Going natural, one step at a time

I was a tired kid after 2 hours of league practice and then one hour of Mob time. <3 But I still managed to be productive when I got home. After doing some of the dishes (there was a lot) I got ready to try out some natural stuff.

First I had to make another batch of toothpaste. I need to have pretty teeth of course. I love how it whips up so fast. The recipe is here in a previous post: Better than Martha. After that I decided I needed to try out a new recipe in hair care.

For body wash and shampoo I picked up some Dr. Bronner's Peppermint castile soap. It's so refreshing to have the scent fill the whole shower. I pretty much love it. But for conditioner I found an interesting recipe on this site here. As conditioner I now used an apple cider vinegar rinse.

I tried it out last night and it's great. My hair felt practically as good as when you use the chemically stuff from the store. Plus it's a million times cheaper. Well I now know what my conditioner will be from now on. Oh and in case you were wondering the vinegar smell goes away after your hair dries. I just need a better container for it. I was thinking of getting one of those plastic vinegar squeeze bottles to make it easier to apply. Seriously guys. I recommend this. The site says it helps with some dandruff. We'll see how that goes in the winter.

A couple more chemicals knocked out of my everyday life. :)

Better than Martha Part 3: Cleaning stuff

Here's the final part of the Better than Martha series. In the other posts I told you that I've been making my own stuff. I've been doing this for two reasons. 1) To waste less and to contribute less to the landfill. Seriously, that thing needs to be less gross. 2) So that I know the ingredients in my everyday items. I like knowing there aren't chemicals in what I use. I'm slowly replacing things in my life to be more green and me-friendly.

So on to the items that I made/am making.

First item is my Swiffer mop cover. It's on hold because I am working on a time sensitive project. As soon as that's all set, back to this one. But anywho, this will make it so I don't have to keep buying the wasteful cloths that cover it. It will be nice to just have to wash it. I'm using cotton to knit it so probably won't machine dry it. I found the pattern at the Knittnfool ->MD Swiffer Mop Cover. Below is my version in progress.

The other cleaning item I made is a homemade disinfectant. Not only is it nice to know what is in the spray bottle, but it's also a cheaper alternative. I put together a simple recipe that was based on others online. I filled the bottle with 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar, then added the following: a squirt of castile soap and 1/4 tsp of each: tea tree and lavender essential oil. I know essential oils can be pricey but they last a long time and can be used for so many different things. The nice things is that when it dries the vinegar smell goes away and you are left with the smell of the oils.

That's it for the Better than Martha entries. As you can see it would have been way too much for one entry. How are you guys being more green? I know that Joni rocks at that with her cloth diapers and everything. She's pretty hardcore. I'll slowly get there, but minus the babies for now. =)

Roller Derby = Awesome

So this past Tuesday was an exciting and nerve wracking night. It was our scrimmageable assessment that would earn us our name and also the chance to be on a home team. It went well. We skated with a vet and did all the assists (whips) and took and gave hits. It was quicker than I thought it would be. We went ahead with practice afterwards. Eventually we did the second half of the assessment which consisted of scrimmaging. It went pretty well.

Once that was all done, it was a waiting game. They wanted to tell us that night and in person so we had to entertain ourselves till then. The Killah Bees were practicing so at least we were entertained. It took the coaches almost an hour before they started to call us over. I was so anxious for my turn. I knew I did well but I just get really nervous and I'm bad at waiting.

It was finally my turn. Rhode Kill had a big smile on her face so I was thinking to myself that it may be hopeful. They told me that I made it! There were high-10's all around. I was so damn proud of myself. I just need to be more proactive in the pack. To be honest I get lost when I know they are watching and assessing me during scrimmage. I was told I have a good hip hit. Now I need to be a pain in the ass and use it more often. I think in last nights practice I already played better because I wasn't being tested anymore.

Sadly my camera died so please excuse the phone camera quality.

Speaking of last nights practice, I got to use my new Atom Tracker wheels (and laces) that I bought. It's amazing how much of a difference having grippy wheels makes. I wasn't sliding everywhere so I was more comfortable and I felt I was faster. I still need to break them in so I can plow stop again. It was amusing in the beginning of practice because I earned my new name. I'm now Natasha Fatality. I was so lost when people would yell my name. I had no idea they were talking to me. It's going to be something to get used to. When we were scrimmaging I also scored 2 points in the last jam!

I seriously never thought I would love a sport as much as I <3 Roller Derby.

Rollin out

Well I did it! One goal down for the year. I’m now a member of Providence Roller Derby. Tonight I have my first practice as a newbie to the league. It’s been quite the process.

Roller skating/blading is something I have been doing ever since I was little so I thought it would be fun to do something that incorporated it.

The whole process started in October. I went to the roller skating rink by myself and not really knowing what to expect. I bought some old skates off of someone for $20 that were too big. Of course, I didn’t know how real skates were supposed to be yet. I didn’t even know the rules yet, or seen a bout. I just knew I wanted to try this.

I was a bit shaky on quad skates, but I knew my muscles would remember how it all worked soon enough. I couldn’t even cross over yet without wobbling. The coaching staff and recruiting staff were so nice and patient with everyone. We skated around learning basics and then got to talk to them about the league. I was hooked the first time I was on that rink in spite of all the foot cramps I got from skating.

I immediately started to volunteer. It was fun to get to know the girls. I also got to see my first bout. The travel teams were going up against CT and MA. The Killah Bees tried hard but they lost. The Riveters did awesome and won the bout! I was waitressing for the VIPs but when everyone was all set I couldn’t keep my eyes off the bout. It’s so fast paced and high energy. I finally got to figure out how it all worked. I winced when the girls got slammed but I didn’t let it scare me away. I left thinking, I can do this. I bought the gear I needed and dove into the sport.

For months we continued with the recruit clinics, fine tuning our basic skills. I went to practices and scrimmages to keep learning. Eventually we had to do our laps. To qualify for the league you have basic skills and then speed/endurance. We have to do 25 laps in 5 minutes. We only did it two times before the assessment and I got 24 both times. That last lap was just dangling there and giving me the finger as I sat huffing and puffing with my throat on fire from the workout. I was pretty damn nervous at the assessment. I knew I improved considerably from all the time at the rink, but I was worried about that one last lap.

Well, I got on the line. When the whistle blew I concentrated on my form and my breathing, hoping I get my final lap. I got that lap and dragged him around another half a lap, giving him the finger this time.  

With the assessment passed we had an interview with the coaching staff. They wanted to get to know us and find out how we react to certain situations. Damage control I’m sure. Weed out the drama queens and the overly aggressive. From the girls I knew that were interviewing I knew it was going to be a tough choice. There were some really great girls trying out. The interview was more comfortable than I expected. They just asked about me and ‘what if’ situations. I then had to wait 3 more days till I found out. Just ask anyone who was around me, I was so anxious and checking my e-mail constantly. Finally Bunnicula delivered the good news. I’m a newbie and orientation is the first week of February!

Now to deck my self out. I need new wheels and some toe stops I like. Maybe even some new socks, laces and shorts, too. I can’t wait till I earn my name and I can be out on that track during a real bout. Till then, I work my ass off (and a nice ass it will be).

Where does the time go?

I can't believe we are here in the new year now. I was just thinking about resolutions. I never really do set any, or at least remember any that I set. I remember when I was little I would think of really cool ones like "to have the best handwriting." Yeah, I was a geek then, too. My handwriting is still pretty good. Just don't look at my signature. It looks nothing like my name.

As I sit here I'm actually thinking of some good ones that I do like. I think they are good New Years goals.

• Get my Artfire shop going


• Pay down my debt


• Be more adventurous and enjoy life


• Stear clear of drama


• Stress out less about the small things


• Make exercise more part of every day (walk or bike more)


• Be more creative

I think that's a good list of goals. Come next year I'll have to break out this list and see how I did. Wish me luck with it.

Hrmm, I had more to say but oh well. This will do =)