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All Natural Products I Would Rather NOT Live Without

July 7, 2008 By

This is Part 1 of a series by Guest Blogger Mandy Ray-Jones of Artsy Mamas and Bona Fide Mama

Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers: For as long as I’ve worn a bra, I’ve been a sucker for making my lips pretty. You won’t find me sporting mascara or even foundation, but I’m never fully dressed without a smile. And for me, a smile means something shiny on my lips. Now that I’ve stopped putting chemicals on my body, I’m excited that there is a product on the market that is affordable and readily available. You can find Lip Shimmers at Target and Walgreens! My personal favorite shade is Toffee!

Agave Nectar: I have tried to give up sugar. It’s not gone too well but at least now I’m able to face the challenge with some hope thanks to Agave Nectar, the sweet syrup that comes from the same plant which brings us tequila. The first time I tasted it, I felt as if I’d died and gone to sugary sweet heaven. Seriously, it tastes like cotton candy and I’m not making that up. You can put it in anything. You can bake with it. You can sweeten your coffee with it. What’s even better than the way it tastes is that it’s safe for diabetics and is much lower in calories than sugar. When you investigate this product, you will see that there are several types. I’ve tried them all and they are all wonderful!

All natural progesterone cream: First of all, I’d like to reiterate that I am NOT a doctor and that I would never suggest you take my advice without first checking with a medical professional. Just be aware that this product exists and mention it to your doctor the next time you visit with him or her! [Read more...]

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Improve Your Life Naturally

June 30, 2008 By

There’s always room for improvement. We’ve all heard this phrase; some of us may have been given this advice by well-meaning friends or family. Do you need to make changes in your career, your love life, your health? Whatever your need, there really is room for improvement for most of us. One area that you can make immediate changes, and feel results is in your health.

With all of the ads in the media bombarding us with quick fixes to everything that ails you, many people fall prey to the lure of pills and other concoctions that make promises that few actually keep.

Natural supplements and healthy foods is your first line of defense against germs or viruses that will inevitably try and attack you on the inside. It is never late to start making improvements to your lifestyle. These changes will make you feel better inside as well as looking better on the outside. Natural health is one of the best ways to keep your body going and to keep it in good working shape.

When faced with an illness that requires some form of medication to alter symptoms or cure a disease, make sure to do research and become well informed on all of the alternatives that are available to you. Discuss these with your physician, and do not eliminate the idea of going with a natural alternative if at all possible. Rather then taking some form of drug that will probably make you well, but severely destroy your body’s immune system in the process, seek instead a healthy alternative to bypass the forced chemical reaction you will get with traditional medicine–and instead facilitate your body’s healing at its own pace.

In general, however, these natural supplements will not instantly eliminate all of your symptoms, as chemical medicines do; instead, they will facilitate the healing process and at the same time infuse you with essential vitamins to fortify your body against future attacks. Natural health alternatives are not a quick fix all.

What about your everyday life and making improvements naturally that will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle; preventing potentially life altering diseases and symptoms? Natural vitamin and mineral supplements are a great alternative if you are not getting enough of the required amounts in your daily food. Remember to follow the recommended guidelines as overdosing is a waste and possibly hazardous to your health.

There is always room for improvement in our lives, and making positive changes in your health is one of the best places to start, and where you can take charge and feel results.

Article by: Sherry Frewerd publishes websites on various subjects from recipes to mineral makeup to toddler learning. A nature girl at heart, Sherry believes in the benefits of natural mineral makeup and skincare. Stop over to Natural You Mineral Makeup for some helpful and fun natural remedies, tips and product suggestions. Forget the Botox, talk to Mother Nature today!

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Does Living Green Improve Your Fertility?

June 23, 2008 By

I’ve wanted to write about this for quite some time, after finding a blog called Green Fertility. It seemed like an oxymoron to me and for someone who had been through the ringer when it comes to infertility and conceiving my two babies, I roll my eyes at the thought of “greening” your fertility. When someone wants to have a baby, they want to be safe but their focus and goal is to get pregnant and have a baby. If you’re like me and you tried for years and years with different drugs and procedures the idea of being earth friendly to conceive just doesn’t mean to much.

When it comes to infertility and drugs, the idea is to take a pill or shot that stimulates ovulation. That’s a very simple explanation but basically that’s what’s happening. There are actually several different infertility treatments and it depends on the individual problem. In my case I gave myself a shot everyday and had two ultrasounds to monitor the growth of my follicles. When the follicles were large enough to release an egg and there were not a dozen healthy eggs to be released, I received a shot in the bum and the follicles would release their hopefully healthy eggs within 24 hours. I had 24 hours to do the horizontal limbo and make a precious baby. No vacation, relaxation or lack of hormones to be more green were going to help me get pregnant. It just wasn’t happening because I have hypothalamic amenorrhea and my brain just is not going to tell my body to make the correct amount of hormones to release eggs or help follicles become ripe.

So what does this greening your fertility mean and is it possible? For me to get pregnant no, I cannot green my infertility process and use fewer drugs or less invasive procedures. Some women can, based on their diagnosis. Maybe if you have to undergo invitro fertilization and you can allow the follicles to “ripen” on there own and then be harvested and implanted with the sperm? It really depends on your specialist and your individual problem.

This doesn’t mean you can’t green your fertility and live healthier lifestyles. I tried for years and was overweight and that only added more infertility issues. It was like piling more bricks on top of an already weighted down problem. I lost 50 pounds and maintained this loss before I tried to conceive with my second child. I didn’t want the struggles and I wanted to be healthier. After my first month of infertility treatment I was pregnant. That would be an example of living healthier and greening your fertility.

When it comes to going green with fertility you have to think about all the chemicals you breath and consume each day. This has something to do with you and your partner being healthy and conceiving but it also has to do with your future spawn and their fertility. What you do impacts your eggs and your partners’ sperm count and vitality. My mother grew up when they sprayed towns with pesticides to prevent bugs and the children biked behind the cloud of pesticides. I wonder if there’s a correlation between all of her chemical exposure and my infertility?

To green fertility you have to start getting rid of the daily toxins, eliminate all the hormone-laden foods and artificial colors. This isn’t too difficult if you really think about having a baby and making sure they don’t have to go through infertility issues. What could be a better motivation than having a healthy baby and knowing they will someday be able to do the same because you had some forethought?

About the Author: Sommer Poquette is the owner of Green And Clean Mom. For ideas on how to be some shade of green and not lose your mind, visit me!

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Green Cleaning for a Healthy Home

June 16, 2008 By

Most homes contain various store-bought products to clean their home effectively. Many of these manufactured cleaning products are toxic. You can replace these products with safer alternatives that are easy to make and economical too. The basic ingredients are items that are either readily available in your home or easy to find at your local grocery store. Homemade cleaners are versatile, so will require less storage space than all of your conventional cleaning products. The results are impressive and will equal and often outperform commercial cleaners.

Basic Ingredients Checklist

Baking Soda
Vinegar
Water
Lemon Juice
Ammonia
Salt
Borax
Vegetable or Olive Oil
Club Soda
Isopropyl Alcohol
Toothpaste
Spray Bottles

Tips Before You Get Started

Mix in a well-ventilated area
Label containers and store in a safe place
Use containers with tight fitted lids
Don’t reuse old containers from other cleaners
Don’t mix bleach and ammonia
Don’t store in food containers
Test an area before using any cleaner

Quick Tips

Dusting- Re-use dryer sheets for dusting instead of the new Pledge or Swiffer cloths.
Linoleum Floor- Use club soda to clean
Fabric Softener- Add vinegar to the rinse cycle
Microwave Cleaner- Mix 2T baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for five minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up inside the microwave. Wipe down.
Chrome Cleaner- Toothpaste is great for cleaning chrome.
Dishwasher Rinse- 1 1/2 white vinegar added to the rinse compartment of your dishwasher

The following recipes are safe and non-toxic.

Glass Cleaner

1 gallon water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent

or

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix and add to a spray bottle

Wood Floor Cleaner

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix well

All-Purpose Cleaner

1 tsp. borax
1/2 Tsp. washing soda
2 Tbl. lemon juice
In a spray bottle, combine the ingredients with 1 cup of hot water and shake.

Furniture Polish

In a spray bottle mix 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a cloth.

Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner

1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water
Mix well

As you can see, homemade cleaners are simple and frugal to make. They are safe and effective too. Replacing even one of your conventional cleaners with a greener alternative can make a difference. You’ve got to ask yourself if you’re “killing yourself” trying to clean your house with commercial chemicals.

Article by: Sara Noel is a freelance writer and the Editor/Publisher of Frugal Village and Homestead Garden. Visit both these sites for information on getting back to basics through frugality, gardening, lost arts, simplicity, homesteading, and natural family living.

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Remanufactured Ink Cartridges Can Make an Environmental Difference

June 9, 2008 By

Discount remanufactured ink cartridges can make all the difference in your printing experience and the environment. I bet you didn’t know that the type of ink you use could have such a profound effect on the world around us. Even how you dispose of your cartridges can make all the difference. But before you feel overwhelmed, let’s look at just how ink cartridges that are remanufactured can actually help you and the environment at the same time. After all, who makes a purchase before doing some serious product evaluation?

Let’s start with some terminology. When you buy printer ink directly from the manufacturer, it’s called OEM, or original equipment manufacturer. These would include all of the popular printer brands such as Epson, Canon, etc. Discount remanufactured ink cartridges are made to work just as well as OEM cartridges and even have to go through specific quality processes to ensure they are suitable for sale to consumers.

Discount remanufactured ink cartridges are really fantastic ways to simultaneously help the environment and save money at the same time. The key is making for a sustainable lifestyle that all people can contribute to. Since millions and millions of pounds of ink cartridges are just thrown away each year, this contributes to massive amounts of pollution, not to mention our overflowing landfills. That’s why recycling ink cartridges allows those materials that went into the making of your ink cartridge to be saved and reused for others to buy and make use of.

It’s also really easy to recycle your ink cartridges. In fact, PrintCountry has its own recycling program wherein we take in your old ink cartridges, remanufacture them and then resell them at a discounted value. You do your part for the environment and it helps other people save money—even you—on future ink cartridge purchases.

Even if you’re not “green” or an avid environmentalist, you can still see how recycling your used printer cartridges can have a dramatic effect on the world. Just think: if everyone recycled their printer cartridges, we’d have a dramatic decrease in wasted toxic materials and a greater preservation of natural resources. You save money and help save the environment for the next generation.

Article by: Brenda Stokes. A longer version of this article can be found Discount Remanufactured Printer Ink Cartridges. Main idea and resources of this article is taken from the company blog at PrintCountry Printer Ink Cartridge Blog.

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