You asked it... part III

In case you thought I had forgotten about this... I didn't! I just knew it would take a while. *grin*

ARE YOU READY?!?

Q: Did you always know you wanted to have a big family?
A: YES... I've always said I wanted to have lots of kids. I'm not sure if anyone believed me. Ha! Paul and I both LOVE the idea of having a big family and have spent countless hours talking about why. We never put a number on how many kids we would have... we really felt it was God's decision. We're not just careless and say "okay God... if you don't want us to have more don't let me get preggo" We both feel strongly that it is a very intimate decision to make between your spouse and God and you have to communicate with God and listen to what he is leading you to do for your family.

Q: Did you ever have to "break in" your husband? My husband eats moderately healthy when I serve it to him, but does so kicking and screaming.
A: I am so BLESSED my hubby does not complain one bit... When we were first married there were defiantly a few foods that I made that he didn't like and he didn't eat... but through the years he has become so open to trying new foods and not keeping his past judgment on something effect trying it again. Some of the things he wouldn't touch but now eats and enjoys are... onions, guacamole, salmon, cauliflower, dang preggo brain... I'm sure there are more. The biggest difference for his was when HE became interested in his own health and really started paying attention to what he was eating. So if you have a picky hubby maybe you could try to involve him in the 'why' and then hopefully he'll start doing happily. I will have to say that I have a wonderful MIL who raised my hubby eating healthy so he was exposed to the good and limited on the bad so we didn't really have to 'break him' of that.

Q: Any advice for someone who might not be able to afford supplements? How do I know which ones are right for me and my family? I feel so overwhelmed and confused with some of this stuff. Where do I start?
A: It really sucks that insurance doesn't cover supplements because they aren't cheap. You can either be sick, go to the dr. and take prescriptions with little cost because of insurance or you can spend a lot of your own money staying healthy. It's really very unfortunate. I'm not going to lie... we spend A LOT of money on supplements, chiropractor and healthy living/food. About $300+ a month just on supplements and vitamins. But I try to look at it this way... either we spend it now and live a life full of energy, feeling great and treating our bodies the way God intended or we can cheaply wreck or bodies now and really pay for it later either financially or physically and emotionally.
With that said... if you've already decided that you want to start the biggest money waster is buying and taking what you don't need. Also buying cheap supplements that aren't really doing much. The BEST option is to find a holistic chiropractor. They can tell you exactly what your body needs and how much to take. Before I started seeing ours I was taking the wrong mix and spending more money.... (except not now since i'm taking a HUGE amount). I hate to say this but besides word of mouth I am not exactly sure how to find one in your area. If I were looking for one I would call chiropractors in my area and ask them if they do muscle testing, and 'prescribe' supplements. They are becoming a lot more common lately.
Okay... last little bit... 2 brands that I trust and feel are an excellent value are standard process and mannatech.
If you have a specific question about a supplement please let me know i'd be glad to give you all the info I have. :)

Q: I've been looking for a new multi to try. Quick question, you called it "living fuel super greens" but their site calls it something else. Same thing?
A: It's called Living Fuel RX super greens... however I think I had the wrong link in my last post. I wouldn't take this as a multi however. It is EXCELLENT to add to smoothies. It is strong... I can't drink it plain. I have to add frozen fruit and sometimes coconut milk and the clarks minerals. Both of these companies I trust and think make wonderful products.

Q: ok, my question for now is about plastic. I know 7 is horrific for you (among others) but is it only horrific if it's heated in the microwave and/or cleaned in the dishwasher? Or should you not even drink cold out of it and wash it by hand?
A: This is a little tricky and I think you'll find different responses from different people. From what i understand... regardless it is leaching poison but if it is heated is leaches even more and same with it you put hot food in it or put it in the dishwasher. I've also read that it will continue to leach at a higher rate once it has been heated... so say you put it in the dishwasher and then you take it out and the next day put cold water in it. It's still leaching at a higher level. You can't avoid everything you can only try to do what you can. A good first step for us was getting rid of half of our plastic and trying to use the glass first and then the plastic if needed. Everything in moderation. :)

Q: do you give your boys any kind of vitamin? Is there one you would recommend if you do?
A: We do give the boys vitamins and supplements. They all take mannatech manna-bears & Glyco-bears. You can view them on their site... their links don't copy. We also give the boys clarks minerals in a little bit of orange juice and they take standard process calcium lactate. During the cold season or if we've been around someone sick we give them echinachia (you can buy this at a health store just make sure it is made from the ROOT not the stem or other parts... they are drastically less potent. If it doesn't make your tounge tingle it's cheap. That's our little test.

Q: Obviously there are a lot of things that you cannot/are not eating so what do you and your family eat? I would like for us to eat healthier at our house so I am partly just looking for some suggestions on how to do that!
A: These past few weeks have been very interesting to say the least. We have tried to be creative with our current favorites and added some new ones in. We eat a lot of beans, veggies, rice, salmon, fruit, cereal, nuts & dried fruit. We love chili and any bean soup. We tend to do a lot of Mexican type food... big 'taco' salads with spinach, sprouts, (corn chips for everyone else), beans, rice, tomatoes, avocado, onions, peppers, olives and sour cream or healthy ranch dressing. We love salmon over wild rice and steamed veggies. We eat a lot of 'packet' salmon just like tuna. Snacks at our house are fruit, nuts, dried fruit, cereal (I am very picky about cereal... it's mostly whole grains and dried fruit or granola mixes) Tortilla (organic and NON GMO) chips and salsa or black bean dip. Pita and veggies with hummus. Another staple at our house is canned tomatoes (organic) Cooked/stewed tomatoes are very good for you and give you different nutrients and benefits than fresh. I'll try to remember to post some recipes soon.

Q: What do you use that tells you what people are searching on your blog?
A: I use google analytics. It just some code you put onto your blog and it tells you how many visits you have and where they are coming from (state, city) among lots of other info. It's fun to look at... I honestly don't check it very much... only every few weeks or so. It's fun to see sometimes what people are searching for though.

Q: how do you get your labels into that cool format on your sidebar? Is there a website you go to, or it is photoshop?
A: I make all my labels, header, basically everything on my blog besides the text and photos I make in photoshop. I love playing around in photoshop in my spare time. Ha! There are lots of other programs you can use but I don't know anything about them. Gimp is similar to photoshop and it's free. My hubby wants me to convert to gimp but I'm too lazy to learn another program right now.

Q: How long in between your dr. appointments?
A: I have quite a schedule going... I see my OB every 4 weeks and the peri every 4 weeks as well until 30 weeks. So I'll be seeing one of them every 2 weeks. Then at 30 weeks i'll start seeing them both every 2 weeks... so weekly. Plus I see my chiropractor's every 4 weeks until 30ish when i'll start going every 2 and then every week.

Q: Where was that last belly picture taken? Is it a reflection in a glass door?
A: it was taken in our kitchen looking into our back door... i'm always looking for a new 'perspective' :)

Q: I know you don't want to find out but if you do on accident will you tell us?
A: No... and i'm going to try really hard not to see. I've heard it's not that hard to avoid. (from a recent twins mom)

Q: I'm not sure how to set up a blog... can you help me.
A: Sure! I started blogging because of Picasa... it is a free photo viewing program and you can click "blog this" it's an orange button on the bottom. It's SUPER easy and it will take you into blogger and help you set up an account. You can download picasa here

Q: do you carry your babies (in a carrier)? What type do you prefer if you do?
A: Oh yes I do... and I LOVE it. My favorite carrier is the maya wrap. It is so easy to put on and very comfortable. I'm excited to carry the twins in here. Especially when they are small I should be able to carry both together. *grin*
I also have a Mei Tai and really enjoy that one as well. It is primarily for belly-belly carrying. It is not as quick to put on but if I were to go on a long walk this would be more comfortable.

Q: after four kids you must be a pro at potty training... lol... any tips for a mom that is about to start??
A: All of my boys have potty trained decently early and have not had any problems wetting the bed. I give all credit to genetics. ha! When the boys are in between 18 mos- 22 mos, whenever during that time it is warm out, I let the boys run around without pants or a diaper on. I have really let them guide the potty training and haven't pushed at all. If they aren't ready... they won't do it. I just ask if they need to go frequently and let them go commando for a while. it's worked so far.

Q: Do you take a multi-vitamin?
A: Yes, I take mannatech's phyto-matrix

Okay... i'm afraid to look back and see how long this post is. If you've made it this far... you ROCK!

Once again.... ASK AWAY! :)

20 comments:

  1. Oh, well thanks: I must rock! I made it all the way through:) VERy interesting, stuff, Britt! Thanks for sharing:)

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  2. I love reading posts like this. It almost feels like a group of women sitting around at a coffee shop getting to know each other. Some day...

    I don't think I answered your question about my Mannatech background. My mom has always been into cutting edge health food topics. I'm not sure where she got started on it - perhaps our Chiropractor?

    Thanks for the tip on finding a chiro. Now that we live an hour away from ours I need to find a new one. I'll keep your tips in mind.

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  3. that was great! so fun to get to know another new bloggie friend!!!

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  4. That must have taken a lot of time! That was great to read. Thanks for the vitamin tips. I was taking Standard Process before, so maybe I will go back to that.

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  5. Such good information there. It has not fallen on deaf ears, I can assure you. I am extremely impressed with your diet. Such a healthy family. Bravo. A little inspiration is leaking this way ...

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  6. Wow, thanks for taking the time to share all that information!

    And I've already got another question. Just for the sake of curiosity... did you grow up in a family that was very health-conscious? Or did this start as you were older? There must be some blackmail pictures out there somewhere of you eating a twinkie, right?! :)

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  7. That was great to read. Such good information there, Thank you!

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  8. No, YOU rock! That was awesome! Thanks for all of the great info!

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  9. About the plastics question... I have done a LOT of reading up on it. BPA is the bad chemical.

    The general rule is that if it has a "7" in the recycling symbol, get rid of it, but really, if it says "7" AND the letters "PES" it is BPA-free.

    The BIG culprit is the letters "PC", with or without the "7". Dump ANY food or drink container with the letters "PC".

    If its very hard, transparent plastic, and there is no recycling number or letter, its probably best to ditch that. BPA plastics tend to be extremely firm, unbending, and transparent. Like Nalgene bottles. Or those office water cooler bottles. Check out the letters listed on those.

    Also, the inside of your canned foods, and the inside of your soda (pop) cans are almost definately lined with it.

    If you can't give up your canned food, you might want to dump those very old cans you swear you will eat one day. They have been leaching way too long.

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  10. Good for you for deciding to re-do that after Gavin!! Wow- people don't hesitate to ask stuff, do they?!

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  11. quite the Q & A! Great info here.
    Thanks!

    I'll be checking out your links now...

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  12. I see that you're a photographer (a really good one at that), but you never mention what your hubby does. Is he artsy too?

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  13. Eliza practically lives in the Maya wrap. What would I do without that thing....

    Recipes....YES!! ;)

    Love these type of post!

    -Andrea

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  14. I have Gimp, because I cant afford photoshop haha. But I have just recently started getting into it and it actually isn't that bad. Still getting used to it and I was always a photoshop kinda guy, so I'll let you know what I think after a thorough testing period.

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  16. I love posts like this! Keep them coming :)

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  17. Ok I have some bowls and plates that say they are made of 100% melamine do you know anything about that product? Is it like plastic or is it safe?

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  18. I made it!!! Great info. You truly are inspiring. I love all the steps you are taking to be healthier (thus happier). I am reding "The Detox Strategy" right now. We have been moving toward going green and toxic free for awhile. Avoiding plastic, moving toward less toxic/greener cleaners, and buying more organic. It is a start.

    Thanks for all the info!!! So glad I found you :)

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  19. Great info! Thanks for doing this. I was wondering if you could give some photo advice. What photo equipment can you just not live without?

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  20. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I love your blog. Your boys are so adorable!! How did you and your husband choose the names for your children? I especially love Ozzie. It's not very common. And your photography is excellent. How did you get started with photography? And do you do it professionally?

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Thank you for blessing me with your words!

Brittany