Wish granted,….

This week, my family and I have been on vacation. A vacation that we’ve dreamed of for a long time.

The vacation happens to be my son’s “Make-A-Wish” that was granted due to his battle with leukemia.

I’ve learned a lot on this vacation!

1) My family TRULY enjoys spending time together, it’s like a mother’s wish come true.
2) My children are very funny, kind, and caring; something many parents wish for.
3) My son is healthy and enjoying his wish immensely; a REAL dream come true!
4) My God is bigger than ANY illness could ever be; no wish there, pure reality!

I’ve learned many other things along the way as well…..

1) My children are far from perfect, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
2) My children’s bodies have changed over the years as we have changed our eating style. (That translates to: My children feel sick after eating certain foods prepared outside our home made with junk.)
3) While it makes me sad to see my children have upset tummies, allergic reactions, etc. I am THRILLED to know that my children’s bodies have done some healing as we’ve changed our diets to a traditional, REAL food, style of eating.

So why is that photo at the beginning of this post? Well, I couldn’t pass up sharing a great deal with you all! 😉

After seeing how my family reacted to foods not prepared by me in traditional ways, I was so excited to see some of my favorite books on sale and had to share!!

You don’t have to have Celiac Disease to eat gluten-free foods. You don’t have to be following a Paleolithic diet to eat grain-free meals. You can enjoy the recipes in this ebook bundle and feel good about them all! 🙂

In fact, I have a confession to make….. I rarely make a recipe exactly as it reads. I am a recipe tweeker and I have become my mother! You know, one of those women who says, “just add a pinch of –” or “about a teaspoon of –” or the dreaded, “just throw whatever you’ve got in there! Yep, that’s me.

I’ve actually recently considered challenging myself to cook through an entire cookbook, word for word. Eeek! (I just felt butterflies in my stomach.) **If that interests you, let me know which cookbook from the ebook bundle you’d like me to work through, we could do it together! 😉

Well, it’s been great sharing with you, but this evening, we have a very special “last night” planned, so I gotta go. Talk to you soon!

Keepin’ it real,
Elena

A note from my heart….

Hello everyone!!!  🙂

I am so excited to write to you today!  As my family and I prepare for a trip together to celebrate our son’s life and his successful journey through leukemia, I’ve been thinking, praying……and packing.

As I began planning and preparing  for the 10 of us to take this trip, which is a miracle in and of itself; and after much thought, and prayer, I realized that something I probably haven’t shared with you is part of my heart’s desire to help people prevent/get through the journey of cancer. *I actually despise cancer and prefer that it completely disappear from the earth, but since that probably isn’t going to happen any time soon,….. it is my firm belief that I should use our experience to help others prevent it at all costs, and if it does happen, they have some extra knowledge and encouragement to persevere through it.

         

Personally, I think sometimes in life, we get ‘stuck’ in our ruts and routines. We lose sight of what we’re doing and why.  We become too comfortable.

Too often, people get comfortable and think, “it’s convenient”, “ it’s worked pretty good”, “well, I’m just not sure, I don’t like change”, “ I just don’t have time to start something new”…… we have all kinds of excuses to stay comfortable, to make life as easy as possible, and to avoid putting forth any extra effort for a prevention  method. Then, we are upset when things don’t go the way we planned, or we get a diagnosis we didn’t expect…..

 

We can’t prevent everything.  We can only do our BEST and take care of the one body we’re given.

So today, I thought I’d share some tools and tips from my life’s toolbox and words from my heart that hopefully, will encourage and enable you to make some changes for a healthier future.   🙂

 

I must begin by saying, “I am so fed up with the commercials that advertise medications that will “cure” or “improve” some ailment someone may have and the list of side effects is A MILE LONG.” They say that these medications can help my dry skin and/or maybe my muscle pain,…..BUT I may have to take the risk of: heart attack, blindness,  shortness of breath, legs collapsing, seizures, cancer………………  seriously?!?!?!!

At this point, I think we can all agree that the American food supply is downright scary, the FDA is “out to lunch”, and the only way you can REALLY know what you’re eating is if you grow it, know who grew it, raised it, or know who raised it.

But how does one find balance?

Personally, I go to trusted sources.  Then, I research what the trusted source has said, checkout their trusted sources, and come to my own conclusion.  I would encourage you to do the same.

As I share with you some of my trusted sources, I would like to remind you that I am not a doctor and do not claim to have all of the answers.  I have chosen these sources  based on the integrity of the company, the usage of my trusted friends and colleagues, and my personal experiences and results.  If you would want ANY of these products, you may obtain them through me.

1)      I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE JUICE PLUS!  Juice Plus is a company that I have complete confidence in their ability to “bridge the gap” between the foods we consume every day and the requirements of our body to obtain quality antioxidants to fight free radicals and prevent cancer.  *Juice Plus is NOT meant to take the place of fruits and vegetables, but is a wonderful source of whole nutrition, especially for individuals/children who do not consume enough quality fruits and vegetables each day. **It’s the ONLY supplement that was approved by our son’s oncologists as safe, WHOLE FOOD, to support his body during his 3.5 years of cancer treatment. (wish we had known about it before the diagnosis!)**ask me how you can get it FREE for you children**

2)      I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MELALEUCA!  The Melaleuca company provides many products that are essential oil-based and totally safe!  We use these products in our home so that we do not expose our children to environmental toxins that can cause cancer and affect immune support.  In fact, they are ultra-safe for children and pets and work like a charm!  **Right now, you can get $100 worth of FREE products, ask me how!**

 

3)      Essential oils,….again, LOVE THEM!!! Essential oils are useful topically, internally, and in diffusers to fight infections, bacteria, viruses, and provide good immune support.  **I have two wonderful sources,  that I know use high quality processes to extract the oils from their natural sources. **Personally, I have used a couple oils to treat toe nail fungus, psoriasis, cuts, scrapes, bruises, sinus infections, colds, flus, bruising, headaches, and sore muscles.

4)      FOOD……..I L-O-V-E FOOD!!!  Ever heard, “Let food be thy medicine”? *I love that school of thought. Since the dawn of time, people have been eating real, WHOLE, organic, GRASS-FED, pastured, made-from-scratch with whole grains food!! Some of the most nutritious foods that are often missed at the American dinner table include fermented foods that provide probiotics to support and heal the gut. Someone please, correct me if I’m wrong, but,  I’m pretty sure there weren’t any ‘drive-thrus’ in the Garden of Eden and I’ve never heard that cavemen ate pastries or complete meals out of a box.   **Take baby steps and incorporate one small change at a time, eventually, it will make a big difference.   *If there is a recipe you’d like to give a “make-over” to and make healthier, send it to me and I will do my best to improve its quality and nutritional value.   😉

 

Lastly, and MOST importantly,……….I have to tell you that I firmly believe that no matter what choices you make in order to prevent diseases or chronic conditions, no matter what diagnosis you get and how great your doctors are, there is only ONE “Great Physician” and it is in whom I trust most.

 

For those of you who have experienced the journey of cancer and for those of you who have gone through our journey with us, know that you hold a very special place in my heart.  As we go on this trip, Cam’s “Make-A-Wish” trip, my wish for you is that you have found encouragement in your reading and you find comfort in our “Great Comforter”.

Keepin’ it real,

Elena 😉