Transforming your home to be chemical-free: a tour into Mumzilla's household.

I have been a sucker for organic and natural products for as long as I can remember.

When I was single and still staying with my parents, they thought I was so "extreme" because back then, organic products were hard to get and also mighty expensive.

 

When I got married and pregnant, I paid even more attention to what I was putting ON and INTO my body.

Do not think that soaps which you can wash off will not get into your body system, they can! By penetrating your pores and epidermis (outer layer of cells), harsh and harmful chemicals will make their way into your bloodstream and body system.

I'm not trying to scare you, but it's the truth.

 

The good news is, you can make informed choices when you next do your grocery shopping.

 

Here's a peek into our home to see the natural products we use:

 

Eco-friendly cleaning agents for your kitchen, toilets and floors, which are also safe for not just you and your family, but also responsible towards the environment because it uses recycled plastic and not tested on animals.
I was very particular about what is used to clean surfaces and floors because I have two young children who would crawl and play on the floor and touch every visible surface.
I was certainly not gonna let them put harsh chemicals into their mouths!

Bio-Home and Earth Choice are available at NTUC and Cold Storage.

Thieves antiseptic and anti-bacterial spray for table tops and counters, South of France hand soap, Bio-Home dishwashing liquid.

Always check your ingredients, and know what you are buying. Choose products which are free of sulphates and parabens, and I personally do not support companies which test on animals. If it's natural, organic and full of goodness, there's not a need to test on rabbits or chimps or Beagles.

What do Sulphates and Parabens do to our bodies?

Sulphates are harsh chemicals found in many detergents as they can break down dirt and particles, they are the ones responsible for the "soapy", sudsy and foamy feel when you lather up your shampoo or soap. They can cause skin irritation since they are so strong, and potentially cause hair loss.

Parabens are chemical substances widely used in cleansers, shampoo, and cosmetics for prolonging shelf life. Parabens have been found to mimic estrogens, and can link to risks of breast cancer.

Manufacturers of natural products use alternatives such as Vitamin E, grapeseed, and or sorbic acid which are safer and natural.

Organic products are also in our bathrooms for adults and children alike.

Fluoride- and sulphate-free toothpaste.

Instead of bleach and artificial fragrance, you can use a cheap alternative - Baking Soda and essential oil. I put 10 drops of Peppermint into a full load of laundry to freshen up the smell together with washing detergent because our laundry is done weekly so the smell can be quite yucky.
Other than Peppermint, you can also try Lavender or Geranium (for ladies' clothes)

 P.S. Young Living essential oils and products have been integrated into our home starting from May 2014 :)

 

 Remember, we can all lead healthy and balanced lives by making tweaks in certain lifestyle choices we make.

Healthy living isn't a fad, it is a way of life.

 

 

One oil at a time: Cedarwood, the brain and hair food.

 Looking for an effective oil for hair loss, or simply want to promote better brain function?

Then Cedarwood is the oil for you. At only $18/ bottle (wholesale price), it is really a wonder in a bottle.

 

Here are some graphics for your reference :)

 

 

 

On my own hair, I must say the results were pretty amazing!

 

If you wish to find out more about the oils, please feel free to email me at velvet_fuzzion@yahoo.com.sg.

Young Living authorised distributor member ID: 1841945

How to purchase Young Living essential oils.

By now, many people have come forward to email me or PM me via Facebook on how they can purchase Young Living essential oils and products.

The long and short of it is, it's better to become a Member of Young Living if you want to make purchases at member price (24% off retail price). Prices stated on http://www.youngliving.com.sg/ are full retail price.

I have some commonly asked questions answered here.

Can I purchase YL oils if I am not a member?
Yes, certainly. You can purchase them directly at Young Living Singapore office at full retail price, or get an existing member, like a friend or relative, to assist you with your purchase.

How do I become a Member?
If you've tried one or two oils and find them to be useful to you, it would be a wise decision to become a member yourself, so as to facilitate your future purchases.
To join as a Member, you can sign up online in a few easy steps.

Go to http://www.youngliving.com.sg/  and click on "Member sign-up" on the top right corner:

You are then required to fill in your particulars for the sign-up.
Sign up as "Wholesale Member".

There will be a section which requires you to enter a Sponsor ID and Enroller ID.
These both will be the ID of the member* who recommended Young Living to you.
You can enter my ID for BOTH columns - 1841945, if you will.

*If you are an existing member and want to help your downline to build his/her line, for eg. Veron wants to sign up a new member, Sara, under Veron's existing downline, Twinkle, to help Twinkle build up her line. In this case, Sponsor ID will be Twinkle's, and Enroller ID will be Veron's.
You can also put both Sponsor ID and Enroller ID as Twinkle, not a problem, and Twinkle will get both the Sponsor + Enroller comms.

It will probably be a little bit confusing to you at this point, but don't worry, you can simply put it at the back of your head for now and revisit this option when you have gotten the hang of things.



Towards the bottom of the sign-up page, you will need to select your type of Membership.
There are 2 types of members: Essential Rewards member, with an initial purchase of minimum 100PV (points) worth of products.
Thereafter you will need to maintain at least 100PV of orders monthly.
If, at any point of time, you wish to convert your ER membership to regular membership, you can always call up YL Singapore office to do so at 6391 0170.

Or a Regular member, whereby you need to purchase a Starter kit from the following options. However, this category of membership will not entitle you to ER points, quarterly gifts, and monthly promos. There is no need to maintain 100PV of orders every month.

What did you say again, are the differences between the 2 types of membership?
Let's take a look:


source from One Drop Singapore. Click on image for full-size

For Type A as Essential Rewards member, you purchase the oils you want and depending on the PV (points) you accumulate, you are entitled to free gifts based on the above choices (100PV, 200PV, or 350PV).
* valid as of 2014.

For Type B as Regular member, you buy the starter kits and get your membership.

However for most YL users, the most viable option is A (ER member) as it entitles you to more perks from the company.

One example of Type A (ER member) purchase is as such. However, please note that the oils in the Everyday Kit may be subject to change depending on availability, but the price remains the same.

For instance, for a limited time, Frankincense will be replaced by Sacred Frankincense, and Purification will be replaced by Di-Gize in the Everyday Kit.

After you are done with signing up, a confirmation email will be sent to you with your Member ID.

If you have any further queries or wish to join as a member, we would love for you to be part of this wonderful oiling community! It's not just an oil, it is a lifestyle :)

Do email me at velvet_fuzzion@yahoo.com.sg or click on the email icon on the top right corner of my blog page.

My kampong kids get down and dirty in Kluang, MalaysiaL Day 2.

Welcome to Day 2 of our UK Farm stay.

Adam loves this horse and claims her as his. He would go horse-riding all day if we allowed him to! 

Ashton waiting for Korkor to be done so we could go to the Mini Zoo.

Look who's bored?

Mini zoo, archery and sheep challenge.

The Mini zoo was quite unlike any other small-animal compound we've been to locally.
We were free to wander around the enclosure with the fowl and the kids even had first-hand experience of being up close and personal with nesting ducks and hens.
Of course, we did not allow the children to touch the mothers-to-be, just close enough to see, but still Adam and Ashton were very amused as they've never seen hens and ducks lay eggs before.
Heck, even we have not seen anything like this before.

After the visit to Mini zoo, we went back to the goat shed for more feeding, as per the children's requests!

This time, Ashton is enjoying himself bottle-feeding the kids, as compared to the previous day he was terrified of them.

It was soon time to end our stay at UK Farm.
Bye bye animals and the lovely, friendly staff!
Especially to Tang, who coordinated with me via phone and email and was so understanding and accommodating (as I said, this was my first time planning a family trip!)
Thank you for the hospitality. We hope to visit again!

If you have time to spare, it is highly recommended to drop by Zenxin Organic farm on your way back since it very near UK Farm.

 

That's the end of our Kluang road-trip.

Another destination to plan with your kids if you don't want to go too far.

Short trips are excellent for parents because you can pack light and not worry about the stress of taking a plane with the children.

If you pack snacks and plan ample toilet and food breaks in between your drive (for those with young children), road-tripping is indeed loadsa fun!


We hope we will be back some time next time!

My kampong kids get down and dirty in Kluang, Malaysia: Day 1.

[warning: Long post with photos overload!]

We just returned from an awesome holiday with the kids!

We went somewhere with no internet, no handheld games, just pure unadulterated fun for the children which was the sole objective this September holidays.

I must confess - this is the first time I booked a tour for the family.

Andy is usually the one in our marriage who is in charge of these stuff. He's good with directions and travel savvy. When I got assigned the task, I decided to bring us to UK Farm.

Don't be fooled by the name though, because UK Farm is not in the United Kingdom. As a matter of fact, UK Farm stands for Un Keng Farm and it's only an hour's drive from the causeway.

I've only read reviews on Trip Advisor, so here is our low-down on being close to nature.

Address & contact:

Plot 8, Projek Pertanian Moden Kluang, KM 13, Jalan Batu Pahat, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia.

607-7597555

Email:  info@ukfarm.com.my

They are very fast in replying emails.

Getting there:

Very straightforward and easy, you won't get lost if you follow this simple map:

source: UK Agro Farm website.

 Hit the North-South highway, exit Ayer Hitam.

After you exit the toll, you will soon reach a junction in between Batu Pahat (to your left), or Kluang (to your right). Exit RIGHT to Kluang and destination is 9km away.

 

I'm glad we drove our SUV because I don't think our small car will be able to withstand the gravel path. Someone advised on Trip Advisor to be prepared that your tyres become misaligned or punctured. I think he wasn't kidding!

Meals:

3 square meals with drinks are provided by the Farm management. Everyone goes to the canteen for food which is cooked in mass and served to you in huge portions. You don't get to choose what to eat but thankfully, my children are not picky.

If the food is really not up to your taste however, you can always order other items on the menu and pay separately.

Fun factor:

The kids enjoyed themselves to the max! I'll let our photos do the talking.

Outside our chalet during our lull time, the kids would go and throw pebbles. Love the simplicity of this life-style. Ashton, as can be seen, is throwing a pebble shower on, erm, himself.

I've never felt so at ease with my children running on the road.

At the farm centre where we have our meals, arrange for activities etc.

You can choose to get around the different parts of the farm in this bus, which is FOC...

Or you can choose to go by horse carriage which is RM$60 for the entire trip around the farm.

Goat shed, where the kids could feed hay and bottle-feed kids:



Kids face-to-face, so to speak.

Demo on milking the goats.

At the Ostrich farm:

"You looking at me, kid?"

Baby looks unimpressed.

 

 

At the Kampong Asli:

Orang Asli showing us how to use a blow-pipe to make a kill on unsuspecting animals. In front of him is a trap for animals too.

In the tree house!

I said "SMILE!" and these were the expressions of three different boys.

Next stop, to the Mushroom and Vegetable farm:

Wishing tree.

If you could make a single wish, what would you wish for?

After the vegetable farm tour, Adam went horse-riding.

 

 

Our wish lantern which was similar to the one we had lit in Taiwan.
UK Farm reminds me a lot about Taiwan, except it is way nearer and much more accessible to us!

 

We ended the night with setting off wish lanterns, followed by a night tour to spot fire-flies.

 

 

As you can see, there are tons of activities for the children on UK Farm!

But that's not all. Click HERE for Part 2 of our Kluang road trip.