Rabbit Power

I have had rabbits most of my life, including now. They've always been the perfect pet: Quiet, low maintenance, small, inexpensive to feed (and eat vegetable scraps and weeds), and provide the perfect fertilizer. When I was growing up we always used the rabbit poop in the garden and I didn't think much about it. It was the natural thing to do.

Well, it still is.

Recently, as I was trying to figure out what kind of fertilizer to use for our little fruit trees, I started wondering if something more natural (and certainly cheaper), like our rabbit's droppings, are good for trees too. So I looked it up, and here's what I found (and was reminded of):

Rabbit Poop is...

• a "cold" manure--meaning it won't burn your plants, like other non-composted manures can
• a natural "time-release" fertilizer (I love that!)
• a natural "steroid" for plants because it contains 3.7% nitrogen, 1.3% phosphorus, 3.5% potassium, and contains trace elements of calcium, magnesium, boron, zinc, manganese, sulfur, copper and cobalt. Amazing! (see this website)

Also, I learned from this site that, "Of all animal wastes, rabbit droppings have the highest nitrogen content. Chicken waste is a close second" (we'll have that soon too!). "Rabbit droppings also contain phosphorus, which is important for flowers and fruit trees."

Medicine or Poison

"The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful medicine or the slowest form of poison."

-Ann Wigmore

Comparison Cost of Essential Oils

Adding something new like essential oils to your healthy lifestyle can feel expensive at first, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Really, it's all about perspective. And if you have a small budget, like us, you can ease into it gradually by buying one bottle a month--or every other month. Once you realize how effective they are and are using them regularly, you'll use the oils up more quickly, of course. This had me a bit worried at one point, but a friend of mine pointed out that when your child is sick you spend at least a co-pay of $20, if not more. The doctor may or may not prescribe antibiotics--depending on what the illness is (and in our case it's normally a virus, so seeing a doctor isn't of much help)--which may or may not work. On the other hand, you could pay more or less $20 for a full bottle of an oil that would yield many doses and help in numerous ways. Of course, there is a place for antibiotics and you must use your own experience and common sense in deciding what needs to be done in any given situation. But in my family's and many others' experience, pure essential oils, like doTerra's, really do work to lower fevers, boost the immune system, ease pain, soothe, etc, etc. With no side effects.

So...for those just getting into this, exactly how expensive are essential oils?

I found a couple of breakdowns that were helpful to me and that I wanted to share with you:

Amber at doterrabyamber.com includes a complete list on her great blog, but here I will just include some of the most popular oils:

Cypress .07
Eucalyptus .06
Frankincense .28
Lavender .09
Lemon .04
Marjoram .08
Melaleuca .08
Oregano .08
Peppermint .07
Rosemary .06
Wild Orange .05
Wintergreen .07
Balance .08
Breathe .08

Citrus Bliss .05
Deep Blue .39 (10 ml)
DigestZen .13
OnGuard .13
Slim & Sassy .10

Most nights after my shower I like to use a drop of Melaleuca (aka Tea Tree) mixed in a few drops of fractionated coconut oil as a facial cleanser/moisturizer. This nourishes the skin, kills germs, and doesn't clog pores, and is the best thing I've ever found for my face. As you can see from the above list, my daily cost for this facial treatment is eight cents (plus a few drops of the coconut oil, which is even less expensive per drop). I dare you to find a facial astringent/moisturizer that inexpensive that works as well! :)

On that same website, is a very interesting comparison of the price of treatment with essential oils vs. the price of traditional western medicine.

Another website I found explains why it can be argued that essential oils are "Much, much, much cheaper than over the counter and prescription drugs." She tells a true story about how diarrhea in a young child was fixed using DigestZen when other (more expensive) remedies had no effect. (DigestZen has helped me several times when I've had indigestion, so I know personally that it works.) And the total cost for this last method? Twenty-six cents. 

The blog author continues by saying: "There are around 250 drops in a 15ml bottle. If you are using 2 drops per application, you can use that oil 125 times before it’s gone! Talk about cheap! And the BEST part is.. most essential oils have a 1-2 year shelf life and depending on the oil it could have a shelf life of 5 or more years!" (Frankincense, for example, while more expensive than many oils, has an indefinite shelf life and actually gets better with age.)

So, as with most things, this is all about perspective. And once you take everything into consideration, trying essential oils for yourself, I think you'll understand what all the hype and excitement are about!

Telogen Effluvium and on Being a Survivor

My hair now

I've jokingly told my kids they can call me "fuzzy head" and have wondered how many others around me have noticed my perpetual "bad hair days." I haven't let it bug me too much, trying instead to just focus on how grateful I am that it's growing back in. Although, some days I wish I had a shirt that says something like I'm a Pneumonia and Childbirth Survivor. Those who have been through grueling cases of one or both of these can empathize with me. The problem, in my case, was that I went through both within two months of each other. (I've written about this a few times here.)

My hair at about 6 months pregnant

During pregnancy, the rate of my hair growth increases (and it normally grows fast) and I lose very little, so I have great "pregnant hair"! But a few months after I have the baby, all that hair I retained begins falling out in clumps. It's always alarming, but I've learned that it's normal and I'll be okay. This last time, however, my hair started falling out within a couple months after my son was born, and a couple months later it still hadn't quit. In fact, my hair loss seemed to have accelerated, and I was truly beginning to feel frantic. About five months after the birth of my baby, my hair loss finally slowed down and I discovered "baby hairs" growing back in--all over my head. Thus, "fuzzy head." As I had lost a fourth to a third of my total hair volume, this discovery came as a great relief!

It wasn't until my mom happened to mention her hair loss last fall that I realized there might be a pneumonia connection, since she had also had pneumonia that summer (a month before I had it). So I decided to do some research and found out there is actually a scientific name for this condition: Telogen Effluvium. It "occurs when sudden or severe stress causes an increase in the shedding of the hair. In Telogen effluvium a sudden or stressful event can cause the hair follicles to prematurely stop growing and enter into a resting phase. The hair will then stay in the resting phase for about 3 months after which time a large amount of hair will be shed. (This other site says it may only take 1 month, which was closer to my case.) Often the person involved will have recovered from the event before the hair loss occurs. In most cases the hair loss is temporary and the hair soon recovers." (see this link for more information)

For me, this has felt anything but soon. It has now been a year since my baby was born and I have a long way to go to get back to the very long, fairly thick hair I had last year at this time (I had to keep having it cut shorter and shorter as it became thinner and thinner). At least my hair does grow fast and it is growing back.

Until then, I'll just keep remembering I'm a survivor.

Yard "Saling"

Last summer I wrote about yard sales as Budget Saver Tip #23 because going "yard saling" has saved our family a lot of money over the years. Now that this season has come around again, I've once again got it on the brain. A couple weekends ago was a great one for yard sales in my town and I scored big! I'm still excited about it. :)

The best thing was finally finding a bike for my 7-year-old. I looked all summer last year, without success, and had almost decided we were going to have to save up for a brand new, expensive bike. But I kept praying and looking, and was finally rewarded by finding a nice one my daughter's size--for $5! What a blessing. All the bikes I've seen for that price at thrift stores and other yard sales over the past year have been rusty pieces of junk. But not this one! The money saved was so worth the long wait! (She did have good scooter to use all last summer.)

Something else I found that weekend yard saling were two shirts for me. One was brand new, the other looked new, and they were Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger brands--for 50 cents each! The only time I have brand name clothing is when I find it like this. But I was tickled more by finding good quality shirts that I really liked than the fact that they were brand name; that was just the icing on the cake.

That weekend I found a few more needed items for great prices, which all culminated in a fabulous start to the yard sale season. So here's wishing us all great success!

"Super Salad"--or Kids and Veggies, 2

My kids' favorite salad meal is when I use our Bountiful Baskets salad veggies, make lots of toppings, and they get to make their own Super Salad. I love that they like this kind of dinner (even my 4-year-old, who only eats a couple lettuce leaves) because it's easy, healthy, and can be prepared ahead of time, if need be.

In fact, a couple nights ago when I made this dinner again, my 7-year-old exclaimed, "Mommy, you should write this recipe on the computer so other people can make it!" Her enthusiasm surprised me, and of course there's really no need for a recipe, but I thought, why not talk about it? This idea probably works for other people's kids too.

So here is what we do for our Super Salad night:

Main Salad:
Fresh green leaf lettuce (various types), broken into bite-sized pieces
Tomatoes, diced
Carrots (shredded or thinly sliced)--if available
Cucumbers, diced--if available

Toppings:
Cheese, cubed
Eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and diced
Canned beans, rinsed (for salads, my favorites are kidney and black beans)
Hamburger, cooked and salted to taste with Real Salt, or seasoned with my homemade taco seasoning (I will note--again--that this topping is totally unnecessary, except when I have to resort to it for the oft-mentioned daughter, who is chronically low on iron)
Raisins
Salad dressing of choice

Another thing I love about this meal is that it makes more than one meal's worth and tastes great as leftovers, and can be added to subsequent meals as a side dish.

"Aha" Apples

Ever had one of those "aha" or "I knew it!" moments about something you've already been doing for years? That's what I had a while back about something as simple as cutting an apple.

I had never thought about the way I cut apples until a good friend of mine watched me cutting them for a pie and asked me about it. She wondered why I did it that way and all I could say was that's how my mom taught me to do it, once upon a time.

Much later, my mother informed me that she had watched part of a cooking show where the chef demonstrated our way of cutting apples and said it was the most efficient way to cut them. My mom and I already knew that from experience, but we didn't expect a professional chef to know it! (Well, okay, we didn't really think about it.)

Such a little thing, but I felt validated. And I thought it would be fun to share.

So here is another chef demonstrating this technique (the only thing I don't do is cut off the little end at the beginning):

How to Cut Apples -- powered by ehow

Growing

Remember my post a month and a half ago about our new arrivals? I knew they had grown a whole lot since then, but it really is striking to compare pictures. In fact, it's hard to believe they're even the same birds! Here is what they look like now--mostly finished with their ugly phase, but not yet to the mature hen stage.

No longer are they the timid, sleepy little things they once were, that's for sure! They know what they want now and aren't afraid to make their opinions known. I have the feeling they are getting antsy for a real chicken coop (we're working on it!). They are also great bug catchers already, which was such a fun realization for me. Early on, a cricket wandered into their cage and other than a moment's puzzlement, they didn't pay it any attention. Now, however, when we catch bugs and drop them in, the response is instantaneous.

It's also fun to compare pictures of our Wyandotte, as her markings are the ones that have changed so drastically over the past several weeks. She's going to be a beauty.

I also thought I'd mention the book that has helped us a lot in our preparation to raise chickens...

And the book that continues to inform our novice attempts to build the kind of chicken coop we want, within our price range...



We've learned valuable information from both books and feel much more informed and prepared. Considering we started all this pretty ignorant, that's saying something! Of course, we have also asked many experienced people questions on both topics. That's one thing I'm good at: asking questions. And I'm sure I will continue to have many more as we continue this "backyard chicken" journey...

Another Favorite Product in 2012

For some reason, lately I have been thinking about everything my long-ago women ancestors had to do just to accomplish simple, necessary tasks, like washing clothes and making bread for their families. I don't know how they did it all; I feel like I have more to do in a day than I can possibly accomplish, and that's with electricity and modern conveniences, like this immersion blender!

Last Christmas, my husband gave me this, which was something I had had on my wish list for a while. I use it often and am so glad I have it. It takes so much less time to make creamy soups (like my favorite, Cheesy Cauliflower/Broccoli Soup), and produces fewer dirty pots and pans, since I can just cream it all right in the soup pot I serve it in. I'm all about efficiency!

I also like having the other containers, as shown in the picture. These may be specific to the Oster brand and weren't something I planned on, but they have also been helpful. One of them has a blade and hooks right up to the top part of the blender, as I mentioned in my Sneaky Chicken Nuggets recipe recently.

Seriously, what's not to love?

Pink Slime, Anyone?

I've been hearing a lot lately in the news about "pink slime" and am pretty disgusted by the whole thing. I know it's supposedly completely safe and completely beef, but the thought of yet more chemicals added to our lives is not a happy thought. Especially when those chemicals are passed on to our children in school lunches. (Yet another reason to send my daughter to school with safe, healthful food!) And yet, it is said that these chemicals are what make the meat safer than traditional beef.

Surprisingly--or not--this is a complicated issue. Here is a great article for those who are interested in learning more about this dilemma. For example, "[Pink slime] solves an enormous problem for meat producers. Only about half the weight of the 34 million cattle slaughtered each year is considered fit for human consumption. The rest has to be burned, buried in landfills, or sold cheaply for fertilizer or pet food. LFTB recovers 10 to 12 pounds of edible lean beef from every animal and is said to save another 1.5 million animals from slaughter."

Ugh.

At least this stuff is going to have to be labeled so everyone can make the choice for themselves. But my resolve to find fresh, safe beef locally continues to be strengthened...

My Evolving Philosophy about Different Daily Diets

The longer I live and observe and experience, the more I stick to my long-held belief that diets don't work--unless they entail a permanent lifestyle change. Rather than going on a diet to lose some poundage and a few inches to look better for an upcoming event, we should be changing our lifestyle to be healthier and feel better.

Those last two words are everything--and I'm not talking about a temporary feel-good from comfort foods. If we don't feel good--feel healthy and have energy--something is wrong and something needs to change. Often this change can happen with what we eat on a daily basis. I remember wondering as a teenager how the majority of my peers could eat candy all day (added to a donut for breakfast and/or pop and a candy bar for lunch) and feel anything but crappy. I still don't understand how they functioned!

Now, with all my interest and research into health and nutrition I have talked with many people about the way they eat--the raw food diet, the Weston A. Price Foundation philosophy, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, non-dairy, low-carb, the blood type diet, etc--and each one, including me, is passionate about what works for us. We all have our own philosophy and swear by it because of the positive (sometimes life-changing) experiences we have had by changing our lifestyle to meet a particular daily diet. And there are so many elements of all of these "diets" that are good and healthful. What I am coming to believe is that there isn't any one way of eating that is perfect or right for every person. This makes sense to me because there are so many different body types and we all assimilate vitamins and minerals differently. For example, just within my own little family, as I have mentioned before, while my husband, second daughter, and I don't want/need red meat all the time, our first daughter needs a small regular dose every couple days to stay healthy. And while some people in my extended family gain weight by eating a small amount, others can eat huge amounts without gaining anything. Metabolism, level of activity, amount of stomach acidity--there are so many factors!

My belief is that as long as we're basing our nutrition on the fundamentals as given in scripture, and on natural, whole foods, we won't go wrong in our quest for our own personal right diet.

So my evolving philosophy is: When people get serious about improving their health, they must figure out what daily diet makes their own body feel and perform optimally. Usually this is a gradual learning process that may take years, but it is an enlightening journey and one that can lead to greater happiness and satisfaction.

Kids and Veggies

Not long ago I got talking to a friend about children and vegetables. She used to live in Taiwan and noticed that kids there don't have any issues with eating vegetables. They don't even think about not wanting to eat them because that's what everyone eats. I think this is so wonderful and wish our culture were more like that! As a country, we'd be so much better off in so many ways. 


When you study the evolution and disintegration of the American diet, it becomes obvious why our children turn up their noses at the green stuff (and yellow and orange and...). Adults aren't even eating the recommended amount, so how would their kids learn to like them?

When I was a child my family ate veggies often, particularly fresh vegetables from the garden. My mom had collected numerous squash recipes to make things interesting and to try to help us like squash. For me, at least, this worked. Since we didn't have much money, vegetables along with wheat and rice made up the foundation (and majority) of our diet. (Interesting how the least inexpensive, most natural foods are often the most healthful!)

I have raised my own children similarly. Now that we live mostly off a weekly Bountiful Basket, we have increased our vegetable consumption to the proper level (as I discussed here), but I served veggies to my children before that and we have always grown them in our garden. So why do my kids claim to dislike so many of them? Honestly, I feel sometimes like they're getting pickier as time goes on!

Back in September I was so frustrated with this I asked for ideas on how to get children to eat squash, in particular. Unfortunately, that is still an issue at my house. So whenever we have some on hand I try to sneak it into the meal without my kids knowing. Sometimes this works better than others, but what I have found that is most consistently effective is putting squash in spaghetti sauce. As long as I don't add too much and I blend it up well, the redness of the sauce disguises it. And since the sauce we use the most already has lots of veggies in it, my kids are used to seeing a sauce with textures.

So, I'll keep plugging away and keep serving all varieties of veggies, regardless of the complaints. And I'll keep looking for yummy, more kid-friendly recipes to try to change my children's mindset. I guess the fact that my 4-year-old will finally eat carrots and cucumbers with dip shows we're making progress...albeit slowly. :)