2018...shall we try this again?

first off, what a busy year it has been! I cannot believe 2018 is here already. last March we welcomed our beautiful baby girl ! what a surprise it was ! in just two months she will already be a year old. i hate the saying "time flies" because it is absolutely true. i turned 34 years old on the 5th...but wasn't I just 21? wasn't i getting everyone's booze for them and heading out to some college party a couple towns away? it is crazy to think that was over ten years ago. but it feels like yesterday.

i was looking at my past posts here and laughed at myself...i had these wonderful thoughts for 2017 at the new year and i don't think i stuck to any of them. i had this crazy notion that even though i would have a newborn, a toddler and a 4 year old that i would have time to devote to the things i wanted to accomplish. i was so very very wrong. about the only thing i did do for me, was up my coffee intake each day haha. i went from a once a day iced, to a TWICE or even THREE times a day HOT! (with an iced in there somewhere) i actually did do one real thing...i joined this 15 day mommy fit challenge online and completed it! and i enjoyed it so much that i signed up for the 6 week challenge. i did the workouts in the am when baby would nap, followed the meal plan and at the end i actually saw results! but thhhheeeeeeennnnn baby stopped napping well, stopped sleeping through the nite, and i would be exhausted in the mornings. my motivation to keep working out quickly disappeared. *SIGH*

this is why i always say i dont make resolutions...i make goals. there is no pressure when its not a promise you make to yourself. as you can see, it wouldnt have worked for me hahah.

so i have called this year....THE YEAR I GET MY SHIT TOGETHER. for real haha. we are not having anymore children...the hubs made it permanent. so no more pregnancies (kind of bittersweet) which means mama wont be lame for 9 months out of the year. i can focus my energies on things around here that need attention. i got some gift cards for Christmas and i used some at TJ max to purchase some adorable notebooks for organization station. 

isnt she super cute? i hate to even ruin her with pen markings haha but lists need to be made! here are some of the things i will be working on this year. 

*finances/budget

*meal planning

*finishing baby girls bedroom

*legalities for my home business 

*wholesaling my products

this may not seem like a lot, but it is in fact QUITE a lot. and somehow i have to fit it in while running the home and taking care of three small children. i'd love to add "mama time" to that list, but i know that its not much of a reality. its tough to fit that one in, even though i know its so important. 

the hubs has finally quit his day job and gone off on his own. i know he is going to do well, but it is the beginning so we will see how long it takes for business to boom. he does excavation work and unfortunately the winters are so slow.  unless there is snow to plow he does not work much. which is tough because as you can imagine...the bills still roll in even while the money doesnt. for this reason i want to be better prepared for next year at this time. i dont want to be maxing out credit cards or pushing back bills. i want to get into a routine of putting so much aside when the money DOES come in, and that way we have a cushion to lean on. plus that would equal less stress on the hubs which equals less anxiety for mama. 

meal planning goes right along with this. i have done it in the past and when i stick to it, it really works. it saves money and it keeps me from stressing about whats for dinner. i thank goodness for pinterest, because there are so many great templates to print out, recipes to find, or i can just make a dang board with the weeks menu on it. (however im more of an "in print" type person...so i usually print and hang on the fridge) 

my 10 month olds room! its still not finished! i need to finish one wall of paint, touch up the trim and decorate it. i just cant seem to find the time. if shes napping, shes in there and if shes not asleep shes with me. so this one may require a second set of hands...either way, the poor girl needs to have her own room all set. i wanted a girl so badly and now shes here. i owe her!

as for my products...i cant recall if ive posted about it,  but i own and operate my own little "all natural" product business called Naturali Nourished. Its out of my home and i have been doing it for almost 2 years now. its wonderful and i love it. im so passionate about natural health and chemical free living, this just seemed so perfect. I experimented for 2 years making stuff for the family and then friends were asking for product! so i thought as a stay at home mama maybe this was my calling! a few days ago i went to the local health food store and talked about wholesaling with the owner. she said absolutely and was interested in a certain product.... 

 

yea! my deo!! so this prompted me to talk to a couple other local shops...AS WELL AS a subscription box service that supports women run small businesses!! i am so excited but i need to make sure i cover all my basis before opening up to that broad an audience...people love to sue for anything these days

but there it is...2018 could be a great year for this house...with the hubs business and mine...there is really no excuse to put these things off...as i said, im done being pregnant! so laziness is not acceptable.  speaking of that...i suppose getting back into working out and eating better should be part of this list....

one thing at a time right? ;)

peace and love!

~dani

when life hands you lemons...you toss them in the fridge, grab a cup of coffee, put your hand on your head and think "what have we gotten ourselves into!"

i took a much needed break from writing a couple months ago. and honestly it's still needed. i have been trying to do so many things at once i MAY have over estimated my abilities lol. long story short, i have picked up two work from home (temporary) side jobs, i just opened my Etsy shop for my natural product business "naturali nourished" AND im raising two littles who keep me on my toes all day long. Oh, and to add to that mess....we just found out i'm growing another human being! if super mom exists...well i'm not her haha.

true story

of course with the little life growing inside me, that means my caffeine consumption will be substantially lower. which wont help my current situation. dont even get me started on the loss of my wine:( Ok im not a huge drinker as it is, but let me tell you how much i appreciate the rare glass of moscato! only 34 weeks to go! 

i do have to say i am pretty pumped about my etsy shop. it is quite a tedious task setting one up. and it kinda stinks that they charge fees to list items and then when you sell. but it is what it is. i love the idea of making products people can feel good about using. its so disappointing to see all the crap that is in everything we use. i spent most of the 2 months that i wasnt writing, preparing and gathering stock so that i could put my business out in the open. i have spent hours during my kids naps deciding exactly what i was going to offer, for how much, and all those other tiny details. i am sure it will be slow for a bit, but i hope to make something out of it. i hope more people will realize that chemicals suck and that they can find the same types of things they love...without em!

ive shared this before....but its so freaking true

moving on....as i look around my house im wondering why my husband hasnt left me yet. its a shit hole. ill admit it and while i apologize for the language, its quite true. there are toys and laundry and bits of food and dog hair etc etc everywhere. i cannot keep up!!! i have this vision of being this happy little housewife who keeps the home clean, the children alive and happy, who greets the hubby with a smooch and dinner when he gets home. HA! living in a dream world! i mean, i am certainly a happy wife, but all the rest of that is a joke. i clean this house up best i can when the kids are sleeping. so it looks great for 2.5 hours. after that...forget it. they wake, there are toys everywhere, because...we cant just take out 1 or 2 toys to play with....we have to dig to the bottom of the toy box for that toy no one uses and in doing so we dump out all the others in the way. 

the laundry...forget it. i wash it...fold it, put it back in the basket to "bring it upstairs and put it away". what happens? we end up digging through said basket when we need clothes. the clothes then become unfolded, and thrown downstairs when dirty again. if i dont get those clothes upstairs asap...this is how we will be living until i do. 

i mean...am i the only one?

i posted a while back about how i was going to try and focus more on "me" and making sure i get some time for myself. well, i had my one moms day out months ago and it has not happened since. with a third baby coming it needs to happen, or i may actually go insane. the hubs says he understands and that i just need to tell him when i want to go. but he doesnt REALLY understand how we moms feel. he is a sweety for offering, but usually when i want to try...something has come up of course. the most peace i get usually comes around 8pm when everyone is in bed. sometimes i sit outside and just SIT. the weather is usually super calm at that time...its quiet...and still light enough out. i typically get to watch the sun set. aaaaaaaand then i am in bed by 9 haha. yipeeeee a whole hour to myself! i have to HAVE to get better about this before this one comes. i think its crazy now...i cant even begin to imagine 3. 

until next rant!

xo

...big things happening

__________ Monday friends! (you can fill in the blank b/c you never know with Mondays lol.)  I have been MIA the last week or so because life determined that I be, and also because I have been busy with a new venture I am going to be tackling. I am so excited. In January I did a post about goals I wanted to set for this year...not resolutions. To me, a resolution is a promise you make all too soon and then hardly ever keep it. A goal however is something that you aspire to, something that you have hopes of achieving but without the added pressure that making a resolution brings. 

one of my goals this year was to focus more on myself, and doing things that make me happy. and that's not to say that I am an un happy person. I am not! I have a great life, friends and family. But if I have learned anything after having kids, it is that ME time is so important and you don't realize that until you don't get to have it. Something that makes me happy is sharing my LOVE of chemical free living. I love introducing people to essential oils and how I use them in my home. I love showing people affordable ways to cut the junk out of daily life. After months and months of jotting down ideas, giving people samples, and experimenting I have decided what I want to do. 

 yes!!! "mama made" all natural products for home and body love:) this has been something that I have been contemplating for months. there is a lot that goes into starting a little bizz like this and of course I have to make sure I follow rules and regs before I launch it, but the more I thought and the more I think, the more I realize this is something that will make ME happy. I already am!! Even just coming up with a name was enough to get me glowing. I know there are many other "businesses" big and small like this out there now, and I do not have plans for world domination haha, but I am an advocate for shopping locally. I feel like doing something like this in my little community could be a great thing. There are many that have asked me to make them things, and many I already have...so the interest for products like this seems high enough. Not to mention I have many SAHM friends who do hobbies and things on the side. I think they would relate to what I am feeling and what I want to do/why I want to do it. 

for the last week I have been trying to narrow down which items I will make first. I obviously dont want to spend too much money right off the bat b/c then there is not much point to this. Slowly I have been building up my ingredient stash so that I can begin. I don't however want to make too much too soon, b/c I want these items to be as fresh as possible for when they are to be listed for sale. My wheels have been turning for so long. I am going to start small and am hoping to open up an Etsy shop withing the next few months. Instagram will be my go to for the time being. Just have to make sure everything is legal and ready to go before I launch the shop.

what will I be including you ask? well let me tell ya !! the plans are for "body love & home love" products.

bath salts, body scrubs, bar soaps, bath bombs, body butters/creams, hand creams, lip balms/salves, foot scrubs, milk baths, roller bottle blends, foaming hand wash, all purpose cleaning sprays, diffuser bombs, etc...and the only ingredients I will be using will be all natural/organic. Nothing with additives, or chemicals. Hence "naturali nourished." And yes, I realize the spelling is incorrect...but I wanted to make it unique, and to be honest...I kinda hate capitol letters anyways.

wish me luck on this new adventure. It is a small idea but one that this mama is truly excited about. Updates to come!!

xo

self care saturday

...you know that old saying, "if mama aint happy no ones happy"? Well I have realized just how true that is, especially after having my second baby. I have always been a happy and bubbly person. Always the one to make people laugh and put people in good moods. I still am that person, but I have never experienced true stress until having kids. Oh my gosh. I have worked with kids all my working life but it sure is a whole new ball game when you can't clock out at three. I am home all day every day with my littles and I am so blessed to be, but it is a rare occasion when I get a break during the busy day. My toddler naps the same time every day but the baby is not on a set schedule yet, so dual naps hardly happen. Truthfully even if I could get some time alone I would spend it cleaning. I do...spend it cleaning. When my kids are crazy, and the house is a mess, or finances are real tight or god forbid we are OUT of coffee, a mama can start to lose her shit. I have a lot of patience dealing with my kids because I worked with children for so long, but I will be honest...sometime I flip. I give my toddler more chances than my parents ever gave me and still he can be defiant. I eventually end up yelling at him because it is the only way he will listen. Not every time...there are times when he gives me no problems at all. But he is two and a half and this is completely normal. It is mostly when he is bored too...he is a boy that likes to be on the move (ever since in the womb lol) so when it's a day where we are stuck inside or the baby is being very needy, my toddler will act up. I do my best to keep him busy and do activities other than TV, but sometimes nothing helps. Thank goodness for my Stress Away roller bottle. It helps ease the tension (most of the time lol)  Since there is only so much I can do for my children, I decided that perhaps I need to do more for me. I mean, in order to be able to take care of my family, I really need to take care of myself. So....

I came across this list on Pinterest and I thought that it couldn't be more perfect for my dilemma. 

These are great. And simple !! I can do all of these things I just have to make time. The best part is that these are not all physical things you need to do in order to relieve stresses...they are little things that will just brighten a day. Number 3 is buy yourself flowers. I mean come on! I never think to do that, and I love flowers in the home. Peonies are my favorite and last Spring I had some in the middle of the kitchen table and they were gorgeous. How can you have a bad day when a vase of your favorite flowers are there to greet you when you walk in the room? 

Number 12: cook a new dish. I do love to cook but with two kiddos under foot most the time, I try and do the quick and easy dinner routine. Still making healthy meals, just with the usual ingredients. I have not cooked "outside the box" in forever. Guess I can take out my cook books again and find something I have never made and give it a whirl, the hubs would love it. 

Anyways, just seeing this list brightened my spirits a bit. I think parents (not just mamas) forget that they need to take time for themselves. I know many parents are working parents and there is probably less of a chance when you work. But honestly...if it can be fit in somewhere on a weekend or during the week we really should try. I know, easier said than done. But I wish I had thought about this more when I was pregnant. I had more time then than I do now. But I am determined to give it a try...if I am not stressed than my family as well as myself will benefit. 

Also, there is nothing wrong with having a third iced coffee at 430 in the afternoon...absolutely nothing! ;)

xo

Product Review Friday

A recent experience prompted this idea for a weekly post. As you know, I am a stay at home mom to my first baby.In the beginning I was convinced I was going to be making all his baby food at home, using nothing but organic/good for you fruits and vegetables. I did do this for the first few months when he started solids, and once in a while I will still whip up something from scratch. However, now that he is older and can eat more than just one fruit or one vegetable at a time, it is much easier to buy mixed foods for him. Some of these brands on the market have such yummy looking mixtures! I honestly know that I will never puree an apricot to mix with pureed plums and rice haha. My son is getting more active and the time allowance for making baby food on the regular is limited. There are a few brands of baby food that I purchase, but the one I want to mention today is one of my favorites.

Sprout Organics is one of the more affordable brands of Organic baby food in stores and online right now. Their ingredients are simple, with no added preservatives or anything artificial. My son loves their fruit and veggie blends. Pear Kiwi and Spinach along with Carrot Mango and Apple are two of his favorites. I always taste test everything he eats and I have to say...its delicious!

 Along with a great taste, comes affordability. With only one income, I have to budget as best I can. We eat mostly Organic in our home and we feel that spending a little extra for something that is good for you is well worth it. Sprout makes this a bit easier on our wallet. There are constant sales at my local grocery store as well. So I am a frequent buyer.

The other day I had a question about something pertaining to a meal I had tried with my son. I sent a message via Sprouts facebook page. and I had a response that very day! They were incredibly kind, helpful and informational. I had tried to contact another company a while back with a question and it took about a week for a response and when I did get one, all it said was to "please direct questions to this phone number." I did not bother. I don't purchase their product anymore.

Today I contacted Sprout over facebook again to mention that I wanted to add a blurb about them in my blog. They were happy to be a part of it, even though I did warn that I am new to this. They even asked about

sending out some different types of meals for my little one to try. Which I gladly said yes to, and will review when they come in! I will post some photos of my baby boy testing it out.

So in my opinion, if you are looking for a healthy alternative to making your own baby food, or just looking for something extra on the side or on the go, I highly recommend this brand. Not just because its affordable, or because the ingredients are simple and Organic, but because the people behind Sprout seem just as pleasant as the taste of their yummy baby foods!

xo