Gross, right?  Well YOU ARE SLEEPING ON MILLIONS of these buggers every night.  You're probably sitting on some right now!

The infamous DUST MITE...turns out this beast has been ruining my life!

For years and years I have struggled with fatigue.  I've meekly confessed to many Doctors that I believe I'm more tired than people are supposed to be.  I've learned to act energetic. I've endured round after round of antibiotics. I've suffered.

Finally, my brilliant PCP (a Nurse Practitioner who I'll gladly recommend to anyone living in Venango County), decided to send me for allergy testing in order to find the root cause of chronic sinus infections over the past three years.

Initially, the allergy Doctor didn't see any cause for concern, but probably to appease me, took some blood work.  His office called me days later and informed me that the results of that test were extremely concerning and I needed more testing STAT.  Hmm... it's never good to be on the receiving end of that phone call!

39 shots later and one very itchy arm, it was discovered that I have intense allergies.  Sure, at times throughout the year, my eyes water, my nose itches and I know I have allergies.  But to have the allergists telling me that my allergies are about as bad as they can be was quite shocking... that's something I assumed I would have noticed.

However, it turns out that allergies don't always appear as red eyes, itchy nose and sneezing.  NO...allergies can surface as extreme fatigue and frequent headaches (since my body is in constant fight mode).  Allergies can result in frequent sinus infections.  OH!

The bad news:  I'm never to enter Antique Shops or Libraries.  We need to remove every nick nack in the house (Jake is doing a happy dance).  We need all new flooring (so long carpet...eventually).  We need HEPA air filters.  We need leather furniture.  We need no animals nor upholstery nor carpet.  Travelling now comes with all kinds of hurdles as other people's homes make me very sick (which also explains why I've unconsciously avoided other people's homes the past few years).  All of the changes needed to keep me healthy are very very expensive.

The good news:  lifestyle changes can greatly improve my condition!  We've emptied our bedroom (goodbye beloved headboard) and encased our pillows and mattresses.  NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!  Now that I'm tuned into the symptoms, I've found that simply cuddling my kids on their beds causes a stuffy nose.  I'm also not supposed to clean my own house (or I suppose I could with some mega mask contraption)...that's pretty awesome justification for hiring out!  And it's crazy, but true... the few times I have swept or dusted since being clued in, I have had severe headaches after that dreaded task.  How did I never notice these correlations before?

Tonight this is on my mind as I'm suffering through my first sinus infection of the year.  I hope it stems from a cold I picked up on a recent flight, the airplane seats, the hotel mattress (though I did travel with my pillow encasement).  If not, I may need to begin weekly allergy shots... but at least now I HAVE HOPE.  Yes, HOPE that I'll feel "normal".  I also have relief, that there IS a problem, which is not good...but a relief just the same (ie I'm not crazy, antisocial or lazy!).

What advice do you have for a girl who needs to live in an allergen free bubble?

Did you go to Walmart's Black Friday sale (Target if you're "fancy") to buy all of your Christmas presents at once? Ordering boxes and boxes from Amazon, sometimes even choosing the gift wrapping option so that it's ready to give upon delivery? Even better- having it shipped to your loved one's home?! You don't even need to brush your hair to deliver a Christmas gift! 

I'm jealous. I am! I wish I could do that, just one year. It would be so simple. But I can't. It's too impersonal. It's too expensive. It's too commercial. At least, that's what my heart says. I just can't do it. (Note: good for you, if this is your style. I receive such gifts very happily.;-) ) 

Instead, I try to give everyone a home made Christmas gift. I want every gift to be special, heart-felt, and full of love. It doesn't always work and having four brother-in-laws doesn't help. (Homemade for men is much harder for me....) Plus, as I get older, my family keeps growing. It's not just my mom, dad, and sister anymore like it was when I was a kid. Now, it's my sister's whole family, my husband's whole family, and their whole families... It's a lot. Just in our immediate family (grandmas and girlfriends included) I've got 8 women, 5 men, and four kids under 5. I'm sure I've forgotten someone.... And that's not including cousins, close friends, my daughter's teachers, and on and on and on. (Plus, my mom and mom-in-law both have December birthdays. Goodness gracious!) That puts me at 19 homemade gifts in December.... Just in immediate family alone. 

Am I complaining? No, indeed. I love it. As soon as these days get cooler and the leaves start changing, I start thinking, planning, and creating. In the evenings, you can find me at my sewing table, listening to a podcast on my iPad, surrounded in a sea of thread snips and felt pieces, happily cutting and sewing away. 

Will everyone on my list get a homemade gift? No. But I like to see what I can do.

To take some of the pressure off of 19 *amazing* homemade gifts, I've decided to create some smaller gifts this year that can accompany other store-bought gifts. Here are two things I made this week. 

I love homemade Christmas ornaments for the Christmas tree. Don't you? I can spend hours looking at my grandma's tree. She still knows the stories and memories behind most of her ornaments, even when some are 50 years old already. I sewed up a batch of matryoshka dolls out of simple crafting felt. I'm calling them "my ladies," but five of them will eventually find new homes and will make someone else's tree that much more cheerful. Attached to a loaf of homemade bread or on top of a book, this is the touch of homemade that I need to feel good about giving a Christmas gift. Don't they make you smile? 

I also got a book from the library called "Creatissimo Macht Das Leben Bunter!" (It's in German.... I live in Germany....)  and was disappointed by it. Fortunately, it was just a library book and I didn't buy it. Of the 70 ideas of colorful craft ideas, only one seemed to be creative and original. Maybe I spend too much time on Pinterest.... I'm becoming hard to impress. ;-) Anyway, using my leftover felt scraps from the doll ornaments, I made four felt piggy banks. Aren't they darling? These would be a great way to give a gift certificate, money towards a goal, or even just as they are. I'm thinking of making a batch of these for us at home to try to control the foreign change that we have floating around. We could have a pig for each country that my husband travels to for work.... 

There you have it: two simple homemade Christmas gifts. They're not my original ideas necessarily, but they sure are happy and fun. Plus, I got 11 homemade gifts out of one package of craft felt. Not bad, eh? 

What about you? What have you made out of felt lately? I'd love to see it. 

For more information about the matryoshka doll ornaments, feel free to visit my own blog: www.mokasch.blogspot.com.  I'd love to see you!
~Marianne 

I've read and reread about this superstar shower cleaner.  While I'm not one to clean my shower weekly...err...regularly at all, I do WANT it to be clean and sparkling.  So this DIY shower cleaner has been on my to-do list for about a year, I just never remembered to buy the Dawn!  Now that I've tried it, I'm hooked!

In the past, I've tried other tips like heating vinegar and spraying that on the tub; used 10,000 magic erasers which work, but not as well as this; tried toxic fumed cleaners, etc.  They all do the job, but only with a TON of elbow grease (darn that tub ring!).

HOWEVER...this magic duo worked AMAZINGLY well with hardly any elbow grease needed!  Yup, this is a keeper!


MATERIALS:

• White Vinegar
• Blue Dawn Dish Detergent
• Empty spray bottle
• sponge or cloth

TO MAKE:
Simply mix equal parts of vinegar & Dawn.  Take EVERYTHING out of your shower (recommit to completely using one bottle before opening a new one..).  Spray every surface with this robin's egg blue concoction.  The vinegar is still potent, but manageable.  Let it sit for 30 minutes.  Scrub with a wet cloth.  You will need to rinse your cloth repeatedly as this gets VERY soapy.  After you've finished scrubbing, rinse with clean water.  Step back and admire your NEW LOOKING SHOWER!  It's been 3 days and I still can't get over how sparkling my shower & tub are!

What tricks do you have to keeping your bathroom sparkling clean?

This is a fun, CHEAP & effective way to keep your back porch from looking like a looted shoe store.  Ok, sometimes my porch still looks like that, but when it does, it's super easy to send out my 4-year-old house elf who most often enjoys putting shoes back in this rack.

As you can see, all I did was PROP an old wooden pallet against my house, and stick my shoes in, toe first.  For the past two years, I've been meaning to actually screw it into the house... because I do worry about my wee ones pulling out a shoe and the entire rack falling down.  However, I just haven't gotten around to that {lazy} and it's never happened... but perhaps you're a more cautious {and loving} parent?

Now, if only I could figure out how to solve the problem of having multiple entrances to my house which results in shoes in FOUR different locations!?!?

Any ideas on how to solve a similar problem:  COATS!

This month I’m sharing a fitness related post with you- but it’s not the type of fitness you’d expect. No lifting. No cardio. No sweat or special equipment required.  This is about a mental fitness – and taking a mini challenge to give yourself the gift of clarity and mental freedom.  I truly believe that a clear mind is critical to physical fitness success too. So, we’ll start with the head. 

What on earth is she talking about you ask? I’m challenging you to an Un-plugged weekend.  Why on God’s green earth would you do that? You like your phone. Your iPad keeps you happy. Your kids are quiet when the TV is on.  I get it. Believe me. I do.  But now, after my own 48 hours of being unplugged- I get the other side.  (Those Amish may be onto something yet! And I say that with the utmost respect…and also realize they can’t be offended as they don’t know what I said because well, this is an online blog so well…you get it.)  

Anyway- last week I had the bright idea that we would have an “unplugged” weekend at our house.  Let me preface by saying I don’t think my family is on a phone, iPad or in front of a screen nearly as much as we could be (kids only get 60 minutes/day) - but we are no strangers to the screen (especially me and my phone!) OK. There. Confession time. This challenge was for me. I run two businesses online so I’m on my phone/iPad a lot running those.  And while I try to use my phone when I’m not with my family- I admit that it’s on my mind likely more than it should be. SO – we unplugged. The originally idea was for just me to unplug.  I was thrilled when my husband and kids joined the “screen free/unplugged” weekend.  Here is how it went. 

Friday Night at 11:45 p.m.  

I have 15 minutes left plugged in. AH.  This is actually happening. 

Midnight Friday:

Time to unplug.  I’m still sitting on the couch uploading photos onto the computer.  I add some to facebook.  I want to finish them. Then people start to “like” the photos. I want to see what they say. AH. I didn’t get to finish what I was doing.   My sister was over and literally takes the computer away from me and turns it off.  

OK. This just got real.  

Saturday Morning: 

I wake up and get out of bed. I head to the kitchen to make my Shakeology smoothie for breakfast. Grab my iPad and sit down at the table to enjoy breakfast and checking email, facebook and my Etsy shop as I do every morning. CRAP. Unplugged time.  Sigh.  Return iPad to the kitchen counter and drink my shake.  I make a to-do list for the day. I finish my breakfast and to-do list making and am in the shower earlier than I usually am. (OK, so I may stall my mornings with my screen time. Noted but not accepted yet. This is a fluke I’m sure.) 

Husband is up and complains he can’t read the news or check the sports scores (again, on the iPad.)  He recovers from this trauma and then gets ready for the day…and actually takes less time than usual in the restroom to get ready! (Read – the score updates and news sucks some serious morning time for him. The jury is still out for me- I’m special you know!) 

Kids wake up- stumble to couch and oldest grabs remote to flip on the TV. I remind her it’s screen free/unplugged weekend.  I may as well have told her Santa Claus wasn’t real. “NOOOOOOO- why!? I want a show.  It’s the weekend.  PLEASE!? I WANT SOPHIA THE FIRST!”  The youngest chimes in “Pleeeeeaaaase!? Just one show?  Please Mommy!?”  No.  No screens this weekend.  TV turns off.  Remote is back on shelf.  It’s breakfast time.  

We sit and talk over breakfast about why we are having an unplugged weekend and what the kids want to do.  The to-do list grows with kids activities….buy rollerblades, go on a bike ride, play outside, Legos, clean up rooms, color and get the water table out.  

We shower- get dressed and we’re off for our un-plugged weekend. 

By noon on Saturday we have accomplished more in a few hours than we normally do all weekend.  The kids have cleaned their rooms (by choice). This wasn’t just a “shove it away” cleaning. This was an actual deep, get it all off the shelves, organize it, make piles of what to keep/donate/sell and then put it all away cleaning.  WOW.  The rooms look beautiful.  Piles are loaded into the car to donate to Goodwill and items are ready to list for sale.  Awesome.

In part of the cleaning, I organized the kids’ baby books and scrapbooks.  My oldest has 5 scrapbooks (she turns 6 next week. Yes. A book/year. I used to be a good mom.)  We all look through the scrapbooks and laugh and recall special moments.  The youngest gets her books and opens it and asks a question that makes my heart sink “where are all my pictures mommy?”  OUCH. Stabbed through the heart.  Parenting Fail of the year. #worstmomever.  The child has a scrapbook….but the pages aren’t…well….done.  There are photos stuffed into the photo pages.  Her sister had 2 completed and beautiful books by age 2.  The youngest, well, she has a book of photos shoved into sleeves. 

Note- this was corrected this weekend! The babybook for the oldest had its final pages completed.  Baby books end at Kindergarten. So I shed my tear, finished her book and stored it into the newly created Rubbermaid tub for such special books. And, the youngest now has 1 completed babybook, photos for the 2nd have been ordered and will be completed by the next weekend. Maybe she won’t need therapy after all.(I’m starting to think there may actually be some merit to the fact that screens are time suckers.)  

Afternoon Saturday:

By the afternoon the thought of screens was out of everyones' minds. I couldn’t even tell you where my phone was.  We had gone on a bike ride, the hubs had finished his ENTIRE to do list for the weekend (note, this is rare- that list usually carries over to the next weekend), kids rooms were spotless, floors were cleaned (not just a brief sweep- but actually cleaned, mopped, baseboards cleaned and I even switched the vacuum bag.)  We had spent time outside, oldest had a play date (those things are a lot easier to arrange when you can call someone. Instead, we walked to the friends house….asked her to play…then walked home to play.  It worked.  It was very, well, Amish. All that was missing was our horse & Buggy, but it worked).  We had dinner on the porch with family and sat around talking, laughing and enjoying one another.  Someone asked what the weather was to be like tomorrow- and everyone started to reach for the phones- then remembered “oh, we can’t.” So we just accepted “we’ll see what it is.”  On our way inside from our picnic, our oldest picked up some items from the yard- took them to their “home location” and then came inside. She did this on her own, unasked, just did it.  When we thanked her she simply said “I saw they weren’t where they belonged so I wanted to help.” Um, WHAT!?  OMG.  Call 911. My heart just stopped.  

Saturday night: 

We played a game as a family, read books together, then the kids went to bed. The kids were asleep and the hubs and I poured some wine (OK, let’s be honest- we took the bottle and a couple glasses to the porch) and sat there for a couple hours – alone- in peace- sitting, talking, drinking. No interruptions. No phone “pings”. No checking of emails or looking at the latest text or notification that buzzed.  Just us. Wow.  It was great.   The kids didn’t get out of bed to see us. They didn’t complain when we put them to bed. They went to bed, let us have our adult time and they didn’t wake until ….

Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m. That’s right. They went to bed without compliant (especially rare for the youngest), slept all night, and woke up nearly 90 minutes later than normal. WHAT!?  The kids slept in on Sunday- but so did we.  We were still asleep when we heard the kids wake up. But they didn’t come to our room. They didn’t turn on the TV. We woke when we heard the sound of laughing and Legos drawers opening. They woke up- let us sleep- and started playing with Legos together. Oh. My. Gosh.  Is this Heaven?  I’m feeling like Mother Teresa. Clearly I have provided such an environment for my kids to thrive while I lay in bed sleeping in.  

Sunday continued to amaze me with the difference from being plugged to unplugged. We went to lunch as a family.  No one asked to turn on the TV in the car.  No one asked to play a game on the phones or iPads.  We talked uninterrupted.  The kids were cooperative.  They played together.  We heard more polite manners from them than I’ve heard in a long time.  You’d have thought Recuse Nanny 911 was in the house.    

The Amish life had a few “oh my gosh- I use my phone for that too” realities such as needing to deposit a check and instead of using my phone, I actually drove to the bank and used the ATM (who knew those were still around?!)  I also needed directions and instead of the typical plugging into the phone GPS, I used a map.  Yes. Something with paper and lines and a legend.  I felt very 1985 doing so.  AAA and their trip-tiks would have been proud.  I filled in our weekly family “fridge calendar” and when I asked the hubs his schedule, we realized that it was on his phone and I’d have to wait until Monday to find out his details.  When driving, I believe I was a better, more focused driver.  I knew the phone was at home so I wasn’t tempted to call, text or use it at all. I just- well- drove (novel concept huh?!) 

Why did this work? Well, despite Steve Jobs best efforts….life beyond the screen is pretty awesome!  

Everyone was fully present with one another.  No one was distracted with a screen in the face. No one heard “Just a minute while I check this”. No one was interrupted mid sentence by an incoming text.  We were focused and present. 
The kids didn’t have any influence other than our family. They didn’t have any behavior they saw on TV or movies. They didn’t have an excuse to tune out and play brain dead while a box entertained them.  
Hubs and I are always very busy- but were so much more productive unplugged. We didn’t have the option or planned distraction to plop on the couch and do nothing, to watch hours f sporting events (even if it was a true interest), or flip channels until something caught our attention. 
The kids didn’t see us tune out. They saw us active and making steps toward goals at the house. They did the same. 

And on Monday morning when the phones, iPads, computer, remotes were allowed back in our lives….they still weren’t reached for as quickly as they were last week. I had 64 texts and 50 emails to review. But you know what- the world was just fine without me checking those messages over the weekend.  It was still spinning without me.  So much for my self esteem.  While we did check our emails, texts, pings, etc.- the feeling of being unplugged was definitely on my mind and one I am going to try to channel more on a daily basis. 

So…..now that you’re done reading on a SCREEN that is likely PLUGGED IN or CHARGED somehow….go unplug. You may be amazed just how much you learn! I was. 

Did you know that indoor plants can make your house healthier? As the late spring allergy season hits with the strength of a thousand stampeding elephants, I'm desperate for clean air. Without paying a premium for a whole house filter, I'm excited to delve into learning about how to clean the air.

According to Health Magazine, there are five greens that are especially effective with cleaning indoor air quality. These five give off oxygen and remove toxins like air fresheners and formaldehyde. With childhood asthma and allergies so common, I'm sure every household is looking for effective ways to clean up their act!

1. English Ivy. I love ivy because it quickly looks lush as it trails over your pot. Hang it high on the wall and enjoy some living art work! Simply mist it with water to keep it healthy.
2. Bamboo palm. Who doesn't love a little tropical oasis in their home? Bamboo grows easily, just make sure it gets a few hours of sunshine and water regularly. Put it in its own container or it will quickly overtake any others!
3. Peace lily. Perhaps the most beautiful and effective indoor air cleaner. This white flowering gem takes a little extra care, but removes more toxins than any other.
4. Lady palm. Another tropical choice, that grows into a TREE! You've been warned! Easy to care for and resistant to insects.
5. Rubber plant. Growing up, our house ALWAYS had rubber "trees". I doubt my parents knew about its air cleaning super powers and it had more to do with the fact that these babies are indestructible! It also had to do with a silly song my dad loved to sing, "an ant can't eat a rubber tree plant, but he had high hopes...". Even the most inattentive gardener will have success with this one!

Feel free to link pictures of your lush houseplants... I need a little inspiration to remember to actually WATER these air filters!

Farmer Jake is livin' his dream!  He's building his greenhouse addition, plowing his fields, starting an orchard and planning for a REAL garden.  Finally!  No more tiny back yard plots scattered across the neighbhood.  No more sighing wistfully each time we pass a real farm.  Oh wait, scratch that.  That will probably happen till the end of time.  Or until we own 100 acres with a pond and 3 tractors... whichever comes first.

As Lavar Burton would say, "Here's what's happening in MY neck of the woods".

Last night, I realized that I needed to COME CLEAN about something... I've used bleach 3 times this week.

I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I know that bleach is toxic stuff... not to be used by tree huggers nor homemade cleanser users.

However, after 2 years of homemade laundry detergents and 2 months of homemade dishwasher detergents, it was time to accept defeat.

• cloth diapers that knock-out 1/2 of the county with their ammonia smell
  
• the increasing dingyness of our whites
• spots of mold developing on the dishwasher door

To be fair, all users of cloth diapers eventually succomb to stripping their diapers in some form.  The dingyness of our whites is a result of using well water that is over & around old coal mines.  We spend over $60 A MONTH treating our water, yet there is still a trace of redness to our water.  As for the dishwasher, there's no excuse for that one!  I LOVE the homemade cleaner, it's SO cheap and easy, but I can't help but point out that we never had the mold issue until I switched to homemade.

Here's my Google Docs of all my recipes.  It's constantly changing as I make notes, find new recipes, etc.  Feel free to check it out, use it &/or give me new recipes that will solve world hunger... or at least my current problems!

Anyone else struggle with these problems?  More importantly, anyone SOLVE these problems?