I found the original ideas on Pinterest, and then I had to try them. I have a bunch of curious kids and this was a fun Saturday afternoon we spent making these. I will list the ingredients under each picture. These turned out so cool!
"Calming Jar"
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
Boil these together until clear, pour into jar, and add water to fill remaining space
1 t. glitter
1-2 drops food coloring
Hot glue or E6000 glue
Add the glitter to the sugar water. Glue the lid to the jar.
Because the sugar is in the water it is denser and the glitter falls slowly. I've heard these used in time outs for kids. They shake the jar and then watch the glitter settle. Once the glitter settles, they can get out of time out.
"Color Mixing Jars"
Red and Yellow Tye Dye Shirt powder
1 c. veg. oil
1 c. water with food coloring mixed (go sparing on the blue)
Jar #1
Mix a squirt of yellow dye with 1 c. oil, mix.
Mix 2 drops food coloring with 1 c. water, mix.
Add water to jar, and then the oil. Seal the lid and shake. The colors mix and settle quickly so the kids can see immediately what happens.
Jar #2
Mix a squirt of red dye with 1 c. oil, mix.
Mix 1 drop blue with water, mix
Add water and then the oil to the jar.
Jar #3
Mix a squirt of yellow dye with 1 c. oil, mix
Mix 1-2 drops blue with 1 c. water, mix.
Add water and then oil to jar. We learned the hard way that blue dye added to the oil turned the whole jar blue.
"Bubble Jar"
2-3 c. water
Red food coloring
Few squirts of Dawn dishsoap
Glue the lid on and shake! You can use other colors too but Simeon's favorite color is red.
"Silt Jar"
This wasn't the easiest jar to make in January. I went up to a trail head that has a pond near by and got my silt from there. I had to chip through muddy ice first, but I got it! I made sure no big leaves were in it, and then just added water to it when I got home. Seal the lid. This doesn't separate quickly. The kids thought it was gross that mud was in the house.
"Density Testing Jars"
These were my favorite!!
10 marbles for each jar
1 bottle Suave shampoo, any color
1 bottle hair gel
Pour the bottles into the jars, add the marbles, seal the lids and try it out! Which one is more dense? My favorite is the shampoo. That's more calming than the glitter jars!
"I Spy Jars"
I found a box of old craft supplies and used some of those in the jars. One i filled with rice, the other with beans and rice, and then added random supplies. I did write what they could find in the jar, but forgot to count the number of things. Note: write the number of buttons, beads, animals, etc. in the jar and write it on the side. You could also put one car, small doll, one pack of eight crayons, and practice naming the car parts, body parts, colors, numbers, etc.
Party favors (Frogs, Lizards, Dinosaurs, balls, etc)
buttons
beads
marbles
pom poms
"Rocks and Leaves"
Nature jar. This started out great, but most of the leaf beads sank by the end of the day.
Rocks
Fake leaves
Beads
"Sink and Float: Glass and Plastic"
We made a couple of these with a few other objects. This one has glass beads (sank) and plastic beads (floated) and water.
"Pom Poms"
Water and fuzzy pom poms. This one is good for babies. I did see one with sparkly pom poms, and if I could have found my glitter, I would have added some.
"Tidal Wave Pool"
Once again, over kill on the blue color. We took stickers and put some in the jar and some on the outside of the jar. I did add some oil, but it just sat on top. Maybe it needs more water? I think I will research this one more. Also, the stickers inside stuck to each other and you can't see them. They ended up being more like the Loch Ness Monster in there.
"Float and Sink: Metal and Plastic"
Metal brads, pony beads, paper clips, odd office supplies and craft supplies, wire cuttings.
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
Water to fill to the top
Green food coloring
Boil the water and sugar together until the sugar is clear. Add to jar, fill remaining space with warm water. Add coloring and supplies. Seal the lid. The sugar makes it a little denser and so the beads float slowly.
"Float and Sink: Random Objects"
Just water and a few odd objects. Unfortunately, I ended up with three objects that floated and the rest sank.
"Numbers Jar"
Magnetic numbers
Magnetic math signs: + - x %
Beans
Magnet (not shown)
This can be used a number of ways: Find the numbers one through nine. Using a magnet, add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers you bring to the top. Count the number of beans for each number your magnet attracts.
"Stacking Liquids Density Experiment"
You can find the whole experiment and explanation here.
Here is what happened: The blue jar on the right was a mess up, so we saved it to show what NOT to do. It is not complete with all the ingredients. I basically messed up putting in the ingredients in order, then I used blue dye powder in the veg oil and it ran/sank into the water and then into the syrup until everything turned blue. And then we tried shaking it, because after playing with mixing color jars, we just had to see what happened. It never separated again, so just a warning, once you get your rainbow jar done, don't shake it!
These were the order of ingredients: (1/2 c. each)
Honey
Karo Syrup (with red food coloring)
Green Dawn dish soap
Water (with blue food coloring..once again, too dark..I think I'll just stay away from blue)
Vegetable oil (yellow dye powder...I think this should have stayed plain)
Rubbing alcohol (yellow ran into the alcohol)
Clear Lamp Oil
Be sure when adding your ingredients they do not touch the side as you are pouring them into the jar. Also, be careful not to slosh it around and pour slowly (but not so slow the liquids dribble back against your measuring tool). From what I understand, eventually the alcohol and the vegetable oil will switch places as the alcohol evaporates. The link also gives more detail and ideas to try out, as well as some hypothetical ideas too.
One last jar I want to do when I find my glitter is to just do glitter and water and have them compare the sugar water glitter jars to the water glitter jar.
Words of advice when letting lots of kids help you:
Glue all the lids on as soon as the bottles are finished. You can use various plastic bottles, Voss water bottles (might be a bit more expensive, but they look very uniform), and I chose mason jars just because I had a lot in my basement being unused and these bottles will be supervised in a closed space.
E6000 glue is for gluing metal to glass. Use in a well ventilated area and it may take up to 24 hours for the glue to dry. Hot glue will also work. Once again, I couldn't find my hot glue gun.
Most of these supplies you can find around your house. For the glitter jars I saw some people used glitter glue instead of sugar water. My kids dried up all my glitter glue, but I had plenty of sugar I could use.
Make sure you allow for some space in the I Spy bottles. I filled it kind of full on one and its hard to move the stuff around and find the lizards.
Some other ideas:
Magnetic jars:
Cut Up Pipe cleaners
Paper clips in water (so they can see magnets still work in water)
Letter magnets
Rust jar: put in nuts, bolts, nails, screws and see how quickly and which ones rust
Season jars:
Winter: Blue glitter and food coloring, water, plastic snowflakes, snowman (or snowman parts), penguins, Christmas trees
Spring: Pink glitter and food coloring, water, pastel flowers (beads?), plastic leaves, bunnies, chicks, baby animals, white pom poms (clouds?)
Summer: Green glitter and food coloring, water, plastic fruits, beach ball, sand, boats, fish,
Autumn: Orange glitter and food coloring, water, fake leaves, pumpkins, tractor, bear (hibernation?), school supplies
Jelly fish: I saw this on Pinterest too. A mom took a bottle, blue food coloring and a white plastic bag that she shaped and cut into something that looked like a jelly fish. It floats nicely, looks peaceful, and pretty realistic!
Snowglobes. Lots of ideas all over the internet on how to make these, from baby food jars to large mason jars.
Baby Discovery Bottles: These were made from the mini water bottles and had just water and objects you can find around the house: ribbon, beads, float and sink objects, money, animals, etc. Be sure to seal the bottle lids.
Reading: Sight words on paper that pop up from rice or sand.
Ten years ago my mom gave me a Nesco 6qt. Roaster. When that thing died I felt like we should have had a funeral, along with the mixer that died the same year. They'd survived 10 years of kids, cooking, almost daily usage. They were family members! I really did feel like giving them a headstone:
Here lies Roaster and Mixer
Died 2008 (in a great ball of fire and smoke)
They served honorably
For some reason, the now stained, wrinkled, water splashed, and bits of food stuck to it manual found its way to the trash, as if I didn't need those recipes any longer. For 4 years I have been searching for the book/manual online, in old boxes, in cupboards. Yesterday, I finally found it! Some awesome soul had a PDF Nesco Roaster manual!! For free! Online!!
I made the beloved rice pudding. We used to have it for special breakfasts and desserts, it was almost a staple in our house. Yesterday I made it and it was just as heavenly as we had always remembered it. Here is a slightly modified recipe I would like to share with you (and also, in case I ever loose the printed copy, I know it will live in infamy forever here), Rice Pudding
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans water
1 c. long grain rice
2/3 c. sugar
4 T. butter
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. grated orange peel (or one small orange peel grated)
2 t. vanilla
2 c. raisins or dried cranberries (we prefer the cranberries). The manual suggests fresh raspberries. We have had it with fresh strawberries or frozen mixed fruit as well
Whipped cream
I tried this in the rice cooker and it took 20 minutes plus some cool down time. Pour all ingredients into pan, (unless you are using fresh fruit or frozen fruit, save that for serving) stir a bit, set on white rice to cook. When the timer goes off, open the lid and let it cool down for about 15 minutes. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. I have also cooked this on the stove (after the Nesco met an untimely demise), and since replacing the Nesco with the huge roaster, unless I was making enough for reception, I never attempted it in the big roaster. I also read you could start this at bedtime in a crockpot and have it ready in the morning too.
This recipe also calls for 2 eggs added, but since Ammon had dumped and busted all my eggs the day before, I didn't have any to add. If you choose to add eggs, beat them well and add them with the milk and rice. I notice this adds a yellowish, curdled look to the rice, but still pretty tasty!
Besides not keeping up with any of my blogs, I'm about to share with you some of my recent failures. Some would say we pay the most tuition to the School of Hard Knocks, but at least we can look back and learn from them.
1. Starting out a homeschool year without a plan. I have now learned you can't just wing it. I think we tried out four different curricula since June. Fail: inconsistent, lost the interest of the kids, homeschool room and supplies are disorganized, and through all this, we also lost control of bedtimes and daily routines. Learned: Have a plan!! Decide on the subjects we are going to study and stick to my guns. We usually leave one day a week for a free day just in case life gets in the way or we have to catch up or we have too many errands to run. It may take more work on my part, but I love making our own whole unit studies.
2. Gluten free spaetzle. Fail: This turned into a huge pot of glue. Learned: don't even bother. Stick to the real flour kind. Although, if anyone reading this does have a good, exact measurement gluten free recipe for spaetzle, I am willing to try it again. (Does this define insanity?)
3. Getting hooked on British Dramas. Fail: I can't go back to watching modern movies and tv because it just grates on my nerves. Learned: Well, you can read my previous post here, but I think one of the reasons I love these movies is the clothes. I know they probably will not come back in style any time soon (although, the shawl is now disguised as a pashmina), but they just looked so much more elegant and put together. Its a far cry from my sweats and jeans I drag out every day. Would my kids think I went off my rocker if made myself a Jane Austen wardrobe?
4. School. I signed my husband, sister and myself up in November to go back to school with to get nursing prerequisites out of the way. Fail: I somehow neglected in the frenzy to get in by the start date that I'm in the middle of an adoption, my husband is having surgery, I may be having surgery later in the year, and I homeschool 6 children. Oh, and I'm supposed to clean, change diapers, remember to take a shower every day, pay bills and cook meals. Learned: The crock pot is my best friend. Kids need to learn to cook, we need a schedule, and I withdrew in January two days after my sister withdrew because somehow everyone else figured this out I'm insane before I did.
5. You can't judge a book by its cover. After the British Drama movie addiction finally died down, I came up with the bright idea that I'm going to do a Jane Austen unit study. Never mind I have 5 boys and 2 girls (one of them an infant), we are DOING JANE AUSTEN. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I don't care if you you are a 13 year old boy and feel insecure around girls, or that you are an 11 year old boy and gets grossed out watching people kiss goodbye. Ya'll are doing Jane Austen. Fail: I'm still trying to read Persuasion and have made it to page 8 in one year. I decided I would try reading some fan-fiction because that might help with the comprehension issues I seem to have developed. Austenland was pretty good. Rated PG, fast read, and then I found out they are making a movie out of it to come out this year. YAY! According to Jane was terrible. It was a smutty, sex filled book and had nothing AT ALL to do with Jane Austen..except she sort of took on a schizophrenic type voice in the girl's head trying to give advice, that the girl never really took and kept subjecting herself to lousy men. Learned: Just because the girl on the front of the book looked safe enough, the book was not. I think they should start rating books like they do movies.
6. Declutter. Fail: it keeps coming through the door in the form of mailers, flyers, and junk we don't need (like happy meal toys). Learned: ....um........I cleaned up under my house (storage area), and I got rid of about 5 boxes of junk, but I still have 15 boxes of clothes. No one needs that many clothes. I probably don't need that coke can with my Highschool listed on it either..and yet it still takes up 6 inches of space under my house. Yet if I were to have a garage sale for all this stuff, no one would by it because it is junk. Its been used up, completely.
7. Letting people live with you. I really want to be helpful and have a good heart and help family out whenever we can. I really do. However, I have learned to draw the line with living people not in our immediate family. If I didn't give birth to you or adopt you, you can't live here. Sorry. Fail: Two families (even if they are related) are completely different in their dynamics, the way they eat, clean, dress, spend their time, their viewpoints and even their religious beliefs, even if they might be the same religion. Learned: What's that saying, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? Yeah, it only took me three times to learn this concept. My friend suggested pitching a tent before living with family. I'm sticking to that!
8. Three year olds. Fail: trusting your three year old to push a counter height chair over to the fridge, getting out an 18 count box of eggs, jumping off the chair with the carton, (no eggs damaged yet), turning your back for a second to read the recipe, and in that moment, he holds the carton with one hand and opens it with the other and spills and cracks each and every one of those eggs. 2nd Fail: walking away to get a towel to clean it up. When I came back they had finger painted a four foot path in the eggs. Learned: let the kids get the towel while you guard the eggs. And maybe one or two are salvageable. And don't trust 3 year olds with eggs.
9. Being told I'm old. Fail: going into the doctor because you notice some changes going on with your body you don't understand. "Its all part of the aging process, dear." Smile, handshake, needle poke, and see you next year. Learned: I didn't think I'd get there this fast. My mind doesn't feel 38. My body might, but I'm not walking with a walker, or have grey hairs, or can complain about wrinkles yet. Is 38 really just a number? We don't have to match that number, right? *sigh* I'm just going to pretend I'm a spring chicken and stick with that. Just now I have a lot more knowledge...not all of it useful.
10. Cleaning a playroom or child's bedroom. Every now and then the OCD takes over and I turn into Mom-zilla in the playroom. I place 15 bins around me in a circle, scrape all the toys into a pile around me and start practicing like I'm pitching for the Bluejays baseball team (not that I'm a fan, Curtis gave me the name). I toss, sort, shove, cram, meticulously separate legos from blocks, and 3 hours later we are done. It is a pristine, happy playroom. Fail: 2 hours later, they dumped every one of the bins. Learned: why bother. Kick the toys in the room and shut the dang door. For the bedrooms: I want a family closet. This way, they just have a bed and an end table in the room. No clothes to shove under beds, rip out of dressers, wipe their nose on and leave in the middle of the floor. No hunting for stray socks, or elusive, whichever, and nothing to entertain them when they should be going to sleep. Toys stay in the playroom. (Riiiiiggghhhhtttt)
So, there's my fails. Supermom does not have it all together. In closing, I'm just going to let you listen to Jason Mraz's song. When it gets deep enough in here, at least this song motivates all of us to get busy and get things turned around.
Hi, my name is Dawn and I’m addicted to British Dramas. Over this fall, I got sucked into several British dramas: Bramwell, Downton Abbey, Lark Rise to Candleford, Cranford, Sense and Sensibility, and North and South. I’m starting to prefer watching these over the modern day stuff. Part of it is that it’s like a history lesson, but another part is that it is like a modest soap opera. And maybe a little bit of fun it is when Curtis starts making fun of it. I just tell him I need to find him a kilt or a puffy pirate shirt! Isn’t that epitome of sexiness?
20 Observations I Learned from My British Drama Addiction
1. There are times to hold your tongue and at other times, speak up, Woman!!
2. Shawls have many uses: blanket, seat cover, coat, baby carriers, vest, hoods, and
ornamentation. Why haven’t these come back into style with the proper due they deserve?
3. Communication through small envelops and letters, written by hand, are so romantic!
4. Modest clothes!! And elegant! Can't these dresses and style come back, but with more comfortable shoes?
5. I need to learn to play the piano for entertainment purposes, and because I like to listen to it.
6. The arts: writing, painting, drawing, poetry, putting on plays and puppet shows, and pressing flowers were done because they didn’t have tv, computers, phones and video games to suck up their time. Maybe we should back away from the technology and look into using our time more wisely.
7. I am so very thankful for indoor plumbing and central heating!
8. Need some good baby names? Watch these movies!
9. I’m glad to see most of these ladies have frizzy, curly, unruly hair. If I can contain it into a bun of some kind, it might be more flattering.
10. Daily walks are good for you.
11. Living in the country is a good for you.
12. While money may certainly make life more comfortable, be sure you don’t forget what the most important
things in life are: love, family, a loyal dog, a good book and warm fire.
13. I want to learn to ride a horse.
14. Afternoon tea is good for reconnecting, calming the nerves, having a good visit, and being a good friend
or neighbor.
15. Get to know your neighbors. They may need your help, and you may need theirs.
16. Candle light covers up a lot of flaws.
17. Herbal/oil remedies have merit.
18. If you feel like something is missing from your relationships, take note. Walks in the wilderness, small
notes, dances and bouquets of flowers go a long way, and are just as good for boys as girls.
19. “What you fall in love with as a girl isn’t always what you want as a woman.” Laura Timmons, Lark Rise to Candleford.
20. Everything wasn’t peaches and roses back then. Scandal, teen pregnancy, loss of fortune, unemployment, and sickness all happened back then, and continues to happen now. It’s important to keep our faith, our family close, remember the good things we’ve been taught and start and end every day with a prayer.
Most people will agree that there is a serious problem in our world today- the problem of decreasing attention spans. We can blame many factors on this problem such as: chemicals and toxins in our environment and foods, television, and the video game obsessions. The fact is we as a society have been letting it happen. I believe the way to turn anything around is to start with you and your sphere of influence- your family.
Joseph Epstein in his book, In a Cardboard Belt said the following, “My own speculation is that our speeded up culture- with its FedEx, fax, e-mail, channel surfing, cell-phoning, fast action movies, and other elements in its relentless race against boredom- has ended in a shortened national attention span. The quickened rhythms of new technology are not rhythms congenial to the slow and time-consuming and solitary act of reading. Sustained reading, sitting quietly and enjoying the aesthetic pleasure that words eloquently deployed on the page can give, contemplating careful formulations of complex thoughts- these do not seem likely to be acts strongly characteristic of an already jumpy new century.”
Did you know that you have more brain activity simply staring at a blank wall than
you do when playing a video game or watching TV? Can you imagine the healthy stimulating affects of reading for your brain?
“The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sadly, I’ve notice many appalling things in my life with the increasing use of technology. The first is a lack of quality friendships. (See my post on Are Facebook Friends Stealing Your Reality?) And second is the decline in the ability for people to have conversations with differing opinions. People simple do not know how to have, share, or debate opposing ideas without fuming under the collar, or getting angry, or just remaining mute instead of calming share points of view. Part of this, I believe is that our culture is becoming more and more insistent that we “accept other’s opinions or who they are” without argument or opposition, or in other words that we must become apathetic and have to learn to accept that everyone other than us is right and that we are wrong. And finally, the average person does not have a desire to read deep and life changing classic works or literature as their focus is intent on keeping up with pop culture.
We cannot change everyone, but changing ourselves is a huge start. It is said that that by changing something about yourself as the ripple effect so large that you can affect 25,000 people. Just you making a change is powerful enough to affect thousands of people.
We have autistic children in our home, children with ADHD and other learning disabilities, but we desire to not succumb to these difficulties. In the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, he shares hopeful and inspiring stories about how reading has improved not only intelligence and confidence in average children, but disabilities in those who have them.
Here are things we are doing in our family to change these things and to fight the attention span war:
• 10 Minute DEAR sessions- Jim Trelease suggests have ten minute “Drop Everything And Read” times at least once a day. We try to have several in addition to the assigned school reading they have.
• We read aloud to our children daily for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Taking breaks is important, especially for boys who have lots of energy. We try to take breaks every hour. Sometimes the kids will do their chores, other times just mentally regroup, and other times they will go for a run. All of my kids run ages 4-15 at least a mile. The older they get, the longer they run.
• We read classic books, the scriptures. We try to keep all books unabridged if possible.
• Television does not go on at all during the day. Occasionally in the evening, we’ll watch an hour’s worth of wholesome movies as a family. Some recent ones we’ve seen and loved are: Cranford, Return to Cranford, Larkrise to Candleford, and Marco Polo.
• We’ve rid our home of all electronic games with the exception of a few educational games on the computer which are played no more than 3 times a week or less.
• We encourage board games, puzzles, crafts and games/play that use imagination.
• We encourage daily family discussion during mealtimes and other times to talk about our day, our thoughts, and to teach healthy debating while respecting other’s opinions and feelings.
• Our children play instruments: piano, violin, and viola. These help connect the right and left brain and therefore help with concentration and attention span.
Remember, above all, you are the parent and know what is best for your child. We are reminded in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Teaching them to master their mind, learn self-mastery in all areas of your child’s life, and how to respect others in their learning experiences are invaluable life skills. You too can make drastic changes and improve attention span and intelligence in your family and in the world around you through your example.
I'm so thankful for help when I need it. I had a visit with my new naturopathic doctor. The last one I went to stopped me completely on all products for my health when I got pregnant with Braedon- baby number eight. I was so glad to find Cynthia my new naturopath. She is a very gentle naturopath trusting your body’s ability to heal itself. She mentioned that it most likely sent me backsliding when the last naturopath took me off everything. That is a huge and unnecessary shock to the body. Most women while pregnant can still supplement and help the body with professional help. If the medical industry gives pregnant women a variety of drugs during pregnancy that can do more harm than good, why should we stop healing the body while pregnant? It makes no sense to me.
I'm in the middle of another miscarriage. Losing a baby is never an easy thing. I know that one of my missions in this life is to have a large family and I desire so much to have more children. It was so disappointing to discover this loss. I do understand that my body is not healthy enough for a pregnancy at this time so we will re-evaluate later when I’m healthier.
We discovered that I have the following going on with my health:
• Diverticulitis
• Multiple Sclerosis- not in any kind of advanced stages
• 3 other auto-immune disorders which she wouldn’t tell me because she didn’t want to alarm me even more.
• Kidney stones in both kidneys
• Kidneys not working at full capacity
• Bladder has fallen some
• Gall stones
• Issues with my thyroid still- mostly due to lack of iodine in my body (T-3 and T-4)
• Adrenal exhaustion—this is chronic
• Yeast
• Allergies
• Swelling in the bones
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease
• Liver parasites
• Parasites in the colon and other places—this is chronic
• Problems in the uterus (along with the failed pregnancy)
• Problems with my Pituitary gland- it’s working overdrive for my thyroid.
• Hemoglobin problems.
• Problems with my pancreas —this is chronic
• Imbalance in my flora
• Imbalance of my master hormones
• High levels of radiation (from cell phone use!!)
• Severe edema (from the miscarriage)
Several of these things I was dealing with even four years ago. A lot of this is news to me. Either way, it was kind of a shock to know where I had gotten. My naturopath was shocked too and said she should never see so many things wrong in a 33 year old.
The swelling in the bones makes so much sense. For the last two months it has been excruciating to run or do any kind of exercise. My bones hurt so badly. I was at the point that I would take an Advil before a workout so that I could get through it without tears. I kept going, but it was difficult.
Since I lived in Germany during 1986-1989 I have never been able to give blood because we were potentially exposed to Mad Cow disease at that time. This is a disease that is still going on today and in the US too. http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.cfm
In addition to this list I have a list of allergies:
We talked about the positive effects the doTerra vitamins, essential oils, and exercise have had on my body. Those include: no viruses, or staph infections. My vitamin levels are good; although the iron is low (parasites feed on iron too). Low hemoglobin level is referred to as being anemic. My vitamin levels being good is a huge considering all through the years (including the 2 I was with my last naturopath) my vitamin levels were chronically off. That is saying something about these vitamins that I have been on for a year. (See below)
Also, I did not have a toxic amount of heavy metals in my body as I did 4 years ago. This is because I drink citrus essential oils daily. Citrus oils pull out the heavy metals from the body. My cardiovascular system is in great shape. My cholesterol is normal and blood pressure is low. BUT, my body needs more healing. I'm told to slow down the exercise dramatically right now to almost nothing at first and slowly build it back up.
Oh, for the radiation in my body, I’m to drink citrus essential oils which will pull it out. However, eliminating the radiation is imperative. I can’t just stop talking on the cell phone. What I did do was buy an ishield radiation protection chip. $30 is a small price to pay for protection in my book.
She muscle tested each thing to be sure it was what was best for my body. What I’m doing to heal my body now with the aid of the naturopath:
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xEO Mega®
dōTERRA® xEO Mega® Essential Oil Omega Complex is a unique formula of CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils and proprietary blend of marine and land-sourced omega fatty acids. Omega fatty acids help support healthy joint, cardiovascular, and brain health, support healthy immune function, and have been shown to help mediate healthy inflammatory responses in cells. A single daily dose of xEO Mega provides 100 milligrams of marine lipids with 340 mg of EPA and 240 mg of DHA and a blend of plant-sourced essential fatty acids. xEO Mega also includes 800 IU of natural vitamin D, 60 IU of natural vitamin E, and 1 mg of pure astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant carotenoid harvested from microalgae. The bioavailability of the xEO Mega formula is enhanced through a nanosomal lipid assimilation system and is encapsulated in SLS-free vegetable liquicapsules.
Microplex VMz™
dōTERRA®'s Microplex VMz™ Food Nutrient Complex is an all-natural, whole-food formula of bioavailable vitamins and minerals that are deficient in our modern diets. The formula includes a balanced blend of essential antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, and an energy complex of B vitamins presented in a patented glycoprotein matrix. It also contains food-derived minerals of calcium, magnesium, and zinc and 72 organic trace minerals for optimal bone and metabolic health. Microplex VMz contains dōTERRA's Tummy Tammer™ botanical blend of peppermint, ginger, and caraway to calm the the stomach for those who may have experienced stomach upset with other vitamin and mineral products. Microplex VMz is encapsulated using sodium lauryl sulfate-free vegetable capsules, does not contain wheat or dairy products, and does not include any animal products or synthetic ingredients.
I mix this is a roller bottle with coconut oil to dilute it since it's a "hot" oil.
Diuretic - Use as a diuretic is one of the top health benefits of thyme. This herb helps to eliminate any excess fluid accumulation in the body, and can be very beneficial for reducing bloating.
Antiseptic- This oil works well as an antiseptic. Wound healing and infection prevention are both actions of the herb, and it can be used to clean minor scrapes and other wounds so that infection will not occur.
Antibacterial- Thyme essential oil has antibacterial properties and this oil can kill off bacteria inside the body as well as cleaning wounds on the outside.
Antifungal- Oil of the thyme plant is one of the most effective nail fungus cure products available anywhere. The herb naturally kills off many types of fungi.
Flatulence is another problem that thyme essential oil can help with. This oil prevents gas and bloating in the intestines by forcing the trapped air through the system faster and minimizing the effects that this air has in the body.
Improved Dental Health. Thyme is a home remedy that can actually reverse gum disease, and promote good dental health and fresh breath.
Many essential oils have been recognized through research as powerful agents to help restore normal balance in the digestive system. DigestZen™ takes advantage of these well-established therapeutic compounds in a proprietary blend of pure essential oils. Ginger, peppermint, tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander and anise each have specific attributes which add to the overall efficiency of this potent blend. When used internally, dōTERRA®'s DigestZen brings soothing digestive relief. For aromatic, topical, or dietary use.
Single oils contained in this blend:
Ginger- Is warming, uplifting, and empowering. It can help influence emotions, physical energy, love and courage. Because it has a calming influence on the digestive system, it can help reduce feelings of nausea and motion sickness.
Peppermint -Serves as an anti-inflammatory to the prostate and the nerves. It is soothing, cooling, and dilating to the system. It can also help with food poisoning, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, halitosis, colic, nausea, and motion sickness.
Tarragon- Is useful in helping reduce anorexia, dyspepsia, flatulence, intestinal spasms, nervous and sluggish digestion, and genital urinary tract infection.
Fennel- Can help support the digestive function by supporting the liver. It may also help balance the hormones.
Caraway -Is antiparasitic and antispasmodic. It may also help with indigestion, gas, and colic.
Coriander - Is antispasmodic and has anti-inflammatory properties. It may also help with indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea, and other spasms of the digestive tract.
Anise- May help calm and strengthen the digestive system.
Since the following oils are all going over the kidneys (on the skin), I just mixed them in an essential oil roller bottle and am applying 3 times a day.
The health benefits of Wintergreen Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like analgesic, anodyne, anti rheumatic & anti arthritic, anti spasmodic, anti septic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, emenagogue, and stimulant. Helps in removing pain by numbing the area where the oil is applied. It is a relaxant. Wintergreen Essential Oil will eradicate pain and will drive away stress and tension.
Anti Rheumatic & Anti Arthritic: This oil fights rheumatism and arthritis in two ways. First, when applied externally, it easily penetrates through the skin in the muscles and tissues and stimulates circulation of blood there. This, apart from bringing warmth to the affected place, helps clear obstructions in the flow of blood (which is one of the major causes behind rheumatism and arthritis) and it does not let toxins, like uric acid, accumulate at a place. Second, although absorbed through skin, when it reaches blood stream, it stimulates and increases urination and acts as a diuretic. This speeds up removal of toxins like uric acid from the body through urine. The removal of excess water, fats and salts through urine helps lose weight and this too counters rheumatism.
Anti Spasmodic: The relaxing and stimulating effect of this oil fights spasm in the respiratory, muscular, digestive and nervous systems and gives relief from congestion in chest, breathing troubles, asthma, spasmodic coughs, muscular cramps, digestive disorders, spasmodic diarrhea, convulsions and nervous afflictions.
Anti Septic: it is fatal to the bacteria and other microbes such a virus, fungi and protozoa also. This is utilized to fight infection causing septic. It kills the bacteria named Staphylococcus Aureus and cures septic. But care should be taken to avoid direct contact with blood and it should not be applied on open wounds. Neither should it be taken orally to fight septic in the internal organs. Just applying on the skin will be enough as it will easily penetrate skin, absorbed by the tissues and from there will be absorbed in the blood stream, thus spreading into the internal organs too.
Astringent: It induces contractions in the tissues of muscles, skin, blood vessels, and hair roots. When it comes to blood vessels, this contraction helps check hemorrhage from the wounded or cut vessels.
Diuretic: It stimulates the organs in the urinary system and filtration of water by the kidneys, thereby increasing frequency and quantity of urine. This is of great help as it speeds up removal of toxins like uric acid and others and protects from diseases like rheumatism and arthritis and others which are caused due to accumulation of toxins. It also removes excess water, fat and salt from the body, thus helping cure edema, water logging, hypertension, etc. This also keeps kidneys and urinary bladder clear and prevents formation of stones.
Emenagogue: Obstructed menstruation is a big problem faced by most women, more so in city life. This should not be taken lightly as it may give rise to very serious problems like uterine ulcers and even uterine cancer. It results in pain in the abdominal region, irritation, annoyance, hair fall, fall in health and feminine problems. This problem can be sorted out with the help of an agent that can clear this obstruction and restart menses. Further, it should also make them regular. Luckily, there are many essential oils which can do this and Essential Oil of Wintergreen is one of them. It opens menstruations and also helps get rid of problems like nausea, fatigue, pain etc. associated with periods. But again, it should not be taken orally.
Stimulant: it is a stimulant and it promotes discharge of gastric juices, bile, hormones, enzymes, ovarian and uterine discharges and even urine by stimulating liver, gall bladder, endocrinal glands and uterus. It also stimulates circulation of blood and lymph, digestion, excretion and the nerves.
Traditionally, Lemon oil has many uses. It is a powerful antiseptic and can be an effective means to improve circulation. It is a considered to be an excellent antibacterial agent.
Like all pure essential oils, Lemon has a complete chemical profile just as it did in nature. One of the most impressive is limonene. Limonene has been extensively researched for its protective influence to cells. All citrus oils contain limonene as a major component of their structure. Lemon oil offers many possibilities for health improvement due to its defensive attributes, which can easily be distributed throughout the body, even to its very core–your cells!
Properties: Antidepressant, anticancer, antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral, antioxidant, astringent, refreshing, invigorating and tonic.
Lemon essential oil has been used historically to combat food poisoning, typhoid epidemics, malaria, and scurvy. It has also been used to lower blood pressure, help with arthritis, liver problems, and muscular aches and pains.
May also help with blood pressure, anxiety, dissolving cellulite, debility, clarity of thought, energy, digestive problems, promoting leukocyte formation, gallstones, lymphatic system cleansing, liver deficiencies in children, strengthening nails, memory improvement, nervous conditions, nerves, sore throats, stress, respiratory problems, and promoting a sense of well being.
An uplifting combination of essential oils creates an energetic aroma that can help stimulate the body’s chemistry when feeling lethargic or sad. It is good for the adrenals, ADD, lack of energy, and more.
The fragrance is uplifting, refreshing, helps promote feelings of self worth, can help dispel feelings of depression, sorrow and anxiety. The blend can elevate your mood and increase your energy. For aromatic or topical use.
Single oils contained in this blend:
Lavandin- is an anti Depressant: Lavandin Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. Anti Septic: it can protect wounds from being septic. Analgesic as an agent that reduces pain and inflammation. It is a nervine is an agent which keeps the nervous system in order and in good health. Lavandin Oil acts as a tonic for the nerves and the nervous system. It helps cure many nervous disorders such as shaking hands or limbs, nervousness, vertigo, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and convulsions, sluggishness, lack of reflexes etc. It strengthens nerves and activates them.
Tangerine- Anti Septic: kills Staphylococcus Aureus! Anti Spasmodic: Spasm is not restricted to muscular cramps only. It can happen in respiratory system, digestive system and nervous system also and can cause breathing troubles, asthma, congestion, severe coughs, spasmodic diarrhoea and cholera, nervous afflictions and convulsions. Cytophylactic: Certain components of this oil stimulate generation of new cells, or more precisely, cell division, and recycling of the cellular matter in the body. Cleans the blood and helps with the excretion or removal of the toxic and unwanted substances such as uric acid, pollutants, extra salt and water from the body through sweat, urine and excreta etc. as well as increases the oxygen retaining capacity of the red blood cells, thereby refreshing or purifying the blood. Sedative: It soothes all types of inflammations and hyperactivity in all the systems functioning in our body, namely, the respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system, nervous system and the excretory system. It sedates inflammation due to fever, intrusion of poisonous substances in the blood stream from external sources, convulsions, anxiety, stress, hypersensitivity of allergy etc. It also sedates depression, anger, and impulsive responses.
Elemi- The anti septic property protects from every possible infection from microbes, bacteria, fungus and virus, apart from giving protection against septic and tetanus. This is not only applicable in protecting wounds, but is also effective in preventing infections in urethra, urinary bladder, urinary tract, colon, kidneys, intestines, stomach and other internal organs, be it in any form of wound. With all its analgesic properties, is effective in cutting down pain related to cold, fever, sprains, etc. It helps cure headache, migraine, muscular pain, pain in joints, pain in ears, etc. It stimulates almost all the functions in the body. It stimulates circulation, secretion of hormones and enzymes from endocrinal glands, discharge of bile and other gastric juices into the stomach, stimulates nervous response, neurons in the brain, the heartbeats, respiration, peristaltic motion of the intestines and also stimulates menstrual discharges and production and secretion of milk in the breasts, due to its stimulating effects of certain hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
Lemon myrtle- Apart from being a wonderful mood lifter and calming, it's the most antiseptic, antiviral, antifungal of the Australian essential oils (more powerful than tea tree) and is helpful with colds, flues, chest congestions, irritable digestive disorders, gas in the digestive tract, skin conditions. It contains powerful bioactive properties.
Melissa- Can offer support in cases of high blood pressure or hypertension, cold-sore blisters, asthma, eczema, menstrual disorders, menopause, depression, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, headaches, digestive disorders, dyspepsia, gastric spasm, dysentery, nausea.
Ylang Ylang- It fights depression and relaxes body and soul, thereby driving away anxiety and sadness. It also has an uplifting effect on mood and induces and feeling of joy and hope. It is a health booster for the nerves. It strengthens the nervous system and restores it from damages. Further, it also reduces stress on nerves and protects them. It can also help heal nervous disorders. Can be used to cure infections in internal organs such as stomach, intestines, colon, urinary tracts etc. It is also good for insomnia, fatigue, frigidity and other stress related factors.
Osmanthus- contains antimicrobial action on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysentery by using agar disc diffusion method. This essential oil has shown strong inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella typhi.
Sandlewood- very effective as an anti inflammatory agents. It has a cooling effect and gives relief from all variety of inflammation in brain, digestive system, nervous system, circulatory system, excretory system etc. resulting from infections, fever, side effects of antibiotics, poisoning, insect bites, wounds, etc. Due to its relaxing and anti inflammatory nature, it soothes inflammations in the urinary system and induces relaxation in it, thereby promoting easy passage of urine. It is helpful in treating infections and inflammation in the urinary system.
What I’m not going to do
... is feel victimized to my body and current bad health. I have no fear. What I do have is confidence that I can heal my life and my body.
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."
~ Norman Vincent Peale
Finally, a little disturbing video to share that just because we live in the US does not keep us from getting parasites. The medical industry tries to make everyone think it is something we in the Western hemisphere do not have to deal with. They are wrong. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s progress said, “The road of denial leads to the precipice of destruction.”
Why do I not choose to take care of these things by going to the medical industry? Because I believe that the healing should be done by figuring out what is going on on the cellular and basal level—the core of the person. There is more than meets the eye than just a dis-ease or symptoms. I have complete and total faith that I can heal my body completely. I’m thankful that we have so many choices today, especially for alternative medicine.
What I’ve learned in this, and other times in my life that I have had
health issues, is that I need to be consistent in caring for my body. It is not just sufficient to exercise and take showers and eat fairly healthy. Cleanses should be done consistently and regularly just like we clean the outside of our bodies.
And finally, we are here on this earth to have trials to learn from them. I thank Heavenly Father for all that I have learned from these experiences and am thankful that I have the opportunity to fix them.
"Paul pled thrice that “a thorn in the flesh” be removed. The Lord simply answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7, 9). He gave Paul strength to compensate so he could live a most meaningful life. He wants you to learn how to be cured when that is His will and how to obtain strength to live with your challenge when He intends it to be an instrument for growth." ~Richard G. Scott (To Be Healed, Ensign April 1994)
In not submitting to others' feelings of doom and gloom and keeping my faith in God that I can be healed and made whole~ I know that I will be.
*Note: If you want to find out how to start using essential oils for your health, email me to find out how to get them at a discount!
I bet none of you even knew we were expecting a new baby! Well, we weren't, but the baby found us. Baby Anna came to us through a very whirlwind adoption that transpired in 10 days. I have never had the opportunity to adopt a child, and this experience has left me the most humbled I have ever felt in my entire life. I think sometimes we don't know how or why we meet a certain person until many years later. Sometimes I think we take for granted the things in life we think we should just be able to do, until we can't anymore. This was an amazing journey for our family.
In June I met Anna. She was 6 days old and tiny!! Only 5 lbs 11 oz. at birth! She had the most beautiful red hair and I could tell her eyes were going to be blue, only I didn't know just how blue. They are now my most favorite color of blue eyes! I think my 6 kids with brown eyes are warm and dark and expressive but I have always loved blue eyes and hoped I would one day have a blue eyed baby. Remember that gene model we all did in high school that said if you had a blue/green eyed parent and brown eyed parent with a recessive trait should give you a 50/50 chance of having a blue eyed baby? Yeah, that sort of failed on our part. That and our ability to produce a girl baby other than the ONE time it worked for Hannah.
I kept going back as long as Anna was staying with my friend Kim. She did foster care for older kids and this is how she met Anna's birth father, and then his girlfriend. I'm sure they were full of hope: the baby was beautiful, they were in love, and everything would work out. I think on some level, we all feel that way anytime we have a baby. Birth is a symbol of new beginnings. However life wasn't paradise for these young parents and the birth mom was getting bounced around from house to house with her baby. It is stressful enough to be a new mom with a new baby, but to have the added stress of not knowing where you will be the next week probably added to it. By July, she was back living with my friend Kim and I continued to visit when I could to hang out, help with the baby, snuggle the baby, and chat.
One night as I left, feeling heartbroken for the parents and baby and situation they were in, I half jokingly told Kim I would be willing to adopt Anna (or any baby, for that matter), if it was ever something they felt they needed to do.
When Kim called a few weeks later and asked if we wanted to really adopt Anna I thought she was joking, but she wasn't. Really, I thought? I was humbled we were even considered. I talked with the birth mom. We agreed to an open adoption. I did as much research as I could to find out what we needed to do to make it as easy and less traumatic of a transition as I could, but we weren't adoption ready. I found a lawyer that was quick to get it all together in a week. Friends brought us clothes, a crib, food. Grandparents and Aunts sent clothes and swings and good wishes! We helped the birth mom find a job, get enrolled in school, and find a place to live. We hoped it would help with the transition for her. I couldn't even imagine what she was going through. I didn't know if I should feel sympathetic or grateful, sad or happy, excited or depressed. Her emotions weighed on me. I know that sometimes it is easy to judge people in situations like this and of course, its always easier to be on the outside looking in. I had a front row seat though. I saw her struggles. I saw her pain and relief. I saw her excitement for a new job and school, but sadness that she was moving on down a path without her daughter. Amazingly, every time I talked with her, or visited with her in person, she was smiling, happy, upbeat and while life seemed to hand out more lemons than lemonade, she rolled with it. It was amazing and humbling for me to see her like that. Was Anna's adoption a gift for both of us? I don't know if I could have made the same decisions she did for adoption had I been in that same situation.
Anna came home with us August 24th, 2011. She was tiny for 3 months old, just weighing about 11 lbs. She was developmentally on schedule, just petite, which we still ooh and aww over. I worried that living with 6 older kids, mostly boys and NOISE, would upset her, but she fit right in. She slept through the train wrecks and she smiled at their antics. The little boys that seem to eager for her play are gentle with her and talk softly to her. They are Johnny on the Spot anytime she cries, ready to dance for her, play with her, give her toys or try to feed her. Anna lives a very interesting life as baby #7 in our household. We tried to call Anna by different names so as to distinguish between Hannah and Anna, but Anna just sticks. Sometimes we call her by her long name, Annastasia, but it still feels odd. Maybe a nickname will come up on day. Hannah is in 7th heaven (ha! no pun intended) now that she has a baby sister, which she has praying for all her life. Hannah and I knock heads sometimes but she IS a great big sister.
I worried about bonding with Anna. I didn't know how the adoption things worked and I have a tendency to want to put life on a shelf until I feel like it is safe to go on normally. I couldn't do that in this situation. If we were going to do this adoption, it had to be full steam ahead and NOW. For the first two weeks Anna bonded with Curtis, and everyone else it seemed. She was just so little and pretty everyone wanted to hold her. Then she started smiling, but she wouldn't smile at me. I could hardly get her to look at me. Depressed creeping in, I confessed my fears to Curtis. "She doesn't seem to like me, much less want me." But that night, she looked at me and smiled, even reached a tiny hand over to me. "See? She does!" Curtis exclaimed. All that fear for naught.
There are three years between Anna and Ammon, our biggest gap in the kid spacing process. I worried that she wouldn't have that one brother or sister to pair off with, but that doesn't seem to be an issue yet. I worried that Ammon would have meltdowns and regressive behavior with a new baby, but he hasn't. Potty training would be nice, but I'm not pushing it. I worried that I was "out of the baby mode", but I'm not. In fact, I miss having that one baby that stays put when you set them down, that snuggles with you and sleeps on you, that looks adorable puffing her sweet cheeks out as she takes her bottle, and that holds your hand in her tiny fingers. If I could add some humor here, if I could have adopted all my kids, I think I would have. I was a bit sleep deprived in the beginning, but nothing like you feel after birthing the baby and then going home to sleepless nights and days full of chasing toddlers and nursing a newborn. This was pretty easy!!
Almost right after Ammon was born I had told Curtis I felt like there was one more baby for us. Curtis balked, but we were sleep deprived and spending the day chasing 5 kids, two of which were toddlers, and nursing a very reluctant newborn. Curtis surprised me later in the day and replied, "Fine. One more. That's it." So when Ammon's first birthday was coming around and I was weaning him (he was TERRIBLE at nursing), I figured I would get pregnant relatively quickly. Nothing. 2nd birthday came around, nothing. Curious why I wasn't getting pregnant when this worked so well in the past, I was told I had less than 1% chance of getting pregnant. Later I found out I had Celiac Disease (allergy to wheat and gluten), which is an auto-immune disorder. There was at least part of a reason why I wasn't getting pregnant. I won't say I didn't get depressed. And some people would say, "But you have 6 other kids! Be grateful!", which isn't to say I wasn't grateful. I was! I was amazed I'd even had 6 kids because at one time it looked like I wouldn't have any kids at all. But I had that pressure, that feeling that one sheep was missing from the fold, that knowledge I knew I was supposed to have another little girl. Where was she going to come from?
Then one day, quite suddenly, I realized I had no need to worry. That little girl found us. And we feel complete.
In light of the holidays, Thanksgiving and now entering the Christmas season, I wanted to publicly thank all those that contributed to bring Anna into our life. If I hadn't met my best friend Kim in 9th grade Home Ec, how would I have ever met Anna 23 years later? Thank you for your mediation, support and friendship offered to the birth parents and me, babysitting, and words of encouragement. To Anna's birth parents: I know life is hard, and this was THE hardest decision you have ever made in your young lives, but thank you! We are eternally grateful for this opportunity to care for your little girl. To our family, for their support, acknowledgement, and acceptance of Anna into our family. I wish we lived closer. To my other best friends, Shiloah and Rebecca. Your love and acceptance of Anna and the deep spiritual understanding in all this has kept me sane and grounded. I'm so glad we met 12 years ago and can call on any given day and not miss a beat! To get the adoption going it required us to call on friends and family for extra help that I felt like I may have imposed upon too much. They were busy with their lives, children, spouses, and jobs. Thank you for your letters and support. We could not have gotten anywhere without your help! And then to my husband and kids. Curtis opened his heart so completely to Anna. She lights up when he walks in the room! To my kids, thank you for accepting Anna into our family. It is a sweet, sweet sight to see every brother taking turns holding Anna, and Hannah holding true to her promises she made to be a big sister to Anna.
I'm not discounting the experiences I had birthing my own children and how special each of them are in our life. I am grateful for each child, some with disabilities, some with a sense of humor and some with a flair for life I've never witnessed in anyone else before. The adoption experience has been amazing though. My eyes were opened to miracles and blessing and angels and a deeper understanding of the human spirit than I have ever had the privilege of experiencing in my whole life. No house, car, money, or job will ever be as gratifying as being an instrument orchestrated in a child's life. Nothing compares. Families ARE forever!
Over two years ago I joined Facebook, mostly out of curiosity. It was fun
reading updates here and there. I played the occasional Farm Town game and created some groups for my businesses. I added people for networking, those with a common interest, clients, and those I actually knew. I’ve always been a social butterfly so this was another way of meeting new people and learning more about my current friends. Or so I thought.
Something changed in my life. Over the years something was become glaringly apparent. It wasn’t adding up and I was really bothered by it. The people who live in my same city, the same people I was friends with on Facebook never really talked to me in real life. I invite people to events. They’re busy or don’t respond. I would say hi on Sunday or whenever I saw some of them. That was it. They lived their lives and I lived mine feeling completely alone at times. How can I have these “friends” on social networks but few REAL friends in REAL life?
I know I’m not alone in this. According to an article on CNN.com “new research suggests that anyone looking to form new and genuinely close friendships via online social networks is going to be disappointed.
An ongoing UK study, conducted by Dr. Will Reader of Sheffield Hallam University, suggests that real life meetings are still needed to foster genuine "real" relationships which are based on trust.
Research by Dr. Reader, who has been studying over 200 networking site users, shows that they still have only around five close friends, and that these are almost always forged through face-to-face meetings.
He told the British Association Festival of Science held in York this week that social networking sites allow people to broaden their list of nodding acquaintances simply because keeping in touch with people online is easy.
"What social network sites can do," Reader said, "is decrease the cost of maintaining and forming these social networks because we can post information to multiple people."
"But to develop a real friendship," he said, "we need to see that the other person is trustworthy. We need to be absolutely sure that a person is really going to invest in us and is really going to be there for us when we need them."
"People see face-to-face contact as being absolutely imperative in forming close friendships."
I’ve always been against role playing as my church has always strongly counseled against it. Role playing games are of the norm today, mostly online with the World of War Craft, etc. I feel like Facebook is another way of playing a role. Many people pretend their life is perfect or a vision of what they would like it to be or we have the opposite of people who only post their victim story making their drama public and more extreme.
I thought in reading what people were up to and sharing tips online via these social networking mediums was going to be yet another way of strengthening current friendship and forging new ones. According to Dr. Reader, "What we need is to be absolutely sure that a person is really going to be there for us. It's very easy to be deceptive on the Internet. What we need are cues that are indicative of investment."
“Based on responses from 3,500 companies, Peninsula estimates that 233 million hours are lost every month by employees "wasting time" on the Internet.” That is just employees. What about people spending leisure hours on the internet not being monitored by superiors or the time clock? Social Media and the internet are distracting too many people from the things that are more important in life. I often invite friends to join me in a book club at my house and the usual response is that they don’t have enough time. If we invest only ten minutes a day in reading a real book we can finish it in 1-2 weeks depending on the size. Real books have real substance and you can enrich it by having interaction with real friends at your home.
I find that in not getting enough “likes” or “comments” leaves many people disappointed in themselves because they aren’t getting the feedback they would from friends had you been in a real life social situation.
I realize Facebook has its perks. You can read interesting quotes, learn new tidbits, and find out where your military friend just moved. You can also tell all of your friends and relatives at once announcements that are easier to make in “bulk”. You can meet good acquaintances that can share life changing information. However, two questions are: 1. is it worth investing so many hours and days of your life? And 2. Is it really paying off in terms of fulfilling friendships and by extension a richer and more meaningful life? Only you can truly answer that question honestly.
It’s time for me and others who agree to slow down the Facebook time trying to maintain unfulfilling, shallow, or fleeting friendships. Or it’s simply wasting too much time reading minute details about other people’s lives. I say it’s time to pick up the phone and get together in real life and support each other by investing real time and attention into another person who we can call “friend” and really mean it.
For nearly 7 years the Dawn and Shiloah, the ladies from A Homemaking Journey, have blogged together. And now we are refocusing our efforts in a more life-changing way....
Let us introduce you to Life-o-logy: heal your emotions, heal your body, heal your life!
It's about an hour and twenty minutes long. You can download it by right clicking and "Save as".
How long is a session? Between 50-60 minutes.
Can it be done over the phone? Yes, it can be done over the phone and/or locally if you live in Colorado Springs, CO {for Shiloah} or Pleasant Grove, UT {for Dawn}.
How much does it cost? $70 a session.
Pay for your session now:
Contact Dawn or Shiloah to set up a time.
Join us for our group clearing Monday, November 21 at 10am MST!
Topic: Well-being and Generalized Happiness
Just in time for the holidays. We'll release the stress and negative emotions that are blocking the joy and fun of this holiday season.
After holding your place in the class by purchasing below, we will send you the call in information. Recordings will be made for those who purchase in advance, but cannot make it to the call.
Price: $20.00
Book a Private Session with Dawn
Price: $70.00
Book a Private Session with Shiloah
Price: $70.00
Here is a short video highlighting Dr James Oschman as he gave a presentation at a medical conference. It is a clear, concise no nonsense explanation of energy medicine.
I'm so thankful for help when I need it. I had a visit with my new naturopathic doctor. The last one I went to stopped me completely on all products for my health when I got pregnant with Braedon- baby number eight. I was so glad to find Cynthia my new naturopath. She is a very gentle naturopath trusting your body’s ability to heal itself. She mentioned that it most likely sent me backsliding when the last naturopath took me off everything. That is a huge and unnecessary shock to the body. Most women while pregnant can still supplement and help the body with professional help. If the medical industry gives pregnant women a variety of drugs during pregnancy that can do more harm than good, why should we stop healing the body while pregnant? It makes no sense to me.
