Month: April 2015


Apr
2015

Three Tips for Teaching Preschool Kids to Brush Their Teeth

categories: green living, kids, preschool

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturalGoodness #CollectiveBias

Three Tips for Teaching Preschool Kids to Brush Their Teeth #naturalgoodness #adLike every transition we’ve gone through with our kids, I’ve spent so much time worried about how to transition our preschool son to big kid toothpaste. His dentist recommended the switch months ago, and I just couldn’t figure out how to teach him to brush and spit the toothpaste out. He is almost four, so I finally quit procrastinating and bought big kid toothpaste. We chose Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry Fluoride Toothpaste because I’ve loved and trusted Tom’s of Maine products for nearly 20 years and it is the perfect fit for our family’s quests to live green. Within a few days, the we had the whole brushing and spitting thing figured out and I realized I’d wasted time worrying about nothing. Read on to find out our three easy tips for teaching preschool kids to brush their teeth to make the transition easy and painless for your kids.

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Apr
2015

Three Practical Tips for Dressing Kids on a Budget

categories: baby, budget, fashion, kids

Kids are a blessing and a gift to parents and family, but they can be expensive. There are so many ways to save money on your child’s wardrobe to help you make it through these fast growing years without breaking the bank. How many times have we had a child outgrow an outfit before they even get a chance to wear it? Very rarely do my kids actually get to wear something until it is worn out. They grow too fast! Spending a ton of money on kids’ clothes just doesn’t make sense when you are on a tight budget, but there are ways to dress your kids well without spending a ton.Three Practical Tips for Dressing Kids on a Budget

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Apr
2015

Clean Mud Bubble Dough – The Easiest Sensory Dough Ever

categories: kids, play

Making Clean Mud Bubble Dough with Kids - The Easiest Sensory Dough Ever

We love to play outside, but sometimes need fresh ideas to get the kids engaged. They’ve been really in to bubbles lately, so after making a DIY bubble solution with dish soap and water I was inspired to try a new twist on clean mud dough. Play dough of all kinds is so much fun and give kids a great sensory experience, but making it yourself can be a challenge. This recipe for clean mud bubble dough is pretty much the easiest sensory dough ever and creates clean bubbly fun for your kids. It takes only 3 ingredients and about 5 minutes, plus the clean up is super simple as well. Ready to have some bubble dough fun?

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Apr
2015

My Best Cloth Diaper Advice After 4 Years in the Trenches

categories: baby, budget, cloth diaper, green living

After four years in the trenches I'ms haring my Best Cloth Diaper Advice and what I'd do differently.My oldest child is about to turn 4, and his birthday always makes me reflect on all I’ve learned in these few short years of motherhood. One of my favorite parenting decisions we made was the choice to use cloth diapers. We have saved thousands of dollars using cloth diapers for our kids, and have kept tons of waste out of landfills. Besides the obvious economic and environment benefits, cloth diapers are super cute and great for my babies’ sensitive skin. Today I’m sharing my best cloth diapering advice after 4 hard fought years in the trenches so you can learn from my mistakes.

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Apr
2015

What is Natural Childbirth Really Like? A Mom’s Perspective

categories: baby, birth, pregnancy, vbac

The two most common reactions I get when I share that I had an all natural birth with my daughter are, “Why would you choose NOT to have pain medicine?” and “That’s cool, but I could never do that.” As her birthday draws near, I’m reflecting on the choices I made surrounding her birth and the beautiful experience it was. I’ve only birthed two children, but because of the choices I made each time I’ve experienced both a very clinical, controlled, medicated birth and an all natural, no medication, no intervention birth. Spoiler alert: the all natural birth was by far my favorite for many reasons. Because of these experiences, today I’m sharing what all natural birth was like for me and why I preferred it to the medicated version. No two births are alike, and you have the right to choose what is best for your body and your baby. I’m just a mom sharing my experiences.

What is Natural Childbirth Really Like A Mom's Perspective

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Apr
2015

Preschool Name Recognition and Writing Practice with Sidewalk Chalk

categories: kids, preschool

Name Recognition and Writing Practice with Sidewalk ChalkWe work on lots of preschool skills at home with our kids, all while having fun. Our almost four year old loves to learn through play, so I try to make our home preschool activities an exciting adventure rather than boring and stiff. We’ve worked on pre-writing skills all year and it has been really fun to see his handwriting skills develop. Lately we’ve been doing preschool name recognition activities to tie in with the writing practice so that soon he will be able to write his own name. We love to play with sidewalk chalk outside, so I combined the skills practice with play to help him learn to recognize his name and practice writing it.

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Apr
2015

How to Kill Fire Ants without Harsh Chemicals

categories: essential oils, green living

How to Kill Fire Ants without Harsh Chemicals

Living in Texas, we are constantly on the lookout for fire ants. Their bite is vicious and the wound can last weeks without proper treatment. Every time I see a fire ant mound starting to form in our yard or public parts of our neighborhood, I treat it. Through research and trial and error I’ve learned how to kill fire ants without harsh chemicals. That way I can go to battle and win against the little tyrants without damaging the environment or putting my kids at risk.

Why do I hate them so much? Last year our daughter wandered in to a pile of fire ants and was stung over 30 times in a matter of seconds. It was horrible, and had we not gotten them off of her in time she could have died. One wrong step led to days of misery for my sweet girl, and a very traumatic time for her mama. Read on to find out how we annihilate fire ants in our area and keep them away.

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Apr
2015

How to Make Date Night a Priority

categories: dining out, love, marriage

Making Date Night a Priority #LobsterWorthy
Date Night Selfie!

Making time for date nights with my husband is a real struggle with our busy schedule, but every time we make it work it is so worth it.  It can be so easy to push it to the back burner and let budget, busyness, and kids get in the way of quality time together. One of goals this year is to have at least one quality date night out a month, and we are working hard to make that happen. Today I’m sharing tips to help you make date night a priority, plus some fun details from our recent #lobsterworthy date night out at Red Lobster.

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Apr
2015

Easy Ways to Green Your Home

categories: green living

Easy Ways to Green Your Home

Creating an environmentally friendly home can seem like a daunting task. There is always something more we can do to decrease our home’s footprint and lower our damage to the environment. How do we start down the path to green living without being intimidated by all that needs changing? At our house, we make one simple change at a time. Today I’m sharing a few simple and easy ways you can start to green your home in honor of Earth Month. Join in the conversation in the comments section or on my Facebook page here.

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