Nov. 9, 2009 - My #1 Hint
If I had to come up with only ONE hint for making working outside the home also work with homeschooling, it would be to get in the habit of making a menu plan. I do mine for a month because I have my schedule for the entire month. If you only know your schedule for a week or two weeks in advance, then plan it for that length of time. This has been the biggest help for me. Being able to come home and know in advance what I'm doing for supper is a HUGE relief. No more wondering, "What in the world am I going to make?" No temptations for stopping at McDonald's and paying a small fortune for unhealthy food that is going to make all of us feel sick. It also alleviates constantly running to the store to pick up something.
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Nov. 6, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

From the Heart:
My nephew is home after completing basic training at Ft. Benning. He and his girlfriend decided to get
on Tuesday.
On the Homefront:
Dh, dd, and I went to a 25th wedding anniversary on Sunday for some our friends, Sonny and Renita.
Sonny was the best man in our
over 21 years ago.
I was off Tuesday and got a lot of litte projects done.
- Refilled the baking soda container that I keep in the bathroom for my netty pot,
- Straightened up the bathroom closet while looking for a few needed items of which we had run out,
- Washed the kitchen counters,
- Took several boxes to the attic,
- Washed 3 loads of laundry,
- Removed a lot of my clutter from the kitchen and the chest in the bedroom,
- Got my work clothes ready for the rest of the week,
- Started making plans for a few activities next month,
- Organized my spices
- Got out my Christmas dishes so we can start using them. (I figure if the merchants can start marketing Christmas before November, I can enjoy my own Christmas items for a few extra weeks.)
- Paid a couple of bills, and a whole lot more that I just can't seem to remember right now.
We also got our new air purifier on Tuesday.
My mom's side of the family has a gals' night out once a month to celebrate the
for that month. This month, we stopped by to get our favorite fast-food meal, then went to my mom's house to play games.
Since I have the weekend off, I plan to get a lot accomplished Friday evening so that I can relax on Saturday and take a nice, long
.
In the School Room:
Tuesday was a different kind of school day for us. I heard the city trucks that remove the leaves. DH and dd quickly ran outside to
our leaves to the street before they got to our street. They didn't get all of them done, but they sure got a lot of them!
. DD was glad to take a bit of a break to help her Dad.
She still had to do most of her school work that day though because she has fallen a bit behind in her science, and I am trying to get her LA course for this semester finished by
. I'm not sure we will get it done though since I have 3 days in a row off that week. We will be decorating the house those days for
. I doubt that much school will be done while the decorating is taking place. I am getting to the place where I am letting dd do a lot of the decorating on her own since she enjoys it so much.
To our health:
We got our new air purifier this week. We are hoping it will help with my asthma issues.
Since I take so many pills (herbal stuff, not meds),
dh bought me one of those pill holders that holds a week's supply. I bought 2 more -- one to take to work to use during my lunch break, and one for my evening herbs. It has made taking my pills a lot easier. I only have to distribute them once a week, as opposed to doing it several times every day.
On the work front:
Monday was a rather odd day in the ER. We had several patients coming in for the exact same thing (and it wasn't H1N1). I asked if it was a full moon. The doctor said the full moon was a couple of days prior to that. I said perhaps people just missed it by a few days. 
On that same day, I saw FIVE different people I know, and I know ALL of them from the same social circle. Isn't that just
? Please don't
at me, but due to HIPAA guidelines, I can't give any other details. 
I was working in ER one day when they actually lost a patient. I think this young patient was actually gone before the ambulance brought them in. Very, very sad. You can definitely tell when a family's grief is the kind when they have "no hope." It was so heart-wrenching.
Refreshing my Spirit:
I haven't had a weekend off for many weeks, so I am really looking forward to going to
this weekend and reconnecting with my church family.
(For some odd reason, I keep having trouble getting my last category to work on weekly wrap up. Even when I try to change the categories around, it still doesn't want to work.)
Have a
week!
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Nov. 3, 2009 - Pumpkin Latte Pumpkin Latte ** Pumpkin Pie Spice 
2 cups milk (or soy milk)
1 cup strong coffee
2 T vanilla
2 T sugar (or artificial sweetener)
2 T canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice **
Mix all together. Can be warmed in the microwave or put in the crock pot overnight.
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Nov. 3, 2009 - Danny Gokey
For Danny Gokey fans:
http://www.sophiasheart.org/journal.php
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Nov. 2, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling #1

Several people have stopped by my blog and asked, "How do you manage to work and still homeschool?" I decided to start a category, dedicated just to that topic.
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Oct. 31, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Vist www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more Weekly Wrap Ups.
Refreshing my Spirit:
I finally finished
a book after trying to get it done for at least two months. When I go to bed at night, I like to read, but am usually so tired that I fall asleep very quickly. I don't even waste time
anymore.
I started reading "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God." Though I'm no longer a housewife, I am desperate for God. A lot of my passion has died because of the constant responsibilities I carry, now that I'm working outside of the home. (Not to mention that I've had to work every weekend this month, so I haven't even been to church.)
I am currently reading the epistles on my lunch break. I am reading them from The Message Bible because the wording in it gives me a fresh perspective on familiar scriptures.
On the Homefront:
This week, DD and the neighbor boys raked a huge pile of leaves in the front yard. Next, they would
then jump into the pile. They had a load of fun doing that over and over and over.....
DD took care of the
for me early in the week so the house would look nice when I was off work on Wednesday.
When I came home from work on Saturday, the
delivered several packages. They were things I had ordered online to save back for
. I had so much fun
them! One of the items was the first season of Highway to Heaven. Since I got such a great deal on it, I decided to go ahead and let everyone start enjoying that one.
I got my hair cut and decided to color it deep burgundy. It looks very pretty, but that is just MHO.
Just before I was ready to
, I noticed that some of the dye was on the wooden door frame. You can imagine my
when I couldn't get it to come off. I thought dh would
, but he just told me to extremely careful with it in the future. 
I found an emoticon that is so appropriate for our home/family. We have three people here and only one bathroom: 
In the Kitchen:
- Menu plan for November is done,
- Posted menu plan on my monthly menu blog,
- Posted some new recipes on my menu blog,
- Bought the needed items to complete my menu plan, and spent less than $30!
(Thankfully, the meat is already bought, so that will save a lot of $ this month.)
On the work front:
Things are going well at work. I will be in admissions over the weekend. Since it is excessively slow on Sundays, I may be
or
from complete
by the time I get off work that day. 
In the School Room:
No major changes here. Since so many people have asked how I manage to homeschool and work outside the home, I do plan to start a category dedicated to that issue. Please stay tuned.......
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Oct. 29, 2009 - FREE Snuggie Blanket FREE Snuggie Blanket!!! http://gizmodo.com/5390239/gadget-deals-of-the-day
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Oct. 27, 2009 - Another Laundry Soap Recipe
While searching the internet one day, I came across another laundry soap recipe. (Please note: I have not tried this one.)
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 bar Ivory soap, grated (you can use Fels Naptha but it is more expensive)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
Mix everything in a plastic container with a lid. Use a heaping tablespoon for a normal load, and 2 heaping tablespoons for a heavily soiled load (like work clothes).
She suggests doubling or tripling this recipe when you make it so you have a bunch on hand. She uses an ice cream bucket with a handle to store the detergent in. It is big enough to keep the tablespoon measuring spoon in the bucket, and it is easy to get down off the shelf in the laundry room using the handle!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/school4jesus
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Oct. 26, 2009 - Monday
You gotta love a mind that thinks like that!

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Oct. 26, 2009 - Monday
Feeling much better this morning. I will be heading out for work shortly. If you read this, please pray that the Lord will strengthen me to get through this day, and that I can get through it with no asthma flair ups. Thanks.
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Oct. 25, 2009 - Sunday

This morning, I finally got up at 9:35 but could easily have stayed in bed. Dealing with stomach cramps early on. Now just a sour feeling in my gut and sour taste in my mouth -- the kind you get just before
, yet I haven't
as of yet. Heavy feeling in my chest/a bit of coughing/sneezing.

After being exposed to so much H1N1 at work, I wonder if I'm coming down with it.
(I *did* read a report the hospital sent out, and nationwide, 99% of the positive tests ARE positive for H1N1, so it's pretty certain I've been around it a lot at work.) 

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Oct. 23, 2009 - Tea tree oil
And this is my FAVORITE CLEANING PRODUCT
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Oct. 23, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

From the Heart and
Refreshing my Spirit:
I keep having trouble getting the "refreshing my spirit" section to work when I post. I have been enjoying having lunch in the ER breakroom. It is much quieter in there and I can actually enjoy some time reading the Word.
I'm really looking forward to having a day off on Sunday. I will be off on Wednesday of next week too.
I am rejoicing right now. I just got online to check my emails and found out that a friend of mine had her baby. Her first baby, Nicholas, died of a heart condition when he was two months old. A few months later, the Lord gave me a dream where Janna had a perfectly healthy baby
. And guess what? Janna delivered a perfectly healthy baby
.
My heart is overflowing with joy for God's goodness to Janna and Mark. The only bad thing is -- when Janna's dad emailed me, he failed to tell me the baby's name!
Now we women, we would never leave out a detail like that! 
On the Homefront:
I have done a lot of Christmas shopping on Ebay. I am nearly done purchasing for this Christmas, and believe me, I didn't spend much. Like so many other families, the economic crunch has made us be very frugal about Christmas, as well as many other things. I am doing something quite different for our family this year, but my lips are
until AFTER Christmas is over. Before you
at me for not telling what it is, I must explain: dd DOES read my blog sometimes. 
Ty Pennington and his crew are in our area to re-do a house for a family in our area. I'm hoping that dh and dd might be able to take a field trip day when they "move that bus." I think it would be a really neat experience for them to see all the action on the day the house is unveiled to the family.
In the School Room:
Things are going quite well. We were struggling to find a way to fit all of her science in this year, but I think we have found a plan that will work to get most, if not all, of it completed.
On the work front:
Tuesday was just awful at work. I went in at 7:00, and was
by 8:30. It would be too detailed to explain why, so I'll leave it at that. Thankfully, Wednesday was nearly a PERFECT day for me at work! 
With so much H1N1 out there, I do not understand why the doctors keep sending patients to be tested for it.
If they have symptoms,
send them home for a week, or until their fever is gone for at least 24 hours, whichever is later.
DUH! From what I've heard, the tests aren't all that accurate anyway!
Why continue to expose all of us who work at the hospital???
If their symptoms get worse (like respiratory distress or shortness of breath), THEN come see us! 
To our health:
I'm still taking lots of D3, Vitamin C, and other herbs to try to keep myself healthy over the winter months. Every day, I gargle twice with warm salt water, as well as use my netty pot twice a day. It really does make me feel better to do that routine. One day, I went to use the netty pot and noticed that what I was blowing was green.
if that is TMI. However, using my netty pot enabled me to get rid of all the "gunk," and I didn't end up getting a nasty sinus infection or worse. 
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Oct. 20, 2009 - Homemade Lotion and Un-petroleum Jelly
While I have not tried these recipes as of yet, I do plan to do so in the near future. I wanted to share these recipes with those of you who may be anxious to try them out. 
Homemade Lotion
- 2 15-oz. bottles baby lotion (can use shea & cocoa butter one or the regular pink one or the lavender one too)
- 2 8-oz. jars of Vitamin E Cream
- 1 7.5 oz. jar Vaseline (can use homemade un-petroleum jelly*)
Place all ingredients in your mixer and mix well. Put the Vaseline in the microwave for a bit to soften it up and help it mix up better. When it is all mixed up really well, put the lotion back into the bottles you just emptied, using a funnel. You can also purchase some small containers or jars to store your lotion in. This makes a wonderful gift too!
*Homemade Un-Petroleum Jelly
1 ounce beeswax
1/2 cup sweet almond oil or oil of your choice
Melt the beeswax in the microwave in a microwave safe container. Stir in the almond oil and continue to stir until cool. Put this in a clean container and cover with a lid.
Homemade Hand Lotion
-
1-1/4 c. hot water
-
¼ c. emulsifying wax
-
¼ c. olive oil
-
24-36 drops essential oil
You can purchase the the emulsifying wax & essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. For $6 you get enough emulsifying wax to make about 15 or more batches of homemade hand lotion. In a pyrex measuring glass, combine the olive oil and emusifying wax and microwave for 1 minute until it is all melted.
A coffee mug holds almost 1-1/4 c. of water. Fill it up and microwave for one minute. While that is heating up, add the essential oil into the melted wax/olive oil.
Next, pour the hot water into the wax/olive oil mixture and watch it turn milky white. Pour the hot lotion into wide-mouth, pint-sized jars and cool overnight.
Here are some decorative labels to put on your jars: download here. Remember, when you print these out in Adobe Reader, it often automatically reduces the size of the original document, make sure that you click on the setting to print these at full size. These labels fit on the wide mouth pint jars. Enjoy your new soft skin!
http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/how-to-make-handmade-handlotion-w-label-download/
Here is another recipe for lotion: http://www.happynews.com/living/skin/homemade-lotion.htm
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Oct. 20, 2009 - Cheap Ways to Protect Yourself from the Flu
I got this info in an email and asked a few people in the health care field if they thought it was good advice. They did, and so, I pass it on to you! 
|
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memoria l etc.
Presently, he is heading the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu): 1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications). 2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap). 3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method. 4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.* 5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption. 6.* Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm. |
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Oct. 19, 2009 - Monday
It is simply beautiful outside! The sun is shining for a change. The leaves are turning gorgeous colors, and the temps are decent enough to enjoy being outside.
I am enjoying the day off. I made pumpkin squares to take into work tomorrow. When I told dd what I was doing, her response was, "Oh, so you're s*cking up to your new coworkers in ER?" She's got such an ornery sense of humor, but I love it. (Probably because I have the same warped sense of humor!) 
We got SO busy yesterday in ER. Three ambulances came in at once,
and that didn't count the other 6 places I needed to be at that moment!
Thankfully, a coworker from admissions came down to help me get caught up. Needless to say, I was very thankful that 3:00 was fast-approaching, and I could go home. 
OK, I'm off to enjoy watching a DVD. I think I'll pull out our Highway to Heaven DVD and watch an episode or two of it and enjoy munching on some snacks
and enjoying a cup of
at the same time. 
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Oct. 17, 2009 - Soy Soup
Since I've figured out that milk is a huge allergy for me, I am learning to cook differently. Last night, I really wanted potato soup for supper. Yet, it calls for 2 c. of milk. Instead, I split the recipe in 1/2, using two pans for it. One batch got the milk. The other batch was made using dry soy, mixed with water. It was delicious! And no asthma issues afterwards! WOOHOO!
I was a bit concerned that it might upset my stomach since drinking soy milk does that to me, but I was fine after eating it. That is a great feeling to know that I can just make some minor changes, yet still enjoy some of my favorite foods. 
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Oct. 16, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

From the Heart:
On the Homefront:
In the School Room:
On the work front:
in on my day off.) I cannot get over how fast things can pick up in the ER. I was on my feet nearly the entire shift on Wednesday. I was exhausted by the time I got home. I'm still getting to know some of my coworkers, and the more I get to know them, the more I enjoy the job.
I loved her sense of humor. Nothing like a good laugh to start out your day.
Later she told me they are going to teach me to multi-task, then I can learn to intubate a patient. 
To our health:
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Oct. 13, 2009 - Homemade Spray 'n Wash/Carpet Cleaner
Homemade Spray 'n Wash
2 parts water
1 part ammonia
1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid
Mix together and shake well before using.
When I saw the pizza sauce on the carpet, you can imagine the feeling in the pit of my stomach.
However, I cleaned what I could with a wet rag. Next, I decided had a
moment and decided to spray it with my homemade Spray 'n Wash. Imagine my
when I saw that it completely removed the stain! ![]()
I know where I'll be going one day after work this week!
~~~
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Oct. 11, 2009 - Canadian Thanksgiving

To my Canadian friends.









