Greetings friends!

I am thrilled to announce a new Nourishing Souls website and blog!

This new website not only has a new address and logo, but lots of added features such as a store, health coaching, product reviews, interviews, a free nutrition book download and more blog posts or course!   The focus is nourishing the whole family by providing resources and insight for raising a healthy, happy family with more joy and less stress!

Your support and reading is what drives this blog so it is with great excitement that I will be able to offer you more ways to lead a healthy, happy life!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of it!

Blessings,

Summer Joy

p.s. You will have to change your bookmark to www.nourishingsouls.com/blog in order to continue receiving blog updates.

The joy that they have brought to my husband and I cannot be measured or even understood in words, but they can see it when I look into their eyes, thankful that I was chosen to be their mom.  Only when they become parents will they understand that deep valley of love a parent has for their children.

God knew what he was doing, as usual, when he blessed my husband and I with twins.  He knew that we would grow and change the way we see the world, just by being their parents.

I remember sitting in our little (and I mean really little – less than 300 square feet little) cottage in Sydney thinking about kids.  I knew I wanted kids before I turned 30 and thought 2 kids would be great.  I was 28.  Soon after we were expecting.

Shortly before returning to the US, my husband were visiting Cairns to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.  On the plane ride back I asked Jeff if he had 2 boys names.  He asked why and I stated, “I don’t know.  I think we just need to come up with two.”

The following morning as I sat waiting for my 20 weeks ultrasound I thought, “How come I am showing more than the others in the waiting room?  Am I farther along?”  Awakening me from my thoughts, the tech called us in.  After looking at the ultrasound she said, “Ugh, you didn’t book 2 appointments.”  We looked at her strangely and then up at the ultrasound.  There were 2 babies on the screen!  My husband and I just laughed and laughed.  I can still remember the feeling and sound of our laughter to this day.

I am so thankful to have twins.  The reasons are a gazillion (if that is even a word).  Perhaps the most profound is that we were able to see these 2 miraculous personalities exist from birth.  They were different from day one.  One looked around bright-eyed, ready for the world while the other focused on doing his own thing.  These personalities have rang true.  Sure they have changed and grown, but the base is still there.

As the boys grew we had to parent them differently – at the same time.  They each needed different things from us, mostly at the same time.  Yes, they shared basics.  They both needed love and care and room to blossom and find their strengths and know boundaries, but how they came to learn those things or how they needed them was (and still is) different.

Being twins they have had opportunities unique to them.  People will tell you that kids cannot share or know empathy at a young age.  For twins, that is life.  They learn early on that life is about more than “me”.  Life is about loving others as much as you love yourself.  It is about sharing.  It is about learning the same thing differently.   It is about waiting your turn.  It is about learning how to do something on your own while somebody else just did it.  It is about being true to who you are and finding your own strengths while celebrating the strengths of others.  It is about creating one’s own timeline.

I have learned that what I believed in one was possible for both.  Every child is a gift and each child has many gifts to share.  I have learned that every child comes here not to learn from us, but to help us grow.

I have learned to be grateful for each moment in the day and that being a parent is the best thing in the world!

Love you Cole!  Love you Dakota!  Happy Birthday!

Much love,

Your Mommy

This contest started me thinking.  What am I inspired by in my life on a daily basis?  The first thing that came to mind was helping people by making a difference in someone’s life.  Then I dug deeper. Why is this inspiring to me?  Because it is fun.  It is incredibly fun to see someone smile when they see that the road is brighter or they realize they too are full of potential.

Really it is about creating joy in this life.  Inspiring people to do their best!

I am inspired by you!  People like you who are finding ways to make your life meaningful.  People like you who are doing your best everyday.  People like you who are ready to make positive differences in your lives and the lives around you. Many of you are already making changes in your lives.  They all count big or small.

This Valentine’s Day I want to thank you for your inspiration and continue to support you in your journey by offering FREE Health Histories. These are short, 45 minute chats where you get to talk about your life, what is important to you and where you want to go.  My role is to just listen and be inspired by you.  Comment below or send me an e-mail to get started!  This free offer is limited to 10 people, so act soon!

But wait, I have another Free Offer for you~

Simply order an  i love me! book today only and I will give you an extra one to share with a friend for FREE!  This offer is only good for Valentines Day.  : )

There are so many good things happening in the world.  You too can be a part of it!  If you are looking for more inspiration for your kids, my sister-in-law has written a great children’s book to help them explore their gifts.  It is called I am A Good Idea.

Are you ready to live the life of your dreams?  Your dreams do not have to be fancy, but they can be fabulous!  Dream big!

I look forward to being inspired by you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Summer Joy

Browsing various Valentines Day ideas on the web, I thought, “Why not make our own traditions?”  Valentine treats are full of chocolate so naturally chocolate dipped strawberries was a good mix of healthy and celebratory.

Getting out the camera, I asked my boys how to make chocolate covered strawberries.  They explained it in the simple terms that only 6 year olds can.

So there you have it – chocolate dipped strawberries from a kids point of view.  In case you want a more detailed recipe here is the easy specifics on:

How to make chocolate covered strawberries:

• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips    (Look for brands that do not contain preservatives and extra things.)
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 3 pound of strawberries

1. Melt the coconut oil in a glass baking dish that is suspended over a pot of boiling water as to not burn the chocolate.
2. Add the bag of chocolate chips.  Stir, stir, stir  : )
3. Dip strawberries.
4. Place chocolate dipped strawberries on wax paper.
5. Cool
6. Share and ENJOY!

This was such a hit you can bet that we will be doing this every year!

Happy (early) Valentines Day!

Summer Joy

Here my version of a grab and go healthy lettuce wrap recipe.  It also is a great sandwich recipe for those who are gluten-free.

Lettuce Wraps:

- Romaine lettuce

- Slice of meat of choice

- Cheese

1. Place the meat and cheese in the lettuce.

2. Roll it together and cut in half.

Easy, Fast and Healthy.  Forget 30 minute meals, you are done in 3 minutes or less!  Who knew quick lunch ideas could be so fun and healthy?

When I was packing the lunch this morning, my son asked me what was in it.  When I replied, “Lettuce wraps,” he exclaimed, “Yum!  I love those!”

You can change it up and add pickles, sprouts, carrots – whatever you please.  It is easy to make vegetarian lettuce wraps too!

Add a side and you are all set for healthy munching.

Happy eating,

Summer Joy

What I have come to realize through my path at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition is that sugar cravings are natural.  We all have them.  But it is not what we think.  We crave sugar not because we want to sabotage our health, but because something is out of balance in our lives and we are craving a return to that balance.

When we were born we were nourished by our mothers with something sweet – milk.  As babies we felt warm, safe, full, and all was right with the world.

When we crave sugar what we are really craving is balance.  That feeling of, “I am safe, I am loved, all is right in the world”.  Sugar is the quick fix.  It is like a drug in that it makes us feel better at that moment.  What it also does like a drug is to send our body into quick response mode.

Now before I go on about sugar and our bodies, lets go back to why I did not feel guilty yesterday…

Yesterday a gazillion things were “going wrong.”  I felt like my life was spinning out of control.  Things that have always been stable were suddenly changing.  Phone calls were coming in so fast I hardly had time to deal with one before another came in.  I was opening and closing my cupboard door constantly eating jellies intended for Valentines Day.

The I stopped and realized, I am super stressed.  I am craving something sweet because I want my brain to return to that happy state.  Right now I am unhappy and sugar is the “quick happy”.

My current job is creating an imbalance in my life.  It was stressing me out yesterday so much I could hardly think straight.  When I stopped for a moment to consciously think about what I was doing, I realized that I have 2 choices (well many more than 2, but for the sake of an argument lets pick two).

A.  I can stay on my current path knowing it is causing me stress.

B. I can change my path.

I choose B!!!!!

I realized that I am already in a transition and that my new path of becoming a health coach is the right path.  My sugar craving was a strong signal to me that the current path of teaching violin needs to not be my only/primary focus.

Once I realized that yesterday was just a day for growth and confirmation of my change, I happily ate my sugar knowing that it would get me through the stressful day.  A stressful day due to old patters.  I knew that I was making changes to let go of the stress in my life and by making these changes the sugar craving would cease.

And I was right!  This morning I am more energized then ever to provide opportunities for others to balance their lives through health coaching.  I don’t feel the need to grab a handful of sugar, I know that my happiness can come from moving forward in my life, not through that little gummy of sugar.

So I say, “Thanks sugar cravings for being so strong yesterday to make me think about my life!”

So if you are craving sugar, don’t feel bad!  Just ask yourself, “What is out of balance in my life and what am I going to do about it?”

Cheers,

Summer Joy

Water.  Yes, it is that simple.  H2O.  Our bodies are 75% water.  Do you replenish your water?

“You’re not sick; you’re thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medication.”Dr. F. Batmanghelidj

Before the holidays I started increasing my water intake to at least 6, 8 oz.  glasses of water.  I couldn’t believe the dramatic difference!  Immediately I had a ton more energy throughout the entire day.   I am a professional violinist and had many hours of playing during that first week pain free!  What I figure is that my hydrated muscles were more flexible and free, they did not strain and thus get sore.

There have been people who have lost weight simply by drinking more water.  Not only does drinking water help you to stay full between meals and cut out the sugary drinks that pack calories, drinking water helps to eliminate toxins from the body.

Our bodies were made to help us stay healthy.  When a toxin enters the body (artificial flavors, dyes, preservatives etc.) the body can protect itself by quickly surrounding the toxin with a layer of fat.  Through the process of elimination the body can get rid of these toxins with the help of drinking water.

Once while teaching a violin lesson a student mentioned they were getting a headache.  I quickly said, “go drink a glass of water.”  Their headache was just the body’s sign of dehydration.  They were so happy to get rid of the headache quickly without medication.

For kids, drinking water from an early age will set them up with healthy, lifelong drinking patterns.

I challenge you to drink more water this week and comment on your changes.  For kids (and adults) get a glass/cup with a straw and you will drink more water without hardly any effort.  Seriously!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

To your health,

Summer

p.s. My mom started drinking more water and noticed that her joints even feel better.  : )

-  Cole Brackhan

Kids say it best.  Life is simple to them.  Love, laugh and have fun.

Last night going to bed was the last thing on my boys minds.  They were laughing way too hard for sleeping.  While I about had smoke coming out of my ears after 2 hours of nonsense, my kids were having the best night of their lives.

Across the hall they were singing the tune from Muppets,  Mahna Mahna.  One would sing the melody and the other would chime in “mahna, mahna.”  In retrospect it was really funny, but I was not laughing last night.  I knew they were tired and needed sleep.

What I lost sight of though, was that they were experiencing life at it’s fullest and making memories that they will carry with them throughout their lives.  In the grand scheme of things an hour (or two) less of sleep was worth an hour (or two) full of laughter!

Tonight I will chime in with them.  Afterall, life is what matters.

mahna, mahna,

Summer Joy

Thanksgiving, the wonderful day that all of the millions of blessings in our lives come to light.

Today I am thankful for my children whose laughs and giggles instantly bring me absolute bliss, my loving husband who is my best friend, my parents who have provided the absolute best foundation to grow and blossom from, my brothers and sisters who were my role models as I grew up, my nieces and nephews for bringing sparkle into the family (especially all the laughs at Christmas), all the youth who came to our house who taught me to be compassionate, my in-laws for welcoming me into the family and of course my friends who are so fun to be around.

My list could go on and on as there truly are millions of blessings in our lives from health, a roof over our heads, food on the table to the simpler things like the fact that the sun shines everyday!  Even on the cloudy days, the sun is still there shining, just waiting for the moment to peek through the clouds.   Many of life’s blessings are this way, they are always there waiting to peek through, if we are gracious enough to notice.

This week we started a Wall of Thanksgiving in our home.  I put a huge post it note on our wall and the boys excitedly raced for the markers to write their thoughts.  It was so fun to see what the boys were thankful for -horses so that they could ride them (and no we do not own a horse, I wish!), the cat we used to have before the allergies and of course, family.  It was such a hit with the boys that our Wall of Thanksgiving will continue for weeks to come.  It has become our official Thanksgiving craft.  Now if I can just find a place to store the huge piece of paper until next year!

Many Thanksgiving day blessings to you and your family.  All are surrounded in love~

Summer Joy

Being a parent is a gift.  If it does not feel like it, take a moment to access your life.

The other night I had one of those magical evenings.  You know, the ones that just make you smile.  Those moments that you carry in your heart forever.  This evening came about because I made a change and paid attention to what mattered.  I made the decision to be a mindful parent.

At the dinner table my boys were tired, they could hardly keep their eyes open.  We had boy scouts to go to which they love, but I thought, “The schedule can wait.  What they need now is peace and rest, not rushing out the door.”  It was one of the best decisions I have made recently.

While one took a bath, I sat and read with the other boy.  Then they switched places.  At the end of the baths and reading we were singing a song about what a beautiful world we live in.  When I tucked them into bed I knew they would sleep well.  We had abandoned the schedule in exchange for a night in.  They felt loved and most importantly, peaceful.  They learned how to value being quiet and calm.   That one night will shape their lives forever.

I hear so many parents on the playground making comments about how busy they are and how their kids are driving them crazy.   It makes me so sad.  Here are well-meaning parents talking about the schedules (that they choose to keep) and their kids, not realizing that they have a choice to change their lives for the better.

Truth be told, kids simply cannot handle the stress we place on them.    We cannot expect our children to do what we as adults cannot do.  Yet so many parents expect their kids to come to their rescue by making everything go smoothly.

If we as parents are stressed out it is up to us to make changes in our own lives.  The first and most noticeable change will be to slow down the schedule.  ”But they love going to ____!”  Yes, they may enjoy going, but does running to and fro center your child?   No, in the long run it creates short attention spans and chaos.  Notice the phrase “in the long run.”

The parenting habit has become so short-term.  Time and time again parents are taking the easy route in the little day-to-day stuff.  This may seem like no big deal, but it makes it 100 times harder in the long run.

I once had a violin student’s parent say to me, “I don’t think we are going to continue violin.  I just do not want to make him do something at this age.”  The boy was 6.  I responded with, “What are you going to do when he is 16 and doesn’t want to do something?”  The parent responded with, “Oh, he’ll know by then.”

Sorry, but if we do not give our kids a chance to develop skills such as following through, sitting quietly etc. when they are young, they will not just magically happen later on!

Some people say, “Oh kids are kids.  They are wild and crazy.”  That is just an excuse.  Kids can sit still and be peaceful.  They just have to have been presented with the opportunity to learn these skills.

Make it part of your day to provide opportunities for them to build skills.  Take it in small steps.  If your child cannot sit still, do not excuse it by saying, “Oh they are just a squirmy kid.”  Sit with them and read a book, listen to music or observe nature.  Let them know your expectations ahead of time.  For example say, “We are going to sit here quietly for a few moments.  I know and expect you will be able to do it.  At first it might take practice, but soon it will be easy.”

You can have an easier, less stressful life!  How? It takes effort and thought.  It takes taking off the automatic pilot switch.  Don’t just react to your kids.  Don’t just follow them around.  Lead.

As a parent you provide the learning environment.  You set the vibe.  Your children pick up on your energy and feelings.  Be mindful and involved now and I guarantee you it will be less work down the road.  Put your time in while they are little.

Some schools are starting to incorporate mindfulness into their school day through meditation.  This brings a sense of stillness into the school day.  Behavior has improved significantly, test scores have risen.

Your children reflect your life.  They learn through observation.  For months or years before they could talk and communicate, observation is all they had to go by.  When you think, “What is up with my kid(s)?!”  Stop and ask yourself, “What can I change or how can I lead as a parent.”  It will make all the difference in the world.  Trust me.  Or better yet, trust yourself.

Cheers,

Summer Joy