Deep Breath

Okay, debate time. Who saw the film of the woman in the 1920's walking down the street... talking on a cell phone??

It gives me the creeps. Not one for the most obvious answers - I'm going with time traveling on this one. My sis has it all worked out - it was Charlie Chaplin's crazy mother talking to herself. What's your take? Leave a response and let me know. Meanwhile, enjoy my precious little toddler getting into the spirit of halloween.

You know I've been really hitting the books when it comes to herbs, supplements and such. I've taken it a step further and have been taking a good look at aromatherapy. I believe I'm hooked. I've got cleaning recipes, perfume recipes, massage oil recipes and room spray recipes, just to name a few. I already had a few essential oils on hand, but I've ordered quite a few more. I'll be making all of these recipes and trying them out, and let you know what I thought of them.

Here's one to get you started. I've been using vinegar and water for cleaning, but I found a recipe that steps up the disinfectant power and gives a nicer scent as well. It works really well as a cleaner.

Essential Cleaner:

2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
25 drops lemon essential oil
20 drops rosemary essential oil
15 drops peppermint essential oil

or I tried tea tree and lavender instead of lemon and rosemary and they worked well too.

The only thing to keep in mind with this one is that if you are switching from vinegar water is no longer okay to let your toddler spray it multiple times into her mouth.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think about crazy time traveling woman. My sis is still eagerly trying to paint a scenario that rests safely in the non-paranormal. How boring is that?

The Art of Medicine

The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. - Voltaire

I can see it, Dr. G. You're already cringing in anticipation of what ridiculousness is about to flow from my mind this evening. It's okay.

I know I have no right to speak of such things, as I never took any higher science classes than high school biology and chemistry. I should be ashamed of myself for what I've been thinking lately. But I've found myself being more and more interested in herbs used for medicinal reasons.

Modern medicine is quite useful, as I've said before and willingly confess once again. I'm entirely grateful that my children will not likely die of fevers or complications of childhood illnesses. I am certainly appreciative in knowing that should some unthinkable accident occur - the amazing talents of surgeons and physical therapists are readily available in a moment's notice. It is a balm to my soul to know that antibiotics are still pretty good at killing bacteria before it kills me.

But I'm not so convinced that every little ache and pain we experience necessitates a trip to the doctor's office. I'm skeptical that the host of medicines we subject our bodies to help any more than they hurt in the long run. The more I go "natural" the more I realize how out of tune with our bodies we really are, and how the choices we make about what goes in affect our health and well being far more than anyone is willing to let on.

So that's why I've found myself wondering more and more about the "medicines" that people have been using for thousands of years. It's never been enough for me to hear an authority on any subject say something is so and accept it without further thought. I want to know whether it is a true statement or partially true or false, based on any myriad of reasons including what someone stands to gain by his claims. That's why I've decided to take our list of complaints in this household and do a little research and test a few claims.

So I look forward to getting back to you on this subject. And as always I invite you to share your own opinion, experiences or beliefs on the topic.

Goodnight!

Going all Crunchy

I saw a family in Meijer today. I admit I was a bit judgmental. I saw the woman and the girl's hair tied back in handkerchiefs, a baby that I'm pretty sure was nursing as his mother carried him along (I have to give her credit for that - I can't imagine how that works without some sort of superhero arm strength...)the long flowy skirts with t-shirts, the man's suspenders and long beard, the sheer number of children... I immediately thought "Crunchy."

If you've never heard the term "crunchy," it's used to refer to all-natural purists who make everything from scratch, birth their babies at home... or out under a tree (no kidding, I read a birth story where the woman gave birth out in the woods... on purpose,) etc. Sometimes they are called "crunchy granola" families. I'm not sure why the term is crunchy and I just don't feel like looking it up today. But trust me, they were crunchy.

I'm starting to wonder how far off of that I am! For as I was raising my eyebrow at the large crunchy family, I was heading to the soap aisle to buy borax, washing soda and fels soap to make my own laundry detergent that would work for my new stash of cloth diapers.

And just as the Crunchies get their fair share of guff from others, I get it too. But I'm starting to care less and less. Because of said cloth diapers, I am going to have about $50 extra a month. Because of said homemade laundry soap... I can't even fathom how much I'm saving because of the sheer volume of detergent that can be made from the $7 or so dollars I spent today. I've always been a little slow in math but I lost count somewhere in the thousands of loads this stash will clean. All I know is the 2.5 gallons of concentrate I made today does 640 loads, and I used 1/2 cup of one and 1 cup of the other cleaners that came in over 3 and 5 pound boxes. I know, it's just mind boggling... or maybe that's just me. Some of you are shaking your head that I graduated high school. I know MacGyver is. He is my superior in math by a billion to the tenth degree. No, I have no idea what that is. But I did get an A in geometry, thanks, Mrs. U.!

ANYWAY, so I admit my Crunchy tendencies are increasing. Please talk some sense into me if I do something crazy like stop wearing makeup or trying to ride a bike to the grocery store with four children on Trabue road...

I'll tell you all about the cloth diapers I bought and give you a full review tomorrow. I'll also share the detergent recipe and instructions.