Monday, June 23, 2014

Inspiration Monday: Real Love is Hope





Imagine God's hopefulness for our lives, is it something that you can even comprehend?  Is it possible to understand the power that hope affords us.  The hope affords us the ability to trust in the possibility of unconditional love, of unprecedented extravagance, on our behalf!  On your behalf sister!  It really is absolutely outrageous.  
 
I was so blessed to have this wonderful devotion written by Jill Savage delivered to my inbox by Proverbs 31 Ministries. 

 So glad that you could visit on this Monday morning - I know staring down at the calendar of a full week in front of you can be daunting but hold on sisters!  We've got a God who loves us and will give us the strength we need.  As you enter into the hard tasks - the floor mopping, bathroom scrubbing, nose wiping, report writing, work emailing - know that you are doing all of this for a bigger purpose.  Be purposeful in all that you do this week, starting with taking a moment to invite in the one who gave you this day and rejoice!  Without Him it would be impossible but now you can truly be fearless!

Please join us for Inspiration Monday by sharing your favorite inspiration with us!


Friday, June 20, 2014

21/52: Tiger Legs!

 
Unfortunately at Ainsley's school they "reward" the kids by writing happy faces on their hands (which we kindly asked them to not do) however Ainsley clearly received the message that it is ok to write all over her body....this weekend she colored on her legs and she looked like a tiger and a very naughty one at that. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Summer Reading List

Having a toddler and working fulfill doesn’t mean there is any build up to summer break or anticipation of lazy summer days, if anything summer is a more hectic time in our house as our schedules are effected by others vacation.  I do appreciate the change in seasons as an opportunity to refresh and renew.  My bible study gals always choose a summer reading book that doesn’t have any homework and usually relates to parenting.  Last year I suggested this awesome book that they choose to do but I was MIA for the whole study because I had started a new job with a long commute.  I added it to the bottom of my list because I highly recommend it and I really *should* be reading it again.  

Below is the list of books that I’m going to try and read during this summer.  I’ve actually already started Half the Church and I have to say that it is pretty great!!! 


Summer Reading List:

Half the Church 
by Carolyn Custis James 

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life 
by Joyce Meyer 

The Power of a Praying Parent 
by Stormie O’Martin 

Spiritual Parenting 
by Michelle Anthony 



Check out what other exciting summer reading lists are circulating around these parts - Jones Design Co., The Modest Mom Blog, and The Art of Simple. What are you planning to read this summer?  

Monday, June 16, 2014

Happy Father’s Day (A Little Late)

This year for Father’s Day things were fairly low key at our house.  We spent the weekend catching up on things around the house and Sunday grandma ended up watching the munchkin while Dad and I bough kitchen cabinets and countertops for the Eureka house.  Ainsley continues to be such a delight to be around and we truly enjoy each day we get to spend with her! So much so that Dad even kept her home from school one day last week so they could “hang out” which included getting milkshakes from In and Out.  We love this stage so much but are still unsure we could go through the whole baby stage again.  I’m coming to realize I could do the whole labor and delivery thing again but only with drugs from the beginning!  Below are some happy pics from the weekend as well as Wes’ father’s days present.  


Ains and I had these awesome 4x4 "Retro" cards printed by Snapfish for Father's Day.  They turned out great and they are on amazing paper.  (Please disregard my horrible spelling error!  ehh!) 





Inspiration Monday: Beauty and Gold

If U have a daughter....1 Peter 3:3 for a sign in her bathroom


Your heart is beautiful, your mind is fabulous, and your spirit is whimsical and these are where you should be finding your beauty my dear sister. Look not on your own understanding of beauty, and certainly not on the world's understanding of beauty but make sure that you are focusing your thoughts and your mind on the words of Peter - the beauty that you are searching for will never disappear once found. 

Inspiration here - Thorns or Flowers


 So glad that you could visit on this Monday morning - I know staring down at the calendar of a full week in front of you can be daunting but hold on sisters!  We've got a God who loves us and will give us the strength we need.  As you enter into the hard tasks - the floor mopping, bathroom scrubbing, nose wiping, report writing, work emailing - know that you are doing all of this for a bigger purpose.  Be purposeful in all that you do this week, starting with taking a moment to invite in the one who gave you this day and rejoice!  Without Him it would be impossible but now you can truly be fearless!

Please join us for Inspiration Monday by sharing your favorite inspiration with us!


Friday, June 13, 2014

Friday, June 6, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

Monday, May 26, 2014

Inspiration Monday: You Don't Understand, but He does


We don't understand much sisters. Nothing at all really.  It takes the inspired to point us to the truth.  Ask Him to inspire you today.  Ask Him to set you apart.  Ask Him to make you different. There is much we don't understand but there is much He is willing to give.  Be comfortable in the incomprehensible and rejoice in the knowledge of redemption.
Inspiration from the Story of Barnabas

 So glad that you could visit on this Monday morning - I know staring down at the calendar of a full week in front of you can be daunting but hold on sisters!  We've got a God who loves us and will give us the strength we need.  As you enter into the hard tasks - the floor mopping, bathroom scrubbing, nose wiping, report writing, work emailing - know that you are doing all of this for a bigger purpose.  Be purposeful in all that you do this week, starting with taking a moment to invite in the one who gave you this day and rejoice!  Without Him it would be impossible but now you can truly be fearless!

Please join us for Inspiration Monday by sharing your favorite inspiration with us!


Monday, May 19, 2014

Inspiration Monday: Bind My Wandering Heart to Thee




Bind my wandering heart.  To Thee.  Lord, bind my wandering heart, my wandering mind, my wandering spirit.  Bind it up and hold it, keep it safe.  My heart is must free when it is bound the best dreamer of all, the Creator.  
Spiritual Inspiration - Oceans.


 So glad that you could visit on this Monday morning - I know staring down at the calendar of a full week in front of you can be daunting but hold on sisters!  We've got a God who loves us and will give us the strength we need.  As you enter into the hard tasks - the floor mopping, bathroom scrubbing, nose wiping, report writing, work emailing - know that you are doing all of this for a bigger purpose.  Be purposeful in all that you do this week, starting with taking a moment to invite in the one who gave you this day and rejoice!  Without Him it would be impossible but now you can truly be fearless!

Please join us for Inspiration Monday by sharing your favorite inspiration with us!


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Daily Proverb

 
Some days I'm feeling uninspired or uncommitted to a specific study to read during my time with the Lord.  When those days come I go with the old adage, a Proverb a day keeps the devil away.  I turn to Proverbs and read the chapter that corresponds to the date.  God knew what He was doing when He gave us an inspiring book of the Bible that has exactly 31 days - He made it simple for us.  When you don't where you are going, when you need inspiration, when you need direction, or when you need ground, turn to Proverbs. 
The past few weeks I've been filling uninspired but trying to remain faithful to my daily time so I've been reading a Proverb a day.  I've been inspired by the directness of each Proverb - it's moving and convicting all at once.  As I work my way through each Proverb I begin to see this great cavasis opening up, the righteous on one side and the heathen on the other, and I am standing in the middle.  Daily I make a choice to be obedient and to stand with the righteous but how quickly we are slowly drawn down into the cool shallow waters and how quickly the wind sweeps up and we find ourselves standing right next to the adulterer, the gossip, the wicked, and thank goodness each morning starts with a Proverb to cleanse, restore, and set us back on the banks of the righteous and we have the opportunity to do it all over again.
Over and over in Proverbs I continue to run into the word "diligent".  As it continued to stand out to me, I couldn't help but begin circling them in my Bible.  Diligent hands will rule.  The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.  The diligent are careful and persistent in their efforts through hard work.  This is not a simple faith to live and it requires daily diligence and being pulled back to the banks of the righteous.  If I am diligent to be faithful to the calling I will find that I am always set upon the rocks of the righteous.   Those rocks steady my feet and keep the current from whisking me away up stream to a place that I can't get back from.  
Where in your life are you being whisked upstream?  Do you need to be set upon the rocks of the righteous?

"Diligent hands will rule" - Proverb 12:24
"The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" - Proverb 13:4

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Naturally Boosting Baby's Immunity

 
 My little corner of the office is always buzzing with talk of babies, gut health, baby led weaning, breastfeeding, and natural remedies.  I'm constantly sharing my stories of success and failure in the mommy world.  It's hard for us full time working mommies to have sick children.  It's not just hard on our work loads, job stability, and sleep consumption - it wears on our hearts. We constantly feel guilty that we should be home with our babies and not exposing them to the crazy germs they encounter at school, or that we should have breastfed them longer, or that we should have pumped more so they would be supplemented less.  And that's not to say the mom that is home with her babies and working through her own struggles isn't just as concerned because let's be honest, being a mom and having a sick kid is the worst.  It's by far one of the hardest parenting challenges and as mom's our hearts are broken by every sniffle and ear infection.
When Ainsley started to go to school at 12 months she had a large dip in her immune system and again at 17 months after weaning herself from the boob, I was desperate to find ways to boost her immune system.  There were so many options out there and there are so many regimes you can follow.  I have my own cold/flu regime for onset sickness that we follow in our house but the reality is that it is not sustainable nor is it affordable (those supplements sure can add up!).  We work really hard to boost Ainsley's immunity through diet, sunshine, and walking in the dirt (much to my husband's bewilderment) but my mommy heart needs to know that I am also working hard to boost her immune system before the onset of some crazy bug - and for me the worst bug is the ear infection bug, I'm seriously traumatized by our old pediatrician (which is another story for another day). 

I've spent the past 6 months changing around our strategy for building Ainsley's immune system.  I now feel like we have a system that works for us, is easy (so easy even grandma and my husband do it!), and doesn't cost a fortune.  I follow the regime below as well as make sure she is eating a whole clean organic foods with limited dairy intake.  For example, last night this is what I packed in her lunch - steak, cucumbers, strawberries, oranges, yogurt, applesauce, and pretzels for the car ride home.  We try to limit dairy and gluten as much as we can and we are closer to a 80/20 rule.  The pretzel are easy and not too messy snack for the car ride home...and it was 10pm and I needed to be done packing her lunch!
Daily:
-Foot Spray of essentials oils made up of 3 parts of each, in-fractionated coconut oil, Melaleuca, Euclyptus.  She gets about 2 sprays on the bottom of her feet each night.  We use Doterra Essential Oils (http://www.mydoterra.com/kelliemacpherson/) as they are Certified Therapeutic Grade Oils (start here if you are interested in learning more about essential oils and getting a free oil training). 
-2-4 drops of GSE (grapefruit seed extract) in mouth -
This is the kind I use: http://www.vitaminmom.com/nutribiotic-gse-grapefruit-seed-extract-liquid-concentrate-2-oz

-Elderberry
I’ve used this one before: http://www.vitaminmom.com/natures-way-sambucus-original-bio-certified-black-elderberry-syrup-4-oz?search=elderberry&page=2
(just make sure you don’t get the one with honey in it)
At my nutrition store they have just plain Elderberry that I really like but it’s not online to send you a link

-Probiotics

 If we make smoothies I put this in Ainsley’s: https://www.google.com/shopping/product/18190792491813047268?sclient=psy-ab&q=garden+of+life+probiotics+kids&oq=garden+of+life+probiotics+kids&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.66111022,d.cGU,pv.xjs.s.en_US.JLS3u7WEd-4.O&biw=1920&bih=955&tch=1&ech=1&psi=f1NpU_i8Aon5oASxzYL4AQ.1399411609437.3&ei=oFNpU5H3PML1oAThwoBg&ved=0CGYQqSswAA

If we don’t make smoothies I open up these capsules and put some on her gums - http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Now-Pro-Biotic-Acidophilus-Capsules/dp/B000F4WWI4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1399411695&sr=8-9&keywords=probiotics

This is the kind I take - https://www.google.com/shopping/product/11050878709152096320?biw=1920&bih=955&output=search&q=garden+of+life+probiotics&oq=garden+of+life+probiotics&ei=f1NpU_i8Aon5oASxzYL4AQ&ved=0CGUQqSswAAor this one: http://www.amazon.com/Renew-Life-Ultimate-50-Billion/dp/B001LIW11Q/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1399411695&sr=8-10&keywords=probiotics


Every Friday:

-Everyone gets Vitamin D drops in mouth
                This is the kind I use: https://www.google.com/shopping/product/110137235809811439?sclient=psy-ab&q=vitamin+d+drops+now&oq=vitamin+d+drops+now&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.66111022,d.cGU,pv.xjs.s.en_US.JLS3u7WEd-4.O&biw=1920&bih=955&tch=1&ech=1&psi=mFJpU4m8IcyGogSquoGoDw.1399411353140.17&ei=Y1NpU9epNI7uoASn9oGIBQ&ved=0CGoQpiswAA

Twice a week:

Everyone gets drops of Colloidial Silver
This is the kind I use: http://www.vitaminmom.com/source-natural-wellness-colloidal-silver-30-ppm-2-oz?search=silver&page=2


Articles worth browsing (aka Bart or nap time reading):

How to Establish a Healthy Gut in your Primal Baby

Hey Momma's - Just so you know, PG's statements are provided for informational purposes only.  They are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness.  Information provided by PG should not be construed as medical advice.  No statements made have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  Please discuss your personal health, including options or ideas you may hear (from PG and others) with your personal, qualified health practitioner before making changes.  We are not responsible for any adverse outcomes associated with using or misconstruing advice or information PG has provided.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Inspiration Monday: Your Will, God's Will


Photo Credit

Has your will be formed and shaped and crafted into God's will?  Like to cords woven together, they battle, the intertwine messily, but together they are beautiful.  Don't forget the beauty of a will and heart being transformed for in the fiery mess there is beauty of the unknown and patience in hope.
Inspiration from The Certainty of Faith

 So glad that you could visit on this Monday morning - I know staring down at the calendar of a full week in front of you can be daunting but hold on sisters!  We've got a God who loves us and will give us the strength we need.  As you enter into the hard tasks - the floor mopping, bathroom scrubbing, nose wiping, report writing, work emailing - know that you are doing all of this for a bigger purpose.  Be purposeful in all that you do this week, starting with taking a moment to invite in the one who gave you this day and rejoice!  Without Him it would be impossible but now you can truly be fearless!

Please join us for Inspiration Monday by sharing your favorite inspiration with us!


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Natural Teeting Remedies



Just finished up lunch with my work gals and the topic that kicked off our conversation today was teething.  I feel like there are really great resources out there and many a better blogger then I have written posts on teething.  I'm not going to bore you with crazy details and explanation however below you will find my running list of tips and tricks that I felt worked best for us as well as links to other bloggers that I follow and their reviews. 

Amber Necklace
Effectiveness:  High, can't live without it (husband and I joke that our baby girl turns into a monseter without it)
Tips:  Only buy from Inspired by Finn, http://hyenacart.com/stores/inspiredbyfinn/, there are a lot of amber imposters out there and if someone tells me that they don't think the amber is working I often ask where they got it because imposter amber is usually the issue.

Highland Teething Tabs
Effectiveness: Moderate - High
Tips:  I'm not in love with the idea of giving my 2 month old teether (yes she started that young!) tylenol but more important I am a fan of sleep and when I give her tylenol she does not sleep.  I love highland teething tabs because they help sooth her to sleep. 

Essential Oils
Effectiveness: High
Tips:  Apply lavender oil to feet to help with overall calmness, apply clove and white fir to gums (diluted with a carrier oil) to the gums.  Note - be extremely careful to only get the clove oil on the gums, it's extremely strong! I love putting deep blue on the jaw line for teething pain or TMJ.  Here's a link to find these oils - http://www.mydoterra.com/kelliemacpherson/. 

Cold or Frozen Stuff
Effectiveness: Moderate (and entertaining)
Tips:  I found success with cucumbers and celery straight from the fridge and I know others found success with frozen wash cloths, either way babies will love having something cold to numb and chew on for relief.

 Chamomile Tincture
Effectiveness:  Moderate - High
There are SO many other teething options to try but the above is what worked the best for us.  I would love to hear some other suggestions?  Ainsley is working on 2 year molars...always open for tips!!!