Easter Bunny Canvas

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  It’s been quite rainy and dreary around here lately so I decided to get going on some Easter crafting this weekend.  Just a little reminder that Spring is somewhere around the corner!

I guess you can say that I have a “thing” for bunny butts.  I just had to add another one to the collection and came up with this cute Easter bunny canvas.

MATERIALS

• canvas {mine is 16 x 20}
• craft paint {I used Martha Stewart “Cloud”}
• vinyl or other bunny stencil {I purchased mine from the Silhouette Store. You just need to ungroup and use the one down in the corner!}
• white yarn
• scrapbook paper
• double sided tape
• twine

Read full article and get instructions here... Easter Bunny Canvas

How to Recover from Adrenal Fatigue

The Adrenal Glands: Not just another spleen

In my high school biology class, we gave the adrenal glands as much attention as the spleen. That is to say, we gave them no attention. We memorized the roles of the liver, the route of urine through the kidneys, and the complete lifecycle of the human egg. But the adrenal glands? Those things didn’t even appear in the Extra Credit questions of an exam.

Many of you consider your adrenal glands as just another spleen: you know you have both organs, but they don’t get any special attention. Your daily choices either abuse or support these glands, however. If your adrenals take too much abuse, it leads to adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue is currently a chic diagnosis in the world of alternative medicine, although most doctors do not recognize this health issue. As someone who has struggled with adrenal fatigue, I can tell you that it is very real. Fortunately, with some straight-forward dietary and lifestyle changes, you will be on your path to adrenal fatigue recovery.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Do many of these symptoms describe you? Then adopting an adrenal recovery diet and lifestyle is a key step in reaching your optimal health.

• Low energy through the day and trouble getting out of bed
• Low thyroid function (hypothyroid)
• Inability to lose weight
• Low or no libido
• Low blood pressure
• Dizzy when standing up (this was the key symptom for me to discover my adrenal fatigue!)
• Cravings for salt and sugar
• Anxiety, mental exhaustion, and/or depression
• Reduced immunity (you get every cold that goes around)

 What are the adrenal glands?

The adrenal glands, two little pea-sized glands, sit on top of the kidneys. The outer part of the adrenal gland, the adrenal cortex, secretes the corticosteroid hormones including cortisol that monitor the body’s metabolism, inflammation, and blood pressure.

The adrenal medulla, the inner part, secretes adrenaline and noradrenaline, hormones that respond to stressors. When the adrenal medulla fires, it increases the heart rate, boosts blood flow to the muscles, and creates a surge of glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream. This mechanism evolved so we could draw from a quick burst of energy in a fight-or-flight situation.

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue results when dietary and lifestyle choices cause the adrenal glands to exhaust after firing over and over.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t fatigue his adrenal glands because they only needed a burst of stress hormones during the occasional flight-or-fight situation. When we face chronic stress, however, it means that our adrenal glands fire constantly. This depletes the adrenal glands and compromises their ability to perform their tasks, like the controlled secretion of corticosteroid hormones. This leads to chronic fatigue, an impaired immune system, inflammation, and the other symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

There are numerous situations that frequently precede adrenal fatigue. Here are some common causes, according to Dr. James Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Syndrome:

• Sudden life change, such as a move or loss of a job
• Severe emotional trauma
• Single parenting
• College life
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• All work, little play
• Perfectionist mentality towards life or work

Another type of chronic stress that contributes to adrenal fatigue is blood sugar problems. When we eat imbalanced meals, high in carbs and low in fat, it causes first hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and then hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In response to the dangerous blood sugar crash, the adrenal glands kick in with stress hormones to mobilize glucose and raise blood sugar.

The problem is that the adrenals aren’t meant to be drawn on for daily blood sugar regulation. They are only supposed to fill that role very occasionally. When it happens on a regular basis, it drains the adrenals.

How do I confirm adrenal fatigue?

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue are non-specific, meaning they can relate to other health issues. So it’s difficult to diagnose adrenal fatigue with just symptoms.

I believe one key indicator of adrenal fatigue is lifestyle choices and health history. Are you currently exhausted, although you used to be a busy bee? Have you always taken on more than you can handle, but now you are unable to keep up? Do you rely on caffeine to get through the day?

While adopting an adrenal fatigue diet and lifestyle certainly won’t hurt if you don’t have adrenal fatigue, the way to confirm adrenal fatigue is a cortisol saliva test. All you have to do is spit in some vials, stick them in the freezer, and mail them to a lab. After processing, you’ll receive a chart that shows if your cortisol levels throughout the day are normal or wonky. (Wonky levels = adrenal fatigue). You can request this test from a naturopath or natural health practitioner.

Why it is important to address adrenal fatigue?

• Without good adrenal function, the body can’t properly regulate blood sugar. This perpetuates inflammation and weight issues.
• Without healthy adrenals, the thyroid takes a big hit. It is impossible to fix hypothyroidism without also correcting adrenal fatigue.
• Women, it’s vitally important to fix your adrenal fatigue before menopause. Healthy adrenal function can prevent most – if not all – of the unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause.
• Once adrenal fatigue corrected, you’ll feel like you have your mojo back. You will be able to wake up with energy and motivation, you’ll have your libido back and you’ll have the energy to get through your day.

Natural Adrenal Fatigue Recovery

Three important factors work together to address adrenal fatigue: diet, supplements, and lifestyle. Of all three, the most important – and challenging – is lifestyle. Diet and supplements certainly improve adrenal fatigue, but you must make the lifestyle changes.

Read the full article here... How to Recover from Adrenal Fatigue

200 Things to Throw Away

Living with less isn’t about the number of things you get rid of it’s about living with enough to be content and getting rid of the rest.  The rest is just clutter, unnecessary, energy-draining clutter.

Here is a list of 200 Things to Throw Away.  This list isn’t a list of things that I have gotten rid of myself but of things that I want to will get rid of!

I’ll be tackling this list ten or so items a week and I look forward to a less-cluttered house at the end of it.

As you look ahead at this list I want you to remember two things:

1.) Remember you can sell, donate, recycle or throw away.  Knowing that I’m allowing someone else to enjoy my things makes it easier for me to let them go. (Edited to add that the comments are full of great places to donate items.  Schools were by far the most recommended location.)

2.) Keep things that make you feel good.  If it doesn’t make you feel happy when you look at it, get rid of it quickly.  Surround yourself with things you enjoy.

Now on to the list:

1.  Old product boxes (Apple products, TV, etc.)

2.  Hangers from the dry cleaners

3.  Plastic hangers from the store

4.  Expired make up

5.  Half-finished projects…you know the one!

6.  Magazines (Try a free month of online magazines and see how you like those!)

7.  Old emery boards (buy a nice glass one and be done with those scratchy things!)

8.  Old paint (Visit Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely)

9.  Ugly undergarments you hate to wear (You have those “just in case” pairs too, right?)

10.  Bills, taxes, paperwork over 7 years old

11.  Socks with holes or without mates…also those lonely socks that have holes too. 

12.  Extra cups and mugs – How many does your family use in a regular dishwasher load?  Add a few more for company and be done with the rest.

13.  Books you’ve never read or will never read again

14.  Old technology (8 tracks, floppy discs, VHS tapes w/o a player, etc.)

15.  Unloved toys

16.  Cleaning rags – You only need a few before you’ll wash them again, right?

17.  Tea light candles – Use them or lose them.

18.  Take out menus you never look at

19.  Old greeting cards (Save the super sentimental ones and recycle the rest)

20.  Outdated over the counter drugs and vitamins

21.  Old sneakers (Recycle through Nike)

22.  Plastic cutlery

23.  Old spices – Spices don’t actually spoil but they lose their potency.  A good rule of thumb is 1-2 years for seasoning; 1-3 for herbs and ground spices; and up to 4 years for whole spices.

24.  Duplicate power cords (USB, etc.  We have 3 vTech ones for the kiddos’ toys but only need one)

25.  Bobby pins

26.  Games with missing pieces

27.  Dried up nail polish bottles

28. Video games you’ll never play again

29.  Recalled baby items (Car seats, cribs, etc.)

30.  Jewelry you don’t wear

Read the full article here... 200 Things to Throw Away

Oh The Places You'll Go... An amazing tribute to your child's education!

"I graduated High School this week. When my dad said he had a present for me I thought I was getting some cheesy graduation card. But what I received was something truly priceless. Following the ceremony he handed me a bag with a copy of "Oh The Places You'll Go" by Doctor Seuss inside. At first I just smiled and said that it meant a lot and that I loved that book. But then he told me, 'No, open it up.'

On the first page I see a short paragraph written by none other than my kindergarten teacher. I start tearing up but I'm still confused. He tells me, 'Every year, for the past 13 years, since the day you started kindergarten I've gotten every teacher, coach and principal to write a little something about you inside this book.'

"My early teachers mention my "pigtails and giggles" while my high school teachers mention my "wit and sharp thinking." But they all mention my humor and love for life. It is astounding to receive something this moving, touching nostalgic and thoughtful."

I found this post on Facebook and I have to say that this is such a great idea! Half of my kids are already in school, but I am going to start it right now for all of them. There are so many teachers and leaders in life that can make a huge difference in a child's life and to have something like this to look back on would be a great treasure!

Facebook post found here... Love What Matters

7 Tips To Organize Your Home Using the KonMari Method

I want to share with you a book that has absolutely changed my life. It’s called The Life Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way To Banish Clutter Forever by Marie Kondo, the creator of the KonMari Method. As the title says, this is a very simple (though not easy) way to get to the root of your clutter problem and help you to resolve it once and for all: If you don’t love it, don’t keep it!

Piles of stuff in our homes are one of the greatest stress triggers. Clutter literally increases your cortisol level! When we have a lot of clutter in our homes, it has the affect of distracting us and can even cause chronic restlessness. When you reduce the noise of the things around you, you can focus on creating your life.

For most of us, clutter accumulates over time. We don’t notice how much stuff we are accumulating until we hit a breaking point. Sometimes it’s a major life event — such as a move, death, marriage or divorce, or even changing jobs – that forces us to declutter so that we can move on free from the weight of objects that have outlived their usefulness to us.

What Does Your Clutter Symbolize?

Everyone’s tolerance for clutter is different. But, like imagery in dreams, there is a psychology to clutter. Where your clutter is located in your home says a lot about you. Here are some examples of what cluttered rooms may mean in your life:

• Living and Dining Rooms: These are your main entertaining rooms. Clutter here may mean you are hiding your true self from the world
• Kitchen: The kitchen is often where we dump everything from our daily lives — mail, electronics on chargers, from purses and school bags to dog bowls, vitamins and many other items from our daily lives. All of this clutter in the kitchen can make it difficult to truly nourish yourself and your family
• Hallways: These are the connectors between rooms and represent your ability to flow. Cluttered hallways may mean your life’s path is not clearly defined or thought out
• Bedroom: Clutter in your boudoir may make you feel “wired and tired” and may inhibit intimacy with your partner
• Bathroom: The bathroom is where we pamper ourselves and prepare to face the world. Think about all the products under your sink that you never use. Clutter in this room may mean you lack self worth
• Closets: Closets represent that which is hidden from view. If we stuff our closets we block our ability to use our insight and intuition to “see into” ourselves and situations
• Attic: Attics are typically where we squirrel stuff away that we no longer use or are “saving” for someone or a future event. These things are potentially the most complicated. Attics symbolize our connection to the past and families or ancestors, and also to our higher selves. When you fill your attic with unwanted items, you literally have “stuff hanging over your head” that can make it difficult to resolve issues from your past and grow
• Basement: Like attics, we often look to basements for storage of unwanted or unused items. As in dreams, basements represent the subconscious mind. A cluttered basement can blunt your intuition
• Garage: Cars represent our independence and ability to get around. If there is so much clutter in your garage that you can’t get your car in and out easily, you may feel difficulty moving forward in life

Read the full article here... 7 Tips To Organize Your Home Using the KonMari Method

What We Know About Diastasis Recti in 2015

If you are like me and you had no idea that this was something that can happen when you are pregnant, and you have suffered physically and emotionally for years because people are constantly asking you how far along you are or when you are due, then you will enjoy reading this article.

Diastasis Recti is a Real Problem!



What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti (also known as abdominal muscle separation) is when the left and right sides of the abdominal muscles are separated. This is commonly seen in pregnant and postpartum women, but can also be found in children and other adults. For our purposes, we’re going to discuss diastasis recti in pre and postnatal women.
In a pre-pregnancy body (assuming it’s a healthy, functioning body), the abdominal muscles are usually held closely together by connective tissue (linea alba), which runs down the midline of the body from sternum to pubic bone. In the case of diastasis recti, the linea alba has become stretched and lax so the abdominal muscles are no longer being held tightly together. You can feel this when you do a diastasis recti self-check. The connective tissue along your abdominal wall will feel weak and squishy when you press on it and you’ll be able to measure the distance between the left and right sides of your abdominal muscles.


Diastasis Recti is Not About Your Abs
Say what?

All this talk about abdominal muscle separation, yet diastasis recti doesn’t have much to do with your abdominal muscles at all! Diastasis recti is about the connective tissue, and it’s loss of tension and ability to transfer loads. We use the abdominal muscles as a measuring tool to check the width of the connective tissue. This distance is called the inter-recti distance (IRD).
We used to think that you had to close the gap between the abdominal muscles to heal a diastasis. Today we know that the space between your abdominal muscles is less important than the quality of the connective tissue. We now consider a diastasis recti healed when the connective tissue can generate tension, with or without a space present. Some postpartum women may always have a small space between her abdominal muscles but as long as she has healthy connective tissue it will not affect her health or function (or ability to achieve a flat stomach for that matter!).
Takeaway Notes: it’s not about the size of the space between your abs, it’s about the quality of the connective tissue!
Why Do Women Develop Diastasis Recti?
Read the full article here... Your Diastasis Recti Questions Answered

RASPBERRY ZINGER CAKE

If you love the popular snack cake, you’ll love this Raspberry Zinger Cake!! Sturdy yellow sponge cake is coated in raspberry and coconut and filled with marshmallow frosting.

Please tell me I’m not the only grown person obsessed with snack cakes.

Someone really needs to make a perfume that smells like the bread and snack cake aisle at the grocery store.  It’s seriously my favorite.  Sugar, carbs, does it even get better?

Sometimes I hide the good Twinkies and save the Little Debbies for the kids.  Not that there’s anything wrong with Little Debbies, but we all know they’re B Tier.

You know you have a junk food problem when you’ve invented a snack cake hierarchy. The bad things about snack cakes is that they’re not really acceptable for parties.  If you show up with a box of Twinkies or Zingers, it’s honestly a little tacky.  People will still eat them, and stick them in their coat pocket for later, but no one wants to be seen eating the packaged stuff when there are homemade treats all around.

Soooo…I’ve kind of found a loophole.

Read the rest of the article here... RASPBERRY ZINGER CAKE

Spring to Summer Wreath

This has to be one of my favorite Spring wreath of all time. Ann from On Sutton Place made the easiest and cutest tutorial on how to make one yourself! The first thing she did was cut apart the bushes of flowers. Just fan them out and use wire cutters to cut the stems off as close to the end as possible. You want single stems that can be easily inserted into the grapevine.

Read the rest of the tutorial here.... Spring to Summer Wreath

Spring Printable!

I thought that I would whip up this cute little printable for spring. You can get it for free here!

Thyroid Patients: 7 Keys to Successfully Restoring and Revitalizing Your Health

The day I stumbled upon New York Times bestselling author Mary Shomon’s book Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know changed my life.

Written by Mary Shomon, About.com’s Thyroid Disease Guide

When it comes to having a thyroid condition, it’s easy to focus on the obvious details like blood tests, lab results and medications. But after two decades as a thyroid patient advocate — and as a thyroid patient myself all these years — I have realized that finding the right medication for you at the right dose is just one part of the complete picture of health and wellness. In the past twenty years as a thyroid patient and advocate, I got pregnant and had a daughter (who is now 18…let’s talk about time flying!) (I know many of you can relate!) At one point, I lost so much hair I had a ponytail the thickness of a pencil. (How many ways can you wear your hair in a scrunchie?) I suffered a miscarriage, but went on to adopt my son, who is now a thriving 11 year old. I rode the roller coaster of perimenopause, and went through menopause — and found it surprisingly easy with the help of some surprising things I learned along the way.

In the end, I have learned a great deal, through trial and error, and by trusting some truly inspiring wellness experts, a group of people I now consider my personal guiding stars of wellness. Thanks to their wisdom and support, I have discovered seven keys to successfully restoring and revitalizing my health. Each of these keys is absolutely crucial to not only my thyroid health and management of symptoms, but to the bigger picture: my overall energy, attitude, peace of mind, and happiness! I didn’t learn about them all at once when I was first diagnosed — it’s been a long and winding road at times. But hopefully, wherever you are on your thyroid journey — whether you are newly diagnosed, or a veteran patient — you may find that many of the things that have worked for me can help you fast-forward on your own road to optimal health!

Read the rest of the article here.... Thyroid Patients: 7 Keys to Successfully Restoring and Revitalizing Your Health