October always feels like a season of change. The mornings are cooler, the blankets come back out, and we start preparing for the slower days ahead.
I usually try at least one new soup recipe which tends to ends with, “It’s ok mom, you tried. But please don’t make this again.” Which I don’t take offense to anymore, because I am fully aware my cleaning skills are far more superior than my cooking skills.
This month I wanted to keep it personal with you, sharing some heavy cleaning secrets, one of our favorite DIY cleaning recipes, and a reminder of what truly matters as we see the holidays on the horizon.
Thanks for spending the next few minutes with me, I wish we were together so I could give you a big squeeze.
A Cleaning Secret
I’ll be honest, I was disheartened when I learned cleaning companies didn’t have to list their ingredients on their bottles. We were trusting companies blindly when it came to cleaning our kitchen counters and floors with.
When deciding what cleaning products to use we usually go based off our senses; does it smell like the normal cleaning chemicals and does it wipe up what we can see to the naked eye?
But how?
With what as its kicking power?
What substances gets left behind?
Why isn’t the ingredients list on the bottle?
Have you ever heard of the “trade secret” protection? It gives companies the legal right to keep their formulas secret, even if the ingredients are harmful over time. They can label harmful stuff as a proprietary blend, mask strong chemicals under “fragrance”, and use words like “natural”, “non-toxic”, “eco-friendly” without any real accountability. Unless a cleaning product is labeled as a disinfectant, the FDA does not step in.
That was a huge wake up call for myself, as I was a young mom of three under the age of three who touched everything. Red flags were every where. I’m grateful for the red flags because they led me to start Momma Jane’s Cleaner.
We take pride in being 100% natural. Made from lemons and lemon grass we are changing the cleaning world on plant at a time.
A Simple Reset ✨
One of my favorite little resets is the shower grout. It’s a small space, but when it’s clean, the whole bathroom feels lighter. I make a safe, simple scrub with Momma Jane’s Cleaner—gentle enough for little toes, strong enough to tackle the grime.
Here’s my favorite Grout Cleaning Recipe if you’d like to try it at home:
What other cleaning recipes would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!!
An Overthinking Personal Note 💭
As the end of the year winds down, I notice my overthinking gets louder. Maybe yours does too? The questions creep in:
• Have I been the spouse, I want my spouse to be?
• Have I been showing up for my family?
• Have I been an example I encourage my children to be?
• Have I been doing enough for my friendships?
• Have I been doing enough in general?
I don’t know if it’s the fact the holidays are almost here and we feel additional pressure. Or maybe we focus too much on making or creating others’ happiness, that sometimes we get caught up on pleasing people and forget about own happiness. Remember we need to have something too poor to fill another’s cup.
And so the truth is; I want to remind you, we are enough right now, right this second.
We are enough on our best days and our hardest days.
AND, the people who love us most, see that.
We have each had our own vantage point and views of this year. We’ve learned, grown, stumbled, fallen, got up and kept going. That’s more than enough. So as you give yourself a hug for these incredible ten months so far (or an extra ice cream date), encourage yourself to put your mental health first for these last two months of 2025.
I am still trying to remind myself of this; being a good spouse, parent, and or friend isn’t about how perfect our friendships, relationships, and homes are.
It’s about the love, communication, and support inside those walls. Our true families don’t need us to impress them, they just want us to show up, be present, and show them they matter. If you are hosting people who you can’t be yourselves with, in your home, my suggestion from what I’ve learned the hard way is to make bigger louder boundaries.
So remember if you’re torn between a self imagine and laughing or being goofy over hot chocolate with your kids, lets choose being goofy and hot chocolate. And should there be any extra messes in this hot chocolate / sweet adventure, remember your all natural cleaning alternative here with this all natural momma.
These are the moments all of us will remember.
A Gentle Restock Reminder 🌟
As you’re preparing for the cold winter season, don’t forget your cleaners too. A fresh bottle of Momma Jane’s Cleaner makes those quick resets (before company comes over, after sticky crafts, or in the middle of holiday chaos) so much easier.
If your stash is running low, now’s the perfect time to restock before the holidays sneak up. That way you’ll have one less thing to overthink. 💛
👉 Shop Momma Jane’s Cleaner here
So this October, take a deep breath. Scrub a little grout. Pour a warm drink. Enjoy a simple hit. Wrap up in a blanket. And remind yourself: you are amazing, exactly as you are.
With love,
