods. Healthy choices include lassi, fermented grass-fed organic milk such as kefir, natto (fermented soy), and fermented vegetables. If you ferment your own, consider using a special starter culture that has been optimized with bacterial strains that produce high levels of vitamin K2. This is an inexpensive way to optimize your K2, which is particularly important if you’re taking a vitamin D3 supplement.
Take a probiotic supplement. Although I'm not a major proponent of taking many supplements (as I believe the majority of your nutrients need to come from food), probiotics is an exception if you don’t eat fermented foods on a regular basis.
Boost your soluble and insoluble fiber intake, focusing on vegetables, nuts, and seeds, including sprouted seeds.
Get your hands dirty in the garden. Germ-free living may not be in your best interest, as the loss of healthy bacteria can have wide-ranging influence on your mental, emotional, and physical health. According to the hygiene hypothesis, exposure to bacteria and viruses can serve as “natural vaccines” that strengthen your immune system and provide long-lasting immunity against disease. Getting your hands dirty in the garden can help reacquaint your immune system with beneficial microorganisms on the plants and in the soil.
Open your windows. For the vast majority of human history the outside was always part of the inside, and at no moment during our day were we ever really separated from nature. Today, we spend 90 percent of our lives indoors. And, although keeping the outside out does have its advantages, it has also changed the microbiome of your home. Research23 shows that opening a window and increasing natural airflow can improve the diversity and health of the microbes in your home, which in turn benefit you.
Wash your dishes by hand instead of in the dishwasher. Recent research has shown that washing your dishes by hand leaves more bacteria on the dishes than dishwashers do, and that eating off these less-than-sterile dishes may actually decrease your risk of allergies by stimulating your immune system.
Avoid:
Antibiotics, unless absolutely necessary (and when you do, make sure to reseed your gut with fermented foods and/or a probiotic supplement). And while some researchers are looking into methods that might help ameliorate the destruction of beneficial bacteria by antibiotics,20,21 your best bet is likely always going to be reseeding your gut with probiotics from fermented and cultured foods and/or a high-quality probiotic supplement.
Conventionally-raised meats and other animal products, as CAFO animals are routinely fed low-dose antibiotics, plus genetically engineered grains loaded with glyphosate, which is widely known to kill many bacteria.
Chlorinated and/or fluoridated water.
Processed foods. Excessive sugars, along with otherwise “dead” nutrients, feed pathogenic bacteria. Food emulsifiers such as polysorbate 80, lecithin, carrageenan, polyglycerols, and xanthan gum also appear to have an adverse effect on your gut flora.22Unless 100% organic, they may also contain GMOs that tend to be heavily contaminated with pesticides such as glyphosate.
Agricultural chemicals, glyphosate (RoundUp) in particular.
Antibacterial soap, as they too kill off both good and bad bacteria, and contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistance.
Original article and pictures take www.deliciousobsessions.com site
How I’m Helping My Daughter’s Special Needs via Swagbucks, Surveys, and Coupon Apps
Testimonial from Samantha
About 9 months ago, we found out that my daughter had autism, it was a shock and has been something we have spent these last 9 months dealing with, as well as proactively seeking treatment for her.
We have gone the traditional routes with speech, occupational, and physical therapies for her (which are thankfully covered by insurance) as well as the biomedical route.
We also immediately started her on a Gluten-free, Casein-free diet. It is expensive but I have been able to find great deals using the coupons and match-up from your weekly Organic and Natural coupon posts.
One thing that kept coming up in my web research was a cookbook called “Special Diets for Special Kids“. I really wanted this cookbook, but couldn’t justify the splurge on our already tight budget — so I check my Swagbucks and saw that I had enough gift cards to cash out for $25 (which was enough to pay for the book!)
Another route I have been researching (and was happy to see your post on) was essential oils. I am trying go avoid medications whenever possible, but still keep my family healthy.
While we are somewhat obsessive about hand washing and have started taking a daily multivitamin and even probiotics, I wanted to try some essential oils too. I have been able to purchase “Essential Oils for the Healthy Child” as well as few synergy blends from Plant Therapy using my various on-line earnings, as well as a sample pack from Native American Nutritionals.
So how have I been able to make money online?
Most of the ideas below came directly from your website!!
1. Swagbucks:
I try to run the Swagbucks TV app on my phone or tablet throughout the day as well as do the Daily Poll, Encrave, NOSO, and Discover Content.
While I don’t do those every day or even every week, when I get a free moment or while I’m watching TV with my husband, I will do a few surveys. I have earned about $10 or more from each of those survey companies — which I then cash out to my PayPal account.
I check each of those after a trip to the grocery store and upload receipts to those for matching offers. Most of those have a PayPal option as well, which I often choose.
This has been a hard year for us, both emotionally and financially, with little money to throw around. But with using my precious free time (I don’t have much as a mommy to 2 preschoolers and an infant) I have been able to make a bit of extra cash to purchase some helpful items for my daughter and my family as a whole.
Thank you!
Original article and pictures take moneysavingmom.com site
How I stopped yelling at my kids… & how it’s changed our home
I thought I was a patient person… then I had kids.
I said I’d never yell at my kids… and then I had kids.
I pictured myself as a sweet, loving, always-cheerful mom… then I had kids.
Motherhood has stretched me and humbled me. It’s brought out the best in me and the worst in me. And, recently, with all the processing of our big move, there has been a lot more of the worst and very little of the best.
I found myself snapping at my kids more and more frequently, which only served to frustrate me. The more I snapped at my kids, the more frustrated I was at myself. And the more frustrated I was at myself, the more I’d snap at my kids.
It was a vicious cycle and I felt trapped.
One night, I was up late thinking of the kind of mom I’d been and feeling so ashamed of my behavior and the example I was setting before my kids. I started praying and asking God to help me to love my children, to help me have patience with them, and to stop getting so angry with them.
My 4-Week Commitment
As I was praying, an idea birthed in my head. I decided to make a commitment to my husband for the next 4 weeks.
I woke Jesse up to tell him my commitment (I have such a gracious husband — poor guy!). It was this: every time I was tempted to lash out at a child I would, instead, find a very practical way to love that child.
It was a BIG commitment, but he agreed that he thought I could do it and said he was willing to hold me accountable. I went to bed resolving that, by God’s grace, I was going to change the tone in our home.
It Was SO Hard
The first day was very, very hard. One child in particular has been getting on my every last nerve recently. This child knows how to push buttons and seems to make a game of trying to see how much they can annoy me.
Well, the first few hours on that first day of my 4-week commitment, this child tried all their usual tactics. I didn’t get frustrated. I didn’t yell. I didn’t even raise my voice.
Oh, it was very hard. But I’m a stubborn person and I was determined to stick with my commitment to my husband.
Instead, of lashing out, I asked this child to come snuggle next to me. I poured love, love, and more love.
The Change Has Been Amazing!
Within a few hours, this child’s attitude had drastically changed. They were calm, happy, and asking what they could do to help me. I could not believe it!
And this only continued for the next few days. Until finally, I felt like I almost had a completely different child living in my home. It was amazing!
We’re now headed into week #4 of my commitment and I can safely say that this one change in me has changed the tone in our whole home. My children are more helpful and respectful. I am so much happier. Jesse is happier because we’re happier. And our home is much, much calmer.
All because I’m choosing to love instead of lash out.
I decided my 4-week experiment was a smashing success. And I’m going to extend it for another 40 years. Or something like that. ��
To help me remember to choose love instead of lashing out, I’ve been wearing this bracelet. It came shortly after I made this commitment. It’s a Mother’s Bracelet from Spark of Amber and it has amber beads — which are supposed to be calming — plus, a bead birthstone for each child.
I received mine as a review product for an upcoming giveaway I’m doing and I’ve decided it’s my physical reminder to stay calm with my children. It’s been surprising to me how having this physical reminder has worked so well. It might sound silly, but every time I see the bracelet on my wrist — which is often! — it reminds me, “Stay calm. Love. Love. Love. Don’t lash out.”
P.S. Another change we made around the same time was to have our children be completely electronics-free (no TV, movies, iPads, etc.) except for family movie night. This has also made a HUGE difference in our home… I’ll have to do a post on that sometime, too!
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Original article and pictures take moneysavingmom.com site
How I Started Using Essential Oils (and the Mistakes I Made…So You Don’t)
I started using essential oils many years ago, but it’s been a journey for me. Here’s my story…and the mistakes I made (to hopefully spare you!).
I started using essential oils because I wanted sleep and for my husband to stop snoring! After I had addressed those issues, I started wondering…. “What else could these do?”
It felt a little crazy to me at first. (And my extended family tended to second that idea!)
But I felt so drawn to the oils, I knew there was something there.
I tried several different brands and talked to different reps to find the right fit for me. At first, I didn’t even know what I was looking for, but once I found it, I knew. So, to save you some time and effort, I thought maybe I would start my blogging here at Keeper of the Home with that information: the WHY and WHERE of essential oils.
Why use essential oils?
The words I typically hear people use when talking about WHY to use essential oils are EMPOWER, NATURAL, SUPPORT, CONTROL.
But when I was just getting started, those words didn’t mean too much to me.
Empower what? Control who?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to feel in control of … well, of everything! But I did not realize I could be in control of my health! I had been blind in thinking I had to follow the status quo and react to things in my home rather than be proactive and preventative.
Once that mindset changed, I knew essential oils would be a critical piece of my home life.
Now these words started to mean more to me. I wanted to be in CONTROL of my choices. I wanted to feel EMPOWERED to handle issues as they came up in my home and to support our bodies naturally. All of a sudden I was like this Supermom with all the power in the universe! Though I say that jokingly, it was also true in a sense.
Finding the right essential oils
In my research, I realized that brands mattered and not all oils were created equal. I realized that if I wanted to have the power of this essential oils universe, I needed to choose wisely.
I bought about four different brands when I first started. The two critical things I learned to look for were QUALITY and EDUCATION.
The first bottles I bought from off the shelf were adequate but a little off somehow. One bottle actually crystallized into glass in under a month! And there was no one to tell me what to do or how to do it. I asked the clerks but they really didn’t know any more about oils than they did about organic cheese!
Next, I bought from one direct sales company through a casual acquaintance. She sent me a couple recipes for my oils and a reference book that probably was helpful, but I didn’t know enough to find anything in it. I asked for more help but it was limited.
Finally, I went to a class with my cousin who told me this experience would be different. And although I was highly doubtful and not planning to buy anything else at that point, it was different right away. The education was the piece I was missing. I bought another kit and switched brands right away.
From that point on, the mentor I had signed up with supported me and was always ready to provide tips and talk about options to use my oils. I received another book but she assured me she would look things up for me until I got the hang of it.
This led to one of my pivotal moments with the oils. Approximately one month after getting my second kit of oils, my youngest started kindergarten. Two weeks into the beginning of the year, she developed some chest irritation and I felt like supermom. Here we go!! I will get to use my oils to solve the world’s problems!!
Hmmm…. Not so much. I read the book, put things in her diffuser, put things on her feet…. Put more in her diffuser… tried a different blend. Nothing!
What?! This was supposed to EMPOWER me!! I felt defeated. (And trust me, that was not the first time!)
Finding the right options to support your body can be tricky and we all have those times that things just don’t seem to work. This is why good support is critical.
My mentor saw a Facebook post I made and told me to come over. She looked into several things and recommended two oils for us: Ylang Ylang and Geranium. Wait, these are not related to occasional chest discomfort! BUT, they ARE related to stress, separation, grief, sensitivity….. OHHHHH! Psychologist mom had totally missed the point.
Our bodies will reflect our emotional state and I had missed that completely. Major mom fail! But redemption came from using those oils (my mentor gave me samples – another important thing when you need something right away), and the irritation eased in a couple of days.
My recommendations for essential oils
So, my two recommendations when you choose the right oils for you: know your company and know the quality of the oils you are choosing.
It is always best to buy directly from the distributor so you know no tampering has taken place.
Second, make sure you sign up with someone willing to provide ongoing support and education. That continuing education has been critical for me in using my oils regularly and growing in the journey of controlling my home and empowering our path in stewarding our lives effectively!
I hope that helps you make some decisions for your home, and I would love to provide you the mentoring offered to me with oils you already have or oils you would like to try. Let’s get out there and enjoy the beauty of these amazing options!
Have you tried using essential oils? What’s your experience?
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Ann Timm
Ann Timm considers herself blessed to be the wife of a Christ follower and mother to six amazingly cool kids. She strives to keep a happy, healthy home, although she openly admits to failing often. She loves to share her foibles and encourage other women on their journey to healthy living.
How I Overcame Fear and Learned to Trust Natural Healing & You can Too
Most of us, including myself, trusted everything we were told about health and healing when we were growing up. Whether the advice came from a doctor, a relative, a college professor, or our own Mother – we believed it, didn't question it, and took the advice. For a long time, the answers to illnesses and health concerns in our society have all come in the form of a prescription or an over the counter medication. For the first 27 years of my life I accepted that medication was the only answer to my health concerns but after not seeing the results I desired time after time – I started asking questions.
Those questions led to a lifelong journey of learning about health and wellness. Since I started this journey it's been a never ending cycle of experimentation with different diets, remedies, healing therapies, and self care routines. Some things worked and some things did not.
I have not taken a prescription medication in over 7 years but there were undeniably a handful of times when I almost did. Sometimes it's scary – especially when it comes to our children. When everyone is telling you to use Children's Tylenol for a fever and your child is clearly uncomfortable it is hard to stick to your beliefs. To be clear, I am certainly not saying that you should not take a prescription medication because there are instances where they are needed (such as Lyme disease and other serious conditions) but I have been lucky to not be in that situation. I was recently reflecting on how I've gotten here – to a place of being confident in natural healing (because I wasn't always this way).
Find a Physician that believes in Natural healing
One of the most impactful things for me has been having the support of a Holistic Pediatrician that believes in a healthy diet and natural healing first. Although it was hard experimenting on myself, it was even harder to do with my children. I didn't ever want my children's health to be left up to an experiment. Having the support of a Holistic Doctor who already knows what works and knows when medication is needed and not needed has been crucial to my transformation. There were times over the years that I've questioned the protocol or I couldn't stand seeing my child feel ill and I want to just give up and buy the over the counter medication but my Pediatrician talked me off the ledge and I stuck to the plan. Every time it has worked and my child has healed by using things that support her immune system instead of masking symptoms and making healing more difficult.
Make friends with people who believe in natural healing
Having a community of Moms around you who also believe in natural healing is invaluable. It's tough to have all “conventional” Mom friends because when you are dealing with an illness their advice is always to give them Tylenol (what's wrong with Tylenol you wonder? Read this post) or decongestant, or any other over the counter medication. It's great to have a few “natural” Moms around to talk to about what is going on with your child for ideas or just support. It really raises my confidence in natural healing when I see others getting results (then I know I'm not crazy). If there is a group in your area – I highly recommend joining The Holistic Moms Network.
Never stop learning
Natural healing and wellness is a journey. I am constantly learning and trying new ways of healing our ailments. Natural healing works but sometimes it takes a little patience and diligence. The frequency and consistency of some remedies is of utmost importance so that is something to always keep in mind – don't give up too quick. Taking courses (especially my education and Institute for Integrative Nutrition), reading books, trying new things, and talking to holistic practitioners are some of the ways I always keep learning about natural healing. The more and more you see the results from natural healing the more your confidence will grow in it's power.
What holds you back from using natural healing methods? What conventional things are you not ready to give up? Share in the comments below.
Original article and pictures take theholisticmama.com site
