Purify Your Laundry

Doing laundry might possibly be my least favorite thing to do and I will admit, there are times when I get so involved with running errands and chasing after an 18 month old, that I forget about the wet laundry in the washer. We've all done it. You're at home you start smelling something funky...and then it dawns on you that you started a load of laundry two days ago and with all the chaos of parenthood and life in general...you totally forgot about it. I don't know if it's just me and my lack of laundry skills, but I can never get that smell out with just one wash...until now. Purification has saved the laundry dilemma. When my forgotten laundry starts getting funky, to get the stink out, I fill a cap with detergent like normal and then I add 3 drops of Purification to the detergent and I re-wash them. It takes out the smell, so my clothes smell like they should have the FIRST time I washed them. :)

Make an Essential Oils Buddy for your Kiddos

We all know that children love stuffed animals. My daughter has more stuffed animals than I could ever know what to do with. As I was purging through her zoo of stuffed toys, I thought of an idea. Stella has this special stuffed hippo, made by the brand "Cozy Hugs", that you can warm up in the mircowave. It's made for kids who are sick or have a boo-boo. I have always liked this animal, because I thought it was a great idea for children. I mean, what's cooler, a regular warm compress or a stuffed hippo that's microwavable? I'm a grown up and even I'm going to go with door number 2. ;) So I thought...the one thing that can make this animal any cooler is turning it into an "Essential Oils Buddy". What's a more fun way to introduce our kids to essential oils than to put them on their very own stuffed pals? Here are some ideas...

Bedtime Buddy: One drop of each (or what you have on hand) Lavender, Peace and Calming, Stress Away and/or Cedarwood

Flu Buddy: One drop of each (or what you have on hand) Thieves, Lemon, DiGize (for stomach flu) and/or Purification

Decongestant Buddy: One drop of each (or what you have on hand) RC, Raven, Ravensara, Eucalyptus Radiata and/or Lavender

You don't have to have a Cozy Hugs stuffed animal to make an Essential Oils Buddy for your kiddo. You can use essential oils on any stuffed animal. However, if you prefer one that you can warm up in the microwave as well as oil up, I suggest getting one. They are awesome! But on that note, I don't suggest putting a regular stuffed animal in the microwave and running the risks of it exploding or catching on fire. How tragic would it be if you had to explain THAT to your child? ;)

Remember my dear friends, I'm not a doctor. These are not treatments for any ailments, just simply fun suggestions. If you have any health concerns, please see a doctor! :)

Easter Ideas for Toddlers

I love celebrating each holiday with my daughter, despite the fact that she's young and doesn't quite understand everything yet. I love making memories with her that she can one day look back on. Easter is no exception. This year Stella is 13 months and still isn't old enough for candy in her Easter basket, so I had to get creative. Here are some fun ideas for you moms of toddlers.

 

(By the way - how cute is Stella's Easter basket?! I found this piece of cuteness at Dollar General. They come in various sizes and colors. Who doesn't love polka dots?)

Easter Basket Ideas - 

Cheddar Bunnies - These lovely snacks are the perfect animal shape for Easter. They're similar to goldfish crackers, but they're organic. I bought them at Target.

Sippy cup - You can never have too many sippy cups, so I snagged an extra one at Walmart and added it to Stella's basket.

Shoes - Easter time is a great time to find some super cute shoes for your kiddos! My girl will be rocking out some pretty sweet kicks this summer!

Clothing - At Walmart they have a small table in the baby section that has individual "mix and match" pieces of clothing inexpensively priced. I got Stella a couple shirts and a pair of shorts for just a couple dollars a piece. They have this for both boys and girls.

Little People toys - These are the perfect toy for toddlers. You can find individual characters at Walmart and most stores in the toy section.

Small ball - Stella is obsessed with toy balls, so we found a small Hello Kitty ball for her Easter basket.

Bubbles - Obviously this one requires some adult supervision, but it's a fun activity your child will enjoy during these upcoming sunny afternoons.  

Easter Egg Ideas -

Fruit snacks - Fruit snack pouches fit perfectly inside an Easter egg. It's a fun way to give them a yummy treat, but still avoiding candy.

Socks - In this house you can never have too many pairs of socks for the baby. She is constantly taking them off and losing them. I found some bright fun colors that will be perfect for Easter!

Finger puppets - I found a set of 5 Garanimals brand finger puppets at Walmart that fit great inside our eggs.

Alphabet Magnets - Celebrating Easter and learning at the same time. :)

Hair bows - Obviously this one is geared towards little girls, but hair bows are a wonderful surprise to hide in an egg.

Toy cars - For the little man in your life. :)

Your child's favorite snack - Puffs, Cheerios, yogurt bites, ect.


I hope this list gave you some inspiration. Happy Easter! :)

Foods That Increase Lactation

Breastfeeding mommies, this post is for you! First of all, I know first hand how difficult it can be to work breastfeeding into your life, so you are awesome just for trying! Secondly, I'm well aware of the pressure you can feel to produce a decent amount of milk for your precious little one. So, to help you out I've decided to share with you some of the tips and tricks I used to get my milk production at its peak.

Make sure you're getting plenty of nutrients to eat. Believe it or not, when I first had my baby, I'd get so caught up in her routine that I'd forget to eat. Even if you have to write it on your to do list, make sure you're eating! :)

Along with eating, drinking plenty (10 - 12 glasses) of water is so important! I took my giant hospital cup and filled it up to sip on throughout the day. When it was empty, I'd just fill it up again. It made it easy for me to keep track of how much water I was drinking, because it has a measuring system on the side.

So now you might be wondering what foods to eat. Well, there are actually specific foods that are known to increase milk production and they actually worked pretty well for me.

- Carrots/Carrot Juice (Carrot Juice is best, but if you're like me and you don't have a juicer, then eating carrots is fine!)

-Sweet Potatoes

- Hummus

- Asparagus

- Spinach

- Almonds

- Oatmeal

- Garlic

- Mother's Milk Tea (This stuff worked miracles for me!! I HIGHLY recommend it if you're trying to boost your milk!)

- Fenugreek (This is the same supplement that is found in Mother's Milk Tea. You can find it at drug stores in the vitamin section)

These foods and supplements worked wonders for me. I hope you have success with them as well!