This Week's Bookshelf

So this week I'm getting a late start on deciding what I'm going to read.  I have plenty to choose from but I'm trying to keep it to one business/self-development book and one fun book per week.  

I'm a huge fan of Jon Acuff and I recently acquired this book of his so I think I'll dive into it.  Start is supposed to be pretty awesome according to my friends.  And his next book, Finish, is supposed to be even better.  It's not out yet, but I want to get Start done so I'm ready for Finish.

You can check out Jon Acuff and all his great stuff HERE.

For my "fun" book I'm actually reading something a little darker.  I love a good mystery, and I love a good historical work (has to be entertaining, holy moly I can't do that dry academic stuff).  This one combines the two in a way that teaches us a little history and entertains us with storytelling at the same time.  

From the back of the book:

     Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men-the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.  Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

There are some theories that the man who committed the serial killings during the World's Fair in Chicago was the same man known in London as Jack the Ripper.  While I lack the knowledge to carry an opinion on the matter either way, it's intriguing enough to make me become at least somewhat familiar with what happened in Chicago.  

Erik Larson is known for writing history in a way that makes it so much easier to consume than the often dry academic history texts held in regard by institutions of higher learning.  As someone who doesn't like dry, I appreciate that skill.  

You can snag your own copy on Amazon.

Happy Reading!

Haley

P.S.  The recommendations and links in this post are just my personal suggestions.  I don't get anything from any person or company mentioned here.  

This Week's Bookshelf

Well, I'm still reading this:

But give me some grace, it's a REALLY thick book!!

I finished 25 to Life from last week's list and enjoyed it.  There wasn't anything earth-shattering in it, but it was inspiring, especially since Adam Green works in the same multi-level marketing company I do.

This week I'm going to try to finish the John Maxwell book and add something fun in the mix.  So here's what's up for this week:

I'll let you know how it goes!

Bending so I don't Break

I'm gonna be honest here and tell you that my wellness journey is an uphill battle most days.  I'm generally healthy but I LOVE to eat.  And most of what I love definitely does NOT fall into the category of "healthy".  Greasy burgers, Tex-Mex, bar-b-que, pizza and wine are all tops on my favorite foods list.  As I type this,  I'm having lunch prepared for me by my husband.  It's leftovers from two different dinners this week.  A salad with baked chicken and a bowl up green chile tortilla soup are generally healthy options, but my husband knows me well.  He added a healthy pile of cheese to both of them by default.  He assumed I would want cheese (and he's right, although I probably would have skipped it because I'm trying).
Exercise is another area I struggle with.  Let's face it.  I'm lazy.  I spend most of my day in front of a computer or working in my kitchen.  Feeding 6 people will do that for you. I'm just not motivated to get out and get all sweaty and tired.  In all honesty, I do always feel good afterwards and I'm always glad I did it, it's the starting that is hard.  I have found something that I love to do though, and it's good for my body.

Yoga.  Yup, I love doing yoga.  Some day I'll start going to a class, but for now, I do it at home.  The great thing about Yoga is that it's good for people of all ages and abilities.  It's also easy to modify, so even my mom who had a stroke recently can do some poses from a seated position in a chair and receive some of the benfits.

I personally have found an app for my cell phone and iPad that I use.  It has a variety of workouts so you don't get bored and is perfect for beginners and experienced yogis alike.  Check out Daily Yoga and see if you might like it, too.  The fantastic thing is that it is free.  And there are plenty of free workouts to choose from so there's no cost commitment.  If you decide you like it you can pay for upgraded features and unlock even more workouts.  

You may think you're not flexible enough for yoga, but trust me, you are.  The great thing about yoga is that you start where you are and if you keep doing it, eventually you'll be able to do all the poses.  I can do poses now that I couldn't even attempt when I started.  (Look up half boat pose, for example)  

If you're looking for exercise that isn't difficult or taxing on your body, try some yoga.  You start where you are and after only a couple of weeks you'll notice you're stronger and more flexible than when you started.  Just don't be mad if you become addicted to it like I did.

Detoxing My Home

****UPDATED****

Contest is now closed and we have a winner!!

Rachel Rhody, please email me at restorationoilers@gmail.com to claim your prize!!


I know you guys have all heard about detox diets, cleanses and so on.  But do you know what they are used for?  Mainly, detox diets and cleanses are designed to help you rid your body of anything toxic that may be hanging out (especially in your digestive system) so that your body is healthier.  While body detoxing is all the rage (we'll talk about that another day), have you ever thought about the fact that your home might need detoxing, too?  Go take a look under your kitchen sink (or wherever you keep all your household cleaners).  Go on, go look, take a mental inventory of the products and brands that are there.  GO.  This is important.  You need to know what's there.  It'll be important later.
If you're wanting to really make a healthy change for yourself and your family you can't stop with just your groceries or even your personal care products.  One of the most toxic products in American homes is air freshener!  Because the particles are airborne, we breath them in.  If the particles are toxic chemicals and we breath those in, we are doing damage to our health!  If anyone in your family has asthma or other respiratory issues, you understand, because often those products can irritate the airways and cause symptoms to appear or worsen.  But even if you don't have asthma, you are still inhaling toxic junk!  Anytime we come in contact with toxins in our environment, they affect our health in a variety of ways.  You can read here to find out more about some of the worst offenders.
This is all pretty scary, but making major changes can be hard and expensive!  Here's what I recommend:
Start with ONE product.  Just one.  Maybe it's the worst thing you have, maybe it's the one thing you use the most often.  Doesn't matter.  Just pick ONE product and make the switch.
Replace products as you use them up.  This is what I'm doing.  As I empty a container of a product I've been using, I replace it with something better.
You don't have to make all these changes all at once.  Start slowly, do what you can, as you can and eventually you'll be rid of all the toxic cleaning products.
***If you have or have been recently diagnosed with a respiratory disease, consider making some of these changes faster.***

Okay, remember that mental list of products from your stash of cleaning supplies?  Now is the time to dust it off.  Go to this link and find your products to see what toxicity grade they get.  You can search by product type over on the left.

EECK.

Did you look?  Was it bad?  Were you surprised?  For full disclosure purposes, while you were looking at yours, I was looking at mine.  I have STARTED the process of switching to better products.  Because I am aware of the terrible garbage in most of our cleaning products, I have been switching.  I mostly use Young Living Essential Oil's Thieves Cleaner.  (If you want to know more about why I use Young Living products, read here.)  Buuutttttttt, I still have some of the old products. Mostly because I'm a tightwad very frugal person and don't want to waste something I paid for.  So here's what's left under my kitchen sink (I have older kids who have been taught to clean so they avoid my stash of cleaning products like the plague for fear of having to do housework.  If you have littles, I suggest storing them somewhere else, even natural ones):

General bathroom cleaner with bleach:  F 

Toilet bowl cleaner:  D 

Carpet Stain remover: D

My Young Living Cleaner isn't listed on the EWG website, but you can look at a list of the chemicals found in the product and compare it to the list on the EWG website to get a good idea of how harmful the product is.  My guess is that my Young Living cleaner would rate a VERY good grade.  Take a good look at the list of products and the grades some of the "natural" cleaners get.  Not very good, especially when you pay two or three times the price of conventional products for those.  It's super important that we be educated consumers.  If you want what's best for your family you have to arm yourself with knowledge.

So, since you've spent time today arming yourself with knowledge, I think it's time for a little treat.  Comment below with your products' scores on the EWG website and you'll be automatically entered to win a Young Living Fruit and Vegetable Spray!  

This Week's Bookshelf

It's time to revisit my library!!  I'll be honest that I haven't been reading anything of much substance lately but it's the new year and time to make a few changes.  So this week I'm all about my business.  I am a Young Living Independent Distributor (for full disclosure) and I'm working on building my business so that's where most of my reading focus will be for a while.  One of my chosen books is a little on the fat side so the reading list this week is relatively short.  Check out what's on my night stand right now:

25 to Life: Jailbreak Your 9-5 by Adam Green is a great book about forging your own path into a "career" that looks different but gives you the freedom to really LIVE.  It's a quick read, very short, but very powerful!  You can get it on Amazon here.

The Complete 101 Collection by John C. Maxwell is a compilation of some of his best books.  All of his "101" books in one place.  So really it's not one book, it's 8 books.  You can read it all (like me) or read each of the 8 books as you need them or want them.  John C. Maxwell is the guru of all things leadership and I absolutely LOVE what he has to say!  Definitely worth the $14 you pay for it on Amazon here.

***Disclaimer.  I have NOT been compensated in any way for recommending these books.  I just really like them.  These folks don't know me from Adam.  Seriously.  Well, Adam Green knows I'm not him, but he doesn't know me.  You get my drift.

Restoring This Blog

Okay, so it's been a hot minute since I've posted anything.  But with a new year comes renewed effort to make this work.  This month I'll be working on making multiple blog posts weekly so that I can get this train back on the tracks!  So keep coming back.  It'll be worth the trip this time, I promise!

The Winter Itchies

I've admitted I struggle to drink enough water.  Proper water consumption keeps your skin hydrated and healthy.  So I'm trying to get the proper amount of water in my system each day, and I'm making progress, but a few extra glasses of water for a few days isn't going to completely replenish the moisture in my skin.  It will take a little longer than that.
Even with all the extra water I'm now drinking, winter is BRUTAL on my skin.  Like dragon scale brutal.  This morning I got up and started itching on my shins.  I've had this problem before.  The skin right down the front of my shins gets dry and SUPER itchy.  I could scratch until I bleed if I let myself (which I don't).  Because of my husband's excema, we have always kept a supply of prescription strength moisturizers laying around.  I normally reach for those with mixed results.
  Today when the dragon legs showed up, I decided to try a more natural fix and I'm so glad I did!  There are tons of recipes for fancy lotions and creams using essential oils and natural products floating around, and I have plans to make some of those to see how I like them, but today I needed emergency relief!
All I had on hand was some coconut oil and my Young Living Essential Oils.  (I ONLY use Young Living and if you're curious as to why, read here)  So I dug out some coconut oil and put it in a small glass bowl that I have a lid for.  Then I added several drops of lavender oil to it and stirred like crazy.  It made a thick cream which I smeared on my legs.  Aahhhhh.  Instant relief.
Just a warning, the coconut oil was in a solid state because of the temperature of my house in winter.  I stirred it which helped a lot, but it was still kinda chunky and not at all smooth.  If that texture freaks you out, you could probably make it more pliable and smooth by setting the bowl in a couple inches of warm water for a bit, but not too long or your cream will be watery lotion!

See.  Seriously easy.  I do plan to try some of the "fancy" lotion and cream recipes I have pinned on my Pinterest boards, but in an itchy emergency, this stuff worked miracles.

Warning:  you will smell like a beach at spring break when you apply it.  But the smell does go away after a while, sort of.