Hanging Out Close to the Ground

The impetus for me to remove the harsh and toxic chemicals from my home was actually getting my puppy 3 years ago. I am definitely a little biased but she is just the cutest little thing you ever have seen and my instinct to protect her was instantaneous. Her name is Girlfriend and the name says it all. When these pictures were taken, I had just brought her home. She was 1 lb. 16 oz. Now when I look at her big girl size of 6-7 lbs. I can hardly believe she was ever this small. When she was a little puppy, she licked and chewed on just about everything (including my refrigerator which still has a hole to show for it). I had a chemical epiphany one day when I was cleaning my house with all of the cleaners that I had been using for years. Right after I was done, Girlfriend started licking the floor and I thought to myself, "that can't be good!". I mentioned it in passing to my friend Jennifer who told me about all of the wonderful eco-friendly products she was using from Melaleuca and the rest is history. I placed my first order and converted my home right away- no harsh chemicals or toxins since then and have had a safer home ever since.

I don't have children but there was recently an article in the paper about how toxic levels in toddlers are amplified, largely because they are crawling on the floor, putting things in their mouths and touching just about everything they can get their hands on. If you are a parent, this may already be on your radar. I know that even just having a dog was enough to get me to change my products, shopping and cleaning habits. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our animals to keep our environments as healthy and non-toxic as possible. This is especially important for little growing bodies that are developing their immune systems, little ones are the most vulnerable to a toxic environment. If getting the toxic chemicals out of your environment and making your home a safer place to live is important to you, let me know- I have just the answer!

Here are a few updated pics so you can see how much she has grown! Always the party girl :)

Begbugs- Yuck!

As always, the newspaper is full of interesting articles! When I was in Salt Lake City a couple of weeks ago and reading USA Today, I am across an article about the return of bedbugs. In the last couple of years, you may have heard that they have made a comeback in hotel rooms. Well now they have worked their way into dorm rooms so if you are sending a kid off to college this fall, this is definitely something to keep on your radar. They are also showing up on public transit, on cruise ships and in all hospitality accommodations- we can't control the situation every where we go but we definitely take some preventative steps in our personal areas.

Bedbugs are blood suckers that don't discriminate and can live up to a year without a blood meal. When these apple seed sized bugs do bite you, they leave hard welts that turn red and are itchy.

Now let's talk about solutions! Most of the time, bedbugs are dealt with by using pesticides. I definitely don't want to be breathing in pesticides inside, especially while I'm sleeping at night. Here's a tip that I utilize when I change my sheets (mostly to keep the dust mites under control but now there is a dual purpose). You can strip everything down to the mattress if you are doing this for the first time. Spray Sol-U-Guard all over the mattress and/or the mattress pad, your pillows, sheets and comforter. Sol-U-Guard kills 99.9% of germs naturally with the power of thyme plus it has a great fresh smell. If you don't have Sol-U-Guard handy, substitute in Sol-U-Mel which contains melaleuca oil and is naturally antibacterial.

If you've already been bitten, the recommended protocol is to use a cortisone cream. DermaCort has hydrocortisone plus melaleuca oil- it is great for any pesky rash or skin allergy. You won't find anything else like it.