I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Wallace at a Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy Connect Conference last year.

She is a physical therapist and owner of the Duchenne Therapy Network.

In June of 2014, Cure Duchenne announced that they would be partnering up with her and traveling around the country to provide training to other physical therapists and parents.

Jennifer will be coming out to speak with Jackson’s physical therapists in the next month, and we are SO excited to learn from her!

She has a YouTube Channel where she shares videos every few months and I wanted to post some of those here today.

They are so beneficial and I always learn so much from each one.

The first one is THE BASICS of STRETCHING in DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.

Video 1

She covers about 6 or 7 of the most important stretches to keep our boys’ muscles flexible and able to keep them walking.

Here is a PDF that you can print out with all the stretches on it:

Daily-Stretches-rev-20141

VIDEO 2

This video focuses on Ankle Mobility.

Jennifer shows AFO’s (Ankle Foot Orthotics), which are what Jackson wears at night.

He recently outgrew his first pair, so he has moved on to another type of AFO Night Splint.

She also discusses serial casting.

Video 3

This video talks all about the importance of swimming.

Here is a printable sheet that goes over the best pool activities for our Duchenne boys’.

Pool-activities-rev-2014

Video 4

and the last video deals with Mobility Scooters.

When one is needed and how easy they are to fold down into the back of a small suv.

That is the first series of video, stay tuned and I will share the next 4 videos.

I am SO excited about this book,

The Food Babe Way

by Vani Hari

I am part of her Food Babe Army and I was able to get the chance to read her book before it was published and available for purchase.

I am so happy to share the incredible wealth of knowledge I learned from this book with you.

I  find it so astounding that her mother and father named her Vani, a name that she hated as a child, but in  Indian, it means

“voice”-

how prophetic, because she’s definitely developed one.

“Once or twice in a generation a brave scientist or an ordinary citizen stands up to the status quo and tells the truth about what most of us would rather ignore.

 In the guise of fun, colorful, hypertasty, easy-to-eat, convenient foods is creating suffering and sickness around the globe.

Food is not just energy.

Food is information.

It contains instructions that communicate messages to your genes, hormones, immune system, gut flora- in fact, to every system of your body.”

There are so many issues that Vani tackles in this book.

From restaurants like Chick-fil-A,

Chipotle,

Subway,

to corporations like Kraft....

she uses her voice to make these companies be held accountable for the

dangerous ingredients they are using in their foods.

Here are my favorite parts of the book that I wanted to share with you and hope that you too will join the Food Babe and begin making better choices!

At the time of our meeting, more than thirty Kraft macaroni and cheese products laced with artificial dyes were being sold in America.

However, in Europe, Kraft removed the dyes and replaced them with natural ingredients like paprika and beta-carotene.

Scientists have confirmed what was already suspected: that these artificial food dyes, which are made from petroleum, can cause allergic reactions,

may be tainted with carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) and have been linked in at least one study to hyperactivity in children.

Kraft is feeding poison to so many families.

When we pluck food from the supermarket shelves, we trust that manufacturers have our best interests at heart and that the food is all safe to eat.

But we’re being conned.

We’re blighted with increasing rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, and many types of cancer.

It’s easier for doctors to continue treating symptoms instead of causes and for drug companies to develop new,

moneymaking drugs that it is to change the nation’s food supply.

Severe allergies, asthma, stomach issues, and skin problems. My parents took us in and out of doctor’s offices looking for a cure or treatment. We were both on several prescription medications as a result, taking a course of antibiotics and steroids almost every year. I had bad eczema as a child.

I learned how to detoxify my very poisoned body, and when I did, all my health problems started to vanish.

My resolution to break free from my chemical relationship with food.

The Food Babe Army, because they care not only about what they eat and what their families eat, but also about what everyone eats- and they fight for a healthier food supply.

• Do you have extra pounds to lose that you can’t get rid of, no matter what diet you follow?
• Do you struggle with figuring out what to buy and eat?
• Do you find yourself able to focus during the day?
• Do you eat too much processed foods and not enough real food?
• Do you want a clear, brighter, and more vibrant complexion?

Is is Chick-fil-a or Chemical-fil-a?

At Chick-fil-a there are nearly 100 ingredients in the most popular famous sandwich. From antibiotics, to MSG, to artificial food dyes, to GMO’s, and TBHQ. That stands for tertiary butylhydroquinone- an ingredient that is listed twice in Chick-fil-a sandwiches, once for the chicken and once for the bun.  It’s created from butane (a very toxic gas) and can only be used at a rate of 0.02 percent of the total oil in a product. Eating only 1 gram of this toxic preservative has been shown to cause all sorts of issues, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children to asthma, allergies, dermatitis, and dizziness. It can even cause stomach cancer in lab animals.

Recently I received a letter from Chick-fil-a executives saying that they have:

• removed yellow #5 and reduced sodium in their chicken soup.
• Removed high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors from several sauces and dressings.
• Test peanut oil without TBHQ.
• Create and test “cleaner” additive-free white buns- without the chemical azodicarbonamide in them. It is a yoga mat toxin. Commercial bakers love it because it helps keep bread nice and spongy- just like it keeps your yoga mat cushiony.

Genetic modification occurs when genes, viruses, or bacteria from one organism are artificially injected into a fruit or vegetable in a process that occurs in a laboratory and not in nature. The result is a GMO, or a genetically modified organism. Genetic modification is done to make a fruit or vegetable more hardy or impervious to the applications of specific pesticides. These pesticides are linked to myriad diseases.

Kraft macaroni and cheese, of course, is laced with all sorts of petroleum-based dyes that at least one study has linked to hyperactivity in children.

They removed them from their UK product,

why not in the US?

In October 2013, they announced that they would eliminate artificial dyes from three macaroni and cheese products.

The company now uses spices such as paprika to color the product marketed to children with cartoon characters and all of their deluxe varieties.

I also targeted  Subway to ask them to remove azodicarbonamide from their bread (the yoga mat chemical).

Subway was serving Americans this ingredient, but not citizens of Europe, Asia, and Australia.

On February 6, 2014, Subway announced that they would remove azodicarbonamide from their bread!

The FDA isn’t looking after you.

They’re looking after food companies.

Make no doubt about it, the food industry is in bed with the FDA.

The less a food has been processed, the more it benefits your health.

Read labels- not so much the calories or carbs in a product, but the list of ingredients.

Eat organic, real food; it’s the best way to protect yourself.

Remember that there are more than 10,000 ingredients added to our food, thousands of which are untested.

You don’t have to know them all.

But there are 15 ingredients you need to recognize.

The Sickening 15

They’re probably in every snack, meal, or beverage you had today.

1. Growth Hormones in meat:

When you eat conventional meat, you’re probably eating hormones, antibiotics, steroids, and chemicals.

The US is one of the only industrialized countries that still allows their animals to be injected with growth hormone.

2. Antibiotics:

They are routinely given to livestock to make them fat. Antibiotics in food are hard to escape. Unless a package is labeled accordingly, you can pretty much guarantee that antibiotics have been used to produce meat and dairy products such as cheese, milk, sour cream, and ice cream. ALWAYS buy antibiotic free meat and dairy. Meat that is certified organic is also antibiotic free.

AND STOP USING that alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The product is killing off all the good bacteria you need to stay healthy. Also, consider taking a probiotic supplement to help fill your gut with good bacteria.

 3. Pesticides:

Pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides are sprayed on fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds- virtually everything grown in nature- and they’re among the most toxic substances on earth, doing untold damage to our bodies.

Apples are the most heavily sprayed fruit. Studies have also linked pesticides to cancer.

Organic foods haven’t been sprayed or treated with synthetic pesticides, fungicides, or other harmful chemicals.  Remember to wash your produce well!

4. Refined & Enriched Flour:

If you buy bread, check the labeling. Make sure it’s made with sprouted “whole wheat” flour or “whole grain” flour. Either one should be the first ingredient on the list. Also, avoid enriched, bleached, and white wheat flour. Choose whole wheat and whole grain, whole oats, rye, buckwheat, almond, or quinoa flour instead.

A great bread is Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread by Food for Life. It’s made from 6 organic sprouted grains and absolutely no flour!

Other good breads to buy are Manna Organics Bread and Dave’s Killer Bread.

5. Bisphenol (BPA)

Instead of buying tomato products in cans, try buying food in glass jars.

Microwave popcorn bags are lined with perfluorooctanic avid (PFOA). This chemical is the same toxic stuff found in Teflon pots and pans. When heated, it has been linked to infertility, cancer, and other diseases in lab animals. The EPA lists this substance as a  carcinogen.

6. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

It’s found in foods too numerous to count. Examples: bread, sodas, flavored yogurt, crackers, and cookies. The rise in obesity in the last 35 years has paralleled the rising use of HFCS.

HFCS makes you fat largely by impacting two hormones, insulin and leptin. When you ingest HFCS, insulin skyrockets, and insulin  promotes fat storage. Not only does this sweetener make your insulin level surge, it also wreaks havoc on the hormone leptin, the body’s appetite regulator.

HFCS suppresses your response to leptin, and you get so hungry you want to eat everything in sight.

Read food package labels for high-fructose corn syrup.

7. Artificial Sweeteners

If you think drinking diet soda is the way to lose weight, think again. Artificial sweeteners, from aspartame to saccharin and everything in between, are bad news for weight control.

Some of these sweeteners, like aspartame may slow down your metabolism. Second, artificial sweeteners actually train people to crave sweets.

8. Preservatives

Start thinking about the shelves of boxed, canned, jarred, and packaged foods as caskets holding dead food. It’s all embalmed with preservatives that will make you feel dead, too.

Among the worst of these preservatives are nitrates, used in means to prevent bacteria growth and maintain color. Toxic to the brain, nitrates are linked to Alzheimer’s disease and many types of cancer.

Both banned all over the globe, but still allowed in the USA, is BHA and BHT. They are petroleum derivatives used to preserve fats and oils.

Watch out for dimethylpolysiloxane in particular, a type of silicone with antifoaming properties that is used in cosmetics and a variety of other goods like Silly Putty. You’ll find it in Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches, McDonald’s french fries, KFC mashed potatoes and biscuits, Taco Bell cinnamon twists, Five Guys french fries, Domino’s breadsticks, etc.

9. Trans Fats

Trans fat helps processed food stay solid at room temperature and lengthen shelf life.

Trans fats are easy to hunt down. Look for “partially hydrogenated” on the ingredient labels of foods like crackers, cookies, pies, and other bakery items; dough; and snack food.

10. Artificial and Natural Flavors

The natural and artificial flavoring chemicals in our foods are contributing to wanting more and more. The word “natural” on a label is virtually bogus. It doesn’t equate with “good”. Read labels. If they list artificial or natural flavors, put those foods back on the shelf.

11. Food Dyes

Artificial food dyes are created synthetically and/or derived from petroleum. They are linked to hyperactivity in children, asthma, allergies, and skin issues. They are banned in certain countries and require a warning label in Europe. The worst offenders are Yellow #5 or tartrazine and Yellow #6 (E110), both of which may be contaminated with the human carcinogen benzidine. Other harmful dyes are Citrus Red #2 (E121), Red #3 (E127), Red #40 (E129), Blue #1 (E133), and Blue #2.

12. Dough Conditioners

There’s a reason most commercially baked bread keeps so well for so long: DOUGH CONDITIONERS.

These chemicals are added to bread dough to strengthen its texture, extend shelf life, and reduce processing time.

One of the ingredients in dough conditioners is the amino acid L-cysteine. It’s made from either human hair or duck feathers.

13. Carrageenan

This additive is an inflammatory agent found in a bunch of products from desserts to toothpaste. Carrageenan is used as a thickener, stabilizer, and/or emulsifier. It has been linked to gastrointestinal problems ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to colon cancer. The organic watchdog group the Cornucopia Institute has called for an outright ban on the use of carrageenan in all food products.

14. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

This “flavor enhancer” is found in fast foods and many processed foods. If you are one of the many people allergic to this, you will get skin rashes, itching, nausea, vomiting, headaches, asthma, heart arrhythmias, depression, and even seizures.

MSG is also linked to obesity. It is listed as monosodium glutamate on labels and is found in restaurant foods, chips, dip, frozen dinners, salad dressings, and soups.

15. Heavy Metals and Neurotoxins

How would you like a nice big helping of aluminum, lead, mercury, or arsenic for dinner. They come through pesticide-sprayed food, farmed fish, and food packaging material.

Everyone knows Americans are fat and getting fatter.

Some startling statistics:

• More than 65% of Americans are overweight, and 33% are obese
• 32% of children are either obese or overweight
• It’s projected that in ten years, 43% of Americans will  be obese
• Obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death, and is linked to 70% of heart disease and 80% of diabetes cases.
• Psychologists say that it takes twenty-one days to form good habits, and holistic nutritionists say it takes twenty-one days to change the chemistry of the body.
• Say NO to bottled water: Break the habit. Plastic water bottles may contain BPA (bisphenol A) and other obesogens that increase the size of fat cells. These chemicals leach from the bottle into the water. I always carry a stainless steel or glass container of water around with me.

So WHY are FOUNTAIN DRINKS SOOOOOO GOOD?

The fountain drinks have a totally different formula than their bottled or canned counterparts found on store shelves. One of the scary ingredients in fountain drinks is dimethylpolysiloxane. This additive is commonly used in vinegary smelling silicone caulks, adhesives, and aquarium sealants. It is also the major component of Silly Putty.

Drinking Diet Sodas

The artificial sweeteners in diet soda have been proven to stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and promote fat storage and weight gain. Researchers from the University of Texas at Houston discovered that drinking diet sodas will expand your waist, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances allowed in our food supply. Since 1980, more than 10,000 complaints have been filed with the FDA.

Another suspect sweetener is erythritol, a sugar alcohol found in Vitamin Water Zero. The body does not easily digest sugar alcohols. As a result, they can cause diarrhea, headache, and other intestinal disorders in some people.

 As for Pasta’s, here are some ideas.

Zucchini Noodles

Spaghetti Squash Noodles (all you have to do is cut it in half and bake for 45 minutes and use a fork to pull out the strands, which resemble noodles.

Bean Pasta’s: Tolerant is a brand that is great and makes lentil based and black bean.

A company named Explore Asian makes the most delicious pasta using 100% mung bean. Eden Foods makes 100% buckwheat noodles, and Ogran offers 90% buckwheat, 10% rice spiral-shaped pasta.

Sprouted Grain Pasta- TruRoots makes delicious pastas. Other ancient grain pastas are VitaSpelt pasta, Jovial Einkorn pasta, quinoa pasta, and Eden Kamut & Quinoa blend.

When we have a love affair with fat, it’s a troubled relationship.

We eat it, then we break up with it.

Is fat good for us or bad for us?

It turns out that it all depends on the type of fat you eat- and the balance of certain fats in your diet.

You can buy The Food Baby Way HERE on Amazon.

I highly, highly recommend it.

There is even MORE amazing things to learn about as Vani dives through our food supply and finds culprits that are harming us everyday.

{BOOK joy}

 I read  NieNie’s book, Heaven is Here,  and actually I haven’t been able to put it down.

I began reading it while I was sick in bed and it only took 2 days to finish it.

It was absolutely amazing and it is definitely one of the best books I’ve read.

It tells the story of a woman, Stephanie Nielsen, who was traveling with her husband Christian in an airplane shortly after he received his pilot’s license.

It tells the story of their life before the crash, what happened during the crash period, and then their life after.

You may recognize them from being on the Oprah show, she was on back in 2009, and told their story then.

She has a wildly popular blog that you can follow as well HERE.

At the time when this book came out, I knew I wanted to read it, but I just didn’t think my library would have a copy available for quite some time, so I kinda just forgot about it.

One day at the library my Heavenly Father was truly guiding me to this book.

You see, I happened to be at the library picking up some books for Jackson and I had a few extra minutes to spare so I walked around.

On my way out I saw a shelf that said “Hot off the Press” and low and behold at my eye level was this book!

I couldn’t believe it was sitting on the shelf.

I knew it was a very popular book and I was SURE that there would be a long waiting list,

so I didn’t even think to put my name on it, at least for about 6 more months or so.

But there it was……..sitting on the shelf.

hmmmm…i thought.

That is SO strange, I wonder why someone hasn’t checked it out.

I turned to walk away.

and then I stopped and came back.

I picked it up and decided to check it out.

I thought for sure that the system would glitch and not let me check it out because it was on hold for someone else,

but the librarian didn’t mention anything except that it was new and therefore had a 14 day limit.

“Great”, I thought. “I will NEVER finish it in time….oh well, I’ll just check it out anyway”.

and off I went on my merry little way.

I got home and put it on my nightstand without another thought.

and a day went by.

I kept thinking how strange it was that it was not checked out so I got on the library’s website to see if there truly were not any holds placed on it.

and that’s when I saw it.

34.

WOW.

I KNEW IT!

I knew that other people wanted to read it.

and then it sunk in……..

if this book has 34 holds on it, how in the WORLD was it possible that I just HAPPENED to pick it up at the library?!

and then i knew.

It was meant to happen.

It was a sign.

I was supposed to read this book.

I’ve really been struggling lately and this must be what I should be reading.

So that night I opened it up.

and I couldn’t put it down.

The next morning I read before the kids woke up.

and then again in the daytime, and finished it that night.

and now I realize why this book was destined to be in my hands right now.

Because it was an answer to a prayer.

A prayer that I have been asking over and over and over again.

This book is special,

it’s message is powerful,

not just for me,

but for so many others.

I cannot say enough how wonderful it is and let me stress that you need to read it!

but don’t get on my library’s waiting list…..because 34 people in front of you is a long time to wait 🙂

Here are some of the quotes that I especially liked from the book:

There is in every true woman’s heart a spark of heavenly heart a spark of heavenly fire,

which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity,

but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.

-Washington Irving

In the Book of Mormon , the prophet Nephi says,

“But Behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen,

because of their faith,

to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

In General Conference a few years earlier, one of the Twelve Apostles, Elder David Bednar, had given a talk about tender mercies.

He taught that tender mercies are moments when you feel personally recognized and assisted by Heavenly Father,

and ever since then, Christian and I had used that phrase to describe those moments in our lives.

My father asked Jesse ( her brother) to give me a priesthood blessing.

The rest of the family bowed their heads and listened as Jesse put his hands on me.

As he spoke, sure that my spirit could hear, he felt impressed to offer me a choice, essentially between heaven and earth.

It was time to decide, he said, if I was going to go or stay.

If I chose to stay in my body, he blessed me with a full recovery, a rich and happy life, and strength and patience as I healed.

 If I wanted to, though, he knew I could leave my mortal life behind.

The next day, my vital signs were up and the infection was almost gone- a tender mercy indeed.

As my mother told me about Jesse’s blessing, a whisper of memory fluttered inside me.

A memory emerged.

I  had made a choice.

I was away from my body, in that beautiful place where I spent time with Nana, and I was asked to choose.

I could stay there if I wanted, and be released from my physical body, or I could go back to Earth.

In either case, I had to work, and it could be accomplished in heaven or on Earth.

If I chose to return to my body, the road would be long and hard.

I would experience pain and embarrassment for the rest of my life, but I would know the joy of having a mortal body.

I missed my body in that moment and suddenly understood the gift a physical body is- even an injured body.

My spirit longed to be in my body again. It was my choice.

I thought about watching my girls get married and my boys go on missions, and I realized I could experience if from afar, but it wouldn’t be the same.

I was told that if I went back to Earth, my life would have meaning and purpose beyond what I could comprehend,

but I was reminded again that it would be difficult.

I asked what I could do to make it easier.

Let the light of your faith inspire other people, I was told.

Share your hope.

Having Nana help me was another confirmation that life does continue beyond this Earth.

It renewed my hope in another life to come, when I wouldn’t be hurt so badly, when my body and my spirit would be healed completely.

“Indeed Heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind”

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

(From the Book Of Mormon about our faith in the resurrection)

“The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul;

yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body;

yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost;

but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.”

Alma 40:23

I made it through the weeks and months after the crash, and through every day since, because I have faith in something larger than myself-

faith that God has a plan for me.

That belief is a source of inner strength that leads me to peace, comfort, and the courage to cope,

even when I don’t really feel like coping.

I know now, without a doubt that the true source of happiness, self-worth, and authentic beauty doesn’t come from the outside.

I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me,

because I have learned- and more than any of the lessons of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody-

that our hearts matter most.

Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself,

and their hearts matter most too,

so be kinder and more compassionate to others.

It’s a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life.

To see the pillow and order it, you can view it here.