Smoothies: Sneaky Nutrition!

Here are some of the reasons why I LOVE smoothies:

- They are easy to make and leave very little mess to clean up.
- My daughter loves them too!
- I can sneak in extra healthy ingredients that I normally wouldn't eat by themselves. 
- It's a great way to make sure I'm getting enough fruits and vegetables in my diet.

There are so many smoothie recipes out there to choose from. There are smoothies to help you detox and lose weight, there are smoothies that energize you, there are smoothies that help you sleep better, and there are smoothies that just plain taste good.

But I like to experiment with whatever ingredients I have on hand to make my own concoctions. This is a great guide to get you started:

 

Lately, I've been making peanut butter pumpkin smoothies. I like to throw in all sorts of weird things too, like avocado and banana to make it extra sweet and creamy. And I almost always put milk in mine because I share with my daughter and she needs the dairy.

Some other add ins that I like, depending on what kind of smoothie I'm making, are wheat germ, chia seeds, hemp oil (though not too much or it'll alter the flavor of the smootie), yogurt, kale and spinach. And there are many more sneaky, nutritious ingredients I'd like to try, including doTERRA's new IQ Mega, an omega supplement that tastes like wild orange rather than fish.

An apple a day is great at keeping the doctor away, but a smoothie a day is even better! Share your favorite smoothie recipe with a comment!

When Daydreaming Becomes a Problem...

I'm going to be honest, I had a breakdown today. And by today, I mean about an hour ago. It's one that's been coming for awhile. The trigger was this: I opted out of going to a women's conference with my church yesterday because we didn't have money to help out with the carpool and, to be quite frank, I was not in the right mood to go. Well, as it turns out, my name was drawn for a $50 date night gift card that ended up going to someone else because I was not present. Of course, right? So, I totally lost it and broke down. Not just about the gift card, but EVERYTHING that I've been bottling up inside over the past several months. Our always messy house, not having enough money for Christmas this year, the death of my dad back in January, not succeeding in my essential oils business, etc. You know what I'm talking out, right?

I hate using the word depressed because it makes me feel like there's something wrong with me and I should be on medication or something. But I have been battling depression-like symptoms for awhile now. No energy, no motivation, overwhelming grief, low self-esteem, you get the picture. And lately I've been thinking that maybe medication wouldn't be such a bad idea, even though I've always been soooo against it.

But then it occurred to me today: Of course I'm depressed! I mean, look at my life. I spend almost every day home alone with a toddler with no transportation or way to get out of the house. My options during the day are: clean, read a book, clean, browse pinterest, clean, watch something on netflix, or clean. That's between changing diapers and playing peek-a-boo of course. Cleaning is no fun, so I usually spend way too much time wasting time. I can't tell you how many hours a week I spend looking at things that ignite a longing in me for something more, something better than what I have.

For example, I recently chopped off all my hair thanks to some inspiration from Once Upon a Time's Mary Margaret Blanchard:

But I am also inspired by her style and her adorable apartment. So I start daydreaming about updating my wardrobe to look more like hers and what I would need to purchase to make that happen (basically brand new everything!) I also daydream about how to incorporate her rustic chic look into my dream house and how that would work and how different it would be from my current home and how much cuter and cleaner and better it would be...

Are you starting to get the idea? I spend all day daydreaming about how life could be so much better, but then I despair because there's no way in my current situation I'm every going to get there! Maybe that's why I never clean. Because even if my house is spotless, it's still never going to be as cute as Mary Margaret's home. It's never going to be as good as the home I've dreamed up in my head.

Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't donate to my Chip In fund, because some day I'd still like that daydream to become a reality. It's not that unattainable of a dream. But it's not going to happen today. Or tomorrow. Or next month. So why should I waste my todays daydreaming about tomorrow? I'm very blessed to have what I do have. We may not be thriving, but we're surviving and it's certainly more than we had last year at this time.

One year ago, our daughter was one month old. My husband worked part-time in a deli and he made just enough to afford a 350 sq. ft apartment. We didn't have room for a bed, a dining room table or a washer and dryer. Our furniture consisted of a pull-out couch, a dresser, a rocking chair, a small shelf, and a bassinet. We had rude, noisy neighbors on the other side of a paper-thin wall and drug addicts living across the street. It was not an ideal living situation for the three of us.

Now my husband has a full-time job, and although we are still broke, at least we've been able to move into a place that's 3 times the size of our old apartment, we have no adjoining neighbors, we have two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, and we have our own washer and dryer. That's a HUGE upgrade. I should be so thankful! But I'm not. At least, I haven't been. I've been too focused on all the things we don't have now to remember all the things we didn't have a year ago.

So in honor of Thanksgiving which is right around the corner, I'm going to start giving thanks every day for all the things we have that my husband works so hard to provide for us. He is truly amazing and I don't give him nearly as much credit as he deserves. And I do still want to work towards our dream of owning our own little house that is everything we've ever wanted. But, in the meantime, I'm going to not only be content with what I have, but take pride in it and take care of my household with a glad heart.

Happy Monday everyone and I hope you all find something to be thankful for this week!

Give Your Medicine Cabinet a Makeover

I've mentioned doTERRA essential oils in a few posts now, but I haven't really explained what they are and why I love them so much. Well, for those of you who don't know, essential oils are "the volatile liquids that are distilled from plants (including their respective parts such as seeds, bark, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruit, etc.)." (Modern Essentials) They have amazing therapeutic benefits when used aromatically, topically, and internally. They are so small in molecular size that they immediately penetrate the skin and affect every cell in your body within 20 minutes. They can even pass through the cell membrane, which modern medicine cannot do. Have you ever gone to the doctor for a virus and he sends you home empty-handed and tells you to wait it out and get lots of rest and fluids? Well, that's because viruses are located on the inside of the cell membrane. But essential oils can kill viruses!

Now, I'm not against doctors, don't get me wrong. In fact I just visited a dermatologist a few days ago. I'm simply suggesting that, when it comes to informed self-care, there are all-natural solutions that are just as, if not more effective than pharmaceuticals. We are our own best advocates when it comes to healthcare, so make sure you are as informed as possible before making decisions.

Our family turns to essential oils first before going to the doctor or purchasing over the counter medications when treating minor ailments. And for those who want to do the same, I suggest a doTERRA medicine cabinet makeover!

What do you have in your medicine cabinet right now? Let me name a few items that just about everybody has: Tylenol, antacids (like Tums), Pepto Bismol, fungal powder or cream, diaper rash cream, anti-itch or cortisone cream, sleep aids, Neosporin, bug repellent spray, Excedrin, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, nasal decongestant, cough drops, cough suppressant, Benadryl, laxative, Icy Hot... Sound famililar? What if you could replace all those tubes and bottles and pills with a handful of essential oils that will cover all of your basic ailments?

Let me introduce The Family Physician Kit and the 10 oils it comes with.

1. Lavender - All Things Calming

- Apply to bug bites, burns, cuts and scrapes.
- Use as a sleep aid.
- Use for stress and anxiety.
- Relieves diaper rash.
- Use in homemade diaper wipes.
- Add to conditioner for extra manageability.

2. Peppermint

- Reduces fever.
- Calms upset stomach and relieves indigestion.
- Use as mouthwash.
- Relieves headaches.
- Helps with dehydration.

3. Lemon

- Helps with depression and grief.
- Use as household cleaner.
- Purifies water.
- Energizes.
- Use for a gentle detoxification.

4. Melaleuca - a.k.a. Tea Tree Oil

- Anti-fungal (athlete's foot, ringworm, etc.)
- Use in homemade diaper wipes to prevent yeast infections.
- Add to shampoo to prevent lice.
- Relieves earaches and ear infections.
- Apply to acne, cold sores, and canker sores.

5. Oregano

- Supports healthy immune system.
- Removes warts.
- Kills parasites.
- Helps with fungal infections.

6. Frankincense - Liquid Gold

- Relieves inflammation due to injury, arthritis, joint pain, etc.
- Regenerative properties prevent aging and scarring.
- Anticancer properties.
- Antidepressant.
- Enhances the effects of other oils.

7. Deep Blue - Soothing Blend

- Relieves muscle pain, joint pain, and arthritis pain.
- Relieves inflammation.
- Relieves headaches.

8. DigestZen - Digestive Blend

- Relieves indigestion, stomachache, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation.
- Can be used as a decongestant.

9. Breathe - Respiratory Blend

- Relieves cold and flu symptoms.
- Helps with sinus infections and congestion.
- Use in addition to or instead of allergy medications.
- Use as a sleep aid when having trouble breathing.

10. On Guard - Protective Blend

- Boosts the immune system.
- Soothes sore throat.
- Use as a household cleaner (kills bacteria and viruses, including MRSA)
- Use as a hand sanitizer (and spray on shopping carts and public tables too!)
- Add to baking soda as a bathtub, sink, or toilet bowl cleaner.

Sound too good to be true? I can tell you from personal experience that they're not, but if you need a little more convincing, here's a video from Fox 17 News about a doTERRA essential oil study done at Vanderbilt Hospital.

But honestly, if you want to be truly convinced, just try them for yourself. Feel free to comment if you have any questions about the oils or specific ailments or if you want to order something.

8 Ways Our Family Saves Money

I've read so many blogs about being frugal and how a family of 10 survives on $28,000 a year. And I'll admit, I've found some good tips on these sites. But that just isn't very realistic for most people. We rent a mobile home with minimal yard space, so we really can't plant a garden, although I grew a few things in containers this year. We live on a hill and there are no sidewalks on our roads and I have no way to walk anywhere. When I go shopping, I have to go to just one store to conserve gas, and our choices are very limited. If I need toiletries as well as food, I go to Walmart. If I need produce, I go to Safeway. If I need coconut oil or anything organic, I go to Shop N Kart. Those are my only choices. So couponing doesn't usually work for us, especially since we can't afford the newspaper and we don't have a printer. But, there are lots of things we do to save money and they are very easy and realistic.

1. We buy doTERRA essential oils. At first glance, they may seen expensive, but a 15 mL bottle contains 250 drops. So when you consider how many uses you get from each bottle, it's actually much cheaper than buying over the counter medications. And most oils have MANY uses. For example, peppermint can be used for nausea, headaches, fevers, mouthwash, and more. Lavender can be used on cuts and scrapes, burns, bug bites, and as a sleep aid. I'll be writing a post about giving your medicine cabinet a makeover, so be on the lookout!

2. I plan meals that use similar ingredients. We are a family of three, so I cook our meals fairly small and without tons of leftovers. So when we buy produce or things in bulk, they are never used up in just one meal. So I find recipes that use a lot of the same ingredients so I don't have to buy as many things. Ricotta is one example. One container can be used in two or three meals, so I'll make lentil meatballs and tomato soup with ricotta dumplings in the same week.

3. I hang clothes to dry. Did you know that your refrigerator and dryer are the two appliances that use the most electricity? So I try to hang our clothes to dry as much as possible. During the summer, I have a short clothesline on the porch that I use. The rest of the time, I hang clothes from the shower curtain rod and put a fan in the bathroom. Air flow is very important so that your clothes will dry faster and won't smell mildewy. And if you don't like the stiff fabric after clothes have hung to dry, just throw them in the dryer for 5 to 10 minutes to fluff them. We saved over $50 in two months just by hanging a few loads to dry a week.

4. We use cloth diapers. Seriously, if you can do this, it is one of the smartest ways to save money. It takes only a little bit more work and can save you hundreds of dollars a year. We use Flip water-proof diaper covers with prefold inserts. I bought them at the neatest shop in downtown Olympia, WA that specializes in cloth diapering. The covers can be reused after wet diapers and are adjustable for newborns up to potty training.

5. We make our own baby wipes. We actually started doing this because our daughter has sensitive skin and every brand of wipes we tried made her break out in a rash. Not only do our homemade wipes help her little bottom stay clear, but they are way cheaper. I buy a big package of Bounty Select-a-Size paper towels for less than $15 (you want to avoid cheap paper towels) and use a knife to saw each roll in half (don't use a good kitchen knife though because you will dull it very quickly). Then I fill a plastic storage container with 2-2 1/2 cups of warm water, add 2 drops each of doTERRA lavender and melaleuca essential oils and about 4-6 Tbsp of coconut oil. I mix it until well-blended, then put a half roll in the bowl, cut side down. I squash the roll down, put the lid on, turn it upside down and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then I pull out the cardboard tube and pull the wipes from the center. Ta da! Easy as pie!

6. We buy second-hand clothes. Especially for the baby. Babies typically do not wear out their clothes before they outgrow them, so you can find some almost brand new outfits for just a couple dollars or less! And I don't typically shop at the Goodwill (although I did find the cutest bumblebee costume there!). I go to local children's and adult resale stores.

7. We make homemade cards. You can make really cute, personalized cards in just a few minutes for virtually no cost, especially if you already have the paper on hand. Like the one below. (Sorry, I haven't added the picture yet). Who says you have to pay $5 for a card that's probably just going to end up in the trash?

8. We make our own baby food. Check out my previous post for some creative baby food combos. I also liked recipes like beef and barley stew, spaghetti and meatballs, or hearty chicken noodle soup that my husband and I could eat for dinner, then throw the leftovers in our Baby Bullet and freeze them for our daughter's meals. And although my daughter is mostly eating solids these days, we still keep a few fruit vegetable purees in the freezer to throw in with her oatmeal or barley cereal.

I hope some of these ideas inspired you to think of your own creative ways to save money wherever you can. Every family has different needs and different budgets, but there are some great ideas out there!

Creative Baby Food Combinations

The key to good nutrition is learning it and putting it into practice at an early age. Eating well is a habit that must be formed, so the sooner you start, the more likely you are to follow it the rest of your life. So why not start by teaching good nutrition to our infants? It makes sense, right? I'm so glad to see so many parents are stepping up and making their own baby food. It absolutely makes sense to do so because not only is it healthier, but it's cheaper than food in a jar and it's not very hard to do.

My go-to website for baby food information is Wholesome Baby Food. They have some fantastic information! But I know a lot of parents struggle with recipe ideas. Especially the first year, you can't just throw your own dinner in a blender and serve it up. I've gathered my list from various cookbooks, some pre-made combos I've seen in stores, and just out of my own head. The following are some of my daughter's favorite fruit and veggie combos:

Apricots and Applesauce

Avocado and Banana

Mango, Banana, and Kiwi

Green Beans, Peas, and Spinach
*Add a couple of fresh mint leaves when you blend it up.

Carrots, Turnips, and Applesauce
*You may want to use more or less of a certain ingredient depending on your baby's preferences.

Sweet Potato, Parsnips, and Applesauce
*Applesauce is a great way to sweeten up any dish.

Beets, Blueberries, and Applesauce
*I added steamed spinach and kale to this combo. These are great additives to sneak into just about any dish.

 Asparagus, Leek, White Potato, and Sweet Potato
*Add some parmesan and a splash of milk to this combo to make it creamy.

Sweet Potato, Blueberries, and Apples

Acorn Squash and Apples
*Add a pat of butter and some cinnamon to this.

Cauliflower, Carrots, and Tomato
*Only use one tomato. Peel and seed and chop it up and saute it in butter until soft. Add some cheddar and basil before you blend it all together.

Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, and Apples
*If you use canned pumpkin, make sure it's 100% pure and not pie filling!

Zucchini and White Potato
*Add parmesan to this combo.

Hope this list gives you some inspiration! Now, no excuses for not making your own food! These are so easy to just steam or bake and throw into a blender! And of course, they will last you a week or more! I like to keep three or four fruit and veggie combos in the freezer at all times for a quick and easy lunch for baby.

The House

So, I'm going to warn you, my personal American dream is not typical of most Americans. But this should make you feel better about donating your time and money to our family :)

I've been interested in the minimalist and tiny house movement for several years. Blogs like Rowdy Kittens are so inspiring to me. For one thing, I extremely dislike housework. Don't get me wrong, I love a clean, organized house, but it's the process of getting it there that drives me crazy. Does anyone else feel the same way? Please tell me I'm not alone in this ;)

So, needless to say, having less square footage to maintain and less stuff to keep organized really appeals to me. Then there's also the smaller footprint your home leaves on the environment. I'm a huge fan of preserving the earth we live on since it's really the only home we have. Unless we discover a life-sustaining planet in a far-away galaxy. But I don't see that happening in my lifetime. Or my daughter's. You get the idea.

The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is my favorite when it comes to tiny home designs. Their Whidbey Plan really caught my eye awhile ago, but without seeing a finished product, I had a hard time picturing how it would work for our family. Then I found this article and knew that it was the perfect house for us.

The house is 557 sq feet with additional loft space. That might sound a little crazy, but think about all the empty space in our houses. Those corners that have no use and just collect dust and maybe the occasional umbrella or pair of shoes. The space under your bed that none of your boxes fit under. The bit of wall that extends past your furniture that's too small to fit anything but maybe a small end table. That's one more end table you have to keep clear and dusted, remember. What if you condensed all those unusable spaces and every square foot in your house had a specific purpose and function? How much easier would that be to take care of? I know for some, that just sounds crazy, but to me it sounds like heaven.

So that's the house that I'm saving up for. Whether you think I'm crazy or not, if you want to help my little family achieve our dream of being tiny home owners, contribute to our ChipIn fund. And thank you so much for your generosity!

It's a Blog for What?

For over a year, I've been reading blogs that are witty, informative, and creative. I keep telling myself, "I could be doing that for a living!" So I find a website that tells you how to make money with a blog and read the whole thing. At that point, I'm still pretty sure I could do it and succeed, but the actual set up of the blog is a little intimidating. I pick a subject that I know a lot about (such as being a mommy) and write a couple of posts for it. But then I chicken out because the layout of my blog isn't cute enough and my posts are wordy rather than concise. Besides, don't you have to write, like, 100 posts before anyone starts reading your blog? And then you're STILL not making money. I swear I've started about 15 different blogs with different subject matter and ended up deleting them all. I mean, I'm no Six Sisters. I don't even have a sister!

But today I realized something. My previous blogs all lacked luster because I was pretending to be something I'm not. I may have good organization ideas, but more often than not, my house is a mess. I love to cook, but most days it's easiest to fall back on a tried and true recipe like beef stew or spaghetti. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but there are days I just need to eat half a pan of brownies. I have great parenting ideas and techniques, but as the mother of a 1 year old, I lack experience. I love DIY projects and ideas (my pinterest board is full of them!) but I don't have the time, energy, or resources to complete most of them.

But I do have ideas and experiences that are relevant to my life and to my peers. Just because I'm not an expert in any one area doesn't mean I shouldn't have a voice.

More than that, though, I can't afford to keep my mouth shut anymore. I need to do something to earn money without sacrificing my position as a stay-at-home mom. We are a family of three and we rent a single wide trailer and survive on one income. My husband is working on a college degree by going to school full-time online while he works a full-time job making just a few dollars over minimum wage. His current job isn't a bad one, but his paychecks just cover our rent, electricity, insurance, phone, and internet. Our food and gas and other necessities have been covered by the overtime he works. But, there was a change in store policy and he found out this week that overtime is no longer approved except for emergencies. Wonderful news right before Christmas, isn't it? We make just a couple of dollars over the cut-off for food stamps and WIC helps, but not enough. We would like to get rid of our health insurance (baby will still be covered by the state) so we can save over $350 a month, but I have just been diagnosed with eczema that requires prescription medication and my husband has been seeing a chiropractor.

I don't want to put my daughter in daycare in order to get a part-time job because I'd basically be putting my entire paycheck towards childcare. We don't have family close enough to watch her for free. And, although I joined doTERRA International as an independent product consultant, I'm not making enough money to keep my head above water Since I don't have a car (my husband takes it to work most days), it's hard to promote my business. Don't get me wrong, I'm not quitting because I love their essential oils and continue to use them every day. I just can't count on it as a reliable source of income.

Which brings me back to this blog. I need to make money and I'm out of ideas. And although we need money for things like a second vehicle and a Christmas tree, the main thing I want to earn money for is a house. That's the American dream, right? Do what you love to earn enough money to have your own house so you can raise a family in a financially stable setting. So here I am. Trying to earn money while I husband is finishing up his degree.

So, all I ask of you is to ChipIn if you are inspired by what you read here on my blog.  Whether you can afford 50 cents or $20, every donation puts us that much closer to our dream. And thank you for reading! :)