Spring 'Greening'

I make no secret about how much I love the cleaners we use in our home.  I discovered this amazing, concentrated cleaner one day when I took to the internet to search for a natural cleaner.  One that was safe around my kids, didn't require me to have the windows open for ventilation when using it, was safe for all the surfaces in our house, was budget friendly,

It was definitely a tall order.

Funny how we stumble upon things when we least expect it, right?!  See my purpose in sitting down at the computer that day was to look for a cleaner.  After a few minutes of searching for something I was sure I'd never find, I got a little side tracked by different blogs.  (Is that typical for you, too?)

One blog sucked me right in and it was so much fun looking at all the things this blogger was doing- finishing their basement, cute posts of her kids, and getting things ready for a big yard sale.  And then there was one sentence that caught my eye.  She was using a natural cleaner to clean up some furniture she was getting ready to sell.  A cleaner she had been using for years with a link in the post to buy my own.  Bingo!

That was about 3 years ago.  Did you know I still have my original bottle I ordered that day?

Would you like to know why I still have the original bottle?  Believe me, it's not for nostalgia sake.  It's because I'm still trying to get through the whole thing!  That's right - that lovely little arrow on the picture is pointing to the level of cleaner I still have in my original bottle purchased 3 years ago!

This is the only all-purpose cleaner I use in our home, too.  How many bottles of cleaner have you purchased in the past 3 years?  This one cleaner makes my glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner and degreaser just by simply mixing different amounts of the concentrated cleaner with plain water.  Super easy and very economical - two things we can all appreciate!  Not only is Basic H2 an all-natural, organic cleaner it's also naturally anti-microbial!

Even if you only purchase one window cleaner, one all-purpose cleaner and one degreaser in a year, you would still spend more than if you purchase one bottle of Basic H2 concentrate.

There's another reason switching our house hold cleaners has made such a difference in our family.  Did you know the cleaners you use can have a direct result on your families respiratory health?  Ever check the warning labels on your cleaners?  This is something that other families have seen a huge difference in after switching their cleaners.

For our family, we saw a quick difference with allergies in all the kids and chronic coughs in our two youngest.  Once we switched, I no longer had teachers contacting me about the little ones having trouble staying on task and keeping with the class because they were coughing all through school.  No more having to go to the pediatrician {at 20 bucks a pop} to be told to try another type of allergy medicine that just didn't work.  No more dealing with chronic sinus infections for our oldest and youngest daughters and having to get prescription after prescription to help relieve the hurt that goes along with all of that.

So, are you curious to learn more?  My team would love to have you join us April 22nd at our Facebook event in honor of Earth Day.

Here we will be sharing the background of the Shaklee cleaning products, uses, some great before and afters, and so much more!  These cleaners are so versatile you will never need to bring a harsh, chemical cleaner into your home again!

This is an absolute, no-obligation event!  However, it's a great way to get your questions asked and find out more about what so many of us have discovered in these natural, non-toxic cleaners that work to keep our homes clean without being a harm to our families or the environment.

Can't wait to see you there!!

Keep loving Life!

Real Clean Gone Green! - A New Facebook Group

This is definitely the time of year we all start to look around our homes and get the itch to clean, organize, redo, and do a major overhaul in our lives.  It's like a non-pregnancy induced nesting gone wild!! Does this describe you?

If you're anything like me, this might describe your mindset, but not necessarily your actions.  

Are you overwhelmed by how much there is to do?  Do you have that long cleaning list, but just don't know where to start?  Do you dread hauling out all the different, smelly cleaners?  Do you start and by week 3 - oh, who are we kidding?- DAY 3, you're burned out?  Yet, half of your house is torn apart and looks worse than when you started?  Are you interested in finding a better way?

This is a project I've been carrying around in my head and heart for the past couple of years.  I knew if I struggled with getting the full Spring Clean, or just a full CLEAN, that there were others out there who needed help, as well.  I also knew that, while I've learned a lot that can be shared, others also have tips, inspirations, and lessons learned that they can share!

With all of that in mind, this year I decided to put my ideas and knowledge into action!! It took a little longer than anticipated, but the group Real Clean Gone Green! (a closed group) is now live on Facebook and I couldn't be happier or more excited!!

I've teamed up with one of my best friends and fellow blogger, Sarah, from Happy Heart Healthy Home, to sponsor this amazing initiative!  We want to help other's conquer the tasks that so many of us struggle with - to be able to find happiness in our living spaces each and every day.

Now, don't think this is going to be easy!  We're going to break the process down; but, it's still going to be a lot of work for each of us.  That's one of the great things about this group, though!  Amid all the work, there's going to be some fun challenges, amazing freebies, lots of recognition, great tips and tricks, multiple prizes, shared inspiration, and just a whole lot of good times and laughter!  

Are you interested in joining?  We would love to have you on this journey with us!  To find out more, simply click the image below.  I can't wait to welcome you to our group!  Hurry, though, the start date is April 22nd!  You definitely don't want to miss out on anything!

Last Week's Love Affair: Basic G and Me

My life has a lot of curve balls thrown at it.  I'm learning to be flexible and go with the flow a little more every day.

Last week was no different.  However, when I took my daughter in to the doctor to get tested for strep (because it's going around the school), I never expected to hear she had Influenza A.  HUGE surprise!

Did we have flu shots?  Nope.  That's a gamble we decided to take.  And, considering it was the first time to have the flu in our home, I think we have a pretty good track record. (Please make the choice that works best for your family.)

So, what's the first thing any mom of more than one kid thinks? "Who's gonna get it next?" and "How long is this going to stay in our home?"

Poor Baby!!  High fever makes for a pretty miserable little girl.  Since she was highly contagious, the doctor asked her to wear a mask on our way out.

After letting my husband know, and telling him he was free to stay away for the weekend so he wasn't exposed, I got her some Tamiflu and got her home.

The next big decision was what to do about the other kids.  Ugh!  I decided not to be 'that mom'.  You know - The mom who doesn't let the school know and then sends the other kids hoping they don't pass the germs on to others.  So after a quick call to the school nurse to let her know what was going on and why the other elementary kids would be staying home, too, we settled in to our self-imposed quarantine.

Confession time: I became obsessed with disinfecting our home!!  My daughter probably thought I was stalking her every move.

I disinfected EVERYTHING.

Faucets.

 Where she sat and ate each time.

All the banisters in the house. (Pay no attention to the snowmen in the back ground)

This chair - where my husband usually sits to watch his sports, work when he's in town, and take the occasional nap.  This is also where my daughter slept for two nights when she had a 103* fever.  (I may or may not have shared that information with my husband. ahem.)

The couch and pillows where she spent most of her time watching movies or playing on her personal device or sleeping.

She really was tired.

And fell asleep in some really interesting places. 

This is my husband's side of the cover.  I really think she was trying to make sure he got sick so she could have him home and spend some more time with him.  Can you say 'daddy's girl'?

I even tossed her bedding and favorite toy (that she still sleeps with every night) in the wash with a bit of the disinfectant concentrate.

And ALL THE DOOR KNOBS!!!

I'm so pleased to announce that it worked!!

While a couple of the kids had a mild cough, everyone one, but Madi, was squirrelly and bored the two days they were kept home.  And NO FEVERS!! Having a wonderful, sunny, semi-warm weekend was such a blessing for us all.  I opened the windows for some fresh air and sent the kids outside to get some wonderful, sun kissed playtime in.  

I highly recommend having your own bottle of Basic G on hand.  Not only for killing the flu virus, but for safe, everyday, effective cleaning.  This stuff also last forever!  By buying cleaners in concentrate form, there is a huge saving potential - one quart of Basic G makes up to 64 gallons of cleaner that will clean, disinfect and deodorize areas inside and outside the home.  (Trash cans, anyone?!)  It's been a wonder product to have on hand the past couple of years. (Yep.  One bottle, multiple years.)

I'm going to keep my spray bottle close over the next several days.  Time is ticking for our family and we really can't afford to have another kiddo - or adult - go down with any type of illness.  

Stay well, my friends, and keep loving Life!

**Want to see all the nasty junk Basic G can help you clean out of your house?  Take a look HERE to see a list of the viruses, bacteria, animal viruses and fungi this versatile germicide is effective against.    Feel free to compare it to what you are currently using!

Creating Extra Drying Space for Laundry Day

I'm pretty inconsistent around here when it comes to laundry.  I'm either doing load after load in one day (because I've put it all off waaaayyyy too long) or I'm doing a couple loads a day (because I've vowed to never again let it get out of control again..... um..... again).   One thing that is always consistent is I never have enough space to hang the clothes to let them dry.

I got this little contraption from Costco last year and it has helped - especially for all those pants I need to dry but don't want to put on hangers.

All the overflow inevitably goes in doorways.  While that works nicely, all the doorways that have trim around them are to rooms that require privacy multiple times during the day.

 And I have to fix this multiple times a day.....

I stumbled upon such an easy and low cost solution it's crazy!

Tension rods!

You know the ones you used for a shower curtain?  We actually had two in our house not being used. (I'm beginning to think I'm on the edge of hoarding.)  When I stumbled upon them one laundry day, the light bulb went off.  I found a couple of areas that were mostly out of the way, put the rods up, and proceeded to hang clothes.

No more having to pick clothes up off the floor {as much} for me.  Plus, these are very easily relocated if needed.

Laundry day just got a little easier! (And that's always a good thing!)

What do you do to help you on laundry day?

Spring Cleaning Made Easier

Have you started spring cleaning?!

I would love to tell you I'm done.....

I'm not.

It's a bit overwhelming, huh?

Especially with all the nice weather.

Did you know that nice weather makes my spring cleaning a little harder?

Yep.  And not because I want to be outside instead of in. (Although, that's true too.)

It's because that nice weather calls my kids outside for extra long periods of time to get extra grubby and dirty.  I then end up with dirty foot prints on my recently mopped floors or sinks smeared with streaks of mud in the bowl and countertop.

That's just the way it is.

So why is the title of this post 'Spring Cleaning Made EASIER'?

Because by using Shaklee cleaners, I've essentially taken all the guess work out of my cleaning.

Did I just throw ya?  Are you thinking.... 'Wait a minute!  I thought the great thing about using Shaklee cleaners was all about them being non-toxic and good for the environment!'

It is.  And that's the whole reason I started using them.

Now...... That's just a huge bonus.

I have my life simplified by only having four cleaners for the surfaces in my home.  Yep.  Four.

Here's my thought process for cleaning.......

So..... my 'nerd' side came out on this one, but you get the idea, right?

And, did you also notice WATER is one of my main cleaners?  I use it all the time to wipe down counters, cabinets, sinks, spots on the floor.... just about anywhere.

However, water does very little to help me clean up oil or grease type messes.  That's when I reach for my Basic H2.  And, it's safe on all the surfaces around my house.

I use it to mop my floors and clean up all the tracks my kids leave behind.

We use it to clean our vehicles.
Outside....

and in....

In our bathrooms.

I also use it to clean glass and mirrors, baseboards, marks on walls and doors, stainless steel appliances - anywhere I need to clean!  Basic H works well and it works fast so I can get on with my day.

Pretty simple, right?  

Want some for yourself?  Order Basic H2 here.

Are you looking to get started cleaning cleaning in multiple areas in your home?  The Get Clean Starter Kit gives you everything you need to start cleaning all around your home with natural, non-toxic cleaners- including laundry, kitchen, and bathrooms.  

Looking to get FREE membership and FREE shipping?  Follow this link for the Get Clean Kit and scroll down to select your kit.  Such a great value!! Plus, I'm giving a Free Scour Off with purchase of the Get Clean Kit.

Okay, I'm off to do more of that cleaning I've been writing about!

Have a great rest of your day!

Independence and Basic G

I hope you all had a great Independence Day weekend!  I think this is one of the first times we didn't travel anywhere for the holiday.  It was great to spend the time at home with some new friends making memories.  Our kids are now pyromaniacs after Friday night and we only had one very minor burn.

The whole idea of 'independence' got me thinking about life and my kids.  I'm not one of those people who wants their kids to stay little forever.  I LOVE that my kids are getting older and more capable day by day.  Having five kiddos in less than seven years can be very overwhelming.  Every time one of them grows to be a little more independent, I do a little happy dance - not only for myself, but for them.

These little steps they make toward being more independent and self-reliant are not without stumbles.  I try to keep my camera {and a sense of humor} handy through the good...

And the 'bad'...

Most recently our son is learning his independence in the bathroom.  And, after it taking what seems like forever to get him potty trained, I'm not about to discourage him.  Even when he uses a little too much toilet paper and overflows the toilet.

Yeah..... And, FYI, it does no good to take the top off the tank and try to control the flow of water.  {Kevin got a good laugh out of that bit reasoning.}

Fortunately, I had just cleaned the toilet prior to this little incident, so it wasn't too much of an ick factor.  However, I wasn't just going to walk away without making sure everything was good and clean after this little incident.

Enter my heavy hitter - Basic G {Germicide}!

This baby disinfects, cleans and deodorizes all in one step.  And, it's so concentrated that one quart makes up to 64 gallons.

Basic G is now my go to cleaner when I need to get rid of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in my home.  It's nontoxic and safe to use all around the house - on door knobs, light switches, in the bathroom and kitchen, sinks and floors, on stainless steel and aluminum, and on hard non-porous surfaces.  We even use it to keep our large outdoor trash can clean and free of stink.  The residual effectiveness lasts up to three days after application (verse only one hour when using chlorine bleach) and it kills 32 pathogens (verses only 8 when using Lysol).

Using Basic G has helped me to know my house is clean.  It gives me a way to clean up after our little steps toward independence and a peace of mind and I have one less thing to worry about when it comes to the health of our family and especially our kids.

Want to give Basic G a try?  Go on over to my website and order yours today.  Shaklee has a 30 day money back guarantee on all their products.  I love having this in my cleaning arsenal, though, and know you will too!  Shaklee even makes Basic G Wipes in their Get Clean Line for quick cleaning convenience.  And, once done cleaning, the wipes are recyclable.

Feel free to contact me with any questions!  I love helping others discover a better, nontoxic way to clean.  Just send me an email or message me on my Facebook page.

Have a wonderful week!