Hi! I'm Beth, wife to Tony and mom to three wonderful children, ages 15, 13, and 11. We live in Central Minnesota. While I enjoy doing many things and am involved in many things, my first and most important "job" is at home. This includes managing my home well, feeding my family healthy, real foods, and taking charge of my family's health and healthcare.
I'm educationally trained as an RN, but becoming a mother caused me to research and change my views of health and healthcare. It also changed the ways and products I use to manage my home.
So, while my RN license is still current, I consider myself "re-educated" into a naturally minded mom that has taken charge of my family's health through more historical and natural means like real food, an outdoor and active lifestyle, herbs, and more. I'm convinced that practicing simple healthy habits is what leads to a healthy and abundant long life. Curious about the details that changed my thinking? Read on!
My Background: Immersed in Allopathic Medicine
I grew up in a very "medical" home. My dad is a Nurse Practitioner/Physician's Assistant (yes, he has both degrees). My mom is a Registered Nurse. I went to the doctor often as a child, for everything from ear infections to allergies to asthma to acne. And everything resulted in a medication of some sort.
At home we had a whole cupboard of over-the-counter (OTC) medications ranging from pain killers and cold medicine to antibiotic ointment and the basic multivitamin.
I knew the medical name for hiccups (singultus) and the generic name for Tylenol (acetaminophen). I knew the treatment for fevers, coughs, and sprained ankles... all with OTC medications. After high school I started nursing school and became a Registered Nurse.
I worked a bit in a hospital but mostly at a Bible camp, where I used OTC medications to treat a variety of camper and staff maladies: sore throats, bug bites, poison ivy, sprains, and scrapes. I carefully distributed all the prescription medications brought by the campers each week. And I began to wonder, "Why are all these kids on so many medications?"
How My Thinking Began to Change
I worked at this Bible camp for five years. During this time, I met my husband Tony. He grew up very differently than I did. He rarely went to the doctor and almost never took a prescription or OTC medication.
We got married in June of 2007 and in August found out we were expecting our first child. I still don't know why, but early on I was committed to a natural birth. God was beginning to change my thinking, even though I didn't know it at the time.
Our daughter was born in March of 2008, in a hospital attended by a very naturally-mined midwife. However, that is where the natural healthcare stopped. She received all her v-zines "as scheduled" and had two rounds of antibiotics before her first birthday (due to ear infections). She also experienced one dose of steroids before her second birthday due to croup. Infant Tylenol was also a commonly used to deal with fevers and teething.
This time was also financially challenging for our family. Tony was working two part-time jobs and I began cooking from scratch to save money by reducing our food budget as much as possible. I stumbled upon the "real food movement" and the rest was (slowly) history!
Changing Thoughts About Medical Care
Our son received his two month v-zines (as recommended), but I noticed he was very uncomfortable (not located at the injection site but seemed throughout his whole body) and wanted to nurse often throughout the night. This was unusual since his routine was to only nurse once during the night.
I began researching and stumbled upon stories of people who chose not to take the traditional medical routs and their reasoning behind these decisions. I discovered that I was beginning to feel the same way!
Our son was six months old when our daughter awoke with a tight "croupy" cough. I remembered our trip to the ER, the misdiagnosis, and the trip back to Urgent Care the next morning. I did not want to go through that again!
I dove into researching natural remedies for croup and braved the cold Minnesota winter to drive 30 minutes to the nearest natural food store. There I picked up a few homeopathic remedies.
That evening, when the "croupy" cough surfaced again, I was ready. And it worked! We all slept, and no more tight, croupy cough!
First Experiences with Natural Remedies
Our daughter got her first tooth at 9 months old, and it kind of surprised us. She just popped teeth through without much discomfort. Our son, on the other hand, was another story! He got his first two teeth at 7 months. His nose was runny and I didn't think much of it at first.Then the congestion settled into his lungs, a low-grade fever began, and he didn't sleep well. Finally, his breathing sounded “wheeze-y”.
I took him into the clinic and he had ear infections in both ears! Poor Boy! One round of antibiotics later and he was back to normal, until the next teeth started coming through. I began researching again and discovered homeopathic ear ache drops. We used them for 48 hours each time this occurred and no more problems with ear infections!
Interestingly enough, one winter (when our son was 2 ½). He had been fighting a snotty nose and cough but acting pretty normal. Then the “wheeze-y” breathing started. I still didn't relate it to his ears until we were on a walk and he said that his ears hurt. Then I remembered! I immediately started the homeopathic drops and garlic/mullein ear oil and within 2 days he was better! No more “wheeze-y” breathing and no more ear ache! With each successful treatment I was gaining more experience and confidence in natural remedies.
Embracing a New Normal
In the fall of 2012 our second daughter was born. She was born at home (on purpose this time) through a very uneventful labor and delivery. Our midwifes were wonderful and she never left my side during the whole postpartum experience. She received no medications or v-zines and only a gentle weighing and assessment (after we had snuggled and nursed for a good long time). She's only been seen for a few well-baby check-ups and has received no v-zines.
Now I reach for natural remedies first whenever we have an illness or injury. And it's worked! I'm thankful for great medical care in the area, and will use them if necessary. But we've rarely needed them! (Once for Lyme Disease and once for an x-ray).
I daily use my training as a nurse to assess and think critically about our health and make choices to keep us healthy. When illnesses and injuries happen I can evaluate and make decisions based on what I have learned, as a nurse and as a naturally minded mom!
I'm also convinced that health doesn't come from extreme choices and actions, but from developing and practicing simple healthy habits.
Encouragement for Your Journey
The FAMILY (as defined by the Bible) is the basis for a healthy and functioning society. And most family life takes place in the home. Your children learn about God, how to interact with others, and how to live a healthy life, because of what they learn at home!
Because of this, my goal with Turn2theSimple: to help you be the best mom you can be. I want to help you learn how to manage the physical aspects your home well (laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.). I want to encourage you to "make disciples" of your children. And, I want to enable you to take control of your family's health in natural and God-given ways.
The journey to a more natural and simple life can be overwhelming! I'd be blessed come alongside and encourage you in your journey. Here at Turn2theSimple I share all I'm learning about natural living, natural remedies, and systems to make home a more happy, healthy, place!