It has been 8 months since I have started this blog and have struggled in getting a little personal. I have a tendency to be shy about certain things and refrain from controversial topics. I decided to open up to my readers and ask you personally what you would like to know about me, my blog, or my family. I have gotten a lot of great questions! If I keep receiving more questions, I might do a part 2, so if you have any questions comment on this blog post or the one I asked you to post on before.
1. I was wondering if you garden? I have been wanting to start a garden for a while now, I am just not sure how to begin or what to plant. I am concerned that animals and things will eat all I grow before I have a chance to harvest them or that I will not even be able to grow anything because I don't have a "green thumb" like my big sister does. - Lori
Yes! I love to garden. We moved into a home with a yard after living in an apartment so I finally can start gardening! I have some green beans, everglades tomatoes, a lemon tree, pomegranate tree, and a berry bush outside. The beans and the tomatoes have grown beautifully and quickly. Inside, I have a large basil plant along with other herbs, jalapenos, and recently started some strawberry seedlings. I suggest finding what grows in your region best and start with those and some indoor herbs. As far as animals, you can make a border of chicken wire to keep animals away, or use more animal friendly products like peppermint or neem oil. I don't use anything in my garden and let the lizards and birds play, but other places will have more animal problems than I do. Check out
this post, and
this one.
2. I was really excited to come across your blog by fluke, I think we have a lot of interests in common and I'm enjoying your posts. I love healthy eating, and living green, what are some ways you keep toxins away from your family? - Cassidy
Welcome to my blog Cassidy! My first step to clear out toxins was to shop organic as much as possible. Of course it is expensive, so we started where we could. Now a majority of our food is organic and non GMO. We also got water filters, and started our garden. My next step was clearing out shampoos and cleaning supplies. We use essential oils for many cleaning purposes, including air purifying, majority of the time. Ideally, I would like to move forward on organic clothing and expanding my garden.
3. What are your favorite cruelty free beauty products? I am trying to rid our home from toxins in every possible way to keep us healthy for life. - L.S G.
There are a few make up brands that are cruelty free, but I have not tried most of them. I rarely ever buy make up. As far as getting rid of toxins in your make up drawer, I suggest looking at
Revescent as they label their make up by EWG (toxins ranking). The lower the EWG number, the less toxins it contains. I did a
review of some of their make up back in February and still use all the products. I also dye my hair with
Madison Reed kits. They are cruelty free and do not damage your hair. It actually made my hair feel smoother afterwards. I have a ton of hair and one box covers my entire head. You can
read my review here when I colored and cut my hair back in January. I have dyed it the same color again in April.
4. I would like to know if you are interested in dietary supplements and if you might review some in the future. Thanks.
It really depends on the supplement. Right now I take thyroid medicine, along with an anti inflammatory, and vitamin D for my Thyroid and inflammatory problems. I also use a Vitamin B12 patch, and started a thyroid support supplement. My husband on the other hand loves pre workouts like
Naturo Nitro Pre Workout Octane
.
5. What recipe are you known for? Like what is your most-requested or secret recipe? - Judith
The most pinned recipes I have are the
Homemade Bread, and
Pesto Hemp Pasta. There are also a few new favorites. You can check out my
Pinterest board for my favorite recipes that I have created or have used on a regular basis at home.
6. What are your thoughts on homeschool? - Lori
I highly support homeschooling. In fact, we plan on unschooling. It is not the same as homeschooling, but it is a type of "schooling" that takes place at home. We live an unschooling lifestyle that is implemented in my son as well. Our family believes that learning should be student based. If my child is interested in one thing, we continue to expand on that subject while bringing other subjects into it. For example, my son loves cooking with me in the kitchen. We count the ingredients and measure. As he gets older, he will want to read the recipe and I'll teach him how to read. We explore different cultures this way too. We also bring unschooling into our parenting along with attachment parenting. We have simple rules, like respecting each other. Aside from that, there are no bed times and do not set limits on things. It is very child led.
7. Would u put on a giveaway for some fiction christian books?? - William
The simplest answer for this question would be .... No. I stay as far away from religion as possible. I do not consider my self part of any religion or call myself atheist. The closest religious book I will/have read is Are You There God, It's Me Margaret.
8. I'd like to know your dream vacation! Where would you go if money were no object. - Heather
I love this question because I love to think about things like this! There are many places I would love to go to. Ideally I would love to take a cruise to Alaska. Something about it just screams freedom to me. I would also love to visit Greece. That has been my dream since a little girl. But I would also love to visit a lovely waterfall. There is something so serene about waterfalls. So I guess, a world cruise would be in order.
9. What is the first thing you remember cooking? - Steph
The first thing I remember making was bread with my dear Grandmother when I was a small child. I think I was 4 years old. Every time I make bread, I think of my Grandmother and how much I miss her.
10. What is your favorite treat for the summer other when it comes to snacks you can buy from the store? I need good healthier ideas for snacks. - Jerrie
I have been thinking for days what I can make without turning on the stove because it has been 85 degrees inside my home the past week. During the day, my favorite thing has been watermelon. Even when we go out, I pack some sliced up watermelon to snack on. Frozen grapes is great too. My son's favorite has been hummus. No need to cook anything for that and it goes great with pretzels, celery, or baby carrots. Quick Homemade recipe
here. Some of the healthy snacks I have loved are Big Sliced Apples, Boom Chicka Pop popcorn, and SnapPeas. All are available at different grocery stores.
11. How do you shop? Do you use coupons? Do you buy used? Do you go to consignment shops? - Lori
I used to use many coupons. Mobile, newspaper, store coupons are all great for saving money. But this took too much energy for unhealthy food. I found that when I switched our diet, it was difficult to find coupons for those items on a regular basis. So we shop at a farmers market and at a grocery store. At the grocery store we take advantage of the Buy 1 Get 1 that Publix offers. We stock up on pasta, sauce, beans, and rice this way. We are below poverty line since Hubby lost his job last year, so we get WIC for eggs, bread, cheese, and cereal. As far as merchandise, I am a thrift shopaholic. I recently bought a new purse for 2 dollars along with shoes for my son. I rarely buy clothes, but when I do, I check out GoodWill first and see if they have any plus size clothes. A lot of my decorations and baby items for Aiden were second hand.
12. Are you enjoying working on your blog? - Maryann
I have been one to pick up a hobby and dump it within 2 or 3 months. I find that I have many interest but never really stick to one thing. With blogging, I can take all those hobbies and put them together in one place. While I treat it like a job, it is a hobby. I do not get paid for 99% of the things I write about. Yet, I do love it. I pour everything I have into it and try to make it as helpful as possible. I do hope to build it into a career.
13. Would love to hear what your favorite review item was so far. Also how did you get started doing a blog and reviews? - Lori
I sort of fell into blogging. It is funny to me actually. I joined
Influenster one day out of a recommendation of a friend. When I got my first box, it asked me for a blog review for extra points. So I made a free blog and started reviewing all the sample products that I received. I then started researching other venues for free full sized samples and blogging outlets. My favorite has been
BzzAgent. I do not have a favorite item, but more like a cluster of favorite ones. I loved my
Francois et Mimi water bottles and use them everyday (unfortunately I lost one on my honey moon). I have absolutely loved most of the snacks I have had to try. Boom Chicka Pop and Cookie Chips come to mind. I also use a sleep mask I reviewed on Amazon on a nightly basis. A lot of essential oils are used on a regular basis, along with my Revesent make up. Most of the stuff I agree to review are things I know will improve our lifestyle or satisfy my tastebuds. I have received a few things I have not loved as well.
14. How
much time in a week do you put into your blog? - Polly
I put quite a few hours a day on my bog. Some days I do not put any, while others I put in my entire day aside from cooking and tending to my son. If I am not feeling well, I will not force myself to sit in front of a computer screen to finish a post. That is why I love blogging. It is free of time frames, rules*, and custom fitted to individual needs. Blogging is what you put into it. One month I may not put into it as much as another and it will show in my stats. There is also time spent on social media, connecting with companies, and spending time with products or recipes. One thing I would like to say, writer's block does happen to bloggers as well. Sometimes I may love a product but cannot write a 10 page essay about it while other products write themselves.
15. Do
you have any ideas of what products you will be reviewing in the future? - Maryann
Spoilers! (Whovian reference) Yes! I have a hemp seed product that I am waiting for (giveaway ;)). I also have a children's washing product that you will love! Another one I have for you is a stevia product, but I have been trying to perfect the recipe for over a month! Protein bars and a bottle warmer are in the very near future.
There you have it folks! I loved everyone's questions as they do help build a stronger connection with you, my readers. My number one goal is to have a bond with my readers and hope that I make connections with you. If you have any more questions, comment below and ask away! Also, if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see here, let me know! I am thinking of making a grocery post where I show you what I bought, how much we spent as a family of three, and meals created with them. Tell me if you would like to see that.
This is not a sponsored post, but affiliate links may be included. All opinions stated are my own.
