New Blog Site!!

Hi everyone! Please update your bookmarks to my NEW blog site: Mission: Healthy, Happy Life
As soon as I get everything transferred over, this blog will no longer be active.
See you on the new site soon!

Sick Maintenance or Sick Prevention? | Which Would You Choose?

Would you rather spend your money on sick prevention or sick maintenance? 

Are you feeling tired, under the weather, constant allergies or headaches? What are you doing to eliminate them? Sick maintenance? Meaning go to the doctor, fork out your co-pay, possibly get a prescription, maybe buy some OTC meds, experience the side effects, dealing with insurance deductibles, the list can go on and on!

What if...just what if...you started spending your time and energy on sick PREVENTION instead of maintenance? How do you think your health would be affected? How do you think your pocketbook would be affected?

If you're constantly sick or feeling bad, now may be the time to do a check on what's affecting you. Lack of sleep? Poor eating habits? Allergies? Is your gut unhealthy? And now think about how much you're spending each month to try to get healthy again, only to get sick AGAIN a few weeks later! Ugh! 

Trust me, we've been there. We were there for a long time.

We finally got sick of sick and decided to get healthier!

Now that we're using natural supplements and cleaning products, our allergies are BETTER, our gut health is WAY BETTER, this mama has TONS MORE ENERGY, my sweet husband has been sinus infection FREE, our son has been stomach virus FREE, and we're not spending money on sick maintenance. 

We're spending that money on sick PREVENTION. And we've reaped the rewards of changing our lifestyle by doing so!

Now, I'm not a doctor, I will NEVER prescribe something to you. I will ALWAYS tell you to ask the opinion of your own doctor first.

However, I'm happy to share with you what safe, natural remedies work for our family! After lots of research, our family chose to use Shaklee's products for a number of reasons, the top two I'll list. 

1) Their products are based on science, not fads. Shaklee's products go through rigorous quality testing before being put on the shelves. Check out Clinical Research and the Landmark Study for more information!  

2) Integrity. I don't know about you, but integrity is huge when it comes to choosing a company that's all about health and wellness. Shaklee is built on integrity and taking care of people; in fact, you won't find a recall from our products anywhere. They want their products to be SAFE!

There is no such thing as a miracle pill, miracle oil, miracle drink, get better in 3 days while you lose 30lbs in the process. Sorry folks, it just doesn't work that way. 

Building better health takes time and commitment; not a whole lot of time, but you've got to be invested in yourself and your family for their future health! And it's not that hard!

I've rediscovered my passion for HELPING OTHERS get healthier, happier and reap the rewards of this lifestyle. I want to help you too!

Feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Facebook and we'll connect and chat!

Here's to YOUR HEALTH!

Join Mission: Healthy, Happy Life!

Are you looking to make a difference in your life and the lives of other moms?
Since partnering with Shaklee back in 2012, I've found a renewed passion for helping others! I love to help other moms get their lives back...get their health back, their weight down, get back in shape, get their husbands healthier, get their kids healthier, and live in a toxin-free home!
And, I've found a passion for helping these moms find a way to stay at home with their kids and contribute financially to their families!
If you are a stay at home mom, or you are looking for a way to stay at home, or maybe just looking to supplement your current income, Shaklee offers wonderful opportunities. If you would like to learn more about how you can work with me, Mission: Healthy, Happy Life, and Shaklee contact me today and let's talk! I will be glad to answer any of your questions! 
This month, I'm so excited to offer our amazing Gold Pak business pack for only $299! This is a fantastic deal to start your very own Shaklee business!
In this kit you receive:

• five of Shaklee's best selling products to begin Shaklee-izing your home (retail value of over $500)
• 250 PV
• Distributor Welcome Kit
• A Shaklee Personal Web Site - free for 3 months!
• 15% off SRP on all product purchases
• Access to MyShaklee.com

And for a limited time... a FREE registration ticket to the 2014 Shaklee Global Conference in Long Beach, CA - a $249 value!
And finally, when you purchase your Gold Pak starter kit, I'm going to pay for your shipping, plus send you a free goodie!
Contact me today and we'll chat!

Our Family's Favorite Toddler Books

Hello! Today I wanted to share with you our family's favorite toddler books. We love to read in our home; the boys get stories before bed every night, and any time they bring a book to us during the day, Matt and I are happy to read to them! We want to instill good reading habits in them and encourage their imaginations through reading!
Here's a list of some of our favorites! 
Anything by Sandra Boynton - her books are funny and have a super fun cadence to them. Our favorites are Hippos Go Berserk, Hey! Wake Up, and The Going to Bed Book.
Goodnight Gorilla - this one really lets us and the boys use their imaginations to tell the story because it's just a picture book. 
Where's Spot? - this one is perfect for young toddlers, because they love to open the flaps.
Little Blue Truck - a fun, rhyming book that also teaches a lesson about helping others, even when they're being stinkers.
Home for a Bunny - a classic. In fact, the copy that we have is the one I had growing up...so it's OLD! I don't know what I like best about it- the gorgeous illustrations or the story line!
The Goodnight Train - it's so soothing for bedtime; it makes me sleep just reading it!
Anything by Mercer Mayer - we love the Little Critter books! They're sweet and funny, but always have a great moral to the story such as sharing 

What are your favorite books to read to your kids?

(Note: none of these links are affiliate links. I do not get paid if you click and purchase)

Your Health and the Environment

I believe most of us are committed to good health and have daily activities and routines we follow to help support our health. We exercise, take natural supplements, drink a high-protein smoothie, drink water, wear sunscreen...the list goes on! 

All these small steps taken day in and day out lead to a stronger and healthier YOU!

While all of those things are an excellent way to be healthy, I want to be sure you aren’t missing an important part of the health puzzle by being exposed to chemicals in your environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracks more than 84,000 chemicals used in commerce.  These chemicals, have worked their way into our everyday lives. Now, no matter how clean you try to live, it is impossible to escape exposure from these chemicals that may put an amazingly heavy burden on our liver and other detoxification pathways in our bodies. Chemicals are found in the food we eat, clothes we wear, personal care products we use, and even the very products that we use to keep our homes clean and safe.

Take a look at the chemicals found in common household cleaners:

Name	Found in	Potentially harmful effects
Phthalates	Solvents used to make fragrances	Endocrine disrupters: Men with high levels of phthalates in their blood have reduced sperm counts.
Perchloroethylene(PERC)	Dry-cleaning solution, spot removers, carpet cleaners	The EPA classifies PERC as a possible carcinogen and has ordered a phase-out of the chemical by 2020.
Triclosan	An antibacterial found in dishwashing detergents and hand soaps	Leads to drug-resistant bacteria and is a possible hormone disrupter.
2-Butoxyethanol	Mostly found in window cleaners, is responsible for the sweet smell	General irritant when inhaled, at high levels can damage lungs, liver, and kidneys
Ammonia	Found in many cleaning products	When inhaled, it can irritate the lungs and potentially worsen asthma.
Chlorine	Another ubiquitous chemical, found in toilet bowl cleaner, mildew removers, laundry products, and even tap water	Chlorine is very reactive and irritates skin and lungs. It may disrupt the thyroid.

While it can be daunting to think that we are surrounded by so many chemicals, the good news is that there are fantastic natural choices that will do the job these chemicals do just as well without exposing you and your family to potentially harmful fumes, solvents, and toxins.

Be sure you only have safe, green cleaners under your sink and in your laundry. Choosing green cleaners means that you are doing the best for your health, the environment, and your family’s well-being! My family exclusively uses Shaklee green cleaners...they're safe, nontoxic, they work and are saving us a ton of money!

What is your favorite green cleaning tip?

Thank you to Dr. Jamie McManus for contributing much of this information!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

First, I want to express my sadness over the shooting at Ft. Hood today. I, along with so many, am shocked that this happened again, just 5 years after the first shooting. Matt and I are praying for the victims and their families. 

Today I want to share with you what I'm reading! The New Parenting Style That Might Be More Than a Fad. So when this started showing up in my Facebook feed yesterday with people all up in arms, I had to read the article. At first I was like, "What the what?? Are you CRAZY??" Then, I clicked a few links and found out the truth of said article...it was a brilliant April Fool's joke thanks to Honest Toddler! I love it! (And it goes to show that you've GOT to do research when you read stuff on the interwebs...just because it's there doesn't make it true!) Big props to you Honest Toddler for fooling so many people! 15 Ab Exercises by Maria Kang, made famous via social media for her 'controversial' post about "What's your excuse" regarding making time for exercise. Well, I happen to think she's on point...love her and I love how she tells everyone straight up that she's not perfect, she has stretch marks, she misses workouts, she doesn't eat clean 24/7. Anyhow... this is a great list of ab exercises and I've been doing them for a few weeks. So yes, I'm reading about ab workouts! :) Monthly Subscription Box List from Two Chics and a Blog. I currently don't subscribe to any monthly boxes, but I've considered it. I had NO IDEA there were so many! It's kind of overwhelming, but really neat to see all the choices out there! Hyperthyroid Diagnosis from Pomme Wellness, one of my colleagues. Ya'll, read her husband's story. Read it! It's scary, but has a WONDERFUL ending! What are you reading this week?

My Favorite Laundry Detergent

How much do you think you spend on laundry detergent every month? $15? $20? Maybe more?  I was as well, up until about two years ago. I used to use all the name brand detergents...tide, gain, you name it. I was paying for expensive laundry detergent that didn't work very well and it seemed like our clothes were wearing out faster. 

So I finally got tired of it and switched to a natural laundry detergent. I love this one. Love it! For just about a million reasons, but I'll only list a few!

• It's $40.25 (member price) for a 14lb box and has lasted me NINE MONTHS
• We're averaging about $5 per month for laundry detergent
• I do a LOT of laundry
• This detergent average about $.14 per load
• Our clothes are cleaner, with no soap residue, and they seem to be lasting longer
• It's really good for the environment with no phosphates or chlorine. It's also biodegradable, concentrated, and hypoallergenic