Mrs. H

What If…

What if I could tell you something that would change your life?

No, I haven’t found the seed to a magical money tree.

No, I haven’t found a magic potion to fix all your health problems.

But actually, I HAVE found something that isn’t too far from either thing. Seriously. And I’ll start by telling you that I was the biggest skeptic ever. (I have a couple friends who could tell you just how skeptical I was.) This is not a “get rich quick” scheme. And it’s not some crazy diet that makes you eat weird things or avoid wonderful things. Nope. None of that.

Still interested? It’s called Plexus. Yup. Plexus. Maybe you’ve heard of it. These plant-based products (YES – all plant-based, no weird man-made chemicals that will someday be ruled unsafe for human consumption) are literally cleaning out my gut and changing my life.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some days it would be in what felt like total remission and I’d be just fine… only a few minutes of stiffness in my joints. I could stretch it out and move on. Some days, my hands would ache, or I couldn’t bare to sit on the floor because my back just hurt too bad. Until I started Plexus. I hopped onto the Tri-Plex combo – drinking Slim (a product that balances my blood sugar), taking BioCleanse (a product that cleans out the crap – literally – and helps my body remove waste in a more efficient manner), and taking ProBio5 (an intense probiotic that doesn’t dissolve til it’s deep in my gut… and then it unleashes tons of good bacteria to help lil ole autoimmune me actually fight off the bad stuff!). And omg y’all. Seriously. OMG. My last appointment to my rheumatologist, he was in SHOCK. He said he’s never had anyone mark ALL zeros for pain/stiffness. Ever. He was so amazed that he’s looking into the products for himself! I truly have a life that is changed. I NOW know what total remission feels like. I still stretch when I wake up – out of habit, but not out of necessity!!

I won’t lie and tell you it was instant. I won’t lie and tell you that the first couple of weeks of detox were a piece of cake. Because it wasn’t instant. And the detox sucked. But I had had enough friends tell me the products would work, that I was determined to stick with it. And heck, it’s got a 60 day money back guarantee, so I was gonna try it for 59 freakin days before I gave up!!! And, well, here I sit. Hooked. Totally unwilling to ever give it up.

And… I’m ready to try more! I’m ready to beat the holiday bulge by trying another Plexus product, called Block. It helps me (totally addicted to sugar and carbs) to fight weight gain by absorbing 1/2 of the carbs I consume and balancing my blood sugar… and well, if it means I can eat that second piece of pie after Thanksgiving dinner without feeling guilt, OR tighter pants, I’m all for it! But the best part, y’all, is that I’m inviting you to join me!

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Even if you are skeptical. Even if you aren’t sure. With a group to support you and hold you accountable, you can jump in and start working on a healthier you just by cleaning out your gut! And I’ll be right there every step of the way as your Ambassador – to help you out, answer questions, and offer encouragement! And remember… 60 day money back guarantee! Who’s in? Who will give your body 59 days to feel like a whole new person? Because it won’t even take that long! Simply shoot me an email here and let me know that you want more info about how you too can Block The Bulge! I’d love to have you join my Bulge Blockers Team!

A Letter of Love

Last night I watched the movie “Miracles from Heaven”… and it really got me thinking. I wrote this letter to my son, and sent it to the special email account we created for him before he was born. I’ve been emailing him (and his sister at her account) off and on as things come up. And then, when he is old enough (probably 21, maybe older), I will share the email address and password with him, and he can begin to go and read these letters. Some of them, I share here on my blog. This is one I felt compelled to share. I hope it is a blessing to someone. Here’s a picture of my lil man playing with chalk paints taken this past week. It’s hard to imagine him a grown man reading this letter, but I pray that someday he will read it, and that it will be a blessing to him.

Hey sweet boy!

By the time you are reading this letter, you’ll be old enough to know the story of how you came to be. The story of God’s miracle of you. And how Mommy (and Daddy) learned that sometimes God’s answer is “no” before it is “yes.”

But this week, I’m thinking about it all over again, and I felt lead to write you this letter. Three years ago this week, I felt you move inside of me for the first time. It was almost like some unspoken covenant from God that THIS was the child I would carry to full term. It was way too early for me to be feeling you, and yet, there you were – my steady kicker who moved ten times more than your sister ever had. Your movements felt like a promise because three years ago this week was also when I was due with your first little angel sibling. Thinking back to when we lost that baby, so very early into our pregnancy, and yet still such a raw and painful feeling… I was so desperately sad. And then, when we lost the second just a couple months later, I was mad at God. Why would He let me get pregnant and then take my babies away? I’ll never understand the answer to that question. But I do know one thing – YOU are a miracle, and every single day I treasure you just a little bit more than I probably would have if we wouldn’t have had that struggle.

Sometimes God walks us through the fire before He gives us the miracle we need… so that we will lean on Him more. So that we will trust in Him and remember He is in control. So that we will fully appreciate the miracle on the other side. Because, if either of those other two babies had lived, we never would have had you. YOU are the answer to why they weren’t meant to be.

So when you struggle in life with wondering why God’s answer is “no”… or maybe He even seems totally silent and the answer is “not right now,” I know it’s hard to be patient. I know it’s hard to trust. I know how easy it is to lose your faith. Because I have been there. But you have the distinct ability that not many people have to be able to just go and look in the mirror. YOU were our answer to “no” and “not right now.” Your LIFE is the perfect picture of God’s perfect plan. Your life may not feel like it’s God’s perfect plan all the time. But YOU ARE A MIRACLE!! He created you with special purpose and meaning. Back in the spring of 2013, months before you were even conceived, He had YOU in mind. He knew YOU. He loved YOU. And He was planning for YOU. He said “no” to two other babies so that YOU might live.

Also don’t lose sight of the strength that comes from the journey. The Bible tells us that in this life we will have pain. We will have sorrow. But to have HOPE – because HE has overcome all the problems of the world. And through the struggles, He gives us strength to overcome. He teaches us to lean a little harder on Him. And He teaches us to reach out to our brothers and sisters who struggle – to support them and be an actual physical leaning post here on this Earth.

I will never fully understand why God wanted me to have two miscarriages before having you. It seems like everything would have been so much easier if I just hadn’t even gotten pregnant until it was time for you. But when I look back at all of the women that I have been able to encourage when they walked through the same valley… and when I think of all of the women that I have been able to bond with by sharing my story and realizing they have walked a similar path… then I start to get a glimpse of the “why.” When I realize how much stronger my faith became – BECAUSE I questioned God, BECAUSE I raged at God, BECAUSE I fell into a heap of emotional mess at His feet when I finally gave up – then I start to get another glimpse of God’s “why.” When I realize how much stronger of a marriage your Daddy and I have because of the fire we walked through together, I start to get yet another glimpse of God’s “why.” I learned that when I am weak, God has given me a very physical representation of His love right here on Earth to lean on. Your Daddy will be strong when I need him. He will lift me up and carry me when I can’t walk – both literally and figuratively.

Most of all, I learned that the old saying “everything happens for a reason” really is true. But for us, we could modify it to say “Grayson happened for a reason.” God has a reason for you. He has a purpose for you. Even if you don’t see it today or tomorrow or next week or six years from now. Your life has meaning. Your life has purpose. Your life is special. Go look in the mirror. YOUR LIFE IS TRULY A MIRACLE.

I’m praying for you, my sweet boy. Every single day. That you will grow into the man God wants you to be. That whoever is the woman to be your helpmate will be strong in her faith, and that she will build you up and encourage you. I pray the two of you never have to walk through the same fires that Daddy and I have walked, but if you do, look in the mirror. When you walk through different trials together, remember Who is in charge. And remember that “why” doesn’t always have an answer that we can comprehend, but He is in control. And He really does have a plan. He loves you, and He created you. YOU ARE A MIRACLE. The woman walking beside you is a miracle who was created JUST FOR YOU. Love her. Cherish her. And carry her through the fire. Being broken together makes the bonds of healing so much stronger. Your cord of three will never fully unravel when you lean on each other, and together lean on Him.

I love you, Baby Boy. I love you, Little Bear. I love you, Bubs. I love you, Gray Gray. I love you, Grayson Cody Hinnant. No matter how old you are when you read this. My love for you will never die. “I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my Baby you’ll be.”

Love,

Mommy

Writing About Thankfulness

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In my original post in this series, I mentioned setting up a Thankful Journal for Becca, and I showed how I put it together. I wanted to show you how my original plan evolved, and what we’re doing. Becca has decided also that she wants to do her journal every day until the book is full! So, at least for now, we’re thinking we’ll keep doing this beyond November.

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I had her practice her handwriting to write the title on the cover, and then she has been having great fun looking through magazines to find illustrations for things she is thankful for. Right now, I’m writing “I am thankful for” and then she finishes the sentence and writes the date. We practice sounding out the words to figure out how to spell them, and I help her with silent letters or tricky spellings.

Another super fun writing activity that we did, I actually wrote the words, but she came up with them. We did this Thankful Alphabet activity, which is a free printable found here.

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Then we hung it on the refrigerator with Grayson’s list of friends he is thankful for (See my Toddler Thanksgiving post here). The kids love having their thankful lists on the fridge!

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boo-thankful — Yup. That says “Lepidopterists” on L, and “Unicorns” on U. Because that’s the world we live in – one that is very scientific and based in fact, but dusted with glitter, fairy dust, and lots of make believe. 🙂

Looking for more fun FREE Thanksgiving writing and handwriting printables? Just click on the pictures below to see what else we’re working on this month!

Thankfulness and Thanksgiving – for your Toddler

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Continuing my series on Thankfulness and Thanksgiving, I wanted to give you some ideas of things you can do with your little ones – the toddlers in your house who are just beginning to get the concept of saying “thank you” when you give them something.

I started with a very basic activity for Gray – I asked him, “Who are your friends that you thank Jesus for?” Then, I wrote each of their names on a leaf – from this free printable (shown below) and then we hung it on the refrigerator. He was so proud of his paper! “Those Gray friends! I say thank you Jesus my friends!” Get your own copy of the printable here (it’s page 4 of the free document).

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I also wanted him to be able to participate in some of the thankfulness art he had seen Sister doing, by letting him make some of his own Homemade Cards for his teacher at Mother’s Day Out, and for his nursery teacher on Sunday mornings. He also wanted to make pictures for his grandparents. I started him out by simply painting over leaves, and then once it turned into a full-on sensory activity (I knew it would – the boy loves to paint his hands!) then, I grabbed more sheets of paper and helped him make hand prints, which I turned into turkeys.

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I have a couple of cute poems that I’ve pinned over on my Thanksgiving pin board, and I’ll select one of those to write inside the cards. Super simple, but he had a blast feeling the paint, being tickled by the paint brush, and feeling the silk leaves. It was a great sensory activity that was lots of fun for him!

Note – I love using acrylic paint for kid projects because it easily washes off of skin, and dries quickly on paper. BUT it stains clothing, so we usually do those projects either with a smock, or with him in his diaper.

Back to the original Thankfulness and Thanksgiving post.

Saying Thank You with A Handmade Card

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There are a million different ways to make cards. But I wanted to do something unique with Becca. I had a package of silk leaves from Hobby Lobby, and I was wondering what to do with them. And then it hit me – leaf cards!

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As you can see, they turned out beautiful. Here’s what we did, and the thoughts behind them.

Peel the plastic stem backing off of silk leaves (or collect fresh fall leaves if you have them!)
Gather card stock paper that is thick. Fold each sheet in half. (However many you decide to make is up to you.)
Mix a little bit of water in a bowl with a lot of glue – just runny enough to be able to paint with the glue. Completely cover a sheet of thick card stock with the watery glue, leaves, and more watery glue on top.
Lay them open flat to dry – on a plastic tablecloth or place mat. NOTE – they will be wet enough that if you have used colored card stock, the wetness of the glue will leave color on whatever you let them dry on… I had to Ajax my white countertop to remove the orange. Not even Magic Eraser would get it off. Thankfully Ajax w bleach did the trick. (So learn from my mistake!) They will take quite a while to dry if you’ve used enough glue to truly hold the leaves on.
Once they are dry, fold them back closed, and place a heavy pan on top of the stack of cards for a day or so to re-crease them.
Have your child dictate (or write) thank you notes to community helpers who make a difference, send to grandparents, or to other special people that your child wants to say thank you to. (We are sending notes to our pastor, our local sheriff’s office, the guy at our post office who always helps us, and for the volunteers at our local fire department.) If you’re going to mail, you’ll need to make sure that your paper starts out small enough to fit the leaves and everything inside an envelope. Since we’re hand-delivering ours, we didn’t worry about the size, and I just used full 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper folded in half.

Looking for more Thankfulness and Thanksgiving ideas to use with your kids? Check back here on Monday, and all next week!

The original Thankfulness and Thanksgiving post is here.