Nothing is quite as painful as milk blebs and plugged ducts when you're breastfeeding. How do you treat these things naturally? Searing pains radiating throughout your breast is every breastfeeding mama's worst nightmare, but unfortunately it is quite common. The pain is often caused by a plugged duct or milk blister (or milk bleb) creating inflammation in the breast tissue. These painful complications are the last thing a busy, sleep-deprived mama wants to deal with. Luckily milk blebs and plugged ducts can be treated with some easy, natural home remedies. After experiencing plugged ducts and milk blebs, I ...Read More
5 Sanity-Saving Strategies for Homeschooling Multiple Kids
What happens when you're homeschooling multiple kids?If you don't watch out, it'll drive you bonkers, that's what! But, not to worry, today I'm sharing five strategies for homeschooling multiple kids without going crazy. We want our homeschools to be productive, happy, and welcoming to our children. When you are juggling multiple kids and multiple grade levels, homeschooling can feel chaotic, stressful, and cold. It doesn't have to be that way. Strategies for Homeschooling Multiple Kids Here are five suggestions and tips to give you peace of mind and a path forward for homeschooling multiple kids. Let's go! 1. ...Read More
9 Benefits of the Breastfeeding and Co-sleeping Relationship
Breastfeeding has been one of the most important parts of our "attachment parenting" journey for our son thus far, and I absolutely love being able to share about that experience with others—including our (sometimes controversial) breastfeeding and co-sleeping relationship. I strongly advocate for co-sleeping whenever it's possible to do safely, especially in the first year of life. A human infant (or any mammal baby for that matter) is not designed to leave the womb and be left alone to sleep. You may have heard some claim that a baby should be left alone to "self-soothe" or "self-comfort." These simply are not ...Read More
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency – you don’t want to miss!
When I was growing up, and even into adulthood, I never once considered the possibility that we could be deficient in a particular mineral in our body. I was always in the camp that you can get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals from food alone (which I believe is still possible through responsible farming). However, due to the modernization of farming and the depletion of minerals in the soil, getting all the vitamins and nutrients we need from food may not always be an option. It was through my wife’s personal experience with magnesium deficiency that I discovered how serious (and severe) the consequences of a ...Read More
4 Keys to Discipling Your Kids
It is easy for us as parents to set our sights on the wrong goals for our children. We tend to emphasize good grades, education, athletics, and fine arts. Too often, our primary objective is to turn out successful and accomplished human beings. We unwittingly put our energy into seeking the right college degree along with the right trophies in our kids trophy case. What we, as proud parents, fail to realize in the midst of our parental ambition is all these things will not matter in eternity. In and of themselves, they are nothing more than loss when compared to the surpassing value of our children knowing ...Read More
How video games are robbing your son…and how you can guide their hearts
The kids are bickering—again. You just got them a new video game. It was so fun seeing their excitement, but when it was time to turn it off, they got upset. Somehow normal life morphed into a waiting room for the next video game fix. Their minds are preoccupied with one thing and one thing only—when is the next time they can play again? But, you justify it. After all—let’s admit it—video games are exciting! In fact, you’ve probably come across countless articles that tout their benefits: video games boost hand-eye coordination, help kids learn, allows family bonding, foster collaboration, teamwork, ...Read More
The Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting
"Don't fast, it'll slow down your metabolism!" "Fasting is just starving yourself, and that makes you lose muscle." "Eat 5 small meals a day, that's the best way to speed up your metabolism." These are all comments I've personally heard from others—and yet they're all misconceptions. There most definitely is a time and place for fasting. In fact, our bodies are built for it. If you're looking to learn more about this practice, here is your beginner's guide to intermittent fasting! I've invited my friend, Jennifer, from Purposeful Nutrition to share some great information with you on intermittent fasting. This ...Read More
Gluten-Free Pancakes with Cinnamon Apples
When you think of healthy eating, the picture of sweet, delicious pancakes with cinnamon apples may not be the first thing that comes to mind. While eating fresh raw fruits and vegetables is crucial to a healthy diet, there are some surprising benefits to indulging in such a delicious treat. Looking for more gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked on. Healthy Mindset There are some who seem to effortlessly maintain a gluten free, healthy diet. I am not one of those people. It takes great effort on my part to make the commitment and to ...Read More