Cleaning house & going green

Do you ever just feel the need to clean house? To get rid of all the dirty stuff weighing you down? Today, I'm going to talk about lightening our chemical loads and going green.  I'm sure all of us know that there are nasty chemicals lurking in household cleaners, as well as our personal care products. I'm talking our laundry detergent, dish soap, makeup, baby wash, shampoo, deodorant, etc. Studies have shown that many of the chemicals in these products can be linked to very bad health and conditions as well as having a negative impact on the planet.

It's a fact that it only takes 26 seconds for whatever we put on our skin to reach our bloodstream. That thought can be frightening. What detergent are you washing your baby's clothes in? What lotions are you using?

Today, I'm going to talk about some natural products that we can use to decrease the amount of toxins we come into contact with. Which natural products really work well? Luckily, I've weeded out quite a few and have some favorites to share. I'll also share a couple DIY options for you DIYers :) Yes, I just made up a new word.

Disclaimer- I happen to be an independent consultant for Arbonne, because I fell in love with their ingredient policy. I will briefly mention their products later in this post, but I'm absolutely not trying to sell you anything.


For the laundry, I highly recommend Mrs. Mysers liquid detergent. The Lemon Verbena scent is my personal favorite. They also make some awesome dryer sheets.

If you're a person who likes to go the DIY route and make your own detergent, this link will provide you with  a tried and true recipe from my friend, Jamie. http://www.domesticallyvintage.com/2012/05/homemade-laundry-soap.html?m=1

For the dishwasher, again I recommend Mrs. Myers dishwasher packs, or Ecover brand packs. They are truly effective and so much safer than the regular chemical packed dishwasher tabs.

For surface cleaners, I use Mrs. Myers surface cleaning spray, but if you're in a do it yourself mood and love essential oils, you can make mix up a spray bottle of VinGuard using DoTerra's OnGuard oil. VinGuard is excellent for cleaning shower walls and tiles.

For washing our fruits & veggies, here's a great homemade wash that also uses essential oils.

If you're looking for  skincare, haircare, baby care items, cosmetics & nutrition products that are vegan, botanically based, and made according to European standards, I highly recommend Arbonne products. You can view their items through my website if interested. http://www.arbonne.com/pws/regisblalock/tabs/home.aspx

As always, I like to sneak a healthy recipe for kids or ourselves into each blog. Today's recipe is mashed cauliflower. My kids love mashed cauliflower. Hopefully yours will, too. You can try it for yourself. It's delicious. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230816/garlic-mashed-cauliflower/

I would like to close with this thought. While we're cleansing the toxins from our lives, let's not forget to also cleanse our minds from toxic thoughts that keep us from accomplishing our goals. Make positive changes one day at a time. Improve your thinking and you'll improve your life.

Have a great day!  

Late Nights, Weight Plates & Protein Pancakes

What is your fitness rut? For me, my fitness rut came after I had my 2nd baby.  Sounds familiar, right? Yep, I fell into the "yoga pants all day, living on coffee mom rut".  Motherhood is a beautiful gift, that I wouldn't trade for anything, but at the time, I had gotten so focused on meeting all the demands of others that I failed to take care of my body and wellbeing along the way. This rut lasted for 3 years. What made me snap out of it was finally getting sick enough of the way that I felt.

I finally took the step in doing something to propel me forward. I started a "30 Day Challenge". (Clean eating, supplementing with vegan protein, avoiding dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, etc.) At the end of the challenge, I finally felt good again. The numbers on the scale started moved in a good direction.  I decided to seal my commitment to reclaiming my fitness by scheduling my 3rd Tough Mudder. I had done two before, prior to baby # 2. Three and a half years had gone by since then. 

Though a little intimidated, I just ran my 3rd Tough Mudder last weekend. I'm still a work in progress. Ever improving. Ever having to find motivation. But, the benefits of taking that first step far outweigh the discomforts. Fall down seven times, get up eight.

Whatever your rut is, do one thing today to help your body be healthier. Then, do one more thing tomorrow. Make these things a habit and before long you will reap the snowball effect.

Today was a long day. I haven't gotten my workout in yet today. My kids didn't like what I cooked for dinner. They wanted pancakes and so I made pancakes.  I'll be up late tonight. I'm learning that sometimes success can be comprised of late nights, weight plates, and protein pancakes.  Just keep going.

If your kids are finicky eaters, such as mine, I'll pass along this pancake recipe I found on Pinterest. This is a family favorite in my house. Or, if you're in the market for a good protein pancake, you might love this yourself. I like it because it's gluten free. The oats are great for heart health. The bananas provide potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6, antioxidants as well as other nutrients. I add a half teaspoon of baking powder to the recipe to give them a little more fluffiness. Of course, I recommend eating these with pure maple syrup.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AaXijagXQK-F0ZNxMC4rhmmBTje2ULOiBLDuIqNkZoGELKQeC4hUyls/


I'll leave you with a paragraph I wrote a while back as a closing thought.

"I went for a long run today, which lead to some reflection. I didn't feel like running. Nobody was watching. It didn't matter to anyone. It wasn't glamorous. Veins bulged, sweat ran, one consistent foot fell in front of the other, over and over. While mentally telling myself "Just another mile, just another mile!" I came to the realization that it's the unseen, the non-glamorous moments, that are soaked in victory. That applies to all areas of our lives. Our marriages, parenting our kids, or achieving our goals.  Keep going, even when nobody sees. Keep up with consistent efforts. Go get your victory!"

By the way, I still kinda like yoga pants ;)

Intro Blog Post

Welcome to my blog!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you find helpfulness, inspiration and enjoyment in the random blogs to come.

The purpose behind this blog is to plant seeds that encourage us all to make our lives better in a healthy way. Simply that.

• Better in how we live and how we enjoy life.
• Better in how we find the motivation to exercise & how we exercise, through providing helpful exercise tips and motivation. 
• Better in making wiser choices in what we eat, by sharing healthy recipes that I've actually made and love. 
• Better in helping  get us moms out of the mom rut. Motherhood is beautiful, but I believe that many of us can slip into a rut in which we neglect various facets of our health and I want to encourage you if you're that person, to get out of that rut and run with me. You need to refill your cup so you have an abundance pouring out of you to pour into the lives of your littles or those around you. 
• Better in encouraging the busy person how to lead a healthier lifestyle with quick and simple tips.
• Better in occasionally sharing my few various and random products for the house and for personal care that are non-toxic, to promote a cleaner and greener lifestyle. 

Stay tuned for my first blog, coming this week. I hope to see you back here soon!