Diaper Deals

Here are my great deals on kids stuff for this week. 

20% off on Grobaby diapers. I've heard good things about these diapers. They are hybrids meaning that you can either put a disposable insert or a cloth insert. Click here. 

I just discovered these 2 great web-sites. Oh man these are gems. 

www.babyhalfoff.com

G-diapers are on sale too!!! Here.

Okay now share your favorite discount web-sites with the rest of us!

MUST READ: TIME MAGAZINE top 10 household toxins

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1976909,00.html

The many uses... of VINEGAR.

So since I've been successfully using baking soda and vinegar... (my hair is MUCH thicker). Here are a few of my favorite uses that I've read. 

For more check out this book sold here. 

Jane's List:

Prolong the life of flowers in a vase. Add two

tablespoons of vinegar plus three

tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water.

Stems should be in three to four inches of water.

Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until

plants have starved.

Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet. Blot

up urine with a soft cloth, flush several times

with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal

parts vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse,

and let dry.

Keep away fleas and mange. Add a little vinegar to

your pet's drinking water.

Relieve itching by using a cotton ball to dab

mosquito and other bug bites with Vinegar straight

from the bottle.

Fight dandruff, by rinsing with vinegar and

2 cups of warm water, after shampooing.

Relieve arthritis. Before each meal, drink a

glass of water containing two teaspoons

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Give it at least three weeks to start working.

Relieve cough by mixing one-half cup Apple Cider

Vinegar, one-half cup water, one teaspoon cayenne

pepper, and four teaspoons honey.

Take one tablespoon when cough acts up.

Take another tablespoon at bedtime.

Soothe a sore throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar

in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow.

Cure for colds. Mix one-quarter cup Apple Cider

Vinegar with one-quarter cup honey.

Take one tablespoon six to eight times daily.

Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar

to the rinse cycle.

Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam,

mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.

Deodorant and anti-perspirants stains may be

removed from clothing by lightly rubbing with

distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.

When dyeing fabric, add a cup full of distilled

vinegar to the last rinse to set the color.

Marinating meat in vinegar kills bacteria and

tenderizes the meat. Use one-quarter cup

vinegar for a two to three pound roast, marinate

overnight, then cook without draining or

rinsing the meat.

Add herbs to the vinegar when marinating as desired.

Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a

cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes to thicken.

Firm up gelatin by adding a teaspoon of vinegar

for every box of gelatin used. To keep those

molded desserts from sagging in the summer heat.

Prepare fluffier rice by adding a teaspoon of

vinegar to the water when it boils.

Patent leather will shine better if wiped with a

soft cloth which has been moisten with distilled

vinegar.

Change #2: Do your body good! - hair care PART II

Okay well after 1 week of Baking Soda and Vinegar... my hair felt nasty. I was about to give up when I decided to do a little more research.

Here is the official recipe:

Combine 1 T baking soda with 1 cup of warm water. Apply only to the roots. I use a travel bottle for easy application. Scrub for 30sec - 1min. Let sit for 2 mins. Rinse.

Combine 1/8 c. apple cider vinegar with 1 c. water. Apply only to the botom half of your hair. Rinse.

Okay wow so much better. I ditched the coconut oil too. Some days I take 2-3 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil (lavender would be good too!) and rub between my palms and apply to the ends of your hair. Smells so good!

 Happy showering!

Sew Liberated.

Okay I'm totally excited about this cute crafty book from Sew Liberated. It looks like it has many amazing projects. It's on my list for sure and I was so excited about it I just need to share!

Colourful foodie! : )

Okay so since I'm expecting I'm really wanting to eat right. So for lunches instead of leftovers, cereal or P,B & J's I created this smorgasbord of culinary delights. Isn't the food God made so beautiful. 

{Here I have shown shredded carrots, cucumber, red cabbage and radishes.}

I cut up everything and put them in a big french white dish to store in my fridge so that everyday this week I have prepped fresh RAW veggies ready to go. 

{I arranged it all beautifully on a plate with some leftover brown rice and chick peas.}

Then I put it all in a lightly heated up homemade tortilla. (Actually today I used a pita). Another option in to use a piece of lettuce if you are gluten free or want to make it completely raw. You can substitute with tons of other veggies... avocados, sprouts, tomatoes etc.

Then make the dressing fresh each day:

Lemon Sass Dressing

(Serves 1)

3 T. Lemon Juice (fresh is best)

5 T. Plain yogurt (thicker is better)

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper (I prefer fresh ground)

1 t. oregano

1 t. ground coriander seeds (not necessary but yummy if you have some)

Then I literally drown my wrap in all of the dressing. Its virtually fat free (no oil) and super yummy! 

Happy Raw Food Eatting!

Diaper Deals

SAVE $10 on your first order at momsmilkboutique.com 
coupon code: MMB10
AND you get free shipping!!! 
They are having a huge sale on Fuzzi Bunz too! 50 - 60% OFF




Easily redeemable at www.kellyscloset.com

ONLY $9.99 for these gpants
www.gdiapers.com

$2 OFF any g-diaper product!!

www.nickisdiapers.com

CHECK OUT THIS weekly: 

http://nickisdiapers.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Giveaway

ALSO: www.clothdiaperclearance.com Phew... they have some great deals. : )

CHECK OUT THESE GIVEAWAYS! @ 

www.theclothdiaperreport.com

Baby Kangas Diapers

Tiny Tush Cloth Diapers

Going cloth.

So are you that person that thinks I’ll just watch my other green friends do cloth diapers and then I’ll see how it goes for them and then decide... Well here I am. Your new friend that’s going cloth all the way! And seriously cloth diapers are not what they used to be... they are adorable!!

I am going to start the adventure of researching on-line. I’ll let you know how I progress and in the end I’ll give you my report. 

Cute tushies!!!!

Last minute dinner... getting inspired when the cupboard is bare.

Today I was faced with a dilemma. Plans got changed, schedules rearranged, the unexpected came up. You know how it it. We just got back from vacation and of course I haven’t gone grocery shopping yet. How many times has this happened to you? You are left in charge to feed your family when the cupboard is bare. Well I mean I’m exaggerating just a little bit... there’s always something in there, let’s be honest. As my new hormones are going wacky (I had a big cry the other day when my husband broke the lid on my french white round dish) I felt another cry coming on... but instead I faced my fears and decided that not all was lost, but instead found an adventure. I started pulling things from the cupboard that looked appealing and here is what I came up with...

I started with brown rice (always a good start to a wholesome healthy meal).

Then I grabbed a can of tuna (protein for a balanced meal).

To my good fortune I found a can of white beans in the back. 

After the brown rice was cooked (oh with a bouillon cube) I added the tuna and beans plus a scoop of mayonnaise (I know it sounds gross but really think about this as a hot tuna salad) and proceeded to heat the entire thing up. 

I went to grab my usually go to spices (fennel, oregano etc.) But then I STOPPED and thought now this isn’t very adventurous of me... I had just purchased paprika and turmeric last week for another recipe and thought I’d give them a try. Spices are great... they add zip and zest to the most boring dishes and take you to different continents with their exotic aromas. I’m most comfortable with Italian spices... but I wanted to become familiar with these spices. Here was my method. I took some of the rice dish and put it in a separate bowl and sprinkled some of each spice on a different section. I added coriander to my selections as well. Then I tasted each section. What satisfaction! Then I mixed it all together... delightful! Well it was good enough for me, I mixed all the spices into the pot and stirred it up. 

As a side I reached for the frozen spinach, heated that in a pot with sesame oil (you could use butter or olive oil) a dash of salt and some toasted walnuts. And voila I had a super healthy, super fast meal made from nothing (or so it seemed). I even think this recipe could be a keeper. 

I am convinced people don’t cook because they are intimidated. You don’t need skill, just a little push in the right direction and some nerve. I dare you to not plan your next meal and come up with a completely new creation all together or try out a new spice and see where it takes you! I can’t wait to hear what you come up with!

Change #2: Do your body good! - hair care

Since your skin is your largest organ I think we should be looking to change skin care don’t you? I put a lot of things on my body... shampoo, soap, lotions, oils, conditioners, face masks, deodorant, make-up, face wash, sunscreen, toners, nail polish, scrub, foot lotion, perfume... phew! I always laugh at how when I travel my toiletries take up half my suitcase. It’s out of control! Isn’t there a way I could cut back?? You know make life simpler. 

I’ve thought a lot about how to attempt this. So I’ll start with my head and work to my toes.

Now I could go all out and purchase some fancy organic natural shampoos... but that would be expensive... so I did the research and found the most basic recipe I could find. You aren’t going to believe this. 

Baking soda & Vinegar. 

And a dab of coconut oil for conditioner.

I’ll give it two weeks. I’m scared. Stay tuned.

Change #1 Food: throw it away!

Well since we are what we eat. Let’s start there. The first step is to purge. The following is my criteria for what gets thrown away in the kitchen. Maybe this should be done in phases. I’m not ready for the raw food diet just yet. 

1. ANYTHING white. (White sugar, white flour, white rice) All of it is in the garbage.
2. High-fructose corn syrup. I’ve read recently that this stuff is just bad for you. Great book that will leave you laughing and it’s about health & corn. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. 
3. MSG. This preservative is just unnecessary and unhealthy.
4. Junk food. Chips, Candy etc. 
5. Vegetable oil.
6. Boxed dinners. (i.e Mac & Cheese, Hamburger Helper, boxed mash potatoes)
7. Processed foods (Velvetta)
8. Store bought salad dressings and sauces that have a million ingredients in them that you can’t pronounce. Let me tell you preservatives don’t make you look younger. 

Things to change later... I just can’t do it... YET! Slow steps... remember... slow steps. Help! How does one live without the ease of canned goods! 

1. Aluminum is bad for you and bad for the environment. 
2. Plastic containers... it’s even more dangerous if you heat it up.. so DON’T put it in the microwave. 

Well it’s a sad day... mostly I’m sad about the mac and cheese) but a fresh start. Do you feel better? I do. 

Q: What is or was the hardest thing that you gave up in the name of eating healthy?

New Beginnings

{I just thought that this picture was too appropriate for this post!} 

via... anthropologie

I’ve always thought about starting a blog. Up until now, it just hasn’t happen. Not for lack of topic... don’t get me wrong... I have almost too many interests... ask my husband. A blog just seemed like one more thing to add to the list of cooking, crocheting, pilates, designing, being with people, reading, studying etc. you know how it goes. However I’ve found myself in a new place of contemplation and re-evaluation. Maybe it’s because I’m entering a new phase in my life (my husband and I are expecting our first child! A baby girl). I think with the thought of parenting comes this huge weight of “oh my gosh, I’m going to be responsible for another person’s life”. It’s a big deal and I want to make sure that I’m ready on all fronts. Armed, prepared -- ready for whatever motherhood might throw at me. But being a mother isn’t as easy as it once was. Everywhere I turn I’m faced with a multiplicity of decisions. The cereal aisle at the grocery store is proof enough that our society is somewhat er... complex? chaotic? has spun out of control. I know I know what does this have to do with going green? I’m getting there... I’ve aways been a big fan of the “save the whales” movement. In middle school I recited a brilliant poem that my mother wrote “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. I’ve admired from a far the earthens and hippies that strive to make the environment a better place. I’ve made little changes here and there... little things that have caused friends, roommates etc. to question me. Like the no joke 65 glass jars under my sink in college. I’m not sure what I was planning on DOING with all those jars, but it just didn’t seem right to throw these perfectly lovely containers away!!! Of course eventually they found themselves in the trash, so now I’ve resorted to only saving the prettiest ones. I’ve attempted to purchase organic foods, natural beauty products etc. But in the end it all seemed overwhelming and difficult. I’ve often wondered if the environmentally friendly earth crowd woke up one day and said I think I’ll just go green from now on or if it’s more of a gradually process. I’ve just never seen the metamorphosis (can I call it that?) of a regular average Joe, or for me a Jane being able to pull off this going green stunt and accomplish this on an average american household income. Going green can’t just be for the wealthy. If you are getting back to nature shouldn’t it cost less and not more?? Can we really make sense of all this? The information is endless, the task... impossible?... we must conquer!

So this is the story of a new soon to be mom attempting to join the ranks of green mom’s everywhere. I hope that you will join me in the adventure, learn from my mistakes and I’m sure have a good laugh at times. So, in the face of resistance and among all my other interests I begin my quest.