This definitely needed it…
Clean My Pantry With Me
Category: Living
Clean My Fridge With Me!
My fridge definitely needed this clean up! I removed all the shelves and drawers and soaked them in hot soapy water. Then I washed, dried and put them back! It took a while, but it was totally worth it!
HotSkwash!
I love the brand hotskwash!
They make pumpkins, mushrooms, carrots, pomegranates and more! They are made out of silk and are absolutely gorgeous!
This is a small arrangement I have on my table right now.
Sunscreen Babo Botanicals
We have been loving this sunscreen! It got us all around Paris in the sun without getting burned! It’s great for our sensitive skin and it lays nicely under makeup without pilling (little pieces of sunscreen/makeup rolling up and sitting on your face)!
Honey Face Mask
I love applying a honey face mask! I use any and all raw honeys (Activisy Manuka 1000 is my favorite!).
Pour honey into hands and use to cover face and neck. Let sit for 5-40 minutes and rinse off.
Home Cleaning Products
Here’s the rundown on how I clean my home!
Products:
- Dr.Bronners Castile soap, unscented, lavender or hemp
- Dr.Bronners sal suds
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Lemon essential oil
- On Guard essential oil mixture Do Terra
- On guard laundry DoTerra
- Coconut oil or olive oil
Spray bottles (Add to a 16 oz glass spray bottle):
- All Purpose cleaner- 2 TB Castile soap and water
- Glass cleaner- 1 part alcohol 4 part water (opt add 10 drops lemon essential oil)
- Stove cleaner – 2 TB sal suds and water
- Stainless steel cleaner- vinegar (opt add 10 drops lemon essential oil)
- Toilet bowl cleaner- 2 TB sal suds, 15 drops On Guard essential oil and water
- Anti mold and bacteria- 15-20 drops On Guard essential oil and water
- Lemon fresh spray- 15 drops lemon essential oil and water
Uses:
- Scouring paste- a baking soda and water mixture for tough messes
- On guard laundry detergent to clean the washer. Once a week I run a small capful on a hot cycle and open the door and soap compartment after the cycle to air dry.
- Anti mold and bacteria spray: weekly I spray this on the showers, sinks, bathtubs and washing machines. I let it air dry. Then I do a hot water rinse.
- Lemon spray is great to spray in the kitchen sink after doing the dishes, the bathroom sinks, on the faucets.
- 3 drops lemon essential oil in 1 cup of water. Soak a cotton towel on the mixture, wring out and use to clean leather.
- 3 drops lemon easential oil in 1/4 cup of olive oil or coconut oil. Soak a cotton towel in the mixture and use to restore leather.
- Add 3 drops lemon essential oil to 1 TB olive oil or coconut oil and add to soapy water to mop hard wood floors.
- Add 5 TB Castile soap to a 1 gallon bucket of hot water for general cleaning and mopping.
- Add 5 TB Castile soap, baking soda and white vinegar to a 1 gallon bucket of hot water to wipe down white walls.
- Use 1-2 TB sal suds for a load of laundry. Add 2 TB baking soda and 2 TB white vinegar for whites.
- Use Castile soap to wash dishes.
- Add 3-4 drops of various essential oils to a diffuser to clean and freshen the air (lemon, air x and on guard are my favorites)
- Use dyson or air doctor to clean the air in each room. I vacuum the air purifiers every 3 months and change the filters every 6 months.
- Use a Miele vacuum to clean the floor, the fabric furniture, drapes and curtains. They have Heppa filters and work really well.
Red Light Therapy
Use of red light therapy can enhance cellular function. This means it can be helpful for skin health, inflammation and muscle/workout recovery.
My favorite time to use the red light is while I meditate!
I really love Joovv, they have large and small models and I also love The Cellreturn Platinum LED mask for facial light therapy.
*As always, I am not a medical professional and am not giving medical advice. This is a practice that works for me and that might work for you too.
Rebounding (jumping on a trampoline)
Rebounding is such a fun form of exercise! My husband and I love our Bellicon trampolines!
Rebounding is great for the lymphatic system because it moves lymph up towards your heart.
Salt Baths
I love taking salt baths! They are a favorite way of mine to relax and help take care of my body.
Baths can boost the lymphatic system and help get the body into a parasympathetic state.
My favorite bath add-ins (I usually add salt and 1-3 other additions per bath):
- 1/4- 2 cups of epsom or Dead Sea salt to a warm to hot bath. Using the higher amount of salt and a hotter bath will result in a detox bath where you are sweating (which I love). Or you can use the smaller amount of salt and a warm bath for a more relaxing option.
- 1 TB organic ginger powder
- 1-4 TB baking soda
- 1/4- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 TB organic coconut oil
- 2 TB organic cacao butter
- 1/4 cup- 1 cup organic glyphosate free oats (gathered in and tied off using organic cotton cheesecloth)
- Handful organic rose petals (gathered in and tied off using organic cotton cheesecloth)
- 1 TB- 1/4 cup Activist Manuka Honey
- 3-5 capsules of organic coconut activated Charcoal*
* If using charcoal, it will leave a black residue on the tub. I use a silicone sponge and Dr. Bronners Castile soap to clean the residue.
Meditation
Mediation consists of breath work practices where you breath in and out through your nose. Ideally meditation is practiced sitting up (with a straight spine) with hips above the knees and hands on the lap. Meditation and breath work help the body get into a parasympathetic state (rest and digest). When the body is in a parasympathetic state (not in a sympathetic state, aka fight of flight), the body stimulates saliva, slows the heart rate, stimulates the production of bile and digestion and causes intestinal muscle relaxation. When the body is in a sympathetic state, it inhibits saliva production, increases heartbeat, slows digestion, reduces blood flow and causes glucose release. So why practice meditation? For me, to help my body get into a parasympathetic state which is healing and makes me feel good!
Meditation was difficult to get in the swing of practicing. Sitting still and focusing on my breath was very challenging for me. For the first 4 months I meditated, I would sit for only 5 minutes 3-5 times per week. I would breathe in and out through my nose, I would focus on breathing into my belly, and I would count in my head until my 5 minutes was up. After those 4 months, I was able to go through the How to Meditate program by Jeff Warren, which consists of 30 10 minute meditations on the Calm app. After completing that, I took a meditation class where I learned a lot- various breathing, visualization and mantra techniques.
My favorite breathwork technique is called box breathing (or equal ratio breathing). In box breathing, you inhale, hold your breath, exhale and hold your breath for the same number of counts and repeat. For example, inhale for 5 counts, hold your breath for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts and hold your breath for 5 counts. Repeat.
Now I meditate most days for 10-20 minutes. Sometimes I use guided mediations and sometimes I meditate on my own. I love to meditate in front of my red light (a post about that coming soon) before working out!
Happy Meditating!!!
