The second half of 2015 (and still continuing on now), I have been trying to problem solve, eliminate stress, and implement solutions literally for ANYTHING that I notice in every day life that either is a source of stress or at the very least, just could be better. Much of this done in the beginning of this year, 2016, has been general organizing and purging/cleaning out, etc. However, in 2015, there was some specific things I did that made life easier that I wanted to document and share in case they could help others. Some are gender specific, while others are gender neutral. I have categorized these things in between the numbered items as
Personal Hygiene/Getting Ready,
Cleaning Out, and
Specific Intentional Things or Additions, to make it easier to locate the ones you may be more interested in! Enjoy!
Personal Hygiene / Getting Ready
1. Switching face makeup to W3LL People.
I have always had very clear, nice skin for the most part. Even in HS, I was spared the acne crisis that so many of my friends went through. However, all of the sudden I was starting to get random, minor, yet annoying nonetheless, breakouts. I attributed it to most likely be hormonal, but proceeded to do some research nonetheless. I have always used high end cleansers, moisturizers, and serums and likewise have also always worn department store quality makeup. I literally NEVER wear makeup from the drug store, Walmart, Target, etc. If there is one thing my Mam-ma taught me, it was that your skin IS something to invest in and take care of. This being said, I knew it wasn't because I was using cheap stuff by any means. I came to realize that many of the high end brands I was using actually had some pretty horrible ingredients in them. Now, I am sure I was "more" sensitive to them with fluctuating hormones with breastfeeding then getting pregnant again, etc., but nonetheless, I wanted to see if fixing this would also consequently fix my problem. After much research, I realized there was really only a brand or two that were deemed 100% safe, the most reputable being W3LL People out of Austin, TX. I switched my powder, concealer/foundation stick, blush, and highlighter all over to them and got the set that had their kabuki brushes with the powder and blush along with them. It was amazing to me how in just a few days of using their product, my face was 100% clear like it had always been and has stayed that was since! They are still pricey, just like the other stuff I always used, but SO worth it. Interestingly enough, they don't even make a foundation because they know and state that there is NO way to make a foundation without all the "bad" stuff. They do have an awesome concealer/foundation stick though that you can use and blend with a foundation brush. It's amazing how comfortable I have gotten just wearing powder for the most part, after wearing foundation for so long! Seriously, it's good stuff! Also, fun fact, during my research I discovered, Bare Minerals / Bare Essentials, is actually one of the WORST things you can use on your skin! I hadn't ever used this brand, but know many who do/have. Don't be fooled by names/titles!
2. Forgone Mascara / Implemented 24/7 lipstick
I have always liked getting all dolled up, but couldn't help but notice that in recent years, no matter how expensive of a mascara I am wearing, it inevitably ends up making a faint black dust almost below my eyes as the duration of my wear goes on. This also happens with any kind of a roll up eyeliner or a gel eye liner (raw pencil or liquid eye liner works okay though). It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what I realistically couldn't wear and shouldn't wear, but I am so glad I did! I now wear my face makeup, eye shadow (usually a shimmery bright one like MAC light touch), sometimes an eyeliner I can wear (like Marcelle from Birchbox) depending on where I am going, and a nice popping lipstick. If I am literally not going to step foot outside of the house at all that day, I'll still wear everything above, but maybe will wear a nice, bright tinted lip balm (like Benefit Benebalm) instead of a lipstick- I still have a nice lip color that compliments the rest of my makeup and my face in general, but preserve my lipstick and moisturize my lips at the same time. This whole overall change I have found I actually prefer better for myself, not to mention it is more agreeable with me, given the issues I was having with mascara and certain eyeliners. Plus, it's an Audrey Hepburn look and who doesn't want a little more of Audrey Hepburn in their life? :) My aunt quoted a meme the other day when we were talking about it, "In a world full of Kardashians, be the Audrey Hepburn."
3. Use an in-shower tan lotion.
I decided several years ago I was done with tanning beds for the long haul. Again, it's too important to take care of my skin and tanning directly conflicts with that. I will still lay outside by the pool or at the beach in the summer with an SPF on my face and chest, but not the rest of my body unless it is just a low SPF like 15 or so (to get the best tan I can) if it's not going to be "too" long. Again though, my face 24/7 is protected typically with 30! However, I don't prefer to be super pale in the off months. To give myself a "real", "natural looking", healthy glow, I use St Tropez gradual in shower tanning lotion. It is AMAZING! You shower as normal, step out of the water range or just turn the water off, apply the lotion and wait 3 minutes, then you rinse and get out and do everything as you normally would. Now, to be honest, I have been so busy the past week or so that I haven't been doing it and I need to resume doing it as I was. However, when I do it, I am very pleased with the results. It is VERY subtle and is just like the title states: "gradual". You are not going to do it once and instantly look like a bronze goddess. You will however, have a healthy glow that continues to grow with each use, yet always looking natural and real. I have the utmost confidence that it will work very well as an enhancer in the transitional months too when I am starting to get a little bit of color from the sun.
4. Finish all those half full/ half empty bottles you have under the counter or on the shelf.
We all have them, don't we? Okay, maybe it's just me, WHO KNOWS?! This past year I committed to going through everything, organizing it, and making a plan to use up all the things I had started to use, but for one reason or another stuck back after some slight use. If I came across something I knew I wouldn't use/didn't want to use, I gave it away to my sister, cousins, Mamaw, etc. (I have issues with throwing perfectly good things away... As in... I can't do it!!) It was amazing how much decluttering I was able to do just by doing this. Instead of buying new of items I ran out of, I made sure to use the like product I had sitting around first. This sounds incredibly simple, and I suppose it is, but it has been SO nice.
Cleaning out
5. I have made seemingly endless garage sale piles.
Again, I have issues with throwing things away. It may be a problem. This year I went through everything and offered clothes of mine I wasn't wearing to my sister; anything she didn't want, went in the garage sale pile. I made my husband go through his clothes and anything he wasn't wearing, went in the garage sale pile also. Now, I don't do this with the kids' stuff because I save all of their stuff in plastic tubs for all the future babies I might have :) I went through books, movies, and SO much more and anything we just don't use anymore, went in the pile. We are now all set to have a HUGE garage sale pretty soon full of tons of decorative items, books, movies, clothes, random items, kitchen items, etc. I CANNOT WAIT! It feels so good to get some stuff out and furthermore get things MORE organized and simplified.
6. Things that make a mess or are constantly strewn out, get put up indefinitely.
If you know my kids, you know they are actually very self sufficient and pretty good at cleaning up after themselves. This has always been something I have been very proud of! However, moving from a 2400 sq ft house in NC to TX in an 1800 sq ft house, we have had to condense more things into a smaller space. This consequently has caused more clutter (which I have been working on as described in #5, but it also has caused the kids to have more stuff in one space, thus sometimes causing ongoing messes.) All the play kitchen things, a couple months into the year in 2015, I took away, bagged up, and put up in a cabinet. It seemed as though every time I would go in the playroom, it would all be strewn out all over the place and well, simply put, I just got tired of it! I finally just said, ENOUGH and removed that source of stress. The same thing happened with markers. The markers would get pulled out and forgotten about and then Gavin would get them and thankfully not color over anything like furniture or walls, but HIMSELF. He would come out green and stay that way for a day or so even after scrubbing him. The markers got removed until just recently (now that he is older (just turned 2 on Christmas Day), they all handle them much better and he likes coloring WITH them now and not all over himself). It was a temporary removal, but a necessary one, and one that removed that source of stress for a few months. There were other similar things that I removed for the same reasons, but you get the drift. I would encourage other moms, if there is something that you find is ALWAYS making a mess, and it is likely different for different families, just remove it for a little while and try to reintroduce it later. I had to remove play kitchen dishes, but my kids have been playing with their finger paint from Santa lately and do 110% fine with that! Who would have thought? But whatever it is for you... just try it! See how it helps :)
Specific, Intentional Things or Additions
7. Grocery List stays ON THE COUNTER and is updated frequently as needed!
Who likes going to the grocery store, perhaps even with a list, only to realize when they get home that they needed to get like 3 other things but didn't realize they needed them, until they got home? I keep our grocery list on the counter and throughout the week as I am in the kitchen making lunch, making dinner, making school lunches for the next day, getting myself a snack, etc. I add things to the list that I see that we are getting low on/ almost out of or are completely out of. I also go ahead and add things that I think of that I know we will need more of by the time we go to the store, like fresh produce, etc. My kids go through literally 2 bags of apples a week, 3 bunches of bananas a week, and an entire bag of little halo oranges in a week. If you buy a bag of grapes, even in addition to all of these, they will literally be gone in one day. Yes, you read that right, one day. Needless to say, they only get grapes once a week, haha. They are too expensive to buy a bag for every day. Back on point though, even if we have apples, if I'm adding milk and peanut butter to the list, I may just go ahead and add apples too because I know once I am there I might as well get those too! It is amazing how just doing it this way prevents me from ever not having something I really need. I am constantly in the kitchen for the above mentioned things and so I am constantly seeing the inventory and updating the list accordingly. ***For those moms reading wanting some healthy snack ideas for their kids, these are the only things I offer my kids for snacks in between meals and also pack for snack for school: apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, applesauce, and cheese sticks/cheese cubes. These items I have available and stocked 24/7; sometimes I also have grapes and strawberries stocked as options too. These literally are all I keep for snack options though and it is nice because I don't feel bad if they have 3 snacks after dinner, because they are all healthy things and things that aren't harmful to have 3 of (they get something different each time too, so not 3 cheese sticks or 3 bananas, etc.).
8. Add Shelves to Simplify/Organize Rooms
This year we put up two really long (probably 7 ft long each) shelves in each of the kids' rooms. The shelves were put up really high, about 18 inches below the ceiling. In Savannah's room, I put all her porcelain dolls and American Girl dolls and a lot of picture frames up on it. This makes it easy to display them, but keeps them safe and also keeps the rest of her room uncluttered from these items. In the boys' room, I put all their boy figurines passed down from my brothers, Nick & Zach, picture frames, Daddy's collector baseball, their block letters that spell their names out, etc. on it. Again, it looks so nice and makes these things easy to display, but keeps them out of reach and makes their dressers easier to dust and what not because they're not being cluttered with these items. These shelves can be bought from Home Depot or Lowe's for about $20 and then we just got a couple nice L brackets to hang them up by. We painted Savannah's white and the boys' a dark brown to match their furniture. It's simple, but again, something that really made every day life "better" for me as a mom.
9. Bulletin Board in the Computer Room
Now that two of my kids are in school (Savannah in 1st grade and Mason in PreK), soon to be 3 in the fall when Gavin starts preschool too, I have SO many papers of all sorts coming home. I actually put up this bulletin board the end of Savannah's kindergarten year and Mason was also in preschool that year. Any papers that come home, such as reminders of events, schedules for the week or semester, something really cool they made, etc. goes up on the bulletin board. The reminders of events/schedule type papers come down and get thrown away whenever the event has passed. I still use my planner religiously to keep everything I have got going on written down and recorded and I reference it pretty much daily, but the bulletin board is nice to have it all laid out where you can see it and are constantly seeing it. And again, it's nice to put cards people send you, etc. up on it too to display. I'm telling you, whoever said life gets easier and simpler when all your kids go to school did NOT know what they were talking about! I am SO much more busy now than I was when I had 3 at home. At home, you can make your own schedule how you like and don't have to go anywhere if you don't want or whatever. Once they are in school, so many balls have to be juggled and I feel like I am always going somewhere. I thoroughly enjoyed summer break just having everyone home and not having to go so many places. Same with Christmas Break- now of course, we had lots of family events to attend, but that's different in the best of ways. School age kids definitely add a new dynamic and one that I am trying to adapt to well; little things like adding a bulletin board REALLY help!
10. Dryer Balls
Dryer balls are wool balls that go in your dryer in place of dryer sheets. They stay in there all the time in between loads and so are always in there when you throw another load of clothes into the dryer. I just discovered them this year and LOVE THEM! They cut drying time down SO much because they help separate the clothes during the dry cycle, thus allowing them to dry faster. This also cuts down on energy costs because the dryer is not being run as long. They help your clothes look nicer too and keep lint off of them just like a dryer sheet would. They last over 1000 loads which makes them MORE than worth the $15 for a set of 6 on Amazon. I keep 3-4 in my dryer at a time. I had 3 in for a while and 3 in my cabinet for spare when those got worn out and somehow, a 4th wound up in there and I left it because it definitely seemed like it wasn't hurting anything. So now I have 4 in there all the time. I don't use dryer sheets anymore and it has been so nice for all the above mentioned reasons, but also not having to mess with putting a dryer sheet in when you're hurriedly switching laundry and not having to buy more dryer sheets. Here are the kind I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452910156&sr=8-3&keywords=dryer+balls There are several kinds though that I am sure all are about the same!
11. Bigger Coffee Maker!
Okay, so this one technically was implemented the very beginning of 2016, but it is too good not to share with anyone else who has found themselves in this predicament. We seem to never have enough coffee... I drink 2 cups always, occasionally 3. My husband could and would drink an entire pot if you let him, my Papa usually has 1 cup, and judge me if you must, but Mason loves coffee and a couple times a week, will have a small cup with us too. A 12 cup coffee pot is not really 12 coffee mugs. It's more like 6. This creates a problem when you go to get your second cup of coffee and there is literally like 1/3 of a cup left. I purchased with part of our Christmas gift cards, a 12-42 cup coffee urn by Hamilton Beach. It has 5 star reviews and sells for $35, but I snatched it for $26 as a warehouse deal. Oh my goodness, even though we just started using it, it is so amazing and we love it. We make 24 cups, which again, isn't really 24 coffee mugs. It is enough, however, to ensure we all have the coffee we desire in the morning, with a little to spare. We can tweak the amount if we need to when my sister and fellow coffeeaholic spends the night with us, which she usually does weekly. It makes WAY better coffee than the regular pot. It doesn't require a filter because the basket at the top is the filter. It is just all around a GOOD THING! I highly recommend to anyone else finding themselves in the same predicament of not enough coffee in the mornings. Here is the one we purchased:
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40515-42-Cup-Coffee/dp/B00008IH9R/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1452910211&sr=1-1&keywords=coffee+urn As with anything I post the link to on Amazon, always be sure to click on "see all new and used offers" and see if there is a warehouse deal available! All a warehouse deal is, for those who don't know, is an item someone bought and returned unused, but Amazon has to sell it as used anyways, so it's a little cheaper. It still comes in the box like it normally would and is obviously unused. I have gotten SO many great deals via warehouse deals!
Laundry Detergent Recipe
Lastly, as a bonus, I have had several people ask me about my laundry detergent that I have made and used for a couple years now. I absolutely love it! It cleans SO well, can be made for about $20, lasted me 6 months on average when my brother lived with us and now that he doesn't live with us anymore, but my Papa does, it lasts me 9 months. (My brother had a lot of laundry!!) So yes, as a family of 6 counting my Papa, soon to be 7 when baby Silas gets here, it lasts me 9 months!! Now, I wash ALL my babies clothes in Dreft for the first 6 months at least, but usually up to a year, so I plan to do that with Silas too. I received two things of Dreft as a baby shower gift for Gavin and between the two, it lasted me 11 months.
Okay, the laundry detergent I make is super easy to make! I have seen various variations of it where people majorly overcomplicate it by pulling a food processor out, etc. and I am here to tell you, DON'T DO THAT! It is simply not necessary. I have made this quite a few times the way I am about to tell you and any other steps are just more work for you to do and again, not necessary.
**In NC, my washing machine was an HE smart washer, top loader without an agitator (Whirlpool Cabrio). Here in TX, I have that one in storage and use my Papa's also HE smart washer front loader. My point is, this is safe for HE washing machines!
I store mine in a 5 gallon bucket that now I keep in the garage (because the garage door is connected to my laundry room) and at my house in NC, I kept it in a big closet I had in the laundry room. I keep a smaller plastic container with a tablespoon measuring scooper spoon in it, in my laundry room cabinet to store the detergent in and refill it from the 5 gallon bucket as needed (usually once every 2-3 weeks and that is with doing A LOT of laundry! I'm a laundry aholic, some might say ;) ) Okay, so that's all you "need" for supplies. A mason jar would also work for your small container to keep in your laundry cabinet.
Ingredients:
A tub of oxyclean (the recipe states just the regular big tub at Walmart, but I buy the one that is just slightly bigger at Sam's or Costco, because again, it's slightly bigger, but for the exact same price as the Walmart one that is a couple ounces smaller. However, if you don't have a Sam's or Costco membership, the regular big sized one at Walmart or Target will suffice just fine!
A box of Borax
A box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
A (4 lb box) of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
4 bars Fels Naphtha (that you will grate with a cheese grater)
Essential Oil of your choice (I use Wild Orange and although the recipe states 30 drops of whatever essential oil, I do the whole bottle. I don't use a bottle that I would get from YL, DT, Plant Therapy, Melaleuca, etc. I buy the brand that Whole Foods carries (Now Foods) on Amazon and it is a 4 oz bottle (way bigger than the kind you would buy for all your other typical essential oil uses from your preferred provider) for only $6! So again, that's why I use the whole bottle; it's cheap and economical and I am a "smell" person and like my laundry to have a nice scent! Also, again, even if you typically order from Young Living, DoTerra, Plant Therapy, etc. DON'T do that for this; it isn't necessary. The Now Foods brand or something similar is still a good quality brand and is perfectly adequate for the purpose of this detergent. You'll just be wasting your money by using the expensive stuff in your detergent. I always buy Plant Therapy for personal use and have purchased a couple YL, but again, not for this. Here is the link to the one I get on Amazon for my detergent:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019LPL8A?keywords=wild%20orange%20essential%20oil&qid=1452909034&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5 If you just don't really like a lot of scent, you could do what the recipe says which is 30 drops, but again, I like just dumping the whole bottle in there! For people who want no scent, you can always do no essential oil. Other scent ideas if Wild Orange isn't your thing, is lemon, lavender, rose, and I have done Tangerine once instead of Wild Orange.
Directions:
Mix all together in the 5 gallon bucket. I pour one box of something, grate one Fels Naphtha bar, pour another box of something, grate another bar, etc. At the end, I get my husband to put the lid on and shake the bucket really well (it won't be 100% full, but about 70%, so room to shake and mix). Then, set the bucket back down, gradually start pouring the essential oil in and mixing the powdered mixture all around with your arm, repeat until you've gotten all the essential oil you want in there, or the whole bottle like me. After you've stirred it thoroughly, you can put the lid on and give it one last shake for good measure if you so desire. TIP: for the lid, don't just get the pull off cheap lid, spend the extra $2 (since you'll be using this forever hopefully if you like it) and get the kind of blue lid from Lowe's or Home Depot that are displayed on the bucket aisle that have a part that snaps on or screws on around the outside and THEN a big circle in the middle that you can unscrew/spin off. This way, when you go refill your small container periodically, it is SO much easier. You're not having to mess with snapping a hard, non agreeable lid off and on, but rather spin off the middle section, scoop your detergent into your container, spin the circular middle section back on. ALSO, the blue scooper cup that comes with the oxyclean, keep that in your big 5 gallon bucket for easy refilling of your small cup.
How much detergent to use per load? Use 2-3 tablespoons. I usually do 2, unless it is a load that has really soiled clothes in it for some reason, and then I'll do 3. It cleans SO well and clothes smell great! It's economical and nothing "bad" in it for your skin. You cannot go wrong! Also, you cannot beat how long it lasts! I still use pretreatment spray for anything stained like I would normally regardless of what kind of detergent I am using.
All items you need (except the essential oil) can be found on the laundry detergent aisle, but you will need to go to Walmart. I am a Target girl, but unfortunately, they don't have the Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, or the Fels Naphtha. **Also, I didn't put the sizes of the other boxes, because there is only ONE size on the laundry detergent aisle. I specified the baking soda size, so one would know not to get the little box you get on the baking aisle. The big 4 lb box you need, is on the laundry detergent aisle by everything else! :)
**Some of the things I quoted the price for that I bought it for, when I went to add the link, I noticed had gone up slightly, this is normal for Amazon and prices fluctuate a lot on there! If something seems a little high to you, I recommend adding it to your cart and watching it for a couple days. It often will go back down :)
