Washing Laundry on a Limited Budget

Mother once said that there is nothing more alarming than running out of laundry detergent and having no money to buy more.  Well, lucky for her, she was able to purchase vinegar and baking soda with food stamps until she could save enough to buy the essentials.  She quickly learned that she could get her laundry just as clean and save money with the following recipe:

Supplies:

1 Gallon cheap white vinegar

1 Box of your favorite powder detergent (Mother uses powder because liquid removes the waterproof coating on rain pants and coats)

1 Box Borax (or Oxyclean)

Large to Extra Large Load:

1/2 to 1 cup Vinegar

1/8 to 1/4 cup Powder Detergent

Mother uses a separate container to mix the two; they foam and dissolve, then she adds:

1/4 to 1/2 cup of Borax (or OxyClean)

Clothes come out cleaner and the supplies last much longer.  You can make a box of detergent last 4 to 8 times longer than normal.  Mother has to wash laundry for 5 people, so her loads are nice and full but not too full.  If you are using a top loading machine, you should see the top holes of the barrel after it is filled.  This gives the clothes enough room to clean well.

Martha's Video of the Week

Whole Grains: Yes, but...

Ah, man...just when you think you're onto something healthy, there's always some kind of glitch.  The whole grain craze is great in theory but one vital piece of information was left out.  Whole grains contain phytic acid that is explained best in the following quote from mother's favorite cookbook, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (page 452-453).

     "All grains contain phtyic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound) in the outer layer or bran.  Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption.  This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss.  The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.  Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid.  As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains.  The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.

     Soaking in warm water also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, present in all seeds and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes.  The action of these enzymes also increases the amounts of many vitamins, especially B vitamins.

     Scientists have learned that the proteins in grains, especially gluten, are very difficult to digest.  A diet high in unfermented whole grains, particularly high-gluten grains like wheat, puts an enormous strain on the whole digestive mechanism.  When this mechanism breaks down with age or overuse, the results take the form of allergies, celiac disease, mental illness, chronic indigestion and candida albicans overgrowth.  Recent research links gluten intolerance with multiple sclerosis.  During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.

     Grains fall into two general categories.  Those containing gluten, such as rye, barley and especially wheat, should not be consumed unless they have been soaked or fermented; buckwheat rice and millet do not contain gluten and are, on the whole more easily digested.  Whole rice and whole millet contain lower amounts of phytates than other grains so it is not absolutely necessary to soak them."

When buying bread, mother chooses sour dough because of the fermented culture that it is made with and she also looks for cracked wheat bread.  When making bread or serving grains at home, mother will soak grains or sprout grains to break down the phtyic acid.

Martha's Video of the Week

Early Signs of Autism

"Looking back, I should have known something was amiss when she wouldn't sit still to have a book read to her.  It wouldn't be until the age of 3 when she would allow a book to be read just before she fell asleep.  Even then she wasn't interested, she just "allowed" it to happen"

  
Mother first found out that her children had Autism when her pediatrician expressed concern about her daughter's lack of speech at the age of 2 years.  It would be another year before he would refer her for a speech evaluation.  At the age of 3 years, her daughter was diagnosed with Autism.  Her son was 2 years old, at the time, and he also showed all signs of Autism.  

After much research, experimenting with diet & supplements, and educational intervention, it would be the 2 year old that would make the greatest and fastest leaps in recovery.  Her daughter would also recover but at a much slower pace and with some residual symptoms.

  

Wearing a weighted vest and completely oblivious of the other children.

Early diagnosis made the difference.  As mother researched Autism, all experimental treatments that she considered came with the same advisory, "a child under the age of 3 can reverse the diagnosis and a child over the age of 3 will see great improvements."  The advisory proved true and that is why it is essential to get an early diagnosis and start working with a child right away.

Here is mother's 3 year old and 2 year old "playing" with toys.  They would pull all the books off the bookshelf and throw them in the center of the room.  Then they would pile all of their toys on the floor and strip the bedding off and throw it over the toys and then jump from the bed onto the pile.  No imaginary play.  No talking.  Just destruction and jumping.  All day.  Every day.

There are several signs to look for in babies and young children that include the way they play with toys and interact with others but speech is very important and can be a sign of other problems aside from Autism.  With this being said, the following article comes from the Revolution Health website:

Although speech and language continue to develop through adolescence, children usually reach major milestones in predictable stages by 6 years of age. The exact pace at which speech and language develop varies among children, especially the age at which they begin to talk. 

Communication skills are often categorized as receptive language and expressive language. Receptive language is the understanding of words and sounds. Expressive language is the use of speech (sounds and words) and gestures to communicate meaning.

Details of the developmental milestones can be evaluated according to age.

• Birth to age 1:
  
  
  • Babies begin to process the communication signals they receive and learn to vary their cry to communicate their needs. During the first months of life, they are usually able to recognize their mother's voice and actively listen to language rhythms. By 6 months of age, most babies express themselves through cooing with vowels and one or two consonants. This progresses to babbling and repeating sounds.
  • By their first birthday, babies understand and can identify each parent, often by name ("mama," "dada"). They repeat sounds they hear and may know a few words.
• Ages 1 to 3:
  
  
  • After the first birthday through age 2, a toddler's speech and language foundation grows rapidly. During that time, 1-year-olds learn that words have meaning. They point to things they want, and often use one- or two-syllable sounds, such as "baba" for "bottle." By age 2, children usually can say at least 50 words and recognize the names of many objects, including those in pictures. They also understand simple requests and statements, such as "all gone."
  • Many 2-year-olds talk a lot. They usually can name some body parts (such as arms and legs) and objects (such as a book). Not all their words are intelligible; some are made-up and combined with real words. In addition to understanding simple requests, they can also follow them (such as "put the book on the table"). They should be able to say at least 50 words. They usually can say between 150 to 200 words, some of which are simple phrases, such as "want cookie." Pronouns (such as "me" or "she") are used, but often incorrectly.
  • Some children are naturally quieter than others. However, a child who consistently uses gestures and facial expressions to communicate should be evaluated by a doctor. These children are at increased risk for having speech problems.
• Age 3 through 5:
  
  
  • More sophisticated speech and language develops from ages 3 through 5. By age 3, most children learn new words quickly and can follow two-part directions (such as "wash your face and put your shoes away"). They start to use plurals and form short complete sentences. And most of the time their speech can be understood by others outside of their family. "Why" and "what" become popular questions.
  • Most 4-year-olds use longer sentences and can describe an event. They understand how things are different, such as the distinction between children and grown-ups. Most 5-year-olds can carry on a conversation with another person.

Free Food!

Nothing tastes better, when you are on a tight budget, than free!  We are lucky enough to live in a college town with many alleys that have an abundance of fruit growing over fences.  Mother was lucky enough to find concord grapes, pears and apples.  With the economy the way it is, many homes are sitting empty with yards full of ripe fruit begging for someone to harvest them.  Many neighbors would be glad to have people harvest what is left before it turns their yards into carpets of mush.

 

Mother spent the day canning grape juice and applesauce.  Never canned before?  Well, this is a good place to start.  Let's start with super easy grape juice:

Grape Juice

Use a pot large enough to cover your canning jars with 2 inches of water.  It takes a long time to bring a huge pot of water to a boil, so I put my empty jars and lids in the pot while it is heating up.  By the time you rinse the grapes and pull them off the vines, the jars are ready to be filled.  In a separate pan, bring water and raw honey to a boil.  Remove jars and lids from pot.  Put enough grapes in the jars to fill them 3/4 full.  Pour hot water and honey mixture into jars, leaving 2 inches of headroom.  Wipe rim of jars with clean towel.  Center lids on each jar and apply rings.  Put jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  You will hear the lids start popping as they seal.  Let jars sit undisturbed until cool.  When you are ready to use your juice, just strain the fruit before serving.

Applesauce

If you have a food mill, you can chop up and use all of the apple.  Mother does not have a food mill, so she removes cores and stems.  Once the apples are cut up, you can throw them in a large pot with about a half cup of water and cook over medium heat until they get soft.  As the apples soften, stir, cover and simmer for a couple of hours until completely soft and broken down.  You can blend or mash the apples and put them in hot jars, leaving about a half inch of headroom, apply seals, rings, and boil for 5 minutes.  Having cooked the applesauce, and having it piping hot when added to jars, cuts the processing time down.

One bucket of apples yielded about 11 pints of applesauce. 

Martha's Video of the Week