Celebrate. Remember. Appreciate. Love.

Let's remember, today is a gift. Our little ones are gifts.

As you go about your day, your weekend and your July 4th plans...

Celebrate.

Celebrate our country's independence.

Celebrate your family.

Your blessings.

The little things...

and the big ones.

And don't forget to,

Remember.

Remember your gifts. Remember there's purpose in everything,

and everyone.

And your obstacles,

can be your hidden blessings.

Above all,

Appreciate.

Appreciate His love. And in return,

Love.

My Loot. A Farmer's Market Visit.

Until now, I have never taken the time to visit a local farmer's market. In New Jersey, they start popping up in June and last all summer until the early Fall. In my mind I always reasoned, "why would I add another stop to my already jam-packed schedule?" I mean, technically you can get this "stuff" from a supermarket, right?

Well I finally took the plunge, which in real life means, I took the extra half hour of my Friday afternoon and stopped by my local farmer's market.

I circled the block to find the nearest street parking, shut the door and started pacing towards the bright, yellow flags. "Oops, I forgot bags. I should bring bags." Walked back to my car, grabbed two re-usable bags, stuck them under my armpit and marched towards my destination. As I walked, I questioned myself...

Did I bring enough bags?
Is this going to be expensive?
Do I look like I don't belong here?
What will I find?

I neared the entrance and noticed a mish mosh of personalities, which settled my mind. Some young, some old, with children, without, women, and men. Each focused on the selections at the tables presented before them. There were eight tables from different farms in New Jersey. I approached my first table not sure of what I would find or what I would buy. Then, in an instant, my doubts subsided as my eyes soaked in the beautiful array of vibrant colors from all of the fresh produce as I simultaneously inhaled the sweet smell of freshness. Yum. I wanted everything.

After filling my bag to the brim with as much produce as possible, I visited the next table, and the next, and the next, collecting my little treasures of farm-raised eggs, fresh breads, grass-fed meats, local honey, and nuts.

My precious loot...

Besides looking and smelling great, and being surprisingly affordable (aside from the meats), why else are farmer's markets a great idea?

Did you know, local farmed foods:

• taste better
• are non-GMO (which means they are not genetically-modified)
• are more nutritious because they are picked at its peak harvest, unlike supermarket produce that has traveled far and has been sitting out for a while. The longer it sits, the less vitamins it delivers.
• last longer
• are better for the environment

And so I concluded, the half hour was so worth the investment and I will be making this a part of my regular routine this summer. If you haven't tried one yet, I hope you do and here's to finding your own precious loot. To find a local farm or farmer's market near you, visit: www.localharvest.org.

Happy Dad. Happy Dessert.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

and He delights in his way.

Though he may fall, 

he shall not be utterly cast down;

for the Lord, upholds him with his hand.

(Psalm 37:24)

As a little girl, I always thought I must be pretty special. How else could God have given me such an amazing dad like my papi. Always caring, sympathetic, and my shoulder to lean on. 

Then one normal, run-of-the-mill day, I found my "best friend", who decided he liked the title "husband" slightly better. And seven years after we tied the knot, he added "daddy" to his special titles when God blessed us with our little Daniel.  

Yesterday was Father's Day and many of us celebrated the men in our lives who are dads. We celebrated those deceased, and those still with us. Those at war, and those at home. The overworked, and those desperate to find work. The single moms doing both roles. The stepdads. Adoptive dads. Granddads.

We all know that an active father means the world to his child. But just how so? Research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reveals that fathers play an integral role in the development of their children's well-being. The study states, "involved fathers bring positive benefits to their children." The study goes on to cite some of the immediate benefits including psychological well-being, social behavior, and academic achievement. But beyond the research, I'm always in awe of the pure, simple joy that children experience with their dads. The happy tickles and tackles.

So, in honor of my three favorite dads (hubby, papi, and big bro), and all of the other good poppas out there, we celebrated in pure man style. We fired up the grill, cooked up a feast and watched a game. Even papi, miles away in Florida, joined us via video cam. God bless Skype.

It was perfect man style happiness...
Eat.
Drink.
Watch game.
-Repeat-

Afterwards, I was determined to sneak in healthier alternatives for dessert. Bua-Ha-Ha!!! I asked the kids if they wanted dessert and they happily cheered, "Yeeessss!!!" as I served them their bananas and grapes.

Then, the moment came where hubby always reaches for his pre-packaged, preservative-filled favorite treats, Fig Newtons. I quickly intercepted and nervously handed him my version of a slightly better alternative - homemade Whole Wheat Fig Newtons. He eyed them suspiciously, nibbled a corner, then inhaled a few more. Ahh yes. Sweet Success. "These are David-Approved."

So here's to hubby, and all of the father's who celebrated yesterday. To those who savored old man-style traditions, and their loved ones who added new holisticish touches. Thank you for all you do.
And thank you for the simple happiness that you bring to your children. 

Super Woman.

"Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of "Mother"...

(Edgar Allen Poe)

Although only a few days away from Father's Day, today I'm celebrating my fellow mommas.

We are Super Women.

I'm not trying to sound like a feminist, but the reality is, we can grow another human being in our womb and sustain their life outside of the womb with our bodies for at least a year.

Just sayin'. Super Women.

It is now June and I've been on this natural health journey for about three months now. The good news is, we've made some healthier changes with our nutrition and alternative medicine options, and I am really happy with the results so far.

The bad news is, it has been exhausting. Being a mom can be down right tiring some days. Right mommas? Children are the biggest blessings we can ever hope for but thank God He equipped us with an extra dose of multi-tasking genes and super kinetic energy power from neutron (superhero references inspired by my son).

To think, we must:
get up
get the kid(s) dressed and fed
get ourselves dressed and fed
play
run
chase
work outside (or inside) the home
shuffle them to and from appointments
grocery shop
cook
clean
read stories
kiss boo-boo's (those are injuries in our home)
etc. etc. etc........

If that's not enough, trying to incorporate the natural food part of holistic living involves a lot of cooking. A LOT. The kids eat mostly all of their food from home which means I've been experimenting with new recipes. Trying to make this from scratch and that from scratch. Who would have thought I would be making my own ketchup? Weird. Good...but weird. So now, let's add an extra dose of cooking and shopping to my already full plate.

Now that I've vented, I have to count my blessings. I'm thankful that we're healthy. I'm sorry for my fellow mommas that have to add sickness to their full plates or other difficulties.

So today I pat your back over the Wi-Fi air. Your devotion is a blessing. And tonight I am officially giving you (and me) permission to find time to relax.

xoxo Mari

Divided and Confused.

I'm learning this natural living path has quite a few stumbling stones, and I've recently encountered one that made me trip. Hard. Face first into a pile of confusion.

Vaccinations.

I will start by stating this. I am not a medical professional. I am not making any recommendations for you or your family. I will not sit here and pretend that I am an expert on vaccinations. I will simply agree to confess this:

I am confused.

Vaccinations. This one seemingly innocent word carries a heavy load and has the power to stir up heated disagreements amongst the closest of friends. Most people, I'm learning, are divided into two political-like camps - extremely for them or extremely against them.

I'll be honest. Prior to several months ago, I never thought twice about vaccinations. It was a part of our routine pediatrician visits and I never missed any of my kiddie's scheduled appointments.

Here's my stumbling stone now. When Daniel turned four, he got his four year vaccines, just as planned. I was convinced I was doing the right thing. He received the scheduled:
DTap
MMR
IPV and
Varicella

They were supposed to protect him from pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and chicken pox. Sounded like a good thing.

However, Daniel had severe reactions from them. Weeks after his vaccinations, he began developing allergic symptoms that worsened. It began as the sniffles and watery eyes, but then he developed a severe cough. His cough got worse and they began testing different medications concerned his cough was lasting longer than three months. He started losing weight and developed black circles under his eyes. The doctors couldn't figure out what was going on. They began testing allergy medications, but those didn't work. Then cough medicines, but those didn't work either. And for the first time in his life, he developed chronic ear infections. They placed him on antibiotics which only made him more sick. He couldn't eat and was complaining of stomach cramps. He would wake up in the morning and vomit. Stressed beyond belief, we began seeking other doctors' opinions and finally found a regimen of natural supplements that have helped Daniel's health incredibly.

I won't claim that the vaccinations caused Daniel's severe reactions, but I will claim that I now question everything that goes into my children's bodies. Everything. I can no longer give a green light to everything that is routinely offered until I have thoroughly researched it. Does that make me a Moderate? Am I allowed to consider the vaccines, research them, and then decide if we'll go ahead with this one or that one?

The reality is, there is too much to question, to not question. I want to know if some of these ingredients are harmful, like formaldehyde and mercury or thimerosal. I want to know if my children have related allergies. Or if there is a co-relation to learning disabilities.  Just recently, the Center for Disease Control released its latest findings that 1 in every 6 children in the US now has a learning disability. 1 in 6. Scary!

It took a bad experience to get me thinking about vaccinations. And although I don't have all of the answers nor do I claim to know what the best ones for us are yet, I do know this:

We have options.
We have options and this Moderate momma is going to dig her way out of this pile eventually.