I love this quote – stay tuned for a free printable!
You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
January Detox: Change Your Habits
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Ten Foods that Detox the Body
As I look for a diet cleanse that is worthwhile and feasible and not one of those crazy maple syrup and lemon juice smoothies mixed with a whole lot of cayenne pepper, I thought I would share this article I found. It’s funny because we eat these foods in our house all the time since the in-laws come from the Mediterranean and don’t know any different. I’ve found many ways to work these ingredients into meals and snacks.
- Fruits
Fruits are extremely high in liquid-content, helping the body wash out toxins. They are also very easy to digest and are high in antioxidants, nutrients, fiber and many important vitamins like vitamin C. -
Green Foods
When you are ready to detox your body, fill your refrigerator with blue green algae, barley, wheatgrass, kale, spinach, spirulina, alfalfa, chard, arugula or other organic leafy greens. These plants will help give a chlorophyll-boost to your digestive tract.
Chlorophyll rids the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. They also aid the liver in detoxification. -
Lemons, Oranges & Limes
These citrus-wonders aid the body in flushing out toxins, as well as jump-start the digestive tract with enzymatic processes. They also aid the liver in its cleansing processes. To increase detoxification, start each morning with a warm glass of lemon water.
Remember, vitamin C is one of the best detox vitamins around, as it transforms toxins into digestible material. Eat vitamin c foods often to help get more of these benefits. - Garlic
This pungent little bulb is one of the best detox foods out there. It helps stimulate the liver into producing important detoxification enzymes that will help filter out toxic residues in the digestive system. We recommend adding sliced or cooked garlic to any dish, as this will help aid any detox diet. -
Broccoli Sprouts
Extremely high in antioxidants, broccoli sprouts can help stimulate the detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract like none-other. The sprouts are actually more effective than the fully-grown vegetable, despite the picture on the right. -
Green Tea
Packed full of antioxidants, green tea not only washes toxins out of the system through its liquid content, but also contains a special type of antioxidant called catechins, known to increase liver function. -
Mung Beans
The mighty mung bean has been used by Ayurvedic doctors for thousands of years. It is incredibly easy to digest, and absorbs toxic residue on the sides of the intestinal walls. - Raw Vegetables
Best for juicing detox regimens or eaten raw: Onions, carrots, artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, beet, turmeric, and oregano. The combination of these foods will help your liver purge toxins during the cleansing process. These are high in naturally occurring sulphur and glutathione. Sulphur helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. -
Seeds & Nuts
Incorporate more of the easily digestible seeds and nuts into your diet. This include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, Siberian cedar nuts and sunflower seeds. While detoxing, avoid nut butters. -
Omega-3 Oils
Use hemp, avocado, olive oils or flax seed oil while detoxing. This will help lubricate the intestinal walls, allowing the toxins to be absorbed by the oil, and eliminated by the body.
How to Let it Go:
An Emotional Detox Plan
As part of January’s Detox Your Life Series, I thought the article below was very appropriate and helpful. This is an old article from Natural Health, but still so relevant and helpful. The steps to this emotional detox plan are clear and easy to follow, even for the busiest person. I am looking forward to following these instructions and releasing myself from toxicity.
The best preparation for releasing old pain is to designate a concentrated period of time to deal with it. You can’t sweep away a lifetime of toxicity in a weekend, but you can certainly get the process started. Here are David Simon’s (co-founder and medical director of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.) seven steps toward emotional cleansing and the promise of a healthier, happier future.
1. OWN YOUR FEELINGS.
If you constantly blame other people, it’s likely they’re reflecting qualities in yourself that you haven’t fully acknowledged, says Simon. If you’re serious about an emotional detox, it’s time to stop being reactive and to start accepting responsibility for your emotions.
2. IDENTIFY THE EMOTION.
If you bury your feelings, you can’t complete this essential task. Simon recommends formulating a sentence: “I feel–” Fill in the blank with whatever toxic emotions you’re storing up, such as anger, sadness, shame, rage, or loneliness. “As clearly as possible, define and describe what you’re feeling,” counsels Simon.
3. MONITOR YOUR BODY.
The energy of an emotion must be dealt with before it can be processed further. Observe a feeling as it arises, and bring your awareness to any bodily reactions. “By simply experiencing the physical sensations,” Simon notes, “some of the emotional charge will dissipate, allowing you to hear the message the emotion carries.”
4. CREATE A LITTLE SPACE.
Find a quiet time when you choose not to read the paper, watch TV, or engage in energy-draining conversations. Instead, listen to soothing music, eat healthy foods, get a massage, and do some yoga or deep breathing. “This creates the space you need to identify your issues and bring into more conscious awareness both the feelings and the patterns tied to a perpetual sense of emotional stress and lack of fulfillment,” says Simon.
5. WRITE IT ALL DOWN.
As issues arise and emotions become clear, record them in a journal, or in a letter to yourself or to someone who has hurt you (don’t send it, though!). “Allow similar memories to come to the surface and write about those as well,” Simon advises. “Use language that accurately and fully expresses what you feel about the situation.”
6. FIND RELEASE THROUGH RITUAL.
Once you’ve identified the toxicity, create a ritual to release it: Throw a rock into the ocean, dance, walk, breathe, listen to music, write a letter and burn it, call someone you’ve been avoiding–whatever helps you consciously let go of poisonous emotions and symbolizes what is shifting. If you’d prefer to share your ritual with a friend, find someone you trust who’ll be empathetic without attempting to solve or judge your problem.
7. REWARD YOURSELF.
Enjoy a gourmet meal, luxurious bath, or day off. “It takes conscious awareness and a commitment to personal growth to go through the process of emotional release,” says Simon, “so reward yourself for your good work.”
COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group
January 2012 – Detox Your Life!
I’ve never been big on resolutions but I am a firm believer in January being a month of renewal. What better time to make changes in yourself, your life, and your habits than the new year? Just after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the decorations have been put away, it’s still cold outside (at least around here it is!), you feel like you can relax again. This month we are putting together some great information on detoxifying your body, ridding your cabinets of artificial foods, natural cleansers for your home, cleansing your soul for a fresh perspective and more!
10 Unexpected Natural Cleaners
This information is pretty cool – I love being able to use household items to clean instead of chemicals! And who would have thought that ketchup would actually clean something, rather than just get it messy?
White Bread and Ketchup
Use white bread to: Dust an oil painting. Gently dab a slice of white bread over the surface to pick up dirt and grime.
Use ketchup to: Remove tarnish from copper and brass cookware. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.
Oatmeal
Use it to: Scrub very dirty hands. Make a thick paste of oatmeal and water; rinse well.
Rice
Use it to: Clean the inside of a vase or a thin-necked bottle. Fill three quarters of the vessel with warm water and add a tablespoon of uncooked rice. Cup your hand over the opening, shake vigorously, and rinse.
Tea
Use it to: Scour rusty garden tools. Brew a few pots of strong black tea. When cool, pour into a bucket. Soak the tools for a few hours. Wipe each one with a cloth. (Wear rubber gloves or your hands will be stained.)
Glycerin
Use it to: Remove dried wax drippings from candlesticks. Peel off as much wax as possible, then moisten a cotton ball with glycerin and rub until clean.
Club Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide
Use club soda to: Shine up a scuffed stainless-steel sink. Buff with a cloth dampened with club soda, then wipe dry with another clean cloth.
Use hydrogen peroxide to: Disinfect a keyboard. Dip a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide to get into those nooks and crannies.
Cornstarch
Use it to: Clean grease spills on carpets. Pour cornstarch onto spots and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes before vacuuming.
Rubbing Alcohol
Use it to: Erase permanent-marker stains from finished wood floors or solid-surface countertops. Pour rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and apply.
Courtesy of Real Simple
A Handmade Christmas: Wool Dryer Balls
So my sister-in-law and I made quite a few homemade gifts this year and the wool dryer balls is definitely the most useful and least assuming gift! I love them, use them all the time, and will definitely make more!
Dryer balls reduce static in your laundry and decrease drying times.
Here’s how to make your own dryer balls.
You will need:
some 100% wool
a crochet hook
scissors
an old pair of stockings/ pantyhose
some patience
your favorite essential oil (optional)
Start by crocheting a chain about a foot or two long. This step isn’t entirely necessary, but it makes the beginning of the winding process less finicky and frustrating.
Starting with your crochet chain and then moving on to the attached wool, wrap the wool around itself to make a little ball. Wrap it tightly.
Continue wrapping the wool and increasing the ball size until it is about the size of a tennis ball.
To keep the ball from unravelling, push your crochet hook through part of the ball and pull your loose end through the ball. Repeat two or three times until you are confident the wool is secure. Cut off the remainder.
Repeat to create desired number of balls. Three is good. Six is better.
Now place the balls one at a time into the leg of an old pair of stockings. Tie a knot after each ball. This will keep the balls from becoming unraveled while you felt them in your washing machine.
Throw the stocking full of dryer balls into your next load of laundry, and then into the dryer when you dry the load. Repeat two or three more times. Loads washed in hot will help felting happen faster, but cold will work too.
Carefully cut (or untie) the stockings to release your lovely new dryer balls. If desired, add a few drops of essential oil to each ball to add a slight bit of fragrance to your clean laundry.
At this point, depending on the wool you’ve used, your dryer balls may just be slightly felted. This is good enough to keep them from unraveling in the dryer. They will continue to felt with repeated use. They will need to be re-scented periodically.
Now all that is left to do is to throw your pretty new wool balls into your dryer every time you dry a load and start saving money on dryer sheets and electricity costs!
Instructions courtesy of The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking
A Handmade Christmas: Knitted Tea Cozy
Last year my sister-in-law gave me so many wonderful handmade gifts at Christmas. I was so touched and impressed that she had made so many useful things that I still use in my house a year later! This year i decided to follow in that plan and we both made a lot of our own gifts for each other. She is an amazing knitter so I had asked her to make me a tea cozy for the hot cup when you microwave tea. I wasn’t sure if she would get to it since she had so many projects going on so boy was I surprised and excited when I saw it!
An Advent Calendar of Kindness
Aside
I LOVE this idea – For the 24 days leading up to Christmas — or the 21 days leading up to Solstice — or the 28 days until Hanukkah ends — or the entire month of December — commit to doing one act of service for someone else.
An Advent Calendar…of Kindness!
Courtesy of Minnesota Homeschoolers Alliance
The holiday season is in full swing. Our family has several cherished traditions we’ve built over the years to mark this time of year. For us, it is a time for sharing and giving, a time for personal reflection, a time to celebrate our relationships with family and friends.
Unfortunately, the messages and meanings of the season can easily be lost amidst the consumer mentality perpetuated by endless television ads and news reports, the store catalogs that seem to self-propagate, and the seemingly never-ending gift wish lists my kids write…beginning as early as October! This year, I decided to introduce a new holiday activity in the hopes of guiding my kids back to why we celebrate at this time of year.
We typically create an Activity Advent Calendar for the month of December. The presentation varies (we’ve done homemade numbered boxes, a numbered paper chain, etc.) but the idea remained the same: like the candy advent calendar, the kids would open something each day and inside would be a holiday-related activity. Bake Christmas cookies. Take a night drive to look at Christmas lights. Check out a new holiday book from the library. Decorate pine cone ornaments.
The kids loved doing these daily activities. And so did I. But, determined to bring the focus back to others this year, I decided to modify our Advent Calendar. Inspired by the Random Acts of Kindness movement, we created a HASA calendar instead (Holiday Acts of Service Advent).
The idea is simple. For the 24 days leading up to Christmas — or the 21 days leading up to Solstice — or the 28 days until Hanukkah ends — or the entire month of December — commit to doing one act of service for someone else. Sit down with your kids and generate a list of simple things you could do each day. Assign one for each day, keeping your daily calendar in mind (classes, activities, etc. that may influence what you are able to do on certain days) Then create an advent calendar.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how my kids would react. I typed up an entire list of possible service/kindness ideas and gave each kid their own copy. I explained the concept to them. Their response? Unbridled enthusiasm! They wanted to do them ALL! They came up with new ideas of their own. They pored over our monthly calendar and helped figure out which activities would best fit our schedule.
As December 1st approaches, we are busy putting together the physical display of our HASA calendar. I’m looking forward to doing these projects with my kids…for others. And my greatest hope is that they carry this spirit of kindness and giving into the New Year…and throughout 2012.
Possible Acts of Service ideas (gleaned from several online sources…with our own ideas mixed in!)
Bake & deliver hoiday cookies to library employees.
Pay for Santa pictures for someone at mall.
Collect canned goods for food shelf.
Pass out candy and spread cheer to folks mailing off their Christmas cards at the post office.
Leave small Christmas treats/gifts in shopping carts for folks to find.
Collect old towels and washcloths and drop off at local animal shelter.
Make holiday cards and tuck them under the windshields wipers of cars at the store/library/school.
Buy coffee for stranger at a coffee shop.
String popcorn and cranberries — and put them outside for the birds
Tape change (and a note!) to a vending machine.
Pay for the order of the car behind you in the drive-through.
Leave present or card in mailbox for your mail carrier.
Drop off books and magazines to a hospital, nursing home or doctors office.
Give a compliment to the manager of someone who helps you today.
Check in on someone you know is alone.
Send someone a small gift anonymously.
Hold the door open for someone today.
Make eye contact and smile at everyone you see today.
Run an errand for someone.
Bring up the neighbor’s garbage can and recycling bins.
Shovel someone’s driveway.
Send a thank you note to someone who has helped you in the past.
Tape candy canes and notes to neighbor’s doors, wishing them happy holidays.
Forgive someone in a bad mood or who is negative today and say something nice to them.
Purchase a couple extra bags of cat/dog food and bring to a local animal shelter.
Leave your change in the soda machine, vending machine, parking meter, etc. today for the next person.
Offer someone behind you at the grocery store to go ahead of you.
Renew a relationship with someone you’ve lost touch with.
Listen to everyone you speak with today.
Offer to help someone do a task they don’t want to do.
Return a shopping cart for a stranger in the parking lot.
Pick up litter you see lying around by the road or in a parking lot.
Offer to help someone who looks like they need assistance (i.e. a mother trying to open a door, an elderly person pumping gas, etc.).
Acknowledge someone who has helped you today, no matter how small the task.
Say an encouraging word today.
Tell all your family members how much you appreciate them.
Buy a hot cocoa or latte for Salvation Army bell ringers.
Purchase toys for kids in need.
Tape candy canes and happy holiday notes to ATMS, vending machines…
Send a box of gently used mittens and hats to a school or homeless shelter
Offer to buy a pack of gum or mints for checkout clerk at grocery store.
Buy an extra copy of your favorite holiday book and donate to your library or local school.
10 Ridiculous “Pinkwashed” Products That May Increase Your Risk of Breast Cancer
It never fails; as soon as October rolls around, marketers begin their annual assault of pink-ribbon products in the name of breast-cancer awareness. It’s a seductive concept, really: Buy specially marked packages of frozen TV dinners and 37 cents goes to breast-cancer research, or pick up a fuschia immersion blender and an unspecified portion of the proceeds goes toward advancing women’s health. But corporations have hijacked a well-meaning campaign into little more than a marketing ploy, one that threatens to undermine and infantilize the second-leading cause of cancer among women in the United States. Here, we list 10 of the most egregious examples of what cancer crusaders have come to call “pinkwashing.”
For the entire article, please click here:
http://www.ecouterre.com/10-ridiculous-pinkwashed-products-that-may-increase-your-risk-of-breast-cancer/
Hello Autumn!
WARNING: These cookies are so very addicting.
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Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
- To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
Courtesy of Allrecipes.com 10/3/2011