Simply Mel(Formerly Mama Monoblogs)

Why I Think We Didn't Get (Very) Sick This Winter

I am very happy to report we had a pretty sick-free winter! I think in November we had a day where Mike and Katelyn had a stomach bug but that lasted a day. None of us had fever once, the flu or even a cold! Wait, I take that back. Mike did get sick while I was gone to Texas but I believe that was from his very poor eating habits, lack of sleep and high stress level. And the fact that he missed us and I wasn't there to take care of him.(Now everybody say "aaaawwwww"). But, in general this was the first winter where we didn't get hit with everything that was going around! Madelyn had a couple of episodes of the sniffles and a runny nose but that cleared right up after a couple of days and didn't turn into anything worse. I didn't have to turn to any kind of cold and cough medicine(which I'm trying to stay away from and don't give my kids) and the girls didn't have one sick visit. I praise God for that! Here is what we used and did in our fight against sickness this past winter

Emergen-C!! What a wonderful thing. I drank it, Mike drank it(when he remembered) and I put half a packet in each girl's juice cup several times a week. I really think this helped our immune system.

 

Liquid Essentials Liquid Vitamins. Mike, Katelyn and I took this. We found out about this liquid vitamin from our chiropractor. It's packed with all sorts of vitamins, minerals and good for you stuff.I wasn't sure what dosage to give Madelyn she took Gummyvites Multi Vitamins orjust a regular Children's Multivitamin. Katelyn preferred the actual gummy vitamins herself so eventually she took those instead of the LE.

 

 

I took both Echinacea and Garlic pills regularly which are both immunity boosters.

To keep the girls' nasal passages clear and cold-free I used Little Noses Saline Spray and Hyland's Sniffles And Sneezeswhen I saw that they were getting a runny nose. Hyland's products are homeopathic. I swear those things really worked!!

 

To keep my nasal passages cold(and allergy!!) free I love Zicam's products! I used Zicam's Cold Remedy Swabs and their Allergy Relief Swabs.

      

And I also used my nasal irrigation recipe to cleanse my sinuses.I have found that this method really keeps my sinuses clear of allergens and colds.And boy did we wash hands and used Burt's Bee's Hand Sanitizing Spray.

 

While I think all of these things really helped us out this past winter, I'm not a doctor and I can't speak for everyone else. These are some methods I would recommend you try and see if they work for you. If you have any questions about these products and how they work please speak to your doctor.

Now that I posted this all I can do is knock on wood and pray we don't get the Swine Flu! Haha!

Hmmmm.....

Stuff I Learned While I Was In Texas

It seems unreal to me that just last week, at this time, I was in a hotel in Maryland on my way back home from a 6 week stay in Texas. Our trip back went well. Again, I was amazed at how well the girls did. They had their fussy and cranky moments but for the most part, they were great! I am happy to be back in my house, with my hubby, and not a single snow flake in sight. ( For the moment).

This trip to Texas was very unexpected but much needed for me. I was not in a good frame of mind when all that came about. As many of you know, I struggle with living so far away from my family and longing to move to Texas. Winters affect me in a terrible way. I am also struggling, right now, with some other personal issues, and frustration with God for not answering certain prayers I have, right now. I was angry, resentful and stressed when Mike came in that Thursday night and told me it was best for all of us if I went to Texas for awhile until his hours at work got better.

Many of you may have seen that trip as a lucky, extended vacation for me where I got to get away from many of my daily responsibilities. And in a way it was. It was almost like a spiritual retreat for me. One I needed very badly.

God really used that time away to speak to me.

About myself.

I was able to relax, enjoy some gorgeous weather and really focus on my Bible reading. I read a lot outside in my parent's backyard while the girls ran around and played. A pigeon ,or some such bird, even dared to poop on my arm and  on my Bible while I was reading!  After I prayed for God to strike the irreverent thing dead, I was able to clean the pages that were dumped on(pun intended!). Those pages are a little torn and wrinkled now from where I cleaned them. I will  always have a physical reminder in those pages of Proverbs of how God spoke to me from His word those weeks that I was in Texas.

At first, I was a little lost, there, living in a home that wasn't mine and where I didn't have specific tasks to do every day. I came to realize what a slave I had become to my daily "to do" list and chores. I had become a super inflexible person. A prisoner to my daily routine. And a very unpleasant person because of it. I had become bogged down, unnecessarily, by things I thought I had to accomplish every day. It seemed like the bigger my list got, the less I got done. I felt like a dog chasing my own tail.

When I started reading and researching this new-to-me style of living called "natural living" I was super intrigued by it.  You who have been following my blog for awhile have seen my *GONSH updates.(*Green/Organized/Natural/Simple/Healthy). I started following and reading blogs by other fabulous women who seemed to have that kind of life down pat. I am one of those "all or nothing" people and dove right in to the "natural living" concept with gusto.  I was going to be a better housewife. My house was going to be much cleaner. My clutter was going to be decimated.  Dust was going to be a thing of the past! We were going to eat organically and a lot healthier. Although I kept telling myself I was taking baby steps, I was doing everything in my power to catch up to all these women in the blogs I was reading.

I had overloaded and overwhelmed myself and my time with reading and researching all the areas that encompassed natural living. I strove for simplicity, healthier living, better budgeting and use of our finances, more organization and an "attachment" parenting style to my kids.

But instead of achieving all that, I ended up doing the exact opposite.

My finances became stretched because of all the organic and expensive food I went out and bought all at once. I was going to overhaul my kitchen and we were going to change our way of eating for good. I seemed to forget I had three other very picky eaters in my household.

Because of all the extra, natural and organic stuff I bought it created more clutter, not less.Because I wanted to make so much of our food from scratch, simplicity was out of the question. All those natural mommies who's blogs I read  make a lot of healthy and nutritious stuff from scratch so that's what I wanted to do for my family.

My list got bigger and bigger every day. And so did my stress level.

Forget a more natural and gentle mothering style for my girls. I didn't have time for that! I was constantly saying " Just a minute", "Not right now", "Later","Go play" and "Mama's busy". I had activities with them penciled in as well. Couldn't they see it wasn't their time yet? Time with mama was coming. Later.

Yes, my eyes were opened to all of that while I was in Texas. I ate out a lot in Texas. I "settled" for all sorts of non organic food and we're all still alive and well. I ate at "Long John Silver's" several times and I don't go there to eat healthy. The food I ate there would make my very natural and healthy living chiropractor pass out. I learned I could be a tad more flexible. About everything.

I realized that my house/budget and lifestyle are not conducive to an "organic/completely-made-from-scratch only lifestyle. Organic stuff is expensive. My supermarket does not carry a huge variety or selection of organic stuff. I don't have the time or capability during the week to shop around to get everything like I wanted to and was trying to do before. My kitchen is way too small to handle all of the cooking and baking I was trying to do. The messes I made were huge pains in the neck to clean up.

It all amounted to be everything it was not supposed to be.

Even though I'm poking fun at myself, it doesn't mean I've given up on the natural lifestyle. Because I haven't. I still plan to get there some day. But it's a long term goal. I truly admire the women who live that life. I think it's great. Many of them have been doing this for a long time. It hasn't even been a year for me. But I have to do the best I can, right now, with what I have and what I can afford time and money wise. I have to find a good balance. I have to make the best choices with the money and time that I have right now.

That said, there are a few things I'm not doing anymore and a few things I am doing or will continue to do.

- I won't make a list, but there are several foods I won't be buying organically anymore. They are just too darn expensive. Milk is one of them.

-Were still trying to eat stuff as close to it's natural state as possible.

-I'm still trying to stay away(as much as possible) from foods that are chemically laden, have high fructose corn syrup, MSG or are super removed from their natural state. Except for the nights when something from a box is fine.

-I'm going to be happy with Suave for awhile. I'll try to make better choices in my body care products but I'm not going to break the bank by buying every, single body care product I have from the "natural" section. Again, balance. Making do. Baby steps.

-I'll be happy with making my desserts and bread from scratch but not tortillas, or crackers, or chips or tomato sauce or......(you get the idea). I don't need to make huge, elaborate meals to be a good wife and mother. I'm learning to be a more simple cook.

-I'm still trying to go a little more green and non toxic in my household cleaners.

-I've learned to use my time a little more wisely and to be more flexible with it throughout the day. To go with the flow. Not against it. I'm spending more time just playing with my girls and my evenings are spent sitting on the couch with Mike. Doing whatever(most likely watching "Lost" online).

I still have my "to do" list.  I still enjoy reading all those blogs. But after a close look, I've noticed even those women warn against burnout. And that you can't do it all.

I'm  now trying to make my list work for me and not the other way around.

I'll let you know how that goes.

 

 

 

 

 

   

Natural Cold and Flu Prevention

Since I'm almost done editing my Christmas pictures(but not done yet) I thought I would share with you some natural preventative measure I've recently learned for colds and the flu. As you all know, I'm trying to go the more "natural" route with pretty much everything so I've been researching natural and homeopathic remedies. Some of this stuff is common sense and some of it sounds pretty icky but I thought I'd throw it out there. Feel free to comment back with anything that has worked for you.

 

1. Sinus Irrigation Method(And Other Cures For Stuffy Noses)

I actually learned about this when I had my sinus surgery several years ago. I have used it ever since and I can tell you from personal experience it works wonders. It is similar to the Netti pot but I like it better. I also find it more economical.You will need one of those nasal bulb syringes that you use on babies' noses, a gallon of distilled water, baking soda and sea salt or kosher salt. I make a whole gallon of this stuff at one time.  Using the bulb syringe,you will want to gently and slowly squirt half a cup of this solution into each nostril while standing over the sink. Don't insert the bulb in too far and don't squirt too hard. You want to gently rinse out your sinuses and moisturize them. This solutions rinses out any allergens, mucus and other yucky stuff that gets stuck up there. If you are not experiencing any cold and flu symptoms it works great to keep them at bay. Do it once a day. If you do have cold or allergy symptoms to the irrigations once in the morning and one before bed. I'm telling you, this stuff will keep your sinuses clear if you use faithfully.

In the gallon of distilled water mix in 8 teaspoons of sea or kosher salt and 8 teaspoons of baking soda. Shake well. I use a small one cup cup with with a handle. I fill it with the solution and microwave it for 20 seconds. You want the solution to be room temperature to lukewarm. I also shake the gallon container every time before I use it. Just in case anything has settled to the bottom.

If you try this I would love to hear your thoughts!

As usual a humidifier works great. I also like to add Vick's Vaporub to their chests although I'm not too sure if this is classified as "natural" or not. I'm guessing any kind of essential oils with eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender scents would probably work just as well to clear the nasal passage ways.

And also very importantly, drink lots of fluids!!  

2. Immunity Boosters

I've recently read about the wonders of garlic. I personally take garlic pills  by Nature's Bounty that digest fine and don't leave a garlic-y taste in my mouth or cause any digestive discomfort. Garlic is supposed to be great for immunity and preventing sickness. I've read that taking it straight from the source is actually the most potent form of getting the immunity boost. You take a clove or two of fresh garlic and crush it. Put it in a spoon and cover it with honey. Then, swallow it. Apparently you should do this several times a day to get the benefits. That doesn't sound appetizing at all to me so I stick with the garlic pills.

I also take Echinacea and Goldenseal which promotes a healthy immunity system. I've been carrying around a natural sanitizing hand spray by Burt's Bees that I also make sure to spray on our hands when we're out. There's nothing better for keeping sickness at bay than frequent hand washing. And although I love my children and love to share things with them I try not to share spoons, straws or cups with them during this time of year. We are just perpetuating any kind of sickness by doing this.

I've recently heard that Emergen-C is a wonderful, natural and tasty way to boost you immunity. I'm going to be buying some of that for our family. It's loaded with Vitamin C and other good for you things. It's great to prevent colds and also helps you get over them faster

3. Sore Throats

I've  discovered that honey is the best natural remedy for sore throats. I have given a tablespoon of it to Katelyn before bed time and several times a day and it seems to work great for her. I myself have also started taking it at the first tickle in my throat and it's worked. It doesn't seem like it would but it does!

You can also mix some lemon juice and honey since lemon juice works as a natural detoxifier.

4. Ear Aches/Infections

I'll admit to only have read about these remedies and never having tried them myself or on my children. I have had terrible ear problems in the past and am phobic about putting any kind of liquid in my ear.

Olive oil, tea tree oil and garlic oil are all supposed to be wonderful remedies for curing ear infections. I've read that if you warm a little olive oil and then rub it just below the back, outside part of the ear it relieves pain. I've also read that if you put  a few drops of tea tree oil, olive oil and garlic oil in the ears it cures the infection. Supposedly you can put a whole clove just inside the ear like a hearing aid and let it sit there for awhile and it draws out the infection.

I was always super quick to run to my pediatrician over any sign of ear infection and ask for antibiotics and pain medication instructions. I read in the book " How To Raise A Healthy Child In Spite Of Your Doctor"  by Dr. Robert Medelsohn that ear infections are natural, although painful, occurrences, and will go away on there own with out any kind of treatment. They will not do any permanent damage and if we interfere with our bodies natural infection fighting ability by giving our children antibiotics it could actually take longer for the ear infections to go away. Now since I'm an ear infection-phobe I'm  not quite sure what to do with this information yet. Again, my natural reaction to seeing my child in pain is to ply them with pain meds and antibiotics because I want to ease their discomfort. One of the good things about sinus irrigations above is that you can use a few drops in your child's nose to keep their sinuses flushed out. This in turn keeps mucus etc from building up and causing ear infections. I may give these remedies a shot the next time I think one of my girls has an infection. But I have to be honest, if it doesn't seem to get better I may be plying them with Tylenol and begging for antibiotics!!

5. Fevers

According to Dr. Mendelsohn there is no need to be worried or see a doctor unless your or your child's fever reaches 106 degrees or higher and is accompanied by other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea etc.  Hydration and humidifiers are key to recovery. He suggests letting it run it's course and getting lots of rest and, again, fluids. Interfering by medicating just makes things worse and is only masking the real problem. Again, I must admit I have a hard time with this. Fevers are bad aren't they? We're supposed to get them down with Tylenol right away, right?

I hope you found some of this information helpful or at the very least, interesting.

Thoughts? Do you have any homeopathic remedies that work for you?

GONSH Update

 

I know how much you have all been just DYING to hear how my journey is going so I'll ease your minds with an update ;o) First off, I swear the Lord is performing miracles before my very eyes!! Mike, for the first time, has been eating oatmeal almost every day and he loves it!!! Be still my heart!! He is also eating an apple every morning for breakfast and getting up at 4:30am to go to the gym. Who is this man? He tried mango the other day(didn't care for it) and has been forcing down the veggies I've been serving for dinner. He even ate sugar snap peas tonight at dinner! Miracle I tell ya! The oatmeal that we have been eating is Steel Cut Oatmeal also known as Irish Oatmeal. It doesn't come out as smooth and mushy as the rolled oats kind but is "crunchier" for lack of a better word and  nutritionally way better for you than the rolled kind. I like to put butter and a little maple syrup in mine and Mike has been eating his with butter and honey.  He has also quit drinking any kind of soda and has been only drinking water. Oh, and did I mention he's on the organic bandwagon now? Whoa! All of this comes from the "Body By God 40 Day Whole Life Makeover" class he's taking once a week at our Chiropractor's office. We've both been reading "Body By God" by Dr. Ben Lerner. I highly recommend this book. It has taught me some things I never knew and changed my thinking on many nutritional and health issues I always thought were fact and aren't, necessarily.Here are some other changes I've made recently:

-I'm actually transitioning to using NO artificial sweeteners. I was a Splenda lover and am now no longer using Splenda. I have found an all natural sweetener that I like ok called Stevia. It has a taste I'm going to have to get used to. I have been using a little Stevia and some Agave Nectar in my coffee and tea and that works out well. Speaking of coffee and tea..

-I have cut myself "down" to two cups of coffee a day. That is actually pretty normal for me anyway but there were days I was known to have up to four so now I limit myself to two. When I feel like having a warm beverage later in the day or evening I have been having herbal tea with honey. That has been very satisfying and relaxing.

-We are trying to supplement some of our cow's milk for Almond and Rice Milk. I will also do a more at length post about that at some point . You can read Dr. Mercola's article on cow's milk here if you want some info on this topic before I post what I've been learning. I'm having trouble with this one, I can tell you that. I LOVE milk and have always heard that "milk does a body good". We've been buying our milk from a local farm in the area that is pasteurized but not homogenized. But, again, this topic is for another time.    

-We've been trying out and experimenting with different grains. It's been quite interesting!

 

That's my update for now.

We Heart Our Chiropractor

Ever since Mike hurt his back a few weeks ago we have all been seeing a Chiropractor. Mike was going for awhile with his bulging disk and spoke so highly of the Chiropractors he was seeing that I  needed to try it out for myself. The office we see is run by two men. An uncle and his nephew. They are both really nice and funny. It seems like everyone who works in the office is always smiling and relaxed.  I have been seeing them for about two weeks, three times a week now. Katelyn and Madelyn had their first adjustments today! I have mild scoliosis, my lower back sways to much inward and my neck and spine are twisted the wrong way. Mike's and my neck sit way too far forward from our shoulders and are also curving the wrong way. These issues are all causing us to overcompensate with other areas of our body which is causing all our pain. We get adjustments three times a week  for right now which is slowly going to cause our backs to realign themselves. This should help my migraines A LOT. I am getting fitted for a head weight on Wednesday that I will bring home and use according to the Chiropractor's instructions. That will also strengthen my neck and start to curve my neck the way it's supposed to. I'm curious to see what this thing looks like! The main premise behind their philosophy is  that your spine controls your nervous system which controls the signals your brain sends to your body. If there is interference from misalignment to these signals your body cannot properly function, protect and heal itself. They have some amazing stories of how patients that have seen every doctor  under the sun for an ailment and were not able to get cured see them as a last resort. After they had seen the Chiropractors for awhile they started getting better. They even treat children with ADHD and it really helps them. I'm sold! They even joke that people coming in  for just back and neck pain "get so boooring after awhile". They also believe in the more natural lifestyle so if they can help relieve any problems with out drugs they are all for that. They take what they do very seriously. When you are a new patient they give you several hand outs to read about health, natural living, drugs etc. You are required to read these before you are seen. The adjustments themselves take only a few minutes and you're done. They encourage families to come together and for everyone to be seen. They adjust all ages. Even infants! I have to say that I don't experience as much pain in my lower back as before. I still have a ways to go. It's not a quick cure or anything. Mike is doing much better. He signed up for a Whole Life Makeover class ,based on Dr. Ben Lerner's book, they offer and he's been doing really well with it. He's been learning all sorts of new stuff and really applying what he's learning. He has a trial gym membership for the duration of the class and he's been getting up at 4:30 a.m to go. I'm really proud of how he's been disciplining himself. He's even eating healthy foods he wouldn't touch before. All because he went to see a Chiropractor! Mike was the biggest skeptic when it came to Chiropractors before and now he's their biggest Champion. Go figure!

Mom Of The Cloth

No, I haven't become a priestess, we're finally cloth diapering!! That's right, your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm starting a little late in the game but I plan on using these diapers for  our next children.  We've been doing it for a couple of weeks now. It hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought it would be. According to this Consumer Reports article people can spend anywhere from $1500 to $2000 on disposables during your child's diapering years. So, I will be saving money in the long run. I've also just fallen in love with the feel of the cloth diapers. Whenever I do put a disposable on Maddy they feel so....fake. Like wearing a paper hospital johnny versus real clothing. Right now I put Maddy in disposables whenever we're out for a long period of time, at night, at church or whenever my inlaws are watching them. I will begin putting her in cloth diapers overnight pretty soon too. I have found that they are very absorbent, especially with a cloth insert. The laundering part has not been that bad either. I have been washing them every two days or so. I do need to purchase a few more to get me through at least three days. I don't actually have a containment system yet for them but will probably do a laundry bag inside a large, lidded trash barrel. Then I will just dump the whole bag plus diapers inside the washer. Here are some pictures to show you my stash at this point-

 

As you can see I have a mix of All-In-Ones, contoured and diaper covers. The long ones in the back are the diaper inserts for extra absorbency. I just love the prints and colors!!!!   

The top one is a Kushies  All-In-One. It wears just like a disposable. The cute yellow one is a diaper cover. It goes over these contoured diaper(with the inserts on top if you choose to use one)

 

 

Here's a shot of Maddy's adorable cloth diapered bum-

 

 

 

Cute huh?

p.s I do take centered pictures. Typepad's photo program UN-centers them for some annoying reason! You're missing out on her whole cute butt!!

GONSH Update

*edit*  I meant to say Tom's of Maine deodorant has no aluminum, not mercury! duh.....*

So, I promised an update on how my journey to a more healthy and natural living is going and here it is.

-Before I begin, I did want to let you know I took the time to copy and paste all the pictures from sister's wedding into a folder and for some reason the program is saying there is an error when I try to click on it! Argh! So, I still have to figure out what is going on with my pictures before I can upload them on here.

More Things I've Done To Make My Life More GONSH(Green/Organized/Natural/Simple/Healthy)

-GONSH. Like it? It's the new acrostic I'm using for the lifestyle I'm trying to attain. Yeah, that's right I'm a GONSH girl!! :o)

-I had mentioned I was going to try cloth diapers. I have been researching them and cloth diapers are expensive! As far as I can tell from the websites I've checked out cloth diapers are anywhere from $15.00-20.00 per diaper! Now, I know that in the long run you end up saving money but I hope it ends up being worth if for my last one or two children I plan on having. I  am looking at "all in ones" which are pretty much like a disposable except you can wash them. The all in ones have a plastic cover already sewn on the outside and some are even adjustable so your baby can wear them from infancy to toddlerhood.These tend to be a bit pricier than your plane-jane cloth diaper that needs a cover etc. I am going to order a "starter" set with about 5 or so diapers to see if I like them. I'll let you know how we do with them.

-I've been slowly replacing all my more unhealthy foods and snacks for healthier alternatives. We have stopped drinking soda. Even Mike is no longer drinking it that much! We bought a pitcher for water that filters the water inside it and that's what he's been drinking mostly. We drink Fresca when we want something carbonated. I've been trying to bake more desserts instead of buying them and replacing white flour with wheat. I've been reading labels more carefully and have not been buying anything with high fructose corn syrup. It's in a lot of stuff! I read just yesterday in "Parenting" magazine that for every 4 grams of sugar listed in a food, it's 1 tsp of sugar! That makes you realize just how much sugar you're eating. I've started cooking with strictly with canola oil and grapeseed oil. I no longer use vegetable oil. As I have mentioned in past posts(that may not have made it to my new blog home yet) I'm not going all the way organic and natural. I'm trying to do the best with the resources available to me here,our budget and current season of life. I mention this because the really natural and organic blogs I've read use coconut oil. I can find coconut oil around here it's just EXTREMELY expensive and comes in a small jar. So, I'm sticking with grapeseed oil and canola which are the next best thing. Interesting stuff I tell ya! LOL

- I'm slowly replacing my personal care products to more organic, earth friendly versions. I've recently become fond of the Burt's Bees brand. I switched my beloved and long time used Oil Of Olay moisturizer for Burt's Bees moisturizer. The main reason I loved Oil Of Olay was the scent. I am a sucker for wonderful smelling body products. Burt's Bees has some pretty great smelling stuff so I am happy with it. I've read that that coconut oil makes a great natural face and body moisturizer so I did try that. I just felt a little too oily after using it so I bought the Burt's Bees stuff. I switched out our regular deodorant(which contains mercury and other bad chemicals) to the Tom's Of Main brand which contains natural ingredients. I finally finished the Huggies brand baby wash for the girls so I've started using Earth's Best Organic hair and body wash by J/A/S/O/N on them. I don't know if I will continue using this or not but it's a start. It's natural, has no harmful chemical's and smells wonderful. I'm still a newbie at this label reading, chemical knowledge thing. It's taking me a while to finish out the stuff I currently use so I haven't been able to do a complete switch to the more natural products. Which leads me to this next item I am working on...

- I, for one, am terrible about throwing stuff out before it's done or completely used up. Especially with body products. I'm a girly girl and love lotions, creams, sprays, hair products and makeup. I also get bored with stuff easily so half way through a product I'll see one I like better and either throw away the current one or give it away. Wasteful, wasteful, wasteful! Bad me!! So, I'm doing my best to not just throw out all the chemically laden products in my bathroom and do a complete overhaul which would be very expensive. So, I'm taking slow steps and forcing myself to use every last drop of shampoo and conditioner that I'm using right now(Herbal Essences-value size family bottles...ugh) before throwing it away and buying a more natural shampoo/conditioner. I am also making myself use up all my creams and lotions before buying something different. I'm the type of person that once I get into something I want to jump in 110%. I have to take these changes one step at a time and have patience.

-I've changed some of my cleaning products(after using up my old ones, thank you very much) to more green, natural and earth friendly ones. I've been using Bio Kleen laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent, which are super concentrated. It's a tad more expensive that, say, Tide, but lasts longer and has no toxic chemicals in it. One of these days I will actually write down what these chemicals are so you know where I'm coming from and what I'm talking about. The chemicals in Bio Kleen are safe for the environment so cause no toxic threat by leaching into the water and sewer systems from our septic system. I've been using Method and Seventh Generation cleaners for my household cleaners. I do still use Clorox Clean Up every now and then for my toilet bowls and sink.

-I've developed a love affair with Freecycle.org!!! If you don't know what it is check out www.freecycle.org  and sign up for the group in your area. I have been "freecycling" all sorts of stuff I don't want anymore. It's amazing the stuff people will pick up from your house that you don't want anymore. So far I've gotten rid of a mother's journal I had received ages ago that I hadn't used,magnet strips, a bag of old dog treats, clothing, toys, an old dayplanner, all my old Backstreet Boys paraphernalia, some old VHS tapes, our air hockey table, books,  and a used telephone/address book that still had a ton of spaces left it it. I had only written a handful of addresses in it before I found one a liked better. So I cut out the addresses and offered it on freecycle. I had several requests for it! I feel good that my old things are getting more use in a new home and I'm not just throwing stuff into the garbage. Now anytime I don't want something, I offer it on freecycle first.

Well, it's getting late and I still need to do the dishes. I wanted to finally fill you in a little more on how I've been doing on my GONSH quest. Thanks for reading and I welcome any feedback or suggestions on this subject!

Going Healthy, Sorta Natural and Greenish

I know the title of this blog is a little confusing. I want to share what has been on my mind here lately. I have been reading some blogs recently of young moms who practice "natural and green living". They eat mostly whole,organic foods and practice very environmentally conscious ways of life. These women are also Christians and put forth very  interesting, motivating and thought provoking facts for living the way they do. Now, I am not the most wasteful, unhealthy person I know but I and my family could eat much healthier than we do and do more  to help the earth. You can find the two blogs I read the most on my "Links" page. Now there are certain things I will probably never do like composting, eating only organic and cutting out certain things from our diet. I will never be a true "crunchy" person but I would like to get a little closer to that life style. I certainly see the health benefits. I will keep you updated on my baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle. I would like to be more conscious of the products I use on myself and my family's skin and what my kids are actually taking into their bodies. We definitely eat WAY too much sugar, fat, convenience and processed foods in our house. I will buy organic when I can and it's  affordable and make do with just buying and eating the healthiest options of our favorite foods. Some of the things these women do is making/cooking a lot of their food from scratch. I have started doing some of that but I will never be a total "from scratch" person. I love freshly baked, homemade bread but doubt I'll ever get into that. Homemade pancakes to me are using Aunt Jemima mix instead of frozen! LOL Speaking of that, I have started only making whole wheat pancakes instead of white. It's actually going over well. Mike loves them. Who knew??? I would also like to start using more fresh ingredients instead of canned/frozen but that will be a slow process too. I will never quite get away from "convenience" foods I don't think. I have also been convicted that we need to really start setting a better example for Katelyn and Madelyn. Mike and I are both overweight and don't lead really healthy lifestyles. I don't want to pass our poor eating habits on to our children. No matter how much we tell them to eat their vegetables, if they don't see US enjoying veggies, they won't. I want it to be natural for them to reach for fruit as a snack instead of chips and to enjoy exercise and it not be a chore.
Here are some of the things I'm working on when it comes to food/ products in our home:
- Whole grain breads, pasta and pancakes only
-Organic produce when I can find it and if it's not too expensive
-Although "low fat" sometimes would not be accepted in a "natural living" lifestyle b/c of the ingredients that go into making the food "low fat", I am trying to substitute whatever we eat for the lower fat version when possible. If it has too much extra "stuff" to make it like that I won't serve it to my kids or won't buy it.
-I switched Madelyn over to the "organic" formula. It's till Parent's Choice so it's inexpensive compared to the formula she was on before. Some of you reading this blog may wonder why I am not breastfeeding, since that is the  most natural and healthy way to feed your baby.  I couldn't breast feed my other two since I was on seizure medication . Now that I'm off, I plan on trying to BF my next one. I am not a "breast- feeding- is- the- absolute- only- way" mother so if I find it's too hard or stressful on me with two other children, I will probably switch to formula again. But I will give it my best shot.
-All natural, organic, and healthier snacks. No more Doritoes(sniff), potato chips etc. sitting around the house. This is actually good for me since I'm on Weight Watchers anyway.
-More water! I drink iced tea that I brew myself and have with Splenda( a no-no in that natural world). I drink so much tea that if I used sugar to sweeten it I would gain a ton of poundage. Soda is more Mike's thing. I just won't let my kids drink it. Sorry, I'm not giving up coffee. I love it too much.
-Natural and non toxic cleaning and laundry products that are easy on our skin and on the earth
-More natural and gentle shampoos, lotions etc for all of us(and also easy on the earth)

I'll let you know how it goes. As I mentioned, it's slow going in the Mietzner household.

I already recycle our milk containers, plastic bottles and paper. I know there are many more things I could be recycling so I'm going to try to be more aware of that.

So, that's my story for today. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. I'll let you know what is working for me. I may even give cloth diapers a try in the future! Miracles happen!