Have you ever looked at the warning on the back of a tube of toothpaste?
Here is a list of ingredients from a popular brand of store bought toothpaste
Active Ingredients: Sodium Fluoride
Inactive  Ingredients: Hydrated Silica , Sorbitol , Glycerin , 
Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate , PEG-6 , Disodium Pyrophosphate , Tetrasodium 
Pyrophosphate , Flavor , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Alcohol 1.14% , Xanthan Gum , 
Sodium Saccaharin , Carbomer 956 , Polysorbate 80 , Sodium Benzoate , 
Cetylpyridinium Chloride , Benzoic Acid , Domiphen Bromide .0002 wt% , Titanium 
Dioxide , Blue 1 , Yellow 5.

Yesterday, I tried a new toothpaste recipe from the Mountain Rose Herbs blog.
Mountain Rose Herbs recipe calls for kaolin clay, baking soda, salt, sage, and peppermint oil.

First, put 1/4 cup of kaolin clay, 1/4 cup salt (we used Redmond Real salt), and a 1/4 cup baking soda in a bowl.




Stir is up and add 1 TBS of ground dried sage.

Add forty drops of peppermint essential oil. Stir it up and make sure you get all the clumps. You can be finished here and have tooth powder, just shake a little bit of powder into your palm and roll your toothbrush in it, or you can go on the the next step.

To make toothpaste, add 4 TBS food grade vegetable glycerin.

Clayton was the first one to try this toothpaste, and he said it tasted good and worked well. I think this recipe will work nicely for our family, though I am sure we will still continue trying something new occasionally. Maybe next time I will try some cinnamon and clove instead of sage and peppermint oil.

It may not look very pretty :) but we are happy to use it knowing what all the ingredients are and where we got them.







                        

                                                                Naomi
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Disclaimer! I do not condemn or judge anyone who chooses to go to college or pursue a career. 
I understand that everyone has their own opinions and is in different circumstances. I am sorry
if this article comes across as rude or condemning- I assure you that is not my intention. 


Stay-at-home daughterhood
 
What it isn’t 

There are as many misconceptions and misunderstandings
about stay-at-home Daughterhood as there are about homeschooling and
stay-at-home moms. Here I will list a few of the possible misunderstandings
about Stay-at-home daughters (Also called Daughters at home).

 Controlling/abusive parents 
Just like homeschoolers, DAH (Daughters at home) may be viewed as victims
of abusive or controlling parents. While this may be true in some instances but
 in my case I have chosen to be a DAH because that is what makes the most sense to me. 

I have no plan 
I can imagine that upon hearing I am willingly staying at home after high school graduation,
some readers may assume I have no plan to further my education. Or possibly think I am going to
twaddle away the days dreaming of my prince charming. Again, this would be another false assumption to make. 

Filling my days with productive activities does take a little more creativity than if I took classes arranged
by someone else but it also makes me more flexible. Being more flexible gives me a great
advantage in helping my family. 


What it is 

Busy as a bee (or a Proverbs 31 woman in training)
I have recently graduated and already I see multiple areas that need a great deal of improving.
Cooking, quilting, sewing, gardening, and cleaning (and more)! But I love being at home where
my talents and skills are put to the best use.

What better place to practice love, joy, peace than in a busy, family atmosphere?
Living with 5 siblings is the perfect place to practice patience and kindness.
Goodness and faithfulness are exercised in any household task. Gentleness and
self-control take place when you cut your brothers hair :) .
All the fruits of the spirit are best developed in the home.

 Higher education 
Higher education is higher education whether you pursue it at a college campus, online or training at home.
Shouldn’t I go through some sort of college course just in case? You may ask; Well, I could.
But why spend the money and time learning things that don’t apply to my field of interest (Daughterhood and Motherhood)?
Yes, I could learn a few skills that would be useful to me but so could a career pursuant lady from training at home. 
 
What if I don’t get married? Then I don’t get married. It’s not my goal anyway.
My main goal is to please my Lord and Savior and if I can best do it by staying home then stay home I will! 

Real life tells us most women do get married. Why prepare to live my life single when most women get married?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to prepare to be married and trust Yahweh to work it out which ever direction He leads?

A few other potential objections to being a Daughter-at-home

Pursue your DREAMS! 
To help me get my point across I am going to make up a character. Let’s call her Nan.

Nan is a 30 something woman who has recently come out of the bondage of home life.
She has broken free from her role as wife and mother for the nobler title of  ‘Career woman’.
 Nan is going to dialogue with me about what society thinks of DAH (Daughters-at-home).

Nan: Why waste your time at home when you can be pursuing your dreams!
Times are changing and you are no longer a slave to the home and family. 

Me: If I should really pursue my dreams as you say, Nan, then I believe that I already am! My
dreams are nothing but following God’s will for my life. And His will for my life right now is
to be a Daughter-at-home. Being a DAH prepares me for what I hope to be some day. A stay-at-home mommy :) 

Nan: When I first got married I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so that I could be home with my children.
 But trust me… after 3 years of crying babies and poopy diapers I had enough. Thankfully,
 I had the sense to go to college before I married and getting a job wasn’t too difficult.
 Go to school and get your degree so that when you get married and have kids you won’t have to
go to school later on to get your job.

 Me: Thank you for you suggestions Nan but the book of Titus says that a woman is to be busy at home.
 I know that it wouldn’t always be easy taking care of crying babies and changing poopy diapers
 but that’s not a reason for me to give up and leave my children. Sometimes life is hard and that goes for career women too. 
 
Nan: Don’t you see how selfish you are being- society needs more women in the workplace! 
  
Me: Actually Nan, I know you’re just trying to help, but we really need more daughters-at-home.
We have the time and skills to visit the elderly, the time and ability to mentor younger girls and
encouraging them in their walk with Yahweh. Society needs the single woman to focus on the things of God
and not on the things of the world! What society needs is daughters with a willingness to serve busy mothers and
their own families. 

This is why talking to people about my choice can be somewhat of a sticky situation.
 It’s very hard not to come across as rude or judgmental. For the most part people have been very nice
about my decision (at least on the outside!) but I have heard and read about girls who have made the same
 choice and have faced hearty criticism and snarky replies. 

Here are some examples of usual responses I get:

Man: So, when do you graduate?
Me: I have already graduated.
Man: Oh, where are you going to college?
Me: Actually… I have made the unpopular choice of staying home. 
Man: Oh, really?
Me: Yes, and I am training at home to be what I really want to be
Man: What is that? (eyebrows raised)
Me: A stay-at- home wife and mother 
Man: That is WONDERFUL! My wife was a stay-at-home mom and it was awesome! I think that’s just awesome! 

I have had quite a few responses like that from married men asking me where I am going
to college ( Men like; the father of a kid I babysat for a while, my friend’s dad, my mom’s chiropractor, the doctor who
pulled my wisdom teeth out…etc.) 

Women usually have a slightly different
response…

Here is the usual beginning of the conversation followed by a few responses I have gotten.

Woman: Where are you going to college?
Me: Actually, I am staying at home to prepare to be a stay-at-home mom 

Woman 1: Oh (in a cold voice)
Me: Yep, that’s what I’m doing heheh (nervous laugh because I know she’s a career woman)
Woman 1: well, we all have our own thing…Got to follow our own hearts…

Woman 2: Oh…
Me: I’ve always wanted to be a wife and mother…
Woman 2: Well you should at least take some classes on psychology. I did that and it really helped me raise my kids.
Me: Really?
Woman 2: Yep, my mom told me I should and it really helped

Woman 3: WHAT! You aren’t engaged are you?
Me: No. God will bring the right one at the right time 
Woman 3: phew! You don’t want to get married that young, honey.  
Another woman in the room: I was gonna say- don’t rush into anything

Many women offer me a suggestion or two while the men are usually very enthusiastic and commend me for my choice.

When I first chose to be a stay-at-home daughter I didn’t know how people were going to react!
I knew that when my older sister made the choice she had to face lectures and scorn from some people.
I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions of most people. But I also have not had to voice my choice to an out spoken feminist. 

Being a stay-at-home daughter is my choice and I must make the choice based on my undertanding
of Scripture and God's will for my life.
 
So what do you think? What lifestyle do you believe the bible supports for women? 

Serious question to think about: What defines your dreams and goals? God’s word or The World?

Blessings,

Bethany

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Last month my sisters, some of our friends and I went to a local nursing home to sing
for the residents, and to visit with them.

Lev 19:32 "You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am YHWH. 

When we take time out of our schedule to spend time with the
elderly, we are honoring them with our time.

It is amazing what they can remember. Some can’t remember what
happened yesterday, but they can tell you all about their
childhood.

It is so fun to hear them tell you about their childhood, most
of them grew up on farms, and had many animals.

A lady I met grew up on a farm with her three brothers. 
 
Her name is Margaret and her family had a dairy farm with
30 cows. They grew 40 acres of corn in addition to Tomatoes, Carrots, and
lettuce. She also told me that she and her brothers would help deliver milk by
running it up to the door as their dad drove his Ford pick-up truck.

One of the most cheerful residents is Harvey he likes to
make people laugh and flatter the ladies.

He is always ready to tell you about his dog Newt who comes to
visit him every week. Most of the residents are in wheelchairs but not Harvey he gets a motorized
wheelchair, you can find him zooming around the building and getting plenty of
attention.

 While you are there you both get blessed, you get to learn what
it was like 50 to 80 years ago and they get someone to sit and talk to. 
 
I have really enjoyed going to the nursing home because I get to
learn lots of things and I get to have many stories to bring home to tell my
family.

The times we have gone we went with some of our friends.

My younger brothers have not been coming, but since hearing all the
stories we have brought back, they want to come next time.

It is a great time to reach out to the elderly.

 I hope you will visit a nursing home some time and bless the
residents with your time.’

1Corinthians 10:24 "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."
 
 
                                                 YHWH bless you,

                                                                             Emily

One of the hardest things in life is chosing the right kind of
friends. Is there really such thing as Friends Forever?
I think it's highly possible to have friends forever when they are your sisters :)
Sisters are the best kind of friend because they encourage
you, talk to you, listen to you and spend time with you.
The reason sisters are your friends forever is because you live with them all your growing up life.
Even if one of them gets married you can still keep in touch (We all want to keep in touch).

You need to be very careful of who you associate with because 1 Corinthians 15:33 says;
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

A good friend is a good example of love to us, brothers (and sisters!) are espesially good in a crisis.
"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity"
PROVERBS 17:17

Somtimes it's hard to find true friends.
"A person who has friends may be harmed by them,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
PROVERBS 18:24

Here are some ways to know which of your friends are good choices:

O Do they believe and follow scripture?
O Are they respectful to athourity (Especially their parents)?
O Do you feel spiritually encouraged after being with them?
O Are they nice to their siblings?
O Do they do what they are told?

How to get rid of bad friends:

O Don't make efforts to get together with them (but if they still want to get together- see below)
O Invite them to do a Bible Study
O Talk about your beliefs
O Always have your parent(s) right there with you (this is good even with good friends)

You can do these with good friends too but if they are bad friends,
then they will not want to be friends with you anymore.

There are many other verses in the Bible that talk about the kind of friends we should have.
Some good friendships found in the Bible:

Ruth and Naomi
Jonathan and David
Yeshua and his disciples
Mary and Elisabeth
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Paul and Timothy
Joshua and Caleb

A couple bad friendships found in the Bible:

Samson and Delilah
Solomon and his wives
Eli's sons
Balead and Balaam

I hope this helps you make right choices in choosing your friends.

Lydia
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Every Friday our family prepares for the Sabbath by
cleaning our whole house.

Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the YHWH your God.
On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or
 Your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the YHWH made heaven and earth, the sea, 
And all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the YHWH blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 


We start our day by cleaning the kitchen after breakfast, And then everyone goes off to do their chores.

Naomi usually cleans out the laundry room and keeps laundry
going so that there is no laundry for Shabbat. She also gets food ready for the
Shabbat meal and for the meal we take to fellowship\church as a pitch-in.
Naomi helps delegate to others what else needs to be done. 
 
Bethany helps with getting food ready for Lunch, dinner and the next day. Bethany is also very good
at seeing what needs to be done and having the other kids help her do it or she will just do it herself.

I (Emily) usually do the vacuuming, the dusting and helping with dinner and some other things like
  putting away clutter, doing what older siblings tell me to do and stuff like that. 

Lydia usually cleans up the family room and library (This is the room we keep most of our
books in). Lydia also helps Naomi keep laundry going, and works on straightening her room.

The boys usually get told to do many things like; Putting the shoes away, folding clothes,
putting the clothes away, putting toys away, and many other things that just
seem to build up throughout the week.

Sherman mows sometimes and Clayton cleans the bathrooms. 
 
Every week is different, but we all work together as a family to
get the house clean for the Sabbath.

Then after the house is all clean, and the food is ready we sit
down as a family and eat a nice Shabbat meal. This is usually the best meal of the week!

One of our traditions on Shabbat is to say the blessings over
the food before we eat. But before we say the blessings over the food we kindle
the Shabbat lights and say the blessing.

 Kindling the Shabbat lights

Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, asher
kideshanu b’mitzvotav ve’tsivanu lehiyot or Le-goyim v’natan-lanu et Yahshua
Meshicheinu, or ha’olam
 
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
Elohim, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and
commanded us to be a light to the nations and Who gave to us Yahshua our Messiah
the Light of the world

Blessing over the wine

Baruch atah YHWH Eloheynu Meleck ha-olam, borae p’ree hagefen.
Amaen.
 
Blessed art Thou, Yahweh our Elohim, King of
the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Amen


Blessing over the bread

 Baruch atah YHWH, Eloheynu Melekh ha-olam, ha-motsee lechem min
ha-arets. Amaen.
 
Blessed are Thou, Yahweh our Elohim, King of
the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.
Amen.


Blessing over the Meal

Baruch atah YHWH Eloheynu Melech ha-olam, borae meenay
meoznot.  Amaen.
 
Blessed art Thou, Yahweh our Elohim, King of
the universe, Creator of various kinds of foods. 
Amen.
 


After dinner my dad will bless us
with the Bible verses


Numbers 6:24-26  

Aaronic Benediction


Yvarekh'kha YHWH v'yeeshm'rekha Ya'ayr YHWH panav 'aylekha veekhoonekha Yeesa‘
YHWH panav ‘aylekha v'yasaym l'kha Shalom. B'Shaem Y'shua haMoshiach, Sar
  Shalom. Amaen
 
Yahweh bless you and keep you, Yahweh make His face
shine upon you and be gracious unto you
Yahweh lift up His countenance upon
you and give you peace. In the Name of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua the Messiah.
 Amen.

These blessings are not commanded, we just do them as a
tradition, and traditions are fine to do as long as they don’t go against what
YHWH commands.

After the meal we linger around the table talking and answering
questions, one of our favorite seems to be “What have you learned this
week?”

I hope this encourages you to follow YHWH with all your heart,
soul and might.

YHWH bless you,


              Emily
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My generous uncle just gave us some giant zucchini from his little zucchini farm (it’s not really a zucchini farm-he only has 50
plants). We are very grateful because our zucchini plants are dying (as of this publications they are DEAD).
Anyway, I wanted to share one of our family’s favorite zucchini recipes with anyone brave enough to try it. 

This is a wonderful recipe to try if you have a boat load of zucchini and you've already made; zucchini bread, zucchini relish, zucchini marmalade, zucchini pickles, zucchini pizza- you get the idea. I found this Apple Pie recipe last August but I forget exactly how I came across it but I am glad I did! Here is the original recipe if you would like to try it- http://www.food.com/recipe/zucchini-apple-pie-38717

The first time I made it I used white flour but last time I used whole wheat flour. Using whole wheat flour does make in a little grainy but if you already use whole wheat 99% of the time you probably won’t mind- we didn’t. 

Here is my version of the recipe


 Mock Apple Pie with Zucchini 


Ingredients:

½  LARGE Zucchini (to make 10 cups thinly sliced)

1/3 cup Lemon Juice

1/3 cup Water 

½ cup Soft White or Spelt (you can use white flour if you want)

1 cup Sucanut (or granulated sugar of your
choice)

1 ¼ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

1 dash of Salt 

For Crumb Topping:
½ cup Soft White or Spelt (or white flour)

½ cup rolled Oats

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Nutmeg

1/3 cup Butter (Slightly softened)

Directions:

1. Peel zuccini and slice in quarters lengthwise

2.  Gently scrape out seeds, slice thinly (very thinly, as thin as you can get it!)

3.Put zucchini, water and lemon juice into a pot with lid on top, simmer and stir frequently until slices are tender

4. Drain but do not rinse 

5. In a medium bowl mix zucchini, flour, sucanut, 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon and salt 

6. Place all of the above in a pie pan

7. In a seperate bowl mix together the first five crumb topping ingredients then cut in butter

8. Place all of topping on top of pie

9. Bake at 400* for 30-45min

 

Not all Zucchini pie recipies are alike!! One of my sisters made a different recipe and it was yucky :)
When I made this recipe no one even guessed the secret and didn't believe it when I told them!

Yahweh bless you and happy baking!

-Bethany-
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Last week in my herbalism studies, one of my projects was
to create an herbal tea for pregnant women.

In my experiments, I made both hot tea and iced tea. Both
of them worked well with the same proportions.

3 parts red raspberry leaf
1 part peppermint leaf
1 part alfalfa
1 part nettle

Two cups of herbs for one gallon of iced tea.
Two tablespoons of herbs for one cup of hot tea.

I used honey to sweeten the hot tea and stevia to sweeten the iced tea.

This tea is good to use during the whole pregnancy. It is also very good for people in general,
several in our family have been drinking it the past few days.
 
First I had to find some common pregnancy concerns, and herbs that would help to remedy them.

 Pregnancy Concerns 
Anemia:             
Needs-                        
     Iron-peppermint, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa                         
     B vitamins- peppermint, red raspberry leaf                   
     Vitamin C- Nettle, red raspberry leaf
 
Insomnia:             
Needs-                         
     Calcium-peppermint, nettle, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa                         
     Magnesium-peppermint, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa
 
Leg cramps:
Needs-                         
     Calcium-peppermint, nettle, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa
     Magnesium-peppermint, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa
 
Much of the following information came from the
"How To Herb book"
by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon

Peppermint 
 A delicious mild tea. Good for all digestive problems, helps stomach pain caused by indigestion
and is soothing to the stomach.
Excellent for fevers, flu, diarrhea, ulcers, and colitis.
Strengthens nerves and heart muscles.
Cleanses and tones the body. Can be used instead of aspirin for headaches.

Can take the place of coffee for a stimulant.
Promotes relaxation.
Has been used to help colds, digestion,  nausea, nerves and stomach.

Peppermint is high or very high in; calcium, iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, protein,
riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamin A

Nettle is a great tonic herb that has chlorophyll in high yields and is rich in iron, calcium, potassium, silicon, magnesium, zinc,
 manganese, dietary fiber, protein, and chromium. It is also a significant source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A.
It is an excellent reproductive tonic, and is useful for vitality and energy.

Internally it is used to treat:
Anemia, High blood pressure, and many other things.
Nettle relieves fluid retention, helps to prevent varicose veins and hemorrhoids, strengthens the kidneys and adrenal glands and increases breast milk.
 
Red Raspberry Leaf 
Lots of Vitamin C and Calcium
Red raspberry leaf is the herb of choice for pregnancy, and for women’s health.
It is filled with essential minerals and vitamins like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, silicon, sulfur, and vitamins C, E, A, and B complex.
It also contains easily assimilated calcium and iron.

Red raspberry leaf is packed full of nutrients that a pregnant woman needs.
It helps provide, Miscarriage prevention, Increased fertility, Alleviation of morning sickness Reduced labor pain, 
and Increased lactation.
 
Red raspberry leaf is the best single herb that we can take for total uterine health.
There is a long list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that the uterus needs to work efficiently.
Red Raspberry leaf has virtually all of them.
The most popular use for Red raspberry leaf tea is for  mama and baby’s health throughout pregnancy.
It provides your uterus with a nourishing source of vitamins and minerals that are vital to a healthy pregnancy.
This really helps to lower and sometimes eliminate cramps from the menstrual cycle and also makes for an easier birth.

Red raspberry leaf tea is full of a naturally occurring calcium that is easily absorbed by the body.
In the smooth muscle of the uterus, calcium controls the depolarization of the cells.
That in turn, allows the uterine muscle to receive oxygen and work efficiently.
In other words, without a sufficient supply of calcium, only part of the uterine muscle will work as it should.
This would strain the rest of the uterine muscle beyond reason, generating heat and stress on an already taxed body.

So, to review, Red raspberry leaf;     
Strengthens wall of uterus and entire female reproductive system             
Is good during all months of pregnancy.              
Alleviates morning sickness and nausea.              
Has been used as a preventative for hemorrhaging during labor             
Assists labor, making delivery easier and relieves after pains
Tones and regulates before, during and after childbirth
Increased and enriches milk for lactation
Soothing to stomach and bowels.           
Raspberry tea is mild and pleasant to taste             

Red Raspberry leaf is a high mineral and vitamin source. It strengthens the uterus, and can be taken during the entire
pregnancy safely.

All this makes red raspberry leaf one of the best bases available for this tea.
I love this naturally occurring herb that God created for women’s health.

Alfalfa herb has been called the “king of plants” since it is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, potassium, silicon, and trace elements.
It has eight essential amino acids and the highest chlorophyll of any plant.
Alfalfa is used as a base in many combinations and vitamin formulas because it permits rapid assimilation of plant elements.
It is most popular as a blood purifier and as a cure for all inflammations.
You should avoid alfalfa while taking blood-thinning agents
 
Alfalfa is a good source of carotene (Vitamin A) and a little known vitamin- Vitamin K,
the blood clotting vitamin which has been known to help peptic ulcers and helps avoid excessive blood loss in the mother and  developing baby. Alfalfa also helps to increase breast milk.

Alfalfa prevents tooth decay and helps rebuild decayed teeth, and contains natural fluorides.


As you can see, these are just a few of the amazing plants that Yahweh made for us to help care for our bodies.

Naomi

Sherman is our 12 year old brother, he loves to play the shofar for our family and he is always ready to learn more about how things work. Sherman enjoys learning about biblical science. His favorite science teachers are Ken Ham,
Kent Hovind, Dr. Jay L. Wile,  and Brad Scott.