I've been thinking a lot lately about aromatherapy certification. In our last Skeptic’s Guide to Essential Oils post, we evaluated some of the current leading authorities in essential oils, namely the so-called “experts” and the essential oils MLM companies. Today we’re taking a closer look at the truth about aromatherapy certification. Learn more about my favorite essential oils in this post. As I pointed out last time, every blog post and article seems to advise the reader to consult a certified aromatherapist, especially when speaking to essential oils safety. Why do they do that? Is it ...Read More
The Scared Parent’s Guide to Talking to Boys About Masturbation
This post is focused on talking about masturbation. It's written for parents, especially scared parents, about how to talk to boys about masturbation. I learned about masturbation probably the same way other guys did: I discovered it on my own. No one talked to me about it. No one told me how to do it. I didn't even have a name for it for the first several years of my adolescence. It wasn't included in any "sex talks" from my parents or the public school system. It wasn't until I heard a group friends at school joking around about "jacking off" that I discovered that I wasn't all that unique in my secret habits. When ...Read More
Homeschooling When You’re Dreading School: Confessions of a Homeschool Mom
There once was a time when I looked forward to the upcoming school year. I had fun picking out curriculum that would most challenge and engage my son. I opened the boxes of curriculum arriving in the mail like a kid at Christmas. When this summer arrived...I sighed with relief. Finally. Freedom! Have you ever felt that way about homeschooling? Can I tell you a secret? I feel terrible about this. I'm going to be honest: there have been more than a few times over the last several months when I've though about how nice it would be to send my older boys off to school. I could spend my days playing with my little ...Read More
Homeschool Planning 101: Putting it into Practice (Part 3 of 3)
The last two weeks we have focused on homeschooling goals and touched on planning your schedule. Now it's time to fill in the details to make this a workable transition and transformation for your family. Keep in mind: life happens. While we work with the details, keep your own family's day-in and day-out rhythms at the front or your thoughts. Do you have a husband who works strange hours? Do you have children with delayed developmental issues? Do you struggle yourself because you have many, many little ones all needing different things on different levels? How this plan works out, needs to work first with you and ...Read More
Foods Very Blueberry Sugar-Free Ice Cream
Blueberries and ice cream—two things that remind me of childhood summers. I spent several years of my childhood living on the west side of Michigan where the blueberry patches are plentiful. Picking blueberries was a yearly event I looked forward to, but I think my brother, who ate more blueberries than actually went home, looked forward to it even more than I did. The same can be said for ice cream. I greatly enjoy ice cream, but my crazy red-headed brother simply adores ice cream! Want some more ice cream inspiration? Check out this awesome cookbook: Candida on Ice with over 20 more sugar-free ice cream ...Read More
The REAL Authorities on Essential Oils
Have you ever wondered who it is you really should listen to when it comes to essential oils safety? For example, it seems like there are generally two camps when it comes to ingesting oils. One says to never ever use them internally. The other camp says to be liberal with internal use. The first camp says the second is irresponsible and undereducated. The second camp says the first is hiding adulteration in their oils, trying to control the industry...and is undereducated. Sigh. Can’t we just get a straight answer? ...Read More
Homeschool Planning 101: Define Your Focus and Schedule (Part 2 of 3)
We are in the second part of a series dedicated to Homeschool Planning. (click here to see my first post Homeschool Planning 101: Setting Goals) This post if focused on how and what to plan. We have given our plans to the Lord, written down the ideas we received somewhere so we can revisit pray over them, jotted down long term and short term goals. Today we will take a more focused and detailed look at how we make those goals reality. Getting Focused Now comes a decision making moment. What is your family's main focus? That focus, or mission statement if you will, will guide you in this decision making ...Read More
Stop Playing with Yourself! Talking to Young Boys About Masturbation
Today, I'm going to focus on the subject of how to talk to young boys about masturbation. Since we released The Talk (our sex-ed Bible study for families) probably the most common question we've had from parents is this: How do I talk to my son about the subject of masturbation? Masturbation, for many boys, is something they will experiment with in their lives—at least a few times, if not habitually. According to The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior, 25% of adult men say they masturbate daily or several times a week. 55% percent said they masturbate daily to monthly. As for teen boys, it is very ...Read More
