Another Favorite Product of 2013

I'm still not being paid anything to recommend products to my readers (*hint, hint*), but I still feel the urge to share things with you that I love and that have helped my family live healthier.  OnGuard drops are one of them. These little brown "cough drops" are amazing! We've been using them for a while now, but not until this year have they become a product I try to make sure we never run out of.

OnGuard drops have everything I've always looked for in a throat/cough drop: deeply soothing to sore throats, truly effective against coughs, full of ingredients that boost the immune system, and no fully refined sugar. These babies are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice and organic brown rice syrup, plus there are no artificial flavors or colors added. And with the OnGuard essential oil blend (probably my favorite oil) permeating each drop, they are wonderfully delicious. Plus, I honestly feel better while I'm sucking one--I can really feel those powerful antioxidants working.

My husband has used these during colds when he couldn't go to sleep at night because of persistent coughing. He found that if he would go to bed with an OnGuard drop in his mouth, his coughs were soothed and he could sleep all night. Trying this with other types of cough drops didn't work for him. As for sore throats, I don't want to use any other kind of drop anymore because these are the only ones that actually numb the pain and help me feel better.

One caveat, for those on a budget (like me): OnGuard drops are way more expensive than your traditional sugar cough drop (about 50 cents per drop). But they are also way more effective. I have instructed my children to tuck their drop into one cheek to help it last as long as possible, which they do, and it lasts at least half an hour--usually longer. My mom tried one the other day for the first time and it lasted her about three hours!

Yet another reason to love this amazing product. :)

(By the way, if you would like to try this or any other essential oil product, as a consultant I am happy to order it for you at the discounted price, you would just need to add on the cost of shipping.)

My Favorite New Product of 2013

I've wanted an essential oils diffuser for years but never felt like I could fork out the money. I wanted a good one and the only good ones I knew of were delicate and expensive and I just didn't feel good about either.

So last week when a friend told me about an amazing deal going on for the SpaVapor mist diffuser, I got really excited. I looked up the info on this product and thought it might actually be what I'd been looking for, since it's durable and easy to clean. Plus, I liked the idea of dispersing the oils with water, thereby adding moisture to the dry air in our house (especially during the winter) and not having to use half a bottle of oils in one use (like some expensive diffusers). I've long used a humidifier for this purpose, but as it wasn't made for oils usage, after a while the poor machine started to get corroded.

The mist diffuser is listed here for $49.99, but I got it for $20 (plus shipping)--so I ordered two and my total came to $50. You can't beat that! I think this deal goes until May of 2013, but I'm not entirely certain. You can order it here and use the code SpaVapor to see if the discount is still going on. Another option, I noticed, is Amazon.com, where it's listed for around $32 (plus shipping).

I love how well this product works, how durable it really is (and it's BPA free!), how super easy it is to clean, and how wonderful it is to finally have oils dispersing through my home, helping us stay healthy (or get better, depending on the situation). I even love the 6 changing LED lights that are pretty and soothing. (They can be turned off, if you prefer). My kids love the lights too and my girls even insist we put one of the diffusers in their room at night. Once it's filled up, it runs for a few hours before it turns off automatically.

A big thank you to Greenair for creating such a great product!

Another Favorite Product

I'm going to sound like a commercial here, but I am seriously enamored with this new SolarLite flashlight my parents gave to my husband for his birthday. We always have a regular (big batteries) flashlight on hand in case of a power outage, but we also always keep the batteries out of the flashlight, since battery power drainage occurs even when the flashlight isn't in use. But that means if it's dark, it's kind of frustrating to get the flashlight working. (Who am I kidding? It's frustrating anyway.) But this flashlight is a totally different story:

• Only 4 Ounces
• Floats
• Waterproof to 80'
• 10 hours of Light--On one charge!
• Solar Charge Holds for 3 Years
• SuperBright 40 Lumen LED
• Recharge with any Light Source--This one amazes me!
• 7 Year Lithium-Ion Backup Battery
• No Cranking - No Shaking
• Environmentally Friendly
• Guaranteed for Life!

Honestly, anyone wanting to be prepared for emergencies (and I want to take it camping too) should have one of these!

Another Favorite Product in 2012

For some reason, lately I have been thinking about everything my long-ago women ancestors had to do just to accomplish simple, necessary tasks, like washing clothes and making bread for their families. I don't know how they did it all; I feel like I have more to do in a day than I can possibly accomplish, and that's with electricity and modern conveniences, like this immersion blender!

Last Christmas, my husband gave me this, which was something I had had on my wish list for a while. I use it often and am so glad I have it. It takes so much less time to make creamy soups (like my favorite, Cheesy Cauliflower/Broccoli Soup), and produces fewer dirty pots and pans, since I can just cream it all right in the soup pot I serve it in. I'm all about efficiency!

I also like having the other containers, as shown in the picture. These may be specific to the Oster brand and weren't something I planned on, but they have also been helpful. One of them has a blade and hooks right up to the top part of the blender, as I mentioned in my Sneaky Chicken Nuggets recipe recently.

Seriously, what's not to love?

My Favorite New Product of 2012 (so far)

I wanted to include this in my Budget Saver Tips, but depending on how much deodorant you use, it may not actually save you money. Sometimes other things take precedence, though--like health. Since I have always bought my deodorants for around a dollar apiece, paying nine dollars (online price) for this baby seems like an awful lot (though my mom picked ours up for six-fifty). However, they are guaranteed to last a year. And I've heard of some people's lasting several years. So it may be a budget saver after all!

Even cooler than lasting a long time is the fact that this is no ordinary deodorant. For years I've been concerned about using regular deodorant, which contains aluminum chlorhydrates and/or zirconium, because I know heavy metals aren't good for our bodies.  And the whole idea of blocking something that our body was built to do for a reason didn't seem natural to me either. But, other than going without (which is not an option) or using baking soda (not a pleasant thought), I didn't think I had a choice. Now, thanks to my brother, I know I do.

My sixteen-year-old brother asked his doctor several months ago if there was anything he could do to reduce his body order, other than showering and using deodorant regularly, which he was already doing. He was very frustrated, and I don't blame him. (I was also impressed he would even notice; many boys his age don't.) The doctor recommended he try a mineral salt stick in place of his deodorant, and my mom ended up getting one each for him, my dad, and herself. Now they're all fans of it and my husband and I are too.

I've read reviews of a similar product that say that some people experience a two-week "breakthrough" period during which the the crystal doesn't seem to work well for them because their body is detoxing. But once that flushing out of toxins ends, there is no odor anymore. I experienced some of that detoxing, but now, even after my cardio workout, I don't smell. Amazing!

I love that the crystal stick is

• 100% natural, with no chemicals or synthetic products added, and
• hypoallergenic.

The reason it works is because, as their website states: 

"Crystalux deodorants simply adjust the skin's pH level to stop odor causing bacteria before they multiply on the skin's surface. Other deodorants may temporarily mask body odor or clog pores by stopping the natural sweating process."

I feel a lot better about using this than that chemical-laden, perfumed stuff I used to use! In fact, I feel so good about it that it is my favorite new product of the year so far.

Products Review--or My New Stuff

As I mentioned here during my one year anniversary month, I ordered a couple things from Wayfair, free. This is the second time I have done a product review for them; it's so fun to get free stuff! I have had my items now for about a week and love them both.

The first item I ordered is this salad dressing (or drink) shaker/mixer. Prior to this I served my homemade salad dressings from a glass mason jar, which has quite the potential for messes. I was kind of tired of that and wanted something better. This is definitely that! It holds up to 2 cups and pours very well, and I love that the lid snaps so securely. It's perfect for storing and serving and is exactly what I needed, so I'm very pleased with my "purchase." (By the way, if you're in need of something like this as well, it's still 47% off, at just under $7.)

The second item I ordered is this pretty shower curtain. It was so nice to replace our old, cheepo curtain that would no longer come clean. We've never had a good quality, 100% cotton shower curtain before, so I'm enjoying it. I would never spend $40 on a shower curtain, which is the original cost of this one, but it is currently $25 and thus fit within my allotted free budget. All I had to pay for to complete our bathroom "makeover" was a bathmat from Wal-Mart to replace the one we had (which didn't match). It's amazing how a couple little changes like this can perk up a room.

So, once again, thank you to CSN Stores and Alexandra for another opportunity to try out their plethora of goods. And to any of my readers, if you are interested in doing a CSN product review or giveaway on your blog, let me know and I will put you in contact with Alexandra.