A T T H E P A R K ' S

Last Spring, I bought an all-natural, all-purpose cleaner from my doctor's office. The ingredients were listed on a hand-written label, but it didn't give the specific measurements. After inquiring with the Dr.'s office, they sent me two options for an all-purpose cleaner as well as a natural window cleaner. So today, I'd like to share with you these recipes as well as the products I use to clean my home. Why do I make my own natural cleaning spray? Great question. The quick answer is this: I am making changes to eliminate my exposure to as many toxins as I can. Of course, there is a lot I cannot control (outdoor air pollution), but I want to do my best to take care of everything I can control. According to the Environmental Working Group , the average household contains a minimum of 62 known toxic chemicals. Yikes! You guys, more than almost anything, I want my home to be healthy and I want my family to be healthy. For me, it starts with making conscious choi...

Happy 2019 you guys!! This is my first post of the new year so I thought I'd start off sharing eleven lists that you can use to help you get your life in order for 2019. You may have read my post on creating a Home Management Notebook  years ago. It was great at the time, but I thought I'd update you on what I use now to simplify our lives and keep intentionality as the focus. Over the years I've tried bullet journaling, as well as just using a monthly planner. To be honest, the bullet journal was fun but it was a lot of work. It didn't make my life simpler and took too much time to create every month. Using a planner worked fine, but for the most part, I only used my planner for scheduling appointments. Now I can schedule appointments on my phone and take advantage of the super useful reminders. My current system seems to work best for me, so I'm excited to share it with you today. These eleven lists can be written down in a notebook, on your iPad, l...

As some of you may know, I wrote a review on The Simply Co. laundry powder detergent (you can read that here ) last year. We've been using it for a year and a half now and have loved it. It's a great natural detergent, smells amazing, and works as advertised. As much as I have loved this detergent though, we've been trying to find ways we can spend less money each month and this was one area I thought I could save. Since the ingredients of The Simply Co. detergent are labeled on the glass jar, I thought I'd just give it a try. Since I didn't know the exact amount of each ingredient, I went to Pinterest and found a recipe here . HOMEMADE LAUNDRY POWDER DETERGENT INGREDIENTS 1 Bar Castile Soap  - update, I use this kind now (recommended) 1 Cup  Baking Soda 1 Cup  Washing Soda Organic Essential oil (optional, I use Lavender) INSTRUCTIONS Finely grate your bar of castile soap. Mix in all ingredients together. Add 2-3 drops of your fa...

The further down the path of natural health I go in dealing with my autoimmune disease and the repercussions of it, I'm finding more and more ways to take control of my health. My goal has been to slowly eliminate chemicals as best as I can in my personal care products. So today I'm excited to share with you my zero waste, all natural, three ingredient DIY toothpaste. Not only is this toothpaste super quick to whip up, it will save you money from buying drugstore toothpaste and will be much better for your oral health. OK, let's get into it! Ready? Go! INGREDIENTS 3 TABLESPOONS OF COCONUT OIL 1.5 TABLESPOONS OF BAKING SODA (OPTIONAL) 10-15 DROPS OF PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL The original recipe I found here , though I've decreased the amount of essential oils. Measure your coconut oil and baking soda, then mix together in a glass dish. I didn't need to warm up the coconut oil because our apartment was about eighty degrees when I made the f...

As we're nearing the RV move-in date, I am preparing and planning where we will store our belongings and what we'll need on a regular basis. Once we get settled into the RV, we'll need everything, but mainly the kitchen, to be incredibly streamlined. Since we won't have a dishwasher in the RV, we'll be hand washing everything and we'll need quick access to soap. So of course I headed to Pinterest to get some inspiration and as usual, was not disappointed. I found this little DIY from Almost Makes Perfect and wanted to replicate it. In all of the DIY projects I've done, this is my favorite. And the easiest. Sometimes the simple ones make the biggest impact! Let's get into it! BOTTLES STICKERS Make sure your bottles are clean before adhering the stickers. Just like Molly (from Almost Makes Perfect ), I used D for dish soap and H for hand soap. One thing I will say is that I found glass bottles to use rather than ...

Like many of you I'm sure, I don't know how to sew.  Unless you count the shorts and tank top I sewed in home-EC class in the 8th grade, my skills in that department are lacking.  So, when I found the no-sew pillow cover option ( here , here , and here ) I knew I had to try it!  No-sew.  No-glue.  No-velcro.  No-button.  Super simple: cut, fold, and tie. What you'll need: Pillow (mine was 22" square) Fabric (I used an old white fitted queen sized sheet) Scissors or fabric sheers Tape measure (optional) Instructions: Like I said, cut, fold, and tie right?   If you aren't using a fitted bed sheet, this will actually be as easy as it sounds! Trim the "fitted" part of the sheet so that it is a simple rectangle.  Don't worry about measuring at this point.  Just get rid of the extra fabric. Once the trimmings are gone, you'll want to start measuring appropriately.  The instructions here state you shoul...

While I'm on a roll...here's another "new uses for old things" idea.  When I was in the hospital, in pre-surgery last month, I was given billed for an eye glasses case while I was in surgery (since I didn't bring one to the hospital...).  Instead of donating it to someone or discarding it, I came across this idea on listotic and knew I had to implement it into my life. My current manicure kit has been inside of a mini toiletry bag that is open at both ends where tiny little clippers could slide right out!  This new eye glasses case will be perfect for me and it takes up less space than the mini toiletry bag and is completely secure!  Why didn't I think of this!?!

Good morning my lovely readers!  It has been four weeks since my surgery and I am excited to be feeling better and more energetic these days!  I'll post more in detail later.  However, I wanted to share a new "New Uses For Old Things" post with you.  As I was searching on pinterest this morning, I came across a diy boot stand idea (she cut pool noodles inside her boots) which I had already been doing for years, but in a different way.  Let me show you! I love using something that would normally just go into the recycling!  You can't beat free!  I'm sure I'm not the first one to figure this one out, but thought I'd share anyway.  Happy Wednesday!

Lately, I have been thinking about ways to decorate my home without photos of hubby and I everywhere.  Simple, modern art that makes an impact and at a minimal cost (this project was actually FREE since I already had all of the supplies).  I found this photo on pinterest and thought, what a creative idea! source Though I really liked the gold coloring, we don't have any gold decor in our home.  So, I looked to see what types of scrapbook paper I had in my paper stash and found shiny silver and glittery silver paper.  One sheet of each actually.  Perfect! What you'll need: Frame of any size. I used an 11x14 frame and with the matting it became 8x10. Poster board to fit into the opening of the frame. 1" round hole punch Scrapbook paper of any kind.  I kept the same color scheme but the options are unlimited. Glue stick. Directions: Cut your poster board to fit into the frame, or the matting, depending on what size you will be using....