Movin' On Up & Making Ordering a Breeeeze!

Alright everyone, great news!
Jessi, my younger sister, has really revamped everything to get us "caught up with technology" & organized for the new year. 2015 is right around the corner & times, they are definitely changing.

A lot has happened this year, which has us all focused on what it is that we actually have control over.

1. We have control over the way we treat our bodies and the nourishment (or in some cases, lack there of) that we consume to fuel our lives.
2. We have control over our hobbies/passions/driving forces.
3. We have control over the way we treat other people and the way we allow others to treat us.

That being said...my business, CAVE-MOMMA'S QUEST, & my sister's, FERAL CHILD, have been teaming up for a good while (since June 2014) to bring GOOD REAL FOOD to the locals of the S.E. Texas region (Beaumont,Mid-County,Orange, & even as far as Houston & Lake Charles, La).
Back on October 25th, we were invited to be the ONLY FOOD VENDOR at this past years' CROSSFIT COMPETITION in Lake Charles, LA & that was such a hoot! They trusted that our food would provide FUEL for the competitors and boy, did it!? Everybody was raving about the food & coming back for seconds!

So, in addition to that, Jessi created an ORDER FORM to make ordering much easier. :)

*If you have any questions about anything, scroll to the bottom of the page & fill out the "CONTACT US" form & leave a message. We'll try our best to respond soon.

As for now, it's bed time. :)

Goodnight kids! Come back & see us, ya hear?

~Cave-Momma & Feral Child

A Letter to my First Born Baby Boy

Dearest Aythen,
Today, I feel the urge to write to you. I write it because I'm not sure you're old enough to quite understand what I need to tell you. You're only a sweet baby at 5 years old, after all. And as a 5 year old, you'll be going to kindergarten soon. So soon. As in, in 11 days, SOON. And I'll be honest, it scares me half to death. Not for the reasons it seems to scare most moms, you see. I don't worry about you being "alone" in a new place.  I don't worry about your ability to make friends. I don't worry about you fearing much at all. You are fearless.  Except the kitten, Squishy.  You are scared shitless of her, and of our ice maker in the fridge, but that's a post for another day.  As my first born child, you exhibit most of the qualities that most first born children do.  Namely, your independence. There have been very few occasions where I thought, "he wouldn't make it without me to help him do x,y,z....".  Your ability to navigate through this world without much help from me is admirable.  You've been this way since you were a little bitty guy.  You've never been a, quote, "momma's boy", but you're mine none the less.  You clearly LOVE your momma with your whole heart, but you never have needed me to help you do much.  You ask a question, (boy, do you ask some doozies, and often and in mass quantities on the regular), and I do my best to answer that question.  And then you do what makes you Aythen....you think.  After almost any answer to life's biggest questions at that moment, you ponder the answer for just a minute.  It's like I can almost see the gears spinning in your head.  You just get it and understand things unlike any other.  You are capable of DOING anything you want, my sweet boy.  Your imagination is endless, and our conversations often have me thinking the thing I am most afraid of about your entering "big kid school"....Please don't let ANYONE tell you "you can't", baby.  You've been someone who CAN do anything from the start.  You think, you analyze, and you DO.  So please don't ever STOP doing.  Don't let one person make you believe you are anything less than amazing, Aythen.  We are all gifted at something, and your gift is your independence.  Use it. Learn from those who are teaching you, but NEVER stop asking questions.  You've asked us a good billion or two since you could speak. Ask a good ten trillion more if you want, even if it drives your teachers crazy.  You have a zest for learning and understanding and doing, so if there is anything I'm afraid of, it's that you will quit.  If there is ever a day where you don't ask me a good ten questions on the way home from school, I will know my worst fear has come true.  And I can't promise the outcome will be pretty.  Don't let anyone cage you, stifle your creativity, squash your dreams, or silence your questions, baby.  Let no one make you feel like your questions are stupid or unnecessary. Always ask. And if this letter ever finds you at a time where you're questioning your worth or your place in this world, know that you're right where you should be. Questioning. You're a thinker and a question asker. Never ever change, no matter who (including me) gets frustrated at your questions. NEVER.
Kindergarten, look out, and don't ever tell my baby, "because I said so". There is a reason for every answer; give it. 
My wish for you, Aythen, as you start this new journey is that you stay true to yourself, be kind to others (even if they're not kind to you), and let no one tell you "you can't".  Can't never did nothin', baby.  You CAN.
I love you so much, angelbaby, and I am excited for what's in store for you this year! Learn so much!!
All my love, heart, and soul...
Momma

Cancer, a Benefit, and the Aftermath

My momma has cancer. Stage four colon cancer, diagnosed in September of 2013, to be exact. The long story of our family's journey since that day will come later. For now, we will talk about how BUSY benefit planning is! The weeks, and especially the final days, leading up to this past Saturday were stressful, to say the least. Worrisome, sleepless, and sweaty. No, literally; I've never sweat so much, constantly, in all my life. For weeks, I could smell myself, and I promise I've NEVER stunk so bad, for no good reason, before. I actually didn't quite figure out why I smelled so badly until Thursday (a couple days before the benefit) when a Facebook friend, Sara Eye, posted a video by Paul Chek about bodily fluids and what they mean. I never got past minute six, because I heard what I needed to hear in thy moment. I saved it so I can go back and watch he full 25 minutes, but in those six minutes, sweat was discussed. Clearly, if you're healthy and all your hormones are in line, your sweat should just smell like your skin. It shouldn't smell sweet, and it certainly shouldn't stink like I'd been stinking. To summarize, if you smell foul, it's because of one or a few things. Eating crappy processed foods, CAFO meats, etc. will make your sweat smell foul. Dehydration will also make people not want to hug you. And then stress. Ahhhh yes. Stress. Stress will mess with your hormones, and thus, really make you feel the need to shower. Often. Why didn't I think of that!? It all made sense!  I'd only had a marginal (ha!) amount of worry, from multiple avenues in the last few months, along with stressing about making sure the event went well, yeah...you could say I was stressed out. So what was I to do? Well? Stressing completely out would be minimized after Saturday's event, I'd hoped. I hadn't slept well in weeks. That didn't help either. I seriously cracked down on my stress away essential oil in the days leading up to Saturday, and while my sleep still suffered, between that, peace and calming essential oil, and a sleepy time tincture made by a good friend of mine, I was actually allowed a few good hours here and there in those days. 

The "Lend Some Love" Benefit for my momma couldn't have gone better if I'd hoped for it, and everyone was happy, pleasant, kind, and generous. It was day I'll never ever forget, full of family, wonderful friends, and community. And that night? I slept like I can't remember sleeping in months. Like a rock. A stress free, not thinking about what I had to get done the next day, already decided I wasn't going to do a damn thing on Sunday, PEACEFUL HARD AS A ROCK SLEEP. It felt amazing. I woke up Sunday relieved. I felt a little run over from the length and energy required the day before, but my mind was better. I drank more water, and rested. By today, guess what? Smellin just fiiiiine. Thank goodness. Stress ain't a good thing y'all. ;) We all have it, and some of it is far more difficult to control and eliminate than others. Pay attention to your body, and it'll be easier to figure out what's going on. 

That brings me to the aftermath of a benefit. This house is a wreck. Lol. I never made it to the store, never prepped a thing, so tonight's dinner was a quick chili. Crunched up some sweet potato chips and called it good. ;) The house is still a mess, but this aftermath is worth every ounce of smelly sweat, every sleepless night, and every near breakdown. We raised over $11,000 for momma. We can all rest a little easier (and less smelly) now. The laundry and grocery shopping can wait. 

Well, guys, it's time.

It's time.
It's probably past the point of being time.
None the less, here I am.
I'll keep this post short and sweet (like me, ha!), and let it be known that this blog will be where I post all things food and lifestyle oriented. Those of you who know me, know that I'm passionate about both.  I follow a pretty paleo/primal/ancestral health inspired diet and lifestyle. I also crossfit (GASP!) If you don't know me, well, now you know THAT about me. And you'll also learn shortly that I LOVE to cook and feed my family and friends tasty, healthy meals!
So, how 'bout an introduction, right?
Hi! I'm Cave-Momma, and I'll be your tour guide through this blog about healthy living! Arms and feet should stay in at all times, seatbelts buckled (safety first!), because here we go!!