When you put it all together...

So it has been a while since you have seen me....  life seems to be swirling faster and faster as the arrival of little man is getting close!  We have less than 6 weeks left now!  The ultrasound tech estimates his weight at 6 pounds and 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  The doctor doesn't seem to think the same. Haha!  We will see who is right in a few short weeks :)

Though they haven't put me on bed rest yet, I am required to have "horizontal time" every day when little-bit takes a nap (which is awesome for me)! Hubby is helping around the house so much and taking quite a bit of stress off of me.  It is so great to have him around :)

So all the plans I had for my blog has pretty much been put on hold for now and not just because the laptop doesn't fit on my lap anymore (even though it sure makes it harder).  We have finished decorating for little man- which turned out AMAZING!!!!  So I wanted to share the finished product with you.

Isn't just handsome!!! I was so proud when it was finished!!  Hubby did such a good job!  He had to put up a guitar night light for little-man. haha :)  Here is a pic of the paper lanterns.

The total cost for these: $1.25

Here is the bedding.  Total cost for this is: $8

($4 for the bedskirt, $1 for the sheet, $2 for the bumper pad, $1 for the mobile, everything else was given to me!)  We had the baskets a while, even though we found those for free as well!  I am so proud that we ended up spending $9.25  

So we are ready for little-man to arrive now!  I will keep you posted!

Saving Money in Style part 2

Look at these awesome little creations!!! PeePee Teepee's

When we found out we were having a boy, I knew these were the things I had to make!!!  

From what I hear, little boys like the fresh air when changing their little diapers... so much so they like to spray everywhere!  So, some genius out there created these awesome things :)

Now, I will show you how easy they are to make!

Step 1: Find a round object that is between 6-7 inches in diameter to make a paper template cut out.

Step 2: Fold template in half.  Cut one piece of a soft material (i used the material from an old diaper changer cover) and one piece of cute cotton material.

Step 3:  Turn the 2 pieces you just cut towards each other and sew along the curved edges.

Step 4:  Turn right side out- pin and sew close to the edge (still over the curve)

Step 5:  Fold in half so that the soft material is on the outside.  Sew along the unsewn edge.  Then zigzag the edge so it won't fray.

Step 6:  Last turn right side out and enjoy!

Super easy right?!?  I couldn't believe it! I used some material I had on hand (since most of my material is very girly!) so maybe I will make some more with a little more "bright" material.  

For those of you who were wondering, I am now almost 32 weeks preggo with Little man!  I have made it 4 more weeks than when I had little-bit! YAY!  The ultrasound tech believes he is almost 5 pounds and doing great! Have a great weekend!!!

Saving money is style! Part 1

So I know most of my posts have something to do with health, but this week I am going a different route with saving money!

My first project was nursing pads.  If you are or have been a nursing mother you know how much you go through these.  You spend roughly $10 for 60 of them (give or take a few), which equals out to about 17 cents a piece.  And depending on your body, who knows how long that one box will last you!  So I decided to get out my material and sew away!  Here is what I came up with!

I made 5 sets of nursing pads in maybe, half an hour?  It was so easy!!! Now I can use them, throw them in the wash (which using homemade detergent it gets WAY cheaper than buying them), and use them again!  

Here is how I did it

step 1: I used a CD for a template and traced several circles (depending on how many you want to make and how thick you want them.  I used a receiving blanket (3 circles for each pad) and fleece (one circle each)

step 2:  Sew the amount of circles that fits your needs together. I made a few with 3 blanket material with fleece on the other side and a few with just the blanket material.   I used a zigzag stitch around the edges and followed with a straight stitch on the inside of the zigzag.  Trim off extra strings and you are finished!!!  

Here is the different styles I made~

I really couldn't believe how easy they were! You can make them as cute as you want too! I used scrap material I had in my basket and am extremely happy!  Knowing I can make more depending on how thick I need them as well makes me so happy! 

Homemade deodorant!!!

As we are finding out more and more each day, the ingredients in our everyday products we can't read- let alone know what they really are!  One of my concerning products is deodorant.  There are several things that concern me in these products, like the scent (which is NOT natural- so you are putting artificial ingredients straight into your body), dyes, triclosan (which has been know to cause cancer and other problems), and MOST importantly.....  aluminum.  I have no idea why someone out there decided this ingredient should be in a product that you rub into a direct link into your lymph nodes dispersing it through your body?!?  Aluminum has been known to cause Alzheimer's disease!!! It gets deposited into the brain, which is where we find the same results in these patients.  There have also been concerns of the aluminum giving breast cancer.  How concerned are you now???


There are several options for natural deodorants out there now, but when I found this homemade alternative - I had to try!!!


Here is the recipe!


you need a cute little jar :)

6 Tbsp of Coconut oil

1/4 Cup of Baking Soda

1/4 Cup of Cornstarch ( I found a great natural one at Bloom clearanced last night!)

Few drops of tea tree oil  (hubby wanted this so he wouldn't smell like coconuts) 

Here are some pics of the ingredients I used!

cornstarch

 Baking soda

 Tea Tree oil

coconut oil

So have a happy 4th of July!!! And use your new deodorant as you sweat through the weekend! Enjoy!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge

Happy Father's Day weekend!!!

I found this amazing recipe for fudge last night and HAD to try it!  Let me tell you, it took me maybe 5 minutes in preparation!  The taste is awesome! The dishes are few. You don't bake it. The health benefits are unbelievable!  So here we have it!  Chocolate-Peanut butter Fudge


I found this recipe here.  She has tons of other awesome recipes as well! 




1/2 Cup of Coconut oil
1/2 Cup of Cocoa powder
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut butter
1/4 Cup Raw Honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla

*NOTE*  coconut oil is packed with all kinds of essential fatty acid.  If you substitute with butter, please go with organic so you avoid artificial hormones and antibiotics. NEVER use margarine. 
Also, natural peanut butter has no hydrogenated oils in it.  Use it! :)
Lastly, Raw Honey is so amazing!  Very sweet! What you buy in the grocery store is trash compared to this!

Whisk all these together.
Fill about 10-12 paper cupcake linings
Chill in Fridge about 30 min or Freezer for 10 min
Eat and enjoy!
Refrigerate any leftovers- coconut oil start getting softer around 75 degrees

Now take a bite and enjoy!  Have a great weekend!

What a crazy 2 weeks!

So sorry it has been 2 weeks since my last post!  Life has been a little crazy around here! I thought I would fill you in on the craziness you have missed out on! Here we go......

1. Little-Bit now has a HUGE vocabulary
2. Little man was bigger at 26 weeks than Little bit when she was born at 28
3. I am now 27 weeks and still going strong! He will be staying in longer! YAY!
4. My MIL came up for a week and a half to help me prepare for his arrival
5. Little-bit and I now go to the Chiropractor once a week (she is lining my pelvis up for the arrival)
6. I got a one hour prenatal massage and it was wonderful!  I might be begging for another if I go full term
7. I have almost everything to start making the ceiling piece for Little-man's bed!
8. I started using homemade deodorant (hubby too!) and I smell wonderful!
9. I need to sign up for birthing classes since I delivered the weekend we were supposed to attend with the last one.
10. I got this amazing lawn chair at a garage sale that is so easy to lay back!! I am trying to get dark :)
11. We got a Roku box at a yard sale for $10 and it makes Netflix be high-def and we get Pandora too!  I love it!
12. I also got Little-man tons of clothes at a garage sale which includes 2 suits that are Kenneth Cole!  I got about 25-30 pieces (all high end name brands) for $10! Hubby knows how to do it!
13. I got a steam mop for my birthday and LOVE cleaning the floors now!!!! EEEK! It is wonderful!
14. oh yeah, I turned 25.  I don't feel old yet though! :) 
15. Hubby and I went on our first date in 6 months!  It was so romantic! 

I believe that is about all of the excitement you have missed! So, my next post will be on the deoderant!  Life is still a little crazy, so if you don't mind, I will be pushing back our series another week or two!  Thanks everyone!

How I save our family about $25 a month!

It has been crazy the last several days at our house!  It seems like summer has started a whirlwind of activities, company, deadlines, and appointments!  CRAZY


I wanted to share with you a way I found to save our family an average of $25 a month!  It was really quite simple once it clicked with me.

 Little-bit eats Kashi blueberry waffles (no butter or syrup- plain) every morning for breakfast along with a banana and usually a little later a fruit smoothie (including leftover banana, pineapple, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kale, coconut milk, and sometimes an orange).  I have never been so proud of what my little one eats! :)  Kashi makes a natural waffle with no bleached or enriched flour and harldy any sugar (not high fructose).  Besides my pocket book, everyone was happy!  One day I forgot to pick up an extra box and was left with an empty one- not a happy girl.  I decided to make her pancakes instead.  I called my amazing mother for her recipe and was so excited!  Not only could I make her pancakes naturally, I could refridgerate/freeze them for later uses!!!  Ahh, what a winner!  Now, once a week we make a batch of pancakes (looking for a waffle maker cheap in the meantime) and pop them in the toaster every morning!  I need to make some to freeze for when little man arrives too!  I am guessing this might set me back $5 a month? maybe!


Here is my recipe if anyone is interested!

Mix together

• 1 C flour (I use brown rice flour- it is easily digestible and gluten free!)
• 1 Tbs. sugar (organic- not the refined sugar which your body cannot break down)
• 2 Tsp. baking powder (I use a brand that doesn't contain aluminum- very harmful!)
• 1 beaten egg (organic, cage free, brown)
• 1 C organic milk
• 2 Tbs oil (I use coconut oil- it doesn't turn into a hydrogenated oil once heated and has great fatty acids for your body!)
• Blueberries ( I just pour to my liking)

Once all these ingredients have been mixed together, it is usually a tad runny (from the brown rice flour) so I add some coconut flour.  It has awesome benefits but you have to add a small amount because it soaks up liquid like crazy!  There you have it!  What a simple way to save money!

What are things you use on a daily basis that you could make instead of buy?  I'm sure if you look, you will find that simple solution!