Health Rant #1 of 1zillion: baby products....seriously?

So, here's health rant #1 of 1zillion: baby products...seriously?!

So here's what started all of this....

When I was a child, my mom would always MAKE baby wipes when we went to baby showers together and would include the recipe as part of the gift....I thought it was a bit strange, but my mom does unique, strange, yet, awesome things....I thought this was one of them.

I have had a lot of friends, my sister-in-law, and my sister have babies in the last 7 years or so....I have vested interest in babies...and besides, they are our future!

And then, Daniel and I bought a new car, and part of the "vow" to keep it clean, I suggested keeping baby wipes in the car so we can wipe up any smudges, spills, stains, stickiness, etc.  immediately instead of "finding time" to clean later (part of the "routine" resolution).  So, as I always do, I checked the ingredients on the baby wipes...(I know how bad certain toxins can be, especially parabens and such.  I use paraben free makeup, skin care, shampoo/conditioner....I am pretty careful about avoiding them for a REASON....cancerous tumors are primarily made up of parabens....so you really don't want to put carcinogens ON your skin to be absorbed...or simply made into skin cancer for that matter! ) So....bringing it all back, I checked the ingredients on the "sensitive" wipes because I often get rashes from harsher cleaners.  There were not 1, but 2 types or more, of parabens IN THE WIPES!  WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU PUT CARCINOGENS IN BABY WIPES!?  For CRYING in the MUD!  Now, this doesn't mean that you, your kid, or anyone you know will develop cancer from baby wipes, but seriously, this is something to consider....I don't want them on MY skin, why would I touch them in order to put them on my child's!?  

So to continue my mother's intuitive awesomeness, I am posting my google search for homemade wipes...the first 4(at least) check out good...keep in mind, if you choose to do this, please buy good lotions and oils....every skin product I own, I have checked carefully...be careful, parabens sneak in everywhere(ethylparaben, methylparaben, polyparaben, etc.)!  My essante site has some great essential oils and baby products(lotion, baby wash, etc): essante site      google search   
Even a vitamin E oil that I had purchased for my cuticles had parabens in it...deoderant, soap, lotion, shampoo, etc. are often likely to have parabens and many other toxins.  To find out more about those kind of toxins, please watch this video....it can also be found on the bottom of my essante site(link above) listed as "the toxic truth".  

Thanks for reading health rant #1 of 1zillion....tune in next time for something that excites me...positively or negatively....

New Year's resolutions...

I hate New Year's resolutions...I really do!  So what?!  A new year has started...BIG WHOOP!  Another year has passed where I have felt like a failure in life...not meeting the expectations I have laid for myself.  

However, I find myself wanting to do a few resolutions...I want to better myself for the Lord and His purpose for me.  Whether or not you agree or believe in "religion", wanting to be a better person is a good thing that I want to do.

Here's a few things I'm looking at doing this new year:

1. Losing some weight...at 146 lbs, I am the heaviest I have ever been...lack of exercise, stressful times, careless eating, and such have added on the pounds!  I would like to lose about 20 pounds...to start off, I am doing a cleanse through my company Beyond Organics...here's more information:Suero cleanse  Hopefully I can loose a few pounds through that, then keep eating clean 
2. Starting my business, for REAL!  I want to get my catering license, I would even like to start my own restaurant, Lord willing!
3. MOVE OUT!  I desperately want a house....it is partially out of jealousy, partially out of "need"....I cook so much and the apartment is just too full of cooking supplies, food, and of course, Daniel's board game collection.  We don't have a washer or dryer either, which is just...awesome...we get to pay 3$ a load of laundry....and the washers often smell, and the dryers overheat, and sometimes a tired neighbor takes your laundry and returns it a day or two later to the laundromat....yes, I want a house...need or not, I want to get a house while the market is good!
4. Go to Romania for my 3rd trip there.  I really want to go back to Romania this year with my church on a missions trip!  
5. Get pregnant....CRAZY I know, we've been married over a year now...providing we can get a bigger place....it wouldn't be such a bad idea....nope, we aren't financially ready...in fact, we probably aren't ready at all...but we would love our child and raise it as well as we could.  There's also some hurdles to get through, so it won't be "easy" for us...prayers appreciated!
6. Get my life into a good routine...I don't clean the cramped and crowded apt. as often as I should...my work and catering schedule is ever changing, I'm either exhausted, or just not home because of being so busy!  I either want to work out and can't because of sheer exhaustion, or get to working out at a decent pace, and then my schedule gets nuts again, cracking down on that will be hard!  Ahhh...self discipline!
7. Spend more time with my husband....Daniel's main love language is quality time...and the one thing I have very little of, is time.  He loves to play video and board games with me, I love to walk in the local parks, or ride my bike....we definitely need more quality time together!  
8. Get back involved with "the arts".  I used to play the piano (quite well actually) and I love ballet as a child...I would also love voice lessons.  Part of good jobs, good schedule, etc...falls under this...if I can get control of the rest of those things, I can get back into some more "fun" things :-)
9. Get my health coach certificate...yes, I have a science degree...I would really love a health coach certificate to help people get healthier!  (and get paid for it!)
10. And most importantly, really seek the Lord!  Seek His purpose for my life....pray...not so much to talk to Him, but to listen!  Get deeper in the Word....become a better follower of Christ and a better testimony to Him!

Here's my 10 resolutions....take 'em or leave 'em...