Probiotics to the rescue.

Now, I’m a big fan of probiotics. Having healthy gut flora is pretty vital to your body running well. The amount of issues that can come from your digestive system malfunction is long. Ideally, you’d have a healthy gut biome from your normal diet and lifestyle. That is increasingly uncommon these days. We don’t eat the same fresh from the farm food, and many, including myself, don’t have fermented foods on a daily basis. I try to get fermented foods in when I can, but I always have probiotics on hand.

I don’t take probiotics daily. For some reason, I’ve noticed that when I do, it actually makes me feel off. I’m not sure why. I do, however, use them consistently when traveling or when sick. It’s just an extra boost of support to help my body through a stressful time.

Staying Healthy While Traveling with Biokult

**I received this product for free from MomsMeet (momsmeet.com) to use in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.**

When I first saw this opportunity with MomsMeet to test out these probiotics, I knew this was right up my alley. And I was thrilled when I was chosen to test it out. Sadly, I was already out of town when they arrived, but I was able to utilize them once I got home from a month of being gone, to help regulate my body.

I started taking them daily once home. Between taking probiotics and getting back to my normal eating and daily habits, I could quickly feel my body becoming less sluggish and tired. I was super thankful to have them. I had somehow ran out of my usual brand, and thankful that I didn’t have to wait to begin taking them.

More than Staying Healthy while Traveling

As I said previously, probiotics are also great when you are sick. It helps give your body more weapons against the yuck that’s making you feel yuck. They also help regulate your digestive system for those that have issues with loose stool, or constipation. I will say they came in super handy when I ate way too much sugar one weekend and my body screamed at me for it.

Probiotics can also help with leaky gut, yeast build up, and extremely helpful to take while on antibiotics. Just make sure to take your probiotics and antibiotics at least 2 hours apart so that your antibiotics don’t simply kill the probiotics strains.

A few facts directly from their website:

• Bio-Kult Original Multi-Strain Formulation is the UK’s number one probiotic supplement, containing 14 unique probiotic strains for digestive and immune support.*
• This product targets the digestive and immune system and has been proven to survive the high acidity of the stomach.*
• The capsules can be swallowed whole or broken apart and the contents added to food or drink.
• Bio-Kult Original Multi-Strain Formulation has been approved by the Vegetarian Society as a vegetarian product.
• It is also non-GMO and gluten free.
• This product has been backed by over 30 clinical trials.
• A 30-capsule box of Bio-Kult Original Multi-Strain Formulation typically retails for $14.85; a 60-capsule box for $25.50; and a 120-capsule box for $39.95.

Conclusion

Would I recommend this to friends and family? Yes. It worked just as well for me as my usual multi-strand brand, AND is actually a few dollars less than what I was buying. It’s also available at Bio-kult.com, Amazon(affiliate link), and Walmart, so it’s super accessible, which is important.

Discount Opportunity

Save 20% on your entire order at bio-kult.com with promo code MOMSMEET20. Offer expires 12/31/22.

I do NOT receive anything when you use this code. It’s just for your benefit.

The post Staying Healthy While Traveling | Biokult appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

Loving Yourself Looks Like Growing

Back to the car. I was kind of curious that he was questioning it, since he had previously brought it up, but I was also thankful for the opportunity to share what I thought on the idea. Of course you can love yourself, I told him. I love who I am, and I love who I’m growing into. That doesn’t mean I’m perfect the way I am, but I’m how God made me, and I’m a beautiful work in progress. He seemed happy with that explanation, and the day moved on. 

Intentionality

I intentionally try to teach my boys comfort in your own skin, whether you’re rocking at life in that moment, or falling flat on your face. The desire to teach my kids that it’s okay to fail, ask for help, make mistakes, is strong. I don’t want them to think they have to be perfect, when that’s unattainable. When we fail, we grow. We pick ourselves back up, and we learn from the experience, though it can be quite painful. 

I’ve spent my life learning these things. And I’m still learning. Motherhood has only intensified the experience. Growing up, I was terrified of failure. I built up this idea of having to do everything perfect on the first try. Talk about unneeded stress, and unrealistic expectations. I don’t know where it came from, I honestly don’t remember feeling any kind of pressure from my family. For some reason, I seemed to place this pressure on myself. I’m still proud of the moment in school when I realized I didn’t have to get straight A’s to be worthy. Of love, of people, of anything. It might sound trivial, but it was a huge turning point for me. 

Loving Yourself Looks Like Self Discovery

Recently, I’ve been doing more deep diving into my habits, actions, and motivations. Thanks motherhood. I’ve always known that I was a people pleaser, but I had never really dived into the motivation behind it, or the negative impacts of it on my life and relationships. I also previously thought I was socially awkward, but as more and more people said I didn’t seem awkward at all, I realized I was really socially anxious instead. These two things have been huge in my brain. I realize why it’s so difficult for me to grow new relationships having moved every 3 years or less for the past 11 years. Being a people pleaser was also causing me to put myself on the back burner. I wasn’t being my authentic self, or learning to speak my mind consistently. This was my way of controlling my surroundings, maintaining “peace,” but it was really only causing more tension, distance, and difficulty finding true connections with others.

As I learn more about myself, I’m learning how to increase the health of not only myself, but my relationships as well. It also allows me to better understand what “triggers” me when it comes to my kids behavior, and know it’s really MY problem, sometimes, and not really their actions. It’s all fascinating, eye opening, and frustrating, all in one.

A Never-ending Journey

I’ve sad it many times, motherhood is just as much, if not more, about growing myself as it is growing these little ones. It’s been the most humbling experience, with so much self reflection, and I’m actually enjoying the ride. Every day I learn a little bit more about how to better love myself. And I only hope I can help my kids to always love themselves as well.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Contrast”.

The post What Loving Yourself Looks Like | Motherhood Journey appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

First Time Mom Life

With my first baby, I lounged around at home, watching Call the Midwife (SO much crying), and attempting various tasks around the house when I could get a moment of baby free time, unless I could somehow do it with one hand. Nursing was a rough go for the first 6ish months. He was a month early, but perfectly healthy. Still, he had issues latching, and I had a forceful letdown. We struggled on with little help. I had less knowledge of resources available to me then, and the ones I knew about were far away. It all seemed out of reach. 

We kept moving forward, day by day. I learned more and more about him, and we slowly moved into a rhythm. It took a LONG time with him to create a rhythm though. He woke every 2-3 hours well past the first year. His nap were sporadic, at best, for months. He wanted to be held constantly, and nursed frequently for LONG periods of time. I practically lived in my nursing pillow. 

Looking back, it was HARD. For so many reasons. But it was also just Little Man and me. If I was nap trapped all day, I didn’t have anywhere to be. I could devote my time to him and him alone. We were making it, together. 

And a Third Baby Comes Along…

Fast forward to today. Two high energy boys, and a fresh baby girl that wants snuggles all day long and fights daytime sleep. I love the snuggles, and smiles, and the feeling of baby weight on my chest, but I also know I have two little boys who need snuggles and attention, and at least occasionally, food. And by occasionally I mean just about every two hours and only RIGHT after I’ve just sat down. It’s a balance I’m reacquainting myself with. I’ve somehow forgotten a lot of it from when I went from 1 to 2 kids. I remember mourning the loss of time with my oldest while enjoying the snuggles of my then youngest. Once again I’m enjoying the highs and lows of the baby phase, while attempting to snuggle those loving boys, who adore their baby sister in the most precious way. 

I wouldn’t change it for the world. They are my precious little ones, and they each complete our family in their own ways. I know the baby phase lasts only a short while, and I hope to soak up all the joys that come along with it. I’m determined to not let the voice of mom guilt let me lose sight of all the beauty of this season in our lives. 

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Contrast”.

created by @phoenixfeatherscalligraphy for C+C, 2021

The post Adding a Third Baby to the Mix appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

We recently tried out a local pizza joint. Moving to a new area means finding new sources for yummy food. The pizza is tasty, and giant as well, but when actually went into the restaurant, we found little a giant menu of deliciousness. They not only have yummy pizza, but pasta, salads, calamari, and garlic knots. When I saw the creamy chicken al pesto, I knew I needed to try it.

My husband is not a fan of pesto, so I hardly, if ever, get to eat it at home. So I ordered it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even my husband thought it looked good and tried it out. He agreed it was tasty. He was unsure if it was the combination of pesto and alfredo, or that his pallet had simply changed. Either way, I was thrilled to have a local, yummy, option. 

Meant To Be

So when I saw that Momsmeet.com was offering to let moms test out Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto, I was more than thrilled. It also showed up only a couple of weeks after finding the pesto place, so I felt it was meant to be. 

I arrived and I almost immediately tested it out. Pesto pasta for dinner, well, as a side anyway. I wasn’t sure how the family would take it, but I was making dinner for myself that night.

The pesto was delicious and creamy, though I didn’t use the whole jar, since I made a smaller batch of pasta. In hindsight, I probably should have. It was still delicious. I think the reason I enjoy pesto, other than the yummy flavor itself, is that it’s less dense than other pasta sauces. I’m not a huge pasta person, because it’s just too heavy. But as a side, this was perfect on so many levels.

A few days later, when I remembered that I still had some pesto left, I tossed it in with a pot of creamy chicken alfredo (with peas! Yum!) and it added just a hint of flavor at the end of every bite. I was hoping to recreate the dish from the restaurant. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was still super delicious to me. The kids were not having it, sadly, but my husband was on board. Yay to finding new delicious dinner ideas!

Branching Outside of Pasta

I also love all the suggestions on the jar itself, like using it as a marinade for meats or veggies, spreading it on toast, or even using it as a dip. These all sound like tasty ideas, but I honestly had never thought of them before. Maybe it’s because I don’t make a lot of pesto at home and haven’t gotten to experiment with it, but my brain automatically just thinks, “pasta,” and doesn’t go outside of the box. Not now! I am going to make ALL the pesto things.

So I am pleasantly surprised by this product, and plan to have it as a staple in the house moving forward. Look out family.

The post Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto | A Review appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

I was recently chosen to test out a batch of Monster Pop popcorn snacks in butter flavor. To say that the boys and I enjoyed the opportunity would definitely be an understatement.

My youngest LOVES popcorn. My oldest loves to watch popcorn pop in our favored Stir Crazy popcorn maker. They were both excited to see a box full of popcorn show up. Even my oldest tried it and said it was pretty good for popcorn. He’s simply not a popcorn kid. More for me and the youngest!

I will say that I was a bit bummed by how the package showed up. It was bashed in pretty good. So much so that one end was practically open. It wasn’t too bad, other than it caused the cheddar flavored full size bag of Monster Pop to be popped open. It was really just in there for fun, so I wasn’t too worried about needing to give it a good grading though, so I wasn’t too upset. Yes, we DID still try it, and yes, it was still pretty tasty. It was a bit stale though, which I assume is because of the transport issue. I would have to try a fresh bag to truly know.

The full sized bag of the butter flavor, and all the snack packs of the butter flavor were all perfectly intact.

What’s to Love about Monster Pop?

I’ve ALWAYS loved popcorn as a snack. It’s easy, and delicious. Despite the fact that we don’t eat a lot of corn in our house, popcorn is always in the house. Again, we LOVE our Stir Crazy, and it’s our preferred method of making popcorn, but I also love having snack packs of popped popcorn on the go. This popcorn is no exception.

I love that it’s made with only FOUR ingredients, including REAL butter. Popcorn is naturally gluten free (though not all popcorn FLAVORINGS are), and I love having gluten-free on the go options. We have family that can’t have gluten, and I know that my body prefers to live without it as well. There’s no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, which seems to be in EVERY one of the on the go options these days. At least the ones that don’t require a cooler in the summer heat.

They also have super cute monsters on the packaging that they’ve named for each flavor. I know how handy gimmicks can be in getting my kids to eat snacks. It’s a tool in my parenting tool belt, for sure.

The Final Verdict in Our House

My youngest and I have scarfed down multiple bags on our summer playdate outings to parks and splash pads with friends and family. I also look forward to having these as a option for snack to and from co-op this Fall. I won’t be surprised if they often make an appearance during our homeschooling time around the house as well.

I’m going to have to try the kettle flavor, because I love kettle corn, and I’m super intrigued to see if my oldest could be swayed to the popcorn side with the pizza flavor! YUM!

My only “issue” is that I wish it were available locally, so that I could pick up bags as needed at my local grocery store.

Save on Monster Pop!

 Save 25% on any product on monsterpopshop.com with promo code MOMSMEET25. Expires 10/31/21.

The post Monster Pop Big-Time Butter Popcorn | A Review appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

I have been eyeing Pact clothing for years. I simply never pulled the trigger. When I saw the Dream on Me Kids pajamas on MomsMeet, I was thrilled! I’m always looking for good pajamas for my kiddos. I am one of those moms who isn’t really a big fan of character, well, anything, and I prefer my kids pajamas to be more on the simple side. Not only are these kids pajamas, just that, but they were also good quality, and created by a quality company.

A Few Things About Pact

Pact is an apparel company full of beautiful options for the entire family that are organic cotton and Fair Trade Certified. Their tagline is “Earth’s Favorite Clothing.” I find that kind of funny. But it sounds like a great goal!

These kids pajamas, specifically, are available in sizes 18 months, all the way to kids size 10. They are made of 100% cotton, without toxic chemicals, and with 91% less water than conventional cotton. They fit snug for sleep safety, with cuffs at the wrists and ankles to help keep them from slipping past hands and feet, even if they might be a little long depending on the kiddo’s current size. The labels are tagless to prevent irritation. The fabric is prewashed and shrink resistant as well. Which is always nice for snug fitting pajamas.

A Rainbow of Colors

A funny bit of the whole process, after the excitement of being chosen to test them out, was the actual pajamas that arrived. I’m pretty sure I chose different color options, but I received the Rainbows and Tea Rose colors. I’m not one to care, honestly, but I laughed at it anyway, since I have two boys. I’ve always been one to offer them an array of color options, but they hadn’t recently gravitated towards these colors, so I worried they would resist even trying the pajamas. I was pleasantly surprised.

Top from left to right: Alligators/Midnight Navy, Jungle Floral/Elderberry, Oceans/Stellar Blue
Bottom from left to right: Splash Stripe/Aloe, Rainbows/Tea Rose

First Impressions

When I first showed the boys their new pajamas to try, they were ecstatic, and asked to wear them right away. My oldest thought they were inside out, since they have a prominent seam on the outside. But he was beyond thrilled with the high waist. I have a history of anger towards kids clothing, because the waist to crotch length is always too short. Perpetual butt crack definitely exists in this house. My oldest also enjoys high waisted pants. He likes to were his pants old man style. So when he placed these on and they went over his belly button, he was in love.

I was a bit worried with how short the shirts looked, since I have kids on the taller side, but my oldest refuses pajama shirts, so I never found out with him. My youngest, however, showed me that despite the way they looked when I held them up, the shirts were actually a decent size. They weren’t overly long, but definitely covered his whole torso. I’m sure if it hadn’t covered adequately, the high waist would have kept things cozy and covered.

I asked them the next day if they stilled liked them, and they both joyously stated that they did. They further proved that point by demanding them as much as possible. These puppies have been washed A LOT in a short amount of time. They continue to be the favored pairs of pajamas, and I get extra hugs, kisses, and thanks when I wash them. It’s pretty comical, really.

Life with Kids

My oldest ONLY likes the Tea Rose ones. He refuses to wear the Rainbow ones because the rainbows don’t have ALL of the colors of the rainbow. They are each rainbow shapes of only one color. Life with a 6 year old.

UPDATE: Before posting this I had another discussion with said 6 year old about the rainbows. I asked him if he would like them, and wear them, if we called them color arches, instead of rainbows. He said he now kind of liked them. Again, life with a 6 year old.

Hard Wear and Tear on Kids Pajamas

So, let me note that my kids are ROUGH on pajamas. I mean, rough. I may or may not allow them to spend the day in their pajamas, if we aren’t heading out of the house, which can be often. That includes trips to Grandma and Gigi’s houses. They fight getting “dressed,” so I choose my battles, and lessen my laundry. So their pajamas get worked HARD. Outside play, climbing on things, running around, scooting across the floor. Pajamas are often destroyed in our house, because they play hard and wear them often.

I will obviously need more time to truly test how the pajamas hold up over time, but for the past month and a half, with the boys wearing them every day they can, they have already held up really well. They don’t seem to be fading or turning dingy, like many other pairs of pajamas that we own. I mean my 4 year old loves to live in dirt. He just picks it up and watches it fall, over and over. Smears it all over himself, joyfully, and is always on the ground exploring something. He comes by it naturally. I loved dirt as a kid. Still, both his Dream on Me pajamas look and feel great!

A Slight Snag

I will say that within a couple of wears, my youngest had a snag in the thread of one of his pants. I’m not sure if it was a small one and he pulled it, or if it simply unraveled. All I know is that he showed me a long piece of thread, that at the time I thought nothing about. Later though, he told Grandma that there was a hole in his pajamas and mama was going to be mad. He repeated this to me later, and I finally got a chance to look at it. It was gaping slightly, but still holding together. Nothing a little stitching won’t fix.

Final Verdict

So, again, after a month and a half of wear and tear, I’m kind of in love. They are softer than most of their other pajamas, and oddly thicker, but not in an uncomfortable way. More like a, this can handle a kid, kind of way. I love them, and I can’t wait to buy them each at least a couple more pairs! Maybe I’ll throw in something for myself this time! I’m happy to see they also have maternity wear!

Special Offer:

Save 20% on your first Pact purchase at wearpact.com with promo code MomsMeet20. Offer is valid until 12/31/21. (Note: Offer valid on first purchases only. Does not apply to sale items. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

The post Pact Dream On Me Kids Pajamas | A Review appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

I’m not afraid of showing the chaos in my own home, but while actually moving in, I find that chaos extremely stressful at some point. Usually once I’ve put away the majority of things and there are just random piles of things laying around with no home. When my energy levels are low, and I just want to see my counters. It’s not always the time that I think about grabbing my camera to take some photos. I also love capturing our days. The little things. And I’m trying not to miss those things while my brain is focused on finding a home for the giant collection of lightbulbs we’ve acquired.

Photography is also an outlet for me. A de-stressor. Something that brings joy to my soul. And I could use that right now. As I work to create our new home, while resting here and there, since I’m 26 weeks pregnant and my feet need breaks, my boys are in a place of transition where they desperately want me near. They need comfort and reassurance. Even if they say they love the new place, and can’t wait to explore, they are in new territory, and are currently tethered to the house as mama finds it.

Our routine is disrupted. Though it’s been off for while now. But now we no longer have grandparents’ houses to escape to here and there. It’s just us, in our new home, with dusty floors – thank you cardboard and paper – trying to carve out a new life. Again, what a great time to hunt for light around us. Figuratively, and literally.

The one comical aspect of this idea: it’s been raining since we got here. So, the light has been interesting, and not consistent. But! I found it. I love chasing light, and this time was no different. Moving around, shifting my angles, and just peacefully watching, I found light in my new home. And I plan to find even more as time goes by.

I’m loving the light by the front door. While it’s not always portrait quality light, it’s always beautiful to me.

We are loving the screened in patio. Especially with all of this rain. It also allows me to let the boys roam around and play “outside” while I’m working in and around the house. It has beautiful light in different spots throughout the day. Though it’s particularly pretty from 4-6 PM.

Something that I have noticed is the beautiful light in the gym. A room I probably won’t photograph much, because, it’s a gym. Here’s to dreaming about an outer building for the gym, and turning this into a play/homeschool room.

I’m finding that the sitting area in the master bedroom has beautiful light just about any time of day. Thank you Southern window. It’s also a space I’m trying to keep chaos to a minimum so that I have a space to go to at all times. Also note: yarn for water bottle holders that I started months ago. I’ve finished one of three.

Now it’s your turn. Go find the light at home!

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “Illuminate”.

The post Finding the Light at Home | Illuminate appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

A Day of Messes

I just sidestepped a duplo block. I’ll deal with that later. The messes abound today. There is a full train track in the corner of the room with de-railed trains all around. A tub of legos sits on the table with lego pieces scattered on the floor. I remind myself not to step between the couch and the coffee table. 

There’s a pasta sensory bin in the middle of the kitchen table. Trucks, cars, scoops, and randomly added toys strewn about both inside and outside of the bin. It’s somewhat contained, right? It’s good child entertainment. I can push it aside when it’s time for dinner.

I finally caved and brought down the Duplo brand marble run. The one that I hate and that they love. I hate it because you look at it wrong and it falls apart. It’s a young children’s toy. Who designed this thing that falls apart from a whisper. Someone who wants moms pulling their hair out and plotting things.

I gently “clear” the space at my feet around my chair. I settle in for some quiet, me-time. Bible study, Youtube, a nap, some writing. Anything that lets me decompress.

Building a New Place

Toys are forgotten. The couch has been deconstructed and redesigned. The only rule: the seat cushions always stay put. The Nugget Couch and the floor pillows have found their use in constructing one large fort, with separate spaces for each boy. They sometimes prefer their distance.

I try not to move too much, make too much noise, or make direct eye contact. They are playing and enjoying themselves, without making me do all the work. I call it a win.

Hose them Down

The day is hot, and the boys are energetic. I love playing and drawing with chalk. I don’t love that they insist on destroying my designs. Today we embraced both. My task: draw a giant rainbow. Their task: soak it with water and run through it, making a mess. It’s actually pretty fun. I’ll hose us all down later, the concrete included.

Motherhood Messes

I’ve never been horribly afraid of messes. One of my favorite memories from childhood is playing on the giant dirt mound at my best friend’s house. We loved that dirt pile. I’m also into arts and crafts, so I know m way around messy things. Still, I had to shift my views and priorities when I became a mother.

I often find myself trying to motivate my kids to be messy. Not because I want something to clean up, but because I don’t want them to be scared of being dirty or messy in the right situations. There’s a lot of dirt and mud in the world, and it’s great to shove your hands in it without pause. I don’t want them scared of exploring, and learning. Sometimes that requires getting quite dirty. Hard work also often requires getting dirty. So it’s something that I actively think about, a lot.

Motherhood has also made me think more about shifting priorities. Sometimes house chores, or other activities, need to take a back seat to other things. Maybe it’s more important that I’m out stomping in the mud with my kids today, than it is that that laundry gets put away. My body might be screaming for rest, and it’s okay to focus on that instead of the toys strewn about the room.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice, clean, home. Sometimes my sanity really needs it, too. But it’s not always the priority of the day. As long as I can hit reset on seeing my floors here and there, I can also enjoy the chaos and clutter that is my children playing, learning, and exploring. It’s all a part of the little pieces that come together to make our family and our home, ours.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “Make A Mess”.

The post The Messes of Motherhood | Shifting Priorities appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

I would ponder about it here and there, trying to think of songs that sent me back to a time or place. There are a few songs that remind me of things, but nothing that would have created much substance. Maybe a line or two of text. But then, one day, it hit me. Not Alone, by Patty Griffin. I cannot hear that song without tears. It often takes me right back to when I lost my brother, but no matter what, the tears always come.

A Little Background

When my brother was in his early 20’s, and newly married, he suffered a stroke. Through the chaos that ensued, we discovered that he had been born with a birth defect that we hadn’t known about. An AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins. It usually presents in the brain or spine. To me it was always explained as a cluster, or ball of veins and arteries.

He underwent surgery to have it removed, but years later we discovered that it hadn’t been fully corrected. After what seemed like a successful second surgery, his body suddenly shut down and seized up. He was in rehabilitation facilities and hospitals for about 9 months. They tried to figure out what was going on, but we never really got any answers. Eventually we reached a point where, as a family, we decided we needed to let him go. So we did.

A Memory of Loss and Planning

I was in my early 20s and I was helping to plan my first ever funeral. I was glad to be there to help my mother through it all. Hopefully I was of some comfort. She asked me to make a slideshow of images to play at the visitation, so I began working on it. I poured over images of my brother and family through the years. As a photographer myself, I regretted not having taken more photos of him. I regretted a lot of things.

My mother chose the song Not Alone, by Patty Griffin, for the slideshow. I listened to it over and over as I perfected the timing and design of the slideshow. I still remember sitting on my now husband’s sofa while watching TV and working on the project. I can hear it in the visitation playing in the background, and for years I couldn’t listen to it at all.

The death of my brother is truly a part of my personal testimony, since I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without God helping me. I remember it as a time of feeling His presence so intensely, of a strange peace within the grief, that carried me. I will never forget that. And this song stands as a direct connection to that time, and all of those emotions that came with loss, grief, hope, and family.

That song will forever be one of the songs on my playlist of life.

The post A Song Full of Memory | Playlist of Life appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

It is so easy to get tied up in the “Do’s and Don’ts” of life, to feel the pressure of doing things the “right” way. But honestly, we are all human, and we all fall short. I have moments of life worth sharing and moments where I need to retreat, heal, grow, learn, or just be present. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Standing Firm in Love

So though I would love to be inspired consistently, I’m learning to be okay in times where I’m simply not feeling motivated. With the chaos of holidays, coming after 6 weeks of quarantine for my family, I needed a January of rest. Despite having very little actually on the schedule for the entire month, I still felt somehow busy and chaotic. I clearly needed to decompress from my intense, chaotic, and very productive, fall season. 

So here I am, admitting my need for breaks, being okay with that fact, and also rejoicing in the simple ability to be at peace with it. I love to write, and I give it my all, as often as I can, but knowing my own limits and needs for personal health is exactly the kind of love we all need to be giving ourselves. 

Being imperfect is not a flaw; it is a beautiful truth. 

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “280 Words”.

The post Self-Love in Letting Go of Perfection appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

I recently went down a delicious path of “perfecting” a cinnamon roll recipe. My mother has celiacs, my sister and her husband are low-carb, and I have been anti-gluten and most grains for some years now. I was tested for celiacs, and it came back negative, but I have alway noticed how negatively my body reacts to grains and sugar, so I try to avoid them for most of the year. Mainly, I’ve noticed how they send me into a depressive state. That never means good things for my over-all health. So I decided to perfect a recipe that my sister had previously tried. I just wanted to see if I could improve upon it. I think I have. Today I’ll share the recipe with you, and review a homeopathic antacid as well! Multi-tasking!

A Starting Point

As I said, my sister had previously made Fathead dough cinnamon rolls, via this recipe, for our family. For those of you who don’t know what fathead dough is, it’s a huge craze in the Keto community of creating bread foods using cheese. That’s right, CHEESE. It’s crazy, and that’s probably why I like it, but it’s incredible. I make a mean fathead dough bagel dog.

ANYWAY, the original cinnamon roll recipe was pretty good to me. Again, I TRY not to eat a lot of sugar, so I’m also more sensitive to sugar. When I eat a “mainstream” dessert, I often only taste the sugar, instead of the flavors of the food. Some people might love that, but it’s almost always let down to me. This basically means I don’t need things to be as sweet as other people might, so I enjoy these alternatives.

Making it My Own

This year I started thinking about cinnamon rolls around Thanksgiving. I wanted to make something for the boys, but I don’t keep “normal” baking supplies on hand since we don’t use those ingredients. I asked my sister for her recipe and made a batch. I immediately upped the cinnamon, by a factor of six. I love me some cinnamon. From there I made another batch the following week. I was loving the extra cinnamon, and wondered how else I might improve on the original recipe.

I did some research, because I wanted to try to get them to fluff up more. Fathead dough is a bit on the dense side, especially this recipe. I poured over forums, similar recipes, and various blogs. I found several theories to test. I proceeded to make 5 cinnamon roll batches in a week. That’s a lot of cinnamon rolls, Especially when my last few batches finally decided to fluff up to over twice the previous size.

Mission Accomplished.

Boiron Acidil Meltaway Tablets

Recently, I was given a free sample of Boiron Acidil Meltaway Tablets via my partnership with MomsMeet. Boiron is a homeopathic medicine company that started back in 1932 and Acidil is an antacid (for relieving heartburn, acid indigestion, upset stomach, and bloating).

It’s considered an “unflavored” tablet. I would say this mostly right, it’s more of a consistency than a flavor. It’s a bit chalky, but the tablet is pretty small, so it didn’t bother me one bit. I’m also use to their other products, ColdCalm, Camilla, and Oscillococcinum, so I know of the minimal flavoring, and the sometimes interesting textures.  Again, not off-putting to me, but if you’re sensitive to textures or tastes, maybe it’s not for you.

I don’t get a lot of heartburn, but the holiday season is ripe for overeating and needing something to help you feel better. The Acidil comes in little foil sealed sheets of pills, like many medicines these days. I popped one out to try one day when I had actually eaten some gluten AND sugar. GASP! I know, what was I doing. Like I said, I try to limit them for MOST of the year. It actually felt like it helped with the upset stomach and bloating that usually occur when I do, regretfully, eat much of either. And you can even take it BEFORE the meal to help minimize the effects of the trigger foods.

You can learn more about Acidil for yourself by going HERE.

Conclusion

I honestly don’t know that it’s better or worse than any other antacid. It definitely did it’s job for me over the past few weeks, but that was simply my experience. I would recommend it to anyone to test out and see if it works for them, and I plan to keep it in the house from now on.

Print

Holly’s Fathead Cinnamon Rolls

Course Dessert

Keyword Grain-free, Low Carb

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Equipment

• mixing bowl
• microwave
• Rolling Pin
• parchment paper
• brush

Ingredients

Dough:

• 270 g Mozzarella cheese
• 42 g Cream cheese
• 126 g Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Instant yeast
• 1 egg

FIlling:

• 4 tbsp Butter, Melted
• 4 tbsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp Granulated sweetener of choice (I used Monkfruit)
• 3-5 drops liquid sweetener (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Dough:

• In a small bowl, combine your almond flour, salt, baking powder (or soda), and yeast. Mix gently.
• In a microwave safe bowl, add the mozzarella and cream cheese. Place in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove, stir gently, and then return to the microwave for another 30 seconds.
• Remove the mixture from the microwave. Stir in the almond flour mixture. The dough may become thick and difficult to stir. I always mix with my hands, which WILL get pretty sticky. CAUTION: the dough will be pretty toasty!
• Add in the egg and vanilla (and the ACV, if using baking SODA). Knead with hands until the mixture forms a consistent dough.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on a flat working surface. Plop the dough not the parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the top.
• Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on top of the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll to about ¼ inch thick. If desired, slice off parts of the top and bottom to add to the sides to create a more uniform rectangle shape of dough.

For the FIlling:

• Mix the butter, powdered sweetener, liquid sweetener, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the rolled out dough using a brush.
• If desired, you can mix the butter and liquid sweetener together and then sprinkle the dry ingredients on, but I prefer to mix it all together.
• Use the edge of the bottom parchment paper to gently pull up one of the long sides of the dough.
• Roll the bottom of the dough up and then continue rolling until you've used all of the dough.
• Slice the dough into equal sized 12 pieces.
• Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Check at 15 minutes.
• Remove the rolls from the oven and allow them to cool.
• Serve and enjoy!

Items mentioned in this post:

The post Cinnamon Roll Recipe Grain-free, Low Carb | Boiron Acidil appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.

Finding Inspiration

When I first started reflecting on this word, a lot of things came to mind. Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so there’s people, food, and celebration, and honestly, there’s a lot of love and happiness around me in general. But what really stuck to me in the end, and repeatedly through this whole pandemic, is the simple everyday joys with my family. Specifically things that belong just to us. Things like our yearly fall leaf play.

We moved back to Kansas, my home state, a little over two years ago. My husband and I had moved to Texas a few weeks before my first was born. Travel back and forth was frequent, but due to timing, schedules, kids ages, and Texas “seasons,” the boys never really got to experience playing in piles of leaves. We changed that the first year back. 

We have two trees in the front yard and one in the back. The two in the front just barely belong to our neighbors on each side, and not us, but a very large chunk of their leaves land in our yard. My husband and I went to rake them up, and the boys instinctively knew what to do. So I grabbed my camera and captured the fun and joy. 

Last year my oldest knew to expect it and would ask for months leading up to Fall when we could play in the leaves again. As soon as it happened we were out making piles, laughing, tossing, fighting, and capturing more memories with my camera. 

Officially a Tradition

This year was no different. The “great fall” hit and the backyard was covered. I grabbed a rake and headed outside, knowing that the boys would soon follow. Sure enough, they headed my way. They were thrilled when I started raking up the leaves into a great big pile. I even had to get them their own rakes so that they could help. My oldest attempted to coax more leaves off of the tree. Somehow the giant pile that they could easily disappear in, was not enough leaves. 

They ran, they jumped, they played. There was laughter, tears, and maybe some stern looks. 

Then we upped the fun factor. 

Daddy had gotten a leaf vacuum over the Winter and it was begging to be opened. We spend it up, assembled it easy, and started charging the battery. In the mean time the boys took turns playing with the leaf blower. Leaves were flying everywhere. Once charged up, we tested out the vacuum. My youngest thoroughly enjoyed “feeding” the vacuum, and my oldest enjoyed helping me dump the mulched leaves into our composter. 

We finished up a few batteries worth of fun, and headed in for dinner. The next afternoon we were back at it with fresh batteries, and the vacuum was switched from vacuum mode, to blower mode. Each boy had his own, so less time was spent figuring out whose turn it was, and more time was spent sending leaves into the sky and watching them fall. 

Capturing Memories

I grabbed my “big girl camera” and snapped away. Talking to them and laughing. Gently steering away leafy attacks. Do any other moms avoid laying down anywhere for fear their kids will instantly dog pile on them? Taking photos laying on the ground can be a dangerous business, but the angle makes for great shots! 

More batteries dead, and time again for dinner. But the joy from our small family tradition carried us each to bed with a smile. The flashes of memories, made more clear through my images, only increase the joy for me, and my family as well. Something to look back on and savor the small moments together. 

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “Savor”.

The post Remember to Savor the Everyday Moments appeared first on Simply Holly Jo.