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Showing posts from June, 2014

Bentonite Clay to the Rescue Again!

My husband and sons went camping over the last weekend. They usually go camping every summer, but this time they went  backpacking. This is when you load up your backpack with everything you need and hike in to a lake to camp and fish.  When they got home late Sunday night, they were all completely wiped out. They had hiked for many miles at over 13,000 feet altitude.  We live at 6,000 so it was twice what we're used to. I sent them with a small first aid kit that contained Vinegar of the four thieves (bug bite prevention). My husband and 17 yo used it and got nary a bite. But my 15 yo forgot to use it and got about a dozen mosquito bites. When he woke up the next morning, I made a paste of distilled water and bentonite clay and applied some to every bite and covered with bandaids. I discovered this trick last week when I woke up with a couple of little spider bites on my leg. I remembered reading how using bentonite clay paste would instantly take the itch and pain away, so I

Teaching My Own Kids How To Swim

When my children were younger, we were planning a vacation where we'd be swimming in the ocean, so we joined the YMCA and signed them up for swimming lessons. We arrived for the first lesson and met the instructor. She was a girl of 18 or so and did not smile much. She impressed me as anxious and annoyed but I figured it was just first class jitters. Her "class" of several children sat at the pool's edge with their feet dangling in the water. There were far too many children for one person to effectively teach them all in the time frame given. I soon understood why so many parents had their children in swimming classes for years, when I knew it didn't have to take that long. I learned how to swim in just one summer. We had an in-ground pool in our backyard when I was a kid and some of my happiest memories are diving into the crystal blue waters each hot summer morning. Bliss! My dad made sure we all learned how to swim when we moved into that house and taught

Kick Your Depression

A lot of folks are on pharmaceutical drugs for one thing or another these days. And many more than we probably realize are on anti-depressants.  The problem with these drugs is that they really do more harm than good. Some even have suicidal thoughts listed as side affects! Taking pharma drugs is like taking the batteries out of a fire alarm that keeps ringing. Treats the symptom but not the cause. The thinking here is that at least you'll be nice and relaxed as your house burns down. Get your hormones balanced Depression is a byproduct of stress but it's also linked to nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances. Both of these are correctable with some pretty basic vitamin, mineral and herbal supplementations.  Taking herbs is not the same as taking medicine because herbs are a food. Granted some herbs can come mixed with something or made into a store bought herbal medicine.  But if you buy the herb in bulk, loose teas, powders or capsules, it is usually just the pla

While We're Waiting

Waiting can be so hard. You'd think since it's non-strenuous and inactive that it is would be relatively easy, but it's a challenge to wait. God wants us to use our waiting time wisely. In The Count of Monte Christo, the main character did just that. He used the years he was in prison to learn everything he could from an old man. When his freedom finally came, he was well prepared. Sometimes it is many years before we see the thing we are waiting for. Or like Abraham, we may never see what we are waiting for, this side of heaven. Isn't it interesting to observe how different people spend their time while they're waiting at Doctor's offices? Some just sit and stare or hope to find a magazine to read and tv to watch. And then there are the people who actually come prepared for the wait. They bring their own book, or some knitting, a briefcase, etc. There are times in all of our lives when we must wait on God. We want God to move or do something soon but i

Respect - Square One for a Man

If someone were to ask your husband if his wife respects him, how do you think he'd answer? If you're not utterly sure that his answer would be "absolutely", then you've got your work cut out for you. God created women to need love and He created men to need respect. He doesn't authorize us as wives to nag, instruct, advise or correct our husbands. You're not your man's mother, mentor or Holy Spirit. You are his wife . And if you're a woman professing godliness and you aren't consistently, daily treating your husband with the respect he needs (regardless of whether he deserves it) it's sin. Actually, it's blasphemy. Titus 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Did you notice that 7 out of the 8 actions are actually  state of being verbs?  We have

New Creature

There are a lot of labels in our culture today, many of them are legitimate. But are labels more of a help or a hindrance? Sometimes I think it can make us feel justified.  Suddenly a struggle with paying attention isn't a personal shortcoming that we can overcome, it's A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) A compulsion with germs and repetition isn't a bad habit born from unstable thinking, it's O.C.D. (Obsessive, Compulsive Disorder). Some people even label alcoholism as a disease.  Of course it's not a disease, it is simply a sin. And sin is not a disease either. Drunkenness is a choice and it crosses the conscience. And it's born from lust (wanting something). Lust in itself is not sinful. Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee:the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the har

Clearing the Clutter

We're having a garage/yard sale today and hoping to get rid of lots of stuff we don't need anymore. It is a LOT of work to gather, categorize, price and display so much stuff. It's also difficult to part with some things that you wish you could keep but simply don't have room for. There's a whole box of stuff I kept back for selling on Amazon and a few baby books that I thought I'd tuck away into the kids' baby boxes. I think whatever is left over from the sale we'll offer for free to friends before heading to the Good Will donation center. It's been forecasted to thunderstorm this afternoon and all I can think about is having enough tarps to run and cover anything that is exposed on the driveway or yard.  It's been hailing all week here as big as nickels.  In some areas the hail was baseball sized and broke all the windshields on the cars in a new car lot! Our weekend is looking to be nice and cozy though. I enjoy spending it with my famil

Family Friendly Viewing

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When it comes to entertainment for our kids, there are a plethora of choices. I'd say that most American's lives revolve around some form of entertainment.  It's a difficult era we're living in with a strong undertow. But I don't want entertainment to take up any more room in our lives than it has to. Interestingly, the word "entertain(ed)" is found only twice in the Bible - and it's in the same verse. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  - Hebrews 13:2   Young children are very absorbent learners, particularly through imagery. Perhaps due to their limits of language, their visual sense is heightened? It would follow that media - movies and television mostly - are tremendously influential.  When mine were under 5 years old, my goal was to minimize TV and movies as much as humanly possible.  As my kids have grown, my husband and I have constantly reviewed and adapted our viewing choices and

Get Rid of Heavy Metals in Your Body

Most people in western civilizations have accumulated heavy metals in their bodies and actually need to detox them on a regular basis. Symptoms of heavy metal toxicity include: Headache Impaired cognitive, motor, language skills Fatigue Digestive distress, and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats Aching joints Depression Impaired blood sugar regulation Female reproductive problems such s menstrual difficulties, infertility, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature birth One very effective way to detoxify the body of heavy metals is to use Bentonite clay. For more great information on this amazing clay, read  here  and  here . According to empoweredsustenance.com, " This clay comes in different varieties depending upon which elements are most concentrated in it, potassium, sodium, calcium, and aluminum, but the two most commercially available types are sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite. " Internally

Maleficent - Harmless or Harmful?

In 1959, Disney released the animated fairy tale SLEEPING BEAUTY. The villain of the story was Maleficent.  Recently,  Disney released a sort of updated version of this tale and gave it a PG MPAA rating. They herald it as a movie the whole family can enjoy. But in truth, this movie should be gravely concerning to parents. Mainly because the line between villain and hero are markedly blurred in this film. Which doesn’t negate a problem for discerning adults who can make internal judgments from a wide base of experience, knowledge and understanding. But children are not able to discern nearly as well.  For children, if they perceive that the “hero” is both good and bad, the movie has now taught them something altogether different than what their parents are teaching them. And with the flair, drama, wit and emotion the movie provides, they cannot help but be influenced negatively on a much deeper level.  Fathers are repeatedly portrayed as villains in the film sending subliminal ind

Alternatives to Ibuprofin

My son was scheduled to get braces on his teeth last week and after doing a little research, I was dismayed to learn that there were health risks. It never occurred to me that there could be something to be concerned aboutbecause they are so "common". The metals in orthodontic appliances is a major concern, but there were other dangers, too. The clock was ticking and I soon wanted to back out of the whole thing.  So, the night before the orthodontic appointment, I called a family meeting and proceeded to read aloud everything I'd recently discovered about the risks from having braces. Root resorption, metal poisoning, toxic shock, tooth loss, gum diseases, decay and even death. My husband and sons listened with mounting sobriety as I read for a good 15 minutes. I hoped that they would agree that the braces weren't worth the risks involved.  Even though my son's braces have been deemed medically necessary (due to a birth defect) I hoped he would see that his te