Preparing for summer NATURALLY without breaking the bank!

About 5 years ago, we completely changed our diet due to food allergies, and thus began the feat of reading every.single.label, increasing our food budget (because we had no choice) and majorly altering our lifestyle. UGH... to be honest, I was completely and utterly overwhelmed with the task! And boy was I in for a shock and surprise when I learned that most of the ingredients in our food were fillers and toxins! It was a change for the better, and now I don't even give the scanning a second thought.

While my husband and I were on this journey of learning how to prepare food in a way that actually nourished our bodies, my eyes opened to the other areas in our lives that were less than healthy for us, and were actually harming us! When I learned about the dangers in most mainstream sunscreen (see HERE), I decided I would spend the extra money on a tiny tube of non-toxic sunscreen recommended to be my my naturopath. It was a WONDERFUL sunscreen, but given the fact that our family of 3 at the time is VERY pale and prone to burning in the sun, it would have cost us a fortune to provide protection over the summer alone! No joke- we contemplated buying stock in organic sunscreen, lol. I did a bunch of research and found a recipe that I have found works REALLY well, lasts a really long time, and is overall nourishing for the skin while providing protection from the sun! 

Non-Toxic Homemade Lotion Bars 

Homemade Ingredients

1/2 cup shea butter (I buy this)

5 Tbsp beeswax (here)

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 Tbsp Zinc Oxide (I found it here)

½ tsp Vitamin E oil (can be omitted if you don't have it)

¾ tsp essential oil for scenting the bar (citrus oils increase photosensitivity so do not use those!)  I like carrot seed, lavender, and frankincense!

* Melt coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter in a double boiler. (If you don't have a double boiler, you can put a pyrex measuring glass in a pan of boiling water). 

*Let cool a little bit and add essential oils and zinc. 

* Stir well. If you want, you can pour into silicone molds, but I just put in small 4 oz mason jars and store in the fridge or pantry. 

* I purchased the shea butter, beeswax and zinc oxide on amazon- I haven't had to repurchase supplies in over 3 years! So it will last you a very long time

* Here is a link to my favorite essential oils! If you have any questions regarding how to find a good quality essential oil, please feel free to comment! 

Another one of my favorite summer support products is after-sun spray! We rarely need that thanks to the great coverage of the above sunscreen, but on the occasion that we do  need some after sun relief, this recipe is great!

Homemade After-Sun Spray Recipe

▪	1/2 cup witch hazel (where to buy witch hazel)

▪	2 tablespoons pure aloe vera gel (try to find some without food coloring)

▪	10 drops of pure lavender essential oil

▪	10 drops of pure peppermint essential oil

4 oz (or larger) spray bottle

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into spray bottle, shake well, and apply generously to skin that needs cooling. Be sure to avoid spraying around the eyes, as it will sting.

Enjoy!!! 

Take off your grave clothes

I woke up with a scripture floating around in my brain the other day. Whenever this happens, I know that God is about to take me on a journey! So I was excited to do some digging. Before we get started, I'd just like to clarify that I'm not a theologian, and I'm not a scholar, so what I'm about to share with you is PERSONAL revelation based on the word of God. I'm certain there is even more depth and understanding to it than I can share in this short little blog post.

I'll be referring to John 11:1-44.

Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, one whom Jesus loved dearly (v3).  Mary came to Jesus and told him that Lazarus was sick. Jesus replied  “This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” (V 4). 

Now, were I Mary, I would be thinking "sweet! Jesus is gonna do what he does...I'll go home and Lazarus will be healed and all will be well!" This is not at all what happens...lets continue on.

It goes on to say that Jesus loved and was deeply concerned for Lazarus given his sickness and Mary, so he stayed near for 2 more days. Then he decided to go to Judea- although scripture doesn't directly say why. What we do know, based on previous scripture and the nature of Jesus, is that He only did what he saw the Father do, and only went where he was called to go. Somewhere in that span of time, Lazarus died. 

V 17 " So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb [c]four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away; 19 and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning [the loss of] their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house...32 When Mary came [to the place] where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who had come with her also sobbing, He was [f]deeply moved in spirit [to the point of anger at the sorrow caused by death] and was troubled,34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him [as a close friend]!”37 But some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the blind man’s eyes, have kept this man from dying?”

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days! [It is hopeless!]” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe[in Me], you will see the glory of God [the expression of His excellence]?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes [toward heaven] and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me and listen to Me; but I have said this because of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You have sent Me [and that You have made Me Your representative].” 43 When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 Out came the man who had been dead, his hands and feet tightly wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and release him.”

First of all, Jesus made a promise to Mary that Lazarus's sickness would not end in death, but would bring about the Glory of God. And it's clear just a few verses down that Mary was upset and confused that Jesus didn't heal Lazarus as he said he would. In her mind, he was DEAD for good, and the one whom she loved and trusted, Jesus, all-powerful, did not keep his promise.

How many of us have been in the same boat? God promised something and it didn't end up at all as we expected? There are two things I'd like to point out in this scripture: The first is that Jesus was not angry with Mary for voicing her distrust, anger and grief over her feelings of betrayal and loss. In fact, Jesus turns and it says "He was deeply moved in spirit to the point of anger at the SORROW caused by death." Do you have an area of your life that is squelched by the sorrow caused by death? Whether that's the death of a dream, a person, a relationship or something else- the effect is the same. Sit with that for a moment. The Jesus I know is not flippant about the things we have endured! No- He is moved to the point of anger about the injustices we've endured TOO. The second thing I'd like to point out is that people were quick to accuse Jesus of being absent, "Could he not have done something to keep this man from dying?" Once again- who hasn't been in that situation where we have felt that "God, couldn't you have done something? Jesus, don't you care? Why did you leave me in my hour of need?" I know I have! We have accused him of taking a mental and emotional vacation just when we needed him the most. 

Now, Jesus moved to the point of anger at the sorrow caused by death, asks Mary where Lazarus had been buried. She tells him he probably doesn't want to go in there because at this point, Lazarus has been buried for 4 days and the stench would be LEGIT (my words...obviously). Jesus disregards her concern and moves on ahead. He thanks God, and with a loud voice says "LAZARUS! COME OUT!" And out came the man who HAD BEEN DEAD, his hands and feet tightly wrapped in burial clothes... "Unwrap him and release him." 

Now...as if this wasn't good enough already, I did some research on the words "unwrap and release" which stood out to me.  I believe God wants to release some personal revelation to anyone reading this.

It is a MIRACLE that Jesus called Lazarus by name and out he came. Alive. Breathing. Living again. But it gets EVEN BETTER, because Jesus didnt run away from the stench of death. He did not leave him in his burial clothes and he would not leave him smelling like death. No...He spoke and said "unwrap him and release him."

The word "release" means: deprive of authority, declare unlawful, demolish or destroy, dissolve or overthrow.

Everyone has areas of their lives that have either died or been marked by death. This can be the death of a dream, an illness, a relationship, a person, a job...the possibilities are endless. So often when we feel betrayed or disappointed by circumstances or grief or loss, we end up wearing grave clothes. We carry that sorrow with us like a heavy blanket. It keeps us from moving. It is most certainly not because we want to. Something inside of us dies along with the disappointment or pain and we end up smelling like death, so to speak. Our attitude can become bitter, and pain overflows. 

Jesus did not come just to raise Lazarus from the dead to prove a point that he is all-powerful, and will keep his promises. He wasn't on a power trip. He raised Lazarus from the dead to show that he takes authority over death in its entirety. When he called Lazarus out, he didnt leave him in his grave clothes! Jesus doesn't deliver half way. He deprives it of authority completely! Death in our lives is declared unlawful, and in his presence it is demolished, destroyed, and is overthrown. 

I don't know who this word is for, but I have seen this in my own life. Areas of my heart and spirit that have been marked by death. Areas where I wore grave clothes and carried the stench of death, even unknowingly.  Times where I felt like Jesus didn't keep his promise and left me in a time of need to die so to speak. This is the thing: Just because it didn't turn out like we expected, doesn't mean that He is finished yet. If something is dead that Jesus has declared life to, then it's not over yet and He is not finished! So we can then take a posture of asking "God, what are you doing here? How can I partner with you in your plan for me?" 

To close, Jesus comes back, moved with compassion and anger into the places that have been destroyed, dead or wounded. He doesn't shy away from the smell of death or the hopelessness left in it's wake. He marches in, yells in a loud voice "HEY YOU! Come forth! It's time to live again!" And then He brings other people to unwrap you from your grave clothes, and not only that, He comes to deprive that area of loss of any authority.

That's something to get excited about!

How to make the switch to clean living

I wanted to share something today that is deeply important to me, and a passion that has only grown over the last 5 years.

As you may now by now, a lot changed in my life 5 years ago when I began to pull away from toxic relationships. I essentially had a nervous breakdown from carrying years and years of undealt with trauma and stress.  I knew by that point that I had to make some big changes if I ever wanted to feel well again. A large part of that was getting out of toxic relationship. But another huge component was making some changes to toxic habits in the form of diet, lifestyle and even our everyday household items.

My WHY is big. I watched both of my parents suffer tremendously and ultimately die of cancer. They were both emotionally unhealthy, and lived what I would call a Standard American Lifestyle. When you watch someone you love waste away, it changes you. I used to not know the difference between conventional and organic food, and I didn't understand why I should pay more for food that didn't have chemicals and wasn't genetically modified. My priorities were in the wrong place but I didn't know it. Then, all of a sudden, cancer hit our family. And the cost of those treatments was ASTRONOMICAL. The average cost of an individual chemo infusion/treatment is thousands of dollars. And depending on what type of cancer you have, that's anywhere from 1-5 treatments per WEEK. This is not including radiation, or the medications that you will be prescribed to deal with the side effects of chemo. This also doesn't factor in the fact that you will likely be unable to work because the treatment is so severe. This experience completely changed how I view dollars. We can spend our money promoting an environment of wellness, or we can spend our money being sick. And the price you pay when you are in a disease state is going to be MUCH higher than the price you pay promoting health.

It changed me, in more ways than I can count. I went from drinking diet coke multiple times a day and low calorie, nutrient-empty foods, to researching what those ingredients were, how they were not helping my body in any way, getting rid of foods that were causing problems (namely gluten, dairy and sugar), and replacing them with healthful, nutritious, filling food. It was a journey. It didn't happen over night, and it definitely meant we had to make sacrifices elsewhere in order to make it financially feasible to choose different foods. Thankfully, my husband was on board and we were able to make those sacrifices together.

The change was slow at first. My acne went away. I slept better. I no longer had insomnia after eating pizza (apparently that was my recant to gluten- mostly neurological in nature).  I had more energy! My overall function improved. And the more I researched, the more I began to cut out. I learned that the issues I was having with my hormones was impacted not only by my diet, but by the cleaners, soaps, shampoos, deodorants and toothpaste we had been using. Now...don't get overwhelmed! Let me break this down for you...

*You've got Aluminum in your deodorant or antiperspirant. Aluminum has been linked to breast cancer (because you are applying your deodorant right over a large patch of lymph nodes near the breast tissue), it has also been linked to neurological issues like alzheimers and dementia.

* Our household cleaning products are one of the top causes of endocrine dysruption. That means that the fragrances released in the air through candles, candle warmers, sprays, shampoos are actually making us sick. Fabric softener and laundry detergent are among the worse offenders!

I know some people will think I've taken it too far. But I'm not thinking of just myself. I'm thinking of the two little people that are following my example, and I'm thinking about their futures as well.  I want them to be well. I want them functioning like well oiled machines. And, if the above evidence is what these products are doing to our bodies, then what about our environment? We don't get the privilege of being ignorant because someone else in the future will be paying the price for what we do if we decide to not make any changes.

I am SO grateful for the wealth of knowledge out there, so that we can make informed choices. You may not be able to buy ALL organic. Thats okay. Start where you are and pick one thing to switch every week, and gradually increase from there.

I am also grateful for wonderful products to switch TO that are non toxic, and actually WORK!

The one I'd like to highlight today is Thieves cleaner. It is a concentrate that is plant based, and infused with essential oils that are highly effective cleaning agents! I have replaced every cleaner in my home with this one little bottle. I pour one capful in 2-4 cups of water in a spray bottle, shake, and go on my merry way! You read that right...every cleaner in my home has been replaced with this. I clean windows, floors, countertops, toilets...its gentle but powerful! And the best thing is, no one has to hold their breath, or open a window when I'm cleaning. It's a win win!

If you'd like to order, simply go to: https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=2609270&enrollerid=2609270&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

If you want tips or ideas on how to begin switching out toxic products for natural, healthFULL products, comment! I'd love to tailor those posts for you!