Young Wife's Guide

By Kristian, Contributing Writer

Do you struggle with food allergies? Do you find yourself itching with hives after eating a certain food, or deal with the side effects of itching and burning mouth or throat? I do. Millions of people do. It is a struggle every single day. From reading food labels at the grocery store, to having to ask waiters and waitresses if things are made a certain way or with a certain ingredient when you eat at a restaurant.

A couple of years ago, I found out I am allergic to nuts. All nuts. As a lifelong peanut butter eater, this seemed like the worst thing that could’ve ever happened to me. I also have a slight wheat intolerance and am allergic to shellfish. Good thing I was never a seafood lover!

After the nut allergy came about, I knew it was time to change. I had to find an alternative to peanut butter, but knew I didn’t like the sunflower butter they had at schools I had substitute taught at. I went to the whole foods market and low and behold I found Wowbutter! This wonderful little creation is made from non-GMO soybeans. It looks and tastes just like peanut butter! Yay! But, while I was there, I found so many new things to try.

Before long, I jumped onto the real foods bandwagon and decided to change my family’s way of eating. I poured myself into research for the next year, inevitably finding myself reading several new blogs about food and homemaking and then, wham! A whole new way of looking at food came about.

Along this path to whole foods, I found out that my son and I more than likely have a gluten intolerance. Just going off of symptoms and side effects. Not diagnosed, but definitely able to change things to help it.

I recently came across a cookbook of gluten free baking recipes. I had tried some other recipes here and there that were gluten free, but none that we liked. This little gem made a huge difference! It is called Gluten-Free Baking with the Culinary Institute of America. Basically, they have come up with five flour blends that are all gluten free and able to make the foods rise like they should and taste just like wheat based flour baked goods. Amazing! So we are now trying to get to the gluten free phase of our new whole foods life.

Food allergies are a struggle. Every single day, I deal with the possibilities of coming across something that had been processed with nuts or has wheat in it. But instead of letting it beat me, I decided to make it work for me. It has forced me to look at food a different way. It literally spun me into a whole new way of thinking when it comes to buying and preparing my family’s food. It took us into an adventure into real foods, and for that, I am thankful.

God never gives us more than we can handle, and while food allergies can come at a huge cost and be a huge struggle, sometimes, it is a blessing in disguise. Sometimes, it can force you to look at food a totally different way, and for that, I am thankful.

Check out my blog to read more posts about our family’s adventure into real foods! www.kristianfrye.blogspot.com

*This post contains affiliate links but all opinions are 100% my own!

Every summer I envision lazy days full of reading, relaxing, and catching up with friends and family. But every summer it’s the same…I end up crazy busy and before I know it the summer is gone!

Does this happen to anyone else? My days get packed full of summer bible studies, days at the park, camping trips, church picnics, chores…and not to mention lots of blogging work {and it’s HARD to sit on a computer all day with the sun shining outside}! All of these things are good and many of them I should spend my time doing….but it gets so hard to organize it all!

5 Ways to Get Organized This Summer

Don’t let summer pass you by! I’ve learned that I need to get organized {and STAY organized} so that I can actually do things I want to during summer. Here are some tips I’ve learned:

1) Get a good daily planner

A daily planner is a MUST for me. But I have some strict requirements when it comes to what planner will work well for me. And it’s really hard to find. In a planner I want:

• A monthly view so I can write down things like doctor’s appointments and see them all at once! 
• A weekly view because I need to see each week at a glance and be able to write down daily things like blog posts and our dinner meal plan
• Lots of space to take notes, jot down contact information, and make shopping list.

Basically I want a master organization tool that I can have out with me in the kitchen to make my shopping list, by my computer to help with work, and something I can throw in my purse quickly. Check out my FAVORITE planner: the Homemaker’s Friend daily planner. {BTW you can get a FREE 2013 planner when you order the new 2014 planner right now - find out more!}

2) Become a list maker

I think I am a natural born list maker, but even if you are not, I would urge you to take up list making just for the summer to try it out.

I don’t know about you, but during the summer my brain becomes chaotic! There are so many parties, outings, fun things and other commitments PLUS normal housekeeping, menu planning, grocery shopping, ect. It can be crazy to keep track of it all.

So this summer I urge you to try making lists. It will help you in a couple ways:

1) When you make a list, you can stop worrying and thinking about everything. Just relax knowing it’s all down on your list and you won’t forget it!

2) When you make a list, you can prioritize the important things. See why this is important in the next point!

3) Do the important {or boring} stuff first!

Usually when I start my day, I start by doing the easy things first. I hop on the computer to check my email “real quick” and 2 hours later have not accomplished anything significant.

By making a list and putting that list in a planner that I can carry around with me, I am better able to prioritize what needs to get done. This way I can get my bible reading done everyday, meals on the table, and other important things I need to get done!

4) Plan FUN time into your schedule

This is a big one for me. When I start envisioning how my day will look, I usually pile on WAY too much stuff. I try to get 15 things done when really I can only get 4 and I stumble into bed exhaustive.

This then leads to burn out and fatigue, which isn’t good for anyone in my family! So by actually scheduling in some time to read or relax with my husband then I’m investing in my family and my marriage!

5) Don’t neglect your Bible reading and time with God

This is another BIG one that gets neglected for me during the summer. Because the summer time usually has a wacky schedule and so many different things going on, my time spent with the Lord really suffers.

So I’ve been getting better about putting this as the FIRST thing on my to do list each day and writing in my planner to help. This gives me daily reminders and encouragement to make it a daily habit!

Introducing the Homemaker’s Friend

A big help in managing my crazy schedule as a wife, mother of twins, and business owner is with my daily planner. And as I said above, I am picky about my daily planner! It has to have everything I need.

Well I have found a wonderful solution that I want to share with you! It’s called the Homemaker’s Friend Daily Planner.

 

What I Love

This planner pretty much has everything I need! It hits all my major requirements. It has the perfect monthly and weekly views like I said I like above. It also has specific tabs for tasks, projects, info, and shopping!! For a list maker like me, this is heaven!! Order your copy here!

The last section is really neat. The shopping list section includes lists that tear right out of the planner so that you can take the list with you or throw it out when you are done! Order your copy here!

PLUS the planners are just plain cute – which is very important to me ;) I love having a cute planner…it makes me want to use it more! And they have a pretty cool deal going on right now! If you purchase the new 2014 planner you get the 2013 planner for FREE! You still have half a year to use the 2013 planner so order today and get two planners for the price of one! Order your copy here!

Do you use a planner? What is your favorite thing about using a planner?

Growing up, my family did not take medicine lightly. We didn’t take ibuprofen at the first sign of a headache and I’m thankful for that. But I was largely ignorant and skeptical of home remedies.

I had no idea that a vast world of home remedies past down through the years could be so helpful {and healthy} with my own family! 

Until recently, I have been clueless about essential oils, natural remedies, herbs, and ways to help my family naturally. But there is a whole world of natural remedies that we have at our disposal that can help heal and nurture our family’s naturally.

But when it comes to my family’s health, I am protective. I don’t want to neglect giving my children and husband medicine when they truly need it! And I don’t want to give them “natural” things that could be harmful.

So I’m doing research! I’m working to stock a natural medicine cabinet. I have a LOT to learn but it’s been fun knowing that I am treating my family in a way that helps them recover quickly without all those nasty and harsh chemicals!

But knowing where to start in stocking a natural medicine cabinet can be tough! Here are a few ideas to get your started. {OR check out this great eBook collection that is FULL of natural medicine goodness – The Natural Mothering eBook Collection}

Stocking a natural medicine cabinet

1) Stock your kitchen

Wait? I thought this post was about stocking a natural medicine cabinet. It is. This is the first step.

So many of our sicknesses, illnesses, and general ickyness comes from how we eat. We mask the symptoms with medicine and doctor’s visits when really we need to treat the root of our pain – our diet!

I highly suggest you start by reading the comprehensive book Nourishing Traditions. If you are interested in healthy eating at all…then you need to get this book to start with.

In Herbal Nurturing, Michele shares,

“In your pursuit of wellness, I urge you to always seek the root of any issue; don’t merely try to treat symptoms without ascertaining the cause. Strive for holistic wellness, with a strong foundation of nourishing real foods, rest, fresh air, exercise, prayer/worship, chiropractic maintenance, and supplements.” ~ Pg v.

PSSSST – This week only {Ending June 17th} you can get a great eBook collection that INCLUDES Herbal Nurturing. Find out more about the collection HERE.

2) It’s all about prevention

As you begin to study home remedies you will quickly realize that there are herbs, supplements, and dietary guidelines that you should take all the time! Not just when you are sick.

Prevention becomes the key and a few preventative measures in your household can save you many headaches {literally}!

“One of the keys in warding off illness is to keep the immune system strong, allowing it to do the job that it was designed to do.” ~ Mother’s Little Herbal Helper and Home Remedies

3) Learn to know what is normal {and what isn’t}

Our modern science oriented culture is happy to reach for medicine at the first sign of an illness or pain and move on, never giving it a second though. But this often leads to further illness and more pain! We walk around in semi-ill states most of the time because we don’t take the time to stop, listen, and find out what is normal and what isn’t normal in our bodies!

For example, so many American’s feel like it’s normal to live with constant headaches. It isn’t.

“Most people think that the way to handle a head -ache is to reach for a bottle of aspirin. They think that it’s normal to have a head -ache, but they are mistaken. While headaches (and the countless other aches and pains that people experience) are certainly common, health is the truly normal state. Disease is an aberration, caused either by harm you’ve done to yourself or that others have done to you.” ~ The Curative Kitchen

4) Do your research

This is the most important thing in starting a natural medicine cabinet! Do your research before you try natural and herbal home remedies. While most natural remedies are gentler and safe for your family, but you should always be familiar with the correct way to administer home remedies.

For example, there are some herbs that are dangerous to take during pregnancy. So do your research and start out slowly. Over time you will build up a storehouse of knowledge, practical wisdom, and confidence in your home remedies. Here are some great resources to get you started!

 

Some great resources:

Herbal Nurturing: A Family Healing & Learning Guide by Frugal Granola

Learning about natural remedies and then actually using them in every day life are two different things. I love this book by Michele because she gives you nearly three dozen recipes to use in your household and provides helpful tips & tricks along the way!

“Herbal remedies can be a natural and affordable option in the midst of a society filled with expensive, chemical-filled “medicalized” treatments.” ~ Herbal Nurturing

 

Mother’s Little Herbal Helper and Home Remedies by The Family Herbalist

If you are new to home remedies {like me!} then I think this is a great book to start with! She really starts from the basics and doesn’t assume you are familiar with the natural home remedies world. She covers everything from home remedies for kids to antibiotics to proper nutrition. I’ve only read the first part of the book so far {and skimmed the rest} and can’t wait to finish it!

“For thousands of years parents have been treating their children with natural remedies that include no chemicals, preservatives, fillers or binders. These remedies come from nature and many of them can be found in your own kitchen. Many mild herbs are merely food, have very few if any side effects, and are completely safe to use with children.” ~ Mother’s Little Herbal Helper and Home Remedies pg 15

 The Curative Kitchen by Susan Smith Jones, PhD

Susan takes an honest and real look at what American’s call “health” and modern medicine. She shares how we have been led astray in our thinking about medicine and what it truly means to be healthy. Plus my favorite part – she covers 21 superfoods! Love this section of the book!!

“Collectively, Americans have been making some very poor choices. We’ve become a self-medicating society because we don’t really understand how beautifully robust the human body is. Each of us needs to be reminded that our bodies are magnificently equipped to meet life’s problems when supplied with the simple and easily obtainable requisites of health.” ~ The Curative Kitchen

**This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own and I am really excited to share these resources with you regardless of affiliate links :)

A few years ago I started my family’s journey towards healthy eating. Slowly I’ve been learning what it truly means to live a healthy life and how to create a healthy and non-toxic home for my family.

But this process was set on fast forward last year when I got pregnant with our twin boys. I started thinking about cleaners I was breathing in, what type of laundry detergent we were using, the food in my pantry and more!

As I prepared to be a mother, I also realized I was preparing a more natural home. It’s been a long process of research, talking to friends, and more research. I have a long way to go so that’s why I am so excited about this new collection.

It seems like each week there is something new I am learning about raising a healthy family. There have been things I have done thinking it was a healthy and later learned it wasn’t. I have been wishing there was a manual for how to raise a healthy family.

I am super excited to share with you that now there is a natural mothering collection that has everything you need for raising a healthy family! I can’t WAIT to dig into these books.

This Week Only

For this week ONLY {June 10 – 17} you can get access to this amazing collection of motherhood books. You can see all the amazing resources in this collection HERE and buy it HERE!

Why am I so excited? With this eBook bundle you get access to a 35 book library on all kinds of topics including fertility, pregnancy, cloth diapers, health, crock pot meals, and more! Along with the 35+ books, you will also get nearly $200 in bonuses!!

One of my favorite parts of these eBook sales are the bonuses you get!! I always take advantage of these free offers and I highly suggest you do too! When you purchase the Natural Mothering eBook Collection you also get {for FREE} nearly $200 in products including: two month membership to Fit2Be studios, Breastfeeding Simply audiobook, baby’s first year month by month printables, and MORE!

Books I Can’t Wait To Read

While there are literally a couple dozen books in this collection that I can’t wait to read – here are a few that are on the top of my “to read” list!

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert {Normally $9.95}

Okay…so I technically have read this book already but I plan to read it through again! I’m cloth diapering my twins and pretty much everything I learned I about cloth diapering I learned from Erin! She has written this comprehensive {over 200 pages} guide to everything cloth diapering! I highly suggest this book to anyone thinking about cloth diapering. And it’s a fabulous resource to have on hand and constantly check certain sections.

You can read my review about the book here. Even if you don’t get this bundle, I highly recommend getting this book on cloth diapering!

The Family Dinner Project {Normally $9.95}

As my kids get older, something I want to always focus on is having intentional, fun family time! And an excellent way to do this is around the dinner table. There are 12 themed dinners {along with cute printables} to make fun planned dinners for your family. I love the idea of taking these 12 ideas, trying them out, and then developing our own creativity as a family to see what else we can come up with!

Healthy Homemaking {Normally $12.95}

This book looks awesome! I’ve already had the chance to dig into it a little bit and read through some of the chapter topics and I can’t wait to read the whole thing. Stephanie dives right into discussing what it means to live a healthy, non-toxic life! She seems to cover so many topics. It looks like an awesome introduction into creating a more natural home!  She takes you one step at a time on a journey towards a natural, more healthy lifestyle.

Don’t Miss Out!

I just highlighted only three of the over 35 eBooks included in this collection that look interesting. If you purchased all three of those eBooks separately, it would cost over $32. But if you purchase this bundle, you get those three awesome eBooks, plus 32 other fabulous resources, PLUS nearly $200 in products!!

This deal is too good to pass up! That’s why as soon as the sale went live this morning, I purchased a bundle for myself! I’ll let you know more about the books I like as I dig into them! **I’m thinking about possibly buying a couple more bundles for presents***

Go HERE to see all the resources in this collection and learn more!

By Heather Faria, Contributing Writer

When he walked through the front door that day, I knew with one look at his face that our lives had dramatically changed.  Collapsing on the couch he put his face in his hands and announced the dreaded news that I had been fearfully anticipating: he had failed his training as a deputy and was no longer employed by the Sheriff’s Department.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and did my best to console and encourage him as I choked back the tears.  I told him I believed in him and that we would get through this. I reminded him that God had a better plan for us and assured him he wasn’t a failure.  After all, that’s what a good wife does right?

But deep down I was terrified.  What were we going to do now?  My dear husband had spent his life preparing to be a police officer.  When we got married, we were certain that he would quickly get hired by a nearby department providing us with the security we needed to support ourselves and start a family.

Just as we had anticipated, he was hired by the Sheriff’s department in our very own town only a few months after our wedding.  Everything was going according to plan!  And yet now at six months into our marriage my husband not only found himself unemployed, but feeling as though everything he had poured his life into thus far had just been dumped down the drain.  Our plans had been shattered.

I would like to continue this story by saying what a wonderful and supportive wife I was through my husband’s four months of unemployment  and the few months following when he was barely making more than minimum wage.  However, that was unfortunately not the case.  I found myself filled with bitterness and disappointment toward him.  Intellectually I knew that he had tried his hardest and did not intentionally put us in this situation.  I knew that he was looking for more work and was determined to be a strong provider for me and our future family.  But my heart raged within me.  I listened to the Enemy’s lies about my husband and grew distant and cold toward him.

Thankfully, a couple months into this new season of our lives God began to prune and chip away at my stubborn heart.  I was reminded of what His Word says about loving my husband and found myself deeply convicted of my heart and actions toward him.  I also realized that I wasn’t so much disappointed with my husband as I was with the fact that my plans had changed and we now faced a very uncertain future instead of a secure one.

These attitudes reflected strong idols within my heart.  Instead of relying on God’s provision in my life I had become enslaved to my perfect plan.  Not only did God use this time to restore my heart toward my husband and appreciate him more for all his hard work and determination, but He revealed to me areas of my heart that I needed to surrender complete control over to him.   

At this point in our marriage, my husband has had five different jobs.  Not because he is a quitter or a failure, (he is actually the complete opposite!), but because his journey of providing for us has been much more difficult in the economy we live in than we thought it would be.  He has experienced layoffs, raise freezes, dishonest bosses, and co-workers taking advantage of him.  All of these things have taught us both that there is so much that is outside of our control.  All we can do is humbly thank God for the work He does provide and trust that He has our future in His hands.

So how can we best love our husbands during times of job loss or career changes?

Here are a few things that God has taught me as a result of this experience.

Don’t Become Slave to a Plan or Ideal!

It’s so easy for us women to enter our marriages thinking that everything will go a certain way and we will never have the trials that “other marriages” go through.  God’s Word says:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

and

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” declares the Lord.  ”As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

Let Your Husband Lead!

Because of the curse,  it is so easy for us as women to want to rule over our husbands.  This desire is especially hard when we disagree with their judgement or action on a certain matter.   During my husband’s job difficulties it was was so hard for me not to nag him about following up with his interviews and teaching him about the best ways to conduct himself in order to be hired.  Ladies, God has created us to be our husband’s helpers, not their mothers!

I have realized that when I nag my husband, not only am I demeaning his manliness, but I am also exhibiting another manifestation of trying to maintain control over the situation instead of trusting that God has equipped this particular man to lead me.  I have learned that the best way to help my husband when I don’t agree with him is to lovingly voice my concerns, (ONCE not a hundred times), and ask him to consider my thoughts.  If after hearing me he still feels convicted about whatever he is doing, I must support him and not demean him in that decision.  (NOTE: this does not apply if your husband is in sin.  In those cases, it is important to lovingly &  respectfully persist confronting your husband about his sin, pray for him, and if he does not repent, seek godly counsel.)

Respect him, love him, and build him up!

Our husbands desperately need to know that we think of them with admiration and respect!  If we constantly tear them down, they will not be motivated to do anything but avoid us!  God has created men to be leaders and providers, therefore losing a job is one of the most devastating and discouraging things that could happen to our husbands!  Let’s use these experiences as opportunities to build our husbands up instead of beating them when they’re down.

“It is better to live in a corner of a roof, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” ~ Proverbs 21:9 

Focus on his positive and not his negative qualities!

This was especially helpful for me when I was tempted to think the worst of my husband and blame him for his unemployment.  Choosing to overlook his faults and focus on his many amazing qualities not only made it easier for me accept the situation, but it made me fall deeper in love with him and respect him so much more!

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” ~ 1 Peter 4:8

God has given us an amazing ministry with the role of being a wife! We have the ability to make our husbands feel like heroes or failures.  Let us not give into the fear that comes from the uncertainty of job loss and career changes but remember instead that, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7  In doing so, we will not just be a blessing to our husbands, but we will be the fire that keeps them going!