Natural Living Archives

naturalchick Natural Living

When Life throws You A Lemon : Make Lemonade!

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You know the past couple of months, I've been dealing with an issue. Late April, well the day of my Birth my husband ended up getting into a serious car accident. He was coming home from an event that night with his friends. It was also raining outside which did not help the fact at all that he had a couple of drinks. He ended up hitting a pothole, tried to over correct the steering wheel and ended up going head first into an oak tree. I woke early the next morning with phone calls coming in about my husband in the emergency room and that he has to go into surgery.

After I took myself a shower, packed the kids bags. I rushed over to my mother in laws house who just happen to stay literally right down the street from the hospital that my husband was at. I can tell you one thing it helps to live close to a hospital, and have a mother in law who just retired.

However, I left the kids and went to the hospital to check on my husband and figure out what was going on. To my surprise he was a little responsive which was a good thing, since usually in times like this I thought he would be freaking out, but he was managing even in spite of what he just went through.

After speaking to the doctors and my husband, who at this moment was still in the ER, had a dislocated hip on the right side. The doctors had to pop it back in place. Although that was not all he also fractured his hip on that side and would have to go into surgery.

To cut the whole story short, he spent a whole week in the hospital, in so much pain. Not able to walk or do anything for himself. Mad at himself and at mad at the world. My husband could have died that night along with his friend who was in the car. Who just happened to be wearing his seat belt.

He only suffered a broken hand and wrist.

Thank God for that, because man. I know he was looking out.

Ryan, came home from the hospital not able to walk or even able to bathe him self. He also has drop foot with some feeling. Not totally bad , but he will have to go through physical therapy.

To try to regain some of the nerve sensation back.

One thing I can say, is it has been a roller coaster of emotions and try to figure out what to do next. It really make you put things into perspective and realize that sometimes things will not always be a smooth riding roller coaster. He is the main breadwinner in the family and having that taken away for awhile. Really make you buckle down and appreciate the simple things. We had to cut out a lot things and really just get by. With him home and until he gets better and able to actually able to walk again without the need of crutches or a walker.

My kids will have to go to school for a least the next year and not be home schooled. This is not a decision that has not been taken lightly with me because I love my kids staying home with me. However, I have to place them in school.

I did find a private school that follow the living books methodology and will be placing them there. Very small class size and I'm sure they will do fine. As far as for me I will be taking care of home the husband and focusing on my online ventures to help with the family expenses.

You know in life the saying.

If life throws you a lemon – make lemonade.

~Joan Collins

Well that is Indeed what I plan to do.

P.S.

I hope you enjoyed the pic! We ended up taking the kids to beach for the week, on a family vacation trip. In which we get free 7 days to stay each year. I'll say it was just what the doctored ordered after all of this.

naturalchick Natural Living

Co – Sleeping: Yes We Do It.

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There so much hoopla about why you should not co sleep and how it can be harmful to the baby, and cause your kids to not want to sleep on their own beds when they get older.

Hey, I'm a co sleeper and love it! I grew up co sleeping with my own mom and grandma so it only seems natural to pass it on to my kids. Co sleeping draws families together and creates that closeness that bonds each family individual.

Co sleeping for some families is where they have one bed in which they all sleep in it. However, each of my children has their own room, or they share one. For all of their own things. However, if the kiddies don't feel like sleeping in their own room one night, I don't force them not to, I can lay with them in their own bed, or a lot the times the little ones sleep with us, even the dog…..

It is a controversial topic that is gaining more and more support. I chose to co-sleep because it something that I grew up doing. Than when I had my own children , it was easier to breastfeed the babies and get some rest all at the same time.

There are many arguments against co-sleeping, however one could easily find fault with these arguments. Many of the arguments address potential problems, such as not sleeping with your child if you have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, not allowing a toddler to sleep next to an infant, and not sleeping with your child if you suffer from sleeping disorders. These obstacles are rare or can be overcome with a little creativity or planning.

Most parents who do choose to co-sleep are very responsible adults who choose to sleep with their children to reap the many positive benefits, such as the bond it creates between a parent and a child, the positive sleep pattern it allows into their lives, the ease of breastfeeding a child in the middle of the night. All of these things paint a wonderful picture of a positive parenting relationship between parent and child.

Co-sleeping is a natural way of taking care of our children that our ancestors did for many years. The mothers of children for many years even carried their children around with them throughout the day, never allowing their infant to even leave the comfort and closeness of their bodies during the daytime, much less during the night. This begs the question, “If it’s not broke, why fix it?” If this process worked for so many years before us, then why do we question it so quickly today?

Co-sleeping might not work for everyone, but it is definitely something that should be considered as a positive parenting technique and as an opportunity for a restful nights sleep to be had by all. If you do decide to co-sleep especially with an infant, there are some precautions to consider. Do not use heavy bedding, as the infant can suffocate. Do not allow the infant to sleep on the outer edge where falls can occur. Investing in bed rails might be a good idea. Make sure your mattress is on the firm side so that the surface your baby sleeps on is as level as possible. This will help everyone get a restful sleep if they are not tossed when the person next to them turns.

I co sleep and luv it, I think the dog does too!

Amazon.com Widgets

eashe Natural Living

Posh Online Magazine ~ For the Naturalistas

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I recently came across this site called the natural haven, which is a blog that discusses all things on fashion and beauty for the natural community. The natural haven magazine seems pretty new but not lacking in anything when it comes to posh-ness, style and sensibility. W hen I first read through the online natural magazine mainly catered the African American community I was greatly impressed. They cover a broad range of topics from hair, eating and lifestyle which is right up my alley.

That is why I am posting here, because I feel that you would enjoy the online natural living magazine just as much as I have:)

Would love to know what you think about it!

eashe Natural Living

Raw Milk Raid in California – Huh?

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Early this August the raw-some food health food store a homegrown a local natural living co-op, which produces organic pesticide free real food. Was raided and in a mob style fashion by policeman coming in as if someone had been held hostage. They poured out all of the milk and destroyed the cheese completely.

This is so crazy to me, because the owner was arrested, not read his rights then taken to jail on a 135,000 bond. Not able to get out unless he has the full amount.

When does selling selling your own food become a crime? When does living in America a place of free enterprise become a crime? When does choosing to eat the sort of food you choose to eat become not a god given human right?

I ask these things because that is what is now happening in America. Big government and lobbyist for the FDA are on the hunt to put a stop to these local homegrown real food stores.

Charging that no food should be sold unless regulated by them, and that we should be forced to eat only fake, gmo laden processed food. This is truly a crime only about money and the shift of the country demanding more real food and not fake food that could potentially in the long run kill us.

Real Food is on the rise and here to stay, in fact I have a post about real food here if you want to learn more about it.

Is this crazy or what!

eashe Natural Living

Sometimes You Just Gotta Disconnect.

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You ever just have those days when you're just feeling like really blah and not really wanting to do anything at all. Or that whole week when you are just floating around but not really there at all?

Well that is how I have been for the past week and not really knowing why, until I had to sit back and take a breather. Our washer went out earlier in the week and boy let me tell you, that is not a good thing when you have 4 small kids and 2 adults living at home with you. I have been running around like a mad woman making sure everything's complete around the home. However, at the same time I have forgotten to take some time out for myself.

Trying to be super woman and all that excellent stuff, I ended up stressing myself out with out even knowing what I was doing. It finally hit me hard when I was at the laundry building close to my home. And I started reading a page out of natural living magazine about mediation. On how taking the time to practice it on a regular basis can have great benefits on your health.

Boy oh boy did I feel like someone just dropped kicked me forcing me to listen.

I'm not someone who does not mediate in fact I have been doing it my whole life and realized that as a little girl. That I could zone out and be in complete total awareness of my bodily actions. By taking a lot of deep breaths and really just letting my brain and body come into to harmony with each other. I have been able to and still been able to reduce stress and have a calm demeanor.

However, with all the running around and getting things ready for our trip to hawks Kay resort this week. I sort of lost sight of my own methods of remaining calm and just going with the flow.

Tonight was my breaking point; I realized that I cant go too long without some time out for myself. I had to break myself down and found myself about to cry for no apparent reason, but then again that could just be hormones. So when my husband got home I ran to the shower, washed my hair and took a long hot shower while playing one of favorite Chrissette Michelle's CDs in the background!

I HEART HER MUSIC 🙂

It was just what I needed a little me time you know, some down time where I could just disconnect for a minute and focus on my thoughts and be one with myself.

That shower was just what the doctor ordered, a one and half shower at that.

Even though the kids were trying to come in, they were ok with their father. I needed that alone time, just some time to really relax and get back to me.

After it was all done, I felt re-energized and ready for the next day!

The importance of Downtime Post has really come in handy for me today and is a superior read if you are looking for some helpful tips on how to have your own downtime.

So what about you, what do you do when you have those days or weeks where you feel like you just have to totally disconnect and get back to you?