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. đ
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. đ 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!
————————-
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. đ
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 canât 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, youâve 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? Iâd 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
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I am SOOO impressed with your Sunday night kids cooking routine. Again, you have shown what an amazing mom you are. But seriously, how do you not go crazy? I know that my 11 year old can cook more in the kitchen it is just hard to let him sometimes. I love your idea of giving them one part/task instead of helping with the whole meal.
I think a cruise is the best vacation! You should go on a cruise through Royal Caribbean, NCL, or Carnival(with carnival being last choice).
That is awesome that you let your kids cook on sundays. That is a great idea. I havenât learned to let go of control yet.
I use Native Deodorant. You can get it on their website or at target. I donât think I smell (unless no one is telling me).
Umm that quilt is amazing! Iâve made a few quilts in the last 7 years but that animal one is amazing!!
I think we have a few mutual friends, since we are from the same town. Iâm pretty sure I know who you are talking about with the cancer. Itâs so heartbreaking!
Also, you should try the game uno flip. Itâs really fun. It has a fun twist on the original game.Â
If you’ve never done an LDS church history tour with your kids–Missouri and Nauvoo at least–I recommend it. We looked up a bunch of family stories and read them along the way, and I think everyone enjoyed it. Maybe not our Most Fun Ever, but definitely something worth doing.
Mel, do you have any  recipe ideas for missionaries? More specifically, my son is in the Philippines and he has limited access to American ingredients+a hotplate that’s so hot on the lowest setting that he can’t even fry an egg without having it burn. Plus limited time to cook. It’s like being perpetually on an episode of Cutthroat Kitchen. Â
Sanibel Island is our favorite family vacation and weâve been there many years in a row now. The shelling you can do there is amazing.Â
 Excited about eating more plant-based meals myself but Iâm still looking for a Melâs Kitchen-type source for recipes. đ
Ok, for deodorant look up Just Ingredients on Instagram. She came out with one a little while ago and itâs amazing. Goes on like butter, and smells amazing. Just read the reviews and youâll see how awesome it is. She also has a face serum that is AMAZING. My skin has totally changed.Â
Also for your friend with cancer, I highly recommend she also follow Just Ingredients on Instagram. She is a great resource for getting chemicals out of your body and using food to help heal.Â
Favorite trip was in 2017. We live in Texas and my sister lives in Alberta. We drove from Texas to Alberta and made a ton of stops along the way. Texas->slc where my parents were serving a mission on temple square was the first leg. Did all the temple square stuff over a few days and visited family. Then we went up to Yellowstone for a couple days. Then up to Alberta for a week. While there we visited Waterton and glacier national parks (glacier had my favorite hike EVER.) Then on the way back down, we stopped in Provo a couple of days to show the kids BYU and see some friends. Did some hiking there too. Next was arches national park. This was the kids fav because of all the climbing around. Stayed in a fun hotel there. Then Mesa verde national park. Also really cool. Met up with some family in Albuquerque then home to Texas.Â
Jason’s deodorant works for me. As far as your friends cancer I don’t know if vegan would be her best choice of diet. Cancer cells thrive on sugar ( all veggie’s and fruit have carbs which our bodies turn into sugar to use as fuel) and most cancer cells cannot use ketones (fat) for fuel. With that being said I believe the best diet for her would be a ketogenic diet. I recommend Dr. Annette Bosworth’s book Anyway You Can. She helped her mom beat cancer with the ketogenic diet. She also has a blog bozmd.com /blog/. I hope this helps.
Try just ingredients brand of natural deodorant. Buy online
I would love to see more plant-based recipes as I have recently had to change my diet up for health reasons. I’ve had to stop cooking many of my favorite Mel recipes (sad, sad day) and I miss them! Detoxinista has good ones – I prefer her desserts. I just bought myself “Vegan for Everybody” and am working my way through the recipes. The vegan lasagna was easy and yummy. I collect recipes on Pinterest and asian style foods are the easiest to adjust – thai sweet potato carrot soup was amazing…most Indian foods work well. Lentils are my new best friend and I use them in my spaghetti sauce now instead of meat…surprisingly the entire family prefers it! It’s on the great website Cookie + Kate.
Family vacations are the BEST! Agree with someone who said renting a VRBO or AirBnB and just being together as a family are what really make the vacation the best…but some of our recent trips (with a range of 5year old to 19 year old kids) include Pinecrest/Strawberry, CA; Sunriver, Oregon (a regular place for us); Tillamook, OR; Grand Canyon/Bryce Canyon road trip; MAUI – which was a pre-mission send-off with our second child and it was the BEST vacation we could have asked for.
I am making my first quilt and it’s NOT working out as well as I’d hoped. I may have to find a different new hobby. đ . Love your animal quilt and SO impressed.
I love these Friday thoughts!
Vacations: I always thought the best vacation would be Disneyland, and while my kids love it, we’ve done two others they liked even more. My kids are 10 and 6–both boys. For the first, we went to the San Juan Islands off of Seattle. We stayed in a cabin in the woods (I DON’T CAMP!), and we loved every second of it. We played baseball, played games, and best of all, we did the whale watching–totally worth it.
Last summer, we took our kids up through Yellowstone and over to Mt. Rushmore. They loved that too!
Also, try the natural deodorant by Just Ingredients. She’s on Instagram, and completely worth it to follow.
Hi Mel! Love reading your Friday thoughts! Have you tried Schmidt’s charcoal + magnesium? I also had mad irritation with some of their other scents but love this one! Our family has also been transitioning to a mostly plant based diet for health reasons and I’ve been loving The China Study Cookbook. Lots 0f great recipes and no weird, hard to find ingredients- I’d definitely recommend it. Well done on your quilt- that’s no small feat! And have you ever played the game Dutch Blitz? It’s a fast paced favorite of ours and you can get the expansion pack to play with up to 8 people.
I love Native deodorant. Have been using it for a couple of years. Itâs awesome!
Yep, Native is the best and smells great. They also now sell it at Walmart and Target I think.
It is almost impossible to pick just one favorite family vacation. We loved the Disney cruise we took a few years ago. We also really enjoyed a trip we took to Florida. We spent time at the beach and amusement parks.
I have had great success with this Thai deodorant stone
I use it with this deodorant that is not natural but also does not cause any irritation.
The stone provides a barrier that helped me no longer have any irritation. I know some people just use the stone and you could try that while you heal up any irritation you are having and then add the Dove if you felt it was needed.
Deodorant- try just ingredients natural deodorant. Itâs amazing!
Quilting- That forest quilt is incredible!Â
Food- No advice in the food column, but Iâm sorry for what your friend is going through. â„ïž
We are also a big family and trying a Royal Caribbean cruise for this first time this March. Iâm excited for this because there will be no cooking, laundry, chores etc for me and everything will be prepaid. The excursions are all booked ahead of time so no figuring out what to do on a daily basis. Â The ship has something for everyone to enjoy at every age level along with a fun kids camp for kids up to age 12 if my husband and I wanted a night for just us to go to one of the adult shows. Â Itâs the best bang for our buck according to our travel agent – who gets a kick back through Royal Caribbean and is free for us to use! She was a huge resource!Â
We were gifted a trip to Disney Aulani in Hawaii last Christmas and it is by far the best vacation we’ve ever been on! Now, we didn’t have to pay for anything (it was a gift), but I would totally save up and go again in a heartbeat! Disney just knows vacation and luxury and customer service.
We’ll probably do a Disney cruise next time because I imagine it’s cheaper and still amazing. Also, staying at the Atlantis resort is on my bucket list.
I’m all about the all-inclusive experience because the kids don’t feel limited and mom and dad know the costs up front and can also relax đ
If you’re looking to stay on this continent, then I recommend Coronado, CA. The Hotel Del is dreamy and the whole island is so cute and charming. And it’s close to Legoland and Sea World if you get an overcast day or don’t want to be at the beach everyday.
We’re also dying to stay at a great wolf lodge and enjoy a water park without the sun.
I heard the natural deodorant by âjust ingredients â (Instagram page is the same name) is good? Â And Iâd love plant based recipes. Iâm hitting that forty-something age bracket where all of a sudden your body doesnât work right and your mortality dangles before your eyes! Thanks for all the hard work and deliciousnessÂ
My family absolutely adores visiting the South Carolina low country – Hilton Head Island, Charleston, and are looking forward to venturing to Savannah, GA this summer when there. Beautiful land and beaches, the BEST food. You can be as active or as lazy as you choose. We love to stay in Sea Pines on Hilton head island and rent bicycles to get around.
Mel, I am Lindsay Malones mother. We love talking about our favorite recipes on your blog. I want to address a few of your questions. Deodorant: I have made my own deodorant for years. 1/4 c arrowroot, 1/4 c baking soda, 5-6 T coconut oil, a few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional). Your body is allowed to sweat, but no odor. I love it.
Next, our company is getting ready to market an ancient Native American Tea that cant make “claims” about cancer, but it really works. I can give you more history and info if you’re interested. Also vitamin B17 is so beneficial. Best source is in apricot SEEDS. You can find them on amazon. 3 a day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPADSv3XAv0&feature=share
I also have been happy with Native! I get it online – great packaging and fast shipping.
I LOOOOVE the Kopari Coconut Oil natural deodorant. Â See what you think! đ
Love these thoughts thanks for sharing!
Vacation: no matter what vacation you do, I’ve found the best memories are made when you do more than just entertain yourself (looking at you Disneyland lol). I’m not saying entertainment is bad, but try to include an activity that would challenge your family (maybe something that helps overcome a fear, pushes you physically, etc) one that would be meaningful (like history, service, national monument etc) and something that is relaxing. I think if you can check 3-4 different types of boxes, any vacation you do is going to be fantastic!
We just went to Branson Missouri, we had a blast! Silver dollar city was a big hit with the kids. We also did Sampson a show that the kids also really enjoyed.Â
Native deodorant is what I have been using for about a year now and was even able to convince my husband to switch over to. You can buy in stores now but itâs cheaper on their website.Â
Our family has 2 vacations that they still talk about – and our kids are 9, 7 and 7!
First trip was to the Black Hills. We went swimming in a lake out there, went camping, there happened to be a small forest fire while we were they and the kids were able to watch a helicopter load up water from a pond that we were staying next to and see them dump it off on the fire! We also went hiking and did some fun tourist stuff!
Our next favorite trip was out to Kentucky. We road tripped out there and did all sorts of fun things! We saw Noah’s Ark, went to Lexington, saw the Kentucky Horse Park. On the way home we stopped in Cincinatti and slept in the Newport Aquarium! It was so amazing! The kids were asking if we could stay on vacation forever
Native deodorant has been Great!!!!
Coconut vanilla is what Iâve loved!
Hey Mel! I am not big on posting, but you convinced me!
When it comes to vacations, I have the problem of always thinking of fun vacations to go on while on vacation! I might be a little too adventurous for my husband. That or it might be that he is in his last semester of school and we are suppose to be saving not spending
My sister in law has been traveling all over the place with her family and has a lot of good tips and sweet places to check out. @csginger
Also I am excited to listen to the TEDx talk! I definitely want to be a finisher but my problem is figuring out what to start doing! Now that I have a 6 month old and am home all the time I am trying to think of what to do at home. Most of my previous hobbies were outside. We do take her cross country skiing but…. still, I am in the adjustment phase.
Ugh, Iâm with you on the deodorant thing. It doesnât help that my armpits itch. All.the.time. I spent the fortune to get the Lume convinced it was gonna be magic. And for two days… it was okay. Apparently you have to get rid of any clothing that made have your old deodorant on it. Â Not happening.Â
You need Just Ingredients magnesium deodorant!! It is my favorite and has so many benefits! She is based in UT. That quilt is fantastic! Thanks for your amazing posts and recipes.
Best natural deodorant out there, in my opinion, is doTERRA’s sensitive skin deodorant. It doesn’t have any baking soda in it, which most people are sensitive or allergic to. I didn’t know this until I did some research and testing on myself. Everyone should detox their pits before using any natural deodorant to get the built up toxins out of your armpit areas. You can use a charcoal face mask to do that. Some people think if they sweat the deodorant isn’t working but that is a myth. We need to sweat to release the toxins from our bodies. Let me know if you want to try it out, I would be more than happy to send you a sample.
I will definitely watch that Ted talk because my word for the year is Grit! Do you do a word for the year? It seems to becoming more and more popular with people or at least I’m hearing more of it.
Costa Rica is the vacation my kids always talk about! We rented a house not too far from the beach in a smaller town. The house had a pool, Â we played in the ocean, rode four wheelers in the jungle, zip lining, fishing, sailing, etc. it was a fantastic trip and we canât wait to go back!
Where in Costa Rica did you stay? We’re considering going there on vacation, but not sure what city/part to stay in.
You need this deodorant: https://justingredientswithkaralynne.com/collections/deodorant-face-serum    It is the best Iâve tried.Â
Iâm so impressed with the projects youâve finished! I have a few lying around that I should finish.Â
Hey there Mel,
Last year our family spent a week on Moorea (the island next to Tahiti) and I can say for the first time in decades that I sat there and felt zero stress. We got a private house with a private beach and because the island is surrounded by a reef, the water is shallow and still, so the kids could go snorkel on their own for hours. I loved putting my chair in the water and reading. Perfect warm sunny weather, perfectly unstressed, and just the right balance of fun and doing nothing at all.
I transitioned to a mostly Whole Foods Plant Based diet a year or so ago, and then brought my family along. I only cook WFPB but don’t force anything on the boys when they’re away from home. I say ‘mostly’ WFPB because I still bake with eggs but I only bake occasionally now because I limit the sugar intake somewhat. I have kept our meals simple (chili, stirfries, etc) because even the recipes that have reviews saying ‘the carnivores in their lives couldn’t tell the difference between this ranch dressing and regular ranch dressing’ were ick. So baby steps. But it’s been awesome.
And I also recently switched to natural deodorant and have been pleased with Dr. Teal’s so far. Not as fool proof as what I was using, but less worries about aluminum and for the most part I don’t sweat or stink. I used to be able to skip a shower day or two but now I just don’t and I don’t have a problem.
I love your Sunday dinner idea. I want to start it. Since we went vegan, Shaun has been taking it upon himself to cook on Sundays in his quest for the perfect curry. And naan is sometimes involved. I’m a happy girl. One recipe I do love is a cashew based Alfredo sauce. Oh and also this cheese: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/melty-stretchy-gooey-vegan-mozarella/
It actually melts and my family likes it on pizza. But it’s an occasional treat. Good luck!
Deodorant-> No Pong.Â
My favorite family trip was taken about 3 years ago when my boys were 13,13,15. We started in San Diego and drove through Arizona to New Mexico then back through Arizona and ended in Vegas. We hit Saguaro National Park, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the Painted Dessert, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and the Valley of Fire (state park by Vegas that is really neat). My guys still talk about that one.Â
Deorderant: I was talking to a group of women at Target in the deorderant aisle. (They are starting to get a large selection of natural varieties.) The conclusion was that natural is good for non stinking but not necessarily for non sweating purposes.
Vegan: I love Pinch of Yum for plant based awesomeness.
Try Just.ingredients deoderant. The best Iâve tried
She has such a great Instagram account too! Iâve followed her for awhile now and I have learned so much. She gives information in a way that is helpful and not overwhelming. I love itÂ
I second the just.ingredients deodorant! Â Iâve tried many natural deodorants and this one has a great smell, no rashes, and goes on smooth. Â
Whole Sisters Boss Sauce is my favorite vegan plant based dressing/dip. Â I use it for everything!
Mel
My husband and I went vegan cold turkey in January. Tons of recipes on the internet. Â Go to âthe game changersâ and âveganuaryâ. Â Killer brownies , I had to hide them from my husband so I could eat them all.
https://gamechangersmovie.com/recipes/easy-freezer-fudge-brownies/
Delicious soup
https://cadryskitchen.com/african-peanut-stew-vegan/
Amazing grain salad
https://us.veganuary.com/recipes/braised-cauliflower-and-puy-lentil-tabouleh
Youâd love All these recipes, too. Â Good luck!
I found this resource for a friend a few years ago when she was diagnosed with cancer. I think it has some good tips, as well as recipes.
https://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/cooking-for-cancer-patients-tips/?utm_source=Jeanette%27s+Healthy+Living&utm_campaign=7531284396-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd6a28bef2-7531284396-73800625
Violets are Blue Skincare just came out with a magnesium all natural deodorant. I found it at Credo, It is the first one I have found that works and is free of oils and smells. (She is is also a breast cancer survivor so the deodorant was the most important product she has created.) She also gives product to women on their first day of cancer treatment at Mt Sinai in NYC.
Justingredients for deodorant. Â The creator is Karalynne and she recently introduced us to Juanique of gutsy_mom on Instagram. Her husband had stage 4 cancer and they cured it holistically. Now they run a clinic in Provo. Amazing story, learning so much. Also kimcankickit on insta talks about juicing celery every morning. Drs gave her a few months to live several years ago.Â
Best wishes to your friend, life is such a tender beautiful mess!Â
I have to listen to that TED talk. I totally agree with you! I also have 4 sons and a daughter and my oldest is just 13. I have thought a lot in the past few years about raising children who persevere, dont give up and aren’t afraid of failure…I know…big goals! These things will all help them naturally and, more importantly, spiritually. One of the keys I have found is trying to find the balance in helping them succeed, while also making room for failure. Failure is actually a gift we can give our children. We learn a lot from failure- its not the end of the world, perseverance, grit, tenacity, and eventually to keep at it until we succeed. For some reason parenting as a whole has seemed to move away from letting our children fail. As mothers there is also within us that innate drive to shelter and protect our kids which we can all argue are very good qualities to have as a mom. But…are we sheltering our kids so much from the storms and failures of life that we are raising children who are unprepared for the difficulties of life(which shape us all) and are so unfamiliar with failure that they are afraid to even try?? Questions my husband and I have pondered. Why are we so obsessed with giving our children accolades and making success even across the board for all? That is not real life…there are winners and losers at games, promotions, contests and to shelter our children from failure is to raise young men and young women who may be so immobilized by failure as an adult that they hesitate to even try. Why not allow room for failure in a place where we can help them navigate the rush of feelings and urge to give up that follow. This is a big issue to ponder and then to figure out how this translates to real life. When my boys were younger one of the practical ways I put this into practice was with something as simple as when they would forget their homework or instrument at home. We lived one minute away and I could easily have brought it to them to save them from the consequences…but it was a very simple way I could let them experience failure and help them figure out modifications in their planning to avoid this same failure in the future. Our end goal has to be what kind of men and women are we sending off into the world someday…what kind of husbands and wives will they be? What kind of employees and fathers and mothers are we raising? Day after day stretches on when they are young and then suddenly you blink and they are teenagers!
Just some musings on my Friday;)
I love your Sunday idea! Question: what kinds of dishes is your youngest comfortable/able to make on her own? I get so nervous handing stuff over to my 7 and 9 year old and they are both afraid of lighting the gas stove or taking stuff out of the oven. Would love your suggestions!
Our favorite vacation so far has been Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. It was one of the best weekends my husband and I have had. Granted, we left the little ones with grandparents, but the whole time we kept thinking about going back and bringing our 2 and 5 year old boys. There are hikes/sights for literally all levels and it’s just beautiful! We went labor day weekend and it wasn’t even bad as far as crowds go. It’s pretty off the beaten path so camping, trailers, or subpar overpriced hotels are the lodging options.
That quilt is amazing! I long arm quilted a super simple patchwork quilt in high school and I’m still just so proud everytime I see it on the guest bed. I think I’d grab that over my wedding dress in case of a fire!
Also, I’m starting to feel like a freak of nature because Schmidt deodorant is actually great for me! Everyone else I know who tried it got crazy rashes too. So sorry, no help there!
I’ve been using Crystal deodorant: https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-essence-Deodorant-Roll-Lavender/dp/B0028FLM16/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=crystal+deodorant&qid=1580482250&sr=8-4 for a few months now. After years of using Secret, it started making my pits itch, so I decided I’d pushed my luck with that. The Crystal works pretty well, although I haven’t tested it out in the Texas summer heat yet. It doesn’t irritate and it smells nice. That’s my story and I’m “sticking” to it!
Last fall my family took a vacation to Death Valley National Park and then Sequoia National Forest. It was incredible! One of my top three vacations Iâve been on. The contrast between those two was immense. Both were mind-blowing and beautiful in completely different ways. Also, if youâve never done the Junior Ranger Program for kids at the National Parks, itâs really fun and easy. Just ask about it at the parkâs visitor center. Â
I tried a vegan diet a few years ago when my arthritis pain was debilitating.  I knew something had to change, and so I stuck with a plant based diet for 8 months.  It cleared up my joint pain within days.  Now I eat meat, fish, etc. but go easy on the dairy and rarely have unmanageable joint pain.  I can’t recommend the blog https://minimalistbaker.com enough.  Great recipes.  Short, few ingredients and always yummy.
My favorite natural deodorant is Native. So much better than all the others! Good luck!
I second the Native recommendation – love the Coconut Vanilla đ
Me too!
I agree with Native!
I always love your Friday thoughts. The Sunday dinner rotation is brilliant. Do you decide what the main dish is (i.e. chicken, beef, pork) and then the kids decide how to cook it, or do you give them free reign to choose whatever?
Lume deodorant is working for me right now, but I feel like it’s a constant battle. And always after I have a baby I feel like nothing works, and I usually end up wearing 2-3 kinds at once (my baby is 3 now, so I guess I can’t use that as an excuse anymore. Ha!). I’ve basically cut out sugar, most dairy (still have plain Greek yogurt and parm) and reduced the amount of bread/pasta I eat, and I’ve noticed a big difference in the amount I sweat and in my body odor. Might be worth a try – or not! đ
As for favorite vacation spots – we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Hilton Head Island, SC. We visited several years ago after some friends recommended it, and loved it so much that we’ve since bought two rental properties. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share the links. They’re next door to each other and each sleep 14, and they’re right across the street from the beach. There’s a pool and BBQ in the complex, and tennis, golf, biking and a million other activities a stone’s throw away. Hilton Head is like the best of SoCal without the traffic (or undertow!). Great beaches (WIDE beach areas – perfect for sandcastles, bike riding, beach games – and warm, shallow-for-a-long-way water), restaurants, shops, galleries, and TONS of family friendly activities. Plus, Savannah is a short drive away and the South is so charming!!
And, your quilts are AMAZING!!! Nice work.
Our favorite family game right now is Telestrations. I have kids ages 7 to 14 and they love it. We play it with just adults too and it is hilarious. It is a mashup of telephone and pictionary. I would recommend the 12 player version.
2 family favorite vacations are the Oregon Coast. We rent a house each time we go and stay at either the Bandon Area or more up North at Seaside. We love the beach and they both have cute little towns with shops, chocolate and cheese factory. It can’t be beat. Our other favorite vacation was Mexico. We stayed at an all inclusive resort. Every other day we would explore. We went zip lining, horseback riding, swimming with Dolphins and also 4 wheeling. The other days we would lounge around the pool and sip on drinks. They had a kids bar and it was amazing. It’s been about 4 years and my kids still talk about it. I think any tropical area could have a similar vibe.
As I child the best trips we took were to dude ranches. You stay in a cabin, ride horses everyday, go on hikes and just enjoy nature. Â There isnât any televisions or electronics so itâs a nice detox.Â
When my father and mother-in-law were diagnosed with cancer, we made a mineral broth from Rebecca Katz. We loved her recipes, more my mother-in-law than my father, but different types of cancers cause different side effects. https://www.rebeccakatz.com/magic-mineral-broth
Wow! Love the animal quilt! That is something I have thought about trying, but honestly it will have to wait till the kids are older (mine are 3,6,9,11).
Those quilts are insanely stunning! You are a great example of going after your passions in life and staying real, too. And I’m with you on the natural deodorant– I tried SO many and was SO stinky despite showering daily, scrubbing, skin masks with Redmond Clay, etc. They only one that has actually worked for me is Native. 2-3 swipes on each armpit and I’m good to go. It does have baking soda, which is irritating to some people’s skin. I also know a lot of people love Just Ingredients deodorant, which is totally clean and has magnesium rather than the baking soda. Everyone is so different in what works well for them. I’m so happy to have found Native and I hope you find what works for you!