No-poo month two

I can not believe that I have not washed my hair with anything but baking soda in two months. My, how time flies!

So I have been using only baking soda applied to my dry hair before a shower when needed for about a month. I use the baking soda method once to twice a week. I use it when my hair starts getting greasy which is about 4-6 days after I washed it last. My hair use to get super greasy within 24hrs of washing it. 

I sprinkle the dry baking soda on my scalp befor I get in the shower. I then get in the shower, wet my hair, and scrub the baking soda into my scalp. I let it sit for a couple minutes and then rinse it out. Make sure to get all the baking soda rinsed out. 

Once out of the shower I comb out my rats nest and style it as usual (with no products, of course).  

I am super satisfied with how well my hair is doing. I feel that it is healthier and easier to manage. Sometimes in this winter weather my hair gets really staticy so I put a tiny bit of coconut oil on it to calm it down. I rub the coconut oil into my palms before I apply it to my hair. This way you don't end up with greasy coconut oil hair :-)

So this has been my two month no-poo update. 

So far the no-poo method is working for me. 

Graco play pen repurposed as a puppy pen

I turned my old dirty play pen into a puppy pen for my four week old chihuahua puppies.

I covered the mat with black garbage bags and then laid down layers of towels, newspapers, and a top layer of fleece.

I change the top layer twice a day and I change the newspaper every other day.

So far the fleece does a great job of catching all of the puppies waste.

They do however enjoy spilling their water all over which requires a new change of all the layers.

No-poo update for week 4

This past month has been filled with trial and error. I started the no-poo method by mixing up the baking soda and apple cider vinegar in ready to use bottles. This way I didn't need to try and measure them out every time. By mixing the baking soda and vinegar up ahead of time I also eliminated any variables in my experiment. 

The first couple of weeks my hair kept getting greasier and greasier. Before week three I stopped using the apple cider vinegar because I read it could help the greasiness. This made my hair less greasy but it was still greasier than I wanted it. 

After a week I started mixing up the baking soda like a paste. I take the paste and scrub it into my scalp. I let the paste sit for a couple minutes and then rinse it out very well. My hair gets really dry and tangly. After my shower, I comb out my hair very gently.

I think it is safe to say that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My hair is finally dry and healthy. I know that my hair is not fully adjusted quite yet but it's close :-)

So now I wash my hair once to twice a week. I love the way it looks. I love the way it feels. I cannot believe it took me so long to jump on the no-poo train (that sounded gross, sorry). 

Anyway, the no-poo method takes time to get use to but it is absolutely worth it. I would recommend it to anyone looking to eliminate unneeded products in their life. As well as to anyone looking to get healthy balanced hair while save money at the same time. 

If you no-poo too then kudos to you. If you do not no-poo yet then what are you waiting for?

Sorry about the picture I could not get a good angle of my hair. Maybe next time I will get help taking a picture. 

Wild rice casserole #vegan

Ingredients:
Garlic 5-10 cloves
Mushrooms
Onion
Peppers
Eggplant
Chard
2-4 cups crushed canned tomatoes
Wild rice
Quinoa
Salt
Pepper
Soy sauce
Peanut oil
Vegan butter

Dice all the veggies and garlic.
Cook rice and quinoa.
Sauté Half the garlic, mushrooms, and onion (salt, pepper, and soy-sauce) in half peanut oil half vegan butter until caramelizing begins. Throw in eggplant, peppers, and the other half of the garlic, mix well and remove from heat.

I use equal parts veggies. So as much or as little as you'd like.

Mix rice, quinoa, canned tomatoes, and sautéd mixture together. You don't want it to be too soupy or too dry.

If you want a casserole, chop the chard and add to the mixture and bake covered with foil in a casserole dish at 450 for and hour.

For chard rolls, take mixture and stuff chard leaves and bake as directed above.

For stuffed peppers, fill whole topless peppers with mixture and bake as directed above.

The possibilities are endless and delicious.

Day 3 no-poo update

So today is the third day since I rinsed my hair with the baking soda and vinegar no-poo method. Normally my hair is crackhead greasy by day two so I am pretty stoked that is is just now starting to look grubby. Don't get me wrong, it's greasy, just not what I expected. I wouldn't wear it down or anything.

Today I twisted it up and clipped the twists up to a messy bun. I am saving the scarves and hats for worse hair days that I am sure will come. However, I am motivated to get past the greasy gross part and on to healthier hair days. So this is my three day update, so far so good.

Day 1 no-poo

So I finally did it, I threw out all of my shampoo. I'm going poo free!!! 

I've been reading about the no-poo method for hair care for a little over a year. 

At first it sounded like a great idea but not really something for me. I really didn't want to have dirty hair. I also like my products I use to style my hair. 

So even though I decided no-poo was not for me I continued to read up about it. I have read dozen of blogs following others ups and downs of their no-poo journey. 

The past year has been my most radical elimination process of my life. Our family is finally letting go of all the "crap" we don't need. 

We have eliminated processed foods, packaged poisons, gluten, animal protien, cleaners, detergents, and deoterant. It is only fitting that eliminating shampoo is next in line. 

No poisons and man made products on or in my body (or on or in my families) is what I am striving for. 

Life has been a crazy roller coaster of learning how to be human. Elimininating societies influence on how I live my life has made me a better person. By removing "things" from my life I am allowing myself to see if its really needed at all. 

I am determined to succeed at the no-poo method. I know I don't need shampoo. Now I just need to convince my hair that it's a good idea. 

So everyone says there is a greasy/oily period that last anywhere from two weeks to six months. Your hair produces oil daily to combate the oil we strip when we shampoo. Your body has been doing this for a long time so it is going to take time to train it to stop. 

In order for your body to regulate its oil production so you do not get oily hair you have to stop stripping it. In the mean time it seems like I most likely will require scarves and hats. 

I will keep you all posted on how it goes. 

Here is the no-poo recipe I am going with. It seems to be the most popular method. 

No-poo recipe:

1tsp Baking soda w/ 1 cup water

1TBS Apple cider vinegar w/ 1 cup water

Wet hair and massage scalp only with baking soda mixture and let sit for a couple minutes then rinse.

Pour apple cider vinegar all over your hair and let soak for a minute then rinse out. 

I did just this and my hair was tangly when I got out of the shower. I combed it out and it was soft and smooth when it dried. This was last night and now my hair is softer than it normally is. 

I am excited for this chapter of my elimination journey :-)

I will keep you posted along my no-poo path to see how it works for me. 

Yucknee

-Potatoes (4-8)
-Garlic (1-4 cloves)
-Onion (1-2)
-Green beans (1 can)
-Wax beans (1 can)
-Dices tomatoes (6-10 cups)
-Salt and pepper to taste

(All measurements are personal preference)

Dice all ingredients and mix together in a big pot or in a crock pot.

Make sure there is enough diced tomatoes to cover mixture.

On a stove top in a big pot (cover) bring mixture to boil and then simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of your big pot.

In a crockpot start mixture early in the day and cook for 4-8 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Serve yucknee by itself or over rice.

Baked eggplant

Eggplant
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Hot pepper flakes (optional)
Olive oil
Preheat over to 500'

Slice eggplant however you like it. Sprinkle slices eggplant with salt in a colander and toss to coat evenly with a couple of pinches of salt. Set aside for up to half an hour. This help pull moisture out of the eggplant so it's not mushy.

Mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and pepper flakes together in a bowl or on a plate (to taste).

Rinse and dry eggplant.

Coat eggplant with just enough oil to cover eggplant.

Dip eggplant in flour mixture and place single layer on a cookie sheet cover with foil. Oil foil first.

Bake eggplant at 500' for twenty minutes.
Turn once half way though baking if desired.

Cool and enjoy.

Pattern game for preschoolers

Patterns are fun to do as a daily "homework" game around my house.

However, my sons waste paper with the preschool booklets he has because he is good and finishes them rather rapidly.

So here is a reusable pattern game with Legos.

I love it and so do my boys. Win-win.

Amino acid in plants

Essential Amino Acid High-Content Plant-Based Foods

Isoleucine: seaweed, watercress, pumpkin leaves, swiss chard, Chinese cabbage, horseradish
tree (the leafy tips), spinach, kidney beans, alfalfa seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame
seeds, soy, baking yeast, wheat, almonds, rice, bananas, apricots, peaches,
avocados, persimmons, apricots, dates, kiwi, apples, oranges, cranberries,
blueberries, and plantains.

Leucine: seaweed, pumpkin leaves, watercress, horseradish tree (the leafy tips), alfalfa seeds,
turnip greens, kidney beans, sesame seed, sunflower seeds, soy, peanuts, rice,
bananas, apricots, peaches, guavas, avocados, figs, persimmons, raisins, pears,
dates, apples, kiwi, olives, and blueberries.

Lysine: watercress, seaweed, parsley, soy, wheat, buckwheat, amaranth, apricots, bananas,
tamarinds, avocados, peaches, guavas, dates, oranges, pears, plantains, plums,
and watermelon.

Methionine: seaweed, sesame seeds, whole wheat, rice, peaches, avocados, figs, peaches,
oranges, kiwi, pears, grapes, raisins, apricots, plantains, guavas, plums, blueberries,
cantaloupe, ripe olives, and persimmons (note the level of methionine in soy is so low
that soy is considered a bad choice for a complete protein.)

Phenylalanine: seaweed, watercress, pumpkin leaves, horseradish tree (the leafy tips), kidney
beans, spinach, turnip greens, skunk cabbage, broccoli raab, swiss chard, amaranth
leaves, cottonseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pigeon peas, lupin seeds, soy,
whole grains, peanuts, almonds, avocado, rice, avocados, apricots, bananas, raisins,
peaches, plums, figs, persimmons, oranges, dates, pears, grapefruit, elderberries,
apples, star fruit, and ripe olives.

Threonine: watercress, seaweed, pumpkin leaves, spinach, skunk cabbage, horseradish tree
(leafy tips), turnip greens, kidney beans, soybeans, alfalfa seeds, sesame seeds,
sunflower seeds, soy, wheat, some nuts, rice, peaches, apricots, bananas, guavas,
figs, avocados, raisins, pears, and dates.

Tryptophan: oat bran, seaweed, spinach, watercress, soybeans, horseradish tree (leafy tips)
pumpkin leaves, mushrooms, turnip greens, broccoli raab, turnip greens, parsley,
spinach, winged bean tubers and leaves, mustard greens, asparagus, beet greens,
mushrooms, mung beans, kidney beans, bamboo shoots, lettuce (red leaf,
butterhead, iceberg), mustard greens, amaranth leaves, chicory greens, asparagus,
soybeans, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, chives, kale, broccoli, taro leaves,
zucchini, radicchio, kelp, collards, brussel sprouts, navy beans, pinto beans, swiss
chard, lima beans, hearts of palm, broadbeans, savoy cabbage, green and red
peppers, okra, turnips, winter squash, onions, green and yellow snap beans, celery,
cucumber, some hot chili peppers, radishes, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, green
peas, garlic, corn, sesame seeds, cottonseed, sunflower seed, chia seeds, peanuts,
rice, apricots, raisins, avocados, apples, plums persimmons, guavas, figs, kiwi,
dates, oranges, and peaches.

 Valine: seaweed, watercress, mushrooms, horseradish tree(leafy tips) pumpkin leaves,
snowpeas, snap peas, turnip greens, kidney beans, spinach, skunk cabbage, broccoli
raab, sunflower seed, sesame seed, cottonseed, soy, peanuts, whole grains, rice,
bananas, peaches, figs, apricots, avocado, guavas, raisins, dates, pears, apples,
persimmons, kiwi, cranberries, ripe olives, blueberries, and oranges.

DIY whelping box for small breeds

So I made a whelping box out of cardboard boxes that I lined with duct tape.

This was great for the first couple of weeks when I still had them set up next to my bed.

Organize a bookshelf by color

My friend posted that she organized her bookshelf by color.

At first I thought this would not work for me but I was wrong.

Not only does it work but it looks great.

Try it for yourself and you'll be glad you did.

Soothing smoothie

This smoothie is delicious and soothing. The honey helps a soar throat and the fruit is packed with vitamins to boost your immune system.

I made Damien one this morning to help his sickness. My poor baby was up all night coughing :-(

This is great for when your sick or just when you feel like having a yummy drink.

Simply blend Strawberries, banana, water, and honey until smooth. I use frozen strawberries during the winter so there is no need for ice. If your not using frozen strawberries just add ice while blending :-)