Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Food Prayer



 Is he not the funniest??? I LOVE him. Cracks me up. What he said is true. It is TOTALLY how I was.

Alright, here’s the deal. This is a journey. I am not saying to quit taking your meds. And for goodness sake, if you are under the care of a physician, you ALWAYS talk with them before adding anything to your plan of care or altering your plan of care. I’ve got doctor friends, and I would prefer them to not be sending me hate mail either. Thank you and Amen. Soooo, what I would like for you to consider is giving this visual image below a look. See how you can change up a few of your OTC meds to essential oils. It’s one step in the right direction. I did this first, then I started altering my eating habits. I am pleased to say that I’ve had NO meds in almost a year! HELLO…NOTHING but essential oils. I joke that I have my 36 year old gut back instead of the 90 year old one it had turned into. 

And the biggie, Anxiety is gone too.  I would get so anxious and nervous being in certain situations, or around people I felt really didn't want me around because in my mind I was pretty certain they didn't like me.  Most all made up in my head I'm hoping, but still I would become this nervous blubbering idiot.  I was. I tried to hide it the best I could, but inside I was a mess.  My stomach was in knots, my throat was tight, my mouth was dry.  I had a difficult time sitting still.  I mean, bad news guys, it was tough.  I literally left situations because of it, decided not to be around certain people because of it, I couldn't handle it.  I blamed it on post partum and hormones and anything I could think of. But the truth of the matter is I am sensitive.  So sensitive in fact that I allow myself to get my feelings hurt when I really need a coat of armor on.  I can work on the sensitive issue and believe me I am.  But I needed help with the anxiety that came along with it.  This is life.  Not everyone is going to like me.  I know that.  I can even embrace it now. I mean, I don't like everyone either so it's totally fair. However, I cannot go on avoiding people and places because of the few out there who would rather me not be there.  I just can't.  It's no way to live my life and a bad example for my kids too.  Praise God for Valor.  Together with Valor and my doctor I weaned myself off the anxiety meds, which really didn't help me at all. But they were a narcotic and not a good thing to be on, especially if they really didn't kick the anxiety to the curb. Now, no more anxiety.  None. I Valor Up when I'm feeling anxious, say a prayer, and go about my way!

Can you feel it??? Can you sense it? The craze of essential oils has hit and I am telling you, it is rockin’ my world. I feel as if I’m on a mission. A mission to help others discover that they DO NOT have to rely on the things they once did to take care of their families. I am on a mission for people to become free of taking things that just mask symptoms. The symptoms are there to warn you there is a problem. Essential oils are designed to do just the opposite of what we typically put in our bodies…they are created to CORRECT the problems, not just MASK the symptoms.

Think about it this way. If you were asleep in your house, and you woke to the fire alarm going off. Would you get up out of bed, go find something to cover up the SOUND of the beeping alarm and then get back in bed? Would you go take the battery out to make it stop and get back in bed? Would you just ignore it? Why no…you would not, you would go running out of the house to escape the fire. I really believe the Lord gave me this visual image of how we treat our bodies. When we start having “symptoms”, it’s our bodies way of saying, HEY YOU, THERE’S A PROBLEM HERE. We however, or maybe I should just speak for myself…I ALWAYS, would get out of bed, go to the kitchen cabinet where I kept all my OTC meds, and I would start searching. Hmmm, should I use Motrin, or Tylenol, or Motrin PM, or Tylenol PM, or Advil, or Advil Sinus, or GasX, or Tums, or Immodium, or Zyrtec, or …….I could keep listing, because I can…or Ambien, or Zofran, or Lortab, or Percocet….Demoral, really, I can keep listing….all medicines do are block receptors, mask symptoms…they basically lie to your body. But the lie wears off and the problem is still there.

If your house was on fire and you got out of bed, covered up the alarm, and got back in bed…you would die. You would burn slap to death. We do that with our bodies…or, let me speak for myself. I DID that with my body. I had horrible digestive issues. If I ate past 8:30 at night, I would 99.9% of the time wake up puking at 4am…like clock work, oh and this fun stuff would continue all day long. So I learned how to deal with that “symptom” I would MASK it, I would COVER it up, trick my body, cover up that alarm, get in bed and repeat the next day. I knew I could eat a Cheeseburger, large fries, and MEGA SUPER MEGA Diet Coke, take a GasX pill and maybe have to sleep propped up…but I would be okay. NEVER did I think, HELLO, Ashley…your body is sending you an ALARM…it’s screaming, PLEASE STOP…you are killing me….STOP, RUN OUT OF THE BURNING HOUSE…ESCAPE.

Now, before you send the hate emails and texts to me. I realize medicine saves people’s lives…I get it. I am not saying if I chopped my leg off I wouldn’t go to the doctor and I wouldn’t take something for pain. I mean, let’s be real here people. I’m not saying that if you are about to keel over and taking an antibiotic would keep you around in the land of the living that you shouldn’t take it. I understand that medicine can help people…BUT, I have also learned that it does NOT have to be the first thing you turn to. I FIRMLY believe that if we can change our diet and explore these essential oils, our lives will be transformed.

That is EXACTLY what has happened with me. I actually got convicted  you guys when I read how essential oils work for our bodies and how meds work for our bodies. Seriously. I had a COMPLETE coming to Jesus meeting. Like, ummm, Lord, I am SO sorry…I’ve been praying you would fix this whole digestive thing,  but I’ve been putting junk in my body.

Print that out and hang on the inside of your medicine cabinet. :) You can get ALL of that in the Everyday Oils Kit. Plus a way cool diffuser, and the peace of mind knowing you are doing something awesome for yourself and family.



 
I love this stuff.  I want to shout it from the roof tops, I really do.  I want to chase everyone I know and love around with a bottle of oil.  I do.  I really do. But I won't, I promise. 

Thanksgiving in SoCal

 We left bright and early Thanksgiving morning, hitched a ride on a jet plane and headed out west! The excitement was in the air!
 Plane watching while having airport McDonald's breakfast was pretty cool too!
 We landed to 78 degree weather, clear blue skies, no traffic, and a fabulous Thanksgiving east being prepared!
 Sue busy cooking for the crew!
 Dad and Tyler carving the turkey.
 The kids! Hey, wait, I thought I was the kids?  When did this happen??
 Nothing says pumpkin pie without a shot of whipped cream in the mouth!
 The kids minus Carter
 Black Friday.  Up REALLY early, and I mean, 4:45 AM early to get ready to meet my friend Emily at Disneyland for the day!  I felt kind of bad (actually she loves me so I didn't feel that bad) to have my pregnant life long friend meet me at Disneyland at 7:30 AM on Black Friday so we could get in free.  What?  Yes, she saved us like $700.  She's the best ever.  No question about that! Luckily, I knew she and her sister were at Lowes at 5 AM that morning getting poinsettia plants and shop vacs so she was out and about!
 Emily, my buddy since grade school, my lifelong friend, who is 5 months pregnant and met me at Disney to get us in free.  Seriously, who has friends like this?  What a God given gift you are Em!
 Around 8 AM it started raining which in southern California terminology that means huge drops and pouring.  It really does.  So, that also translates to the Comptons getting the entire park to themselves that day.  Seriously.  The local season pass holders clear out and don't want anything to do with rain.  And Black Friday is notoriously known as one of the most crowded days for Disney, so for us to get big pouring rain drops, was AWESOME!
 Monsters University!  The West Coast Campus!
 Not slowing down a bit!  Riding EVERYTHING with no lines!

 Eeor!
 Tigger!  Tanner and Daddy were on Splash Mountain and he came on over to see us!

 Got done with Splash Mountain just in time to see Winnie!
 Saturday night, UCLA beat USC.  Oh yes they did!
 The brothers sleep in Cammies old room which warms my heart.  I love it.  I love that I bring my kids back to the home I grew up in.  Its awesome. 


 Hadley sleeps on the couch and loves it!


 Once again, almost 80 degrees, clear blue skies, we didn't bring shorts, but The Christmas Tree in Newport was spectacular!



 Leaving.  It's still hard to leave sometimes.  My heart is there because I have such great memories of growing up.  I think I become very territorial and protective over Southern California.  I'm sure everyone is protective of where they grew up.  At least I hope I'm not alone.  We had a great time.  It was wonderful to spend Thanksgiving weekend with Dad and Sue, be outside, soak up the sun, eat, and relax.

Peace on Earth

Read this and loved it.

"If we believe in Peace on Earth, then we must practice peace in our own lives. Turn the other cheek when we are insulted or hurt, replace bigotry with tolerance, make a pledge that only love will come from us today...only love. Remember that only God is perfect and no matter how sure we are that we are right...we might be wrong. Nothing gives us the right to hurt another person...any person. Peace."

Everyday, I only want love to come from me.  Only Love.  Only Love. Only Love.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Time gets away from me!

 Time gets away from me!  I sometimes feel like during the day I float from one thing to another and then yet another and another.  Sometimes not even completing that task I just left, like laundry! Luckily, for the most part, the kids play very well.  Our little day time dynamic has changed drastically this year with Tanner being in school all day but Carter and Hadley get down to business and have some amazing plays going on of their own.  While Tanner is greatly missed while he is at school we have settled into our latest new normal very well.
 Hadley.  Need I say more?  My sweet little girl who was so easy going as a baby has morphed into a little girl who is so full of life and mischief! She keeps me on my toes, not a moment goes by when she's not into something.  Here, she has gotten her head stuck in a toilet seat.  Yep.  That just happened. 
 Halloween came and went and I got one picture.  Yep.  One picture.  Here is Hadley, William, Carter, Tanner & Edrie (otherwise known as the Betts cousins) all dressed up and ready to hit the streets for some trick or treating!
 One of my dear friends ran the New York Marathon and one morning which I was watching The Today Show and drinking my coffee ( I know that sounds blissful; I left out the part of the three kids running around like crazies in their undies) I saw this!  There they are!  Chad and Alicia made it on TV! I had to pause and rewind and then video it and text it to her!  Gotta love technology!
 Just sweet.
 The Compton cousins came over to play one afternoon!  Chase and Makaila are our cousins, maybe third cousins?  I'm not sure and Terra and I couldn't quite figure it out but regardless, we share the same last name and the kids had a great time!
 Makaila and Hadley
 Tired.
 Every year it scares me to death, but every year it looks oh so good!  Christmas lights are up and looking amazing!
 Steelheads game with the boys! 
 Carter did not even make it out of the parking garage of the Steelheads game before falling asleep!
 We celebrated Chandlers 2nd birthday!  It was a BLAST! He was hilarious and thought the candles were so funny!
 I love my sister!
 Hadley drove Princess Grandma home!
 Not to be outdone by the potty seat....Hadley grabbed a Sharpie marker and colored a full sleeve tattoo on her arm.  If its not one thing its another, right??
 But she truly is so precious.  After a morning of destruction, she takes a nap!
 The motto is "Work Hard, Play Hard, and Sleep Hard"  It happens a lot!
 Tyler and celebrated 13 years of marriage!  Mom had us all over for dinner and a little gingerbread man decorating for the kids!  It was a blast! 

Yep.  13 years.  So much has happened and yet I am so excited to see what else is in store for us!  I've got to pinch myself most days, I am so grateful for Tyler.  Kids-your dad is an all out rock star in so many ways.  There isn't anything he won't do for us.  We are so thankful for your hard work and love for our little family.