Long Time, No Sea

Why 3 yr olds and scissors don't mix.

Thank goodness we can turn this into the bank and they can reimburse us. The National Treasury Dept has a whole gaggle of people who do nothing but recover legit currency that has been relentlessly mollested by… 3 yr olds- like mine.

With all the hype about the swine flie going on,I am conveniently at the urgency care clinic down from my house with a sore throat.i don’t normally come in for sore throats, only ive had this one for going on three weeks now.

Its turned into more though. With swollen lymph nodes and really sore neck muscles- it feels like the flu.

I’m not the only obe in here though. So the minute I step in, I can read eveyones mind. “what is wrong with her and does she have the swine flu?”
I feel so yucky sitting here. I want to be in bed. Not this open spaced clinic with a roaring AC unit. All most of us have to do is sit and stare at one another and wonder why were all here. Preteen daughters whisper to their mothers and the mothers whisper back. Eldely men cross their arms and legs and close their eyes as they dose off in the sedating ambiance of the facility. Women call peoole on their mobile phones and try their best to conduct business and we can hear everything their reciever says.
And in the back of all of our minds we are suspiciouse of each other- who has the ‘plague’?

Maybe it’s me, who knows?
My whole body hurts now and my head feels like it’s going to explode.i guess if it did people would be less worried about the pig flu though, woulnt they?

eva

So, me being MAJORLY ADHD and disorganized- I havent made the jump to homeschool yet. Im seriously considering it though, as my kids get into the upper grades quickly.

I struggle a lot because my husband works funny hours (he’s a creative in advertising) and acedemics never was my forte. Were a smart bunch, but I struggled in school throughout the whole of my adolescent years.

The thing Im really struggling with is what they find is appropriate teaching curriculum 4th grade+ and the things my kids are subjected to in public school.

I’m not so worried about them being subjected to people of other denominations because that is part of what our world is about. There will always be someone else who doesn’t believe what we do, and the important thing is to arm ourself with the word and look to it for our answers so that we may be a beacon.

Im more worried about the families who feel that showing Austin Powers and Scary Movie 2 to a bunch of 10 year olds at a birthday party is acceptable… having my 9 yr old hear second hand from an YOUNGER child about what sex ‘is’…. and the naive mindframe of schools that we need to “get real” with young people who are bombarded with sexual images, that our only hope is to teach them how to curb disease and pregnancy through condom use, that they need to embrace, rather than control, these new feelings that come with puberty.

I’m feeling pretty low at the moment for the society and how things are affecting my kids. I want to move away to a farmhouse- away from prying neighbors eyes and the discrimination that conservative large families get with each passing year.

Lord help us in these times. *sigh*

So I had written in my old accidently deleted blog, about my no poo diet. I started it almost 2 weeks ago and so far everything is going beautifully! I havent used ANY shampoo on my hair in 2 weeks (I need to take an after shot).

But here is the before picture.
I have been having issues with not only oily hair but also dry hair and itchy scalp and hair loss. I know that hormones play a huge part in this, as does stress- but I can also attribute my SHAMPOOS to it.
Im an aromaholic- so if it smells good, Ill get it and use it. I loved the salon shampoos that make my hair smell like a billion bucks, but Ive been finding that it dries my hair out and gives me an itchy scalp. Abigail who is 10 today, also suffers from an unballanced hair situation. Her hair gets stringy and greasy really easily- but then after using shampoo alone, she gets dandruff and her scalp is itchy. So I have been using it on her also.

So I started this no-poo (no shampoo) diet where we use more natural minimal items. They say to use baking soda, vinegar, water and lemon juice… and then there are other natural herbs to use also.

So I took some white vinegar and water and put it in this old tanquerey bottle with 1/2 a squeezed lemon. Then I sprinkled some baking soda in making sure it didnt bubble over. I then added some lavender water in and it smelled so good. This mixture only barely lasts a week if not refrigerated. One of the wonderful things about not using preservatives. You have to be careful about how much lemon you use also, because it can lighten your hair if you dont wash it all out.

Thayers Witch Hazel Rose Thayer 11.5 oz

But I would use this tonic on our hair once every other day if need to to every 3 days. My hair smelled wonderful, felt light and soft and wonderful. Over the past week though, I have been using this alcohol free Thayers Witch Hazel Rose Thayer. It containins witch hazel, aloe vera, rose water, vitamin E, and grapefruit seed extract which, is especially beneficial for sensitive skin. It has been very refreshing for my scalp and also, I havent been able to find anywhere that it hurts your hair in any way as long as it doesnt have alcohol.

One of the reasons I am avoiding shampoo is because of the overuse of the sulfates in them and other preservatives and additives. These dry out your hair and scalp and are gnereally not good for you, yet were taught to just trust the shampoo companies because everyone else uses them right? The following are some clinical studies on the shampoo ingredients and toxicology.

In its final report on the safety of sodium lauryl sulfate, the Journal of the American College of Toxicology notes that the ingredient sodium lauyl sulfate has a “degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties.” What’s more, the journal adds, “high levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration.”
The publication expressed additional concerns:

Carcinogenic nitrosamines can form in the manufacturing of sodium lauryl sulfate or by its inter-reaction with other nitrogen-bearing ingredients within a formulation utilizing this ingredient.

• Other studies have indicated that sodium lauryl sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact. This poses the question whether it could be a serious potential health threat from its use in shampoos, cleansers, and toothpastes.
• Still other research has indicated sodium lauryl sulfate may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties.
• Although sodium lauryl sulfate is not carcinogenic in experimental studies, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes in the area it is applied, indicating a need for tumor-enhancing assays.
• Additional studies have found that sodium lauryl sulfate is heavily deposited on the skin surface and in the hair follicles. Damage to

the hair follicle could result from such deposition.

Substitution of Gentler Detergents Poses Additional Risks Unfortunately, many of the gentler detergents that may be substituted for sodium lauryl sulfate pose their own health hazards. For example, many companies have begun to use ethoxylated detergents such as sodium laureth sulfate, cocamide DEA or lauramide DEA because they tend to be less irritating.

Consumers can recognize shampoo ingredients containing ethoxylated detergents and related ingredients by looking for the prefix, word, or syllable PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, eth (as in sodium laureth sulfate), or oxynol.

Both our own commissioned independent laboratory testing and that of the federal government have documented ethoxylated alcohol compounds are frequently contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which is carcinogenic and is listed by the federal government as a probable human carcinogen.

Also, according to a 1998 report from the federal National Toxicology Program, two DEA-based compounds‹cocamide DEA and lauramide DEA‹have been demonstrated to be cancer-causing in at least in one species of animal.

The Doctors’ Prescription for Healthy Living/ Safe Shopper’s Bible Recommendation

According experts on the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel (established by the Cosmetic Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, a cosmetic industry trade association), both sodium lauryl sulfate and its close chemical cousin ammonium lauryl sulfate “appear to be safe in formulations designed for discontinuous, brief use followed by thorough rinsing from the surface of the skin.”

It should be recognized that shampoos represent such brief, discontinuous use products that are thoroughly rinsed, thus clearly minimizing the risk from sodium lauryl sulfate. It should also be recognized that many people shampoo daily, and we really do not know whether a lot of little exposures to sodium lauryl sulfate are dangerous or not.

Given the lack of adequate research and suggestive evidence, however, we believe it might be wise for health-conscious consumers to seek products without sodium lauryl sulfate, especially with regard to young children. Indeed, consumers have the power to choose safe and perhaps even better products without sodium lauryl sulfate.

This may be a very wise choice for another reason. We have found very often the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate in a shampoo formulation is a “marker” for the use of other undesirable ingredients, including formaldehyde-containing preservatives (e.g., imidazolidinyl urea); possible cancer-causing wetting agents (e.g., cocamide DEA); and nitrosamine-forming agents (e.g., triethanolamine). Also, it should be mentioned that in Germany, where there is a concerted effort underway now to label cosmetics and personal care products as certified natural, formulations containing sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate cannot be so certified, reports Michael Wrightson, president of Logona Kosmetik.

References “Bioassay of 1,4-Dioxane for possible carcinogenicity (CAS No. 123-91-1).” National Toxicology Program, TR-80.

Bouillon, C. “Shampoos and hair conditioners.” Clinics in Dermatology, 1988; 6(3): 83-92.

Conry, T. Consumer’s Guide to Cosmetics. Garden City, NY: Ancor Press / Doubleday, 1980, p. 74.

“Final report on the safety assessment of sodium lauryl sulfate.” Journal of the American College of Toxicology; 1983; 2(7).

Sixth Annual Report on Carcinogens, 1991. Summary. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, 1991, pp. 192-195.

“Sodium lauryl sulfate ammonium lauryl sulfate.”1996 CIR Compendium. Washington, D.C.: Cosmetic Ingredient Review, 1996, pp. 134-135.

“Toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of coconut oil acid diethanolamine condensate (CAS NO. 68603-42-9) in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (dermal studies).” National Toxicology Program, TR-479.

“Toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of lauric acid diethanolamine condensate (CAS NO. 120-40-1) in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (dermal studies).” National Toxicology Program, TR-480.

So, I have been battling a virus for a few days. It started as a sore throat and then moved into a dry cough with a draining feeling and tad of a stuffiness.

The odd thing is that.. since we stepped up the cleaning in the home, everyone seems to be getting infected with something. We don’t get sick often and when we do, we usually heal pretty quick. But It started with Eva having some sort of personal issue (wasnt sure if it was a UTI or a yeast infection or what) and then she scratched her nose and that seemed to become infected as did her blister on her heel, I cut my thumb which promptly became infected, as has the kids other cuts and scrapes and Jay’s cuticle on his finger.

Abigail’s elbow was pretty gross last night where she had scraped it with pus and redness and both the girls seemed to have their earinghole’s infected. Then this morning- Gracie woke up with a gooey eye which I suspected was pinkeye. Not knowing if it wasn’t just her rubbing it, she went off to school who then called e an hour or so later to pick her up. Yup, it’s pinkeye.

This is SO untypical for our household… ! So, something is haunting our home somewhere. I decided to get down to the bottom of it and I broke out the Raw Honey.

I put some on a bandaid and put it on Abbie’s elbow this morning. When she got home- she realized the bandaid had fallen off. But where she had a pus pocket and a nickle sized area of redness it was no longer red and there was just a skin pocket like a blister top. The honey worked SO FAST.

So Ive been covering everyone with it and using it in a homemade eyewash for Gracie’s pinkeye made of raw honey and a chamomile tea bag. Im hoping it will be a lot better by tomorrow so she can go back to school.

-Jyn

I did a big booboo.
I DELETED my Wordpress database while screwing in my file manager.  What a sad night that was, because I have been posting some things and ideas very dear to me and of course only having my blog up for a bit- I hadn’t had the chance to backup anything.

So, those who were actually reading my blog have to bear with me while I try and repost some of what I can remember I did.

People giving their lives to the Lord

Pictures from Easter.

Easter service with Kutless playing

Jon Micah and wife leaving the stage after dedicating their 2 week oldPeople giving their lives to the Lord