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Finally, I made laundry detergent, yay! Part of my delay is that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the recipes I was finding on-line. Most of them called for either a bar of Fels-Naptha, or the use of Dawn dish detergent. These products do not sit well with me. Why?  I did, in my excitement to purchase all the products, purchase two bars of Fels-Naptha. I was in and out quickly without thought (this is bad), and I hadn’t even returned home when I could smell the overbearing perfumey odor in the car. UGH! Yep, the Fels-Naptha. It says it right on the label, Perfume. Nice. Well, I knew right away that wouldn’t work for me, my head was already swelling with the ickiness of the fake chemical scent. Since then I’ve also found out that the Dial Co. says it should not be used directly on the skin, it’s an irritant. It also contains some ingredients which are known to contaminate the oceans, lakes and to harm wildlife. Not my thing. You can read more here.

The other recipe I was seeing on-line was non-grate version which calls for Dawn dish soap. Nope, can’t do it. It comes in plastic, (you know I’m trying to eliminate plastic as best I can) and is loaded with cra*, like the sulfate sisters, and It’s owned by Procter & Gamble, a company that I don’t particularly approve of (trust me, I have enough trouble with arm & hammer, still test on animals, but can’t yet find an alternative), lol. So…. Anyway, many of you won’t be quite as picky as me, ha.

Armed with this information I knew I needed to slow down and get the right bar soap. I wanted something a bit more natural. I found this soap called Verve at Whole Foods. It’s vegetarian (no tallow or other animal ingredients), cruelty free, fragrance free, no BHT, comes in planet friendly packaging, perfect, and the price was right too, $3.99/3 pack.

*No Whole Foods nearby or don’t shop there? Many of these recipes I’ve seen use Ivory Soap as well or you can use a natural herb bar soap found at many farmer’s markets.*

So, natural bar soap it is! Here’s my recipe:

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 bar natural soap (grated)
75 drops essential oil (I used 50 drops sweet orange, 25 lavender) You can have so much fun creating new natural fragrances here.  (I did find that I didn’t smell this upon drying, so I may eliminate the essential oil all together in future batches.

Mix together, viola!

Yields about 32oz. I placed the mix in empty  Charlies Soap (a wonderful alternative to home-made) containers, my previous laundry detergent.

Use 1-Tbsp per load or 2-Tbsp for heavily soiled laundry.

Note: I have a HE front loader. This recipe worked fine, it’s low suds and no problem. I’m also on a septic line, it’s fine for this too.

Peace!

So, it seems I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from the blog. I’m regrouping to pull all my segments together and be more organized. The kids and I are going to Disney the next few days, PFMan and I have put together a really cool scavenger hunt through the World Showcase of EPCOT, our favorite Disney park. So anyway. I’ll be back starting Tuesday May 1st with Natural Living Tips. For now, I hope your Earth Month has been green:-).

Peace!

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Art, Blueberry Season & The Beatles.

Oooo, and it’s Friday the 13th!

Heading to Ft.Lauderdale today to spend the weekend with my best friend Dawn. Kids can’t wait to see her, she’s Aunt Dawn to them. Tonight we’re going to see the Beatles Tribute band, Across the Universe, in the park.

I was on Pinterest a bit this week, duh! Aren’t you??? Here’s what I’ve found! This amazing blog on Thai cuisine & culture. I made this last night. Well, I made all the components, packaged them in my many saved glass jars, packed it all up and the family head out to the beach for a picnic dinner. Yum!

Anyone else excited about blueberries coming into season? Me! Check out these pretty pictures of blue goodness! Here, here & here at Griottes, Palette Culinaire.

I’ve also fallen in love with a couple of artists this week, both found on Pinterest. Yep, you need to get on those boards people:-). They are Tracy Verdugo & Angelo Franco!

We’re on our thirdish week of using our home-made toothpaste mixture. It’s simply baking soda, coconut oil and peppermint essential oil, about 15 drops. We’re all adjusted, our teeth are whiter I swear, maybe it’s in my head, but I think so. I also use this mixture as my deodorant. I LOVE it! It gives your pits a cooling sensation and I don’t ever stink like I did with Tom’s of Maine. You can make your deodorant with a different essential oil, I just use the peppermint for ease. Take a look-see at more things you can do with Coconut Oil!

We also finally got our herbs and pineapple planted! Here’s a great tutorial video I found on growing pineapple! Enjoy!

Peace!

Oh goodness, really? lol.  Ok, well it’s not news to those close to me that I’ve struggled with anxiety for years, like 20 or so of them.  I think it all started with my concern for the treatment of animals, the need/desire to want peace in the world, those kind of things.  I used to take a ton of Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy and other natural anxiety relievers.  It worked for a while. My symptoms were a severe struggle with breathing, heavy feeling on chest, I couldn’t swallow, breathe, felt like I’d choke, almost did a few times. I was brought to the emergency one night, checked for asthma, NOPE.  Then to rule out anything physical I was sent to have my esophagus checked with a Barium Swallow, nice. And no, nothing wrong. Yep, all in my head, great!  I caved about 5 years ago and began taking real drugs, I so didn’t want that to happen, but the panic attacks escalated to a level I could no longer control with breathing techniques. This is after over 10 years with alternative methods. I’ve since gone off and on twice and currently I’m off, have been for over a year and I’m ok.  Things that bring on anxiety now?  Well, I still want to save the world, lol, but really it’s stuff like past family issues that I’m still struggling with, learning to love & forgive, etc.  Also having a to do list several lifetimes long and just this short time to get to them all, stuff like that.

Peace!

Times Up!
This has been my Sunday 5 minute Stream of Consciousness.

Want to try it? Here are the rules…

* Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
* Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
* Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
* Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
* Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
* Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

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Earth Day crafts, Chipotle, and More!

This week was the first week of Earth Month. This month for Natural Living Tips I’ll be covering how to green your clean. Yep, we’ll be making homemade cleaning products. Good for the planet and your loved ones!

The family is getting itchy, we need to travel:-). Though we’re taking a family trip to Key West in a few weeks, I can’t help but be thinking of the kids and I’s road trip this summer. I’m having visions of places like these:

After seeing this image on Pinterest, I now must read A Street Cat Named Bob. I’m thinking it may provoke tears in a way Dewey did.

Yesterday the kids and I stocked up on the veggies needed to make our own natural egg dyes. Beets, carrots, red cabbage, yellow onions and spinach. Take a look see here for more.

There is still time to get in on Hybrid Rasta Mama’s giveaway. A one-gallon bucket of Gold Label coconut oil and her e-book. You can enter through April 9th!

Until the 14th to purchase one of Chipotle’s upcycled/repurposed lunch bags, made out of old billboards. With your purchase you get a coupon for a free burrito on Earth Day, April 22nd.

Do you need some cool Earth Day craft ideas for kids? Here you go!

Leaving you with this picture of Addy getting ready to feed the Tarpons in the Florida Keys. She really did love it, can’t you tell:-)?

Peace!

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Lemons - Italy, spring 2010.

I’m sure there is no more perfect a time to begin thinking about Greening your clean than this month of April. It’s Earth month, so let’s all begin using more earth friendly cleaning products! And remember, I support baby steps so don’t get overwhelmed, just pick one thing and move on from there.

Let’s begin with a list of items  you should have on hand to make your own cleaning products:

Baking Soda, a naturally abrasive product with mild alkaline properties, a natural deodorizer and stain remover, completely non-toxic. One of the most versatile cleaners on the planet!

Lemons, acidic and can provide some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning *Add a cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle to boost the whitening action of your laundry detergent.

Distilled White Vinegar, a great natural cleaning product, a disinfectant and deodorizer, an all-purpose cleaner.

Essential Oils, I like to have lemon, lavender, rosemary and tee tree on hand.

Liquid Castile Soap (Dr. Bronner’s) a vegetable based soap, not petroleum. It’s completely non-toxic and can be used on your body as well as in cleaning products.

Hydrogen Peroxide, non-toxic, safe for people, pets, plants, the environment. Many uses.

These next three weeks of April I’ll be sharing with you how to use these ingredients to make safe & effective home-made household cleaners. So stay tuned:-).
Peace!

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Dinner, Produce Bags & Baby Steps!

Woo Hoo, got my cooking grove back this week! Love Pinterest, so many great recipes being shared. I’ve made Gingery Soba Noodle Soup, Shrimp in coconut sauce over rice, Roasted rep pepper & goat cheese alfredo and last night we made homemade chick pea veggie burgers with a side of Brussel sprout & Swiss chard salad!

Finally purchased our reusable produce and bulk items bags. I bought five of these from Flip & Tumble, I also got 6 of these from Kootsac on Etsy. I can’t wait to get these, another stride towards being plastic free!

I’ve been gathering information on making our own cleaning products. I already use alternative non-toxic products, but they come in plastic so…. Next Tuesday on Natural Living Tips I’m switching from Coconut Oil to Home-made cleaning products and I’ll be discussing them throughout April. It is time for Spring Cleaning after all!

Though I did manage to make home-made toothpaste this week, Gavin’s not thrilled, lol. He’ll get used to it.

Just a reminder to anyone trying to go green or make strides in that direction. The best way is baby steps. I’ve not arrived here quickly or without challenge and I’m still far from where I want to be. Here’s an article, from Almost the Truth,  I read this week about Baby steps and why it’s so important to celebrate every one of them. Please read it.

What Baby steps are you taking?
Peace!

Harry says "chill"!

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Seems I’ve been a bit consumed with Coconut Oil lately, the differences, the benefits, the uses which are all plentiful & the information floating around on the web is endless. I’ve only scratched the very surface, but am excited to share with you what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned & also the the things that I plan on trying.

It was not my idea, BTW, to learn about coconut oil. The brain child for this adventure was Rosemary, my co-conspirator of Natural Living Tips, ha. However, I’m so glad we did this, I’m a transformed woman, I feel this research & trial period has really helped push me that much further into reducing unnecessary chemicals, preservatives & plastics, in my families life. How you ask? To begin with I’m making my own natural body butter, body moisturizer, salt/sugar scrubs, deodorant, make-up remover & coming soon, toothpaste. Yes, all from coconut oil. Think of how much poo is residing inside of those toiletries & most come packaged in plastic containers that I’m no longer purchasing, score!!

A few benefits that I’ve taken advantage of or intrigue me are:

Reducing the appearance of age spots.

Speeds up metabolism.

Apply directly to a bug bite, it can stop the itching & burning sensation & quicken the healing process.

Apply to burn immediately & continue applying until healed, it can reduce the chances of permanent scarring & aids in healing.

Affordable eye cream! apply under eyes to reduce puffiness, bags & wrinkles, use on lids in evening.

Wrinkle prevention/reducer!

Energy boost.

LOVE THIS: Use as an insect repellent! Mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with DEET!
Tons safer too.

This is an itsy bitsy sampling of the benefits of coconut oil. One of the most extensive lists I’ve found is from Hybrid Rasta Mama. You’ll be amazed!
When cooking I’ve use coconut oil in place of all other oils and butter. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut but want the health benefits purchase a refined, expeller pressed coconut oil. If you love the flavor, look for unrefined or raw varieties, these retain the most nutritional value as well.

You can find coconut oil in most grocery stores these days, Spectrum Brand (refined) is found in most locations. Otherwise go to your local natural food store or Whole Foods and you’ll have a variety to choose from. Also found online at PantryParatus.com or TropicalTraditions.com, also a great place to learn everything you’d want to know about coconut oil & other coconut products.

I’m going to leave you with this video on how to make a exfoliating lip scrub, you guessed it, coconut oil!

Peace!

I guess one could list one of many things that most are cautious to talk about, religion, race, politics, strong worldly or local issues. Truthfully, of the topics I’ve thought to write about, there isn’t one I haven’t, yet. I don’t know that there is a topic that I’m passionate about that I wouldn’t find comfortable speaking or writing about. I can’t say. I probably won’t write about religion in the text that one is supreme over others, but I may talk about one in particular, if I’m learning about, find it interesting, etc. I probably won’t talk about race, very sensitive and I don’t personally have a reason to discuss it, but others might and I hope they do so that I can read it and have the opportunity to educate myself on another perspective. We all have different reasons for writing our blogs, so what one writes about and how far you take things are greatly dependent on each individual blogs lean. I for one think it’s important for us to share differing opinions for this is how we grow and become capable of empathy, sympathy, we need to hear others stories to help us not judge. I know I don’t always agree with others, but many times when listening or reading these opposite opinions, it’s helped me to understand their view point, why they see it that way, even if I don’t agree with it I may now be able to respect it and be less upset by it. I will continue to put out there my way of thinking in the most sensitive way I can, because I know there are others out there that either feel the same way I do and haven’t found the words or there are others who may be leaning towards a new viewpoint for better understanding and maybe I can help them find it. I think we’re all in more trouble if we stop communicating.

Peace!

Times Up!
This has been my Sunday 5 minute Stream of Consciousness.

Want to try it? Here are the rules…

* Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
* Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
* Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
* Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
* Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
* Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

__________________________________________________

Natural Egg Dying, Factory Farming & OWL Love!

This week has been totally BLAH in the food department.  I did manage to make butter though, we were out.

We welcomed in Spring this week:-). I wish it felt like spring here, it feels like the first week of summer instead, Boooooo. Preparing for a long, hot one.

Spring - Cornelia, Italy 2010

Collecting kitty & owl love on Pinterest! Check out some new cuties here, here, here & here:-).

Continuing my passion for Natural Living here are two natural ways to dye Easter Eggs this year. ONE, the “I want to go natural but have limited time” way and the “I will devote a Saturday or Sunday to dying naturally” way, lol. Enjoy either way!

I’ll leave you with a couple of thought provoking articles that are near & dear to my heart! This ONE is about legalizing the reuse of jars in our grocery stores for bulk items. It’s not new news that throwing away glass & plastic containers is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, I have many others. But, I see no reason to do this when there are so many ways to put them to use. Please read, some very good information here.

And THIS ONE about how much you should tell your kids about Factory Farming. Would love feed back people:-).

Peace!