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.

Let It Be.

Today I had one of those mornings. The kind where you're hunting for your lost shoe, while your one year old is pulling at your leg crying, and you're simultaneously trying to brew a cup of coffee, while wiping baby boogers off your blouse, forgetting where you put your keys, while looking for your toddler's lunch box, but he's looking for his missing sword, and the dog won't stop barking, and can we just get out of the house already? Yep, one of those.

Then we get in the car, and its peaceful. Bliss. The building up of anxiety and mayhem suddenly subside into a quiet calm that makes you forget how chaotic and painful the morning was. Kind of like childbirth. Specifically Mia's birth.

Last November my parents were transitioning into a vacation property and we were moving into their New Jersey home. During the transition, they lived with us for several months. Perfect, since I was 8 months pregnant at the time with my second child and loved their help and support. By this time, I knew that I didn't want to overly think my delivery as I had with Daniel.

With Daniel being my first pregnancy, my controlling personality kicked into high gear and I drew up a very detailed birthing plan, complete with instructions on how to go about pain medication. It included my ideal of avoiding pain medication and having the nurses hand me the baby so that I could nurse him immediately. I gave them specific instructions on how to do their job.

While I did manage to labor at home mostly, my water broke on the way to the hospital (not planned). As soon as I arrived, I was screaming (not planned). And, part of my screaming included my new, revised birthing plan (not planned):

Nurse: Ma'am, can you sign here.
Me: Nooooooooo!
Nurse: Ok, we're going to get you into your room and changed. Are you going to want an.....
Me: YESSS!! Give me an epidural NOWWW!!!!!!

And that was that. I had an epidural and baby Daniel was born three hours later. Although the doctors said it was a perfect delivery, I felt far from perfect. I felt disappointed that I didn't follow through with my plans.

Fast forward to December 2010. I promised myself I would not decide on a birthing plan, or any plan for that matter. I would just "let it be." Let God and life do its thing and I would go along for the ride.

On December 31st I did not sleep. I was restless and all I could think of was the baby being born. At 6 am, hubby sees me awake and asks me if I'm ok. I smile, say "yes" and add, "Get ready. I have a funny feeling she's coming today." Hubby tells me to call him if I start laboring and goes off to work. I get up, make my family breakfast and as I'm cooking, I feel a slight cramp. No big deal, I'm not uncomfortable and I continue to enjoy breakfast with my family, and feel another cramp, 10 minutes later. And another, 10 minutes after that.

"Yes," I concluded in my mind, "Mia is coming today". At this point I had two main goals. I didn't want mom to get anxious and I didn't want Daniel to see me in severe pain. So off I went to call David at 10 am.

Me: Babe, you should head home. My cramping is consistent. I should get to the hospital soon.
Hubby: Ok. I'm on my way.

I head into the shower to start getting ready for hubby's arrival but can't help feel the crampings are slightly stronger and closer together. Still very bearable. Now 6 minutes apart, I calmly tell my mother not to panic and explain that hubby is on his way to get me. I tell her my plans to take a hot bath and relax while waiting. Mom agrees but asks me to not close the door, "just in case."

I set the ambiance. Fill the tub with warm water and bubbles, and bring in my radio to play Maxwell. It's now 10:10. Daniel walks in and starts playing with the bubbles. My cramping is now stronger but I feel calm and relaxed. Daniel has no idea that I'm starting to get uncomfortable. I start rocking back and forth to work through the pain and suddenly mom walks in to check on me. It is now 10:15. And just like that, in one instant, my water breaks and I feel the baby's head drop. Hard. I jump out of the tub in a panic and as I'm walking, I feel her head dropping even more. I yell, "Mom! Call 9-1-1". And she replies, "But David's on his way." And I yell back, "but her head is coming NOW!"

Mom runs to grab the phone as I manage to waddle to the nearest bed. Daniel is trailing behind me with bubbles in his hands. "But mommy, your bubbles." He proceeds to rub my back and ask me if I'm ok to which I yell, "I'm fine! I'm fiiiinnneee!" As mom runs back with the phone in hand, Mia's head is out and she drops the phone to catch her. I overhear the 9-1-1 dispatcher tell mom not to touch the umbilical chord. She places Mia on my chest and hands me the phone. Daniel is staring in shock. Mia is crying and mom is crying. I am blissful. I am the quiet after the chaos. I pick up the phone and tell them we're ok. The paramedics arrive 10 minutes later and whisk us away to the hospital.

This day I learned that life can be chaotic at times. It can be mayhem and it can be painful. And although you sometimes have a plan, sometimes the best plan is to "let it be" and let God and life do its thing.

my angel cakes...

my superhero...

my backbone...

my bliss...

Easygo with The Weight of the Nation

Last night I caught the end of The Weight of the Nation, a documentary about the industrialized food industry in the US and its correlation to our nation's obesity and disease epidemic. It got me thinking.

We all have multiple sides to our personality and I have a laid-back, go-with-the-flow part of me that likes what's easy and status quo. And she - let's call her "Easygo" - sometimes doesn't want to know about documentaries like The Weight of the Nation. About how, for the first time in history, our children are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. How we are raising a nation of the sickest children in the world who are plagued with diabetes, ADHD, asthma, and food allergies. Easygo would sometimes rather not know. Maybe its a sense of powerlessness, or maybe its simply that she doesn't feel like it will ever affect her. But the reality is, it has affected some of her friends and family. And who is to say it can't affect her in the future too?

If you watch the documentary in its entirety, which I recommend you do, they get into some of the trends of our food industry and how it parallels with the rise in obesity and disease. I won't get into details here, but some of what they touch on includes the mass production of corn, primarily used for corn syrups in our processed foods as well as grains used to bulk feed cattle that are later slaughtered for fast food burgers. The bottom line is that big (and very wealthy) companies have mastered a way to mass produce processed foods bigger, faster, and cheaper. So we grow up finding these foods easily and cheaply, and it becomes a staple in our diets. The issue then becomes some of the supposed harmful ingredients being used to mass produce and how it is negatively impacting our health.

A few months ago a friend of mine introduced me to Lisa. Lisa is a 32 year old mom and wife who read a book called In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Just like me, she never cared much about what she used to eat or buy for her family to eat. And just like me, she got to thinking. She decided to institute a 100 day challenge of eating and feeding her family of four only "real" food. They completely eliminated processed foods and she made everything from scratch for 100 days. Her journey is incredible. Here is a snapshot of what she describes as "real" food.

"Real" food is defined as:
1. whole foods that are a product of nature, not industry
2. fruits and veggies
3. dairy products
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole grains
5. seafood
6. locally-raised meats
7. water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, wine, and beer
8. dried fruit, seeds, nuts, popcorn
9. all natural sweeteners like honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates

"Real" food is NOT:
1. refined grains such as white flour or white rice
2. refined sweeteners such as sugar, corn syrup, can juice or artificial sweeteners
3. anything out of a box, can, bag, or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. deep fried foods
5. "fast foods"

Doesn't this seem impossible with the way we live today? We're just not surrounded by real food at every corner as we are processed foods. But just as Easygo would rather not care, my alter ego kicks into full mommy mode and I feel like I need to make some changes. Small at first, but something.

I will be the first to admit, it is not easy. As a full time working wife and mommy of two, I would much rather pick out a can of this or a bag of that, and sometimes I do. But my hope is that I can do that less often than not and will share my recent mini experience with the hope that it gets you thinking too.

Daniel (and mommy) loves mini-muffins. Our favorite were the Entenmann's Little Bites...mmmm. One day I flipped over the box and tried to read the ingredients. Tried. Now your turn. You try to figure it out.

So Easygo went to bed early this day and I went online to find some alternatives to make our own version of mini muffins and Eureka! The kid actually likes them! These are carrot and walnut. You can find this recipe and many more at naturalhomeandgarden.com.

(above image from igniteinsight-er.blogspot.com)




xoxo, MG