My Family’s New Outlook on Christmas

I felt compelled to share this because I have gotten some dirty looks when people find out that my kids don’t believe in Santa. I am a little surprised that it actually offends people that we don’t make our kids believe in him.

I grew up believing in Santa. It was fun. I also remember it still being fun after I found out he wasn’t real. What I have come to realize is that my family doesn’t need Santa.

My oldest child is 8. We did the Santa thing every year until now. No one told him Santa isn’t real, he just knows. I really feel like it’s because we’ve always tried to make Christmas more about Jesus than Santa. So, we’ve decided this year to omit Santa from our family Christmas. I have a 3 and 4 year old who know Santa when they see his face on TV, in books or inside the mall but they know he’s just a story. What is REAL to my kids is the story of Jesus. They know that the greatest gift of all does not come Christmas morning from Santa or mommy and daddy. All 3 of my boys know that Jesus is the one true gift. Do they still want every toy they see advertised for Christmas? Of course! They are kids.

We will continue to lay the foundation of Jesus in our home with our children.

Now, none of this means that I will turn my nose up at families who leave milk and cookies for Santa. Or families who have that cute little elf doing mischievous things at nighttime. I think these things are fun for kids! But I also do not feel like my kids are missing out on the fun either. My kids have lots of fun. We are creating our own traditions with our kids. I pray that they will carry these traditions on with their families. If they choose to have Santa a part of their family one day, so be it. But I pray that they will have the foundation of Christ in their home as well. That is most important to me. That we teach our kids to love Christ more than what this world offers. I truly believe that we are choosing to let the influence of the world overshadow what really matters. Santa doesn’t matter when you consider eternity. Nothing matters, except the Gospel of Jesus. I heard someone say recently that somebody they knew was doing elf on a shelf and Santa in their home but they were incorporating Jesus as well. Since when are we supposed to incorporate Jesus? Isn’t it ALL supposed to be about Jesus?

So, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, stop for a moment and assess what really matters. My prayer is that everyone will make this Christmas season all about the ONE true King. I pray that if you have Santa as part of your family Christmas, that you will take the time to teach your children that Jesus is more important than the gifts that Santa brings.

And unlike Santa, who has a naughty and nice list, GOD does not. God loves us unconditionally. GOD IS SOVEREIGN. Teach your children that.

Merry CHRISTmas!!

Mean, Green, Cleaning Machine!!

Okay, not really "mean". But green cleaning is the topic here! I have cleaned out my medicine cabinet slowly over the past couple years and then last year I decided to start working on my cleaning closet. This is what it consisted of(and I still have a few of these items lurking around): Lysol wipes, Lysol liquid, Comet, Tilex, Clorox, All free and clear(laundry), Shout or Zout, Lysol disinfectant spray, Dawn(still using), Palmolive dishwasher detergent(still using), some kind of strong toilet bowl cleaner(usually whatever was on sale or I had a coupon for), scrubbing bubbles, Mr clean, windex. whew. all those chemicals. oh yeah, I forgot the infamous Oxiclean. So, why get rid of these? well, I will repost what I posted on facebook today. This came out of my doTERRA Living magazine, A study published in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review says that 25 best selling cleaning and personal-hygiene products emit an average of 17 chemicals each. Researchers analyzed 25 popular fragranced products, including air freshners, deodorizers, cleaners, all purpose sprays, and disinfectants. some of these volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are classified as probable carcinogens with no safe exposure level, according to the EPA. Also, virtually none of the VOCs emitted from the products were listed on any product label or material safety data sheet. Even more concerning, about half of the products made some claim of being "organic", "natural", or "non toxic".
Um?? hello?? we think we are doing right by cleaning our houses with these chemicals and these things are actually very toxic and hazardous and are probably slowly killing everyone..ok, that's dramatic..but is it true?? well, I dont want to find out. I want to use what's natural, what God gave us, I want my cleaners to come out of the earth, from plants. I want it to not burn my eyes or my lungs for that matter when I clean with it. So, I have compiled lots of different ideas, tips and recipes. I did not come up with all of these, most of them are coming from my doTERRA magazine. they are fabulous and I cant wait to try them! One thing I will share is that I have yet to find a suitable dishwasher detergent that is all natural. I have tried vinegar and soap nuts and they just dont work. If anyone has found anything or concocted anything, let me know! The first thing I want to tell you about is doTERRA's hand soap. It is amazing

There is a study out there, and I will post it later, but it talks about how antibacterial soaps are NOT what you should be using! More on that later.

My next thing will be my laundry detergent. I have a fabulous friend who makes her own detergent. its amazing and she uses cloth diapers so you know this stuff is good if its working on those cloth diapers. She has great prices too. Visit her etsy site: www.myposhnest.etsy.com

Okay, I have found that vinegar is a wonderful alternative to windex. Just buy white distilled vinegar and pour it straight into a spray bottle. don't even dilute it. It cleans everything!! However, everything smelling of vinegar isn't very appealing if you are having company. So, here's a cleaner I just concocted today. I have no idea what the shelf life will be, but I will probably be keeping it in the fridge. I took Borax(tablespoon) and mixed it with real fresh juice from a lemon. I juiced it in my juicer and added distilled water to it in a spray bottle. You could do the same thing with doTERRA's Lemon Oil. that is what I will do next, I was just playing with my juicer today:) I have cleaned all my counters, my kitchen sink, my stove top, my table and my kids toilet and bathroom counter with it (yes tonight) and it worked wonderfully. Another good way to disinfect in the bathroom is layering the vinegar I talked about with hydrogen peroxide. do not dilute either one and do not mix them in the same bottle, they do not have same effectiveness as layering them. I also love Soap Nuts. These things can be used for just about anything. I made a liquid solution and have cleaned counters and bathrooms and such, it's just another all natural alternative:

Ok, so now I will move into some of the recipes in doTERRA's Living magazine. I am so super stoked to try the wipes recipe!!

Toilet Bowl cleaner: add these directly to a partially drained bowl:

1/2 cup baking soda

10 drops melaleuca(tea tree) essential oil

1/4 cup vinegar

this recipe is not meant to be mixed up and stored in a bottle.

All Purpose Spray: add these ingredients to a spray bottle, shake thoroughly

1/4 cup vinegar

2 cups water

30 drops of one of the following combos: 15 drops each of lemon and lavender, 10 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, and wild orange, or 30 drops of On Guard blend

tip: use a glass spray bottle

Floor Cleaner: combine in a large bucket, use mop

1 gallon hot water

2 tablespoons liquid castile soap

15 drops wild orange essential oil

8 drops lemon essential oil

Soft Scrub for bath, tile and toilet: Make is small batches, store in air tight container

3/4 rounded cup baking soda

1/4 cup castile soap

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon vinegar

5-10 drops lemon essential oil

combine soda and soap first, add water and stir, then add vinegar and oil, should be pastey

Homemade Wipes:

1 roll of premium paper towels(I like the soft thick ones)

2 cups warm water

Airtight storage container(like a baby wipe container)

2 tablespoons fractionated coconut oil(available from doTERRA)

Essential oils: sanitizing wipes: 3 drops On Guard blend, 3 drops lemon oil, 1-2 tablespoons On Guard foaming handwash(pictured above) for a baby wipe: 3 drops lavender and 3 drops melaleuca(tea tree)

Cut paper towels in half widthwise with a serrated knife. use half the roll now, half later. pour the mixture over the paper towels and then cover with the airtight storage lid letting the mixture absorb for 10 minutes. turn the container over and let sit for another 10 min. remove and discard the cardboard middle and then when ready to use pull wipes from center.

I know there's more recipes out there, so feel free to post your favorite!! I am finding that I love Borax. it is natural but is also toxic if ingested, so be careful. its great as an insect repellant too. It's good stuff and very versatile. If you are interested in doTerra, visit my website, browse around and if you want to make a purchase, email me and I will let you know how you can get those products at wholesale prices(25%) http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/leahsox/

Please read if you drink Diet Sodas!

I wanted to blog about artificial sweetners because I know so many people who drink diet soda and it scares me. I have joked with friends about it being poison, but it really is. It's probably one of the worst things you could be consuming regularly. And I know people arent just consuming it through diet sodas. You see more and more products now that are sweetened with aspartame or splenda. Especially those flavored powders people put in their bottled water, and even gum! Almost every single pack of gum you pull off the shelf has aspartame in it!! I know you have heard over and over about how bad aspartame is for you, but I am going to post a few things about it. First of all, in 2010, 927 million cases of Diet Coke were sold and 892 million cases of Diet Pepsi were sold. HOLY MOLY! that's way too much soda consumption!! The University of Texas presented some research to the American Diabetic Association. they followed 474 diet soda drinkers for 10 years, and guess what they discovered? their waists grew 70% more than regular soda drinkers!! and that was despite regular exercise and healthy eating. Another study done by the same research team suggested this:

"These results are consistent with data from community-based epidemiologic studies in which the consumption of diet sodas was shown to be associated with increased incidence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. They suggest that aspartame exposure may in fact directly contribute to increased blood glucose levels, and thus may contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans."

 The above study was conducted on lab rats.
Artificial sweetners do NOT trick your brain into thinking its getting sugar or satisfying that sweet craving. Your brain knows the difference in real sugar and artificial sugar. So, if you're brain doesn't get satisfied, what do you think is going to happen? well if you didnt conclude it yourself..if your brain doesn't satisfy that sweet craving with real sugar, it's going to continue to crave, thus causing you to eat more sweets even after having that diet soda.
OK, so do you think you are doing better because you choose Splenda instead? NOPE!! One thing I found out when I was studying this topic, is that Splenda was never proven safe for human consumption!!! What?! If you would like more info on that, send me a message or post a comment and i would be happy to share. I wanted to post a few facts about Splenda: It reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50% and this good bacteria is essential to our overall health. It also increases the pH level in our intestines.
Here's some common side effects of Splenda that have been reported: Gastrointestinal problems, migraines, seizures, dizziness, blurred vision, allergic reactions, blood sugar increase, weight gain. You can learn more about Splenda at http://www.thetruthaboutsplenda.com/
So, basically, when you drink diet drinks, your brain doesn't get satisfied, thus creating a craving for more sweets. My next blog will take you through how to deal with your cravings. And let me just say, if you drink diet soda on a regular basis....QUIT!! you are most likely addicted so it may take you a while to come off of them. Let me know if you would like my help through that process.

Crowding Out

One thing I have been taught while studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition: how to crowd out. Let me explain...How many times have you tried to diet? How many times have you failed? Do you think it could be because you eliminated nearly everything you enjoy from your diet? You can't take everything you enjoy away, you'll be miserable. But if your diet consists of mostly processed sugary junk..you can learn how to "crowd out" You just need to add healthy items to your daily diet and slowly crowd out the unhealthy. it doesnt have to be drastic, unless you feel like you would do better with a drastic change. But I recommend keeping a few things that you really like. You can treat yourself once a week or so with these items and it will help you stay focused and on track. So, I have had to crowd out too. I started extremely slow and now have realized that it was time to be drastic. these are some things that have always been in my cabinets: marshmallows, poptarts, pudding, cheezits, goldfish, fruit cups, instant oatmeal, and fruit snacks. My toddlers used to drink apple juice most of the day. I have replaced these items with this: grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, apples, organic yogurt, granola, dried berries,  Annie's homegrown cheese bunnies(found at Target) also found graham cracker type bunnies made by Annie's. I have also replaced my kids apple juice with organic flavored teas and sweeten them with either honey or agave nectar. I stopped buying capri suns for my 7 year old. Now, you may think this is harsh on my kids that I am keeping them from enjoying anything. But I am not going to keep them from enjoying certain things. Yes, we will make a batch of brownies every now and then and yes, we will have birthday cake. I will let them have whatever is given out at church. I will not let my child sit and watch other kids get treats. I think that is wrong. But I am trying to replace the bad with good. I know its hard to do this when you are on a tight budget, but as soon as you stop spending money on the processed junk, you will be able to afford the good stuff. you just have to budget and watch for sales. If you really want to do it, you can. I promise.
If you would like to schedule a practice health history consultation to help me out with school, please email me at leahsox@gmail.com I will email you the information for you to fill out and email back and then we'll have a phone conversation that should last about 45 minutes. I can start seeing clients very soon... getting excited!!

29,000 Somali children under 5 dead in famine

Um?? America gets fatter every day and there are thousands and thousands of children dying in other parts of the world. Which makes me ask myself...why am I not satisfied? Why do we feel like we have to have these "comfort foods" or as a matter of fact I am going to take this down a different road, why do we always have to be comfortable period? Most of us are never satisfied with what we have, whether its the food in the cabinets or the house that we are living in. Or the car that we drive. Or, the clothes we wear. I am no saint..we have had our house up for sale for a long time, too long...why do we want to sell it? well, we say its because we are outgrowing our house. we are a family of 5. we have 3 growing boys...we need more space...but, do we? why do we want more space, so we can be separated from each other? When a dear friend told me the other day that she lives in a house with 3 bedrooms and she has 4 children..(3 of her boys share a room) she didnt say it like it was a burden to live like that...she said it with a look of pure happiness on her face..like that was what her life was supposed to be like. and i thought...wow...why don't I just appreciate what God has given me? Will He bless me with more if I dont feel satisfied and content with what He's given me now? I am not saying I will take that for sale sign out of the yard just yet, but I know that I will rethink my prayers from now on. And on the top of my prayer list right now will be Somalia. I feel so helpless sitting over here with all that junk in my kitchen and those children are dying! Sure puts a new perspective on things. Good night! Praise God for the blessings in my life!!!

Blood Types

First let me start off by saying that basing your diet soley off your blood type is not what they teach at the school I am attending. The Blood Type Diet is a dietary theory. And remember, not every diet is one size fits all. However, I totally believe that your blood type can have an affect on certain things that you can and cannot eat or may have a difficult time digesting. I will type in this post what I have learned about blood types while attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. you take it how you want it, just remember, I am not encouraging anyone to base their entire way of eating off this dietary theory.
Type O: Dr. Peter D'Adamo maintains that modern people with this blood type function best on a meat centered diet. and have a hard time metabolizing wheat and dairy. The founder of my school that people with this blood type don't necessarily need as much protein as Dr. D'Adamo claims and that too much protein could lead to serious health issues. Type O's tend to do better eating brown rice, millet, quinoa and amaranth.
Type A: function best on a plant based diet.
Type B: better able to consume dairy (also balance plant and animal foods)
Type AB: can be highly sensitive and can tolerate a mixed diet in moderation

This is not in detail, but it shouldn't be. I do not want anyone to think that I am suggesting just this diet alone. But at least you can see that your blood type plays a role in what your body may or may not be able to handle. think about what you eat and how well you digest food. for me, it rang true. it may or may not for you. Leave me a comment if you agree or disagree or have any similarities to this theory.

Why I choose not to eat Meat

Warning! I will talk about poop in this blog entry:) if you don't like that, then stop reading please. LOL. I just wanted to share the reasons why I became a vegetarian. One of my dearest friends let me borrow a book called Skinny Bitch...yes, the title is bad and yes, the book is horrible as far as language. but, it is full of good information. the girls that wrote the book are actually hard core vegans, which means they eat nothing that comes from an animal..no dairy, no meat. When I read the book, what really made me want to stop eating meat was the information they give you on what meat does in your colon. It doesn't move very fast through our digestive track. so, I started doing some research and I found: as soon as an animal is killed, putrefaction begins. freezing the meat stops the putrefaction process but as soon as its unthawed, it starts again. It can take 3-5 days to digest meat and in the elderly, 2 weeks! if you eat meat on a regular basis, your intestines are never clear and it putrefies in your colon. I could go on and on about what this causes but I need to stop and add this: being a vegetarian is not for everyone. I do not try to convince people to quit eating meat just because I choose not to eat meat. Not too long after I stopped eating meat I discovered that certain blood types thrive on a vegetarian diet, and I am one of those people. Here's a more personal reason: I have never been "regular". I would go to one extreme to the other with my poop (hehe) One week I would be constipated and the next week I would have to make sure I was close to a restroom for several hours. Once I stopped eating meat, this irregularity was cured. amazing!!! Most people want to know where I get my protein. well here's some research I would like to share: the body manufactures protein from just about any food and that we can not be lacking protein unless we stop eating or were malnourished. This is confirmed by research done in 1957 (Rose, W. "The amino acid requirements of adult man" - Nutritional abstracts and reviews) confirming that nearly all the complex carbohydrates, such as those in whole grains, beans or potatoes, have amino acid profile adequate for human protein needs. these are also high in protein: Peas, lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, fish, tofu, green grapes, iceberg lettuce, collards and kale. I just recently chose to add fish back into my diet. Yes, I am one of "those" I call myself a vegetarian but I eat fish. Whatever, who cares, I feel better!! One thing I should be taking is B12. I haven't forced myself to take it yet, and I need to. I do not miss meat and i do not have a hard time finding things to eat. I cook meat for my family because they want to eat it and I do not believe my husband would thrive on a vegetarian diet. SO, feel free to ask me any questions you want.