Ten months ago today I quit brushing my hair and allowed it to do whatever it was going to do.  Someone had made me question what true beauty was and where it comes from...  what makes us truly beautiful and not merely pleasing to look at.  As I washed, conditioned, blow dried, and flat ironed my hair I thought..what if instead of spending this time and energy every day that I spend trying to make myself look beautiful I work on actually being a beautiful person, through my actions and interactions with others.  The past ten months have been very humbling for me.  I have always tried to not be a judgmental person, and at times I find myself thinking something less than pleasant about someone..I'm human and I'm working on my insecurities, which is where I believe our need to judge others comes from.  The more we love ourselves, the more we love others.  For the most part my friends and family have been very supportive and love my hair just as much as I do but I meet a lot of judgement when I go out into the world,  I've had people say things like "Oh no, your beautiful hair!" or "Your hair was so beautiful!", It made me wonder if my beauty was contingent upon the condition of my hair.  For some people beauty is only what they can see with their eyes, for me I want it to be about what I contribute to the world.

Beyoutiful
-xo

Milk crate turned bicycle seat!

I have needed a bicycle seat for William for a while but just can't seem to get to a store to buy one. I had a dream about turning the milk crate sitting in the corner of my office into a seat and made that dream come true! Without having to buy anything, just a quick look in the scrap box and William has a seat so we can ride to the post office and back or just cruise down the street for some fresh air :)

Just keep spinning! xo

A rare night at home ALONE!  The music is turned up and the hoops are out :)!  I love dancing til my legs feel like j-e-l-l-o!

Juice for you! Juice for me! Oh how healthy we will be!

 I started juicing 7 years ago and haven't quit!  I drastically changed my diet.  I went from eating unhealthy meat, dairy and  heavily processed, artificial, unnatural "food" to eating a vegetarian diet full of raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, sprouts, fresh juice, and LOTS of alkaline water. 
After my oldest son was born I developed issues with my thyroid that the doctors said was caused by the pregnancy.  I lived with symptoms for over a year and almost considered radiating my thyroid til I "discovered" juicing.  When I started to juice daily and cut out acidic drinks and food from my diet I felt like a completely different person.  I had energy again, weight gained during pregnancy seemed to melt off and I slept better than I had in years.  Changing my diet changed my life.  Being acidic is like laying out the welcome mat for disease, disease thrives in acidity. 

My children LOVE to help juice and of course drink it!  Watermelon juice (when they're in season) is a staple in our home, watermelon juice is very alkalizing!  It can be a challenge finding juices that some young kids will drink but experimenting with them is a fun, sure way to introduce healthy diet habits and in my experience getting them involved gets them excited!  You should concentrate on juicing veggies and only add enough juice-able fruits to taste.  Fresh juice is great but even fresh fruit contains a lot of sugar and when you juice the fruit the sugar is concentrated and most fiber is lost. You can get any nutrient found in a piece of fruit in a vegetable without the negative side effects.  Juicing can have an amazing effect on your life and the lives of your family!  Being healthy is a gift you can give yourself!  Start at home, start with your diet.. There will never be a magic pill.

Some informative books and websites to check out:
•The pH Miracle- Balance Your Diet and Reclaim Your Health
  by- Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young
•The Hippocrates Diet and Health Program
  by- Anne Wigmore
•Power of Juicing
  by- Jay Kordich
• http://www.juicing-for-health.com/

A juicer can be an incredible investment in your family's health!  Some juicers cost a lot and some not so much, there are manual, single gear, double gear, centrifugal.  I started with a single gear manual juicer that I used almost every day for two years til it just wore out.  Then I was blessed to be gifted with a Champion juicer that is my single favorite kitchen appliance!  Not only does it make juice I can make nut butters, flours and pasta, even hummus!  Research different juicers to find what will work best to suit your family's needs and dive in! 
Peace. Love. Health!

Loving my hoop this morning!