Pay It Forward This Christmas

 Help a family that is in need this Christmas!  Please take a moment to read her story, it is posted on this blog:

Pay it Forward - Husband Walks out on family

My challenge to all of you is this. Target has a coupon right now up on the website:

$10 gift card with $50 purchase

Go buy groceries, toilet paper, diapers whatever you need for your family, (or maybe some items for this woman's family) and send her the $10 FREE gift card that you get. You know we all go and drop $100 at Target once a week, its free money to give to a woman in need. The coupon expires this Saturday, so get to work.

If this story doesn't tug on your heart, there are a few others that will! Help one family in need this Christmas!

 

 *Please go visit the link above and email Mama Laughlin to get info on where to send the gift.

 

Thank you all in advance!

Toddler Trip Checklist

We were able to take a trip to Charleston, SC. This was the first trip we took with Q. I tried to remember everything we would need. At the very least I wanted to pack the important items because anything else could be bought.

One thing I would highly suggest is getting a high chair that connects to the table.  I got a great deal at a yard sale for one and we used it the entire time. It's great to use in restaurants as well as the house we stayed at. We clipped it over the placemat so she couldn't try to take that off either! It was perfect. I think she likes it just as much as we do because she is right at the table with us.

Items that I made sure I packed on our trip were:

• Diapers/Wipes/Diaper Cream/Changing Pad
• Clothes - plenty of extra
• Sleep sack or blankets
• Bathing Suit
• Water Diaper or Diaper Cover
• Water Shoes
• Suntan Lotion
• Shampoo/Soap/Washcloths/Toothpaste/Toothbrush
• Medicines/Thermometer
• Milk/Food/Snacks - I give Q mostly organic foods and lots of fresh veggies and fruit so we packed most of her food for the trip
• Sippy Cups/Spoons/Containers/Bibs/Bottle Brush
• Child proof items for doors, cabinets, etc.
• Beach towels
• Pack N Play
• Radio/Music for bedroom
• Night light
• Favorite blanket or stuffed animal
• Toys
• Stroller
• High Chair
• Car Entertainment - I generally do not let Q watch alot of TV, but I did download an episode of Sesame Street on my iPad so she could watch it near the end of the trip when she was sick of sitting in her seat.

Photo A Day July - Texture

Photo A Day July - Letter

Make Your Own Baby Food

Before my daughter was born, I clipped coupons and bought jarred baby food, A LOT of it! The thought of making food for her never occured to me.  When it was almost time to start feeding her solids, I started to research.  Just like adults, nothing is better for a baby than fresh vegetables and fruits. Between my Magic Bullet blender and regular blender I started to make batches of baby food.  It is cheaper than jarred food, it just takes a little bit of time here and there. Once you make it in batches, you can freeze them in ice trays or trays made specifically for baby food and put in large freezer ziplock bags once frozen. When it's time to feed your baby, just defrost or microwave it.

One of the best sites to use for this is Wholesome Baby Food! It is an amazing resource that gave me step by step directions as well as great ideas and answered alot of the questions that I had. Including guidelines of when it is okay for your baby to move onto new foods.

My daughter loved everything I gave her and still eats great. She has at least one fruit and vegetable with every meal as well as a protein and dairy product. She loves avocado, grapes, blueberries, peas, watermelon, canteloupe, peaches, apples, sweet potato, banana, mango, and on and on. I have talked to friends who also made their baby's food and said their child is a less picky eater as a toddler than others they know. At 16 months old Q hasn't been sick once. I think this also helps keep her extra healthy.

If you have any questions and are interested in this, check out the Wholesome Baby Food site or send me an email! homesweethealthyhome@gmail.com

Photo A Day July - your favorite color

Photo A Day July - Big

Big storm today!

Photo A Day July - Lunch

Photo A Day July - Garden

Photo A Day July - Chair

Photo A Day July - On the Floor

Five is my favorite number.  I just happened to find this amazing refinished stool!

Photo A Day July - Fun

Playtime with Dziadz! (Grandpa)

Happy 4th of July!

Side table upgrade!

I have wanted a new side table for our family room for a long time.  I finally went to look for one and found this great table at Southern Marketplace in Indian Trail, NC. It matches the room great and is the perfect size.  I love old repainted furniture and this is a great addition to our collection.  

Photo A Day July - Best Part of Your Day

Best part of the day is when Q is up!

Car Seat Safety - Extended Rear Facing

Regulations have changed for car seat safety a little over a year ago. Many people think that once their child turns one and hits 20 lbs that they have to turn their car seats around and have them forward facing.  The guidelines have changed and the research shows that keeping your child rear facing as long as possible is the best option.

In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

New research has found children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing. (healthychildren.org)



I would love to have Q face forward so we can see each other better and so she can see out the windows better. But none of that matters if we were in a car accident.  I will keep her rear facing as long as possible because the research shows it is the safest way to be.

Below are articles that show more about the studies done. Once you read them I challenge you to make the best decision for your family. I would never want to ask myself "what if" in an accident situation.

AAP's New Car Seat Guidelines
Ten Facts About Rear Facing Car Seats
Why Rear Facing Is Safer
Safercar.gov

Cosmetics, Deodorants and Soaps, Oh My

Have you ever actually researched to see what is in your cosmetics, deodorants, sun tan lotions, soaps, body wash, shampoo, toothepaste, etc.? I can honestly say, I have never done that until recently.  It's easy to be naive and assume that companies make products that are safe for you. Sadly, that is not the case. I am convinced that childhood illnesses, cancer and other disesases are on the rise because of the products we use daily that have toxic chemicals in them. They can also cause allergies, asthma and reproductive harm.

I found Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. They research everyday products and give the truth about what is in them. They haven't reviewed every product available, but they have a pretty extensive database.  I encourage you to check out this site, and search for others like it that can let you know what are in the products you use. Most chemicals and other ingredients have LONG names that mean nothing to me unless I search them.

Other informative links:
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Breast Cancer Fund
Cosmetics Info
Safe Cosmetics Alliance

They way I am trying to look at it is, I can spend more money up front on natural, chemical free products for my family, or we can pay the price later in health care costs from illnesses we get by using chemicals in and on our bodies over a lifetime. I know not everything can be avoided, but we can do our part to keep our bodies as safe and healthy as possible.

I am a work in progress in this area and there is no way for me to throw out everything I use and know exactly what products to get, but it is something I can work on. I hope you'll join me and keep me updated on what your findings are as well.

Photo A Day July - Busy

Photo A Day July - Self Portrait

Photo a Day July Challenge

Have you ever participated in a Photo a Day challenge?  I tried to do it in May and did most of the days but didn't even try for June.  Fat Mum Slim is the creator of the challenge.  It's just something to do for fun so don't stress out over it, create some fun memories you can look back on.  

Where to share your photo a day pictures

INSTAGRAM: Upload your photo to Instagram, add a sweet filter and put #photoadayjuly in the caption so others can see your photos {share to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr etc from Instagram if you like}

TWITTER: Upload your photo to Instagram, add some words to describe it and use the hashtag #photoadayJuly so others can see your photos

FACEBOOK: Create an album titled something like, Photo a Day July, and make the album public, then upload your photos. It’s a good idea to upload the list too so you can refer to it and others can see what you’re doing. You can also share your photos on Fat Mum Slim Facebook page. Don’t add them to the comments, but instead upload the photo or share a link on here page. To see everyone’s photos just select ‘posts by others’ in the drop-down menu underneath the cover photo.

PINTEREST: Upload your photos to a board, and use the hashtag #photoadayJuly so that others can search for them.

BLOGS & TUMBLR: Upload your photos to your blog or Tumblr and share with the world.

FLICKR: Share your photos in the Photo a day group.

Where do you plan to share your photos?

Office Decor Tips

I am very fortunate to have my own office and decorate it however I please. In past jobs I would do my best to make my cubicle or desk "mine" but it's been awhile since I have had my own personal office. Whether you have your own office, share an office or have a cubicle/desk you could use these tips to make your office reflect you.

Tips to making your office feel like "you": 

• If it's time to reorganize your house or get rid of some clutter this is a great way to find nice items for your office. Everything in my office except for the rug, I pulled from my house. I wasn't really into the pink/black/off white theme once we moved into our house so I had items that I could use to decorate.

• Family or scenery photos are a great way to get a relaxing home feel. I must admit my office is probably on overload from pics of my daughter, but it makes me smile throughout the day and really thats all that matters to me. I'm sure it makes me a better employee.

• Florescent lights are a killer of office mood. I brought in two old lamps from home and use them along with my window as my main source of lighting. I no longer turn on my ceilngs lights... EVER!
• Our offices used to have old ORANGE carpet but a year ago they installed tiles. Another way to make an office feel like home is to put a decorative rug in it. I didn't want to spend a lot so I searched and found a $20 rug at IKEA. I get more compliments on that rug than you would imagine.

• Scent is sometimes controversial in work places. Some people are allergic or sensitive to smell, so you have to be careful.  I find a pleasant smell makes the environment more inviting. For a awhile I had a vanilla scent and people always asked where the cookies were. I never had anyone complain. Recently I've had a light lavendar scent and it isn't overpowering. Just enough to take the stale air away.

Toy Organization

As our daughter started getting older she was accumulating more toys.  We had bins, and more bins, and overflowing piles of toys and books. I do not like clutter and I don't like my house to look like it is getting taken over by toys. As you can see in the pictures below she could climb the mountains of her toys and reach all of the electronics, which wasn't safe either.

I started looking for alternatives to store what we had. After searching for something reasonably priced that would do the job, I found this gem at IKEA.  We already had a smaller one for another room and thought a larger one would work perfect in our family room. I purchased my bins from Target, but you can find bins this size at many stores. This holds all of Q's toys and books and keeps them organized by bin.  It makes cleaning up so easy! We just throw all of the items into the correct bin and slide it back in and we are done. I love it!

What storage solutions have you come up with for your home?

Cleaning Essentials

After Q was born 15 months ago I really started to look at what was in all of the products we use (cleaning supplies, food, produce, vitamins, medicines, beauty products, etc). It was then my goal to make our home as natural as possible. Since we use cleaning supplies daily that was a large area to tackle. I am big into saving money and had a large supply of cleaning products that were toxic for my family. As hard as it was to do, I got rid of them and started to research for a natural and affordable cleaning line. That's when I found Shaklee's Get Clean products. They are All natural, Green, Non-toxic, cost effective and SAFE!

I LOVE their products. I love them so much, that I decided to become a Shaklee member to save 15% on all orders for life, and then I decided to become a distributor so I could tell others about the amazing products that will help keep their families healthy.

Below you can see a cost comparison and how you can save money using Shaklee products.  Before I ordered the products I assumed it would cost much more for natural products that would be shipped to me, but I was pleasantly surprised.

If you are interested in checking Shaklee out for your family, you can do so by going to healthyfamily.myshaklee.com or click on the Shaklee tab above.

Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet

The next time you go grocery shopping this will be a handy guide to remind you what products are important to buy organic.  Although it does normally cost a bit more for organic, it gives me peace of mind knowing I am feeding my family healthy produce.  Remember, you don't have to switch over all at once, just take it a step at a time to incorporate changes into your family's life. 

Taking the First Step

After you realize what chemicals are in your food, cleaning products, plastics, soaps, children's toys, etc., you want to throw it all out and start over, at least I did.  My money doesn't grow on trees so I couldn't realistically do that. What I did do, is turn to the many great deal sites that are available now. There are many companies who have eco friendly, natural and organic products that offer deals on these sites. 

Before you pay full price to move your family onto a healthier path, check out these sites for a deal:

• Groupon
• Plum District
• Moolala
• Eco Buys
• Eversave
• Living Social
• Juice in the City
• Zulily
• Totsy
• Kids Woot!
• HauteLook
• Gilt
• Mama Bargains

Whenever I see online deals that would help with our healthy journey I will post them on here.

Our Healthy Family Journey

I didn't officially get on this journey until my daughter Q was born.  I watched what I ate while I was pregnant but I didn't really take a hard look at what we ate and what we used to clean our house until I had a helpless baby that we were now responsible for.  I would never want anything bad to happen to her and I want to give her the best start I can while I can control what she comes into contact with. I hope you will continue this journey with me as I take a deeper look into our every day lives and figure out one step at a time how we can better our family and give them a healthy future.