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. š
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. š 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. š
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 canāt 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, youāve 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? Iād 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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Best vacation. For years we went to PEI in Canada with our daughters. Beautiful beaches, great restaurants with amazing food that wasnāt too fancy, inexpensive shows. (Anne of Green Gables). Yours may be too old, but we all have great memories of a place where a 4 year old can take a two year old to the store while we sat on the porch and watched.
I loooove the quilts! Bravo! Native deodorant I hear is the best, other than @justingredients who has her own line of some good stuff. I use Schmidtās (I bought the Costco pack ) so Iām
praying every day my pits will surviveĀ until I run out and never subject them to torture again. Meanwhile, it also acts as a razor- so two birds, one stone I love the Sunday dinner idea! Iām likely too controlling for it though, maybe eventually Iāll try it! At least give myself a job and all of them one too. TheĀ best family vacation Iāve ever been on (and pretty much only) is a beach house on Newport Beach. We love the boardwalk and clean beach and being able to change/nap/eat and head back to the beach as many times as we want. Itās also tradition/nostalgic for our family since weāve been going since all our kids were babies.Ā
How can I not reply!!!??? Thanks for your brilliant thoughts and here are a few of my own:
#2 – Brilliant!
#4 – Just Ingredients Deodorant is amazing. The other problem you didnāt mention, but that Iāve had with natural deodorants is pit stains. So gross!!! Anyway, Just Ingredients is smooth, so far keeping my clothes clean and smells so good!Ā
#6 – This warms my heart. My mom went vegan with glioblastoma brain tumor. I believe it extended her life and more importantly, made her feel so good. She did have to supplement with bone broth after awhile. Sorry I donāt have any good tips.
#8 – Have you played Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza??? Youād love it!
Love your quilts!! They are both so awesome. I tried a billion natural deodorants too, and the one I finally stuck with is Queen Helene. No rash, and it works pretty well for me. Sometimes I reapply in the evening. I saw that lots are recommending Native – I havenāt tried that one, but I might need to.
Here is a response to number 4:
I’m Canadian, and have the benefit of using this amazing Canadian product: Ā https://greenbeaver.com/en/products/natural-deodorants
I love the Lemon and Unscented variety. Both work, both are all natural.
Mel, you are the best! Hereās my two cents:
Disney Cruiseābest vacation ever! Totally expensive, but totally worth it!
Every once in a while we have āKids in the Kitchen Dayā (usually a Saturday) when they are in charge of all the food for the day. Ā They do all the planning, cooking, dishes together. Ā Best day ever!Ā
Favorite deodorant: Native sensitive. Ā The scents are so yummy and constantly changing. Ā Just be sure to get sensitive otherwise youāll probably get a rash (the worst). Ā The good scents are online only but I think the regular scents are at Target now.
Thanks for helping feed my family! Youāre a household name here!
I have to say congratulations on your quilt! I remeber when you showed the pattern I was thinking that it was quite ambitious! So great job, it looks beautiful. As of recently Mt. Rushmore was super memorable. A couple of my siblings and their families rented trailers my family camped in a tent! We all stayed in the same rv park that had a swimming pool and other amenities. Seeing Mt. Rushmore was amazing and there were a few other oudoorsy things to see and do. So, so fun!
I love your forest quilt!!
We really liked our vacation to Glacier National park and Rocky National park. So beautiful.
We try to help our kids learn resilience by not buying them much. They have to pay for everything. We keep Christmas and birthdays very simple. We also keep vacations simple. They have lots of chores, etc. I think we could do even better though.
Well, they don’t literally have to pay for everything, bit a lot of their extras they are expected to pay for.
Our favourite place to go as a family is Maui. My husband and I have been many times including several trips with our young children. Lots of activities, beautiful beaches and great food. We usually rent a condo and if extended family is also coming then we all get units in the same complex.
My kidās favorite vacation so far has been Oahuālots to do in addition to beaches (beaches actually stress me out because I have toddlers as well as older kids and I spend the whole time playing lifeguard).Ā
They also really loved our trip to Boston and Vermont, with Vermont being their favorite. Who knew? It really is beautiful there.
A driveable trip that we did that my kids complained about beforehand but ended up loving was Yellowstone/Tetons/Jackson Hole.Ā
My favorite vacation when I was a kid was a church history trip where we drove to Palmyra (from California) and back, hitting all the significant places and a few other non-church sites as well. Three weeks squished in a car with my siblings, but I loved it!
Also, the quilt and crocheted blanket look amazing!Ā
Ok Mel my favorite family vacation ever was Hawaii! Ā I know, it’s kinda cliche but its dreamy and unforgettable. Ā Go to Oahu and stay at the Marriott Vacation Club in Ko Olina. Ā You can buy time share weeks on redweek.com from owners that will save you lots of money. Ā Plus they have kitchens so you can hit Costco and not spend lots of money on food. Ā The resort is gorgeous, Ā but we also explored the whole island including the Polynesian Cultural Center. Ā Highlights include: Lanikai Pillbox Hike and Lanikai Beach, Kailua Beach, snorkeling at Three Tables beach, Diamond Head Hike, PCC, Cliff Jumping in Waimea, Waimea Waterfall, Paddleboarding in Ko Olina, North Shore (Haleiwa), Motsumotos, swap meet, Ted’s Bakery, Leonards Bakery, take a tour at BYU Hawaii (my kids loved this), Laie Temple (watch the movie in the Visitors Center – inspiring!) sunsets!, (skip Waikiki) and so many more amazing things! Ā Often we just hung out at our hotel pool and beach. Ā It’s amazing! Ā Good luck on your vacation planning. Ā We have also done the whole back east thing (DC, NY, Boston, etc.) and my kids said they would pick Hawaii over that, even though they also really liked that. Thanks for your blog! Ā Love the Sunday Dinner plan!
Love all your posts and your blog!
#1 We take one big vacation each year, and many small ones, but our family’s favorite? Lava Hot Springs, ID. We go every year, sometimes with friends, sometimes just us. The kids love it. The town is so small, I can just let the kids run loose, and between the pool/water slides, river, and hot springs they’re perfectly entertained for 3-4 days.
#2 I’m stealing Sunday Dinner Assignments. I’ll run it in tandem with my current program which is: once you’re a freshman, you have to cook one meal a month for the family. Then add a meal each month the older they get, so by the time they’re a senior they’re cooking a dinner once a week.
#6 “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. I’m so excited to see you talking about this!! I’ve been a strict vegetarian for over 10 years, and started transitioning to whole food plant based a couple of years ago. I try to avoid the term vegan (except during Veganuary, because that’s what it is). I’ve just found that term can be polarizing. Besides, vegan just means no animal products, it does not mean healthy. There’s plenty of vegan junk food out there. The blogs I follow for plant based food are, pass the plants, detoxinista.com, and budget bytes, and I have to modify recipes all the time, subbing out meat, eggs, butter, etc. Hopefully this is helpful. Also, I recommend watching “game changers” on Netflix. It will blow your mind.
#7 I’m excited to watch this Ted talk. Thank you!
Wow, a follow up post to some of the best suggestions and what you end up doing would be great. Ā Here’s my input:
1. Moab was one of our best family vacation. Ā If you love doing outdoor things it’s the best. Ā We stayed at a campground that had little wood cabins. Ā Our family loves to mountain bike, but even if you don’t there are lots of fun hikes, river rafting, and atv rentals.Ā
Banff/Jasper (Calgary area) – this isn’t really a vacation for us because it’s my backyard, but it is amazingly awesome up here in the summer months. Ā I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t from here I would love to vacation here. Ā We spend a lot of time in the mountains and it never gets old. Ā We also keep on driving through the Rockies into BC (most beautiful drive EVER) and spend time at the Okanagan lakes. Ā Would be happy to show you around if you ever make it up here – for real!
Wilderness Club in Montana (Eureka). Ā This is almost my backyard so we go often. Ā Can’t say enough about this place if you want to “get away”. Ā Check out the website. Ā If makes your short list (or Calgary area) send me an email.Ā https://wildernessclubmontana.com
2. Love the cooking idea, I’m sure I’ll be terrible at implementation š
3. Our ward was not into scouting (maybe a Canadian thing?) so I’m pretty glad I dodged this bullet.
4. Natural deodorant. My daughter has ultra sensitive skin and if she puts anything “unnatural” on she instantly breaks out in a rash. Ā We’ve tried Tom’s and some others, but the one she likes best is from a company called The Green Beaver. Ā They actually make a natural antiperspirant and it works pretty good. Ā We like most of the scents too and they don’t seem to bother her. Ā It’s a Canadian company and I just looked them up, they do ship to the US! It’s pretty expensive ($14) but with the exchange rate that’s more like $10ish for you. Ā I can always find them in the store that is the equivalent to your TJ Maxx so I get them for $8 Cdn. Ā If you end up trying and being a fan I’ll totally pick them up for you too and ship them. Ā They have tons of natural products.
5. Not going to talk about this, way too many things I need to finish :/
6. Ā Sorry also not my thing, but I wish you and your friend the best of luck in finding delicious recipes.
7. Read her book on Grit. Ā It’s Ā amazing.
8. Thank you. Ā We have bought numerous games that you have suggested.
Love you, your blog, and Friday thoughts are pretty darn great!
Native deodorant from target seriously works!
And family vacations….we live on the east coast, but my favorite is Bald Head island in North Carolina. Its a 4 mile Long Island where no cars are allowed, just golf carts. Ā It is completely non commercial. Has 3 restaurants a market, and a turtle conservancy. We ride our bikes around the island every morning as a family and go to the beach in the afternoons. Cook dinner together and play games each evening. Its magical!
Game: Happy Salmon
I used to make my own deodorant and then I purchased native only to find out I stunk all the time
I recently purchased lume and am extremely happy with it!!
So many comments already. I hope I don’t repeat what’s been said before. I only have a few answers to your questions.
1. Honestly my favorite family vacation was Hawaii. We even did it with 6 kids, the youngest was 3 months old at a time. I love that we didn’t over-schedule ourselves. We wanted a relaxing vacation, so we planned for plenty of time at the beach. We stayed at a VRBO near Laie and stayed away from Waikiki. We only went to Honolulu for the swap meet and Pearl Harbor. You can tailor it to your preferences: relaxing beaches, or hikes, kayaking, snorkeling etc. We stayed pretty flexible, with only the PCC as something we reserved for a specific day, and everything worked out great. I would go again in a heartbeat! In fact my husband and I went to Maui by ourselves a few months ago, and that was amazing too.
2. I love the idea of the kids getting involved with the meals. In general I do everything except for the weekends. My little girls love to “help” me make things which usually means standing on a stool in the way. They help me dump ingredients in bowls, or put chopped veggies in the salad bowl. But I have a problem letting go of being in charge. My my 4 year old would choose mac and cheese every meal!
3. Bravo and getting those boys to Eagle rank. It was like pulling teeth to get my 17 year old to finish (he was 16 when he finished), but my 15 year old didn’t want to finish, so I wasn’t going to push it.
Thanks for the game suggestions, we love new games at our house!
Mel, my body did not react well to the natural deodorants I tried. Ā When my last rash failed to go away I went to see my dermatologist. Ā She studied the ingredient list in the natural deodorants and could not find anything that would cause my problems but it was obviously something. Ā She advised me to use Dove Sensitive and I haven’t had any issues since I started using it. Ā I know it’s not natural but it works for me.
I use Schmidtās, no rash for me but it did take a while to not smell, itās like my body needed time with it. Ā
Vegan blogs I like: http://www.thevegan8.com sheās simple, 8 ingredients and so good!
I also like Nora cooks vegan. Ā
A delicious sauce you may find in stores where you live is called BItchin sauce- I drizzle that stuff on everything from sweet potatoes to dipping my veggies in it. Ā I would take time to transition and ease into it. My kids havenāt loved many vegan dishes I make because your meals are truly the best
Vacation with family: Oregon Coast. If you donāt mind it being a bit cooler at the beach. Ā We enjoy finding the best clam chowder. Ā
I love the idea of having kids in charge of dinner, Sundayās seem to be a good day for us too so Iāll have to try that!Ā
Natural deoderant–Pit Putty Organic Deodorant or nella naturals
Deodorant Powder.
Talc-free powder in a clean scent to use anywhere on your body in two scents, a clean scent and a floral scent. These can also be used for a foot powder in socks or shoes, or where ever you want to stay dry. For men or women.
Ingredients: Arrowroot powder, baking soda, cornstarch, zinc oxide. Clean & Fresh scented with lemon , melaleuca, clove and coriander essential oils. Floral scented with lemon, melaleuca and geranium essential oils.
http://nellabodynmind.com/
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.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083J768O/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_kKfnEb5C280QF
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.
We play that at work for bonding lunches. We have laughed until we cried. Awesome game.
https://bubbleandbee.com
Bubble and Bee is the hands down best deodorant. I’ve converted at least two of my friends. Ā Take the plunge and do it. It won’t hurt your underarms, so many amazing smells and sooooo much better than the ones you buy in the grocery store. I promise you won’t regret it.
Your friend should read the book Chris Beat Cancer. https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com. I took his master class and have pages and pages of notes, recipes and ingredients that are anti cancer. Ā He had a similar diagnose and overcame it. I cannot recommend him enough. I’ve implemented a lot of his suggestions. I don’t have cancer, but my mom and her mom both died very young from cancer and I refuse to do the same. Ā His class is AMAZING and inspiring!
Vacations: Ā
1) Disney CruiseĀ
2) Alaskan cruise
3) Gatlinburg and smoky mt NP
4) Northern Michigan (sleeeping bear dunes national lakeshore, Lake Michigan, etc)
Before I start in……I rely on your recipes every week. Love, love all the options.
I love your Sunday dinner idea also!! My kids are grown though.
My favorite family vacations were Houseboating on Lake Powell (yes, we also towed a ski boat from Northern California) and also Lake Shasta. All of our kids are now married and have kids of their own are opting for this again. So many memories, with the older ones sleeping on the roof of the houseboat and if we had an overflow of people we brought a tent. The other family vacation (which we have done only since we’ve had grandkids) is renting a vrbo (make sure it includes shark passes for the pool) in Sun River, OR. Oh my……what a place for families!! Endless bike paths, and places to explore like the lava caves.
Deodorant? I had the same issues with Schmidt’s. The key is to change brands each time they are gone. My favorites are La Vanilla (you can get a better deal if you go to their website and custom order 3 different ones, then we split the bill between my girls and I) and also Native. (you can get at target) Charcoal and the Coconut/Vanilla are my favs. I hate the Lavender/Rose. I don’t like any kind that I have to apply with my fingers. I would also recommend doing a clay mask detox on your armpits. I do it periodically just before I shower when I know I am home alone and can walk around or sit at the computer. TMI….I know. Here is the website my daughter found and told me about. https://wellnessmama.com/25432/detox-your-armpits/
Girl, I feel you on the deodorant–I stopped wearing it completely. Is that crazy? But I don’t stink, so… Truthfully, I wear it occasionally, and then it’s just Secret brand (not at all natural), and I use it when I’m worried I’m going to be stinky and close to people. I work from home and I don’t sweat a whole lot, and when I do a shower is usually about to happen anyway. So I stopped wearing it. It felt so rebellious and invigorating that I almost stopped wearing a bra too. But I teach seminary and have preteens and other things that seem to require bra-wearing.
Keep the game suggestions coming. Or don’t because I spend too much on games. The one we love recently and I think you would too is Wavelength–great for parties but good for family night too.
I’m soooooo impressed with you and your boys for being finishers, and the Sunday kids cooking sounds amazing. I, too, have control issues in the kitchen (please leave, everyone, except for Netflix on my phone, you can stay). I want to teach my kids to cook but I keep thinking it will get easier when they’re older/taller/more independent. They are 13, 10, & 8 and could probably handle it if I would let go of my concept of the kitchen as my sacred place. I’ll bring up your Sunday idea at dinner tonight and see what they think! LOVE your Friday thoughts. I’ve said this before but you’re the only blog I really read. Thanks for still being here for your legion of fans. š
I donāt wear deodorant either. But my skin is super super dry and I think that may be why I donāt stink….although I do go in waves of semi stinkiness. I think it might be related to the food I eat.
Iāve had the Schmidt rash too!! Ā Iām proud to say Iāve found one thatās all natural and doesnāt irritate my skin. And smells good. The lady is Karalynne and her instagram handle is @justingredients. Her website is also justingredients.us. She has 3 scents and her face serum is fantastic as well.Ā
I love all you do here! Ā Thanks for the hard work you put in.Ā
Cami
I was going to recommend Just Ingredients for different as well!!! I also love her face serum!
Oops, I meant to say, “deodorant” not different.
Congrats on finishing your blanket and your quilt! I just finished my first quilt last fall. I hand quilted it and just loved doing it. To be fair, it was a baby size quilt, so it was a good one to start with. I love your quilt!! It is awesome. On another note, I have one daughter and she learned how to cook just working alongside me and by baking by herself and she is a very good cook now! You have an amazing system with your children cooking an entire meal! Amazing!
I LOVE LOVE this Sunday dinner idea! I am definitely going to implement this! My son just earned his Eagle too… and I am so glad it is done! I use your recipes ALL the time and rarely have a week your not on the menu!! Thank-you, thank-you!!!ā¤ļø
Your quilts are amazing! Ā I love the Sunday dinner assignments. Ā I think Iāll try it. Ā We got Codenames for Christmas and canāt stop playing it. Ā Thanks for everything!
Try EO products deodorants.
Love all your posts and your blog!
#1 We take one big vacation each year, and many small ones, but our family’s favorite? Lava Hot Springs, ID. We go every year, sometimes with friends, sometimes just us. The kids love it. The town is so small, I can just let the kids run loose, and between the pool/water slides, river, and hot springs they’re perfectly entertained for 3-4 days.
#2 I’m stealing Sunday Dinner Assignments. I’ll run it in tandem with my current program which is: once you’re a freshman, you have to cook one meal a month for the family. Then add a meal each month the older they get, so by the time they’re a senior they’re cooking a dinner once a week.
#6 “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. I’m so excited to see you talking about this!! I’ve been a strict vegetarian for over 10 years, and started transitioning to whole food plant based a couple of years ago. I try to avoid the term vegan (except during Veganuary, because that’s what it is). I’ve just found that term can be polarizing. Besides, vegan just means no animal products, it does not mean healthy. There’s plenty of vegan junk food out there. The blogs I follow for plant based food are, pass the plants, detoxinista.com, and budget bytes, and I have to modify recipes all the time, subbing out meat, eggs, butter, etc. Hopefully this is helpful. Also, I recommend watching “game changers” on Netflix. It will blow your mind.
#7 I’m excited to watch this Ted talk. Thank you!
Hey Mel,
You literally taught me to cook, not that my mom didnāt try but apparently I needed to be 22 and about to get married to learn lol. So thank you!Ā
I wish I could help with the recipes but I just barely tried my first green smoothie, so I myself am working on the healthy eating. So I will love to hear about it!Ā
With deodorant I like lume, but with any deodorant you have to try it for a full two weeks to see how your body truly reacts to it and how well it works. I mean donāt keep with it if itās doing something terrible to you, but I have been pleasantly surprised after two weeks when I hated some at he beginning.Ā
Yellowstone. Yellowstone and be willing to talk to rangers and run down the wolf packs in your car and hop out every once in awhile. Donāt forget old faithful and the mud pots! But man if you like outside, Yellowstone is just pure bliss, but go at opening season or the end of the season, way less traffic and more animals. So fun!!! Thanks Mel!
Anyone else have issues getting their comments to post? It happens often to me; I post and then it doesnāt show up, and I lose my comment. š anyway, a shorter recap:Ā
Vacations: ! I have been there tons of times as a kid and at least four times in my seven years of marriage. Mostly Rocky Mountain national Park, staying in Estes Park. I could write a guidebook (do they need another? ) on camping/VRBOs/hotels, restaurants, hikes, you name it! Otherwise Europe, but thatās a big deal…
Deodorant: Crystal salt Deodorant (Amazon). I usually get the rollerball kind. Highly recommend. obviously not an anti-perspirant, but I feel like it helps with that too. And definitely helps mask (prevent!) odors.
Love love love your forest quilt, and love that you incorporate your kids in meal making!! To do that with my family when they are older. Keep up your inspiration to us readers!!!!
Either Estes or Grand Lake. You can stay in one and visit the other. Love the Grand Lake Lodge and the YMCA at Estes. Day trips all over the place, including my Denver…
Have you tried Native deo?
I meant to say āColorado!ā After āVacations:ā
Since the other natural deodorants didn’t work for you, this may not either, but please email me your address and I’ll send you some that my sister makes. She has her own bath and body boutique that she sells her homemade bath and body products out of. Her deodorant is creamy and I imagine it’s similar to Lume so again, may not work, but it does have the most wonderful smell. I believe I heard Lume was unscented. So hers has an advantage in that way at least lol.
Primally Pure is the best natural deodorant I’ve found!
1. West Yellowstone because the geysers are awesome.
1. Sarasota, FL – Siesta Key Beach is the #1 beach in the US for a reason. Powdery sandy beaches and beautiful water. Get there early for parking and grab a margarita at the beach pier.
4. Fatcoās Stink, Stank, Stop in lavender & clary sage. I have tried Underarmed, Schmidtās, Lume, Native, etc. and this is the only one that works for me. A little goes a long way with it and you want to be careful not to overapply because it is coconut oil based and you donāt want oily pits
5. Pass The Pigs. This is an oollldd school game. My husbandās aunt has us hooked on it though! 2 little pigs with a dot on one side of their bellyās. You roll the pigs and depending on how they land depends on the number of points you get. First to 500 wins. Itās like $8 on Amazon and ENDLESS fun for being so simple lol.Ā
Here are a few of my all time favorite plant based meals:
https://cookieandkate.com/thai-red-curry-recipe/
https://cookieandkate.com/vegan-sweet-potato-green-rice-burrito-bowls/
https://minimalistbaker.com/quinoa-taco-meat/
I love to top of my meals with your cookie dough bites–YUM!
SO much to comment on š Best vacation – to Washington D.C. with my cousin’s family when my brother got married. 30 years later we all talk and laugh about it. I love your Sunday Dinner Assignment idea. It is REALLY hard for me to not helicopter when my 9 year old is cooking, but I’m trying because I want her to enjoy cooking and not dread going into the kitchen. We gave her a cookbook for Christmas and we’ve slowly been working through the recipes she wants to try, while I try not to micro-manage or cringe, ha-ha. I loved your āMomās Sunday Dinner Assignment All By Herself Please Leave the Kitchen Area Immediately” title; I can completely relate. Natural deodorants – I’ve heard a lot of people complain about Schmidt’s, but I actually like it – it totally works for me. My husband loves the unscented one from Little Seed Farm (https://littleseedfarm.com/) and likes that it comes in a recyclable glass container instead of a plastic one. I’ve also heard Just Ingredients is good. I am SO impressed with the pieced quilt that you made. You should enter it in your County Fair! I wish I had Vegan recipes to share, but if/when you find/make some good ones, please share. We’ve been trying to find more recipes like that to have in our rotation.
Mel,Ā
I have been vegetarian for 32 years, Luckily my husband was vegetarian when we met and we have raised our 3 kids as vegetarian. We all went WFPB no Oil about 3 months ago. I am grateful your friend is trying this way of eating as there are so many successes. I think the main thing to remember is there are a lot of vegan junk foods out there… so stick to whole food and keep meals very simple. We have tree nut allergies at our house so we miss out on all the fun chashew sauces.Ā
Here are some good web sites to try:
https://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipe-index
https://shaneandsimple.com/recipes/
And these two FB pages are a good gathering place for questions and sharing, they are private but easy and worth joining for your friend.Ā
https://m.facebook.com/dd.healthcoach/
https://m.facebook.com/discoveringthewordofwisdom/
I am excited to have you posting some of the recipes you discover and perfect. I really enjoy you bc you
make me a more confident person in the kitchen. This is such an awesome gift you have given me! Thank you!!
>As for natural deodorant: we, my two teen daughters and I, have tried many but with not great results and such high price tags on many!!!
We have settled on Dove zero aluminum… goes on smooth, no smells, and affordable.Ā
Let us know what you settleĀ Mel,Ā
1. Our favorites are usually beach vacations… we love St Thomas and St. John because we spend the whole time snorkeling and relaxing on gorgeous beaches. We usually stay on st Thomas (cheaper) abs ferry over to St. John for the day. The beaches are to die for.Ā
4. Native deodorant! I like the coconut vanilla for a yummy smell, but Iāve recently been using their charcoal sent because you canāt really smell it? Make sense? Anyway, never going back!Ā
5. Exploding kittens! Such a fun game. Make sure you get the clean version. There is a raunchy one. but the clean version is a BLAST. Also, monopoly deal. All the fun of monopoly without the time commitment.Ā
Youāre awesome! Also, congrats to you and your amazing boys on becoming Eagle Scouts!Ā
Hi Mel! We haven’t been on many family vacations yet, as our kids are 5 and 7. We spent separate long weekends visiting friends and family in Denver and Houston, and both were fantastic – especially the zoos! We did a Disney World trip in September, which was truly magical. I wish you luck on your vacation research!
A game we have been loving is Family Charades. It has three levels of things to act out on each card, the first being the easiest and includes a picture for the youngest kiddos. Lots of family laughs and really remarkable acting by our kids!
As far as the deodorant thing goes… here’s my friend’s blogpost about her fave… https://planforawesome.com/the-best-natural-aluminum-free-deodorant/
I think she sums it up pretty well!
Favorite vacation(s)? Disneyland & Sea World, for sure. Hawaii was another but our kids were too young, wish we’d taken them again! Any National Parks they loved! We lived close to Yosemite and Kings Canyon, went to Yosemite frequently!
Congrats on teaching your kids to cook, your boys earning their Eagle, and your quilts being finished! Yay!!! You’re doing great!!
Well, I love your blog so much, Iāve never commented before, and guess what got me commenting for the first time. Sweaty armpits. I tried switching to natural deodorant a couple years ago and went through the same issues and it also just didnāt do anything for smelling fresh either. So I nearly gave up in frustration, but I didnāt want to go back to antiperspirant. Then I discovered that some companies are finally making plain deodorant for women (can we talk about how many menās options there are for regular deodorant, but apparently we women are so disgusting that we canāt be trusted with anything but the strongest antiperspirant??). Anyway, I now use Dove deodorant and love it. It isnāt all natural, but it is just deodorant and I decided that was enough for me. I smell good and no more other issues either! One of my friends who is really into all natural things across the board and whose mom is a naturopath had the same issues as me and she and her husband use the blue Dove menās deodorant. So does my husband, who is super sensitive to antiperspirant and would just as soon go without putting anything on his armpits and often does unless weāre going somewhere or doing something big for the day.Ā
1. Mexico-Mayan riviera, we went 5 years ago and my kids still talk about it and ask when weāre going back, got a good deal at an all-inclusive resort
2. This made me laugh and feel so much better. I know I should teach my kids to cook, but it takes longer, is messier and often ends with me not being very nice. But I am kind of tired of doing everything and then hearing complaints so I like this solution.
4. Iām currently using primal pit paste, in the tube. I like the jasmine scent. Iāve thought about trying the one by just ingredients, but havenāt yet.
Little seed farm has the best deodorant. Myhusband had serious problems with natural deodorant too. This one works, for him anyway.
Also, sweet fun company.
Best vacation ever, the Canadian Rockies. Banff and Jasper. We took our six kids, 11 to 8 weeks old and had the best time. It is just beautiful. We all dream of going back. Definitely a vacation our kids will NEVER forget.
I use Native Coconut/Vanilla and lovely it. Have not had any issue with it. Ā
As for favorite family vacations, we love Destin, Florida. We rent a condo on the water and cook every night watching the sunset, going back in April!
I use the Native brand deodorant and like it (coconut/vanilla scent.) I don’t wear deodorant every day though, only on days where there may be nervous sweating involved haha š
Our favorite family vacation ever was a trip to the Outer Banks, NC, we stayed in Corolla. We went 2 years ago and are going back again this summer, we canāt wait! Amazing beaches, the perfect mix of relaxing on the beach and also plenty to do (wild horse tour, sand dune tour, jet skiing, kayaking, etc) The houses are huge and reasonable to rent.Ā
We also had a great time last year spending 5 days in Washington, DC. There is so much to do there and with most museums having free admission, you can really save some money and see so much!Ā
For games… Uno Attack is a current family favorite in our house!
I canāt help with any other questions āāļø
Take them on a cruise! Best trip weāve ever done and we did disney world, NASA, Wild Florida and the Orlando Mall! It made for a long fun trip and was so worth it!Ā
Or rent a house in Hawaii! Weāve loved both!
For the natural deodorant, I have the same problem if I use one that contains baking soda. Several brands make baking soda free formulas. I like Meow Meow Tweet Tweet and one that smells like Nag Champa that I got on Etsy.
There are a ton of really good vegan sites out there. Cookie and Kate, The Hungry Herbivore. My favorite though is Vegan Richa. If you like India food, she is the bomb diggity.Ā
Several years ago I started having problems with my underarm skin becoming excoriated with the use of any deodorant, including natural. So, I stopped using it. Ā Morning and night when I wash my face I also wash underarms. I rarely notice any odor and no one has mentioned an odor.
Years and years ago a boyfriend told me he thought deodorant was marketed to make us believe we need it, but we donāt. Ā He never used it and never smelled bad. Of course now and then he got sweaty, but washing up or showering took care of it.
I love that afghan pattern. Iāve been crocheting for a LONG time and Iāve never Ā had anything unravel unless I wanted it to unravel. I have an Ā afghan over me now that I crocheted when I was pregnant with my first child 40 years ago.
For help with a vegan diet you might check Dr. John McDougallās web site and books. (www.drmcdougall.com) Ā Also Ā Dr Joel Fuhrman and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. (sp?)
I didnt like Schmidt’s or Toms at all either. I really like Native though. Hubby wears the citrus musk scent and it’s really nice, I prefer unscented (I guess my pits are sensitive) but also like the eucalyptus mint and the sage one. I also quit using typical soap and usually just wash with water but occasionally wash with a gentle shampoo/shave bar.
I also use laundry detergent that doesn’t have scent but cleans well so that my clothes don’t hold onto smells as much anymore.
I love the quilt you made it looks fantastic. I made my first one this year. It was a request from my 5 year old and he picked an image of Yoshi battling the piranha plant in Yoshi’s Crafted World so I had to figure out how to design it and I just used my little home sewing machine to freeform quilt all over it. It was SO much new stuff to figure out, I had to simplify it as much as I could and I still have to add the binding around the edge before I can call it done but if I get it done before April it’ll be less than I year project so I’m calling it a win already.
Regarding cashews, they should not be eaten raw due to toxins that are present before they are roasted or toasted.