What's lurking in your beloved beverage?

Would you be surprised and shocked if I told you there was a toxic chemical hidden in your sports drink?  How about that Mountain Dew you love to drink with lunch?  Well, take a listen to this weeks podcast where I talk about the hidden danger lurking in your sports drink and soft drinks.



Have you been convinced to clean out your refrigerator?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again to my friends Eric and Krissy Nordhoff over at Faithful Wellness for having me as a guest on their show.

If you are interested in how essential oils can help you or your family, click on the link here.

Side Note:  I loved Alex's recipe for OrangeAid.  Smart kid.  One thing I would add to the drink to make it a sports drink is coconut water.  Coconut water is an amazing source of 5 electrolytes: sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.  It also has less acidity than sports drinks and it supports rapid hydration.  There is a coconut taste to it so you would have to play around with the water, stevia, orange combination until you came up with a taste you liked.  I would start off with 8 oz so you are getting a full serving.  I've started adding coconut water to my daily shakes in the morning.  With the shakes the coconut flavor is disguised so I don't even taste it. 

Disclaimer: This is my opinion.  I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on t.v. I am a wife and mom who enjoys researching the ingredients in the products my family uses and the foods that we eat.  Thank you.

Ode to my husband

I am blessed!  Even when life is tough, I try to remember the blessings in my life.  One of those blessing is my husband, Brian.  Almost 12 years ago when we said, "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health," we never could have imagined how much we would be tested.  This amazing man has stood by me over the last 8 years as we have suffered loss, not once, but twice and has watched me suffer debilitating dizziness every day.  So, if you don't mind, I'd like to share with you a little bit about this man I call my husband.

He has an amazing heart for those less fortunate.  He loves to serve the orphans and the widows.  This is one of my favorite pictures that was taken while he was in Haiti just a few short weeks ago.  He hadn't been to Haiti since the summer of 2010.

 

He is an amazing dad to our daughters.  I love to just sit back and watch the way he gently instructs the girls and how he makes them think for themselves.  I love to listen to him read to the girls at night.  He has passed on his love of C.S. Lewis and the girls enjoy hearing him read the Chronicles of Narnia. I love how he takes them to dances and on dates.  It's so important that my girls know how a man should treat them when they starting dating. Daddy makes sure they know how loved and valued they are.

Brian loves to run and compete in triathlons.  I was so proud of him this last weekend when he competed in the Birmingham Mercedes Marathon and beat his PR by a landslide.  This was his 3rd marathon (Boston 2008 & Miami 2010) and by far his fastest.  I also love to watch how he encourages others to take up the sport.  I can't tell you how many people have started running because of Brian's gentle encouragement.

Brian, I wanted to publicly thank you for being an incredible husband and father.  I didn't want to wait until Father's Day or our anniversary to let you know how I felt.  Today just seemed like the perfect day.  I love you with all of my heart and I want to thank you for being such an amazing example of Jesus to me.  I know at times it's been hard to watch me suffer and know there is really nothing you can do to help me, but pray.  Those prayers mean the world to me.  Thank you for helping around the house and caring for the girls, when I just simply can't.  You are more than I could've ever asked for and I am so thankful God chose me to be your wife.

The Benefits of Coconut Oil

I'm so excited about this post today.  I'm teaming up with my friend Krissy and her husband Eric of Faithful Wellness.  They have a weekly podcast all about health and wellness.  Today we are discussing the health benefits of coconut oil. Take a listen and let me know what you think.




As Krissy mentioned, here are a few other benefits and tips for using Coconut Oil.

1. It can be used as a sunscreen as well as relieve sunburns
2. Soothes diaper rash. I would also add a drop of doTerra Lavendar Essential oil into the coconut oil
3. Eliminates dry and cracked heels
4. Eliminates fleas and ticks in pets
5. Treats bee stings or insect bites
6. Helps get rid of craddle cap in babies

and much much more....

If you are interested in learning more about Coconut Oil and it's amazing benefits, I highly recommend you read this book written by the founders of Tropical Traditions.

Book - Virgin Coconut Oil Book Revised Edition

 

Lastly, remember that the largest organ of our body is our skin.  EVERYTHING we put on our skin goes straight into the bloodstream.  I will be talking more about this in the future, but think about getting in the habit of reading the ingredients of the products that you are putting on and in your body.

To learn more about doTerra Essential Oils that we discussed on today's podcast, you can click here .  I will be posting the Flu Bomb recipe I talked about in the podcast on Monday, so stay tuned.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion. I did not get paid to tell you about Tropical Traditions.  I am just a fan of their products.  I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on t.v. I am a wife and mom who enjoys researching the ingredients in the products my family uses and the foods that we eat. Thank you.

Onward

I've missed blogging.  I've missed you.  That may sound strange because most of you who still read my blog, I probably will never have the chance of meeting, but I feel a connection to you.  That's the funny thing about the blog world, you feel a sense of oneness with people you've never even met.  For my sweet friends who know me in real life and have told me they have missed reading my blog posts, thank you.  You don't know how much that means to me.

Most importantly, I've missed blogging for my sweet babies.  Every year at Christmas time I make a blog book for my girls.  They love them.  I felt guilty that this Christmas there was no blog book for them under the tree.  I was reminded of this the other day when Brooklyn took all 3 of her books to bed and was reading them.  Then Sydney, who is just learning how to read her sight words, chimed in and asked if I would read them to her.  They love to read the stories and look at the pictures of when they were much younger.  This is why I blog.  I miss giving them these stories. 

With that said, I'm back.  I have alot of catching up to do.  Yikes.  They are getting so big and I want to remember these times, because they go by so fast.  So, Brooklyn and Sydney, mommy is back to blogging.  I can't promise that I will blog every day like I've tried to do in the past.  It will be, as the Spirit moves, as they say and I promise to get last years posts in a book for you soon.