Samuel James entered this world on 11/11:-) I thought I would share his story for you.
11/09 - I was 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I was planning a homebirth...in a birthing pool, in my dining room, with two wonderful midwives. I woke up around 9, got my sneakers on, and went to pick up my best friend and cousin, Andrea. We were going to get coffee and donuts and go walk the causeway (3 mile walk)....definitely wanting to have this baby! I had pubic symphysis and had been in pain for weeks, often times, unable to sleep. I had also been having Braxton Hicks and "false labor" off and on for several weeks too...needless to say, I was very ready to have this child. After our walk, I went to the health food store to pick up some castor oil...it brought on my sister's labor, I was hoping it would start mine too! It was around 2 pm that I took the oil, then I took a warm epsom salt bath with clary sage, peppermint, and lavender essential oils. Clary sage and peppermint are supposed to be great for labor inducement...so I was hoping the walking, combined with the oils and the castor oil, I would get the labor going! (The castor oil DID work, but it may have been what sent me to the hospital also...I don't think I'll be doing it for the next baby...I rushed things because I wanted him out...I should have been more patient!)
Around 7 pm, I started getting a lot of contractions. At 7:45, my waters broke. This is VERY early for water to break, but it was a sign I was in labor, so I was pretty stoked! Also, I had a LOT of water....after having leaky waters 11 weeks prior, I was happy to see my body had definitely recovered!
My midwives showed up around 8:30pm to check me and stay with me...We were all ready for a Sunday delivery...right on Daniel and I's 2nd wedding anniversary. I was diffusing Balance essential oil right into my face as I contracted, it helped me keep focused and grounded in relaxing through the contractions!
11/10 I had labored most of the night(11-09)....my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more frequent! Well, around noon on Sunday, I got checked again...and I simply wasn't progressing. Not nearly fast enough. My waters had been broken for QUITE a while now, and I was barely 3cm and still very posterior.... Legally, my midwives were running out of time to treat me. They recommended I go to the hospital, get pitocin and an epidural (mind you, they are both VERY anti-medication...so my situation was serious enough to NEED those meds - pitocin would help me dilate, and the epidural would give me some much needed rest and allow my cervix to descend....which was just as needed as the dilation)
So, in tears and a panic, I got transferred to the hospital. I did NOT want antibiotics or a c-section(or to be at the hospital at all!!) And those were the two things I was bound to get in a hospital! Dr. Conrad, the on call OB, came in, told me I would be going on pitocin to speed labor up...mentioned I could get the epidural if I wanted one, and under my midwife's advisement, I decided to get one(He never once said the words c-section or antibiotics...God was listening to the prayers of the friends and family...I didn't want antibiotics because it damages the flora and fauna of both me and the baby, and opens the body up for later infections or illness...and I didn't want a c-section for the obvious reasons of it being a major surgery, with a lot of possible problems...yes, many are done safely, and are medically necessary, but I still wanted to avoid one if possible)...... Bear with me here...I do NOT like medicated births...If I hadn't been in labor for so long and it not progressing, I would NOT have gotten the epidural. It was medically necessary for me. If I wanted a vaginal birth, my cervix NEEDED to descend, I needed some rest, and the pitocin was going to put my body through the ringer! Doing that without the epidural, I was probably going to be looking at a c-section, simply from lack of energy. By the time the epidural was administered, I had been in labor over 24 hours. It was excruciatingly painful. The Dr. hit a nerve in my back...I screamed in pain with tears running down my face...Daniel was strong and steady...my rock...in my face telling me to focus on him! I was trembling remembering every negative side effect I was nervous about! Finally, the pain subsided, and I was ok...I got to sleep for a few hours off and on...they started my pitocin drip....I was hoping to meet my son sooner than later! Again, both of these things became medically necessary, and I had already been in "natural" labor for over 24 hours...I weighed the risks of the meds, but hopefully ending with a vaginal birth, with the risks of a c-section(which would still require some meds)...I was determined to give this birth my all and do as much naturally as I could!
11/11 - 1am...I woke up...in horrendous pain on my right side...only on my right side. My epidural had drained into my left leg, even with all the sleeping and shifting on different sides...So they checked me, I was at 8cm...getting closer! They decided to give me another dose of epidural to help with the last part of labor...off to sleep I went!
4am - again, I woke in terrible pain...I checked the monitor, I was definitely in transition phase! They checked me, I was too far along to give another dose of epidural to....I would have to do transition phase with pitocin and no epidural. (basically, I would do the worst part "naturally", but like times 10...) For the next hour, I experienced horrible back labor....and contractions about 30 seconds apart. It was so intense, I could barely breathe. I kept checking baby's heart rate on the monitor...it never faltered.(it dropped ONCE when I was sleeping, but it came back just fine!) His heart rate, through the whole labor, had been in the 140's and 150's....I was so thankful. He was still doing great even though I was going through all of this! My mom and Daniel held each of my hands while going through this horrible part of labor. My mom kept saying to control my breathing. Eventually, I started singing...it was the only way I knew that I could control my breathing and not think so much about the pain...and it worked. I highly recommend singing through transition phase for anyone who enjoys singing. Next baby, I will probably make a cd or playlist with songs I love singing so I can sing through the whole thing.
5am - checked me again...I was "complete"...a word I had been LONGING to hear! At this point, I have been in labor for 35 hours! They gave me the go ahead to start pushing...so me and my nurse, Colleen, and my mom, started the pushing phase...it was slow and steady for a long time....it felt like I wasn't progressing at all....but I was;-) ...my other nurse, Tracy came in, replaced Colleen, and helped me for a while longer... Because my epidural had drained, twice over, into my left leg, the leg was entirely useless. With each push, my mother lifted my leg into position so I could push properly...I still tear up knowing what a labor of love she did for me. Her arm was SHAKING by the end of it...my legs are pretty heavy...I couldn't imagine her lifting it every minute and holding it for 45 seconds for 3 and a half hours!
7am - Michelle, the next nurse came in...She was a bit more stern than the other two...which is what I needed at this point...She encouraged and coached me really well into pushing harder! I was at my wits end...exhausted beyond belief, frustrated at how difficult it was pushing him out, and a bit concerned now...my leg was still super numb...I know some people have permanent nerve damage because of epidurals...I thought I might lose some or all of my leg's function if I didn't start feeling something soon! (I still have some pain and back spasms, but my leg is functioning!)
8:30am - The doctor looked at me and my progress, and essentially nudged the baby out and caught his head, not 5 minutes after entering the room. He told me to "look up"...and I saw my sweet boy...full head of hair...and as I sat up a bit more, the rest of him just slid on out! I was so overjoyed!
8:34am - Samuel James was born...he was weighed 8lbs and 10oz, 20.5 inches long! He was shivering, but barely crying...so they tried to tick him off to get him to cry more(he was so peaceful and content, even just after birth). Then he was fine...but he was still shaking, so they were worried about his blood sugar...but that was perfect too... He had a temperature, so they rushed him to the nursery, Daniel went with him, where I feared they would give him antibiotics...but the Dr. realized it was just an epidural fever, and let it come down on its own...within about 2 hours, his temp was 98.6! :-D Whew! But Samuel didn't come back to me until 11am...I was so sad to miss out on those first couple of hours after birth! I only held him for 5 minutes before they rushed him away :-(
I declined the first bath, eye goo, hep B shot, and Vit K shot...several of the nurses and doctors tried to convince me or Daniel that we were making very "risky" decisions by doing this. So I will explain why I didn't do these things;
First bath - they have brand new, awesome skin, with a layer of vernix which has a lot of beneficial properties for his skin. And he didn't have much vernix or really anything on his skin...he was born very clean and they just wiped him off a bit...he didn't get his "first bath" until yesterday. Also, in the hospital here, they basically scrub the babies down with an exfoliator...and that is so unnecessary! It makes their beautiful baby skin raw and pink and at times, makes it look wrinkly! I saw other babies in the nursery, and all their skin looked very different than Samuel's...I was so glad I declined the bath!
Eye goop- or otherwise known as erythromycin. It is an antibiotic, put on the eyes, to prevent infection(and possible blindness) for babies born vaginally, to mothers to have certain STD's. I don't have those STD's, and I am very low risk for them, AND, if there IS a subsequent infection, you can always apply the oinment at a later time to prevent blindness. So, going with my low intervention birth, I opted out. (BTW, he is not blind, and has no infection) The doctor(pediatrician in the nursery) DID try to fear monger Daniel into it, even claiming falsely(lying), that it is FL law to get it...
Hep B vaccine - this is hugely controversial, so I'll try not to get too involved. Basically, babies don't have a blood-brain barrier for quite a while after birth...Hep B vaccine has a ton of toxins, like aluminum and formaldehyde, in it(and no blood brain barrier to protect the wee one's brain from said toxins), allergic reactions to it are fairly common, I do not have Hep B, and it is a disease only transferred BY BLOOD. So unless the hospital was planning a blood transfusion, with contaminated Hep B blood, the risk of him getting Hep B is 0%. I wouldn't let him EAT formaldehyde or aluminum, why would I inject him with it, when his risk for getting Hep B is so minimal!? I didn't get the Hep B vaccine until I went away to college...and the ONLY reason I did, was because it was required if I wanted to live on campus. (I am sure there is an exemption form, like most schools have, I just didn't know to ask for it.)
Vit K shot - It is only vitamins, Becca, you're a health nut who takes tons of vitamins, why wouldn't you get this?! There are definitely risks to it...and there are risks not getting it. Here's a great little info blog on it(or you could google "risks of Vit K shot...you'll get more than enough info on it!)...I have been taking Vit K (natural, whole food form) since about 37 or 38 weeks, and the protein shake I have used nearly every day of my pregnancy, also has a whole, natural form of Vit K 2. I encourage you to look up the risks yourself if you are expecting a baby or know someone who is....the rarity of the brain bleeding from lack of K2, is very unlikely...it is also a genetic disorder...chances are, you would know if you had that problem in your family. Being that neither Daniel or I have that genetic problem, we opted out of this shot. Something to be aware of is that babies start MAKING their own vit K2 at 7 days old...actually, the beneficial e. coli in their colons make it...but that's for a different blog!
So even though I didn't get my homebirth, I did labor for a long time at home, I had a very low intervention birth (save the epidural and the pitocin), and am so in love with my little boy! He's such a pleasant, content little baby....It is a joy to be his momma! I am so proud to be the wife of Daniel, who was so strong and steady for the whole birth...I'm pretty much the luckiest, most blessed woman, in the world...
<3
Becca H.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Overwhelmed by love: my non-hypocritical church
This is from Daniel and I, but I'm the one writing, but I know he shares these thoughts with me.
There's a lot of things that can get quite overwhelming in this crazy world, but I doubt most people would say, that they've been overwhelmed by love. But I can definitely say, Daniel, Baby H, and I, have been overwhelmed by the love of God, that is expressed by our church and family.
Let me explain...
I have always wanted to be a mother, but with my irregular health issues, we weren't sure that was ever going to happen. Also, with losing our jobs last year, we didn't feel financially prepared. I remember chatting with a lady in choir about babies just before I got accidentally pregnant and saying "we just could NOT afford a baby right now...like I know if the Lord provided a child, he would provide for us too, but it is definitely just not an option right now." And her reply went something like this, "but you have all of us and your family around to help and support you. I'm sure if you had a baby, you would have a lot of support from all of us." I have been to a few churches, where her statement would have been just that, a statement, of empty, meaningless words-hypocritical, "we will pray for you"...and nothing more. How much our church has proven her statement!!!
Well, we have been so blessed, and this passage describes it well:
Eph 3:19-21
19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
We have known the love of Christ in SO MANY WAYS these last several months...to name a few:
Daniel and I could not afford to have a baby...but we weren't having this baby alone. The Lord has been with us every step of the way...no matter how large or small. We have awesome friends (and family)...and we have an awesome God...that blessed us with these awesome friends and family....we just cannot get over the outpouring of blessing....we are still a little bit in shock, quite honestly...
Ps. 33:8b "stand in awe of Him!"
Love and blessings,
Becca
There's a lot of things that can get quite overwhelming in this crazy world, but I doubt most people would say, that they've been overwhelmed by love. But I can definitely say, Daniel, Baby H, and I, have been overwhelmed by the love of God, that is expressed by our church and family.
Let me explain...
I have always wanted to be a mother, but with my irregular health issues, we weren't sure that was ever going to happen. Also, with losing our jobs last year, we didn't feel financially prepared. I remember chatting with a lady in choir about babies just before I got accidentally pregnant and saying "we just could NOT afford a baby right now...like I know if the Lord provided a child, he would provide for us too, but it is definitely just not an option right now." And her reply went something like this, "but you have all of us and your family around to help and support you. I'm sure if you had a baby, you would have a lot of support from all of us." I have been to a few churches, where her statement would have been just that, a statement, of empty, meaningless words-hypocritical, "we will pray for you"...and nothing more. How much our church has proven her statement!!!
Well, we have been so blessed, and this passage describes it well:
Eph 3:19-21
19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
We have known the love of Christ in SO MANY WAYS these last several months...to name a few:
- when we lost our jobs last Oct, several people gave us money and support to get us through a rough couple of months. You who gave will never know how much that meant to us! I hope the Lord richly rewards you in Heaven!
- Our Sunday School teacher helped to find us jobs, one's that we still have and are so thankful for!
- When we moved in the middle of FL July, we had more than enough friends to come and help and have a great, smooth, FUN moving time. I was 5ish months pregnant and didn't have to lift a thing! Such wonderful friends came, we had fun, and just enjoyed our time...from climbing trees, to eating brownies a la mode on the porch.
- Some of my closest friends threw me a lovely little baby shower, where we were so blessed by the gifts received. The food and games were wonderful, and as I looked around the room, and saw such loving friends, it definitely felt like a room of sisters, not random ladies :-)
- We've had a LOT of people donate baby items that have been gently loved already...it has saved us A LOT of money and been really wonderful....I look around around Baby H's nursery, and see all the gifts of both new and used items, and just smile...it is definitely a love-filled room. So many homemade gifts as well! It is really just precious!
- My mom threw a surprise shower, full of friends and family (from both sides, including my sister, who I hadn't seen in 10 months, flew from NJ for the surprise....I still tear up thinking about it....-#pregnantwaterworks)
- We were IMMENSELY blessed by the gifts given....all the baby books, quilts, strollers, baby bath TUBS (yes, there were several given...very clean baby he will be!), etc...The food was delicious, and it was just a really nice shower...Thanks Mommy and Debra! And thank you to all the ladies who helped my mom set it up and clean it up...you have not been forgotten in my "thank you" prayers :-)
- My insurance decided about one month before my money was due to my midwife, that they would NOT cover the costs of the "office visits"...This set us back quite a bit financially...we were praying and trusting God...but honestly, we had no stinking clue where the money would come from. Due to our move and a few other circumstances, the money we HAD for the midwife, we HAD no longer. We just kept praying... Last night, *still choking up as I type this*, we were over our friends' house playing games, and as we went to leave, one of our closest friends handed us a card...and said that they had been raising money for 7 weeks...(and I don't even remember telling people 7 weeks ago that we needed this money...I thought that at most, we told people four weeks ago...) anyways, twice this weekend we had been given money for the balance of the midwife, and it pretty much covers it by 100%, only short by a few dollars. Definition of "mercy" according to Merriam Webster: kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation. Now, it wasn't a "very bad" or "desperate" situation, but it definitely wasn't good, and we were getting desperate...
- 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Matt 5:7
Daniel and I could not afford to have a baby...but we weren't having this baby alone. The Lord has been with us every step of the way...no matter how large or small. We have awesome friends (and family)...and we have an awesome God...that blessed us with these awesome friends and family....we just cannot get over the outpouring of blessing....we are still a little bit in shock, quite honestly...
Ps. 33:8b "stand in awe of Him!"
Love and blessings,
Becca
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Health Rant #4 - Essential oils 101 :-)
So I went to an essential oils class last night. I had a feeling it would be by doTerra(which
it was), which I have heard a lot about through the natural sites that I
follow, so I was pretty excited. My
mother and my best friend/cousin, also came with me…Now, Andrea (bff/cousin),
and I have been using essential oils for YEARS.
I love to take baths with a calming essential oil in them, Andrea and I
have both taken them internally from time to time, and we knew, essential oils
are good for us.
Well, what ARE essential oils?! Most plants have some oil SOMEWHERE in the
plant – root, bark, flower, leaf, etc.
If you zest a lemon for a recipe, it is because you want that rich
lemony scent right? Well, that is the
essential oil in the skin! If you crush
a leaf of mint in your fingers and immediately smell that rich scent-yup, that
is the essential oil broken down in the leaf that you’re smelling. It is time consuming to MAKE your own
essential oils, and pretty expensive. To
make a 2oz bottle of quality lemon essential oil, you would need a lot of time,
a lot of lemons, and a lot of money to spend on those lemons….when you could
buy a bottle, much cheaper and easier. Essential
oils are loaded with nutrients and can pass the cell membrane easily. This is why anti-VIRAL essential oils can be
so great! Viruses attack cells, and use
the cells to reproduce. If you have a
virus, an essential oil might be just the thing to help you heal quicker.
Essential oils when diffused in the air, can actually kill
bacteria in the air (much better and safer than Lysol spray! And has health BENEFITS, like calming,
energizing, etc.!)
Essential oils can help detox the body safely and slowly! In fact, one of the cleanses that I like the
most(Sureo Cleanse), has organic essential oils IN the drink to help the
cleansing process. Since they pass the
cell membrane easily, they can get into your cells (even fat cells) and clean
out those toxins to make a more efficient body that is better at cleaning out
the toxins. (a clean liver filters
better than a dirty one….:-)
Essential oils can help lift mood, provide energy, heal skin
problems, induce labor, stop labor, make food tastier, remove warts, help with
arthritis, AND heal cancer even! Yes,
they sound a bit hippie dippie.
Actually, essential oils have been used for thousands of years (the
hippies were just cool enough to bring them back into mainstream America). The antioxidant levels in one dose of
essential oils is equivalent to 28ish cups of a tea made from the same
plant. So if I need the benefits of
peppermint, I would rather have a few drops of the oil, and not have to drink
28 cups of the tea…I still like and will drink the tea…but if I need “medicinal”
doses, I think I’ll stick with the oil.
Now, doTerra has some great blends for weight loss, stomach
problems, sleep and respiratory distress, etc.
And the reason that doTerra are “the best” is because they are
certified, by a third party, to be therapeutic grade.
The graduations of oils are as such:
Synthetic-majority of scented oils on the market, typically used
in scented candles, most soaps/shampoos, sprays, air fresheners, etc. They are not therapeutic, will not have any
benefit, and can harm and are often allergenic in some way. A lavender scented candle will not have the
same benefits of a lavender oil diffuser.
My dad and I are actually
allergic to a lot of synthetic scents (as are many people, Daniel’s grandmother
too). But we have never had a problem
with natural, non-synthetic ones.
Food grade-you can ingest these, but they may not be 100%
pure, even if the label says they are, they probably aren’t toxic, but may not
be super effective because of the concentration and sourcing. Most health food stores sell “food grade”
essential oils. These do have some
value. They are pretty expensive for
what you’re getting, aren’t usually organic, and have only a percentage of the
benefits that therapeutic grade would have.
It is important to get organic essential oils! The way that the oils detox the body, they
detox the soil or hold the pesticides/herbicides. If you aren’t getting organic oils, the
likely hood of having a high toxin load is about 100%. I even heard Rachael Ray say once “if you are
zesting a lemon, always use organic, because the non-organic ones have lots of
sprays and paints on them, and you don’t want that in your food.” (my
summary). And that is totally true…even
our lovely local lemons have sprays, waxes, SHALAQ, and paints all over that beautiful
lemon skin…where the important oil is.
So needless to say, if you are getting an essential oil, quality is
CRUCIAL! The essential oils are so
concentrated, you really don’t want bad things concentrated IN them too….(concentrated
Roundup anyone? *crickets*) mountainroseherbs.com has some great food grade, organic oils! Some may even be therapeutic grade!
Therapeutic grade – this is what is good for medicinal
purposes. This is the grade that will
cure and detox, that will be highly effective with a drop or two in your water,
air diffuser, capsule, etc. It is
strong, powerful, and effective. Essanteorganics.com/lovetolive has a lot of good, organic, therapeutic grade EO's.
Certified therapeutic grade – this is doTerra’s grade
oil. It is certified for quality and purity
by a third party. It is guaranteed to be
pesticide free, filler free, etc. It is
beyond the standard of “organic” and EXTREMELY therapeutic. Like most things in this country, the FDA
overregulates a million things, but under regulates a bunch of others(“natural
food” means nothing…I could sell you 100% natural bread loaded with arsenic, bromate, and
chlorine…and never have a problem, because “natural” means nothing...oh wait...that is normal bread...I digress yet again...)….100% pure
essential oil, most likely won’t be, especially if it is food grade, because
there is no regulation on it. Since
doTerra oils are certified by a third party, they are basically the best oils
you can get.
Why do you need essential oils? Well, you don’t. You can take meds for all the same things as
essential oils. You can spray pretty
scents and use nice body lotions, all without essential oils. However, meds have side effects, are often
expensive, and don’t actually heal you…or rather assist the body in healing
itself. Many lotions have nice scents(which
are chemicals made to smell like the actual scent)…but those scents don’t have
any value…and often those lotions some with carcinogens and chemicals (story
for another day)…and again, sprays, kind of the same deal… Or, you could treat most minor to
intermediate problems with essential oils cheaper than meds, safer than meds,
and with much greater benefit and no negative side effects.
I have some organic lemon essential oil on my kitchen
counter, although I use it on my skin too, so it floats between my medicine
cabinet and my kitchen J. Daniel had a TERRIBLE cough on Wednesday
night and I was up all night with him coughing (I think he slept better than I
did:-P ). I took raw honey, several
drops of the lemon EO, and a squirt of peppermint tincture (I don’t have any
peppermint EO), and mixed it all up, and made a cough “syrup” with it. It tastes way better than cough syrup, has no
negative side effects (some people, like my roommate in college, are actually
allergic to traditional cough syrup), and works like a charm. He took it once in the morning, and coughed
ONCE (not a fit like it had been all night) and I made him take more after
lunch…and then maybe coughed once again later that evening. And I give him a spoon a day now while he’s
healing…but he hasn’t coughed since! Yes,
the honey has healing properties…but so do the lemon and the peppermint. I think the mix of all three is what
helped. Also, catching the cough before
it became a lung problem is what helped it not become a real problem needing a
doctor of some sort.
But the beauty of preventative medicine is just that. Catching problems at home, preventing the
doctor visit(like I did with Daniel-he had other cold symptoms, but vitamin C, Echinacea,
and vit D fixed all of that….I digress….)…OR perhaps fixing the body, getting
off the meds that the doctor originally prescribed. Some people are able to come off of sleep
meds, anti-depressants, steroid creams, acid reflux medicine, laxatives, anti-histamines,
etc. just by using essential oils. A
story was shared in the class how a lady was feeling very faint and not well at
all and the doctor had to take her off her high blood pressure meds….because
the essential oils she was using, were so effective in lowering her blood
pressure naturally, that the meds she was on, were no longer needed, infact,
they were hurting her. And the doctor
admitted that! One lady had terrible
varicose veins that hurt, were very unsightly, etc…her circulation has improved
so much, that she was wearing capris, and showed us her very light veins, that
are still healing, don’t hurt, and aren’t unsightly! Essential oils are powerful!
Hopefully, I sparked your interest in EO’s. I learned a lot
last night, and hope to learn a lot more.
Most likely, my mom and/or I will be signing up with doTerra…because you
get a 25% discount on all your orders when you do J.(so if you’re needing some
essential oils, or would like to try some to see their efficacy, hit me up!) I personally have had a LOT of bad reactions
to medicine, which is one reason why I am so against it. I nearly died from antibiotics (like if I had
finished my day’s worth of my prescription, I would have died within a few
hours of taking it. No, I had no
previous allergy), I almost passed out on pain relievers while walking(and I
took a half dose), and birth control messed my hormones up for years. And yes, I took these things “as directed” to
the T. I TOTALLY believe that Western
medicine is amazing for surgery, emergencies, stem cell research/treatments,
and such like that, but there are many preventable, treatable things that
western medicine really drops the ball on.
Annnnd I digress again…Using essential oils for medicinal purposes is
completely safe, effective, with no downside.
But please, if you have the plague, go to the doctor :-P
Love, health, and knowledge,
Becca H.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Health Rant #3 : Vaccines - the good, the bad, and the ugly
As our child grows inside of me(which is going splendidly thus far, praise the Lord), Daniel and I discuss vaccines and what we're going to do when baby boy(yes, it's a boy!) is born. Not only does this affect the child mere moments after birth (which is when some vaccines are administered), but it also effects which pediatrician we select...or rather, which one we can go to! Apparently, if you choose not to vaccinate on the doctor's schedule, only certain doctors will accept your money and your child...like the child carries the plague or something.
I write this blog post(and many of my other posts...and many of my facebook posts) for one reason only - to educate! I am seeing an ever present trend in the medical field that is laden with deceipt, misinformation, and naivity. I have been told more than once that I'm "harsh", "judgemental", "rude", or "you will eat your words", and stuff like that...I am not here to defend my beliefs, but rather to explain another side to the life we all see every day.
I myself have needed to see a doctor a time or two...I'm rarely sick, but the few times I've needed a doctor, they've done nothing for me or my health, infact, they have usually hurt it. I nearly died while having strep throat...it wasn't the infection that nearly killed me, it was the high dosage of antibiotics prescribed. When I had issues with my cycle(issues that started AFTER I went off one of the safest bc's on the market, and that I was told, I would not have any problems getting pregnant when I stopped) I was told to go BACK ON bc to increase fertility. If I didn't go and do research, in less than normal health arenas, I may not be sitting at my desk, with a good back(long story), a healthy in-utero baby, and my tonsils still in place...and probably many other health related things that I will not address right now.
So this blog is NOT to stir up strife against the medical field, but rather, to make you think that perhaps, your doctor doesn't truly know how to fix you, or simply that they've never been educated to FIX, but rather, cover up problems. Most doctors get anywhere from 2 hours to 2 weeks of study in nutrition while in med school. That is simply deplorable! NOURISHING your body, is just not something they know how to do, more often than not. It is very important, when putting your health, or your child's, in the hands of someone else, that you are properly educated on big issues...because the doctor may not be. They are good at prescibing medications to stiffle symptoms, but not always fix the actual problem at hand. This is why I question what a doctor will say. With the internet, books, and the ability to read, much learning can be done in so many areas that may PERMANTLY affect the rest of your life. This is why I like chiropractors...they do MORE schooling than M.D.'s and a LOT more nutrition.
Vaccines are a big issue. Super super controversial. I will try to write with grace, but I have some bitterness, so please read past that. When I was small(and I was born in 86, long before the Wakefield Study in '98...I'll address that shortly)...my mother stopped getting me vaccinated for things. I had the standard set offered in the early 90's, but she told me about this fund. She explained to me that if there needs to be a fund to support people who've possibly died because of vaccines, she was going to risk the illness (mind you, I already had my biggies covered).
....giving vaccines help children right? They prevent illness and save their lives...right?????
Yes...and no....
First of all, I want to point you to the Vaccine Risk Awareness Network. Lots of stuff to learn from that site, and many heart-wrenching personal stories.
Also, there have been many studies linking allergies, ADHD, and a variety of other problems with vaccines. While a vaccine might prevent, let's say, the chicken pox (a normal, survivable, annoying week of itchy sores and a low fever), the child may develop an allergy or ADHD....which will affect the child(and you) for LIFE! Here's an article with a chart that shows vaccinated children vs. unvaccinated children: article with chart. Also, many many children(and adults) die of allergic reactions...how many of those allergies were actually caused by a vaccine, and not genetics?
The Wakefield study....*trumpets sound*...so many people read this study, were instantly convinced, then it was disproved, then everyone put full faith in vaccines again. Here's a few articles that say otherwise: article #1, article #2, article #3. A predominant problem in autistic children, is in the gut. A doctor that I follow regularly, is Dr. Jordan Rubin...one of his favorite sayings is "it's all in the gut". Your abdomen has a huge network of neural pathways so complex, it is almost like your brain. Many refer to it as your "second brain". Think about it, certain foods make you happy, some make you upset, when your tummy isn't feeling great, you're probably a bit more cranky. Here's an article from Scientific American. Also, many autistic kids benefit greatly from a detox (usually helps the gut) and/or a chelating treatment (removing heavy metals...why are there so many heavy metals in a child...they come from vaccines. Many are made without mercury these days...but they substitue aluminum, or some other toxic metal...SO, "mercury free" doesn't mean "safe"...just like "trans fat free" doesn't mean "healthy".......end parenthesis rant) Here's a helpful post about detoxing/chelating your kids from vaccines: chelating/detoxing. Some children have even REVERSED autism with treatments like this! If the gut and/or heavy metals are possibly to blame, then changing the diet can do immensely helpful things for your child. Convincing the child to eat/drink it will be the hard part. Trust me when I say, after a few days of only healthy foods, they will adjust. My mom gave me some of the grossest things when I needed them(AND absolutely did not want them...she had to reason with me, show me how to chug things to the back of my throat, etc.), and now I eat them happily when I need to(like drinking tincture of willow bark). But that carrot juice, that wasn't good the first and second time I drank it, became delish after 3 or 4 times :-).
Now, every parent makes a choice for their child. Each has risks. Hundreds of kids that get vaccinated, do not get side effects....and there's a large percentage that do! I will probably get my child vaccinated for polio, smallpox, and maybe one or two other diseases. I will spread them out! Many children are given as many as 26 SHOTS in only 2 short years of life. That's just waaay too many. Often for diseases that aren't even a problem in America, or can be cured relatively easily (like chicken pox). Many studies will say "it doesn't overload the baby's system"...."it's completely fine"....well, I disagree. The baby's immune system is still developing, changing, growing...and depending on whether you breastfeed or not, it is also receiving a set of nutrients that hopefully help, but can harm the baby. This is a toxic world we live in already, adding extra toxins and trying to "boost" their immune system so early, is just rather harsh. I know of many moms who haven't vaccinated their kids....at all...and have extremely healthy children. Even when kids in their classes at school get sick, these kids are still quite healthy. The immune system shouldn't have be told what to do for every little illness, but will respond to pathogens on its own(it should know a foreign invader when it detects it...the problem is that with a high toxin load, a bad pH in the blood, and poor nutrients-all of that comes standard with normal American diets...a story for another day; often the system sees the bad stuff(pathogen), but is ill-equiped to handle it) I am sure with all the articles already posted, you can do more research yourself. Here's an alternative schedule for vaccinations that could be helpful.
I recently heard the argument of "God and genetics"....well, that logic is flawed...a heavy person shouldn't try to loose weight because their genetics made them big and God made their metabolism slower than someone elses?! Or, we can just eat garbage because we either are healthy naturally, or we're not...and God made us that way. And that just simply isn't Biblical or logical. God is pretty clear about staying healthy and taking means to do so....educating yourself on heatlhy choices and taking care of your body is very important. Vaccines are another facet of that same thing. I definitely do not think it wise to vaccinate for curable, treatable, and preventable diseases. Modern medicine(and traditional herbal remedies that are easily accessible now) has made it very easy to get better when ill.
I hope I fairly provided another side to a complex story. I do not, in any way, judge someone for getting vaccinated(or their kids vaccinated)...it absolutely seems the best thing to do, under normal circumstances. But if you choose that risk, instead of the risk of NOT vaccinating...please know beforehand, what you're getting into. Making decisions because "the doctor says so", is very uninformed, and extremely naive. If I had just listened to the doctor, I would probably be down an organ or two...and may not be pregnant right now. I will probably get a couple vaccines for Baby H when he arrives...but not RIGHT when he arrives, and I will definitely spread them out...but I'm making that concious choice, knowing the consequences. And that's all I hope to portray here!
Do I believe that every case of autism/learning disability is because of vaccines? NO absolutely not! There are many variables and factors in those things...but IF vaccinating is a factor, I would rather leave that factor out as much as possible. Here's an interesting article about Amish NOT getting vaccines...or autism! Again, it is anecdotal evidence...but it is rather thought provoking that without modern medicines, modern machinery and technology, they live quite healthily and are often very bright children(and usually bilingual-Pennsylanvania Dutch and English!)
Sorry for the long post! I hope it empowers you to make wise choices for yourself and your family!
Love, health, and peace to all,
Becca
I write this blog post(and many of my other posts...and many of my facebook posts) for one reason only - to educate! I am seeing an ever present trend in the medical field that is laden with deceipt, misinformation, and naivity. I have been told more than once that I'm "harsh", "judgemental", "rude", or "you will eat your words", and stuff like that...I am not here to defend my beliefs, but rather to explain another side to the life we all see every day.
I myself have needed to see a doctor a time or two...I'm rarely sick, but the few times I've needed a doctor, they've done nothing for me or my health, infact, they have usually hurt it. I nearly died while having strep throat...it wasn't the infection that nearly killed me, it was the high dosage of antibiotics prescribed. When I had issues with my cycle(issues that started AFTER I went off one of the safest bc's on the market, and that I was told, I would not have any problems getting pregnant when I stopped) I was told to go BACK ON bc to increase fertility. If I didn't go and do research, in less than normal health arenas, I may not be sitting at my desk, with a good back(long story), a healthy in-utero baby, and my tonsils still in place...and probably many other health related things that I will not address right now.
So this blog is NOT to stir up strife against the medical field, but rather, to make you think that perhaps, your doctor doesn't truly know how to fix you, or simply that they've never been educated to FIX, but rather, cover up problems. Most doctors get anywhere from 2 hours to 2 weeks of study in nutrition while in med school. That is simply deplorable! NOURISHING your body, is just not something they know how to do, more often than not. It is very important, when putting your health, or your child's, in the hands of someone else, that you are properly educated on big issues...because the doctor may not be. They are good at prescibing medications to stiffle symptoms, but not always fix the actual problem at hand. This is why I question what a doctor will say. With the internet, books, and the ability to read, much learning can be done in so many areas that may PERMANTLY affect the rest of your life. This is why I like chiropractors...they do MORE schooling than M.D.'s and a LOT more nutrition.
Vaccines are a big issue. Super super controversial. I will try to write with grace, but I have some bitterness, so please read past that. When I was small(and I was born in 86, long before the Wakefield Study in '98...I'll address that shortly)...my mother stopped getting me vaccinated for things. I had the standard set offered in the early 90's, but she told me about this fund. She explained to me that if there needs to be a fund to support people who've possibly died because of vaccines, she was going to risk the illness (mind you, I already had my biggies covered).
....giving vaccines help children right? They prevent illness and save their lives...right?????
Yes...and no....
First of all, I want to point you to the Vaccine Risk Awareness Network. Lots of stuff to learn from that site, and many heart-wrenching personal stories.
Also, there have been many studies linking allergies, ADHD, and a variety of other problems with vaccines. While a vaccine might prevent, let's say, the chicken pox (a normal, survivable, annoying week of itchy sores and a low fever), the child may develop an allergy or ADHD....which will affect the child(and you) for LIFE! Here's an article with a chart that shows vaccinated children vs. unvaccinated children: article with chart. Also, many many children(and adults) die of allergic reactions...how many of those allergies were actually caused by a vaccine, and not genetics?
The Wakefield study....*trumpets sound*...so many people read this study, were instantly convinced, then it was disproved, then everyone put full faith in vaccines again. Here's a few articles that say otherwise: article #1, article #2, article #3. A predominant problem in autistic children, is in the gut. A doctor that I follow regularly, is Dr. Jordan Rubin...one of his favorite sayings is "it's all in the gut". Your abdomen has a huge network of neural pathways so complex, it is almost like your brain. Many refer to it as your "second brain". Think about it, certain foods make you happy, some make you upset, when your tummy isn't feeling great, you're probably a bit more cranky. Here's an article from Scientific American. Also, many autistic kids benefit greatly from a detox (usually helps the gut) and/or a chelating treatment (removing heavy metals...why are there so many heavy metals in a child...they come from vaccines. Many are made without mercury these days...but they substitue aluminum, or some other toxic metal...SO, "mercury free" doesn't mean "safe"...just like "trans fat free" doesn't mean "healthy".......end parenthesis rant) Here's a helpful post about detoxing/chelating your kids from vaccines: chelating/detoxing. Some children have even REVERSED autism with treatments like this! If the gut and/or heavy metals are possibly to blame, then changing the diet can do immensely helpful things for your child. Convincing the child to eat/drink it will be the hard part. Trust me when I say, after a few days of only healthy foods, they will adjust. My mom gave me some of the grossest things when I needed them(AND absolutely did not want them...she had to reason with me, show me how to chug things to the back of my throat, etc.), and now I eat them happily when I need to(like drinking tincture of willow bark). But that carrot juice, that wasn't good the first and second time I drank it, became delish after 3 or 4 times :-).
Now, every parent makes a choice for their child. Each has risks. Hundreds of kids that get vaccinated, do not get side effects....and there's a large percentage that do! I will probably get my child vaccinated for polio, smallpox, and maybe one or two other diseases. I will spread them out! Many children are given as many as 26 SHOTS in only 2 short years of life. That's just waaay too many. Often for diseases that aren't even a problem in America, or can be cured relatively easily (like chicken pox). Many studies will say "it doesn't overload the baby's system"...."it's completely fine"....well, I disagree. The baby's immune system is still developing, changing, growing...and depending on whether you breastfeed or not, it is also receiving a set of nutrients that hopefully help, but can harm the baby. This is a toxic world we live in already, adding extra toxins and trying to "boost" their immune system so early, is just rather harsh. I know of many moms who haven't vaccinated their kids....at all...and have extremely healthy children. Even when kids in their classes at school get sick, these kids are still quite healthy. The immune system shouldn't have be told what to do for every little illness, but will respond to pathogens on its own(it should know a foreign invader when it detects it...the problem is that with a high toxin load, a bad pH in the blood, and poor nutrients-all of that comes standard with normal American diets...a story for another day; often the system sees the bad stuff(pathogen), but is ill-equiped to handle it) I am sure with all the articles already posted, you can do more research yourself. Here's an alternative schedule for vaccinations that could be helpful.
I recently heard the argument of "God and genetics"....well, that logic is flawed...a heavy person shouldn't try to loose weight because their genetics made them big and God made their metabolism slower than someone elses?! Or, we can just eat garbage because we either are healthy naturally, or we're not...and God made us that way. And that just simply isn't Biblical or logical. God is pretty clear about staying healthy and taking means to do so....educating yourself on heatlhy choices and taking care of your body is very important. Vaccines are another facet of that same thing. I definitely do not think it wise to vaccinate for curable, treatable, and preventable diseases. Modern medicine(and traditional herbal remedies that are easily accessible now) has made it very easy to get better when ill.
I hope I fairly provided another side to a complex story. I do not, in any way, judge someone for getting vaccinated(or their kids vaccinated)...it absolutely seems the best thing to do, under normal circumstances. But if you choose that risk, instead of the risk of NOT vaccinating...please know beforehand, what you're getting into. Making decisions because "the doctor says so", is very uninformed, and extremely naive. If I had just listened to the doctor, I would probably be down an organ or two...and may not be pregnant right now. I will probably get a couple vaccines for Baby H when he arrives...but not RIGHT when he arrives, and I will definitely spread them out...but I'm making that concious choice, knowing the consequences. And that's all I hope to portray here!
Do I believe that every case of autism/learning disability is because of vaccines? NO absolutely not! There are many variables and factors in those things...but IF vaccinating is a factor, I would rather leave that factor out as much as possible. Here's an interesting article about Amish NOT getting vaccines...or autism! Again, it is anecdotal evidence...but it is rather thought provoking that without modern medicines, modern machinery and technology, they live quite healthily and are often very bright children(and usually bilingual-Pennsylanvania Dutch and English!)
Sorry for the long post! I hope it empowers you to make wise choices for yourself and your family!
Love, health, and peace to all,
Becca
Monday, April 22, 2013
1+1=3...God does funny math...
This is more of a personal blog of the last few months....not a food related one :-)
After having a few very odd "cycles" in 2012....
I went to see a NP at an OB/GYN in December who told me in not so many words, that I didn't have a real job(which I did, just no insurance...which I guess doesn't count as a "real job" in her eyes), was very healthy with an odd cycle, and that I didn't want to be pregnant right now(because I didn't have a real job). She would not prescribe me the progesterone that I probably needed, and she told me to come back and see her next year.
That whole experience did NOT sit well with me at all. I could NOT believe how rudely I had been treated, simply for not having insurance (I did pay CASH, on the spot)...and people wonder why I hate the medical field so much! So I started doing my own research....What could I do to help myself without the "medical" interference. I started taking a more complete multivitamin, a half dose of B-vitamins, a vit-D suppliment....I changed my eating habits... almost strictly organic whenever I could, lots of eggs...soooo many eggs....and bacon too :-P I started researching "fertility" diets....I didn't even want to get pregnant necessarily, I just wanted to stabilize my body.
So this continued for a while...nearly sobbing as friends posted sonogram pictures on FB...wondering why with everything I had always done healthwise, I was having to take all of these extra steps to help myself...The 3 tests I had done in December all said I was perfectly normal and very healthy. And I still didn't "regulate"....
Then the house we signed a contract on, fell through...due to a ridiculous LEGISTICAL problem with the form of Daniel's employment.
Some of you may remember that very emotional post from February...when we lost the house we wanted so badly...and that I briefly mentioned problems with having a baby...well, what I didn't know then, was that there was a reason for my abundance of emotions...besides just disappointment.
I was about 3.5 weeks pregnant at the time.
I had been having "symptoms" but testing negative....I just chalked it up to crazy hormonal problems...or cancer...or a tumor...I was becoming quite concerned....
Then a couple days after the loss of the house, I took the last test I had...and seconds later, it was positive! I was elated! And terrified! All in the same moment! We just lost the house....where would we put the child? What if my crazy hormones reject the baby?
Daniel and I decided to wait till 12 weeks to "announce" anything...if I even carried the baby that long. I had my pregnancy confirmed when I was 6 and a half weeks via ultrasound....got to see the heartbeat! We told family and some close friends, mainly to ask for prayer...and some support...I needed someone to talk to :-)
I had a midwife exam at 10.5 weeks and heard the heartbeat:-D...and tested the usual...and so far, so good...
We still do not have insurance...we probably will shortly, through my job, but I do not know if I want to work full time AFTER the baby is born... a bridge we will cross later. But I have decided to go with a midwife and homebirth for my birth plan. Yes, I could end up in the hospital for one reason or another, but Lord willing, Baby H will be born at home!
Both of our families are very excited! The grandmas are already wanting to buy baby stuff :-) And the 2 great-grandmas are absolutely thrilled!
We still need a place to live though...our itty bitty apartment is busting at the seams WITHOUT a child in it...and all the extra things that children come with...let alone we have no washer/dryer in our apartment...and I know this sounds wimpy, but I REALLY do not want to do the laundromat thing with a baby carrier...loading and unloading a child every day with all the laundry...let alone the expense (3$ a load!)
So keep Daniel and I in your prayers as we continue this journey...please pray for a continuing healthy pregnancy and a new place to live!
Thanks for reading all!
In love,
Becca H.
After having a few very odd "cycles" in 2012....
I went to see a NP at an OB/GYN in December who told me in not so many words, that I didn't have a real job(which I did, just no insurance...which I guess doesn't count as a "real job" in her eyes), was very healthy with an odd cycle, and that I didn't want to be pregnant right now(because I didn't have a real job). She would not prescribe me the progesterone that I probably needed, and she told me to come back and see her next year.
That whole experience did NOT sit well with me at all. I could NOT believe how rudely I had been treated, simply for not having insurance (I did pay CASH, on the spot)...and people wonder why I hate the medical field so much! So I started doing my own research....What could I do to help myself without the "medical" interference. I started taking a more complete multivitamin, a half dose of B-vitamins, a vit-D suppliment....I changed my eating habits... almost strictly organic whenever I could, lots of eggs...soooo many eggs....and bacon too :-P I started researching "fertility" diets....I didn't even want to get pregnant necessarily, I just wanted to stabilize my body.
So this continued for a while...nearly sobbing as friends posted sonogram pictures on FB...wondering why with everything I had always done healthwise, I was having to take all of these extra steps to help myself...The 3 tests I had done in December all said I was perfectly normal and very healthy. And I still didn't "regulate"....
Then the house we signed a contract on, fell through...due to a ridiculous LEGISTICAL problem with the form of Daniel's employment.
Some of you may remember that very emotional post from February...when we lost the house we wanted so badly...and that I briefly mentioned problems with having a baby...well, what I didn't know then, was that there was a reason for my abundance of emotions...besides just disappointment.
I was about 3.5 weeks pregnant at the time.
I had been having "symptoms" but testing negative....I just chalked it up to crazy hormonal problems...or cancer...or a tumor...I was becoming quite concerned....
Then a couple days after the loss of the house, I took the last test I had...and seconds later, it was positive! I was elated! And terrified! All in the same moment! We just lost the house....where would we put the child? What if my crazy hormones reject the baby?
Daniel and I decided to wait till 12 weeks to "announce" anything...if I even carried the baby that long. I had my pregnancy confirmed when I was 6 and a half weeks via ultrasound....got to see the heartbeat! We told family and some close friends, mainly to ask for prayer...and some support...I needed someone to talk to :-)
I had a midwife exam at 10.5 weeks and heard the heartbeat:-D...and tested the usual...and so far, so good...
We still do not have insurance...we probably will shortly, through my job, but I do not know if I want to work full time AFTER the baby is born... a bridge we will cross later. But I have decided to go with a midwife and homebirth for my birth plan. Yes, I could end up in the hospital for one reason or another, but Lord willing, Baby H will be born at home!
Both of our families are very excited! The grandmas are already wanting to buy baby stuff :-) And the 2 great-grandmas are absolutely thrilled!
We still need a place to live though...our itty bitty apartment is busting at the seams WITHOUT a child in it...and all the extra things that children come with...let alone we have no washer/dryer in our apartment...and I know this sounds wimpy, but I REALLY do not want to do the laundromat thing with a baby carrier...loading and unloading a child every day with all the laundry...let alone the expense (3$ a load!)
So keep Daniel and I in your prayers as we continue this journey...please pray for a continuing healthy pregnancy and a new place to live!
Thanks for reading all!
In love,
Becca H.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Health Rant #2 of 1zillion: GMO's...what they are, and what they aren't!
Disclaimer, I write this, not as a fan of mainstream nutrition, but a self taught and researched woman who has been reading articles, books, and magazines on these topics for years. I have a bachelor's of science degree IN science education and my college is accredited. I do not write any of this in ignorance, rather concern for our nation.
As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of organics! This is not to say that I am not thankful for whatever food I'm blessed with, but I always have, and always will prefer organic foods. One of the reasons for that, is genetically modified organisms. This post is mainly about produce...Dairy, meats, and seafood CAN apply to a lot of these labels and principles...but that is a blog for another day!
3 types of food:
Organic: grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, non-gmo seeds(organic), etc. Organics info. Basically, as far as farming of food goes, organic is supposed to be "the way nature intended". Have some farmers gotten greedy and tweak the rules-yes. Have some food companies tried to exploit the "organics" market-yes. Is organic still better than "local"? That depends...some local produce, TALK TO THE FARMER, is grown organically, but isn't "certified"...some local produce is heavily sprayed, modified, and grown NOT "the way nature intended". Getting organic, local, produce is your best option! (better yet, grow it yourself!)
Conventional: this may, or may not, be genetically modified seed as there is no regulation on labels in the US right now. It could be "systemically" treated with pesticides...meaning, the seed, has been soaked in a super-strong pesticide in which the entire plant has grown. It doesn't wash off either...it is ingrained in the entirety of the plant and you cannot soak it off or rinse it off. It is there permanantly. Read this for more info.
It could be heavily sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Now, many people say, "you aren't a plant, herbicides won't effect you." Here's my counter arguement. When you eat a plant, you receive the benefits of the nutrition in the plant cells, yes? If you are eating something designed to KILL other plant cells, could you then, be effected minimally or extensively by the plant cell killer? I think yes...plant cells aren't THAT different from human cells...the main differences are chloroplasts and the cell walls. A cell killer is a cell killer...and your cells COULD be affected...here's a great link about herbicides.
Also, conventional foods could treated with standard pesticides(which can also inlcude fungicides). These are usually sprayed on, or fed into the water line. Here's a great link that uses info on pesticides and you can look up what is potentially on your food at home : "What's on my food?"
To sum up, the fresh produce at the store, that is not organic, may actually be MORE damaging than it is nourishing. In my opinion, if you aren't going to eat organic vegetables, then you should seriously consider why you are eating them. Take a fiber suppliment if you need fiber, but if you need vitamins and minerals, and choose to ingest them via vegetables and fruits, make sure it is organic! There is a list called the "dirty dozen" that includes some of the most dangerous NON organic and some of the safer non-organic. In general, I have found OFTEN that a lot of organic produce is close to the same price as the regular...and the benefits of it far outweigh the cost. Check out your local wholesaler...my BJ's has tons of organics for great prices!
Genetically Modified Organisms(GMO) and often refered to as Genetically Engineered (GE): this is where everything gets really, really hairy. Controversy, greed, "scientific discovery", and law suits run amuck! I will try to sort it out for you as best as possible.
Controversy: The EU has put a ban on almost any GMO's...they have NOT been proven safe for human consumption, so they have taken preventative means to NOT allow them in EU countries...and ones they often trade with.(Interesting fact, Kraft and other big name food companies in the US have food for us, and food for them...the ingredient list for the UK's Kraft mac n' cheese, is drastically different than our's. Something to ponder...) The US takes the stance that they haven't been proven harmful (which is a lie, there are PLENTY of GMO's that have been proven harmful, but some scientist gets paid off to say they aren't harmful and find some ridiculous reason why).
Greed: Monsanto is the "big whig" of the GMO world. Multi-billion dollar corporation with clear ties in the US government. (Conflict of interest, I think yes). Monsanto SUES any farm that is near one of their farms that has any of the same DNA in their plants. So a local farmer, farms near a Monsanto farm....some of the GMO pollen floats through the air, travels on a bee, etc. onto their plants...and the product, is now laced with GMO's...Monsanto tests it, finds the genetic sequence to match slightly the ones in their GMO crops, sues the local farmer, and often, puts them out of business. Info worth reading.
Also in the greed category and law suits, is the fact that GMO seed self destructs! In the old days of farming, you would grow a crop, and save some of it to use as seed for the next year. With a GMO crop, the seed harvested, won't grow. Period. This means farmers using GMO seed have to BUY NEW SEED every year. This makes farming MUCH more costly having to buy new seeds yearly. Monsanto's biggest audience is 3rd world countries...they get so excited for pest-resistant, cold resistant, ____ resistant, fast growing crop....and then they have to buy it every year...and this really hurts the poor people who can barely afford it the first year! They take advantage of the fact that these people may not have internet, may not read English, and cannot learn for themselves that this "miracle seed" hurts them, not helps them. I highly recommend watching Food Inc on Netflix or online. Netflix also has a ton of foodie movies that help shed light on this issue.
side note: one of my friends recently bought an organic pepper and a conventional pepper. She gardens often and so she decided to GROW peppers from the seeds....the seeds from the organic pepper sprouted and grew plants....the seeds from the "conventional one" did NOT grow AT ALL! Many conventional foods are already genetically modified and/or irradiated...removing and denaturing a LOT of the nutrition that may or may not be present at that point.
Scientific discovery: "No one has proved that GMO's are harmful...they wouldn't be allowed in the food supply if they were!" - first of all, there is a lot, A LOT, of logical flaws there. One, just because you have not heard of their harmfulness, doesn't mean the info isn't there. Two, MANY MANY things have been proven harmful after the fact...Phenphen and Redux...two drugs that were allowed by the FDA killed many a person. How many times has a birth control, that has been tested and proven safe, caused millions of women reproductive and/or emotional problems? Let it be known, many of the "tests" are NOT thorough, done in haste, and paid for by the uber rich pharmaceutical(or biotech-like Monsanto) company that WANTS positive results...and that's exactly what they get. The fact that it is available in stores should be of no consequence. Soda is bad for you right? It is sold in stores! Cheetos are bad for you...and sold in stores...just because it is sold in a store for public consumption doesn't make it safe or healthy. If you believe that it does, you need to reevaluate what you define as "food" and "healthy". Mercola.com has GREAT info on all things nutrition and he has focused in on the GMO issue a lot. (he is a DOCTOR too...not some quack job with a blog) Here is a search I did on his site simply typing "gmo" and these are the results. Please read up! Mercola.com>search-gmo
Now, if you go to Monsanto's website, they will have a lot of lies on it saying how great and safe they are, but the deeper you dive into this issue, you will find this is simply not the case. Super weeds, super bugs, and all sorts of problems surround this GMO issue...and Monsanto is right in the middle of it. Also, the issue of declining bee populations, I would watch "Vanishing Bees" on Netflix or online. It very clearly points out that systemic pesticides and GMO crops are hurting the bee population...and recently, the butterfly population. Here's a great simple gmo site: natural news. Also on the topic of GMO's...they are NOT labeled...you WILL NOT KNOW when you are eating them. The only way to prevent them, is through eating organics. ALSO, if it says "natural"...that means nothing. The FDA has no regulation on what "natural" means...so if you are spending more for that "all natural" product, you are wasting your money (unless you have confirmed with the company that the product is deserving of that label). There is another good option which is the Non-GMO project. Great info there! Many foods now have the label which looks like a stamp with grass and a butterfly on it. That at least means that a 3rd party has tested the product for GMO's and has found it safe!
Now, why am I so passionate about this?! Why can't I just let things be?! Well, there's a few reasons...
1. I hate ignorance...if you KNOW all the bad things you are doing to your body, and are ok with that, that is totally your choice...but I hate the idea of people TRYING and WANTING to eat healthy, and they are truly hurting themselves in the end. This GMO and conventional foods thing is a whole lot of deception and heartache. People need to know what is going on with the food they eat! Especially in these treacherous days where healthcare will change dramatically, you need to know what is going into you...so you can understand what is going on with you!
2. Christians are called to take care of the earth. Conventionally raised crops and especially GMO's are NOT taking care of the earth at all....flooding rivers with harmful chemicals, killing fish and local wildlife, hurting humans by causing cancer and degenerative diseases....As a Christian, I absolutely feel called to one of the FIRST commandments in Genesis which is "to have dominion and subdue the earth"(Gen 1:28). Christians should be the "greenest" people...protecting the earth and its people more than anyone else. Recycle, compost, drive gas efficient vehicles, read by soy candlight(well, maybe that is a stretch...tehehe)...but at any rate, I challenge all Christian readers out there to think about the role they play in this world...and if it is harming or hurting this beautiful planet God has given us! We are also supposed to help the poor...and buying GMO crops from a poor society that can grow organic ones, but is forced into Monsanto's lies, doesn't help them. Buying more organics helps keep the prices lower at your local establishment and hopefully, provides more room for growth in the organics industry and that growth makes organics available to the poor who need it!
3. I love helping people! I LOVE when people stop me at the grocery store to ask me about a certain food, or why my basket is full of organics! I love the emails and facebook posts I receive (pretty regularly) when people are trying to get healthy and want a little advice or help in an area. I cannot cook for everyone...I barely have time to cook for myself these days! But I can certainly try to help educate my friends!
4. I am a living, breathing reason, why I don't like mainstream nutrition and medicine. I would love to share more of my story, but this post is so long already. Essentially, I have suffered great pains at the hands of aspartame(sweet and low), sucralose(splenda), and hydrogenated oils(crisco, margarine, etc.). AND, many of those things are not only deemed "safe" by the FDA, but by the medical field, grocery stores, and mainstream nutrition. I also nearly died from a reaction to a "safe" antibiotic that a doctor prescribed to me for strep throat....the strep throat would have eventually gotten better....or a lower dose would have been fine, but since the doctor wanted to kill it so quickly, he over dosed me, and nearly killed me. (Hense my distrust for doctors and the medical field)
Hope you enjoyed food rant #2 of a zillion!
Becca H.
As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of organics! This is not to say that I am not thankful for whatever food I'm blessed with, but I always have, and always will prefer organic foods. One of the reasons for that, is genetically modified organisms. This post is mainly about produce...Dairy, meats, and seafood CAN apply to a lot of these labels and principles...but that is a blog for another day!
3 types of food:
Organic: grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, non-gmo seeds(organic), etc. Organics info. Basically, as far as farming of food goes, organic is supposed to be "the way nature intended". Have some farmers gotten greedy and tweak the rules-yes. Have some food companies tried to exploit the "organics" market-yes. Is organic still better than "local"? That depends...some local produce, TALK TO THE FARMER, is grown organically, but isn't "certified"...some local produce is heavily sprayed, modified, and grown NOT "the way nature intended". Getting organic, local, produce is your best option! (better yet, grow it yourself!)
Conventional: this may, or may not, be genetically modified seed as there is no regulation on labels in the US right now. It could be "systemically" treated with pesticides...meaning, the seed, has been soaked in a super-strong pesticide in which the entire plant has grown. It doesn't wash off either...it is ingrained in the entirety of the plant and you cannot soak it off or rinse it off. It is there permanantly. Read this for more info.
It could be heavily sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Now, many people say, "you aren't a plant, herbicides won't effect you." Here's my counter arguement. When you eat a plant, you receive the benefits of the nutrition in the plant cells, yes? If you are eating something designed to KILL other plant cells, could you then, be effected minimally or extensively by the plant cell killer? I think yes...plant cells aren't THAT different from human cells...the main differences are chloroplasts and the cell walls. A cell killer is a cell killer...and your cells COULD be affected...here's a great link about herbicides.
Also, conventional foods could treated with standard pesticides(which can also inlcude fungicides). These are usually sprayed on, or fed into the water line. Here's a great link that uses info on pesticides and you can look up what is potentially on your food at home : "What's on my food?"
To sum up, the fresh produce at the store, that is not organic, may actually be MORE damaging than it is nourishing. In my opinion, if you aren't going to eat organic vegetables, then you should seriously consider why you are eating them. Take a fiber suppliment if you need fiber, but if you need vitamins and minerals, and choose to ingest them via vegetables and fruits, make sure it is organic! There is a list called the "dirty dozen" that includes some of the most dangerous NON organic and some of the safer non-organic. In general, I have found OFTEN that a lot of organic produce is close to the same price as the regular...and the benefits of it far outweigh the cost. Check out your local wholesaler...my BJ's has tons of organics for great prices!
Genetically Modified Organisms(GMO) and often refered to as Genetically Engineered (GE): this is where everything gets really, really hairy. Controversy, greed, "scientific discovery", and law suits run amuck! I will try to sort it out for you as best as possible.
Controversy: The EU has put a ban on almost any GMO's...they have NOT been proven safe for human consumption, so they have taken preventative means to NOT allow them in EU countries...and ones they often trade with.(Interesting fact, Kraft and other big name food companies in the US have food for us, and food for them...the ingredient list for the UK's Kraft mac n' cheese, is drastically different than our's. Something to ponder...) The US takes the stance that they haven't been proven harmful (which is a lie, there are PLENTY of GMO's that have been proven harmful, but some scientist gets paid off to say they aren't harmful and find some ridiculous reason why).
Greed: Monsanto is the "big whig" of the GMO world. Multi-billion dollar corporation with clear ties in the US government. (Conflict of interest, I think yes). Monsanto SUES any farm that is near one of their farms that has any of the same DNA in their plants. So a local farmer, farms near a Monsanto farm....some of the GMO pollen floats through the air, travels on a bee, etc. onto their plants...and the product, is now laced with GMO's...Monsanto tests it, finds the genetic sequence to match slightly the ones in their GMO crops, sues the local farmer, and often, puts them out of business. Info worth reading.
Also in the greed category and law suits, is the fact that GMO seed self destructs! In the old days of farming, you would grow a crop, and save some of it to use as seed for the next year. With a GMO crop, the seed harvested, won't grow. Period. This means farmers using GMO seed have to BUY NEW SEED every year. This makes farming MUCH more costly having to buy new seeds yearly. Monsanto's biggest audience is 3rd world countries...they get so excited for pest-resistant, cold resistant, ____ resistant, fast growing crop....and then they have to buy it every year...and this really hurts the poor people who can barely afford it the first year! They take advantage of the fact that these people may not have internet, may not read English, and cannot learn for themselves that this "miracle seed" hurts them, not helps them. I highly recommend watching Food Inc on Netflix or online. Netflix also has a ton of foodie movies that help shed light on this issue.
side note: one of my friends recently bought an organic pepper and a conventional pepper. She gardens often and so she decided to GROW peppers from the seeds....the seeds from the organic pepper sprouted and grew plants....the seeds from the "conventional one" did NOT grow AT ALL! Many conventional foods are already genetically modified and/or irradiated...removing and denaturing a LOT of the nutrition that may or may not be present at that point.
Scientific discovery: "No one has proved that GMO's are harmful...they wouldn't be allowed in the food supply if they were!" - first of all, there is a lot, A LOT, of logical flaws there. One, just because you have not heard of their harmfulness, doesn't mean the info isn't there. Two, MANY MANY things have been proven harmful after the fact...Phenphen and Redux...two drugs that were allowed by the FDA killed many a person. How many times has a birth control, that has been tested and proven safe, caused millions of women reproductive and/or emotional problems? Let it be known, many of the "tests" are NOT thorough, done in haste, and paid for by the uber rich pharmaceutical(or biotech-like Monsanto) company that WANTS positive results...and that's exactly what they get. The fact that it is available in stores should be of no consequence. Soda is bad for you right? It is sold in stores! Cheetos are bad for you...and sold in stores...just because it is sold in a store for public consumption doesn't make it safe or healthy. If you believe that it does, you need to reevaluate what you define as "food" and "healthy". Mercola.com has GREAT info on all things nutrition and he has focused in on the GMO issue a lot. (he is a DOCTOR too...not some quack job with a blog) Here is a search I did on his site simply typing "gmo" and these are the results. Please read up! Mercola.com>search-gmo
Now, if you go to Monsanto's website, they will have a lot of lies on it saying how great and safe they are, but the deeper you dive into this issue, you will find this is simply not the case. Super weeds, super bugs, and all sorts of problems surround this GMO issue...and Monsanto is right in the middle of it. Also, the issue of declining bee populations, I would watch "Vanishing Bees" on Netflix or online. It very clearly points out that systemic pesticides and GMO crops are hurting the bee population...and recently, the butterfly population. Here's a great simple gmo site: natural news. Also on the topic of GMO's...they are NOT labeled...you WILL NOT KNOW when you are eating them. The only way to prevent them, is through eating organics. ALSO, if it says "natural"...that means nothing. The FDA has no regulation on what "natural" means...so if you are spending more for that "all natural" product, you are wasting your money (unless you have confirmed with the company that the product is deserving of that label). There is another good option which is the Non-GMO project. Great info there! Many foods now have the label which looks like a stamp with grass and a butterfly on it. That at least means that a 3rd party has tested the product for GMO's and has found it safe!
Now, why am I so passionate about this?! Why can't I just let things be?! Well, there's a few reasons...
1. I hate ignorance...if you KNOW all the bad things you are doing to your body, and are ok with that, that is totally your choice...but I hate the idea of people TRYING and WANTING to eat healthy, and they are truly hurting themselves in the end. This GMO and conventional foods thing is a whole lot of deception and heartache. People need to know what is going on with the food they eat! Especially in these treacherous days where healthcare will change dramatically, you need to know what is going into you...so you can understand what is going on with you!
2. Christians are called to take care of the earth. Conventionally raised crops and especially GMO's are NOT taking care of the earth at all....flooding rivers with harmful chemicals, killing fish and local wildlife, hurting humans by causing cancer and degenerative diseases....As a Christian, I absolutely feel called to one of the FIRST commandments in Genesis which is "to have dominion and subdue the earth"(Gen 1:28). Christians should be the "greenest" people...protecting the earth and its people more than anyone else. Recycle, compost, drive gas efficient vehicles, read by soy candlight(well, maybe that is a stretch...tehehe)...but at any rate, I challenge all Christian readers out there to think about the role they play in this world...and if it is harming or hurting this beautiful planet God has given us! We are also supposed to help the poor...and buying GMO crops from a poor society that can grow organic ones, but is forced into Monsanto's lies, doesn't help them. Buying more organics helps keep the prices lower at your local establishment and hopefully, provides more room for growth in the organics industry and that growth makes organics available to the poor who need it!
3. I love helping people! I LOVE when people stop me at the grocery store to ask me about a certain food, or why my basket is full of organics! I love the emails and facebook posts I receive (pretty regularly) when people are trying to get healthy and want a little advice or help in an area. I cannot cook for everyone...I barely have time to cook for myself these days! But I can certainly try to help educate my friends!
4. I am a living, breathing reason, why I don't like mainstream nutrition and medicine. I would love to share more of my story, but this post is so long already. Essentially, I have suffered great pains at the hands of aspartame(sweet and low), sucralose(splenda), and hydrogenated oils(crisco, margarine, etc.). AND, many of those things are not only deemed "safe" by the FDA, but by the medical field, grocery stores, and mainstream nutrition. I also nearly died from a reaction to a "safe" antibiotic that a doctor prescribed to me for strep throat....the strep throat would have eventually gotten better....or a lower dose would have been fine, but since the doctor wanted to kill it so quickly, he over dosed me, and nearly killed me. (Hense my distrust for doctors and the medical field)
Hope you enjoyed food rant #2 of a zillion!
Becca H.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
My momma always said "don't get your hopes up!"
This is not a pleasant post to read...it was written in a "diary" fashion...you were warned...
Oh my German-Scottish mother...she was always saying cute, annoying little colloquies..."don't get your hopes up", "don't put all your eggs in one basket", "don't tease your sister", "share your toys", "gargle this vinegar", "drink this willow bark extract"....you know, the usual...
Unfortunately, I would normally listen to the end statements, sometimes obey the middle ones...and rarely ever listen to the first ones...I can still hear my mom's tone of voice saying those words...but I still don't take them as seriously as I should...
Many of you know, Daniel and I put an offer on a house after being pre-qualified for a mortgage. The seller counter-offered, and we accepted! Oi! Did I get excited or WHAT?! This house is just what I've always wanted....down to weird details like a window in the master shower...a fire place....nice screened porch...plenty of room for chickens, game nights, kids, etc... I started contacting chicken coop makers, thinking about colors for the rooms, and how we would arrange our furniture...finally, we would be out of our super tiny, old, crappy apartment...
Well, I got my hopes up, put all my eggs in the basket, daydreamed much too much..... and when we contacted our lender, she asked about the W-2 for Daniel's courthouse job....well, he doesn't get a W-2...technically, he's a self employed contractor...and everything stopped....the lender apologized for not catching this sooner and that's the end...no more house, unless there's a different job...and certainly the house I fell in love with would definitely not be on the market if or when that "new job" day comes...we had to fight for it as it was...
My dad and many others said "well, God has a better house for you then...just be patient...God wants to give you the desires of your heart"...well, patience has never been my strongest virtue...God's plan isn't America's "ideal" for us....house, kids, car...but most of my friends have all those things, and we don't....well, we have a car that I am supremely thankful for! The desires of my heart may not be what God wants for me...I need to come to grips with that...and I'm not coping well with it. Most of the people who are trying to comfort me are sitting in their houses or holding their babies(or BOTH)....they don't understand the pain of not being able to have either the house or the baby and the end is NOT in sight...unless I see some seriously expensive doctors and Daniel gets a new job out of nowhere, we are stuck in this stage of life...wasting money on rent and crying everytime I see new ultrasounds of all my friends' babies.
Both house and kids really have been blacked out for us right now for unknown reasons...we thought us both having full time jobs, Daniel's good credit, the pre-qual, etc. the house could at least be part of our dream...but that's obviously not God's plan for our lives...People keep saying to "stay strong" "It'll happen, just need to wait..." But honestly, isn't that causing me to get my hopes up more and be more impatient?! Those "helpful" words are just putting useless thoughts in my head and stirring discontent in my heart even more!
So I immediately started looking up houses for rent...and found a ton of super expensive houses that we couldn't afford...and a bunch of super cheap ones in really bad neighborhoods...and a bunch of other ones that just aren't good options for us. Another dead end...MAYBE one will pop up soon, but not soon enough in my opinion...
So in the end...this is a letter for prayer...and comfort...having this big part of our dream as a couple ended for no obvious reason is so frustrating...when I found out that we would not get the house, I just wanted to weep...but I was in the lunch room in front of a bunch of clerks...and I have a long drive home...so tears will have to wait...today, was just more than I wanted to take...
"don't get your hopes up"....wish I listened better....
Oh my German-Scottish mother...she was always saying cute, annoying little colloquies..."don't get your hopes up", "don't put all your eggs in one basket", "don't tease your sister", "share your toys", "gargle this vinegar", "drink this willow bark extract"....you know, the usual...
Unfortunately, I would normally listen to the end statements, sometimes obey the middle ones...and rarely ever listen to the first ones...I can still hear my mom's tone of voice saying those words...but I still don't take them as seriously as I should...
Many of you know, Daniel and I put an offer on a house after being pre-qualified for a mortgage. The seller counter-offered, and we accepted! Oi! Did I get excited or WHAT?! This house is just what I've always wanted....down to weird details like a window in the master shower...a fire place....nice screened porch...plenty of room for chickens, game nights, kids, etc... I started contacting chicken coop makers, thinking about colors for the rooms, and how we would arrange our furniture...finally, we would be out of our super tiny, old, crappy apartment...
Well, I got my hopes up, put all my eggs in the basket, daydreamed much too much..... and when we contacted our lender, she asked about the W-2 for Daniel's courthouse job....well, he doesn't get a W-2...technically, he's a self employed contractor...and everything stopped....the lender apologized for not catching this sooner and that's the end...no more house, unless there's a different job...and certainly the house I fell in love with would definitely not be on the market if or when that "new job" day comes...we had to fight for it as it was...
My dad and many others said "well, God has a better house for you then...just be patient...God wants to give you the desires of your heart"...well, patience has never been my strongest virtue...God's plan isn't America's "ideal" for us....house, kids, car...but most of my friends have all those things, and we don't....well, we have a car that I am supremely thankful for! The desires of my heart may not be what God wants for me...I need to come to grips with that...and I'm not coping well with it. Most of the people who are trying to comfort me are sitting in their houses or holding their babies(or BOTH)....they don't understand the pain of not being able to have either the house or the baby and the end is NOT in sight...unless I see some seriously expensive doctors and Daniel gets a new job out of nowhere, we are stuck in this stage of life...wasting money on rent and crying everytime I see new ultrasounds of all my friends' babies.
Both house and kids really have been blacked out for us right now for unknown reasons...we thought us both having full time jobs, Daniel's good credit, the pre-qual, etc. the house could at least be part of our dream...but that's obviously not God's plan for our lives...People keep saying to "stay strong" "It'll happen, just need to wait..." But honestly, isn't that causing me to get my hopes up more and be more impatient?! Those "helpful" words are just putting useless thoughts in my head and stirring discontent in my heart even more!
So I immediately started looking up houses for rent...and found a ton of super expensive houses that we couldn't afford...and a bunch of super cheap ones in really bad neighborhoods...and a bunch of other ones that just aren't good options for us. Another dead end...MAYBE one will pop up soon, but not soon enough in my opinion...
So in the end...this is a letter for prayer...and comfort...having this big part of our dream as a couple ended for no obvious reason is so frustrating...when I found out that we would not get the house, I just wanted to weep...but I was in the lunch room in front of a bunch of clerks...and I have a long drive home...so tears will have to wait...today, was just more than I wanted to take...
"don't get your hopes up"....wish I listened better....
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Obedience? WHAT?! I have to OBEY!? *stomps feet*
It pains me to write parts of this...and I get much joy from other parts...
I have felt called towards obedience in a few areas in my life that I would like to share with you.
Obedience...
So often in America, I feel that the Christian has a pretty easy task at "obedience". Don't drink and drive, don't steal, don't kill anyone, listen to the Christian radio station, and keep your social media page "clean". Don't watch certain shows, don't see certain movies, don't smoke and take walks with your spouse/family...that's obeying God right? RIGHT!?
Recently, the Lord has tugged on my heart in a few ways...this is PERSONAL, not legalistic, judgemental, or martyristic.
I will not be opening the cafe. It has nothing to do with laziness or lack of desire...Daniel and I have prayed through this heavily. I feel the need to be a wife, (hopefully mother), ministering woman in my church, and homemaker...all of those things would be extremely difficult within the confines of the building that I would be working in with the obligations of running my own small business. I would literally be pulling 14hour days, 6 days a week...preventing me from ministering in church, being a devoted wife, bearing children, and certainly no time for "homemaking"(I want a garden, chickens, and an apiary...let alone the homemade stuff I love doing-cooking, working out, concocting new homemade products, etc.). I still want to get a license to cook for people, cater, and run a small(very small) part time business doing that...because I do love that...and would like to solely do that as work at some point.
The reasons I decided against the cafe are many....and you may ask me why via message if you are curious, I just don't want to disclose all things on a blog :-P.
Why do I feel that this is an act of obedience towards the Lord? - Answer: I feel the need to be a wife and mother(hopefully) more than a career woman. I also feel the need to provide SOME money for this marriage. Opening the cafe, I may not get a paycheck for quite a while, yet, work all the time. I feel that I would neglect everything that is important to me(except food(. Also, I have a health problem that is most likely directly related to the amount of stress in my life...opening my own cafe would NOT help that issue, but only make it substantially worse. I do not feel that the Lord wants me to go in the direction of "career woman" and forsake all the other things I'm a part of.
I have been offered a full time position at the court house, so that is what I will be doing for employment for the indefinite future. The Lord totally put that option in my hands recently and I believe that is the correct direction for my life.
A question I have gotten lately...."What's that thingy on your head?" or some version of that question. I have crocheted myself a head covering. Most of my life-long or at least long-time friends know that I worked with Amish and Mennonites and really enjoyed that culture. Also, after going to Romania, I enjoyed the representation of married women wearing head coverings in church...in BAPTIST churches, Assembly of God churches, AND Orthodox Romanian churches....now I understand their "culture is different"...but I appreciate that culture and have studied the main passage in First Corinthians 11 on head coverings and truly feel this is a point of obedience for my life and marriage...again, if you have questions, points of judgement, or comments-email or fb message me...I would request that the public comments be respectful and PRIVATE if they are NOT going to be respectful.(you may have a difference of opinion, and that's totally fine, but please don't insult me...I don't take public humiliation well:-P ) This is totally a Spirit-led calling for me and my joy and privilege to wear my covering. Ryrie describes the head covering as a theological symbol...and indeed, it is. I highly encourage you do research this passage...it is very interesting. ...."1 Corinthians 11:5 but every wife[b] who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head"...(ESV)
I also feel called towards helping people get healthy. If you don't follow my facebook page even a little, you know I'm often posting articles, pictures, and information about food, nutrition, and health overall. I want to officially get my coaching certificate to get paid to do this! I LOVE helping people get healthy and the segway that leads to ministering not just physically to help people, but spiritually. I fear I would not be able to do the cafe AND so some schooling too! Another reason I chose NOT to open the cafe. I definitely believe that God cares what we eat and how we live our lifes...and health is part of that...otherwise, God would NOT have placed such strict standards (yes, some of them were for ancient health because of sanitaion), but those "dietary laws" are still revered as one of the healthiest diets in the world!
My security is NOT in my food and exercise, but in Jesus...but certainly educating myself and trying to eat and live healthy helps me stay as healthy as possible(on my end of responsibility anyways)!
I hope you see my heart on these issues and pray with me and Daniel through them....giving up the cafe idea was(and is) so hard for me! A point of pride, and now humility. Obeying isn't always easy, doesn't always make sense, and isn't always logical...but we are commanded to "obey the voice of the Lord". So that's what I'm trying to do....
Obeying with a smile,
Becca
I have felt called towards obedience in a few areas in my life that I would like to share with you.
Obedience...
So often in America, I feel that the Christian has a pretty easy task at "obedience". Don't drink and drive, don't steal, don't kill anyone, listen to the Christian radio station, and keep your social media page "clean". Don't watch certain shows, don't see certain movies, don't smoke and take walks with your spouse/family...that's obeying God right? RIGHT!?
Recently, the Lord has tugged on my heart in a few ways...this is PERSONAL, not legalistic, judgemental, or martyristic.
I will not be opening the cafe. It has nothing to do with laziness or lack of desire...Daniel and I have prayed through this heavily. I feel the need to be a wife, (hopefully mother), ministering woman in my church, and homemaker...all of those things would be extremely difficult within the confines of the building that I would be working in with the obligations of running my own small business. I would literally be pulling 14hour days, 6 days a week...preventing me from ministering in church, being a devoted wife, bearing children, and certainly no time for "homemaking"(I want a garden, chickens, and an apiary...let alone the homemade stuff I love doing-cooking, working out, concocting new homemade products, etc.). I still want to get a license to cook for people, cater, and run a small(very small) part time business doing that...because I do love that...and would like to solely do that as work at some point.
The reasons I decided against the cafe are many....and you may ask me why via message if you are curious, I just don't want to disclose all things on a blog :-P.
Why do I feel that this is an act of obedience towards the Lord? - Answer: I feel the need to be a wife and mother(hopefully) more than a career woman. I also feel the need to provide SOME money for this marriage. Opening the cafe, I may not get a paycheck for quite a while, yet, work all the time. I feel that I would neglect everything that is important to me(except food(. Also, I have a health problem that is most likely directly related to the amount of stress in my life...opening my own cafe would NOT help that issue, but only make it substantially worse. I do not feel that the Lord wants me to go in the direction of "career woman" and forsake all the other things I'm a part of.
I have been offered a full time position at the court house, so that is what I will be doing for employment for the indefinite future. The Lord totally put that option in my hands recently and I believe that is the correct direction for my life.
A question I have gotten lately...."What's that thingy on your head?" or some version of that question. I have crocheted myself a head covering. Most of my life-long or at least long-time friends know that I worked with Amish and Mennonites and really enjoyed that culture. Also, after going to Romania, I enjoyed the representation of married women wearing head coverings in church...in BAPTIST churches, Assembly of God churches, AND Orthodox Romanian churches....now I understand their "culture is different"...but I appreciate that culture and have studied the main passage in First Corinthians 11 on head coverings and truly feel this is a point of obedience for my life and marriage...again, if you have questions, points of judgement, or comments-email or fb message me...I would request that the public comments be respectful and PRIVATE if they are NOT going to be respectful.(you may have a difference of opinion, and that's totally fine, but please don't insult me...I don't take public humiliation well:-P ) This is totally a Spirit-led calling for me and my joy and privilege to wear my covering. Ryrie describes the head covering as a theological symbol...and indeed, it is. I highly encourage you do research this passage...it is very interesting. ...."1 Corinthians 11:5 but every wife[b] who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head"...(ESV)
I also feel called towards helping people get healthy. If you don't follow my facebook page even a little, you know I'm often posting articles, pictures, and information about food, nutrition, and health overall. I want to officially get my coaching certificate to get paid to do this! I LOVE helping people get healthy and the segway that leads to ministering not just physically to help people, but spiritually. I fear I would not be able to do the cafe AND so some schooling too! Another reason I chose NOT to open the cafe. I definitely believe that God cares what we eat and how we live our lifes...and health is part of that...otherwise, God would NOT have placed such strict standards (yes, some of them were for ancient health because of sanitaion), but those "dietary laws" are still revered as one of the healthiest diets in the world!
My security is NOT in my food and exercise, but in Jesus...but certainly educating myself and trying to eat and live healthy helps me stay as healthy as possible(on my end of responsibility anyways)!
I hope you see my heart on these issues and pray with me and Daniel through them....giving up the cafe idea was(and is) so hard for me! A point of pride, and now humility. Obeying isn't always easy, doesn't always make sense, and isn't always logical...but we are commanded to "obey the voice of the Lord". So that's what I'm trying to do....
Obeying with a smile,
Becca
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Walking by faith, without any sight...
Daniel and I are about to embark on an completely new endeavor. He has a full time job mostly from home, which is a huge blessing. We don't have benefits, though, because he is "self employed"...but still, it is a blessing! I work in a similar situation, but I have to go to the courthouse for my job. The point of this blog is...
I am starting my own cafe!
Most of you know how I have been catering special events for the church, out of the church for a while. I love doing that...most of you also know, I worked for Starbucks for ~2 years. I loved most of my time at Starbucks, the cafe setting, coffee, good food, relaxing atmosphere..so I am very excited to announce:
Hidden Riches Cafe
Dream come true! ...well, mostly...(my dream would include everything I need is free and no paperwork!)
I will hopefully keep my job, very part time, for a while...
There are sooooo many things I need, but prayer most of all! I am going to be buying foods, equipment, etc...I have to get my business licesne, DBA, liability insurance...and a whole mess of things that I have noooo idea about! The building that I am renting the space out of, wants me there ASAP! Which is lovely, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed...I have all the resources I need for the food part, but I need a business license and DBA first, THEN, I need to fill out a whole mess of forms for the food distributor...the list goes on and on!
So I am asking for prayer!
I am sooo nervous about the money...I may not cut a check for myself for a really long time. Daniel's full time job is okay, but on the whole, cannot pay all the bills indefinitely. We are in the middle of buying a house also (solely on his income, not including mine)...the house, including utilities and such, will actually be cheaper than our rent! The house we are trying for also has a large greenhouse on the property! YAY for growing our own veggies! The building that I am renting out of is being quite generous about helping me as much as possible so that I'll be successful! I am thankful for Christian business partners who are generous and patient!
My mom and dad are helping me with some of the finances, and workers...Daddy literally said, "I will buy a beautiful espresso bar, but you have to teach me to barist!" I am going to train my father in the intricasies of a cappucino...did I mention I need prayer?! :-P I love my daddy!
So my matters of prayer are:
If you know of anything restaurant or cafe related that I could buy, rent, or information I need to know, please let me know..every bit of information helps!
Thank you all for reading (and hopefully praying),
Becca H.
I am starting my own cafe!
Most of you know how I have been catering special events for the church, out of the church for a while. I love doing that...most of you also know, I worked for Starbucks for ~2 years. I loved most of my time at Starbucks, the cafe setting, coffee, good food, relaxing atmosphere..so I am very excited to announce:
Hidden Riches Cafe
Dream come true! ...well, mostly...(my dream would include everything I need is free and no paperwork!)
I will hopefully keep my job, very part time, for a while...
There are sooooo many things I need, but prayer most of all! I am going to be buying foods, equipment, etc...I have to get my business licesne, DBA, liability insurance...and a whole mess of things that I have noooo idea about! The building that I am renting the space out of, wants me there ASAP! Which is lovely, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed...I have all the resources I need for the food part, but I need a business license and DBA first, THEN, I need to fill out a whole mess of forms for the food distributor...the list goes on and on!
So I am asking for prayer!
I am sooo nervous about the money...I may not cut a check for myself for a really long time. Daniel's full time job is okay, but on the whole, cannot pay all the bills indefinitely. We are in the middle of buying a house also (solely on his income, not including mine)...the house, including utilities and such, will actually be cheaper than our rent! The house we are trying for also has a large greenhouse on the property! YAY for growing our own veggies! The building that I am renting out of is being quite generous about helping me as much as possible so that I'll be successful! I am thankful for Christian business partners who are generous and patient!
My mom and dad are helping me with some of the finances, and workers...Daddy literally said, "I will buy a beautiful espresso bar, but you have to teach me to barist!" I am going to train my father in the intricasies of a cappucino...did I mention I need prayer?! :-P I love my daddy!
So my matters of prayer are:
- legalities-pray that all the paperwork will go smoothly and quickly
- money- that I can start this business off RIGHT and that we are able to afford everything
- nerves- everybody gets tense in times like this, and I pray we are still a happy family for grand opening
- our testimony- I desperately want to be a godly example for the community through the cafe...Christian staff, high quality foods, not being a corrupt company that just wants to take advantage of the average person...going the extra mile!
- sanity- I don't want to give my whole life to the cafe, while neglecting the Lord and my husband. Pray I am able to prioritize and that the Lord provides the right people to help keep me sane!
If you know of anything restaurant or cafe related that I could buy, rent, or information I need to know, please let me know..every bit of information helps!
Thank you all for reading (and hopefully praying),
Becca H.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
In sickness without wealth...
So, as many of you know already, I was sick...from Sunday until today....I should be fine by tomorrow, as I can already feel that I'm on the mend as of early this afternoon.
I am RARELY sick....I mean RARELY! I often, (foolishly), boast that I "never get sick"....so this was somewhat humbling for me to not only be "sick" but have to miss church, Meal Day Mondays, and call out sick this morning from my courthouse job.
I burnt the candles at both ends for the last several months, often working 7 days a week, not getting enough sleep, doing things every night(Bible study, out with friends, game nights, choir, etc)....well, this past Saturday, I went to the Highland Games in Central Florida...it was a lovely time with Daniel and our friends....got to try haggis, etc...at 2am on Sunday morning, I woke up coughing, with a severe swollen throat, and a fever...So I am not going to blame the Highland Games, but my rather overcrowded schedule that I keep :-(
Anyways...I often have people ask me what I take when I am sick....there are some prerequisites for what I use: has to be inexpensive (we do not have insurance), has to be harmful for the pathogen, and helpful for the body. So here's my "go to" list of awesome, inexpensive, home remedies:
1. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar- it kills the bad bacteria-like in a sore throat/intestinal problem...but it also helps to alkalize the blood stream, which in turn, helps to keep your blood cells(both white and red) working properly...red won't release oxygen into other cells in the wrong pH and white blood cells deform into the wrong shape in the wrong pH and will not attack invading pathogens. Bacteria also do not survive in an alkaline blood stream, but do just fine in an acidic one! (I know, vinegar is acidic, but when it goes through your blood stream, it causes an alkaline reaction....biochemistry is a beautiful thing! Here's the type mentioned: Bragg's ACV It is now available at most grocery stores in the natural section! Heinz/store brand WILL NOT WORK! the "mother" or cloudiness in the vinegar is what has all the nutrients! The distilled stuff is great for cleaning, not for ingesting! here's a bunch of FAQ's for ACV :-) ACV FAQ's
To use: mix 2 tbsp of ACV with 2 tbsp of water and gargle several times a day....OR, you can drink it....at a different ratio....put 2-3 tablespoons of ACV, 1-2 teaspoons of local, raw, honey, and as much water as you need to fill you glass....drink it 3-4 times a day. (I do NOT use honey in mine, but I am quite accustomed to the flavor of ACV)
2. Zinc- zinc is very helpful to the immune system...here's a helpful link :zinc-cold and flu helper! This is the brand I use: Garden of Life Zinc I like this brand because it also has vitamin C in it! (it should also be available at your local health food store....for about 9 or 10 dollars. If not locally, online for about the same price)
3. Echinacea Goldenseal- Echinacea has been widely recognized for immune support for years and years! My mom gave it to me as a small child! You can get it as a tea, tincture, capsule, tablet....etc....I get it as a tablet with goldenseal, which has amazing sinus powers! I get them as tablets, but here is a link for the capsules: echincea goldenseal goodness...again, probably available at your local health food store! I also use the tea quite often(It tastes similar to peppermint tea...with a little raw honey, I have never heard of any harsh complaints...even when I was a kid I liked it enough!): awesomesauce tea Traditional Medicinals has a wide variety of teas for many different uses...I HIGHLY recommend them for any of your tea needs! My grocery store, even my Walmart now carries this tea! Very easy to get ahold of!
To be clear, I want to summarize that you probably spend 25+ dollars for your COPAY at a doctor's office...~10$ for zinc, ~5$ for the tea, and ~5$ for the ACV, so far...this is CHEAPER than going to the doctor!
4. Sleep- you MUST get some sleep...I couldn't breathe well last night, so I slept terribly...which made me feel awful this morning....I ended up crashing on the couch a few hours later...when my sinuses finally cleared(hint, I didn't take echinacea/goldenseal in the beginning....which I should have, but I couldn't find mine and money is super tight right now, so I couldn't go buy any, but never fear, I did find it yesterday...and have promtly taken quite a bit)
5. Lemon water- Hot, or cold, lemon water is pretty tasty, and very good for you! The acid helps with alkalizing just like the ACV does, bacteria REALLY don't like lemon very much....AND lemons are cheap! They are also high in vitamin C! (I recommend organic, fresh squeezed lemons for maximum nutrition. Conventional lemons often have lacquer on them, "food grade paint", wax, and an abundance of pesticides...organic lemons are pretty easy to get at almost any grocery store these days)
6. Tea- I love tea....anybody who knows me well, knows that I am a tea SNOB! I love my organic loose leaf teas, fair trade, etc....herbal, green, and black all have great healing properties (I might recommend getting decaf if sleeping is a problem right now)...personally, I like earl grey or assam black tea when I am sick. :-) But I often have mostly green tea around....:-) high antioxidants! WAHOO! And the caffeine helps the low energy levels that often are a result of illness.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
-1. Stay clear of DAIRY! I love my ice cream when I am sick...but I do not eat it during illness for many reasons....largely because it is a mucogen and inflammatory in nature. You do NOT was extra mucus or inflammation while you are sick...no bueno!
-2. SUGAR! And varieties therein! High fructose corn syrup lowers the immune system by like a gagillion(5 reasons to stop drinking soda)....sugar also causes a more acidic reaction in the blood stream(which remember, causes the blood cells to NOT work well....it also allows the bad bacteria an awesome food source to live on! We all know that sugar gives us energy...imagine what it does to sneaky pathogens!)
-3. Comfort foods....I know that the only thing you want to eat is comfort food when you're sick....or nothing at all. That's not good. You need to stay nourished! Eating easily digested, nutritious food is important! A good, homemade soup is probably the best bet! The nutrition from HOMEMADE soup is achieved from the BONES in the chicken! The marrow cooks out into the soup and gives your body lots of great nutrients! Also, the veggies give great support too! My mom used to make Italian wedding soup momma style! Homemade stock, organic spinach, little pastini, and meatballs(beef, turkey, chicken...or a mix of any or all three...whatever she had in the house :-) But, you have to make your own broth....the bones need to cook for several hours to get the full nutrition...if you feel like a cold is coming on, get your chicken(free-range/organic is best...local even better) before you are ill, and put it in the crock pot with filtered water over night....that way your stock is ready when you need it! Here's some chicken soup recipes.
-4. As much as soda will seem to help the stomach....it is the WORST thing you could possibly drink for your stomach...the HFCS will hurt the immune system drastically and "sugar-free" is just as bad if not worse!(Note: often flavored waters, Mio, and Crystal light have the same toxic makeup...these are not healthy alternatives) If you must have something "bubbly"...I would recommend Blue Sky soda or a variety of other natural sodas...even mixing some organic cherry, grape, blueberry, or pomegranate, etc. juice with club soda would be a better option. See the link under -2, if you need a reminder why not to drink soda!
This is all I got for now...sorry for such a long blog...I hope it was informative! :-D
Stay warm, healthy, and well fed!
Love,
Becca
I am RARELY sick....I mean RARELY! I often, (foolishly), boast that I "never get sick"....so this was somewhat humbling for me to not only be "sick" but have to miss church, Meal Day Mondays, and call out sick this morning from my courthouse job.
I burnt the candles at both ends for the last several months, often working 7 days a week, not getting enough sleep, doing things every night(Bible study, out with friends, game nights, choir, etc)....well, this past Saturday, I went to the Highland Games in Central Florida...it was a lovely time with Daniel and our friends....got to try haggis, etc...at 2am on Sunday morning, I woke up coughing, with a severe swollen throat, and a fever...So I am not going to blame the Highland Games, but my rather overcrowded schedule that I keep :-(
Anyways...I often have people ask me what I take when I am sick....there are some prerequisites for what I use: has to be inexpensive (we do not have insurance), has to be harmful for the pathogen, and helpful for the body. So here's my "go to" list of awesome, inexpensive, home remedies:
1. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar- it kills the bad bacteria-like in a sore throat/intestinal problem...but it also helps to alkalize the blood stream, which in turn, helps to keep your blood cells(both white and red) working properly...red won't release oxygen into other cells in the wrong pH and white blood cells deform into the wrong shape in the wrong pH and will not attack invading pathogens. Bacteria also do not survive in an alkaline blood stream, but do just fine in an acidic one! (I know, vinegar is acidic, but when it goes through your blood stream, it causes an alkaline reaction....biochemistry is a beautiful thing! Here's the type mentioned: Bragg's ACV It is now available at most grocery stores in the natural section! Heinz/store brand WILL NOT WORK! the "mother" or cloudiness in the vinegar is what has all the nutrients! The distilled stuff is great for cleaning, not for ingesting! here's a bunch of FAQ's for ACV :-) ACV FAQ's
To use: mix 2 tbsp of ACV with 2 tbsp of water and gargle several times a day....OR, you can drink it....at a different ratio....put 2-3 tablespoons of ACV, 1-2 teaspoons of local, raw, honey, and as much water as you need to fill you glass....drink it 3-4 times a day. (I do NOT use honey in mine, but I am quite accustomed to the flavor of ACV)
2. Zinc- zinc is very helpful to the immune system...here's a helpful link :zinc-cold and flu helper! This is the brand I use: Garden of Life Zinc I like this brand because it also has vitamin C in it! (it should also be available at your local health food store....for about 9 or 10 dollars. If not locally, online for about the same price)
3. Echinacea Goldenseal- Echinacea has been widely recognized for immune support for years and years! My mom gave it to me as a small child! You can get it as a tea, tincture, capsule, tablet....etc....I get it as a tablet with goldenseal, which has amazing sinus powers! I get them as tablets, but here is a link for the capsules: echincea goldenseal goodness...again, probably available at your local health food store! I also use the tea quite often(It tastes similar to peppermint tea...with a little raw honey, I have never heard of any harsh complaints...even when I was a kid I liked it enough!): awesomesauce tea Traditional Medicinals has a wide variety of teas for many different uses...I HIGHLY recommend them for any of your tea needs! My grocery store, even my Walmart now carries this tea! Very easy to get ahold of!
To be clear, I want to summarize that you probably spend 25+ dollars for your COPAY at a doctor's office...~10$ for zinc, ~5$ for the tea, and ~5$ for the ACV, so far...this is CHEAPER than going to the doctor!
4. Sleep- you MUST get some sleep...I couldn't breathe well last night, so I slept terribly...which made me feel awful this morning....I ended up crashing on the couch a few hours later...when my sinuses finally cleared(hint, I didn't take echinacea/goldenseal in the beginning....which I should have, but I couldn't find mine and money is super tight right now, so I couldn't go buy any, but never fear, I did find it yesterday...and have promtly taken quite a bit)
5. Lemon water- Hot, or cold, lemon water is pretty tasty, and very good for you! The acid helps with alkalizing just like the ACV does, bacteria REALLY don't like lemon very much....AND lemons are cheap! They are also high in vitamin C! (I recommend organic, fresh squeezed lemons for maximum nutrition. Conventional lemons often have lacquer on them, "food grade paint", wax, and an abundance of pesticides...organic lemons are pretty easy to get at almost any grocery store these days)
6. Tea- I love tea....anybody who knows me well, knows that I am a tea SNOB! I love my organic loose leaf teas, fair trade, etc....herbal, green, and black all have great healing properties (I might recommend getting decaf if sleeping is a problem right now)...personally, I like earl grey or assam black tea when I am sick. :-) But I often have mostly green tea around....:-) high antioxidants! WAHOO! And the caffeine helps the low energy levels that often are a result of illness.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
-1. Stay clear of DAIRY! I love my ice cream when I am sick...but I do not eat it during illness for many reasons....largely because it is a mucogen and inflammatory in nature. You do NOT was extra mucus or inflammation while you are sick...no bueno!
-2. SUGAR! And varieties therein! High fructose corn syrup lowers the immune system by like a gagillion(5 reasons to stop drinking soda)....sugar also causes a more acidic reaction in the blood stream(which remember, causes the blood cells to NOT work well....it also allows the bad bacteria an awesome food source to live on! We all know that sugar gives us energy...imagine what it does to sneaky pathogens!)
-3. Comfort foods....I know that the only thing you want to eat is comfort food when you're sick....or nothing at all. That's not good. You need to stay nourished! Eating easily digested, nutritious food is important! A good, homemade soup is probably the best bet! The nutrition from HOMEMADE soup is achieved from the BONES in the chicken! The marrow cooks out into the soup and gives your body lots of great nutrients! Also, the veggies give great support too! My mom used to make Italian wedding soup momma style! Homemade stock, organic spinach, little pastini, and meatballs(beef, turkey, chicken...or a mix of any or all three...whatever she had in the house :-) But, you have to make your own broth....the bones need to cook for several hours to get the full nutrition...if you feel like a cold is coming on, get your chicken(free-range/organic is best...local even better) before you are ill, and put it in the crock pot with filtered water over night....that way your stock is ready when you need it! Here's some chicken soup recipes.
-4. As much as soda will seem to help the stomach....it is the WORST thing you could possibly drink for your stomach...the HFCS will hurt the immune system drastically and "sugar-free" is just as bad if not worse!(Note: often flavored waters, Mio, and Crystal light have the same toxic makeup...these are not healthy alternatives) If you must have something "bubbly"...I would recommend Blue Sky soda or a variety of other natural sodas...even mixing some organic cherry, grape, blueberry, or pomegranate, etc. juice with club soda would be a better option. See the link under -2, if you need a reminder why not to drink soda!
This is all I got for now...sorry for such a long blog...I hope it was informative! :-D
Stay warm, healthy, and well fed!
Love,
Becca
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)