Friday Fun!

Living healthy natural lives is not always the easiest thing, which is why I started my blog - to inspire and help others live their best life healthfully and naturally. Friday Fun is my way of sharing a bit of my life with you, my readers and friends, and I hope you will be willing to share your thoughts and ideas with me too.

So, here we go!

In my life this week...
Last Saturday, I got to actually have a little break from being Mommy 24/7 and got to just be Cara again. I ran over to my parent's house, had some wine and dinner and had a ton of laughs with my parents and a couple of my sisters. It was the absolute best - the highlight of my month. :-)

This week I have had several goals but one of them was to heal my daughter's irritated cheeks. She has dry, irritated skin on her face and around her eyes, and I know it means something is not right internally - inflammation, weak immune system or poor digestion. So, I cut out all grains from her diet, started giving her two probiotic pills, 9 alfalfa a day, 4 chewable Vita C, plus her normal Incredivites multivitamin, her normal omegas, apple cider vinegar water, and kefir every day. We also started keeping her out of fleece clothing and pajamas, because I thought that was irritating her skin, as well. Today, I would say her skin is 90% better. I am so happy!!! Hopefully, by next week, I will be able to say she is 100% better.

I am inspired by...
my clients doing the crazy hard workouts I give them. I have been so inspired that they never give up, no matter how much their legs or arms are giving out. It makes me push myself harder during my own workouts! You go, guys!

My favorite thing this week was...
getting that time to be me again at my parents' house was just what I needed to feel rejuvenated and refreshed to do my best again as a mommy. I needed that so badly - definitely my favorite thing this week.

What's working/not working for me...
Working - The sun has come out again and the air has warmed up a bit, so we are back out walking in the mornings. Yay! Hurray! I love the fresh air, and it is great to start the day out with a nice walk through the woods. 

I also cooked up a huge pumpkin and made soup for a couple days worth of meals. Yum!!! Oh, and I cooked my first whole chicken in the crockpot and made broth afterwards. So awesome! I will make sure to write a post sharing the details next week.

Not working - We had to buy a new washing machine, because the old one stopped spinning, even after we thought we fixed it. It was a blow to our tight budget, but I am amazed how God provides all that we need.

Questions/thoughts I have...
Am I giving my best to my husband at the end of these long days???

I'm reading...
Going to start a new book today - I am on a country western love story kick, Encouragement for Today Devotional by Proverbs 31 Team,  Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel, lots of children's books!

I'm cooking...
Pumpkin Soup, Whole Chicken in the crock pot, Chicken soup from homemade broth, Baked Salmon

I'm grateful for...
healthy bodies, warmer weather, crystals of frost in the morning, doing work that I love, naps, good books, pumpkin seeds, alfalfa, clean drinking water, humidifiers

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

I had a bit of an ah-ha! moment when I was watching 19 Kids and Counting. Michelle Duggar was talking about your kids needing you when you are working on something else. Normally, I would think of that as a distraction, but she said, "The kids aren't the distraction. They are my priority. The work I have to do on the side is the real distraction." I loved that! I have to keep that in mind as I try to balance work and family.