Kids – Modern House

Our Go-To for Tummies!

Do you remember those first few months your child was born? Wait, you probably don’t because you had zero hours of sleep! Haha. I do remember wanting to put them in a bubble and shield them away from all germs. If you sneezed, stay away from my kid. Cough. Go home. Haha. I’ve come a long way. Germs still freak me out (I teach biology, I can’t help it), but we’ve definitely worked on our health and supporting our immune system over the last several years!

It breaks my heart when my kids aren’t feeling well! We’ve been battling some digestive things with our oldest son. It started around the time we were getting him geared up for becoming a kindergartener, and when I have conversations with other mommas, I hear so many stories of “oh my kid had that issue, and my niece went through the same thing!” So, that’s a relief! 🙂

Tummigize is our go-to to calm the tummy. When I use this on our kids, they get quick relief. Like, I mean quick. Digize is another oil that works in a similar way, but to be honest, I’m not a fan of the smell! ? I actually love using Tummigize for myself! Add a drop of peppermint, and that dinner that isn’t sitting well with you is literally a thing of the past. Oh, but I wouldn’t do peppermint on littles–it would be a bit too strong for them. Tummigize is already diluted perfectly for little tummies!

Between Tummigize and Gentle Baby oil blend, we’ve been on our way toward recovery and getting things moving smoothly again. 😉

And while we’re chatting kids, here are a few staple oils that we love to have in the house at all times!

Lavender: for all the calmness!
KidScents Sleeplze: for bedtime
Gentle Baby: bring on the calm!
Stress Away: are you seeing a pattern in our household!?
KidScents Owie: how about one that’s not for calmness? For all the bumps and scrapes!

Happy Motherhood, y’all!

Adoption Resources

Let’s Talk Adoption!

A little background…My husband and I used to run a nonprofit for Foster and Adopted Families where we provided parent consultations, trainings, including Trust-Based-Relational-Intervention trainings, and holistic testing and care. We both have done several trainings in whole-child, trauma-informed paradigms….even had this adorable logo and everything ;). While we don’t do this anymore, I have had experience helping hundreds of families, mostly moms!, understand their kids better and feel better equipped as an adoptive parent.I know you might be thinking, “Well this may not be for me because we adopted our little one when they were a baby!” or even “My biological kiddo is showing a lot of signs of struggling!” This post is for you too, I promise!

There is a lot of science and reasons for kids not behaving in “expected” ways. This isn’t scary. This doesn’t mean something is “wrong”. And let me say from first-hand experience as a parent of three kiddos by way of adoption- The quicker we can get away from the ideals and paradigms we have in our heads, the faster we can bring hope and healing to ourselves and our kiddos!

So to help facilitate this, I’m posting an Adoption Resources Starter Kit of sorts…what I would have wanted to know before I adopted or fostered my kids!

1. In this video (below), I go through basic things that would have been helpful to have a good grasp of, tools we wish we had from the beginning, etc. Every child who comes to you by way of another family has experienced at least a couple of these “Risk Factors for Development” that I get into in the video below. Don’t worry- “risk factor” isn’t scary. Our kids come to us with all sorts of unique challenges and issues and that makes them all the more valuable and lovable if we, as parents, can learn to change our minds about what we thought parenting would be like! It doesn’t have to mean anything other than their brains work a little differently and we can learn how to work with them instead of trying to change what we cannot change! Feel free to message me after you watch- there’s a follow up video on digestion/ food topics related to our kiddos too!
2. This book, The Connected Child, should be some kind of required reading for anyone thinking of adopting or fostering! It’s even helped many biological-only parents better understand how to parent in a way that kids can thrive in! I always, always recommend this book to new adoptive parents! After you read this book, other books I recommend are The Out of Sync Child and The Whole Brain Child. These two books are great resources as you begin to parent and move forward with understanding your kids even further.
3. And finally, if you ever need a professional, I would only reccomend those who have some knowledge or have been trained in TBRI through the Texas Christian University Institute of Child Development. This information is the most holistic kind of approach out there and is so helpful. The full list of TBRI-trained professionals can be found here. The TCU website is also a great resource and you can purchase many videos and trainings as a non-professional there as well!

Gluten Free, Vegan Apple Crisp

We recently moved to Asheville, NC and I must say- one of my most favorite things about this city is the Farmers Markets! We have one that we can walk to and their selection of fresh apples were immediately purchased to make our favorite gluten-free, vegan treat.

This is an old recipe that we have easily made gf/df/all the frees- and my kids even love to help make it since it’s such an easy recipe ? My favorite kind of apples to make this with are Honey Crisp or Pink Ladies!

Also, cinnamon seems to be a spice that loses it’s “cinnamon-ey-ness” quickly in the cupboard, so the addition of non-GMO Cinnamon Bark Vitality Oil from Young Living gives it tons of extra cinnamon-ey flavor!

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 apples, peeled, and diced (see picture below for the perfect size!)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon (can also use 2 tsp cinnamon if not using the oil below)
5 drops cinnamon bark vitality oil (can use 8-9 drops and no ground cinnamon also!)
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (King Arthur Brand is my favorite GF blend!)
1 cup organic cane sugar
6 large, rounded tablespoons of vegan butter (we use Earth Balance)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut the apples and place in a 9 x 13 glass pan.
Mix the water, cinnamon, and cinnamon vitality oil and pour over the apples in the pan evenly.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour and the sugar together and use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter. (if you do not have a pastry blender, you can use a fork)
Cut the butter in until it resembles a crumbly mixture with small pea-sized crumbles like below- and pour over the apples in the pan.
Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until the apple mixture is bubbly and the topping is crisp!

Enjoy it with some dairy-free vanilla ice cream or coco-whip on top!

Why Oils? (It might not be what you think!)

Hi, I’m Eryn, married to David, and we are adoptive parents. In 2014, a couple years into parenting we still were overwhelmed (as most parents are ? and had a difficult time connecting with one of our children. Supporting her needs took more patience and skills than I was equipped with and we were getting better. Things were getting better, yet I still often felt distant from her.

That November 2014, I went to an essential oils class and got some samples of Lavender and Myrrh from a friend. Later that same night, my daughter got sick for the first time since we brought her home with us. She was hardly ever even with the sniffles, but she was really down that night. I didn’t know what to do because I often felt out of my element with her, but this night I also hadn’t ever seen her feel this bad physically. So I did some research and rubbed the oil samples I got over her spine and put some on me too. Now, up until this point she wouldn’t really love snuggling or staying in my lap. She was often wanting her space and wanting to be mobile. I got to rock my other kids, but she wasn’t really into that kind of bonding time.

As soon as I rubbed the Lavender and Myhrr on her though, she crawled into my lap and slept, snuggled, settled in with me and stayed with me through the night so I could keep an eye on her. It was really miraculous for our relationship! I wept because I had been longing to hold her for so long.

I knew at that point that it didn’t matter if these little EO bottles did anything else, I was getting them just for my relationship with my daughter! Spoiler- they helped with other things too ? It was such a TURNING POINT for our family.

At that point I was all in!

I researched the heck out of everything I could and then I asked my super smart husband a billion questions. He even read textbooks on essential oils (he’s a chemist and a chiropractor) and told me all about that. This cascaded into a thousand different things that helped my family in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

We used oils more….our family healed emotionally.

We started using more green-cleaning items in our home…things got better for our kids behavior.

We started a business with Young Living because we loved sharing….we now are a stay at home family and get to make up for time we lost before we adopted.

We keep finding new things (still 4 years later!) that we love about Young Living. If you want to start this journey and see what it will mean for your family- it might be different or similar to my story- now is the time, friend!

The Real Story of Postpartum Depression.

If you are a new mama, CONGRATS! Get ready for the ride of your life. Filled with laughs, tears, and so much love! I’m Madison, Oklahoma native and holistic mama of 2 sweet littles: Harper (4) and Jackson (2). I know the feelings of pure happiness when you welcome that sweet bundle of joy into the world and all of your baby dreams are coming true. I know the feelings of being smitten with that little angel and you can’t imagine loving anything more. But, I also know the overwhelming feelings of postpartum depression. This is my story.

March 11, 2015. Our sweet Harper was born. She filled such an incredible place in our hearts and we adored her sweet little face. I was a new mama. Unsure of what to expect, but eager to start this new life as a family of 3. I knew I would get little to no sleep, change lots of diapers, and basically be a milk making machine {or so I thought, but that’s for another day}. What I didn’t expect, was the overwhelming sadness I began to experience about a month into motherhood.

For a few weeks I thought, “okay, I guess this is just part of it.” However, as days passed by, my feelings of sadness increased. The feelings of “loneliness” overcame me. I began to think I wasn’t made for this “mom” thing and I didn’t think I could do it. Finally, after lots of “googling” {which is a new moms BFF}, I came to realize, these feelings I was experiencing were due to postpartum depression. Now here’s the deal, I’m a pretty “happy go lucky” kind of gal. I love to smile, have fun, give off all the good vibes and positivity – so this hit me like a freight train! Did I mention I’m also a little stubborn?? Postpartum depression? No way! Not me. After speaking with my doctor, he too explained that postpartum depression was very normal and that it can be treated with medicine. Now friends, if you’d like to scroll back on up and see my bio, “holistic mama of 2”, I’m not really into the whole “throw some medicine in your body and call it a day” kind of approach. But if that’s your thing, you do you boo! I’m all about mamas supporting mamas and I 100% want you to do what’s right for your body. However, if you are looking for an alternative {or maybe you want to save some $$$}, here is what I did to naturally support my body and kick postpartum depression to the curb!

1. Exercise! Now I’m not saying you have to go out and train for a half marathon {running isn’t my jam}. BUT, go for a walk! Get moving! Do Yoga, Pilates, Barre – whatever makes your heart sing and brings you joy! Grab your BFF or go alone for some much needed YOU time. Buy yourself a cute new pair of leggings and do it!!! You will be surprised how much this will help you feel back to normal!

2. Grab some oils for emotional support! Okay okay, I know what you’re thinking. Oils!? Really?? Girl, let me just tell you! I was an essential oils skeptic. Like the biggest skeptic on the planet! But, when I slapped that stress away oil on my wrist and slathered Frankincense on me and baby girl, I burst out in tears. I’m not saying I was full on bawling, but cross my heart, tears were streaming down my face as I let my emotions release from my body. I knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay. Now remember, not all essential oils are created the same! I know it’s tempting, but for the love of all things, don’t grab essential oils from your nearest Target/Walmart/TJ Maxx. They are filled will all kinds of chemicals, extenders, and fake fragrances. I highly recommend Young Living due to the Seed to Seal practices and standards. I can trust 100% that what’s going on me and my babies is pure and safe – which makes this mama heart very happy! If you want to know more about that, head on over to @mh_essentials_ for tips and trick on how to support your body with essential oils.

3. Breathe! The power of breath!! Did you know, when you breathe from your shoulders, you’re actually breathing from a place of stress, anxiety, and depression?? Guilty!! This was me 99.9% of the time. I know mom life is so dang busy y’all but there is so much power in taking 3 big deep breaths every single day. So let’s work on this. Stop what you’re doing! I’m going to grab a bottle of Frankincense essential oil right now because it’s my jam, drop some in my hand, and take 3 deep breathes. Breathe with me from deep in your gut. Inhale… Exhale. Inhale… Exhale. Inhale… Exhale. Better??? Don’t forget to take deep breaths during the day, beautiful friend. Go ahead and look in the mirror right now too and tell yourself “I love you [insert your name]!” I also love practicing a little selflove. Okay moving on.

4. Community! Last but not least, find a community! Now I know social media has its pros and cons, but friends… social media can be so, so beautiful. It’s a place we, as women, from all over the world, can come together and find our TRIBE! WE can support other people. We can be vulnerable and authentic to our stories. We can tell those stories, in hopes that it will bring more people to understand we have their back! If you need a community, I would love to welcome you with open arms to follow me @madisonhenrylifestyle or over at my oily page! I love connecting with women and love helping all the mamas know they are NOT alone. I am here for YOU dear friend.

I hope this encourages and blesses you.

All the love mommas.
xo.

{Please note, this post is not intended to treat or cure postpartum depression. If you need more recommendations, reach out! I’d love to help in anyway I can}.