Natural Way To Clean Silver

Today I received silverware that has been passed down from my husband's family. It is beautiful silver but it needed a good polishing. Since I have not previously owned silver, I didn't have any tarnish remover, which got me to start thinking about what I needed to buy. The more I thought about it I knew I didn't feel comfortable using a tarnish remover because of the chemicals it would contain, so I started searching online for a natural way to clean silver. I found out that you can clean silver and remove the tarnish by using tin foil, baking soda and salt. I saw this formula recommended a couple of times on different sites (plus I already had everything I needed) so I gave this "recipe" a try. I placed a piece of tin foil down on the bottom of a skillet, filled it with a few inches of water, added a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of baking soda and brought it to a boil. Once the mixture came to a boil, I added the silverware and let it boil for about 4 minutes. Then I just rinsed and dried the silverware. It came out great and was a lot less smelly then I remember those tarnish removers being. I also read that if you place a piece of white chalk in the drawer or box where your silverware is stored it will keep it from tarnishing. This was so easy and I felt much more at ease cleaning it this way then using some chemical on something we would be eating off of.

Join me in participating in the "One Day Without Shoes" event

Have you heard of TOMS shoes? If not check them out at www.toms.com. They are a company that donates a pair of new shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.
Join me and tons of others in particpating in their special annual event, "One Day Without Shoes" where we will go without shoes to bring awareness of children around the world growing up barefoot and the impact a pair of shoes can have. The event is not until April 5, 2011 but sign up now at www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

Raw Meat Diet for Our Dog

We have a black lab who has been sick since we got her. Up until now, she had always smelled and had sores all over her. Our dog, Midnight, was allergic to every kind of food we tried. We tried every commercial dog food there is plus vitamins, fish oil and apple cider vinegar. She would never improve and was in constant agony.

Well, about two weeks ago, we started her on a raw meat diet and I am happy to say, she is doing a hundred times better. She doesn't stink or have sores. She has so much more energy and wants to play. Midnight seems like a totally different dog.

We are still learning about this way of feeding since it is still new to us, but I know we made the right decision. We are thrilled that she is doing so much better and we can actually play with her. Plus, we can pet her now without being grossed out by her horrible odor!

New Additions to Our Homeschool Lessons

I have been doing some reading and have decided on some things that I would like to incorporate into our homeschooling. I feel these are some simple ideas that can be included into our summer program and carried on through the regular school year.
The first thing that I have decided on is for each child to keep a Bible verse log. They will be assigned certain verses to read and then will write them in their logs. We will be starting with Proverbs.
The next thing I decided on is to make poetry a part of each day. We will start with some shorter poems. We are going to read one poem a week and then go over it and talk about it.
The last thing that I have decided on is to add dictation every day to our homeschool lessons. We have included this in the past with our spelling but not on a regular basis. We will start with various sentences. I like this idea because it will help my daughter who has auditory processing disorder. It will also improve their overall listening skills.

Cold symptoms related to constipation

I thought I would share with you all about the relation between constipation and cold symptoms. I was reminded of this today with my daughter.

Last night, my daughter was complaining of a sore throat and a headache. I rubbed peppermint oil on her throat (making sure to rub around her glands) and on her forehead. A little while later, her head stopped hurting but her throat still hurt. I figured she would go to sleep and I would see how she felt in the morning.

This morning, when my daughter woke up, I asked her how she felt. She said, her head felt fine but she still had a sore throat. As I was thinking of what my normal coarse of action is on a sore throat, it dawned on me to ask her if she was constipated. She said, she was and she had noticed it last night after dinner.

Without having to tell her (she knows the routine), she went to the refrigerator and poured herself some apple juice. She drank another glass before lunch. After lunch, she said, "I think I need to go to the bathroom." As soon as she walked out of the bathroom, she said, "Mom, my throat feels better already!"

When someone experiences constipation it is common to get cold like symptoms. Since the intestines are blocked up with toxins and can't eliminate, it will tax the other eliminating organs. Sometimes a person will get a headache, sore throat, lower back pain, skin eruptions, etc.

So, the next time you feel like your coming down with a cold, try to go to the bathroom and see if that doesn't help relieve the symptoms.



Dana

*Thanks to my friend Kim, who has taught me a lot on this issue and many others.

Natural Health Alternative to blackheads & boils

Disclaimer: I am not a health care professional, just a mom who has seen, heard, touched and smelled quite a number of health conditions to which I have been intrigued to find the causes and treatments of. This is knowledge of personal research and on the job training in my home. Please seek the advice of a true health care professional.

Since I am interested in natural health and home remedies I received a request to blog about this topic. I was asked for advice on the natural treatment of blackheads and boils.
Blackheads are caused from oil and dirt clogging the pores. I like to use tea tree oil for blackheads. Tea tree oil is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. You can dab a tea tree oil soaked cotton ball on the area three times a day. This will keep the area clean and the oil at bay. Zinc is a good supplement to take because it is also a natural antibiotic and it is good for the oil producing glands. It is recommended to take between 30-80 mg daily but not to exceed 100 mg. You can also rub apple cider vinegar on the area which will help keep the area clean and the pH of your skin balanced.
Boils are infections that usually form in a hair follicle or oil gland. They are contagious and the pus that drains from them can contaminate the skin around it. I would use a similar treatment plan as for the blackheads. I would also apply colloidal silver (a natural antibiotic) to the boil. I would also recommend doing Epsom salts baths.
Drinking plenty of water and eating lots of fruits and vegetables are always recommended since these cleanse the body of toxins. Sweating is also a natural way to cleanse the pores. So, go get on your tennis shoes and break a sweat!

To your health,
Dana

What our homeschool looks like lately

We choose to homeschool through the summer. This summer we did take a little break when public school first got out. Lately, I have been quite laxed with their schooling because we have been pretty busy with All Stars (my oldest plays softball).
The things we never slack off with are silent reading, Bible reading and math drills. For reading the 12 year old reads for 30 minutes, the 9 year old reads for 20 minutes and the 8 year old reads for 15 minutes. They read whatever they choose. For Bible reading, they read whatever they choose as well, but it is not for any certain amount of time. For math we work on different drills.
Now that All Stars is over we will start doing more. We will do things that are fun but educational. We will try to work on areas that they can still use more help with.