Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Calling all Followers

As I read over my most recent post, I must admit, I was convicted. I started out my story saying, "If I don't share my Shaklee story, I might just burst." It hit me- when is the last time I had that same passion about sharing my story about how Jesus Christ saved my life!?! As a Christ follower, I should have that, "I just might burst" feeling about Jesus all the time.

It makes me think about what I am truly living for and what I am truly passionate about.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says, "Hear O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." I pray this over Oliver every night- that he would love God with everything he has. The question is- am I loving God with everything I have.

What stands out to me in this verse is when it says, "The Lord is one." To me, that means we cannot serve more than one god. God is a jealous God. He is so jealous for us! Isn't that humbling to think the God who created the universe is jealous for us?

Now, that does make me want to burst!

On another note folks:

Going along with my recent post about my Shaklee story, and the fact that I currently have like a very small amount of followers- hehe- I have decided that:


Yep! The first 20 people who follow my blog will be entered into a drawing to win a free canister of Shaklee's Cinch shake mix.

Sooooo- by all means- start following! Thaaaanks!



...especially a follower of Christ! Let's make that our prayer- to be a true follower of Christ. :-)

Monday, August 27, 2012

Pray for Health

Ok, so I feel I must share my Shaklee story or I think I just might burst.


During my pregnancy, I was H-U-N-G-R-Y. Go figure. ;)



I was nauseous almost all the time, especially if I didn't eat all the time, (which is typical in pregnancy). Well, I started drinking Boost to help fill me up. However, even with the Boost, I would still wake up sick.








Eventually, my co-worker introduced me to Shaklee- the nation's number one natural nutrition company. I had actually asked her about it first. She was like never sick, always eating healthy, and talked a lot about supplementation.

Her reasoning for telling me about Shaklee was not only to meet my physical needs, but also our financial needs. My co-worker had recently started to earn money on the side from Shaklee, just simply by telling her family about the difference Shaklee has made for her. Eventually, she was seeing an increase in her income. This all came about incidentally. When she found out Bradd would soon be a stay at home dad, she thought the Shaklee business might interest us, especially with my interest in becoming more healthy.

When we decided to give Shaklee a try, both the business and the products- I'll be honest- I was a little skeptical. After all, Shaklee products can be a little on the pricey side...

My co-worker told me about Shaklee's Vitalizer, which is a vitamin strip that includes all the important nutrients your body needs. 

http://prayforhealth.myshaklee.com/us/en/vitalizer.s.html



My co-worker then told me about Cinch. Cinch is a protein shake that is just plain awesome! The reason I wanted to try Cinch while I was pregnant is because I knew it would keep me feeling full longer and provide me with great nutrition. So, I started taking Cinch. I would mix it with one cup of milk (I use almond milk), or sometimes make it into a blueberry smoothie.

Actually, Bradd would mix it for me. Yeah, although I might be a liiiiittle:

 

was ordered to rest as much as possible during most of my pregnancy. ;)

The first time I tried it, I was like, "Ok. This isn't the best tasting thing, but it's not bad either." I decided to keep drinking it because I had heard all the details about how good Cinch is for you. We also didn't mix it quite enough the first time, so once we figured out how to blend it correctly, it tasted better. After drinking it for a few days, I started to craaaave it. I even tried to drink that Boost again and couldn't! I could totally taste the fakeness in the Boost. Yuck! Bradd would bring me the Cinch right when I woke up in the morning, even before getting out of bed. Guess what? I could get ready without throwing up! I was sold on Cinch.

http://prayforhealth.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=20340

I started taking Vitalizer instead of my prenatal vitamin, and I could totally tell a difference. Anyone who has been pregnant before knows that constipation is so common in pregnancy. I had been taking Colace to help with that. Once I started taking Vitalizer, om, I was able to toss that Colace out the door. I became verrry regular.

Let's fast forward to post pregnancy. Since I was already addicted to the Cinch shake, I kept taking it. Oh, and I wasn't just addicted to the way it made me feel, but I was totally lovin the taste of it too! YUM! Because I was breastfeeding and because I wanted to get in shape, I knew it could only help me...obviously. ;) When a woman is breastfeeding, she needs extra calories and needs to eat healthy. Since I am a little lady on the go, Cinch was perfect for me. I am always racing out the door to get to work on time, so if it weren't for the convenience of making such a nutritious breakfast so quickly, I don't know what I would do.

I.LOVE.CINCH.

One time, we ran out of Cinch. Oh my. It reminded me of some of the feelings I felt when I was pregnant- shaky and nauseous, along with that, "I have to eat NOW" feeling. Again, because I'm breastfeeding, I need those extra calories. Oh, I forgot to mention that I struggled with low blood sugar before I was ever pregnant which would cause me to feel like I was going to fall out at work if I didn't eat lunch by a certain time. With Cinch, I never feel like that! I drink it in the morning on the way to work and I am good until about 10 or 11am. At that time, I just eat a snack. Oh, and did I mention we went on vacation recently and I didn't have my Cinch. They had a HUGE breakfast buffet, and all I wanted was my Cinch. Yep, it's true.
Stomach Rumblings

So, you may say, "Well, I'm not pregnant. I'm not breastfeeding. I don't struggle with low blood sugar. Why do I need Cinch?" Cinch is actually great for people who want to loose weight too! It has Leucine in it which helps you to conserve muscle while burning fat. It has many other benefits too...but I'm just here to tell my personal story. ;)

Ok, Vitalizer. What's so great about it? All I can say is that I feel better when I take Vitalizer. It is now a vital part of my life. ;) At first, I wasn't seeing any huge benefits, besides not being constipated anymore. However, once I started taking it on an EVERYDAY basis, I noticed some drastic changes. This is not surprising, due to the fact that Vitalizer is backed by 12 clinical studies.

((Click where it says "Clinical Studies")) http://prayforhealth.myshaklee.com/us/en/vitalizer.s.html

I used to have Acid Reflux. I even had an endoscopy where they removed some gastric polyps and were able to see that I had a hiatal hernia. I would gag / spit up so hard that I sounded like an old man or something. It was pretty gross. One time my heartburn was so bad that I felt like calling 911, (of course I didn't- hey, I'm not that dramatic people). ;) Well, my acid reflux / heartburn is gone! Although, I still have to avoid eating foods that cause heartburn as well as making sure I take Vitalizer everyday. I believe it is all because of the probiotic (along with the combination of all the other nutrients too). People who have tried probiotics and say they can't tell a difference- well, I believe they haven't noticed a difference because they haven't tried Shaklee. After all, Shaklee's probiotic actually gets into the gut exactly where it needs to go at exactly the right time!

((Click where it says "S.M.A.R.T."))http://prayforhealth.myshaklee.com/us/en/vitalizer.s.html

Another cool thing about Vitalizer that I love is its effect on my skin. My sister, who is an esthetician, made a comment the other day that my skin is glowing. She even said my skin is looking better than hers. I'm not sure about that, but hey, I'll take it! ;) Also, I have struggled with Psorasis on my scalp for a long time. That is getting better too! So, you may ask, "What's the difference between Vitalizer and the vitamins I currently take?" Well, I'm glad you asked...

((Click where it says "The Difference"))
http://prayforhealth.myshaklee.com/us/en/vitalizer.s.html

Another personal thing I wanted to add is that even if my sweet husband decided to stop selling Shaklee, this girl would still buy herself some Vitalizer and Cinch! I literally cannot go without it! Since Bradd is stay-at-home dad, we recently went through our budget and tried to make some cuts. We considered not buying shaklee products anymore to save money, and I just couldn't give them up. Again, I am addicted to feeling good physically. Did I mention I have more energy when I take vitalizer, too? After all, this little mama is sometimes up three times a night with her little man, so I definitely need all the energy I can get. ;0



Ok, to sum up my Shaklee story:

1. I get a highly nutritious breakfast that is quick and tastes GREAT!
2. I stay full until almost lunch time.
3. I am building muscle when I work out (haha- "When" I work out---which is hardly ever).
4. I am VERY regular, folks.
5. I have energy, despite being a mama who works full time and goes to school part time.
6. My Acid Reflux is gone!
7. My scalp Psorasis is much better!
8. My skin glows- so I'm told...and I'm NOT pregnant people.

Most of all, God is the reason for my healing in all of these areas. I believe He often heals us through medicine,(especially natural nutrition that He created). I believe in the power of prayer. I believe we should pray for health, and I also believe God can use Shaklee to help people achieve good health...I mean, He did for me!

There you have it. My Shaklee story.

What about you? If you decided to give Shaklee a try, what would your story be?


~Candace


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Special times with Grandma

My sweet mother-in-law is so good with baby boys! After all, she does have experience; a total of 4 grandsons! I love how gentle she is with Oliver. He loved jumping with his Grandma at the Oliver family reunion.



Someone recently said Oliver looks like Grandma. I wouldn't doubt it...Since he does favor his daddy quite a bit...and his daddy looks just like her! ;)

Belly Laughs are the Best

The sweetest sound I've ever heard (besides when Oliver eats):

Pepaw's Dreams

I look at my dad interacting with his grandson, and my heart just melts. I can tell they both bring eachother such joy. My sister used to try so hard to do boyish things like play basketball growing up, all because she thought my dad wanted a little boy. Regardless of what my daddy dreamed of, I can look in his eyes as he plays with Oliver and see that all of his dreams have come true. I love both of them beyond what words can describe.







Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Seven Months = Heaven on Earth

Dear Oliver,

Wow. You are 7 whole months. What an amazing adventure you have been. From watching you sleep all day during those early months, to watching you play and play all day (and nap when you're tired) has been so rewarding. You are such an easy baby. You have learned many new things.

1. How to jump in the jumparoo for over an hour in the church nursery!
*I don't have pictures of this, but you can ask Mrs. Rebecca Shrader for proof. ;)



2. How to play with your cousins!




3. How to pull up (on Mama and Daddy)!


As you can see, I was a little excited.
;) I realize now that this may not technically be called, "Pulling up" since you are using our arms...but still...it is a big accomplishment and I was SO proud of you! :)

4. How to scoot on your back!



5. How to sit in a high chair!



6. How to take a big boy bath in the big ducky!


7. How to hold your spoon while eating (well, somewhat...you tend to stick the spoon in your mouth a little too far and sometimes instead of putting the spoon in your mouth you grab it with your other hand which gets really messsy...)
*I don't have pictures / video of this...yet...however, tonight would have been a perfect time because for the first time ever, you cried because you wanted more yogurt and wanted to feed yourself, (I had fed you squash and thought you were done, turns out you weren't).

Here are his 7 month pics: Oh, Oliver weighs about 15 lbs now!

























Monday, August 6, 2012

Little Moments that Touch your Heart

Oliver is changing every single day. He has had quite a few big experiences over the past month or two.


He had some fun in the sun.



His first food was some sweet potatoes that we mashed up ourselves. He was not crazy about them!


Since then, he has been eating Gerber sweet potatoes just fine. He has also eated bananas, applesauce, green peas, pears, squash, oatmeal, and strawberry yogurt. He is so much fun to feed. He makes the sweetest sound and he grunts when he wants more.

Oliver has also mastered the art of JUMPING! He is a jumpy, jumpy joo-joo!