Testimonial Tuesdays

I've been getting lots of testimonials from my customers that I love to share with others. So I'm going to try to make each Tuesday 'Testimonial Tuesday' over here! Each week I'll share my latest customer emails describing the Shaklee products they use and love!

You can always find the testimonials in my archives or on my Shaklee website.

What is YOUR favorite Shaklee product?

Here's today testimonial about Shaklee's dish detergent!

"OK my husband is the biggest skeptic about green products. He's convinced they don't work. I quietly started using Shaklee's dishwasher detergent. After about a week he asked, "Have you noticed there's no more film on our glasses? Did you switch?" I was happy to show him Shaklee's detergent!"

Here's a little more info on our Dishwasher Detergent. Yes, we use it here at our house too! I'd been using the Cascade Packs...you know the ones that have the powder and gel in them? They worked just fine, until I accidentally bought some that were 'powered with Gain.' Oh my gosh, we couldn't even use our dishes after washing with those packs.  The stench of Gain was everywhere and we could taste the detergent in our drinking glasses. It was disgusting. Which got me to thinking about how many years we've been ingesting the funk (as I like to say) from our dish detergent. Yuck.  



Try it...you're going to like it!!

Get Clean Dish Washer Automatic Concentrate


It takes more than two and one-half boxes of Cascade^® powder (45 oz.) to clean the same 48 loads.*

• The deep, enzyme-activated cleaning power gently removes tough stains, leaving dishes and glasses sparkling clean.
• Superconcentrated – cleans 48 loads – just 2 teaspoons in each dispenser cup.
• No pre-rinsing needed – Removes dried on food and tough stains, so they don’t get stuck on.
• Dissolves quickly and completely, getting to work straight away.
• Absolutely no chlorine and no fragrances, which can pollute the air that you breathe.
• Comes in a handy resealable pouch with measuring scoop

Clean Credentials

• Natural
• Concentrated
• Biodegradable Surfactants
• No phosphates
• No chlorine

7 Quick Takes Friday

--- 1 ---

This is my first ever quick takes. I'm super excited because I can write about randomness and not have to feel like I need to justify it.

--- 2 ---

I attended my first ever (did I say that again?) networking lunch yesterday. It was waaay out of my comfort zone, but I needed to do it. How else can I build my business if I don't go out and meet people? I met some wonderful ladies and look forward to doing it again.

--- 3 ---

I just ate another big bowl of Cocoa Krispies. That I bought for my 3 year old. This is at least my 3rd bowl this week. He's been out of town at his grandparents all week, so I didn't want them to go to waste.

--- 4 ---

Speaking of that 3 year old, I get to pick him up today! Woot! I have MISSED HIM SO MUCH this week. I've felt lost without him. The break from the constant chatting, playing, disciplining, entertaining has been nice, but it's always strange not to have my little buddy right next to me.

--- 5 ---

I despise Texas summers. I don't want to do anything, which is why we have no food in house and there's a ginormous pile of clothes on the bedroom floor just waiting to be washed.

--- 6 ---

I'm determined to get my business going...I'm getting my first bonus check this month and I want to keep up the momentum!

--- 7 ---

 I'm really writing this on Thursday evening because it's the only time during my day that I can have more than 30 seconds of peace and quiet.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Know Your Vitamins

Wow, talk about wasting money on less expensive vitamins! Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean it works. Sometimes you have to pay a few dollars extra to get quality. It's worth it, though!

Check out this video from a fellow Shaklee distributor.  She conducted an at home test of the dissolve rate of various multivitamins, Shaklee, NatureMade, One a Day, and Mega Foods.

Did you know that if a vitamin is not in your system within 30 minutes, then it's not going to work? Hmm...take a look at the results of her test!

 If you don't have a ton of time, skip to the 3:24 mark. 

My New Favorite Way to Pack

A few months ago, we took a week long family trip to Dauphin Island, AL.  Getting two parents, two kids, and all necessary clothing, food, accessories, games, toys, etc is a challenge. Our car isn't very big...I guess it's considered an SUV, but it's a small one.

So my brilliant husband bought some big plastic bins to store everything in and it worked like a dream! We saved so much space (and frustration) by using these bins.

Now this is pretty much all I use to pack when we go on road trips!

I took the boys to Oklahoma for a few days and we didn't need much...just a few changes of clothes and our toiletries. I put all our clothes in our Eagle Creek Pack-It bags, which save SO MUCH space, then stacked everything else nice and neat in the bin!

So much better than a bulky suitcase, or a ginormous duffle bag!

Everything we need: Clothes, shoes, toiletries, my beloved Kindle, and of course my Shaklee samples :) How cute is that yellow bag??

Nice, neat, and space saving.

The must-not-forget-or-my-world-is-over-pillow and we're all set! Just need to pop on the lid! Easy peasy!

I'm Driving My Husband Crazy

It's true. Hubs thinks I've gone off the deep end. Seems like every time he walks in the room I'm reading a label or telling him, "Well xxx is no longer allowed in our home because of HFCS, or dyes, or mineral oils, etc."

Now he just looks at me and rolls his eyes. His latest words to me after I told him that Crystal Light and Ritz crackers are banned were, "You're not going to stop shaving your legs are you?"

Don't worry sweetie, I'll keep shaving my legs.

I promise I will not:

• Tie myself to a tree in some kind of protest
• Take our kids to a holistic-type pediatrician who does not vaccinate (our choice to vaccinate; please no nasty comments on the perils of vaccinations)
• Start making our clothes out of hemp
• Make you eat vegan

 It's all good my dear, it's all good.

What is UP??

OK, so I know that, according to extreme health fanatics, high-fructose corn syrup should be avoided. Of course the corn industry would like everyone to think differently. What is their tagline? Something like, "Your body can't tell the diffrence between regular sugar and HFCS?"  Whatever.

In our home, we've made the decision that we don't want to consume foods that contain HFCS. There are tons of sites out there that claim that HFCS' are basically the devil in disguise and do a good job of putting the fear in you. Ugh, it just gets so confusing sometimes! For our family, we just want to limit the amounts of chemically processed foods that we ingest. Common sense says processed foods and ingredients are just that...processed! They are not natural, or real.

That said, it seems like every single food label I've read in our pantry or fridge has HFCS listed. What is UP??? Just this evening, I about flipped a lid because HFCS is in our KETCHUP. Really??? So that's one more item I'm going to have to be careful about when grocery shopping. Sigh. 

I did find a helpful site that has a (hopefully updated) list of foods and beverages that don't contain HFCS. I'll probably be printing this list out for my grocery trips! HFCS Free Food List

Are you interested in understanding the differences between sugar and HFCS? Read on...(source)

SUGAR FACTS

1. FACT: The sugar that we use in our homes comes naturally from sugarcane and sugar beets, and has been consumed for over two thousand years.
2. FACT: Every country in the world uses sugar that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
3. FACT: Sugar can be purchased in grocery stores.
4. FACT: The word “Sugar” has been used for centuries to refer to the product that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
5. FACT: There’s already a food product recognized by the FDA with the name “corn sugar.” (It’s NOT High Fructose Corn Syrup.) It’s a corn by-product that is used in some foods and in natural beer making.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP FACTS:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup does not occur naturally—it’s man-made, created in a lab and not extracted from corn.
2. FACT: Corn is a starch that’s not very sweet. It’s impossible to get sugar from corn or any other plant besides beets or sugarcane.
3. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is an industrial food product that requires an enzyme process to bond fructose molecules to corn starch.
4. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup cannot be purchased in grocery stores.
5. FACT: The U.S. is the only country that uses a significant amount of High Fructose Corn Syrup in its food products.
6. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup, while disliked by many consumers, is popular with food and beverage manufacturers because it’s much cheaper than sugar.
7. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is used in hundreds of grocery store products including breakfast cereals, granola bars, salad dressings, mayonnaise, pancake syrups, jelly, ice cream and popsicles, crackers, tomato sauce, energy drinks, yogurt, soda pop, breads, hamburger buns, juice drinks, and many more.
8. FACT: In the wake of widespread consumer concerns, demand for High Fructose Corn Syrup has hit a 20-year low.
9. FACT: The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup chose the name “High Fructose Corn Syrup” when it was introduced in the 1970’s.
10. FACT: Now the makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup want to change its name on food package labels.

As a result, millions of Americans are against any name change that would allow High Fructose Corn Syrup to call itself “corn sugar” and maybe just “sugar” on food package labels.

A Must Read for Mommies (In My Opinion!)

I've been reading Lil Blue Boo's blog for, gosh, 4 years and love her. She's the type of person that you'd want for your BFF. She's funny, creative, compassionate, and is in remission from cancer. Anyway, if you're a mom of young kids these days, you might feel the UNBELIEVABLE pressure to parent 'right.' 

• To spank or not to spank? 
• Sugar or not?
• Organic or not?
• Should you let your kid eat out of plastic for fear of BPA poisoning?
• Are you condemning your kid to a lifetime of being sick because you don't nurse for two years?
• Make sure your kid is in every activity known to mankind so their 'busy' or just keep them at home for a few days a week?
• Are you a bad parent because you put your kid in Mother's Day Out or are you a bad parent because you don't?

The list goes on and on and on...

It's tiring.

And stressful.

It makes parents question every.single.thing instead of going with their instincts on what works for their kid and their family.

Trust me. I've been there. I AM there!

Enough said.

Enjoy the read! Why I'll Never Tell You How to Parent

How I Clean Quickly and WITHOUT Toxins!

We are in the process of Shaklee-izing our home; in a nutshell, getting rid of all the toxic cleaners that we've been using for years. I'm talking about your 409's, bleaches, Lysol's, Clorox Wipes, etc. Why? Well, toxins are in all of these name brand cleaning products. 

 

Toxins = bad, bad, bad. They absorb into your skin, you can inhale them, you have to worry about your kiddos ingesting them on accident. Need I go on?

You may be thinking, green cleaning products = expensive or doesn't work. So not true with my Shaklee Get Clean products!

 

I have to admit, I was very overwhelmed at what to get when I started our Shaklee-izing journey. With the help of a friend, I decided to get the Get Clean Starter Kit. It has everything I need to get my entire home clean and toxin-free. I've been suggesting this to all my family and friends when they decide to join us on this clean, green adventure. Not one person has said they wish they hadn't chosen the Starter Kit. 

 

But I digress...

Here's the low down on the cost of the Get Clean line. One 16 oz bottle of Basic H Organic Concentrate costs $12.15. One 16 oz bottle of Mrs. Meyers Countertop Spray costs about $5.  What's the difference? That 16 oz of Basic H is going to make up to 48 GALLONS of all purpose cleaner! To get 48 gallons of Mrs. Meyers, you'd have to spend over $1900! That is crazy expensive!

Now about the thought that green cleaning products don't work. Not true. At least not with the Get Clean line. My husband (skeptic extroidinaire) has been very impressed with the quality of these products. I've even heard him recommend them to his co-workers! The Get Clean line really does work. And it doesn't take extra scrubbing to get it to work...it just does!

Let me give you a show and tell of how I quickly and greenly (is that a word??) clean our bathrooms. These products are so easy to use, that I just spray and wipe, spray and wipe!

Here's what I use every time.

• Basic H for the mirrors and the chrome faucets. This stuff works! No streaks! Just mix 2 drops of the concentrate into a 16 oz bottle. It only costs $.02 per 16 oz. Yep, that's pennies!
• With that, I use the Microfiber Window Cloth on the mirrors and chrome. It is wonderful. No streaks and I don't waste expensive paper towels! Woot!
• Scour Off is for the tub. I may or may not use it...depends on how much dirt my boys leave in there!  Scour off takes of rust, mold, hard water build up, and it smells like cherries!
• Basic G for all of the surfaces like the counters, the tile in the tub, and the toilet. It replaces bleach products and works so.much.better. For starters, it's not going to fry your nose hairs from the smell. Plus, it kills over 40 microbes that just lurk in homes. Just like Basic H, it's economical. One quart makes 64 gallons!
• Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover. What? Laundry booster in the bathroom? Oh, yes. This handy dandy stuff cleans the commode. Leaves it sparkling white!  Just flush, add 2 scoops of Nature Bright, spray a little Basic G in there, give it a swirl with the brush, and flush again! 

 

And here are some before and after pics. 

SPOTTY

SPARKLY

SPOTTY

CRYSTAL CLEAR!

 I hope you found this helpful. Please visit my Shaklee site to see the products I mentioned!