If you don't already think I've completely lost it with beet green smoothies and cabbage juice for ulcers, then take a look at this blog post that I found through a link on a fellow blogger's site....what do you think about that!!!!!
It's only 10am and....
-our kitchen is chaos...full of dirty pots and pans, waiting to be washed so I can start my mega-batch of baby food
-the counters are covered with squash, beets, plums, asparagus, quinoa, fresh parsley, lentils...
-I'm having a hard time finding a starting place...because it's so chaotic....so I'm running the dishwasher and blogging so that I can avoid it. =)
-My daughter practically put herself down for a nap by coming over to me, sticking her thumb in her mouth, and resting her head on me....
-My son has spent the first part of the morning in his "police car" (under the bathroom sink) handing out tickets to his sister for "speeding by"....
-and the current half of our morning 'playing the drums' with our homemade drumsticks banging the couch cushions....while the music plays...asking me to play the 'guitar' while he plays the drums...
-the plants have all been watered....(I'm so great at procrastinating!)
-we've had a hodgepodge breakfast....of raisins, trader joe's whole wheat pretzel sticks, and a smoothie (beet greens, costco's organic salad mix, juice, banana, mango, whole yogurt, a raw egg, and coconut oil)....which once he took the first sip he said "let's save these for later!" I thought that was such a polite way of turning it down! I inhaled mine, plus part of his, had him take several courteous swallows and then gave the rest to Grace.....
-We've cuddled, tickled, disciplined, sung our verses, 'rode a boat', laughed, kissed, "huggled", pulled things out of Gracie's mouth, played 'trucks and cars', wiped up spills and bums, taught a rhythm lesson.....who says this is not the best job in the world...and it's only 10am!
...are so much fun to dress up! I didn't get to experience this with Josiah, so I'm in a whole new world! We've brought out the summer dresses and are trying new little hair-do's.... =)
Congrats to Jason and Tenisha who bought their first house...hope you're getting all settled! Check it out....
Cassie's getting bigger....kisses to your belly!
Heather's getting even bigger....can't wait to meet you baby girl! One more month! So sorry about Belle....she was a loved kitty!
My dear friends have both (husband and wife) been diagnosed with cancer...read their inspiring updates here.
My friend is part of this neat project called Creative Change....they make cards and crafts and then donate their proceeds to various causes. Way to go girls!
Tarena has a great idea for a craft project...
and so does Stacy....Way cute!!
This is a really great site about healthy living...with articles about everything! I have them send me their articles and I find it so fascinating! I'm learning a lot!
Ok, here's a really random one for you....here's a great site for reasonably priced vanilla beans! They are so expensive in the stores, and if you wanted to go together with some friends....good deal!
I just bought a gallon of unrefined coconut oil here for a great price!
I bought this book while on my getaway to Wyoming...besides the honey, this was my other souvenir. Tana took me to a natural food store in Cody, and we spent over an hour perusing the shelves. One of my favorite parts was the book section, and I spotted this book right away. (other books on my wish list..."How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor", and "A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives") I have been trying to make the shift over from chemical based cleaning products to natural cleaning products for a while...mostly because I don't want to expose my family to the toxins in the products (in the air or on the things they touch) but also because of the environmental impact. The author of this book notes that "168 tons of household cleaners are released into kitchen and bathroom drains every year...the EPA characterizes the typical American household as 'the number one violator of chemical waste per capita'". Since I'm trying to not be a typical American household in many other areas, this was one way I thought we could save money, simplify our life, and maintain a healthy home environment.
Here's her recipe for cleaning mirrors...
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1/2 cup water
8 drops citrus essential oil of your choice (you can find these online for cheaper then most health food stores I've found...you can order with friends and save on shipping!)
(Lemon essential oil is antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial!)
I mixed up mine in an old glass cleaner bottle...this is also my all purpose cleanser for Josiah to use. He gets a kick out of using "chemicals" and I can give him a rag and his bottle of "chemicals" and he'll clean spots off the kitchen floor for me!
Let me know if you have any natural cleaning recipes that you use and like!
I am sorry, my dear friends, for my unfaithfulness to you...I am in such a funk...thanks for your patience....
Right now I'm going to doing some cuddling with my hubby and drink some smoothie....ahhh....early bed for me!
I shall return....though I can't say when....
I made the homemade deodorant a couple days ago...while watching a show online....I just put 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup arrowroot into a bowl, then I mixed in a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil. I kept mixing and mixing the oil into the powder mixture and the oil soon softened and mixed to a goopy texture. It was liquidy enough to pour into an old deodorant container, and then it hardened by the time our show was over. Brent laughed at me when I told him I was making deodorant from this powdered mixture I got from my kitchen cupboards...until he felt/saw the final product in it's container...I got a "wow"...which meant that it looked like the real thing! So far I've used it for several days and have liked it a lot. It softens pretty quick when I apply it, so it's easy to put on, though sometimes too much comes off if i roll it down too far. Aside from the initial coconut smell, I have not noticed any body odor! I'm going to put it to the test though....
It felt really good to make it knowing what's in it....so give it a try during one of your favorite shows....it's worth your time!
Tenisha made it too, and gives a good report so far, right T?
We had a little episode the other night...
Josiah woke up screaming (not uncommon) at 1:30am and mommy came to his aid...his complaint was that his ear and his chest hurt...so I run through the mental list of what might qualify for an ear infection, and proceeded to press just outside of his ear lobe with my finger to see if it was sensitive. Sure enough...it hurt...but I still wasn't sure if it was the full blown deal. (He's never had one before) So we get up and go into the kitchen where I do the only thing I can think of to do in the middle of the night...(honestly, Tylenol did not occur to me until just now!) I get out my garlic press (garlic is a natural antibiotic)and some olive oil,(I heard about this from friends) crush a clove into an old baby food jar, mix with a bit of oil, and use a Q-tip to drip the mix into his ear. This was NOT an easy process...since my son is even deathly fearful of haircuts...but I managed to get a bit in there and plugged it with a cotton ball (which didn't' stay in for too long). We made it back to bed an hour later after quite the struggle/nurture/reassuring session...I think Josiah wanted to get back to bed just so he won't have me sticking stinky stuff down his ear! But he slept the rest of the night and when he emerged from his room in the morning he announced that his ear was "all better!". So, of course, that had me doubting whether or not it really was an ear infection...and since this hasn't happened before I guess I won't know. Brent, however, was rather weirded out by my odd form of torture....though after sharing this story at work, it turns out that three other guys had heard of this method for treating ear infections, and one guy said that's what his mom did when he was growing up! So, now I've got experience...and know what to do if/when it happens again...and I'm not completely off my natural rocker!
