Thursday, March 20, 2014

Choosing A Career That Fits My Lifestyle

I'm the type of person that wants to do everything. And I do mean everything. Since a child, my aspirations have included: first female President of the US, lawyer, astronomer, working with monkeys like Jane Goodall, Belgian chocolatier, fashion designer, marine biologist, owning a pizza shop, and professional body piercer. (I'm pretty sure I'd also make a fantastic ice cream taste-tester.)

The older I've gotten, the harder it has been to make up my mind. To decide what I want to be when I "grow up". 

But I think I've finally made a decision. 

Here's a little look into my past. Since I learned where babies came from and the stork myth was debunked, I've sworn off ever having babies. Or having anything to do with babies. The baby comes out of WHAT?! That's just too gross!

Then I met my husband, Paul, and that all changed. I want a baby. In fact, I want all the babies. (If anybody needs me to take your baby, please raise your hand. Form a neat line to the right, and hand over those cuties.)

At the same time I discovered this longing, I was also starting my transition into a more natural lifestyle. With that came a lot of research into natural childbirth. 

Therefore depositing me where I stand today, determined to become a Midwife. That's right, I want to coach moms and babies through one of the most important day(s) of their lives. I want to be a part of that special moment. I want to encourage moms to embrace a natural lifestyle and seek the best for their children and themselves. Most importantly, I want to feel what life is all about. 

You can believe my family was a little surprised at my sudden 180 degree switch! I was surprised at myself. But it has become quite the passion for me. I can't get enough of the idea, and I'm excited about the future. 

Once Paul and I get back from our 6 month adventure in the Grand Tetons, I will be getting my Doula training, then off to Midwifery College. Meanwhile I plan on doing a lot of reading. Stay tuned, I'll be posting some interesting tidbits here and there, maybe some book reviews too!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Latest Obsession: Earthships

Like something out of a sci-fi film. These homes have me drooling. Wanna know why? Of course you do.


They are made using about 45% recycled materials. Which is good for your soul, and the earth. They also are practically self-sustainable. Here's more info:


Water.

Rain water is caught on the roof of your home, then funneled into a holding area underground. It is filtered before reaching you in your home for consuming/showering. That waste water is contained and treated in interior botanical cells (with the added bonus of growing yummy crops). It is then used in your toilets. Last, it is contained and treated once again in external botanical cells (landscaping) or held in a conventional septic tank. This system adds no pollution to aquifers. Talk about getting the most out of your water!

The best part about this is that you aren't dependent on city water. If any sort of natural disaster or another event that disrupts the availability of clean water happens, you will have no worries.

Electricity.

Your home harvests solar and wind energy to power your various appliances. There is no need for energy to heat/cool your home, which I'll get to later. Again, you are not dependent on city electricity, so if tragedy strikes, you will still be able to function normally.

Heating/Cooling.

This is the part that's really cool. In the least complicated way to describe it, the homes use a combination of the sun's heat, insulation, and the cool deep earth mass to keep the inside at a fairly constant comfortable temperature. All while using NO electricity. Sounds too good to be true!


Now do you see why I'm obsessed?! There are a few different standard models, or you can completely customize it to your needs. A main point is that you are a part of the building process. They highly recommend learning how to build the homes, and helping to build your own. So rewarding. One day...

Now prepare to drool with me while looking at some awesome photos of Earthships. For more info, visit their website.








Sunday, March 2, 2014

Why Did I Ever Stop Doing Yoga?

WHY?!?!?!

That's what I was asking myself this morning. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, but haven't done anything about it until today.

I used to practice yoga fairly regularly, and I always felt amazing after I was done. But unfortunately I fell out of practice and now it's been about two years....

I know, shame on me.

So today I made the decision to quit just thinking about doing yoga, and actually do it! And I'm stubborn enough to try and incorporate at least 20 minutes of yoga time into every day here on out. My body needs it, and my mind needs it, so I'm giving it.

Since I can't afford a class right now, I'll be utilizing my living room floor space, and what sessions Amazon Prime Instant Video has to offer. I'm not looking for anything crazy at first, just trying to get back in the groove. If any seasoned yogis have some advice to offer, I'm all ears.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Post-Pill Cleanse; What Am I Eating?




Let's try that again… What am I not eating?

This cleanse has a pretty hefty list of No-Sir-Not-For-Mes:


  • Gluten
  • Dairy
  • Sugar
  • Soy
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Conventionally raised meat
  • Pretty much anything processed (it all contains sugar)

And a pretty short list of Yes-Ma'am-In-My-Mouths:

  • Leafy greens, other vegetables
  • Healthy fats like avocados, coconut oil, eggs, nuts, seeds, quinoa
  • Quality meats
  • Turmeric and Maca root
  • Some fruit

So what the heck am I eating? 

I have bacon and eggs scrambled with veggies most mornings. I drink a lot of super healthy smoothies packed with all the essential nutrients. I eat salads with every vegetable in my house thrown in. Homemade dressings and sauces that don't contain sugar (impossible to find in the store). And lots, I mean lots, of happy meat. 

If you asked me what I like to eat before this cleanse, eggs and meat would not have made it very far up that list. I'm pretty sure cheese might've been number one. This diet has obviously been a drastic change for me.

But I'm actually enjoying my food! You should see me at the grocery store, my cart completely loaded with baggies full of fresh produce, stacks of meat, and dozens of local farm eggs. I feel like a champ!

Don't get me wrong, the first couple of days I would've done just about anything for a brownie, a chunk of Italian bread, or some yogurt. But the cravings ended pretty quickly. Now when I want to indulge in something sweet, I eat a banana. I'm perfectly content eating my own homemade (unsweetened) almond butter by the spoonful. And I take pride in whats inside my refrigerator.

The only thing I haven't gotten used to is how many dirty dishes I go through after cooking all of my meals!



Photo from freedigitalphotos.net by Naito8

Thursday, February 13, 2014

"The Pill" Is Going Down The Toilet

Can I get a HOO-RAH!?!

It's time for celebration! This is something that I've wanted to do for a very long time, but I didn't have the courage to deal with the onslaught of adolescent-year side effects that came with the quit.

Some background info: I've been dealing with ovarian cysts for quite some time. The solution? Birth control pills. When that didn't work? Up the prescription to something stronger. And when that didn't work either? Up it again! 8 years later…. Here I am.

Well I'm sick of taking something that isn't helping. And is in fact just flooding my body with unnecessary hormones that are in turn causing a number of other effects. (Effects that I really, really don't want anymore!)

So much research out there points to another solution for cysts. Fixing a hormonal imbalance. This can be pretty tricky, and involves avoiding some foods that I love, but well worth it.

During my research I stumbled upon the website of Elle Griffin, who helps people like me get their hormones in check and live the life they want to. Best part is, she offers a free Ditch Your Birth Control Guide that helps you make this important decision, and what to do next. Basically, she's a kickass rockstar of a person.

So, now that the decision has been made, I'm starting her month-long(ish) Post Pill Cleanse to get my body back on track. (Don't worry, I'll be documenting the entire journey!)

If you are currently taking a form of hormonal birth control, I highly suggest checking out Elle's website, she has so much information to give!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Reusable Alternative to Cotton Balls!

One of the goals I have for this project is to minimize my footprint on this earth. A small but simple way to start is by noticing one-time-use objects that would be easy to replace with reusable alternatives.

First Object Tackled: Reusable Cotton Balls.






These were crazy easy to make, and I already had all of the materials in my craft room! 

What you'll need:

Scraps of a super soft fabric
Scraps of your standard cotton (in a print that makes you smile!)
A little bit of batting


First you'll want to wash all of your fabric to keep away any weird shrinkage/warping from happening later on. These fall under the same lines of cloth diapers and cloth menstrual pads. You want them to be absorbent. If you use fabric softener, chemicals will stay on the fabric and make it less absorbent, so try to avoid using any!

Next you'll cut 3" circles out of both types of fabric. The soft fabric I used came from the baby blanket section of my local fabric store, and it feels AMAZING on my skin. If you aren't sure what to use, just walk around touching all of the fabric to the underside of your arm or your cheek. You're sure to only get a couple weird looks from other shoppers, so go for it!

Sew them right sides together, leaving about 3/4"-1" of space to turn it right side out. 

I stuffed mine with just a little bit of batting to make them a little fluffier. Hand stitch the remaining opening.

I also stitched a small line through the middles once they were done. Without it, the layers tend to slide around while you're using it.



I use these mainly for my facial care regimen, but they can be used for anything you would normally use a cotton ball for. A super easy project, and now I'm one step closer to my goal!






Wednesday, February 5, 2014

I Must Confess

My name is Becca and I'm a Wellness Addict.



My drug of choice. Every time I partake... complete bliss. Always changing, always new and exciting. A little overwhelming at times, but worth the high it's consistently delivering.


Is it time to quit? Absolutely not! This is my 10 Step Program to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Wellness isn't just about being healthy.

"Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence."

This existence includes six main areas: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. The process is realizing how these areas are coexisting, and using them to better myself as a whole.

A while back I started consciously looking at what I'm surrounding myself by. And to my disgust all I saw was chemicals and toxins. I'm eating them, drinking them, breathing them, and slathering them all over my body every single day of my 23 years, 103 days, 1 hour, and 7 minutes of my life so far.

What happened? When did we stop caring what we do to our bodies, the one thing that is keeping us alive?

A healthy body is a happy body, and I want that for myself and my family.

Through this blog I will document my journey. It will serve as my snowball, it will hold me accountable, it will encourage me every step of the way.

Every time I research something new, I see ten more things I want to do. It's amazing the world that I'm stepping in to (carefully... with baby steps). I will take it one thing at a time until I'm living the life I want to live. And maybe along the way I can offer some good advice to another fellow addict, and receive the wisdom of those that have taken the journey already.

Time to dive in!



For further information: www.nationalwellness.org