Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Days 3-4 Missed Post

Yesterday was quite busy, and I ended up exhausted. I believe it was mostly due to the fact I worried so much over T's lumps in his neck, but they turned out to be swollen lymph nodes, and he has them everywhere. The doctor thought they could be in reaction to his allergies and that they should go back to normal as his allergies subside. We will see.

I also started this 30 Days to Yelling less Challenge by The Orange Rhino. I'm really excited about it, and what I've already learned about myself by paying attention to the things that set me off. I realize I yell mostly when I'm getting annoyed, as well as when one of my kids is in danger or just won't leave the other one alone. I'm trying to allow them to handle situations by themselves a little more, but still feel the need to step in at times when the older one is picking on the younger - who is still just 19 months old. He can hold his own for the most part, but T is still bigger at this point.

That's enough for this morning. :)

Monday, June 3, 2013

Day 2

There are so many things for me to write about, really. I began to think about it, and every direction I turned in my mind I came up with more to share. But tonight, what is on my mind is only one thing.

It was bedtime, and T, my 4 year old, was about to pick out a book to read. Before he went to his bookshelf, he came to me with his hand on his neck and said, "There's a ball in my neck. And it's magic! It shows me what's inside my body."

It's tick season here in the Catskills and he's already had a dog tick burrowed in his scalp, and I found two deer ticks on myself over the last 24 hours. That was where my head went first.

But, then when I asked him to show me, I realized there was nothing on his skin - this 'ball' was deep below the surface. And it surely is a ball. It's not near his glands (which have always had a tendency to be swollen), either.

I was shockingly calm. I listened to his tales of how he could see his blood and guts and bones through this ball. I asked him if there was another on the other side of his neck.

"There should be." He responded matter-of-factly.

But upon further inspection, he told me there wasn't another that matched.

I said, "Ok, you know what? We're also going to see what the doctor might have to say about it!"

He loves the doctor. The office is large and he gets stickers.

"Ok!" he said.

And as we read The Great Honey Hunt, I snuggled him a bit closer.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Consistency in Training - Day 1

This post is a big deal.

I am making a choice here - it's time to change my life in a BIG way. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone to create the life I've wanted for a long time.

I could have created a new blog for this purpose, but I decided to hijack my old one. To actually keep my promise of writing more often. To keep myself accountable for my past decisions. And for my current decisions. In the end, it probably doesn't matter who reads this, but for me to post daily, and in public is a big deal.

A year ago (May 31st) I joined Zurvita, a fantastic network marketing company. We market a product called Zeal - a wellness supplement that has helped my family in a variety of ways. I love the stuff! I have heard so many amazing success stories from all over the US and now Canada about how Zeal has quite literally changed lives. It is a nutrient dense formula that nourishes the body down to the cellular level. Of course it isn't for everyone, but it works so well for so many people, it's hard to conceive keeping it secret.

Yet, that is mostly what I have done. Because it's a network marketing business, and for as many people as a product can help - there are at least twice as many skeptics of the industry. But truthfully, the industry is amazing! It is truly the model of wealth in a failing economy. I believe in Zurvita as a company as much as I believe in Zeal the product. But, due to fear, I have kept myself 'safe' in who I speak with about it - but that is not how a business grows. And it's time for me to change that.

I have been teaching yoga and Pilates for 7 years. I enjoy it, I do, but in the last few years my ideologies have been shifting. I have come to realize in the last few months that I never really intended for teaching these modalities to become my 'career'. I have floundered for years searching for what to do with my life. At my base, I am a singer. I sing out of love, out of anger, out of hope, and just to be silly. I used to sing as a narration for my life. Fear held me back with music, also, but I do believe deep in my soul that it will rise up in my life again. Music is forever, and it will always be there for me.

The other passion in my life was to become a mother. For as long as I can remember, having children has been not only important, but a way to complete my being. I now have two, and yearn for more, but with these two amazing boys I have seen that idea - the completion of my soul in motherhood - ring true. I feel more at ease as a mom than I ever did flying solo. Don't get me wrong, the transition to motherhood was rough and leaving my childhood behind was hard, but I have settled into my role as mom and love every day that I wake up too early to nurse my 1.5 year old, and every sweaty hug from my 4 year old. In the end, they are my life, my love, and my legacy.

And that brings me to my WHY. We live simply, we can financially only do so much due to the bills we have. We purchased our tiny home at the height of the housing market in 2006 (yay) and the job I relied upon - and our mortgage was based on - ended (business closed) once my first was born in 2008. We were left struggling with a way to make ends meet. I do a bit of this, a bit of that - I cleaned houses and offices and such and brought the babe with me. I taught classes once my husband returned home from work. I babysat. It was all *just* enough to scrape by. Then things got to an okay place, and I got pregnant with #2. We were trying, but I kind of just gave up the finances to "we'll figure out a way". We made a lot of terrible money decisions. In fact, we are still paying for some of the ones we made in our early 20's; 10-15 years ago.

Last year I hit rock bottom. I called the housing help hotline to see what they could do for us re: our too high mortgage. When all was said and done, they recommended we go for a short sale. It was the better option than foreclosure. I couldn't speak. The kind man on the other end of the phone gave me a bunch of websites and phone numbers to places that MIGHT be able to help us lower bills, and I hung up. I took a deep breath, and I sobbed.

And then I got angry. Overwhelmingly, bright red hot angry. We made too much for most of these places to actually help us. I tried before I broke down and called them. We fall in a bad place of making too much for government financial aid, but too little for a bail out. I tried getting help with a refinance. Refinancing the car, even. Nothing worked. My credit rating fell in an instant from 720 to 548 the day after we missed a mortgage payment. I thought the world was going to end. Ha!!!

I wasn't going to let them try to take our house. Plus, any rental we could find in our area was going to cost us just as much as our mortgage AND be much smaller. Did I mention already that our house is tiny? I couldn't see how that was the way out. Sell your house, then go into worse debt paying for someone else's mortgage! Yes, that fixes things!

So, instead I called my brother and bravely asked him for a loan. He graciously gave it to us. We scraped by, managing to pay our bills just within the time frame to keep them from qualifying as late. But, there had to be a way out.

I opened my heart up to options, and began watching one of my Facebook friends' posts. She spoke about how her family was doing so much better financially, and their health was improving as well. I watched for two months, and then I decided to contact her. We didn't know each other outside of Facebook - in fact, she lives on the other side of the country and we've never met. But that first phone call lasted an hour and a half, and ended only because my baby woke up and I needed to go nurse him. She introduced me to Zeal, and after a month of research and trying it out, I made the decision to join. I was terrified, but I pressed the button on my computer and didn't look back. And while I have not made leaps and bounds in my financial life this last year, my personal growth has been amazing, and I am so much better off for making that decision.

This year, my decision is to follow through with the financial aspect. I am making changes in my approach, and I am getting the word out in a big way. I believe in Zeal, I believe in Zurvita, and I believe in me. It's time.

And with that, the title of this post. Consistency is the name of the success game. I have been inconsistent with nearly everything. Yesterday I decided to make this blog my consistency blog - my accountability. This year - 365 days - I am going to post daily, even if it is just a couple of lines. It's about the consistency in my life. I'll be posting about my successes, my failures, my learnings. In the end, I will be grateful - and satisfied.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Big Changes

I have a lot of ideas, dreams, plans and schemes. There is SO much going on in this brain of mine lately, that I'm just having a tough time organizing it all - especially since my planner has been MIA for over a week. It could be somewhere in this mish mash of a living room we have, or I could have lost it while out and about. I'm SERIOUSLY hoping it isn't the latter, as it held a lot of important info for me.

Anyway, here is the tip of the iceberg. This blog is about to get much more active. I am currently still a mom of two, working as a yoga & Pilates teacher learning to green my life more and more...and the green part won't change. What I'm looking to change is my status as a working mom. I will always have to work in some regard, but I no longer wish to RELY on teaching as a means for paying bills. I want to teach for the joy, and be able to give my proceeds to charity - specifically an organization I hope to create in the near future. In a nutshell, I want to help moms stay at home with their babies/kids, and I want to create a monthly giveaway of necessary baby items, working toward a dream nursery giveaway. This will all start small....but I hope for it to grow and grow.

So, how does a working mom (who still RELIES on that work to just fill basic needs) shift her life to be able to help others and grow? It starts with the belief - that this will happen, it's all a matter of time - and it's built by a company that fuels dreams and keeps people alive - and well.

I have joined an amazing company and begun an amazing journey. This company is called Zurvita, and they have come up with a mostly whole foods supplement called Zeal. This isn't your regular supplement - Zeal changes lives. There are testimonials galore of what Zeal has done for people, all within a short 1 1/2 year timeframe from which it was introduced to the world. Since I began taking Zeal on a regular basis, only a month and a half ago, I have found more energy, more patience, and most interesting to me - I have had a small lump in my arm for at least two years, perhaps longer. I was just beginning to think I should get it checked out, but had heard some others say cysts and moles shrank after using Zeal. I decided to wait and see....and it's shrinking. Not gone yet, but definitely shrinking. Pretty cool if you ask me.

What's in it, you ask? There are so many ingredients and it's too late for me to get into it all now - but it begins with the powerhouse of stabilized rice bran. Stabilized by a non-chemical process! This is a first, and SO important to our health. That single ingredient plays a vital role in the nutrient base of Zeal. It brings with it protein, complex carbohydrates, insoluble and soluble fiber, omega 3s and 6s, tocopherols, tocotrienols, antioxidants, and many vitamins and minerals. I will be covering each of the things listed above as well as the many other ingredients in Zeal (to name a few; moringa oleifera, chlorella, and aloe vera powder) in posts to follow.

Want to know more right now? Follow the link on the side (link love) for my site, or contact me directly.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Confession

I.....have a confession. I don't know where this fits in the scheme of things, but I can't talk to many people about it, because they'd think me nuts. My husband thinks me nuts already, he's not on the same page at all. I am torn, unsure, and hoping things shift for us financially in a major way! Why? Because that's the #1 thing that will shift hubby's mind about moving forward at all. We need to be in a better financial position for sure, and that is the only reason I think of myself as crazy.

What is all of this nutty crazy talk, already? Well, it is widely known among our family and friends that I have wanted three children for a long time. Three seemed to be the magic number, a healing number if you will, since my brother and I had a third sibling who was lost late in pregnancy. We now have two beautiful and healthy boys, the elder is 3 years, 4 months, and the younger will be 6 months tomorrow. The crazy thing is....the absolute second my second son was born, as I was looking into his face - in complete shock and wonder at this new life...I thought - no, I KNEW - I could do this not just one, but several more times. I want a houseful of kids, a bundle of them to fill our home with laughter and tears, with fun and with fights, with drama and love. I want to spread my wings out wide and take them all under, show them what love is and means and how to grow into loving, caring, wonderful adults who can make changes in this cruel, yet beautiful world. I want to shower a houseful of kids with kisses and tickles, with wise words and wisdom, as well as prove to myself and them that they are more wise than I ever will be. It's such a blessing and a fantastic opportunity to be a mother, a parent, and I want not just two, or three, but more - however many will bless us.

Crazy, I know...but I will see it through to whatever point that may be - so long as my hubby agrees he has the heart to share, and we have the money to make things work.

Now to squeeze my little...while he is still little.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Green Band-Aid (Guest blog)

I'd like to welcome Allison Brooks as a guest blogger on Greenish Me. Allie writes: The Green Band-Aid How to make a holistic first aid kit Households all around are more than likely to have a standard first aid kit somewhere in their house, car, or purse. Though these are a useful thing to have around the house, especially if you have a child, or you are accident prone, what would you do if the cleaning pads and antibiotic creams were out of date? Luckily, there’s this thing called nature, which is often overlooked, that can help you with just about anything. This opens the door to so many different holistic cures that can offer relief, speed up healing, and be less harsh to your body. Below is a list of a few common homeopathic and natural remedies to help treat the common household accidents. But before we dive on in, I would like the say that “common household accidents” are not all that can be treated by homeopathic remedies. The list is endless for treatment, and some have been adopted in the medical community as treatment complements. Now, in integrative cancer institutes, holistic and natural therapies are being offered to patients suffering from cancers ranging for simple skin cancers to aggressive ones like pancreatic and mesothelioma cancer. Much more information can be found in the Healthy Medicine posts on this blog. And back to the list: Emu Oil Emu oil is the oil rendered from the fat of an emu. It has a long history of being used for the treatment of fevers, arthritis, and cuts. Today, this natural remedy has a variety of uses, including minor burn relief, reducing pain and swelling and the treatment of insect bites and stings. Emu oil is also an extremely effective moisturizer, and can be used to treat dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. Ledum Palustre Ledum Palustre is most commonly known as Marsh Labrador tea and is known for it fresh white flowers. This homeopathic remedy is used to treat puncture wounds, insect bites and pain resulting from rheumatoid arthritis. Belladonna For those of you that know what Belladonna is, you might know it as the Devil’s Berries for the fruit of this shrub is very toxic. But handle in the correct way, this remedy is used to treat a variety of conditions, including colic, earache, fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Calendula Succus Calendula Succus, closely resemble Marigolds. This yellow-flowering plant has a long history in treating many skin ailments and wounds. As a topical remedy, calendula is used to treat ailments such as minor cuts and bruises, chapped lips, dry skin, rashes and insect bites. It can be also be taken orally to treat ulcers and upset stomach, and gargled to treat sore throat. Hypericum Perforatum Also known as St. John's Wort, hypericum perforatum is typically used in the treatment of depression and anxiety. For first aid purposes, it can be used to treat shooting nerve pain, especially in the hands and feet. Arnica Arnica belongs to the sunflower family and is a common visitor in the Spring and Summer months. Medicinal uses for arnica include headache relief, as well as the treatment of pain and swelling of muscles, joints and ligaments. The roots of this plant can also be used to form a liniment for sore muscles. Symphytum Also known as comfrey, topical uses for Symphytum include relief from bruises, burns, cuts, scrapes and inflammation. Administered orally, symphytum promotes healing in broken and fractured bones, and also relieves joint pain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About ~ My name is Allie and I went to the University of Mississippi. I earned my degree in biomedical anthropology and now I am currently studying in the field to finish an ethnography on the effects of biomedicalization on Bolivian cultures, but relate on other societies as well. I love to guest blog on my time off to past time and spread the word.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

And so it begins...

So! Has it been too long??? Of course, that's my MO. However, I am (yet again) attempting to actually blog here - with a couple of motivational tools. I am going to join up with February's 29 Day Organizational challenge hosted by Organizing Junkie, and I've also started the 30 day Pilates Challenge on PilatesAnytime.com. Backtracking - As you can see from the previous post, I now have two beautiful children, both boys. C was born in October...and although he is only 3 months old, I suddenly feel incredibly lazy! And, how is that true? many ask me...I have two kids. Yes, I have two, but I know many with more. But children aside, I have been looking around at my surroundings and searching within myself for ways to improve. I have a lot of inspiration to declutter, not only my home, but my own emotional stagnancy. I've held myself back in a lot of ways over the years and I feel it's time to start a new way. I can't say I've ever really held onto this feeling before, although it has passed through me, but this time I want to take hold and charge forward. In all honesty, having children has always been a high priority of mine, and now that I actually do have the plural of chilDREN, and not just a child, I feel a little bit more complete (although certainly not done...but that's another story!). So, on the quest to declutter my home, I begin next week with the February challenge, and I will be linking up at the end of the month to show progress...the main thing to consider is WHICH room to choose??? And for my post-pregnancy body I've begun the 30 day Pilates Challenge. Yesterday was Day #2, and today I ended up stuck for several hours waiting for my car to get finished, so I haven't found my time. Sorry excuse? Perhaps. But I will pick back up at Day #3 tomorrow. :)