A few months back, my husband and I decided that we were ready to start trying for baby #4. We have 3 wonderful, amazing children that we love and adore, and we really enjoy being parents so we wanted to have another. My oldest has been praying for a baby sister for over 2 years, despite having 2 little brothers. Part of me was a little nervous about having a 4th baby- but overall just excited and happy. The first month we started trying a little late, but did not fall pregnant, and the 2nd month my husband had to leave for some Air Force training and we missed the fertile window. Month 3 was the winner. :) At 9 days past ovulation I told my husband I *really* wanted to test, and he of course told me to wait and not waste money taking early tests and I could wait until our 6th wedding anniversary and know for absolute sure. But... I did anyway. Haha!! Of course, I got a very faint positive. Due on November 30th. I was only 3weeks2days when we found out.
Between 4-5 weeks we went ahead and announced, and the pregnancy continued as good as it could be, At 7 weeks we found out that we could come back at 10 weeks and do blood tests to find out the gender!! Well our 10 week appointment got rescheduled to 11 weeks and my family and I all went. That is when we got the awful news.. I will spare all the details, but basically we couldn't find the heartbeat, got an abdominal ultrasound and then a vaginal one, proving that the baby had stopped growing at 7 weeks. We were all devastated as we had all planed and had dreams for this baby for months; and we have never lost a baby before so it was totally not on our radar. Because my baby had held on to the pregnancy a month, with no signs of miscarriage a D&C was strongly recommended. So I followed that recommendation. On May 12, 2016 I went in for surgery to remove my baby. It was awful, but none of the options were good ones. There really is no great answer in a situation like this. I am greatly bothered that I had the same procedure that women have who just don't want their babies and terminate. A D&C is a nice way of saying "abortion for babies who are already dead" And that just really... hurts. But we did have peace about it and I feel like it went as well as it could.
After that; we had SO much support and love. Prayers, Hugs, Meals, Messages, Visits from friends, Flowers, etc. We were overwhelmed which how much people surrounded us in our grief. We also decided to do some memorial things for the baby and we named her Jordyn Shalom Love. Through the whole thing heartbreak was intense, and real- but so was the peace that God has a plan for our family and there will be better days ahead. I am soooo thankful for this, it has carried me through the darkest of times.
Now; it has been less than 2 weeks, we have our D&C Follow up appointment on Friday. It is hard living in a stand-still it seems... where I am physically recovering and unable to do normal activities like laundry, walking long distances, being intimate with my husband, or lifting my own children. It is hard emotionally not knowing exactly what the future holds and feeling robbed of a child. I am anxious and excited for the follow-up appointment so we can get some answers, see if my levels went down, and resume normal activities. I have put on a lot of weight since this and eating habits have been awful. I am ready to exercise again and do better once I get the all-clear. I know there is good coming. I am just so strongly ready to move on and get back to enjoying my life and having full-health again.
Will we try for another baby? Yes. We strongly feel like there is at least 1 more child for our family. However, we don't know when. I want to be pregnant now, like I was supposed to be. Part of me wishes we could get pregnant right away. This weekend? Sure! But while I was planning and ready for a baby, now I have a whole other physical mess. I have gained weight. I have been unable to work out. My eating has been bad. These are not habits I want to have entering into a new pregnancy. Especially after a loss, being as healthy as I can starting a pregnancy seems super important. So I want to do that. I think it will happen fast once I can just do it and get back on track. My goal is to lose about 20lbs in about 2 months or so... and then maybe we can start trying. I also need to track my cycle and see how my hormone levels are doing after all of this. It is a process. I know that God has a perfect time for the next member of our family to arrive. Clearly November of 2016 is not going to be it. 2017 will hopefully be the year. But will it be February? March? April? May? I have no idea. I am just going to do all I can to be the best I can be and pray for a healthy pregnancy and full-term baby to be born when the time is right.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Obedience and Reaching the Heart of my Children.
[[Woah This got long... but it has been on my heart. And it just comes from my experience being an Early childhood student, a parent, a teacher, and working with toddlers and young children on all different scales of development. Obviously I am just one person and I don't know everything, but I hope you can see my heart here and that no one takes this as some kind of attack... that is definitely not what it is. Just encouragement for us to maybe dig a little deeper when we are parenting or working with children.]]
While having a child obey is important; I believe what is most important is their heart. You can have a child that struggles with being obedient because of different things in their life, personality, even developmental delays... but they are still trying to learn and their heart is right- they just mentally / emotionally / physically cannot meet the same expectations as the next child... and you could also have an obedient child that is obedient only because they have been harshly forced to do things and they are in survival mode.... but their hearts are empty and they are still not getting anything, even though on the outside it seems as all is wonderful. There almost ALWAYS more to a child, than what meets the eye.
Controversially to some, I prefer to lead my children to obedience gently so that they obey out of love and not fear or force. (Although I am not perfect and serious circumstances call for a little different plans, but this is my general goal) That does not mean there are not rules, boundaries, and consequences. But it does mean that when a child is clearly emotionally struggling- I am not going to use harsh words, physically force them to do something, yell at them, make fun of them, humiliate them in front of their friends or other adults, call them names, etc. I will let them know if the behavior is unacceptable. I will get firm. I might end up having to help them make the right choice or give them a consequence, but before I jump in with harshness and anger- I want to try and reach the heart. Why is this hard for them? Is my attitude towards the child loving and respectful? Am I expecting too much for this age? Is there something I am missing? Can I compromise and have a child work on one aspect until they are ready for the next level in this area of development? How does the Lord lead me? All good questions to consider. I have found that most of the time if you take 10 seconds to talk to a child before it goes too far, that the solution is simple and acceptable to both parties... but instead, a lot of times we fall into power struggles that do nothing more than break trust and exasperate our children. The last thing I want is my child to do everything "perfect" growing up, but have a broken spirit and then when I cannot control them any longer they go out scared, lost and confused.
Further, when you are working with a more 'challenging' child, and they are making progress- we should be praising them for that progress made, and then slowly transition them to go further with something that is already hard for them to do. If you can appreciate the progress and tell them that, chances are they will be more willing and excited to master the next thing!!!
This being said, I am still working on this myself, and sometimes I fail miserably and have to ask God and my children to forgive me for my own behavior... I am still learning and growing, And every single child is completely different and also learning and growing, too so you cannot ever fully figure it out! But it is WORTH TRYING!!!
Okay. Stepping of the soapbox now.
While having a child obey is important; I believe what is most important is their heart. You can have a child that struggles with being obedient because of different things in their life, personality, even developmental delays... but they are still trying to learn and their heart is right- they just mentally / emotionally / physically cannot meet the same expectations as the next child... and you could also have an obedient child that is obedient only because they have been harshly forced to do things and they are in survival mode.... but their hearts are empty and they are still not getting anything, even though on the outside it seems as all is wonderful. There almost ALWAYS more to a child, than what meets the eye.
Controversially to some, I prefer to lead my children to obedience gently so that they obey out of love and not fear or force. (Although I am not perfect and serious circumstances call for a little different plans, but this is my general goal) That does not mean there are not rules, boundaries, and consequences. But it does mean that when a child is clearly emotionally struggling- I am not going to use harsh words, physically force them to do something, yell at them, make fun of them, humiliate them in front of their friends or other adults, call them names, etc. I will let them know if the behavior is unacceptable. I will get firm. I might end up having to help them make the right choice or give them a consequence, but before I jump in with harshness and anger- I want to try and reach the heart. Why is this hard for them? Is my attitude towards the child loving and respectful? Am I expecting too much for this age? Is there something I am missing? Can I compromise and have a child work on one aspect until they are ready for the next level in this area of development? How does the Lord lead me? All good questions to consider. I have found that most of the time if you take 10 seconds to talk to a child before it goes too far, that the solution is simple and acceptable to both parties... but instead, a lot of times we fall into power struggles that do nothing more than break trust and exasperate our children. The last thing I want is my child to do everything "perfect" growing up, but have a broken spirit and then when I cannot control them any longer they go out scared, lost and confused.
Further, when you are working with a more 'challenging' child, and they are making progress- we should be praising them for that progress made, and then slowly transition them to go further with something that is already hard for them to do. If you can appreciate the progress and tell them that, chances are they will be more willing and excited to master the next thing!!!
This being said, I am still working on this myself, and sometimes I fail miserably and have to ask God and my children to forgive me for my own behavior... I am still learning and growing, And every single child is completely different and also learning and growing, too so you cannot ever fully figure it out! But it is WORTH TRYING!!!
Okay. Stepping of the soapbox now.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Reflecting 2015.
2015 has been a great year. Some great growth has happened. I feel that things are on the brink of change and I am excited. Encouragement is in the air. Peace. I love it. I know God is doing something big in our family, and in the world. Sometimes it is hard not knowing the big picture... but I do know, there is a big picture.
So I made a post on January 1st with my goals. I wanna go back through that now.
1: Be actively involved in church. Attend at least 2X a week.
----Accomplished. I serve teaching 2's and 3's on Friday nights, and I go every Sunday. Sometimes I also go on Thursday nights for prayer as well.
2: Get Josiah completely out of diapers by the end of the year. (Currently he wears them while sleeping)
-----Well, we accomplished this for several months... and then he backslid. Wetting the bed every single night for like 6 weeks straight, so for now... we put him back in a pull-up. I think we will give it a rest and try again in a few months.
3: Breastfeed Nehemiah until at least 12 months old. (Currently 3 months old)
-----Accomplished. He is 15 months now, and still nurses A LOT. Actually I might need to make a goal on how to cut him back some.
4: Pay off our Car Loan (Currently around 4,400 left to pay)
-----Accomplished. So thankful, this has been a huge burden lifted. We now have no debt but our home.
5: Rebuild our savings as much as possible. (Goal is 10,000 but in 2015 my Goal is 6,000 by the end of the year)
------Not accomplished. We got the car paid off, built some up. Then struggled for several months where we kept having to take out for this that and the other. Then we struggled sticking to our budget. These last couple months we have been more serious again, but it is no where near the 6,000 mark. Maybe by next year...
6: Spend less time on social media. (Maybe only get on 2X a day)
------Fail. Still on way too much. Time to try again.
7: Plan and stick to a daily schedule.
------Fail. This is on my list, again. We have a decent routine for some parts of the day, but other parts are nuts.
8: Evelynn will begin Kindergarten in 2015.
------Accomplished. She began in September, and she has been doing great with it! Very proud of her.
9: Lose 10 lbs. (Currently 175)
------Accomplished! Above and beyond actually, I am currently at 150. :D
10: Trust God in His plans for our family size.
------A work in progress, but I would say accomplished. It does help now, of course, that my baby is 15 months old. The biggest gap in children we have had yet. Makes the idea of getting pregnant seem fine either way. :) Not sure if we are 100% where we want to be before a #4 starts making it's way in, but at the same time we trust that he/she will come if and when God wants him/her to. :)
11: Be financially intentional.
------We went back and forth a lot on this. Some good months, some bad months, some months we tried hard to be good but unexpected stuff happened. In general, we do pretty good. But there is room for improvement for sure.
12: Spend more time reading the bible.
-----Overall, I would say I read it more this year than 2014. But I still would like to increase that. :)
Stay tuned for my new goals. :) I will probably post them tomorrow.
So I made a post on January 1st with my goals. I wanna go back through that now.
1: Be actively involved in church. Attend at least 2X a week.
----Accomplished. I serve teaching 2's and 3's on Friday nights, and I go every Sunday. Sometimes I also go on Thursday nights for prayer as well.
2: Get Josiah completely out of diapers by the end of the year. (Currently he wears them while sleeping)
-----Well, we accomplished this for several months... and then he backslid. Wetting the bed every single night for like 6 weeks straight, so for now... we put him back in a pull-up. I think we will give it a rest and try again in a few months.
3: Breastfeed Nehemiah until at least 12 months old. (Currently 3 months old)
-----Accomplished. He is 15 months now, and still nurses A LOT. Actually I might need to make a goal on how to cut him back some.
4: Pay off our Car Loan (Currently around 4,400 left to pay)
-----Accomplished. So thankful, this has been a huge burden lifted. We now have no debt but our home.
5: Rebuild our savings as much as possible. (Goal is 10,000 but in 2015 my Goal is 6,000 by the end of the year)
------Not accomplished. We got the car paid off, built some up. Then struggled for several months where we kept having to take out for this that and the other. Then we struggled sticking to our budget. These last couple months we have been more serious again, but it is no where near the 6,000 mark. Maybe by next year...
6: Spend less time on social media. (Maybe only get on 2X a day)
------Fail. Still on way too much. Time to try again.
7: Plan and stick to a daily schedule.
------Fail. This is on my list, again. We have a decent routine for some parts of the day, but other parts are nuts.
8: Evelynn will begin Kindergarten in 2015.
------Accomplished. She began in September, and she has been doing great with it! Very proud of her.
9: Lose 10 lbs. (Currently 175)
------Accomplished! Above and beyond actually, I am currently at 150. :D
10: Trust God in His plans for our family size.
------A work in progress, but I would say accomplished. It does help now, of course, that my baby is 15 months old. The biggest gap in children we have had yet. Makes the idea of getting pregnant seem fine either way. :) Not sure if we are 100% where we want to be before a #4 starts making it's way in, but at the same time we trust that he/she will come if and when God wants him/her to. :)
11: Be financially intentional.
------We went back and forth a lot on this. Some good months, some bad months, some months we tried hard to be good but unexpected stuff happened. In general, we do pretty good. But there is room for improvement for sure.
12: Spend more time reading the bible.
-----Overall, I would say I read it more this year than 2014. But I still would like to increase that. :)
Stay tuned for my new goals. :) I will probably post them tomorrow.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Jesus, Family, Friends, Oils, and Health.
Do you ever have those moments in your life where you look around and think this has to be a dream? Well it hasn't happened too terribly often for me, until lately. Seriously guys, life is good. I don't even know how else to put it. Like... life is just incredibly, amazingly, awesomesomely, GOOD! Thank you Jesus!
Jesus really is the reason you guys. If it was not for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit there is no way I could have the wonderful things I have now. All gifts are from above. Thank you Jesus, for the gift of family, children, friends, fellowship, World Revival Church. Can I just say again, Thank you Jesus for World Revival Church!!!!! Of course, God is the reason for our life change. We are changing. I am, and I can say that my husband and children are as well. Our thinking is just different. We are not perfect, we still have a long way to go. But I can see how we are starting to think less and less worldly, and more and more Godly. We want to please God, to know him- more and more, and more! Now- are we perfect in the ways that we seek? No. Are there still changes to be made? Absolutely!!! But- progress is happening that never would of happened if it was not for the changes made in us through the Holy Spirit and through the teachings that we have grabbed ahold of thanks to the God-seeking people at World Revival Church. So again, Thank you Jesus! Also- thank you for our health, our home, our financial stability, and for the introduction of essential oils into our lives.
Family. I sure do love my family. I come from a place now, where I can say that so honestly. I really do LOVE my family. Not because I have to, but because they really are an awesome group of people and I see the good in them that I overlooked in the past. (I still do of course, see ways they could improve- as I am sure they do me) I really, really, LOVE my husband. The way he has stepped up as a spiritual leader is so awesome to me. He really is leading me and our children to do better with ourselves for the glory of God. I cannot imagine my life without him by my side. And I am so blessed with our children. Evelynn is 3 1/2 years old now. She is learning to read, talking like an adult, loving to praise God and really is her own little person. Josiah is 2 years old and is right behind Evelynn in most areas. They are about the same size and we often get asked in public if they are twins. Josiah is still my needy guy, but also the sweetest. <3 Then little Nehemiah (Nemi). He is the sweetest baby on the planet, for real! He is so happy and content to do just about whatever we need him to do. He has the sweetest laugh, is starting to sit up, babble a little bit and rolls all over the room and also attempts to scoot. He is almost 7 months old now. I love all our children so much and I love being a parent with Stephen by my side. I am content with our family the way it is, but I would be lying if I said I didn't think more children are in our future as well. Our family is growing in other ways too. My sister Shyann is due to have a little boy in July, and my mom recently found out she is expecting so I will have a new baby brother or sister this winter! :) The love that babies bring just warms my heart in so many ways, how can you not be happy? <3
Friends. Wow, this is something that I have struggled with for years (really since leaving high school- because things are just SO EASY in high school ;) ) I have been lonely, wanting friends, people- that really, truly care. Now do not get me wrong, I do have a couple of amazing, loving loyal friends that have been around for 10+ years- but we see each other very little and lives have taken us in different directions... I miss them, and I still love them but I longed for closer friends. For a long while I had a negative mindset about friends.. like this "Well, the 2-3 friends I DO have I never get to see or talk to, so why would I waste my time putting effort into new friendships?" Wow. Seriously though, I remember saying those exact words. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?!? I do not know now, why on earth I let the devil put those thoughts in my brain! We are called to be a community. A people. Not just a person. So anyway, then once I got past that- I had terribly anxiety about being around people. This seems like a generational thing in my family. Everyone has it. It is a curse and it NEEDS to be broken. Anxiety is not from God. It is even worse, too... when you are a true extrovert by heart. So here I am, longing to have friends, wanting to be around people- but yet, the thought of talking to someone or getting in a group would get me nervous and making about any excuse possible to get out of it. If someone reached out to me? I'd shut them down. With awful thoughts like "What do they want from me?" I'm calling it like I see it (now) That is the devil! God would not put such negativity toward his children in my mind. But it turns around you guys!!! We have prayed (myself and my husband) for months- for friends. Not just shallow friends, but for real, true friends that are searching for what we are searching for. We want friends that are trying to please God. Friends that show Christ's love and are not looking for us to do something for them in return; but yet- we still wanted to be good friends too. People we could share life with, and they could trust us as well. That if we were struggling, they would encourage us (in a Godly way) to be better or do better, instead of justifying our anger, sin, or annoyances. Well- I cannot say that we have made the ideal perfect image of friends we were looking for, BUT we have made progress. I feel like my anxiety has been lifted supernaturally and that we are talking, meeting people, and building relationships all the time. We have our eyes set on a few people. That sounds weird... but you know what, we want to choose our friends. Not just be friends with whoever chooses us for the moment. And hopefully, these people will want to choose us too. :)
Oils. Ohhh my goodness the oils! So as you know I got my Starter Kit from Young Living Essential Oils in January. Mostly as a preventative health measure for our family and especially little Josiah. Within a few days I fell in love with all the benefits oils could bring and I decided to sign up as a distributor to reap the benefits of discounted prices, free stuff, and if anyone else wanted to join I could make a few extra dollars as well. Well- we are still just as happy with the oils! 3 months later and not a single one of us has had to go to the doctor AT ALL! We have remained healthy and the little things that have popped up we have gotten taken care of quickly with essential oils. Some of my family and friends have tried them too and they are extremely happy. My grandma has been using them for breathing which she has been struggling with for years, and also started using them for energy and for her skin with amazing results. Stephen was having to take allergy pills daily and does not need to anymore thanks to oils. When I feel a headache coming on, I get out an oil! It is awesome. Just this month, we actually invested in the thieves kit. This was super exciting because we really wanted to get rid of flouride toothpaste, and other harsh cleaning chemicals in our home that we believe could of contributed to the bad health. So we just got this a couple days ago, but I cleaned my house with it and it was amazing! I am so impressed! :D
Health. Well, thanks to the oils that have been giving me energy and motivation, Health has become another thing we are working toward. Overall health of just eating better, not as many chemicals, prayer, family time, etc. But also- we have been really trying to get healthy in our size. Not necessarily weight because muscle weighs more than fat, but in inches. So I have started counting calories most days, exercising with my husband in the morning. Walks as a family, and sometimes yoga. It has been a big change but a much needed one and I have lost about 7lbs so far. I still have a long way to go, but like everything- progress is better than nothing!
So, yeah. Life is just GOOD. Plain and simple. I am happy with my God, my family, friends, health, etc. And I am so excited to see what will happen next. Bring it on. :D
Jesus really is the reason you guys. If it was not for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit there is no way I could have the wonderful things I have now. All gifts are from above. Thank you Jesus, for the gift of family, children, friends, fellowship, World Revival Church. Can I just say again, Thank you Jesus for World Revival Church!!!!! Of course, God is the reason for our life change. We are changing. I am, and I can say that my husband and children are as well. Our thinking is just different. We are not perfect, we still have a long way to go. But I can see how we are starting to think less and less worldly, and more and more Godly. We want to please God, to know him- more and more, and more! Now- are we perfect in the ways that we seek? No. Are there still changes to be made? Absolutely!!! But- progress is happening that never would of happened if it was not for the changes made in us through the Holy Spirit and through the teachings that we have grabbed ahold of thanks to the God-seeking people at World Revival Church. So again, Thank you Jesus! Also- thank you for our health, our home, our financial stability, and for the introduction of essential oils into our lives.
Family. I sure do love my family. I come from a place now, where I can say that so honestly. I really do LOVE my family. Not because I have to, but because they really are an awesome group of people and I see the good in them that I overlooked in the past. (I still do of course, see ways they could improve- as I am sure they do me) I really, really, LOVE my husband. The way he has stepped up as a spiritual leader is so awesome to me. He really is leading me and our children to do better with ourselves for the glory of God. I cannot imagine my life without him by my side. And I am so blessed with our children. Evelynn is 3 1/2 years old now. She is learning to read, talking like an adult, loving to praise God and really is her own little person. Josiah is 2 years old and is right behind Evelynn in most areas. They are about the same size and we often get asked in public if they are twins. Josiah is still my needy guy, but also the sweetest. <3 Then little Nehemiah (Nemi). He is the sweetest baby on the planet, for real! He is so happy and content to do just about whatever we need him to do. He has the sweetest laugh, is starting to sit up, babble a little bit and rolls all over the room and also attempts to scoot. He is almost 7 months old now. I love all our children so much and I love being a parent with Stephen by my side. I am content with our family the way it is, but I would be lying if I said I didn't think more children are in our future as well. Our family is growing in other ways too. My sister Shyann is due to have a little boy in July, and my mom recently found out she is expecting so I will have a new baby brother or sister this winter! :) The love that babies bring just warms my heart in so many ways, how can you not be happy? <3
Friends. Wow, this is something that I have struggled with for years (really since leaving high school- because things are just SO EASY in high school ;) ) I have been lonely, wanting friends, people- that really, truly care. Now do not get me wrong, I do have a couple of amazing, loving loyal friends that have been around for 10+ years- but we see each other very little and lives have taken us in different directions... I miss them, and I still love them but I longed for closer friends. For a long while I had a negative mindset about friends.. like this "Well, the 2-3 friends I DO have I never get to see or talk to, so why would I waste my time putting effort into new friendships?" Wow. Seriously though, I remember saying those exact words. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?!? I do not know now, why on earth I let the devil put those thoughts in my brain! We are called to be a community. A people. Not just a person. So anyway, then once I got past that- I had terribly anxiety about being around people. This seems like a generational thing in my family. Everyone has it. It is a curse and it NEEDS to be broken. Anxiety is not from God. It is even worse, too... when you are a true extrovert by heart. So here I am, longing to have friends, wanting to be around people- but yet, the thought of talking to someone or getting in a group would get me nervous and making about any excuse possible to get out of it. If someone reached out to me? I'd shut them down. With awful thoughts like "What do they want from me?" I'm calling it like I see it (now) That is the devil! God would not put such negativity toward his children in my mind. But it turns around you guys!!! We have prayed (myself and my husband) for months- for friends. Not just shallow friends, but for real, true friends that are searching for what we are searching for. We want friends that are trying to please God. Friends that show Christ's love and are not looking for us to do something for them in return; but yet- we still wanted to be good friends too. People we could share life with, and they could trust us as well. That if we were struggling, they would encourage us (in a Godly way) to be better or do better, instead of justifying our anger, sin, or annoyances. Well- I cannot say that we have made the ideal perfect image of friends we were looking for, BUT we have made progress. I feel like my anxiety has been lifted supernaturally and that we are talking, meeting people, and building relationships all the time. We have our eyes set on a few people. That sounds weird... but you know what, we want to choose our friends. Not just be friends with whoever chooses us for the moment. And hopefully, these people will want to choose us too. :)
Oils. Ohhh my goodness the oils! So as you know I got my Starter Kit from Young Living Essential Oils in January. Mostly as a preventative health measure for our family and especially little Josiah. Within a few days I fell in love with all the benefits oils could bring and I decided to sign up as a distributor to reap the benefits of discounted prices, free stuff, and if anyone else wanted to join I could make a few extra dollars as well. Well- we are still just as happy with the oils! 3 months later and not a single one of us has had to go to the doctor AT ALL! We have remained healthy and the little things that have popped up we have gotten taken care of quickly with essential oils. Some of my family and friends have tried them too and they are extremely happy. My grandma has been using them for breathing which she has been struggling with for years, and also started using them for energy and for her skin with amazing results. Stephen was having to take allergy pills daily and does not need to anymore thanks to oils. When I feel a headache coming on, I get out an oil! It is awesome. Just this month, we actually invested in the thieves kit. This was super exciting because we really wanted to get rid of flouride toothpaste, and other harsh cleaning chemicals in our home that we believe could of contributed to the bad health. So we just got this a couple days ago, but I cleaned my house with it and it was amazing! I am so impressed! :D
Health. Well, thanks to the oils that have been giving me energy and motivation, Health has become another thing we are working toward. Overall health of just eating better, not as many chemicals, prayer, family time, etc. But also- we have been really trying to get healthy in our size. Not necessarily weight because muscle weighs more than fat, but in inches. So I have started counting calories most days, exercising with my husband in the morning. Walks as a family, and sometimes yoga. It has been a big change but a much needed one and I have lost about 7lbs so far. I still have a long way to go, but like everything- progress is better than nothing!
So, yeah. Life is just GOOD. Plain and simple. I am happy with my God, my family, friends, health, etc. And I am so excited to see what will happen next. Bring it on. :D
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Becoming Oily.
Oh my friends, I have discovered something so lovely, so awesome that I want to shout it from the roof tops! What is it you say? Essential Oils. Yes I know, it is becoming a trend lately... but I tell you, there is a reason for it! My family has had a rough time this winter, especially my 2 year old son, Josiah. We have been in and out of doctors offices, emergency rooms and hospitals. It has been no fun and I hate, hate, HATE sickness. I never like to deal with awful symptoms nor do I want anyone else to have to either! So, after seeing some awesome testimonies of my facebook friends, I decided that I HAD to try this. My husband and I agreed that we needed to start being more proactive with our health and do what we could to stay out of those hospitals! After not 1, not 2, but 3... yes THREE Emergency room visits in less than 2 weeks, we took the plunge and invested in a Young Living Premium Starter Kit.
"But why Young Living?" You ask. "There are so many cheaper oils out there!" Honestly, at first it was just because that is what I knew about and that is what my friends were saying worked for them. But then after I bought I realized that Young Living has their own farms and an awesome Seed to Seal agreement which guarantees that their oils are coming straight from the plant with no additives, and they are NOT made in a chemistry lab, nor do they have any dilution or chemicals. These Oils are potent, but they are pure, natural, and THEY WORK.
Anyway, As soon as we got these oils we put them to work. Lavender for sleeping, Thieves to boost immunity and kill germs, peppermint for tummy troubles and headaches, Panaway for aches and pain. Valor to help us focus, Lemon for Energy, and the list goes on. Everything I have tried, has worked. Seriously, it's awesome. I even burned my hand cooking yesterday, put some lavender oil on it and WAH-LA! No more pain. What did I do without these oils?!?
There are seriously so many everyday uses and I am loving it. It has changed the way I take care of my family, and I love that I can help them in a more natural way. <3
Anyway, since I got the starter kit, now I get an awesome 24% discount on all my future oil purchases, and I have been offering that to any friends that would like to try and oil or two! Although, I highly recommend just taking the pluge yourself and getting your own starter kit. I promise you WONT forget it! And honestly, it is just an amazing deal. Over $320 worth of merchandise for $150. It includes a diffuser and 11 oils, as well as a manual and other samples. Well worth it.
So now that I have them, I am using them often! We have not had to take any over the counter medications and my family is feeling much better. Also, my house smells pretty awesome too! :) So I decided to do Essential rewards which is where I make a monthly order of anything I want and get to earn 10% back in free oils! (eventually 15%, and then 20%.) Which is awesome! This also allows me to earn commissions off of others interested in oils. However- that is NOT why I am doing it. I honestly LOVE these oils and what they have done for us, and I want to try more. So I plan to be ordering for some time and figured I might as well get some free stuff out of it! In the meantime, if anyone I know wants to try them out and see what these oils can do for them, of course an extra few dollars wont hurt!! However essential rewards does not obligate me to do the business side.
Anyway, all I am saying guys, is these oils are awesome! And if you want to get your hands on something that will seriously change your health and the way you do things, Young Living is for sure the way to go!
If you are interested in buying a kit, or even a few oils to try... here is my sign-up link.
https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?site=US&sponsorid=2433691&enrollerid=2433691
And here is a nice little picture to show you how to go about it.
Well everyone, I guess that is all for now! Hope you can get your hands on some amazing oily goodness! And you can bet your bottom dollar I will be back to update you on other things going on oily or not soon. :) Goodnight everyone.
"But why Young Living?" You ask. "There are so many cheaper oils out there!" Honestly, at first it was just because that is what I knew about and that is what my friends were saying worked for them. But then after I bought I realized that Young Living has their own farms and an awesome Seed to Seal agreement which guarantees that their oils are coming straight from the plant with no additives, and they are NOT made in a chemistry lab, nor do they have any dilution or chemicals. These Oils are potent, but they are pure, natural, and THEY WORK.
Anyway, As soon as we got these oils we put them to work. Lavender for sleeping, Thieves to boost immunity and kill germs, peppermint for tummy troubles and headaches, Panaway for aches and pain. Valor to help us focus, Lemon for Energy, and the list goes on. Everything I have tried, has worked. Seriously, it's awesome. I even burned my hand cooking yesterday, put some lavender oil on it and WAH-LA! No more pain. What did I do without these oils?!?
There are seriously so many everyday uses and I am loving it. It has changed the way I take care of my family, and I love that I can help them in a more natural way. <3
Anyway, since I got the starter kit, now I get an awesome 24% discount on all my future oil purchases, and I have been offering that to any friends that would like to try and oil or two! Although, I highly recommend just taking the pluge yourself and getting your own starter kit. I promise you WONT forget it! And honestly, it is just an amazing deal. Over $320 worth of merchandise for $150. It includes a diffuser and 11 oils, as well as a manual and other samples. Well worth it.
So now that I have them, I am using them often! We have not had to take any over the counter medications and my family is feeling much better. Also, my house smells pretty awesome too! :) So I decided to do Essential rewards which is where I make a monthly order of anything I want and get to earn 10% back in free oils! (eventually 15%, and then 20%.) Which is awesome! This also allows me to earn commissions off of others interested in oils. However- that is NOT why I am doing it. I honestly LOVE these oils and what they have done for us, and I want to try more. So I plan to be ordering for some time and figured I might as well get some free stuff out of it! In the meantime, if anyone I know wants to try them out and see what these oils can do for them, of course an extra few dollars wont hurt!! However essential rewards does not obligate me to do the business side.
Anyway, all I am saying guys, is these oils are awesome! And if you want to get your hands on something that will seriously change your health and the way you do things, Young Living is for sure the way to go!
If you are interested in buying a kit, or even a few oils to try... here is my sign-up link.
https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?site=US&sponsorid=2433691&enrollerid=2433691
And here is a nice little picture to show you how to go about it.
Well everyone, I guess that is all for now! Hope you can get your hands on some amazing oily goodness! And you can bet your bottom dollar I will be back to update you on other things going on oily or not soon. :) Goodnight everyone.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Goals for 2015.
I am a very goal oriented person and with that, I figured what better time to write down some of them and be more intentional than on New Year's Day! :) Here are my goals for 2015.
1: Be actively involved in church. Attend at least 2X a week.
2: Get Josiah completely out of diapers by the end of the year. (Currently he wears them while sleeping)
3: Breastfeed Nehemiah until at least 12 months old. (Currently 3 months old)
4: Pay off our Car Loan (Currently around 4,400 left to pay)
5: Rebuild our savings as much as possible. (Goal is 10,000 but in 2015 my Goal is 6,000 by the end of the year)
6: Spend less time on social media. (Maybe only get on 2X a day)
7: Plan and stick to a daily schedule.
8: Evelynn will begin Kindergarten in 2015.
9: Lose 10 lbs. (Currently 175)
10: Trust God in His plans for our family.
11: Be financially intentional.
12: Spend more time reading the bible.
1: Be actively involved in church. Attend at least 2X a week.
2: Get Josiah completely out of diapers by the end of the year. (Currently he wears them while sleeping)
3: Breastfeed Nehemiah until at least 12 months old. (Currently 3 months old)
4: Pay off our Car Loan (Currently around 4,400 left to pay)
5: Rebuild our savings as much as possible. (Goal is 10,000 but in 2015 my Goal is 6,000 by the end of the year)
6: Spend less time on social media. (Maybe only get on 2X a day)
7: Plan and stick to a daily schedule.
8: Evelynn will begin Kindergarten in 2015.
9: Lose 10 lbs. (Currently 175)
10: Trust God in His plans for our family.
11: Be financially intentional.
12: Spend more time reading the bible.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Our life and Fall 2014 family Pictures
We have been so thrilled since the birth of our newest addition- Nehemiah. He is such a sweet, easy going baby and we are so happy to have him. Right now, we are focusing a lot on our financial state since taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course. We have always done well but right now we are focusing on paying off our car (which should happen soon) and then we will be able to be in a little better place financially. Other than that we are really enjoying this time together as a family as Stephen has a small break from school. He has 2 more courses to take in the summer than then he will have his Bachelors degree. Life is good. We are enjoying World Revival Church, and I feel like Stephen and I are both growing quite a bit in our spiritual journey. I feel closer to God than I have been in a while and at the same time I now see myself as very far away and I know that I have a long, long way to go.
So during this time, we are just being still. Enjoying our God, our family, and all that comes our way. Figuring out where we want to go, dreaming about the future. So to remember this time in our lives- We had family pictures taken a couple weeks ago and they turned out wonderfully. Here is our family. <3
So during this time, we are just being still. Enjoying our God, our family, and all that comes our way. Figuring out where we want to go, dreaming about the future. So to remember this time in our lives- We had family pictures taken a couple weeks ago and they turned out wonderfully. Here is our family. <3
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