education

6 Reasons Why You Should Put Your Child into Sports

November 7, 2018 By crystal chapman 3 Comments

Your Children Need Sports

It’s an endless list when it comes to why sports are important for children, and I’m going to outline 6 reasons why you should put your child into sports.

1. Healthy Habits

It’s no secret, we are at a time in our society in which physical activity is at an all-time low for children. Unfortunately, it’s also a standard across all age groups, but it doesn’t have to be! Being on an organized team instills an early love and appreciation for physical activity. What a life skill to have so early in life!

2. Confidence

Our tiny people are learning about who they are, how to navigate in this world and find their voice. There’s something about an organized sport to help pull confidence out of a child, and confidence is something your child will carry with them their entire life. It allows them to realize their capabilities on their own and grow into who they’re going to be. The adolescent years are challenging. Building up their confidence before peer pressure starts to become an issue will help soften those obstacles, and the sting of rejection. When you’re child is confident in who they are and what they believe, they are less apt to experience bullying.

3. Respect

A lot can be said about the amount of respect learned through being on a team. There are coaches, teammates, rival teams and referees/umpires. Having respect for others doesn’t mean you fold whenever someone of a ranking balks orders at you, but it does mean there are times when you simply listen. An early introduction will teach your child there is a time and a place for everything, and sometimes they won’t like what they’re told, but that’s life.

4. Responsibility

Being a member of a team means others rely on you because you have a role to play and a position to fill. Certain tasks need to be accomplished or else you will let your team down – talk about pressure to perform! To clarify, I’m not talking about needing to be an amazing athlete in order to learn responsibility. What I’m talking about is showing up. This is about knowing the importance of showing up and doing your best regardless of how difficult times get. That’s a standard life skill every person needs to have. Life will get hard and times will be tough, but that doesn’t matter because it won’t change anything unless you choose to show up and do your best to improve the situation.

5. Pride

There isn’t a much better feeling than seeing your hard work pay off, and a solid competition that makes you grit your teeth and do your best will do just that. As wonderful as it is to win, pride is there regardless because you know you gave it your best. Pride is there when you are the one to score a goal, or assist someone else in doing so. Those small victories your child will experience on the field will reinforce why they work hard and help them appreciate their achievements. It feels good to be good at something. It’s motivating to know hard work does eventually payoff!

6. How to Lose but Not Quit

Things have changed since I was a child. Nowadays, everyone gets a trophy at the end of a season, and some teams don’t even keep score. But the fact of the matter is you will have times when you win and lose in life. Just because you’re better than most at a skill doesn’t mean someone else isn’t better than you. We’re doing a disservice to our children by allowing them to think everything in life is fair because it’s not. They won’t always be a winner – they need to lose and learn how to do so gracefully. Being on a team allows for the opportunity to experience winning and losing, both of which are equally of value.

Let Them Play

I encourage you to get your child enrolled in an organized sport. You will notice a difference in your child pretty quickly and it’s a difference they’ll thank you for later in life. Organized sports not only get your child moving and enjoying physical activity, but it teaches them about who they are and what they like. Empower your child with the opportunity to navigate their way through these life skills without you to lean on. As much as we want to be the ones that teach our children everything, there are things we need to let them learn on their own or experience from others.

Gluten Free Unicorn Cheesecake

April 7, 2018 By crystal chapman Leave a Comment

Unicorn Cheesecake?!

Yup! That’s what I said! I’ve been making this cheesecake for 10 years now and I couldn’t rave about this recipe more than I do. I initially found it in a magazine that’s now called Gluten Free Living. I absolutely LOVE this gluten free cheesecake recipe and have tweaked it over time to be the perfect dessert for my household.

My daughter has been on a unicorn (unitorn) kick for almost a year and a half now, and upon seeing a fun unicorn dipping creation on Pinterest, my children asked to make it. I was in the mood for cheesecake though so we went with that and it was a huge success! So much fun with all the colors and it’s what got them excited to start helping me in the kitchen.

Ingredients You’ll Need

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sour cream or Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package of Glutino Chocolate or Vanilla Cookies or Gluten Free graham crackers
5 tbsp unsalted butter

Topping of choice

How to Make Unicorn Cheesecake!

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. I use The Perfect Oreo Cookie Crust Recipe from Crazy for Crust. Her recipe isn’t a gluten free recipe but it’s so easy to make it gluten free. Start with half the amount of butter and add it to it as needed. We all know gluten free substitutes can have a different consistency, so start off with half the amount and work from there!

3. Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for a few minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine. Then beat in remaining ingredients.

4. Divide the cream cheese mixture into a bowl for each color you want to use. I have colored all of the mixture using 6-8 colors, but this time I poured half into the pan and divided the other half into four other bowls for coloring.

5. Slowly begin to add one color at a time with a spoon and kind of scatter it around the pan. Don’t use all of each color at once though. Once you add all of the colors in once, take a fork and swirl it around a little. Repeat this step until all cheesecake mixture is used.

6. Pour the filling into a springform pan that contains a cooled prebaked crust.

7. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 2 hours or until the top is golden and feels firm yet soft like a baked custard. Begin checking after 90 minutes. Internal temperature should be 150 degrees.

8. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for about an hour. Five minutes after shutting off the oven, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to help prevent cheesecake from cracking as it cools and settles.

9. Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator. Cover with toppings of your choice. Slice and serve.

Chill, Slice and Enjoy!

Please let me know how much you enjoy this recipe! And please, hop on over to my Facebook group to share a photo and let us know how you liked it!! Be sure to subscribe to my blog to keep up with other gluten free treats such as Monster Cookies, Sugar Cookies and delicious Brownies.

What is Celiac Disease?

February 17, 2018 By crystal chapman 3 Comments

What is Celiac Disease?

What is Celiac Disease? It’s an autoimmune disorder in which the body is unable to process gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye). Consuming gluten as someone with Celiac Disease, the body begins to attack the small intestine. This attack leads to damage of the villi, which are small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, and are meant to promote nutrient absorption. When these villi get damaged, nutrients are unable to be absorbed properly into the body. Think of it this way, no matter how healthy your diet is, you’re malnourished.

Is it Hereditary?

Celiac Disease is hereditary and there is a 1 in 10 chance of first degree relatives developing it. If you have this disease or have a family member that does and you don’t feel right, get checked out. More importantly ( in my opinion), if a family member has Celiac Disease and your child is having difficulty with foods and belly aches, get them check out. Be their advocate and don’t chalk it up to whining. I say this for a few reasons – stop the suffering early on if you can, but also know malnourishment during childhood can lead to stunted growth.

Symptoms of Celiac Disease in Children

From the Celiac Disease Foundation, these are the symptoms to look for in children. It’s important to note digestive symptoms are far more common in infants and children.

abdominal bloating and pain
chronic diarrhea
vomiting
constipation
pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
weight loss
fatigue
irritability and behavioral issues
dental enamel defects of the permanent teeth
delayed growth and puberty
short stature
failure to thrive
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Symptoms of Celiac Disease in Adults

From the Celiac Disease Foundation, these are the symptoms to look for in adults. Digestive symptoms are less common in adults, with only about a third experiencing diarrhea. The below listed symptoms are most commonly found in adults.

unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
fatigue
bone or joint pain
arthritis
osteoporosis or osteopenia (bone loss)
liver and biliary tract disorders (transaminitis, fatty liver, primary sclerosing cholangitis, etc.)
depression or anxiety
peripheral neuropathy ( tingling, numbness or pain in the hands and feet)
seizures or migraines
missed menstrual periods
infertility or recurrent miscarriage
canker sores inside the mouth
dermatitis herpetiformis (itchy skin rash)

What Does All of This Even Mean?

I’m sure those lists of symptoms have you analyzing your body, or your child’s body, even more than before. It’s important to remember nobody will ever fit inside a single box. You probably won’t even have most of the listed symptoms, but that’s because we are all so different. We’re individuals and things impact our bodies differently.

If you suspect this could be the cause of your troubles, I urge you to speak with your provider before making any changes in your diet. It takes between 30-90 days to eliminate gluten from your body after removing it from your diet. If you make changes before seeking testing, it could impact your test results, and delay getting answers.

Living life gluten free isn’t as scary as it sounds, you simply have to learn something new.

Does Any of This Speak to You?

I know this a lot to take in, and your head is likely spinning by now, but I encourage you to continue digging if any of this speaks to you. Thankfully, a lot has changed in the world of living gluten free, which only helps ease the transition. Overtime, I promise you all of this will become second-nature, and you’ll be helping others before you know it.

I am not a medical provider and have no medical expertise, I’m simply sharing my Celiac Disease and Gluten Free journey with those I meet along the way. Please seek guidance from your provider before making any changes, as a gluten free diet before blood testing can skew your results. Always remember, the greatest advocate you or your child will ever have is YOU – speak up and continue seeking answers to your questions until you’re satisfied.

Be sure to take a look at some of my great gluten-free recipes! Monster Cookies, Sugar Cookies and French Onion Soup, are just a few of my favorites!

Direct Sales and Choosing LuLaRoe

July 28, 2017 By crystal chapman 3 Comments

Why LuLaRoe?

Quite honestly, direct sales and LuLaRoe found me, and it found me when I needed it most. I’ve been self-reliant all of my life and have supported myself financially ever since leaving home at 18. Having children, we made the decision for me to stay home. Ultimately, it was me who made the final decision because my husband only wants me to be happy. I chose this life but it’s been hard for me at times. I struggle with feeling as if I’m not doing enough and that I’m not good enough.

Sometimes I daydream about the career I thought I’d have by now because I never saw myself at home. But all of those exciting thoughts quickly change to anxiety as I begin to think about daycare. It’s a life I’ve chosen and one I wouldn’t change, but it is hard for me at times. Finding that happy balance has proven more difficult than I had imagined. You see, I want it all. Haha, but don’t we all though?!

Mom Group Evolution with LuLaRoe

I studied the LuLaRoe culture for about 6 months before choosing a sponsor and deciding to submit paperwork, and do you know what I saw? I saw my mom group evolve completely and it was amazing to witness. We went from happily sharing photos of our growing bellies, to only showing photos of our children for the longest time. With LuLaRoe, we finally got to where we were showing photos of ourselves WITHOUT OUR CHILDREN. Our beautiful December babies suddenly weren’t being used as a way to hide our post baby bodies! I saw so much body love because of LuLaRoe and I was in awe of it. It was such a transformation to witness. A beautiful one.

Staying Home with a Graduate Education

I chose to sign up for LuLaRoe because I saw how great the clothing made me feel, but even more so because I wanted to bring that to other women. I wanted to help them feel beautiful again. I’ve had the pleasure of helping countless women to feel beautiful for the first time in their lives. It hurts my heart to know they’ve never felt so confident before, but I’m thankful to be part of it. LuLaRoe helped give me back so much of my long lost confidence. Confidence in my body, but even more confidence in my mind and well-being.

The decision to stay home despite having a Master’s in Public Health was a difficult choice, but simultaneously the easiest one I’ve ever made. The insanely expensive framed paper on our wall is something I treasure, but it taunts me as well. Following that dream is something I’ll never regret, but not contributing financially due to my choices is hard for me. Yes, I know I was contributing by staying home, but it’s simply not the same for ME. Instead of feeling accomplished by this goal, I feel I’ve instead invited this big, dark cloud to hang out above my family. That’s a really hard pill to swallow. It’s an expensive monthly reminder of what I *could* be doing. I will never regret furthering my education but I do wish to help remove the burden of my student debt.

The confidence that LuLaRoe has helped me find is that I can be happy, follow my dreams, and contribute financially to my family. The thought of sending my children to childcare sends me to a frightening level of anxiety, but I needed something for me. I needed to use my brain. I needed to have adult interaction outside of the home on occasion that didn’t involve a playdate. Having the opportunity for such interactions without feeling guilty for spending time away from my family has been amazing for me. For all of us, really.

It’s Not About What, It’s About Why

I’ve never been in love with direct sales before and I was always that friend to avoid any party, yet here I am LOVING every step of this process. Do you know why? Because it called to me and because I enjoy it. It called to me and I listened. This isn’t about LuLaRoe and this isn’t about making money, this is about enjoying the process and doing what makes you happy. Money can be made doing anything – the challenge is finding happiness and fulfillment while doing it.

This is about doing what makes you happy. It’s about being aware and open enough to see an opportunity when it presents itself. Listen closely to what that internal voice. The biggest changes come when we stop to listen, and you never know what greatness will follow. LuLaRoe found me. I followed my instinct and this is where it has taken me. Thankfully I listened.

The Day to Day, My Way

With that said, I now spend my days with two of my most favorite and treasured people in the world. I work from home helping to make others feel as beautiful as they are and I — USE MY BRAIN! Not to mention, I’m also paying those freaking student loans off one loan at a time! LuLaRoe has helped me regain my confidence, realize my current purpose, and know I can do things my own way.

Follow me HERE if you want to learn more about this amazing company and shop for some comfy and cute clothes while you’re at it!