Homeschooling & Life

We've decided to homeschool! We are allowing Z to finish out Pre-K and then from then on out we will be schooling at home. Many people think this is what is best for him, including us. There's been a lot of talks but it was not easy to actually make the choice because I want to see my kids excel, and never want to hold them back. After considering this became more serious, I decided to dig alittle deeper into it and so many of my fears were aliviated. Now, I'm just excited. Today I started some schooling 'tests' with Z. Not usual tests but I wanted to see how he would respond to me as a teacher. He doesn't like to sit down much. We did 6 worksheets about the letter A, the color red and the number 4. He did so much more amazing than I could have hoped for. Which, in turn, makes me even more excited!

My life has been a whirlwind of busy lately. I am hoping that this is just a huge shift and after everything gets figured out, things will settle down and actually be better. 

M has been doing well. I cannot believe he is going to be one in a couple weeks. Where did time go? He can say several words now. Yes, dada, mama, no, ut oh, and baby off the top of my head. He's so adorable. Definitely a huge light in our home. 

Health has been staggering along. Levels are still low, working on getting the supplements my body needs to survive. I have a good outlook though, and think things will get better. 

Business is good, or as good as it can be. Super slow right now but that's ok. It gives me time to catch up and regroup. There is so much changing right now and I think it's actually good that it's moving but not as fast lol. Of course, whenever things pick up again, I'll be happy with that too. 

Well, off here for now.

Bea

Living for Today

Why sit and smile for the camera when you can just float?

     I don't have many spontaneous days anymore so the ones I do have, I tend to think about over and over. It's like doing something crazy does something to my soul. Sets me on a new path. Makes the road a little easier to walk on ...or something. I took the kids out of school on Tuesday and we all went to the beach. Do I feel bad? Not in the least. It was an amazing day. I feel like I am at that point in my life where I am not happy with where I have been but I am able to accept that I am here for a reason and that my future has so much more to offer. I miss the waking up and having nothing to do. I miss the days where I wanted to be an adult...why do we all want to be an adult until we are an adult. I always admired "The adult", I wanted to be that adult. Make my own choices, eat what I wanted, do whatever I pleased....I am surprised my kids even want to be adults because I know I don't make it look easy. A few times a week it's an hour drive to the doctors, it's chores every day, it's whats for dinner, it's how do you make a work at home business work...every day. Then dealing with your own demons but having to push them aside to take care of your children. Thoughts go through my mind every single day about what tomorrow is going to be like and I forget how to live for today.
     That is why taking the kids out of school on Tuesday was so worth it. I was there. It was a live for today moment and I am so, so happy that I did it. The look on my kids faces was enough really...the rest was just follow through. I'd like to not forget to live in the moment more often. To cherish the days we have with our kids. To laugh when they laugh and not be annoyed because boys fart entirely too much in my opinion. Days like Tuesday showed me that being "The Adult" isn't always a bad thing...sometimes, we can be fun too. I hope my kids remember that day longer than I will but even if they don't, it was worth it for the day.
    It's so easy to be caught up in politics, social media, whats for dinner ...we forget that our babies are just babies. They need us. They are looking at us and learning from what we do and quite frankly...I am SCARED for the future. I want my kids to be decent human beings and we have quite a road to follow to get them there. Not because of them, but because of where they have to grow up. I constantly look to the future, what will be

...but today, and maybe tomorrow, and maybe even the next day...I am just going to focus on the now..I think that by doing right by today, the right of tomorrow just might be easier. 

Mikey's first time at the Ocean

Future Looking for The Kodak Life...

This blog changes with my life...and my life shifts a lot. So...with my Earthly shifting, this blog will shift also. This is my new intended schedule. Let me know if you'd enjoy me writing or sharing about anything else.

**Angel Card Readings - It's really not a secret, but not many people know how much I love doing Angel Card readings. So daily, I will be posting my reading for the day. Readings are sent off into the universe for everyone. I'd love to read how some resonate with you, in the comments of those posts.

**Psychic Happenings - I plan to share some experiences and thoughts on my psychic and mediumship development journey. It's pretty amazing.

**Recipes - Always got to have my recipes! I plan to share at least one a week.

**Crafts - I love to do crafts with my children, We come up with some pretty fun stuff and we will be sharing it with you!

**Business woes. Small business isn't easy....never has been, never will be. But, I do love to share my business knowledge with you.

**Ideally, there will be a new post every other day.

**Random life happenings 2x per week

*Product and Small business reviews...to start, 1x a month. I'll have this all together in it's own section. I plan on getting back into the Buzz campaigns and such also. Let me know if there is anything you'd like me to review. 


I'll be adding to this list as I come up with more things. haha

It's been a while, my old friend.

   I know I haven't been on here in a while, and I had this whole post in my mind to make up for it because obviously it has happened before. But now that I am here...its all gone out the window and really the reason I haven't been blogging is simple. I have been so depressed. I mean, of course people get depressed, life happens, shit hits the fan however you want to word it is fine. I have been really, really, severely depressed. When I found out we were pregnant with our last baby, I was so scared, shocked, how am I going to do this sort of thing and then I saw the heartbeat...and it was love. Everything was going to be okay. Then 4 weeks later...nothing. 12+5w she had died. I have went over that day over and over and over in my mind. What could I have done that day to just make her little tiny heart stop beating. I pray I was thinking of her at that moment. I pray I wasn't complaining about being nervous about handling it...and she just thought "Okay, I get the point...I'll go.."...It doesn't matter when people say "You didn't do anything" ...because I wish I could know what I was doing at that moment my precious baby slipped away...I know she was with me..but I hope I was there with her. 

 ....at 13 weeks I had my DNC and we found out she was a perfect little girl after 4 boys and I was devastated. It was hard enough losing a baby, add on how crappy I felt because I wasn't super excited at first then let it be my girl. I did all the right things in my mind, as I do with any baby. I just worried that I wouldn't live up to having 5 children. I had already been struggling with PPD from M and this just made it worse.
   Losing a baby puts you in that really numb place where you can't feel happiness or sadness yet you cry and your shell of a body laughs when other people laugh. I found myself sinking, sinking deeper, deeper into this black pit of depression where I didn't know which way was up and every time I'd go to the Dr I'd ask for more more more medication and antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication so I wouldn't feel this urge to just break down every second of the day. I found myself not wanting to wake up, looking through dirty glass when I opened my eyes. Wanting to sleep but hating to close my eyes dreaming of might have been. The love and laughter I might have felt finding out I had a daughter....after all these years of longing. People tried to help, they'd offer words of support and encouragement. But they didn't know..how could they. Reading words became something I just did, in a sense it went in one ear and out the other and I had no emotional capacity to even hold their loving thoughts. It sounds bad, but depression is bad. In the last several months I have pushed more people away than I care to even think about. I have deleted hundreds of unknowing people off Facebook. I haven't called or messaged or talked to the people I used to. It doesn't matter how many lights you turn on...the room is still dark.
    Life goes on like my baby didn't exist and that makes it harder. I have nothing to remember her by except a shitty ultrasound picture that I cherish so deeply. Someday, I want a tattoo or a piece of jewelry or something...so she is always with me. It's coming in on her due date, but also M's birthday and I have to force myself to be strong because it isn't fair to M and I know that. I've been told that many times and I know. I know. But, it's hard. At that point in my depression I may be licking the floor my pharmacist walks on. Who knows.

  Over the course of my life I have fallen into depressions...it's sort of in my DNA I guess. Something that happens every now and again and I eliminate people from my life and push people away. People think I am this extremely happy person and most of the time I am. But, I have this dark side too. Dark to me anyways....This time has been significantly worse though...so bad that an anti-most-medicines, holistic loving, crunchy person would beg the Dr for more....almost begging on my knees to take these feelings away and get me back to some sort of even playing field for myself and my other children. Fake it till you make it just doesn't work with depression...I wish it did.

  So anyways, lately I have been trying some homeopathic things to help with the depression and starting to come out of the haze a little bit. I've noticed that the sun has started coming back into my life and things are a little clearer now. I still take my time every day to cry over my sweet, lost, angel baby. I am trying my hardest to lay the guilt and regret to rest..I think this is the hardest to do. I have been trying to get back into this blog that I really love so much..it just never seems to work out for long does it? But it'll be good to show the kids when they get older. That their mom was not superwoman...she was a real, human being...at least on the inside. I do want to blog more often and plan on it...I think it's good for me.

I've missed you....I won't be gone long this time, I promise.

With Love,
Lady Bea

What does a Sugar Scrub do?

  

Www.inspiredbylife.bigcartel.com

 I get a lot of questions about what a sugar scrub can do for you...how to use them, what to and what not to do with them etc. So I thought this would be a handy guide for all my customers/readers. A sugar scrub is this amazing little natural creation that exfoliates your skin and leaves you feeling moisturized and soft. Our sugar scrub helps reverse early signs of aging making you look and feel younger! Sugar scrubs can help your skin recover from exposure to environmental threats like pollution, dirt, and  stress from the sun’s ultra violet rays.Sugar scrub creates a gentle exfoliation to even out the skin tone. It removes accumulated dead and damaged skin cells caused by sun exposure and pollution as well as dry skin from drying weather. Our sugar scrub also increases circulation which increases collagen production and skin cell regeneration to prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging. Scrubs reduce the appearance of whiteheads, blackheads and acne and prevents new break outs. Use on your feet for dried cracked skin. You can use after you garden to smooth your working hands. Sugar scrubs remove dirt and dead skin without damaging your skin...pretty amazing right? Our sugar scrubs have the added benefit of high quality therapeutic grade essential oils. Our scrubs can target wellness such as calming, uplifting your mood, aches in your hands, minor cuts and nail problems and so much more!  

    So, can you overuse a sugar scrub? YES you can. We at Inspired by Life do not recommend using a sugar scrub on your face more than TWICE per week. You can use on your body as often as once daily and once on your hands as long as you are rubbing gently. Let the sugars do the work, do NOT rub hard or you will make your skin sensitive. The sugars have enough exfoliation that you do not need to rub into the skin with force, sugar scrubs are meant to be gentle. 

DO pick a scrub with natural ingredients. You do not want to be rubbing toxins and chemicals into your skin. Defeats the purpose of having radiant, naturally beautiful skin doesn't it? 

DO NOT use body sugar scrubs on your face, my shop makes sugar scrubs especially for the face - they're far less abrasive for your faces sensitive skin.

DO follow your scrub with our all natural body lotion. This will help lock in moisture and leave you feeling softer than ever! 

DO NOT scrub after shaving...you can do so before gently, but never after.

How to use our scrubs:

*Hands- scoop out a small amount (1/2 teaspoon should be plenty) into damp hands, gently rub together - exactly the way you would with hand soap...do this for about one minute, rinse and pat dry. Follow with our hand lotion, or lotion of your choice for maximum effectiveness. 

*Body- Wash body with your favorite body wash, rinse. Take a bit of scrub and gently rub on entire body avoiding personal areas but paying close attention to areas like the heels of your feet, knees and elbows. Rub the scrub in a circular motion and then rinse, and pat dry. Follow with our body lotion or lotion of your choice for maximum effectiveness. 

*Face- Be sure to only use a sugar scrub intended for use on the face. Wash your face with your favorite face wash, while the skin is still damp, scoop out a small amount of sugar scrub. In a circular motion, gently rub onto your face avoiding the eyes. You can rinse immediately or let sit for one minute...rinse, pat dry and use your favorite facial moisturizer for maximum benefits. 

The skin is the largest organ and covers the entire body. It protects the body from heat and cold and other environmental threats. It helps the body to remove toxins and fats through perspiration and detoxing. Keeping it healthy and glowing improves confidence and self- esteem and overall health. Give your skin the care it deserves with our quality and handmade sugar scrubs today! Each scrub is made custom when you order JUST FOR YOU!!! 

Www.inspiredbylife.bigcartel.com

<3 Bea 

p.s. I am always here...please message with any questions.

Gluten, Dairy, Egg Free Cookies (Great for Mama Milk)

       So about three weeks ago I bought the ingredients to try to make lactation cookies. Since being on my new health journey I have tried many things...but coconut sugar, flax seed and oat flour was not on my list of "interesting things to try" So..I left the ingredients sit. The other day Z asked me to make sugar cookies and I thought my determination for a healthy body was strong enough to avoid temptation. I made the cookies. I kept looking at them and it was as if they were looking back. I almost ate one..but decided to make these instead. I am SO glad I did. These are chewy, delish and great for little Mikey's mama milk. They're gluten, dairy and egg free and very low sugar really. The only refined sugar was in the chocolate chips... so for me, the sugar in it was okay. . I find these are easy enough to add in some nuts or something else too, if you like. My conscious is still in tack!

 You will need:
2 cups gluten free old fashioned oats (Plus 1/2 cup)
4 Tablespoons ground Flax Seed
1/2 cup water
6 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup coconut sugar (on the shelf it looks like a plastic container of brown sugar)
1/4 cup certified gluten free debittered brewers yeast ****if using for mama milk omit if not
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
2/3 Enjoy Life allergen free chocolate chips

You will also need a blender of some sort. I used my baby bullet and it worked great! >>>>>>

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350F - Line the baking sheet with foil, parchment paper or silicon mat

Step 1) Pour 2 cups of the GF oats into the blender. Blend until the oats become a flour. - This part was cool for me, it was the first time I had made oat flour lol.

Step 2) Mix the flax seed and water in a large bowl - let sit for just a few moments

Step 3) After a few moments add in the coconut oil, brewers yeast**, vanilla, baking soda and salt, stir again until well combined.

Step 4) Gradually stir in the oat flour - then fold in the 1/2 cup of GF oats and chocolate chips

Step 5) Drop by tablespoons onto the pan and use your spoon or fingers to push down the mixture a little bit, they won't spread too much. The mixture will be a very soft dough.

Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the outside. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet..I learned this the hard way lol..the entire bottom comes off if you do not wait.

These store well in room temp for a few days but stay fresh better in the refrigerator and will last up to a couple weeks stored in an airtight container. They taste just like no bake cookies to me, and are sooooo good. I mean, what I am saying is...store them however you want..they aren't going to last anyways.

Please let me know if you tried these and what you think of them! I am so excited to hear your thoughts. I noticed a distinct difference in my mama milk supply the same day. It was kinda awesome!

With Love,
Bea

To the Formula Feeding Mama on my Facebook

Dear Formula Feeding Mama,
Maybe you had some free time while baby was napping today and you were scrolling through Facebook, saw the image and post of my nursling and decided to report just because you didn't like it. How do I know it was a formula feeding mom? You messaged me with your story and told me I was making the formula feeding world of mothers look bad. Maybe, maybe it brought back bad feelings from when you tried to nurse. Maybe you never had the desire to nurse because you just didn't want to... whatever it was...I am absolutely surprised that the very first time I decided to post a single, discrete image of my baby nursing I get reported. Really, you can't even tell he is nursing. I have almost 1,000 people on my Facebook..and I am glad you are no longer one of them. You are entitled to your thoughts and I will listen if you want to tell me your story..but I won't stand for you telling me that I am making other mothers look bad and telling me I should be ashamed.
       I am sorry that you felt the need to report an image that I personally find beautiful. When I look into the sleepy eyes of my baby boy nursing himself to sleep...I am in awe of what I have achieved. I am almost certain that while holding your baby in your arms with the bottle you just mixed, you feel the same way. If you posted that image of your baby filling his small belly and feeling sleepy..I probably would be one of your first friends to "like" your picture. When you look past what is nurturing your child, whether breast or bottle, you are seeing your baby...being lovingly cared for - THAT is what I see. You and I alike spent 9 painfully pregnant months growing and carrying our beautiful baby, my pregnancy was very hard, was yours? If you made a post about your ability to wear heels while pregnant would I have the right to report you because I could hardly wear shoes at all?
    I miss the days when motherhood was embraced fully. I am impressed at mothers who can do so much, at the mothers who seem to have it all together...a reason to be offended? Not hardly. I am in awe of the mothers who are able to manage home and work long hours, a reason to be offended? Nope. Nor should another mother be offended that I cloth diaper, or breastfeed, or co-sleep. I co-sleep not because I want my baby to be attached but because he won't sleep any other way and I am so dead tired during the day that I soak up any opportunity to get some sleep. Period. that's the reason. How does needing sleep make anyone better? It's crazy.

    Feed the baby, diaper the baby, clothe the baby - LOVE the baby.

      Some mothers are forced to embrace the natural life. Not all of us woke up one day and said I am going to do everything the natural way, which is definitely not the easy way. I did not know a thing about cloth diapers when our 3 year old was born. He broke out at every single diaper we tried on him, and after a lot of research and painful diaper rashes, we decided to try cloth. The environment had nothing to do with it, neither did cost, neither did being natural. In fact, it took over two years for me to even enjoy washing, folding, figuring out the damn things...throwing a diaper away seems so much easier for me. I breastfeed because it is good for baby to eat..and why pay for formula if I can make milk for free? If I couldn't make milk? Hell yes we would use formula. Would I resent a woman who could breastfeed? NO. Not her fault I couldn't do it. With my first son, I actually had to stop nursing. He had failure to thrive (so they said) but after going back to the doctor a few weeks later and still not weighing much after being on formula, they said "well, he must just be small, he's fine". At that point I had already transitioned to formula..a reason to hate a doctor who tells a woman breast is best? nope..it's not. Why do I like to make our own baby food? Cheap/easy..and of course the idea of not having glass in his food by accident is quite an appealing thought. Why do I like to breastfeed? Free/easy. Does that make me better than anyone else. Not a chance. I have embraced the natural life, and now I love it...but it wasn't always that way.
    It seems everyone gets offended by everything these days. We are angry at other peoples achievements instead of embracing our own. I can't drive a manual, I've tried but I really can't do it. I am IMPRESSED by women who can, I'm not angry, not offended, not jealous. I don't understand this age, everything is a competition. I send hope off into the universe and ask for understanding and love to all styles of parenting. That just because one does something different it doesn't mean they're trying to be better than anyone. I send hope that we will be proud of each others accomplishments rather than make people want to hide their amazing achievements. I send love to all those who feel differently, who feel like it's a competition. I send love to those who feel someone else doing one thing means they are doing wrong. Feed the baby, diaper the baby, clothe the baby - Love the baby.

Just some random thoughts, I guess. It's not right for ANY mother, regardless of how they parent to judge another based on their choices. Natural, not natural, part-natural...who cares. Feed the baby, diaper the baby, clothe the baby - we all love our babies. Really...I just send love. Here is my image..that offended someone.

My Fed Baby

Love,
Mama Bea

Tuna Parsley Puppy Breath Sticks

**Ben and Brady Approved**

 
    Puppies LOVE to give kisses...and truthfully I love it when our puppies smother me in their loving puppy kisses but I do NOT love dog breath lol! So, I was doing some reading and found that parsley actually helps eliminate the odor of a dogs breath. Now, they're still puppies so their breath really just smells like concentrated hot dogs right now (am I the only one who thinks this?) but I know as they get older their breath is really going to need freshened. So, I thought I would try these treats just to see if they would like them...and of course how can you go wrong with tuna? This is another fairly simple recipe, it takes about 20 minutes start to finish ....you can go ahead and add another 10 minutes for clean up. You'll thank yourself later for keeping it up while you bake.

What you'll need:
1 Can Tuna
3 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil (this is fabulous for furbabies skin and coat)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley (you can also use dried but it won't freshen as well as fresh)
1 large egg

Preheat your oven to 400F Degrees

I won't make this complicated, you just throw the coconut oil, egg, tuna and parsley into a medium bowl and mix until well incorporated. Shouldn't take you more than a few moments. Add the flour in 4 parts. When it becomes a thick paste, you can stop adding the flour.

Spread the mixture onto a foil lined cookie sheet, about 1/2 thick and bake for 11 minutes.

Let the treat cool COMPLETELY before peeling off of the cookie sheet...if you neglect this step, you will be peeling little pieces off and it won't look right.

When the mixture is cooled, peel off and use a knife to cut into whatever size you and your furbabies desire. I have cut these into small training bites or as pictured below...a larger 3 inch stick which would be more like a treat for them. You can add another minute or two onto your baking time if your puppy enjoys more crunchy textures. Otherwise, it will be firm but flexible.

Love,
Bea

DIY Ache Rub with Essential Oils

    99% of Americans complain of discomfort...the other 1% cannot speak or ..something. Discomfort is something we ALL will deal with at some point in our lives. So it comes as no surprise that one of my favorite DIY recipes is for a ache rub. I have given away tons of this lovely salve because of how amazing it works. The recipe here will make about 5 ounces. I bought small 1oz containers (Here) because a little works very well and it works so well that you will want to share it with others. My biggest issue with sharing is that it takes quite a bit of essential oils to make, so I also made smaller containers that I bought (Here) and printed a recipe on a pretty piece of paper. I gave the bigger ones to close friends and family and the smaller ones, I was able to sample out for those I did not know or weren't that close to. My biggest goal for my wellness advocates is to thrive in a self sustaining business. So, unless you have a ton of money or you're making gifts - keep your samples smaller so you're not breaking your bank. We want to share the joy of these oils with others, but we cannot put ourselves into poverty doing so. They will understand, I promise! So, here is my favorite recipe for ache relief rub...make, use, enjoy!

You will need:
Makes about 5oz

You can get your essential oils by clicking Here.

3oz Coconut Oil (You can get this at most grocery stores and pretty much all health food stores)
1oz Cocoa Butter (I get mine: Here)
1oz Beeswax (I get mine: Here)

This is the base...now add any combination of oils you wish!
I like to choose some from each category so that it works for a lot of different things. I also found that I needed to add more peppermint but others say less is OK for them. The point is, please customize to what best fits YOUR needs.

Recommended Oils: Choose ONE from each category:

At least 30 drops of ONE oil to help with ache relieving:

-For bone pain - Soothing Blend or Cypress
-For joint pain- Wintergreen or Roman Chamomile
-For muscle ache- White fir or Clove

 At least 10 drops of ONE oil to help with tension relief:

-For shoulder, neck and back tension- Marjoram, lavender, Helichrysum or Massage Blend
-For a muscle tear - Marjoram
-For muscle spasms- Basil or marjoram
-for ligament pain- Lemongrass
 
At least 10 drops of an anti-inflammatory: 

-Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Melaleuca, Myrrh are all great for their anti-inflammatory properties

At least 10 drops of an oil to help support circulation:

-Cypress, Rosemary, Thyme and Massage Blend are all great for increasing circulation

 and- 

10 Drops of Peppermint- Peppermint is important to the recipe and it's recommended not to be omitted. Peppermint is considered a "driving" oil and helps "drive" all of the oils into your body

Directions: This is the easy part! 
   Combine coconut butter, cocoa butter and beeswax in a small glass bowl and put in a sauce pan with 2 inches of water (double broiler method). I recommend NOT using a true double broiler because the oil and butter is very hard to clean off the pans...so I recommend ONLY using glass. You can also melt this into a mason jar and omit the metal tins completely. Melt and mix in the Mason jar and just store in the same jar.
   After the ingredients are mixed and melted completely, pull off of the heat and let sit on the counter for several minutes - up to 45 minutes. You want the mixture to cool to the point where it just begins to harden and isn't so hot anymore. Essential oils do not thrive in heat, and the very hot mixture will compromise some of the therapeutic benefits of your oils.
    When the mixture is at desired temperature - mix in your oils. No particular order, and then mix well. Then allow the mixture to cool all the way...I put my mixture in the refrigerator so that it hardens quicker. And...Viola! Done! It's simple, effective and absolutely amazing! 

        My favorite combination and the one I use all the time now is Soothing Blend, Lemongrass, Cypress, Peppermint, Marjoram and Frankincense. I can apply to my very flared up sciatic nerve and literately within seconds - I can walk without pain. It works for several hours and you only need a wee little bit for it to work. Rub it in, and if you wish apply a warm compress to help the oils soak deep into the muscles.

    Let me know how you like this ache rub! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at beavanhook@gmail.com - I would be happy to help you in any way that I can!Want the ache rub without all the mixing and making of it? Visit my website at www.inspiredbylife.bigcartel.com and purchase it there!

With a warm heart and oily hands-
Bea

How I Beat Chronic Pain (W/ an Alternative Health Method)

     I remember sitting in my doctors office about six years ago. I was classified as chronically depressed, anxious, angry and as having frequent mood swings. I sat there...knowing something was wrong. As he sat there thinking of what "other" medicine he could put me on to help, I thought... "this is pointless...none of this stuff works". At the end of my appointment and three new prescriptions later, I decided to inquire about one more issue I have had but never mentioned. Chronic unexplained pain. There was, of course, a reason I never mentioned it. Lets go back in time a little bit - time warpppp lol.

    Around the age of 13 (give or take) I fell ill with unexplained pain. My fingers and toes felt like what, at the time, I could only describe as "feeling like they're being ripped off". My mother let me stay home from school for a few days but the pain just would not go away and I cried and cried. You can imagine at my young age, I literately felt like I was dying.  The doctor sent me to a neurologist and they sent me for several tests all which came back negative. They told my mother that there was "nothing wrong with me" or "no real reason why I would be in pain" and left it at that. A few weeks later, the pain subsided and I was able to function normally. Now, several years later...I know I can attribute that incident as my first fibromyalgia attack. Because of the way the doctor made me feel, or maybe he meant to assume I was lying, I felt the strong desire to try to keep my attacks quiet. I shut down my emotions, I dealt with the pain on my own. I didn't tell people how much I hurt and I rolled my eyes at people complaining about stubbing their toe - "What do they know about pain?", "I suffer everyday and don't complain yet they complain over a hangnail". I was driving myself crazy with negative thoughts. My pain was not to be compared...we all suffer in our own ways. Only I would not learn this for many years later.

    At the time my pain was turning into anger and then into depression. I felt like a little crippled old lady in this very young body...it was insane! So by age 20, I was knee deep in both chronic depression - mixed in with good ole' situational depression, severe anxiety, and dealing with these secret "whatever this punishment is" pain attacks. I became angry with God, the world..I felt alone and wondered what I did in my past life to deserve this pain. What would I do when I was old? With age comes pain right? With age comes the inability to move as well, right? ...I am 20 and cannot get out of bed for at least 5 days a month, would I become permanently crippled by 50? My situation at the time was not very good and with that and the depression and pain...I felt like I may never make 30.So all this hiding my emotions and not telling people I hurt led to an even worse case of depression and anxiety and eventually I was angry. I became afraid to go in public, I have a 'secret' twitch which I can hide if I clench my muscles, when I was alone I could twitch all I wanted and feel free and it hurts less to let the twitch out than hold it in which only increases the pain. I could cry if I needed and felt like no one could see me. Basically, I was ashamed of my personal situation and was afraid the world would see right through me so I just wanted to stay home. Social anxiety they called it...I have only recently (last 4 years) been able to get over this. I became a person who I was not, and that is the saddest outcome of all.

    Let's go back to that faithful doctors appointment really quickly and then I will tell you all what I did, which is the real reason you are here! I mentioned I had one more question, my doctor, Dr. C, listened with his caring eyes while I decided whether or not I should say it. I was really afraid he would say the same thing I heard many years before - it was nothing, in my head.  As soon as the words "Everyday, everyday I hurt" came out of my mouth, I started crying, like uncontrollable crying and then I just told him everything.. This was such a defining moment in my healing..I had opened up a wound from many years before and was talking about my pain. This is the first time I have wrote this story out and I am in tears thinking of that moment. The fear, anxiety, the desperation for relief was so overwhelming. I was afraid of what he may say. I wanted something, anything to be wrong..so it could be fixed. I told him about my first incident and how its only gotten worse since and how badly my skin hurt and how water and clothes and the air hurt my skin. And how my head crawled like pins and needles and how my joints and stomach hurt all the time. He sent me for repeat neurological tests. All of the neurological tests came back negative besides from slight nerve damage which may have contributed to my twitch. I felt a bit defeated in this moment...mainly because I needed something to be wrong. I needed some sort of treatment to feel normal again. He asked if he could check my pressure points just to be sure everything was okay...what did I care..do whatever you want at this point. He touched about 30 spots on my body which about half were extremely tender. After a while waiting he finally diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. Great!! An answer! Now what? - There is no medicine that works for it. Oh...like a balloon deflating, my hopes were shattered once again. But, he did put me on a long term pain medicine and that was hopeful.

   The pain medication worked for the most part. It took my pain from a 10 to a "maybe 5" most days which was very good for me. I was able to start working out again which made me feel good, I still wasn't eating right (wasn't eating very much at all), and I had a fitness coach from the YMCA who would scold me and eventually put me on a time limit everyday. Apparently, they frown on people who don't eat and work out 4-5 hours a day (haha). I still struggled with depression, and badly. Now I see that my pain could not have been FULLY controlled with just pain medication because spiritually and mentally I was still in desperate need of help. When I say spiritually...I don't necessarily mean God..I went to church, I studied the bible..but it wasn't enough to GO to church..I needed something to believe in. I believe in God, yes, but I am the type of person who believes in more. I am the type of person to say that there is a God..but I know that we are all synergistic creatures and that God may not be a man...that's the greatest mystery of all, isn't it? I believe in Angels and I believe in ghosts and passed lives coming to either make life difficult or maybe help up along the way. I accept that all my spiritual beliefs may be wrong and I accept that others may not believe in the same thing. But finding MY OWN spiritual belief was essential to healing...just as I recommend to everyone dealing with pain, depression or  anxiety. Mentally I was depressed..I was on heavy antidepressants but those just didn't work for me. Max dose of Xanax daily..didn't work. Much was situational, I'll admit but eventually situational depression becomes just flat out depression and anger. Its chemical...a chemical can learn to be imbalanced, just as it can learn to be balanced.

   So that is where it got started, let's jump into our time machine and let me tell you what I did and my recommendations for anyone suffering with pain, depression, anxiety or anything like it. Here we goooo!

My Life Diet Recommendations

Diet Management

-Find a good supplement. A whole food supplement works best. My biggest success was using a supplement pack called Life Long Vitality Supplements. I noticed a drastic difference in the first month of using that, it reduced flare ups and over all inflammation. Clinical studies show that these supplements reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, inflammation and antioxidants. Other testimonials really brought me to even try the Life Long Vitality supplements ...they were saying their pain was less, they felt overall "better", they had more energy, they slept better. So I gave them a shot. At first, for me, they didn't seem to help with the pain and I detoxed...bad! During my research in the past year, I am not surprised I detoxed. I was on 10 medications just 4 years ago. Constantly drinking to ease the pain, and just a life of bad decisions detoxing through my skin. It wasn't awful...but it was not what I expected. This simmered down after about two weeks and I started to really gain the benefits of the supplements. The key is to stick with it. I would love to talk to you about these supplements.

 -Get off grains, sugar and dairy. These...as hard as it is, are staples to get off of when dealing with chronic pain and depression. I know they are addictive..I still struggle with the grains and sugar. It's a battle. Since becoming pregnant, I stopped taking a supplement which really helped curb those cravings. Its a chemical imbalance in the brain causing us to think we want them. Grains...inflammation, inflammation, inflammation. We get so hungry and eat more and more and its causes by sugars and grains. That is why people who go on the Grain free diet are less hungry. It's called the Wheat Belly (Google it). The supplement is called Brain Reward and I would be happy to tell you more about it. It changed my life in ONE DAY. I wish there were more studies out there on it during pregnancy..because I would be taking it right now.

Health Management

 -Use essential oils. It's no secret that I love essential oils. And it is NOT because its some crazy little fad. If you would have asked me what an essential oil was two years ago, I would have said Vanilla Extract? Peppermint Extract? Like I knew! haha! But, with a friend (Ms. Janie Bee), bringing these oils to light for me, I was able to manage my pain without the medication. I was able to use oils in place of headache remedies and other pain relievers. Some of my favorite pain relief oils are the Massage Blend, the Soothing Blend, Cypress, Lemongrass,White Fir and Deep Blue Rub. I like to make a blend for my pain, which included all the aforementioned except the rub. Applied to the feet morning, afternoon and evening before bed. I also occasionally applied to areas that seems to be sprouting pain...hips, wrists, ankles, etc.

Here is a pain rub that I love and it helped with sciatica pain (which seems residual) but also helps with different kinds of pain as well.  DIY Pain Rub

-Work out. I can't tell you what you can do, or what you should do. All I want to say is you should do something. If that something is that you're walking 30 minutes a day, then fantastic! If you are a gym rat, amazing! But be sure to implement some sort, form, or manner of exercise into your life diet.

Detox

 -I detox, and a lot! Before I was pregnant, I detoxed weekly in the bath. I am already excited to start this back up after little one is born. My body needs a good soak and I feel "lost" without it.

Here is my favorite detox bath.

2-3 cups Epson Salt (I normally go towards 3 cups)
3 heaping Tbs baking soda

5 drops of each:
Lavender Essential Oil
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Bergamot Essential Oil
Peppermint  Essential Oil
And 2 (and not any more than 2) drops of Ginger essential oil

If your detox bath feels too hot..omit the ginger. The properties of ginger intensify the detox process. I tried more than two drops and it was INSANE! lol

Soak in water that doesn't burn you but is as warm/hot as you can handle. Soak for at least 20 minutes. Drink 10oz of water before and after your detox bath. Nothing during. Try to have not eaten for at least 2 hours before and do not eat after. (I like to do my detox shortly before bed). Try to pat dry, do not rub. Let your pores continue the detox after you're out of the bath. You will sweat a ton, this is normal.


Cleanse the Body

   -You want to consider doing the best cleanse on the market. I've done cleanses before and they ain't pretty! But this one is so gentle, and you really don't hurt doing it which is something I particularly enjoy haha! I hated cleanses until I found the 30 Day Cleanse by doTERRA! There is so much to talk about when it comes to this cleanse...I won't be able to mention it all here. This blog post is already an afternoon reader. This cleanse helps get rid of Candida overgrowth. We all have candida in our body but when it grows out of control, we feel symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms include:

1. Feeling tired and worn down or suffering from chronic fatigue or chronic pain syndromes
2. Digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
3. Autoimmune diseases
4. Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lack of focus, brain fog
5. Skin issues
6. Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression
7. Severe seasonal allergies or itchy ears
8. Strong sugar and grain cravings 

Starting to sound familiar huh? The cleanse is a step-by-step process to rid your body of the excess candida you're harboring. Let me know if you want to know more about it..it's definitely a game changer. Each bottle lasted me more than one cleanse. It's recommended to do the cleanse once every three months until you feel like you don't need it anymore (which, for me, was easy to tell). After which point you can do the cleanse every 4-6 months or when you feel you need it. 

With this cleanse you need to drink a ton of water. It helps if you add lemon essential oil or fresh fruit to your water. You should, per recommendation of many and not just myself, try to eliminate grains and sugars. Which in my opinion should be eliminated anyways to aid your body in getting rid of the chronic pain and depression. You do want to feel better, right? I know you do. We are in this together. Remember that I am an email away.

Stress and Mood Management

   Well here is a big one! But this is the last one on my list of recommendations so you've made it to the finish line.

-Along with working out, which I mentioned above, it is great exercise and stress management to do Yoga. During this time of mediation and relaxation, your body gets a great work out. There are many different forms of yoga. One I am particularly interested in trying (have not had the pleasure, yet) is DDP Yoga. It looks amazzzing! Find your own path with this. A life diet is somewhat customizable to what you can and are willing to do. Look on YouTube for tons of free yoga videos, too!

  -Meditation. You do NOT have to sit "crisscross applesauce" with your arms in the air to mediate. I find the best time for me to mediate is while I am going to sleep. It's sometimes difficult to find a good time to settle my mind in meditation with 3 young boys running around. There are tons of free mediation recordings online. Make it part of your daily routine and it will.change.your.life. My favorite form of mediation for bed time is yoga nidra for sleep. Very relaxing and you will be able to sleep without pain and racing thoughts. Sleep is definitely a game changer in the life diet. I had to listen to recordings for about six months. The first time I was able to guide myself into mediation was a great day! You will get there too. Mediation helps reduce overall stress levels, improves the mood and sleep, and helps the body function better.

-Self Affirmations. I have favorites for pain, stress and depression. At first I was embarrassed to say affirmations out loud but then they changed my life so much that now I have our kids saying them! There is a lot to learn to do a successful or effective self affirmation. Louise Hay teaches amazing processes and techniques to positively change your life with affirmations. I will probably, someday soon, have a blog post on mediation and affirmations alone..because there is so much to be said about it.
  The basic guidelines to a successful affirmation is to speak your affirmation as if its already true. Instead of saying "I will be stress free" or "I am becoming stress free" you are going to say "I am stress free" or "My life is calm and relaxed and I am happy with things as they come". Make sense? repeat as many times as you can. "All is well". "I live in Joy", "I feel wonderful!" etc. Some of the affirmations that get me through are listed below but by all means...make your own! Make what works for you...there are so many ways to do affirmations. Here are a few of my favorites. Many come from Louise Hay...be sure to look her up!

"I am pain-free at all times"

"It is easy to relax and be calm at all times"

 "I feel glorious, dynamic energy. I am active and alive!"

"All is well"

"I am worth loving, and I feel love abundantly"

"I am good enough"

"New balance is coming to my body now, and I am pain and stress free"

Gah, there really are so many!!! I could go on and on and on!! Really...grab the book "You can heal your life" by Louise Hay.

-Use essential oils.

Well...this got kind of long didn't it! For that I apologize, but I do hope you found something here to help. I know I need to expand on this and this isn't all that I have changed in my life diet. I can tell you that living with the intention of experiencing joy will completely change your outlook on life. One intention after another. The universe WILL bring you what you desire.

With love,
Bea




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3 Ingredient Tuna Training Bites

We just adopted two rescue puppies! Yay! What now? Of course, we need to train them. In 2 days we went through a pack and a half of training treats..my frugal mind is thinking there has to be a homemade version of these things...and there is. I love knowing what they're eating too, with all the recalls over the years. This 3 ingredient training bite is easy enough for any novice baker but yummy enough for the most advanced baker's pup to enjoy. Tuna, Egg, Flour - that's all!

You will need:
1 Can of Tuna (oil)
1 Egg
3/4* cup of flour (could be less depending on how oily your tuna is)

Preheat your oven to 400 F

Step 1) The tuna will be big coming out the can, so you want to mince it up a little bit. I have found that some even blend theirs, but I didn't want to use the extra dishes.

Step 2) Beat the egg in a separate bowl and then add to the tuna

Step 3) Gradually add the flour - keep adding up to 3/4 cup of flour until your mixture is at mashed potato consistency

Step 4) Spread mixture out in a cake pan and bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes depending on how hard or soft you'd like your treats. My puppies are chewers so I did 12 minutes to make it a little stiffer for them. This is not a crunchy treat though. 

Step 5) Pull from the oven and cool completely. Cut to desired size and...done!! Easy as that!

One of my favorite things about making training bites at home is the ability to make them whatever size I want. For now, we are rewarding for many things and they are small so a smaller bite is preferred. Later, they will need less rewarding but will be bigger so I can make the bites a little bigger. You can even make these small enough for your feline friends...our kitties love them too! They're very easy to just break apart. Our puppies will do ANYTHING for these treats!

**Since there is oil in these bites, it is recommended that they be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place so they will last longer.

***If you would like to use tuna with water since it is much cheaper, just add a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil in your mixture. Coconut oil is great for furbabies coat as well!!! 

These will last:
Refrigerator - 3 weeks
Room air - 7 days
In my home, with my puppies - 1 day

One of the things I love to do while these are baking is washing up the dishes I used. This helps keep the kitchen tidy! 

Wecoming Ben and Brady

      Meet Ben and Brady! Our two new family members! We are so excited to add these two pups into our lives. Puppyhood is hard! While managing my oil business, kids, home, and self care - I am now managing puppy care. Fun! We have a family that works well together though, so it works for us! Right now Ben and Brady are learning boundaries and potty training. I am constantly amazed with how smart they are. I feel blessed to have found out about them by chance. Our friend texted me to share a picture of this little Shepard looking puppy and how he was up for adoption. One thing led to another and I am messaging the adoption organization trying to get these two. We loved them from the moment we saw them. They're so incredibly different too, like Ben (the furrier one/Black collar) is calm and gentle. He is the big brother protector. When Z cries, he is there making sure he is okay. He loves eating rocks though and that is a problem, we are working on it. Brady is the high strung little crazy brother. He is just hyper and has trouble listening. So, I am trying to train them on their individual levels - teaching Brady to wait and Ben to lay down etc. 

     I've read a lot of things that say getting litter mates is a bad idea and I have also read a lot of things that says it's not so bad. In my opinion, it's harder but I feel it will be worth it after they are trained. When I call Ben, Brady comes and vise versa. Brady has a little bit of separation anxiety when Ben isn't near and Ben is fine to explore on his own. The potty training seems to be the most difficult thing we are dealing with right now and even that is moving forward smoothly. I mean seriously, it's only been 5 days and these puppies have already surpassed what I thought they'd learn in a month. I am most impressed! 

    In other news, I had to revert to draft over 100 posts for non-compliance for my oil company so my blog seems kind of light right now. But, I am working on those posts and adding new ones so it'll be back and running like a champ in no time. 

   Here is a picture J took of the puppies...it's absolutely adorable! 

 

Brady (Blue) & Ben

Let's try this again...

I have fallen off the bandwagon before, I know, I know..but this time is different. I feel different about life. Maybe it is all the incredible things happening in my life right now..who knows. I have more time now to blog since I finished college, which makes me extremely happy! Blogging is something I just love to do. As many know, I am a consultant for Doterra as well...with all the compliance things that happened, I had no time to clean up my blog and take out words that I am not suppose to use. I will be working on that over the next few days and then posting my official welcome back blog post..which will consist of a recipe I believe. I cannot wait to start this journey...again..and share all the amazing things that has been going on as well as homeopathic health, happy homemaker tips and recipes and so much more!

With Love,
Lady Bea