Monthly Archives: June 2018

Uncategorized

Breaking Up With Corporate America – The Fall of Ethics & Common Decency & How Millennial’s Serve Justice

This is my vent.  At my new job, looking forward to my  June 5th 1 year anniversary, I had sent a letter of thanks the afternoon of May 23rd to my employer.  I had been busy that week, we were readying for API deployments which I was managing the implementation of.  This is, or was, the day job that keeps/kept this blog afloat, along with my entire family as the primary breadwinner.
Well into my morning on the 24th, having logged in a bit of extra time all week and in the throes of responding to emails, I received a call to stop all work.  I had actually been let go yesterday, just nobody had bothered to tell me. No time to hand off work properly.  What kind of crazy is this?  How rude for the person taking on my work.

The bathroom remodel, which was supposed to take 3-4 weeks tops, has spanned two contractors and 3 months so far and went from 19k (guy didn’t have a clue on prices) to 32k.  While I have money saved, I was actually counting on regular paychecks to take care of this remodel.  Not only would having my bathroom back, getting my beautiful new tub (which has been sitting for months outside in the yard) actually situated in the house where it belongs, be quite lovely, my master closet is also in this bathroom.  This would be the closet where I could perhaps locate appropriate shoes and attire for an interview, were one to come up not on skype or phone that requested my physical presence with expectations of me putting some care into my appearance.

And I was now completely stressing over a very expensive stove for my inlaws that I had gleefully offered to pay for, not knowing the bathroom price would be significantly higher or that my job would vanish within a few weeks.  The ins just don’t understand my current (and very temporary) drama.  They’re in a jam and I have been shoring them up as agreed.  It will all work out in the end of it.

I continue to scan the finances to figure out what I really should keep and what I can let go of. Change is always a great time to sit quietly and meditate on what you need in your life and what no longer serves you.  All monthly donations to charities were canceled.  I can set those up again downstream.  YMCA membership?  Keep, I DO need my yoga!  We have re-worked the budget and I am not allowed in stores.  🙂

On June 5th our dogson, Rhett, a strapping handsome, smart and sweet Doberman, normally bounding about with full-on power and energy, went into a spiral.  After his morning walk, he kept falling down. Some sort of spine, nerve trauma and so suddenly we have no idea what he could have done to bring this on.   Rhett needs twice weekly therapy and acupuncture treatments.  On the upside, we have witnessed swift improvements and he is feeling so much better.  Not to beg, but I did set up a gofundme for him and the link is below if you know of any animal lovers, dog lovers, Doberman people, kindly help by sharing,  please and thank you.

Job from the bible comes to mind but that guy had it way worse than me so I am determined to remain thankful.  Still, what on earth happened to common courtesy?  What happened to warnings of layoffs pending, to having a conversation and providing some modicum of notice when someone is no longer needed? How is it that the worker bee is asked to provide notice when the business does not? What do these actions say about a future at any corporation or the morale there?  Do we put up with instability and fear or change our plans? When is the income level high enough to compensate for that fear and not knowing when yesterday was your last day there?   When a company is that freaking hard up to do a merger, provide extra bonuses for their execs, or make their bottom line and stock price heftier before announcements,  that they must turn to layoffs, especially without any notice, one has to question if the decisions which precipitated that action, are equally thoughtless.  While this, of course, affects individuals and their families, many of us also have employees counting on us,  a lawn service,  housekeeper, grocery delivery service, dog walker,  and we should take that seriously too because just as our income is affected by our employer, we affect peoples incomes too. Also, in some situations, we are not really in a good position to let these employees of ours go.  For example, I get sun poisoning if I stay outside too long, so the lawn guy stays.

While I am absolutely stewing over this, ruminating over my pissed offedness, and hurt, really so hurt,  I also know intuitively we co-create at least 95% of what happens to us. Next, when things do happen, there is reason and purpose behind it.  I am now opened up to find other work, another purpose.  I am also out a 98k salary.  All in all, quite the bummer.

My contract terms stipulated I must provide 2 weeks notice to leave my position,  while I received an ‘oh by the way this happened yesterday’ termination.    I have become an afterthought.  This makes me think of all the afterthoughts out there silently hanging with me.  Corporations today seem soulless, doing things on the regular that they would never have even discussed perpetrating 30 years ago. There was, feigned or true, an appearance of giving a damn, an understanding that there should be coverage provided to good workers with some grace, funded 401ks, healthcare and pensions and time off to enjoy life. In my 20’s the healthcare I never used was fully funded by the company.  I watched the pension die.  I watched the 401k stop getting matched. I watched 16 years of quarterly layoffs and spotty raises.  So many people back in the day worked for themselves or in their families business.  When you give up that control for working at someone else’s business, it makes sense to get some kind of return, not just weekly but to cover you in retirement years.  It sucks having what you have worked for crumble through no fault of your own. Not all of us want to work until we are 100. Not all of us will be capable.  I have seen ethics and compassion vanish over the last couple of decades and greed take over.  My husband, who is in management, complains of the millennials.  He is lucky to get even a day’s notice when someone quits. His last notice was less than 24 hours and said ‘thanks so much for the opportunity but I am moving on’.  This from a young dude my husband took under his wing and mentored.  It was his first job.  He could have moved up but decided to move on. Most don’t even give notice, they’ no call no show.’  The millennials are far more about themselves, what they want to do right now,  make right now than ever paying any kind of dues or putting up with anything they don’t like for any length of time.  I find quite a lot of humor in this.  It is the ultimate payback to the dispassionate care corporations have given their workers for so long now.  While I do feel sorry for my husband, he is a wise, ethical, caring and fair-minded man, I snicker at what has been wrought.  This is exactly what Corporate America asked for when they took us from long 8 hour days and weren’t satisfied with that into mandating exempts work until the job is done, 10, 12 and 16 hours per day and stack ranking us accordingly,   managing by fear. Getting the milk for free as they say.  Nothing is ever free.  Eventually, we pay for things the right way or Karma takes care of it later.  In the 50’s & 60’s, there was much talk of how technology was to have us working perhaps 4 hours a day and enjoying so much more personal time.  I want to know what happened to that? (Greed) When companies make the choice to disassociate from compassion towards their workforce, to buy up another company or do some other unnecessary thing, this is not balanced.  I see a lot of imbalance in most folks finances and I see the same insanity in many corporations. Obviously, a company is attempting something that is too much of a strain if they are unable to do that and also keep their daily work and workers going. They are not living in balance. And if your finances are a mirror of this, you are not in balance either.  The problem with your personal finances not being in balance is the stress it causes. Gone are the days when you could feel comfortable at work, settle in.  I believe everyone should have significant savings and manage all debts to increase their cash flow as much as possible.  Ages ago, I read Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad Poor Dad,(link below too) and at that time I was mired in credit card debt.  My mother had taught me that, but my dad was a very practical man and a saver.  This book really opened up my eyes to the spirit of money and all the ways we tend to abuse it.

No matter who you are or what you make, everyone needs to be thinking about a plan A, B & C.  Stuff happens that throws us off our game and shapeshifts us.  While you can feel how you feel, in that moment, it is also necessary to absorb lessons and to move on.  In order to do that, you have to sort through the wreckage, what worked, what didn’t and create a plan you can use next. All of this really helps if you already had a backup plan to turn to.  For me, I had some savings to finish the bathroom.   Job searching but I don’t believe my next role will be with any typical corporation after going through all that I have been through the last 28 years and in particular the insult a few weeks back. I am thankful for what I have earned and the education, but firmly believe we all deserve respect and very saddened to see a lack of the very basics in courtesy happening in Corporate America.  I am learning,  meditating on next steps,  determined to carve a new path forward thinking more like a millennial.  For those of you finding yourself in this or similar situation, I hope sharing my story and the interesting reading below helps you shed light on where you are today and where you plan to go.  ♥

Help Our Pup!  https://www.gofundme.com/treatment-for-heironymus-rhett?sharetype=teams&member=295754&rcid=r01-152951544828-f60b9c3bb15c4ec2&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w
Interesting Reading:

Health & Wellness, Uncategorized

GMO, Organic, Wildcrafted & Natural – Why Go Organic?

Much of what we pay extra for today, was de rigueur in the 50’s.  Today it’s about speeding things up, playing with genetics and making as much money as possible at the expense of everything else.  Most of us make a living selling or supporting something, some product or company.  I do so as a marketer of Cleaner greener, eco and animal-friendly products, those that I market directly(site links below) and those that I market for others such as Amazon and CWG water purification.  (see my water purification article)  I take what I do seriously because there’s a ton of misinformation out there.  I do want to make money, but not at the expense of being disingenuous.

GMO’s  – These are Genetically Modified Organisms, kicked off by Monsanto to sell their Glyphosate laden Round-Up product and put a patent on God and do it one better as if we could ever one-up God. In fact, those of us who despise Monsanto and what they are doing call it God Move Over.  GMOs for short, these organisms, seeds/plants (and now insects and animals, no not kidding)  are engineered to resist death when the crop is sprayed with herbicide. The catch phrase is ‘Roundup Ready’.  This causes cancer-promoting hormones in the milk of non-organic cows which are fed GMO food, also laced with antibiotics to mitigate disease from the unhappy overcrowded never see sunshine separated at birth from their babies, dairy cows which are  kept continuously pregnant and also fed ‘enriched feed’ which consists of GMOs and dead cows, cats, dogs etc, everything that gets rendered for its last bit of usefulness. This is how Mad Cow got started, people!  Cows, um…don’t eat other cows.  They sure don’t willingly and knowingly.  When sheep and cows began being fed dead members of their tribe to save money, this is what happened.  But I digress….

Chemicals From Hell – 1/3rd of Monsanto’s revenue is based on Roundup. 300 million lbs of this poison is sprayed annually on crops in the US. RoundUp was declared a human carcinogen by the Royal health Organisation March 2016.  Some countries and jurisdictions are abandoning it, including stores but we have a serious problem here. There are now round up resistant weeds or superweeds. Roundup is also sprayed as a ripening agent for such produce as grapes, potatoes, wheat, barley, lentils & rye. Roundup is stored and absorbed into the crop which is completely unsafe! There are over 30 diseases that match a curve of when GMOs took hold.   And my neighbour got an earful outside spraying this crap on his lawn as he, a stage 4 cancer survivor, explained to me he cannot afford organic food and boy, this stuff works fast.  Yes, and it poisons our water, causes leaky gut and genetic mutations and superweeds, please neighbour just cease!  We are mostly bacteria. 10x more bacteria than cells in our body. Roundup ready plants kill gut bacteria and chelate all our minerals so we and our animals that eat GMOs are weak.  So what happens here is that Roundup is sprayed to kill everything off.  To keep the plants we want to grow alive, plants are genetically engineered to contain  BT Toxin (Bacillus Thuringiensis) in abundance.  BT Toxin is 1000 times more toxic than the spray.  How Roundup works, is that it blocks the shikimate pathway in plants but it also affects us, killing off good gut bacteria and messes up our signals that we are full. This toxin is an insecticide that breaks open the cell walls of the insect’s stomach.  They tell us that somehow this crap is safe for us humans and I call BS on that.  Rather, it causes Leaky Gut,  autoimmune disorders, Leukaemia, Parkinsons, heart disease, It can create allergies to, say, peanuts or some other harmless substance as well. Glyphosate  Is toxic to the mitochondria. Disrupts cytochrome, p450 (CYP) enzymes, promotes cancer cells, is an endocrine disruptor, promotes birth defects, produces formaldehyde.

I think I just beat up GMOs enough for the next, oh, five minutes, so let’s move on to natural and Wild Crafted stuff, shall we?

Firstly we all must read our labels, shop with reputable companies and understand that labels can be misleading.  There’s a ton of greenwashing out there.  Companies know that people prefer to get something animal and planet friendly and market accordingly.

Wildcrafted means the plant was picked out in the wilds, found in nature not planted by or managed by humans.   A benefit to wildcrafted is typically hardy plants, not genetically modified, full of nutrients in soils not tampered with by humans. Something wildcrafted has not been purposely sprayed with any pesticides so generally, you are safe there.

Pesticides – You want to avoid pesticides because not all of it washes off or out, both in our clothing or in our produce.  Sometimes the pesticide can seep into the fruit of a plant as well and lastly, you want to avoid pesticides because of what they do to our environment, our earth.

Natural – This word can mean many things and be very misguiding.  To get to the bottom of what the word natural means to a particular company, you have to go back to that company and ask.  Companies stamp a product natural to entice customers to buy.  In our minds, we believe natural to mean the ingredient was found and then used in its natural state, no chemical or synthetics added. This may not be true and it absolutely does not mean it is pesticide free.

Supplements – Synthetic or Plant-Based?   I believe it is important with supplements, to avoid synthetic ones and always go plant-based.  Per my training with Hippocrates Health Institute, Leukocytes will only eat food, not chemicals.  The body can be tricked to a point, but at the cell level, it will not be as effective for you.  You can test this doing a Spectra Cell analysis which is a great tool to see what you are deficient in.

In the case of synthetics, the argument here is that, rather than out in nature, the dose can be regulated and the very same from one batch to another.  But per Hippocrates, this means if you take a chemical vitamin C, for example, your blood will probably see it, but that DOES NOT mean your cells have it! Your immune system fights chemical supplements. Chemically derived nutrients do activate biomechanical stimuli which at first give the impression that the synthetics build our health too, but they do not provide the positive body chemistry changes at the cellular level. What is not in the cells ultimately doesn’t matter. 80% of these synth supplements come from big pharma.

Why Go Organic?  –  Firstly, anything organic is automatically free of GMOs and pesticide use.  It’s even better to see GMO free and Certified Organic on the label!  Typically, an organic product is higher in nutrition and quality.  The quality is going to vary based upon soil quality, travel time and any downstream processing.  Some farmers augment their organic soils to be nutrient dense and others may not be as passionate about that. You will have variances per crop.

I personally try to market and buy for my family only wildcrafted and organic.  Again, you still need to have confidence in the company you are buying from and monitor how you feel when using their products vs another, but when a company goes through the trouble to certify their ingredients as organic, that is a huge statement for that company to make and it also entails legal issues if that claim is false.  This is exactly why I shop organic and sell organic products for skin, home and body.  I believe strongly that in a very polluted world, this provides me and my clients, assurances of getting a better, safer potent and pure product.  I hear of companies that say they don’t want to pass the costs of certifying themselves organic onto their customers, that they actually do things a level above and beyond the USDA guidelines etc.  Color me skeptical.

The following rules are applied when the USDA approves a product to use their seal:

  • 100% organic – This means that product must contain 100% USDA certified ingredients (excluding water & salt), with no non-organic ingredients, and that their processing methods employed must be 100% USDA certified organic.
  • Organic –  This means that this product must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients (excluding water & salt). So only a maximum of 5% can be non-organic.
  • Made With Organic Ingredients – This product must contain at least 70% organic ingredients (excluding water & salt). With 30% of the ingredients being non-organic, the company is not allowed legally to display the USDA certified organic seal.

When you buy organic this means the manufacturer takes pride in their stewardship and product enough to jump through the necessary hoops to put certification on their label.  Many companies, such as the ones I rep personally for, go a step farther with 3rd party certifications too.  This may not mean that a non-certified essential oil or what have you is bad.  It does mean, however, that I won’t be buying it and I also won’t, without a caveat, be trying to sell it to you.  ♥

Here are the links to the companies I rep for.  Feel free to shop but if you are passionate about the planet, animals and helping people detox, feel free to join me!  Reach out with any questions. Also, see my blog about how each business works more in-depth.

EssanteOrganics.com  Organic and Plant-Based Line Coconut water-based

Miessence  – Organic and Plant-Based Line that is Aloe Vera Based

https://op.hippocratesinst.org/moreinfo/static/34   For the free syllabus Online Life Transformation!  This was the last training I took, a life changer.

 Additional Reading:

More info on going Organic:  https://www.organic-center.org/organic-fact-sheets/top-12-reasons-to-go-organic/

Supplements & Super Foods

Why You Should Leave Fish Off The Menu & Essante & Vegan Omega Oils


www.EssanteOrganics.com/Puretemple Where ingredients are plant-based, certified organic and wild-crafted.

Many folks, as I once believed, think eating sushi and fish in general, to be a healthy thing.  My vet keeps trying to cajole me into providing fish oil to my dog, for the omegas and joint lubrication.  As a plant-based lifestyle coach, I seek out and market green, pure,  eco and animal-friendly companies because Jesus Palomino there is a ton of crud out there to choose from and I know we can our omegas in other far healthier (and kinder) ways.  While we need Omega 3s, there are a few compelling reasons to leave fish off your list.  First, we have polluted the waters. All fish now contain plastics, pharmaceutical drugs, mercury and other harmful contaminants.  Farmed fish is no better with the over-crowding and GMO laden feed pumped with antibiotics to keep these stressed and crowded fish alive.  Lipid Peroxide is the oxidative degradation of lipids, causing damage to the cell membrane because free radicals steal electrons from the lipids in cell membranes.   Fish oils exposed to air become a poison. The fish lobbyists want to sell you omega 3 but it’s toxic. When fish die out of the water, the oxygen immediately makes the oils rancid. Fish do not stink when alive, but immediatly after begin the ‘fishy’ smell.  I keep fish and know it well.  The body is designed to produce essential nutrients like EPA and DHA from whole foods.  Next, we have over-consumed them.  There are other fish, whales, seals and polar bears starving and not just due to the dwindling sea ice, but because we have overfished the oceans that were once a plentiful bounty.  Fishing is no longer ethical, using crawlers that catch so many fish at one time with dire bycatch consequences.   Greed has corrupted us, and overpopulation, attempting to meet supply with demand has done such an insult to the earth.  And lastly, fish are sentient beings with their own feelings, likes and dislikes, they think and they feel especially the higher up you go.  For example, fish don’t need calculators, but I do.  Just a joke.  No, I really do need a calculator, and a notepad to write everything down.

Here are some ways you can get your Omega 3’s: Chia Seeds and their sprouts, Hemp Seed and oil, Raspberry seed oil, Flax seed meal and oil, pumpkin seed and oil, primrose oil, walnuts and oil, Fizner Oil, green veggies, most sprouts, green and blue-green algae.  I take Klammath Lake Blue-Green algae not just for this reason, but as a full-on detoxer. Pure Synergy Blue-Green Algae is a good source.

What I like about Essante, and why I am an independent rep for them, is that this company really focuses on pure ingredients.  They have just launched a patented probiotic guaranteed to grow in the gut (the only probiotic guaranteed to do that) and they have great superfoods (Reds, greens) and digestive enzymes which are necessary when eating cooked foods and beneficial for anyone including those on a raw diet.  The more you stress your body, the faster you age.  Give it help.  I have vegan friends who shun all supplements.  At Hippocrates, I confirmed my feelings that in this polluted world, no matter how we eat, we do need some supplements.  Choosing smartly is the key.  The more our world is corrupted, the more we need help and mindfulness.

Essante’s Omega (3,5&9) is organic flax seed.  This is cold pressed, unrefined.  This means you are getting quality ingredients that are not adulterated by GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) or any pesticides.   When doing your own comparison, note that the bottle is 90 capsules and the suggested dose is 3 times per day.  Clicking on the link above, selecting PH Nutrition, Supplements and Powders, will get you a lot more detail but for those who care about this (I do) the capsules are gelatin.  The company is slowly going vegan with their capsules and as I type this, that may have changed by the time you order.  Still, something to be aware of.  You can always poke a needle through and squeeze the goodness out onto a salad etc.  Each soft gel has 1g of healthy vital fat.  There is no heat in the processing and no metals.  It may surprise you but there is Mercury in our shots when we go to the doctor and also in a lot of our supplements.  None here my friends!  No preservatives, no funk.  No junk no funk. This is a US made product, not outsourced to Asia where regulation stinks and you get sub par quality.  (See my blog about Canine Kidney).  Like the next omega I will show you, Essante is also 3rd party certified.  This means they are woke enough to make something of value and prove this by engaging a 3rd party to confirm the quality.


Natures Way is also a great brand.  This omega uses algae and not flax seed. I love that the capsule is vegan, they are 3rd party tested and that it’s a plant based omega.  The price is great too.  That stated it is not organic as Essante is and does not confirm exactly how it is processed so I cannot confirm it is cold pressed which is important for retaining value in the product.  My thinking here is that if it were cold pressed, that would be shouted to the moon and back.  So….you get what you pay for, but this is a decent product.

So I had a cat, Flat Faced Ian, who shunned fish.  Now I believe she knew something I didn’t at the time.  I had to research stuff and got her on flaxseed because her tiny being went into congestive heart failure one day and was diagnosed with Advanced HCM.  I broke open capsules and gave her hawthorn berry and stuck needles through my flaxseed gel caps to add to her food.  We were told we had, at best, 3-6 months with her.  Years later, I took her to the vet for a checkup and they asked ‘shouldn’t she be dead?’ followed by ‘Why haven’t you brought her in up until now?’  I figured if she was dying in a few months, I was going to enjoy her, not stress her out with vet visits and next, try to do all that I could to keep her going longer in a natural way.  10 years later she was put to sleep due to a mass in her tummy that was blocking the exit.   Flaxseed and love kept that cat going.   In the end, though, we all meet it, don’t we? But the point is that we enjoy quality of life in the meantime.  And I am such a woosie I hope there is a rapture prior to my demise so that I can just perhaps be beamed up.  Cheers, all!  Feel free to post what you ended up purchasing and how the products worked for you as this helps others and that is why all of us are here. ♥

Uncategorized

SAFE PEST CONTROL INFORMATION

The little enclave where my MCM home is parked has quite a lot of nature in it.  We are close to a creek with coyotes, opossums, racoons, hawks, rodents and loads of bugs.

I love animals and am actually a bit partial to most bugs, provided they are not crawling on me.  The ones I prefer are what we call the ‘beneficial’ insects, praying mantis, ladybugs, spiders, fireflies, dragonflies etc.   One of my friends abhors frogs, they scare her.  Not me, bring in the toads!  Lizards, toads, frogs, let nature reign.  Most homes share bugs unawares.  Spiders, for example, will hide out catching bugs that dare wander in.  When I see a spider, I typically catch and release it outside.

Nobody loves fleas, ticks or cockroaches.  Well, they mate so apparently someone does, but generally not of the human variety.   It can be a challenge to enjoy nature and control it in a safe or safer way.  If you live in an area with opossums, (below link to more info on these interesting and adorably ugly critters,  rest easy knowing they are killing thousands of ticks and minimizing your families risk of Lyme Disease.  http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/opossums-killers-ticks

So what do we do with the creepies that invade our interiors?  It is important to be mindful of what products we use because there are more than 85,000 chemicals in our water and approximately 2000 new chemicals created annually.

Many of us have pets that we worry about with outdoor gardens as well as what they may ingest inside the home.   To minimize fleas in our

yard, we use CedarCide.  It smells yummy or just like Cedar if you aren’t a huge fan (I once locked myself in a newly minted cedar closet for 5 minutes breathing it all in) and is a safer, kinder gentler way to kill the bloodsuckers.   But this product also works on lice, kills ticks, mosquitos, mites and ants as well, at all stages of their life cycle.  This product is indoor/outdoor, we just use it primarily outside.

  • IF you have snakes, keep in mind that cedar is toxic to reptiles.

I typically use this product pointed down and spraying onto our

grass/yard, early morning when cool and avoiding bees, butterflies etc.

In our garden and yard we also use beneficial nematodes. Biologic Scanmask with 10 Million Steinernema feltiae (Sf) is an all natural defense against fleas, knats, grubs.  You apply easily with a watering can or spray pump.  

has makes one

For the patio, and for those local to the DFW area, its made right here, there’s  SkeeterScreen personal spray which I also use on my dog, and their patio egg which not only looks cool, but helps spread the unwelcome mat.  Just FYI, if you get it next to paint, such as where ours is hanging right at the slider coming into the house, where it touches the house?  The oil will eventually peel the paint there.  Small price to pay, or just situate it where it will hang freely and not swing into the side of your house like I should have done to begin with rather than complain about it here.  They have candles too and the scent is nice. I am not a huge fan of citronella so while I know citronella is effective, I want other herbs and stuff to make a nice smell that doesn’t give me citronella overdose.  I am an incense fan from the 70’s dude, so why not on the patio and in the yard?  I am never without Amazon Lights incense.  Firstly, there’s the cone which also comes with a nice ceramic holder.  This is perfect for having a quiet corner conversation or a cup of joe and just wanting to enjoy your patio space for a few moments before heading into work etc.  If you are going to be out longer, get the Amazon Lights stick version which last a couple of hours.  I love the scent, which includes rosemary and thyme….and who couldn’t use more of that?  The sticks last between 2.5 and 3 hours.  For a larger space, strategically place a few so the entire patio is within it’s cloaking device.

INSIDE THE HOME BUG CONTROL – We use an ultrasonic plugin.  Bodyguard Ultrasonic Pest Repellent is a great way to rid your home of unwanted bugs without toxic chemicals.  Each unit works up to 1600 square feet so you can place strategically.

For cockroaches, silverfish and palmetto bugs  (what I call giant cockroaches) and ants, we recently used, and with great effectiveness, Harris Diatomaceous Earth.  There are hundreds of uses for this product and it comes with a duster.  This is an all natural product with no additives or fillers.

Another option is Harris Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer Powder with Lure because it is EPA registered, a safer approach to killing the nasties while keeping pets and family members safer.  The product must be kept dry to work and works for weeks and is fast acting.

Due to environmental concerns, I do not recommend baits in plastic tins and I recommend placing these powders inside sink cabinets in the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms and behind such appliances as the stove and refrigerator.  I am a bit paranoid, I want to keep pest control out of reach of the little ones, human and otherwise.

When applied correctly and at regular intervals, coupled with keeping your home environment tidy, you should be well on the way to bug-free home zone.    Feel free to comment on how each of these products did at your house!

Health & Wellness

Eye Maintenance – Natural Ways to Improve the Health of Your Eyes

Our eyes, open most of the day, encounter all sorts of pollutants in our air that the body was never designed to handle.  In our air, water and soil, there are 2000 newly created chemicals annually with an estimated total of 80,000 new chemicals. Man mined debris fools the body. Mercury looks like selenium to the body. Lead looks like calcium. Cadmium looks like zinc. Aluminum, nickel and uranium look like magnesium to the body and all these affect the system at a cellular level.  Many of these pollutants are in the air that affects the eyes.

We’ve been renovating a bathroom and enjoying a magnitude of dust that only folks who have gone through a remodel can comprehend.  Between air purifiers, (see my review on air purifiers) neti pot (see my article on this) to deep clean the sinuses, vacuuming & dusting daily after the contractor and crew leave, there is still an amazing amount of dust and the eyes suffer.

I believe one of the reasons eyes age is due to pollutants and irritants.  So minimizing them will help save your eyesight as well as how they look.  Many folks don’t really think about their eyes other than to wash the face, moisturize and perhaps apply makeup.  Maintaining your eyes should be a daily routine and especially in dusty polluted environments.

First there are eye exercises that help stretch and strengthen as well as rest the eyes which is particularly great for those of us that sit at a laptop all day.  Yoga For The Eyes with Meir Schneider steps you through great break time exercises.

Next, everyone should possess a nice eye wash bath cup.  Not just for emergency use as I once thought, but for daily/weekly rinsing of the eyes to clean and clear them of debris and tonify.   Because I believe that every day things should be artfully done as well as be great at what they do, I adore this eyecup by Rosso,  which is all glass and therefore safer than plastic.  The glass is gorgeous, it looks like a piece of art sitting on your vanity, and has a lovely feel and polish to it.  It comes in two styles, I like the raised rib, very comfy and it holds the liquid well with gentle pressure so you’re not getting it all over your face.

So one of my favourite rinses began as a purchase for my pets.  But now the entire family uses it too.  Ark Naturals, Eye So Bright, with Echinacea and Goldenseal, it slightly stings at first, then your eyes suddenly feel so refreshed!  We used a prescription eye drop on our Doberman who bolted after we came back into the room later to give him another treatment.  My husband popped a drop in his eye to understand what all the fuss was about and screamed.  Why on earth would they make anything that hurt that bad?!?  Thus began our self-testing before we did anything to the pets.  And because of this, I LOVE using this product on myself as well as the fur kids.

Another formula I like is Christopher’s Herbal EYE formula which you can both take orally in water or add to an eye bath solution.  Warning, this stuff has pepper in it.  I am using just one drop with my Ark Naturals and sea salt water I get at Whole Foods.  With the construction, I have been doing this routine twice a day and wow this has helped so much!

And on the Whole Foods note, don’t forget to eat right.  Your eyes need leafy greens.  The aim is for at least 50% raw diet, through juicing and yom yomming tasty salads and sprouts.

Supplements – Only 9% of the vitamins on the market are good.  Synthetic vs plant based:  It is important to read labels and avoid synthetic vitamins that the body recognizes at a cellular level as food.  There is much discussion about synthetic vitamins, which are vastly cheaper, being just as good but my Hippocrates advocates going all natural.   I get arguments from folks who eat so well and many even better than I do, 100% raw, juice twice daily etc.  So why do I need supplements they say.  Getting a spectra cell analysis will tell you what your body is deficient in at a cellular level and then you will know.  But here is why everyone needs some supplements:  Our world is totally polluted and our bodies, while able and willing to detox to a point, need the help.  With soil erosion, we no longer get enough minerals and vitamins in even the very best of foods.  So here is something,  Ultimate Eye Formula, you can take to aid the eyes because chances are you are not eating enough blueberries and bilberries daily to counteract the onslaught.

Another thing I love is Triphala, which is an Indian ayurvedic  medicinal combining 3 tree fruits into a slightly tangy bitter powder.  Terrasoul Triphala powder is organic, a fair price and they lab test for impurities and heavy metals.   I enjoy a 1/2 tsp in hot water as a tea.  I don’t mind the taste at all.  You can also use it as an eyewash.  Used as an overall body tonic and detox, it is also said to improve vision.  I use a bit of this in an eye cup when I am done making my ‘tea’ and also drink it.

And for beautiful (or handsome) eyes,  I rep for organic and plant-based, eco and animal-friendly potent and pure skin and supplement lines and highly recommend, especially for evening,  the eye and neck firming serum which I am NEVER without!  The link is below.  My sister in law says this serum knocked out her crows feet and my puffiness is gone. It’s yummy and I have not found its equal on the market anyplace.

And for daywear, in the morning, especially when it is bloody hot outside, where treatments are just melting right off your face because of the heat…dear Lord why do I live in Texas….I love to apply their firming eye serum cold from the fridge.

Finally, let’s look at eyedrops.  Many can actually handicap the eyes, training them to require drops.  My husband and I use Similisan eye drops (everything the brand offers is really good!) Once, a pharmacist chased my husband down to tell him Homeopathy doesn’t work!  Well, we think it does and we’ve been on these drops for 20 years in various flavours, dry eye, irritated eye and computer eyes because, ahem…I am on this thing a lot!

As a plant-based marketer, I seek out natural ways to detox and amp up health and have done a lot of research and testing to come up with what I provide you.  I hope it helps you live your best and healthiest life and I would love to hear from you!