You can have green onions growing fresh in your kitchen at all times!
Buy a bundle of organic green onions. Place them in a cup of water. Replace the water every couple of days. Snip the tops anytime you need green onions. They will just keep growing!
Never buy green onions again!
Green onion facts:
taken from fullcircle.com
"Green onions are a member of the allium family, and though quite aromatic, they won’t make you cry while cutting them. They can be eaten raw, but are absolutely delicious roasted or sautéed and they have a surprising amount of health benefits! They are rich in anti-oxidants, chromium, and vitamin C. They can lower blood sugar, decrease high cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and they taste great!"
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Avocado Tree
Tonight I bought organic avocados and made quacamole for our bedtime snack. You can take the pit from the avocado and plant it! Here is how:
- Rinse the pit off really well.
-Cut the bottom of the pit of leaving the pointy side as the top.
-Poke 4 evenly spaced toothpicks out of the sides near the bottom.
-Place in a bowl of water. Wait for roots to grow and a sprout to come out the top. Eventually, you will pot it in soil and a tree will grow!
It can take up to 5 years to get avocados, but I am willing to wait! You can put the tree outside if you live in a warm climate, but it needs to be indoors if it gets below 45 degrees F.
There is more infor on the internet for a more complete set of directions. This is the general idea.
My kids are excited to see what happens!
- Rinse the pit off really well.
-Cut the bottom of the pit of leaving the pointy side as the top.
-Poke 4 evenly spaced toothpicks out of the sides near the bottom.
-Place in a bowl of water. Wait for roots to grow and a sprout to come out the top. Eventually, you will pot it in soil and a tree will grow!
It can take up to 5 years to get avocados, but I am willing to wait! You can put the tree outside if you live in a warm climate, but it needs to be indoors if it gets below 45 degrees F.
There is more infor on the internet for a more complete set of directions. This is the general idea.
My kids are excited to see what happens!
Homemade Baby Wipes
I recently stopped using baby wipes. I learned that they are full of toxins. Why would I, or any mother for that matter, want to put harsh chemicals on their baby's bottom?
I bought a bulk package of 100% cotton wash cloths for less than $5 and have been using those in place of wipes. You can also order flannel wipes which are softer and quite nice! You could even buy flannel material and make your own wipes.
Tonight I made wipes for something different and disposable.
What you need:
1 roll of paper towels
container to store wipes in
natural baby soap
olive oil
Take 1 roll of good paper towels (off brand don't work!) and cut it in half with a sharp knife. Find a container that has a lid that is large enough to hold the wipes. In the container mix 2 tablespoons of a baby soap of your choice, (I would suggest to use an all natural baby soap) with 2 cups of water and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Olive oil works as a great moisturizer! Place one half of the paper towel roll(save the other half for next time you make wipes!) in the container with the cut side facing down. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Put the lid on the container and flip it over. Let it sit for another 5 minutes. The wipes are ready! Open the container and pull the cardboard out of the center. Pull the wipes out from the center. If you find your finished product to be too soapy, you can cut back on the soap as desired.
*I use wipes usually within a week. If you think you will have these wipes longer, boil the water first and let it cool. This gives you distilled water and will make the wipes last longer.
Tip: This would be a great gift for a new mom! Include the recipe of course!
I bought a bulk package of 100% cotton wash cloths for less than $5 and have been using those in place of wipes. You can also order flannel wipes which are softer and quite nice! You could even buy flannel material and make your own wipes.
Tonight I made wipes for something different and disposable.
What you need:
1 roll of paper towels
container to store wipes in
natural baby soap
olive oil
Take 1 roll of good paper towels (off brand don't work!) and cut it in half with a sharp knife. Find a container that has a lid that is large enough to hold the wipes. In the container mix 2 tablespoons of a baby soap of your choice, (I would suggest to use an all natural baby soap) with 2 cups of water and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Olive oil works as a great moisturizer! Place one half of the paper towel roll(save the other half for next time you make wipes!) in the container with the cut side facing down. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Put the lid on the container and flip it over. Let it sit for another 5 minutes. The wipes are ready! Open the container and pull the cardboard out of the center. Pull the wipes out from the center. If you find your finished product to be too soapy, you can cut back on the soap as desired.
*I use wipes usually within a week. If you think you will have these wipes longer, boil the water first and let it cool. This gives you distilled water and will make the wipes last longer.
Tip: This would be a great gift for a new mom! Include the recipe of course!
shampoo alternatives
Interested in an all-natural shampoo? Looking to avoid harsh, toxic chemicals? You've come to the right spot! There are numerous ways to cleanse your hair and scalp without using store bought shampoo.
There are many brands devoted to making natural body products such as Burt's Bees, Jason, Dr. Bronner's etc. While this is great, it can be pricy!
Here are a few alternatives I have tried and they work!
Put about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in the palm of your hair and make a paste with water. Rub it through your hair, massaging your scalp. Let sit for a minute and rinse well. Use about 1 tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar in a cup with about 1 cup of water. Pour on head and let it sit for a minute. Rinse well. Your hair will be soft, smooth and clean! Once your hair is dry, the vinegar odor is gone.
Eggs! The other night I took a shower and instead of washing my hair with baking soda I used an egg. Crack 1-2 eggs in a bowl and whip until frothy. Wet your hair and pour eggs over head. Massage into hair and scalp. Let sit for a minute and rinse thouroghly with cool water. Follow with an apple-cider vinegar rinse as described above. Hair will be soft, smooth and clean!
There are many other natural remedies for shampooing and conditioning your hair. Have fun with it and experiment until you have found something that works for you and feel good about ridding yourself of chemicals!
There are many brands devoted to making natural body products such as Burt's Bees, Jason, Dr. Bronner's etc. While this is great, it can be pricy!
Here are a few alternatives I have tried and they work!
Put about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in the palm of your hair and make a paste with water. Rub it through your hair, massaging your scalp. Let sit for a minute and rinse well. Use about 1 tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar in a cup with about 1 cup of water. Pour on head and let it sit for a minute. Rinse well. Your hair will be soft, smooth and clean! Once your hair is dry, the vinegar odor is gone.
Eggs! The other night I took a shower and instead of washing my hair with baking soda I used an egg. Crack 1-2 eggs in a bowl and whip until frothy. Wet your hair and pour eggs over head. Massage into hair and scalp. Let sit for a minute and rinse thouroghly with cool water. Follow with an apple-cider vinegar rinse as described above. Hair will be soft, smooth and clean!
There are many other natural remedies for shampooing and conditioning your hair. Have fun with it and experiment until you have found something that works for you and feel good about ridding yourself of chemicals!
Friday, January 25, 2013
human in training
you fold your socks and under wear a certain way. your child wants to know why. you brush your teeth and gargle with mouthwash. your child wants to know why. you wear slippers at night. your child wants to know why. you boil your macaroni noodles before you bake them for your homemade macaroni recipe. your child wants to know why.
for the first time, after almost 8 years of doing this day in and day out, i am starting to see a return on my investments. financial investments? no, no. something much more valuable! my children.
in these last several years, i have explained things until i am blue in the face. until i am out of breath, until my mouth is dry. until i am annoyed by my own self and every situation as i have to explain everything. "why do you do that mommy?" a question we hear everyday as parents. no big deal. it's how you answer these questions that matters the most.
when a child asks why you fold your socks like that simply saying "just because" is easier. it's easier because you don't have to think. and it gets your child to stop asking questions, right? wrong! i quickly learned that when my children ask me questions, it's because they are looking for the answer. an answer with meaning. so i did what felt right. i took them seriously and over the years i have explained what feels like over a million, zillion questions. even the though ones like why did you call our neighbor nosy? and what does nosy mean?
sometimes when our kids ask us questions, it gets our brain thinking too. eventually, i think you become just as curious as your child and you too, quickly learn that you don't know why you do things but you want an answer. in a sense, being a parent teaches you a lot about yourself. you know when you struggle with who you are and what your purpose is? a child can drive that out of you!
our children are deserving of an honest, thoughtful answer. don't you agree? sometimes, we feel tired, grumpy, sluggish...you know. and that's ok. typically when my kids ask me things, i enjoy answering their question and it usually leads to a good conversation! though there are times when i don't have it in me. when this happens. i give them an honest answer. "sweetie, i am sorry, mommy doesn't feel really talkative right now." "i have a lot i am thinking about in my mind right now, hold onto your question and we can talk about it later." "actually, for some reason, i am grouchy. it's is nothing you did but i think i need a minute by myself."
you may be surprised how easy it is to be honest with your kids! they are very empathetic beings and understand emotion. usually when i let my kids know i don't feel like talking because i am grouchy or whatever, they ask me if i need anything. "you want me to sing to you?" "you want me to scratch your back?" and sometimes i respectfully take a rain check while other times i say "ya know, i think that is exactly what i need."
But in the moments when you are feeling great and can talk to your kids, do it! when they ask why you pour olive oil in your skillet before you make everything, tell them! there are nights we lay in the family bed and the questions are flooding in full force, "where is the moon?" "why do we have to rest?" "how old is grandma?" i answer them all and then suddenly i can't take another question. before i yell at them to go to sleep. i simply tell them how i am feeling. "i am so tired and i have a hard time falling asleep when you are asking me questions." [honesty] "can you save your questions for another day so i can rest?" it works almost every time. they quiet down and let me rest.
but it is here recently when i have seen return on my investment. when a simple task like making toast can be done by my child without them getting hurt, or burning it or something, i know this happened because everything i have invested in them. i know i have told them about toasters until i can't talk about toasters anymore. i feel it is our responsibility to train our children to not need us anymore. so if your 18 year old moves out and doesn't know how to make toast or do laundry, have we done them any service?
when my daughter was in the kitchen this morning and i heard, pots and pans, cupboards, water running etc, i didn't go running to take charge or see what she was up to. i trusted that she had it under control because i have been training her in the kitchen since she has been 4 or 5 and knew she would come and get me when she needed me.
so in my family, it took about 8 years before i saw the return. maybe sooner. but i am really noticing it daily with my oldest daughter as she is able to care for herself and even others just as i have tried to show her. and suddenly, it's all worth it.
think of your child as a new co-worker you are training. we have all done that. train the new guy and you literally explain everything you are doing and why you are doing it that way. that is exactly what i think parents should be doing with their kids!
for the first time, after almost 8 years of doing this day in and day out, i am starting to see a return on my investments. financial investments? no, no. something much more valuable! my children.
in these last several years, i have explained things until i am blue in the face. until i am out of breath, until my mouth is dry. until i am annoyed by my own self and every situation as i have to explain everything. "why do you do that mommy?" a question we hear everyday as parents. no big deal. it's how you answer these questions that matters the most.
when a child asks why you fold your socks like that simply saying "just because" is easier. it's easier because you don't have to think. and it gets your child to stop asking questions, right? wrong! i quickly learned that when my children ask me questions, it's because they are looking for the answer. an answer with meaning. so i did what felt right. i took them seriously and over the years i have explained what feels like over a million, zillion questions. even the though ones like why did you call our neighbor nosy? and what does nosy mean?
sometimes when our kids ask us questions, it gets our brain thinking too. eventually, i think you become just as curious as your child and you too, quickly learn that you don't know why you do things but you want an answer. in a sense, being a parent teaches you a lot about yourself. you know when you struggle with who you are and what your purpose is? a child can drive that out of you!
our children are deserving of an honest, thoughtful answer. don't you agree? sometimes, we feel tired, grumpy, sluggish...you know. and that's ok. typically when my kids ask me things, i enjoy answering their question and it usually leads to a good conversation! though there are times when i don't have it in me. when this happens. i give them an honest answer. "sweetie, i am sorry, mommy doesn't feel really talkative right now." "i have a lot i am thinking about in my mind right now, hold onto your question and we can talk about it later." "actually, for some reason, i am grouchy. it's is nothing you did but i think i need a minute by myself."
you may be surprised how easy it is to be honest with your kids! they are very empathetic beings and understand emotion. usually when i let my kids know i don't feel like talking because i am grouchy or whatever, they ask me if i need anything. "you want me to sing to you?" "you want me to scratch your back?" and sometimes i respectfully take a rain check while other times i say "ya know, i think that is exactly what i need."
But in the moments when you are feeling great and can talk to your kids, do it! when they ask why you pour olive oil in your skillet before you make everything, tell them! there are nights we lay in the family bed and the questions are flooding in full force, "where is the moon?" "why do we have to rest?" "how old is grandma?" i answer them all and then suddenly i can't take another question. before i yell at them to go to sleep. i simply tell them how i am feeling. "i am so tired and i have a hard time falling asleep when you are asking me questions." [honesty] "can you save your questions for another day so i can rest?" it works almost every time. they quiet down and let me rest.
but it is here recently when i have seen return on my investment. when a simple task like making toast can be done by my child without them getting hurt, or burning it or something, i know this happened because everything i have invested in them. i know i have told them about toasters until i can't talk about toasters anymore. i feel it is our responsibility to train our children to not need us anymore. so if your 18 year old moves out and doesn't know how to make toast or do laundry, have we done them any service?
when my daughter was in the kitchen this morning and i heard, pots and pans, cupboards, water running etc, i didn't go running to take charge or see what she was up to. i trusted that she had it under control because i have been training her in the kitchen since she has been 4 or 5 and knew she would come and get me when she needed me.
so in my family, it took about 8 years before i saw the return. maybe sooner. but i am really noticing it daily with my oldest daughter as she is able to care for herself and even others just as i have tried to show her. and suddenly, it's all worth it.
think of your child as a new co-worker you are training. we have all done that. train the new guy and you literally explain everything you are doing and why you are doing it that way. that is exactly what i think parents should be doing with their kids!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
"i don't know, sweetie"
so i can feel it. i feel that unorganized, super laid back, craziness. when i let everything go. we missed bedtime, i didn't do the dishes after our snack (we've been snacking for the last two hours). the kids have been climbing on the cupboards helping themselves to whatever their body craves....and I am not saying a word. because sometimes it feels good to be unorthodox. and truly, in our house, this is when magic happens.
when things are normal and orderly around here, our creativity is dampered and i, we, are uninspired. but it is now, in this moment:
[emma and ella are making frozen, chocolate covered banana pops without any super vision in their nice new outfits they got for christmas because no, we have not even gotten into jammies yet. tonight we are burning the midnight oil, whatever that means. joshua who has been on a "my mom won't let me have pop anymore" kick, just chugged a can of pop.]
and you see my friends, this is why i am my own worst enemy. just when things are seriously near perfect-clean house, nutritious diets, accomplished school days, clean laundry....i fall apart. does this happen to you? the kicker of the whole thing is that it feels right! are we really wired to work so hard and do our best and then let it unravel? maybe this is our entertainment. maybe this is what we live for-perfection, imperfection, perfected again.
anyway, we did binge homeschooling today (which is probably what has led to this unravel). we learned until we couldn't learn anymore. sat in our classroom on and off again from noon-nine tonight. and throughout our day of reading, comprehending, geometry, quizzes, drawing trains, learning about freight, figuring out what soil is made of, organizing our dvd collection and so on, i came to the conclusion that the value of a question in which is produced by our offspring is priceless.
what triggered this thought was the kid's continuous questions about dinosaurs. i have patience with the first few questions that they ask but by the fourth or fifth one i am irritated. today at lunch i realized my frustration doesn't come from them asking questions but rather my lack of knowledge on the topic. and i just want to say that it is 100% ok to not have an answer to your child's questions. in fact i think it's rather important for your kids to see that their parents-the ones who know everything and mean so much to them-don't know sometimes. it is 100% ok to say "I don't know" to your child....under these conditions...
a) when your child asks you if a carasaurus and a truckasaurus are related and you are thinking in your head "christ, what are they talking about-those aren't even dinosaurs...i hate dinosaurs" but instead, the words that cross your lips as you look your child in the eyes are "Wow, that's impressive! I love the way you are thinking, but honestly, I don't know!" with a smile on your face!
our job is not to ridicule our children when they ask senseless questions, it's to build them up! even over the silliest thing-be amazed. because it is amazing. the sense of wonder. precisely one of the greatest qualities of a child is their curiosity. something that the daily grind has driven out of our adult souls. we don't wonder anymore, so just because we don't, doesn't mean youngsters should be shamed for doing so.
it is 100% ok to say "i don't know" to one of your child's questions if
b) you can teach them how to learn. don't learn for them or tell them what they should be learning. just show them how to learn. when a question can't be answered by you, let them know that you care and you want to help them find the answer. tell them what you do when you don't know the answer to something. do you pray about it? do you do a google search? or better yet, do you dig deep into a book for the answer? this seems simple to us, but when your child hears you telling them "when i need help or don't know something this is what i do". take them to the library. teach them that they own the library just as much as the librarian does and you have the right to be given a tour of the library and to be taught how to look something up.
this is when the magic happens. i think it's called humility. "i don't know" is ok, but too often we are afraid to admit it. why are we? the world is constantly changing, there is so much out there. do we really think that people and kids think we have all the answers? if you think you have all the answers, talk to yourself and tell yourself to "cool it". we don't have all the answers. we are all still learning and should be. we are never too old to learn!
so if you hear a child ask a question and see their parent, the one they love and trust, ridicule them because they too don't know the answer, speak up! tell the child they are smart and that is a great question and tell the parent they better get that child to the library!
when things are normal and orderly around here, our creativity is dampered and i, we, are uninspired. but it is now, in this moment:
[emma and ella are making frozen, chocolate covered banana pops without any super vision in their nice new outfits they got for christmas because no, we have not even gotten into jammies yet. tonight we are burning the midnight oil, whatever that means. joshua who has been on a "my mom won't let me have pop anymore" kick, just chugged a can of pop.]
and you see my friends, this is why i am my own worst enemy. just when things are seriously near perfect-clean house, nutritious diets, accomplished school days, clean laundry....i fall apart. does this happen to you? the kicker of the whole thing is that it feels right! are we really wired to work so hard and do our best and then let it unravel? maybe this is our entertainment. maybe this is what we live for-perfection, imperfection, perfected again.
anyway, we did binge homeschooling today (which is probably what has led to this unravel). we learned until we couldn't learn anymore. sat in our classroom on and off again from noon-nine tonight. and throughout our day of reading, comprehending, geometry, quizzes, drawing trains, learning about freight, figuring out what soil is made of, organizing our dvd collection and so on, i came to the conclusion that the value of a question in which is produced by our offspring is priceless.
what triggered this thought was the kid's continuous questions about dinosaurs. i have patience with the first few questions that they ask but by the fourth or fifth one i am irritated. today at lunch i realized my frustration doesn't come from them asking questions but rather my lack of knowledge on the topic. and i just want to say that it is 100% ok to not have an answer to your child's questions. in fact i think it's rather important for your kids to see that their parents-the ones who know everything and mean so much to them-don't know sometimes. it is 100% ok to say "I don't know" to your child....under these conditions...
a) when your child asks you if a carasaurus and a truckasaurus are related and you are thinking in your head "christ, what are they talking about-those aren't even dinosaurs...i hate dinosaurs" but instead, the words that cross your lips as you look your child in the eyes are "Wow, that's impressive! I love the way you are thinking, but honestly, I don't know!" with a smile on your face!
our job is not to ridicule our children when they ask senseless questions, it's to build them up! even over the silliest thing-be amazed. because it is amazing. the sense of wonder. precisely one of the greatest qualities of a child is their curiosity. something that the daily grind has driven out of our adult souls. we don't wonder anymore, so just because we don't, doesn't mean youngsters should be shamed for doing so.
it is 100% ok to say "i don't know" to one of your child's questions if
b) you can teach them how to learn. don't learn for them or tell them what they should be learning. just show them how to learn. when a question can't be answered by you, let them know that you care and you want to help them find the answer. tell them what you do when you don't know the answer to something. do you pray about it? do you do a google search? or better yet, do you dig deep into a book for the answer? this seems simple to us, but when your child hears you telling them "when i need help or don't know something this is what i do". take them to the library. teach them that they own the library just as much as the librarian does and you have the right to be given a tour of the library and to be taught how to look something up.
this is when the magic happens. i think it's called humility. "i don't know" is ok, but too often we are afraid to admit it. why are we? the world is constantly changing, there is so much out there. do we really think that people and kids think we have all the answers? if you think you have all the answers, talk to yourself and tell yourself to "cool it". we don't have all the answers. we are all still learning and should be. we are never too old to learn!
so if you hear a child ask a question and see their parent, the one they love and trust, ridicule them because they too don't know the answer, speak up! tell the child they are smart and that is a great question and tell the parent they better get that child to the library!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thought this was so funny! Really put things in perspective for Josh and I. That is essentially what a crib is! A cage! Josh and I bought a cage (lol) when we were just kids ourselves but we are pretty certain not one of our kids ever slept in it. Like ever. Lol. The few times I can remember attempting it, I know I felt like something wasn't right. Then that instinct thing came in. That part where as a mama cub, something didn't seem right. SO i fixed it! I rescued my baby from the foreign thing that was interrupting our bonding time!
If only someone would have told us to save our money! We could have really used that $500.
Best parenting advice I can offer: You don't need to buy anything for your baby to sleep in. Your baby actually, scientifically proven, needs you! You keep baby warm, you keep baby fed and you keep baby sleeping. Mothers are magic! Too bad some mothers don't realize their value!
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