So it’s true, clean is in, toxic is out, and nutrition is big. So balancing healthy living and real mom life … is it even possible? Doesn’t the health world realize the pressures moms are already under? Where do you even start without causing a full on rebellion in the household when you take the Oreos away?
That’s why I started this blog. As a way to help overwhelmed moms trying to transition their family to a healthier and happier lifestyle. For those moms who are struggling with a food allergy diagnosis in their kiddos and now have to change their entire way of life when it comes to food. And for mamas who are looking to find their heart’s joy in the everyday mess.
If that sounds like the path you find yourself on, whether you’re a new mom or a mom of six, this is the place for you. Welcome home.
And if you’re a mom (especially a new mama!) of an infant, I have a BRAND NEW resource for you! My guidebook, A Nurse in Your Purse, walks you through the most common health issues you’ll run into with your baby in the first year of life. I tell you how to treat them at home and when it’s time to see the doctor. It’s a great resource to have on hand to help ease those mama nerves. You can find out more info here.
“Healthier and happier?” It sounds so cliché, right?
Let’s start with the healthier part.
For the healthier aspect, I’m talking about getting your family to eat less processed foods and, instead, eat more whole foods. (Here’s a free download for eight easy and healthy food swaps to get you started!) To use less toxic household items that you may not even realize are harmful, and of using a few more holistic remedies instead of mainstream treatment options. It’s making a conscientious and informed decision of what we are putting into and onto our bodies.
I mean, how many of you have you ever read an ingredients label, in it’s entirety, on the food you buy or the lotion you use? How many of the names can you even pronounce? For me, it was pretty much never and I couldn’t. Until I was forced to because my son’s life depended on it.
But switching it up can be extremely overwhelming. Trust me, I’ve been there and basically cried and fumbled my way through it. And I don’t want that for you!
In case you haven’t heard, clean is in, toxic is out, and nutrition is big.
A nurses take on things for balancing mom life and healthy living.
Now before you go thinking I’m some kind of crazy health nut that gathers my own fruits and herbs from the woods and makes my own concoctions, just hear me out.
I’m a registered nurse and, therefore, I like to know that what I’m spouting off is something that’s backed by not just “science”, but also actual studies. Some of the things I’ll talk with you about are things that have been beneficial for me and my own family and I’ve witnessed with my own eyes. If I haven’t personally used it, but I talk about it, I promise to provide the studies to back it up and to disclose the lack of studies if there are none. I’ll also never tell you that there is just one way to live a healthy life. What works for one person, may not work for another. We each have to work out what our healthy looks like.
The best way to stay healthy is prevention. But when something does happen, we have to find the root cause of what the issue is and treat that, not just treat the symptoms it’s causing. Bandaids only work on skin.
Having done the work of how to start the transition to a healthier lifestyle because of the discovery of food allergies in my son and dental decay in my daughter, I’m here to help show you some options to start with, while decreasing the overwhelm of getting there. Let my hard work and research be to your advantage!
As a registered nurse, I’m very aware of the view on Western medicine by some on the holistic side. As well as the views by those that use Western medicine on taking the holistic approach. And to be honest, they both have their places at times. Do I pop Tylenol into my kids at the first sign of a fever? No. If my husband was to have a stroke, would I want the docs to give tPA? You bet! There’s a time and a place for both approaches. Prevention is always going to be key when it comes to having to choose which approach you’ll take.
That’s the healthier, here’s the happier.
It’s time to lift each other up in this mom life.
While it’s pretty true that you’ll be happier if you feel better from living a healthier lifestyle, that’s not really what I mean when I say I want you to be happier.
Being a mom is tough. Especially these days. The demands on moms is much more than what it used to be. And oftentimes moms are losing themselves in the daily grind, whether it’s working the 9-5 job then handling the home life, or if it’s being home all the time cleaning up the same messes, day after day.
I want to help moms embrace their mom title and find joy in the messy parts of life. Even amidst cleaning up the spilled milk your two year old just chucked across the room. Again.
Why would I want to do that?
Well, you see, I’ve always wanted to be a mom. And I’ve always wanted to help people. Hence, why I’m a nurse. But when I had to choose between the two, that seed of unhappiness set in. The day I returned to work after having my baby, I knew I wanted something different.
Come on! Seriously?! I worked hard for this nursing degree! Now I’m considering giving it up?
I thought I was crazy for thinking it. Like something was wrong with me. I mean, I’ve always been a super responsible person, and super responsible people do the 9-5 thing at the good job with benefits.
Right?!
Well, I did the super responsible 9-5 thing after I had my first baby. For the next six years. And my mothering suffered from it. My marriage suffered from it. My mental health suffered from it. Until I finally worked up enough courage to consider going against the mainstream idea of “having it all”. To actually thinking I could be my own boss while being home with my kids. Little did I know I’d have to work on my mindset of separating my who from my do before I could fully take that leap. I mean, if I wasn’t a nurse, then who was I? What was I? Was I okay with being “just a mom” with “just a side hustle”?
We aren’t defined by our career choice.
Don’t run the rat race.
The truth is, I had to learn that we aren’t defined by what we do. Or by our career, although society tends to define us that way. There’s a season in our life for each thing we choose to do. I had a great season of being a full time nurse. Maybe someday I’ll go back to it full time. Right now, though, working as a contingent nurse is all I need as I’ve embraced my season of being a full time mom and an entrepreneur on the side.
For so long I missed out on memories with my kids. And because of this, I think I’m more acutely aware of each passing moment now that I have the chance to be home with them full time. Moments that I won’t be getting back again. The sweet ones and the frustrating ones. I’ve missed so many already that I don’t want to take one more moment with them for granted. And my heart wants other moms to see the beauty in this realization for themselves, whether they work in or outside the home. I want you to enjoy your mom life, no matter what it looks like.
Let me put it another way. I once heard it said that instead of thinking we have 18 years with our kids, we should instead think of it as having only 18 summers with them. 18 summers and the countdown has already started. Some of us don’t have many more summers left with them. It helps to make those moments of frustration with them a little easier to digest when we realize how quickly time goes by.
In each season we are in there is infinite joy to be found with where we are at for the moment, if we choose to look for it.
So when I say I want you to be happier, I want you to learn to embrace the season you’re in as a mom, no matter what it is. Maybe it’s working full time outside the home or maybe it’s being a full time stay at home mom. It’s the sweet moments and the ones that make you want to pull your hair out. It’s going to look different for all of us, but in each season we are in there is infinite joy to be found with where we are at for the moment, if we choose to look for it. This mom life is the only one we get.
What you have to gain.
And what I plan to offer to help you balance mom life and healthy living.
I hope you’ll stick around with me here to learn how to transition you and your family to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Because, for real …. it’s hard! If you’ve decided to travel this road because you’re ready for a change, or have to due to circumstances such as allergies, expect your family to put up a fight. Mainly the kids. Change can be hard and scary. Kids don’t do well with change or the unfamiliar. I’ll help walk you through it in baby steps because you won’t be able to overhaul your lifestyle overnight. Do I always get it right? No. Do I know everything there is to know about nutrition? No. The goal here is not perfection. The goal is to allow our bodies to thrive, not just survive.
Let me know in the comments below of where you’re at on your transition to a healthier life and healthier family. What part are you struggling with? Are you on this journey by choice or were you forced into it due to circumstances, such as allergies? The more feedback I get from you, the better I can serve you in this blog!
And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, please! You’ll be notified of healthy living tips, our favorite allergy friendly and healthy recipes we’ve found, and products I recommend. I’ll let you know when I have sales in my digital download store (some will be for email subscribers only!) And let’s not forget a good dose of mama love to help hold you up on this journey!
