Babies Are Born Perfect Already. Please Keep Them That Way

Circumcision.

I have been wanting to blog about this topic for a while now, but avoided it since it is pretty controversial.  I also recently found out that I am having a little girl, not a boy.  This takes the heat off of me since I WOULD NEVER  cut my innocent child.  I am thankful that I do not have to get bullied by doctors about this, however, I am still extremely passionate about this topic.  I will continue to influence uneducated mothers about this.

WHY  do moms insist on circumcising their infants?

WHY is it considered socially normal to circumcise a baby boy? I DON'T get it!

"It's just a little cut" I recently heard. WRONG! "A little cutting?!?!!" I wanted to scream back.

You do realize they used to circumcise girls, right?  That's right. Genital cutting of little girls used to be legal in the USA.  They have now made it illegal in America, but continue to cut boys.  Why??? Why can we mutilate boys but not girls?
Also, if girls can keep themselves clean, why can't boys?

Reasons why I feel circumcision is wrong???

It is NOT your body. Mothers make the choice everyday whether they want to cut their little boy or not. They make the choice for their little one.  How is this fair at all for the little one?  Once they are cut, there is no going back. It is not the mom's body!!!! Who owns the body and what rights does the baby have?  If you cut him, that innocent baby will be forever altered.

It's all a guess. There is no scientific way for the doctor to properly circumcise a baby.  It is all a guessing game.  Doctors can cut too much or too little and this leads to my next point.  This causes problems.

Circumcision causes problems Not just for the child as an infant, but for them as an adult as well.  Infections,  gastric rupture, loss of oxygen, injuries from the clamp, and even death can occur.  Infants who are circumcised sleep more often than normal uncircumcised babies and they also may develop colic.

It's not pain free Pain from circumcision can last 7-10 days. Infants are strapped down and the foreskin is literally ripped from the glans.  It has been determined that infants who are circumcised also have a lower pain tolerance threshold.

The baby was already made perfect. Foreskin is not a birth defect.  The baby was born with it for a reason.  Your baby was already born perfect. Why mess with the perfect body God already gave him??? Would you do surgery on a perfectly healthy child? Of course not, it's not logical.  Well, how come millions of parents are doing it everyday?

Most importantly, the bible does not want us to circumicse. That's right all of your religious nuts!  You simply believe what people tell you.  How about you read the bible yourself?


Galatians 5:2 "Mark my words! I, Paul tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all."

Galatians 5:3 "For I testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law."

Galatians 6:13 "And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves.  They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples."

Philippians 3:2-3 "Look out for the dogs.  Look out for the evildoers.  Look out for those who mutilate the flesh.  For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh."

Titus 1: 10-11 " For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain."


I could go on... 1 Corinthians 7:17,  Galatians 5:11-12.


Doctors push this because there are products made and sold to us with baby's foreskin.  For every circumcision they do, they make money.  SICK. It's all a money maker and a game to them.

There are many useful resources out there, but one short video I can suggest watching is "Elephant in the Hospital".

Baby cutters.....I will never understand them or the cultural ignorance. Please, if you are currently expecting and are thinking about circumcision, do some research and keep your baby intact.

STOP INFANT CIRCUMCISION!!!

Lemon Honey Throat Drops

I've been sick these last few days with a miserable sore throat and a stuffy nose.  It is awful.  I made my own throat drops instead of relying on Halls and they work fabulous.  They give me relief so I'm not constantly coughing.  You probably know that honey has great medicinal benefits for you, however, in this case it is really not about that.  In this recipe you have to bring the honey to a boiling point and when you do that you take out all the medicinal value of the honey.  It still has great flavor though and is very soothing.

You will need a half cup of honey, 2/3 cup of sugar (I used xylitol to help with my teeth) and 2 tablespoons of water.  You will also need the zest of one lemon.  Be sure when you are skinning the zest off that you only get the yellow lemon skin and not the white part of it because it will be bitter.

Mix the three ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover the pan and wait until the mixture reaches about 265 degrees.  If you have a candy thermometer, great!  If not, you can look up how to do the cold water test, which is what I did.  I would recommend a candy thermometer as it is more accurate though.  Once it reaches this degree, remove the cover and allow it to cool down for about five minutes.  This will give the mixture time to thicken.

Drop dab of this mixture onto your wax paper and allow to cool and harden for about 20 minutes.  They turned out great and have a bit of a lemon and honey flavor to them.

Sorry about the poor image quality.  My kitchen lights burnt out so I had to make this under my microwave light and a lantern :)

Barefut Oils Free Oil of the Month

Every month, Barefut oils gives away a free oil.  All you have to do is pay the $3.95 for shipping.  This month the free oil is sweet orange.  Normally this oil is over $13 so getting it for just under $4 is a great deal.  It is 100% pure and undiluted and is a 15 ml size, which is a decent size.  I got mine in the mail and absolutely love the scent!  It smells so real without the chemicals hidden inside.  100% pure orange oil.

My favorite benefit of the orange oil is the anti-inflammation properties which help relieve inflammation both inside and outside.  It is also a great natural anti-depressent and anti-septic.  I have noticed great relief in digestion and has been known to help cure constipation as well.  Orange is definitely one that I love to have in my oil collection.

Head over to Barefut oils this before the end of January to get your free orange oil and stay tuned as to what free oil will be offered for the month of February.

It's a Girl!

We are having another little girl.  I am excited I can buy more pink.  I had an ultrasound last friday where it was determined that I am carrying a girl.  The little stinker didn't want to open her legs so it was hard to get a good view, but it was finally determined towards the end of the ultrasound and the technician said she is 99% sure.  I got a cute ultrasound picture as well.  Wasn't able to get the entire face because she was facing my spine.  It is amazing how they can do the 4d pictures now.

Bathroom Cleaner - Simply Safe

Clorox, Lysol and Scrubbing Bubbles...These were the chemicals I used to use to clean my bathroom. Did they do a great job? Yes! Did they kill all the germs? Most likely, yes! Were they free of chemicals and safe for your body? Absolutely NOT!

Every time I used these bathroom cleaners my eyes would burn, my throat felt as if I couldn't breathe and I had a sore throat for days.  Most people clean their bathrooms every week or every other week, which made for many sore throats!  I also developed a painfully itchy rash on my wrists and hands from being exposed to these chemicals.  I was to the point where my husband was forced to clean the bathroom, and after he did, I would have to use the spare bathroom for two days because of the lingering smell that would still irritate my skin and my eyes.  My body definitely disapproved of these products.  What was causing these reactions?

There are chemicals found in these popular products that are banned in Europe if they contain more than 3% of the chemical.  These products contain more than 10% of the chemical and are known to cause inflammation of the lungs.  Now, the whole sore throat thing is really making sense!

Butoxydiglycol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, Cocamidopropylamine oxide, dimethylethylbenzyl ammonium chloride.  Try saying these ingredients out loud.  Can you pronounce any of these chemicals?  My rule is, if you can't properly pronounce every ingredient in the list, you should not be using it.

What is a safer and healthier alternative?   Simply Safe.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks? YES!!!

I have been using "Simply Safe" bathroom cleaner.  Purified water, non-ionic surfactants, preservative, fragrance oils and other organic ingredients are the ingredients.  Those ingredients sound much better and the scent is so light I can barely smell it when it is used but it does a fantastic job!

I would definitely recommend this brand!

Natural Bar Soap For Sensitive Skin - Magnesium Soap

Magnesium is said to be a great supplement against to fight against eczema.  I do take it in liquid form, but there is just something different about applying it to the skin and it works so much better!

After I had all the knowledge I do now about chemical free soap, I switched to Kiss My Face soap and they had many great natural scents.  I still love the soap, but since my recent eczema break out, I have found something else a little more beneficial for my skin.  The soap is called Magnesium Soap by the brand Life Flo.

It is made of coconut, palm, avocado oil and castor seed.  There are also magnesium chloride flakes, clay and rosemary oil extract.  I am really impressed with the ingredients and love how it makes my skin feel.  There is no scent to this soap as it is great for those with sensitive skin. If you suffer from eczema, I would definitely recommend going this route!

The Peer Pressure Starts Young...

I can't tell you how many times my daughter was offered candy or junk food in the last 24 hours.

We went to the post office and the man being the counter said, "Do you want a sucker?"
Luckily, I have a daughter who knows how awful this junk food is for you so she declined.

We then went to go visit a lady from church and her husband offered my daughter a Starburst.  "We don't give her candy." I politely responded.  "You don't?!?! Why not?"

Then, at school today she her friend offered her gum.  Her other friends were telling her that candy is okay to eat.  My daughter tried to convince them that it is not okay and is bad for your health and teeth. Her friends obviously won the battle because it was all of them against one.

Why don't parents teach their kids better eating habits?  I assume they get the eating habits from their parents, but when does the vicious cycle end?  Do they not realize the damage they are doing to their bodies and to their long term health?  It's like giving your kids junk food these days is so common.   Please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks this way.

Chemical Free Dish Soap

Many people don't realize that there are so many harmful chemicals in dish soap.  Growing up my mom used Dawn, Ajax, Palmolive dish soap and others that were filled with chemical after chemical.  Most of these popular dish soaps that you use on your dishes can be very dangerous for you.  A lot of people look past it because it is not applied directly to your skin and it is assumed that the soap simply rinses off the dishes. False.  The soap actually sticks onto your dishes and next time you use them, you are ingesting the ingredients. Gross.  So, what are some of these dangerous ingredients you ask?

• Formaldehyde releasers are found in many of these dish soaps.  They can cause skin and eye irritations as well as harmful toxic problems in your organs.
• Trisoclan is another popular chemical you may have heard of.  This one can cause heart problems such as heart failure and serious heart disease.  Birth defects and tumors with cancer have also been known to be linked with this chemical.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate has been linked to mutations and cancer as well as developmental and reproductive problems.

A much better choice for a dish soap would be one with a small amount of ingredients.  In my book, the less ingredients, the better.

One of my favorite dish soaps to use is "Ultra Dishmate".  There are many different flavors to use, but I like the natural almond scent as well as the pear.  The ingredients listed are: water, coconut oil derived surfactant, salt and natural pear oil.  There aren't any perfumes or dyes and there aren't any SLS' which is definitely a plus.

You can even find this natural formula at a place like Walgreens, although I prefer to buy it from my health food store.  Surprisingly, it is only a couple bucks, which is definitely a great deal considering the benefits. Which dish soap do you use?

Here's My Story...

I started developing reactions to chemicals back in high school.  However, at that time I didn't know what caused it.  I used chemicals while I was at work, and cleaned around the house and I would always get a rash and itchy skin.  I didn't put two and two together until rather recently.  When I started getting rid of the chemicals in my house and going a more natural route, my skin problems dramatically were reduced.  I was very pleased, but there still was a lot of work to do.  I am looking forward to explaining what products I use and giving you the recipes for them.  Some of the products I do buy from the natural health store, but I am not made of money so I try to make as much as I possibly can. 

Which products do you purchase that are chemical free?  I am interested to know if anyone else uses the same products as I do.

Why did you make the switch to go from chemical filled to more natural?  The reason should be obvious, but  I think it really varies for everyone.

Jaelyn's 5th Birthday Party

I have been busy since the Holidays preparing for my daughter; Jaelyn's 5th birthday party.  She turned five yesterday and I just can't believe it. Where has the time gone?  Just like any other five year old girl out there, she is obsessed with princesses.  Naturally, the theme of the party was "Frozen", every child's favorite movie as of lately.  I can't tell you all the Frozen gifts she got between Christmas and her birthday.

Planning her party went pretty well overall.  It was much more affordable than doing something outside the house.  I tried to plan the snacks as sugarless as possible.  Of course, it is a child's birthday party so we had to have cake.  My daughter was thrilled.  She is allowed to have cake once a year, on her birthday so she was excited to take advantage of that.  Too much sweet/artificial stuff ruins her gut and lowers her immune system.  I drew Olaf faces on the string cheese, provided carrots for Olaf's nose and had popcorn as the "snow".  We then made quesadillas for the main meal which was a hit.

We planned many games at the party including; pin the nose on Olaf, don't step on the hot spot, freeze dance and more.  The kids also made their own Frozen themed snow globes.

Here is a picture of the kids enjoying the party.

A couple of the kids slept overnight.  They went to bed well and didn't wake up before sunrise, so that was a plus.  We only offer all natural and organic cereal in our house so I asked the kids which of the 4 boxes they would like.  Of course, my daughter chose her usual.  The other kids asked to try a sample of each.  They didn't like any of them and asked if we had "Lucky Charms", "Fruity Pebbles" or "Apple Jacks".  My gut hurts just thinking about those cereals I used to eat as a kid.  My daughter had no idea what they were!  I told them no and asked if they wanted eggs instead.  They agreed on eggs, until they saw that my eggs were brown.  "Gross!!!" They exclaimed.  I made them try a bite and that was all they ate.  It goes to show that once you start a kid on a bad diet, it is incredibly hard to get them to change!  Anyways, overall the party was really nice!  I can't believe my baby is already five years old though!

2015 Goals

Rather than calling them resolutions, I prefer to call them goals I wish to accomplish in 2015.  Many of us strive to stay on top of our resolutions but they end up slipping out from under us within the first few weeks of the new year.  Instead of requiring myself to do something everyday, I am planning on accomplishes these goals within this new year.

1. Have a healthy baby

2. Maintain a healthy diet and continue with proper exercise

3. Travel to Florida with my family (Disney)

4. Raise chickens

I am interested in hearing your goals for 2015.

Welcome to My New Blog

Welcome to my new blog, readers.  I am happy to have you with me along on this journey called life.  I created this blog in hopes to help others live as chemically free as possible.  We live in an environment full of harmful chemicals that create problems for us that we sometimes may look past.  However, I am not limiting my blog to just weeding out chemicals in life.  I will talk about living healthy through eating, proper exercise and in many other ways.  I hope you stick with me for the long run as I will have lots of recipes and tips to share as my family and I try to live as chemically free as possible.  

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my family.  I live in northeastern Wisconsin with my husband, my 13 year old step daughter, my 4 year old daughter and we have one on the way.  I also have a dog (golden doodle) and a family cat that we have adopted. 

 Here is a picture of myself and my 4 year old daughter.  This picture was taken over the summer as we were doing some rock climbing in the western part of the state.  She sure is a brave little girl who loves the outdoors and adventures.   I'm looking forward to getting to know all of my readers! Stay tuned!