These are the days of our lives...and it stinks

This blog is not about how fancy I am or how cute and perfect my kids are (though they are pretty cute). It is not about the speed of my camera or how magazine quality my photos are. This blog is designed for the majority of American families who live paycheck to paycheck. Who sometimes have too much month left at the end of the money but still want to find a better, healthier way to feed and groom themselves and their families. For those who appreciate every dime they make and think twice where to spend it. For those who are sick and tired of the food they eat making them feel sick and tired.

Imagine for a minute you were suddenly allergic to chicken.........if everytime you ate it, about 48 hours later you felt terribly ill. Wanting to go to the hospital ill. Yep, that's me. Allergic to chicken. No more chicken marsala or chicken wings for me. No more sesame chicken from China Wok down the street. It stinks but I would rather do without it than feel the way I do when I eat it. After three years of uncertainty I am also glad because my anxiety attacks have stopped now that I know I am not dying. On top of the chicken allergy I am also allergic to fish, have eczema, seasonal allergies, acid reflux and low energy.
I have been seeing trends (you may have as well) where nutritionists, scientists, etc are saying most of the top food allergens are not good for our bodies anyway and should be avoided by everyone. The ones I see most often spoken of is dairy, eggs, wheat and soy (unfermented). I am not saying this is true. I honestly don't know but I feel it is worth a try. So if you have seasonal allergy, tummy, tiredness or skin issues I think it would be a good idea to see if all the junk we are eating is the culprit. Give it a try! I am eliminating all meat, dairy and eggs for a while to see how I feel and then slowly adding them back one at a time to see how my body feels. It will take some time but be well worth it in the end.




Let's explore the days of our lives:

We wake up and brush our teeth with toothpaste with chemicals, artificial flavorings and dyes. Then we hop in the shower and slather our hair and bodies with ‘soap’ that is full of harsh chemicals. We hop out and dry ourselves off with a towel that was washed with detergents that have ingredients in them we can’t pronounce then put on clothes that were also washed in chemical soup.
If you are like most ladies (or a girly man) you then put on lotion, hair chemicals and makeup. Now that you are covered from head to nail polished toe with chemicals on the outside it is time to have breakfast and start filling up your insides with yummy chemical preservatives, artificial flavors and synthetic additives.

Nothing we buy is safe and I am sick of it.

The more I read the more sick I get. I am tired of reading that my morning cup of coffee is full of twigs and sawdust and my afternoon tea may contain grass clippings. Sick of reading that everything I eat is good for me one minute and bad for me the next or shows up on a recall list.

I just read this in my Publix family style magazine:
“Scientists have found pesticides excreted in children’s urine but within five days of the kids’ switching to organic produce, pesticides were reduced to undetectable levels.” If so much is being filtered out, how much is being absorbed? I am sick, sick, sick of it. My eyes are opened and I am now fully awake. I no longer trust a word the FDA says and really it is not their job to make sure everything my family eats and drinks is safe. I should take the reins and research where our food comes from and how I can make it safer and more nutritious for my family. It’s my job and I am ready to be the CEO.

It’s time for a change.

In high school and my early adulthood I was really into herbs (the legal kind). I made soap, vinegar hair rinses (the softest my hair has ever been), homemade lip balm, homemade teas and lots of other things along those lines. It was all for fun and learning back then. Now I am blowing the dust off my old books and reading through my old notes with new eyes and a new purpose.

I, like most Americans, can not afford to say "Ok, only organic everything for me and my family!". If you can thats great. Do it. But if not lets take the reins! Even if we buy only products with 'organic' labels on them that doesn't guarantee it is healthy or really safe. We have to be our own health inspectors. My goal is to make as much myself as possible so that I can afford to buy only local, organic and fully researched meat, produce and other necessaries. It will take time and effort but I believe it will also be fun and rewarding. It is so tempting to say "Why bother?" when it is next to impossible to eliminate all the toxins we are exposed to but it really isn't about us as much as it is our children. By setting these examples for our children they will (hopefully) do the same for theirs. Maybe our great great grandbabies will live in a greener, healthier world. If we all take steps to eat better and preserve instead of toss we might, collectively, save the world. A somewhat cheesy statement but I believe it is possible. Instead of "Why Bother?" how about "We can't afford NOT to bother!".

Over the next several months join me in sticking it to these companies who sacrifice our health and our children’s health to make an extra buck. Let's roll up our sleeves and take the control back!

Now let's pray about it:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me on this journey
I want to help myself and my family
Make better choices
Guide me on this path that I am taking
And let it glorify you in everyway possible
In your Son's sweet name I pray
Amen