Bad Service - Microsoft Hotmail

This one really boils my blood and I know there are many who can relate!

Some years ago Microsoft Hotmail decided to change how users access multiple email accounts.  For those with multiple accounts, who could jump from one account to the next using the one login and password, Microsoft decided they would change that policy "for security reasons".  Instead users had to logout of each email account and re-login to their other email accounts.

How this makes multiple email accounts more 'secure' is anyone's guess and just aggravated Microsoft users.

Add to that: Micrsoft Hotmail since decided to add extra security to your Hotmail accounts by requesting (and making it almost impossible to avoid giving) your mobile number or email address (this was introduced around 2 years ago).  They do this by requiring you get an access code from them which can only be sent to either your mobile phone or another email address.  There are ways to access your account without this verification code.

However I decided I would delete my account instead, because I don't want to give them my mobile number or another email account (too bad if a person only had the one Hotmail/email account) only to find deleting an account, in itself, is near impossible due to Microsoft and their stupid security code system.

"To close your Hotmail email account, visit account.microsoft.com and login with the Hotmail account you want to delete. Click the Security & privacy tab, and then click the More security settings link. Scroll down and click Close my account, then follow the prompts to delete your Hotmail account."

Here's what happened.

1) When I click on 'more security settings' I'm told I cannot access that page without a security code so, in desperation, I decided to get a disposable phone number, give that to Microsoft in order to get a 4-digit code text to me.

2) When I entered this code I received a message saying I'm locked out of my Microsoft account for 30 days.

3) Thirty days later I try and gain access to my Microsoft Hotmail account using my previous 4-digit code only to be prompted for a 7-digit code.  Where this 7-digit code is meant to come from I've no idea, so I say I don't have the code and am prompted to give them my mobile number so they can send me another code.

4) I'm given another 4-digit code which I enter only to be told I'm in another 30 day lock-out of my account!!!!!!

This is an absolute joke and from a business perspective I can't understand firstly how Microsoft are allowed to get away with this type of extortion and secondly how they're still operating!  Surely vast numbers of people have either closed or stopped using their Hotmail accounts.  Complaints about this code system flood the internet and yet Microsoft do nothing and refuse to undo this new security setup.

I can't believe how hard they're made it for users to access their accounts.

Have you experienced this Microsoft lock-out and ridiculous security code system?  Tell us about it!
  

Do you lie about your age?

For years my middle son though I was 28. Years ago he tried to guess my age and when he guessed 26 and I just said "Oh yes!" (fib fib) not wanting to tell him the truth because admitting my age out loud was too scary.   Some years later he was talking to me about my birthday saying I must at least be 30 by now. Lol.  Again I just smiled and agreed ;)

They say age is just a number and we certainly do put a lot of emphasis on being young and beautiful even though that is more a spot in time and genetic luck than the accomplishment we treat it as - as Carie Fisher so eloquently stated. 

That being said many of us do take a lot of pride in taking care of our skin, body and mental well being and love being told we look younger than we are.  It's a nice feeling when people are surprised to find we're older than they thought we were.  It's also fun for those who are able to get away with saying they're younger because it's believable (may as well enjoy it while it lasts).

It is important for many to age well and not let ourselves go and many people are afraid of ageing because ageing is seen as a bad thing for a woman to do even though: 
1) it is inevitable and 
2) it is perfectly acceptable for men to age.  
Take Carie Fisher and Harrison Ford for example, he's aged and that's ok, while Carie aging is a big fat No No!

How about you?  Do you lie about your age?  Are you comfortable with ageing?  What scares you about ageing and what do you look forward to?

  

Warning! Does your skin care contain...

  

Healing The Body Naturally

Lately I've written a number of posts about aches, pains and ailments (yes I've been having a good old Aussie winge).

Around the time I wrote the post Aches, Pains and Migraines it dawned on me that doctors and other medical professionals don't really have an invested interest in whether I'm well or not.  None ever do a follow up phone call or anything to see how I'm going, to see if I'm better or well.  After I've paid them my money (in some cases $220 for a measly 10 minutes worth of their time) they forget all about me.  There seems to be little duty of care among our health professionals these days.

I've always know the body can heal itself.  My dad taught me that as a teenager when he used to show me how he would meditate to cure his headaches.  I've used the technique of 'body healing itself' on illnesses (such as cold and flu) yet never really put my energy towards healing my body of its physical ailments.

So I began a journey of self healing.

Most of what ails me is occurring on the right side of my body.  [The masculine side: this is same for everybody, both male and female, regardless of which hand you write with.]  Therefore I predicted the masculine side of my body is really suffering.  Perhaps from burn out, mental exhaustion and physical fatigue due to the amount of conflict I've had in my life over the past number of years.  That conflict has since come to a close and the right hand side of my body "sighed" and collapsed in exhaustion.  It needed a break!

This may sound foolish to some, however, I began using the left side of my body more but not just picking up the kettle with my left hand instead of my right (because my tennis elbow was worse on the right), but also by having a conversation in my head between my right and left whenever I did things.

My left would say "Let me help you with that."
My right would say "Thank you."

I began treating my body as though the left and right have been separate all this time and have just now decided to come together, work together, and support each other.  Most likely my masculine / feminine sides have been apart, certainly working independently from each side, because I have relied on different sides to do certain tasks.  Now I'm getting into the habit of having my body work together.  For example: when I stand I engage both the left and right thigh muscles and glutes to get me up, whereas before I predominately relied on my left leg to do the lifting (because the right side aches).

What I'm finding is, in addition to the essential oil rubs I'm using as well as flower remedies, this joining of sides and having right and left work together is having an amazing effect on my body.  The weaker side is slowly becoming stronger.  The dominant side is getting a break and muscles are recovering from exhaustion. I ache less which is, of course, the main result I'm after.  I'm on the journey to wellness and it feels inspiring :)
  

DIY Natural Fire Lighters

These natural fire lighters work well because citrus peel and beeswax are flammable while smoldering enough to keep the flame going.

Need:

• orange or lemon peel quarters or halves (any citrus fruit will do)
• small dried twigs, leaves, bark - crumbled up into small bits
• old newspapers / shredded paper - ripped into small bits
• beeswax (about a quarter cup)
• medium pot that can be scrubbed with steel wool
• metal spoon
• rubber gloves
• tray

Directions:

• melt 1/4 cup of beeswax in your pot over low heat
• when wax is fully melted remove from heat and allow to cool to the touch (but not cool enough to go hard again)
• add about 2 handfuls of crushed leaves / twigs / bark
• add about 2 handfuls of ripped up paper
• stir with a metal spoon to coat everything well (if you need to, melt more beeswax in a separate pot and add to the mix)
• put your rubber gloves on and scoop out a handful of mixture and squash down into your citrus skins
• set on a tray allow to cool and set

To use:

Place a citrus peel, stuffed with beeswax and burnable materials, at the bottom of your fire.  Add kindling and wood then set your beeswax peel alight.  It will burn nicely helping to get your fire started naturally.

Clean up:

Working with beeswax is messy and it sets hard.  You'll find your pot and spoon need to be scrubbed clean, along with your rubber gloves.

You can either use an old pair of gloves or wash your gloves with detergent while wearing them, as though you're washing your hands as usual. 

Scrub your pot and spoon with steel wool and dish liquid.  

Love this recipe?  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below :)

[recipe from my amazing cousin - thanks] 

  

Healing A Chest Infection Naturally + DIY recipes

You can feel a chest infection coming on.  It starts off with a little tickle in the throat and builds up to a rampant heaving cough that wracks your body.

That was me one Saturday afternoon about 3 weeks ago.  I noticed a small tickle in my throat and by the next day I was coughing to the point of vomiting.  As usual I didn't want to go to the doctors and be given medication, most likely antibiotics, because I know the human body has the capacity to heal itself.  Also, I strongly believe that allowing my body to heal itself from illness builds up it's natural immune system.

natural home remedies

Usually when I have a cold, flu or tonsillitis I sleep it off for as many days as it takes, making sure to keep my body warm (within reason) because high temperatures kill off viruses.  I've noticed since dealing with illnesses this way I am getting sick less often (my last bout of tonsillitis was over 2 years ago - touch wood). My last chest infection (prior to this one) was over 10 years ago, and the duration of sickness is getting shorter each time.

As soon as I felt that first tickle I got out the usual home remedy supplies: garlic, ginger, honey, peppermint tea, eucalyptus and peppermint oil, lemon; and did as much healing as I could each day.

• A good dose of fresh garlic and ginger in my meals.
• Eucalyptus and peppermint oil in a bowl of hot water, breathing in the steam with a towel over my head - a least once a day.
• Eucalyptus and peppermint oil on a handkerchief that I breathed in regularly.
• Rubbed eucalyptus and peppermint oil on my chest during the day and on the bottom of my feet before bed (add to 20ml carrier oil). Alternatively used JOLI's Natural Chest Rub.
• Heat pack on my chest almost all day (because being cold makes it worse).
• Rug up.  Keeping warm keeps the cough at bay and helps fight the virus.
• Peppermint tea with a teaspoon of honey and a slice of lemon throughout the day (i'm not a fan of sweeteners and yet I went through an entire jar of honey in a matter of weeks).
• Natural cough syrup made with ivy leaf extract - even though over the counter cough syrups are reported to be placebo I still took my syrup three times a day when the cough was at its worst.  (See below for home made cough syrup.)
• I did take the odd lozenge (3 times) but I have to confess they made the cough SO much worse!  Lozenges build up phlem in the throat, so when you're finished sucking on the lolly the cough comes back with a vengence!!!!  100x worse!!!! After taking a lozenge my cough would be wracking to the point I'd almost wet my pants from coughing uncontrollably.
• Sleep, lots and lots of sleep, especially during the early stages.  Sleeping helps the body heal itself.
• Sleep sitting up.  Laying down makes the cough worse.
• Very little talking or laughing, both made the cough worse.  I'm sure it was nice for my family to have me being quiet for a bit ... lol.

Three weeks later the cough is still lingering by way of a small tickle in the throat, yet it has been gradually dying since day one.  I can feel my body healing and getting better each day.

Natural cough mixture #1

cold and flu remedies

Mix one tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, one tablespoon of pure honey and one egg white (optional).  Take one teaspoon every two hours.

Natural cough mixture #2

Grate a piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl.  Mix one teaspoon of ginger juice with one teaspoon of honey.  Take that dose three times a day. 

Natural cough drops:

3 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 drops of eucalyptus oil

Mix ingredients together and warm over low heat.  Pour mixture into a buttered tray, leave to cool, then break into small pieces and store in the refrigerator.
  

Why Go Green? JOLI Natural Skin Care Guest Blog

Q1: Tell us a little about your business.

JOLI Natural Skin Care have their own unique brand of skin care products that can be tailor made to suit individual needs.  JOLI sell genuine natural skin care as apposed to companies who claim to be natural and organic yet aren't.  

JOLI wanted to offer the public a skin care range that truly does not contain hazardous, nasty ingredients, many of which are the cause of skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, skin irritation, rashes etc. 

JOLI have been making genuine natural skin care since 2005 with tried and true natural skin care formulations, and are Australian Made and Australian Owned.  JOLI are also approved by Choose Cruelty Free and are part of the Safe Cosmetics campaign (which means they're animal and human friendly).

Q2: When did you decide you wanted to go green?

After my second child was born I noticed a pattern; that my children were unable to use mainstream skin care products without developing rashes and skin irritations.  I, myself, was also suffering from overexposure to chemicals in my skin care and makeup.  Upon investigating this I found that many products on the market contain certain ingredients known to cause allergies and skin irritation, plus a wide range of other side effects. 

This was around 2003 to 2005 when my research into the way corporations use chemicals and toxic ingredients began.  I started looking into greener options, primarily for my family, and this grew into wanting to go bigger and larger and help many more people aside from my beautiful children and other family members and friends.  

Q3: What prompted you to make the move to go green?

The move to go green was almost accidental.  After researching skin care ingredients and realising they can be carcinogenic, endocrine disrupting and cause young girls to bud and bring on puberty I realised there is something drastically wrong with modern day skin care companies / corporations - who are more concerned about making millions than the care and wellbeing of the population, animals and our earth.  

From there I learned these chemical additions also affect our food, our water, our clothing, our cleaning products, our farm animals, the earth etc. and I knew I had to do something very special (I had a calling you could say) to help save our earth and people from these harmful ingredients.  By creating a product range that does not contain nasty and hazardous ingredients JOLI reduce the amount of chemicals people (who use our products) come into contact with on a daily bases. 

Q4: What difficulties have you found with going green?

Family support, primarily my husband.  Whilst he is very supportive of my endeavors to save the world he just isn't as passionate about it as I am.   From time to time he will still come home with some awful chemical filled product that he is convinced does a better job than green brands (i.e. washing powders, liquid soaps).  Educating him has been one of my biggest challenges because hubby is yet to realise my expertise on the subject.  

Also sharing my 'green' message with the public (especially when it comes to natural skin care vs mainstream products) has also been difficult.  Many consumers love their chemical filled products purchased conveniently from shopping centers and don't want to hear the truth about how damaging those products are to them and the environment.  Though the good news is awareness is growing :) 

Q5: Is there one area you’re still yet to go green?

Packaging!  I have found plastic packaging almost impossible to get away from entirely.  For example we can't purchase a loaf of bread that isn't wrapped in plastic (that flimsy, non recyclable plastic).  Although I have made major reductions over the years by using fregie sacks at the supermarket, purchasing fresh foods instead of packaged or frozen foods, making our own produce at home when we can, I still find (non recyclable) plastic a hard one to avoid. 

Luckily our council offers a great recycling program so much of what we use gets turned into reusable products. 

Q6: Can you list some of the benefits / positive effects going green has had on your life?

Family health would be top of the list plus the savings - never having to go down the cleaning or beauty isles in the supermarket.  What we save on money there we are able to put towards organic food choices.  My children's skin, with their lack of skin irritations and rashes, plus the bonus of having great skin and looking younger because natural is so good for our skin.  Gotta love that! 

Q7: What suggestions would you make to those wanting to go green but not knowing where to start?

Going green is a process.  There are so many areas to go green: skin care, makeup, cleaning products, food, clothing, packaging, menstruation, toys, electronics (not consuming or purchasing things you don't need to survive).  Start small and take one step at a time.  You can try to do it all in one hit, however, I find it's easier to tackle one area at a time.  For example start with skin care (or what you feel is most important to you) then move onto cleaning products, then food etc. 

Consult experts and read and follow green, earth friendly, natural blogs.  A vast many people are making moves to go green and have infinite knowledge to share.  

Q8: Any other advice / comments regarding going green you’d like to share?

Don't think going green is not important and can be put off.  The truth is 'our earth depends on you making good, green, eco friendly choices'!  You can be one of the masses, burying your head in the sand and pretending that purchase you made has no ill effect on the earth or other people... but you'd be wrong in your thinking.  Start now and spread the word.  GREEN is the new black ;)


Author BIO

Jodi is the lady behind JOLI and when she's not busy working on skin care products or pampering people in her salon she is joyfully tending to her garden and veggie patch, teaching and educating her children on sustainable ways of living.
  

Starting a Vegetable Garden: Pumkins

At the time of writing my first blog about starting a home vegetable garden I had planted some pumpkin seeds not really expecting they'd do much. I've had so little luck when it comes to growing food (not that I'd previously put in any big effort) that I didn't have confidence in those seeds growing.

To my surprise pumpkin plants sprouted up and soon pumpkins were beginning to grow. At the time of harvest (in June before the cold weather really hits) the plant had supplied 10 healthy pumpkins.

As you can see by the picture the pumpkins we've grown have slight differences, some are squat and round, others are elongated and difference colours. They are JAP pumpkins and the seeds came from a lady who gave me a pumpkin she had grown herself.

One pumpkin accidentally got cut off early in the grown stage and that one was used for roasting, risotto and soup, while the seeds were dried out to snack on.

Another pumpkin was used to make pumpkin pie, the first time I'd ever made pumpkin pie, and it was delicious.

The next stage is preparing the remaining pumpkins for storage. Research suggests sitting the pumpkins on a sunny windowsill or other place where the sun hits and leaving them there for two weeks to harden their skins. Rotating once at the end of the first week.

Then they go into storage in a cool ventilated place out of the sun (I'm still yet to figure out where that will be). Put on a wrack that allows airflow around the pumpkins, not touching so they don't rot. Apparently the skins can be rubbed in oil for more protection.

It's all very exciting to have some home grown pumpkins and to be able to feed the family a number of dishes with food we've grown ourselves.