Onions for the duck: a natural remedy #FAIL

Earlier today, my friend Rebecca pointed me toward an awesome natural remedy site, EarthClinic.com, where you can look up natural and folk remedies for all kinds of ailments and situations!

Right now, Little Sir is doing a lot of coughing. I had actually been able to keep them from getting sick using Thieves' Oil for a long time but it turned out that I wasn't diluting it enough and the topical application gave both kids diarrhea! Ack! So we have had to stop using it the last 5 days or so. As soon as we stopped using it, both kids got coughs. No other symptoms, really, but coughs at night and during naps. We're doing the usual humidifier, Vicks Vaporub on the feet and chest, and my trusty elderberry syrup. But I'm always open to new things!

I looked "cough" up on Earth Clinic and found the following recommendations.

Spray apple cider vinegar on pillow.
Did this on Little Sir's pillow before nap. As he was lying there before falling asleep, I did notice he coughed a lot less. However, after about an hour, the coughing came back. I'd probably try it again, since the falling-asleep time is critical. Unfortunately, this only works if the child will lie down on the pillow. Mine has to be forced to do this. I have to sit in the room with him and force him to lie down for 20-30 minutes before he will fall asleep.

Chopped onion - several ways to use.

#1 - Treated with sugar and set out for the juices to extract, then take the juice orally.
Trying this right now. You're supposed to set the onion out overnight. Mine's been out 3 hours and I already see the juice coming out. I'm going to try and give this to Little Sir right before bed.

#2 - Set a cut-up raw onion next to the bed
When Little Sir started coughing again, I cut up another onion and went in to set it by his bed. HE WOKE UP. Huge fail.

#3 - Eat raw onion
Well, he was awake by that point and pointing at the "apple" next to his humidifier. He was very concerned that the duck (humidifier) needed to eat this apple:

When I explained the "apple" was for him to eat, he found that laughable and refused.
So much for that one, too.

Did any of the remedies work?
Meh, maybe? I'll probably try the apple cider vinegar spray tonight, and I'm going to feed him some of that onion juice even though it's very similar to the natural cough syrup recipe I made in the past.

Probably the best approach was preventing illness altogether with Thieves' Oil. I know it kept me from getting sick as well. The effectiveness of Thieves' Oil can also be increased by using Peppermint Oil. If you are interested in ordering either, please see my Young Living online store or contact me directly at jenny [at] conscientiousconfusion [dot] com.

Local Richardson reflexology and aromatherapy

Today I'm excited to tell my local readers how you can support a small, local natural product business in Richardson, Texas! I was introduced to Tanya of Happy Feet, Healthy Body in Richardson through a mutual friend.

Tanya is an ITEC certified reflexologist. ITEC is an examination organization that based in Europe that ensures that therapist are taught with the highest quality and they are graded on their knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology, professional etiquette and Reflexology technique. Graduates with an ITEC Certification are qualified to work in over 30 countries. Tanya studied under Patricia McPherson from Derwen Holistic Therapies in Houston. The techniques and methods taught by Patricia are based on a "light touch", which is enjoyed by people of all ages and safe for babies, toddlers, etc.

What is reflexology?

Reflexology is stimulation through  massage of the hands and feet by gently nudging the body toward better function  applying a “light touch” pressure to specific areas.  This non-invasive process improves lymphatic drainage and venous circulation, muscle relaxation and stimulation to the nerve pathways.  Each foot has over 7,000 nerve endings.  When this specific massage is applied, energy is released, removing blockages and enabling the body to begin healing.  Each of these nerve endings correspond to organs and major systems in the body.  Here is a short list of health conditions known to be helped by reflexology: Chronic Pain, Migraines, Digestive Issues, Hormonal Imbalances, Fatigue, Sinus Issues, Allergies, Lymph Drainage, and Respiratory Issues.

As a complement to her practice, Tanya incorporates aromatherapy in treatment. This is where I came in. Tanya sent me a sample basket of a few of her homemade aromatherapy products.

A list of what I tried (now available on her online store as The Pamper Pack- scroll down this post for a discount offer!):

- glycerin soap

- hand sanitizer pen

- two sizes of antibacterial hand soap

- two kinds of sea salts for the bath
- lip balm

My fave: the hand sanitizer pen!
First, I love the convenience of something the size of a pen because I put hand sanitizer on my kids all day long!

Second, here are the ingredients:

aloe vera gel, isopropyl alcohol*, vegetable glycerin, grapefruit seed extract, peppermint essential oil.

I just love how it is all so understandable and natural! I asked in particular about the properties of the peppermint oil because, as you know, I am currently very interested in essential oils. 

From Tanya: 

Peppermint essential has natural anti-infectious, antibacterial, anti-fungal properties. This is one of the reasons that I chose that oil for the hand sanitizer. The other is I love it! It is an instant mood lifter for me and it smells clean and fresh.

I agree about the mood lifting! I have since learned exactly how powerful therapeutic-grade peppermint oil is.

Also, this alcohol-free hand sanitizer pen is only $3!!

*you can buy the hand sanitizer pen in alcohol-free or with alcohol. Mine had alcohol.

Tanya does use therapeutic grade essential oils in her products. More on the essential oils she uses:

The essential oils are therapeutic grade and are very powerful. Since they are not "fragrance", I must be careful to consider the effects of the amounts I place in my products. In the case of the Bath Salts, I was more conservative simply because it is used in the bath and comes in contact with some very sensitive areas of our bodies and not everyone's skin reacts the same. Since the bags you received were some of the first I produced (that is my newest product), I was more conservative. After reading your comments, the newer batches have been a little stronger.

Happy Feet, Healthy Body can be found in Richardson at Northwest Office Plaza 1750 N Collins Blvd Ste 106 Richardson, TX 75080. 


A special deal for Conscientious Confusion readers
Tanya has just opened her online store for aromatherapy products! She is celebrating by offering my readers a 15% discount!

Just go through the checkout process, and when you are viewing the shopping cart, click on the "Coupon/Promotion Code" section, enter:
 consconf0212
and receive a 15% discount!

The promotional coupon will expire on March 15th, 2012.  (the coupon cannot be used toward the reflexology gift certificate as it is already being offered at a discounted rate)

You can buy 5 hand sanitizer pens for less than $13!

Let me know if you do order from her, I hope to send her some business.

7 Quick Takes Friday #34

--- 1 ---

I actually went Goodwill shopping for the first time in years yesterday, and it was just as awesome as I remember it. I found a dress (which I might wear to a blogging conference... in August... if I go? hmmm...) and some shoes. If only I had more time! I am going to try to go again soon. I am inspired not only by my efforts to save money and rebuild my wardrobe, but also by Abbie of Five Days Five Ways. If you don't follow her, you should! She does amazing things with her Thrifted or Grifted series.

--- 2 ---

I'm super excited about a local business I'll be featuring on Sunday on this blog!! It will also be offering a discount especially for my readers. I can't wait to introduce you to it!

--- 3---

You might have noticed that I try and put my promotional posts or review posts on the weekends. I am hoping this will make them less intrusive but also that they might come at a time when you might have a moment to sit down and read them. If you're anything like me, you often read blog posts during the week in a sort of rush, and don't always have time to comment or take action. I feel like on weekends the number of blog posts is lower and I have more time to focus on the posts that come in. Is this true for you too? What do you think?

--- 4 ---

My son's favorite stuffed animal is a musk ox. It makes me very proud to have such a strange child. It was pretty much my goal in life to raise kids that do things like that.

--- 5 ---

This week's bento. I've been slacking on posting pictures, but lately I haven't been super inventive. I found candy eyeballs at Target!! So I'm having fun with those.

--- 6 ---

My poor little girl has such terrible coughing when she tries to sleep...but no coughing at all when she's awake! So far she's skipped all naps for the past 2 days. As you can imagine, this makes her super grumpy. The pediatricians' nurse thinks it is most likely croup but the only thing they can do for that is to offer breathing treatments if it gets to the point where she is gasping or turning blue. She's nowhere near that sick, she doesn't even cough when she's awake and upright at all. Still, the freaking not-sleeping is driving me crazy.

--- 7 ---

I love our pediatrician but she is kinda far away (central Dallas in Highland Park), and it seems like their office is getting increasingly busy so that it is longer and longer when they call me back to answer questions. Also, she's tolerant of natural remedies and definitely slow to prescribe things when they might not be needed, but she's definitely not holistic or anything. I never know if we should try to switch or what. Of course, we have terrible barely-anything insurance so I don't even know if it would cover another doctor or a holistic-type doctor at all. Anyone else have crappy, cheap, barely-covering insurance and go to a local holistic doctor?

~~~

Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

A fake meal: vegetarian meatloaf and mashed cauliflower

Last night I cooked "for real", meaning that I made more than one dish from scratch. I was able to do this partially during naptime and partially while Little Lady crawled and cruised around holding onto things downstairs.

What did I make? Totally "fake" food! Vegetarian meatloaf (not "real" meat) and mashed cauliflower (instead of mashed potatoes, of course!).

I think it turned out pretty well, although not much to look at (or I'm a terrible photographer...).



The vegetarian meatloaf recipe is from Pinterest:

Source: food.com via Jenny on Pinterest

The Smashed Cauliflower Recipe is from my favorite, Allrecipes.com.

I'd highly recommend this "fake" meal! The leftover meatloaf makes a yummy sandwich on a whole wheat hamburger bun with some cheddar cheese and pickle slices.

Making powdered sugar from regular sugar (organic)

Today I have a quick money-saving tip that also helps you stretch your dollar a little bit! I don't know about you, but I've noticed that organic powdered sugar is WAY more expensive than conventional powdered sugar. We don't use a ton of sugar in this house, since I actually do not bake very often, but when I make birthday cupcakes and I suddenly need powdered sugar, I always balk at the price of buying organic.

For our regular sugar, we buy 10-15 lb. bags of the organic sugar at Costco, and it's really cheap. My husband uses the organic sugar to make his sweet tea, so we always have it around.

This week for Little Lady's birthday, I had started my cupcake icing shortly before the party when it appeared I'd be short on powdered sugar again. I'd heard somewhere that you can grind up regular sugar to make powdered sugar, so I thought I'd give it a try using my coffee grinder. Here are the results!



It worked great! I pulsed the regular organic sugar in a coffee grinder for a minute or so, just until it looked the same as the powdered sugar I had from the store. I also sifted the powdered sugar into the bowl to make sure it was evenly cut.

I have seen other recipes on the internet saying you need to add cornstarch. This is very possibly true, so please be careful if you are making a more sensitive recipe (like souffle? fondant? I have no idea, I don't bake much). 

I just know that for me, this works as a cost-saving way to stay organic without spending more. The bonus is that you don't have two bags/containers in your pantry. And the other bonus is...



delicious {organic} cupcake icing!

My Young Living online store is open!

I've been talking a lot about essential oils lately on this blog, and I'm having a ton of fun learning about how they work! I'm being assisted in this journey by the knowledge base at Young Living, as I recently joined as distributor. As such, I can get wholesale pricing on things I'm currently obsessed with, such as Thieves' Oil (which boosts immunity to illness - no one in my house has been sick since we started using it, even in cold season!), the Thieves' Oil cleaning products (been using the household cleaner for years), the Peace and Calming oil (which I've been putting on my kids before bed each night), and the Purification blend (added a few drops to some filtered water in a metal spray bottle and BOOM, instant air freshener, much stronger than anything I've bought at the store and super cheap!).

If any of those or any of the other Young Living products are interesting to you, my online store is now open for business! You'll find the products I mentioned in bold above listed on the front page of the store. If you're local to the Dallas area and have some products you'd like to try, please let me know (jenny [at] conscientiousconfusion [dot] com or via Twitter) and I'll be happy to do local delivery. I'm doing an order on February 22, so let me know before then.

I'll be sharing more recipes and ways I'm using essential oils to be more healthy, more green, and to save money in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Bringing a baby to BlogHer

It's that time again -- the last days of Early Bird Pricing for BlogHer 2012. I'm hoping to attend as a volunteer, but I haven't heard yet. I know that a lot of my fellow bloggers and readers are trying to decide as well. If you are pregnant right now or have just had a baby, you might be wondering whether it's a good idea to bring your baby to the BlogHer conference in New York City in 2012. Last year I brought my 6 month old baby to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego. I traveled alone by plane from Dallas, Texas to San Diego, California with my baby and our luggage. I'm here to tell you about my experience and hopefully give you some things to consider if you are considering bringing your baby to BlogHer this year.

How was the flight and transfer to the hotel? 
It was a little brutal, I'm not going to lie. But when is traveling a baby ever as enjoyable as traveling alone? If you're flying, consider whether it would be worthwhile to bring a spouse, partner, or friend with you to the conference to help with the travel aspect of the trip. Even if you pack lightly for the trip, you might have as much as an entire extra piece of luggage just for swag on the way home. I also recommend bringing your baby's car seat on the plane so that you can attach the car seat to the taxi for the ride from the airport to the hotel. I brought our infant car seat and a lightweight stroller that attached to it.

Here's what it looked like in the airports: I wore the baby in my Ergo. I assembled the empty infant car seat into its attached stroller stand and used the empty stroller/car seat to hold my carry-on luggage. My main piece of luggage was a giant roller suitcase. So I was pushing the stroller and pulling my main luggage piece.

How did you feed the baby at the conference?
I was still breastfeeding, so I fed her anywhere and everywhere. I did use the Lactation Lounge at the conference space but I also just nursed right in the sessions without covering up. At one point, Little Lady got a bit rowdy and I had to remove her from a session. I sat on the floor outside the conference
room and nursed her. Everyone who walked by either encouraged us or didn't even bat an eye that I was sitting on the floor with my boob out.

If you are breastfeeding: you must be comfortable nursing in public. The Lactation Lounge is rarely
completely empty and you won't have time to go up to your room every 3 hours or so. If you are a person who needs to be completely alone in a room to nurse, bringing a baby to BlogHer might not be for you.

If you bottle feed: you might need to be prepared to defend your decision. Formula feeding isn't exactly embraced in this environment. Little Lady was only getting one small bottle of formula as a supplement to take her medicine at night, but I was too scared to ever whip out that evil powder anywhere but the safety of our hotel room. I leave this up to your discretion, but please know that I have warned you that you might experience some pushback for formula feeding.

A mic wrangler wearing a baby

Did you attend the parties?
 A few, but not many. I am a big nerd and I attend the conference to actually go to sessions and listen to the speakers. Many attendees go only to attend parties and socialize. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you are going to attend parties and socialize, you might have some challenges bringing your baby. Some of the parties are baby-friendly (I went to one sponsored by Eden's Fantasy in a hotel room that was a lot of fun and perfectly baby-friendly), but others are definitely not (i.e., very loud music and not much space). It might be difficult for you to tell ahead of time which you'll be able to attend. You don't want to be looking forward to a party only to realize last-minute that you'll have to cancel. That would also be a little unfair to the other attendees since most parties have long waitlists and other bloggers have been denied access due to size limitations.

I can almost assure you that the BlogHer-sponsored parties that occur right at the end of the conference day both days are baby-safe, and they don't go too late into the night because there are other parties starting after them. Plus, these end-of-day parties have free food! You'd almost definitely be safe going to those with your baby.

How did other attendees feel about the presence of a baby?
I cannot imagine a more baby-friendly conference than BlogHer. If your baby gets loud in a session, nobody even bats an eye. The only reason I left one of the sessions was because I was critical of the amount of noise I was making -- no one around me even cared. Several times when she got a little vocal during sessions, I had women who were complete strangers offer to take her and walk around the room. One time I actually did accept the offer, since my job was to be live-tweeting the session and the baby was causing issues for me doing my job. I exchanged several really sweet emails with the kind lady who helped me out after the conference ended.

The baby is also a great way to start conversations, since most bloggers have left children of their own at home or just enjoy seeing a cute, friendly baby. I was much more likely to start a conversation with strangers when I had my baby with me than I did the year before when I didn't.

Tips based on my personal experience:

Little Lady napping at BlogHer
with her sound machine giraffe

• Babies who aren't active yet are the best age. My baby was right under 6 months, which was probably the maximum age I would bring either of my children into sessions, because they have both been extremely active after 6 months and refuse to sit still unless they are asleep. I understand that most kids are OK sitting still at older ages, and every child is different. If you've got an active (moving/crawling/walking) baby or toddler, there is on-site childcare that might be worth looking into so that you can actually attend sessions without the distraction of chasing them around.
  


• If your baby sleeps while being worn, GREAT! That is probably the best scenario. I did wear my baby, but she has always hated being worn and won't sleep that way. There were a lot of other bloggers wearing their babies.


• If your baby sleeps best in the infant carrier (car seat), bring a stand for that and use that as your main stroller for the conference. That way, the baby can nap during sessions. The conference area should be handicap accessible, which also means "stroller friendly".


• If your baby loves sounds machines like both of mine have, bringing a portable sound machine is a great idea. I love the Cloud B giraffe (in the picture, right) that attaches to a stroller or car seat. It helped to soothe my baby to sleep in crowded conference areas.


• Realize you may miss some sessions or lunches or other events. Sometimes the little ones just get overwhelmed and need down time in the hotel room. I found it was better to give her some quiet down time rather than push through with a fussy, upset baby and a stressed mama. If you have a sponsor, make sure they know there is a possibility that you might miss a few things and make sure that they are OK with that.


• All the usual tips about flying with a baby: nursing during takeoff/landing, bringing plenty of toys for them. A personal plug for my own products: one of the ladies in my local green living discussion group suggested using Peace and Calming essential oil blend on the babies' feet helps them be more mellow on the plane. I don't know that for sure because I haven't tried it, but I do love that oil blend. I use it on my son at night (he's 2 years old & has trouble calming down for sleep). I would also recommend Lavendar as an alternative.


• Accept help, if you are comfortable doing so. When someone offers to hold the baby while you eat a meal, or help soothe in a session, let them! Of course, this depends on the age of the child and whether you are concerned about germs, etc. My baby was 6 months old, so I wasn't too worried but there were also a few babies less than a month old, which is obviously a different story.


• Have fun! Don't worry about how cute the baby looks or whether the baby is behaving. Make sure he/she is happy and comfortable, and then enjoy the time together!

Overall, I had a great experience. I must add that it was also extremely exhausting. I am really looking forward to BlogHer 2012, if I do indeed get to attend, because I will not have either of my children with me and I won't be pregnant (as I was in 2010). I'm looking forward to having a few drinks and going to more parties this year. If you're going, let me know! Let's meet up!

Have you attended a conference with your baby? Do you have any tips to add?

Essential Oils: why are they so expensive?

A field of Young Living melissa plants.
Melissa is the most expensive essential oil sold by Young Living.
I have no idea what it does. I hope it's not something I ever need! Gah!

 If you have ever considered using essential oils for your health, for your home, or for aromatherapy, you might have a little bit of sticker shock. I know I did. I was accustomed to buying tea tree oil at our local natural foods store at something like $10 for a small bottle. Before I was pregnant with my son, I was investigating the dangers of phthalates that are used in all chemical perfumes. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors, which is obviously especially risky for pregnancy and in infancy. Instead of using traditional perfumes on my body, I decided to add essential oils to unscented lotions from Whole Foods. One of the scents I particularly liked was Amber, but unfortunately a small bottle cost around $30, so I went with some of the less expensive oils such as orange, lemon, and gardenia. More recently, I heard that chamomile oil might be good for calming my son. When I went to Sprouts to buy some, I found it was $36 for 15 ml.

Now that I've joined Young Living and have access to their library of knowledge, I am starting to understand why essential oils can be so pricey, and why they are worth what they cost.

First, we have to consider how much plant matter it takes to produce true, pure essential oil.

Have you ever twisted a lemon or orange peel? The beads that pop up on the surface of the fruit's skin are the essential oils of that fruit. Now consider the leaves of tiny plants like Thyme or Lavender. How much oil can be produced by the leaves or flowers of those tiny plants? From the book Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley:

"Producing the purest of oils can be very costly because it may require several hundred pounds, or even several thousand pounds, of plant material to extract 1 pound of pure essential oil. For example, 1 pound of pure Melissa oil sells for $9,000-$15,000. Although this sounds quite expensive, one must realize that 3 tons of plant material are required to produce that single pounds of oil"

Then why are we able to buy much cheaper essential oils at stores like Walmart or Whole Foods?

The oils I've been buying at local food stores and cheaper prices probably are not therapeutic grade and are also pre-diluted with other carrier oils such as jojoba oil or almond oil.

"High pressure, high temperatures, rapid processing, and the use of chemical solvents are often employed during the distillation process so that a greater quantity of oil can be produced at a faster rate. These oils may smell just as good and cost much less, but they will lack most, if not all, of the chemical constituents necessary to produce the expected therapeutic results"

Why use therapeutic grade oils?

As I read more about essential oils, it does seem like the term "therapeutic grade" can be used loosely by a lot of different manufacturers to mean a lot of different things (like the label "natural" that's put on food).

My common-sense take on the label is: take a look at why you want to use the oils. If you want to use oils just to smell good, who cares if it's therapeutic grade? I think oils from Walmart or Whole Foods would be just fine for those uses.

But if you are using the oils internally (as in, you will ingest them), or as a compress, or for inhalation, or if you are using the oils to try and treat a specific health condition -- I think in those cases you probably want to make sure you are getting something that is therapeutic grade. And, in the case of ingestion, you'll need to make sure you're getting food-grade oil as well (obviously).

Why are the oils I buy at some stores diluted?

It sounds shady, but it can be practical. Even very pure, therapeutic grade oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil to keep their potency from burning the skin or other areas to which they might be applied (such as the tongue in the case of ingestion).

What's important to know is whether the oil you are using has already been diluted or not. If it's been diluted, for heaven's sake, don't go diluting it more! But if it's pure, you will need to seek instruction from the manufacturer on how much it should be diluted before use.

Of course, you can probably tell somewhat from the price, the brand, and where you are buying it whether the oil you're considering is therapeutic grade and whether it might have been diluted.

One more note on cost

As I've been starting to use my pure, therapeutic grade oils I've noticed that they are indeed MUCH more potent than any of the oils I had previously purchased. I could definitely see how they could have health benefits when used correctly. Also, I can see that it takes only a few drops of these oils, regardless of application method, to yield the benefits. So while I might be paying more, I have to use much less, and the purity makes the results much more effective.

To me, it seems like you get what you pay for, and that researching the purity of oils before purchasing is an important cost-saving measure.

I'm enjoying learning more about oils, please let me know what you think. Did you find this post helpful?

UPDATE: Food On The Table Meal Planning - FREE for life!

 

I have been loving my Food On The Table meal planning system lately, especially the iPhone app! So far out of 5 recipes, only one wasn't fabulous and that was my fault because I messed it up (doh). 2 of the 5 even had my husband saying I should make them again sometime - very rare!

I have great news for those of you who have not signed up yet - during the month of February you can get the unlimited recipes plan FREE for LIFE! As in, you get the Premium Plan with unlimited recipes and you don't have to pay, ever!

Here's how: you have to use this link to sign up and use the code "FEBFREE" when prompted.

A note from Food On The Table: Since it's a promo code, you may still get encouraged to upgrade, but you don't have to because you used the promo code.

So, just be aware of that.

I am so jealous of all of you who are signing up for the first time! Since this offer is only available to NEW users, I actually can't use it myself. Bummer.

Don't forget to pass this on to your friends!

Bentos: Daddy-made & Valentine's

Last week I was feeling sick, so Christian volunteered to make Little Sir's bento for Mother's Day Out. He did a great job (better than I do sometimes!):



To see all the details in the notes, be sure to click on the picture and you can hover over each item. The roll is a roll of sticky rice (Little Sir LOVES sticky rice!) wrapped in nori (LOVES nori!). Sort of like a sushi roll without the sushi! You can't see very well, but under the star shaped cheese is a fruit strip with a heart cutout, and under the fruit strip is pineapple chunks. He also gets a cookie with Daddy. Mommy never includes cookies!

I made the bento again this week, and tried to incorporate a Valentine's theme since they'll be having their Valentine's party today. It doesn't have as much food as usual since their party will include lots of food.



It includes raisins, mangoes, heart-shaped cornbread, pickles, and freeze-dried peas. For some reason, both kids are currently obsessed with freeze-dried peas! Too bad they are so expensive. But I'm glad they're eating peas nevertheless!

Writing prompt: Something students these days should know.

I do not know any students. All the children that I know are under 5 years old. Most of them cannot actually speak understandably yet. Kind of like teenagers, I guess.

What do kids in high school and junior high even do or think these days? I have no idea but let me guess.

They think about love interests. They think about their own clothing and other peoples' clothing. They learn things but they also learn how to socialize around learning things. The things they learn aren't usually academic. They have packs and cliques and there are social strata which will shift around but ultimately solidify in the next 10-15 years.

Do you think I am right? Or was that just my own experience?

Quitting "no poo"

photo by takot on Flickr

 I haven't washed my hair since Christmas, and it's the beginning of February. Most of January was actually pretty good, with my routine of Aveda oil/tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar rinse. Baking soda a few times a week.

But now. My hair is consistently greasy and limp, no volume at all. At the same time, it's frizzy and mostly composed of flyaways. The hair itself doesn't feel dry, but my scalp issues (for which I've used medicated shampoos most of my life) have come back with a vengance, and much worse. Several times, I've had small sores or scabs on my scalp - GROSS! In addition, it takes more than twice as long to blow dry my hair. I rarely ever get it completely dry because I do not have 20 minutes to spend with my hair dryer while 2 kids wait for breakfast.

When I read about "no poo", the successful users say their hair immediately got much softer and easier to manage, or that their natural curl came out and started to look amazing. Most report not having to use hair products at all anymore. I was really hoping for this.

The tenet of "no poo" is that your scalp will regulate itself without assistance from chemicals. This is probably true for most peoples' scalps. It seems that mine might be an unusual case. I don't know what the situation with the sores on my scalp is, but apparently it can't regulate itself.

So, after 41 days of "no poo", I went back to good ol' Head And Shoulders original formula. It used to get acceptable scores on the EWG database, until suddenly one day they changed their rating. After one use of shampoo, my hair instantly got smoother, my scalp calmed down (still waiting for the sores to heal), and I was able to dry it in much less time.

I think my conclusion is similar to Calley's, over at The Eco Chic - "no poo" is not for me, but it has taught me that I can probably go longer without shampooing than I thought I could. And, like Calley, I'll also be on the lookout for a good scalp treatment shampoo. I'll keep you posted!

See all previous "no poo" posts

Fave baby/toddler item: Beaba BabyCook

There is one item that I have used pretty much nonstop since my son was around 6 months old: my Beaba BabyCook. I still use it regularly even now that my daughter (my youngest) is almost a year old. The Beaba has been around for a while, and now there are several lower-cost alternatives made by other brands such as Baby Brezza, the Baby Bullet, and The First Years BabyPro. Those could be just as good, I've just never tried them.

At first you might think these doo-hickeys are expensive. It's true that they're not cheap. And theoretically, yes, you could steam and puree baby food with just your regular pots and pans. That would be cheaper. But the beauty of one of these baby food systems is that you don't have to use 5 different pots and pans! There is just one receptacle to clean for the steaming and the pureeing.

Since my sink is constantly full of baby bottles and sippy cups waiting to be washed, I don't have room for a giant steamer, a strainer, and all the pieces of a food processor. With the Beaba, I only have one thing to wash. WORTH IT.

Do keep in mind that, in contrast to using a full-size steamer, a strainer, and a food processor, these enclosed systems often offer the ability to catch the steamed water and use it to add back into the food during the puree process, which ensures that you don't lose the foods' natural vitamins and minerals.

When it comes to pureeing, I have also noticed a difference between my Cuisinart food processor and the Beaba. For some reason, a regular food processor does not seem to puree as finely as the Beaba does. In fact, for some recipes that call for pureeing, I have actually used my Beaba instead of my regular food processor.

Once your baby grows out of the puree stage, the Beaba still remains useful. Both my kids got to the point at around 9-10 months old where they refused purees and would only eat finger foods. Also, they didn't have any teeth to speak of. At that point, I just popped various fruits and veggies into the Beaba basket to steam and cut into bite-size chunks. Apples, pears, sweet potatoes, squash... anything that we had around the house went into the Beaba and was ready to serve in about 20 minutes.

Quick tip: if you're steaming fruits or veggies last-minute for a hungry baby because you just realized there is no food for them in the house otherwise (not that I have ever done this...), you can take a small amount of tiny bit-size pieces right out of the steamer basket and pop them into the freezer for 5 minutes. Instantly cool enough to eat!

As the kids get older and pickier about foods, I am now using the Beaba to steam and puree veggies to hide inside other foods. Yes, I know I said I would never do that. But you can hide a ton of foods inside mac n' cheese. And don't forget my lentil carrot spice muffins (for which I also used the Beaba).

So, despite both my kids slowly approaching toddlerhood, I am still loving on my Beaba. I highly recommend it!

Related posts: Greening your Baby - Best postpartum products

NOTE: Links are affiliate links, but I was not paid or given any product for this review. Noooo, I paid for that Beaba myself even though it was NOT cheap. I think it was worth every penny!

Check me out on CottonBabies' blog!

Unfortunately, I have acquired some kind of awesome stomach bug that comes with a fever and constantly feeling like I'm going to yarf but never actually yarfing. It's almost exactly like being pregnant! Except I can assure you that I am not. The toddler and the almost-1-year-old that beat me on the head all day yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" when I laid down have reminded me how thankful I am that is not the case right now.

In lieu of writing anything new here, I wanted to formally announce that I'll be writing occasionally for CottonBabies' blog over the next year or so! I am super excited about this! Today my first post was published: For The Love of Pockets. If you aren't familiar with CottonBabies, they are the creators of BumGenius cloth diapers, which comprise the majority of my stash. I order from their online store regularly for things like flushable liners and most recently, a Flip potty training pant for Little Sir.

I am only one of numerous contributors to this blog, and the topics are pretty precise. It's kind of first-come, first-serve whether you get to attempt to write on a topic or not, so I can't guarantee when or how often I'll be able to write in the future. But I hope I can! I am a big fan of the company and the direction they'll be going with this blog, so be sure to subscribe.

And, if you're one of those natural remedy gurus - any suggestions on getting rid of the stomach bug ASAP?!