Reflecting on 2015

This past year was a fairly uneventful year for our little family.  We still live in the same house, McKay still has the same job, we have the same number of kids, we drive our same cars, and thankfully we are all still in good health.  So while there were few events to mark 2015 by, I am very grateful for all of the lessons that we learned and changes that we made in the past 12 months.  It was a growing year for us and looking back on it I realize that we are different (hopefully better) people then when we started the year and for that I am thankful.  

In January of last year I decided to not go into details about one of my new years resolutions on the blog.  Mostly, because the year before I had created a million resolutions and then the week later I got pregnant with Declin and they ALL went out the window.  I felt silly about all my forgotten goals.  Also I partly didn't say much about my resolution because I didn't really know how to explain into words exactly what my resolution was.  My thoughts were to work towards a more chemical free house, but I had no idea how I was going to reach that goal.

So I just thought about things for a few months and by March I started to really narrow down what I wanted to do.  Then I just started one baby step at a time.

Before I get into some of the details of things we have started in our home I just want to explain my thoughts a little bit more...

  When looking for healthier eating options back in 2012 I kept running across articles, studies, and statistics about how unsafe our daily household products were to our health.  So not only do we have to worry about what food goes into our body, but we have to worry about what goes on around us. Many of these household products biggest threat is cancer, but hormone imbalance is a big second.  Followed by a whole host of other health concerns that our common shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, medicines, mattresses, etc. can cause us.  Some of the concerns are minor and other can be severe.  It really just depends on how your body reacts to the different chemicals.  Talk about stressful!  Blah!  Aren't you feeling stressed, just by reading this?!  Every time I read another new article I got so overwhelmed that in the end I decided that I just could not deal with it all in one moment so I focused on the food aspect for a while and ignored the rest.

By the time 2015 rolled around and I had gotten into a routine with our healthier eating, I was finally ready to face my fears and turn my focus to our household products. Sl..ow..ly I started researching things.  I decided to go one item at a time and try to find a healthier alternative.  Laundry soap then shampoo followed by makeup, etc.  A lot of trial and error went on as we looked for the right fit for our family.  Most of our past household products I have used since I was young.  They were the basic Walmart/Sams club specials that I had grown to love, so replacing things was a bit rough as routines were messed with and there were new textures to get used to.

The most helpful tools that I used during this process were Amazon, the Wellness Mama website, the EWG's website with their household product grading scale, and our local Natural Grocer store (which had a lot of things for less then amazon's price).

We are far from finished, but I am really happy with the progress that we made in 2015.  Here are just a few of the changes that we have made in the past 12 months...

-Toothpaste- I now make a homemade tooth powder.  Yes it is made with clay and sort of feels like you are brushing with peppermint salt, BUT we have noticed a difference with tooth sensitivity, # of cavities (McKay used to get a new one every 6 months and now it has been 12 months since his last one), and I think it makes my teeth whiter.  Plus it is almost just as cheep as the regular fluoride stuff.  McKay loves this stuff.  I sort of miss the minty fresh breath, but it is worth it.

-Essential oils- We started collecting some essential oils and try to use them as much as we can.  I especially love using them in our diffuser to help our house smell nice.  I have now gotten rid of all of our chemical laden candles, scentsy, and air freshers.

-Raw Goat milk- I stopped nursing Declin when he was 8 1/2 months old.  Instead of going straight formula we gave him raw goat milk along with some formula.  Goat milk is the closest to breast milk and has great nutritional value and is very good for your gut flora.  Technically you are supposed to add certain vitamins and things to the goat milk when it is being used as a breast milk replacement.  But since he was older and eating solid foods plus drinking formula occasionally we felt like he was getting the nourishment he needed.  We would buy our raw goat milk from a local lady with goats in her backyard.  Declin loved it and barely noticed the switch from breast milk to goat milk.  Another big plus is that goat milk can be frozen so we would buy some once a month and then just save it in our freezer.  Once Declin turned one we switched to raw cow's milk and buy it from a local dairy.

- We switched from non stick cooking pans to stainless steal pans-  My parents were sweet and got us a new pots and pans set for Christmas this year.  Read about some safe cooking pans options (as you will see, we chose the cheapest option).

- Deodorant- I switched the deodorant that I use.  This one took quite awhile to find a kind that actually worked, but currently I am using Primal Pit Paste and it is working great so far.  We will see how it goes this summer. :)

-Make-up- So far I have only changed the mascara and foundation powder that I use, but have a new blush, concealer, and eye shadow waiting in my amazon shopping cart for me to try out.  Hopefully soon!

Anyways I am sure you get the idea and I won't bore you with a list of EVERY single item that we have switched so far, but things are going well and I plan to do a few more changes in 2016 too.

If you are considering making some changes in your house I highly recommend the Wellness Mama website.  She has a lot of clear, understandable facts about the dangers in household chemicals as well as some great realistic alternatives.  I also recommend the EWG's website.  It scores 1000's of products on a A-F scale.  A being the best.  Most of the products that we used to use scored an F.  grrr!


The second goal that I made, does not technically count as a new year resolution because I made the goal in April.  After hearing about all of the excitement about the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up   I decided to read the book.  I even had McKay read it with me and boy did I LOVE it.

The idea of only keeping the items that bring you joy was such a life changing idea.  McKay and I both got on board with the suggestions in the book and spent the summer sorting our belongings and getting rid of tons of items.  The cleaning process was such an awesome experience for me and was actually a great boost for our marriage as we worked on the project together.  I feel SO much better about my house and belongings in general.  I enjoy empty spaces and like having the things I love most surrounding me daily.  The way my house looks and feels to me makes such a difference in my attitude and outlook on life.  I did not realize I was so affected by my surroundings until I started changing things, but it had a big impact on me emotionally and spiritually.  Hopefully we can continue to focus on only keeping the things that we love in our house and lives.  Maybe it will even help us spend less money on unnecessary things!

Overall I would say 2015 was a cleansing year of sorts.  Oh and lets be honest...mostly just survived life with 3 little ones.  :)