Feel Good Friday: AmazonSmile

Hello everyone, and Happy Friday! I know I usually talk about health and beauty things you can do for yourself that make you feel good, but today I want to share with you something you can do for others that can make a huge difference. The bonus? You’ll still feel extra good about doing it! Today’s Feel Good Friday features AmazonSmile, an awesome program that lets you give back to a charity of your choosing virtually every time you make a purchase on Amazon.

Feel Good Friday: Meet Maca

Have you ever heard of maca? I stumbled upon this mighty root the way I stumble on most things these days: social media. A friend had mentioned to another friend (yay, voyeurism!) that they took maca before a workout to help them push harder in the gym. As I was recently getting back into the gym at the time, my ears (eyes?) perked at the mention of this mysterious substance. As I am wont to do, I began scouring the Internet for anything and everything I could find about this “maca” the guy spoke so highly of. What I found turned out to be (for me at least) life-changing.

Feel Good Friday: Stop Seasonal Allergies in Their Tracks!

Happy Friday! Well, for some of us. With the onset of spring, I’ve seen many an allergy victim trudging through life in a zombie-like state lately. Amanda has shared her past history with allergies; I, too, used to battle this demon every spring. However, it’s been years since I’ve had an allergy attack and I’ve (almost) forgotten allergies even exist! I want you to know this joy as well, so without further ado, I present to you my top allergy-busting tips:

(As usual, these are just recommendations based on personal experience, and these claims have not been evaluated by a physician!)

Money-Saving Tip: Target Debit Card

photo credit: The Frugal Find

Did you know that in addition to a credit card, Target also offers a debit card? I'm not sure how new this is, but I researched it, and got one. It's really awesome and an easy way to save money at one of my favorite places to shop for clothes on clearance, new snacks I want to try, home decor, and more! Who doesn't like something at Target?! Here's the deal for the debit card:

Target Clearance Haul

I went to Target recently for a couple items and noticed an overflowing amount of women's clothing on clearance. So, I went back with my friend that evening, sans baby. It was glorious! Check out your Target for clearance if you need clothes. There are shirts, blouses, tank tops, pants, long and short shorts, dresses, skirts, swimsuits, and light sweaters. If you live in a place that's cool for the fall and winter, then this clearance might not be too helpful, but you could layer!

I got seven shirts, two dresses, and two pairs of long shorts for about $80!! Breastfeeding my baby made me more slender than I was pre-pregnancy, so I really needed some clothes to accommodate my new size. I'm slowly weaning my kiddo now, so I'm hoping I don't instantly regain fifteen pounds. 

My goal for this shopping trip was to find clothes that I would feel comfortable wearing all day around the baby. Since I used to teach, I have lots of clothes, but they're too nice, and some are too big for being a mommy all day. I also wanted to find things for the rest of summer and that I could layer with this fall. I definitely accomplished that. I got some slightly loose fitting tops that can be worn with or without layers. I also got one dress that has pockets, is looser-fitting, and has a high neckline so I don't have to worry about showing off my cleavage with it. I also got a fun dress that I probably won't wear around the baby, but it fit me so well that I couldn't pass it up.

Our First Produce Delivery Box

When I lived in Orange County, I never ended up subscribing to a produce delivery box because they all required me to pick it up farther away then I wanted to travel and/or I had no choice over what I would get. Since we moved to the Central Valley of California, the heart of agriculture in the US, I figured I could find something I would be happy with. Within a couple weeks of moving, I did a Google search for "produce box delivery [city I live in]" and found The Farmer in the Dale.

We received our first box of produce on Monday:

I particularly like this produce delivery company because much of their produce is organic, and it's local, of course. I got all this for just $20! One head of organic Romaine lettuce, three organic summer squashes, two bunches of organic carrots, three of the most beautiful organic broccoli bunches, Yukon Gold potatoes, and a bunch of white nectarines. 

We have tried everything except the potatoes so far, and we're pleased with all of it. It tastes great! The lettuce is a little wilty because it's so HOT here, but it tastes wonderful still.

If you haven't tried a produce delivery box before, I highly recommend it! Do a Google search like I did, and I'm sure you could find something, or ask around. It's much fresher than most produce found in grocery stores and it supports local farms. Check it out!

DIY Roll-on Sunscreen

We tried some sunscreen by Kiss My Face that's approved by EWG, but we didn't like it ant it was expensive. It did the job well, but it didn't rub in easily or well. So, I started looking for a DIY natural option, and here's my first outcome:

Almond oil -- originally purchased off Amazon; 16 oz for around $10

Dark glass roll-ons -- Amazon; $8

Carrot seed essential oil -- Amazon $14

Other essential oils -- purchased various places for varied prices

Here are some tips about DIY sunscreen and such: 

When using essential oils you should store in dark containers because light "kills" essential oil. 

Carrot seed oil, from my research, naturally has around 35-40 SPF, which is the highest.

Almond oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter all have around 2-5 SPF, so they're great additions to a DIY sunscreen since they also moisturize your skin. I'm going to do a post on making sunscreen with some of those items too.

Citrus oils do not belong in sunscreen; they encourage the sun's rays instead of repelling them!

Sunscreen needs beeswax to be semi-waterproof, so this mixture isn't waterproof. Stay tuned for a post on waterproof DIY sunscreen.

I put in about 12 drops of carrot seed first, the same amount of one of the other oils, and then filled each container with almond oil. I snapped on the tracking ball and lid, and then swished the mixture around. Carrot seed oil carries a strong earthy scent, so you definitely want to tone it down if you use it. Even with 12 drops of another oil in each batch, you can't really smell the other oil, but it does tone it down some. In fact, you may just want to wait to apply this until you're outside. It should work immediately, unlike purchased sunscreen. 

Natural Bug Bite Relief and Healing

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Lemon.jpg

Last week I hung out with my cousin outside a coffee shop because it was too noisy inside, it got dark, and we got bit by mosquitos. I had probably ten bites total. Within a few hours of noticing the annoying itch, I was flipping through Facebook and saw natural relief for mosquito bites posted by Mama Natural. One of the suggestions was to rub lemon right on the bite, so I did.

After 1 day of lemon rubbing: It relievef the itchiness, not completely though. The lemon also seemed to be healing the bites well. The redness spread out from the bite, but the skin was less puffy.

After 2 days: The skin just had red sections where the bites were instead of any raised sections. Some of the bites scabbed and fell off. The bites were much less itchy.

After 3 days: On the third day after getting bit, I only needed to relieve itchiness once, right when I woke up. The bites continued to heal, becoming smaller red spots that were no longer itchy.

For other suggestions, see 9 DIY Home Remedies for Relieving Itchy Mosquito Bites

Garden Update Week #4

My plants have been growing so well!! Here's my lettuce:

The original lettuce is growing tall, and the one in the pot is growing fabulously. I don't think the others are getting enough sun. Here's my zucchini:

It's had four blooms on it, so I'm very excited for the fruit it will give us! Here's the squash:

A couple weekends ago I replanted the squash and zucchini into five-gallon metal paint buckets, and since then the squash has taken off! It looks like it will flower soon. I love the metal paint buckets because they look cute and they were under $3 each! My husband just punched three holes in the bottom of each one with a hammer and a screwdriver. Why buckets? We're moving soon, and I really wanted to take my plants with me. When I re-planted, I added a little 10-10-10 fertilizer, as suggested by Omar, and fertilized the rest of the plants in the yard also.

When I re-planted a couple weekends ago, I also planted green bell pepper seeds. I have kept it in the house though in a bay window in the dining room. Finally, this week I noticed a tiny green sprout!

I also grow green onions in clear jars in the bay window. All you have to do is change the water each day. I had no luck growing them from seeds in the yard.

A couple weekends ago, I also bought a large sweet basil plant and re-planted it in a metal bucket too. I have yet to take the time to use it in any of my cooking, but I have plans to make my own pesto in the future. In fact, I recently pinned a recipe for pesto to my Pinterest recipes. Check it out!

Lastly, here are a couple roses that bloomed recently. They're so beautiful, I had to share!

Toxic Chemicals in EVERYthing!!

AHHHHH!!!! My cabinets have been full of products with scary stuff in them. I was watching Candid Mommy on YouTube the other day, and she mentioned this website called EWG where she found out about the safest sunscreens to use. So I traversed over to this site last night, and could hardly fall asleep after looking up a couple products I use because I could only think about replacing them. Environmental Working Group (EWG) has gathered test results and ranked a bazillion skin care products and household cleaners, but this is just two of the pieces on their website that I have explored today! They also have stuff about food--eek! What will I find there??

After reading over the skin and household cleaner parts of the website, I did some cabinet binging.

Here's a closer look at a couple of the bags

 All of these bags are full of products I'm throwing away that have toxic chemicals in them (except the soy milk box). And it's made a ton of room in my cabinets, which I won't be replacing with much! What am I doing about it?

Household Cleaning
 
Nearly all of my soap-based products are being replaced by Dr. Bronner's soaps, including Sal Suds as a tougher cleaner. Dr. Bronner's soaps are replacing my body wash, hand soaps, floor and surface cleaners, laundry detergent, toothpaste, dish washing soap, and probably some other things. You can get Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 liquid and bar soaps at Target. You can also get huge amounts off Amazon or the company's website. This will be much cheaper than purchasing all those other products, especially since I'll be diluting it for my body wash.

For the dishwasher, I'll be using Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwashing Powder (available at Target, I believe) and pure citric acid to fight the hard water here in So Cal.


For dusting, I'm just going to use microfiber towels. They're supposed to wipe up dust well; it's what's recommended for dusting electronics and cars, so it should work in my house. I'll also use them for mopping up messes and other surface cleaning.

Personal Care

As mentioned above, I'll be using Dr. Bronner's soap for many personal and household cleaning items. Dr. Bronner's even makes a mild baby soap! And it's available at Target!!  

Moisturizing: I'm also purchasing Dr. Bronners lip balm, shaving gel, and unscented body balm off Amazon. Additionally, I'm getting 100% almond moisturizing oil for my everyday moisturizer, and it only costs $11.99 for a 16oz bottle! That's only 75 cents per ounce! Lotions from Bath and Body Works in 8-12oz amounts cost at least that much and more! I'm also planning on making a mixture of coconut and almond oil for an extra-awesome combination; it was recommended by an Amazon reviewer.

For deodorant, I'm planning on mixing together pure coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda. Cotton Bottom Mama's blog explains how to do it, and I'll be trying it out as soon as I can make it to the store!

For sunscreen, I'm going to peruse Sprouts tomorrow to see if they have the Kiss My Face Natural Mineral Sunscreen because that brand is on sale this week. I will also be checking for Badger sunscreen products. If they don't have these, you can be sure I'll be purchasing something from Loving Naturals off Amazon, as Candid Mommy recommends.

Unfortunately, all this change means I'm throwing a way A TON (well at least several pounds worth) of products, but I like feeling confident in my choices, and in the end I will waste less and spend le$$.

By the way, in case you think your products are safe because they say "natural," or they're made by Burt's Bees or Yes to __ brands, think again. Some things made by these companies are safe, but not all of them. To make it easier on myself, that's why I'm using mostly Dr. Bronner's brand.

You can be sure there will be MUCH, MUCH more to come on this endeavor. Do you make any of your own personal or household products? What do you use? How have you liked them? If not, what do you think about this?

Food Storage

Last night I wanted to steam some foods for my 7.5 month-old to try this week, but I knew they wouldn't keep all week, or even for several. So, how do I steam foods for my baby to try without wasting the extra?? I will eat some of the steamed foods, but I don't need to steam my pears to eat them!! Ick! Like anyone in a situation like mine, I did a Google search for "freeze sweet potatoes." And I stumbled across this amazing website called Still Tasty.

That's a snapshot of it just to give you an idea of what's there. Well, I did learn that I can freeze sweet potatoes and pears after steaming them. I think I'm just going to eat the leftover pear that's not steamed though. The sweet potatoes can be frozen and kept for up to a year in an airtight container or bag.

This site is user-friendly with helpful charts and easy-to-use, concise instructions. The "Keep It or Toss It?" section of the site is an alphabetical index of the information I've been describing, or you can search the site for a food you want to know about. Additionally, each food is broken down by whether it's raw or cooked. Below is an example of the storage information for fresh and cooked yams.

Additionally, I love the "Your Questions Answered" section of the site. It has quick answers to questions like: How can you tell if a watermelon is ripe? Should I store my bread in the fridge or on the counter? Do spices ever go bad? Can you freeze raw eggs for later use? Lastly, the "Shelf Talk" section has articles related to food and storing them, which I found interesting. Did you know that pure honey never goes bad?! And you can "thaw" it by running it under warm water. Too bad I just threw away some!

Reusable Shopping Bags 201: How do I remember them?

Now you've been informed on all types of reusable shopping bags and where to get them.  Hopefully you have some by now, and you're wondering "How do I remember them when I go shopping?!"  Like anything else new, you have to get used to it and make it a habit.  I'm going to share a few tips to help you solve this problem though.

1. Keep them in your car. Designate a place in your car to keep them.  If you have small children who sit in the back seat or no children, then your passenger seat is available and you're most likely to see them there.  When someone needs to sit in the front seat, the bags can easily be moved to the floor in the front or back.
2. "If I keep them in a visible place in my car and use them, how do I get them back in my car?"  Again, put them in a visible place in your house or take them straight back to the car after they're unloaded.  In a pile near the door could be a good place for them:

Or right on the door knob may be the only way you'll remember them:

3.   Make sure everyone who owns a car in your house has some bags for their car.  Getting everyone in the habit of using the bags will help all of you remember to use them.
4.   Get or make one large bag that closes with Velcro or by drawstring to put all of your bags in.  This will give them a designated place in your and help keep them organized.  It will also make them easier to move around if someone needs to sit where the bags are.  I wish I had a photo to show you of this, but I haven't gotten around to making a large bag yet.

One other thing to consider when buying bags is which ones will be for food and which ones will be for non-food items, like clothes or craft stuff.  I designated all the bags I have from grocery stores for food only, and I have a few bags from non-food places for my non-food items.  The wallet size fold up bags like Target sells would probably be the most handy for non-food items.

Happy shopping!  Please share your comments or questions via email or the comment form below.  Like what you see?  Share it on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social network you use!  Thanks for reading!