Julie Brow-Polanco - Julie Naturally | Teen Health Coach

How to fight winter blues effectively

November 11, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

I love the seasons, but gray and white don’t speak light and life to me. They whisper dreary, dull, dead, and sad. The long march of endless days of cold only serves to sharpen the edges of the bleak and colorless winter. I get a little depressed and wonder how to fight winter blues effectively. Winter blues creep in slowly One week last winter, 10 inches (26cm) of snow fell over the course of one day. For some, it meant loads of fun. It brought snow forts and snowmen, sledding, skiing, and snowboarding. For others, it brought a great deal …

Easy Natural Home Remedies for Cold And Flu

October 23, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Well, the cold weather is upon us! It’s the time when I take a look at my herbal medicine chest and stock up on winter remedies. I do like to make my own, but I don’t always have time to do that. And, I have to buy so many different herbs, it’s not always cost-effective. I mean, who wants to have ten half-filled bags of loose herbs sitting around? Want to know what an herbalist stocks? Here’s my suggestions for natural home remedies for cold and flu so you’re ready for anything. How to stock your herbal medicine chest for …

Which is better: Echinacea or Elderberry for cold and flu symptoms?

October 4, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

As an herbalist, one question I get a lot is, “How do keep from getting sick?” And, of course, people also ask me about Echinacea or Elderberry for cold and flu symptoms. Well, they are both good, but for different reasons. But, there are also other things you can do to boost your immune system and combat viruses. First, let’s talk about Echinacea. Echinacea for onset of symptoms Echinacea purpurea, or Purple Coneflower, is a perennial prairie plant. People often include it when they create their native gardens because it a beautiful plant with good size composite flowers. Herbalists sometimes …

Launch the Season Right with these 5 Healthy Habits

August 26, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

I don’t know about you, but as the summer ends, I start thinking about the busyness of autumn. My attention to healthy habits starts to wane sometimes. It’s easier to get exercise and plenty of vitamin D triggering sunlight in the summertime. But, when the weather turns cold and life gets a bit more hectic, exercise needs to be more intentional. For me, that means it often doesn’t happen. But, then I start feeling stiff and my back hurts, reminding me to get out for a walk or make sure I get to my Pilates classes. While cookouts and parties …

How to win the heart of your rebellious teenage son

July 10, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Many families I know stop homeschooling their sons when they reach high school. Moms state many reasons for this. I hear, “Well, my son plays baseball and the high school team offers more options for him.” Or, I hear, “My son is into computers and techie stuff. He can get that at the high school since I can’t offer him that at home.” But, the most common reason is that she has a rebellious teenage son. He doesn’t respect her authority. How can you win your (teen) son’s heart? What do I mean? What it means to have your son’s …

Why I Never Use Toxic Cleaners

April 26, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Growing up, I spent every Saturday morning cleaning the house. I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed, and dusted. I especially disliked cleaning the bathroom because I always felt sick afterwards. You see, my mother bought toxic cleaners for my sister and me to use when we cleaned. I think she distrusted natural options, but her choice contributed to my later development of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), allergies, and maybe even fibromyalgia. Many people use these popular cleaners because of low cost, perceived greater effectiveness, ease of use, and brand recognition. Just spray on the foam and wipe off. What could be …

Homemade Cleaners with Essential Oils That Will Make You Smile

April 20, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

I like to make homemade cleaners with essential oils because sometimes, natural cleaners are not all that we think they are or, they need a little boost. For example, I recently came across a post from Consumer Reports that discussed cleaning myths. Some of the myths they debunked included things like coffee grounds, string mops, and vinegar. Yes, vinegar. They said that vinegar works, but only at full strength and, it can damage certain surfaces because of its acidity. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to use full-strength vinegar. That is no longer cost-effective and the thought …

A Complete Guide to Natural Learning (also known as Christian unschooling)

April 10, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

The Christian unschooling style of homeschooling is one of the most misunderstood and even maligned styles. When you say “we are Christian unschoolers,” many people conjure up images of wild, defiant children who don’t seem to know basic things every other child knows. (This image wasn’t helped by some radical unschoolers who became the face of this style.) Granted, Christian unschooling can be done well or poorly, just like any other style of homeschooling. Sometimes, I like to use the terms “natural learning” or “self-directed” instead because they better describe what actually happens and have a better connotation. Let’s dig …

The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Round Up

March 29, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Ah, spring! Finally, we throw open the windows to let out the stuffy winter air. Time for new beginnings, fresh looks, and a super clean home that invites people in for parties and cookouts! It’s time for spring cleaning and that means everything, from the house to the patio to the garage. This spring cleaning round-up has got you covered. In the Botany Momma Tribe, we talk about the importance of clearing the home of toxins and clutter when it comes to our physical and spiritual health. A truly clean home gives life and embraces God’s best for us. We …

Make Teaching Kids to Clean Fun with These Tips

March 22, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Teaching kids to clean seems daunting. Where do you start? The task takes twice as long when we have to teach and do at the same time. It’s so much easier to just do it ourselves! But, the long-term benefits of teaching kids to clean outweigh the short-term challenges. If we want our teaching to be effective, though, we need to keep the following tips in mind. Make sure the chore is age-appropriate Keep it simple for little kids when teaching kids to clean When the 2-year-old colors on the wall and the 5-year-old spills milk all over the floor, …

3 R’s of How to Motivate a Teenager

March 15, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Are you struggling with how to motivate a teenager in your life? Maybe he sleeps half the day or falls asleep in the middle of your co-op class. Maybe he doesn’t seem to put much effort into his science book and leaves a lot of blanks on the experiment sheet. Perhaps it’s not your son, but your daughter. Does she put off finishing that research paper you assigned weeks ago? Do you feel like you butt heads frequently about schoolwork? Trying to figure out how to motivate a teenager exhausts us. When the usual ways of how to motivate a …

Don’t do this for Bible memory. Adjust your focus.

February 25, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

I really hate giving kids prizes for Bible memory. I usually get puzzled looks from people when I say this. After all, prizes are a major motivator in school, at home, and in church. The argument for this usually goes like this, “Well, they won’t do it if we don’t give a prize.” Why wouldn’t they? If we don’t think kids will engage in Bible memory unless they are bribed with prizes, then what are we really saying about Bible memory? Are we saying that it’s unpleasant? Difficult? Not worth doing in it’s own right? If they will only do …

Discover the surprising, secret health benefits of cod liver oil

January 24, 2019 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Historical knowledge of the health benefits of cod liver oil Have you heard about grandma’s secret remedy for winter? I did not personally experience this, but the story is that moms lined up their kids and forced a spoonful of cod liver oil into each grimacing mouth. Even though kids resisted, they knew they’d better take it. Mom knew best and she knew that cod liver oil kept her children healthy all winter long. And, people have known about the health benefits of cod liver oil for a very long time, at least since the 1700’s. Northern Europeans used it …

Creative Ways to Get Cleaning Chores Done

December 28, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

At this time of year, we often find ourselves frantically cleaning in order to get the house ready for visiting relatives. With small children, it feels like the filth multiplies and we can’t keep up. It certainly challenged me. I often felt like a maid on steroids. Keeping the house clean with four children under age 10 exhausted me. When my kids were small, I loved to go on field trips just so I wouldn’t have to clean up after them. I struggled with comparing my home to the pristine clean of some of my acquaintances. Never mind that their …

How long does it take to learn to read? Insanely little time.

December 21, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

How long does it take to learn to read? Judging by the age at which many folks start teaching reading skills, they must think it takes 3-4 years. I would argue that it takes much, much less time than that. It takes about thirty hours. That’s right, only one hour a week for less than one school year, or about 10-15 minutes a day for just over 6 months. Sounds pretty painless, right? In John Holt’s book, Learning All the Time, he mentions teachers proving this with poor, illiterate adults. Holt argues that reading is not hard to learn IF …

Church Youth Group: Reasons to Say No

December 14, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

Should Homeschoolers Participate in Church Youth Group? Recently, I listened to a conversation happening among millennials sitting next to me at church. I wasn’t snooping as they eventually asked me a few questions to involve me in their discussion. But their observations and conclusions struck me. They knew my children and they knew a few other homeschooled youth as well. Some of them had even spent a few years of their own childhoods homeschooling. But then I heard comments like, “not sounding like my mom all the time” and “all homeschoolers are socially awkward.” They seemed to feel that attending …

Hope in the Midst of Chronic Illness

October 10, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

I sank to my knees in despair, sobbing, imagining the next forty years. I loved Jesus, but still I felt as though all hope for a graceful ripening of years slipped away with the diagnosis. My mind filled with thoughts of broken dreams, maddening headaches and a body wracked with pain, an eventual wheelchair, and the image of my husband torn with long years of grief watching me suffer. Hope or despair? A few years ago, I received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In case you don’t know, fibromyalgia is a chronic illness with an unknown cause. There are 18 pain …

Some Reasons Not to Go to College: A homeschooling mom’s perspective

October 3, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

In 2018, we graduated our second child from our homeschool. The first question everyone asks upon discovering this is–you guessed it–“Where is he going to college?” Well, he’s not going to college. He completed a career assessment tool and his path doesn’t necessarily need college. The question is uncomfortable, and I wish people would broaden their view of post-high school life. When I say that he isn’t going to college, the barely-concealed disappointment says volumes about the expectations of our youth. Seventy percent of high school graduates attend college as their next step. The generally accepted wisdom is that college …

How to Trust in God When You Lose Everything

September 10, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

It’s easy to trust in God when everything goes well. We may start thinking of God as a cosmic vending machine. Prayer in and blessings out. Thanks, God. But what about when you see tragedy coming and you are helpless to stop it–whether it be a car accident, poor life choices, or other circumstances? What about when God asks you to start over after you lose everything precious to you through burglary, fire, or job loss? What about when you lose a child? Do you still trust in God or does your trust whither because you feel he’s failed you? …

Pros and Cons of Vacation Bible School: Surprising Considerations

July 31, 2018 by Julie Brow-Polanco

It’s time for vacation Bible school, or VBS, as we commonly call it. Many of us participate in this summer camp type experience, either as volunteers or as participants. While I wholeheartedly believe in community outreach and teaching the Gospel, I do not always send my children to VBS. Why not? Here are some pros and cons of VBS as I see it. Pros of Vacation Bible School Cons of Vacation Bible School While there are many great reasons to send a child to vacation Bible school, there are also some great reasons NOT to send your kids. Especially if …