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- 1-2 pounds of ground meat (beef, lamb, or pork)
- Potatoes (one per person)
- 1 package of frozen vegetables
- Herbs and spices to taste
- Brown the meat in a skillet.
- Add potatoes and cook until they’re tender.
- Toss in the vegetables and your choice of herbs and spices.
- Stir well and serve!
- 1-2 pounds of ground meat (beef, lamb, or pork)
- 1 package of frozen vegetables
- Herbs and spices (Bragg Liquid Aminos is a great addition)
- Cooked rice (use a rice cooker for faster cooking and convenience)
- Brown the meat in a pan.
- Add vegetables and seasonings, then stir well.
- Serve over a bed of rice.
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Whoever said “sleep like a baby,” obviously never had a baby, especially at night. There has to be some way to help kids sleep better, so you (the parent who is up at all hours with them) can sleep too. Right? Yes there are some things you can do. Keep reading for tips from one momma to another.
Routine is key for kids, especially bedtime. This routine can start very young too, like months old young. Here’s the key, it is not necessarily the time that is important to the routine, it is what you do. Time helps kids to get enough hours of sleep, but what is done helps them fall asleep. Be consistent.
Go through what all you do to get them ready for bed: bath, pjs, teeth, stories, prayers, oils, cuddles, rocking, good night kisses. Then figure out what is the best order for you to do them in. For our house it is the older child gets their pjs on, while mom fills the diffusers and changes the last diaper before bed. Then we come together to brush teeth, apply our oils, and read our bedtime stories. The older is then tucked into bed while the younger is taken out of the room to be rocked and cuddled to sleep. They know the order and it helps them prepare for bed, no matter how much they don’t want to go to bed.
For the light sleeping children a sound machine can help immensely to hide the sudden night noises. Something that plays soft music, or nature sounds that is not distracting, but just enough noise, that a sudden dog barking doesn’t wake the child up.
For children who struggle to stay still, but like tight spaces and cuddles, a weighted blanket may help if they already like blankets. Weighted blankets offer physical pressure in the form of proprioceptive and tactile input (input through the skin and the feeling of touch). This type of input is incredibly calming for most children. The weighted blanket acts like a huge hug that comforts them. You can find weighted blankets anywhere from 5 to 30 pounds. Proper weight guidelines for a weighted blanket is 10% of your body weight.
My favorite tip that helps my kids sleep better, is to diffuse essential oils in their room. I start the diffuser at the beginning of our routine and it helps set the mood to calm down and ease into sleep. Watch your oil sources here. Walmart essential oils is not going to cut it. Those are NOT pure essential oils contrary to what the label says. FDA does not regulate the essential oils well, so a bottle with even ONE drop of pure essential oil, and the rest filler and chemical, and still be labeled pure. I only trust the company with the Seed to Seal Promise (you can check out more about that here).
My favorite oils for my kids are Gentle baby, Peace and Calm, Cedarwood, White Angelica, Lavender, Sleeplyze, and Geneyus. If one of them is struggling with calming down I will often apply one small drop of Sleepylze or Geneyus to the top of their head and gently massage it in.
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As adults we all seem to struggle with sleep occasionally. However, sometimes those short spells seem to go on forever. How do you help yourself get a good night's sleep?
The first thing you can do for yourself, is to keep your own routine. Routine is stressed for kids, but as adults we also benefit from a bedtime routine. Routine helps your body and brain recognize that it is time to wind down and get ready for sleep. As busy parents, often this routine is interrupted by kids needing things or that last minute calls you forgot about. A loose routine is good to get started anyway.
As part of your routine, start putting the devices (phones/tablets/computers) down earlier. The blue light that is emitted from these devices tells our brains to wake up, instead of allowing the brain to start slowing down for sleep. Similar to how daylight signals wake up, but darkness signals sleep. One thing that really helped me recently was to start keeping my phone out of my room. Even though it was on DO NOT DISTURB, it would still keep me up. Or I would be constantly checking on that one thing I forgot about and never go to sleep.
When you are really struggling to wind down, you can drink a warm tea of lavender or valerian. Both of these herbs help to calm the mind and body, which allows you to begin the process of sleeping. My favorite premixed blend is Get Relaxed tea, by The Republic of Tea.
If you are struggling with stress or anxiety that will not let your mind rest, magnesium CALM powder often gives the body what it needs to relax. Stress depletes your body of magnesium, which can trigger more stress or anxiety. By giving your body the magnesium it is lacking it can naturally break the cycle and allow your brain to calm and sleep.
In the bedroom, adjusting the environment can help you sleep better. Cooler room temperatures can help you sleep better. The cooler temperature helps to signal your body it is time to sleep. Your body's temperature naturally drops at night, which is why your metabolism rate slows down at night and you spend less energy.
Weighted blankets can help calm you down and let you sleep. You can even find them with cooling cells so you don’t get as hot. You can find weighted blankets anywhere from 5 to 30 pounds. Proper weight guidelines for a weighted blanket is 10% of your body weight. I love cooling the room down and piling the quilts on for the weight that cuddles me in.
Having a properly fitted pillow is near essential for a good night’s sleep. Having your neck and spine aligned helps you to sleep well and wake refreshed, without the sore muscles and achy joints.
My final tip for a good night's sleep is diffusing essential oils. Watch your oil sources here. Walmart essential oils is not going to cut it. Those are NOT pure essential oils contrary to what the label says. FDA does not regulate the essential oils well, so a bottle with even ONE drop of pure essential oil, and the rest filler and chemical, and still be labeled pure. I only trust the company with the Seed to Seal Promise (you can check out more about that here). My favorite oils for diffusing at night are Lavender, Cedarwood, Bergamot, Peace and Calming, and Stress Away. I will often mix 3 drops of Cedarwood, bergamot and Stress Away and turn the diffuser on low 20 minutes before bed so the room is full of the oils.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
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Everyone wants better health, but what are some affordable first steps? Keep reading and I’ll give you my simple, easy tips. Best part? They can actually help you save your hard earned dollar too!
First thing to cut is the sugary drinks. Pop is one of the worst offenders. A 16 oz of coke has 44g of sugar and it’s usually not even raw sugar. Much of the pop in America is actually High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The body processes HFCS differently, absorbing it quicker and readily into the muscles. Gatorade has quite a bit of sugar as well, with 36g in a 20 oz. One cup of juice is 23g of sugar! Even most juices, even no sugar added, are loaded with sugar. Yes fruit is good for you. The problem with juices is none of the fiber or phytonutrients are in juice like they are in fresh fruit.
Why is sugar bad? Sugar gives the body quick energy with a massive crash when it runs out. This starts a crazy roller coaster cycle trying to keep your energy levels up. Sugar also fights the body’s immune system instead of helping, and increases the inflammation in the body. This makes you more susceptible to disease and have a general ache all over.
So what can I drink? Water. The occasional no sugar added juice is ok, but consumed with extreme moderation. If you are needing some flavor opt for fresh fruit slices soaked in the water. Or vitality essential oils like lemon, orange, or lime work well too. One drop does a 32 oz yeti. Just make sure you are drinking out of glass or stainless steel, as essential oils break down the synthetics in plastic bottles.
The second thing you can eliminate from your diet is highly processed foods. These include boxed dinners, canned fruits and vegetables, and foods with extra filler ingredients. Become a chronic label reader. If there are ingredients you are unfamiliar with, look them up. Avoid sugar substitutes, high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, Aspartame, sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, yeast extract, and dyes.
Replace your processed foods with whole raw foods, as you use them up. Start by going through your current foods and looking up the ingredients you don’t recognize. If they have unhealthy ingredients out an X through the box and replace it with something better when you go shopping.
Third, caffeine. Yep I’m coming for your coffee and pop again. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cup of coffee. However, excessive use of caffeine can have long term health effects. Caffeine is a stimulant and increases heart rate and blood pressure. Caffeine also gives the same roller coaster up and crashes as sugar.
Replace your constant caffeine flow with water. If you need the extra boost Ningxia Red or Ningxia nitro are my favorites for that energy boost. Ningxia is a fruit purée instead of just a juice. Meaning not only does it have the vitamin and minerals, but also the fiber, giving you a long lasting boost without the crash. Nitro is loaded with ribose, a key ingredient in ATP, your body's main energy source.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
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Have you looked at the back of those taco seasoning packets lately? One I recently looked at contained: Corn starch, maltodextrin, vegetable oil, silicon dioxide, citric acid, sugar, flavor. Many flavor packets also have MSG (mono-sodium glutamate). That’s not even the spices that just fillers! What is up with all that?!
Corn starch was ok. Citric acid and sugar I understood for preserving. But why the vegetable oil, silicon dioxide, and maltodextrin? MSG is a flavor enhancer that gets you addicted to the food. That pop, McDonald’s fries or ice cream you can’t put down? Yep there is MSG in there. MSG also can be an allergen for some.
I was not ok with that. I didn’t even realize how much filler was in food seasoning until I started reading labels looking for food allergens. You would be surprised how much gluten and soy are in.
The good news is I found a simple way to make taco seasoning at home without all the extra. Bonus is it has spices that are usually in the kitchen anyway. I mix it up in a batch about the size of the jar in the picture and use as we cook. We love tacos and Mexican food at our house, so it has never been old enough to begin caking. Just shake the jar before use and apply as much as desired.
For this recipe you will want to store it in an airtight glass jar. This will prevent it from caking better, especially if your spices live near the stove like mine. I can put two batches in my jar, but I layer them in so mixing is easier. I also add a little extra cumin, because my family likes it.
Taco Seasoning
1 T chili powder
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¼ t oregano
½ t paprika
1 ½ t cumin
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
¼ t crushed red pepper
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No one said birth was ever easy, but what about when things go far from planned or expected? Birth trauma doesn't happen to the baby, it can happen to momma too. Birth trauma isn’t always physical, like birth injury, many times it is emotional. According to pregnancybirthbaby.org:
“Birth trauma is distress experienced by a mother during or after childbirth. While trauma can be physical (see Birth injury), it is often emotional and psychological.
Birth trauma is not just about what happened during labour and the birth. It can also refer to how you, as the mother, are left feeling afterwards. Sometimes the effects of birth trauma can emerge, and continue for, some time after you’ve given birth.”
This is not talked about enough. Birth trauma is something that I had not even heard of, until after I found myself faced by a birth that did not go as planned at all. I found myself doubting everything I knew, anxious, and in physical pain for months that doctors kept telling me was ‘normal’. So I started digging and finding a path to healing, because this ‘normal’ they spoke of was affecting my entire life and my ability to do the job I loved.
It took me almost 2 full years of digging, researching, reading, working with different professionals, and wrestling within, but I found a path to healing from the trauma. There is hope, there is redemption, there is healing, and I want to help you find your way, without taking the 2 years I did. I created a group and course for those who are hurting, or disappointed from their birth experience. You are not alone and do not have to walk through healing alone.
I have been there and want to help you move into redemption and healing. There is hope. There is a path forward. Join the course now can
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So what is preeclampsia? Preeclampsia is known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia. It usually develops late in pregnancy, after the 20 week mark. Preeclampsia is characterized by sudden onset of high blood pressure, excessive swelling and protein in the urine. If left untreated it can progress into eclampsia, which can involve seizures.
Guess what? I was 24, carrying one baby, with low blood pressure and no health issues. What was my problem?!?! Why did I, of all people, develop preeclampsia? Was it something I did or didn’t do? Why could no one tell me about it? So I started digging and discovered some shocking information that made a huge difference in my next pregnancy.
I am not a doctor, but I am a mother who has had preeclampsia with my first pregnancy and turned around and rocked my second pregnancy without the aspirin and avoided preeclampsia. I was to help you avoid preeclampsia like I did, so you don’t have to take the steep learning curve I did.
My course is full of the tips and tricks I learned in my journey, so you don’t have to do all the research and guess and check. I am NOT a doctor! I am simply a momma who found a natural path to a serious problem.
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My first pregnancy I went with the flow. After having a miscarriage shortly before, I wanted to make sure this one was healthy. I trusted my doctor and did whatever she advised not thinking to question her opinion or ask questions. I went with a local doctor that was close, because that’s what you do, right?
I should have done a lot more research and asked more questions. Had I done that, I would have had a completely different experience. However, I would not be the person I am today, nor have been on my unique healing journey.
That first birth set me on a path of self-advocacy and learning about the depths of healing. It taught me how interconnected the physical and emotional body is.
My next pregnancy, I was ready and made sure I knew the questions to ask and how to advocate for myself. I wanted the healthiest, natural pregnancy and birth possible. This time I dug in and figured out the questions. I figured out what I needed to do to keep myself healthy. I poured over books and studies looking for the most practical advice and useful tips.
The best part I created a course just for you. So you don’t have to do the research. As a busy mom I know time is short and valuable so I’m here to help make your life easier. This quick course will give you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
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For in depth reading on midwife history and natural birth check out Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. This is a brief summary of different childbirth providers.
Midwives specialize in normal pregnancy and birth. Individualized care, focusing on minimizing use of obstetrical intervention. Midwifery is associated with fewer episiotomies, forceps and vacuum-extractor deliveries, epidurals, and cesarean sections. They are trained to identify the small percentage of births which complications develop and refer these women to obstetricians. There are several types of midwives:
Certified nurse midwives (CNM) - These are registered nurses who have completed additional postgraduate training at an accredited institution by the American College of Nurse - Midwives (ACNM).
Direct entry - Any midwife who did not become a registered nurse in the midwife training process.
Certified professional Midwife- certified by the North American Registry of Midwives
Certified Midwives - certified by the ACC (credentialing arm of ACNM)
Licensed Midwives - licensed by the state to practice.
Lay Midwife - a midwife who learned through apprenticeship and not formal schooling. This does NOT mean UNTRAINED.
Family doctors most prevalent in rural areas. May not have surgical privileges and refer to an obstetrician if c-section is necessary. Tend to have lower rates of intervention than obstetricians
Obstetricians (OBGYN) doctors who specialize in obstetrics. They are trained on detecting and treating the pathological problems of pregnancy, labor and birth. They are surgeons and can perform cesarean sections, forceps and vacuum-extractor birth. They outnumber family doctors and midwives in north American due to the past dominance over the other two professions. They design most hospital maternity rules and routines.
Home births are usually attended by some kind of direct entry or lay midwife. Birth centers have all kinds of midwives, depending on the state regulations. CNM’s are usually found within hospital settings. Family doctors and obstetricians work within hospitals.
Depending on where you live will often determine who is available to you as a provider. As with any provider, interview them before you commit to them in pregnancy. It will make a huge difference in your pregnancy.
For more on a Health Natural Pregnancy I have a whole course with all the details. https://getoiling.com/CassandraRow/landing/naturally-healthy-birth
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Soon after I was pregnant again! I was physically ready, but emotionally so unsure and afraid of losing this baby. I used the tools I had learned to help my body support the pregnancy, and my mind from spinning out of control with what ifs. That baby turned into a healthy baby girl, strong willed from the start. But the last trimester of her pregnancy was far from great. I was easily dehydrated, peed all the time, and ended with preeclampsia and an emergency c-section. Not the pregnancy or birth I envisioned.
It took over a year of me searching for the right help and healing before I was physically no longer in pain from that birth. Then another few months wrestling with God, on how to finish the healing process. How can You redeem and fix something like that? We finally came to the agreement that He knew better than I and could see the big picture. I prayed “God when You know I am ready, open my womb. Until then keep it closed.” He answered, with the pregnancy of our boy that fall. The difference between the two pregnancies was stark from the go. My girl’s pregnancy was riddled with anxiety and doubts. My boy’s pregnancy was filled with peace and grace. The end was still far from easy, PUPPS rash, but God healed and redeemed my little girl’s birth through my son’s.
During that time of healing, I did a lot of learning and researching. I learned how to listen to my body, and how to build it up. I learned to advocate for myself and my kids. I learned to pray, research, and find all possibilities for every decision. I learned to do the best I can with the knowledge I have, and to give myself grace and forgiveness for when I didn’t know. I learned to keep digging until I have the real answer, not just the symptom.
I love teaching others what I have learned the hard way. Every momma needs some help right? Everyone should be thriving, not just surviving. I love helping others find a different way to their answers, and thriving.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
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