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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We LOVED our trip to Pendleton Oregon (Make sure to book your “Underground Tour” in advance) you can also tour the woolen mills. From there we cut across and over Oregon to Crater Lake and down through the Redwoods.
With the exception of the stretch between Boise and Bend, OR enroute to Crater Lake there are fun interesting stops along the way. It will be fun to see where you end up.
I recently discovered pickuplimes.com–a great sources for plant based/vegan recipes. I love the Pick Up Limes you tube channel as well! I am not vegan, but really enjoy the recipes that I’ve tried–they are simple, don’t use crazy ingredients, and are nourishing.
Your boys and daughter are so cute! I am so impressed with their cooking! Great idea! Good job on the Eagle Scouts, too. It is a lot of work for the boys and their mothers. I have trouble with starting quilts and not finishing them. I’m impressed with the one you finished and it is very cute. The seamstress can always see the mistakes but other cannot so don’t worry about it. We love your recipes and inspiration! We have a very large family and do big family dinners. Often someone comments on a dish and I tell them “it’s Mel’s”, and they usually know who I’m talking about. Our favorite this week was the Honey Lime Fruit Salad. Yum!
My mom gave me Native natural deodorant for Christmas, I haven’t tried it enough to know if it will work as a long term replacement but the coconut one smells nice
Also, A Couple Cooks and Pinch of Yum are some of my favorite blogs for vegan/veggie forward recipes. Oh and Gimme Some Oven, that’s a great blog with a lot of vegan recipes too. I don’t eat vegan but I like trying new recipes and all the ones I’ve tried from those sites have been winners.
I love reading these Friday thoughts posts
I really love these Friday posts. I wish I had time to read all of the comments!
Your quilts are amazing! Way to go! I love your Sunday dinner idea. I love the thought of having some Sundays be “help mom make dinner” day. I also love the thought of Saturday being “help mom (or dad) with chores” day – that way they can learn to do things they haven’t been responsible for yet. And we would get more family time together that way.
A few resilience/grittiness thoughts: I’ve recently been talking with a counselor about some of my children and realized that sometimes biology (genetics, brain development, etc) has much more to do with their temperament and resilience than I realized previously. I use to think that their attitude and resilience was simply a reflection of my own. I took a lot of responsibility upon myself (and sometimes blame). Modeling resilience can help children with such biology, however. My responsibility is to make sure that I am calm and in a good place when I talk with my children, especially when dealing with behavioral challenges. When I choose to remain calm and model, especially on days when I am tired or don’t feel well, or moments when I do feel frustrated – then my child learns those things from my actions without me stating it. My responsibility is also to continue to reiterate the message that my children are intrinsically loved (ie “Good job getting an A, but I’d love you even if you got an F”). So often children assume that their actions = who they are (ie “I behaved poorly, therefore I am a bad kid”, or “People like me because I am smart” but then they really struggle with their self esteem when they hit a hard subject in school). I am trying to be much more cognizant of this natural association, and am trying to break the association, especially as I discipline. I am working hard to reiterate the message that I love them, even if I don’t love the behavior. I am also trying to be more aware of my own thoughts and trying to model healthy self esteem and thinking patterns.
Thanks for being so open and real. I really do feel so comfortable sharing things on your blog. You have a gift for connecting with people – thank you for sharing your many gifts.
https://veeg.co/ is one of my favorite plant-based, whole-foods websites.
I have followed you since the beginning of your blog with your sisters- sisters cafe or something? And reading this I just feel really proud of you like you’re my sister or something! It’s so weird! Your family is growing up into gorgeous people and making huge accomplishments as a mom is a really big deal. Those quilts are amazing!! If you can’t bear to look at that forest quilt send it to me asap. I have used and shared your recipes for years and I always wonder what I would’ve done without you. Weird again! Thank you!!!
My family’s favorite vacation to date was Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Mt Vernon. We watched Nat’l Treasure on the way there. They had learned about these places in history classes and it was really fun for them. The moment my 16yo daughter realized that the DC Mall wasn’t a shopping mall might have been the funniest thing I’ve seen. The least funniest was when my son started touching artifacts in Mt Vernon that actually belong to George Washington! I had to inform him that the super old box he just slammed the lid on was worth more than his life and the old people running this place were going to take him out if he touched anything else…and I would not protect him.
Firstly, body odor is natural so I’m okay with unnatural things to control that. I’m a Dental Hygienist and I CANNOT have smelly pits. Now that I’ve said that there is a company called Goat Milk Stuff that sells all kinds of natural soaps, lip balm, deodorant, etc. I discovered recently that I’m allergic to ALL store bought soaps (yes, I’ve tried them all even the feminine washes) I get their goat milk soap and love it. No more allergic reactions! The company is in Scottsburg, IN and it’s family owned and operated.
engine 2 – plant strong community / book / meal planner is an amazing source of whole foods plant based recipes. the healthiest vegan diet possible. no oil, no sugar, no salt. forks over knives also has great recipes! I am vegan for 1.5 years now and love it! mostly wfpb too and its super easy to cook oil free so dont worry about that! good luck! excited to see more people discussing plant based eating!!
You are so funny, I read your posts and it’s like I’m sitting talking with you, haha. There’s a website called oh she glows.com that has some amazing vegan recipes. I use them all the time and sometimes add meat if I want because they are so good. Even the desserts. And you know how important that is….
I tried the Lume deodorant and man I did not know I could smell that bad!! I’m now using just ingredients deodorant and so far so good.
I also would recommend Little Seed Farm for the natural deodorant. I have used several of their products and they have all been great. For the scents I actually keep 2 on hand, I like the Grapefruit Lemon for a clean fresh scent and I like to have the Unscented if I want to wear another scent and don’t want them to compete with each other. I second the recommendation to try out the samples to find the scents you like before getting a full jar, and while it defiantly not necessary I have enjoyed using their extra applicator as well. They have some helpful tips and a video linked on their blog as well with more information about natural deodorants https://littleseedfarm.com/blogs/news/the-3-best-natural-deodorant-tips-for-everyone
I went on about Grand Lake and Estes Park, CO and should have also mentioned that Vail is a great family place in the summer. They can be in the Village on their own and navigate quite well. On the other hand, visiting CO might be a busman’s holiday for a family from Utah. (=
Natural deodorant: Bali Secrets. Comes in many scents but I use unscented. You can purchase on Amazon. Tried many others that caused a rash….no rash and great success with this brand.
I’ve tried lots of ‘natural’ deodorants and recently found Weleda citrus 24 roll on works well for me, together with the matching body wash. And their Skin Food Body butter which I received as a sample and was what originally got my attention is absolutely fantastic for dry skin. They are a Swiss brand, not sure if you can get them in the States
Best family vacation – Puerto Pensaco Mexico. We go every year. I’ve been going since I was a child and now we take our 4 children and my parents go with us as well. We rent a condo (full kitchen, laundry room) and relax for days. The beach is right outside our door and the weather is beautiful.
First off, the pictures of your family are all beautiful! (You can add ‘photographer’ to your job description.) I thought the ‘tribute’ was hilarious! Sounds like something that would happen to me.
Your blankets are amazing too. I have projects that have sat for many years so no judgment here on the 5 year timeline. I’m at a loss at when you find the time raising 5 kids, running a food blog, and everything else you do. I am wondering if you are human or some superhero with hidden abilities?
My only child just started college in the fall and I sometimes think of all the things I should have taught her, one being how to cook. I offered, but she was not really interested. Now, both her boyfriend and herself are planning to take ‘cooking lessons’ with me this summer! Better late than never I figure.
From all that you share, I think you are doing TREMENDOUS with your kids. For two of your kids to become an Eagle Scout is a HUGE achievement, and cooking/cleaning part of the meal is incredible. And I know your kids have done so many other wonderful things. Give yourself a pat on the back. Your kids know they are loved, and that is the most important thing.
We have tried to take at least one family trip every summer. As to suggestions on where to go, I think Yellowstone National Park was one of our favorite trips. To see all of nature’s beauty and wildlife was so enjoyable for us. I agree with another poster that you need to book lodging at least six months in advance, as staying in the park is definitely the way to go and lodging fills up fast. When we booked our lodging, we booked at a few different areas in the park so that we could continue on through the vast park. Washington DC also offers so much to see, but it just depends if you want a more outdoorsy trip or if you want to be in the city and see all of the monuments and museums.
We are into ‘Five Crowns’ for games right now. There are quite a few rounds, but some go very quickly. Can’t remember if that is one that you suggested?
For Family vacations some our favorites have been these:
Durango Colorado.
Mesa Verde National park is right by, tons of hiking and camping options, or stay in the Durango resort which reminds me a lot of Park City, UT. Drive up the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray where there are some natural hot springs, and a really cool ghost town to explore called Silverton.
New York. You can start in NYC, and then drive to upstate new York to see Church History sites, the Erie Canal. and then Niagra Falls. If you go to Niagara falls, stay on the Canadian side at the Great Wolf Lodge!
Cruise:
We found a super cheap 4 day Bahama cruise. With Five boys, the all inclusive food was amazing, and it was actually cheaper than a regular vacation with all of them. You can find really cheap flights to Florida, and watch the cruise deals for a good one. After the cruise we spent a few days at Universal Studios ( Harry Potter fans around here) This is by far my kids favorite trip we have gone on.
My favorite insta account I follow on learning how to be more non-toxic in my food and life choices is Just Ingredients. I really want to try her deodorant. I’ve heard great things about it. I have tried a lot of different kinds, and honestly, have not yet found one I love. Still on the look out!
Love your posts!
One of our absolute most memorable family vacations was to NorCal to see the redwoods, to hike Fern Canyon, and explore the tide pools at Patrick’s Point. Fun for ALL ages, toddler to adult and truly spectacular.
Natural deodorant? I love love love Native. I hear there’s a period where you have to essentially detox and then natural deodorant will work okay after that. I did find that to be true for me, and I’ve been using Native for several years now and love it. I have a friend who’s sampling Lume and so far so good for her.
Games…we’re Settlers of Catan fanatics and we play all the variations…sometimes to the detriment of relationships and marriages. Several teens have left in tears. Hahaha!
1) Rodanthe, NC. We got a beach house for a week and it was AMAZING (peaceful!). VRBO.com or Midgett Realty. We stayed with my brother’s family in a house called Carolina Girl—that might be too big for a single family—lots of smaller (and even larger) homes available.
2) Thanks for keeping it real!
6) I’ve been trying to incorporate more plant-based foods in my diet, too. Here are a couple of my favorites:
https://www.easycookingwithmolly.com/2019/01/instant-pot-black-eyed-peas-curry-recipe/
https://www.thecuriouschickpea.com/vegan-malai-kofta-indian-dumplings-in-curry-tomato-cream-sauce/ (You must have fenugreek for this one!)
https://myfancypantry.com/2012/04/15/vegetarian-vegan-korma/
8) Avalon is my current favorite game—everyone is engaged during every turn. Might not be great for the little ones, but teen-aged and up it’s great!)
Best vacation would probably be Hawaii…. And as far as natural deodorant I found Schmidt’s to be great at exfoliating the skinny off my body and found Native to not hold up to stank. I use Myro (found at Target). It has worked for me but I do have to apply with my fingers. It dries quickly though.
Our family vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii was my favorite. We love staying in an airbnb so we don’t have to eat out all meals with kids who waste food, and have space to breathe instead of being crammed into a hotel room. We have found the big island to be the most affordable for rental cars, and airbnbs, and it has a lot of family friendly activities- beach, volcano, free zoo, hikes, cliff jumping, so many things. I’d live there if I could!!
I’ve used all of your mentioned natural deoderants and most recently have switched to Native, It’s working well so far.
Congratulations on finishing your quilt! This year I’m hoping to finish painting my kitchen cabinets. I knew it would be a big project when I started, but I didn’t anticipate how much work it would be…here’s to being a finisher.
Lots of us in our family recently watched The Game Changers (netflix) and have all been inspired to go plant-based. America’s Test Kitchen Vegan for Everybody is excellent. And Forks Over Knives online is a great resource. :o)
Have you tried Dr Teal’s deodorant? They have it at Walmart. I like it so far.
Best natural deodorant is by Norwex! My daughter has sweat really bad her whole life and this is the best deodorant that works for her! She also uses the Norwex body cloth which is amazing for many different reasons. Contact me and i can hook you up!
Great ideas on vegan foods or Whole Foods is Annie Miller “The Honest Kitchen Project” look it up on Facebook. She has some videos on cooking and also has a cookbook that i think would intrigue you!
Regarding Natural Deodorant, Arbonne makes a safe and effective deodorant that will keep you feeling fresh all day . Additionally, we have many other products that are free from over 2000 harmful ingredients AND they are effective! A winning combination . Feel free to hit me up for more info at skipper464@yahoo.com or 207-522-1944. Christina Patterson
Hi Mel,
I have the same stinky problem especially on days when I line dance for two hours! Recently I began using products by Arbonne sold by a great friend, Christina Delano. Email her at skipper464@yahoo.com. Their newest deodorant, Shea Butter, created for those of us with sensitive skin. Personally I’m not a fan of scented deodorants. This one fits the bill. I think you will love it. You might want to become a representative once you try their products.
Hey Mel! I have been following your blog for YEARS. Like since before your cooking the hotel days. It’s been a while.
And the whole time I have been dealing with my own dietary restrictions. As far as your question about vegan recipes, my favorite recipes are yours but obviously with some substitutions. Smart balance has been an amazing butter substitute for almost any recipe of yours I have made ( and I’ve made alot, but never as browned butter sadly). My other main substitution has been using coconut milk for milk. It works great. Some people have said they can taste a bit of coconut flavor, but it’s pretty minimal and the resulting texture is great. Your coconut chicken curry, and hawaiian haystacks, to name a few and then I just omit the meat or serve it on the side for my family.
Our favorite family vacation has to be Washington D.C. So much fun and learning at the same time! Lots of walking, bike, and subway riding, but we had a blast!
Mel, I so appreciate and enjoy your Friday thoughts.
I love that they feel like to me that we are all in a giant circle, you facilitate with what’s on your heart and mind, and then we as this huge community have the opportunity to ponder and possibly share, which ends up just lifting and enlightening all of us! Thank you.
I really do hope you share your spreadsheet! I’m battling wanting to read through every single comment to gain ideas for vacations/deodorant/meals.
Vacation: I’ve heard wonderful opinions that all-inclusive resorts or cruises are the way to go. We’ve had a lot of schooling, moving, and having kids so we haven’t spent a lot on a family vacation yet, and haven’t ventured too far. We did live in Maine before we moved here and I can honestly say the nature there gave me so much peace, wonder/awe, and contentment. Acadia National Park is stunning, the coastline and lighthouses, amazing, and Boston is 4hrs away.
I find most vacations I want some aspect of nature, whether it’s the beach or a hike, exploring, or mountain air. My kids love anywhere water meets land so we enjoy that.
I so appreciate your Sunday dinner assignment sharing! What a great system and I am working on letting go of control in the kitchen too . When I see the positive side of doing so it really helps me to want to continue. I have asked my older two what’s something they want to learn how to make and we did that in the summer so they could make something they love all by themselves…mostly. My oldest chose your southwest chicken wraps (one of his absolute favorites) and my 2nd pizza bombs (little bundles of dough wrapped around pizza toppings and baked). I allow them to be sous chefs along with me when they want to be. I agree with you, having them confident in the kitchen and capable of making things is such an important life skill and confidence booster. Thank you for the idea to be a little more intentional with carrying that out.
Way to go to you and your sons on their Eagle Scout achievement! That picture of your son hugging you is priceless.
Natural deodorant, I’ve tried several and haven’t been completely satisfied. I do love JustIngredients for their smell and feel but they don’t seem to last long for me, I’m having to reapply. I am a nervous/stress sweat-er too so maybe it just depends on the “type” of sweating I’m doing, no clue, haha. Trying Lume again right now and I don’t love the smells but it’s lasting longer.
Being a finisher/having grit/growth mindset, I think you definitely have it and are showing it to your kids! You tackle very intimidating projects (at least to me) and push yourself (hard patterned quilts). On top of the responsibilities of working on some land and having animals, I’d say your kids are on their way beautifully.
Ralphie Jacobs from Simply On Purpose just shared a bunch of content on a growth mindset, saved in an instagram video that might be a great resource. A lot of comments on her asking for ideas from followers stated Big Life Journal as an excellent growth mindset resource. I’m looking into that today, since sharing that idea with you reminded me of them.
What a blessing you and your friend are to each other. I don’t have any vegan resources to offer but big hugs nonetheless to both of you and to everyone else that just helped give to help you support her.
May she be blessed with peace and hopefully healing and faith in God’s will for her.
This talk has helped me think a lot on that if it help you or her. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2013/01/that-we-might-not-shrink-d-c-19-18?lang=eng
I can’t solve all the problems, but we love family vacations! We’re big into road trips, but not just driving straight. We like to add something to each day for motivation. Like a stop for a hike, a cool museum, or whatever. Sometimes we get in a lot of driving and the pool at the hotel is the motivation. I use roadtrippers.com and trip advisor to plan, and it’s an obsession. I have big trips from utah to Nauvoo and Waco, and which I doubt anyone would replicate without relatives in those places, but it’s the idea of making it more awesome than it sounds that I wanted to share.
We also love national parks, and the two best stay in one place vacations we have had are the Oregon coast and Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Oregon coast is breath taking, and so much to do and see. I know you’re going to shake your head at driving into Mexico, but that crossing and area hasn’t had any problems with tourists. And it’s amazing. Gorgeous beaches with warm water that’s shallow really far out, incredible sunsets, and delicious mangoes. We stayed at tessoro at Las Conchas and had an almost private beach. Kids ages 3-13 all LOVED. Just go. Only problem is you will want to go back excessively.
Love your blankets!!
What a great picture of your guys!!!
Love these Friday Thoughts! I’m feeling inspired to get my kids more involved in the kitchen and finish some lingering projects.
This crystal deodorant took a few weeks to work for me, but it’s working great now. (I would say it only works for about 12 hours though.) And the huge bonus is that it’s way cheaper than all the other natural deodorants and lasts forever. I got mine in September and haven’t even used 1/4 of the stick yet.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000L978FU/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_uWznEbETJC3QK
Hi Mel! I LOVE your blog and your recipes. You are amazing! A few months ago, my daughter turned me on to Little Seed Farm (littleseedfarm.com) for their organic deodorant. I love them! You can get two free samples from them. (Ok, they’re not really free because you have to pay for shipping.) My favorite fragrances are the Grapefruit Lemon and the Rosemary Patchouli. Oh, and the Lavender is great too! Give them a try!
Oh my, that blanket is lovely!
Seriously, THAT was your FIRST quilting project?! Is that your first and last quilt? Is it hanging or being used by someone? What a great quilt!
About natural deodorant: I made my own and was very happy with it from the first use, for many years. I decided last summer that I just wanted a regular stick of something, as though using a premade deodorant again would make my life easier, it feels like it did. I started with Schmidt’s, which worked well and went on smoothly from the first use, but after a few containers of that, I realized it was making me have a rash. Since I tried the Schmidt’s Sensitive Pineapple Coconut deodorant, I’ve had no rash and smelled good. Have you tried their sensitive skin options, with no baking soda? I’ve tried a bunch of other natural deodorants, which never worked well for me.
Also: good thinking about the Sunday Dinner Assignments. I mean, you’ve already had to clean up a bucket of spilled honey, what could be worse than that?
Mel, I LOVE your blog!!! Thank you for all the work I know you put into it!!! You are amazing!!!
For vegan recipes I like “Oh She Glows” and “Dining at the Ravens”.
For a family vacation how about Mendocino? Beautiful location, hiking, kayaking, beach exploring, lodging from camping to four star spa level, restaurants (including Ravens!!!) cafes, botanical garden, and a great bookstore with a grumpy cat and a fantastic kids section.
Deodorant, well actually I’m still on the hunt there – will totally be checking out your other readers comments!!!
We are a family that LOVES national parks – Grand Tetons & Yellowstone was our favorite family vacation plus as we were driving we did a quick stop by Mount Rushmore. Epic vacation, seeing beautiful country, wildlife plus history. If you enjoy history the Boston Freedom trail or Washington DC are both excellent. Getting ready to do a Florida panhandle beach vacation for a week with daughters and their families. Sitting on the beach isn’t my thing but figure I can do a lot of walking!
Mel, I’ve tried every natural deodorant out there. After reading great reviews, I bought a natural deodorant called “megababe.” It smells awesome (and keeps smelling nice on for a long time), no rashes and lasts for several months. I got it a Whole Foods.
I also love Paleorunningmomma.com. Not all her recipes are vegan, but all of her baked goods are plant-based and can be made with coconut oil. Amazing baked goods!
I never comment but I have something to say on a few topics…
1. Deoderant – Native. Although full disclosure I now use Schmidt’s because – well – it’s $7 cheaper and it woks for me.
2. Last summer we took our kids on a “Wild West” adventure – we flew into Rapid City, SD (we’re from Philly area), spent one week exploring the Black Hills, going to a rodeo, horseback riding, etc. All new things to our kids. We also went swimming in the reservoir lake nearby and visited mini golf and Culvers so it wasn’t all hiking and new stuff. We rented a cute and cheap air bnb bungalow on a stream. Then we drove to Yellowstone/Grand Teton and spent a week there driving around, exploring, hiking, swimming in the shadows of the Tetons. To be honest I was frightened of how this all would go but it was an AMAZING experience for our family. There is no wifi or even service in much of WY so it forced everyone to just interact and make memories! If you ever do go to Yellowstone my recommendation would be to book cabins ASAP because they open up a year in advance and they book up fairly quickly. I also recommend staying in the park. It’s just such a huge place that driving in and our every night would have eaten up SOOO much time. And what is better than staying near Old Faithful and getting to eat ice cream and watch it do its thing after all the crowds have left for the day???
Love your crochet quilt Mel and the other one is amazing!!!
I’m not very crafty, my skills are more towards the kitchen but my daughter ( now 15) decided 5 years ago that she wanted to start knitting, I looked into for her and suggested maybe to start with crocheting as her Grandma had actively done this when she was little. I bought her everything she needed to start and away she went. I helped initially and there were times she felt like giving up but with a bit of encouragement and perseverance she has taught her self an array of skills including with no help from me knitting. Although kids can lose interest with self motivated practices I found that facilitating your kids interest and not letting them give up when it gets hard really builds there self confidence. Now when it comes to handing control of the kitchen over, I think that’s something I’m still working on but getting better at ; )
P.S All the love, time and dedication you put into your family Mel really comes across on the other side of the screen xox
Arches National park is our favorite! The only problem is it can get very busy. We love the red rock areas of Utah. Yellowstone and the Island Park area are amazing but i think you are like us and go there fairly often. We also like the beaches of centeral Cali. San Simeon and Cayucos are pretty and fun. No way warm though. The locals thought we were crazy for going out in the water in January. But we had left several feet of snow and below freezing temps in Utah so it was great!
I love your ideas about cooking with your kids. I need to do it more because they enjoy it.
I’m obsessed with quilts and yours is so incredibly awesome! We have a forest (aka little critter) themed room in my house and my heart melted when I saw your pic. Great job!!! It has such a whimsical look to it which makes it so unique.
Also, love your pics of the kids cooking. Reminds of America’s Test Kitchen and it’s just darling. They truly look like they are having fun and that’s the most important part. And their togetherness. ❤️
I’ve heard many relatives and friends say how great Maine is. It was my dear grandma’s fav state and she had been to all of them.
I don’t know if it’s natural or not but I love Native deodorant. I have extremely sensitive skin and finally found this one that my skin tolerates and it works well as a deodorant. I love the scents, too. Easy to order and now available at Walmart.
Oh…..I forgot. I finally found a natural deodorant. It’s from the People’s Pharmacy. It’s called . M.O.M.
It actually is Milk of Magnesia . I don’t want to spash a little on each morning from a big bottle of Milk of Magnesia, , so I buy the roll on version. It’s been fantastic.
Loved this post…..from the boys in the kitchen..to that beautiful Fancy Forrest Quilt.
It’s fantastic your sons are learning to cook and bake.
Your quilt is a family heirloom…….just beautiful and special.
justingredients.com has the best natural deodorant. I used to eventually get a rash with each one I tried and this has been a game changer. Her face serum is fantastic too! Has been great on my skin graft scar on my face and neck due to melanoma. I know you can relate.
Yes! Best deodorant and love the face serum too.
Love the natural deodorant @justingredients
Question #6 We often make your tomato/kale/brown rice soup in the instant pot plant based/vegan—I just sub in white beans for the chicken. I make different dry beans in the IP and then freeze them. It’s cheaper and doesn’t come from a can—so not as processed. Good luck with you search in helping your friend.
You guys. YOU GUYS! It’s almost midnight and I just spent hours reading through your comments. I wish I had time to respond to every single one. 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
You’re the sweetest, Mel!! I LOVE your heart. Thank you for being you, for the incredible recipes, for all that you share. xoxoxo
Your Elizabeth Hartman quilt is AMAZING. Such a different pattern. My expert quilting sister is struggling with it. Give yourself a big pat on your back. I love your blog, recipes, ideas, and your friendship. Thank you!!!!
Ok I know the natural deo thing is so controversial right now…but I tried! And basically had a similar experience to you. I decided on an aluminum free but not necessarily “natural” one and it’s been awesome. Maybe look into that?