Buying, Storing and Passing Along Children’s Clothes
Before I became a mom, I never imagined the sheer volume of clothing one child could accumulate.
I’ve discovered the clothing collection seems to be caused by three different issues:
1. Children are always growing – what fits them one week may not fit them the next. (I promise. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon.)
2. Different brands of children’s clothes are sized differently. Because of this, more clothes are in my family’s drawers and closets than logically should be.
Since my children were newborns, I’ve always had a variety of sizes of clothes washed and ready for them to wear. For example, right now my son’s drawers are filled with clothes is sizes 4, 5, 6, and 7 – and he fits into all of them.
3. As a bargain shopper, I love to stock up on clothing for my kids when I find a great deal. When I’m at a thrift store and discover a pair of boys’ jeans that barely look like they’ve been worn (don’t most boys wear holes in their jeans??) or a charming dress for my daughter, I buy them – it doesn’t matter if the clothes are in my kids’ current sizes or three to five sizes too big.
When my bargains are in sizes that are too big, I store them in our basement so I have a reserve for unpredictable growth spurts. While it’s incredibly handy to have a variety of sizes on hand, it also leads to the clothing accumulation predicament.
(For my thrifty ways, I’m more than willing to store clothes. I’d much rather spend $5 on a brand new, off-season winter coat than a $50 brand new, in-season one.)
Passing along clothing
Since my husband and I are fairly confident that we won’t be adding to our family any time soon (if ever), I don’t want to keep hoarding children’s clothes once our school-age children outgrow them. There comes a time for every family to part with baby belongings.
I reached my farewell to baby clothes a few years ago before a major move. I kept a very few outfits that I adored – for the sake of memories and the very off chance that we’ll have any more children – and I got rid of the rest.
How do I typically get rid of children’s clothing?
Depending on the clothes:
I give them away to friends, family members or local charities.
I sell them at an annual garage sale or a local consignment shop.
What do you do when buying, storing and passing along children’s clothes?
Original article and pictures take accidentallygreen.org site
As my blog was sneaking up on the day of its 10-Year Anniversary, I was putting the final touches on my book. Meanwhile, my friend Charlene was dreaming of some fabulous ideas.
See, Charlene’s the one who came up the idea of this blog in the first place. She helped me name it, helped me set it up, and spent hours and hours and hours teaching and guiding me in the beginning. She has been a part of Heavenly Homemakers since before it launched and continues to help me any time I call on her. She’s an amazing designer and creator and idea-thinker-upper.
And so, when she sent this to my inbox and said, “What do you think?” I jumped out of my chair and landed on the ceiling and haven’t come back down since.
Tone, firm and round your lower body with this butt and thigh workout for women. 10 exercises that will thoroughly engage your glutes and thighs for an effective burnout style routine!
Repeat this circuit 3 times and rest for 60 seconds between sets.
1. High knees: 60 seconds. Bring your knees up to waist level and then slowly land on the balls of your feet.
2. Front and back lunges: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, take a step forward with your right leg and slowly bend both knees. Stand back up, take a step back with your right leg and lunge. Repeat for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
3. Back leg lifts: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Start on all fours and extend one leg behind you. Lift the leg to hip level and then slowly lower it back down.
4. Quick feet: 45 seconds. Start in an athletic position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hips low. Run in place quickly and push through the balls of your feet.
5. Romanian deadlift: 45 seconds. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keep your legs straight or only slightly bent and, as you lower the dumbbells, push your hips back.
6. Sumo squat: 45 seconds. Stand with your feet in a wide stance and your toes pointing out to the sides. Bend your knees, press your hips back and, once your thighs are parallel to the floor, come back up and repeat.
7. Side lunge: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Start with your feet hip-width apart, step out to the side with your right leg and transfer your weight to that leg. Use your left foot to push you back to the starting position, repeat for 30 seconds and switch legs.
8. Heisman: 45 seconds. Stand with your knees slightly bent, jump onto your right foot and pull your left knee up and toward your right shoulder. Jump onto your left foot and pull your right knee up and toward your left shoulder. Keep jumping between feet until the set is complete.
9. Hamstring curls: 45 seconds. Lie on your stomach with your legs fully extended, chest up and your hands under your chest. Bend your knees, curl your legs up and squeeze the glutes.
10. Step up with knee raise: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Place a box or a step in front of you and stand up straight. Step onto the box with your left leg and drive your right knee up. Step down, repeat for 30 seconds and switch legs.
Does your family get sick with colds and flu and fevers over and over again during the fall and winter? In order to stay healthy, it is beneficial to build up your immune system. Here are some well researched, tried and true ways our family has found that will help your family get well and stay well.
If you purchase anything using these links, I will earn a little money to help my family and keep my blog going, and it will cost you nothing extra!
VITAMIN D3
Vitamin D3 is vital as both a preventative and treatment for disease. The chief source of D3 is the sun. During the summer, if you spend 20 minutes in the direct sun at midday each day, without sunscreen, and with your sleeves rolled up, your body will have sufficient D3 to help keep you healthy. In the northern hemisphere, sunshine is virtually useless for vitamin D transfer once fall has begun, due to the sun’s rays being too indirect to be of benefit. This may explain why so many get ill in the fall and winter months.
Every cell in your body needs vitamin D3, and when the sun is NOT direct, which is all throughout the fall and winter, you must replenish it in your body through supplements. For years the recommended daily allowance has been around 400-600 iu of vitamin D3 per day. This is not enough to keep your immune system strong, and fight off colds, flu. arthritis, diabetes, cancer (especially breast cancer,) heart disease and the inflammation that is the root cause of so many serious diseases. The correct daily dose of vitamin D for adults is about 5,000 IU/day. Studies show that children who take 1,200IU daily will have 50% less chance of getting the flu.
MAGNESIUM:
Every cell also needs magnesium. Most people are deficient in magnesium. It helps prevent thyroid problems, enhances insulin secretion, which facilitates carbohydrate or sugar metabolism, cuts the risk of heart disease and stroke, helps prevent insomnia, aids in bone health, is believed to cut the risk of colon cancer, can help prevent migraines, and more. Take 500mg of magnesium or more every day. If your intestinal system cannot handle oral magnesium, you might want to try magnesium oil or lotion.
VITAMIN C:
Take Vitamin C, Airborne or Emergen C before you get sick. Most are aware that Vitamin C has been shown to help prevent colds, but it also has been known to fight cancer, lower the risk of heart diseases and stroke, regulates sugar levels in diabetics, helps in reducing arthritis symptoms, and so much more.
REGULATE YOUR BODY’S PH LEVELS:
Drink lots of fluids EVERY DAY make some lemonade to drink in the morning, or throughout the day. If you add a little baking soda to it, you’ll help alkalize your body. Our bodies need to be in an alkaline state in order to fight off inflammation, which is the cause of most diseases, with arthritis being the most obvious. For many years I have taken coral calcium every day, in order to maintain an alkaline ph. Taking magnesium, will help the body’s ph level as well.
Seven to eight hours of sleep each night seems to be the target amount of healthy sleep, with seven hours being optimum. My Daddy was a general practitioner. He believed that sleep was the great healer. He was a missionary doctor in West Africa and often instructed his orderlies at the hospital to let his patients sleep rather than awaken them to take medicine. If you can’t manage seven to eight hours of sleep each night, try to lay there for at least seven hours, or take naps. If your body wants to nap, do your best to fit one in. Without sufficient sleep, there is a greater likelihood of getting sick, of obesity, increased risk of diabetes, heart problems, and even depression. Please also realize that if you are currently healthy, it is can also be dangerous for an adult to sleep nine hours or more a night.
TAKE A GOOD PROBIOTIC:
Probiotics help keep bad bacteria from multiplying. They will help take control of your gut and help get rid of the bad bacteria that are in the small intestine before they take hold and cause harm. A study published by the National Institute of Health showed that healthy kids from 1 through 6 who drank probiotic milk had significantly fewer colds.” It would make sense that taking those probiotics in other natural ways, like yogurt, would also help.
EAT NUTRITIOUS REAL FOOD:
Avoid processed food as much as you are able. Technically this means anything with a list of chemical ingredients. These can be harmful to the body. Here is a partial list of those deemed most dangerous. MSG and its derivatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated fats, food colors, sodium sulfites, potassium bromate, sulfur dioxide, BHA and BHT, should all be avoided. AND stay away from sugar (even the real cane stuff.)
The most nutritious food is in the perimeter (outer edge) of your supermarket. This is where you will find the real foods: fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, beef, turkey, chicken, and fish.
SOME BASIC REMINDERS TO HELP YOU STAY WELL:
Use those wipes at the entrances of stores to wipe off the cart handles – and keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy – in your purse or car. We have a huge bottle at the back of our church sanctuary for folks to use as needed. One man in our church, who is a beef company executive, will often bump elbows rather than shake hands – in order to avoid transmitting illnesses or bacteria. It has become standard practice at their company.
DO NOT GET THE FLU VACCINE: Though getting the vaccine seems the logical and correct thing to do, and there are signs in every pharmacy to “get your flu shot here,” there is little proof that it helps. One reason is that it is always a best guess as to what the actual flu strain will be for any specific year, and it cannot protect against any other strain than the one contained in that particular vaccine. There is much information that it can actually cause significantly more upper respiratory illnesses and flu than those that are not vaccinated.
Consider avoiding situations where germs are rampant. If I’m walking down an aisle in the store where someone is coughing or sneezing, I turn around and walk the other way. Day care centers are notorious for transmitting illnesses from one child to another. If you need to put your child into someone else’s care, consider a home rather than a large business. If your child is exhibiting signs of illness, keep them home from school or daycare. You hate it when others bring their sick ones to school, don’t do it yourself. If you are starting to feel sick – especially if you have a fever – stay home.
IF YOU ARE STARTING TO GET SICK:
Keep following all the preventatives listed above.
* When you start to come down with the flu or a cold, meet it head on. Try using essential oils – a combination of lemon, peppermint and lavender can act as a natural form of antihistamine. Diffused, or massaged into the palm of the hand where it can be breathed in. Essential oils are like food, and need to be repeated every few hours to feed our bodies. Even a simple generic antihistamines can stop nasal drainage so that it doesn’t go into the chest. Our Doctor Daddy, always started us on antihistamines when we showed cold or respiratory (flu) symptoms. It often helped keep our family from getting sicker. Always remember to drink lots of water. This acts as a natural antihistamine, because it downgrades the productions of histamines.
Be wary of continually taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine maleate (Chlortrimeton,) because there is evidence that, taking it continually, can result in temporary memory loss. The good news is that this is reversible. Diphenhydramine is also an ingredient in many sleep aids. If you need a regular antihistamine, change to one like loratadine (Claritin).
* Sometimes Echinacea can be of benefit at the start of a cold or flu as well. A word of warning: those who have grass or ragweed allergies could have an allergic reaction to Echinacea.
* Take megadoses of Vitamin D3. Doctors recommend 50,000 iu of vitamin D3 every day. You can split it up morning and evening, for the first 3 days, at the first sign of flu or cold.
* If you a getting a lot of phlegm, be sure and take Goldenseal, Mucinex or a generic of it. Keeping mucous out of your lungs can help keep a cold from turning into bronchitis or even pneumonia.
* You can also take some natural antibiotics like Colloidal silver that may cost more at the start, but a little goes a long way and they are very effective, against both viruses and infections. Owning a colloidal silver generator to make your own can be very cost saving. Garlic and Goldenseal are less expensive antibiotics and they will also help greatly. Oregano oil is one of the best natural fighters of infections and flu. If you don’t like the taste or smell, try rubbing it on your feet. Buy good quality oils like doTERRA through my link.
* Make a good bone broth. There really is something to the saying that eating chicken soup will help you when you are sick. Don’t forget to drink lots of fluids too.
Get lots of sleep, AND stay home!
Disclaimer: I am not a trained dietitian, nutritionist, chef, or doctor. The information on this blog is based on facts, my research, and my personal experiences. This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any disease. Please follow the advice of your doctor. Marjie Briggs
Original article and pictures take homeagainjiggetyjig.com site
Build your brain, heart, and each cell in your body with your new refreshing beverage
My favorite winter-time health supporting drink is by far “golden tea” or even “golden milk” (especially the latter for my kiddos). The last flu season was brutal for us and I kept those roots simmering on my stove top as a lifeline. Summer is a great relief from colds and flu and yet I still find myself dragging. Being a mom of young boys is never easy. Being a mom of young boys who is herself of “advanced maternal age” (*cough*) adds another layer of challenge and so I find myself dragging around, wanting to get out and live a whole lot more, trekking here in the Sequoia National Forest and playing in seasonal creeks like Huckleberry Finn. The creek play will have to wait until both California’s epic drought has turned and until I’ve had a lot more of the beverage at hand.
And so I am here in the summer dragging in the swelter and it occurs to me that my go-to winter drink needs only a tweak to help me out and so the “golden spice” sits in my refrigerator in a jar, ready for the day.
This is a tea, just like the wintertime version, except that it is cold (at the risk of being overly obvious…). I make a very strong tea base to use as a concentrate and then add carbonated water because I love the fizz. The fizz part is obviously optional.
You can also make this tea with fresh root or powder. I provide a starting place below for each.
Why I Gush Over This Root
I do admit that I gush over turmeric on this website and, really, in this instance, ginger should get its cred too for adding exceptional health-building properties and great flavor at the same time. I have written an epic review of turmeric with research citations (here) that you can explore as you have time. As a recap, turmeric has centuries of use in the Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicines in India and that strong tradition seems to be vindicated weekly as published research appears in western academic journals extolling its health benefits. Some of the highlights are these:
Turmeric is a cancer-fighter: Curcumin in turmeric is probably most widely known for its anti-tumor properties.
Turmeric builds your heart and may reduce your symptoms of depression, both in part at least to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric may relieve arthritis pain by reducing joint stiffness and swelling.
Turmeric may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease due once again to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Read more about it and follow up on the research citations (here).
As for a summertime beverage, I was inspired to try this otherwise-very-wintery beverage as I sat in the swelter feeling that “summer puffiness” — that water retention from the heat. As I sit I can nearly feel that mild inflammation in my cells. Ugh. Drag.
Flavor Adjustments
Before diving into this recipe, you should know that turmeric has a strong flavor on its own and it not particularly pleasing on its own. The ginger and honey make all of the difference in the world. In fact, if you’ve had a turmeric beverage and nearly gagged, you will want to give this version a try. If you are hesitant, double the ginger portion to cover the turmeric flavor more. Ginger is wildly healthy too. You cannot lose.
You may also choose to add more sweetener. The flavor of the honey is a great complement to the turmeric and ginger flavors in the tea but you could also use stevia or a regular sugar. A whole, unrefined sugar like sucanat may play pretty well too, adding some musky depth. (Note to self to try this combination.)
If you find the drink to be bitter, you might not be heating it enough. My picky-eating sons love this drink and actually discuss this key point in a little video below.
In any case, use these recipes as a starting point and make adjustments to make this your own. You may want to dilute it quite a bit just using the concentrate as a bit of flavor to your water.
Turmeric and Ginger Iced Tea from Dried Powder: Ingredients
My basic ratio for tea is one teaspoon each of dried turmeric and dried ginger per two cups of water. The recipe below makes about eight cups and fills a nice half gallon canning jar that fits well in my refrigerator. You can also just refrigerate the base concentrate and add water as you drink your tea. The black pepper in the recipe simply helps your body absorb the curcumin in the turmeric. It doesn’t take a lot and you can certainly add more if you wish.
2 cups plus 6 cups of water. (2 cups for steeping, 6 cups of cool water to add to your steeped concentrate)
8 teaspoons (or 2 heaping tablespoons) of dried turmeric
8 teaspoons (or 2 heaping tablespoons) of dried ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 cup of honey
Turmeric and Ginger Iced Tea from Fresh Root: Ingredients
2 cups plus 6 cups of water. (2 cups for steeping, 6 cups of cool water to add to your steeped concentrate)
Four inches of fresh turmeric, thin sliced or chopped (including the skin is fine)
Four inches of fresh ginger (or less if it’s the fatter ginger variety but it’s hard to go wrong), thin sliced or chopped (including the skin is fine)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 cup of honey
Turmeric and Ginger Iced Tea Steps
With either dried or fresh root, your process is basically the same:
Add the turmeric, ginger, and pepper to a saucepan. Cover with two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the heat.
Cover your pan and allow it to steep for an hour or so or even overnight.
Add the honey in the heating stage to help it dissolve. If it is high-quality raw honey, allow the mixture to cool a bit before adding it.
Strain out the root. If you are using fresh root, you can save it and make more tea. If you are using powder, I recommend straining your mixture through cheesecloth or a tight-weave strainer just to remove some of the gritty powder. The texture of your drink will be far better.
You now have a concentrate. Cool it in your refrigerator and dilute it to taste. I would add an extra six cups of water to the mixture as the recipe calls for but you may want to add far more water for a lighter beverage. Experiment.
I also want to point out something epic about this iced tea. My boys drink it. I didn’t have to beg them or pay them to do that. They saw the tea and wanted to try it. I pretended like it was any other beverage. They drank it and wanted more.
I died a small death.
The drink the winter version and so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised and yet I always am.
Our Other Turmeric Recipes
Find more of our turmeric-intensive recipes:
Golden milk made with turmeric powder and some simple flavor options to help it come alive. Find it here.
Turmeric tea paste, a great option for making tea from the powder that is also portable and easily taken on the road. Find it here.
A turmeric facial mask with an accompanying scary photo here.
Roasted cauliflower with turmeric here, combining great foods into one recipe.
Original article and pictures take www.freshbitesdaily.com site
Summer days are here at last! School is out and kids are enjoying every last bit of daylight spending as much time outside as possible. Gardens are in and starting to bear fruit. Warm summer nights are spent catching lighting bugs and visiting with friends in the late evening over glasses of iced mint tea.
Sounds perfect, right? Unfortunately, lighting bugs aren’t the only little critters out. Bugs are everywhere you go in these hot summer months. If it’s not mosquitoes then, it’s chiggers; if it’s not chiggers, then it’s….well, you get the picture.
When you are going to be outside then you might want to think about using Nina’s Homemade Insect Repellent. If you forget or, for some reason it doesn’t work, then keeping this bug bite salve on hand is a must. It is a simple blend of herbs, oil and bees wax that heals your bug bites in no time.
Plantain– This plant draws out poisons and soothes the skin.
Echinacea– This king of herbs relieves itching from bug bite and promotes healing.
Lavender– This fragrant flower repels insects and reduces swelling.
Coconut oil– Has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Bug Bite Salve
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Dried Plantain Leaf
8oz (1/2 cup) bee’s wax
1. Add all your ingredients to a crock pot and turn it on to the lowest setting. Leave for two to three days. (Note: Because my crock pot tends to get rather hot, I periodically check on it and turn it off at night.)
2. After three days you will have an herb-infused oil. Strain out all the herbs. You can do this by using a stainless steel stainer or a cheese cloth. I use both. The cheese cloth allows you to squeeze out as much of the herb oil as possible.
3. Pour your herb infused oil back into the crock pot and turn it medium heat.
4. Slowly stir in about 4 TBS of beeswax pastilles. Once the beeswax pastilles are completely melted, pour into a container of your choice.
**Don’t want to make it? Grab some in our store!**
Have you ever tried a bug bite salve? Did it help?
Original article and pictures take modernalternativehealth.com site
For this Broccoli Salad I was trying to recreate a side dish my sister-in-law brings to a lot of our parties. A lot of broccoli salads have cheese, nuts, grapes or dried cranberries. This one has a delicious, crisp apple, with red onion, celery and crumbled bacon. I adapted a recipe I found at The Kitchen is My Playground for this.
In the original recipe, it calls for 1 head of broccoli, which vary in size. I had two smaller heads of broccoli so I ended up bumping up the dressing to 1 cup of mayo with just a pinch more sugar and about 1 tsp extra apple cider vinegar in order to get everything a light coating of dressing. Enjoy!
1. Combine salad ingredients in large bowl. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk until combined; pour over salad and toss. Serve chilled.
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