My Family’s New Outlook on Christmas

I felt compelled to share this because I have gotten some dirty looks when people find out that my kids don’t believe in Santa. I am a little surprised that it actually offends people that we don’t make our kids believe in him.

I grew up believing in Santa. It was fun. I also remember it still being fun after I found out he wasn’t real. What I have come to realize is that my family doesn’t need Santa.

My oldest child is 8. We did the Santa thing every year until now. No one told him Santa isn’t real, he just knows. I really feel like it’s because we’ve always tried to make Christmas more about Jesus than Santa. So, we’ve decided this year to omit Santa from our family Christmas. I have a 3 and 4 year old who know Santa when they see his face on TV, in books or inside the mall but they know he’s just a story. What is REAL to my kids is the story of Jesus. They know that the greatest gift of all does not come Christmas morning from Santa or mommy and daddy. All 3 of my boys know that Jesus is the one true gift. Do they still want every toy they see advertised for Christmas? Of course! They are kids.

We will continue to lay the foundation of Jesus in our home with our children.

Now, none of this means that I will turn my nose up at families who leave milk and cookies for Santa. Or families who have that cute little elf doing mischievous things at nighttime. I think these things are fun for kids! But I also do not feel like my kids are missing out on the fun either. My kids have lots of fun. We are creating our own traditions with our kids. I pray that they will carry these traditions on with their families. If they choose to have Santa a part of their family one day, so be it. But I pray that they will have the foundation of Christ in their home as well. That is most important to me. That we teach our kids to love Christ more than what this world offers. I truly believe that we are choosing to let the influence of the world overshadow what really matters. Santa doesn’t matter when you consider eternity. Nothing matters, except the Gospel of Jesus. I heard someone say recently that somebody they knew was doing elf on a shelf and Santa in their home but they were incorporating Jesus as well. Since when are we supposed to incorporate Jesus? Isn’t it ALL supposed to be about Jesus?

So, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, stop for a moment and assess what really matters. My prayer is that everyone will make this Christmas season all about the ONE true King. I pray that if you have Santa as part of your family Christmas, that you will take the time to teach your children that Jesus is more important than the gifts that Santa brings.

And unlike Santa, who has a naughty and nice list, GOD does not. God loves us unconditionally. GOD IS SOVEREIGN. Teach your children that.

Merry CHRISTmas!!

Mean, Green, Cleaning Machine!!

Okay, not really "mean". But green cleaning is the topic here! I have cleaned out my medicine cabinet slowly over the past couple years and then last year I decided to start working on my cleaning closet. This is what it consisted of(and I still have a few of these items lurking around): Lysol wipes, Lysol liquid, Comet, Tilex, Clorox, All free and clear(laundry), Shout or Zout, Lysol disinfectant spray, Dawn(still using), Palmolive dishwasher detergent(still using), some kind of strong toilet bowl cleaner(usually whatever was on sale or I had a coupon for), scrubbing bubbles, Mr clean, windex. whew. all those chemicals. oh yeah, I forgot the infamous Oxiclean. So, why get rid of these? well, I will repost what I posted on facebook today. This came out of my doTERRA Living magazine, A study published in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review says that 25 best selling cleaning and personal-hygiene products emit an average of 17 chemicals each. Researchers analyzed 25 popular fragranced products, including air freshners, deodorizers, cleaners, all purpose sprays, and disinfectants. some of these volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are classified as probable carcinogens with no safe exposure level, according to the EPA. Also, virtually none of the VOCs emitted from the products were listed on any product label or material safety data sheet. Even more concerning, about half of the products made some claim of being "organic", "natural", or "non toxic".
Um?? hello?? we think we are doing right by cleaning our houses with these chemicals and these things are actually very toxic and hazardous and are probably slowly killing everyone..ok, that's dramatic..but is it true?? well, I dont want to find out. I want to use what's natural, what God gave us, I want my cleaners to come out of the earth, from plants. I want it to not burn my eyes or my lungs for that matter when I clean with it. So, I have compiled lots of different ideas, tips and recipes. I did not come up with all of these, most of them are coming from my doTERRA magazine. they are fabulous and I cant wait to try them! One thing I will share is that I have yet to find a suitable dishwasher detergent that is all natural. I have tried vinegar and soap nuts and they just dont work. If anyone has found anything or concocted anything, let me know! The first thing I want to tell you about is doTERRA's hand soap. It is amazing

There is a study out there, and I will post it later, but it talks about how antibacterial soaps are NOT what you should be using! More on that later.

My next thing will be my laundry detergent. I have a fabulous friend who makes her own detergent. its amazing and she uses cloth diapers so you know this stuff is good if its working on those cloth diapers. She has great prices too. Visit her etsy site: www.myposhnest.etsy.com

Okay, I have found that vinegar is a wonderful alternative to windex. Just buy white distilled vinegar and pour it straight into a spray bottle. don't even dilute it. It cleans everything!! However, everything smelling of vinegar isn't very appealing if you are having company. So, here's a cleaner I just concocted today. I have no idea what the shelf life will be, but I will probably be keeping it in the fridge. I took Borax(tablespoon) and mixed it with real fresh juice from a lemon. I juiced it in my juicer and added distilled water to it in a spray bottle. You could do the same thing with doTERRA's Lemon Oil. that is what I will do next, I was just playing with my juicer today:) I have cleaned all my counters, my kitchen sink, my stove top, my table and my kids toilet and bathroom counter with it (yes tonight) and it worked wonderfully. Another good way to disinfect in the bathroom is layering the vinegar I talked about with hydrogen peroxide. do not dilute either one and do not mix them in the same bottle, they do not have same effectiveness as layering them. I also love Soap Nuts. These things can be used for just about anything. I made a liquid solution and have cleaned counters and bathrooms and such, it's just another all natural alternative:

Ok, so now I will move into some of the recipes in doTERRA's Living magazine. I am so super stoked to try the wipes recipe!!

Toilet Bowl cleaner: add these directly to a partially drained bowl:

1/2 cup baking soda

10 drops melaleuca(tea tree) essential oil

1/4 cup vinegar

this recipe is not meant to be mixed up and stored in a bottle.

All Purpose Spray: add these ingredients to a spray bottle, shake thoroughly

1/4 cup vinegar

2 cups water

30 drops of one of the following combos: 15 drops each of lemon and lavender, 10 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, and wild orange, or 30 drops of On Guard blend

tip: use a glass spray bottle

Floor Cleaner: combine in a large bucket, use mop

1 gallon hot water

2 tablespoons liquid castile soap

15 drops wild orange essential oil

8 drops lemon essential oil

Soft Scrub for bath, tile and toilet: Make is small batches, store in air tight container

3/4 rounded cup baking soda

1/4 cup castile soap

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon vinegar

5-10 drops lemon essential oil

combine soda and soap first, add water and stir, then add vinegar and oil, should be pastey

Homemade Wipes:

1 roll of premium paper towels(I like the soft thick ones)

2 cups warm water

Airtight storage container(like a baby wipe container)

2 tablespoons fractionated coconut oil(available from doTERRA)

Essential oils: sanitizing wipes: 3 drops On Guard blend, 3 drops lemon oil, 1-2 tablespoons On Guard foaming handwash(pictured above) for a baby wipe: 3 drops lavender and 3 drops melaleuca(tea tree)

Cut paper towels in half widthwise with a serrated knife. use half the roll now, half later. pour the mixture over the paper towels and then cover with the airtight storage lid letting the mixture absorb for 10 minutes. turn the container over and let sit for another 10 min. remove and discard the cardboard middle and then when ready to use pull wipes from center.

I know there's more recipes out there, so feel free to post your favorite!! I am finding that I love Borax. it is natural but is also toxic if ingested, so be careful. its great as an insect repellant too. It's good stuff and very versatile. If you are interested in doTerra, visit my website, browse around and if you want to make a purchase, email me and I will let you know how you can get those products at wholesale prices(25%) http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/leahsox/