clean living / prepping for baby with Earth Friendly Products

if you've been following along lately, you know i'm in full blown "nesting" state of mind, maybe a tad earlier than most, but who cares.. this is my last baby/ pregnancy and i'm going to nerd out on the prepping. [baby ECOS] was so nice to send over some natural cleaning products to make this transition a breeze. I got to do my first (second) pre newborn load of laundry the other day. Baby ECOS [laundry detergent] is gentle, non-toxic and hypoallergenic. the clothes came out soft and smelling fresh.

one of my favorite things about having two boys (aside from the constant need of soap and cleaning products) is going through lincoln's old baby clothes for the new baby. its kind of like going through an old photo album. you remember what outfits went with certain adventures and memories. seeing how tiny these little clothes are makes me so excited to meet the baby guy that will be wearing them next. 

a few favorite newborn textures and colors.

Baby ECOS [here and there cleaner] made it easy to give the [mini crib] a good wipe down.

even though toys are down the road from newborns, it was fun to reminisce about lincoln's favorites and make a bin of clean toys for the new baby. just like new, thanks to Baby ECOS [toy & table cleaner]

thank you [ECOS] for this lovely supply. i can guarantee it will get used up over the next few months!

[this post was sponsored by: Earth Friendly Products]

Baby ECOS Laundry Detergent (Free & Clear) is now available at Rite Aid stores nationwide AND our NEW Baby ECOS Fruit & Veggie Wash is available at select Babies “R” Us stores nationwide. Made with love and pure ingredients for your little one! 

clean living / happy healthy odor free with fresh wave

i'm always happy to get packages of cleaning products, especially from honest, natural brands. the less chemicals the better. i feel like a stinky house is bound to happen over here with 4 boys.. (2 babies, 1 adult and 1 dog) + me. i'm in no way a "cleaning queen", but i do love a clean house. 

air fresheners have never been my thing.. i feel like you spray them and then the area smells strongly of a specific perfume-y scent and its always hard to find that smell that everyone enjoys. 

what i love about fresh wave, is that it's actually cleaning the air. so instead of smelling a perfume, it smells like a bunch of fresh plants just walked in the door. 

the gel sits nicely in our bathroom. we have a three bedroom apartment, with only one bathroom. one bathroom for everyone to share, with the shower always running, when guests come visit, it can get a little stuffy in there. now it smells breezy and fresh and no need to light candles after a #2.. the gel will take care of that for you ;)

the spray works great for dog beds. this dog bed gets washed about once a month, but the dog unfortunately doesn't get as many baths. its nice to freshen up his area once in a while.. maybe give him a spray or two on the tush. (kinda kidding)

lastly, these are my favorite because its a compact air cleaner and can be placed in places like the car, or the bottom of your garbage can, or in a stale closet. that said, i have a new car and i still smell the new car smell, along with a fresh natural smell (no messy toddler stank.)

sponsored by: [fresh wave]

clean living / natural sugar scrub

lavender, eucalyptus, bergamot, tea tree

all the goodness in one jar.

materials:

- 1 cup of sunflower seed oil (i prefer this, but olive oil works good too!)

-1 cup of sugar

- 12 drops of bergamot oil

- 5-8 drops of tea tree oil

- 3-4 dried lavender stems

- 1 dried stem of eucalyptus

- wide mouth jar

- blank labels 

- decorative string

start mixing the oil and sugar, put the sugar in the bowl first and then mix in the oil until you have a good consistency. you want it a little thicker than cake batter. sometimes the measurements come out to 3/4 cup of sunflower seed oil and 1 cup of sugar. you want to crunch up the dried eucalyptus leaves enough so it will easily go down the drain, lavender is small enough and you can just pluck the buds off. add your essential oils, mix good. pour into your wide mouth jar. its nice to leave a little room and put a lavender stalk on top for decoration. if your gifting, create a fun label. i always like to include the ingredients on the label. add your string, tie it in a bow, and you got yourself some awesome sugar scrub. 

i basically picked my 4 favorite smells and they are jam packed with good benefits. 

benefits: 

clean living / natural air freshener

so we went out of town for a few days and kept the air off. its been pretty cool out so there was no need for the ac. when we got back, it was so stuffy inside, and hot, and rainy outside. we had no candles or incense. 

luckily we had 3 oranges (1 or 2 is probably enough), and this random bag of dries rose petals from the farmers market (cinnamon sticks works good too). 

we didn't want to waste the oranges, so we juiced them. 

lincoln helped me but then drank 2/3 of it, which is not fair. 

materials:

- orange peels

- floral dried petals or cinnamon sticks

- water

-pot

it doesn't even need a detailed step by step. put chunks of orange peels in a pot, throw some spice in there, add water (not overflowing, but enough to not burn the pot.) boil. smell, deep breaths.. ahhhh. 

clean living / kombucha round 2

ok yes. i admit it. i got lazy. i gave my scoby up for adoption and have been buying kombucha at the store for way too much $$$.. i was brewing too much too fast and couldn't keep up. i finally decided to brew kombucha again and this time take it more seriously. i've been collecting glass juice bottles and other sized bottles so i have more room for all the kombucha i'm about to create. ready for my detox to start happening. its been a while since i posted about "clean living" -- looks like I'm slacking in that department.. give me all the good bacteria!

to start brewing and to create your mother scoby you need:

- a large glass vessel (has to be glass.. scoby's don't like metal or plastic)

- cloth and rubber band for the lid (you want your scabby to be able to breathe but keep all the dust and dirt out)

- a bottle of [original kombucha] (you will see the baby scoby brown mush at the bottom.

 you need that stuff)

-8 bags of green tea (or white or black but plain not flavored)

-1 cup of sugar

-some hot water for the tea and some filtered water for the rest

basically you need to brew green tea in hot water, add sugar, stir until all the sugar is dissolved. add some filtered water leaving some room for the bottle of kombucha. only add the kombucha when the water is room temp. you do not want to burn your scoby pieces. leave about and inch or two breathing room at the top. add your cloth on top. store your glass jar with your scoby baby particles in a dark place. the warmer the spot is the faster the scoby will grow.. but not too warm or he may not be able to make it. the colder the spot is the slower the scoby will grow. i would recommend 65-80 degrees. your scoby should form in about 10-14 days. keep an eye on him. he will look like a white jellyfish at the top of the jar. once he has formed your kombucha is ready for drinking! 

if your are confused about all this scoby, growing, brewing, kombucha blabber and why you should grow/ brew this craziness.. jump back to my [first kombucha post] and get all the benefits and details on how to keep the brewing going.

morning walk

since today is national happiness happens day, i would like to share how my happiness happens.

we live in the city of chicago. and yes, there are plenty of buildings, stores, restaurants, construction sites, loud sirens, people walking, traffic.. but chicago is one of the great cities with amazing parks. we are lucky enough to live near, in my opinion, the BEST park. we have our little slice of nature a few blocks from home. i shouldn't say little slice. its a big park.. so big slice.

anyways, happiness these days revolves around peace. i am not a morning person (and neither is nick), and trying my best to adapt to being up around 6am every morning. since nick works nights, i have the lincoln morning shift. on days like today, where i make an effort to get out of bed and head out the door early in morning, i always seem to really enjoy myself. everything is quiet, nothing is really happening yet. some people are jogging, but mostly its just us and the park and the trees. we walk and talk (sometimes sing because no one can hear us), we collect things... like sticks and flowers. we have an area where we love to go feed the ducks. even if lincoln is in a cranky mood, watching the ducks swim around and quack soothes him. its a great place to go and clear my head before starting our day, and i come home and feel happy. happy to be outdoors, happy to get some exercise, happy to enjoy the silence of morning, and happy my guys could be there with me.

and what makes it an even happier morning, is having some snacks. 

currently we are really loving [happy family brand]. i pack a few of their [super toddler bars] and fill up a little container with some [best friend cookies] to enjoy on our morning walk.

this post was sponsored by happy family

follow along on happy family brand's 

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for all kinds of giveaways all month long.

world breastfeeding week

happy world breastfeeding week!

i'm proud to say my body has accomplished growing a baby 

and nourishing him for almost his first year of life. 

breastfeeding, in my opinion, is the greatest feeling. 

its more than love. its a special bond. its empowering.

i miss it. i didn't want to give it up for a while. 

lincoln self weaned after realizing how much he loves food.

even though i didn't breastfeed for as long as i wished, 

i'm thankful i experienced it for as many months as i did.

now when i see women breastfeeding in public, it makes my heart warm and 

i just want them to telepathically know how much respect i have for them.. 

and i'm silently saying "you go, girl !"

i miss feeding him, but at least i always get to snuggle him.

clean living / seasonal drinking (and eating)

i was on the way to work yesterday listening to my usual npr - [afternoon shift] about mixing drinks got me so inspired (naturally). chicago's WBEZ had this lady, [bridget albert], on the show who is a "farm to bar mixoloigsit" which basically means all her drinks are not only super fresh, they use seasonal produce! she talks about different herbs and juicing veggies and how they mix with certain alcohol. she recommended a ginger, carrot, bourbon, which i'm going to have to try, because i'm all about bourbon drinks.

anyways it got me excited and thinking about seasonal fruit and veggies, and i came across these awesome charts to make life easy. i'm going to print them out and put them in my kitchen cabinets.

thank you [chasing delicious] for these extremely useful and beautifully designed seasonal charts!

clean living / natural cleaning products

i want to keep it natural. for the average person, making their own laundry detergent isn't super practical. i love that people do it, and for me it would be a fun project [like the "make your own carpet fresher"], but i can't see myself always making everything all the time. so i rely on amazing brands with sustainable products. and i enjoy researching a tad to make sure the companies i buy from mean well. there are too many chemicals out there, and not only is it bad for your little one, but its bad for you.. to be constantly breathing in and touching these cleaning chemicals. i switched over to all natural products over a year ago. and now i walk down the cleaning isle at the store and actually smell the chemicals from products. it mostly makes me sick, but also sad because people think they need harsh chemicals to clean. here are some of my favorites a little bit behind each brand. 

clean living / coconut oil

i have a pretty steady relationship with coconut oil 

there are so so so many amazing things about coconut oil. 

i made a list below.. and lets just say i have a bottle in every room. 

1. gets rid of diaper rash and makes butts soft

2. takes off eye make-up and also moisturizes under eyes (at the same damn time)

3. whitens teeth, kills bad breath, gets rid of toxins (oil pulling)

4. makes an extremely moisturizing "shaving cream"

5. lip balm for dry / cracked lips

6. cook / bake with it (popcorn, smoothies, on toast, grease pan)

7. helps with stretch mark shrinking / fading

8. makes a great massage oil

9. use as body moisturizer (put on right after shower)

10. mix with aloe for after sun care

11. use to helps heal wounds (put on cuts and scabs)

12. lavender sugar scrub

lavender sugar scrub:

(makes one- two uses)

2 tablespoons of coconut oil (somewhat melted / mushy)

1.5 tablespoons of sugar cane

2-4 drops of lavender essential oil 

lavender petals (optional)

i love this scrub.. especially if i've been on my feet all day. easy to make and can be stored in a jar for later use. also makes a great handmade gift!

clean living / yoga pre and postnatal

yoga class with lincoln (in my belly and out) has been such a wonderful experience. there are  many positive emotions that fill my body and mind when i am practicing yoga. i didn't think i was a big yogi until i partook in prenatal / pregnancy yoga. it was exactly what i needed to get me through the stress, emotions, and my roller coaster hormones. yoga brought me back to my center and grounded me for what was ahead. every class i was breathing-in peace and breathing-out bad energy. i was preparing for labor by opening my hips and learning to breathe through the difficult poses. i was connecting with my baby growing inside me. 

when lincoln was 4 weeks old i was aching for another yoga class. my body wasn't ready for a fast paced class. i decided to try and take him to a "mommy baby" yoga class. even though he wasn't perfect for the hour long class, it was such an amazing experience. i was instantly hooked. it is so helpful to know that other moms are in the same situation as you, and to be able to talk about it makes you feel no so alone. not only is it amazing to watch your baby grow each week at yoga class, saying "he's 3 months and lifting his head" to "he's 9 months and crawling", but its amazing to watch other moms and their babies grow. motherhood is such a special thing to share with each other. yoga class really makes it comfortable to get personal. 

first sharing about ourselves and our baby, and any problems or milestones we've come across. we work on the baby bodies, rubbing bellies to help aid digestion, we stretch their legs and arms, we sing to them, we use them as weights lifting them in the air, and stretch into downward dog over their tiny bodies. amazingly, every pose can be modified to do with your baby. i also love that lincoln gets to observe and play with other babies in a warm, positive environment. i leave each class so happy and thankful for my mama yogi community. 

now lincoln is 9 months, about ready to be done with the "baby & me" yoga and about to move into "busy baby" yoga with the crawlers and climbers. i look forward to my class once a week. even though i can't make it every single week, i have a new community of moms and my son has made some adorable friends. 

thank you to my yoga teachers, you are much than yoga teacher to me:

prenatal: [lauren]

postnatal: [jenny & carina]

my silly yogi boy. from 4 weeks - 9 months.

[side note: if yoga doesn't seem affordable for you, look into a yoga studio with a work/ study. 

you help clean yoga mats in exchange for credit towards classes. 

see bottom left photo: lincoln is a great helper.]

clean living / k o m b u c h a !

brew your own kombucha!

if you love it, heres a easy way to save money (each bottle is about $3.50- $4.50)

if you don't know about it.. here are a few reasons why you should love it:

what is kombucha? kombucha is a naturally carbonated and fermented tea.

It's made by fermenting  the tea (green, black, white), using a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast aka SCOBY. your SCOBY is alive. like a little floating pet. its such an amazing creature that it basically takes plain green tea (or black or white) and sugar and uses that energy to not only grow in size (creating layers each batch) but also it makes you an extremely beneficial beverage. 

benefits:

- beats coffee, with natural energy boost

- amazing for a detox

- boosts your immune system with alive bacteria

-full of vitamins and enzymes 

- helps with jumpstarting metabolism

[i want to make a BIG important side note: i would NOT give kombucha to children / babies. not only is there a little bit of alcohol, there is also bacteria that their bodies are too young to handle. if you are breastfeeding please ask your doctor. i am currently breastfeeding and i limit myself to 1-2 a week.]

my SCOBY before (day 1) & 

after (probably about 5 batches. your guy will grow a new layer each batch) :

want to brew? ok lets get started!

clean living / amber teething necklace

have you heard all the hype on these necklaces? 

they come in lots of colors. we chose the cherry color.

i love that its a natural way of fixing a really painful problem. and i can say i stand behind the amber 100%. we took lincoln's necklace off for one night and he was up all night yelling. whatever its doing.. its helping! and it also looks super cute.

heres the 411: 

amber is not a “stone” but a natural resin. so as it warms with the body’s natural temperature, amber releases its healing oils (these oils contain succinic acid) which are easily absorbed into the skin and then into the bloodstream. baltic amber has some of the highest concentrations of succinic acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special. succinic acid is a natural component of plant and animal tissues, and it's presence in the human body is beneficial in many ways.

amber is also known to reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach and to fight irritation, infections and respiratory disease as it dramatically improves the body’s immunity. natural amber beaded necklaces are a completely non-invasive remedy for side effects associated with teething, such as lack of appetite, upset tummies, ear ache, fevers and colds. baltic amber is also a natural analgesic that will calm your child and is recognized by allopathic medicine specialists as antispasmodic and anti-fever. many adults report improvement of arthritis discomfort in their hands when wearing amber on the wrists.

what it really comes down to is... happy baby, happy mama. :) 

you can find them here in all colors: [sweet bottoms baby]

clean living / cloth diapers

before Lincoln was born my world was very chaotic. i was not expecting to have a baby so young and as much as i love children, you're never really prepared for what's ahead. i did not do tons of baby research prior to L (other than a really cool stroller- which I'll post about at a future date). i was actually really grossed out at the idea of a cloth diaper with poop in it. all i could think of was.. what do i do with all the shit!

our cloth diaper experience began when L was about 3 months old. In disposable diapers L was pooping every morning sooo much that poop was shooting up his back. I ended up doing laundry every time it happened and was getting tired of putting pajamas with poop stains in the garbage. I was also emptying my diaper genie once a week and felt guilty about having to throw tons of diapers away. I also started thinking about when I was a baby and my mom diapered me.. I'm sure all my diapers are still laying around somewhere in some landfill in florida (no, floridan children.. those are not mountains.. they are garbage piles.. but there are real mountains in the world without garbage underneath them!) 

then the research began... i'm the type of person who likes to stick with one brand i love and truly support them. i don't like having so many different kinds of things. I like plain and simple designs as well. The bulk of a cloth diaper really bothered me, so that was a big factor. I wanted to find a diaper that was easy to use, easy to wash, and easy to carry around on the go. It took about 2 weeks to decide, from pocket diapers, to inserts, to organic fabrics.. I seriously learned so much... and I found the perfect diaper for us! They have really sleek designs and are very affordable. 

We went with [flip diapers] with organic inserts (so soft!)

and they can be ordered through [cotton babies] (free shipping!). 

I really love, not only their logo and packaging design, but the diaper design itself. 

things i've learned since cloth diapering:

- you need a "not-cloth" pail (we use a metal one)

- you should do laundry every other day

- breastmilk poop / mushy liquid poops go right into my washer.. it washes away and no build up

- solid poops are a piece of cake to toss in the toilet and say goodbye

- always carry a "wet bag" for the pee pee diapers on the go

- if you have a (solid) poop on the go try and toss it in a toilet so your bag doesn't smell

- if you are gone for a long day you should use the disposable inserts and toss that shit in the garbage!

final thoughts: i'm so happy i did this. i have a cute mini clothes line in my laundry room and i love seeing his little diaper covers drying. I also find joy in folding his diapers and re stuffing them getting them ready for him. i feel good about saving money and not having as much waste.