Growing your best Tomatoes… The simple way.

Any person that has had a vegie garden before has tried to grow Tomatoes. Tomatoes are a plant that requires a little bit more than just a bit of water to make it thrive. I have had a few tomato crops fail over the season and here is some of the stuff that I have learnt, I hope it helps you to grow your best crop of Tomatoes yet!

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The first thing I like to do is test the PH of the soil that I am going to use. Tomatoes like their soil pH around 6.0 to 6.8. On the pH scale 7.0 is neutral; so the range which tomatoes prefer is slightly on the acid side. If your soil isn’t sitting within the right range it is easier to fix before planting then it is after you have already planted you tomatoes. The simplest way is to mix some good quality manure into your soil.

Tomatoes burn very easily in the sun. They need sunshine to stop them going moldy and getting nasty diseases. I recommend a spot where they get direct sun in the morning until around lunchtime, then in the shade.

Watering most people believe the more water the better. This is not necessarily true I only water every second day to give them a chance to dry out. I also do not water until after dinner in summer to make sure that they the get the most from the water. (don’t forget to spray the fruit and the leaves to make the most out of your water.

I am a firm believer in planting a whole raw egg underneath each plant to stop blossom rot. Many people have laughed at me for that one but I tell ya it works. I also like to sprinkle egg shells around the base of the plant maybe once a week. This will leach valuable nutrients into the soil.  

Don't forget the final part a good quality mulch. I use the dirty saw dust from the chicken boxes.

If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments and will be happy to help out.

10 DIY Natural Beauty Products

I love my homemade natural beauty products, I have been making them for years and they work better then any store brought product and the best part is it costs about an eighth of what a chemical filled product would cost.

Hair:
1. Apply coconut oil directly to your hair leave for 20 minutes then rinse of. This is best done once a week to help prevent split ends and also makes hair more manageable. You can also add avocado to the mix for extra moisture.

2. Lemon Juice sprayed directly onto the hair will work as a natural lightener.

3. Sea salt and water in a spray also work as a relaxed hold hair spray.

4. Corn Flour applied to the roots works as a dry shampoo and will also add extra body

5. Coffee grounds and coconut oil mixed together make a great purifying face mask.

6. Witch hazel and lemon juice skin brightening toner. I have used this since being a teenager and I have always had a healthy summer glow.

7. Aloe Vera can be applied directly to skin as a soothing moisturiser after sun exposure.

8. Olive Oil makes a great hand moisturiser.

9. Epsom Salts make a great detox bath for sore muscles.

10. Oatmeal for itchy skin. This can be made into a paste and applied directly to the skin or else a small amount can be added to the bath.

Ways to stop Constirpation in kids

This was a battle that went on in our house for 2 years my youngest struggled with constipation. We really struggled with helping him. I was inclined to not give him an over the counter or prescribed medication. I started to look at our diet first of all.

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More fibre was ultimately what we wanted to include in our diet.
This is my list of foods that we started to include in his diet:

Prunes:
If you can get them to eat them. I usually mix them into a fruit salad with other fruits from the list.

Pears
Pears are naturally really high in fiber, Make sure they are on the smaller side because the larger the pear the less fiber.

Flax Seed
As well as being full of fiber they also have good omega 3 fatty acid (the good kind of fat).

Brocoili
Brocoili is best served raw because cooked vegetables lose a lot of there fiber content. If you can't stand the thought of raw brocoili try lightly blanching it.

Carrots
As with Brocoili carrots are best served raw as this helps to retain its natural fiber.

Peaches
Dried peaches work just as well as fresh peaches to releave constipation in kids. This is a great on the go snack.

Figs:
Figs help to soften the stool, making it easier to pass through.

Pinapple:
Pinapple juice is a natural laxative. Its also great to give to kids as a cool drink. They aont even know that they are drinking something that's good for them.

Watermelon:
I have found that watermelon works great to releave constipation in kids because of its high water content.

Suprising benifits of Honey and Cinnamon

There is a lot of benefits in using Honey and Cinnamon.

Arthritis:
Copenhagen University recently did a study on 200 patients that suffered from arthritis, The patients were treated with a mixture of Honey and Cinnamon before breakfast. 73 of the 200 patients recorded a significate reduction in pain from arthritis.

Bladder Infection:
Stir 2 level tablespoons of Cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of luke warm water and drink. This mixture has been said to destroy the bacteria that cause Bladder Infections

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Heart Diseases:
Make a paste of 1 tablespoon of Honey and one level tablespoon of cinnamon, Use as a spread with Bread. Eat it on a regular basis to reduce your risk of heart diseases.

Hair Loss:
Make a paste with equal parts Honey and Cinnamon, apply to scalp and leave for 15 minutes, Then wash hair as normal.

Colds:
It has been said that Drinking Honey, Cinnamon and warm water will help to prevent infections from influenza.

Infertility:
It has been used to treat infertility in men for thousands of years. Take two tablespoons before bed. In eastern countries use Cinnamon to treat female infertility. They mix a pinch of cinnamon powder with half a teaspoon of honey.

Fatigue:
Studies have shown that the sugar in Honey is more of a help then an anything to the human body. Extensive research has been done, that when you drink a glass of water, honey and a small amount of cinnamon is effective to bring energy levels back up to where they need to be.

Aging:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder can slow down the aging process. Add four tablespoons of honey, one tablespoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of boiling water. Drink a cup 3-4 times a day. This will keep your skin looking smooth.

Honey and Cinnamon is a powerful super food that can be used to treat a large variety of common aliments. so before going to the doctor try looking in the pantry for a natural cure.

Gluten Free Dinners That Rock

I have recently been told that I am gluten intolerant and need to cut gluten from my diet. For those who don't know what Gluten is it's a mixture of 2 proteins that are found in cereal grains, that means not more bread, vegemite, porridge and muesli bars. Gluten products made up a large part of my diet so it was really hard to find foods that were gluten free that I really enjoyed. But after some research and trial and error I have come up with a list of things to cook for dinner that are both Gluten Free and delicious.

1. Baked potato with the trimmings
This is a great one because you can make it for the whole family and add in as much or as little that you like.

2. Pumpkin Soup

I posted earlier in my blog a gluten free pumpkin soup recipe that has no gluten it use sweet potato and coconut milk.

http://slowlivingmum.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/vegan-pumpkin-soup.html

A delicious recipe.

2. Stuffed Capsicum

This is super easy I like to fry some mince add some carrots, peas and corn as well as a can of tomatoes and place it all in a capsicum shell place cheese on top and bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

3. Creamy chicken and Avo with GF Pasta
This is super easy and delicious dish that only uses a handful of ingredients. Will post the recipe shortly.

4. Steak and Veg
Country Classic/ Suburban special
Meat and 3 veg typical classic. How ever if you are planning to use a pre-packaged sauce read the ingredients because a lot of then have Gluten in them.

5. Stir fry and rice noodles.
This is again a meal that can have anything added in that you desire and suits your family.

Ways to slow down everyday

Facing the rat race everyday can be stressful it seems that everyone wants everything done yesterday. I have been working hard lately and I have discovered easy ways that you can slow down and take a break. Here is my favorite ways to slow down and just breathe.

Savour Nature:
This is a big one that I have been working on, Just to stop and look at the beauty that is around me. I have been posting a lot of the things that I have come across on my IG account.

I snapped this cheeky little guy after a rain storm.

Take off your shoes:
Every lunch time I sit on the grass and look at the beautiful trees and things around me, I also like to take off my shoes and enjoy a bit of grounding. Good for the soul.

Solo Coffee Date:
As a teenager I wouldn't be caught dead out in public without a group of friends but as I approach 30, I began to stop caring what people think and started doing what would make me happy. Its soothing to sit in a cute little café and people watch or read a book. It doesn't matter so long as you are enjoying some alone time. No one else to consider but you.

Technology Ban:
For 1 hour a day I place a technology ban on everyone in my house. Nothing with a screen it starts at the same time everyday so everyone can just organise around it.

Cook:
Take time to cook something so delicious that it has the whole house waiting with baited breath. Get out your grandmothers old cook books and bake something from scratch.

Vegie Pasta Sauce your kids will love to eat

I love to make food from scratch that everyone in my family love to eat. I have been working on this recipe for a long time to make it the perfect mixture of healthy and fresh but also delicious.

You will need:
2 Large tomato's
1 Zucchini
Crushed garlic
Italian herbs
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Step 1
Dice Tomato's and Zucchini into cubes

Step 2

Place Tomato's, Zucchini and 1/4 of a cup of water into a small saucepan

Step 3

Add in the rest of the ingredients

2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Salt to taste

Sprinkle of Italian herbs

Step 4

Mix everything together and bring to the boil.

Once everything is cooked through serve over pasta

I was planning to take a photo of the end result but it didn't last long enough.

 

Eco Fashion: What does it all mean

Eco fashion has so many different names such as sustainable fashion, ethical fashion, Fair Trade fashion and conscious fashion. In the end what it all boils down to is its products that are designed and created with the social and environmental impacts in mind.
It seems that there is a new trend people are following every month, its easy to get caught up in trend chasing and forget about how the garment was created.

What defines something as Eco/ Sustainable fashion?
Made from organic natural fibres
Recycled/ Reused fabric
Minimal chemical treatment
Animal free
Well crafted, good quality fabric
Vintage
2nd hand
Socially/ environmentally and economic responsible

 There is a growing market of brands that are focused on fashion that isn't going to harm the earth, that's good quality.
Some of my favorite are:

Adidas - Making yarn out of plastic sea debris
Puma - Committed to reducing the amount of chemicals that they release into the environment
Stella Mc Cartney - Stopped using and fur and PVC in there garments. They also use organic cotton in there lingerie.
Burberry - Launched a fair trade cotton agreement in Peru
People Tree - Sustainable fashion that makes clothes that anyone can afford. Totally gorgeous vegan accessories.
Rant Clothing - A classic fashion brand that makes clothes that will last a life time in a classic casual style.

Creative Places to give away your clothes

I have seen a lot of requests on Facebook about places to give things away that aren't op shops. I started to think about where to give things away that aren't just op shops. Although op shops are great places and do a lot of great work there are options other then op shops.

Winter Clothes
I was given a large supply of winter clothes from my mother, they no longer fit her so she passed them on to me, I had a fair bit that I was never going to wear particularly about 5 woollen coats, I went to the city one day were there are a lot of homeless, I simply left them all on a bench and walked away. I brought a coffee and walked back through where I had left them and they were all gone, the further I walked I started to see people wearing them it warmed my heart.

Corporate wear
I have given away a few items to a local battered woman's home because these women have often left with only the clothes on there backs and will need to get back into the work force and already having an interview outfit makes a world of difference to there confidence.

Kids Clothes and Toys
Like with the corporate wear you can donate kids clothes and toys to a local woman's shelter. It will help them to rebuild there lives after leaving everything behind. Many of these kids have seen things that no child should ever see. Get in touch with your local foster care organisation often there is a lot of need for books and clothes for boys and girls from new born to 16.

Soft Toys
Many places wont take soft toys because they are unable to be thoroughly cleaned. The RSPCA or other animal organisations are always looking for stuffed animals and old blankets. The animals enjoy cuddling up to them. Its very cute.

Excess food
I have a massive vegetable garden and often have left over, I often donate to feed the homeless, There is usually a few different organisations that feed the homeless. A church or a google search is usually a great way to find out home to get in touch with them.

I think before just giving something to the op shop you should consider is there someone who could use it more, and would they have the money to purchase it from the op shop?

Ways to slow down! and enjoy the moment

Slowing down and enjoying the moment has never come naturally to me, I always seemed to be on the go. When I first started living a slower life I really found it hard to stop after a while I had a list of things that were kid friendly and always helped me to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Sleep Outside - Pitch a tent, lay under the stars
Read a book outside
Cuddle your babies to sleep
Take photos
Sit under a tree
Yoga
Meditation
Listen to the radio
Write down what you are grateful for!
Walk on the grass
Cook/Bake
Garden
Build a fort with your kids
Have a tea party
Write
Cuddle your partner

Stop and take a breath

How to Make any house a home, even if you are renting

Making your space a place where you want to be is a matter of making it comfortable. This does need to be an expensive exercise. A few simple touches can make your house feel like a home.

Art
Art makes us feel something every time we really look at it. The best part about art is it can be anything that you find beautiful. I once read a article about a woman who framed the dress she was wearing on her first date with her husband, because he remembered how beautiful she looked in it. You can make some amazing art for less then $20, grab a canvas, some tubes of paint and start splattering it around.

Upcycling Old Clothes
This might seem like a strange thing to upcycle old clothes to make your house more of a home but I have made some great projects from old clothes I was planning to throw out. Turn old woollen jumpers into comfy cushion covers. Another favourite project of mine is I turned all of our old holey farm t-shirts into a floor rug.

Paint old furniture
With Facebook and gumtree its super easy to buy second hand furniture, or you may have some ugly hand me down furniture hanging around that you could paint or distress. This can instantly give you a feel of being home.

Display your favourite things
I have a misfit collection of things displayed around my house but I love each piece and each piece has a story, I love to tell them every time some one admires it. It might be my favourite set of wine glasses from Mexico or my old travel journal sitting on top of my coffee table.

Display photos
Nothing makes it feel like your space more then photos. I love photos if I start to feel lost or tired I look at my photos on the wall and I remember why I need to keep going and working. There is some great renters hooks out there that don't damage the paint.

Smells
This is something that really makes a house a home I personally love the smell of clean linen! It smells clean and fresh to me. I keep this smell around by using clean linen scented wax melts and using a fabric smell with a clean linen scented oil in it.

Pets
Nothing makes a house more of a home then a pet. Even if its a fish, there will always be something to put a smile on your face even on the worst days.

I hope I have helped you turn your house into a home.