Journal

3 New Tricks To Heal Your Baby’s Diaper Rash

August 9, 2017

There’s nothing cuter than a squishy little baby booty, right? There’s also nothing more frustrating for a mama than when then cute little booty is plagued with a diaper rash. Some babies make it through their first year with very few of them, and other babies just seem to be prone to getting them all the time.

Whether it’s one rash here and there, or a rash that seems to carry on for weeks, it’s a pain in the butt…

An even bigger pain is when diaper rash creams don’t seem to work. Even more frustrating is when you realize some of the harsh ingredients that are in diaper rash creams. It makes you wonder if the chemicals in the cream are doing more harm than good to your baby’s precious little booty….

California Avocado Chicken

August 7, 2017

This California avocado chicken has me drooling, y’all.

And that’s a big deal. In case you don’t know the backstory, I pretty much avoided chicken like the plague for basically my entire pregnancy, and I haven’t really learned how to deal with it since. Honestly, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have truly enjoyed chicken since having my baby. I can’t really explain it. It’s just… chicken.

But this. This California avocado chicken is the real deal. It is perfectly juicy and tender, and so full of flavor. It is exactly how a chicken breast should be.

And that’s without the California avocado goodness on top.

Can I just share another little backstory? I actually never even tasted an avocado until I was nineteen years old and lived in Colorado. I remember some college friends literally being appalled when I told them I had never had guacamole. It just wasn’t something we ate growing up.

So they took me to Chipotle and ordered some chips and guacamole and changed my life….

No More Sulfates

July 19, 2017

It’s Worry Free Wednesday again!

I feel like it was Wednesday just yesterday so now I am sitting here worrying about how fast time goes by.

So much for being worry free…

Okay, I am worrying about one less thing today, however. We have finally taken the leap in our home and eliminated one more harsh ingredient in our everyday products.

NO MORE HARMFUL SULFATES

…

Should We Vaccinate Our Babies?

July 18, 2017

This is more than a can of worms. It’s more like a raging war with arrows on fire, attached to bombs, launched from WWII canons.

The great vaccine debate is one that I honestly don’t usually engage in unless someone directly asks for my opinion. There is so much tension around the matter that I find myself afraid of saying what I think, for fear of being ripped apart. The anti-vaccine community has such strong opinions, and the pro-vaccine community is no different. The thoughts, opinions, and feelings that drive the communication between the two are far from healthy.

And honestly that is kind of sad. We should be able to talk about these things without losing relationship. We should be able to talk about these things without such great offense, and we should be able to agree to disagree.

So today, I am breaking through my fear and talking about it….

When Life Isn’t Satisfying

July 11, 2017

Part of being in your twenties is that you’re just figuring stuff out, right? I have heard it said (of your twenties) that “struggling just comes with the territory” and that it all works itself out.

As someone in my twenties, I can definitely say that struggling has been on my radar (and my family’s) for quite some time. But I can’t say that it’s just because “it comes with the territory.”

Maybe some bit of it does. But the rest?

It comes with the mindset. The way we think shapes our experiences.

So while I know there’s some “figuring stuff out” in our twenties that can definitely be a struggle, I also know that our mindset and attitude play a large role in how our lives are defined.

…

When Marriage Gets Messy

June 21, 2017

Have y’all ever met a couple whose marriage wasn’t messy?

If so, I’m gonna need their number so I can learn a trick or two.

I don’t think any of us really expect marriage to be messy. I mean, even if we are super healthy and go through counseling and know what “could be,” a lot of us probably are naive enough to think that our maturity in thought will protect us from the potential mess.

But the problem is, no matter how mature you are, a relationship that goes as deep as marriage is likely to be messy. It is perhaps even true that the more mature you are, the more prone you are to mess in relationship….

Why We Plan Sex and Mark It On Our Calendars

May 29, 2017

I recently had one of my married friends ask me about sex.

I don’t share intimate details about our sex life, however, I will openly talk about the things we have learned and the things that have helped us better our sex life.

My friend shared with me regarding the fact that she and her husband can’t seem to make sex a priority in their marriage. While Daniel and I don’t believe that sex is the number one priority in marriage, we do believe it is high on the list. My friend was shocked when I answered her question regarding how often my husband and I have sex.

But what she was even more shocked by was my answer to her appalled, “HOW?”…

How The Best Things Come From The Worst Things

March 25, 2017

Isn’t it funny how the best experiences in our lives usually come from the hardest and worst times in our lives? It’s baffling, to be honest.

That was Texas for my husband and me.

Living there was one of the hardest and worst times for us, and somehow it brought about some of the greatest things we could have ever imagined….

When The Courage To Be Spiritual Just Isn’t There

February 2, 2017

Let’s be honest, we all know that one person who is super spiritual.

Not in the, “wow, she really encourages me and calls me to higher level of faith,” sort of way…
It’s more of an, “okay, thanks for reminding me for the one-thousandth time that God has a plan and I just need to pray,” sort of way.

Or, you know, the person that tells you they are praying for you so often you find yourself wondering if they are secretly a nun.

You get me.

I say these things with a dose of humor and sarcasm, but it can also be a serious frustration. While I do believe that prayer is always the answer, it is also true that sometimes it isn’t that simple. Sometimes it takes a great deal of courage to bow my head and pray.

And while our culture, specifically the Christian culture, is really quite silent about the true struggle of a consistent and disciplined prayer life, I’d venture to say that I’m not the only one who struggles with this.

I have a close friend that I admire for many reasons, but one of the biggest things I love about her is her raw honesty.

She has said to me more than once, “I have been praying for you. And honestly, I don’t really pray for people. I sort of struggle to pray at all sometimes.”

That level of honest is simply beautiful, and encourages me to take a look at my own level of honesty and vulnerability.

When I do that- when I take a step back and evaluate myself and my prayer life with zero filter and zero desire to pretend to be more spiritual than I am- I’m both heartbroken and encouraged.

I am heartbroken because the battle of flesh and spirit going on in my heart at times is so very real. I say it takes courage to pray because, really, it takes a lot of courage sometimes to pray.

“Just pray,” isn’t always enough to overcome the realities of my day and give my fears and failures to the Lord.

But the whole point of praying is letting go, right?

That’s exactly my point. Sometimes it takes a LOT of courage to let go.

To let go and pray means to say no to that fleshly desire inside of me to indulge in the never ending list of “what ifs.”

And the thing about indulging in all of those unknowns, is that imagining every possible worst case scenario allows me the opportunity to come up with a possible solution or element of control for each and every one.

Therefore, letting go and praying means having the courage to give up control.

If you’re anything like me, that’s hard. It’s painfully hard and humbling. It is my nature, my flesh, my habit to want to have control over every situation in my life, and to let go of that means letting go of the desire to protect myself, and choosing to trust the one who is greater than all others.

It’s just plain hard sometimes.

But the good thing is, as I said before, I’m encouraged.

I’m encouraged that the Lord would be so kind and patient as He sheds light on this struggle. I’m encouraged that it’s okay to be honest about these struggles. I’m encouraged that I don’t have to put up a front and pretend to be more spiritual than I truly am. I’m encouraged that I don’t have to give in to the (often phony) Christian culture that demands empty statements such as, “I’ll be praying for you!” I’m encouraged that I can simply be me, even in the midst of struggles.

Because living in a lie never brought freedom to anyone.

The depth I’m craving in life and with the Lord will never come from pretending to be spiritual, but rather from fighting with everything in me to have to courage to let go of control.

5 Tips For Success In The Kitchen

October 19, 2016

Some people don’t have a single issue working freely in the kitchen and exploring well beyond the boundaries of recipes and formulas.

That number is very small, however, compared to the number of people who feel entirely intimidated in the kitchen, and wouldn’t dare take a step out of order in the process of cooking or baking.

Over the last year I have realized, mostly through my husband, that sometimes it is better for those who are intimidated to simply be well prepared and equipped with tools for success before even entering the kitchen. Although I am firm believer that there is always a way to solve any problem in the kitchen, I still think it’s better to simply not let the disaster happen in the first place.

I came up with five tips that I think can be very helpful for those who are less skilled or experienced in the kitchen. Obviously it is still totally possible for a disaster to happen- I have plenty of my own disasters in the kitchen- but the more quipped you are, the fewer the disasters.

MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR RECIPE- Before you even begin (and I mean before you even pull a single ingredient out of the pantry) make sure that you fully understand all of the instructions in your chosen recipe. There is nothing worse than successfully making it through five steps of a recipe only to realize at step six that you either have no clue what it means, or that it is far beyond your skill level. If you are looking for a challenge, just be sure you understand the terms, and know what you are getting yourself into. If not, simply choose a simpler recipe. There is never any shame in going simple- and honestly, sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones that turn out to be the most impressive.
PRACTICE MISE EN PLACE- This is a concept that we were made to focus on A LOT in culinary school. Essentially, it means to have everything you need for your entire recipe set out and measured before you even start with step number one. It sort of takes the place of step one- and bumps all the other steps back. To be honest, because I am so free spirited and like to go with the flow, I really struggled with this one when I first started culinary school. It kind of annoyed me until I realized just how helpful it was. Having everything ready to go from the beginning ensures that you won’t get stuck in a critical stage of your recipe and mess something up. Sometimes it is okay to let something cook a bit longer than suggested while you chop veggies or measure spices, but other times it isn’t and you could likely ruin an entire recipe. Unless you just know for sure that you are super quick, save yourself the trouble and have everything ready to go from the beginning!
KNOW WHAT IS FLEXIBLE AND WHAT ISN’T- Like I said in point number two, some things can afford to be adjusted a bit, and some things can’t. Know what those things are. For instance, when making eggs Benedict, a minute too long for that poached egg is pretty much unacceptable. You need to be prepared with all of your ingredients and the entire set up. One extra minute for some sautéed green beans is not really going to hurt anything. Meats can be a little tricky, but just know your preferred level of doneness and know what it takes to get there. If you have things that you know can go a little longer on the stove, let those things be the things you step away from if you do find yourself in a situation in which you are managing a crisis with a more critical component of your meal!
ALLOW THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME- Never try to accomplish a meal in less time than what is actually needed. You will likely skip steps, alter temperatures, or simply have a meal that is unfinished. Either way, you will compromise quality. This may not only make for a poor experience with that one meal, but also might discourage you from engaging in future attempts at more complex meals. Know what your time allows, and choose recipes that fit within that.
GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE- It takes times to master the kitchen. Don’t give up if you have a bad experience, or even two or three. Just like with anything else, cooking is a skill that grows and improves over time, and certainly with repetition. Start small, and enjoy the little victories. Sometimes something as simple as the perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich is something to be celebrated. The more small victories you have, the more encouraged and motivated you will be to take it up a notch!

Hopefully these things will be helpful to you! These are things that I have found myself telling my husband, and I know that it has certainly encouraged him. Although he has a wife that cooks all the time (literally), he still has a desire to cook for me from time to time, and unfortunately feels all the more intimidated because I do cook so much.

Feel free to comment and let me know any other helpful tools or tips you might have! We all have little tricks, and more times than not, others can benefit from those!