homemaker, natural-living, working-mama
The Blog
Jan 19
How to Create Affordable Artwork for Your Home, DIY Home Decor, Budget-friendly
A cheap way to brighten up your home is to add artwork to the walls, but artwork (especially paintings, or pictures of paintings) can be pricey. A budget-friendly option that allows you to add timeless pieces of art to your home. I used this in my home to make my office extension feel just a little bit more cozy. If you are looking for a thrifty, do-it-yourself way to add a little character to your home this might just be right up your alley.
Oct 02
Sleep Training Journey Update: Cosleeping, Bedsharing, No-Cry-it-Out, Teething, and Sickness
I want to share, and one I've been avoiding because it is a pretty sensitive subject and there is a lot of judgment on both sides regarding infant sleep and what is considered "normal" or "healthy." Lately, our baby being mobile, deciding to transfer to the crib, and teething have all posed major setbacks in regard to sleep. However, I want to share some tips that helped me retain my sanity and some encouragement to you who might also be dealing with a similar struggle.
Sep 22
Breastfeeding Aversion, What is Breastfeeding Aversion and What to Do
One of the things I had looked forward to most during my pregnancy with my first was being able to nurse her and bond with her in that special way that no one else would. But lately, nursing has been, less than romantic to say the least. Typically, morning and day-time feedings are fine, aside from when things are exceptionally quiet, but when it comes to putting her to bed at night or comforting her to sleep after she wakes up, I go into a rage. Yes, a literal rage. I didn't realize how bad it was until I was so frazzled and overstimulated that I through my phone in frustration. That was so unlike me, and I realized pretty quickly that something wasn't right. It then clicked when I was watching a YouTube video by HeyShayla on night weaning that maybe something was up. I called my lactation consultant and realized I was experiencing the very common phenomenon for pregnant nursing mothers of "breastfeeding aversion."
Sep 05
How to Help a Baby Like the Baby Carrier, Tips to Help Your Little One Like Babywearing
Hello friends, and welcome back! So something I've noticed is that a lot of times online when you see all these women homesteading, homemaking, running their own businesses, or whatever it might be when you ask them how they get so much done (especially when their baby is little) they say "babywearing." However, I've noticed if you ever ask them "Well what do I do if my baby doesn't like babywearing" they typically answer with "Well all babies like babywearing" or "They fuss for the first few minutes, but then they're good" or "you're probably not moving enough after you put the baby in, try bouncing her" or something along these lines. However, here's the reality: Some babies just don't like babywearing. It has nothing to do with getting adjusted or not moving around immediately, like they will full-on scream and cry after you put them in, for no reason. So, my little girl hated babywearing, however, I really needed that to be an option for us since I was going back to work. And since there is virtually no information online on how to help solve this problem, I thought I would share with you what we did and how she went from hating the baby carrier to loving it. I want to note really quickly, that these are tips beyond the basic troubleshooting: incorrect fit, incorrect hip placement, not moving after putting your baby in the carrier, not being high enough, etc. If your baby hates babywearing, this blog post is just what to do. So if your issue is your fit or your carrier, you should check out Let's Talk Babywearing on Instagram and she has lots of great pointers on how to babywear correctly.
Aug 29
Mom Guilt When You Are Actually Doing Something Wrong, How to Deal with Mom Guilt and What to Do
It's no surprise that most moms you meet have experienced some form of "mom guilt" at one point or another, and most of the time it is over irrational things like giving your baby a strawberry before having them try every type of vegetable or putting your baby in not 100% natural fiber clothing for five seconds. However, sometimes, because we are human and prone to fail, we do things that actually fall short of the type of person we want to be, or things that go against our convictions.
Aug 21
Our Home Renovation Project
Hi friends. It has taken me a long time to start sharing with you all our home projects, at least here. Quite honestly the thought of gathering all my before and after pictures of our house, sharing our process, and taking all new "after" pictures the few moments of the day when the house is in order... well, let's just say it was overwhelming. But with my work situation shifting (that is a story for another day), and our sweet daughter in bed, I figured I would share with you our crazy, exciting, and blessing-filled journey of turning a seemingly 1940s small town house into our cozy little dwelling.
Aug 10
How to Travel with a Baby, Nine Travel Tips for New Parents
So the past weekend my husband and I visited a historical Bed and Breakfast in Virginia with our daughter. This was the first overnight trip we have taken since having her and now having done it there are some things I would definitely recommend if you plan on traveling with a baby. We stayed at the Mayhurst Estate Bed and Breakfast in Orange County Virginia in the Constitutional Suite on the fourth floor. Just as a quick note, the Bed and Breakfast was beautiful, the food was great, and I definitely recommend the place to anyone traveling with children. But enough about that, here are nine tips for traveling with your little one.
Jul 25
How to Deal with A Large Workload as a Mom Without Getting Overwhelmed; Life Update
Now I've been a little MIA lately and I apologize for that. The last week of June I decided to take a week off from work in order to get two of my classes finished up and two more started. For those of you who are maybe new here, I am a full-time online student and am pursuing a Bachelor's in English. For a quick minute I was going to have four classes all at once and knowing that that was absolutely exhausting I put in to have the week off to manage everything. However, it has taken me longer than expected to get back on track with blogging, but at last, here we are! My website deleted the intial draft of this blog (which was immensely discouraging) so I'm starting back about a week later than I hoped. Regardless, here's what I've been up to for the past few weeks:
Jun 22
Super Simple Prefold Cloth Diaper Fold, How to Fold a Prefold Cloth Diaper; Angel Fold
When I first got some second-hand prefold cloth diapers, I thought I wouldn't end up using them. They were sort of bulky, didn't seem to work with my diaper covers, and I had no idea how to fold them. Fast forward to when my baby grew out of her newborn diapers but wasn't quite big enough to fit into the One Size diapers, I discovered that prefold diapers are some of my favorite styles of diapers. They are trimmer than most of your conventional cloth diapers and they pair well with almost any type of diaper cover from wool longies to TPU snap covers. Try this super simple cloth diaper fold called the Angel Fold and see if you don't just fall in love with cloth diapering with prefold diapers!
Jun 19
What I'm Doing Differently with Baby #2 (And What I'll Do Again!)
While I plan for baby number two there are some things I plan on doing differently with my second that I didn't do with my first, or that I wish I had one differently. As parents we do the best we can with the knowledge we have, but I'm super excited to try some things differently with our second baby. On that note, there are some things I definitely am thankful I did with our first and will definitely be doing again!
Jun 15
A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home / Work at Home Mom
Now I absolutely hate these sorts of things, especially when they are really short reals or ticktocks that are like, "Oh look how great my morning / daily routine is! I'm so put together!" But I'm actually doing this because I want to show how NOT put together I am but then also share a little bit about my life and the things I'm working towards since this is after all, a lifestyle blog among many other things. Also, sometimes it is encouraging to see a glimpse into someone else's somewhat real day-to-day life and show you that you're not alone in your struggles or the things you feel like you are working towards virtually forever. So, all that to say, I decided, somewhat on a whim, to do this post.
Jun 12
We're Having Another Baby! Fun Summer Pregnancy Reveal Ideas
Haha yep! We're on round two! Our first pregnancy appointment was last Thursday and now that we've shared the news with family and friends I thought it was time to share with the blog as well! We'll be due in December so that's very exciting. But, because of that, my husband and I did some non-traditional pregnancy reveals for both our first baby and this baby and I thought I would share some of the things we did as well as just some cute ideas I found online that are a little different than the norm. So here are seven cute pregnancy announcement ideas for your pregnancy announcement.
Jun 05
Safe Baby Clothes, Buying Baby Clothes on Budget
As parents, we're always concerned that our children have the safest possible toys, food, activities, etc. But what about clothing? Many of the polyester onesies and cute tule dresses aren't the safest items for our babies, and furthermore, they just don't last! Buying quality natural fiber items for your baby not only gives your children clothes that will last, but that are also super comfortable for the baby's skin! Check out these great brands of clothing for your baby and where to get them!
Jun 01
How to Transition Your Baby From Co-Sleeping to the Nursery, Sleep Training Without Cry It Out
When we decided to co-sleep with our newborn, I started doing all sorts of research on how to stop co-sleeping. That way, when the time came, I would be able to transition her to her bed with minimal struggle. I wasn't a huge fan of crying it out, and I absolutely did not believe it was right for the first few months of life, but my husband even still refuses to let his little girl fuss longer than a second without scooping her into his arms and reassuring her. In short, crying it out was out of the question, and quite frankly, I think it is for the better. So, what did we do? Well, in all my "research" about transitioning babies from their parent's bed to their own bed I came across some key things that really helped me make the transition. I want to warn you, parents, it's not necessarily the easy road. You won't one day wake up and go, "Alright, it's time for her to sleep on her own," and never bring her into your bed. It takes time, patience, and some sleepless nights on your end, but trust me, it was worth it. Our daughter sleeps so well in her own bed, she falls asleep on her own (some of the time), and I'm already missing the days when she used to cuddle in bed with us. Only now, if we bring her into our bed, she thinks it's playtime because guess where her safe sleep space is: her room. So all that being said, here's what we did to transition our little one to her own room free of tears and fuss!
May 29
Newborn Baby Wearing, Best Baby Wraps for the Newborn Stage
When I first went back to work, I knew that if I was going to be able to get in the hours I needed, I had to master the whole baby-wearing thing. I am a breastfeeding mom who doesn't do cry it out and so needless to say my little one likes to be on me 24/7. It's easier now that she can sit up on her own in my lap and play with her toys or look out the window, but when she was a newborn, that was out of the question. Baby-wearing saved my life! She took naps in the wrap, she played in the wrap, she got her snuggles in, and I was incredibly in tune with her feeding needs and when I needed to change her diaper. It was all around, the best solution for my circumstance. That being said, baby-wearing can be kind of intimidating when you consider that there are about a thousand different wrap styles to choose from and a hundred different ways to tie them. Hopefully, this blog post will help narrow down some of those options out there on the market and also provide you with a source to find out more information on your own.
May 25
Easiest Wool Cloth Diaper Wash How to Wash Wool Diaper Covers
When I first decided I wanted to cloth diaper, I really wanted to use wool cloth diapers, but the thought of handwashing, lanolizing, and "wool care" all intimidated me. It took me several months before I felt brave enough to try it, and let me tell you, I will never go back! Cloth diapering with wool is the easiest thing ever and I wish I had known about it sooner! Today I share with you my wool diaper "care" routine and just how easy wool diapering really is!
May 22
Synthetic Fibers versus Natural Fibers Is There Really a Benefit to Natural Clothing?
As we try to clean out our home and make it a happier and healthier place to live, you might ask yourself, "Is it worth the investment to wear natural clothing?" You probably have half a dozen things that are cotton already, or at least a cotton blend, and you might have one or two pieces of linen or wool but what's the benefit? Is there a benefit? Or is this just something crunchy people came up with to make one more thing "natural" when it comes to the entire household? Well, I want to talk about the benefits of natural fibers, while also providing some references to some studies that look at the beneficial properties of these cloths.
May 18
How to Start Sustainable Living, Natural Living for Beginners
Sometimes it can seem overwhelming when you finally decide to start living more sustainably and more naturally. Everything from your toothbrush to your mattress can seem like a toxic piece of plastic that needs to be dealt with immediately. Or sometimes, you get wrapped up in replacing the paper towels, the toilet paper, your fancy clothes, and your rugs, and never deal with some of the essentials like your diet, the products you put on your skin, and cleaning supplies. But where to even start? Today we'll be talking about my experience with natural sustainable living and my suggestions for getting started on this more natural lifestyle.
May 15
How to Cloth Diaper by Nailing Your Wash Routine
One of the beggest hangups parents have when it comes to cloth diapering is washing dirty diapers. Whether it's fighting to get rid of a musty smell, not being able to balance your diaper stash and wash frequency, or just the daunting though of cleaning off poo over and over again, the wash routine is essential when it comes to starting your cloth diaper journey.
May 11
Becoming a Mother, Mother's Day Story, My Birth Story
In light of Mother's Day I thought I would share my story of becoming a mother since this story is what allows me to be a special part of this holiday in my family's life. This is the story of my pregnancy, my natural birth story, and my journey as a mother.