Friday Thoughts
It’s been a while, but I’m pretty excited to be popping back in with a Friday Thoughts post (they’re my favorite because of YOUR comments). I have a lot on my mind. Like, a lot, a lot.
And I’m excited to get your feedback and thoughts on all my rambly venting today. 🙂
All the other past Friday Thoughts posts here.
1) Family Vacation: I need your help! This resident homebody needs to know: what is the best family vacation you’ve ever taken? To where? And why? (I’m gathering some highly scientific data to present to Brian next week, so thanks in advance.)
2) Sunday Dinner Assignments: Last fall I realized weeknights were not working when it came to teaching my kids how to cook. Too busy. Too noisy. Too distracting. Too stressful. Too much controlling OCD (ahem, taking full ownership for that one).
So we switched the system up a bit, and I can’t believe how well it is working. I love it! The kids love it! And honestly, they have totally shocked me and Brian with their rock star cooking abilities.
I call it Sunday Dinner Assignments. Super clever and catchy, huh? Gosh, I’m a marketing wizard.
How it’s working so far: I plan out a simple menu for Sunday night and assign one of the kids for each section. This involves a super high tech system of writing the menu on a post it note with one of the kid’s names next to each section.
Usually it’s a main dish, homemade bread or rolls of some sort, a side dish or two, and dessert. And in most cases, I let them choose the specific recipe they want to make (within reason and with approval).
I don’t put myself on the rotation. The kids execute the whole meal AND they are responsible for washing the dishes for their recipe. My role is to not helicopter and just answer questions and step in if they ask for help.
Yes, it’s a bit chaotic and messy; they try and work together to plan out oven usage and stagger the prep/cooking times so there are only a couple of them in the kitchen at a time.
The best part is seeing how excited they are to tell Brian which dish they made when we sit down to dinner. Of course we have had quite a few spills (including a whole bucket of honey) and arguments about who gets to use the favorite whisk first (that one ended in tears + at least one bruise)…and there have even been a few times where something was…um…slightly inedible.
But the learning process has been invaluable. Each one of the boys has made homemade rolls (or this buttery bundt bread is a fave choice) at least twice by themselves, and let me tell you, if they do nothing else in their lives, I’m going to hang on to some mom pride over this accomplishment.
They are all used to the system now and ask me on Saturday night if I know what their assignment will be yet. I’m sure this Sunday Dinner Assignments thing will go through several variations as we stick with it, but it’s working pretty great right now.
In the interest of full disclosure, about every fourth or fifth Sunday, I have a little “moment” and decide I can’t handle anyone else being in the kitchen and declare it “Mom’s Sunday Dinner Assignment All By Herself Please Leave the Kitchen Area Immediately.”
How do you teach the kids in your life to cook? Are you able to let go of the control and give them free reign?
3) Eagle Scouts:Both Walker and Jackson earned their Eagle Scout award a couple Sundays ago (with three other young men from church). Scouting has been a fun journey for them, even if they didn’t love every single minute.
Quite honestly, toward the end, I didn’t know if our relationship would survive the paperwork process, but I’m really, really proud of them for achieving this award. And I’m really, really proud of myself for making it through, too. Haha. No, but seriously.
At the ceremony, my 15-year old chose to give his mentor pin to me, which was so touching and sweet! The scoutmaster handed him the microphone so he could say a few words about why he was doing this, and Jackson cleared his throat and very meaningfully gave this tender tribute: “well, I’m giving this mentor pin to my mom because she basically threatened me that I couldn’t get my driver’s license until my Eagle Scout was done. And also, she drove me around to a lot of places.”
And you know what? I totally gave him a huge hug and kiss on the cheek because I’LL TAKE IT. The tribute and the mentor pin. 🙂 I love these boys and am really, really proud of their hard work, including learning the art of making real, live phone calls, which apparently might be the hardest, hardest, hardest thing to ask a teenager to do.
4) Natural Deoderant:ok, you guys, I’ve tried a lot of natural deoderant out there, and I’m sorry for the inclusion of too much info here, but I’ve done so even at the cost of some serious underarm chafing and rashes (Schmidt’s, I’m looking at you). Lume, Tom’s, Schmidt’s. I still feel like I smell like a pre-pubescent middle school boy.
Help? Am I missing something? Is there a natural deoderant that actually works and doesn’t rip up my skin? Please enlighten me and the rest of humanity.
5) Being a Finisher: I’ve been working on teaching my kids the art of being a finisher. And instead of lecturing, I decided I better just model the desired behavior and actually finish a couple projects I’ve been working on for years.
I started this crochet quilt when Camryn was a toddler. Yes, that’s 5+ years ago. And I just barely finished it over the holiday break. And then I wrapped it up and put it under the Christmas tree as a present to myself. I’m embarrassed to say I actually cried tears when it was done.
It’s been a labor of love. And now I’m afraid to actually ever use it because what if it unravels? (Free pattern from Purl Soho and yarn from Knitpicks, which was enough yarn for my mom to also make one of these blankets, which she finished years before mine – she’s a rock star)
The other blanket I finally finished was this Fancy Forest quilt, pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. A couple years ago when I decided I wanted to learn to quilt (never had before), I chose this as my first quilt. Yes, you just go ahead and laugh at me, because everyone else in my real life did, too!
I admit it was a bit ambitious, but I figured if I was going to learn, I was going to learn. Anyway, you can see how well that worked out. It took me, again, about five years to finish this quilt. And there are so many mistakes I can hardly bear to look at it. (Sidenote: not sure quilting is the right hobby for someone with a brain like mine.) But I finished it! It’s legit the hardest project I’ve ever done.
And I am really, really proud of myself. I even took a long arm quilting class at a local quilt shop and long arm quilted the top of this bad boy all by myself, and I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE SCARED AND MORE PROUD OF ANYTHING I’VE DONE IN MY WHOLE LIFE EVER. Also, I sweated an obscene amount during the long arm process. Also, this may be why we need to really delve into topic #4 up there. Also, I promise to never talk about sweat again.
Do you have any goals to finally finish something this year that you started long ago?
6) Vegan, Vegan:A good friend of mine is transitioning to a plant-based/vegan/no sugar diet to combat a stage IV cancer diagnosis. We basically talk about the food part of this journey nonstop, and my brain is going a mile a minute to figure out how to help her (and also incorporate more plant-based recipes in my own life)!
She and I have already been experimenting with different cashew-based dressings and sauces among other things. We’ve had some wins. And some losses. Haha. Do you have any great vegan/100% unprocessed recipes to share? Favorite online sources? Cookbooks?
7) Grit and Resilience: this TED talk is really fascinating. I really, really want my kids to be gritty! And let’s be honest, I want it for myself, too. To persevere through hard things and not give up. Since I’m 1,000% certain lecturing does.not.help. I’m trying to find more ways to help foster resilience in my kids. Any experts out there on growth mindset? Have I gone too far? Is this too deep for a Friday? What are your thoughts?
8) Games:You know I can only go so long without talking about what games we are loving at the minute. One of you awesome persons recommended the game Patchwork – aff. link on my holiday game gift guide. We love it! It’s a 2-person game and it is so, so fun. You don’t have to be interested in sewing or quilting or buttons or anything to love this game. It’s super strategic with a little bit of luck, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The other game we’ve been pulling out for a quick game sesh is Left, Center, Right (we have the basic version and also the wild version – aff. links). Super, super fast. Super, super fun. Everyone around here loves LCR!
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Ok, you guys, thanks for sticking with me through this rambling post!
Love your guts.
Don’t leave until you add your thoughts below. I need your insights, humor, wisdom and recipes in my life. 🙂
UPDATE!!!! You guys. YOU GUYS! I have spent hours (days!) reading through your comments. I’ve read every single one. I wish I had time to respond to you each personally. Instead, I literally just made a MASSIVE spreadsheet (ahem, nerd alert) with all of your vacation, deodorant, vegan and grit recommendations. And you guys, this spreadsheet is gold. I can’t wait to organize it (ahem, second nerd alert) and read through it and learn from it and PLAN A VACATION and make some plant-based meals and try out the 5,000 deodorant recommendations all while telling my kids to stay gritty. Haha. But seriously, I could kiss all of your faces for all of the comments. The insights. The personal stories and experiences. As always, you’ve made me laugh and think and think some more. And you have given so, so many good recommendations. WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU? No really, what would I do? I’d actually have to find friends in real life and that would just be super lame. So glad you guys are my people. I loved reading every single one of these comments. I promise to update a future Friday Thoughts post (or maybe just at the bottom of this one) with my spreadsheet findings! xoxo
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Fraîche food full hearts by Jillian Harris
Minimalist bakers everyday cooking
I’ve tried all of the same deodorants you listed, as well as Native and a homemade one that worked for a little while as long as I didn’t use too much and get chafed. Tragically, I’ve come to the same conclusion as you! 🙁
Check out LectinFreeMama.com. It is a whole level above just plant based diets, based on Steven Gundry’s Book, Plant Paradox, but the diet has been extremely successful in helping my husband with his issues.
Best wishes for your friend!!
Hey Mel! A couple of things:
I am a clogger (as in dancing–do it competitively as an adult!), so my deodorant has to WORK. I love, love, love Native, the coconut scent. It’s very mild and I’ve never had a rash from it–unlike some others. It’s also soft and smooth and doesn’t have a weird tacky consistency.
Vacations: the road trip my family took when I was 13 will live in infamy! We drove from central Florida, up the east coast, into Canada via Niagara Falls, came back to the US on a car ferry across Lake Michigan (on my mom’s birthday, and she was super seasick), across every historical site in the mountain west to Denver, Salt Lake City, and eventually up to Oregon! OH, and I was the oldest of five, my brothers were two, and we brought our Welsh Corgi along. My parents are insane! BUT, I highly recommend a cross-country road trip with the whole family before anyone leaves the nest for the bonding, the stories, the sights, and the memories.
Chocolate Covered Katie is my go-to for vegan recipes or basically any recipe I need to tweak for friends with allergies/dietary restrictions. It doesn’t 100% taste like the real thing like she sometimes says, but I’ve liked everything I’ve tried from her.
Finally, Grit. Angela Duckworth also wrote a book, and I devoured everything she put out for a while. Final thoughts: it’s a good trait, but I’m not convinced that it’s the highest virtue I want to work towards, or even necessarily want for my kids. But that’s my two cents!
Hi Mel,
Re: deodorant- I use Smarty Pits. Does not have baking soda and is the only one that does not rip my skin up . Works pretty good and I am a “sweat-er”. Does require reapplication some days but I don’t mind that. I read about it another blog – Kate (of Our Best Bites game) and it has been a game changer for me. It is pricey (on Amazon) but lasts me about 4 months and for me worth it.
Vegan food – a lot of Indian food is naturally vegan and I love it. Might want to check out Indian food blogs (a good one is Holy Cow) if u like some spice or those flavors.
https://justingredientswithkaralynne.com/collections/deodorant-face-serum Is my fave deodorant (coconut vanilla) you just gotta try!
High five to you for the quilts…are you kidding me with those??! You are so talented.
Ok, I have some thoughts…
Family Vacation – I grew up camping/hiking in Yosemite several times a year, and now as adults we rent a big house on Bass Lake for a week (20-25 people!) and drive in to Yosemite a couple of days (about 45 minutes to the valley floor). The most beautiful place on earth imo.
Natural Deodorant – please give an update when you find a winner. All I know is Lume did not work for me; I felt like I stunk all the time.
Vegan – blessings to your sweet friend! I’ve spent a crazy amount of time researching a whole foods plant based diet in a quest to find relief for my arthritis. Minimalist Baker is my favorite site (her Quinoa Taco Meat is amazing; ditto to her Noodle Free Pad Thai), but personally, to be successful long term, I had to just accept the fact that I wasn’t going to have cheese sauce anymore. Or cheese in general. Nuts for creamy sauces, avocados in my brownies, tofu for meat…NO. It made me super ticked. I just stick to basics: grain bowls with beans and roasted veggies, salads, potatoes with meatless chili, soups, etc. I’ve quite often adapted your recipes to make them vegan, and they have been amazing (Korean Beef and Rice, I’m looking at you! Just sub the ground beef for black beans).
Grit and Resilience – check out Simply On Purpose on instagram. She recently did an IGTV on growth mindset for kids.
I second the vegan ideas listed above! Grain bowls are my daily go-to. Eating more plant based started a new love affair with veggies! I love using coconut aminos to add a quick flavor.
Not sure if your friend can have dates, but that is a great sugar substitute. Good health and healing prayers sent her way!
Here is my deodorant trick…I’ve used many natural ones and I dip the stick lightly in baking soda before I swipe it on. Lasts all day! No residue.
Our favorite family vacation has been to Upstate New York and Canada. Niagara Falls, swimming at Lake Erie, Church history sites, NY State Parks (LOVED Robert H. Treman State Park for its waterfall swim hole with a diving board, and the “younger kids” zone; Letchworth State Park would’ve been fun if it wasn’t pouring rain that day), taking the kids to a chain store in Canada that we also have in the U.S. just to show how product labels and options differ, Finger Lakes region. We loved this trip.
Our family ages/ number is basically your family about two years ago. 🙂
DC!!! Oh my gosh there is so much to do and see and ALL the Smithsonian Museums are FREE!!!
There is science and history and incredible art.
Memorials and monuments around every corner!
Everything is walkable…or a short metro ride away.
Our family went for 10 days and still did not manage to see everything.
Okay, I have had the same problem with breaking out in a rash thanks to natural deodorant! The only one I’ve found that, so far, hasn’t resulted in a rash and a whole lot of stinkiness is the Native sensitive line, which is made without baking soda. I’ve spotted the brand at Target!
Love your Friday posts!
Best family vacation: last year we rented a cabin through Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources and spent four days in Itasca State Park. We played in the headwaters of the Mississippi River; swam in the lake; there was a sports rental place that provided bikes (tandem and regular), all kinds of boats, paddleboards, etc., at really reasonable rates. We played games at night and there was no WiFi. Best vacation yet.
Deoderant- I use Primal Pit Paste, lemongrass scent. Spendy and worth it. When you use natural deodorant, press the stick against your armpit for a few seconds before applying. Your body heat softens the stick and helps it spread more easily. You may be able to make your own with baking soda, oil and essential oil?
Games- we are rocking several games you suggested in your posts this year, as well as Sushi Go! and Dragonwood.
Vegan resources- Whole30 has a bunch of yummy recipes (in the book and online) that focus on sugar-free, preservative-free- basically anything that that can cause an inflammatory response in the body. Maybe you’ll find helpful stuff there?
How old were your kids when you began Sunday night dinner assignments? I’m intrigued and want to do this in my family. But can the control freak in me truly let go?? 🙂
Thanks, Mel!
Check out the buddhist chef for plant based recipes – plus he is funny. I switched over about 3 months ago to a whole food plant based diet and feel really good. Some things that work for me are to roast a bunch of veggies at the beginning of the week and eat the all week. I started making my own hazelnut milk and it is sooooo easy and is so yummy. Almond milk also. Just get a nut milk bag! (2 bucks on amazon) Oatmeal is really easy to switch up by switching toppings and when I miss eggs I use a potato masher and mash up tofu and add sautéed onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper, a little turmeric and sometimes nutritional yeast and some kale cut up small and fry it up like scrambled eggs..roll it up in a tortilla and eat it with salsa – so yummy! lots of love to your friend who is fighting cancer.
Hey Mel!
Last summer we took our 5 boys (ages 10-18months at the time) on quite the road trip! We left our small northern AZ town and drove to the National Arches park in Utah (using our 4th grader’s national parks pass to get in). It was hot, but so cool to see. We drove further into Utah and spent the next day seeing BYU and stopping at the creamery, bridal veil falls, and then all of temple square and it’s tours before it closed for the next few years. After that we drove to Pocatello and got to tour a real life news studio (my brother is a reporter there). The next day we drove to Yellowstone and spent a few days exploring it and driving through the grand Tetons park. After that we drove to Mount Rushmore. It was so many days in a car with so many little people, but it was amazing! I’d do it again tomorrow. So much stuff to see! We loved it!
As far as natural deodorant I’ve tried a couple but am now using the Native brand in like a vanilla coconut scent, I think? It works decently. Sometimes I like to reapply during the day just because it seems to not be working as far as antiperspirant wise. Maybe try that one ?
Re: Natural Deodorant…. a must-try is Rinse Soap’s DeOdor stick. Hands down the best one in the market for sensitive skin!
Hey Mel,
I love Ursa Major – hands down my fave clean deodorant!!
I would love to see more plant based meals on your site! So excited for that!!
Hugs,
Jenny 🙂
Arm and hammer essentials is cheap and available at the grocery store. It’s free of parabens and aluminum, but I’m not sure what your criteria for “natural” is.
Mel,
So I read your Friday thoughts and zeroed in on the vacation question. Family vacations are an important thing for us… I love spending time with my family away from the distractions of everyday life. When I couldn’t narrow down my favorite to just one, I decided to ask my family. We had a great discussion about the many trips we’ve been on…. when our kids were little it was a lot of camping in the mountains, visiting state and national parks, and an occasional “big” trip to Disneyland or other destination spot. When our kids became teenagers we started going on big road trips… nauvoo, San Diego, the redwoods, the Canadian Rockies, to name a few. They were all wonderful for different reasons. But the common denominator is we’ve done all these trips in an RV! We love it! We’ve had some of the best conversations with our kids while on the road. It is truly when I am happiest. If I could RV with my family full time I would. So my recommendation… rent or buy an RV and do a massive road trip!
BTW My kids have been to Hawaii twice and they said they preferred going on a road trip.
Congratulations to your sons on getting their eagles. My son just got his as well. It’s a great accomplishment. (So glad it’s done! )
Here is a very good natural deodorant. AND there’s even 20% off in my shop this week!!!
https://villageofartisans.com/product/into-the-woods-natural-deodorant/
One word: Alaska! Rent an RV and just explore the heck out of it. Come in June or July. You can’t get the whole Alaska experience on a cruise.
Please figure out the whole natural deodorant thing for sweaters like me!
Love the Sunday dinner assignment idea and your quilts, like everything else you do, seem amazing. Thanks for all the inspiration!
Hello! I live in middleton and am a vegan with no sugar, no oil in my diet. I am a raw certified chef and have SO many yummy recipes I can share with you!
I don’t usually comment but I had to throw my two bits out there about natural deodorant. I have tried so many and literally the only one that I have been 100% happy with is primally pure in the lemon grass scent. I can’t say enough good about it. Yes you’ll still sweat (which I think is a good thing) but you won’t stink at all and there’s no rash or other issues.
Your quilt is beautiful!
You have a million comments and a bunch of deodorant recommendations, but I’m not sure if anyone mentioned Lone deodorant. I’ve tried so many, even making my own and this is my favorite!! It works so well – NO stink, and no rash like I also got from others! https://lonedeodorant.com/collections/natural-deodorant-1
Um, I’ll just say how flipping amazing you are, are you kidding me with that quilt?! Wow! Darling and that pattern looks pretty intense! I can’t believe you picked that for your first quilt! I have absolutely no knowledge or skill with anything sewing or quilting related but my amazing aunt has made each of my babies a unique, and beautiful quilt, and wow! Just having seen a lot of her work and hearing her talk about it, I know it is a TON of work! You should be dang proud of yourself! And the crochet blanket! Mel, I don’t think there is anything you can’t do.
Also, I just have to say how amazing you are with cooking with your kids and how incredible your kids are! A few years ago when you posted about Cooking with Kids, I was so blown away by what your kids were doing that it motivated me to try and get my kids in the kitchen. I tried having each of them taking a turn to choose dinner and make it with me, it didn’t last, they were such stinkers! The only one that wants to help is my 3 year old!
So way to go momma! And what awesome kids you are raising. You are seriously my hero Mel.
PS, I got my kids Super Fight and Say Anything for Christmas and they love them! Super Fight is the absolute perfect game for teenagers who like to argue, pretty sure it was made for my son!
Hi Mel,
There are several cool YouTube channels that have a lot of easy vegan recipes:
Pick Up Limes
Healthy Crazy Cool
Madeleine Olivia
The Happy Pear
My most favorite family vacation was a trip to San Francisco when I was about 17. We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast run by an elderly Jewish couple. The wife had been in Auschwitz and told us her stories and showed us her number tattoo as we ate the delicious breakfasts she cooked. It was so interesting, inspiring, and impactful. We ended up with a huge 12 passenger van (for our 6 person family) and accidentally ended up in downtown Chinatown at rush hour one night. Also, Lombard Street was interesting in that van. But we took time to do everything in San Francisco and it was very memorable.
I also loved a trip to the Oregon coast. We rode in dune buggies on the sand dunes and that was like a roller coaster. So fun! Plus tide pools and delicious seafood everyday.
Whidbey Island near Seattle is cool. There’s a place called Fort Casey where they have these old bunkers and a lighthouse to explore. Bring a kite to fly. Plus Butchart Gardens is so pretty (I don’t know if your boys would enjoy that though) and relatively close.
Simple On Purpose (she’s on Instagram, just search that name) just LAST WEEK (or the week before?) talked about growth mindset with kids!! Everything she covers is magic. She’s an amazing resource for parenting advice and inspiration. The thing I like about her is she doesn’t think she’s be “be all, end all” on parenting. She likes to remind her followers to take what works for them and try it out! That’s exactly what we’ve done, and it’s amazing how just shifting or adjusting simple things makes a better relationship between me and my daughter.
*It’s “Simply on Purpose” not simple on purpose…. Insert face palm emoji here
Native deodorant is magical! The coconut vanilla one smells amazing. I smell check myself all the time (7 months pregnant and DO NOT want to be the stinky pregnant lady) and I have maybe had one problem in the 1.5 months I’ve been using it. And my skin is SO sensitive. You can buy a subscription or get it at Target!
I have tried a lot of natural deoderants, and didn’t like any of them UNTIL I tried Earthley Wellness’ Mineral Deoderant. It is fantastic! It works, it smells great, and it is natural. You can find it at http://www.Earthley.com And no, I am not affiliated with them.
I’m always slow commenting, but here goes. Congratulations on your boys getting their Eagle Scout award! That is a lot of work for them and for you!
I had the same problem with Schmidt’s! Man that was a rough few months for my armpits. (But I’m cheap enough I finished the Costco pack before moving on.) I will also add my votes to those that have suggested Just Ingredients. I’ve really liked the citrus deodorant plus super small business for the win! https://justingredientswithkaralynne.com/collections/deodorant-face-serum
Your quilt is absolutely amazing! And the blanket is so great also. I have about a million unfinished projects taking up space in my head. sigh
Being that you have so many ages to work with, and I do not know your family’s interests, museums, National Parks, etc, I do think a cruise is pretty amazing; as my boys grew up they loved different ports and we always tried to tack on a land adventure around the cruise. You should try a travel agent, they help a ton. As they got older one of our best vacations ever was Washington DC, but I am glad we waited until they were older teens to appreciate it. If you like hiking there is nothing better than all of the National Parks in Utah, we have been to Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and some amazing state parks. It all depends on your interests.
Honestly our favorite family vacation in your area was Yellowstone in an RV. My kids still talk about it 10 years later! If you want the benefit of going somewhere totally different, when we lived on the east coast we loved Pennsylvania! Hershey, the amish, the quite parts…not Philly. if you are going that far you could see Niagara Falls and lots of awesome church sites!
Family vacations. We’ve been on a lot, and I’ve lived them all, but for different reasons. When we lived in New Zealand, we took a vacation to Thailand. It was beautiful and amazing, and also wonderful to become immersed in a completely different culture. We’ve also done Disney, which I love. It was magical, and fun, and exhausting. Two summers ago we took a one week road trip from Oregon to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, SLC to visit family, and then back home to Portland. We camped at a different site every night. We loved it. It was relaxing, slow, but also some hard work was involved every day by having to take our campsite down, drive, put the campsite back up, cool by the fire.
My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and she also switched to vegan along with the rest of her family. She and I both love all the recipes on https://ohsheglows.com/
I’ve been using a deodorant for a couple of years called Nfuse and it’s infused with magnesium , hence the name . It’s available in a gel or a roll-on. It’s made in the USA and you can buy it at the grommet.com 🙂
Just Ingredients makes an AWESOME natural deodorant. It’s magnesium based rather than starch based. I’m never going back.
Also, check out Dreena Burton’s Plant-Powered Families cookbook for great vegan recipes. She’s a rock star.
I’ve been using Salubritas natural deodorant for several years and still really like it. The company is in Park City, Utah. You can order at https://salubritasbody.com/
Haven’t been around to your site in a long while and it was fun to revisit! Enjoy your ramblings. I too am teaching my older girls how to cook these days and Sundays are the only logical time that it works. An occasional Saturday project as well when I’m feelin like a real rock star. We also own a small Caramel Apple business to help my girls pay for their activities, so I’m pretty sure they will only ever know how to make unhealthy food. lol.
As for advice on natural deodorant.. I have also tried everything and it all sucks if you actually sweat! Which I do! The one I have liked the most is a newer one call Just Ingredients. She lives near me in Utah and just made a natural one and sells it on her website. I like the smell of the citrus one. Good luck!
Native deodorant for the win! I have been using it for a couple years now and it really seems to work! You have to wash/reapply daily… haha… but I think you have to do that with the others.
Thanks for the idea to have the kids to dinners on Sundays. I think I will give it a go.
Try Megababe. They sell it at target now. It works really well for me. I had almost given up on natural deodorant. I tried native, and after apologizing to my workout friends for wearing natural deodorant for the 20th time I threw it out. It was awful! I’ve heard that it’s all trial and error with the natural stuff. They all work differently depending on the person. Good luck!
I like Native for a natural deodorant. I’ve also heard that people like Primally Pure.
I like Native brand natural deodorant a lot! Look for a baking soda free, though, if you’re reacting to some varieties. And, full disclosure, I haven’t found anything that works in times of high stress or at *that* time of the month, so I keep a non-natural deodorant on hand for those days.
Looks like you have plenty of vacation and deodorant ideas! I’ve been thinking a lot about resilience these past few weeks due to a family tragedy. I look at my kids (3 and 1) and they are so resiliently happy and full of love and trust. I’ve always been gritty but I’m learning from them how to laugh more, complain less and be more grateful.
Best vacation: Maui, for nine days. I took my two families and their total of six kids, age 5 to 16. Since this was “the trip of a lifetime,” we did it right. (The older three kids had never flown.)
I used a local travel agent (she only charged $150 for 11 of us) who had taken her children there x3 as graduation presents, so she knew how to both splurge and save. Each family had a suite with full kitchen, laundry facilities, etc. (Grandma me spent one-half time in each suite.) But, it was at the Honua Kai in Lahaina–on the beach, across the street from a grocery store. Many things for kids to do , like free snorkeling, pools, climbing., frolicking under a real waterfall…When we did eat out for dinner, the food was amazing, Especially wonderful was going to a Luau, for the food and the entertainment. This was a happy and heavenly place, and my family and I will never forget it.
After 54 years of not finding an effective deodorant (even used men’s Mitchum), I came across Native. Perfect and natural, and I am three years happy with it. It is now sold at Target.
Let us know where you go, and I hope that wherever it is, you will make many happy memories!
Hugs
I made the switch to Crystal deodorant several years ago. It’s definitely worth it. No smell even in hot humid weather and it lets my body perspire naturally. I did have some irritation early on and it was very uncomfortable. I let it heal and tried again over the course of several weeks. For me, it just took some time for my skin to get used to it. Winter is the perfect time to experiment with a new brand. Shaving might impact your sensitivity. I switched to sugar waxing my underarms and I think that has helped. I hope you find a healthy option!
Disney, obviously! My kids would go every year if we could. It’s a family favourite!
I’m going to start making my kids cook- love seeing your kids in the kitchen.
I use Schmidt’s lavender and sage (I love it!) but I’ve used their chamomile one and I think it doesn’t mask my odour as well. Weird that they don’t work the same for me. I’ve used Native deodorant as well and I like it (but can’t buy in my area.)
Your quilt is beautiful!
I always love your game suggestions.
Thanks for a great blog
Deodorant—I love Primally Pure. It actually helps you not stink! I wanted to love Lume, but it didn’t work for me at all!
Family vacations—I love Washington DC (there’s a lot there that’s free!), Utah national parks, San Diego, and Oregon coast. They’re all beautiful and fun places!
Just Ingredients with Karalynne has the best natural deoderant I’ve ever used. Try her face serum too. Best vacation was taking our kids to upstate New York to see all the Church history sites. We did this when our two boys were in high school so they could visit all the sites of the restoration as they were nearing the time they’d serve missions. Now they have a point of reference about Joseph Smith’s experiences as they teach it. Go in the spring or fall, fall if you can choose. GORGEOUS that time of year.
Best Vacations: California. . .half the time in Yosemite (before June so, no crowds) half the time on the Monterey coast. It was amazing.
Also, Upstate New York. It requires a little planning, but there are some really amazing things to see and do up there. We did Niagara, Palmyra, the Adirondacks, and some of the small industrial towns around the Finger Lakes region. If you’re a city person, you could even extend it into the city. It was AMAZING.
Check out Just Ingredients deodorant. It has all really clean ingredients and feels very smooth going on also.
I will be concise :
Family Vacation: Hawaii, the Big Island, stay toward Waikoloa Village but not as far north as Waimea rainy side.
Deodorant: Just.ingredients.com
Gritty: YES
Stage IV cancer: prayer, YES to vegan diet!
Game: We are loving Motocross Rally, my 7y.o. bought it at Goodwill and it is so much fun for us all:)
Great job on the quilts and for raising finishers!