I Promised to Share More (Part 3)

Curt Spring of 2004 with a bumped swollen cheek and I'm not sure if the band-aids were needed or not

Curt decided he needed to make up for lost time and he was determined to keep up with his older Sister and Brother.  I learned quickly that I needed butterfly band-aids with us at all times with him and of course Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue Formula.  But I loved watching him be active and not winded and wheezy with the cough.  In my thinking and studying I realized why I couldn't give him Echinacea. It's because Asthma is autoimmune.  I wanted to strengthen his immune system but I also didn't want it over reacting and causing a Asthma attack.  I got some Kid-E-Soothe to have on hand it was supposed calm yet help strengthen the immune system.  I knew that his lungs probably had a weakness because of him being born prematurely the reason he did fine that first year was because I was nursing him and basically my immune system was helping him out. It would have been so much better to have nursed another year at least.  I knew that we could work to cleanse and rebuild the lungs and make them stronger but I also felt that at his age just keeping the symptoms at bay would be a feat.  I wanted him stronger first.  Winter had taken a toll on both of us.

Curtis 2 years old May 2004

Summer was very welcoming with little sickness and very few if any coughing fits.  By the next winter I had convinced Curt that even though it was very nasty Anti-Plague would help his cough.  So I added it along with the Kid-E-Soothe to the things I had used the winter before for his cough.  Sure enough first runny nose the cough started up again.  But this time I felt more prepared.  He did have a few bad bouts but for the most part I felt like we kept on top of it better and the difficulty breathing was less and less although the cough did still sound pretty terrible at times.  I also noticed that his body started to figure out what it needed to do.  Inevitably after a few days of a bad cough he would get a high fever.  The heat seemed to break up the cough and loosen things up.  This was amazing to me and it was so interesting how the his body was actually learning what to do for itself.  His cough would last shorter and shorter amounts of time because the body would turn up the heat sooner each time.  This was a gradual process but not only did the coughs clear up sooner they were further and further apart.  I could tell his immune system was getting stronger as every child's is supposed to with each sickness.

Curtis 4 years old May 2006

During his third and fourth year he really started thriving well.  He chubbed up a bit and I liked that!  We were only dealing with about 3-4 rounds of "the cough" a year and they usually didn't last more than 2 weeks and the wheezing was not near as bad as it had been and he seemed to respond very quickly to the herbs.

Curtis 5 years old October 2007

 Every year just got better!  He got stronger by the time he was 5 and 6 the cough showed up only when he got sick.  Which was only 2 maybe 3 times a year.  And he stopped wheezing  He also learned to swallow capsules so I could then give him full doses of Dr. Christopher's Cold Season and Chest Comfort formulas.  These also seemed to help.  By the time he was seven I started learning more about essential oils and I had a friend tell me about Dana and Be Young I found the Spice for Life, Breathe, and Defence formula to be just the icing on the cake added with the herbs I have been using.  Last winter he did get pretty sick and even had a night where he was wheezing really bad.  His immune system jumped on it and the oils worked so fast!  We only had one night that I started to worry a bit but with him being older and able to tell me how he feels and what helps the worry was much less.

This is my little Curt now.  He doesn't get tired running around and playing outside he can run and run and doesn't have a hard time breathing.  He can breathe as deep as I can.  He still obviously has a weakness there because when he does get a cold (which is about twice a year and I think that is normal and healthy for his age) he usually gets the cough with it.  But we have only had wheezing twice in the last three years.  I have thought about giving him the Lung and Bronchial or something else as a tonic for a few months to help cleanse the lungs and start working on any scar tissue that may be present.  But he's doing so good I think I will just continue to watch.  I know his immune system is just continuing to grow stronger especially now that we have been doing green smoothies for the past few years.  I feel like his body will let us know what it needs for right now I feel like it just needs more time and patience. 

I truly feel like this has been a miracle in my life!  It may be different then what I had expected but still a miracle!  And I can't help but be so grateful to my Heavenly Father who knew what would be best for all of us.  In fact I am confident that there are still things from this he has in store for us to learn.  I am grateful that he didn't just "fix it" for me and that he helped and supported me all along the way. 

I know this post is already too long but instead of dragging it into another one I just want to point out a couple of things. 

• I think that getting rid of all dairy at least while he was little was essential he would have had too much mucus and we would of had to had medical intervention.  Too much mucus and Asthma are not a good combination.
• The cleaning products I felt we needed to get rid of make me cough I hate to think how they would have effected him living with those smelly things.  I even quit using dryer sheets.   
• Vaccines bombard a very young immature immune system and Curt's was even more compromised with the Asthma these would have made it worse.
• I have recently learned that the antibiotic they gave me in the hospital before Curt was born is known to contribute to Asthma.  It was given as a preventative because they thought maybe the Group B Strep had caused my water to break.  They tested but couldn't get the results in time.  I told the Doctor I didn't want it but he was very insistent.  I wasn't good at holding my ground around people more "learned" then me.  He basically scared me into taking it.  The test came back NEGATIVE.  The antibiotic was totally unnecessary.  I should have gone with my gut.
• I have also learned that the third and fourth generation a lot of times will have issues show up from the past generations actions.  Grandchildren of fruit farmers who used lots of sprays tend to have Asthma.  Curt's Great-Grandpa was a fruit farmer who sprayed his trees and Curt's Grandpa grows lots of fruit trees and is very consistent about spraying them. (I'm not blaming anyone we all do what we know how to do and do the best we can worms aren't fun in fruit either.  I just thought it was an interesting statistic and a possibility.) 
• I find it interesting that God sees the big picture.  I couldn't but he was helping learn and be ready all along the way!  And he even made up the difference when I wasn't listening like I should have been.

I hope that my experience can be of help and benefit others and that is why I felt I should share more! As I have time and as it comes to me I plan to share most all of my story with you!  And of course the stuff that hasn't even happened yet! ;)  Not so you can do exactly what I did but so it can help you to gain confidence that between you and God you can know what you and your family needs.  You are the Mother of your children and God gave YOU stewardship over them and he will direct you.  This world is in great need of STRONG families!  That means us and our children need to be strong not only physically but mentally and spiritually too!  It takes the whole package and I just don't think we can do it without God's help!  For me praying and taking time every day to be still, turn off the noises and study His words, helps me to better "hear" His voice.  Faith then chases away the fear!  And as a very wise man recently said "The future is as bright as your Faith!"

I Promised to Share More (Part 2)

That Summer after Curt turned one and refused to nurse proved to be an interesting one.  I found that Curt would drink dehydrated Barley juice powder in apple juice.  I sure wish I had known about green smoothies then.  But anyway I was grateful to have that.  He did have a few fruits that he liked and I found that he liked beans.  Things were going really well with my herbal studies and I was finding them to be very helpful keeping us from needing to go to the Doctor!  We were doing much better at eating healthy although I was still struggling with my sugar addiction.  But I was learning to make some healthified treats and really my attachment at this point was pretty much emotional.  I didn't want to say or admit that I would ever totally give up sugar.

Camping August 2003

Then in August of 2003 we went camping with family and my Mom gave me this book!

Diet decisions for Latter-Day Saints

I'm not sure that this book is for everyone but man oh man it was just what I needed to "hear" I was to the point I was ready for it.  And I think the Lord knew I needed that extra push because he knew I needed to be prepared for what was soon to come.  I just love how smart he is, don't you!  After reading this book, I cleaned out my cupboard got rid of all refined white things there really was very little left but like I said I was still emotionally hanging onto it.  Throwing the last little bit away was actually quite therapeutic.  None has entered my home again ever since then.  We also gave up the last bit of dairy (cheese and eggs) we were still consuming.  Not that there aren't some more healthful types of dairy but at this point I felt we needed to stay totally away from any for a while.

Then I also read this book

It's a very good book and it talked a lot about the chemicals and things in our soaps, shampoos, cleaning products, etc. that can cause cancer.  I felt that where cancer runs pretty strong in my family and having a Mother who had colon cancer at age 33 I should do all I could feasibly do to keep known cancer causing carcinogenics away from me and my family as much as possible.  So I cleaned out the bathrooms and the broom closet.  I got rid of hair sprays, window cleaners, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, toilet cleaners, etc.  Anything that had ingredients that were talked about in this book and that I had researched or that I just felt were toxic for us to breath and/or use.  Many people including my husband at times thought I was loosing it and turning into some crazy fanatical, going to make healthy living my religion type person.  I was a bit offended but knew that only the guilty take the truth hard and since I didn't feel guilty (unsure of myself maybe but not guilty) I chose not to take it too hard.  Being offended and trying to prove my point would only make me appear that much more fanatical to others.  But in my heart I knew I needed to do this and that only time would prove to others that I wasn't completely off my rocker.

January 2004

Then came Winter!  And Curt caught the first thing that came around.  And with it came what we started calling "The Cough!"  Oh it was horrible sounding and just scared me.  I gave him all the herbs I had used for coughs before and some of them seemed to help but then I noticed some seemed to make it worse.  I found things like Echinacea or other strong immune stimulants would make him cough more.  Then there was the wheezing oh it was more scary then the cough.  It sounded like so much work just for him to breath in.  I would stand with him in a steamy shower to help loosen things up.  I would then rub Mullein and Lobelia oil on his chest and back along with Dr. Christopher's X-ceptic formula and Vicks.  When he was feverish I would do garlic feet on him. (more about that later) When his coughing would keep him up at night I would give him Dr. Christopher's Lung and Bronchial Formula and rub Anti-Spasmodic formula on him.  When he was the very wheeziest and we worried about him getting enough air I would lay sliced baked onions (making sure they were not too hot) on his chest.  I would give him Chest Comfort Formula, it was in powder form, in his juice he wouldn't take much of it though because it had Cayenne in it and he didn't like it.  I tried to see if there was a trigger that caused the cough.  I looked at food allergies or other types of allergies but there just didn't seem to be any type of pattern or trigger.  He would be fine one day and then the next, "BARK" the cough would start up.  It did seem to be tied a lot of times to a runny nose or other sickness but not always.  And the cough would hang on for quite a while after the cold or sickness was gone.

That winter was probably the very longest winter ever for me.  Oh did I pray!  I told the Lord that I didn't feel that I could do this on my own that I didn't have the knowledge and that I needed to take him to a Doctor.  I told him to let me know who would be the best to take him to that could help me and work with me and wouldn't force Steroids on him let alone Vaccinations which I also had not felt good about for this child.  I had no problem using drugs in an emergency situation but by now I was convinced that Curtis had Asthma and I knew exactly what the medical profession does for Asthma.  If I could keep my son breathing and getting enough air by using foods and herbs I didn't want him to be dependant on an inhaler or bronchial dilators.  I knew the side effects of Steroids and I knew I wanted to avoid them unless of course there was no other option.  I searched for Doctors to help me I asked friends who had taken their children to a Naturopath in our area and every time I would be ready to make an appointment I just couldn't do it.  I'm not sure what it was but it didn't feel right.  I kept getting the feeling that God had given me the information I needed and that the herbs He created were going to help my son who He also created.  I was very scared and impatient though!  I had a lot of faith I aways have.  I had my husband give him many priesthood blessings and I prayed for a miracle! 

Then I got mad when off and on all winter long we fought and struggled with "The Cough!"  I laid awake by Curt many nights just listening to him breathe and praying like crazy that God would just cure my son.  He wasn't thriving like I wanted him to be.  He was still growing well but skinnier then I wanted him to be.  He would also get so tired and wore out when he would have his coughing fits.  He would throw his chest back just to give his lungs some more space.  Then something interesting happened, the Lord humbled me.  I quit being stressed, fighting with God, telling him to cure my son now.  And I started putting it in his hands again like when I was pregnant with Curt.  I started to really trust.  I quit worrying what others might be thinking.  Because trust me there were people who were very concerned and convinced it was our diet with all the lack of mucus forming dairy, meat and sugar, that was causing the lack of health in my son.  I told my husband that I knew the Lord had things for both me and Curtis to learn and that I knew if I continued to try to listen that He would teach EVERYONE involved!

Spring 2004

Well teach He did!  And let me tell you our timetable is NOT at all what the Lords is.  He requires us to have much faith and PATIENCE.  It was so hard because I trusted the Lord but I didn't trust myself I was going against the grain, against what I had been taught all my life was considered healthy, against modern medicine that I had been taught was a miracle. (Don't get me wrong I still believe it is in many ways just not in my particular case with my son)  But they said Asthma was incurable and the only thing to do for it was to use an inhaler your whole life.  I didn't feel like God made our bodies to be reliant on drugs our entire lives that just sounded like good marketing to me.  But it was hard because why should silly little me with very little "formal education" know best what to do!  I doubted myself so many times I doubted that my feelings were correct.  But then I kept hanging on to the fact that God gave ME stewardship over this little boy that was His and I needed to just TRUST!

We made it through that Winter and by Spring the cough was happening less and less.  Curt started liking more foods and became well, older and able to reason with just a little more.  And you are just going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out the rest!  Sorry I can't seem to sum it up with less words! ;)

I Promised to Share More

A while back I told you I felt I should share more of my story.  And in that last post I shared quite a bit. There is obviously more since I shared that what I was learning was preparing me for things I had no idea were about to happen.  But I really procrastinate getting it all written.  I have never enjoyed writing and the words don't come very easily for me.  It's so much easier to just post a recipe!  Ryan keeps telling me that writing is good for us to do.  It helps us to know where we stand and what we really think and believe.  Well maybe he's right but I mostly just feel the need to share my experiences hoping they might help and inspire others.  I feel like there is a lot of unnecessary suffering just because we lack information that is available, just not as easy to find.  My goal for this blog is to make that information easier to find and to help teach principles that can be applied to every one's individual situations.  I especially want Mothers to be empowered with knowledge and confidence so they can make the choice that works for them and their family and not have propaganda pushed upon them.  I have never felt that a decision based on fear would be the very best one.  I don't like scare tactics!  I believe that the Lord does not use fear.  He uses faith, fear and faith are opposites like light and dark they cannot exist in the same space.  Alright see why I don't like this writing stuff, I just start rambling.

Onto more of my story!  I told you about the School of Natural Healing Courses  what I haven't told you is that while I was finishing up some of these courses I became pregnant with my third child.  It was planned and we were very excited to have another little one come to our home.  I was working on having a healthier lifestyle and went about things a little differently with this pregnancy.  I really wanted to have it at home but I still had so much to learn and was quite overwhelmed with that.  I had not had a baby "natural" before and wasn't sure if I could do it.  I wanted to be near the drugs just in case.  But I did plan to travel up North to Utah County (we were living in Price at the time) to go to a women's clinic with Midwives who could deliver in the hospital.

Well plans changed!  At about 20 weeks a long I started having cramping, contractions, and bleeding.    I went to the closest Doctor I could find who could do an ultrasound and give me answers FAST!  Well all he could tell me was that my baby appeared to be fine and that he wasn't sure why I was having the issues but that he thought it was probably a partial placental abruption and there was really nothing to do about it.  Bed rest wouldn't help, and it was just pretty much wait and see.

Mother's Day May 2002 a few weeks before Curt was born

I went home and read everything I could about placental abruption we didn't have Internet at the time so that reading was fairly limited and I didn't like what I found.  So I took it to the Lord.  I put my trust in him and I asked him what he would have me do.  I felt like he responded by letting me know he had already prepared me and that I knew what to do.  I went to my herb books.  Dr. Christopher talked about False Unicorn and Lobelia for Miscarriage and if bleeding is occurring to take it and rest with feet up as much as possible until the bleeding stops.  I already had the False Unicorn and Lobelia in the cupboard I just also knew that if the pregnancy wasn't viable then the False Unicorn and Lobelia was supposed to actually help the body with the miscarriage making it so a D&C wouldn't be needed.  To say the least I was worried about trying the herbs.  I continued to pray and finally I knew that I just needed to have faith and trust that God knew what he was doing and that he would help me.  I took the herbs and rested as much as possible.  After a few days the cramping stopped and the bleeding turned into spotting.  I started feeling the baby move which was a welcoming thing!  Long story short I had bleeding off and on the entire pregnancy.  Every time I would just take the herbs and rest it was stressful but I was able to go until about 34 weeks.

Then my water broke!  Now there were other things to be concerned about.  Would his lungs be fully developed coming this early?  I was able to deliver him "naturally" well if you count pit and antibiotics naturally.  I didn't have an epidural or an episiotomy and I didn't tear.  It was an intense but good delivery I was just worried about how he would be.  There was a respitory therapist there and the pediatric nurse to quickly take him and be sure everything was okay.  I wasn't thrilled about that but I had no idea what to expect.  He seemed fine he peed on the nurse and screamed.  He weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces. (a lot of people didn't believe he was that early but trust me I know he was and I even have ultrasound measurements to prove it so the Doctor knew too)  The respitory therapist checked him out and said he would go somewhere where he was needed.  Aside from a pretty good bit jaundice he seemed just fine.  Oh he also had pointy ears which I watched curl down to normal in the next few weeks that was quite fascinating.

We brought him home and put him in the Sun and that helped the Jaundice.  I felt great I loved not having legs to un-numb(is that a word), stitches to heal and not having that last month of pregnancy was so nice!  The Doctor had given me a hard time about gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy but since at 7 months pregnant I still weighed less then I did when I first got married I wasn't concerned at all about gaining 7 pounds in 2 weeks I figured it was healthy.  After Curtis was born the weight easily came off without me even having to try.  Like I said a new level of freedom I so loved not having to worry about such silly things as what the scale said and dieting!  After all I was a Wife and a Mother of three beautiful children I had much more important things to worry about.

Ten days after Curt was born we were at family weddings and graduations.  This picture was taken at the wedding.  Curtis was tiny and still a little Jaundiced but seemed to be doing really, really well!

 He grew fast and seemed to be thriving well.  That first winter he did get what I thought was croup.  A really bad tight bark sounding nasty cough but with lots of nursing, steamy baths and some herbs he got better quickly.  Then at about a year old he decided he didn't like nursing anymore.  He was a pretty picky eater and I didn't know about making green smoothies yet.  I did have Barley Green and gave him that but I don't think it was enough.  I still had so much to learn and I'm still learning lots.  But this post is already far to long hopefully I can get it all posted by Thursday!  Wish me luck just posting this took me way longer then it should have.  Still not sure why writing is so difficult for me.  I'm sure if you bare with me I can't help but get better with practice!

Chewy Nutty Candy

Update July 2010: I'm bringing this recipe forward because we made them again for the first time in a very long time.  We made them because  we are teaching  Bonnie's kids how to make healthy treats!  I told Bonnie that the key to remaining consistent and to actually change to a healthy lifestyle is to not white knuckle it and have amazing will power.  It's to go ahead and have lots of treats around.  People who have been on the Standard American Diet are used to having so many sweets and sugar in pretty much everything that it will take a while for tastes to change. 

So my method is to go ahead and have lots of treats around just be sure they follow my Ingredients List!  READ LABELS and better yet make your own with good ingredients.  I found that if you feel deprived that you will rebel and just go for the junk.  And then you feel guilty afterwards.  It's not about depriving yourself or feeling guilty  we always give up when we feel that way.  I know I tried pretty much every diet until I figured this out!  Diets only make you fatter and much more unhealthy in the long run!  Get this now they DO NOT work!!!!!

Simple, Healthy, Tasty is NOT a diet but a Lifestyle.  It's a enjoyable, fun, happy, simple and healthy lifestyle.  (I know of people who know us but don't know us very well that really think we snack on carrots and greens all day like we were rabbits or something!  Not that we don't enjoy those things but seriously!?!?!  Does anyone have that kind of will power!?)  When I finally figured it out I never felt deprived or like I was missing out on something.  My life was filled with so much fun good things that I simply didn't even think about, miss, or crave the other.

When I was coming off my Sugar addiction I ate a lot of healthified sweets!  Chewy Nutty Candy was one of my favorites and I ate a lot of them;  honestly more than I probably should have.  But I still lost weight and I didn't feel deprived and I didn't crave the junk.  Again as a person that had weight issues pretty much all my life I can't emphasize enough how freeing this was. 

But now over 8 years later we have had a batch of Chewy Nutty Candy made all week and I have only ate a couple.  They are so sweet to me that a little goes a long way.  But when I was a sugar addict I didn't think they were all that sweet and I could eat a bunch in a sitting!  It's amazing to me.  It was quite subtle, and I just gradually craved less and less sweets.  I still enjoy them now but I'm easily satisfied.  Again I loved how freeing I found it to be able to have my cake and eat it too as long as it was healthified.  And not have to worry about dieting or my weight any more.

Now I have found I'm even a step further on that freedom road.  I feel more in control I can choose more rationally.  I don't down a batch (yes you read that right I'm talking by the dozens I'm sure those of you who have had or do have a sugar addiction will understand, they would "call" me until they were gone) of cookies anymore healthified or otherwise.  I still enjoy a good cookie but I'm easily satisfied.  It's another level of freedom I didn't think I would have.  It's like for a long time I lived to eat.  Now in these past few years I feel I truly eat to live.  I'm am free-er then I ever thought possible.  No longer controlled by a sugar addiction!  I love it!!!!! 

Chewy Nutty Candy

1 1/2 cups honey or agave

1 cup natural peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2  cup nuts, chopped (we like almonds)

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

2 cups oatmeal

Chopped walnuts and/or coconut (to roll candies in)

Cook honey over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball stage using a candy thermometer. VERY IMPORTANT BE SURE NOT TO OVERCOOK OR THE CANDY WILL NOT BE CHEWY IT WILL BE HARD TACK;) Take off heat and add vanilla. Let cool some then add peanut butter, almonds, coconut and oatmeal. Using a spoon or small cookie scoop

I think it's about time......

.....for a GIVEAWAY!

I went to random.org to very randomly pick a winner and the winner is.......

Jori O!!!!!!  I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!

I'm sorry everyone couldn't win.  I would love to give you all a book!  But I highly encourage you to find this book and read it!  ESPECIALLY if you have kids! You can find it on my sidebar under My Favorites;  I Recommend

When I first started learning about healthy eating and natural healing a lot of people thought I was becoming "anti-doctor" and that didn't think they were of value.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  I'm am so glad that there are Doctors around and that we know and have access too so many amazing things.  I also know that A LOT of what is taught in medical school is determined by the Big Pharma and so that unless Doctors have educated themselves in other things like nutrition, herbs, etc. They will have limited knowledge in how to help us be truly healthy.  But when it comes to EMERGENCY medical care no body tops them.  They are pros! 

Anyway I will really try to keep this short.  As you know when I started learning about nutrition and natural healing it was very empowering and I felt I had so many useful tools in my hands and I didn't need to rely on Doctors like I had in the past.  (Remember I mentioned before that we have not needed to go to the Doctor in over 10 years.)  But it was very nice to have some reassurance and just to prove I was not anti-doctor I read lots of books and watched videos by actual M.D.'s  It's amazing what you can learn from someone who has been there but who is also open minded enough to see the forest through the trees.  I learned about a Doctor who ended up with breast cancer and her colleagues told her they wouldn't recommend Chemo and she healed herself using whole foods!  I read books on vaccines by Doctors some were for them some were against.  I just wanted to be told the truth as they saw it and then prayerfully make my own decisions for me and my family!

Me with my little family December 2002

Okay so the giveaway!  This book was one of the first ones I read!  It changed my paradigm on a lot of things.  It gave me confidence as a Mother, that I wasn't crazy for thinking there might be a better way for me and my family!  Really it just helped reinforce what I felt like I already knew in the first place!

So here's the drill!  Enter the drawing to win this book by:

Leaving me a comment with your email address or if you don't want your email address in the comments email it to me simplehealthytasty at gmail dot com except without the spaces and the signs for the words; you know spammers ;) (so I can contact you if you win).

Do you want to double your chances by adding your name again?

"Follow" my blog and/or become a fan on facebook. Add yourself over on your top left of my sidebar.(Already are? You're automatically entered in again. Just remind me by commenting again.)

Triple your chances?

Put my button on your blog.  Not just a link the actual button. ;) Again on my sidebar your left just copy the code from the box you know if you don't ask I'll tell you how. (Already have one? Just remind me by commenting again!)

How about a fourth entry?

Make a post about this giveaway on your own blog with a link.  Then comeback and comment again and share the link of your post with me!

PLEASE NOTE:  You need a separate comment for each entry.  So if you enter 4 times you will have 4 separate comments on this post.

I will close this drawing and announce the winner one week from today next Monday!  I hope to have a lot of fun with this and get lots of responses.  If I do I will plan lots more fun and even more exciting giveaways!  GOOD LUCK!

The Drawing is now closed we have a winner! 
Congratulations Jori O!!!!!

One of the Best Things by Far

October 2007

I've decided it's time that I share a lot more of my story with you! I have, probably for too long, been putting it off not knowing if it was the right thing to do or knowing how best to share it. But for some reason I feel that it's just best to start sharing. I started this blog because I wanted to help others, especially Mother's. I think there are a lot of Mom's out there who will relate to bits and pieces if not all of my story. I know many of you have related to the story of my weight issue. Well there is more to it and I'm starting today to share another piece of the story. I hope to share even more in the near future and eventually my entire story.

For right now let's go back over 10 years ago! Ryan and I had been married for just over 4 years and we had two little kids. One was almost 3 and the other 6 months. I was working like crazy "Sweating to the Oldies" and depriving myself of all the food I loved to try and get a lot of extra weight off; With not very much success! We lived in a small basement apartment that only had

windows on the North side. So without much sunlight, being larger then I wanted to be, having a baby that wasn't sleeping good at night, a husband who worked at least 12 hours a day, who was also very busy with church callings, and just trying to take care of and be a good Mom to two little ones; I was overwhelmed and very depressed a lot of the time, to say the least! And to top it off in comes the dreaded February! By this point winter is already too long for me and now my kids are sick AGAIN! For some reason that February of 2000 was a turning point for me!

Winter 2000

For the most part I'm pretty sure it was because I was in the Doctor's office FIVE times that month! And February is a short month! Also I think it was because I was praying so hard! I was so very blessed and yet so unhappy. I knew things were just not right but I didn't know how to fix them! I knew God could fix them but I also knew I had to ask him before he could! So ask I did! It just didn't seem right that the kids should need to go to the Doctor so often. I didn't feel good about them taking round after round of antibiotics. My oldest had, had lots of ear infections and each time was given stronger antibiotics. Some of which she threw up! Both of my kids ended up with yeast rashes on their bums that were very hard to get rid of and to say the least we were all miserable! When the Doctor mentioned tubes for ears I was done. I knew this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Yes I knew that part of being a child and having a developing immune system meant getting sick sometimes but I was sure God didn't intend for tubes to be put in our ears and tonsils to be ripped out!

The funny thing was that I had been interested in herbs and health for a while now. It's probably another story but my Mom had had colon cancer at 33. That started her on the path of learning more about health. I had pretty much grown up with echinacea and garlic in the house. Along with Barley Green and Herbal Fiber Blend! Just a few months earlier for Christmas my Mom gave me a Book called "Dr. Mom" by Sandra K. Ellis. I had looked at it a little bit but I struggled with the idea of such a drastic diet change. However the more I read the more it rang true to me and it was like I was remembering something I had already known though it was all new to me! It felt right and I knew God was answering my prayers by trying to teach me.

Spring 2000

It wasn't easy and took a lot of faith and trust on my part. But I tried really hard to listen to that still small voice. After all he was our Creator, I wanted to know His thoughts! But it was hard. I had been taught all my life about the 4 food groups and the amazing miracle of antibiotics! (Not that there isn't some truth there but I started to feel like more of a customer then a person and that we were being HEAVILY marketed too by a very large group of conspiring men!) In Sandra's Book she talked a lot about Dr. Christopher and the School of Natural Healing! For some reason I just ached to learn more I knew this was the place to start! I got scholarships and found a way to pay for the courses! Again this wasn't easy but I found I loved what I was learning! And even better it was helping! I was learning how to eat better and was starting to loose weight. We moved into a house with big windows EVERYWHERE! I was getting sunshine and my mood was improving! As I learned about diet, herbs and their healing powers I found, well..... I found we were all sick more often! Yep you read that right as our bodies began to be healthier they began to cleanse which caused us to feel sick quite a bit. I learned that the reason there is no cure for the common cold was because the cold was the cure and that if you let the symptoms happen you would actually get better faster.

Like I said it was a leap of faith and very different then I had ever thought. Many family members struggled to support me in what I was doing and many times I doubted myself! But I kept praying and listened for the Lord to Guide me! The thing is with what I was learning, even though we seemed to be sick quite a bit, I knew what I needed to do to do to support the body and take care of it! We stopped needing to go to the Doctor! This was so very freeing! I felt empowered with the information I had and was learning. And well since this part of my story has already gone on too long I will just say that we have not needed the Doctor in over 10 years! Yep we have not needed to go back since that 5th time in February of 2000!

July 2000

So to end today's post I want to mention our current health care crisis and all the "Obama Care" crap! (The politics of which I will spare you! Hopefully you have an idea of what I think about it! ;) I think it's more important than ever that we understand some very true and everlasting health principles that I started learning 10 years ago! I know that Dr. Christopher was a very inspired man and the things that he taught have been around for centuries! His hope was to see a Herbalist in every home and a Master Herbalist in every community! If that goal is ever reached I think health care as we know it will be transformed. And it won't be because big government fixed it! It will be because of people like you and me, most of us Mothers, who have the desire to learn TRUE health care principles! I hope each of you will pray about and consider furthering your knowledge of natural healing by learning these principles! They can be found when searched for in many places but I know you will be off to a great start by taking the Family Herbalist course through School of Natural Healing! They now have their courses available online for A LOT cheaper than what I took them for. The normal Family Herbalist course costs $495 the same course online is only $295 and because they are trying to meet their goal of a herbalist in every home and a Master Herbalist is ever community they are letting me offer it to you for only $195! I promise this is money well spent. We have saved so much money because we don't have to pay for Doctor's visits and super expensive medicines and I know those will only get worse under Obama's plan! I cannot recommend these classes enough! It's one of the Best things I've done by Far! (please note that when I talk about the best things I've done that does not count becoming a wife and a mother they are in a category all of their own) Even though it's been almost 10 years since I took the courses I still use what I have learned every single day! You can't say that about every class you take can you?! (I'm thinking specifically about my DOS class in college and Algebra ;) Okay maybe I use Algebra once in a great while, what little I remember of it! This education has stuck with me and more importantly it prepared me for what was to come just a few years later! But that my friends is a tale for another time!

To sign up for the courses just click on the link below! If you have questions please feel free to ask!

P.S. This past Friday I went to a Green Smoothie Girl class! I had a great time and even got to help her make green smoothies! I wish I had a picture to show you but I totally spaced taking my camera! Maybe next time!

You can do it!

I have a few posts here that I have decided to post! But first let me share a little background. Not long ago my neighborhood did a Biggest Loser contest! They asked me to be their nutrition consultant and to post some tips and ideas on their blog that could help them. There were some sneaky people delivering cookies to their opponents trying to sabotage their efforts! It was lots of fun but by the end of the eight weeks the group of them together had lost over 100 pounds! They also said that they had learned some things that many hoped to continue to implement and to choose to have a healthier lifestyle for not only them but their family too! This was my beginning post I hope that you can maybe benefit from them too!

In Health, Tammie

To start off you are going to have to decided what you want to get out of this! Aside from building friendships, getting to know each other better and strengthening bonds, we get that either way!

My question for you is; Do you want to see long term results and renewed health that will last long after the 8 weeks are over with healthy habits that you can pass on for generations.......OR are you just wanting a quick fix, to be the Biggest Loser then go back to doing what got you here in the first place to gain it all back twice as fast and nearly twice as much and be less healthy then when you started?

My friends the choice is up to you! I have been on both sides of that fence and I will happily help you with either! I have crash dieted and taken off 10 pounds in a week and then found out the hard way why that is not a long term solution! (which I will be more then happy to share if you ask) I also know what it's like to finally decide that It doesn't matter what the scale says or what size my pants are, the important thing was to try to be as healthy as possible so I could pass those habits on to my children. (Quite frankly it's the kids I worry about how the heck are they going to have any chance of being a healthy adult if they grow up in this fast food nation and are not taught! It's a great motivator look around, kids these days now have diseases that only "OLD" people got when I was a kid!) I have seen the results of that decision...................here I will let you see since most of you didn't know me "before!"

(Those of you who care to read more about my personal story can do so here.)

I am hoping some of you will choose to get long term results! I am obviously bias toward that one! For those of you who do I promise you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner. I will post ONE, yep just ONE thing a week for you to implement. (First Step to be posted soon!) Each week will build on the other and you will want to continue each one throughout the 8 weeks! After that you will have some great tools to work with in deciding if you want to adopt and continue this new healthy lifestyle while molding it, of course to fit your personality! Not to mention you WILL be the Biggest Loser!!!!

But no matter what you choose I want to help and support you! Please ask lots of questions! I will answer the best I can! I have tried almost every diet out there (well at least ones that would be "legal" for this and yes Matt I have tried Slim Fast and NO Matt it's NOT healthy!) And I am willing to help you find what works for you! So let's get started!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

The Word of Wisdom

I have wanted for some time to write about this! But I have so far chose not to because well....ummm it's not because I'm ashamed of what I believe. I am proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I don't plan to make any apologies for that.

I guess what is hard is that many within my own faith seem to vary quite a bit on how they feel about and interpret The Word of Wisdom. Personal Revelation is a big thing to me and I would never want to belittle that fact. I have not wanted to seem preachy in any way so I have pretty much just avoided the subject all together. But quite truthfully it has been the backbone of my research with health. My whole story would not be complete without it! (I eventually hope to share it all with you) Every time I have read something related to health and diet I have compared it to what I know in the Word of Wisdom.

Anyway the main reason I am excited about sharing this with you now is because of this post from The Lazy Organizer! I have enjoyed reading her blog for a few years now and I love the way she writes! If you want to learn and be inspired by a lot more then just organizing check out her blog!

Today she posted her thoughts about the Word of Wisdom and I thought she did it in a really good informative way! Since I'm not near as good at putting things into words! (I just come across as too absolute and preachy for some reason!) I'll try to work on that but in the mean time go read what she has to say and just know that I give her a great big AMEN! ;) After you read it I would love to know your thoughts about it!

Never too young......

......to learn some Simple, Healthy, Tasty skills! ;-)

The baby of the family helping her big sister knead bread dough!

Just thought it was so cute I had to share. I really do feel that starting kids with healthy habits and not giving in just cause you have one that is picky makes a huge difference.

I have some picky eaters but when they have to choose between this healthy thing or that healthy thing they always make the "right" choice! ;-) It's what I like to call covert operations and mothers use them lots in things besides just food! You ought to see my kids get excited about workbooks! ;-)

But seriously kids need to have choices and feel like they have a say. They can reason and I try very hard to teach them about what's good for them and what's not. I try to only have good choices in the house so really worst case scenario they eat their salad so they can have a "treat" which at our house would be a 100% fruit leather, a smoothie, some of my homemade cookies or cakes (that by the way have more nutrition then any meal from a box and it's dessert for goodness sakes) or lately they beg for a yummy peach! So do you think my kids are deprived cause we don't have candy bars, or gummie bears?

Starting from the beginning makes it lots easier but really it's never to late. Kids may resist a bit but if you talk to them about it and teach them what you are learning you will be surprised, they will understand that they only get one body and that we should take good care of it! And before long they will loose a taste for the artificial sugar filled snacks. And they will feel a difference when they go to a friends house and eat junk food!

Give it a try for ONE month you will be amazed at the difference. Take all the convenience junk food out of the house (common just for a month you can do it;) and replace it with a healthy snack.

If you want it to still be very easy and convenient just buy some favorite fruits and I have not met many kids that didn't enjoy 100% fruit leathers. Check out your local health food store and buy a few things that I call "glorified junk food" they are still pretty processed but just make sure they have all good ingredients. Of course when you see the price of them it will hopefully motivate you to make your own treats! Which are so much better anyway! Give it a try, let me know how it goes!


Oh and one more thing please don't use your children as an excuse not to cook more healthy. I have heard lots of things like "oh my child would never eat that they would starve first!" Ask yourself some of these hard questions and answer them honestly!

Is it that you are not really ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle and your child makes a good scapegoat? Are you worried about being the "mean" mom that doesn't give her kids candy? Are you afraid that you will notice a difference and see that your kids are happier, calmer, nicer, (the list goes on) and it will mean no going back and you will have to be weird like me? ;-)

I had lots of these questions go through my head and many others. I was so addicted to a lot of unhealthy things and I really did NOT want to give them up. But I also knew I really did not want to be the cause of similar addictions in my kids and have them have to deal with some of the same things I had to! I knew I had to be the example for my children I knew they needed me to be. I really tried hard at first to just give them the good stuff and let me still have my things. But as they got older I knew I wasn't fooling anyone If I was going to talk the talk I had to walk the walk! So I cleaned out my kitchen, I committed and I have never looked back! You will never know how freeing it is until you try it yourself! Your family may grumble and complain a bit and you may be told you are crazy but trust me one day they will be singing your praises cause they don't have the addictions, health problems and issues that are hitting our society at younger and younger ages!

P.S. Fruit snacks are NOT healthy like the manufacturers would like you to believe! They are mostly sugar, artificial colors and flavors! Get them out of your house! Always look at labels carefully!

More on Time and a Personal Note!

A while back I asked how much time do you spend in your kitchen. I can honestly say that unless I'm in a baking mood or I am serving a big holiday dinner I average less than an hour a day in my kitchen. I have learned the things that I need to have on hand to make many tasty dishes and I just keep them in stock. I want to try to type up a list of staples I keep in my pantry and post it soon. It really does help to have things on hand. I have tried menu planning and having a well planned shopping list but I just hate being that organized! Plus what if come Friday I don't want the meal I planned on Monday;) I really am all about keepin' it Simple! With my list of staples I will post my typical day and you will see that once you have things kind of set up dinner all but cooks itself;) I hear so often we would eat better but I hate to cook or I just don't have the time. It's really just about changing our thinking a bit! Just keep checking back here and keep trying to do your best; don't worry about being perfect and put your own personality into it! It really can be

Simple, Healthy, Tasty!

Not only do you deserve to feel and look better your kids do to. I recently read in an article that "boys and girls in elementary school suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and painful joint conditions; a soaring incidence of type 2 diabetes, once a rarity in pediatricians’ offices; even a spike in child gallstones, also once a singularly adult affliction. Minority youth are most severely affected, because so many are pushing the scales into the most dangerous territory." This is not good to say the least. We can't be ignorant any longer if we want our children to have a healthy lifestyle. I know what it's like to be an overweight child and try so hard to loose a few pounds only to have twice as much come back as soon as I stopped dieting. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to take a minute to share some of my own personal experience.

Starting at age 11. Yep that's me;) It seemed so unfair to me that most of my friends and my sisters could eat what they wanted and didn't gain any weight. But here I was at 11 worrying about going on a diet (now really I don't think anyone should have to worry about dieting ESPECIALLY an 11 year old girl) To me now diet is a bad word and they so do NOT work in fact they have the opposite result. But you will see as I continue.

So as far as my childhood was concerned long story short. I had weight issues the entire time. I crash dieted and did silly gimmicks like Slim Fast and No FAT dieting. I had a very supportive Mom who helped and taught me the best she knew how and well with a lot of prayer I made it through I even had my "skinny" times.

Well I got married and a year and a half later had my first baby. And yep gained over 70 pounds in that time.

Now understand at this point I had picked up many "healthy" habits that stemmed from childhood. I ate very little ground beef (I ate ground turkey instead YUCK!) Everything was "light" or "low fat" I hardly ever had a candy bar or soda. I ate whole grain bread, fruits, and vegetables. In reality I have been "health conscious" for a very long time. I hate to imagine how large and unhealthy I would have been had I not been. Really when it came down to it I still had a lot to learn and I wasn't ready to give up some of my addictions. Which were mostly sweets. Well I started to learn more and I cut out all red meat from my diet and I learned that milk wasn't all it was cracked up to be especially for children. I also didn't give my kids much sugar although I still ate way to much of it. I started to understand about diet fads. And I started sweatin' to the Oldies ;) I lost a little weight and then I had another baby! By now I was starting to become very interested in natural healing and the role nutrition played in it.

By the time my third child came I was the size I was when I had graduated from High School and I was thrilled! I was pretty much vegetarian cause I had simply lost my taste for meat. Every time I ate chicken which I always had liked, it started to taste like I was eating well, flesh;) I know it's hard to explain it was just nasty OK! All this time I had been reading and learning lots about health and herbs and since I was thrilled to be the size I was (although still overweight) I quit worrying about my weight. I just wanted to be healthy I wanted to raise my kids with good healthy habits too. I studied with the School of Natural Healing and I finally cut out all processed sugars and dairy. (We were only eating a little cheese and egg by that time anyway;) Many people called me crazy and radical at that time. I wondered how come trying to go back to the way they were originally intended was radical. To me it seemed radical to in effect poison our bodies with overly processed foods and then drug them with more toxins to try to feel better. Anyway it was amazing the difference it made once I quit worrying about appearances and decided I wanted to truly be healthy and have a healthy family!

Here I am with my fam at that time my third was about 2 years old. I wasn't even trying to loose weight and it just came off. And the crazy thing was I was eating whatever I felt like whenever I felt like it. I had NEVER known what that was like it has been so freeing! I love it I still can't get over what a wonderful blessing it is to me! I can't even imagine the weight and health issues I may be dealing with now if I had not gone down the natural health path. I am so grateful and thank the Lord every day!

Processed junk food is no longer even appealing to me in fact it is pretty tasteless compared to full nutrition, full flavor food, made with ingredients you can understand;) Like I said this to me has been so freeing I was so addicted to junk food for so long. But once it was out of my system and my body was truly nourished the cravings stopped.

I now have four children I have not had to worry about my weight for over 7 years. I no longer kill myself sweating to the oldies! (in fact it was very fun throwing those away) I enjoy nice moderate exercises like walking, Pilate's, and jumping on my mini-tramp. I don't take drugs, I use herbs and more natural things as treatments, for illness. I always drink lots of good pure water. Mostly I'm just an ingredient freak! To see what I think are good and bad ingredients go to my

Ingredients! What to look for when reading food labels post.

I always feel bad when I see women struggling with weight and health issues and it's very heart wrenching to see their little girls struggling worse than I did! I want so bad to reach out and help them. But I have learned that people have to be ready they have to do things in their own way and in their own time. I hope that things on this blog can be helpful and inspiring to those who are trying to have a healthier lifestyle. I know that the examples we set and the things we teach our children will carry on for generations. My oldest daughter is now 11, she is not at all over weight like I was at her age and she is learning to cook! We have a great time in the kitchen and she understands so much about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. We can make a difference in our families lives and reverse the health epidemic that is plaguing our Country. And we can have a Tasty time doing it too!

P.S. I was 4 month pregnant in the pic of me and my daughter. She was like 9! I need to get an updated picture of me and my girls;)