Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 54
June 3, 2014
Strawberry Cheesecake Pops
The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:
A recipe for cool, creamy strawberry cheesecake yogurt popsicles complete with a crunchy crust.
I always question whether it’s the crouching underneath a bright, hot sun or the reward at the end — biting into red, juicy berries — that I enjoy most when it comes to strawberry season. I seem to find some sort of idealist excitement over the act of picking.
Even as a child, woken early by my mother and dragged to the strawberry fields at the farm down the street, I would revel in the moment, dancing through the rows of green. Mosquitoes would sting, my brothers would whine, and still I left not annoyed by the heat or the task, but energized by sunshine and dirt. So it is with my own kids.
Carrying home basketfuls of berries, each child with a flat on their lap, a world of possibilities before us, the first thing to do is toss a few into popsicle molds for the afternoon. After they’ve run through the sprinklers or splashed in the pool and washed all the dirt from the morning picking from their knees, a sweet, cool reward is waiting for them in the form of a creamy popsicle.
Strawberry cheesecake is always one of my favorite frozen treats, be it the cake itself or in ice cream form. This combines the both of them, using yogurt as the base, and they are just what late spring ordered to be delivered.
Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles
Author: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
½ cup Greek-style plain yogurt
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup simple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup strawberries, sliced
4 graham crackers, crushed
Directions
In a food processor or blender, combine the yogurt and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Add in the simple syrup and the vanilla extract.
Blend into the strawberries, mixing until some chunks remain.
Spoon the mix into popsicles molds. Carefully place about 1 tablespoon of crumbs on the top of each mold, pressing into the cheesecake mixture.
Freeze until firm. To unmold, hold in your hands to warm slightly or run under warm water for 20 seconds. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Yield will vary by popsicle mold size.
#version#
Shaina Olmanson is the freelance writer, photographer, and home cook behind Food for My Family. Cooking daily with and for her four kids and husband, Ole, drives her desire to inspire other families to do the same. Shaina is also the author of Desserts in Jars and contributes regularly to a variety of online sites and traditional print magazines.
Strawberry Cheesecake Pops
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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June 2, 2014
My Top 10 Tips for New Homeschoolers
Daily checklists.
This will be our 6th “official” year homeschooling, and the longer we homeschool, the more questions I get from other current and prospective homeschoolers. (Some of which I’m confident answering and some of which just make me laugh that they’d ask me for advice or an opinion.)
Today I thought I’d share my top 10 tips for new homeschoolers. I never feel like I have time to share all of these in a single conversation, but this is what I wish I could tell each person before they start their first year:
1. Start with a boxed curriculum.
I can’t take credit for this advice, which actually came from Susan Wise Bauer, but it’s worth repeating: As a whole, homeschoolers are independent, out-of-the-box thinkers, and it’s tempting to begin crafting your own curriculum right from the start.
The problem with that approach, though, is that your first year homeschooling is really more about learning to homeschool (for you and the kids), discovering learning styles, etc. When you start by picking and choosing curriculum that sounds like the best fit, you may be jumping the gun a bit and choosing based on your ideals rather than the reality.
Starting with a boxed curriculum that covers the main subjects makes it easier to focus on the habits, routines and relationships of homeschooling and then make adjustments from there based on your family’s experience, strengths, weaknesses and preferences.
2. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
One of the hardest parts of being a homeschooler is buying curriculum that you know your family is going to love and having it turn out to be boring or a burden instead. Because of the money invested and fear of making the wrong decision again, it can be tempting to continue using something that’s not working, but don’t be afraid to replace curriculum once you realize it’s not a good fit.
(And you can usually recoup much of the cost by selling gently used curriculum on eBay or through various curriculum swap groups on Facebook or in your local community.)
3. But don’t give up on the original plan too soon.
On the other hand, it can take time to really get into the groove of using a new curriculum, so be careful that you’re not switching every time you bump into a frustration or something that doesn’t go exactly as you pictured it. Try tweaking the program, addressing the exact issues you’re having or setting it aside for a short amount of time before getting rid of it altogether.
4. Pay attention to tears.
As a decidedly non-empathetic person, my natural response to tears is to “encourage” my kids to choose to have a good attitude. What I’m learning more and more is that while tears may occasionally be used to manipulate me or get out of schoolwork, most of the time they represent a deep frustration or insecurity. Sitting down and talking about what’s causing the tears and how we can overcome those struggles — rather than pushing them to work through the tears — can help turn everybody’s frustration around!
Our cool find of the day.
5. Always look for the wonder.
Homeschooling offers us the incredible privilege of being able to inspire wonder in our kids. Whether it’s discovering a secret math trick, how bees collect pollen or a connection between what we’re studying in history and a modern news story, homeschooling is the perfect way to inspire wonder because we’re able to stop and focus on even the smallest of details. This, I believe, is a crucial building block for a lifelong love of learning and discovery, which is one of our family’s ultimate goals as homeschoolers.
6. But don’t be afraid of hard work.
That said, there is value in teaching our kids that sometimes you have to work hard, even when it’s not easy or fun, in order to reap the benefits. My oldest girls are passionate about French and Spanish, respectively, and even when the new vocabulary words and pronunciations don’t come easily to them, they know that “practice makes perfect” and the harder they work, the easier it will get.
We also have a rule in our house that if you complain about school (just to complain and not because you’re really struggling with a specific concept) you get double the work for the day. It only took a few times of following through on this rule before we were able to eliminate the bad attitudes about school.
Practicing math facts together.
7. Relationships come first.
It’s easy to get caught up in checklists and schedules and meeting the requirements of your state — and all of those things are important to some degree — but don’t forget that the relationships within your home really are the most important thing. Focus on building those relationships, even when it’s hard (and it will be hard sometimes, I promise!) so that your relationships blossom rather than struggle.
8. Don’t worry if it’s not easy.
I honestly think every new homeschooler should commit to homeschooling for at least two years. The problem is that when you’re just starting out, everything is new — the schedule, the academic requirements, the learning and teaching styles, all of it. It takes time to try new things, adjust, and find your groove, and I’m afraid that people who give up after one year because it’s “just not working” are missing out on the benefits of those early struggles.
Our family had to tweak and adjust our approach to homeschooling for several years before we settled into our current approach and really felt confident and happy about our homeschooling as a whole. There were times in the midst when we seriously considered other options, but I’m glad we stuck with it because we’re reaping the benefits now!
9. Don’t lose sight of WHY you’re homeschooling.
No matter what your reasons are for homeschooling (and they may be different than mine!), don’t forget why you’re doing this in the midst of the actual hard work of homeschooling. If it’s to inspire wonder and a love of learning, kids who dread school each morning are a clear warning sign that you’re getting off track. If it’s to build close family relationships and your family is bickering constantly, it may be time to back off the academics and focus on the relationships instead. No matter what your reasons are for homeschooling, be sure to keep them in mind not just at the beginning of your journey but throughout the day-to-day as well.
10. Remember that no homeschooler has it all together.
And finally, it’s all too easy to get discouraged by the challenges of homeschooling and to compare yourself to Suzie Homeschooler who has the perfect children, is always patient and who never struggles with patience. But Suzie Homeschooler is a mythical creature, and while there are many homeschoolers who are confident, joyful homeschoolers, none of us have it all together. We all struggle with patience and discipline and fear and remembering what’s really important sometimes; we’re just able to work through those feelings and embrace the joys of homeschooling instead.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to the homeschooler who you think does it perfectly. Share your struggles and ask her how she handles those same feelings; I have a feeling you’ll walk away encouraged by her real story rather than discouraged by myth!
Discover even more encouragement, advice and practical resources in the You Can Do It Too package, which includes stories from 25 homeschoolers, a mini ebook with details about our homeschooling method and a ton of great printables!
What advice would YOU give to a new homeschooler? Anything I missed?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
My Top 10 Tips for New Homeschoolers
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsExcellent, thank you! I am starting my first homeschooling year ... by KristenThis list is full of great advice. As I was reading, I looked ... by Heather @ My Overflowing CupRelated StoriesYou Can Do It Too! {Encouragement and Resources for Homeschoolers}What Is a Classical Christian Education?Plan the Upcoming Homeschool Year with These FREE Printables!
June 1, 2014
Dear Readers… + Desktop Calendar {June 2014}
To download the image above to use as your desktop wallpaper, simply click the image (or this link: June 2014 Desktop Calendar) and choose Save Link As… Then, open the picture, right click and choose Set as desktop background.
Dear Readers…
June? Is it really June already?
I’ve been in denial, shocked every time someone posts a picture at the swimming pool or celebrates their last day of school! But summer is here, and to celebrate, I’ve brightened up the site with a happy yellow.
We’ll be continuing with the same ol’, same ol’ here on the site, although I am working on an update to Easy Homemade — with even more recipes, kitchen tips and resources — that I can’t wait to share with you later this summer.
Two other things you should know:
We’ve got a great lineup of bundles coming at BundleoftheWeek.com. Sign up for the free newsletter for exclusive access to those bundles, including awesome bonuses each and every week with your purchase.
Amazon has been rocking the grocery deals with their new Prime Pantry. Be sure to subscribe to Jungle Deals & Steals, where my mom shares the hottest Amazon deals every day to help you save!
And finally, I’m still trying to figure out how to consistently post in the Facebook group, but if you’re willing to take my failures and successes, this month we’ll be doing a sugar challenge in the Life Your Way Monthly group. Whether you want to completely give up sugar like we did during the Break the Sugar Habit series or simply look for ways to cut back, be sure to join us for conversation, inspiration and tips!
I’ve really been enjoying hearing from you all in the comments and by email, and I hope you’ll keep sharing your thoughts with us this month!
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Dear Readers… + Desktop Calendar {June 2014}
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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May 31, 2014
Giveaway: Mabel’s Labels Limited Edition Camp Combo Pack (2 Winners!)
Our big girls will be heading to camp for the first time this year! While we’re still not ready for overnight camp, this is an all day camp…in Florida, so it’s still quite the wing-stretching experiencing. They’ll be staying with my parents for two weeks before the rest of us arrive, and they’ll spend 5 of those days at camp.
They’re so excited about every aspect of this trip — the flight, the time away from home (although I bet that our oldest will end up calling, FaceTiming and texting us several times a day), the camp…all of it!
In preparation for their trip, Mabel’s Labels sent them each a Camp Combo, and — because they’re their mother’s daughter — they are so excited about their labels!
The Camp Combo is packed with a collection of UV resistant, waterproof camp labels for kids designed especially for everything that goes to summer camp: clothes and footwear, toiletries, swim gear, backpacks and more.
With a choice of 3 solid palettes or 40+ multi-coloured designs, this specially designed combo pack is $39.95 and includes all the labels they could possibly need. But hurry because it’s only available until June 30, 2014!
Includes:
10 Sticky Labels
24 Skinny-Minis™
8 Shoe Labels
50 Tag-Mates™
2 Bag Tags
Enter to Win
This week, Mabel’s Labels is giving TWO lucky Life Your Way readers a personalized Camp Combo pack of their own!
To enter, fill out the form below:
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The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, 6/6. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Unfortunately, due to the international laws governing sweepstakes and lotteries, we’re only able to offer these giveaways to U.S. residents 18 years and older.
Giveaway: Mabel’s Labels Limited Edition Camp Combo Pack (2 Winners!)
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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Weekend Reading: May 31, 2014
We moved the crib mattress next to our bed so we would all have more room, yet we’re still waking up like this!
I’m in shock that tomorrow is June 1st!
It seems like spring just started, and I was totally caught by surprise when people were posting about swimming on Memorial Day.
Our big girls are heading to Florida with my parents this week to attend their church’s summer camp. Although they’ve been away for up to a week before, this time they’ll be several states away for a whole TWO weeks. We’re looking forward to making special memories with the little ones, but I’m sure we’ll be very anxious to join them by the time the two weeks is up!
Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading and what I’m pinning to see the other posts that make me stop and think (or, you know, drool…). You’ll find new posts all week long!
Imperfect Parenting
On Parenting Teens… | Jen Hatmaker
15 Ways to Not Yell When Noise Triggers You | The Orange Rhino Challenge
Why Imperfect Parenting is Good for Kids | Not Just Cute
Make Your Own Time
How Does a Busy Mama Make Time to Write? | Carrots for Michaelmas
4 Strategies for Cutting Your To-Do List in Half | Michael Hyatt
5 Tips to ‘Do It Now’ When You’re Super Busy | Andrea Dekker
Double Your Productivity With Your Time Off | Storyline
More About Joy
Authentic Adulthood: It Gets Joyful! | Patheos
How to Find Joy That Lasts | Martha Beck
Have a great weekend!
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend Reading: May 31, 2014
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsThank you for the link love, Mandi! by Haley @ Carrots for MichaelmasRelated StoriesWeekend Reading: May 30, 2014Weekend Reading: May 24, 2014Weekend Reading: May 17, 2014
May 30, 2014
Our 2014 {Simple} Summer Bucket List
For the past 3 years, I’ve created a new list of 101 summer activities each year to help inspire your summer plans. While I love being inspired by the ideas on those lists, I figure 303 ideas is enough for you to choose from without me scouring Pinterest for another whole new set this year!
Instead, I’m sharing our simple summer bucket list.
Summer for us actually looks a lot like the rest of the year. We school year round, and I continue to work during the summer, so those form the backbone of our weekly schedule.
However, we’re much more lax about bedtime, and the girls spend many evenings playing outside until dark. We also barbecue, get together at the park with friends, head up the road for an ice cream cone and travel a bit more. Our goal is to make summer a “quietly magical” time, where life continues to march along but we add special traditions and memories as well.
With that in mind, here is our 2014 summer bucket list:
1. Read together.
I have a love-hate relationship with read-alouds. I could happily read picture books all day every day to my littles, but I have a harder time reading chapter books with the big girls. This summer we’re reading The Borrowers, and I’d love to read through the whole series during the course of the summer. And there will still be plenty of picture books for the little ones as well!
{Also, I’m hoping to add 1 or 2 “fairy” doors around the house as we scoot out for our trip to Florida in a couple of weeks so that the girls will think Borrowers have moved in while we’re traveling!}
2. Catch lightning bugs.
On summer nights, our yard and the surrounding field literally light up with thousands of lightning bugs, blinking like camera flashes in a packed stadium.
One year when the girls were tiny, we excitedly rushed upstairs to wake them up and show them the lightning bugs, and they all slept right through our best attempts. Thankfully they’re old enough now to catch lightning bugs at dusk and then stay up until it’s dark enough to see the full show!
3. Make frozen fruit kebabs.
Most snacks around here consist of some type of fruit, and our favorite preparation in the summer is to thread grapes, berries or other chunks of fruit onto a kebab stick and then freeze them. This is especially fun now that the girls can do it themselves, and I foresee a lot of fruit kebabs this summer!
4. Forage in our yard.
Our girls are enthusiastic foragers, and we’re crossing our fingers that this will be a good year for our dewberry patch. We also recently learned that the invasive trees dotting our landscape are autumn olives, known for their delicious fall berries, so we’re counting the days until we can harvest those. I love when the girls start gathering wild garlic, carrots, dandelions and day lilies for us to incorporate into our meals, and I’m hoping to find a local foraging class so we can discover what other secrets our area holds.
5. Learn to sew.
I can operate my sewing machine and have made a few things here and there, but I’m not an accomplished seamstress by any means. However, my big girls have been begging for more than a year to learn to sew, and I want to make that a priority this summer.
Nicole just released her Sewing School 101 ebook, and I think we’ll work through that together since she outlines the basics and offers projects that increase in difficulty.
6. Weekly library trips.
Sean has been taking the girls on library dates (with a stop for an ice cream cone on the way!) for the past year, but it took us a while to get really consistent about it. Other than our Florida trip, we’ll be home for most of the summer, which will give us a chance to continue with these weekly throughout the summer. There’s so much to love about this tradition: one-on-one time with dad, regular visits to the library and new stacks of books every week!
7. Make homemade ice cream.
I’ve had a hard time motivating myself to make ice cream since I can’t eat it while I’m nursing, but I want to taste test my way through the recipes in Marillyn’s Just Making Ice Cream ebook this summer. She offers tips for making many of her recipes dairy free, so hopefully there will be plenty for me to enjoy!
8. Visit children’s museums.
Because of the size of our family, going to our local children’s museum can be fairly expensive. When we realized that our museum offers reciprocal memberships with other members of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, we knew that offered a much better value for our family…assuming we actually use it!
Thankfully, there are several science museums (and even an aquarium!) near my mom in Florida, so we’ll get plenty of use out of the membership right off the bat, and then we can spend the rest of the summer visiting other semi-local museums as well as our own.
9. Make tutus.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’m working with Tanna Clark at Grace & Glory, a charity on a mission to Fight Hunger, Encourage Play and Give Hope to Children in Need of a Brighter Tomorrow. I’ve also been on the hunt for opportunities for our family to serve the community together.
This summer, I’ll be helping Tanna launch an Etsy store and online shop to sell tutus and capes to support the work Grace & Glory is doing, and we’re going to be working on that as a family. While the girls won’t be able to make the tutus we’re selling just yet, they can help with tagging, inventory, packaging, shipping, etc.
10. Play dates with friends.
In 2014, we’ve done a pretty good job about meeting friends for field trips, play dates, coffee and more (as part of my one word for the year {LIVE}), and I hope that our summer will include lots more of those!
What’s on your summer bucket list?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Our 2014 {Simple} Summer Bucket List
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsLove this list! Especially the frozen fruit kebabs (never done ... by Anne BogelI love the simplicity of you summer list! Thank you so much for ... by CyndyI love the simplicity of this bucket list. The idea of the ... by Heather @ My Overflowing CupRelated StoriesChanging the World, One Tutu at a TimeSummer Camp at Home: Interactive Online Activities for KidsMake Your Own Washable Paint from Chalk {A Guest Post from My 8 Year Old}
Weekend Reading: May 30, 2014
We moved the crib mattress next to our bed so we would all have more room, yet we’re still waking up like this!
I’m in shock that tomorrow is June 1st!
It seems like spring just started, and I was totally caught by surprise when people were posting about swimming on Memorial Day.
Our big girls are heading to Florida with my parents this week to attend their church’s summer camp. Although they’ve been away for up to a week before, this time they’ll be several states away for a whole TWO weeks. We’re looking forward to making special memories with the little ones, but I’m sure we’ll be very anxious to join them by the time the two weeks is up!
Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading and what I’m pinning to see the other posts that make me stop and think (or, you know, drool…). You’ll find new posts all week long!
Imperfect Parenting
On Parenting Teens… | Jen Hatmaker
15 Ways to Not Yell When Noise Triggers You | The Orange Rhino Challenge
Why Imperfect Parenting is Good for Kids | Not Just Cute
Make Your Own Time
How Does a Busy Mama Make Time to Write? | Carrots for Michaelmas
4 Strategies for Cutting Your To-Do List in Half | Michael Hyatt
5 Tips to ‘Do It Now’ When You’re Super Busy | Andrea Dekker
Double Your Productivity With Your Time Off | Storyline
More About Joy
Authentic Adulthood: It Gets Joyful! | Patheos
How to Find Joy That Lasts | Martha Beck
Have a great weekend!
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend Reading: May 30, 2014
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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May 29, 2014
7 Maya Angelou Quotes I Want to Pass on to My Girls
Although I don’t consider myself a writer in the sense that I feel like I have to write, I do love words, especially those that have been written by other people. I love to sit with quotes and feel the weight of the individual words and the message as a whole.
I’m embarrassed to admit that it took the news of Maya Angelou’s passing for me to sit and consider the wealth of beautiful words she’s written (although I’ve certainly read bits and pieces here and there), and as my Facebook news feed filled with quotes yesterday, I was overwhelmed with a desire to share her wisdom with my girls.
{And yep, now I’ve added her autobiographies to my list of books to read this summer!}
There are surely hundreds of Maya Angelou quotes worth sharing, but here are 7 that really struck me:
1. “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”
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5. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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What is your favorite Maya Angelou quote?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
7 Maya Angelou Quotes I Want to Pass on to My Girls
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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May 28, 2014
You Can Do It Too! {Encouragement and Resources for Homeschoolers}
A couple years ago, Lorilee Lippincott brought together 25 homeschooling families to share their homeschooling stories and tips in a little ebook, You Can Do It Too! Although some of the details may have changed for our individual families, this ebook still represents a wealth of information and encouragement for homeschoolers.
But the best part is that when you buy You Can Do It Too! here at Life Your Way, I’m throwing in two great bonuses of my own: a little ebook detailing our homeschooling methods in more detail and a set of more than 30 homeschooling printables.
Whether you’re a new or veteran homeschooler, grab yours today for $4.99 and discover encouragement and resources for your homeschool!
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
You Can Do It Too! {Encouragement and Resources for Homeschoolers}
© 2010-2014 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
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May 27, 2014
Balancing the Risks of Sunscreen & Skin Cancer
source: bjaglin
This post was first published several years ago, but it’s worth repeating as we head into summer once again!
Like most of the girls my age, I spent a lot of time soaking up rays during my teenage years, sometimes with a little baby oil to speed up the suntan process. Yep, I got burned more than once, and there’s no doubt that the increased warnings about sun exposure and the dangers of skin cancer made me take a hard look at those habits as an adult.
But despite all of that, I’ve never really been comfortable with the idea of slathering on sunscreen as part of the daily routine — either for myself or my kids.
For me, it was never really about the chemicals in the sunscreens; I just couldn’t get past the idea that God made the sun and to just declare it bad and something to be avoided just didn’t make sense.
The Importance of Sunshine
As it turns out, sunshine is actually really important for our bodies. It improves our mood and helps our bodies produce Vitamin D. Our society is becoming increasingly Vitamin D-deficient because of this fear of the sun, which affects our body’s ability to fight illness. Yes, there are supplements available, but why take a supplement when, again, it’s available in the most natural form possible?
Our family dealt with illness after illness after illness one winter, but you know what was absolutely amazing? The moment the weather began to turn warmer and we were able to send the girls outside in short-sleeved shirts rather than bundled from head to toe, their immune systems ramped up. How do I know it was the sunshine and not just coincidence? Well, I can’t prove it, of course, but we saw signs of colds or other illnesses during the summer as well. Each time, though, it started as a sniffly nose for a day or so…and then it simply went away, with no extra work on our part.
The Dangers of Sunscreen
Of course, as I’ve learned more about our bodies and the chemicals in many personal care products, I’ve become even more opposed to the use of sunscreen for our family. Applying chemicals that may be linked to cancer themselves in an effort to prevent it just doesn’t sit right with me.
In fact, there’s evidence that when Vitamin A is added to sunscreens — which, sadly, is almost half of the time — it can actually speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when exposed to sunlight.
What’s really troubling is that there are actually two distinct types of radiation from the sun — UVA and UVB. UVA is the type linked to skin cancer. UVB causes sunburn. Sunscreen provides very little protection against UVA radiation, which means it keeps you from getting burned while your skin continues to absorb all of those other UVA rays. In addition, the FDA doesn’t regulate claims of UVA protection, which means there’s not really any way to know whether your sunscreen protects against it or not.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also evidence that if you don’t reapply sunscreen often enough (every 2-3 hours as indicated on the bottle), it can actually absorb into the skin and interact with sunshine to produce free radicals and oxidation, which cause cancer themselves.
And, finally, many of these chemicals are also known hormone disruptors, something I think we can all agree we want to keep away from our growing children, especially.
If ever I’ve been tempted to use ALL CAPS to get my point across, it’s now. I’ll refrain, but take a minute and let that sink in. The sunscreens that are supposed to protect us — and our babies — from skin cancer may actually cause it, along with a host of other issues.
Natural Sun Protection
What is a person — a parent — supposed to do in light of that information? Well, first, do your own research. I’ve linked to a ton of additional resources at the end, and you can Google any keyword from this post to find dozens more!
That said, I’ll tell you what we do. It may not be perfect, but it works for our family, and this is one topic that doesn’t often keep me up at night because I’m comfortable with the decisions we’ve made.
My kids spend hours outside on a daily basis, but they are inside from 12-2 on most days. Occasionally, on one of those gorgeous, not-too-hot days when they just don’t want to come inside, I’ll apply sunblock (more on that in the next section!), but for the most part, we just avoid the midday sun to avoid the risk of sunburn.
In addition, you can dress for sun protection, with lightweight cotton clothing that covers your arms and legs, a hat to protect your skin and face and sunglasses to protect your eyes. You’ll also find swimwear and other clothing with built in UV-protection.
I’m also intrigued by the idea of eating to boost your body’s natural protection from the sun. We do not yet do this — at least not intentionally, although many of the foods on the list are part of our regular summer diet — but it’s something I’d like to learn more about. Stephanie from Keeper of the Home talks more about the role of antioxidants (and even chocolate) for natural sun protection. (This was one of the first posts I read that affirmed I wasn’t completely crazy for my approach even if I didn’t fully understand the dangers of sunscreen at the time!).
Safe Sunscreens
For times when additional sun protection is a must, there are options, but it’s important to consider your choices carefully.
Let’s start by talking about the difference between sunscreen and sunblock: Sunscreen is actually a chemical that works by absorbing into your skin, while sun block provides a physical barrier between UV radiation and your skin, including UVA rays.
For the times when we need to use sunblock, we stick with California Baby. There are other options available, but they sell California Baby at Target, which means I can easily pick up a tube when we’re starting to run out.
Sunblocks whose primary ingredient is zinc oxide (rather than the titanium dioxide found in California Baby) are even safer and approved for use on infants. Both are rated as safe ingredients on the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database and by the FDA.
(Update: This year we’re using ThinkBaby, which has great ratings, uses zinc oxide and was on sale when I was shopping for sunblock.)
On the downside, because these products actually act as a physical blocker, they’re notoriously hard to rub in. We still laugh about the time we applied it to Sean’s bald head on a family camping trip and it gave his head an unnatural purple tint no matter how much we rubbed! For the most part, though, it just takes a little rubbing before it’s almost unnoticeable.
If you’re looking for a sunblock that’s right for your family — or to see how your current brand stacks up — Katie from Kitchen Stewardship tested more than 25 natural sunblocks and shared her results. The Environmental Working Group has also published their 2014 Sunscreen Guide.
References & Further Reading
This is really just scratching the surface of the information available. I highly recommends the posts below, especially those from Kitchen Stewardship and Keeper of the Home, if you want to delve deeper into this topic.
Sun, Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and Safety | Kitchen Stewardship
My Thoughts on Sunscreen (Part 1) and (Part 2) | Keeper of the Home
3 Benefits of Soaking Up Some Sunshine | Simple Organic
Top Sun Safety Tips | Environmental Working Group
Risks of Sunscreen: New Report | Care2
Sunscreen Dangers Revisited | Treehugger
The Truth About Sunscreen | Organic Lifestyle Magazine
What is your family’s approach to sun exposure?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Balancing the Risks of Sunscreen & Skin Cancer
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