The time change has been hard on us! Of course, it maybe wasn’t smart to stay up till 3 A.M. Friday night (er…that would be Saturday morning), till midnight Saturday night, and till 1:30 A.M. Sunday night! Sheesh. Let me explain.

Our girls were invited to spend the night with friends Friday, so dh took me to Carlos ‘O Kelly’s for Mexican food, then to get DVDs and a cappuccino treat at Starbucks. We got home at 10 P.M. and started our movie marathon…which lasted into the wee morning hours. But we got to sleep in till 10:30 A.M. You know how long it’s been? Um, eleven years?

Meanwhile, of course, the girls hadn’t gotten much sleep either. Late bedtime and early wake-ups on their end…we all fell asleep on the couch Saturday afternoon. ALL of us.

Sunday found us at Sunday school and church, then home for a roast beef dinner. Got youngest down for a nap, and attacked my Abeka Spring quarter Sunday School curriculum. Got everything organized per week, even down to the craft preps! Then we went on a walk and soaked in the sunshine…during which I forgot I hadn’t set my wristwatch ahead and realized we’d be late to Awanas if we didn’t get home fast!

On our way home from Awana we stopped twice for sirens going through our small town, and then on the lonely country highway to our home, we again were passed, this time by a fire truck belonging to the department for which hubby volunteers.

Walked in the door to a note from dh, scribbled hastily en route…and a couple skillets of half-cooked supper on the stove. Finished fixing it, fed the girls and tucked them in bed and waited up for him. He finally came in around one o’clock, then showered and ate.

Needless to say, it was torture getting out of bed this morning, and even more so feeling cheated out of an extra hour! I don’t know how hubby did it after his harrowing exertion…it was a house fire, he was on the roof, cutting a 3×4′ hole to let the heat out, and then went through two air packs squirting water in the house…heat exhaustion anyone?

I know in a week or so I’ll be glad for the extra daylight in the evenings…but for now I’m bushed! What a way to usher in a time change…

How are you coping?

I apologize that it’s taken me so long…but the fact is, I am not completely sold out to the baking soda &vinegar hair wash theory.

For any newbies to the blog, here’s the link to my first post on the subject. It outlines the basic how-to’s and whys of going “no poo”. If you check it out, don’t miss the great comments from others who gave it a try. And read on here, because I haven’t completely given up on the idea!

I gave it a go for almost a month, and one night I just went berserk. We’d been invited over to play cards with friends and a quick glance in the mirror at my hair left me feeling sick. I grabbed a small mirror and looked at the back of my head, and my hair just looked lank and iron gray. Ugh. In a frenzy I bent over the tub and sold out to bubbly shampoo. Within minutes my baking soda & vinegar experiment was washing down the drain.

But! I discovered that giving my hair a long rest from shampoo really restored it! My hair, after the quick shampoo, dried so soft and silky–it was amazing. So I left the soda and vinegar in the bathroom and still use it twice a week with great results. I’m also experimenting with natural shampoos, unwilling to go back to typical Wal-Mart brands that leave my scalp itchy and are full of chemicals.

My oldest daughter loves the baking soda and vinegar wash. Her waist-length hair is thick and unmanageable, and as long as we brush it out before washing, it combs out as if it had a coat of conditioner on it. Best of all, it’s so gentle on her flake-prone scalp. She’s the real reason I realized going cheap on shampoo isn’t smart. (Unless you’re talking baking soda & vinegar–b/c nothing is cheaper!)

Right now we’re trying out a brand called Naked Naturals. I happened to see it in Walgreens for a buy one get one free special. It smells of citrus and boasts of the following:

• No Lauryl or Laureth Sulfates
• No DEA or TEA
• No animal by-products
• No artificial colors
• No synthetic fragrance
• No harsh chemicals
• PH-balanced
• Not tested on animals

We like it!

Have any of the rest of you been more faithful to the “no poo” experiment than I have? Would love to hear about it in comments, and also if you’ve found a favorite alternative to take the place of the typical shampoos and conditioners.

And what’s the big deal anyway? Well, check out the ingredients in your toothpaste and baby wipes (and shampoo) among other things. See anything called “Propylene Glycol”? It happens to be the main ingredient in antifreeze and hydraulic fluids and is commonly used as solvent! It’s a toxic chemical, and so is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Want to know more? Here’s an article that tells exactly what these two toxins are in, what health problems they cause, and why we should avoid them.

It seems my dh’s tendency to overhaul engines and rebuild trucks is paying for itself. And to think all these years I’ve just wished parts of our property didn’t resemble that 70’s show, Sanford and Son…

The going rate for scrap metal in our area is $135/ton…I guess China is building a dam, and they’re paying really well for scrap metal with which to fill it? Whatever the reason, I’m happy. Bye-bye garbage truck and bed, bye bye ‘86 and ‘74 Ford skeletons, and motorcycle parts and a toooon of other things…off my property! Nothing like cold cash to motivate…

I’ve been outside slapping hubby’s hand every time he thinks about salvaging an engine or part, and he’s been having a blast with his dad’s chopsaw. We sold one load last week and have the trailer half loaded with another.

I never thought I’d be glad we had so much junk! But I’m so glad we’re finally moving it on out of here…(actually, glad is a very tame word for the euphoria that is settling in!)

I’m sure there is a moral to be gleaned from this trash turned treasure story…not that any of you have spare garbage trucks sitting around (if you can cut them in pieces they’re worth $200/ton!)–dh bought “ours” for the price of the rebuilt engine. Unfortunately, we had to take the whole mess in order to have the engine. *eye roll*

But there you have it! The decluttering has begun!