Building a Healthy Lifestyle

I know the feeling all too well-

You get home from work around 4 or 5, maybe you have to stop and pick up the kids from daycare or school, make dinner, visit with them quickly before bath and bed, then chores and laundry and housework and then maybe some "me" time before bed. Maybe. Even being a SAHP you are busy with errands, housework, playdates and classes and trying to find your "me" time amidst it all. So when do you have time to plan and cook healthy food that isn't riddled with preservatives and added colors and flavors?

Since being a SAHM my life is still busy, but I am so thankful for the time to be home with my kiddos and enjoy them. It's just a different kind of busy. Being a parent whether working or not is hard enough without having the extra worry or feeding your family healthy food that is still delicious and will still be acceptable to a picky toddler. I have been there and am still there!

My goal once I was recovered from my c-section was to try and get my family back on track with a healthy lifestyle, but I didn't know where to begin! Raise your hand if this is a constant battle that you face too!

My whole adult life I was one of those people who could cook exactly three things:

• My Nana's sauce and meatballs
• Noodles to go with that sauce
• Chicken wing dip

I am not exaggerating. That was it.
 
Baking on the other hand is my forte-I make a mean pie. But that wasn't feeding me or my family. When I was single and lived alone I ate a lot of chicken nuggets, pasta, and PBJ sandwiches. And a heck of a lot of take out.

Thankfully, Hubs came into my life and on our very first "date" as an official couple he invited me over to his place for a homemade meal. I was sold. He was and is still a keeper.

We've been married for almost 4 years now, lived together for 3 before that and 5 days out of the week he was cooking for us. One of the days was my sad attempt at trying something-I usually made ravioli or something else I could heat up. I am not exaggerating here. Hubs wouldn't even trust me with a box of easy mac or chicken rice. I was a disgrace. The other day was usually Pizza Friday...a luxury we had when I was working which is on hiatus for now-but that's another post.

When the time was coming for him to head back to work after his paternity leave I started to get panicky. And not because I would be home alone all day with two kids under two. Oh no. I was worried because I knew I had to step it up and actually attempt to cook. I couldn't be a stay at home mom and not cook for my hardworking husband, right? Or could I....?

No-I was determined. But see, I have no timing at all in the kitchen. I try extravagant recipes when we only have an hour. The kitchen is a mess, pots and pans everywhere. The sides are done way too early. Just a HOT MESS. And on top of that I wanted to learn how to actually cook-not just open packages of things and heat them up. I wanted to learn how to do it the right way and the healthy way.

Then I found the fix.

*Don't stop reading: I am NOT a beachbody coach and will NOT try to sell you shakeology or anything like that. I love the 21 Day Fix but I don't have any plans to become a coach. I highly recommend this lifestyle and program for everyone-and if my post intrigues you and you want to know more I will send you in the direction of my coach Alayne-but don't think this is a sales pitch or anything (I get turned off by that stuff too!)*

So anyway, a whole bunch of girls I knew were doing the 21 Day Fix-you may or may not have heard about it and I won't bore you with all the details, but basically it's a workout regimen and a clean eating plan. It is NOT a diet. It's a whole new outlook and lifestyle. You learn portion control and how to fuel your body with the proper foods to keep you healthy and help you lose weight.

I really wanted to do the fix because:

A) I wanted to get back in my pre-baby bathing suits-no more maternity suits or tankinis for me! (Ultimate goal)
B) Since being SO sick while pregnant with Little Man I got lazy with my clean and healthy eating.
C) I generally wanted to improve my overall health so I could have the energy to enjoy my little ones.

And bonus I am on maternity leave for the next 18 or so months, so what better time to start than now?!

So I bought the fix, and talked my Hubs into trying it with me. He was reluctant at first but agreed out of support for me. Plus he was/is training for a 5K so he figured it would help him get back in fighting shape.

I realized that if I wanted to be successful on this program and lose the wieght and also help out my hardworking husband I would have to really sit down and figure out a meal plan for the week and THEN actually MAKE the meals. I couldn't very well ask him to do this with me and then make him plan and make all the meals. So it was up to me, the girl who could probably burn water.

The first night it took me three hours.  I literally sat at the computer scouring through Pinterest for recipes trying to see if they would fit the fix and it was a daunting task. I HATE meal planning. It was awful.

But the next day I searched for "21 day fix dinner ideas" and voila! I had some stuff to choose from. I stuck with chicken the first week because I figured I could handle chicken. Once I had it narrowed down to 5 recipes I shopped for the ingredients and all of our other groceries too (side note: doing the fix helped me get right back on track with my clean non-processed eating. Pretty much everything we eat now has a shelf life of a week. All fresh foods and I love it because I am eating well AND clean!) My point here is these dinner ideas were simple enough for even ME to follow and make. So it made my life a lot easier!

Basically, I had to google how to bake chicken breast. No lie. I had no idea what to put on it or how to cook it or anything. But slowly I'm learning how to use seasonings and how to utilize one type of food in many different ways to add variety. When I tell people now that I can cook they say, "Really?" and are really surprised. Why do I tell you all this? Because my point is that if I can do it anyone can. Seriously. And you don't even have to do the 21 day fix to clean up your family's lifestyle. Just make small substitutions here and there and change things a little at a time and you can incorporate more and more clean eating into your family's lifestyle. Better for you, better for the earth, and better for your family! Remember I am not a health coach, but I do know the importance of avoiding GMOs, preservatives, added colors and flavors, sugars, unhealthy oils and syrups, chemicals, pesticides and more from my own research and experience.

It was tough at first to get into a routine, but now after several weeks I have found a few tips that work for me for not only cooking, but general sanity as well!

*I know there are those of you who are cooking/parenting pros (mom!) and are thinking "Girl please we got this"-but for all of you parents (like me!) in the "Learning to cook while parenting small children 101" (who are also dumb in the kitchen and with meal planning) course might find this helpful*

1. Work out in the morning before the kids get up. Yes I KNOW it sucks. But then you are DONE! My Hubs gets up at 6:30 and I get up with him. That way I can get my workout in before my babies get up and usually my shower too. If I don't do it in the morning I am not getting it done at all.

2. Fill your kitchen with spices and seasonings. The only spices and such that I ever used before were oregano, basil, and cinnamon. Seriously. If you have lots of seasonings on hand you can whip up a pretty easy dinner but make it have a nice zip to it.

3. Start dinner during nap time. I started trying to make dinner around 4:00-Little Miss had just awoken from her afternoon nap shortly beforehand and Little Man was up as well, and it was both of their cranky times. She's hanging off me crying for cheese or some other snack...but usually cheese. He's fussy and wants to be held-Hubs walks through the door and it's total chaos. I now start things during nap. I make them during the toddler's nap time because she generally sleeps longer. That way if he is fussy I can just wear him in my wrap while I cook. I do anything I can make ahead of time during this block of time-noodles, salad, etc. That way when Hubs gets home he can play with Little Miss while I situate everything for dinner. It runs much more smoothly that trying to do it all at once when everyone is underfoot. It's especially helpful if I can do more at once on say a Sunday or Monday and then be set for the whole week. So I might make a whole bunch of chicken breasts or noodles or rice at one time and they are ready for the whole week. You don't have to do it everyday, just once or twice and you can cut your future cooking time in half.

4. Shop around the perimeter or the grocery store. Stop going down the middle aisles for mostly everything. If it comes in a box it is probably not healthy or clean! Exceptions are things like pasta (get whole wheat!), natural peanut butter, nuts, oats, etc.

5. Stop using dressings! I know, who wants a salad without dressing? But dressings have a ton of preservatives and unhealthy and genetically modified ingredients in them. Try making your own vinaigrette instead. Or try putting olive oil and balsamic on your salad. Small changes that will really affect your health in a positive way!

6. And while you're at it skip the mayo. Use mustard instead-mustard is a yummy addition to a sandwich, tuna salad, even on pork! Try dijon, my favorite, or spicy brown. Mustard is my new favorite condiment! (Dare I say that? I DO miss blue cheese!)

7. Be prepared. Bring snacks with you. Pack a bag with fruits and veggies, hummus, nuts, or homemade crackers and cheese. Bring a huge bottle of water with lots of ice. That way you won't be tempted when you are out and about to eat processed and pre-packaged foods. Always bring your own!

8. Make healthy "treats." Because Hubs and I are doing the fix, so is Little Miss. We are eating healthily so she is too! I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies the other day and she loved them! And I felt so much better knowing she was eating cookies that weren't made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. If you give your kids healthy foods they WILL eat them. Just don't keep the other junk in the house!

9. Try new things! From recipes to new ways of cooking something, you might even create your own new favorite! For example, the other night I had some zucchini to cook up. I didn't want to just steam it so I threw some garlic and spices in a pan and sauteed it up. It was SO yummy! Today I invented my very own fix approved pancakes when I couldn't find a recipe. And they were pretty good! Maybe I will blog the recipe later :) My point is that you can step outside what you always do and try a new way of cooking something. You might find something you really love!

10. Utilize different sweeteners. I have a huge sweet tooth. It's pretty bad. I can't usually eat something unless it is sweetened. But I recently traded in my coffee creamer for stevia and cinnamon in my coffee. Instead of sugar I've been adding a little raw wildflower honey. I spent $7.99 (I know, really?!) on a bottle of pure and natural organic maple syrup. Just stepping outside the box and trying something new will greatly improve your health while avoiding the bad stuff. And you might even shed some inches too! Just use these things sparingly.

11. Ditch the cooking spray!!! Cooking spray is gross. I can't even begin to name the genetically modified ingredients and chemicals in it! Use olive oil instead-get a Misto, or my personal favorite, coconut oil spray. You'll get your daily healthy oils in, and you won't be ingesting chemicals.

12. Make your own milk. Try it. You will be pleasantly surprised!

I hope this post was informative and helpful. Like I said before I am no expert, but a lot of it is common sense.  And of course it's ok to indulge once in awhile (I celebrated my birthday the first week I started-cake was necessary!) But I feel better about my small indulgences knowing that I make great decisions 95% of the time. It's so important to take charge of your family's health and well-being and there is no better time to start that the present.

Thank you for reading and if you like what you are seeing please let me know, and follow
The Good Life on facebook as well!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Poop happens!

Anyone who reads this blog knows just how passionate I am about cloth diapers.

Wow, that kind of reads funny doesn't it?

But it's true. I've shared many reasons why it's great to cloth diaper in multiple posts. That's partially how this whole blog got started!

I was talking to a friend recently who is trying to save money to stay home when her baby comes. I reminded her that cloth diapering is a HUGE way to save! Little Man is only two months old and our diapers have already paid for themselves. We've have a decent sized stash that extends from newborn diapers to what we expect will last until potty training and we've probably spent around $700...not all at one time of course. But that's a one time cost. Unlike disposables which will cost much more than that over time-and will not ever be able to be reused. 

But still, people are so turned off-even disgusted by using reusables!

To me it just seems like a no brainer-kids are so expensive. Why wouldn't you cut out one obvious cost?! 

And if you're wondering about the laundry and using more water and detergent and all that nonsense let me refer you back to this post.

We've been cloth diapering for two years and we have only seen a slight increase in our quarterly water bill. Since we bought a high efficiency washing machine it's even easier and better! The machine has a "my cycle" option where I was able to program my diaper laundry cycle. So I push the button once and it takes my diapers through the whole cycle! I love it! But even if you have a regular ol' washer it still isn't bad at all, which I walk you through in this post.

So  I would like to address-and also debunk-some of the most common arguments I hear against cloth diapering-

"I don't want to deal with poop!"

"EWWW, but what do you do with all the poop?"

"You wash them in your regular washing machine-the same one as your clothes? That's just gross!" 

To that I usually say something like this:

"So, when your child has a HUGE blowout (trust me, it WILL happen and it DOES happen-and guess what? Much more frequently in disposables than cloth!) or leaks onto you or their own clothes...or the changing pad, the floor, the carseat, etc.-what do you do? Do you throw out said clothes or other items? Or do you throw them in your regular washer-even with poop on them?!"

Seriously.

As a parent you will find yourself covered in bodily fluid more often than not. Just yesterday in fact, when I got home my shirt had spit up, blood, and ketchup on it. (My toddler got a fat lip while playing, hence the blood!) During the winter my little lady got the flu and threw up all over me-down my shirt and everywhere else several times. Guess where the clothes and sheets and towels went? Right in the wash! And A few days ago I came home with poop on my shirt! I had changed Little Miss before we left a Memorial Day party and the whole way home I smelled something gross and when I finally got home I realized it was on ME! And that shirt went into the wash. Because it's just poop. Get over it! Those are just things that happen when you are a parent.

So the moral of the story, and I guess this post is this-

If the ONLY reason you are not doing cloth is superficial-because you don't want to deal with poop then you should probably be rethinking having kids at all. Because poop just comes with the territory! And then get a better argument against using cloth if you plan on talking to me about it!

And don't complain that kids are so expensive either! Because they don't have to be! It's our society that forces us to think kids need a lot of stuff to be happy!

And if poop does scare you and you are already on your way to becoming a parent don't you worry...once that little angelic face smiles up at you, calls your name and runs into your arms or needs to be soothed when she bumps her lip-you won't care one little bit. Because they're worth it.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Homemade Almond Milk

At my house we love almond milk. Ever since my struggle to conceive and my diet change it's been a staple in our house. I won't go into all the reasons why I don't drink cow's milk anymore...you can google it if you really want to know the gross truth behind where it comes from and what's in it.

But I will say this-do any other mammals drink the milk of another mammal? Think about it-do monkeys drink dolphin milk? Elephants drinking lion milk? Cows drinking human milk...? So why do we need cow milk? Food for thought! It's another argument for why breast milk is so important but that's another post for another time! Our pediatrician even reiterated to us that as long as you are getting calcium from other healthy sources such as leafy greens, then no one ever actually needs cow's milk! Rice and coconut milk are other options, as is hemp milk, but since we don't have nut allergies to worry about, almond was the most affordable option. A lot of people think soy milk is a healthy alternative, but if you do your research you'll find that soy is especially dangerous to the body.

My Little Miss drinks almond milk daily and she loves it. We started giving it to her around her first birthday in lieu of cow's milk. I nursed her until she was 15 months old, only stopping because at three months pregnant it was hard on my body to nourish one baby while growing another! So I'm glad we started her on a milk alternative prior to weaning so she'd transition more easily.  She gets a sippy of milk with some kefir each morning  when she wakes up-it's the first thing she asks for. We recently started adding blended fruits and yogurt to make a breakfast smoothie. I sneak in some kale and flaxseed as well sometimes for an added healthy boost!

 

Almond milk from the store costs around the same as a gallon of dairy milk, so it's not too expensive, however there are still some added ingredients that after more research I wasn't crazy about us consuming on a daily basis-not to mention added sugars. Check out this article for some information about additives in commercial coconut and almond milks. 

Once I heard that, I truly wanted to find a better alternative. I had heard how easy it was to make my own almond milk at home, but I didn't think my blender would make it smooth enough. Then I discovered the nut milk bag purely by accident! I was looking for something to rinse and drain my quinoa in (have you ever tried to rinse quinoa in a strainer? It's nearly impossible!) and I found this cool product! At only $9.99 on Amazon I had to give it a try. Well it was totally worth it! Not only can I drain and rinse my quinoa much more easily, but I can make healthy, homemade almond milk at home as well! It also come in handy for straining the pulp out of my daughter's smoothies....she won't drink it if it has pulp. I blame Hubs for his weird aversion to any kind of pulp in his juice!

So I headed over to Pinterest and searched for homemade almond milk recipes and found this one. Seriously what did we do before Pinterest?! It's like, what did we do before Google?! But I digress.

For homemade nut milk you'll need some sort of food processor or blender. Recently we purchased a NutriBullet, a very reasonably priced alternative to a traditional juicer that does not take up a lot of space on your counter at all! And man does this thing BLEND! It makes things super smooth and liquefied in a minute or less! If you are in the "I really want a juicer but can't afford one" club then this little gadget is definitely a reasonable alternative. It worked quite nicely for making our milk. 

The first and most important step is to soak your almonds in a bowl of water overnight. This is very important as it makes the almonds soft enough to blend. Use a large bowl, 1 cup of almonds, and two cups of water. This is what our almonds looked like in the morning.


Drain your almonds and add them to the mixer of your choice. You also need to add the following:

• 6-8 cups water (you'll want to play around with this amount depending on how thin you want your milk to be)
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. honey
•  Optional: Cinnamon to taste 

The first time we tried it we didn't add cinnamon, but I have seen this in other recipes as something you can add. I added a little more vanilla because we usually buy the sweetended vanilla flavor, and I wanted our batch to taste close to what we're used to. 

 

 

After you've blended all of your ingredients (the recipe I followed said 3-5 minutes, but my NutriBullet worked in less than 2 minutes!) you need to drain the pulp out. We used a large Mason jar for our milk container. We placed the nut bag over the jar and poured the contents of the blender in slowly. We learned that it's best to put a bowl under your jar when doing this step in case of leaks or spills. Especially when you are working with a toddler! I really wish we had a FunPod because Little Miss loves helping in the kitchen, but I am always so worried about her falling. Here she is watching the pulp drain into the jar. She was very intrigued by this whole process!

 

Once the milk has been poured into the jar, squeeze the bag to get all the additional milk out. We ended up throwing away the pulp for now, which seemed like a waste to me. I am going to research uses for it...if anything I bet it would make good compost!  Once you have set your pulp aside, cover your container and give it a good shake to make sure all the ingredients are combined. Then keep it in the fridge and you are all set! I have read that it keeps in the fridge for about a week, but I bet ours will be gone before then! Following the recipe about we got a large Mason jar and a regular sized Mason jar's worth of milk. We used the full 8 cups of water.

 

So now I am sure you are wondering how it compares to the store bought stuff? Well for starters it is thinner, which like I said before you will want to play with the amount of water to change up the consistency depending on your liking. I like a thinner consistency so it was perfect for me. It was not as sweet as the store bought stuff, but since we don't tend to drink it straight anyway it didn't matter to me. Since we made it yesterday we have used it in our morning smoothies, and I put it in my morning oatmeal and quinoa this morning for breakfast. I tried it last night in cereal and it was perfect. Not too sweet and just the right consistency. And Little Miss did not notice a difference in taste at all. I think we have a winner here!

 

Go ahead and try it...you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy, affordable, and HEALTHY it is! 

 

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Two Under Two

My life with a newborn and a toddler under two years old has been quite the whirlwind this past month. I still can't quite believe that my Little Man is already a month old! Where does the time go?!

Having two under two is busy-that's no joke. Thank heavens for having Hubs home. I honestly don't know what I would do if he wasn't here...how do people manage? Between recovering from my c-section, to only being able to do the stairs once a day, to nursing pretty much around the clock, he's been a total lifesaver. I will never ever take for granted the fact that we were able to get him paternity leave. Especially since there is a WHOLE LOT more laundry. And it's nice having family time too of course. 

People have been asking how it's going. Honestly it hasn't been too bad. Of course we are tired and of course it's draining but thankfully our only job has been to be parents. So right now we have man to man coverage on the little ones so we aren't quite outnumbered. Clearly the fact that we don't really have any other responsibilities helps out too. Ask me how it's going in a month when Hubs goes back to work! 

There are of course some challenges. 

The laundry is insane. I don't quite understand how adding one more little human into the mix adds so much more laundry? I feel like we are doing loads every day. Thank goodness for the new high efficiency washer! Having two in diapers is rough, but even though we're washing every other day instead of every 3-4 days I still wouldn't change a thing. Having to do an extra load here and there still beats spending loads of money on disposables and also contributing that much more garbage to a landfill. When Little Man was in sposies for the first few weeks I was sick over the amount of extra garbage...and the cost! 

Keeping our little house organized and uncluttered has been a challenge too. Our house is only 1100 square feet with two bedrooms and a playroom. The kids share a closet, and we don't have much storage so we've had to be creative. We only keep out what we need and we are constantly rotating out toys and clothes. We have shelves and shelves of bins stacked in the basement that we're trying to now be very diligent about keeping organized. So far so good. My craft and creativity center has moved from the dining room table to the basement which I'm excited about. Hubs cleared out a corner just for me and my arts and crafts.  Once I can do stairs I can't wait to work down there in the evenings. We've created an extra living space in the basement as well with a tv corner and futon. I'm sure the tortoises are excited for the company! 

Keeping toys in the playroom only has been important to us as well. We want Little Miss to understand that everything has a place and she is very quick to pick up on where things go. She is learning young that it's important to put things in their proper place and every night we put everything away together so she learns the value of her things. I truly believe children can learn and accept responsibility even at such a young age!

How else has life changed with two? Well for starters Little Miss isn't the center of the world anymore. And for the most part she is ok with that, which is a good thing! She's very helpful, throwing things in the laundry, trash, or diaper pail. Or this morning when she was able to go get the boppy for me. She really likes being a helper and retrieving things or putting them away. Most of the time. She's really been patient with the fact that sometimes she has to wait for mommy's attention. Nursing a hungry newborn leaves me confined to the couch much of the day so we try to do things together from there like read stories or sing songs. Baby wearing Little Man has helped too, because it leaves me hands free to play with her. Don't get me wrong, sometimes she gets sad that mama is busy, but thankfully Hubs can usually distract her. They've been having tons of fun with all of their daddy-daughter time! 

I'll tell you though, I forgot how much I LOVE having a snuggly newborn! It is so amazing to hold that little baby and realize that you made him!! I love the smell, the snuggles, the nursing-and this time around it seems even more fleeting. Now that I know how fast it goes I appreciate it all even more! I love my toddler and seeing her grow and change into a little mini adult, but there's just something about the newborn stage that is so incredibly amazing. 

My favorite part of it all is watching Little Miss with her new brother. She can't quite say his name so she just calls him Baby. It's quite adorable. She brings him his blankies or his lovies and rattles and things. She points to his eyes and nose and names them. She was very concerned about his umbilical cord stump, and still checks to make sure it's gone. And she even gives him a tiny little kiss on the forehead every once in awhile...which melts my heart every time. I'm so excited for them to be so close and to grow up knowing one another and being buds. My siblings are my best friends, and I can't wait for my littles to have a built in best bud! It's so important to me for them to have each other. It's the little things every day and knowing they have each other that make all the craziness that much more worthwhile to me! 

Love and laughs,

Danielle

What do you REALLY need for baby?

I started this post weeks ago...forgive me for just finishing and publishing now!

The flu is never fun to begin with, but the flu at 36 weeks pregnant is truly miserable. I have been couch bound for two days. Today I am feeling better enough to sit up and eat some saltines, but still pretty stuck to the couch or bed. Thankfully the hubs has been taking care of Little Miss all weekend and took her to the aquarium today so I could rest and relax.

But of course, there is only so much Parenthood I can watch on netflix before I start to feel stir crazy. Bed rest would not do me well! Which got me thinking.

Since I had Little Miss I have always found it interesting how much "stuff" is marketed towards new parents. When hubs and I registered before she was born we left Babies R Us exhausted and with a registry full of stuff that I had no idea how to use or what it was for. With baby #2 coming along we have been getting out the stuff we need and there is remarkably less stuff this time around. Which I am quite thankful about. That got me thinking about what new moms really need for their babies? I decided to make a list of my favorite baby products that we couldn't live without and actually NEEDED.

So here are my top baby items:

1. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets-Receiving blankets are for the birds. These blankets are amazing. They're made of soft muslin that is breathable and cozy. Great for summer or winter and are made for swaddling the correct way. You can throw one over your car seat so your baby isn't exposed to the elements or the germs at the supermarket (no you don't need a car seat cover, just use a blanket!) They make good nursing covers too, and are big enough to spread out on the ground for some tummy time or a quick diaper change. These blankets got the most use in our house and will again for the next baby. I highly recommend these over any other blanket. They come in lots of fun patterns too!

2. Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper-Every time I mention co-sleeping people start squawking about how unsafe it is and how could I ever sleep with my baby and don't I worry about the safety, etc. etc. Co-sleeping does not necessarily mean that my baby is sleeping in my bed. That's bed-sharing (or family bed). Bed sharing is done all over the world and CAN be done safely. Co-sleeping can be a form of bed-sharing but can also involve the baby sleeping in the parents bedroom, either in a bassinet, co-sleeper, pack and play, etc. Research shows this is the safest place for baby during the first 6 months at least to decrease SIDS risks. Among other things, mom and dad are able to attend to baby's needs immediately, and it is best for the mother baby nursing relationship. Co-sleeping worked out for us for 18 months of my daughter's life. She started in the rock and play sleeper next to our bed (more on that later!) but I still felt like she was too far away from me to feel comfortable with knowing she was ok and breathing. We tried a pack and play and she didn't like how big, empty, and open it was. She has always been small and the transition from the womb, to rock and play to pack and play was a huge open space and she didn't like it at all. She's always been a snuggler. So I quickly found myself a co-sleeper and all of our sleep problems drifted away. It sidecars to the bed so that baby is in their own safe sleep space, but close enough to snuggle, and pull right into bed for nighttime feedings. As Little Miss got older and slept longer stretches it was still nice having her close, and when she woke up and wanted to nurse neither of us had to fully wake up. I loved having this and am so glad I can use it from the beginning this time!

3. Snuza Halo-This is my most favorite baby item of all time. Seriously. it saved my sanity and my sleep and gave me so much peace of mind. It's a little device that runs on a battery that attaches to the front of baby's diaper so the soft rubber part touches the baby's tummy. It works over a onesie too if you'd rather clip to pants. It monitors the baby's breathing and movement. Here's how it works:
"Superior Sensor: Placed next to baby's abdomen, detects even the slightest irregularity in breathing
Snuza Halo detects even the slightest movement and will alert you if your baby's movements are very weak or fall to less than 8 movements per minute.  If no movement at all is detected for a period of 15 seconds, Halo will vibrate gently. Often this vibration is enough to rouse the baby, and Halo will revert to monitoring mode. After three vibration/rouse incidents, the Rouse Warning will alert you to the fact that your baby's movements have stopped for 15 seconds on three occasions.
If no further movement is detected for another 5 seconds, an alarm will sound to alert you."
The alarm is LOUD. Even if baby was in another room you could hear it. We had it go off about 4 or 5 times. All of the times except one it was because I hadn't clipped it correctly and it had slipped off. There was at least one time though that the alarm sounded and it was on correctly. I picked my little one up and thankfully she was breathing. I will never ever know whether or not she actually stopped moving or breathing to have made it go off, but I am forever thankful that I had the alarm on her regardless. The best part about the snuza is that you can take it anywhere. We purchased the Angel Care Video Sound and Movement Monitor for the nursery, but since our nursery was downstairs Little Miss never slept there at night. There was no way I was having her on another floor from me, monitor or not! The angel care is great, and we use it now that she is in her own room. I can see and hear her at all times and it monitors that she is moving, the temperature in the room, etc. BUT it was set up in the crib. I couldn't sleep when she was sleeping at night because I was so worried she would stop breathing. I read somewhere that newborns forget to breathe in those first few weeks. Whether or not that's true I couldn't rest unless I had some peace of mind. So if she wasn't in her crib or my arms I was a wreck. When I discovered the snuza, I was up nursing one night and immediately ordered it from amazon. I couldn't wait for it to arrive! When I finally got to use it the first night I was super nervous because I was afraid to let my guard down. By the second night I was sleeping soundly. From then on, I slept like a tired mom (not like a baby...I don't know who came up with that!) each and every night. I highly recommend this for any new parents!

4. Rock 'n Play Sleeper-This thing is great. It's small enough to put by your bed or the couch, or really any room you are in, but lightweight and portable enough to move easily from room to room. We used this in the first few weeks for Little Miss to sleep in because I was unable to use the stairs after my c-section. What a life saver! I put it right next to the couch and she was an arm's length away from me. Once we moved upstairs and she was in the co-sleeper, it stayed downstairs. I could easily take it with me from room to room when I needed to put the baby down. It was small enough to fit in my tiny cubicle of a bathroom so I could put her in it while I showered. What a lifesaver! Little Miss never really cared for the swing so this was a great alternative. I also would put her in it when I was cooking (rare!) in the kitchen, folding laundry, or for naps during the day when she wasn't in my arms. This thing rocks and we have it ready and waiting for the new baby. Such a simple product that made our lives so much easier. And although we didn't deal with reflux, I hear that it is great for babies that have to sleep upright due to stomach issues. not to mention it's cozy and cocoon like as the womb is, so babies have an easier transition to being out in the world! We loved it especially when Little Miss got older too because when she had a stuffy nose or was congested sleeping upright really helped her get some sleep. A must for every baby registry!

5. Calma-For a nursing mom going back to work....or ever leaving the house this was essential! The Medela Calma nipple "allows them to suck, swallow and breathe, as learned on the breast. Whether you breastfeed or use Calma, the baby has to create a vacuum for breastmilk to flow. As soon as the baby pauses, the flow is stopped, this is also the way with breastfeeding." I was very concerned that once a bottle was introduced that Little Miss wouldn't want to nurse anymore (the wrong type of bottle can hinder a breastfeeding relationship) or if the bottle wasn't the right kind it would turn the baby off from the bottle and then she would ONLY want to nurse. I was very nervous about all of this because I was determined to be successful at breastfeeding even and especially once I went back to work! Cheri from The Care Connection was a great help and recommended the Calma. Everything I read and learned from breastfeeding class said to introduce a bottle between 3-5 weeks and dad should give the first bottle when mom isn't home. So at 4 weeks I went to visit my friend and her new baby in the hospital and left hubs alone with the baby and the bottle. She took to it beautifully, and still nursed just fine the same night. It very well could be that we have an easy going kid who goes with the flow (ha! no pun intended!) but I honestly believe the Calma was a huge help. I was able to successfully give Little Miss pumped breast milk for the duration of our nursing relationship when I couldn't be with her. Not to mention, I truly believe the Calma had a hand in helping her transition from a regular sippy cup to a straw sippy a lot quicker (9 months) because it has a similar feel to a straw. She actually preferred straw sippy cups pretty early on and I really think the fact that she didn't have a typical bottle nipple helped.

6. BOOKS-If there is one thing I want to stress to you as a teacher mom it's that there is one thing you can never ever have too many of in your house and it's books! This is the one thing I am ok with spoiling my kids with. Books are SO important.

6. A good soft structured ergonomically correct baby carrier! Baby wearing in and of itself is so important and amazing for bonding and helping parents get things done around the house! It also helps alleviate "flat head" syndrome because the baby is not always on its back in say a swing or sleeper. But I will stress the importance of getting a carrier that will not cause baby to be "crotch dangling."
 
Baby B'jorns are classic examples. This puts stress on baby's hip joints and can lead to hip dysplasia over time. Here's a good quick set of tips for successful and safe baby wearing.

I have three favorites. And trust me I tried out a few. I like different carriers for different reasons.

Shh, don't tell daddy I posted a pic of him! ;)

The Ergo-This carrier is great for being outside on long outings as it gives lots of support and does not put stress on parent's back or baby's hips.They are a little pricey, but you can watch sites like babysteals for good deals. I got mine for half price on Ergo's website! We have the standard, basic black one. I wanted the one with the stars or a purple one but wanted hubs to be willing to actually wear it...and I am glad I went with black because he does!

Using the Moby around the house!

The Moby Wrap-My cousin got me the Moby for my shower. At that point I was obviously not well-versed in baby wearing at ALL and was like "What the heck do I do with this looooong piece of fabric?! Well fast forward a few months later and I was wrapping like a BOSS. Hubs and I both LOVE the Moby wrap! It takes some practice, as does any carrier, to figure out proper adjustment, holds, and wrapping techniques, but it's perfect for quick trips or long ones, chores around the house, or even taking a nap with baby on your chest! (Making sure baby is safely and properly positioned of course!) It's very comfortable to wear, and is a great wrap for beginner baby wearers. And it can hold up to 35 pounds! I highly recommend the Moby, as it is one of the more affordable carriers out there and is great for anyone just starting out with baby wearing. I found it was easy to use for errands. I would wrap it and put it on myself before I got in the car, then when I arrived wherever I was going I would just pop Little Miss out of the car seat and into the wrap. Then I wouldn't have to re-wrap every time I got in and out of the car.

Rocking the K'Tan at the Farmer's Market!

The Baby K'Tan-This was a whim purchase! I loved my Moby wrap, but as I became more of an avid babywearer I did some more research and read about the K'Tan. It's essentially the same as a Moby except it's prewrapped for you. You just slide the two hoops around your shoulders, pop baby in, and tie the waist piece around you. SO easy peasy. Plus, there is a lot less fabric, so it keeps you cooler. I love love love my K'Tan and used it most of the time before Little Miss could walk or stand.


Now that Little Miss is bigger she is heavier so I tend to use the Ergo more for the support, but the K'Tan is still my favorite! The main thing to know is that you get more holds with the Ergo...you cannot use a soft structured carrier for a back carry, just front and side holds. If you want to use a wrap for a back carry then you need to get a strong linen wrap. You can check out this website for lots more useful info about baby wearing!

A word on clothing: Baby clothing is my vice. I can tell you that once I had Little Miss I pretty much never bought anything for myself ever again. (Ok that is a slight exaggeration, but I really couldn't tell you the last time I bought myself clothes!) Baby clothes are SO much fun to buy and receive because they are so damn cute! You will get tons of cute things before the baby is born (more so if you find out what you are having) and after too, people were SOOOOO generous to us! Who doesn't love buying cute little clothes for baby?! But I always tell new moms to keep in mind one important thing: Keep the tags on everything! You are going to want to wash and organize and put away all the cute little outfits immediately, (Yes, I did this! Learn from the error of my ways!) but DON'T! You don't know how big your baby is going to be...or in our case how small! Even without the receipts most stores will let you exchange sizes or outfits months or even years later! PJs and onesies are an exception, because you'll get use out of them no matter what, but definitely keep the tags on the other clothes until baby is here!

*****************

And honestly, that's it! You don't need lots of stuff for your baby! My child has a whole playroom full of toys which she does play with a lot! But she is also happy with boxes or baskets or pots and pans! We live in a society where everyone thinks they need to give their baby all sorts of STUFF. And don't get me wrong, we are very appreciative of everything that we have received as gifts and make good use of it all. But for those new moms out there who are stressing out about everything you think you need-don't! Just enjoy the time getting ready for baby. Before you know it he or she will be here and you will be perfectly content worrying about your little one. And baby will be ok with just your love. That's all the "stuff" that our littles need.

 Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Stop the Insanity!

Lately I have been seeing a lot of people sharing and talking about various blog posts by fellow mom bloggers. This is awesome. I got into blogging because I was inspired by all these other mamas who seemed to really have it together. After all, if they could handle blogging on top of parenting, jobs, housework, social lives...then we should be celebrating their efforts and accomplishments and sharing tips, tricks, and advice with one another.

I love reading mom blogs. On the left hand side of my blog you can see links to some of my favorite mommy blogs. I think it's SO important that moms support one another, and respect one another, despite what your parenting positions are, especially when there is so much negativity out there today regarding "The Mommy Wars."

Which brings me to my next point.

I have noticed a trend lately among mommy bloggers and just other mommies that I DON'T like.
Maybe you've noticed it too. Moms seem to be banning together to be telling like it is and talking about the harsh realities of parenthood in a very candid way. Sometimes too candid. And too abrasive.

Recently, I saw a blog post by a mom whose son was allegedly called an "a-hole" by another mom. Hold the phone, are you kidding? Who says that about a kid?! As I am reading I am really feeling for this mom. But then she does the unthinkable-SHE calls her son an "a-hole." WHAT? I am sorry but what? How can you ever use a word like that to describe your own child? The context was that a friend was calling her son too wild and in turn called her son an "a-hole." But then she responded with: "Well what the hell does she expect? He’s a 4-year-old BOY! Of course he’s a wild, crazy a-hole!"

I understand that she was "joking," but joking or not I cannot ever even imagine using such harsh words about my child. I don't care how frustrated I am or how tired or spread too thin. It's just not acceptable.

I think some moms (bloggers or not) feel that moms who don't yell or swear or say sarcastic things are out of touch or trying to put on a show or something. Every mom is spread thin. Every mom is tired. Every mom has her moments. I get frustrated when my daughter has a tantrum. A few weeks ago we were in Target and Little Miss had her very first public meltdown. She wanted to drink out of a sippy that I put in the cart to buy for my cousin's son, and of course it had nothing in it so she was MAD. She screamed and cried and wanted to get down and I could have yelled or spanked her or swore or hung my head in shame. But, as someone wise once told me, life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. So I did the best I could. We visited the snack bar where a very nice Target worker gave us a cup full of water. Then I got what I needed quickly, all while talking calmly to her and eventually she calmed down and we went home. Not once did I EVER think to call her a name or scream. Not my style. And I am Italian with a capital I, so that's saying a lot. But I believe childhood is precious and regardless of how hard things are, I never want to look back and regret something I said or did to my baby.

My point is, why are moms acting like it's "cool" or "funny" to rally together to say how much parenting sucks sometimes? I have seen so many things online lately whether from blogs or e-cards or memes that say things about how parents can't wait until their kids go to bed, or talk about how their kids are such a burden. I know most of it is probably meant to be in jest, and maybe I am more sensitive to certain things because of my stuggle to get pregnant. But is it really necessary to talk about your kids using swear words?

I know that mom was defending her son. And I don't blame her at all. I am not trying to pick on this one mom. I don't know her and I certainly respect her mama bear attitude. I would be and feel the same way if someone said something bad about my kid. But maybe tone it down on the harsh words. What is he going to think someday when he grows up and reads her blog and sees that his mama called him such a name?

Another post that made the rounds awhile back got to me as well.
This post had a mom talking about parenting "teams." So many people on my friends list shared and liked and commented on how great this woman's post was. She was all up in arms because she doesn't want to be labeled as a specific type of parent or be lumped into a group. She doesn't want to be called an attachment parent and is proud of using lysol and disposable diapers and thinks that because she uses or does those things that other moms will judge her. And maybe some will, but that doesn't make it right. But it also isn't right to talk about the people who choose to do or not do certain things in the same negative way.

That's fine that you don't want to be labeled. No one does. But do you need to be so negative about those people that DO like to identify with a certain group? I know that  I personally love being able to identify with other like minded people. I have made a lot of friends this way and feel like I have a great network of resources of like minded mommies to go to for advice, support, or just to vent and talk! What's wrong with wanting to identify with others? That saying "It takes a village" has some truth to it!

I very proudly consider myself an attachment parent. You all know this. I am proud to nurse my babies anywhere and everywhere and ::gasp:: past the age of one. I baby wear. I co-sleep. We use cloth diapers. I did my best to make my own baby food. We spread out vaccines-but we DO get all of them!  And I am proud of those things.

Have we used disposables? Yes! My daughter is in one right now as a matter of fact since we are sans washing machine. I have no plans to wash diapers in the sink. And I am ok with that.

Has my daughter had pouches? And pizza? And french fries? Yes! Because we do our best to shop organic and non-GMO but we also live life. And if it's pizza Friday then Little Miss is having pizza. And if we are at Tim Horton's she gets a timbit. And she loves it! And I am ok with that.

Guess what? I DON'T believe in home birthing! If you do, more power to you! But for me and my family, I am a firm believer in a hospital birth. I had a c-section due to an emergency situation the first time around, and yes I have a scheduled one for this baby. And I am ok with those things too.

But do you see me feeling guilty or swearing or talking bad about others who disagree with me? NO! Because everyone's situation is different, and every family has to do what's best for them. And I guarantee you that doesn't make me any less of an "attachment parent." Or a parent for that matter.

Go ahead and call me AP. Go ahead and call me crunchy. Or "team green" because I am not finding out the sex of my babies. Put whatever label you want on me. I don't really care. I think people who get mad about that kind of thing are thinking way too much about it. Maybe they feel guilty for not being more like this way of parenting or that way and that's their way of coping with it. Who knows. But I honestly think everyone needs to settle down, stop fighting about how we choose to raise our kids and just respect one another. No one needs to be getting all up in arms and swearing because they feel like they are falling short of the expectations they put on themselves-or the expectations that they believe or perceive others/society to be putting on them.

What we all need to remember is what it all boils down to: our babies.

As long as your little ones are fed, clothed, have a roof over their heads, are paid attention to and LOVED then you are doing a good job.

I know I am doing a good job. Because my little one is happy and loved.

So go ahead and put a label on me.

The only label I care about is the one my babies give me: Mommy.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Friday Favorite & a Celebration!

First Friday Favorites post in quite awhile! I have to share a product that I absolutely LOVE with you today but first I want to share my excitement over a recent milestone:

The Good Life facebook page has reached and surpassed 100 likes! I know that this may seem like small potatoes to some bloggers, but for me it was really exciting. I feel like I don't even know 100 people in real life so to have SO many fans like and follow the page truly means a lot. Thank you all for sharing with your friends and for passing the word along! I will do my very best to keep bringing you tips and tricks for living a greener, better, simpler life!

One more thing before we move on to my Friday Favorite. It has been brought to my attention by my friend Kelly, a fellow blogger over at Healthy Revenge, that sometimes facebook makes it hard for people to see all of my posts on The Good Life page, including blog updates. So if you would, please head on over to The Good Life's facebook page and make sure your screen looks like this:

"Following" should have a check next to it. Also, if you click on the "liked" box it will also give you the option to "get notifications" which you can click if you feel like being notified every time I post in your notifications. Thank you! Keep sharing and engaging in The Good Life here on the blog and on facebook!

Now for my current Friday Favorite!

This one is especially for all the mamas out there, but all women (and maybe some men too...with long hair?) can definitely benefit from this one!

As a busy mom there are always days when Little Miss wakes up before I am ready and I am cursing the fact that I can't just leave the house with my hair wet and not done...I might scare the children in my class. And my mother, who has a peeve about wet hair would kill me. (I know she would probably never know but I would have lingering guilt that she'd find me out!)

Showering, makeup, dressing, and coffee can all be taken care of in a reasonable amount of time, but factor in drying and straightening my longish hair and it adds about 20 minutes. That is a great deal of precious time when you have to get a toddler out the door and want to actually spend a few minutes of quality time with her before you leave. I have to be to work at 7:25. I work 5 minutes from home....thank God. Otherwise I would never make it. And usually am walking in right on time!

I am a big fan of the IDEA of dry shampoo. A product that will help a busy mama on the go get ready and not have greasy looking hair? I'm sold. But I tried tons of other ones that just didn't work. They made my hair heavy, thick, gray looking, and some even more greasy. Not to mention the chemicals! Before I was pregnant with Little Miss I tried the Tresemme dry shampoo. It smelled atrocious. I actually would hold my breath when I used it! Just look at the EWG ratings!

Ingredient Concerns

Ingredient	Concerns	Score
FRAGRANCE	Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Miscellaneous, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
OCTINOXATE METHOXYCINNAMATE	Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Limited
ISOBUTANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns (BUTADIENE), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Limited
BUTANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns (BUTADIENE), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
PROPANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
SD ALCOHOL 40B	Enhanced skin absorption, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: None
SULISOBENZONE BENZOPHENONE 4	Enhanced skin absorption, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
SILICA, AMORPHOUS	Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Fair
ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE	Contamination concerns (ALUMINUM POWDER), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions	Data: None
ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE	Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)	Data: Fair

The overall score is an 8 which is considered "High Hazard." No wonder I had to hold my breath!
Not to mention it didn't work! 

I gave up on dry shampoo. Until thankfully due to my short lived Birchbox subscription I discovered this awesome product! It totally comes in handy on days when I just don't have time to wash my hair let alone do all the other primping that comes along with it!

LuLu Organics Hair Powder is seriously a miracle product. It is talc free, organic, and made from completely all natural ingredients. Check it out:

I was not sure this stuff would work. After all the directions say that you only need a dime sized amount. Boy was I mistaken! A little goes a LONG way. And it doesn't leave your hair feeling weighted down or greasy, and doesn't leave a residue or look gray like other dry shampoos. It comes in four scents, the one I received which I LOVE is lavender and clary sage which is a nice fresh smelling scent. It retails for $30 for 4 oz which might seem like a lot but it will last FOREVER. The tiny sample amount that I received lasted me for a long time, and I used it a lot! If you aren't sure you want to commit to the larger size before trying, they have a 1 oz travel size that is only $9.50! I absolutely love this stuff. It's the perfect solution to those "days of unwash" where you still want to look, smell, and feel good! You can purchase it directly from their website or from Amazon as well! The best part about it besides the fact that it WORKS is that it is completely natural. Talc is controversial, being linked to carcinogens, and many powder based cosmetics contain talc. I don't know about you but I would much rather spend a little extra and KNOW I am getting a fabulous all natural product. Especially if I am putting it on my body where all the ingredients will be absorbed!




So if you are looking for a fabulous dry shampoo alternative, then look no further than LuLu Organics!

I thank you all again for reading and following, and hope you will continue to enjoy and share The Good Life!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Social Experiment

Last weekend I went to dinner with my sister and her two friends for her one friend's birthday. While we were waiting (30 minutes, ugh....not good for a pregnant mama!) in the bar area shoveling in peanuts and popcorn (which easily could have accounted for dinner by the time we were done!) I noticed something.

Instead of truly conversing with one another we were all on our phones. I was scrolling through my newsfeed, and the three others were sending snaps and checking winks or whatever it is the youngin's are doing these days. Compared to all of them I feel old. Facebook is old news in the social media world. Or so they tell me.

Anyway, sure we were chatting here and there but we weren't truly THERE.

It made me think about my last post and one of the goals I have for myself.

Put.Down.The.Phone.

Ironically then,  I happened upon this meme as I scrolled through my feed:



  

I have seen before and am pretty sure I have it pinned too. My mom and brother and I tried it once last summer but we gave up (well, my brother and I did) and we didn't take it seriously.

Have you ever done this? I told the group I had an idea for a game we could play during dinner but wanted them to agree without knowing what it was. Andrea agreed right away, assuming we were going to act weird in public or something. My sis figured out what it was and agreed, and CJ was in as long he would win. I told them either one of us would lose, or all of us would win! I told them it just involves us and our willpower!

I showed them the picture above and Andrea, a self-admitted phone addict immediately said she knew she'd lose. I said, well since it's your birthday it's more incentive to not have to buy us dinner! We were all excited and also nervous. I was totally in, after all, I have to work on my goal of less phone time, but wanted to make sure my ringer was on with a special ringtone for Hubs in case he called with an emergency. But still, we were in! Andrea had to turn off her phone because it gave her such anxiety. But after a few minutes we all realized that she was defeating the purpose! So we turned it on and stacked our phones in the center of the table.

I wish I had a picture but I couldn't use my phone! Just shows how much we rely on our phones every minute.

For the first few minutes we giggled and laughed about how hard it was going to be and then the amazing happened.

We stopped talking about our phones and conversed.

Truly conversed with one another for almost three hours!!!

I got to know Andrea and CJ a lot better, which was really cool. I found out so much about them that I didn't know. I realized that my sister picks some pretty good people to be around. 

We talked about careers, schools, parenting, my little one, nieces and nephews, pregnancy, pedicures (we had all gotten them that afternoon) the weather in Buffalo, how delicious our food was, etc. etc. etc. It was the first time in (I'm embarrassed to admit) I can't even tell you how long that I truly sat down and was present with the people I was with and wasn't distracted by my phone. I think it was the same for the company I was with as well.

By the time the bill was delivered, we were all paying for our own meals. No one had touched their phones and we all agreed it needs to be something that people do much more often. For the betterment of society.

And then we all opened the iPhone calculator to figure out the tip.

Such is life! 

Try it sometime. You will feel as liberated as we did, I promise.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Living Simply and Living Well

Happy New Year!

It's 2014...by now our parents and grandparents thought we'd have flying cars and robot servants, yet here we are. Although we aren't too far off. I consider Siri a pretty important part of my day-she schedules things on my calendar, sets my alarm, looks up things for me, sends texts, calls people...so she's KIND of like Rosie! And Amazon is working on these little drones that fly your stuff to you and deliver it in less than 30 minutes...like a pizza! So I guess we are getting close.

We have technology that does everything for us. I can remember a time where I had to look up information in an encyclopedia or a phone book...now I can just "google it." We don't have to think for ourselves anymore! And while having so much information literally at our fingertips is often a good thing, I think it has also helped contribute to a disease that most everyone I know has these days...TMSD.

Too
Much
Stuff
Disorder.

Stay with me here.

In this world where we can facebook and pinterest to our hearts content, all we are seeing is STUFF. Stuff that advertisers want us to see, stuff that our friends have, stuff that complete strangers have. And we think, why can't I have that too? I want more STUFF. Because in our society these days, all we are bombarded with on a daily basis is commercialism.

I am guilty of this. But most likely, so are YOU.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately for two reasons.

First of all, the nesting is starting. I come home and freak out because I feel like WE ARE SO NOT READY FOR ANOTHER BABY IN THREE MONTHS. How can this be? I ask myself? I have everything I need from when Little Miss was a baby...and because we didn't find out what we were having, everything is gender neutral. We are set. So how can I feel we are not ready? Because it's ingrained in my mind that we need stuff to have a baby. Then I remind myself that babies need 3 things: Love, food, shelter, and more love. And if you're my kid then you need a binky too. THAT'S it! I have plenty of love to give, a roof over my head, and all the milk in the world that I produce myself. Kick ass. I am ready.

The second reason is of course the Christmas season. While we are TOTALLY and COMPLETELY grateful for everything we received for ourselves and Little Miss this year, the hubs and I came home last week completely overwhelmed. Where would we put all of the shiny new stuff?! We live in an 1100 square foot cape with two bedrooms. We have a living room/dining room and a tiny kitchen with one small counter. That's all folks. No playroom, no office, no attic for storage because we just turned it into a third bedroom for Little Miss because once the baby comes she needs to be in her own room. We have one small linen closet. Where to put everything? My house was built in '39, so I think to myself, how did they survive with such little space? Well, think about how our grandparents lived back in the day...the reason houses were small was because they only had what they truly NEEDED. Do my husband and I need 25 towels? Absolutely not. But that's about how many we have!

Then I stumbled across this blog post.

This woman took her kids' toys away! All of them!
At first I thought, "What a meanie, how can she do that to her kids?" Then I read more and realized she was echoing the same sentiments I mentioned above. When there are too many things around us, we can't truly focus on what's in front of us, and what is truly important.

Which leads me to my next point.

When I was in what I like to refer to as my "pre-adult" life (the years prior to turning 25). My mindset was still in the egotistical phase. I made resolutions like "This is the year I will get skinny" or "This year I will start eating better" or  "This year I won't take crap from anybody." Etc. etc. etc.

Here's what's wrong with those "resolutions." First, they don't contribute to making anyone better but YOU. Of course I think that people should focus on improving themselves and their lifestyle, after all that's what this blog is all about. But why do you need to wait until January 1st to do so? Anyone ever walk into a gym during the month of January? By March it's the same old clientele. What's wrong with making one small change at a time to better yourself? For example: "In January I am going to commit to drinking enough water every day." Followed by, "I am going to cut down to one cup of coffee or tea a day." Small goals are better on the road to success, that's what I have found in my "adult" (post age 25) life.
Secondly, I don't think people should make resolutions-I think people need to make goals that they can stick with. Make goals that will make your world and the world around you a better place for you, your family, friends, and others. My goal last year was to slowly start becoming more "green." It has been an ongoing goal though. Am I where I want to be yet? Not completely. Have I made HUGE gains that I am totally proud of? Heck yea! But I am not done. Because I don't believe you are ever done improving yourself or your world. I think it's something you do over time, not just on January 1st. That being said, if that is the natural "do over" time that works for you and your timetable, by all means, start today! But just remember to make more attainable small goals that will lead up to your overall goal!

Before I get into my goals, I want to share what I am proud of from last year. Here are some things I am really happy that I have worked on and maintained in 2013.

• Every night that we are all home, my family and I sit down for dinner around the table together. There's no TV, just the 3 of us spending quality time together.

• I have successfully kept my promise to myself that schoolwork stays at school, and have not brought anything home which might interfere with family time, which is #1!

•  As a family we have successfully kept our promise to recycle more than we throw away. Our recycling bin is always overflowing and we only have to put garbage out once every other week.

• I have really gotten better about starting to get rid of things we don't need. It's still a work in progress but I have gotten a lot better!

• On the whole, I have made many changes to "greenify" our house in almost every area, from cleaning products to toiletries, and while this too is a work in progress, we are much improved from a year ago.

That being said, I would like to share my "goals" for 2014. Partially because I want to write them down so it makes me more likely to work hard at them, and also because I'd like you to follow on my journey if you are so inclined! Together we can work to make our worlds better for ourselves and our families!

Goal 1: Three nights per week will be dedicated to turning off the TV/other screens and accomplishing things around the house.

I am making this goal, because at night, as soon as Little Miss is in bed, Hubs and I find ourselves in front of the TV and/or computer/iPad vegging out. We're tired from working all day and then coming home to spend what precious little time we have with the little one, and all we want to do is veg. But then on the weekends we find ourselves overwhelmed with the sheer amount of housework that has piled up. (I make it a rule to not do any work around the house when Little Miss is awake. They are only little for so long and I like to dedicate that time to to spending quality time with her.) Of course I do the things I have to do to get ready for the next day like pack her bag, pick out clothes, laundry, etc. but other than that we are plopped on the couch post 7 pm. Which is ironic, considering we don't believe in screen time for Little Miss! So, after bedtime for Little Miss, Monday and Friday are my designated veg out nights, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be dedicated to household chores, organization, blogging, or crafting. It's my hope that carving this time our for myself will really improve my ability to get things done that I might otherwise put off!

Goal 2: Try our first ever "spending freeze."

For 31 days starting this Sunday (we have to grocery shop first!) Hubs and I have decided to take a page from Ruth over at Living Well & Spending Less, and try out her plan for spending zero for one month. There are exceptions of course such as necessities, but you can read more about what the Ground Rules are at her blog. I am really excited to try this. I think it will be a huge challenge for both of us, but for me especially. While I don't have a Starbucks habit, I do tend to spend a little here, a little there (especially at Target!) which just leads to more STUFF. Precisely what I was talking about earlier, and what leads me to my next goal.

Goal 3: Cut the CLUTTER and SIMPLIFY!

We have too much stuff. And our house is overflowing with it. Our junk drawer has turned into a junk closet. Or that's what it seems like. We have good intentions, but it seems like we never get anywhere because more stuff keeps coming in but not enough goes out! So I am going to start the process one room at a time. (Actually, I started this past week, organizing and cleaning out all of our kitchen drawers....we had about 30 extra pieces of silverware that don't match our set. Where did they come from? But that proves my point about not waiting for the New Year to start on a goal!) Again, the blog I mentioned above has great ideas for this, including pretty checklists and everything. I plan to make it my own and do it a little at a time, because after all I need to start with small, attainable goals that I can actually reach! One closet, drawer, or  room at a time and I will get there! And no, I am not going to take all of my toddler's toys away and not give them back. But when she moves into her big girl room I am going to be very selective about what enters the room, how things are stored, and how we organize the new playroom/former nursery. Toys will be rotated in and won't all be readily available all the time. I am planning on this now in hopes that it just becomes the culture around here.

Goal 4: Put the cell phone down in one spot when I get home and don't pick it up unless it's an important call (or if my baby is doing something cute and I have to take a picture). ;)

Good Lord this is going to be the hardest one. I am addicted to my iPhone. Seriously. I know I have a problem. And it's rubbing off on my Little, who hands me my phone if I am not holding it. I find myself mindlessly scrolling through e-mails, pinterest, facebook, you name it, just because it's there. I just don't want it attached to me 24/7 at home like it is now. It's not healthy and I want to set a good example for my daughter before she's asking for an iPhone for her 2nd birthday!

Goal 5: Hang more pictures!

I have a 2 TB hardrive. That's a lot of storage. I take pictures like it's my job. Seriously, I have over 1,000 on my phone as we speak and another 11,000 on the computer. But I have maybe 5 hanging in my house. That needs to change! And it will this year.

So there you have it. My goals for the new year. I think all of them will be really important as we embark upon this new journey of having two under two in a few months, but I also think it will improve our quality of life as well.

I hope that you too will think about what the new year can bring in terms of change, but don't bog yourself down with one huge goal that in a few months will be long forgotten. Start small and see what you can accomplish that way. A year from now you never know how far you might have come!

Happy New Year!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle