Podcast #21

Easy Steps to Minimalism

Increase Your Time, Energy and Reduce Stress

Do you struggle with holding on to too much stuff?

Is stuff suffocating you?

We all have “stuff” that we hold on to because of memories or sentiment but when does it become too much. And I am now a mother of two, and my house is just getting fuller and fuller. We barely buy anything besides food, but somehow the stuff just gets in! These practical steps to a simpler way of living have helped me feel less overwhelmed.

Though it is a work in progress, I am trying my best every day to adapt these tips below, because I know they will help me live a life with more time, less stress and more energy to enjoy life.

Who is ready to embrace simplicity?

Embrace minimalism, the practice of living with less and keeping only what you need or love.

Why Take Steps to Become a Minimalist?

Cleaning will be easier. Less stuff means less mess
You’ll be able to find things. Less stuff typically means that there is a place to put the things you choose to keep.
You will shop less. Simplifying makes you aware of what you need and this leads to less shopping. When you do shop it is for a purpose.
You will have more time. You will not have to work more to pay for “stuff’ and spend your time off cleaning the “stuff” you have. This leaves more time to do the things you love or want to do.
Your mind is clearer when you have fewer things around you. Less clutter allows for more clarity.
You let go of the past. When we hold onto stuff, it can also hold onto memories that no longer serve us. This in and of itself is freeing.
You do things more simply!

Ten tips to help you get started:

Complete unfinished tasks, don’t leave what can be done now to haunt you later.
Have a designated place to put all donation items allowing for an easy way to get rid of things that are no longer serving a need.
Decrease your knick-knacks, less stuff to break and collect dust.
Turn around the hangers in your closet so you are able to visually see the things that you no longer wear.
Open junk mail next to the recycling bin, open and dispose of it so it’s not stacking up on tables and counter.
Get rid of your “junk drawer”. This is a glorified catch-all.
Clear out your medicine cabinet. This tends to harbor expired medications or things we are no longer using.
Avoid the sale racks, this is a good way to end up with things we did not need or even intend to buy.
Have one location to store kid toys.
Don’t reorganize, we don’t need more places to store thing but instead less stuff to store.

Ready, set, GO!

Ask yourself these two questions as you sort through your things:

Does this item bring me joy? If not – get rid of it.
If my house burned down today, would I buy this item again? If not, I think you know where it can go…

As always,

Be grateful & have faith!

God Bless!

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Simple Blessings & Oils

Podcast #9

Chemical Free Home

We know this is a very popular topic because we ALL want to know how to clean our homes without exposing ourselves and our sweet babies to all the toxic things in the world! So let’s start with why we should avoid toxic chemicals, what chemicals we want to avoid, and what we use instead!

Chemical Dangers….The Why!

The Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 grandfathered in an estimated 65,000-100,000 chemicals currently on the market today. What does that mean to you? Simply put: these chemicals have not had any safety testing and we know very little information about their effects. Of the chemicals tested, toxic labeling is required only if 50% or more of the animals tested with a chemical die. Scary!

Chemicals to Avoid:

There are so many chemicals in our everyday products that are harmful to our health and bodies without us even knowing. What I want to do is EMPOWER our people and EDUCATED everyone on what to avoid and how to avoid it.

Here are just a few to be aware of:

+Fragrance:

Short-term toxicity can include coughing, skin irritation, rash, wheezing, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and irritability. Long-term toxicity can include cancer, lung disease, heart disease and reproductive disorders. Found in: scented candles, perfumes, lotions, and many more just start looking at labels and you will be surprised.

+Triclosan:

Used in many formulations as an antibacterial agent to prevent or reduce bacterial contamination but has been banned in hand soaps in some areas. Sadly it is still found in many other products like soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, shave gel, first aid spray, kitchenware and children’s toys.

+Phthalates:

A low-cost endocrine-disrupting chemical that in lab studies has shown to interfere with hormone production in rats and mimic estrogen in human studies. Found in: plastic food packaging, lotions, skin moisturizers, fragrance, cleaners, glues and nail polish.

+Formaldehyde:

This is a known carcinogen and recognized as such by the Cancer Institute. Exposure can cause eye irritation, asthmatic response, skin irritation, headaches, and nausea. Long-term effects include cancer and possibly leukemia. To make things even more alarming, this isn’t an easy ingredient to find. The ingredients are often listed as it’s fragmented name. Found in: baby shampoo, pet shampoo, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, sunblocks, cosmetics, baby wipes, toothpaste, and more.

So with even just this short list, what do we use now!

I personally have slowly transitioned over the years to more and natural products as I have learned about the dangers of conventional products. I tend to love DIY recipes but the majority of the ones that I will make all are based on cleaning! Why?

1/Because they’re easy

2/Because they’re cheap….like really cheap!

3/Because they’re not dangerous to me or my family.

And that is reason enough for me!

If you took away ONE thing, I hope it’s this one! I use 6 main ingredients to clean my entire house!!! I like to boil down most recipes and use the bare minimum.

So here’s the low down on what you need:

1/Thieves Home Cleaner

2/Water

3/Baking Soda

4/Vinegar

5/Castile Soap

6/ Essential Oils

The Thieves Home Cleaner:

It is formulated with the power of Young Living’s Thieves oil blend, you can get a deep clean without dangerous or synthetic ingredients. Thieves cleaner also includes the scent of Lemon essential oil for an even more uplifting aroma. This all-purpose cleaner can be used on any surface in your home for dusting, spot cleaning, scrubbing, or any other cleaning need. Wherever you use it, you’ll feel good knowing it’s safe to use around everyone in your family, including pets.

+All Purpose: Combine 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner and 2–3 cups water.

+Degreaser: Combine 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner and 1-2 cups water.

+Glass and Mirror Cleaner: Combine 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner, 5 drops Citrus Fresh essential oil blend, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, and 3 cups water.

Who else has a love affair with the Thieves Cleaner?

Sink and Tile Scrub Recipe:

This recipe WORKS!!!! If you are new to DIYs, then you can always stick with just two ingredients, the Thieves Cleaner and the Baking Soda!! Mix in a bowl and use throughout your whole house on grimy surfaces! Use this mixture on: tubs with tough grime, toilet, sinks, & tile. Who else has tried a million natural cleaners for the bathtub with no success? Who will be trying this one soon? I will post it on the blog!

Bathroom Spray:

A fragrance is what I always want for the bathroom! I only want to smell daisies and roses and a clean tub!! Whip up this recipe to keep on the back of the toilet for your own bathroom of the guest bath!! Not only will it smell amazing but you won’t be breathing in toxic chemicals!

Foaming Hand Soap:

This is the first DIY recipe I ever made! Why? Because it was cheap! 🙂 AND I ordered every ingredient outside of the oils from Amazon! If you want a quick Hand Soap without the DIY, you can always grab the Thieves or Lavender soap ready to go in a pump in your next order! Young Living even has a large hand soap refill container. Create your own oil combination of essential oils for your hand soap- we like Thieves oil with some orange the best!

What else should can we do?

As far as cutting other chemicals out, look everywhere but some other easy DIY’s to start are things like wood polish, dishwasher soap, mattress cleaner. We can also replace things like dish soaps, fruit and veggie wash, laundry soap and more. Speaking of laundry lets not forget dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are one of the top toxins in our home and they are really simple to replace. There are DIY fabric softeners or my favorite, dryer balls! Now, all we use in our home is dryer balls and a few drops of essential oils! Order a pack of balls on Amazon, Etsy, or find it at your local natural grocer and add your favorite combo of oils!

Today I want to challenge you to start with one chemical in your home and find a way to replace it with something better. Take small steps to a healthier home, a chemical free home.

Will it be your hand soap? Your all-purpose cleaner? What will it be?

As always, be grateful & have faith!

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