Oil Pulling 101

Oil Pulling 

I've determined that 2015 is going to be a year of health and wholeness for me, as well as for my little family. Back when I was living in Italy, a friend introduced me to a holistic lifestyle that I absolutely fell in love with. I began researching new and alternative foods, skin care products, home remedies and even music, and I started making little changes to improve my lifestyle. It seemed like whatever culture I was in at the time, there was always something new to learn. So my goal for 2015 is to get back to that....to cultivate this holistic lifestyle that I've grown to love so much, and to keep improving myself. The holistic lifestyle is about the person as a whole; the body, mind and spirit. It's not a weight loss goal, or a diet. It's not a treatment plan or temporary solution, but rather a path to wholeness in every aspect of my life, body mind and spirit. It ranges from food and skin care alternatives to emotional wholeness and stability. It also includes being balanced in the things I plug myself into, such as TV, texting, etc. It includes my faith and being sound and strong in what I believe in. And it means keeping everything balanced, so that everything can run smoothly and evenly. If one aspect of my life is off, chances are it will effect other aspects of my life. My goal is to bring balance and health in every aspect of my life. And it's a path of continual learning and growing, so I am bound to make mistakes from time to time, and that's ok.  I believe that the holistic life, when applied to every aspect of our lives, is the healthiest lifestyle, and it can make us happier and healthier in the long run. So that is my goal for 2015. Health. Healing. Balance.

One thing that is new to me this year, is Oil Pulling. I've heard of people doing it and seeing many health benefits, so I decided to try it. My hubby even hopped on board and is doing it with me.
You can use several oils, such as sesame oil, but we use a cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil from Viva Labs, and the idea is to simply swish the oil around in your mouth for 10-15 minutes each day, ridding yourself of toxins and bacteria. I like how one website describes it,

"First, the oils mix with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid. Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva. As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins, and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white. Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed."  (globalhealingcenter.com)

 Most people focus on the oral benefits such as whiter teeth and healthier gums. But there are many health benefits such as detoxification of the body, relief from eczema, sickness avoidance, bad breath and keeping the heart, blood, lungs and kidneys healthy....among countless other benefits. Perhaps the biggest two motivators for me in doing this is allergies. I've been oil pulling for a couple of weeks now and I can definitely tell a difference in my allergies. My allergies got so bad that none of the medications that the doctor gave me would work, and he recommended weekly shots. Needless to say it has been miserable, and I don't want to rely on medication or shots. There have been many times that my allergies have got so bad that I've had migrane-like headaches that last days, and my nose becomes so stuffy and congested that it feels like a constant cold. Since I've been oil pulling, I've noticed that my nose completely clears up right after an oil pull, and I feel relief for at least half of the day. I'm hoping the continued practice of oil pulling will only make it better.

Oil Chews

I ran across a few people who were making 'oil chews', so I decided to try it in an attempt to make it quicker and easier in the morning (oil pulling is best in the morning before breakfast). You can use a small round ice cube tray or any kind of mold. As silly as it is, I happened to have a lego mold so I just used that. I heated my oil in a pan and let it melt, then I transferred 1-1/2 tablespoon to the molds. For added benefit and some flavor, I also stirred in two drops of peppermint essential oil in each slot of the mold and stirred it. And that's it. You stick it in the fridge (or freezer for faster set up) and let it solidify. Once it solidifies, you transfer it to a container and store it in the fridge.  

When I pop one in my mouth in the morning, I love that its cold. I also love the fresh peppermint taste in my mouth. It's much better tasting than plain coconut oil. Some people can't tollerate the taste of coconut oil very well, so this is a good alternative. You can also use other essential oils such as cinnamon, orange or lemon.

Demijohn's and more Demijohn's!!

 

Oh how I love fall time! There's just something so great about fall. The leaves falling off the trees, the festivals all around town, the cooler weather and all the upcoming holiday's. Fall time is by far my favorite time of year. 

And one of my favorite traditions since we left Italy is to dig out all my demijohns and fill them with bright colored leaves, then display them all around the house! We have green demijohns, blue demijohns and even some rare brown demijohns. And all of them are filled with bright colored leaves from the back yard.  In fact, my fall decorated demijohns are the most re-posted thing I have on pinterest. I get notifications all year round of people re-pinning my demijohns pictures.
 

This year was special because I had a little helper, helping me fill them with a little water. She had a blast pounding on the demijohns, hiding behind them, and playing peek-a-boo! I can't wait to one day teach her about the rich Italian culture and maybe even take her there.

When we lived in Italy, it was the law to recycle, especially glass. Get caught throwing anything recyclable away, and you get a nice little sticker on your garbage bin notifying you that you've been fined. In every neighborhood, there are large recycling bins on every street where people can dump all their glass wine bottles. We happened to have one on the corner, right in front of our house. Every once in a while, you'd see people drive up in a 3 wheeled Vespa farm truck (pictured below), and they would dump a full load of wine bottles and carboys (demijohns). Every once in a while I would sneak out and leaf through the bin, finding some unique and old glass bottles. Some small, some large.

The Italians think American's are crazy. They don't understand the big hype over these silly wine jars. In the States, the large demijohns sell upward to $100. In Italy, many Americans will  just pick them up from the recycling centers or the locals, clean them and send them back to the States to sell. 

I just love the bright colors, and the ability to display them anywhere in my home! And I love knowing these are the real things, not factory made bottles from Pottery Barn (which are a ridiculous amount of money as well, by the way!). 

Demijohns make the best vases! Once you add a little bit of water, the leaves usually last a few weeks. The leaves I picked this year weren't quite as red and colorful as last year, but one of the trees that I normally pick from in my yard hasn't changed colors yet. Once it does, there will be lots of bright, brilliant red leaves for me to pick.

Once while visiting a flea market in Italy, I bought two small wine vats that had wicker covers over them. I paid just 3 euros for them because they looked pretty beat up and dirty. The wicker wrapped around the entire bottle and you couldn't see the glass underneath. I brought them back to the States with me, fully intending to look them up and sell them. Instead they ended up sitting in my garage, packed away for two years. This year, I decided to peel off the wicker and see what the glass looked like underneath. They turned out to be beautifully aged demijohns that I'm estimating are at least 50 years old. There's a distinct writing around the neck of the bottles, which they don't do anymore, from my understanding. Anyway, I ended up cleaning them up well and displaying them on my mantel with leaves. I just love these darn little bottles, and the way the colored glasses filter the light.

Growing up!

 I've come to the conclusion, as I'm sure all moms have, that it is completely and utterly pointless trying to keep things clean and tidy when there's a baby in the house. On the other hand, as a photographer, I live for the moments (and sometime even encourage) when she makes those messes! I love snapping pictures of her when she's smearing potatoes all over her face all while trying her darnedest to get that one little bite in her mouth. I love when she kicks and splashes her bath water all over the floor, soaking everything and everyone in the room. And I love that when I turn my back for a minute, she has completely emptied two boxes of baby diapers that I unknowingly left right there in the path of temptation. 

 

Some of the most memorable pictures come from those messes; from those curious and exploitative moments. I'll admit that some of those messes are a bit less desirable, however. Like a diaper blow-out in the middle of the night, or puke all over your clean white shirt. 

 

All in all, I feel so blessed and humbled when I watch this baby play. I love watching the wheels in her mind spin round and round as she explores every path laid out in front of her. She is curious. She is creative. She is learning! 

Success!!!

YES!!!!

 

 

When you have a baby, isn't it funny how the smallest milestones can make you jump for joy inside?!  Today we packed up our good friends, the Wubbanub's, and said goodbye, once and for all. I've been trying to ween her off of the Soothie paci's for several months now since they're made for younger babies, but it's been one battle I have not been able to win with this girl, until now. Most of the age appropriate paci's we've tried have been the flat ones that have not gone over too well. She likes to chew them, but when it comes to nap time or bedtime, she is inconsolable without the Soothie paci. 

While I was in Utah, I was leafing through the baby section in Walmart, and I ran across a well made paci by Platex. Expecting it to be flat like all the others I've seen, I flipped it over and, to my surprise, I noticed it was round like the Soothie paci's. And, it was age appropriate (6-18 months). I bought it, washed it and gave it to her to try out. Once again, she chewed it but refused to go to sleep with it.
Then right before we flew back to GA, my mom sewed up a little security blanket with a loop so that we could attach the paci to it (in place of her Wubbanub's). I put her in her swing the first day we were home, and she took it and went right to sleep with it. That same night when I put her in her crib to go to sleep, she took it right away, and drifted rightvoff to sleep! SUCCESS!!!

I've noticed a similar battle we've been having with sippy cups. She took a sippy cup just a few times when she was around 5 months old, but after that, she would refuse them and cry whenever I attempted to give her one. Every time I took her to her baby wellness apts, her doctor would ask me if she was taking a sippy cup yet, and to my disappointment I would tell her no. She doesn't like the feel and texture of anything other than her bottle and paci. I talked to other moms and tried several different kinds of sippy cups but none of them worked.  Finally one day just a few weeks ago, don't ask me why, but I bought a cheap pack of disposable sippy cups, and to my surprise, that was the one she actually liked. She doesn't like anything but water in them, but she gets happy and giggly when I pull it out for her.
Since then, I've tried going back and giving her some of the "fancier" ones that I bought, thinking that she'd take them now that she's got the hang of it. . . Nope. She still likes the cheap little disposable ones. So, we will continue to use them for now.