Old Fashioned Tooth Powder and a Life Lesson

Things have been just a little on the hectic side this summer.  I've found it challenging to keep up with all my normal responsibilities.  I have to confess.  In many ways I am looking forward to the more structured routine that fall brings.  I always have a lot on my plate, but some seasons see the salad leaf falling to the floor, and this summer has been one of those seasons.  I think if we tried to cram anymore into these past three months my hubby and I would have just collapsed from exhaustion.  It's not over yet, but aside from one last celebration this Sunday all of the outside infringements on our calendar have come to a stop.

Insert BIG deep breath here.

The kids and I have squeezed a bit of fun as well as a lot of learning into the moments we found between the responsibilities   Of course, being the eclectic souls that we are, we live and learn every day.  Learning is a natural side effect of living when you try to squeeze life for all it's got.  One of our purposeful experiences we shared was actually connected to a review I wrote not long ago for The Old School House Review Crew and Funtastic Unit Studies.  We really did enjoy the unit very much, but I happened to leave out one experiment we did that I got a little chuckle out of.

One of the things that is most fun to me about guiding young ones into being more experienced older ones is the process of discovery.  It seems the older we get the more we take for granted the knowledge that we have.  We all started at the beginning, however, and that means everyone has to first taste the lemon to learn that it is sour.  Everyone finds out what hot is "the hard way", and we all learn the lesson about bringing our coat with us by spending a fall evening shivering.  It's just how the process works.  Somewhere out there I am sure there were moms like me who got a little pleasure out of that first sour lemon pucker.  In fact maybe you are one of those moms like me right now.

If you are, or if your mom was a little more like me than you are, then I am sure you'll understand the element of fun that I experienced as my children learned what old fashioned tooth powder tasted like.  We learned about caring for our teeth.  Part of that lesson was to make homemade tooth powder like they used to back in the day before back in the day.  If you bake at all you've likely tasted baking soda somewhere along the line.

This was our recipe:

4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Flavoring - we used strawberry extract

The kids dampen their toothbrushes and then brush their teeth with it.  Watching the process unfold was marvelous.

Look how innocent she is.

They're realizing something is up.

Race for the water!

She ran to the kitchen so the little ones could use the bathroom faucet.

Not sure this one needs a caption!

Too bad I didn't have them get a picture of me.  I astonished them with my ability to thoroughly brush all of my teeth using the toothpaste powder.  I was SUPER salty!  Seriously not sure why we bothered with any flavoring.  It just made it a pretty, pink color.  LOL!  What they didn't know is that I was keeping my tongue out of the way so that none of it got on my taste buds.  That's the only way I could pull it off.

Thinking about this experiment with the kids got me to thinking about how we start out with no real knowledge.  Then, through different experiences, and trial and error, we slowly learn how to navigate various situations safely and make it through circumstances that may not be ideal with as little discomfort as possible.  The more we learn the better equipped we are for facing the challenges before us with a good attitude, the stronger we become, and the better able we are to make a difference in the lives of others.

I've really been trying to be more present in the moment, whatever it may be, and get just as much out of what is going on as I possibly can.  In so doing I am able to give to others, especially my family being as I spend the vast majority of my time with them, in a way I wasn't capable of before.  Allowing myself to let go of all the things tugging at my time, and be 100% involved in what I am doing has been very freeing.  I sure wish it was something I had mastered earlier in life.

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 

‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

For the Gentiles seek after all these things, 

and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you. 

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

~ Matthew 6:31-34