I don't have it all together!

Okay so I am going to be very honest here. I want to be an encouragement to other moms out there but also be transparent to everyone. I do not have it all together! I am a mom of 5 kids, yes I home school, yes I clothe diaper (not all the time), yes I am a fitness nut. AND yes I am usually falling apart. The fitness thing is easy for me because I can often zone out, and be somewhat renewed.

I feel like as I write this there are a lot of people our there who think I am super mom, and I know this because people often tell me I am. I often feel this heavy weight on my shoulders to live up to this or at least seem like I have it all together when I am around others. When I am pretty overwhelmed inside. I love my kids and I would not trade them for anything but most days I think this is too much for me to handle.

I am fearful to be this transparent because I know a lot of people will judge me and tell me that  I should not have had this many kids and I honestly don't have a response to you. All I know is I do have 5 kids and I do love them all with everything I have. Every day I have all these desires I strive for and all the things I want my kids to experience but the truth is that if my kids get a bath this week it is usually a good week. I know logically that God has a plan to grow me through all this but honestly in the midst of it, this is really hard.

To those moms who have a large family and are overwhelmed you are not alone. To the mom who has 1 kid and is overwhelmed you are not alone. We are all wired differently. My husband once told me that there are people who mothering just comes natural and there are those who every single day have to work really hard at it. Ladies...I am one of those women who have to work really hard. I am trying to be okay with that but it is exhausting most days. I pray that the Lord gives me strength and that this day maybe I will only yell at the kids 50 times instead of 100. I am not going to write a set of solutions on how to overcome this because I don't have any, I just wanted to write from my heart and maybe I can be an encouragement to another mom who feels like she has to have it all together or put on a mask in front of everyone. I am dropping my mask and am going to own the fact that I am working hard and learning as I go and it is HARD!

3 weeks off of Plexus

Time for another update...

So our family has been on Plexus for a while now and due to financial reasons we were not able to make our Plexus purchase last month. I figured this was a great time to be off the products and see if there was any difference in the way that we felt. Wow let me tell you I definitely noticed a difference.  Having a degree in nutrition and a background in holistic nutrition I was constantly taking supplements of different kinds at different times in my life and I honestly rarely noticed a significant difference in being on them versus being off of them. So usually I would just stop taking them. This is the first time that I can say that I NOTICE!!!

Lets start with the BioCleanse. This is our magnesium supplement. It does so much for our systems including cleansing toxins from our bodies, oxygenating our blood and keeping us regular in the bathroom. I stopped taking this and I noticed that I again started having trouble going to the bathroom regularly, which was not a struggle while I was on it.

The next product is our probiotic which is called Probio5. As soon as I stopped taking this I got lethargic and sick. I was so excited to get this in the mail this week because the kiddos are starting to get sick and I want all of us to be healthy this winter. Last winter was really hard on us and I don't think I could handle anther season like that.

Now the product that surprised me the most was the Slim. I honestly did not think this had helped me as much as it did. A few days after I stopped taking this I noticed my mood began to change. I thought I was just having normal women hormones and then it continued to get worse and worse. 3 weeks after being off it I was so overwhelmed that I began to have panic attacks again and just feeling depressed. The great thing about the slim is how much it really does balance out your blood sugar and in turn helps my mood and hormones to stay in check. My poor family this past three weeks have had to deal with my moodiness and my outbursts. I feel so bad for them. I do not want to ever again be off this. I am so grateful that the Lord brought this into my life when he did, I am so excited to see what the long term effects of these supplements will do for our family.

Stay tuned for posts about the products and new discoveries I make a long the way.

Plexus Update

Okay so its been a few weeks now since taking Plexus and it seems time for an update. In all honesty I was a little discouraged at first because I didn't see those miraculous transformations other people see. I am a pretty healthy person though and did not have a lot of health problems (or so I thought) to begin with. It wasn't until I was sitting there a few days ago talking to my husband about my anxieties and how I am feeling regarding finances and our kids that I realized something. I realized since taking Plexus I have been the most peaceful about them in a really long time.

Now to get real here, I have not told a lot of people this, but I have struggled with anxieties for a really long time. I would have panic attacks for the stupidest reasons. With lots of prayer, Gods grace and my husbands help I have learned to control a lot of it but I must say it is still very difficult sometimes. I am not expecting that Plexus will take it away but I am hopeful that the Lord has brought it into my life at a time that He knew it would be helpful for me. I am excited to see if this continues and am hopeful it will.

On another note my son with the urological concern has not been complaining of any pain. I have been very diligent about his regimen on the Tri-plex and also using the body cream. I am praying so hard that this will continue and we will not need to seek any other treatments. I am also hopng to use this as a business opportunity to better support my family. I am very encouraged by the support and community in Plexus that I didn't have with my other multi level marketing company. I have so much more to look forward to in the future and am so very excited about where Plexus will take me.

I would love to share about these products and how they can help you too. Stay tuned for future updates.

My Health Adventure - Plexus Plunge

About a year ago my friend told me about this product called Plexus, the skeptic that I am I decided to do some research into it and its effectiveness. There were not a lot of negative reviews but of course I found the ones that were out there. I decided to not use the product and just watch how my friends did using it. They all absolutely love the product and the success that came from just sharing about how to help your body was amazing. I eventually signed up to sell it under my best friend just so I could get the wholesale price and started using the Slim occasionally.

My best friend, who also happens to be my Plexus sponsor, came to visit me a few weeks ago and I decided to take the plunge into Plexus! With a degree in Nutrition and an emphasis on holistic nutrition I am very excited about the benefits these products could have. My passion lies with mothers and babies though. I decided a few years ago to become a lactation educator (my dream is to one day go back to school to be a Certified Lactation Counselor) and in doing some of my research with Plexus was very happy to discover the benefits to nursing mothers. As I am also nursing at this moment I will keep you all apprised on how Plexus is affecting that.

I want to start by saying that I am NOT on any of the products at this point. I will make a list of the conditions that my family suffers, that we know of, and throughout my Plexus journey I will come back to that list and evaluate if any of them are better or even gone. It is not my expectation that all of our issues will completely vanish, however, I do anticipate many will get better and maybe a few go away. About 4 months ago my husband and I began to eat healthier and workout consistently. I began running and am now running about 6-9 miles a week. I say this so that we know Plexus will be the only change in our lifestyle and any changes to the conditions we suffer from can then be related to Plexus (its no scientific study but its the best I can do).

Here is a list of the conditions we have:
-Ear infections
-Wheat sensitivities
-Dairy sensitivities
-A son with a urological problem
-Hair loss
-Achy joints
-I struggle with foggy brain and have trouble even finishing sentences well.
-I also struggle with anxiety and anger which I am almost confident is largely due to hormonal imbalances.

I know the Lord puts people and things in our paths at certain points in our lives for a reason, I pray that I can honor the Lord in my decision to start this journey and help my family to be healthier and happier.

This Crazy Life

Wow this crazy life of mine. We have been here in Montana for about 8 months now. It's has been an adjustment but a good one I think. We are pretty much settled in and have started getting involved in the community. We love our new church family and are so grateful for them. We started James in Cub Scouts and a homeschool choir which he is really liking. Right when I think we are able to catch our breath God throws us a curveball by bringing our little girl 4 weeks early. 

Adina Iris Netzley was born March 21st at 7:33am she was 6lb 8oz and 18.5 in long. It was a long and tiring labor but by Gods grace she was healthy and happy. I am so grateful for supportive family and friends who helped us out during the hard labor. The Lord really has been teaching us through this move that our plans will not always be successful and that the Lord has his own plans for our life. I am learning to hang on for the ride and trust his will. I am not saying that it is easy at all but I am trying. 

I didn't think I wanted a big family...

To all of you who may not know yet we recently found out that Elizabeth will be a big sister. That's right we are having baby #5 and we are so excited. I wanted to let you all know a little bit about our journey as a family and why we "decided" to have a big family. I also want to respond to all those questions people have for us. This might be a long winded post but bear with me. 

We started our marriage like most couples thinking we would have a few kids and then stop at some point, without thinking too much about it. When we got pregnant with James we were surprised but very happy. Over the next few years we researched birth control and prevention methods, most of which proved to be abortive in nature. We decided to start doing natural family planning (NFP). I was so excited that we could space our pregnancy's using my own body, the way God designed it. Needless to say we were shocked when we got pregnant with Seth. I was completely overwhelmed with the idea of having a baby so close to our first, especially since James was so colicky. Then Seth came along and he was so happy and joyful all the time, it made parenting so much fun. I then realized having kids close together was totally doable. 

We wanted some space between our next baby and so we used the NFP method and waited till Seth was a year old before deciding to try again. I decided after Naomi that I would be okay if we didn't have anymore. I felt like our family was a good size and that we would be really happy. Then the Lord blessed us with Elizabeth and I could never imagine life without her. Our family felt complete with her. I then began to question if I wanted more kids, again. 

I began to think about having more and the strain it would be and how hard it would be to homeschool and I felt overwhelmed. Thomas and I decided to wait to have another one... The Lord had other plans. After I found out I was pregnant I began to pray and read scripture and read blogs from moms with large families. I realized that I was not trusting God with my family. I was trying to take control out of fear for the future. I was putting my own selfish desires over the desires God had for my family.

At church one Saturday night we heard a sermon about not having fear for the desires God has for your life and how to determine if a desire is of the Lord or of yourself. This hit me right between the eyes. I have felt that my desire has been to raise Godly men and women that love the Lord and will become Godly men who lead and godly helpmeets, who will be crowns of virtue for their husbands. The pastor said that one way you will know if a desire is of the lord is that it is so big there is no way you could do it by yourself. Well I have to say I need the Lord if I am to raise these 5 children to be the men and women that I desire them to be, I will need the Lord daily, minute by minute. 

I realized my true desire for my family and I felt very free. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Now it was time to tell our family. I admit that I was hesitant to share because after Seth was born it seemed people got less and less excited and less receptive to the news. My fourth was almost no reaction or a concerned look from people. I even had strangers give me negative comments to how many children I had. I try to ignore their negativity but I must admit it gets to me. I decided to announce #5 through a onesie we made for our youngest that said big sister. My husband actually thought of the idea. It took our family here in MT a little while to get it but once they did they were so happy, it was really nice to have such support. They even asked me why I waited to tell them and I said it was because I was afraid how they would respond. I was so happy and blessed for them to tell me that they are here to support us and they couldn't even believe the comments I have received. 

I realize that in following God's plan for my life I will be persecuted and judged but I guess scripture says that will happen, I have to remember that God is the only one that matters. In saying this I wanted to answer some questions I have received from people:

1. No, we do not have television but we do watch movies

2. Yes, we know how this happens

3. Yes, we are going to homeschool

4. No, we are not Mormon or Catholic

5. Yes, we have our hands full but they are full of joy as well

6. No, having kids does not cost as much as people think

7. Yes, my husband and I still have time to spend together

8. No, I wouldn't consider myself brave just blessed and learning a lot from what God has for my family

There is a great blog I found called "Large families on purpose" she is a great inspiration and resource for large families. http://www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com/. I don't know what the Lord has for our family or how many kids he will give us but I am excited for this journey and excited to know that with each child comes so much more love to our family and a greater understanding of God's love for us and the sacrifice it must have taken for him to give up his son for us. 

On a hike

Thomas decide last minute we needed to go see montana. We have been here a month and we haven't had a chance to get out and see the reason we fell in love with this place. We asked some friends for a recommendation and we settled on Bass Creek Trail. It was a great hike for kids, lots of rocks to climb on but not too steep of a trail. Except at some spots the trail fell off into the creek which made me nervous. The kids did really well, minus a few falls and a bee sting (Seth). Praise God for breast milk and lavender oil. Within a few hours he was all better. Here are some of the pics we took during our adventure .