Natural, safe, chemical free, clean dishes with Kin Kin Naturals

There is something so inspiring about how each and every purchase we make as consumers can make a huge difference in the world around us and our own families lives and health.

The more you look into the chemicals that surround our day to day living the more you see how dangerous they can be for our families health, just how many there truly are and what a cocktail we can come into contact with over the course of just a single day, even just around our house, our houses that are supposed to be our safe havens and loving homes of our family.

Even little purchases you might not at first think of like your dishwashing liquid can have a big effect on making your home environment a healthier one, after all dishwashing is something we do, and we do all the time!

Here on the Sunshine Coast where I live, through shopping at my favourite local supermarket the Maleny Supa IGA I fell in love with the most beautiful dishwashing detergent that is made right here and has so much heart in it's creation.

Kin Kin Naturals

"A Noosa Hinterland based family business, passionate about making local, all natural products that actually work. We only use ingredients we would put in our own backyard or on our children's skin."Felix is a PhD qualified formulator, who used to work for OMO. His skills level is unique in the world of ECO products.

You can buy the beautiful range of Kin Kin ECO products at the Maleny Supa IGA

Skin friendly, grey water safe and biodegradable.

"I feel so relieved to know I am able to easily buy a good quality, affordable product to wash my families dishes with that is Kin Kin Naturals, a product that is so safe to use, affordable and really works. It is an easy choice that I can make for around my home that makes my children's lives healthier and safer, supports an amazing local business and helps the environment too." Author Rebecca Mugridge.

What are you washing your family's dishes with??

Fab Slabs Chopping Boards - Beautiful AND Ethical

If it is possible to heart your chopping board then I certainly do my new one!

My new Fab Slabs chopping board is *gorgeous*

and for those of you who follow my recipes and cooking adventures you will see it make some appearances!

I love it's earthiness, the colours of the wood, how it is great for all food types and actually good for your knives too!

And most of all I love the story behind them, you see they are made from the Camphor Laurel tree. A beautiful tree but one that is sadly a pest in Queensland where I live. These trees are majestic to look at but are an introduced species and very sadly wreak havoc on the native landscape.

"On the Sunshine Coast re vegetation projects are taking place all the time. Camphor Laurel trees are removed so that native plants can be put in their place. Fab Slabs salvages the camphor laurel logs, then mills, dries and turns the timber into beautiful, solid timber slab cutting boards.We are good friends with a number of arborists. When a tree does have to be removed because of road clearing, storm damage or it is a danger to a house, Fab Slabs salvages the log rather than see it dumped, burnt or chipped.

100 % Australian Made and Owned

 Fab Slabs is a family owned and operated business and all of our products are proudly 100% Australian made. All cutting boards are milled, kiln dried and manufactured on the Sunshine Coast, about 1 hour North of Brisbane. Both Paul and Ricky (Fab Slabs Owners) are very much hands on in the production of the cutting boards to maintain a high standard of quality."

You can see an amazing range of these stunning chopping boards at the Maleny Supa IGA - where I bought mine, and what a fantastic Christmas gift idea too!

It is so powerful and rewarding to make even the simple purchases we make for ourselves, our homes and the gift we give thoughtful ones.

Rebecca x

Text and images (c)RebeccaMugridge
NOTE: I purchased this fab slabs chopping board myself.

The Simple Things - Guest Post by Best Selling Author Sally Collings

Sally Collings – guest post on The Simple Things

Most weeks, I have a conversation with one of my daughters that goes something like this:

‘Mum, I want an iPad [substitute consumer item of choice here], can I have one?’
‘What do you want one of those for?’
‘Everyone else in my class has one.’
‘Are you sure … ? And in any case, that doesn’t mean that you need one.’
‘That’s so unfair!’
‘Life is unfair, sweetie. But do you know the best way to be happy?’
[Roll of eyes.] ‘No, what is it?’

‘Want less.’

 I don’t know if it’s working, but it’s a message I try to slip in whenever I can. I really believe that much of the stress and strain we experience is to do with striving, competition, and the sheer drive to consume. It’s everywhere, and it is hugely difficult to resist.

That’s why I’ve co-written a book called The Simple Things with Antonia Kidman. The sub-title is ‘Creating an organised home, a happy family and a life worth living’, because we both feel that those three things are intertwined. Organisation is about being conscious of what you buy, keep, and own, and stripping back where needed. Families thrive when their days are focused on experiences rather than stuff. Life has more value when relationships rather than ownership are at the core.

I’m no domestic goddess, so some of the things Antonia and I write about in our book are not second nature to me. Batch cooking, for example: I know it’s a great way to save time and cooking, but I often forget to buy big enough quantities of the ingredients I need. Some weeks it all comes together, though, and those weeks feel better, less flustered, more in the flow.

One of the tips in The Simple Things that I really love is ‘the minimalist home’: paring everything down so that your home is streamlined and clutter-free. My family is just about to move house, so I’ve just done a major minimalisation in our house, and I love it. I get a kick out of seeing benches without bits and pieces all over them, beds freshly made – I’ve even developed a taste for rolling towels, though I think I’ll get over that pretty soon! It’s been a major effort to get the house that way, but two things that helped were tackling one room at a time and getting the kids involved. We turned it into a competition to see who could fill a garbage bag first, which is a great motivator!

Strangely enough, simplicity isn’t always the easy option. It can take courage to say no, to fly in the face of what everyone around us seems to be doing.

The results are worth it, though. A happier, healthier, more peaceful life for you and your family is really worth the effort.

 

Sally Collings is the author of bestselling Sophie’s Journey as well as Positive, The World According to Kids and Parenting with Soul. A writer, editor and publisher, her special areas of interest are life stories, parenting and everyday spirituality. She lives in the subtropical paradise of Brisbane with her husband, two daughters and one goldfish