Find the first 6 steps in yesterday's post...

Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

7. Have a Quiet Time with Gratitude and Prayer

We are wives, we are mothers, we are always serving others and sometimes we forget to serve or spend time with the Lord. Having a quiet time helps us to understand the grace He has given us so we can extend that grace to others including our little ones.

We're also able to pour our concerns on Him and we begin to have a healthier positive mindset by getting into the Word. We are able to give Him gratitude and pray as well. This is something I need to work on more and as I adjust my schedule I am going to make certain I do this.

Action step: choose an devotional book or a book of the Bible to read during your quiet time and make it a priority to spend time with the Lord everyday. As soon as you wake up in the morning, give God thanks for 10 things in your life. Here are 3 tips to make it little easier in the morning

8. Set Goals

God gave all of us dreams and I'm not talking about having a million dollars or unattainable dreams that are most likely only fantasies. He put the dreams in your heart and wants you to accomplish them, He wants the best for you! Zig Zigler states it best when he says "Every choice you make has an end result."

When you set goals you figure out your priorities. Some goals include: spiritual, family, physical health, financial, and even how to be a better mother/wife and your purpose. Write your goals out, make a plan, and take action steps or choices towards those goals. For example, if you have always wanted to write a blog, well you need to write that down and make steps towards that goal.

Action step: check out Money Saving Mom's post about deciding your goals and this free printable goal worksheet here

9. Spend Time With Your Family (including date nights and time by yourself)

Family time is so vital. It gives you an opportunity to celebrate, to talk about faith and pray together, time to make memories, and impact your little ones lives. Your children need to know they are heard and loved.

It is not the school or church's job to teach your children. It is our job and what better way to teach life experiences than by doing life with your family, teaching them what is means to be a man or women of God by being an example or showing them how to make healthy choices by choosing to make healthy meals.

photo credit

This goes along with number 4 yesterday, you have to schedule family time or you might get wrapped up in everything else that you neglect family time. We are about to open a new business and we're both concerned about juggling family time with owning a growing business so we sat down the other night and made out schedule which included blocks of family time. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and I don't want to fail at having family time.

You also need to have time to yourself as a mother as well as dates with your husband to keep your fire burning and to reconnect.

Action step: start with adding 2 hours of family time  every week and try to eat 4 meals (at the dinner table) together. If you already do those, set up some family devotion times or challenge your family in some way. Take a date with your hubby this month, here are some frugal ideas for dates at home

10. Do Your Research

If you are reading this post, it's likely that you do your research and find out ways to better your health and family. Do not just listen to what someone including your mom, your medical doctor, your school or anyone else tells you to do or think. Research what ever it is that you are trying to figure out before just taking someones word for it. Some people may mean the best but may be misinformed.

How and why to research:  I'm sure you have questions, they could be about faith, family, health, etc. Make a plan to figure out answers, ask friends and family, research online and on blogs (most bloggers aren't professionals but write what they do and what works for them, so try to find bloggers whose opinions you feel you can trust).

Once you get opinions from others or professionals, dig deeper or even get second opinions if you have to. Pray about it and make your own conclusions! When you research you become a more informed consumer as well being able to stand firm in your decisions.

Action step: What questions do you have? what are you concerned about? Choose one of them and research about it, find the answers and share about it with us!

11. Get Enough Sleep

It's a no-brainer that getting enough sleep is important to your health and well being. You know this but it doesn't mean you actually get enough sleep or even understand why.

Getting enough sleep helps you to be a happy and healthy mom or wife or both and helps you to function properly and have a good attitude. Here are 8 tips for getting quality sleep which describes the benefits and what you can do to get enough sleep.

Action step: the Mayo Clinic suggests 7-9 hours of sleep, compare how much sleep you are getting and if it's not within the recommended amount write down steps you can take to get more sleep

12. Optimum Nerve Supply

You may be thinking, what in the world is she talking about? God created our bodies in a unique way, he put the power to health and healing in our brains.

For you to do anything, to birth your babies, your scabs or broken bones to heal, to breathe or your heart to beat, your brain sends messages down your spinal cord and out through the nerves to every tissue, cell and organ in your body. All of that is happening now as you read this post. That is your nervous system at work.

photo credit

The proper alignment of your spine is what controls the health of your nervous system. There are all kinds of things that can cause misalignment's in your spine that are not allowing your body to function properly, that could be causing headaches, your children's ear infections, and sickness or even other problems.

Through chiropractic adjustments, the body can restore proper function. Chiropractic care is for everyone including kids, read more about our story here. Our children have been adjusted since birth, so we attribute them not getting sick very much to that.

Action step: start by reading more about wellness chiropractors then get your family's health evaluated from a wellness chiropractor.

I hope you will take some of these steps to a healthier life and live to your fullest. The best things we can do are to write things down, make a plan of action to get goals accomplished, get back up if we fail fall, get support from our friends and family and to start walking those steps towards a more maximized life!

What helps you to stick with goals that you set? How do you intend to work towards your new goals for 2012?

Top image by lachlan

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• 12 Steps to a Healthier Life in 2012
• Managing Life as a Work-at-Home Mom: How to Juggle It All, Part 1
• Serving Our Husbands Through a Nourishing Diet, Part 2
• Setting up a cash system- Part 2

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

It's January, so we all know what that means... New Year's Resolutions.

Did you know that according to Time Magazine, most of these so-called resolutions fail after 9-10 days? So, if your wrote any you probably already stopped or quit one or more of them. Dictionary.com defines resolution as a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

A couple of reasons why we fail at resolutions are we're too busy and we're too broad. What we need to do is say exactly what our goal is and how we will accomplish it. We need to take baby steps, and not think "all or nothing!" Sometimes I fall into the pit of giving up because I'm not doing what I should be or what I think I should be doing. I say don't make resolutions! Take steps towards the goals or "resolutions" you want to accomplish. 

Let's take exercise for example. Maybe starting or exercising more is one of your goals, so start by making small attainable steps towards that goal like walk this week, then next week walk twice, then after a while you can jog, and so on. We are all on the fast track, we have a want "it" now mindset, but taking steps towards a healthier life takes time, mostly because you have to break old habits.

I have come up with steps to take to become healthier this year. Steps that I believe will help in all aspects of life: Emotionally, Mentally, Physically, Spiritually, and they are steps I want to take (and improve on) to become healthier this year as well!

Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

1. Choose Whole Foods

If you are a reader here at Keeper of the Home, this is no secret to you! Whole Foods are the most nourishing foods you can give your body. I heard this quote somewhere, "If it's natural eat it, if it's not, stay away from it."

Our bodies were created to eat God food, not Man food. God foods are whole foods like: fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, whole grains, and healthy fats. Man foods are: overly processed "food" with ingredients you can't read, with additives like msg, food dyes, artificial flavors and sweeteners, refined sugar and the list goes on.

For example, Kraft Mac & Cheese, McDonald's chicken nuggets, Coke, or Cheetos among a kazillion other things are some man foods.

photo credit: Kath Eats Real Food

I'm not saying you should never eat processed foods, but an important step to take would be to read the ingredients. Find out if the ingredients have whole foods that are going to nourish you and your body. To read more about baby steps in the right direction, click here or to find list of healthy sources click here.

Action step: replace man food with God food

2. Think Positively

This is pretty self explanatory, but if you are thinking negatively about things, it's not a surprise that you are not living to your fullest. Is your glass half empty or half full? Moses thought he wasn't good enough and gave many excuses to God why he wasn't but God didn't care, He had a purpose for Moses.

Remember that God has a plan for you, too, and leave the negative self talk behind.  The Mayo Clinic reports that Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive tinging and optimism on health. Health benefits that postive thinking may include:

• Increased life span
• Lowers rates of depression
• Lowers rates of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skilles during hardships and times of stress  {source}

3. Make Time to Exercise

The benefits of a little exercise far out weigh my "I don't feel like it" excuses but sometimes I still put it on the back-burner, however, if this is one your goals, which it is one of mine, I hope you will find time to do it.

photo credit

There are simple ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. Try exercise videos from your library. Mindy from The Purposed Heart says she loves to do the videos with her one year old and loves seeing him have so much fun. Do activities you enjoy and even get your kids involved; when the weather is nice take a walk with them.

If you only have 10 minutes in your day, try burst training. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, combats health conditions and disease, helps you to sleep better, helps reduce depression, boosts your energy levels and makes you feel better about yourself.

Action step: take 15 minutes two days this week to do some kind of physical activity

4. Follow a Schedule

To be short and sweet, every second in the day has a purpose, whether it is nursing a baby, washing the dishes, writing a blog post, or eating dinner. If you don't make a plan, than you may be losing valuable time.

I know this is very true for me, sometimes I find myself at the end of the day saying "what did I get done?" Sometimes, I didn't need to get anything done but to spend time with my little ones, but other times I find that I spent too much time on facebook instead of doing x, y and z. No schedule should be set in stone but having one that is used as a guideline helps you get more things done that you want to get done and brings order to the home.

Action step: start by using Ann Voskamp's The Daily Draft to get on a daily schedule

5. Reduce Toxins

Toxins are poisons and the are found everywhere in our everyday lives. There are so many that we simply cannot remove all of them but we can reduce them. Toxins are found in the environment, in the foods we eat, and even what we clean our home with. These toxins are hazardous to our health and cause sickness and disease.

photo credit

I know that can sound overwhelming, but you can take baby steps to find out more about where toxins are and how to remove them.

Action step: replace your conventional household cleaners with natural ones or even make your own

6. Use Natural Personal Care Products and Home Cleaners

Number 5 above pretty much summarizes the need to use natural beauty and house cleaners. Your skin is your largest organ and it soaks up everything you put on it and/or it exposed to.

Just as there are warnings against second hand smoke, the hazardous labels on these products should say that the fumes are toxic and your skin soaks them up. Stephanie, Keeper of the Home owner and editor wrote an informative post here that explains even more about personal care products.

Action step: switch one of your make-up products to a natural brand

Tomorrow we'll continue on with the last 6 steps to a healthier life... 

What are some baby steps that you plan to take towards healthier, more natural living this year?

Top image by lachlan

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• 12 Steps to a Healthier Life in 2012, Part 2
• Managing Life as a Work-at-Home Mom: How to Juggle It All, Part 1
• Cleansing and Detoxing: A Few Simple Ways to Do It
• 5 Steps to Being a Lazy Gardener

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer

As we learn more about how our skin absorbs the products we slather on, it's only natural that we desire to use safe alternatives as part of our regular skin care routine.

If you’ve taken a peek at some of the organic/natural skin care products on the market, you already know how expensive they can be. When we are seeking to do what is best for our health and the health of our family, this can be really frustrating.

Thankfully there are a number of ways to take good care of our skin without busting the budget.

1. Use Less than Recommended

Most products overestimate the amount needed. Try using one squirt of cleanser instead of two.

This takes a little experimentation and will vary depending on the particular type of product being used. For example, I can easily get away with one pump of my cleanser (which recommends two), but need the full amount of moisturizer.

Only wash your face with cleanser in the evening. Splash with water in the morning.

Don’t feel bad about doing this! It is actually a great way to avoid over-washing. Washing your face  too often will result in skin being out of balance (too dry or too oily).

If using liquid cleanser, make it go further by filling an old foaming soap dispenser 3/4 of the way with water and the rest with cleanser, tighten lid and shake to blend. Use a few pumps of cleanser when needed.

2. Use bars instead of liquid soap or moisturizer

Liquid products are easy to waste; squirt out a little too much and there's no turning back (the only choices are to use it up or wash it off). On the other hand, bars of soap or lotion are difficult to over use.

A good bar of soap usually costs less than liquid soap or cleanser and will last much longer.

Image from HardLotion.com

Hard lotion bars have the same advantage; they last well, are simple to make and inexpensive to buy.  Lotion bars may cost more than a bottle of lotion, but this is off-set by the fact that they last longer.

3. Use Multitasking Products

Products that have more than one function are usually money savers (and sanity savers). Using one item instead of two, simplifies your skin care routine and helps keep clutter in check.

Some examples of multitasking products:

• Shampoo and body bars (such as those from Apple Valley Natural Soap)
• Face and body bars (Rachel from Small Notebook explains how she uses the Kiss My Face body bar to wash her face and body.)
• Liquid Castile Soap for hair and body
  My husband uses Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile soap to wash face, body, and hair. It last forever! I only buy him one or two bottles a year.

4. Make Your Own

Making your own products doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, it doesn’t have to involve any “making” at all.

Scoop some coconut oil in a jar and you’ve got an excellent moisturizer for face and body, sprinkle baking soda on a damp toothbrush and you’ve created an all-natural lip-scuff (just rub onto damp lips and wash off with warm water).

Here are a few simple alternatives to store-bought products:

Facial Cleanser: Honey is wonderful for your skin and makes an excellent cleanser. Used alone it won't remove all the dirt and gunk, but it will provide lots of skin-enhancing benefits. Find out how and when to wash your face with honey at Crunchy Betty. (You really should try it. It's amazing.)

To remove make-up using honey follow these instructions (also at Crunchy Betty). Honey can also be used as a hair treatment, among other things.

Another effective facial cleanser is oil.  The oil cleansing method is simple and frugal. Surprisingly it doesn't leave skin oily and often eliminates the need for moisturizer. Be sure to watch Stephanie's video in which she demonstrates how to clean your skin using this method.

Astringent/Toner: Witch Hazel tightens skin and removes excess dirt or oil. Apply a a small amount (about a teaspoon) with a cotton ball.

To make a scented astringent, add 5 to 10 drops of pure essential oil to 1/2 cup of witch hazel. Lavender and sweet orange essential oil are good choices.

Diluted apple cider vinegar also makes a great toner.  To make: mix one cup of distilled water with 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar. Add up to 5 drops of essential oil, if desired.

Moisturizer for face : Coconut oil and jojoba oil both hydrate and nourish skin. Coconut oil  is the least expensive option and has the added bonus of being useful for cooking too.

Moisturizer for body: Coconut, olive, or safflower oil. Best used right after a shower, apply these oils all over for some serious moisturizing.

Exfoliator for face: Mix baking soda, corn meal or finely ground oatmeal or sunflowers seeds with a little water to make a paste. Using circular motions, apply to face, avoiding the eye area. Allow to sit for  a few minutes before washing off with warm water.

Exfoliator for body: Sugar or salt remove dead skin cells very effectively. Before learning to make my own scrubs, I purchased a favorite from time to time at $20 a jar! A homemade version can be made for less than $3.

To make a basic body scrub, mix one cup of sugar or salt with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil (start with 1/4 cup and increase until  desired consistency is reached).

For further details (and over 30 scrub recipes), see my new ebook: Simple Scrubs to Make and Give. A comprehensive guide to making your own all-natural scrubs for face and body. Use Coupon Code KeeperHome to get 20% off until 1/13.

*Stephanie's note: Stacy's book is amazing! Who knew how many different types of scrubs that you could make out of simple and frugal ingredients?

 5. Shop Online

Search for coupons
If purchasing skin care products online, always search for coupons first. This is a great habit to get into with all online shopping. I’m amazed at how often there are coupons available for things I intend to buy.

Follow your favorite brands on facebook and sign up for their newsletter
Many companies provide coupons to those who like their facebook page. Mineral Fusion is one good example. (Like their Facebook page and get a $3-off coupon)

Email newsletters are another way to stay up-to-date on any sales. When possible, stock up on products you use at sale prices.

Shop through Ebates
Another habit that has served me well over the years is beginning my online shopping at ebates.com. Many companies provide cash back for purchases made through their site, some up to 30% (most are 10% and under). Pair shopping through ebates with a coupon code to save even more.

Shop at Vitacost.com (start at Ebates)
Vitacost has some of the best prices on well-known skin care products as well as reasonable shipping fees.

Many name-brand, all natural products are available, as are the basic ingredients listed above in the make your own section (i.e. coconut oil, jojoba oil, honey, baking soda). Go through Ebates to get extra cash back.

If you've never shopped through Vitacost before, you can also get a $10 coupon just for signing up, to put towards anything you like! The coupon will arrive in your email inbox, usually within about 10-20 minutes of signing up, and then you simply use the code that you're given as you checkout with your order.

Sign-up for Groupon and Eversave
From time to time Groupon, Eversave and Jasmere have deals for online stores or local companies that carry natural skincare products. On these occasions you maybe able to save 50% or more.

Bonus tip: Stay Well-Hydrated and Eat Good Food

Drinking enough water will help skin stay in good condition as will eating good food (including healthy fats) and avoiding junk. What we put in our bodies is just as important as what we put on our bodies.

Eating well and drinking enough water doesn't eliminate every skin condition or issue, but it certainly gives your body the best chance to fix any problems that may arise.

Do you have any tips for saving money on natural skincare?

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate and referral links.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Recipes and Ideas for What to Eat on the GAPS Introduction Diet
• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Preparing for Labor
• 14 tips for eating healthier on a budget
• Natural household cleaners, Part 3

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Written by Natalie Klejwa, Contributing Writer

I'm from Minnesota. It isn't exactly the North Pole, but it's getting awfully close. Most of us up here are well acquainted with the dry skin woes, including eczema, cracked and bleeding knuckles, flaking facial skin, cuticle cuts, chapped lips and rough, hard, dried out feet. It's not pretty.

To make matters worse, women are sorely tempted to soak in the sun during the few weeks of summer, reaping more skin trouble down the road as their sun baked skin ages. Solutions range from expensive, chemical laden moisture creams to harsh oral and topical prescription drugs. What's a girl to do?

I'd like to share a few simple tips to keep the largest organ of your body in tip top shape, no matter what the temperature is outside. You'll also get to enjoy some smart, easy recipes using all natural ingredients that will actually nourish and support the health of your skin. They may even help you stay younger looking, longer!

Avoid Overexposure to the Elements

It is healthy to be outdoors, breathing fresh air and getting exercise; however, if you are out in the sun, the heat, or the cold unprotected, expect to reap the sad results on your skin, both in the short term, and the long term. Be sure to use a skin safe sunscreen and wear a hat that shades your face.

I was one of those white wierdos who hated laying out in the sun in my early adult years. To me, getting a tan wasn't worth the sweat, the head aches, and the feeling that all my energy had been zapped by the time I was done broiling for amount of time required to be beautifully bronzed.

Although I didn't know it at the time, my aversion to the sun would pay off in huge dividends as an older adult. My Dr. has told me my skin appears 10 years younger than it should...and attributes it in a large degree to my over all avoidance of the sun over the course of my life. It's never too late to implement safe practices in this area, and for sure, it would be a great idea to pass this on to older daughters who want beautiful, healthy skin, not just in their youth, but for their lifetime.

Rehydrate Internally

It's simple. You need to be drinking lots of water. Our bodies tend to crave it in the summer when we are sweating it out, but most people don't realize how important it is to be drinking in the winter, when we don't naturally desire it.

Many people have their furnaces running at some point during the winter months. (Up here it's all the time. This type of heat is excessively dry and wreaks havoc on our systems. You can have a humidifier put on your furnace to help offset some of the effects, but you will also need to be replacing all that lost moisture by regularly taking in fluids internally.

Avoid Body Cleansers That Dry Out Your Skin

Most of the soaps and shampoos available at your local drug store are terribly drying to skin due to their chemical based ingredients. In fact, I believe these are the worst culprits for causing some of the most difficult dry skin conditions. Just by switching to healthy alternatives that actually rehydrate your skin while cleaning it, you can eliminate most of the common skin ailments known today.

Some of the worst things you can use on your skin are also the least expensive, but you end up paying a higher price with your health, and often by having to purchase other products, including prescription drugs, to combat the issues that these cleansers cause.

Rehydrate Externally

Did you know that the most wonderfully nourishing products to care for the health of your skin are very simple oils and butters found in nature? God has lovingly made provisions in the world He created around us to support all of our body systems, including that very important protective organ of our skin.

These oils and butters are readily available in health food stores, online, and sometimes in your local grocery store! They are most effective when used in their raw, virgin state; and when combined with each other, can make incredibly effective facial and body moisturizers that would rival the most expensive beauty creams available today.

I've long since discarded the creams and lotions I used to buy in favor of these natural alternatives, and I've been more than thrilled with the results!

Here are some of my favorite moisturizing recipes. I've been making and selling some of these for almost three years...right out of my kitchen. If I can do it, so can you.

I suggest going in together with some other families, making a batch of these luscious goodies, and then sharing them with one another throughout the year. (They make great gifts too!)

Two Body Lotion Solutions

I used to slather a store bought lotion all over my body every time I got out of the shower, but I really felt uncomfortable doing that when I was pregnant, knowing that those scents/chemicals were being absorbed into my bloodstream and would need to be dealt with by my internal organs and the baby's as well. This ended up being my motivation to find a better alternative. Here's my #1 favorite:

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

This recipe will make 4 jars (8 ounce size). I go through one jar per month when showering every other day.

What you'll need:

• 4 ounce jars with lids (I get mine online from Wholesale Supplies Plus)
• 1 16 ounce bag of brown sugar
• 1 scant cup of sweet almond oil
• 1/3 scant cup of grapeseed oil
• 1/3 scant cup of fractionated coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of essential oil of your choice.

Mix thoroughly and pack into jars. To use, take a small scoop in your hands and rub on each limb of the body after you are done washing in the shower. It will gently exfoliate your skin while leaving it silky, moisturized, and lightly scented. It takes very little time, and there is no need for additional lotion when you hop out of the shower! I adore this stuff.

Special Notes: Instead of the three different oils, you can opt to keep it super simple and just use the sweet almond oil. All three of those oils are fabulous because they are relatively inexpensive and easily absorbed into the skin. I've experimented with other oils with poor results. These are, by far, my favorites.

Since vitamin E oil is a natural antioxidant, I add a bit as a preservative. If you know you'll be using yours within a couple of months, you can skip that step.

Avoid citrus essential oils on your skin if you know you will be out in the sun. These essential oils are photo-toxic, and not safe with sun exposure. It would be better to go with skin loving lavender, ylang ylang, geranium, etc. There are some really amazing blends out there that you could try. The point is...go have some crazy fun with this, and fall in love with your shower regiment!

Organic Jojoba Oil

The oil that most resembles your skin's own sebum, Jojoba oil is absolutely amazing. This is my simple solution if I need to apply a "lotion" to my skin. It is fabulous on the face (it is safe around the eye area!) and everywhere else. It literally makes your skin glow. A little goes a long way, it is easily absorbed, helps balance your skin whether you have oily skin or dry skin, is excellent for massage, and you can even use it to remove your makeup!

No recipe required here. Just buy some. If you love to play with scents, you can add a few drops of essential oil. And if you want to make a to-die-for natural perfume, add even more essential oil and dab it on those pulse points.

Nourish Your Face

You'll find the most delicate and sensitive skin tissue on your face. Not only do you need to be careful what goes here, but you need to be sure you are using ingredients that are safe around your eyes. Years ago I tried out an all natural facial oil serum that worked better than anything I had ever used on my face before. It was a bit of a transition to go from a cream based to an oil based product (for example...you only need a few drops of an oil based product), but once I got the hang of it, I was hooked.

You can make your own nourishing facial serum by using one or a combination of the following oils.

Virgin, Organic Argan oil: Quite possibly the creme-de-la-creme of oils. Argan oil is full of vitamin E and phenols, carotenes, squalene and fatty acids. It absorbs quickly and is known for its ability to balance skin as well as reduce acne, wrinkles, stretch marks, and other skin related issues.

A couple drops in your damp hair provides a great thermal protector and will make your hair soft and shiny. A drop around each eye at night will reduce crow's feet. This is my new favorite oil. It costs more than anything else, but lasts forever, and I think, is well worth the investment.

Organic Jojoba oil: See my notes above

Rosehip Seed oil: Also extremely high in essential fatty acids, this unique oil has been historically known for treating scars, extremely dry skin, and premature aging.

Evening Primrose oil: An amazingly healing-type oil wonderful for rosacea, eczema, aging skin, skin ulcers and acne.

Carrot Seed essential oil: Excellent for wrinkle reduction and removing toxins from skin...but VERY pricey.

I like to add a few drops of skin-loving essential oil too. These not only add a light and lovely scent, but they offer some pretty amazing benefits to your skin as well. Lavender, geranium, and ylang ylang are my favorites.

You can make your serum as simple or complex as you desire. The more of these types of ingredients are added, the more of a well rounded serum you will have. One idea would be to purchase a few different ingredients with some friends, mix them up, and pour into small bottles to share with each other.

I recommend making no more than an ounce for individual use at a time as you will want to use it up within a year. You may also want to add a little vitamin E oil to help keep your serum from oxidation and preserve your precious oils.

Love Your Lips

I have a few great recipes for lip balm, but my favorite by far for winter time is my lanolin based balm. Why? Lanolin will cover your lips with a strong, protective barrier from the elements while holding moisture in. It is essential in the winter and works better than anything else I have ever tried. The following recipe will fill 15 lip balm tubes.

Lanolin Based Lip Balm

• .6 oz. unrefined beeswax
• .3 oz. cocoa butter
• .3 oz. aloe butter
• .3 oz. mango butter
• .6 oz. lanolin
• .6 oz. sweet almond oil
• .3 oz. jojoba
• a few drops of vitamin E oil

Melt the above just until it liquifies. Remove from heat. Add essential oils of your choice. I love 15 drop of eucalyptus, 7 drops of tea tree, 15 drops of rosemary and 15 drops of peppermint. Mix. Pour into tubes up to the tips of the stick in the middle of the tube. Then go back and top off the tubes with the remaining mix so the tubes are full. Allow to cool completely before capping.

I purchase my lip balm tubes from Wholesale Supplies Plus, but you can get them other places online as well.

Special notes: If you want to simplify the ingredients in the recipe, try this:

• .6 oz. unrefined beeswax
• .9 oz. unrefined cocoa butter
• .6 oz. lanolin
• .9 oz. sweet almond oil

One last tip: don't use shea butter in lip balm. It tends to fractionate, making your balm "grainy". The ingredients I use have all been tested and proven over the years to be "fractionating-free". A plus for your sensitive lip tissue.

Treat Your Tootsies

Got feet problems? Many people do. A hard lotion bar is the perfect solution. There are a bazillion recipes out there, but here's the simple skinny: you need 1 part beeswax, 1 part liquid oil and 1 part hard butter. Melt together, pour into mold (a fast, easy mold to use is a silicone mold) and let cool.

You can use any combination of oils and butters that you wish. I love cocoa butter and shea butter best. For oils I love sweet almond, avocado, and jojoba. Virgin coconut oil is nice too. If you want your bars to be scented, just add some drops of essential oil. Rub this wonder bar on your feet at night, and watch them transform from gnarled, dry appendages into soft, silky works of art.

Taking excellent care of your skin doesn't have to be rocket science. By investing in a few simple, natural ingredients, you can mix up some pretty incredible concoctions that will keep your skin happy during the long winter months!

Do you struggle with dry skin during the winter? What products and methods do you use to care for it?

Stephanie's note: I'm sure Natalie doesn't want to toot her own horn, but her family runs a business called Apple Valley Natural Soap (hence her extensive knowledge in this area!). Our family uses their simple and pure soap bars and shampoo bars. They are just lovely, not drying at all (and we live up North, too). I also agree that hard lotion bars are a fantastic solution for dry skin, and these are the ones that I use and adore (and this link is my affiliate link, which you are not obligated to use, but it does help to support this site).

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• The road back to better health (and the details of my diet)
• Adrenal Fatigue: Help and Resources for Healing
• More healthy and frugal meal planning…
• Recipes and Ideas for What to Eat on the GAPS Introduction Diet

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

With my husband being a doctor, I have learned and am constantly learning new information about things in our everyday life that are dangerous to our health and are making our bodies toxic.

Although you might not know it, there are environmental, household, food and life factors that play a role in how toxic you are. From the moment of conception to your current age, you have been around "stuff" that has gotten into your body (and even your mind) and could possibly causing you to suffer from health problems. Sometimes it's easy to make statements like "A little won't hurt me!" or "Everything's going to kill us some how so what's the big deal?" However, God gave us wisdom to make the right decisions for our family.

"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live." Deuteronomy 30:19

I am almost certain God planned for us to choose to live a healthy life! In the modern age of convenience, it's true, we simply can not avoid everything, however, there are steps we can take to help our children and family lessen our toxicity in our bodies and live a healthier life.

If you take one step at a time you won't get overwhelmed! As you read about these toxins to remove from your life, I encourage you to think about some baby-steps that you may want to take and to dig deeper and research to find out the "why" for yourself. When you find the why for choices you and your family make, you can help teach others.

photo credit

1. Household Cleaners

Everyday cleaners found on the shelves of grocery stores are full of petrochemicals that are hazardous to our health. When you clean with them, they get into the air and are sucked into the air vents which keep releasing the toxic fumes out.

Take a spray cleaner for your kitchen counters for example, every time you clean, not only do the chemicals get released into the air but also leave a residue on the table (even though you wiped it up) where food is prepared and then eaten.

• Alternatives: Seventh Generation or Dr. Bronner's products are great. You can even make your own multi-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, air freshening, and many other types of cleaners, especially ones using a small handful of simple, frugal ingredients.

2. Water

Do you really know what you are drinking or cooking with when you use tap water?

Tap water has been treated with Chlorine, Fluoride and over 300+ other chemicals so it's no surprise that this water can cause an assortment of health problems including: bone disease,  thyroid function, reproductive function, and immune system function and the chemicals are hormone disruptor's according to the EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency also discloses that Lead in tap drinking water is linked to learning disorders in children and hypertension in adults.

• Alternatives: Buy reverse osmosis water at your local grocery or health food store. You can also install a reverse osmosis filter in your house. These can range in price from less than $1,000 to over $10,000. Baby-steps to take are to buy a shower and kitchen sink filter... start there!

3. Mold

Believe it or not, thousands of people each year suffer from mold toxicity annually in the United States. Most importantly, the majority of these people don't even know that they are sick from mold. They often suffer from alternating bouts of fatigue, asthma, allergies, itchy eyes, skin irritation and headaches. The symptoms do not always come up simultaneously so one might think "I haven't been to lucky with health this year" when the truth is....they have MOLD in their home or even school.

• Alternatives: No alternatives to mold here. A few ways to clean mold are to use apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil. The best way is to just throw out whatever has mold, and if it's in the wall; you'll have to knock it down and re-build.

photo credit

4. Pesticides

Pesticides are spayed to remove or kill lurking pests, so it is obvious they are toxic and can have harmful reactions in our bodies. There are a number of effects pesticides can have on your body including: reproductive disruptions, they are carcinogenic which means they are cancer causing, and the are immuno suppressive, among other problems.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has listed the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables that can be bought either conventional or organic. To print out a copy of the list, click here. This list is a great way to start removing these toxins. Pesticides are also sprayed by your city or county to control mosquitoes so be aware of the days (or nights) that they will spraying.

• Alternatives: Always take your shoes off when you come into your home so you don't spread poison to your carpet and floors. Try your best to buy organic. If you are on a smaller budget, at least make sure you buy the Clean 15, that's what we do! (And whatever you buy, wash it well!)

5. Food

There is a huge attack on food makers to increase quality in our world today. Great stores like Whole Foods, Earth Fare and other larger companies are becoming more common because the demand for quality chemical free food is on the rise.

We often tend to skip over ingredients because it sounds healthy but a lot of the time, that is all it is: a healthy word or sound. Just because it says blueberry muffins, doesn't even mean it has blueberries. Look for: hydrogenated oils, words with numbers like Polysorbate 8O, MSG, aspartame, sucralose, hydrolyzed yeast extract and Red 40.

• Alternatives: Read labels. That doesn't mean check the salt and fat content. What are the ingredients? Always shop in the horseshoe: Try to avoid going down middle aisles at the grocery, that is where the pre-packaged junk resides. Eat vegetables and fruits as much as you can. Also, be aware of hormones and antibiotics in your meats.

6. Plastics

After years of dominating our cabinets, we have come to realize that storing in plastics can truly cause health problems including hormonal changes in male children and diabetes. Simply do not buy plastics with number  3, 6 or 7.  Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are better.

I'm sure you've heard of BPA or bis-phenol-A.The EWG states "Trace BPA exposure has been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and trigger a wide variety of disorders, including chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy." So we need to be mindful and cautious about using plastics, especially since everything comes packages in plastic.

• Alternatives: Glass. Glass storage containers are making a comeback. Minimalization is key here. We have come too far that we can not avoid plastic. You can minimize exposure by spending $50 on glass containers at a Walmart. NEVER put plastic in the microwave! The bad chemicals  are release when heated and go directly into the food you eat. Stainless steel containers for water instead of plastic water bottles is also a good change.

photo credit

7. Cookware

People love non-stick pots and pans, they're easy to cook with, especially clean, but cookware like Aluminum pans and Teflon contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA.) which can lead to infertility, cause cancer and other health issues. PFOA is a dangerous chemical that releases toxins once heated so you want to avoid non-stick cookware!

1. Alternatives: Stainless Steel, Ceramic, Cast Iron, Stoneware and Glass.

8. Air Fresheners and Candles

Have you ever wondered what exactly makes the smelly candle smell? I love the smell of candles, especially the Yankee candles at Cracker Barrel restaurants. The problem with these is that gingerbread lemon candle or the holiday spice isn't really ginger, lemon and cinnamon but are dangerous benzene chemicals that have serious side effect, including death.

Think about this, most of the people you know either use a car air freshener, febreze, smelly soaps, shampoos and other fragrant items that actually contain harmful chemicals. How many people do you know with headaches, sinus problems or digestive issues? What if they removed the benzenes from their life? Just sayin'.

Fragrance is listed by ewg.org's skin deep website as to cause skin infections, respiratory problems and reproductive issues.

• Alternatives: Essential oils and soy-based candles are becoming more popular because of the demand for chemical-free daily use products. I happened to find an inexpensive candle at Target last week! (and I didn't get a headache when I burned the candle!)

9. Skincare Products

Most of your soaps, shampoos and toothpastes and even make up contain sodium laurel sulfates (SLS). It is a surfactant which means it is used to break down and clean slippery grease havens like pavement and car parts. Yes, the same harsh chemical used in industrial cleaning is being used in your mouth, armpits and hair. No wonder you get so fresh and clean!

All joking aside, you need to be aware of what you are putting on your skin, it's living organ that soaks up everything you put on it.

• Alternatives: Nowadays, the market is bursting with tons of new products that are safer than your average choices. There are brands like Jason's, Avalon Organics and other brands that are developing products that don't contain toxic chemicals. If you are really brave, you could make your own shampoo, toothpaste or other skincare products. To check the toxicity of skincare products in your household, use this database.

These are just some of the toxins found in our everyday lives. My husband and I also avoid other toxins such as amalgam fillings, vaccines and medications that can be toxic in our bodies. Although, at times medical emergencies happen and we are thankful for care.

We believe that our bodies have a unique ability to heal themselves and believe that is how God intended us to be. If we take the right steps to have a peaceful mind and relationship with Christ, to eat a balanced diet, to maintain a healthy nervous system which effects your immune system, to exercise weekly, and to remove these toxins, we will be on the right track in living an abundant life!

Choose Life, a Healthy Life!

"I came that they might have life, and that they might have life more abundantly" John 10:10

In which areas have you been working to remove toxins from your life? Which areas do you still want to address?

Top Photo Credit

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• 11 Ways to Teach Your Children to Be Diligent Workers
• 12 Steps to a Healthier Life in 2012, Part 2
• 12 Steps to a Healthier Life in 2012
• How To Quickly Get Your Home Ready For Guests

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Written by Courtney, Contributing Writer

The warm summer evenings are turning into cool autumn nights. Your children’s closets are probably all set for fall weather, an organization project most of us like to do before the start of the new school year and long before the weather starts to cool down. Where we live, the weather is just getting chilly after a long and mostly warm month of September.

My children are turning in their short-sleeved pajamas for warm and cozy long-sleeved and one-piece sleepwear. I love snuggling up with my pajama-clad babies before bedtime, reading a good book or telling stories. And when it’s time to say goodnight, they look so comfy and peaceful tucked into bed with a warm blanket.

Toxins in Sleepwear

Our choice of sleepwear is an important one, considering the amount of time our children spend in slumber. Unfortunately, most pajamas are doused with chemical flame retardants that pose a major health risk to our little ones. It’s tempting to want to dress our babies in soft and fuzzy fleece pajamas, but we certainly don’t want the toxic chemicals that come with them.

These days, we must be cautious with what we expose our children to. Our world has turned from nature as a source of everything from food and medicine to clothing, and everything in between. Our man-made alternatives offer benefits in many situations, but there’s no doubt they come with a cost to the environment, and ultimately to our health.

What Can We Do About It?

It’s hard to remove all the toxins from our children’s environment, but choosing safe sleepwear is one easy step we can take to reduce their exposure.

Brominated flame retardant chemicals are added to sleepwear primarily due to the combustible nature of the synthetic fabrics most pajamas are made of. The majority of children's pajamas are polyester, which is most often made from petroleum. The flame resistance is an extra step needed to counteract the flammable nature of these man-made fabrics, but this additional manufacturing process only “fixes” one bad idea with another.

Many mothers are alarmed at this dangerous manufacturing practice that puts our children in harm’s way during what should be the safest part of their day. Two common solutions to this problem are to wash the chemicals out of the clothing by doing the opposite of what the “to retain flame resistance” laundering instructions say and to push for a regulatory ban of these chemicals in children’s sleepwear altogether.

Both of these attempts to avoid these chemicals are faulty. The solution to toxic flame retardants is not found in laundering or lobbying. The solution is simply to purchase sleepwear made of natural fibers.

Washing out the flame retardants through using soap instead of detergent and running them through multiple cycles in an attempt to remove the chemicals is a bad idea for several reasons. Pushing for regulations to remove these chemicals altogether leads to the same problems.

1. Some fabrics are made from fibers in which flame retardants have been chemically bonded.  Requirements governing the use of flame retardants would likely not apply to fabric in which the chemicals have been bonded to the fibers before being made into fabric. And while laundering may remove flame retardants added to fabrics, it will not remove flame retardant chemicals that are chemically bonded to the fibers.
2. Flame retardants are added to fabrics that are highly combustible, so taking away that protection, as dangerous as it is, poses a fire hazard in the event your child comes across something that could ignite, such as a candle or fireplace. Also, in the event of a house fire, these fabrics will ignite much more quickly and from further distances, reducing the amount of time you have to safely exit the home.
3. If it is possible to completely remove the fire resistant chemicals, your child is still sleeping in a synthetic fabric, often that which was derived from petroleum. While some man-made fabrics are much safer than others, it's still a good idea to stick with natural fibers.

What to Consider When Shopping for Pajamas

Shopping for pajamas can be complicated due to the fire resistance requirements and the clever ways around them. The fact that the majority of children’s sleepwear is made of synthetic fabrics makes our selections even more limited! My mom buys pajamas for each of my children  every winter. My children look forward to this tradition and are excited to slip into them on Christmas Eve.

However, shopping for them drives my mom crazy. Because most pajamas are fuzzy polyester and labeling can be confusing at times, she’ll sometimes call me with questions about what to avoid and what is safe. These are a few shopping tips I’ve learned over the years:

1. Check the label for fabric composition. Opt for natural fabrics like cotton or wool and avoid synthetics such as polyester and nylon. ( Most cotton is free of flame retardant chemicals, but some cotton pajamas are treated.)

2. Always avoid sleepwear labeled: “To retain fame resistance” or Flame resistant fabric”

3. Look these labels instead:

“For child’s safety, garment should fit snugly. This garment is not flame resistant.  Loose fitting garment is more likely to catch fire.” or simply “Wear snug-fitting, not flame resistant” This is the gold-standard in pajama shopping. This indicates that the fabric is not inherently flame-resistant and has not been chemically treated. It is a good idea to follow the “snug-fitting rule” since loose fitting clothing captures air between the fabric and the child and ignites much easier when exposed to a flame. This also reduces the risk of suffocation in younger babies.

“Not intended for sleepwear” This seems to be common with cotton/poly blend thermal underwear and loose fitting flannel bottoms. My children sometimes where these for pajamas and I’m okay with the small amount of polyester, probably used for its wicking ability.

4. Sleepwear for newborns and babies up to 9 months don't follow the same rules. Sleepwear for babies under 9 months are not necessarily required to be flame resistant or to carry any labeling. Sleepwear for babies may still contain fabric made of chemically-treated fibers, so avoid synthetic fabrics altogether.

My favorite sleepwear for infants is simply a cotton tee or side snap shirt with a wool diaper cover over cloth. Swaddling a baby dressed simply like this makes for restful sleep and easy diaper changes…no unzipping/unsnapping and pulling legs in and out of pants or one piece outfits!

5. When purchasing fabric to make your own sleepwear, choose natural fabrics and be prudent about examining the label for any mention of flame resistance or chemical treatment. Often, 100% flannels, especially those with baby/toddler prints, will carry the warning “Not intended for sleepwear”. Flannel is more loose-fitting than other types of cotton fabrics, so the warning must be present to indicate that it doesn’t meet requirements for sleepwear. I think flannel is a fine option, particularly for older children.

I wouldn't be opposed to using a plush or fuzzy synthetic when making pajamas for older children, as long as it isn't inherently flame resistant (bonded chemicals) or treated with flame retardants, but I do try to limit the use of man-made fabrics in clothing and blankets and I always choose natural fabrics for babies.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the specific requirements for children’s sleepwear, you can most likely find your country’s requirements online. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s regulations are found here.

This week at my blog, I will be discussing some of the other ways to reduce our children’s exposure to flame retardant chemicals, which are found in mattresses and bedding, car seats and other baby gear, and household furnishings.

Is this an issue that you were aware of? What, if anything, are you currently doing to avoid flame retardant chemicals in your children's sleepwear?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• 11 Ways to Teach Your Children to Be Diligent Workers
• Making the Maker’s Diet work
• Raising Healthy Eaters- Retraining children’s eating habits
• Celebrating New Year’s with Children

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Although I've been using more natural deodorants for years, it can be hard to find the right one that actually works for you and doesn't cost a fortune. I hear many complaints that people simply don't want to use natural brands because they just "don't work".

This is true, to some degree. They don't work in the sense that a typical anti-perspirant works. They don't prevent perspiration. Instead they help to prevent odor, kill bacteria and they minimize (key word) perspiration, rather than full on preventing it.

So why be concerned about using anti-perspirant or even conventional deodorants?

• Many of them contain Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex, which is considered carcinogenic (cancer-causing) as well as having developmental and reproductive toxicity concerns. When you consider using an ingredient like this under your armpits, near your chest and lymph nodes, day in and day out, you can understand how it could be problematic.
• Your skin is your largest organ. It absorbs what you put on it, and the chemical contents of that deodorant (or soap or body lotion, etc.) ultimately make it into your blood stream. Aside from aluminum, there are many other toxic ingredients in conventional store products. If you're not convinced, try going to the Skin Deep database, entering the name of the conventional deodorant or anti-perspirant that you use and see how it stacks up.
• Blocking sweat pores is not a good idea. We were given pores and the ability to sweat by our Creator (who I'm pretty sure it smarter than us) for a reason. Our body needs a way to release toxins, as well as to cool itself down when overheated. Using an anti-persirant to prevent yourself from sweating is messing around with a bodily function that probably shouldn't be messed with.
• Even some "natural" deodorant products have ingredients that are less than ideal (although there are some good ones out there). Not only that, but they're expensive. I have a hard time spending $4-6 on deodorant, personally.

Nonetheless, a girl wants to smell fresh, right? After years of frustration with products that didn't really do the job, I had turned to deodorant stones or crystals. So far, they have been the product that has worked best for me, and I don't mind using them, but I still wanted to try something different.

I had read very varying reports on the use of potassium alum (which is in crystal deodorants). Some say that it is still toxic, maybe not as bad as Aluminum Zirconium, but toxic nonetheless, while others say it is harmless. I'm still torn on the issue.

My Recipe for an All Natural Deodorant That Goes On Easy

It was time for a new alternative. I could find many cheap and simple homemade deodorant recipes on the web, but I really wanted something that would be firm enough to go in a proper container, so I didn't have to use my fingers.

Last spring, I made my first trial recipe that was more firm and could be used in a container, but I was only somewhat impressed with it.

Later this summer, I tweaked the recipe, and now I'm loving it!

I do have to note that there is a short adjustment period, as there is with most transitions we make to less chemical-filled products. The first week (or couple of weeks) that you use it, you may not find it quite as effective as you would prefer. Once your body becomes accustomed to it (and weaned off of the chemicals it's used to) it should begin to work well.

If my recipe were to be rated on EWG's Skin Deep cosmetic safety database, it would most likely score a zero (the best rating). It could only potentially score a 1 for the use of tea tree oil, which isn't necessarily toxic, it's only that some people who are sensitive could react to it, although most don't. So, I'd say it's pretty safe to stick on those armpits!

Now which child ran off with the lid for my lavender oil?

The Ingredients

Makes enough for one average-sized deodorant roll-up container.

• 1/8 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/8 cup baking soda
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 heaped Tbsp. beeswax (I use the pellets, which are easy for measuring and melt down quickly)
• 8 drops tea tree essential oil
• 8 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops castor oil (optional- this just helps it to "slide" a little better)
• Very small amounts of other essential oils for scent purposes (optional- you can use up to another 8-10 drops)

This can easily be doubled if you have more than one container to fill.

Don't make the mistake that I did this past time of shaking essential oil bottles with poorly fitting droppers directly over your pot of ingredients. My dropper lids popped straight off (literally pouring oil into the pot) and I ended up with VERY pretty-smelling deodorant, slightly softer than I prefer because of the extra oil content. Oops!

The Method

Add all ingredients to a small pot and put it on low heat on your stove.

Stir every once in a while, until everything is melted (the beeswax takes the longest, but it's still within a couple minutes), and then stir well to incorporate the powders into the mixture so that it is nice and smooth. It will be a slightly thick, creamy colored liquid as you can see above.

Take an empty deodorant container (that you have previously emptied and washed out- if the stuff that's in there is conventional it is probably hard enough that it will come out by simply twisting it until it falls out), and wash it out well.

Mine is from a previous natural deodorant that I had purchased, whose brand shall remain nameless. :)

Twist it back down so that the the bottom piece is as low as it will go, with plenty of room to fill up the container.

Simply pour the melted oil/powder mixture into the container. There's no trick, it just goes straight in.

Fill it right up until the very top, as full as you can. It might look like it is slightly bubbled up and about to spill over the edge, but it will settle a little as it cools and end up right around the top edge of the rim.

Allow it to sit on your counter for a couple of hours to completely cool off and solidify. If you're impatient like me, you can put it in your fridge (once it has solidified enough to move it gently) to make the process go faster.

Using Your Deodorant

There are only two things I can think of to note as far as usage:

1. It won't be as solid as a conventional deodorant stick, so don't twist it up very high before using it. Twist it just high enough (just a few millimeters, or 1/8 or 1/6 of an inch above the rim) to get what you need, but higher than that and you might smush some of it onto the sides.
2. Don't overdo it. Especially during the transition period, your temptation may be (as mine was) to put on extra in hopes that it would work better. It won't. Honestly. Just use a nice, thin amount and the longer you use it, the better it will work for you.

That's it. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my experimental labors and my now beautifully-perfumed underarms.

Is deodorant/anti-perspirant one of those items on your "must-switch" list? Has anyone else tried making their own?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Natural household cleaners, Part 2
• Homemade Belly Butter (All-Natural Pampering for Pregnant Mamas)
• Living Simply Saturdays- I can’t do it all!
• Natural household cleaners, Part 3

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Do you ever get tired of it all?

Have you read an article on nutrition or being green, and found that your eyes began to glaze over as you thought, blah, blah, blah? Does the garbage sometimes seem like a more convenient option than the compost? Do you just want to break down and buy toothpaste that doesn’t cost $5 a tube?

Sometimes I do.

And I'd venture to guess that I'm not the only one.

Today at Simple Organic I'm exploring what I call "natural living fatigue". I talk about some of the reasons that we become weary of living a healthier lifestyle and what we can do to prevent that feeling of burn out.

What about you? Do you ever get tired of natural living? Why do you think it happens and what do you do about it?

Image by santian

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Posts by Category
• The Story of Stuff
• Winner of the Cloth Diaper Gift Certificate!
• How Green and Simple Living Becomes Generous Living (and Giveaway Winners!)

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

Guest Post Written by Erin Odom

After Keeper of the Home’s recent series on cloth diapers, you may finally be thinking: Hey, I CAN do this! She makes cloth diapering seem so EASY!

But have the upfront costs of modern cloth diapers frustrated you?

I’ve been there.

And I found a solution.

Image by chahad

My Story

It wasn’t long after the birth of my second daughter when I realized my family would barely be able to afford diapers for both our children, since our 2-year-old wasn't potty trained. It was the perfect time to suggest cloth diapers to my husband.

He agreed that we could try them—but our compromise was that I would seek out modern cloth diapers , like pocket diapers.

So I happily set out to researching modern cloth diapers.

And I quickly became frustrated. The brand my one cloth diapering friend recommended cost $20 per diaper.

I realized I would have to spend money (money we didn’t have) to save money, and it just didn’t make sense.

The Cloth Diaper Foundation

I set out to find a way—any way—my family could afford the start-up costs of cloth diapering. My search led me to The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

The premise of the non-profit organization is to provide diaper loans to parents who cannot afford the start-up costs of cloth diapers. The program is open up to anyone living within the continental United States who meets certain income qualifications.

Once your application is processed (including paperwork with your child’s birth certificate and recent pay stubs), The Cloth Diaper Foundation will loan out 12 diapers per child for the cost of shipping. My family received 24 diapers—12 for each of our girls.

Sometimes the foundation will send new diapers, but they mostly send out gently-used diapers. They rely solely on donations from cloth diaper companies and individuals who want to spread “cloth love” to other mamas.

The goal of the program is that parents will use the diapers CDF loans out while slowly building their own stashes, as their income allows. Parents will then return the diapers to  CDF.

The CDF is currently in the process of transferring their location from Texas to California, so they are closed for applications, but they hope to re-open sometime in August.

Giving diapers, Giving Hope

As more people are finding out about CDF, other organizations like it are popping up all over North America.

Giving Diapers, Giving Hope started in early 2011 as another diaper-lending organization for low-income families. Cloth diapering mom Kristen McCarthy began the program after losing her job and house and finding herself in a tough financial situation.

“I started to think, what WOULD other people do if they were in a similar situation and DIDN’T cloth diaper? How would they diaper their children?” Kristen says on the Giving Diapers, Giving Hope website.

Like CDF, the program is open to anyone within the continental United States. Applicants must meet certain income requirements and pay for the shipping of the diapers. Recipients must return their diapers at the end of their loan.

Local Diaper Lending Programs

The Cloth Diaper Foundation and Giving Diapers, Giving Hope operate on a national level, but many other communities offer smaller programs to local families in need.

Former CDF recipient Cara DeCoito recently founded Kaw Valley Cloth, a diaper lending program in her Lawrence, Kansas community.

Sweet Cheeks Diaper Kits is a North Carolina non-profit that makes, collects and distributes cloth diapering supplies in their area. Each kit contains everything a parent needs to cloth diaper one child full-time, including a diaper pail, handmade T-shirt diapers, donated brand name diapers and covers, handmade wipes, a spray bottle, detergent, diaper cream, stay-dry liners AND on-going support!

Volunteers from the community get together for a Diaper Derby each month, where they recycle old T-shirts to make the fitted T-shirt diapers for the kits.

Image by Liz

But how do I build my own stash cheaply?

The point of a cloth diaper loan is to allow you to cloth diaper full-time while slowly building your own stash.

There are ways to build a stash of modern cloth diapers cheaply:

• Buy used from cloth diaper companies, Craigslist, DiaperSwappers, your local Mommies Network, from Facebook trading and selling sites, etc. (Just exercise caution when you don’t personally know the seller!)

• Check out Re-Diaper. This company sells some gently-used diapers as well as new diapers for a lower price than some other stores. They also offer a small diaper assistance program.

• Make your own. Cotton Babies has an excellent tutorial on making your own cloth diapers—even if you don’t know how to sew!

• Buy second-quality new diapers. Many companies will sell their slightly imperfect diapers for a fraction of the retail price. I bought several Bum Genius diapers for $8, and they work perfectly!

• Buy off-brands. The bulk of my stash are Kawaii brand diapers, which cost about half the price of name-brand diapers. I have found them to hold up as well (or better!) than my more expensive diapers.

• Are you a missionary? Cotton Babies offers a grant program for missionary families, providing gently-used (and sometimes new!) cloth diapers.

• Remember: You don’t need EVERYTHING. Stephanie demonstrated in her video last week that you can “swish” poopy diapers; a diaper sprayer isn’t necessary. You can make your own stay-dry liners out of fleece remnants. You can use baby washcloths instead of buying pricey cloth wipes. If you get the diapers, you can be creative with the rest.

Image by moohaha

A Challenge for YOU!

If you have a low income, I hope this post has given you HOPE that there IS a way to afford the start-up costs of cloth diapering.

But what if you aren’t low-income? What if you already have all you need to cloth diaper your babies? What if your babies are already grown?

I want to leave you with a challenge. Why not give to The Cloth Diaper Foundation; Giving Diapers, Giving Hope; or another diaper lending organization?

You can donate your gently-used diapers, new diapers or even monetarily.

Many mamas want to cloth diaper their babies and think that they can’t.

Maybe you can help them out?

Or maybe…just maybe, God is leading you to take it a step further and start your own diaper lending program in your local community. The organizations I listed can only service so many families.

I was unable to locate any diaper lending programs in Canada. Does anyone know of one? Maybe a Keeper of the Home reader can start one?

How did you afford the start-up costs of cloth? Do you know of any other diaper lending programs? What are your ideas to afford the start-up costs of cloth?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Q&A- My thoughts on birth control
• Cloth Diapering a Newborn
• 3 More Reasons That Cloth Diapering is Easier Than You Think
• Reducing Waste by Using Cloth Diapers

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.

This post marks the end of our short, but hopefully helpful, series on dispelling some myths about why cloth diapering is actually easier than you think.

I asked you for your cloth diapering questions, and you really let me have it! I couldn't answer every single question, but I tried my best to make sure that all of the various topics were addressed, so here goes nothing...

Q. So, my question is: what detergent do you use? Do you use this for all your laundry? I have been making my own detergent for a while and would like to continue doing so when we are doing cloth, but don't want to hurt the integrity of the diapers.

Shannon

A. I have two detergents that I use regularly. One is Country Save and the other is Biokleen Free & Clear Powder. I prefer Country Save for my diapers, and like Biokleen better for clothes, but I don't usually bother buying two different detergents so I just use them both interchangeably on all of my laundry. They're both quite cost effective (Country Save is cheapest) and I buy them in large boxes from Azure Standard, a natural foods co-op. Both brands are quite popular and if not carried by your local grocery store, you should easily be able to get them from any natural foods store or online (Amazon, Soap.com, etc.).

I think it's very important to use detergents that are safe for your diapers. The very best resource that I know of in this regard is the Cloth Diaper Detergent Chart at Diaper Jungle. It lists every detergent imaginable, giving it a rating out of 4, an approximate cost-per-load, and any specific things to note about that particular detergent.

Q. Intrigued, but to be honest, still not sold on it. Why not?

• my weak stomach. Though the washable bag option helps that one.

• my limited time. For now, I'll need to go back to work (teaching high school) a short 6 weeks after baby arrives. I'm not convinced I'd have the time. But this will be my firstborn, so maybe its because I'm unsure how ANY routines will go.

• the price up front.

Connie Z

A. I think you would definitely prefer the washable bag option. Another purchase to consider would be a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet to make even easier work of cleaning #2 diapers.

As for the time and price, considering that you will be working full time, why not consider partially using cloth diapers as a compromise? You wouldn't need to purchase nearly as many (maybe start with more like 4-8 diapers). You could use disposables while baby is being cared for by someone else, or perhaps at night, and use disposables during afternoon/evenings and on the weekends when you're home. This would keep the washing work much more minimal. It would still save you money and allow you to reduce your waste significantly as well.

Hemp soakers or inserts (these particular ones are Swaddlebees)

Q. 3 kids and 5 years of cloth diapering and I've never felt it to be a hassle, just part of daily life. I do find they hit an age where I have to use a disposable over night, they just seem to leak out of the cloth diapers. What do you use to overnight your kids?

Marci

A. For overnight, I use pocket diapers with doubled up inserts. When I was using only one insert, I had leaking problems. So I began using two inserts (microfiber) and that was better, but not perfect. Then I switched to one hemp insert layered with one microfiber insert (I put the hemp as the bottom layer, because I find the microfiber softer), and this seems to be the best combination I have personally used and the one that gives them the least rashes.

I also had several other questions about leaking, especially at night, and for older babies who are heavy wetters. I'm sure other readers have some fantastic and different suggestions for this problem, so please share in the comments!

Q. I know that disposables are more expensive in the long run, but it's a big expense up front to get the diapers and wipes for cloth. I guess I'm just worried that I'll spend a couple hundred dollars and then discover that it doesn't work out for us, or that I've picked the wrong kind of diaper. I wish I knew someone close by who did it. That might help me get up the courage to try it!

Teish

A. Here are a few of the answers from the comments on the original post, which I thought were very helpful:

Mom of 4: A lot of diaper stores let you do trials, which is an awesome way to test various diapers and see how convenient cloth really is.

Nola: Most places allow you to buy only a few diapers or a few different kinds. Eg. you could buy one prefold, cover and snappi, one pocket, one all in one, and one fitted (the cover from the prefold would work with this) or more than that if you want, and try it... and then if you didn't want them, you could probably resell them since they'd hardly be used. You can just use a plastic bag or ziploc while out until you want to invest in a wet bag, and you can just use any garbage can with a lid for a diaper pail (and then reuse it later if you decide not to do cloth).

My thoughts: Another thing that might really help you is to read through the diaper reviews at The Diaper Pin. This is a fantastic site with really thorough reviews on practically every cloth diapering product out there, and the reviews are very honest, helpful ones from regular moms (who even tell you how long they've been cloth diapering). I have often used it while trying to make purchasing decisions.

A Bummis diaper cover (my definite favorite when it comes to covers!)

Q. We are on the fence here. Want to go for it, but all my friends who have tried it have all complained about leaks, hard time finding the right detergent, sour smells, and limiting activities, later potty training, etc. What do you think about these issues.

RG

A. My answers:

• Leaks: This is why I choose only excellent quality covers or pocket diapers. Don't use cheap covers like Kushies or plastic pants. They leaked for me incessantly. Bummis or Motherease are much better and gave me very few leaks. Always check that every part of the diaper is properly tucked in and covered by the cover or tucked into the pocket's outer layer (around the legs, by the tummy, above the bum, etc.). These are the key areas where leaks happen. And, change more frequently. The nice thing about cloth is that you're not counting dollars down the drain each time you do a diaper change.
• Detergent: Use the link above to source out some good possible detergents. If you have hard or soft water, check out something more suited to your situation, like Rockin Green's unique formulas.
• Smells: If you've found a good detergent and are washing properly, you shouldn't have smell issues. To avoid this with diaper pails/bags, keep in your laundry room if you prefer (that's where I keep mine). Use homemade air freshener to keep things fresher. If a particular diaper is super stinky, wash that next load sooner than later. Use a good wet bag to keep your diaper bag free of stink. Also, drying diapers out in the sun helps to keep the stink away, too!
• Limiting activities: I have never found that cloth diapering limited what I do, whether it's going out, taking long drives, having sitters, etc. The only time we don't use cloth is for long vacations when we will not be staying with family and that's only once or twice a year at most.
• Potty Training: I have not found cloth diapering to make much of a different in potty training, either on the early or late side. My first trained early, my second late, my third will probably be average. I do know that many moms have attested to earlier training (as opposed to later). I honestly think it's more about the particular child than about the type of diaper you use, but that's just my opinion.

Q. We are currently in a rental and have limited access to a washer and dryer. Given that, I think we probably can't do cloth diapering since it is so dependent on having easy access to a washer and dryer. I'd love to hear ideas to get around this since I do believe cloth is definitely better!!

Annie

A. It does definitely help to have easy access to a washer and dryer, but you may be able to compromise. One idea is to ask your landlords if you can split up your laundry days throughout the week. Our tenants wanted to cloth diaper, so we talked about it and I gave them additional access to the machines on Wednesdays (instead of only weekends as was our previous arrangement), so they could do diaper laundry twice a week.

If that isn't a possibility, you could think about doing one mid-week trip to a laundromat. Yes, it's a bit of cost, but if you only do half of your diapers this way it might not be that bad. Or, you could consider doing cloth only Wednesday-Saturday so that you can wash those diapers on the weekend when you have access (or adapt this to your particular situation), and use disposables or something like gDiapers the rest of the week.

Any other ideas from those with limited machine access?

Image source

Q. A lot of you are mentioning that with cloth there aren't leaks.... It is true that I don't have any poop blow outs with my cloth diapers (I use Fuzzi Bunz), but for some reason, my son often gets wet clothes when wearing cloth and I have to change his clothes. He is 4 months old. For this reason I use Disposables when I am out. Does anyone have any tips on keeping your baby's clothes dry when using a Fuzzi Bunz cloth diaper. Am I doing the snaps too tight?

Lydia

A. You might just be changing less often when you're out (this is easy to do- I often catch myself going longer between changes just because I'm otherwise occupied while I'm out). Or you might want to try using double inserts for outings or long car rides. Especially when they're very young and exclusively breastfed, they pee so frequently that you probably need to be changing a solid 6-8 or more times per day. And some kids are simply heavier wetters than others and need more frequent changes.

You should also double check that the inner part of the diaper is tucked properly inside the outer cover in all of the main "leaky" areas: around the legs, by the tummy, above the bum. All the places where the insides of the diaper can creep above the outside cover and the wetness can wick onto the fabric of their clothing. Double check that you have a snug fit in those areas and that no cloth (only cover) is touching his clothes.

Lastly, every once in a while diapers begin to repel a bit and start leaking. This doesn't happen often (unless, of course, you are using a detergent that just isn't working with your diapers), but if it starts to happen frequently, it might be worth stripping your diapers and see if that helps.

Q. I have some FuzziBunz that I used with my youngest during potting training. If I had used them when mine were infants, how would I handle a poopy diaper? I could replace the insert but there is still poop on the inside of the diaper. I don't understand how the inserts are more helpful seeing as most infant diapers are poopy. I would really like some insight into the actual steps in dealing with wet or poopy diapers. Do you toss the whole wet bag in to the laundry open or zipped up?

Laura

A. When babies are small, you just toss the poopy diaper straight into the pail and then wash. No rinsing needed at all. You only need to start dumping poop or rinsing diapers once you get to solid poops.

But, you won't be able to pull out and replace only the insert. Generally, that is only for diapers like Flip or GrowVia. With a diaper like a FuzziBunz pocket, you'll have to wash the whole thing each time.

Also, for those using diapers with inserts, there is no need to actually remove the insert from the diaper before laundering. I previously thought that I had to and so I would sit there shaking them out, needlessly. Now I just toss the diaper, insert and all, straight in the pail and then in the wash.

If you're using a wet bag, you will want to unzip it and dump it's contents into the wash, so that the diapers can freely move around, otherwise the inserts won't come out and the diapers won't get clean enough.

Q. One thing I wonder though is washing the soiled diapers along with other clothes... how many fecal particles are getting on the other clothes or in the washer? I think I read somewhere to clean your washer once a month by pouring a cup of bleach in and washing an empty load. This will help sanitize it. What are your thoughts on this?

Ann

A. I personally don't worry about fecal particles. I always dump solid poo in the toilet, and give less "solid" ones a good swish to get most of the yuckies off before washing.

Since I always do a rinse cycle first, I would say that the majority of fecal matter rinses away before I even do my hot wash. With the second, full, hot cycle, anything remaining is rinsed away and sanitized because of the hot water and the detergent that I use in this cycle. I don't notice anything dirty left in the machine after this second cycle and it smells fresh as well.

If it really bothered you, I think it's reasonable to consider doing an empty cycle once a month, perhaps with a more natural bleach product or something like Biokleen's BacOut, to give the washer a really good clean and set your mind at ease.

An extensive cloth diaper stash!

Image by niftysmith

Q. I think your numbers are very conservative for disposables costs -- but HIGH on the cloth side. (i.e. further proving your point) -- showing that even with the most luxurious cloth diapers, you are still saving money! I've gotten most of my diapers as gifts (baby shower) or homemade (from flannel receiving blankets) or second-hand (passed on to me, as my original cloth diapers from 8 years ago are all worn out now). Sure, they aren't as fancy/convenient, but it has meant very, very little out-of-pocket! :)

Tammy L

A. I agree, my numbers are exactly as you said-- conservative for disposables, and high for cloth. I actually did that on purpose. I didn't want to have a bunch of people telling me that disposables cost less than what I had calculated (even though I know that many people spend more than the numbers I used and there are still some super-shoppers who spend even less).

I also wanted to show how, even with higher cloth diapers numbers than is necessary (because yes, you can do it so much cheaper than the numbers that I quoted!), the cloth STILL wins out as cheaper. Does that make sense? I wanted to make it a worst case scenario and have the cloth still be the obvious winner!

Q. OK, I'm going to ask my question. When you say you swirl the diaper in the toilet and then drop it into the pail, do you drag the pail into the bathroom with you, do you have an extra pail in the bathroom, or do you bring it back to the changing area and drop it in the pail (and if so, how do you keep it from dripping all the way back)?

Bekah

A. Basically, yes, I drag the pail into the bathroom (I keep it in my very nearby laundry room, but I know others who keep it right in the bathroom). I lift the pail up right next to the toilet so there's no leaking.

And now, allow me to demonstrate (yes, really-- blogging is a shameless job, you know!):

Q. Do you really end up with a pail full of wet cloth waiting for a whole load? Or do you let them sit for a while before washing them out?

Beccachan

A. I really do end up with a pail full (usually) of cloth diapers by the time I wash them. Sometimes, it won't be quite full but I will wash anyways because I don't like to go longer than 3 days.

Now, it's not really a "full" load in the sense that a load of clothes would be. I usually only only a small load setting or at most, a medium setting. Never the large setting that I use for clothes, towels, etc.

An inside look at a wet bag

Image from Leslie's Boutique (they make gorgeous wet bags!)

Q. But I have some fears and questions. How does the wet bag hold in the smell? What fabric is it made of that can do that? I've heard that even diaper pails with plastic bags can get smelly. My worst fear is having a house that smells like poo and not even knowing it. (I want my friends to love visiting!)

Laura

A. Wet bags are made of PUL, a water-resistant fabric. They usually have at least two layers, so the stink has to travel farther to get out and it can't leak out. They are not perfectly stink-proof (nothing is), but I find that it stinks less than a pail (but, I still use the cheap pail I bought 6 years ago, because the "green" girl in me just won't let me get rid of it!).

My main solutions to diaper pail/bag stink are:

• Go no more than 3 days between washes (and with a wet bag, you will always just toss this in and wash it at the same time)
• Use a dry pail, rather than soaking diapers in water.
• Keep it somewhere other than a frequently-used room (mine is in my laundry room)
• When it does start to smell a bit (usually, though, the smell is a direct result of opening it to toss a diaper in, not from the smell just naturally seeping out), use a simple homemade air freshener. I keep a bottle in my downstairs bathroom, which is where I swish my diapers and close enough to my laundry room that I can use it in there when needed. I will spray both inside the diaper pail and in the air around it.

Real Moms Talk Diapers

I had been hoping to share with you some of the reasons why other moms choose to cloth diaper, and also some of their best tips for diapering... but, this post had so many great questions to be answered that it is already long enough!

You can read all 79 of them on the Keeper of the Home Facebook page (this is a direct link to the answers). There are so many excellent answers and helpful thoughts in there.

Your Turn to Weigh In

I've done a lot of talking just now, but I know that there are so many knowledgable and experienced cloth diapering moms out there, who can help to answer some of these great questions.

I would love to hear your thoughts or tips for any of the questions above!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• How to Prepare for Going on the GAPS Diet
• 3 More Reasons That Cloth Diapering is Easier Than You Think
• Dispelling the Myths: Why Cloth Diapering is Truly Easier Than it Seems
• Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.