The Trick to Treating

 

If you’re like me and try to have a Sugar-Free child then you’re probably dreading the hyperactive, monster that’s about to appear come Halloween.

When Croí started Trick-or-Treating I was completely at a loss for something to do with all that evil candy. I sure as hell didn’t want her eating all that junk.

Then I talked it over with her best-friend’s mom. She mentioned that they came up with a character called “The Great Pumpkin“

(Probably based off the Peanuts Cartoon)

We re-named him “The Pumpkin King” because Croí loves all things regal

Our little game is for Croí to collect as much candy as possible. The more candy the better.

Then she leaves the bag outside her bedroom door before bedtime with a little note she made for the Pumpkin King.

In the morning she finds MONEY in place of the candy.

More candy = more money = an awesome toy that she gets to choose and buy for herself = One Happy child minus the hyper, cranky, antsy sugar fiend.

I hope this helps anyone who worries about the sugar madness of this Holiday Season.

Feel free to pass it on!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Mystery of H20

SAVE MONEY. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. MAKE A CHANGE.

This one is an easy way for us all to make a difference to the amount of waste on the planet.

Take 8 minutes out of your day to watch this movie. It’s important.

There was a time when I would buy a box of bottled water with the groceries every week for my family. I can’t even bring myself to do the math on how many bottles we used. No matter how diligent we were with our recycling we still felt an enormous amount of waste and harm was being caused AND we were contributing WEEKLY!

I felt awfully guilty about it so I STOPPED BUYING Bottled Water and researched the effects of our tap water here in LA. We ruled the tap out once again. In Ireland we’re fortunate enough to have tap water from our own well so when I come from savouring freshness like that I can’t ignore the taste of chemicals in the LA tap water.

S0 we researched the BEST water filters. We knew that Brita and all the cheaper filters we saw still left a lot of chemicals in the water. Namely toxins such as Flouride, Chlorine… We wanted the BEST!

We came across Dr. Mercola Drinking Water Filters and Shower Filters.

I SUGGEST YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGES ABOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH FILTER TO SEE WHY THEY’RE IMPORTANT.

Yes ~ it cost a few hundred dollars, if memory serves me right, to invest in both of these filters.

However, the amount of money we’ve SAVED since we stopped buying BOXES of Bottled Water is HUGE!

It’s been a while since I bought a box of water so I’m not sure what it costs now but I seem to recall spending $1500 or more per year on water.

Not only does one save money and reduce environmental pollution but the health benefits you get from cutting out the toxins found in Tap AND bottled water are immense.

You’ll be healthier, get sick less and look more beautiful.

Now, we happily fill a glass jug with our filtered tap water, throw in a few slices of cucumber and leave it in the fridge worry free.

We also stocked up on a few Ikea “SLOM” glass bottles for the fridge at $2.99 each.

Each one chills in the fridge with  a different natural flavour. Just add filtered water, a squeeze of lime, lemon, cucumber or a sprig of mint…even homemade lemonade using maple syrup.

And when we wanna take our water on the run we have our SIGG bottles filled, chilled and ready to go.

SAVE MONEY. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. MAKE A CHANGE.

And

SPREAD THE WORD MY DEARS!

Much Love

Kojii

Human Experiment

I thought this information from Dr. Pepi was interesting when I found it in my inbox today.

It may come in handy for anyone who is or might find themselves torn by the decision to vaccinate your children or not.

In 1988, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set up the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to pay damages to individuals and families of individuals injured by specific childhood vaccines.

In 2007 the list included vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), polio, hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox), Haemophilus influenzae type b, rotavirus and pneumonia.

From 1988 until January 8, 2008, 5,263 claims relating to autism and 2,865 non-autism claims were made to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Of these, 925 lawsuits were awarded compensation, 1 of these autism-related. Awards including attorney’s fees totaled $847 million.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program also applies to claims for injuries suffered before 1988. There were 4,264 of these claims. Of these, 1,189 were paid off with awards totaling $903 million.

On February 18, 2009, the federal “Vaccine Court” awarded the parents of 10-year-old Bailey Banks a lump sum of more than $810,000 plus an estimated $30-40,000 per year for services and care. This was to compensate for damages resulting from the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The Court ruled that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused acute brain damage that led to his autism spectrum disorder.

The total amount awarded for vaccine-injury to children is running around $1.75 billion so far. These damages are being paid by a 75-cent tax on every vaccine sold and not by the vaccine manufacturers themselves, in effect making the public pay for the damages.

While the media continues to forward the vaccine corporations’ line that vaccines are safe, the federal Vaccine Court has acknowledged the serious risks involved with their use.

Regarding the Bailey Banks decision, mainstream media have presented a wall of silence. They join the group of medical doctors and vaccine manufacturers in failing to provide parents critical information regarding the damaging effects of vaccines on children. This group is denying parents and children “informed consent”, as they are failing to let parents know the full repercussions of vaccines.

Read Dr. Pepi’s other tips on vaccines to learn vital truths about vaccines.

Best,

Dr. Pepi

The FDA does not Test for the Safety or Effectiveness
of its Vaccine Recommendations

Sometimes a vaccine will be taken off the schedule after enough patients have died or had harmful effects.  You can watch the vaccine schedule change at the CDC website by clicking here.  In place of true and thorough scientific research prior to prescription, we are the experiment on a grand scale.

Natural Remedy – Cold Sores

One of my closest friends sent me a text today from 6000 miles away.

She was stressed because she woke up with her first ever Cold Sore .

She wanted to know how to treat it and how long it will last and like me she prefers the bare naked, drug free remedies.

I know from years of experience that Cold Sores are not fun especially when you’ve just met the man of your dreams so I feel for her and hope these tips help her out!

Anyway – I figured I may as well share the tips I sent to her with you guys.

First of all touch the sore as little as possible!

It’s a virus and highly contagious. I’ve seen people start out with a teeny little sore and then through picking at it and carelessness they spread it until it was inches wide across their face.

The moment I feel the corner of my mouth tingle I start treating it.

Treatments I like using are:

*remember I’m not a holistic healer – these are just remedies I’ve tried and found to work for me*

• Lavender OR Tea Tree Essential Oil (both have strong antibacterial properties) mixed with Vitamin E Oil (which will act as a carrier oil AND help reduce scarring). APPLY using a Q-Tip to reduce spreading.
• When washing my face I’ll also add a few drops of either of the above Essential Oils to some warm water in the sink and splash the sore, Never re-using the same towel to dry to reduce spreading the virus.
• My Favourite product for any First Aid reason in our house is : WO China Healing Oil

Using a Q-Tip I dab a little of this Oil on the Cold Sore throughout the day and it reduces the healing time by days.

• When a Cold Sore starts I flood my body with 2000 to 6000 milligrams of L-Lysine per day. I buy the 500milligram capsules. (Start with the lower dosage then work up) Click the link to learn why L-Lysine works, it’s far too detailed for me to explain.
• Another over the counter, Organic product that I’ve discovered to work is H-Balm. It literally started drying the sore within hours of first use.

Again, use a Q-Tip to apply to avoid spreading.

• I usually carry this Natural Alcohol- Free Hand Sanitizer with me in my purse along with a little zip-loc bag of clean Q-Tips and some Petroleum Free Lip Balm to stop me licking my lips or the sore. (I make my own Lip Balm so I can’t suggest a good one for you – sorry)

I hope these little tips help someone out.

Feel free to comment and let me know if you have any tips of your own!

oh! And don’t forget ~ you can Subscribe HERE

Natural Remedies

My post today is going to be a little less energetic than usual thanks to a yucky flu/fever.

By 8pm Saturday night I was laid up in bed sporting a nice little fever, cough, achy body etc…..so now Croí’s Spring Break is likely to be less fun that I had originally hoped for. (Sorry baby girl)

I’ve had so many emails, texts, comments on Facebook from wonderful people wishing me well and offering advice on how to get better soon.

A lot of them involve taking some sort of medication but as you are probably aware by now, I only follow natural remedies.

So in the spirit of the moment I thought I’d share a few of my favourite natural remedies.

1. Garlic. Garlic. Garlic! I’ve posted about garlic and it’s antibiotic properties HERE
2. Increase your Vitamin C intake. I’m not so sure Emergen-C really counts thanks to all the counteracting SUGAR added. There used to be a sugar-free one but I can’t find it anymore. We use Catie’s Whole Food Vitamin C it’s natural and tastes great!
3. Echinacea (best taken consistently to keep your immune system strong.) Tips on how to use Echinacea can be found HERE
4. Neti Pot : Nasal Irrigation. You can buy a Netti Pot at Whole Foods, Walgreens even Target. They’re pretty easy to come by. Used more for prevention than remedy. You can find more info on the Neti Pot HERE
5. Hydrogen Peroxide in the Bath: (Croí’s doctor gave me this tip a few years back and it’s my favourite!)

If you feel like you are coming down with an infection, pour 4 quarts of 3% hydrogen peroxide into a tub of water and soak in it for a half hour or more. Because the hydrogen peroxide is very alkalinizing and high in oxygen, it helps your body fight any infection. I have used this to reduce fevers. This can be done on a daily basis until you feel better.

A few things to remember regarding hydrogen peroxide therapy:

• Do not use water that is too hot as that will cause you to lose important minerals through sweating.

• It is generally best not to do this too close to bed, as it can be energizing.

• As with anything, a person can be allergic to hydrogen peroxide. If you start to feel bad, just get out.

For a child’s bath, use a smaller amount of hydrogen peroxide, such as 1 or 2 quarts. You can often prevent a child from throwing up if you place them in a bath with hydrogen peroxide right away.

Unfortunately I can’t avail of my favourite remedy as we only have a shower in our new place right now.

However, I will keep fighting it and will prevail.

I have no choice but to get better, I’m shooting another scene with the lovely Juliette Lewis tomorrow AND I’ll have my little girl Croí with me on set.

NO REST FOR THE WICKED!

Much love

K

x

Beauty Blah

Commercial makeup removers are toxic as well as being an unnecessary expense.  Whatever you use on your skin easily finds its way into your body.

The list of chemicals in makeup removers would require a great deal of explanation. I’ll share more info I’ve discovered on the chemical ingredients in future posts but for now,

Simply put, many of those chemicals tend to cause cancer.

Makeup can be easily removed instead with olive oil or coconut oil poured onto a tissue.  Pat your eyes gently.  Don’t use the same section of tissue for more than one wipe as you don’t want to rub the makeup back onto your face; makeup easily lands in your eyes. Better to use several new tissues with olive oil.

Sometimes I like to use Vitamin E oil to remove eye makeup using a few Q-tips to make sure I get everything off.

If you have oily skin, wash your face with soap afterward or blot the oily areas with 3% hydrogen peroxide.

Be sure to clean off all makeup before sleeping as it grinds the makeup into your face and onto your pillowcase which is yuck! I find if I don’t get all that eye makeup off at night I wake up with horrible puffy eyes.

Your skin is happiest with the fewest chemicals.

How to Live Longer

I came across this video via my good friend Reid Rolls on Saturday morning. I watched it based on his words

“please, if you have kids, watch this. incredible.”

I am so thrilled to find that someone out there is actively working to change an issue very close to my heart.

An issue that is VERY EASY for each and every one of us to make an impact on right now.

Jamie Oliver shows us just how easy it is for each one of us to keep our children’s bodies healthy through good food, education and to alter the obesity statistics in America, England….whatever country you’re living in right now.

Please take the time to watch this. It is important.

If you agree with me after watching this you can sign Jamie’s Food Revolution Petition HERE

2010 and Frostbite

I hope everyone is having a beautiful New Year so far.

We rang in 2010 with the wonderful Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club,

Circus Bone Idle, Candice Gordon, and The North Strand Kontra Band.

We also had the pleasure of watching silly girls dressed up to the nines walking the streets of Dublin

in the snow and ice wearing NOTHING but mini-dresses and stilettos.

!?!?!??!?!?!

No Jacket’s, no tights, some had their shoes in their hands and a LOT of bleeding knee caps!

HERE’S MY FASHION TIP FOR 2010

When it’s -4 outside lay fashion to rest – at least until you get to the party.

Wear flat boots and bring the sexy heels in your purse, invest in a decent winter coat and wear it.

Check your coat and bag with boots at the cloakroom so you can party on!

Hypothermia does not make you look good.

CLOROX VERSUS PEROXIDE

Clorox (bleach) is toxic – this is a great alternative.

I’ve decided to paste a copy of an email I received recently.

I think it’s really important especially if you have children in your household to use products that are not harmful to your family or the environment. I’ve been using Peroxide in many ways such as mentioned below for years now as well as many other natural products I can share with you later.

So I thought I’d share this info with you all to start with.

“CLOROX VERSUS PEROXIDE

Clorox vs peroxide VERY interesting and inexpensive.

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a doctor’s Wife), and I want to share it with you.

She was over recently for coffee and smelled the bleach I was

using to clean my toilet and counter tops. This is what she

told me. ‘I would like to tell you of the benefits of

that Plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for

under $1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost?

My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years,

And most doctors don’t tell you about peroxide. Have you

Ever smelled bleach in a doctor’s office? NO!!!

Why? because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the

nurses who work in the doctor’s offices, and ask them if

they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40′s?

It’s chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our

Troops. Peroxide was invented during WWI in the 20′s. It

was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops

and hospitals.

Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with

the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily,

then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker

sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive

pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep

them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill

germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your

dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour

peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a

50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them

(especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to

ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen

gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was

healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and

Water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without

Harming your septic system like bleach or most other

Disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your

50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It

will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few

minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a

dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your

mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The

pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair,

spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and

comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde

hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights

if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It

also lightens gradually, so it’s not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help get

rid of boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to

a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is

blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let

it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water.

Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no

smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

14.Another place it’s great is in the bathroom, if someone

has been careless & has peed on the floor around the

toilet & it’s begun to smell of urine. Just put some

peroxide in a spray bottle & spray. In the blink of any

eye all the smell will be gone & the bacteria

eliminated! I could go on and on. It

is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With

prices of most necessities rising, I’m glad there’s

a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy

manner! ‘ This information really woke me up. I hope you

gain something from it,

too.

Pass it on! Clorox vs peroxide VERY interesting and inexpensive.“

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO ANYWHERE YOU CAN ~

ON YOUR FACEBOOK, BLOG, WEBSITE, TWITTER

You can find some more interesting information on this HERE

Much Love

Koj

x

Garlic and what now?

Excuse me while I backtrack a couple of Episodes.

The following cracks me up too much not to add to my blog.

I was perusing the “Models of the Runway” forums on MyLifetime today and came across THE FUNNIEST and most interesting comment relating to my “Garlic and Yogurt Episode” yet.  AS QUOTED BELOW!!

(I’m sorry but I’m still laughing at this but genuinely feel bad for the girl who is suffering)

Garlic and Yogurt?

Last nights episode of Models of the Runway (episode 4) left me curious. Not about model drama or designer loyalty, these seemed to be the themes overly addressed last night, but on Kojii’s garlic and yogurt concoction that Heidi found in the fridge. While the combination is in itself a little shocking or out of the norm, I began to wonder if it had anything to do with probiatics and natural yeast remedies. Is Kojii like hundreds of other women who suffer from persistent yeast infections? While this question was not answered, I still found it strange that her interesting duo was mentioned in an article I recently read about at-home remedies for yeast infections.

I am a long time sufferer from yeast infections. My doctor hasn’t been able to offer much solace and I am tired of using the expense, ineffective creams that he prescribes. So I have recently been in pursuit of finding natural cures. The article I mentioned talked about yogurt and garlic separately as natural remedies for yeast infections (with instructions to insert both foreign objects into the vagina) and I wondered if Kojii might have a super yeast fighting concoction that she should share with the rest of America. Of course, I could be drawing similarities only because I read the article and then saw the episode, but either way I thought it was worth giving some thought.

naturalbeauty1 1:00pm Fri Sep 11

Heidi Klum pops in to the models’ loft for a surprise visit and does a fridge inspection, in this scene from “Models of the Runway” Season 1 Episode 4.

more about “Heidi Klum’s Surprise Visit | myLifet…“, posted with vodpod

I figured I’d let ya’ll know the little story behind the Garlic and Goats Yogurt tale.

While we shot that episode I was in the midst of the worst flu I’ve had in years, one of the joys of living with 16 girls and a tonne of crew. The germs spread like wildfire.I’d a fever of 103, no voice, a painful cough, a headache that knocked me for six and I slept every second I could while the cameras were off me.

Most of us fell sick during production.

Thems the joys of our line of work – THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

Now, many people know I’m a huge fan of holistic/natural health, I refuse to put chemicals/drugs in my body (unless it’s life or death). My daughter was even born drug-free at home. So after a quick call to my Mama (who practices holistic health) she suggested I eat raw garlic for it’s antibiotic properties. I promise you I was feeling 100% again within TWO days. It so works!!

(my best friend is currently swallowing a clove of garlic with cottage cheese while I write this, to test the theory. He’s not EVEN SICK!! eejit!)

Only reason I had the goats yogurt was to help me swallow the grossness of the full clove of garlic. (And yes, goats yogurt because I’m lactose intolerant)

I can tell you I’m lucky enough NOT to worry about yeast infections though I’ve researched it based on the info above and I guess yogurt and garlic’s natural antibiotic helps it. (Also from this research, I’ve learned that Pharmaceutical Antibiotics can actually cause yeast infections)

So ….

Score TWO for GARLIC! haha

(Honestly though …I just have a HUMONGOUS fear of vampires! hahahahah)

photo “Eternal Love” by Cyril Helnwein featuring the beautiful and talented Alexandra Hetherington-Breckenridge