In the days and weeks after your new baby is born, it's so important to focus on yourself and your postpartum recovery. Find eight ideas for postpartum self care for the natural mama! You've made it through labor and delivery and are snuggling your sweet babe. But, you feel like you've been hit by a truck! You're exhausted, you're sore in places you didn't know could be sore, and you find yourself crying and have no idea why. I've been there too. I'm now eight weeks postpartum and want to … [Read more...]
10 Healthy Pregnancy Items I Can’t Live Without!
It's still a little hard for me to believe, except for my hugely bulging belly, but I'm 31 weeks pregnant and in the final countdown to sweet baby boy's arrival! If there's one thing I've learned through this fourth and surprise pregnancy, it's that you can never be fully prepared for all of the side-effects and symptoms of pregnancy that you will experience. As you strive to have the healthiest pregnancy that you can, some of your symptoms will be the same as previous … [Read more...]
A Summer Self Care Plan for Moms
Prepare yourself with a summer self care plan! Take steps to fill up your cup and enjoy your days with your kids this summer! My kids are done with school in just over a week, and I know some school's summer breaks have started already! While I'm definitely looking forward to sleeping in and lazy mornings, not having to wake my kids up every morning and get them out the door, I also realize it's going to be an adjustment for all of us to be home together all day. Every day. So, I've … [Read more...]
How to Ditch Synthetic Fragrances (and why you should)
The air fresheners and fragrances we use can cause the air inside our homes to be more polluted than the outside air! Ditch synthetic fragrances today and replace them with green, safe, and affordable alternatives! It's hard to imagine living in a world without fragrances. They are an ever present part of our lives, found in so many products that we expose ourselves and our families to every day. Or maybe our families are exposed to these fragrances without actually choosing to be. I … [Read more...]
5 Strategies for Coping with a Surprise Pregnancy
Unexpectedly expecting a baby? You can take care of yourself and process your feelings using these strategies for coping with a surprise pregnancy. I don't know about you, but I am not really a happy pregnant person. When I found out in early December that I was unexpectedly expecting our fourth child I wasn't super thrilled about it, because me and pregnancy just don't mix very well. And while sometimes I just want to curl up on the couch and have a nine month long pity party, I know … [Read more...]
4 Easy Steps to a More Natural Pregnancy
My own journey toward more green and natural living began when I found out I was pregnant with my first child, and I think this is true for many women. When you're expecting a baby, you become more aware of the kind of lifestyle you are living. You think about how the choices you are making will effect your new baby, as well as how the environment around you will affect your baby both in utero and after she is born. You may be considering, for the first time, how to make green and natural … [Read more...]
12 Ways to Make Your Day Better When You’re Feeling Down
Do you ever have one of those days when you just want to sit on the couch and watch Parenthood all day? (If you do, make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy!) Or sit on social media and read articles, look at pictures, discover beautiful things on Pinterest, and waste your day watching other people live their lives? Or maybe you have those days where you just feel blah and unmotivated. It's February in Indiana and the sun is not shining much these days. It's really easy for me to get into a … [Read more...]
6 Uses for Avocado Oil
This post was created as part of the #NOWWellness Blogger Ambassador Campaign in which I am a financially compensated blogger ambassador. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience. I've been using healthy, real food oils in my cooking and homemade personal care products for years - butter, coconut oil, and olive oil. But recently I learned about another real food oil and was intrigued and wanted to try it for myself. We all know how good avocados are for us, so it only … [Read more...]
6 Natural and Simple Stress Relievers
To say that February was a stressful month for our family might be a bit of an understatement. It was one of those months where Murphy's Law came true. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and all around the same time! I'll spare you all the details, but here's a little rundown: The drain in our basement flooded so we were unable to do laundry At the same time our family got hit with the stomach flu so there was extra laundry to be done We thought we fixed the drain, but then it … [Read more...]
Dear People Who Want Me To Vaccinate My Child
Dear Government officials, Pro-Vax parents, and Media pundits who want me to vaccinate my child, Here I am again, drawn into this issue that I said I would never talk about because this whole discussion, debate, argument, whatever it is, makes me absolutely crazy. I'm hearing loud and clear right now that you want me to vaccinate my child. I get that you're passionate about it and you're just trying to get your message across. I think you fail to understand, however, that I'm actually … [Read more...]