I’ll admit it: Cleaning is not one of my favorite activities! Not just because it’s a never-ending chore, but because many cleaners actually make me feel sick. All of the harsh chemicals, perfumes and dyes cause itching, sneezing, watery eyes, and sometimes can give me a rash. (Nice, huh?)

Because of that, I have to be extremely careful about the products used in my home. There are many recipes for homemade cleaners and that’s a good option for those who have the time/interest. Personally, I just want to spray and go, but it has to be safe for me, the kids, and pets. In the past, I’ve tried a lot of so-called natural stuff, “green” products, fragrance free, additive free, etc. The problem is that anything gentle enough for skin tends to be too weak to eliminate dirt. (Talk about a complicated dilemma!)

GreenShield Organic offers a solution. With a tagline like “All the clean without the mean,” they seem to understand where I’m coming from. Every product they make adheres to the strictest standards:

• Toxin free
• Synthetic free
• gluten free
• GMOs free
• no animal by-products or testing
• USDA certified organic
• Plant based ingredients

GreenShield Organic goes one step further to ensure that even the bottles are healthy; they’re made using renewable and sustainable sugar cane.

For the past week, I’ve been giving these products a try. Since we’re expecting holiday guests soon, I want everything to be extra polished and shiny, especially in common areas like the kitchen and bathroom. I’m happy to report that routine cleaning like wiping down counters/mirrors and washing windows was a breeze! Deep cleans and extra dusty/dirty places like baseboards did require some extra scrubbing, but that’s typical no matter what product is used. GreenShield Organics also makes laundry detergent that I’ve ever heard works wonderfully, but I didn’t personally test it, so I can’t say for sure.

Out of everything I sampled, my favorite has to be the Baby Liquid Dish Soap. Bottles become so gross and grimy—not to mention smelly!—with repeated use. I love how well this soap cleans without being harsh on my hands. I didn’t even have to wear gloves.

Check out the full line of GreenShield Organic products and see how they can change the way you clean.

This post is sponsored by Blue Buffalo™ and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I’m being compensated for helping spread the word about Blue Buffalo’s extensive product offering for cats and dogs available at PetSmart®, but I only share information that’s relevant to readers. Blue Buffalo isn’t responsible for the content of this article.

In addition to the dogs, cats, and hermit crab that already live in my home, two new blessings recently joined us—baby kittens, called Snowball and Scamp! They came our way courtesy of a neighbor that’s moving across the country and couldn’t take them along. While I thought we already had plenty of pets, the kids had other ideas in mind. (I think they’d adopt 100 animals if allowed!) Initially, I said no, but after gazing into such angelic faces, I relented…

Of course, pets require lots of gear and off we went to PetSmart for a shopping spree. Since we consider pets to be part of the family, we feed them like family, which means a high quality, grain-free, protein-rich food. After a bit of browsing and researching ingredients, I realized that the Blue Buffalo™ Wilderness line was ideal. Inspired by the diet of wild lynx, this food is bursting with meaty goodness and contains none of the junky fillers, chemicals, and preservatives I try to avoid. As for the selection, my goodness, the Lynx Lair is huge!

Currently, the kittens are only able to eat soft stuff. As they grow bigger, we’ll transition to dry food, but for now, it’s wet food. Because their tastes are still forming, I wasn’t sure which flavor they’d enjoy, so I selected Chicken, Salmon, and Turkey.

This pic is a good representation of their different personalities. Snowball dove right into the bowl, while Scamp looked on, a bit hesitant.

I bought lots of cans, so there was plenty in the kitchen. Still, I wondered if Scamp would get a bite before this hungry hippo finished every morsel!

Somehow, he worked up the nerve and pushed himself right in, and also began eating with gusto. These boys sure love BLUE Wilderness! I love knowing that I’m feeding them the best diet possible, ensuring they will grow healthy and strong and lead the active lifestyle they crave.

Blue Buffalo offers tons of wet food, dry food, and treats for both cats and dogs. Learn more about these awesome products, conveniently available at PetSmart. Not sure which product is right for your fur baby? Every weekend BLUE sends their Pet Detectives to local stores to help you make the best decision.

Connect with BLUE on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BLUE. The opinions and text are all mine.

In my quest to increase my extremely low energy levels, I’ve tried a lot of “super” foods and supplements. One I had never tried—never even heard of actually!—until recently is Baobab. Grown in Africa, this fruit naturally dehydrates itself while still on the tree, requiring no heat at all to process. After harvest, it’s cleaned and crushed into a powder.

The Baobab powder is incredibly nutritious! Check out these amazing benefits:

• Calcium – 2X more than milk 
• Potassium – 5X more than bananas
• Antioxidants – 6X more than blueberries
• Fiber – 20X more than apples and 2X more than chia seeds
• Iron – 1.5X more than spinach
• Vitamin C – 6X more than oranges

Baobab has the highest levels of Vitamin C in any fruit—this can help to increase energy. It’s also an immunity booster. (Both of which I truly need!) While the name may be hard to pronounce, it’s very easy to eat. The taste is similar to citrus, a little bit sweet, and isn’t overpowering. It can be used in a variety of ways—added to the batter for baked goods, added to the blender when making smoothies, or mixed into hot cereals. 

I used it once daily for a week, either in my morning oatmeal or as an afternoon pick-me-up drink. While my energy hasn’t changed tremendously, I did notice a slight boost. The high fiber content makes it very filling too, which is an added benefit for anyone counting calories. 

To find out more about this awesome, organic powder or to order some, head over to PandaVita. A 50-gram bag sells for only $6.21—worth every penny to me!

Do you ever feel like you’re cleaning from morning ’til night? Prepping food, doing dishes, washing clothes, picking up toys, scrubbing, polishing, sweeping…it just never ends! Since cleaning is NOT my favorite activity, I try to streamline, the exception being cleaning for Passover. When I’m especially short on time and/or when I lack motivation, I focus on 3 rooms:

Kitchen: Regular meals, served on-time, prepared at home, and consisting of mostly healthy food is my goal. To make this happen, I write a weekly meal plan, grocery shop regularly, and bulk cook so there is always something ready when needed.

On a daily basis, I do a quick swipe of the counters, quick sweep of the floor, and concentrate mostly on dishes. (Dishes will take over my table, sink, and counter if I let them!) Unless an item is over-sized or delicate, it goes into the dishwasher immediately after use. I run the dishwasher every night before bed. In the morning, I empty it and the process starts again. I try to never go to sleep with a full sink or leave dishes out overnight.

Beyond the daily stuff, everything else is cleaned as needed or during my monthly deep-clean session (things like organizing cabinets, pantry inventory, mopping the floor, etc.)

Bathroom: Since you can’t get clean in a room that’s filthy, this is a spot that deserves extra attention. Daily chores include wiping down sinks, counters, and toilets and making sure hygiene products are not running low. Bigger jobs like scrubbing the shower with grapefruit, I don’t get to as frequently. In my family, we all shower or bathe and brush teeth before bed. Mornings are already crazy and this cuts down on the chaos significantly.

Laundry room: By doing one load of laundry 5X weekly, start to finish—meaning I wash it, dry it, and put it away—I can keep it under control. I usually don’t wash on weekends unless it’s dire. I separate into whites/colors and towels are done by themselves since they take so long to dry. Most things are cotton and don’t need special care. (I avoid ironing like the plague so this is very, very important!) I do delicate items by hand occasionally and send some stuff to the dry cleaners like coats and suits.

If you have a large family, lots of young children, or regularly do outside activities, you many need to do laundry a lot more frequently. Experiment with what works best for your own situation.

Need more tips or inspiration? Try a cleaning challenge.