Clearing out the Clutter- Our Health

Oh. My. Word!  What a week it has been.  I have enjoyed every minute of writing this week but boy, am I tired.  Add 5 daily posts plus a few extra reviews and giveaways thrown in and man, my head and fingers are tired!

I pray you have been blessed by the 5 days of ____series and I thank you for sticking with us.  If there is one series you found though the Blog Hop button at the end of this post you really loved, I would love for you to leave us a note and share which one it was so we make sure to check it out as well.  It is always fun to find a new friend though social media.  I am privileged to work with these ladies and I know they will bless you as well.


 Here are 8 in particular that I would love for you to stop by and say hi to!  Tell them I sent you!

Brittney @ Mom's Heart ~ Relaxed Homeschooling

Lisa @ A Rup Life ~ Our Favorite Books

Melissa @ Life Off the Paved Road ~ Fit From Home

Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Educational Apps

Jenni @ Conversaving ~ Homeschool Cooperatives

Lisa @ Home to 4 Kiddos ~ Celebrating Lent

Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling ~ Spring Schooling

Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog ~ Christ Centered Character Training

So, on our last day we are Clearing out the Clutter in our health!

The first stop in the health day is your medicine cabinet.  I feel like I should have some creepy music   playing here. ;)  I am willing to bet that yours is as bad as mine once was.

See that?  Past tense.

It is now clutter free!
Your turn!

The easy step - throw away anything that has expired.  Yes, I know that many will say meds can outlast their expiration dates, but I am taking no chances.  Especially with my kids. (Just be sure that you dispose of your old medication in a safe and responsible way!)

Next step - throw the rest away!

OK, go with me here.  Yes, I admit to having a few "emergency" over-the-counter medicines around. My husband worships, oops-uses a lot of Motrin.  And I do keep a few other essentials around - think Benedryll for my allergic people.  But for the past few years we have been investing in and regularly using essential oils.

There, I said it.

Out loud!

Yes, we have gone to the dark side.

Well, the natural side.  It started with all of the dyes in children's medicines.  They are bad for you, by the way.  We have a kiddo who is sensitive to dyes.  Even if yours are not - dyes are not good.  Take my word for it.  I can not for the life of me figure out why companies put bad things in medicines that are supposed to make us better and healthier.  Vitamins are another example - don't even make me go there.

So, in search for more natural meds we found essential oils.  They have worked for our family.  The more we use them, the more we trust them and the faster we turn to them instead of the pharmacy stuff.

DO not hear me wrong.  We do still get sick sometimes.  We do sometimes go to doctors.  We even take medicines if prescribed.  But that is not our first defense anymore.  Oils are.

Peppermint for headaches and stomachaches.
Peace and Calming for a hyped child at night.
Lavender for insect bites and scrapes and burns.
Chamomile for better sleep.
And on and on.

Try it, you might like it!

Dyes and chemicals.  Just a recap - bad. for. you!  Get them out of your home and your food as best you can.  We make our own laundry soap and cleaners.   We eat as much food from the local farms as possible.  And when in the grocery store we look at labels.  (and then Mom breaks down and buys a Diet Coke.  For me, of course, not them!  Just being honest!) A few other things you may want to look into - elderberry syrup (when we took this faithfully we had a whole winter season of not being sick,  including a first year college student), local bee pollen (the one thing so far that has helped the same college student better manage her allergies), and Grapefruit seed extract.

The point is that 80-20 rule.  If you are aiming to eat healthy 80% of the time, hopefully your body can manage the 20% of less than stellar choices better.  Let's face it, fast food sometimes just happens. We shouldn't beat ourselves up over  it...just not go out to eat daily.

Exercise.  Yuck!  I wish I could leave it at that but we all know that would not be right.  Tempting, but not right.  Again, at the very least, at least try to get outside daily.  Take a walk around the yard. Then the block.  Then add a bike, or some weights or a few sit ups.  There are seasons that I love my treadmill and it helped me lose 20 pounds a year ago (yep, need to get back on it), but I am a struggling exerciser.  Luckily I have one daughter that shames me into it often and enough guilt of my own to try to stay moderately active.  Hey, whatever works.  Just get moving!

And the purpose of it all?  Why am I passionate about clutter - and getting rid of it?

I want to live with purpose.  I want to live with joy.  I want to live life to its fullest.

And I am more convinced each day that to do so, I must maintain my home, head, heart, homeschool and health in such a way that does not distract me from the more important things God has for me. Many of those things that fill our lives are good.  But I purpose to have them only be the BEST!  The rest of the clutter- be gone!

May you live a clutter free life.  And may you be blessed!

Just joined us?  Make sure you start at the beginning of this 5 day hop with Our Home, Our Heads, Our Hearts and Our Homeschool!  We hope you have enjoyed the series and visit us again real soon.  Want to see posts on a regular basis?  Join us using one of the buttons on the right.

Blessings,



The COMPLETE series-
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Homes 
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Heads
Clearing Out The Clutter- Our Hearts
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Homeschools
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Health