Simply Water

A friend of mine posted a list of watchable documentaries a few weeks back.  I, craving some kind of new intellectual stimulation, decided to start watching all of the ones under the label of Health.

Most of them have to do with different wrongs that have been done to the general public by the different drug company giants and how they promote drugs instead of good health.  A few were on how to cure every different degenerative disease with what you eat and drink.  A fascinating one was on the history of surgery. Let me tell you - it was NOT for the faint of heart...or weak of stomach. I had to skip the part on heart surgery, but watched in entirety the section on cosmetic surgery - so crazy how it started out.  CRAZY.

Anyway, the most recent one that I've started to watch is called Tapped. It's about bottled water and how most of it is the same quality of municipal tap water. The documentary talks about how advertising and beverage companies have made water a commodity instead of a basic human need/right.  It's interesting, eye opening, and frustrating.

Now, I've been working on drinking a few litres of water a day.  I've been trying to hydrate as well as reduce the redness on my face from rosacea. (I read an article somewhere that said it would help, and anecdotaly, it has)  I started thinking about if I had started drinking bottled water instead of our tap water it would cost up to 7 or 8, if not more, dollars a day! That would amount to over 200$ a month....could, or should any one afford that.?!  I don't think so.

We all know that water is good for us.  Even the tap water is good for us. Apparently beverage companies won't disparage the previous statement. IF they do, they are declaring their own water in their bottles unsafe or unhealthful. Crazy, isn't it?

Now, I understand there is convenience in a bottle of water. That's the reason I carry one with me.  The difference?  Mine is a lovely glass bottle I can refill anywhere. I prefer to fill it at home because we have a wonderful filter that improves the quality of our drinking water. (BUT! Edmonton has some of the cleanest water in all of Canada, so we don't mind drinking it anywhere...just prefer...)

I would like to challenge you to drink more water, and I will be soon, but I think I would rather get us on the same page and not encourage the beverage industry to continue to bottle and sell water and crazy prices. (think of it this way - the average bottle of water is more expensive than gasoline...) The plastic doesn't get recycled as often as we would hope - thus putting more pollutants in the world...also, think about all the petrochemicals it takes to produce the water, ship it, consume it, and then possibly recycle it.  CRAY-CRAY, I must say.

SO! Think about where your water comes from, and hold on tight for a challenge to drink more - water that is!

XO,
Bliss 

Color Washing

I have to admit, this post might just be a soap box of mine, so if you are sensitive to irritation...be forewarned.

Jesus, back when He walked the earth made the comment about white washed tombs. They look pretty on the outside, but really, they just house rotting corpses. He said not to be like that. Sounds reasonable, and it must be right  - I mean JESUS said not to do it.  (I'm digressing a little here, bear with me - what He is saying is to examine yourself. If you are just appearing as good, but have evil stored on the outside...stop it. Jesus is the only way to get that cleared up. If you have questions about how that works...email me or leave me a comment, I would love to talk to you about it....okay, digression over)

Fast forward to today. There are a whole host of products that have been "white" washed just so you will buy them. I put white in quotations, because often it is NOT white. Often the color of choice is green, or, in the month of breast cancer awareness (aka October), pink.  It frustrates me to no end that companies are a) allowed to do this and b) that they DO!

AH! Think about it. That jar of body butter that has a pink ribbon on it...what does it have IN it?! Parabens? - those nasty little buggers that act like estrogen in your body and have been linked to breast cancer? GAH!  Instead of donating part of their profit to help cure breast cancer, wouldn't it be more beneficial for the company to take a look at their part of the problem, and possibly reformulate the product?

What about the disposable plates that are touted as green?  Does ANYONE else see the irony in that? Okay, I know that the one company makes their plates out of the otherwise unusable part of the sugar cane...but it still sits wrong with me...how are they produced? Does the company still use huge machinery that requires tons of petrochemicals to run? Sigh.

Green and pink washing are terrible. It makes you feel good for buying whatever they are selling, doesn't it?

Anyway, please be aware as you are purchasing items from here on out. Read the labels, don't just look at the packaging. Packaging is supposed to be eye-catching and is oftentimes misleading in order for you to buy it.

Avoiding color-washing,
xo,
Bliss

Don't Be a WENI

Part of the Journey of Toxic free living...on the relational side of things


A few years ago, before dear Hubby and I were married, we sort of went to per-marital counseling.  By sort of, I mean that he was here in Alberta, and I was in Ontario. We read the same book at the same time, talked about it, and then I went and talked to the lady who was helping to conduct said counseling.  At one point, Hubs and I actually were able to attend together.  ...Let's just say it wasn't an ideal situation, but the second book that our truly wonderful counselor gave us was amazing. It had a chapter to preface the whole book on communication.  I think we reread the preface about once a year. It talks about listening and repeating back and things like that, and it really does help.

BUT!  Since our counseling sessions were less than ideal, we asked a trusted couple to help us out post wedding ceremony. We met a few times and talked about how things were going. It was fun and super helpful.  The one thing I distinctly remember, though, was their talk about not being a WENI.

Let me explain.  It's an acronym to help you remember what NOT to do during conflict.

W-withdraw
E-escalate
N- negative spin
I- invalidate

So, what exactly do those mean? Some are pretty self-explanatory, but here we go!

Withdrawing is emotionally or physically running away from the conflict. Some people may shut down and just go silent, while others may walk away and cry. Either way, this does not help the conflict. It perpetuates negative feelings.

Escalating is just throwing more fuel on the fire. You did this. Yeah well, you did THIS. YOU did THIS...etc. You get the picture, it's really not helpful, now, is it?

Negative spin was the one I had a hard time getting my head around.  Basically it means that you take whatever the person is saying and take it the wrong way.  For example : "You look wonderful today" could be taken to mean that I look bad any other day.  See how it could get really ugly really quick?  Yeah - not good.

And! Finally invalidation is saying that the point of the person you are having a conflict with either doesn't matter or is just plain wrong.  Again, not conducive to a very loving relationship.

SO! If you avoid these things, conflicts can diminish or even disappear altogether!  But, if you just avoid, I'm sure you'll find other things to fill in the gap left by lack of WENI.

Instead of withdrawing, choose to engage. Instead of escalating, choose diffuse. Instead of negative spin, choose to hear what is actually intended. Instead of invalidating, choose to give value to the other person.  It's not a fun acronym like WENI, but the main thing to remember is to CHOOSE to be different.

Choosing to be different today,
XO,
Bliss

Spring Cleaning...in November?

I was reading somewhere recently that 75-90% of dust in your home is made up of dead skin cells.  That's nasty.  What does this have to do with free living, though, you might ask.

Well, our skin is our biggest organ, and it does a bunch of stuff, from keeping bad things out, to helping us eliminate the bad stuff when it sloughs off too.  That's where I get concerned.  While I am actively working to get rid of different harmful chemicals by limiting or even eliminating different chemicals from any kind of consumption, I realized that there is still some in my body due to bio-accumulation.  This is not great, but as time goes on many different chemicals will exit my system and by sloughing off, create the dust that's in our homes. We tend to breathe in that dust, and so those chemicals just cycle through.

Ew.  THIS! Is why I'm cleaning today. This, I'm starting to be convinced, is why in some part, our family gets sick more often in the winter months. This is why I'm starting a transformation of my home routine habits.

Here, I have to make a confession.  I dislike cleaning.  Always have. There was a time in high school where I was super meticulous about how my room looked and hand washed the floors weekly and stuff like that, but it was a control issue.  Even since I've been married, the only times I EVER did a really deep clean was when I was upset (read: angry at something) or when I wanted to surprise my more neat-freak husband. Let me tell you, this wasn't exactly all that often.  My home was presentable, mind you, but not Mariana Trench deep cleaned.

I started cleaning things a bit more when I was pregnant. - Gotta love those hormones that lead to nesting! I washed all of our couch cushion covers by hand. I dusted well. I did as much as my pregnant body could handle.  We even got one of those little green vacuums put out by Bissell.  Okay, so we didn't get the vacuum because I was nesting, it was more because of the Little Mister needing to be potty trained.

So, now, I'm learning to think through my whole routine, not just what goes on or in my body, but what is around my body as well. 

I'm trying to figure out some different tips to share, but maybe that's where you can come in, since I've only recently had this epiphany about cleaning. 
How do YOU keep your house spic and or span?

Some things I'm learning
-when you dust, make sure you vacuum after to make sure all that you've pushed on to the floor gets sucked out
-invest in good dusting cloths instead of just rags or else you might as well not dust at all (except for appearance sake)
-vacuum regularly - it keeps floor dust down
-get a good microfibre dry mop...again with the keeping dust in its place


I clean when I can with two little ones. Sometimes it's when they sleep, other times it's when Hubby is home. I'm learning to take time.

have a clean day!
XO,
Bliss

Editing

So, I've touted different natural things in the last little while. Let me tell you my experience with some of them.

Castille Soap for dishes:
This lasted about 3 or 4 days, as long as it took us to go get conventional dish detergent again. Sadly, though the dishes got clean, there seemed to be a film left on them, which was less than desirable. I looked up many different "cures" for it, but none of them worked for us. Once our bottle of dish detergent runs out, though, we're going to be purchasing a biodegradable version from the natural section of our local Superstore.

Homemade dishwasher soap:
This lasted about a week. I really liked it at first, but then our dishes got a lovely deposit of hard water stains. It was awful. I do think this would work in a place where there wasn't as many minerals in the water. However, if you live near us, don't use this unless you don't mind crazy milky glass. I'm not sure how to rectify this one. Some say put a package of lemon koolaide in with the soap, but I'm skeptical.

homemade laundry soap:
So far, we're still using it. It's getting our clothes clean, but I am noticing that somethings still seem stained. BUT! a caveat: we generally forget to pre-treat things unless they are EXTREMELY dirty. So, my son's clothes have a few food stains on them.


I have to admit I haven't been using our homemade all purpose cleaners all that much. I've used the bathroom spray a few times and it's worked like a charm, but with wiping down my kitchen counters as often as I do, I don't find I need anything else.


Have you tried anything and found it not working, or has exceeded your expectations?


XO,
Bliss

I'm Back...hopefully

So, I took a bit of a hiatus in the last few weeks. Apologies to my faithful readers...if there are any. :)


Things have been hectic around here. I have completed the last weeks of a terrible pregnancy with rushing around getting things ready for Little Bean. It was a good thing we rushed, because she made her appearance a week and two days earlier than her due date (as opposed to full term).
Husband and I made a quilt for her, and crayon collage thing that spells out love in rainbow order, went to IKEA and got some fake gerbra daisies in rainbow colors as well. I also made her a knit blanket, and had been working feverishly on a rag rug that was half latch hook and half tying out of towels. It was intense, but sadly it is unfinished...

We went in to the hospital earlier last week and were sent home saying it was false labour. Less than 24 hours later, my water broke, and I was admitted. I got some pain management drugs, and eventually an epidural as labour was not progressing and they decided to induce me.

Little Bean was born on Sept 28th at 11:54 am and weighed 7lb 5oz. She's super sweet and we're all taken with her. Her big brother is super excited to hold her and help get things we need for her like clean diapers or what have you.

At this point, I'm feeling pretty good, but just tired. Husband has been awesome in taking Little Bean at night so I can get some good sleep, but we're all starting to wear down. Praise God for Grammi as she is here for almost a full month to help us out!!


I found a new online soap/ beauty shop that I'm over the moon about. The creator of it makes all of her own toxin free products ranging from shampoo all the way down to foot scrub (I think). I just ordered, and got her rosacea care kit and I'm pretty happy with it. I'll let you know more when I've had it for a while.

How have you been in the last weeks?

xo,
Bliss

Free Clothes and Dishes

In the last few weeks, my hubby and I have ran out of dishwasher soap and laundry soap. We decided that when that happened, we would replace them with a more chemical free choice.

While I had been away in North Carolina for a friend's wedding, I was able to talk to my beloved “aunt”. (I put quotations around it because there is no blood relation, but really, she is closer to me than any of my blood aunts. I've known her since I was about 11, and have stayed closer with her despite the miles and sometimes even oceans between us). She told me her recipe for laundry soap. I didn't follow it EXACTLY, but I did use it as a base for mine.

Here's what I'm using right now:

2 cups washing soda

2 cups borax

1 grated bar of Spotless – it's the stain bar from Rocky Mountain Soap (it's a Castille bar made from coconut and olive oils)

I use or rather, my hubby uses 1 to 2 TBS per load. I say that hubby uses it because I haven't been able to do the laundry in our house for quite some time. I have arthritis in my knees which hinders doing laundry in this house because it's two flights of stairs from where the dirty laundry is kept to the washing machine. I was still helping out when that was all that was going on, but since I got pregnant this time I've been dealing with extreme morning sickness, and more recently excruciating pubic pain due to my pelvic ring shifting and separating. Husband has really stepped up and taken over many chores that I can't do any more. (Praise God for a wonderful spouse!!)

Back to the soap - we've used it for about two weeks now, and it seems to be doing a really fantastic job! Our clothes are clean, we aren't putting as many chemicals down the drain, and our budget has a couple more dollars worth of wiggle room! All major pluses in my book!

One caveat, though, is that I cannot wash my bamboozle diapers in this mix. I'm sure I COULD, but I called the company to get their thoughts on the soap. Because I am using a pure castille soap, there is a possibility that these particular diapers could have a residue left on them that would render them almost useless. We are still using tide free on them (well, we will be when our bundle of joy joins us, as the little mister is potty trained now!!) and they are still perfect.

On to dishwasher soap! This one is just about the same as the laundry soap. Get ready for it!...here goes:

1 : 1 ratio of washing soda to borax

easy peasy!

We are also using white distilled vinegar as a rinse agent too. I just pour it in to the reservoir where you would usually put jet dry or whatever other rinse agent you would use.

We haven't used this one for very long yet, so I'll have to update you in a few weeks to see how we think it is doing. Another recipe I saw while researching this one was the same as above (do at least 2 cups of each ingredient) and add 1 package of lemon kool aid...not the one with sugar, just the envelope with the flavour crystals. Apparently, the citric acid in the kool aid boots the cleaning power. If my recipe doesn't work as well as we want, I'll probably add the drink! You could also probably find JUST citric acid and use that, but kool aid seems ubiquitous, and citric acid just doesn't.

Do you use your own recipes for dishes or clothes? If so, I would love to hear about them!

Have a great clean day!

XO,

Bliss

A little Rambling

I've been trying to think of what I was going to write this week, but I keep coming up empty. I've been really busy getting ready for this baby to be born. Hubby and I are freezing meals and getting the nursery ready. We're packing bags and finishing decorations. Only recently have I actually felt like we are starting to be ready to bring our precious little bundle home.

I've been wanting to do a post about limiting sugar, but I really don't feel like I know that much about it. I've had to limit my sugar because I have developed gestational diabetes. In itself, I don't think it would be much of a challenge to manage, but I also have hypernesmis gravidarium, which is persistent and extreme morning sickness. The challenge for me has been finding foods that are not only on the “safe” list, but that are somewhat appetizing and will stay in this body of mine.

I really DID want to write about limiting sugar, but I fear the information or how I would write it would turn into a pity rant, so I'm just not going to. All I will say is that you should limit sugar no matter if you have diabetes or not, it's just not good for your body.

I've also wanted to write about managing stress, but again, I really don't think I could say much of anything that either a) you haven't heard before or b) wouldn't turn into another boo-hoo party.

So, where does that leave me for today? With an apology for the sporadic-ness of my posting habits, a promise to attempt to do better, and a request for prayer for my family to get more organized as well as for me to get my head in the game again and continue to inform you of what I've been learning about living with less chemicals.

Well, have a good weekend!

XO,

Bliss

Anniversary! -

This day, four years ago, I felt would never come. I had planned and planned. I went shopping on numerous occasions to get just the right things. I found a special dress. I had my hair done. I had a pedicure and a manicure. I got up early after barely sleeping from excitement.

I met up with friends and ate breakfast at a salon. We laughed and giggled as we drove to the church. We got dressed. We waited. We waited some more. We had our pictures taken.

THEN! The big moment had come! I had the veil flipped over my face and took my father's arm. I watched as my three friends walked one by one down the aisle towards my waiting fiance. It was my turn next!

The music swelled and my father and I took the slow walk down the graded aisle. My fiance's eyes lit up. I smiled so hard my face hurt.

Daddy gave me away. We sang, we listened to words of wisdom, and we vowed. We signed. Then we had our first kiss ever.

It was such a great day. I'm so glad I was able to share it with so many people that we loved. We had friends from all over share in it with us.

These past four years have been an adventure. We've had amazing highs and incredible lows. We've fought and made up. We've laughed and cried together. We've lived life together.

We had a son together. We are anticipating another little one.

I can't wait to see what the next years hold for us. Each year has drawn us closer. Each year we pray that we are a good example of Christ and His Church.

Here's to a lifetime together!

XO,

Bliss

An A-peeling Mask

I've always liked peel away masks. The make me feel like I'm actually doing something to my face. The slather on and wash away ones can make my face feel really good, but the peel ones, make me feel like my face is cleaner than clean.

Before I got married, I did a facial day once a week for about 6 months. I would wash an exfoliate my face, put on one of three different masks I had at the time, steam if I felt ambitious, and then slather a good moisturizer on top. It was fun, and I think my face was the better for it.

Now, I just don't really have the time to do it once a week...or almost at all for that matter. When my little mister goes to bed it's high time to get other things, like maybe dishes or a shower, done! It's rare indeed that I can make it a facial DAY. That being said, I do sometimes have a few minutes before my shower, where I can whip up a simple chemical free peel off mask!

Here's what I do:

grab a packet of knox gelatin

put it in a little dish

add about a tablespoon and a half of milk (or water, or juice from a tomato [as opposed to bottled tomato juice])

mix it together quickly

pop the mix in the microwave for about 10 seconds

spread the mix all over your face evenly. (make sure it's a little thick – if its too thin, you will have the HARDEST time getting it off)

wait for about 10 minutes

peel it all off!

It's not that hard now, is it? The difference between the different liquids you could put with the gelatin are as follows : milk is for dryer skin, water for oilier, and tomato for acne prone. Simple.

I try to do this about every two weeks, but lately it has been more when I remember. A word of warning – don't let it sit for too long. You will feel like you are peeling off your face instead of just the mask. I would also avoid getting any in your hair, as it is really hard to get out.

Hope you have fun with this!

Let me know how it goes

XO,

Bliss

Diaper Free....

Hubby and I are in the middle of potty training. I don't have time to think or write today, please forgive the break.

If you would, please pray for patience, wisdom, and willingness on the boy's part. :D Also sleep...good sleep to get through the next few days.

It's about one and a half days complete and the little mister is asking to go potty, and has pooped in the potty three (!) times!

We're super optimistic that he'll get this down pat in the next few days, but we're not going to be too upset if it takes longer.

This week will not see another post - we'll see about next week.



XO,
Bliss

Rocky Mountain Soap Company

The other day, I had a friend up from Calgary. I've known her since high school, well, maybe even a little before. We've caught up recently, and she makes jokes about how husband and I are almost Amish in our ways. I always laugh it off and point out that we regularly use our x-box and computer, and have ubiquitous light switches and the like.

Anyway, after church on Sunday, we went out for lunch at the world's second largest mall (read: West Edmonton Mall). It was a ton of fun, and then I asked if she wanted to go to the soap store with me to get some new soap.

Husband and I haven't made our own yet, and I'm not sure if we will be able to before our newest bundle of joy joins us. SO! We made our way up to the second floor and walked to Rocky Mountain Soap Company.

The last time I was in there, I asked if they had Castile soap. The kind store clerk told me no, and pointed me to the organic store that is downtown. I have since done my research. Apparently, the average Rocky Mountain Soap Company clerk does not know what Castile soap means – they think it is either a brand or a liquid, or something other than they carry.

This however is FALSE! And! Much to my delight! If you read the labels on the bars of soap (or online at EWG's Skin Deep database) you will see that they can in fact be called Castile soap (because, as we talked about earlier, Castile just refers to plant oil soap, as opposed to animal fat based soap)!

These bar soaps they carry are wonderful! They smell scrumptious, and they lather really well. Soaps are scented with essential oils or other plant matter they incorporate in to the soaps – like lavender blossoms or what have you.

My friend got seaweed and spearmint 'flavour', and I got an avocado one. Each of us got a free sample bar to boot as well! Handy dandy, I say. (I also got their spotless stain removing bar, but I'll talk about that later when I tell you about my laundry soap!!)

This store is jam-packed with different products that are chemical and toxin free! If you live near one, I encourage you to visit and even just smell the stuff they have. Husband loves their foot butter, but I'm not such a huge fan of its smell. I'm secretly trying to get him to switch to their lemon butter or unscented butter, which both, I believe, will be just as effective.

A word of warning : know your stuff before you go in to that store. I am a person who is very easily won over by beauty and packaging. I admit it, and in doing so, I remind myself to take a closer look at what is in stuff, and not judge it based on its cover (or label). The staff, while kind of knowledgeable (in my experience) are told that everything in their store is natural and safe and this and that and perfect for everyone! I doubt, though, that they actually read labels themselves and have a deep understanding of what each ingredient does. While their products are safer than the ones you'll find in a drug store or Superstore, they aren't necessarily *safe*. I'm just going to leave it at that, but please do read labels and be informed before you purchase!!

Something else about their store – I saw some cleaning products that they touted at eco-friendly. They are. They are also all about marketing! I found it kind of funny that this product was about 12$ and all that was in it was water, vinegar, and a few drops of essential oil. I can make it for you, and you could give me the 12$. Again, labels are important!

My overall impression of this store and their products are wonderful! I just wish is wasn't so stinkin' expensive! This is why, you will probably not find their soap in my home often.

If you have shopped there, what have you gotten? What's your favourite 'flavour'?

Have a squeaky clean day!

XO,

Bliss

ps. no one asked me to write this. I just want to spread the news.

A-Z About Me

I thought you would like to know a little more about who writes this blog. Maybe that, or I am a tad narcissistic.

Anyway, here goes nothin'.

A. Age: 24! Sometimes, though I feel like I'm 80 with all the silly aches and pains caused by Little Bean.
B. Bed size: Queen. - Hubs and I prefer it that way
C. Chore that you hate: Laundry...
D. Dogs: I don't have any, but if I did... I would want a great dane and name him Hamlet.
E. Essential start to your day: Getting my little guy out of his crib. He is usually my alarm clock.
F. Favourite color: blue or green. I like the cool colors
G. Gold or Silver: silver if I'm wearing it...gold if I'm spending it :D
H. Height: 5'2'' I'm super short
I. Instruments you play: guitar, and I can plunk out notes on the piano if I have to
J. Job title: Mama, Moooooom, MOMMY....
K. Kids: 1 little guy who turns two on the 19^th!! and one on the way!
L. Live: in Edmonton, Alberta
M. Mother's name: Becky
N. Nicknames: Joyful... my name suits me, so not many nicknames.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only when my little guy was born. Three days in labour and then two more to make sure all was okay.
P. Pet peeve: incompetence from people who should know better
Q. Quote from a movie: as in my favourite quote? I have no idea. I like to make up quotes from Stranger than Fiction (for instance – Harold trashed his room in record time, and just didn't know why)
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: One older brother, two older brother-in-laws, and one older sister-in-law
T. Time you wake up: depends on the boy
U. Underwear: always on...except in the shower...and when I'm changing
V. Vegetable you hate: um, not quite sure. I think it more depends on how they are prepared, although bitter squash is pretty nasty.
W. What makes you run late: other people or traffic
X. X-Rays you've had: far too many to count. Most recently it was for my knee to see how extensive my arthritis is.
Y. Yummy food that you make: oo...most things, I would like to think, but one of my favourites is double chocolate wacky cake.
Z. Zoo animal: that I would like to see – cheetah. They are so lithe!

Now you know a little more about this crazy who wants to change the world by ridding her family of one thing at a time :D

XO,

Bliss

Worry

Journey to being Spiritually Free

These last few weeks have dredged up about a billion reasons for me to worry. I left my son for the first time over night (for four whole days!), my whole little family was in a minor car accident, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and a thousand other small things too! The stress and worry of things like this can really impair me. I get headaches, my morning sickness doubles, and I get crabby...I mean really crabby.

Worry is a highly toxic waste of emotion, wouldn't you agree? I mean when you have wrinkles named after something, it cannot be good! (okay, maybe the exception is laugh lines!)

How do we rid ourselves of worry? Do we just crawl into a cave and hide? For me, even that wouldn't work. I would worry about the bats and other creepy crawlies just waiting to get me in the dark! How about we look at what the Bible has to say about the subject.

Jesus taught about worry in the Sermon on the Mount. Here's what He had to say:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

That is a whole lot that He said. Let's break it down a little. Jesus asks a few simple questions to try and put everything in to perspective - isn't life more than food?; isn't the body more than clothes?; aren't you more valuable than the birds?

He basically is saying that God takes care of the birds and he clothes the grass! If He does this, why wouldn't he take care of us? I think that is an extremely comforting thought. The God of the universe who made me knows what I need and will provide!

But, is there a catch at the end? The whole seek first the kingdom seems like a pretty tall order, doesn't it? It really does seem hard doesn't it? I thought so too, until I realized God's kingdom benefits from obedience to God's will, and God's will for my life is far easier to follow than carving out my own crazy ways. (I mean really, if I had my own way, I would have been married to a person I now know I could have never lived with, been in a profession I couldn't have handled, and not be on route to France with my amazing small family!)

When I personally seek God's kingdom and righteousness above my own wants or needs it is easy to see how God provides. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was wondering how I might be able to buy what my son needs in clothing. We have an extremely limited budget, and he grows quickly. My husband and I were praying about our situation, when a few days later an acquaintance of my husband asked if we could use little boy clothes. Awesome, isn't it?! I'm not saying it always works like this, but God has always given us what we need (not always what we want, but that's another story).

So, right now, with diabetes looming over my head, I am choosing to not worry, and do what it says in Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I really do find it is much easier to pray than to worry, don't you?

How have you seen God give you peace though times of worry?

XO,

Bliss

Oiling Your Face

I stopped using soap on my face a few months ago. I now use oil. Every article I've read on it has the phrase, “I know it sounds crazy, but it works!” in it. I wanted to avoid saying it. I really did, but it's true : it sounds crazy, but washing your face with oil works!!

We've been taught for so long that extra oil on our face will clog our pores and make us break out. While that is true, the science behind the oil cleansing method is pretty simple. If you remember back to high school science like dissolves like. That means when we put and oil on our face, it will dissolve the one that is there. Pretty neat, huh?

I've also found I very rarely, if ever, need a face moisturizer now. I'm not stripping the natural oils that should be there, I'm simply getting rid of the nasties. Kinda nice, isn't it?

Here's what I'm using right now : olive oil, castor oil, and apricot kernel oil. It's about a 2:1:1 ratio. The olive oil is the carrier, the castor dries out the bad oils, and the apricot kernel is moisturizing. It's super nice, and you only have to use about half a tsp every time you wash your face. I only do this about every other day and my face is doing wonderfully!

How to do it:

1. mix up your oils (I have mine pre-mixed in a little squirt bottle)

2. pour out a very small amount (about the size of a quarter)

3. rub it in the palms of your hands to warm it

4. slather all over your face in little circles

5. get a wash cloth and put it under hot water (and by hot, I mean as hot as your hands can stand) and wring it out a little

6. place wash cloth on your face and chill out until it completely cools

7. wipe off the oil

8. enjoy your face!

It's not too hard now, is it? I do have to warn you, though! There is an adjustment period just like with when you stop shampooing your hair! My adjustment time was about a week and a half. I had gone from using a LUSH soap (which on first glance was awesome...and then I read the ingredients list closer!!!) and a prescription gel for my rosacea. I have only used oil and more recently honey on my face for the last almost three months, and I would say there is a noticeable difference in the redness and breakouts on my face! AND! Not to mention, I'm pregnant too – so the acne-causing hormones are on a rampage.

It may take a while to get used to, but I like it quite a lot. If you do try it, please stick it out past the adjustment period. It is worth it!

Oilier than most,

XO,

Bliss

Castile Soap

I have become a fan of castile soap. It's not super hard to find, and it is way better for you than detergent bars (ie. Dove or Ivory) or pump 'soap'. (if you want to read the difference between the two :http://www.clearwatersoapworks.com/site/1501105/page/588981 or http://bubbleandbee.blogspot.com/2008/02/soap-vs-detergent.html )

Castile soap refers to soaps that are made from plant oils instead of animal fats.

The thing I like about it is the simple ingredients list: olive oil. At least that's what traditional castile soap has in it. Originally, castile soap hails from Castile, Spain. It's a a true soap that is made from a fat and lye.

I really like it because it is gentle on my skin and it doesn't do harm. The kind I am using right now is Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap. It's alright, but it isn't the traditional kind with just olive oil. It has palm and coconut oils as well as hemp seed oil in it. Why do I want the pure and traditional? Mainly, because coconut oil when saponified (turned into soap) can be extremely drying.

My husband and I are in the process right now of researching how to make our own and what is a good recipe. It seems like it would be very easy and cheap, as the only things you need are lye and olive oil, and whatever else (like essential oils or scrubby additives [like poppy seeds or oatmeal]) you see fit to add.

Currently, we are stuck at the lye finding stage. It used to be pretty easy to get, as it was used for drain cleaner, but people have more recently figured out that it can be used in meth production, and now the majority of hardware stores will not carry it. How unfortunate!

SO! back to why I became a fan! I use it all over the house! In my hand soap dispensers in the bathroom; in my all purpose cleaner for the house; in my every day shower spray; as dish soap; it will be going in to laundry soap; it will be going in to dishwasher soap; and there are ways you can use it as shampoo!

The other thing I like about it, is that it can be either a solid soap or a liquid, so it is very versatile!

A word of warning, though, that I came upon in a funny way: DO NOT mix castile soap with vinegar or any kind of acid.

I was mixing up a batch of “getting rid of fruit flies” stuff, and I mixed castile soap with apple cider vinegar. GROSS. I had a shot glass full of oil and weak vinegar like solution. You see, the acid in the vinegar un-saponifies the soap, turning it back in to the oil from whence it came. Unpleasant. Fortunately, I still had some detergent lying around and could use that instead (recipe for fruit fly death: 3-4 tbs of apple cider vinegar and ½ tsp of dish soap. It really works. :-D )

Anybody else a fan of castile soap?, if so, how do YOU use it?

XO,

Bliss

Honesty

Journey to Spiritual Freedom

I started today's post about the battle over our mind and how we need to make every thought captive to Christ. I wrote quite a bit, and then I realized, you know – this doesn't sound like a heart to heart, it sounds preachy and superior. I scrapped it. I have not accomplished what I was going to write about, and HOW I was writing it, just didn't work.

Today, instead, I want to just have a brief talk about honesty.

I'd like to think I'm an honest person. I don't actively lie. I don't cheat on tests. I don't fudge on my taxes. I don't think I do anything intentionally to be dishonest. But, today's scrapped post reminded me that I am dishonest. I DO try to make myself look better than I actually am. I may not come outright and say “Hey! Look at me! I'm so much better than (so-and-so)”, but I do say little things or do little things that at least I think make others think more highly of me than they really aught.

I don't want this blog to be about me saying I have arrived or that I'm better. I want it to be an honest look at a journey through the ups and downs of ridding ourselves of toxic things.

So, today, I want to say I haven't arrived. I haven't made perfect decisions. I don't know everything. I am just learning how to oust toxicity from my life.

How about you? Anything you want to be honest about?

XO,

Bliss

Step by Step

Over the last few months, my family has been making changes to live a more free life. We haven't done it all at once, thanks to my wise hubby! We've made small baby steps towards change that are adding up.

The first step, for me, was getting informed. It all started with a simple video that my friend posted on her facebook page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM). It's about sugar and how your body biochemically processes it. Kind of long and relatively boring, but very informative. What this video did for me was to help me realize that not all products on shelves are good for you, though they may be labelled as such.

Then, I watched Super Size Me. Another good film, but it has to do with food, and by now you're thinking how did this move on to other products?! To be honest, I'm not ENTIRELY sure, but I think it has to do with the idea that if our food products are as safe as we thought, are the lotions (etc.)?

This thought was just nibbling at the back of my mind, until the whole non-shampooing “revolution” was brought to my attention, and I read a few articles about that (see last post). The nibbling grew to a gnawing.

I started “liking” things that praised natural living on stumbleupon.com and it kept taking me to articles and blogs about how to get rid of now conventional products and replace them with more body-friendly items.

I admit, when I stumbled on the first few articles, I started to read more: the links that were provided; the links within those links; googling ideas in the links; and so on. I found myself reading so much about it that I was a little (okay, maybe more than a little) consumed by it. I wasn't able to sleep because I was thinking through all of the information and trying to figure out how to implement all of the new changes.

My wonderful husband kindly told me to stop it, and to take it one step at a time. Only implement one thing a week, or even a month and see how it goes. The brakes on my mind were put on, and instead of a myriad of changes running rampant, I narrowed it down to one thing I really wanted to change.

Shampoo-free was my first step. It took about a month before I saw that it was good, and then felt ready to make the next step: putting castile soap next to each of our sinks for hand washing. Then came using coconut oil instead of lotions (this one has been hard, and has had a longer getting used to period. I'm actually looking in to how to make it more like conventional lotion instead of just oil). After that, I started doing the oil cleanse method on my face (more on that in future post!!). And, last week, it was upgrading our drinking water filtration system and replacing some of our cleaners with just as effective, but way healthier versions of themselves.

What comes next? Well, I have a few ideas floating around, but I'm just going to have to choose one so as not to overwhelm myself, or my family. In becoming more free, we have to be careful in balancing what is important, and not making it our idol.

What steps, if any, are you taking to be more free?

XO,

Bliss

Confessions of a Shampoo-Aholic

Since about mid-high school, I have been a shampoo-aholic. I admit it. Sometimes even with great pride, I admit it. My shower was lined with at least four different kinds and even brands of shampoo and conditioner at all time. Even when I travelled I took at least two different kinds with me. I used almost anything, as long as it said moisturizing. I hated having the feeling of dry hair. I used a hair mask once a week, and almost cried when my usual brand stopped making theirs. It was a sad state of affairs.

My husband, one year as we were working on the budget, asked me how much we would spend in hair care. I said something like 60 or 70 dollars. By the end of that year, I am ashamed to say, we spent close to triple that amount! How is that even possible, I asked myself. I had only gotten my hair cut twice that year! (which, okay went over that budget anyways) I looked in my shower. Oh. That's why. I had even chipped in to the shampoo stash that I had with birthday money! (birthday money in our house covers everything from my hobbies to things that Hubby and I don't enjoy together, like pedicures or a book, or anything, really)

It was insane. When we made our last move and hubby was making quite a bit less than before, I resolved to get both cheaper and less shampoos. It was tough, and I fudged around a little bit. In the end, I ended up with two bulk shampoo and conditioners and one smaller nicer shampoo set. I always ordered samples when I could too, so I had a plethora of choices still (all paraben-free, of course!)

Rewind three months from now. I was stumbling on the internet (via stumbleupon.com) when I came across about three articles in a row about going shampoo free. Shampoo FREE?! Why on earth would anyone willingly give up shampoo?! Wouldn't you stink? Wouldn't your hair go into a limp mop? I was intrigued to say the least.

I read this post - http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html and it had some good info about what is in the majority of shampoos, be they paraben free or not!

I also read http://crunchybetty.com/no-poo-to-you-too and laughed my way through it, and the subsequent posts from the same lady. After her results post, I was more than intrigued, I was considering doing it!

Me?! Going shampoo free? My husband thought I was joking. He also thought it was a good idea. I made up my first batch of baking soda/ water mixture and apple cider vinegar/water mixture and took it up to the shower.

I scrubbed my scalp and rinsed it. It seemed funny not having lather of any kind, but my hair felt clean and conditioned. When it dried it was nice and soft and nothing really seemed different.

A few days passed, and my routine of one day just rinsing my hair and the next day cleaning my hair was established. As many of the articles will tell you, there is a transition period where your scalp needs to get used to not being stripped of its natural oils and being suffocated by the unnatural ones you add on through conditioner. My transition period didn't start until about two weeks. My hair became so dry it felt like straw. My dear husband said he could never feel the difference, but I sure could.

I have to admit, I hated it. I was tempted to go back and use my lovely smelling shampoos and get my lustrous locks back. I held out, probably out of sheer stubbornness more than anything else.

I'm glad I did. After about a week and a half after the beginning of the transition period, my hair transformed into what it is now – as perfect as I have ever seen it!

I kid you not. It is shiny, soft, and perfect! I can style it easily (though I stink at doing anything other than a simple braid or ponytail). AND! I don't stink at all!

The only drawback I can admit to is that I miss the lather and smell of conventional shampoos and conditioners. I could remedy in the smell department by adding essential oils, but I have found it's really not that big of a deal.

I'm not going to explain the ins and outs of what I do in this post, I'll save it for later. I will, though, ask you to consider lowering your toxic burden by going shampoo free.

Have a great weekend!

XO,

Bliss

EWG Skin Deep : A Great Resource

A few months back I was introduced to the Environmental Working Group's website through a clip 10 Americans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5n4HhQr25Q). It's a great clip about how they looked at ten Americans and their toxic load.

EWG is designed to inform and protect the general public and the environment. It's an American group, but I think people world wide can benefit from what they are doing!

My favourite thing on their web site is the Skin Deep data base. In their own words, this is what it is, “EWG's Skin Deep is an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products, launched in 2004 to help people find safer products, with fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven't been thoroughly tested. Skin Deep combines product ingredient lists with information in more than 50 standard toxicity and regulatory databases. The database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for tens of thousands of personal care products.”

According to me : a handy-dandy tool that you can look up just about any product you use on your skin, in your mouth (that isn't food), or for any cosmetic purpose and see what it can and does do to your body.

It was extremely helpful in picking out a safe sun screen for our family, as well as letting me know what different chemicals in my different beauty products have been shown to do to the human body.

While it can be helpful, it can also be a harbinger of doom! So many of the products on the store shelves have pretty scary things in them. We've all heard the controversy over formaldehyde in hair products and things like that. It can scare the pants off you, if you read about every single chemical in every single product that you use on a daily basis. Please be careful in looking everything up. It is my tendency to be over exuberant in ousting different products, but then regretting them later.

If you do choose to get rid of different products, I would suggest (as did my husband) to take it one at a time!

A couple of things before I give you the website:

1. make sure you type in the correct spelling of your product! It doesn't do a close to match

2. check the ingredients list against your bottle of whatever, sometimes they miss an ingredient or two

3. if you can't find your product, you can type in ingredients one at a time to get an idea of how safe things are

4. check out the safety of each component of whats in the products, don't just go by the rating. You could have an 8 or a 9 in a product and have everything else be a 0 and then have the rating be a 1...or you could have everything in the product be a 2 and get a 4 or 5 rating.

Here it is : http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

Have fun with it – remember, the goal is to lessen the load, not necessarily eliminate it!

XO,

Bliss

Contentment

Becoming Spiritually Free

Today I've been pondering the verse “ But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) It's an easy verse to say, or even quote to people, but I think it's a hard verse to truly live out. The context of this verse, is Paul dealing with people who breed controversy and strife – people who just in general cause friction in any given situation.

Paul is telling Timothy that this world has nothing of lasting value to offer. He goes on to say if we have food and clothing we are to be content with that. In the book of Philippians, Paul takes it even a step further and says he has learned to be content no matter what the situation, whether hungry or fed! (Phil. 4:11-12)

That seems a little insane to me. Be content no matter what the circumstances!? But what about when I'm starving? What about when my friend just got a new car? What about when I have to be in the hospital? What about...what about...what about...

There are so many scenarios in which we can find ourselves malcontent. It's so easy to feel the need for things we want. It's easy to feel that the world (or even God) is unfair in the hand it has dealt. It's so easy to be jealous and whine about what others have. It's just so darn easy. At least, that is what the Devil would like you to believe!

BUT! There is freedom in contentment.

Paul says the reverse this way : “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Tim. 6:9-10)

What kind of trouble can we get ourselves into? Well, the obvious is shoplifting or other forms of stealing. But what about greed, or jealousy? Those two work on our minds and hearts and have the potential to drag us into unhappiness or even depression or they could work their way into friendships and cause rifts or arguments.

The worst, as the verse says, is wandering away from the faith and piercing ourselves with many griefs. What would that look like? I think it could look like working 24/7 to gain money to buy, buy, buy, and forget about our families; or starving ourselves to be a certain shape or dress size; or something as extreme as killing ourselves to get away from debt we've accrued.

Contentment looks a lot better than the alternative, doesn't it? But, how, you ask, do we attain contentment?

Before anything else, I believe we have to realize that we cannot be content on our own strength. As Paul says it in Philippians 4 – I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. In the context of that verse, he's talking about contentment! If Paul needs Christ's strength to be content, I surely do too!!

Then, I think the first action step is repentance. Simply acknowledging to God that what He has provided is enough.

Next, would be being thankful for what God has give us. That list is usually pretty long. A sample of a few things I'm grateful God has given me : salvation, a husband who loves me, a son who is healthy, food for every meal, fans in the summer, clean water to drink, and so on.

My husband and I ask each other what we are thankful for every night before we sleep. It started as an exercise to help me remember the goodness of God, but now it also helps me be content! It's been so much fun to hear what my husband has to say. Some nights it's just that we've made it through the day, others it's simple things like we got to have five minutes alone.

After that, we could do as Paul says in the original passage we were looking at : “But you, man (or woman) of God, flee from all this (this being the destruction and piercing ourselves with many griefs), and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called”

The last thing I want to say, is to echo the last part of what Paul had to say – take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. In the grand scheme of being content, I think this is the big key. We must look up and forward before looking around us. If we are only living for our temporal, mortal life, then we are giving up so much! When we look up, we get a better perspective on what is needed and good. Instead of needing those new pair of shoes, we can make do with what we have and perhaps even give the money we would have spent on someone else who desperately needs any pair of shoes.

All in all, when we let go of discontentment and focus on being thankful and content, we are free. Free from unattainable ideals, free from the slavery of jealousy or greed, free to bless others instead of being tied down to ourselves!

XO,

Bliss

Our Accidental Good Choice -

Part of how we're freeing our family

Just over two years ago, My husband and I made the decision to use cloth diapers. I cannot tell you what put the initial idea in to my head, but it was there. I googled as much information as I could get.

I browsed the different kinds of diapers there were. It was so overwhelming. I asked a message board that I frequented for their opinions and got even more overwhelmed.

There was just SO much to choose from! All-in-ones, pocket diapers, pre-folds, fitted, bamboo, cotton, flushable liners, soakers, and just so many different options it made my head spin.

I stopped. I stepped back. I wrote down what was important to our family needs. Primarily, at the time, cost and effectiveness of the diaper was the bottom line.

We wanted a diaper that our son could be in from birth until potty training. We wanted a diaper that had great reviews. We wanted a diaper that did not cost an arm and a leg.

What I then found was bamboozles by Bummis (really by Tots and Bots, but sold by Bummis). I found a website that had just opened the day or two before I started searching for our 'perfect' diaper. It just so happened that the lady who hosted the website lived about ten minutes away from my in-laws! I was able to ask her all sorts of questions and even got to visit her house and see how she used the diapers.

After seeing her son in the diapers and hearing her experience with them (the no blow-outs of any kind really had my husband and I sold!), we sat down and made up our order.

We bought 20 diapers, two small covers to start with, and two wet bags to store soiled diapers in. We later bought 1 more small cover and then three medium and three large ones.

After a few weeks, our order came in! I was so excited! I read more about our diapers and was surprised to know we had made a good choice on other plains beyond cost and longevity. Bamboo, as it turns out, is about 10 times more absorbent than cotton! It is also a amazing renewable resource and, to top it off, it is apparently naturally antibacterial. Who knew? I surely didn't before I bought these diapers.

Originally, when we bought the diapers, my husband and I didn't really think twice about the chemicals or anything in disposables. We were all about cost effectiveness. Now, as I've been made more aware of the toxic burden, I've been seeing articles and studies about how gross disposables really are. In some cases, disposables have actually caused toxic shock syndrome – you know the one you can get from tampons?! Awful, isn't it, and this is babies!

Now, I should say, that my son isn't exclusively in disposables. It really just isn't realistic for our family. He is in throw-aways when we are out of the house, and overnight. We tried doing cloth overnight, but our little guy would just wake up soaked and grumpy and not go back to sleep. Since disposables make baby feel dry, our little man would sleep a whole ton better make our whole family that much happier.

Some good things I've noticed about using our cloth system:

1. Cost is WAY lower than disposables, even factoring in the energy and water it takes to clean them

2. They don't stink as bad as 'sposies

3. our little guy gets less diaper rash (we know this because when we do travel or forget to do our diaper laundry, he is in disposables for a prolonged period of time and more often than not gets diaper rash)

4. less chemicals near very sensitive bits of our baby (soon to be babies!!)

5. less waste in landfills (I read somewhere, whether it's true or not I'm not sure, but it left a big impression, that for every baby who is in exclusive disposables, there is over a ton [that's right a TON] of garbage)

6. poop on diapers instead of on clothes – really! I was so happy to be able to confirm what our sales lady told us!

Some not so great things about cloth:

1. it takes more time to do a diaper change

2. laundry (but, again this could go either way, I'd much rather wash a 'cleaned' poopy diaper than poopy clothes)

3. makes baby clothes fit a little different

These lists aren't exhaustive. I wouldn't want to do that to you. I really do like using our cloth diapers and would recommend it to anyone. It's easier than it was when I was a baby.

If you have any questions that I can answer, shoot 'em my way. If I can't answer them, I'll point you to someone who can!

XO,

Bliss

Toxicity and Goals

What is Toxicity?

Dictionary.com defines toxicity as:

–noun, plural -ties.

the quality, relative degree, or specific degree of being toxic or poisonous

And toxic means acting as or having the effect of a poison (again, from Dictionary.com).

There are many things in our lives that are toxic. In the previous post, I was taking about parabens which are additives to different cosmetics or lotions. That is merely one kind of toxic thing I am talking about.

For instance, there are toxic relationships, toxic chemicals, toxic habits, and the list could go on and on. When I started thinking about blogging I really thought I would stick to talking about how I have started the journey of freeing myself and my family from the toxic burden on our bodies from chemicals. I continued to think about this after my first post, and realized it would be a very short blog. I wanted to do something a little more ambitious.

That brings me to today. I felt that I needed to set out some goals as to what I would write about besides the chemical toxicity in our lives. The goals I've come up with so far are very vague and more to help me sleep at night, as I tend to over think things over and over and over and just not sleep.

SO! Here's what I'm thinking: I would like to do a post a week about where I and my family are in ridding ourselves of physical toxicity, whether that be a new recipe that I'm trying or tips I follow, or whatever have you. Then, I would like to post once a week about spiritual toxicity and how to rely on God to continually purify us. And perhaps, every other week or so talk about some other thing that is poisonous in our lives and how to reduce our consumption of it.

I have no idea if I will be able to keep up with this or not as life tends to get in my way far too often, but I sure would like to try.

I hope that you are ready to come on this developing journey with me!

XO,

Bliss

The Tip of the Iceberg

It started as a slow trickle, really. All it took was for someone to mention the word “parabens” and I started to think.

I was at a Norwex party, and the saleswoman was talking about how there are chemicals that are unhealthy for us in our cleaning products or even our cosmetics. I was taken aback, but I didn't think much more about it.

About a year later, another lady was in my home trying to sell me something. This time it was Arbonne products. She talked more about parabens and what they actually could do to your body. I was a little more shocked, and reasoned that they had to be safe because they were in products like baby lotion.

It was after that night, I think my wariness about products we consume started. I did some research about parabens. Most of the articles I came across were anecdotal and not very helpful, but not a single one said anything good about them. I read what Wikipedia had to say, and again, nothing extremely bad, but nothing at all good.

The main thing about parabens, is that they act as xenoestrogens and that some estrogens drive the growing force behind tumours. Propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, as well as others have shown strong evidence that they disrupt the endocrine system as well as have a high human skin toxicant rating – this is according to the environmental working group's skin deep data base, which takes studies from around the word into consideration as they mark products from a 0-10 safety rating.

After researching more, my husband and I decided that we would try to avoid parabens as much as possible. As we were using up shampoos or soaps that we had previously bought, we replaced them with paraben free versions.

It has been over a year since then, and we are now realizing that parabens were just the tip of our toxic burden iceberg.