Two Habits That Can
Change Your Home Forever
You may ask, “How could developing two habits affect my family for years to come?” We all know that our physical health and our mental health affects every other aspect of our lives. In this unprecedented time, people are becoming more and more aware of their health--but may not know the right things to do in order to keep it. These two habits--one physical, one mental--are vitally important to this process and can affect the rest of our lives.
Habit #1
Become an ingredient detective.
There was a time when I didn't think about the ingredients that were in the food I ate or the products I used on my body. But as I became more concerned about my health and the health of my family, I began to learn how important it is to be very choosey about what goes into and onto our bodies, and what goes into our lungs. I learned to read ingredients on EVERYTHING: what we ate, what we drank, what we put on our bodies, even cleaners and sprays that go into the air. Sometimes I’d have to search to find out exactly what those ingredients were and where they came from. And honestly, many times what I found was NOT anything I would want for my family! It wasn’t long until I started finding better options that we could swap out for the “yuck” that can be so harmful to our health. (Keep reading to find one of the swaps that we made.) It wasn’t long before my children also learned to read ingredients and make wiser choices for themselves. That’s one way that habits you create now can affect your family for years to come!
Habit # 2
Be a thought detective.
More importantly than what enters our bodies is what enters our minds. Will it be bad language, dirty jokes, songs with bad lyrics or negativity? Or will I only choose to listen to wholesome, positive, encouraging words? Does it really matter anyway? Well personally, I started being much more aware of what I listened to, the TV shows (and commercials) that were on, movies we watched, even our discussions after our kids came along. They soak up everything! Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Luke 6:45 tells us, " The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Yes, it does matter! Whatever we let in is going to eventually come out.
It is also true that positive thoughts lead to better health. Proverbs 16:24 tells us: ”Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” When we start to wonder exactly what we should listen to, Philippians 4:8 gives us a good rule to go by for what we allow into our minds: " Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” We can lay anything up against this verse and if it doesn’t meet up with these standards, we might need to rethink if this is what we need to be hearing or seeing. And the great part of this habit is that it won’t be long until the children will develop this one as well. What a wonderful habit to carry with them for the rest of their lives!
Summing it Up
And a Recipe!
So to find balance in our lives, we can develop the two new habits of being an ingredient detective and a thought detective and know exactly what we are letting into our bodies and minds. An excellent place to start knowing what is going into our bodies is to begin swapping out our personal care products. One that everyone uses is hand soap. Have you ever stopped to wonder what is in the soap that your family uses on their hands so often? We wash our hands many times a day and whatever is in the soap is being absorbed into our bodies as well.
And now for that Simple Swap Recipe I promised:
Homemade Foaming Hand Soap
- 1 foaming soap bottle
- 3 Tbsp liquid castile soap (I use the baby/unscented)
- 1 Tsp fractionated coconut oil
- 10 drops essential oil of preference (Some suggestions are: Thieves, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium or Tea Tree)
- Water to fill bottle to the bottom of the pump mechanism.
Add all ingredients to the bottle. Screw on the lid and shake gently to blend. Enjoy clean hands knowing that you haven’t used harmful chemicals at the same time!
Remember what I mentioned about knowing ingredients? It's also very important to look for high-quality ingredients. With essential oils, there are no set standards so that means you have to know the source. Not all essential oils are created equal - You can't just go buy them from a store and trust you're getting the good stuff. I'm so thankful I found a source I trust! Want to know more? Click the button to get in touch!
