Another Grocery Haul- Costco/Trader Joe's Haul Video

Grocery hauls are WAY easier for me to do via video than to take pictures and list everything out. I am going to try to do these a little more often because they are always some of my most popular posts. I went to Costco and Trader Joe's to get some of our groceries for the month of April. I will fill in at Walmart or Aldi each week for produce, dairy, and more perishable items or anything I may have forgotten. 

My total at Costco was $290 and Trader Joe's was $167.89.

Let me know what your favorite Costco & Trader Joe's items are and what you like to feed your family for breakfast, lunch and snacks! 

6 Ways to Increase Veggie Consumption

I am always looking for ways to increase my vegetable intake. I actually really like most vegetables, but for some reason, they are still something I have to really be intentional about putting into my diet. They just aren't something I gravitate towards most of the time. I could honestly go a few days without a single veggie if I wasn't careful, which is why I have to plan for them and make sure I'm getting them in. I know this is something a lot of people struggle with, so I thought I'd share some things that work for me to up my veggie intake!

one. Buy prepackaged. 

I don't buy a ton of prepackaged veggies, but there are some things that are just SO convenient. For example, I absolutely loathe cutting up sweet potatoes, so when I buy them, I never use them, except maybe cooked in the microwave. If I want to add them to eggs, or dice up for a soup or something, I just never get around to using them and they sit on my counter until I eventually toss them. So, paying a little bit more to have diced and ready sweet potatoes is totally worth it for me to get them in! Another good example for me is riced cauliflower. I know it's not that hard to make, but I never do it. Honestly you can buy just about every veggie pre packaged these days, so if there are things you are having a hard time getting into your body because of the prep work, consider choosing one or two to buy already ready for ya! 

two. Choose one veggie and master it. 

A lot of the time, I think that people don't know how to prepare many different veggies. This leads to burning out on eating raw carrot sticks all the time. To simplify things, choose one vegetable and master the heck out of that thing! Keep fixing that veggie until you have absolutely mastered that thing and it is so delicious even your pickiest kid eater asks for it daily. Then, master another one. And another. 

three. Prep veggies at one time. 

We all know that prepping food ahead of time makes life easier. Finding the time and energy to do actually do it isn't always easy, though. Take 10 minutes after you've gone to the store to cut up and store all of your veggies for the week. I usually leave all my greens as is until I am ready to use them, but I love having cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. washed, cut and ready to go. If you've actually taken the time to do this, there is a lot higher chance you'll actually eat what you've purchased. When I am rushing to get lunch ready for 4 kids, I am not likely to put red peppers on their plates if I have to do more than just open the container and get them out. 

four. Green smoothies. 

If you aren't making green smoothies on the regular, why not?! My kids and I prefer using spinach to any other green (you honestly cannot taste the spinach, promise) and I add several heaping handfuls each time I make smoothies, which is several times a week. I can 100% guarantee you that 0% of my kids would eat spinach in any other form. They get 1-2 servings of veggies (and leafy greens at that!) in one sitting to start their day. 

five. Prepare one veggie several ways.

My kids used to like broccoli, then they decided that it's the worst thing on the planet. A couple weeks ago, I steamed broccoli and melted a little butter with garlic salt over the top, and they decided it was alright again. There are so many ways to prepare each and every vegetable. Choose one veggie, and see how many different ways you can prepare it! Steam it, boil it, grill it, sautee it, eat it raw, roast it, eat it with dip, make it savory, make it sweet.....

six. Make a veggie plate.
Remember all of those veggies that you prepped ahead of time? If you're still having trouble getting your veggies in, make yourself a little snack plate of veggies. Pile a few of each kind of veg that you prepped and munch on them during lunch, or for a snack. Sometimes, in order to really get enough vegetables in our bodies, we just need to make it happen.

What other tips do you have for increasing vegetable consumption?! Do you have any awesome recipes for veggies? If so, please share! 

Immune Boosting Smoothie {Kid Approved}

This time of the year, it seems like just about everyone is feeling under the weather. With 4 kids in the house now, it seems like it can take months sometimes to cycle through all 6 of us, so I really like to avoid it when possible. (Not that anyone ever wants to get sick...) Of course, one of the best ways to prevent is to boost the immune system. My family loves smoothies and we typically have them at least a few times a week. It hit me this winter, that smoothies were the perfect way to sneak in all the stuff I would love for my kids to take, but know they won't (namely, apple cider vinegar and elderberry syrup)! So here's what I came up with. It makes about 4 servings, and my kids have never mentioned it tasting any different than our normal smoothies. The fruit really masks the sour taste of the ACV!

1 1/2 cups juice high in vitamin C  (I use either orange, or this C-Boost from Bolthouse Farms) 2 full handfuls spinach (loaded with tons of vitamins) 2-3 teaspoons elderberry syrup (immune system booster & has been found to reduce the duration of illness) 1-2 Tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar-make sure it contains 'the mother'. (great at detoxifying the body & kills bad bacteria) 1/2-1 cup Kefir or probiotic yogurt (high in probiotics which help with gut health & immunity) 2 bananas  Frozen fruit  2 Tablespoons chia seeds (rich in omega 3's, fiber & antioxidants; gives a boost of energy) Optional: 1-2 Tablespoons raw local honey (full of antioxidants and can help soothe a sore throat)

Throw it all in a blender...

 blend it up...

 and divide!

 Couldn't be easier. This is also a great smoothie for when you're already not feeling well and don't feel like eating a whole lot. Enjoy! 

Our Favorite Chemical Free Products For Kids

Switching to chemical free products/a chemical free home can be quite the process. It can take quite awhile to get where you are aiming to be. There is a lot to learn, a lot to research, new products to buy and try, or even to make yourself, and lots of trial and error. It takes time, but it is so worth doing.  When my oldest was a baby, she had a battle with eczema early on that led us to a dermatologist and quickly led to us eliminating pretty much all fragrance from our products. At first it was just her things. We started using the "natural" soaps and shampoos the dermatologist gave us (which I laugh at now, because they were still completely filled with chemicals, just more expensive and fragrance free...) on her, but noticed she would still have breakouts from being snuggled up to an adult whose clothes had been washed in regular detergent. Crazy. So we quickly eliminated all of that from our home and never looked back. 

Several years later is when I really started looking into chemical exposure, carcinogens in the home, and what we are putting on our bodies. It is absolutely insane. It makes me sad how it is just completely normal for us to use products filled with literal garbage, and no one bats an eye because we don't know better! Well, now I know, and am so glad we've made the effort to switch out all of our products for the last 2 years or so. It has taken some time to find what works for each person in our family, and to test out products, but we have found some natural products that we really love! These are all products that our family actually uses, that I have found to be affordable (remember, what is considered affordable for a more natural product is usually still going to be quite a bit more than you'd pay for a conventional product, but I feel that the products we have found and use don't break the bank), and that we truly love! (One more quick note: I love using the EWG skin deep website and app to check products. Not all products are on there, so when I really want to know about something, I create my own report. I typically aim to have a score of 2 or under for the products we use.)

Body Wash: Alaffia EveryDay Shea Moisturizing Body Wash in vanilla mint (I bought at a local store for around $10.)  This stuff smells sooooo insanely good! It kind of smells like a junior mint. It is really creamy and the bottle that we got is enormous. We have been using it for probably 6+ months for 6 people and have hardly made a dent in it. One pump on a loofah goes a LONG way. I really like having a lather when I use body wash, so that is an important factor for me and the kids to consider when testing out natural body washes (some hardly lather at all). For $10 I would say that this product is a great value! I love that I only need one bottle of body wash in the shower for our entire family as opposed to buying kids/baby/adult products because of
"natural" factor. 

Shampoo: Fresh Monster Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner in coconut This stuff also smells really good, has a great lather, and is a 2 on the SkinDeep site. I love that I can buy it at Target online (free shipping with a redcard= effortless shopping!) and again, it is a more affordable natural option. My 2 daughters have been using this for 8 months and we still have about 1/4 of the bottle left. So, under $7 for 2 kids (one with hair almost to her waist) to use for about a year is really not too bad at all!

 I also love that they have different scents to choose from. I will say that we also have their detangler and haven't liked it much. It is ok when I use it on their wet hair, but it makes me sneeze, which is weird. I feel like the scent makes my sinuses ache when I spray it, which is strange for a natural product. And when I spray it on their dry hair, it leaves a greasy residue which I can't stand. But, that brings me to the detangler that we DO love... Detangler: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Extra Moisturizing Detangler  I have had this for over a year for one of my littles who has kinky hair, and use it daily. One day when I got fed up with the other detangler I sprayed this on the girls as well, and it was AMAZING! I can honestly say it works well for ALL hair types. I've used it on 3 of my kids and myself....all different kinds of hair (kinky super tight curls, loose ringlet curls, wavy hair, and stick straight). It smells incredible, is affordable (again, I've had this bottle over a year and have been using it daily on 1 and on all 3 kids for about half that time), and is a 2 on the EWG scale. I use all Shea Moisture products on my Little with the tight curls and they all work amazingly well on that type of hair. 

Toothpaste: Jack n Jill Natural Toothpaste This one is a bit more expensive, but I have had a really hard time finding a good kids toothpaste without some ingredient I don't like. It seems everything we've tried so far has been pretty close, but would still have 1 or 2 things I didn't love. This meets my ingredient standards (scores a 1 on the EWG scale). We haven't had it for long so I can't say how long it'll last, but from the Amazon reviews it looks like it should last us quite awhile. I am a little over the top about oral health, so I'm willing to pay the price. 

Lotion: Alaffia Everyday Coconut Hair & Body Lotion in coconut strawberry (I bought at a local store, so I'm not 100% sure what I paid for it.) I actually have several Alaffia brand products for myself, too, and I don't know what it is about these products but it seems like they will just last forever! We hardly make a dent in them no matter how often we use them, so I love that! This lotion is really creamy and smells fruity which the kids love. It just feels really gentle and glides on their skin so nicely, leaves no residue and makes their skin super soft. 

So that's what we've been loving for our kiddo essentials! It truly has been trial and error, finding that some things I throw away most of a bottle because we don't like it/it doesn't work, but we have found some great gems here that we love! If you have made your way into chemical free products, what are some of your favorites for your kids? I love hearing recommendations from real people to see what actually works and is worth the price! 

Goals for 2017

New Years Goals. I never used to set goals/resolutions because I felt like it was setting myself up for failure. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, or maybe it's because I need more accountability, but I have been setting goals the last few years. A lot of times I make goals for a day, week or month, but these goals are more long term things, and things I want to be working at/towards throughout this entire year. Last year, I basically only had 2 goals. 1. Read through the Bible chronologically in one year. I met, or rather will meet, this goal as I started it a few days into 2017, but I am almost done! Yay! 2. Read 50 books. I had recently rediscovered my passion for reading and loved how relaxing it was, and wanted to commit to reading a lot more last year. However, when I set the goal, I had 2 kids, and a little over a week into the start of 2016, I unexpectedly had 4 all of a sudden. Needless to say, I did not meet that goal, but I don't feel bad about it. I did read 28 books, have 2 more partially finished, and started 2 or 3 that I didn't like about 50-100 pages in and stopped. So overall, I think it was a pretty good effort considering the year we had! With all that being said, here are my goals for 2017! 
Complete another Bible reading plan As soon as I finish up my chronological plan (in just a few days!) I am planning to start a new one. I really enjoyed reading through the Bible chronologically over the last year, especially because I had gotten a new study Bible the Christmas prior so it really helped me get more context and really learn the Bible! But I did really miss reading in the New Testament. I missed learning from Jesus' life directly, and I missed a lot of that application in the NT. Because of the way my plan was laid out, I didn't start reading in the New Testament until October, so I spent 9 whole months in the Old Testament. It was a great learning experience, but I am so excited this year to slow down a little bit and really relish in the New Testament! Last year was A LOT of reading every day, which was great for what it was, but like I said, I want to slow down a little bit this year and really focus on certain passages. I chose a plan on the YouVersion app called OWNit365 New Testament (NT)+ Plan. It is 6 days a week and each day you read a chapter from the New Testament and on the 6th day of the week, you read a chapter from the OT that was referenced during that week's reading to help with context. I think it'll be perfect for what I'm looking for this year, and I am excited to dig in! 

Read 25 books I am going to set a reading goal again this year, because I do love reading so much and want to make sure I still take time for it this year, even though I imagine it will be another full and crazy year! I think a goal of 25 books this year will be more realistic and will give freedom on crazy weeks to take a break! I have a whole list of books I have been wanting to read and haven't gotten to yet, so I am really excited to get started on this goal, as well. 
Health and Fitness  I know I need/want to set some health goals for this year, but I'm not 100% sure what they are going to be yet. This weekend, I made some plans for meals for the month, and what I'm going to do for prep. I know this'll help me to set myself up for success! We have made a lot of healthful changes over the last few years, but we still have a long ways to go. I think this will be a big health year for us-mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. We have high hopes for the healthiest year we've had for all 6 of us! 
Blog once per week Over the course of many years, I have let my blog fall by the wayside. It is usually one of the first things to get neglected when life gets busy, and it seems to really ebb and flow with certain seasons. This year, I am going to try for consistency and blog at least once per week. I love having blogging as a creative outlet and for "me time" so I think it will be nice if I set aside a little time each week to make it happen! 
Daily memory journal Quite some time ago, I thought it would be nice if I could just remember every single day. My kids do and say the funniest things sometimes and I know it will be hard to remember all of those things one day (it already is sometimes)! I decided to just take a notebook and each night before bed, write down something from the day. This might be something hilarious one of the kids did, it might be something I'm thankful for, it might be an event from the day, or even something I struggled with that day. I want to be better about memory keeping, and I think if I kept this up year after year, it would be really cool to look back on some day. It will probably just be a few sentences (or less) every day, but I know I will treasure it in the future, and it would be so fun to show to my kids decades from now! 

Christ likeness Of course, my most important goal this year is to be more like Jesus by December 31 than I am today. I learned SO MUCH about God last year (which I am still hoping to get a chance to share about soon), both through reading and through my own trials and life, and I am excited to apply all that I learned this year to my life, my actions, my personality, and my relationships. I am thankful for the opportunity for growth and change and am looking forward to what God does in me this year. 
{ This is the first year that I have come up with a word for my year, and if you want to read more about that, you can here! I think a lot of my year, and my week to week goals will center around that :) }  

How I Menu Plan and Shop for a Month

In the last few years, I have learned a lot more about food, what we are putting into our bodies, what "healthy" is, and how I want to be feeding myself and my family. Ok, honestly, it is still such a learning curve. There is so much I want to do, but those darn cravings. BUT, we have changed our eating quite a bit and learned and applied what we feel is how we should be eating. For our family, that has been eating as close to nature as possible. Real foods. Not packaged foods filled with preservatives, and stuff that we shouldn't even be putting in our bodies that is considered "food". Yes my kids still eat crackers sometimes. We are not perfect-you'll see that when I share my menu! But we are aiming to be better and continue learning more about food and making a little more from scratch each month than the last. We buy organic when we can, we try to buy the best quality dairy and meats when possible and affordable.  So the whole point of this post is to say that I had to start shopping at several different stores to get the best prices/best quality on different things. It was getting to be too much. I am not dragging my kiddos to 3 or 4 stores every week to shop, we would all go insane. So last fall, I decided to try menu planning out the whole month in advance. I have avoided this in the past and done it week by week because I don't always know our schedule a month in advance and it is a lot of work to plan a whole month of meals at once! Now that I have been doing it this way for quite awhile, it has really been working well, so I thought I would share how I do it! First step...planning the menu!  If you don't already menu plan, DO IT! It saves so much time, money, and is way less headache. I do not plan out day by day. I might not feel like having tacos on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. I get out my planner, look for any events we might have or times we might be eating out, and try to count out about how many days I need meals for that month. Yes, we usually end up eating out a few more times than I thought we would, but then I just move those extra meals to the next month's plan and it isn't a big deal at all. I take into account days where I need a quick meal (like Life Group or soccer nights), birthdays/events, if we might be having people over/going to someone's house, etc. It's not a perfect system and sometimes I have to run to the nearest grocery store to get a side dish to take somewhere, but it works well for the most part. 

Next, I make a list of what I want/need to buy from which store. Like I said before, I had been going to several different stores to try to get the best quality at the best price. Now I know the absolute best price I can get on organic diced tomatoes is from Costco. The most affordable organic, grass-fed beef I can get is from Aldi. The most affordable produce with more organic options than many other stores I can get is from Sam's. I basically have what I need to buy from where memorized by this point, so I write out what I need to grab from where based on all my meals that month.  At the beginning of the month, I do a bigger shopping haul. I go to Aldi for a good majority of my dried goods. I get nuts, couscous, some dairy items, dried beans, some canned goods, spices, etc. from Aldi. I try to list out all of these types of things since the shelf life is going to be longer than milk or produce. I also go to Walmart at this same time (luckily for me, they are right next to each other!) and get a few things I can't get other places or that are better quality/price than what I can get from Aldi. I will buy produce and milk, eggs, etc. on this day only for the week. 

Then, the next 3 weeks I just do a much smaller trip to Sam's to get perishable things. Milk if we need it, produce, possibly some meat, etc. My cart is typically filled 80+% with produce at Sam's as I have already gotten most of the other things I need to make my meals during the first week. I typically buy meat in bulk, either because I'm buying it from Sam's or Costco, or because it was on sale, and then I freeze it, so we almost always have meat in the freezer, which I take into account during my menu planning.  I have set up a small bookshelf in our storage room in the basement for some dried items so I don't have to store a month's worth of food in my small pantry. This has worked out awesome for us! If I need something for dinner, I either grab it when I'm down there doing laundry, or ask one of the girls to run down and grab it for me (like canned tomatoes or things like that). It is nice to have everything on hand and this has actually helped out a lot with not being so tempted to eat out, since I always have what I need on hand! It also has worked out great because we go through SO much produce. My kids crush Sam's/Costco sized bags of apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, etc. every week so there is no way I could buy produce for an entire month at one time. This way, I only have to make a quick trip to one store on a weekly basis and do the one bigger trip once a month which isn't terrible at all. Our Costco is about 30-40 minutes away and we actually just recently became members so our plan is to go there pretty infrequently and stock up on what we need for awhile. We did the math on a lot of their organic options and it was way cheaper than anywhere else and way more than made up for the cost of the membership, so we felt like it was worth it since we get down that way semi often anyway. So that's pretty much how I menu plan and grocery shop for the month! I do miss the days of just going shopping at Aldi or Walmart, BUT I definitely am able to get better quality on some things elsewhere and sometimes for better prices, depending what it is. How far out do you menu plan, and how many different stores do you shop at?! Tomorrow I will share my menu for the month of May and what I bought on my big shopping trip this month! 

How to Do Whole 30 on a Budget

When I decided to do another Whole 30, I knew that I had to do some things very differently. One of them had to be cost. My first whole 30 (whole 25, really) was last May and during that month, I went over double my grocery budget. Oops. I honestly didn't pay attention to the money portion of it at that time because I wasn't as concerned about it and didn't need to pinch pennies as closely then as I do now with the adoption. This time, doubling my normal grocery bill was not an option for me, and I knew I could do it without going over, so here is how I did! 

This first tip is going to save the most money but is going to be the most unpopular amongst the whole 30 community. I skipped buying grass fed and organic meat.  In some regions it may not be that much more, but here it is about double the price for grass fed beef, and sometimes up to 4 times as much for organic chicken. No wonder I went so far over my budget last time! We also eat so many eggs-usually at least 5 dozen a week. I would love to be able to afford all free range, organic eggs, but that would put us at $25 a week JUST on eggs. Again, I know this isn't what the program would recommend, but if you are really looking at doing whole 30 on a budget and can't afford these things, it will make a huge difference in price. 

The next thing I did was snack less. Technically on whole 30, they don't really like you to snack at all, but sometimes it is inevitable. Last time, I still snacked quite a bit and whole 30 compliant snacks aren't going to be cheap. A bag of nuts is anywhere from $6-$12 a bag or more. A Larabar is $1.50. If you are eating that stuff every day, you might be looking at an extra $20 or more a week just in snacks. 
Something else that I think really helped was to make simple meals. Last time, I didn't make super intricate meals, but I did try out a few new things that needed new ingredients. So I would be buying an $8 bag of arrowroot powder just to use 1/2 a cup from it and never use it again. Silly. Sticking to more simple meals (meat, fat and produce) can really help cut down some of those costs. 

I think the last thing I was more conscious of this time was to buy seasonally. I know a lot of people already try to do this, and I do it somewhat (i.e. I don't buy $7 containers of strawberries in the winter.) but last time I just bought what I found in recipes and what sounded good. You are going to pay a lot more for a spaghetti squash in the spring than you would in the fall. That's just how it is! Buy seasonally, and you will keep your produce prices lower.  
I am thrilled to have kept my whole 30 on budget this time around and I honestly can't believe it is already over! The month just FLEW by! Any other tips for eating whole 30, or eating clean on a budget? 

How I'm Doing This Whole 30 Differently

Last May I did a whole 30 with my husband, which was really a whole 25. After that, I swore I would never do another one. Mainly because once I stopped it, I couldn't stop eating all the junk I couldn't have on whole 30, which completely defeats the purpose of it. I felt so deprived during it that I spent the next few months making up for what I didn't eat that month. A month or so ago, when I brought up the idea of doing another one, I knew immediately that there were several things I would do differently this time around to make it more sustainable and less miserable for me. So far, it has gone much more smoothly this time around-physically, emotionally, in terms of food, everything! So here is what I am doing differently:  Planning out dinner for the whole month I always meal plan. Usually I do it for a week at a time instead of a month because that just works out better for our family. I don't usually know what we will be doing in 2 or 3 weeks. Last whole 30 was no exception, but by about half way through I was running out of ideas, nothing sounded good, etc. This time, I took a few weeks before I started, compiled all of my favorite recipes from last time and looked for a few new ones to fill in the blanks and made a spread sheet. I came up with 15 days worth of dinners and then planned to just repeat them for the second half. Eating the same thing every week, I may get sick of it, but only twice a month is fine for me. So far this has worked out SO well. I put in all the ingredients I would need, so each week I go and make my grocery list and I'm all set. Easy!

Eating the same thing for breakfast for a week at a time One of the worst things last time was that I got SO sick of eggs. I hated everything about eggs because I ate them so much and didn't do a good job of planning ahead for breakfast. If I didn't plan anything, I ended up eating scrambled eggs. This time, I knew that would happen again so I decided to eat the same thing every day for a week for breakfast and that way as I'm starting to get sick of it, I'll move to something else. I can make up a quiche and eat on it for the whole week, or I can dice potatoes for potatoes o'brien to cook each morning. It has been really easy and so far I am not sick of breakfast. Not trying to make whole 30 versions of something ...for the most part. I did make a whole 30 compliant mayo so I could make deviled eggs and egg salad and that has been good. But last time I would try this intricate, complicated recipe and it would be a total flop. Like zucchini fritters. Just no. It didn't work at all. This time I decided to not even try with that and just stick to not trying to go out of my way to make something with expensive ingredients that I don't have and will never use again. 

Snacking less Last time, I didn't snack a TON, but I kind of depended on a little snack to get me through the day and night. I think I never mentally got over feeling like I needed something to eat when I was doing this. I have still snacked a bit this round, but only when I am actually hungry and not just feel like eating to eat or out of boredom. Having balanced meals As I started getting into a food boredom phase last time, I turned to Larabars, nuts, snacks, fruit, etc. to get me through. This turned out really bad because I would eat a Larabar for breakfast since nothing else sounded good, but then I'd be hungry again an hour later and would eat a little something else and so on. I also noticed that when I didn't eat a well balanced meal I would be hungry a lot sooner, so this time I am really aiming to have enough protein and healthy fat at each meal along with produce of course. 

Not dwelling on what I can't have Last time I think this really set me back. I was constantly thinking about the food I wanted to be eating but couldn't. Mentally this hurt me because all I wanted to do was eat that food instead of the healthy food I could have. This time, I didn't necessarily set out to not do this, but I realized a few days into it when my husband pointed out how well it was going this time that I had been doing that and now I have aimed to continue. Instead of dwelling on the buns my family is having on their hamburgers, I just enjoy the bun-less burger I am having instead. It has been a game changer to switch my mindset in this way!  So far, this whole 30 has gone a lot better than my first one and I am hoping it stays that way. I really think I have some stomach issues that are food related and I am guessing the culprit is either dairy or gluten so it will be interested to completely clear my system out and reintroduce and see what happens! I am anxious to continue learning more about how I can fuel my body well and that is something I couldn't say last time. Last time I was anxious to get my hands on donuts and pizza again! 

Another Whole 30 + PinCrazy

Well, I am eating my words and doing something that I said I would never, ever do again. Another Whole 30. Starting next week! I said I would never do another one for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is because I felt like after I was finished with it, I just went crazy eating everything that I couldn't have while on it and completely un did my progress. I felt too deprived so it didn't feel like it worked. I know it is not supposed to be sustainable for a life time, but it has a lot of benefits to doing it for a month, 45 days or 2 months. I am excited to jump on it again and see what kind of progress I can make. I decided to do it again because my eating has been out of control lately. I have a major sugar addiction that is hard for me to break unless I just go cold turkey and fast! So I am doing it. I always feel way better when I eat this way and I really want to reintroduce food slowly at the end of my whole 30 this time to see what I react to. Last time, I didn't reintroduce but I felt SO bad every time I ate food that wasn't whole 30 for about a month afterwards so I am anxious to see what the culprit is! I am planning to do a lot of things differently this time around, which I plan to write about assuming it goes well this time! The biggest change is that this time I am doing it alone. My husband and I both did it last time but he is sitting this one out, so it'll be interesting to see how my will power holds up! I'm sure I will be updating my progress here and there on Instagram!

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This Week's Feature!
Nicolette from Powerful Mothering shared 4 downloadable Easter printable activities for preschool age kiddos! They are so cute and perfect for the upcoming holiday! Thanks for sharing, Nicolette!

An InLinkz Link-up

Chemical Free Diaper Rash Cream {With Essential Oils}

My oldest daughter has really sensitive skin and lots of allergies, so ever since she was a baby, we have had to be careful about what we put on her skin. After talking with the dermatologist we switched to all fragrance free and really gentle cleansers, soaps, lotions, detergents...everything. But the more I've educated myself on chemicals, the more I have realized that those "gentle" products still have harmful and harsh chemicals in them! She is long since potty trained, but my youngest daughter came down with a bad diaper rash a couple of weeks ago out of the blue. This was the perfect opportunity for me to whip up some all natural diaper rash cream and try it out! I had these little jars from the Target dollar spot waiting in my bathroom closet and wasn't sure what to do with them, and when this happened, I knew exactly how to use one! 

What you'll need: Glass container of some sort Coconut oil Essential oils (I used Young Living brand for this cream)    *Lavender    *Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea tree oil) Spoon for scooping and mixing  First, take about 1/2 cup of organic, unrefined coconut oil and scoop it into your glass container.  Microwave the oil for about 30 seconds-1 minute until it is a liquid. Add 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and 5-7 drops of melaleuca essential oil and stir to combine with coconut oil.  Pop in the freezer for about 10 minutes to solidify the cream again. That's it! It took me 2 minutes and I had everything I needed on hand. 

So, the biggest question is does it work? I waited to write this blog post until I knew for sure. The answer is yes!  This was the kind of rash that was angry red (no bumps or anything) and my daughter was crying out in pain with real tears when I would change her diaper. Saddest thing ever. I made up this cream and put it on her before bed that night (just a small scoop on my fingers-probably about a quarter sized amount). The next morning when she woke up, she still had some redness, but she didn't complain or cry out AT ALL when I changed her. I continued to use it each time I changed her diaper that day and by the end of the day it was completely gone and back to normal! I'll never use desitin again!  Why does it work?!  Lavender essential oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. It is also very soothing and gentle on the skin. (Smells great, too!)  Melaleuca is also anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-septic and has potent healing properties.  Coconut oil is a natural moisturizer that is also an antimicrobial agent. Put all 3 together and you have yourself a powerful, all natural healing cream!  Luckily for me, my daughter has been potty training for the last few weeks and so we are out of diapers for now! I guess I will save the rest for when the new baby comes!  Cost for making this yourself:  $1.43 for 1/2 cup of coconut oil (I use Aldi brand)  .90 for lavender oil (Young Living)  .50 for melaleuca oil (Young Living )

----- $2.83 for 4 oz. of homemade, all natural diaper cream  (This is a 48% savings from Desitin and would be even more for "all natural" ointments!)  A little bit goes a long way so I expect this ONE batch would probably last throughout the diaper era for a kiddo!  Have you tried a DIY diaper cream before? 

All Natural Face Washing Routine {With Coconut Oil + Honey}

Several years ago, a few friends and I were discussing some more natural approaches to things and talking about chemicals and other things. I mentioned something about us being "crunchy" and one of my friends had never heard that term used before (Hi Megan!!). (If you haven't either, it is used to describe people who are really into natural things or kind of "hippie" if you will). Once we explained it, she laughed and said "well, I guess we are kind of chewy then!" Not quite crunchy, but still more than most people. So for years I've always thought of myself as a little bit "chewy". Maybe crispy is more accurate. This post is about to go full on crunchy though, guys. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

I honestly don't have any idea how I first heard about this, but I have been keeping my eyes open to more natural products and am always looking for affordable options! When I first read about washing your face with honey, I thought it was a little bizarre but I figured I would give it a try. Without researching it at all, I did it that night and let me tell you...my face was the SOFTEST it had ever been. Smelled so good, too!  Time went on and I researched it a little bit more to find out if it is actually good for your skin and here are a few main points I thought I'd pass on to you before talking about the actual process:

• You need to use RAW honey. Not just the plain ole stuff from the grocery store-needs to be raw and local if possible. 
• Honey has antibacterial properties in it when it is raw and not processed, which obviously makes it great for cleansing your skin.
• It balances your skin because it doesn't strip it of its natural oils. It cleans but still leaves the natural oils your skin needs, which is ideal. 
• It won't remove your makeup, which is where the coconut oil comes in. 

So here is what you do. 

1. Get a small scoop of coconut oil (I use unrefined, organic) and rub it all over your face to remove your makeup. Swab it over your (closed) eyes if you have eye makeup on. Personally, I take a cotton ball to wipe the eye makeup off before rinsing.

2. Rinse your coconut oiled face off under warm water or with a wash cloth. 

3. Squeeze about a nickle sized amount of raw honey into your wet hands and rub all over your face like you would with regular face wash.

4. Rinse! Make sure you get it all off or your face will be sticky later. 

5. Apply a small amount of coconut oil on your dried face for moisturizer. I really just use a tiny amount...

When I first posted about doing this on Facebook, the most common thing I had people saying was how sticky it must be. If you get your hands and face wet first, it isn't sticky at all. It glides right over your skin! I can honestly say my skin has never been so soft or looked so healthy since I have stared this regimen. I had been using coconut oil as a moisturizer for a little while and it was always really soft doing that, but the honey has taken it to a whole new level! 

So what do you think? Are you chewy/crispy/crunchy enough to switch to honey and coconut oil?! It's so affordable, too! 

Diastasis Recti {Separation of the abdominal muscles}

Have you ever heard of Diastasis Recti? If not, you are not alone. Basically, it is separation of the abdominal muscles, often caused by pregnancy (but other things can cause it as well). It is not harmful, and in my case not painful, but it makes your abdomen protrude out, looking as if you are a few months pregnant. I read that 30-40% of mothers have a diastasis, but most are unaware. It is unfortunate that the condition isn't talked about more, because it is such a common thing and many people are making their separation larger, simply by not knowing.

You can read more about diastasis recti here and here.
If you haven't already done so, you'll want to check yourself for a diastasis. It's very simple. Watch this video to see how.

The most frustrating thing for me about all of this, is that so many websites and videos are giving conflicting information on what exactly it is, and what exercises are and aren't ok to do with it. My best understanding is that anything above 2 finger widths is a diastasis. Mine is about 2 1/2 finger widths and when I sit up you can see the ridge poke out down my belly.
When I first found out I had this, I searched and searched for a solution. Everything I read said avoid any type of sit up or crunch. Some things said planks are great, other things said avoid them. I've since come to the conclusion that planks, crunches, and most pilates and yoga moves are NOT good for a diastasis. See, these types of moves push your abs OUT and can actually make the separation wider.
Several people have asked what exercises I HAVE been doing, so I wanted to share that.
I do them about every other day or so (when I remember), to give my abdominal muscles time to repair in between working them.

I really liked this video, because her explanations are really clear. She explains that you need to pull your abs IN when you do the exercises.

I wanted to also mention that some of the things I read say that you should stop all other exercise while treating a diastasis. Perhaps this is true if you have a really bad one, but I have continued exercising. Most of what I read said it is ok to keep exercising. You just need to be mindful of WHAT exercises you are doing. I recently read and realized that burpees are bad for a diastasis (because you are getting up and down and really engaging and pushing your abs OUT to do so), so I stopped doing them. Just think about what you are doing and HOW that move is working your abs to decide if you should stop it or not.
I am definitely not an expert in this area, but hopefully this will help anyone who is confused on what to do like I was. I wish there was solid information out there that made it really clear, but unfortunately there is not. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them. I have a few years of experience in this area! I saw results instantaneously when I started the exercises. Within a week or less I had noticeable difference in my stomach, so it's definitely worth it to change your ab routine if you've got separation!