Free De-clutter challenge! You in?!

I know I’ve written about how for the past 3 years… a while I have been purging things from my home. Having kids does not make this easier! I had a one in, one out rule and advised my family and friends we prefer non-object gifts for birthdays and holidays, yet the things continue to make their way in and my 5 year old hates to pick up her stuff (unless it’s to move them to our common area…) That’s why when I received an email from a minimalist mama regarding a free 30 day de-clutter challenge for moms (you can still join if you are a dad or a grandparent or aunt or uncle or… human!).

Clutter leads to anxiety which leads to stress, which can lead to a number of undesirable issues. We all know the feeling of being in a cramped and cluttered space,right? So what are you waiting for? Oh… the link… click here to sign up!

Which is worse?

People who know me, even a little, know that I am a pretty clean eater. No I’m not 100% healthy but in comparison they think I’m pretty close. Knowing all of the nasty ingredients that are so commonly used in our food, I’ve chosen to be pretty picky about what goes in my body. Especially since I work at a hospital and witness all of the ailments people suffer from eating a standard American diet.

When I became a mom, I vowed that my kids wouldn’t eat the chemical laden foods that are virtually everywhere however I didn’t realize how hard it would be to implement this. Recently, I have wondered if it’s worse to have them avoid these foods all the time. We went to a birthday party for my 9 year old nephew a month ago and even though we ate before and brought healthier alternatives for snacks my 5 year old daughter was frustrated and felt left-out when delicious looking and smelling pizzas appeared in front of all of the other guests. She quickly looked to me knowing she wouldn’t be allowed to eat this food with everyone else.

I am constantly wondering if it’s worse for me to group food like I do into three categories: healthy, healthier alternatives, and garbage food, or if I should just let her eat these toxic foods when we are at events on the rare occasions or when she’s out. I feel like she already has a stigma about food since we have brought her meals and snacks to preschool ever since she was just staring to eat at about 7 months.

I, personally, wish my family knew how nasty the food I ate growing up was and maybe I wouldn’t have suffered with the food sensitivities that I am still dealing with and that maybe I wouldn’t have suffered the side effects (migraines, gut issues, and acne) when I was younger. I also believe that with knowledge comes responsibility. I feel sad when my daughter exclaims it’s not fair to be left out, but on the other hand it’s my job, as a parent, to protect her from danger as much as possible because these ingredients have been proven to be dangerous. It’s not like my daughter has never had sugar or candy or pizza we just choose to eat healthier alternatives when we do eat these treats.

So, I want to know your thoughts regarding this topic. To give you more info regarding the toxic ingredients that are commonly in food or food products I’ve added this link from food-babe. 

Yay for some me time!

Yay for some me time! The last few weeks have been a little rough. Asher has not been sleeping well, therefore neither have I. So yesterday morning I got up for the day after a very long night and was very emotional.
When my husband came home he said I was getting out of the house. Honestly, I just wanted to go to bed at 7:30 but I went out to get some alone time. It was soooo nice! And then this morning, my dad came over to hangout with the kids so I’m finally hanging out at one of our newest coffee shops, Revel. The last few times I’ve planned on coming here it was closed for the day. 
Now I’m here enjoying more me time. Guess what! They have gluten free and vegan brownies!! So I had to get one along with a vegan chai latte wth their house made cashew milk. The baristas are very welcoming and I love their simple outdoorsy decor. The only complain is that I wasn’t asked if I was staying so I got my chai in a disposable cup and no plate for my brownie. However, I love that they either make a lot do their stuff in house or serve locally made items. Plus, they have options for gluten free and vegan and vegetarian customers. This is definitely one of my top spots when I want to get out of the house. I just wish they were open past 6pm.

You sure about spending that?

Last week, I donated another box of clothes, towels, and sheets we no longer need since they just take up space and collect dust on the shelves of our closets. I mean, how many sets of sheets and towels does a family need? (We now have two sets per bed and two towels per person. We do a load of laundry every day, which is awesome because it’s so much easier to keep up with laundry this way.) I really recommend watching this video that has changed my family’s life with more ease when it comes to laundry. Her other videos are great too!

Anyway, the intention for this post is more focused on the importance of awareness around the ways we spend money. This message is especially important this time of the year when people tend to spend waaaaaaay too much of it. Most of the things we accumulate aren’t necessary or used enough (or ever) to warrant the stress it takes to attain it. Every year I feel like I’m becoming more aware of the unnecessary commercialistic aspect of the holidays. I don’t want any thing for Christmas this year unless it’s more time to put towards self-care or an activity with my family, which doesn’t have to cost anything except maybe a little bit of gas to get there like sledding, for example. 

This whole week I’ve been irritated that when I took a box of books and five of my favorite CDs to a local bookstore to see if I could get some cash before donating the remainder to our local library I was shocked that the lady gave me $8 for the cds and 5 books that cost me a total of around $150… yes, the CDs are old and rarely used anymore thanks to digital music library’s or free platforms like Spotify or pandora but I thought I’d get a little bit more cash for the 10 items they accepted. It really instilled in me that I need to be even more intentional on what I use my money for because what it really comes down to is the money I spend is really time I’ve spent away from my family and from self care.

So what are your thoughts about intentional spending? How about around the holidays? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Ally4health@hotmail.com