Thursday, December 04, 2008

Book Bling Bookmarks - Christmas Gift Idea!

This year, I have been coming across some great and unique gift ideas. This one just happens to be my current favorite. It is made by a friend of mine (won't she be surprised to see my blog review!). But even if I didn't know and love the designer of this product, I'd have to say I'd love this one anyway.

So, as a book lover and avid reader at heart (even if my current mom-of-4-small-children role doesn't lend itself to very long reading sessions these days) . . . I will share this gift idea with you:

They are called Book Bling Bookmarks and they are made by Jessica Derksen.
They are basically jewels, stones, beads, charms and other nice things strung up on the end of a bookmark. You can put several together or use one at a time. You can have them customized or purchase one right from her store front. Here is her website for your shopping convenience:

www.bookbling.biz

I will try to get some pictures posted here for you soon. I couldn't figure out how to transfer them yet!

Blessings to you and yours this Advent Season!
Merry Christmas,
:) Kaycee

Monday, September 01, 2008

Going Green is Fun!

This summer I found that making green changes can be fun! For years, going green was a bit of an inconvenience in many ways. It seemed that Organic produce put a huge dent in our budget and often required a trip to a separate grocery store that was farther away. Recycling took extra rinsing and taking extra time to remove labels. The only thing that started out as more convenient from the start was using the green cleaners my Shaklee business provided me. Everything else seemed like so much extra effort. The green passion in me now almost hates to admit all this, but it is true. Early in my marriage, my dear hubby was the recycle and water conservation police officer in my household, and I was the frequent violator!

Several things have shifted all this in the last two years. Our local grocery store began to carry more and more organic foods and produce and then over time started putting them on sale frequently. Now it seems they are almost always stocked with my favorite organics, and their prices are more reasonable than not. Also we recently had a Sunflower Market move in very close to us. So, if I am going to make a separate trip for some big sales on natural products and meats then I can drive just a few minutes away for that now.

The next thing that happened is that our local recycling loosened up on their requirements. Now I still rinse everything out, but I don't remove labels anymore. And they take all the plastics 1-7 now! So recycling isn't nearly as hard as it was. Also, as I've gotten more in the habit, it isn't nearly as time consuming simply because it is something I do without thinking now. It comes much more naturally.

But this summer, more of the fun began! After having inspiration from several sources, I decided we were going to do away with the paper napkins at meals. It took a few easy steps and we were 100% converted to all cloth napkins! And the most exciting part is that the way we did it we were able to get the kids on board and happy about the change. Here are the steps I took to convert us:

1. I took the kids to the local fabric store and found the remnant bins.
2. I asked each of them to pick their favorite 100% cotton material out of the bins.
3. We took them all home and we cut them out. Actually I snipped them at 9 in. squares and then ripped them. It created a nice edge on each napkin all the way around.
4. Washed and dryed them all. Snipping of any fraying edges is necessary after the first wash.
5. Fold them up and then provide each child with their special custom cloth napkin at every meal.

I am SO excited to have completed this project. The time investment was WELL worth the effort. And the small napkins only need a small space in the loads of laundry I'm already doing every few days. It is great.

Please feel free to comment and share one of your favorite GREEN tips. Also, see these great GREEN books listed at www.Amazon.com for more ideas than one family could ever accomplish:


Green Goes with Everything by Sloan Barnett



It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living by Crissy Trask



The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time
by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen


Enjoy! Feel free to comment if you've already read some of these yourself.


Blessings,
:) Kaycee

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

No longer sleepLESS in CO!

Sleep. A necessity. A must. A hot commodity! But it is amazing the amount of sleep interruptions a human can stand. It is also quite remarkable to me that there are babies who sleep a 5 to 6 hour stretch at night after just 3 months of life, and on the other hand, there are those babies who will NOT sleep 5 or 6 hours straight for a LONG time.

My youngest has been one of THOSE babies. She has been one of those babies who would not sleep for a 5 hour stretch at night for a LONG time. As a mater of fact, she wouldn't even sleep for more than 3 hours at a time without nursing.

Granted, I am on my 4th baby, and I have yet to have one of the babies who sleeps "through the night" within their first year. My second baby was the closest; he did sleep 4 to 5 hour stretches for a while at about 4 months old. But it was a short phase, and he began waking after 2 or 3 hours again before long.

Still, after 20.5 months of life (as of yesterday), my 4th child still had not slept more then 3 hours at a time without waking up to nurse. That means that for the last 627 days (but who's counting) I haven't had a night of sleep that put more than 3 hours together at a time of uninterrupted sleep, and consequently neither had she.

It has really been a blessing that the two of us have had any coping skills when life posed the usual challenges that it does. But, when I think of it, this regularly interrupted sleep does explain the many days of mommy being a bit short on patience and falling asleep anytime she sat still. And it does point to why baby, who is mostly good natured and happy-go-lucky has had her moments of screaming and stomping her feet. Of course, that could also be due to the amount of distance between her and her 2nd birthday!

At any rate, that all may be about to change. Now I'm not one to count my chickens early, but it is an exciting prospect here. This morning, for the first time in her lifetime, I was blessed with the strange sensation of a good night's sleep. It was FABULOUS! When my husband got up to tend to our earliest risers, it was SO weird not to be groggy and out of it. I actually laid there awake wondering what that strange feeling was.

Rest. Ahhhhhhhh. It was SO nice. Thank you, baby. Thank you. May we have many, many more of those.

-----

Any parents looking for a system to help your child sleep better at night, or to help them GET to sleep at night . . . here is a great resource I found:

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/

Thursday, April 17, 2008

My Prenatal Vitamin Story

As many of you know, I am a 39-year-old mother of 4 children ages 7 to 1.5. The short story is that when my husband and I were trying to get pregnant (8 years and 4 children ago!), I took my Shaklee vitamins into my OB and said, "Is there anything in these that I shouldn't be having while pregnant, and is there anything missing that I will need?" My OB took a look at my bottles and said, "I can't get this for you in a prenatal." I said, "So this would be okay?" She responded while looking over the labels, "This is much better than anything I could get you. These look good."

Now, medical doctors aren't nutritionists, but they do know a pregnant mother needs Folic Acid and many are recommending Omegas these days. Unfortunately, most prenatal vitamins are synthetic and not from whole food sources. That being said, I have also heard 2 OBs speaking on how they used Shaklee for prenatals in their practice for years. Both reported lower preterm birth rates and prenatal complications in those mothers who took the Shaklee vitamins compared to those in their practices who took other prenatals instead.




Important things to consider:

  • If the pregnant mother is experiencing leg cramps . . . she may need more calcium.
  • If the pregnant mother doesn't eat safe fish (wild and contaminate free) 2 + times a week . . . she may not be getting the omegas she needs.
  • If the pregnant mother is feeling nausiated from her current prenatals . . . they may not be digesting properly.
  • If the pregnant mother is using synthetic prenatals . . . they may not be absorbing properly.
  • There are no symptoms of low levels of prenatal folic acid, but it is a critical nutrient for baby.
  • Folic acid and calcium are delicate nutrients that need to be absorbed at the right time during digestion to be effective.
  • Iron taken with vitamin C aides in absorbtion and helps prevent stomach irritation.
  • Low energy in a pregnant mom can be a sign of either iron or protein deficiency.
  • Always talk with your OB about a new prenatal supplement addition or switch.

I hope this helps you or someone you love in the decision to go with Shaklee vitamins as prenatals. I have successfully (and with the blessing of 3 different OB's now) taken them for conception, prenatal, and postnatal/nursing periods. I don't have to change what I'm taking, and I'm getting what the baby and I both need. I have carried all 4 babies to full term and had no complications and they have all had great APGAR scores.

I am here if any of you have any questions about any of this. I am NOT a medical doctor, but I'm always happy to help moms and babies be as healthy as possible. Shaklee products have amazing integrity and they cover nutrition from infancy to golden years. They are a gift to anyone you are willing to share them with in this day of processed and fast food trends.

Blessings,
:) Kaycee Farrell
Littleton, CO
naturesconnection@shaklee.net

For more information on our Shaklee vitamins, please visit our website:
www.shaklee.net/naturesconnection

For more great information about health during pregnancy . . .
click here: http://content.nhiondemand.com/shp/weeklystudies.asp
then enter "pregnancy" into the search box on that page!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Enter to win $250 worth of GREEN products for FREE

I have now set up an way for my friends and family to enter to win $250 worth of Shaklee's GREEN products for free just by taking a look at the Shaklee Opportunity!

Here's what you can do . . .
Step 1: Go to http://www.goshaklee.info/
Step 2: Enter the password XE88881.
Step 3: Watch the videos to be entered to win!

I hope you'll take the time. The products are SO wonderful, it is well worth the time, and even if you don't win this time, I am happy to send you free sample of our Get Clean Basic H2 nontoxic household super cleaner! Let me know if you'd like one sent to you today. For more information about this great green super cleaner, visit www.shaklee.net/naturesconnection/getclean.

Have a GREAT day!
: ) Kaycee Farrell
Shaklee Independent Distributor
http://www.kayceeshop.com/
303-973-8894
Shaklee . . . 50+ years of unprecedented integrity!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Happy 2008!



We all do so much, most of the time, to try and make the new year one that we will remember fondly. The year we finally started working out again and lost that baby weight. The year we were able to get the house set up just how we wanted it. The year we really got our business rolling. The year we decorated the house -- at long last. The year we replaced our dear pet Cheyenne who passed away 5 years ago. The year we conceived baby number 5. The year we actually got organized around the house!

Whatever the desire is, whatever the hope . . . it is usually, for me, made with some caution. It is made with trepidation. It is cast forward, but only in the shadow of those desires gone past. The resolutions made but only partially kept. Those resolves that were really wishes made into the wind. Dreams, but not necessarily commitments.

This year, I want for myself a clean slate. A slate that is built of all that is good and right in my life. This year, I only make commitments to myself, my family, my business, my faith. This year, I don't want to pile on more guilt or longing. This year, I want to forge ahead. I want to clear off that beautiful slate and wipe it clean of any past let downs. This year is not last year. It is not the 80's, the 90's or even the early 2000's!

This is the year 2008.

This is the year I leave all that built up guilt and self doubt behind me. I'll let it settle itself into the past where it belongs. I'll not drag it along my way any further. This year, I begin with all the beauty and awesomeness that has become my life as my new foundation. I'll stand tall on this amazing adventure and revile in it with joy and love for what has been given.

This is the year I begin anew.

For all of us. For my family. For me. For every mom who cries at the thought of doing ANY thing less than great for her children. For every woman who has given herself far less than she deserved and still come out with more than she expected. For all those who want more, but have no idea where to begin. I begin here.

2008.

A new year. Let's make it whatever we want it to be. Let's build those memories we are looking forward to holding onto in 2009 and beyond. Join me, will you? Let's make a year we'll love to remember. Let's give this 2008 version of ourselves all the care we can muster and all the love we can stand.

May this year hold all the blessings one year can possibly hold. May our hearts be filled to overflowing with the wonder and love of life we were born with.

May God look and see that we are truly caring for all he has given us and more.

Happy New Year, to all.

Love and blessings,
: ) Kaycee

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