Loriel is on a journey to a more natural life and hopes to inspire those around her by writing about her stories on her blog Naturally Loriel. She lives an abundant life with her husband Scott, toddler Andrew, a crazy little Lilly cat and a flock of 8 chickens. She’s a dreamer of self-sufficiency, a lover of all things sweet, and has a knack for story-telling. She's also the Editor in Chief of the popular e-magazine, Scratch Mommy.
One of the easiest things to do when you become a mother is to forget to take care of yourself. It’s not hard to do when from day one, it’s all about baby. Feeding, changing diapers, nurturing, taking a million pictures, washing clothes, and somewhere in between there you at least try to remember to…
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A little while ago, I told you that I visited a holistic practitioner for Andrew’s severe reaction to mosquito bites. When we were all finished, she gave us a long list of ingredients to stay away from, which included just about every flour with the exception of one — einkorn. Prior to this finding, I…
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I was one of those lucky ones that never really had acne in high school. I’m not sure if it was because I never wore any facial makeup or if it was because of sheer luck but it was nice. Besides the occasional zit, my face was acne-free. Up until two years ago, that all changed….
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I’ve been a backyard chicken owner for a little less than 8 months and although the way we have them would be considered easy, it’s not what you would think it is. In the whole spectrum of things, raising backyard chickens in an urban setting is hard work if you care about the way your…
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We become what we think about. The question is… what do you think about? Do you ever take a moment to really stop and reflect on your thought processes for the day? Was it mostly positive thoughts? Was it mixed with thoughts of “not enough,” or mostly negative, or did you do a lot of complaining?…
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Every year, it seems like the year goes by quicker and quicker. 2014 consisted of a TON of growth for myself personally and for Naturally Loriel as well. The first half of the year, you would have known me as Healthy Roots, Happy Soul. Take a look at the site here …. Holy cow! What…
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There is nothing like reading a story that ignites your imagination and transports you in the story. You become consumed and literally hours go by before you even consider lifting your eyes off of the pages. Harry Potter does that to me. I’ve read that whole series like 5 times (yes, I’m a nerd) and actually…
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Only 13 more days ’til Christmas which means that’s 13 less days you have to come up with what you’re getting your friend, your mama, or your co-worker. Wait! Before you freak out and want to go drown yourself in some good wine, I think I have you covered. Here’s a list of 12 crunchy…
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Sometimes you just have to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, right? One thing I consider as “stepping out of my comfort zone” is DIYing. That stuff scares the poop out of me. I know it’s silly but if you haven’t read my confessions of a not so good DIY’er then you…
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I used to have many demons in my mind. They controlled my life, my emotions, my every being. As a child, life was pretty normal for me. Once I became a teenager, that is when everything came crashing down. My stepfather (32 years old at the time) died of brain cancer the summer going into…
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Some people get chickens because they solely want them for pets. Some people get them because they’re actual farmers. And then you have some people like me who think they’re farmers and then get attached to their chickens. The reality of owning laying chickens is this: They lay for a couple years and then their…
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The holidays always make me feel conflicted. Do I make handmade gifts? Do I buy gifts? Who do I give gifts to? Who do I not give gifts to? Should I keep it within my immediate family? Do I give some gifts to friends to? How much money do I spend on each person? If…
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I have never been one to like perfume or anything artificially smelly. They make me feel like I am suffocating and I quickly need fresh air to survive. I also can’t stand breathing stagnant air like when I’m under covers or intercepting someone else’s hot breath — even if it’s my husbands. And don’t even get me…
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You know how when you go to the bulk bin section at the store and they state that they don’t want you sampling? Yeah, I’m a rebel and I don’t abide by that. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing since I usually have Andrew with me, and I’m not sure…
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What if one of the greatest gifts you could give your child is the gift of minimalism? With the holiday season being right around the corner and lots of opportunities to buy your children piles of gifts, what if we stopped for a moment and thought about giving the gift of minimalism instead of materialism?…
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For the past few weeks I’ve been sharing what I feed my family for a whole week, on the real. This my friend, is straight up raw, unfiltered information so you can see that bloggers are real people too. The fourth edition of my weekly meals, on the real is kind of comparable to the…
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These crackers… Ohhh these crackers. Before we get into my story of how it took me five batches to get the right consistency and flavor, I want to give you a little 411 on why I’m sharing these with you today. So, the inspiration started when I bought a package of rice crackers from the…
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Want to take a peak into my backyard and chicken coop? Come on, I know you do. Behind-the-scenes, real life stuff is so much fun when it comes to online people you “know.” It actually shows that I’m a real living person and I really do have things like chickens in my backyard. Plus, you…
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In the past month we’ve been talking an awful lot about saving money on real food and simplifying our meals so it’s easier to put home cooked meals on the table. I have to admit, my inspiration sparked after reading my friend’s ebook Eat Well, Spend Less. The book had such an impact on me and…
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Being a mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. Staying home and being a mom is even harder. BUT, being an blogger entrepreneur that is trying to make a living from this blog which now categorizes me as a work from home mom? Well, this is the hardest thing I’ve had…
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