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