Listening to My Gut and Where this Leads Us

Please bare with me, because this post is going to be hella long. 

First off, I really appreciate you getting this far. A lot has happened in this past week, and while we are still working things out and doing our research, I wanted to post an update on everything that has been going on with our little family. 

I've already posted about the struggles Gage has had this past school year. He has had a very difficult time with his teacher this year, and paying attention to tasks at hand. It all started in October when we went to a parent teacher interview... which is now a "student led interview". Gage showed me his classroom and all his assignments he'd done so far in the school year. His teacher told me - very abruptly - that Gage never pays attention in class, doesn't work well in a group, goofs off constantly and doesn't follow directions. The entire time she told me this, Gage stood by and listened. I was upset by what I was told, and I told Gage when we got home that we needed him to try harder in school. He was upset about everything and cried. This was just the first incident. After this, I went on a rampage, doing everything in my power to make sure Gage was doing his "job" in class. 

I took him to my family doctor who told me he didn't think Gage had ADHD (or any form thereof), and that we could take Gage to a specialist who would do a psycho-educational assessment. This assessment would cost us in the area of $2000, paid out of pocket. While some people may have done this and it worked for them, the more we talked about it the more I knew deep down that it wasn't going to give us any answers. I then talked to 3 Nephrologists at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, all of which worked tirelessly to save Gage's life months earlier. All 3 agreed that any medication or treatments Gage received while he was sick (his last dose of prednisone ended mid September, and this was October) would not still be in his system and would not be affecting him in the way his teacher mentions. One Nephrologist, our favourite doctor at Sick Kids, said that it didn't sound as though Gage's teacher was very sympathetic to all Gage went through. 

We then decided to put Gage into counselling. After his ordeal, Gage would have nightmares about getting sick again and ending back in the hospital, and we were concerned that maybe some residual emotions were inhibiting Gage from working well in class. We talked about everything a lot, and made sure he knew that the emotions he was feeling were okay to feel and that it's important to talk about our feelings. His therapist after 10 sessions told me that he has a very mature level of understanding of life and death, far greater than other kids his age. She thought he had a good grasp on the events of what happened to him, and that he didn't really need to be in therapy to work things out further. 

At this point I met with Gage's teacher and vice principal, and I mentioned ALL these things we were doing to help Gage. We asked if extra school work could be sent home, and this was denied on the grounds of "it won't be fair to the other kids". We asked if he could stay in for recess and we got shoulder shrugs. The most we got out of the entire school system was that his teacher would put coloured circles in Gage's agenda each day to indicate how his behavior had been that day - red for "bad", yellow for "so-so", green for "good". 

Oh yes, and the psycho-educational assessment that was $2000 out of pocket was brought up again, and we refused it. Again. 

We continued to support Gage for a few more months before we got more notes home indicating that he was still struggling. I sent a scathing email to the vice principal about all these things we were doing to help Gage - and what were the staff at her school going to do?! 

This brought on a meeting. With Gage this time, and my husband (Stuart). We got 15 minutes of his teachers time, and the vice principal. 15 minutes of the vice principal asking Gage random questions, none of which he answered honestly because he was uncomfortable being put on the spot. He told us after school that day that when his principal asked him in front of us all if he likes his teacher, he lied because he didn't want to get in trouble. That he doesn't like his teacher, and it's only because she clearly doesn't like him. What do you say to that? What on earth do you say to your 8 year old who tells you "I know my teacher doesn't like me"?!? 

We were disappointed with Gage's teacher and the staff at the school at this point. From that point on, when we got notes home, text messages or phone calls about how Gage wasn't doing whatever it was he was supposed to be doing, we said "we've done everything to support Gage and help him do well in school. We are open to your suggestions and help, and look forward to your ideas". Nothing. We just got a lot of shoulder shrugs. 

This past week, Gage's teacher and I were texting back and forth about how he once again, wasn't doing his work, blah blah blah, when she actually said to me "He's just lazy". 

He's just lazy. My 8 year old. Lazy. At 8 years old. 

No. 

The Simcoe County School board has failed Gage. It sat by, waiting for Gage to change and adjust to their system. He is the square peg, and they expect him to fit in the round hole. We are disgusted and angry. 

While we've tried everything we can think of - we've bribed Gage into doing better, taken away all electronics, threatened him, talked until we are blue in the face. We thought maybe it was because he was bored, and maybe that is part of it, but we've seen his inability to focus even when he's doing things he loves - like Ball Hockey. 

All these months, I've continuously come around on numerous occasions that something else is going on with Gage, deep down. While his blood work all has come back clean and within normal levels, and despite his Nephrologist team saying otherwise, I've always felt as thought the high dose of medication Gage was on to calm his immune system down, combined with the dialysis he received, has created an imbalance in his gut. 

There is a strong connection between gut health and mental health, reproductive health, auto-immune issues, behavioral issues, and many more. We've previously played around with Gage's diet - which was the first thing we tried, and noticed a difference in Gage's behavior after 2 weeks of being gluten free. We didn't stick to this long term, because at the time he was the only one of the four of us who was gluten free, and this was hard to meal plan and prep for, plus gluten free products are expensive. 

I started reading articles and studies about the gut health connection and became even more convinced that we are heading in the right direction. We are going to start slowly, and begin cutting out inflammatory foods from our diets. We decided to do this by starting with an elimination diet - and we are all on board to do this. Our Finnigan has some allergies that tend to come out of nowhere, so we feel as though he will benefit from this as well. We are going to start by eliminating gluten, dairy, eggs, refined sugar and citrus. These are common allergens, and with the exception of citrus, have a highly inflammatory response in the body. By taking these triggers out, we are hoping to calm Gage's gut imbalance so we can begin to repair any damage. 

We are also going to be taking Gage to a Functional Medicine practitioner with an MD. We found one within 2 hours of us, and we felt this was the best practitioner to go to for Gage. I feel as though modern medicine certainly has it's place - it saved Gage's life. But we've hit a crossroads. I know something is going on with Gage deep down, and there is nothing modern medicine can be do about it. I know this, because I went to 4 medical experts for help. I know going to a naturopath is also not what we need, because in my experience they tend to be financially driven and don't have access to the testing we need for Gage. We need someone who sits in the middle - who looks at the body as a whole, and not just different organs. 

The testing we are looking at doing is to see how Gage's methylation is. What is methylation? "Methylation is a key biochemical process that is essential for the proper function of almost all of your body’s systems. It occurs billions of times every second; it helps repair your DNA on a daily basis; it controls homocysteine (an unhealthy compound that can damage blood vessels); it helps recycle molecules needed for detoxification; and it helps maintain mood and keep inflammation in check." (Click here to read more and for the source of this definition. This is a really great "starter" article).

There are specific tests to test your methylation process, and once we know how Gage's body processes methlyation, we will have a better idea on how to help him heal. Otherwise we would be buying supplements that could just end up making him worse and also be a giant waste of money. 

The Functional Medicine MD we found is something we have to pay for out of pocket, so we are going to start with the elimination diet first and work out the details of taking Gage to his first appointment for testing. 

We also know that Gage's self-esteem and confidence has suffered greatly this school year, and we are hoping to work hard this summer to help him improve this. I'll be posting a lot more about our journey with this, including the steps we are taking to get us on the road to healing. Our goal is to work hard this summer getting Gage a clean slate and boosting his confidence so that September he can start grade 4 with a clean slate. This process is going to be slow, but we are prepared to be patient and take things one step at a time.

As parents, Stuart and I have also learned a lot about how we want to parent our children. We now know what we will tolerate from Gage's teachers and what we will not. One thing is clear though: We will never allow another teacher to talk about our child that way his teacher has this year. We will go above the heads of the local school staff if need be - but they will not make my child feel like shit again. A teacher's job is to help children learn, and Gage's teacher this year did not do her job.

Thanks so much for reading, and please stay tuned for more details about the steps we are taking to get Gage on the road to recovery!

Gage, with his little brother and cousin.

How to Raise Kids Who Will Eat (Almost) Anything

Thought I'd make a quick post about picky eaters - I will certainly elaborate later, but if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

While my boys are certainly no angels (ha!), the one thing I will give them is that they are willing to try any food. We've gone through so many food trends over the years, and regardless of the trend they always are willing to eat their greens.

I've noticed a few things over the years of working with other mom's. I thought I'd share a few theories that I have on how to avoid raising a picky eater.

First of all, start them young. Start with the greens and bitter foods first, and don't give them anything sweet - even bananas or other sweet fruits - until they are over 1 year and then keep those as a 'once-a-week' occasion. This goes hand-in-hand with also being sure to avoid refined sugar at all costs. This gives kids an excellent chance to build up their immune system, meaning they will fight off more viruses. They will also stick to a routine better, and sleep better.

Don't give kids juice. Water only! We didn't even give our kids cow's milk - and still don't. We went against our doctor's advice because Gage started off with a dairy allergy that he eventually grew out of, but we felt it best to avoid giving him baby cow growth hormones. Both my boys are healthy and strong, so I've never felt they have suffered by not having cow's milk.

A few quick facts about cow's milk:

- Over 70% of North American's are actually lactose intolerant and don't even know it
- Dairy contributes to ear infections
- Dairy - cow's milk - does not in fact make your bones strong like dairy farmer's claim. Vitamin D makes your bones strong, dairy makes them brittle. You have a higher chance of being diagnosed with Osteoporosis if you are a milk drinker.
- Dairy is highly inflammatory
- Cow's milk was not meant for human consumption. Think about it: Would you drink the milk of a kangaroo? Cow's milk was literally meant to help a baby cow grow as big as possible. Human's are not cows.

For more information about dairy, check out The China Study by clicking here.

The other thing I will encourage mom's to do, is to not stop trying to get your kids to eat healthy foods. Keep offering it, don't give up, and don't make them a second dinner. Our house rule is always that if you don't eat your dinner, you get nothing else until breakfast. Our kids are bottomless on a regular basis (I actually have to pack Finnigan 2 lunches every day because otherwise I get notes home from teachers telling us we didn't send enough food), so this rule usually works for us. Both boys would rather eat the broccoli on their plate than be hungry.

I knew I needed to do the opposite of what my parents did to me as a kid. I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I was done. There was no way around it. I'd sit with vein-y chicken or fat-filled steak and cry as my meal got colder and colder. It certainly did not encourage me to eat!

The biggest thing we started doing that really helped with our efforts to get the kids to eat better has always been to get them busy in the kitchen. They LOVE helping make meals. They stand on a chair at the counter and help put together salads, and they are a big part of our meal planning process as well. If they help you make it, they are more likely to eat it.

I also think there is something to be said about getting your kids to eat foods from all over the world. I grew up in a house that ate strictly western meals - meat and potatoes with a small side of veggies. My parents to this day will not eat Indian food or Thai food. We make an effort to make a dish from another part of the world once a week. Our kids really love it, and we've collected a few favourites that repeat on a weekly basis.

If you struggle with finding recipes that are nutritious, easy to make and don't cost a fortune, just know that it IS possible to pull this off. Pinterest is your best friend! For those that struggle to get kids to eat veggies, check out Jessica Seinfeld's cookbooks here. These cookbooks help you sneak veggies into popular dishes, and your kids won't even know what they are eating!

Have a question? Reach out! I'd love to elaborate more on this topic later on, and your feedback is important!

Gage, age 4, munching on a kale and quinoa salad

The Hardest Job of All

Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you are a parent.

I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 8 (Finnigan and Gage). I also have a 12 year old step daughter, Jade.

Being a parent is hard work. No one will ever deny that statement.

Last year and this year have been the most challenging part of being a parent to date. As I've mentioned previously, Gage had some health problems that were caused be exposure to the strep virus. This caused his immune system to attack his body, specifically his kidneys, and he went into full renal failure. We spent a few weeks at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, never leaving his bed side through the entire (terrifying) ordeal. When we finally came home with Gage, he wasn't completely out of the woods and wasn't able to go back to school for another few weeks. When he started back, he went part time only, then spent the summer recovering and getting his energy back. He started Grade 3 in September, his 3rd year of french immersion. It became clear to us at his parent teacher interview that he was struggling with varying aspects in school. While we know - despite being biased  - that Gage is a smart kid, his marks were awful and he struggled massively with paying attention.

We took him to more doctors to rule out anything like ADHD (or similar), which is what was recommended by his teacher. I knew he didn't have ADHD, but we looked at every option. We changed around his diet, talked to him until we were blue in the face, and felt completely helpless. It wasn't until Gage's doctor at Sick Kids, who saved his life months previously, pointed out that it didn't sound like his teacher was very compassionate and understanding of the massive ordeal Gage went through. This made us realize some big emotions.

Here we are, trying so desperately to just go "back to normal" but we didn't actually make sure we were all - Gage included - okay with the huge emotions we dealt with during Gage's ordeal. In that moment, we put Gage into counselling and we took a good hard look at how we parent. It was mind boggling. We all ended up doing some soul searching.

We felt like awful parents, not listening to Gage and what he had to say. Once we started talking about his ordeal in the hospital and he opened up to us about how he still felt, he became this open book. He told us how he didn't like how his teacher talks to him, and how she makes him feel. That was not okay for us to hear as parents! We tried desperately to talk to his teacher about all this, and to the vice principal at his school. We were met with a 15 minute meeting - really, 15 minutes was all we were given - and nothing, literally, was accomplished in that meeting. Gage didn't feel comfortable enough to tell anyone how he really felt about his teacher and how she makes him feel. It was so upsetting for us, and we feel as though the school system has failed our kid.

This school year has made us angry, but we've learned a lot about how we want to raise our children. It has also opened the door for more conversation, and that is absolutely a step in the right direction.

We learned a valuable lesson on the importance of listening to our kid above anyone else. And believing him. If we want to raise a well adjusted person who openly talks about his feelings, we have to lead by example and start now. This has led us to openly talking to our kids every night at the dinner table. We've also tried very hard as parents to stop doing the empty threat yell that so many parents do as a last resort to make their kids listen - you know, the "if you don't do this by the count of 3, you are going in a time out forever and ever" kind of yell. We just started listening. And getting down on their level when they get frustrated and upset.

I know this isn't a traditional post - but I felt it was worth sharing some of our experience because it's all part of the big picture. Our boys are wild and constantly laughing. They make silly jokes all the time - and always about poop, for crying out loud - but I love every minute of it. And the bottom line here, is that the more our children realized that we are listening to what they have to say, the less they act up and throw big tantrums and lose their shit. It's a win/win. 

The school year isn't over yet, but we've been saying for months that we hope grade 4 is better for Gage. He's a good kid and he deserves to be in a classroom where a teacher kindly encourages him and builds his confidence. I wanted to share all of this because I know I'm not alone. Our school system frustrates us in so many ways, because it was not created to help every kind of kid. It's more of a "one size fits all". Don't get me wrong, I know there are incredible teachers out there. Our Finnigan has an awesome kindergarten teacher who raves about what a great kid Finn is. Gage had a really good teacher last year too. But it has just taken this one school year to lower Gage's self-esteem to the point of not even wanting to try in class. As parents, it's so very hard to help him when the teacher won't work with us.

My favourite parenting book, which really got this entire ball rolling, is "How to Talk so Children Will Listen, and How to Listen so Children Will Talk" by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlich (click here to buy)

My Loyalty Lies With Mom's

I've been in this industry for a few years. I've watched many trends come and go, and I've frequented many health food stores. I've also worked closely with the owners of 2 local health food stores.

You will notice that a lot of people in this industry, usually nutritionists, align themselves with specific health food stores where they want their clients to shop, or they recommend a certain brand(s) of supplements to their clients.

I'm here to call bullshit. Bullshit on that being for the "greater good" of the client. It's all about one thing: money.

Think about the last time you walked into the health food store. I can pretty much guarantee that your experience ended up being expensive. Whether you purchased only 1 item (if this is the case, please share how you managed to leave a health food store with only ONE item... that takes so much self control!) or you ended up spending 5 million dollars, you likely walked away thinking "wow, that was a small fortune". We've all been there.

Heck, I've spent THOUSANDS at health food stores over the years. Literally, thousands.

But here is what I've learned.

- I have yet to meet an owner of a health food store that is not completely insane. This may seem like a blanket statement, but this industry has BOOMED over the years, and health food store owners have raked in some serious money because of it. It's cut throat, competitive, and full of misinformation. Most of these owners have become incredibly business savvy, finding a million different ways to benefit from the massive amount of people looking to eat healthy. Some health food stores have done better than others - the ones that haven't done as well, spend their days in jealousy desperately trying to be like the health food store down the road with better business. It makes for some cray-cray owners.

- All health food stores have massive mark-up's on their items. All. Of. Them. There is one local health food store in particular, who purchases a "Superfood" bag salad from the same supplier that provides these EXACT SAME salads to No Frills. They take the salads out of the bags, put them in plastic containers, and sell them for $3-$5 more. Some of the larger health food stores purchase large quantities of supplements at a time, with expiry dates 2-3 years into the future. This gives them a lower price directly from the supplier, and they usually also get "bonus" items too (think Cliff Bars and little protein shake samples). These stores then sell those "bonus" items to customers as well, when they wouldn't have paid a cent for it. Then they also sell these supplements they purchased in bulk for less money than a competitor because their purchase price was lower. They still add a significant mark-up to the item in question, but it takes business away from the smaller stores because they undercharge them. Don't get me wrong, there IS regulation on how much items can be sold for in the industry - but it is specifically enforced by the makers of the supplements and other items themselves. They each have a "minimum" health food stores can price the items for. But there is no "fine" for undercharging - the brands just sternly speak to the owner of the store, and the owner changes the price of the item in question. If there is enforcement than that, I never ever heard of it.

- It's very likely that if you have frequented the same health food store (or really, different ones in the same city), you will notice that other than MAYBE one employee, there is a high turn over rate for employees. Big stores in particular are good for this. Because this industry has been doing so well, there is a surplus of Nutritionists, and similar, who want to work within the industry for first hand experience. There are piles and piles of resumes sent into health food stores, they can actually afford to keep flying through employees until they find one that "sticks". But remember when I mentioned the bigger health food stores that purchase supplements and other items in bulk so they can price their items lower than a smaller competitor? They can also afford to do this because their pay their employees hardly more than minimum wage. OR they just pay them minimum wage. If you go to the same store consistently, you will get to know the employees and it's always very clear whether they like their job. I know one store in particular - a smaller, local store - where the employees don't even care that customers overhear their dislike of the owners. They all hate it there. This store has a very high turnover rate with the exception of one loyal employee, who after a decade of working there makes hardly over minimum wage. This can also be a continuation of my first point, that the owners are crazy and hard to work with. High turnover rate at your store? It's probably because the owners and management are hard to please and are just plain crazy.

I know, I've made an incredible amount of blanket statements in this post. But I'm loyal to the mom's who want to feed their families healthy food and have them not spend a fortune doing so. While supporting small businesses is something I'm very passionate about, I think it's equally important to find businesses that deserve the loyalty and your patronage.

Here is a list of the things I've done over the years to support local AND feed my family healthy meals:

- Go to your farmers market. These are the people you should be supporting! They are hard working individuals and small businesses who hustle 24/7 and have EXCELLENT customer service. I've never once been disappointed by a visit to my local farmers market. We have a honey guy who knows us by name and has the BEST honey we've ever tasted, we have a soap lady who also knows us by name, talks to the kids and EVEN takes requests for new products (https://www.beachbabybb.com/ ....Hi Jess!). There's local produce that is cheaper than going to Loblaws or a local health food store that re-packages salads. It's worth supporting, hands down.

- Follow the Dirty Dozen & the Clean 15 list, which is specifically evaluated each year by The Environmental Working Group. (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/). This list provides a guide for buying produce that is with the least amount of pesticides possible. The Clean 15 list is the list of produce items that are low in pesticides and safe to buy from traditional grocery stores. The Dirty Dozen list is produce that should ALWAYS be purchased organic. We know how expensive it is to buy all organic, this list makes it more affordable.

- Find local farms. We go to Moondance Organic Gardens (https://moondanceorganics.ca/about) for produce during the summer months and it's seriously amazeballs. It's beautiful, has delicious produce, the kids can get involved in helping harvest veggies, and they offer classes to help you become a super cool hippie. We love it there. We also go to Nicholyn Farms close to us for our meat (https://www.nicholyn.com/).... and they happen to also be a vendor at our Farmer's Market every Saturday so we don't have to drive outside the city to visit them. Win Win!

- Research, research, research! Read everything you can get on supplement brands, go to the health food stores and ask questions, see if you can find Canadian brands of high quality. Find peer reviewed studies. Never buy a supplement because it's cheap. NEVER EVER. Don't buy your supplements from chain grocery stores, or Costco. Never compromise quality for price. This also goes hand in hand with unless you are near death or have a very serious disease, you don't need to take 10+ supplements a day. I am also here for recommendations on favourite and trusted brands. Just ask!

- When you go to a health food store, engage the employees and ask things like "how do you like working here?". Ask again after you spoken to them 10 times.

- Don't go to health professionals that promote one specific brand of supplement or always the same health food store. If they get paid to recommend it, how do you know it's worth YOUR money?

I hesitated posting something like this, but after the years of watching families spend a fortune doing what is best for their family - and being one of those myself! I knew I had to speak up. Doing what is best for our family should not effect our bottom line. It shouldn't have to cost me a fortune to feed my family healthy meals. There are a lot of mom's out there who can't afford all organic produce, or to pay for overpriced re-packaged salads, and they need to budget the crap out of their groceries for the week. This blog post is for those mom's. I want everyone to know that there IS a way to feed your family the best and most delicious food while not spending a fortune. 

I'll be sure to elaborate and post more, please send me a message if you have questions or want more information.

And Happy Mother's Day to all the Mama's!

Chemical Romance

Have you ever heard the saying "Genes load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger"?

I learned it in school while studying Holistic Nutrition and it really stuck with me. For years I became this super preachy healthy eating guru that pissed a lot of people off with my loud bantering about plant based eating. I'm well aware of how many people I annoyed. I see the Facebook memories, after all. Ha.

But then I went through a lot in a few years, where stress was my best friend. I encountered health issues of my own, I ate junk because it made me feel better emotionally, and then last year I had 3 life changing events take place in the span of just a few months and they profoundly impacted how I live my life.

Here is what I have learned because of those events:

1. Balance is everything. You can try your hardest to feed your children only veggies and make everything from scratch, but its exhausting. It's hard to keep up with. It's hard to explain to your kids when they just want to go to their friend's birthday party and eat some cake and instead you send them with your "special" cake only they can eat.

Let them eat some cake every once in a while. Teach them about balance. "These vegetables will help you grow big and strong, are essential to life, and if prepared correctly taste really good. These other treats are good too, but not good for you. We eat these for special occasions". Let your kids cook and bake with you, and they will be more willing to eat what you make.

2. Self-care needs to be a priority for all mom's. All. Of. Them. No excuses. Ever. Make time for yourself, even if it means waking up a few minutes early. Meditate. Work out. Write. Read a book. Drink a cup of coffee somewhere quiet. Just 5 minutes. Try to do it without electronics. Just make sure you do it.

Along with this, I'd like to add that if you are married or partnered with someone who is a co-parent to your children, they NEED to be on board with this. I know husband's in particular can get a reputation of not helping around the house, or with the kids. This drives me insane.

My message to these husbands: Man the fuck up. Do the laundry. Do the dishes. Meal plan and go grocery shopping. Do something other than fiddle in your garage, play video games and drink beer with friends. Help your wife out. She's not your slave. But you know what will happen if you don't help? She'll burn out, resent you, and then go find a hot rich man to take your place. So man the fuck up.

3. Ditch chemicals. All of them. Every. Last. One. There are certainly ways to successfully clean your house, wash the clothes, and make yourself look nice without chemical laden products. Chemicals massively impact our hormones (MASSIVELY!), our nervous system, our immune systems... on not just the mom's, who clean (see above message again if your a mama who does all the cleaning!) it also affects our children. Think about it. The average working full time mom. How many chemicals does she touch in a day?

- face wash
- toothpaste
- deoderant
- body cream, face cream, hand cream
- make-up
- perfume
- laundry soap
- fabric softner
- dish soap
- bleach
- stain remover
- hand soaps
- cleaning wipes
- glass cleaning sprays
- all purpose sprays
- shampoos
- conditioners
- hair products
- air fresheners and aerosol sprays
- wax burners with scent
- ... don't even get me started on sunscreen!

etc. etc. etc.

That's just the tip of the iceburg. It all contributes to our health. None of the chemicals used in these traditional products are safe. I know it can seem intimidating to get rid of these products, and you think you won't get the same "clean" smell in your house, or replacing these products are too expensive. And you think, "I'm not making my own shit, I don't have time for that!". I'm here to tell you that it isn't hard, and it isn't expensive. Baby steps will get you there.

The price and convenience of traditional chemical-filled products are not worth your health. Or the health of your children.

You may think "I'm fine, my kids are fine, these products haven't done anything bad to us". I thought so too. Exactly that. But then my kid got sick and I sat beside him while he was receiving his first round of dialysis and I couldn't help but think to myself "was there something I could have done to prevent this? Is this my fault somehow?" and the guilt. Oh the guilt. And yes, I know it's not something I specifically did, and I have come to peace with the massive feeling of guilt. But you can bet every cent you have that I'm going to make sure I do all I can to never be in that position again where I'm watching my kid slowly slip away in a hospital. Because "it sucks" is the understatement of the century.

I promise I'm not going to be this super preachy "health guru". I'm currently munching on non-homemade chocolate chip cookies. No joke.

But I do want to spread awareness so that parents feel empowered to take control of their lives and how they raise their kids. We, as consumers, have the power here. Enough is enough with shitty companies who are out there to make a profit and don't care about the impact their products have on health.  

Stay tuned for more. I will be posting soon about how to ditch chemicals, practice self-care, and how to be a conscious consumer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

Barefeet & Heartbeat

Welcome everyone!

My name is Caitlin and I am the mom of 2 little boys. I live in Ontario, Canada and I am passionate about healthy living. 

I decided to write down some of my ideas for eating and living healthy, without spending a fortune. We all know how easy it is to overspend on organic produce, vitamins and supplements, superfood treats, or just flat out get so lost on Pinterest with recipes that definitely do not look (or taste!) like how the recipe says. Or maybe you have really picky eaters. That's where I come in. 

Over the years, I have not only experimented with food, but also with meal planning and staying within a budget. Having 2 boys, they eat a lot of food. I'm quite terrified for their teenage years! (I'm also scared of the sarcasm, as they are my children after all!)

A little background:

I suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of my second son. It was during this period that I was lucky enough to find how important it is to eat carefully and healthfully, and certain high quality vitamins can help mental health. This opened the door and turned on the light for me, and I was hooked. I enrolled in a Holistic Nutrition program with a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old baby at home, while my husband worked 40+ a week and traveled for work consistently. I just couldn't stop grasping for more information to further my education. 

Since then, I've run my own business and worked closely with numerous health food stores. I've encountered my fair share of personal health problems along the way - but I've never lost faith in the importance of healthy eating and self-care (which EVERY mom should practice regularly!). 

Last year our oldest son, now 8 years old, became quite sick. He went from being a completely healthy and normal boy to very sick in the hospital with acute kidney failure. He ended up needing biopsies, dialysis and high dose steroids to control his immune system (which was ultimately attacking his kidneys and causing them to cease function). The cause of the entire ordeal ended up being exposure to Group A Strep. This is fairly common, and while most people get pretty sick with Strep, a round of antibiotics gets them back on their feet. In Gage's case, it activated something in his immune system which then attacked his kidneys. We lived in Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto for weeks until Gage was well enough to come home, then we became out-patients for months. Today, Gage is once again healthy and active. We are so lucky to have had such an incredible support system and a team of doctors that worked very hard to save our boys life. 

While doctor's are confident that Gage will continue to be healthy, there is no "sure thing" that this won't happen again and we really don't have an explanation for why it happened in the first place. This makes us even more conscious about the food we give our kids and the chemicals we expose them to - because it all adds up. 

I didn't start doing this because it was popular and 'all the rage'. I actually got into this industry before it became "cool" to drink smoothies every morning and eat kale for every meal. 

I got into healthy living because I know what it's like as a mother to feel like your drowning. I know how exhausting motherhood can be. I also know what it's like to sit beside your kids hospital bed, sick with worry, and utterly helpless. 

I'll be posting recipes, meal planning tips, natural cleaning tips, and how to do it all on a budget. 

Stay tuned!