Thanksgiving Recipes
By Virginie Degryse
Butternut Squash-Apple Soup
Time: 1 h
Serves: 6
Coming fall these are my favorite flavors… I think that the apples bring a sweetness to the soup that makes it delicious! Sprinkle some seeds, some
crispy quinoa, chopped apples to make it more fancy!
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 small apples, cored and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2-3 tsp of olive oil
- 2 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of ginger
- 1/2 tsp of chili powder
- 4-5 cups of stock
- Salt and pepper
The Cost of Cleaning Your Home
By Lauren Rashap
Having a clean home should never cost you something as valuable as your health, but that’s exactly what you’re putting at risk when you use household cleaners and laundry detergents filled with many of the hazardous chemicals on the market today.
The problem is, when the chemicals in these common household products hit your skin and lungs, they go directly into your bloodstream, bypassing your body’s natural defense system against toxins (the liver and kidneys).
This type of indoor pollution is particularly harmful to your health because just one application of a typical household cleaner can leave dangerous chemicals lingering in your indoor air for hours at a time. For people who spend a large amount of their day indoors, this can amount to a frequent chemical attacks on your lungs.
Finding Courage in Loss
By Ruth Molinari
Why? I don’t know. The only way I’ll ever know is when I see him again… and I will!!
Emilio’s death shocked our communities to the core. A perfectly healthy boy dying in a flash scared the shit out of everybody and tested our faiths. We are good people… we’ve always done right in our lives… we’ve always prayed to God as a family and believed in spiritual law and karma. Nothing made sense as to why?
I don’t think God hates me. I don’t think God has forgotten about me or that I’m being punished. I don’t think God loves me less because another human being might be saved. I have always felt, and feel, that there is something beyond us all that is happening. Something higher, something greater.
Homemade Halloween Costumes
By Shirin Yadegar
Fall is in the air with pumpkin spice chai lattes and misty mornings, and the kids are consumed with halloween decorations and costume ideas.
Actually, the entire family is excited about dressing up and trick or treating. The challenge is what’s everyone going to dress up as?
My teens are too “big” for conventional costumes and my elementary school kids just want to purchase everything they set their eyes on. So where’s the balance?
For several years, we have turned halloween into a fun family project where we brainstorm and create our own original costumes. That means you don’t have to be someone famous or popular. You can be whoever you want to be.
Is your medicine cabinet back-to-school ready?
Alternative health expert Bryce Wylde advises that you may want to change how you prepare for cold and cough season
Kids will bring home more than homework once they’re back in school. They also bring home plenty of germs. The common cold is a leading cause of missed days from school. Parents should brace themselves for cuts, bites, scrapes and other maladies “We buy pencils and backpacks, but what about your back-to-school health supply checklist,” asks alternative health expert Bryce Wylde. (more…)
Ways to Prepare Your High Schooler for College
As it usually does, the time has flown by and your little baby is now going to high school. These next four years are not only crucial to determining what opportunities may be available to them after graduation but are also necessary to prepare your teen for college. Outside of making sure they have done their research, go on tours, talked with their counselors, written an essay, and taken all of their tests, you want to make sure that your teen has adopted the life skills necessary to survive the campus life.
As some of you may know, college is a lot different from grade school, middle school, or high school. It is a diverse educational environment that requires a great deal of effort, responsibility, and skill to master. By taking the time now to prepare your teen, they can transition into college life much easier. Below, are some suggestions on how to prepare your high schooler for life on campus. (more…)
How to Manage it All
You need your job to provide for your children, but the demands of doing both are starting to weigh on you heavily. Every day you’re required to get the kids off to school, manage the office, and then come home to wrangle in the household. Seeing as how you’re only one person, it really is a lot. In fact, the responsibility of it all is starting to have an effect on how you perform at work and your ability to be a great mom at home.
Don’t Suffer in Silence
Working as a mother has always been a struggle. Although there have been many changes made to the business environment to try and make things easier and equality for women in the workplace, it doesn’t stop the challenges you face at home. Unfortunately, many suffer in silence and make it appear as if all is right with the world. (more…)
Why Are Women So Stressed Out? And What You Can Do to Tackle It
Everyone has their fair share of stress, but has anyone ever wondered why women get the brunt of it? Often bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders, the average woman encounters an overwhelming amount of stress on the regular basis. You’ve got so many hats to wear from wife and mother to homemaker and career woman, that juggling it all at the same time isn’t always a piece of cake. When things start to fall apart for the “backbone” of the family, things can get out of hand.
When Stress Becomes Too Much
You may be thinking that stress is a normal part of life. That is a fact. However, too much of it can wreak havoc on everything you’re working so hard to build. When a person becomes chronically stressed out or emotionally drained, it can look sort of like this: (more…)
Back to school with Essential Oils
Whether you homeschool, send your kids to school or go to school yourself, there are several different essential oils that can help transition from summer back to early mornings and homework.
1. In Tune. Designed to enhance the body’s ability to focus and support healthy thought processes. Whether you are the child, the parent or the teacher (or both!) this blend can help you focus and stay on task. Apply to the bottom of the feet morning and night and whenever needed throughout the day. Can also apply on the neck or rub well into the spine(dilution recommended).
2. Cedarwood. For promoting relaxation. Diffuse then rub into the bottom of the feet or dilute and apply to neck, wrists, neck, etc. This is a wonderfully calming oil and also great if your child is agitated or upset. It’s a wonderful oil to have in your home if you have a child prone to drama or tantrums (and also great for older boys who might not want to smell like a “girly” oil). (more…)