It's Really Come to This - Cutting My Own Hair

For years, I've cut the hubby's and the boys' hair.  I also trimmed my own and our daughters for awhile when we were struggling through starting a new business.  Eventually, we decided we were saving enough money for me and our daughter to have our hair cut professionally.  While we've loved having it done, when I left my job we had to cut corners everywhere we could.  That's included giving up our salon visits.

In an effort to continue indulging the girly-girl I've always been, I started looking for ways to cut my own hair.  A search turned up some very easy methods.  Though I knew it couldn't turn out the perfection created by a professional hairdresser, I decided to give it the old college try.  I was inspired when my husband kept commenting on how good my hair looked after the first time I cut it - he had no idea I'd cut it myself.  

A little more research and I've found the method I'll probably use.  So, please don't be offended, all my wonderful professional hairdresser friends.  Ya do what ya gotta do.  And, at least for a season, that's what I'm doing.  

Homemade Deodorant

I know there are a gazillion posts and recipes for making your own homemade deodorant.  In another one of my recent efforts to save money and get healthier, I've been perusing post after post.  Some recipes were too complicated for what I wanted.  Some were simpler, but required ingredients I didn't have.  Because I'm working to conserve trips to the store and our gas, I wanted one that would include items I have here at home.  Finally, I found one.  I adapted it, though, and made it uniquely mine, because, well, that's just what I like to do.

Here's my Easy-Peasy Homemade Deodorant recipe.

1/2 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade)
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
15 drops of essential oils

Using a hand mixer, thoroughly combine the corn starch and diatomaceous earth.  Add in the coconut oil to the dry ingredients and continue beating until they're a nice, smooth consistency.  Add in drops of essential oils.  Use what you like.  Take a whiff each time you add a new oil.  Experiment and have fun!  This is your personal, uniquely mixed deodorant, tailored especially for you.  <3

A note about the ingredients - I used the corn starch as a thickener and for its absorbency, because that's what I had.  I also used diatomaceous earth because it is about 89% silica, a mineral most of us are missing.  There are lots of testimonials from people whose health has benefitted from diatomaceous earth, and I know our family has had benefits from it as well.  We always have Tropical Traditions coconut oil on our shelves.  If you don't know much about coconut oil, read The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil.  It's another foodie miracle worker for us!  Finally, we're slowly but surely replacing many of our over-the-counter medicines with Young Living Essential Oils.  We've, in fact, just gone through an entire summer with very few allergy problems, a major feat for our family.  Our doctor calls us The Allergy Family.  We've all been able to give up allergy shots and daily antihistamines with the use of the Young Living Lavender Essential Oil.  There are so many other oils that we use successfully.  More on those later.

I hope you like your own homemade deodorant.  I'm glad to be able to save money and use healthier things for myself, all at the same time.

Our Quicker Than Going for Take Out Pizza Night

Pizza is really pretty easy to make - throw sauce, cheese, and whatever you want for toppings on it, bake and you're done.  It's actually even easier and quicker than jumping in the car and going to pick it up, and certainly lots cheaper than paying for delivery.  The only thing that makes it better is having  homemade crusts, pre-made, just waiting in the freezer to be used.  I make mine in the bread machine, often using the time to homeschool while I'm waiting for the dough cycle to end.  I made several crusts in one day recently and studied Shakespeare while doing it.  :)

Tonight was one of our Easy-Peasy Pizza nights.  We had 2 pizzas in the oven in about 5 minutes, and watched the first part of our Saturday night movie while waiting for the timer to go off.  Sometimes the best, most enjoyable things are the least expensive and the simplest.  We're all set for a fun Saturday night dinner and movie, without having to wait in line, miss something to visit the restroom, or shell out enough money to fill up a gas tank or put shoes on a growing boy or two.  Then, when we do go to the movie theater, it's a treat.  

Back to Homeschool

Back to school for many children means back to homeschool for mine.  We used to school year round so that we didn't lose ground over the summer.  But, when our teen boys threatened mutiny, I decided a break might be a good thing.

In late August,  our daughter and I began pulling together our plan for the school year.  She has helped me school the boys since she married 2 years ago.  She saw our now 19 1/2 year old through graduation and has been schooling our youngest, 15.  When I decided to leave work in early June, I couldn't wait to get back to schooling.  

We're non traditionalists when it comes to our school days.  I believe in approaching school like I try to approach life in general - with simplicity, gentleness, and flexibility.  We've never had rigid schedules and our children have never been graded or taken tests.  Our philosophy has been more about delight-driven learning, led after the basics of the 3 Rs into whatever our delight-driven activity and subject children wish to study at the time.  It's worked well for us, and I'm raising kids who love to learn.  That was my goal all along.  

Yogurt on Steroids - Kefir

Well, it's not really yogurt, and no steroids are involved.  It's just a super-duper probiotic-filled, fermented milk full of nutritional goodness.  It's easy to make, inexpensive, versatile, and so good for you.

We started drinking kefir several years ago when I was on a quest for simple ways to improve our family's nutrition.  Since it's tart, we use it in smoothies, combining it with fruit, or with a protein powder, frozen banana and ice to make something like an ice cream treat.

A daily serving of kefir actually helps to recolonize the intestinal tract with good bacteria - - in a way, it's like repopulating the body with healthy microorganisms so necessary for balance and good health.

We make our kefir by using live grains.  The grains look something like a portion of cauliflower that is all gelatinous and squishy.  Drop some grains into a quart jar of milk and leave the on the counter to culture for the next 24 hours.  The grains I'm using now are small - I only drop about 1/4 tsp into the milk, and I have beautiful kefir in 24 hours.  As your grains grow, you can take them apart (just pinch and pull) and freeze individual portions so that you have spares for later.  The little boogers go into something like suspended animation - they come to life again when you start actively using them to culture your milk into this health-enhancing elixir.

I had a lot of excess kefir grains at one time in the freezer.  I didn't find out until too late that our boys had packed them all together and were attempting to create a football out of them.  Knowing they had tested passes and kicks in our yard was just too much for me and I threw the grains out and started over.

You can order live kefir grains from Amazon, or from Dom's kefir site.  If you want lots of information about kefir, look up Dom's site.

Cilantro – The Wonder Herb

If you love Mexican food like our family does, you’ve probably been exposed to this green bit of goodness.  If not, you need to try it.  Organic is often just over a dollar for a bunch, while non-organic costs less.  Because money is a consideration right now, we buy the non-organic and clean with sprays of colloidal silver and white vinegar.  To store it in the fridge, fill up a glass jar with water – I use part water, part colloidal silver, and cover the bunch with a plastic bag.  It keeps well and looks fresh until it’s gone from our house.  We use it in burritos, salads, baked potatoes, soups, and even on hamburgers, replacing the lettuce or other greens. 

Its benefits include not only helping clean and rid the body of toxic heavy metals (called chelation), it also has been described as having the following benefits: 

1.     Full of antioxidants

2.     Calming

3.     Helps with sleep

4.     Lowers blood sugar

5.     Natural fungal cleanser

6.     Source of vitamins A, B, beta-carotene, C, and K.  It is also a source of potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium.

Such a cheap, flavorful way of improving your health! 

Tortillas-With-a-Health-Bonus Recipe

2 c flour, 1 tsp Real Salt, 4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, and 3/4 c kefir. Mix ingredients by hand. Let dough rest for 20 minutes. Divide into 8 balls. Use a rolling pin to shape them into thin circular shapes. Cook in a nonstick pan on medium high heat (375 degrees), turning each tortilla as it browns and bubbles.