Our last women's meeting was very informative. We talked about natural cleaning products, as well as natural beauty products.
My biggest "find" of the night was distilled white vinegar. I was told that not only does it make a great fabric softener and "uric acid" remover in laundry (think potty training), but also that it makes a great floor cleaner. Since our dryer's motor died in June and it was a couple of weeks before it was repaired, we had to hang out our laundry. White vinegar, a half cup or so poured in before the rinse cycle, worked great! The clothes we hung out did much better, especially the towels. They didn't turn into hardened sticks, like they had before! I'm already on my second container of white vinegar for the laundry.
I haven't tried it on the floor yet, but I found out it works great on mold!
You see, our laundry room sink got all these splashed-up mold spores from the drain because JD kept playing with the sink and turning the water on full blast. A white sink with black spots where there are to be no black spots is not nice. Especially since just wiping at them did not remove them.
Then I had that "Aha!" moment. Why not use distilled white vinegar on it? I got an extra toothbrush, a cup with vinegar, and went to work. Let me tell you--those little spots literally melted in the vinegar. I'm serious. They melted. I felt like dancing around.*
Distilled white vinegar is my new best friend.
Isn't God good to have provided all these natural solutions in His creation?
Till next time,
Jeanette
*I still would recommend that the area be well ventilated when cleaning. After all, mold is mold.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Joy of Hearing Your Child's Voice
Can I just say how awesome it is to hear your child talk?
For all those of you who are saying, "What?! Are you nuts?" No, I'm not.
When you have a child who does not speak, express opinion, show emotion or affection, than when he does do any of those things, you are absolutely thrilled!
JD, who will be seven years old in September, actually repeated a bedtime prayer on Friday night. It was awesome, gratifying, and wonderful. Does it matter that he was just repeating my words? Does it matter that it was sort of "echoing"? Not to me!! He prayed. He talked to God. That's all that matters, in my book.
It was the first time he has prayed like that.
It is wonderful to hear him say emphatically, "No." It is awesome to hear him express an opinion by saying "no." It is great to hear him sing a little song about shapes that he likes. It is even more wonderful to hear him count to 30 by following numbers on the calendar. It is awesome to see him write letters on the dry erase board. But to hear him repeat a prayer? That is joy unspeakable. God's goodness abounds toward us!
I am expecting great things to come next!
Till next time,
Jeanette
For all those of you who are saying, "What?! Are you nuts?" No, I'm not.
When you have a child who does not speak, express opinion, show emotion or affection, than when he does do any of those things, you are absolutely thrilled!
JD, who will be seven years old in September, actually repeated a bedtime prayer on Friday night. It was awesome, gratifying, and wonderful. Does it matter that he was just repeating my words? Does it matter that it was sort of "echoing"? Not to me!! He prayed. He talked to God. That's all that matters, in my book.
It was the first time he has prayed like that.
It is wonderful to hear him say emphatically, "No." It is awesome to hear him express an opinion by saying "no." It is great to hear him sing a little song about shapes that he likes. It is even more wonderful to hear him count to 30 by following numbers on the calendar. It is awesome to see him write letters on the dry erase board. But to hear him repeat a prayer? That is joy unspeakable. God's goodness abounds toward us!
I am expecting great things to come next!
Till next time,
Jeanette
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Front Teeth Tales
Remember the little song, "All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth"?
How about losing two front teeth?
My six-year-old has four new permanent teeth in. However, the four baby teeth that were replaced took their time coming out. In fact, the permanent teeth came in behind the baby teeth.
Now, that wasn't so bad for the bottom ones. But the top? After two months of having four top front teeth, JD was sitting in the dentist's office. The dentist took one look and said, "The baby teeth have to come out ASAP."
What does that mean? It means my six-year-old has to go to a "special dentist", go under anesthesia and be put to sleep, and have his teeth pulled.
Not nice.
So we had the consultation with the "special dentist." When I asked about what type of mask I could use to practice with JD, he generously gave me one. For a couple of days leading up to the appointment, we practiced "breathing" through the mask for anesthesia. We even counted while holding the mask.
It's all about preparation.
The big day came--no eating any food or drinking any water from midnight the night before. At 7:35 a.m. we were at the office, the first appointment of the day. After I signed all the paperwork describing what could go wrong (!), JD did GREAT!
He counted to 30 with the mask; I was kicked out of the room so they could do the procedure; 15 to 20 minutes later he was waking up and the teeth were in my purse. And he didn't get sick or anything.
Whew!
He did better with it than I did, I think.
How many more baby teeth to go? Twelve?
"Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that the rest of JD's baby teeth come out easily on their own!"
Amen.
Till next time,
Jeanette
How about losing two front teeth?
My six-year-old has four new permanent teeth in. However, the four baby teeth that were replaced took their time coming out. In fact, the permanent teeth came in behind the baby teeth.
Now, that wasn't so bad for the bottom ones. But the top? After two months of having four top front teeth, JD was sitting in the dentist's office. The dentist took one look and said, "The baby teeth have to come out ASAP."
What does that mean? It means my six-year-old has to go to a "special dentist", go under anesthesia and be put to sleep, and have his teeth pulled.
Not nice.
So we had the consultation with the "special dentist." When I asked about what type of mask I could use to practice with JD, he generously gave me one. For a couple of days leading up to the appointment, we practiced "breathing" through the mask for anesthesia. We even counted while holding the mask.
It's all about preparation.
The big day came--no eating any food or drinking any water from midnight the night before. At 7:35 a.m. we were at the office, the first appointment of the day. After I signed all the paperwork describing what could go wrong (!), JD did GREAT!
He counted to 30 with the mask; I was kicked out of the room so they could do the procedure; 15 to 20 minutes later he was waking up and the teeth were in my purse. And he didn't get sick or anything.
Whew!
He did better with it than I did, I think.
How many more baby teeth to go? Twelve?
"Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that the rest of JD's baby teeth come out easily on their own!"
Amen.
Till next time,
Jeanette
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Bits and Pieces
Bits and pieces tonight...
My container garden is growing well...although some unknown creature dug a hole in my pepper plant pot. In the dirt, that is. Quite puzzling. At least the plant is still growing. We've eaten quite a bit of the lettuce. How nice it is to just go "cut some lettuce" and have it on the table rather than buying it at the store!
Our 6-year-old son's progress is wonderful. He actually put words together to say "I hungry" the other night. And he has learned how to swing by himself. It is now his favorite pastime. The only thing is, he swings so high and hard that we have to stand there and hold down the swing set!
My new recipes that I have tried lately (just search for "Sue Gregg" to find her cookbooks online) have been awesome. Good-bye flour; hello blender batter method for baking! Very tasty, and much nicer for alternative grains. Can I say "Almond Coffee Cake"? Barley is our latest favorite grain!
My latest revelation is that, more than we realize, what goes on in our lives is a result of our choices. It's not God's fault. Neither is it really the devil's fault (although he takes advantage of our ignorance). More like it's our fault. What Genesis says is that God created mankind to be in charge. We were created to have dominion over the earth and that dominion was put in motion at the beginning. So it's our responsibility. The ramifications are interesting...
Till next time,
Jeanette
My container garden is growing well...although some unknown creature dug a hole in my pepper plant pot. In the dirt, that is. Quite puzzling. At least the plant is still growing. We've eaten quite a bit of the lettuce. How nice it is to just go "cut some lettuce" and have it on the table rather than buying it at the store!
Our 6-year-old son's progress is wonderful. He actually put words together to say "I hungry" the other night. And he has learned how to swing by himself. It is now his favorite pastime. The only thing is, he swings so high and hard that we have to stand there and hold down the swing set!
My new recipes that I have tried lately (just search for "Sue Gregg" to find her cookbooks online) have been awesome. Good-bye flour; hello blender batter method for baking! Very tasty, and much nicer for alternative grains. Can I say "Almond Coffee Cake"? Barley is our latest favorite grain!
My latest revelation is that, more than we realize, what goes on in our lives is a result of our choices. It's not God's fault. Neither is it really the devil's fault (although he takes advantage of our ignorance). More like it's our fault. What Genesis says is that God created mankind to be in charge. We were created to have dominion over the earth and that dominion was put in motion at the beginning. So it's our responsibility. The ramifications are interesting...
Till next time,
Jeanette
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Turnaround in a Day
Yikes. I haven't done very well with my New Year's Resolution, have I?
So what has been going on lately that I haven't been blogging? Well, it really is more an attitude than an actual event. Sure, things have been interesting lately with potty training. (I should keep track of the money spent on this particular aspect of parenting. Bribes, new potty chair, distractions, prizes, stickers, doctor's visit!) A doctor's visit for potty training? Yes, even that. Not to help with training, but to make sure nothing is wrong with the bottom because of withholding. Yep. We got into that little cycle. Diaper rash, it hurt, then four weeks of crying and fussing at pooping. Sigh. So yeah, add a visit to the pediatric clinic to the list of costs.
And it's only the beginning of June.
Back to my point. It's not really events; it's an attitude that has been causing me to avoid blogging. In a nutshell, I was too tired to put forth the effort. But after a discussion last night with my husband about changing the way we parent, plus some other steps we made, things are turning around, even in one day.
Now that sounds like God, doesn't it?
Change in one day. I like that.
Briefly, we acknowledged that we are both laid back and easy going, and that doesn't work for the almost-four-year-old's personality and character. We have to change and be more proactive and return demands with, "God gave you two legs and arms and a brain, so you can do it yourself."
That's just a general example, but do you get the drift?
So that's a small picture of life in the Sprecher household recently. I'm sure more changes are to come. Including maybe blogging more often!
Till next time,
Jeanette
So what has been going on lately that I haven't been blogging? Well, it really is more an attitude than an actual event. Sure, things have been interesting lately with potty training. (I should keep track of the money spent on this particular aspect of parenting. Bribes, new potty chair, distractions, prizes, stickers, doctor's visit!) A doctor's visit for potty training? Yes, even that. Not to help with training, but to make sure nothing is wrong with the bottom because of withholding. Yep. We got into that little cycle. Diaper rash, it hurt, then four weeks of crying and fussing at pooping. Sigh. So yeah, add a visit to the pediatric clinic to the list of costs.
And it's only the beginning of June.
Back to my point. It's not really events; it's an attitude that has been causing me to avoid blogging. In a nutshell, I was too tired to put forth the effort. But after a discussion last night with my husband about changing the way we parent, plus some other steps we made, things are turning around, even in one day.
Now that sounds like God, doesn't it?
Change in one day. I like that.
Briefly, we acknowledged that we are both laid back and easy going, and that doesn't work for the almost-four-year-old's personality and character. We have to change and be more proactive and return demands with, "God gave you two legs and arms and a brain, so you can do it yourself."
That's just a general example, but do you get the drift?
So that's a small picture of life in the Sprecher household recently. I'm sure more changes are to come. Including maybe blogging more often!
Till next time,
Jeanette
Sunday, May 3, 2009
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Remember the old nursery rhyme? "Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" Contrariness aside, I am thrilled to report that my seeds in my "vegetable container garden" are up!
So far I have radishes, leaf lettuce, and onions sprouting above ground in rectangular flat containers out on the balcony. Those couple of unseasonably warm days we had gave them a great start!
And my tomato and pepper plant seedlings continue to grow in their little peat "pots" in the bathroom window. It looks like I have more tomato than pepper plants (at least that I can tell), as a result of JD pulling out all my seedlings earlier.
Just imagine...in a few months' time I'll be rolling in tomatoes! Mmm. Am looking forward to it! Homemade ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce.... Yum.
Was it as easy as 1-2-3? Nope! I started rather late, as I am learning the organic method of preparing soil. Apparently one is to start that the autumn before! And I don't have any worms in containers either, to aerate the soil. Or compost. Or all the other host of things one should do to ensure the best nutrients in the veggies.
BUT, I started!
So how does my garden grow? Very well. It's blessed! Deuteronomy 28 says that everything I put my hand to prospers. So my vegetables are prosperous vegetables, regardless.
Till next time (hopefully sooner than one month, my apologies!),
Jeanette
So far I have radishes, leaf lettuce, and onions sprouting above ground in rectangular flat containers out on the balcony. Those couple of unseasonably warm days we had gave them a great start!
And my tomato and pepper plant seedlings continue to grow in their little peat "pots" in the bathroom window. It looks like I have more tomato than pepper plants (at least that I can tell), as a result of JD pulling out all my seedlings earlier.
Just imagine...in a few months' time I'll be rolling in tomatoes! Mmm. Am looking forward to it! Homemade ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce.... Yum.
Was it as easy as 1-2-3? Nope! I started rather late, as I am learning the organic method of preparing soil. Apparently one is to start that the autumn before! And I don't have any worms in containers either, to aerate the soil. Or compost. Or all the other host of things one should do to ensure the best nutrients in the veggies.
BUT, I started!
So how does my garden grow? Very well. It's blessed! Deuteronomy 28 says that everything I put my hand to prospers. So my vegetables are prosperous vegetables, regardless.
Till next time (hopefully sooner than one month, my apologies!),
Jeanette
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Checking In
Just checking in this week...it's been about a month since my last post! So much for following my New Year's resolution.
My seedlings are growing...some pepper plants and tomato plants. I'm not sure which is which anymore, though, because John David had pulled them out. I found them in time and replanted them. That was not a good day for me!
Today is Resurrection Sunday, also known as Easter. One thing I really felt the Holy Spirit impress on me this morning was the availability of resurrection power. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us! It's the power to bring back life...to restore, renew and rejuvenate. A powerful word.
So the first quarter of 2009 is already past. A good time to reevaluate goals and make adjustments. You know, that IS a good idea. I think I'll do that myself!
Till next time,
Jeanette
My seedlings are growing...some pepper plants and tomato plants. I'm not sure which is which anymore, though, because John David had pulled them out. I found them in time and replanted them. That was not a good day for me!
Today is Resurrection Sunday, also known as Easter. One thing I really felt the Holy Spirit impress on me this morning was the availability of resurrection power. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us! It's the power to bring back life...to restore, renew and rejuvenate. A powerful word.
So the first quarter of 2009 is already past. A good time to reevaluate goals and make adjustments. You know, that IS a good idea. I think I'll do that myself!
Till next time,
Jeanette
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