Category: Holistic Living

Posted on

Healing Disordered Eating, Part 2

Disordered eating is not just about eating disorders. It’s not just starving, bingeing or purging yourself. It’s restricting yourself in the name of dieting or losing a few pounds. It’s berating yourself when you “screw up” and bemoaning all the “bad” foods you ate. It’s forcing yourself to work out more later because of what you ate earlier. It’s calories in, calories out with complete disregard for the human being who has thoughts and feelings that are so much more important. Disordered eating holds you back from living.

In part 1, I talked about kindness and how important kindness is for ourselves and the world around us. So what’s part 2? Part 2 is curiosity. Curiosity is one of those mentalities that can determine whether you’re going to accuse someone, get in a fight with someone or just discover more about how a person works. Curiosity gives you the ability to discover things about yourself and others in a way that’s not inflammatory, not belittling and not accusatory.

I watch my kids and their curiosity, their sense of wonder about everything around them. The things that come out of my 3-year old’s mouth shock and amuse me constantly. But they’re honest, curious questions. Everything from “Do all boys have a penis, or just big boys like daddy?” Or “What is my nose stinking about? Did somebody fart?” “Why do flowers come in the spring? Don’t they like winter?” “When I was born, did I come rolling out of you, Mommy?” The questions! The innocence! The hunger for more knowledge! She’s truly interested in it all and it amazes me.

While we have matured enough (hopefully) to not go around blurting out some of these questions, we certainly can learn from them. Turn that curiosity inward, with just curiosity, not judgment or blame. “Why am I eating if I’m not hungry?” Let the answers come and accept them, consume them, learn from them. “I’m tired and it tastes good.” Okay. Okay, good. We’re getting somewhere now. “Why did I keep eating if I was full?” “Why am I choosing foods that don’t make me feel good after I eat them?” Do you see how these questions are kind and curious? They’re not hateful or mean and they elicit the kinds of responses that can help you learn more about yourself.

If you’re like me, you want to know when you get to step out of curiosity and into change… The answer is when you stop trying to step out of curiosity and into change! As long as you’re trying to change someone (including yourself), you’re not really being curious, are you? You’re being manipulative and trying to control the results. Being curious is just that: curiosity. Looking for clues. Seeking insight. Into you! Who could possibly be more interesting than you? The why’s and how’s of who you are, the what’s and where’s of how you think – these are fascinating discoveries!

When you stop trying to change and start seeking to learn, you’ll find that your curiosity has given you permission to BE. And in being free to be, you may find that you don’t have to control it all so much. By not controlling it all so much, you’re less likely to judge. By not judging, you’re able to let go. By letting go, you may find you’re not lashing out and reaching for things that you used to deem as “bad” and maybe grabbed them just to show you, to show them all that you can make yourself feel better. You can eat what you want and no one’s going to stop you! Because guess what? You don’t have to show them, or yourself, anything. You’ve been watching and asking and kindly observing how you operate and you can love those parts of yourself. You’re not “cheating” or “falling off the wagon”, you’re living and you’re aware of what you’re doing and you love yourself for taking care of yourself in whatever way you know how.

Some people fear that by letting go of the control, they’ll be eating take-out and donuts and cake until they gain 500 lbs and nobody loves them. My question is this: If you have to control yourself with such militant restraint, what pleasure is there? If you ate a donut once in a while because you wanted it and because it tastes good and because you have complete trust in yourself and compassion for who you are and why you’re eating it, wouldn’t that be a safer, more kind place to live? And wouldn’t you know that kind of trust if you’d taken the time to ask yourself a little bit about yourself? Instead of looking to a magazine that promises rapid weight loss or the latest diet craze to hit Pinterest, look inside. Find out who you are. Ask questions about what you want. How do you want to live? Who do you want to see living your life when you look back in 20 years? What do you want to eat? Right now? There’s no wrong answer. Promise.

In case this is all too vague and heady, I’m going to share with you an example of a conversation that I might have with myself:

I want a cookie.

Mmm, that sounds good. A cookie. Are you hungry?

Not really, but I want it.

Okay. I mean a cookie is just a cookie after all, but why eat it if you’re not hungry?

Well, it’s not often we have fresh baked cookies and it looks so good and I know it will taste good!

I bet it will! Fresh baked cookies are the best! So, if you really want it you should totally eat it. I’m just curious though, why don’t you wait til you’re hungry?

I don’t know. I guess I’m impatient because it’s going to taste good either way.

True. Is it possible it will taste even better when you’re hungry than it will when you’re not?

I guess.

I’m not trying to talk you out of it, really! You can have it if you want it. I’m just curious. If it will taste better when you’re hungry, what’s the harm in waiting?

I know, I know, you’re on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next, right? Well it depends. Some fears might pop up. What if I’m not hungry later and I miss out on all that fresh goodness? Well, realistically, it’s not the last cookie I’m ever going to have a chance to eat. The end of this conversation could go either way. If I want it, I’ll eat it. If I don’t really want it and I know I’m not hungry, I won’t. Either way, there’s a kind curiosity here. Do you see it?

I want this for you. I want it for all of us. Not just with food, but with life. If you don’t like how someone is acting (including yourself), you can be curious about it and separate yourself from the judgment of the action. Look deeper into the feelings and thoughts behind what’s happening and learn more about them (or yourself). Curiosity can take you deeper into relationship with others and yourself if you let it. I hope that you will.



Their curiosity and kindness has taught me more than any book ever could.
Posted on

Start Your Day with Lemon Water

Every morning, after I take my Female Balance (my favorite natural PMS remedy), I boil some water and squeeze a half of a lemon into it. This is how I start my day. Not coffee. Not food. Hot lemon water. Lemons are like a scouring pad for the body’s insides. From mouth, to throat, to stomach and intestines, lemons scrub away the gunk and start your day off right. Digestion, especially, is improved by lemon water. Having it first thing in the morning gives your kidneys a wake up call and flushes out toxins. Unlike coffee which is acidic and oily, coating the stomach walls so that you don’t properly absorb the nutrients of the food you eat, lemon water goes in and paves the way so you get the most out of all those healthy meals you prepare.

You don’t have to limit this practice to only the mornings. Drinking lemon water 15 minutes before a meal will aid in the digestion of that meal. In his book, The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, Dr. Michael Murray, N.D., lists lemon water as one of seven steps to controlling candidiasis, an overgrowth of yeast found in 1 out of 3 people! He states that the lemon water will enhance digestion. Don’t read “digestion” as just having a bowel movement; it actually means the entire process of digestion, which starts with the enzymes in your saliva before you take your first bite. Digestion also includes stomach acid breaking down your food and your body absorbing the nutrients of your food. When digestion isn’t functioning properly, no matter how well you eat, you’re not going to get the most out your meals.

I want to also tout briefly the other nutritional benefits of lemons. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, which boosts your immune system. They also contain good amounts of vitamin B6, folic acid, flavonoids potassium and limonene. Limonene is a phytochemical being studied for the dissolution of gallstones and anticancer activities. Promising stuff!

A random lemon water note: My husband has a history of kidney stones and his doctor told him drinking fresh squeezed lemon in his water everyday would keep them away. He explained that the lemon juice goes into the kidneys and breaks up the stones that may be forming. Needless to say, he gets the other half of my lemon in his water each day and knock on wood, he hasn’t had one since. It should be noted, though, that lemon peels contain high amounts of oxalates and could contribute to the formation of kidney stones.

Another random lemon water note: When my parents were visiting, my dad informed me that his dad started his day off with hot lemon water every morning also. This is something I never would have known because he passed before I was old enough to know him. He lived a long, healthy life though, with a strong constitution. Coincidence? Maybe, but I’m proud to share a habit with him that I know keeps me healthier.

Like anything, it’s a habit. Just like starting the coffee pot, waiting for it to brew and taking that first sip. Sitting down with a cup of tea. Checking your e-mail. The things you look forward to doing every day. This can be one of them. Leave the lemon squeezer, lemon and full teakettle out the night before as a reminder. Once you get into the habit of starting your day with hot lemon water, it will be easy to remember, and perhaps, like me, you’ll miss it dearly when you don’t have it.

And don’t get me started on plastic! Use a stainless steel lemon squeezer like this one:

Posted on

A New Mop for Non-Toxic Floor Cleaning

Remember that post I did on non-toxic floor cleaner? You can see it here: Non-Toxic Floor Cleaner. I still love this cleaner, but I wasn’t thrilled with the method. It worked when I had the house empty and I could pick everything up and mop and let it dry. It worked great. However, when there’s one messy floor or a spill or a sticky spot, it became wasteful to make a bucket of cleaner, only to have to clean one area. I put it in a spray bottle too, as a good friend suggested and it is one of my favorite cleaners for all surfaces, but mopping was not simple.

Then I heard about this mop in a mom’s group and I went to check it out. While it’s $31 on Target.com, it was on sale for $18 at Target. I hear the sale is over but it’s still only $19.99 now. I wanted to use it a few times before posting about it and now that I’m sure I love it, I’m sharing it with you. It is the Rubbermaid Reveal Microfiber Spray Mop System. The one on-line comes with extra microfiber pads, whereas the one in the store only has one pad. They’re washable and the bottle can be filled with the cleaner of your choice. If you want the $19.99 version and don’t have a Target near you or you want to order online, like I prefer, check out Amazon:

I’ve now used this mop more times than I can count and I only purchased it a week ago! I have quickly mopped the dining room, the bathroom, the kitchen floor or a hallway whenever I had a minute and didn’t have to wait til the kids were sleeping or the house was empty. I fill it with ¼ peroxide, 10 drops of tea tree oil and the rest water and it’s ready for me whenever I need it. I just thought you should know, in case, like me, you can only get around to mopping once a week just because there’s not enough time. This mop makes it easy!

I have no affiliation with Target or Rubbermaid. I only want to share with you because I love it! I do have an affiliate account with Amazon, and purchasing through the Amazon link above will contribute to this website (and cost you nothing extra!).

  • This is the trigger you pull to release the spray.
  • An all-in-one system that makes cleaning easy.
  • The refillable bottle snaps right in.
Posted on

Healing Disordered Eating, Part 1

 I really keep meaning to write about nutrition, supplements, and health. I have so many posts I’ve started about lemon water, meal-planning on a budget and more recipes. However, my heart is leading me elsewhere and so I follow.

I say this is “Healing Disordered Eating, Part 1” because I believe there will be many more posts on this subject because disordered eating is thick and deep and intense, as are we. So, where should we start?

    The first step to healing, the one that I had the hardest time taking, is kindness. Yup, kindness. To start with, kindness for oneself is so challenging and yet, isn’t it said that you can’t love others until you love yourself? I have to disagree. I have loved and continue to love deeply, though at times I have not loved myself. Let it be said, though, that as I have learned to be kind to myself, my love for others flows more freely and without obstacles. So, perhaps it should be said, you can’t love others freely until you are freely loving yourself.

I wish it was as easy as saying, “Be kind to yourself” and then we could move on, but it’s not. It’s a daily, hourly, by-the-minute practice. It takes conscious effort until it becomes your unconscious norm. Kind thoughts, kind feelings, kind words, kind actions…. Where, oh where do we start?

Let’s get one thing straight: Mean people suck. It’s true. They leave such a bad taste in your mouth and perhaps a PTSD feeling whenever you think about encounters you’ve had with them. I’ve been hurt so badly by people I’ve trusted and by complete strangers. These encounters are not easily forgotten. They shape our view of the world. Words can hurt. Period. I’m sure I’ve hurt many people as well and I am sorry that there have been times I was a “mean person”, or acted meanly. I’ve been most hurtful to myself. Perhaps you have too.

I hear stories about bullying and I cringe. How can people be so cruel? Of course this kind of cruelty is not just small town, schoolyard drama; people are fighting on social media, bullying on blogs, and just being violent and hateful in general. And so it spreads to a national and global level that makes me scared for my children, for all children. And then it just makes me angry.

Before my anxiety and frustration can run rampant, I have to bring it home and I invite you to do the same. Start with yourself. Affirmations go a LONG way. (A quick aside: I practiced an affirmation every day for a few months that stated, “I run five miles effortlessly.” At the time I started the affirmation, I was walking and jogging two to three miles every other day. A couple months in, I truly was running five miles and it was effortless. Making a long story short, it worked!) When a negative thought comes into your mind, try adding, “And I love myself.” Or say, “I am loveable.” Because you are. I know it. Some affirmations to try are the following: “I eat when I’m hungry. I stop when I’m full.” “I am beautiful, healthy and strong.” “I am kind to myself.” “I take care of myself.”

Be nice. To yourself, to others, to all. I don’t have all the answers to the cruelty that exists in the world, but I know it starts somewhere deep within, some kind of wound that festers and breeds all kinds of ugliness. So heal it. Heal deep down inside, the places that you don’t want people to see and the places that cause you to lash out at others when they get too close. The insecurities. The failures. The “I’m not good enough’s”. Speak kind words into those places.

  I’m sorry if you thought this was going to be a step-by-step posting on how to cure your roller-coaster dieting or your binge eating struggles. I wish I could give that to you, but it starts deep within. It starts with kindness. That first, giant step is one that will lead you on a path of complete healing. I can almost guarantee it. When you eat something you think is “bad”, try saying, “I ate this and I am still loveable.” Step off the scale and step into your life because it’s moving forward and you deserve to live it. Stop agonizing over it. Stop bullying yourself. This kindness that your spirit so desperately needs is waiting for you. Speak it. Find it. Feel it. If you want off the roller-coaster and you want to feel comfortable in your own skin again, the exit, the starting line, the journey, and the destination are all at the same place: Here. Now.

I do offer intuitive eating coaching sessions and will continue to post Parts 2, 3, 4 and however many I come up with for this subject of disordered eating that is so near and dear to my heart. For now though, practice kindness.

Posted on

My Affair with Wheat & Gluten and How it Ended

Today is my 35th birthday. It’s pretty surreal actually… Getting older and all that jazz. Being a mom to two lovely babies. Being a wife to an incredible husband. Turning 35… Anyway, happy birthday to me! Today also marks another turn in my journey with food.

I gave up gluten when I was in grad school. It was a new concept to me, but as I pursued the nutrition specialty for my degree, I thought, “Maybe there’s something here.” So, I played around with giving it up and I felt better and better as time went on. Gone were the bloating, gas, cramps and unpredictable digestive upsets. Increased energy, clearer skin and regularity arrived in their place. Gluten-free became less of a learning curve and more of a way of life. I learned about gluten-free baking, flours, cookies, packaged products and how to avoid the hidden sources of gluten. I encouraged others to do the same and I have literally worked my practice around the removal of allergens, like gluten.

But I cheated. I hate to use that word, but that’s what it was. I believe in moderation. I believe in obeying cravings. Still, if I’m sensitive to a food and I eat it, I’m cheating. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was just turning the corner from vegan to omnivore and I ate no less than three burgers a week from In-N-Out (aaaah, I miss them!). I didn’t think about the gluten, I just knew I wanted a burger! I was a 90% gluten-free person. I didn’t buy it and I didn’t bring it home, but I would have a bite here and there when I was at restaurants or social events. However, pregnancy seemed to be an especially gluten-filled time.

After the birth of my second child, we discovered that she was allergic to wheat (via a blood test at nine months of age). She had low markers, but considering how little I consumed, we removed it completely from her diet and mine. It wasn’t that hard, considering how familiar I was with a gluten-free lifestyle. Still, I missed it. The occasional hamburger (with bun, from Five Guys… it’s not In-N-Out but it does in a pinch), or naan from an Indian restaurant, or just a good ol’ fashioned piece of real bread made me swoon. I continued to eat gluten-free until my daughter weaned herself at 14 months. Her eczema cleared up quickly and we went about our lives.

When she weaned, I couldn’t wait for a taste. I was so excited. I just had a little here and there and I loved every bite. Then, this summer, I started having reactions. We weren’t sure what they were from but they were serious. They involved rashes, and throat swelling, itching inside and out and extreme lethargy. Benadryl kept me out of the hospital, barely. It also exhausted me for a day or so after using it. Then I discovered HistaEze, which I HIGHLY recommend. It has none of the side effects of Benadryl and all of the necessary ingredients to stop allergies in their tracks (whether seasonal or situational). Still, we needed to know the cause. I started to have increasing anxiety about going places just in case I had another attack. With five attacks in two months, I contacted an allergist and set up an appointment.

My appointment was yesterday. I had a back scratch test done and wheat flared up instantly. By the time the 15-minute wait was over, it was taking over the other tests on my back. As the allergist said, “We found our smoking gun.” Somewhere between pregnancy, nursing, giving up gluten and taking it back, wheat and my body had a horrible disagreement. The Gluten Doctors have a great blog that I read and they also agree cheating is not an option – read more here.

The red “H” up top is the histamine control and the big red dot below is wheat… after one minute.

So, I start the next year of my life armed with two epi-pens and a bunch of paperwork that basically tells me to never eat wheat again. No more splurges. No more tastes. Apparently, exposure can lead to increasingly worse reactions and I’m not up for that. No taste can compare to living a long and healthy life with my family. It’s been a torrid affair and it’s over.

Yes, I know how to live wheat and gluten free. Yes, I can help you learn too. But only time can help me say goodbye. Food is a powerful force in our lives. It’s associated with pleasure and celebration, comfort and joy. It’s okay to mourn. But it’s not okay to deny it or lie to myself about it. Like any bad breakup, it might include some wine, chocolate and a chick flick, but I’ll get through this!

Posted on

Holistic Remedies for the Common Cold

It’s so much easier to think and read about cold remedies when you’re not sick. At least it is for me! When I’m sick, I can’t even read, let alone make some fancy concoction. This is the predicament I found myself in last week when my baby girls and myself were laid out flat with really bad colds.

Oh a cold is a cold is a cold and it’s stuffy noses and coughs, right? Well, yes, but sometimes it’s debilitating. The headache, alternating runny and stuffy nose, cough and sore throat really put me down! When it hit me (Day 1), I was kind of in shock and I just sat there, guzzling water and wiping all three of our noses. On Day 2, I was feeling worse and had to be a little more proactive, taking 6,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the morning, 2,000 mg of vitamin C every few hours and 1 Tbsp of liquid silver every four hours. I continued to drink hot lemon water with honey whenever I had the energy to make it. It all seemed to take too much effort. When I woke up still feeling horrible on Day 3, I was desperate enough to raid my arsenal. I continued with vitamin C and silver, while adding garlic tea (see below) and raw chopped garlic to my food. Drinking water, juice and tea all the while, I gradually felt myself improving. By Day 4, I was out of the house, moving around and getting things done. Day 5 found me walking in a 5k with my girlfriends, thankful for my health.

So, what did I learn from this? I need to have my remedies ready to go. I need to be more prepared for the onslaught of exhaustion that might very well prevent me from creating some healing concoctions. I need to ask for help. On Day 3, when I was in tears because I had another 11-hour day ahead of me watching my sick babies and taking care of myself, I asked my husband to chop and peel garlic before he left for work. What a help! It made all the difference, having someone give me access to the things I needed to help myself.

Interested in garlic tea? I learned to make this when I was pregnant and was nervous about what I could and couldn’t take for a cold. It’s very simple. Peel and cut 5-6 cloves of garlic. Pour boiling water over them (preferably in a one-quart mason jar) and cover (I use a pot holder). Let steep for about 30 minutes and drink up. Sometimes I add lemon and honey. Sometimes instead of water I use broth. I also reuse the garlic one or two more times, by refilling the jar with hot water.

I whole-heartedly attribute my quick turn-around to silver and garlic. However, there are some more things I could’ve done and want to be prepared to try in the future. I read this amazing article on Holistic Squid’s blog that gave me some great ideas! You can read the whole article here. I am going to invest in fermented cod liver oil and oil of oregano. I may also get some elderberry syrup. I’m inspired by the posts on Holistic Squid’s website and hope you’ll check them out too!

Just an aside, I can get you any of these supplements as a practitioner who works with Designs for Health. I am very particular about which supplements I recommend because the quality of supplements is not regulated; therefore you don’t always get what you’re paying for. Buying from a company that sells only to practitioners (like Designs for Health) or purchasing supplements and vitamins that are labeled GMP (Good Manufacturing Processes) is your best bet for getting the high quality necessary to make a difference.

Posted on

Holistic Mothering

  What is holistic mothering?

It can’t be defined as clearly as some things, but it definitely has to do with a holistic mindset. Holistic mothering is as much about being a holistic person as it is about being a holistic parent. It’s nurturing your child’s mind, body and soul while feeding your own. This is no easy task! There are days where there aren’t enough hours or patience, but at the end of those days, if you have grace for yourself and your children, you’ll kiss and makeup and try again tomorrow.

Becoming a mother has taught me more about what I believe the heart of God is. My love for my girls overcomes all things; the hurt feelings, the poor behavior, the tantrums, the sleepless nights, the throwing of toys, the hurting other children….all things. I believe God has that kind of love for me. And now I believe it more. My heart for my children is like nothing I knew I possessed before they came into my life. To protect, honor, respect, cherish, raise, guide, educate, and enjoy…these are just some of my heart’s desires now.

Holistically mothering my 2-year old – letting her paint and repaint her cardboard car we made together, no matter the mess!
Holistic parenting isn’t summed up by attachment parenting, co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, alternative vaccination schedules, cloth diapering, baby led weaning or any combination of these (and other) practices. It’s trying my best every day, no matter what that “best” looks like. We all make choices each day. Holistic mothering is a practice of mindfulness in these choices. I believe my kids are worth me taking the time to be mindful of the choices I make for them and the choices I offer to them. So I try, I try really hard, to take that time, for them.

Holistically mothering my 1-year old – pots and pans, pots and pans!
Speaking of holistic mothering, I am honored to have received a copy of The Mother magazine to review for you all. The Mother magazine is a UK magazine, which offers quirky language differences (that I personally love), education on so many subjects (Montessori, Over-Attachment Parenting, and Vaccination Education, to name a few) and a kinship with parents in general. There are very few advertisements, which I can’t say of many other magazines. Photographs are submitted by readers, so they’re very real, touching and artistic. How often do you feel at peace with yourself as a mother? How often do you read parenting articles and feel better instead of worse about your mothering style? As parenting magazines go, The Mother is inspiring, educational and kind. It would make a wonderful gift to yourself or any mother in your life! We can all use a little more kindness in our lives.
To read more about The Mother, including how to order a subscription or back issues, follow these links:

The Mother magazine www.themothermagazine.co.uk 
Croft House, Glassonby, near Penrith CA10 1DU Cumbria UK  Ph: +44 (0)1768 897 121
North American Publishing office: Contact Kathryn Los  www.themothermagazine.org
NEW! Out of stock issues NOW AVAILABLE as PDFs!: http://www.themothermagazine.co.uk/backissues/index.shtml

Picture

Posted on

Homemade Mosquito Repellant

Homemade non-toxic mosquito repellant: 3 ingredients!
     Our move to Virginia came with lots of surprises, one of which I wasn’t prepared for: bugs. More importantly, bug bites. I can’t even express how much I despise mosquito bites. I swell and itch and scratch and itch and scratch… you get the point. We came here when I was pregnant during the summer and I dreaded leaving the house out of fear that a bug bite would further enhance my pregnancy-induced insomnia. You shouldn’t have to live in fear of bug bites! This is my third summer here and I’m getting used to it (as much as you can get used to it).

I’m always trying new bug sprays while refusing to use the majority of over-the-counter mosquito repellants because of their ingredients. I now have little babies to think about too. It is becoming common knowledge that the substances we put on our skin enter into our bloodstream. You can read more about that here, if you’re interested. So, I ask myself often, if I wouldn’t eat it, should I put it on my body? Or on my babies’ bodies?

Now I arrive at the reason for this post: my favorite, effective, good-smelling, non-toxic, homemade, 3-ingredient mosquito repellant! There is no sticky or oily residue and you don’t stink afterwards. It does require re-application and it may clog some spray bottles, but these are minor issues to me when my skin and my children’s skin is protected (without the use of chemicals).

Mosquito repellant without the chemicals
Ingredients:
2 tsp vanilla extract (no sugar added, not imitation)
1 tsp orange oil (essential oil)
8 oz water

Directions:
Mix these together thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle (or several). Shake before use. Spray a lot, everywhere, frequently. I base these measurements off of an e-how article I read and I’ve made it twice, both times with good results.

Here are some tips to get you started concocting your own non-toxic homemade bug spray: 

  • Buy organic vanilla extract. I purchased a 4 oz bottle made by Simply Organic. The good news? There’s always a $1 off coupon available on their website!
  • Use a high-quality essential oil. I used Wyndmere because that’s what I could find in the store (here it is listed on Amazon, if you can’t find it). Higher quality essential oils can be purchased through an authorized seller of Young Living Essential Oils (which I am). Check out their website and see the difference! If you’re interested in purchasing this oil or other oils, just contact me!
  • As for the spray bottle, I tried a standard spray bottle that you would get in the cleaning aisle and it lasted about a day before it clogged. I have since purchased trial size spray bottles at Target for $0.97 each. Even with daily use only one has clogged!

Usually, I hate spraying bug spray and use it sparingly, but not with this stuff. Let me know what you think!

EDITED 8/6/14:
I still love this bug spray but I’ve learned a few things. No plastic bottles! Invest in glass when using essential oils. This spray didn’t remain effective in a clear, plastic bottle because light was able to get to it. Buy small, dark glass bottles (I found some at a local health food store for less than $3). I also know now that I will not put any other essential oils on mine or my family’s bodies unless the oils are Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. Other oils are not guaranteed or even created for anything other than aromatherapy. They are not safe for skin application and can actually be unhealthy when applied. Lesson learned!

If you want to make the switch to Young Living, it’s easy!

Go here and enter the Sponsor ID and Enroller ID 1414775. Enter your personal information, select Wholesale (it will save you 24% off the retail price), and choose the Premium Starter Kit. You can bypass the Essential Rewards Kits (they’re optional) and you’ll be well on your way to experiencing all these benefits and more! (If you do decide to do Essential Rewards, you can sign up at any time, spend $50 a month and save on shipping while gradually building your medicine cabinet arsenal for every ailment imaginable).

Read more about why we use ONLY Young Living in our home here.

Posted on

Eating Disorders Defined and Confronted

     Some people hear (or read) the words “Eating Disorders” and they picture an emaciated young woman, starving herself (or purging herself) to a near-death state. Unfortunately, that’s not the only make-up of disordered eating. Sometimes it’s the obsessed dieter or the person who works out all the time with an anxiety that can’t be calmed. Other times, like with myself, it’s a person who looks healthy and eats healthy and is super knowledgeable about nutrition and exercise, but can’t seem to do enough, to feel enough, to be enough in her (or his) own skin.

I’ve asked Cheryl of “Happy is the New Healthy” for permission to reprint her blog post entitled: Food for Thought: Let’s Talk… What an Eating Disorder Looks Like and When to Speak Up. Her words resonated with me deeply and I wanted to share them with you! I look forward to any comments, questions or thoughts you might have.

I want to start things off here with a bit of a story–a snippet of my story, to be specific.

When I look back on the time I spent struggling with my eating disorder, I can think of a few “rock bottom” periods. One of those was Christmas break of my second year at university. I binged and purged nearly every day of the break, sometimes multiple times a day. I worked out for at least an hour, sometimes two, every day over the break–I even remember waking up early on Christmas to get a run on the treadmill in while my family was sleeping.

But I looked “healthy.” I weighed ~160lbs (the same amount as I do now, for the record) and according to my BMI, I was overweight and had weight to lose. According to the voice in my head (Ed was screaming), I needed to lose it–yesterday.

yes, that’s my butt. It was my 20th birthday. forgive me.
I don’t think people looked at me and thought “eating disorder” even though I was totally consumed with exercising, obsessing over what I was eating, bingeing, and purging and then doing it all over again. Like I said, this was one of my rock bottom moments.

My point there is that you really cannot judge an eating disorder book by its cover. Assuming that if someone is struggling, you’ll be able to tell by looking at them is misguided at best. Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, suck regardless of whether or not they meet “official criteria” or fit into a box of anorexia, bulimia, or EDNOS, and are all serious. I can remember not thinking I had a real problem because I wasn’t skinny enough to meet the criteria and feeling like I had to convince my doctor and the people around me that I was going through something serious–because I didn’t feel like I looked the part.

Even if someone is overweight or obese, if their habits are disordered, that’s the issue–not their weight. It can be easy for someone who is on a weight loss journey to have justifiably f*cked up relationships with food and/or exercise when we are so busy focusing on fixing the weight problem instead of building healthy habits that will therefore lead to a healthy weight. Weight loss at all costs and getting fixated on a number without giving serious consideration to the means by which a person gets to that goal number misses the point. No wonder there are so many weight loss successes who regain all the weight, plus more. No wonder there are so many miserable newly thin people. No wonder eating disorders are everywhere.

Getting your mind sorted out–in terms of how you think about food, about exercise, about your body and about yourself–isn’t the sexy “get in shape fast” or “bikini body by Friday” kind of crap that we’re sold and that it’s so easy to get caught up in, but it is the recipe for long term happiness, health, and sanity. If you have a healthy mindset, you will get to a healthy weight. If you don’t sort this stuff out, you’re doomed to ride the diet and weight loss rollercoaster forever more. If you’re not willing to do the hard work to shift your thoughts and your beliefs, you’ll be just as unhappy regardless of where your weight falls: disordered is disordered, no matter what kind of a package it comes in.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can get to the real reason behind this post: a couple of tough conversations and some thinking about what’s the right thing to do when you’re concerned about someone who may or may not be struggling with disordered eating, whether because of how they look (not the only indication, as I pointed out above) or because of the things they say (regarding food, exercise, their bodies, weight loss, whatever).

Since it’s not easy to tell, this is automatically a touchy subject. It’s also really easy to piss someone off and/or to feed an obsession. If you comment on how small someone obsessed with getting small is getting, even if you mean it out of a “I’m scared for your life” kind of place, it can be a celebration of them achieving their goal and can reinforce their unhealthy habits and thinking. If someone isn’t ready for it, your comment can wreck a relationship.

But it can save a life.

I make my decisions off of this: I stand for health and for happiness. For everyone.  

The conversations I mentioned both touched on the issue of a person not being underweight or looking sick, hence the rant that started this post off.

In response to that and whether or not having that crucial conversation that could save a life is appropriate if someone isn’t visibly disordered or is even overweight, I say it’s not just appropriate, it’s essential.

No one deserves to have an eating disorder. Whether you’re 20lbs overweight or 20lbs underweight or right at that weight that someone or something tells you is ideal, health and happiness require a healthy mindset. I say screw the scale, screw the criteria, screw the ideal. What’s important? What you’re doing, how you’re thinking, and how you’re feeling and functioning. If these things aren’t what you’re focused on making as healthy as possible, something needs to change.

So what do you say to that person? How do you address it without supporting bad behaviours or pissing someone off?

My advice: speak from the heart and be as honest as possible.

The conversation could still go poorly, but what do you give up if you don’t enter the conversation? What are you not honouring if you keep quiet?

If you stand for your friendship, you’ll have that conversation.

If you stand for health and happiness, you’ll have that conversation.

I remember vividly two conversations–one with a friend, and one with my sister–that left me upset. I sometimes wonder if other people who knew what was going on (I don’t think I was hiding it seamlessly) held back for whatever reason–whether because I didn’t look the part or they were scared of making me mad. The conversations that I did may have upset me but they also indicated to me that I mattered and people cared about me. 

The sooner we’re willing to talk about this–and to get busy focusing on a new solution, the better. I’m sick of eating disorders, especially the socially acceptable ones. Let’s get back to what’s important and start taking care of ourselves, regardless of what we weigh. 

have you ever brought up a concern with someone around an eating disorder? how did it go?
has anyone ever brought up a concern with you? what was it like?

     If you want to read more about Cheryl and her Happy is the New Healthy blog, please visit her here: http://happyisthenewhealthy.com/

Posted on

Non-Toxic Floor Cleaner

    A year ago we moved into our first real home and most of it has tile and laminate flooring, which led me to search out convenient, non-toxic ways to clean it. Not the easiest task, actually! I was tempted by the Swiffers, which look to be so easy but there are chemicals in the wet (disposable) cloths and there’s a lot of waste involved, so I didn’t choose that option.

I found a mop at Bed Bath & Beyond that has a microfiber washable cloth and decided this would be my vehicle for cleaning all these floors. The next decision was to find a recipe for a cleaning solution. I started using a hot water, vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and tea tree oil solution. It was effective but it left spots and sometimes a film from the baking soda. My search continued.

This is my new non-toxic floor cleaner: peroxide, hot water and tea tree oil. Less ingredients to remember, super cheap and really cleansing! I loosely followed this recipe and combined:

¼ cup of peroxide

3 drops of tea tree oil (therapeutic grade melaleuca alternifolia)

3 drops of Thieves (therapeutic grade)

8 cups of hot water

I’m very happy with the results! I still have to battle the little people footprints and often employ the daddy-take-the-children-while-I-mop method, but such is life! Let me know if you try it, if you like and it what you think of using peroxide.

 

Non-toxic floor cleaner: 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, 3 drops tea tree oil and 8 cups hot water
 
EDIT 7/1/2014: I have learned the importance of buying Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. I recommend, in order to get the health and cleaning benefits of Tea Tree Oil, to purchase Melaleuca Alternifolia directly from Young Living. You can sign up here and use Sponsor ID / Enroller ID: 1414775. They also sell Thieves oil, which has been included in this edited version of the cleaning recipe.