My Wintertime Health Pantry

My friends are always asking me what I keep on hand in my "health pantry" to fight the terrible winter sicknesses that take so many people down.

I've got to be honest, with a family of seven (soon to be eight in the spring!!), we don't always escape the sicknesses through an entire "sick season," so please don't think we're perfect in this area. A lot of factors go into your family's wellness.

But with a little planning and determination, I believe that we can avoid most of the yuck and get better quicker if something does catch us.

Over the next few weeks, I will take you through my winter health pantry and highlight some of my favorite products. Some of these products I sell (why not sell what you love and get a discount for it, right?) and some of them I just love. Someday, I hope to have a virtual health store where I have physical backstock that people can buy from, but for now that's still in the dream stage, so we'll work with what we have.

I pray this trip through my health pantry blesses your family and helps you kick up your heels this winter!

I'm the Mom of a TEENAGER

Amberlyn isn't my little girl anymore--she turned thirteen yesterday! I was feeling all sentimental and thought-full yesterday morning, so I journaled.

When I read it out loud to my husband, my sudden tears surprised me as the memories flooded my mind like well-loved photos. I thought you might enjoy my journal entry from that special morning. . .

My baby girl is 13 today! I literally have been grieving. We have graduated from "young family" to "youth group family" overnight. And I used to have so much more hair!

But my mother-in-law is well known for always saying: "I love teenagers," and I believe that is a beautiful statement of hope, excitement and faith in the next generation. It needs to become my own mantra, especially since we have at least four strapping sons who are going to be teenagers very soon, and we will be living in "teenagerland" for a very long time!

"Oh Lord, these are your children--in every stage of their lives, they are Yours. I completely trust that You take good care of what is Yours. Please grant me the wisdom to lead and teach them what You want them to know and empower me to lead by godly example so that they are inspired to become great people who love You deeply and walk with You intimately. This is my prayer."

Hurricane Ike Didn't Blow Me Away. . .

praise the Lord!

Here's a picture of my family rolling one of the fallen Hackberry trees down to the curb for the county to come by and pick up.

The kids and I stayed in the house with Paul and his Aunt Wynona as the eye of the hurricane passed right over our house. That's all the experience I need! I don't care to ever stay through a direct hit again. The north wall and the south wall of the eye are so intense-- I could hear our windows bowing in and out. But four out of my five children did sleep through the whole thing!

Then everybody's electricity went out. We did really well until the next afternoon. I'll never forget my 18-month old looking over at me with bright red cheeks and utterly exhausted. I was slumped on the couch in front of the biggest window I could find trying to forget how morning sick I was. Paul looked at me and said he was sending us where there was a/c. I smiled.

How did pioneer women do this in long sleeves and long hair?
So, the kids and I went on "hurrication" and had an absolutely relaxing, wonderful time.

I did learn something during my "hurrication." I learned that we need to make more time for fun. We need to purpose to relax.

How many of us hit the floor running each morning, flying from computer to traffic to computer again to traffic again to computer again to away-from-home evening activities? And if you're a SAHM like me, you are just as busy--chauffeuring, cleaning, washing laundry, maybe homeschooling your children, some more laundry, running errands in town, some more laundry. . . .

We need to say NO to crazy busy and yes to some good, ol' fashioned, healthy Fun!

So, do me a favor and make time to relax!!

Tonight, we are breaking out our new family-sized tent for a maiden voyage in the back yard. We want to make sure our toddlers (and Mom and Dad) can handle sleeping all night outside before we travel all the way to a state park. ha

Write me sometime and let me know what you and your loved ones chose to do to relax a little. I'd love to hear your ideas!