Life Trials

Noah and I!

Sometimes it is very challenging to cope with difficult situations in life, the problem with life is that it seems to almost never be without problems. I have had quite a few anxiety causing problems over the last couple of weeks, and it has been quite testing. One of those happened to me about three weeks ago, my Fiance Noah had been over and had been complaining of his chest hurting, sadly I didn't really take him that seriously. Later that evening he was at work and started having the chest pain again, but this time it was much worse and he collapsed onto the floor. His brother Isaiah who worked with him brought him to the emergency room, that's when I got the call. I rushed to the emergency room leaving Trinity with my sister and Mom and met him at the ER along with his parents and brother. What I witnessed scared the living crap out of me. Noah was going in and out of consciousness, he would wake up, hyperventilate, then pass out again. He was so disoriented, and every time he woke up we had to explain everything to him and answer the same questions over and over because he forgot every time. He did this probably over 20 times. It was one of the most difficult things for me, and I am pretty sure wasn't easy for him either. The doctor finally gave him something to get him to stop hyperventilating, but it made him quite loopy for a while which was quite amusing. The doctor believes that it is all anxiety based, but I have some other theories of my own. Thankfully he hasn't had anything like that since, and I will continue to pray that nothing like that will ever happen again.
Another challenging difficulty that has happened is that Noah lost his job. That in itself could cause me to lose it, but I know that Our God is good and that he will bring us through this mess. I have been trying to look positively towards this, and I believe that the work environment that he was working in was not healthy, and that he will find a much better job for him. Thank God that we are all alive and well. It was hard for both of us because we want to get married and in our own place next month, now unless God works it out it is more unlikely this will happen, but we are not going to lose hope. This week since I have been struggling to stay joyful I have been diffusing my JOY essential oil!
I have really been learning to love this one, and I am going to have to get some more soon! If you want to get the same oils that I have just click on the link to the right of this post. It has an easy sign up page, and I believe that the best kit that you could get is the Premium Starter Kit. That is what I got and it's great for beginners. If you enjoy my blog make sure you start following me so you can read more! God Bless! <3

New Tattoo!

Yesterday I got a tattoo that I had been wanting to get for a long time, yay! Did it hurt? Yes! Do I love it? Yes!The picture that is shown here was taken just a couple hours after getting it, as you can see it hasn't been washed yet and I have smeared ink on my big toe the the artist missed, but it gives you the idea. First of all I want to say that I know that tattoos are not healthy, I mean your injecting yourself with ink that your body is absorbing (some of it), and the ink has nasty metals in it, so why would somebody like me get one? I believe That it expresses who you are, and allows you to share something with people that you encounter that would usually never know. I got this tattoo because it is a symbol for Yahweh's (God's) people, and I am one of his people so it also represents who I am. That is what I think about it, I know lot's of people, especially fellow believers have different views on it, and I don't mean to offend anyone, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. Now health wise, it is important to keep care of your tattoo and to make sure it does not get infected or anything. Me being Crunchy Tina wanted to make sure I was using the best thing on it. I started doing research to see about some healthy products to put on it. My first thought was coconut oil, I use it for everything surely it would work for my tattoo, wrong! It is not good to use coconut oil for at least a week after getting it cause it heals it too much, and it can mess up your tattoo, same goes for aloe vera, just not to the same extent. One thing that I have learned is good for it is lavender oil! Even Tattoo Goo the product has lavender oil in it. Guess where you can get a great quality lavender oil?  Right here! Click here to Join my Essential Oils team! If you like my blog be sure to follow me so you can read more!

Missing Amber Necklace!

Trinity wearing her amber necklace. 

Trinity my daughter has worn an amber teething necklace since she was 6 months old, I knew that it was helping her, but I did not realize how much until a few days ago........when it went missing! It has been awful! My wonderful baby girl has turned into a very unhappy person. She cries a lot, screams every few minutes, is horribly clingy, has started biting everything(she has never been a biter), and all she wants is to do everything she is not suppose to do! I want my child back! Unfortunately her necklace fell off, so it could be anywhere, so I believe that I will just have to buy another one, but it is 100% worth it! I don't know how much longer I could live with a baby so unhappy, which is why I would totally support every parent getting an amber necklace for their child. I know lot's of people worry about choking, or the child hanging them self on something, but that is why I get the necklaces that have a safety clasp that comes undone if pulled on hard enough. That is probably why hers is missing in the first place, but I don't worry about her dying.
Besides the necklace disappearing my other difficulty this week is the sun leaving! Here in NC the weather is totally bipolar, freezing one day, hot the next, but it seems that it has already turned to very cold and wants to stay there. My body craves sunlight, and I think it's the vitamin D, so I have been feeling a little under the weather. I have been moody, tired, and it has been almost impossible to get out of bed this last week. This last Summer I was getting out of bed at 6:00 am, full of energy and ready to face  the day! Now it's like I can't barely open my eyes, I only get up because the toddler who shares a bed with me pulls my hair and tries to poke my eyeballs out! Once I get out of bed I try to skin brush, but it usually last for like two seconds before I want to chuck it across the room! If you have never skined brushed before, it is quite irritating when it is FREEZING! Once I get wrapped nicely in my warm bathrobe I head down stairs to put my hot water on for my yerba matte, unless someone already made coffee, because in that case I might just give in because I don't want to wait for the warm caffeinated beverage. I usually don't have any energy until around 2:00 pm in the afternoon when Trinity takes her nap, once she is down I am like, YAHOO! That is what my last couple of weeks have been like! It is not even winter yet and I already miss Summer! One thing that has been cheering me up though is Cinnamon! When I smell it it just makes me thing of the Autumn and Winter seasons and it feels me with joy! So of course I am going to make an order to get some cinnamon and thieves(one of my favorites) essential oils! Here is my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team!  I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with. Also If you want a good place to buy amber necklaces here if a great website!Get Amber Here! I hope you have enjoyed this post, I do one ever Monday so be sure to follow me if you want more!

TV Addiction!

I have always had weakness for TV, but recently it had got out of hand. I had really gotten into a show on Netflix, and I seriously thought about it all the time. It was beginning to get in the way of my daily responsibilities including my parenting. Trinity my daughter was starting to think that television was a norm, and was starting to ask for the TV to be on all the time, even when she was doing something else. I knew that I shouldn't be watching so much TV, but it had truly become an addiction. God had started to speak to my heart about the matter through many different things, (including a movie). I wanted to stop, but I didn't

want to at the same time. Finally A teacher at my Church spoke on cutting things out of our lives that hinders us, I knew what I had to do. I gave it up. I asked for forgiveness from the hours and hours wasted in front of the TV, and said I wouldn't do it anymore. Amazingly God took care of the rest, I literally have not felt the need to watch any TV at all, and do you know what, I have gotten so much done! Not to mention I am eating better (and less) because I'm not feeling the need to eat in front of the TV. It is crazy how we can let our lives slip by so easily because we are living a fantasy through a show. I know that TV isn't every bodies weakness, for some it's the internet, others it's reading, etc, but anything that is keeping us from living our lives is an addiction.

On to my next topic, ALLERGIES! I don't know what's up, but I feel like I have them year round now, they just don't seem to go away! Itchy eyes, mucus in my throat,  stuffy noise, all the time! I have been discovering somethings that have been helping me though, Lavender oil, Nettle Tea, and the Neti pot. First the lavender seems to help my eyes a lot. I rub a little bit under my eyes when they are agitated, and it really seems to help. I heard that for girls who wear mascara, if you put one drop of lavender in it, it can ease itchiness. I don't really wear make up so I haven't tried it out myself, but it makes sense. Here is my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team!  I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with.

 

The Stinging Nettle if good too, it seemed to help lighten my mucus build up. (YUCK) Also the Neti Pot is one of my favorites, If you don't know what it is, I will post the video at the bottom that I did a while back. I hope you enjoyed this blog, share your feedback, and let me know if any of this is helpful. I post a blog every Monday, so make sure you start following me so you can read more!

Gallbladder Attack!!!

So this week I had a gallbladder attack. You see I have a problem with gallbladder stones, it is genetic, my Father has the same problem. Mine started when I was pregnant with my daughter Trinity, I was half way through my second trimester when I had my first one, it was at night(all of mine have been at night) and I totally thought I was in early labor. That was the first of a couple of weeks worth of pain until I talked to my Midwife about it and she recognized it for what it was. So she told me the only thing I could do was change my diet because they don't like to do surgery when your pregnant, so  went on a gallbladder diet. If you don't know what it is here is the basics of what you can and cannot eat.

Table: Gallbladder Diet

Foods to Eat		Foods to Avoid
Apple	Garlic	Alcohol	Grapefruit
Apricots	Grapes	Artificial Sweeteners	Gluten
Avocados	Guavas	Black Tea	High-Fat milk
Artichokes	Lemons	Cauliflower	Hydrogenated Oils
Beats	Melons	Cabbages	Legumes
Berries	Okra	Coffee	Onion
Broccoli	Papaya	Chili	Oranges
Carrots	Pears	Corn Nuts	Pork
Celery	Prunes	Chocolate Ice-cream	Sodas
Coconuts	Shallots	Eggs	Soft Drinks
Cucumbers	Sweet Potatoes	Fowl	White Flour
Currants	Swiss Chard
Dandelion Greens	Tomatoes

As you can see this shuts down a lot of my food options, and it wasn't easy, but I was willing to do it for my heath and the health of my child. It was super hard at first, but as I got into it my body started craving the foods I was eating. It liked what I was eating, and amazingly my Midwife said that my iron levels where higher than before even though I wasn't consuming any meat. I seemed to be getting enough protein, so it was all good. After I had Trinity my gallbladder issues seemed to disappear, but because I was already on a roll I continued to stay on my diet except for adding a little eggs and cheese. This lasted for months until we got low on money and I started eating the food that was available. I still wasn't eating poorly, it just wasn't gallbladder friendly. I didn't have a gallbladder attack since I was pregnant until the other day. How it happened was Noah (my better half) and I went to his Sister's surprise party, there was lots of food, but none of it was gallbladder safe. Well I was hungry so I ate a lot. The next day we were invited to go to Golden Corral, (which none of the food there can be considered healthy) but I though it would be okay since we hadn't gone in forever. After that we went to my In-laws and for dinner they had bought Chinese and Pizza, a family tradition, how could I say no to that? Well long story short I laid down for bed that night and started having a horrible couple hour long attack. Now I have to go back on my diet, and get whipped back into shape. Someone asked me why I didn't just get it removed so I wouldn't have to worry about it all the time, well I will tell you. I like to listen to my body. I don't always do a good job at it(hence having an attack in the first place) but if your body is telling you that it is not happy with your eating choices, why would you cut it out so that it can't tell you anymore? The gallbladder has a job filtering out all of the junk in your food, and giving you bile so you can digest, I need that. Instead of ignoring the problem I have chosen to face it head on and make it a life style. My body feels happier that way anyways. One thing I have learned recently as I study and learn about my oils is that the citrus Young living Essential oils are very good as easing the pain of gallstones.
Here is my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team!  
I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I have been focusing more on their oils, for now.If you enjoy reading my blog I post every Monday.

 

Yerba Mate/Rainy Days

Yerba Mate

So this past week has been little difficult for me, I have been tired every morning and wanting to clean everything at 9:00pm. My schedule has been messed up because the love of my life has been wanting to stay up and watch movies late into the night after the toddler is asleep, so it has completely messed up my sleeping cycle, and I am paying for it. I can feel my energy slipping away with my restless nights, aching muscles, and to make it worse it has been rainy and cloudy non-stop for over a week! YUCK!

It's not a very nice start to trying to lose the 13 pounds that I have gained over the last few months as my toddler tries to make up her mind if she wants to ween or not. Either way it has been an icky week, but thank God for second chances! I have found that instead of beating myself up for motivation, there is a better way of doing things. Forgive yourself. Seriously, there is no point in wallowing in self pity and guilt over eating poorly or being lazy when that is bad for your health and will just keep you down even longer! An other thing is to start back slowly, for example if it has been a week since working out don't just jump into it like before, take a couple days to ease into it. It's better on your body and it's better for you. Don't feel like you need to be all in or all out. That was a lesson that I was thankful to learn. I have also learned that Yerba Mate tea is an amazing energy boosting tea that well help get you on your feet. It has caffeine in it so it can take the place of coffee, and I find it much more efficient for keeping me going without a major crash.  It's a wonderful tea because it gives you that boost while giving your body nutrition, that you don't get a lot of from coffee. I also don't feel the need for sugar or cream when I drink it, I like the mild flavor and I enjoy becoming familiar with it. It also can be used as a sex tonic if you have a problem in that department, so as you can now see it is a much better alternative to coffee. I have been skin brushing for a while now off and on, but on the mornings that it feels almost impossible to get your self out of bed, skin brush! It will get your blood flowing, and look at it as if you were brushing the foggy feeling off, it's great! Then there is one of my favorites, peppermint oil! It is so refreshing, all I have to do is defuse it or just breath it in out of the bottle. When I have a headache sometimes it can ease the pain by rubbing it on over the areas that hurt. I will post my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team!   I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150)

Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I have been focusing more on their oils, for now.

Being Healthy Daily

I love being healthy, by eating right, exercising, drinking tea, using essential oils, skin brushing, oil pulling, using the neti pot, cloth diapering, etc! One thing that is not easy though is doing it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Sometimes I get on a roll and I'm doing great, feeling fantastic, and looking forward to each new task! Then there are the other days, where I sleep in, don't feel liking eating healthy, don't want to work out, don't have the energy to chase my toddler around, much less skin brush or rebound. When I don't do it though, it sends me on a downward spiraling hill that is hard to get back up from, so how do we keep from going there in the first place? I think that it is different for everyone, but for me it just takes the right motivation. I am new too the world of Essential Oils, but I have found that it is the best motivation that I have found yet in this world when it comes to living healthy. Of course wanting to feel great and lose weight is a pretty good one too, but some days I could just care less about either one. Sometimes being kinda zombie like in front of the TV is what I think I want, but it isn't what I want or need for my long term over all health and well being. Plus I find when I feel that way, my time with God lacks a lot because my brain is so foggy I can't think about anything to pray about, let alone hear his voice. I have recently become  an Independent Distributor of Young Living Essentials, and I am telling you, it's amazing! Now I am not saying that it has cured all of my problems, because it hasn't, but it sure is helping me stay more consistent. All I have to do is defuse my favorite oil  too give me a boost, or rub some peace and calming on my neck too relax.On this blog I am going to be sharing my everyday experiences and testimonies with my essential oils, and with everything else that has to do with my crunchy side of life. I hope you will be joining me on this weekly adventure! I will be posting every Monday, and since this blog is more focused on essential oils, I will post my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team!  
I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I have been focusing more on their oils, for now.