I loathe water bottles...

I love water. I gave up soda and other drinks when I was 16 and only drink the delicious H2O. I HATE flavored water or carbonated water.. just plain old filtered water is heaven to me. I used to use the plastic bottles to reduce my carbon footprint, but guess what?! They're leaching chemicals into my water. WHAT?! So I have been looking out for a cute bottle that is safe to drink as I chucked my in the trash. :( (Sadly, I might add!)

I was going to buy the Kleen Kanteen but after an article on Apartment Therapy, I found Earthlust! So, I rushed to buy one and can't wait for it to get here. I'm really bummed they have such a limited selection for the 33oz (1L) size, so I selected the clean looking silver with black crow. I'm really happy to find a good product that is safe and good for the environment at the same time. I suggest if you are using ANY Nalgene brand bottles to recycle them b/c they have been recalled.

I'll let you know what I think of mine when it gets here, hopefully in time for my birthday on Tuesday! :)

This weekend I'm hoping to spend some quality time w/ BF and cleaning around the house. I'm also planning on doing a craft project involving cement and my babies! We're going to make them their own stepping stone. I can't wait; I'll post pics when they're done.

As for my diet, I'm ROCKIN'! I've lost 8.5lbs since Tuesday, July 8! Going through some more detoxing today, I almost called in, but I'm hanging in there.

Have a blessed weekend and be safe!

Best,
LL

I've been thinking..

A lot about how unhappy I am with all of the crap that goes through my mouth. Granted I am a LOT better than most people, I don't eat fried foods, tons and tons of chips (I don't like chips, really) and I love fruit and veg, but my body is starting to hate me. You think when you become vegetarian that your body is going to be slim and beautiful, but you can be an overweight veghead. How? Pastas, cookies, cakes, ice cream, bread.. etc. It's easy to overdose on those foods because you don't have a giant chicken breast on your plate.

So, I've decided to embark on the raw food diet again. I did it the first time for 3 weeks and did AWESOME! I was eating as much as I wanted and was eating so healthy. Fruits, veg, seeds, nuts, smoothies, and a small portion of raw cheese. After 3 weeks I lost ten pounds, but it came to a point where I was starving. And I don't know why, I was eating a ton and really wasn't hungry, but one Saturday I just said ENOUGH! I need to eat!! So I ordered pizza and well, that's where it went south. :(

But this time, I'm serious! When I lived in England I cooked 99% of the time and it was delicious, healthy, vegan food and I really enjoyed it. So after a while if I get bored with this, I'm going to whip out my crockpot again and start cooking it up so that I'm not out eating all the time. One week and one day in, I'm down 5 lbs. Now granted I haven't been perfect, but I'm working on the 90/10 rule. If I can eat really healthy 90% of the time, then I can be flexible 10% of the time. It's creating that balance so that I don't go insane.

Thus far I'm doing well and pretty happy with myself. My BFF in Florida finally gave up soda and has lost 20lbs in a matter of weeks and is feeling better! Luckily, I gave up soda 10 years ago so I didn't have to break any bad habits there. I'm a water girl all the way! Soda is just disgusting.. anyway. I'll keep the update about my progress and what I've been up to! Now it's stepping up the exercise, I'm ready for a change! Wish me luck!

Best,

LL

How Clean is Your House?

If you've never seen this program (shown on BBC America), it is my absolute favorite! Ok, so I'm obsessive compulsive about organizing and cleaning but there's something about this program that makes me giddy! I got hooked on it in the UK watching it someplace, I think at my BFFs since she had cable and we were too cheap to have it in our house! I really got started watching it at my parents' house when I'd come home from the UK to visit; they have TiVo so we would tape it and then my dad and I would watch it at night.

Well, if you've never seen it, the hosts, Aggie and Kim go to the messiest, dirtiest houses in the UK and help the owners get them cleaned. I'm not talking clutter-messy, I'm talking FILTHY, dirty, disgusting, gag-inducing wretchedness! They swab various areas of the home (such as kitchen sink, fridge, toliet, floors, etc.) and Aggie tests them for potential bacterias and generally 100% of the time, they find some nasty stuff growing. They have cleaning teams that attack the house throwing out garbage, dirty furniture, and completely scrubbing and cleaning the house. They also show the home owners some great tips on how to clean the house. The good news is these tips are usually very GREEN! (Which of course pleases the LL.) :) The problem is that I always forget to have a notepad on hand to take down these tips! Oh, I'll remember them later, I tell myself. HA! That NEVER happens.

Thanks to the internet though, I found some of these tips and thought I would share them with you. If you check out the website, you can access picture galleries from previous homes, submit your own cleaning tips, etc.

I thought I'd share a few of these tips you all today, many of the ingredients you need can probably be found in your cupboards already! :)

• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice

Pretty simple, huh? Here are a few samples from the page, you can check out the rest if you like these!

Glass: Wash windows with 2 to 3tbsps of vinegar to three litres of warm water. Dry with crumpled newspaper for sparkling results.

Wood: Mix one part olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture or apply with a spray bottle, then polish with a dry cloth. Use this mix to make wood floors gleam.

Drain cleaner: Put down one part soda, followed by four parts hot vinegar. Leave overnight if possible.

Baths, shower doors, tiles and grout: Tackle body oils and soap scum with two parts soda to one part vinegar or lemon juice. The thick paste should be applied with a damp cloth. Leave for 10 minutes then rub with a brush or sponge. As you rinse it off, drains will be kept fresh too. Use this mix on shower doors, sinks, tiles and grout. If cleaning grout, rub with a toothbrush.

Here are a few of my reliable, green cleaning methods that I use around my house:

Cleaning the cat box: Dump out all the old litter and hose out the remains. Pour about 1 - 1/2 inches of white vinegar into the box and a fair amount of baking soda; let this sit for about 20 - 30 minutes and then scrub the box down. Rinse, let dry and put in fresh litter!

Cleaning the microwave: Put a bowl of white vinegar in the microwave and heat for 1 minute. Let it sit so it dissolves cuts the grease. Wipe down with a damp rag.

Fridge: Use a paste of baking soda and white vinegar to remove tough stains and odours.

Garbage disposal: Grind up lemons in warm water stream to deodourize.

I hope this helps! Remember harsh chemicals in your home aren't just bad for the environment, but yourself, you family, and your pets!

Happy cleaning! Please submit any tips that you use around your home! :)
LL.