A LITTLE KINDNESS

I am not one who thinks that life will always be sunshine and roses.  I know that there will be moments when things are hard, people will be mean, and life will be unkind.  In spite of that, I look for ways to be kind to others, to show love and compassion, and to teach my children how to do the same.  Am I perfect, heavens no, far from it; but I am trying to do my part to make the world a better place for everyone, especially those that I come in contact with.  I try to tell someone that they look pretty, their children are well behaved, and that their time doing a task for me is appreciated.  This past week it seems like I have been the recipient of a lot of kindness, even more than I have been able to give out!

The first gift of kindness that I was given was the gift of a kind word.  I was speaking to a young lady who is expecting her first baby, a little boy.  I was smiling as she was telling stories of what to expect and how her life would be AFTER the baby.  I LOVE listening to these stories because I know that at one time I had them and I have since learned how my plans were drastically changed with the birth of each child.  Then she said something interesting.  A friend of hers was saying that having more than two kiddos is foolish, a mother can never love her third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. child as much as they can love the first two, and that a mother with more than two kiddos can’t meet all her children’s needs.  This sweet soon-to-be Mama looked at me smiling and said: “And I told her how wrong she was.  I told her that I met a woman with FIVE kiddos and as I watched her with her children, she did not show favorites, she showed lots of love, and she was an incredible mother to them ALL!”  Bing me, slightly clueless and not sure who she was referring to, I asked her who the mother was. She smiled again and said, “YOU!”  I was instantly humbled and over joyed at her kind words. 

It made my week to hear that someone who had only observed me in passing thought that I was a good mama.  That kindness has carried me throughout this past week of injuries, self doubts, and the everyday craziness of life.  This sweet woman didn’t have to share this with me, but she did, and it has made me smile every time I remember her kind words!

Another kind act happened to me this week while I was paying for my groceries at Publix.   The gentleman in front of me took one look at my two shopping carts loaded with groceries and commented that we must have a large family.  I smiled and responded I am the proud mama of five little ones here on earth and one little one waiting for me in Heaven.  This older gentleman got teary eyed and told me to keep on being a mom; there was no greater calling or reward for a woman.  Another kind word was spoken to me.  Another gift of encouragement was given to me.  What a blessing it was.

I could go on and on.  I’ve been told that I don’t look like I’ve had five babies this week.  I’ve been told that my children are very well behaved this week.  I’ve been told that I am doing something “right” by raising my children the way that I am.  I’ve been offered some much needed items for free in exchange for a visit from an old friend.  And all of this is amazing, wonderful, and a huge blessing to me. 

Christ tells us that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and that anyone next to us at any given moment is our neighbor.   I want to follow His example and lead in this area and show more love to others.  I want to teach my children to love others more too.  Yes, it can be in the big things, but it is also in the little things and more often than not it is the little things that mean the most.

A little kindness has made my week, and it’s only Wednesday.  Knowing this, I must challenge everyone, including myself.  Please, find some ways to show kindness today and every day.  Find a way to encourage a mother, thank a veteran, serve a nurse, doctor, or a teacher.  Bake cookies and take them to the fire station or police station.   Pay it forward for someone in the toll road or drive thru.  Do something little to bless someone expecting nothing in return.  Why?  Because a little kindness goes a long way and as the recipient of a lot of kindness this week, I can tell you what a huge difference it makes!

REMEMBERING SAMUEL

Sometime within this past month, our Samuel would have been a year old.  He would have been walking and talking in that adorable baby way, filling our hearts with laughter and joy.  Samuel would have been having his first haircut and his first birthday photos sometime within this past April.  It would have also been his first Easter.  He would have tried to chase Cole, Ethan, and John Robert around the yard while Maggie helped him hunt eggs.  There are a lot of things that would have been special this month for our family with our precious Samuel.

Sadly, none of that happened.  We celebrated Easter, had our haircut day, and have enjoyed being together as a family. We attended a first birthday and celebrated the joy that we have that our niece was here, happy, healthy, and beautiful. We are planning a birthday, but it’s not the fun robot themed first birthday that I wanted, it’s a fun cowboy theme that the birthday boy wanted.  We have so many reasons to rejoice in so much, but I am not going to lie or pretend I miss my son and April is a hard month for me.

 

Since our loss of Samuel there have been things that I can no longer bring myself to do.  While rocking my baby’s, be it Cole or Jacob, I can never bring myself to sing “Bayou Baby Bunting” anymore.  I sang it every night to Cole while I was expecting Samuel, and would snuggle him close.  Now it hurts my heart to much to sing it.  Oh I still sing to my boys, but not once have I sent Jacob into dream land singing or humming Bayou Baby Bunting.  I just can’t bring myself to do that anymore.  I also can’t call my kiddos a “Sleepy Sam”.  I started using that term with Ethan when he was about five months old.  Now, it hurts my heart to use that little nickname.  I also feel really, really guilty when I say that I have 5 children.  I don’t have 5 children, I have 6.  Just because I never got to hold my Samuel, rock him, change his diaper, and kiss his little head doesn’t mean he wasn’t mine.  I have 5 sons and 1 daughter; I am the mother of 6!

April will forever be the month that my Samuel should have been.  April will forever be the month that I pause and remember my son’s should have been birthday and wonder what life would have been like with him here.  I know that Samuel was born into Heaven and that he is with my Jesus.  I know that he is waiting for me and knows who I am.  I am forever Samuel’s mama and I will forever miss him. 

 

EASTER SUNDAY

Easter, next to Christmas, is probably one of my all time favorite holidays.  I love it for a variety of reasons, but mostly for what this day means to me.  For me personally, this is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead.  For me, it is a privilege to say “HE IS RISEN”, because I know the truth and triumph that those three simple words mean.  When I say that Christ is risen, I know that He is mighty to save and has conquered the grave.  I have a bright and beautiful future because of those three simple words.  There is power in these words; power, love, compassion, grace, mercy, and future all found in the weekend of Easter.

In our home we don’t have the Easter Bunny visit and we don’t dye or hide eggs.  I have nothing against those traditions; actually my children hunt eggs at their grandparents and even a church event this year.  We just feel like our focus needs to be centered on Christ and what this weekend means for us as Christ Followers rather than the bunny.  BUT, the kiddos did get to see a bunny this year, and I love the reason why! 

Our weekend started off with an Easter celebration with church event on Saturday.  The church had an Easter village filled with games, an Easter egg hunt complete with golden eggs and prizes, a free hot dog lunch, and the Easter Bunny.  BUT, this Easter Bunny was not here to be just fun, he taught the kiddos a valuable lesson.  As the kiddos were hunting eggs or paying games, this bunny would sneak up and try to take a piece of candy or an egg.  The pastor then explained that we can let the bunny “steal” our focus off Jesus and what Easter really means.  The bunny in and of itself is not bad, it’s what we make it out to be that can become our focus.  This was a great lesson for the kiddos and a great reminder for us.  It was also a lot of fun to see what the mischievous bunny would do next.

Cole hunting eggs with John Robert's help.

 

Maggie working one of the booths.

Ethan at the Wishing Well.

John Robert and Jacob resting.

 

Maggie and the bunny!

After a fun morning we headed over to Papa Wayne’s for the Best Family Easter celebration.  Of course we ate lots of good food there and the kiddos got to play with their cousins and hunt more eggs.  Maggie and John Robert were too big to hunt the eggs, but Ethan and Cole had a grand time!  Plus there was a money egg hidden for them, which made the evening perfect!  Jacob stayed snuggled on Mama or Daddy most of the night!

Getting ready to hunt, but first...pictures!

 

Easter morning started off with the kiddos getting their Easter baskets from Robert and me.  Of course we made sure there was something special for each of the kiddos and my favorite candy!  Then we headed to church dressed in our Easter best.  And yes, we did match (thank you very much!), we were all in blue today!

Thirty One bags make great Easter baskets!

LOVE THEM!

 

After church we stopped by to visit with Granny and Granddaddy and then headed to my parents in Davenport.  Of course Nana and Papa had Easter baskets for all of us, (yep, Mama and Daddy too), and a delicious meal.  More than the meal it was time for the traditional money egg hunt.  My parents hide a $20.00 egg and then three $5.00 eggs so that all the kiddos get a chance to win the big bucks!  This year Ethan broke John Robert’s winning streak and he took home the $20.00.  He was a happy camper!

 

As much fun as the kiddos had hunting eggs, eating candy, hunting more eggs, and eating more candy; the reason that we celebrate Easter was not lost on them.  At the end of our weekend, when all was said and done we enjoyed remembering WHY this day is so important and special to us!  Easter, as fun as the eggs and candy is, is all about JESUS!  Jesus and Jesus alone is all that matters!

HE IS RISEN, and that’s all we need!

 

WHY ARE WE GOING “GREEN”?

Recently someone asked me to share why we were purposing to go “green” and what we were looking for in our products.  So, I decided to answer them for everyone to see. Yep, this blogging is a great way to share information and what I think.  HA!

 As a Christ Follower I feel that we need to be good stewards of the earth and all that God has given to us.  In Genesis we are told that we are to have dominion over the earth.  This means we are to rule over it, and any good ruler will take care of everything within its kingdom.  We also need to take care of our body’s and treat them with respect and do what we feel is best for them.  I think that this is very true since our bodies are the temples that Christ is dwelling in.  As a home educator, I believe that it is important to be forever learning. I also need to be willing to show my children that if I’ve made a mistake I can correct it, learn from it, and continue to grow and change as needed.  As a wife and a mother, I want to do what is best for my husband and my children.  I want to ensure that they are happy, growing, enjoying life to its fullest, and healthy.  So that’s the short answer as to why we are going “green”.

So basically, we are going green because I want to ensure that we are healthier and happier.  I want to do what’s best for my family in all situations and in all conditions.  Sometimes that means changing how I’ve done things for years, as is the case now.  I have also shared how my sister is in this process with me, although she is a little bit more educated and “advanced” in her process than I am.  Actually she is the one that started me on this journey by sharing what she was dealing with as she struggled to find what would work best for her precious babies.  She is also the one that has taught me some of the things to look for with the products that we buy.

 When looking at what to use and why, my sister shared a website that has now become my go to site, the Environmental Working Group site.  When looking at household cleaners, I want a grade of “C” or better.  I am willing to consider a product with a “C” simply because this website takes into consideration smells and asthma issues, something that we have not had to battle with in our home, so I am willing to use a product with smell. I actually enjoy a cleaning product that has a fresh or sweet smell. For example, my Seventh Generation All Purpose Lemongrass Cleaner is rated a “C” because of the lemongrass scent and the asthma attack probability.  The METHOD glass cleaner that I have is rated “B”, again because of smell.  The peppermint smell is not as harsh as the lemongrass scent which is why it has a higher rating.

When it comes to skincare I want a rating of 4 or lower.  Anything rated 1-2 is considered no risk.  Anything rated 3-6 is considered moderate issues.  This is usually due to lack of research, product newness, and some ingredients which can be considered harsh to sensitive skins; again it’s usually the scents.  I have switched myself, Robert, Maggie and John Robert over to Desert Essence products, and the highest score anything we use has is a 3.  The three rating is in only two of the products that we are using and it deals with the scent of the item.  For example, Maggie’s coconut shampoo and conditioner is organic but rated a 3 because of the scent.  I am using their jojoba shampoo and conditioner and again it is a 3 because of scent (it’s a lemony citrus smell).  However, the tea tree shampoo that Robert and John Robert are using is a 2, low risk.  Ethan and Cole are using Jason’s Natural kids shampoo (a 4) and Jacob is using Earth Mama Angel Baby (a 0-2).

Another deciding factor that is important to me when looking at what to use is the product reviews.  Reading all the advertising and the company reason why I need to use their products is one thing.  BUT, reading what actual consumers have to say is entirely a different matter.  Most of the complaints with any of the products that we use have to deal specifically with their scents and severe asthma or allergy issues.  Since these are not issues that directly affect our family, I look at how they clean and how well the reviewer says that the product works.  Reviews are a great way to do more consumer research.  I look for product reviews on company websites and I ask my Facebook friends for their thoughts as well.  Facebook is a great way to get honest feedback.

The third deciding factor for me is ease of access to products.  I’m not to where I am into making my own products or totally proficient in everything natural and green.  I am still learning, so having a more mainstream brand that is tried and true is a great way to be able to research and read the product reviews.  Plus if a product that I am using is a more mainstream product I know that it will be cost competitive, which brings me to my fourth deciding factor, cost.  Cost is a big thing for us.  We are a family of seven living on a tight budget.  I can’t spend $20.00 for a bottle of cleaning spray or shampoo.  I need to spend as little as possible.  By using a mainstream product that has ease of access, I can compare prices and get the quality that I am looking for.  So far Amazon, Vitacost, Piping Rock , and Lucky Vitamin have been my go to shopping sites.  Their prices are competitive, the products are what I am looking for, and the free shipping offers a HUGE PLUS!

So there you have it.  Here is why we are going green and what I am looking for as we make this transition.  I am still learning and researching new products and choices for our family.  I am not done learning and growing in this area, and I am not totally proficient in this lifestyle choice.  I am getting there however, and now you know why!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZOO DAY

Our homeschool group (CHEFF, which totally ROCKS!), planned a field trip to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.  I hadn’t been to a zoo since I was a little girl, and I remember not being impressed by it.  The zoo we went to was smelly, all the animals were in cages, and you literally just walked around looking at different animals in, well in animal jail.  Add to that the fact that I am not a huge animal lover (which is in and of itself very ironic since I married into an animal loving family and I am raising animal loving children), and I was a bit uncertain about going to the zoo.  BUT, we are studying zoology in our science classes and I am trying to do better about branching out and getting the kiddos out of the house more (like planning two field trips a month or so), so I signed us up to go.

The field trip was originally planned for the 15^th of April and I was so excited because Robert was going to be able to go with us that day.  I had also asked his Mom or Mimi as the kiddos call her, to go with us. I didn’t want to drive to Tampa to a place that I had never been and go somewhere like the zoo without someone there to help me corral kiddos.  BUT, due to bad weather we had to reschedule the trip from the 15^th to the 24^th.  Robert couldn’t go on the new date so Mimi, me, and our awesomely amazing five kiddos headed to the zoo.

The main entrance.

 

Oh my gosh, I LOVED IT!  Really, I loved this zoo!  It was so cool!  There were rides, cool exhibits with animals in amazing habitat settings, air conditioned exhibits (a huge PLUS in Florida), and a lot of neat information and learning opportunities. They even had learning pages for us to print out about specific exhibits at the zoo on their website, too cool!  Seriously, this non animal loving Mama enjoyed her day so much (even getting totally and I do mean totally soaked on the log flume ride), that we are talking about getting zoo passes. 

The drive to the zoo wasn’t that bad, it only took an hour and 15 minutes or so to get there.  The zoo was really clean.  The layout allowed for a lot of air flow with the sea breeze helping to keep it cool.  The lay out was also really kid and family friendly.  The exhibits were awesome.  We loved seeing the elephants, giraffes, monkeys, wallabies, and the Florida exhibits with the manatees.  We loved riding the rides and playing in the splash zones.  We loved venturing into the special sea lion exhibit and learning about them and how they train them. It was too cool.  Seriously, it was an awesome day!

Maggie walking in the zoo.

Checking out the monkeys!

Mama and Cole hanging out with the bats.

Ethan riding in the flying banana!

The "jeep" ride in "Africa".

 

 

John Robert, Ethan, and Mama on the log flume ride!

You get more than a little wet, it's a HUGE splash!

 

 

 

More than the zoo exhibits, rides, and demonstrations, I was thankful that Mimi was there to share the day with us.  I want my kiddos to have fun and make memories with their family, all of them.  As much as I missed Robert and as much as I know he would have had a ton of fun at the zoo or riding on the roller coaster with John Robert (nope, I didn’t ride that or let John Robert ride it since daddy wasn’t there…I’m a chicken!), I was really glad it was just his Mom and me. 

Mimi waiting to ride the merry go round with Ethan and Cole.

Mimi helping Ethan get the courage to pet the sting rays.

Mimi holding Cole and heading to the next exhibit.

 

 

Family is important to me, and I really appreciated Mimi’s sacrifice in getting up before 6:00 am to drive two hours to my house to be there by 8:00 am just to go to the zoo with us.  Seriously, she went from the east coast to the west coast of Florida in one day just to hang out with me and my kiddos, now that’s love!  She took the kiddos on the merry go round, something I can’t ride anymore sine having kiddos, I get motion sickness easily.  She helped chase Cole and hold Jacob since his crazy mama forgot to bring her Moby Wrap.  Not once did she complain of being too tired or stressed about the trip.  She came and helped me make memories with my kiddos!  To me, this was the best part of the day.

I’m sure we will go back to the zoo.  There are some classes that they offer that we are thinking of signing the kiddos up for.  Ethan wants Robert to go back with us (his exact words were next week, HA!), and play at the zoo with all of us mainly to ride the log flume ride again.  I imagine we might get season passes; seriously it was that much fun and season passes would be the most cost effective for our family.  BUT, nothing will beat this zoo trip for me because Mimi was there! 

Thanks Mimi for coming along, playing, and being there for me and the kiddos!  You made the day extra special for the kiddos but even more so for me, and I thank you for that.  We love you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

GOING NATURAL ~ BABY CARE

I’ve been sharing how we are exploring a more natural and organic lifestyle as we look at becoming healthier in our home.  We have made some eating habit changes, like the kiddos grabbing granola bars, carrots, or an orange instead of the bag of chips.  Instead of juice cartons with tons of sugar we are buying more natural and organic juices.  Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoy chips, candy, and well “junk” but we are trying to be healthier in all of our choices.

After my sister shared the issues with her beloved daughter (my beautiful niece who happens to share a birthday with my awesome oldest son!) and their battle with eczema and the treatment that the doctor wanted to do, I did some research.  I noticed that our skin, hair, and body care products all had issues, ingredients that are not good for us!  Take the Baby Magic products that I adore, it’s full of stuff that has been shown to cause cancer (you can read more about that here ).  I LOVE how that product smells, but how can I in good conscience use something on my son knowing that it could potentially cause cancer.  So I did some research, talked some to my sister, checked out a blog, Naturally Paula, that she shared written by a friend of her' (you can see it here.), and decided that we needed to change our hygiene items since we’ve changed our cleaning products.  We switched everything in the house three weeks ago.  I have waited to do any reviews so I can show how we have responded, discuss any issues we have had, and share what I like or don’t like.  Today I am going to talk about baby skin care items.

The products that I decided to try are made by Earth Mama Angel Baby. This company has a lot of products, but I was drawn to their baby care items mainly because they offered a sample pack to try everything out.  Check out Earth Mama Angel Baby here.  I was a little uncertain of this product at first, mainly because it didn’t smell like my beloved Baby Magic.  Then my sister pointed out that the scents in the Baby Magic cleaning line were all manmade and not HOW a baby is really supposed to smell, so I relented and switched.  For baths we are using the Angel Baby orange/vanilla body wash and lotions, the unscented baby oil, and the bottom balm. 

The Earth Mama Angel Baby sample pack.

 

When we started this journey Jacob had a diaper rash that would not go away.  I was using Desitin, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, Vaseline, and aloe and it seemed like NOTHING was working.  Every diaper presented itself with a red, ugly, and whelped little bottom.  After one day of the Angel Baby Bottom Balm, the diaper rash was gone! Seriously, that’s all it took was one day!  That one experience sold me on the bottom balm.  It’s also a great organic version of Neosporin.  I have used it for a lot more than diaper rashes, mainly on all of Cole’s many boo-boo’s and splinters he has earned from playing outside.  Cole is band-aid phobic (as in he falls down like he’s been shot screaming and crying if you put a band-aid on him), and I have found that the Angel Baby Bottom Balm is a wonderful natural way to cover a small boo-boo without Cole going into panic mode!  WHY?  He sees us use it on “Jaypup” so it must be ok! HA!  So far I was sold on the bottom balm, but will bath time be a blast?

The biggest concern that I had was that the warning labels all clearly said NOT to get the soap in the baby’s eyes.  Apparently part of the nasty ingredients to make things tear free in products such as Baby Magic or Johnson’s Baby Wash are numbing agents that are similar to Novocain.  Being an organic product, Angel Baby doesn’t contain these numbing agents.  So far, I loved that and loved that I could easily read and name all the ingredients listed.

 Now it was time for Jacob’s bath with the Angel Baby products.  Let me say I was a nervous wreck and almost drown Jacob his first bath. (Yep, I just admitted to that, I poured the water a lot faster than I intended to rinse his hair off because I saw bubbles near his little eyes!)  Now, I am an old pro! (HA!) The baby wash foams wonderfully and smells like an orange dreamsicle (to me anyway).  And the lotion and baby oil, oh my, I adore them!  I love how the baby lotion goes on so smoothly with the sweet orange vanilla smell.  After every bath Jacob gets so excited because he knows his massage with lotion is coming, the lotion and oil have been wonderful for his little skin.  Since using them I have not noticed any diaper rashes and his little bumps that were starting on his elbows are gone.  I have also noticed that his cradle cap hasn’t been as pronounced or “smell” as bad as it did.  (Cradle cap can be kind of stinky by the way!)

All snuggly warm after his bath.  See, he survived.

 

I will admit that I was reluctant to change, but I now cannot imagine using anything BUT Angel Baby products on my little ones.  Since I’ve switched, the Baby Magic products smell harsh to me, too perfumey if you will.  I now love the soft and sweet orange dreamsicle smell of the Angel Baby products.  I also love the way the products seem to rinse off easier and “cleaner” than the Baby Magic or even the Johnson’s Baby Wash did. Seriously, the bath water is not as cloudy anymore as we are bathing little man.  Jacob has not run any reactions to any of their products and that is a huge plus considering he broke out from the Johnson’s Baby Wash.  For me they get a 5 star or A++ rating!  And since I love their baby products so much, I am considering ordering their C-Section healing balm to help my incision line heal, some days it still hurts!

 

**Once again I have not been compensated in anyway by Earth Mama Angel Baby.  All the opinions are my own, to be honest, they don’t even know who I am!**

 

 

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS

I am not a huge fan of changing, especially when I have done something literally my while life.  For my entire life I have used Scrubbing Bubbles, Soft Scrub, Lysol or Clorox Bleach Cleaners or Wipes, Windex, Bleach, and Tide or Gain.  About a week ago I shared that my sister and her challenges with her daughter had prompted her to share with me what she was learning about natural and organic cleaning and health care.  Her issues challenged me to dig deeper and take the plunge and change.  I bought some essential oils, organic and natural shampoos, soaps, oral care, and of course the natural cleaners.  My sister has started making some of her own cleaners, but I am not there yet.  I am however, in love with some natural cleaners and had to share what and why.

Last week I went to the grocery store and stood in the cleaning product aisle for five minutes, just staring.  There were three or four natural cleaners that looked good.  So I read the labels, looked at them all, and then decided the only way I knew how to.  Nope, I didn’t do a ton of research online, I leapt in blindly and I opened the bottles and smelled them.  Yep, there are two brands that I purchased from Publix that I am really enjoying cleaning with, if you can enjoy cleaning with five kiddos in the house, which I bought based on their smell!  HA!  The two natural cleaning brands that I am using are from Method Household Products and Seventh Generation.  There are certain products that I have tried from both brands that I really like.

 

 

For ick, yuck, and germ control, I love the Seventh Generation Disinfectant Cleaner with the Lemongrass scent.  I know I could probably get away with an all purpose cleaner, but with the nature of Robert’s job and the aforementioned five kiddos, germ control is important to me.  For the first time in, well ever, my kiddos aren’t gagging when I clean their bathroom or the kitchen.  They are even offering to do the deeper cleaning for me since the fumes aren’t so harsh. 

 

 

Since this cleaner is also a great disinfectant, I purchased the disposable wipes as well.  The wipes are very handy when you have a lot of kiddos around.  They clean quick spills and are great touch up cleaners when you have company coming or fighting boys who need to do some housework!

 

For me personally and where I am at in my life, both of these disinfectant cleaners are a MUST BUY!

 

 

 I also purchased the Seventh Generation Fresh Citrus and Ginger dish detergent and the Blue Eucalyptus and Lavender laundry soap.  I like how both of these items smell and for me a clean smell is very important (which is why I did the smell test in the grocery store). 

 

The laundry detergent cuts even the toughest dirt and smell of work clothes and boys (HA!) which is the primary reason that I chose this detergent.  Plus the lavender smell of the detergent is making it so  soothing to do laundry, even the 100 or so loads a day that we do, that laundry is no longer a chore (HA).  It is also natural enough that I can use it for everyone’s clothes including Jacob, who I had been buying different laundry detergent for. 

 

 

 

 

The dish soap has done a great job cleaning all the nasty grease laden dishes that a country cook can create.  We use bacon, sausage, and ground beef a lot, and this cuts through all the bacon and various other meat grease issues.  Plus it smells wonderful as we are cleaning the kitchen and the table.

 

 

 

For me, all of these Seventh Generation cleaners are a MUST BUY!  The products smell great, clean really well, and have no lingering issues that will harm my kiddos or the environment.

 

With the Method cleaners, the Glass and Surface cleaner is a MUST BUY!  Oh my goodness, I can honestly say that I have never had any product clean glass and a mirror as well as this cleaner has.  And oh my goodness let me tell you about the smell.  I LOVE anything with mint in it.  This mint smell is awesome, it makes me smile to clean windows, and with five kiddos there are plenty of smudges and handprints to clean.  (Truthfully I often spray a little onto a wash cloth just to smell it!  Yep, I love it that much!) 

 

 

 

Since our bathroom is slate tile, I decided to try the Daily Granite cleaner.  Our bathroom can be hard to clean, and truthfully the commercial cleaners have done more harm than good in cleaning our shower. So far this cleaner has done a decent job in cleaning the natural slate and cut through some of the soap scum. I am not labeling it a must buy because I really don’t love the smell, to me it's just okay, but it is a good product for now.

 



 

All in all, I have been impressed with the cleaning that these natural products have done in our home.  As I continue to venture down this path, I might branch out and try some newer items.  For now, I am content with these products and their results.  My husband and kiddos haven’t complained, quite the opposite actually.  Robert mentioned the other night that it was nice to have the bathroom clean without a harsh bleach smell.  For me that is all the endorsement or conformation that I need.

 

 

 

 

** Just to clarify, I am not getting compensated by these companies in any way (honestly, they probably don’t even know who I am!  HA!).  I am just sharing what we are learning, changing, like and don’t like!  THANKS!**