Top 10 natural/organic items

*NOTE: I have not been reimbursed for any of these reviews. These are simply items we use and love. *

1. Gripe Water

This stuff is amazing stuff. Works for infant and toddlers constipation, gas, stomach upset. . .

2. Just Tomatoes

Just tomatoes is the brand name of a line of freeze dried fruits and veggies. Our favorites are fruit salad and grapes.

3. CJ's BUTTer
 
We love the line of BUTTer diaper rash cream. Our favorite scent is warm vanilla cake or pink sugar. We also love her lotion and lip balm.

4. Beechnut Fruit Pouch 

 
These have become my fail safe food for Kianna. She is such a picky eater no matter how hard I try to get her to eat stuff. While these are not the best choice I am satisfied with them, they have minimal sugar and no additives. Some even have "hidden" veggies.

5. Coconut Oil

We use this literally for everything! I substitute it in recipes in place of butter, use it to make popcorn, you can use it in place of diaper rash cream if you are out of cream, I use it for my hair occasionally to really condition it, I use it to shave my legs, you can use it as a base for a massage oil and just add some essential oils to it. I also use it in baking alot. It works well in place of oil or shortening in cookies and cakes.

6. Vinegar
 
Again, I use this for everything! Its mostly the only thing I use to clean. I use it to clean moldy/smelly sippy cups, run it through my washer when it smells funky, use it to clean the swimming pool out, scrub the toilet, tub and sink, I use some mixed with olive oil and water to dust my furniture.

7. Bum Genius Diapers 

 We have been cloth diapering ever since Kianna was 3 weeks old. I have tried a ton of different style and kind of diapers and I have to say Bum Genius is my fav brand. My current fav is Organic Elementals because the insert is attached to the diaper. We have used the 4.0 Pocket style as well and love those but I got tired of stuffing the inserts back in the diaper after every wash. Either way, whatever style you choose I recommend this brand. We love them.

8. Crystal Deoderant 
 
I started using this deoderant about 5 months ago. I tried lots of other brands of natural deoderant and all of them were the same- left me stinky!! This one works well. I dont stink (except after working out and lets be honest who doesnt stink after working out?) and its last a LONG time. I have had the same bottle for 5 months.

9. Desert Essence 
 
I have been using the Coconut shampoo/conditioner for a few weeks and I love them! I have tried the shampoo bars, other natural shampoos and all of them left my hair super greasy. This one so far has done well and I am pleased with it. And not terribly expensive either- about $8.

10. Blue Sky 



A line of natural soda pop.Suprisingly it taste pretty much the same as regular pop but blue sky has very few artificial crap and is made with real sugar, not artificial sweetners. Our fav is "Dr becker" aka Dr Pepper but the cola one is good too.

Colossians

My bible study today was in Colossians. Some powerful words!!

"Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above not on earthly things"  Col 3:1-2

"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Col 3:12b and 13

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, nor for men. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and their is no favoritism" Col. 3:23 & 25

Ch-ch-ch-changes

"She is clothed with strength and dignity,

    and she laughs without fear of the future." Prov 31:25

Things are changing here! I wish I could laugh without fear of the future but its not my nature. I'm a worrier. Ask anybody who knows me well!  We have taken a HUGE leap of faith and honestly have no idea what the future holds for us. I pray that God "closes doors and opens windows" for us so we know without a doubt that he is leading us.  We all need this change ALOT . For our families sake, for my sake!
    I would be lying if I said I wasnt excited, because I am. Its a good change and we all cant wait. But the looming unknown right now and no set plan has me on edge. So, until it becomes without a doubt obvious we wait patiently.

Zoo Trip

 Taking pictures with her "camewa" of the "whino"

 Addy was unimpressed with the whole zoo experience

 My girls

In an effort to get away from electronic babysitters like I posted earlier, we are making an effort to do more things with the girls. We got a year membership to the E-ville zoo and after our trip last weekend there I think we will be making lots more! We also get in free or half price to several other zoos within driving distance so we plan to make a few day trips to see others in the next year.

Positivity

As much as I want to complain and whine this morning I am choosing to be positive. My baby was up pretty much all night long, I dont think she is feeling well. Mama and Dad are both exhausted, Addy wakes up 4 times a night normally and after almost 8 months mama is on overload. I need a break but she wont let anyone but chadd and I hold her. I'm tired, sore from sleepy funny while holding her last night and just overwhelmed. But instead of dwelling on this I choose to be positive.


"Praise be to the Lord for he has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trust in Him and I am helped."  Ps 29:11

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them and delivers them from all their troubles" Ps 34:17

Electronic babysitters

Electronic babysitters are more and more common nowdays. Its so easy for parents who need a little break (and lets be honest, what parent doesnt need a break now and then?) to just pop in a movie or let them play with the ipad or hand held game. I admit we are guilty of this. Far more then I ever wanted to be. When we moved Kianna over from her crib to her "big girl" bed last fall transition was rough so we gave her the ipad with netflix at bedtime to keep her in bed. Well, we let it go longer then we wanted to and now she is hooked. Something that we both knew for a while we needed to wean her off it but neither of us wanting to be the "bad guy".  Last night we decided tonight is the night. Chadd read some books to her on the couch and we let her have the ipad for 1 episode of something. We explained when the episode was over do not start another one. Suprisingly as soon as it was over she came into our room and told us "its ober". Chadd went to take it away and she was a little upset over that but he had a little chat with her and a little hard daddy love and she went right to sleep in her bed without the ipad. So its not perfect yet, but for now I'm ok with 1 episode before bed. Eventually we plan to take it away completely at bedtime. 
     I also realized that she watches tv way too much during the day. I dont like quiet so I have always just had the tv on, if I was watching it or not. I just wanted noise. Well once Addy was born it just because easier to let Ki watch tv. I knew where she was and she wasnt getting into trouble. Again, I knew it was not great parenting and I hated how much she watched tv but I was powerless against the electronics.  Well this week we decided enough. So yesterday Kianna and I started memorizing bible verses and playing her color match game. In one day she knows "God is love" 1 John 4:8 .  I plan to get some workbooks for her this weekend and do a little "school" with her just to keep her entertained. She is a very bright child, she just needs somewhere to let her creativity go.
   I just want to encourage you as a parent to turn off the electronic babysitters and do something. I know its easier for mama to just let the tv on but whats it doing to our kids?? Isnt that what we are here for? To teach our kids? I admit its a little rough on mama here to not get as much of a break during the day but I know in the long run I want Kianna to be knowledgeable and creative.

Asking for Prayer

I would like to ask anyone who prays to join with Chadd and I. Kianna has always been a rough sleeper but the past month or so its seems to come to a head. She wakes up everynight now around the same time and kicks and screams. She doesnt want to be held, doesnt need to go potty, wont talk to us . . .etc. She shares a room with Addy so its become a real struggle because she wakes up Addy and then we have 2 kids up and screaming. Its not pleasant. For a while I thought maybe it was because she has a dairy allergy and a few times she had ice cream at bedtime. But she has not had dairy every night and she still does it.
      I'm not sure if its Night terrors, if she is still struggling that much at adapting to not being an only child, if the stress from potty training is getting to her, or what is going on but we would like to ask for your prayers for her. Chadd and I are exhausted and at the end of our ropes on what to do. Pray for wisdom for us as parents and also for comfort for Kianna.

     Thanks!

Adalyn Claire is 7 months

My baby is 7 months old already!! How is that possible? She is such a sweetheart. Her personality is starting to really show through. She is going to be a pickle! She likes to take big sissy's toys and she knows it makes sissy mad cause when big sis says " no no ayye" (addy) Addy starts laughing. 

  At 7 months old Addy is 14 # 8 oz, 26-1/2'' long, wearing 6-9 month clothing, has 4 teeth and still wakes up 3 times a night. Mommy is more then ready for her to sleep all night. Unfortunetly my girls dont sleep all night apparantly. Kianna still wakes up at least once at night.
 
   Addy has found her voice and says "da" , "mamamama" and "bop". She tells some big stories sometimes as well. She will jabber on and on. 

    She now eats table food at lunch and supper. She still nurses 5 or 6 times a day. So far she is a fan of pumpkin, sweet potatoes, green beans, pears. She is not a fan of peas and carrots, blueberries or mashed potatoes.

Beauty

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Prob 31:30



You are created in the image of God, and God doesn't make junk! Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees you as a masterpiece; and when you look in the mirror, He wants you to "know that full well." Try this beauty tip: Every morning when you look in the mirror, say Psalm 139:14 and smile. You might even tape the verse on your mirror as a reminder! -Focus on the Family




"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  1 Sam 16:7



The world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside? As you get older, you will meet Christian girls who spend more time trying to find the perfect outfit, get the perfect tan, find the perfect lip gloss, and have the perfect body. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty, we need to make sure it's in balance. God would rather see us work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous on the inside. You know, the kind of girl who talks to Him on a regular basis (prayer) and reads her Bible.- Focus on the family


As a mom of 2 girls now It's become so important to me that they know life isnt about who is the prettiest, who is the tannest, who has blonde hair, who is a size 0. . . . I am making it a point to make sure my girls know you're heart is much more important! Kids in today society have a much harder time then I did when I was young, outer beauty seems to be so much more important now. I want my girls to have inner beauty! I intend to encourage them and make our home a place they feel excepted and loved no matter what.

Trust

"I will fear no evil for you are with me" Ps. 23:4b

"My God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop, I can scale a wall." Ps. 18:29

"For the word of the Lord is right and true. He is faithful in all he does. " Ps. 33:4

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise" Heb 10:23

A test

Its been a while since I have posted. Life got away from me. Lol. I realize that the last couple post have been kind of downers but I'm just keeping it real folks. Life has been rough the past 12 months here in our house.  It would be nice if everything was perfect and nothing bad ever happened, but I realize if it was like that, I wouldn't have any reason to turn to God.
       It feels like one thing after another comes up. And I'll be honest- in the past I panic and just freak out when things come up that I'm not prepared for. And I'll be honest again- I think it was test from God. To see how I handle it. I'm beginning to see that. Well for the past week now I've been sick. The Dr has no idea whats going on. Lots of testing- gallbladder, cat scan for Appendicitis, kidney stones, ovaries, colon, UTI. . etc. Everything is coming back clean. Yesterday while waiting for the cat scan results I realized how fearful I was of the results. I was terrified. At the Dr's office before going to get the cat scan the Dr had said if it is appendix you will go in immediently for surgery. I was extremely fearful. Anyone that knows me knows that I do not care for hospitals or Drs in general. Now our dr is great, love him, and hospitals are wonderful when the need is real. But I just get anxious and nervous when I have to be in a hospital. I was fearful of the whole thing. I just prayed. I prayed the entire time while sitting in radiology waiting to get the cat scan, I prayed the entire time while waiting to get results. Called my mom and her her pray, Chadd was praying. I just kept repeating to myself "God has not given us a spirit of fear". I prayed for peace. And I'll be honest, I was still nervous as can be but I felt more at peace. I didnt want to be admitted and have surgery, I didnt want to leave my girls in someone else's car while I was in the hospital, I was worried about Addy since she is going through a scared phase and will scream if anyone but chadd or I hold her, I wanted to be at home with my girls.  The cat scan took 5 minutes, then we sit there another hour waiting for results. Longest hour of my life. When the CAT scan technician can out I was literally holding my breath. I have never been so relieved in my life to hear "its all clean, you can go home". I drove the whole way home literally crying my eyes out I was so relieved.
   Long story short- We still dont know whats going on with me but I do feel a little better knowing its nothing serious. The night before the cat scan I laid in bed fearful of my appendix busting on me. Last night I actually slept well knowing whatever is going on is nothing major. My fear is gone.
         I know without a doubt that it was test to see if I was going to hold my fear or let go and trust God. And I am happy to say I think I passed the test.
         We also found out 3 months ago that Kianna has a Kidney Reflux. Meaning her kidneys dont flush everything out. Thus leaving her more suseptable to  UTIs and infections. As a mom the thought of her having to deal with this for the next few years is rough. Dr says most kids grow out of it once they hit teen years. So I am grateful she wont deal with it her entire life. But as a child and having already had 2 UTI's I know its rough on her.  I try to tell myself be thankful its something simple and easily kept in control. It could be worse.  But again- I was fearful of what all she would have to face being so young.  Including a yearly xray to keep tabs on her reflux.
           In general I am a fearful person. I dont like being at home by myself, I dont like being out at night myself,  I feel like I live in fear because I dont like our neighborhood, I live in fear of something financially major coming up and not being able to cover it. I realize I live in fear alot. And I know I am not near the point of living without fear right now, but I know after yesterday I am beginning to overcome it better.