Thursday 25 July 2013

Oil of Oregano's benifits


Oregano is good in our food but what do people use Oil of Oregano for?

To my surprise there are lots of reasons to use it. Here are some.

-Cough
-Congestion 
-Runny nose
-Sinus pain
-Allergies 
-Acne
-Canker Sores
-Tooth abscess
-Warts
-Foot fungus
-Antiseptic

That's just to name a few.  

For those of you who have never tried oil of oregano and have no idea what it tastes like.  Expect it to taste like oregano on steroids.  It will punch you right in the tongue!  Have something ready to wash it down.  It helps, but you'll have an after taste for a while.

What have i used it for?  I caught an awful cold and didn't want to take cough medicine.  I needed to be alert and on my feet because unfortunately life goes on no matter what.  I put 1 drop on the back of my tongue and within seconds my cough was much better.  Anytime my cough came back I took another drop.  It tingles and burns slightly for a few seconds.  I didn't mind tho,  it wasn't as bad as some cough medicine I've used before, plus halfway through my cold i couldn't smell, hear or taste anything so i didn't mind ingesting it, not that hearing has anything to do with taste.  I made sure to take another drop right before bed, nighttime coughing is the worst!  It helped me fall asleep.  

My runny stuffy nose.  I thought, it worked really well on my sore throat, I'm going to put it up my nose.  DO NOT just put it up your nose full strength,  it hurts.  I made that mistake, I will tell you, it works really well at clearing the sinuses.  Still, never again.  What I did instead is put a tiny little bit just under my nose.  When I say tiny I meant less than a drop.  What I would like to try in the future is emptying a nasal spray container, cleaning it and filling it with water and a few drops of oregano.  It should be diluted enough that it won't cause pain.  Ive used this same technique to fight my allergies.  My allergies are usually dust and dander related so I sneeze like mad, but when I put Oregano under my nose it stopped my sneezing for a short while.

My burning lungs.  When I was trying to cut down on my smoking, my lungs would burn and I felt like I couldn't breath.  I filled the sink up with boiling hot water, added a few drops of Oregano and draped a towel over my head to trap the steam.  I sat there for about 15 minutes breathing deeply.  I felt much better after, I could breath and the burning was gone.  I had to do this a handful of times, it's not a permanent fix, but it did stop me from thinking I was going to die.

I will continue to use Oil of Oregano for my future colds, allergies and anything else I think I could use it for.  I'm pleased to have found an alternative that actually works!


Friday 19 July 2013

Dollar store crayons. Never buy them.

This is the reason why I will never buy dollar store crayons ever again.


I bought my daughter her first set of crayons sometime before she turned one, I don't remember when exactly, I do remember she was a roly poly little monster and I had to show her how to use them and that they weren't for eating.  Very shortly after I gave them to her I thought those crayons are pretty expensive for the destruction they're going through right now.  I let her completely destroy them, she would rather peel the paper off than colour with them.  I bought the name brand crayons at the toy store.  I did appreciate that those crayons washed off everything.  She would tell me when she coloured on the walls by saying "oh oh e i oh" (her way of saying crayons or colouring because we were trying to teach her the vowels anytime we were colouring together) and lead me to the crime scene.  I would get a cloth for the both of us and we would clean the mess together.  I do my best to teach her that art is for paper and not the walls or the floor or anything else for that matter.  For the most part shes good about where she puts crayon, it`s usually on her or in a colouring book.

Those crayons actually lasted a really long time, they have been chewed, thrown, smashed, used as hammers and rockets and not many of them have paper on them anymore nor are they the original length they used to be.  I should buy more crayons.

Almost every evening around 7:30 we take the little misses out for a walk to the park or the dollar store to burn that last little bit of energy before bed.  This time we went to the dollar store.  Walking up and down the isles I saw crayons.... cheap crayons!  $1.50 for 36 crayons!  OH MY!  I grabbed them and a little note book.  I just beat the system haha.

The next morning is when I released the crayons into my daughters possession.  She was so excited, she coloured for most of the morning.  then the boredom set in and she was looking for something else to colour on.  The bathroom was the perfect place to draw.  On the cupboards, the floor and the door.  As usual I told her that`s not where we colour and then tried to clean it, but this time it wouldn`t come off.  Its just smeared everywhere.  Now I know why they`re $1.50, man this sucks.

So, regular dish soap didn`t work.  Neither did wood soap, or bathroom cleaner.  I don`t usually use magic erasers but they`re built for stuff like this, I think they`re going to be my new best buddy when it comes time to cleaning stubborn messes like this.  I still had to put a bit of elbow grease into scrubbing the crayon off, but it finally came clean, thank goodness!

My lesson has been learned, don`t cheap out on crayons.  Never ever again.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

5 ways to keep your washng machine odor free


 These are the things that I have done to keep the stink away from my washing machine.



  1. 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent is enough soap.

    If you have very hard water then use 2 tablespoons.  If you think about how much less water a high effecient washing machine uses, it would be silly to use the same amount of soap as you would in a regualr non efficient top loader.

    If you run a wash cycle without clothes or soap and you see bubbles, that's a good sign that you have soap build up in your machine.  This also means that you more than likely have soap build up in your clothes, towels especially.  A build up of soap is what mold and mildew love and that's where the smell comes from.

    Make sure you're buying laundry detergent that says "He" (high efficient).  High effecient soap bubbles less and is easier to rinse.  Easier to rinse = less gunk.



  2. Keep the door open.

    When your washing machine isn't in use, leave the door open.  Everything needs to be able to dry out in order to keep mold and mildew at bay.  There's even a special fan you can buy online that sticks to the back of your washer, it sticks with a magnet and it blows air inside to help with the drying process.  If you're like me and you don't want to dish out an extra $70, you could use a fan that you already own and point it at the drum on the inside.


  3. Wash and dry the rubber seal.

    There is a big rubber seal around the opening of your washing machine.  If your washer is like mine then it gets funky and needs a good washing from time to time.  A small amount of water is left here after you run a cycle and over time to turns into mildew.  Sometimes I like to use baking soda and vinegar to scrub the funk away, and if I don't feel like making potions I just use dish soap.  Don't get the dish soap in the machine or you can have a big bubbly mess.  Dry well when the area is clean.

    Give the inside of the door a good wipe for good measure.  You would be surprised with what comes off the glass sometimes.


  4. Drain the extra water.

    Do this at your own risk.
    There is a chance that you have something stuck in the drain or it's clogged with gunk.  The door to the drain is on the front, along the bottom.  Mine is on the bottom left.  Make sure you get a big enough container to collect all the water that will drain out.  There's lots of YouTube videos on how to do this if you're feeling adventurous. 


  5. Smelly Washer or Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.

    Smelly Washer is a powder that you can purchase online.  Just throw some powder in the drum, run a cycle on hot and there you go.  It works fairly well for me.  It had a very mild smell, perfect for those who don't like perfume.  Tide came out with their own washing machine cleaner too.  I haven't tried it yet, so I couldn't tell you how good it is, but I have read some positive reviews online that make me want to give it a try.



    With everything that I mentioned here, the number 1 most important thing to remember is to make sure you are only using 1 tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent.




 Here's a couple of links for you.
 
http://smellywasher.com/

http://www.tide.com/en-CA/product/tide-washing-machine-cleaner.jspx


Things to remember.
- Only use 1 tablespoon of laundry detergent.
- Keep the door open.
- Wash and dry the rubber seal.
- Drain the extra water.
- Try Smelly Washer or Tide Washing machine cleaner.


Tuesday 9 July 2013

How to Make BABY WIPES!

This is how I make my own baby wipes.  

I will give you the goods first, then I will talk about the wipes at the end.

First off, these are the things you will be needing.


Make Baby Wipes - A bucket that will fit 1/3 of a roll of paper towel.
- A new roll of paper towel.
- A big wipes container.
- Grape seed oil or olive oil.
- Baby shampoo of your choice or baby bubble bath.  
- Tea Tree oil.
- Measuring cup.
- Tablespoon.
- Pen.
- A sharp knife.
**No detangler or 2 in 1**




Make Baby Wipes
Go ahead a get your wipes container.
                                          
Make Baby Wipes
Hold the pen steady just under the lip of the lid and twist the roll of paper towel gently.  Now you have a nearly perfect cutting line.










Make Baby Wipes

Now get your knife and start sawing like you mean business.  This can be hard if you are using a dull knife.  In that case, try to convince someone else to do this for you.









Make Baby Wipes

This is what it should look like when your done cutting.  If yours looks mashed up with paper towel fluff everywhere don't worry.  Its not going to matter, just pull off the large chunks of paper from the roll and pretend it never happened. 







Make Baby Wipes


 Now we need the oil, tablespoon, and the measuring cup.

Measure 2 tablespoons of oil and put it in the measuring cup.










Make Baby Wipes

Add 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo or bubble bath into the measuring cup.











Make Baby Wipes



Now add 2 drops of Tea Tree oil.  Its antibacterial and Keeps those germs at bay.











Make Baby Wipes


 Add water to the 1 3\4 line in your measuring cup.













Make Baby Wipes


Stir it up good and pour a little in your bucket, just enough to cover the bottom about a 1\2 inch.










Make Baby Wipes




Put your roll in the bucket and give your mixture another good stir to mix the oil again.










Make Baby Wipes



Pour the mixture on the roll, make sure you get the whole roll wet.












Make Baby Wipes



Let it soak through for 5 or 10 mins.
I flip mine over after a couple mins because sometimes the oil just sits at the bottom.








Make Baby Wipes





Then you can pull the cardboard out.












Make Baby Wipes



You can pull from the center like a regular pack of wipes.  I don't do that, the two ply seems to peel apart anytime i try to do it this way.









Make Baby WIpes




This is what I do.  I unravel it from the outside and pull the sheets apart.












Make Baby WIpes



I start making a pile of torn apart sheets and I lay them in my wipes container.  This way is easier for me.










Make Baby Wipes



There you have it.  Homemade wipes. 















I wasn't very interested in making my own wipes when it was first mentioned to me.  After humming and hawing i gave it a try.  Guess what?  I've been making my own wipes for a little over 2 years now.  If you have everything ready to make them or at least have your paper towel cut, then its really no big deal, it's really quick to do.

What really sold me was its super cheap.  My roll of paper towel has 158 sheets that I cut into thirds.  Depending on the brand of wipes you want, you will be paying anywhere from $2.50 - $7.00 ish for 1 pack!.  I think a normal deal on branded paper towel is $21 for a pack of 8 rolls with only 58 sheets, thats $2.62 a roll (not including tax).  You use the same roll 3 times, so it works out to be $0.87 for one pack.  Try to get something with more than 58 sheets or your wipes might end up really soggy.

Other than price, I like how they work.  They're great for sensitive skin and since Ive been using wipes that I make, I've only had to deal with mystery diaper rash twice.  All other times was because of the flu or from eating too much fruit.  They smell better and in my opinion, they do a better job at wiping.  They're also good for other things too like cleaning crayon off the wall.  Use your imagination, there is no limit.  Its crafty and cost efficient, go ahead and give em' a try.

Sunday 7 July 2013

My reduction of smoking!

I'm not one of those super strong people who can just stop smoking completely without looking for a clock tower.  I've tried to quit smoking probably a billion times (not quite), it is soooo hard.  I thought I would give it a try again, this time I seemed more motivated than all the other times I've tried to quit.  The extra motivation also gave me more confidence than I expected.

Now, how in the friggen frick am I going to do this?!  Smoking saved me from awkward social situations, end a meal quite rightly, wake me up in the morning, keep me company in the car, kept boredom at bay, I use smoking as a reward for everything I do.  This is going to be hard I thought.

Okay.... well.... sigh.  I will start really small and put absolutely NO pressure on myself and I will see how far this will get me.  I would like to add that I love smoking.  So first things first, I started to wait as long as humanly possible to have my first smoke of the day.  First it was an hour, and then 2 and then the next thing you know, I wasn't having my first smoke until 1:00 in the afternoon.  I usually get up at 9am, so not too shabby for me.  I stayed here for a while, until it felt normal to have my first smoke at 1pm.  Believe it or not I was already feeling the side effects of not smoking as much, such as lungs burning in a spot or two, tight chest ( I thought I was having a heart attack a couple of times), restlessness, man oh man the hunger, I've never been more hungry in my life.  It wasn't because I was looking for something to do, I was physically hungry.  I even had some nausea a couple times, that was the worst!  Then I started snapping at my boyfriend, poor guy haha, oh well my turn is next when he decides to quit.  It was completely out of my control, I thought to myself, what kind of crazy banshee am I?  It didn't last too long, or I'm now used to treating everyone like my slave worker.  No, I think it's passed, I know this because my boyfriend has a normal look on his face again.  Before he looked like he was living with an air horn that would give a good blast at random.

I seemed to plateau at having my first smoke at 1pm. I'm really comfortable here, but it's not good enough.  I started poking 2 rows of holes in my smokes to make it hard to get lots of smoke, it felt more like pretending to smoke.  well, wouldn't you know, I started smoking like a friggen chimney!  Non stop, all the time, I couldn't get enough no matter how many times I went out side and sparked up.  I thought screw it, I'm obviously not getting enough and that's why I'm going out every 20 mins.  I kept at it, and after a week and a half ish, smoking like this was starting to feel normal.  SWEET BANANAS I'm onto something here!  *fist pumps the air like a dork*

So eventually smoking like that felt normal, and again I tried to wait as long as I possibly could without smashing the poop out of random inanimate objects to have my first smoke of the day.  What I'm trying to do here is cut the relationship of smoking and habit.  I need to learn how to deal with the triggers slowly without stressing myself out, if I feel like I can't do it and I cant take it any longer, I don't worry about it, I just go have half a smoke and I try harder next time.  This method is working really really well for me.  I'm proud of myself, I'm doing what was said was one of the hardest things you can do - QUIT!

Food is tasting different, it's better, I cant believe how good I smell and I have so much more energy than I used to have, I wake up much easier in the morning.  I feel like a normal person.  This is awesome.  I'm also setting a better example for the little one.

So, where am I now?  I'm happily smoking about 2 - 3 smokes in the evening.  It's been weeks since I've had a smoke before 7:30pm.  I'm having a hard time moving forward at the moment.  It's really rewarding to have that evening smoke after all the stuff-doing of the day. Later when I'm feeling a little more ambitious, I will continue reducing how much I smoke until I smoke no more. :)

Friday 5 July 2013

The shopping sacrifice to be a stay at home mom.




 I feel very lucky that I'm able to be a stay at home mom with my little baba ganoush.  I would like to note that I'm in no way against daycare!  I love spending everyday with my little weirdo (she 2) who likes to get stuck in various places a couple times a day, loves washing her hands and brushing her teeth, only likes to eat yogurt getting her to eat anything else is like pulling teeth.  I’m not saying that I pull her teeth to get her to eat other things that would also be a tough task.  I also don’t think she would cooperate very well.  I’m joking of course, geez.

Large sacrifices have been made between my boyfriend and I just to ensure my burning desire of raising my child myself.  Sacrifices such as not going shopping or going to the movies as much as a normal girl would love too, I can hear my shoe collection crying in the closet out of boredom and loneliness due to a lack of use and lack of new shoe buddies.  I'm not also speaking on my boyfriends behalf, that's laughable to anyone who knew what kind of a woodsman he is.  When I make him go shopping with me, he makes this face:

Then if I ask him if he likes this shirt or whatevs, he makes this face:

But then we go to basspro and check out all the quads and guns and boats and things:

But then we have to leave without a new quad, and that is pats sacrifice to our little darling until she goes to school full time, which is a few years away yet.  One thing to remember is, its not forever.  It is very hard at times and very stressful, but to us it is very worth it.

That’s just one sacrifice and I’m sure one day I will be able to shop until my hearts content but for now, I will continue to hand wash shoelaces and take care of the things I have just to make sure they last as long as possible.  To be honest, sacrificing is quite the pain in the ass but I don’t really have the time to dwell on what I don’t have and what I think everyone else has because I’m too busy reading stories on the couch, cleaning a mess that I choose not to avoid because I want to teach some hand eye coordination, getting something clean to wear again, kissing boo-boo’s and when daddy gets home from work, has had supper and a shower we all go for a walk or go to the park to burn off that last bit of energy and its brush your teeth, slam on those p.j’s, read this book and say I love you sweet dreams 10 times, snuggle the crap out of her until she falls asleep in my super safe arms.

For my darling Claire, I know that I can speak for her when I say that she thoroughly loves spending most of her time with me, learning from me, playing with me, pretending to read to me, and my favorite the cuddles!

This is me!

My name is Christie and I am a full time stay at home mom with my wonderful two year old little girl.
I don't think I have a niche or a specialty talent like a select few lucky people, but I do like to talk (especially if someone says good night for some reason and everything comes spewing out like I was locked up for a century) and I like to pass information on to other people, which is why I decided to start a blog.  I'm not going to be blogging about one thing in particular, rather Its going to be different things I talk about with the people around me.
I plan to share my opinion and show everyone a little this and that and maybe give a review or two.