A Spring Challenge

We are on our third week of hotel living and I am So. Over. It.  Like, so over it.  Our girls are over it, too. We spend our days trying to run around and stay out of the room so we aren't bored to tears (or interrupting all of our "neighbors") but that's exhausting in itself as well. I have seen more meltdowns, tantrums and heartaches in this past week than I thought was possible from two little humans. Alas, we think the end is nearing, closing is set for March 31- I think I can, I think I can.  
We miss our friends, so much. Our 4 year old, especially, spends many times a day aching for her friends at her old house and yearning for new friends here. We have cried together and prayed relentlessly for those special friendships to blossom here. 
Having so much time to sit around and listen to squeals, I've had time to think. Think about my journey and what impact I am making on those around me, what message am I spreading and sharing. Of course, that message of Christ's love, mercy, and grace is primary. Relating this to my passions and feelings of purpose, I keep coming back to sharing health and truth in caring for our bodies. I've taught fitness classes, nutrition classes, and essential oil classes. I get weary from trying to share the same message to closed ears, but I know how important relieving ignorance is, and because of this, I'm sharing more :) I will use this blog and mostly my Facebook private group, Oils and Grace. Starting on Monday, March 21, I will hold a Spring cleaning challenge to encourage you to replace the toxins lurking in your home! If you are already in that group, visit the page and like a few posts to make sure you get the notifications, because I have some fun ideas over the next few weeks. I won't bombard with solely essential oils just yet, because some of us may really cling to a certain few oils while others have no immediate interest in those. The vision I have for the next few weeks is to help equip you with practical ways to REMOVE TOXINS from your home. Yes, I will provide replacements that are non toxic using Young Living essential oils (quick note- only Young Living because I do NOT promote the use of any other essential oils, you will not find a cleaner company. For more info, check out their Seed to Seal process, it is un-rivaled! If you want to remove toxins, why replace it with anything less than total purity?) and other low cost items. 
So, why is this topic so important? Well, it always has been to me. I am very "crunchy" and refuse to be ignorant about health, I want to know what is out there and how to best protect my family, I don't want to close my ears to knowledge and wonder why my body isn't functioning in the perfect way it was created. By the way, our bodies were created to function in perfect form, but we have flooded our systems with so many toxins that normal processes have been completely disrupted.... and the rate at which we are exposing our children is TERRIFYING.
I knew this is a big deal and have been totally convicted. About a year and a half ago I started removing toxins that I could control- cleaners, detergents, body care, beauty products, etc and it feels so comforting knowing the soap I am pouring over my girls isn't disrupting their hormone balances or creating toxic cells in their body or that the cleaner they are helping me spray isn't destroying their neural pathways- y'all this is seriously the types of things that are going on when you use chemicals in your home! Since, we have gone clean with all of our cleaning products, I have not been exposed to harsh chemicals until this hotel stay. I came prepared with my Thieves cleaner and homemade detergent, but a couple of weeks into it and I am broken out in hives from reactions to the toxins that are used when the cleaning lady comes by and the detergent the sheets and towels are washed in. It really scares me to think that I lived a life up until 1 1/2- 2 years ago that accepted these chemicals and was used to them. This just re-opened my eyes and convicted my heart even more to share, and to hope that you will join me in learning how to value our bodies and the systems in them. We have the job of taking care of our bodies, not destroying them with toxins! If you haven't joined yet, please feel free to "like" my facebook page, Oils and Grace. I promise you won't get emails and messages with info you aren't feeling quite yet, but let's raise awareness of what is in our environment and what we can control. Go clean out those cabinets, friends and let's learn about how to make our cleaning closet a happier place :)

Hi, from a hotel!

Hello, again! Our family is crammed into an extended stay for the next 30 days as we wait to close on our home in Texas. I'm learning to survive and enjoy it all along the way, so I thought this would be a fun time to get back to blogging, as I am sure we will have some memorable experiences :) Plus the computer is easily accessible and in close proximity to, well everything (what is NOT in close proximity in a hotel room?!)

We have been here for 3 days now, and already had complaints because we are too noisy to the occupants below. Apparently the grinch is housed below us, but I kindly explained I have a 2 and 4 year old who enjoy play time :) We get a room change to the first floor on Thursday!

Lance and I- well mostly I- decided to tackle our first, complete Whole 30 while we are here. So far, Lance has eaten a salad- a SALAD, people, this is huge! I love it, I didn't think it would be too challenging since it's close to how I would normally eat, but I do have a mad sweet tooth that I'm anxious to see how crazy I get when it gets fired up from the lack of goodies! One thing I could not survive this stay with a minimal kitchen without is my Instant Pot. If you haven't heard of an Instant Pot, run to Amazon and grab one, they are on sale- like a ridiculous sale and worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. Here  is the link to Amazon, I'm not kidding, everyone needs this in their kitchen. I used it SIX times in one day, it cooks everything (seriously EVERYTHING) really fast and that gets an A from me! I do not even have an oven and am still managing to feed everyone 3 great meals a day. Yay, Instant Pot! 

My girls think living in a hotel is the coolest thing they have ever done. We get to ride an "elebator" (elevator) every single day and they are mesmerized by the on-site laundry, it is like a field trip to wash clothes :) We are surviving  (and counting down the days!) and can't wait to be in our new home! Texas is great, and the weather is fabulous! We are praying God sends friends our way to fill the friend void we have, being so far away from all of our special people.