Two Cent Tuesday: Inspiration

This week's Two Cent topic is Inspiration- What inspires you? How do you find inspiration? Stop by TuTu's Bliss to join in.


I'm always finding myself inspired. I'm constantly looking for inspiration beacons just beckoning me to enrich my life. For newer and richer experience.


The purpose of life is to live it,
to taste experience to the utmost,
to reach out eagerly and without fear
for newer and richer experience.
-Eleanor Roosevelt


Ideas inspire me. People inspire me.

A few of my more recent inspirations...

{I've had gardening on the brain so I'm throwing this in.}
Last year our local historic mill had Victory Gardens to show the kids who visit the mill for school field trips. I was inspired by those beautiful raised beds of brown soil with neatly planted rows of vegetables. Once upon a time, they were planted with love and care all over the United States by patriotic people to help their war rations go farther. I knew when I seen them, I must have my own victory garden. We'll start work on ours this spring. I'm.so.excited.

Moms who work outside of the home inspire me. When I'm feeling bogged down by running from sun-up to sun-down on my work days, I remind myself that there are moms out there that do it 5+ days a week. Truly inspiring.

People who stand up for those who do not have a voice inspire me. The ASPCA, PETA, and the HSUS, for example. The people who watch the most horrific things happen to animals in order to one day give them a voice. I've often wondered how many animals they have saved from the deepest depths of suffering. They continually inspire me to do more.

The bazillion crafty people of blogland inspire me. Daily. My home feels so good because of all the ideas that I've seen and have been able to implement in my way. So many crafts my kids & I have enjoyed because someone had a fun idea & wanted to share. Many happy memories made by great ideas that I felt inspired to do with my family.

I can tell ya, crafters+blogs=great places for inspiration.

Thrifty Decor Chick
Just a Girl
Flipflops and Applesauce
Skip to my Lou


Happy Tuesday! Go get your inspiration on! =)
-Jen

Two Cent Tuesday: Parenting

This week's Two Cent topic is Parenting. Stop by TuTu's Bliss to partake in the fun!

I'm no parenting expert. I'm not.even.close as I'm trying to fight my way out alive of this 'stage' (my mother-in-law told me it's best to think of your kids as growing in and out of 'stages'. Stages they will always outgrow).

This 'stage' that my first born is in, is better known as the teen years. I also refer to this stage as 'Help, the body snatchers have stolen my sweet daughter and replaced her with this crazy child that I don't know.'

Speaking of crazy. {grin}

The absolute best ever advice that has helped me as I try to ride out this stormy stage?

Teens are CRAZY!

No, for real.

They really are.

Two ground-breaking studies have shown that the prefontal cortex of the brain (the part that controls emotion, impulse and rational decision making) haven't matured yet in teens!

It doesn't really start to mature until the teen years.

And... one study also found that the brain continues to grow through the teen years, with a substantial growth in the part of the brain nerves that are critical in good decision making.

Oh ma gosh.

It's scientifically proven they can't make rational, good decisions and control their emotions??

Wow, huh? Ground-breaking, indeed.

My two cents: Teens are crazy. We, the parents of teens are not. Remembering that is how you'll stay sane. When they are 13 acting like they are 5, it's best to remember the whole 'prefontal cortex not matured yet' thing and proceed with caution. You can also beg the bodysnatchers to please return your darling child, like I do. ;P

Happy Tuesday!
-Jen

Two Cent Tuesday: Homemade Laundry Soap

I've recently been intrigued by the idea of making homemade laundry soap. There's just something very cool in sustainability, right?

So this weekend I had at it. All found in the laundry aisle of my local Kroger grocery store. And, all for under 10 bucks. Woo-hoo, me likey.



1/2 bar soap {Fels Naptha or Ivory- I used Ivory}
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

Grind in food processor until a very fine powder.
Voila.
Laundry soap.
Use 1-3 T per load.


My two cents: Homemade laundry soap seems to work very well. I did all of our weekend laundry with it and everything appears clean with no odors- Yippee!

I've read there are two things that turn some people off from the homemade stuff:

A) Lack of scent. Your clothes have zero scent when using the homemade powder. (Unless you use a laundry sheet in the dryer and that scents your clothes.)

B) Zero suds. Having made my own handmade soap for a time, I understand that suds are not the cleaning agent. That's why you see SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) in most soaps/shampoos. It just makes the stuff sud/foam/lather. The cold process soap gals know to use coconut oil to achieve a fantastic lather, too.

That being said, most people have to have that lather & suds to feel like it's 'cleaning'.

Not me.
I'm not scared away.
Bring on the homemade powder stuff- I'm game.

That's my two cents for the week.

Happy Tuesday blog friends! =)

-Jen

Two Cent Tuesday:TLC

This past Sunday evening at bedtime started out like any other Sunday night at bedtime...

Jammies on, bottle of water next to me on nightstand, snuggled up on my feather bed wrapped in my crocheted blanket that keeps me nice and toasty ever since my heating blanket died, flipping through channels looking for something fab to watch knowing that like any other Sunday, there will be nothing 'fab' on my usual favorite channels like the History or Travel channel- Which is okay, I can never stay up too late on Sunday evenings, I have to work the next day. Everything as usual. Right?

Nope.

As I was flipping through the channels, I caught a glimpse of the Duggar family on TLC. Good show, I like it. I'll just set my TV timer and fall asleep watching it.

Two and a half hours of a Duggar's engagement & wedding, three oreo cookies and a glass of milk later...

I set the tv timer for bedtime.

My two cents: Don't stop at TLC while channel surfing at bedtime.

'Cause what will happen is, you'll catch one of their family reality shows and you'll just have to stay up after your bedtime to watch it, which means you'll drag butt the next day at work. Thus regretting staying up too late, unable to decipher doctor scribbles because you'd rather be resting your eyes.

Believe it or not, I'm still trying to recover today. =)

Oh, here's the newly married couple- aren't they adorable? He serenaded her during the ceremony- soooooo sweet!!!

Josh and Anna's Wedding!

Visit TuTu's Bliss for more Two Cent Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday bloggy friends!

-Jen