As more information comes to light, we start to be aware that our lifestyle choices may be harming us and those in our homes. Our deodorant may cause cancer. Our food may have dyes that affect mood and attitude. Our plastic may be affecting our hormones. Our drinking water is not as safe as they lead us to believe. Our shampoo may be harmful. Even our Wi-Fi might be a problem. It seems like every little thing in our lives needs to be looked at and analyzed and possibly changed.
 
Many of us have a want and a desire to do things more naturally but then we get overwhelmed with all the options. Not only is it time consuming to change everything to more natural options, it is also very costly. Having a natural household is something we desire, but are not sure how to make it happen.
 
We look at other moms, who seem to have it all together, and get overwhelmed and discouraged. We feel we will never get to where they are. Let me tell you a secret. They started with small, simple changes on their journey to having a natural household.
 
Eating organic, buying a water filter, making your own laundry detergent, and more may be on your list of things you want to do. The problem is knowing where you should start. The answer is begin small, and begin today. This is not going to happen overnight. It is entire lifestyle change and it will take time. Look at it as a journey into a lifestyle of natural living instead of a transition or change.
 

Here are a few simple changes you can make this week to have a more natural household
 
1. Choose glass over plastic
Start small. Keep any glass containers and jars your food comes in. Pickle jars and such work very well. Look out for glass containers at yard sales, online yard sale sites, and thrift stores. Ikea has some great options that are a great price. Look for sales and before you know it, you will have more glass containers than plastic.
 
Glass plates and cups as well are something you should be on the lookout for. For younger kids, use bamboo plates and bowls to eliminate accidents.
 
Look for a metal or glass water bottle. I love my glass water bottle. It is a fantastic addition to my lifestyle. It was pricy, but it was way worth it.
 
2. Use vinegar for cleaning
Get a spray bottle and create a half and half mixture of vinegar and water. This can clean almost everything in your home. I use this often times to rid smells on a bed or carpet (my toddler is potty learning). Vinegar can be used to clean many different things in your home. Click here for some more ways to use vinegar to clean. 
 
3. Cook with a cast iron pan
This can be found at a yard sale or even on sale at a store or even ask your grandmother if she has an extra one. It seems a bit much as first, as you have to season it and reseason it after every use, but it becomes routine very quickly.
 
We found one on a great sale and decided to give it a go. We love it. I cannot believe I was so scared to use one before. Plus it is a great way to add more iron to your diet in a simple way.
 
4. Use reusable cloth towels/napkins in place of paper towels
This is such a simple thing to do. We do compost our paper towels when we use them so we are not actually creating waste when we use them, but we still wanted to use something more sustainable and save more money. We found a local mom that makes unpaper towels and purchased 20 of them for our family.
 
They are so easy to make that if we want more I will just make them. Next time there is a sale at a local fabric store, go and buy some thin towel-type fabric. Cut and sew the edge to keep it from fraying. We keep them in a basket on our counter. You can also look at a thrift store or just use washcloths.
 
5. Use coconut oil for cooking
Just do it. It is a bit pricy, but it has so many health benefits and is a lot better for you than margarine or non-stick spray. Look for a brand that sells Organic Virgin coconut oil. You can usually purchase a large container of this at Costco. If you want to try out a smaller portion, take a trip to your local health food store.
 
6. Get rid of air fresheners
Are you still using air fresheners? Synthetic fragrance has so many chemicals in them, and more studies are coming out showing us that these chemicals are both toxic and largely unstudied for their impact on our health.
 
Alternatives include a reed diffuser in your bedroom. Get a spray bottle and add witch hazel and kid-safe essential oils for bathroom trips. For the living room, we use our essential oil diffuser. I often will use our diffuser with lemon essential oil after cleaning since we don’t use chemical cleaners I sometimes miss that clean smell (which is synthetic fragrance).
 
7. Use dryer balls
For some reason, I was dreading making this change. I was so used to the fresh laundry smell on my clothing and now, nothing. They smell like clothes. When visiting other people I actually get overwhelmed now by the smell of dryer sheets. It is so strong. Again with the synthetic fragrances.
 
Dryer balls not only save you money because you no longer are purchasing dryer sheets, but they also help your clothes get dry quicker. The only challenge with dryer balls is finding them in your clothes; it is like a scavenger hunt every load of laundry.
 
These things are just simple suggestions that can help you get started on your journey to a more natural household.
 
What small changes have you made in your home?

He never does anything around the house; I do it all!

My husband is so useless, and all he does is play video games.

Seriously again? Why does he think he can come and go as he pleases!

There are times when we get caught up in the moment and we share our emotions on social media or with a group of friends. What happens sometimes is that one woman will share about how the other day her husband was late coming home from work, he didn't call and he didn't remember to stop at the store, and when he came home he didn't put his shoes and clothes away properly, and then he sat down and played video games. Or some variation of the story. The woman, who presumably had worked hard all day, felt very unappreciated by her spouse and let him know. The other women who are listening then chime in with stories of how bad their husbands are and how they wish they would act.

Let's think about this for a second. What if the situation was reversed and you found out your husband and his friends got together and blasted their wives, sharing all the times we forgot or did not do something or overreacted?

I don't know about you, but I mess up. I make mistakes. I get caught up in doing work and forget to do the dishes. I would prefer to watch my show or read a book to doing laundry. And after a long hard day the first thing I want to do is relax.

I never thought I'd have to write a piece like this, but it is really weighing heavy on my heart lately. Our husbands mess up, but so do we. Our husbands do things that we think are not so smart, but I do not so smart things too. The point is, we all mess up. Shower your husband with grace and love because that is what you would want him to do to you.

As wives we need to agree to stop. Just stop ever talking poorly about our husbands. It makes me so sad when I am with friends or I am on social media and hear or see someone talking poorly about their husband. It is rude, disrespectful, and self-sabotaging. And it needs to stop now. It needs to stop here.

Agree today to stop and apologize to your husband if you have done it in the past.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before discussing the situation with someone else:

• Am I genuinely asking for help? Or am I just venting?
  
• Am I asking a person I trust who can remain objective?
  
• Have I prayed about it?
  
• Have I talked about something great my husband has done recently?
  
• Am I calling my husband names (like idiot) when telling someone else the story?
  
• Will telling someone else actually benefit my marriage relationship?
  
• Have I discussed this kindly with my husband?
  
• Is this conversation private or is this on social media for everyone to see?

Remember, husbands and wives are on the same team. They are partners. They are to work together in everything. Supporting each other, edifying one another, helping the other person achieve great things and become an even better person.

Let's agree to not talk poorly about our husbands. Simple as that.

Comment below and agree to join with us in keeping our marriages strong by building up our husbands.

This may be one of my favorite posts ever! Who doesn't love gifts? Crunchy ones at that! Each gift idea has a link to one of our suggestions. We've culled all over the internet searching for the perfect items and hope you enjoy them just as much as we do! {Don't forget to share this list with your loved ones ASAP, shipping waits for no one!}
​

1/Essential Oils- Essential oils are becoming more and more popular with crunchy and chewy alike.
With so many variations and endless oils you can't go wrong with this healing choice.
We're loving Eden's Garden Beginner Gift Set, $39.95

2/ Himalayan Salt Lamp- These lamps are beautiful and functioning. 
Acting as a natural air purifier they are perfect for any home. 
Check out this set of two, $49.95 with FREE shipping!

3/ Water bottle w/infuser- Infusers are great ways to change up your water routine. 
​We're digging this glass one, $14.99

4/ Herbs- Herbs are so versatile. They can be used in food, tinctures, etc.
​With 12 different variates you'll love these GMO free seeds, $23.99

5/ Maple Syrup- Maple syrup is a great natural sweetener, a perfect addition to your favorite kitchen. 
Our favorite is from East Mountain Maple, $15

6/ Natural Makeup- Mainstream makeup can be filled with harsh chemicals.
Try this stunning makeup fromLove Pure Minerals instead, $8-18.50

7/ Organic Fair trade Chocolate-
Because CHOCOLATE
Equal Exchange 6 pack, $27.54

8/ Baby Carrier- you're probably already aware that you can't go wrong with a carrier!
​Find this Tula here, $169.00

9/ Fair Trade Alpaca Gloves-
Alpaca wool is one of the warmest out there. 
We know you'll love thesecute gloves and stay warm too! $19.00

​10/ Journal-  This Big Black Bee Journal may bee the coolest thing ever!
Biodegradable and made from recycled paper!
Big Black Bee Journal, $11.44

11/ FitBit-
Fitbit's track heart rate and sleep patterns, perfect for the healthy mom!
We adore thiscute plumb one, $145.00

12/ Pretty Yoga Mat- 
Your Yogi will love these lovely prints and the great functionality. 
The Macbeth Collection Fashion Yoga Mats, $39.76

13/ Honey Soap-
Filled with antioxidants this sweet honey soap will leave your skin soft and smooth.
Find this budget friendly gift here, $4.50

14/ Healing Necklace- Amber and Hazlewood necklaces can bring great healing.
Our favorite is this beautiful Ombre Amber and Hazlewood necklace.
AlysAmber Ombre Necklace, $20

As the Christmas season approaches, we begin to hear people talk about Christmas shopping and decorating and parties. One thing many people cannot agree on is to have a Big Christmas with lots of gifts or have a smaller more minimalist Christmas. For our family, we choose to have a more minimalist Christmas.

The Minimalist Christmas
...or why we only get our kids three gifts for Christmas.

We get our kids three gifts (plus a stocking). Why three gifts and what do we focus on?

We do three gifts because Jesus was brought three gifts from the wise men. Obviously, doing three gifts is not a rule from the Bible, but it works well for our family. We usually do a want, a need, and a book or something for art orcreativity. We also have stockings. Stockings are fair game without going overboard.

There are many benefits to limiting gifts.

*Allows for minimalism. There are less toys, less mess, less trash, less stuff to find space for in your house, not to mention usually less money spent. And because you are buying three gifts the money you budget will go towards three quality gifts that will last instead of ten gifts of lesser quality.

*Keeps Jesus at the center of the holiday. This helps our family to focus on the reason for celebrating instead of getting wrapped up in the busyness and greed that sometimes accompanies the season.

*Leaves more time for family. Instead of being focused on buying,  wrapping, unwrapping, and playing with gifts, there is more time to be with family.

*Kids appreciate what you get them instead of being overwhelmed by an abundance of stuff. This is not a guarantee, obviously, but many kids can get overwhelmed with getting too many gifts. They may not be able to appreciate it because there is too much to use.

One thing we like to do for our family, especially because we have a lot of toys already, is to focus on experience gifts like memberships to zoo or a museum. We ask for these and also budget for these gifts for Christmas. It is a gift that keeps on giving through the whole year. It is also an investment into that child's life especially if it is a gift like a museum pass or lessons for an instrument.

There are benefits to having a big Christmas or a smaller scale one, for our family we feel a smaller scale. Ultimately, it is up to your family to decide what is right for you. It doesn't matter if you choose big or little, what matters is what your focus is on.

Photos by AllysAmber

Traveling, family, holidays, young children, these things are all a bit challenging as is but we got the added benefit of a teething 8 month old.

We left for our long, ten-hour, international road trip to visit our family for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had packed everything we thought we would need. Having kids makes you realize how many messes and other issues you are unprepared for, so we packed extra everything.

We had a feeling our youngest would be getting another tooth soon. He is normally a super happy kid, even when he is tired. Teething for him is a bit different though. He is still happy but there are some bouts of fussiness due to pain as well as extra long nursing sessions, usually at night. I often hear stories of kids being so fussy and miserable when teething. I hear of them just being beside themselves as their teeth come in. We have never had to experience anything like that and I attribute it to an amber necklace.

I saw firsthand how my oldest son acted when teething without the aid of amber for one day. We had lost his amber necklace and I looked high and low until I found it because the difference was very clear. I practically tore my house apart and contemplated buying another one that day so we would never go through that again. I have heard similar stories from other moms as well.

Why do we choose an amber necklace over other pain reducing alternatives like Tylenol?

Dangers of Tylenol
-Can result in liver and kidney toxicity even with recommended dosage
-Use of just once a month can increase chance of asthma over 500%
-Is associated with an increase in allergies

Benefits of using an amber necklace
-Natural pain reliever
-Succinic acid is released as the skin warms the beads. It get absorbed into the skin and acts as a pain reducer.
-A natural anti-inflammatory  
-Helps amp up the immune system to fight off other common infections.
-Safe (when using properly made jewelry and proper sizing). Safe jewelry will have a knot between each bead and will have a specific clasp made to break is enough pressure is applied. 
-Added benefit: cute!
​
With amber necklaces securely and safely fastened, we began our week-long trip. It was an enjoyable trip that was not ruined by a miserable teething baby, but instead was enjoyed by all, even the happy, teething baby.

Do you use amber necklaces for your kids? What about for yourself?