Reasons you will love Scentsy!

I tried Scentsy about a year ago.  After the first day I was hooked!  I've never burnt a candle that produced a smell as amazing as my Scentsy burner. 

Reason #1 Scentsy is amazing... SAFETY! 
For those with kids or pets, I'm sure you often worry about your children or pets being injured by a lit candle.  There's also the fear of burning your house down!  Scentsy takes that fear right out of the equation.  The scent you experience comes from a warmer which is heated by a light bulb.  Plus, neither the warmer nor the melted wax will get hot enough to cause burns!  So you can relax and enjoy the infusion of scent throughout your home without worry of injuries or fire.  Even if you fall asleep, it's not a problem! 

Reason #2 Scentsy is amazing... CAN BE USED EVEN IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA!
Often times people who have asthma or other breathing conditions are not able to burn candles.  Scentsy candles are wickless.  The reason people with asthma can't burn candles is because of the soot and smoke they produce.  Because Scentsy candles are wickless they burn cleaner.  There is no soot or smoke emitted into the air, thus there are no adverse reactions from those with respiratory conditions! 

Reason #3 Scentsy is amazing... THE SCENTS!
Last but not least... Scentsy wickless candles smell AMAZING!  Just put 2 or 3 cubes in your burner and your home will be infused with scent!  Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory.  A person will remember what your home smelled like more than anything else.  Scentsy will ensure that your home leaves a lasting  and positive impression on everyone who enters.  There is also room spray that works fabulously (just in case you have unexpected company). 

A scent can trigger a cherished memory.  A scent can help you relax after a long day.  A scent can help you focus when working or doing homework.  A scent can give your home a welcoming atmosphere!  The possibilities are endless! 

Reason #4 Scentsy is amazing...  HOME DECOR

There are so many different warmers, I guarantee you can find one that fits with the theme of your home.  There are also Holliday warmers!  I have one for Christmas, one for the 4th of July, one for Easter, and one that looks like a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween!  There is something for everyone and every occasion!  There are even do-it-yourself warmers that you can personalize with things like your name, anniversary, pictures, etc! 

There are so many advantages to having a Scentsy burner! I chose to sell Scentsy because of how much I love and believe in this product. 
I promise you will love Scentsy as much as I do! 
Check out these amazing products at https://leahjump.scentsy.us/Home

The Fastest Possible Way to Get Your House Clean

You know those times when you look around your house and all you see is mess everywhere? You know, when it's so bad you don't even know where to begin? We've all been there. So now, I'm going to tell you a way to get it cleaned in half the time!

 Before you get started you need a few things. The first thing you need is a plan. You're going to want to start at one end of the house and work your way to the other end. You do not want to back track at all. Start in the last room of the house and continue throughout the house one room at a time without skipping any rooms. Does that make sense?

The only other things you need are two laundry baskets (or empty boxes, or empty clothes hamper, or whatever you can make work). 

Step 1 is Organizing! 

This is the part where you put all the clutter away! 

So now you've got your plan and your laundry baskets.  You're ready to start organizing.  Put one basket in the second room you're going to clean.  Then, start organizing in the first room of your plan.  Put everything in that room away where it belongs.  Now, usually when you're cleaning you come across items that belong in other rooms.  This is where you're going to save time.  When you come across something that belongs in another room you're not going to take it to where it belongs.  You're going to put it into the basket.  Once everything is organized and put away in the first room, move on to the second room. 

Remember the basket you left in the second room?  This basket is going to be for stuff that belongs in the rooms you've already organized.   So for example, you're in room 2 now and you find something that belongs in room 1.  Remember...NO BACK-TRACKING!  Back-tracking takes a ton of extra time.  If you find something that belongs in a room you've already organized, put it into the second basket. 

Both baskets are going to go along with you through your entire house.  One will collect things for rooms you haven't been to yet.  The other will collect things for rooms you've already been to.  The basket that holds items from rooms you haven’t been to yet will gradually be emptied as you put the items in their respective rooms.  Once you've organized the last room you will have one empty basket and one full of stuff from previously organized rooms.  Now just go back through in order and put away the stuff in the previous rooms’ basket. 

Step 2 is Cleaning

You now have a completely picked up and organized house.  YAY!  So now all you have to do is get all of your cleaning supplies together.  I like to use the empty laundry basket again.  I put everything in there; the spray bottles, the furniture polish, the sanitizing wipes, toilet cleaner, all of it!  Then I start in room 1 and clean each room one at a time in the same order I followed to put everything away. 

Then, once everything is wiped down and cleaned all that is left to do are the floors.  I actually break my order of rooms when I do the floors.  Some of my rooms have carpet and some have tile.  I vacuum all the rooms with carpet first and then mop the tile last. 

I guarantee you, if you follow this plan, you can get your house cleaned in half the time!  Good luck!  Remember the golden rule, NO BACK-TRACKING!  If you find something in your living room that goes in your bedroom, don't run to the bedroom to put it away.  This wastes time and energy.  All that running back-and-forth is just silly!  Use the baskets!  Then take all that extra time you’ll have to relax and enjoy your nice clean house! 

Things you can do with picture frames!

I love to make creative things to decorate my home. I especially love keepsakes of the kids. So what is better than making pictures as gifts or for decoration using my girls' little hand and foot prints? It's super easy. All you need is a picture frame you like, some scrapbook paper for a background, and some paint. Or...if you don't want to get messy you can trace and cut out the handprints and modge podge them onto the background paper.  The best part is the kids love to help you make these. 

 

 This is a Father's Day present my girls and I made for my husband in 2010.  He loved it!  Still does! 

This is my Holiday picture frame.  For each month I have one of my girls make a handprint picture.  At the end of the year I will have a picture for every month.  I keep them all in the frame and switch the picture each month.  Years from now I will still have their little handprints as part of my holiday decor.  Like I said, I LOVE KEEPSAKES!   

The Homebirth Fad

I just watched a documentary that was very pro-homebirths.  Of course, I need to weigh in on this.   

The argument for homebirth is growing in popularity.  Many women feel that the process of birth in a hospital does not allow for the process to happen naturally.  Since the beginning of time women have been having babies and there weren't always hosptials.  So it can't be that dangerous, right?  The argument for birth in a hospital is that it is too inviasive.  That they push pitocin (a synthetic form of oxytocin, a natural hormone that induces labor) to speed up labor.  Then they push epidurals because the pitocin makes labor too painful.  Then the pitocin makes the contractions so strong that they stress the baby.  Then the doctors and nurses tell you that they HAVE to do things because it is what is best for the baby and therefore you feel required to do so or you will be a bad mother. 

Seriously?  Come on! 

Okay, if you want a minnimally invasive labor, that is your choice.  All these people pushing for homebirths are missing one key factor here.  You have a choice.  Apparently these pro-homebirthers know they have a choice to some degree, because they're choosing to have their babies at home.  So why can't they just make choices at the hospital?  What they're really saying is that they don't know how to stand up for what they believe unless they are surrounded only by people who agree with them. 

If you want a natural birth, have a natural birth.  That is your choice.  If you want to have a midwife, have a midwife.  Nobody is going to stop you.  Just please, do it at the hospital!  There are so many things that can go wrong during labor.  A post-birth vaginal hemorrhage can cause a woman to bleed to death in less than 5 minutes.  I doubt anyone could get to a hospital and have the bleeding stopped in less than 5 minutes.  A placental rupture can kill the baby and mother in the same amount of time.  Why would you birth at home?  Why take the risk?  Just grow a backbone and stick to your plan.  Then if something does go wrong, you won't have to live with the fact that your baby could have lived had you just gone to the hosptial and said, "No, thanks I don't want pitocin." 

No hospital can force treatment on you.  Do your research.  Know your body.  Understand the birthing process.  It's not like they're going to tie you down and force you to get pitocin or pain medication against your will.  If you're confident enough that you can handle your birthing process alone at home,  you should be confident enough to say "no" to interventions you don't want.  Just my opinion because I want all babies and mommies to be healthy and safe!  Midwives are great, but sometimes you truly need a doctor.  Don't risk not getting to one in time. 

Kony 2012: My research

I’ve been doing a lot of research on this Kony 2012 thing. A little disclaimer before I begin… This post is NOT about whether or not what is happening in Uganda is right or wrong. This post is NOT about whether or not the US should do something to help. This post is about the purpose of the video and nothing more. Please do not attack me or reply with your stand on the issue. I am not taking a stand with this post.

So moving on...

As I watched the video I couldn't help but realize the manner in which the film was edited and produced. The process is often referred to as "emotional porn". The touching moments where the child web chatted with her grandparents, the birth of the guy's son, the happy moments with his son; all of those things had absolutely nothing to do with what the video was really about. Or did they? The purpose of these scenes was to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. To get the viewer to identify personally and emotionally with the people who feel passionately about this issue. Thus making the viewer feel that the way these people feel is right. Okay, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. If people feel passionately about the issue they will be more inclined to help. Great…right? If you’re helping the right people…then yes.

However, I cannot seem to find any solidified proof that donations will truly go toward helping these “invisible children”. The manner in which the video was made makes me nervous. The level at which it attacks the human psyche suggests desperation; an appropriate emotion given this situation. Or it could suggest manipulation. After intensive research I have yet to find any reputable charitable organization that backs up this organization Invisible Children Incorporated. Charity Navigator gives this organization a low two star rating for accountability (Charity Navigator, 2012). You can look at the data here, http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429. Be sure to look at the revenue to expenses comparison in recent years.

When you click on the links below the video to help the first thing you see is a place to send donations. The only information I could find about where the money is going was provided by Invisible Children, Incorporated. Financial records have indicated that approximately 32% actually goes directly towards their cause. So where is the rest going? We are not sure yet if this video and organization are reputable.

This video also claims that it serves the purpose of increasing awareness so that the US Government will become involved and help. The US government has sent 100 special operations forces commandos to help train the Ugandan Defense Forces who are hunting down Kony and the LRA (Baldauf, 2012). Special operations forces are the best of the best. This is the best we have to offer. The United States government is fully aware of the situation with the LRA and has already taken extraordinary measures to aid the victims. In fact, in 2008, USAID support for northern Uganda totaled an estimated $138 million (USAID, 2012). Funny, the viral video didn’t mention that.

Based on my research, I’ve come to the conclusion that this video is most likely an exploitation of a very terrible situation for personal financial gain.   Please feel free to do your own research as well.  I've listed my references below. 

Baldauf, S. (2012, March 7). Lord's resistance army: After long silence, the us-tracked rebels attack. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Keep-Calm/2012/0307/Lord-s-Resistance-Army-After-long-silence-the-US-tracked-rebels-attack

Charity Navigator. (2012). Invisible children. Retrieved from http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

Garcia, L. (2012, March 8). Kony 2012: scam. Retrieved from http://www.coscampusonline.com/2012/03/08/kony-2012-scam/
On kony 2012. (2012, March 7). Retrieved from http://thedailywh.at/?s=Invisible Children, Inc.

USAID. (2012, January 9). Uganda overview. Retrieved from http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/uganda/