Supplements

Wow my little munchkin girl just turned 5 months on Sunday. I really do not know where the time went! My oldest started kindergarten and she is just beside herself with excitement. Mum however is a little sad but also incredibly excited for her!

I wanted to talk about the supplements that I take everyday as I think that I've got a regimen down now that really benefits my insides and outsides.

First and foremost, I take fish oil. I take the Kirkland's brand from Costco. For a while they started adding soy for some insane reason but it currently doesn't contain any. Make sure your fish oil is pure! No additives like soy or other vegetable oils. I take 8 pills per day (3 in the morning, 2 at lunch and 3 before bed) which is 8000 mg or 2400 mg of DHA/EPA per day. It's a lot for a normal person, who could get by with about half that amount but I have lupus, I'm nursing and I'm post pregnancy.

Next, if I don't get a chance to get outside in the sun for at least an hour (without sunscreen!) I take Vitamin D. I take 10,000IU/day. I use the Now brand from Amazon and they are 5,000IU each so just 2 pills per day.

I also take magnesium. Right now I have liquid magnesium ions which I just squirt into my herbal tea. I take about 400 mg/day. These taste pretty terrible so when they're gone I'm ordering magnesium gluconate pills.

Finally, I take probiotics both in pill form and I brew my own kombucha and drink 8oz per day.

And that's it! My 3 daughters, who also eat a paleo diet (5 month old through nursing ;)) and take the same supplements (lower dosages) except no kombucha and their probiotic is a sugar-free chewable  by Yum-yum.

Take care!

-- Robyn

Cleaning out my closet

Yes, I'm cleaning out my closet both figuratively and literally! You can kind of understand the literal part of it - my closet has a bunch of crap on the floor that needs to be picked up and sorted and I need to start getting rid/give away my maternity clothes because yes, I pretty much fit into my old clothes, yay!!!

So, to the figurative part, in an effort to have a greener, safer home, I've started making a lot of my own cleaners, lotions, detergents, etc. This not only reduces the number of toxins my family is exposed to but also (insanely) reduces the amount of money I have to pay out for these types of items. I have to thank wellnessmama.com for planting the seed and making many recipes available. And, then the internet, always! Who knew your bathrooms could get so clean with baking soda and vinegar?!

I started by making lotion bars. These little cakes are heavenly and only contain coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin e, beeswax and essential oils.

Air freshener

Then, I made room air fresheners with only some small mason jars, decorative paper, baking soda and essential oils.

Then, I made my own laundry detergent, yes, you heard me right! I made approximately 5 gallons for about the cost 2 cents/load versus 18-24 cents/load for the store bought stuff. It doesn't have any of the harsh detergents and chemicals either and still works just as good or better depending on the type of stain. I only used water, castile soap, baking soda and washing soda. And, by using lavender scented castile, my laundry smells fantastic!!

I then moved onto an all purpose cleaner. My next item is fabric softener.

I also started on the "no (sham)poo" band wagon. It's been about a week and a half and they say to give your hair about 3-4 weeks in order to get your scalp's oil production back to normal so I'll also let you know how that goes.

I have a busy day ahead of me but I'll post recipes or links in my next entry. I really can't believe how much better I feel about making my home a less toxic place!

-- Robyn