Christmas week I woke to this gorgeous view – a frosty winter morning here in Washington State.

Every season has so much beauty when we take time to notice; when we decide to be intentional about finding the gold hiding inside our current reality.

So instead of wishing you a vague, trite “Happy New Year!” I want to share a few of my favorite things to truly enhance your experience in 2021!

The BEST $3.99 you’ll spend in 2021!

I was soaking my tired bones in a lavender epsom salt bath recently, and found this movie sitting in my Amazon Prime account. Quite frankly, it took me back. ?

Let me explain.
I’m married to a giant; a man’s man who is naturally gifted at self-discipline, goal setting, taking charge, inspiring those around him and crushing it, whatever it is.

So… this wasn’t typically the kind of movie he tends to rent.?

Well, seeing it had a limited number of hours left on its rental, this girl pushed ‘play’ and for the next 97 minutes was nothing less than riveted.

Entertaining. Inspirational. Deeply moving. Transformational. Miraculous.

Just do it. You won’t look back.

Speaking of ‘tired bones’….in one single word: **THIS**

In a nutshell, I get the sense this guy cherry-picked his top EASY, passive stretches to address any of 650 achey, sore muscles that may be ailing you.

1. The stretching video is 40 minutes of Dr. Platt walking and talking you through each stretch carefully. I encourage you to commit to doing the entire routine of stretches ONCE to comprehend the breadth of his approach, unique philosophy and muscle magic!

2. Then, YOU can pick and choose your favs and quickly use them throughout your busy day – in the kitchen, the cubicle, your daily walk, wherever – to address what you need to address.

3. Relief! Dr. Platt’s style of stretching doesn’t feel like work and striving and one more to-do on my list.

It’s delightful therapy bringing forward growth and healing?.

You’re welcome!

Drugs don’t work. Try this instead…

Victory awaits YOU.

Click ‘play’ on this one little podcast, (skip the annoying ads) and in about 20 minutes EVERYTHING WILL LOOK DIFFERENT…

3 Mental Self-Care Habits of the Happiest People.

Dr. Caroline Leaf is my go-to for ‘all things mental.’ Whether anxiety, overthinking, depression, or confusion try to plague you, she has a gift wrapped in faith, based in science to FREE you!

Many of her podcasts are brief, however I can listen on 1.5 speed and get my daily dose of brain power in a few amazing minutes.

Empowering. Faith building. Transformational. Miraculous.

‘Seasons.’ The song I’m currently playing on repeat.

Sometimes a song is more than a song – it’s an anthem bridging the ‘now’ season to the future God is bringing, and it lifts our hearts and builds our faith and reminds us of the prophetic promises we cling to.

2020 was a doozy for all of us…but it’s not the end of the story, nope.

Give Seasons a listen. It may be the sweetest treat of the season for you!

Lobbing off the clutter in all its forms!

Earlier this year, I created a video about cleaning out the clutter. Then I took action, and moved mountains!

I’ve sold well over 70 miscellaneous items on cyber selling sites, hauled off multiple overflowing boxes to the Goodwill, handed off numerous former treasures to friends and family, shredded hundreds of sheets of unnecessary documents, and just chopped several inches off my golden locks.

Every single time something disappears, my heart is happier, and my spirit lighter.

Don Aslett, founder and president of one of the USA’s largest cleaning firms and author of Clutter’s Last Stand says this…

“I have found that every one of us is a junker – and that it is the SINGLE biggest reason for personal unhappiness.

Getting the clutter out of your life can and will rid you of more discouragement, tiredness and boredom than ANYTHING else you can do.”

Just DO IT! Need some inspiration? Check out my video on the topic!

I hope you find these favorites of mine helpful and inspiring in your 2021 journey!

May God bless you with His presence and guidance in this New Year, as you draw near to Him.

If you’re enjoying the blog, there’s more! I’d love to be a voice of encouragement along your parenting journey. 

Grab my FREE gift: 7 Simple Steps to Raising Happy Kids Who Persevere (while building team spirit in YOUR home) by clicking HERE. 

A guest post by Heather Michelle*

F E V E R

That dirty little 5-letter word indicating our normal 98.6ish body temp is climbing, spikes our anxiety level as well. Particularly mothers of young children sense fear’s grip as they touch their child’s warm forehead, imagining what’s to come. Visions of crying, sleepless nights, puke, dehydration and potential doctor’s visits back us into a scary corner of panic..we’d do anything to make it go away, disappear – POOF! 

We head to the cupboard and dig out the dreaded thermometer. We eye it with uneasy suspicion, trying to get the most accurate reading.

It hovers at 100 degrees. 

BOOM. 

We sigh deeply.

Our first thought is, ‘make that number drop STAT, or chaos will ensue.’

But as the mother of a toddler myself, I would invite you to S T O P for a second and ask yourself “W H Y?”

Why is there a fever? 

Why are we so afraid? 

Why do we feel that number MUST go down immediately? 

What is triggering this reaction in our minds? 

Where did we learn our beliefs about fever?

I attribute much of this consternation to what I call, ‘fever phobia.’ I think parents tend to overreact and over-treat due to this phobia which, according to my informal but diligent studies, took root around the time anti-fever drugs like Motrin and Tylenol were released. I believe God created our bodies wonderfully* and maybe, just maybe, that fever is there for a beneficial reason.

Mom-Life. Keeping it Real.

The simplest analogy I can think of is our kid’s dirty, germy hands and belongings after time spent at the park, the zoo, the grocery store touching communal surfaces, picking their little noses, licking the shopping cart, dragging blankie across filthy floors of public places – you get me – if these scenarios don’t scream ‘mom-life’ right there LOL! How do we then proceed to erase the diabolical dirt and germs threatening? 

With heat. 

We wash our hands with the hottest water we can endure, draw a warm bath for Junior, march straight to the laundry room and toss blankie, teddy bear, and every stitch of clothing into the machine, selecting ‘hottest’ on the Maytag console to sterilize and obliterate the looming infectious microorganisms.

Heat disinfects, and this is what our bodies are trying to accomplish with a fever, yet we sabotage it from minute one by dropping that Tylenol/Motrin ‘ice cube’ into ‘the boiling water pot’ because we are afraid of the inconveniences that come with that word. 

Dr.Kathi J. Kemper, Director of the Center for Integrative Health and Wellness and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University weighs in with, 

“Fever is often a good sign of a robust immune system,” and “a fever in and of itself is not dangerous.” She reminds us to, “treat the child, not the thermometer.”

Our Miraculous Physical Bodies

The human body is a self-regulating organism, which means it’s programmed to heal and correct itself when given the tools necessary. Due to our compromised diets and other lifestyle factors, sometimes we need to give it a boost toward healing and restoring; but let’s be careful not to sabotage it just to reduce a symptom. 

Fever is just one tangible indicator of a problem going on within. Removing the fever doesn’t remove the bacteria or the infection, its just removes the engine from the train on the track to healing. Not addressing the root issue just means it continues to live on or grow into something greater like an ear infection, or pneumonia, or a myriad of possibilities.

Dr. Suzanne Humphries says this about fevers,

“trying to smack down a fever when a child is sick, is like shooting your attack dog when someone is breaking into your house!” 

Here are some practical solutions I turn to first, rather than grabbing the Tylenol or calling the doctor when someone in our home comes down with a fever:

Ginger Bath & Detox Bath

The first thing we do is a detox or ginger bath.These natural ingredient baths actually help the body reach maximum temperature quickly, so it’s able to accomplish its duty – destroying bacteria – then the fever breaks and the body releases pent-up toxins through sweating. When ginger is added to a bath it turns up the heat, encouraging this process. Some people will sweat a lot in the bath and after. These baths also encourage sleep, a benefit toward healing.

Dr. Donna D’Alessandro from Pediatrics at Iowa University says, regarding fever,

“the body is basically trying to do the right thing. Bugs like to live at body temperature. So if you raise the temperature, you kill them off.”

She also points out that the body can function very effectively at temperatures as high as 100.5 degrees. 

Ginger baths can be used on children and adults. If using on littles just know that water temp needs to be more moderate and they can rest on your chest or lap in bath at all times. If you have sensitive skin, wearing bottoms in bath may be helpful. 

Ginger Bath:

Fill tub with hottest water tolerable

Add 2 TBS to ¼ C Organic ground ginger powder

Submerge in tub and stay at least 20 minutes

After bath, dress warmly, drink lots of water, avoid sugar, and rest.

Temperature may continue to rise, but fever should break shortly. May need an additional bath next day if fever persists.

Detox bath:

Fill tub with hottest water tolerable

Add ¼ C Baking Soda to water and let sit 5 minutes

(when detoxing you are opening pores to allow impurities out and you will absorb what’s in the water, so by adding the baking soda, the water is ‘shocked’ and will turn your local water alkaline) 

After 5 min, add:

½ C Epsom Salts

1 TBSP Coconut oil

2 TBSP Bentonite Clay

2 drops Orange Essential oil (optional)

Soak at least 20 minutes

After bath, dress warmly, drink lots of water, avoid sugar, and rest.

Temperature may continue to rise, but fever should break shortly. May need an additional bath the next day if fever persists.

These detox baths can be used for fevers, headaches, muscle aches, and any general ‘under the weather’ feelings. When detoxing, symptoms can increase before leaving just as fevers spike before breaking.

Stats tell us that only 43% of parents know that a fever below 100.4 can be beneficial in a child.

Pharmaceutical companies have masterfully used advertising to promote their products using ‘fever phobia’ as a brilliant marketing scheme to keep parents in the dark about what is actually best for children. Before you allow fear and doubt to creep in, running to the doctor for a prescription, trust your body’s ability to heal itself. Help it along by detoxing, hydration, a clean diet and taking quality vitamins/supplements and then if necessary, seek medical attention. 

When our little ones are learning a new skill, it’s so easy to swoop in to do it for them so they don’t have to struggle, but that doesn’t build confidence or muscle for their future success. The same is true with our immune systems! Rushing to erase symptoms with that ‘magical’ liquid will not allow the body to build it’s own defenses in the end. It actually keeps it weak, and dependent on the ‘help.’ 

It’s hard to stand back and watch the struggle of an immune system growing, but if you trust your body and are willing to let it build its muscle, the next time sickness comes calling you’ll be happy you did!

*Psalm 139:14 I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

For further reading on the topic of fevers in childhood, check out this article, The Fear of a Simple Fever.

Heather Michelle Mira is a wholehearted wife, mommy, daughter and friend. A lifelong learner with a passion for homeopathics and all types of natural remedies, she loves sharing her victories to empower others in their pursuit of greater health. I’m blessed to call her mine! {Disclaimer: Heather is not a medical doctor and encourages readers to do their own research, seek expert advice and find what works for them.}

Want MORE? Grab my FREE gift HERE: 7 Simple Steps to Raising Happy Kids Who Persevere (while building team spirit in YOUR home)