One Small Change to Avoid Mom-Guilt

Mom-guilt is such a strange emotion.

It is all-encompassing and sometimes feels impossible to avoid. 

Work too much- mom guilt

Work too little - mom guilt

Clean the house- mom guilt

Don't clean the house - mom guilt

Feed your kids take-out- mom guilt

Don't feed your kids take-out- mom guilt

You add in the ever-changing recommendations and research in raising children and there's a whole other myriad of guilt-inducing challenges (cry it out or don't,  vaccinate right away or delay, allow devices or don't, attachment parenting or free-range parenting, etc etc etc). 

We have these ideals and standards in our minds about what a perfect mom is and allow ourselves to feel guilty when we are less than that imaginary figure in our minds.  It's not easy mama. I hear you. And while there's so much to unpack around those standards and how you feel,  there is a slight change you can make in your home that can help you feel good about how you're parenting today. 

See there are days when you have the patience of Job and there are days when you snap at every little thing. There are days you create a homegrown, from-scratch balanced meal,  and days you eat McDonald's breakfast and Taco John's supper. Hindsight is 20/20 and it becomes very easy to beat yourself up for not planning better or exposing your kiddo to such unhealthy foods. But so often,  those things happen because of unforeseen circumstances, or things that are out of your control. 

Something you can control is the products you bring into your home. It's the little things that make life big, right? So instead of beating yourself up for the fast food meal once in a while, let's look at the little things you can do every day to enhance the wellness of your family. 

When you think about being 'healthy' there's more to consider than what you eat and your physical activity. What about the other substances you expose your body to?  I'm not talking about alcohol or nicotine, but chemicals like 'fragrance', 'BPA', and Parabens. 

That one day of fast food is limited exposure to something 'unhealthy.' But your body wash,  lotion, perfume, deodorant, makeup, laundry soap, and air fresheners are constant exposures to chemicals that can disrupt hormones, aggravate allergies, cause headaches, and irritate the skin. 

When I began my wellness journey over ten years ago,  I quickly realized that fragrances were a big trigger for my allergies and subsequent headaches/migraines. Later I learned that they are also huge hormone disruptors. Suffering from endometriosis and later in life, infertility, it became vital for me to avoid as many hormone disruptors as possible. So I began to make the switch. It was a slow and steady change, but the difference it makes is clear. 

As I go through my day with a newborn girl,  I often find joy in knowing the products I now use are safe for her too. That they are not disrupting my hormones or hers. They are not aggravating my allergies and preventing irritation for her too. Imagine, putting lotion on in the morning and feeling good about it. Of all the ways we can feel guilty in how we conduct our days, this is one action I take that helps me feel like I’m “doing something right.” For her and for myself. It is in the small, repetitive tasks that we make the biggest changes in our lives, let this be one small change that makes a big difference for you and your family. 

If you’re ready to start making some changes to your products, here are some of my favorite companies/products!

Lotion and Baby Soap: Pipette (http://pipette.refr.cc/jessicaophus)

Body wash: Norwex bath mitt-no more soap or shaving cream necessary in the shower

Shampoo/Conditioner: Beauty Counter (https://www.beautycounter.com/ryannmclain/contact) 

Face regimen: Primally Pure (http://rwrd.io/4wttjg1?c )

Foundation/Eye shadow: Fraerie Organics (https://www.faerieorganic.com/mineral-makeup-1 )

Air fresheners: Essential Oils

Laundry Soap: Norwex or Biokleen

Fabric Softener: Vinegar occasionally, or Norwex wool dryer balls

*Some of the above links are referral links. Using them may create rewards for us both!

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/ewg-shoppers-guide-safe-cosmetics-its-easy