Saturday, September 21, 2013

U.S. Department of Agriculture Guts National Organic Law; Circumvents Public Process | Food & Water Watch

A MUST read article for those of us that are buying organic foods with an organic label on it. Because of changes by the USDA, those organic labels may not be as organic as we think. Read on and let me know what you think.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Guts National Organic Law; Circumvents Public Process | Food & Water Watch

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

My 5 favorite DIY household cleaners and beauty products

If you have followed My Fertile Lifestyle's Facebook page and Pinterest board, you know that I love to keep my family healthy.  I have been feeding them organic and local produce for a few years now.  I don't mind spending money on these types of foods because I want my family to be as healthy as they can be. As Hippocrates once said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

You may also know that I entered this healthier phase of my life, when my oldest child was born. My journey led me to healthier household cleaners and most recently, healthier beauty products as I learned that what I put onto my skin was absorbed into the bloodstream quicker than what I ate. Now I would like to share what I think are fabulous DIY household cleaners and beauty products.

My favorite coconut oil, Trader Joe's!

  1. COCONUT OIL - In case you don't know, I love coconut oil!  It is such a versatile product that I use it both in cooking and as a DIY beauty product.  You can read more about my love of coconut oil here
  2. GLASS CLEANER - This recipe has three ingredients, that's it!  You probably already have them in your house.  The recipe says it is okay not to use newspaper to clean the mirrors if you don't have any.  However, I highly recommend using newspaper to clean the mirrors. My mirrors only come out well when I use newspaper.  Also, you may want to make half a recipe if you use a small spray bottle.  I always forget and then have glass cleaner left over. Let me know how it works out for you.  You can find the recipe here
  3. ALL PURPOSE CLEANER - This is my favorite cleaner for two reasons.  One is that I can re-use lemon peels instead of throwing them out.  The second reason is that it works so well!  It gets rid of the soap scum and makes my bathroom tiles shine.  The recipe calls for orange peels, but I recommend any citrus peel that you use.  Here's the recipe
  4. UNCLOG A SHOWER DRAIN -  Recently I had a shower clog in the master bathroom. Since we are living a more fertile lifestyle, I knew that I had to find a recipe to unclog it without using Draino.  And found it, I did. You will love this one, made from ingredients that you already have in your home.  Here it is.  
  5. DEODORANT - Let me start by saying that this recipe is a deodorant, not an anti-perspirant.  Although I still sweat, I don't smell.  Since I am avoiding toxins going into my blood stream, which would happen with OTC deodorants, I don't mind sweating.  Since I started using it, I don't think I smell nor have I received any complaints of smells.  In fact, the first day I used it, my 4 year old son said that he liked the way I smelled.  That's good enough for me. Here's the recipe for it.  
One of my favorite DIY beauty products, deodorant in a small jar.

And there you have it, my top 5 DIY recipes for keeping dangerous chemicals out of my home and off my body.  My husband joked that he doesn't know whether to use the all-purpose cleaner to clean the counters or put it on a salad.  My mother joked that her time spent with us would be more like a cleanse, rather than a vacation.  Everyone can joke about our lifestyle, but in the end, it is our choice to live this way.  We want what is best for our family and we believe this is it.