I can admit that I do a lot of things that others might cause others to roll their eyes. We use cloth diapers, try to use only natural cleaners, try not to use paper towels or napkins, compost and recycle as much as possible…nothing too crazy to me(and I LOVE most of it), but still things that cause eye rolls. But, no shampoo? Really?
It’s been one of those things that I have heard about and half-read about, but never really researched because I just didn’t think it would work or that I’d like it. I can’t believe I’m admitting this to the general public, but I’ve already cut back and only wash my hair at most every other day. I know lot of people do this, but my hair used to be the kind of hair that needed to be washed daily or it was a greasy mess. I got my hair cut once and the stylist suggested testing it out. It took a few weeks, but my scalp really did just adjust. It’s been fantastic for me because it makes my not feel like such a scumbag when I can’t wash my hair every day.
Today, simplemom.net posted about skipping shampoo entirely and for some reason it just caught my attention and it’s completely intriguing me. I haven’t tried it yet(though if I can get both of my kids to nap at the same time today and manage to squeeze in a quick shower, I plan to try it immediately!). I definitely think I’ll try to ease myself into it a bit, but I’m loving the idea. Especially because I’m allergic to a ton of stuff in shampoos and body products in general – I get icky breakouts all over my scalp or hairline regularly when I try new shampoos and hair products, so if I could eliminate that option I’d be so happy!
Here’s a ton more info in case you’re also interested in experimenting:
- Here’s the main link to the post at Simple Mom with tons of info and links.
- Keep of the Home’s original and follow up posts on going “no ‘poo.”
- Sort Crunchy’s original and follow up posts on why and how it works to skip shampoo.
- An essay at natural-forces.com that has great info on potentially trouble-shooting issues with not using shampoo.
- Posts from The Herbwife’s Kitchen with easy how-to instructions and a follow up with a link to the NY Times discussing no shampoo.
I just can’t stop reading this book from Leo at one of my favorite blogs – Zen Habits!
Click here to view more details and to buy your copy!
*I love that it’s online and that I can open in on my phone, too, any time I want.
*I love that it’s set up so that I can read different parts when they’re relevant.
*I love that the small chapters are just long enough to get a little dose of reading at a time, when I can fit in a few minutes in my day.
I can freely admit that I’m not even slightly “minimalist.” I have aspirations, though! And we can all dream can’t we? It’s such great food for thought to read thoughts and ideas on how to minimize our lives to live life more peacefully and with a mind that is more clear. I love inspiration in a simple format that makes me want to challenge myself in many ways and focus on the things that are truly important.
I want to be more content with what I already have.
I want to buy less.
I want to get rid of so many “things” that we don’t really need.
I want to really be conscious of needs vs. wants.
I NEED to declutter!!
And so much more that’s discussed in the book!
$9.95 very well spent. You can check out a preview and buy it here if you want a copy!
Plus, I love the instant gratification of getting it in my inbox immediately without having to drive to a bookstore:)
One of my favorite things to save when Amelia was smaller was lists of others’ ideas about food to give to toddlers/kids. There’s a great one that floated round forever(I probably have it saved somewhere still and will pull it out for Nick) with great ideas for finger foods for babies. I loved that list when I just couldn’t come up with ideas of things to give her after feeding the same stuff over and over. So, I thought I’d make few posts about some favorites around here in case anyone needs ideas. I’m not saying I’m an expert, that they’re perfectly healthy or anything of the sort. Just wanted to share in case anyone needs so ideas to change things up around your house! I’ll do snack/lunches in another post. They essentially blend into the same food options around here.
-Eggs any way: Scrambled, “Dippy,” Eggs in a Nest(cut a circle out of a piece of toast, put the bread in the pan and cook the egg in the toast.), Poached, Omelettes(a great way to add veggies – spinach or kale especially work well because she can’t pick them out, also broccoli, onions, peppers, mushrooms – you name it!) hard boiled
-Yogurt with cereal and wheat bran or germ
-Oatmeal – especially steel cut
-Fruit of any kind
-Toast or English Muffins or Mini Whole Wheat Bagels- with peanut butter(and bananas sometimes!), cheese, cream cheese, cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar on butter
-Cereal – we always have a bunch around, but the Cheerioes get eaten 10 times faster than anything else around here
-Whole Wheat or Buckwheat Pancakes
-Waffles – especially with yogurt or peanut butter on top. I haven’t been the best about making and freezing them lately, so our go-to brand in the freezer section at the store is the Kashi Strawberry Flax
-Muffins – especially our new favorite Whole Wheat and Bran Muffins (recipe at the end of the post)
-Whole Wheat French Toast with fruit
-Cottage Cheese and Fruit
-Breakfast Burritos – scrambled eggs in a tortilla with a bit of cheese and salsa
-Smoothies
I know that there are also tons of great books out there about nutrition for children, but I have to share my latest favorite – The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track by William Sears, Martha Sears, James Sears, and Robert Sears. I just looked it up to give a link and it’s only $5.60 on Amazon!
Whole Wheat and Bran Muffins:
{Adapted from Eileen Behan, R.D.’s Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding}
-3/4c wheat bran
-3/4c whole wheat flour
-1/2c bran buds (when I don’t have these, I just skip them)
-1/2c brown sugar
-2t baking soda
1/4t salt
-1 large egg lightly beaten (or substitute with 1T ground flax seed and 3T water)
-2/3c plain yogurt
-1/4c vegetable oil (or substitute with 1/4c applesauce)
-Optional: Berries(we use frozen blueberries a lot), raisins, dried fruit, nuts
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix all wet ingredients. Fold in dry ingredients until just mixed – don’t over mix! Batter will be thick and grainy – that’s how you want it to be. If you’re adding anything like raisins or berries, fold them in. Pour batter into lightly oiled muffin tin and baked for 18-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
Note: These muffins freeze well, so I usually double the batch and throw them in the freezer. If you take a couple out at night before you go to bed, they’ll be defrosted and ready to eat in the morning!
I don’t have a picture, and I’m happy about that. The beauty had more to do with the heart than anything else. It was the kind of beauty that brings tears to your eyes. The kind of beauty that I wish I could bottle and save and share with my children every minute of every single day. The kind of beauty that truly matters in the world. The kind of beauty that I want to teach my daughter to feel and aspire to as she grows up amongst all that is crazy and physically focused in this society that we’re a part of.
I went to Barnes and Noble this morning with only Nicholas in tow. That alone is a treasure. I headed to get a cup of coffee at the Starbucks and as I waited in line for my drink, I saw a face mask on someone out of the corner of my eye Then I saw a big container of purex on the table in front of the woman.
Internally, I rolled my eyes. I judged and started ruminating about people who are freaking out about H1N1 and how people just take things too far. Then I stopped myself. Took a deep breath. What on earth does it matter to me? I certainly don’t want to fill my mind with nonsense judging of others who are doing absolutely no harm in the world.
So I stopped and looked again at the woman. My heart dropped. I had noticed the mask. I had noticed the hand sanitizer.
I hadn’t noticed her hat. I hadn’t noticed the tiny wisps of hair sticking out from under her hat that were clearly the last few wisps on her head. I hadn’t noticed the slowness with which she picked up her mug. At that moment – and it couldn’t have passed in any more than a few seconds – she smiled at the man sitting next to her. Not just a smile, but a grinning, laughing light-up-your eyes beaming smile that showed so much love for whomever that man was. A husband? A friend? I will never know.
I do know, though, that as I judged her and then noticed the signs that she was clearly sick and most like having some sort of treatment, she was out in the world living her life above and beyond sickness. Having a cup of coffee or tea with someone who can make her grin from ear to ear.
I’ll never know who she was, why she was there or what happened to make her grin so largely behind a facemask that I could see it clearly on the rest of her face. But I am so thankful that she was there and that I witnessed such a fleeting moment. I can only wish that I could spend even one small moment of my life radiating such pure beauty and grace in the world.
Last week at Roots:
She was so proud of herself yesterday morning. She got ready for “cool” at least 5 different times, squealing with glee each time.
{This bad pic is from my phone, but she just looks so excited and proud
standing there ready for school that I needed to share!}
I was so proud of my big girl when I dropped her off. She was the only one who ran right in and started playing without even a glance back at me. She’s been Miss Independent since the day she was born.
On a simple level, I wanted her to cry and not want me to leave and beg me to stay with her(forever and ever). On an immediate level, I was grateful – her little brother was a hungry hungry hippo and I needed to go feed him. On a Mama Bear level, my heart was bursting with pride for this sweet girl. It felt so good to know that she was comfortable staying and it felt even better when I picked her up and the teacher told me that she could tell that Mia would be her helper – she had listened well, picked up when it was time and most importantly been so kind to all of the kids that were apprehensive, talking to each of them and asking them to play, patting them like a little mommy(even though theirs were there).
{From her Open House night before school}
I didn’t cry once and I’m not sure how that’s even possible. Maybe because if I had cried, it would have been tears of joy and only bittersweet sadness – watching my little girl grow up is blessing beyond belief and to see her just jump right in feet first and with a smile on her face makes me so happy that my heart could just burst.
How we got from this:
To this:
in just 2 short years is beyond me!
I’ve been waiting for the day that she could wear these shoes since before she was born. I found them at Nordstrom Rack on insane clearance when I was pregnant with her and didn’t even know if she was a boy or a girl. I knew that we needed them as a “just in case she’s a girl.”
I say it daily, but I just can’t believe that my baby is growing into such a sweet, confident, bright, kind, loving little girl. Preschool starts this week and these shoes are just the ticket! {Now I just need her to keep her paws off of them until then so that they’re still spankin’ white for the first day of school pictures!}
{And if any moms respond with, “Rhinoceros Tap” I might SCREAM!}
I’m desperately in need of some new music to listen to. Something a bit relaxing, soulful, interesting…and NOT kid-related. I’m always way behind on the curve of current music – I have a habit of sticking to my norms for forever. Dave Matthews Band. Ben Harper. Sarah McLachlan. U2. Tim McGraw. Oh, and a little bit of hip hop thrown in – especially anything with a bit of grit or good for dancing(you know – in the clubs I’ve never been to and never will!).
Here’s one I’m loving:
I shared, now you share your faves! I’d be forever grateful for some new tunes. Suggestions? Pretty please with a cherry on top??
As I’ve been going in circles about how to get more work done in a day and to get it done more efficiently, my Father In Law suggested that I get up an hour or two earlier than my kids in the morning. That would be a great idea…if my kids hadn’t both woken up for the day at 4:45am today. We tried to get them back to sleep, but it just wasn’t happening…so, up we were. I did get some pesto made AND I got a shower in before John left for work, so I’ll call it time wells spent and cross my fingers that they don’t make this a habit. They’re normally up between 5 and 6 and that’s more than early enough for me!
Now if only I were waking up here every day…that would be motivation to get up earlier…
I am so in love with Charlie and Lola I can barely stand it. It might be because it’s only on during the weekend, so I don’t see it daily and it doesn’t make me want to rip my hairs out one by one (like some kid shows…)
They’ve just introduced me to my new favorite parenting word. They have “Simmer Down Chairs” instead of Time Outs. I looooooove it and we’re officially changing:)
I didn’t even know there were books (though I might really miss their cute little voices with their British accents!) and now we definitely need to get some!
