Gratitude

This month is a relflection of Gratitude with it being the spirit of Thanksgiving. I have been extensively teaching my children the history of Thanksgiving. I am teaching them the good, the bad, and the ugly of the first Thanksgiving. I hope and pray that what I am trying to get through to them will work. I REALLY want my children to learn to have a constant feeling of gratitude. I believe with gratitude we will find true joy in life. Having gratitude helps to keep us from feeling sorry for ourselves and our situation.

I am SO grateful for the knowledge Heavenly Father has given me about my health. I am even more grateful that I never give up on myself. I KNOW that I will master my natural man some day. I do know what is best for me, and it isn't always what I think it is. I am always learning and growing. I realize now that I don't have to be perfect. I do always have to be trying though. Sometimes in my quest to be perfect I stop trying altogether. So with that being said, I will NEVER stop trying! I love myself and know that my Father in Heaven loves me. Each day a little more motivation comes to me! I can and I will take care of this temple in which my spirit dwells; for THAT is the only true way I can show thanks for my body!

Letting go of the Control

I feel bad that I let so much time go w/out blogging. Life is great and I have learned and grown so much in the past few months. I have learned a lot about myself, my eating habits, and my family.

I love life, I love people, I love my family, and I love food. However, my love for food is a love/hate relationship. I wish ALL food was good for you, made you healthy, and never made you gain a pound. Wishful thinking just doesn't get you any where! However, I find that my relationship to food has everything to do w/my relationship to my Heavenly Father. If I let Him be in control of my life, then I, in turn, am in more control of my life. However, the more I try to control things on my own, the more I lose control.

So, one would say, "Then give up the control!" Oh. . .ok. . .that is easy! Duh! Guess what folks? It's NOT easy! We, by human nature, are control freaks. We must be in control of what happens in our lives, when it happens, who it happens with, how it happens, and in most cases, even why it happens. However, I am learning that the more I give in, the more I get in return.

So by holding on so tight, I wasn't able to get my stinkin' hand out of the cookie jar. I knew that I could do it by MYSELF because I am a strong woman. We are only as strong as our relationship with the Savoir. I have found that my level of dependance on him determines my level of happiness. This is not to say in anyway that we should not make any decisions w/out Him. On the contrary, I believe He wants us to take our decisions to Him and pray for His help.

I choose to eat healthy and I know I cannot do it alone. I don't HAVE to have the support of others as I thought I did. I just need devine intervention. I WILL make healthy choices both physically and spiritually. My husband taught be that all we need to do is PREPARE. It is an acronym for Pray, Read scriptures, Exercise, Plan, Accomplish, Review, End your day w/prayer! Do this daily, and ALL else will take care of itself.

HAVE A HAPPY HEALTHY DAY!

Green Smoothie Baby

This is my beautiful great niece Brooklyn. They were here for a visit this last week. The last day that she was here she kept trying to grab my smoothie from me. I had seen her mom feed her ice cream and other things so I decided to try the smoothie to see if she liked it. Well, she LOVED it! She could not get it fast enough. She got upset if I stopped long enough to take a drink myself. It goes to show that we know at birth what is good for our bodies. Isn't she the most beautiful baby? She is almost 6 months and is already loving the smoothies. BTW, her mom and dad both liked the smoothies a lot too.

Plantain Smoothie

Ok, so I have been doing some research on the herb Plantain. The beauty of this plant is that it grows wild all over this area. Free is beautiful. Everyone I know here has plantain growing in their yard. So this morning, I went out in my yard and cut me some plantain and made a smoothie. I took some pics of everything I put in the smoothie. I put in plantain, frozen strawberries, 2 very ripe bananas, chia seeds, 3-4 dates, and a dash of agave to sweeten it. To learn more about the health benefits of plantain go to: http://herbs.ygoy.com/2009/02/13/health-benefits-of-plantain-herb/



This is what plantain looks like.




This only shows one banana, but I ended up putting in another because I wasn't used to the different taste.




Not bad at all. My hubby and niece both liked the flavor. It almost had a coconut flavor in it. Yum!

Melaleuca Testimonial

Due to a late night, I didn't get to blog yesterday. I was 100% raw yesterday w/the exception of a few corn chips in my taco salad. I took a hike yesterday and LOVED it. I took off my MP3 player and enjoyed the beautiful sounds of nature. I also did an hour of yoga. I am ready for some different yoga DVD's. I like the ones I have ok, but the instructor talks too much. Any suggestions out there?

Today was a great day. I did eat a little bit of popcorn (homemade), but all else was raw. I went for a good, short, brisk walk w/my oldest daughter. I enjoyed being with her. I also got a LOT of deep cleaning done in my laundry room and that felt GOOD! I have switched to natural products for cleaning my home. I now use Melaleuca products and am loving it. They are very inexpensive and boy do the laundry products really WORK. Just so you know, this is coming from a mother of 9 children. That spot cleaner even got out my husband's ring around the collar. Ok, now I sound like a commercial, and no, I am not selling it. It just makes me happy that I have found a product that works, is inexpensive, and MUCH better for the enviornment.

I also got to babysit for one of my favorite babies! These things may seem mundane, but they are all part of a happy, healthy life. Keeping balance is important to good health. Loving and serving others, even if it is your own family can bring us joy!

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY DAY!!

Another GREAT Day!!

Another great day today! I walked for 50 min, did yoga for an hour, ate lots of greens, and stayed 100% raw again. I also planted a few herbs in my herb garden. Getting your hands in the dirt is always a good, rewarding thing. After talking to a great friend today, I came to the realization that the biggest mistake we make in trying to accomplish anything is thinking we have failed when we falter. As soon as we think we have failed we have the tendency to give up all together. Instead, we should always credit ourselves for what we have done.

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY DAY!!

A Happy Healthy Day!!

Ok, as far as a Happy, Healthy Day; this has been a great one! I was 100% raw today and I went on a 45 min. walk WITH ankle weights, and half of the walk was uphill! I ate lots of greens and took my vitalherbs and barleymax. I also talked to a good friend about being raw, and she too is ready to begin again. That really made my day! I also secured some financial future for my family today. This has everything to do with health because feeling secure and happy helps us release toxins. On the opposite hand when we are angry, stressed, frustrated, or worried it is toxic to the body. We should do all we can to release stress in our life. Prayer, my hubby, friends, meditation, and yoga are my stress releases, and I am grateful for all of them! I realize that not everyday can be so full of joy, but we can make it full of joy if we purposely look for the positive in our lives. I can guarantee that no matter how bad a day may seem, there IS positive in it!

Have a HAPPY, HEALTHY DAY!!