Living well - naturally

Ceiling fans - comfort and economy

2008-12-04T09:36:00.005-05:00

Our weather has suddenly turned very winter-like, with nightly temps in the teens and a "storm to watch" predicted for our area next week. Ironically it was only 3 weeks ago that we had temperatures in the 70's. We had the average hot summer weather this year, and our ceiling fans got a real workout, so much so that our bedroom fan finally gave up after many years of faithful service.

So we found ourselves in the market for a new Ceiling Fan, and were amazed at the variety and options now available to us. One in particular that we considered was a Nautical Ceiling Fan which would really go well with the nautical theme I have in mind for our room.

Ceiling fans do a great job at circulating the air in the hot weather months, making you feel cooler, and if you use air conditioning, you can actually set your thermostat at a higher temperature and still feel just as cool. One thing you may not be aware of is that ceiling fans can also make your room more comfortable in the winter months. The fans have a small switch that will reverse the direction of the blades, allowing the heated air that has risen to your ceiling to be pushed back down, making you feel warmer and better utilizing the warmed air from your heating system.

Another great use for ceiling fans I've seen is to use Outdoor Ceiling Fans on your porch or covered patio. They are water-proof and made to handle the extreme temperatures outdoors, and make your outside living space much more comfortable when the temps soar.

All in all, ceiling fans make a lot of sense for our comfort as well as saving on heating and cooling costs, a very important factor when you're watching your budget.

Safe antiperspirants

2008-12-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

There has been some question as to whether ingredients in antiperspirants, namely aluminum chlorhydrate and aluminum zicarnium, could contribute to alzheimers and breast cancer. They are synthetic compounds that block the pores and keep them from doing what they are supposed to do - perspire and eliminate waste products from our body.

Here's an article from Health Sciences Institute on the subject. The article also offers some safe natural alternatives to antiperspirants. My husband and I stopped using our old favorite antiperspirants about 3 years ago, and now only use holistic formulas from CelticSeaSalt.com. They offer 2 really good deodorants, "Real Purity" and Tropical Traditions" deodorants. The ingredients are simply purified water, minerals, guar gum, irish moss, glycerin, aloe, seaweed, vegetable silica, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, vitamins A & E, sandalwood oil, lavender oil and grapefruit. It rolls on very nicely, dries fast, has no fragrance, and it really works all day, with no reapplying. We recommend either product highly.

Need a Christmas gift idea?

2008-12-03T09:18:00.002-05:00

If you have a person on your Christmas list who is hard to buy for, you might be thinking about giving him or her a gift card.

Before you do, consider giving a customized gift card from GiftCardLab. These Visa gift cards are FDIC insured which eliminates the risk and worry of normal gift cards if the retailer goes out of business before the gift card is redeemed. They can be used anywhere that VISA is accepted, and personalized with your own pictures, art and graphics so that the design of the card is truly your own.

This makes receiving and using a gift card much more flexible in that your loved one, friend, or co-worker can use the cards any way they wish, from gas for their car to splurging on a personal item they've been wishing for.