Tag Archives: health

Hello, Summer! How I’m Transitioning Through New Seasons of Life

I’ve been absent from social media and blogging. Or incognito. Or something. I’ve been posting less and following less. My priorities have kind of shifted for a season. Hello, Summer! There are some new life seasons, and this is how I’m transitioning.

The end of February and March brought our first daughter, Lydia’s bridal shower and wedding. She was a beautiful bride, and she and her new husband clearly adore each other.

May brought our 5th child, Elizabeth’s, graduation from Legacy Academy homeschool high school. She graduated with the local homeschool group. There were 51 graduates who participated in the group graduation. Each student’s parents said a blessing over them. It was beautifully emotionally exhausting.

If it weren’t for my Lilla Rose business, I’d probably never have learned how to use Canva. Without Canva, I’d not have learned how to make yard signs for my daughter.

Then, over Memorial Day weekend, my husband left for two weeks to participate in grading thousands of American politics Advanced Placement (AP) exams in Salt Lake City. When he left Utah to return home, there were only 75000 entries to go. Needless to say, he’s still grading those here at home, in addition to leading his summer class at Western Michigan University, and the ones at his additional side gig adjunct professor job. Super funny, though, that in some ways when I had six children at home, his being away for a week or ten days was harder, but in other ways, it was easier than it was with two older children.

I miss all the kids being here doing our June projects!

Elizabeth, Anna, and I started working on our gardens around Elizabeth’s greenhouse work, which she started in May also. We also worked around Anna’s horse volunteering and riding lesson schedules, and our various appointments. We’ve even been trimming tree limbs so they don’t poke us in the eyes while we garden. Our burn pile is ridiculously high. I’ve been investing in various tools that aid in reducing my imbalance issues or that don’t require me to rely on the muscle strength of someone else. Last year I invested in this drill attachment for digging holes for plants and bulbs. Honestly, I’ve also been using it in the garden to turn over dirt and mulch.

We are pleased with how pretty our property is turning out. We’re enjoying new yard ornaments, new humming bird feeders and the evening visitors to them each day, bird baths, and our month old ducklings enjoying time out on the lawn while we work.

In this new season, I’ve started seeing a mental health counselor. A lot of people criticize Facebook posts or other social media as “fake book.” It’s not fake or disingenuous keep all the dirt one or one’s family is going through, nor do all one’s thoughts need to be aired. Not putting up all the hurts, not engaging in all the “discussions”, etc, is merely respecting privacy or placing boundaries around relationships. Not everyone needs to be privvy to the inside scoops within personal and family dynamics. Sadly, we have learned this the hard way by being open and honest-so sometimes we’re either too honest or we’re accused of being a fake.

At the advice of my new counselor who is helping me transition through the new stages and seasons, I’m considering the things that drain me and the things that fill me as I explore my purposes. Some of the drainers are not things I can negotiate, like medical appointments and therapies. Even my OT has suggested that my neuromuscular brain retraining therapy is going slower with out finding more things that bring me joy in my life.

I’m placing an emphasis on rest and on rediscovering joy in this season.

How am I doing that?

I’m making gifts.

I’m gardening.

I’m sitting with my chickens and listening to them.

I’m crafting. My kitchen currently looks like my brain exploded with craft ideas and supplies.

I’m cleaning and organizing areas of our home-just not the craft supplies in the kitchen.

I’m reading for pleasure.

I’m spending a lot less time on social media.

We’re considering what homeschooling will look like with only one child left at home, and where that child’s focuses should be.

I’m considering where my focus on my Lilla Rose business should be. For the summer, I’m doing no craft shows or festivals.

I’m enjoying my own company, quieting and holding captive my thought life, and enjoying the quiet of our home. Admittedly, sometimes it’s down right weird to be alone or to have quiet! Sometimes, I allow myself to grieve the losses I feel from the transitions. There have been a lot of changes to our lives in the last few years.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

What are you doing to enjoy summer this year?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
What book will you enjoy?

Tell me here, and if you are a new to Lilla Rose or current LoveLeavingLegacy with Lilla Rose customer, enter my summer appreciation customer giveaway running until June 16th, 2022. I’d love to bless a winner with $17 in Lilla Bucks to use on my Lilla Rose website.

Entry form:

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Heading Back To School: Tips On How To Prevent Head Lice

Many years ago, when our daughters were early elementary age, our family somehow got a nasty case of head lice. We’d been traveling and have no idea where the head lice came from. In the treatment of that episode of lice, and in one subsequent episode, we learned a lot about how to prevent and treat the itchy, annoying affliction. Here are some tips as children are heading Back To School.

Head lice is common between the ages of 3-11 years since these are day care to elementary aged kids, and most at risk. They are also the population who don’t understand the importance of prevention. Lice is a parasite that drinks human blood. They are most often found behind the ears and lower neck. Bites leave signature rashes there, and a case of head lice is very itchy, especially at night. Find out what head lice looks like and the stages of development over on WebMD.

Head lice is passed from head to head/hair to hair touching. On upholstered furniture in public places, such as movie theater seats, or lying on rugs in a classroom or library, it is possible to transfer head lice.

How to avoid getting head lice

No sharing combs, hats, scarves, or hair accessories.
No sharing pillows or bedding at sleep overs or at camp.
No sharing ear buds and helmets.
Wash and high heat dry new hats after purchase before wearing.

The next step in prevention is what to do once you suspect your children or you could have been exposed. Be sure to wash all possible exposed clothing, coats, hats, scarves, etc in hot water and high heat dry. Do the same with stuffed animals and bedding if possible. If it’s not possible, seal them in a plastic bag for three or more weeks. We did the same with combs, brushes, and hair accessories. Admittedly, I over reacted and boiled our combs each day. They sort of melted.

Another tip for prevention is to keep longer hair tied back in a pony tail or braid, or pinned up in a bun.

Washing your child’s hair with tea tree shampoo and conditioner, and the heat of blow drying also helps to kill any possible lice. Keeping your child’s environment clean helps control any spread of the lice should your child get it. Be sure to keep carpets and car seats well vacuumed each day. I found the biggest asset to the whole ordeal of our children having head lice was that we got our house clean and organized because I became obsessive about vacuuming and laundry.

Twice daily combing with a head lice nit comb scrapes any nits down the hair shaft and away from the scalp. We did use RID for our daughters’ first stint with head lice. The lice weren’t necessarily killed. We had to do a second treatment. Their hair got fried, and their scalps were dry.

A nurse friend with ties to a nurse at the local health department also advised us to use olive oil during nit combing. Once we were diligent with combing and using olive oil to comb, washing with tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner, and blow drying, the ordeal was fortunately contained. The olive oil may have done nothing more than restore our daughters hair to good health.

Unfortunately, the girls report that the smell of olive triggers bad memories for them, and the only good thing about having lice was that we let them watch movies while we nit combed endlessly.

Here are examples of the products we used.
DISCLOSURE: These are affiliate links which means I earn a small compensation to support this blog if you make a purchase through these links. There is no added cost to you. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

I hope this helps you prevent lice in your own home, and manage it if your child ends up with a case of it.

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How to Combat Low Vitamin D3 And Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

January can be such a dreary month in Michigan. Even though we’ve had a relatively mild winter so far, and not a lot of lake effect snow band squalls, the sun rarely shines. It’s great to get out in the fresh air, and I have had a relatively easy time with balance. The driveway or in parking lots aren’t always frozen over and slippery to complicate gait/balance and vertigo issues. But, I’ve been noticing since Christmas that I’m exceptionally fatigued. I feel like I should be over that after 13-14 months brain surgery post op. I know that Vitamin D3 levels should be checked with regularity, and I’m not sure mine has ever been checked. I was glad to hear that my new primary care provider wanted to do one a few weeks ago. I was surprised to hear, however, that my levels were even lower than what they consider low. I’m now taking D3 supplements at the urging of the PCP, but also cod liver oil and calcium with magnesium to be sure that bone health is good.

Honestly, I didn’t even realize fatigue was a symptom of low D3. It’s super easy to chalk it up to “I had major brain surgery a year ago, and the tumor void is still healing.”

What are the symptoms of low Vitamin D3? (See also Healthline.)

They can be subtle, and you might even chalk them up to other problems or disorders. I’m learning that this is often the case for a lot of disorders or health issues, and that’s why it’s so important to get baseline blood work and testing to be sure the PCP can note changes.

1. Fatigue and tiredness is one.

2. Inability to lose weight.

3. Getting sick or getting infections often. One may also find wounds have difficulty healing.

4. Bone or back pain. With a low D3 level, calcium absorption is not as efficient, so bones could be weaker. This can also be a cause of bone loss.

5. Depression which may or may not be part of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

6. Hair loss.

7. Muscle pain.

Where does one get Vitamin D3?

1. Sunshine helps bodies make its own D3.

2. From certain foods like certain mushrooms, egg yolks, salmon, tuna, cod liver oil, herring, sardines, halibut, mackerel, fortified foods like orange juice, cereal, cow’s milk, and soy milk.

D3 is actually a hormone, fat soluble vitamin. You get it from food, sunshine, and supplements. According to Healthline, it may aid in the blocking of fat cell creation and storage, thereby attributing higher levels of it to greater weight reduction. It may also play a role in boosting metabolism.

While doing my research on my Vitamin D3 level and problem, I found out that many of the foods and nutrients mentioned for combatting low levels of it are also the nutrients for health hair and to grow hair.

My free 3-book, 9 Nutrients for Growing Healthy Hair can be found here. I love to share it!

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder is sometimes considered the “winter blues” but it can happen any time of the year. It’s an actual cyclical depression. Some say they have SAD simply because they have low D3, but that may not always be the case.

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of SAD may include:

Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Having low energy
Having problems with sleeping
Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
Feeling sluggish or agitated
Having difficulty concentrating
Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide

The cause of SAD is not completely known, but it is noted that circadian rhythms, low serotonin and melatonin levels seem to contribute. Family history, bipolar disorder, and major depression issues also seem to contributing factors.

The Mayo Clinic says “Treatment for seasonal affective disorder may include light therapy, medications, and psychotherapy.” Meditation, relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and music or art therapy may also help.

For either low vitamin D3 or Seasonal Affective Disorder, be sure to reaching out to your healthcare provider for the best ways to deal with your situations. Healthcare is not usually a one size fits all approach. This post should also not be construed as medical advice. It is simply my own research for understanding of my own situation.

To combat my vitamin D3 issue, my PCP recommended supplementation and diet. I’m happy to report that my fatigue symptoms seem to be lifting.

To combat any winter blues and to keep a good mental outlook, not necessarily related to Seasonal Affective Disorder, I’ve opted to create “happy places” or “pampering situations.”

I love changing out homey decorations with soothing colors, and have purchased more indoor plants now that there is no danger of my children eating poisonous leaves. I also love to listen to soothing music and create through crocheting, sewing, or crafting. There is nothing as encouraging as finishing projects! Adult coloring books are a fun activity while relaxing in the evenings too.

As always, I love keeping my mind active through reading and research of topics that interest me. I love that my nursing license credentials come due at the end of January so that I have to be sure I’ve completed enough continuing education credits. I love researching health issues related to myself or my family.

I get monthly massages, eat right, and drink plenty of water. I also try to exercise. And, of course, I am my own best customer when it comes to having new Lilla Rose hair accessories to beautify my hair and brighten up my outlook.

How do you combat winter blues?

Tell me!

LoveLeavingLegacy

Home, Health, Hair, and Mentoring

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