On our weekly talk show “Mom’s Coffee Break” , featuring Myself, Tonya Ramsey and Jody Maley, I have noticed that the last two shows we have talked alot about teenagers. What they do, don’t do, how they behave and so forth. I thought this would be a great article idea, not just because I have one, but because many parents are going through what I call ” The Teenager Experience”, but also because many will go through it someday.  All children, no matter what their age or what they say, want to be paid attention to. They NEED to spend time with their parents and families. So here are some ideas of spending time with your teens: go to the zoo. Noone is to “old” to enjoy animals. The monkey exhibit is always fun, they seem to do some pretty inappropriate stuff that most teens, especially boys, find amusing. If your teen enjoys music, take a couple of pills for the headache that will occur, then go to a music store, concert ( if you can handle it), etc. If he/she is into gaming, check out some game stores or exhibits. There is  local facility here that hosts monthly gaming tournaments. The point is to try to spend some time with your teens that focuses on their interests.

Let your teen help prepare at least  one meal a week. It might be a little stressful for you in the beginning, but this will teach them valuable skills that they will need when they venture off on their own (hopefully) in the not so far off future. You don’t want them living on pizza, ramen noodles, and macaroni and cheese, do you?

Have them participate in the cleaning of the house. Yes, I am speaking of CHORES! If your child(ren) do not already, assign some household duties for your teen to complete. Reward them appropriately for your families situation and value system. If your teens don’t know how to keep up a home, can you imagine what theirs will look like?

Teach your teens the importance of doing what we can to help the environment, even if it is as basic as recycling and using reusable shopping bags. Maybe you will learn something, too.

As always, make sure you communicate with your teen.

Your child(ren) DO listen to you, even when you think they do not. Let them know, and prove it, that they can always talk to you about anything, even things that they think “will make you mad”. It is so important for your kids to know that they can ALWAYS come to you about anything and you will help them work out the tough problems that is best for them and your family.

I hope this article provides a little bit of information. As always, please leave your comments! I hope everyone has a great week!

Mandy Sly

The Dometic Goddess

Sometimes saving money can hurt the environment. Take your common household cleaners. These are items we all have in our cupboards, we can spend as much or as little as we want. We can find a different cleaner for every surface of our home. But what about all the chemicals that make up these “wonderful” cleaners. Some of these chemicals are carcinogenic, cancer causing, have been found to cause reproductive problems in males, and end up in our soil and water suppy and can NEVER be removed. No, not even at the waste water treatment plant! For more information on this subject, and to find out more facts please read the book “The Big Green Purse” byDiane MacEachern. I just read it and this book really taught me alot and opened my eyes to just how badly we are hurting our planet and ourselves.

But don’t worry… all is not lost! We can help our wallets, help our planet, and help ourselves with these simple, easy to make household cleaners. You do not need to buy anything special, all of the following recipes use common, househ0ld ingredients most of us already have. If you do have to buy something, I can guarantee you spend  very little money.  So let’s get started!

Window Cleaner

This is so simple your going to smack your forehead. All you need to use is rubbing alcohol. We all seem to have that ever present bottle in our medicine cabinet. Just pour a small amount on your reuseable rag or paper towel and wipe your surface. For stubborn stains ( like kid stains or drips on a glass coffee table, for example) just pour a little bit directly on the spot, let sit a few minutes and wipe off. Alcohol works just as good as window cleaner and does not leave streaks.

Baking Soda

Make a paste and use as “soft scrub” cleanser. Use on tub, tiles, sinks, counter tops.  To make a paste pour a cup of baking soda in a reusable container with a lid, drip enough water to moisten and stir. This should be the consistency of toothpaste. Just use a rag or sponge and wipe on your surface, let sit about 30 seconds, scrub and wipe off. You will need to wipe off with a wet rag or sponge, just like you would commercial cleansers. Baking soda is a GREAT deordorizer also.

To eliminate odors from your drains: Pour a half a cup of baking soda down your drains, let sit 2 to 5 minutes, and follow with a sauce pan full of hot to boiling water.

For slightly slow sink/bathtub drains: pour a half of a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a half a cup of vinegar, use white vinegar, cover drain. Let sit approximately 3 to 5 minutes depending on clog. Then pour down a large sauce pan of boiling water. For really clogged drains, after you do the above steps, plunge the drain. This has worked with almost every stubborn drain I have had. I did have to buy a commercial drain cleaner one time for an extremely stubborn hair clog (my hair).

Fabric softener: pour a half a cup of white vinegar into your rinse water when you do laundry. Softens clothes and does not leave an odor. Will not damage clothing.

Laundry detergent: you can search the internet, use the search term : homemade laundry detergent. If your budget won’t allow you to buy an all natural laundry detergent, or if your local grocery store does not carry one, use a “free and clear” laundry soap.. No dyes or fragrances. The all natural laundry detergents are more expensive than regular brands, however I have used them for almost a year now and I can say that I use about half the amount of regular detergents. They also come in very pleasing scents and last longer because I use less. I typically use SeventhGeneration brand detergent or the store brand all natural version. I have severe skin allergies and have to be VERY careful what I use. There are many choices on the market now, so if your budget allows the extra expense (usually just a few extra dollars) try an all natural soap, you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Mandy Sly

The Domestic Goddess

Going Green not as hard as you might think

The hot buzz words these days are “Go Green” , “Save Money”, and  “Frugality”. What most people do not realize is that these ways of life often go hand in hand.  By being frugal and doing what you can to save money, you usually are also being kind to our environment.

When you reduce your household expenses you spend less money, which means buying less and that requires less merchandise to be made by manufacturers.  If these manufacturers are not using some form of renewable technology to make these products and run their factories, said companies are emitting carbon dioxide and other pollutants into our air, water, and soil. These emissions cause natural habitats to vanish . For example fish and plant life cannot exist in water that is extremely polluted. These emissions can also cause health problems for humans. Some emissions are known carcinogens, or cancer causing. Emissions can also cause respiratory problems and skin diseases.

By using less of a product or by making your own cleaning products at home less of these products need to be made in a factory. This is very easy to do by using common household ingredients. Baking soda will clean sinks, counter tops, and bathtubs. Rubbing alcohol will clean glass and mirrors. These common ingredients are safe for you, your family, and your pets and are extremely inexpensive to buy.

Cooking from scratch at home has more benefits than just keeping more money in your bank account. If you buy products with little packaging you reduce the amount of trees being chopped down and not replaced. This increases the quality of our air, as trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Recycle all the paper you do use to be reused to make new paper products, thereby further reducing our need for virgin wood material. Same goes with all your recyclable plastics. Cooking from scratch is also much more nutritious than eating convenience foods or eating in restaurants. You know what is in your food, you know how it is cooked and tastes better. If you have a special diet you can easily accommodate that at home.

Two very basic and easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint: turn off your lights and use energy efficient light bulbs. Yes, these light bulbs are more expensive to buy, but they last months longer than traditional bulbs, saving you money. They use less energy, which results in less energy needed to power your home and this saves emissions put out by our power plants. Make sure everyone turns off the lights when they leave the room or are doing something that does not require a light to be on, like watching television at night. Unplug appliances when not in use and you do not need them to be on at all times, like your microwave, coffee pot, and cell phone charger.

If everybody did one thing, however small that might be, to help reduce their carbon footprint, not only will it help save the environment it will save you money. Most people are cost conscious these days and that is a good thing. By watching how we spend our money we can slowly rebuild our economy, repair the damage done to the earth, and be more financially sound as individuals. If everybody works together, imagine the wonderful world we could create!

Mandy Sly

The Domestic Goddess

www.embraceyourdomesticgoddess.com