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!
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