Replace Your Medicine Cabinet

Essential oils are a staple in my house.

 

My four year old has asked on more then one occasion "I need my calm" when she gets overwhelmed.
My husband has told me "Please.  Get your oils.  My head is pounding."


Essential oils have been used for thousands of years, quite extensively, directly or indirectly for better health.
Essential oils are made from steaming flowers, plants, bark and roots of plants.  How much more natural can you get?
These are not "oily" oils.

There are so different uses and benefits.
But my top 4 essential oils are definitely these:

 

I'm also a fan of clary sage, patchouli, chamomile and eucalyptus.

 

They can be used to aid as an antidepressant, antifungal, antimicrobial, acid reflux, decongestant, helps asthma, sleep.

 

I use it for my home made wipe solution, I dilute and rub lavender and chamomile on my kids; diluted peppermint and lemon for headaches, lemongrass for allergies.

I love cleaning with orange.

I put some in my wool dryer balls.

I sprinkle some on the sheets.

I diffuse different ones depending on how the day goes.

 

The thing about essential oils is making sure they are used safely!

Almost all of them need to be used diluted in a carrier oil (jojoba, coconut, grape seed, seasame, olive oil, etc). 

Pretty Little Thing For Pain: Baltic Amber

Baltic amber is a pretty, little pain relief secret.

 

 

The active ingredient is succinic acid, which is used in both pharmaceutical and homeopathic remedies.
Baltic Amber has about 5% succinic acid (anywhere from 3%-8%).
It's a super antioxdant, aiding the neural and immune systems.

 

 

 

(Succinic Acid: A colorless crystalline dicarboxylic acid)

 

And there is NO evidence that having "too much" succinic acid is harmful.

 

Cosmetically this is sometimes called "elixir of youth" and is used for anti aging.

It prevents build up of harmful oxidants.
It also supports energy at a cellular level.

 

They work wonders on teething babies!

 

I was a bit skeptical, at first.

A necklace, on a baby?!  Isn't that dangerous!  Look how small those beads are!  Isn't that a choking hazard, for them to chew on?

 

The thing is, they DON'T chew on the necklace.

The succinic acid reacts with the body temperature to relieve the pain caused by teething.

 

The Baltic amber teething necklaces for babies are not supposed to come past their chin.

Each bead is individually knotted, so if the baby (or anything) were to pull on it, it would break and only one bead would break off.
So, the likelihood that it would be swallowed is very slim to none.
In the rare case it does end up in the baby's mouth, they are small enough they will just be swallowed and not choked on.

 

They really do work!

 

Being that the baby can't really tell me if it is or not, I bought one for a family member who has carpal tunnel very bad- to the point is disturbs sleep.

After wearing the necklace (wrapped around to be a bracelet) it does not hurt at all.

 

I wore one.

After pinching a nerve in my back and causing pain down my arm and chest, it felt almost instantly better once I put on the necklace.

 

What Crunchy Moms Do

This whole "crunchy" thing, both makes me cringe and makes me laugh. 

 

The thing about being "crunchy" is it's being made into a fad.
I heard someone say "Oh I just started being crunchy."
What?

 

I think it's a thing that either you are or you aren't.
You don't just become.

 

Even as a child, I remember being grossed out about pesticides (which I didn't know where called pesticides).  I just knew when I went to eat a grape and my mom yelled not to eat it, because she didn't wash it yet, and it had chemicals on it.
What?
Why would they put chemicals on my grapes!?  And then say it's healthy?!

 

 

I also noticed, during conversation with other moms, that things I do (and I think are just normal) would get the response "Oh you're one of those hippie, crunchy moms."

 

Really?

 

So what exactly are "crunchy" things?

 

1. Natural birth/home birth
2. Co sleeping
3. Breastfeeding, especially extended breastfeeding
4. Babywearing
5. Non Vax
6. Delayed/selected vaccinations
7. Cloth diapering, cloth wipes, wipe solution
8. Kombucha & Kefir
9. Make your own kombucha & kefir
10. Make your own diapers and wipes
11. Coconut oil- for everything
12. Essential oils
13. Make your own cleaning products, sunscreen, bug spray, body scrub, coffee creamer, beauty products etc
14. Anti RIC
15. Wool dryer balls
16. Reusable bags
17. Extended Rear Facing
18. Organic food
19. Grows own food
20. Raises chickens
21. Milk, other then cow's milk (coconut, almond, goat)
22. GMO free food
23. Amber Teething Necklaces
24. Baltic Amber Necklaces for other then the baby
25. Frequently uses the term "big pharma"
26. Sewing
27. Spirulina
28. Hypno babies
29. Glass jars- tons of them, eliminating plastic
30. Unpaper towels
31. Knows at least 5 things that will increase milk supply
32. Homeschools/unschools (or has considered it)
33. Bradley Method
34. Canning
35. Lactation cookies
36. Ina May Gaskin
37. Cooks only with cast iron- or primarily

Please add on, for fun!

 

Placentophagia: Why you should eat your placenta

Placentophagia: eating your placenta post birth
Sounds pretty gross, right?

It's not.  And it's actually really good for you.
Many other countries already do this, but for some reason in the good ol' USA, it's usually discarded.  And even sometimes, if a mother asks for her placenta, a hospital will refuse.

Fun Fact:  Most mammals eat their placenta post birth.  This is not just a weird thing humans did.

(It's that pretty?)

 

Now usually, people don't eat it in this form.

It's usually dehydrated and mixed with herbs, into pill form.

 

That bad boy is loaded with good stuff.

 

For one, it's made uniquely and perfectly for the mother, with her own hormones.

Boosting immunity.
Reducing stress levels.
Replenishes (easily absorbable) iron level- which many new moms lack.

Aids in healing of uterus, reduces post partum bleeding and helps aid in uterus returning to pre birth size.

Aids in post partum depression and mood swings.

Boost oxytocin levels.
Boost milk supply.
Boosts energy levels.
Brings hormone levels to a balance.
Filled with a many natural hormones and substances.

 

 

 

 

 



Why Organic?

After having my first baby, something suddenly consumed me that rarely crossed my mind prebaby days.
Organic food.

 

I knew how bad processed and conventional food was for me, but I was an adult.
This was my teeny, tiny baby.  Her body can't handle man made, unnatural crap.

 

So I started researching (as I seem to do obsessively).
And it wasn't so much benefits of organics, but the disadvantages and dangers of conventional food that sold me.
It's been a process, but we are primarily organic now, in our household.  And if not organic, then local.

 

It seems pretty obvious that organic is better, but a lot of people just see dollar signs attached to that word and not so much why organic is important

 

 

 

So here's a few reasons.

 

• Organic food is higher in nutrients.
  Organic food is higher in vitamin C, antioxidants, iron, magnesium, calcium
  
• Neurotoxin Free!
  Neurotoxins, also called pesticides cause brain and nerve damage.
  Children are especially susceptible to toxins, so being free of pesticides is super supportive of their growing bodies and brains.
  
• Buying organic helps our drinking water.  About half of the American drinking water is contaminated by pesticides.
• About 20% of GMO seeds and food that grow from them have been modified to produce their own pesticides.  Even after you've eaten the food, the pesticides will continue to wreck havoc in your body!
• Organic food is sustainable living, earth friendly, saves wild life (because the pesticides affect them too- harming thousands a year) and supports local farmers and their families. 
• Organic farms are safer environments to work at.
• Ripening gas is never used

 

 

• 30%-90% of pesticides/herbicides/fungicides are cancer causing!
• Lessens exposure to antibiotics, synthetic hormones and drugs
• Some pesticides don't just wash off
• Organic dairy has higher Omega-3s
• GMO crops cause auto-immune disorders (celiac disease, allergies, mutagenic affects, etc
• Organic farms are prohibited from using synthetic substances

Now a lot of times, words can be confusing and misleading.
Words like organic and natural.

So what's the difference?

Organic foods are ALWAYS certified by a third party to ensure it meets the standards.  Natural is not.

Always look for the USDA organic seal.

 

 

 

 

100% Organic means it was made with 100% organic ingredients.

Organic means it was made with 95% organic ingredients.

Made with Organic Ingredients means it was made with at least 70% organic ingredients.

 

Have you heard of the Monsato Act?

Crazy to think, with all the hard facts, that GMOs are still allowed.

 

 

 

 

 

Grovia: My New Favorite Diaper

Part One.

 

I'm calling this 'part one' because I am sure I will fall in love with many different diapers, for different stages.

 

Grovia are my current favorite.
 

 

Grovia's aren't a normal cloth diaper, they are like an AI2 and a diaper cover.

Which is awesome, because you can use any prefold or insert (except microfiber, of course).

 

 

 

But I love the snap in soaker pads, by Grovia.
Which also happen to come in hemp and organic cotton.
I'm very big on using organic fibers, so I love these.
You can change out the soaker, reusing the shell.

 

They are very absorbant.
They fit nice and snug around the legs.

A big plus, was that their Velcro is awesome.
I'm very skeptical about Velcro, I prefer snaps, but I get Velcro so if anyone else is watching her, it's easier. 

 

They are so easy to use.

 

 

They will definitely fit a toddler.
I started using them when my baby was about 2 months old, never a problem.