7 Great Natural Beauty Products

7 Great Natural Beauty Products

I’ve never been much into beauty products. I don’t wear makeup most of the time, don’t dye my hair, etc. Still, there are some natural products that I enjoy using on my skin and hair that do a wonderful job.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is great for the skin and hair. I get the cold pressed stuff, which is supposed to be better. It’s a nice moisturizer for the skin, just rub it on. Be careful about using it on your face, as it can be comedogenic, but I like using it on my arms and legs.

For hair, rub the coconut oil between your hands to melt it, then apply to the length of your hair. Leave in for an hour or so, then wash out. Wonderful, soft hair!

Castor Oil

Yes, this notorious oil has its uses. I mix it with some olive oil to use as a facial cleanser – about a third castor oil to two third olive oil for my skin, but experiment to figure out your own best mix. Too much castor oil can be drying on your skin. Try oils other than olive oil too – it can be comedogenic, but not everyone has that problem with it. Apply the mix with your fingers, then hold a hot, damp washcloth to your face, then wipe the oils off.

Jojoba Oil

When I want a lighter oil on my skin or hair, jojoba is wonderful. It feels much lighter than coconut oil, but is still a great moisturizer. It works well in the oil cleansing method with castor oil too.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

I hardly ever use traditional shampoo or conditioner these days. I mix some baking soda in a lot of water in a squeeze bottle to wash my hair, and condition with watered down vinegar. Then I condition using watered down vinegar, about two parts water to one of vinegar, although I never measure it out.

If the smell of the vinegar bothers you, just add some hair-friendly essential oils. You will get used to it if you don’t, and the smell doesn’t stick around after rinsing, but if you find it too unpleasant without essential oils, or you just like the smell, go for it.

Homemade Sugar Scrubs

When you want to indulge while exfoliating your skin, a homemade sugar scrub is the way to go. Pick your sugar – some use brown, some use white, and mix with a skin friendly oil. Massage into your skin, leave it on for a few minutes, then rinse off.

Have some fun with your ingredients too. Vitamin E can be a good addition, as can certain herbs or essential oils.

Aloe Vera

We grow aloe vera in our garden and really need to use it more! You scrape out the gel from inside the leaves and apply it to the skin. It feels amazing on sunburn (or burns in general) and is a good moisturizer. Some people drink aloe vera juice, but I haven’t tried that.

Homemade Bath Bombs

Homemade bath bombs are easy to make and feel great. The basic ingredients are baking soda, epsom salts and citric acid. Essential oils and food coloring are optional. Some people add oils as well. There are instructions all over for how to make these, and it’s much cheaper than buying them at the store. Add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry ones, or you’ll start the fizzing reaction that belongs in your bath.

9 Ways You Can Volunteer With Your Kids

9 Ways You Can Volunteer With Your Kids

My children’s school has a requirement for them to do volunteer work throughout the school year. Much of it is done at school itself, as they take on projects each Friday. But as the kids hit the higher grades, they’re required to do some volunteering on their own in the community. It’s a nice requirement, if sometimes a headache for us to find time. But the hardest part of all was finding places to volunteer with the kids.

This is one of those things that gets easier as the kids get older. An awful lot of volunteer opportunities are for adults or late teens at the youngest only. Next come the ones that only take volunteers ages 12 and up, or thereabouts. Fortunately, there are also places where you can volunteer even with younger children.

1. Animal Shelters or Rescues

My kids’ favorite place to volunteer is called YAPS. It’s an animal placement society, and they accept volunteers as young as five years old. It’s really popular with kids from their school in general – after all, most kids love working with animals. Kids can help with laundry and certain kinds of cleaning (but not all of it until a certain age), pet the cats or dogs to keep them used to people, or even earn the right to take the dogs for walks and help train them.

Not all shelters or rescues take kids so young. Many require children to be at least 12 or so. Still, if you can find one that allows young volunteers, it’s an easy way to get your children into the idea of volunteering.

Keep in mind that children can get quite attached to the animals, and this can be difficult when the animals are adopted. I’ve talked to my kids about it being okay to miss a particular animal but still be happy that it got a new home. It helps.

2. Participate in Clean Up Days

Many communities have regular clean up days, and so long as parents are along, they aren’t always picky about age. Check on requirements for individual events, however, as some will say 12 and up, or similar.

If you can’t volunteer for an official clean up day, you can always make your own. Go to a park near you and clean it up with your kids.

3. Donate Food

Food banks are always in need of donations. Whether you add a little extra to your cart for charity when you go grocery shopping or set up your own collection event, this is an easy way to show your kids how to help the less fortunate.

4. Visit Nursing Homes or Senior Centers

Nursing homes and senior centers often welcome visits from children. Kids can play games with the seniors or just talk with them. Contact individual locations for their rules on this kind of volunteering.

5. Write Letters to Soldiers

For kids old enough to write, letters to soldiers are often very welcome. It doesn’t have to be a long letter; in fact, some websites give you tips on what to say in your letters to soldiers. My kids’ school had them do this last year and it went really well. There are also websites where you can simply type your letters in.

6. Collect Supplies Or Money For Charity

What’s your favorite cause? Is there a place that will allow you to collect donations for them?

You can donate pet supplies to animal rescues or shelters, for example. You can collect supplies for homeless or women’s shelters. Contact the charity you want to do this for, and find out what kind of rules you should follow when you do this for them.

7. Participate in Charitable Walks/Runs

Are your kids more active? There are walks and runs for all kinds of causes, and some even have events specific to children. It’s fun and healthy.

8. The Library

Libraries sometimes allow children to volunteer, although age restrictions are common. Still, once your kids are old enough it’s a great place for them to go, especially if they really love books.

9. Make Your Own Opportunities

Nothing else appeals to you or your kids? Make up your own volunteer opportunity. Take a look at ways you can help whatever cause interests you. Get creative.

Websites to Help You Find Opportunities to Volunteer With Kids

There are lots of websites available to help you find volunteer opportunities you can do with your children. Here are a few:

Volunteer Match
Keep America Beautiful
Idealist.org
Network For Good
Points of Light
GenerationOn
America’s Promise
Hands On Network
Your Local Chamber of Commerce

Whatever kinds of volunteer you do with your kids, make sure it’s something that interests them. It’s hard for kids to see the point if they’re bored with what you’re doing. Make volunteering something they enjoy so they’ll want to do it again and again.

If this is something your children’s school requires, as ours does, think about continuing to volunteer even beyond what the school requires. We continued our volunteer time at YAPS even over the summer. It gets more of the point of volunteering across, in my opinion, if it is done beyond simply what the school requires. You show your priorities by keeping volunteering with your kids a part of your life.

Cleaning With Dawn and Vinegar

Cleaning With Dawn and Vinegar

When it comes to cleaning bathtubs and showers, Dawn and vinegar are a favorite of mine. I first saw it on Pinterest some time ago, and finally got around to trying it. Wonderful stuff and really easy to make. Dawn, vinegar, a spray bottle and a scrubber is all you need. Oh, and some time.

Some people heat their vinegar, but I get good results with it cool. That’s nice, as I don’t usually go through the entire amount made in one shot. I mean come on now, who does? If you need an extra boost in your cleaning, heat the vinegar in the microwave first, but don’t get it dangerously hot. You have to pour the stuff into a bottle after all.

I use about two thirds vinegar, one third Dawn. Most recipes say half and half, but I think that’s way too much Dawn. You could probably get away with a quarter Dawn if you wanted.

Pouring the vinegar into the spray bottle is much easier with a funnel. You don’t have to use a funnel if your hands are that steady, but mine aren’t. I use the funnel.

Prepare yourself for some uncomfortable breathing. This stuff works wonders, but the spray makes breathing somewhat miserable. Your eyes will probably sting too. Once you’ve sprayed everything down, leave it alone for an hour or two. You’ll be glad to get away from it.

Come back when you’re ready to scrub with a sponge. The air will be much clearer, and this step isn’t nearly so annoying as spraying the stuff. It’s just all the bits that are in the air as you spray that cause the earlier trouble.

Most of the dirt should practically slide off. I still have trouble with hard water spots on the shower glass, but the dirt goes with little effort. It’s wonderful, and to me worth the few minutes discomfort earlier on. Would the heated vinegar version do better? Possibly.

Can you do this with plain vinegar, to be more eco friendly? Sort of. Vinegar cleans pretty well, but you will have to scrub more. I love cleaning with plain vinegar, but scrubbing anything while on my hands and knees is much better minimized. The Dawn seems to help keep the vinegar in place to do its work, plus its own contribution to cleaning.

Should You Encourage Your Kids to Bike to School?

Should You Encourage Your Kids to Bike to School?

Kids are steadily heading back to school across the country, if not now, soon. That means huge crowds of cars as parents hurry to get their children to class on time. These days relatively few kids get themselves to school, and I think that’s a shame. What if more parents encouraged their kids to walk or bike to school, as used to be normal?

I’m a big fan of kids getting to school on their own. My older two walk to school. It’s easy, as we’re less than a quarter mile from the school. Only risky part is crossing the street to the school with all the parents driving in to drop their kids off.

Close as we are, they don’t need to ride bikes there. I don’t mind if they do. They’d have to be extra careful as they got close to the school, maneuvering around all the people who parked in the neighborhood and are now walking onto school property. It gets very crowded around the parking lot, and bicycles have to be walked at that point.

But how do you decide if it’s the right choice for your kids to ride their bikes to school? It’s healthier for them than riding in the car and better for the environment, but is it safe? Here are some points for you to consider.

School Rules

If your child’s school says they’re too young to ride to school, odds are you aren’t going to let him or her ride a bike to school. Some parents do take on this battle (can the school really say what your child does off campus outside school hours?), but for many it’s simpler to go with the rules set by the school so the bike can stay at the school during the day.

You also need to know where the bike will stay during the day. Our school has a fenced off bike rack where kids can lock their bikes up for the day. I’ve noticed that a lot of kids don’t even bother locking up their bikes beyond putting it in the bike rack. Personally, I’d tell kids to lock up their bikes even so, but I have to admit it doesn’t seem to have been a problem.

Bike Riding Ability

Is your child good enough on his or her bike to ride to school and deal with the crowds upon arrival? Schools often want kids off the bike once they get on campus – things are just too crowded for a bicycle to be ridden safely. You not only want your child riding the bike well enough to deal with any traffic on the way to school, you want your child able to walk their bike without bumping into other people, and the sense to know when it’s time to get off the bike and walk it.

Street Safety

Are you in a situation where you child could ride to school safely? Is the neighborhood generally safe? Are there any streets you don’t want your child riding on that can’t be avoided on the way to school? Does your child watch out for cars as they ride?

Appropriate Safety Gear

Does your child’s bike helmet fit properly or is it time for a new one? Your child should know how to put it on correctly and agree to always keep the straps fastened while riding. I’ve seen lots of kids riding with bike helmet on but unfastened, and that’s not going to help in an accident.

A Well Maintained Bike

Be sure your child’s bike is in good condition for riding. Brakes work, tires well inflated, things like that. While a bike can develop a problem on the way, you want to minimize the chances for that to happen.

It should also be the right size for your child. Not so tall that your child has trouble touching the ground when stopped, not so short that it’s uncomfortable to ride.

A Plan For Problems

Sometimes stuff happens when kids are out on their own. Make sure they know what to do about flat tires, crashes and so forth. You can decide if it’s worth it to have your child carry a cell phone (pay attention to school rules about cell phones) or if there are enough options for your child to get help if it’s needed on the way.

20 Healthy School Lunch Ideas For Kids

20 Healthy School Lunch Ideas for Kids

School is starting today here, and that means I have to think about what my kids will eat for lunch at school again. They aren’t much on cafeteria lunches – unless it’s Friday, which is pizza day. Overall, however, I prefer that they bring lunch so I know they’re getting good food they like. Our school isn’t too bad on that front; they have a small salad bar in the cafeteria, but I like providing healthy options myself.

Not all these suggestions are entire lunches on their own. Think about what it takes to make a balanced lunch that your child will eat. There’s little point to pushing foods your kids won’t eat – it’s all too easy for children to throw out foods that don’t appeal to them or their friends. Also remember that some ingredients are healthier than others, such as whole grain versus white breads.

1. Homemade pizza

Homemade pizza can be about as healthy as you choose to make it. A tortilla makes a quick, thin crust, and from there it’s up to you to make it good.

2. Vegetables with hummus

Fresh vegetables with hummus can be very satisfying in a lunchbox. A little feta cheese is a nice addition if your kids like it.

3. Peanut butter apples or celery

Peanut butter with apples or celery is something of a classic. It makes a nice switch from your standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

4. Copycat Lunchables

Take a look at any Lunchables or similar that your child loves. Can you make something similar but a bit healthier? Do it well and your kids will love it.

5. Homemade soup

Homemade soup is wonderful when the weather cools off. Pick one your kids love and put it in a thermos. One of my kids loves homemade soups, but the other is demands the canned stuff.

6. Hard boiled egg

A hard boiled egg is a simple way to get protein into your child’s lunch.

7. Couscous salad

Combine cooked couscous with some vegetables, maybe some dried fruit or feta, and you have a nice couscous salad. You can use quinoa rather than couscous if you prefer.

8. Wraps

A wrap with a good quality lunch meat, some cheese, spinach or whatever else your child will enjoy makes a good lunch. Look for something better than the standard processed lunch meats.

9. Yogurt

Skip the yogurts aimed at kids, especially the ones in those plastic tubes. They usually have far too much sugar and artificial colorings. Look for Greek yogurt or other live culture yogurts with real fruit for flavoring. Make a parfait with some granola and fruit to make it more interesting.

10. Frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

For those mornings you’re running a little behind, you can always count on the classics. Pick a healthy bread if your kids will eat it. You may want to consider using a fruit spread rather than jelly to cut down on sugar too. But the real beauty of this is that you can make several ahead of time and freeze until you need them in a lunchbox.

11. Quinoa and black beans

An improvement, in my opinion, on rice and beans, but made much the same way.

12. Fresh fruit

Not a lunch in itself, but a wonderful addition to satisfy that urge to have something sweet at lunchtime.

13. Whole grain waffles

Give your kids a surprise with waffles for breakfast. A nut butter spread will help make it more filling, along with some jelly or a fruit topping.

14. Salad

You can have a salad be a side dish or bring it up to a main dish with some chicken or other protein. Watch how much salad dressing you include, as it’s easy to go overboard. Feta and dried cranberries go well in many salads.

15. Pita sandwiches

If your kids are bored with regular sandwiches, switch to pita bread. Many love pita bread, and you can make most of your regular sandwiches in it.

16. Nuts

You may have to check school rules on this one, as nut allergies have led some schools to ban certain nuts.

17. Sliced vegetables

What veggies do your kids like. My youngest has a big thing for bell pepper, and all my kids love carrots. Slice up your kids’ favorite vegetables for a great addition to their lunch.

18. Frittata

Use muffin pans to make these frittatas the right size for school lunches. Line your muffin pan if you want to make things simple, or use a cooking spray so these come out easily after cooking. Lightly saute whatever vegetables you want to add. Beat the eggs and add in the vegetables and maybe some cheese. Scoop into muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until done.

19. Burritos

Make burritos with beans and cheese, or add other ingredients to delight your children. A mild salsa can really bring out the flavor.

20. Leftovers

What did you have for dinner last night? Will it make a good lunch as is, or could it be made into sandwiches?