Diy coffee creamer

I absolutely love my morning coffee. I also love creamer.  I recently read something about all the nasty chemicals  in the flavored coffee creamers. Totally grosses me out because I try to eat healthy.  

I saw this do it yourself creamer recipe and I have to say it's really delicious. I never used condensed milk, but I had a few cans from making homemade fudge over the holidays (I'll post that recipe later) so I whipped up this batch of creamer and it's really sooooo good. 

Ingredients:

1 can condensed milk

3 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

Optional vanilla extract or any other flavoring 

Stir together really well

Enjoy!!

I actually prefer it without any flavoring, but experiment with it. Fun and delicious with a lot less chemicals!!

Stuffy Head, Runny Nose...What do you do?? Home Remedies I've tried

Usually at the first sign of illness I start eating crazy amounts of garlic.  Garlic is a natural antibiotic and helps to fight away those icky sick germs.  BUT on occasion the germs creep in and I'm stuck with a nasty cold.

Here's some remedies I've found:

Garlic: Natural antibiotic, I've eaten an entire bulb in a day just to feel better (Not good if you suffer from heartburn) Try making homemade garlic bread with some crushed cloves.  The best way is to chew it raw, but it can be really harsh and burn. I overdo it. Like kill a vampire status amounts of garlic.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Make sure you buy "with the mother", has antimicrobial properties and is good for a whole slew of uses.  A shot 3 times a day when you are sick helps wipe out a cold quicker.  Just have a big glass of water to chase the shot. Sometimes I gag. You can mix it with honey and cinnamon to make it go down easier.

Honey: antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal
Local honey and raw honey are best.

Ginger: An anti-inflammatory, If you can find the ginger tea granules they taste pretty good.  Otherwise you can buy fresh ginger and crush it or chop it and soak it.

Cinnamon: antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal

Eucalyptus oil and Vicks: Put it on the bottom of your feet, with socks, before bed...helps clear up congestion.  This is wonderful for babies and small children who are too young to medicate.

Thieves Essential Oil: Essential Oils by Young Living you can sign up or purchase.  My sponsor name is LORIANCHRISTINE and ID is 2040427 if you want to sign up.  There are oils for just about everything.  I had found some amazing yoga using this oils by Ashley Turner

Steam: Boil a pot of water, grab a towel and put your head over the steam.  Just be careful not to burn yourself or put your face to close to the boiling pot.  I recommend turning the pot off once it starts to bowl.  If you have Eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil you can add a few drops and inhale.

Saline: Flush out the nasal cavities, moisturize nasal cavities, or use a neti pot.  The children's saline is also very helpful if your little one allows you to put it in their nose.  (Good Luck with that)

Onion:  Onions pick up bacteria almost as soon as they are cut (that's pretty nasty), if you cut an onion you are supposed to use it right away and not store it for later use.  Because of this, you can cut an onion in half and put it in a bowl in the room where you sleep.  It's supposed to absorb the sickness.  This is a long time used method in Ayurvedic healing.

Chicken Soup:  If you can make your own bone broth it is more beneficial.  Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily.

Cold Sock Treatment:  This sounded a bit odd, but it worked.  3 hours into sleeping my feet were burning and I was actually hot all night.

Yoga breathing techniques:  How to clear a stuffy nose in a minute

Ways to make a few extra bucks

I have been searching for ways to make a few extra bucks. Here's a few things I've found.

eBay.com ... Tried and true, but things don't always sell

Craigslist.com... I use it on occasion, I just make sure to meet in a busy place 

Decluttr.com .... Use it to sell all your old DVDs, prices vary, but if you are trying to get rid of stuff you don't use its worth a shot

Facebook yard sale groups and mom groups... Just make sure you read the rules

Etsy.com ... If you make stuff and want to sell it. I'm going to try this out, I used to make and sell jewelry. Maybe I can sell it there

How do you de-clutter your life?

I have a friend who wants to retire, sell everything she owns, and travel the world.  Her philosophy is we are tied down by "stuff".  I admire her goal and often feel overwhelmed by all of my "stuff".  Where did it all come from?  Why do I have so much?  And what do I do with it?  Of course I like much of my stuff, but I also realize we live in a crazy materialistic world.

So, how do I get rid of so much stuff??? How do I de-clutter?  What do I need/not need?  I was talking to someone else who said she read a blog by a woman who gets rid of 1 thing a day and if she buys anything new she gets rid of 3 things in its place.  So I am committing to getting rid of 1 thing from each room, each day from now until Christmas.  It's a lot less overwhelming than trying to get rid of everything at one time.  It gives me time to think about what I want, need, and can get rid of and not miss.  When the new year rolls in I will start over - 1 thing a day until I feel less overwhelmed by so much "stuff".

Organize your entire life....

So on Pinterest I came across a pin that said Organize your entire life! Well, YIPPEEEE!!!! The post I've been waiting for...so I clicked http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/02/im-woman-with-plan-and-routine-and.html

Read the article....Oh DARN IT!!! She's not all that organized?  My hope is gone!  I sit here typing and contemplating all of the organizing I could be doing, but I'm not because its exhausting to be that put together.  Ya, I've been off for almost 2 weeks between Hurricane and Fall recess, but believe it or not doing nothing is exhausting.  No really, it is.  The anticipation of having to clean stuff makes me tired.  BUT I did accomplish a few things.  I have what I call an organized mess (bet you have one too).  It'll all get done eventually.  Gotta get out there and live too.  And more often than not I'd rather sit and make a crazy mess with my son than worry about cleaning it up!  Quality over quantity.

So, I will keep looking up tips.  Accomplish them little by little.  And what gets done gets done.

And if I see anything good, I will most certainly post it.

From Bloggy Mom Challenge Nov 4

Sunday November 4, 2012

The image on my desktop screen...says "Inhale Love, Exhale Gratitude", a simple reminder in a life full of anger.  Remember to love and be grateful for what you have because it could be so much worse.  Remember the struggles you have overcome and that you overcame them.  Inhale love, Exhale Gratitude.....

hack hack, cough cough, ahemmmm...

Oh the awful dry throat hacky cough!!! What do you do????
So far here are the home remedies I've tried and what I feel has worked

warm honey and lemon with a dash of cayenne (spicey but soothing)

warm honey and lemon (temporarily soothing)

warm honey and lemon with cloves (then chew one clove) - this actually worked the BEST

Saline nasal rinse to get rid of the drip (I bought the one for kids, just the spray)

Boiling water with Lemon Eucalyptus (kinda burns but clears you out)

I should have six pack abs I have coughed so much...Hoping the combo of any and all of these works!!!