Thursday, September 12, 2013

Most A m A z I n G Video

Does God Exist -- People today still ask that question, and it was answered many years ago by someone we are all familiar with their name - whom, was considered brilliant.                          Watch the video to see it -- It is, simply put,  A M A Z I N G


Some of my favorite quotes by him:

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

No problem can be solved by the same level of consciousness that created it. 


Friday, February 1, 2013

It's Free & Wonderful

           Dandelion Tea           

SEE DISCLAIMER BELOW 


Dandelion Tea and Watercress 
If you are lucky enough to live in a rural area, you may be able to find both for free.  The dandelion is an amazing plant.  

Who doesn't need strong bones?  Christopher Hobbs and Kathi Keville have included this recipe in their 1998 book, Women's Herbs, Women's Health.
In their description it states you can drink a cup of the broth or use it in soups, stews or rice, replacing water in the recipes.  (I do not know what eleuthero senticosus is, but it states it supports the adrenal glands. 

  • 2 cups horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
  • 2 cups nettle leaf (Urtica dioica)
  • 1 cup dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), watercress, parsley greens, or any combination
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh gingerroot
  • 1/8 cup eleuthero
  • 8 cups water
  1. In a stainless steel pot, simmer the herbs in the water for 45 minutes.
  2. Strain the broth and press as much liquid from the herbs as possible; discard the herbs.
  3. Drink 1 cup of broth morning and evening, before meals, or use the broth in cooking. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Source: Hobbs, Christopher and Kathi Keville. Women’s Herbs, Women’s Health. Loveland, Colorado: Botanica Press, 1998.

Disclaimer:  As with all things "natural", please make sure these natural foods/teas/herbs will not affect or have adverse effects with any medication or allergies that you may have prior to using them.  Please read articles regarding any adverse reactions or warnings.  
This is put here for your INFO only, please use it as information 
that you will need to research BEFORE trying!  It would not be amiss to consult with your doctor before trying natural products. 



Thursday, January 24, 2013

Toddler Academy - Treasure Box Alphabet

I love plexi-glass, you can see through it like glass but it's safe for toddlers.

Purchase a piece and you will find its a fab investment.

It's great for "Letter of the Day"

Put the Letter of the Day under the plexiglass so that it is seen by your toddler a lot during the day.

Whatever the letter of the day is, make sure you have things lying around that your toddler can
find throughout the day that pertain to that letter.  (Note:  You may have to point out some of them).

Here's some ideas --  Letter B

baseball, bat, brick, banana, balloon, biscuit, bread, (DVD Benji), boy, brush, bottle, bee, button

This is a good time to make a few toddler friendly items -- button -- cut a circle out of cardboard, cover it with paper or spray starch a piece of fabric and iron it on the cardboard, take a paper punch and punch two holes in center .  

Print out or cut out a picture of a boy and spray starch or glue to a piece of wood

Just use your imagination, but make sure you have items he/she can identify with easily as you work towards the not so obvious ones.  The reason for making some of these items, they will start to associate with the "same" items and that will essentially lead to further their ability to associate with other items.

The fun part though is this:  
You will need a see through container -- preferably one that you won't mind sitting out (treasures are meant to be seen you know) :)   As you work through the alphabet always have an item that would look great in their treasure jar, these are the "treasures of the day.  If you are going to include things that you would not really allow them to play with, then you will need to have a lid on it that they can not take off or placed high where they can see but not get into.

Chenille stems are great for making bees, worms, etc animals, so you might want to make some with those, I think treasure jars should have rocks, toy soldiers, dolls, doll accessories, book marks, buttons, marbles, bird nests, and all kinds of bits and baubles, but you can tailor this to a theme or just to whatever you have on hand.  This lends itself well to picking up items on walks and keeps the learning going.

Til next time......... toddle on ...........

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Toddler Academy - Learning Numbers

THE HOOP GAME

If you haven't yet made shoe boxes for different activities, now is a good time to do that as well.  Get a few dollar store clear small shoe containers or any that you choose, or optionally use cardboard and decorate yourself with pretty papers, paint, etc., or turn it into a toddler activity and let them help.

This little game goes into a "Dad Box" (you know the one with the pinstripes and cut up tie, lol)  (Just put the hoop in there and the bags in an organizer (another shoe box or fabric bag, etc. for storage).  


This is a two part activity.

If you haven't made bean bags or rice bags yet, now is the time.

Supplies:

Large bag of cheap whole grain rice or any type of dried bean/lentil

Fabric - Either scraps or whatever you have on hand (think re-purpose, cut up old pair of jeans or an old shirt or several different ones so they are not all the same, or keep same fabric, it's your choice.
Needle and thread to stitch them closed 
or  glue gun 
Velcro (for later) 
Make one for each alphabet letter (you can make them round or square)
Alphabet letters - Cut from fabric or heavy paper


Cut out your circles or squares and fill them with beans or rice.
Either sew or glue them closed, then, attach Velcro to each side of your bean bag letters just a small piece so the letters can be stuck to the bean bags and for other uses in other tutorials for the bean bags.  *

Basketball hoop - You can cut a circle and take out the inside so that you have a hoop out of something sturdy, or you can use an embroidery hoop.

You will need to be able to Velcro it to something that is safe and sturdy
when you want to use it. Make sure it's where your toddler can chunk it or
dunk it in the hoop.  (A lid out of recycle bin works well for this).

There are different ways obviously to play this, you can lay out all the bean bags with the capital letters and have them put the lowercase letter on the opposite side, or you can let them find both and attach them to a bag.  As they complete each one they can then run over and dunk it in the hoop.  The hoop seems to make it enjoyable :) and worth their time.  When they get bored with this, just leave it out for another round after nap or dinner with Dad.  Note:  Once they have matched them up, let them peel them off and drop the letters into a taped up box with an opening just make sure you Velcro  a side to get them out.  This helps their coordination and alleviates the "cleanup".  If you make a fabric bag, you can hang it over the doorknob and let them drop the bean bags into it after the hoop when you are ready to put them away (more fun and less cleanup for you).  


*If you want to make this a dedicated game you can optionally put the letters on permanently with a sharpie or fabric marker, but if you want to use them for other things, don't.

That's all there is except to have fun.  This really is a favorite with kids, so I hope you will have hours of enjoyment and learning with this one. 










Monday, January 21, 2013

Cleaning

SEE Disclaimer Below:

Ammonia -- I don't use 
Turtle Wax - I love (great for alot of things in house)
Fabric Softener Sheets -- Great for wiping down the bathtub after bubble baths
Rubbing Alcohol -- Germ Fighter; Takes off marker stains, Use to wipe down greasy kitchen hoods and other kitchen surfaces that get greasy (check for use on granite because I don't have granite in kitchen).
Peroxide - (Not regular peroxide, but food grade peroxide that you dilute MANY times)  Caution ... can cause severe burns if not properly handled when diluting - but this is an awesome cleaner, can be used to run in humidifiers (See my post regarding how to do this safely).  Great for cleaning and disinfecting kitchen counters, appliances that have a finish that won't be hurt by using this, the bathroom - shower, tile floors, tiled walls, toilets, counters, door knobs, you get the drift.
If I could only have one cleaner this would probably be it.
Bleach -- It has it's uses, just use in moderation and with caution, not that great for the eco system

Lysol -- I like the lysol in the bottle that you dilute, but recently I have had an allergic reaction to the scent and I've been using that my entire life.  It's economical and great for disinfecting.
Soap -- Don't use bar soap on laundry, if you are out of washing detergent, use shampoo or liquid dish detergent instead.
Baking Soda - for carpet stains, in the fridge. odor absorber; washer - cleans and keeps from smelling, also can be added to brighten/whiten clothes and remove odors, along with borax
Coffee -- 1/2 cup ground coffee in open bowl to absorb odors 

Windows - Soap/Water and newspaper
Hair Spray - Ink Stains and a few other stains
Orange Peels - The oil from the orange peels is a great cleaner  and can be diluted and used as an astringent in a pinch
Lemon (See orange peels)  -Also great air freshener
Natural Air Freshener --  Lemon Thyme Plants, Lavender Plants  (Keep in pots inside, just brush your hand across them for a natural air freshener).
Indoor Air Quality -- see Natural Air Freshener -- also grow mint in water in window sills, also a great air freshener (do not let water get yucky)!
Air Ferns and some other house plants help the indoor air quality, reminder though, don't overwater and don't let the under pans get moldy and yucky

Think about heavy fabrics, carpets, curtains, linens, etc. If you are like me and love draperies, curtains, bedspreads, etc, it doesn't really occur to us how many negative affects we can get from those; dust and chemicals that come embedded in the fibers or the materials like glue and adhesives for carpeting and flooring.  If you re redoing your home you might want to consider hard wood flooring versus carpeting, and for rugs, use ones that can be laundered or cleaned easily.  If you have heavy rugs, some of  those can typically be cleaned by taking outside, placing them on a cleaned cement walkway and cleaning with water hose after they have been vacuumed totally.  Do not use chemicals on them unless you are a pro
Keep the water flowing until the rugs are clean (i.e., no more dirty water coming from them).  Then allow them to dry thoroughly.  Do not clean this way if your rugs are not suppose to be cleaned like this unless you are willing to chance ruining them.

As with all posts on the internet, MAKE SURE you are not allergic to any items before trying them, research on your own to make sure you want to use these products, and make sure you know they are safe for your surfaces BEFORE you use them.

What works for me may NOT be the best solution for YOUR NEEDS.