Mommy Made: Naturally Living

My friend Sabrina is a bit of a wonder to me. She does things as naturally as possible; she makes household products like soaps, lip balm, medicines, salves, etc. She also raises chickens for eggs and meat and I believe she recently acquired a duck! She is like my own frontierswoman in the flesh and she makes it look good, oh and easy to do! Sabrina will be sharing posts with Mama On The Bright Side under the name Mommy Made about her natural methods; how to make natural remedies and products and why. Below you will find Sabrina’s story of why she embarked upon this natural lifestyle. If you have any questions for Mommy Made or would like more information please email mamabrightside@gmail.com .

Sabrina's Story:

My journey to alternative/natural medicine starts with a sick baby. William was born via c-section at 39 weeks. Because of the c-section he had a lot of fluid on his lungs; his first cries sounded more like drowning. After a few days in the NICU we came home. He never sounded quite right. He sounded almost like a lawn mower when he slept. After about 3 weeks he ended up back in the hospital with fluid still on his lungs (bronchiolitis was the diagnosis). So we started albuterol and another inhaled steroid (I forget the name) and after 10 days, we were sent home.

About a month later we were back in the hospital for RSV and Bronchiolitis. He had multiple breathing treatments, every day. You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, the whole "this isn't right" feeling? That led me to research the medications he was taking. Up until this point I never questioned a doctor. Ever. The things I found out about these medicines terrified me. Asthma, dependence, the very things we were supposedly trying to prevent were the side effects of these medications. I was shocked, and honestly a bit mad. But God is sovereign.

God placed a wonderful lady in my life that grew up on natural medicine and treats her family with it. So I sought her advice. She recommended oregano spray; it kills viruses and helps with breathing issues. I was skeptical but I gave it a try. The very first night I sprayed his little feet, his back and all of his bedding with the oregano. The first thing I noticed, right away, actually was his breathing. It was clear! Even with the prescriptions William had rattle sounding breathing. I kept checking on him because he was so quiet I was afraid he stopped breathing. We quit the meds cold turkey and never looked back. About a month off of his meds he went in for a checkup. The doctor was amazed at how clear he sounded. She immediately got irritated when I told her it was something natural. Oh well.

God knew in creation that we would sin. That sin would bring sickness and disease. He created plants with the power to heal. I'm not advocating never going to the doctor. We still go, after I've tried something natural or I don't know what's wrong. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to natural medicine. It's been an exciting journey; I know we aren't finished yet. Thanks for letting me tell my story.

Mommy Made

Blogger Opp: Mother's Day Kindle Fire HD Giveaway 5/1 - 5/11

**1 Winner**

Prize:

Kindle Fire HD

Hosted by:

Want to participate in an amazing giveaway to give one awesome mom a great gift? Come and join in on this opportunity with Mama Foster.

Sign-ups close 4/28

**The blogger with the most referrals will receive the additional links at no cost
**Please copy my URL to submit in the form!**

Click HERE to sign up and for more html info.

**Only a certain amount of co-hosts will be taken, so please sign up as soon as you can so you won't lose a spot!

           

 

Win Big! 3 Winners in This Huge Earth Day Giveaway!

Welcome to the Growing Green Earth Day Extravaganza!

hosted by: We're Parents

Spring into action with this awesome giveaway!

Huge Thank You to our amazing sponsors for making this happen! We couldn't have done have pulled off this huge event for all our readers without the help of: Toter, Gardener's Supply Company, Lifetime, BrylaneHome, Jiffy Pot, Ferry Morse Seeds, and The Tasteful Garden. 

We will have three lucky winners each get some amazing prizes!  

The Grand Prize winner will receive a Toter outdoor composter, a BrylaneHome rolling deck box, an Organic Tomato Success Kit from The Gardener's Supply Company, Jiffy Pot Greenhouse trays and refills, Ferry Morse seeds, and a $75 giftcard to The Tasteful Garden! A total value of over $540!  It truly is a gardener's dream come true to win this giveaway! 

Second Prize Winner will receive a Lifetime Dual Composter, an Organic Tomato Success Kit from The Gardener's Supply Company, Jiffy Pot Greenhouse trays and refills, as well as Ferry Morse seeds. All valued at over $400!

The Third Prize Winner will receive Jiffy Pot Greenhouse trays and refills and Ferry Morse seeds.  A $30+ value.

Visit We're Parents to learn more about these companies, to check out the Earth Day bloggers posts, and more by clicking HERE.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: We're Parents and the blogs participating are not responsible for prize fulfillment/shipment. We're Parents received the items mentioned above to review at no cost and was not monetarily compensated for hosting this giveaway, nor were we compensated in any way for the promotion of this giveaway. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and any other social media are not affiliated with this giveaway. 

Win a Chef's Apron for the Grill Master in Your Life!

Welcome to the Chef Apron Father's Day Giveaway!

Hosted by: Mixed Bag Mama

Sponsored by: Crooked Brook

Do you have a grill master (or grill novice) in your life? Wouldn't he look dashing and official in a brand new chef's apron from Crooked Brook while cooking out on the grill this summer? Check out the details below and simply use the Giveaway Tools widget for your chance to win 2 of your very own chef aprons!

Memorial Day (Monday, May 26, 2014) is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the last Monday of May in remembrance of the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is also the unofficial start of the summer. In some parts of the country, it is also the day of the first big barbecue or cookout and more often than not, it will be a male family member or friend manning the grill.

What is it with guys, fire and raw meat?

A useful and much appreciated gift for any cook or chef is an apron and for that reason, Crooked Brook is sponsoring a Chef Apron Giveaway.

This will also make a great Father’s Day gift for dads who like to cook.

 

Since 1989 Crooked Brook has designed and manufactured chef wear for the world’s most recognized men and women in the noble art and science of gastronomy. All Crooked Brook branded garments and accessories are made to order in the U.S.A and can personalized with the customer’s choice of fabric, pockets, buttons, piping and embroidery.

The giveaway consists of:

Two, Apron Style #700 - 35” W x 25” L (approximately), made in white, 10 oz., 100% cotton denim. Depending on the height of the wearer, this apron is calf length. …$30.00

Total Prize Value with SHI…$45.00

 

Aprons were originally worn as a utilitarian outer garment to cover the front of the body to protect the wearer’s clothes from soiling, wear and tear. Over the years many different styles of aprons evolved depending on the purpose and were often named after the trade, craft or profession that used that particular design.

 

A chef apron is waist apron which is a square or rectangular piece of fabric that ties around the waist to cover the body from the waist down. For a cleaner look, some chefs fold the top of the apron over the ties (see image). With a pocket (sometimes divided to create a pen pocket) to hold an order pad (dupe pad) it becomes a bistro apron.

 

These mid-calf length “old school” heavy duty chef aprons are hard to find and coveted by professional chefs and serious cooks alike.

Crooked Brook also makes a 35” W x 25” L apron that is perfect for grill masters who like to wear shorts and cook over an open or pit fire because the length protects bare legs from the heat.

 

Another good thing about these aprons is that after they are too dingy and beat up to wear in public, you can cut them up into 100% cotton rags.

Cant to wait to see if you won? Receive a 10% discount on all Crooked Brook Chef Wear and Accessories: Aprons, Bib Aprons (blank, printed or embroidered) Women’s Aprons (blank, printed or embroidered) Chef Coats (blank or embroidered) and Women’s Chef Coats (blank or embroidered) from 4/15/14 to 4/29/14 with the Coupon Code “Mixed Bag Mama Chef Apron Giveaway”.

Contest Rules:

· You must be 18 years or older to enter.
· Crooked Brook will ship the prizes to the winner within 30 days of contest end. If address is undeliverable or prize is unclaimed and sent back, winner is responsible for re-shipping charges.
· Physical address required for shipping; no PO boxes, US recipients only residing in one of the 48 contiguous states.

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: Mixed Bag Mama and all other promoting blogs did not receive financial compensation for this post. Mixed Bag Mama did receive products in exchange for hosting this giveaway. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with any social media sites. If you have any questions about this giveaway, please contact Alicia of Mixed Bag Mama at alicia owen 6814 at yahoo dot com.

Lullaby CD Winners!

Congratulations!

Entry-Form

Win a Luxury Stroller from baby roues!

Welcome to the baby roues Luxury STROLLER Giveaway 

Courtesy of babyroues 

hosted by: We're Parents!?

I mean really, who wouldn't love this stroller!?

*babyroues Strollers*

simple lightweight compact

Read a full review of a baby roues LeTour stroller HERE.

babyroues proudly introduced the first compact and lightweight luxurious infant-to-toddler Bassinet and Stroller system, which uses the highest technological quality workmanship and safety features available.  For your ultimate convenience the stroller and bassinet have a Dual-facing capability.  It's ONE OF A KIND folding mechanism allows for the bassinet and stroller to fold while attached to the stroller too!  This system will WOW you and your baby from infancy through toddler.  

Prices for this luxury stroller start at just $579 for the LeTour II with upgrade options available for the LeTour Lux II and Special Collectors Edition LeTour Demin. 

Enter using the Giveaway Tools form below. One lucky winner will win their choice of ANY stroller from the baby roues collection.  Good Luck!

Open to US Only (Void where prohibited)!!  Ends 4/28/14 at 11:59 PM EST.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: We're Parents!? and this blog are not responsible for prize fulfillment/shipment. We're Parents!? received monetary compensation to facilitate this giveaway. Participating blogs did not receive compensation for promoting this giveaway.  Social media sites are not affiliated with this giveaway
.

Sleep Training Success, Even With Twins

Being a parent can be tough. Becoming a parent for the first time can even be scary. There is just so much to learn and do. I think one of the best things I could tell a new mother-to-be is, “take all of your expectations about how this is going to go, and how you are going to do things, and throw them out the window.” Some of the best lessons I have learned as a new mom, I learned on the fly in those lovely “sink or swim” type of moments. You know the kind. The ones where you are in the grocery store and your infant or toddler is having a gigantic meltdown and every, yes every, pair of eyes in the place is on you just waiting to see how you are going to handle this situation. And yes, they are all secretly (And some not so secretly) judging you and telling you just how they would handle it. 

On the other hand, I have also gained some valuable advice from other mommy friends and a few good books. But let’s cut each other and ourselves some slack here and go ahead and say that we will make mistakes, probably every day. Hopefully we learn from those mistakes and parenting becomes just a little easier. I know that with the first child certain things are just hard to say no to, like rocking them to sleep every time, swooping in at the first sign of a cry and fixing the situation, or heaven forbid, letting them cry in their crib. Ugh.

Our first kids were twins. We were separated by the NICU for 7 days. They were just so tiny and fragile and adorable and helpless….I couldn’t put them down. I couldn’t let them cry. I HAD TO DO EVERYTHING RIGHT.  Our doctor told us to feed them every 3 hours because they were premature and I took that uber literally. I would actually wake my peacefully sleeping babies to feed them. And to change them; because OH MY GOSH you can’t let a baby have urine on their skin!! They will get a rash! My poor children and husband. I just shake my head at myself for waking my sleeping child to wipe their butt with a cold wipe in the middle of the night…rookie mistake.

My twins also had this bad habit of falling asleep off and on constantly for only 10 minutes at a time. Not very deep or restful sleep. They had no schedule. Little did I know, children thrive on a schedule. All I knew was that I suddenly had 2 tiny beasts that were always hungry, always tired, always wanted held. I ran myself ragged trying to appease these little one’s every want and need. Now let me clarify here: I think you should always meet a baby’s needs, such as feeding, diapering, warmth, affection etc. However, many babies also have wants that will not hurt them if they are not met immediately.

Thankfully, I have this wonderful friend named Holly who (at the time) had 4 children under the age of 2 and was pregnant with her 5^th. See, Holly started out with triplets, then 2 singleton pregnancies. Holly is my hero. Her (now) 5 girls, yes 5 girls, are well behaved and a delight to be a round. Her 5 kids make other people actually want to have kids. I finally mentioned to Holly the trouble I was having with my twins sleeping and general fussiness about the time they were 10 months old. And Holly told me her secret: SLEEP TRAINING. What? What strange magic was this? I had never heard of such a thing.

Apparently, there is a wonderful book out there titled Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano in which a simple plan is laid out to have your kids sleeping 12 hours a night! No matter the age! (I told you, magic) One of the secrets is the “limited cry solution.” The other biggest thing for me was scheduling. Now, I love to read, but could you imagine me with 3 month old twins reading a book? Haha! Thankfully, my hero Holly has a wonderful blog and she wrote this succinct synopsis of the entire book! What? Yes. I am serious. By simply reading this synopsis I was able to start sleep training. And it worked.

The first day and night that I tried her method was the first night my twins slept in their own crib in a new room…and they slept 10.5 hours!! Hallelujah. <Insert choir of angels here.> It was hard, don’t get me wrong. It took a couple of weeks for the twins and us to get acclimated to having a schedule. It takes discipline on the parent’s part and planning. But it is so worth it. The hardest part was getting my daughter to stay awake when it wasn’t nap time. So really, if that was the hardest part I guess it wasn’t too bad. 

According to this book you don’t start expecting a baby to sleep 12 hours at night until they are 12 weeks of age, but the book gives great advice on how to not form bad habits in the beginning of their life that are hard to break. I suggest reading this book, or at least Holly’s breakdown of it, if you are a new mom, mom to be, or even if you have children who are out of control with no schedule and refuse to go to bed or stay in bed. What can it hurt to give it a try?

Win a 4-Drawer Storage Organizer form Brylane Home!

Welcome to the BrylaneHome 4-Drawer Storage Wardrobe Giveaway 

hosted by We're Parents!? 

Looking for chic and effective storage?

BrylaneHome is your one-stop shop for everything you could need for your home from bed linens to appliances to furniture.  They are here to make your shopping experience easier by only having to shop at one place and having it all delivered right to your door step! 

This spring they want to help you get your home organized with their 4-Drawer Storage Wardrobe.  Whether you need to organize your closet or your kids, your craft station, or bathroom, this is a welcomed edition in any household. 

Read We're Parents!? full review HERE.

One lucky reader is going to win their own BrylaneHome 4-Drawer Storage Wardrobe! 

Open to US residents, ages 18+ and ends on 4/26 at 11:59 PM EST. 

Enter below & good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: We're Parents!? and this blog are not responsible for prize fulfillment/shipment. We're Parents!? received this product to facilitate this review, but did not receive compensation. Participating blogs did not receive compensation for promoting this giveaway.  Social media sites are not affiliated with this giveaway.

In Stillness Lullaby and Meditations for All Ages Giveaway and Review

Recently I received the CD In Stillness: Lullabies and Meditations for All Ages by Heidi Siegell for review. I was pretty excited to listen to it because I have been using the same CD during my twin’s nap time for months now, and before that, I used the same one for about a year! It is definitely time for some new material.

Heidi’s lullaby CD is truly something special. I am used to hearing the same classic lullaby songs with the same tunes over and over; there doesn’t seem to be much new music on the lullaby scene. In Stillness blends calming lullabies with what Heidi refers to as “guided imagery.” Her lyrics are melodious and evoke fun and beautiful word pictures in your mind. She is very good at painting pictures with her lovely voice.

Heidi created this CD for her daughter to help her relax and drift off to sleep. Using her warm and comforting voice for vocals, Heidi teamed up with her husband /producer, Roland, and masterful musicians from all corners of the music industry to develop this self-soothing CD to share with the world.

The adorable door hanger

The adorable door hanger

One of the unique things about this CD is the jazzy, bluesy, new age and folk sounds that are infused into the music. This is such a different idea for a lullaby CD, but one that is beautiful! The mix of musical sounds heard is very peaceful and relaxing; children and adults alike will really enjoy this CD. Which also suggests that this CD can be used any time of day for relaxation; it doesn’t have to be solely used for bedtime.

I like that this album begins with fun songs and progresses into more lullaby sleepy time songs. My favorites are Drip Drop Ripple, Baby Blue, and Deep in the Depths. Oh, and I love that there is a lyric book included! You can sing right along with Heidi to your loved ones. In Stillness is the debut album from Tiny World, a company that hosts a collection of nurturing music and media and I think they have a real winner here!

You can find this CD and more at WWW.TinyWorld.org. In Stillness retails for $14.98. Three lucky winners will receive their very own copy of In Stillness: Lullabies and Meditations for All Ages plus the oh so cute door hanger that announces when kids are sleeping and when they are at play! Enter to win today! This giveaway will run from 4/1/14- 4/15/14.

Entry-Form