Vitamin fruit snacks!

I recently saw a video on making fruit gummy snacks. I figured my daughter would LOVE these, but they aren't the healthiest thing out there. Not by a long shot. So, I doctored them a little. How? Why, adding vitamins, of course! I grabbed everything needed for the fruit snacks, some vitamins suitable for her age, and got to work. You CAN overdose on certain vitamins and minerals, but if you don't add the entire bottle for a 1 year old, you should be fine. Just use common sense and don't give them all of the fruit snacks at once. I added 12 to a single batch. I just mixed the flavors because once its all ground up and dissolved, the flavor would be hidden.


Things you will need:
-8-12 chew-able vitamins
-1/2 cup COLD water
-1/4 cup corn syrup
-1 box flavored gelatin-your child's favorite
-2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

First, grind the vitamins to a fine powder. I used a mortar and pestle, but you could easily use a coffee or spice grinder. Just make sure there are no chunks!

Next, mix the corn syrup and cold water. Make sure the corn syrup is 100% dissolved. Add the flavored and unflavored gelatin. MIX WELL. This part takes a bit of work, but make sure there are NO clumps. Mix in vitamin powder.

Place in a pot on LOW heat until mix is heated through. It does not need to boil, but should have a little steam. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Skim the cruddy foam off the top with a spoon. Its super easy after letting the top solidify. Then, poor it into a pan or mold and let it harden! You could easily do fun shapes, we just couldn't find any small ones at the last second. So, I poured my mix in a loaf pan and let it cool that way. Once cool, pull out of the pan. If you didn't use a mold, you will need to cut these down to bite size pieces. Its rather easy, so don't be put off by it.

Just gather a cutting board, SHARP knife, some sort of grease (I used spray, but anything would work), and your slab of gummy!

The gummy peeled out of mine SO easily! I just pulled the slab out and slapped it onto the cutting board. Grease your knife and cut away! Super easy!

Now, my runt can have all the fruit snacks she wants.....because I'll know I am sneaking her vitamins in!

My first success!

As a kid, I loved picking plants and mashing them up into my "experiments". I loved to "cook" with seeds and leaves that I found. Recently, I've become intrigued with the adult version of the same thing- foraging. I always grew up going asparagus hunting with my grandma. She taught me a few obvious plants. Since she passed, my sisters and I spent every mother's day looking for a few plants to eat. Just as grandma always had. On this last trip, we found a couple morels, a bunch of asparagus and a TON of wild onions. I started to do a little digging. I found a few groups on social media that helped me identify plants in my yard. I looked for ways to use those plants and found a couple of them were used in tea to help symptoms of Grave's. I recently found a great doctor that has been helping me, but it is always good to have a back up! So, I picked a few violets (to help with insomnia), prickly lettuce (for insomnia and anxiety), mint (for stomach problems), and even found A TON of catnip for my kitty. Worst case, none of it works and I got my yard weeded. Best case, I got free medicine! In my super tiny yard (I can walk the entire thing in about 45 seconds) I was pulling in buckets and buckets of useful plants. Because my little yard produced so much, I wondered what else I could find in my neighborhood (in the public areas). With the help of social media, I identified a HUGE patch of garlic mustard. I did some research and found that they are a massive pest. People can't seem to get rid of the stuff. It was originally brought to the Americas for its culinary uses. This boggles my mind. Something was brought here because it was prized for its flavor. Now, its a common weed. What changed? Why did people stop using it? Why are people killing it when it used to be cultivated and sold as crop? I'm not saying let it choke out your garden by any means. I'd definitely rather have some gorgeous green beans and bell peppers. What I AM saying is: You're pulling it anyways. Why not utilize it? Well, I decided I was going to give it a shot. Which brought me to my first successful food made from plants I found.

Garlic Mustard

While looking for an identification, someone mentioned Garlic Mustard Pesto. I LOVE pesto. I could probably live off of that and bread. It is by far the most amazing food (okay, slight exaggeration). I try to eat it in everything. Why not switch it up and try Garlic Mustard pesto? What did I have to lose? A bit of olive oil and some cheese? I have it all in my house anyways on any given day (except today because I used the last of it for this). Plus, it is amazingly easy and super nutritious.

Before giving you the recipe, I do have to say, DOUBLE CHECK YOUR IDENTIFICATION!!!! I know Garlic Mustard is relatively easy for identification purposes, but do it anyways. Better safe than sick!

Now, onto the good stuff.

Ingredients:

-3 cups garlic mustard leaves

-3/4 cup walnut

-3 cloves garlic

-3/4 cup olive oil

-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, place leaves, walnut, and garlic cloves. Pulse "chop" button. Add about half of the olive oil and continue to pulse until thoroughly chopped. Mix in Parmesan and you're done!

You can put it in an ice cube tray and freeze or freeze in a jar to preserve it as well. That way, you have GOOD pesto all year long! YUMMMM!!! 

DIY Laundry crystals

This one is super easy. DIY crystals to make your laundry smell amazing! It's a cleaner version of the chemically loaded store bought version. Plus, you can customize the scent and there are endless combinations! In this batch, I just used eucalyptus because it was a cheap bottle my husband could grab on the way home. The store we bought it from didn't have a huge selection of scents I want on my clothes, but I will be ordering some soon to make a bunch of different ones! No need to use your good, therapeutic, and expensive oils for this either. Just find something cheap. Because this is only for scent, quality of oil isn't a huge issue. You don't want bottom of the barrel, but it doesn't have to be great either. Which will also save you money!

What you need:
-Epsom salt
-essential oil(s)
-container

You want to use between 10 and 15 drops of oil per cup of Epsom salt. I used 13 and this gave a strong, but not overpowering scent. The problem I have with store bought crystals is that they can be way too strong. So, add what you like. It will still smell fairly strong, but this will be diluted in the wash.

I added 2 drops of washable dye per 3 cups of salts. This is only to make it fun for my daughter and to make sure the oils are distributed evenly. This is NOT a necessary step. However, as I get more scents, I will continue to do this so I can have a few different options that are easily distinguished from one another.

Once the salt is thoroughly mixed with the oil, just place it in a container for storage and you're good to go! I used an old bottle from the store bought version because it's super convenient and the lid came off easily. Way easier than running to the store and much cheaper! The store bought version is around $5. For the equal amount (which varies by essential oil costs) comes out to roughly $1.10! Because I'm super cheap, this makes me super happy!

Due to the fact that it is also in my detergent, I only add 1/8 of a cup. Otherwise, add 1/4 for a large load.

Dishwasher tabs

Another favorite of mine is dishwasher tabs. When dishes are being unloaded/loaded, putting away dishes that go in low cabinets, loading her dishes, and putting in the detergent are jobs that belong to my daughter. She LOVES these jobs. She yells at me if I do them without her or do them while she is napping. Sometimes, its a pain to deal with her getting distracted every two seconds, but she tries her hardest to help. I can't complain about that. Because powder and liquid can be messy in the hands of an 18 month old, I started making these tabs. Now, I hand her two and she puts on in each compartment. It is so easy and makes her feel like she is doing grown up stuff.

What you need:
-1 container lemi-shine or 12 oz citric acid- I prefer lemi-shine because its cheaper than the equivalent amount of citric acid and does a better job in my opinion.
-1 1/2 cups washing soda
-3/4 cup baking soda
-3/4 cup kosher salt- to soften water. Use less if you have soft water.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. This often hardens even in an airtight container. So, to avoid ending up with one huge block, make it all into tabs the same night. Using a tablespoon, scoop one level spoonful into an ice cube tray or silicone mold (this makes a lot, so using a few ice cube trays is best). This CAN solidify on its own, but I feel like it takes FOREVER. Depending on humidity levels, it can take well over a week.... So, spritz it with some water. DO NOT mix it with water prior to putting it in the molds. The water reacts with the citric acid and it becomes useless if it all reacts. Allow it to sit for 12 hours. Tabs should easily pull away from tray sides. If it does not, spritz with a little more water and let dry.

Almost 70 tabs in 10 minutes!

Once they easily pull away from sides, they are ready to be removed and used! Once removed, place in an airtight container for use! If a few crumble when taking them out, this is completely normal. Just throw the powder in your jar and add it to the next batch you make. It isn't likely to harden in your container as it has already been exposed to water and has formed its own little clumps.

We have a small vase full sitting on our counter with the majority sealed and kept hidden in the cabinet away from eager toddler fingers.

DIY Laundry detergent or tabs

I have been on a huge DIY kick lately. As some of my posts have let on, I'm in love with DIY cleaners. Mostly because I'm super cheap (I HATE spending unnecessary money). I have been dying to do my own laundry detergent, but had stockpiled a few months ago and waited to run out. I'm allergic to almost every detergent, so I was super happy to try this! Its SO cheap (like me) and my daughter LOVES the tabs. You could leave it as a powder, but the tabs don't take much more work and I like the convenience of them.

This is a SMALL fraction of the batch I made. I filled a one gallon jug and this jar with tabs! Definitely worth it!

What you need:
- 5.5 oz grated soap- My husband goes on many trips for work so we have a huge stockpile of hotel soaps. I used these and they worked great. If you're buying some, buy Fels Naptha. I've seen posts saying you can microwave it and crumble it. I tried this and the heat from the bar cracked my pyrex bowl :( So, try at your own risk!
- 3 cups borax
-2 cups washing soda
- 4 1/2 cups oxygen bleach
- 2 cups washing crystals- home made or store bought. I will be posting a recipe for those soon because I'm cheap!

Mix everything together! Keep in an airtight container and use 1-2 tablespoons per load! For tabs, mix a small amount of water with a small amount of detergent powder (it can dry out while forming tabs and you want some dry in case you add too much water). Once its a wet sand consistency, it is ready to mold! There are a few options for this. I use a cookie scoop and scoop it onto wax paper. I also make some with a tablespoon for the mold. I use the larger ones for super loads and the tablespoon size for the smaller loads. You can also scoop one tablespoon into an ice cube tray. Then, throw in 2 for large loads and 1 for smaller loads. Let sit for 24 hours before storing in an airtight container. Super easy! Plus, they smell amazing and they are hypoallergenic!

72 hours of chronic illness

A few months ago, I was "officially" diagnosed with Grave's Disease. I have suffered from it for many years, but wasn't able to get a diagnosis until I started  having problems with my eyes. For many years, I've had many issues and have been tested for hyperthyroidism numerous times from the time I hit puberty. It was recently discovered I suffered my 2 miscarriages due to untreated graves. My doctor is amazed my daughter is alive and well. I'm not even sure how many blood tests I've had done. My mother has Grave's as well so we've always "known" I've had it, I just never had a confirmation. I've had many many symptoms through the years and was repeatedly tested for everything from my thyroid to lupus. I was told it was depression. I was told my rash was psoriasis. I've been given more than one wrong diagnosis.

October of last year, I noticed that I was having severe anxiety issues. I would be laying down to sleep and suddenly hear my daughter's crib creak. It creaks when she moves or when someone moves her. I would lay there convinced that someone was stealing my daughter. Somehow, someone unlocked the deadbolt, opened the door, walked down the hall, and was taking my daughter. All without my dogs or myself hearing them (which isn't going to happen). My favorite (sarcasm) was when I was convinced that someone was going to break the deadbolt. I would run into my daughter's room to protect her. There, they would make me watch as they shot her. Then, they let me live. These weren't delusions, but scenarios my mind would make up and worry about. I lay there every night telling myself it wouldn't happen. It was in my head. No one was going to break in. As I would try to convince myself that she was fine, a little part of my brain would chime in letting me know that IF she were kidnapped and I didn't go check on her, I wouldn't know it until the next morning. Then, we would have almost no chance of finding her. So, every night, I was getting out of bed every 10-15 minutes to make sure my daughter wasn't taken by a kidnapper my mind made up. I spent more than one night sleeping on her floor.

Next, the insomnia set in. I laid in bed for hours. I would wake up exhausted, drag through the day exhausted, lay down in bed exhausted, and sleep would elude me for hours. I could only manage 4-5 hours a night. Soon after, I noticed my eye. I looked in the mirror one day and noticed that one of my eyes was larger than the other. I freaked. I called my mom and my husband trying to figure out what to do. Did I have a brain tumor? Is that what the anxiety was? Was I going crazy? My mother told me to look at Graves Disease and there it was. Within 3 weeks, I had more symptoms than I could count that all hit me at once. I couldn't do it anymore. So, I made an appointment with a doctor to get tested.

Two weeks later, I sat in an office where she told me "the anxiety is easy to handle. I want to run a ct for your eye. I'm not sure what is wrong." I practically begged her to test me for graves. After the CT, she told me that is most likely my issue. The optometrist she had me see the same day said it was grave's as well. Then, the blood tests confirmed it. I had Grave's. Honestly, I'd never been so happy to have a diagnosis. I had always known, deep down, that I had issues with my thyroid. Finally, I could start treatment.....at least I thought.

I have another blood test coming up in the next couple of weeks and I'm sure it will say the same thing. "Normal" thyroid hormone levels. The problem with this is they will not administer radioactive iodine or a surgery until my levels are high. Which means I still suffer when the paper says I'm "normal".

What is living with Grave's Disease like? First, its not the same for everyone. Mine is different from my mother's. Hers is different from anyone else I know. It is never the same. Second, it is different than hyperthyroidism (which usually has the sufferer back to a medication free life in 5 years according to my thyroidologist) and is different from hypothyroidism. Grave's is an auto-immune disease. Even when I get treatment, I will most likely always need to keep tweaking and re-tweaking my medication. I will always be poked and prodded for blood test and exams. I will never be done. Yes, I will live a better life after treatment, but my odds of being free are slim to none. So, one thing to know, Grave's disease will always be a part of my life. If you love me, you have to love it. The ugly beast isn't going anywhere anytime soon and can rear its ugly head at anytime.

Moving on to the real reason I'm writing this. I want someone, anyone that is healthy, to change their view of people living with chronic illness. Some people say they're lazy. Some people say they're using it as an excuse. Some say they're going to be fine. Some give medical advice. Really, all they need is support. Because living in a broken body is pure hell. They can't be fixed. They'll never be better. More problems will most likely arise. It isnt as simple as taking an organ out and they'll be better. Their body is waging a war against an enemy it knows all too well- itself. So, to give you a reason to change your mind or start caring, I will tell you what I live with.

 
A few days ago, I had an episode of "graves rage". I flew off the handle over something small. Sure, most people do this, but not to such an extreme. I became infuriated with my husband over a Facebook post. So infuriated that I went into the bathroom, blasted some music, and chopped off my hair. I wanted a divorce and a new look. I don't regret it because I did a good job (and we aren't getting a divorce). However, I did it out of rage. Pure hatred of the man I love. I adore him, but in that moment, I would have done anything to never see him again. For no reason other than a Facebook post. 

Thursday night, I took my sedatives and drifted calmly to sleep. There was nothing remarkable about that night. Nothing that would tell me what I was in for the next day. Friday, I woke up running to the bathroom. My heart was racing, my body full of adrenaline, and I was on the bathroom floor puking. I felt like I'd just been in a terrible car accident or been shot at. My adrenaline was so high I was actually vomiting. My heart rate was over 150 and signified I had just finished a great work out. None of this happened. All I did was wake up. I was shaking. I couldn't stop the trembling in my hands, my arms, my entire body. Once my body stopped pushing everything up, it decided I needed to run a marathon. Well, I can't do that, but I felt like I needed to. I felt like I'd mixed redbull, monster, and coffee into a huge 64 ounce mug and downed it all in 10 minutes. If I stopped moving, my body would quickly flood with adrenaline and I'd be in the bathroom throwing up- and it was only 10 a.m. I felt like to stop moving would mean to stop breathing. I was still shaking. Violently so. What was happening to me? I was so wrapped up in trying to find things to do, that I didn't know I'd forgotten to eat (which happens rather often), take my medication, or breathe. Suddenly, I'm starving. Recently, I've been able to put my husband to shame. I eat about 4 full meals a day (big meals) and snack constantly. I've eaten a weeks worth of groceries in less than 2 days. Alone. I'm so hungry. Why am I so hungry? I eat everything in sight. I can't stop. I feel like I haven't eaten in days, but I just ate half an hour ago. We need food. I need food. I need to eat. I'm starving. By 3 p.m. I crashed and I crashed hard. It isn't quite like a caffeine crash, but that's the best thing I can ascribe it to. I couldn't move. My body was done. I felt like I'd run a marathon that required me to take a test at the same time. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I had just crossed the finish line without knowing it and my body was collapsing beneath me. My brain had done so long before. Around 6 p.m. the adrenaline had come back. I was willing to do anything and everything. I felt like I'd taken speed. I jumped in the hot shower hoping it would relax me. Yet, I'm not safe anywhere from the constant reminders. It started slowly, but I knew instantly. The bath was filling with water. I checked to make sure the drain was open and it was. So, why was it filling? My hair. It falls out in handfuls. My brush is covered. I find it everywhere. It wraps itself in clothes, around my daughter, finds its way into food, creates piles when I sweep, covers my pillow every night, and clogs drains. The worst part is that my husband had cleaned the drain a week ago. Already, my hair has backed it up. As I stood there wondering why I am not yet bald. I felt an all too familiar sting. My knees. I had to get out of the water soon. It dries out my rash. A rash that is a lovely bright red and patchy. Oh, and itchy. Oh so itchy. I'd take sandpaper to my arms and legs every single day if I could. Nothing helps. My doctor told me it was nice that I have hope it will end one day. I took that to mean it would be around for years. How did I get in the shower? I can't remember. I don't remember turning the water on. Did my husband start it for me? No. He's watching our daughter. How did I get here? When? That night, I took my sedatives hoping for a small reprieve from my own body. I wanted to drift into a drugged sleep and forget that I'd lost control over my day. 

Saturday, I woke up without pain. I'd hoped that was a good sign. I went into the bathroom and brushed my hair. Just like every other morning, it was falling out in handfuls. Tangled in my brush, falling to the floor, clinging to my clothes. I'm told its called glass hair. How accurate is that? I touch my hair and it breaks. I look at it and it drops off of my head. I look in the mirror and see a ghost looking back at me. I'm so tired. I notice that my eye is a little more swollen than usual. I notice that I look like a freak. One eye sticking out farther than the other. No way to hide it. A bundle of muscle in the back has become inflamed and  there is no longer room for my eye in the socket. So, it is being pushed forward. I no longer have 20/20 vision in that eye. In fact, I can't legally drive because my eyesight is so poor in that eye. I see that I'm starting to gain weight. This is progress. After years of gaining and losing 40+  pounds in the matter of 6 months continuously, I am finally maintaining a healthy weight. I finally look healthy in that regard. Its nice to not hear remarks about needing to eat more or exercise more. I can finally fill out a pair of jeans without looking like my skeleton. I can put on a pair of jeans and not wonder how much more weight I will gain before the cycle ends. For  once, I look human. I walked to the couch suddenly engulfed in pain. My knees feel like there are shards of glass in them. For some reason my hips are the same. I fall to the couch all too happy to not get up. The migraine was back. Right behind my eye a sharp and dull pain that radiates down my neck and into my shoulder. My eye is resisting being pushed forward. I'm glad its putting up a fight, but the pain is unbearable. That evening my husband came home from a day of fishing. He heated up his dinner and sat down to eat. Then, he did it. Ever so lightly, he scraped his fork across his teeth. I couldn't handle it. I asked him to stop. He said he would. Yet, I could still hear it. His fork grinding, his teeth chewing, him moving food in the bowl. He wasn't particularly loud, but it was getting on my nerves. I needed to get out. So, I sat outside when it was 9 degrees just to avoid the rage building in my body. I couldn't be in there while he ate. That night, I had a few drinks and couldn't take my sedatives. However, I drifted off to sleep within half an hour. Which is pretty remarkable. 

Sunday, I woke up and laid there. Not because I didn't want to see my kid, but because I couldn't get up. The pain made it impossible to move. My knees. The glass was back. For an hour I sat there slowly trying to bend and straighten them a little farther each time. An entire hour of my day wasted just trying to get out of bed. I finally sit up and see the TV. Only, there are two of them. There is two of everything. They're blurry and out of focus, but there are two. The pressure on my eye is worse. Once I'd made it out of bed and to the bathroom to once again lose more hair, I collapsed on the couch. I was so tired. I am so tired. I can't focus. Did someone say something? Who put this show on? What show is it? Why am I on the couch? How did I get out here? Did I walk? How? When? I am so tired. I just need sleep. Once again, it is gone. Just outside of my grasp. Taunting me. Why? I try to play with my daughter, but it isn't working. My body doesn't have any energy. How many hours did I sleep? Why does it feel like I only slept for two? I can't move. Its too difficult. My brain can't focus long enough to complete a motion. Even if it could, my body doesn't have the strength to listen. Eventually, I have to get up and make lunch. I fly off the handle with my husband because he didn't pick up lunch for the day because I didn't put it on the grocery list. Its his fault. Right? Why didn't he know we needed lunch? I send a snarky text to let him know how mad I am. I put my daughter down for a nap and my sister asks me to help her sew. I can't move. I can't think. Please just leave me alone for a few more minutes. Maybe then I will feel better. Thankfully, my friend steps in and explains the next few steps to her. I finally find the energy to get up and finish the last few stitches on my current project. Then, I'm exhausted once again. I've run a marathon just walking across my living room. My body is leading a revolt. It needs rest. On the car ride to take my sister home, I struggle to keep my eyes open. I struggle to stay warm. Its so cold. How could the car be eighty degrees? Its so cold. I'm shivering. Not just my arms. My entire body is shivering and I can feel it in my chest. After arriving back home, I can hardly get out of the car. I just want to go to bed. Yet, I need a shower. In the shower, I have the same reminder as always. The rising water, the sting on my knees, and the water being so cold despite being cranked all the way to hot. I dry off and drag myself to the living room. My heart starts beating differently. I can feel the change. I no longer need to take my pulse to know it is quickly climbing. It is also skipping. Is this it? Is this when it happens? The heart failure my doctor is so concerned about due to years of no treatment. Will it happen now? I need to get the rhythm back to normal. I use a trick my mom taught me and it works. My pulse is still climbing, but I have a steady beat. This is good. Now, I sit here. 2 hours later. Wide awake. I took my sedatives and my body laughs. They have no effect tonight. My pulse is high, my hands are shaking, and adrenaline courses through me. I'm so cold. I sit here  curled  up in a long sleeve shirt, pants, sweatshirt, 2 blankets, and the heat on 70. I'm still so cold. The house is freezing. Everything is cold. My husband is sound asleep next to me and part of me envies him. I wish I could do that. Just for a few weeks. Sleep on my own. Real sleep. How amazing would that be? 

This is only the last 72 hours. However, this doesn't end when I am "over it". It won't last a few weeks. These 72 hours will occur, in part, for the rest of my life. The worst part is, these were what I would consider good days. The entire time I'm enduring this, I have a little toddler running around getting into everything. I have to keep up with her. I have to clean up after her. I have to do everything a normal parent does while my body fights with itself. So, be a little nicer to that mom that looks like a wreck. Her body may be attacking her. 

Tomorrow is a new day and I have no idea what I will be faced with. Will I wake up puking? Will my joints be full of broken glass? Will my heart be racing? Will I be so tired I struggle to get through the day? Will I have enough energy to load the dishwasher? Will I have so much energy I start a project I will soon be too burned out to finish? I have the constant nagging that I don't know if I will be able to move tomorrow. I can never make solid plans because I don't know what my body has in store for the next few hours. Let alone the next few days. I never know if I will need my husband to come home from work just to take care of our daughter while I'm on the bathroom floor. I never know if my next blood test will give me the answers I need. I never know when I will stop taking medication (although it doesn't seem to be anytime soon as my current heart medication has enough refills for a year). I never know if my daughter is suffering because I'm suffering. Does she notice that I can't move? Does she notice that I'm sick? Am I just lazy to her? Am I a bad mother for not playing with her every day? What does the next year hold? What happens if my thyroid storms when we are home alone? Will I notice it before its too late? Will I be able to keep her calm while I am freaking out? Will she be okay with paramedics in the house? Will she be okay with one of them touching her to put her in the ambulance? Who will watch her while I am in the hospital? Every single day I am faced with a million possibilities of how I will feel. I can't wake up and decide it's going to be a good day. I can't tell myself "its only the flu. It will be gone in a few days" because it won't. I have to live knowing that every day is up to a body I have no control over. A broken one that I can't fix and no longer know. I can't wake up and have a cup of coffee to perk me up. Hell, I can't even have seafood for dinner anymore. So, the next time you see someone that is chronically ill, stop to think that maybe every single day is a battle for them. Every day is a new day of new symptoms that will ruin them. Every day is a huge unknown and they're just waiting for the pain to end. They're waiting for the guessing to end. They want to fall asleep at night, knowing what their body will be like in the morning.

Diy face scrub

So, I ran out of my favorite face scrub and started using a body scrub instead. It worked really well, but due to some of the ingredients, was really abrasive on my skin. After lots of epic fails and lots of research, I found something truly amazing. I've always had a problem with big pores and breakouts along my jaw. This stuff? Reduces swelling and redness, moisturizes, reduces pores AND moisturizes. I know, amazing, right? Plus, I had everything laying around!
You need:
-a small container (I used one from one of my husband's many business trips to hotels)
-1 tbsp. Baking soda
-1 tbsp. Sugar
-1 tbsp. Olive oil (give or take)
-1 tbsp. Aloe
-1/8 tsp. Activated charcoal *you can find this in capsule form at most drug stores or buy a big bag of powder that will last forever off of Amazon for dirt cheap

Mix the first 3 ingredients until a thick paste forms. Then, add the rest! So easy and so worth it!

A new type of living

So, it's been about 5 months of being a stay at home mom. It's crazy and hectic, but I FINALLY have the time to do things I've always wanted to do. The biggest one is saving money by being creative! Currently, I'm upcycling a few torn towels, making my daughter and I dresses, making our own cleaners, and so much more. It's just become this new way of life for me. Then, it hit me. Why am I not sharing all of these amazing recipes (and the bad ones) with others? Because I'm a forgetful stay at home mom. That's why. Plus, we are currently potty training. Though the rough part seems to be over, I spent the better part of the last week wiping up little puddles all over. Thankfulky, we have wood floors!
It's definitely been an adjustment from working 40 hours a week to staying home. I'm not saying I don't work at home (there is plenty of everything to be done), but it's also strange to have time to fill. For a while, nap times were terrible for me. Then, my graves disease set in and suddenly nap times were my safe time. I took a nap along with runt and then enjoyed the rest of the day. Once we got it under control, I was once again looking for a way to fill my time without spending money. In November, a nice older lady gave me a sewing machine. I didn't even know there were two bobbins in a sewing machine..... yet, here I am 3 months later making dresses. Oddly, that sewing machine set me off. I'm done shopping for "the perfect" whatever. The perfect dishwasher detergent.  The perfect floor cleaner. The perfect dress. Only to have most of them disappoint me in the end. Now, we've adopted a (sort of) minimalist lifestyle. Granted, I still have my things I won't get rid of, but I also have things I didn't mind sacrificing. In the end, I found the sacrifice was worth it. I sacrificed commercial cleaners and found recipes that blow them out of the water. I sacrificed new clothes for thrift shop refashions. And you know what? I couldn't ever picture going back to the way things were. It's convenient to buy things, but it's so much more amazing to DO things.