My Favorite Cleaning Products for a Fresh Start on the New Year!

It is UNREAL to me that I have not written ONE entry on this blog since August of 2014.  That truly is because my shop www.etsy.com/shop/thetealegg has taken off!  I am enjoying creating fun festive banners, garlands and more there.

I thought I would start off the new year by letting you in on a few of my favorite cleaning products as of lately.  My kids have been gone for almost a week and there has been a TON of cleaning in our house this week.  Christmas came down earlier than I have ever taken it down before but I knew I have to move while the little ones are away.  Does anyone else think it is hard to clean with kids in your house?!

So here are my favorites in no particular order......

{via: www.honest.com}

Honest Company Multi Surface Cleaner

I use this to clean my kitchen counter tops.  A little goes a long way.

The smell is clean and non-offensive.

The trigger puts out a great amount of product.

It leaves my counters feeling crumb and sticky free!

{via: www.methodhome.com}

Method Wood Cleaner

I do not like wood cleaners that are oily and leave a greasy film on my furniture.

I decided to take a risk on this product last month and I LOVE IT!

I have used this to clean all wood furniture surfaces in our house.

A little goes a long way.

The smell is fresh.  

Honestly you could just spray it in the air 

and you would feel like your entire house had been cleaned.

This one has a great trigger as well that puts out a great amount of product.

No greasy residue left on my furniture and no streak marks either!

{via: www.walmart.com}

BONA Wood Floor Cleaner

I have definitely posted about this product before but I can not say enough about it!

It does not have a smell....so your house won't smell clean.

But, it is so safe for your little ones and pets who are in close contact with your wood floors.

Costco had a sale on it last January and I was able to get a HUGE bottle and refill for right around $10.00 (which depending on how often you clean your floors....could last you up to 1 year).

This cleaner leaves my floors clean, beautiful, rejuvenated, and feeling awesome to bare feet!

There you have it! 

 My VERY FAVORITES right now!  

It just feels good to start off the New Year with a clean slate!  

Happy Cleaning!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Is She Prettier Than Me"?

It has been a while since I posted.  Not because I don't have a ton of thoughts running through my mind, but because my shop has been busy lately!  I am so thankful for those of you who have made purchases and those of you who continue to help me share my shop The Teal Egg.

A few weeks ago, we spent the weekend with a family my husband knows better than I do.  We had a great weekend with them.  My daughter was in heaven because one of their children is a little girl the same age.  These girls were so cute together!  They played "Anna and Elsa" like there was no tomorrow.  I wish you could have seen them!!!!

My daughter is super extrovert.  She LOVES people.  She is extremely animated and lives to reenact Disney movies.  She met her match that weekend because our friend's little girl was just as extroverted, just as loving, and just as animated!

There was one time during their play that my daughter came to me and said, "Mommy, am I as pretty as she is?"  I have to tell you, in that moment, my heart sank.  All these thoughts came rushing into my my mind.... "Have I ever made this comment in her presence?", "Has she read my mind when I question this in myself?", "Have I passed along this terrible insecurity to my daughter?", "God, please don't let this be a struggle in my sweet precious baby girl's heart!"

She really stopped me dead in my tracks with this question.  And my heart, literally ached.  Of course my immediate response was, "You both are beautiful because Jesus made you both beautiful."  She smiled and seemed to accept that answer and went back to playing with her new friend.

But over and over and over again, those words played them self to me again on repeat, "Am I as pretty as she is?"  No one had to teach my daughter to ask that question.  But where did it come from?  Is is just a curse on women?  Do we all struggle with this question, whether we admit it or not?  Have I exposed her to something in her everyday world that would cause her to ask this question?

Why must this thought enter my baby girl's mind?  Really and truly if I am just down right honest, because of the broken state of man.  Because of sin.  Because we have been shattered.  That is why it is there in her mind, in my mind.  We wrestle with comparison because our society teaches it to us, shoves it in our face, and serves it up on a silver platter.  BUT, we accept it.  I accept it and I allow it to captivate my thoughts.  I allow it to lessen the relationships with those around me.  If I don't take it captive....it will destroy me and jealousy will breed.

It's ugly, I know.  But what I know to be even more true is that it is a struggle for us all.  In every woman, there is a wrestle "Is she prettier than me?"  "Is she smarter than me?"  "Does she have it more together than me?"  "Is she a better mom than me?"  "Is she a better wife than me?"  "Is she a better _________ than me?"  Whatever it is for you....it is there.

I want my daughter to know, I want myself to know....

God created man/woman in His image and His image is BEAUTIFUL!  Don't cheat yourself out of relationships with other women.  Satan desires to steal, kill and destroy all that is a gift from your Heavenly Father to you.  Friendships with other women are a sweet joy given to you, have several of them.  Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Find the best in other women and tell them to their face what you see as their best!  Allow Jesus to fill ALL of you and the question "Is she . . . ." will become less and less in your mind.

I've been thinking a lot these past few weeks about my daughter's question.  And, the best way I know how to smother this thought in her mind is to continue to teach her about Jesus, confirm the best qualities I see in her, and lead her in speaking words of encouragement and life into the lives of girls she comes in contact with.  

This has to become my practice too because how can I lead her if this is not true for my life as well.

Engage With Your Kids

Summer is coming to a close.  We are soaking in the last few days and weeks in our house.  Yesterday I spent 30 minutes playing play dough with my daughter.  Today we spent the entire day in a wet swim suit at the water park.

The list below came from our local library.  I love it so much, I decided to post it here.  All of these things can be done throughout the year with your children.  Life with our children doesn't just have to happen during the summer.  Sometimes I find myself striving to check of the "summer fun list" but the truth is my children and I need fun throughout the year.


One of my sweetest friends said these words to me one day regarding her four children.....

"I'm going to make their childhood magical if it kills me"!

Those words stuck with me.  They made me laugh right out loud.  And they echo in my mind when days are hard.  I only have an allotted amount of time with my children.  Why wouldn't I work my hardest to make it magical?!  Magical doesn't have to be big and extravagant and over the top at all times.  Magical can be as simple as the list below.  I believe magical happens when I ENGAGE with my children.  When they know they have MOMMY present 100%.  Those are the moments I believe they will remember as magical.  I have enlarged my most favorite in the list below.  

Visit the library

Play blocks with your child

Read wordless books with your child

Make animal noises together

Look at a picture dictionary together

Sing songs about your day

Talk about the weather with your child. What kind of days do they like best?

Sing counting songs, such as “One, Two, Buckle my Shoe.”

Visit the grocery store with and talk about the many colors you see

Read a nonfiction book with your child

Talk about what is going on around you

Ask your child many questions

Read a story about your child’s favorite animal

Share a story about your childhood

Make a snack together by using a recipe

Do fingerplays and action rhymes any time

Let your child make music with various kitchen items

Read your child a bedtime story

Count with your child as you drive in the car

Make an alphabet book

Collect leaves together and sort them by size and color

Put a puzzle together with your child

Go on a color walk together and point things out that are red, green, etc

Sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” together

Dance with your child

She Reads Truth: Justice Study

Last week I posted about the Noonday #StyleforJustice trip to Rwanda.  I hope you will take time to read that post here.  The trip consisted of a group of women with so many different gifts and talents.  It is amazing to me the web that their lives and commitments are forming.  I choose the word web in such a positive way....because here is what I started today out of that web.....

I am new to She Reads Truth Bible Study Plans.  You can visit their website here to learn so much more.  Here is what they have to say about themselves.....

The most important players in SheReadsTruth are God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as they speak truth to our hearts through the reading of God’s word. Beyond that, there is you – a vast and beautiful community of women committed to growing closer to Jesus by seeking His face.

As for us, we are a handful of women who manage the site and write the plans. We are just like you, dependent on the grace of Jesus and needy of the Holy Spirit moving in our lives. We are a part of this community and we are committed to reading God’s Word along with you.

Today, they launched a 14 day Justice Study.  What is even better is you can access this study from your iPhone in the She Rhttp://shereadstruth.com/2014/07/18/reads-truth-iphone-app/eads Truth App.  The Justice Study is $1.99 and $1.00 of every purchase is being given to the International Justice Mission.  AMAZING!

The site has several other studies you can join along with too.  Titus, Ruth, Nehemiah, 123 John.... I am so excited to have this access at my fingertips.  So the app includes: The Bible, Study Plans, Notes, Bookmarks, Lock Screens of Scripture for memorization, and a chance to comment on daily readings and see what other people are commenting.

The Justice Study will include posts and thoughts from the following: Gary A. Haugen (founder/ceo of International Justice Mission) Bethany Hoang (director of the Institute for Biblical Justice), Jessica Honegger (founder of Noonday Collection), and Jennie Allen (author).  See huge web from last weeks #styleforjustice trip to Rwanda.

I hope you will check out the She Reads Truth site and learn more for yourself.  And if you are ready to jump in download the She Reads Truth app and get started on the Justice Study with me and a TON of other women!

#Style for Justice {What Makes You Come Alive}

If you know me at all, you know I love the world.  I have an affinity for the nations.  My love for travel began at the age of 14 when I took my first trip overseas.  Since then my feet have trod the soil of Russia, China, India, Ecuador and Peru.  A few of these countries I have been to on several accounts and China was my home one summer between my junior and senior years of nursing school.

My life is forever marked by the time that has been so graciously afforded me around the world.  I was changed as a 14 year old teenager, who stepped on a plane 20 years ago, with limited knowledge of the world outside my homeland.

The last trip I took internationally was to Peru in July of 2009.  Deep down I knew it would be my last for a while.  I was desperately sifting through the pieces of a miscarriage and praying that life would begin in me the following month.  Little did I know, the life of my first born child would begin that month. And now it's July 2014, and I have 3 children ages 4, 3, and 13 months.  God has been faithful!

My heart is wrestling.  My mind is racing.  My feet are longing to jump on a plane and go.  There are tons of thoughts floating through my mind concerning: my husband, my children, location, timing, to do what, to go with whom....

I am currently following a team of moms, writers, minister's wives, photographers, bloggers, and creators who are in Rwanda.  I have followed Emily's blog for at least three years now.  I have read Jen's book 7 continue to follower her IG feed.  I worked through Jenni's CHASE study with a few of my closets friends and read her book Anything this past winter.  And right now, they with a few others, are partnering with Noonday Style for Justice.   

This summer, we're fusing fashion and justice as Noonday Collection partners with International Justice Mission for the #StyleForJustice Story Team Trip to Rwanda. Join us

as we journey with an influential group of storytellers and introduce them to Rwandan women who have overcome injustice and have been empowered through economic opportunity. By coming alongside these women and sharing their stories, our goal is to raise awareness for the vulnerable and inspire others to get involved and use their voices for good. 

I really love Noonday's Purpose

Noonday Collection's mission is to create economic opportunity for the vulnerable. We partner with artisans in the developing world, empowering them to grow sustainable businesses. By creating a marketplace for their goods, we create dignified jobs at living wages. This allows our artisans to earn more in order to support their families. We also offer no interest loans and make advance payments on orders. This way we are able to shoulder the costs of materials and build a lasting relationship based on trust. We offer scholarship programs and emergency assistance. Noonday Collection also donates a portion of sales to place orphans in forever families.

Noonday Collection is not a charity and we do not believe that providing a hand out is a sustainable long-term solution to poverty. We aim to be a sustainable business that gives women across the United States a way to make a lasting difference in the fight against poverty and injustice. This is what makes this movement so special. To learn more about Noonday's impact, click here: http://www.noondaycollection.com/impact

I encourage you to follow along this journey from the Noonday website or any of the #StyleforJustice Story Team Member's personal sites.  Their individual IG feeds are awesome as well as the Noonday IG feed.  Pray for these ladies. Pray for this country.  Don't you just love the goal of this trip......

 Raise awareness for the vulnerable and inspire others to get involved and use their voices for good. 

{via:jonesdesigncompany.com}

This trip is so encouraging to me right where I am in life: a mom of several littles, a follower who is hungry to jump in again, and a woman who desires to use her gifts to advance others.  My prayer is that you will be challenged and blessed along this journey.  I pray you will understand the beauty and uniqueness in the gifts you have been given.  My pray for you and for me is we would not transform to what we see as the "trending" thing right now, but rather, we would dig deep and find these words to be true of us.....

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs.  

Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, 

because what the world needs is people who have come alive".

 Gil Bailie 

So what makes you come alive?  And how can you use it to change the world?

A Few of My Favorite Things Lately.....

I did one of these post sometime last year so I thought it might be time for another one.  These are just random things that are my favorites right now.  And who knows....they may be your favorites too or some just might become your favorites through this post.

1.  Huggies Clutch and Clean Wipe Holder

{via: Huggies.com}

  My sister was recently here and introduced me to this wonderful little contraption made by Huggies.  It is a reusable wipe holder (functions much like a ziplock) and has a nifty little strap that can attach to your stroller, diaper bag or wrist.  I found mine at Target for 3.99 with wipes inside.  

I am a huge fan of Kirland brand wipes (Costco) but right now you can score 1160 Huggies wipes, a clean and clutch, and a wipes tub for 24.99.  The Kirkland's brand currently gives you 900 wipes for 24.99.  

2.  Cartwheel by Target App

{via: cartwheel.target.com}

I have seen this app A TON but have never used it until once again my sister was here and we were talking about stacking savings at Target.  I really wanted a pair of sandals that were on sale at roughly 16.99 and there was a 25% off Cartwheel coupon that I was able to stack.  So I ended up with these cuties for $12.74! (and PS they are now online for $10.00 SCORE)

Pretty much every time I am in Target, I see if what I have in my cart has a Cartwheel coupon.  You can load up to 10 coupons at a time.  And if you want to remove one so that you can add one that you really need in that moment you can.  You just hand the cashier your phone (with your barcode) and all your coupons are applied at checkout.

I look at it this way....if you have to buy it or want to buy it....using a coupon is free money to you!  And this app makes it so easy.  There is even a coupon for the Target Cafe where you can score % off popcorn and beverages (perfect for keeping kids busy while you shop)!


3.  Thirty-One Bags

I got my first Thirty-One bag last summer (a large utility tote).  Most of my friends used them for the pool and I really wanted to try one out.  It literally saved my life last year.  I hosted an online Thirty-One Party a few weeks ago and score the Deluxe Utility Tote (a little larger and with outside pockets) and a Zip Top Utility Tote.

I LOVE Thirty-One Products.  I can not say enough good things about them.  I have 3 little kids ages four and under and I only have 2 hands.  These bags help me get it all out the door and back in the door in minimal trips.

If you don't know a Thirty-One Consultant here is a link to my friend Summer's page.  She is awesome and is such a joy to work with and knows a TON about Thirty-One products and which ones would be right for you!


4.  Homegrown Vegetables

Last year my oldest got a 4x4 garden for her birthday.  I was great with child and we never got the garden planted.  But this year, I was determined to do it even if it killed me.  She wanted to grown pickles and carrots!  Ha!

We planted our garden....even though I really had NO idea what I was doing.  And I did NO research (which I don't recommend).  BUT we have vegetables....pickles AKA cucumbers, banana peppers, green peppers, red peppers, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and carrots.

We are seeing the fruits of our my labor and the kids are having a TON of fun with the harvest.


5.  Melissa and Doug Toys

{via: amazon.com}

{via: amazon.com}

{via: amazon.com}

{via: amazon.com}

My mother in law has scored some awesome stuff through Melissa and Doug over the last several months.  We are loving these Water Wow reusable paint pages (no paint involved only water), and these Paint with Water pages with a strip of paint at the top of each page (so you don't have to keep up with watercolors).  And how about these magnetic dress up people for boys and girls.  My sister gave these to my kids for their birthdays and they can not stop playing with them.....which provides moments of peace for me in each day! Yay!


6.  Artwork made with my children's hands and feet

I posted a DIY Mermaid Canvas using your child's hands from my daughter's birthday party.  Since then we have made lobsters and butterflies using our hands and our feet and a little paint.  It does require some work on my part but the kids love it and we always do these project outside.


7.  Nest Photo from The Whatever Shop

I have a little ETSY shop called none other than THE TEAL EGG.  I put things in it that I create.  Things that make me happy.  Things that I would love for others to enjoy as well.  The Whatever Shop has this print that I discovered a few weeks ago.

Before I could order it, a sweet friend purchased it for me as an encouragement to hang in my "create" space.  Such a thoughtful gift that has deep rich meaning to me!


8.  Vintage Dressing Table for my daughter's room

I am finally putting together my daughter's big girl room.  It has just been in utter limbo the last few years.  My mom purchased this vintage dresser and I am excited to paint it and put it in her room.  Researching chalk paint right now and picking my sister's brain about her success in painting an antique hutch with chalk paint.


9.  No More Bottles in Our House!!!!!!

And perhaps my most favorite of all......NO MORE BOTTLES!  The baby is loving his sippy cup and momma is happy.  No tears to be found here.  I feel like I have a new lot on life!  So proud of him!!!!

A Mason Jar Full of Flowers

"And why worry about your clothes?  Look at the lilies and how they grow.  They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won;t he more surely care for you?  You have so little faith!"

Matthew 6:28-30

For the last several weeks I have been letting my oldest pick out flowers at the grocery store. A month or two ago we got to shop for groceries at Trader Joe's (it's a good distance from our house).  The moment we walked in the door her eyes filled with wonder and she walked immediately over to the flowers begging me to get some.  She carefully selected yellow tulips.  She was filled with JOY over this purchase and if truth be known, so was I.  

We brought those tulips home, cut the ends off, and placed them in a mason jar full of fresh water.  She put the mason jar of tulips on the center of our kitchen table and since that time we have continued to fill the mason jar weekly with a little flower JOY!

She talks to me a lot about the beauty of what she selected.  She talks to me about their need for fresh water.  She asks me why their life span is so short.  She tells me God made "her" flowers.  She is learning much about her Creator through a simple bunch of flowers.

Yes my grocery bill is a little higher than if I had just left them off, but the conversations I have with her over these flowers can never be bought with a price.  My daughter is the MOST thoughtful human being I know.  She genuinely cares for all people.  She loves deeply.  She is teaching me more about myself and living like Jesus than I ever knew possible.  She makes me want to be a better person.  

I pray I will always take the time to let her pick out flowers with which to fill the mason jar full.  I pray she will live in the confidence of knowing if God cared enough to dress the flowers so beautifully that He will surely dress and care for her that much more.  I pray the length of the flowers days will always remind her we are here for a season, live your life with His Kingdom in mind.