{diy disposable baby wipes}

Today I am going to give you my recipe for homemade wipes

But before i begin, i wanted to say thank you to everyone who wrote me emails & left comments regarding my last post. I was blown away by the response i got! I am so happy that i was able to encourage some mamas out there with my story. Thank you all so much for your encouragement as well!! 

Things are slowly getting better here, long story short, our boy has some tummy issues. We started taking him to my naturopathic doctor, & we are beginning to understand whats been going on. Hoping to get our little guy fixed up soon! & hoping he starts sleeping longer than 30min- 1 hour at a time.. Will share more as i know more

But anyways, on to the post

We are FINALLY breaking out our cloth diapers for Liam,  ready to start saving money again! & we're finally caught up on regular laundry...after 4 months haha

We saved so much money cloth diapering our daughter, & now, our son is using her diapers. Just goes to show they are worth the initial investment!

Both of our kids have super sensitive skin. Especially on their little bottoms ;) 

So with our daughter. i used cloth wipes and a hypoallergenic bottom spray.

for our son, i wanted to try something else

so i made these! & i love them! 

after ONE day of using them, his little bum rash cleared up & we've been using them ever since

I am most definitely a believer

We all know the health & moisturizing benefits of coconut oil

& if you use a good baby wash or Dr. Bronners, you can't lose!

Try them out for yourself! 

What you need:

A roll of paper towels 

Your favorite ph balanced baby wash or Dr. Bronners soap 

virgin unrefined coconut oil

water

a container with a lid for the wipes

a big knife

Begin by cutting your paper towel roll in half

Use a cutting board!  I didn't cut on my table, this pic was a fake ;)

Choose the half you want to use & remove the cardboard center

Put the other half somewhere until you're ready to make your next batch

stuff your half roll into chosen container 

Mix 1 Tablespoon coconut oil & 1 Tablespoon baby wash with 1 1/2 cups hot water 

The hot water will help the coconut oil melt

We love Honest co baby wash! It smells so yummy! Plus i trust all the ingredients 

Pour your mixture over the paper towel roll in the container

To use:

Pull from the center of the roll , tear at perforation, replace lid

easy peasy!

You will get a good sized wipe, made with ingredients you trust!

{Here's a summarization in one picture to pin to pinterest or to save you your computer :) }

Happy saturday :)

{DIY hot oil hair treatment & 7 healthy hair tips}

When I was pregnant with giuliana, i chopped 9 inches off my hair.

Craziest decision I've ever made!

Just because i "felt like it was time for something new"

I blame the pregnancy hormones.

It looked cute but, it just wasn't me.  

I have since been trying to grow my hair back out. 

It's been 2 years.

2 years of wearing mostly pony tails, teasing my roots to keep from looking flat, blow drying every day to get volume, using my straightener {almost every day} & using my clip in hair extensions when we dressed up, so i could curl my hair without looking like a poodle! 

Short hair was just not for me. 

It was too much work!

So here i am 2 years later, & I am finally comfortable with the length of my hair.

I can style it how I want and I look like me again! 

But

My hair has so much damage from all the hot tools and teasing & hair ties from the last 2 years..

And now, I am pregnant again & my hair is funky! Its frizzy & my scalp is dry, which makes my nasty split ends look even worse! Pregnancy does the weirdest things.

I have committed to getting my hair healthy again & the last 2 months I have changed a few things in my hair routine:

{1}

I let my hair air dry every single time i wash my hair. 

I wash my hair at night after i put giuliana to bed

As my hair dries i clean up downstairs, fold some laundry, do the dishes etc. 

It is usually dry by the time i go to bed. 

{2}

When i do use hot tools, I use a heat protectant.

I curl my hair maybe twice a week {?} 

I like BB styling lotion. It's a heat protectant and a styling spray. 

{3}

I eat more fruit & veggies

Your diet can really influence how your skin & hair look. 

I eat a banana with some strawberries almost every morning 

other "healthy hair foods" I enjoy:

Almonds

walnuts

eggs

salmon

carrots

avocados

{4}

I stopped using regular hair ties. 

I use the nylon hair ties. They don't break your hair & they don't leave a "dent" in your hair. 

I also use these spin pins from "Goody"

These things are so cool! When i put my hair in a bun, I wrap my bun, then twist one  {Only one!!!} of these in my hair and it stays all day and doesn't leave the damaging effects that hair ties can leave. 

{5}

I use a good moisturizing shampoo 

my regular shampoo & conditioner of choice:

I seriously Loooooove this stuff! 

It smells so yummy & makes your hair so soft

{6}

About a month ago, I started using WEN. 

I really truly believe that WEN has helped my hair sooo much! 

I wash with it, leave it on for 5 minutes to deep condition, & use it as a leave in conditioner.

It is seriously amazing!  

I still use my regular shampoo and conditioner, but I use this every other time i wash my hair. I use it as a Leave in conditioner every single shower though. 

The thing about WEN though, is, its Expensive!  That is a big part of why i have not completely converted to using solely WEN. I have to use about 20 pumps every shower because of my hair length so i go through a bottle pretty quick.

It really has improved my hair though.

I buy my WEN at sephora. Only some sephora locations carry it. 

the only other way to purchase it is through the WEN website 

{7}

I started incorporating home hot oil treatments into my hair routine

They have helped  my hair significantly! 

I use coconut oil with a bit of tea tree oil. The tea tree oil helps combat dry scalp & dandruff, & the oil adds moisture while sealing in that moisture with the heat. 

Here's my recipe:

You will need:

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

5-6 drops tea tree oil 

Method:

place your coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl & microwave for about 30 seconds, or until melted.

Take it out of the microwave and stir in your tea tree oil .

Dip your fingers into the warm oil & beginning at your roots, spread the coconut oil through your hair., all the way to the ends.

After you have used all of your oil, pull your hair back into bun.

Add heat to your hair.

I use my hair dryer, then wrap my hair in a towel.

Leave on for 20+ minutes.

Then, take the towel off and hop into the shower! 

Rinse your hair out then shampoo and condition per usual. 

Let your hair air dry

then revel in how healthy and beautiful your hair looks! 

Do this 1-2 times a week 

I just HAD to share what i have done to help improve the health of my hair, because, well, these things really have helped! My hair is the healthiest it has been in years! 

Hope these tips are helpful to someone out there! 

Happy Saturday :) 

xo

{DIY coconut almond butter}

I have been a bad pregnant lady

The last couple weeks I have eaten WAAAAAY too many almondy joys

Yes the candy bar. 

The king size almond joy candy bars. 

ok i have confessed

I feel much better now :) 

You know how it is when you're pregnant though.

You get your mind set on a certain taste or smell or texture & you just have to have it! 

This craving started because of another craving i have. 

I crave ice like no ones business when i am pregnant. I craved it with Giuliana, & now, i crave it with Liam too. 

Weird right? 

Well anyways, every other day {i'm not exaggerating} i go to the circle k down the street & fill 4 44oz cups with crushed ice & store it in my freezer. Sounds so dumb i know!  but i can't resist it! It's the best ice! & i will let you in on a little secret, if you bring your cups back to circle K & refill them with just ice, they don't charge you! So, you get you ice fix for free ;) Which in my case, is great, because I munch on it all day and all night. & Everytime i go to get my free ice, i buy an almond joy, so i don't feel so guilty walking out of there with 4 cups of free ice {This is how the craving started!} ..I sound so pathetic haha! 

Well, I knew i had to kick the almond joy craving, so I came up with a healthier replacement. 

I made some yummy coconut almond butter! 

It is seriously so delicious you guys! 

When i get that craving for an almond joy, i just eat a spoonful of this stuff, & boom! Craving fixed :) 

It tastes great and it doesn't contain anything too crazy.

& it is super simple to make

You need:

1 cup of your favorite almond butter {Or any nut butter really}

1/4 cup coconut BUTTER {not coconut oil}

2 teaspoons honey {I like whipped honey}

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* If you want to make your own almond butter, take 1 1/2 Cup of almonds and blend until they form a paste, usually about 4-5 minutes. 

I like to start with already made almond butter. Why? Because i like my almond butter super smooth & creamy :) I Love barney butter. It is the best and creamiest i have found. I buy it at sprouts. 

* Make sure you use coconut BUTTER not coconut oil. They are completely different things. 

Coconut butter is the unsweetened flesh of the coconut ground up into a butter. You can blend it into smoothies, put it on ice cream, It is delicious by itself too! I eat it by the spoonful!  Its great. & full of good calories :) 

Place all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor

Blend together until well mixed, about 3 minutes

Using a spatula, scrape every little bit of your almond butter into a container

& don't forget to lick the spatula clean ;) 

Spread it on some whole grain toast or just eat it by the spoonful! 

It is delicious no matter how you eat it 

Give it a try! It is so simple & seriously so yummy! 

Let me know what you think ;) 

Happy sunday!

{homemade pasta sauce}

I have always found homemade pasta sauce to be better than store bought 

It tastes so much fresher, its not as heavy, & you know exactly what is in it! 

I made pasta for dinner the other day & thought i would share our favorite sauce recipe with you! 

It's super simple & super yummy!

You will need:
1 tbsp olive oil
3 minced cloves of garlic
1 (12 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
just a pinch of fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano
{Recipe taken from the True foods cook book}

 Place oil & garlic in a large sauce pan, & cook for about 2 minutes
add your spices & basil & oregano

 Then add the can of chopped tomatoes & stir

Bring to a boil & lower to medium heat.
boil on medium for about 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, remove it from heat & let it cool for 20 minutes

Then place your cooled sauce into a blender or food precessor & blend until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency .  I like it to be a little chunky ;)

Serve your fresh sauce with freshly cooked pasta & enjoy!

We love this sauce recipe, even our 18 month old daughter loves it!
Its light & simple, perfect for summer :)

In other news, Baby #2 is growing so fast! I am now 16 1/2 weeks along! It has been a lot of fun watching, my belly slowly start to grow :) I missed having a baby bump!
I'm at that awkward stage in my pregnancy right now where, when you look at me, you cant tell if i'm just a little pudgy or if i'm pregnant, which makes it kind of awkward at the pool, which is where we have spent most of the summer so far. But that's ok! Im showing off my bump with pride :)
G is loving the pool this summer. She's learning to swim & is having such a blast!

happy wednesday everyone! 

Stay cool in this horrid heat! {Its 115 here in AZ!!!} 

{Natural Cold remedies}

Our family got hit HARD with the cold/flu bug that went around, here in AZ.

 It has been the kind of bug where you just lay in bed all day because you have a fever, a cough, the chills, sore throat, head congestion, the whole nine yards. We literally didn't leave the house or talk to anyone for 2 weeks.
It was really weird being so sick, We haven't been sick like this for over 2 years! 

Giuliana has had random little 2 or 3 day colds or allergies (worst one was a few weeks ago) , but nothing like this. She was miserably sick for 2 weeks straight! I only had it for a week & a half, & William just started getting sick a few days ago. hoping he gets better quicker than we did. 

Giuliana is 16 months old & there are no cold medicines available for kiddies this young,  so we stuck to natural cold remedies for her & ourselves. Here's what you will need to survive this yucky cold, naturally:

1. cool air humidifier/ steam

Keep a humidifier going in all the main rooms you are in. This will help keep your air ways moist & will help break up congestion.

During the day, we kept one running downstairs, but at night, we kept one running in G's room & one in our room. Before bed, I would run the shower all the way hot for about 5 minutes to get the bathroom nice & steamy, then turn it to a comfortable temperature & hop in with our daughter. The steam really helped a lot.

2. Eucalyptus essential oil

Eucalyptus oil is amazing. Just a whiff of it can help clear up your nose. It's pretty strong stuff! 

We like to put 5 or 6 drops into our humidifier so it is put into the air constantly. 

We also like to make a natural "Vicks" rub with it:

Mix a tablespoon coconut oil with 2 drops of eucalytus oil

 {Or more if you prefer. Test it on a small patch of your skin first to make sure it doesnt burn}

Rub the mixture on your neck, chest & back
for kids, you can also rub it on their feet & cover with socks. 

3. Saline spray or homemade saline drops

You can buy premade saline spray or saline nose drops almost anywhere, 

or you can make  them yourself:

add 1/2 teaspoon salt to 8oz of warm water.

Dissolve salt & let cool completely before using. 

Place 3-4 drops in each nostril & Let drain out 

make a new batch every day

4. for kids, use a Nose sucker ;)

for kiddies, after using the saline spray/drops, follow up with a nose sucker, you know, like the bulb syringe they give you at the hospital or a nose frida. Place the drops in their nose & cover one nose hole while sucking up the fluid in the other nose hole. Repeat on other side. only do this a couple time a day. I've read that doing it in access can make congestion worse. 

5. Lots of soft tissues

You can never have to many. Keep a box in ever room. Your nose WILL become raw

6. Lots of fluids

Keep yourself hydrated. Drink lots of water, or juice, or tea, or broth. Any fluid is good.

For kids its hard sometimes to get them to drink enough fluids when they're sick.

Try buying some sugar free popsicles or simply letting them munch on ice. 

7. Local honey 

honey can help soothe a sore throat. We give g a teaspoon before bed to help her feel a bit more comfortable. 

8. Elderberry syrup

This is our favorite cold remedy. Every time anyone in our house gets a cold, we use this.

You can buy it premade at most health food stores, or you can make it your self. 

Elderberry syrup is really good for you. Elderberris have been used medically for hundreds of years. They are full of anti oxidents. They are naturally anti viral & fight the cold/flu virus by Boosting your immune system, reducing mucus secretion, soothing a cough. & since elderberry syrup is sweet, Kids love it! 

This is the recipe we follow:

You will need: 

1/2 C dried elderberries

1 Cinnamon stick

5 Cloves

1 T freshly grated ginger

2 C water

1 C local honey

Place your berries, cinnamon, cloves, & ginger in a pot. pour your 2 Cups of water over.

Cover & bring to a boil.

Once it is boiling, lower temperature to a simmer. 

Leave covered & let simmer until mixture has reduced by 1/2. 

About 30 minutes or so. 

Pour mixture over a fine strainer & let liquid drain into a bowl. Using a spoon, squash the berries & get as much juice from them as you can. 

Add your 1C of honey to the warm mixture & stir. 

Pour your fresh elderberry syrup into jars or bottles & let cool. 

Keeps in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks

Dosage when sick

For adults: take 1 tablespoon every hour

for kids: take 1 teaspoon every 2-3 hours

for preventative medicine during cold season: take 1 tablespoon every day

Stay healthy everyone! Colds are yucky! 

But if you do get sick, follow these natural remedies & you will feel much better :) 

Happy Tuesday

{birthday cake batter cookies}

I made these cookies for my sisters birthday this year & had to share the recipe.

They were so yummy! 

& best of all they looked pretty cool :) 

I kept seeing the recipe on pinterest & finally decided to give it a try, & i am so glad i did.

We changed a couple things around, but they still turned out wonderful! 

This recipe will be a birthday regular in our home from now on 

{Original recipe}

You will need:

1 & 1/4 C all purpose flour

1 & 1/4 C yellow boxed cake mix 

3/4 C or 1.5 sticks of butter softened to room temp

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brwn sugar

1 egg at room temp

1.5 t vanilla 

1/2 C choc chips

1/2 C white choc chips

1/2 C sprinkles 

Sift together your dry ingredients:

flour, cake mix, Baking soda

& set aside

In a mixer, cream together your butter & both sugars on Medium speed.

Then add the egg & vanilla & continue to mix until creamy.

{This is where I made the first change. I used earth balance dairy free butter instead of regular butter}

Add your dry ingredients to the wet mixture & mix until just combined. 

Then add your sprinkles, choc chips & white choc chips.

Refrigerate your dough for at least an hour!!!!

{This is where i did the second change, I used dairy free choc chips & dairy free white choc chips}

Preheat your oven to 350.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of cold dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Shape your dough balls to be Taller than they are wide {as pictured above} 

Bake for 10-12 minutes

keep the unused dough cold until next batch. 

Let cookies cool on a cookie rack

& Enjoy!! 

They were seriously so good, & no one even noticed they were dairy free 

{We did dairy free so our daughter could have one :) }

Happy Saturday!

{Home made baby food: Chicken with sweet potato & apple}

I've always known i wanted to make my own baby food for our children

Thats why, when G refused the spoon, i was so heart broken

at 6 months we offered her first food, sweet potatoes, she loved them! 

She ate a few bites every night for about a week, then suddenly, NO MORE

Miss G did not want anything to do with a spoon, or pureed food.

I was so confused! 

G was interested in solids, just not solids from a spoon

She would eat anything that she could pick up & eat herself, so i started cutting foods  into little chunks, like carrots, tofu, pears.. etc. She Loved those! 

Then suddenly, she started to refuse her little chunks! 

What is going on with this child! 

I tried to get her to eat the plum organics baby pouches. It was hit or miss. one day she would suck down the whole thing, the next day, she wanted nothing to do with it & would scream, cry & shake her head as we put it close to her. 

Desperate, i went online & purchased a book that looked interesting, its called "Top 100 baby purees" by annabel karmel. There are some pretty yummy looking recipes in there! I thought, hey, why not give a couple of these a try, maybe she will really like one! 

The first recipe i made from this book was a puree of Apples, Sweet potatoes & chicken.

& to my surprise, she ate it.

ALL of it

I scraped the little bowl clean & had to get more for her hungry little mouth! 

That was over a week and a half ago, & every night since then, she has successfully eaten {atleast} 4 oz of homemade baby food. 

Ive made lots of recipes from this book & froze them, so we are set for a while.

Every night, i switch it up & give G a different puree, expanding her tastebuds, & not just giving her the same thing over & over, so it stay exciting for her! 

She Cant get enough! 

So Here is the recipe for that first recipe i prepared, 

{Keep in mind that i gave this to our 9 month old daughter. I dont think this recipe is appropriate for a baby younger than 6/7 months.}

Chicken With Sweet Potato & Apple

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

 {We use Earth balance-its dairy free}

1/4 Cup chopped onion

4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast chopped

1 large sweet potato chopped

1/2 large apple peeled, cored & chopped

1 cup chicken stock or broth

* Saute your onion in the butter for 2-3 minutes, then add the Chicken & continue to Saute until chicken starts to look opaque

* add the sweet potato, apple & broth or stock. 

Bring to a boil, then cover & let simmer for 15 minutes

* puree to correct consistency 

Serve it to your sweetie! 

This recipe makes A lot of food, so you will want to properly freeze & store the remainder.

I will do a post soon on how to do this :) 

I forgot to take pictures of that part!