Easy like Sunday morning…..

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Except it’s not easy…..when daylight savings stole an hour (grrrr)….and you drove back from Seattle at midnight….and one cute little WonderBOY just wants to play volleyball in the hall all morning.

HOWEVER, I am taking on this morning in my delightfully cozy new Jennifer Adams robe and I wanted to quickly share that they are on super sale for only $68 right now! These robes are so so soft and remind me of the robes at the Chrysalis which are seriously, my dream robes. Grab one for you, grab one for Mother’s Day…..but hurry as I’m not sure how long the sale will last.

(C)DanCoogan.com

(C)DanCoogan.com

*Totally not affiliated with Jennifer Adams at all…..just love the robe and like to spread the internet goodness/shopping opportunities to all my readers. Happy Sunday!

Carrot Cake Protein Bites

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These little bites of heaven don’t last too long in our fridge – and I’m totally okay with that. They are stuffed with protein and carrots and great for on-the-go breakfast and snack needs (an everyday need in our house with a “so not a morning person” mama).

img_4179 Easy to make too!

Yield: 18-20 balls

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups rolled oats img_4178
(no oats? no problem! sub for some of these you may have lying around the kitchen)

 

1 cup shredded carrots, packed
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup craisins (always on hand from our ginormous bag from Costco)
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Optional: 1 tbl golden flax meal (or other flaxseed product for digestive help)

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until well mixed. Using your hands, shape into 1-inch balls. P.S. Washing your hands during this process is like a hand scrub at the spa – enjoy delightfully soft hands after!

Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve cold. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Source: Adapted from original recipe on Two Bite Club

February in video

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February is usually full for us. Filled with three day weekends, our beloved live-a-versarries, and other big past court decisions. This one was full too but mostly FULL of joy, fulfilled optimism, and stretches in our faith. This month in 2016 will be one we look back on and smile and yes, maybe shed a few tears alongside some of you as we watch WonderGIRL and WonderBOY get the big news. 

Here is the mash-up of all 29 days:  

  

I love seeing some of you mash up your weekly videos using this awesome app. What a fun year it will be captured in video form!

“Invisible thread of compassion”

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Tonight was a hard night. And when its hard and behaviors/feelings seem to be drowning the littles and pulling me down with them – I usually then find solace in some tv, a little wine, and some internet scrolling. And sometimes, I stumble across the exact words I needed to hear. So maybe, just maybe…..you are in need of these words as well. I love this blogger’s spin on “defeated’ and the invisible thread that holds us together and really, holds us up above the water so we don’t drown.

So to all the mama and papas that struggled tonight….you did good. Bed and a new day are near my friend…..

Foster Moms Blog (great blog – check it out)
And here I am wanting to remind myself that defeated is not getting back up or wanting to try again. Defeated is not feeling hopeful, or finding quiet moments to go deep inside and sit with the self that you know you are. Foster care can just defeat bright hopes and idyllic hearts. There are so many ways the unpredictability, the casual and unusual pains weighs on us, and leave us feeling defeated. Maybe you’re feeling that tonight too. Maybe tough behavior, tough days and endless uncertainty is making your day tough right alongside me. Friends, tomorrow we’ll get up again and try. Defeat is when there are no voices of solidarity or support. If you’re feeling this- here’s our solidarity – our togetherness. I’m in it too. We’re in it together and moving through it. And I’m working on memorizing the Loving Compassion meditation so I can hold onto compassion for myself and then in turn offer it freely to those I love, perhaps especially when it’s hard. We are exhausted. We are mending broken hearts and weathering tough stuff. And while it actually feels like it, we’re not yet defeated. Tomorrow when I rise and begin again I’ll think of the one or two others who are in the midst of this with me. Us. And there is our invisible thread of compassion – tying all of us together.

Worn out and waking tomorrow to hold compassion and connection in my days. Right beside you.

So while my affirmation last week was “I am perfectly supported”, I may just tweak it a bit to affirm that “My wonders are perfectly supported” over and over, until I can find some solace in that belief.

TBD and the next step…

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Life in limbo is hard….always waiting for the next meeting, the next decision, the next social worker that is going to define our greatest joy in a family or what would be our greatest tragedy in our tribe being broken apart. The stress is toxic to anyone’s body but most toxic of all to two already traumatized children that desperately deserve NOT to be in limbo. This is a daily reality for most foster children in the United States.

Heading into this week’s termination trial, I was oddly at peace with the anticipation of “the decision.” I had been repeating a specific affirmation that really held me up during the constant threat of drowning in all the worry – “I am perfectly supported.” I had my heavenly support, family and friends, everyone at work, and the support of the State’s tribe for WG and WB. Repeating this mantra without fully understanding it’s truth and application really helped my mind and heart let go of the anxiety and trust in the together that we have built around our family.

And in a dramatic turn of events, the trial that was slated for 3-4 days was over in 4 hours and I got to hear a judge state that our children were FREE! Free from their past, from their restrictions, and from the threat of going back. But also free to live, to thrive, and to breathe knowing that every breath they take is loved and cherished by everyone around them.

It was the first time I got to walk out of that courthouse like 62 times before and feel that right had been done (cue me forcing Scott to participate in the following video for our “video of the day”).


And then the fun began – we knew we had sent both kids off to school ridden with anxiety about what was happening that day (I had to lovingly coerce my little Miss WG out of the car to heard into the middle school). So getting them out early to surprise them and celebrate was amazingly fun. Here is a peek at WonderGirl’s reaction:

Off we went to ice cream, the park, and Kyotos to dwell in the overwhelming joy and relief we all were feeling that day.
We loved telling our friends and family the big news and really appreciated everyone’s excitement (I imagine that’s what posting an ultrasound or the big gender reveal might feel like) around our big day.

Now we wait a little longer – but this time all we wait for is a timeline, a few negotiations, and nothing at the end but a positive result (and a big party with our tribe of course). We get to do this part together with excitement free of fear – and this little team does excitement well. I hopefully imagine the next few months will fly by as we approach our final destination of forever.

This song, when I heard it in church a while back, brought tears to my eyes as I held my littles in my mind and heart and sang the song through their perspective. This particular verse and chorus is so relevant in this time:
From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again
Into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God.

Daily oils – Husband edition

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Welcome to Day 3 of how Team Brave Dinosaurs are using little vials of awesomeness to keep us healthy and happy without using any toxic products and chemicals! Today, I will discuss how I got my husband hooked on their true worth in our household. Of course, he was skeptical to spend a chunk of change on a starter kit without fully knowing how they would work but a few experiments later and he was ready to purchase a few more products just for him!

If interested, please go back and read how I personally use these oils as a busy mama and how we help our school-age children get through their daily lives.

Allergy relief –
Scott has always struggled with allergies throughout the different seasons in the Pacific Northwest. Once I had him inhaling the trio of Peppermint, Lavender, and Lemon out of his own hands, he became a huge fan. He felt instant relief but then what happened weeks down the road was that he didn’t have as many symptoms as often just from regular use. He has also used the Digestive Blend to alleviate sinus congestion right on his nose.

Snoring/sleep relief –
Each night, we put a blend of Thyme, Frankincense, and Respiratory Blend in our bedroom diffuser and place it right on Scott’s bedstand. It has significantly decreased his snoring, although sometimes it does not make it go away all together (no magic wand here). Scott would also say that he has a more restful night’s sleep since starting this protocol.

Daddy confidence –
Although this is not a specific recipe or use, I believe that Scott enjoys being able to offer oils as a solution to some of the children’s “owies” (both physical and emotional ones). He is also not a big fan of getting to the doctor (or spending money on doctors visits), so being able to help some ailments with the oils has been a game-changer for our family.

DIY Natural Cleaning solutions –
I am very spoiled in that Scott does a large portion of the cleaning and upkeep of our household. I would like to say that it’s primarily due to his schedule and having more time to do it, but really I am just extremely messy (and sometimes lazy) and he can’t stand the clutter I often leave in my wake. We haven’t spent any money on cleaners since last May when I received my first oils in the mail and love the added cleaning power they add to natural cleaning recipes. If you are interested in those recipes and other DIY cleaner tips and tricks, check out this post. Our essential oils team will also be hosting two different classes in March about natural cleaning solutions, so if you are interested in that, please message me and I will get you the details!IMG_2692.JPG(see above picture for the obvious excitement ahead of us in our marriage with essential oils)

If you have read enough to dive in and empower yourself with everything you will need to keep your family healthy and sane, head to my oils website to sign up. Under the “join and save” tab, you just enter some personal information, pick your favorite starter kit, and within a week’s time, you will have products in your hot little hands to start playing with. Plus, February is an awesome time to join with the option of getting $100 in free oils just for signing up this month. Message me with any questions and as always, no pressure here….I just want to spread the information and true power I feel with these to as many people as I can to help their family grow and thrive just like mine!

Also, if you aren’t ready to dive in yet but want me to come teach a class for you and some friends, I’m totally available to do that too – just message me and we’ll go from there!!

Daily oils – Kiddo edition

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This is part 2 in a series documenting how our little family uses essential oils as part of our daily routines. If you are interested in how I personally use them, click here to go back to yesterday’s post.

Today, I will be summarizing how we use the oils to help WonderGIRL and WonderBOY stay healthy, focused during school, and manage their anxieties throughout our days together. This was a main reason I researched different essential oil companies and has been the greatest joy and blessing since starting because they actually work!!!

FullSizeRender

Morning protocol – 
The kiddos have three different rollerball recipes that they apply each morning while eating breakfast. A rollerball is a 10ml glass container that you can add oils and a carrier oil (we use fractionated coconut oil) and is one of the easiest ways to apply the oils topically to your skin. We apply them to the backs of our neck, up and down our spines, and on the bottom of our feet.

1. On guard blend – 30 drops of OnGuard + carrier oil (to prevent from getting sick)
2. “Recovery” blend – 20 drops of DDR prime (cellular repair) + 10 drops rosemary (supports memory) + carrier oil
3. Focus blend – I have tried a great many recipes for this one. We use this one which is pretty heavy on the oils because of the needs of our kiddos. If you are not sure, start with half this recipe and adjust as necessary to your needs.
6 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Balance
4 drops Frankincense
6 drops Vetiver
4 drops Lavender
+ carrier oil

After school –
WonderGIRL takes one supplement to aid in focusing on her nightly homework routine. I also have each kiddo take one DigestZen softgel to help with their digestive health. I found these little “boosters” for health have made a huge difference in getting their little bodies regular and regulated (my two favorite words for them).

Nighttime routine – 
WonderBOY has a hard time sleeping in his room alone and sleeping through the night due to some anxious thoughts and nightmares. He will often ask for oils to be applied to his stomach and back before bedtime. Even if this is just a mental bandaid of sorts for him, we have found it really helps the transition into bedtime! His favorite oils to rub in are: Serenity, Cedarwood, and Wild Orange.

Of course, our children are older school-age children. Many people I know have newborns that they have also loved using the oils for. There has to be something so comforting about being able to meet your child’s emotional and physical needs in a natural way without having to go to the doctor or the drug store for medicine. Here a few ones that I have heard many use to help their little little ones:
Baby favorites – 
Digestive support: 1 drop of DigestZen or Fennel on baby’s tummy with carrier oil
Skin irritations: 1 drop of Lavender + Melaleuca (tea tree oil) + carrier oil
Teething: Dilute Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Serenity along the jawline
Ear infections: Dilute Lavender and Melaleuca and apply around the ear (never put oils IN the ear) and massage down towards the lymph nodes to encourage drainage. You can also use the diluted oils on a cotton ball placed in ear – use a bandaid to help keep in place. **We used this for WB’s ear infection and it worked to alleviate both his pain and the infection – awesome trick!**

Coming up tomorrow – how my husband uses the oils and how I got him “hooked.”

If you have read enough to dive in and empower yourself with everything you will need to keep your family healthy and sane, head to my oils website to sign up. Under the “join and save” tab, you just enter some personal information, pick your favorite starter kit, and within a week’s time, you will have products in your hot little hands to start playing with. Plus, February is an awesome time to join with the option of getting $100 in free oils just for signing up this month. Message me with any questions and as always, no pressure here….I just want to spread the information and true power I feel with these to as many people as I can to help their family grow and thrive just like mine!

Also, if you aren’t ready to dive in yet but want me to come teach a class for you and some friends, I’m totally available to do that too – just message me and we’ll go from there!!

Happy oily weekend everyone!

Daily Oils – Mama edition

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Now that I have completely immersed myself in this lovely natural world of solving all of life’s problems daily ailments and struggles with our oils, many people are interested in how they work, how to use them, and if they really work. I thought I would do a 3-part blog series that outlines how our family uses them on a daily basis. Today, I will talk about my own personal use and how they help this busy, tired, complicated Mama take on a career, some hobbies, and the adventure of raising kiddos day in and day out.IMG_4062I love using oils in my diffuser – I play with different recipes, but I love Bergamot or LIme combined with something like Lavender or Cedarwood. I feel like these blends make our house/kitchen smell amazing but they also aid in helping some anxieties and general attitude that float around our house with two higher-needs kiddos and some outside stressors that we can’t control.

On myself – my all-time favorite oil blend that I use every single day is Balance. I pretty much lather myself up in it (apply to back of neck, spine, and feet with a carrier oil like coconut oil) every day but especially when my kiddos are driving me a little batty is when I truly feel it’s value. I love combining it with other oils like citrus bliss (smells like an orangecicle!) or rosemary for added benefits.

Since I work at an elementary school and come in contact with 340 germy little angels on a daily basis – keeping from getting sick is very important to me. We use the On Guard oils and products on our bodies, in the diffuser, and to clean our house (laundry detergent and hand soap to be specific) and none of us have been gotten seriously sick this entire school year – it’s an On Guard miracle I tell ya! When one of us does start getting a few cold or flu symptoms, we immediately go to town with a veggie cap full of oregano, frankincense, and on guard) to fight it off from the inside. It has worked multiple times this year and even on our weekend road trip last weekend, so once again – these oils truly save my days!
IMG_4063One last product that I love is the skin care line. I have just started getting serious about taking care of this aging face of mine and I love the products of this line. They smell amazing and keep my skin super smooth and ready for days with or without makeup. I generally wash my face at night so slathering this trio on right before bed is a treat and feels like a mini-spa vacation each night.

Coming up in this series tomorrow is our we use our oils to help our school-age kiddos. I will also document how to help partners and husbands AND explain a little bit about the business side that I have grown to love so much.

If you have read enough to dive in and empower yourself with everything you will need to keep your family healthy and sane, head to my oils website to sign up. Under the “join and save” tab, you just enter some personal information, pick your favorite starter kit, and within a week’s time, you will have products in your hot little hands to start playing with. Plus, February is an awesome time to join with the option of getting $100 in free oils just for signing up this month. Message me with any questions and as always, no pressure here….I just want to spread the information and true power I feel with these to as many people as I can to help their family grow and thrive just like mine!

Also, if you aren’t ready to dive in yet but want me to come teach a class for you and some friends, I’m totally available to do that too – just message me and we’ll go from there!!

Happy oily weekend everyone!

2 years together as TBD

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It started as a monthly tradition to celebrate living together because truly, we did not know how long we would get with our two amazing little wonders. We wanted them to know how honored we were to share in their journey and ride this crazy roller coaster together – what grew out of it was some fun anticipation each month and now yearly about HOW to celebrate our team’s growth and milestones. Scott and I have a fun time planning something special each year (added bonus that we then DON’T have to worry about planning Valentine’s Day shenanigans which neither one of us was ever stoked about).

This year, we planned some special events in Seattle to be touristy, see our closest friends and two very loved uncles, and enjoy some days off school – here are some snapshots from our weekend.
img_3943 Seattle must have known we wanted to go up to the Space Needle because as we drove down, the weather was perfect for taking the elevator to the top. We especially enjoyed spotting Qwest field, the ferris wheel we went on last summer, and our friend Taryn’s house in Queen Anne!img_3963 img_3999 As most of you know, WonderBOY is an avid basketball lover and player. We thought taking them to the Harlem Globetrotters show would be an exciting event. Turns out this show is quite entertaining for all ages but the kiddos especially loved the antics and humor. WB bought a special basketball with his own money and has been showing off his “routines” and tricks since we returned home (if anyone would like a live show I’m sure we could arrange this).img_4013 img_4024 Along with my besties, we explored the Seattle Children’s Museum on Valentine’s Day. This exhibit with a real live “eye doctor” chair was a big hit. As was the firetruck for little man (big man Scott was less enthused but went along with it – love him for that).img_4041 img_4043 img_4045 img_4047All in all, it was a lovely weekend. A few minor bumps included WonderGIRL getting sick (oils to the resuce) and WonderBOY completely going crazy after a missed dose of medication (long car ride with a screen to the rescue) but thus is traveling with kids. Something we are getting pretty good at navigating in year two I’d say!

And to you family and friends that have been riding alongside us on this journey now for two years – thank you. Thank you for the prayers, meals, and toys at the starting line and for the continued check-ins, prayers, and babysitting (Mama needs a break ASAP, hurry!!!!) throughout our time together. Scott and I truly value our “village” that is helping us raise these two precious ones and we are constantly pointing out how grateful we are for many of you during our nightly talk times with the kiddos.

And most importantly to Scott, thank you for saying yes. Thank you for taking on this challenge with me and learning and supporting and pretending saying that I’m right with me day in and day out with these two loveable monsters. I love that they get to watch our marriage grow in love and patience over the years. I appreciate that daily, they see a man of amazing character shower them with love and nurturing, filling in years of questioning and misunderstanding of what a real father should do with their children. I know I don’t always say it or show it, but I can’t imagine choosing anyone else to do this life with and God must have known what He was doing when He plunked us down in Haiti together 6 years ago to meet – I love you completely and forever.

A Year of Bests photo project – finally!

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One sunny afternoon after our friend Annie’s amazing wedding, us 5 soulmates concocted a crazy idea to document the following year together. We each would be responsible for taking pictures one week out of the month and then we would have a crazy fun book filled with our memories the following May 4th!Although we had a few mishaps during the year of documenting, the girls did amazing capturing and sharing pictures from their unique, but amazing lives. We lived in three different cities, added three new kids to the mix, and had multiple fun events all together to include throughout the book. I used the Project Life App on my Ipad to create the pages and then simply uploaded them onto empty photo pages in Shutterfly. It was super easy to do (although the addition of WonderGirl and WonderBoy in my house definitely slowed down my progress quite a bit – kids will do that to even an avid scrapper).
I absolutely loved seeing how our 5 lives intertwined at points (birthday parties/showers) and then showed drastic differences in other weeks. And all in all, I only made one typo and typed 2015 even though technically, that Halloween was 2013 (I’ll make a sticker for that bests – no worries!) – 58 pages and only one mistake that I’ve found so far….pretty good!My favorite pages to complete were the ending page with that fabulous quote from Dawson’s Creek and the teaser on the back cover (sound familiar? I tried to emulate a little Real World intro along with it). Shout out to things only kids from the 90’s would know and care about!
  Many people continue to be amazed that I remain such good friends with my ladies from high school (elementary school to get technical but who’s counting), but it is one of the amazing pieces of my life that I am constantly grateful for. When you have friends that have literally been through the worst (overalls with one strap….really?) and best parts of your life ALONGSIDE you for years and years, it leaves so much room for nothing but pure joy and celebration in each other, no judgement, and lots of silly stories that NO one besides your group cares about (sorry husbands). I hope this book adequately honors this friendship and I can’t wait to look back on it in 10, 20, 30 years to come! Perhaps it might even become a tradition we do every so many years – wouldn’t that be a fun collection to build for the coffee table/bookshelf?!?!

This project/idea could totally work with a family or any group that cares about each other – maybe everyone even just documents the same day each month and you put them all together in a book? You could make it as simple or complicated as you feel comfortable with!