Lifestyle Enchantments

Even when it seems we have everything together and can face each day with a sound mind and healthy determination, this can lead to the delusion that we are indestructible and begin to completely neglect our simplest human needs. I feel amazing when I’ve accomplished my cleaning for the day, prepared healthy meals for everyone, and have the girls bathed and in bed, reading them stories. After that I prep them for school the next day, fold some more laundry while squeezing in a Netflix episode, before passing out for the night. Just to wake up early the following morning to string it all together and start again. Three days later, I feel depleted and disgusting, realizing I haven’t showered or eaten a decent meal for myself in the past few days. Taking care of our loved ones is a mother’s main job, but when we neglect ourselves, we become worn out and sometimes resentful.  Mindful Minute: Do you experience manic episodes, hyper awareness, or any “indestructible” feelings in your bein...

             Athleticism and fitness have always been a top priority in my lifestyle. Beginning in my toddler years, my mom placed my sister and me in gymnastics, which I carried on trying a couple forms of dance and in later years would try out for cheerleading. In 7 th grade I joined track and was actually good. Too bad I had discovered smoking with the group of kids I was strongly influenced by at the time. The habit, and the “image” that came with it, took precedence over me developing a new skill or talent. Ultimately, I lacked the confidence and self-discipline necessary to accomplish the dreams and goals I had laid out for myself. Something similar happened to playing violin and learning French as well.              Maintaining a healthy level of fitness in today's society can be difficult. We can accomplish about 80% of our daily tasks with some sort of mechanical assistance or short cut. ...

I get a ton of questions about my high-spirited energy levels, and often bubbly disposition. This is of course not derived from any substance abuse or manic episodes, just to be clear. I find my body obviously functions based on the type of nutrition, or lack of, I put in it. I have been raising my girl’s based on my knowledge of herbalism, holistic wellness, metaphysics, and anything I picked up from my grandmother being an RN for over 60 years. Also, being raised by a culinary chef, my mother, I have established a particular passion for food, cooking, and nutrition. My social media pages are littered in recipes and cute plate arrangements. Pictures, I'm sure have my hungry family, patiently giving me a mommy moment behind camera, while they stare at their dinner getting cold. It doesn’t take much effort to be honest with yourself and acknowledge that the reason you feel like a melted bowl of ice cream is because you ate one. If your diet mostly consists of cheeseburgers and fries...

Body confidence was definitely a trait I lacked during my early teen and young adult life. I have always been very petite, but with an angular, athletic build. Girls and boys alike would make jokes at my appearance.  Everything from accusations of having an eating disorder, to the way my clothes fit since we didn’t have a lot of money and I was too small to fit the trendier junior sizes. Throughout my middle school years, I was always looking for ways to augment my appearance and add some “curvature” to my physique. Anything to look like what I thought I needed to, in order to be accepted.  I maintained this insecure existence into adult life and motherhood. I had hoped pregnancy would help me produce a more mature figure, but it was just not meant to be. Morning sickness had played me for all nine months with all three children. Each pregnancy I struggled to keep down food and would wither away into nothing more than a frail and fragile incubator. The girls each took so much ...

It is no secret to those that are around me on a regular basis, that my love for Instagram and capturing everyday moments and turning them into beautiful digital keepsakes is a hobby and obsession of mine. I have wasted countless hours surfing the many social media platforms, willingly brainwashing myself with way too much information to discern in the time it is absorbed. Always searching for scientific or metaphysical evidence of the information I am being fed and hoping to miraculously heal my body and recover the spark I had in my earlier years to be fit, active, and healthy. Social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram make looking for real information on holistic health difficult and finding promising influencers without hidden agendas can be complicated.  That "girl next door" you adore so much, maybe secretly suffering from an eating disorder and not being truthful about how she maintains such a beautiful build. While on the other hand, the seemingly "sup...

If you have decided to change your lot in life and are ready to put in the work for your aspirations and goals, then it’s time to decide what those are. Your new ‘wants’ in life might be completely different than you may have had, say, 5 years ago... or exactly the same. Time coupled with any life obstacle can change around priorities. Every few years, I do a little journal exercise where I write a pretend entry that is set 5 years or so in the future. This helps me think about where I want to be and what I hope to be doing by that time. Doing this moves my hopeful dreams into an obtainable reality and I gain confidence in myself to make it come true. When you do this, it is most important you write in the present tense, as if you are now living this life you are describing. This is a form of manifesting with intention and not just creating a list of wishes to collect dust. Always longing for things as though they feel unobtainable, makes it so. You have to believe it to be your and in...

          Being diagnosed with mental illness and an addictive personality, was a difficult reality to accept at such a young age. I tried many different types of recovery programs, one being a trial school for teens struggling with dependency. I was expelled, but it has since become a major establishment.            As a young adult, my efforts for sobriety disappeared. I wanted so badly to be “normal” and go out partying with other people my age. I felt lonely and shut out, despite my efforts. Believe me, I tried. Yet the harder I desperately struggled to live how I wanted, the worse my life became. I embarrassed myself all constantly, hurt my family and friends, and damaged my relationships.           Putting myself in rehab was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I knew in my heart that if I didn’t, I would have continued on my self-destructive path, dragging my family down...