Natural Living Articles & Tutorials

Thanks to a European influence on both sides of the family, my husband and I both grew up celebrating the tradition of St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. Many people just know St. Nicholas by the name Santa Claus. While the modern figure of Santa derives from St. Nick, you’d hardly find this patron saint …

I constantly strive to make the holidays less stressful and more enjoyable. In an effort to pare down on the holiday craziness, we vowed to give experiences instead of stuff whenever possible and give only a couple high-quality gifts instead of lots of cheap ones that break the next day. We wanted to lessen the focus on …

Halloween and I have a complicated relationship, at least since I became a mom. Take trick-or-treating, for instance. It’s a fun tradition, but there certainly aren’t too many healthy Halloween treats (or even close to it). Easter and a few other holidays require some similar soul-searching. So what’s a health-conscious mom to do? As I …

Oven cleaning stinks! It is time-consuming and the chemicals that are used in most conventional oven cleaners are toxic. When I started switching all of my household cleaners to more natural methods, finding a way to clean the oven using a natural oven cleaner was at the top of my list. I do not have a self-cleaning oven …

My heart breaks for all of those affected by the pandemics, tornados, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and all the other natural disasters that have caused so many issues. I grew up in a hurricane zone, so I am no stranger to natural disasters. In the past, some of my family members have lost everything in Houston, Texas, …

Imagine for a second a scenario in which you were simultaneously: caring for a newborn that needed constant care building a house with your own hands having to fight off people trying to break into your home still responsible for normal cooking and cleaning Stressful… right? Yet this is what a honey bee colony does every …

As a mom of 6 I’ve had a lot of experience removing stains over the years, but red wine stain removal is especially tough (and is one stain I can only blame on myself). I even lost a few good tablecloths to red wine stains since my DIY stain remover didn’t successfully remove it. I’m not about …

There’s a lot of confusion about safe, natural cookware, in part because it can be hard to tell the difference between a safe piece of cookware and a “green-washed” one. When I wanted to switch out my non-stick cookware for something better I delved into the research to find the best cookware options. Ceramic cookware …

Ask any mom… laundry is a never-ending job in a family! I am always looking for a way to save time on laundry and I certainly like helping the environment, so these wool dryer balls made it on my DIY project list. These wool dryer balls are easy to make and serve a very practical …

Ahhh newlywed life… I loved that blissful time before our first child was born when my husband and I were newly married and sharing our first home together. I have fond memories of that time, and now I love celebrating other couples as they begin their married life together. We’re entering wedding season, which means there are …

You can switch to natural cleaners, run an an air filter, and even use probiotics in the name of improving your home’s microbiome, but if you wear shoes in the house it may be undoing all your efforts. It took some time and research convince me, but there are many reasons to have a no shoes …

My first introduction to witch hazel was not a pleasant one. I remember when I was given a container of witch hazel pads after the many hours of pushing that led to the eventual birth of my firstborn. As I sat there on my ice pack and felt pain in places I didn’t know could feel pain, …

Once upon a time, a well-meaning landscaper offered to do some work for our yard. He suggested spraying the yard with glyphosate to “get rid of all the unsightly dandelions and weeds (*ahem* like plantain) to grow a beautiful lawn. The poor guy didn’t quite understand why I was so adamant that there would never be glyphosate …

Thanks to a bunch of recent research, most of us have at least a passing familiarity with our gut microbiomes and how much the bacteria in our bodies impact our lives. We even now understand that our skin has a microbiome and so does our mouth. But what science is just starting to reveal and …

I love a good detox bath to remove toxins from the body and help kids relax (especially before bed) but a bubble bath is so much more fun! Unfortunately, many bubble baths available at the store contain ingredients that can cause more toxicity. This bubble bath recipe is a great way to give kids a …

Most of us know just how important honey bees are to our food supply and why it matters so much to protect them. Hopefully many of us are even taking some simple steps, like these, to do so. But did you know there are over 4,000 species of native bees in the US alone? And …

Even with a healthy, real food diet, it can often be difficult to get the magnesium our bodies need from food alone. I’ve written before about how I supplement magnesium daily, and the most effective way I’ve found to do it is using magnesium oil spray on my skin. Why do I I feel that …

There is some debate as to whether air filters are really necessary for a healthy home. True, you can do a lot for your indoor air with a few well-chosen indoor plants and it is the most natural and inexpensive way to purify indoor air. But since indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, …

I use lots of herbs and spices in my house, both for flavor and for the health benefits. Some are culinary and others are used for tinctures, salves, skin, and beauty recipes. Dried herbs are fine for many uses but there’s nothing like fresh herbs to give a dish a little something extra. If you’re …

Gardening was once a normal part of life for most people. Not so many generations ago, neighbors exchanged fresh produce over fences (too many zucchini again!) and most people knew their local farmer. Most of us too probably have fond memories of grandmothers opening a can of homemade pickles or jam. Even though times have changed …

A decor diva I am not, but decorating for seasons and holidays with kids is definitely a lot of fun. When I found myself admiring the cute front door wreaths and decorations in the neighborhood, I got an idea … why not try to make my own homemade burlap wreath? Here’s how it went… Make …

I’ve tried my best to resist the slime craze in our house … but the day has finally come. (Cue sinister music.) Seriously, messy projects don’t bother me (we homeschool … need I say more) but what does bother me are the ingredients kids all over the globe are using to make slime. I’d rather my …