Top 10 Posts of 2014

(So apparently I never hit publish on this post....oops)
I don’t know about you, but 2014 was interesting. There were some up’s and some down’s and lots of uncertainty and waiting around.

As for as the blog goes, I had some very consistent periods and then well I kinda unintentionally took the last month or so off. It has been very busy and stressful the last couple months at church with my calling.
Here are my top 10 articles posted in 2014…

Reupholstered Glider – I still smile when I walk in my little girl’s room and see this!

 

DIY Baby Gate – Now that our little girl is walking around the house, this is essential for our sanity and her safety!

DIY Bath Tub Tray - My dad still loves and uses the tray. Now to make one for me :)

Natural Remedies for Children’s Eczema – my kid’s skin still gets a little dry from time to time, but the eczema patches have never come back!

How to Clean Baby Poop Stains Naturally – no baby stains here!

Clean and Disinfect Kid’s Toys (without toxic bleach) – No one has been sick yet this winter because we’ve been keeping on top of the germs and boosting their immune systems with high quality supplements.

DIY Composting Bins - I've since had to move into larger bins, but these worked great while I had a small amount.

Baby Food in the Crockpot - I love making homemade baby food. My youngest doesn't eat the purees anymore, but this really was such an easy method, I would highly recommend it!



Best Ever Chocolate Banana Bread – yumyumyum is all I have to say!



Little Girl Flower Headband - this is one of my favorite styles of headbands I have made for my little girl. She won't keep a headband on to save her life now, but hopefully I can put these on some cute hair clips soon and she'll leave them. 




There you go, the top 10 posts from 2014. I hope your 2015 is everything you want it to be! I know I’ve got goal and plans and dreams for what I want our New Year to be, I will be working hard to get there and am so grateful for each and everyone of you – my readers for supporting this lil blog of mine!

10 Tips for Pumping Breast Milk While Traveling

Happy Monday, everyone! I’m am so excited to be home and to get back into the swing of things. I was in Long Beach for the last couple days and I can’t wait to tell you all about it, but first I have a post and giveaway for you!

So like I said, I just returned from a couple days trip to Long Beach. It was amazing, but also a little hard. I decided to leave my little girl at home with dad so I could concentrate better. I also decided this trip wasn’t going to disrupt my ability to breastfeed her! Here are 10 tips that I learned and want to share with you about how to successfully pump while traveling.

Battery Pack or Car Adaptor
If your pump doesn’t already come with one, you may want to invest in a battery pack or car adaptor. Depending on where and how you’ll be traveling you might not have convenient access to an outlet. A battery pack or car adaptor will allow you to pump on the airplane, while camping, or in the car.

Nursing Cover
Pumping, to me, is a little different than breastfeeding my baby. While I have recently become more comfortable breastfeeding without a cover on occasion, I personally wouldn’t be comfortable pumping in front of anyone else. If you feel the same way, be sure to pack a nursing cover, light blanket, or something else to help you be discreet.

Chef’s Freezer
Did you know if you’re staying in a hotel, you can check your breast milk into the fridge or chef’s freezer? Yep, you sure can. The hotel I stayed at gave me a baggage claim ticket and put the individual bags in larger bag. However, here’s my warning. Be sure to be VERY specific where you want it stored. If you are going to be on a longer trip, have it frozen in the chef’s freezer. Two of the people I checked my bags with didn’t hear the freezer part and put it in a fridge and I had to dump them. it was super sad!


Pump when you would normally feed
If you have an established schedule with your baby, try to pump as close to those times as possible. Your body is already accustomed to these times and will be ready then. If your schedule doesn’t allow for this, be sure to pump before and after any activities and try not to go too long.

Bring something of your baby’s
On my recent trip, I was glad to have another friend who was also pumping. She brought a little tag blankie of her daughter’s to keep her scent close by and remind her of her baby. I thought that was such a great idea! Certain scents can be strongly tied to people and memories and having your baby’s scent can help your body relax and let down your milk.

Supplement with Alfalfa
There are a couple herbs that help breast milk production. I choose to supplement with Shaklee’s alfalfa for several reasons. Not only does it help with breast milk but it helps my allergies also. Plus I know I can trust Shaklee with pure alfalfa, no contaminants at all! You can visit my shop to learn more about the alfalfa I use.

Wear the Right Clothing
Even though you’re traveling and away from your baby, be sure you wear clothing that will make it easy for you to pump wherever you are. I wore my DIY Nursing Cami under most of my shirts so I could still cover my stomach and back while pumping.


Small Portable Cooler and Ice Packs
If it works with your method of travel, bring along a small cooler or insulated lunch bag with and ice pack or two. This will help when you have to transport home and while in the car or on the plane. I used my cooler to bring my remaining frozen milk home during the 5+ hour drive through the desert. You want your milk to remain and firmly frozen as possible so there is no risk of spoiling.

Drink LOTS of waterAlways drink plenty of water. Sometimes when traveling this can be difficult. Keep a reusable water bottle with you and fill it up as often as you can. Many times when we’re out and about having fun, hydrating can fall to the side, but if you’re pumping water can really make the difference between producing and drying up. At least this is very true for me.

Relax, Breathe
Traveling and being in a new place can be stressful at times. Be sure to take a moment before you pump to just relax and breathe. Clear your mind and focus on your baby.

Well I hope that helps! Do you have any other tips to add?

DIY Baby Food: Zucchini Millet Medley

My little girl is just growing up so fast! I could have sworn she was just rolling over yesterday, haha! I’m pretty slow when it comes to feeding my babies, and by that I mean I’m slow to progress them along. Partially out of just wanting to keep them little and partially because purees are so easy to make.

I have started to make a few more advanced meals like this one and the Squash and Quinoa meal and she seems to like them both so far. I really like to make sure anything I make my babies is healthy, nutritious, and fresh. This is all of those!

Zucchini Millet Medley
-1/2 cup Millet
-1/3 Cup Zucchini Puree (see below)
-2 TBSP Apple puree
-1/4 Cup Fresh Basil

Begin by boiling 2 cups of water, add millet, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Once done cooking, divide the millet and store half away for later. With the other half, combine with zucchini and apple purees. Let cool. Stir in basil just before serving.

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to use storage containers similar to these and these.

If you don’t happen to have zucchini puree on hand already prepared, here’s how to whip some up….

Take 2 large or 3 small zucchini and wash. cut into 1 inch rounds. Place a steamer basket in a pot with 1 inch of water over medium heat to boil. Once boiling, place zucchini in the steamer basket and cover for about 7 minutes until the zucchini is very tender.

Puree the zucchini in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Store unused puree in a sealed container for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

DIY Baby Food: Summer Squash and Quinoa

Well, I didn’t mean to take a month off from blogging. It just kind of happened.

I had a crazy week getting ready for a vendor event for my Shaklee business. My friend and mentor Claire came to town to help me and we had a blast! Lots of business planning, lots of girl talk, and tons of fun!! We have some really amazing specials this month, so if you’re interested in getting healthier and starting an at-home business, shoot me an email (alexharalson08 (at) gmail (dot) com )and we’ll see if this is right for you!


The week after my vendor event, I spent catching up on everything and getting ready for our vacation to California! We went to the San Diego Zoo, the Mormon Battalion Historic Site, the beach, and we went fishing and strawberry picking.


It was a good vacation, but very difficult for the kids to recover from the lack of schedule and good sleep. So last week I spent focusing on them and trying to get them back into the routine of things. That’s what I love about my Shaklee business and blogging – anytime my family needs more attention I can pause those and focus on them!

So now I’m back, mostly recovered, and doing a bit of blogging and creative work. Today I’m bringing you a baby food recipe. Little girl loves to eat and I’m trying some new foods out on her.
I made this squash quinoa food to change things up a bit for her regular puree – it was super easy!



Summer Squash and Quinoa Baby Food
-2 TBSP olive oil
-2 small summer squash (or zucchini), coarsely grated
- 1/2 Cup quinoa
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1 1/2 Cup water

Add the quinoa to a saucepan and coat with 1 TBSP oil. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, add 1 TBSP oil to a pan and add the squash. Cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 3-5 minutes.Stir in Cumin.

Remove quinoa from heat and mix squash in with it.

To Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

For younger babies, process for a bit in a food processor. I've also mixed it with other veggie purees to make it smooth like my baby is used to.

Enjoy!