Next to cleaning the bathrooms, mopping has got to be my least favorite chore. It just feels so complicated. There are buckets to fill, soap to measure, and above all- children to keep out of the way. Oh, and not to mention, you've always got to find a pair of socks so you don't ruin your work as you're doing it!
These days, I don't have time for that many steps! Because of that, my kitchen floor is disgusting. I mean, I'm not exaggerating- when my 9 month old spends the whole day army crawling around the kitchen floor area, his shirts are covered in dirt by the end of the day. You can see a small samplingof my dirty floor below- see the dirt, grime, and smudges?!
Given the state of my floor, you can imagine my delight when E-Cloth sent me their microfiber mop to review. The mop head comes attached to an adjustable handle (you can make it higher or lower!) and uses the same microfiber technology that makes their other cleaning cloths so fantastic.
All you do is take the removable pad off of the handle (it attaches by Velcro) and run it under water until it's wet. Wring it out and you're ready to go! In fact, I'm just about to go use it now. Let's see how long this takes...
Seven minutes later....
Here's that same patch of floor:And a very dirty E-Cloth mop.Gross!
Here's my newly cleaned floor:Aaaaaah. A superbly clean floor in only seven minutes. Have you ever mopped a kitchen floor in seven minutes? I haven't. It's usually a 25 minute process for me from start to finish. But not today! E Cloth worked like a dream, yet again! No buckets, no sloshing water, no soap, and best of all- no sopping wet socks!!!
Now if only E-Cloth could do my dishes and the laundry...:)
To purchase this awesome mop, check out E-Cloth's website. You even get free shipping! Oh, and you can also purchase a dry mop head for non wet floor cleaning.
When I was pregnant with Nathaniel, I made the decision to expose him (knowingly at least!) to as few toxins as possible. And since children put toys in their mouth, suck on them, and play with them for countless hours of their little lives, one area I knew I wanted to be toxin free were his toys.
Nathaniel and Micah don't own many plastic teethers or rattlers because of my concerns about pthalates & BPA in most plastic, (there are a couple that have infiltrated somehow, but I usually keep them out of sight!)
I looked around for an organic alternative, and was thrilled when I found Under the Nile's organic cotton toys. They are made from 100% organic Egyptian cotton, and are also stuffed with cotton, so there is no dangerous fluff inside! (Many normal stores are now selling "organic" toys, but it is usually only the outer material.) And they are ADORABLE! Check out some of our family's favorites:
The first one we received was their monkey, which we got from a close friend at a baby shower:
My husband affectionately named him George. After many washes and 2.5 years of rough handling, this adorable monkey is still going strong. Micah is in love with him right now- he laughs whenever he plays with this sweet monkey!
Ours is a solid blue- and again it is a true favorite! It is just so heart melting to put Micah to sleep and see him holding his little bear blankie!
Both boys have also loved these friendly grapes, which are a part of their Fruit Basket:
And who can pass up the adorable pear? (Also a part of the fruit crate.) Next, we have their Veggie Crate, which is composed of a mushroom, carrot, green beans, and a tomato. Isn't this carrot irresistible? I'm also pretty enamored with the mushroom: (Micah LOVES this one!)
I think the tomato is pretty cute too.Well I could go on all day! I don't know who likes them more- me or the boys! I could own just about every one they have and be happy!
If you want to purchase some of these darling toys for your little ones, check out Under the Nile's website, and also Amazon.com. (You can also Google Under the Nile toys for more options!) Happy toxin free playing everyone!
In the world of perfumes, even the natural world, there are very few that are 100% toxin free. The world of conventional perfumes are teeming with toxins proven to be endocrine system disruptors, (your hormonal system) linked to headaches, asthma, thyroid disruption, sperm damage, asthma and cancer.
Plus, each whiff of these toxic laden fragrances adds these chemical compounds to your body's burden. (Chemicals like phtalates)
But who doesn't like smelling good? Especially we girls? Don't fear- I have a great toxin free alternative for you.
It is the only one I have found on the organic market that has a great price, and is 100% toxin free. I only know of one other on the market that are also 100% toxin free! (I'm sure there are more, but I've searched high and low and still can't find them!)
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!Today I wanted to answer an excellent question asked by Karen: (she sent a great one last week too!)"I understand that antibiotics are bad for you; how would you recommend treating a bacterial infection in your body?"
Great question, Karen! I had this question, too, because there are so many bacteria and viral infections flying around these days!For all infections, the best offense is a good defense. But sometimes, you just can't get everything right- maybe you're eating perfectly, and taking all your supplements, but things get crazy and you're short on sleep.
Even that factor alone can lower your immune system's fighting power- leaving you vulnerable to things like bacterial infections.
When this happens, I rely on Garden of Life's Primal Defense to get things back on track. The Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSOs) in Primal Defense are extremely powerful and are very effective at stopping bacteria and viruses in their tracks.If Mark or I feel that we're fighting something, we'll up our dose for several days. (We usually take the maintenance dose of three per day. Just up your intake one capsule at a time per day, though, otherwise you'll likely have a powerful detox and feel even worse!)
Garlic, too, is a great natural antibiotic. In addition to taking Primal Defense, I will often eat 2-3 whole cloves per day, when I feel that I'm fighting something. (I've had Mark eat up to 6 in one day, to prevent a sickness- it worked!)
Instead of chewing the whole clove and gagging it down, I usually mince it in the garlic press into some olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Then I dip some bread into it. It is still insanely strong, but slightly more palatable. It really works!
When kids are fighting coughs, boil 4-5 garlic cloves in olive oil for 5-6 minutes. Strain the garlic and rub the (cooled) oil into their feet at night, and put socks on them. This gives them the benefits of eating the garlic without actually eating it. This would work for adults too, but it's more powerful to just eat it.
I hope these tips help you fight any bacterial infections that come your way!
From The Great Physician's RX for Health & Wellness, by Jordan S. Rubin:
"Our biological cycles normally follow the twenty-four cycle of the sun, or what is known as the circadian rhythm, During this time, the body does things that we don't even know about, such as an automatic system that carries on functions of cleansing and rebuilding.
The liver goes through a cleansing process between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. If you're awake during that time, your liver will not cleanse properly... In addition, your body will not produce the right hormones if you don't sleep at the right times.
A century ago...adults slept an average of nine hours a night, according to the National sleep Foundation. Care to guess how long the average American adult sleeps each night in the present era?
The answer is a little less than seven hours, which is 20 percent less than our great-grandparents slept...
"Americans sleep the least of anyone in modern countries," Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago, said on AVC's 20/20 newsmagazine show.
"And Americans are the most overweight and obese. Perhaps it's worth thinking about the possibility that we don't sleep enough, and therefore our appetites are unregulated."
William Shakespeare wasn't too far off when he wrote four hundred years ago, "Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care... Chief nourisher in life's feast."
Hope you all get some sleep and rest this weekend everyone!
Last week I wrote about an awesome new cleaning product I found that cleans without chemicals, gives professional results, and cuts cleaning time in half. Doesn't that sound too good to be true? Well, it's not, and I have more pictures to prove it! It's called E-Cloth, and I found out about it through an ad in my co op magazine. As I said last week, its secret lies in its microscopic fibers- fibers that are literally smaller than the bacteria and dirt in our homes- picking them up effortlessly without chemicals or cleaning products- by using only water! I was extremely pleased with the results from the dusting E-Cloth that I purchased, and I wanted to try more. I was so excited when I was given the chance to review their Kitchen Pack.
This package contains their general cloth, and their glass & polishing cloth. The package says that these two products are everything you need to clean refrigerators, windows, countertops of any material, stainless steel appliances, and more. After today's results, I definitely believe them! I would say more, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
Before: I'm kind of embarrassed to be putting this on the World Wide Web, but it really shows the power of E-Cloth. This lovely sight is the wall next to my 9.5 month old's high chair. It has been accumulating for several months now, and was severely caked on. It was one of those things I avoided because I knew it would be a huge project to clean. Terrible, I know...
4 Minutes Later:
Isn't that absolutely stunning?! Seriously, I was bracing myself for a solid 15-20 minutes of serious scrubbing. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that only FOUR minutes had gone by. I knew E-Cloth would be good, but I didn't know it'd be that good!
Here's the product I used today:
It's their general purpose cloth (in blue) and it's part of their Kitchen Pack.
You can buy these awesome products straight from their website, E Cloth.com, or from Amazon.com. Just type "E- Cloth Kitchen Pack" into Google if you want some other buying options as well.
Enjoy your super easy, super effective, and toxin free cleaning experience!
What would childhood be without crayons? It's just part of growing up, a rite of passage into toddler hood! And once a child discovers the world of coloring, they will usually spend many hours throughout their young life scribbling on just about anything.
(Apparently I once colored the entire length of the wall of our extremely tall staircase when my younger sister was born! I guess I was protesting.)
Since crayons are so used and beloved by children, it makes sense to seek out a toxin free variety. What?! There are toxins in crayons? That just seems wrong. Well, there are-unfortunately- don't believe the side of the box that says, "non toxic." That is, unless you consider paraffin (from petroleum) to be non- toxic.
Now, due to the nature of the usage of crayons, this might seem to be a moot point. But what young child does not put crayons in his mouth? Or color on his skin? Or leave a crayon on the floor for his younger, crawling sibling to put in his mouth?
The likelihood of these examples happening are almost guaranteed with any child.And even if the amount ingested is small, I'd rather give my child a 100% toxin free childhood coloring experience.
Fortunately, alternatives are available. Once Nathaniel got to crayon age, I bought him some Clementine Art's Natural Crayons, which are made from beeswax and soy wax. They are chunky, perfect for little fingers, (although great for older kids as well) and their color is beautiful. It is so clear and vibrant!
Next to cleaning the bathrooms, mopping has got to be my least favorite chore. It just feels so complicated. There are buckets to fill, soap to measure, and above all- children to keep out of the way. Oh, and not to mention, you've always got to find a pair of socks so you don't ruin your work as you're doing it!.jpg)
Given the state of my floor, you can imagine my delight when E-Cloth sent me their microfiber mop to review. The mop head comes attached to an adjustable handle (you can make it higher or lower!) and uses the same microfiber technology that makes their other cleaning cloths so fantastic. .jpg)
And a very dirty E-Cloth mop..jpg)
Gross!.jpg)
Aaaaaah. A superbly clean floor in only seven minutes. Have you ever mopped a kitchen floor in seven minutes? I haven't. It's usually a 25 minute process for me from start to finish. 
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