Organic Homemaking 2010 Recap

Ahhh. 2010 has been quite a year for Organic Homemaking! And we only have one day left (if you don't count today)! It seems like it has gone by just a little too fast. I have a feeling 2011 won't be much different. I'll have a post in the next couple days to talk about the future of Organic Homemaking and what you can expect for 2011. But for now, lets look back at 2010 and what happened this year....

This was the 'Got Started' Year. I may have officially started this blog in 2009 but anyone who has been following it since then can tell you it didn't really take off until 2010. Posting every 3 to 6 months doesn't really make for good reading material (or consistent!). In fact it wasn't even until October that you all saw more than one post a week. Which reminds me...

October was my 'No Sugar Challenge'.  Each of you faithfully checked in during the month of October to see, can a person last a whole month without refined sugar? It was rough at times, but I made it! And not without some awesome encouragement from, who else but...you!

A Family Addition Named Canaan or Caleb...or What's His Name Again? March 19th now marks a pretty important date on our Calender (sorry this list is not in chronological order, just early mommy brain order). The newest Sills arrived on that date. And as many of you know his name was Canaan for a good portion of my pregnancy. Then, to confuse everyone we changed his name...two days before he was born. And now we have a Caleb Emery and I like it that way. He looks pretty cute, no matter what his name is...

80% of my post have been about Mr. Houdini, aka Mr. Face, aka Isaac Landon. And I have a feeling 2011 won't be much different! When you have a child, who's feats astound you almost every day, what else can you do but write about it? Of course, it also astounds me that he hasn't broken an arm.... Wait while I find some wood to knock on. 

So what will 2011 hold? This past year has been so full. I'm fairly certain next year will be just as much, if not more so. But by 'full' I don't mean busy. I mean 'filled with life'. I think we can all put that on our New Year Resolutions. 

What things will you be remembering about 2010 on this New Year's Eve? 

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays everyone! I want to tell you thanks for supporting me this year by reading my blog. You mean so much to me. I can hardly wait for this New Year and seeing what it brings (a new blogging series perhaps and lots of giveaways!).

So from my family to yours...Merry Christmas! Enjoy your friends and family for, except Christ, they are the greatest gift you have ever been given!

Lots of love, 


Amanda Kay - Organic Homemaking

What Christmas Looks Like in the Sills House

The holiday season would look a lot different from house to house. Each family has their own traditions and way of doing things. Moms cook different candies and foods. Maybe dad bakes Christmas goodies instead of mom. Some families decorate early. Some wait until the week before Christmas. Each family has a unique way of celebrating and that's a beautiful thing!

Our little family is fairly new and we are still making traditions and finding our niche. Rod and I have only had 3 Christmases as a married couple and Isaac has had only 2 (this will be his third).  Three years is enough time to make a tradition as long as you have purpose and intention. Although, as moody as our family can be, it may be safer to call them 'trends'! So here are some trends and hopefully some future traditions we are starting here in our home!

Make Christmas last as long as possible! Christmas decorations have always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas. We put up our tree as soon as we can without too much ridicule (only joking) and it's been a 'trend' that it goes up the Saturday before Thanksgiving. While that is just too much for some, I like to make the warm cozy feeling of Christmas last as long as I can. That includes the tree, garland, and as many good smelling candles as possible. Now if I only had a fireplace...

Take advantage of Christmas to enjoy sugar. Most of you already know we try to avoid refined sugar as much as possible. But during the holidays we tend to go all weak at the knees for chocolate covered pretzels, Oreo truffles and cookies. Thankfully, we give most of it away. Biggest obstacle to enjoying these treats: keeping the toddler from sneaking cookies!

Yes to traditions. No to Santa. We love traditions in our home. And not just at Christmas time. But as much as we love Christmas trees and snow, we just don't get into Santa. And I don't see us developing that tradition as the kids get older. As "fun" as it may be for lots of families, I just don't see the purpose in telling (or really rather fibbing) to my children about a jolly old man and flying reindeer to turn around in 10 years and let them know it was all just a big hoax. And how will I expect them to believe me when I told them about Noah and Jonah and Jesus if, in the same breath, I told them Santa was real? Just something I've been thinking about for our family as the years go by.

Family means soooo much more than presents. Everyone knows that while gifts are a fun part of the holidays, family and love are supposed to be the main focus. It's too easy to forget this but we work very hard to maintain this view! Sometimes, I wish we possessed enough money to buy, literally, everyone a gift for Christmas. But, what I can be thankful for, is that working hard to make gifts because we aren't wealthy, makes me appreciate my family and blessings even more. After all, I can't lose sight of family and purpose when I don't have gift buying to fret about. Well....I guess I still fret about the gifts we do buy. I'll have to work on that next year! :-)

Those are some things that mean a lot to my family this year!

What traditions and 'trends' do your family celebrate? 


Happy Holidays! 

A Personal Story

Any of you that know my two year old, Isaac, know that he's fast. He runs almost everywhere and has no idea how close he often comes to running into walls, corners of tables, other people...you get the idea. And as much as I love him, he scares me to death. While some kids will touch a hot stove and remember never to touch it again, Isaac has a harder time learning from his accidents. He often falls but gets right back up. This quality will serve him well when he's older and has more wisdom. For now, it appears like he's a crazed Dare Devil that doesn't remember his bumps and bruises from only a few minutes ago.

Now that you have that foreknowledge about  my son....

Last night before we left for Bible Class, he falls off, of all things, a Huggies wipes box and busts his lip on my night stand. The same box he is standing on, as I am typing this...and he just tripped again. Literally. But this time he fell in the floor. Anyway...

So, last night after Bible class he was doing what he does best, running. It doesn't take a catchy punch line to know he fell down in usually Isaac style. But this time his face met the corner of the podium stairs and he busted his nose...and his lip...and his teeth. Blood was streaming down his face and, we thought, pooling in his mouth. Nope. Said mouth blood was from his beautiful little front tooth he knocked loose. 15 minutes later when he was still crying (and on the verge of making himself sick) we calmed him down with bribes of 'treats' and 'Scooby Doo'. Which may be why today....

This kid acts like he didn't just plaster his face into a group of stairs! True to Isaac form, he's back to climbing and running and general daring feats. In fact, as I am typing he just flipped the rocking chair over on himself...just a sec.

Ok, I'm back. (And that wasn't for effect. He really just fell off the rocking chair.) And that makes my point so much clearer. Maybe someday he'll develop a cautious mechanism but for now, I'm reduced to making him wear football padding and a helmet because Isaac Landon Sills just doesn't know how to Not. Get. Hurt.

The end. Only because I've got to go get him off my dresser....

Proof.

Giving the Gift of Membership

A week ago we talked about green holiday gifts and I mentioned some eco-friendly gifts that you can put under the tree (or whatever your tradition may be) this year. Another way to gift that does away with packaging, wrapping paper and gift bags is to give the gift of membership!

If you are like me, you often see things you would like to try but don't because you either don't want to bother with a membership sign up or with the amount of money they're asking. I can attest to driving by a gym or spa or seeing a great program online and thinking, "If only it weren't x-amount of dollars!" Giving a membership is the gift that keeps on giving, especially if it last a year! Wouldn't you love to give a gift that last a whole year? So, here are some ideas for local and online memberships.

1) Gym Membership - makes a great gift at Christmas since January is just around the corner with all it's New Year Resolutions. While paying for a whole year can be pricey, you may consider purchasing a few months to get someone started. Consider things like where your friend/family lives and what kind of preferences they have (small and personal or large with lots of options) when buying this membership. Buy only a few months, too, gives the person a chance to see if they like a gym before they commit to a membership themselves. Of course, tread with caution in this area. You don't want your friend to think you want them to lose weight! And this may be a better option for a friend you know loves to work out already.

2) Book Club Membership - Having worked at Barnes and Noble myself, I can attest to how much a person can save with a membership card! However, it is an investment because you pay a yearly fee to get those discounts. This makes a great gift because a lot of people won't necessarily buy this for themselves but wish they had one. And if your friend visits a bookstore regularly, this could save them money all year long.

3) ListPlanIt - This online site has been one of my most valuable tools in staying organized. I doesn't hurt that I love lists. And they have a huge assortment of lists to suite any need you may have! With three membership levels, you can either chose to simply print their list, type on and then print a list or purchase a professional membership (for businesses). They also offer a variety of e-planners if you are interested in buying a specific list bundle instead of the whole site. I'm not getting anything from ListPlanIt to say these things (shucks...). I just really like what they have to offer!

4) Plan to Eat - I wish I could say I owned a membership to this wonderful site, but sadly I don't. However, I don't have to use it everyday to know what a good product it is! A meal planning help, this site does offer a free 30 day trial so you can personally try this service out.  With so many moms (and dads!) needing extra time throughout the day, meal planning can help cut corners and make life simpler. Check out this site and consider giving this organizational tool to a friend or family member!

I hope those ideas give you some more options for gifts this Christmas! You may consider gifting them to yourself as they are wonderful to use, not just give!

What other memberships have you given as a gift? 

Christmas Giveaway Winner

This past weekend we had our very first giveaway, a great success, in my opinion! Thank you Soap Solutions for providing a wonderful product to giveaway. And thank you, all my readers who participated this weekend! This is only the beginning so look for more giveaways in the future!

And now the unveiling....

Our Christmas Giveaway winner is: Kellirenae! Congrats Kelli. I hope you enjoy your homemade soap and sisal bag!

Thank you again to everyone who made our first giveaway possible. You all are awesome!

Next post coming soon! Subscribe to my blog so you don't miss anything! 

Christmas Giveaway: Homemade Soap & Sisal Bag

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all those who participated! 

Today is the day! I'm so excited to be having our first giveaway at Organic Homemaking. And what could be more fitting than to give away a product that is local, sustainable and good for your body?

I often talk about a particular company I am very excited about...Soap Solutions. Based in Evansville, Indiana, the company is one of my favorite 'green' businesses. Co-owners, Mary & Tracy share a passion for being good stewards of their bodies and this Earth, God has entrusted to us. Having known them both for quite some time, I remember when they first launched their business and have been so excited to see it grow and grow.  And grow it has! They offer a wide variety of soaps (as well as many other things), all scented with essential oils. I love knowing I'm not using chemicals and artificial fragrances when I take a bath! But even more than soap, they are two of the kindest women you will meet! And I'm blessed to call them my friends.

Soap Solutions has been gracious enough to partner with me on our first giveaway. One lucky reader will win a bar of homemade soap and a sisal bag. I put a link to Wikipedia on here for anyone interested. I'm not too proud to say I had to google 'sisal' before this giveaway. A type of fiber made from an agave plant, sisal is a more sustainable product to use than some conventional body scrubbers (which is one way you can use this nifty bag!).


Enter to win:

Here is how you can enter to win the giveway (and since it's the first one, I made it super easy!):

1) Like Organic Homemaking on the Facebook fan page.

2) Like Soap Solutions on their Facebook fan page. (If you already 'like' those pages previous to this giveaway, simply comment below that you like them and it will still count!)

3) Leave a comment below (not on facebook, or it doesn't count!), letting me know you did the above.

4) Bonus entry: Visit Soap Solutions online and tell me what product you are most interested in trying!

Everyone will have until Sunday at 11pm EST to enter. I will randomly select a winner and will post results on Organic Homemaking, Facebook and Twitter.

Have fun!

Our First Ever Giveaway!!!

Tomorrow marks the date of our first ever giveaway at Organic Homemaking! That's right, one lucky reader will get to receive a gift! I'm so excited about this and I hope you are too! Be sure to come back tomorrow and see what we are giving away...and then, of course, sign up to win!


Well....that's all. I'm just so excited I wanted to pre-blog about it! See you tomorrow!

Green Holiday Gifts

Christmas is rapidly approaching (22 days left!) and while some of you have all your gifts wrapped and under the tree, some of you (like me) may still be figuring out what you want to buy, or make.  We try to keep our gift giving to a manageable amount, one for financial reasons, we just can't afford to go crazy. Two, we feel that while giving gifts is a special thing, it's not the only highlight of Christmas and there are other things we like to focus on - like our kids not going crazy with 100 gifts! :-)

But we also try to give gifts that we feel good about giving.  We don't want to give a gift that we wouldn't use or feel bad about someone else using. For example, I gave out soaps last year and although I love the way most conventional soaps smell, we gave homemade soap from a local business.  We felt good knowing our family would be using something sustainable and non-toxic.

Let me clarify though, we are not organic snobs! I get gifts all the time that aren't "organic" or "green" and I love them and use them and cherish them (especially candles!). I also give gifts sometimes that aren't exactly green, although I still try not to give something I wouldn't use. It's important not to become obsessed with everything having to be green just like it's important not to obsess over gifts in general. The heart is what matters.

I do want to give you some ideas for green gifts. There are affordable options that are still eco friendly. And a homemade gift is one of the best 'green' gifts you can give! But that's for another blog post.

Oompa Toys - Oompa offers a wide array of children's toys with a wide range of prices. I bought Isaac some wooden toys last year and they have some of the best selections. They also have dolls, dress up clothes, kitchen sets, outdoor toys and musical instruments. Too they sell furniture (like I said, wide range of prices) and baby gear, like strollers. I won't lie, some of their products you can find cheaper on other sites, like say Amazon but for the most  part their prices are reasonable. I've also found sites that are much more expensive than Oompa.

Soy Candles - Soy candles make for a great gift. While they may seem more expensive on the store shelf, they last longer so the extra dollars are worth it. You can find soy candles almost anywhere but look for candles that do not contain artificial fragrance. The best soy candles will be scented with essential oils.

Organic Tea - Like, soy candles, tea can be found pretty much at any supermarket. You will find more variety at a store like Kroger or a health food store. I sort of love Choice Organic Teas as well as Yogi Teas. And the neat thing about organic teas is you can often find a tea for a specific need. I bought Pregnancy Tea (by Traditional Medicinals) when I was expecting Caleb and loved it. You can also find loose leaf teas and give them as a gift with a tea infuser! My mom gave me a tea infuser quite a while ago but I'll confess, I have yet to use it. I can be a chicken about trying new things sometimes!

Organic or Homemade Soap - You would be surprised (I was) to learn how many harsh chemicals reside in your soaps and shampoos. Chemicals that are quickly absorbed into your body through your skin! Although we don't always hit the mark with organic shampoo (it's way expensive) we do try to use all natural soap. As it become more and more popular, it become more and more affordable. Last year, I gifted soaps from a wonderful company, Soap Solutions. Two wonderful women own this company and put their heart into making soap that is non-toxic, smells great and is affordable! And even more wonderful, they are based locally (if you live in the Southern Indiana area). They didn't ask me to say anything nice about their soap, I just love them! They also sell bath salts, bath bombs (those are so cool), lip balm, spa scrubs and much more!

Stainless Steel - Stainless steel is becoming the most popular product to buy whether you are purchasing pots and pans or a water bottle. It is much safer to cook with and drink from considering other options like non-stick pans and plastic. You can read more info on why non-stick pans are hazardous to your health here. As well, you can read why stainless steel is better than plastic water bottles here. You may pay more for your gift (or you can gift some to yourself this year!) but the health benefits outweigh the initial cost. And watch out at the store. While aluminum bottles look like stainless steel they contain their own health hazards and should be avoided. Klean Kanteen is a great product to look for or find online. And they even make sippy cups!

Well, I hope that gives you some ideas for this December! There are so many more things that could be added to this list but I wanted to share some of the basics. You may also consider:

Gently used books (anything gently used is a great eco friendly gift!)
Gift Cards
Organic clothing
Fair trade coffee
Organic beauty products
Bamboo kitchen products
Tickets to a movie
Certificates of service (free babysitting, anyone?)
Oooh and my favorite, Organic fair-trade chocolate!

What gift ideas do you have?