Ahhh..how plans change! God is still in control!

Well, we are still not on the road, in fact, my dear husband is home with us right now..nursing an injury. Not long before we were to go on the road with him, he got his thumb caught between a t-post and the driver..multiple stitches and a skin graft, restricted one hand duty and he’s still under dr care, but it is improving and hopefully by the first of the year (or there abouts) we will be ready to go back to work! He is ready!
Life keeps throwing us challenges..God lifts us up and gets us through them.

The Hillbilly’s are on the road…

Well, almost!    We are hitting the road in Nov.  Those of you that have followed my blog know that the last few years have really been rough.  To wrap them up…tornado..new house..new business venture, bad economy, failed business venture, repossession of new house…yep, that about sums it up.  Now, my dear husband is working on the natural gas pipeline and we (me and the kids) will take to the road with him in Nov.

separation of the family stinks..big time!    It doesn’t work for us…so since we home school, the kids and I will be going with him.

For me, I’m excited..I’ve always wanted to travel out of our podunk little town..see the world so to speak…

For the kids, they are a little apprehensive…leaving what’s familiar..their friends, etc.  It’s a little rough..but they miss their daddy something terrible..so they are for it…just having a bit of trouble overcoming their anxieties!

Hubby?  He can’t wait..he’s lonely…and doesn’t like doing all the things I do..cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc.  LOL!

So, it’s off on a new adventure..with God by our sides..who knows what we will discover!

Looking back over the last few years, I can see places where I stumbled..felt that there was NO way we’d overcome this obstacle..but now, I can see where God lifted us up…and helped us through..so many answered prayers..not always the way we wanted..but answered all the same.

Faith..it’s a wonderful and mystical thing…and I’m blessed by it everyday!  Are you?

 

So have you Cleaned your house yet?

Yep, told you I’d be back!

So, now, after reading the last article….how clean is your house?  If you still have those toxic cleaning chemicals in your house, then you need to clean house!

Start here:

Your kitchen…the place of germs and bacteria.  Ditch the tile cleaner, the soft scrub stuff, the disinfectant and use this..just TRY it for a week!  You’ll be amazed!

Sinks?  Clean them with a soft paste made with baking soda and warm water…scrub them good with it..got them covered with the paste?  now, give them a good dousing of plain ole white vinegar..watch it bubble and fizz away the stains and germs.  Lemon juice will work just as well as the vinegar.

Rinse clean with warm/hot water.  This works on all sink types.

Tough stains that didn’t come out?  Use one of those white eraser sponges…the cheap ones work fine will make things sparkle!!

Counter tops?  A spray of white vinegar, a few drops of lavender, tea tree oil or orange oil will clean, disinfect and freshen them right up!  Again, tough stains can be tackled with an eraser sponge.

Stoves?  The same paste you used for the sinks..it won’t scratch them and wipes off clean with a damp rag…don’t pour the vinegar on the stove though!  That would be a bit messy!  You can use the eraser sponge there as well.

Murphy’s oil soap is the ONLY cleaning thing I have in the house, next to the dish soap.  I use it on all my floors, vinyl and hardwood.  I don’t have carpet..but if I did, I’d use a good bagless vacumm…yuck..carpet!  Do you know the yuck that’s under yours??    But I digress..another topic altogether!

Your spray you made works for any of your other kitchen surfaces…just spray and wipe!  Clean, disinfected(naturally) and you and your family will breathe easier!

Next time…the bathroom!!! 

 

How Clean is your House?

Just how clean is your house?  Do you vacuum every week? Tackle the bathroom with soap scum remover and toilet bowl cleaner?

Do you bleach your whites and buy fabric softener to make your towels cuddly and soft?

Do you buy the new dish soap with bleach so that your dishes are extra clean?

Antibacterial soap?

Disinfectants?

Germ-Killing Power?

Streak-free shines?

Hand sanitizer?  Do you carry some with you at all times?

Air fresheners and air “sanitizers”?

Answer yes to any of these?  Then your house may not be as “clean” as you think!

Consider this:  Would you live next to a toxic waste dump?  Would you believe people who told you that no harm will come to you from said toxic waste?  Would you live next to a landfill?  I figure you would answer “NO!” to these questions.

But if you’d answer NO to the above questions, then why would you answer YES to the ones above that?  The average homes air is more polluted than the air outside.  The reasons?  Newer, “air tight”, “energy-efficient” homes, our obsession with killing germs and fear of whatever cold or flu that’s going around..the never ending desire to be and have “CLEAN”.

Well?  What’s a person to do?  Change some habits for one..instead of running the air conditioning all the time…open the windows..let some fresh air in…can’t do it because of severe allergies?  Change your air filters more often..and buy good ones!  Read the labels!  Get your duct work and the coils in your unit cleaned..don’t smoke in the house and DITCH THE CLEANERS!!!

WHAT??  Ditch the CLEANERS??  But..they make things CLEAN!!!  Oh the HORRORS!!

Um..yeah, ditch them..and your home will be cleaner for it!  What to use?  Natural products…most of which are food safe (but not all). Here’s a list of the ones most commonly used.

White Distilled Vinegar

Baking Soda

Borax (20 Mule Team)

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not detergent,..just washing soda)

Salt

Water

Essential oils (do your research here..lots to choose from!)

Lemon Juice

Peroxide

Sunshine!  Yep..it works wonders..invest in a clothesline..saves you energy and the sun is a GREAT disinfectant!

Did you know that vinegar (white distilled vinegar) is a wonderful disinfectant?  So are the essential oils like Tea Tree, Lemon, and Eucalyptus.

Did you know that baking soda and vinegar will clean almost anything in your house?  You can use things like vinegar and a few drops of regular dish soap in a spray bottle to get crystal clear glass?

Did you know that using essential oils in place of “antibacterial” products will help prevent disease resistant or “super bugs”?

Did you know that making these changes can help with respiratory issues like asthma?

Did you know that 5-8 drops of Eucalyptus oil in about 8-20 oz of water will kill dust mites?

Did you know that Vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser will work just as well as those high-priced softeners?

Did you know that you can make your own laundry soap?

Do some research and find out for yourself!  I’ll write more on it later, but think on this..

I changed from “chemical” cleaners to all natural ones and have been able to get a hold on and control, if not almost eliminate almost all my families allergy and asthma symptoms.  We are healthier and breathe much easier since we made these changes, and we don’t catch everything that goes around…

There is more to this, and I will get to it, but I wanted to get you to thinking..do some research on your own..you can start here..it’s a good jumping off point!

http://www.vintageremedies.com/home/

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303

http://www.natural-healthy-home-cleaning-tips.com/natural_home_cleaning_recipes.htm

http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/165/

 

 

Love, Honor and Cherish, till death do us part!

Love, Honor and Cherish..till death do us part..these were our wedding vows..I think about them every day..I live by them every day and they apply to not only my husband, but my children.  Think about it..you must LOVE your children, you must Honor them(or they will not honor you) and you must Cherish them (because they are the greatest gift from God)…till the end of your days..

Sometimes, I sit at my computer and listen to my family in the background..no, I’m not ignoring them..just have things to do.  But the point is, I listen to them.

It’s during these times that I am overcome with pride and joy at the young adults my children are becoming and the wonderful man that my husband is!  I hear them talking about everything from the next day’s activities (that are on my calendar right in front of me) to the latest current event, or whether or not our son thinks the Mythbusters can prove the myth they are working on.

Our kids have grown into such vocal and independent thinkers..they are aware of the world around them and fully prepared to take it on ..head on..when the time comes.  They have political and religious opinions..not always the same as mine…sometimes, more in-depth!

They are my family and I love them!

It’s times like these that reaffirm that homeschooling, for us, is a good thing!  It has prepared them for the “real world”.  It has made them secure in the knowledge that families really do function with 2 parents and that they are safe and loved.  They know that God loves them, that we love them.

I think about the children that don’t have what our kids do, they don’t hear “I love you” from their parents every night, they don’t have a secure and loving environmnet..and it breaks my heart.

We are going through some hard times right now, we don’t have a lot, but we do have each other, and each and every person in this family knows that the rest of the family loves them completely and unconditionally!  Have you told your family that you love them lately?  Make a habit to do it..every day…every chance you can…because you may not get another..tomorrow may not come.

Cherish your children, cherish your spouse…live life to the fullest!