Subscribe to RSSHome Remedies for Sunburns
With the long 4th of July weekend behind us we are all reminiscing of the time we had and perhaps nursing some battle wounds from the long weekend. Of course, I’m talking in particular to sun burns. Sun burns are a sure sign that you had a good time and are now paying for it. Here a few home remedies to help ease the pain and promote healing of your rosy skin.
Milk - The milk should be at or close to room temperature. Take cotton gauze and dip it into the milk. Apply it to the sunburn and allow it to sit for 20 minutes or so. After this time, remove the milk compress and gently rinse your skin to remove any milk residue. If you do not rinse your skin, the milk residue will develop a sour odor and so will you.
Vegetables - a bag of frozen vegetables inside a clean towel and placing it gently upon the sunburned area can offer some minor and temporary relief to an individual. This home remedy helps to cool down the sunburn.
Thinly slice a raw cucumber, potato, or apple. Gently place the pieces on your sunburn. Not only is the coolness of the vegetables soothing to your skin, but also, it is possible that they will help to reduce any inflammation occurring from your sunburn.
Vitamin E - Eating foods that are rich in vitamin E can help to reduce the inflammation caused by sunburn.
Pain reliever – Tylenol or Advil will help relieve pain
Soak yourself in diluted vinegar - Pour one cup of white cider kitchen vinegar into a tub of tepid water and soak yourself in it. It’s very soothing to your skin and helps relieve the pain of sunburn.
Baking soda and cornstarch. - Another recipe for relief, also from the kitchen cabinet: Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of cornstarch into a tub of tepid water and soak yourself.
Oatmeal - If you find the smell of vinegar or milk too intense, you can wrap dry oatmeal in some gauze or cheesecloth and run cool water through it. Wring out the excess water and apply the cloth for 20 minutes every two to four hours.
Make a paste of one Bayer-type aspirin (crushed), aloe vera gel, and vitamin A & D cream from a tube. Mix it together crushing up the aspirin as much as possible to have the large pieces crushed into small grains, as smooth a paste as you can make. I use the back part of a spoon to crush and smooth paste. Place on sunburn and cover up with old clothing. It will make the blisters go down and absorb the redness and the pain goes away also.
Pure Aloe Vera Gel - Squirt some on your hand a rub into the burn. Takes away some of the pain and helps prevent skin cancer.
Noxema – cools skin and provides relief
The Best Sex Life in My Dreams
As unusual as this may sound but being pregnant has given me the best sex life of my life. This isn’t a first time occurrence either. Every pregnancy I have had has triggered these fantastic hormones that have given rise to the best perk of being pregnant. The twist on what seems to be unusual in the first place is that this fantastic sex life is occurring in my dreams.
Everyone hears about teenage boys experiencing “wet dreams” but not a single person has ever mentioned to me that the same phenomena are experienced by pregnant women. So, I write this not to brag or to be some sort of voyeur rather I wanted other pregnant women out there to know that they are not alone. In fact, I thought I might be the only one until I had mentioned this to a girlfriend and she admitted that she herself had enjoyed this little benefit of being pregnant.
Men don’t think you are out in the cold on this equation. You can take advantage of your wife’s raging hormones too. Just don’t be afraid of her every changing form. Think of it as a new adventure for you both to experience.
Why are we so reluctant to talk about these wonderful dreams? Maybe it’s hard to think of ourselves as sexual beings while we are growing a baby in our belly? Maybe we don’t want to wound our husband’s fragile male ego? We happily talk about all the downsides to being pregnant so I would like to propose that we open up the forum to talk about the upsides as well. What perks has everyone else experienced?
Cheap Nutritional Treats for Summer
It seems like we are bombarded with sugar filled frozen treats during the summer and like most parents I am constantly trying to limit my children’s sugar intake. Here are a few cheap nutritional frozen treat options for you and your family.
Frozen Grapes: I buy grapes in bulk when I find them on sale ($.99 or less). I will wash them (fruit and veggie cleaner) and divide some up for eating fresh and the rest goes into the freezer. They freeze beautifully and taste like fruit sorbet. Everyone loves these! I cut them into little pieces for my 1 year old and this is a tasty snack that gives him some relief with teething.
Frozen Yogurt: I buy the lite fruit yogurt and freeze it. It makes a yummy after dinner treat. My 4 year old thinks she’s having ice-cream and provides some relief for my teething 1 year old.
Fruit Smoothies - Again, I buy whatever fruit is on sale in the bulk. What I don’t use immediately I freeze for later. I just blend fruit with yogurt and/or milk and ice.
For other bargains for your family check out:
Kid’s Eat Free
8 Cheap to Free Childcare Options When You Need a Little “me time”
Cheap Tricks My Mother Taught Me
FREE DVD Rentals
Going Green: Before it was cool
Going Green - How to make your own non-toxic cleaners
Budget Family Vacations by Exploring Your Own Backyard
Recycle, Reuse, and Replace Bad Plastic Containers
Cheap and Easy Baby-Proofing Solution
Budget Family Vacations by Exploring Your Own Backyard
With the cost of fuel, food and everything else this summer going up you may think you can’t afford to take your family on vacation. If you haven’t considered it before you should take a good look now because there are great family vacations right in your own backyard.
We live in an amazing country with thousands of State parks and rivers to explore. One of the cheapest places to visit that that houses more miles of untouched rivers and more square miles of public land than any State in the U.S. besides Alaska is Idaho.
Rafting trips provide the ultimate outdoor experience by combining all your favorite activities into one. Camping, fishing, hiking, visits to natural history sites, swimming, kayaking, and star gazing, along with some Class III & IV white water on the side. Guided excursions allow you the luxury to just show up with your clothes and toothbrush. They bring the food, drinks, tents, pads, chairs, and all that gear that you normally would spend 2 days packing into the car and a month cleaning up later. First class food and service, all on the bank of a river. You will be just a swim away from escaping the heat, and no more than a couple steps away from a cold beverage. So many families that do these trips go back for more year after year and won’t hesitate to tell you it’s the best family vacation they’ve ever taken.
“The families that join us on the river come in all shapes and sizes,” says owner/guide of North Star River Expeditions, Tricia Warren, “In the last few years we’ve seen the patriarchs and matriarchs of the family (in their 70’s & 80’s) join their sons, daughters and grandkids on a family vacation on the river. These trips allow the less adventurous family members the opportunity to witness the action–while the more adventurous are in the middle of the wave train, or hauling in a champion small-mouth bass in full view of the rest of the group. No one misses out, and yet there is no end to levels of participation in everything from the white water to the side hikes. Even the little kids can get down and dirty. Everyone has a first hand account to share at the end of the day over dinner.”
It may be time to get our families outside and get started on our kids’ education in the art of the outdoors. Build some memories, do it without the stress of hectic travel schedules, and do it safely with an experienced outfitter. These rivers are in our own back yard.
North Star River Expeditions is a small owner operated rafting company based out of McCall, Idaho. They run 3 to 6 day trips on the Snake River in Hells Canyon and the Lower Main Salmon River. Youth prices are available for kids 18 and under. Group discounts are available as well. Visit their website at www.northstar-rafting.com or call Tricia or Jacob Warren toll free at 877-610-3200 for pricing, available dates, and more information.
Its not too late to book your family vacation this year and there are last minutes deals to snag all you have to do is just take a look in your own backyard. For other vacation deals in Idaho visit http://www.visitidaho.org/vacationideas/
Beauty Secrets from my Mother-n-law‘s Vault
My mother-n-law was a great woman but she was also crazy. I have a treasure trove of real life stories that she is the main character and if I didn’t live through them I wouldn’t believe them to be true. At times I found her very frustrating but now 3 years since she has passed I find her idiosyncrasy’s hilarious and I look forward to the opportunity to tell my children about their grandma.
In addition to being a little crazy she was also vain and would do and say outrageous things on behalf of beauty. I thought I’d share a few of these beauty secrets with you and let you decide if these tips are more than just entertainment.
Preparation-H naught just for hemorrhoids – My mother-n-law would buy an industrial size container of the stuff so that she could slather it all over her face. Apparently it tightens your face up and diminishes wrinkles.
Staying fat makes your wrinkles smooth - She told me once that she was glad that she was fatter than her sister because having a fat face smoothes out wrinkles.
Grease your face and neck with Vaseline and perfume – At all times her face was properly lubricated with Vaseline (or something like it) and perfume. Every time she gave you one of her famous bear hugs you would walk away smelling like cheap perfume and have a generous grease mark across your face and clothes.
Gold lame is very slimming – For our wedding she wore a floor length gold lame dress because according to her it was “very slimming”. I have to admit, it did look slimming.
Colored reading glasses highlight your eyes without the use of makeup – My mother-n-law had the most beautiful blue eyes but she would wear colored glasses (instead of clear) because she thought colored reading glasses enabled you to forgo putting on makeup.
Skid Marks and the Advanced Skill of Wiping
Skid marks, racing stripes, whatever you choose to call them they are nasty. My daughter has been completely potty trained for 2 years now but she has yet to master the skill of wiping. Because she doesn’t wipe very well she ends up with horrendous skid marks on her panties and usually a rash on her bottom. It has gotten to the point that we have to send her to school with an extra pair of panties just to mitigate the problem and when I put her into the bath at night there will be shit-chips floating in the tub. Yuck!
I thought I might be the only parent plagued with this problem but after talking with my girlfriend and her husband this weekend I was relieved to find out that their 4 year old son has the same problem. Of course, these skids aren’t only found in our children’s underwear. Sometime when they are putting their underwear they choose to sit on the floor or bed and that is also where you can find the unmistakable brown streak. As a parent I think I find my daughters skids more embarrassing than she does.
I admit that wiping with toilet paper does come with a higher degree of difficultly. I even know adults that have trouble with toilet paper (you know who you are). Maybe the Europeans have it right with the bidet. I’m sure a quick shower of the crack would do the trick but I’m sure that comes with other obstacles. So, the question is what can you do? Well, I’ve asked around and have done a little research and here are a few things to try if your child is wiping handicap.
1. Flushable baby wipes – These seem to be a little easier for kids to manipulate and gets the area clean with less effort.
2. Adult inspection – Have mom, dad, or the adult on duty inspect for a clean crack. If it’s not clean, give a lesson on how you should wipe until the toilet paper is clean.
3. Mirror – keep a mirror in the bathroom so your child can check to see if they did a good job.
4. Positive reinforcement - Reward your child every day they have clean undies.
For more articles on my trials and tribulations with poop:
5 Tips to Relieve Baby’s Gas
My Son Found His Wiener
Recycle, Reuse, and Replace Bad Plastic Containers
If you read my article What Plastic Containers Should We Get Rid Of? Then you’ve probably already went through your cupboards getting rid of any plastics that have the number 1, 3, 6 or 7. Now what do you do with the bad plastic?
Recycle: When you’re recycling plastic bottles (water bottles, for example), never leave the cap on the bottle itself. Why? via H2Oforyou.com According to Jessica Jenson of Low Impact Living:
“They just chuck any bottles with lids on them”. The folks at the recycling plant simply won’t take the time (or expend the energy) to take lids off of plastic bottles. Throw the lids in the trash, and recycle the plastic bottles alone.
Reuse: water bottle rocket, things you can do with plastic water bottles, the many uses of plastic bottles and Avent baby bottle tops work on Smuckers jars Cheap Way to Get Rid of Plastic Baby Bottles
Free Replacement: The Canadian government is the first to declare BPA a toxic poison. If you live in Canada you can take all your old bottles back to the store and have them replaced with non BPA bottles for free, Advent included. You can no longer purchase any bottles in Canada with BPA.
More information
- What Plastic Containers Should We Get Rid Of?
- http://www.iatp.org/
- Bottled Water, Bottled Hype Part 1
- Avent nipples fit Gerber gentle flow
“Actually, we replaced all our Avent bottles with the Gerber gentle flow bottles. They’re BPA free and you can get them at Walgreens. All of the Avent nipples, rings and tops are interchangeable!”
Cheap Way to Get Rid of Plastic Baby Bottles by Carrie Kirby
Photo: Swistle
Chemical worries can wreak havock with a parent’s budget. “Anything for Baby,” Gerber proclaims, but sometimes I wonder: When I spend in the “anything” category to avoid possible contaminants, is it really “anything for Mommy’s psyche?”
Fears about contaminants in polycarbonate plastic baby bottles such as the popular Avent brand have been widespread. The chemical BPA, found in hard, clear plastic, has been shown to be a hormone distrupter. But for parents who invested in a slew of Avent bottles, replacing the whole system can be cost prohibitive. And Avent nipples are pretty nice — if your baby is used to those, I can see not wanting to switch to another brand of bottle at any price.
One blog has a very frugal suggestion: Keep the silicone nipples that come with the Avent bottles, but screw them onto a glass bottle. A Smuckers jam jar, to be exact.
Et viola. According to Swistle, who originally posted both the photo and the idea, the Avent nipple will screw onto an Avent bottle with nary a leak. Actually, the blogger’s mother came up with the idea. Through trial and error, Swistle et famille found that this works with the 10-ounce or 12-ounce bottles, not the 18-ounce size. And what infant needs an 18-ounce bottle, anyway?
How much are you saving here? Well, an Evenflo glass bottle costs around $2, while the Born Free brand is more like $10. A jar of Smuckers sells for around $3 on Peapod and surely less on sale elsewhere, and there were 35-cents-off coupons for them in recent newspaper inserts. Of course, if you normally buy Smuckers anyway, the jars are free.
Also, Swistle pointed out to me that with the surge in popularity of glass bottles, some retailers have been fresh out of the affordable brands. (Amazon seems to have the Evenflo ones right now, though.)
The only concern I would voice on this ingenious system: Be careful with your jam jar bottles! All glass bottles can break, but I found that the glass baby bottles we used were pretty tough. I have dropped them on a tile floor with nary a chip. Since jam jars are not manufactured for repeated use, I doubt they would show the same durability. I certainly would not let a toddler crash around the house with a Smuckers “bottle” in hand.
Maybe someone out there can jury rig something like this, but to fit a Smucker’s jar?
In the end, I love the ingenuity of this idea, but I can’t tell if it appeals to my sensible side or my inner disregard for safety. What do you think? Is avoiding the potential risk of hormone disruption worth the risk of glass splinters? Or is this a method for people too tight to shell out a few extra bucks for their child’s safety?
Nipple Shield’s are a Must Have for Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is probably the most difficult and rewarding things you can do for your baby. It’s also a personal decision and no woman should feel like she is any less of a mom if this is something she can’t do or decides it’s something she doesn’t want to do. Breastfeeding is a huge commitment and for me it didn’t come naturally. I spent a lot of time crying because my nipples were blistered and bleeding and baby was hungry and wasn’t cooperating. I was the sole food source for this helpless mini-me and I had very few moments for myself, most of which was concentrating sleep.
If you have decided you are going to breastfeed I would say the number one thing you must have is a Nipple Shield. These are great to help prevent nipple damage or even give you nipples time to heal. Also, some baby’s have a hard time latching on and a nipple shield helps the baby latch on correctly. You can buy these online or I found them at Baby’s R Us and at Burlington. Also, you can request one from the nursing staff while you are in the hospital.
“For any woman having a horrid time trying to breastfeed in the beginning, I’d recommend trying a ‘nipple shield.’ It’s just as it sounds, a small plastic cover for your nipple. It provides a small defense for the bleeding tissue beneath and allows the baby to suck the milk through a small hole. This proved to be my only savior while breastfeeding my first child. -Megan”
For more information on breastfeeding: Breastfeeding advice for new moms Birth and Hospital Guide and 5 Tips to Relieve Baby’s Gas
Cheap Tricks My Mother Taught Me
With the price of gas, food, electricity (OK, pretty much everything) going up it seems that our budgets are bending till they break. At the very least everyone is becoming more creative with their finances and learning to save money wherever possible. I find myself thinking about all the cheap tricks my mother used to stretch our budget on a family of 6. If you read my article “Going Green before It Was Cool” then you already have 20 cheap tricks courtesy of my mother under your belt. These ideas are, if nothing else, entertaining and if used can be quite practical. Here are 6 more cheap tricks my mother taught me.
Make your own tortilla night: To save money and time my mom would have us make our own tortillas on taco night. She would pre-make the dough: 3 cups flour,2 tsp. baking powder,1 tsp. salt,4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard, about 1 1/4 cups warm water. Then everyone would take turns rolling out and frying their tortillas. This would not only save money but it would slow my 3 brother’s eating habit down.
Homemade popcorn to ball games: My dad was a high school teach and coach so for family entertainment we would go to ball games. We would get into the games for free and my mom would bring a paper grocery bag filled with air-popped popcorn from home.
Hand-me-downs: I LOVE the idea of hand-me-downs however it is very unfortunate to be apart of the hand-me-down cycle when you are the only girl with a family of 3 boys.
Free Soup at Mc Donald’s: Did you know that if you take ketchup and mix it with hot water it makes tomato soup? If you are hungry and are low on cash you can make a run to a fast food joint and load up on ketchup and hot water. Its mmm, mmm, good!
Following a truck filled with produce (onions, potatoes) does pay off: I grew up in an agricultural community and it was not uncommon to see large trucks filled with potatoes or onions on our rural roads. My mother would follow these trucks and wait for falling produce and stop and pick-up the produce road-kill.
Eating dinner at Costco: My mother loves shopping at Costco. Not just for the bulk food items but for the limitless samples provided by the different vendors. These samples are not just a snack but can be a meal if you play your cards right.
For more cheap tricks: “Going Green before It Was Cool”, “Kids Eat Free”, “Free DVD Rentals”, “8 Free to Cheap Childcare options” and “How to Make Your Own Non-toxic Cleaners”
