Whats in my Hospital Bag

Whats in my Purse Hospital Bag.

Forget the kitschy: "What's in my Purse" videos, because frankly, Guuurl, you can keep your 23 shades of MAC lipstick and your unnecessary bedazzled purse hook. Let's upgrade it and find out: 

"Whats in my Hospital Bag!"

After oodles of researching, YouTube-ing, and advice seeking, I feel as though my hospital overnight(s) bag is officially complete.

*Please note that my Hospital Bag items changed upon finding out I was having a cesarean birth than a natural birth as my stay at The W , I mean hospital, will be for a bit longer than initially anticipated. 

Okay, here we go, Mommy Cap on. I also needed to consider packing a little bag for Pepper (my arriving daughter). Oh boy, it's not just about me anymore. Life is getting real.

Pepper's Bag
🌶(6) Disposable Diapers -My hospital will provide them throughout our stay, but JIC. (just in case)
🌶Cute Swaddle -Practical and adorable makes for great photos and happy baby
🌶Going Home Outfit in two sizes - Includes a little hat, outfit, hand mittens, and socks
🌶Baby Blanket - This will mostly be used upon the car ride home.

Her bag is pretty light compared to mine. Her biggest needs are her Mommy and Daddy, and those are WAY to big to fit in her little satchel.

My Bag - Geared for a 3 day stay
⭐Toiletry Bag (Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Hair Products, Make-up Products, Hair Tie/Clip,   Lip Balm, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Razor, Lotion, Deodorant)
⭐ Nipple Cream
⭐ A few Pads - Hospital will provide upon necessity through my stay.
⭐(6-7) Pairs of comfortable Panties
⭐Nursing Bra
⭐(2) Night Gown/Robes
⭐(2) Pair of Non-Slip Socks
⭐Sandals
⭐(2-3) Comfortable Outfits - One of them is my going home outfit
⭐ Book
⭐ Music Box - I like to listen to nature sounds before I fall asleep as it calms me and hopefully Pepper too.
⭐Phone Charger
⭐My Purse - Ins. Card, ID, Money, Bank Cards, and anything else of necessity
⭐Snacks!!!!
⭐Nursing Pads

Luckily, we live only about 4 miles away from the hospital so if anything of grave importance is forgotten, it's a quick car zoom to the condo for Freddie <3.

If you are a Mommy, what was in your Hospital Bag that was a MUST? - I may sneak it into mine too. <3

SURPRISE!

8/11/18 Baby Shower

Some/ most of you may know, and others, this comes to as a surprise. Well...SURPRISE, I'm expecting my first child this Friday 9/21.

It's been quite a ride for these past nearly 10 months of growing another human being. I can't believe she will be here in about 4 days. It doesn't seem real, and all of this actually feels very much like a story book. Pinch Me, Please!

Since finding out I was pregnant, up until now, Mommies have been haunting me at every Target, finding themselves in line behind me at the grocery store, to even literally bumping into me at an MMA fight. I suppose, Mommies attract other Mommies. It's like we subconsciously summons each other to be in the same vicinity for strength and power; and when we are in the same area, all we need to do is lock eyes real quick and it's a: "girl, I know", with NO words spoken but all the respect given.

Men and Women alike have been so kind and gracious to me. I feel as if, wherever I go there is a red carpet rolled out before me and people cheer, stare with kind eyes and smile at me walking through. Alright - it does sound like a movie, but I swear I'm the STAR.
At first this made me very uncomfortable and uneasy, as being the center of attention is not where I thrive, especially if I'm feeling a bit heavier these days. As time progressed and so did my belly, my mind accepted the special attention and even looked forward to it at times for a bit of a "pick-me-up" if you will.

Luckily, my pregnancy has been such an easy one. I will not brag about this because many women can not relate, but I will say how blessed I have been and I currently still am. I do credit my lifestyle and food choices to the healthiness this pregnancy has graced me with. Being vegan and staying mobile and active has allowed my body to absorb and even avoid the not-so-grate parts of the process.

Here are some stats:

Cravings: Orange juice and Edamame for the first and some of the second trimester, other than that...nothing. (I know, SO BORING).
Loathes: The smell of Fabuloso cleaning solution, the 1st & 2nd trimester I couldn't stand the smell/taste of cracked black pepper, alcohol on people's breath.
Weight Gain: 26lbs
Activity Level: Most every day walking anywhere from 3-8 miles.
Issues/Complications: Breech Baby all the way through
Name: Pepper
Gender: Female
Race: EVERYTHING! (British, Western European, Spanish, Portuguese, Nigerian, Native American,

7/28/18 Freddie's 1st MMA fight (1-0)

Mexican) etc. etc. etc. The race box check will be a confusing one in years to come.

For all of those Mommies out there, brand new, two or three in, and even the OG's...YOU ARE SUPERHUMAN, don't let anyone try to take that away from you.

Our bodies are wildly intricate, nourishing and most of all sexy. I tip my cap to all women out there who have given birth, or who are currently in the process of cooking new life. You are amazing!

A few shout-outs to some amazing women that have recently given birth within the last few months as well as those who are cooking life. <3 Sending strength & love your way:

-Lindsay Lindvall
-Sarah Lee
-Elisha Marie
-Emily Bryant
-Meg Brann
-Meg Dyer
-Ellen Stevens
-Meaghan Stiman-Bakhtiari
-Casey Walsh-Storey
-Hannah Duguie
-Betsy Desjardins
-Teresa Avalos
-Michelle James
-Sophia Vallett
-Joanna Jimenez

What is Your Raw Side?

The Need For Balance Is Real.

Right this moment I am feeling the need to expose a bit of my raw side. It's a portion of my compositional self that is, how do I explain...rather mossy?

Every person has ebb and tide to their emotions, feelings and wants right? It's an uncyclical-cyclical pattern, if that makes ANY sense at all. The body just tells you what it needs in order to function "normally" or even back to balance every now and then...and you must listen!

I mean sometimes for example: you just have this need to exert a ton of internal pent up energy; so you yell at the top of your lungs and/or throw something REALLY hard and ohhhhh, it feels so good and that weight is lifted off your shoulders.

Maybe you've been craving Chinese food; I mean LOTS of Chinese food because you've been so very good all week. After your gluttonous indulgence, the craving is satisfied and your body is ready to take on the world, again!

It could be that the doctor ordered a good dosage of a crazy night out to let loose with no care, and a small consequential hangover in the morning. Ouch, the headache but YES, the freedom!

Every now and then my personal body and internal self needs to be balanced or grounded to feel "normal". My balance and groundation can come in a couple different forms, but most of the time it is in the form of nature. 

If I'm ever feeling "off", c'mon, you know you've had PLENTY of those days....My "off" to me can sometimes feel like my body is heavy on one side, as if I'm carrying a load twice my weight. My eyes are seeing in gray, my irritation levels are peaked and my emotions are glass-jagged.

My cure or psychological calming method is to "feel Earth". It's helped balance me in ways I can't describe with words. When I say "feel Earth" I mean, maybe to intertwine twigs or greenery in my hair, or take a walk on a trail and pick leaves and sticks up along the way, or sometimes its skimming my feet in the water while feeling the sand pull from under me as the tide retracts. It's quite literally, feeling Earth.

Mother Nature is so powerful; from her gusting winds to her leaping fires, she commands balance and respect. She makes me feel alive!

"She is the path that you walk on but she is also the path that engulfs you."

Never forget that. 

The power and energy that is encapsulated in every tree branch to each grain of sand is, to me, some of the greatest and most balancing pieces known to mankind. It's like reaping the benefits of drinking an energy drink, however, it doesn't give me jitters or heart palpitations. It doesn't even offer bad breath or a crash at the end. "Feeling Earth" is a natural energy drink that allocates an invisible superhuman cape to allow perseverence without hesitation. It provides consistent and confident energy to succeed all while healing my mind/body and soul just by being made from the queen of all mothers, Mother Nature. 

Treating her with dignity today will save you from her allocated penance tomorrow. 

You may think I'm certifiable or you may even be able to relate. Either way, I hope you find or know how to find your balance. 

Everyone needs to hit the "reset button" every now and again. Don't be afraid to do it and NEVER be ashamed at what it is that your body craves in order to obtain that feeling of life fulfillment.

Cheers to internal and mental wellbeing!

What is your raw side?

i.move.dogs.

Back at it again, saving fuzzies all over the USA.

Some of you readers may already know that recently I lost my best friend, my companion, my son, my four-legged handsomeness. Kohlo (my dog), may he enjoy jumping from cloud to cloud with no rules for the rest of eternity.  It has been quite the struggle for me whilst coping. I've been reaching at many different ways to free my heart from sadness and refill it with gladness. My emotional volatility has hit many different points on the spectrum of grieving and I'm sure more are to come.

<<Uncontrollable Tears       Heart-renching Sadness       Anger        Pitty     WTF do I do now >> 

My eyes, heart, soul, and body are all so completely TIRED of hanging my head and kicking dirt from the blues, that I really need to readjust myself or these blues will permanently take a toll.

The only person who can change her outlook on an unfortunate situation, 

is none other than her own damn self!  

"Okay Michelle, everything lives and dies. You have shed your tears and reflected long enough. It's now time to redirect your energy and use it toward something productive, something that will make a positive difference." This was and is my internal pep-talk that plays on repeat, yes, repeat...even as I type this, right this very moment. 

Thats it!!!! The lightbulb came on for me! I'll get back into Dog Transporting...I've missed it so very much.

First Transport Run with KHTC 2015

Dog transporting you ask, what is that? The goal of dog transporting is to re-home animals that are currently living in extreme and unfortunate situations/conditions to a place where they stand a second chance at life. This could mean, re-locating a dog from a high kill shelter in lets just say, Texas to a sanctuary where he has the potential at being adopted in upstate New York. Transporting these animals requires a group of volunteers to make it all happen. 

These volunteers are part of a larger organization. I currently work with Kindred Heart Transport Connection, KHTC. They are a world-wide company that relies on volunteers to make magic happen. Visit their website for more information. If you are feeling inspired to help make a difference, donate or sign up to be a volunteer.  Click this link: KHTC

KHTC has organizers that outline a specific animal(s) trip from starting point to their end destination.  This trip has many different "legs" or drive portions in which volunteers  will sign up and subsequently are accountable for. As a volunteer you can take on as many "legs" of the trip as you wish.  Once your portion has been fulfilled, the dog(s)/animal(s) are passed off to the next volunteer who proceeds with their specific outlined route. The animal(s) do get bounced around from vehicle to vehicle and in some cases, plane to plane, but the end result is ALL the way worth it. 

My first dog run out here in California is coming up. I'm beyond thrilled and so excited to meet the precious pumpkin I'll be cruising with. My co-pilot will make nose window art, no doubt. He'll leave a fur trail for me to clean up without offering to help. He may even drool all over me and my car all while wagging his tail in excitement about it. It's things like this that make me feel alive.

I'm ready to turn my blues upside-down and inside-out. Who's with me!?

Vegan from my Head down Tomatoes

October 8, 2015 was the date that I made one of the largest commitments to my mind and body ever!

Staying true to my vow at health and internal wellbeing has only grown stronger as each moment progresses. My decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle has been solidified each and every day.

My Quick Health Story
Since birth I have had extreme food allergies. So much so that I was sent to a specialist in a different state to be evaluated.  The norm was to drug a child up with pill after pill to mask the symptoms. This was my reality for the first 6 or so years of my life.  The type of food allergies I was experiencing was "unheard" of back in the 80s. Still today, many pill pushers (doctors) are sadly uneducated in nutrition and therefore rely on chemical additives to the body to alleviate or suppress health issues.

I was diagnosed with cerebral allergies. This specific type of allergy affected my brain and ultimately EVERYTHING about me.  My parents were so patient, as I was a completely unruly child; so much so that I made the newspaper in a story under the headline of: "The Year of The Screamer". Here's to my parents for not giving up!! 

A specific diet was created for me in which I was to follow for YEARS and YEARS. Once food was being used to cure me, I was off all of my six different medications and food was my sole medicine!  How CRAZY right?  Food = medicine.

I ultimately grew out of most of my food allergies. Due to my own experience with utilizing food as medicine; it has always interested me and I have continued to educate myself of the benefits and remedies that it can hold. 

Each vegan has their own reason as to why they joined in this lifestyle. My reason to adopt a plant-based diet began for health reasons. After studying up on the benefits of pure plant-based whole foods' benefits, I was sold! As my education of the lifestyle continued, my purchasing and use habits morphed as well.  What I ingest, what I use on my skin, hair, and body also reflect my STRONG decision to not support animal cruelty. The environment will thank you, the animals will thank you and you will thank you.

Currently every product used on my hair, skin, face, and body are vegan and cruelty free. That means all of my clothing, make-up, hair products, lotions, perfumes, shoes, accessories are ALL animal-free.

Choosing this lifestyle has freed me internally. I don't eat or wear the pain that was felt from an animal being murdered. To me, this translates to only clean energy fueling my body rather than (stressed, scared, painful and terror) energy that animals live through up until their very last breath.

Becoming a cleaner eater has awaken my spirituality as well. I'm more conscious of energy between people, thoughts, actions, ideas, and intentions. It has prompted a more sensitive and passionate side of me.

I feel more connected with myself, my body, my Earth, and all living things in a peaceful way rather than supporting an industry of hate, cruelty, murder and pain simply in the name of flavor or fashion. NOTHING tastes good enough to me to want to support that type of industry. Beauty does NOT have to equal pain.

Start off small if you are unsure about going all the way in. Incrementally changing your diet and products you use are a great place to begin. Eat one vegan meal a day to start. The next time you need to purchase a bronzer or shampoo, choose a cruelty free brand that doesn't test on animals. Trust me, you'll feel better, knowing you are making a difference and not supporting an industry of terror. 

There are so many vegan and cruelty free products out there. Here are a few amazing products to try that I swear by. 

Aveda Lip Saver

Follow Your Heart Cheese

Schmidt's Deodorant

Nutritional Yeast

OGX Brand Body & Hair

Anthropology Vegan Leather Jackets

Cache Me Outside ---thats GEO-cache

The thrill, suspense, journey, and adventure

Geocaching. Have you heard of it?

"Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location" (Source: Geocaching).  The sited source is the website in which you can register and begin your team treasure hunting as well as find out more information for yourself.

This World-Wide treasure hunt began back in May of 2000 when GPS tracking was made significantly more accurate. Almost 10 times more accurate due to satellite adjustments. A man by the name of Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, wanted to see how acute the GPS readings really were, so he hid a navigational target in the woods in Portland, Oregon.

The rules of the game were simple, find the hidden container by the GPS coordinates given, once you do, "take some stuff and leave some stuff" along with a pen and paper to log your finding. He named this game: "Great American GPS Stash Hunt".

The new phenomenon created waves of excitement. CNN, The New York Times, and numerous other media outlets featured special stories and segments on Geocaching. It has since grown incredibly and today there are over 3 million Geocaches in over 190 different countries! Incredible right?

I jumped on board with this real-life game back in 2012. I have logged Geocaches in Maryland, Maine, California and Arizona. Each geocache able to be searched for will include additional information about the cache such as: the date it was created, the size of the container, the difficulty of the terrain, the coordinates it holds, a couple hints or riddles to help you find it and sometimes some photos of the findings logged into the application to help the hunter find the treasure.

Small Magnetic Cache FOUND!

Geocaching is a great game to play alone or with a group of people. I often like to get a cache in while on a walk or hike, simply driving through a new area or while out running errands.

My inner child fascination with treasure hunting never has to dissipate. Go ahead, join in on the fun and find caches near you!

To begin your traveling game, click here: Geocache Sign Up
If you already play, I want to hear your experience and thoughts.

See you out there!

Cannabidoil (CBD) for Dogs

Cannabis has been sweeping the United States with its legalization and usage in the past few years. Many people, doctors and animals alike are experiencing the undeniable health benefits of this holistic medication. From those with seizures, to chronic pain, and anxiety, this drug has really taken the medical world of treatment to another level.

Many people still disagree with the usage of cannabis but I believe those people have not fully understood or educated themselves on the regality of this herb and how it can and will benefit the body if used correctly.

CBD Oil for Dogs.

Kohlo

Name: Kohlo
Description: Brindle
Type: Dog
Breed: Boxer/Hound
Weight: 70lbs healthy (50lbs currently)
Age: 11yrs

This handsome four-legged fuzz-muffin is my rock, my everything, my best friend, my son. I adopted him in New Mexico back in 2007. Kohlo has been my velcro-pup since then. He's moved from state to state along my side with such resilience and accommodation of my nomadic ways. For that...I'm indebted.

Throughout the years, he has had and continues to have health issues. The first scare was when he was only four years old; being diagnosed with cancer meant nothing to him, but a total wrecking ball for me.  We took the chance and underwent surgery twice to remove a of couple spots. Kohlo looked at me with steady, trusting eyes and the strongest heart ever with complete faith in us moving forward together; which is exactly what we did.

With age, most dogs slow down and Kohlo, unfortunately wasn't exempt. Needless to say, he stopped being my running partner a while ago and now, I have all I can do to get him steady on his legs for a short walk.

This past year he was diagnosed with liver disease, he still has cancer, and arthritis has engulfed his back legs.

Watching him decline so quickly is jarring to say the least. You know...you never think about/expect  that your animal that has been so active and a huge part of your life can get old and be anything other than a super-dog! It's really tough to feel emotionally. Yes, it's life and this was set to happen...but why now, and can we please hold off? I'm not ready to face this....

We have tried a cocktail of medications to find the perfect recipe for pain relief and comfort. His medications have been paired with reiki, acupressure, injections, prescription food, oral medications and dietary supplements.

My research and persistence to get this old man healthier has led me to CBD oil.

What is CBD?
Cannabidoil (aka CBD) is one of 85 different key ingredients in the marijuana plant. It is different than THC in the fact that in CBD there are NO psychoactive properties which means the body will never feel "high" upon consumption.

CBD oil has been cleared by the FDA and is legal for both dogs and humans. Not all animal will benefit from cannabinoids. The body must have an endocannabinoid system in which research has shown that dogs, cats, horses and humans do which means that we all can accept and process cannabinoids, reaping ALL of the encapsulated health benefits.

The health benefits of this homeopathic addition to Kohlo's diet should increase his mobility, ease pain, reduce inflammation, fight cancer cells, aid in liver function and increase appetite. This is EXACTLY what he needs.

I'm looking forward to trying this product and documenting his changes. I'll post an updated blog entry with my full review. Stay Tuned <3