|
Here's What's New  
Guest post from Elise of Frugal Farm Wife I remember the first time I bought deodorant after I got married. I found myself cringing as I shelled out dollars for a tube of the natural, aluminum-free variety, and then apologizing profusely to my husband for spending so much on a single tube of deodorant. I need not have worried. We’re both cheapskates, but if anything, my husband is more health conscious than I am, so he had no problem spending a bit extra on the good stuff. It was the last time I ever bought deodorant, though. When that bottle ran out, we tried using a deodorant stone for a while (with limited success), and then I stumbled across some homemade deodorant recipes online. At first thought, making your own deodorant may seem far fetched, but believe me — it’s not! Odds are good that you already have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your kitchen cupboards. 
We have been really impressed by the effectiveness of this deodorant, and not only that, but everybody we’ve talked to loves it as well! There is one drawback to using homemade deodorants; while they are very effective odor inhibitors, they are not technically anti-perspirants. The cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) does absorb perspiration, significantly reducing, but not eliminating moisture. While homemade natural deodorant may cost a bit more than the coupon and sale savvy shopper pays for the drugstore variety, making your own deodorant is by far the cheapest and most effective way we’ve found to go natural. Homemade Natural Deodorant INGREDIENTS: - 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 2-4 Tablespoon coconut oil (at room temperature)
- 10 drops of essential oil such as tea tree, lavender, or rosemary (optional*)
DIRECTIONS: Thoroughly mix baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oil. Mix in coconut oil a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Store in airtight containers to prevent drying out. The type of deodorant container you use will determine the consistency that you need your deodorant to be. You can make your deodorant super thick and pack it into an empty deodorant tube so that you can apply it just like any other deodorant, or you can make it a bit thinner, and store it in a small container or jar to rub in as a lotion (the jar in the picture below came from the Walmart travel section). 
*NOTE: Essential oils are not completely necessary, but antibacterial oils do provide extra protection against odors — to say nothing of how nice they smell! — so I like to add them. Elise is a God-follower, wife, mom of two munchkins, and dairy goat enthusiast, who blogs about affordable gluten-free living, making things from scratch, and farm life at FrugalFarmWife.com
How's your new morning routine going? I'm encouraged at the slow and steady progress I'm making each day in following my New Morning Routine. I might not be following my routine perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m getting a lot more done and staying a lot more focused. Here's how Day 4 went for me: 6:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I’m tired so I make the decision to sleep for another hour. 7:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off a second time. I get up and turn on my laptop as I have a project with an early morning deadline and it needs just a few finishing touches before it is done. (As much as I’m trying not to turn on the laptop until my morning routine is done, you sometimes just have to do what you have to do — even if it means veering from the ideal. The good news? I was disciplined this morning and only stayed on for 15 minutes — just enough time to finish what had to be done. That’s progress, right??!) 
7:45 a.m. — Project done, I shut down the laptop and head downstairs to the kitchen to clean up a small mess leftover from the evening before (we’d gone over to one of our friend’s houses for dinner and had brought some of the food… we’d gotten home late, so I just pretty much dumped the plates, bowls, cooler, and utensils in the kitchen and gone to bed. Yep, that’s how I roll sometimes!). 
8:05 a.m. — I gather the dirty laundry from the bedrooms, sort it, and start some laundry. 8:11 a.m. — Silas is up so I help him get some breakfast. Jesse and I decide to let the girls sleep in for a bit since we were out late last night. Jesse and I chat a bit while I make coffee. 8:29 a.m. — I sit down in the living room with my coffee and read my Bible, write in my Blessings journal, and read 3 short chapters from Pursue the Intentional Life — I’m really being inspired and blessed by this book! 9:00 a.m. — I answer a few texts from friends — one asks me for prayer requests, another wonders if we can chat on the phone to catch up this afternoon or evening. I’m so blessed and thankful to have such wonderful friends in my life! 9:05 a.m. — The girls wake up and saunter down to the kitchen to get their breakfasts. I help Silas take a quick bath and get dressed. 
9:12 a.m. — I switch the laundry and then sit down at the kitchen table with everyone and read one very long chapter from The Saturdays with the kids while they eat breakfast. Silas and Kaitlynn ask Jesse if he can help them make apple/carrot juice. So while I’m reading, he pulls out the juicer, helps them chop and wash the produce, and makes juice for them. 10:00 a.m. — We’re finally finished with the chapter and breakfast. Jesse sends the girls upstairs to get ready for the day and I delay my run and shower for a bit and instead open up my laptop to get started on my Morning Computer work.
This morning, I pretty didn’t follow the outline of New Morning Routine at all, but that’s life sometimes. You get home late the night before. You give yourself grace when you’re tired. And you just jump in where you are and do the best you can do! How did you do on your morning routine on Day 4? Let us know in the comments! 
Mighty Leaf Tea is a family-owned company created by husband-and-wife team Gary and Jill, who turned into reality their dream of infusing new life into the ancient indulgence of tea. Their all-natural tea is an artistic blend of hand-picked whole leaf tea, blossoms, herbs, fruits, and spices.  Mighty Leaf Tea has put together a fun giveaway package for my readers this week. They are giving away a Mighty Leaf TeaTop brew mug and a World Flavors tea sampler to five winners. The Mighty Leaf TeaTop brew mug is a "traveling teapot," perfect for enjoying Mighty Leaf Tea. Just pull up on the string to pull the spent tea pouch into the top compartment, away from your tea. Crafted of double-walled stainless steel, this 12 oz. mug keeps your tea hot while staying cool to the touch. If you’re looking for a way to lose weight and feel great this summer, be sure to enter this giveaway! Mighty Leaf teas are delicious hot or iced — and they are great for you, too! I’ve been so impressed with the Mighty Leaf teas I’ve tried and I think you will be, too! Want to enter to win a free World Flavors tea sampler and our TeaTop commuter brew mug? Just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. Five winners will be chosen and posted early next week. This giveaway ends Thursday, June 12, at 11:59 pm, CST. 
I am definitely not a natural morning person at all and really struggle with the morning. How do you suggest a non-morning person use the morning versus staying up at night? Right now, I am really not using either effectively. I go to bed early (by 10 p.m. at the latest) and wake up late (between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) depending on my work schedule (I currently work a variety of shifts during the week). I find it really hard to get anything done after putting our daughter in bed (I feel so tired after our bedtime routine) or in the a.m. before work (prying myself out of bed is so hard). -Allison
Hi, Allison! Such a great question! I’d encourage you first of all, to make sure that you’re not telling yourself “I’m not a morning person” and then acting in that belief. You see, I’ve found that when I tell myself “I’m not _____” it restricts me and confines me. What you believe is how you live. So make sure you’re not allowing yourself to believe something that’s not the truth. If you’ve read my running story, I share about how for years, I believed “I’m not a runner” and I let that belief rule how I lived. But when I stopped letting that belief dictate my lifestyle and I actually started doing Couch to 5K, I realized that I actually loved running. But first I had to get up, make myself do it over and over again, to discover that my statement of “I’m not a runner” wasn’t true. Yes, I may not be a fast runner and I may not be a long-distance runner, but I can run. And this has motivated me to stop the belief that “I can’t do _____” or “I’m not _____” hold me back from success in my life. You mentioned that you are getting a lot of sleep but you are still feeling so tired. You may have a really demanding job that is contributing to this, but I’d also encourage you to consider getting your bloodwork done and thyroid checked to make sure that there’s a not a physical problem that’s contributing to your tiredness. Also, be sure you’re taking care of yourself — eating a balanced diet, drinking enough water, and getting some exercise — as this will give you more energy and also help you sleep better at night. For some suggestions here, I encourage to read my series on 15 Ways to Have More Energy. Step back and examine your life and goals. Do you have a few things you’re pursuing/working on that are exciting you? It’s amazing what a difference it can make when you have some things you’re doing that make you feel alive. And when you have these in your life, they’ll probably give you extra motivation to get up in the morning. Finally, I encourage you to start small. Set your alarm for a little bit earlier than you’d usually get up and commit to getting up then and doing two small things every morning for three weeks. See how you feel and if it makes a difference in your day and energy levels. If it does, try adding a few more small tasks to your morning. Having said all this, I want to remind you to do what works for you. Don’t feel like you need to get up really early in the morning or have a strict morning routine and get 15 things done every morning before you go to work. What works for me and others, won’t necessarily work for you. Focus on what is best for your family, schedule, energy levels, and situation. I’m cheering for your success, Allison! I hope you’re able to find a morning routine that starts your day off well! What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Allison? Share them in the comments.
photo credit | 
