How we're staying healthy this year

Below is a list of my favorite health-focused purchases that I made in 2019, that I truly think made a difference for the health & well-being of our family.  I believe in the goodness of these products so much, that I just had to share.

Force of Nature

Pic via Force of Nature

This is product is hands down my best find of 2019, and I can not say enough good things about it.  This is a natural cleaner as effective as bleach, and it's literally just salt, vinegar, and water that is electrolyzed into the perfect multi-purpose cleaner & disinfectant.  Per their website: Force of Nature is an EPA registered disinfectant that kills 99.9% of germs, even Staph, MRSA, Norovirus & Salmonella.  That statement right there, is what sold me.

Seriously.  If you are not using this yet -- you need to be.  I spray it on everything, including Ellis's toys, my yoga mat, his car seat, door handles, light switches, our stainless steel appliances, counter tops, our bed / mattress, rugs, carpets, furniture, inside stinky shoes....  I use it on EVERYTHING.

Follow this link, then type in your email address to get $40 off and free shipping.  I promise you, it is 110% worth it.  

Vitamin C 

My nurse at work recommended this supplement to boost immunity in the winter months, and I love that it's all natural vitamin C from organic wild berries.  No added synthetic crap, just real food that's freeze dried and encapsulated.

This is the capsule that Zac & I take:

This is the powder form that I give Ellis.  I mix 1/8 of a teaspoon in his orange juice or applesauce & he doesn't even know it!

Organic Elderberry Syrup Kit by LebaNaturals

The more and more I read about the benefits of elderberry, the more I'm convinced this was an awesome addition to our winter supplement routine.

Pic via LebaNaturals

Elderberry is another powerful way to support the immune system this time of year, and this kit provides organic elderberries, organic rose hips, organic cinnamon bark, organic ginger root, & organic cloves.  All you need to do is add water and honey to make a delicious syrup that your family will love.  We take it a few times a week to keep away the sickies, and we love the taste! 

Dr. Cowan's Garden

Pic via Dr. Cowan's Garden

Did you know that the USDA recommends at least 5 to 9 serving of fruits & vegetables everyday?  I will be the first to admit that I don't get enough... and if I do, it isn't a wide variety.  When's the last time you ate a beet?  A leek? Swish chard and Kale?  Yeah. Well with Dr. Cowan's powder blends, it's as simple as sprinkling it in a smoothie, on top of eggs, or in a sauce / soup. 

They use only organic vegetables that are freshly picked & then dehydrated into a fine vegetable powder -- no other fillers or junk.  Just real food. 

Dr. Bronner's Soap

After using EWG's Skin Deep app to find safer personal care products, I decided it was time to make my own hand soap.  I just use Dr. Bronner's Pure Castle Soap & distilled water.  I prefer unscented soap, but you could totally add in your favorite essential oils to make a smell that you love!

I bought this 3-pack of foaming hand soap dispensers and they work great. 

Please share with me your favorite healthy finds in the comment section below!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Our Handmade / Old-Fashioned DIY Christmas Tree

The last few years, we've been going to the same tree farm -- well, I don't even know that you can call it that -- just down the road from our house.

Think very rural Ma & Pop Shop -- except it's not a shop at all, it's literally their yard.  They stick a sign up at the end of their long, winding driveway and open up their property during Christmas time for you to come cut down your own tree.

We cut our tree down the Friday of deer hunting... can you tell? :)

Now, if you want a well-manicured, perfectly symmetrical tree -- this is not the place for you.

But if you love to "shop local", chit-chat with a sweet old lady who gives your kid candy, and you don't mind a "rustic" tree, then this IS the place for you!

Ellis spotted the blue-hued trees right away and insisted we get one... a blue spruce.
Ellis is on a real blue kick right now... every single piece of art he creates, is blue.  He requests to take a certain route to daycare, because of the blue tractor we *might* see parked outside on the way.  And when he sees blue Christmas lights on someone's house, he goes bonkers.

So, a blue spruce it was.  Picky as heck, but what the boy wants, the boy gets (kidding, of course).

In keeping with the "rustic" theme this year, I thought it would be fun to hand make most of the tree decor & do an Old-Fashioned themed Christmas tree.

Zac cut oranges & apples into thin slices, and we then dried them in the oven @ 200 degrees for 4 hours, flipping them every 30 minutes.  I love how these turned out!

We bought this bag of cinnamon sticks on Amazon, and then bundled them together with twine.

With the help of my niece Elena, nephew Kane, & Ellis, we went in the woods & gathered pine cones -- I dried them out in the oven, then hung them with twine.

We mixed equal parts applesauce & cinnamon together to form a dough, rolled it out & used a cookie cutter to make gingerbread men.  They baked for about 2.5 hours @ 200 degrees.  And, our house still smells like cinnamon -- these little cuties are potent!  

The topper is a stick Kane found, that made the perfect "star".

Lastly, I tied some red ribbon to a few branches to give the tree just a little pop of color.

All in all, the tree was a little extra work this year, but it was fun to do something different!  Plus, I love how it became a family affair... we each did a little bit to make it all come together.
 

 

Merry Christmas friends, it''ll be here soon!!

Previous Christmas Tree hunt posts:
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018

Family Photos 2019

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that said:

"Family Photos (what actually went down):

14 trips to Old Navy.

SO. MUCH. SWEATING.

A super-annoyed spouse.

Children losing their freaking minds and

Mom swearing like Samuel L. Jackson in pretty much any movie."

I had to laugh, because most of the time, that is 100% spot on.

However our recent session with Kristen @ Hello, Betty Photography, was far from stressful.

It was a September mini-session, and I literally picked out our outfits that morning.  Ellis was a dream child during the shoot, and Zac didn't even fake smile!!  I didn't break a sweat (or swear), and so we celebrated with an ice cream stop on the way home.

Dear God, please let all future family photos sessions go this well!

Anyway, sharing a few of my favorites below:

All photos by Hello, Betty Photography

If you're new here, the "9" represents 9 years of marriage (our Anniversary was in October).  We take Anniversary photos every year with the number of years that we've been married... see this post for past anniversary pictures.

Click here to see our 2018 family photos

What's for Supper | Menu Planning #8

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Pic via Spend with Pennies

My dad made this a lot when we were growing up.  I was never much of a fan of it, but now I really like it.  Plus, you can add whatever you want to make it your own - corn, peas, shredded zucchini -- the possiblities are endless!

Fun fact: my dad did most of the dinner cooking at our house because he worked 3rd shift, so he was home during the day.  Every weeknight, he had supper ready & on the table for when my mom got home from work.  Pretty great dad/husband, huh?  Love ya Papa Poogie!

Sloppy Joes

Pic via McCormick

Quick & super easy for a weeknight meal.  We follow the directions on the back of the McCormick Seasoning package, except we also add in some cream of mushroom soup. I love to serve with coleslaw and a big ol' pickle.  Yum!

Pizza Casserole

Pic via The Diary of a Real Housewife

Another easy-peasy throw together casserole the whole family will love.  The recipe I have linked is pretty basic -- we like to add Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, & green peppers.

What's for Supper | Meal Planning #7

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Pic via Taste of Home

Throw together on a Sunday and just pop it in the oven to bake on a Monday.  Classic comfort food that the whole family loves.

Tacos

Pic via The Wholesome Dish

A week night staple, because everyone loves tacos, right?! We eat them all.the.time because they are the easiest and Ellis lovesss gauc.

Meatloaf Muffins

Pic via The Two Bite Club

We haven't actually tried these yet, but they are on the menu this week.  I thought they were kinda fun and a perfect little serving size for a toddler.  We will probably freeze half the batch for later.