“SQ” Products

Thank you for checking out my SQ product line!!!!!

For our family I am making a ton of products, but I have chosen to start slowly so am  currently selling 4 of them:

Body Butter:  Olive oil, Coconut oil, Shea butter, Beeswax, essential oils (optional) (Can be made scented or scent free upon request)

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Lip Balm: Beeswax, Shea butter, coconut oil, essential oil (optional)

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Reusable Wax sheets (use instead of zip-top bags, and/or plastic wrap) Cotton squares ( various sizes available) with melted oil and beeswax.  These are eco-friendly, re-usable (wiped with soap and/or cold water) anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and can be used to wrap any food (except raw meat) from sandwiches, to cut fruit. Or you can cover your bowls etc. as you would have done with plastic wrap (terrible for the environment!)

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Toilet Bombs: These “bombs” can be used weekly to keep your toilet clean and fresh! Just drop them into the toilet water, allow 5-10 minutes for it to dissolve and then use your toilet brush as usual and then flush away. Septic system safe, and eco-friendly!

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Just an FYI here are some of the other products I have been experimenting with and using regularly in our home:

Liquid Laundry Detergent

All-Purpose cleaner

Foaming Hand Soap

Liquid Dish Soap

Facial and Body Scrubs (different types)

Deodorant

Dry Shampoo (dark and light hair varieties ) wet, and dry applications

Eye Cream

Anti-Bacterial Hand Sprays

SO….as I said, I am REALLY enjoying this and love making and using these products!!! I feel so much better using these and promoting these as what we put ON our body and what we breath in and clean our houses with is extremely important to living a healthy life!

Price List for products currently available:  (These are my initial prices, so they may change)

Body Butter $8/6oz, $4/3 oz

Lip Balm $2/8.5g, $4/25g

Toilet Bombs 10 tabs for $5

Wax covers/squares: small (6×6″ square) $2, medium (10×10″ square) $4, Large (15×10″) $6

Please contact me by email if you would like to order any of the above! My email is fit2borganized.wordpress@gmail.com

Thank you all for your support on this new endeavour!!
SQ🧘💞💛🌞

What’s new with “SQ”? (pronounced “esskew”)

Last year was a year of growth for me. I learned so much about myself, and took the opportunity to learn about sustainability and minimalism which led me off on a journey that I am so happy that I have made. I decided to ignore that voice in my head that said “what difference can one person make?” and chose to make our families lives more minimal (less “stuff”) and more environmentally friendly.

One major change was that I started listening to Podcasts and became completely addicted to them! Wow, why did it take me so long to find these! I have spent a huge amount of time listening to a variety of podcasts from Intermittent Fasting, to Fitness, Minimalism, Environmental Sustainability, to Daily pep talks, and this was only the beginning! They became an integral part of my daily living and my walks with Finley became even longer, and much slower…..finally really allowing him to do what he loves best; sniff and pee! The longer I was out in the fresh air learning all I could, the better it was for me, and who’s kidding who, when Mom’s happy, the family is happy lol!!🤣.

The one GIGANTIC change I made was that I changed when I eat (not what I eat…NOT a diet) by following an Intermittent Fasting lifestyle! Best…. thing…… ever…. honestly!!!!! I have not felt this energetic, focused, and felt this good about my body since before I had children! More on IF (intermittent fasting) in another blog to come as I have SO MUCH to say about why I will never go back to the way I ate before. So, with this incredible focus and feeling so physically great, I set off to reinvent myself.

One very important point I learned is that what I put ON my body was just as important as what I put IN my body! So, with that bit of information, I started my search for recipes for creams, lotions, deodorants, balms, butters, etc. Then…..…I learned that I could also make all my own house cleaning products that are not only cheaper, but are better for the environment and cleaner for our indoor air which we all know can become quite polluted with sprays, stale air, dander, and that is not even taking into account all those chemicals we use in our cleaning products😤.

So, that is the inspiration behind this post and to showcase what and how my life has changed for the better this past year!!!❤️. With that, I have created my own product line called SQ (pronounced “skew”) which is short for my nickname Suzy Q! I make MANY products for our family, but I am making 4 currently available to purchase if any of my faithful blog readers are interested! I will be writing a separate post listing these products: their prices, ingredients, and directions for use so please check it out and feel free to share this blog site!

Life is good! Hope you enjoyed my first post in a while, and please stay tuned for my new posts as they have been inspired by my new improved Minimal, Sustainable, and Fasted Lifestyle!❤️.

Your 2021 Suzy Q aka “SQ” post of the day! My new motto: Fit Body, Calm Mind, Happy Home.💪🦵🧠🥰🏡

Hot dog blog!🐕❤

Okay, so I had to laugh this morning when I realized I missed posting a blog this week.  Let me update my loyal blog followers on my recent life changes…..We are now the very proud owners of an 11 week old American Cocker Spaniel puppy!  Yay!  We are loving him and our new puppydome, but it has brought back all the memories of when my girls were babies and toddlers!

I have realized that having a puppy is very similar to having a baby. They sleep and play, and poop and pee a lot, but they are also like those toddlers who get into EVERYTHING and ANYTHING they can.  They love to explore and are so curious about new things.  The one change is the chewing and teething behaviours.  Unlike human babies, puppies seem to think that any part of you, your clothing, the house, the yard, etc., etc., is their personal teething toy!  Man and are their teeth sharp! Yowzers!  They are like needles!  So, that being said, we have quite an array of “redirection toys” kicking around everywhere to distract him with. These do work, but persistence, perseverance and patience are key.

Yowza, what is that smell???!!!😨

Now, no one likes exercising around someone who stinks, but it’s sometimes unavoidable.  Now I exercise a lot, and therefore sweat a lot.  So, here are some tips to keep that nasty stench at bay!😆

First off, if vinegar and baking soda aren’t already a staple for your cleaning and laundry needs, you need to make them one.  Vinegar and baking soda have so many uses that I always have them accessible for all my cleaning,  disinfecting, and deodorizing needs.

Your workout clothes get sweat soaked, and therefore can get both mildewy and can grow bacteria.  I know, GROSS!  So, what you need to do is to soak them every once in a while in a vinegar and water mix.  I use about a 1:4 ratio of vinegar to water. I also add a 1/4 cup of Baking Soda in here. I suggest soaking for at least a few hours, but overnight is even better!  Then, launder in cold water.  The vinegar and baking soda will kill off all that nasty bacteria which causes that smell!

Always wash your workout clothes in cold water, then hang to dry.  Putting them in the dryer is not good for the fabric.

Secondly, if you are a trail runner   like myself, my shoes get quite muddy after a run.  I prefer to just rinse them in cold water using a fairly stiff plastic brush to scrub away the dirt.  After this, squeeze out as much water as you can and leave them out to air dry.  Again, never put them in the dryer or the shoes will deteriorate,  and lose their integrity.  That’s right, running shoes have tons of integrity! ☺

Another way you can wash your running shoes and hats is to put them in the dishwasher in the top section.  This may not get into the ground in dirt, but when the cycle is done you could give those areas a  light brush.  Again here, take them out before the hot air dry cycle, or leave it on a cool dry setting.

There you are my friends, your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😆

The Spatula! Hot, Sexy, and ohh sooo Useful!!!😆

And now for something completely different in my fit2borganized blog……..

It has come to my attention that there is a very underused utensil in everyone’s kitchen that needs to get some attention……the SPATULA!!! 😆

This is one utensil that has so many uses, but from what I have seen isn’t given the attention it deserves.

Personally, I like to have a few sizes and varieties on hand. It is definitely my most favourite and most utilized kitchen utensil, but only by me ( in my household of 4!!)

I will grab it to cook with (heat resistant one) & use it for scraping, scrambling, stirring, flipping, mixing, among a billion other things!

I always use it for scraping the last bit of batter, sauce, topping, and whatever it is you are making. My family doesn’t do this and I hate cleaning a bowl and seeing so much stuff left behind! Pet peeve for sure!

One use people don’t seem to bother with using it to clean out your peanut butter jar (or any jar for that matter, mayo, ketchup, jam)!! You can get a whole other sandwich from the jar just by using a spatula. It seems that most people can’t be bothered and just use their knife and leave it at that! Nooooooooo! ! Get out that spatula instead and use this to make your sandwich and use every last but in that jar.

Now,  I got this awesome tip from my dad….he uses it for cleaning by putting a cloth over the end! It is the perfect skinny width to get into those tiny, skinny places. It works perfectly to get into those crevasses and cracks!

I strongly encourage you all to invest in a few varieties of spatulas and start using them regularly today! They really are the best, most useful, easy-to-clean, underused utensil!

Your Simply Susan useful tip of the day! 😆

 

Children learn what they live👌

If you have children, teaching them to do chores or to cook simple meals is giving them important life skills that will not only benefit them, but everyone!

Most children are capable and happy to help out if they know they are appreciated for doing it.  Find something age-appropriate that they can help out with on a daily or weekly basis, and, if you need to, reward them with a weekly allowance for helping to take care of the house.

Chore examples are:  filling the dishwasher, setting and clearing the table before and after meals, dusting, taking care of pets, collecting and taking out garbage and recycling, collecting laundry and sorting it, washing dishes, cooking simple meals, or helping in meal preparation.

By letting your children know that what they are doing is a big help, and compensating them with praise or a reward shows them that their contribution to the family home is truly appreciated. Hopefully though your children have already realized this!😆

I believe that children need to learn to help out and take pride in their house.  If they take part in caring for their house, hopefully they will want continue this as they grow up.

We all think it is easier and faster to do things ourselves but by giving children the responsibility of having to take care of certain things on their own gives them pride of ownership. If you are always doing everything for them how are they ever going to learn to take care of themselves??

If you take the time to teach your children these important life skills, you are helping them toward an independent future.  Isn’t that what all parents want for their kids.!?!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😆

Clean up your act!

Household chores are a necessary part of life, so my advice to you is to make the best of it, rather than putting it off and dreading what you do!

Put those headphones on and get started on those toilets or floors!  Putting music on while you clean will help to lighten your mood!!!  If you approach your task with a negative attitude, you are either not going to do it, or you’ll do it, but not well, and you’ll hate it!

Okay, so first, figure out which days you can devote 1-2 hours of cleaning to, then make a note of it in your schedule.  Actually making a note of it will help you to keep to this schedule.

My weekly tasks consist of floors, bathrooms, and the kitchen.

 I like to separate my week into two, one-to-two hour cleaning blocks. If you do it in the evenings, divide it into three-to-four half hour to one hour blocks.  I like to do my floors on Monday after we use the weekend to get them all dirty! (This way also, I don’t worry about how dirty they get on the weekend as I know I will get to them on Monday.)  I then do my bathrooms and kitchen on my second cleaning day.

I may have mentioned this before, but if you stick to a weekly cleaning schedule your tasks shouldn’t be considered “heavy” cleaning and shouldn’t use too much elbow grease.  I find the longer you leave a space the harder it is to clean it. My weekly cleaning is more just maintenance,wiping down and disinfecting surfaces.

Setting attainable goals helps, but a positive attitude and anything such as music to lighten your mood also helps the sometimes “dreaded” task get done!

So, if you are tackling these jobs during the day, put on those headphones and clean to your favourite playlists!  Or, if you do it in the evenings, pour yourself a glass of wine (if that’s your thing!!), and get to it!

Keep positive and clean on!

What kind of cleaning tips and advice would you like me to write about??????

My dirty secrets………

When you are doing laundry, think about doing it based on “off-peak” energy times.  I do laundry twice during the week in the evenings after 7 pm, then again on the weekend. This is our local “off-peak” time, and it saves money!   If you plan on doing your laundry a couple of nights on the weekdays, then a few loads on the weekends, it is less overwhelming than leaving it all for one time and have ton of loads to deal with.

Another money saver is, if you have the space in your laundry room, add a clothesline to hang many of your clothes to dry.  In the summer, why not hang your clothes outside? Not only does this save money, but it also extends the life of your clothes. Tumble drying with high heat wears out the fibres in your clothes faster, and makes them look faded.   I hang all work-out clothes immediately after washing.  I put everything else in the dryer, and after 5 minutes of tumble drying, I pull out and hang up all pants, shirts, other tops, and anything made of fleece.  Letting them tumble dry for 5 minutes gets the wrinkles out and then you just leave them until the next day where you fold and put everything away.

You can also save money when doing laundry by using cold water whenever possible.  There are many detergents available these days that clean your clothes well using cold water.

The last laundry tip I want to share with you is about only doing laundry when you have a full load as it is more energy efficient.  If I have separated my lights from my darks and don’t have enough I often will toss them all together and do them all in a large, cold load.  Nothing runs and it’s all done!

Share this on Pinterest, Facebook, and Email please!!!

Making weekly tasks attainable

Set weekly (attainable) goals for yourself when it comes to keeping your house clean

Instead of leaving all of your cleaning/chores for the weekend, break tasks up so they are less overwhelming.  Create a list of what you want cleaned weekly or biweekly, and schedule a little bit on a few different days. For example, if you have 3 bathrooms, the kitchen, and floors as your main cleaning priorities to do weekly or biweekly, pick 3-4 different days to do these, rather than your whole weekend. Writing it in your planner also helps you to actually get the job done. Cleaning and chores are way less overwhelming when you break them up rather than tackling them all at one time.

I personally love to make lists!  Sometimes just writing stuff down makes it more of a priority and then I will actually do it!  I love to cross stuff off of lists, so by writing it down, I’ll get it done just so I can cross it off my list!  Sad but true!! 🙂

A very important tip I always tell people is maintenance is key. By doing weekly chores, the total cleaning time will be less than if you were to do it once a month.  Each week when I clean, it is mostly just wiping/dusting and disinfecting surfaces.  I don’t have to scrub hard and use major “elbow grease” as it doesn’t get that dirty in a week.  (Well, at least it shouldn’t! 🙂 )

The other chores you can plan on doing less frequently, depending on your family (eg. Dusting…or as I call it “shifting the dust” 1-2x per month, window cleaning, or wiping baseboards…side note….I was once told that you can tell the cleanliness of someone’s house based upon the state of their baseboards!……not sure if I fully believe this, but I have to say, since I heard this I give them a quick wipe once in a while!!)

 Comments, or questions are welcome! Thanks so much to those of you who have taken the time to do so, it is much appreciated!!