He is New

It is 12:26 am on New Year's Day. The first New Year's Simeon and I have stayed up for in at least three years (the irony of staying up the first year we have a newborn and going to bed early the other three years without one is not lost on me). I am sitting at home, hoping for a reflective spirit of the year behind and of the year ahead, whilst my wonderful husband is retrieving my forgotten phone from our friends's house...again.

Aside from the Times Square celebration playing on the TV, there was no cheering for 2015, no special kiss at midnight, no confetti. This evening, there were friends and families gathered, games played, and conversations shared. 2015 isn't really a new beginning, there's no clean slate, things that happened December 31, 2014, are still going to happen January 1, 2015 (with the exception of messing up checks).

There is always a spirit of new-ness when the new year rings in, though. Why do we crave the resolutions, the new, the clean, the refreshed? We crave Him. We crave the newness of life, the cleanliness, and the refreshment that only He, our Savior and Lord can provide. We celebrate His birth on December 25th every year, but the real joyous occasion, is that we can taste, enjoy and receive the new-ness He has to offer every day of the year.

So this year, let your old bad habits become clean. Let your good habits that have fallen to the wayside become renewed. Sure, go ahead and make that New Year's Resolution. But let Christ make you clean, let God create in you a new heart, and let the Holy Spirit continue to refresh you, because that, is what I am hoping for in the year 2015--that He continues the good work in me, and that I allow it.

Every year, I find a verse that I seem to speak as my own over the year, one I cling to when I desperately need it. Last year, was a simple "Be still and know that I am your God." This year, is seems to be a little hackneyed since I used it on our Christmas 'card' and our New Year's card,  but it is my prayer for the year ahead---I think we will need quite a bit o' peace after all.

Happy New Year, and may it be blessed, indeed!

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all."

2 Thessalonians 3:16 

His Cost is Greater

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Where has the time gone?! As I was sitting here, I had what I was most thankful for. Isn't it obvious? Of course it is our little Adelaide Joy. However, then I got to thinking why I was thankful for her. There's the obvious reasons--ones that you have all heard and gone through with us along the way. Then I thought about the cost of having Addie--and just how brilliant the cost was.

You see, having her cost me so much in life--so very much. 

She cost me my bitterness. 

She cost me my selfishness,

She cost me my sorrow.

She cost me my fear.

She cost me my hopelessness.

She cost me my anger.

She cost me my self-inflicted loneliness. 

She cost me my empty arms. 

She cost me my unblemished stomach. 

She cost me time with my husband. 

She cost me my time to myself. 

Having her has cost me, and will continue to cost me these things, and my friends. I am glad. 

She cost me my bitterness, and replaced it with sweetness. 

She cost me selfishness, and it gave way to selflessness. 

She cost me my sorrow, and it blossomed to joy.

She cost my my fear, and it died to courageousness. 

She cost me my hopelessness, and it turned to believing. 

She cost me my anger, and it melted away to peace.

She cost me my loneliness, and created togetherness. 

She cost me my empty arms, and constantly made them full. 

She cost my my unblemished stomach and instead I have a permanent reminder of God's faithfulness.
She cost me time with Simeon, and changed it to time as a family.
She cost me time to myself and created time for reflection on God's goodness.

She will continue to "cost" me, test me, and teach me, Some of the "costs" will be hard to accept, some of them will be hard to let go of. I would be lying if I said that having her hasn't made my life easier with less reason for bitterness and anger, God has done more than give me her, in His mercy, He has freed me from so many internal struggles of mine. Oh, they will rear their ugly heads, but when I look at Addie, there will no longer be doubts of God's personalized goodness towards me. So I will take on every sleepless night, every bewildering crying fit, every dirty diaper, and every bit of spit up, because when I look at Addie, I see a promise kept, a truth revealed, and love demonstrated, and I know that it is well with my soul,

When I see the "costs" of Addie, I think of what it cost our Heavenly Father to place Jesus Christ on the cross. To allow it. For that reason, I am even more eternally grateful, and pray with all my might, that Adelaide will one day understand the cost of the Father for her. His cost is so much greater than my own.




* This post was started the day before Thanksgiving, but because of Addie and a family filled weekend, it was not finished until today.

He is Compassionate

So, this is a hard post for me write. It's about this pregnancy and what I have seen through it--and that makes it hard, because I guarantee you that parts of it will come across as complaining and whining, even though that is not my intent, and in saying some of the things, I will feel guilty.

Through this pregnancy, I have tried really hard not to complain. I have probably failed at it--a lot. The weight gain, the stretch marks, the sweating, the peeing, the hormones--all of those things I have taken in stride. However, there are a couple of things that have really bothered me, physically, and emotionally.

 Physically, one of the changes have been hard because nothing seems to fit me properly. I have had to spend money on top of money just to have something that fits, is comfortable, and looks like I am not trying to squeeze into something that's half my size. It's hard because it makes it harder to be modest...loose fitting things, have become tight. Things that should go up, instead come down. People notice--men notice. I feel guilty, but also at this point apathetic. It makes my upper back hurt because of how fast it has changed and my back muscles can't keep up with that growth. This isn't a vanity thing.

The other issue are my hips. They hurt. Not when I am walking around throughout the day, but at night, or anytime I lay down to sleep. It's not uncommon to have one hour where I am awake 3 times within that hour. I consistently get 4 hours of sleep, and that is on a good night. Naps are hard too...because it isn't just at nighttime. It's anytime my body is horizontal. Sharp shooting pain drives through my hips and nothing works to alleviate it. I don't complain about this because it's there, I complain about it because I am TRYING to deal with it (and I have been since early on in the second trimester). I am trying solutions that will work. Even my OB and Chiropractor are at a loss for what I should do. I get adjusted at least twice a month, if not more. I go to a massage therapist (although, I forgot to make an appointment, and keep forgetting because it's new to me). Tylenol lasts for such a little time, and pumping my body full of it makes me cringe with fear. If I sit up after laying down, my hip pops--and it is painful. It's not a relief thing, because it goes right back to the pain. I can't control it. I wake up crying and in tears--partially from pain, but mainly because there is so little time I have been able to sleep that I can't properly deal with my emotions.

Why am I telling you this? Simply because when I have told others this, a majority of responses (not all), are not kind. I am writing this to remind you mommas of all the pains and hardships you had in your pregnancies. I am not a naturally sympathetic person when it comes to there being a solution for an issue, that is not being approached. (For example, if one were to complain about being thirsty and doing nothing about it when they are able to.)

Anyways, here's my urge to you all from one extremely physically and emotionally exhausted expecting mother. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be encouraging. Be thoughtful. Be sincere. I have heard the phrases "This is what you've prayed for.", "Oh, but it will be so worth it..."Just you wait until...(fill in the blank)", "But this child is such a blessing...", "It doesn't get any better, so you might as well get used to it now.", and countless other phrases that are similar. I get why these things are being said. I do. They all make sense. However, they all make me feel even worse. I know this is what I prayed for, and I am soooo thankful for it. I am excited by it, anxious for it, exceedingly in awe of this child! This pregnancy is already a blessing, this child IS a blessing--a promise fulfilled and every time I think of how merciful and kind God has been, I am moved to tears. I AGREE with you on these things!!! But it isn't what is needed. Hearing those thoughts make me feel guilty for even thinking about how hard this is--especially the fact that this IS what I prayed for. Does that mean I am not allowed to be in pain? Would you have sympathy for someone who broke their leg in a car accident that wasn't their fault?

The other phrases "Just you wait until...", "It doesn't get any better...", and other things like that make it so hard as well. Where is the hope for better days? I get that motherhood is hard, I really do. I know that right now, I cannot grasp what all that means, and that will have to come at another time, but where is encouragement? Shouldn't we be edifying one another? Honestly, without having the rest I even need to get by, and being so exhausted, emotions have more power over me than I would like. Fear comes in like a monster, fears that really have no place in being there, but are now bigger and badder simply because I am tired.

I beseech you, to be you to be kind. I am aware that I more than likely wasn't kind or showed the same compassion with you that I am asking for now, and for that I apologize. If this is how you felt when you had tried talking to me, I now understand. Yes, I was bitter and thought that "well they have such a blessing, what do they have to complain about?!" and I was selfish. I hate that this is what it has taken me to have that shortcoming so blatantly obvious, and I feel awful that I was not compassionate. Again, I have tried hard not to complain about other things and instead tried to have an attitude of thankfulness for weight gain, and stretch marks, and not shaving any more (which that last one, REALLY is a reason to be thankful!).  Those things affect my vanity though, not my physical well being. I am asking for some empathy, encouragement, and compassion instead of the typical comments. I am looking forward to giving birth and letting every single issue I had fade away into the background of the precious new life. But please, right now, be kind. Be kind to Simeon as well, because he hears most of it simply because I don't know who I can talk to about this without feeling guilty. He feels helpless that he can do nothing to help the pain of either my emotions or my body right now.

Through this pregnancy, I can honestly say that after this, I want to be the mom that is understanding of another pregnant mom's pains and issues. It isn't just the physical pain. But physical pain, coupled with physical and emotional exhaustion, makes way for emotions from the enemy to take hold. Let's be kind. Let's be understanding. I hope that this is not a rude post, or a justification for complaining. Simply a post that enlightens how much more one could have to deal with than just the body changes. So much more. Let's bind together in the light and love of Christ, and allow others to hurt, and allow them to not feel guilty for hurting---emotionally, physically, spiritually, and under any circumstance.

Trees of Life

Recently, I shared pictures of our nearly completed nursery on Facebook. There were many comments and "likes" on the project, but I wanted to share just one more thing (or a few) about this room.

It started over 3 years ago, with a free crib, and a new house. We knew what room was to be the nursery...the smallest one. It was painted purple. After 1 supposedly "Light coral" color that ended up looking like a peachy pink, it was changed to brown. After a while, the brown was too dark, but didn't need to be changed, because we were still waiting for that special time of actually being pregnant and not just dreaming about it.

Fast forward 6 months, that happened--then "un-happened" on Christmas Day of 2011. Unsure is the word best used to describe that time. We didn't know we had even been pregnant, so finding out that we had more than likely gone through a miscarriage was...shocking? But it set even a deeper desire to begin a family.

Fast forward 3 months...we found out we were expecting yet again, on the day we went to see Tim Hawkins in Lincoln no less. There were many reasons to smile that night. 2 months later, we lost that child as well. This time, it was crushing.

After that, time seemed to drag on. I remember repainting the nursery for what would be the last and final time. Not because we were expecting, but because I wanted something tangible to do--I called it "operating on faith". It seemed to pay off in a sense because no more than a few months later, we found out that we were indeed expecting...yet again! 3 months later, devastation.

The following year went by and I could not bring myself to go into the room to work on it. If I wasn't watching girls (since toys were primarily in that room), the door remained shut. The door to both the nursery and my hope was closed.

Finally, after a year or more  of prayer, we felt being led to adoption. In January of 2014, we stopped trying so hard for a child, and felt confident in our hearts to give another child a home--and not just because we couldn't have any at the time. We resigned our dream, and began another one. Imagine my surprise when that month, I had my first cycle that I had on my own in over a year (something that I had been able to manage with diet and exercise before that just wasn't yielding results this time). And again a month later, when Simeon was gone, and I found out that God was indeed faithful.

I didn't work on the room for a long time. Yes I was excited, but there was so much fear--why bother opening up my heart again, if in a matter of a few weeks, it could very well be crushed again.

This room, this nursery, if you will, is so much more than a room to me. It is so much more than a baby's room, or a nursery, or even a cute room for a child.

This room is hope deferred, but not lost.
This room is preparation when it seemed there was nothing to prepare for.
This room is faithfulness amidst faithlessness.
This room is a labor of love, when there was much bitterness in my heart.
This room is what reminds me of who God is.
This room is what reminds me that "Never once have we ever walked alone"

The trees mean something different in this room. For years, I wondered if I would ever feel a baby kicking inside of me. If my stomach would grow and swell. If Simeon would be a father to his own children. If he would be able to have the expression of awe at feeling baby kick. I dreamed of the day he would first see his first child. For years, hope was deferred. For years it made my heart sick. There are still some longings that have yet to be fulfilled, but there are so many that already have been. Those trees in there, that I painted simply because I liked them and because they went with owls, mean so much more. Those, are trees of life in there, and pretty soon there will be another life in there to enjoy them.

 

 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Proverbs 13:12

Many hurts along the way, but a song that will be forever close to my heart, that I have referenced before in this blog, has been Matt Redman's "Never Once". In  my opinion, the lyrics speak for themselves, and need no explanation. 

"Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful"

Matt Redman, Never Once

He is Still, and Always Moving

It has been quite awhile since I have jotted down anything on this blog--or anywhere for that matter. We've been so busy! Getting carpet cleaned out, painting, getting ready for new doors, trim, and flooring is such a lot of work!

I am officially 29 1/2 weeks pregnant, in my third trimester. First off, let's just have a shout of joy and prayer of gratitude to the magnanimous proportions of God's grace...yes?! Something that's funny is that I am making lists upon lists upon lists. I kid you not "What to do Before Baby, What to Buy Before Baby, Packing for the Hospital, Diaper Bag Organization, What to Clean Before Baby, and Freezer Meals Before Baby" are all lists currently being crossed off...slowly but surely. Amidst all of these lists, I find myself freaking out and feeling prepared at the same time. Yes, I may be overdoing it, yes, these lists wont contain everything, and yes, I will freak out when, and after our baby Berns shows their face! Simeon, bless his heart, has told me many times, that we will be fine and to calm down. He's right, I know he's right--but I want to be prepared. I want to enjoy this process of pregnancy, birth, and the arrival of our boy or girl as much as possible, and I feel like if we will be unprepared, then I won't be able to do that. Having a child is hard right?

This week, during all of my crazy hare-brained schemes to finish flooring and all the details that come with it, I was thinking about how Psalm 46:10 says

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

It  really got me to thinking about a direct correlation between having too many concerns, worries, and thoughts, and God being glorified. Am I, with all my lists, inhibiting the exaltation of my Father to be displayed? It's almost as if the Holy Spirit is saying to me:

"Be still, Kristen. Be still. I am Your God! Not this child, not your preparation. I designed you to know what to do. I created you for motherhood. Be still, let others know that I am God. Do not worry. Let me be exalted through this season. I am moving for you, be still with me."

It is such a hard thing to let go of. Oh, I still have my lists, but will I let them consume me? No. Will we be fine if we don't get everything done? Yes. I must remember to not let the thoughts of my mind hinder the thoughts of my God. So that's my perspective. Not deep, probably pretty wordy, and not overly erudite.

I daresay that I will never find a good segue into pregnancy updates!

You know your pregnant when:

1. Shaving up to your knees is a blessed thing....and your husband should consider himself a lucky man when that happens.
2. You, the person who never really sweat in sauna, are now constantly feeling that glistening sheen everywhere (and people think you are glowing....scoff)
3. The Fed Ex guy looks at you weird because you have been receiving so many packages lately (Hey, it's not MY fault they don't ship everything in the order altogether....)
4. The baby kicks and kicks and kicks, unless you want them to then they don't....
5. You get about 3 hours of good sleep a night...after that, you turn all Russel (from Up); "My knees hurt, my elbow hurts, I gotta pee"
6. You figure out that living in Hastings, NE, does nothing for your wardrobe options....
7. You start finding out just how long Zulily actually takes to ship to you.
8. Birthing classes are a whole new adventure of hilarity--and you sure don't mind retelling the story!
9. You mentally kick yourself in your ever expanding backside for doing a flooring project in your third trimester!!!
10. *Looks at clock, realizes it's an hour and a half since you last ate, then this happens* (Props to whomever gets the reference)

 

He is a Choice

Comparison to others is something I have always done to myself. Something I have always struggled with. Lately, I have been feeling Him say to my heart "Kristen, are you going to compare yourself to others, or are you going to compare yourself to who I created you to be? To my plans for you? Are you going to choose me?"

As I have been contemplating this over the past few months, I have been noticing something. Comparison is a theme in everyone's life.  Sometimes it is harmful, sometimes it is helpful. As I have been going through my own feelings with comparison a thought hit me. I compare myself to what others let me see. People, by nature, only let others see a small portion of their lives. I know I do. This causes a terrible epidemic. Comparison, coupled with inauthenticity, is a dangerous things. This allows us to either consider ourselves better or worse than the ones to whom we compare ourselves with. 

Is it wrong for people to not show every aspect of their dirty, messy, wonderful lives? No. What is the problem, however, is when we choose to judge or condemn others or ourselves based on what we see. We see a very limited view, and we need to remember that. In comparing ourselves, we blind ourselves to fulfillment in Christ--in who He died for, in who His Father created us to be, in what He has for us.

Essentially, this is the point I am trying to say: in seeking comparison, to be better than others, to be more "righteous", are we hindering the completion of us in Christ? 

Imagine for a second the worst part of your life, or your marriage, or your family--the absolute worst fight or situation. Imagine your reactions. Now, imagine that all of that, completely on display for the world to see. The people you care about, the people you care that have opinions of you, your family, your friends....imagine them seeing how truly terrible you can react or beneath a polished veneer that we showcase on a daily basis. A polished veneer that is comprised of opinions, beliefs, smiles, and attitudes that you allow others to see. If you are like me, there is a sigh of relief, that my shortcomings are not on display for all to see. 

If there was a sigh of relief, then why do we compare?! Why do we criticize, judge, condemn others issues that are on public display, when we have issues in our private lives that we refuse to acknowledge? We should be iron sharpening iron, the body of Christ--unified and working together. When we judge and criticize because of comparison, we hurt that unity, not help it. 

On the flip side, when we compare ourselves, and find ourselves "weighed, measured, and wanting", then we are still hindering the confidence and completion Christ has for us. This is my greatest struggle. In my head, I consistently say to God, that He created someone more worthless than whoever I am comparing myself to that day. Can I believe the Bible and call God a liar (unintentionally, but still)? God creates each of us individually, each hand crafted, each a masterpiece, each priceless--in the physical world, wealthy people collect things with those labels, so why is it so hard to translate to the spiritual world? So, again, I find myself remembering that Christ is a choice. He isn't a one time choice to gain entry to heaven. He is a daily choice. He is a daily reminder and remembrance. Whatever I am facing that day---He is my choice. He created me, for me, with certain gifts to help further His Kingdom. I've messed up, reacted poorly, and failed more times than I can count. Does that matter? No, He still welcomes me with the same open arms He had on the cross for me. I do not sin so that grace may abound, but I choose to be shaped, molded, and continued to be worked on for Him. 

Again...no good segue to my updates on pregnancy so....

You Know Your Pregnant When:

1. Shaving your legs becomes an Olympic sport combined of yoga and contortion. 

2. Every twinge makes you wonder if your'e actually feeling baby move, or was than an organ migrating?

3. Your husband stares at your expanding belly...among other things that are expanding

4. Finally, for once, you are warmer than your husband...boo and yah. 

5. You are amazed at how many people want you to know the baby's gender, persistently so

6. You play mean jokes on those persistent people and tell them you know when you really don't...

7. You realize no one warns you for the skeletal baby skull in the ultrasound. 

8. Your hips. Oh. My. Word. The. Pain!

9. You walk up the stairs and your breathless, not because you are out of shape, but because you are in an entirely different shape at the moment. 

10. You make a rule that unless you have a craving for 3 days, it isn't valid and will pass. 

A Natural Review

Okay, so I have been contemplating for awhile on writing a review like this. Not because it's sponsored (which would be totally cool if it was!) but simply because it is a good way to review and explain what I like and don't like about some natural products. So, without further Adieu....

1. Water Infusers
There are 3 products I have bought and enjoy using for water infusers. Well, I take that back, 2 were bought, but 1 was given to me by a mother-in-law that knows me well.

 The Aqua Zinger
Pros:  I love this bottle because it has blades (that aren't sharp or dangerous) to mince up the fruit of your choice. Recommended, it says to wait 6 hours for best flavors, but if you get some great produce, you can infuse it right away, drink a glass of slightly flavored water, refill it and let it sit for a stronger flavor. It has a stainless steel screen where the blades meet, which makes sure you don't get chunks, seeds, or any other unwanted particles while you are drinking your water.

Cons: The blades do make it slightly more annoying to clean, not to mention, only for adult cleaning. Sometimes, I tend to get so excited about it, that I forget to put the second blade piece in and fill up the water and it is just no bueno. Lastly, I wish it was easier to take on the go and drink. There's no straw, and the opening is as you see it, so spillage happens a lot to me, especially in the car.

Jokari Water Infuser
Pros: This thing is great for making a large pitcher of flavored water. I love it for combining a bunch of different flavors that are refreshing on a hot summer day (Ummm....orange and strawberry anyone? What about cucumber, ginger, and lemon?). It's super easy to clean, AND it's nice not having to fish around your pitcher for the produce you infused your water with.

Cons: You have to know what combinations or flavors you like, otherwise, you have a large pitcher of water hanging out in your fridge. It has bigger gaps in it, so it doesn't work quite as well with smaller fruits or chunks of things (like berries). Lastly, it is like a 3" ball(ish) so you have to use a pitcher that has a wider opening.



Takeya Flash Chiller Tea Maker
Pros: Yes, I know this says that it is a tea maker (which it is) BUT, I love this pitcher... in fact, I have 2 of them. I have used it with just fruit before and infuses just as well as the other two (although, this particular design works better with chopped fruit, simply because you can fit more in the screen that's in the middle.). PLUS, I have used it with loose leaf teas and fruit combined (delish), or just teas. You fill the middle of this pitcher up (the screen), which is detachable after it's finished infusing/brewing, and keep your beverage in the fridge. It's dishwasher safe (actually all of these things are) and because of the fine mesh screen, no chunks or particles go into the water. It's designed to lay on your shelves (yes, lay) for those fridges that don't have a foot of space for their pitcher/drink area. Also, for brewing tea, you fill the middle with the desired tea (loose or bag), then fill it halfway with boiling water. You let it steep, then take out the middle, fill it the rest of the way with ice, and voila!
I love this.

Cons: For loose leaf teas, the screen is a little harder to get everything out, and it does stain. The stain doesn't bother me at all, but I thought I should put that tidbit in.


Norwex

So I apologize. I tried to find a couple of good pictures that included the products I own as well as the ones I use. That became harder to find, and really, I didn't feel like snapping a sub par picture in comparison to the ones above. As a whole, I enjoy their products. I love that I can seriously clean my fridge, windows, mirrors, and anything that needed to be dusted with 2 cloths. Usually, I would lug around windex, paper towels, pledge for stainless steel, mr. clean eraser, swiffer duster, and 2 soft cloths before for these tasks (which is why I usually split them up). I love how much they grab up. I like the antibacterial quality of them, but it really isn't my first priority, along with their "less chemical" campaign. Really, I care that so much stuff took up so much shelf and arm space more than anything.

Envirocloth and Window Cloth are the two cloths I use for all of the above listed duties. Might I add, that we have a large flat screen that shows up any particle of dust or fingerprint within a 3 mile radius (it seems). I can clean that with these two cloths and there is NO damage simply because it is done with just water.

Body Cloth I love using these to remove my makeup. The only mascara I use is waterproof and these still get it off with little to no problem. It is a little interesting to get used to, but they are nice. I don't get a greasy feeling or dry feeling from using either makeup remover or soap and water. They come in a pack of 3 and I enjoy that for 3 reasons. 1 is in my shower, 1 is by my sink, and 1 is in my makeup bag (or my overnight bag depending if I work or not). I love having one in my makeup bag. I tend to use liquid foundation and I apply it with my hands. I also tend to put makeup on AS I am going somewhere's, even if it's the 2 minute drive to church. It is super nice to get it wet, throw it in my makeup bag and have my hands foundation free by wiping them. For overnight, it is nice to be able to wipe away most the grime from the day. Since it is antibacterial and microsuede, I think it grabs up a lot of dirt and stuff, however, I would not recommend this for an actual face care regime. I still wash my face with oil (you heard that right, only thing that works).

Wool Dryer Balls These are simply to replace fabric softener. Let me tell you, they work. They reduce static, cut drying time, and you can add essential oils to them for the smell factor.  They do everything they say they are supposed to do, which is rare to find a product like that. A con is that you have to beware of taking them out of the laundry with the dry clothes because otherwise your laundering is on hold. You could remedy that with buying 2 sets and alternating, but to me, that seems extreme.

Things I will be getting from Norwex in the future?
Their Mop. 
So we have dogs. Our dogs have hair. We have and will have lots of wood floors in the future. My routine for these floors, are to sweep, then dry swiffer to get as much of the dog hair off the floor as I could, then wet mop. Just for fun, I put a dry envirocloth in my swiffer just to see what it would do. Holy dog hair Batman! I cannot believe how much more I missed! Since I don't want to ruin the edges of my norwex cloth (since they are a bit pricey) I will wait until I have the actual Norwex mop from now on. Luckily I do have a cheap microfiber cloth that still picks up more than the dry swiffer sweeper cloths (although still not as much still...I retested the enviro aftter that one too), to get me through for now.

Their toilet brush
It always just looks so clean and like it wont get disturbingly yucky.

Their body towels:
Simeon hates that after time our towels stop being soft. Norwex, even ones that I have used at my Mother-in-law's house for cleaning (that are possibly 2ish years old), remain soft. Since they are antibacterial, I would also feel like they don't need to be washed as much, also extending their life span

Their baby towels:
Pretty much for the same reasons as above.

Cleaning paste:
This stuff is miraculous. The demonstration of it was fantastic for kitchen and tile. it gets rid of sharpie, food dye, kool aid....bunches of stuff. For me, this is a hold off because, frankly, I don't care about my hideous yellow countertops with swirls of green. Also, we will be getting a new range relatively soon, so I just didn't see where buying the paste would benefit me when I would just waste it on things that I really didn't care about all that much (I am a great housewife, I know.) That being said, it's not like I abuse and color murals on my counters with permanent markers (although, they'd be significantly prettier).

Young Living Essential Oils
 I will be honest, I haven't used these a ton. I primarily got the "Everyday Oils" Collection that luckily came with a diffuser, to help deal with my morning sickness and early pregnancy insomnia. Morning sickness wasn't miraculously cured by these oils, but I can sure tell you that insomnia was. Almost every night there is Lavendar or "Stress Away" blend going in our little diffuser. I instantly became relaxed, and if I had to wake up to deal with morning sickness, I would put a bit more in and instead of staying awake after that hour long shower and what not, I would fall asleep almost every time. I will tell you this, I have tried peppermint oil from another company and thought it worked great, but somewhere along the way, it got to make things worse for morning sickness. Once I tried Young Livings, it worked again. I did also have a pretty bad knot in my neck (the kind that hurts when you just breathe) at one point in time and used "Pan Away" and there was almost instant relief. I haven't had a need to try any of the other blends of oils yet, but I am convinced that they work. They are expensive, so for smells around the house, I simply use different oils (not heated, and not in YL diffuser. Only for homemade floor cleaner, or for putting oil on the vacuum brush when I vacuum for smells. That is it. NOT in the dryer, NOT heated, and NOT for antibacterial purposes, I just don't trust them to be a pure as Yl. Definitely NOT internally or even skin wise.). I like that a lot of the time, if you can accumulate the right oils, you can save money simply by using those before going to the Doctor.


Apple Valley Natural Soap
Okay, if there is one company that I am in love with it would be this one! First of all, it is a family owned and operated business, and the family is a homeschooling family. I can get behind that. I was first researching this because I wanted to go more natural (I was convinced it played a part in my reproductive system), a cheaper alternative, but I couldn't bring myself to do the "no poo". I love their shampoo bars. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, so I ordered like 5 or 6 samples before the real thing. I also ordered their vinegar rinse. I liked that I could buy samples, for fairly cheap, and then decide what worked best for my hair. I had 2 I hated and the rest I liked, but the next time I ordered, I knew exactly what I wanted, and I could order for their $50 free shipping without worrying about if I would like what I would get or not. Personally, I hate vinegar as a hair rinse, so I switched to lemon juice. Also, I order my jojoba oil (for face cleaning) and their argan oil for my skin and hair from there. Their prices are so reasonable, that really, I have spent less money on shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face wash, not to mention WAY less time in the WalMart aisle. All of their ingredients are 100% natural and organic even, so I don't even have to ever worry what is going on my head or skin. I spent $90 over 6 months ago and have made it through 1 whole shampoo bar, and 1 body bar (average $5/bottle of whatever right now, and that is a significant savings). You DO have to make sure you have soft water, or else these soaps make your hair, and body sticky and waxy feeling since mineral deposits will stick to the oils in the soap. So beware! I warned you! If you have soft water but forget to fill it, don't worry, you will know when the salt is out. Your shower will tell you when you feel sticky and waxy. No problem, just keep other shampoo and soap on hand until you get it filled. It doesn't take a super long time for your hair to adjust back to natural, and I always use Herbal essences spray detangler after my shower because unfortunately, since there is no conditioner, hair gets tangled more. It doesn't have any effect on my hair either. (You have to go through an adjustment period for the natural soaps, before your hair starts looking healthy and not just frizzy and crazy)


Will I become an "All-natural Housewife and Mom" all the time? No, more than likely not. I like using cleaning products that are safe, but I also know that for me, I like the smell of clean. Sometimes that can be achieved using essential oils, but in a bathroom, I want that sucker to smell disinfected with bleach baby. Also, for me, it is all about what makes my life easier. If it requires more work, I won't do it. I dislike cleaning the house, so I am not going to do any more than I have to. Also, Norwex products and essential oils are an investment, so they take awhile to save up for. I loved Norwex from the moment I used it, but refused to go to parties for over 2 years simply because we had so many cleaning products I wanted to use and not waste until then. when I ran out, I made do with homemade recipes or way cheaper alternatives because I wanted those cloths!!!! Essential oils cost a lot of money, but if you can get the "everyday Oils" Package and add to them as needed, it could save you more money in the long run, with less trips to the doctor, and more so instantaneous relief from some things. Natural Shampoo and soap bars? I will probably always buy these for myself and children when they aren't so young. They are significantly cheaper, store well with minimal space, and there aren't any harsh things that can cause you to break out, especially in winter time.