I enjoy watching them with my children and discussing the events and dilemmas they present.

I found our first FFF movies at a yard sale. I brought them home and my kids really enjoyed watching them. I started keeping my eyes open for the brand and found more at thrift stores. I liked how they had a summary of the story on the video cover, along with suggested questions for family discussion.

After we finished residency and Mike got a “real” job, I ordered a few movies directly from Feature Films For Families. I had never paid full price for a movie before that, since I was used to getting ours at yard sales, but I wanted to support a company that was creating wholesome entertainment.

I’ve long been dissatisfied with the appropriateness of what’s coming out of Hollywood. For a long time we didn’t go to the movie theater more than once a year. We didn’t feel there was much worth watching or spending our money on. As we started to have kids, it seemed even harder to find shows we felt were appropriate for them, not to mention inspiring.

As I collected and watched FFF movies I realized they were appropriate entertainment for our family, and they were also inspiring us and building our characters. This was the type of educational material I searched for when we made the decision to home school our children.

It wasn’t enough anymore for something to not be “bad.”  If we were going to spend our money and time on media, I wanted it to build us, help us learn the difference between right and wrong and motivate us to be better people.

Every year or two since, I have bought another batch of movies for our family. From time to time, outside media does capture our attention, especially as my kids get older. I’ve been getting lots of movies and classic shows from Netflix.

Sometimes my kids aren’t as interested in watching our FFF movies. In order to beat the competition, I just plan to put one on when not much else is going on.  Family trips in the car are perfect opportunities. Not only are my children a captive audience, but my husband and I can hear the story and talk about it when it’s over.

Most these movies are available for $12.95 on the Feature Films for Families website. Amazon has many for $5 including shipping from individual sellers. (Click on the DVD pictures if you want to read about them.)

It’s easy to be passive about media. If we are aware of how much our children learn (good or bad) through this medium, we as parents can be proactive in using this powerful tool to reinforce the principles we’re trying to teach at home.

I am currently taking an aromatherapy course through Dr Christopher’s School of Natural Healing, and one thing I’m learning is that the same plant can have different compounds and constituents depending upon what variety it is, where it’s grown, how it’s processed and what parts of the plant are used.

Usually, there is one specific part of a plant that contains essential oil of the highest medicinal value. Many producers use additional parts of the plant because they smell the same, but they don’t have the same amount of compounds or potency.

Many essential oils are extracted with chemical solvents. It’s hard to remove these solvents completely and makes the production process more expensive. As a result, most companies in the past have not been willing to pay the extra expense to do this extra step or buy more expensive oils extracted a different way. And some companies dilute or adulterate their oils to make more money.

In fact, the FDA requires that only 10% of an actual oil be present for a company to claim it as being 100% pure. Don’t be fooled!

This is why it’s traditionally taught that essential oils should not be taken internally. And it’s true that many brands of essential oils are unsafe to take internally.

I’ve been asked many times why I recommend one company in particular. It’s because I’ve never found another organization at all like them. The company is Doterra, and they are absolutely committed to having the purest oils possible. They go to great lengths and spend the money it takes to do so. Not only do they outside-test all batches of oils to make sure they are pure, they also measure the oils to verify they have the correct amount of medicinal compounds. They call their oils CPTG: Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils.

As a result, their products are safe to take internally within recommended guidelines, which is the same as herb and drug usage. I’ve used Doterra’s products for a year and a half, and have been amazed at the power and purity of their essential oils. My nose has gotten better at detecting differences in quality between brands. Some are so obvious when you have something really pure with which to compare.

Doterra is definitely a pioneer in the field of essential oils. They promote scientific research, and have already had success in the areas of cancer and diabetes. It’s exciting stuff, and I’ll be learning more at their convention this September.

There are other reasons why I love Doterra. They offer things I couldn’t find from other companies.

• Beautifully printed educational materials (even their catalog has usage charts)
• Free videos and webinars
• A generous rewards program for monthly auto-ship ordering
• An opportunity to pay for my oils by sharing them with other people
• A wellness philosophy I heartily support

This is why I am so loyal to the Doterra brand. They’ve raised the bar of quality for essential oils to a very high level.

Go ahead. Try some. You’ll be able to tell a difference too!

I start out making a mix. This saves tons of time in the long run, because you only have to measure the dry ingredients once. The mix batch is big, so you’ll need 2 huge bowls like this or a big soup pot.

Peppermint Brownie Mix

Makes 11 batches, 8×8 pan size. Each batch makes 9-12 brownies.

• 9 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 TB baking powder (non-aluminum)
• 2 TB salt (sea salt’s the best)
• 12 ½ cups sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals)
• 12 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (these make all the difference!)
• 5 tsp vanilla powder (or use 1 tsp extract when baking)

Directions

1. Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Mix well.
2. Add vanilla & chocolate chips. Mix well.
3. Measure 2 cups into quart freezer bags (for 8×8 pan recipe, or 4 cups for 9×13 pan size recipe). Makes 11 bags.
4. Label each bag (8×8 size) with the following: Add 2 eggs, ¼ cup melted butter & 4 drops peppermint essential oil or flavoring (may need more than 2 drops). Add extract if you didn’t use vanilla powder. Mix with beaters. Batter will be SUPER thick. Just spread it like frosting in your greased glass or stone pan (never aluminum) and it will rise up.
5. Bake at 350 ° for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife. For slightly fudgy brownies, take pan out 5-10 min early.

I put a couple batches in a gallon size bag to have on hand for social events when I need more brownies. Label your bags!

So tonight we made a double batch. We dumped a big bag in a bowl and added double the wet ingredients with the oil.

Using peppermint essential oil gives the flavor so much zip! Beat ingredients with a blender.

The dough will be very thick. Spread it like frosting in a glass or stone pan. Pampered Chef stones are my favorite!

Be forwarned that while these are baking, your home will smell so good everyone’s mouth will be watering!

This brownie recipe is great because the sides don’t rise higher as in many other recipes.

Slice brownies before they are completely cool, as the crust will harden and make them harder to cut.

We are planning to take these to the closing social for Raquel’s summer art class.

When you use unrefined ingredients, the taste you get is so substantial and real. I love this taste so much more than cheap food varieties.

These brownies are always a big hit!

Come check out my article and enter the giveaway for a free essential oil kit & bottle of Breathe.

Photo from Black Cat Pages

During my college years I developed the firm idea that I was not artistically inclined, and I shouldn’t even waste my time trying to do art.

When I began to home educate my children, I started understanding the power of my example in their eyes. Little by little my mindset changed, and I moved out of my comfort zone to do activities with my children. Sometimes I even take a class before they do, so I can teach them or at least inspire them.

So when my friend put together a watercolor paint class for a group of my daughter’s friends, I jumped on board. This was the first picture I painted, with a little help from the teacher. I had to look at her examples a lot as I did mine.

Next we traced a simple picture with carbon paper.

Then you paint a grey wash, leaving some parts white. After that dries you paint a darker coat on certain parts of the picture.

When that dries, you add more details. Each layer only takes a few minutes to dry.

Here’s Raquel’s. She wasn’t very pleased with her work, but I thought she did a fine job.

Then we made color wheels, which helped us learn to mix the colors correctly.

Here’s my finished wheel.

Then we tried a few more exercises and ended with a couple harder projects. We drew a scene of fruit.

Then painted it. I didn’t quite finish this one. I probably should have done a cream background wash first.

Here is our teacher, Jennifer Lineweaver’s painting. I love it!

Then we drew candy and painted it. This is Raquel’s painting.

She got frustrated a few times and probably would have quite the class if I wasn’t doing it with her.

Here’s mine and it’s pretty much finished. It could probably use a bit more background color.

I’m a perfectionist when it comes to art projects so I’m inclined not to do them, but when I do finally try I usually enjoy myself. And I create something beautiful in the process.

I like being able to say, “I can do that.” It’s empowering.

I’m so grateful for the way that home educating my children has changed my own perspective on learning. It’s made my life much richer and educating my kids more fun.

Raquel was so excited to have a cute, baby bunny as a pet.

We were a bit nervous, but figured it probably wouldn’t bite her, and it never did. I wondered about the challenges of trying to keep a huge wild hare as a pet in the future, but decided to just wait and see what would happen.

We’ve been eating goat yogurt made by a friend of mine, and it just so happened that there were baby goats at the time. So I thought the raw yogurt would make fairly good food for the little rabbit. We tried some stuff from the local farm store, but the bunny wouldn’t touch it.

Raquel just poured the yogurt in her hand and the bunny lapped it up. The other kids loved the bunny also.

Most the time Raquel kept the bunny (who she named Skyler) to herself, but when she shared everyone was happy.

The bunny came out of shock within a day or so, and was social and fun.

One time she left the bunny unattended and it hopped off. It took us a couple hours to find it, hiding behind a cabinet. Things got a bit dramatic with Raquel wailing in despair and then screaming in elation when the bunny was found.

The bunny started eating food out of a dish. Gradually Raquel spent less and less time snuggling because of school and other activities.

One day the bunny got really weak. Raquel spent a whole day nursing it back. I think if she had spent one more day, the bunny would have been all right.

But we didn’t think much of it, and Raquel went to school as normal the next day. The bunny didn’t survive. Raquel was so sad. I felt badly that I hadn’t been more aware of the bunny’s needs myself.

Sometimes as a mother I walk a fine line between managing things myself, and letting my children be responsible enough to learn the tough lessons and consequences of life.  Losing pets can be hard on the heart of any mom, and it has been on mine.

But as I reflect, it was a joyful experience that taught us all some valuable lessons.

The ER is very close to Yellowstone National Park, so they see many cases coming from the park.

One day a man in his fifties brought in his wife who had a dislocated shoulder.

She was giving her husband a really hard time, telling him he would be doing the dishes for the next 6 months.

The couple had been observing nature out in the park and had discovered a grizzly bear. They moved closer to see it until they were only about 100 feet away.  They were watching intently when the bear turned their direction.

The man was so startled (understandably) he whirled around, sprinting at full speed. Unfortunately his wife was standing behind him. He ran her over.

The bear couldn’t have cared less.

The man rushed his wife to the ER. The ER staff thought the situation was hilarious, especially because she wouldn’t let him live it down. Luckily, except for the dislocated shoulder, man and wife were just fine.

Moral of the story: If you startle easily around wild animals, take care or you may be on dish detail for a while.

Photo credit: http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/ScienceInYourState/Montana/MT-brd.htm

Our engagement picture

Luckily, Mike was willing and not too picky about how his hair looked. My plan was to watch closely how the stylist cut his hair. Then I would wait about a week after his haircut and just give him a light trim, copying the stylist. I would invest in a set of hair clippers (about $20-30), shave the sides and back of his head and cut the top with scissors.

I was successful. Mike’s hair probably wasn’t  perfectly even the first few times, but he loved me too much to notice (or at least say anything). I’ve cut his hair faithfully, every 2-3 weeks from then until now.

It’s been 17 years since that time. If I cut his hair every 3 weeks, that’s 17 cuts a year. Times that by 17 years and you get 289 haircuts. Times that by $7 bucks a pop and you get $2023 saved. And that’s a conservative estimate! Then if you add my 13yo, 7yo, 5yo, & 2yo sons . . . well, you get the point.

So of course when I had my first son, I just followed the same pattern. I trim my babies around the ears and neck with scissors, but there comes a day when it’s just not enough (for my taste anyway…or sometimes you need closer access to a scaly scalp).

Then I get out the clippers. I don’t bother cutting the top with scissors. I buzz the whole thing.

I sometimes give them a little toy to hold, which helps them sit still. I also let them hold the clippers in the beginning so they’re not afraid.

It’s like working on a revolving door for the first year or two, but they get used to the routine. Now we pick a day every couple weeks, when all the boys are home to do the whole job at once.

I usually use the 5/8 inch attachment on Mike’s sides and the boys whole heads during the winter. Once in a while my son wants it shorter on the sides and longer on the top.

Then I use the 5/8 or 1/4 inch on the top and the 1/4 inch or blending attachment around the sides and back. But when spring and summer hit,

I just give them a short buzz and use the blending attachment for their whole head.

The attachments are easy to snap on and off.

When I’m done shaving their entire head, I remove the attachment and trim their sideburns,

around their ears and the back of their necks.

It’s good to periodically get the hair out of the clippers while cutting, and oil them in between uses.

I can especially tell on Mike’s hair if I haven’t done this maintenance. His hair is so thick, the clippers won’t work if they haven’t been oiled.

My clippers have lasted me about five years per set. The sets come with the clippers, a variety of length attachments, scissors and oil. My current brand is Conair. Some even come with a cape. I bought a kid’s cape at the local beauty supply store.

Okay. Now when it comes to the girls, as they get older, I admit, I leave them to the professionals.

I get them professional cuts once in a while, they go a long time between visits and I just trim their bangs as needed.

So there you have it! Buy yourself some clippers, get out your broom and save yourself a heap of time and money.

Give it a try. You can do it!

Scaly scalp or cradle cap remedy: Spray or rub olive oil on problem area. Let sit for 15-30 minutes. Shampoo and rub area briskly with a rough washcloth. You may need to use your fingernail to GENTLY scrape off excess dead skin. All beautiful again!

This is a great way to use up leftover veggies and extra produce. It’s a big hit in my house!

Jenni’s Basil Quiche

1 large tomato (or 2 sm-med), sliced
1 packed cup spinach, chopped
6 medium eggs, beaten (for large size, try 4-5)
2 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (9 inch) pie crust, lightly baked (I do 6-8 minutes at 400)

Sprinkle cheese on bottom of baked pie crust.

Arrange tomato slices on cheese and spinach over slices.

Add basil & salt to eggs and beat in with a fork.

Pour over spinach and lightly stir so spinach is all wet and covered. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Top and crust should be lightly brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Here are substitutes you can use for either the tomato or spinach:
cooked broccoli
shredded zucchini
chopped asparagus
onion, sauteed

If you love garlic, add 1 or 2 cloves to the egg mixture. If you like fluffier quiche, try 1/4 cup milk and 1-2 less eggs.

When adding extra veggies, you may need to extend cooking time by 5-15 minutes. Slide a knife in the middle and peek to the bottom. If you see liquid, cook longer in 5 minute increments.

These have all worked well for me.

Enjoy!

Isaac, 7 years old, was playing with his brother. They had covered some PVC pipe with a foam swim noodle. Unfortunately, when it got thrown at Isaac’s head, the foam slipped down so the sharp end of the PVC gouged him just above the forehead.

All the kids ran up screaming because Isaac had blood running down his face. When Mike did an inspection, he could see the cut went through to the skull. He decided the injury needed extra attention.

I immediately put some helichrysum essential oil on Isaac’s head to stop the bleeding and prevent inflammation.

I have to admit, when Mike said he was going to get staples, I was somewhat worried. I knew it needed to be done, but I visualized the staples going into Isaac’s skull. Fortunately that’s not how it works.

The staples go into each side of the cut, only clipping the skin together so it can heal.

Isaac said it didn’t even hurt, thank goodness.

The perfect thing to heal this speedily is Vickie’s Cuts & Bruises oil. Of course, my problem isn’t that I lack tools for healing, it’s that I forget to use them as often as I should in our busy lives.

Raquel’s Injury

The last time Mike had to supplement our home medicine with emergency room tools was a couple months ago when Raquel cut her shin open on a sharp bookshelf corner. She was doing gymnastics on our bed without me knowing. Mike super-glued the cut shut. He wanted to stitch it, but she was scared and I was worried.

Raquel still has a mark from the cut that hasn’t healed. I gave her some of Christopher’s Complete Tissue ointment and frankincense oil to put on at night, but I haven’t been following up well to make sure she’s doing it. I think I’ll make a chart right now…

Neighbor Boy’s Injury

Before I was done writing this post, I got a call from a neighbor telling me her son had just crashed his dirt bike.  She was away from home, so I told her to send him over here. Mike was sleeping in preparation for his night shift. I didn’t want to wake him yet.

The kid was pretty banged up. His chin was bad enough I thought he’d need stitches. I got out my oils while we waited. I poured several drops of helichrysum essential oil on his chin and knee, which were bleeding. Then I put Cuts & Bruises on the multiple abrasions covering his body. Anything that was bleeding stopped fast.

He said his shoulder, elbow and thumb joint were hurting. He could move them all well enough, and nothing was poking out. I figured he hadn’t broken anything. Doterra’s Deep Blue essential oil blend is very effective for muscle pain & healing, so I  applied it to these areas. After a few minutes, he said the pain had diminished.

Mike woke up and confirmed that stitches were needed. He went to a fellow doctor’s home to pick up a suture kit, and got back the same time as the boy’s mother. The stitching was accomplished as I ran out the door to teach a Dr Mom Class on the essential oils…with one more story to tell.

For those of you who have kids, you know life’s always an adventure!