Early one morning he happened to see part of an infomercial on the Mr. Steamy dryer balls.  Whatever they said on the program convinced him that I needed them.  That afternoon he looked up more information on their website.  He told my husband what he intended to give me.  Lane had never heard of them.

Together they decided to run into Bed, Bath & Beyond to see if they had any dryer balls.  They carried some dryer balls, but they were not the same brand that he had seen on television.  Jake immediately grabbed them and said he was done.  He was quite satisfied with his purchase and could not wait for Christmas morning to arrive.

Jake carefully wrapped them up and placed the package up on top of the china hutch.  Let me explain.  Traditionally we would place presents under the Christmas tree.  With Andrew still being one year old, Lane and I made the executive decision to store all gifts out of reach, but in sight of the children.  It worked well.  No gifts were opened prematurely.  The gifts were not man-handled, shaken, and sized by weight.  Best of all, the kids could see that they had a gift or two to open.

Anyway on Christmas morning, Jake made sure his gift to me was on top of my pile to open.  Since he was so excited about whatever it was that he bought, I chose his present to open first.  When I saw these two pink odd shaped balls, I was initially perplexed.  “What in the world?”  I thought.  “What did he get me?”

But then I did the smart thing and I read the package.  They are dryer balls.  You put them both in your dryer with your load of wet clothes.  They apparently move around throughout the cycle reducing static electricity and soften the fabric of your clothes without the use of any chemicals.

I cannot use fabric softeners or dryer sheets because they contain chemicals, especially formaldehyde.  Jake is allergic to formaldehyde.  In weather like we are having, I could freeze-dry our clothing on the clothesline if I wanted to.  Instead I have been using our dryer.  Jake saw something that could help me with my chores.  He wanted to give me something that would improve the way I did laundry.

The jury is out as to whether or not these dryer balls actually do as they claim.  I will put them to the test with all the loads of laundry I need to do now.  Have you noticed how much more laundry one seems to do in the winter?  There are so many more layers to get dirty.

Regardless if they work well or not, I think that I will always remember the day that a young man, my son, carefully chose a gift for me.  It is true, it is “the thought that counts.”  He put a lot of thought and went to a lot of trouble finding me a great present.  It is a perfect gift for me.

A bargain at Wal-Mart.

For some time now, I have been saving up to purchase an essential oil diffuser.  I wanted to be able to fill the air in my home with the refreshing and healing scents of my essential oils.  Since Jake is allergic to formaldehyde, I have steered away from store-bought air fresheners.  I have successfully used essential oils in vodka as an air freshener, but the scent does not stay for very long.

Essential oil diffusers are becoming more and more popular.  They are not very cheap.  The company Beeyoutiful carries two different kinds through their catalog.  One is $60.00.  The other is $90.00.  I was saving up for the $90.00 diffuser/nebulizer.

As I was walking through Wal-Mart the other day, I happened to notice a wall of boxes in the craft section.  The picture on the box caught my eye.  I could not believe it; Wal-Mart is selling essential oil warmers.  They are only $4.97.  So, I decided to try one.

The expensive diffuser I wanted uses electricity.  This option is more green in that it only uses a tea light candle to heat the essential oils.

The set-up is really simple.  There is a shallow plate that sits above a tea light candle.  I poured a little warm water in the shallow plate and dropped a few drops of Cassia oil.  Cassia smells just like cinnamon.  I lit the candle and waited.

I really did not smell anything at first.  I had to run outside for something and when I returned I noticed the warm scent immediately.  You could smell it upstairs and at the other end of the house.  The scent carried well throughout our entire home.

When the water had almost evaporated, I added more water.  This time I put a mixture of eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil.  Eucalyptus oil kills germs.  Since we had all been under the weather, I thought it was a good opportunity to disinfect the house.  Peppermint oil is soothing and refreshing.  I really liked the combination of the eucalyptus and peppermint oils.

I am very pleased with my essential oil warmer.  It works very well.  The downside is that the water evaporates.  I have to keep my eye on the water level.  I am finding that I have to add water and oil about every hour.  It certainly is not something you would want to leave burning while you went outside.

I am looking forward to all the different scent combinations I can make.  Both cassia and peppermint were festive for this time of the year.  They made my house smell like Christmas.  Since it is still cold and flu season, I will continue to use the eucalyptus oil.  Every house needs a breath of fresh air.  This inexpensive essential oil warmer does the job.  It goes to show that inexpensive and simple alternatives can still get the job done.

If you want to recommend a scent combination, please do.  Just leave a comment or contact me via email at laradehaven@texashomesteader.com.

My Son, Jake

As I mentioned before, my family and I have both food, chemical, and/or airborne allergies. Jake, my seven-year old has the most shocking allergy of all. He is allergic to formaldehyde. Months ago I found an afghan my husband’s grandmother had made before she died. Jake really liked it and started sleeping covered up in it. Then I noticed that he had tiny red bumps all over his body. They itched and he tried hard not to scratch them. I initially thought food was to blame since all the trouble I have had with Isaac. He is allergic to two main items: cow milk and wheat. When nothing seemed to help, I took the blanket away. After all it was the only thing new in Jake’s life. Thankfully his rash went away.

Jake has always been hyper. Occasionally he acts erratic like he cannot control himself. My husband and I have always joked that if he were in public school we would be at the principal’s office everyday. Don’t get me wrong Jake is a joy, but sometimes he is very frustrating. Anyway as part of my children’s Christmas present this last year, we let them re-paint their bedrooms. Jake really started misbehaving, but I thought that it was just the excitement of the holiday.

When we took him to be allergy tested with the rest of the family, we explained his reaction to the blanket, which I had brought with me. The doctor tested him with it. Jake was reacting to it, but to what in it. We did not know the type of yarn that was used in the afghan. The doctor decided to test him with formaldehyde because it is in fabric softener and dryer sheets. Jake was allergic to it. My initial reaction was “Okay, so when he is dead we won’t have him embalmed (as if it really matters then).” I immediately asked the doctor what contained formaldehyde. The first item he said was paint. Then it all hit me like a ton of bricks.

The doctor went on asking if he seemed crazy sometimes like he couldn’t control his behavior. I nodded my head. Dr. Colwell said, “Well, it is formaldehyde.” He put Jake on a liver de-toxification program, which he is currently doing. Jake does seem much better. He can focus on his tasks better. He seems happier.

Coming home I began researching formaldehyde and found to my disbelief that it is in everything. Okay, not literally everything but close. It is in soaps, shampoos, detergents, cleaning products, new furniture, fresh paint, vinyl floors, carpet, etc. It is even in our foods as aspartame. Our bodies break down aspartame, a fake sugar like NutraSweet, and it turns into formaldehyde. Obviously you cannot completely avoid formaldehyde, but we are doing our best.

I will write about my soap making experiences later. I have made goat milk soap, laundry detergent, all-purpose anti-bacterial cleaner, air freshener, and dishwashing detergent. It is actually a much more economical choice. It might take some time, but it cleans well and uses inexpensive ingredients.

Even if you do not react to this chemical, it has got to be healthier to not surround yourself with it. People forget that their biggest organ is their skin. It is taking in all of these chemical-laden products that we use. Be friendlier to it; treat it with natural products. Anyone regardless of where you live can make these natural cleaners for your home.

If you are not up to the task and would rather purchase natural products, Beeyoutiful carries a ton of all-natural products and supplements for your family. To look at their products, click on their banner on my sidebar.