06 August, 2012

Removing Moles with Apple Cider Vinegar?

*Consult your doctor first, and get your moles checked out to make sure they are ok to remove.

Every since I remember really caring about what I look like, I remember becoming more and more self conscious about certain things.  Some people struggle with weight, body image, wrinkles, stretch marks, etc.  Sure, I do too.  But some things just bugged me even more.  Moles.  I come from a "moley" family...is that even a word?  Every few years the doctors would check my body, looking for anything out of the ordinary, and only once has any of them caused concern.  I had a pre-cancerous mole removed on my back in college which left a significant scar that I've learned to accept. 

Through the years, as I've grown older, there have been two on my face that I have never liked, and a skin tag on my throat.  There is one on my forehead near my hair line, which always gets hit when brushing my hair, and another on my cheek which many refer to as a beauty mark...not me.  It was big and dark and I just didn't like it.  I've asked doctors over the years if they'd remove them, and they said yes, but warned that I'd have scars on my face, so I brushed the thought aside.

Until recently.  I was on the Internet (surprise!) and came across an at home remedy using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for removing moles.  Really?  Could it be this simple?  No lasers?  No scalpels?  I was intrigued, and started reading all the forums I could find with success story after success story on using ACV.  Some warned that you will most likely have a small pink scar area after it's all said and done, but heck, that covers with make-up!  So, I gave it a try...and it worked!

Now, as my husband said, you might not want to start on your FACE!  Try another area that you can cover to see how your skin and body react.  But I was determined to get rid of these things, so I started on my face.  :)  Here's what I did.

1.  Scratch the surface of the mole with something like a pumice stone, needle, emery board, etc.  Just a little, not 'till you're bleeding!  You only need to do this one time...never again in the process.

2.  Put Vaseline around the mole, not on the mole itself though.  We're trying to protect the skin around the mole.  Do this every time you're going to apply ACV.

3.  Dip a Q-tip into ACV, then hold it directly onto the mole for about 2-3 minutes.  You'll feel stinging, it's worth it.  Rinse the area when finished, and repeat 4-5 times a day.  Leave it alone overnight (some people keep a cotton ball on it overnight, but I think that's overkill).  For one more day, do the 4-5 applications of vinegar, so to sleep.  On day 3, your mole should be dark brown/black and scabbed over.  LEAVE IT ALONE!

4.  You'll notice on about day 4 or 5, that you'll get out of the shower, and the scab will have loosened and fallen off by itself, or would be easily taken off, you shouldn't have to force it.  As soon the scab comes off, you'll want to keep it from scaring the best you can.  I used Helichrysum essential oil.  Some use honey and other scar remedies and ointments, but my "wound" is healing better than expected using the oil.  Every time I wash my face, I put a little oil on the marks and leave it.  I also leave it on overnight.

I'm on day 8 of the whole process, and the one on my forehead is almost completely healed, my cheek is getting close and my neck skin tag is non-existent.  This has been amazing!  Again, check to make sure your moles are normal, and then if you want, give it a try.

04 August, 2012

An End to Cursive Writing?


As my son prepares for another year of school, I've been working on his handwriting skills over the summer.  I love nice penmanship.  As his manuscript became better and better, I decided to start the skill of cursive writing.  I was so excited to teach him, as I remember loving cursive in school.  We sat down, we went over letters "a" and "b", and he mastered it in his first try.  I was so proud of him that I took a picture, posted it to Facebook and we even showed grandma and grandpa via Skype.

However, my parade was rained on when grandma and grandpa told me that cursive is no longer part of the Utah curriculum since 2010, and they aren't in the minority.  Districts all over the country are dropping it from curriculum, as keyboarding skills become increasingly important.  Really?  You're just going to drop writing?

I'm torn on this subject.  Cursive is beautiful.  It requires coordination, motor skill development and the use of the left and right sides of the brain.  It looks pretty.  People love getting mail addressed in cursive.  There's just something special about it.  And now it might be gone. 

Apparently Utah schools will decide for the upcoming 2013 school year, whether or not cursive will be brought back into the core curriculum.  Here's hoping so.

Where do you stand on the cursive debate?