Amy Bayliss

Oreck AirInstinct Air Purifier Giveaway!

April 17, 2012 By Amy Bayliss

I am so excited to share with you about my new Oreck AirInstinct.

The Oreck AirInstinct 200 is an air purifier that you can just “turn on and walk away.” It has unique features that allows the air passing through to automatically adjust the airflow speed. If your air needs lots of purifying then it automatically sets itself on a higher speed. As the air is purified the speed decreases. Another nifty feature is that the light illuminates in different colors depending on the speed.

It stands just over two feet tall and is approximately a foot wide. It purifies rooms up to 248 sq. ft. and is Energy Star qualified. It has built in child safety features, which is always a bonus for moms!

Speaking of being a mom, if you have boys –especially teenage boys — then you know the smells that fill their bedrooms. I am happy to report that the Oreck AirInstinct 200 removes boy smells! I tend to move it from room to room everyday so that I can purify the air in each room.

I especially like being able to put this in the bathroom that is located in the center of our home. That bathroom has no ventilation system and no windows. With the Oreck AirInstinct 200 I can rest assured knowing I’ve done my best to purify the air in that room.

I also like the fact that it has several filters and they last up to 3 years. That is a huge money saver right there. And let’s talk about the sound…there isn’t much of it. What sound that is coming from the air purifier is soothing. My ceiling fan makes more noise.

AirInstinct 200 has five amazing features that set it apart:

It’s powerful and efficient. The most powerful air purifier Oreck has ever offered, and it is ENERGY STAR® qualified.
It’s smart. It actually monitors the dust, pollen and smoke in the air passing through the sensor with its APS^™ (Automatic Particulate Sensor) technology. Based on what the APS detects, it turns the air purifier from low to medium to high (automatically, so you don’t wonder what setting to use), and pulls more air in through its fan.* The four-color lighting system tells you that it’s working, pushing cleaner air back into the room.
It cleans. Its three-stage PATH system reduces odors and captures 99.97% of the particles (as small as .3 microns) from the air that pass through its filters.
It’s whisper quiet on low setting or can provide white noise, depending on the setting.
It’s built to last. Oreck backs the AirInstinct 200 with an amazing 5-year limited warranty.

Giveaway Details {CLOSED} Winner is D’ana, commenter #19!!

Mandatory Entry {must do to be entered}: Visit Oreck.com and tell me one thing you learned about the AirInstinct 200.

For additional entries: (be sure to leave one comment for each thing you do)

Follow @oreck on Twitter.
Tell me in the comments whether you “Like” Oreck on Facebook.
Sign up for Oreck’s email list by clicking on “Sign up for Email” in the top navigation bar and entering your email address.
Tweet about the giveaway:

@amygbayliss is giving away an @Oreck AirInstinct 2000 Air Purifier on her blog! http://tinyurl.com/7qpy76z

Fine Print:

· The giveaway winner must be a resident of the U.S. 48 contiguous states. Giveaway ends April 23rd, 2012 at midnight CST.

Oreck Spring Cleaning Sweepstakes:

Visit the Oreck Spring Cleaning Sweepstakes and enter to win $10,000! Visit The Gypsy Mama and My Home Sweet Home for more Oreck giveaways.

This Friday, April 20th is my birthday. The older I get the more simplified I want my life to be. I believe in some way we all want to simplify things. I’ve decided to celebrate my birthday week by hosting giveaways (from Oreck, TrueLemon, Lodge, Couponizer, and many more) and sharing some posts on simplifying life. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe because over the next week we’ll discuss:

Simplify Your Cleaning
Simplify Your Cooking
Simplify Your Time
Simplify Your Creativity
Simplify Your Blogging
Simplify Your Relationships
Simplify Your Finances

I received this product to review in exchange for my honest opinion. Oreck Corporation provided the prize for the sweepstakes but is not the sponsor of the sweepstakes. The winner will have to provide a snail mail address so that the product can be shipped to them. Facebook has nothing at all to do with this giveaway and you are not required to do anything on Facebook’s platform to enter.

136 Comments

Simplifying Your Cleaning

April 17, 2012 By Amy Bayliss

Plan to Succeed

The best way to simplify your cleaning is by planning ahead. If you know your goals ahead of time then you can prepare for them and you are less likely to run into problems come cleaning time. For starters, there are certain products that I buy often so I have them on my grocery list printable. This way I only have to check it off when I need it. Also, I make my natural all purpose spray recipe by the gallon so I always have some on hand.

For annual chores I keep a list in my household binder that details what should be done in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. These are my home maintenance printables. Having the lists so close to my calendar means I won’t forget to do those much needed tasks.

Clean the Air

Since inside air is more toxic than outside air, we need to be diligent in purifying it and not using cleaners that pollute it. This is why it is important to use homemade, natural cleaners. We can use house plants and various other natural materials to detoxify the air as well. I also use and recommend the AirInstinct 200 by Oreck. It is a fabulous air purifier.

If you are missing the wonderful smells that you have grown accustomed to from fragrance sprays and commercial air fresheners, might I suggest the natural, multi-purpose essential oils? You can simmer a few drops on the stovetop, add some to homemade potpurri, make your own air and fabric refresher, or make your own beeswax candle.

Clean Naturally

I have found that cleaning naturally saves me time and money because I don’t have to purchase over priced commercial products. There are a few basic ingredients for natural cleaning and they do the job better than most of the toxic stuff. Here are recipes for natural window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, scouring scrub, and more.

Institute Help

Spouses and children are usually our number one go-to for help around the house. Those of us who have the help of family are blessed to say the least. However, there are times when it may benefit you to ask a friend for help or hire help. Most of us don’t want to hear that but really, for some seasons in life it may be necessary: after the birth of a baby, after surgery, or if outside activities are taking up much of your time. It’s better to ask for or hire help than it is to just “let it go”.

What are some of the ways you simplify cleaning?

By the way, be sure to enter the Oreck AirInstinct giveaway.

6 Comments

Simplify Life Series: Cleaning, Cooking, Time, Creativity, & Blogging

April 16, 2012 By Amy Bayliss

This Friday, April 20th is my birthday. The older I get the more simplified I want my life to be. I believe in some way we all want to simplify things. I’ve decided to celebrate my birthday week by hosting giveaways (from Oreck, TrueLemon, Lodge, Couponizer, and many more) and sharing some posts on simplifying life. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe because over the next week we’ll discuss:

Simplify Your Cleaning
Simplify Your Cooking
Simplify Your Time
Simplify Your Creativity
Simplify Your Blogging
Simplify Your Relationships
Simplify Your Finances

With each post in the series you will get a chance to win some fabulous prizes, and don’t worry…I won’t be asking you to jump through hoops to enter. Nope, just comment.

In the meantime, I want to share a fabulous deal with you. Corey from Simple Marriage and Mandi from Life…Your Way have brought together some of the top authors in the family life space with 38 ebooks covering a variety of topics related to family life.

When purchased separately, these ebooks are worth $375, but for four days only, you can purchase the entire collection for just $29! THAT is a great deal. I’ll be purchasing it myself. It’s a really, really good deal.

If you purchase the collection (and why wouldn’t you?) I will get an affiliate commission from the sale. Can we call it a birthday present?

This collection is only available from 8 a.m. on April 16th to 8 a.m. on April 20th. There will be no late sales offered.

Click here to purchase your collection today!

When you purchase the Simplify Family Life collection, you get instant access to each of the 38 ebooks listed below:

Entrepreneurship & Blogging

Blogger Behave by Laura @ 10 Million Miles ($4.99) | If blogging is like a road-trip, then the best thing about it is the brave traveler herself: the you behind each word and image. From one traveler to another, here are the secrets that have helped me to enjoy the journey.This eBook will inspire you to blog well and live well.

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($12.00) | How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too is for every mother who’s ever wondered if it’s possible to pursue her own passions while investing in her family and managing a home.

Make Money Blogging by Tara @ Feels Like Home ($4.99) | In the 52 pages of 25 Simple Steps to Make Money Blogging, you will learn how to prepare your blog for making money and then where and how to proceed to profits. I will describe the specific actions you should take in order to increase your readership, sell advertisements, and write for pay. I’ll help you decipher the different kinds of ads, and I’ll explain why you might consider each one. I’ll even tell you what works and what doesn’t work.

Tap Into Your Unique Creativity and Self Expresthis book sion Webinar by Lisa @ WellGrounded Life ($39.00)

Tell Your Time by Amy @ Blogging with Amy($4.99) | This book outlines a straightforward, step-by-step approach to controlling your schedule and ensuring the important things don’t fall through the cracks. Tell Your Time helps you accomplish not only what’s on your to-do list today, but what’s on your to-do list for life.

Your Blogging Business: Tax Talk & Tips from a Bookkeeper Turned Blogger by Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger($4.99) | Do you love blogging, but need some direction when it comes to how to keep track of your blogging bucks? Whether you are a blogger, editor, designer or any another other small business owner, you can benefit from this book!

Food & Cooking

Get Lean Recipe for Success by Nisha @ Healthy Mom’s Kitchen ($37.00) | In Get Lean Recipe for Success, you will learn the steps to take to properly take care of your body and slim down naturally. Then you’ll take it the next step and learn how to tweak your new healthy lifestyle to work for YOU! This isn’t one-size-fits-all. Phase 1 of the Get Lean Recipe for Success will show you step by step how to turn your body into a fat burning machine. During Phase 2, you’ll learn how to take it further and to really listen to your body to give it just what it uniquely needs.

Got Dinner? by Susan @ The Confident Mom ($4.00) | Over 40 quick and easy, family tested recipes your family will love.

How To Cook For Yourself: A Complete Beginnerís Guide by Rachael @ Kitchen Courses ($35.00) | This book is a complete guide to meal planning, grocery store strategizing, learning the ins and outs of cooking basics and techniques, and a one-stop resource to teach you how to cook for yourself in a way that is simple and can easily integrate with your life, right now.

Plan It, Don’t Panic by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home($4.99) | This book will help you to: Find the method of meal planning that will suit you and your family best; Tweak and perfect your meal planning style with unique tips and strategies; Make it easier to work around special/restrictive dietary needs; Become a grocery-shopping ninja and never go to the store without a genius plan in place for maximizing your money; Learn how leftovers can become your best friends in the kitchen; As well as how to store your recipes, easily find your favorites, plan for hectic times, and even what to do when you mess up.

Real Food Basics by Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama ($6.95) | This book will show you how to cook real, recognizable foods in your own kitchen. Foods that everyone loves, like pizza, ice cream, and French fries, that have been made over with healthy ingredients! People will be amazed that these foods are healthy because they are so delicious, but it’s true. You don’t have to be deprived when you’re living the real foods lifestyle!

Real Food, Real Easy by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker($9.95) | Are you new to real food? Are you trying to get back on the “real food” train? Do you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin? This will help introduce you, welcome you back, and get everything under control…this book has it all!

Smart Sweets by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($9.95) | The goal of Smart Sweets: 30 Desserts to Indulge Your Sweet Tooth is to give you options that are way better for you than you’ll find in the grocery store, usually better for you than another homemade version, and sometimes downright good for you.

The Everything Beans Book by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship($9.95) | Do you wish you could improve your family’s nutrition without breaking the bank? Have you always wanted to use dry beans, but you’re afraid of the complexity of cooking them or just don’t have any good recipes?

Homemaking

Clean Start: Your Guide to Natural Home Cleaning by Michelle @ Open Eye Health ($4.95) | Clean Start is a great resource to help you switch over to a naturally clean home. Walking through each individual room, you will learn different natural cleaning methods, simple recipes, and all sorts of extra cleaning tips!

Complete Printables Download Pack by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($7.00) | The complete set includes all 200+ printables that have been published to date plus free monthly email updates with new printables.

Food on Your Face for Acne & Oily Skin by Leslie @ Crunchy Betty($7.99) | Crunchy Betty’s Food on Your Face for Acne and Oily Skin is here to save your face, save your budget, and save your skin from nasty chemicals found in traditional beauty products. It’s not just a natural beauty book – it’s a complete system designed to clear your skin and leave behind dewy, clean beauty you OWN.

From Debtor to Better by Barry @ Debtor to Better ($15.00) | This book is not your average get-out-of-debt book. I don’t just want you to get out of debt, I want you to understand the monster that is debt and be equipped to not only tackle your own debt, but also know how to help others who may be struggling with their own debt issues.

My Buttered Life {Summer + Gift Giving Editions} by Renee @ MadeOn Hard Lotion($10.00) | Five recipes: sunscreen, tan enhancer, bug repellent bar, foot protector bar, and body skin conditioner, each with five ingredients or less. Also includes instructional videos, cost analysis (compare to store bought), where to buy ingredients page, and list of quality natural oils and butters.

Not a DIY Diva by Melissa @ The Inspired Room ($3.99) | This book is about embracing your authentic style and way of living at home so that you can be content, even in this “perfect image” world we live in. I know first hand it is so freeing to choose to grow to be who I am instead of trying so hard to be something I am not.

One Bite at a Time by Tsh @ Simple Mom ($5.00) | One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler is a simple living handbook. Tsh took her favorite ideas that she already wrote on Simple Mom, then rewrote and reorganized them into manageable chunks.

That Works for Me by Kristen @ We Are THAT Family ($8.00) | This e-book offers a categorized, organized place for more than 800 practical, “aha!” tips to make your life run smoother. That Works For Me! is a celebration of the WFMW community, with tips from hundreds of different blogs.

Marriage & Relationships

A Simple Marriage by Corey @ Simple Marriage($4.99) | This is not a Save My Marriage type of book – although the principles covered could help that happen. This is also not a Premarital book – although it definitely will help you as your relationship continues. This book is specifically written to assist you in experiencing more in marriage, with your current spouse.

Buck Naked Marriage by Corey @ Simple Marriage($2.99) | Buck Naked Marriage covers the top ten elements necessary for a marriage to thrive. It also offers some tips on how to address several of the common “relationship clutter” areas: like money, kids, family, rest. It covers the important and how to handle the immediate.

Entangled by Amy @ Permission to Peruse ($4.99) | If you’re ready for an honest, detailed look into an emotional affair from a Christian perspective this is the book for you. I experienced an emotional affair six years ago and my marriage has been completely restored by the grace of God. Journey with me and see what one looks like, how to get out and how God can meet your deepest need for the love you’re seeking.

The A to Z Guide: 26 Ways in 26 Days to a Happier, Healthier Marriage by The Dating Divas($9.97) | A collaboration effort by the Divas, they share touching, enlightening, and humorous stories to demonstrate each marriage tip. You will get to see a glimpse inside the marriages of a few of the divas. {Hang onto your hats!} By applying these simple, yet valuable tips, you will start to experience a different, happier marriage right away. This ebook will give you practical tools to literally transform your marriage. You will: realize you’re not alone; feel love in a way you’ve never felt it before; communicate more effectively; and begin to get that “twitter-pated” feeling back

Minimalism for Families

101 Ways to Simplify Your Life by Laura @ Journey to a Simple Life ($9.95) | Learn how to simplify all aspects of your life from work to family and your home environment as well. In this book, I share 101 of my best ways to simplify your life starting today. These strategies range from practical tips that can be used immediately, and also includes some thought-provoking deeper strategies that can lead to lifelong change.

321-Stop by Lori @ Loving Simple Living ($9.97) | 3-2-1 Stop is a how-to memoir of learning to love simple living. Lorilee uses personal stories, as well as tips learned along the way, showing how to create a life that makes space for what is most important. Embracing minimalism, she tackles and teaches how to make the hard decisions of simplify the home as well as the schedule. She understands that a full life, really doesn’t need to be that ‘full’ at all. Beyond that, Lorilee addresses the hidden emotional hoarding that keeps our souls running.

Inside Out Simplicity by Joshua @ Becoming Minimalist ($11.99) | Get ready for a 360 degree approach to the simplified lifestyle. “Inside-Out Simplicity: Life-Changing Keys to your Most Important Relationships” is a brand new e-book that goes beyond external fixes to our complicated lives. Instead, this book dares to focus on the very heart and soul of a simplified life.

Simple Ways to Be More with Less by Courtney @ Be More with Less ($9.97) | This book will challenge you, brighten your day, and if you let it, change your world. I hope you will share it with your friends, your tribe, because you love it and because it makes your life better.

The Minimalist Momís Guide to Babyís First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom($9.95) | This book is full of ideas for: doing more with less; avoiding the clutter trap of too much baby stuff; slowing down so you can enjoy the early months with your new baby; saving money; creating a peaceful spacious home no matter the square footage of it; finding more time in your day for things like sleep (!), relaxing and bonding with your new baby. Oh, and did I mention more sleep?

Parenting & Kids

4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions by the Moms @ 4 Moms, 35+ Kids($7.99) | The 4 Moms of 35+ Kids have answered all of our most frequently asked parenting questions in one handy, dandy ebook, divided into 17 easy to read chapters.

Flourishing Spring by Michele @ Frugal Granola ($5.95) | Over 25 ideas for creating intentional moments with children, with multiple variations, allergy-friendly recipes, and simple resources. This 33-page ebook is a compilation of boredom busters, homemade gift ideas, and nourishing meal suggestions for filling a rainy day!

Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Mom ($4.99) | This book contains an overview of all I’ve discovered about positive thinking as it relates to motherhood.

Nurturing Creativity by Renee @ FIMBY($3.00) | Nurturing Creativity is about embracing the seasons of motherhood and appreciating where you are while helping you to make creativity a priority in your life. It will encourage you to let go of perfection, to start small, and to find inspiration in everyday living. This little book will challenge you to make the most of the time you do have. Time you can spend creating beauty and meaning – with your head, heart, and hands.

Parenting with Positive Guidance by Amanda @ Not Just Cute ($9.00) | This book gives you the tools for understanding your child’s behavior and effectively teaching and guiding your child toward increased self-control while fostering a healthy parent-child relationship.

Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda @ Impress Your Kids ($6.99) | This ebook will lead you and your children on your own experience through the Christmas Story. You’ll take a few minutes each day in reading the Christmas Story directly from the Bible, making a fun ornament craft and talking about it together.

The Simplify Your Family Life Sale is brought to you in part by Plan to Eat, an online meal planner that makes eating at home simple. Receive an exclusive coupon code on a one-year membership with your purchase!

You get all of that for only $29. Click here to purchase your collection today! The sale ends at 8 a.m. ET on April 20th, and there will be no late sales offered, so don’t wait.

7 Comments

The Multitasking Woman

April 15, 2012 By Amy Bayliss

This is a guest post by the fabulous Sheila Wray Gregoire of To Love, Honor, and Vacuum.

One of the curses of being a multitasking woman is that it’s hard to slow down and concentrate on one thing at one time. When I’m talking on the phone, I have to fold laundry. When I’m standing in line at the bank, I have to clean out my purse. And unfortunately, too often, when my husband and I are being *ahem* intimate, I prepare grocery lists.

It’s not that I mean to. I could be having a great old time when that thought will suddenly pop into my head—“is there milk in the fridge for breakfast?”—and then I’m gone. I am female. And that makes me utterly and completely distractible.

It’s because of this little quirk of female behavior that our approaches to sex are so different from our husbands’. While men tend to be excited right away, we have to warm up to it, because for women, desire is all in our heads. When our heads aren’t in the game, our bodies don’t follow.

So getting our heads in the game, and fighting against that multitasking tendency, is so important if we’re going to really enjoy our marriages. But it can be hard to bring our minds back to the matter at hand if we have the idea that sex is somehow—well—wrong. We suspect that God created it because He figured, “they have to reproduce somehow, and this is the best idea I’ve got.” And so we figure it was God’s concession to us, not something that’s beautiful.

It’s easy to see why we begin to believe this about sex, because our culture has so perverted it. When you take sex out of the marriage context, then sex becomes only about the physical. It’s not about a deep emotional or spiritual commitment; it’s only about pleasure. And that seems so shallow!

Even if we’re married, we can still have that idea about sex. And so instead of being able to be present in the moment, and feel that deep connection, we wander. We make do. We try to get it over with. Or maybe we even really enjoy it, but then we feel dirty afterwards.

God doesn’t want us to do any of those things. If you grew up with the King James Version of the Bible, do you remember sitting in church and snickering with your friends when the preacher read from Genesis, “And Adam knew his wife Eve, and they conceived unto them a son…” Yeah, right. Adam KNEW Eve. We thought it was a euphemism, like God was embarrassed and just trying to be polite.

But what if there was something far more fundamental going on there? In the Psalms, David uses the same Hebrew word when he cries out, “search me and KNOW me, O God…”

Sex is supposed to be a deep knowing, an intimate, beautiful experience. It’s not something we need to feel guilty about, or ashamed about. It’s not just physical, either. It’s about connection. When we make love, we become completely vulnerable. Completely transparent. And completely one. That’s the beauty that God created.

I know sometimes that’s hard to experience. We may “have sex”, but we find it difficult to “make love”, to experience that connection. That can be difficult if we’ve grown up with the idea that sex is somehow wrong, or if we’ve had bad experiences in the past, or if it just plain has never felt very good, and we’ve given up hope. But I believe that sex is God’s beautiful promise to us that we can experience a deep spiritual connection to someone here on this earth. It is supposed to be beautiful.

So next time you sense your mind wandering, bring it back. Find joy with your husband in that moment. Repeat to yourself (and even say out loud) why you love him. Feel him and embrace him and experience him. Don’t run away from the vulnerability; run towards it. And you may just start to sense what Eve did when she truly knew Adam.

Sheila’s new book, The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, looks at the three aspects of sex: the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual, and explores how we can experience each one to the fullest! She blogs everyday at To Love, Honor and Vacuum.

Photo Credit

1 Comment

Freebie Site: Check out Julie’s Freebies

April 12, 2012 By Amy Bayliss

My birthday is coming up and I have been getting the best gifts by email and snail mail: free stuff! Free coffee, free appetizers, free lemonade, and some free labels. It is so fun to get free stuff especially when it is stuff that you actually want.

Well, you don’t have to wait until your birthday to get freebies. I discovered a new site, Julie’s Freebies, where you can get a variety of things like magazines, food, books, medicines, toiletries, services, and even meals for absolutely free. She scours the internet looking for the best free deals and then she offers them to her readers. You can even subscribe to her updates so that you don’t miss any of the goodies. I also like that there are some natural and whole living freebies featured there.

She really has made it her mission to find you the best freebie deals on the web. I especially appreciate that it is kept current so when something expires she tells you so that you don’t waste precious time discovering the expiration for yourself. There are several deals a day so you are sure to find something that you want.

The site is pretty and well organized. Check out the features in the navigation. If you like to shop for savings you can find coupons on the site. Another bonus to this site is that you will find contests and giveaways to enter. I told you this site had lots of great stuff!

For freebies, contests, and giveaways go visit Julie at Julie’s Freebies. You can also follow Julie on Facebook and Twitter.