Our society is currently facing a global health crisis. Real, nourishing foods have been replaced with “frankenfood”— addictive, synthetic, processed food-like substances that trick our bodies into craving them, even though they lack vital nutrients and are highly toxic to our systems. Because of soil depletion due to irresponsible agricultural practices, even the real, whole fruits & veggies we can buy today are far less rich in vitamins and minerals than they were 100 years ago. This impacts our lives on a physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual level— whether or not most of us are aware of it.

I began my health journey back in 2014 when Joel and I decided to begin growing our family. I joined an online community of natural-minded mamas in order to plan for the transformational year ahead of me. It was within that community that I began to learn about the toxic substances in our cleaning products, hygiene products, and even our food. Horrified, I set out to detoxify our lifestyle. I read Nina Planck’s book, “Real Food for Mother and Baby,” (life changing!) and began implementing her recommendations immediately. Real, organic food and pasture-raised, sustainably-sourced meats became the foundation of our diet. Our health improved dramatically, and after months of trying to conceive, I finally became pregnant with our first babe.

7 years and 3 kids later, I am still very passionate about health and wellness. I believe our health is our most valuable asset, and I invest a lot into the health of my family. Our health is our own responsibility, and I take that responsibility seriously. I do not believe that health comes in the form of pharmaceuticals. Taking synthetic medicines and pills is sickness management, not health.

We have a daily wellness routine and a whole food & herb based wellness arsenal that supports our health holistically— promoting deep cellular nourishment while consistently, gently detoxing our bodies from the toxins we inevitably encounter daily…

Recently I’ve had quite a few people asking me about homeschooling. With schools out of session due to stay-at-home orders, people are adjusting to this “new normal.” Some are wondering how us homeschoolers do this every single day, some are feeling let down by the current system, some are enjoying “playing homeschool,” some are wishing that schools would just shut down completely instead of forcing everyone to comply with distance schooling efforts, and many seem to be getting curious about alternative schooling options. I’m happy to share what I have learned, as well as what works for us.

There is SO MUCH information out there regarding homeschooling. There are many different methods and philosophies. Most of us homeschoolers mix and match these to fit each of our family’s needs. I think that’s the most important point to make — every family is different. Every child is different. So everyone’s homeschooling methods should look a bit different. The whole point of homeschool is that it is flexible and adaptable, so it is better able to meet you and your child’s specific needs…

Have you heard the buzz over the magic of elderberries yet? Nature provides us with so many wonderful herbs to support our health, and Black Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are especially helpful during cold + flu symptoms. They have been shown to both reduce the risk of contracting cold/flu illnesses as well as shorten the duration of illness if you do contract one.

In fact, world-renowned Israeli virologist Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu discovered that: “elderberry disarms the enzyme viruses use to penetrate healthy cells in the lining of the nose and throat. Taken before infection, it prevents infection. Taken after infection, it prevents spread of the virus through the respiratory tract. In a clinical trial, 20% of study subjects reported significant improvement within 24 hours, 70% by 48 hours, and 90% claimed complete cure in three days. In contrast, subjects receiving the placebo required 6 days to recover.”

I like to be proactive about my family’s health and wellness by supporting our bodies in a way that makes it unlikely that illness will be able to take hold. Elderberry syrup is one of the ways I support my family’s wellness through cold + flu season. However, buying it pre-made can be VERY costly. One tiny bottle can be $20-30!! When you consider you can buy a whole pound of elderberries for this amount of money, which will make enough syrup to last our family of five through TWO cold/flu seasons, then it’s really no competition. And making elderberry syrup is so easy and quick! You can have this herbal remedy brewed in under an hour…

I’ve been feeling the call to be more self sufficient— to take my family’s health and future into my own hands and not rely too heavily on outside sources. Have you?

A few weeks ago, I started a popular herbal Oxymel— Fire Cider! The Greek word Oxymeli means “acid and honey”— which is exactly what an oxymel consists of. They are herbal medicines made with apple cider vinegar infused with herbs, then mixed with honey. Fire cider is a long held old fashioned remedy that is used to boost the immune system and to help aid the upper respiratory system. I decided to prepare a large batch for this years cold/flu season, because I am a big believer in terrain theory (over the commonly held germ theory.) I believe that if we support our bodies and immune systems, that we are able to avoid illness even if we come into contact with the germs…

Years ago, in the early days of my relationship with my now-husband, he told me about an exquisite, elusive dessert called the “Bambino Huey.” He had experienced it in an italian restaurant called “Boccone’s,” and he absolutely raved about its flavor and uniqueness. Boccone’s closed when he was a teenager and he hadn’t seen the dessert for nearly 20 years by the time he was telling me about it. His eyes lit up and I could almost hear his stomach growl as he described the special treat.

A few years and two kids later, my husband’s mom surprised him with some “Bambino Huey” for his birthday. Turns out, Al (the creator) was selling it out of The Bread Box bakery in Artisans’ Alley, San Antonio. She bought it “to go” in individual plastic ramekins, and we re-heated it and added real whipped cream at home. This was my first time to try the “Bambino Huey” and OH MY GOODNESS Y’ALL… it totally lived up to the hype! It was creamy and gooey and buttery and decadent and delicious! I had never tasted anything like it, so it was difficult to describe it. It was such a mystery, my mind started trying to piece together the flavors I was tasting. We were so excited to be able to get our hands on this delectable dish, but it wasn’t for long. The very next time we visited San Antonio, we went to The Bread Box only to find that he had stopped selling them there!

Another year or two passed before we heard news that Al would be selling his famous dessert at Conroy’s Bar & Grill. We were elated! We purchased them a few times through Conroy’s and delighted over the ability to get our “Bambino Huey Fix” once again. However, they were quite expensive, and my mind kept mulling over the flavors. I knew that this recipe was not that complex. I could see there was a cake-like layer with an additional goey, buttery, cream-cheesy layer. I just had to get the right ratios. So, inspired, I started testing recipes. It took me a few tries, but I now have a finalized recipe that our family swears is even BETTER than the original (dare I say it?).

So, without further ado, here is my Copycat Bambino Huey Recipe (I call it Bambino Huxley, named for my youngest son)…

Many of you over on my instagram page saw us creating these in my stories and asked about the materials we used, so I thought I’d share here on the blog.

As a homeschooling mama, I’m always on the lookout for fun, hands-on projects to do with the kids. I’ve never used air dry clay before, but I thought ‘what the hey, I’ll try this stuff out.’

IT. WAS. SO. FUN. Y’ALL!

It is remarkably workable, and very similar to other clay I’ve worked with back when I played around with ceramics often (still a dream of mine to get back into that…). We had so much fun that I’m considering buying this BIG box of clay soon so that the kids and I can create clay models to our hearts’ content.

Anywho… so I started out with the idea of making some small catch-all bowls with this air-dry clay. Then my inspiration ran away with me and I decided I wanted some options for extra decor. I decided to grab some tiny mosaic tiles and pressed flowers as well. Since I wanted to be sure the add-ons were protected and I wanted a way to seal the end results, I also got some paintbrushes and Mod Podge.

Once we had all the supplies, we were ready to go! We just had to wait until Huxley was down for a nap so that he didn’t try to swallow the mosaic tiles or stick his foot into our masterpieces…