Simple Health Swaps - simple steps to getting healthier!

Looking to take control of your health? Lose weight? Gain muscle? Have more energy?

Feeling overwhelmed & don't know where to start?

Join us weekly & learn how making some simple health swaps can help you take control of your health & feel amazing!



We are a group of moms who have a passion to teach other moms how to live healthier for life. We will be sharing recipes, daily tips, & motivation on our exclusive Private Facebook Group – plus weekly webinars with some amazing guest speakers!

Not sure if this is for you?

Learn from other moms (just like you) who have faced weight issues, eating disorders, health challenges & more in a private and supportive group setting – for FREE!



My friend Erin will be sharing honestly & from the heart about her struggles with food & losing weight. Doesn't she look fantastic? She went from having no energy & being a "couch potato" mom to an active mom who can now keep up with her 3 kids.

Whether you need to lose a lot of weight, need to 'tone up' your body or desire to learn to make healthier food choices - we can help!

Don't miss out!



This webinar is held every week, on Wednesday evenings, from May 22, 2013 to July 24, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. (central time).

Register now!

Click here to register for the weekly webinars.

See you then!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at adoringthesimple@gmail.com. Also, please send me an email when you register, so I can add you to our private Simple Health Swaps Facebook page!

P.S. Feel free to invite your friends or anyone who wants to get healthy!

Follow me on Facebook! Click here!

Shaklee FREE shipping!

Special is ON & runs through midnight, Sunday (May 19th) night!  Join as a member & receive free shipping on any order, any size!



Here is some more information:

I am giving you FREE SHIPPING when you join my Shaklee Member Team, called Project Health, with any order - this weekend ONLY! (May 18th or 19th) No order is too big or too small to get the free shipping! Including, GOLDS!

The reason I’m writing to you specifically is because I think you want to:

*be as healthy as you can
*connect with other like-minded people
*get discounts, savings, and specials

Here is a list of what you get when you join Project Health (our online Shaklee Member Community):

*join our online community of like minded people (over 600 in our community)
*get discounts (save 15% on all products and 25% on some)
*get a free product
*ask unlimited health questions
*communicate with other members for stories & advice
*get shipping specials
*get the latest specials, news & health facts
*24/7 access to community
*your own secure ordering website with loads of health information just for you
*100% money back guarantee on all products - no questions asked

You can say, “If I were to guess the top 4 questions or objections you will have about joining as a member, they would be these:

*How much is it to renew each year?
*Is there a minimum each month or year?
*What is your return policy?
*By joining as a member, does that make me a distributor?"

So here’s how I would clear those up for you:

*There is no renewal fee. It's a lifetime membership & one time fee of $19.95.
*There are no minimums EVER! You can order once a year or monthly. It's up to you!
*We offer 100% money back guarantee for all products.
*You are not a distributor & will not receive bonuses. If you want to get paid for sharing Shaklee, you need to click here & partner with me!

I want you to be completely without risk, so here’s my guarantee. If for any reason a Shaklee Product is not satisfactory, return it for exchange or full refund.

If our products are not the best they can be — & the best you can buy — what else matters? So if you don't experience the desired results from a Shaklee nutritional, personal care, or household product, you may return the unused portion for a 100% refund.

In addition to a money-back guarantee, we offer:

*100% guarantee that the ingredients listed on the label are in the product
*100% guarantee of quality-controlled product formulations that ensure product safety, purity, reliability, and product performance
*100% guarantee that we use the finest quality ingredients available

Experience the Shaklee Difference for yourself. You deserve it!

It’s really easy to get started. You just go to my Shaklee website & click the 'Become a Member' down at the bottom.

It is a one-time fee of $19.95. Your member fee is waived with the purchase of Vitalizer. (I love this and take it daily.)

Once you decide to get started here’s what’s going to happen.... You will get a 15% discount on your order & you will receive a welcome email from me with all the details about joining our private online community.

You need to do this right now, because I am offering you a free product within your first 30 days of joining when you complete our Learn & Earn Members Program AND you will receive FREE SHIPPING!!!!

Here’s a list of people who have already joined us and exactly what happened for them:

"We LOVE the cleaning products! I haven't had an asthma attack since switching in November 2011!!" Connie

"Basic H & G...so nice to clean without my nose getting all stuffed up, sore throats and terrible headaches behind my eyes like I would get with Mr. Clean and other harsh cleaners." Casey

"I love that I don't get headaches anymore from cleaning, I've been using them for years now and will never switch! And my toddler drank the Basic H2 and was just fine, whew! I LOVE the peace of mind. And the protein shakes are amazing, love love love them, they make meal planning very simple The vitamins give me lots of energy and keep me healthy, no big sicknesses for us this year! I could go on and on and on..." Michelle

"Shaklee 180 Turnaround changed my life! It it's by far the best weight loss program out there! down 35 lbs in 15 weeks! I feel great!" Christi

"My husband and I are losing weight! I thought I never would be able to say that! Definitely life changing!" Linda

I am giving you FREE SHIPPING when you join my Shaklee Member team, called Project Health, with any order - this weekend ONLY! (May 18th or 19th) No order is too big or too small to get the free shipping! You will see the shipping fee come off your order AFTER your order is placed & you'll see it on your email confirmation, also.

Join today & I will see you in the forum! Be sure to pass this information along to all family & friends, in case they want to take advantage of this offer, too! Remember, it's this Saturday (starts at midnight tonight) & Sunday only!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Electrasol and/or Finish Dishwasher detergent RESIDUE!

Hello there! Happy mid-week! I thought I'd hop on here real quick & show you a drinking glass I discovered yesterday in my cabinet.

These photos have been altered in NO WAY. This right here is the REAL DEAL. I have a set of 20 or so of these glasses & the majority are now washed clean with/in Shaklee. Obviously, this one hasn't been used since I switched (thank God I switched!!) & I was just appalled when I saw it. YUCK. Who wants to drink that? That, my friends, is what Electrasol/Finish is leaving in your cups & on your dishes. There is absolutely no question that this residue is from Electrasol/Finish, because that is the only dishwasher detergent I used for 10 years. (I used to love it & thought it was the best! Haha!) I have never used...Cascade...? I don't even know the names of other brands. I have never used anything else. Look how thick that nasty residue is! Isn't that a pretty glass to pull out when guests come to visit?!



I snapped the photo & then quickly washed it clean with Shaklee's dish soap. I did it so quick, I didn't even use hot water, just cold. And it came this clean! Residue-free. Layer after layer of chemicals gone. I am SO thankful my family, my children especially, well heck, my husband & myself, too, are no longer eating & drinking that leftover residue with our foods & drinks.



It's so clean & clear, you can visually see the lights reflecting in the middle & down the sides. Yes, please!

For Shaklee's Dish Washer Automatic Concentrate - click here!

For Shaklee's Dish Wash Concentrate (dish soap) - click here!

To see all of Shaklee's Get Clean kits - click here! (I started with a $40 kit & LOVED it! ONE YEAR LATER, I'm still using most of the products!)

All of Shaklee's products are concentrated & last forever! LOVE!

Oh & if you want to see what I do & who I do it with - click here! This is our amazing Shaklee team! Love these girls! (This isn't everyone. We have over 100 distributors on our team alone!)

We are preparing for a garage sale on Saturday, so off I go! Selling things I've never considered selling before. We have too much stuff & we don't need it all! We are spoiled! Live simple! :)

Follow me on Facebook! Click here!

My cute, little refurbished table!

Truth: I'm not really a DIY'er. Not when it comes to painting & refurbishing furniture pieces. But I'm ready to begin decorating our home, & it has to be on a (pretty much nonexistent) budget. So painting it is. I have so many pieces I want to do, but I've been afraid to do it, because I have no clue what I'm doing. But it's now or never & I won't learn unless I try. I figure if everyone else can do it, I can, too! Positive thinking! I'm starting with a little table that I bought at Goodwill a few years ago. I bought it to go in our small bathroom, but it didn't really work like I had hoped. Since then, it's been unproductively sitting beside our couch, collecting dust. Time to put it to use!



I decided to move it into the front living room, which is where I mostly have beige, brown & aqua. Because the table was inexpensive, & it's ok if I mess it up, I decided to go bold & spray paint it with 'Maui Blue'! I took a little aqua candle holder to try to match the color. I'm efficient like that. Ha!



I took it outside & did a little light sanding, to remove some slight surface scratches. I wanted a fine sandpaper, but we didn't have any, so I found this semi-fine sanding block. Worked fine (I crack myself up). I lightly sanded the top & some of the sides, wherever it needed a little touch up.



I bought a white spray primer, but decided not to use it, since the table is so small. (Now that it's done, I think I wouldn't have needed as many coats if I had used it. That darn "hindsight's 20/20" thing.)

Here's the first coat. I went quick & light, to avoid overspraying & drips. Times 50.



And here is it, completed! Tada! Actually, it had to be done, because I ran out of paint. Now that it's inside drying, if I happen to notice I missed any areas, I'll buy another can & finish those.



Whoa! That sucker is bright! A little too bright for my liking. :) We are rooming our girls together in the near future & I'm going to put it in their room. It will be perfect!



For my first piece, not too shabby! It's actually pretty darn cute!

Hope you had a beautiful Mother's Day! :)

(Psst - if you are going to paint, I suggest not using a sheet, like I did! It was horrible, sticking & moving! Next time I will use cardboard.)

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

End of school & beginning of recital days.

I hate when busyness consumes life! I don't like being rushed, I don't like having (sometimes, multiple) commitments every single day - it sends me into a tailspin & I start to stress. And I certainly don't like that! I enjoy stress-free. I want to keep my glorious, young, wrinkle-free face & skin (ahem) looking it's best. Stress doesn't fit in that equation!

Last year, after our dance year had already begun, Merc's dance teachers suggested we bump her up a class because she dances so well. So we did, which is awesome! But that means she hasn't had as many classes as her classmates have & she's younger than they are. She does a great job with her steps & keeping up, but she has slightly struggled, because she hasn't had the opportunity to practice the routines as much & the dances are just a tad more sophisticated than her age-appropriate class. Yesterday was her first dance performance & I was just a little apprehensive!



This year she dances ballet, tap & jazz. Yesterday's performance was solely tap, so I worked with her on some of her steps. So much fun, since I'm a dancer at heart (I was a drill team girl & loved it!!). I have to say - Mercedes danced the best I've seen all year. I was so proud of her! She truly loves dancing & that just thrills me. I hope she continues to dance throughout her childhood & well into her teen years. And beyond!

I tried to get some photos afterwards, but for whatever reason, she wasn't having it. She was so grumpy! Usually she's my happy, posing dancer, but not yesterday. Maybe she was a little stressed from her first performance, I don't know. So I snapped a few & we went on our way. Her recital is in four weeks & I cannot wait! Merc dances at a very popular, very large studio (433 students this year!) & the recitals are simply amazing! They are very professionally done & the huge auditorium is always packed with family & friends. It is such a beautiful, exciting experience for all the dancers & so much fun! Memories they will treasure forever.



That aside, we have end of the school year. It just wipes me out every year (physically & financially). Bentley had a his first french horn competition, before judges, last weekend (he won the highest metal!) & has another one on Tuesday morning, & then an afternoon at the water park. Friday night he had his first 'spring fling', for kids only. We loaded up he & his friend & dropped them off & they had ball. His activities & schedule are getting busier the older he gets (he's 12 now). He just signed up for a few AP classes next year. We had decided he would attend private school next year & he was totally on board. Until recently, when he decided he does not want to change schools. I couldn't believe it. He loves band so much, he has made so many friends, he just doesn't want to leave. Reluctantly, I agreed he could stay. I want to be sure I always listen & validate my children's feelings, so for now, no private school. Granted, it will save us a ton of money, but I just wanted more for him. Nonetheless, we'll give public middle school a go. I never want him to be unhappy, so I'm sure it will be fine. Even though our district is huge, we are fortunate we haven't had many issues. We are in a great district. His book fair is this week, his field day is quickly approaching, his science fair/experiment is approaching, his '6th grade send off' is approaching, his end of the year concert is approaching - ack! He has band practice starting @ 7:15 a.m. on some days & practice after school on other days. So much all at one time! It almost takes a balancing act to juggle it all.

My two elementary kids had their spring fling last weekend, but we never participate (this year was the first year my oldest has ever attended). I just don't allow those types of things, because in my opinion, the school has my children long enough. When school is not in session, it's our time. But the school still wants money, they still want donations for the auction (in my son's class alone, they auctioned off a TWO HUNDRED dollar basket! I was appalled) & they want baked goods (which comes with restrictions/rules/guidelines) for the cake walk. My daughter had a costume performance a few weeks ago, their field day is tomorrow (for both of them) & now it's teacher appreciation week, so they want money/gifts/food, etc. x 3 teachers. My daughter has a huge project due this week, we still have dance weekly, homework, groceries, cleaning, blah, blah. And my work! My Shaklee has been pushed aside during all this & I hate that! So thankful I have a job that allows me to be home with my kids & work my own hours.

In the meantime, I had my oldest's adoption update that is due. This is our only birthmother that if she had to do it all over again, would not have placed her son for adoption. I love her dearly, & I stress so much over this update. I want it to be everything she is hoping for because I don't ever want her to be disappointed. Thankfully, it's done! I just have to stick it in the mail.

Whew! It's all just so crazy & I'm so ready for summer break! I have many blog posts lined up, so many projects I'm ready to dig in to & decorating to begin! Decorating on a budget, of course! I love cleaning, I love decorating - I'm ready! Cleaning & decorating are stress relievers for me, so I need them in abundance. :)

Getting ready for summer!

I've never been really fond of our back yard. Since moving in, we've done a lot of work back there. The iron fence was covered in honeysuckle & obstructed the view of the yard, so we took that down. Bushes lined the pool & attracted bees & wasps, which aggravated us when we tried to swim, so we removed all those & opened all that up. I like it so much better. And we've had about 9 trees in the back removed, too. But, it's just been blah. Not really sure why I've never attempted to address this area, but this year, I am! I'm ready to tackle it bit by bit. And there's no budget to do that, so I'll have to get creative. Being creative is NOT my best asset.  Heck, it's not even an asset of mine.  Ha!   Nonetheless, I have decided to do my best beautifying this area. I plan on spending a lot of time out here this summer & I want it pretty. I like pretty. I love pretty! (Speaking of landscaping - our home was a Kaleidoscope home - the amount of landscaping out front was outrageous! They had planted so many bushes & plants & such, it was horrible. Pretty, but total overkill. We cleaned all that out & made it uniformed. Looks like a totally different yard than when we moved in. It was hard work, too! Maybe some day I can find before & after photos.)

Anyway...

I don't think I've ever shown photos of the back of our house! Here are a few of the pool area. We did some cleaning today in anticipation of summer. It really is a peaceful area - as a matter of fact, my oldest has been out back reading for the last hour or so. My kids love it out back & now I do, too.

This is the view looking at the back of our house. This year we'll be installing a ceiling fan under the patio, between the recessed lighting. I plan on hanging a flag, planting flowers after I spray paint my old planters, relocating my craft/spray paint table (I know, funny, huh) & hopefully find some sort of furniture to place under there. The plastic containers are full of pool toys & accessories, so they'll be empty soon. I want pretty under there. I also plan on hanging lights, which the kids will love at dark time. Not sure why the top step in the pool is brown - we have no clue what that is. Hubby's going to have to get in & scrub it off.



This is an outside door that leads into our downstairs bathroom. I think we've opened it twice in the 8.5 years we've lived here. I hate that little area & I hate how they did a patch in the pebble stone & it looks like crap. Due to previous foundation issues, that side of the house has lots of those little sloppy patches & they drive me crazy. In the photo above, you can see another one right behind the planter. I sure would love to get those smoothed out & redone. Maybe some day.



This is a pretty view. The entire left side of the iron fence is where the thick honeysuckle was. I remember after we moved in, I spent countless hours out there cutting vine by vine, trying to get it off. One day my husband walked out there & just pushed all of it over the side & it all fell off. Ha! Smart aleck. I want to remove those huge bushes up against the back fence, but my husband wants to keep them. I have no idea why they're there & I have no idea why they didn't take them all the way across the back.  My husband wants them to stay, so for now, they stay. The tall 'trees' behind them actually belong to our neighbors & they are Crape Myrtles! They are the largest, tallest Crape Myrtles I have ever seen! They are beautiful & bloom white.



Wouldn't this view look so much better if they had extended the bushes all the way across? We actually have a very large back yard. That whole side (on the right) extends all the way down the side & to the front. (Nice construction. Again.)  Our pool is very pretty & I'm learning to stop complaining about it. Because it is so old, it is a lot of work, a lot of repairs & a lot of money. At our previous homes, we have always designed our own pools & had them built. This one came with the house & has been a huge adjustment. That said, we are so blessed to have a pool & we all enjoy it so much.



The kids have just been dying to swim. The water is so ice cold! The weather here hasn't been consistently warm like it typically is, so it's taking longer to warm up. Today while playing, they asked to swim again. I obliged, knowing they wouldn't be in there long, & told them just to get in with their clothes on. This one jumped right in & the others followed. They swam for a good hour or so! I couldn't believe it. Kids truly are resilient.



Before we went outside today, we did some cleaning upstairs. All ceiling fans got cleaned with hot water & soap. I hate when they get dusty & blow dust all around when in use. Yuck! I very much dislike dust. I also cleaned the bathroom upstairs. This is the bathroom 6 of us used every day for 2 years. I still can't get over it. Behind me is another itty room that houses the toilet & tub. They actually had a door on that room, separating the sink area from the toilet area. We removed the door - that space is too small to have a door on it. Even though I despise blue, this is a pretty bathroom.



And that is the tour for today! As much as this money pit has drained us & continues to do so, I really love the house. I wish we would have been able to renovate immediately after moving in (which was our goal), but life happens & renovating didn't. We'll get there. :)

Time to clean...your washing machine!

If you say that just right, it rhymes. I'm a rhymer. :)

Get ready, because here come some pretty candid photos. Not only are the candid, they are disgusting. I'm embarrassed to show you these, but I'm going to do it anyway.

In my defense, I do wipe down my machine. I have to. I have a fuzzy husband. I wipe down the inside, run my finger inside the lid & run my rag along the top of the basket. That gets really dirty. But obviously, I haven't been cleaning inside my machine like I should. My clothes are presorted the minute they enter my laundry room. Meaning, I'm a busy mom. When I need to do a load, I walk in, pick up the (presorted) basket, adjust my settings (I only adjust two settings, even though my machine has many - the water level & the temperature - very seldom do I use any other settings), turn on the machine, add my amazing detergent, a scoop of Borax (no idea why I add Borax - but I've done it for years & years now) & add my Nature Bright, if needed. I then toss in my clothes, shut the lid & leave. I actually love doing laundry. I take such pride in my family. I enjoy taking care of their clothes & having them look nice.

So lets get started.

One day a few weeks ago, I went to throw in a load. This time, for whatever reason, I had my glasses on. Typically, I never, ever do, but that's another blog post. Anyway, I opened my machine to load & noticed, well, some grime on the basket. A LOT of grime. Ew!! I have never noticed that before. Probably because a.) the lighting in there isn't the best & b.) I don't usually have my glasses on. My machine is almost 10 years old (I only buy Whirlpool for this very reason! They last & last for me!) & I will tell you right now, I have NEVER cleaned that grime! Wanna see?



Yuck! Here's another:



It was also on my agitator.



Time to get cleaning & get rid of that filth! So I filled a bucket with hot (as hot as I could stand it) water & Basic H, grabbed my rag & got cleaning.



(Check it. I started using that $10 bottle of Basic H on May 25th. Of last year. LOL I use it for everything & I still have quite a bit left!)

I wiped down my entire machine & then went to work on the grime. Well let me tell you. I guess that crap had been there so long, it wasn't budging! Ok. Time to pull out ol' faithful. Time for Scour Off!



Worked like a charm, as I knew it would. Scour Off is a thick, heavy duty scouring paste (replaces toxic Ajax/Comet/Bar Keepers powders - Scour Off sticks where you put it, no powder, no fumes, no toxins, no gross smells. It's made with cherry pits & smells like cherries!). I put some on the end of my scouring brush, added some hot, plain, clean water which I had now put in my bucket, & scrubbed. Effortlessly, the grime came right off.



Look at that. Perfect, just perfect. You'd never know my machine had grime build-up for almost 10 years! I am just tickled with the results. My machine looks almost brand new!



To get in the tight areas, I used a q-tip. I'll have this information in another post where I show you how I clean tiny spaces, but for now, I wanted to remove all dirt off & out of my machine. When I still had hot water & Basic H in my bucket, I dipped the q-tip in the hot, soapy water & went around the edges.



Yes, it works. Works every time, no matter what I'm cleaning. See? Ick.



So, after all the labor (haha), which took me a whopping 20 minutes at the most, my machine looks fab. And grime free! I'm a happy camper. Isn't that purdy?





(Pardon the dirt on the floor in front of my machine. My husband had done yard work & then he came in & tossed his filthy socks on the floor. Sweet.)

Now put your glasses on & go peek in your machine. You never know what's been hiding in there!