Homemade rejuvenating bath soak

 This simple yet effective bath soak recipe is easy to make at home and very cost friendly. 

I use a pint size canning jar to store mine. Once you have the jar, lid, Epsom Salt and essential oils of your choice, you can begin!

I start with filling the jar half full of Epsom salt. I choose 3-5 relaxing oils to add (pictured is lavender, peppermint, clary sage, and melaleuca). If you have an aromatherapy blend, that would work great! Just add a few drops of each oil into the Epsom salt. 

Fill the remainder of the jar and add a few more drops of each oil on top. Secure lid and shake well to mix. 

For my weekly soak, I fill the bathtub and add about 1/2 cup of this relaxing Epsom salt mixture and I enjoy soaking in the tub for 20-30 minutes. Epsom salt is great for detoxing, rejuvinating and helping sore muscles! 

Here are some reasons to use it year round!

I love that Epsom salt is very reasonably priced (less than $4 for this large container) and is easy to find at many stores! Or you can get it online and have it delivered right to your door! 

Enjoy this recipe and make your weekly rejuvinating bath soak a priority.

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Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Setting goals may be intimidating. 

I think the main reason people don't set personal goals more consistently is because of the effort and dedication it takes to achieve them.

Perhaps they also fear failure. If that is the case, they are not alone To begin, choose a day of the week (preferably Sunday) to reflect on the previous week and set goals for the week to come!


It took me a lot of practice and persistence to learn how to set measurable goals, keep track of them and eventually reach them. But the key here is BELIEF AND CONSISTENCY. If the goal is reasonable and attainable, we CAN reach it! 
It's not a matter of IF, but rather WHEN.

When setting a goal, be sure to follow these guidelines to help ensure your success!

SPECIFIC: The goal must be specific! Saying "I want to drink more water" or "I plan to workout more" is way too broad and is hard to keep track of. Get specific with the details.

MEASURABLE: Numbers help with measuring a goal. Set a certain amount to your goal and make sure you can easily track it. Instead of, "I want to drink more water" say "I will drink 80 ounces of water every day." Once you reach that number, you will know you have reached your goal!

ATTAINABLE: Your goal must be possible or you will will get discouraged when you are unable to reach it. Having a broad long term goal is okay, as long as you have small attainable short term goals to back it up and keep you on track. Saying you want to lose 50 pounds is good, but you need small, attainable milestones to get you to that ultimate goal.

REALISTIC: Your goal must make sense and be realistic. If you set your goals too high or are hoping for something that isn't really possible, then you are setting yourself up for failure.

TIME-BOUND: Set a DEADLINE! When you have a reasonable deadline for yourself, you are more likely to stay on track and push yourself harder. Goals are great, but even the most specific goals are put on the back burner when you don't have a set end date.

REMEMBER: The only reason you don't reach a SMART goal is because you choose not to. 
It's not because you can't do it, it's because you didn't do it. 
There is a HUGE difference. And it starts with MINDSET!

Make the CHOICE to make the changes you know you need to have in your life. 
ONLY YOU CAN REACH YOUR GOALS. No one else can do it for you!

I wish you the best in setting and reaching goals. I find the best thing for keeping track of my goals and determining if they are specific enough, is to write out a chart and check each item off as it is done. 

I'd love to know what works for you and what awesome goals you have set for yourself!
Feel free to comment or message me your goals and I will help hold you accountable to those!

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A GLORIOUS NEW START

Of the many things I have overcome, this may just be the greatest struggle yet.

I feel like I have gone through ultimate highs and ultimate lows, but I have to remind myself that no matter what, I must never give up!


I understand that we each have core beliefs and values that navigate our choices and actions throughout the course of our own lives. Each of us is unique, and our personal experiences and life lessons are just as unique. We all have our own story, our own personal beliefs, hopes and dreams, struggles and oppositions. And we all have our own unique way of dealing with these things.

As much as I think I may have enjoyed a psychology course or two, I have never actually taken one. However, I still tend to analyze and over-analyze my thoughts and actions and attempt to find reasoning behind my core beliefs and reasons for the way I am today. Soft-hearted and a little stubborn, I will admit that. Which has led me to the fact that I care a little too much, yet when people don't show sincere interest in me, I unapologeticly back away and close myself up. Which in turn, I believe, makes it hard to gain close friends that I can fully trust.

I can surely attest that life is easier when you have less people to please. I have learned that when people expect less of you, you have less to worry about! However, I can also attest that without those expectations placed upon yourself, you definitely accomplish LESS and feel less important and needed. And what is life and it's purpose if you don't feel needed and accomplished? It's depressing!

Having experienced both sides, I can say that having and setting goals and accomplishing more, all while having more people look up to you and expect more from you, definitely FEELS better and results in a more fulfilling life!

So that brings me to my change in direction, in which I need accountability from others that are willing to listen and care and I return the favor as well! I once lost a significant amount of weight, felt amazing, yet bad experiences with people shut me down and somewhat made me rebel against the healthy lifestyle I adapted. I have gained back the weight and feel STUCK! I have felt aimless and felt that I had lost my purpose and reason to get back on track. Mainly because I am back at my old mindset which says, "I don't care what I look like. If people don't like me when I am fat, that is THEIR problem." But the truth is, I don't feel so good. I feel fatigued, unhealthy, lazy, careless, no drive or motivation to even make needed changes. But I know with support and love from others, I can once again relearn to set and reach goals, remember what it feels like to be physically healthy, feel accomplished and driven, and at the end of the day feel SATISFIED and HAPPY with the choices I am making daily.

The thing that drives me is RELATIONSHIPS! People that truly care! Knowing that the choices I am making is not only affecting myself, but also people around me. Having others AND myself set higher expectations of me helps drive me to do better every day, Frankly, when others don't seem to care, I don't care. But I am ready to change that attitude and put more effort into proving not only what I am capable of, but helping others realize their own God-given potential.

With these thoughts in mind, listen to and enjoy the song in this video.

WITH GOD, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! Are you ready to set and reach goals together and prove to yourself that you are capable than more than you ever thought possible?

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RECIPE: Family Favorite Pancakes

I typed up my favorite pancake recipe to share with you! It is even on a cute little background if you want to print it! Let me know if you try it and what you think of it! 

For my family, I usually double the recipe and if we have extras, we cook them up then refrigerate or freeze the cooked pancakes for quick and easy breakfasts on a later date

Visit Cherish's profile on Pinterest.

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Help is always there

I am not sure there are man feelings that are greater than the feeling of being able to make a difference in the lives of others! We all need that sense of being wanted, needed, useful, important, etc.

I also live knowing that I can not accomplish all I want to accomplish on my own. We NEED one another. We NEED support and friendship to thrive in life!

In my scripture study today, I ironically came upon this very topic that I had already begun writing here.

The scripture I read states, "ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU; SEEK, AND YE SHALL FIND; KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU." ~Matthew 7:7

Ask. If you need help, ASK. This simple act of asking not only eases your burdens, but it also gives someone else the opportunity to serve you and to feel needed and important. With all the millions of generous people in the world, I am sure that there are many people out there willing to help those in need. Not all people, but many.

All we need to do is ask. And when all else fails, PRAY. There is a Heavenly Father that listens and is ready to pour down blessings if we just ask, seek, and knock.

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Change is good

New Year.... Everyone is so eager to make a change! I LOVE it!
We take this time to recognize what we need to change, and we COMMIT! I know, some commitments last longer than others, but what matters most is that we see ourselves a little differently. We open our eyes to possibilities of what we may be capable of. We decide that we can change direction and make different choices.

There are MANY things I wish to change about myself, my habits, my time management skills.... and more. And yes, like most, I am taking advantage of this new year and making commitments to better myself, improve health, learn and practice new skills and become a better mom, wife, and friend!

What better way to hold me accountable than to join a point-tracking challenge where I get points for daily life-changing habits? Points are awarded for workout, water intake, following a meal plan, eating at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies, personal development/scripture study, checking in with the group, getting enough sleep, keeping that sweet tooth under control, and a few other things! It is GREAT!!!

Have you ever done a challenge like this?

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Finding the Road to Health

Okay, I KNOW it has been far too long since my last post. I try to stay positive and uplifting, even through struggles, but it has been hard lately. So what do I do? I stopped writing here momentarily in hopes of things magically getting better, but as we know, things don't magically get better. We have to MAKE it happen.

SO now I am on a journey of getting to the root of my health and what I have been struggling with this year. And to show my starting point, I will take this time to talk about the not-so-uplfting things that I have been experiencing. I am not really fond of going to the doctor and discussing "possibilities" of what I "think" may be wrong with me. Frankly, it isn't THAT serious. It doesn't really effect my daily duties YET, and I thought it was something small that would pass. But here I am still experiencing the same symptoms after months of 'hoping' it would go away.


Here is a bit of what I have been feeling:
(this list is more for my own record so I can track my progress)

No energy. I get PLENTY of sleep each night, and yet I still have a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings.
Soreness. I find myself exhausted and sore even after minimal work. And after an actual workout, I almost can't walk for a day or two.
Heavy "brain fog". Sometimes I just can't think clearly, and I lost my train of thought. 
Forgetfulness.
Loss of focus. Literally. My eyes get lazy and I have to blink a few times to get things back into vision.
Lack of motivation. I was doing great on my weight loss journey, but lost my drive and ambition to continue.
Tenderness in my abdomen. This has been present for many many years, but I thought it was normal due to my birth defect gastoschisis. I have been in for this man years back, and it was discovered that I have built up scar tissue in my intestines and a few times it was so painful because the scar tissue was trapping some toxins causing a section of my intestine to become infected and inflamed (3x the normal size!).
Skin tenderness and irritation. Which I thought was shingles reoccurrence after being diagnosed with this for the first time back in 2008. I get small painful pimple/blister-like bumps on my face, scalp, neck and shoulders. They aren't pimples though, because they don't "pop" at all and is a different kind of soreness.
Pain in Jaw. The tenderness even goes deep into my jaw (moves from side to side) and temporarily affects my gum line, throat, and lately even my ear.
Achy Joints.
Trouble losing weight. This plateau seems endless. I am stuck and the scale just won't budge! Although I do understand that the scale doesn't necessarily determine progress, I KNOW that I shouldn't weight this much and so it is beyond frustrating.
Inconsistent Food Cravings. For not-so-healthy foods. Many times, sugar. Some are harder to control than others.
Moody.
Irritable.
Bloating.
Constipation.
Headaches.
Easily Annoyed.
Bad taste in mouth.
Irrational Anxiety.


So after thinking for so long that this behavior, and these symptoms were "normal" and "no big deal" (I hadn't actually made a list of them all), I heard from a friend about this book:

I am all for natural healing and searching for an alternative to modern medicine.



So after further reading, and piecing together all of these symptoms and troubles that I have been experiencing, I have decided to start with the cleanse that is outlined in this book. I will be tracking my progress here on this blog, and sharing what it is that I am doing and how it is (or isn't) helping me.



I don't claim to know it all, nor am I certified in anything health related. Which is why I choose to learn from the experience and expertise of others. I share my experience and opinion, and if you are reading this, I hope that you would do what is best for you, consult with your doctor, and don't take my approach as a diagnosis or cure for your own ailments. However, if you do decide to try this or have already done this, I would love to hear your experiences!

Happy Cleansing! CHEERS to HEALTH and WELLNESS!!!!

 

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