The DrySteam Team

 Everette is part of The DrySteam Team--a business on south Vancouver Island committed to cleaning and sanitizing while caring for our environment.

There is such versatility to this commercial machine, and all of the cleaning is done with high temperature steam (5% humidity) and non-toxic cleaners.  Check this out!!

The wad of gum is directly below the wire brush.

While power-washing floods the walkways with water and still can't remove the old wads of (black) gum, The DrySteam Team can clean up quickly.  Although aggregate helps blend the gum in to its surroundings, your customers still see it speckling their walk into your place of business. 






But in just seconds and without puddles of standing water, we basically dissolve the gum and remove it from your premises.

See below how the white paint that was rubbed onto a red Durango in a Too-Close Encounter is efficiently removed without any damage to the vehicle paint.

white scrapes

No more Scrapes

 Many places are washing their tiles, but whose paying attention to dirty and unsanitary grout lines?
When they are totally disgusting some unlucky person might get down on their hands and knees and wear out their backs, knees and arm muscles trying to scrub those lines clean.

 But look how clean The DrySteam Team gets these grout lines with no body pain!

Mattresses and furniture can be sanitized to kill mold, mildew, dust mites and bed bugs (and their eggs) On Contact!! 

Allergies Be Gone!! 

And get the Good Night and Sleep Tight (and don't let the bed bugs bite) that you deserve.

The DrySteam Team works on both Commercial and Residential premises.  We can help you schedule a maintanence plan so your customers are assured of a clean environment when they do business with you. 

For further information please check out www.drysteam.ca or call Everette at 778.977.0418

It Worked to Stop Snoring

I awoke from an unusual dream (I don't usually remember them) about a wolf like I'd picture in Little Red Riding Hood, big over-sized head, walking upright on 2 legs,  approaching my children but intercepted by their protective father.  I don't really remember much else, but I awoke with a rushing heartbeat that resulted in me laying awake for along time.

~ to hear my husband snoring.

I haven't heard him snore at all these nights.  I hadn't realized that, until I actually heard him snoring this night!!

You see, I wear a pendant (look under Products) on my neck 24/7.  I'd heard that it can help one to stop snoring, but I hadn't actually set out to try it.  But here was a great opportunity presented to me.

I undid the clasp and reached across the sleeping toddler that was spread between us.  Just within my reach I felt the edge of Everette's pillow where I silently placed the pendant.

I was shocked when, without any repositioning of Everette (by himself nor a nudge from me), his snoring diminished in the next breath.  It was absolutely immediate.

When I told him about it, he said that he had noticed that I hadn't been snoring at all since I started wearing the pendant.  I know, its hard to believe that I snored in the first place, right?  But now I don't!!

Supposedly this pendant (with crystals resonated to Zero Point Energy Field) has a 3 foot diameter that it influences.  Since Everette and I are sleeping on bed-toppers on the floor that create a bigger-than-king-size sleeping area for the family bed, we sometimes get spaced quite far apart, as occurred last night and thus it had no effect on him until I placed it near him.  Then the effect was immediate.

I've heard other Snoring Stories in regards to the pendant, but it was exciting to experience for myself.  If you have the opportunity to go to a demonstration of Amega Global, I highly recommend it.  Tell them I sent you ;)  I am an associate with AG.

Minimalists

My new vocabulary word.

Minimalist.

I love it, and it seems to be fitting our family's lifestyle. And I think the transitions we've been going through both recently and over the past 3 years since we originally left BC are leading us to embracing Minimalist ideology whole-heartedly.  Seems we started choosing this minimalist lifestyle 3 years ago without having a label to give it. 

Maybe we wouldn't be at this place if all of our plans had worked out the way we originally planned. Maybe we wouldn't be making the changes on purpose that we are now choosing to make. Maybe this is another Beginning of Change that will change us forever.  And we will be forever Thankful for.

Anyways, by following the rabbit trail I somehow ended up checking out Everett Bogue's site where he shares how he "adopted a minimalist lifestyle, and discovered that a little can go a long way, if you choose to live the right way." Click here to view more details

And I know that near the beginning of the rabbit trail it was Tammy Strobel that got me hooked.  I read this article and then started following her blog, and now she has this Just-Released Book out which is so exciting.  Click here to view more details 

Then there is a book called The Minimalist Cleaning Method which is right down my alley because I hate the thought of using toxic chemical cleaners in my house, because its bad for our family, and its bad for the environment, and its bad on the pocket book.  And I love the look of space under my cabinets, which seems rare to see in the average person's household.

(Note: I've become an affiliate to the above mentioned books because I believe in their message and want to share it with the world.  Its not only for your own benefit, but for the world's benefit.  So, if you want to read them, please order them through my links so I can benefit from the sale.  Thnx.)

I'm feeling a bit like a child in a candy store.  I am tantalized by so much that I see here in the Minimalist lifestyle circle.  I stand in awe at their creativity, their thinking-outside-of-the-box, their ingenuity, their guts to march to a different beat.

It doesn't seem like such a big deal for me, in a sense, to march to a different beat.  It seems we've been doing that for along while now.  With home-educating for more than 20 years now, to having more than the average children, to unschooling, to leaving institutional church, and eating High Raw, home- and water-birthing, and, and........

So, not much more to becoming a minimalist........

Well...... change always includes some discomfort and work.

But its so exciting and rewarding.   

PS  Realistically, this will be more of a challenge with so many people to 'convince' in our household, but I think my dc are very, very flexible, and so willing to change to better the world and their own health.  After all, they've all basically given up raised mattresses for sleeping on and prefer something thin on the floor, like just a couple of blankets or a sleeping bag with blankets on top.  That's a huge hurdle for some.

Your Mattress Might Be an Antenna

Your Mattress Could be Acting as a Cancer-Causing Radiation Antenna

The rate of breast cancer in Western countries is 10 percent higher in the left breast than in the right. This also is true for the skin cancer melanoma.

Researchers have suggested a surprising explanation for this -- and for the dramatic increase in rates of breast cancer and melanoma over the past three decades.

In Japan, there is no correlation between the rates of melanoma and breast cancer, and there is no left-side prevalence for either disease. The rate of breast cancer in Japan is also significantly lower than in the West.

This may be due to differences in sleeping habits in Japan and Western countries. Previous research has shown that people prefer to sleep on their right sides, possibly as a way of reducing weight stress on the heart.

This is most likely the same in both the East and the West, but the futons used for sleeping in Japan are mattresses placed directly on the bedroom floor, in contrast to the elevated box springs and mattress of beds used in the West.

According to Scientific American:

"... [A] 2007 study in Sweden conducted between 1989 and 1993 ... revealed a strong link between the incidence of melanoma and the number of FM and TV transmission towers covering the area where the individuals lived ...

Consider, however, that even a TV set cannot respond to broadcast transmissions unless the weak electromagnetic waves are captured and amplified by an appropriately designed antenna. Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation."

In the U.S., bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions. The maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress, so when sleeping on your right side, your left side will be exposed to the highest field strength.
Sources:


Scientific American July 2, 2010


Pathophysiology June 2010;17(3):157-160


Pathophysiology June 2010; 17(3):161 

Dr Mercola's Comments:

This Scientific American article highlights some very interesting research from Sweden -- a country that is on the forefront when it comes to investigating the harmful health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), and micro wave radiation such as that from cell phones.
Although the US is quite resistant to the idea that our everyday technology might be contributing to epidemics like heart disease and cancer, other countries, particularly in Europe, are facing this problem more head on.
Sweden, for example, formed an association called FEB - The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive, to address the emerging problem of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The association produces and distributes educational literature that has helped raise awareness about the phenomenon around the world. Mast Action UK is doing similar work in Great Britain, as well as the Electromagnetic Radiation Alliance in Australia.
With everything I know about the health dangers associated with electromagnetic fields (EMF) and micro waves from cell phones, WiFi routers and cell phone towers, I'm convinced electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a real and looming health disaster.
I've previously written about the health dangers of EMFs and other types of radiation, especially in your bedroom, but here the researchers are linking two very specific cancers – melanoma and breast cancer -- to commonly used beds, because coil-spring mattresses can actually act as a giant antenna!

Your Mattress – A Restorative Haven or a Disease-Promoting Zone?

In Western countries, the most common type of mattress is an elevated box spring that contains metal coils, while in Japan, people typically sleep on futon mattresses, which typically contain cotton or wool, placed directly on the floor.
According to researchers Hallberg and Johansson, a number of studies indicate that increasing rates of melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer) can be linked to immune-disrupting radiation from FM radio and TV transmission towers, adding that "geographical areas covered by several transmitters show higher incidences of melanoma than areas covered by one transmitter."
Studies have also linked radiation to brain tumors, and DNA damage that might precipitate a number of different diseases and health problems.
These connections are strengthened when you consider the researchers' explanation of how your box spring mattress actually acts like an antenna; attracting and amplifying whatever radiation might be zipping through your bedroom.
Scientific American explains this quite well:

"Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation. Just as saxophones are made in different sizes to resonate with and amplify particular wavelengths of sound, electromagnetic waves are selectively amplified by metal objects that are the same, half or one quarter of the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave of a specific frequency.
Electromagnetic waves resonate on a half-wavelength antenna to create a standing wave with a peak at the middle of the antenna and a node at each end, just as when a string stretched between two points is plucked at the center.
In the U.S. bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions that have been broadcasting since the late 1940s.
… Radiation envelops our bodies so that the maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress in the middle of our bodies.
When sleeping on the right side, the body's left side will thereby be exposed to field strength about twice as strong as what the right side absorbs."

Could this explain why Japan has much lower rates of cancer compared to the US and Europe, and why the Japanese do not have higher rates of left- than right-sided breast cancer?
I believe it may be a part of the puzzle, yes.
Naturally, there are many other factors that come into play as well, including diet, chemical exposures, and vitamin D deficiency, just to name a few.
However, the theory that you may be promoting cancer by sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that amplifies ambient radiation is quite convincing.

Now, a couple of my readers have commented that the quote from Scientific American makes little sense because TV and radio broadcast on a number of different wavelengths, beds come in different sizes, and the author is a neurologist, not an engineer, and therefore not equipped to speak on the subject.

These concerns can also be valid, and I make no claims of having the in-depth technological expertise to either support or refute this particular Scientific American author’s explanation. 

However, I believe sleeping on metal is not in your best interest health-wise, (and qualified scientist raised the question to begin with). The total effect will naturally be entirely individual, and dependent on a number of factors, such as the amount of radiation zipping through your room; proximity to transmission towers; number and type of electronics kept in your bedroom and their proximity; your current state of health and your susceptibility to EMF; the material of the rest of your bed… I could go on, but I’m sure most of you are wise enough to get the picture.

Becoming truly health conscious is much like reaching for spiritual enlightenment. It’s not about nitpicking on minor details. It’s about discerning patterns and revealing the big picture. It’s not about avoiding “sins” – in the case of health, avoiding everything that could possibly harm you – it’s about making healthier, saner choices. You can’t make those choices unless you know what’s good for you, and one of the ways you discover better options is by revealing what’s detrimental.

There’s no question in my mind that EMFs can have a dramatic, negative effect on your health, and certain factors may, in some cases, turn up the dial on EMFs and increase it’s harmful effects. Could your mattress do this? I say, “possibly, yes.”

But I digress… 

Sleeping in High Radiation Field May Also Trigger Development of Potent Mycotoxins

In one of my previous interviews with Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, he discusses the research of Dr. Robert Becker, who discovered that electromagnetic fields produce more potent mycotoxins.
When you expose a bacterial culture to abnormal electromagnetic fields, the bacteria believe they are being attacked by your immune system and start producing much more virulent toxins as a protective mechanism!
In your body, these mycotoxins can wreak havoc with your health. Klinghardt believes that it's possible that some 50 percent of chronic infections are caused, and/or aggravated, by electromagnetic field exposure, leading to syndromes like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes.
When you consider that you spend one-third of your lifetime in bed, it's easy to realize the level of hazard you may be inadvertently exposed to if you're sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that literally bathes you in electromagnetic radiation.

Other Potential Health Hazards of Mattresses

In addition, the springs in your mattress can become magnetized, which can also pose a health hazard. In the article Is Your Mattress Making You Sick? Dr. Doris Rapp offers instructions on how to determine whether you mattress is magnetized.
The article also discusses a number of other important concerns when it comes to selecting a mattress, as metal springs is by no means the only health hazard inherent with these types of beds. Many mattresses are treated with a number of toxic flame retardant chemicals, some of which can ALSO cause cancer.

Remember that Your Cells are Driven by Electrical Impulses

I want to stress what might be one of the most fundamental issues when it comes to the potential hazard of electromagnetic radiation, which is the fact that the human body has its own internal electrical system.
All the cells in your body vibrate at different rates, and these weak electrical impulses are used for intracellular communication throughout your body.
Unfortunately, your body can literally act like a tuning fork. An external electrical influence can therefore cause your cells normal frequency or rate to be disrupted as they start vibrating to the frequency of the outside source. James Oschman explains this further in his book Energy Medicine.
Now, in the typical bedroom of a modern home, electrical exposure from external sources (live electrical wiring in ceilings, walls and floors) is thousands of times stronger than your body's own electrical system. Long-term exposure to these high-level electric fields can thus impair your body's intracellular communication, which can impact your health in a number of ways.

Biological Problems Associated with Electromagnetic Stressors

In the book Cross Currents, Dr. Robert Becker (whom I mentioned earlier) states that biological problems associated with external electromagnetic stressors fall into two major categories:

1. Brain (behavioral abnormalities, learning disabilities, altered bio-cycles and stress responses)
2. Growing tissue (embryos, genetics and cancer)

More recent studies seem to confirm his conclusions, as most of the health problems researchers now associate with EMF and microwave radiation exposure fall neatly into these two categories. One good source that demonstrates this is the 2009 special EMF issue of the Journal of Pathophysiology, which contains over a dozen different studies on the health effects of electromagnetic fields and wireless technology.
Cancer has been high on the list from the beginning, and at least as far as cell phones are concerned, the evidence is overwhelming that cell phone use significantly increases your risk of certain types of brain tumors.
Since cancer can take decades before manifesting, children are particularly at risk, as they are now growing up in an environment saturated with radiation. (Even toddlers are now talking on cell phones!) Today's children will be exposed to previously unimaginable levels of radiation over the course of their lifetimes.
The BioInitiative Report also includes studies showing evidence for exposure to electromagnetic fields and:

• Effects on Gene and Protein Expression (Transcriptomic and Proteomic Research)
• Genotoxic Effects – RFR and ELF DNA Damage
• Stress Response (Stress Proteins)
• Effects on Immune Function
• Effects on Neurology and Behavior
• Brain Tumors, Acoustic Neuromas, and childhood cancers like leukemia

It seems quite clear that sleeping on a bed that can amplify the amount of radiation you're exposed to night after night is simply not a good idea.

Shopping for a Safe Mattress

Taking into account that metal coils can act as an antenna and be potentially magnetized, and that most box spring mattresses contain toxic flame retardant chemicals, your safest bet is to look for an organic, chemical-free mattress that does not contain metal coils.
One way to find a safe mattress is to have a doctor or chiropractor write you a prescription for a chemical-free mattress, and then find a manufacturer to make one for you. You can also search for 100% wool, toxin-free mattresses. Many of these mattresses also contain latex for support in lieu of coil springs, giving you the best of both worlds.
You can also avoid the toxins by finding a mattress that uses a Kevlar, bullet-proof type of material instead of chemicals for fire-proofing. I got mine from Stearns and Foster. I'm quite happy with this mattress as it is FAR more comfortable than a number of the organic mattresses I had purchased in the past.
Also keep in mind that metal frames and headboards can amplify and distort magnetic fields, including the natural magnetic field from the earth, which can lead to non-restful sleep. Use natural materials, such as a wood frame, instead.

Five Steps to Create a Sleeping Sanctuary

Once you have addressed your mattress, you'd be well advised to address the amount of electromagnetic radiation in your bedroom – especially if you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.
As discussed by Dr. Klinghardt in this previous article, electromagnetic fields interfere not only with your biology, but with that of your unborn child as well. He performed a small study showing that autism can actually be predicted based on the EMF levels of your sleeping quarters while pregnant! He found that if you sleep in strong electromagnetic fields during pregnancy, your child will likely begin to exhibit neurological abnormalities within the first two years of life.
Here are several guidelines that can help turn your bedroom into an EMF-free zone suitable for health-promoting restorative sleep:

1. Use only battery devices near your bed -- Many electric clocks produce high magnetic fields so use a battery powered clock instead.
2. Turn off the fuses to your bedroom at night
3. Eliminate radio frequency (RF) sources -- Radio frequency signals from portable phones, cell phones, and wireless devices have been shown to interfere with your body's immune system so don't keep cell phones or charging stations in your bedroom. It's also recommended to turn off the Wi-Fi in your home at night.
4. Shield your bed with a special metalized fabric, to protect yourself from harmful frequencies that can disrupt cellular communication. This recommendation may be particularly important if you're pregnant.
5. If you are remodeling you can also use material called 'radiant barrier' between the dry wall and the frame of your home. This is a strengthened aluminum foil that will reflect most of the radiation from coming into your home. It should also be applied the ceiling. It is relatively inexpensive and will also pay for itself in reduced heating and cooling bills. However, it isn't cost effective if you have to tear out your current walls, so it's really only practical in new homes or remodeling projects. I installed this in my home when I renovated it and it virtually eliminated all external EMFs. The downside however is that it is VERY difficult to get any cell phone reception in my home.
   

 

My Morning Routine

Ok, 'routine' might not be completely accurate as with still having littles at my feet can make it difficult to get everything I hope to do for myself accomplished in an orderly manner consistently first thing in the morning.  But 'routine' is the best word I can think to use that is, well, understandable.

(Sorry, Beatrix, that its taken so long to get around to posting my 'routine', but better late than never, huh?)

~I get out of bed anywhere from 5:30-7am.  I think it should be more consistent, but because we still have Littles my sleep is often disturbed so I allow myself the freedom to stay in bed longer some mornings when the Littles also allow it.  My sleep & quality is really random at this stage in life, and I have to Go With The Flow.  Some mornings, like today, I can successfully sneak out of  bed about 4:30am and go unnoticed by Laars, but many mornings I lay awake in bed meditating/praying so not to disturb sleeping boys. 

~ Potty Break!  Some mornings I do an enema to help my body eliminate from the nights cleansing.  This isn't on any kind of 'schedule'.  I do it as I feel (intuitively) that my body wants/needs it, and as time permits

~Body Scrub (the T-Tapp way) to help with elimination, and improve circulation to skin

~Brush hair with firm brush (or  you could use a wooden comb) to get tangles out, then scrub scalp & clean hair with a Boar Bristle Brush to improve circulation and distribute natural oils for healthy hair.  This needs to be done in small sections, methodically working over my skull.  I have found I can't use the Boar Bristle Brush alone as it would take infinity to work out the knots in my thick hair.  That's why I start with a stiff brush.

~Scrub Face (with a softer brush than a body brush) vigorously to improve circulation, gently exfoliate.  At same time I do some face squints and stretches for toning.

~Spray body, face and hair with homemade blend of essential oils in water.  I just put water in a small spray bottle and add EO's as I like, but usually some blend including  (or even solely) cinnamon as I like a spicy smell versus  flowery.  I often use lavender, or geranium, but never leave out my cinnamon.  Endless possibilities.

~Apply jojoba oil to my face and neck for moisture and sun-protection (SPF 4)

~Do Hoe-Downs

~Drink at least 1 glass (if not 2 glasses) of filtered water

~Putter in the kitchen and help littles with their own morning 'routines'

~Drink a glass of fresh juice (if Chelle or Everette make it), or make myself a glass of water with 1 oz aloe vera gel, juice of one lemon, a tsp or so of unpasteurized honey, maybe a pinch of cayenne pepper

~If I'm feeling ravenous (which isn't often, especially when I've drank enough fluids), I will eat an apple (or Laars' leftover apple cores with lots of flesh still on them) OR our version of Muesli.....  I soak about 1/2 cup of organic rolled oats with hot water, add a couple chopped dates, some goji berries and a few shakes of unsweetened coconut.

~Then its usually time for cuddles with little ones and maybe do some reading with them, or sit & have a discussion with Everette or read aloud with him.  This is our Connection Time, if the littles allow it ;)  or we fit it in some other time of the day.




I'll try and post an Evening Routine later.

I Stink

Ok, so you can be thankful that you haven't been sitting next to me the last few days.  Because I have noticed an embarrassing thing......I stink.  My armpits stink.  I've showered everyday, but I inevitably start to stink.

And you know why? 

Because I've been eating dead foods.  Even dead flesh.

I know that most of you do that all the time.  That's fine.  It's your life.

But for me, I had discovered new things in life, and I was living them and enjoying them, and now I'm not doing them and I'm not enjoying them any more.

I discovered that when I eat a high raw & vegetarian diet, my body cleaned itself out (ok, so it wasn't totally cleaned out yet.  I've spent 40+ yrs filling it with crappy food, I can't expect it to get all cleaned out in just a few months) and it ran more efficiently and cleaner, including not giving off a bad odor.  Really!!

I don't use deodorant or antiperspirant.  I don't put those chemicals on my skin because then they get into my body and I don't want that. 

If I feel a need for some help dealing with unwanted odor I use baking soda which stops the bacteria that causes the odor, or I spray on some essential oil that I've blended with water in a small spray bottle (cinnamon is my favorite, but I also use lavender or geranium, or a blend of oils).

I admit, I'm finding it difficult not having our own kitchen to prepare our own raw meals in, and not be tempted by the familiar cooked foods.  But I'm not liking how I'm eating, sleeping, feeling, weighing, or smelling. 

I know a better way.

I should be choosing that better way.

Throughout the Proverbs it says that we become like those we hangout with.  If we spend our time with the wise, we will become wise.  If we hangout with fools we will become foolish like them.  

I'm not passing blame, at all.  But in the past 3.5 weeks we've spent the majority of our time with non-raw foodists.....and we have succumbed to their ways.  We have chosen to let down our guard, and participate in their eating habits. 

I need to take better action, as pertains to my own body.  I know better, and I should be eating better.
And then I'll even smell better!!!

Preparing for Sleep

Previous generations likely didn't have sleep issues like we do today.  One clear reason would be that they weren't dealing with the stimulating effects of artificial lighting, entertainment (TV, videos, loud music, texting), and even working during non-daylight hours.  With our western societies working 24/7, and our houses being filled with light from within (and even from outside ie. streetlights) we are totally disconnected with the lesser light that rules the night time sky.....the moon......and its cycles.  Even when we close our eyes at night, our room usually has artificial light within it, from our alarm clocks, the street lights, nightlights, etc.  This can interfere not only with our sleep & its patterns, but can even play havoc with some women's fertility.

(I've been curious if women notice relationship between the phases of the moon and their menstruation, and their sexual arousal.  I know that seems like a weird idea to some, but I'm curious.  I'd love to hear from you if you've seen any correlation, specifically with new or full moon phases. It's something that I'm trying to pay more attention to.)

The darker it gets outside (naturally), the darker we should be letting it get inside of our homes.  Take the natural signs from outside and bring them inside.  Use a dimmer light.  Light some candles.  Turn off the television and computers at least  an hour (ideally, several hours) before you head to bed.  Do things that help you relax and set the stage for falling asleep.

Many of us heard that every hour of sleep you get before midnight are worth two hours after midnight.  Well, there is a truth to that, and in essence that would be giving you more hours in your day!!  But there is another issue to that.

You probably have experienced being exhausted and wanting to fall asleep around 7 or 8 pm, but once you get the children to bed and clean up the kitchen or write some emails or whatever, you seem to get a burst of energy and stay up way later than you had planned.  And it seems that the hours can fly past before you even get drowsy again.

The problem is that in the late evening, different organs start to kick into high-gear for the cleansing cycle of your body, and if you aren't already asleep before that happens it becomes difficult to fall asleep.  Particularly between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am.  So ideally, you should already be asleep by 10 pm.  That may sound early, but it is totally do-able.  One just has to decide to make sleep and health a priority, and make the appropriate changes.  You can find all the excuses you want, but then you can also suffer the consequences.  It's your choice.

Now, if you were to do this (be asleep, say, by 9:30) and if 1 hr before midnight was worth 2 hours after midnight, you'd have gotten 5 hours worth of sleep by midnight, and a total of 8 hours worth by 3am!  You could be raring to go well before the sun is even up!!

This is what's happening at our house.  This is The Ideal.  Not the way it happens on a daily basis.  But give me a break.  You think things run smoothly every day with 8 kids still at home? (Rauchelle, being an adult can choose her own lifestyle.  Overall, she follows suite.  But not stringently.)

computers/TV off by 7 pm
8-8:30pm put the boys to bed
9-9:30pm everybody else to bed
4am Everette & I wake up.  We are just transitioning Laars to sleeping in his own bed so that I can start my day.  If he's in our bed, I lay awake meditating until he wakes up.
5:30-6:30am the children awaken.  The little boys are almost always awake before 6.  Gaelyn and Tov around 6.  The others shortly afterwards.
7:30-8am breakfast
12pm Lunch
4-4:30pm supper
only herbal teas allowed in the evening, with stevia for sweetener (if any)

We have found it all an adjustment; the going to bed early and the rising early.  I would consider myself a Night-Owl, but I like what we are experiencing.  I see every sunrise now.  I feel more rested.  I feel like I get a deeper sleep (unless the children wake me, of course, or when I am heavily detoxing and my liver wakes me up between 1-3am).

Last year I would never have imagined that we would be sleeping/eating/scheduling the way that we are today.  But I really like it, and overall we all seem to be flourishing with it.  Even my sister, whose had difficulties with her sleep for a very long time, is now starting to have some really great sleeps.  She's been home here for 2.5 weeks and pretty much sticking with The Daylight Diet because the rest of the household is (while her dh isn't here!).  She's dropping pounds and sleeping sounder.  Yahoo!

My Bed is a Boat

~by Robert Louis Stevenson

My bed is like a little boat;

Nurse helps me in when I embark;

She girds me in my sailor's coat

And starts me in the dark.

At night, I go on board and say

Good-night to all my friends on shore;

I shut my eyes and sail away

And see and hear no more.

And sometimes things to bed I take,

As prudent sailors have to do:

Perhaps a slice of wedding cake,

Perhaps a toy or two.

All night across the dark we steer:

But when the day returns at last,,

Safe in my room, beside the pier,

I find my vessel fast.

Do You Have a "Nature Deficiency" ?

I think The Health Ranger, Mike Adams, is my favorite on-line writer about issues pertaining to health. I've shared his thoughts before, and here is another article I wanted to share with you. It is something I definitely have a deficiency in, and I get chilled just thinking of going outside here today on Cape Breton. Seems the older I get, the more I hate to be cold.

I'm still dreaming of a warmer location to reside in, and a huge part of the reason for that is because of the health benefits that are easier to attain there.

Anyways, here's the article by Mike. Not really anything profound.....just common sense that no longer is common!

Heal yourself in 15 days by correcting your "nature deficiency" (part nine)

I'd also add that sleeping with our windows open can certainly improve our health and sleep. When we sleep with the windows and doors closed, we are obviously breathing in stale air all night long. When our body is in a prime cleansing cycle, we should be aiding it in its job by providing fresh live air. You'll have a better sleep, and wake up totally refreshed.

Creating a Sleep Sanctuary

Lots to consider.  Don't become overwhelmed. Just start taking steps....even baby steps.  Do what you can do to start with, always working yourself towards better health.

Nobody is going to take care of your health, except YOU!
Start today.

Here's another video, covering alot of the same stuff, just reinforcing things we can do to cut down on radiation bombarding us.

Question for You:  How do you think your sleep area would rate for it being free from these frequency bombardments?

The Importance of Sleep

In today's world its a challenge to find real darkness, and to get sleep during the right hours.  Dr Mercola gives tips for how to accomplish this and encourages to overcome the challenges.  Sleep is That Important!

As a side note, I remember years ago reading a book (I think it was 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility') that mentioned that for some women to regulate their cycles and achieve conception, they might have to do very specific things to black out their sleeping spot, like putting foil in the windows, removing digital clocks or any source of light (no matter how little it seems),  even blocking light from coming in around the bedroom door.  Any of this could interfere with her fertility.  The point that I remember is that a woman's cycle would naturally be in-sync with the phases of the moon, in days before electricity!

What I hear Paul Nison saying in regards to his Daylight Diet isn't so much about the health of the food that we eat, but how and when we eat so that we get a good rest at night while sleeping which is when our bodies cleanse and rebuild.....and that's where our health really comes from.  The quality of our sleep.

Plugged In and Grounded

I purchased a bed pad at Sunfood which has the very best price I could find on the web. And let me tell you, the 3 nights we've slept with it......I have had great sleeps. Heavy sleeps. Oh, how I needed that.



Of course, having littles in the house for many years one tends to sleep lightly to wake easily when somebody is in need of a mama-moment. But over the years it is likely for one to become sleep-deprived. It wears on you. It almost seems like I am incapable of sleeping soundly.

Well, not any longer. I am impressed with how I feel after sleeping with the bed pad already. I might not get lots of hours of sleep, but I certainly feel like I've slept heavily and the hours I do get are enough.

Read here for info. There's lots on the web.

Question for You: Are you familiar to Grounding Technology at all?

It's Been a Hard Day

BEING TWO IS TIRING.SLEEP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SUPPER

Sukkot

Sukkot has started, and my children have built another fort/booth farther away from the house, using spruce and moss for the roof (because that's all that's available here on the property), and they are bedding down on cat-tail rushes, cat-tail fluff and moss with a plastic liner underneath it all. Hope they stay warm there tonight. Danaka is sure that they will.

I'm not so adventuresome so I'll cuddle up with Laars and Everette in our bed and sleep with the window open to enjoy the fresh air. Actually, we've been doing that every night now...the open window. We sleep better that way usually, and after listening to Paul Nison's videos about the health benefits of sleeping outside we got back to having the window open.

So, have yourself an awesome weekend, because I know we will. There is so much to be thankful for, and as we celebrate Sukkot we can easily identify the abundance the Lord has blessed us with. We Thank You, Lord.


Question for You: Does your family celebrate the Feasts of the Lord?

Sleeping on the Floor Update

One more night and Danaka and Maret have accomplished their 30 days sleeping on the floor. But they are all excited about continuing the practise. They both find it more comfortable now then laying on the couch even for watching a video! At this point Maret has no intentions of going back to sleeping on a bed.

They started by sleeping on a thick sleeping bag. They are now just sleeping on a thin blanket.

A few days after the girls started, Rauchelle decided to give it a try. After 2 days on the floor, she was having such fantastic sleeps! She was using a mattress topper, and decided it wasn't working in her best interests as it caused her to sleep in too long!! She was far too cozy. So she took up sleeping on a thick sleeping bag on the floor. She also has no intentions of going back to sleeping on a bed, and sees the simplicity of that as a lifestyle choice.

Rauchelle is going to be camping/tenting for her Canadian Nationals for her Air Rifle competition in a couple weeks, and she's looking forward to having a much better sleep than her camping friends since they likely aren't used to sleeping on the hard ground, and when camping most people seem to have crummy sleeps at least the first couple nights till they adjust. She's confident that she won't have that adjustment to make! Time will tell.

Anyways, just thought I'd update the sleeping 'test'. I'm still sleeping on a mattress!

Question for You: Have you ever tested out sleeping on the floor for longer than just a couple of days?

Sleeping on the Floor

In passing I mentioned to some of my dc that the Boutenko 'Raw Family' all sleep on the floor, and that it is supposedly healthy for your back. Victoria Boutenko says that the first few nights you'll likely awaken with achy parts of the body, but she sees them as signs of detox. She says that if someone becomes used to sleeping on the floor and then sleeps on the bed, they will also suffer 'detox symptoms'.

Anyways, in my quick research online the opinion seems to be....if it works for you, great. Go for it.

So, by choice, Danaka and Maret have set up their own 30-day challenge to sleep on the floor. First morning they woke up with aches, and it had been a bit of a tossing-night. Second night went much better, and they figured out on their own the most comfortable positions. I think they've now done 5 nights, and they are having great sleeps.

I chuckled the other day when I walked by Rauchelle's bedroom, and I saw her bed-topper on the floor along with her quilt and pillows. She has joined the floor-dwellers!! And like with camping, she says the first night is the worst and it improves after that. She intends to keep sleeping there, at least for the time being.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking that if the whole family didn't require beds anymore, and happily slept on thin mats or a quilt on the floor, that would simplify our life even more, and make moving from place to place even that much easier.

Ok, I haven't tried it yet. I haven't been a fan of 'camping' for years now, and always favored sleeping on my own bed in a cozy bedroom. But I won't say "Never".

Question for You: What radical thing do you do that others think you're crazy to do?