The first special woman in almost everyone’s life is their mother. Mother’s Day is coming up, so today I thought I would relate a few creative ways to celebrate her. My mother passed away 9 years ago, and I wish I could give her one more hug. I am sure some of you have experienced similar grief. If your mother is no longer present, you can celebrate another special lady close to you like a grandmother, aunt, sister, daughter, niece, best friend, etc.
One of the most important things you can do on Mother's Day is treat your mom or that special loved one with the kindness and courtesy she deserves. Be intentional and make it the best day she has ever had.
Perhaps you are a mother yourself, so why not celebrate YOU. By doing that you are not being selfish. You deserve this day to celebrate so take advantage of it. Read on to find a few great ideas to help that lady feel special.
Give a bouquet
Bringing a lush Mother's Day bouquet beautifully arranged in a vase adds to the sweetness of the day.
Add to her garden
Give her a new flower, plant, or tree to add to her garden. If your mother is an outdoorsy gardening type, she will cherish a new rose bush, shrub, or tree that will grow and remind her of her children.
Create an herb garden
If your mom enjoys cooking, she will love an outdoor or indoor herb garden. Label each herb and include instructions on how to care for them.
Plan a getaway
Help your mom get away for a few days. Even if you cannot join in on the fun, she'll appreciate your thoughtfulness. Cover all expenses and gratuities so there are no unexpected costs.
Book a spa day
She took care of everyone else, now it is time for her to be pampered at a local day spa. Let her choose from several services, including hair styling, massage and manicure and pedicure. Remember to include a tip when you book the gift.
Design a collage
Put together a collage of photos from your family's past so she can enjoy reminiscing about her life.
Write a heartfelt thank you
Put together a list of things you learned from her over the years. Or, write a thank you note letting her know how you feel about all she’s done for you and your family throughout the years.
Make a slide show or video
Create a positive show of visual memories that will make her laugh and cry (with joy!).
Monogram an item
Give her an item, such as a scarf, with her name monogrammed. Customize the item even more by adding your birthday and that of any other siblings.
Emboss a journal
If your mom likes to keep track of special events and occasions, give her a planner or a journal with an added personal embossed message. Include a matching pen to complete the gift.
Slip a photo into a locket
Moms cherish lockets with photos of her family tucked away inside.
Personalize a memento box
For the mom who collects and saves mementos, give her a special engraved box.
Indulge her reading habit
Subscribe to your mom's favorite weekly or monthly magazine. Or go the extra mile to give her an autographed book from her favorite living author.
Breakfast in bed
Let Mom put in her request for a pampering breakfast when she’s had a rough week and needs a little extra rest.
Shopping spree and lunch
If your mother enjoys a day at the mall and lunch at her favorite eatery, this will delight her and give her something to look forward to.
TV show marathon
Offer to indulge an all-day TV-watching marathon of her favorite show. Include popcorn and a favorite drink in her coupon.
Clean her house
You can take on the task or give her a gift card to a cleaning service so she can schedule it on her own time.
Cook a special meal
Make your mom's favorite and most decadent meal for her, including a dessert. She'll appreciate the thoughtful and most delicious gesture.
Driving/chauffeur service
Offer to drive your mother anywhere she wants to go for a day. Or splurge and pay for a driver-for-a-day.
Car wash and detailing
Having a clean car is a joy, but it may not be one of those luxury services that your mom buys for herself. Your mom might appreciate this type of splurge.
Try a new recipe together
Cook a meal together. Keep the mood fun and take pictures to make new memories.
Play games together
Have an afternoon board game marathon or a game night with the whole family. Or host a special game night for your mom but let her pick her favorite games for everyone to play.
Plan a weekend adventure
Whether she likes hiking and bicycling, or she is more of a bed and breakfast type, spend an entire weekend doing what she loves.
If you are not a part of my Freedom-n-Joy Essentials page on facebook, feel free to join as this week I’m sharing on “Mix and Match for Her” gifts with essential oils.
To all the mom’s out there: Happy Mother’s day and don’t forget to celebrate YOU!
Today’s topic is all about fragrance. Do you enjoy wearing perfume or are you one that would prefer not wearing it and simply have a natural scent? Have you ever sat near a person that is wearing strong perfume or cologne and realize you’d rather get up and move to a different place? Perhaps you enjoy browsing the perfume section in a department store and trying out the best smelling perfume. I used to love wearing perfume but when I realized that many perfumes have unnatural and even harmful chemical additives, I decided to make my own perfume with essential oils. I feel better about what goes on my body (and eventually IN my body) each day. And what I’m using now smells even better.
Go to your bathroom and look at the labels on your lotion, perfume, body wash, shampoo and bathroom spray. Does it say fragrance on the label? Have you ever wondered what that means? What ingredients are in this mysterious fragrance? Well, it turns out that there may be a good reason that companies do not want to list exactly what is in “fragrance.”
So why is fragrance so bad?
According to a study, the average fragrance contains about a dozen chemicals that are not listed on the label. The law does not require these chemicals to be specified so there’s no way to know which ones are in your brand. But many of these types of chemicals are linked to hormone disruption and allergic reactions. In fact, most are not even tested at all.
How can fragrance ever be allowed?
You may be wondering how this could even be allowed in the first place. Fragrance acts as a loophole on the FDA’s regulation of personal care products. They are considered a trade secret under the Fair package and labeling act of 1966. This allows manufacturers to avoid listing ingredients so their formula cannot be replicated easily. Unfortunately, this gives brands an opportunity to add in cost effective, but toxic, chemicals to their products to make a scent that is “better” than natural. But these labratory scents are chemically unrecognizable to naturally occurring scents. These chemicals are used to make sure the spray disperses well and so it lingers longer. Of course, this is a desired trait for perfume and body sprays, but at what cost?
What does fragrance do to us?
When a product is sprayed into the air, it doesn’t just affect the person that sprayed it, but it can cause problems for other people nearby. The chemicals can induce a frenzy of reactive behavior – potentially triggering migraines, allergy symptoms, asthma, chronic lung disease and other health conditions. Even if people do not have immediate symptoms from exposure, because of the lack of testing we don’t actually know the long-term effects of spraying or rubbing them on our skin every day. Perfumes are not the only culprit; these effects can also come from furniture, adhesives, cleaning supplies, paints, and even paper.
Do we even know what chemicals are in fragrance?
Another study found that about 75 percent of products that list fragrance contain a hormone disrupting family of chemical compounds called phthalates. Phthalates, used to make fragrances last longer, have been linked to many hazardous health conditions, such as reduced sperm count, liver and breast cancers, reproductive malformation and diabetes. This carcinogen has been banned in many countries (EU, Japan, South Korea, Canada, even China), but our government has set a high level of proven harm for these chemicals that some say is almost impossible to reach. Companies voluntarily comply with many safety standards, but the current law does not require that cosmetic ingredients be free of certain harmful health effects before they are put on the shelves. Even if a chemical is finally put on the chopping block, it can take years for the government to be able to phase out the chemical with the help of the Environmental Protection Agency.
How can I avoid fragrance?
Like with many other personal product choices, it is up to us to protect ourselves. The main, and easiest, strategy is to check the labels on the products you buy. To be safe, you want to avoid any product that simply includes “Fragrance” with no other explanation. Some companies list the exact ingredients in parentheses next to the word fragrance. To see how toxic they are, you can enter them into the Environmental Working Group’s skin-deep database and see the hazard level. Some products may say “Fragrance-free”, “unscented” or “free and clear”, but be careful here as well. Many times, these phrases mean that they just contain a chemical that masks the scent of other chemical ingredients. The very best option is using products that use essential oils and herbs, and perhaps a natural fragrance, to create their scented products. You can also make them yourself – I mentioned I have been doing that for a few years now. Lastly, you can even avoid scents all together and rely on your own awesome natural scent!
What is being done about making fragrance safe?
Non-profits like Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and Women’s Voices for the Earth are at the forefront of the debate. They continue to urge the House and Senate towards chemical policy reforms so we can make breast cancer, and other cancers, a public health priority. Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is another organization that is bringing the demand for safer cosmetics to Congress by forming petitions, hosting events, and leading grassroots efforts for change. There is hope for a safer cosmetic future, but we must make it a priority in our cities, counties and states so lawmakers can no longer ignore the issue.
Until we can get the government to regulate these chemicals and stop allowing companies to omit them from labels (and we will keep trying), one thing we can do is spread the word to our friends and family and always take the initiative to look out for our own well-being.
If you want to get rid of your chemical-laden perfumes and switch to all-natural perfumes, hop over to my Facebook page “Freedom-n-Joy Essentials” where this week I’m sharing on DIY perfumes and colognes. There are many recipes there to pick from. Once you start wearing them, you will love the smell and you’ll feel better about not putting all those potentially harmful chemicals on your body. Join me today!
Spring has arrived, and it’s time to think about taking care of your garden and watching your plants and vegetables bloom. Maybe you don’t enjoy this, and your yard may look bare, or you just like it to be simple. Or perhaps you have always wanted to start a garden and have no idea where to start. I love to tend my potted pots and watering them every day is therapeutic for me. I enjoy watching them grow and produce beautiful blooms. We have no vegetable garden, but our backyard is landscaped with beautiful flowering plants and I give credit to my husband who loves to take care of our plants. I learn so much from him and I am thankful that he enjoys it.
Make your grow-you-own dreams a reality with these 10 easy-to-follow tips.
1. Site it right.
If you are wanting to start a garden but don’t how, starting a garden is just like real estate - it's all about location. Place your garden in a part of your yard where you'll see it regularly (out of sight, out of mind definitely applies to gardening). That way, you'll be much more likely to spend time in it.
2. Follow the sun.
Misjudging sunlight is a common pitfall when you're first learning to garden or plant flowers. Pay attention to how sunlight plays through your yard before choosing a spot. Most edible plants, including many vegetables, herbs, and fruits and some flowers, need at least 6 hours of sun in order to thrive.
3. Stay close to water.
One of the best gardening tips you'll ever get is to plan your new garden near a water source. Make sure you can run a hose to your garden site, so you don't have to lug water to it each time your plants get thirsty. The best way to tell if plants need watering is to push a finger an inch down into the soil (that's about one knuckle deep). If it's dry, it's time to water. This is also the same for flowers in your pots or in your yard.
4. Start with great soil.
When starting a garden, one of the top pieces of advice is to invest in soil that is nutrient-rich and well-drained. Achieve this just-right blend by mixing 3 inches of Miracle-grow all-purpose garden soil into the top 6 to 8 inches of existing soil if you're planning to plant in the ground. If you're planting in a raised bed, use Miracle-Gro-raised bed soil, which is the perfect weight and texture for raised bed growing.
5. Consider containers.
When space is at a premium, look to containers. You can grow many plants in pots, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit trees, berries, and shrubs. When gardening in containers, use a pot that's large enough for the plant it's hosting, and fill it with Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting mix. Not only is it specially formulated to help plants in pots thrive, but it also helps protect against over- and under-watering.
6. Choose the right plants.
It's important to select plants that match your growing conditions. This means putting sun-loving plants into a sunny spot and choosing heat-tolerant plants in warm climates. Do your homework and pick varieties that will grow well where you live and in the space you have.
7. Discover your zone.
Knowing your "hardiness zone" can help you choose the best plants. Simply put, it describes the coldest place a plant can grow. The higher the zone number, the warmer the climate. So, if a plant is "hardy to zone 4" and you garden in zone 5, that plant will survive in your yard. If, however, you're in zone 3, it's too cold to grow that particular plant.
8. Learn your frost dates.
Planting too early (or late) in the season can spell disaster for your garden and flowers. You need to know the last average spring frost date for your area, so you don't accidentally kill plants by putting them out prematurely. It's also good to know your first average fall frost date so that you get your plants harvested or moved indoors before late season cold damages them.
9. Add some mulch.
Apply a layer of mulch that's 2 to 3 inches deep around each plant. This will help reduce weeds by blocking out the sun, and reduce moisture loss through evaporation, so you have to water less.
10. Feed plants regularly.
We've already talked about the importance of starting with great soil, but that soil works best in concert with regular boosts of high-quality nutrition for your plants. In other words, amazing soil + top-notch plant food = super garden success! So, a month after planting, begin feeding your garden with plant food like Miracle Gro Water soluble all-purpose plant food. Be sure to follow label directions.
One last word of advice: Stock up on the basic tools you need to make it easier to grow. To learn more on how to take care of your garden with oils, this week on my Facebook page “Freedom-n-Joy Essentials” I’m sharing about gardening and oils. Click here to join!
Happy growing!
This week’s blog is all about the men in our lives. For the last year, I’ve focused on how to take care of ourselves, but men are just important as women. In many households they are the bread winner so keeping them healthy is important. Life can also be stressful for them so it’s important that they learn how to take care of themselves.
Not Just for Women
Men’s self-care isn’t much different than women’s - they love being pampered, they love feeling healthy, and they love relaxation. But a big problem is that they may not know how to ask for it. Because women have dominated the self-care space, the whole movement is wrongly stigmatized as a woman’s thing. But men know a thing or two about self-care, and nothing more manly than taking care of the mind and body.
Self-care shouldn’t be just a once-in-a-while thing. “Treating yourself” is a great idea, but if men want to maximize their wellness, there are a lot of activities that should be practiced daily.
A real key for men is taking time to relieve or prevent stress. Many times, this involves activities that stimulate the mind or body. Those activities can keep a man from being burned out from the regular routine of life, and recharge him for continued focus on family and work.
Mind the Mind
Keeping the mind sharp and fit is critical for a healthy life. Activities that help to relieve mental stress include meditation, nature walks, and positive affirmations. These are great ways to practice self-care and it is not hard to get started with them. The hardest part is determining to set aside time, and then doing it.
Great advice for men: The next time you find yourself overwhelmed or in a bad mood, stand up, walk around and just breathe deeply. A man does not need to completely engross himself in an intense workout to feel better - going out for a short run or walk may be enough to clear the mind and get back on track. Or he can find a yoga video on YouTube and stretch out his body. The important thing is to just change the local environment and get moving around.
Take Care of That Body
Men need to care for their physical bodies as well. This can include daily routines like showering and shaving, but the concept goes beyond that. We are what we eat, so encourage your man to eat less processed foods and more natural foods. When we make good choices about what we put in our bodies, half the battle is already won.
A man also needs to maintain physical endurance and strength. As we age it becomes more challenging to keep these at top performance, but that’s not to say it can’t be done. Again, the harder part is setting aside time for exercise, and then doing it. Don’t fall for the trap of thinking you need to be as fit and trim as someone 20 or 30 years younger – just be the best you can be at the age you are.
Give your man the time and encouragement he needs to properly care for himself. It might look different than a woman’s self-care, but it is just as important. You’ve all heard the saying “Happy wife, happy life” but I’ll throw another one out there: “Happy man, happy clan!” Let’s do our best to keep our families healthy and strong.
Do you have a daily skin care routine? Or do you just prefer to hit the sack each night and not worry too much about what is on your skin? Perhaps you feel that it is too much work; you would rather just get up, wash your face without moisturizing, and go to bed without removing your makeup. You may not think too much about caring for your skin, but you should. Did you know that your skin is an organ and it is the largest organ your body has. It works hard every day to protect your body from harmful elements and contaminants. Developing a skin care routine is important because it can help this organ do its job better and longer. If you aren’t convinced that a skin care routine is important, take a look at the 7 reasons below. It’s worth paying attention!
7 REASONS WHY YOUR SKIN CARE ROUTINE IS IMPORTANT
1. Our skin sheds itself daily - You may think your skin is healthy today, but did you know your skin cells shed just about every minute of every day? This means the healthy skin you have today will be shedding tomorrow, so if you don’t care for it now you could lose it to dull, less than perfect skin. Isn’t that a great reason to develop a daily skin care routine? A detoxifying charcoal mask is a great way to remove the dead skin and keep your skin glowing.
2. All skin types are different - Perhaps you have a friend who doesn’t have a skin care routine and her skin looks great. Well, that is great for her, but did you know that all skin types are different? Because of this, your skin may require more care than the next person. For this reason, a daily skin care routine is important.
3. Beautiful skin is a lifelong process - If you want gorgeous skin 30 years from now, the choices you make today will help that happen. Beautiful skin is a lifelong process and developing a daily skin care routine today can help you keep beautiful skin for the future. At the same time, negative skin care routines now can harm your skin for the future.
4. Prevention is easier - Preventing potential skin problems now is easier than trying to fix skin issues in the future. Taking the time to involve yourself in a skin care routine daily takes less time than having to see a dermatologist or address skin issues as a result of neglect down the line.
5. A skin care routine saves you money - When you take care of your skin health, you avoid issues down the line that can be costly. If you don’t want to deal with acne scars, deep wrinkles, skin discoloration, or other skin issues, a skin care routine now can prevent trips to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon in the future to address these issues.
6. When you look good you feel good - Having clean and clear skin can help boost your confidence and keep you looking your best! Your face is the first part of you others see when they meet you, so go out with your best face forward. A daily skin care routine can help you do exactly this.
7. A skin care routine can help establish other healthy routines - Add a skin care routine to your other healthy living routines so you can develop better health habits all around. This can include oral care routines as well as hair and scalp routines. Do them all together so you can look and feel great!
Thinking about giving your skin care routine a second look? There is no time like the present to develop a skin care routine that works for you and can keep your skin looking and feeling amazing for years to come! One of the most important things about taking care of your skin is using natural products. Over the counter skin care products are more harmful than good because they may contain harsh chemicals that disrupt hormones and lead to other issues on your skin.
If you feel taking care of your skin costs too much money, check out my Facebook page “Freedom-n-Joy Essentials”. This week I’m sharing on DIY skincare. You’ll save money by making easy DIY skincare products. Plus, the recipes are filled with all-natural ingredients that your face will love. You’ll look younger and more vibrant and younger. Do yourself a favor today and take care of your skin. In the long run you will be so glad you did, and your face will thank you.
