Last week, I was at the breaking point. The summer dragged on, the child care had dried up, it was too hot or too wet to go outside. Breaking…
And then, we had dear friends over, and it was fun but between little sleep, a bad incident, four pairs of pee pee shorts in one simple outing – F.O.U.R. – and to cap off that night, I had to rescue Amelia’s toy ring from the bottom of the toilet bowl, complete with the pee she thoughtfully left there first.
CRACK. Broken in pieces, complete with quiet tears in the car.
Over dinner, my friend told me she thought I was doing a great job, and I could see the sincerity in her eyes. And then I told her that it wasn’t me – that it was God. It’s all Him.
On my own, I’d be dead in the water by now. I’d have given up on clean foods and glutens, maybe never would have started homeopathy, would have totally have lost it – who knows? For pete’s sake, I gave up on housework years ago! Maybe all of us would be medicated into a dull stupor by now.
But I’m not alone. I keep seeking and keep getting the strength that goes along with pushing to do my very best for my family and my work – and even myself. Then, when I’m absolutely having a terrible night, God blesses me like a kind parent – with a nice unexpected anniversary gift from Chris, and later, a basket of sweet potato fries, FOC.
NO MORE am I going to give heed to the lie that I’m not doing enough or I’m not doing it right. Of course, we can all do better, but I am – for example, I’m learning a TON from the Monday Night Mamavation TV episodes, which talk about things like toxins and raising cleaner kids (see the tips I learned below). I’m reading more articles and striving to learn more to protect my children, and planning to make those things right. Lots of great things are going on, and lots of moving forward. I’m grateful for every bit of it.
And I’m going to relax. No, I don’t like my weight right now, but I don’t hate myself or my body. It’s where it is for now. And yes, my water is fluoridated and might be frakked soon, but this goes to God. With toxins everywhere, only He can protect us, and if it comes time to leave someday, I’ll know it.
In the MEANWHILE, I’m sharing some of the tips I learned last night from Carly Harrill of Healthy Child Healthy World. Here are a few:
- BPA-FREE cans may still have other chemicals, like BPS
- Diapers and wipes can have all KINDS of nasty junk that doesn’t have to be reported like dioxins & phthalates. FUNtastic, I have a kid in diaper 7 years. Just kill me now. Seventh Generation diapers are safe, but not covered on my plan.
- Mattresses are a toxic waste dump. You need to buy organic and green guard certified, and cover with a imperishable cover made of food grade polyurethane.
On their site, Healthy Child has 6 free ebooks that are in-depth to help you get closer to a nontoxic life! In the “Plastic Bad” arena, I’ve learned that you can sub in clean containers with these companies:
I’m excited to try those while I save money for the whole house water filter, the Vitamix, and the mattresses, and select a water we can drink in the meantime, and work on getting out phenols and salicylates from the kids’ diet. Nope, I’m not superwoman, but I know Someone even better.
