SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is arguably one of the scariest situations in early parenthood.
Because of the risk of SIDS and/or suffocation, health professionals advise parents to lay their baby on their backs to sleep and keep their baby's crib, bassinet, and any other sleeping area free from blankets, sheets, comforters, quilts, etc to avoid possible suffocation and death. The hazard is, babies have the ability to pull covers over their head and also to roll onto their stomachs before they have much neck strength/control and the ability to roll from their stomachs to their backs.
This leaves with parents with the concern that their infant may get to cold at night and a chilly baby is a baby that might be fussier, cry more, sleep less, and possibly even have a higher chance of getting an illness.
The perfect solution? Sleep sacks.
Sleep sacks are wearable blankets created for newborns, infants, and now new versions with leg wholes are even available for toddlers. Brands include the "zzZipMe Sack," "Swaddle Sack," and the "Halo Sleep Sack."
Fabric options include: basic cotton, cotton/flannel, fleece, and velvet. Closures are usually zipper, but sometimes snap closures are available. And, of course, countless colors and designs are available.
This is such a great idea. My personal recommendation is to be familiar with ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and purchase/register for both lightweight cotton and more heavy duty fleece sleep sacks. Sizes should correlate to how big your baby will be during the different seasons. For example if your baby is born in the winter, get a smaller size in the heavy fleece fabric, and a larger size in the cotton for when baby is bigger in the spring. For more information on SIDS, visit: http://www.sids.org/.
Trader Joe's Soft Multigrain Rustico Bread is definitely worth trying. I love how this bread is very hearty and very soft at the same time. The top of the bread is covered in rolled oats, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds, giving it a crunchy bite to contrast with the soft interior of each slice. The bread is also made with molasses and heart healthy flax (rich in omega-3s). It has 6% of daily recommended iron and 4grams of dietary fiber. Plus, no artificial colors or flavors. Great served fresh or toasty!
More and more health care providers are recommending that women who want to have children prepare their bodies with a pre-conception diet packed with folic acid (folate), antioxidants, and ovulation-regulating foods for 3 to 6 months before they begin trying to conceive. Upon much reading and researching about pre-conception nutrition, I've discovered these fertility super foods:
1. Wild Caught Salmon. Omega Bliss! Omega-3s benefit a baby's brain and nervous system development and reduces risk of premature birth.
2. Plant-Based Protein : Nuts, Beans, and Seeds. Walnuts, almonds, pecans, and peanuts all provide the body with protein and good fat, but in all my research I've found that walnuts are the best for fertility with their protein, good fat, and omega-3s. Great bean choices: black beans & navy beans.
3. Avocado. Good Fats and sooooo delicious!!! If women don't get enough fat in their diet, they can't make enough hormones!
4. Leafy Greens. Raw Spinach is one of the best leafy greens. It contains large amounts of folic acid/folate (preventing neural tube defects and helps with egg development) and iron (preventing anemia in pregnancy when body makes more blood and helps build endometrial lining where egg is implanted).
5. Lemons & Other Citrus Fruits. Antioxidant Bliss! Plus Vitamin C is good for ovulation.
6. Full-Fat Dairy. Much reading from various sources has shown that full-fat dairy such as whole milk, cheeses and yogurt made with whole milk, and even ice cream, increase a woman's chances of conceiving. The more low-fat and non-fat dairy products women eat, the greater their risk of ovulatory infertility.
7. Eggs & Cauliflower. Each of these foods have multiple of benefits, but one lesser known advantage of these is they both contain choline. This, like folic acid, helps prevent neural tube defects which can occur in very early pregnancy (usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant). Choline also helps with the baby's brain function.
I could go into more detail...but I think this is a nice overview of some fertility super foods!
One scoop or two?
Growing up, my mom always had a jar of sugar on her kitchen countertop for all her cooking needs. Now that I have my own kitchen, I've been on the lookout for a cute sugar jar. I was happy to find an adorable and classic covered jar by the company Rhubarb at TJ Maxx. The jar is simple, classic, and timeless in all white with an adorable round shape. It's part of Rhubarb's fine bone china collection. I love how it matches my white water pitcher that I use daily to fill my Berkey Water Filter. I love classic white bone china cookware and serveware, which goes with just about any kitchen design. But the best part has to be the price: original retail price of $9.95, available online for $7.00, but I got it for only...$3.50!!! I love TJ Maxx!
Hi everyone! I am reposting this entry with a few updates now that I've tried the product for a longer time period, and also now I have video review available on Youtube. Click Here to see my video review.
Product Breakdown:
Brand: 100% Pure
Product Name: Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara
Colors Available: Black Tea, Blackberry, Blueberry, & Dark Chocolate
Size: 7grams/0.24oz
Cost: $18.00
I discovered this product while searching for a natural mascara without artificial colors/harsh chemicals. I found that almost all the natural mascaras were $20 or more, with only a few exception. My first reaction was that $18.00 is a high price for a tube of mascara and I actually bought a semi-natural, less pure brand first for a fraction of the cost (by Physician's Formula). Then I read about all the harmful ingredients in it and how it really wasn't that natural after all. Plus I found the Physician's Formula Mascara to clump a lot. So I ditched that and went back to searching for a natural mascara for an affordable price. That's when I found this mascara--and by that point in the search, $18 for something truly pure and high quality seemed like a better deal to me. So I tried it out and I've been using it for over 2 months. I should also point out that a tube of mascara is good for 3 months (unless you have an eye infection, in which case you need to toss it imediately), so this product only costs you $6 per month.
I ordered 100% Pure's Blackberry Mascara, but it does come in other varieties (see above product breakdown). When I read the ingredients list of my mascara I was very impressed! Blackberries, raspberries, rosemary, oh my! I was so glad to see it was actually natural! I've seen so many other products say "natural" on the front of the packaging, but then list artificial ingredients and harmful chemicals on the back in very, very fine print.
This mascara really lengthens and separates your lashes and doesn't clump for at least the first month of use--after that you might get some minimal clumping, but not much.
I also have to mention that this is the best smelling mascara I have ever come across--and I've tried quite a few. For more product details and to see how the packaging looks, check out my Youtube review by CLICKING HERE.
Autumn is here and that means it's the beginning of chapped lip season! So here's my pick for a lip balm that's natural, inexpensive, and works great: Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Lip Balm, in Nourishing Coconut Cream.
This lip balm moisturizes your lips with natural and organic ingredients such as coconut oil, rosemary extract, and aloe. And, unlike Burt's Bees products, this lip balm does NOT make your lips tingle! It's made up of 100% vegetarian ingredients and there's no animal testing in the making of this product. Plus it's soft coconut scent is dreamy. To see my YouTube Video Review of this product, CLICK HERE.
The Cosmetics Database gives this product a great GREEN RATING! Click Here to view Skin Deep Cosmetics Database details for this product.
I had dining bliss today for lunch...a Chicken Cobb Panini from Viva! I got it as part of their $6.99 Lunch Entree Special, where you choose 1/2 salad or a cup of soup and pair it with 1/2 wrap or 1/2 panini. (I paired my panini with a cup of their Loaded Baked Potato Soup, but that's another blog entry!)
This panini is stuffed with grilled chicken, bacon slices, fresh avocado, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes. The panini usually comes with blue cheese and honey mustard dressing, but I substituted their amazing Parmesan dressing instead of the honey mustard and skipped the blue cheese all together.
The panini is served with two toothpicks, one stabbing a black olive and the other a grape tomatoe--so the presentation is executed quite nicely.
My Ratings:
(each category is on a 0 to 5 scale with 5 being the best)
Bread Rating:4.5
Meat Rating: 5
Cheese Rating: N/A
Toppings: 5
Dressing: 5
Overall Rating: 4.9
I definitely recommend this signature Viva Sandwich.
Click here to see Viva's Lunch Menu and Dinner Menu!
One of my favorite snacks during college and ever since is Trader Joe's Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers! They're basically natural chocolate chip cookies in an elongated shape (perfect for milk dunking) and dipped in extra chocolate on one side for optimal sweetness. No more cookies too big to dunk in your milk glass. No more preservative-packed snacks. These dunkers are the real deal.
My favorite way to eat them: Pair them with Trader Joe's 100% All Natural Creamy Salted Peanut Butter by spreading the peanut butter directly onto the flat, fudgy side of the cookie. Then feel free to dunk into some almond milk or raw milk or just sip on some milk on the side. Marvelous.
Note: Trader Joe's also makes dunkers without the extra chocolate coating, which are simply called Chocolate Chip Dunkers. Those are good too, but not as good as the Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers.
Click Here to find a Trader Joe's near you!
I think I've found one of the best working and smelling conditioners ever created...plus it's all natural!!! It's called Moisture Restoring Conditioner by Sukin Australian Natural Skincare.
I found this product at one of my all-time favorite stores, TJ Maxx. It was in their skincare/hair care section along with other natural and non-natural products. I was pulled in when I saw on the description that it's for "dry/damaged hair" with a picture of avocados on it. I know avocados are a natural way to get a highly moisturizing formula. Other ingredients in this conditioner that add to its moisturizing action are aloe vera, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, wheat germ, and rosehip oil. I also know that my dry, naturally curly hair needs all the moisture it can get.
In addition to its highly moisturizing ingredients, this product also contains other natural oils and extracts that give it an amazing smell. Some of these are: Tangerine Peel Oil, Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Lavendar Oil, and Vanilla Extract. Imagine: fresh citrus fruits, mixed with lavendar, mixed with vanilla, all in the same whiff! This is the best smelling hair product I've ever used!
And it gets better. When I read the label further, I was happy to find this product is Sulfate & Paraben free. This is great because I like to use conditioner on my whole head of hair and massage it into my scalp to get the product on my roots. This really helps control frizz, hydrates my curls, and makes my hair healthier from root-to-tip. So, being a chemically concious woman, I know massaging any product into my roots/scalp that contains toxins like Sulfates and Parabens is a big no-no. This is because these substances and their by products have been linked to skin/eye irritation, liver & kidney damage, and the big C--Cancer. And knowing that a portion of this product will enter my body through my skin pores, I don't want to take any risks.
Other harmful agents NOT found in this product are: artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, petro-chemicals, animal derivatives, mineral oils, triethanolamine, and harsh detergents. This is a carbon neutral product and comes in a recyclable container. Plus, this is a cruelty-free product because it is not tested on animals.
On a personal note, I'll share that back in my sulfate/paraben product using days and when I used to eat non-natural foods containing harmful substances such as nitrates and nitrites, I would get headaches and migraines much more frequently--sometimes daily for weeks. Now I get headaches far less often and migraines very rarely--and when I do they appear to be linked to stress. Without entering myself into a scientific study, it's really hard to say why the frequency and intensity of my headaches & migraines decreased so much over the past 5 to 6 years as I slowly transformed into the Naturally Blissful Wife.
This product can be purchased on Amazon and other online stores; however, I found thatTJ Maxx and Marshalls sell it for the lowest price. The only downside to TJ Maxx & Marshalls is the frequent inventory and price changes, making it truly "hit or miss" style shopping, especially with all-natural items. Of course, that makes it even more exciting when you discover a great deal!
Click Here to watch my YouTube video about this product and my other favorite natural conditioner.
The raw milk from Wholesome Dairy Farm in Yellow House, PA comes from grass-fed cows with no added hormones. The hubby likes it because it's a great source of raw, unheated proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This milk does not contain any synthetic chemicals or preservatives of any kind. The cows are millked in a particular way to decrease the amount of bacteria in the milk. Drinking one cup of this milk really rejuvenates the hubby physically and mentally. This milk is refreshing anytime of day, from early morning to before bed. Although this milk can be bought from various food stores and markets, Hubby recommends purchasing it direct from the farm. One bonus of buying direct is every tenth gallon you purchase is free with punch-out card. While you're there, you can even meet the cows!
