Friday, August 28, 2009

Essential Oils Web Page



I
have had many calls on essential oils this week so I edited the Be Young Essential Oils link at the right so you can now look at the products. The prices listed are the prices you pay. If you order from me by email or phone call instead of ordering of the web page, I will not charge you shipping or tax. I don't do a multi level business so I just order as I need them or people call me. I love these oils and I trust them. If you would like any questions answered , email or call me. There are many oils to choose from but I have my favorites. And, to answer a few recent questions, here are a couple oils I recommend to have on hand:

Helichrysum: This is an oil to have on hand if you have scorpions around. I don't have them but my friends who do swear by it to take the sting away. It is the most expensive oil on the list, unfortunately but it will last you forever. The bottle is $94 but if a few want it, the bottle can be split up into 4 smaller bottles. This oil is also great for liver issues, acne, boils, eczema, cuts and bites.

Oregano: This is natures antibiotic. It is a strong oil and needs to be taken in capsules if taken straight. It will burn the skin. If you by a cheaper brand, you can swallow it whole, that is an indicator that the quality is not so great. Great to have on hand to combat strep and other infections. This bottle is $28.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Liver 101


My latest and greatest study topic has been on the liver. As I delve into the mysteries of this most important organ in our human bodies, I am at awe at how it is rarely discussed. If our bodies were automobiles, the liver would be the engine. How then, pray tell, when we show up to a Dr. , sick, does he not say, "Hmmmmm, let's take a look at your liver!" No, they just want to give a new , medicinal fix to cover up what truly is going on. Part of the reason is that most of us don't really want to know how to fix ourselves. We would rather take a magic pill. Problem; it is not a cure and most often it is an accomplice to a further problem.

Let us all take a look see at what the liver really is. First off the liver is the most important organ in the body. It performs over 400 jobs in our systems. It is a so called living filter that cleans the system and keeps everything running as designed. To name a few of the most important functions the liver is responsible for are:

Storing of vitamins, sugars and iron for energy
Production and removal of cholesterol
Cleans out the waste from toxins, drugs and poisons
Produces immune factors and removes bacteria
Produces bile to digest and absorb food
Makes clotting factors possible so we won't bleed to death
Metabolizes proteins
Controls hormonal balance

As you can see, we need our liver. If you loose your liver, you have 1-2 days to live. If your liver is clogged up or damaged due to the way we treat our body, everything suffers. We get sick, we get fat, we get hormonal, we can't digest what nutrients we may be eating and we can't protect ourselves from our environment.

How do you know if your liver is due for a overhaul? Well, we all need to cleanse our liver on a regular basis, which I will talk about, but the main symptoms of liver problems are:

Weight gain, especially around the belly
cellulite
abdominal bloating
indigestion
high blood pressure
elevated cholesterol
fatigue
mood swings
depression
skin rashes
hypoglycemia

There are many things that contribute to an abused liver; the toxic world we live in, caffeine, sugar, trans fats, yeast problems, medicines, lack of fiber , to name a few.

The good news is that the liver can rebuild itself. It can be cleansed. You will notice a difference. There is nothing you can do to control your weight as important as keeping your liver healthy. This is where you should start.

How? First off, get rid of the junk. Stop drinking caffeine. Eat more fiber. Those are the obvious. Next, start a cleanse. You can check out the book called "The Fat Flush Plan" if you want to research a little more and even learn about an intense cleanse but the basics are easy to do. I do this cleanse on a regular basis and can swear by the results. If you want to loose weight with it as well, check out the book at stick to their diet, it is one of the few diets I would recommend. But here is how I do it:

First thing in the morning, the liver cleanse. Two ways you can do this:
1. 8 oz hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon or
2. 1 T. lemon juice in 2 oz water with 1 drop lemon oil and 1 drop peppermint oil (good quality essential oils only.)
**Make sure that you take this 2 hours before any prescriptions or it may lessen the effect of the drug

Second step: Cranberry water and psyllium husk
Do this twice daily, before breakfast. 1 oz pure organic, unsweetened cranberry juice (I use Knudsen's) in 7 oz water. Mix in 1 tsp psyllium husk which can be purchased at a health store ( I use Colon Pure brand). Mix just until dissolved and drink down. Drink before it gets too thick. Not too tasty.

Third step: Cranberry water
First thing in the morning mix 8 OZ of cranberry juice with 56 oz of water. Drink this throughout the day. You want this all gone. Yes, you will be using the potty , a lot. That's good. We could be spending a whole day talking about why you should be using the potty more. Basic message, you need to be pooping at least once daily.

Do this for two weeks. Try to incorporate eggs daily which help the liver. Stay away from fats as much as possible but try to incorporate good oils like Flax Seed oil, 1 T. daily. Take walks or jog. This will help stimulate the lymphatic system. It will help things work their way out. You may feel a bit sick at first while the body is cleansing. That is a good thing. The sicker you are the more toxic you are. Keep it up. I recommend doing this at least 4 times a year.

Try to stick to a higher vegetarian diet as you do this. After researching the liver more fully in addition to reading and studying the Word of Wisdom (Our LDS doctrine given to us by the prophet Joseph Smith by the Lord concerning our temporal health) I am a firm believer that we all could do much better by going on a mostly vegetarian diet. The world is even figuring this out. Many studies are now reporting that those who eat more meat have a higher chance of colon cancer among other diseases. Meat is very hard on the liver. It overworks it and doesn't allow it to work at it's potential. Notice how you feel after you eat a big meat meal. Heavy, sluggish, bloated. I have decided to eliminate meat as much as possible and feel much better. I am sticking with eggs, beans, whole grains and nuts as my source of protein. Try it out and see how you feel. If we all paid attention to what our bodies were telling us, we would avoid so many future illnesses.

If we fail to take care of ourselves, if we fail to do the proper maintenance needed and do not respect our bodies, we will reap the results. We will be sick, we will be fatigued, we may die. We are on this earth to become better people; to serve, to learn, to grow. If we are sick, we are greatly limiting that potential and we affect all those around us. It is important. Let us all do a little better by taking control of our lives. Contrary to what Obama and other leaders my think, WE are in control of our own health. WE cannot blame anyone else but ourselves.

Monday, August 24, 2009

The Book Corner

I never have been a huge book reader since time is always my issue. I read way to much research type books but have rarely saved time for fictional reading or anything of that sort. Well, this year is a bit different. Three days a week I have to wait for 1 hour for Tate at his therapy. I sit in a little waiting area with nothing but old People magazines to read. I decided to always carry a book with me to entertain myself. I also decided that I need a break from the "hard" stuff (ie, nutritional and health books) and just simply be entertained. I am a speed reader so I can read a book in a matter of hours. This leads me to be searching constantly for books to read to fill my waiting room tenures. I have read some great ones thanks to sister in laws and library recommendations but I grabbed a few more at the library last week. This little book was one I picked up just in case I finished my other books - "The Last Lecture".

I am sure many of you have heard of it or have even read it. It is a non fiction book by Randy Pausch, a computer scientist who was dying of cancer. It is his last lecture to the world. I was surprised by how much I loved this book and how much wisdom there is in each chapter. My husband is reading it and enjoying just as much. I think everyone needs to take a moment to read this little book and I especially want my children to read it. It says so many poignant things that we need to know in this life to understand how to make our dreams come true. It takes a look at how to live life by the retrospective view of a dying man.

I have been thinking so much about this topic with my children lately. How do I get them to see what life is truly about amidst their self centered teenage worlds? How do I get them to see the big picture. They are good kids. They get straight A's. However, I want them to want it all. I want them to be charitable, honorable, virtuous, spiritual, humble, etc. I want them to get what I get now after 37 years of retrospect. I know that is impossible but I want them to figure it out early. I want them to see beyond facebook and high school. Life hits them harder and faster than it did when we were kids and I want them to be prepared to handle it all. I will definitely be using some catch phrases in this book to help get my point along in the next few months. Take a moment and read this little book. It is worth your time.

If you have any great book suggestions, leave me a comment.

***A post note - I had a great comment by "Mandy" who has also read this book and unfortunately identifies all too well with it. Please take a moment and read her comment, the first comment to be posted and take a moment to visit her husbands YOU Tube message. This will be our Family Home Evening for tonight. It was very touching and a perfect video for my teenagers. Thanks for sharing, Mandy!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Peanutty Slaw and Hot Tortillas


Peanut slaw and hot tortillas really have nothing in common but two things I just think you should know about. First, let's address the hot tortillas. If you are a local and haven't checked out the new Pro's Ranch Market in Mesa (Southern & Stapley), then you are in for a treat. I stopped by one day and was thinking I was just in for the regular ranch market type seen. What I saw was a feast for my eyes as well as a feast for my hungry Mexican Food belly. It was beautiful inside and full of everything you could need. There were stations everywhere; tortilla factory, fresh meats of every cut, I mean EVERY cut; including a whole cow head (the kids loved that), huge produce section, fresh juicing station, fresh cheeses, yogurts and even a restraunt. The bakery is simply scrumptious with coconut donuts that are just perfect. I could go on and on but the only negative I can say is that they don't carry organic food. However, unlike the regular American grocery chains, their bakery's , juices and salsa only contain REAL food. NO preservatives and fillers. It was
refreshing. Real Sugar, Real Cream, Real fruit. So, my friends, grab the kiddos and check it out. Don't forget to pick up some hot tortillas, especially the corn tortillas. They are the kind that actually fold without breaking like Rubio's. Enough said.


Now onto the next topic: Peanutty Slaw. I had half green cabbage left , a large carrot and a handful of peanuts that I had to use up. I can't stand to let things go to waste so I concocted this little gem up with last nights dinner of BBQ chicken and corn. It was delicious. I ate half the bowl. Cabbage is so good for you and will soon be growing in your gardens (right?) . Here you go!




Peanutty Slaw

2 C. shredded green cabbage
1 C. shredded carrots
1/4 C. chopped craisins
1/4 C. minced onion
1/2 C. chopped roasted peanuts


Dressing:

2 T. natural creamy peanut butter (If you are still using Jif, please email me your address so I can stop over and kick you)
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. orange juice
1/2 C. mayo
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 T. sugar, agave or sucanat (more if desired)

Whisk peanut butter, vinegar and Orange juice until creamy. Add mayo, pepper and sugar. Pour over salad and chill.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Granola Squares....Gluten Free


I love these little granola bites. I started making these for my little gluten free Tate
but I have to admit that I probably eat more than he does . They are really tasty and very great for your body. They are a perfect little snack after a good workout to get the protein in you. They are simple and I love to make them and freeze them. Eat them straight out of the ice box! They are also great crumbled up in some applesauce.


Granola Bars

1/2 C. raisins
1 1/4 C. raw pecans
1 C. unsweetened shredded coconut ( I also use unsulphured coconut)
1 t. vanilla
1 T. coconut oil
2 T. honey

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until fairly smooth but still with some texture. Press evenly into an 8 inch square on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 300 for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool then cut into squares. Freeze.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Internet Safety.....


I have never had a family blog for a reason and have only shared a very few pictures of family on this blog (which won't happen again). I have heard many very creepy stories and know way too much from my husbands profession of what can happen out there. We like to live in our bubble and think nothing can happen to us but the truth is, the Internet is a blessing and a curse. Everything that we send over the Internet ; pictures or text can be there for anyone to view or keep. Pictures stay there forever, same with blogs. Children who use face book or my space post things that may potentially keep them from going to college or getting a job. Also, the Internet allows very disturbing images from coming into our homes; even when our little ones are playing innocent games.

My point is that we can live in this world but we need to protect ourselves.Blogs are a great way to journal but we need to do it safely. Limit what we put out there, go private and put web blockers up. I personally use K9 which is a free download to block whatever you want for your family. Don't think that it can't happen to you. Please take a moment to read this creepy story from a mom who found out what can happen. It makes your stomach turn. Enjoy your blogs but maybe going private is the best thing for us to do if we are posting personal info.




"I have SITE METER attached to my blog spot but unfortunately I have been really bad about checking it for unusual visiting sites this past year. To be honest, I have always been very trusting and thought that I could never be the one whom wackos actually target and stalk so I rarely have made efforts to check. Tonight I chose to click into it and directly on the first page I noticed an unusual website that had viewed my blog. Curiously, I clicked onto it to see what it was. The site contained dozens and dozens of images. I began looking closer at them and come to find out there were some VERY inappropriate pictures. I clicked out of the site immediately and sat there talking to Brett about my concerns. We both became VERY worried. The more I sat there, THE MORE SICK TO MY STOMACH I WAS. IF THIS PAGE HAD DIRECT AFFILIATION TO MY BLOG, THEN THAT MEANS THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT THEY HAVE A PICTURE OF MY KIDS OR FAMILY ON THAT PAGE. With out hesitation, I went right back to that page. I was so scared of what I was going to find. There were hundreds of pictures on that page and I looked through each one very quickly but efficiently when all of a sudden I FOUND A PICTURE OF MY SWEET little boy. Yes, a picture of my sweet child on the same page as pornographic AND child perverted pictures. I then returned BACK to my site meter to look for other sites in direct affiliation with my blog. I found a different website that had come to my page 5 TIMES THAT INCLUDED A PICTURE OF another one of my boys WITH HIS LITTLE BUNS SHOWING AS HE WAS SITTING ON THE TABLE DOING DISHES. I'm just sick right now. My sweet innocent children so exposed. I FEEL SO VIOLATED AND SCARED.
I immediately googled the website BING to find out more about what it is. I then went to WWW.VOICEFORTHECHILDREN.BLOGSPOT.COM to see if I could find anything. Here is an explanation of what this website is.

BING:
BING is a recent search engine launched by Microsoft. The major problem with Bing is that it has brought pornography directly into your home or office. Porn is no longer a few clicks away.

When you search on Bing, you no longer have to click to go to a different website to view porn. All you have to do is roll over the thumbnail image of the video on the video will begin to play snippets of the pornographic video.

Imagine the harmful effects if a child is searching on Bing and merely rolls over the image and instantly the child is watching a porn video.

This is completely unacceptable and irresponsible of Microsoft to launch a program such as this without a solution to block pornographic videos.

DO NOT USE BING AND ESPECIALLY DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN SEARCH ON BING!!


*Do yourselves a favor and add VOICEFORTHECHILDREN to your blog. My uncle, Jeremy Geigle, is President of Arizona Family Council and between him and a few other family members, they are SO diligent about keeping this blog up to date. They want nothing more than to educate all of us on how we can keep our families safe and protected from the pornographic world.

As ruthless as it is, I hope I DID scare a lot of you. We stay so sheltered and ignorant thinking it will never happen to us...but let me tell you people, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IS EVERYWHERE. Let me remind everyone too that Phoenix now is the #1 kidnapping capital in America.


*If you have kids old enough to play games on the computer, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you download this web protection site to your computer. We have had it all year long, until our computer broke. We recently got our computer back and I forgot to re-download this protection, WHICH IS WHY I COULD EVEN ACCESS THAT BING WEBSITE WITH THOSE IMAGES.
I PROMISE you, having this K9 WEB PROTECTION is the BEST way as of right now, to protect your kids from seeing anything pornographic or inappropriate on the computer. Pornography is so available that even if your baby started slamming down on keys, a porn website could pop it.
Any porn sites, sites with questionable images, swim suit sites, facebook, youtube, and other social networking sites are ALL BLOCKED. It is VERY FILTERED.
HOWEVER, you will have an ACCESS password that will allow you (as the adult) to type in a password that will allow you to enter into a site you want available to you. You will have to type in the password every time you want to enter the site. (it's one extra step that is worth the 2 seconds).

I love knowing that I can walk out of the room now with my kids playing on the computer and I have NO concerns that something will pop up. "

I was totally creeped out when I read this and hope that it makes us all pause. I really want to emphasize that ALL of you should have a web blocker on your computer. Even if your children are only 5. We need to take all precautions to protect our children and ourselves from this crazy world. Take a moment. Please.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Quiet


It is the first day of school. The children are all dropped off, I went for my victory run and came home to finish a little straightening up. I fluffed the pillows on the couch and went to pick up this book on the floor that my 7 year old read to little Tate before school. (He had woken up at 5am with three hours to go before school--plenty of time to read!) I felt lonely. Such a weird emotion for me, a mother of 5. I should be rejoicing in this first day of school like I usually do; a little breakfast out with the ladies, a pedicure, a massage. But today was different for the first time. It may possibly be the fact that I had such a great summer with them and didn't get quite enough. It could be the fact that I have teenagers who are hilarious and let me hang out with them and their friends. It could be the fact that they are so great with Tate and are quite helpful at home. Whatever it is, I see this book and want them back just a little." Love you Forever, for now and for always." They are growing up. They are going to leave. My oldest just received his permit and will soon be flying the coop. Can I just freeze them now? I like it just the way it is. It's too quiet. But, give me a minute....I might get used to it.I will have a little more time to blog some great posts for you all so get ready. I am sure my quiet moments will be very brief. Always something to do.

Have a great day. Pedicures? Lunch dates?

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Back to School and a Lunch Box Plea



I can hardly believe that summer break is ending next week. This has to be the first summer in the history of all my parenting summers that I have actually not been ready to send them out the door. We had such a fabulous summer together and I just don't want it to end. Regardless, it is time once again for backpacks and lunch boxes, early alarm clocks and homework. I need to gear up and get the school supplies ready. Carts and carts of school supplies!

Here is my plea as you also get ready to pack lunches for the ninos..... Please....please....please....go naked in the lunch boxes. No food dyes, no high fructose, nothing artificial, nothing fake. I have done far too much research to not let it go. I sit in the lunch room with my little ones aghast at what goes in these little ones mouths. How can they sit still in class? How can they focus? Do you know that a gogurt has about as much sugar as a Coke? Did you know that the food dyes in fruit roll ups and other dyed foods can contain coal tar? Did you know that a high percent of food that contains high fructose corn syrup contains mercury as a byproduct? Or, did you know that all of those things make the brain nuts...cloudy....unfocused...interuppted? WE all love our children. We all want the best for them. Feeding them right should be way up there on the list. It really matters. Really.

What goes in my children's lunches? We are not always perfect but we try. They usually get a sandwich - wheat bread, non nitrate meats, spinach. A fruit or veggie of some sorts. Good quality chips with no junk on top. Sometimes homemade yogurt and granola, homemade cookies or treats. I hate the fact that they get snacks in class, snacks that other moms send that are supposed to be healthy for you. In one week alone my 1st grader last year had a ding dong, cookies, laffy taffy and fruit roll ups. It makes me sick to think that this is allowed. I so wish that would change but all I can do is make sure that what I feed them is good. That they get the nutrients they need from me to be successful, healthy and whole.

Good luck, moms! You survived the summer. Do something nice for yourselves.