The Art of Embracing the Quiet Time

Posted on by Greenplicity
09 Sep

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, the house was still and the quiet was absolutely blissful! My household is crazy all the time with 2 toddlers running around, 2 dogs and my husband it can get pretty loud quick! I can’t say I’ve always enjoyed the quiet, but that time is much more precious to me now than ever! When I was younger I don’t think I really knew how to appreciate quiet time. I was always looking for something to fill my days with. I can remember my mom telling me “an idle mind is the devil’s playground”. I never wanted to be idle so I tried my best to pack my day with busy work. Even after having kids I would look for ways to be busy even when I wasn’t. Sometimes it’s hard to adjust when the “busy” stops. Often times you have to re-adjust to really take advantage of the time. Now a much wiser me enjoys and values my quiet time. We are all so busy each and every day with kids, jobs, wives/husbands, businesses to run, friends the list goes on and on. Where do you find time for yourself? It’s so important to find this time and use it wisely. Downtime is a great way to reset your body, defuse stress and have an overall better sense of health.

Quiet time for me typically comes early in the morning or late in the evening once the kids have gone to sleep. I take this time to reflect/focus on my day, my life, the future and me. I didn’t always know what to do with this time and you may be one of those people. If you are no worries, I’ve got you covered! I want to share some great ways to help you start embracing your own quiet time. Use some of these tricks or all of them, just take a little time for yourself each day. You will start to see the results immediately, so here goes:

1. Sit still and do nothing – Sounds funny at first if you’re a busy body but it works! Take the time to sit, close your eyes and meditate or just sit in the quiet. Meditation helps to calm and relax your nervous system.

2. Take a warm bath – Light some candles and let the warm water relax the tension away. Another favorite is adding a nice smelling soak to the water. Eucalyptus/Spearmint is one of my favorite scents!

3. Unplug – I think this may be easier said than done but turn off the cell phones, iPad, iPod, laptops etc. The electronic world has taken over and it’s hard to enjoy the quiet if your phone keeps ringing.

4. Read – Pick up your favorite book or magazine. Reading is a great way to expand the mind and can also be very relaxing at the same time.

5. Write in a journal – Keeping a journal is another nice way to use your quiet time. If you need some tips on how to do this check out one of our previous blog posts here (http://greenplicity.com/store/learning-how-to-kick-the-stress-for-good/)

6. Take a nap – Power naps are a quick way to reenergize. A fifteen minute nap can give you a nice jolt of energy and mental clarity at the same time

7. Take a walk – Walking is a nice way to get the blood flowing. Step away from the computer and take a quick 5-10 minute walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the nature around you.

8. Exercise or stretch – I enjoy running, which is a nice way to get rid of stress. Yoga is another way to beat the stress and get the blood flowing at the same time. The choice is yours whether you run, walk, swim, bike etc. Time spent exercising is some of the best thinking time you’ll get all day.

However you decide to spend your quiet time is up to you. Give it a try and see the difference it makes each day, I promise you won’t regret it! Make sure you post your pics and ideas on how you decided to spend your quiet time our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/greenplicity) . We’d love to know what works for you! Look forward to hearing from you; have a great week and I’ll be thinking of you during my quiet time.

Skincare Chic: Beautiful Skin Year Round!

Posted on by Greenplicity
01 Sep

It’s hard to believe September is almost here! I’m sitting here wondering where my summer went. Most kids are back in school now and the fall is quickly approaching us. The fall is actually one of my favorite seasons of the year. I can start wearing boots and sweaters which I absolutely love. There are so many things to love about the fall including Thanksgiving, pumpkin flavored everything, and all the yummy food! The one thing I hate about the weather changing and getting colder is the effect it has on my skin. I find that during the colder months like most people my skin tends to dry out a lot faster.

Over the years I’ve educated myself on skincare and the importance of taking great care of the skin we’re in. After all it’s the only skin we’ll ever have so we better take care of it. If you didn’t already know (which I’m sure you did) your skin is the body’s largest organ. Your skin absorbs a whopping 60% of whatever you put on it, which is why Greenplicity products are made from food grade ingredients. Your skin is eating whatever you put on it; so if you can’t put it in your mouth you shouldn’t be putting it on your skin either. One of my favorite mantras in reference to my skin is “Be good to it and it will be good to you”.

In honor of this mantra and prepping for the cooler temperatures I want to share a couple of my favorite skin care recipes to keep your skin looking great all year long. You’ll find that all the ingredients used are food grade and probably already in your refrigerator/pantry. Make sure you keep these recipes handy because you may need them sooner than later.

Coco-Superfruit Mask (Helps to nourish, soothe and repair skin cells)

• 1 Strawberry
• 2 Blueberries
• 1 Raspberry
• ½ teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon coconut flour

What you will need: small mixing bowl and a fork

Place the berries in the bowl and mash with the fork. Stir in the honey. Add the coconut flour a little at a time, stirring until you have a thin, spreadable paste. **Note coconut flour is highly absorbent, start with a teaspoon and add more as needed, up to 3 teaspoons. Use immediately as this mask does not store well. Spread a thick layer of the mask onto clean skin. Leave the mask on 15-25 minutes then rinse away with warm water.

Citrus Blast Scrub (Awakens the senses and boosts the skins elasticity!)

• Zest of ½ lemon
• Zest of ½ lime
• Zest of ½ orange
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
• 1 cup sea salt
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil

What you will need: grater, cutting board, knife, mixing bowl, measuring cups, and jar with lid to fit 11oz of scrub.

Wash your fruit thoroughly. Leave the fruit whole while removing the zest. Place the zest and juices into a bowl. Add the sea salt and grapeseed oil and blend the ingredients together with a fork until you have a uniform consistency. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Use the scrub in place of soap or body wash. Massage in small circles all over starting at the legs and working your way up the body. When finished rinse well.

Now that I’ve shared please share with us. Go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/greenplicity) and let us know what you think! Post pics of your finished products and tell us how the mask and scrub turn out. As always if you know someone that could benefit from these skin care recipes please pass them along. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest to keep up on all the latest!

**Recipes are compliments of Jessica Ress author of 100 Organic Skincare Recipes**

Learning How to Kick the Stress for Good!

Posted on by Greenplicity
25 Aug

To say I had a stressful day yesterday is an understatement! My day ended today with my soon to be 2 year old son cracking our flat screen TV with a toy and destroying it. Sometimes I wonder if I’m a bad mother because I can’t wait for the end of the day when my kids go to sleep. If you’ve ever had one of those days you can relate to where I am coming from. Life is so full of ups and downs that can cause a lot of ware and tare physically, mentally and emotionally. I don’t want to focus on the downs right now, but the ups! I’ve often wondered how the most successful people in life stay up and I’m proud to say I finally figured it out. I want to share this technique with you so you too can always stay up!

Going back to my day, when I finally did get my kids to sleep I sat quietly in my room and went through my day. The first thing I did was think about all the things I was thankful for and then I thought about the high points in my day (yes there were a few, including writing this blog for you) and finally I thought about what I learned. I do this most days and I find by the end of it I am smiling again. If you’ve never tried it before you should give it a shot. Especially on those days where the whole world feels like it’s crumbling around your knees. I want to share my personal journal notes with you just in case you want to start doing it too, so here goes:

– Things I’m Thankful for: I’m thankful for waking up this morning, my family, my husband and children (even when they drive me nuts), my loving friends, my mental strength, my spiritual being, loving me for me.

– High Points in the Day: The high points in my day were working out and taking care of my body, making plans to get together with friends, day dreaming about the future (try it!), and my daughter giving me a big hug and kiss goodnight and telling me how much she loves me (I must be doing something right).

– Things I learned: My son is a lot stronger than I give him credit for, material things are just that material and easily replaced

– Uplifting Words (reminders to myself): Strong, graceful, healthy, loving, considerate, caring, courageous, fearless, superwoman:)

Dr. Oz has a magazine called “The Good Life”. If you’ve never read it you should; there is a lot of valuable information on most every page. The name of the magazine is what really caught my attention at the supermarket. I think we’re all trying to achieve the good life in some way or another. I started thinking about what “The Good Life” really means. In my younger years the good life meant being rich, having lots of friends, and doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted; you know the Sex & the City life. Today a more mature me looks at that girl and laughs, ha! I’ve lived, I’ve loved, I’ve lost and through it all I’ve remained true to one person, myself. I realize that even though I had a horrible day and couldn’t wait to put my kids to sleep I’m not a bad mother, I’m a great mother who’s human. We all have our moments but it’s what you do with those moments that really count. I hope this blog post has been not only real, but uplifting. If you know anyone that could benefit from these tips please pass them along and share.

Now it’s your turn to share with me. I want you to post your thoughts on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/greenplicity). I’d love to hear about some of the tricks you use to get through the day. Let’s encourage each other. Have a good week and I look forward to getting some real tricks of the trade to add to my repertoire!

Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest to keep up on all the latest!

Back-To-School Hacks for the Busy Mom

Posted on by Greenplicity
18 Aug

Whoever said time flies when you’re having fun was right! I’ve spent the summer enjoying time with my little ones but the back to school season always creeps faster than expected. Back-to-school is a crazy time for kids and especially for parents. I’m here to arm you with some of my favorite back-to-school hacks that are sure to help you survive the season by saving you time and money!

1. Freeze a wet sponge that doubles as an anti-soggy icepack
Instead of using icepacks, which might wet the contents of the lunch box, freeze a wet sponge. The sponge will absorb the liquid and won’t leak in the lunchbox

2. Let your phone do the heavy lifting and help you adjust to complicated new schedules
Change the locked pic on your phone to a written note with your kids’ schedules and pickup/drop-off times for a quick reference at the beginning of the year

3. The app RetailMeNot will help you score discounts at stores
RetailMeNot is a coupon app made for deals and steals! The app lists deals that stores are currently offering. Click the link to check out some of the back-to-school deals they have listed (http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/best-things-to-buy-in-august.html)

4. Keep apples from turning brown
Cut out the core and put the apple back together; wrap a rubber band around the apple and it will still be perfectly fresh for lunch

5. Make reminder bracelets for the kids
Help your child remember to do something during the school day by making a simple yet stylish reminder bracelet. Write the reminder on a strip of colored paper, take some patterned sticky tape and cut a strip to fit their wrist. Tape the note to the non-sticky side of the tape and then wrap it around their wrist as a bracelet, securing with tape.

6. Shop during your state’s tax-free weekend
All those supplies really start to add up! Many states offer tax-free weekends throughout the month of August to help parents like us save money during the back to school season.

7. Eliminate the breakfast mess
Prepare pancake mix for the week by premixing and putting it into freezer bags to store in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it cut a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag and squeeze into the pan. Beautiful round pancakes in minutes!

8. 31 crockpot freezer meals for back-to-school
Here is an all-time favorite! If you really want to simplify your life during the busy back-to-school season check out these must try crockpot freezer meals from NewLeaf Wellness. The grocery lists are included! (https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/06/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-back-to-school/)

(https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/06/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-back-to-school/)

Breastfeeding + Going Green

Posted on by Greenplicity
10 Aug

Have you ever wondered if breastfeeding is part of green living, or can help you go green? Well, here’s a list of ten ways breastfeeding can help you save the planet – even during those 3am feedings. Some of it is intuitive, others are a bit out there – but thinking about it logically (and a little science never hurts to back it up) can help us understand that breastfeeding is good for mom, baby and planet earth!

• No packaging to throw away! Straight from the tap means no bottles, cans, boxes or other materials to recycle or trash.
• No late night trips for formula means you use less gas (score!)
• Fewer bottles (or none) to wash means less water down the drain
• Pumping into a glass bottle to reduce plastic use – check out this mama’s ingenious use of mason jars!
• Breastfeeding can decrease a woman’s risk of disease such as cancer, diabetes, and depression (less doctor’s visits, medicines, etc.)
• It saves money! The food is free!
• Reduces the environmental impact of dairy farming since cow’s milk is the main nutrient in formula
• Moms who breastfeed burn more calories (don’t tell us this isn’t going green!)
• Breastfeeding reduces global pollution by lessening the demand for formula, transportation and manufacturing costs.
• Saves electricity! Nothing to turn on or light up in the middle of the night! Though the early days might require a smidge of light when you and baby are still getting the hang of things.

So if you were wondering if breastfeeding helps you go green, rest assured Mama that you and the little one are doing your part to keep our planet strong and healthy!