Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you probably know that our little family has been transformed by using essential oils. TRANSFORMED. We are doing things and making things I never thought was possible, and it's so clean and wonderful.
We started this journey almost a year ago, March 2014. We were at our wit's end with our then 2-year-old. She was diagnosed with asthma and on inhaled steroids and bronchodilators daily, she was having some immunity issues and could NOT fight a cold which led to a constant feed of antibiotics into her system. She was still having random nightly coughing fits, so then she was prescribed a medicine for acid reflux. My husband and I finally decided enough was enough. Neither of us felt settled about all that she was being prescribed and taking, so we started researching other options. I feel like I should say we do love our ped, and she was endlessly trying to help our little darling, waiting until she only felt antibiotics were absolutely necessary. Her pulmonologist, on the other hand, was an egotistical jerk- felt like I should add that, too, since we are rating our doctors :) It was just getting out of hand and we were not seeing improvements. I had been seeing and reading of countless people whose worlds were being rocked by using essential oils. I had been familiar with essential oils for many years, but was a little terrified of using them. I knew they were potent and such a different route than anything I had been used to, so they scared me.. until I was desperate for a solution to help my baby.
Men are hesitant to love oils, it's in their genes, my husband and I decided to try one blend first and see how it worked before we really dove in. We got this one blend in that is formulated for respiratory conditions. Sure enough, the first night our little love started having one of he trademark coughing fits. They would usually last a solid 60-90 minutes and we would spend the remainder of the night in the recliner. We got the oil, put a drop in my palm, and cupped my palm over her face- she instantly stopped coughing and rested soundly the remainder of the night. We were in love and in awe. The next day we went big and started our oily journey, and we haven't looked back a second since then.
Initially, we just wanted to find relief for our girl. Just like so many other moms and dads, we were tired of pumping her full of antibiotics. It hurt my heart, and after so many doses I was in tears giving her her daily meds and breathing treatments because I knew there was a better option. AND THERE WAS. She's wonderful and healthy now, her lungs are better than ever and she can fight a cold like a boss. Her ped is amazed, as is everyone who knew her struggles then versus now. After we felt like we had her troubles under control, we moved on to another area, and another until we have become complete oily nerds. We are making soaps, lotions, face wash, body scrubs, diaper creams, deodorant, etc. I clean my entire house with ONE cleaner and we brush our teeth with Thieves toothpaste. It's been one small change at a time, and it amazes me to look back and see the HUGE changes our lives have encountered in the past year. Last week, I cleaned out cabinets and closets, and I threw away 2 huge bags of cleaners that I haven't had any use for in the past 6 months. I threw away an entire bag of Bath and Body Works lotions, soaps, and creams because I have no use for them anymore. Yeah, my heart hurt a little but then I flipped the bottle over and read all of the toxic ingredients that would be absorbed into my body if I were to use the product and the heart ache was instantly cured.
This is just another area of our lives that I refuse to be ignorant in anymore. We used so many things from OTCs, cleaning products, body care and personal products, fragrances, candles, and even sports creams that we were making our bodies a toxic wasteland every single day. Essential oils are freeing, their possibilities are endless, and their results (when used properly) can bring a mama to tears. I am so thankful for this journey that our family has begun, because we are nowhere near the end :)
I'll tell you more next week on WHY our family chose Young Living, and we chose it long before I ever thought about sharing it with others. It's a golden company with pure, therapeutic, top of the line products, and if I am rubbing my babies down in these oils, I want the best!
Happy Monday! Mondays are for posts about our little family. I've been married to my husband for almost 5 years. We met at Auburn University while he was in his PhD program and I was finishing up my B.S. He is a genius (literally, not just because he married me) and works outside the home as an engineer, while I stay home with our two little darlings, who are 1 and 3. After we got married, we adopted a pitiful little puppy mill rescue whom we call Bo Jackson, he's the psycho dog I'll be referring to, he's never quite fully recovered from his previous life.
I love being mom, and am so thankful I can be 100% of the time. When I was a little girl, it's all I ever desired when I grew up, and all of those high school personality tests that were supposed to tell you what you were going to be when you grew up always irritated me, I just wanted to be a mom. I realize now it's a dream so many have, but it can be so difficult to achieve. Am I good at this whole mom thing? No way, I struggle every single day. It's the most rewarding yet most humbling, frustrating, trying, and difficult thing I've ever done. Our days are full of mercy and grace. We are all learning repentance and forgiveness.
So, here we are making it day by day by God's grace. And now, I've got two darlings fighting over a chair. We will call this the intro to the Haney family and not much else, because motherhood is calling :)
Happy Friday! Just like I committed to yesterday, it's Friday and that calls for a post about our world of fitness.
Let me give you a little background, I worked as a personal trainer for 2 years, a group fitness instructor for 6 years, graduated college with a degree in nutrition and food science, and have run 4 marathons. "Fitness" is just kind of how we do things around here, but I understand we are rare, maybe a little strange :) Nonetheless, we are always trying to incorporate new training regimens and always trying to be healthier and feel even better. A growing family is always a challenge, one that we gladly accept, but we have learned to get creative and get as much exercise and training in the least amount of time! When the weather is compliant, I have a double jogging stroller and the girls and I can run for days, but when we are in the heart of winter we have to find an alternative. Now, I love running, really. It's not something I ever had to force myself to like, it's just my "thing", but when I'm not logging miles I try to add in more muscle strengthening workouts instead of straight cardio. I want to really push myself, and that's where my friend Shaun T comes in. I am NOT a Beachbody coach or anything along those lines so believe I am telling you this for no gain for myself, simply because I love Shaun. He's great, so creative and sometimes such a turd, but he gets results. Recently, Lance and I started Insanity Max:30 and it is, hands down, the BEST workout I've ever done. After 30 minutes, I am lifeless on the floor, and I am still in month 1. I can tell I am getting stronger and can push a little longer each workout. Every person has 30 minutes, I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a psycho dog and have 30 minutes each day. Now, I wouldn't advise if you've never exercised before to try this program because it's insanely tough, but find time and do something. Do I follow the plan perfectly? Of course not, if the suns out and it's above 40 degrees, we are going to go for a run :) And on those extra run days, I may have a treat....
Speaking of treats, we are almost through the month of January and I still have a doughnut coupon in my inbox. We are really trying to work on our food intake. We began around October/November cutting out one processed/crap item every two weeks (when I buy "big" groceries). Unfortunately, I think we have reached doughnuts now. Will we ever eat another doughnut? Of course, don't be silly. But, we don't need to take a trip every month, and we don't need to teach our children sugar addiction either- just a conviction over here. So, what is a treat? Actually, I found a recipe for a blueberry "pie" that I think we may try this weekend. My new favorite that I have tried and made is brownies- with black beans and avocados. Now, let me tell you how much I hate avocados- Emersyn would ONLY eat pureed avocados from about 6 months- 1 year. I saw good, bad, and rotten and disgusting avocados. I was up to my elbows in them everyday, and swore I would never eat them again. However, they have great health benefits and I am an expert at picking the best ones out, so pureed in "brownies" I can do, and do well :)
So, if you want your butt kicked, find a Beachbody coach and order Insanity Max:30 ASAP (if you don't have/know a coach, my girl Anjali can hook you up.) And let me encourage you to look deep at your daily intake- how much processed and genetically modified food are you eating, where can you make improvements? I'll talk more about this next week.
Black Bean Brownies
1 can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups if you want to soak and cook your own beans and freeze individual servings, just thaw completely before you add to the food processor.)
1/2 avocado
2 eggs
3 Tbsp cup brown sugar*
3 Tbsp Stevia*
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup chocolate chips + extra for sprinkling
Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree' until smooth. Add in 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Spread in 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 17-20 minutes
*For sweeteners, you can use whatever you prefer. I like this combination because it keeps sugar content low but isn't all Stevia. You want about 1/3 cup total of sweetener
I've been in full swing Spring cleaning mode the past few days, and I'm bringing it to the blog! Maybe it was the little taste of sunshine we got and the 5 runs I got in with the girls- the last run was pushing it a bit, but I just couldn't let winter come back so soon and harshly!
I've cleaned out drawers, closets and cabinets, and now I am on to organizing! Organizing little girl clothes, product information, recipes- you name it, I probably have a plan to organize it.
I usually way over think what to blog about, and have been so inspired by all of the "new year" blogs, I decided I need to get with it. So, here's what's coming up on our little world of "Giggles and Grace" (I don't think blogs existed when I was in English class, so that may not be the proper way to address a blog, forgive me, English teachers!) Since I stay at home with my babies and have an array of passions along with mommy-ing, I want to share it all, so we are going with a new schedule of posts :)
I'm a health nut, avid runner/exerciser, a mom trying to figure out how to handle the sassiness that comes with toddlers, a wife learning how to honor Christ in her marriage, a friend with pieces of my heart ranging from Alabama to Pennsylvania and Missouri, and an oil loving-toxin elimating explorer all wrapped into a sweet, Southern spirit.
I'm going to commit to three days of blogs/week, because I'm trying to do all of the above mentioned when I'm not typing in front of a computer :) Mondays are for family talk, Wednesdays are for oily and toxins/food supply/whatever new thing we are into in the holistic world talk, and Fridays are for fitness and nutrition fun!
I'll be here tomorrow telling you all about our new dinner plans and my newest workout addiction for weather conditions when it's considered child abuse to put your kids in a jogger and push them around town :)
Happy 2015! My family ate eggplant and brownies made with black beans and avocados tonight, so I think my resolutions have been met. Ha :)
We ended 2014 on a high note. We ran a great marathon- I finished in 3:54, almost identical to my Boston time. By no means, did I PR but I finished under 4 hours and felt great afterwards. This was the first marathon I have run that I didn't swear I would never do another at the finish line! I am excited for #5... when it warms up, of course, you will not find me out running in single digits, I don't have that kind of dedication!
Christmas was a blast, after everyone recovered from a round of flu. My children were loved on, Lance and I were loved on, and it was a wonderful, relaxing time at home. I can't believe how much the girls grew up in the 3 short weeks we spent in Alabama, we returned to Missouri with two little women ( well, two little women who can pitch mean fits!)
So, that brings us to the new year (just a few days late!) I don't love new years resolutions, but I always try to think of something to accomplish in the upcoming year. If you've been following this blog, you know the heart struggle I have had with toxins in our home, so we are continuing that progress this year. I buy "big groceries" every 2 weeks and my goal is to replace or cut out a new processed/toxic item each time, and learn more about food companies and products every day. We are still learning about essential oils all of the time, I feel like there is never too much to know and I am left amazed all of the time! We are making more and replacing every day items bit by bit.
I pray that I can be a more patient mom, loving wife and let my light shine to every person I come in contact with. I am excited for what a new year holds. Happy 2015, friends, and shoot for the stars this year!
