52 Project, Week 5: Warmth

When I think of warmth, I think of things that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. A nice roaring fire and a toasty oven give off some comfortable warmth that I love to lounge in front of. My favorite place to stay warm though, is my bed. I love my bed. My favorite time of day is bedtime, when I can crawl underneath my comforter and pull one of my favorite throw blankets up around me.

The air is usually cold in our house since we live in a historic, drafty old home in Minnesota. I’ll often have a few of my little ones crawl in bed with me, should I sneak up for a bit of quiet time during the day. We might quietly read together, watch the JW app on our Roku, talk about life, write or draw in our journals, or even just take a nap. I think that if my bed were big enough, all my children would happily sleep with me at night, just like when they were little.

I chose to photograph all of my children’s feet side by side. I used to kiss their toes as babies and marvel at how small they were. Now they are growing and so are their feet! Someday, each of their feet will be just as big as my own.

Do you love to snuggle with your wee ones in your bed? What do you think of when you hear the word, warmth?

Previous Week:52 Project, Week 4: Socks
Next Week:52 Project, Week 6: Hair
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January 28, 2017July 1, 2018

52 Project, Week 3: Silence

When I think of silence, I think of the woods in winter. The woods are so quiet when it snows. I learned recently that falling snow actually blocks sound. The science behind it is kind of cool.

There’s something wonderful about being in the hushed woods while it’s snowing. It feels like I’m in a glowing snow globe. The air is crisp, cold and clean. Every tree is highlighted with white, glittering crystals. The very ground itself is smooth, sparkling and soft looking as if it’s a blanket I could pick up and wrap myself in. It feels safe and comforting.

The only sound in the woods is only audible if you listen closely. If the snow is falling, you can hear it, softer than raindrops, louder than falling feathers. It’s like music that is so hushed, only the completely still can hear. Once you move, the low crunch of your footsteps is satisfying and muffled enough that it doesn’t disturb this cherished place.

What comes to mind when you think of silence? Do you like walking in the woods when it’s snowing?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 2: Cold
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 4: Socks
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January 27, 2017July 1, 2018

52 Project, Week 2: Cold

52 Project, Week 2: Cold

I love winter. I even love the cold. I would happily take a cold winter day over a humid hot summer day. Once it started snowing, I knew I had to run out with my little Princess for this week’s photography project.

Princess is my little shadow. She loves doing everything with me, sleeping, cuddling, cooking, cleaning, playing. No matter what it is, she’s content to be right by me. Honestly, I could say this about any of my kids. They love to pile around me like little puppies.

I bet you’re wondering WHY I love the cold. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life. I can’t tolerate heat very well. My ideal, happy temp range is 15 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I can be comfortable in the 70’s, but the 80’s are uncomfortable. The 90’s are intolerable. You might find me hiding in my igloo, er, house with the air conditioning on full blast.

Did you know that Minnesota is one of the coldest states in America? On average, year-round, Alaska beats us for the coldest temperature. We beat Alaska for the coldest winter season though! Last week Thrillist put out an article where we won the number one most miserable winter. Yet, even if it’s -35, kids still go to school and life functions like normal.

For us, if the weather rises above zero, that’s reason enough to take off a layer or two or leave your jacket open. Once it reaches the 20’s we don’t see the need to wear a warm jacket, a good sweater or a light spring jacket will do. In the 30’s, you’ll find people walking around in shorts and t-shirts. I’m not exaggerating. Although I do make my children bundle up, even though they fight me to strip down like everyone else. We are polar bears and arctic foxes. Our blood is thick and the cold is where we feel happiest.

Not everyone feels this way. You’ll still find a couple of people who would rather be in a warmer state. For me though, Minnesota is my home and I couldn’t be happier anywhere else.

For Cat’s cold challenge, we headed down to the river, looking for inspiration. We found a beautiful field that looked perfect. Cat and I had a lot of fun amongst the soft grasses. I snapped a couple of cute images of her while she was capturing her shots.

How do you feel about the cold? Are you a fan of snow or do you prefer the heat?

Previous Week:Project 52, Week 1, The Bible
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 3: Silence
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December 22, 2016February 4, 2020

Traditional Medicinal Teas

I love Traditional Medicinal teas for so many reasons. They’re allergy friendly, organic, high quality, formulated by herbalists, they go through 9 levels of quality control testing and they’re delicious! I am not getting paid to say any of this, I simply love them. They contribute to the good health of my family and that is worth sharing.

Almost all of the Traditional Medicinal teas are corn free. This is rare and wonderful. Every other brand I’ve ever tried has been corn-taminated in some way. Having safe, guilt-free, pain-free beverages is such a blessing. Some days, post allergy exposure, I live on nothing but tea. Without them, I would be left with only water, which is good, but it doesn’t fill my appetite. Plus, the tea helps my body heal and recover.

I’ve read some articles about the large amount of teas on the market being heavily sprayed with pesticides. In addition to that, the tea bags themselves are also highly toxic! In response, some companies have gone organic (but not corn free) or have tried using less toxic bags (made from corn). Thankfully, Traditional Medicinals are the best quality I’ve found. They are both corn free and non-toxic.

I’ll run you through a few of my favorites and how I use them. Some teas we drink daily and some are once a week or seasonally. Some we drink for pure enjoyment and others are for specific health reasons. You don’t have to only drink them for their medicinal properties, you can simply have them for the joy of it!

Gypsy Cold Care

This is one of my favorites. I’ve listed it first because this one not only tastes good, but the health benefits are amazing. I started drinking this after my mother gave me the Seasonal Sampler box when I was sick. It really helps kick the cold out. Whenever I’m afraid one of the kids or I’m coming down with something, I brew up a cup to chase away the illness. I like it plain and sometimes with honey. I find it doesn’t need honey and I almost never use it with this tea anymore.

Breathe Easy

I’m listing this one second because I feel it’s incredibly important. With my asthma and my earlier in life penchant for coming down with pneumonia at the drop of a hat, breathing is very important. If I get a cold with a cough or I have allergy exposure that makes it difficult to breathe, this tea is a lifesaver. I’ll make a nice steamy cup, cradle it in my hands, bend over the cup and breathe in the steam. After it cools I’ll sip it slowly to try and prolong my exposure. I do enjoy honey in this one. Honey is great for breathing problems too.

Roasted Dandelion Root

This is my current favorite. I haven’t been able to find corn-free coffee. I love coffee, but if I cheat and drink some, I get incredibly sick. I actually bought this tea because it was on sale and I had been meaning to try it for its health properties. Dandelion root is amazing for detoxifying the liver. Once I tasted it plain, a light bulb went off over my head, it tasted like coffee! Since then, I have not had a single drop of coffee. I drink roasted dandelion root “coffee” every day, it’s so good. I add a little local 100% pure maple syrup and local organic grass fed heavy whipping cream. I have made it for my kids, my family and friends and they all agree with me that it’s amazing.

Throat Coat

This tea is fantastic for sore throats. I think it tastes great, especially with honey. However, my kids are not big fans. They usually complain when I make them a cup. I add extra honey so they’ll drink it. I don’t feel guilty about extra sugar, honey helps to soothe and heal sore throats. Thankfully, this one is part of the seasonal sampler, if you’d like to try a variety of their teas.

Echinacea Plus

If you don’t already know, echinacea is amazing for immune system support.

Lavender Chamomile

When I first saw this tea, I was really excited to try it. I love lavender. I had been looking for a good chamomile to help me relax before bed or when I feel stressed out. This one is soothing and perfect for both of those.

Hibiscus Green Tea

I have read great things about using hibiscus for a healthy heart and also as a vitamin C source. I needed a safe, corn free green tea and went searching for one that was allergy friendly, non-toxic, and affordable. When I stumbled across hibiscus green tea, from traditional medicinals, I was excited to give it a try. It’s a bit more tart than I expected. I use honey and cream to sweeten it. I’m going to make my next batch of Kombucha with it for a little variety.

There are many other great blends made by Traditional Medicinals. I hope that this inspires you to give them a try! Do you drink Traditional Medicinals? What is your favorite? Have you tried any of my favorites for yourself after reading this? Let me know! 🙂

June 28, 2016June 29, 2018

Homemade Bug Spray

With summer right around the corner, I decided to whip up a batch of homemade bug spray. With 4 little ones, I needed something that was 1.Safe to use on kids, 2.Safe for those of us with allergies 3.Non toxic, 4.Affordable and last but not least 5. It needs to actually work. If it could also not smell horrible, that would be a plus.

I set about my project as I do with most new tasks to tackle, research, research, research. I wanted to be sure that whatever I chose, it would meet all of my expectations above.

Safety

I have read a lot of differing information about the safety of using essential oils on children. Some say that essential oils are natural, therefore go nuts! As someone with allergies to a lot of “natural” things, I know that it is better to err on the side of caution. Since essential oils are highly concentrated forms of the original, it only makes sense to me that less is more. After reading about an alarming number of injuries and deaths from essential oils, I knew I wanted to proceed with utmost caution. I joined a few essential oil safety groups on Facebook to learn about what books, websites, and companies would aid me in my search.

I found this awesome site that lists oils that are and are not safe for children:
http://www.usingeossafely.com/essential-oils-and-children/

Allergies

As with any new product that comes into our house, oils and accessories need to be safe for our unique allergies. I wondered 1. How are they processed 2.What hidden ingredients are there 3. Has anyone else in my allergy group had any reported reactions?

Corn Allergy Statement
This recipe is unfortunately NOT corn free. Thayer’s witch hazel uses citric acid as a preservative. Princess and I do break out in mild hives if applied to the skin, so I try to spray mostly on our clothing, with a light application on exposed skin Since we live in a high mosquito area, a few small hives are preferable to having entire limbs swell up from mosquito bites. Thankfully using this has not created any breathing problems, but we will always stay on alert for safety since the severity of allergens can change at any time. I’m, hoping to learn how to make my own witch hazel in the future.

Non-Toxic

This is a no-brainer for me. If it has ingredients I can’t pronounce, it’s off the list. I believe part of why I am allergic to so many things and have been so sick in the past is due to the fact that I have been exposed to too many toxins. I want to decrease the bucket load of toxins for my family and me.

Affordable

We live in Minnesota so we get a lot of mosquitoes. I need something that I can afford to use a lot of.
Let me break down what making homemade bug spray costs for you. I’m using Young Living, and also NOW for the prices.
8oz Bottle $2.00
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil at 9 cents a drop $1.35YL or >2 cents a drop $0.23NOW
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil at 5 cents a drop $0.75YL or >1 cent a drop $0.13NOW
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil at 17 cents a drop $1.70YL or >3 cents a drop $0.28NOW
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil at 10 cents a drop $2.00
Young Living does not sell vanilla essential oil because vanilla is not an essential oil. I instead used the price for the vanilla oil I got from my local health food store.
4oz Witch Hazel $3.03
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water Free!

This ends up being $10.83 for the first bottle and $8.83 for each refill with Young Living.
Or $7.67 for the first bottle and $5.67 for each refill with NOW.
For a price comparison
Burt’s Bees Outdoor all Natural herbal Insect Repellent 4oz bottle $13.50= $27.00 for 8oz
Honest Co Bug Spray 4oz $11.69= $23.38 for 8oz
BabyGanics Shoo Fly Deet Free Natural Insect Repellent 2 oz $4.99= $19.96 for 8oz

So there you have it! Homemade bug spray wins the price comparison again!

Effective

I sprayed the kids at the beginning of mosquito season as they went out to jump on the trampoline at dusk. They came in with one bite on one kid. Earlier this week we had a bonfire. Cupcake and I stayed out the longest. I sprayed myself an average amount of spray. I was wearing a skirt, so my legs were pretty exposed. I did get one bite on my foot and after that, I made sure to spray my feet too. I didn’t get another bite after that. I was lying in a lounge chair and I saw several mosquitoes fly around me and close to my skin before changing their mind and flying off. Incredible! I’d definitely say that it’s effective!

I read that adding vanilla oil increases the duration of the effectiveness of oils. In bug spray, the longer it works, the better!

Comforting

What is more comforting than not being eaten alive? Seriously, I have been bug bait my whole life, mosquitos love me. I’m so happy I’ve finally found something that works!

I was worried the smell would be gross after mixing everything in the bottle. It’s actually quite pleasant. It smells better than all of the chemical ones I’ve been using my whole life.

First Homemade Bug Spray Attempt

Ultimately, I decided to give one of the oil blends from this site a try:
http://blog.oneessentialcommunity.com/diy/diy-bug-spray-works-kid-safe-options/
After assembling all of the supplies, I waited anxiously for my daughter to arrive home from school. I promised her we would make the first batch together. I had everything set up and ready to go on the table and I pretty much sat at the table waiting for her to walk through the door so we could play. Ahhh, big kid toys are just as fun and exciting.

We started by dropping oils into our bottle, stopping to smell each one as we went. Cat helped me count in case I lost my place. I had already boiled and cooled the water before she came home, so we added that in and topped it off with witch hazel. After we shook it up we both excitedly took a whiff of our new concoction and grimaced. It didn’t exactly smell awesome. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t very pleasant either. Oh well, it is supposed to repel bugs after all.

Next time, we are going to try lavender scented witch hazel instead of aloe vera. I believe this might have contributed to the weirdness.

Homemade Bug Spray

8oz Bottle
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil or 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract*
4oz Witch Hazel
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water

Add Oils to bottle first. Add in water next, then top off with witch hazel. Test a small area of skin on each person before using liberally. Spray on clothes and especially ankles and wrists for adults. With small children, avoid spraying hands or near faces to avoid accidental ingestion or rubbing eyes.

*Vanilla oil is not an essential oil

Thank you for reading! What do you use for bug spray? Have you tried ours? I would love to know how it works for you!

As always, this is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical practitioner for any health-related concerns. Everything shared in this blog is based on my own personal experiences and are what we do for our family but may not necessarily work for yours. Please do your own research to find out what works best for you. An informed and educated choice is always best! 🙂

July 13, 2015May 11, 2019

15 Fun Chalk Art Ideas

It’s chalk art season, time to check out our 15 fun chalk art ideas! The snow has melted, the sun is shining and it’s warm enough to go outside without snow pants, mittens, and hats.

One of our favorite summer activities is to make chalk art. Maybe we’re artistically inclined. Or maybe we’re rebels and we enjoy defacing public property. Really, though, we love making art to share with others. What greater way is there to spread a little cheer to your neighbors?

My children love when I break open a new package of chalk. The rainbow of colors, the excitement of possibilities, the opportunity for art! I love seeing their excitement.

My kids aren’t the only ones that love to draw with chalk! I usually join them and create a fun doodle or two.

There are so many different things that can be done with chalk. From simple to extreme, there are many beautiful examples out there to inspire us. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

15 Fun Chalk Art Ideas

Family Portrait
Stencils
Flowers
Name Art
Wings
Beach
Super Hero
Celestial-Suns, Stars, Moons, and Planets
Quotes
Outlines
Crowns, Hats, & Hair
Rainbow
Camping
Flying Away in the Clouds with a Balloon
Sunsets

Chalk Crown
Chalk Crown
Chalk Outline
Chalk Art
Chalk Sunset
Chalk Words

What are your favorite things to do with chalk? Were you inspired by this post? Share some of your art with us!

Check out our fun Chalk art video!

May 27, 2015May 16, 2018

Fun Things To Do, At Home, Outside, In Summer

What a title! This is the first in a series of fun things to do. I plan on posting many more for all the seasons. I’m dividing these up specifically so that it’s easy to find something fun to do, no matter the circumstances.

For this part in the series, I’m focusing specifically on fun things to do, at home, outside, in summer. I don’t know about you, but some of my best memories of childhood take place outside. I can remember running through the streets with all of the other kids on my block. We were completely unsupervised and free to use our imaginations. I honestly can’t remember my Mom guiding our play.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, it is not safe to let the kids run free and wild outside. Sadly, I’ve heard many stories in the news about parents being investigated by CPS if children are allowed to walk to the park themselves. I know that in today’s world, children are being kidnapped and sold, so a simple walk to the park is a thing of the past. If you’re like me, you want your babies to be safe AND have fun. So this means that the kids might be contained to the yard.

Usually, I let my kids outside to play on the trampoline and all the neighborhood kids will come running over. However, there are days when no friends can come to play. If this is the case, I turn to my handy list of things to do.

Here is a free summer fun printable. I like to keep mine inside a plastic protector sheet inside a binder. I’ve seen a lot of fun ideas about putting the lists on popsicle sticks and the like. Although that idea is neat, for me, it just means a lot of work. Not to mention more clutter and the chance that the kids will lose, break, eat, leave lying around the house, etc.

Here are a few 8.5×11 summer fun printout freebies. I made these with Tagxedo, but you could always make your own with your favorite summer activities.

For more information and ideas for these activities, check out the links below. Over the Summer I’ll be picking randomly from this list, so check back often!

Archery
Backyard Camping
Backyard Fort
Backyard Picnic
Basketball Games
Bike Ride
Blow Bubbles
Cartwheels
Chalk Art
Climb Trees
Color or Paint Pictures of Nature
Drink Ice Tea and Relax
Eat a Meal Outside
Eat Watermelon Slices
Freeze Tag
Gardening
Gaze at Stars
Have a Bonfire
Have a Relay Race
Have the Kids Plan and Set Up a Photo Shoot
Hopscotch
Hula Hoop
Invite Friends Over
Jacks
Jump Rope
Kick the Can
Lemonade Stand
Make and Grill Shish-Ka-Bobs Together
Make and Put Up a Birdfeeder
Make Dandelion Crowns
Make Friendship Bracelets
Make Paper Airplanes
Make S’mores
Marbles
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Obstacle Course
Off the Grid Day
Paint Nails
Paint Rocks
Photo Shoot of the Family
Photo Shoot of the Kids
Play Don’t Touch the Ground
Play Frisbee
Play in Kiddie Pool
Play With Neighborhood Friends
Playing Catch with a Baseball
Read
Red Rover
Safety Drills
Sketch
Soccer
Sprinkler
Swing
Tag
Take a Nap
Take a Walk and Watch the Sun Rise
Take a Walk and Watch the Sun Set
Take Pix of Each Other
Throw a Theme Party
Trampoline
Treasure Hunt
Walk to the River
Wash the Car
Watch the Clouds
Watermelon Skewers

What are your favorite fun things to do, at home, outside, in summer? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments!