Toddlers Helping

One of the benefits of having so many children is that the younger ones actually learn by watching the older children. We do not usually have much fuss when we ask the younger children to do something (oh there are exceptions to that with certain ones at certain times, don’t worry!) It was so cute when we were getting the garlic done because the garbage can was still out after sweeping and our one and only toddler in the house took it upon himself to put it back. Call it his contribution to the family work. But the thing is the garbage can is just as big as he is! You can see baby helping here, proof that toddlers can help. Or sort of. (wry smile!)

Sweeter than Birdsong

Yes, I have been at it again and had a reading spree! Ha! Sweeter than Birdsong is written by Rosslyn Elliot. This book revealed the harsh realities of a behind the scenes look at one wealthy family’s home life in the 1800′s. Appearances are not always as they seem. 150 years ago the line between one’s pocket book and status in society was of much more importance than it is today. Though depending upon the place or people it can be very much alive today as well. The wealthy seem to have to put on airs and keep one’s appearance impeccable. God forbid there should be a tarnish on one’s image! That alone was a societal faux pas! One reason I am glad I did not live in that era of our history. I think the pressure would have stolen all my joy!

I admire people who take risks for the good of others even when it is not socially acceptable. Today those people would include midwives and God-fearing politicians going against their political party’s “norm”. That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. In Sweeter than Birdsong those individuals were a part of the Underground Railroad. They obviously took great risks and paid a huge price if they were caught or if word leaked to members of their community. And it grieved me to relive what the blacks had to go through to fight for their freedom.

I enjoyed the personal journey of the main character, Kate Winter. Her shyness and fear of public speaking is something that I can definitely relate to. I loved how Rosslyn used Kate’s experience with the Underground Railroad to propel her to take courage and speak up for what is right. She lost her fear and shyness when it came to defending the innocent. It took seeing the “under world” to realize that her problems were quite petty and insignificant compared to those of the fugitives.

There was one surprise that I loved in the book and that was what happened to Kate’s mother at the end of the book, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers so that is all I will say about it!

This book with all of its impossibilities gives hope for change and shows that when we use our God given talents for God’s glory we will find life more rewarding, no matter the monetary cost.

Read an excerpt here.

For more about Rosslyn, visit her website.

Link to buy the book.

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

5 Ways to Use Garlic

I had so many ask me what I was going to do with all our garlic last week that it inspired a post topic for this week! We enjoy using fresh garlic over powdered. While we like it I have to admit that we do not use it a ton. Guess we don’t want to smell like garlic!

5 Ways to Use Garlic

1. Antioxidants. Garlic has a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown this – especially aged garlic. Antioxidants can help to protect the body against damaging free radicals. There are claims that fermented black garlic contains even higher antioxidant levels than normal cloves, which is very interesting and something I did not know. (Source: Garlic Central) In our home, we make a mixture of garlic and honey to help combat scratchy throats at the onset of a cold. Only a few of us can stand it though, especially since the daughter that mixes it up LOVES garlic!

2. Antibiotic. Modern science has shown that garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic. The bacteria in the body do not appear to evolve resistance to the garlic as they do to many modern pharmaceutical antibiotics so the health benefits can continue over time rather than helping to breed antibiotic resistant “superbugs”. Too bad medical professionals wouldn’t use this more often! (Source: Garlic Central)

3. Insect Repellent. Garlic not only repels mosquitoes, but it also repels ticks, fleas and other parasites. (Source: Life Hackery) Great for us and our pets!

4. Natural Pesticide. Commercial pesticides are harmful not only to the environment, but to humans and animals. Garlic is all-natural but it can be as effective as any commercial counterpart. Mix garlic cloves and extracts with pepper and a bit of soap to make a homemade garlic pesticide. Some gardeners have found this garlic mixture effective in keeping animals such as rabbits, deers, and groundhogs away from their gardens. (Source: Life Hackery)

5. And of course. Cooking. It can be sauteed, dried, roasted or pressed and added raw to salad dressings and such.

There are many other uses for Garlic, this is only a small sampling. It is one herb that we shouldn’t live without!

Sources:
1 and 2 from Garlic Central.
2 and 4 from Life Hackery.

Family Dollar Coupons

Another Facebook find this week was a link to Family Dollar Coupons. Not sure if you knew Family Dollar offered coupons, but I didn’t and since that is a store in our new town, I checked it out. While our family cannot use most of these, I thought I would pass on the savings to all of you! These coupons are only good thru 2/18.

You can also discover more ways of saving by “liking” Family Dollar on Facebook

Happy couponing!

Join BzzAgent to Sample Products!

Here’s BzzAgent

BzzAgent is a WOM (Word of Mouth) Marketing Company.  It’s free (one of my favorite words!).   You take surveys (very simple on question) about items that pertain to you.  This way BzzAgent can find / offer you samples that would interest you and your family.  I signed up a few weeks back and got free coupons to sample Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza.  After you test your product, you need to go back to BzzAgent to write a review.  The better your reveviw and sharing the more products you’ll get. 

  I gotta tell you.  We tried the Ristorante Pizza Mozzarella for lunch, I loved it!  I’m usually not a huge fan of frozen pizza.  The crust was crunchy and the pizza was very flavorful.  You know how sometimes, frozen foods smell better than they taste.  Not this pizza, the tomato, mozzarella and pesto seemed like they were made that morning.  I really enjoyed this pizza and I’m heading back to the store to stock up!  Ristorante Pizzas come in six (6) flavors – Pizza Spinaci, Mozzarella, Funghi, Vegetale, Quattro Formaggi and Speciale.   

Enjoy!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Goes Digital!

 

Homeschool parents, this one is for you!  This app is available for Apple & Android devices!  Now you can read “The Old Schoolhouse Magazine” at home or on the go for FREE!

These are very interactive apps.  You can watch videos, zoom in on advertisers,  web links to order, and more!

Here’s the links!  Apple App – FREE Android App – FREE

FREE Christian Fiction!


If you enjoy reading Christian Fiction, I came across a site on Facebook this week that is offering some FREE books for your computer, Kindle, Nook, etc. There is even a FREE movie or two, but only for a limited time.

Happy reading!

My First Kiss

I was reading over at Kiesha’s blog and when I followed her on Twitter I noticed she had a tweet that was titled “My First Kiss: Love Lessons Learnt in France” and it inspired me to write about my first kiss, then I am going back to read about hers. An appropriate Valentine’s Day post, I might add. My first kiss was with my husband. I saved my kiss and everything for him, yes, even hand holding was for him alone. I know I am in the minority in some circles, but that is a decision I made in my mid-teens – to keep myself pure for the one I married but by the grace of God.

I was 22 going on 23, I think. We had been dating for a few months and I had gone to visit him at school in Florida for his Spring Banquet. We went to it and then out afterwards. I believe the banquet might have been at a hotel though because that is where we were when “it” happened. My husband is not awake to compare notes! We walked the grounds, holding hands, of course. ;-) That wasn’t the first time he had held my hand though! He’d reached for my hand a month or so after we were in “like”. By the Spring Banquet were were “twitterpated” as he would say!

Let me back track a sec, before going down to see him, I remember asking my younger yet wiser and more experienced sister what I should do if he should try to kiss me. Her response was, “Pucker up and kiss him back!” :-) How’s that for advice? I was nervous to say the least and didn’t know if he would or if he wouldn’t try to kiss me.

Obviously, he did. For there we were on the balcony of one of the exits at the hotel and he leaned over and kissed me. Me? I puckered up and kissed him back. ;) Yes, I enjoyed it and so did he because we haven’t stopped kissing for nearly 20 years! And he gets all the credit for being a good teacher! ;)

Update: When I told my husband this morning that I wrote about our first kiss, I said that I remembered it being on the balcony at the hotel, “Do you remember where we were when we first kissed?” He said, “We kissed everywhere!” ;)

Got a first kiss story? Would love to hear about it, so leave a comment before you go!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We’re on the Fence!

I just signed up for Picket Fence Blogs, which is a FREE ranked blog directory. However, I need some votes for my blog to show up in the directory! So if any of you are inclined to click the “We’re on the Fence” button at the bottom of the page to help out, I would very much appreciate it!

Bloggers if you click my button and have one of your own, please leave a comment and I will reciprocate by clicking yours! :)

Oils & Pets – A Healthy Tuesday Tip

Winter has finally sprung! Our family was kind of hoping for very little snow this winter, but now that it is here our children are going out to play several times a day and having lots of fun! We have a beautiful winter scene out of our patio doors that is just delightful to look at! We hope this post helps you become more aware of the products you use on your pets (and yourself!) and make healthy choices for them (and you!).

– An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.



Oil Tips for Your Pets

Vaccinations

Before any vaccinations give puppies and kittens 2-5cc of Ningxia Red for less soreness.
For larger Animals give:
Cats: 1/2 tsp
Small Dogs: 1/4 ounce
Medium Dogs: 1/2 ounce
Large Dogs: 3/4 ounce
X-Large Dogs: 1 ounce
Horses: 1-2 ounces (Start slowly)

This really helps with less soreness and also helps with any lethargy and reactions.

Shampoo

If you use traditional pet or human shampoos, consider the chemicals and try Young Living’s base shampoo that you may scent with whatever essential oil for your pet’s needs. For example: Lavender for skin issues, Copiaba for arthritis or Purification for fleas and ticks (once warmer weather arrives again!)

Flea Collars

Instead of the chemical laden flea collars you can use two oils Longevity and Purification and the supplement called Longevity. It has been found that animals that take the capsuls/oils and have the oils put on them are much less “appetizing” to insects! (Please note: This is not normally used on cats!)
Small Dogs : 1 capsule or 2-3 drops
Medium Dogs: 1-2 capsules or 3-5 drops
Large Dogs: 2 capsules or 6-7 drops Maximum
Horses: 1 Capsule or 3-4 Drops twice daily



A Reminder

Remember, we only recommend the use of Young Living Essential Oils for use in or around animals (and humans for that matter). This brand of essential oils consistently shows the quality needed for use in animals – and the use of other brands may prove dangerous for your animals. We know a vet who through research, case studies, and retrospective studies – is documenting the difference in qualities of essential oils in her veterinary hospital. We do not make this recommendation lightly!

Oils & Pets Book Recommendations

Essential Oils for Natural Pet Care: A Veteranarian’s Desk Reference for the Top Health Concerns of Cats, Dogs and Horses

Animal Desk Reference Website Click Here!

If you contact the author of either of the above resources, please let her know that Young Living Distributor – #1038605 Theresa Gould – sent you.

There are lots of new things coming in 2012 for our Young Living group and we hope you choose to be a part of it!

Testimonies:

Ningxia Red

“I once forgot to give my own kittens Ningxia Red, they limped after a vaccination. Within 1/2 hour of me giving them a dose of Ningxia Red – all limping had stopped.” ~ Melissa Sheldon DVM, Minnesota

My Dog is Playing Now!

“My dog, Wolf, has never been playful, or had a ‘sense of humor’, even as a puppy people thought he was old. His fur felt like a cheap stuffed animal. I figured it was because he is half coyote.

I started giving him Sulferzyme, to see if it would cut back on the hair loss, and he started PLAYING for the first time in his life, sticking his rump in the air and wagging his tail. I thought ‘Hey, I am on to something here!’. Thinking maybe he had been in pain all this time, he is 7, I started giving him Longevity. His hair started growing thick and full, not feeling so cheap.

He now instigates playing, stealing socks, etc, and running with them. I am not sure if he was lacking something, or just feels better, but he will be on these two forever now!”
~ Mona Cheney, Nevada

Purification

“I was not a ‘believer’ of using essential oils, but I am now. My son adopted a stray cat and began feeding him. We have three large dogs, so the cat could not come into our house. The stray was plagued by fleas, unbeknownst to us, and each time we pet him, then came inside- we brought quite a few fleas in with us. It wasn’t more than a couple of weeks, when we had a flea infestation in our house. I bombed the house, and applied frontline($$), bathed all 3 dogs numerous times, but the fleas never went away.

I had to tell my 5 yr old son, that he couldn’t pet his cat, or get near him, because of the fleas. My one dog Marley actually is highly allergic to fleas, and had to be put on steriods.($$$) I had to bomb the house again, and bath the dogs 3 more times. I was also being bitten, and couldn’t sleep. My sister told me to try Purification, and I was skeptical, but at my wits end. I put 2 drops on the necks, and butts of the dogs, diffused it, and actually put 2 drops on the cats neck. The FLEAS WERE GONE IN 2 DAYS!!!!! I apply Purification about every 2 weeks to everyone.

A side note- the cat now has a beautiful shiny black coat, the discharge is gone from his eyes, and he hasn’t been sneezing like he was before. My son is happy- he can pet his cat again, and my house is back to normal. Thank you Purification!”
~Tracy Slavitsky, New York

Don’t expect the same results unless you are using Young Living Therapeutic Grade essential oils and supplements. Also, each person is different so they may not work as well for you as it does for others, So try another oil or supplement that might work better for you.

Essential oil testimonials are an effective way of learning and sharing. With this knowledge, We can take control of our own personal health. However, we are required by law to state:

“These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products and Techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Information provided here is in no way intended to replace proper medical help. Consult with the health authorities of your choice.”

Copyright © 2011, Cornucopia Health Scents, All rights reserved. Previously Published as an e-newsletter Issue 1: Oils & Pets.