be still and smile

I remember growing up and going over to friends’ houses to spend the night, the obligatory pizza was served and of course pop to go with it. Okay okay, here in Texas everything is a Coke. Or soda I guess. (When your parents are from Michigan, you are raised saying pop.) But we never had pop in my house, we were one of the families who were becoming healthier and venturing out of the 70s microwave dinner phenomenon. So, I never wanted pop. I wanted milk. We were raised on milk

The dreaded statement. On one hand I was grateful my daughter could vocalize that her ears hurt, on the other hand I hated what this meant. You see 4 years ago, my daughter had fought about five ear infections in each ear… all before she turned one year old. We went from amoxicillin to augmentin and played the Tylenol game, which all meant me sitting up at night, half asleep, trying to keep her elevated, to avoid drainage to sit in her eustachian tubes. Truly her first year o

It was a normal Friday night… we wanted to have our neighbors over for dinner. They too have two young girls and it would be nice to catch up. In hindsight, our oldest did show some behavior that was out of character for her… acting fussier than normal and then proceeded to take a nap (she’s 4.5). As grateful as we were for the quiet… later we realized it was because her little body was fighting something. When our neighbors arrived, our oldest wanted to watch a show and not

Alright alright, I know it is not snowing in Texas… but I can dream of the winter wonderland I was in a few months ago. And despite it not snowing in Texas, the humidity takes cold to a whole different level of chilly butts. When it gets that cold, you need a soup to warm you up. Plus during the winter months our bodies need that natural penicillin that chicken soup provides. Our best friends came up to visit us while we were in the mountains and I was stoked to make my chick

While we were in Colorado on our winter getaway, I made quite the menu of soups and warm meals to keep my family feeling cozy and healthy. We also had some of our best friends come up to visit us and I knew I wanted to make a few special things. We are surrounded by pine trees donning snow and mountain peaks…which meant is is c-o-l-d. Since we would be feeding four adults and four kids, I wanted to find some classic, no-nonsense meals that they would love. For lunch I wanted

Today starts a sale for the Beginner's Box with Young Living. I have to be straight with you all and tell you how much this bundle has changed my family's life. Especially after my diagnosis with breast cancer. Halen was constantly sick as a baby... it broke my mama heart. I had to find a different solution for her. Evan always had headaches and skin issues, I had to find a different solution for him. I always had digestive issues and then had cancer... I had to find a differ

Who is ready for 2018 to go? Anyone wish it would linger a little longer? I have always found myself ready for a new year, ready for a new Monday... ready to start fresh. 2018 was quite the year for our family... the second half of my cancer journey took place in 2018... Don’t get me wrong 2018 had some pretty fantastic moments… my daughters growing and learning just brings me so much joy. It snowed in Texas as we rang in the New Year, which is pretty uncommon and awesome. We

Most of you might wonder how sickness goes down in our house, since I talk about how healthy we all are all the time. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does...well I’ll give you an example. The other night, Henley ate dinner fine, then we were cuddled watching a Christmas movie on Netflix and bam. Suddenly she’s throwing up. Evan is with Hen, so I whip into action. After getting towels and our Seedlings wipes to wipe down her face and body— I grab thieves and put it

Change is hard. No one embraces change with ease or contentment…unless they are faced with such a dire circumstance that forces them to have a difficult mental discussion within their own head where change is imperative. I feel that is where I was. When I was diagnosed, almost a year ago I knew I had to make a serious change. At first it was easy, I was running on adrenaline and moving through the motions of appointments and scans. But then chemo started…the red “devil” prett

It all starts with my Monday morning alarm reminding me that it is time to hit the pavement and #nevermissamonday. During this time, I feel alive and love pushing my limits. I try to ignore the pain in my hands and feet. When I arrive home, I am greeted by my happy-go-lucky firstborn. I have to remind myself to get my morning supplements in before #chemobrain sets in and I forget. Then, I attempt to get my #jesustime in by focusing on my bible study while H eats her cereal an

Easter weekend 2017 will forever hold a place in my heart… quite an uncomfortable place to be honest. I was sitting on my mom’s bed, we were watching, “Passion of the Christ” and stuffing eggs for our Easter Egg Hunt the next day, on Easter Sunday. That is when I knew something was terribly wrong with my body. For months, my 10-month-old baby at the time had been trying to tell me something was wrong, but I ignored it…thinking it had to be a cluster of clogged ducts. (If you

Since I have been on the transparent train lately, I figured it was a good time as any to share what has been eating away at me. I preface this by saying I am no perfect picture of, well anything…but you can bet your bottom dollar that I am trying my best to live better than before. Health is my primary focus this year, I have been doing so much research, reading, learning…I have been like a sponge gathering as much information about preventative care and wellness that I can.

How do you stay well in the wintertime? We dove into essential oils 2 ½ years ago. Why? Evan had terrible headaches, turned migraines. Halen had incessant ear infections. I was over the OTC drugs that created a band aid, but not a solution. I was determined to find something better for our family. I did my research, just like anyone should do when welcoming something new into their home. I talked to my husband about it, most know he is super critical. We both gave a smiling n

For many January is the start to a refreshed workout regime, I was included in this boat. After having two babies, being diagnosed with cancer… I was out.of.shape … big time. I was nervous, yet excited to get started on my new workouts with Camp Gladiator. I showed up and noticed how focused everyone was, the music was on point…jumping all over from genre to genre, and the trainer was excited, and pumping everyone up for this evening workout. I may not have looked like everyo

In the last few days I have seen everyone’s best nine photo collages being posted on Instagram from 2017. These rubbed me in a strange way, to say this year has been difficult is the understatement of the century. I began to look at all the photos from the last year…if you were to scroll through my phone you would think the start to 2017 was pretty great. You’d see photos of Halen and I with warm hats on in the chilly January weather, you would see Halen playing dress up, new