Random Tips & Ideas

I always have lots of tips and ideas i'd like to share with everyone but rarely do my thoughts get from my head to the keyboard. So....I have been jotting things down as they come up and hope to share them here and there under the title above "Random Tips and Ideas." Hope you find something interesting!

*If you accidently get essential oils in your eyes or anywhere that feels like its burning, never use water to wipe it out. You must use a form of vegetable oil such as olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, canola oil, etc. Why?? Water drives the oil further into your skin, vegetable oil is a fat and draws the oil back out. On the other hand, if you are needing the oils to penetrate further, as in Myrtle placed on the chest for a cough or Lavendar on the stomach for cramping, then place a wet (warm or cold) wash cloth on top of the oil for faster relief.

*Bulk, unofficially organic, Wisconsin cheese from Amish farmers at amazing prices. The last order i made, the cheese was running $2.59/lb for 40 pounds, including shipping. Yes, 40 lbs is a lot of cheese, but if you find 1 or more others to split it with you, it's worth it and it freezes well. I have only bought colby jack so far and it's wonderful. The cheese comes unrefridgerated in a rectangular box which means the cheese is room temp. This makes it very easy to cut. I cut most of my 20 lbs into cheese sticks and cut the rest into long blocks for shredding in my food processor. I pack the cheese sticks into freezer bags and we pull a new bag out as the other one is getting low, same with the shredded cheese. The website is www.oldcountrycheese.com

*If you are looking for a replacement for canned cream of mushroom/chicken, Frontier makes both in a powdered form. I buy 1 lb bags and just follow the directions to reconstitute it. Currently, i buy it through their website www.frontiercoop.com/wholesale (remove wholesale at the end if ordering individually). If you get a few other ladies together and set up an ordering co-op, you can get free shipping if your order is over $250. Frontier offers many, many organic, natural items through their wholesale website at prices that can't be beat.

*For all of you nursing mamas out there, I have found a great remedy for soreness, cracking, bleeding etc that sometimes comes along with nursing, from infant to toddler. Just rub raw coconut oil all over the problem area after each feeding and you should get some relief. It is safe for the baby, even good for them, and will taste better than lanolin, i'm guessing ; ) Also, coconut oil, when eaten or taken by capsule, will help to combat candida yeast overgrowth. It helps to break apart the yeast nucleus and destroy it.

That's all for tonight. Hope to keep posting more soon!

Homemade Deodorant : )

Half of you are thinking nothing about the title, the other half are thinking i'm nuts. Either way, I had to share this. A couple of months ago I ran across this recipe to make homemade deodorant and had to try it out. I have searched for years to find a natural deodorant that actually works for my body chemistry, to no avail!
Here's the scoop on deodorant. Anti-persirant does exactly what it says, makes you not perspire. God designed our bodies to sweat. It is our body's way of getting rid of toxins. Therefore, if you don't sweat, you hold in all of those toxins that are really bad for you. It would make sense to me that certain cancers can stem from this build-up of toxins.
S0...
You need to sweat! Doesn't matter who you are, your health depends on sweating. Most women cringe at this, but it is for your own good, I promise!
However...
No one wants to stink. So what do you do? You use a deodorant to help disguise or neutralize the stink. The natural and organic sections in stores are full of lots of different kinds of deodorants these days. Finding the one that right for you is another story!
I tried at least 10 different natural deodorants and never found one that worked well all the time. So let my time, effort and wasted dollars benefit you by trying this recipe first, before spending lots of money on the natural deodorants. It is really so easy and it works.
Here it is:

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 deodorant container

For container, just use one of your old twist up containers or buy a cheap one and throw out the junk inside. Completely remove the part inside by twisting it all the way up and taking it out. Then you can clean all of the old stuff out and wash it with soap and water. Let it dry.

Mix the cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a separate bowl in the microwave or on the stove. Slowly pour the oil into the cornstarch/baking soda mix. The consistency should be pasty or slightly crumbly. Add more oil if it's too stiff. If you don't like the coconut smell, just add whatever essential oil scent you like at this point. I love the coconut smell! Then spoon it into the clean, dry container and let it sit overnight to harden or put it in the fridge to harden faster.

When you first begin using it, it may be somewhat abrasive to sensitive armpits. Just be gentle and it will get better the longer you use it. The baking soda is abrasive.

Now, here's what i've found. You will still sweat with this deodorant, good right! However, if you get really sweaty for an extended period, you may start to stink. What I've read about foul body odor is that it is a sign of toxins in your body. Even more reason to sweat and clear it out, although maybe not when you're in public ; ) If this happens, I just put more deodorant on and the smell is gone. Your body will begin to clear stuff out and you will begin to smell better as long as you are eating well! Meaning not lots of sugar, junk foods, partially hydrogenated foods, white flours, trans fats, etc.

So, here's to getting sweaty this summer! Hope this works for you as well as it did for me.

Happy Deodorant Making!!!

Yummy Snack

The kids and I are so excited we figured out how to make fruit leather. You know the stuff that costs $.50 for one tiny little piece and doesn't fill up any tummy. Or for you non granola's, it's like Fruit RollUps only healthier. I guess i should have figured this out sooner because it's so easy, but just never took the time to try it.

You need a dehydrator and an insert that is flat with a lip and solid (as opposed to the grated type). Then you just pick a fruit, like strawberries, grapes, plums, etc. and puree them in a blender. I added a little water but don't know how neccessary this is. Then pour it on your lined tray and let it dehydrate until it's hardened. That's it!

Right now i only have one liner, so i hope to buy some more online so we can do several trays at a time. If you don't have a dehydrator, start looking at garage sales since it's spring time. My mom bought our's at a garage sale for $7 and what an amazing thing it has been. This can also be done in an oven. Just google it for directions that way.

At our house, when fruit starts to get older and uneaten, i usually throw it in the freezer. Then i pull this out to make the fruit leather or even freezer jam (which is also very easy!).

Enjoy!

I love my job!

I am so overwhemled right now with how much I LOVE MY JOB! If you don't know me, that sounds weird, because my "job" is being a wife and mother! I am so thankful the Lord has burned a desire deep in my heart to be a homemaker. There is no place i'd rather be than in the heart of my home. I have not always cared for cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes, but lately, I feel so blessed and thankful to have a family to do these things for and it bring me such joy. I am busy from the moment i wake up to the second I lay down, and during most nights too. It's a satisfying busy though. Not the kind of busy that makes you frustrated and crazy (i've been there too!) but a fulfilling and peaceful busy. I've noticed recently too that because our days are pretty structured and full, there is so much less disciplining needed for my children. And i also don't mean the kind of busy where we are away from home a lot. Monday thru Thursday we are home all day doing our homeschooling, chores, and life stuff. Occasionally, we run errands in the afternoon if it works out. We have Cub Scouts and church certain evenings, but otherwise, we are home so that we can stay on our schedule. Fridays are our homeschool co-op and handbells classes and then the other Friday is our free day.

For some of you, you may think that you would go crazy staying home all day, there have been times that I have even thought that. However, i have found that crazy days are days where there is no structure. I seem to wander around from one thing to the next, always busy, but never seeming to get much done. Then the kids are fine for a while, but then the bickering and fussing begins when they don't know what else to do or need some attention or guidance. So a general plan for the day with round about times gives us a guideline to go by. Even when we miss things or something else comes up, we can easily get back on track by jumping back into the schedule at any time.

Here is our daily schedule (i re-evaluate this frequently and change as needed):

7:15-Wake up

7:30-breakfast/clean-up/feed lambs

8:00-get dressed, make beds, brush teeth/hair, complete morning chores

9:00-Bible Study

9:30-Kate nap

begin School;M-Owen & Claire-letter of the week,Cody-Independent work

T-Math Day

W-Science Day

Th-Skittle School (if all work is completed this is their treat-they love it!Small candies are earned for answering questions and completing tasks/activities i give them based on their abitities; their favorite game is Alphabet Bingo! Since we don't eat a lot of sugar, this is a huge treat! Picture above is of Skittle School)

10:15-Snack/break

10:30-My Father's World (packaged curriculum)

11:15-outside playtime

12:00-lunch

12:30-clean up/misc

1:30-Kate nap

others-read books/play quietly/occasionally watch a video

3:00-Free time (T/Th-computer/Wii)

5:00-dinner prep

6:00-dinner

6:30-clean-up/girls bath

7:00-girls in bed/boys feed lambs/shower

7:30-boys in bed/read books

8:00/8:30-boys lights out

I plan out our dinner menu 1 month at a time. Since I am now cooking dinner everynight (very little leftovers anymore) we have some meals that are always the same. Friday night is Mama's Homemade Pizza Night and everyone's favorite meal of the week. I make a batch of homemade dough and get out all of the toppings like sauce, cheese, canadian bacon, italian sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc. Each person gets a chunk of dough and they roll it out in what ever shape they want and then top it to their liking. Sometime we watch a movie while we eat our pizza. I try to stick with the same type of meat each night, then vary the meal: Monday-chicken, Tuesday-ground beef, Wed.-eat at church, Th-misc, Friday-homemade pizza, Sat-crock pot meal; Sun-light meal (sandwiches,soup,etc)(we eat out usually after church for lunch so we're not as hungry for dinner).

We also have a weekly menu for breakfast and lunch. These do not change except when we get tired of eating the same things after a while.

Here is our laundry schedule:

M-Cody-am

Owen-noon

T-Claire-am

Kate-noon

Me-pm

W-Kenneth-am & noon

Th-linens-am & noon

F & S-misc-whatever didn't get done

I also alternate running the dishwasher and washing cloth diapers late at night. We have a septic system and since I am married to a septic installer I have to follow the "spread your laundry out" rule so our system doesn't get overloaded. Also, my children are trained to do their own laundry. They each have their own dirty clothes basket in the laundry room (they are responsible for putting all of their dirty clothes straight into their basket every day). At their designated time/day, they have to put their clothes in the washer and add our homemade(see my recipe in the Natural Cleaning tab on the right) laundry detergent(with help for younger ones). I usually move the load to the dryer since it is hard for them to reach way down in it. Then they have to put their dry clothes into their drawer (which is 1 huge drawer that is built into their beds). We do not fold, only hang special dresses or shirts! This is a stress saver for me at this point in life!!

Ahhh-It all sounds like so much, but really a little bit of planning goes a long way. I plan out our dinner meals at the beginning of each month and write it on my calendar so I see it every day. I also plan out 6 weeks of school at a time then take off one or two weeks so I can reevaluate our studies and adjust where needed. We are homeschooling year round so these are needed breaks to the kids as much as me. I found that taking the summer off led to lots of problems due to a lack of schedule, so we go year round with many breaks for resting and holidays. I then prepare for each week on sunday nights and get all of the materials needed for the week ready.

So...Staying home can be great! Just find what works best for your family and go with it. If you find yourself having a hard time, maybe you need to focus more time on your children. Play a game with them before you clean the kitchen or read a book to your little ones before starting school. Fill their cup first, before getting all of your housework done, and they will be content.

Also, one other thing I have found that makes our day go so much more peacefully is to not get on the phone or computer. It never fails, that when i do either of these, things get wild! I try to do these things after the kids are in bed.

Happy Homemaking!

The Clothesline...

A clothes line was a news forecast

To neighbors passing by.

There were no secrets you could keep

When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link

For neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by

To spend a night or two.

For then you’d see the ‘fancy sheets’

And towels upon the line;

You’d see the ‘company table cloths’

With intricate design.

The line announced a baby’s birth

To folks who lived inside

As brand new infant clothes were hung

So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could

So readily be known

By watching how the sizes changed

You’d know how much they’d grown.

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,

Haphazardly were strung.

It said, ‘Gone on vacation now’

When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, ‘We’re back!’ when full lines sagged

With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon

If wash was dingy gray,

As neighbors carefully raised their brows,

And looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past

For dryers make work less.

Now what goes on inside a home

Is anybody’s guess.

I really miss that way of life.

It was a friendly sign

When neighbors knew each other best

By what hung on the line!

Author unknown

I ran across this at www.homesteadoriginals.com They have lots of great tips and homemaking info along with a store monthly giveaway. This month's giveaway is a bar of their homemade soap. If you like free stuff, check it out!

Homemade Laundry Soap

If you are interested in saving your family some money but not willing or able to go as far as something like cloth diapers or make your own bread, (yet!), here is a great project for you (and your children) that will wow everyone when you say, "we make our own laundry soap!"

I ran across this recipe in a free quarterly magazine that Beeyoutiful (link on right) sends out. (FYI-More Than Alive and Bulk Herb Store also send out free magazines/catalog full of lots or great tips and info!) It was originally a conversation from a forum board at http://www.welltellme.com/ on how to make homemade laundry soap. I am so amazed at how well this works every time we make it. There are lots of differing opinions as to how much bar soap to put in the recipe and how much to put in the washing machine but this will get you started. Then you can play with it and figure out what works best for you! Post a comment if you find something that worked well for you or you have any other tips.

Homemade Laundry Soap:

2 bars soap (Ivory is cheapest but has a strong scent; a natural soap is best but costs more; some recipes say to use less soap??)

1 cup Borax (detergent aisle; some like to omit this item & just use 2 c. washing soda instead-this will make your soap more "green" (edible if you use gray water to water a garden /lawn with)

1 cup Washing Powder (Arm & Hammer makes a big yellow box found on the detergent aisle)

5 gallon bucket

Essential Oils-optional-whatever scent you like; lime, lemon, orange, etc.

Grate soap bars with a cheese grater, put in a small saucepan , & cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill 5 gallon bucket with hot water and add soap. Stir to combine. Add washing soda and borax, mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1-2 cups per load.

~~~~

I put the 5 gallon bucket in the bath tub, fill it with everything, and give my children yardsticks to stir until their hearts content. This way the spills are contained and the bath tub getts a little free cleaning : ) It is so cool how it starts to thicken and get globby. Then we use a 1 cup measuring cup and keep it by the machine so Cody, my loader, can just scoop up a cup and put it in.

I sometimes use vinegar as a fabric softener, so a couple of times we added vinegar to the bucket. I will warn you however that if you wait to add it until everything else is already in and the bucket is full, you will have a mess and waste quite a bit. The next time we did it, we added the vinegar to everything else but only filled it with half water. What happens is a great science experiment making lots of fizzing and bubbling. It's like a volcano explosion experiment on a much larger scale and your not wasting all the ingredients. Lots of fun!

Let me know how it goes or if you have a questions.

Saving Dinner-The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table

I've told several people lately about this book and thought i would share it with everyone else.

I bought this about a year ago and still cook our favorites each month. It is more than a cook book. It is broken down into 8 weeks worth of menus for each of the 4 seasons. It also includes shopping lists at the beginning of each week and nutrional info after each recipe. Best of all, there is no pre-packaged, convience ingredients in the recipes. All of them are nutritious, home-cooked, healthy meals.

If the last sentence scares you, there are ways to make the transition easier. If you are in a hurry, you can prepare things in advance to cut down on cooking time. I always cook all of my ground beef, chicken, or ground turkey in large amounts, then separate them into containers to pull out ready to add to a recipe. The author also will point out places where you can doubleup or prepare things ahead for a meal later in the week.

Also, if you are worried about spending more time in the kitchen and less with your family, get them involved! I now have a "meal helper" for each meal of the day. When it is each ones turn to be a helper, an apron is almost always put on, and they are eager to get to help in whatever job i give them- cutting, peeling, stirring, chopping, whatever. They love getting the chance to do something so grown-up!!! These are the things they will remember.

There were lots of recipes we loved that I would never have imagined making or my family eating and there were some we didn't like. After we ate each meal, i would write in the margin how well we like it. After following the schedule for several months, i went back through the book and picked out all the ones we loved and added them to a few of my other recipes. I now have a month worth of meals that I know how to cook easily and know everyone will eat.

Even though it may take longer to cook these meals than you are used too, you can feel good about taking the time to prepare a healthier meal for your family. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I love to help!


Here is the listing on amazon.com

Book Description:
Certified nutritionist Leanne Ely has a simple philosophy: “Make it and they will come.” Dinner, that is. Take-out, opening a can, or microwave fare shouldn’t pass for a nice, healthy meal–and nothing can replace a family’s time together. Believe it or not, preparing dinner can be a stress-free endeavor. Even your time in the supermarket can be cut in half!Full of practical tips on simple, healthy meal planning, Saving Dinner is the ideal solution for today’s busy parents who would love to have their family sitting around the dinner table once again–sharing stories along with a nutritious meal. Efficiently divided by season, each section features six weeks of menus with delicious recipes, side dish suggestions, and an itemized grocery list that is organized by product (dairy, meat, produce) to make one-stop shopping a snap. Plus the book is packed with helpful hints and short cuts in the kitchen that make cooking easier and more fun.From Big Basil Burgers and Salmon Carbonara to Crockpot Chili and Spicy Apricot Chicken, Saving Dinner will have your family coming back to the table–and back again for seconds!
Leanne Ely is considered the expert on family cooking and healthy eating. Between her popular “Heart of a Woman” radio show in Southern California and her weekly “Food for Thought” column on the ever-popular Flylady.net Web site, thousands of fans have already discovered Leanne’s secrets to easily prepared, well-balanced meals.