Black Void

I have this black hole in my life. It started out small, maybe the size of a pin head. It gradually grew and as it did, I became more idle, immobile, guiltful, sad, and the more it grew the more I fed it. How do I feed the black hole? By being here. Yes, here, on the internet. To be more clear, on FB, on DailyMail, on other trashy "News Paper" sites and by accidentally coming across trash online.

I "quit" FB a few months ago. I still log in to check out the latest news and photos. FB has turned into a propaganda and Pinterest site. I scroll down the news feed and my eyes are exposed to everything. A picture of a starving child comes up with this: "like and share if you care, keep scrolling if you're don't!" Ugh,  I never feel good after my visit, yet I still visit. The DailyMail focuses on the negative and the evil of the world. It brings out the saddest and soul stirring news. I never feel good after I visit, yet I still visit. It's the curiosity that pulls me back in.

Our eyes are the windows to our souls. What we read and watch will feed our soul in one way or the other. EVERYTHING we read or watch WILL affect our soul and well being in one way or the other.

I have lived it. I am still living it. I chose to open up a tab and read the latest kak online. Sometimes, usually, more often than not, I come across the latest sad news on innocent children being hurt or killed by sick people. My heart and soul aches. The "well" written imagery on the ordeal creates images in my mind that are disturbing. Imagery, forever in my mind. I carry that.

In the same way, most of what is on TV, and its imagery is forever imprinted on my mind. Scary movies, (which I have not watched in years because my psyche can't handle it) vain and promiscuous shows. I carry that baggage. Baggage that is cancerous.

This builds up, or should I say It grows. My worry and disappointment grows. But the next day, I am at it again.

We don't have TV but I am still feeding my energy sucking void, by replacing it with the ones listed above.

Youtube is dangerous. I honestly believe that it has to be one of the most dangerous sites for anybody to be on, especially for kids. This is what I meant about "accidentally coming across trash online".

So I'm wide eyed following the latest gossip, show (youtube), tabloid and then after I've discharged(sucked out) my positivity and energy, I attend my precious gems. I am not present though. My mind lingers on what I've read, what I've seen and the after shocks. After shocks as in deep in thought, deep in worry, deep in compassion, and sadness I am not strong enough to carry. My children ask me questions, buzz around me, they talk... I nod, smile but I am not here. I've waisted my first hour of the day, surfing in trashy waves. How clean and fresh am I? How motivated and energized am I? Where is my focus?

Can you count the number of times you have logged back online to "check"? It's like going to the fridge again after 10 minutes from the previous time, again, to "check" if magically any food has appeared, only it is to check for news, latest news to only eventually see that it's all the same and time still passes by. Time you can never have back.

Not only that, but I have missed out on here and now, by being around but not being here. This poem called "Dear mom on the iPhone" is what I am talking about. Have I swapped being with my precious to being with the app? I don't want to, not anymore. Whether you are a parent or not, student or retired... where is your focus?

I know what the news tomorrow is, without even reading tomorrow's news, and I can tell you what it will be.

- NOT good.

Tomorrow's news is not good. Until the second coming of our Christ, Jesus, the news will always be filled with bad.

There IS good news though. Good News which will never change. regardless of what is happening around you, in your heart or in the world. Nothing we read on the news or see on TV can change the love story, the Truth that has been bestowed upon us. That good news is your life manual, the love story between God and YOU. The Bible.

Where is your focus? Can you put down your pinning on Pinterest, your daily sharing on FB and your logging in to your favourite gossip news site and focus on what really matters. Focus on the eternal? Focus on today, a gift?

Does God Bless Your Wardrobe?

God sees the heart, knows our secret wants, our "vanity". I don't speak about it, I am content. Since, that is what the scriptures say,

1 Timothy 6:8  ..."But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that"... 

and that is what a "true Christian" ought to be. All good, I give up my style for the good of my family. Priorities, priorities... Second hand clothes, still used 18 months after I got pregnant. I am not pregnant, but I am wearing the same pregnancy clothes. After all, some people lack clothing, I am blessed with the clothes I have. I can count them with both hands. That's all, yet so much when compared to the ones who lack... yet so little... shouldn't complain. I am content, I am content. 

I feel awful. My pregnancy weight lingers. I am different from most women, I shed the weight AFTER I quit nursing. Would I ever be so vain to quit for the sake of my figure, God no! Would I want to? I am tempted.... guilt builds up for letting it cross my mind. 

I call myself names I would never say to anyone or even think of anybody that way. I am a "läski-paska"...which directly translated means "fat-s**t".. not very flattering at all. I say that to ME. Just writing about it, typing it out is shocking. Lip trembling shocking, how could I be so brutal? What have I done to deserve that title? 

I re-dedicated this ground to the Lord, he sees my heart. I want to live out the scripture, to feel it, to believe it. I am Your property, I was bought with a price, I am Yours... I have more than enough, I am blessed.

Last night I got a call from M, from church. She said that she would really like me and my 3 kids to attend tomorrow's Mom's group clothes swap meeting. She told me that they want to pay for my child care and perhaps H and S would let me have a few items without charge. "Oh sweet! What a wonderful blessing! Thank you!"...

Today I attended the swap meeting. I don't know why I attended. I didn't have the money or the body to even want to go. I am happy that I did though.  Once we got there, I dropped the kids off to the nursery and waited in line for coffee. I was approached by L (who gave us a ride to the swap meeting)- "Are you going to do some shopping?" she asked with a smile. "No, I don't have the money..." I replied, hiding the other side of my reason. As she offered to pay for me, I refused kindly and suddenly broke down in tears, in shock trying to hide my face in my blouse. What on earth? Am I crying?, apologizing for my "weakness" and feeling stupid and guilty for it.  "I'm sorry, I don't know why I am crying.."... We retreat to the ladies bathroom to share. I got a hug. I have not been hugged in my sorrows for so long. The hug felt so sweet. Right afterwards, one of the leaders of the group, asked me if I was ready to shop!?

Oh what sweet blessings. It was more than I ever anticipated. My nursery fee was covered, the clothes I ended up getting were a GIFT and I was styled by someone who really has an eye for it.  I can't match clothes one bit, but she could. And well. I think I tried clothes on for a good hour, and even got into some pretty funky heels!

 I got my eyebrows threaded. This was an accident, I just followed the "line" and didn't even realize it wasn't part of the free fun (like the hairstyling).

 This picture was taken in the midst of my trying on clothes. Although the picture doesn't look like it, I had no idea this shot was taken. 

I am so overwhelmed and grateful. I got home, I looked at my haul, I sobbed. Thank You, God!! Wow, I even got heels... (not anywhere top in my priority list) I went from owning 3 pairs of shoes to 9! 

He sees my heart, he sees where I am at. He blessed my wardrobe.

Have you asked God to bless your wardrobe?

Ever Wonder Why Your Kids Are Rude?

Okay, I am not here to tell you that YOU are the fault of your rude kids, BUT I am here to SHARE what I learned today. (All comments are welcome, just remember that we are here to share not to judge and fight over the right ways to raise kids. Be respectful :) )

Scenario: We had a dear friend of ours visiting us today. She did some baking with the kids. The kitchen was a chaos to begin with. The table was over crowded and was still in use. This creates angst in me. Especially when clumsy little hands are involved. Something was about to "tip over" and I quickly, sternly said, intented for one of my kids, "Move it away!" and realized that it was our dear friend who was already in the midst of moving it. I then followed by saying : "oh, I didn't mean to use such a rude tone with you (slightly embarrassed), I... meant.... to... say it to....- J!?! Yes, realizing at the same time, what that sentence sounded like and that it was TRUE! I used a rude tone with my kids and would never use it with my friends. Do note: there is a difference with being clear and stern with a loving tone and bossing. Our kids learn from us!

I expect to be spoken to with respect and expect my kids to speak to others with respect. I sometimes get frustrated when I hear them speak with a rude tone. And sigh, wonder why on earth, how come etc?! They mimic.

This hit home, hard. I couldn't believe it. I was okay to rudely order my son around, when I could've instructed and taken the opportunity to train. I fail. But I have hope.

One thing we do in this family is apologise to our kids daily. There is always something we have done that wasn't the best and we should be at ease to be able to apologize to them. I don't want to be the mother-who says it and it's the law, my house, my rules, my table, under my roof, you're outta here- kind of mum. I want to lead by example. I am broken. I am learning. I love. I fail. I am sorry. I try again. I love. I love. I love.

Reasons Why We Homeschool

"Why do you guys homeschool?"  "Do your kids get to socialize?"  I get asked these questions often.Well, I get to answer them here!

4 years ago, S and I came to the conclusion that we wanted to homeschool. Little did we know, this was a very good decision, better than we initially thought. Here is a list of the reasons why we homeschool. (The list is not in priority order. )

1. Protection. Protection from peer pressure, bullying and foul language. 

Comment: You can't protect your kids in the real world, they will have to face it sooner or later.

Response: This is true, we can't protect them from the world, but we can train them and raise them, so that they come to know their own self value and worth, in Christ and stand a little stronger, when they are out there "alone". They don't have anyone telling them what trend to follow, what's uncool, what's in, who's out etc. If they curse, we know exactly WHO to blame. Ourselves. We have more opportunities throughout the day to spot times, where we can teach and train our kids.

2. Quality time during lessons.

1 on 1. We start our school doing grammar in our jammies, while I sip my morning coffee. Then chat about the day and about this and that, we spend time together.

Comment: Do your kids get 6 h of school a day?

Response: No. More like 2-3 hours. During 1 on 1, we move through our lessons faster. There aren't 30 pupils crying out for attention from one teacher and as a teacher, I can take my time and teach with undivided attention or time limits. However, homeschool can last all day and all evening too,  depending on what we are doing. Gardening, field trips, outdoor adventures, scavenger hunts in the woods can take time and we might finish the day with a little science or social studies. Very relaxed!

3. Take the time necessary. 

Our kids can develop at their own pace. If math is a challenge, we can invest time in it during school and not after school. If math is "easy", we can move onwards to the next grade levels.

4. Each to their own.

Our school day is structured according to our child's energy levels. Some days J might have a "bad day" and can't seem to focus well on his subjects, we can then do something else and come back to whatever we were working on later. There are no lost opportunities.

Comment: Shouldn't a child eventually have to learn how to work regardless of how he or she feels? You can't just not go to work when one is having a bad day. Welcome to the real world!

Response: These days, modern companies are actually using more flexible work systems and support the diversity of employees. Also, bare in mind that these are children. Their learning should be in a productive learning enviroment, fun and varied. If I child has had a restless night and is tired, it won't make or break his day, he won't get behind. Studies show that homeschooled kids learn 37% better than those who attend school outside of the home.

5. More variety of material and learning activities. 

We get to go on fieldtrips every day if we like! Everything we do, we look at it as "how can I teach/learn from this?" For example, posting a letter at the post office. We can spend an extra 15minutes discussing different airways, snail mail, air mail, cargo,...etc. How the letters find their way. Instead of merely reading how a seed grows from a book we can step outside, toil the soil and really understand the growing process. Hands on!

6. Biblical teaching. 

We believe that we are called to,

 ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

New International Version (NIV)

How can we teach this, if the school is teaching against it? Who has more time to spend with your child during the day? What could be a more holy calling than to train and teach your kids, to invest in them, so that they can walk on the righteous path?

7. Family time. Building relationships within family. Strong bond. 

Comment: Shouldn't kids be able to explore and get out there to create new relationships?

Response: Yes and no. Absolutely they get to interact with other kids daily, but we also want to teach them that a family is a nations "back bone". It sorrows us that in many families, kids look for role models, friends and peers outside of the family rather than within. There is nothing "uncool" about your younger brother and that they can open up to us as parents rather than look for it elsewhere. Instead of looking for friends outside of the family (only), they can build close friendships with their siblings too.

8. Socializing. 

Our kids get to socialize with ALL age groups, not only with a classroom full of 6 year olds. 

Comment: Homeschooled children are socially inept.

Response: Absolutely not! This is a misconseption. Actually, they have better people skills than average. They can have a conversation with all age groups and feel relaxed enough to play with babies too. 

9. Sleep. This is a big one. 

Thank God, we have not had to drag them out of bed to rush them out the door to make it to school on time. Sleep is super important. The best thing about this, is that they are well rested and ready for school time. I feel for the parents who have to emergency it out the door in the mornings, rushing to make the bell.

Comment:  As they grow up they'll need to wake up to get to work, tired or not.

Response: Yes true, and here we have a great opportunity to teach them how valuable sleep is and how we musn't ever compromise. Each child demands different amount of sleep. For example, our middle child needs the most. She goes to sleep first and wakes up last.

Here is a great article on homeschool and sleep deprivation in public school pupils. https://www.aophomeschooling.com/blog/homeschoolers-get-more-sleep

10. Travel and teach anywhere! What freedom, such richness!

11. Control. 

We have more control over what and how our kids learn. We can again, take the time to invest in the best, in what suits our family best, what suits our kids best, individually. How can we be the main influence for our kids when we don't see them for 80% of the day?

Comment: Tight leash.

Response: Think of it as rather, a greenhouse. A place, safe haven where they can grow to become strong individuals in Christ. For example, being available to deal with issues (arguments, hurt feelings, math problems, etc.) instantly and not left unsolved or undealt with. We are their parents after all, and so yes, we keep a close watch.

12. Encouraging, praise and discipline appropiately. 

These days teachers have no authority over pupils in schools. Bad behaviour won't get overlooked.

13. Identification of talents and skills. 

Due to the fact that the learning is 1 on 1, it's easier to identify a natural talent for a particular subject or activity. But more than identification, homescooling gives parents the opprtunity to encourage the further developement of those talents. Sure, some talents may be picked up at school, but more often than not they are overlooked or sidelined and never really passed on to the parents.

14. Hierachy of subjects. 

The current system of education was developed for a time very different from today. At that time - industrial revolution - there was a dire need for further developent of reading, writing, and mathematics as most of the population would not have access to these types of activities. Society was lacking. Due to this, those subjects, reading, writing, mathematics and also the sciences were placed at a greater value than the arts for example. Today, in a very different world, this hierachy still exists and creativity is undervalued. For example, if you have a student with a real ear for music or a wonderful ability to move their body but is below average in maths they would be deemed still today, "stupid". With homeschooling, there is no such hierachy, you can place as much emphasis on the arts as sciences and allow a child's creativity to flourish.

Here is a very very interesting clip, by Sir Ken Robinson. Don't pass this opportunity, it will change the way you view life, forever. http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U

Soul Food

Soul Food tonight, hurt. Hurt deep, felt good... 

It felt like I was being peeled open slowly, unraveling layers of busyness and finding a way to the inner part, my beating heart, my soul. 

My daughter laid in her bed and as I walked by she asked me to read "this book" to her, as she lifted up a thin blue book. In my busyness and frustration (after trying to put a baby to sleep for an hour) I said I'll read half, and began to read the story to her quickly...

First page, a mother is holding her baby, rocking back and forth singing him this song,

.."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be"...

Second last page, the baby all grown up, holds her at a nursing home.. rocking her back and forth and singing this song.

..."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my MOTHER you'll be"...

The last page, the son, now a father, holds his baby daughter, rocking back and forth singing,

..."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be"...

As I'm reading this, I cry.  I look at my daughter, hug her and sing to her,

 ..."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my GIRL you'll be"...

She asked me to sing it again. I tried singing it to her as I tried to swallow my tears...

I said goodnight, walked out the room, and cried. My heart aches.  I cry for the lost time. I cry for what is to come.

Thank you. Thank you for giving me the most precious gems. Amen.

Continues De-Cluttering

I have said it before. I have done it before. I have accumulated again. I am decluttering, again.

Not so long ago, I went through a 2 year decluttering process. It was hard, it was liberating, it was awesome! I got to spend more time with my family. I had less stuff to maintain, dust, pick up, clean, and re organize. It was an eye opener, a lesson, it was freedom.

After our BIG move, we started accumulating essentials. Well, we were surrounded by lots of giving people and before we even knew it, our home was bursting from its seams. Wow, that happened fast!

I began to itch again, to feel overwhelmed with stuff. Especially the little bits and pieces that were gathering and piling on top of kitchen tables and counters. It began to bug me. Random pieces.  I yearn for plain, for basics, for minimalistic living. Simplicity. 

Well I am half way there, emptying my home again. Getting rid of plastic, again.

Our Family Coconut

I want to share with you HOW we use Coconut oil. We love Coconut oil...

We use coconut oil daily in many ways :

• as body lotion
• as baby lotion
• in the bath water
• in cooking (do note: coconut oil can be bought "smell-free", it won't flavour all your cooking coconutty)
• in baking
• as shaving cream
• as after shave cream
• baby toothpaste
• mouthwash
• medicine
• good omegas
• eliminate bad breath
• in icing
• in salad dressing
• as lip balm
• exfolietor (with sugar)
• make up remover
• conditioner (small amount)
• etc  

Oh and here is another picture of uses for coconut oil, which, we have not tried yet...

Food Pyramid part 1

A few weeks ago I taught my son the Food Pyramid, straight out of a 1st grade health and nutrition book. Mid way, I stopped the lesson and gave our support teacher a call. I told her "I cannot teach this rubbish and I have a dilemma, what am I to do?"

How can I teach my son something I know is NOT true and not because I am a new ager, but because I believe in God and His word to be true. In the Bible it clearly teaches us what our first two major groups should be... and they are :

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

PLANTS that have SEED in it and FRUITS with seed in it.

Now this is the same God who breathed the planets, said and it was done. Pretty knowledgable, right? I mean, he probably knew what He was doing when he made every plant to benefit us differently, right?

I CANNOT teach my children that consuming dairy products above fruits and good fats is the right way to go. I could count that as child abuse, really. These innocent children who look to me for food and never second guess the nutritional value of my cooking, they might question the paletable side of it, but never the nutritional value of it- I then give them "so called food" that fights against their bodies' ability to heal itself, improve itself, and  manifests illness and other chronic unpleasent symptoms.

No, as a parent I should be teaching them about what makes your bones strong, what makes your muscles strong, what makes your hair shiny, what keeps your joints healthy, what fights colds, and prevents infections, which is anti-imflammatory and anti-viral, which food builds bones, heals your body, what do enzymes do, etc, etc. How to treat and co-treat (sometimes along side medicine) EVERY ill health from WITHIN and  what not to eat and WHY. Knowledge is power. The more you read, the more you dig.. the more you know.

Let me give you an example : Most pyramids have a tiny little section for oils. Our family's pyramid has a good size sliver for "good" oils.  Our preferred oils are different from what most school book pyramids teach. Good oils include, avocados, olives, salmon, fish oil, coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, avocado oil, hemp oil, nuts and seeds... etc.

Let me give you another example from the dairy group:

We do enjoy cheese and ice cream, but it's not the second or third consumed group in our diets.

Dairy, the way it's made today, is not good for you. (Some people will argue that dairy-in any shape or form- full stop-is not good for you). Milk won't penetrate the gut wall. Calcium won't absorb at all, or very very little. Hence, you are calcium deficient. It also gives you other unpleasant side effects. You get more calcium from sesame seeds and broccoli than you do from milk.

Deuteronomy 14:21  "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."

I believe that there is nutritional truth in that verse. When I was a young girl my father was a teacher at a Jewish school for a season. One day he came home with a revelation and told us we shouldn't drink milk and eat meat at the same time. I don't remember knowing why and I don't know how long it lasted...

Now this seemed to be the law for the people in the Old Testament (and others may think it means something else) but nutritionally this makes sense! The calcium of the RAW milk will not absorb if taken in with meat. The toxicity of the meat prevents it. I truly believe that osteoporosis and other bone ill-health could be reduced and even prevented, if not stopped or reveresed by changing a "few" things in our daily diets.

In this case, changing the store bought milk to an -as close to it's original form- raw milk, almond mylk, coconut mylk and/or hemp seed mylk. That trio is amazingly beneficial for your body.

SOY milk (tofu and other soy based products) is BAD for you, it's poison, it should have never been taken in in such large quantities as we see in our western world today. Soy prevents vitamins, minerals and nutrients absorbing into your body and is a hormone DISRUPTER etc. Not good.

It's all dandy if someone doesn't know, but we need to do the research for ourselves, and read ALL sides of a story, right! You cannot even take what I am saying as the final truth, you need to take what I have said here and take it, compare it and weigh it against well supported and honest research. You need to do what you feel is right for your family. We make decisions out of love, right? God sees your heart, where you are, He blesses the right direction and meets you where you are. We cannot know it all in a day. But start your journey, start from Genesis 1:29.


As a homeschooler, I should teach my children 2 pyramids. What the "world says" and what WE believe.

There are areas, which I have not covered yet, such as meats, other cheese and milk products, wine, cooked food, raw and live food etc, etc. I will. This is why this post is "part 1"- check in for more posts.. You'll be surprised.

Letting Go

A week ago, I started drinking DECAF. For a good week now (and on going), I have had long naps in the middle of the day, have gone to sleep early and haven't wanted to get out of bed the next morning. I still feel this way, perhaps not as severely, but I do feel very tired. I get it. I had tricked my body for months, believing that all was dandy, go go go! I wonder how much harm have I really done to it? I can barely cope with the tiredness. I truly owe my body rest and I plan to give it. If I require 8-10 hrs of sleep per night, then so be it! I have to fit that in and that's just how it needs to be. We were made to live, to work and to REST. Most inportantly, REST in Him.

I cannot be a good wife, mother and homeschooler if I am always dragging along the floors, doing and giving my minimum. 

If we need to eat or drink substances that give us false energy and rob us from our minerals, vitamins and... LIFE, we really should not be doing it. I truly believe that there are foods and natural drinks that give a natural pick-me-up effect with NO side effects.

I personally like the taste of coffee, I just don't need the caffeine to go with it. I am looking into giving up decaf too and swapping it to a coffee-red reishi brew. The red reishi eliminates 97% of the toxins and caffeine in the coffee and it becomes beneficial. This is awesome! More on that later!

Also, we all know how bad sodas are for us, but why do we "gladly" pour this "toxic drink" down our throats and think we can get away with it? We are so DUMB! We won't get away with it, our bodies don't know what to do with it!!!!! No wonder our hormones and bodies are out of whack! And out of whack isn't even the worst case... so sad. You oughta swap the ring pull or bottle cap to a spray nossle and sanitize the dirtiest corner in your house because it kills EVERYTHING.

Please include attribution to TermLifeInsurance.org with this graphic.

Empty Fridge, Oh Bliss! No Unnecessary Organizing Part 3

When you go to your fridge to have look, you open the door, see it packed with tons of jars and bags of something, a few tupperware containers with something in them, left overs, bit and bats, but there's nothing for you to eat, or you cannot see anything you can cook with? You know, your door is filled with small jars, quarter empty, bottles of dressings and what not, but you can't see the wood for the trees? Not only that, but you see pieces of dried up onion peel in nooks and crannies? a sticky spill?

Here me out! This is the time for you to start fresh! No need to plan your next week's meals according to the random ingredients which have lingered in your fridge for months, ( really would you want to cook with a food" which doesn't go bad? ) Get rid of it, toss it out, start fresh! I am going to give you a few rules of thumb of what to chuck out and a recipe for a non toxic fridge cleaner!

Rules of thumb:

• If you haven't used it for a few months, chuck it out. When and IF you really really need it, make fresh or spend the penny to buy "fresh"... you don't want to store jars of random pickles and salsas for months. You'll end up with a hall of fame jar-landia.
• read the ingredients, if there is more than 2 ingredients that you cannot pronounce or know what they are, toss it, just toss it! Go back to basics, to ingredients which won't "cause cancer". Natural.
• If the food product has it own TV commercial, toss it, just get rid of the devil! 

Recycle the jars and containers according to your local recycling instuctions. Empty the fridge, Categorize in the simplest way that you can really, in all honestly, follow through with. Keep the meat away from your fresh produce. Make sure your fridge looks more colourful than "beige", this way you know you're eating healthy(er). Store in glass containers, see this blog post for why you ought to! 

Fridge Cleaner Spray

•  warm water
• 1 tbsp bicarb (baking, washing soda)
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 drops of cinnamon oil (lovely scent, super bug killer, antifungal etc)

1. mix the oil and vinegar first in a spray bottle
2. add the bicarb
3. then fill up with water

Empty your fridge, spray scrub, wipe down. Fill up your fridge. Be picky, think twice. Cut a lemon in half and place it in the back of your fridge for freshness.

Enjoy!

Oh My Laundry! No Unnecessary Organizing (Part II)

I am so very happy to share this new "Ahaa!" experience with you! Finally, finally, after years of laundry torture, I got it!

Now picture this, some of you might deeply relate to what I am about to share with you:

You've done several loads of laundry, folded everything neatly and put them into dressers, wardobes and cupboards. After you have re-organized EVERYONES wardrobe. Finally, everything is perfectly organized and in it's place. Haa, not for long! As you walk into one of your kids' rooms, for one reason or another, you notice random CLEAN clothes pulled out of the wardrobe and on their floor. Hmmm... this is not new to you, oh no. It happens often. No worries, you "smell through them" sorting out the clean from the used clothes, and regardless clean or not, if they have been on the floor too long- they all need to go back into the washer. This is one vicous cycle!

But I got it! After reading Michelle Duggar's well put sentence in their book "20 and Counting"

..." all the trips made to carry our clean clothes from the laundry room back to the bedrooms and put them away neatly in the right closet or drawer. The "neatly" part would last until one of the children needed something out of that closet or drawer, then things got stirred up, moved around, and strewn all over the place. A lot of the time, clean, never-worn clothes ended up back int the laundry again..."... 


and walking into my childrens' rooms and witnessing this annoying habit, it solidified it for me! No more clothes in anyone's room! All of the clothes must be in one place. I figured out, if the clothes would be next to the washer and dryer, (they would not get moved from washer to floor, to being folded, onto chair to the wardrobes and back on to the floor- to the washer again,) they would stay put, hung and well, be tidy. What a liberating "Ahaa!" experience for me. Why did I not think of this sooner?!

 I know this looks like a horrid laundry room. Well, it is.

 idea + hubby + tools =

 half way there!

and 

finally done!

 realistic and complete!

yes, honest mess in a REAL home.

So,  my husband and I agreed on it,  I had it planned out and my husband made it happen! You gotta love him! Always trying to make my ideas come true.

Ruby Slippers - Book Review

Currently reading :  

Ruby Slippers

By Jonalyn Grace Fincher.

I wish I could read it in one go but, with 3 small kids to care for, I am taking small bits at a time. So far, this book is very liberating in many ways. 

This Book Review is written by the President of the Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society.

I hope that you get to read the book for yourself!

Personalize Your Living Room - Mural

I have a "habit" of getting bored quick when it comes to the home. So I've been told (my my better half). One thing I have done in every home we have lived in, is paint a wall or two. I have a "thing" for bamboos. I love painting them; there is something elegant about them and they fit in every "era". (Lots of "" going on in this paragraph!?)

I used the gold paint to give our evenings shimmer! In indoor lighting, the gold really sticks out and gives the painting a whole new look. I am not a good enough photographer to capture that, sorry.

Paint your very own mural, which is personal and no one else has! Go on! Be creative!

Homeschool -Science Project

 The Solar System!

We used:

• crayons
• glue
• string
• scrapbook paper
• stick
• cardboard 

We improvized. 

 Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars...

This is a fun craft project with kids, try it out!

Sleep On It Curls Part 2

A few weeks ago we tried THIS. 

Last night, I tried it differently and got this look! Here is what I did. I used 5 rags instead of 20. First, I washed my hair, waited for it to feel "touch-dry" and seperated my hair into 5 sections. Then I curled up each section the same way and slept on it!

This is a simple-simple way of curling your hair and getting fab results!

Savour the Valentine's Day Season part 5

Savour the season by giving tulips for your sister, daughter, mother, friend or /and grandmothers...

 -Make their day!

Savour the Valentine's Day Season Part 4

  This morning, we savoured the season by making and eating heart shaped omelettes! yummy!

I don't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, so I had to improvize....

For my two oldest monkeys...

Savour the Valentine's Day Season Part 3

Savour the Season by making your own personalized valentine's cards! These fantastic cards however, were not made by me, but by a talented photographer and mother of two Christine Jordan. Here is her blog - ChristineJordanPhotography - 

Aren't they cute!?

Savour the Valentine's Day Season Part 2

 DIY  "I love you Day!" Shoe box gifts!

Have your kids decorate the boxes as they wish, encourage them to decorate with pink, red, hearts, you know... with all of those LoveLove colour and theme :)

 Fill the boxes up with rice paper, sweets and the gifts they have bought for each other. 

 Let them be creative! Finish it off with "I love you day!" self made cards.

You don't have to spend much money to fill up the boxes. For example, i found a jar of bubble gum in my pantry. I seperated the pink and red gum balls from the rest and put them in zip lock bags. Voilá. Be creative!

-Enjoy!

Savour the Valentine's Season Part 1

I'm trying something very new here. We don't normally celebrate Valentine's day, since we know it as 'Friends Day' back home. However, now we live in North America and it is a BIG thing here, - we'll embrace it! We'll welcome it into our home and we will call it "I love you Day!". (Thank you Bates Family for the title idea!)

How can we make this "I love you day" last? Here's an idea!

Write letters to your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you!

These letters ofcourse are given to them on the day. Hence, the last paragraph. Show your children how much you as parents love them by serving them for example, sweets/popcorn, dvd, their favourite blanky, and really go "all out" for them. Pretend your waiters and it's a V.I.P Movie Theatre ;) in your own home!

I'm declaring my love for him!

Sleep On It -Curlers!

I've been wanting a perm for so long. This desire goes against everything I thought- I thought about "good" hairdressing. I've never been a fan on perms! Since my 3rd child was 3 months old, my hair has been falling out. This isn't new, happens after each pregnancy and I am not very keen on my thin, droopy looking hair. I went to a "perm expert" for a consultation but I wasn't sold. I said "God, there has to be a cheaper and better way to get natural looking curls/body for my hair??" So I googled, and on my first try I came across this blog with this CLICK HERE method.

HOWEVER, as a hairdresser and the knowledge I have, I realised that there was a faster method to achieve curls. There is actually no need to wet your hair completely and then wait 18 hours for super sweet curls. You can do it that way if you find it easier, and really there is no RIGHT way to go about it, but there IS a more time-saving approach!

I'm glad I came across the blog, since it's a good one! Families with many kids or families wanting to have many kids can really get good advice from this blog.

Okay back to the curls, in the evening before bed time is the best time to curl your hair.

• Cut 1" x 8" cotton fabric strips (20-30 depending on the thickness of the hair)

• Wet the strips in warm water and squeeze the excess water out

• Optional! You can spritz each section of hair with a styling spray before rolling up your hair

           around the pencil which has the strip of fabric running along its length.. 

• after rolling all the way up, tie a not, pull pen out and complete the not.   

  **BETTER & PERFECT instructions for rolling your hair are on her blog!**

• cover the head with a shower cap/hair cover/ etc

• sleep on it! And voilá!

 I "combed" it through with my fingers...

...here is K's version below.

I first tried this on myself, then on my daughter K. We love them! They last and wave out eventually (after a few days). 

I am sold! Thanks Erika Shupe for this!

Financial Freedom

We recently went through an online seminar on the topic of financial freedom. There are 20 individual lectures. This 7 biblical principle based seminar unveils God's purposes for money in our lives. As we watched each of the video seminars, we were more and more convicted in various areas of our finances. The most impacting of all, was on the topic of debt or should I say, no debt. Jim Sammons, the speaker gave a number of scriptual reasons for living debt free and gave some amazing real life examples of how this was and can be done. Bare in mind that this seminar is somewhat "dated" from around the mid to late 80's. However, the underlying principles are still very relevant today. 

We have decided to pursue a debt free life style and have purposed to clear off any debt in our lives. Yes this means NO mortagages, NO car loans or financing, NO maxed out credit cards etc.

Here is the link to the seminar. -- Embassy Institute --To watch all of the seminar, you need to register. We highly recommend everybody to do it and at only a minimal cost of 9 bucks.

Enjoy!

Flu Repel Foods and Recipes

In reference to my previous post - healthy smoothie, here are some food stuffs you can add to that recipe to repel or fight the seasonal flu and colds

• half an avocado
• spinach (organic!)
• replace boxed orange juice with fresh
• a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
• another tomato, organic

For a power shot: (good for strept throats, too)

Juice ginger and keep in a well sealed container. Add only a few drops or drizzle to fresh apple/orange juice and gurgle. Drink it in small sips if you find it hard to gurgle. Ginger is a powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial root. It has great anti-inflammatory effect and treats the mucus membranes. It also will clear your head and sinuses too! Ginger is also a natural painkiller.

Garlic:

Cut garlic into capsule sizes and swallow them. Garlic also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. Garlic cleans your blood from all those nasty bugs!

Olive Oil:
Imagine 'teflon surface' for the bacteria and viruses.

Probiotics: Boost immunity.

NO sugar! NO NO sugar:

Sugar is a vital surface for bacteria to multiply fast. Bacteria thrive on sugar. No sugar during cold season! Sugar is the "best friend" of colds.


Dodge the cold:

When  the first cold symptoms appear: Tackle it a.s.a.p with ESBERITOX! Even if you are suffering in the midst of it all, take this supplement to prevent any "after shocks". Studies have shown reductions in any following ailments, such as sinus infections etc.

for more info look at their website www.esberitox.fi all I can say is, I tried it and it works!!

Zinc: take a triple dose of the recommended daily allowence for two days. You need Zinc more that ever when your immunity is under attack.
Vitamin D: triple or quadruble RDA* for 3 days during symptoms. Don't take the pills (D and zinc) all at one time, spread the doses throughout the day.

"Starve the cold and starve the fever" by not eating anything cooked. Eat fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, smoothies, raw and live food. Your bodies enzymes that are currently fighting the viruses, do not need to be disturbed because your food has its own enzymes to digest itself for the most part = no extra energy used to digest your Big Macs = all the energy is being used to make you better!

Water: Drink plenty of water. Your body needs water to flush out toxins and your cells work way better with enough fluids.
Bug Killing-Soup!
Into a blender put:

• tomatoes 3-4
• garlic (cut into pieces) 1-2 cloves
• avocado ½-1
• olive oil 1-2tbsp
• dash of salt and pepper
• spinach -handful
• basil- handful
• dash of cayenne pepper

puree and if you want to, warm up to 37-40 degree celsius, don't let it boil!

Bug Killer Tea:

Place fresh ginger and honey into semi-boiling water and let it brew. Keep drinking tea and plenty of water.

Blessings, Cathy

Cinnamon-Apple Snacks

This is pretty healthy and yummy, I should say. The kids love it and it really is healthy. It tastes like healthy apple pie.

Ingredients:

• 2 Apples, I prefer Fuji by far!
• 2 T Xylitol or  0.5tsp Stevia (koivusokeri tms.)
• 1tsp Cinnamon
• Lemon juice

Instructions: 

in a bowl or zip lock bag

1. peel and chop up the apples
2. drizzle a tblsp or two of lemon juice
3. sprinkle the cinnamon and "sugar"
4. mix
5. eat.
6. repeat :)