My Top #10 - oops 11! February 2018

1. Baobab fruit powder. I have yet to get sick this year (Fall 2017- Spring 2018). I don't know whether it is because I have been religiously getting Meyer's Cocktails (IV vitamin therapy), or whether it's because I have been adding Baobab powder to my daily sippers? Or a combination? Whatever the case is, I dare not go a day without 1T of Baobab powder. This my friends, is the REAL deal. 
   
2. True Lime and True Lemon sachets. I love these! water enhancers sweetened with stevia. My favourite sipper is one of these true lemon/lime sachets, 1T Baobab, 1T ACV (apple cider vinegar), and 1/4 gallon of water. Sometimes, I add ground ginger and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
   
3. Grocery shopping over the border. I have been doing this for about 2 years now. Every so often, I will hop over the border (not illegally of course!) to do some grocery shopping. I posted my recent "grocery haul"on YouTube (Click Here!), go check it out! Why do I shop in the US? Well firstly, it takes around 20 to 30minutes to drive to the border, and usually we've been really lucky with the border lines. Secondly, the food I need fits better with our budget and household size (larger quantities). Thirdly, I get stuff I cannot get from Canada (just some stuff are novelties!). And fourthly, it's always fun to do a mini road trip with your "besties" and on top of that, visit our favourite restaurant! 
   
4. Cat Nip -ha ha ha! No, but for real it is ridiculously cute to watch the cats go wild. We got 3 kittens last year. I almost crossed the "crazy cat lady" line.
5. Dark roast decaf. I gave up caffeine a while ago, but not coffee. I love coffee. I love dark roast and Italian. I realized that drinking coffee really affected my night sleep, even if I could fall asleep without any problems. Also, since I'm nursing baby Alistair, he seems to be sleeping a little bit better too.
   
6. Trim Healthy Mama. I'm so back on the THM plan. I have lost around 25lb so far. My post birth weight was around 231 to 233lb, my current weight is 207.2 and my goal weight is around 135 to 150lb. I am aiming to be there sometime in 2019. I cannot believe the "food freedom" THM provides you! It is incredible! If you haven't looked into it yet, I suggest you do! Do not go another day without reading about it and giving it a go! You can follow my journey on Instagram (CLICK HERE!) and see what I eat, how I feel, read about my "non-scale-victories" and more! Check out Trim Healthy Mama by clicking here.
   
7. Created To Be His Help Meet by, Debi Pearl. What can I say about this book? I had several women warn me about this book. Some threw "book reviews" my way, and of course these reviews were advocating for women NOT to read this book. Well, I'm one of those gals that likes to make her "own reviews" and I'm so glad I did. I was so close to putting this book down and continuing on with my life, but there was something that really intrigued me, "why is this book rubbing so many the wrong way?" Geez Louise, mama bear! This is hardcore stuff! Sure, there was stuff that I didn't agree with in particular, but I'm really glad I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water, if you know what I mean! Our marriage has experienced tremendous healing through this book and I am grateful for that! I'm talking about 12 years of a certain thorn in our side, gone! You might not want to pick up this book, but if you decide not to, please don't let it be because of some nasty book review. 
   
8. The Excellent Wife by, Martha Peace. This book is a notch down from Debi Pearls book. Ha!
   
9. Above Rubies. What can I say? I stumbled across this magazine (ministry) almost 12 years ago in Finland. Above Rubies has carried me so far in my motherhood journey than any other mother support group-ladies weekly Bible study- mother or in law support- combined or imagined! The hope and strength that I possess as a mother today, is because of the Above Rubies Ministry. I have gained so much knowledge, so much wisdom, so much hope and encouragement, joy...the list goes on! Above Rubies has pointed me to the Cross, the Truth in regards to what "mothering" is all about. I cannot thank AR enough. Check them out! (Click Here)
   
10. Instagram -is where I've been active recently. More than Facebook. If you want to know what's going on with me on a regular basis, check there first!
    
11. Holy Temple Health products on Amazon Empty Gelatin Capsules, Silicone Breast Pump and Breast Milk Collectors. So this is exciting!!!! We've launched our own business! Who knew we would be selling pregnancy, baby and health related (my personally favourite products ever) goodies on Amazon?! We do not believe in debt so we launched our little business initially with only $500 that hubby got as a bonus last year. Starting out small and Lord willing, this will grow. Keep us in your prayers!

Whats up with you guys? Missed you!

Elderberry-Lemon Gummies And More

It is time to prepare ourselves for the "flu season". I love Autumn, love the colours, the crisp air, candles, apple cider, warm woolly socks etc. but, I really detest the snotty noses, followed by the sinus infections and everything else. I HATE with a passion. I don't take my health for granted, or at least I don't think I do, so please please could we just dodge the crap this year??? Probably not, since we do live in a fallen world with disease and curses, and as much as anyone wants to argue that you can dodge sickness and disease with a well around plant based diet, well you just can't. SO, what exactly am I going to do about it?

I have this grand war plan to be as alert as I can with immunity boosting, cootie fighting strategies - which I will list down soon- but as fallible as I am, I'll probably start strong like a commit, lose my focus in a week or so into it and face-plant into the midst of a slimy snot fest. Just from experience, that's all. 

The 10 (ten seems to be a reasonably stupid number to overwhelm us all) Ways You Can Fight The Slimy Snot Fest:

1. Be the hero of your family, cook a batch of Elderberry-Lemon gummies and convince your family to eat them. My girls and personally I think they taste alright, but my boys are not so sure. I'm working on it! (recipe at the bottom)
   
2. Diffuse doTERRA's OnGuard essential oil around the house. This virus/bug fighting killing machine is feisty! I usually lather up OnGuard with coconut oil the bottom of our feet and massage it on around their lymph nodes too. Today I put OnGuard in a capsule with a few other oils (Oregano, Melaleuca and Ginger) and ingested it. Wowza!
   
   www.mydoterra.com/rosecathy
3. Start your day with a "flu-fighting" smoothie. I use, spinach, avocado, frozen berries, vitamin-C powder, Greek yoghurt, orange juice, probiotics, powdered greens etc. with some extracts and other goodies, whatever I can find! I once blogged about it, http://holytempleunderrenovation.blogspot.ca/2012/04/morning-smoothie.html AND http://holytempleunderrenovation.blogspot.ca/2011/09/update-and-super-healthy-morning.html Notice, the latter is "super healthy" lol
4. Avoid sugar. I can't go into detail.. well I could... but, I'm just too lazy to. Avoid sugar! Trim Healthy Mama Plan has MANY MANY recipes to choose from, and all are sugar-free! Google it! (Affiliated Link) being "pumpkin spice everything-season", I don't want to NOT eat these yummy goodies... I want it all!
5. If you can afford it, get a Meyer's Cocktail done. Meyer's Cocktail is a highly concentrated vitamin and mineral IV administrated by your healthcare practitioner. In my case, this would be my Naturapathic Dr. down the road. *super-excited!*
6. Commit to your high quality supplements. I had my Naturapathic Dr. go through my supplements and point out to the ones I was wasting my time and money on. Thankfully, there weren't too many that were poor quality. She pointed out that my probiotics then, consisted mostly from potato starch and less from the actual probiotics... umm ok! Check them out, and commit to taking them.
7. THM (Trim Healthy Mama) have a few "all day sippers" that are very much so immunity boosting drinks! My favourites are the Good Girl Moonshine, Earth's Milk and Singing Canary. Basically drink plenty of water too! Infused or steeped, drink it.
   
   
8. Make sure you get enough sleep. Maybe a bit more than enough. I'm guessing with the amount of cooties we need to fight off, it wouldn't hurt to ease off from other areas where we put our bodies under so much stress. Lack of sleep is one, diet is another etc.
9. If you're a woman, make love to your husband! You're probably wondering how on earth this would be helpful and whether my husband paid me to write that in here?? Well, no he didn't bribe me and he is probably very ecstatic about "number 9" which he might hold me to every evening...*sigh*... ANYWAY, the reasons are plenty, here's a teaser -
   
   "Love Your Husband Love Yourself -Jennifer Flanders"
10. I would say, hit the gym.... but, with so many cooties floating around, I recommend working-out outdoors. If the weather permits it, go for a run, walk, "freeletics", Pilates outdoors...

WHEW! There's 10 ways to "Kung-Fu" those viruses and bugs. Hope these help!

What do you do to prep for the "flu-season"? Comment below!

Elderberry-Lemon Gummies

Ingredients:

• 1C dried elderberries
• 8 drops doTERRA Lemon EO
• 4C water
• 6T Gentle sweet or 3T Sweet Blend -taste test and tweak it to your own liking
• 1t cinnamon
• 1/2t cherry extract
• 1/2t vanilla
• 6,000mg vitamin C powder (optional)
• 12T Gelatin

Method:

1. Simmer elderberries, cinnamon, and sweetener  on low heat with 3C water for about 30minutes.
2. Strain the water into another pan and discard the berries (careful you don't do this the other way around!)
3. Add the remaining water (or more) to make 4C of liquid in total. Let cool down.
4. Turn on the heat to medium-low and add the extracts, Lemon essential oil and vitamin-C. Slowly sprinkle in the gelatin as the mixture warms up and whisk until dissolved. 
5. Heat up, but do not to boiling, then pour it into a glass baking dish or molds. 
6. Store in the fridge until set and cut into squares. 

Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trimhealthycathy/

My Top 10 - October

Dear blog readers, I'm so sorry I have been M.I.A! I can't even list the reasons why, I just haven't had the time.

However, I'm here now! And to pick up from where I left, here are My Top 10.

1. De-Itemizing to the core! I am going through some rough growing pains and have taken de-itemizing to a whole new level. For those who don't know what de-itemizing is, read HERE. Stay tunes for what has happened and what is to come!
2. Crock Pot- I can't live without these days. I am following the THM plan, mostly S's for my personal reasons (pregnancy related- and no we're not expecting -yet!) and I'm loving the recipes, and the hands free approach.
3. Talking about the 'hands free'. I am reading this book AGAIN- can't memorize it enough! I put together a group of 10 mothers, who get together weekly at my home (with tea and cookies *wink*) and discuss each chapter, how it's affecting our lives. A life changing book. Check out the BLOG
4. Sparkling water. Cans after cans... I would like a soda stream! Freedom from cans and freedom to create my own flavours. Sparkling vitamin water, anybody??
5. Be Fruitful and Multiply - Nancy Campbell - a very educating eye opening book.
6. Matthew 6:19-24 -look it up!
7. Scentsy, I can't get enough of Scentsy! My home smells ever so good, especially now during autumn... *mmmmm*
8. The Purpose of Christmas, -R.Warren. Yeah it may be early BUT, I'm reading it to my kids in the space of a month, early enough to focus on the real REASON for when Christmas does come around. I'm liking the conversations that follows after each chapter. I don't recommend reading it to kids younger than 6, however I do explain it simply as I read.
9. Developing photos and going timeless. What ever happened to the time when a picture was enough without embellishments? I love scrapbooking and I love paper crafts... but right now, I love the fact that pictures themselves are enough and are in albums right away. They can be enjoyed right away.
10. Trust and Obey -blog. Perhaps my favourite blog at the moment? Such an encouraging and information-full site for HG moms (and all moms!!) and homeschooling families walking in Christ. 

and this may be #11 but must add -Trim Healthy Mama for a complete clear complexion and more of scale and non scale victories! HERE

My Top 10 (May 2015)

1. The THM Plan. Trim Healthy Mama. I loved the book and I totally agree with the "diet plan". I don't think that I will ever again embark on another diet again. Diet= the way eating. This is the way we eat from now on. http://www.trimhealthymama.com/
2. The "Shrinker"! Home made Chai Tea Oolong Minty Chocolatey Spicy iced beverage! Which burns calories, hydrates and is going to be my best friend during hot summer days.
3. Salmon. I can't get enough.
4. Miracle Noodles. Just amazing. (Korean yam noodles)
5. Love Your Husband, Love Yourself. A book that I cannot put down. A lot of wisdom, a lot of freedom in this book. I am so happy I bought it. http://www.amazon.ca/Love-Your-Husband-Yourself-Embracing/dp/0982626908
6. Above Rubies. A ministry that is dear to my heart. I just went to one of their retreats here in BC, Canada, and by going -it was one of the best things I've done for myself, ever. I gained so much! http://aboverubies.org/
7. GABA. In those times of chaotic home making, he he! http://overcomingyouranxiety.net/naturalanxietyremedies/gaba-for-anxiety/
8. Collagen! Just started drinking it... http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Collagens-Hydrolyzed-Collagen-Unflavored/dp/B00LGUIOOW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429836617&sr=8-2&keywords=custom+collagen
9. White Collar. A clean and entertaining series on Netflix. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358522/
10. 500 piece puzzles, for my own downtime.

My Top 10... no..7!

1. Managers of Their Homes Book - a new blessing
2. Incense sticks- they make my home smell like an Indian Bazaar, I like that!
3. Gardening. Growing our own vegetables and herbs. Frugal. Love it.
4. Blogging more. - reaching out
5. Earl Grey Decaf 
6. Juicing -read all about it here!

My Top 10

1. Financial Freedom Seminar by Embassy Institute. My husband and I have taken this seminar as an annual thing to go through as a couple. I have learned a lot, again. We feel focused once again. We're going through it as we speak and share the experience with some friends of ours. We're planning on getting together weekly to discuss it.
2. Anger Resolution Seminar, by Embassy Institute. I went through this 20h seminar on my own, each night once the kids went down for the night. I discovered a lot and to put this in simple yet powerful words, it changed my life as I know it!
3. Uno card game. I enjoy playing Uno with my son. It's a great way to come together and have a laugh as well as talk.
4. Pinterest Food Recipes. I've stacked baking and cooking recipes to try out with my kiddos.
5. Menu Planning, deal hunting... we're going through a "dry spell" and I have learned to stretch the pennies.
6. Bear Grylls -survivor NetFlix episodes. Can't get enough.
7. Bored Shorts TV Kid Snippets via YouTube. Quite funny. I haven't laughed that hard, ever! Too funny!
8. My workout and diet regime HERE. Going good.
9. Letting go of OvuView App. Again. Old habits die hard.
10. Teaching STOTT Pilates again, after a few years break.

My top 10 #3

It's January. It's rainy, rainy, rainy..... ugh. Well at least you don't have to shovel it. But I miss the snow at times, for the kids' sake really.

Here are my top 10

1. Keurig K-Cup coffee maker. 
   
   I got this for our anniversary present. I have been drinking so much coffee (I'm honeymooning it with this machine), I had to switch to decaf K-cups.
2. OvuView App for android -for natural family planning (I'm sure they have that for iphones too)
3. The Stair Master - mother of all cardio equipment. Don't bother with the rest. I dare YOU, give it a try!
4. Scheduling like so,
5. Budgeting like so,
6. Savings plan like so,
7. Early morning (before the kids wake up) bible study with my husband and bible "circle time" as a family before bed time. I am just LOVIN' it!
8. Vitamin-C 1000mg - during this cold season, I have been making sure that my family and I stay on top accumulating this vitamin. During a cold (or any other sickness), we go up to thousands of mg dosages, and it really fights off any bug swiftly. Excess vitamin C, which your body cannot use, will be disposed of through your urine. So, it's important to keep this vitamin at full! (a little article on Vitamin -C healing around the world, HERE)
9. Pumpernickel/Rye bread -since we unfortunately cannot get the REAL kind of rye bread here in North America, we will just have to settle with the German kinds. It's still healthy, yummy and gives plenty of healthy fiber. The kids love it, I don't complain!
10. Weight Training - helps increase metabolism, maintains you muscle health, prevents osteoporosis, increases strength, and reduces risks of muscle tears and damage as you get older. We often concentrate on our spiritual well being so much that we completely neglect the physical aspect. After all, it's amazingly created, masterminded and given to us. Our HOLYTEMPLE.

What are your top 3-10, currently? 

More on my previous top 10's HERE