Wow! What A Year for Boho and Mo!

Well, first I'd like to thank all of you who follow my blog and Facebook page! Thank you so much for allowing Boho and me into your lives. I hope I've been able to provide you with some insight, camaraderie, and fun over the last few months. It's been great getting to know you all!

I find myself reflecting on this incredible year, 2013. In one years time, I founded and began building Boho and Mo, opened my Etsy shop, was diagnosed with Lupus, began a whole new way of eating, and premiered this blog. In just a few short months, I've built my Facebook page, Boho and Mo, from just three "Likes" ( my husband, my Mom, my sister) to 456 "Likes". That's 456 people I have the opportunity to help!

The whole reason I founded Boho and Mo was to help others to heal through information and my own experiences.  And, at the same time, I wanted to do my part for our wonderful country.  This is why I repurpose, recycle, upcycle, and fight against companies and people who try to poison us. I do what I can to protect the citizens of this fine nation from those who want to take away our liberties and safety.

In the new year, expect many changes. I will continue to grow Boho and Mo in new ways. My Etsy shop will grow to include a full all-natural skincare, body care, and household cleaning line of products. I will also be adding more vintage and handcrafted clothing and accessories. I aim to make into a shop where you can find everything you need to live naturally.

I will also focus more on natural, healthy pet information. After all, it is Boho who inspired me to create Boho and Mo!

So, as we enter into this new year together, I promise to keep the information coming in new and interesting ways. I hope you'll stick around. And, please feel free to comment and share your experiences. I love hearing from you all!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Wrapup!

 Boho waiting for Santa

Well, it's been a hectic week in our household! We've been through snow storms, frigid temperatures, car problems, gift shopping and wrapping, and various trips to the Post Office! I'm sure everyone is a bit frazzled by now.

It occurred to me after I took this photograph, the reason so many people out here are cranky this time of year.  For pretty much three months or more out of the year, our world goes completely black and white for days on end. I believe this was on day five!  While watching the Canadian geese feed in my backyard, I realized that there was NO color. Even the geese are black and gray! 

So, to cheer us all up, I lit the Christmas tree and put Boho in her cute pink pajamas. I,then, started baking grain free treats. We all enjoyed a nice, warm fire while sipping hot cocoa. Later, we cuddled up in bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, we awoke to sunshine! The color had returned, even if just for a day!

Remember, the darkness only lasts for a short time.  The light will always come back!

French Fried! Are McDonald's Fries Really Gluten Free?

Yea, that's Boho with Santa! Last weekend, I was running errands with my husband. You know, buying Christmas gifts, bringing Boho to see Santa, and getting groceries for holiday baking. When my husband suggested we get a quick bite to eat, I began to panic a bit. My choices were pretty limited; and, I was starving. McDonalds was in sight. So, that's where we ended up. I had read that the fries were gluten free. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical. But, as I'm known to do, I decided to become a Guinee pig. I ordered a large fries and down the hatch they went.

Well, about ten minutes later, my lips became swollen with hives! I then broke out in hives around my mouth and on my neck. I looked like I had a bad lip injection job! Yikes!

About an hour later, I had pains in my stomach. Next, my tongue began to swell.  I was miserable!

Since then, I have been trying to heal myself. I have sores in my mouth, my gums are bleeding again. It seems all the progress I made was completely destroyed. I'm not sure if I reacted so badly because I was so careful before that day; or, if the fries were simply poison to my system.  All I know, is that the damage is real and hard to remedy.

Please take this as a warning. I will no longer believe a company when they say their foods are gluten free. I will do more research.  Better yet, I'll pack my own snacks when I know I'll be away from home for awhile. It is possible that the fries were fried in contaminated oil. But, restaurants need to be more careful when stating their foods are gluten free. They need to be more aware of cross-contamination issues.

So, now I'm on a strict Paleo regimen, No potatoes, no grain of any kind, no rice, and absolutely NO SUGAR. This Guinee pig is retiring for the time being. I had actually started to feel good again before this happened.  I think we all think that we can loosen up after we start to feel better.  We forget what it's like to feel horrible everyday.  We are human, after all.

I can tell you I will NEVER forget AGAIN! I hope my misery can serve as a warning to you. Be careful who you trust in the food industry!

I should end this post by stating that I do not hate McDonalds. I think they are a great company who provides jobs for so many people. I would, however, urge them to review their gluten free guidelines. People's health and well being are on the line. For some of us, this is NOT simply a fad. It's life or death!

Faith and A Fiat 500

Now, you may be wondering what a Fiat has to do with a person's faith. Well, let me explain.  Over the last eight years, my husband and I have purchased six used cars, two for him, two for his son, and two for his daughter. Meanwhile, I was driving my sturdy 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

It was Momma's turn to get a new car!

However, Momma didn't know what she wanted.  I knew I wanted something small. So, I started looking around. I finally settled on a Fiat or a Prius. I figured by early 2014, I would decide. I had some time. The Jeep was really good in winter weather; so, keeping it over the winter months was sensible.

Then, life hit! My stepson totaled his car in a collision. He, luckily, was unharmed. But, he needed a car.  Rather than spend our money on a third car for him, we decided to give him my trusty Jeep. I would then rent a car until I could decide what car I wanted to buy.

I researched the cheapest rental I could find. I ended up in a little Hyndai. I don't remember the model because it really wasn't what I wanted to buy. It was a cute little car though. We rented it for a month.  On Wednesday, my husband received a call that the car was due back at the rental place. Wow, did that month go by fast! We had planned to simply re-rent the car for another month because we hadn't had time for me to test drive the Fiat 500 or the Prius.  The rental place had other ideas.  They wanted to charge us almost double the rate we'd paid before for the rental another month! We brought the car back at once!

My husband got on the phone and started calling different rental companies to get the best rate. He found a place nearby and scheduled a pickup for Friday because they were going to be getting a few compact cars in on Thursday. They would have them cleaned and ready to go Friday morning.

On Thursday, my husband asked if I had made my final decision yet. I was pretty sure I wanted the Prius.  He asked if I wanted to go to a dealership to drive the Fiat 500. His reasoning was that I had talked about the Fiat for so long and pinned a photo of one on my wish board, maybe I was settling on the Prius because it was less expensive ( We don't usually buy new, always used.)  I assured him that was not the case. But, it definitely was a consideration. So, I was almost sure I wanted the Prius.

Friday morning, we headed to the rental company.  When we pulled up to the storefront, a Fiat 500 was parked in the spot beside us. I looked at it a laughed. My husband asked, " Wouldn't it be funny if that was your rental car?" I replied," That would be hilarious!" We walked into the place and sidled up to the counter.  After the pleasantries, the rental agent announced," We have you renting the Fiat 500 out there. But, you can choose another one.....".  We busted out laughing! My husband told him he could stop right there because the Fiat would be perfect! Then, we told him the story so he wouldn't think we were off our rockers. He probably thought that anyway!

I am now doing a monthlong test drive of a Fiat 500.  I should definitely be able to make up my mind after this!

How does that story teach anyone about faith, you ask.  You see, I live my life knowing that everything happens according to God's plan. When something happens, good or bad, I never ask why. My faith is so strong that I just know everything is going to turn out the way it's supposed to, according to what God has planned for me.

In the past, I questioned and pitied myself. When I lived like that, I was miserable and depressed.  Then, I started to understand that the more I fought God's will for me, the more unhappy I became. The minute I started to flow with the signs and put my TOTAL trust in God, I became immeasurably happy.  This doesn't mean that bad things never happen to my family. But, when they do, I am comforted by the fact that there is a reason to lead us to a better path.

That is how a Fiat 500 helped strengthen our faith. It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Have a blessed week!

Oh, and on a side note, the Fiat had just been driven in from Wyoming! What are the chances?!

Good Grief! Did you just pull that Naturapathic Doctor Degree out of your butt?

 Say what?

Hey, folks. I'm taking this space away from my scheduled blog post to rant a bit. I just read another ill-advised comment on someone else's Facebook page. Now, mind you, this was not a comment from the owner of the page. Most of the people running their own pages are pretty knowledgable.  This was a comment from a random person, answering a question from a reader with a friend who had just been diagnosed with Lupus. This uninformed person stated, quite matter of factly, that Lupus was Lyme disease! Aargh!

I went on to read other rediculous comments and advice. I honestly do not know where some of these people get this information! Seriously, do they pull it out of their butts?! They must because no where can you find this baloney.

I'm sure many are well-meaning. But by spewing this garbage to people who are just looking for help, you are NOT helping anyone. If you're going to offer advice, make sure you know what the heck you are talking about. If you're not certified, degreed, or have been through something similar yourself, keep your advice to yourself.

If you're looking for help, don't trust everything you read online. Find people you can trust. Find certified and/or degreed herbalists, homeopaths, naturapathic doctors, chiropractors, etc. Read books written by people who have been through what you're going through. There are wonderful bloggers and writers with quality information. I will do my best to weed through the good and the bad. But, I cannot protect you from the random comment goofball.

I'm not reading any more comments tonight. I've already lost enough hair for now!

Some bloggers I trust:

Whole New Mom

Mommypottamus (I hope I spelled that right)

Coconut Momma

Danielle Walker, Against all Grain

That's a good start. I'll post more later this week. Until then, trust your gut. If it sounds stupid, ignore it! Thanks for putting up with my rant! I needed that!