Living a Natural Lifestyle -ideas for topics!

So, after several questions on how I  live a more "natural" lifestyle, I have decided to start a series of posts on the subjects!  I, by no means, have all the answers, but I will let you in on what we have changed in our home and why!  I know this is a very broad subject so I assume it will take several posts.  I believe one post on the subject a week will work quite nicely!  I am open for suggestions on topics you may have questions on or would like more info about! I will do my best in informing you!  If you have a blog on one of my subjects, be sure and put the link in a comment! I would love for your input.  Here are some of the topics I would like to cover

• Cleaning supplies
• Baby products
• In your bathroom
• The foods you eat
• How you cook your food/what you cook with
• Ingredients to stay away from
• Vitamins vs. OTC drugs

Leave me some comments to let me know if there is anything else I could add to my list!  Thanks!

Changing what you use in your home- for the good of your family!

The more research I do, the more I decide to go back to the "pioneer" ways!  It seems our forefathers had busy days of doing everything by hand- something I am learning a thing or two about!  It excites me to think that changing what I use actually saves me money!

I have been thinking of ways to make my home a little more "healthy" for the little ones.   Here are a few things I have changed so far:

• switched to natural products for the little one's skin (I intend on doing a post just for this)
• changed our shower soap to natural (you know you are massaging these chemicals into your body from head to to on a daily basis!)
• bathroom cleaners are now vinegar/water/tea tree oil
• homemade laundry detergent (check out how on this post)
• using vinegar in my laundry instead of dryer sheets
• Our bathroom hand soap is goats milk bars *

They say that you shouldn't have anything in your cleaning cabinet that you couldn't ingest.  Now, I haven't got quite that spectacular, but I am striving to get that way!  It would be very reassuring to know that my family is safe from scary chemicals for good!


*The one thing I am hoping to try instead of the bars is homemade foaming hand soap!  Living Renewed shows you how to do it here!  You need to check out this place! I have learned so much about germs!  I have always been weird about antibacterial, especially in the kitchen, but I have changed my ways! This is an easy step-by step guide!  Go for it!

If there is something you have changed in your household, let us know!  Like I tell little-bit, sharing is caring! :)  Have an awesome weekend!

Link it up for some Giveaways!

If you would LOVE some amazing freebies- here is where to find it! I have signed up for several of them already!

Good Luck!

*Remember when I blogged about taking a few minutes to save you a LOT?  Well, go ahead, find something you like and sign up! You just might be the lucky winner on one, some, or all (let me know how that works for you ;)

Follow Me Wednesday

It's kinda icky outside today... so me and little-bit are getting some much needed housework done. (she makes the mess-I clean it up)  As I write this, she is hollering at me from behind a door she closed- she doesn't understand she isnt tall enough to open it back herself. Oh well....

Thought I would link up today :)
You will find some new faces to chat with and follow!
Enjoy!
Gotta go rescue the princess 

Wonderful weekend

Little-bit wasn't feeling very good this week (round 2 of the ickies in 2 weeks), so this weekend we took it easy.  It was so HOT Friday that we got in the pool for a little while. Yes, I remembered to not have freezing cold water in the pool! ;)

 *Notice the cute little pony tail*

We also found a lizard that looked like a miniature alligator.  It was so creepy looking, I decided that he deserved a pic on here as well.

Later in the weekend, we decided to do some girly bonding.  Yes, we painted our toenails!  It was so fun!  As if I couldn't love her any more...  a rush flows even harder through my heart when she giggled at the matching toe nail polish.  She is such an amazing girl to hang with!  She loves to shop with me, craft with me, exercise with me, and now paint toe nails together! YES!  Here is a pic of our matching toes :)

It is just so awful to see your little one not feeling well and you can do nothing to make it go away!  So we made her as comfortable as possible :)

Have a great start to your week~

Another Giveaway!

Here is a new hand sanitizer that i was recently introduced to!  I haven't got to try it yet.... but, well that's what a giveaway is for, right? :)

Here is the Prefense Hand Sanitizer!

• Kills germs for up to 24 hours
• 100% Poison Free
• Non-Toxic and Safe for Kids
• Alcohol Free
• Active up to 10 hand washings!

She even has the ingredients listed on the page! They make me happy :)

You can win an 8 oz bottle so many different ways, if you just hop on over to mama chocolate to enter!  You know I will be entering!  Good Luck!

My Mailbox (the first post vanished!)

I'm really not sure what happened to this post... So, lets have a take 2!

So this is what was in my mailbox this week.  Tons of freebies!!!

-Coupon for FREE pack of M&Ms
-Coupon for FREE Suave Styling Product
-FREE sample pack of Huggies Wipes
-Free Sheet of Zebra Duct tape (not sure what craft I want to do with this yet)
-Free sample of Degree deodorant plus $1 off coupon for later!
*

I have found several sites on FB that give away things just for entering your address!  I know that I won't receive some of the things I sign up for, but look, it was worth the time just for the things I did receive!  It takes some time to fill out things randomly through out the day, but I find it quite fun when I open the mail box and find more than bills in there! haha :)  It's also a great way to help get coupons! Usually, even if they run out of the product that they are giving away, they will send you a coupon (which you save back for when it is on sale and you find another coupon to go with it!)  This is what I did with the deodorant coupon.  I had a Target Coupon to go with it to make the item about $1!

Show me what kind of freebies you get in the mail!

*sorry about the upside down pic- i tried fixing it! it just wants you to look at it a different way :)

Here is a Giveaway you should enter!

I absolutely LOVE hand sanitizer- like, you have no idea!  It seems like everywhere I turn there is someone hacking their head off or sneezing in my (or my family's) direction!  It is a must-have for any mom out there!  Want to win some???  I thought you might!

Just go to Just Add Java and there are simple instructions how to enter!  She is giving away several different scents!  I can't help but hope that I win ;)

Hope you had a great Friday everyone!

Picking a Double Stroller

It's getting that time where we need to think of what kind of stroller to get.  There are SO MANY to choose from, but so few that fit our carseat we already have!  We have a combi carseat and single stroller right now, but I'm not so sure we want a side-by-side (which is what Combi offers).

The Combi single and double stroller fold up extremely small.  The double only weighs 22 lbs!  The other stroller I have been looking into is the Kolcraft Tandem Double.  Instead of it sitting side by side it sits forward and the seats can turn to face each other!  It's really pretty cool!  This one weighs 40 lbs though!  I know you get cup holders, a larger basket, a few more features (like moving the seats around), but I am just not sure if these things are as important as being able to lift the stroller into the car! haha :)

My other concern was Lyric bothering her baby brother being in a side by side.  She is very curious and I have no idea what could come of this?!?

I would love some feedback on styles of double strollers you have purchased or used!  It sure is a large purchase to not enjoy long-term!

Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Everyone's topic this weekend is Mother's Day!  It is mine, at least!

 I feel like such a blessed mommy!  A year and a half ago I gave birth to a 2 lb 2 oz baby girl after what seemed like an eternity of endless pokes, prods, prayers, and sever preeclampsia.  What a scary time! I feel so blessed when I look back at how little my baby girl was!

It is so amazing that something this small can make a mommy feel so complete!  I just can't wait to see how much more my heart will grow when little man arrives!  I never imagined how much fun I would have with a baby!!!  I LOVE IT! :)

So, Happy Mother's day to all!  Have an awesome day tomorrow!  Take time for yourself and take a pic to capture that moment....  it might not happen again till next mother's day! lol

Spend a Little time, Save a LOT of money!

I was thinking of ways to save money on our grocery bill (aren't we all these days!) and friend of mine sparked an idea in me.  Could I make my own liquid laundry detergent?  Well, it was certainly worth a try!!!  Here are the ingredients I used

-Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda*
-Borax
-1/2 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap
-1/2 bar of goats milk soap
-lavender oil
-5 gallon bucket

*(it HAS to be super washing soda. baking soda or detergent will not work)

This cost me roughly $21 with everything.   I had to buy a bucket (some already have one) and the lavender oil cost $10 (but with 2 babies in the house I wanted it smelling lovely)  If you were to use your own soap in the cabinet and have a bucket, it would cost around $8.  Are you ready to see for how many loads???

Top Loading approx. 180 loads
Front Loading approx. 640 loads

Surprising, right?!?  I was extremely excited since I have a front loading machine!!!  This will last about 6 months at our house!!! YES!

Here is a step by step guide:

Grate your soap and add to saucepan of 4 cups of hot water.

Stir over medium heat till dissolved.

Fill your 5 gallon bucket half-way with hot water and add the soap mixture.  Add 1 cup of the washing soda and 1/2 cup of Borax. Stir until dissolved.

Fill the rest of the way with hot water. Stir, and let sit overnight.  (if you are going to put oil in wait until cooled and add about 30 drops)

This is what it will look when you open the lid the next morning.

The next day stir and fill your laundry dispenser half full of the liquid.  Fill the rest of the way with water.

Totally done!  It was not hard at all.  I know this is going to save our family "loads" of money.. haha

 If you have any questions feel free to comment here! Thanks!

Using your leftovers!

So, today I was looking in my fridge and found a few things I had leftover from different meals this week.  Here is what I found to use

-tortilla shells
-chicken
-salsa
-refried beans
-cheese

So not all of these were "leftovers" per-say, but I had read a recipe somewhere about freezing burritos.  So here is what I did.

I shredded the chicken, mixed the salsa, beans, chicken, and cheese together and made a few burritos.  About 2 chicken breasts and a half a can of refried beans made 7 burritos.

What do you do with 7 burritos, you ask?  Freeze them!  Yes!  I can't wait for that "quick meal" I need to make!  I will let you know how awesome they taste!!!