More Vegan Cheesecake (Cuz It's My Birthday!)

I love birthdays.  I've probably mentioned that before.  I made two vegan cheesecakes for my birthday too and I'm SO happy with the turn-out!  By the way, I've been eating dairy little by little and Elliot has shown no adverse reactions to it.  So I'm thinking we are in the clear from his former dairy allergy!  I still don't eat it a LOT because I've noticed I personally feel better when I avoid it (and my skin is clearer, too, among other things), but sometimes it's hard to pass up (like in the form of cheese or milk chocolate...).  However, even though I don't HAVE to avoid dairy, I'm not going to stop making this dessert.  Seriously, it's THAT good.

This has been a great birthday weekend so far.  I couldn't have asked for better weather for February, thanks Mother Nature!  Friday night I had some friends over - I decided it's easier to just have everyone come to me rather than going out, that way we can hang out at our own leisure and nobody has to worry about getting sitters for their kids or anything like that.  Plus Justin makes pork steaks that rival anything I've had at a restaurant so I'm always happy to stay home if those are on the menu!  Everyone brought a dish and we had a great evening.  And I'm pretty sure everyone gave the thumbs-up on my "cheese"cakes!

Me, the girls, Elliot, and his two little buddies on the way :)

Saturday we took Rachael with us to the St. Louis City Museum, because you're never too old for that place, and I wanted to do something I don't normally get to do.  We got sushi for lunch and then played the rest of the day.  It was fun!  And a little rough on the knees... The weather was so perfect, though - which worked out great for playing outside!

Sunday Rachael and Cassie came over for a birthday party workout, which was so much fun!  I really liked this one - Rachael surprised me with the line-up, so it was nice to not have to make one up myself.  It was a rough one though!  We started out doing 86 lunges... which we immediately decided to change to 86 front kicks and did 19 lunges instead.  My butt is sore from all that leg work...  I really liked that it was a 29 minute AMRAP though (As Many Rounds As Possible).  It forced us to get a good half-hour workout in, when normally my crossfit workouts have been done in 5 minutes.

Later we took the Harleys out with Clay and Barbi and rode up to Bully's Smokehouse in Columbia for a late lunch.  Ooohhh I've missed the bike... We hardly rode at all in over a year, being busy with the house and me being pregnant with Elliot, so it was nice to finally get a good ride in.  Hope we can get more in the books this spring and summer!

Justin and I watched The Giver after the boys fell asleep.  Holy crap that movie was powerful.  Or at least I thought so.  I read the book a loooong time ago so I kinda forgot what it was about, but I remember liking it.  Don't remember it being that intense though...

After a busy weekend, I spent today, my actual birthday, not doing anything too exciting at all.  We went to the chiropractor, then I had to get blood drawn to check my thyroid and adrenals (more on that some other time), happy birthday to me... Then we did a little shopping.  We did eat at Olive Garden, per my request, and now I feel lazy and sluggish from the breadsticks and pasta.  Good reminder why I try to keep my diet clean...  Clay and Barbi are coming over again this evening for pizza (yeah, I'm doing it to myself again!) and that's a wrap for my birthday!  It was a great welcome into the last year of my 20s!

Here's the recipe for my "cheese"cakes!  I'll start with the lemon-blueberry.  That was originally going to be my only cake, as I'm a sucker for lemon and blueberry flavors, but it's not a favorite flavor combo for everyone, so I did a back-up cake with a chocolate-heath flavor.  It was way less healthy... but so freaking good regardless... haha :)

Lemon-Blueberry "Cheese"cake

For the crust:

2 cups pecans, ground into flour
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8x8, which is what I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly

For the filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
2 tsp lemon extract

3 tbsp lemon juice

 

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

 

 

For the topping:

2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup honey
1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the blueberries and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while adding the lemon juice and vanilla.  Simmer about 5 minutes and add the arrowroot while stirring until it is all combined.  Simmer on low until thickened and take off the heat. 

 

Take half the filling a set aside.  Mix the other half of the filling with some of the juice from the blueberries.  Swirl the two halves of filling together and spread out in the baking dish.  Top with blueberries, place in the freezer for a couple hours to set, then move it to the refrigerator to soften before serving.  Enjoy!

 

 

Chocolate Heath "Cheese"cake

 

For the crust:

2 cups pecans or almonds, ground into flour
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8x8, which is what I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly

For the filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder

 

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and cocoa powder in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Spread filling out over the crust, top with melted chocolate and Heath toffee bits, and freeze for a couple of hours.  Move to the refrigerator to soften for a couple hours before serving.

Slow Down, People!! Essential Oils Safety

I've been itching to write this post.  So so eager to get this information out there.  Our little community has exploded with essential oil users, my Facebook newsfeed is loaded with posts about people using oils or recommending oils or boasting about oils.  You all have probably heard at least something about the amazing healing power of essential oils by now, and you probably have an awareness that essential oils are so much more than something to smell.

But, do you personally know an aromatherapist?  Do you even know what an aromatherapist is?

If you started getting into essential oils, who got you started on them?  A chiropractor?  A massage therapist?  How in-depth have they been trained on using these gems of natural healing?  I'm a massage therapist and I can speak for our category that we are not specifically trained in essential oil use - aka aromatherapy.  I'm pretty certain chiropractors aren't either.  They're trained in the manipulation of bones and in working with the nervous system.  We're trained in working with the muscles.  Aromatherapists are trained in healing with essential oils - using them safely, properly, and effectively.

We're all learning as we go.  I know I am.  I was under the impression essential oils are totally safe.  I was under the impression you can use any of them anytime anywhere with no repercussions.  I was under a lot of impressions...  But I wasn't raised around them - they've been a totally new concept to me as a natural healing method for only three and a half years.  I've been raised around herbal remedies and homeopathic remedies my entire life.  I certainly don't know everything about those remedies, but I've had quite a few years to research them and learn as I go.  Three and a half years isn't a very long time.  Not for something as broad and complex as essential oils.

Essential oils need to be treated with a bit more respect.  I realize people have gone a bit overboard with them, including myself.  But just as you wouldn't OD on a pharmaceutical drug (I hope), you shouldn't OD on essential oils, either.  They are medicine - the chemical components of the healing elements of a plant - real, powerful, effective medicine and should be used for their intended purposes.  They can do amazing things, as my family and I have experienced first-hand.  But if overused, they can cause harm, which we've also experienced first-hand.  The last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt out of good intentions, and then on top of that wind up with these oils getting a bad name all because of misuse.

I wish I had learned more about them before diving in head-first.  We've had a few negative experiences due to my lack of knowledge.

The realization of my huge lack of knowledge set in when I attended the first class conducted outside of my Young Living oils (yes, I've branched out, more on that later) by and actual aromatherapist - somebody who specializes in essential oils and aromatherapy.  She spoke of overusing the oils, and not going overboard with them because it takes a toll on our livers.  The liver needs to filter everything, and these oils are so incredibly potent that they create extra work for your liver, so you can see how overusing the oils can possibly wind up causing more harm than good.

That was us in late November/early December.  We had cold symptoms going on for quite awhile - runny noses, coughs, whatever, and several times we kept catching bugs going around resulting in fevers or fatigue, etc.  This was all happening despite my daily use of Thieves, applied to our feet as well as diffused in the air overnight, along with other oils that are supposed to be good for the immune system.  I was using these a couple times a day, every day, and we were not getting better.  Why were we not getting better?  I brought this up to the woman conducting the class and she suggested I cut the oils out.  Give our bodies a break.  So I did.  I didn't apply Thieves that night, nor did I diffuse it, and I didn't touch them at all the next day.  I took my normal supplements, and gave Harlee his normal liquid vitamins in his juice, and left the oils out.

Wouldn't ya know, within days we were better.  Coughs gone, noses clear, feeling good.  All of us.  And we haven't been sick since (well, Harlee just recently developed a cough but I'm treating that homeopathically and relieving it with intermittent use of essential oils).

Another experience I had came from doing too many Raindrop sessions at my office.  The Raindrop Technique basically uses a bunch of essential oils that are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-microbial, etc., etc. and they are applied to the feet along the reflexology points of the spine (the edge of the arch of the foot) and dripped directly along the spine and worked in with different massage techniques.  It's supposed to boost your immune system and give you added health benefits.  But after I learned about overusing the oils, I've been a little leery of doing these sessions anymore... especially because Wintergreen, Oregano, and Peppermint were three very strong oils used in the session and those are ones that I've learned should be used sparingly.  Among them are Basil, Thyme, Cypress, and Marjoram, and the Young Living blends AromaSiez and Valor (which has frankincense in it, another very powerful oil).  I had been performing these sessions at least 1-2 times a week since the end of October.  Now that more excitement has spread through town about the effectiveness of essential oils, it seems like EVERYONE wants to get their hands in them.

Meanwhile, Elliot developed some terrible eczema on his back.  It covered his entire back, from his butt to his neck, and occasionally I could tell it bothered him, which I tried relieving with coconut oil and lavender oil.  I couldn't figure out what would be causing it - my diet?  Our laundry detergent?  I was at a loss.  Until I spoke with the aromatherapist I had met at that last class about learning something to replace Raindrop therapy, and we scheduled a class for myself and two other gals (one being a nursing mom as well).  The instructor said she was going to check and make sure that this class was safe for nursing mothers, and at that moment I thought, wait, you mean that's something we should be concerned about?  I told her how many raindrop sessions I had done, and at that moment she said "Oh my goodness STOP.  Don't do anymore.  I guarantee that's where your son's eczema is coming from."

I haven't done another session since the first week of January.  I haven't changed a single thing in my lifestyle otherwise.  And wouldn't ya know, Elliot is all clear - not a single speck of eczema to be found on his skin anywhere.

At that moment, I felt an intense desire to spread the word about oil safety.  I'm working on scheduling a class for her to come out and teach my community about safe essential oil use, so stay tuned.  I hope everyone can make it, no matter whether you're a Young Living user or a DoTerra user or Mountain Rose Herbs or Plant Therapy, or what have you - we're all using the oils and we all need to know how, and the way to learn is through someone who's been specifically trained in using them.

So many of my clients have come through and rattled off the arsenal of essential oils they've been using on themselves and/or their kids, and I've really been getting worried.  Quite a few pregnant woman have been using them too much too, like taking them internally, which is soooo so dangerous.  I knew the experience I had - I'm so thankful it wasn't worse.  I'm feeling scared for all the people out there using them so much and getting so gung-ho with it thinking they're completely harmless.  While there are plenty of oils that are a lot safer than others, like lavender, there are also a lot of oils that should be used sparingly, like peppermint, oregano, and wintergreen.  I used peppermint all the time, especially to ease an upset stomach (which it works wonders for, by the way!).  But you absolutely should not use peppermint on children under 3, as it can possibly cause breathing spasms, and otherwise should use it sparingly.  It's powerful!  Oregano has been a household favorite, especially after it cured Justin's strep throat, but again should be used sparingly.  Using it too much can be toxic to the liver.  Yet I've heard of so many people using it in "homemade flu shots" and I've seen those recipes all over Pinterest.  Slow down!  Oregano packs a punch and should be used in big situations, like the strep throat incident.  I'm glad I learned this - we started using it simply to cure a sore throat just as a precaution.  We've since quit using it at all and will only save it for acute situations (which hopefully we won't run into but it's good to have on hand).  And Wintergreen - it's one of few of the only plants in the world that naturally contains methyl salicylate, which is the main ingredient in aspirin.  No wonder it's such an effective pain killer!  But using it too much can create a toxicity, just as taking too many aspirins would.

I could go on for days.  And I have so much more to learn too!

I'm excited about what I've already learned, and excited to continue to learn more.  Keep those oils on hand, but use them with a little more reverence.  They're powerful, and should be respected as such.  I know I'm going to be a bit more careful with them!  I'm going to keep learning more about them, too.  I've finally found an opportunity to get REAL education about them, unlike any other I've been able to find before, even through Young Living.  And don't worry, Young Living is an amazing company.  I'm just realizing there's more beyond that.  Email me if you'd like more information, otherwise stay tuned, I'll definitely be writing more about it soon!

Justin's Birthday, Brisket, and Cherry Cheesecake

How is January almost over already?  This is crazy!  I wanted to publish Justin's birthday cheesecake recipe back around his actual birthday, but now it's almost MY birthday!  Oh well, I'm the kind of person who likes to celebrate birthdays for weeks so we can still pretend it's his birthday :).

Hi birthday is January 11th, so in the days leading up to it I brainstormed what to do to celebrate.  I asked Harlee to ask Justin what kind of birthday cake he wanted.  That was entertainment:

Me: Harlee, ask Dad what kind of birthday cake he wants.
Harlee: What kind of birthday cake you want, Dad?
Justin: Tell Mom a cherry cheesecake.
Harlee: Dad wants a chicken cheesecake!
Justin: No, a cherry cheesecake
Harlee: He wants a cherry on top!

I shared that on Facebook so some of you may know this story already.  Hahaha it still cracks me up though.

I did not make a chicken cheesecake with a cherry on top, which I guess didn't disappoint Harlee.  I didn't make a conventional cheesecake, either.  I went with my vegan style cheesecake - dairy-free and paleo (well, almost... I did drizzle some melted white chocolate on top... but other than that it was paleo!)!

Fortunately this turned out amaaaazing.  Wow I was so happy with the outcome... And I'm glad too - last year Justin's birthday cake was a total flop - a very sad attempt at a paleo red velvet cake.  He deserved a damn good cake this year, so I'm very happy this turned out so well!  I don't really know how I got so lucky with him... usually winter is slow for him at work (he's a boilermaker) so he's been home a lot, and he's totally assumed the role of "super dad".  He's been cleaning, keeping up with laundry, dishes, watching the kids, running my errands... All I've had to do is go to work and cook dinner (which I enjoy doing anyway).  I wish it could be like this forever... I'm not really your typical female I guess, and I'd definitely fail miserably at being a 50's house wife - I much prefer being at work over being at home doing all the chores Justin's been keeping up with.  He doesn't seem to mind, though, which is kinda funny.  Definitely a big role reversal going on here!  But hey, we've got balance, and that's all that matters!  On top of being a great wife, he's also been finishing up some projects around the house - the stairs to the basement are now sealed and shiny with polyurethane, he's got an amazing hand-made gun rack set up in the vault in the basement along with the bones of a hunting room, he's started unpacking a lot of boxes that had been pushed to the side amidst the craziness of moving in, having a baby, moving my business, and then celebrating holidays.  I don't know how he's pulled everything off that he has, and on top of that he's had time to come pick me up from work and take me out to lunch quite a bit.  My stress levels have been, well, nil - I may have forgotten what the word "stress" even means... And that's come in super handy since Elliot had been pretty unhappy about his incoming teeth.  He's a lot better lately, which I just posted about, but for awhile there... whew!

 Justin is currently elbows deep in his next project - the chicken house.  The Papenberg Homestead is on its way to becoming just that - a homestead.  I've never raised chickens before, I have no idea what's involved with it... all I know is that they look creepy, but they taste good and so do their eggs!  I'm super excited about fresh eggs...  I'm also excited about the fact that they supposedly eat anything - so when I have cooking scraps (like rinds, peels, stems, cores, seeds, etc.), I can toss it to the chickens rather than feeling really bad about throwing it away and being wasteful.  I could start composting, but there's a lot of involvement in that, from what I understand, and I'm not seeing me sticking with that kind of project.  So, to the chickens it'll go!

I digress.  So anyway, we started the morning with Justin's birthday present, which Harlee was excited to help him open:

We got him a scope mount for his gun.  He was pleased with that gift and spent the rest of the morning attaching it to his gun while Harlee and I got to work on dinner for the evening.  We made brisket in the crockpot with all homemade ingredients.  Harlee loves helping me cook!

homemade ketchup

stirring the homemade Worcestershire sauce

 We also had roasted garlic Parmesan asparagus and a salad with mixed greens, apples, walnuts, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing that anyone can make:

1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part olive oil
1/4 part honey
Garlic powder, salt and pepper, basil and oregano to taste

Shake it or whisk it together and enjoy!

Here's the link to the recipe I used for our brisket:  http://paleoleap.com/slow-cooked-beef-brisket/
And here's what dinner looked like:

Yum!

But I've kept you waiting long enough.  How about that "cheese"cake recipe, then?


Topping
2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup honey
1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cherries and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while adding the lemon juice and vanilla.  Simmer about 5 minutes and add the arrowroot while stirring until it is all combined.  Simmer on low until thickened and take off the heat.





Crust:

2 cups ground pecans
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
Dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8" springform pan, which I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly.  Spread melted chocolate over the crust, if you'd like (and why wouldn't you?)

Filling (which I doubled)

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
1/2 cup prepared cherry topping

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Once blended, stir in the cherry topping and spread mixture evenly over crust

Spread the warm cherry topping over the cashew filling.
Place in freezer for 4-6 hours.

Move to refrigerator to thaw until ready to serve, then cut into bars or wedges.

I ended up melting about a half a cup of white chocolate chips and putting it in a ziplock bag, cutting the tip off, and  squeezing all that yumminess on top of the cheesecake.  So not paleo, yet soooo good...

Teething and Constipation

I can't seem to find time to post.  I'm sorry.  I miss writing, I really do.  However, my life has been consumed by work, family, and a teething baby.

Elliot has been an angry teething little monster.  Okay so he hasn't been THAT bad but still, he must have the world's lowest pain tolerance (which, I'll admit, he gets from his mother...) because cutting teeth is like the END of the WORLD.  He's not happy about it.  Drool, crying, fussy, chewing on everything, the whole nine yards.  And he wants constant attention.  It's frustrating, because I can't get much done when I'm holding a crabby baby all the time.  So, what does this natural mama do about teething?  Heck I don't know, this is kind of my first rodeo with that, Harlee handled it pretty well so I didn't have to bust out any tricks.

So this is what I've been doing with Mr. Elliot.  Aside from letting him chew on things and holding him and trying to comfort him constantly.

Hyland's Teething Tablets.  They've been fabulous - the babysitters have been thrilled with their effectiveness too.  They're homeopathic, too, so they won't have any scary adverse effects like Orajel which can cause your kid's mouth and throat to go numb.  Which does not sound like a good idea to me...

If it seemed really bad, and the teething tablets weren't cutting it, I'd switch to homeopathic arnica tablets, which is good for pain relief.  Followed by homeopathic chamomilla about 30 minutes to an hour later, which is good for soothing and calming.

But I was doing this stuff all. the. time.  So my next step was an amber teething necklace.  Amber is really fascinating - it contains a naturally-occurring substance called succinic acid that is released from the stone when heated, such as when in contact with body heat.  It's a natural pain-reliever (as well as providing many other benefits), which is why it helps ease the pain of teething.  Seems like he's been a much happier kid since he's been wearing it!

He looks like a little jungle baby with his camo diaper and amber beads!

It was also time to start thinking about solids.  Usually it's recommended to wait until after baby is 6 months of age, but Elliot was showing signs of being ready to delve into the world of solids.  Here are some signs that show readiness, taken from Kellymom.com:

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

He hit these marks at 5 and a half months, plus his first tooth broke through, and our naturopathic pediatrician agreed we could start trying solids.  So he got some homemade sweet potatoes and loved them.

He loved everything we gave him, especially bananas.  We've been trying all sorts of foods both homemade and store-bought, and he's been a happy little eater.  Then came some possible TMJ (jaw) issues, and nursing became a chore, as did bottle feeding.  He's got an appointment with the chiropractor to help sort that out tomorrow, but in the meantime he hasn't been nursing well.  Which led to his system getting a bit backed up.

He strained and strained and grunted and cried to poop, and when he finally did it was hard little rabbit poops that definitely showed I was right, he was backed up.  Sometimes he'd strain and grunt and push and nothing would come out at all.  Poor guy.

I've been limiting my use of essential oils, which I will explain why in a future post, so I tried bicycling his legs and rubbing his tummy.  I also tried homeopathic Nux Vomica.  I fed him some prunes too.  Nothing seemed to be getting things moving and I was getting concerned - having a backed-up digestive tract can cause some problems systemically and I did not want that!

Finally I remembered how effective reflexology can be.  I had even taken a class on it and got to see how beneficial it is.  I found a great video on YouTube for constipation in babies (here it is, check it out!) and followed the instructions.  He wasn't real happy about that - the thing with reflexology is that each point on your foot corresponds with an organ or part of your body.  If an organ or part of your body isn't functioning at its best, that corresponding point on your foot will hurt, or will also have little bumps or "grittiness" in the muscle tissue.  I rubbed his feet and he squirmed and cried (and I felt bad), but after I complete one circuit he farted!  I was impressed just by that, but shortly after I was impressed even more as I made another circuit around his feet and he grunted and pushed and finally made progress!  Off to change his diaper I went in total amazement.  I rubbed his feet again and he didn't cry as much - I guess it was feeling better.  I did that on and off throughout the day until finally his BMs were coming more frequently and normal-looking.  He pooped all day and didn't have to strain anymore at all.  Needless to say he was definitely a happy baby after that!  And I was a very impressed, happy mama!

Now here I am taking advantage of Elliot finally sleeping normally again, which was another benefit of all this - teething pain gone, tummy trouble resolved, all that good stuff.  Maybe, with any luck, I can get back to normal blogging!  (Ha ha ha...)

It's so awesome to be able to help my kids naturally.  I helped get his little system moving again without using any drugs.  I helped relieve his teething pain without any conventional pain-killers.  I was able to tap into resources of plant-based medicine - the original medicine - and ancient wisdom to help heal my kid.  That's a really awesome feeling.  I hope this inspires you to do the same!

Happy Baby!

Confessions of a Human and New Year's Wishes

I can't believe I haven't posted ANYTHING for a whole MONTH.  It's been a crazy busy month, though.  To the point where I haven't really been able to make time to sit and write.  We hosted two Christmas gatherings plus New Year's Eve, so the month has been spent catching up on little projects around the house plus decorating, gift shopping, all that jazz.  I attempted to make cookies and candies but for some reason they didn't turn out... I wasted a lot of ingredients in the process too, which was a total bummer.  I made chocolate covered peanut butter balls, though, and they were a success - I'll try to post that recipe before Valentine's day, if you don't mind the wait!

I have so much to talk about, because so much has happened!  So hopefully this means a lot of exciting posts for 2015.  This past month I've learned more about essential oils, I'm about to acquire a salt room so that I can offer salt therapy at my office (awesome for respiratory ailments as well as skin conditions from minor to acute), I'm selling homemade soaps so I'm excited to tell you why those are better than store-bought, and I cured two earaches (never got them diagnosed as infections so I can't say that) and a case of pink eye using natural remedies!

To kick off the New Year, however, I decided to write a simple post admitting that I am human, just like everyone else.  The only thing I've succeeded at this past month is sticking to my drug-free way of life - no pharmaceuticals were used to treat any ailments we came across, including the two ear aches and pink eye mentioned above, a furiously teething baby, several sore throats, coughs, runny noses, etc., plus a case of sciatica that decided to randomly revisit me (hadn't had to deal with that since my pregnancy with Harlee...).

I wish other areas of my life were as second-nature to me as avoiding conventional medicines.  Like diet and exercise.

I have a confession to make.  I've been experiencing a growing case of burn-out...  I stopped going to Flex sometime in November, because I could feel it coming on and didn't want to force myself to do something I was slowly losing interest in - I do NOT want to lose interest in CrossFit!!  It changed my life, it's a fun and effective way to burn fat and build strength, and it makes me feel good both physically and mentally.  But I've been doing a lot of the same thing, and because of the weather I'm now confined to a spot in my basement rather than being outside.  I look forward to Sundays when Rachael and Cassie come over, because working out in a group setting still keeps me going and I thoroughly enjoy it just like I always used to.  But, I must say, I'm becoming more and more amazed that I did what I did while pregnant.  I'll crank out 20 burpees without stopping and imagine having a big pregnant belly hanging off of me while doing that.  I did that.  I push-pressed 95lbs of weight over my head WHILE in labor.  I did that.

And now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I don't even feel like push-pressing a bar over my head.  Or cranking out one burpee.  Okay okay, who wants to do burpees anyway, really?  But they're a great form of exercise and I like working them into a WOD under normal circumstances... What's happening to me??

And diet.  Oooohhh have I fallen off of the Paleo wagon...  I try not to beat myself up TOO bad - I mean at least one meal every day has managed to stay completely Paleo.  But I think snacking on candy all day, or loading up on carbs the many times we've gone out to eat, and the way-too-frequent trips through drive-throughs we've made, completely negates that one Paleo meal a day.  Added to the fact that I haven't been working out anymore to burn some of that junk off... well...

Yeah.  That's pretty much me.  I look in the mirror and TRYYY so hard to say, yeah, I look good for being 5 months postpartum!  Because in comparison to 5 months after Harlee was born, I look pretty good!  But when I look at pictures of myself at just a couple months postpartum after having Elliot and see that I look BETTER than I do now... that's just sad.

But it's not just about physical appearance.  I know that's a big thing right now - social media is trying to help people feel better about themselves no matter what kind of body they have and stop comparing ourselves to photoshopped celebrities in magazines, which is awesome, and I do want to focus more on my health and well-being rather than just my appearance , but regardless, physical appearance does play a huge role.  I don't expect to look like a photoshopped celebrity.  I don't want to, anyway.  I'm perfectly fine with the stretch marks on my belly.  I'm perfectly fine with my droopy boobs.  Why?  Because I worked my ass off a couple summers ago and I felt REALLY good about myself and my appearance.  I know what I CAN look like, and I was almost back to that just a couple of months after Elliot was born.  And because of all the crap I ate this past month and my lack of exercise, I'm losing my progress.

And I feel like crap.  I've been tired and sluggish, I've needed to get back on St. John's wort to help manage my moods when normally diet and exercise do that for me, and I've been noticing aches and pains creeping in - my knees have ached, I had a sciatica flare-up, my wrists have been sore, and some days I've just felt sore and achy all over.  I know it's because of the junk I've eaten.

I guess it's a good reminder of how much diet really does affect us.  We are what we eat.  If we eat junk, we'll feel and function like junk.

So, I'm going to challenge myself.  The holiday celebrations are finally behind us, so there's no reason for me not to get back on the Paleo wagon.  I'm going to experiment with different things, like meal prep so I have lunches pre-made for me throughout the week, and menu-planning so dinner is thought out ahead of time.  I need to go back through and flush the house out of junk food.  I'm a chocoholic, there's no hiding it.  I just need to manage it a little better.  I'm sure I'll still grab a pack of peanut M&M's when I swing through a gas station, but I don't need a bowl of them sitting on my counter to eat every. single. day.  And I need to remind myself that it takes work to get rid of the cravings, but eventually they will go away.

I'll share my stories as I go, too, so maybe you'll feel inspired to try simple things to make your lifestyle a bit healthier.  Mainly, though, don't beat yourself up if you slip up.  That's what I've been working on.  I'm trying not to be too angry with myself for being a complete slob with my diet and exercise all month.  I know I can get back on track, and I will.  And so can you!  We all have to start somewhere.

So, it's a new year.  Time to hit the reset button and strive to be better than we were the year before.

Before I sign off, I have a few New Year's wishes for you.

I wish you motivation to try something new to get your body moving - join a gym, buy a new piece of exercise equipment - kettlebell, dumbells, jump rope, or even a hula hoop! (I bought one and it's actually a blast!)  Try something you haven't tried before - running, weight lifting, spinning, skiing, whatever!  Find something you enjoy so you'll stick with it.

I wish you creativity to make healthy eating just as delicious and achievable as eating junk food.  And it truly can be!  Stick with that, and eventually healthy foods will taste even better than drive-through or take-out food.  And learn ways to plan ahead, like I have been, so you'll be prepared on busy days.

Last, but not least, I wish you courage to ask questions.  This is something I'm wanting to delve into more in future blog posts.  Take responsibility for your health and the health of your family.  Don't rely solely on what you're told by doctors or healthcare providers.  Take charge of your body.  Take time to learn more about ways to be healthy.  With that knowledge comes great empowerment, knowing that you can heal yourself or your loved ones and not need to run to a doctor for every little thing.  When I healed Harlee's earaches and cured Elliot's pink eye without once having to consult a doctor - that's an awesome feeling.

Ask questions.  It can get you so much farther ahead than where you ever were before.  Before you pick up a drug from the pharmacy - What is in this?  What are the side effects?  Are there safer alternatives?  Before you agree to get on a prescription - How long am going to have to take this?  Is this drug just masking the symptoms of a problem rather than addressing it?  Or if it's controlling a problem, are there healthier ways I can control it on my own?  Blood pressure or cholesterol, for instance, CAN be controlled by diet and exercise.  You do not need to rely on drugs, and you'll be that much better off if you avoid them.  And before you or your children get a shot - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the package inserts.  They should be given to you at the office, but can also be found on the CDC or FDA websites.  Don't just get a shot because you're told to, because everyone else does it, because of the fear tactics used to make you blindly do it without question - read the ingredients of what you're injecting into you or your child's body.  Read the possible side effects.  Sometimes side effects include seizures, paralysis, even death.  Ask your doctor to look you square in the eye and promise your child won't experience any of those side effects before you agree to anything.  This is something I'll talk more about in a later post, but I at least want to put the thoughts out there, to encourage you to take your health into your own hands and advocate for yourself because your health is, well, YOURS.

I hope to spend more time blogging this year, I have so much to say and share with you.  But I also have a family to care for and spend time with, a business to run and grow, and a new house that still needs its finishing touches, so be patient with me if I slack a bit...

I hope your year is off to a great start!

Paleo Thanksgiving

Part Two of my Thanksgiving post!  So I left off Monday at our Paleo Thanksgiving, and while we finished cooking the last elements of our dinner Cassie and I chatted about the whole Paleo thing, which, as I said, gave me some ideas for a blog post.

So here I am!

One thing I've noticed and I said to Cassie that night was that it seems as though a lot of people tend to over-think the whole Paleo thing, assuming off-the-wall ingredients need to be purchased and a lot of thought needs to be put into it, when really it's not that difficult at all.  Odd ingredients need only be purchased if you intend to do a lot of baking, because that's where you start replacing wheat flour with nut flours, sugar with honey, vegetable shortening with palm shortening, or vegetable oil with coconut oil.  But really, that's not all that difficult either.  Or at least I thought it wasn't.  We've got the internet at our fingertips!  There are websites upon websites, blogs upon blogs created by people who are dedicated to this lifestyle and have tons of recipes to share.  Ditch your Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and look up some Paleo cakes and cookies.  Or look at my growing list of recipes - they're all tried and true and absolutely delicious!

But seriously, how often do you bake if it's not a special occasion?  So why bake up a storm on Paleo?  I usually buy a 5lb bag of almond flour on Amazon and that lasts me a good 3-5 months in the freezer.  Sure, almond flour is expensive up front, but considering how long it takes me to go through it, it's not that bad.

Before I get too much further, if you're not sure what the point of Paleo is, read this blog post I wrote awhile back on the science of healthy eating.  Paleo is basically eating whatever foods would have been available to our pre-agricultural ancestors.  Meats, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds.  It's off-limits if it's been through some sort of process to get to your plate - so no grains, sugars, anything that's packaged in a box or a bag, etc.  Avoiding grains and sugars is a good idea, anyway, as they don't provide many nutrients that your body would need to process and use up all the carbohydrates that are in them.  They spike your blood sugar, putting your insulin to work, increasing your body's inflammatory response, and a whole slough of health issues can potentially arise, added to the fact that if weight-loss is your goal, it'll definitely impede your progress.

There's a bit of gray area to Paleo, though.  For instance, white potatoes.  Just a lot of carbohydrates and not a lot of nutrients to back them up.  Not good if you're trying to manage your blood sugar (which everyone should be doing, not just diabetics).  But, they're still grown in nature and not in a factory, which is why I consider it gray area.  Same with peanuts, beans and legumes.  Some Paleo "professionals" consider them off-limits, I personally think it doesn't hurt every now and then.  I haven't researched it much so don't quote me on that.  But, like potatoes, they're grown by nature and not in a factory.  Dairy is another questionable food.  Milk really isn't good for you.  It's been through way too much processing, most cows are given extra hormones and sometimes steroids to produce more, and that does get into their milk, which then we in turn drink.  Plus, it's just not natural for a mammal to drink another mammal's milk.  We're humans, not baby cows.  If you can find cheese and yogurt from clean sources then I don't have too much of a problem with that, but milk... ugh.  We replaced it a long time ago with almond milk and coconut milk and I haven't missed it.

As for dinner, it's really not that hard.  You can be as basic or as creative as you want.  Throw some chicken breasts in the oven with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper - that's Paleo.  Or get on Pinterest and find things like Peach Balsamic Rosemary Chicken - still Paleo.  And absolutely delicious, by the way!  See what I mean?  Don't be intimidated.  It's not hard.  Our dinners consist of a meat and two vegetable sides.  We're busy - I usually stick to easy, simple things, and if I find myself with extra time then I get on Pinterest and find creative recipes to experiment with.  But what it comes down to is meat and vegetables.

Sometimes it's chicken with green beans and cooked carrots.
Or we'll have pork steaks with salad and sauteed zucchini.
Maybe I'll make fish or shrimp with steamed broccoli and roasted asparagus.
Or maybe beef steaks with roasted tomatoes and brussels sprouts.

Or throw in some homemade applesauce - so easy, just roast some cored, sliced apples with a little cinnamon until tender and send it through the food processor.  Voila.  What's in season?  Butternut squash?  Roast that up like I did Sunday night.  Zucchini?  Saute it in a pan with some oil and spices.  Leafy greens?  Salads - make your own vinaigrette - half oil, half vinegar of choice (usually balsamic or red wine or apple cider is good), a little honey, lemon juice, herbs and spices of choice, boom.

Mix and match the above options.  Try new and different vegetables.  Remember my stir-fry post?  Doesn't get much easier than that!  Steaming, roasting, sauteing - if you've never done it before just look it up on YouTube, then give it a try.  If you've done it once you can do it again.  And sometimes we just don't have time to cook.  I admit, I'll open a can of green beans and boil them in a pot with salt and pepper.  It's fine!

If you have a little extra time and creativity, throw together some paleo tortillas (here's my flaxseed tortilla recipe but hang tight, I've got an even better recipe coming up soon), whip up some guacamole, brown some ground beef with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin, saute some onions and bell peppers, and you've got yourself paleo taco night.  Or cook a spaghetti squash, roll up some meatballs, find a pasta sauce with no added sugar (or make your own), and you've got classic spaghetti and meatballs.

See what I mean?  Paleo is not hard.  Eating clean is not hard.

Since converting to Paleo we've only had to go grocery shopping once a month.  I stock up on the basics, build our meat supply back up, and after that I rely on the local co-op for produce.  It comes twice a month (every other Thursday) and has a big enough variety of fruits and vegetables that I've got side dishes figured out for me and I didn't even have to think.  Get a meat out of the freezer in the morning to thaw for the evening, or the night before if I want to make it in the crock pot, and I'm good to go.

Breakfast is always some variation of bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, veggies, omelets, etc.  Easy.  Sometimes I'll make some pancakes and store them in the freezer if I'm wanting a break from bacon and eggs, but honestly I'm not interested in those kinds of breakfasts anymore - I've gotten myself to the point where the first thing I crave upon waking is some sort of protein.  It's nice to have more kid-friendly options on hand though.  Harlee loves scrambled eggs, but sometimes he's not interested in that.  I grew up eating Pop-Tarts and sugary cereal, like most kids I'm sure.  But there's no way I'd willingly start my kids' day on a heap of sugar like that.  Sometimes I'll cave and allow that stuff as a snack, but not very often, and not very much (but I have a little weak spot for that kind of stuff yet soooo... yeah.).  However, I can throw together some sweet potato brownies in my sleep, they're so easy, and they're GOOD for you while being sinfully delicious at the same time.  I have NO problem with Harlee eating those for breakfast!

Then lunch is usually something left over from the night before, or a salad, or tuna salad, or whatever.

Get it?  Paleo is easy.  Eating clean is easy.  You can do it.

Okay so I had a little Paleo Thanksgiving Sunday night and it turned out great!  It was just me and my kiddos and Cassie and her kiddos, but it was perfect.  I think she's been interested in the whole Paleo thing, so hopefully this gave her a good glimpse into what a Paleo meal might look like, and I'm going to share it with you so you can see, too!  I made a little more than I usually do, since it was a special occasion, but honestly I could make this meal any night of the week.

dinner!

The main entree was chicken drumsticks.  Since kids outnumbered adults 3:2 I figured creating a kid-friendly meat would be a good choice, and I know I always liked drumsticks as a kid!  Still do, honestly...  Anyway, this recipe was a Pinterest find and it looked yummy.  It's from GimmeSomeOven, and I must say, I was right!  It was yummy!

 Lemon, Garlic, & Thyme Drumsticks (with my modifications)

10 Chicken drumsticks, rinsed
5 tbsp olive oil
zest of one lemon plus 3 tbsp lemon juice
5-6 garlic cloves, minced (or 3-4 tsp garlic powder)
2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

I split everything in half into two ziplock bags (except the salt and pepper - save that for later) and tossed to coat.  Put the bags in the fridge and marinate for a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and arrange the drumsticks on a greased baking dish, then season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 55 minutes or until the juices run clear.  Serve hot and enjoy!


I prepped these earlier in the day and when Cassie and the kids arrived I popped them in the oven and we went downstairs to workout while they baked.  They were just about done when we were finished so it worked out perfectly!

I also made green beans, which I prepped earlier and sealed in a bag in the fridge until it was time to cook them.

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans





1lb green beans, trimmed and washed
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder or 1-2 minced garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss green beans with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Sprinkle with cheese immediately after removing from oven.


So easy, and so yummy!  I chose this weekend to experiment a bit with Elliot's tummy... I know I consumed dairy at my parents' house and at Justin's family's house, and so far Elliot was doing just fine, so I thought maaaaaybe he was outgrowing his dairy intolerance.  I'm not so sure though.  I ate the Parmesan green beans and the next day he wasn't too happy.  But he is dealing with teeth too, so hard telling.

While the chicken was finishing up and the green beans were doing their thing, I made butternut squash in the skillet.  Usually I roast this too, but it worked out great on the stovetop so I'm thinking I may go this route in the future.  It was certainly easy enough!

Savory Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into cubes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tsp dried parsley

Toss ingredients together, transfer to a skillet and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until cooked through and easily pierced with a fork.


I'm not a huge fan of sweet vegetables, like the butternut squash or sweet potatoes, unless they're prepared more on the savory side.  Sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon and marshmallows?  Barf.  But as crunchy salty fries?  Sure, I can work with that!  Same with the butternut squash... I'm a bit picky... but prepared this way, they're delicious.

Cassie brought a quinoa dish, which was super yummy!  Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain, so it's technically not Paleo, but it's one of the healthiest grains you can consume, plus it's a naturally gluten-free grain, so that puts it on the nice list too.  I'm not really on a weight-loss mission, so avoiding carbs for that reason isn't high on my priority list, but instead I'm trying to get a few more healthy carbs into my diet for the sake of breastfeeding.  Quinoa is a good option!


Harlee was like a Snickers commercial after dinner.  He was such a monster up until he had something to eat, then he was his happy self again.  He and Cassie's kids chased each other around the house and had pillow fights in the living room, which I found quite entertaining to watch.  I love seeing Harlee interacting with other kids and having fun.  It's a great feeling as a mom :).

pillow fight!

Cassie's kids provided us with dinner music

That's when we decided to bust out dessert - I revisited my vegan pumpkin "cheese"cake.  In case you missed that post, here's the link!  You HAVE to make this.  It's easy, it's healthy, okay so it's a bit high in calories but - it's healthy!!  Just take it easy and don't eat the whole pan.  You'll want to, it's that good, so just try to have some self-control.  I can't wait to start experimenting with other varieties of this cheesecake.  Cherry... Turtle... Chocolate raspberry... So many possibilities!

So good I was halfway through before remembering to snap a picture!

I guess Cassie didn't get enough baby holding in during the workout :-)

Getting selfies with Harlee is hard - he hates the camera!

Stella, on the other hand... :-D

Helping Henry with dessert, or stealing it...?

 And that was our dinner!  Yummy, easy, and healthy.  Does it get much better than that?  I'm so grateful that I found Paleo.  That I started this journey a few years ago.  It really has been a journey, too, from Harlee's birth to Elliot's birth three years later.

On Thanksgiving Day I scrolled through Facebook reading everyone's declarations of gratitude, which made me think of everything I'm grateful for too.  Of course I'm grateful for my husband, my kids, the roof over my head, but it goes so much deeper than that too.  I'm grateful for the kind of person my husband is.  That I really, truly did marry my best friend - the person I'm excited to see every day, the person I can talk to about anything, the person I want to go out and have adventures with and experience new things with, my rock and supporter.  I'm grateful for the lessons my kids brought into my life.  I'm actually grateful for the difficulties and struggles - the postpartum depression after Harlee's birth, the struggle of becoming a new mom to a colicky baby, the anger and resentment that came with all that, questioning if I made a huge mistake somewhere and I was actually never meant to be a mother... It was so hard at the time.  It took me three years to really heal from all that, and the biggest healing element of it all was facing my biggest fear and doing the scariest thing I've ever done in my life - getting pregnant again.  I'm a totally different person than I was three years ago, and I love who I am today.  I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the struggles I faced.  And that has now become my encouragement for others going through struggles - hang in there, it's happening for a reason, and if you hold strong and pull through it, you're going to be an even stronger, more amazing, brilliant human being than you ever could have imagined.

I'm grateful for the things I discovered along the way on my journey towards healing.  Like Paleo, as I mentioned earlier.  A healthy lifestyle that's easy to follow and allows me to be just as creative in the kitchen as I was before.  Crossfit - a workout routine that's fun and invigorating that's developed strength in me that I never knew I had.  Even running - my need to get back in shape after having Harlee was what led me to try running, and I love it!  And the ultimate test of strength - my natural homebirth with Elliot.

I'm grateful I was raised with a natural mindset, and spent the early years of my life learning about herbal remedies and homeopathy, so that I had a good foundation of knowledge on natural healing to build from as began creating a family.  And I'm grateful that I get to share that knowledge through this blog!

 I could go on for days about things I'm grateful for.  This house that we designed ourselves, my job that I love and the clients that I get to help, and my amazing friends that have come into my life, especially my workout buddies!

I think focusing on the things we're grateful for only draws more things into our lives to be grateful for.  That's what I've found, anyway.  So, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with lots of reflection on the good in your life, so that you continue to enjoy more of the wonderful things life has to offer!

A Day in the Life of Jami: Thanksgiving, Viruses, Earaches, and Preventive Health Care

Sooo it's been nearly a month since I've posted.  I've wanted to, trust me, but finding the time to has been next to impossible.  I got both the boys in bed right now without passing out myself, though, so here I am.  I'm going to catch up.  I've got so much catching up to do I don't even know where to start...

In fact, I have so much to say, I think I'll break this post into two parts.  The first on being an update on life, the second one being my Paleo Thanksgiving.

So, first of all, I can say that this fall/entering into winter has not been kind to us.  We've been sick enough, and I'm sick of it!  Okay so it could be worse - Harlee is the only one who got sick this month, the rest of us are hanging in there.  But we've all had our turns!  Wednesday Harlee woke up in the middle of the night/early morning with a 101 fever and a headache.  We put a cold washcloth on his head and rubbed a bit of peppermint oil on his temples and within minutes he said his head felt better and he went back to sleep.  The next morning the fever was still there, so I gave him a FluGuard tablet (homeopathic remedy) but wasn't real sure if that would do the trick - usually those homeopathic remedies have to be used right at the first sign of symptoms.  I made up a remedy cocktail blend in his juice for him consisting of:
Childlife Multi Vitamin & Mineral
Childlife First Defense
Colloidal Silver

He will not take chewable vitamins.  I've tried all kinds, he won't do it.  So I've turned to liquids and I've been thrilled with the Childlife brand.  This was my first time trying the colloidal silver, though.  Silver is naturally antibacterial.  It's pretty amazing, really.  Have you ever heard of the Norwex cleaning products?  Their cloths have silver imbedded into the fibers.  I had a Norwex party a couple weeks ago - she smeared raw chicken on my counter.  Yeah.  Then swabbed it with a sanitation test swab from the health department to show it was, of course, unsanitary.  Then wiped it down with the cloth - no chemicals, just wet with water - and then swabbed it again: sanitary.  Amazing.  So colloidal silver is silver particles suspended in water, so you can get those same antibacterial affects internally.

I went to work and instructed Justin to dilute some oregano oil and rub it on his chest and rub Thieves oil on the soles of his feet.

On my lunch break I ran over to the Healthy Nut and bought some liquid Olive Leaf Extract (seriously everyone needs to own this stuff (though I prefer capsule form) - it's so amazing) to add to Harlee's juice and boost his system even more.

Justin and I started taking more olive leaf extract ourselves, along with Young Living's Inner Defense capsules, added to our regular daily supplements (which includes Juice Plus).  So far we've been in the clear!

Well, either it was a short-lived virus, or all the stuff I gave Harlee worked, because by evening he was all better and the next morning he was ready for Thanksgiving!

It snowed Wednesday, so I snapped a picture of our winter wonderland ♥

We went to my parents' house for an afternoon meal.  I stuffed myself like I do every year...

I was feeling crafty!

Dad and Harlee selfie

Opa and Elliot

Oma and Elliot

No tryptophan crash for us!!

Then Justin had to go to work :-P.  Yeah, gotta love his line of work.  He's a boilermaker, and basically the hall calls him whenever jobs come available and he can either take them or turn them down.  So a job came up this weekend, Thursday through Sunday, night shift, and it's kinda hard to turn that down with that kind of pay soooo he packed up the leftovers and headed out.  Same thing the next day - had dinner with his stepdad's family and headed out again.

Made one for Grandma and Papa too

Harlee playing with Cousin Claire and Uncle Kirk

He discovered the carrot cake...

Elliot getting some love from Grandma and Great-Grandma

Chilling with Great-Grandpa

By the way, Justin is prone to sinus infections and he seems to get one almost every time he starts a new job on nights.  He was hacking and carrying on Friday morning so I loaded him up with even more olive leaf extract, vitamin C, and inner defense.  I also diffused Thieves oil in the bedroom while he slept.  The hacking has since subsided and there are no signs of a sinus infection.  Horray!
 
My friend Rachael came over to keep me company Friday night, which is always fun!  Saturday my friend Kim celebrated her 30th birthday and annual chicken soup gathering, which was conveniently moved to the afternoon so Justin got to go, although it was only for a short while.  I could have blogged that night... The boys both passed out and I honestly thought about sitting down to write but found The DaVinci Code on tv and decided to watch that instead because I love that movie.

I was determined to write tonight, though.  Today (Sunday, which is now yesterday to you readers) was a rather productive day.  Justin came home around 9am and went to bed, I dropped Harlee off with Grandma, and Elliot and I went to town to pick up a few things for dinner that night.  I decided to have Paleo Thanksgiving with Rachael and Cassie after our Sunday workout, and I was super excited!  Picked up Harlee and headed back home where I managed to get a few loads of laundry done, cleaned the bathrooms, swept and mopped the floors, got all the dishes loaded in the dishwasher, vacuumed the rug, tidied up Harlee's playroom, PLUS got the chicken marinading, peeled and cut up a butternut squash, trimmed and prepped green beans, got my vegan pumpkin "cheese"cake started, all while being mom to a 3-year-old who needs help going potty, needs a toy fixed, needs the channel changed, etc., etc., AND a 4-month-old who happens to have the remains of an earache and wants to be held constantly.

How the heck I pulled all that off I have no idea.  But I got pretty much all of that done before Justin woke up at 2:30.

Earache - yeah, not fun.  Elliot had been a bit fussy for a few days and then I noticed he was rubbing his fist on his ear.  I poked around it and he fussed some more, so I put a homeopathic earache drop in it and he settled down right away.  Got him in to see our pediatric chiropractor and she looked in his ear and confirmed that yes, it was a bit red in there.  I started rubbing lavender oil around his ear (not in it - don't do that) and kept up with the homeopathic drops as well as adding in homeopathic Pulsatilla.  Within a couple days he was back to himself again and caught up on sleep.  Then I guess it must have crept back in because he was back to fussing this morning (which, again, to you readers was yesterday morning) and rubbing his ear again.  This time I texted the chiropractor and asked what else I could do and she said put a little breastmilk in his ear.  I had heard of that before... and I had heard of it actually working... so what's the harm?  I'd give it a try.  I syringed a little in his ear from what I had pumped the other day, diluted some Thieves oil and rubbed it around his ear and on the bottoms of his feet, and he was pretty content after that.  I let him play on the floor while I got a few things done (see list above), then when he fussed again I'd hold him, put lavender around his ear, and he'd fall asleep, which is when I continued on with the above list.

Cassie was kind enough to bring over a bottle of wine this evening.  As I recap my day I am amazed that I completely forgot to pop it open and toast my productivity and the fact that my sanity is still in tact...  How did I forget about it??  Crazy.

Unfortunately Rachael wasn't feeling well so she backed out, but Cassie came over with her two kids and we got in a somewhat successful workout!  By somewhat I mean we had to take a break for her son to go potty and for me to call Santa because my son was NOT behaving.  Not sure what his deal was my holy moley he was crabby.  So I got Santa on the phone and told him to put Harlee on the naughty list.  I thought that would work better than it did... no, Harlee continued on with his meltdown so we continued on with our workout and let him be.  With Elliot being fussy with his ear and wanting to be held constantly, we incorporated him into our workout and did:

5 Rounds
20 squats holding Elliot
10 burpees
10 lunges each leg holding Elliot
10 deadlifts (90lbs)


Basically we passed him back and forth - she held him and did squats while I did burpees, I held him and did lunges while she did deadlifts, so on and so forth.  All that up and down motion must have been pretty soothing to him because it lulled him to sleep, which worked perfectly - at the end of the workout I transferred him to his swing and we got on with dinner!

Cassie and I chatted about the whole Paleo thing, and our conversation gave me some ideas of what I can talk about here on the blog.  I started writing my ideas tonight, but it got so long I decided to write a separate post just for that topic!

So that's a wrap for this post.  Hope you learned something from my story about Harlee's bug and Elliot's earache!  Can't imagine rushing my kids to the doctor over things like that and possibly getting drugs to treat them.  Obviously that's necessary in some cases, but I feel like pharmaceuticals are way over-used in today's world.  Being able to treat my kids with natural remedies that don't cause harmful side-effects is definitely something I am very grateful for!

And on that note, hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!