Natural remedies...

I have been asked by several people lately about our families natural health. While I am by no means a doctor I stand by myself 100%. If you need a doctor, go the doctor. But if you are looking for advice on how to help your family from home with natural remedies this is for you! Here are a few tips and tricks that have greatly benefited our family. Even Ty, my traditional western medicine believing husband has been amazed with how much his body has changed since incorporating my "crazy" ideas. I have not been paid to advertise these products. I just love them so much I want to share them with the world! Leave a comment and let me know some of your tricks or if you try one of these let me know how it works for you!

Prevention and supplements:

I recently decided to empty out our vitamin cabinet. I don't find any benefit in taking synthetic vitamins. Our bodies don't know how to digest them so I figure they probably do more harm than good. I replaced everything with organic superfood powders. Every morning our whole family takes 

Chlorella, Spiralina, Wheatgrass, Boabob and Acai. All of these together are extremely high in vitamin A, B, C, D, iron and protein. All of which are derived from plants. You see, vitamins are made from the earth. From soil and rocks etc. The plant absorbs all these vitamins and minerals and when we eat that plant our bodies absorb all that is needed. 

My mood and emotions:

Magnesium:

I unfortunately inherited very sensitive emotions. If I don't get enough sleep I am a total basket case. When my hormones shift I go from being perfectly sane to insane and out of control in a matter of minutes. Ever since my pregnancy with Lu I feel like my hormones are similar a roller coaster. I am still trying to figure this all out but one thing I have found that helps me is taking magnesium. It is very common for women to have low magnesium levels. 

Maca:

Maca powder is also very helpful in balancing hormones. Ever since I started I literally haven't felt my hormones swing like I usually do. 

Every night right before bed I drink my magic drink. Maca mixed with magnesium in a little warm water and lemon. I started this a few months ago and I can tell the nights that I accidentally forget. It has totally helped level out my emotions. I am more go with the flow than I have ever been. Even after a restless night! It feels great! Oh and yes, I am still nursing Aki. It is safe to take these supplements while pregnant and nursing. 

Early signs of a cold:

Whenever anyone in our family starts showing signs of a cold I go straight for the chlorella. It goes into your system and grabs onto any toxins and/or heavy metals and helps flush them out of your system through your pee and poop unlike other forms of detox which typically release toxins into your bloodstream. This makes it safe for children and breastfeeding and pregnant mothers. We take it in tablet form. I personally think the green flavor is overpowering so I prefer to swallow mine. Both of my kids chew theirs like candy. Another option would be to get it in powder form, mix it with 1tsp of water and give it to your child with a medicine syringe. We take this everyday as a preventive and I double the dose with and signs of a cold. 

Ear infection and/or earache: 

Garlic ear oil drops:

When Luna was a few months old she got RSV and a double ear infection. I knew I didn't want to put my infant on antibiotics but her doctor made me feel like I had no other options. I was a new mom and felt very conflicting emotions. My heart told me it was wrong but the dr. told me that if I didn't put her on antibiotics her ear infection would worsen and could cause her to need tubes. So I went against my better judgement and gave her antibiotics. After her first dose I noticed blood in her poop. It freaked me out. I threw the antibiotics away and headed straight to Whole Foods. I bought garlic ear oil drops and they worked like magic. I learned a few lessons from this experience. One, always listen to your heart. You know best! Two, these drops are magical! No one in our family has been on antioxidants since. We have all had numerous earaches but have been healed within hours of using the drops. They feel really good! But make sure to follow the instructions and warm them up under hot water. 

Essential oils:

I have an "earache" roller bottle that I made. It consists of 6 drops Melaleuca, 4 drops Lavender and 2 drops Frankincense mixed with 2 TBS fractionated coconut oil. I apply it at the base of the ear (never in the ear canal) and down the lymphatic line to the collarbone. I massage it in behind the earlobes and all the way down the lymphatic line to help release any pressure. It feels really good! 

Congestion: 

it's scare when your child can't breathe. I have found xylitol nose spray to be extremely helpful. I even used it on Aki when he was only a few months old. It goes into your nose and helps loosen up all the mucus. After I spray it I wait a few minutes and then use a freeta nose suction. I then spray one more spray in each nostril. This helps soooo much! I have also used this when I had a sinus headache. It helped equalize the pressure in my head and my headache went away. 

Athletes foot:

Little lu picked this up at gymnastics! I put coconut oil and melaleuca on her feet right before bed and then put socks on her feet. After a few days it was gone!!  

Upset tummies:

I give my kids Raw probiotics a few times a day when they complain of an upset tummy. 

Vaccines:

If you vaccinate your child I highly recommend giving them raw probiotics twice a day for a week before and a week after they receive their shots. I also recommend giving them chlorella. It will help flush out and heavy metals and toxins from the vaccine. It will also help boost their immune system. 

I hope you find this helpful! 

Coming soon.....

-Hygiene products and sunscreen! 

Work

I have never been particularly good at dividing my work and free time. In the past I have focused too much on work and neglected my physical and emotional well being. Everyday was focused around work, getting up to work, going to work, eating lunch with coworkers, leaving work and then talking about work when I got home. I didn't have hobbies any longer, although I attempted to do outdoor activities on the weekend like other Americans, but I didn't have any time dedicated to my personal growth. 

When we moved to Montana I really changed my outlook on work. I'm not sure that it was conscious, but several things happened. First, I learned that I didn't get any cerebral satisfaction from my job. I wasn't mentally engaged as I have been in past jobs. So I could do my job with little to no thought, as long as I was fairly diligent everything got done and bosses were happy with the growth in sales. 

Second I started riding my bike with a great group of guys. All professionals, with families, like myself and they seemed to find time to ride their bikes nearly everyday. Quickly I realized that a lot of the day to day stress of life can be worked out while on a bike. Having an hour or two to figure things out in my head was incredibly freeing. When I needed to vent about work or family I had guys who could relate. 

So now I find myself skewing the opposite way from work. Spending maybe too much time riding my bike, or exercising, or traveling with my family and now I need to come back to reality a bit. The life that Sarah and I have built doesn't really work if I don't have a goodpaying  job with loads of freedom and I know that those jobs don't really exist. I just got really lucky to land the one that I have. I don't know how to rank what's important, certainly work shouldn't be #1 and neither should riding a bike, but that shouldn't be too far below family time. 

I guess moderation in all things is probably the best advice. Who knows. 

Who's the weirdo now?

The weirdo is almost always defined by an outsider. "Those hippies are weird." "That guy with the face tattoo is weird." "Families that live in RV's are weird." I still find myself thinking that occasionally but we have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing traveling families who are changing my perspective on what is weird. 

We were in Prescott, AZ last week trying to avoid the heat of Phoenix and Teddy Roosevelt lake and finally meet up with some other traveling families at a campground there. 

These weren't down on their luck, hardship stories of foreclosure and exile to RV nomad land. These were successful independently employeed couples who made a conscious decision to do something different with their lives. I'm sure they were weird as well, but the were a good kind of weird. We spent a couple of really fun days getting to know them as individuals and as families and I really enjoyed their company. I know Sarah did as well. I'm still not sure about this whole living in an RV thing, but meeting cool people made it seem a little less weird and a bit more exciting. 

Prescott by the way is a tremendous town. I can't wait to go there again with a mountain bike and someone who can either read a trail map or knows where to ride because from what I saw the mountain biking is pretty endless. 

They also have a costco and Indian food, so that right there gets some bonus points. 

I was in Phoenx for a few days seeing some customers and was able to import some spectacular vegan desserts from Nami back to Prescott, but I could have used a few more sweet treats. 

A letter to NPR

This is what I said...

Hello,

As many people are, I am very concerned about the drought we are facing. I am a big fan and listen to NPR religiously. As I was listening today I was shocked to find that the biggest contributor to the drought was not mentioned. I heard you go over how much water it takes to grow one pound of blueberries, one walnut, one almond etc. which, yes, I agree is absolutely shocking to hear. But in comparison to the 660 gallons of water it takes to make 1 hamburger and 1000 gallons of water it takes to produce 1 gallon of milk it is minuscule. If you are interested I can share resources that are full of facts about how large the animal agriculture industry footprint is. If we want to move forward with addressing climate change, reducing the industry is our best bet. 

I am a young mother of two traveling across the west to learn more about the issue. I have raised my two children on a plant based diet since utero. My pregnancy and birth were absolutely amazing with both of them. I want to empower women and families. You can live a strong and healthy life on a plant based diet. My husband is an avid competitive cyclist who is also thriving on a plant based diet. 

By living off of plants our carbon footprint is much less than that of a person who consumes meat and dairy. Did you know that the meat and dairy industry use nearly 1/3 (29%) of all the fresh water in the world today. 55% of the water in the US is used for animal agriculture while only 5% is used by private homes. 

Feel free to contact me anytime. I look forward to hopefully hearing back from you or at least hearing more about this side of the issue on the radio. 

Sincerely,

Sarah Bennett 

In a rhythm

It almost feel like I am in a rhythm. I say almost because I'm in an RV park about a mile from Disney Land and 2 miles from Angels Stadium and that's just not normal, but still there seems to be a rhythm to life that I am getting into. 

Last Saturday I had no rhythm, I was ready to quit and go home. Luckily there was no home to go to or I would have been gone. 

The details are boring, but the jist of things was we were camped at Theodore Roosevelt Lake northeast of Phoenix and it was hot. I didn't realize how unaccustomed to heat I had become, but it was 90 degrees and it may as well been a thousand. We kinda were boondocking kinda just not paying to park at a dry camp next to the marina. I didn't feel bad not paying because it was disgustingly filthy, but Sarah  wanted to be by the water and the state park was about a mile from the receding lake water, so in the filthy dust hole we were. I hate to give the impression that TR lake is disgusting and terrible and not worth visiting, but I also don't want to lie. 

So while i sweltered in the heat Sarahtoolk the kids down to the water only to quickly return letting me know of the dead fish and need for shoes at the beach. I just needed a nap and fired up the AC and then only darkness. It was clear that there was an electrical problem preventing the generator from getting juice to the lights and AC but my English degree didn't prepare me for fixing a problem like that. 

After looking at fuses and breakers like a monkey using a computer I pronounced it broken and that we had to get the hell out of this ridiculous heat. We planned to stay the night then get to Prescott where the altitude would get us away from the heat and hopefully we would find a decent mechanic to help with the electrica issues. I needed to clear my head so we agreed to leave after I went on A bike ride the following morning. 

I went for a ride and lost the keys. Yes, I lost the keys. The only keys we had to the Honda and they were somewhere on a dirt road out in the desert. 

I was a broken man. My spirits were trampled, I just wanted to burn it all and leave. But then a miracle happened. After screaming at the gods and a delicious sandwich I went back out and actually found the keys. They were smashed up and looked like hell, but I found them. Quickly the heat didn't seem as stifling, the beach didn't seem quite as disgusting and we spent the remainder of the day trying to have a fun day instead of hating our situation. 

Here is the lesson, we can make anywhere seem terrible, but with the right attitude, we can make a terrible place not so bad.