So excited to announce that the new blog Organic Life Love (http://organiclifelove.com) has officially launched.

This little site started because I wanted to change the name of my blog (since I no longer live near lake Michigan- and I have more then one child!)  And I wanted a name that would reflect me, and my passions, and one that I could have forever (not another one I would want to change if we moved/had more children. )

From my new “About” page, this is where I explain what Organic, Life, Love means…

Organic- this includes all things natural living.  I enjoy writing about alternative medicines, natural birth, chiropractic care, eating healthy, vaccination awareness, babywearing, cloth diapers and all around hippie living.

Life- this includes some day to day things, pictures of my kids, but I am most passionate about being honest and transparent about motherhood, and writing about ways to improve marriage.

Love- this includes personal posts about my reflections on God, the Bible, the Church, Christianity, and my own personal journey at falling in love with Jesus a little more each da

So, I will leave Capri by the lake up for a few weeks for everyone to make the transition, but after that the domain name www.capribythelake.com will then re-direct to the new site (so you will still find me if you type the wrong blog name in )

Thank you all for patiently waiting for me to launch…it’s been sort of a slow process, but I really like the results- and I hope you do too!

Special thanks to my friend Nicole (Modern Reject) and her hubby for brainstorming and coming up with the NAME, and brand!

And thank you to my brother for designing, developing, and working so hard for so  cheap free. If you need any blog development or SEO work, he has crazy skills.

My pursuit of all things natural, and healthy has caused me to lean in a new direction…

“eco-friendly”.

Many of the products I choose to buy have this label to them, and I’m often drawn to all the “green” out there.

However, my main motivation is probably different from most that call themselves “eco-friendly”.

I will choose an eco-friendly item over a non eco-friendly item because it offers me a health benefit.  Many of the things that are good for the earth, are also better for our bodies.

I choose to buy organic food because it’s healthy, but it also preserves the soil, making it possible for us to continue to farm the land for years (making it eco-friendly).

I choose to cloth diaper so that there aren’t chemicals on my baby’s body, but it also saves a diaper from going into the landfill for 500 years (making it eco-friendly).

I purchase cleaning products for my home that are free of chemicals, and their packaging was made from recycled materials (making them eco-friendly).

Lot’s of the companies that care about natural healthy alternatives, also care about the environment, so it’s like I’m doing double duty.

Although, let me just say this- what’s so wrong with being eco-friendly?  I get that once things become a super trend that people often resist it, but I sort of detest all the Christians that make fun of it.

It’s this idea that since I am a believer, I am also a conservative (an assumption), and thus I must hate all things liberal (such as being eco-friendly), which seems dumb to me, because if you look at what the actual cause is, I think this should be an issue that Christians are at the forefront.

Shouldn’t we as Christian’s be the most eco-friendly?  Shouldn’t we be the ones talking about being stewards of our earth?

Before Sin even entered this world God gave Adam and Eve the garden, and told them to take care of it.  I think that this could be ONE thing that conservatives/liberals actually agree on- that we need to do what we can to grow, preserve, take care of and love this land that God has given us.

I am however intentional about some eco-friendly things (very few to be honest).  But, I recycle, I take bags to the grocery store, try not to waste water, etc.

Then there are times when the eco-friendly and the healthy butt heads.  And, the healthy motivation in me will always win.

Like those swirly light bulbs that last forever?

Yes, those are good for the environment because you don’t have to replace them often, but they also contain a very, very dangerous ingredient: mercury.  Most people don’t even know that you have to take extra special precautions to dispose of them (because it’s a health hazard to through your garbage in the street with such a toxic chemical inside) you have to make sure to read the instructions that come with the light bulb.(For an alternative, and still eco-friendly option you can get mercury free LED bulbs (you can find them here).

So, although I consider myself eco-friendly by default, I would say that being eco-friendly is a great thing, and something that honors God.  In the same way, the opposite of eco-friendly- destroying this beautiful place God has given us, and not preparing anything for our children, doesn’t bring any glory to God.

• Checked out a little yesterday.  Just chose to survive.  Spent a lot of time watching TV (which I never do), and cuddling and playing with my kids.  Didn’t do laundry, wash dishes, or get dressed for the day.  The kids were naked and we stayed home all day.  I would say that most of my days are happy, and good, but sometimes they are a little overwhelming, and days like this are how I cope.

• The reason for my survival day is because the two nights before that he had woken up every hour (every hour people!), and then woke up  at 4:00 AYE EM.  The second morning after the second night of this I seriously woke up and cried.  I felt like I had a newborn again, and yet, he wasn’t going to nap all day (like most newborns), and people wouldn’t be bringing me meals, and taking care of my toddler.  Two things I’m thankful for though- I randomly went to bed before 10 both nights because I felt God’s Spirit telling me to.  Yep, not because I was tired, but I just had a feeling I was going to need it, and I think I would be on the floor twitching right now if it wasn’t for that.

• Thankfully staying home all day yesterday gave him some great naps, and last night was way better (he woke up every two hours, but then went right back to sleep, and then woke up at 6:00, his normal wake up time).  I think he’s teething, or sick, or just bored, I don’t know, but it’s been rough.

• I took a personality test a few nights ago, and learned that I share the same personality type as Obama, and Oprah, and a bunch of other presidents.

• In one week my in-laws are bringing us their couch from their beach house (they got a new set), and so I will have a bright red, micro fiber sectional.  I’m very excited about this, since I hate our current couch.  I’m trying to figure out how to decorate around this couch so people don’t walk in and say “WOW, that’s a bright red couch!”

• Capri woke up this morning with a fever.  Then she went to the bathroom, and then came out into the living room crying saying that she was all wet.  I was confused.  Did she fall into the toilet or something?  I told her to go back to the bathroom and I would meet her in there to clean her up.  When I got close to her I noticed that it was not water but PUKE.  Ewe.  But she was big enough to walk to the bathroom, put her princess and horse on the counter, and throw up in the potty.  I am very impressed, and SO thankful.  So, gave her a bunch of remedies, and stuff to build up her immune system, and kept her home from school… and she seems to be totally fine.  (For example, she is currently giggling as Wade drags her around the house).  I always look at how my children are acting as a better sign of how they are feeling (then a fever or whatever).  I think a child that appears alert, and is playing and has a high fever, is not as sick as a child with a low fever that is lethargic and won’t make eye contact, or interact.  Ya know?  But Thatcher felt kind of warm today, and Wade and I both don’t feel all that awesome, so there is something in this house, and I hope it goes away NOW!

• Babies have been coming all month long, and it makes my heart so happy.  I think the count is up to 6 of my friends? THIS month! And my bestie is due next week.  I love babies, and I’m loving all these healthy mama’s and teenies- God is totally still a God of miracles!
• AND I want another baby….. but we are waiting…for now.
• Yesterday my brother and SIL sent the kids presents.  Thatcher got Sophie the giraffe, and they sent Capri a sprinkler (by melissa and doug) that is in the shape of flowers, and you hook it up to the hose for some hot summer fun!  I love getting things in the mail, and this sweet, thoughtful “just because” gift was so needed yesterday.
• Capri has been talking in funny sentences all day.  Just saying things that I think grown ups say.  Like “I don’t know where I put it.” or “my toes are really wrinkly and I think that’s funny”.
• I am constantly thinking about this whole spanking vs. not spanking thing, and hubby and I are reading books now, and still undecided.  I don’t even feel like we are moving closer to a decision, and this is bothering me!!
• Thank you to everyone who took my poll, it was wonderful!  Although, it made me laugh because the results were that the thing people wanted me to write more about was marriage, but then the thing people most wanted me to STOP writing about was marriage.  So, this leads me to believe one of two things- 1) You didn’t understand the quiz or 2) you are all very split, and so I guess I’ll just do what I want, ha!

I decided to extend the giveaway until tonight, so if you haven’t had the chance to take the short poll (I think it’s 12 multiple choice questions like, are you male or female? It’s not hard people).  Then go ahead and do it!  Also, remember to comment telling me you have done the quiz!  I have way more quiz takers then I have comments!

Thanks for listening to my random.

Would you take a little short poll for me? You can find it here.  It’s just a chance for me to get to know all of you!  And also since I’m launching the new site soon… a chance for me to get to know what kind of things you would like to see more of, or things you would like to see less of.  I have so many ideas that I’m excited to share with you!

And for your amazingly awesome participation, I’m going to do a giveaway.

How about a $20 dollar gift card to one of my favorite grocery stores? Fresh and Easy!

and if you don’t live near a Fresh and Easy, then I’ll send you a $20 dollar gift card to maybe an organic/natural food store near you?  How about that?

To Enter;

Just click on the link above and answer all the questions, and then leaving me a comment telling me you did it! (AND you could also tell me how your weekend was! If you want to!)

I will e-mail the winner (so make sure to leave your e-mail address), and I will choose a winner on Wednesday at NOON.

Thank you! xoxo

It was my first introduction to homeopathic remedies, and it helped me so much with Capri. I quickly fell in love with homeopathy  as I watched myself and my family have immediate awesome results with these little things.  Hylands products have been becoming more mainstream lately with their “teething tablets” and “colic tablets”.  It’s awesome to see.

If you are able to pick up just a few remedies for yourself and the kids, here is what I recommend, sort of a homeopathic 101:

Homeopathic Remedies:

Aconite: helps with symptoms associated with colds:  high temperature, dry skin, anxiety, intense thirst, restlessness; give 3 pellets every 1-2 hours; reduce frequency with improvement;

Apis: use for bee stings, bug bites, and allergic reactions of the skin and respiratory system; give 3 pellets under tongue and repeat in 15 minutes; use 2-3 doses for 1-2 days, depending on severity of bite.

Arnica: use for shocks and injuries; should be the FIRST remedy given for pain, bleeding, or swelling caused by injury; give 3-4 pellets  3-5 times a day.

Belladonna: use for fevers that start suddenly, with reddening of the face and hot skin; for toothache, dry sore throat with painfull swallowing; heat stroke; give 3 pellets and repeat in 15-30 min, then every 2 hours; reduce frequency with improvement.

Chamomilla: use for teething, fever and irritability, one cheek reddened, or a child who needs a lot of comfort; give 3 pellets every 30 min in acute episodes, or 3 x a day with milder symptoms.

Nux vomica: for intestinal discomfort, abdominal pain, diarrhea, indigestion, travel sickness; take 3 pellets every hour and decrease frequency with improvement.

Photo credit: Kate at LifebyKate.com

Jumper, mover, shaker, runner, kicker, climber.

Big Sister, kisser, biter, hugger, best friend.

She loves telling us about all the beauty sleep that she got the night before.

She loves “saving purple planet” with her daddy in the backyard, or any other fun, imaginary game they come up with.

She loves to read books all day long, and now loves being read chapter books.  We are currently reading “Ramona the Pest”, and she loves it, and loves finding the spot we left off from last.

She loves to color, and paint, and make crafts at school.

She likes watching Lilo and Stitch on Netflix.

She wants to do everything on her own- go to the bathroom, buckle her seat belt, put her shoes on, put her clothes on, climb, hold her brother, open doors.

She loves to sing, and has many songs in her rotation, and will sing all day long, no matter where we are or what we are doing.

She helps me put Thatcher to sleep at every nap time and bedtime by reading him a baby book (that she’s memorized) and singing “You are my sunshine” to him.  He just smiles and giggles at her the whole time.

She speaks in full sentences now (sometimes only we can understand).

“Did you happen to see my baby anywhere, Mama?”

“Daddy has been gone all day, he must be really hungry.”

“I went to the train park with Daddy and rode the train and the horses and played on the big kid playground.”

“Thatcher’s trying to talk to me!”

“I’m happy, I like today, today is a good day.”

She has friends at school, and it took us forever to understand who she was talking about… “oobiber” is actually “Oliver”, and he’s her friend, and his twin Sister Georgia- is her best friend.

Her favorite foods are chicken, bananas, yogurt, apple sauce and peanut butter (on anything)… and of course when we let her… cookies and pizza rolls!

She is sassy, bossy, thinks she’s in charge, and tries to steal the show.

She loves counting (especially backwards from 10 with her daddy), and she loves talking about colors (knows them all really well).

She loves to make up words, and has the best, biggest, belly laugh I’ve ever seen.

She’s been pushing boundaries SO much lately, exhausting us, but growing us as parents.

I love praying with her, talking to her, and discovering how her little mind works, and her little {big} heart loves.

Every minute, to and fro,

That’s the way my hours go;

Bring me this, and take me that,

Feed the dog, and take out the cat.

Standing up, I eat my roast.

Empty garbage, make the bed,

Rush to church, then wash my head.

Sweep the kitchen, wax the floor,

scrub the woodwork, clean the doors;

Scour the bathtub, then myself;

Vacuum carpets, straighten shelves.

Eat my sandwich on the run…

Now my afternoon’s begun.

To the baseball game I go,

When will there be time to sew?

Meet the teacher, stop the flight,

See the dentist, fly the kite.

Help with homework, do the wash,

Iron the clothes, put on the squash,

Shop for groceries, cash the check,

Fight the crowds, now I’m a wreck;

Dinner time it soon will be,

“What’s for dinner?” they ask.

Wait and see.

Dirty dishes crowd the sink,

Next there’s popcorn, then a drink.

Will they never go to bed?

Will I ever get ahead?

“Bring me water.” “Get the light.”

Turn off the TV, lock the bike.

“Where’s my pillow?”  “Hear my prayers.”

“Did you lock the door downstairs?”

At last in bed my spouse and I,

Too tired to move, to weak to cry.

But e’er I doze,  I hear him say,

“What do women do all day?”

-Marshall H. Hart.

It’s the most common thing I think among first time mom’s that the second their baby starts a slight fever, cough, congestion, they rush off to the doctor.  Babies get sick so often that first year as their immune systems are growing, that it feels like you are at the Dr’s office every month.  The doctor either gives you an anti-biotic, or tells you it’s a virus, and to switch off  Tylenol, Motrin,  right?

Pretty much the same thing every time.

But then I noticed that the Mom’s that have 2,3,4 + kids didn’t do this.  It’s like they learned from that first year, with their first, and so they don’t go in unless fever is pretty high (like 102, 103, 104), and they can’t get it down.  Or they choose not to give an antibiotic, and let their kids just ride out the infection.  I think some would say that they just don’t feel like going all the way to the doctor’s office with a sick baby, and their other children, just to be told something they already know.

It’s a scary thing to feel adequate enough to know what’s going on with your kid, and whether or not they need attention, because there is no way any of us want to be responsible for something going wrong with them.

Ah, I know I am not the only one that feels this way, right?

However, I would like to challenge the traditional advice with maybe saying- let your kid be sick a few days longer and skip the antibiotic, and let them ride out that fever a little bit longer (without meds), because it is their little bodies way of fighting off the illness, and moving towards recovery.

My Herbalist (Denise Thompson, BANT, CNHP, MH)  recently sent me a newsletter, that had some awesome information that was pulled by the CD she sells called Natural Care Of Childhood Illnesses.  In the CD she also talks about how to naturally care for all the infectious diseases because whether your kids have been vaccinated or not, immunity is not guaranteed, and this is what you can do if your child gets sick  (Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib), Hepatitis B, Influenza, Measles, Meningitis, Mumps. Pertussis, Rubella (German Measles), Rotavirus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Polio, Rabies, Shingles, Smallpox, Strep Throat, Tetanus, Tuberculosis) I thought I would share a little part of the CD:

1. First- Our body is strengthened by challenges, never by avoiding them.  This applies to the immune system as much as it does muscle-building.

2. Second- Our body needs a good supply of nutrients, supplied in a natural, healthy form in which to grow, thrive and maintain health.  Without adequate nutrient intake, we cannot expect our children to stay healthy, or fight off an illness.

3. Third- Fatigue, fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, break-outs, and lack of appetite, are not a sign of failure during one of these illnesses, but rather, they are all part of the recovery process.

To illustrate this further:

1. Sleep and fatigue are the body’s way of shutting us down temporarily, so it can use its reserve nutrients to fight off invading viruses or bacteria.

2. Lack of appetite occurs when the body wants to focus its enzymes on digesting invaders instead of foods.

3. A Fever, according to Dr. Richard Rapkin, medical director of Children’s Hospital, Newark, N.J, is a sign the body is doing something extraordinary.  A rise in temperature of just two degrees raises the production of white blood cells by up to seventeen percent and, according to studies from Yale University, will even increase some antibodies by twenty times to help fight an invasion.  Most bacteria and viruses cannot survive this rise in body’s temperature.

4.Vomiting is one way of throwing off an offending invader as quick as possible.  This works especially well when the offender is multiplying at a rapid rate, because by vomiting, the body keeps the population of the offender at a minimum, making it easier to kill off.

5. Diarrhea is another solution for quickly ejecting an invader.

6.Break-outs could also be referred to as ejection through the skin.  These occur when the immune system is fighting near the skin, or chooses to eject the invader out of the skin, such as the case with chickenpox or measles.

********

Reading this just makes me stand in awe at God’s amazing design, does it do the same for you?  Our bodies are beautiful, fantastic, extraordinary creations, right?

Of course there are natural ways of building up your child’s immune system (to prevent illness) and then natural ways to help the body fight it off as well.  I talked a little bit about it here, but soon I’ll be jumping into the amazingly awesome world of homeopathy and sharing a little bit about that.  Oh, and you can also purchase the CD (where all this awesome info came from) for more!

I’ve talked a few times in the past about my struggles with “keeping house” and I’ve reached out for help, and yet I still seem to struggle with this.

It’s like this nag in my mind that won’t let me be at peace.  I can’t really even be all that happy because I’m filled with guilt when I look around my home.

I see the dishes dirty, and the kitchen a mess, and know I must clean before I cook dinner.  I can’t fathom having to do both.  Hubby suggests getting something to-go and I reluctantly agree.  We don’t have the money for that in our budget, and we have food that has already been purchased waiting to be made in our fridge.  It will be yet another night that I compromise on my standards for the way I want (at least) Capri to be eating.  The last few days have been filled with uncontrollable tantrums that I know are a result of her diet.  We get the food and come home and walk through the dirty kitchen and add more trash to it as we go sit down on the couch filled with laundry that isn’t folded and toys that were never put away.

Guilt. Shame. Frustration. Sadness.

This is what many of my days have been filled with lately.  And then a few days ago it hit me- that nagging at my heart is conviction.  This is the Lord trying to get my attention.  This isn’t some worldy standard I’ve set for myself that I’m failing, this is a Biblical standard that I am failing.  This is the Lord speaking screaming at me to change.  To follow his leadership and honor my husband, and take care of my children and do my job well.

I guess you might think that this would make me feel worse, or fall deeper into self-pity but it didn’t.  Figuring out sin, something that was separating me from God, was so exciting because I KNOW I can change it, and I know that means that I will grow closer to Him. I knew that if this was a God thing, if this is what HE wanted, then His Spirit would give me strength to do it.

So yesterday I started out and I cleaned the whole house.  Every moment where I was weak, I prayed and persevered.  I made plans to first tidy, then “deep” clean, then organize, then throw away, and then find routines that I could stick to- and do them.

Wade was home from work, and so was able to help me with the kids, and it was perfect.  I listened to a podcast while I cleaned, and the speaker talked about the only truth being action.  That sometimes when we just talk about things we want to do, we actually experience the emotion of doing them, and then never actually take action to get them done.  Every time we do this, we become less and less likely to ever accomplish our goals.  We keep getting a high from re-committing, talking about it, and saying that we will do it.

This is what I have been doing, a whole lot of talking, and not a whole lot of action.

But while I was listening, I was taking action.  When my back hurt, and sweat rolled down my face, and my feet were tired, I grew happier and happier.  It’s amazing how hard work can change your attitude.  I’ve talked many times with Wade that I think hard work is an awesome way to discipline a child.  I see it more for older children, but you can get them to do hard labor, and you can watch their attitude begin to change, their heart turn towards obedience, and they feel accomplished and proud of themselves.  It builds their self-esteem too.  This was me, I was that child, and my Father in heaven was the one disciplining.

I felt my soul being swept clean, right along with the bathroom floor.  When I threw away trash, and things we needed to get rid of I was also throwing away all my selfish sluggard-ness.  When I scrubbed the dirty, greasy pan, I felt like the Lord was helping me scrub away all this in-action and disobedience, and sadness.

I got to the end of my day and everything was clean, and I was exhausted, and dinner had yet to be made.  This felt like the point in the race where you are close enough to the finish line that you can see it, yet your body has already hit its own finish line.  You get a cramp, your legs go weak, and you can’t fathom taking another step.  But the human mind (and will) is stronger than the physical body, and people push through.  I didn’t really have a strong will, for this was my first day of practicing all this, but I knew I had a strong Spirit within me.

Every pan I pulled out, I pictured having to cook with it, and then later clean it, and I could feel my bones ache.  I pulled it out anyways. I made dinner, and we sat at the table to eat as a family.  With the help of a new high chair seat I purchased at a re-sale shop that morning, Thatcher got to sit with us, and it was the first time all four of us ate dinner together (we usually feed Thatcher, then Capri, and sometimes I eat with her, or sometimes I wait until she goes to bed, and Wade and I eat, but often not together, because we eat different things, and sometimes he’s working).

I looked around at my little family, and all their giggles, and full tummies eating healthy food I had made, and smiled.  I looked behind them at my clean living room, and smiled.  Gosh, I needed this.  I needed this moment where I felt good enough, where I finally felt like a good wife, and a good mother, and I felt like I finally served my family.

I went to bed praying that this wouldn’t just be something I started and didn’t end.  That this wouldn’t be a one time thing, but that the Lord would continue to rub me, and work me, and discipline me into obedience, and hard work, and gladness.

So far, so good.