My oldest daughter is fixated on treats. Currently if my four-year-old wipes her bottom herself (cleanly) then she gets a treat, if my two-year-old goes potty on the potty, she gets a treat. So now they try every opportunity to do these things to get a treat.

When did childhood = sugar??? Makes me cringe.

For us treats are ones I have thoroughly read the label on from Whole Foods or the natural side of HEB or Trader Joes. Usually a gummy treat where I can read every single ingredient and understand what it is. No added colorings or funky stuff.

I have learned as a mama that there are always ways we can be better, I am sure I could offer a different “treat” that wasn’t filled with sugar (organic or not), so my kids weren’t learning to be fueled by a sugary treat.

So why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to say no to sugar to our kids?

I ponder this question often. I try not to let it overwhelm me too much, but it definitely bothers me.

Ever since I was diagnosed with cancer, I have been determined to provide a safer environment for my family. Which means we say no to a lot of things (our world is high on indulgences) and we choose a lot of alternative choices. But you know what the beauty is? My kids are starting to learn that is how life is lived. And that is exactly what I wanted them to gather from this lifestyle commitment.

When we go to birthday parties, we often don’t eat the cake… and you know what…. They survive! I would rather have a healthy kiddo than temporary gratification from a piece of cake that has gosh knows what in it.

What ways can you be better as a mama?

This is not about being enough, because yes, we are loved, wanted, and cherished. But we need to do the hard things sometimes. I get hot and bothered when I see mamas always making excuses (coming from a mama who has also fallen into this trap)…. Oh, that’ll do for the night. Oh, they will be just fine. Oh, does that tiny thing really matter.

Yes. It all matters.

The choices we make, the decisions we deem important matter. Of course, life is all about balance, but we need to aim to do better.

I look around and see so many illnesses, sicknesses, issues…including my own! And I know I could have done better. I know I could have made better choices. Cancer is not in my genes. No one has it in my family. So, all I can think of is environment.

We fill our homes with toxic products y’all. And we wonder why we are struggling with fertility, asthma, allergies, skin issues, colds, infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer….. etc etc etc.

At what point are we going to say…. You know I think we need to do things differently?

Now, I am very particular about what comes in our home, what goes in our bodies, what goes on our bodies. Because I am the gatekeeper. I am allowed to be particular.

And you know what has happened since we have gotten rid of the toxic candles, the toxic plug ins, the toxic cleaners, the toxic air freshner, the toxic everything?

We stopped getting sick.

The entire time my immune system was compromised, I never got a cold. Or an infection. With all the pre-school germs, high school germs from my husband’s school, etc. Didn’t get sick. And this was during flu season too.

My girls never go to sick doctor visits. And when they do have something pop up, it is gone in hours because of our lifestyle and how we remedy it.

It drives me bananas that people are skeptical about essential oils and yet they have ZERO problem with prescription drugs that have a ZILLION horrible side effects and ingredients.

Essential oils (the good ones like from Young Living) have one ingredient y’all. ONE. The plant that it comes from.

Why are we perfectly fine buying products off the grocery store shelves that our country deems safe, when ingredients are known and PROVEN to cause cancer? I mean cigarettes are sold on store shelves y’all. What the fork.

Do I know it all? Of course not. I mess up constantly. But I have made the decision to stop. To think. To investigate on my own. And to make a better decision for my family.

So, in my mama rant today, I hope that you will think about what you allow to come in and out of your home. How can you be better? I know there are a billion ways I can be better. How can we raise our kids to have a healthier mindset than what we grew up in so we can try to stop all of this illness nonsense?

Know better. Do better. Be better.

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