Paper Necklaces

I am always looking for ways to craft with a one and three year old. Bless them, their little skills and  developmental abilities are so different at this age its rare to find an activity that stimulates Shane (3) and does not frustrate Keith (1). This last week I was looking at all the toilet paper rolls I had been saving and found this fun little necklace idea to make with The Brothers. We had a lot of fun and both of them enjoyed our craft.

Supplies

toilet paper or paper towel rolls

scissors

markers or highlighters

string, ribbon, or twine

Directions

1. Cur the paper rolls length wise to make rings. I made them about 1 inch wide so they were sturdy enough to string. 

2. Using the markers, color the rings.

3. Tie a marker to the end of a piece of twine that is cut about 2 feet long. 

3. String the rings onto the twine. 

4. Tie the string together and your necklace is done! 

Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

Brian LOVES cream cycle ice cream but when I read about what is in it I just can't bring myself to purchase it for our home and feed my kids. I was hunting for a recipe and came across one which we morphed and adapted into a better fit for our family. This has four ingredients, is dairy free, and you don't need an ice cream maker for it! I hope it makes your spring a little sweeter as you anticipate summer! Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 oranges, peeled then separated into wedges.

1 15 oz can of whole fat coconut milk

2 tsps of vanilla

2 T pure maple syrup or honey

Directions

1. Lay oranges onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone pad or parchment paper. Place into the freezer until frozen solid, about 1 hour.

2. Pour the coconut milk into a high powered blender and add half the frozen oranges. I have a handy button on my blender that says ice cream which I use or you can blend until smooth. Add remaining oranges, vanilla, and sweetener then blend until smooth.

3. At this point, if you have an ice cream maker you can add the mixture and follow the machine directions. If you don't have a mixer or just want to go a little more simple then pour the mixture into a glass pan (I used a glass bread pan but an 8x8 would work well too) and place into the freezer for 2-4 hours depending on the dish thickness. Once the mixture is frozen you can serve! Store in an airtight container for up to one month but in my home this lasted about 2 days. Enjoy!

Thank You

Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

My family has been going through one of the more challenging seasons of our lives. You care read about Life Lately and how the past two weeks have been a time for rest and healing while we were all sick and while I am injured. Now that we are all healthy and just having to adjust to me having a broken foot life has smoothed out a bit. There is no way we could have done the past two weeks without the love, help, and mercy of others. Friends and family have reached out to us in so many ways, both in meeting our needs and exceeding them. 

One way that we were blessed was by meals. One afternoon I received a text message from a family member who had driven a half hour to drop off homemade chicken noodle soup, bread, and some fragrant lilac flowers. A homemade meal was so helpful because I can't drive, I can't stand to cook easily, and we all were sick. I was so touched with the kind surprise. Another dear friend whom we were supposed to have a play date with which we had to cancel drove 20 minutes down and dropped off homemade macaroni and cheese with broccoli, a half dozen of yummy muffins, and a new toy for Shane. We enjoyed a short visit and were able to enjoy dinner that night with no effort. I was so blessed to have meals provided by friends.

I have recently started a little project which involves wood cutting. I am hoping to start a small side business for fun and extra income. Friends from church who have a wood shop took time out of their day (let me point out this sweet couple has three year old twins and a one year old so the family is hustling!) to go to Lowes and pick up wood, cut it, and drop it off the next. I have been able to have projects to keep my hands busy so I don't run mad from being so idle. I was touched that in middle of their busy life they were able to help me out.

We have had lots of extra care for The Brothers. My sister has come over several times to take the boys on a walk or outing. My mother comes several times a week so Brian can work part time. My brother came and helped Brian move a freezer and even got my kids dressed that morning. Our babysitter has been working with us to come and help out even with her busy schedule. Friends from church have come and take The Brothers on walks or visited with us. I have never wanted for company or support with my children.

The very day I found out I had a broken foot, cheery, sunny, yellow daises and a card ended up on my front steps. My friend wanted to brighten my day during a hard time. I can't pick my babies up, I can't lift them in and out of a crib easily, getting up and down the stairs is hard, taking a shower has been a HUGE challenge but a needed task. A friend looking to cheer me up was so sweet because I have cried about missing out on parts of this season with my babies.

The other sweet blessing was a big box surprise. Friends from Brian's hometown mailed us a box filled with goodies. We had bubbles, chap stick, cookies, crackers, fruit pounces, tea, chocolate, stickers, tissues, hand wipes, and more to get us feeling better and brighten our day. The box alone was amazing but the surprise was so fun! My sister's boyfriend stopped by and dropped off coffee and cookies one day. I was so delighted! We felt spoiled with these little goodies and very loved. 

I write all this down to say thank you to our friends and family. I also wanted to point out that sometimes caring for the sick and needy is so simply but makes a HUGE impact. A simple meal, a card, flowers, or other little gestures of caring have made a difference for me. It helped cheer me up and lighten my load as I try and care for my family while injured.  There are so many ways to show mercy and compassion to others and I know God smiles with joy at those that exercise these traits. So thank you Chris, Nicole, Charlie, Theodore, Jer, Mags, Max, Gus, Buffy, Randy, Rachel, Greg, Nate, Syrian, Kristi, Rick, Maure, Clayton, Melina, Tobin, and Sabrina. You all are so appreciated. 

Life Lately

I have only been blogging a short time but this was the longest break I have taken. Life lately has been a little bit challenging and I am just getting back on my feet...sort of!  Let me share a bit about what has been going on and how we have seen God at work in our lives.

Two weeks ago, on Monday night, I put the Brothers to bed and I walked down to get the mail while Brian kept an eye on things at home. I grabbed my key and looked for my shoes but could only find one. The Brothers often run off with my things. I decided to walk barefoot down to the mailbox which is just three houses down on a sidewalk. On my way back I was reading the mail and walked up the front steps to my door. I felt my foot slip and stumbled in an odd way then saw some spots, felt my ears ring, and blacked out for a moment. When I gathered myself I looked at my foot and saw my second toe was starting to swell and it HURT! I went inside and Brian came down to check on my because and was making some painful sounds and rubbing my foot.

An hour later I was convinced I had broken my toe. I took my nail polish off and I saw that the toenail was bruised and decided to take an easy that night. The next day I called my doctor who told me to come in and like a good patient I buddy taped my toe, wore a good running shoe, and tried to care for it on my own because I did not have time to go to the doctor. 

Keith came down with a cold on Wednesday and spiked a fever on Thursday night.

On Friday I decided it was time to go in because the swelling had increased a LOT. I had x rays taken and was told I had no broken bones but no one could figure out why I was swelling, bruised, and having trouble moving my foot. I was told I may have drop foot due to a stroke, a torn tendon, or possibly just stubbed my toe badly and was given a walking boot and sent to a podiatrist. On my way out, after three doctor consults in urgent care, the nurse told me I probably broke my foot so keep that appointment. 

Keith spiked a second fever on Sunday night and Brian and I were worried about him so decided to take him into the doctor the next day. Brian drove him in the next day and Keith had a 102 fever, acute double ear infection, and was still struggling with his cold. That morning my washing machine broke as it was full of water and dirty laundry. 

Monday afternoon my sister came to watch the boys. Brian drove me to the podiatrist and without even an exam the doctor walked in and asked me how I broke my foot. I had fractured my third and possibly fourth metatarsal at the joint on the underside of the bone. After a quick exam I was sent home with my walking boot, told to keep it up, iced, given pain killers, told not to hold my kids, and to come back in 5 weeks.  Brian drive Keith to the Chiropractor for a quick adjustment to help his ear infection. You can read all about why we take our kids to the Chiropractor here.That night I was in PAIN. The exam made my foot swell and bruise more than ever so I was up most of the night which worked out well because Keith hardly slept. 

In addition to sweet Keith being up, Shane startled us with a case of croup that night. We called the on call doctor at midnight to see if we should take him in because our boy was not breathing well. Brian got Shane outside and the cool air helped him breath. Shane ended up in bed with Brian monitoring his breathing and temperature which was 102.5. I was downstairs with Keith in a chair because he would not sleep and I could not lift him back in his crib. Needless to say no adult slept that night.

Tuesday morning Brian was back at the doctor with Shane for croup and Keith for his 15 month checkup. Shane was given an oral steroid and had an ear infection. That made for 5 appointments for Brian in the last 4 days. Bless my husband he was a trooper. He also fixed our washing machine somehow. I LOVE my husband!

On Wednesday my foot was swollen still so I called my doctor who told me to not put any weight on my foot for five weeks because it needed rest. At that moment all I could think about was how to care for my one and three year old on crutches while my husband worked a double shift that day due to some riots. 

My mom was able to take the week off of work and help out. It was a HUGE help to have her spend the night on Wednesday because if Keith was up, which he was for 30 min, I could not get up to help get medicine or comfort him.

Later that week, to top it all off, we had an accident with my car getting backed over a can of wood stain and exploding on my car, Brian's new truck, and my sister's car.

This last week was a crazy week but let me share that God had me in His hand. When I was in urgent care, my sister called and had the day off of work to come and watch the boys. She happen to have Monday afternoon off which was the same time as the only Podiatry appointment that week. Additionally, my sweet mother was given the week off of work to help which was a huge help because Brian and I both got the same plague of a cold that our kids had and we were wiped.Perhaps the biggest blessing of all was that my bone stayed in place. I walked on a fractured foot for three days and with the location of my fracture I should have snapped through the bone which would have required surgery and an even longer recovery. I was so lucky my doctor said but I know that was a blessing from God!

That is life lately!

Chiropractic Work and Kids

I am starting a new series focusing on health for the family and am so excited about today's post.  I work on keeping my whole family healthy and use a lot of various method which I will be sharing about from time to time.  Today I am sharing out our AMAZING chiropractor, Dr. Tucci, and why we take The Brothers to a chiropractor. 

We started taking Shane to see Dr. Tucci around the time Shane was 14 months old. I had never considered taking my baby boy to see a chiropractor but I was referred by my pediatrician because of Shane's chronic ear infections. Shane had 7 ear infections back to back from October to March and it seemed we were constantly at the doctors getting antibiotics. By the 7th infection we were given the option of seeing an ENT or trying some alternative medicine. Brian, my husband, suffered from chronic ear infections as a child and had several sets of ear tubes so we were prepared for the same with Shane because he was following the same pattern. However, cold and flu season was ending and I was told that an ENT would not quickly give Shane ear tubes because of the time of year, his age, and the number of infections he had. Additionally, I was not as comfortable with surgery for my baby if there was another way to help him. Thus, we started to explore the idea of alternative medicine and one choice was seeing a chiropractor. 

Brian and I were already established patients with a practice that we liked so we were comfortably taking Shane there. A husband and wife team run the practice and offer massage therapy and physical therapy services along with chiropractic work. I instantly connected with Dr. Tucci and had also seen her husband Dr. Holt whom I highly recommend. We talked with Dr. Tucci ahead of Shane's appointment and learned about how adjusting a child differs from an adult appointment and what the benefits were in terms of preventing and treating ear infections.  

As a mom, I was not prepared to have Shane lay on a table and get his neck adjusted with a quick movement because I was worried it would scare him. That is the image I had in my head but I was so wrong. An adjustment on a child is drastically different. Keith had an appointment as a newborn and only slight pressure with fingers was used. As a toddler, Shane had a tool used (seen in the picture above) but it was set to a very low pressure along with slight pressure with fingers and Dr. Tucci explained EVERYTHING to Shane. She took the time to get to know him, talk to him, and let him practice using the tool on her so he was comfortable with what was going on. The adjustment for my boys was stress free, pain free, educational, and beneficial.

The game plan with Shane was to get adjustments several times a year, specifically every time he got sick because he always got an ear infection after. Adjusting his neck allowed Shane's narrow eustachian tubes to properly drain and not make a wet and warm breeding ground for bacteria to grow. We followed the plan and the next time Shane had a cold he went in for an adjustment and he had no ear infection. Over the next year Shane had only two ear infections which we treated with antibiotics and adjustments that allowed his body to work like it should and gave him an immunity boost which is a great benefit. Past ear infections for Shane often took more than one round of antibiotics or came back but when coupled with adjustments I saw his infections were less severe or avoided all together! As a mom who had spent months rocking her baby at night, taking his temperature, going through rounds of antibiotics, and taking him to the doctor time after time I was so happy find a new plan that allowed my son to be healthier!

    In short, I don't think chiropractic work is a replacement for medicine but I do believe in the health benefits of it both for preventative care and treatment for the whole family. Brian and I have physically benefited from chiropractic work. I utilized treatment during my pregnancy for sciatic pain and had immediate results allowing me to comfortably walk and go about my daily activities again. Brian has seen improvement with his lower back pain that comes and goes from his job. My entire family stays healthier by making chiropractic adjustments part of our health care and I am blessed to have such a wonderful doctor!

Thankful Thursday: Walking

My little love is officially walking! With Shane I was feeling like it happened a little soon around 12 months but at the same time I was excited for him to make that leap. Keith did not start walking until about 15 months and at 26 lbs I was over the moon he started to walk because I admit my back was hurting. I am so thankful that Keith has reached this milestone! 

How I Got My Name

I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals today to share how I got my name. If you wanted to read about how The Brothers were named you can read about Shane here and Keith here. I LOVED picking my boys names and felt like it was a HUGE decision. As I already wrote about  how they were named you get to read about how I was named.

I was supposed to be named Devon. As gender ultrasounds were not done back when I was born, my parents liked that Devon fit both a boy and a girl and they were fairly settled on it. However, down the hall the night before I was born another couple that were some of my parents closest friends at the time named their son Devo. Not wanting to name me the same name as a child that I grew up playing with (can you hear my mom and her friend saying "Devon and Devon, time to come in'") my parents decided to look for a different name.

After I was  born my parents could not decide. I have an older sister and having two children of the same gender myself I know it can be difficult to come up with a name. My mom said that I just looked like a Heather. I seemed to have a sweet, field and farm like look to me and my mom liked the name so after a couple days of having no name I was called Heather.

My middle name, Brooke, was named after the friend who name their son Devon. He is a doctor and joked that if he could not deliver me I should be named after him. Heather Brooke flowed nicely and he was not going to be delivering me so I was named after Peter Brooks for my middle name.  I must admit that I like my name and my parents chose well. 

Crock Pot Chicken with Pan Sauce

The ultimate comfort food to me is garlic mashed potatoes alongside a roasted chicken. These days, roasting a chicken is a little hard with The Brothers keeping my attention on them and not the thermometer but I finally found the perfect way to crock pot a chicken by adapting a recipe from a friend. This turns out moist and perfect every time. It's fool proof. Boil a few potatoes and mash them up,  saute a few cups of spinach to go alongside this chicken and dinner is served!

Ingredients

2 lemons

3 heads garlic

3 bay leaves, preferably fresh

one 5-6 lb chicken

salt

pepper

1 T flour

Directions

1. Slice the lemons in half and lay flat side down on the bottom of the crock pot.

2. Slice the head of the garlic heads off and lay flat side down on the crock pot.

3. Remove any insides from the chicken, rinse, and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Lay chicken on the lemon and garlic in the crock pot and cover. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the crock pot and let rest for 15 minutes. 

6. While the chicken is resting remove the lemons and garlic and strain the sauce into a fat separator. If you don't have one just pour the sauce into a plastic bag and hold over a bowl and snip the corner of the bag allowing the sauce to flow into the bowl and stopping just as the fat that should be at the top is near the bottom. Reserve the fat.

7. In a small sauce pan, add a little of the fat and mix with the flour. Stir until combine and allow to brown for about one minute over medium heat. Add the sauce to the pan and squeeze any juices left in the lemons. Stir and allow the sauce to thicken for about 3-4 minutes.

8. If making mashed potatoes I like to squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head and mash them into the potatoes. I also saute spinach and add some of the roasted garlic to the spinach along with half an onion for the perfect meal!

So last Friday I did not blog. I have been so diligent about writing 5 days a week but for the first time I was having some technical difficulties and my post did not happen. It felt good to take a bit of a break so this coming week I am going to be starting to write a little less frequently so I can focus a bit more on family life. I love to be able to document our life and share some fun activities and recipes but I want to be present and enjoy the little years which means just a few less posts.

Thankful Thursday: Costco

I don't shop at Costco for everything but the few staple items I do buy from there I help me stay on budget. At least once a month I drive 17 minutes to get to Costco to by my organic honey, organic maple syrup, organic peanut butter, select organic fruit and veggies, and a few other items. My whole family is excited we are getting a Costco close to us! I can't quite wait to see those big red letters along with an open sign because Costco just got a whole lot closer!

Come On In Shane's Nursery

I had so much fun sharing Keith's nurser that I wanted to share what Shane's nurser looked like. If you wanted to see Keith's nursery you can read all about hit here. Today I am sharing Shane's nursery. This little room no longer exists in my home but it was fun to look back and see how his room started and how much it has changed! Come on in!

We waited until we found out that we were having a boy in September before we even talked about names or a nursery. Once we announced we were expecting and the gender around 24 weeks we tackled cleaning out what was our guest room and decorating a nursery 

We started really simple with a Kendall crib that was a shorter model and a matching dresser with a change table on top. I found the crib bedding with airplanes and really liked it so we purchased the sheets, the red madras crib bumpper and skirt, and selected a bit of  a travel/airplane theme to his room. 

I painted and stamped a little sign on the entry which recently changed but for about $1.50 this made the entry into his room fun and stuck with the aviation theme. 

We used my late grandmother's rocking chair in the room and tossed a throw blanket over it in a matching red. The blanket is from Pottery Barn. I found a hand made wooden airplane that we strung from the ceiling and then we printed off some images of a compass (not shown) and airplane and ordered a map from Etsy for $3. I have three Pottery Barn frames. All in all I spent more on the frames than the art work but I figured the frames would last a long time and knew Shane would want to change the art over time.

Once we had Shane we ordered his name and mounted it above his crib. If you look close, yes that is my baby sleeping on a weird wedge. Both my boys had acid reflex BAD and we were given an Rx for a sleeping wedge designed by an OT. It is totally safe and was a complete game changer with sleep for my kids.

So that was how my sweet Shane's room looked when he was a baby. I will share in a couple weeks how we moved him into his twin bed and pictures of what his toddler room looks like now. Much more color and a lot more functional but still his special spot. 

My Favorite Vacation

Brian and I have been planning our next vacation and it made us start thinking about our past trips. Though we enjoy traveling, we have not done a lot of it. Due to finances, work schedules, school, and kids we have never taken a dream trip to Europe or been able to go away for a week long trip to Maui. One day we hope to travel more but for now we tend to stay closer to home while The Brothers are little. 

Growing up I traveled a lot with my family. We went to Hawaii a couple of times, Florida, Washington DC, the east coast, New York, Nevada, and Arizona. I really enjoyed traveling to see different parts of the country and enjoyed the beaches. We also did a lot of local camping, boating on the Colombia River, or visiting my Grandparents who have lived all over the country. We always enjoyed vacation time.

Brian and I have not traveled quite as extravagantly but we have enjoyed every trip we have taken. We have traveled to Disneyland and California several times. We also went to Mexico on our Honeymoon and have taken several local getaways to the San Juan Islands or the Oregon cost. My very favorite trip with Brian was to Lake Tahoe. 

We stayed at the Lake Tahoe Diamond Resort and it was so nice. It was right on the water so we could swim in a warm pool (Lake Tahoe is COLD!) and still see the lake and mountains. 

We opted for a smaller room with a kitchenette but there are full kitchens with two bedrooms and a little sitting area. 

The water was freezing but beautiful. We spent a lot of time reading and relaxing on the dock.

We also went sailing which was my favorite part. Growing up I had a small sail boat and never got the hang of it. I still love sailing and enjoyed taking the beauty in. I would recommend going in a group or getting a private boat because we had two WILD couples with us and Brian and I had to avoid them the whole time. It made for a memory but we tried to stay at the back of the boat with another couple that was a bit more our speed and style.

Everywhere on the lake you could see amazing boats and clear water. 

Another day we rented kayaks and paddled up and down the beach. It was really windy but fun to get a work out in and see the homes and private beaches.

We did not go up to check the view out but heard it was nice to hop on the ski lift and get a beautiful shot of the area. We opted to shop in the town center and stay down by the lake.

 Food wise I can't remember the name of the places but we had lots of good sea food at one local place.

We also liked breakfast and lunch at Red Hut Cafe. It was sooooo good and I highly recommend it. It was total diner food and this was long before we ate our clean, healthy, real food diet but on a trip sometimes a milkshake is a great treat and we enjoyed ours!

All in all the trip was fun because of all the water activities and bikes. It was a really affordable trip for us and we were able to stay a week. The only downside was my allergies went crazy so Benadryl and I had a tight relationship that week and it made me a little more tired. My allergy medicine was not cutting it and I was miserable the first day until we found a drug store. Other than that, we enjoyed walking around, swimming, eating, reading, and the beautiful views. 

What has been your favorite vacation as an adult?

The Friend List

Young moms focus a lot on the babysitter list. How else can we get the chores done, a little bit of rest, or a night out with our spouse without it? A babysitter is a mini life line for stay at home moms and working moms, a bit of support that can help us tackle the to do list or recharge. Moms exchange names, post ISO on social media, and ask friends when their older children are going to be starting babysitting. We invest a lot of time into finding reliable, safe, and fun people to add to the babysitter list.

Another list I heavily rely on is the friend list. It is one that I have taken a lifetime to make and I dare say is more important than the babysitter list. I have had some names remain on my list for decades and some names are new. I have diligently invested in and grown a relationship these women to the point where they have become another lifeline for me. My friends are who I call when I need to process a hard day of parenting, get meal ideas from, and who help me weigh the pros and cons of sending Shane to preschool at 3 or 4 among other things. They love the Lord, they extend grace, they shower me in love. On a hard day, a happy day, a lonely day, a mundane day these are the women I cherish. Despite my short babysitter list, the friend list is the one that I really need to focus on when it comes to support.

Friday Favorites: Natural Beauty Products

If you have read my blog for any length of time or know me personally then you know my commitment to healthy foods. I am BIG on cutting out all processed and artificial additives from our diet. We eat minimally processed foods (think maple syrup and honey as sweeteners over refined cane sugar) and if our food is colored in any way it's not from artificial food dye. This way of eating is not for everyone but it is how we try to eat. When it comes to other products I try and do the same. Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and sharing my favorite natural beauty products. I am on the low key side ( I think) when it comes to makeup and hair items but I like natural and chemical free and in that area I am high maintenance. 

Bare Minerals Makeup

If I made the switch to less preservatives in food it is only fitting that what goes on my eyes, face, and lips is preservative free. I actually LOVED how this makeup covered and went on the first time I used it and I like that it really does not smell compared to other brands except for a mint scent to their lipsticks and glosses. The foundation covers my freckled face well and I like the mascara. My daily makeup routine takes about 5 minutes and 7 on a date night. I am low key but most days I brush on some foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara, and something hydrating on my lips. On a day I try a little harder I add gloss and eyeliner. I am simple but this brand works great and does not contain paraben, synthetic fragrances or artificial oils. 

Acure Face Wash and Lotion

I just made the switch from Keihl's brand after realizing that my face lotion contained phenoxyethanol, a preservative and is a kin irritant and a neurotoxin, as well as two other parabens. I just don't care to have that stuff on my face and absorbed into my skin so I ditched my old products and am giving Acure a try. I admit, so far, it does not work as well as Keihl's brand so I am hoping in time I either adapt to it and like it or that I find something that works. At least I know what to look for in my face wash and lotion now. 

Coconut Oil

You can buy this as a two pack from Amazon and keep on in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. This oil is great to help heal cracked heels or as a hand cream. I don't recommend using it during day as it takes a while to absorb and is a bit more greasy but at night, with socks on your feet, or simply rubbed into your hand this works wonders at soft skin. 

Shampoo and Cream Rinse 

Not everything is organic in this brand and I read a study that carrots really don't do a not when applied to the hair. One needs to consume carrots to improve the growth of hair but that was just one study and I am not a scientist. I do however like that the ingredients are 99% natural and paraben free. Yup, that word keeps coming up and I try my best to avoid them. This shampoo is also a new find. Some people complain of the smell but I use the baby shampoo for my kids and love it and it works well for the price point. I found $40 bottles of shampoo that in a free world I would love to purchase but on my budget this little bottle works for the kids and I. 

Thermal Protectant 

After I had the Brother's my hair got curly. Each of the boys made it that much more of a beachy wave like my older sisters hair. I tend to let it air dry these days and toss it in a bun the just add a few curls and go but I also will straighten it out because it looks nice and lasts me a few days. I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week and when I am using a heat tool I like to add a few spritz of this on to make my hair stay healthy. It is organic, a little goes a long way, paraben free and works! I want to try their shampoo and cream rinse but the price is just a little steep for me however, this product at about $16 for 6 months on my long hair is worth every penny. 

Butter London

When I was pregnant with Shane I went the safe route with whatever came into contact with my body. This was the start of my researching products and Butter London was the rare polish I used because it is toxin free. Yup, it still has chemicals and it's not organic but I am willing to wiggle a bit in some areas. I use an organic nail polish remover and I don't paint my nails often. Blowing Raspberries is my current favorite color.

Stress Away

I admit I can get a little stressed. Getting a one and three year old to bed by myself most nights can wear on me but I like the smell of this Stress Away oil and it is natural. I also like Lavender and these two scents/oils have replaced my perfume. I don't use it a lot but when I do I grab a bottle of oil.

If you missed it on Wednesday, I shared a very personal story of Shane's birth. Shane had some complications during pregnancy and delivery and I love how God's hand was on his little life. If you need a little reminder of the God's grace and timing Shane's birth story is worth the read.

Have a happy weekend!

Thankful Thursday: Aunt Rachel

I have a sister! She LOVES my children and I am so thankful for her pouring into my babies.  I can't quite express how wonderful it is to have someone that will come at 9 pm when you are in labor to watch your one year old, that will stop by during the newborn haze so you can take a nap, and that genuinely loves my children so much that she will kiss their little toes in adoration. 

Our friend Chris took this picture and it just melts my heart every time I see it. Sweet little Keith and Shane will never be lacking in love with an Aunt like Rachel.