Homemade Toothpaste with Xylitol and Coconut Oil

For awhile I have been saying that I would make our homemade toothpaste. Honestly, I knew that I needed to make our own. Or to at least find a healthier option than regular toothpaste. However, I also wanted the toothpaste to work. I know it is silly of me, but I have always been proud of my teeth. My parents taught me to take care of my teeth. They got braces for me so that I would have a straight strong beautiful smile. I was worried that if I just switched to any homemade toothpaste recipe that it would not be good enough to help maintain the health of my and my family's' teeth and gums. I also wanted the recipe to not have anything in it that my children shouldn't use. So I took my time with some research, speaking with the Dentist, and other people who made homemade toothpaste to make sure that I would be very happy with our homemade toothpaste recipe. I am so glad I did all this, because I am very happy with our new toothpaste. Another plus is that it is so simple!

Spider Bite :/ (Graphic Images)

This past month we have had some new experiences with our children. One thing that I have never experienced is a Spider Bite. I check my children over at least once a day when I am bathing them, getting them dressed, or undressing them. I try to keep up with all the bumps, bruises, scratches, and so forth. I think this is a common thing among parents. One Saturday my oldest was running around in her diaper. I noticed she had what looked like a mosquito bump coming up on her side. I asked he if it bothered her. She said, "No Mommy." I love her little voice, I smile thinking about it....

Homemade Remedies For Diaper Rash

So, we are using store bought disposable diapers and wipes because we thought we were going to be living in a hotel for 3-6 weeks with no close laundry mat. This normally wouldn't be a problem, however (and I was so hoping this wouldn't happen) my girls can get diaper rashes in disposable diapers and especially when we are not using our cloth wipes with the homemade cloth wipe solution. :/ Not fun. This time my oldest did just fine, but my youngest was not so lucky. So, I thought I would share the Diaper Rash Remedies my family uses. The great thing about these remedies is that they are safe to use with your cloth diapers and disposable diapers!

Waiting On God

Last night I was praying. I have been noticing a reoccurring pattern as of late in our lives, waiting on God and not knowing the time of fruition. The pregnancy, the 5 days of labor, the last move and its moving date, the gall bladder attacks, Benj and his work contracts, not knowing when this contract is over or what day he will come home, where God is leading us and learning to live in each day. I was wondering if God was really trying to teach me something over and over again so I could really learn the lesson thoroughly, or if He was trying to teach me something and I just wasn't getting it.

Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Detergent & Rinse Aid

When I first started looking for a dishwasher detergent, I was looking for a liquid recipe. Also, I was looking for a recipe that had similar ingredients to what I already had in my home. I was so excited to find one!

Desiring My God

You know, life gets crazy and it gets hectic. I completely understand that we all have a ton to do. Not just with the daily life of going to work, cleaning the house, taking care of the kids, and paying bills. But also the big events that go on around us; like a death in the family, a birth, a move, a wedding, a new job, losing a job, and all those other life changing events that affect our lives. Our daily responsibilities are always there to face us each day. Those other big events that also come seem to affect us for more than just one day, but for a season. And who is to say how long that season will last? Something is always going on and has our attention, especially in our non-stop society.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies Made With Xylitol

I have recently changed eating habits to mainly a paleo/primal diet. I cheat a few times a week with gluten-free grains and oats. It has been going really well and I love the way I feel! Because I have been partially diary-free for the past six months and have eaten gluten free in the past this really wasn't a hard change for me. However, after a week of eating meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds only I was really wanting some sugar cookies. I really missed the sweet breads. So I start searching online to make some sugar cookies!

Non-Toxic Homemade Houshold Cleaners

With all the response from the blog 'Why Should I Change Household Cleaning & Hygiene Products?' I decided to share with you all the cleaners I use in my home rather than wait for next week. Thank you all for your response! I hope that you are excited about making your own non-toxic all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, furniture polish, and disinfectant cleaner. I will also share with you a few ways to keep your home smelling nice and clean with homemade deodorizers and mop water.

My Journey To Deliverance - Elisheva's Birth Story

I have been going in circles. I have sat down many times to write and share about one of the most amazing experiences of my life... I have thought over and over of where to start, how to start, what I should say and how I should say it. However, each time I go to actually put my thoughts and words down on paper…. They do not seem adequate and I know that I can not convey all that I have experienced. As I find out each day, I feel as if I continually learn and understand parts of this experience more as time goes on. Let me try to explain…

Why Should I Change My Household Cleaning and Hygiene Products?

Many people have posed this question to me. “Why should I change my household cleaning and hygiene products?’ This is a valid question and it has a valid answer. For me and my family, we chose to start making these changes because we felt like the Lord was directing us to do so. The more we change the products in our home or our lifestyle, the more we research and find out just why we are making these changes. There are so many toxic chemicals in our homes, in our communities, and in our country. We live in a toxic society. We live in a poisonous society. 

Homemade Hand Soap!

This week I am going to share how to make two different, easy, and affordable hand soaps. I would like say a BIG thank you to Shannon from Green Mommy Diapers for submitting the first request for a particular blog subject! I had a lot of fun making these soaps and it was super easy. So if you are wanting to make one of these recipes, know that anyone can do it. Not only can you use these soaps in your home, they also make great gifts!

Homemade Deoderant

We have slowly been changing different things in our home to more natural, cheaper, and toxic/chemical free items. Recently, I have been in search for a deodorant that would work well for my husband and I. With his sensitive skin I have to be careful that the end product won’t irritate him. So, I started an online search.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Galatians 6:1-6  “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵ For each one shall bear his own load. 

Exodus 20:3 ‘You shall not have any other gods besides Me.’

This past Sunday morning in Church during worship there was a song playing. In the chorus of the song the words ‘O Lord of all gods’ was a part of the lyrics. The Lord started speaking to me about this part of the song.

From mans view of God/Christ, as our Creator and Savior, we are pouring out our heart that He is BETTER than everything. He is Lord of all, He is King, He is above all idols and gods that we acknowledge in our lives, whether that be nature, money, sex, or something else. We are saying, God you are more important to me than those things, I place you first!!! You are first in my life, you are greater than these! It is a form of giving Him our first fruits and best, our ‘all’ as we would say, and placing Him first in our lives.

A Lesson in Obedience

This past week I had a faith crisis. The whole time I was remembering Gods vision and words to me of the week before. He told me last week that He would be there for me when I 'fell out of the boat' and I just needed to trust in Him. To call on Him when I needed Him and to have faith and keep my peace. Well, haha... it seemed I lost my cool all around. With my husband sick and daughter sick, then getting better, and then getting sick again, it all wore me down.

Pride is Dangerous!

So I have been learning how much God hates pride. And the funny thing is, is that it is SO clearly pointed out in scripture I have no idea why it has never hit me before. Why others do not speak of the death trap of pride. How it blinds you and how you idolize yourself above God, even if you didn’t know you were. I am understanding more and more each day why God hates pride. I want to find each piece within me and be rid of it!

The Secret Place

From the time that I was a child I had a secret place. I literally called it ‘my secret place’ and it was a place that I would escape to during hard times or when life became overwhelming. It was where I found peace and comfort. It was where I met Christ, even though I did not know who He was at that time. The Bible speaks of the Secret Place and I did not know my experience was a Biblical one. I knew it was a heart one that involved all of me; however I did not know that the scriptures spoke of the Secret Place.

Faith Blogs

Proverbs 16:1-3 To man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed

All the blogs that I write and share, particularly in the 'Faith' label, are things that God is showing me personally and that I want to share. This means that you may not agree with everything that I share. Also, it means that it might be a process.

Homemade Cloth Wipe Solutions!

This is actually one of my favorite things to share because it has done SO much for us. My daughter used to get rashes and irritations a lot. I talked to the doctors and nurses about them and they didn't really have any answers. They were not caused by anything that they knew of, they were just there. I had tried using Destin, A&D, Butt Paste and other diaper cremes, but it didn't make the rashes or irritations better or go away. Finally over time, they started getting worse when I would use a cream. So I switched to using olive oil. The olive oil would make the rashes and irritations go away, but then they would come back. One nurse mentioned to me about using cloth wipes and making my own Wipe Solution.

Homemade Disposable Wipes, Cloth Wipes, and Family Cloth!

As most of you know, we use cloth diapers. However, we didn't use cloth wipes. I remember friends asking us a lot after my little girl turned one why we had chose not to use Cloth Wipes. Personally, I thought it would be easier to stay with disposable wipes verses cloth wipes because I could just throw those away and it would be one less thing to clean. Also, I liked the fact that they were disposable and that it was one less thing that I had to do. I had figured with me teaching myself the whole cloth diapering, adding the cloth wipes on top of it might be too much. However, since I started using cloth wipes I found ALL of my predispositions were inaccurate. *smile*

Cloth Diapers?!

Yes! Cloth Diapers! *smile* When we found out we were pregnant with our first daughter we were just starting re-payment on school loans, we were both working, and enjoying life. Before we were married, we had discussed that when we had children I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom and wife. Praise God my husband agreed with me! *smile* So, that happened much sooner than we had planned since our first was a surprise *smile*, we knew that we needed to learn to live off one income and still pay off our debt. I never had a stigma against cloth diapering, so I started looking into it to help save on the cost of having a new baby.

Cooking healthier and on a budget?

This is an age old question that we all ask. How do I cook on a budget? Not to mention it being healthy? Well ladies and gents, i think there are lots of answers to this question. But my favorite answer is that we keep what we do in our home is very simple. Once A Month Mom (OAMM) has a complete website set up for monthly menu's for 6 different diets. Everything from a traditional menu, to whole foods, dairy/gluten free, vegan, and more.

Feminine Products: Menstraul Cup and Cloth Pads!

Now this topic might be a little messy for some of you, but it is one that I truly believe needs to be talked about and isn’t really messy at all; Feminine Products. These are a regular need for most women whether it be for our menstrual cycle or even if you just use a panty liner for your own personal reasons. We all use or have used some sort of feminine product in our life time to help us in our time of need. I would like to share with you about two alternatives to pads, panty liners, and tampons that are better for your health and better for our eco system.

Shaving Cream

Shaving Cream is one change that I wanted to make for several reasons. First, shaving creme is expensive. Especially with the kind my husband needed for his super sensitive skin. Also, there are several nasty chemicals that are harmful to the environment when it is made, not including the ones in the product that go onto your skin. 

A Paperless Kitchen

Several people asked me how we made our kitchen almost paperless. The main paper products we used in our kitchen before were paper towels, cleaning wipes, napkins, and paper plates.

Homemade Household Cleaners

We chose to make our own cleaners so that we would know exactly what products are in them and how they could affect our family. Most cleaners you buy are toxic and the chemicals get inside our bodies and are toxic to our bodies. I wanted to have the peace of mind that when my kids are playing on the floor or grabbing a sandwich straight of the counter that the chemicals from the cleaners we use would not harm them or be toxic to their little bodies.

Going Crunchy!

I am so excited to share with you our personal experiences of making better choices for our family. Some would say we are hippies or that we are going green. Instead of taking on an label in these areas I would be free to stay fluid and pliable. No labels and no restrictions. *smile* We chose to make these lifestyle changes to better our health, our finances, our time, experiences, and so much more.