Monday A La Mode: July 15, 2013

Another Monday is upon us and that means it's time for the 3rd edition of Monday A La Mode. This Monday is a special day at my house. My stepson is officially a teenager today. Yep, that's right, thirteen years old. So first and foremost I want to wish him a very happy birthday!

And now, let me share some of the things I discovered recently...

IN THE NEWS...

• Trayvon Martin's killer has been acquitted to the shock of most of the nation. What do you think of the verdict? The best news article I've seen on this and the one which most accurately mirrors my own viewpoint is from Mother Earth News. Click here to read the article. 
• If you don't already subscribe to Mother Earth News, give it a try. You will receive a single daily email from them.

DID YOU KNOW...

• Shea butter is in many bath and body products as a moisturizer, but it happens to be good for many skin conditions as well. Try a sugar scrub or bar soap that contains a good amount of shea butter to help with eczema, psoriascis, or rosacea. I tried a sugar scrub and spent a great deal of time analyzing the ingredient list to find out why my eczema cleared up while using it! The best way to make sure a product contains more than just a trace of the ingredient is to make your own. Speaking of making your own...

YOU MAY WANT TO READ...

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Natural Beauty Products - You may not want to follow these recipes exactly and some of them require too many ingredients to justify making a small batch just for yourself, but this is a great guide to get you started. Most of the recipes are super easy to adjust to make them into just what you want! 
• As for fiction, I was reminded recently of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which is (in my opinion) one of the greatest books ever written. It's sheer simplicity is part of the wonder. I bought a first edition of this book as a gift for my son for Christmas 2012. He told me last week that it was the best gift he got last Christmas and is now a prized possession. If you haven't read it, I recommend an immediate trip to the local library!
• The August issue of Real Simple Magazine features seven centenarians. Great inspiration for keeping healthy and active and a great reminder to enjoy life, some of these seniors workout more often than I do and have more active social lives too! All at 100+ years old!

SAVE YOUR MONEY...

• Never buy air freshener again! Instead, simmer one or more of your favorite scents in water on the stove. Use a fan to spread the scent if you need. For starters try lemon peel (save the peels from lemons you've used) and cinnamon. If you have a stubborn odor you need to get rid of, add a few spoonfulls of baking soda to the pot.
• Later, pour the cooled mixture into a spray bottle and use in any specific areas, like bathrooms or pet areas. Remember this mixture may not keep long, depending upon what's in it.
• If you use soap nuts for your laundry, save the used ones! I keep a container on top of the dryer for mine. When you have a few cups of them, simmer in water on the stove and strain the resulting liquid into a spray bottle. You have a great multipurpose cleaner! Use it on countertops and stoves, on dishes, or on floors. 
• If you haven't tried soap nuts for laundry, I find I save a ton versus store bought detergents. Click here to see more info on soap nuts and/or buy your own.

I REALLY ENJOYED...

• The Joys of Simple Life is a blog written by Mai Songalia and I really enjoyed reading her post this week titled "Five Inspirational Quotes to Remind You Why Money Isn't Everything." I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't say more. Just click here to read it for yourself.

APPS TO TRY...

• I'm doing a lot of physical conditioning lately but sometimes I just don't have time to drive to the gym for strength training. Enter Sworkit, an app that lets you enter the time and type of workout you want. You can choose to have sound or not, workout for as few as five minutes, and choose cardio or strength. The app guides you through exercises and times you. 
• Then try the Runtastic Heart Rate app to measure your heart rate after (or before) your workout. Yes, your phone can measure your heart rate! You hold your finger over the camera and flash for just a couple of seconds.I love it!

WHAT IS THAT...

• If you've heard a lot about fracking lately, but wish you knew the facts, watch Gasland 2, a documentary series on HBO. See the trailer below and go have a great week!

GASLAND 2 HBO trailer from JFOX on Vimeo.


Don't forget to leave your comments or questions below. And if you like this post share it with your friends via the Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ buttons below. 

Alternative Housing Ideas Gain Popularity

Lately I've been seeing more and more ideas for alternative housing. People want greener spaces that take up less space and blend into nature more readily. This desire to go green has induced designers to come up with some very interesting ideas for homes that are far from traditional, but are still quite desirable.
One interesting idea is the earth sheltered house. In short, this is a house that is surrounded by earth on all sides but one, including the roof. Think Little House on the Prairie. Remember the little sod house they lived in? These homes are super insulated for starters and often are built with upcycled materials like used tires. They typically have a modern look, but I have also seen some that look like more traditional. I've even seen some that made me think of a hobbit hole in the Lord of the Rings! Here are some examples:

Another interesting new idea is the tiny house. A tiny house is exactly what the name implies. It makes better of use of space than traditional homes so that fewer building materials and less land are used. Many of these are also easily moveable, so if you move you can take your house with you! Of course, they are easier to heat and cool also. Here are a few pictures of tiny houses:

Yet another idea is the pod home. A person buys a central pod that is great for one or two people. Then as the family grows, additional pods can be added to the central pod. When the kids are grown and ready to move out on their own, they can take one of the add-on pods off of the central pod and let the son or daughter take it with them! How neat is that? 

What about the tree house idea? We can't leave that one out because it's by far my favorite! I would absolutely love to live in one of these! Check out these amazing tree houses for families!

I think these tree houses are like dream homes! 

All of these ideas are new and different but quite appealing. What's your favorite? Have you seen some new ideas for housing that I've missed?