I just can't help it. Wait Yes I can!

and again... found a new homemade project! I want to make my own coffee creamer! Mad scientists suit up! A friend of mine shared a site with us as we chatted about stevia sweetner. Here is the link to the recipes deliciouslyorganic.net this is a beautiful site I will be following all over the place. Another project I hope to work on is the Craft Hope website.crafthope.com Please do check this out. If you do any crafts or sewing please help. This current project is helping kids who are fighting cancer. These are simple and easy project to help spread happiness. Please get involved! Thats all for now...

Sunday Religion? No. Christ? YES!

Sunday mornings have been a source of stress for me. It's getting 7 people ready and out the door that is the whole issue.
For us it goes a little like this:
Have you had showers?
Brushed your teeth?
Do your clothes match?
Do your clothes fit? No too small go put on something better. I don't have anything better! No? Yes you do we just bought you clothes! But I don't like that shirt, pants, etc I raved about in the store anymore. I don't care wear it anyway!
Where are my socks? So and so took my socks!
Honey what do you want the little ones to wear? That's too small she's grown out of that.
Oh no and here comes the toddler nuclear meltdown because she can't have dessert for breakfast.
Do we have our bibles? No I left mine at church 3 1/2 Sundays ago. What and you didn't say anything?
Got your coats? I don't have one, mine doesn't keep me warm, I don't need one its only 1 below out anyway! What?! Put your coats on!
The baby needs a hat!
Diaper bag ready?
Ok lets get in the car. I'll skip that whole dialogue. Wait... who forgot deodorant? We hear a low "me"... (from the back of the back of the suburban) Ugh go put it on and hurry!
... finally arriving at church. *gasp!* Helaina doesn't have any socks on and two out of 5 kids have light jackets on complaining that it's cold! (O.o) I think to myself, yeah I've got to plan the night before. This morning routine of chaos has got to change as my husband drops us off close to the door and parks the car.

I shuffle through the crowds with a bulky car seat and 4 kids as someone decided to add a little gasoline to the fire that was almost out with,  "Whew I'm glad those days are over for me."  I nod, although offended inside but laugh it off then proceed to catch eye contact with people I know coming or going. Some I'm glad to see some I completely avoid eye contact. Yes I admit, some people just can say some of the craziest things that I try to avoid. It makes my day easier. By the way the "Whew I'm glad those days are over for me" comment was said to me twice. Once before service and once while I was feeding baby Fia. I thought to myself wow, you know I wouldn't give this up for the world. My family as crazy and unorganized as we are, I love them. They are my world and I'm honored the God let me have a family. Yes this stage of life is a bit overwhelming at times but I am enjoying seeing my kids grow up. For some it might not have been that way. Maybe they suffered through the infant, toddler, preteen, and teen stages. I don't know but you can't assume everyone has. I for one didn't like being pregnant at all but I would never tell a pregnant woman "Whew glad those days..." She might love being pregnant for all I know. I guess people just don't think. To me that says they don't care enough about the passing person to give a passing word of encouragement. Of all places, we were at church but some are their due to their obligation to fulfill a religious tick off their list.  Love doesn't reside with that motivation. I can't say they even meant well, because the words were accompanied with the head shake and facial expression. As we were leaving an older lady asked me if I had just had a new baby because she saw the car seat. I said yes and she asked how old. I said she's 4 months. She then says oh that's not so new. Well ok then! The she says, can the baby breath? I assured her yes she could. We had a fleece blanket over her to shield her from the whipping winds. She said ok, I don't want to have to do CPR. I did the smile and nod again. Maybe she didn't notice the alive and well 4 kids traveling behind me?? Wow people. Wow.

It's moments like these that make me question why do I even put up with going to church? Why when you have people
who talk to you crazy, criticize you, your parenting, your family, where you live, how you look, how often you serve, etc. Why when you can get the podcast and rest in your own comfortable home? Well here's why. Each Sunday our Pastor fights through his or her own battles to bring a message to us. Each Sunday other families go through this same thing. I see families that I love to talk to, I see friends that encourage me, I see my kids enjoy it. I see my husband joking with others, and that makes me smile. In reality it's not about me. It's about God. Its about our spiritual growth. It's about hearing the word of God and applying it to our lives. It's not about who's wearing what, who's popular, who's got this and that. Sure that stuff happens even in church but I shake off the offenses and move ahead. I'm learning if I give it more time than the moment of dismissal it deserves it steals my joy, and my family's joy. It's not worth that.  We aren't perfect but we can be aware of our actions and words. Live what we proclaim, open our eyes, and began to LIVE because God gave us our lives not to harm one another but to build one another up. I don't claim to have or to expect life to change overnight  After all we are a church full of imperfect people trying to do something right. That's it. So we do this every week, (until God leads us to do something else) and we learn... some of us learn because I still have to get that morning routine down lol.


A friend of mine posted this video on facebook. I'd like to share it because it's so true. So many are going the religious route. I'm not religious and here's why.

Here I go Again...

Ok, I have found my next home made product adventure! It's Non Petroleum Jelly! lol I know what's that all about? Well I just blogged earlier today on my Pure Natural Blends blog about the Mineral Oil and Petroleum Jelly ingredients. Have a look here http://purenaturalblends.blogspot.com/. I was researching alternatives to Vaseline. You know we've used it for years and like it, however being well informed I don't think I like it so much. So now ta daaaaaaa, it's Non Petroleum Jelly!! I plan on getting the alternative waxes and not beeswax.  Here is a snippet from the blog

There are many alternatives to petroleum based products. Try using products such as olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil or jojoba oil. They work better for precious baby skin too! The benefits are far greater than the byproducts of crude oil!

An alternative to petroleum jelly could be to make your own! A Non Petroleum Jelly can be made by using Bayberry Wax, Soy Wax or Candelilla Wax and your favorite oil. Just use 1 ounce of wax and 1/2 cup of your oil of choice. Melt both wax and oil on very low heat in a saucepan or a boiler. Stir the wax and oil together. Pour the wax and oil mixture it into a jar and watch it cool into a solid. You may add essential oils to give it beneficial properties and a great scent!

So I'm now on a quest to find some Bayberry wax. It just sounds interesting to use. Maybe I'll mix some lavender essential oils and use Almond Oil. I'm excited again! I'll blog about how it turned out when I get it done! If you have already done this let me know how you like it!

Seaweed Smoothie Fail. Tofu Pie Success!

Ok so I'm a sucker for products and recipes. If the package looks good I want to buy it. If the claims look half honest I'm tempted. I know it makes me sound like I have a house full of junky half used products, but I don't. I don't give into temptation much after all I am a Graphic Designer trained to know and design the tricks that make us want to buy things. It still doesn't stop my curiosity though. I do have self control... sometimes. I'm still in the dog house for the Seaweed Smoothie I created. That creation literally tasted like crab! I tried hiding the seaweed taste with fruit and it just made it have a sweet yet salty crabby taste. Maybe we should have had crackers with it? No. My husband was a trooper as he always has been for me and tried it with me. He drank all his, I couldn't get half of mine down. Good thing the after taste didn't last long! Yeah, Yuck.Oops FAIL! Anyhow,  the latest is a Low Calorie Chocolate Pie I saw Chef Alton Brown made on the Dr. Oz show. Here's the thing, the main ingredient is Silken Tofu! I had never tasted Tofu before until a few days ago. I was skeptical at first but was curious enough to try it. The chocolate Pie is delicious!! My whole family liked it! Yes even my dear husband who doesn't like tofu agreed it was good! Maybe because you don't actually taste the tofu! Hmmm.... So check it out, here's the recipe and the link to where it is on the Dr. Oz site http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/alton-browns-dairy-free-chocolate-pie IngredientsMakes 8 servings 13 oz semisweet chocolate chips 1/3 cup coffee liqueur  (I used a sugar free Caramel flavored Coffee syrup as a substitution) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 lb silken tofu 1 tbsp honey  1 (9-in) prepared chocolate wafer crust (store-bought is fine) DirectionsPlace enough water in the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place the chocolate chips and liqueur in a medium metal mixing bowl, set over the simmering water, and stir with a rubber or silicone spatula until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth (about 1 minute). Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm. Courtesy Alton Brown, 2011From “ Good Eats: The Early Years” Try it! It's yummy... now where did I put my slice?

Messy Mondays Just Became Funny Mondays

After seeing this posted on facebook a few times I eventually watched it. Now as homeschoolers... wait as African American homeschoolers... wait no, as an internationally blended mixed homeschooling family, we are a bit of an oddity and we love it. I'm forever a proud Texan married to a proud English husband (said in my TexBrit accent), throw in one set of twin girls, a boy, a toddler and a baby and there you have it. We get asked all sorts of questions about homeschooling and people assume all sorts of things. My family was humored by this YouTube video from Blimey Cow 
Enjoy, laugh and let the truth be told!

Homemade Mouthwash & International Traveling Bees

Well folks I did it! After weeks of wanting to do this, I finally got to make my own mouthwash and guess what...

I liked it!! I took a recipe from the Gorgeously Green website and modified it with ingredients I found in other online recipes. So I used:


½ cup Aloe Vera Juice
1 cup Filtered Water
1 tsp Honey
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 TBSP Witch Hazel
3 drop Lemon Essential Oil (EO)
20 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (EO)


You might ask, now why would I make my own mouthwash? Have a look at the ingredient list on the LISTERINE^® ZERO™ bottle
Active ingredient: Sodium fluoride 0.02% (0.01% w/v fluoride ion)
Inactive ingredients
water 
sorbitol solution
propylene glycol
flavor
sodium lauryl sulfate
poloxamer 407
sodium benzoate
phosphoric acid
eucalyptol
thymol
methyl salicylate
sodium saccharin
menthol
disodium phosphate
sucralose
FD&C red no. 40
FD&C blue no. 1

Anyone know what all those ingredients besides Mentol are without having to google them? I know Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is in shampoos that I don't buy because it's harsh. All the others I would have to google. I don't think it's a bad idea. In fact I'll do it when the little princess tot who hit the floor running this morning goes down for a nap. But for now the list is questionable as is the rest of the other brands filling the bottles on the shelves. This LISTERINE^® ZERO™ won a best beauty award! Beware of these sort of things. Again the graphic designer in me raises a brow. Stay with the safe ingredient lists you know. Our bodies deserve better. 

As for the homemade mouthwash, it's minty and I like it! I have to admit I was a little hesitant because I've read that you shouldn't consume EO's but this isn't to be swallowed! I was asked if I did the math for it's cost effectiveness and I did not because I had these things on hand. So I'd say if you have these things on hand give it a go. The honey was a bit expensive since I bought local honey. You know my daughter asked me to pick up some honey the other day and I was told years ago that you should always buy locally made honey and this article Why You Should Buy Local Honey definitely states why! As I browsed the honey jars looking for local one I was quite disappointed that Schnucks didn't have anything local. Sure they had some "distributed" in Kansas but not made locally. Note, it's only distributed and not made. On the bottle it had it printed "product of Argentina" Whoops! That's not local! I saw some jars actually imprinted with product of India, Argentina and USA all on one bottle. Um can I get Honey that doesn't travel so far? Yes. Yes, I can. I went to Dierburgs to see their selection and purchased some there. The price was higher than the other traveling bees but the quality is better. So while I didn't buy the honey solely for the purpose of this mouthwash, I did learn a lesson. My lesson was to read the back of the Honey Bear container and be ware of those international traveling bees! The EO's can be expensive too so bargain shop for price but watch the quality. If the cost effectiveness is a big factor, I'd say search online to find a recipe that has the ingredients you already have. I found a variety just searching the words "homemade mouthwash." If you do have these ingredients listed, give it a go!

So far so good. Swish Swish!

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