Tag: family

Choosing To Live Organic

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

So I know there are still many skeptics out there that question the organic living lifestyle.  As family of 6, we choose organic living because of three main reasons:

1. Health & Wellbeing

2. Disease prevention (food is healing)

3. Longevity

When we use beauty products such as lotions, body soaps, daily hygiene products such as toothpaste and feminine hygiene products and makeup do we read the ingredients on the back label?  When we buy produce and visit the seafood and meat section, do we know the source and how they are raised? Farmed versus wild caught salmon? Honestly when I was in my teens, the answer is no.  However, once I reached my 20’s I begin to wonder why my shampoo would sting my eyes, why my lotions would irritate my skin and were those lines on the chicken breast natural? Were these allergies/skin sensitivities I had to an ingredient, or were these products and foods really not that great for me?  So I started reading up on toxicity of everyday products and boy was I onto something.  Here’s the thing, when you have a husband in the healthcare field, you know that the human body requires quality care and activity in order to stay healthy. We are not specially engineered so we should not need to specially engineer our food or consumbales!  Yes you heard me, I m referring to GMO (genetically Modified organisms).  Why is that countries have a “need” to add fillers, enhance flavors, colors and artificial ingredients into our foods?   Does it make the foods more attractive md appetizing? Yes, sure but is it good for our bodies?  The answer is no. Do we need to ingest pesticides in our produce?  Do we need to breathe in toxic chemicals from our cleaning supplies? For my family and I, the clear and obvious answer is NO.  As a mom of 4, my immediate worry is any dangers that pose in any forms of hygeine products, household products and foods that we consume.  My job is to care for my family and when I do not do my research, how am I going to protect my family?

Take a look at this infographic below

Understanding USDA Organic or “Certified Organic”

According to the USDA if a product has a USDA Organic label on it it means that the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic.

This means free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, dyes and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradition, or genetic. The remaining 5% my only be foods or processed with additives on an approved list. You my also see labels that red 100% Organic, which men’s all the ingredients MUST meet the USDA Organic guidelines or “made with organic” which men 70% or more organic ingredients. The USDA seal cannot be used anywhere on the package and the remaining 30% of the ingredients cannot be foods or processed with additives on. A special exclusion list.

Nutritional Value

Now many argue the nutritional value of consuming organic food and so far my research shows no difference in nutritional value.

How do pesticides and synthetic chemicals affect me?

Pesticides and synthetic chemicals are known to be toxic and carcinogenic to humans. My best advice is ensure you do your research before you make a purchase.

The Think Dirty App is a great resource. It allows you to see all the potentially toxic ingredients of cosmetic and personal care products you search for.

When shopping for foods, read the back labels. When we as consumers show our demand of organic goods, producers and manufacturers will want to meet this need.

Let us shift our buying habits to support a clean environment, encourage companies to produce better quality products foods that are free of toxic and harmful carcinogens that enable us to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Fall Update

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

Happy Fall everyone!! I hope you are all excited for Fall as I. I believe we are out of triple digits weather because Arizona summers sure are brutal. So while I have a moment free (which has been rare lately), I just wanted to share an update with you all on what’s going on with our lives since I’ve taken a short hiatus from blogging. Ella started Kindergarten in August. My hubby graduated in May and passed the boards at the end of August. Everly our youngest turned 1. I have taken a more active role in homeschooling our 3 year old. It’s truly amazing how being a stay at home mom has shaped me. I find myself getting up around quite early around 5am (reminds me of the working fulltime days, except it was a 4am wake up) and much more ahead of household chores these days which I absolutely love. A clean, organized house truly does makes this mommy a happy camper 😄 Dropping off and picking up our oldest sure does require more time then I would like. Although it’s nice to have some relaxing time listening to some good old country or some soft rock while planning dinner on my phone while the younger 2 are home with dad and I wait to pick up. This year as I get closer to my birthday, I surprisingly don’t feel the dreadful feeling of “oh my I am aging” but am reflecting on how much I’ve grown intrinsically as a wife, a mother and a individual. My patience has slowly grown as being a domestic housewife and mother comes with endless possibilities. To be entirely honest I still need a lot of improvement in that area but slowly but surely I hope it will grow. The zealous taskmaster in me is still quite active even more so as I continue to add to my to-do list. Does it ever end?! But what would I do with myself if I didn’t keep busy. So I have been in deep thought and decided that my time is going to be devoted to the “more meaningful aspects” of my life first and then will come all other constants.

Time with our children

We hear it ever so often, time flies, yet how do we manage to soak up all those sweet moments with our little ones? What has allowed me to cherish and spend more quality time with our girls, is getting my cleaning and chores done early so I get to provide more mommy time when it’s family time. I was taught early on that work comes first then play. This really works for our family. I will admit I am quite meticulous about keeping our home clean. Though messes still happen, I know if I get it clean now, I will be able to dedicate ALL of ME to my children after. Keeping arts and crafts and activities readily available for them also helps keep them from “mommy I’m bored.” Giving hugs are my best way to show them I care and comfort them. Our middle child is a great example of tender love as she will be saying “mommy I love you” throughout the day. It’s one of the sweetest moments I live for.

Visit family & friends

I have to admit I am very fortunate to live in the same state as most of my family however I was lousy at visiting my parents, grandparents and family in general. This fall I plan to make time to visit my love ones because it’s dear to my heart to be there and let them know I care for them and just being able to spend that time together is priceless. I mean compared to being a fulltimer in the workforce, I now have the availability to visit with them. Which reminds me I need to get going on my Visiting teaching too. The joy I saw in my grandmothers eyes and we surprise visited her this past week was truly touching. She saw a minivan pull up and immediately threw on her slippers and walked out and didn’t want us to leave. It reminded me that we all should put more of an role in visiting with people we love and care for. The companionship, conversation and or just seeing great grandkids can bring about such great joy in a person 😊

Embracing the now

Life really feels like it passes me by when I am always thinking about what is next. So these days I have a cherish and embrace the “now.” Watching my children play and interact with each other, engulfing myself into whatever we are doing and most importantly putting down the phone is so key. Asking about how someone’s day was and listening more has enabled me to be more engaged in our life. My calendar is a great way to keep me on speed with upcoming events, holidays, trips, special occasions so I am not caught off guard with anything. I look at my calendar on a daily basis. All over the world, there seems to be unrest with natural disasters such as hurricanes destroying homes and political unrest with rallies and marches, we need to be thankful of all the good we have and do our best to pray, lend a hand and support the ones in need to hopefully curb the negativity and promote peace and togetherness. Who knows what is to come, but what I know is that I will spend each quality moment now loving my children and teaching them to be kind so they do the same.

Reassurance in “MYSELF”

We are have been there, we carry so many responsibilities that many times we get burnt out and forget that we are important too. Many times we do things with no recognition, we seek no reward but we do it because it’s innate. We do SO much, yet rarely there is a thank you. Here is where you can appreciate yourself and know that you are an amazing mother/father/caregiver, homemaker, breadwinner, comforter. So many roles that we hold, that make a HUGE difference even though they may seem small. We all have a purpose in life and it’s the journey we go throughly we learn and grow that enables us to do our best to fulfill that purpose. Each and everyone can also help lift others up, but don’t be discouraged and most importantly know that you are worth it. As we do something for another, we show our love for them. Beginning with loving thyself allows us to open our hearts to love others. So start each day with a positive thought and a compliment to yourself and then spread the love to the ones around you 💞

I plan to get back into blogging at least once a week and would love suggestions on topics, so feel free to drop a comment or even a hello and let me know where you are from. Let us be each other’s wind in our sails ⛵️

Parenting

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

Harmony at Home
Parenting. It is a calling, a blessing, a challenge at times, an adventure full of uh ohs……  and yet such an enriching lifetime commitment.  Before I begin, I would like to preface, each and every parent has their own parenting styles which may work for them, but not others, so this is by no means the Merriam Webster’s handbook to parenting.  This is my personal account of my journey and character building experiences that I am sharing with you.  My husband and I clearly have different ideas of fun and entertainment (no I will not throw my 6 month old up it the air), however, what we both can effortlessly agree on is one thing, teaching our children compassion and fortitude.  When both parents are on the same page on those core principles, parenting can be so much more constructive. We both strongly feel how vital it is to create a foundation of reverent, kind and dedicated little humans.  Teaching them to be selfless, loving and nurturing can prepare them to build meaningful relationships with others and hopefully with their future spouse.  So how do we do this?

1. Teach them to be kind (there’s too much negativity in the world)

2. Teach them to share

3. Give them a hug (many times a tantrum can be resolved by a tender hug) 

4. Compliment them for doing a good deed 

5. Challenge them to try new things

When I reflect back on my own childhood, I remember being quite the timid one until I hit my early teen years.  These days it seems children have way more available to them. This includes tv, tablets, mobile devices, toys galore yet are these items really teaching our children the right messages?  This brings me to the practice of “minimalizing.”  Would I call myself a minimalist? No, not quite. Who am I kidding, we live in this modest age where there’s the latest and greatest.  So what am I getting at.  Quality time with your children. I can say without a doubt our girls are the happiest when mommy and daddy are doing something fun with them. My oldest is 4, so I don’t quite know how that will go once she starts school but this early children is such a critical stage to do our best to parent cohesively and give them that strong foundation of love and support.

Speaking of toddlers, Parent.com features a great article titled, “3 Ways to Raise a Caring Toddler”

We also love to teach our little ones about our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.  I cannot express how grateful I am to have HIM in my life. He lifts me up when I am down and reminds me why I am needed here on earth.  Parenting in this Modern era comes with many trials and rough patches but don’t be discouraged because you ARE doing your best.  Make it priority to rear your children with love  and affection an active participation. As Elder James E Faust quotes, “In my opinion, the teaching, rearing, and training of children requires more intelligence, intuitive understanding, humility, strength, wisdom, spirituality, perseverance, and hard work than any other challenge we might have in life. This is especially so when moral foundations of honor and decency are eroding around us.”  May we all focus on the cores principles of child rearing and let not the worldly distractions interfere with your role as parents. Take a moment each day to hug and embrace your children and give them your wholehearted, undivided attention.  Remember, they are gifts to us.

Image result for lds parenting quotes

What are some wholesome family activities you do with your family?

Motherhood

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

MothersMotherhood has been the utmost refining life change I could’ve asked for.  As I reflect back on the moment I became a mother for the first time, I realized that my purpose in this life was ever more essential.  Our eldest daughter, Ella was born on Father’s Day.  Seeing the silent joy as my husband laid eyes on our beautiful daughter gave me such a feeling of overwhelming joy and gratitude.  He reminded me that there is more to this life then climbing up the corporate ladder and chasing after the never ending dream of a extravagant lifestyle.  Becoming a mother, a nurturer, a soother, and a teacher is the most humbling journey I have been honored with.  Each day comes with the unexpected and oh how my patience has been tested and grown.  As my husband and I commenced into parenthood, I ask myself each day, how will I better myself as a mother and wife?  In our household someone is always singing, whether it be a nursing rhyme, a Frozen sing-along, a made-up song =P (I enjoy these very much)  or most of the time an LDS children’s song.  One night both our eldest age 3 and age 4 were were singing “I am a Child of God” and oh how sweet and yet powerful this song is to me.  We are all the Lord’s children and we all have the free agency to choose and listen to our hearts and live a virtuous life.  I have no doubt that my role as a mother is essential for my personal and spiritual growth.  This has enabled me to fine tune my time-management, organizational skills and most importantly my ability to nurture and love unconditionally.  Before becoming a mother, I seemed to have a long to-do list of what’s next.  I love this LDS Living article “Mothering One Moment at a Time” it speaks to me and reminded me that although it’s nice to get to “that point,” I must not get ahead of myself (I tend to do that a lot), I must enjoy and cherish the “now.”   Those “little” moments of playing that game or reading a book to your little seedlings make a WORLD of a difference to them.  May we all learn to enjoy the little moments whenever possible.  May we teach our children to be righteous, virtuous and reverent in all they may do.  Mothering is vital to the future success of their offspring. The family proclamation  says that “successful marriage and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.  I am so proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I am so glad I decided to start this blog, it has been quite exhilarating and humbling at the same time.

Here are ways  to keep your day GREAT:

  1. Be of good CHEER
  2. Work hard
  3. Go to bed early and wake up early (I am working on the first part :|)
  4. Prepare yourself (write ideas down, make lists,organize your thoughts)
  5. Love & encourage and support one another ❤

I love the scriptures and if you are interested, request a FREE copy HERE.  HE loves us all and wants to know YOU.

What are some ways that help you become a better mother?  If you are not a mother yet, what do you look forward to when becoming a mother?