Why I didn’t think or know of this before, when the kids were younger and accidents more frequent, I don’t know. But I am glad that I discovered some excellent washable rugs. We have tried two that we like for different reasons and put in different places in our home after trial and discovery .

Half & half has been a must in my coffee/tea for a while. Sugar, I do without. Recently, I was curious about alternative creamers that are dairy-free. I am glad I bought the range, because it was hard to tell just based on reading or even other’s opinions. In the end my favorite was, by far, Ripple’s plant based half & half. It was the creamiest and best tasting. The fat content doesn’t seem much different, but that was not my goal. Here are some pictures to show my taste test…

As a working mom of two little kids, ‘me-time’ is currently very minimal, and I am mostly ok with that. I tend to want to get things done and that also relaxes me. So organizing my junk drawer in some part of my mind, counts as me time! But not incorporating self care on a daily basis can build up. Recently I have been thinking about ways to integrate some self care into my everyday, in fairly accessible and do-able ways.

Please be careful what sunscreen you are using on your body and your kids bodies! Not only for your own health reasons but for the health of the planet! Some sunscreens contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are toxins. They are unhealthy for us and for the environment! They have been linked to causing breast cancer to become more aggressive, can damage dna, among many other things. 

I recently read about the Duke University Foam Project, a resource where any US resident can submit a sample of polyurethane foam to see if it includes any of the 7 common chemical flame retardants. The service is also available to answer questions after the results are given.

This was fun!
We transitioned our older daughter to a big kid bed for her 3rd birthday. She had been sleeping in her crib that had transitioned into a toddler bed by taking off one of the sides essentially. She didn't seem to miss it once we transitioned her. Here are some things that I liked about the entire process and the final product:

What can you do when your breastfed baby won't take the bottle? It happened with our first, and we thought it wouldn't happen with our second because we had learned to not wait too long to introduce the bottle and to offer it daily. But, it did. She took a bottle of expressed breast milk at about 6 or 7 weeks and our goal was to give her a bottle once a day. But, she took the bottle so easily that we slacked. There were maybe 2 weeks that we only offered it to her a couple of times. Then, she didn't want it. It was like she didn't know what to do with the bottle nipple. She would chew on it and play a bit until she got frustrated because she was hungry. 
So, we tried many bottles.

I love making chai in the morning, and love drinking it even more! It is delicious, a nice and grounding way to begin the day. I have gotten into the groove of making it, so it doesn't seem like much work at all and it is worth it! Here's what I do...

Made my first Easter basket for our 1 1/2 year old. I bought a basket at a yard sale that was just right and some toys and fun things for her basket. We don't want to give her candy or chocolate at this point, and she will love getting the basket with all these other goodies (books, crayons, egg shaped musical shakers, stuffed bunny). I cut strips on a folded piece of tissue paper to make our own grass and crumpled up a piece under it in the basket to give a little substance to hold the toys. I wanted to share here in case it gives anyone some last minute ideas. Happy Easter!

I have a couple of good friends who are nearing their due date for their first babies, so I got inspired to write up a list of things that have been really helpful in our baby's first year and beyond. If you are reading this and have input or things that you think are great, please add in the comments below! Check Craigslist, Freecycle, and Ebay for deals and to re-use for some of the things (I would suggest buying new for crib, mattresses, and car seats).

This is a no brainer. Those cute and classic little rubber duckies are not so innocent! Mold can be found lurking inside. Moisture gets trapped from the bath water that lingers with no air flow. Rubber ducks are often in baby's mouth, gross, no one wants to get moldy residue in their mouths especially our little ones. And they aren't really rubber usually, but vinyl plastic - another reason it is not the ideal thing to be in baby's mouth.

I thought we wouldn't be able to cloth diaper our baby because of living in an apartment with no washer/dryer. After doing some research, I realized we had an option. I found this Haier HLP21N portable washer and it has worked wonders for us. It is a bit of a chore rolling it over and hooking it up, but we have gotten into the routine.

By Sarah Mitrovic

When I was in the last months of my pregnancy during the summer in New York City, I allowed myself to eat ice cream nearly every day it seems...shhhhh! Now, with summer upon us, I don't want that to happen (this is actually the case no matter the season). I wanted to write about this here to help me focus on my goal of cutting out refined sugar as much as possible and to hopefully be a bit of a resource for others that might want to do the same thing. I also don't want to be unrealistic, I am sure I will eat sugar! But, I want to get out of the rut of craving it at some point in the day, every day.