DIY Toothpaste

I've not always made my own toothpaste. It wasn't until a friend of mine (who works in the dental field) shared this article on Facebook one day that I really started to question why I wasn't just making my own. When I read this article I was in....well shock. Plastic. In your toothpaste. Wow. It's a great article, so definitely check it out!

We've been making our own toothpaste for probably close to a year now. Even my super picky hubby likes it! ;)

It's really easy to make too. 3 ingredients, yep just three.

Here we go:

5 tablespoons of Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon of baking soda (grabbed mine from Whole Foods, forgot to take a picture)
10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional, but we love it)

Mix well and done!

**Consistency will change based on room temperature.


My husband, son and I share this and can make it last for almost a month.

Enjoy! :) 

Vaccines: I've held my tongue long enough.

This is definitely the longest blog entry I've written to date. And if you follow through to the very end, thank you for taking the time to read it. I encourage you to read the links also! Will this bring about a debate? Wouldn't surprise me, at all. I've seen it all over my news feed, much like I'm sure you have. Will I lose friends? Perhaps. I'm sorry my son is more important than any "friend" out there. So if that happens, it happens. 

I've held my tongue long enough. All of this Measles talk and now that there is a report that a child in Arkansas (where we live) is being tested...people are already starting to freak out. Who am I kidding? People have been freaking out since the first mention of this "outbreak". Not sure this would really qualify as an "outbreak". Think about how many people actually live in this world and then the LOW number of people who have the measles. Just my opinion though. Anyway...and :most: of them tend to act so ugly about it. I will give credit when it's due, there are some people who completely disagree with our decision to not continue vaccinating our son and they are SO respectful and polite about it. So no, not everyone acts ugly when it comes to vaccine debates. However, I'm well aware of the way some people view us and I don't care.

And I will say this, I totally understand being worried about your kid/kids. I truly, truly do. I worry about my son too, but in a different way than you. While you're worried about your child being around my son who isn't fully vaccinated, I worry about my son being around your child who just received his/her MMR. A live virus. That they can shed. I've seen argument about this not being possible. Okay. So if it's :not: possible to shed a live virus, why would St. Jude Children's Hospital say it is? Here's a link to go with the screen shot, feel free to check it out! And I actually came across this information in a really great article Don’t Vaccinate to Protect My Cancer Kid, I would highly recommend you read it. It's long (like my entry isn't though?), but definitely worth the read.

Some people are so uneducated about those of us who choose to not vaccinate. Supposedly we make our decision not to, based on Jenny McCarthy? That's laughable. Our child was vaccinated. We ignorantly didn't question anything. Why? Well because we were vaccinated, they said it was safe. We thought we were protecting our child. It wasn't until his last set of vaccinations (which he received his first dose of MMR) that we finally WOKE UP and realized what we were doing. After seeing a dramatic change in our child, YES dramatic, I knew something wasn't right. We watched our healthy, developing "normally" baby boy dramatically change in front of our eyes. I relive those moments often in my mind. They were hard. It still can be hard.

He developed severe sleep issues, behavioral issues, sensory problems, speech problems, dietary problems. It became an extremely emotionally/mentally/physically exhausting road. We had no idea what happened to our son and it's not like he could communicate with us what was going on. You seriously have no idea. I've told bits and pieces on Facebook, but you have no idea exactly hard it has been. We took him to the doctor at least 6 times for his sleep. And every time the doctor wrote us off, "oh that's normal". I'm sorry, but his sleep patterns were FAR from normal. The last time we took him in, (before my husband's first deployment) I was so desperate for help. I was so exhausted, that I'm still unsure how I was even functioning. Thank God, his doctor was out of the office that day and we saw a different doctor (which isn't uncommon when you see doctors on base). He not only genuinely heard our concerns but had his own concerns about Ronnie's behavior. It was then he recommended we have Ronnie evaluated. Which is what got OT (occupational therapy) started and eventually a diagnosis of Autism from a psychologist.

By the time we made it to the step of being evaluated for Autism, we already suspected that's what it was. I had been doing research for quite some time about Autism, which eventually lead me to researching vaccines. There's a huge debate in the medical field and the Autism community whether or not vaccines have anything to do with Autism. Believe it or not, there's a portion of the Autism community that believe vaccines had nothing to do with their child having Autism. Anyway, I dove head first into researching. What vaccines our child had gotten and what ingredients were in those vaccines. I was in shock and angry, at myself mainly.

The one question I have been asked numerous times by other Mom's or new Mom's to be...Do I think vaccines are the cause of Ronnie's Autism? I truly believe it contributed in some way. Whether it was a trigger or the main cause, I don't know. And I do think it's possible that there could be genetic factors that might make some kids more susceptible than others. I think for some children, vaccines could be a trigger. But in all honesty, it's a question that I will never have answered and it's something I have to live with every day. Every single day. Our decision to not move forward with vaccinations had nothing to do with Jenny McCarthy, us being uneducated, selfish, careless, being a hippie, being part of some new movement or anything like that. It came after a very long time spent researching and PRAYER. As it got closer to his 4 year vaccines, something left me so conflicted. You know, that Mother's intuition that most of us have. I prayed and prayed and prayed and ultimately felt like it wasn't in his best interest to move forward. And after we finally reached our decision, there was this huge weight lifted off of me. I felt, at peace. Thankfully his doctor respected our wishes and never tried pushing it on us.

And to every person who has asked me if I believed vaccines caused Ronnie's Autism, I've told them exactly what I stated above. I have no idea, but I feel like it had something to do with it. I highly encourage them to research BOTH sides, research the vaccines and their ingredients and PRAY and then make an informed decision. This is my advice to everyone. Don't just have your kids vaccinated because their doctor says to or because the government says it's safe. At least do your research first. I wish we had done that.
I have nothing against those who choose to vaccinate, not vaccinate or delay schedule, because I honestly believe that no matter what a parent decides in this situation....they are doing what they think is best for their child. I bite my tongue with a lot of things I've seen shared lately, hateful comments I've read. I respect that not everyone has the same opinion about a topic like this, but that respect :should: go both ways. Until you've lived a day in our life, have experienced our own personal journey with Ronnie...just keep the hatefulness to yourself. Please and thank you.

A few questions you may want to ask yourself.

1. If vaccines are :safe: why is there a need for a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program? That's such a serious question too. I hear so many people preach that vaccines are in fact SAFE. If they are "safe", WHY do we need a compensation program? Here's some information on how many people have been compensated: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/statisticsreport.pdf
According to the National Vaccine Information Center, "by 2009, nearly $2 billion had been awarded to vaccine victims even though two out of three plaintiffs are denied compensation and there was a nearly $3 billion surplus in the VICP Trust Fund." That's quite a bit of money for something that is so safe, don't you think?

2. Do I want to live in a world where medical decisions are (or could be) being FORCED on my family? You should never lose your right to decide what you want :medically speaking: for your family. If we make the decision to not inject our son with human diploid lung fibroblasts, which is lung tissue taken from a therapeutically aborted fetus of about 3 months gestational age, THAT'S OUR RIGHT. I'm seeing more and more states jumping in proposing bills that would take away the right to file vaccine exemption for personal or religious beliefs. I can't even begin to express how wrong this is.

3. Why does a child need 69 doses of vaccines? "Children today receive 69 doses of vaccines for 16 different viral and bacterial illnesses which more than doubles the government childhood schedule of 34 doses of 11 different vaccines in the year 2000.  A vaccine exemption is filed regardless of whether the exemption is filed for one dose or all doses. 35 doses and 5 more unique vaccines have been added to the schedule in the last 15 years. Those supporting forced vaccination are being dishonest by not acknowledging the exploding vaccine schedule while sounding alarms over small increases in overall non-medical exemptions." Don't you think that's an insane amount of toxins to inject into a child?

Some helpful links that I encourage everyone to check out:

HERD IMMUNITY:

http://www.greatmothersquestioningvaccines.com/herd-immunity.html?m
http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2012/02/18/the-deadly-impossibility-of-herd-immunity-through-vaccination-by-dr-russell-blaylock/
http://www.wellwithin1.com/herdimmunity.htm
http://thepeopleschemist.com/chemist-says-media-left-horrifying-facts-measles-shot/

VACCINE PACKAGE INSERTS:
http://www.immunize.org/packageinserts/
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf
http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm
http://www.greatmothersquestioningvaccines.com/vaccine-package-inserts.html
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm101580.pdf

VACCINE INGREDIENTS:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
http://vaxtruth.org/2011/08/vaccine-ingredients/

OTHER:
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/02/702199/10118172/en/Studies-Show-that-Vaccinated-Individuals-Spread-Disease.html
http://tenpennyimc.com/2015/02/17/measles-2015-a-tempest-in-a-teapot/
http://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/merck-scientis-claim-merck-forced-them-to-falsify-vaccine-efficacy-test/
https://medium.com/@therebootedbody/bringing-much-needed-sanity-to-the-vaccine-debate-e143f089bfd1


Do you ever ask yourself what is causing the high rates of Autism in children? How about childhood cancer? It seems as if I'm seeing more and more people posting about their children having cancer. And it's so heartbreaking. Could it possibly be the large amount of toxins that are constantly being injected into them? I think so. You can't sit here and say there aren't any possible side effects from having Formaldehyde, Thermerosal, MRC-5, DNA, MRC-5 Cellular Protein, Human Serum Albumin (4 different ingredients), Glutaraldehyde...just to name a few. Not sure what those are? Well I would highly suggest you research those too. Check out the Vaccine Ingredient links I've included. And if your Pro-Life, you should definitely check out ingredients.

The purpose of this entry is NOT to sway anyone from changing their stances on this matter. I'm not speaking for all "anti-vaxxers". I am speaking for our family. Again, no matter what decision you make for your child, I respect you. I may not agree with that decision and I definitely feel bad for your child/children, but I respect you. I believe you're truly doing what you think is best for your kiddo/kiddos, but please keep in mind, I'm doing the EXACT SAME THING for my son.

Thanks Y'all and God Bless!

GF/DF Apple Crisp

I'm addicted to this Apple Crisp y'all!!

I love apples. Apple pie. Apple crisp. Love it all. And I've been on a Apple Crisp kick lately....mainly because I buy so many apples at once! Gotta make something delish with them..right? And this is super easy to make! :)

Apple Filling:

5-6 Small Apples - peeled/sliced. I use organic. (enough to cover the bottom of your pie dish)
Melt 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter and mix with the following spices:
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Cinnamon
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon All Natural Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Organic Nutmeg

Once mixed together pour over your apples in your pie dish and mix together!
*I purchase my butter from Whole Foods, which you should be able to find the spices too. I order my spices along with other things from Lucky Vitamin. The prices are usually cheaper than in store and they have super fast shipping! :)

Topping:

This is before the butter. After the butter is cut in, it will become clumpier.

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Oats (I have found this at Whole Foods, Kroger and sometimes Walmart).
3/4 cup Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (this is my favorite brand to use)
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Almond Meal (I have found this at Whole Foods and Kroger too)
*Optional 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flaxseed Meal
1 1/2 teaspoon of the all natural pumpkin pie spice.

Mix all the ingredients together in a separate bowl. After mixed together, cut with 6 tablespoons of the Earth Balance butter.
*I'm not big on a lot of cinnamon, which is why I use the pumpkin pie spice. Obviously, you can do away with pumpkin pie spice if you prefer more of a cinnamon flavor, just too strong for my liking ;)

Once you've cut the butter in, sprinkle over your apple mixture. I do this part by hand, just find it easier to cover all the apples. Cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 mins. 

I usually top mine with So Delicious CocoWhip Dairy-Free Whipped Topping...tastes amazing. I had never even heard of it before and ran across it one day at my local Whole Foods. So good y'all.

Hope you enjoy! :)

D is for Dinosaur

D is for Dinosaur Unit includes:

D Dot Marker Sheet
Dd Color Sheet
Dd Letter Identification Dot Marker Sheet
Which Dinosaur is different?
Dd and Dinosaur Writing Practice Sheet
3 - Dot Marker Math Sheets
Which Dinosaur is next?
2 - Match the Dinosaurs
Sequencing Cards

I laminated to make re-useable worksheets (except Dd color sheet)!

Includes 14 sheets total.

 These are perfect for pre-school, kindergarten, homeschool, etc. If you are interested in purchasing this unit you can find it at my Etsy Shop or my Teachers Pay Teachers store for only $7.

*Please note this is a digital download only!

We also used Play-Doh to make Dinosaur Fossils, Ronnie LOVED it! :)

C is for Camel

C is for Camel Unit includes:

C Dot Marker Sheet
Cc Color Sheet
Cc Letter Identification Dot Marker Sheet
Which Camel is different?
Cc and Camel Writing Practice Sheet
3 - Dot Marker Math Sheets
Which Camel is next?
2 - Match the Camels
Sequencing Cards

I laminated to make re-useable worksheets (except Cc color sheet)!

Includes 14 sheets total.

  These are perfect for pre-school, kindergarten, homeschool, etc. If you are interested in purchasing this unit you can find it at my Etsy Shop or my Teachers Pay Teachers store for only $7.

*Please note, this is a digital download only!

B is for Butterfly

Last week we did B is for Butterfly Unit:

This unit includes:

B Dot Marker Sheet
Bb Color Sheet
Bb Letter Identification Dot Marker Sheet
Which Butterfly is different?
Bb and Butterfly Writing Practice Sheet
3 - Dot Marker Math Sheets
Which Butter is next?
2 - Match the Butterfly
Sequencing Cards

I laminated to make re-useable worksheets (except Bb color sheet)!

 These are perfect for pre-school, kindergarten, homeschool, etc. If you are interested in purchasing this unit you can find it at my Etsy Shop or my Teachers Pay Teachers Store for only $7.
*Please note, this is a digital download only.

We also do a Sensory Bin with each unit, I just change out the animals/letters to go with our unit. I picked up a Butterfly Life Stages (see 4th picture) from Mardel.

The Bully Bucket

Bullying is a problem that has been around for a long time but seems to be getting a lot worse, especially now that Social Media is so popular. Education is key in matters like this. I wanted to do an activity with our son, to talk about bullying. I grabbed a bag of rocks and a bucket from the Dollar Tree. 

My son has already dealt with bullying at the age of 4 (he's five now). The last base we were stationed at, he made a friend that was a year older than him. Things were great, they got along great. His Mom and I became friends, we met at the park everyday and let the boys play...all was fine. And then like the flip of a switch, her son started treating Ronnie...well, not nicely. This is only one of the things he would do to Ronnie. He would constantly run off from Ronnie. And at first Ronnie thought it was a game of chase, then Ronnie would become really upset and start crying. He just wanted to play and didn't understand why :blank: kept running away from him. It was as if :blank: found it funny to make Ronnie cry. He would stop running and say "here I am Ronnie, come on" and Ronnie would assume :blank: was done and they could play now. Once Ronnie started to run towards him, :blank: would run off laughing and then Ronnie would start crying again. As a Mother, it angered me to see him hurt my child. Anytime their other friends were at the park with them, :blank: would tell the other kids "Let's run from Ronnie" and they would. The Mom's would tell the kids to stop and would go right back to chit chatting and the continued behavior would go unnoticed and unaddressed. It got to the point that I would stop joining in on conversation and would just sit there and watch the kids. My husband would walk around the park while the kids played and would step in and say something when they weren't being nice. You may be asking, why didn't you just talk to the Mother, especially if you were friends? Oh, I did. She would "assure" me, "I talk to :blank: about not treating Ronnie that way, I just don't know what's gotten into him. He just doesn't understand why Ronnie gets so upset." Well, Ronnie is Autistic, and he takes things very literal. So when :blank: would say ":Blah blah: isn't your friend anymore, he's mine," he literally took that to mean, :blank: took his friend away. He didn't fully understand he was just saying something hateful. He takes things to heart. At the time he couldn't really communicate all of his feelings. To him, he was trying to play and didn't comprehend why they wouldn't play with him. As a Mother, all of this was heartbreaking. It got to the point that we would avoid going to the park when :blank: was there. We would go to a different park, or go to that park as long as :blank: wasn't there. Now, we didn't completely isolate him away from the kids. As long as :blank: wasn't there, all the other kids, including Ronnie got along great, there was no running away from Ronnie. They all played great together. Ultimately, my friendship with the Mother and other Mother's ended, they all stuck together. At first it was fine with the other Mother's. But then they started doing stuff together with their kids and we weren't invited due to the falling out with :blanks: Mom and myself, so...oh well. My child will always be more important than my friendships. So honestly, there is no loss there. 

Some of things we have written on the rocks, are things that have been said or done to Ronnie. I asked him what are some things that :blank: said that made you feel sad or hurt your feelings, or what are some things :blank: did that wasn't okay? He would tell me and I wrote them down. We only wrote on about 8 rocks or so, but used the whole bag of rocks for the activity. We discussed each rock and how it made Ronnie feel when that was said or done, or how it might make someone else feel if it was done to them and then he put the rock in the bucket. You don't realize really just :how much: of an impact behavior like I've mentioned can impact your child/children. This has been well over a year ago and Ronnie still talks about it like it happened yesterday. He will randomly bring :blank: up and the things he would say/do to him. It hurts me to know that it still bothers Ronnie. Doing this activity was a little bit emotional for Ronnie, after talking about all of this...he needed to take a break. I teach Ronnie to pray for those who hurt us and the days that :blank: is on Ronnie's mind, he will. He prays for him when we go to bed. And it is my prayer that Ronnie never has to be in a situation like that again.

Gotta love that blurry hand in motion. He's too fast for my camera, what can I say? :)

The point of this activity is to show how heavy the bucket is. Hold the bucket for a little bit, walk around with it. Imagine that bucket of rocks is much like the words that one may carry around with them. Words/actions that have been said/done to them, eventually that person starts to feel heavy, sad, angry etc. Ronnie is only five and doesn't fully understand the concept. He did blow me away when he asked "why did :blank: control?" I asked him what he meant. He said "well he would control the other kids to run away from me." That wasn't something we covered in our conversation, so the fact that he put that together himself, pretty amazing. He did also later recognized that the heaviness of the bucket stood for the sadness someone who is being bullied might feel.

There is no age limit for bullying, children/teen/adults....we've all experienced bullying at some point in our lives. And if you haven't, that's really great to hear! I personally believe that bullying is something every parent should discuss with their kid/kids because it starts there. Either your child or someone your child/children knows will be bullied. Talk to them about how to handle the situation, even if they see someone else being bullied. Their friend may be too scared to speak up or ask for help. If we educate them on bullying, appropriate/inappropriate behavior, this is how they will learn. I think it all goes back to this,  

Do to others as you would have them do to you. 
Luke 6:31

I hope this activity inspires you to talk to your child/children about bullying. Education is key and it starts at home! God Bless!