Weekend Links

by on January 29, 2012
in links · Leave a Comment

It’s a beautiful January day… here’s what’s going on around these parts of late…

Currently…

listening… Henri Salvador, a few good playlists on Spotify

eating… a pear

drinking… elderberry tea with raw honey

wearing… my pajamas

feeling… a bit under the weather

wanting… to organize my craft area

needing… a good night’s sleep

thinking… about the fun beach day we had yesterday

enjoying… lots of time with friends and family this weekend

weather… amazing, sunny, warm days

thankful for… the fact that we were healthy for over three months before finally getting colds again!

And now for your reading enjoyment, here are a few links.

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From Pinterest to Real Life: January 2012

by on January 27, 2012
in inspiration & creativity · 10 Comments

It’s that time again… the last Friday of the month means our fun linky where you can showcase some of the fun things that you’ve taken from your pinboards to reality!

I’m not sure if it’s due to a post-holiday detox or the fact that my craft area is currently still “under construction” after I started (but have yet to finish) my new year organization overhaul, but this month I didn’t do much crafting. So for January, the pins that saw the light of real life are mostly on the tasty side…

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Baby-Led Weaning: Real Food for Little Ones

by on January 25, 2012
in health, nutrition, & food, natural parenting · 30 Comments

Written by editor Nicole Bennett.

I can barely believe my littlest treasure is old enough to be eating any food other than mama’s milk, but time sure does fly, especially with baby number three. Right before Christmas, when we found ourselves at the six-month milestone I decided it was time to start introducing solids.

This time around, I wanted to try something new in terms of baby food. I mainly fed my first baby, Gigi, homemade baby food. I was an avid student of the Super Baby Food book and thoroughly enjoyed it. When Brody came along, a generous friend brought us jars of organic baby food by the bagful, which was such a blessing. I continued to supplement that stash with homemade purées.

A friend had mentioned the term baby-led weaning to me a couple of years ago and after recently coming across the idea again, I decided that with baby number three, this method just might work out best for me. I’ve been gradually taking our family down the real food road so it just makes sense to me to dive right into real food with the baby.

Not to mention… what mom of a four-year old and a one-and-a-half-year old has time to sit down and feed the baby a whole jar of food anyways (let alone batch cook and puree?!)?

Today I’m here to tell you a bit about the philosophy and what the first couple of months of eating have been like for baby Hallee.

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10 Simple Ways to Clean Up Your Diet

by on January 23, 2012
in health, nutrition, & food · 36 Comments

Written by contributor Donielle Baker of Naturally Knocked Up.

When most people start thinking about healthier eating and cleaning up their diet, they easily get overwhelmed. And how can you not with all of the information out there? All of a sudden everything in your kitchen looks toxic and you have no idea where to start. Or the idea of buying expensive organic and grass-fed products seem out of reach. These simple changes will get you headed in the right direction.

Simple Ways to Clean Up Your Diet

1. Make Your Own Seasonings

All to often those convenient little seasoning packets you find in the supermarket have added fillers, sugars, and flavor enhancers. Making your own at home can help you avoid unnecessary and unwanted ingredients while also saving you money and allowing you to personalize the seasonings to your own taste. I have found most seasoning recipes are easily found online and most can be made with spices and herbs you already have at home.

Making it even easier, you can mix your seasonings in bulk which saves you time in the kitchen. The three I always have ready to go are:

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Weekend Links

by on January 22, 2012
in links · 1 Comment

No snow where we live, just a bit of rain… but every now and then I can’t help but imagine a winter wonderland outside when I’m curled up by my fireplace. Wherever you find yourself, I hope you get a cozy moment to check out these great reads.

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