My No Poo Method

A lot of people have heard of the no-poo method. For those of you who don't know what it is it's essentially not using shampoo. There are a number of different methods for this that can include only using water, only using conditioner, and baking soda/vinegar (which is what I use for now), among a number of other variations. I hope to make the switch to a more pH balanced formula this summer but am working myself up to do it because it inevitably give me a couple weeks of really sketchy looking hair while my scalp adjusts to the change.

I've been shampoo-less (fore the most part ... I've had 1 or 2 'slips') for about 9 months now. It was a bit of trial and error to find the method that worked best for me. I feel like that baking soda method isn't too terrible for my hair because I actually only 'wash' my hair every 5-6 days, which is not nearly as gross as it may sound (I will rinse if needed when I'm having a shower).

So for my method?

I use about 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a kids tupperware juice jug (maybe 2 cups?) filled with water and give it a little stir to make sure it's dissolved (it likes to settle at the bottom so do this just before you use it). I read lots of methods before and all of them, in my opinion, used too much baking soda and made my scalp and back (wherever the water ran) feel super itchy so I scaled back. I have hair just past my shoulders. I don't know if maybe

I pour the jug over my scalp starting at my forehead down my part and then the rest along my hairline, then massage it into your scalp. This is not NEARLY as satisfying as the sudsing shampoo feeling but you get over that.

And then I rinse. Your hair will feel kind of slippery after.

For conditioner I use apple cider vinegar. I pour a small amount in the same tupperware container and add some water. Then I dip the ends of my hair in the jug for a minute before I dump the container over my head and promptly rinse with water.

It took a few weeks of pretty gross looking hair (be prepared to wear a hat and lots of pony tails) to adjust to not using conventional shampoo but my hair is so much less out of control now. And like I said, I only actually have to wash it every 5-6 days now because it isn't greasy looking within 24 hours so that's a huge bonus.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Time Flies and Unsolicited Spud.ca Review (just because I am that happy of a customer!)

It's been over a week!

See, I'm really bad at this keeping up with my writing. I do think about it but it's usually while I have a nursing toddler doing gymnastics on my lap (anyone who has one will know this isn't an exaggeration) or at about midnight when I'm laying in bed wondering if I locked the doors when I came up to bed.

Not much changes here week to week. I am excited about the end of the school year. Even though I only have one in full time school (and he's only with me half the time) it's still busy. #3 is in school two days a week and it's a 20 minute drive. And although she's graduating from K and I am already misty eyed about it, I will be relieved when that's over. End of school also signals the end of the dance season, the end of Scouts, the end of t-ball,  and the end of music lessons. As everybody has grown so has our schedule. And even though I try really hard not to do too much 'stuff' I still feel we're too busy. We are also a one vehicle family so that makes everything all that much more difficult when it comes to activities.

So all that was to say that I will be happy when this month comes to a close. I am looking forward to rest.

AND NOW ... If you are in Vancouver, BC or the surrounding area and haven't tried Spud.ca you should. Seriously.

I used to love grocery shopping. But I don't anymore. I think that's because I can never go alone unless it's late at night ... and then I'm too tired.

So when I heard about Spud I had to try it. It is a wide range of organic and/or local foods and other grocery products. And they deliver. FOR FREE! (with a $70 order which isn't hard when you have a bigger family) We are on a budget so I mostly shopped sales which were very comparable to prices in local stores. And since it's fairly early in our growing season there isn't much selection at the farmer's market yet so this is a perfect option for me.

I put in my order but then forgot to check out and was sent a code for $25 off my first purchase. Then after I had made that purchase I immediately got another $25 credit added to my account (not sure what that one is for but hey, I'll take it!)

And if you sign up through my link you get $40 credited to your account (and so do I ;) ):

http://www.spud.ca/refer?j=f&r=CRVAN-BECJAD

I will admit I ordered smaller the first time just to make sure I wasn't wasting money on something I wasn't satisfied with.

I had clicked the little 'if I'm not home leave it at my door' button upon checkout so when I returned home from swimming lessons and school pick up I was pleasantly surprised to find these blue bins stacked outside my door. When my next order comes I will leave these out for them to pick up. No deposit needed.

My cold groceries were kept cold via dry ice and the frozen by ice packs (which I will also return).

All my produce was fresh and intact. You can tell that the items were packed and transported with care.

There were some things on the site that may be more than I'd like to pay (because feeding a family of 6 + 2 fur babies healthy food on a single income is tricky sometimes) but their sales are pretty good. For instance this bread was $2.99 the other week and normally would be over $5 at the grocery store closest to me.

My receipt had all sorts of little facts about the average distance your food traveled to get to you and how much fuel you saved by not driving to the grocery store. I don't know how relevant it all was to me particularly but definitely cute.

Lastly, you can make a standing order that is delivered every week, every 2 weeks, once a month and add the stuff you need however often and it automatically adds it to your next order. I customized a fruit and veggie box for my family and it will come every week with my order. The next one has been submitted and will be delivered Friday afternoon and is twice as big! All sorts of goodies in there! And best of all? I don't have to leave my house to do it.


NOTE: I was not given anything in exchange for this post. I honestly believe in supporting local business and feel that everybody should have a chance to eat healthy and local (if possible) without breaking the bank. I love that Spud promotes fresh, local food and does so at a fair price.

All Week

For the past week I've thought about what to write.

I don't want to write anything that makes me appear too pretentious; like I am in any position to give anybody any helpful advice on homemaking, or home schooling, or gardening, or even being a parent.

Sometimes I wish I was a Pinterest parent. But I am not. Not at all.

I am sitting at my computer at 11 on Friday night, staring at my printer which is home to a dress that I haven't tried on, an empty egg carton to return to my dad, a shoe with two insoles sticking out of it because my daughter likes to rip them out (not sure where the matching shoe went ... oh well, it's been sitting there so long they're too small anyway), a rainbow loom, a renewal slip for the post office box that I can't renew because I need to get a new passport, and bank statements from 2 months ago ... and that's just on my printer. I don't even dare mention the other stuff ... although saying that made me stop and throw some papers into the recycling beside me because, let's be honest, I'm never going to read them.

So, although I am a homemaker, and a home schooling mom, and I love gardening, and I most definitely am a parent I don't feel I have much to offer people in the way of advice.  I have had to let go of a lot of expectations I placed on myself.

My house will never be perfect. It's not me. I hope to get better. But if I don't allow people over because of the chaos I will never ever have anyone over.

Our schooling right now consists of ... well, not of very much. We read and do some phonics as well as some math, sometimes. And that's about it. It was very hard to come to the realization that I can't do it all and buying the super cool curriculum with all these crazy activities involved just stressed me out and took all the fun out of school for me, and in turn for my kids.

My garden is only half planted. And by half planted I mean that most of what is there is growing from stuff I let die last year. My tomatoes come in GREAT! And I never do anything. Not even water them. I love gardening but we don't have a yard. It is all in this sandy patch of dirt beside my house which will be paved over this fall (Boo! But it must be done ... ) and in containers. I am trying my hand at raspberries and blackberries in large pots. We will see how that goes.

And being a parent? Well, I am sucking in that department. I'm hoping this is just a season. I am not a nice mom. And I used to be. I used to be loving, patient (most of the time), and fun to be around. But I'm not anymore. I don't like it. I don't like being the yelling, swearing parent. It doesn't line up with what I believe or what I would teach my children was right. We are transitioning into the teen years with my oldest and my youngest is just a year (we have 4). It is not an easy time and there are many other issues with them individually. I just feel so ill equipped. Maybe everybody does?

So that is what my week has been. How can I come here and tell people how wonderful my life is (which it is ... but you know what I mean) and watch what I do because I do it so well. I don't want to put on the Vaseline smile and give you one more blog to make you feel like an inadequate person ... because we are not all we're cracked up to be on Pinterest. Well, some of us are. I call them keeners ... and good for them. Because if I could do it I would. But I can't. So I won't. Because I'm pretty sure it would turn me into a terrible, crazy old bat!

And that is that. I am now motivated to clean off my desk before I go to bed.

Follow me on Instagram: jadeyjingles

In The Beginning ...

I wish I could start this off with a bang; already being 2 years down the road with a clear purpose and less awkward beginning posts. But alas, it can't be. I am forced to write this obligatory first post where I tell you a little about myself and ramble on with some meaningless (or meaningful ... which is even more awkward at this stage in the game! Come on! We don't even know each other!) drivel just to fill up space.

And then, if this is like before, I'll erase it after I've posted it because I'm afraid people will think what I wrote is stupid. Except now I guess I care about what people care even less. (Maybe that's age? Or maybe that's having Little #4.)

But here we go!

I am a stay at home wife and mommy to 4 Littles ages 12, 7, 5, and 1, as well as to two fur babies Banjo and Charlotte.

The aforementioned #4 changed my brain. In some ways for the good and in others for the bad.
The good: I don't care about very much anymore. Really. You slipped in some dog poop and want to have a hose shower at 8 pm in your pajamas? Sure. Go ahead. You want to eat all your Easter candy in one sitting? Why not? Then we just have one day of crankiness as opposed to weeks of begging. The dog peed on the floor again? Oh well ... wipe it up. The list could go on ad infinitum. Does it matter in eternity? Will someone be seriously injured (physically or emotionally)? Will this cost me a lot of money? If the answer to these is no then my answer will most likely be yes.
The bad: Well, I can't remember anything. And sometimes I say yes to things that it surprises me I would have said yes to and I get mad. I am a great deal more cranky these days as well. I was never like this before and I'm not sure what's changed. More on that some other time ...

I am a perfectionist. To the point that I won't do anything because I can't do it all or I can't do it 'perfectly'. I am working on this. Learning to do what I can, when I can, because doing something is better than doing nothing and I am always happier as a result of some progress. Having my last baby has helped me in this department.

I am also an introvert. I need time to me to be able to recharge and feel refreshed. I don't feel like I get this nearly as much as I wish I did.

Along the way I feel I've lost myself. I LOVE my job. More than anything. I know how blessed I am to be at home with my littles. But somewhere along the line I feel like I've lost myself. And that makes me sad. And grumpy. And not always the momma I want to be. I want to strive to do better. For them. So that they don't have to live with my anger over them.

So maybe by writing, putting myself and my thoughts and ideas out there in front of my eyes, I'll be able to reconnect with who I am. And whoever wants to read along is welcome to. No promises on entertainment value.

I think that's all for my first post.

Hopefully I won't go back and delete it.