Thankfully Different

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday rushing and running are over but it seems everywhere people just dash away, dash away, dash to the mall. Christmas and New Year are coming fast and everyone seems to be talking about decorating the house, getting the tree, mailing presents and gift cards, adorable advent calendars and driving to go see the best light displays. All of which is fine, but please, grab a cup of coffee or your eggnog, sit back and relax. Before we all rush head long into tomorrow's plans, I want to ask, how was your Thanksgiving? Did you gobble till you wobbled or drive white knuckled through a major snow storm to get back home?

Our family had a pretty radical last minute change of plans and I had to throw dinner together on the day, however like a lot of events in our lives, it turned out to be a gift I didn't expect but now really appreciate. Normally, around this time of year we stuff and truss our 2001 CR-V with pillows, blankets, luggage, Christmas gifts and emergency toilet paper and drive the 6-8 hours to Denver to visit our family and friends for the holiday. This year did not go as planned. I'd done all the laundry we'd need and packed all our bags. I had gas in the tank, a fresh oil change and even packed bottled waters and allergy safe snacks. We had planned to meet my husbands best friend, his wife and our God son for Asian fusion downtown on the 16th street mall (we never get out to eat) but we didn't make it past our driveway. My husband got sick.

The funny thing is, we would have driven hours to rush to meet our friends for dinner, then it turns out the home we were going to be visiting for the official turkey feast the next night ended up having 10 people, 4 dogs and a contentious football game playing on the TV (as I later found out from family who attended). We would have had one day spent trying to catch up with everyone while they shopped the Black Friday bargains, then it would be back on the road for 6-8 more hours and a marathon of getting unpacked, washed and ready for Monday morning. I can only imagine how all the noise, food smells, pets and excitement would have been for my son. People don't really understand sensory issues until they live with someone who deals with them day in and day out, and even then sometimes we get caught up in all the other things going on in our lives and you don't see when you are setting yourself up for exhaustion and failure.

Because we stayed home, we picked up a few of the items we wanted for dinner at the store. It was a little busier than usual but not bad. Since I didn't have time to thaw a bird we got pre-cooked ham steaks, rolls and cranberry sauce, Campbell's green bean casserole, sweet potato, homemade mash and a frozen pumpkin pie. I didn't try to change anything or impress anyone. My son and his Nana played quietly at the table with his little people while everything cooked. That night our little family sat down around our kitchen table with a simple dinner and I felt truly thankful and grateful. Grateful for the blessings of food, warmth, and family. Thankful that things had turned out differently than we planned. I hope I can remember that feeling through the coming Christmas season and I hope we can share it together, as a gift to one another.

Flick'n Aioli aka Eating Out with Autism

First, let me just start with some honesty, our family doesn't go out to eat much. I don't mean driving thru Burger King or eating at the park, I mean we almost never go out to a sit down restaurant as a family. If you have someone with Autism in your family you can probably relate. This is a big part of why I was so happy when my sister-in-law, her husband and our 3 nieces came to town during their vacation. When we are all together, we go out and do great stuff we'd never normally do. We visit National Monuments, Gardens and . . . (bum, bum, bum) Restaurants. Because I knew the whole family was coming and when they would arrived, we had planned to go out to a local place that while pricier than I would like, had a exciting menu and pretty good reviews on yelp and google. A lot of places can get a little busy and louder as the night went on, so I thought okay, If I'm careful and prepared I can cover all the bases and this will be awesome. I made sure my son had eaten a little before we left so he wouldn't have a meltdown over being hungry and I packed some organic chicken spread so we could spread that on toast just in case (my son has both sensory issues and a lot of allergies, he can and will only eat a limited menu) the menu might be too exciting for children. I packed fun, distracting toys not just for him but also his cousins and just in case the wait was longer than expected or we wanted to have dessert I even packed an emergency back up never before seen new toy.
You know the old saying, Those who fail to plan, plan to fail? Yeah, well the night was so disappointing that nothing could have had me prepared for :
Excited that the whole family is going out (even grandma) we all start out with a little light shopping and stroll downtown, then I drive back home to pick-up grandma who can't do the strolling so she would like us to come get her when its time to go to the restaurant, entering the restaurant the family all sits and wait for a table, (the room is starting to get loud) we finally, get a table and then have to wait again to order, (I pull out distraction #1 Lego kit) have to wait longer for drinks to arrive, (Lego have failed, no problem we go for a short walk) we return and I order plain white toast as I did pack emergency chicken spread in my bag, wait even longer for just plain white toast (room is really getting loud now, losing containment) try diversion #2 car sticker book I bought just for tonight (fail due to both hunger and loud noise) Finally, salads and toast arrives "thank heaven", but oh no it's not plain white toast, this is some sour dough artisinal confection covered in AIOLI !!!!
I DESPERATELY BEGIN TO TRY FLICKING OFF TOAST COVERED WITH AIOLI (my hungry son in full sensory overload won't touch it).
I take him home without eating anything. Comforting myself with a cup of coffee at home and feeding child in peace and quiet.

Painting . . . the floor

I often don't realize that my son is ALWAYS watching me. We had one of those wonderful "I see you" moments yesterday. Let me start out by saying I am not one of don't touch this, don't spill that kind of moms. Everything in our home is washable. If you can break it: we probably owned it, broke it, and then I had to throw it out. In fact I was given a few beautiful antiques when a great aunt passed away and I had to let them go as I constantly had to worry about little man knocking them over or trying to sit or climb on them. All those long spindly legs had to go. I think all white homes are beautiful, but realistically there is no way we could live there. I don't know if its a boy thing or just my little guy, but I would live in constant terror if I had a linen couch and white floors.

So after 10 years in our home you can imagine all the glow in the dark play putty, blueberry juice, and turmeric stains we had in our carpet. I say had because . . . I just kinda went for it. Maybe it was lack of sleep, or all the (its so simple even you can do this) Youtube videos or it could have been I just couldn't stand it. I pulled up all the tack strips and carpet foam and cut out my carpet in our dining area and started painting. Now I did not sand or patch or prime, I simply grabbed a 2" paint brush and gallon of Kilz Over Armour and began painting. That is when he saw me. I caught little man watching me paint our floor with a mixture of humor (I was painting a floor after all) and confusion (aren't we supposed to try not to get paint the floor ?) Here is how its looking. Wish me luck on the living room.

How do you explore ?

The more I explore my mysterious son the more I learn he has a whole world he wants to share with me. Both my husband and I are very verbal, whereas our son's primary language seems to be physical. His secondary language seems to be music and sound, and spoken English squeaks in somewhere around maybe 5th or 6th. So as the spoken word is not his primary language. I need to adjust how and what I teach in a way that supports the way he interacts with the world. So how does the rubber hit the road? This means we do NOT have a beautiful homeschooling room with a million YouTube views. We do NOT have vintage school desks to sit politely at, nor are there Ikea cubes stuffed with books and curriculum. This is not to say we don't share our bedtimes snuggled up with Beatrix Potter. But, Mr. Toad has never been as fun or engaging as a trip to the reptile garden to touch a toad.
 I don't have everything figured out yet
and I would love advice from the travelers
who have been down this path before.
The weather in South Dakota is finally
becoming nice enough to spend time outside
with our bicycle and going on walking
and hiking trails. I am looking forward
to enjoying all the sunshine and new things
that spring has to teach us both.

Rising to the Challenge

     As delicate shoots of green, tease from under icy white and matted brown winter, I think now is a good time to talk about new beginnings. I have come to understand the miracle of small things.

Sean has been doing ABA therapy for 7 months now and we have started to hear our first real words. From initial letter sounds like puh, buh, and oo we have moved on to "U-p", "E-tuh" and "Baw". My fathers heart soars every time he is called pa-pa and now there is a name for ga-ga. This has not been easy and my 10 year old still struggles hard for hours a day to reach what so many children gain effortlessly by their first 12 months.
     I have also come to realize that my approach to homeschooling was based on my strengths and the way I felt most comfortable teaching. I am a VERY verbal/visual person. I can't think of anything more fun than a day spent sharing coffee and scrapbooking. I am not even remotely mechanical or musical. Everything from cars to kitchen sinks are terrified of me, as I have zero engineering aptitude and heaven help you if you hear me singing, as I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

It would appear my child is as different from me as summer is from winter. Music is something he seems connected to and he may as well be built of puzzles, gears, cogs and wheels. If it can be built or better yet deconstructed he will find a way. It is not his Autism but who he is as a person that has me re-evaluating everything I thought I was going to do during our homeschooling and how we are going to go about exploring the world together.

F is for Fire Truck

     Letter F: our foray into homeschooling curriculum selection. Let's just start by saying there are several great options at just about every price level you could imagine. I loved the softer pace and natural tones of Waldorf, but the price tag left me gasping for air. I loved the child centered focus of Montessori but I don't have an extra room for all those materials and it was expensive too. Some of the Traditional Core Knowledge (both secular and religious) 1st Grade style kits were a little more affordable but we are not at one grade level for our Math, Writing, Science and Language. Not to mention we're doing ABA for 6 hours a day. So, in what is becoming typical fashion for us we, are doing something different.

     I am pulling together our own curriculum, loosely based around the  LOTW or "Letter of the Week" concept. Loosely because we're not doing one letter every week. We are going at our own pace and we aren't starting at the front of the alphabet, thanks to theories behind Kumon and Handwriting without Tears. We are starting with the Letter F. I'm including mostly free printable lessons taken from great blogs around the internet, some toys and crafts to supplement and keep our interest high and to round things out trips, adventures and theme snacks.

Autisee - Our Journey Begins

October 13, 2016 . . . The official date signed on our Application for Public School Exemption Certificate SDCL 13-27-3. It has taken us six years to come to this point. We have encountered great teachers and mediocre teachers, aides and therapists and classmates who have run the gamut from lost, confused and untrained to deeply motivated advocates of education, enlightenment and acceptance. 
Unlike many who choose alternative education, it is not because my son had any particularly bad experience or event during his public education. We don't have a religious or ethical issue with our district. What we face is the desire to overcome the challenges of a diagnosis of Autism with an opportunity to use curriculum and therapies that will lead to the best possible outcome for my son. The State of South Dakota has allowed me to home school and I can't wait for our journey to begin.

Tiggly Words and Learning App Review

As you may know our family has been spending a lot of time {the last 2 months} and money, traveling back and forth from South Dakota to Denver to meet with the closest Pediatric Immunologist available. Road tripping like that can not only eat up a lot of time you might have devoted to blogging and running your Etsy shop shop, it also creates a lot of down time for little guy in the back of our 2001 Honda CRV.
In the past I've given you my opinions on different Gluten Free food and snack items but this time, I thought you might like our take on an interactive toy and ipad application set. You know me, I ALWAYS start with the Good News. Now these are just my opinions. You are free and encouraged to make up your own mind.

Up for review Tiggly Words and the Tiggly Tales app:

*Lets start with design: The tiggly tales app is creative and the toy vowels are adorable! These pint sized learning toys have a rigid core and soft BPA free cover that make them easy to grip and hold.  Packed with a whole lot of learning potential; when your vowels are placed between correct consonants they create words that truly come alive. My little guy loved when we could watch h_n become a h e n and then, when you tap the hen it lays eggs . . . and when you tap the egg it reveals a sweet little chick. Just so cute I had to do it a few dozen times too.

*Lets talk value: The Tiggly Tales stand alone app available on Itunes only costs $2.99 and you can play it without ever buying the toys; but if you do decide to buy the toys, Tiggly.com is currently running a huge *BOGO*. You get to send a teacher his/her choice of a FREE set of toys (use the BUY1GIVE1 code AND you also get free shipping on your order). The order sent to my home arrived within days and the one sent to our teacher only took a few more. Oh and as if that weren't enough, did I mention the words toys come with a download code for three **FREE** apps. If you buy the Tiggly Words toys the Tiggly Submarine, Tiggly Doctor and Tiggly Tales apps download code are included for free ($8.79 value).

Now for the issues we had that I didn't love . . .

* First, I had already purchased the Tiggly Tales app prior to buying our toys. I'm fine having spent the $2.99 however, to make sure we liked and used the app enough to buy the toys (I think it was money well spent as a test run of the system) I don't usually get a try before you buy with many of his toys.

* Second, when you use the code for your free teacher gift on the Tiggly website you don't see anything letting you know you will be contacted by email to get all your teachers contact information (so the teacher can choose the toy set of their choice). I was a little worried I had done something wrong until Erica Jun the Manager of Education and Sales contacted me later that same day. She was also the person who contacted my teacher. My sons teacher and I, both got really excited to receive our toys in the mail and it was really fun sharing the excitement together.

Final Assessment :

Tiggly Tales and Tiggly Words are simple, intuitive teaching toys that my son LOVES using !!!

Autism Kombucha and Juicing (long post)

According to the latest statistics from the CDC the "Prevalence of autism in U.S. children increased by 119.4 percent from 2000 (1 in 150) to 2010 (1 in 68). (CDC, 2014)" Which lead the agency to conclude, "Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability. (CDC, 2008)"  Now here is a point I would like you to remember, these numbers are 5 years old and the rates of Autism have only continued to increase.

When we first spoke with traditional Pediatricians and Educators about my sons Autism they said the only treatments they could offer would be speech and occupational therapy and possibly pharmaceuticals like Risperidone and Aripiprazole or SSRI's if he began hurting himself or others. Basically I could drug my child into submission and begin years of rigorous training and if I get lucky he might learn to live in a state run home and not bother anybody too much. You can imagine what came to mind. I saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a child and I've never forgotten it.

What does this have to do with Kombucha ? Well, after I started seeing a Defeat Autism Now doctor (out of pocket) and read several books (out of pocket) and did lots of biomedical testing (yup, out of pocket again) I learned ...

1. My child should be eating as many Organic Fresh Fruits and Veggies as possible.
Easier said than done when your autism gives you sensory issues {won't touch fruits or veggies}. Juicing comes handy because nutrients are packed into every sip and you avoid texture issues.
If your interested in juicing here is a post I did on what machine I use (I don't get any $ from anyone for telling you this, its just the one I chose and why). Omega 8006

2. My child has yeast issues.
You need to avoid sugar and refined grains and gluten {did I mention we only want to eat crackers}.

3. We had serious bowel issues including both constipation and diarrhea.
Add as many different Probiotics including Kombucha, Water Kefir and fermented foods as you can.
So if you were like me, your now wondering how do you brew Kombucha and how much is that gonna cost?!? The answer is a lot cheaper than almost everything else I have done.

This recipe from wellnessmama is how I started making Kombucha and find it one of the easiest and best to use for beginning your kombucha brewing journey. 

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

A naturally carbonated fermented tea drink packed with enzymes, probiotics and beneficial acids. Make it at home for less than half the price of store bought.

Author: Wellness Mama

Serves: 16+

Ingredients

• gallon size glass jar (make sure its really clean!!)
• 1 gallon of brewed sweetened tea (ratio: 1 cup of sugar per gallon of tea) I use regular black tea, though I've heard of others using green or herbal teas
• a SCOBY and ½ cup of liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha
• My Kombucha Mothers on Etsy
• coffee filter or thin cloth and a rubber band

Instructions

1. Prepare the sweet tea. I use 1 family size tea bag or 8-10 small bags per gallon of water. Add 1 cup of regular sugar (organic preferably). Do not use honey!
2. Let tea cool to room temperature and make sure it is really cool! This step is very important as too hot of tea can kill your SCOBY.
3. Once tea is completely cool, pour into glass jar, leaving just over an inch of room at the top. Pour in ½ cup liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha or if starting from a dehydrated SCOBY, pour in ½ cup from a store-bought bottle of Kombucha.
4. With very clean hands, gently place the SCOBY at the top of the jar of tea. It should float, though if it doesn't just let it fall and don't stick your hands in the tea!
5. Cover the jar with the coffee filter or cloth and rubber band tightly (flies love this stuff!)
6. Put the jar in a warm (around 70-75 degrees is best) corner of the kitchen where it is at least a few feet away from any other fermenting products.
7. Let sit to ferment for around 7 days, though the length of time may vary depending on your temperature. You can test the Kombucha by placing a straw in the jar carefully (slide under the SCOBY) and sipping. It should taste tart but still very slightly sweet also.
8. At this point, Kombucha is ready for a second ferment. If you aren't doing the second ferment, just pour the kombucha into another jar or jars with airtight lids and seal until ready to drink.

As of right now my son and our family are still in the middle of a full tilt battle with severe non-verbal Autism. My son still has yet to speak his first word and he is now 8. He will be repeating the 2nd grade again and still does not yet use a communication device to have his needs met. However, we have tamed the bouts of constipation and diarrhea and are now fully potty trained. I hope getting his digestive health better will lead to better learning outcomes and the ability to focus more on achieving a way to communicate. We are trying as hard as we can and I hope sharing our struggle can be of help to others.

8 Great ways to use Juice Pulp

This may seem like a no brainer but if your child can't see their veggies, they can't pick them off the plate and not eat them. You get your child to eat well and they never even know it was good for them.



1. Soups and sauces
2. Baked into muffins and cupcakes
3. Mixed into eggs
4. Mixed into ground chicken or beef for meatloaf or burgers
5. Mixed in with ground pork for taco or enchilada filling
6. Veggie lasagna layers or meatballs and spaghetti
7. Mix into cream cheese or chip dip
8. Add to mayo as a sandwich spread
 
and finally if you want to give a little something back to your garden this makes excellent mulch.

Recycle your juiced veggies!

Summer and Mother Nature courtesy of my Local Farmers Market is cranking out the Fresh, Organic Produce in overdrive. Proverbs31Woman recently got me thinking about ways to make my produce last longer and avoiding food waste. I started considering all the fruits and veggies I buy, especially carrots, kale, apples, stone fruits and peppers (sorry that was a little drool on the keyboard). These goodies mostly go to support a new juicing habit I started with the encouragement and great recipes from a good friend of mine back in Mississippi and after seeing the documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". Turns out most children and adults in the US don't get enough fruits and veggies, and with my sons Autism based sensory challenges I have a VERY hard time getting him to eat these foods. So ... I decided we would invest in a juicer.


In case you have never juiced FYI : It is EXPENSIVE and time consuming . . . but it is worth it !

1. I had to hold a garage sale to afford our new juicer Omega 8006

2. It requires lots of fruit and veggies (4 carrots, 2 peaches, piece of ginger + 2 oranges = 8oz of juice)

3. It requires time to wash, cut and juice all those fruits and veggies.

4. You have a lot of left over skin, peels and pulp.

Now it was #4 on my list that got me thinking. I want to use as much of that expensive produce as possible ... so I gathered up some of my favorite recipes from my kitchen and around the web.

Check back soon for some of my favorite ways to make those leftovers really "a peel-ing ".

Kefir and Community

I've been making a lot of Water Kefir these days. I know your thinking okay...?! 
Water Kefir, how and why would you make Water Kefir? You've seen Commercial Milk based Kefir in the refrigerated section at the store and you know it's healthy but what are the benefits of the new Water Kefir stuff? Well I am by NO means an authority but here is a simple run down:

1. It's NOT milk based = that means Great probiotics without dairy.
2. It's simple = Water and Sugar plus minerals or fruit.
3. Great for your digestion = Kefir will jump start your healthy summer plans. 

There are wonderful quick tutorials available here Flavored Kefir in under 2 minutes and Kefir basics a little more in depth and I would encourage anyone with questions to check these out.

My personal recipe both pretty simple and a little different than both videos:

2 Tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
6 Tbsp Water Kefir Grains
1 Pint Filtered Water
1/16 tsp Organic Dulse leaf Granules

I use a Zero water pitcher to filter our tap water. Mix the sugar and water and warm in the microwave 15 to 20 seconds. I then add the Dulse to replace minerals removed by filtering and last add the Kefir. A little cloth or paper towel over the lid add your canning ring and allow to ferment for 2-3 days. Uuummm!

Important FYI :

DON'T USE METAL SPOONS OR STRAINERS ... Kefir Grains HATE Metal !
Water & Milk Kefir grains aren't the same ... Water Grains make Water Kefir !

Please feel free to contact me to share recipes or grains. 

Happy, Healthy, Bubbly Summer !

Bakery on Main Gluten Free Granola Product Review

You all know the saying "Do you want the Good News or the Bad News?" so you know when it comes to any review, especially one I am doing I am ALWAYS gonna start with the Good News. Again, just to be clear these are my opinions and you are free and encouraged to make up your own mind.

Up for review Bakery on Main Gluten Free Granola Extreme Fruit and Nut:

* Non GMO, Dairy & Casein Free, Wheat & Gluten Free and Low Sodium

* Made in the USA

* Minimal Packaging

* Holy Cow is this Stuff Tasty !!!

* The link to their site gives you a $1.50 off coupon when you sign up for their email

Now for the down side:

*Extreme Fruit and Nut seems pretty darn skimpy on the fruits and nuts

*Can't tell if the packaging is recyclable or not

*12 oz bag sells for $5.49 (a little steep) without the coupon
(or you can also buy the "Family Size" 22oz bag for $10.27 from Amazon)

*I have to sneak handfuls while driving home as my son and I fight over the bag,
  I just get one for me and one for him when I have it shipped straight to our home.

Final vote : (with coupon we will be buying this again) Yup its Good !

Target Gluten Free Product Review (Annie's Mac & Cheese Cups)

Okay, so you all know I live in Spearfish and the nearest Target is in Rapid City (tiny sad noise) but, this is probably a good thing or I would spend WAY TOO MUCH money every month. I happened to be cruising the aisles and came across some very interesting - new to me - Gluten Free products and spur of the moment thought "So how many new GF items are here?!"  Review :

Annie's Gluten Free Microwave Mac and Cheese Cups:

* Gluten Free Pasta and Real Cheese NOT GMOs and fake cheez powder like traditional Mac'n Cheez

* Looks just like all the other brands so we can blend in with the other kids at school

* Really is pretty quick to make 2 minutes 15 seconds plus cooling time

* 100% recycled packaging with a super cute bunny finger puppet, riddles and games printed inside.

Unfortunately:

*The rice noodles nuke up way too "smooshy" and trust me I followed direction to the letter

*Flavor is way too bland (even after adding sea salt texture & taste were just too off putting for my son)

*They do warn you but, the cup itself get way too hot to handle even after the cooling time

*Speaking of the cup it has a 6 on the bottom. FYI Plastic #6 – PS (Polystyrene)
Polystyrene is Styrofoam, which is notorious for being difficult to recycle, and thus, bad for the environment. This kind of plastic also poses a health risk, leaching potentially toxic chemicals, especially when heated. Most recycling programs won’t accept it. Plastic #6 is found in compact disc cases, egg cartons, meat trays, and disposable plates and cups. It is recycled into egg cartons, vents, foam packing, and insulation. I would never have expected Annie's to use this.

*The 2 cups run $3.00 on SALE so this is pricey option for lunch or a dinner side dish. 

To sum up, Annie keep trying you are (almost) there. For now we will Skip this item.

Free Easter Printables

Who doesn't LOVE Free Printables ? We are in the middle of yet another spring storm and the snow is coming down heavy outside my window. So I thought I would make it a little easier for everyone and organize all my favorite Easter Printables in one post. Break out your paper, ink cartridges and a good cup of tea, sit back and relax to the sound of your printer creating more Easter fun than you will know what to do with.

Kawaii Easter card & Egg holders
mrprintables egg hunt
Egg color printable mini book
Make Easter Egg Garlands
Jelly bean colors and matching
Enormous Easter Pack of Activities
Egg mazing
Easter egg coloring pages
Easter coloring place mat & more GREAT ideas
Woodland egg holders and printables

All Natural Easter

What better time to think about Easter than when the temperature is below 0 and you are expecting 12 inches of snow?

I know I will be using the All-Natural Easter Egg I make and I will pick up some organic eggs from my friends Trish and Jeremy at Cycle Farm. The little guy loves to ploosh the eggs into the colored baths and watch them change. We also found these fun little stands to make egg people that I put on my Pinterest and I will list ALL of my Favorite Free Printables in another post soon. I like to be able to look in one place for everything.



I know that we will pull our well loved and often re-used plastic easter eggs (I can't bear to throw them away and I don't know if they are recyclable) out of storage. I am considering having the little guy help me make a door wreath out of them this year. Probably something like this.

I am so excited that there are tons of great GF/CF candies available this year and can't wait to create a really awesome Easter basket. I already picked up a sticker create-a-face book with chicks and bunnies and bees from Target and I can't wait to try making GF/CF Surf Sweets Organic fruit juice jelly bean cupcakes.

Recycled Valentine Heart Crayons

January winters in South Dakota mean only one thing COLD GREY DAYS and time spent dreaming of spring.  Spring promises warmth and growth and wild flowers in all their colors, and of course Valentine's Day!  As bright green shoots and tiny daffodils begin popping up at the edge of my imagination I wonder what we'll do this year for my sons Valentine's Day cards and I come back to an idea.

I had been toying around with and an item you've probably found dozens of times on Pinterest (Recycled Heart Shaped Crayons).  I think one of the original posts for this craft includes a sweet little card printable and tutorial that can be found over at thelongthread.
So we decide to try melted crayon Valentine's this year and I can verify this craft experience was a HUGE hit, at least for my little guy. My son loved everything about this,

Step 1: peel the crayons
(loves peeling stickers so wrappers are almost the same thing)
Step 2: break the crayons into little bits
(need I say more)
Step 3: place all the little bits into the heart shapes in the mold
(just like the organizing exercises at school)
Step 4: Mom puts the mold in the oven at 250 for 15 minutes.

These were so fun we made tons of them.  My only problem is I HATE the fact that these are made with Chemicals and Petroleum (yep, your house will have that gross SMELL like crayons) but  lots of times when I get the urge to try something like this it reminds me why I make the choice to go natural with my products.
Hey we did have fun doing this and that is what he will remember.

Summer means Sidewalk Chalk

With the end of school and a break in the constant rain fresh in mind, I have been busy designing something I think we will really love and use this summer. . .

All Natural - Petroleum Free - Chemical Free - Nibble Safe - Plant Based - Sidewalk Chalk - Paint and Pendants  !!!

Now I know that if you love and regularly check Pinterest the way I do you have seen some Cheap DIY "sidewalk chalk" and "chalk paint" pins.

Here is what I have found :

1. Tempera Paint or Traditional Petroleum Based Food coloring + Plaster of Paris = Pinterest "Chalk"

2. Corn Starch + Water = Pinterest "Chalk Paint"

I guarantee that my Chalk does NOT contain : Tempera, Plaster of Paris or Petroleum Food Colors.

Did you know that according to the USDA website last updated in July 12 2012 with data obtained by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in the June Agricultural Survey for 2000 through 2012., 88% of the corn grown in the United States is GMO.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us
If you would like to find out more please look for yourself. The data I found summarized the adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant crops since their introduction in 1996. While the USDA does not collect this data. Estimates were produced by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and can be found in the report, Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2012.

Why I Only use All Natural Color & Essential Oils

 

We absorb up to 60%:

By Ananda Mahony

“We absorb up to 60% of what we apply to our skin” is an often cited factoid but is it actually true? Well I came across this research to show strong evidence that we do in fact absorb quite a bit of what is applied.
For example rates of skin absorption of contaminants in public drinking water were studied by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The study found that the skin absorbed an average of 64% of the total contaminant dosage. Underarm and gentilia absorb up to 100%:
In another study the face was found to be 2-6x more permeable than other body surfaces such as the torso. And, the underarms and genitalia to be even more permeable. In fact, the underarms and genitalia showed up to a 100% absorption estimate (Kasting, 2005).
The studies showed that absorption rate varies depending on the compound. Some examples include, caffeine, which is absorbed by the skin at 48% while DDT is absorbed at 10%.
Alarmingly fragrance ingredients, showed a 100% absorption rate (Robinson et al, 2000).
So there is basis to this information and in some cases, research implications are worrisome, particularly in regard to phthalates which are found in artificial fragrances.

In any case regardless of actual percentage rates, it makes sense to know the ingredients in products that touch our skin so we know what we are absorbing.  As I am sure you all know my bias, you will understand that I think the obvious choice is to immediately cut out artificial preservatives, fragrances and color compounds that are either suspected or confirmed to be harmful to us.

Natural Dye Adventures

This is a Great Blog my friend Trish from Cycle Farm spotted. If you have ever wondered about what chemical dyes do to the environment and all of us this mp3 is incredibly educational.
Natural Dye mp3
If you would like to find out more about this  Blog and the attention they are bringing to Artificial Dyes in our clothing go to.  http://www.fibershed.com/2011/09/14/1564/