I used to give classes on herbs and more accurately, doing things with them. Recently I went searching for my PowerPoint presentations with the classes on them but they seem to go the way of socks, Lego pieces, and the last bite of chocolate~ disappearing without a trace. Before I totally lose my memory which has become completely unreliable ever since having children (my memory has been replaced by a  ‘momery’ which prioritizes where hats and rhomework are and completely lets the long-term go) I thought I better write down, again, some of the information in a follow the steps kind of pattern. So, below is one way to give yourself a facial in the privacy of your own home, with ingredients that you handpick. One word of caution, if you have never had a facial before it does get rid of the top layers of skin and pulls out impurities, therefore if you have any blemishes about to bloom, a facial will generally take them to volcano phase fast. But then they are gone and the rest of your skin looks so silkily gorgeous that no one will notice anyway. OK, so,
Step 1: Use a facial scrub. If you don’t have a scrub (you should use one at least once a week, but twice is better) then you can use sugar. Aestheticians will surely disagree, b/c it is best to use smaller particles for scrubbing~ sugar is too big for constant use, but if you have nothing else then it will do.

Lani took this of the papaya

Step 2: Scoop out the meat of a papaya and stir it up. Apply to your skin for about 3 minutes, then take off with a washcloth. This is a chemical peel. Seriously. Look it up.

Long arm-Lani (right) took this zombie-ish pic.

Step 3:Use a green clay mask. You can buy dry french green clay from any health food store or massage store. I get mine in the bulk section of Zenith Supplies in Seattle, but I have also found it in the herbal bulk section of Whole Foods. There are ready-made masks too, but I am just going to write out the barest, most simple ingredients. Into the green mask I blend in some oat powder and rose petals that have been through a food processor or coffee grinder (depending on how much I am making.) This makes the clay a bit softening and not quite so drying, but you certainly don’t have to do that. You can add yogurt (plain kind) or an egg or a drop of essential oil to the mask if you like. Wait for the mask to dry (it will be obvious, but about 10-15 minutes) then go to
Step 4: Boil water and put it into a big, wide bowl. Add a drop of essential oil or a tea bag (such as chamomile or green tea) if you wish, then steam your face by leaning over the bowl with a towel to trap the air. This can be intense so do not stay longer than is comfortable. Only do it for a minute or two even if it is comfortable.
Step 5: Add cool water to the steamed water and use it and a washcloth to take off the mask. Use upward, outward, circular motions starting under the chin.
By now your face is glowing and in top form. If you wish, you can add moisturizer, or a bit of olive oil if it feels too dry. But honestly, it will probably just feel perfect.

The days may technically be getting longer, but we are knee deep in darkness here, and it’ll be a while before that changes. I took my youngest out to the mall to do a return tonight around 4:30, of course the rest of Western Washington was also there so it was not the best idea I’ve had today, but we were able to get in and out fairly quickly although we probably bumped into more people that a ball does in a pin machine. When we were headed home, just shortly after 5:, the sky was pitch black, the rain was coming down hard, and the traffic was way too close and definitely not filled with Christmas cheer. Over the sound of the beating rain and honking horns my son wanted me to explain how rain falls. Twice. Again. It was so nice to get home and eat hot refried beans and rice and draw a warm bath for my inquisitive little one who asked for candles and bubbles~ he must have been feeling happy to be home and warm too. All this winter-y-ness has made me want to bake a casserole lately. I’ve looked at recipes and it seems there is good news and bad news. The good is that most recipes can easily be made wheat free. The bad news is they are generally ripe with meat. I suppose I can substitute tofu, or just look for vegetarian recipes, but the truth is my husband and oldest son would probably eat more of a meat filled casserole than one more suited to my more beany tastes. Maybe I’ll just pick a recipe and split it into two, one with meat and the other without. And my youngest can eat crackers and bananas, as per usual. Actually, I could probably make a casserole out of that~ grahams with bananas, almond butter and granola anyone? That reminds me, I got Kinnikinnick’s gluten free graham crackers and they taste absolutely like the real thing! My youngest actually liked them~ and they have a recipe on the back of the box for a yummy butter, brown sugar and almond concoction to top them off which I just might try in an effort to get him to eat some kind of nut. (What kid doesn’t like peanut butter…?! Mine.) Although he does love nut thins but those don’t have a ton of protein in them. They are my favorite snack too though, especially with a bit of cheese.

This is just a short little discovery that has had me giddy of late. Normally my kids will eat baby carrots with a bit of an eye roll or, from my younger one, all out fury, but lately I’ve been putting them in a small bowl on the coffee table while they watch a movie or music or whatever, and they gobble them down. Seriously, they jump on the bowl as if it held buttery popcorn or chocolate kisses, every single time. Part of it has to be the fact I just put out one bowl~ it gets their competitive streaks going and my husband and I find ourselves saying, “just take one at a time.” I normally have to refill the bowl at least once. Maybe I should set out broccoli next…

That’s the big news in the world of school lunches. Congress calls pizza a vegetable even though the USDA wants to improve school lunch nutrition. For the record, it seems the USDA still would like to call pizza a vegetable, they would just like to increase the tomato paste from 2 T to half a cup. Perhaps this is a good time to take a good long look at our schools, and our school yards. Both times that I reached the point where my sons entered Kindergarten, I felt nauseous at the fact they would suddenly be spending so much time sitting down, not moving their little boy bodies nearly as much as when they are at home. The 15 minutes of recess twice per day does not cut it, nor does the PE class twice a week. During the summer my boys are active all day long~ and they are happy and healthy. Obviously they can’t swim all day at school and run around on the grounds, but I do think more activity can be built in. And the lunches~ of course they can be improved, but in the end it is the student making the choices and if he or she gets to pick between pizza or salad, most likely pizza will be the winner. We have to teach our kids about food, where it comes from, how it differs nutritionally, ethically, and connect the food to how it makes them feel. They need to understand there is a difference in food, that there are choices that make them grow taller, run faster, lift heavier items (normally each other in elementary grades I’ve noticed) and feel better. I think one answer is to starting gardens at school. California leads the way in Edible Schoolyards, and I would really love to see the entire nation follow their lead. Having a garden or greenhouse on the school property gives students the opportunity to see real food grow, to connect to it, and the earth it comes from. Gardening is an excellent thing to learn young and enjoy life-long. It is the perfect venue for teaching kids about energy (trucking food all over the place), about eating local, healthy foods, about being stewards of the earth and about being active~  active doing something real and meaningful. Kids love that, and they deserve it. I approached my sons’ principal about starting one at their school and he was surprisingly open about it, but unfortunately their school is under construction for two years and all the property is vulnerable to large earth movers at the moment. He said when that is over he had already been thinking about putting up a greenhouse. Now is the time! The idea is out there, and it is spreading. Let’s teach the kids something real. Ask your school, they just might be waiting for someone to get the ball rolling.

There was a recipe I saw in a PCC newsletter that caught my eye…it was fennel with roasted garlic and thyme. The article was about vegan Thanksgiving dishes, but since we are happily celebrating Thanksgiving in a rental, I decided to try the recipe tonight instead. I love any recipe that uses something commonly thought of as an herb as something more~ like using basil or cilantro as a real green vegetable instead of just seasoning. This recipe was pretty good, though I used seasoned Mediterranean salts instead of regular salt, dried thyme instead of fresh and water instead of vegetable stock. It was really different and considering how good fennel is for digestion, I felt like I was doing something good for my stomach with each yummy bite. My husband liked it too~ especially how it was seasoned. (Those salts are awesome!) On a different note, one way I get more nutrients into my younger son who does not exactly have a rich diet is by making smoothies. Here is his favorite, which he shares in the morning with his dad: 1 cup 1% milk, 6oz. vanilla yogurt, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein, 1 banana (frozen and pre-cut), 1 t. vanilla extract, 1 (big) t honey, 1 scoop greens (Trader Joe’s) and a bunch of frozen berries~ I use a mix from Cascadian Farms called Berry Jubilee and I use at least 2 cups, probably closer to 3. The blender hates me but the result is sweet enough for my sour-puss.