DIY Magical Teeth Whitening {Cheap & No Chemicals!}

Getting teeth professionally whitened can cost hundreds of dollars. Most of us resort to at home methods bought from the drug store (still expensive), what if I told you there was a way to whiten your teeth at home 100x for under #10, without all the chemicals? There is! Activated Charcoal is the main ingredient used when getting your teeth professionally whitened. You can buy it on Amazon here for less than $10! Activated Charcoal

Here is what you need:

1. Activated Charcoal
2. 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of water

Here is what you do:

1. Open up a capsule of  activated charcoal
2. Mix with water
3. Apply on teeth and leave on 3-5 minutes
4. Scrub off well (don't worry if you swallow any, these activated charcoal capsules are made to ingest)
5. Do as many times a week as you'd like

Here are my before / during / and after pics: 

Before

 

During

After

DIY Deodorant {No more toxic ingredients!}

With all the chemicals in products these days one of the best ways of avoiding them is making things yourself. My goal is to go completely chemical free here is my recipe for DIY Deodorant:

Ingredients: 

1. Organic Coconut oil (4 Tablespoons)
2. Organic Root Oil or Organic Corn Starch (1/4 cup)
3. Organic Baking Soda (1/4 cup)
4. Lavender or peppermint (or other scent) essential oil (15-20 drops)

 

How To: 

Step 1. Mix together Baking Soda and Organic Root Oil (or corn starch) in a small bowl
Step 2. Add in 4 tablespoons of Coconut Oil and mix until a sticky like texture (shown in picture on the left)
Step 3. Add 15-20 drops of your choice of essential oil and mix well.
Step 4. Find a jar or use an empty (or almost empty) deodorant case (shown in picture on the right). The texture will be soft for a bit, but will harden as long as it is not stored in too warm of a room.

Adding Instagram to Your Blog {how to}

[1] Visit this site and complete the form (note: for a bigger thumbnail be sure to change the thumbnail size when entering your info). Copy the code.

[2] Go to the editing mode in Blogger and select Layout.

[3] Click "add a gadget" where you would like the Instagram thumbnail to appear.

[4] Once in the widget scroll down until you find the option that says "add your own HTML"

[5] Paste the code and click save!


xoxo.

Eleven Simple Ways to Save Money

My husband and I are a young married couple who just started our family and money is tight! Here are some simple ways we use to save money. 

[1] Stay out of stores that carry things you don't need. For example, don't go to Target for groceries, go to the grocery store, we all know that going into Target for "one thing" never happens. :) Also, don't go to the mall unless absolutely necessary. Make a list of needs, not wants. Of course every once in a while it is good to fulfill a want, but make it a goal instead of a priority.

[2] Eat out less. On average eating out for two people at a cafe (not a restaurant) is $20-$25 while making a sandwich is less than $2. Plan out your meals as much as possible and make more of your food at home. Not only will it save you money, but it is also healthier too. My husband and I looked where we were spending the majority of our extra money and it was eating out! We couldn't believe how much it added up just those "few times" we went out.

 [3] Join Amazon Prime. Instead of having a Costco membership my family has Amazon prime. We subscribe to five items that come every couple months and not only are they already a good deal we get 5% of each item and then an extra 15% off for subscribing to five. We are subscribed to toilet paper, paper towels, Method hand soap, snack bars, and laundry detergent. Amazon Prime also has free two-day shipping and almost any item you can think of, with free returns as well. This helps us stay out of the stores and buy only specific things we need online instead.

[4] Try to limit grocery shopping to once a week. Plan out your meals as much as possible, it will save you if you buy more groceries at one time rather than spreading it out over the week, you actually end up spending more money that way. Keep track of what you are not eating and end up throwing away, so that you can avoid buying it the next time.

[5] Sign up for Hulu Plus instead of having cable. Our cable contract ends in May and we were not very impressed, there is hardly ever anything to watch on TV and all the shows we do like are available the next day online. Besides the sports games (which many come on basic TV anyways) we have decided that TV is a waste of time and money and are downgrading to basic TV in May which will save us quite a bit of money {and time}.

[6] Only have credit cards that you pay off completely every month. We have credit cards, but no credit card debt and we plan to {hopefully!} never have any. We have a credit card for the grocery store we shop at in order to get the rewards and gas points which saves us quite a bit in the long run, but we pay it completely off monthly.

[7] When decorating your house, buying more clothes or planning an event in general plan out what you want first and then try and find things at Goodwill, on sale, TJ Max, online before purchasing something full price. Research before you buy and make sure it is exactly what you want before purchasing.

 [8] In college or looking to go back? Apply for FASFA, you may be eligible to get some or all of your college paid for.

 [9] Have any debt? Pay off your smallest debt first and gradually work up to your bigger debt until you are debit free. Dave Ramsey has a great website and fantastic ideas on getting debt free and saving money.

 [10] Use natural ways to stay healthy in order to limit doctor visits. Eating organic, using essential oils and natural medicine, exercising, and eating healthy are not guarantees that you will stay healthy, but they definitely help. Not only will you be healthier, but you will feel more energized and able to work longer and get more done in a day, and time is money! 

[11] Instead of focusing on the self (which is so easy to do!) focus on others and give, it is never money wasted! 

Getting rid of acne in 24 hours {how to}

I love learning natural beauty secrets, so I thought I would share one of my own.

It is bound to happen at some point, the unwanted zit or an entire breakout. During those times here is what I do:

1. I do not touch my face! (or try as hard as I can not to) touching my face actually makes the acne / zit worse and can create more.

2. I apply lemon Young Living essential oils to my face 3-6 times / day when I feel the onset of a zit / breakout, or already have a zit or breakout.

3. I moisturize my face with coconut oil in the evening, because the lemon when used in high amounts can dry out some of my skin.

If I follow those steps by the next morning my zits are either completely gone, or on the verge of being completely gone, it is awesome! Contact me if you would like to learn more about Young Living essential oils and how they can help your family. There are some YL essential oils specifically for breakouts and acne, those are also fantastic.


xoxo.

Eight Ways to Respect Your Husband

I often have to relearn how to submit and respect my husband especially in a world telling me not to. Here are a few ideas on how to be a Godly wife by showing respect to your husband.

1. Pray for him. Nothing shows respect to your husband like praying for him. Pray for his strength, courage to lead your family, growth in the Lord, and overall health and happiness.

2. Don't talk bad about him in front of others. no. matter. what. Talk to your husband about the problem after you have prayed about it. If the issue is not being resolved seek counseling of a pastor or trusted friend, but do not talk bad about him in front of others especially family and close friends.

3. Put God first. You will be able to respect your husband if you are inline with the Lord and putting Him first in your life, He will give you the strength you need.

4. Put your husband above your kids. Marriage is forever, kids grow up. Make sure that you are spending quality time together and growing your relationship, it is the best thing you can do for each other and your kids, it gives them a healthy view of marriage and love.

5. Show interest in his interests. Ask your husband about the football game he is watching, or what is going on at work,(etc.) care about what he cares about.

6. Dress to impress. I don't mean wear a dress all the time, or that wearing yoga / pajama pants is wrong (I do it more than I care to admit!), but as often as possible try to look good for your husband whatever that means to you and him.

7. Want him. Show him you need him, emotionally, physically, sexually, spiritually.

8. Ask God for help and ask God and your husband for forgiveness when you fail. Don't give up and don't be hard on yourself, we are all a work in progress, but with our hope & trust in Jesus one day we will be perfect in Him.


xoxo.

For the Love of Coconut Oil

What's the deal with Coconut Oil? Well let me tell you, it's. amazing.

I know a lot of people use Coconut Oil for all different reasons, here are some of my top uses:

1. Skin. Coconut Oil is oh-so-smooth and a great body butter for skin. I use it to take off my make up and it works wonders, so gentle and takes my hard-to-wash eye make up right off! (Note, if you have naturally oily skin I recommend only using it to take off eye make-up).
2. Baby. Coconut Oil is so gentle and natural which means I can use this product on my baby! There are a number of things I use it for: massage, eyes (to moisturize dry eyes), mixed with essential oils, and I have heard that some moms use it in replace of diaper rash cream.
3. Cooking. Cooking with coconut oil is a much more natural and healthy way to cook.
4. Products. When making my own lip balm, face wash, face scrub, etc. I always use cocoanut oil as a main ingredient.
5. Essential Oils. The great thing about Young Living essential oils is that most are called to be mixed with a "carrier oil" and coconut oil does the trick! It helps my essential oils last longer, and goes on so smoothly.

I would love to hear some ways that you use Coconut Oil!

xoxo.

Getting Rid of a Cold in 24 hrs

Fall is my absolute favorite season, but usually with it comes the start of colds. To my surprise, I was able to get rid of my first Fall cold in 24 hours.

The past few months I have been learning and trying Young Living Essential Oils, and now I am completely hooked. When I started feeling signs of a cold I quickly used a blend of lavender EO, lemon EO and organic coconut oil and applied it to my neck and upper chest area where I was feeling the cold. The next morning I woke up feeling better, but still had signs of the cold. I used a different blend of cinnamon EO, nutmeg EO, ginger EO and organic coconut oil and the cold was completely gone within an hour of applying to my neck.

These are the roller bottles I use to make blends of my oils. To learn more about Young Living Essential Oils and how you can get them at a discounted price contact me in the comment section below.