This smoothie tastes amazing! I originally got this recipe from the green smoothie girl and have amended it to my own taste. We drink it every day! It is packed with antioxidants and automakers, I along with several servings of fruits and vegetables. You will love it! READ MORE

It astonished me and made me not want to eat meat for months! I was inspired me to be more conscious about the foods I was putting into my body and the bodies of my children and family. The book itself has sold millions of copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. It was the beginning of the Food Revolution.

I became increasingly concerned over the years with contamination of our food supply and the detrimental effects of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones in my food I was eating every day! The Food Revolution Network began in 2012 and since then, have grown their membership and message to over 85,000 concerned citizens! Their mission has been “to inform, inspire, and empower people toward positive action for healthy, sustainable, humane and conscious food for all.” So, when I found out about their Food Revolution Summit, I thought it was FANTASTIC and I couldn’t wait to promote it and tell all my like-minded friends about it.

What is the 2013 Summit?
From April 27-May 4, 2013, there will be a series of 24 1/2 hour “riveting interviews” broadcasted through teleconference at 8, 9, and 10 am PT with a 24 hour internet-based replay. On May 5, there will be a special 1-hour finale conversation with John and Ocean Robbins. These interviews will be inspiring, with life changing messages from revolutionary thinkers and visionaries that will put “Power in your hands” when it comes to the FOOD YOU EAT! You’ll come away with cutting-edge information, shocking facts, and inspirational wisdom!
Speakers will share their messages and expertise in topics such as nutrition that can help prevent (and sometimes cure) cancer, the top foods to avoid if you want to protect yourself from GMOs, healthy fats, how multivitamins couldd be hazardous to your health, organic foods, and how you can stock a healthy pantry without busting the bank among many, many others!

The best part is, that the conference is absolutely FREE! You can register using this link: http://www.foodrevolution.org/?orid=101213&opid=9 which will take you to their homepage.

When you register for the summit, you’ll have FREE access to any and all of the live calls and replays for 24 HOURS ONLY!

So what if you miss a call, can’t find the time to listen to a replay or you want to access the transcripts and other bonuses? The only way to have these resources again to share, read, or listen to the summit is by ordering the EMPOWERMENT PACKAGE. This will give you access to the ENTIRE summit, along with a collection of bonus gifts valued at $1,194! Use this link if you want to order your Empowerment Package now!
http://www.foodrevolution.org/nextstep?orid=101213&opid=10

I truly believe this summit will help empower you and your family to take more control of what types of food you put into your bodies. My every-day goal and message is to help you gain more confidence by educating you to have more power and confidence in the medicines and foods you give to your families. Join me in attending this inspiring, motivating, and eye-opening week full of incredible life-changing speakers and interviews at the 2013 Food Revolution Summit!

Some fevers aren’t this easily resolved.

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After Ivie, my dear friend told me about the amazing success she was having with her winter gardening system, I drove straight to her house to purchase one from her, went home and set half of it up, and then begged her to write down her experience to share with my wonderful readers. Ivie agreed! Here is her experience:

While waiting and saving for ten years to buy our first house, I dreamed and researched about edible landscaping. I decided I would only plant edible things and I would plant just as much as I possibly could fit into my yard. When we finally purchased our home on a 1/3 acre lot, the first thing I did is plant a giant raspberry patch and a peach tree. I now have 9 fruit trees, 9 blueberry plants, and my raspberry patch can produce between two and three gallons of raspberries a week. Sadly, this is the first year since then that I will not be able to plant a fruit tree as I have run out of space!

I also planted a huge garden. I love to garden. When the end of the season comes, yes, I am ready for a little break in canning but after a few weeks, I miss it. A few years ago my husband and I built a little pvc greenhouse and I planted a patch of spinach in it. I had the worst time every time a bad windstorm would come through. I tried anchoring it into a grow box, putting it over rebar and everything I could think of. The spinach actually didn’t die, but it didn’t grow either.

So I dreamed of having a real greenhouse. Last year my husband and father in law built me one! I planted my tomatoes early and I did have a great crop!

Then in the fall, I couldn’t get the idea of low tunnels out of my head. So I bought a pole bender, and gathered the materials and thanks to an Indian summer, I built and planted in them. WOW, was I surprised at the result. I planted the same things inside my passive solar greenhouse at the same time. Everything in my greenhouse lived, but didn’t really grow. But my low tunnels, grew in the coldest part of the winter.

I harvested my greens many times.

Inside the tunnels my dirt looks like a worm farm. I think every worm from a mile around found the warm environment of my tunnels. My dirt has never looked so good and I have enjoyed my own greens all winter.

I didn’t have to water them. I didn’t have to fetch them in the wind. I didn’t have to do anything but harvest greens! It was so fun. I feel like I have taken gardening to a whole new level and am maximizing space like never before.

When Kim, my friend and neighbor, expressed interest in my tunnels, we built them at her house. Then together, we decided that these were something everyone needed in their backyards. To make it easy, we assembled kits that contained everything needed to build and grow one. Along the way we have made improvements to the initial ones I built in my yard. We have enjoyed watching other people become more self sufficient and love the teaching opportunities this journey has brought.

Kim and I have made a goal to help everyone who loves to garden learn year round gardening. Having greens all year is so easy with the help of a low tunnel greenhouse. They are affordable, easy to set up and take down, require very little watering and really require very little attention at all. Use them to start an early spring garden and protect plants from frost, or plant in September and harvest greens all winter.

They are much more productive than a larger greenhouse, and can be fitted to any backyard. We can fit them for any grow box, or established garden. If you are looking to build to be more self sufficient or to be more prepared for whatever events the future may bring, this is a great tool. Kits run $60-160 and you can find and request more information on our Facebook Page.

After my fifth baby, I have a separation in my pelvis that resulted in my being in a wheel chair for a few weeks and for more that a year afterwards I wondered if I would really be able to use a shovel again. I wondered if I would ever run or hike again. Now, eighteen months later, I have healed, and I rarely feel the effects of that experience. I am grateful for a strong healthy body and want to feed it well. As I walk out to harvest organic greens that have grown like magic with so little effort, I am grateful for this amazing gift!

Ivie Cook Dotson was born in Alaska and has lived in several states including Texas, Michigan, Montana, California and Utah. She loves being a wife and mother of 5, loves ethnic cooking, natural medicine, and gardening. She comes from a long line of gardeners and farmers on her mother’s side, so gardening is in her blood!

Don’t forget to “Like” Ivie & Kim’s Facebook Page!

Our modern Western economy is one that has  traded away “family togetherness” to obtain efficiency and wealth. Developed nations have generated a level of wealth such that the “poor” are better off than most of the developing world’s population. Family farms and family businesses have become uncommon. Children rarely need to perform hard labor for the well-being of their family.

Our current model of schooling does not allow as much time for families to work together. Children who attend school for most of the day come home tired and in need of some down-time and often with homework to do. If one or both parents work, then they may outsource some or much of the work, such as housecleaning and meal preparation.

When Mike and I were first considering home schooling our children, we read many of the writings of Oliver and Rachel DeMille. They taught that the most important thing for young children up to the age of 8 years to learn, is core values of what is right and wrong, good and bad, the value of relationships, fun and a foundation of family work. We can accomplish this by spending time with our children, playing together, working together, reading inspiring stories and modeling day-to-day examples of goodness.

This pattern should continue as our children grow older. As we show them our willingness to work, make good decisions and serve others, we can help them develop strong characters and integrity. If this is our desire, we have to be very purposeful to make it happen, no matter what education model we follow. And if we are purposeful, we can help it happen no matter what form of education we choose for our children.

I’ve been pondering on this theme as we’ve been trying to get more organized with our home work system. We divided the house into zones and have each child and the youngest two care for one zone, keeping it picked up and tidy. We switch zones each week. Here is the chart we created.

The children also need to have their rooms clean, music practiced, animals tended and dishes done before they are at “Level 2″ and can have privileges. I confess. My friend told me about the system she bought and so I bought one too.

 It has worked fairly well. The kids earn tickets and are supposed to be able to buy stuff from the family store each week, but I don’t keep up with it well, so I’m changing to a monthly “family store” event.

I also attended a women’s conference at my church and spoke to one of my friends about her garden system. She told me how easy it is, with little maintenance, and how much better it grows than her greenhouse. Once I heard that, I went straight to her house and bought a kit. Once home I proceeded to rally my children to work with me for several hours to help me get it set up (I was sore the next morning and it inspired me to write this post). You can read about this garden system HERE.

Let me be transparent now. We are NOT perfect at this by any stretch of the imagination. To be honest, it’s been hit or miss lately. We are going to be planning our school for next year soon. We will probably be doing at least some home school. We are looking forward to having more time and focus for working together as well as learning together.

What is your favorite memory of working with your family?

If you’ve been thinking about using essential oils or trying doTERRA’s oils, here is a deal you don’t want to pass up!

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Look at doTERRA’s kits HERE and then set up a 20 minute Free consultation with me to learn about essential oils, and which natural remedies or kit would work best for your family and health issues. doTERRA offers kits at a discount for people getting started.

If I personally set up your enrollment by with a minimum 400 PV kit and a Loyalty Rewards order for the following month of 100+ PV,  you will receive $100 of Free product points, the Free Modern Essentials reference book (shipped by me), along with a free copy of my Mom Essentials Doctoring eBook!

Loyalty Rewards (PDF Flyer) is doTERRA’s monthly order program and the most economical way to buy their products, however you don’t need to order every month. You just submit your orders over $50 PV or select the $1 donation to Healing Hands to stay on the program and progress from 10 to 30% back in free product points on all your orders. You start at 10% back in points, and for every three orders you make over $50 (or 50 PV), you receive an additional 5% back on your purchases in points for more free products until you are at 30% back.

When you are at the whopping 30% back in points on all your Loyalty Reward purchases, this adds up. I redeemed $360 in free products after my 12 purchases and now I accumulate that much every 4 months (I order $100 a/mo or more usually).

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Healthy Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground beef, grass fed or organic if possible
1/2 C. onion, chopped
1 C. celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped small (I use a nut chopper)
1 10 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 C. ketchup
1/4 C. Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. Braggs Aminos (or worcestershire sauce)
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
8 wheat hamburger buns (I sometimes buy sprouted and my kids love it with this recipe!)

1. Cook the beef in a pan (stainless steel if possible) until mostly browned, and drain the fat.
2. Add onion, celery and red pepper.
3. Cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and Braggs into beef mixture.
5. Season with salt and garlic powder. Serve on toasted buns and enjoy!

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I was hanging out with my parents and a couple siblings the other night when they started unfolding their stories about close encounters with deer. I knew my mom had hit one a couple years ago head on, but she elaborated on some details that I did not remember. She had been driving her dad and my sister who was very pregnant at the time down at one of the many canyons in Utah. The road was narrow and steep on the far side. It is said that if you hit a deer with the corner of your car at high-speed it can make the car spin out. As my mom was driving, the deer jumped out of the bushes right in front of her car so she hit it head-on. She did not even see it coming.

She said God was watching over them and guardian angels were helping them because the deer should have just fell to the ground and then pose a threat to other drivers. Instead, it was thrown off and over the steep side of the hill. The impact totaled the front of the car and they had to get it towed. They all had to squish into the little cab of the tow truck with my heavily pregnant little sister, who was not happy at all. But they were alive, and so grateful for that!

Then my other sister piped in with her story that she had been driving down another canyon one time and a deer jumped out at her and ran right into her door. She didn’t think it had gotten hurt. It just turned around and ran away, but when she got home, she found a little tuft of hair on the door handle.

My youngest brother then had to share his story. He was driving with his girlfriend in a decent sized truck, and they came upon some deer in the road. He didn’t have enough time to come to a complete stop. There was a big buck with a full set of antlers standing right in front of the passenger side of the truck. When he got there he was almost at a stop but he definitely gave it a good bump. It was standing just like “a deer in the  headlights,” as it is said, but as soon as he got the bump, he ran off as fast as he could.

I have a good friend that hit a deer while she was driving a Suburban. It  slipped up and crashed through the windshield. She got a ton of glass in her face and some good cuts. That’s when you are happy that we have emergency rooms and people to put you back together after scary accidents! Believe me, I am grateful for emergency medicine and all the technology and miracles it can provide!

Have you ever run into wildlife?

Be prepared by having these ingredients on hand.  READ MORE