5 Simple and Nurturing Ways to Minimize Thanksgiving Stress!

As much as we all love to celebrate with loved ones, what do we do with the stress that comes with hosting or even contributing to a holiday dinner. But the stress can be avoided with careful planning and consideration of everyone's needs, not neglecting your own.  At Bayes, we highly value the health of your home and family, and stress management should definitely not be forgotten. 

So here are 5 simple and nurturing ways to minimize Thanksgiving stress:

Create a Game Plan.

Don't wait until the last minute to do your shopping. You run the risk of getting stuck in crowds and not being able to get the items you need. Because you're planning ahead, you'll probably purchase a frozen turkey. Remember that depending upon the weight, a turkey can take up to five days to thaw in the refrigerator. Give yourself and your bird enough time to reduce this possible stressor.

Prepare Your Space Ahead of Time. 

When you're cooking a meal to this magnitude, you're going to need extra space in the fridge and on the counters. Take this opportunity to do a little "fall cleaning" and pitch old condiments, leftovers and other items you don't need in the fridge.

Delegate Tasks. 

A good head chef knows that a strong team is needed to achieve good service. You're no different. Assign duties to family members you know will want to help. Whether it be bringing a side dish, watching the little ones so they aren't underfoot while you're cooking, or simply setting the table, the list of ways others can bring relief to the day is endless.

Get Enough Sleep. 

It might seem counter intuitive, but making sure you get enough sleep can help combat the additional stress you may be under. Don't vary your sleeping schedule. Simply plan around it so your body remains in its natural rhythm. While you may have to get up a bit early on Thanksgiving Day to get the turkey in the oven, if you're well-rested from the previous nights, it won't take as much of a toll on you.

Prioritize

Remember what's important. Take time out to enjoy the day and have some fun. Start a new tradition of playing a game, telling favorite jokes or simply taking a walk together as a family. While the meal may seem like the big part of the day, the most important part is spending time with your loved ones and giving thanks for all you have.

Your emotional and mental health care should be at the top of your list when striving to live consciously and in a naturally healthy way. We are here to support you in the big and little ways we can. This is why we've developed a line of organic cleaning supplies meant to deeply clean, condition and care for your home and kitchen.  

This Thanksgiving, take care of yourself in the best ways possible. From us at Bayes, to you, 

Happy Thanksgiving!

7 Family Friendly Tips for a Green Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a well known American holiday based on tradition and togetherness. Why not use this as a chance to create your own family traditions and pass on the sustainable and earth friendly values with your own family?  Traditions start in the home. They start with you.  Here are seven family friendly tips for a green Thanksgiving.

RRR

To make your Thanksgiving celebration as green as possible, start with "Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!"  You can reduce the amount of waste you produce by buying only as much as you need and choosing products that come in packaging that can be recycled. Carry reusable bags when you do your shopping, and use cloth napkins that can be washed and used again. Recycle and compost all leftovers. Many things can be reused or put into use for the following seasons! Think ahead.

Buy and Eat Local

Buying only locally grown food is one good way to have a green Thanksgiving. Locally grown food is good for your table, your health and the environment. Locally grown food tastes better than food that has to be grown and packaged for maximum shelf life, and it requires less fuel to reach store shelves. Locally grown food also contributes more to your local economy, supporting local farmers as well as local merchants.

Choose Organic 

Using only organic food for your feast is another good green Thanksgiving strategy. Organic fruits, vegetables and grains are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers; organic meat is produced without antibiotics and artificial hormones. The result is food that is better for your health and good for the environment. Organic farming also produces higher yields, increases soil fertility, prevents erosion, and is more cost-effective for farmers.

Plant a Tree

Trees absorb carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming—and give off oxygen in return. Planting one tree may not seem to make much difference in the face of global climate change, but small things do matter. In one year, the average tree absorbs roughly 26 pounds of carbon dioxide and returns enough oxygen to supply a family of four.

Make Your Own Decorations

With a few simple supplies and a little imagination, you can make great eco-friendly Thanksgiving decorations and have a lot of fun in the process. Colored construction paper can be cut or folded into simple Pilgrim, turkey and harvest decorations. You can also make your own clay and then shape and mold it into acorns, pumpkins or other holiday symbols. 

Bring in the Spiritual Side

The Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving fled religious persecution in Europe to seek a better life in America. The Thanksgiving holiday was established to provide a national day for all Americans to give thanks. Even if you follow no particular religion, however, Thanksgiving is a good time to count your blessings, beginning with the many ways the natural environment sustains and enriches our lives. As part of your green Thanksgiving, make time for prayer, meditation, reflection, or perhaps just a walk in the woods to contemplate and give thanks for the wonders of nature.

Say Thank You

In the end, whatever you do on Thanksgiving, be sure you take the time to say thank you and set your heart to an intention of gratitude. Make this a time to say thank you to the people in your life who matter most and, if possible, to spend time in their company. Life is short so make every moment count. If distance or circumstances don't allow you to spend Thanksgiving with your loved ones, be sure to find a way to be in touch with them to tell them why you are thankful to them and how they make your world a better place. 

Bayes supports family and green living through our contribution of quality organic kitchen cleaning products, including our granite counter top cleaner.  (You may need a few bottles after this weeks festivities!) 

From all of us to you, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Thoughts: Simple Creative Ways To Practice Gratitude in Your Busy Life

Thanksgiving is a time when the greenest of families should be gathering together in gratitude and togetherness. Gratitude is a big word, but a vital one for the growth of the heart.  In the light of the coming holiday and knowing our busy schedules, we want to share some simple ways to bring gratitude into your daily life and thoughts. 

Developing your sense of gratitude isn't just a trend or a pop-psych fad. It's vital for your overall sense of well being and depth of your life quality. 

The truth is, we could all use a little more tender care and grace. Through self love, self forgiveness, appreciation and extension of the same, our lives will feel more full and fluid. We cannot always control what happens around or to us, but we can control our response and perspective.

Thanks to the lovely people at Mind Body Green, we have a fantastic list to share with you, of 14 creative ways to practice gratitude in your every day life. 

1. Write a handwritten letter to someone you've never properly thanked. Send by mail or hand-deliver; don't email.

2. Create An Appreciation Calendar. Each day, write five things you're grateful for and put it on a calendar.

3. Turn everything into a gift. Instead of your normal morning coffee, think of that cup as the gift of coffee. The gift of laughter. The gift of a smile.

4. Focus on something you're looking forward to and be grateful.

5. Say "I'm grateful for you," to everything you touch today.

6. Enjoy the little things. With a small task you do today, such as washing your hands or texting a friend, ask yourself how your life would be without it.

7. Look in the mirror and say, "I appreciate you," or, "I'm thankful for you."

8. Reach out to an author whose book has changed your life and share your gratitude in an email or letter.

9. Share a positive post on social media about a friend, company or product you truly love.

10. Spend five minutes with your hand on your heart, appreciating you and all of your hard work.

11. Donate your time or money to an organization or charity you believe in.

12. Make a list of ways you've impressed yourself lately. Think about what the challenges in your life have taught you. Be thankful for the blessing in the lesson.

13. Call your parents or children and tell them you appreciate them.

14. Send love to a force bigger than you, and give thanks to your higher power.

Your healthy life is our highest priority at Bayes.  Connect with those you love, including yourself today and practice these steps toward gratitude.  We also welcome you to stop by and enjoy the line of organic cleaning products we have to offer you. 

Have a thankful day!

Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner? How to Have a Stress Free Kitchen this Holiday Season:

The holidays coming, for many, mean a lot of hosting and entertaining. Make sure you're prepared for a holiday of family, friends and food without the added stress or concerns. After all, the host should be able to relax as well, not just cook and clean and maintain chaos!

Be Oven Ready
Make sure your oven is ready for the marathon of baking about to take place! Wait until after the big feast to do any deep cleaning in the oven. You don't want to exhaust the appliance and have it burn out before the pies are complete! Rather, give it a thorough manual wipe down beforehand with your best non-toxic cleaner. After all, we don't any toxic residue to be baked and absorbed into the mushroom green bean casserole!

Clean the Refrigerator
The fridge can be quite a treasure chest of old and forgotten food. Take this week to compost produce gone bad, consume leftovers and give the shelves and drawers the cleaning they deserve. Not only will you have a better idea of what is needed to purchase before the big day, but you'll also have the room to store both ingredients, finished dishes and the leftovers that will follow!

Checklist Your Spices
We can run out of or be low on our most common spices and then find we don't have them when we need them. And who wants to rush off to the store for a container of cloves the morning of thanksgiving? Since we'd rather avoid the rush of that crowd, let's be prepared. Go through your spice rack and take inventory. Throw out what's old and make a list of what needs to be restocked. You'll be so happy you did.


Prepare to clean
We love our granite counter tops. It's great to toss the common cutting boards and chopping blocks and know that we have so much counter space to slice, dice and prepare our beloved feast. But all that cutting and temperature change will add up. So it's good to be prepared with your own bottle of Bayes Organic Granite Counter Top Cleaner and Conditioner. You decided to get those granite counter tops for a reason, so use them well but remember to care for them too!

We hope your Thanksgiving feast is one to remember... for the beauty and not the craziness! Please stop by Bayes and see how you have more organic products to be thankful for this year! Have a wonderful holiday.

Give the Gift of An Eco Kitchen this Christmas!

If you've been worrying about what perfect gift to buy for your family or loved one, consider making
your kitchen more eco friendly!

Eco friendly kitchens allow for more sustainable practices to be in order, allowing your family a high quality kitchen experience with the added peace of mind that comes with knowing you are doing your part to keep the planet clean.

A great way to do this is to install granite counter tops. Have you heard about them? They are an incredibly affordable way to keep your kitchen green.  Here are the benefits:

-Durable
Granite is a great countertop material because it's incredibly durable. It's difficult to scratch it, allowing it to take a great deal of abuse from heavy cooking, entertaining, family, children and pets.
It's also ideal as it can handle high temperatures

-Style
Because granite is a natural substance formed over time, each piece has its own unique charm, color and patterning. This means, that no matter where you install your granite countertop,  you can be assured of it's one of a kind individuality. However, there are still enough similarities that will allow you to color match easily to any cabinet and hardware.

-Easy to Care For
Granite countertops are not only long lasting but also resistant to bacteria and easy to care for as well. To clean on a daily basis, you just need some gentle soap, warm water and a soft sponge.  For regular care and maintenance, you want to make sure you also condition the granite countertops as well. For this purpose, we at Bayes, have developed an organic granite counter top cleaner that will not only clean but condition and seal the counter tops for the best, most durable lasting finish.

Granite counter tops ad both style and usability to your home, not only bettering the quality of life you enjoy in the kitchen, but adds value to your home as well.

We hope you are as excited about gifting granite counter tops as we are.  As you consider what to give your loved ones this holiday season, we hope you will gift them the gift of a green home.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Simple and Fast Ways to Have a Green Life and Home

Don't be intimidated by all the information on green living! You can incorporate these simple and fast ways to have a green life and home into your daily routine and rest assured knowing you are improving yours and the lives around you! 

Recycling

Recycling in the home starts with finding out where you can take old newspapers and cardboard in your community to get it processed into new products. Many communities have recycling programs that make it easy for residents to put their old paper and cardboard to good use. If your community does not have an official paper recycling program, then check with a local church or civic group to see if they are running one. You can also recycle old plastic and glass food containers or reuse them by washing them out and using them as storage containers around the house. Before you throw anything out in your home, make sure that you cannot find another use for it and reduce the amount of garbage that goes into your local landfill.

Composting

Most people throw out old food and scraps from the table and never give it a second thought. But when you have a composting system in your backyard, you can turn those old food scraps into fertilizer or even a material that can help repair damaged parts of your lawn. You can also include lawn clippings and leaves in your composting system to create a comprehensive source of organic material. You can create a compost pile in your backyard, or you can invest in a more advanced composting system that will create the materials you need for your lawn and garden.

Water Conservation

In some parts of the world, there are water conservation laws that dictate how residents of those areas can use water. But everyone should be conscious of water conservation and preserve the water we have. Instead of allowing rainwater to flow into the ground, you can develop a rainwater collection system and use it to water your garden or your lawn. This saves you money by allowing you to water your landscaping without using your house spigot. You can save the dishwater from when you do the dishes and use that to water the lawn or clean up accessories around the home. Conserve water and you will save money and help your community.

Energy Conservation

There are many things you can do to conserve energy in your home. Always be sure to turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Invest in new doors and windows when the old ones have become drafty and unable to help regulate the temperature of your home. If your home appliances are 10 years old or older, then replace them with more energy-efficient models. You may also want to think about adding alternative energy sources such as solar panels and windmills. An extreme measure is purchasing an electric car and charging station. These alternative energy sources will reduce your reliance on electricity that is generated using fossil fuels, and it will also help to lower your monthly energy bills.

Cleaning Supplies

Sometimes being green at home is not about saving money. Sometimes it is about using supplies that are safe for the environment and safe for the family. For example, home cleaning supplies that use harsh chemicals can get into the water table around your home and contaminate your property. Those harsh cleaning supplies can also leave behind a residue that can get on the hands of your children and possibly cause disease. Instead of using those harsh cleaning chemicals, you should use more environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. There are many different kinds of cleaning solutions you can make from household items that have no dangerous chemicals at all. By learning to make our own safe cleaning solutions at home, you are teaching your children a skill that they can use when they grow up to save the environment and keep their children safe as well.

This is where Bayes comes in.  We know that you have a lot of options for better green living, and we want to make sure it's as simple as possible. This is why we developed our line of organic cleaning products. We want you and your home to be as healthy as possible. Stop by today and see what we have made for you!