DIY Swim Ear

My 10 year old stepdaughter, Julia, is prone to swimmer's ear.  Two summers ago, her pediatrician told us to make our own solution to use after she swims.  It's way less expensive than Swim Ear drops, and is simple to make.

Mix equal parts of alcohol and vinegar.  Alcohol dries any water that is in the ears.  Vinegar restores the normal pH of the ears.  I bought a dropper bottle from the health food store to put the mixture in.  I put about 1/2 a dropper full per ear, then turn head to the other side for it to drain out.  Repeat on other side.

DIY Hand Soap / Body Wash / Shaving Soap

I've been making this soap, in different variations, for the last year.  I've finally settled on the way I best like to make it.  It contains only 2 or 3 ingredients, depending on what scent I make it.  I love this stuff because it's simple to make, versatile, economical, and free of chemicals.  I think essential oils smell so much better than chemical scents.  They are also more safe.  

Ingredients:

3/4 cups Water, boiled then cooled
1/4 cup Dr. Bronners castile soap
Essential oil
Empty foaming soap dispenser

I like to use my glass measuring cup to make this.  I fill it with 3/4 cup of water, then gently pour the soap to the 1 cup line.  Then I add essential oils, if I'm using them, and gently stir.  Last, I pour the mixture into a well cleaned foaming soap dispenser.  

For hand soap, I usually use peppermint Dr. Bronners with 5 or 6 drops of peppermint essential oil.  For body wash, I use peppermint Dr. Bronners and water only.  I also make an unscented body wash with baby mild Dr. Bronners and water only.  

Avocado and Olive Hummus

My dad routinely makes his own hummus.  I make my own as well, but not as frequently as I should.  Homemade hummus is cheaper, tastier, and it can be customized however you like it!  When Daddy was visiting here last month, he made this before he left.  It's my favorite hummus recipe.  Alyssia, James, and I all love it.

Ingredients:

3 cups chickpeas, cooked
Half an avocado
20 black olives
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Put ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.  Serve with raw veggies or pita bread.  It's also a great mayo replacement on sandwiches.

Don't feed it to the dog!

Goldie in December 1998.  This is one of my favorite pictures of her.  She's less than happy about being in her Christmas outfit.  

Our cockapoo, Goldie, is 16 years old.  Since she's an old lady now, I've been giving her lots of human food.  This is a real treat for her since I've never been one to routinely feed dogs people food.  I figure at this point, she's earned it.  As most of us know, some foods can't be given to dogs.  I was really surprised to find out about some things that I would've never thought could be bad for a dog.

1.  Chocolate -  This is the one most of us know.  All chocolate is bad for dogs, but dark chocolate is the most dangerous.

2.  Grapes and raisins -  I was shocked to learn that these can cause kidney failure.

3.  Xylitol -  A sweetner found in gums, like Spry, can cause liver failure.

4.  Garlic -  Can destroy red blood cells and cause anemia.

5.  Onions -  Same as above.

6.  Avocado -  Large amounts can be toxic to dogs.

7.  Macadamia nuts -  Can be fatal if ingested.

8.  Tomatoes -  Vines, leaves, and stems of the plant are toxic.  Very ripe tomatoes are less dangerous.  

9.  Nutmeg -  Large amounts can be fatal.

10.  Alcohol -  It's not great for us in large doses either.  Remember, they are smaller than us and are more susceptible to damaged organs as a result of alcohol.

11.  Dairy products -  Can cause digestive problems and allergies.  (FYI, they're not good for humans either.  More on that later.)

12.  Fat trimmings -  Can cause pancreatitis in dogs.

13.  Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin) -  Can cause kidney failure in dogs.

Lawn boy

My son, James,  helped me mow the lawn today. Thank goodness, because it had been years since I'd cut grass! I'm proud to say my mowing job passed my husband's inspection. He is very particular about how our yard looks. It's taken me a while to get him to agree to me trying it out!

DIY Baby Wipes

I've been making my own wipes for about 6 months now.  They are so much better than any commercial wipes I've used!  My husband even agrees.  They are also much less expensive.  Do you know my favorite thing about them?  They're natural.  Have you ever looked at the ingredients list on commercial wipes?  Yikes!  Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Half of 1 roll Bounty select-a-size huge rolls

2 cups boiled water (allow to cool a bit)

1 Tablespoon coconut oil (raw or virgin)

1/2 Tablespoon Dr. Bronner's baby mild soap

4 drops of tea tree oil

Directions:

My sweet husband cuts the rolls of paper towels in half for me with his power saw as soon as I buy them.  That way they're ready when I need them.  I tried using a big knife from our kitchen initially, but our knives aren't sharp enough for the job.  

1. Fan fold the paper towels from the roll at each perforated line.  This takes a few minutes, but you can watch TV while you do it.

2.  Lay the folded paper towels on a flat surface and adjust until the two stacks are about even.  Then tear apart at the perforated line to give yourself two stacks.

3.  Place 1 stack of paper towels in a bowl.  It needs to be large enough for them to lay flat.

4.  Place the water in a cup or bowl, I like using a measuring cup.

5.  Add the coconut oil, soap, and tea tree oil one at a time in that order.  Stir gently between ingredients.  The warmer the water is, the faster the coconut oil will melt. 

6.  Pour the mixture over the top of your paper towels as evenly as possible.  Let sit for 10 or 15 min to be sure liquid is well distributed.  

7.  Transfer wipes to container.  The wipes have to go in the container sideways.  Also, they don't fit perfectly.  You can see the ripple in the middle of my wipes.  Just make sure to pull gently on the wipes when you use them. 

I always make a second batch of wipes with the second stack of folded paper towels.  I store them in an old plastic wipe container and transfer them to the wipe warmer when I run out.  

I haven't tried yet, but one day I'd like to try using this recipe with cloth wipes.  I've read that a receiving blanket can be cut into 16 wipes.  The wipes could then wash with the diapers.

Also, I learned that the tea tree oil is essential unless you go through the wipes very quickly.  They prevent them from molding.  I was in Alabama for a couple of weeks and made a batch of wipes without the tea tree oil.  They molded!  It took almost two weeks for it to happen, though.

Coconut oil

Let me tell you about my love affair with coconut oil.  It's really incredible stuff!  For starters it's antiviral, antibacterial, antiprotozoal, and antifungal.  It is about 50% lauric acid, which is a medium chain fatty acid also found in high levels in breast milk.  Coconut oil has the longest shelf life of any other oil, make sure you keep some in your doomsday bunkers!  The stuff also smells amazing!  Here's a list of things I use it for.

1. Cooking.  Coconut oil is excellent to cook with because it is heat stable.  Other oils, like olive oil, are not heat stable.  When you cook with oils that are NOT heat stable,  they break down and produce free radicals.  

2.  Moisturizer.  This is the only moisturizer I use on my son and me.  It absorbs well into the skin and doesn't leave a greasy film.  It also makes our skin so soft, not to mention it leaves us smelling like a tropical paradise!

3.  Sunscreen.  Coconut oil is a natural sunscreen.  It has an SPF of 6.  It is the only sunscreen I've ever used on my son.  I plan on trying a sunscreen recipe that combines other oils with different SPFs to increase the overall protection of the sunscreen.  I'll post on that once I do it!

4.  Toothpaste.  The antibacterial properties of coconut oil make it a great base for homemade toothpaste.

5.  Deodorant.  Same as above.

6.  Baby wipes.  It's part of my recipe for baby wipes.  Stay tuned, that's the next thing I'll post!

7.  Adhesive remover.  Need to get a sticker off of something?  Coconut oil is all you need!

8.  Diaper rash salve.  Coconut oil helps prevent and soothe diaper rash.  It's safe for cloth diapers!  It also creates a barrier that keeps the poop from sticking to your little one's tushie.  

9.  Teething pain.  Rub onto the gums to ease pain.

10.  Ear pain.  Warm a bit of oil enough to melt without being too hot, and gently poor into the ear with a spoon.  It feels good and relieves pain.  The antibacterial properties can also help fight an ear infection.

I'll keep y'all posted on new and exciting ways to use coconut oil as I test them out!