Naturally

I'm a big believer in trying natural products before going to pharmaceuticals. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for picking up medicine at the pharmacy counter and I am glad that we have that option. But I also believe that God created natural plants that can often do the same, with less side effects, and I try to scope those out first.

I'm not a doctor though and do not suggest going off a medicine or trying a new supplement without talking to your doctor and doing your research first.

This is just what works for our family.

We always have a jar (or two) of Elderberry Syrup on hand. This really boosts your immune system and is especially helpful during the flu season.

My mother calls Activated Charcoal magic. I don't know how many times I've turned to this for stomach upsets, nausea, and more. There have been times that I have been *this* close to throwing up, I take one or two tablets, and within 15 minutes I can literally feel it absorbing the acid in my stomach.

On an added note. If you break open a tablet, pour it on a toothbrush, and brush your teeth with it you will notice a much whiter smile within a week (after rinsing out your black mouth!). 

Carditone has been a life saver for my husband. This summer his blood pressure was through the roof. Before going to the doctor and going on blood pressure pills for life we decided to try some supplements. He takes Carditone every other day and garlic, magnesium, and CQ10 every day. His counts have come down almost 50 points into the normal range and are staying that way!

These are just a few of the products that we use and have in the medicine cabinet. I'll highlight others throughout the next few months.
 

Nature Heals

The past few months my face has broken out horribly, especially on the chin area. I don't know if it's stress, hormones, bad eating, the heat, or a combination of it all. But it was bad. 

I tried everything in my cabinets. Acne spot cream, the generic form of ProActive, face masks, and more. Nothing worked. My face just got dry and peeled, along with more acne and more redness. This is embarrassing at the age of 32! All those products used to work for me but not this time.

Then I remembered the homemade deodorant in the cupboard.

 Tea tree oil and coconut oil are both powerful antiseptics and healing oils as well. I started to apply this to my face in place of all the other creams and within just a few days I noticed a drastic difference. It's been close to two weeks now and I haven't had new breakouts and the old ones are healing and close to gone! I could do without the baking soda in it (my next batch, solely for the face, with be just the tea tree and coconut oils).

A simple, cost effective beauty routine! If you don't have a source for tea tree oil or coconut oil a good place for both is Swanson Vitamins. I just restocked my supplement and medicine cabinets with several items from there and have always been happy with my orders (as well as the prices!). Use this link for $5 off your first order!  
 

Green!

I think I'll snap a photo of my gardens (both flowers and vegetables) periodically throughout the summer to document how it grows it changes.

The flower bed out front is already starting to bloom on the border. I love seeing the bees and butterflys stopping by for a visit. 

My garden grew almost overnight with the rain we received the past few days. The peas are starting to climb so I just put the trellis out.

This year I am using grass clippings as mulch around the plants. It keeps the soil moist, cuts back on weeds, and adds nutrients to the dirt and plants. 

New to our gardening routine this year is our rain barrel. It comes in the nick of time as I just saw that our sewer and water prices are going up.

The barrel is filled with even a light rain and then can be used for watering the plants around the yard. The bonus, besides saving money, is that the plants enjoy rain water much more than city water (kind of scary when you think about it...we are drinking the stuff that the plants don't like!!).

Enjoying the Bon Bons?

Christmas movie at theater: Free

Popcorn and Pop: $9.00

2 Hours alone in the house: PRICELESS

Last Saturday my husband took all three children to the free holiday movie at the theater. I had 2 whole hours alone in this house...it's the first time since July 4th when my husband took them to the park for an hour or two. Is it pathetic that I can remember the last time I had the house to myself, or pathetic that it was over 5 months ago?

I couldn't believe it that I got more done in those two hours than I usually get done ALL day. Living room, dining room, office, and bathroom were all cleaned and vacuumed. Three loads of laundry were washed, folded, and put away. A batch of chocolate almond bark pretzels was made. The kitchen counters were cleaned. It was delicious. And when my husband came home with the kids, saw how much cleaning I did and asked "Why did you clean when you finally had time alone?" I responded with "I didn't want to waste my time reading or watching a movie." Time without children underfoot is so rare in this house that actually being able to clean without being interrupted was a treat to me!

Last week when I wrote my post about working moms insulting stay-at-home moms unaware by saying certain comments opened up a line of communication between working moms and stay-at-home moms (both on my blog and another online forum). Some mamas said that the comment "I wish I could afford to stay home" didn't stick in their craw nearly as much as "I wish I had all that free time" or "If I was at home all day my house would be clean!" (Why? Would you be home ALONE?) I think the whole mommy wars really boils down to certain mamas insinuating that the other one has it so easy. That line of thinking is so far from the truth.

There is no way that I think working moms have it easy. Finding childcare, trying to figure out what to do when a child is sick and needs to stay at home, rushing home to put supper on the table, fitting errands in on time off, juggling work, children, and marriage. That's not easy at all. As a stay-at-home mom I can see things that are positives about working as well: adult conversation throughout the day, being able to actually get work done without someone undoing it behind you (i.e. children), and most of all - a paycheck! But I do not envy the working mom.

On the same token, as a stay-at-home mom I am without a doubt completely insulted when it is insinuated that I have so much free time on my hands. I don't have time to sit on the couch and eat bon bons. Yes, I have more freedom with my time, but I don't have more free time. My whole day is taken up with children wanting and needing something. It's funny that often times a stay-at-home mom isn't viewed as "busy" but a daycare worker would be. And don't forget that the daycare worker gets a paycheck.

As a homeschooling parent it gets even worse. I don't send my children off to school each day so they are literally with me 24/7. Yes, this is of my own making. I choose this lifestyle. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Staying at home can be...so...daily. There are days (or weeks!) when life can feel like the movie "Groundhog Day".

Which gets me to a point that I was going to make. Working Moms AND Stay-at-home moms have some things easier...and some things harder. Each job has it's perks...and it's hardships. I wouldn't change my job for the world, but that doesn't mean that I like it 100% of the time. Sometimes the grass does look greener on the other side...even when it's not.

Two years ago I read the book In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. You'd think I would have liked it. Instead, I despise it. Dr. Laura is trying to make the point that children are better off with stay-at-home moms. Instead, she makes both working and stay-at-home moms loathe her. A working mother would feel like she was damaging her child by working if she were to read this book (I'd love to hear from a working mother who did read this book - what were your feelings?). And as a stay-at-home mom I was insulted by many various things Dr. Laura wrote. First of all, Dr. Laura was NOT a stay-at-home mom. She mentions being home during the day but would work in the evenings while her husband watched her son.

And second...the real reason I can't stand the book...is that she said that any woman wanting to quit her job to stay home that needs to convince her husband of what a good thing it will be just needs to sit her husband down and rub his shoulders while telling him how he will come home to a much more relaxed wife, supper on the table, more sex (because, after all, you will be much more relaxed after quitting your job), and more. She reiterates this several times in the book. So, isn't she really saying that stay-at-home moms have it easier by saying we will be more relaxed? If that is true, why is it that housewives have a lower life expectancy than other occupations?

The book In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms just fueled the mommy wars even more, I think. Instead of making one party happy Dr. Laura seemed to manage to insult both types of mothers at the same time.

There is no easy choice. Working out of home or working at home is hard work.

Friends?

Do you think it is possible for a married person to be friends with someone of the opposite sex? I don't mean friends as in, say, I'm friendly to my co-workers because I work with them and they are nice people type of things. Or, catching up with my old high school friend in the middle of a grocery store thing. Or even, my husband and I both are friends with this person and hang out all together sometimes.

I mean, do you think it is okay for a husband or wife to have a friend of the opposite sex that they meet up with, chat with on the phone or computer, and talk with quite often...without their spouse?

It's a tricky situation, I think. When you're single, it's fairly easy to have friends of both sexes. But when you are married, are you supposed to drop the "opposite sex" friendships? Is there anything wrong with them?

We haven't really had to face this issue in our marriage. My husband left all his female friendships behind in one state when he moved to another soon after we met, and didn't cultivate any new ones. The friendships with my male friends dissolved when I got engaged. It was a bit of an awkward situation for all, I think. One friend was truthful when he told me "I don't feel right being close friends with someone who is about to get married, especially since our friendship involved me becoming closer to you because you were single." Hint, hint. It's true that often times one can think it is just a friendship while the other has hope for something else.

There was one male friendship that I kept up after I was married. After a few months it became strange and weird, and apparent to me that one really probably can't be friends with someone of the opposite sex while being married. That friendship broke up. My husband never demanded that I stop being friends with anyone...and never brought it up even, but I realized when I became uncomfortable with it that it had to go.

Here's the thing. I trust my husband completely; I don't trust other women. I'm a woman myself, of course, but I see how sneaky, conniving, back handed, hateful, and jealous women can be. Women like to always one-up another. Women are not simple creatures. It's clear, especially, in a statement that my husband's cousin told him "Just wait until you have a wedding ring on your finger...women will become much more interested in you." Women want what they can't have...and want to take what you have.

Are all women like this? Well, probably not. But even just a friendship can be a temptation. While I trust my husband, I wouldn't agree with placing him in a situation that can be a temptation (or vice versa...I trust myself but won't place myself in a tempting situation). Men and women are different. When women chat with their girlfriends it's about anything that is going on in our life at the moment, including marriage and sometimes even sex. Especially marriage troubles. Men like to joke about things and will occasionally gripe about something that their wife did. Do we really want our spouses telling a woman about something stupid we did, or have our husbands trying to comfort a woman who is going through a troubled spot in her marriage? Yeah, I didn't think so.

This is not to say that I think all male/female friendships have to end after a marriage, but rather, I think they have to evolve to include the new spouse too. I've read many "Dear Abby" letters where a spouse (usually the wife) is writing saying that she is uncomfortable with her husband's friendship with a woman but that the husband brushes her off by saying "We are just friends". A marriage ALWAYS comes first, before ANY friendship (whether the same or opposite sex). If a spouse is uncomfortable with something it is our duty to calm that fear, even if it means that a friendship breaks up. After all, our spouses are our best friends, right?

And shall I even go into the people who consider their ex's their friends and still hang out with them even after becoming involved in a new relationship? What's up with that? Actually, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this whole matter. Do you agree or disagree?

Zero, Zilch, Nadda

Nothing. I lost nothing in one week's time. Granted, it is better than gaining weight. I will confess and say that I didn't try all too hard on losing so can't be very disappointed.

This past week was crazy busy and with all the running around and activities planned I had zero time to think about healthy eating and exercising. I didn't have to try too hard to get exercising in, as the weather has been gorgeous and so we have been taking walks and playing outside. That part was easy. I still didn't notice a difference in the scale or my clothing though.

Better luck next week, huh?

Is Breastmilk Always Best?

Recently a baby in Minnesota lost his mama when he was just a week old. The father knew that his wife was adamant about giving her baby breastmilk and wanted to continue to do so after she passed away.

Fast forward a few weeks later to when Mckmama of mycharmingkids.com put together a breastmilk drive for this wee one. She sent a shout out and many mothers responded by pumping and donating milk to the father of this baby.

It is amazing to see so many breastfeeding mothers come together to support a father who wants to do the best for his child.

BUT,

the milk drive that Mckmama pulled together is causing a great deal of controversy. And rightly so.

My personal opinion is that breastmilk is best for a baby. After all, it is the way God intended for a baby to be fed and is geared specifically for each baby. The nutrients are far superior to formula. This is not to say that a mother who formula feeds is a bad mother; formula vs. breast is a personal decision (much as organic vs. traditional foods is). If I was unable to breastfeed my own babies I would consider buying breastmilk from a milk bank (if I was a millionaire, that is...this stuff is expensive!) or accept breastmilk from a long-time trusted friend or family member.

I would not accept breastmilk from a total stranger.

There is a reason that breastmilk from a milk bank is grossly expensive. The mothers and the milk have to go through a rigorous screening and testing process. Health is monitored, milk needs to be stored and transported a certain way. This is for the safety of the infant. Breastmilk expressed and stored incorrectly can cause an infant to get sick or miss needed nutrients that should have been in the milk. Mothers with health issues (HIV, Hepatitis, etc.) can pass those illnesses along in their milk. Mothers on certain medications or with alcohol or other substances in their milk can be a danger to the baby receiving the milk. There is a reason that milk banks have a testing process in place.

I think Mckmama's heart was in the right place but that her plan was executed much too quickly without a whole lot of thought behind the specifics. Could she not have raised funds instead for this father so that he could have purchased milk from a milk bank? Could she not have organized a group of women in his own town that could go through testing and then donate their milk to him? Collecting breastmilk from complete strangers with unknown histories is a danger. Who is to say what is in those breastmilk storage bags that she collected for this infant?

I wouldn't give my baby breastmilk from a complete stranger that had not undergone a complete blood work test and health written statement from her doctor any more than I would eat a sandwich given to me from a stranger at the door.

In this case, it seems, Mckmama is putting the horse before the cart. Untested breastmilk from strangers is much more risky and unhealthful than formula. Mckmama hasn't stopped to realize that in her quest to help this infant she could be causing a great deal of harm by the route she is taking of collecting breastmilk. She seems to be promoting the idea that any and all breastmilk is better than formula, when that is not even close to the reality. Breastmilk is not always the best, in my opinion, if there is a danger to the baby from unscreened strangers.

Your thoughts?

Wholesome Wednesday: Natural Birthing

Joseph, a week old, May 2008

Birth is a natural process, not a medical emergency. It is all too common for it to be "treated" instead of letting our bodies go with the flow.

Labor is rushed if the due date is just a few days past due, interventions are done during labor that can stall it or put the baby into distress, c-sections are done all too often. Many times, these are all unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for an induction, epidurals, or c-sections. A perfect birth doesn't always mean natural...a perfect birth is when the outcome is a healthy baby and mother.

But it is true that the more intervention, the greater risk of problems arising. Let's start with inductions. The doctors give us a due date of 40 weeks, and often within a few days of the due date (whether before or after) doctors are often discussing inductions. The fact is that a normal pregnancy can last anywhere from 38 weeks to 42 weeks. Being induced means stronger and more painful contractions, which means you may be more likely to need pain killers/epidural. Seeing as how your body wasn't ready for labor (and the majority of women do eventually go into labor naturally, it is a rare instance where a women won't go into labor before 42 weeks) things aren't exactly ripe and ready and your body is forced into something it wasn't ready for. Which is why inductions often start the road to problems.

Epidurals and other drugs can cause your labor to stall, either making a longer labor or causing you to not progress at all and needing a c-section. It can also cause the baby to be in distress, which requires immediate action. Not only that but they all have possible side effects to both you and the baby.

This isn't a "how to have a perfect birth" post. You can plan every single detail and nothing could go as planned. A mother choosing to get an epidural, drugs, or needing a c-section is not a failure.

For me, choosing to have a natural birth was not just to avoid a c-section. I wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to feel what it was like to give birth naturally, like women for centuries have been doing. I wanted to follow my body's lead and just do it. I plan to write my birth stories out later on so won't bore you with the details twice but will mention that with my first I finally relented to getting Demoral, which did nothing for the pain but made me drowsy which in turn made me fall asleep and wake up with each contraction. I was so out of it that I couldn't get on top of the pain. I got stuck at 8cm for a few hours and it was pure torture. I only found out later that the doctor was thinking of a c-section since I wasn't progressing.

The next two were done with a midwife in a hospital and were totally natural. It is amazing to feel the power of your body working with your mind while in labor and while it is intense it is liberating. The natural high after giving birth is amazing as well and lasts for hours, if not days afterwards. As a women, or as a person, I have never felt as strong as I do after giving birth. It's amazing! Giving birth just comes naturally!

What birthing choices did you make? Looking back, would you do it again the same or do something differently?

Wholesome Wednesday: Cast Iron Skillets

I planned to do a whole post about all my cookware but decided instead to focus on cast iron today. I've written about my cast iron skillet before but wanted to write about the benefits of cast iron cookware.

The first benefit of cast iron is that during the cooking process a bit of iron is leeched into the food. This benefits those who are low on iron or just need that added supplement in their diet.

The second benefit is that there are no harmful coatings on this pan (such as teflon) that could chip off into your food. The seasoning process means that the pan becomes non stick with use. The more you use it, the better it becomes.

An iron skillet takes a bit more care. The suggested cleaning method is just wiping down with hot water and not using dish soap but I have to admit that I often add a teeny tiny amount of soap just to make myself feel better. I then heat it up on the stove to dry and rub with a little cooking oil. If your pan becomes rusty or begins to stick you can re-season it by scrubbing with steel wool, rub it with oil or shortening, and bake in an oven for a few hours.

A properly taken care of cast iron pan or skillet will outlast you and will be something that can be passed down to your great-grandchildren. It is a wonderful investment for the kitchen. A few years ago I paid around $13 for my skillet (a Lodge one from Walmart). I will only make my fried potatoes and sauteed green beans in that pan as it adds a unique taste that no other pan can duplicate. When a recipe calls for a skillet I always reach for the cast iron one first and only use my other skillets if the cast iron one is already in use. I also love that it can go from stove top to oven and looks nice as a serving plate as well!

Do you use cast iron cookware in your home?

Wholesome Wednesday: Air It Out

The other day I was at a garage sale and the woman was sweeping her garage and chatting with another woman. One woman asked why it was so dusty and dirty in there when she had just swept yesterday and the reponse was that the wind was stirring everything up. The other woman replied that was exactly why she never opens her windows in her home and hasn't once since she bought the house 12 years ago. It made me stop in my tracks. Never open your windows?! I guess I never considered the possibilty that some people don't open windows.

Well, wait, I take that back. Years ago when one of my aunts bought a house she exclaimed that the windows had all been painted shut. We all wondered who would paint windows shut, as it was just a given that in nice weather you open the windows. Only a physcopath would close themselves off from the fresh air, right?

Okay, when I now actually think about it I get the reasoning that some people wouldn't want dust/dirt to get into their house. But studies have shown that the air inside our house is up to 70% more polluted than the air outside. One of the ways to offset the polluted air in the house is to air it out...just 15 minutes a day of fresh air entering the house can reduce that pollution in the air by 50%. Everything around you in your house can produce off-gassing; from your furniture and carpet to the paint on your walls. Add to that the chemicals that you clean with and fragrance sprays and plug ins and your house is swarming with unhealthy things in which you breathe in. We also spend almost 90% of our time indoors, breathing in these contaminates. Isn't that enough reason to open the windows?

The fact is, I don't open the windows in order to cut down on the indoor air pollution. It was only in the past couple years that I learned how unhealthy our air indoors is. I would do it for that sole reason if I wasn't already opening my windows but I've always opened my windows. From early spring when the weather reaches around 65 degrees to late fall, I have my windows open. I love to hear the birds chirping, the car tires on the street, the smell of rain, and to feel a warm breeze wafting through the window. There is nothing like when the neighbor's tree (I don't know what kind), which is right outside my bedroom window, is in bloom with thousands of little flowers that smell heavenly. The smell drifts into the bedroom window and makes the whole room smell like a bouquet of flowers. No need for artificial room sprays when you can have the real thing. When the weather is hot, but not hot enough for the air conditioner, I love to cool the bedrooms off in the evening by sticking a fan in the window and drawing in the cool air. Even on a summer night the fan bringing in that fresh, cool air can make it downright chilly in the room - and there is nothing better than snuggling further into your blanket and sleeping like a rock and waking to the sounds of birds chirping.

Yes, there are health benefits to airing your house out. But I think this is one of those things that benefits the soul even more.

Wholesome Wednesday: Exercising When You Have Kids

I've found it to be difficult to get into an exercise routine since having children. I just don't have the time to do jumping jacks, touching my finger to my toes, running on a treadmill, and doing push ups. Okay, I lied. I've found that if you really want to do something you will find time for it. I don't like doing those types of exercises so I just don't.

I do like to move my body though. Whether it be running in the yard with the kids, taking a long walk, walking the dog at a brisk pace, or going up and down the steps with countless baskets of laundry to put away I like to get that kind of workout. And it works. I seriously believe that in our day to day life we are able to get adequate exercise to mantain a healthy lifestyle by doing our everyday things. We don't need a separate machine to help us stay in shape. Granted, our lifestyles are not so "natural" as they were 100 years ago. There is less physical labor and a lot of desk jobs or other work that depends more on the mind than the body. I can see how someone who sits behind a desk for 8 hours a day could have a need to go "sweat it out at the gym". But I am speaking for myself here and I think that as a mother to three active children and a homemaker with a home to take care of I should be able to get enough exercise within my daily routines.

I think I do for the most part. Mopping a floor, vacuuming a room or two, hauling laundry baskets up and down the steps, lifting toddlers, scrubbing bathtubs, and all the other various jobs that I do throughout the day are burning calories and getting my heart rate going. Not to mention that digging in the garden, raking leaves, pushing kids on swings, chasing children down, walking dogs, and taking long strolls throughout the neighborhood are all very vigorous activities.

These are all things that can be done with a child, or two, or three. It is easy to get into the mindset that the only productive exercise is the hard workout in the gym or on the exercise equipment in your home but I find that as long as you are moving about and getting things done you are exercising. These things can be done with your children so that they too are getting adequate exercise. Just today I took a very long walk around the walking trail and the great thing about getting your kids to join in is that it wears them out and turns down their energy level for awhile. Both boys fell asleep when we returned home and slept for over an hour which was blissful!

Our bodies don't have to suffer just because we are busy with little kiddos all day. We can truly turn our daily activities into our exercise and kill two birds with one stone.

What do you do to exercise while at home with your children?

Wholesome Wednesday: Growing Your Own

I debated about whether I should write about gardening for my Wholesome Wednesday post, or rather my Frugal Friday post. Granted, gardening is very frugal, but that isn't the only reason that I do it, so Wholesome Wednesday won out this time.

There are really five reasons that I decided to grow my own food. They are listed in order of importance.

#1. Homegrown vegetables are as fresh as they come. They don't sit in a market for days (or weeks) and are picked at their peak freshness. Nothing beats a tomato directly from the garden or a cucumber that is still warm from the sun.

#2. It is organic. While not "certified organic", I buy the seeds/plants (and try to stick with heirloom plants whenever possible), I plant them in a raised garden bed that we built with untreated lumber, in soil that we use our own compost to enrich, and we use no chemicals on our plants. As close to nature as you can get! They also are not shipped any distance, which protects more of the earth's resources.

#3. The freshest and most natural vegetables are also the cheapest. I can get a basket full of radishes fresh from the garden for less than it would cost to buy one bag of dried and cracked radishes from the store. All my vegetables cost mere pennies to produce. It isn't just good for the body but also the budget.

#4. It is a family activity. The kids help pick out what we will grow and help plant. Becca and hubby help me weed and everyone helps harvest and eat it all...which leads me to...

#5. Since my children are involved with the planning, planting, and whole process of the garden, they want to eat the products of their hard work. They have tried everything from the garden - from turnips to yellow squash to kohlrabi and green peppers. They eat and actually like what they grow.

I will have future posts on how we built a raised garden bed, what plants we decide on, composting, and more. I think almost anyone can plant at least something; whether it be a small windowsill herb garden, to a container of tomatoes on a patio, to a ginormous garden which could produce all the vegetables and fruit one would need. Start small and think big!

Living in the upper midwest we have a late start to the growing season (not planting tomatoes or cucumbers until May) but there are a few things that I can start early. I already sowed some radish seeds in the garden as they are cold hardy plants and will probably get some turnips and onions in this week sometime. I snapped a picture of something that excited me in the garden this past week...
My rhubarb is emerging! You know it is a sure sign of spring when you catch the rhubarb shoots peeking out of the ground. I have four rhubarb plants and can't wait to make breads, pies, and stash a bunch of it in the freezer.

So what are your plans this spring? Do you garden? What do you plant? Do you go big or stay small?

Wholesome Wednesday: Natural Body Care

This post could tie in nicely with my post about deodorant and shampoo. But I am focusing mainly on lotions, soaps, and facial products today.

Did you know that about 60% of any substance applied to the skin is absorbed into the body and can even be detected in the blood within minutes? Studies have shown that we may actually acquire more toxins through inhalation and skin absorption than through the foods that we eat. That's pretty scary! The sad thing is that plenty of the body care products that I was purchasing that claimed to be "organic" or "derived from natural sources" were not nearly as natural as I thought. Most "natural" body care products still have chemicals in them.

Chemicals in body care products have been linked to reproductive problems and to some cancers. Many synthetic chemicals have also been linked to developmental deficiencies and learning disabilities in children. Even the fragrance in products have been reported to cause headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin irritation, and much more. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture that what we put on our skin should be as important in what we put in our bodies.

I think the best way to gradually change our skin care habits is to do just that...change gradually. Making your own products from natural household supplies is the cheapest way to do so. I use witch hazel mixed for astringent after washing my face. A bottle costs about $1.50 and lasts quite a long time. I mix it about 2/3 witch hazel and 1/3 water and store in a squeeze bottle and pour some on a cotton ball to apply to my face. For removing makeup olive oil is an excellent natural product to use. I dab some around my closed eyes and rub and then rinse to get any makeup off. A body scrub can be made out of sugar and olive oil. The list goes on and on for homemade beauty products so if interested do a Google search.

I also use store bought products which substitute the harmful chemicals for natural ones. But even my "natural products" are not pure from all chemicals. There are only two companies that I can really recommend products from as pretty much as natural as you can get.

Terressentials claims that they only use ingredients that the USDA permits in certified organic food. Yes, the products are really all natural.

The prices are a little high for me but I did try the lotion out a few years ago and can tell you that not only was the scent amazing (all natural, no synthetic fragrance) but the lotion worked. It cleared up my dry skin and with no irritation which I sometimes get from other products. If you are truly concerned with traditional body products Terressentials is the way to go. Even switching one product at a time will make it cost effective. I at least urge you to look around their site, they have a lot of media and research data included.

Earth Mama Angel Baby

This company has amazing products with real natural ingredients for pregnancy and for baby. I buy their morning sickness tea when I am pregnant and have used their lotion for the kids (and myself!). It is smooth and smells delicious and I can be confident that what I am putting on my children is healthy for their little bodies.

I also use their baby bottom balm for diaper rashes and it clears it right up. It is also wonderful for cuts or scrapes, burns, and insect bites so we keep a jar of it in the bathroom cupboard. They can also be found at Amazon.com so I can use my swagbucks to buy them!

These are just my personal recommendations and I have not been paid to advertise them. I think it is best to try to make or use as many beauty products as possible and then look for an outside source on the items that you can not make yourself.

Do you make any of your own beauty products? Do you buy any "natural products" trying to steer clear of traditional ones? Are you not concerned with traditional ones? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Wholesome Wednesday: Kids and Computers

I don't regard technology as a great thing when it comes to computers, television, cell phones, and video games. Don't get me wrong, I think each of those devices have a time and a place. I enjoy my blogging and e-mail and there are occasional television shows and movies that I like. But I think that it is too easy to become dependant on those things and not know how to function without them.

Remember the Y2K craze where we were afraid that the whole system would shut down if it didn't recognize that it needed to roll over to 2000? Luckily, it didn't come to pass but the fact remains that a small glitch in the computer system could send the whole world into shut down mode. It seems that everything these days depends on computers.

I think that we have gone to the extreme when it comes to technology. Kids seem to either be texting, chatting online, playing video games, or watching television in their down time. I rarely (if ever!) hear a child say they want to spend their free time reading a book or playing a board game. I think that's sad. These days kids need to be entertained, instead of entertaining themselves.

We don't have a video game system. My children (ages 6 and under) are not allowed on the computer. We don't have cable so have very limited channels to choose from, and restrict television as well. I'm not against these things, I just don't feel that certain things are a right fit for our family. In due time my children will learn the basics of computers, as I feel in the job market it is a must to have computer knowledge and skills but I don't feel playing games or being online all day helps to gain those skills.

What it all boils down to for me is health and safety. I, personally, don't feel that it is a healthy lifestyle to be engrossed in technology for the better part of the day. There is a reason that America has the biggest population of obese children than any other country. I also don't feel that it is safe to allow certain technology into our lives without parental supervision. Look at the new craze of "Sexting" where teenagers send provocative pictures of themselves via their cell phones to their boyfriends/friends/possibly even complete strangers. Chatting online with complete strangers has gotten many a teenager (or pre-teen) into dangerous trouble. Porn is everywhere in the internet and a google search of something very innocent can turn up some very nasty sites.

I limit the invasion of technology in our home. I don't think my views will change on this even as my children grow.

What are your family rules when it comes to technology? Do you allow unsupervised internet usage or computers with internet hookup in your children's rooms? Do your children have their own cell phones with unlimited minutes and texting? Do you allow R movies to be viewed by your children? I'm curious to hear what rules other parents put on technology in their home, especially those with older children.

Wholesome Wednesday: Pads vs. tampons

The question seems like a cinch...whichever one you like best, right? Well, sure, unless you are concerned with certain health aspects such as, are they safe?

I may be entering the TMI (too much information) arena, but I was never comfortable with the idea of a tampon. I didn't do much research but did steer clear of them, especially when several people I knew continually got urinary tract infections around the time of their cycle and come to find out that they are tampon users. One day when my cycle was pretty heavy and I had a bunch of errands to run I decided to try a tampon that I received as a sample. It was okay but not totally comfortable. Since then I have worn a tampon maybe six times and have gotten to the point that they are comfortable to wear but I just don't like them much. I decided to do some research to see if my feelings that they are not healthy for you are unfounded.

One of the first things I came across are that tampons are not just cotton, they're made of dyes, fragrances, and super-absorbent chemicals. Research has found a link between uterine problems and bleached tampons. Chlorine from bleach turns to dioxin and is one of the most dangerous chemicals on the planet. Dioxin accumulates in our bodies over our lifetime and it's not something the body can ever get rid of.

Tampons are often made with Rayon. It's made from wood pulp and during the process of converting wood to rayon, hundreds of chemicals that are used are embedded in tampons.

Fibers remain in the vagina after a tampon is removed. Can the chemicals and fibers in tampons cause health problems? We now have staggering rates of endometriosis, fibroids, PID, TSS and over a million hysterectomies performed this past year--the most ever. Twenty-five years ago, these were rare illnesses for women.

While there are many reasons for the above illnesses, I don't want to take a chance that putting bleached fibers into my body for several days a month may be a contributing factor those illnesses.

Sanitary pads also use a bleaching process and also use more than just cotton. But having them outside the body is much safer than using them inside the body. This is the route that I have gone so far, though I have been researching other options.

What other options are there? One is the "Diva Cup".

The Diva Cup is a bell shaped cup often made of latex and silicone. It is reusable and designed to last for up to 10 years. They work similar to tampons except instead of absorbing the liquid they collect it and you empty it out before reinserting. While they are not made out of natural products, they are touted as being much safer than chemically bleached tampons.

An alternative to store bought sanitary pads are cloth pads, such as Luna Pads (they also sell the Diva Cup).

Similar to cloth diapers, you just use, wash, and reuse. They snap around your panties making them similar to the store bought pads. I know some people who swore by these for their heavy cycles, saying they absorb so much more and stop leaks. This is the option that I am really leaning towards, though I need to get over the "ick" factor of washing them. For some reason I can wash cloth diapers just fine but kind of gag at the thought of washing menstrual pads!

I would love to hear if you use alternative menstrual products or what your feelings are about the traditional ones.

Wholesome Wednesday: Prenatal Testing

I have been through three pregnancies and am thankful that I had normal pregnancies and healthy babies. I followed the typical protocol of prenatal care and my checkups included the typical internal check, testing my iron levels, blood pressure checks, measuring of the uterus, and an ultra-sound. One thing that I always opted out of was prenatal testing, more often known as an amniocentesis.

An amniocentesis is done by inserting a thin, hollow needle into the abdomen and uterus, using an ultrasound to guide the process. In mid-second trimester amnios, about 2 tablespoons of amniotic fluid are removed through the needle. The most common reason for doing an amniocentesis is to check for birth defects. It can also be used to check fetal lung maturity near term and occasionally in late pregnancy to assess anemia in babies with Rh disease. During a normal pregnancy it is often only used to check for birth defects.

This is where I have a problem with it. I see no point in getting an amniocentesis to find out if my child will have a birth defect or not, because the result of the test will have no bearing on whether I carry that baby to term or not. The typical birth defect that they search for is Down syndrome (and many abortions are then preformed based on the result). You can also search for trisomy 13, 18, etc., plus Turner and Cri du Chat syndromes. There is also cystic fibrosis and other defects. But I choose to forgo all testing because even a positive result of a defect would not have changed my mind in carrying on my pregnancy. There are many false positives reported with an amniocentesis and that would involve further testing and needless worrying.

Even some couples who know that they would never abort but would like to know if there is an issue that they can prepare for before hand do decide to get an amniocentesis. I can see the reasoning in this...if you know before birth that your child will have Down syndrome or be be born with cystic fibrosis you can research it and know what you will need to know to be prepared. But again, the tests are not 100% accurate. And the tests are also not 100% safe. One must decide for themselves whether knowing something before birth is worth the risk of a test.

Bleeding and cramping, miscarriage, amniotic fluid leakage, fetal respiratory problems, increased admissions to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, uterine infection, clubfoot, etc. are all listed in various resources as potential risks of amniocentesis.

Bleeding occurs 2-3% of the time and is usually resolves without problems, but is associated with a somewhat higher rate of fetal loss. The risk for miscarriage increases after an amniocentesis, it is generally thought to increase between 0.5% and 1.0%.

These are real concerns that I decided are not worth it for my pregnancy and baby. If I had serious complications in pregnancy or a possible serious problem with the baby that showed up on ultra-sound that may be easier helped if we knew what we were dealing with, I may feel the risks were worth it to see what was going on. But in my healthy pregnancies I saw no reason to get an amniocentesis.

I did have to sign a waver to opt out of these tests. The thing that gets me is that the tests are touted as normal and routine and the risks are often in small print on a pamphlet that mothers often don't read, instead taking the advice of the doctor and going through just "another routine test". I don't think that there is anything routine about an amniocentesis and I hope that more mothers will realize that there is a risk, and then decide whether it is right for them and their baby, instead of just going along with it.

If you have been through a pregnancy, what made you decide to have/not have prenatal testing done?

Wholesome Wednesday: Deodorant

While researching natural products several years ago, the one product I became the most concerned about was deodorant. Aluminum is one of the ingredients that I am most concerned about, as it is linked to brain disorders, Alzheimers, and possibly cancer.

The problem with deodorants and antiperspirants is not only the aluminum, but how it works to reduce sweat and odors. Aluminum compounds are key ingredients in almost all antiperspirants and most deodorants. They are powerful astringents that close pores, stopping sweat and odor from escaping the body. Antiperspirants may leave the outside of the body smelling fresh and clean – but inside, the toxins that would have escaped the body in the sweat have nowhere to go. For this reason, antiperspirants have been linked to problems with the sweat glands and lymph glands in and around the underarms. What's more, antiperspirants are designed to be absorbed; which means that the aluminum and many other chemicals are taken into the body and may affect the lymphatic systems, as well as being a potential risk factor in breast cancer.

I am especially concerned about deodorants right after shaving the underarms as you are exposing any small nicks and cuts to the chemicals and while breastfeeding, as the chemicals may enter your breast milk in one way or another (milk glands run right up into your underarms). I don't feel comfortable putting that into my body, or my baby's body.

Several years ago I switched to natural deodorants that use more herbs and oils than chemicals. I especially make sure that they contain no aluminum. The two brands that I have liked best are "Kiss My Face" deodorants and "Tom's Of Maine". I stick mainly to Tom's of Maine because it is more cost effective and I can find it at most stores, including Walgreens and Walmart. My favorite is the Tom's of Maine Original Care in Calendula. It smells like fresh linens and works all day! Sometimes at the very end of the day I will start to smell a slight odor (TMI?!) but I used to have that issue with regular deodorant as well, especially in summer. So I can say that it really does work just as well as regular deodorant. It costs around $4.50 depending on where you purchase it but one deodorant will last around 6 months so I find it to be very cost effective.

There are other ways to battle the odors without using antiperspirants and deodorants but I haven't tried them. Some just apply a bit of dry baking soda under their arms and swear it keeps them dry and odor free. I read recently of someone who cuts a very thin slice of lemon each day and rubs it underneath her arm and says that it works. It sounds like too much work for me (keeping the lemon in the fridge, slicing it each day) and more expensive (lemons cost a lot and a six month supply would have to cost more than $4.50). But it is probably a more natural approach because it is just one ingredient...lemons! There are crystal rocks that are supposed to work when wet and rubbed under the arms. None have been tested by me but it goes to show that there are several options when it comes to switching to a better way to stay fresh and clean...and safe and natural.

Any comments or questions?

Wholesome Wednesday: Co-sleeping

I never intended to co-sleep with my babies. I had a crib and a bassinet all set up for when I arrived home from the hospital with my first baby.

I arrived home from the hospital exhausted. I'm not good at sleeping away from home and the noises of a hospital and getting interrupted in the middle of the night with checks and the nurses bringing little Becca in for nursing made it all harder. I arrived home with my newborn infant and a terrible migraine and I headed straight for bed. I nursed my newborn to sleep and went to lay her down and her bassinet...and she woke up! Oh, okay, let's try this again...I nursed her back to sleep and went to lay her down...and she woke up again. By this time I was desperate for a nap. So I nursed her again and we both fell asleep, and woke up a few hours later both refreshed.

That is how our co-sleeping journey started. Every single time I went to lay her into the bassinet she woke up. So little Becca ended up taking her naps in my arms, in her car seat, or the baby swing and slept with me at night. She never did make use of her bassinet and never once slept in her crib.

Co-sleeping is surprisingly easy, especially when breastfeeding. I never had to get up to rock her and wait for her to fall back to sleep before setting her down. She never even cried at night to be fed - I sensed her moving around and would get her nursing before her, or I, fully woke and we both fell back to sleep while nursing. Considering I had a newborn, I was fully rested every single night.

This has continued with the next two babies. For the majority of my nights with newborns I didn't loose sleep. I nursed a few times a night and both baby and I typically would fall right back to sleep after nursing, or even during nursing. I'm not quite sure how well it works when bottle feeding, as one would have to get out of bed to prepare the bottle, but I would be interested to hear from any of you who co-sleep and bottlefeed and hear how that works.

Many parents feel that co-sleeping is a nightmare and that you will never get your child out of your bed. I find it fairly simple. Once my children wean, I soon transition them to a toddler bed that is pushed next to our bed. They fall asleep next to me and I move them into their toddler bed. Little by little they end up falling asleep in their toddler bed and sleep all night. Then I move their bed into another room. It seriously has been an easy step for me with the first two children and I don't see where there will be a problem with Joe as we begin this transition period this spring. Both older kids sleep excellent at night in their own beds. We have never had sleep issues with them.

S-E-X. Can it happen when you co-sleep? Of course! It doesn't always happen in bed, but you learn to be creative. Co-sleeping doesn't affect our intimate life.

Is it safe? There is always a debate going about whether it is safe or not. If you look around the globe, where most parents co-sleep with their infants, it is proven to be completely safe. This includes Japan, where the rates of SIDS are the lowest in the world.Under most circumstances, co-sleeping is likely to be very safe and beneficial. If the parent(s) smoke or take drugs, co-sleeping is risky. Sleeping with an infant on a waterbed, couch, soft bed, or any bed that has gaps or ledges into which the infant can fall, can be risky for the infant. It is more ideal to sleep on a firm mattress, and to limit the use of pillows and blankets. You must make your bed a safe place for an infant, just as you would make a crib a safe place. Co-sleeping is how babies have been raised since the dawn of time, and putting baby to sleep in a separate bed or room is a new invention. It doesn't mean it is a safer one.

I know that co-sleeping doesn't work for everyone. But it IS a safe option and the perfect fit for our family.

I'd love to hear your sleeping styles and what works for you.

Wholesome Wednesday: No Poo

There is a movement called "No Poo". It isn't what it sounds like. It is a movement against store bought shampoo. Shampoo is chock full of chemicals and while one would think that it must be safe since it is out on the market, many chemicals and additives in our beauty products are not safe. It is not common knowledge that anything we put on our skin is indeed absorbed and cycles through our blood and organs. In fact, our skin is our largest organ (who knew skin was an organ?!) . In tests it has been shown that what we put on our body can be found in our body within minutes. So those who switch to natural soap and beauty products often also switch to "no poo". Many others who are not on the natural body care movement just do not like how their hair feels with regular shampoo. They say it weighs it down and that they actually have increased hair loss with the use of regular shampoo.

I tried this movement over two years ago. I quit within a week because I didn't like the way my hair felt. But those on the "no poo" movement swear that within a couple weeks your hair adjusts to the new cleaning regimen and is easier to manage and better looking than when they used shampoo.

What do no poo users use? Some use natural shampoos that can be found in stores, but most make their own hair cleanser with baking soda and vinegar. Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda and while in the shower mix it with a tiny bit of water to form a paste, then massage this paste throughout hair and rinse. Then take a couple tablespoons of vinegar (apple cider vinegar is recommended, though white works in a pinch) and mix with a little water, pour over hair and rinse out. Your hair will smell like vinegar until dry but then no smell lingers. It is recommended to just comb and let air dry.

The first few days that I did this I loved my hair. It was not frizzy and easy to comb. But then it started to feel greasy and weighed down. I went back to regular shampoo after that. From what I read, this happens in the normal transition period. You either need to cut down on the baking soda, skip the vinegar to only every other day, or pour it just on the ends of your hair instead of the roots. I am considering trying it again to see what my hair is like after several weeks of no poo. For now though, I just use the baking soda and vinegar cleanser about once a month to strip all the hair styling products out of my hair and it does an incredible job at that.

Whether you want to try going fully no poo or not, I suggest you try this baking soda and vinegar cleanse at least once. I bet that you will notice a huge difference in your hair that day!

Are you a no poo follower? Have you ever tried a baking soda and vinegar cleanse? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and would love to hear back on whether you tried it once and how you like your hair now!

Wholesome Wednesday: Fluoride

Fluoride, it's probably something you don't give much thought to. You get it on your teeth when you get them cleaned at the dentist, your toothpaste has it, and your drinking water has it in. But what is it and is it safe?

For years I have been concerned with fluoride in our drinking water. I just don't like the fact that it is there and I haven't found a water filtration system that filters it out (at least, not one that I can afford). Contrary to previous belief, fluoride has minimal benefit when swallowed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, fluoride's "predominant effect is posteruptive and topical". Meaning, any benefits that accrue from the use of fluoride, come from the direct application of fluoride to the outside of teeth (after they have erupted into the mouth) and not from ingestion. There is no need, therefore, to expose all other tissues to fluoride by swallowing it. Yes, we continue to drink our city water, which is fluorinated, but I am not happy about it.

Once I turned 18 I stopped getting fluoride treatments on my teeth during a cleaning at the dentist office and have never had my children get them. The main reason for it is because I have dental fluorosis (which is now estimated to affect around 30% of American children and adults), which is the first visible sign of excessive fluoride exposure. It results in whitish or dark flecks and spots on the teeth. I have been able to get them bleached (at $200 a pop) but only did that once, as they come back due to not being stains, but rather marks on and in the teeth. I don't want my children to get that and it just proves that fluoride isn't exactly a good thing.

We go in spurts when we buy fluorinated toothpaste and unfluorinated. My husband seems to have very thin enamel and tends to get cavities when we use the unfluorinated toothpaste. The children typically use the unfluorinated and we have just had to deal with one cavity in my daughter, which I doubt is due to the lack of fluoride but more to the fact that I have started to let her brush her own teeth and I think she didn't do such a great job. I am not as worried about the toothpaste as it is not ingested.

There are other health affects of fluoride than just the dental fluorosis. According to the National Research Council (NRC), fluoride can damage the brain. Animal studies conducted in the 1990s by EPA scientists found dementia-like effects at the same concentration (1 ppm) used to fluoridate water, while human studies have found adverse effects on IQ at levels as low as 0.9 ppm among children with nutrient deficiencies, and 1.8 ppm among children with adequate nutrient intake.

People with kidney disease have a heightened susceptibility to fluoride toxicity. The heightened risk stems from an impaired ability to excrete fluoride from the body. As a result, toxic levels of fluoride can accumulate in the bones, intensify the toxicity of aluminum build-up, and cause or exacerbate a painful bone disease known as renal osteodystrophy.

According to the NRC, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor. Most notably, the NRC has warned that doses of fluoride (0.01-0.03 mg/kg/day) achievable by drinking fluoridated water, may reduce the function of the thyroid among individuals with low-iodine intake. Reduction of thyroid activity can lead to loss of mental acuity, depression and weight gain.

Less known to the public is that fluoride also accumulates in bones. It increases the risk for bone fracture and has even been linked to a serious form of bone cancer (osteosarcoma).

Fluoride hasn't even been proven to be the direct link to prevent cavities. No difference exists in tooth decay between fluorinated & unfluorinated countries.

We do try to avoid fluoride as much as possible.