As a breakfast cereal, Oatmeal is pretty boring stuff. But when served hot in a bowl with fruit and milk, and lightly sprinkled with brown sugar it is actually pretty tasty. I chuckled when my husband picked up the red and white Quaker Oats bag, on one of first shopping excursions together. I smiled because this is what my man ate when he was a boy, served in a bowl by his mother. The bag cost $2.25 and weighs two pounds. That’s a lot of breakfast for a very low price.

Turns out, oatmeal is also one of the cheapest natural skin care remedies on the planet.

Ground to a fine powder, colloidal oatmeal should be gently stirred into a warm bath. This feels great and provides almost immediate relief for all manner of itches, especially insect bites, eczema, diaper rash. Should your child catch chicken pox, poison oak, ivy, or sumac, or get a bad windburn, sunburn, or shingles this is the cheapest and yet probably the most effective solution you can provide.

And yes of course there are many oatmeal bath products available in drug stores, and I suspect the profit margins are enormous. But trust me ladies, it’s easy to make this at home. Here’s how I do it:

You can take up to three oatmeal baths a day. Even if you have no skin problems, you’ll find an oatmeal bath is soothing, relaxing and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Whether you eat it or bathe in it, there are many reasons to love oatmeal. It’s one of those natural remedies that has been around years. Its benefits were well-known to our parents and grandparents. It’s time we took advantage of the good things it has to offer.

Oatmeal masks great for teens with oily complexions. I recommend trying an oatmeal mask that contains honey, which has anti-bacterial properties. Regular use of an oatmeal mask is a natural way to help alleviate acne and excess oil.

With only a few days left in November, I’m switching into Christmas shopping mode. Usually I would have at least some of it done by now, but since I’ve been working part-time on the weekends, I haven’t put a dent in it yet. I saw this article in the Toronto Star yesterday with tips on Christmas shopping and it inspired me to get down to business. I plan to draw up a list of everyone I need to buy for, set my final budget and get the wheels turning. Some of the stores/items listed in the article include:

- Leather gloves from Danier Leather for around $45

- West Elm for stationary and Christmas-themed plates and decorations

- Kitchen Stuff Plus for cooking supplies and dinnerware

- The LCBO for special bottles and wine for parties

I loved all these suggestions, especially the idea to shop at both well-known and more hidden stores to get something for everyone. For example,  I just learned about a natural skin care company called Soya Boutique and I know my best friend would love some luxurious, locally made products from them, especially because she’s obsessed with all things skin-related and is looking into attending beauty school next year. I also went to a great local shop in Toronto a little while ago called Adornments on Queen that carried some really unique items like vintage-inspired toys and romantic home decor stuff.

Then again, as is referenced in the article, I almost always end up hitting Chapters and Old Navy for gifts because they have something for (almost) everyone. And they have great stocking stuffers like drink mixes! And, as much as I try to avoid it, Wal-Mart inevitably has a lot of the things on my kids’ wish list.

Where do you shop for great Christmas gifts? Have you started yet?