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.