That's a good neighbor to have.

bonny, where did you find the toothpaste recipe, if I may ask?

Burrell, sorry for the delay. The toothpaste recipe is here.

I left out the Diatomaceous Earth and the xylitol. I had some calcium/magnesium tablets in-house, so used a coffee grinder to powder them, then mixed them with the coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint oil. I like the taste just fine and just love the way it makes my mouth feel when I'm done.

I've been using the same batch for a couple of weeks and have realized that it's dried a bit in the jar, so I'm planning on adding a bit more oil and giving it all a good turn.

At one point, I used my old toothpaste for one brushing and couldn't stand the chemically taste!

If it's paste toothpaste, not gel, save it for polishing silver jewelry (or silver) in a pinch. (I have silver polish, but when I'm upstairs and getting ready, and notice the jewelry is dingy, I use a little toothpaste on it.)

I read through the alternatives to toothpaste - and I do have a friend that many years ago had a dental hygienist say use hydrogen peroxide - and it is easey good for minor buildup

NOLA fans, I am very glad your team won out yesterday. I am currently ensconced on the couch, twitching with every sack/hurry-up on Rodgers, and envying Cashmere her seats (if not the cold).

Based on previous experience, coconut oil is not an effective sunscreen, despite what the interweb says. At least, not for melanin-challenged people like me.

Oh yeah, I'd never try it myself. Judging by the tan on my teacher, it's a tanning lotion, not a sunblock. I'm just noting that it seems to have multiple properties -- or just really good PR.

The toothpaste recipe is here.

That's the one I was looking at, bonny. Thanks! I think I'm going to try it, although my kids will definitely need it with the xylitol if I want them to try it. I hear xylitol is good for teeth anyway.

I would normally be happy to root for the Packers in the playoffs, juliana, but I can't against the Niners. I have a complicated hierarchy of football loyalty I have to obey. I'm really enjoying the game, whoever ultimately wins!

I used to brush my teeth with a mixture of baking soda and salt with a little mint extract or essential oil or something. I don't think it did anything magical, but it was super cheap and I kind of liked using a powder rather than a paste.

The coconut oil/baking soda combo is sort of a cross between powder and paste...more powder, really. That is one of the things I especially like about it.

It seems less cloying and rinses away much cleaner. The point about it being super cheap is quite appealing as well.

I also like the idea that, when I run out, I can make my own without a trip to CVS!

Oh, coconut oil - last time I made mayonnaise I used half olive oil and half coconut oil and I really like the solidity of the result. Usually my mayo seems to emulsify well enough (in the sense of not breaking, anyway) but stays more liquid than I really want it to be.

I was wondering, of the other people who were interested: did you wind up completing the course? What did you think of it? Have you signed up for any other online courses, through Coursera or EdX or such like?

I finished Dino 101 and I really liked it. There was a nice balance of video and interactive content, and each week was easy for me to do in one session. I tried to do the Science & Cooking Course on edX, but it started while I was on vacation and I never caught up.

There's a Food for Thought course coming up soon that looked interesting: [link]