We call it dinner or tea. We probably use both terms equally.

We never resolved that argument in our house so we have a cloth (for me) AND a sponge with a scourer on the back (dh) AND several types of brushes AND a stainless steel scourer. The brushes stay under the sink- or at least thats where I keep putting them :) I throw the cloths in the wash regularly and have several of them so they are in rotation. DH thinks they are unhygienic yet the sponges can be used for weeks before anyone throws them out and gets a new one. Dh might disinfect a sponge a few times a year at most. I am not a germ phobic person by any means, and dh tends to be, so I cant understand this one at all. To be fair though I think he likes the soft scourer on the sponge because of his favourite teflon coated frypan, which I wont use. I liek my heavy cast iron pans, which can handle a heavy duty stainless steel scourer, and/or a cloth. I am glad we are not the only married couple with this ongoing unsolvable issue :)

My understanding is that exzema is a condition that expresses itself through the skin but which originates in the gut. While creams can be part of a wholistic approach and can provide relief and some help....the original cause is related to the digestive system and to actually cure it, that is where you need to go. Everything else is dealing with symptoms not causes. I suggest you google "exzema gut" or something similar and follow that trail to find the information you need to heal the gut- but it does involve dietary restriction and change which can be challenging for a child.

I took it fairly consistently for 2 years then I just felt to stop it. I suspect my body might have been saturated with it, even though I only applied a small dose. I now only use it occasionally if I get bad PMS symptoms. It really is the sort of thing you can play with yourself and see how you feel- I don't think there is any need for concern about stopping and starting it, although I would feel it if I took it sporadiclaly because it has such a strong effect on me. I am not into maying for hormone testing but that is another possiblity. FOr some people, they end up overdosing and it supposedly stores in their fat cells. I don't know if thats what happened to me- I just knew it had been a godsend for those couple of years, then I felt to stop and I was fine. I may well start up again.

We have a large therapeutic spa in our back garden. We have it on a timer so it heats up to the temperature we like it morning and evening. We have spent years having a spa twice a day- just dh and I. Dh doesnt let the kids in it. We change the water every few weeks- we treat it with spa treatment. I am not so happy about the chemicals but it seems worth it. We are having a break from twice daily spas at the moment, but we have had it for about 6 years now and have used it consistently in that time. Yes, I would do it.

sunflowers poppies marigolds cosmos

It took me a while to work out which one i wanted. But I LOVE my 27" desktop Imac. But...I have my own desk, my own office in the house, my own space. This is where I use my computer and everyone knows to find me here if they need me. But even when I was still homeschooling I had my own desk space in the schoolroom where I had my desktop PC. I did have a laptop for a couple of years and I found I tended to just use it at my desk anyway. I don't watch TV much and I prefer not to have computers in my bedroom- I prefer to have my bedroom as an electronic free sanctuary. So they are my reasons and i haven't regretted it so far. I do also have an ipad so that did factor into it, but I think I would have bought the desktop anyway. I love the big screen.

I agree that no one should take anything said here as definitive health advice. My encouragement is always to do your own research and that might also include using doctors and conventional therapy. I just suggest that one takes responsibility for oneself, which is something that the medical profession in general actively discourages in many ways. The one issue I haven't see touched upon, and i dont know if it might hit a sore spot in some people, but, no one is a complete victim here and cancer does not develop in an isolated environment without its ground being fertile, so to speak. Thats not to say anyone is to blame- its not about blame- its about taking responsibility anyway. There are many causes to cancer and some are well within our control- diet and lifestyle, exposure to radiation and toxins, stress etc The medical profession still barely acknowledges that, yet it is well researched. My approach as a preventative one is not to rely on mammograms because they are truly not a preventative measure- they are just the best the medical system has come up with- they are diagnostic, not preventative. If they find something, you already have it. My encouragement is to take a preventative and proactive approach, and I think mammograms might provide for some people a false sense of security- that is the other side of the coin. They might feel they are taking care of themselves by having a mammogram- but taking care of oneself involves a lot more than that. And anyone who took themselves off for a mammogram at a younger age, and was positively diagnosed, might well have been following an inner knowing on some level, and that is always to be trusted. I would do the same, no matter my "beliefs" around it all. I understand many people might not trust "inner knowings" but I know many people have saved their own lives because of them. Its a complex issue and every situation is individual.

I am not so familiar with Susan Somers or where she is coming from (there are different reasons for different dietary approaches)- but yes, you will absorb /digest the carbs quicker/easier without fats- but the point here is to absorb them slower, not quicker. Vitamin A, in carrots, is a fat soluble vitamin- and yes, will absorb better with fats, as well.

Yes, that is common sense. And the truth is that in a traditional diet most of these high GI foods (potatoes, carrots, rice etc) would be eaten with a little fat, which immediately lowers the GI. If you put a dob of butter on your carrots, a spoonful of sour cream on your potato, or eat your rice with a curry that has some low GI foods/fats in it- immediately the overall GI is lowered. It is definitely take way out of context.

Hi Negin- I LOVE triphala. I am quite familiar with Ayurveda (much more than TCM) because I had an "ayurvedic phase" a few years back where I read a lot of books and practiced on myself :). I love the Ayurvedic lifestyle approach. But I in particular I love triphala. In fact I would say its done more for my health than anything else that I can think of other than a healthy diet. I always have some around and will often take it for weeks at a time just as an easy method of cleansing the body. Glad to know someone else who knows what it is :)

I have been doing that for years and it is great. It also means that the kids can learn to do a wash when its time to do a wash of their clothes- it makes it easier to teach them to do their own laundry, or even a part of it. Often mine will put on a load but go out and forget about it and i will end up hanging it up. Then when its dry I will put it all in a basket and put it outside their bedroom door and its their job to put it away.

Electric kettle. I do not like to use my microwave much. I have seen the little girls experiment where she watered 2 plants, one with microwaved water, and that one died. I replicated that experiment myself and it did not have the same effect. I even spent good money buying 4 potted plants to do it on- it was a bet with someone- and the experiment did not prove my point. But I still don't like using the microwave. You guys are funny.

I am a foodie- I love to learn about diet, health, nutrition, and eating well. That is definitely a hobby. My spiritual path that incorporates the study of many traditions from shamanism to buddhism...is another lifelong interest. Not sure I would trivialise it by saying it s a hobby, but it is somethingI spend a lot of time on. My garden and my chooks could be called hobbies. I knit sometimes. But when I was homeschooling, homeschooling was my all consuming passion.

I have one kid who was average to ahead- a smart kid in terms of all those academic things- everything's easy for her. First word at 11 months. First steps at 10 months. Chatterbox by 2. Then I had the other kid who was slightly behind the average, although not badly in terms of baby stuff- walked at 13 months- but talked much later than average- at least, so anyone else could understand him. Things dont come so easily. First I was told I must be a good parent, since dd was such a good baby and child. Then ds came along and that blew that theory. Good parents have kids who are behind. Bad parents can breed amazing kids. It means nothing (ok, it means something but its best not to make an identity out of it). I think it is quite a journey in those early years to remember that your child does not really reflect you. They are their own person completely. When your child bites someone else's child at playgroup at age 2- its a complete embarrassment and I found it very humbling. We are so close to our children we feel they are an extension of us and its good to remember they really aren't. When they behave badly, or are not up with the rest- it is not personal. Its natural to want to show off an advanced child, but really, its best not to take them personally. The next child might be autistic or disabled- what, are they less of an amazing being because of it? All kids are amazing. All of them.

I don't mind so much going on my own, which is what I normally do. Dh LOVES grocery shopping though and if he's around he usually wants to come. Often blows my budget but he just hands over the extra. Its really not so bad but I do prefer to kind of trolley along at my own pace, reading ingredients lists etc. Sounds like you need some new meals on your meal lists. I have been using plantoeat.com (an online meal planning program) since someone linked to it here a couple of weeks ago and because its so easy, I am finding new recipes to try. So far, so good. Every other system hasn't worked for me but I think this one will.

Sounds like you are on the right track! And healthy food can taste good too :) I prefer the taste of a green smoothie to a coke anyday.

I had a Thermogram a few months ago now. It was a great experience, and I felt empowered by it. The clinic now has a baseline to compare any future Thermograms I might have, to. I learned more about my breasts during the thermogram than I ever did during a mammogram. It picks up all sorts of things. I was also taught breast care during my thermogram visit. I am 43. No, I will not be getting mammograms unless I specifically feel drawn to getting one because there is a specific issue. That does not mean I recommend other women don't get mammograms. They do pick up cancers and problems. But they are not risk free by any means- no amount of radiation is safe. Repeated exposure to xrays causes cancer in a certain % of the population. That % is always considered a satisfactory risk statistically, hence it is not advertised. In Australia mammograms are recommended every 2nd year after the age of 50, not 40, so take that into account. From age 40 women can get a free mammogram but they are not specifically recommended. 75% of breast cancers are after the age of 50. I love science, but it cuts you up into little pieces. I am a whole person. Science does not allow for intuition. If I felt drawn to get a mammogram, I would get one in a flash. I don't. I researched and found an alternative that satisfied me- thermograms. Its up to everyone to do what feels right for themselves and to take responsiblity for themselves.

Just another possibility- dh is gluten intolerant but so far hasnt liked any gluten free breads (although I like them). Instead he uses flavoured rice cakes. He goes out for breakfast a couple of days a week and has eggs on rice cakes- he takes his own rice cakes with him. Tonight for dinner we ate lightly and the kids and I had avocado on toast. Dh had avocado on rice cakes. It is possible to live without bread.

I find it interesting and worth considering.

I havent read this book (but it sounds interesting) but I wanted to comment on the "expressive children" aspect. There is a balance of course but i would rather have the sort of relationship I have with my teens than the one I had with my own parents. I would rather my teens mouth off occasionally in anger or frustration, but that our overall relationship be close and strong- and that they feel they can express themselves and they will be forgiven easily- than that they behave well out of fear and yet do not express themselves, do not know their own feelings, and/or that we do not have a close loving relationship. The occasional mouthing off I can live with, although i am not suggesting to let it pass without comment or consequence. Build the relationship- it is more important than punishing for disrespectful behaviour because you can't make a child respect you, even if you can punish them into submission and 'good' behaviour.

Thanks Isabella. Yes Jared just came home again saying that he is the best reader in all of year 10 - that today he read aloud again and they were all terrible- and they were given half an hour to read silently and he read about 3 times as many pages as they did. ANd like your dd he didn't really read till, in his case, he was 9, because of dyslexia. He was just invited to go up a class- he was originally put in the middle class out of 5- and he told me he refused because he didn't want more homework and he liked his teacher. At first I did my mummy dance and said of course he should go up a class- but then I realised how much liking his teacher meant to him and calmed down and accepted his decision. Its a very interesting transition! I cant help but wonder if the literacy issue is strongly related to technology, computers, Playstation etc. No one reads anymore. My kids have done both (read and technology), but only because we homeschooled and I could "make" them and support them with great books. I feel sad at what all these other kids have missed out on- and how their lives will be limited by their lack of literacy. And again I am still a bit shocked because this is a top state school in a wealthy area.

IMHO I would not be relying on any particular supplement to prevent cancer. I would be making sure my whole diet and lifestyle is very good, and its often what you don't eat that helps more than what you do. Don't eat processed foods or sugar and you are a long way ahead of most people. Lots of greens, lots of cruciferous vegetables- a largely plant based diet with meat and dairy as the side serves rather than the other way around. Dairy is particularly implicated in breast cancer. For supplements yes I think cordyceps is a very good one. The Chinese really know a lot about this stuff. I take Reishi mushroom which is one of their main longevity medicines. If you have access to a good Chinese Medicine practitioner I would recommend having a visit and talking to them- they should be able to help you- I think its one of the areas I would rather go to a TCM practitioner. They specialise in longevity and prevention of problems and their tradition goes back over 5,000 years and is all recorded. I dont know much about citrus peel in this context- I am reading the info Negin has given with interest.

I got pregnant with ds when my dd was only 8 months old. I desperately wanted to continue to breastfeed her- and did for another 4 years- but I supplemented with bottles of raw goats milk. So she got both breastmilk and goats milk. Yes, it is easier to digest and much less likely to cause allergies- think of the size of a calf compared to the size of a goat kid, and the size of a human baby. Much more similar. ETA- pasteurised goats milk has a bit of a strange flavour that many dont like- but raw goats milk doesn't have that flavour and tastes very similar to cows milk.

Its so true and I have been thinking of this today too- silly things like I miss buckling a child into a car seat in the back seat - I miss when they used to love it when I would take them to the beach- I miss reading to them and i miss their long cuddles. I miss the feeling of a baby on my hip, and smooching a baby's chubby cheek because you just want to eat them up. It does pass. And the next phase is great too- young small people with skinned knees and messy rooms and they still think you are sooooo wonderful and awesome just because you are their mum :) I am trying to remember to absolutely savour my beautiful teenagers in their awkwardness, their insecure moments, their strong unfounded opinions and sassy attitude, their needing me one minute and pushing me away the next.....because this phase is also passing fast. Savour it all.