Doing Our Best Without a Handbook

I don’t think parents today lack information… I think we’re drowning in it.

How many of you were taught, “knowledge is power”?

I feel like that idea has been drilled into me forever. It was always the reasoning behind why education and learning matter—why they help us grow and achieve.

But somewhere along the way, especially with the explosion of the internet during my childhood and early adult years, I feel like knowledge got replaced with information.

And the two are not the same.

I find myself agreeing more and more with Albert Einstein:
“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

There is so much information out there now—good and bad. And as humans living in today’s world, we rely heavily on the internet (and now AI) to feed it to us.

The problem?

There is too much of it.

And instead of making us more knowledgeable, it often just leaves us more confused… or at least that’s been my experience.

There’s an argument for both sides of everything.
In other words—there is no handbook for parenting.

So we do our best. We choose our battles.

The Battle We Chose: Health

One area we decided to focus on in our family is health.

Before I go any further—I want to say this clearly:
I am not a doctor. I don’t have all the answers. Nothing I’m sharing guarantees great health.

This is simply what seems to be working in our home.

Because if we’re being honest, family health is overwhelming.

We are constantly bombarded with what we should and shouldn’t do. One source says one thing, another says the exact opposite—and at the end of the day, we all just want the same thing:

Healthy, happy kids.

And no—I’m not getting into the big controversial topics here. I’m not qualified for that conversation.

What I do want to share are some of the small, manageable changes we’ve made over time to support our family’s health and reduce some of the things that can make it harder for our bodies to fight illness.

Where It Started

If I had to pinpoint when this journey began, it would be during one defining time we all remember—2020.

I was very pregnant with my third child, working, and had two kids in full-time childcare.

That season came with a lot of uncertainty, and I found myself asking more questions than I had answers for—especially while navigating the medical world during pregnancy.

It ultimately led me down a path of wanting to take a little more control over what we put into our bodies—and our kids’ bodies.

The First Change

It started with something small: hand sanitizer.

There was a heavy push for constant use, and something in me just struggled with putting alcohol-based sanitizer on my toddlers all day, every day.

So we made a simple switch to a more plant-based option (we personally use the Thieves line from Young Living, but there are plenty of options out there).

That one change started a snowball effect.

Small Changes We’ve Made (Over Time)

And I stress over time—because trying to do everything at once can feel overwhelming. It definitely was for me.

1. Immune Support

a. Essential Oils
This could honestly be its own blog.

We started using oils regularly, especially during that 2020 season. I would apply them daily before childcare as a simple way to support immune health.

We still use them today—especially when something is going around or at the first sign of illness.
(We personally use Young Living oils, but again—this is just what works for our family.)

👉 Here is a list of our families favorite Young Living products

👉 More Info also found on our Product Page 

b. Elderberry
Like many families, we started using elderberry during that same season.

At first, a family member made it for us. Eventually, I started making it myself (which is necessary when you have this many kids).

Now all five of my kids ask for it daily.

👉 Recipe we use: How to Make Elderberry Syrup For Immune Support

c. Fruit & Veggie Vitamins
This one took some trial and error.

We tried gummies (too much sugar), traditional vitamins (questionable ingredients), and everything in between.

We landed on Juice Plus after trying a handful of options—it just made sense for our family, especially with one very picky eater who would happily survive on bread and cheese alone.

👉 Fruit, Vegetable & Berry Blend Chewables – Juice Plus+

2. Reducing Chemicals

a. “Cleaner” Laundry
This one took time.

I tried several different “clean” detergents before finding something that actually worked—because let’s be real… boys and baseball pants require something strong.

I came across a recipe from an Instagram account I follow (@thedivinesoulshine), tweaked it a bit to fit what we use, and it’s worked really well for our house.

👉 Check out that recipe HERE

b. Bread Making
This one almost pushed me over the edge at first.

For some reason, I thought starting with sourdough was a good idea—not recommended.

But once I got through that first loaf, I realized it wasn’t as intimidating as I had made it in my head.

Now we make sandwich bread, sourdough, tortillas, and even cinnamon rolls.

It’s not perfect—and it does take some planning—but it works for our season of life.

What I’ve Learned

There are so many ways we can support our health—and we’re still learning.

But the biggest lesson for me?

This has to happen over time.

We have too much going on in life to overhaul everything overnight.

So we pick one thing.
Figure out what works (and what doesn’t).
Then move on to the next.

What I Know (and What I Don’t)

Do I know for certain that all of this is the reason my kids stay healthy?

No.

But here’s what I do know:

We have five kids in school or childcare…
We don’t end up at the doctor very often…
Illness doesn’t usually spread through the entire house…
And when someone does get sick—it tends to be short-lived.

Before making these changes, that wasn’t our reality.

Final Thoughts

My hope is that we continue moving in a direction that supports our family’s health.

And my bigger hope?

That this encourages you—if you’ve been thinking about making changes—to just start small.

You don’t have to do everything.
You just have to start somewhere.