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Simple Farmhouse Life
281. Some controversial opinions on aging naturally, losing weight after babies, mom rage, and avoiding pharmaceuticals | Elizabeth of Purely Parsons
01:08:57
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- [00:00]
Lisa
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- [01:33]
Elizabeth Parsons
Can do, but I think just the general point is like we should embrace aging and we should see laugh lines and smile lines as signs of wisdom and, and learning. And it's beautiful.
- [01:45]
Lisa
Exactly. It's. It's beautiful. Ultimately, I think you're still going to age. There is beauty in that. All I know is I think the obsession with it all is just crazy.
- [01:54]
Elizabeth Parsons
Like it is an obsession. Yeah.
- [01:56]
Lisa
My name is Lisa, mother of eight and creator of the blog and YouTube channel Farmhouse on Boone. On this podcast I like to talk about simplifying your life so you can live out your priorities. I help you learn how to cook from scratch and decorate on a budget through this podcast and my courses Simple Sourdough and the Simple Sewing Series. I also help people reach their goals from home through my business course, YouTube Success Academy. I will leave links to these resources in the show notes in description box below. Now let's get into the show. Foreign welcome back to the Simple Farmhouse Life podcast. Today I'm having on Elizabeth Parsons now, just like some of the other interviews I've done recently, this is a repeat guest. This is the third time she's been on and that's because she's a guest favorite. She shares over on Purely Parsons on Instagram. From a former RN perspective. That was her career before. She's now a mom of six. And so she just has a lot to share when it comes to natural remedies. She talks about her fitness journey, she talks about pregnancy, postpartum nourishment, food. A lot of the things that you all are interested in. And coming from a somebody who has a lot of experience at this point with having six kids and she's been a mom a while, there's just a lot that you encounter and there's a lot of wisdom there that she has to share. So I think you all are going to really love this interview. Cool. Well, we have very random selection of things to talk about. I think a lot of people really love hearing from you. And some of the most popular things that you have going on your Instagram range from things you do for your kids when they are sick, aging, naturally, fitness, postpartum recovery. I mean, that is kind of a very broad. But I know people love to hear from you. So for those who don't know you and you have been on the show before and most people who are in the wellness space over on Instagram, if they're a mom, they probably come across your content. But for those who don't tell us a bit about yourself.
- [03:58]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, I have. I think this is my third time on Is this the podcast, So I think so. So thanks for having me. Yeah. Because I think, I think the first time we were still in Texas and then last time we had just moved and then so this, I think it's the third time. So thank you for having me. Yeah. So if you don't know me, my name is Elizabeth Parsons on Instagram, I'm purely Parsons and I am a mom to six kiddos, which is crazy. If you would've asked like 20 year old Elizabeth, how many kids do you think you would have? I would have never said six. Yeah.
- [04:32]
Lisa
So you're kind of like venturing into to crazy land or not. You know, just from the world's perspective. For sure.
- [04:38]
Elizabeth Parsons
Exactly. I think you're already there from the world for anything over four. I feel like people think you're absolutely. Yeah.
- [04:43]
Lisa
Six just really feels like it. Five's kind of like you're sort of. Yeah, yeah. I don't know.
- [04:47]
Elizabeth Parsons
Then 7 is just like you're off the deep end.
- [04:49]
Lisa
Yeah, fully off at that point. Don't even have anymore.
- [04:52]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, my husband Noah and I have six kids. We live on some acreage in the Appalachian Mountains and we moved here actually from Texas back in 2023 and that was a big move for us. But we really love this area of the country. It's gorgeous and just being able to just kind of enjoy nature and we live like literally like there's a mountain range of our front door and we, we have some cattle and some chickens and so it's just been kind of fun to really like lean into the homestead part of that. My, my husband does most of the homesteading stuff and so yeah, we've been married. We're about to celebrate 16 years, which is also crazy. And yeah, we homeschool. Trying to think of anything else. I, A lot of my Instagram is kind of a mishmash. It's, you know, the question that you said you got a lot of different questions, which doesn't really surprise me because I talk about a lot of different things. So parenting and motherhood and natural remedies was kind of the thing that, that got my account started. And then we also own our, a business and so we have a wide range of natural like essential oil based products that we sell online. And so that's been a huge learning experience. My husband came home from his like 9 to 5 job in 2022 I think. And so he's been, he's been doing the business now for a few years and it's, it was a learning experience for sure to like be, you know, I was home with the kids and he would go to work and then now we're both home all the time. And so I don't think people really talk about that a lot because, you know, this, this, this whole like world of online, even just having an online shop but also having like the creator side of it, it's just, it's, it's all new in, in the big scheme of things and so.
- [06:59]
Lisa
Right.
- [07:00]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yes. I don't think people talk about it a lot and I know your husband's home with you all the time. Yeah.
- [07:04]
Lisa
So it was, it was a change for almost seven years and it was such an adjustment at first. Like there was a lot to like, you know, because they kind of think they know what goes on at home because they're home, you know, after work and then in the morning. But a lot of the things that were done around the house, I don't think he really knew because you're there for eight hours doing those things by yourself. And so it was an adjustment, but now it's. It's great. Like, there's just so much that I wouldn't be able to get done for sure without that.
- [07:36]
Elizabeth Parsons
For sure. At this point, we are, so. We're so grateful for it. Like, I, I. There's. There. There are so many things that would be infinitely harder with ob, obviously, without Noah here to help with. And so we're very grateful just that we have the ability to be able to do that. But it's also something that we. We worked towards. You know, it's not like we just kind of, like, fell into this. You know, it was. It was a. It was a gradual journey, and we didn't get here overnight. And we're just really grateful and thankful that the Lord has given us what we do here, and we know that we just kind of hold it with an open hand and, you know, we'll see where. We'll see where. Where it takes us. So.
- [08:17]
Lisa
Yeah, that's always how we've felt about it, too. And people sometimes ask me, like, well, what does he do? And I'm like, if I think of you, what does he do with his many children? And.
- [08:26]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, what does he not do?
- [08:28]
Lisa
That's exactly. Why don't we both not do, like, it's. I can't even. I would have to, like, come up with, like, a journal of the day, but I think you'd be impressed.
- [08:37]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, both of us, for sure. Yeah, exactly. It's so true. It's like we both are doing so many things, so many different things, and, like, the Lord made us different in. In our strengths and our weaknesses for a reason as men and women. Like, we have, you know, differences and. Yeah, it's just busy, you know, and you have eight kids, so, like, busy. You get it.
- [08:58]
Lisa
Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, we homeschool, too, and so we're. And you do. So, like, we're all home, and there's just a lot that. There's just so much. It's just like. There's not a dull moment, but there's also lovely times of, like, just read alouds and. Yeah, there's always something going on, but sometimes it's something slow like that. So.
- [09:18]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, for sure.
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Lisa
And it changes just season by season. Like, today it's been five degrees all day, so that means we're not outside.
- [09:27]
Elizabeth Parsons
Oh, my gosh. I do not miss Missouri. People may not know, but we used to live in Missouri, and I think it's lovingly called Misery. I'm not really sure if that's like a well known fact, but we have.
- [09:39]
Lisa
Extreme seasons, like crazy hot, hot in the summer and it's cold, cold in the winter. And I'm cool with the hot part.
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Elizabeth Parsons
Oh, yeah.
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Lisa
The cold part.
- [09:51]
Elizabeth Parsons
I cannot. We moved. We moved when I was pregnant with our first daughter. And it was like the cold. It was 2013. It was like the coldest winter on record in Missouri.
- [10:00]
Lisa
And I literally remember it because my son was born in March of 2013 and we had the biggest snowstorm when he was two weeks. And so it was late March, like almost April when that happened. And I remember because I had a little newborn.
- [10:11]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. Yeah, it was rough. It was rough. And yeah, you get the extremes on both ends. You know, there's. You get really, really cold winters and really, really hot summers and. Yeah. So we moved to Texas and obviously there's really, really hot summers, but you get really, really nice winters and springs and falls. And so it was. It was great.
- [10:29]
Lisa
Yeah. So if my whole family lineage didn't, like, settle here years and years ago, it wouldn't.
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Elizabeth Parsons
You wouldn't have chosen it.
- [10:39]
Lisa
I will be here forever. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't choose it, but I won't move either. So it just is what it is. You have to deal for sure. That's why our new house will have more than one wood stove because. Yeah, that's. That makes it a little bit better.
- [10:54]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. Yep.
- [10:56]
Lisa
Yeah. And I want to touch on your products because you mentioned that briefly and they are some lovely products. I put the serum on my hair today after I got out of the bathtub and it's so shiny. Is shiny. Yeah. So what are some of your most popular products? You have some skincare too, which we're going to talk about aging naturally. So.
- [11:18]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
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Lisa
Tell us about your skincare.
- [11:19]
Elizabeth Parsons
Totally. We have. Yeah. I think it's like 25 products now, so it's a wide range there. Most are essential oil based. Like I said, our passion is like kind of bucking back against the greenwashed. Even like natural brands will be greenwashed. And that's really hard to kind of. When you're first getting into more natural living and reading ingredient labels and stuff like that, you can get tricked really easily. And so we just like, we want to be so transparent about our ingredients and like everything on our labels you can. You can recognize and I mean, you make them there.
- [11:56]
Lisa
So I'm sure there's not like, weird ingredients.
- [11:58]
Elizabeth Parsons
No, not at all. My husband is. He's an engineer and by like by trade. And so he researches everything and sources everything and formulates everything. And all of our essential oils are organic, which is very, very intentional. Like, we could, we could really cut costs by sourcing non organic essential oils, which is what a lot of companies do. But it's really important to us to maintain that quality. And so, yeah, we have. You said skin care. So we have a facial serum that is Argan oil based. And I love that.
- [12:37]
Lisa
I need to order more because I love it. It doesn't.
- [12:40]
Elizabeth Parsons
Oh, I can send you more. I would love to see more. Loved it so much.
- [12:45]
Lisa
Like, it just makes my face feel so good.
- [12:47]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yes. And it doesn't. Like, it's not heavy. It doesn't. It like soaks into your skin really nice and you can put makeup over it after a few minutes. And it's just like, it's the only thing I use. I love it so much. So we have that. We've got. Like you said, the hair serum is probably one of. It is not probably. It's like one of our customer favorites. It flies off the shelves. So that hair serum, it's so unique. When my. When my husband first brought up the idea of doing a hair oil, I was like, that's kind of weird, but.
- [13:18]
Lisa
Like, not for people with certain hair types. Like, I exactly have a hair serum.
- [13:23]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. Yeah. So I had never used anything, but it has changed my hair. Like, my hair. I have naturally, like, long hair, but I don't do anything to my hair. Like, I don't. I don't straighten it, I don't blow dry it. I just kind of like let it go naturally.
- [13:37]
Lisa
Kind of curly?
- [13:38]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, it's a little bit wavy. And so I actually have. I actually have a hair mask in right now and it has my. My scalp is just like so much healthier. And postpartum this time around, I've lost so much less hair because I do regular treatments with the hair serum and then you can use it as like a fridge treatment too. And it smells like so good. The smell of it is just. Mmm, it's so good. And yeah, so we have the, the facial serum, the hair serum. We've got lots of other products, though. We have detox bath kits and elderberry syrup kits and a whole line of single essential oils and diffuser blends and like a lash growth serum. So it's. It's so fun and like so hard at the same time. Yeah, it is just like a constant. Just re. Like making product and bottling product because we do it all in house. And so it's just like we are, you know, we're, we're touching every part of it, which is great because we can control, do like the quality control on that as well. And so, yeah, it's really exciting and fun and. But like I said, really, really hard work. Doing every part of it yourself.
- [14:50]
Lisa
Yeah. Do you have plans to expand to other products too? Like, big ideas for things you're going to add?
- [14:56]
Elizabeth Parsons
We do, yeah, we do. We actually the most recent thing we released was natural spray perfumes. So a lot of perfumes on the market. I mean, we know like the conventional perfumes, they're terrible for you. They have all sorts of hormone disrupting ingredients in them, but.
- [15:12]
Lisa
Which is a bummer.
- [15:13]
Elizabeth Parsons
It is a bummer.
- [15:14]
Lisa
You want to smell good.
- [15:15]
Elizabeth Parsons
You do want to smell good, but you're not supposed to smell good for 12 hours straight and still be able to smell it. I shouldn't be able to smell you from like a football field away, you know? Yeah. And so we turned our roller fragrances, like our oil based fragrances, which were just in rollers, to a spray version and again all organic. And we just released those in the fall. A lot of even people may not know this, but a lot of even the natural brands of perfume, ooh, they're greenwashed. I'm sorry. They are, yeah.
- [15:49]
Lisa
They still have fragrance in them.
- [15:50]
Elizabeth Parsons
Well, if you go to their web to websites, you shouldn't have to go. You shouldn't be able to see the ingredient list and then have to click read more. Like it should just all be there. You know, it should just all be there. You should be able to understand it. Like no lab made chemicals go into our products. And so, yeah, that was the most recent thing that we released, which was really exciting. And so we are planning on coming out with one more of those scents. We have three roll on scents. And so we're going to add the third spray and then we have some other ideas for new releases. I don't know if it works. Ye. I don't know if I'm allowed to say. So I'm gonna, I'm not gonna say.
- [16:28]
Lisa
But follow along at Purely Parsons.
- [16:31]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yes. We're excited about all of them.
- [16:33]
Lisa
Yeah. Well, one of. So one of the topics we're gonna talk about is aging naturally. And yeah, what's funny to me is this is a topic I didn't even think about until probably in the last three years. Like I never even noticed a single line on my face. Like I didn't notice a line on Anybody else's face. Like it wasn't even in my, like I was not paying attention whatsoever. But lately people are obsessed with lines on their face and it's, it's interesting because it's like I remember when somebody first said elevens to me and I was like, what are you even talking about? Like, I never even heard of that. And now we talk about like smile lines and elevens and like all these things.
- [17:19]
Elizabeth Parsons
What are these? The crow's feet and. Yeah.
- [17:21]
Lisa
So should I not move my face? Like, is that what we're doing now?
- [17:25]
Elizabeth Parsons
Just don't ever smile. Don't ever laugh.
- [17:26]
Lisa
Laugh, don't laugh. Don't like make little funny faces at your kids because it'll be set there forever. And that's bad. And it's just such an interesting thing because it's just funny to me that it was not even something I ever even thought about. And now it's like forefront of mind for everybody. It's such. Why is there this new obsession with aging? It's new, right? As a 39 year old woman, I feel like this. Unless I've just been very oblivious, which is also quite possible because I've never been super. Like, I'm one to run out without makeup. Like, it's not something that I wouldn't do.
- [18:07]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [18:08]
Lisa
But even still, I know that there's a brand new obsession with it because I remember probably like maybe like seven years ago, I was hanging out with a group of people and somebody mentioned getting Botox and I was like, wait, what's that?
- [18:22]
Elizabeth Parsons
What?
- [18:23]
Lisa
Like, I thought celebrities did that. Like, I didn't realize regular people went and got Botox. And now of course I'm keenly aware that everybody gets Botox. Like that's a very normal thing to go do. But that's so new.
- [18:37]
Elizabeth Parsons
I don't, I don't know if it's new or if it's just that we've shifted to this, this consumerism where we're, we're getting all of the information online. Because before it was like you read, you read things in a Mac. Like us growing up, like our generation, we had magazines and you know, TV ads. But like it, it wasn't this like instant like getting to see every single aspect of people's lives and information being shared just like readily available. And so I don't know if it's necessarily new that people are doing these things, but I think that it has become a part of our culture because of social media and well, I'm aware.
- [19:21]
Lisa
That Botox existed and all of that. But, like, I don't think your average person really worried about, like, certainly when I was 25, people weren't thinking about getting Botox, whereas I hear now that even people who are pre 30 are like, preventatively getting Botox, which is just.
- [19:39]
Elizabeth Parsons
That is mind blowing. Like, and that's.
- [19:40]
Lisa
I was like, oh, that's something I'll worry about when I'm like 50, you know, maybe then I'll put like a cream on my face and like, worry about it. Yeah, And I don't think that's the culture now.
- [19:48]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, it's so sad. It is so sad that, that women are being fed the lie that you're supposed to look a certain way, like to stop aging essentially. Like, no, you're supposed to have lines and you're supposed to have some wrinkles and you don't have to. Your, your, your forehead should have lines when you squint. And like, that's not natural. We've literally convinced 20 year olds that need, they need. What is it like preventative Botox? That's insane. Yeah, it's literally injecting a toxin into your, into your, your face. Like, this is wild. And. Yeah, but you're right, we are. It is a culture of obsession over. I've never been like a super, like, I don't know if girly girl is the right word, but like, I, I never wear makeup. Like, I'll wear makeup like maybe once, twice a month.
- [20:40]
Lisa
Okay.
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Elizabeth Parsons
And so I just like, never. I don't get my hair done. I rarely, like, get my nails done. I like, I just, you know, it's just not really. And I'm not saying that in like, oh, I'm so, like, better than anybody else.
- [20:51]
Lisa
I just think about it, like, it's just not.
- [20:54]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, it's just. And even before I had kids, I wasn't really like a girly girl. Like, I just kind of. It doesn't really. I just like, more natural, you know, that's just kind of how I've always been. And so it was never like a pool for me. But I can see, you know, these, these girls who see these influencers online and they look a certain way and it's like, oh, I want to look like that. What are they doing? And, and women are so much more open about it now. I feel like it used to be more of a taboo subject where it was like, you got Botox, but you didn't really talk about it because you just looked perfect. Like, that's just kind of how you looked. But now people are, like, open about it and fillers, and it's just such a normalized thing in our culture. And I think that that's just kind of a sign of. Of our culture. It's really sad. And I want, you know, I want girls to know that, like, you're beautiful, how the Lord created you and you don't need to. To do anything. It's wild to me that, like, 12 year olds feel like they need a SK routine. I'm like, what?
- [21:53]
Lisa
Right, Exactly. I don't have a skincare routine. I mean, I washed my face when.
- [21:57]
Elizabeth Parsons
I was a kid, but yeah, Yeah.
- [21:59]
Lisa
I had to literally Google it in the last five years or so because I didn't know what people did. Like, I just learned how you use a toner and like, in what order you do things, because all I knew was you wash your face or you take off your makeup.
- [22:13]
Elizabeth Parsons
But like, yeah, we know sleeping and makeup's not good. We know, like, you know, we should wash our face before we go to bed. But, like, I have daughters that are coming into this, like, you know, early. Like, I guess it's called tween, like before, before you're a teenager, but, you know, you're not really. And it's, it's wild to me that, and I love that aspect of just kind of being able to. To protect them from a lot of that by, by homeschooling. Because they don't see, you know, they don't see any of that. It's wild to me that, that girls their age are so concerned with that, and it's sad. And. Yeah, yeah.
- [22:47]
Lisa
So talk a bit about the science behind. Is Botox really that bad? Because I have been in circles that are like, it's proven to be safe. I'm like, well, a lot of things are proven to be safe, but that doesn't necessarily mean. I'm sure you get that pushback because it's too good to be true. Right. Well, you can look 25 forever if you do this thing. So what is the problem with Botox?
- [23:15]
Elizabeth Parsons
It's literally a toxin. Like, it's, it's. It's a toxin that you're injecting into your body. It's, there's, there's risks of everything. Right. And like, you see people. I mean, there's people that get like medical Botox for, you know, migraines and stuff that, yes, that's different, I suppose, from just like a vein perspective. But I don't know, I've never really, like, looked into it because it's just something I would never.
- [23:41]
Lisa
Intuitively. It seems like a bad idea.
- [23:42]
Elizabeth Parsons
I would never. I would never even consider doing it. But, like. Like the literal name of what's in the vial. Botulism. Botulinum toxin. Or it's a toxin. Like, let's just use, like, the brains that. That we have. And I don't know, people are. People are going to be offended by that, I guess, but, you know.
- [24:02]
Lisa
Well, yeah, I mean, obviously people always be offended. But I think for me, even if I could be convinced that it was totally fine, I'm probably still not going to take time to drive there and do it every two or three months or whatever it takes to prevent lines from showing up on my face. Because I do not get why we are currently so obsessed with that. I don't see how. And I think, you know, also, it's like, man, if everybody does this all the time, then just to, like, stay looking normal, you know, like, you're gonna have to get procedures done.
- [24:45]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. You're gonna have to, like, keep up that for forever. You know, it. Because it wears off over time, and you have to get more injections and more. And I think you even have to, like, increase the dosage over time. I'm not really sure. Or maybe that's lip fillers. I don't know. But I just miss me with all of it. Like, I don't.
- [25:05]
Lisa
Yeah, yeah. I don't want to look. I want my skin to look nice. Like, I do the things. Like, I. Yeah, I've done the red light.
- [25:10]
Elizabeth Parsons
There's natural things that you can do.
- [25:11]
Lisa
Yeah, yeah, I've done the. The toner, the. The serum, like a nice moisturizer. I don't want to look Gua sha.
- [25:18]
Elizabeth Parsons
Some, like, I don't know, people even use, like, the frownies, which seems like a big hassle. I've never done that, but like.
- [25:25]
Lisa
Like, want to convince myself to do that. But I'm also, like, I'm not gonna tape my face overnight. Like, I'm just not gonna do that.
- [25:32]
Elizabeth Parsons
No, I'm not gonna do it either. But I mean, you know, there's natural things that we can do. But. But I think just the general point is, like, we should embrace aging, and we should see laugh lines and smile lines as signs of wisdom and learning and just like. It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
- [25:52]
Lisa
Yeah. Yes, exactly. It's beautiful. And we need to not all agree that we're not going to go down that path, because ultimately, I think you're still going to age and you're you know, there's just, there is beauty in that and I don't know, it's a whole conversation. People are gonna be like, where do you draw the line? You know, because, like, will you dye your hair when it's all great? I don't know. All I know is I think the obsession with it all is just crazy.
- [26:20]
Elizabeth Parsons
Like, it is an obsession. Yeah. Well, and it's a heart posture thing too, right? Like, where is your heart in it? Are, you know, are you trying to, to do these things because, you know you're insecure about something or you, you care more about your appearance than you do about. So, you know, there's, there's different aspects of it, for sure.
- [26:39]
Lisa
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- [29:36]
Elizabeth Parsons
Oh my goodness. I sauna almost every night. I love it so much. Um, that was another thing that when my husband first mentioned it, like, well, it's been like five years at this point that we've had a sauna and I was like, are you, like, are you crazy? Like, why would we need a. Why would we get a sauna? But for him, it was a part of his health journey because he had autoimmune disease and so he was healing from that and detoxing. Sweating. Having open detox pathways are a huge part of like feeling well when it comes to autoimmune. And so praise the Lord, like he is. He's feeling so good these days and we both sauna most nights. It is like our nighttime routine, like our wind down. So that is something that I definitely do. I'll do the dry brushing before or like as soon as I get in the sauna, I'll start dry brushing. I do the castor oil packs now that I'm not ner. Now that I'm not pregnant anymore. So I'll put that on while I'm in the sauna and then yes, I do have a red light that I really love. I don't use the red light as much as I should when it comes to like, just daily skin stuff, but I should. And when I do it, I'm like, oh, I should do this more because it feels really nice. I use the red light more like, acutely for injuries. Like if I injure my back or like my husband just had a foot injury the other week and he was using it pretty much daily. And I mean, there's tons of studies. If you go and look up, like, red light therapy for, like, muscle injuries, red light therapy for cellulite, even wrinkles, fine lines. Like, there's. There's lots of different studies that have been done, but I tend to use it more acutely for things like that. I've used it for clogged ducks before. I've heard women.
- [31:31]
Lisa
I didn't realize that.
- [31:33]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, I've heard women use it for mastitis. Praise the Lord. I have not had, knock on wood, mastitis. Really.
- [31:39]
Lisa
Okay. Since my sister's second, we've all had it. One child.
- [31:43]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [31:44]
Lisa
Yeah, it's.
- [31:44]
Elizabeth Parsons
It's, it's hell at least once. It is so bad.
- [31:48]
Lisa
Yeah, it is.
- [31:49]
Elizabeth Parsons
I don't wish mastitis on anyone. That is, that is hard. So, yeah, I, I love my red light and I use it often. But I think like, my, you know, as far as, like all of these tools are concerned, you know, like, it's. You take them all with a grain of salt. Like, you don't need all of the things because there is always going to be another thing that you don't have that people are raving about and talking about and, you know, just stick to the basics, the foundations of, you know, exercise and fresh air and sunshine and good food. And just for me, it's mostly about taking things away that are adding to your toxic burden, like chemicals in your home and food that is processed and added sugars and, you know, all of these fake foods that we have available to us. Nourishing your body with, with good food and sleep. Huge. Trying to decrease stress. Like, how do we do that? I'm not really sure, but you know.
- [32:56]
Lisa
Well, maybe it's sitting in the sauna with your red light and your castor oil. There you go.
- [33:00]
Elizabeth Parsons
There you go. That's. That's my, that's my 20, 30 minutes of decreasing stress is sitting in that sauna. And just. That's my, that's my stress.
- [33:09]
Lisa
Now. Is the sauna something. I'm assuming you can't do that while pregnant.
- [33:13]
Elizabeth Parsons
Sauna.
- [33:14]
Lisa
Yeah. Or can you.
- [33:17]
Elizabeth Parsons
Speak to your ob or.
- [33:18]
Lisa
Okay, that's not a definitive.
- [33:21]
Elizabeth Parsons
Every single, Every single OB or even midwife in America will tell you, no, you should not sauna while you're pregnant.
- [33:29]
Lisa
Because what's the temperature? I don't even know.
- [33:30]
Elizabeth Parsons
Well, I mean, you can set it to whatever you want, but you know, in these, these European countries that sauna, like sauna is a regular part of their life. Like, yes, women are doing sauna during pregnancy. Just use your common sense. You know, I don't tell people, yeah, you can sauna while you're pregnant because I would never tell you what to do. Like, right. You gotta, you gotta do what you feel is best. I did sauna while I was pregnant. I stopped at a certain point. I think I, I didn't do it in the first trimester and then I kind of just instinctually like, wasn't very comfortable for me towards the end of my pregnancy. So I didn't really do it and I didn't do it as hot and I didn't stay in as long. It's just like, you know, use common sense. Um, so, yeah, but no, I'm not, I'm not going to sit here and say, yeah, sauna is, is perfectly okay when you're pregnant because America, America is so like rules and.
- [34:23]
Lisa
Yeah, yeah, you don't want to go there. I get it. Yeah. I don't know. A ton. Like, I feel like I've been in a sauna like once in my life when, you know, you're a kid at the pool at the rec center or whatever. Like there's old men in there and you're like, should I be in here? So I've never been really in a sauna. Like, what temperature do you set it at? And the goal is to sweat, correct?
- [34:46]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, yeah, you should be sweating because, you know, sweating, you're eliminating toxins and you want to replenish, you know, that, that, that obviously, but I set well. So the sauna that we used to have, we, we really preferred we have a barrel sauna.
- [35:03]
Lisa
Now.
- [35:03]
Elizabeth Parsons
It, they've, we've always had the traditional Swedish saunas because there's like the infrared saunas that are popular now, but we have like the traditional, like there's a, a heater in there that it's like a dry heat sauna. So it's like the traditional cedar saunas, but we have a barrel one. Yes. It smells so good. So we, we used to set the one that we had back in Texas at like 180. But I think it depends on, it depends on where the, the sensor is because right now the one that we have we set it to, like, 100, and it is plenty warm. So I think it just kind of depends on the sauna.
- [35:46]
Lisa
Okay.
- [35:46]
Elizabeth Parsons
That you have and the configuration of it. But, yeah, I. I try to stay in for, like, 20 minutes, and I am. I'm sweating. And you should be sweating. And that's. The dry brushing really helps the lymph to open up and. And flow and drain out. So it's great. I love it so much.
- [36:06]
Lisa
Yeah. That. That's kind of like. Well, I know it's not at all the same benefit, but I love sitting in the bath at night. Like, I love.
- [36:13]
Elizabeth Parsons
Well, you know, it's the same idea. I'll. If I take like, a hot bath, I won't sauna that night because you sit in the bath, and if it's hot enough, you should sweat a little bit. Like, you. You know, you have a little bit of persp. There's some detoxing that happens there too. I'll put, like, my detox bath kit in the tub, and that's my sauna for the night.
- [36:35]
Lisa
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. One of the most popular things also on your Instagram and your content is your fitness journey as a mom. And I have to be honest, I am, like, the worst working out person ever. But it's inspiring to watch you and your results. Why has this been important to you and how have you handled this? Through pregnancies and postpartums. You've had twins. I think we forgot to mention, for those who don't follow you, you're kind of famous for not knowing you were having twins. Yeah, forget that part sometimes. Right. Like, that was a while ago.
- [37:12]
Elizabeth Parsons
Surprise. Twins in 2020. Yeah, they were our numbers, four and five. Um, so, yeah, that was fun. I think we talked about that on one of the previous episodes.
- [37:21]
Lisa
Oh, we for sure did. Yeah. I think the first one you were on, we talked about that because that was like. Like such a fascinating story, you know? It still is. Yeah, it still is. But yeah, if you want to hear more about that, head back to that episode or I'm sure you have it all over your Instagram if you scroll back a few years.
- [37:36]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [37:36]
Lisa
But, yeah, through all of that, what has your fitness journey looked like?
- [37:40]
Elizabeth Parsons
Well, you know, it's something that I. Honestly, it's a struggle for me. I was never like, the. The skinny girl growing up. I've always kind of, like, had, like, weight has always been an issue in my life. And then I was able to get to a really good point where I felt really comfortable, like, after I Got married and before we had kids. And so that's kind of like, you know, obviously, having kids changes our bodies. And, you know, there's things that I love about. About my body. Like, my Bodi has done incredible things for me and my children. It's literally grown and birthed and nourished six babies. And so I am grateful for that. And I think that it's okay to be grateful for your body and what it's done for you and at the same time, leave space for. But I want it to be better because I think we live in a society where we are so scared of, like, fat shaming and, like, offending people. But, like, being obese and being overweight is not healthy. It's not healthy for yourself. It's not good for your kids. It's not good for your family. Like, your spouse, you know, like, would love to. To. To see you be healthy. Like, these things are not really talked about, because I think they're a little bit taboo, because we just. We just want to be like, oh, you're amazing. Like, it doesn't matter, but. But it does matter, and health matters. And our bodies are a temple, and we only have one. And so, you know, it's something that. It is not easy for me to lose weight and to, like, you know, I guess, quote, bounce back after having babies. It takes a lot of work for me, and it takes a lot of time. But, you know, it's not really about being skinny or being thin, because I've never really been that body type. I'm broad and I'm tall. I just want to be strong, and I want to feel good in my body. I want to look in the mirror and just feel confident. And I think that every woman can say that they want that. And especially after having kids, it just, you know, it changes you. And you said you don't work out, but, like, you know, you. You seem like the type of woman that cares about nutrition and, like, you know how to nourish your body, and I want to do that as well. And so it's both. It's. It's not just working out. Like, you know, it's 99% what you're putting into your body. And so I feel like on Instagram, I try to just kind of come at it from that angle, and I think that people appreciate the. The realness and the rawness of, like, holding space for both. Like, I love my body for what it's done, but I also want to change, because I want to be the best version of Myself, and I know that, like, being 50 pounds overweight is not best version of myself, despite, you know, the fact that I've had six babies. Like, it's just.
- [40:54]
Lisa
Yeah. So, yeah, that's a taxing thing on your body, so it makes sense that it would be challenging.
- [40:59]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, it is. And, you know, I just. I just like to. To kind of document that journey and. And I think people like to see it because it's something that obviously, like, our country has a huge problem with, like, I don't know the statistic, but a majority of our population is obese, and other countries don't have that problem. And, you know, there's a lot of factors that go into that, but I think it's just something that's relatable, you know, to be. Be in a position where you. You want to change and doing it the, quote, the hard way, not just, like, kind of taking the easy way out. And even now there's just, like, such a. A focus on medications and there's, you know, all this, like, hype around these new medications and. Yeah. So.
- [41:51]
Lisa
Yeah. And that goes without saying. Obviously, we want to talk about all the reasons why that's probably not the best, you know, choice for most people.
- [41:58]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [41:59]
Lisa
But, yeah, I. I really have tried to start, like, working out some. I have tried to be more consistent with it because I. I like, like feel like strength is what's going to be important exactly as I go into my 40s, because, yeah, like, for me, weight's not really a struggle. But you can't not use your muscles and expect that they're going to not, like, just decrease over time. Like, that's. That's not a realistic thing to expect, and I know that. So.
- [42:30]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, even just. Even just walking, like, starting out, just walking is, like, great exercise, you know, for somebody that's like, okay, well, I can't just, like, get up and go for a run or I don't have, like, a bunch of equipment at home. Like, just go on a walk. That. That's. That's where I started with the. After I had the twins, when I was postpartum, I would literally just put them in the stroller and just walk them up and down my driveway. And that was kind of like where I started with, with them. And, you know, it doesn't take much. You can use a lot. You can do a lot of strength training with your body weight. You don't need a ton of equipment. You know, just simple. It simple. So, yeah.
- [43:08]
Lisa
Yeah, it's very inspiring. Now a lot of Questions about postpartum nourishment recovery, mineral depletion supplements, different things. Beef liver, whole foods, detox. So what has your routine looked like now that you've had five pregnancies, six children? What has your postpartum recovery looked like? And like, what kind of things did you prioritize?
- [43:35]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, so for postpartum, the. The biggest thing for me, postpartum, and I've done this five times now. I have to think. I have to like, stop and think about that every time I say, because I have six kids, but I've only, I've only been pregnant five times. Is nourishment. You know, we don't need all of these fancy things. Like, literally focus on nourishment. And having a supportive spouse is a huge part of that. Like, I am in bed with the newborn and Noah literally, like, brings me an egg sandwich with some sauerkraut. Nourishment. Getting your nourishment through food is huge. And focusing on whole foods and just being able to support your body in that way is a huge thing. I mean, I talk a lot about birth in general, but that's a whole nother topic. But, but in the hospital, like, we need to do better for women for sure. So if you can have like a meal brought, if you're in the hospital, if you can have a meal brought into you from outside that is better than what they're going to give you in the hospital, that would be great. But if not, like, after you get home, just like, focus on nourishment, Drink lots of water. Electrolytes are great. You don't need any, like, fancy electrolyte powder. There, there are some good ones out there. But like, like coconut water has great minerals in it for replenishing. And you can even just add some like sea salt to your water. So just like making sure you're drinking enough water. Because if you're breastfeeding, that's another huge thing. I do take beef liver postpartum, and I feel like that really helps with restoring, like iron and just the energy levels and stuff like that. I really, really think that it does help. Now that is not a one size fits all obvious. Obviously people react differently to it. So, you know, you just have to kind of take it.
- [45:37]
Lisa
Really? I've never heard that, like, some people don't do well with beef liver.
- [45:41]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, I have, I have heard some people, they don't, they don't feel good on it and that's fine. Like, you know, you're your own bio individual. Like you have To. To figure out what works for you. But that is something that I really do enjoy. And now I'm taking a specific one from ancestral supplements that is like a specific female optimization. Hormonal, like, blend of different organ meats. And so I really, really. Yeah, I really like that. But postpartum, specifically, supplements that I feel like I would never do a postpartum without would be postpartum balance. It's a little tincture from earthly that they make. And I feel like that I only took it. It postpartum with the twins and now with my most recent pregnancy, and I feel like it made such a difference in my. Just, like, my overall mood and just, like, energy and just feeling, you know, like I don't. I wouldn't say I've ever had postpartum depression, but, like, I've gotten some postpartum blues for sure, and I had surprise twins, and that was. Was insane. And I feel like that. I feel like that really did help me. But overall, just like, yeah, just. Just nourishing your body with whole foods and getting up and getting fresh air, going outside if you can, sitting in the sun, just using what God gave us. You know, those. Those things are really huge for me and for my mental health, being able to. I know there's, like, a huge push for, like, the five. Five. Five, like, five in the bed. Five around the bed.
- [47:18]
Lisa
Yeah.
- [47:19]
Elizabeth Parsons
I don't know what it is, but.
- [47:20]
Lisa
Five in the house.
- [47:21]
Elizabeth Parsons
Five in the house.
- [47:22]
Lisa
Would.
- [47:23]
Elizabeth Parsons
I would, like, die. Like, I need to.
- [47:25]
Lisa
Okay, well, thanks for saying that, because we do also live in a culture. You know, everything's on the Internet. And so we're always comparing. We have all these things we're supposed to do, and you're supposed to lie in. Have you heard of lying in? Yeah, you're supposed to sit in your bed for 30 days. I would.
- [47:42]
Elizabeth Parsons
I would wither away. I would be like, I would get me out of here.
- [47:45]
Lisa
And. And I think some women are, you know, shaking their head. But, like, I do think sometimes we say things are good because we're the type of person who really wants to do that. Like, have you ever seen somebod? Like, a little snow will come, like, oh, guess we won't make it. And it's like, you never wanted to come. I'm just saying, like, you wanted to be an introvert. You're an introvert. And so it was, like, a good excuse. And so I do think some of the people who. And I'm not saying lying in is not a good idea. I'm sure it is. But I think that sometimes it comes from people who just like, would really enjoy that, you know, because some people would, like, they would love to just for, you know, 30 days, just shut the world out, be in their home. They thrive. That's a more of an introvert type of personality. And I would die.
- [48:28]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, I, I could not. I. I am the type of person who is like up and walking around like day two. Like, I need to be outside in the sunshine taking. It's not allowed.
- [48:39]
Lisa
Elizabeth, I'm sorry.
- [48:40]
Elizabeth Parsons
I'm sorry. I told you I don't follow the rules. I just like, I. And I'm not like, you know, outside like walking hills and like, you know, walking at a fast pace. Like, I take it really slow and, and listen to my body. Obviously, like, you just birthed a baby. You have like, I think what it is, like a plate sized.
- [48:58]
Lisa
That's what they told me. The midwives are like, do not get out of bed. You have a plate sized wound in here.
- [49:03]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yes. And then there's truth to, you know, you need to rest and you need to heal. There is truth to that. But there's plenty of space for that postpartum, just naturally, like, you don't really have to make space for, for re. Because especially if you're breastfeeding. Like babies breastfeed all the time, you know, so like, you have these like natural ebbs and flows and you know, when you have other kids too, to take care of, like, you can't just lay in the bed all day. You just can't. I'm sorry. Like, you just can't.
- [49:29]
Lisa
Well, and that's, that's like the thing that would probably give me postpartum depression because I try to lay in bed for one week and by the end of it I am just like, I would be. So I cannot do this anymore. Yeah, I'm depressed. Yeah. Like, I. I just need my life to. And I don't have to go right back into doing all the things I did before, but I need it to at least sort of feel normal. And I feel like in the past several years I've learned that I'm not supposed to feel that way and I'm not supposed to do that. And you're not really cherishing those little moments where I'm like, I still feel like I do. I just have to sort of do other things too, because. Yeah, I think it's personality based for sure. For some people that might be the very ticket to lay in bed like that.
- [50:19]
Elizabeth Parsons
But yeah, well, I feel you.
- [50:25]
Lisa
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- [53:09]
Elizabeth Parsons
I think all moms deal with that at some point or another. Sure. There's. There's moms who have more of a struggle, and it's more of a pain point for them. I wouldn't say I'm just, like, naturally an angry person, but I do think that you get some, like, selfish satisfaction when you gripe at your kids and you even, like, yell and get angry because you feel like. Like you're justified in that. But that's not scripture. Like, scripture tells us to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. And, you know, our children mirror what we do, and it is the most convicting thing when you have been a grump and your kids, like, mirror that. And. And as the mom, you know, especially with, like, moms who have husbands, who go to work, as the mom, you set the tone for your house for that day. And, you know, when we wake up and we're tired, yes, these feelings are real. Like, tiredness is real, and hormonal imbalance is real, and irritability and all of these things, they're.
- [54:26]
Lisa
They're.
- [54:27]
Elizabeth Parsons
It's not that they're not there, but we can take them captive. We need to ask the Lord for help. Like, the. The difference in being in the word and being able to. I. I am not able right now to have quiet time in the morning, but if I had my perfect layout, that is when I would have my quiet time. Because in the years of parenting, when I have been able to do that, it makes such a difference in the day in setting the tone for the day. So if that's something you're able to do, I would really highly recommend that. But if not even just like, waking up and saying a prayer and just kind of opening your day with bringing your day to the Lord is huge. And so, you know, practically in the moment when you are feeling overwhelmed, I would say that is something I do struggle with. Not necessarily the postpartum rage, but, like, overwhelm. Yeah, I get. I get very overstimulated because I have six children, and four of those are boys. And boys are very overwhelming. Just. Just by nature. They are very loud, and they need. They have a lot of energy. And so I do struggle with overwhel. And there are multiple times a day where I am, like, outside or downstairs, like, you guys got to get out of this area, like, where I am. But, you know, practically, as a mom, being able to kind of change. The scenery helps a ton. So like, get outside. Everything is easier outside. When you're a mom and you're overwhelmed, if you can do it outside, do it outside. And I know that as homemakers, we are drawn. I was just speaking to a friend about this. We are drawn to our home, like, because just practically just like as, as a homemaker, like there's things to do inside, right? Like you have the next meal to prep, the next meal to think about. You've got the laundry, you've got just like different tasks around the house that are pulling you in. But so it can be very hard to get outside, Even if it's just to go out into the front yard. Like, it can be very hard, but once you get out there, it is just, it is so much easier. So if you can get outside, do it. Obviously in the winter, that is not always plausible. That's not always possible. I know that there's like a, you know, there's no bad weather, only bad clothing or something.
- [56:59]
Lisa
Unless it's five. Okay.
- [57:00]
Elizabeth Parsons
Unless it's five degrees outside. Have you tried to go outside in five degree weather with a one year.
- [57:04]
Lisa
Old for a very short time? And I hate it.
- [57:07]
Elizabeth Parsons
It's horrible. Like, it's terrible.
- [57:09]
Lisa
Yeah.
- [57:09]
Elizabeth Parsons
I am not a cold weather person. But like, you know, the older kids can, can last a little bit longer. But if you have really little littles, like, they really can't last that long outside. But if the weather's nice, get outside, get some sunshine, Everybody will feel better. If you can get some fresh air. If not, like, adding water always helps. So like going to the tub, taking a bath, that's. That's always a fun activity. Even just like going to a different part of the house, having dance parties. That was something that. We don't do those much anymore. I need to do those.
- [57:40]
Lisa
I'll tell you why. I know why. Because I discovered it.
- [57:43]
Elizabeth Parsons
Okay?
- [57:43]
Lisa
If you have. Do you ever get left home with just like a few kids, like maybe Noah and a few kids, go do something and you're left home. It's funny when that happens. I instantly remember that music exists. But then when all the kids are home, you have four boys, I have six.
- [57:59]
Elizabeth Parsons
You don't need more noise. Yeah.
- [58:01]
Lisa
Why would you do that? Like, that's why.
- [58:03]
Elizabeth Parsons
Like, we used to do it.
- [58:04]
Lisa
People talk about dance parties. I'm like, huh?
- [58:07]
Elizabeth Parsons
How do we do that? That's true.
- [58:09]
Lisa
And then I remember every single time when I'm home with less kids than four or four, four or less, I remember music Exists.
- [58:18]
Elizabeth Parsons
Music exists. And I love music. I, like. I'm the type of person that would always have, like, music on in the background, but I don't really do that as much anymore. And that's why. That's why, like. Yeah. And, you know, this is kind of a different topic, but people who are like, I don't know how you do it with six. I could never do it with six. Like, I'm struggling with two kids, and it's like, you know, when I had one kid, one kid was hard. When I had two kids, two kids was hard, and one kid felt like a vacation. And so now, all the way up. All the way up it goes all the way up, you know, the Lord. You don't get six kids at once. Like, usually, like, okay, maybe there's some instances, but, like, you don't get six kids at once. And when you have six kids, you know, I have older kids that are helpers and. Or that should be helpers. You know, like, you should have helpers. If you have that many kids, you should have older kids that will help. And. And so when you have six kids and, yeah, if Noah takes, like, three of them, I'm like, this is.
- [59:11]
Lisa
This is three kids.
- [59:13]
Elizabeth Parsons
This is so easy. But when I feel like you could.
- [59:14]
Lisa
Turn some music on, you know, let's.
- [59:16]
Elizabeth Parsons
Turn some music on and have a dance party. Yeah, exactly. It's too much. It's too much stimulation now, I think. Yeah. So that's funny.
- [59:24]
Lisa
Yeah. Yeah. It took me a while to realize it because I was like, man, when Ruth was little, and then we had. I remember, like, in the kitchen doing all these dance parties.
- [59:32]
Elizabeth Parsons
Am I not a fun mom anymore?
- [59:34]
Lisa
Am I not a fun mom? And I'm like, wait, wait. I think I know because I occasionally get in the situation where I have three or four kids or five or whatever. And then it dawns on me. It's so funny how also differently you do things when you're in a different situation. There have been times where Luke will take the older four somewhere, and I'm home with the younger four. And your whole day switches. Because you have little kids, you do things all different. We're gonna center the whole day around. Yeah. Well, you do different activities, and you make sure to get them done by nap, and then you make sure to get them done by bed. Whereas, like, when you have older kids, you don't really worry about those because they're not really a thing. You know, you just, like, switch everything.
- [60:17]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [60:17]
Lisa
Based on all that. So I think. Yeah, it's it's hard when you're in different seasons trying to like, compare how you do things, because it's like, well, it's. I do it really different. If I have that crew now, if I have that crew, like, if I have the older four, we can go anywhere. Like, we can go out for the day. We don't worry about naps, you know, it's just very different. Different.
- [60:34]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yep.
- [60:36]
Lisa
So for sure. And Luke and I don't know if you guys do. But we, we do divide and conquer. Like, we'll go, you know, we'll take like the kids that would be okay to take to this certain activity where the little kids wouldn't hang and like, one of us will go and the other one won't so that we can actually do things like that.
- [60:53]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, I. We do that too. We divide and conquer all the time. Even at home. Like, we divide and conquer. Like, especially now with, with our youngest. He's one. And like he's in that phase where he's just constantly trying to hurt himself. And like, you know, he's, he. I, I can see the light. Like, we're, we're getting to the point where he can be like, left. I can be like 10ft away from him and feel like he's not gonna, like, injure himself. But like, it's really intense for a few months there, you know?
- [61:19]
Lisa
Yeah.
- [61:20]
Elizabeth Parsons
And so even we divide and conquer. Even with him. Because we just transitioned. I know your youngest is, is not too much older than him, but. But we just transitioned to one nap.
- [61:31]
Lisa
Really. We tried to go back on it.
- [61:35]
Elizabeth Parsons
Oh, really? He's still taking two.
- [61:37]
Lisa
He is, he's 18 months. And I tried to go to one, but he was so tired. And the thing is, I do my work time in the afternoon. I do it one to four, Monday through Thursday. And he couldn't make it to that.
- [61:52]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah.
- [61:53]
Lisa
And so then he wouldn't nap at all during that time, which was tricky.
- [61:57]
Elizabeth Parsons
But. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And he. So yeah, he goes down and then. So his big stretch is like on the, the second half of the day. And so we're just like. It is. He is done by, by 7:00. Like, he is like, put me to bed, I need to go to sleep. But if I put him to bed any earlier than that, like, I'm waking up at 5:00 in the morning, you know, so you gotta, you gotta get to that, that bedtime. So yeah, so he's transitioned to one nap. And, and even, even at home, we divide and Conquer. Like we did that with the twins. We do it.
- [62:29]
Lisa
We do it all the time.
- [62:30]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. And you have to. In big families, you have to. And, and you have to involve your older kids. Your older kids need to be helpers. And if they're not, then you gotta change something. Yes.
- [62:40]
Lisa
Because you can't handle all.
- [62:41]
Elizabeth Parsons
You can't do it all. Yeah, yeah.
- [62:44]
Lisa
Oh, yeah, absolutely. That, that's. I think it's a good thing. Sometimes people look at that as a negative thing. Well, you know, there's no way you could be doing all that yourself. Your kids must be helping. I'm like, it's true.
- [62:54]
Elizabeth Parsons
They do, they do. And, and willingly most of the time. Like, you know, try to take. Try to take my baby away from my 11 year old. Like, she, she loves him. You know, like she, she loves it. So I know that's a whole topic.
- [63:08]
Lisa
In itself because I feel the same way. Like, people will say that and I'm like, they love him. Like, they, they take him from me. I tried to get him back.
- [63:17]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. Yeah.
- [63:19]
Lisa
Oh, man. We had so many other things to talk about, but I don't want to keep you all night.
- [63:22]
Elizabeth Parsons
But that's.
- [63:23]
Lisa
You know, you share a ton over on your, on your Instagram mostly. And you know, there's things, like things you do when your kids are sick because you're coming from a. I didn't even mention this, but you're coming from an RN perspective. That was your career before, so you have like the medical background, but then like, what you've taken from that and then, you know, now that you're more of like a natural mom, the things that, how you approach certain illnesses. I think a lot of people follow you because. Because it's like, okay, well, you know, the medical background of this and yet you choose to do this. And so I think it's comforting for them, especially if they've never tried things like elderberry syrup or herbs and different things whenever their kids are sick. So I think that's a pillar of your content that people can find over on your Instagram. Yeah. And then like baby stuff, pregnancy stuff. Like people asked us about, like, morning sickness and transitioning from a wrap to naps and like picky eaters. I'm sure you have all this over on your Instagram. Right?
- [64:21]
Elizabeth Parsons
Right. Yeah. I mean, I talk about all of that kind of stuff. I've got tons and tons and tons and tons of highlights that I've saved over the years. Pregnancy and birth and homestead stuff. And all my, all my remedies are In a highlight. And there's tons. There's. I have a whole highlight on fevers. And. And over the years, you know, it's interesting because my platform grew from talking about natural remedies, but honestly, my kids don't get sick. That. And, you know, so there's some of these things that I haven't dealt with in years. And I think just, like, as I've. I don't know if it's matured in my parenting or gotten more confident in my parenting or just kind of, like, experienced things. Like, I just. I tend to want to do less and less.
- [65:10]
Lisa
Oh, I'm with you. Yeah.
- [65:12]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. You know, it's just. I like, their bodies handle things so well, and, like, there's things that you can do to support them. Of course. But, you know, that was something that I had to kind of unlearn coming from, like, a medical background and being a pediatric RN and, like, always just, like, wanting to treat, treat, treat, treat, treat things.
- [65:33]
Lisa
Yeah. Even if you're replacing it with something natural.
- [65:36]
Elizabeth Parsons
Exactly.
- [65:36]
Lisa
Moving away from even that. Like, always thinking you have to do something, because I think we. We do. Like, that's something you learn. Like, oh, sometimes you don't even have to do anything. You just have to support them while they get better.
- [65:47]
Elizabeth Parsons
Better. Yeah. And I think that's something even just as a mother, like, you want to do something because you want to feel like you did something.
- [65:54]
Lisa
You did something. Yeah. Yeah.
- [65:56]
Elizabeth Parsons
So it's not even really for them sometimes. Sometimes it's just for us. Yeah. So it's. It's. It's interesting, the journey. And. And I'm still, you know, learning that too. But, yeah, I've saved so much on my. On my Instagram and my highlights, and I try to. Try to share just kind of.
- [66:14]
Lisa
Well, it's a great resource. I recently, I think my youngest had rsv. And you have an RSV highlight. He got. Well, I thought he was like, we have the pulse ox reader, which I think, like, every mother should have that. That's, like, the best thing in the world. But I think mine was malfunctioning because I actually took him to the ER because I thought it was way lower. And then when I got there, she put it on and she was like, what are you writing about? It's 98. But I went home and I, like, found your RSV highlight and, like, did the. Because sometimes. Sometimes, you know, like, I'm pretty confident. And there are several. Like, usually I'm with you. Like, I rarely have something that I'm really worried about, like, my kids don't really get sick to the point of, like, scary, you know, ever, really. But I went straight over to your page, went to that RSV thing. So I'm, like, trying to figure out, like, what does Elizabeth do if her kid has rsv, you know, so there's a lot of great resources there.
- [67:07]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah. And there's been a lot of yucky stuff that has gone around this year. Like, I know a lot of people have been dealing with just really bad sicknesses that have last weeks lasted for weeks. And so, yeah, I try to share helpful things over there. Most recently, I did a post on, like, my natural medicine cabinet, where you can comment on it and get, like, all of the different things that I talk about. There's things that you should have just as a mom in your. In your toolkit that you don't have to have a. You don't have to have a degree to know how to charcoal or, like, something like that.
- [67:40]
Lisa
Is that an example? Like, something where, like.
- [67:42]
Elizabeth Parsons
Sure, but I'm talking, like, you mentioned a pulse ox. That's a great tool to have. A nebulizer is a great thing to have in your toolkit.
- [67:49]
Lisa
I wish I used that because I saw that on your thing. And what I ended up doing was I sat with him for hours in a steamy shower, and when I had that pulse ox thing on his finger in there.
- [68:00]
Elizabeth Parsons
How old is he?
- [68:01]
Lisa
Always. Good. This was back in November, So he was 15 months.
- [68:07]
Elizabeth Parsons
Okay. That's still pretty young to be able to use a pulse oxygen. Because their fingers are so little at the hospital, they have one where they wrap around. It's like a sticky thing that they wrap around, and it's more accurate. But just like, you know, just being prepared is huge. You know, you can. You can have a stethoscope and learn how to use it. You can have an otoscope and know what you're looking at in the ear. Just having these things ready at your disposal can really help you, like, gain confidence as a mom. I'm not saying that we never need doctors, but I can really. Last time. I can't remember the last time that I had to take my kid. Well, that's not true. I do remember the last time, but, you know, it doesn't happen very well. Yeah, it doesn't happen often where we need to seek out additional medical care. And that's because. Not because I have an RN behind my name. It's because, you know, know we. I've learned over the years. And you just become confident in their bodies and just in your ability to care for them. So.
- [69:12]
Lisa
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think, yeah, following along with. At least, if nothing else, you go to your page and you're like, okay, like, I feel like I'm doing what I should do. Or there's sometimes warning signs where you're like, yeah, go to the, er. Yeah, it's, it's, it's great to, to have that resource. Okay, so Purely Parsons over on Instagram and then your shop, I'm assuming, is linked there as well.
- [69:37]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yep. Shop Purely Parsons or Purely Parsons.com is the website.
- [69:42]
Lisa
Cool.
- [69:43]
Elizabeth Parsons
So.
- [69:43]
Lisa
All right, well, thank you so much. I know the listeners will be so happy that you were back on.
- [69:47]
Elizabeth Parsons
Yeah, thank you for having me. It's always good to talk to you.
- [69:50]
Lisa
Thanks as always, for listening to the Simple Farmhouse Life podcast. My husband, Luke and I and our eight kids work together side by side on our little homestead and use our blog, podcast and YouTube channel to reach other homemakers, home cooks and home setters with practical recipes and daily family life. For everyday sourdough recipes, make sure to check out our blog, farmassomboon.com and to dig deeper, we do also offer a course called Simple Sourdough over at Bit Ly Farm. Farmhouse Sourdough course. That's all one word. Bit Ly Farmhouses. If you're looking to learn how we earn an income online, check out my YouTube course at Bit Ly Farmhouse. YouTube course. All one word.