Cloth Baby Wipes

Picture from kellyscloset.com

You may or may not have decided to use cloth diapers on your baby.  Your decision is a personal choice that I make no judgement on.  For me cloth diapers and wipes have worked really well (and have saved us a TON of money).  I love the fact that I don't have to run out to the store when I'm out of diapers or wipes.  I just wash and dry mine and I'm good to go for a couple more days!

Since I use cloth diapers, I decided to use cloth baby wipes as well.  I ordered 12 Thirsties Fab Cloth Wipes from Kelly's Closet.  I paid about $23 for 12 wipes.  The wipes are very thick and soft.  They are great at cleaning up really dirty diapers.  I also went to TJ Maxx and bought 24 very thin baby wash cloths to use as wipes.  I think I paid like $5!  I couldn't justify spending any more money than I already had on the nice thick Thirsties.  These thinner wipes are really good for getting into little crevices and wiping pee of cute little baby bottoms.  I make a cloth wipe solution out of water, castile soap and tea tree oil.  I was fortunate enough to get a wipe warmer as a gift at my baby shower.  I dunk my wipes in the solution, squeeze them out and then fold them in half.  I stack up probably 30 or so in my wipe warmer.  The cloth wipes clean baby skin extremely well leaving no residue behind.  Castile soap is made from vegetable oil instead of animal fat like most other soaps. 

I use disposable diapers and wipes about 30% of the time.  I'm not against disposables by any means.  I just haven't mastered the art of carrying around a wet bag for dirty diapers when we are out of the house!

Cloth Wipe Solution

2 squirts of liquid castile soap (baby mild or lavender formula)
A couple of drops of tea tree oil
4 cups of warm water

Add the soap and oil to the water and stir once.  Saturate wipes in solution.  Wring out excess and fold wipes in half.  Place in plastic tub container or a wipe warmer.  Pour out any leftover solution you have.

Zany Zebra is a great website to gather more information on other cloth wipe solution recipes!




Picture from drbronner.com



Picture from iherb.com

Water

I really enjoy drinking water throughout the day.  I know this may not be the case for all people, but water is essential for our bodies to work properly.  Water helps to flush your kidneys, prevent constipation and keeps your body hydrated for starters.  The clear, tasteless fluid also prevents bladder and urinary tract infections.  Just by breathing you are excreting water from your body.  You must continually replace any water losses in your body to stay hydrated.  I try to drink between 80-100 oz of water a day.  You may count coffee, tea and other beverages besides actual water towards your daily goal.  I have noticed that when I do not drink my usual amount of water, I actually weigh a little bit more on the scale the next morning.  Water helps you flush extra water from your system.  The less water you drink, the more water your body holds onto to try to keep hydrated.   When I'm on the road, I try to bring a refillable water bottle with me.  Through watching my mom as I was growing up, I learned to fill the bottle up completely with ice and then the rest with water.  You won't be adding much water, but that's the whole point.  The ice melts slowly so you  end up drinking the melted ice.  Cold water is usually more appealing to drink than warm or even room temperature.  My teeth are sensitive to cold drinks, so I usually drink my water at room temperature.   I use a Brita pitcher to filter my tap water.  Store-bought bottled water is usually just filtered tap water!  I do love Ozarka spring bottled water, but using my Brita pitcher saves me money and the landfill some additional plastic.  The Brita filter refills are about $5 each, but I find them on sale frequently.  Each filter lasts about 2 months.  I'm really bad about remembering to change my filter.  I usually change it when I notice the water from the pitcher tasting like tap water.  Our coffeemaker has a water filter in it, but I found that replacing those filters were expensive, plus I never remembered to do it.  I took the filter out and just use my Brita pitcher to fill up the water reservoir.

As a nurse I learned that water can really make you feel better!  If a patient was dizzy or lightheaded, I would offer water to that person.  If you have a headache, increase your water intake.  If you are tired, drink some water!  When I was pregnant, I drank more water a day than ever before.  Julie Redfern, a registered dietitian, suggests drinking 64 oz of water (or other fluid) plus 8 oz per hour of light activity a day when pregnant.

So, drink, drink, drink and drink some more (water, that is)!!

Chocolate-Covered Raspberry Smoothie

Smoothies are a quick and delicious way to replace a meal or snack.  I was tired of banana smoothies, so I decided to try to make up my own smoothie recipe.  I was quite surprised that my creation turned out so good and healthy, too!

Chocolate-Covered Raspberry Smoothie

1 packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast Rich Milk Chocolate powder

1 6 oz carton of Chobani Raspberry Non-fat Greek Yogurt

8-10 ice cubes

2 oz of skim milk

1-2 teaspoons of Splenda or any other brand of sucralose (optional)

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy it all for 21-22 g of protein and about 340 calories depending on how much milk you add!  For richer flavor and more protein, you can freeze the milk in an ice cube tray.  Use 6 frozen milk cubes and a splash of water in place of the ice cubes and 2 oz of milk.  If you are using a regular rectangular ice cube tray, each compartment holds about 1 oz of milk.  One oz of milk has about 1 g of protein.  You do not have to add the Splenda or cocoa powder.  The Splenda helps cut down on the tartness of the Greek yogurt.  The cocoa powder just gives it an extra chocolaty kick.

Couponing Basics

I started "couponing" after I left my part time job last June . I had heard about extreme couponing and was a little curious about it all.  I found a some information on the Internet that got me started.  Here are my beginners' tips below.

1.  Buy a Sunday newspaper and/or beg your family or friends for their coupon inserts from their Sunday papers.  Sunday newspapers range from $3 to $5 here in Texas!  Some extreme couponers recommend subscribing to just the Sunday paper as it is less expensive than paying newsstand prices.  Many coupons have a limit of four-like coupons at one time, so the more coupon inserts you can get your hands, on the better!  The Sunday paper also contains sale ads that you can use to match up your coupons with sale items, called coupon stacking.  My favorite places to coupon stack are CVS and Walgreens.

2.  Clip coupons from the Internet through sites like coupons.com in addition to the Sunday paper.

3.  Only clip coupons that you know you will probably use!  If you clipped every coupon out there, then you will waste a lot of time, energy, printer ink, and paper.  I threw away tons of coupons that I never used before they expired when I was just beginning my couponing!

4.  Organize your coupons.  There are many ways to do this.  Some couponers use a binder or accordion folder.  I have mine organized in plastic zip top bags by category (dry goods, baby stuff, personal care, etc.).  The plastic bags work for me, because I can just grab a bag and go if I'm on a time crunch.

5.  Use your coupons when the items are on sale for MAXIMUM savings.

Taco Soup

After I had my daughter, I was ready to get the baby weight off.  I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight, but I wanted to see results fast.  I had a big sweet tooth when I was pregnant, so I gained about 50 lbs total from my first prenatal appointment until her birthday.  About two weeks after she was here, I stepped on the scale and had only dropped 24 pounds!  My husband was just a mere 5 pounds heavier than me and was actively trying to lose weight.  Seeing my weight and his together gave me a lot of motivation to lose the weight.  I didn't want to weigh more than him, especially since he is a good 8 inches taller than me!  I started eating very clean and drinking lots of water.  I dropped the first 5 lbs within a week. Seeing the number drop on the scale gave me the motivation I needed to keep going with my healthy eating.  Today I'm just 4 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight!  Through this blog I would like to share some healthy recipes with you to help you with your weight loss or weight maintenance.

Taco Soup

My mom made this soup for us growing up.  I loved it and now make it for my husband.  He loves it! My mom's version calls for 1 pound of ground beef, but I have found that using ground turkey tastes just as good and cuts calories.  If you haven't tried ground turkey, then you should experiment with it. I like substituting it in spicy, flavorful dishes like this taco soup. 

1 pound ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2 16 oz cans of Ranch Style Beans (you could use another type of canned or cooked bean)

1 16 oz can of whole kernel corn (I use the low or no sodium types)

1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel, mild or hot)

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (I get the low sodium one)

1 cup water

1 1.5 oz package of taco seasoning mix (or you can use your own homemade taco seasoning blend)

1 1 oz envelope of Ranch salad dressing dry mix (like Hidden Valley)

Olive oil (I usually brush the bottom of my pot with a little bit of oil before placing the ground turkey in--this keeps the turkey from burning since it is very lean compared to beef)

Cook ground turkey and onion in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, stirring, until meat is browned and crumbly. Drain. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, taco seasoning and Ranch dressing dry mix.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

We usually put shredded cheese and sour cream on the top of our bowls.

Be Encouraged

Surround yourself with positive people and you yourself will become a positive person.  We have all heard this statement before.  Good and bad attitudes can rub off on other people quite easily.  I recently went through my Facebook friends list and deleted a lot of people that I didn't actually know and/or posted negative or offensive material.  Just this little change has actually had a profound impact on my mental state.  I try to make sure what I'm seeing, reading and hearing is positive, happy or just plain good stuff.  I'm not saying to ignore the bad in the world (terrorist attacks, natural disasters, etc), just don't let it take your joy away!

The Lord rejoices when we have a joyful heart!

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

The Introduction

I'm just a small town Texas girl.  I'm in my mid 20s and am learing about being a wife and a mom. 
After many failed attempts at navigating the dating jungle, my friend Stephanie persuaded me to try match.com.  I gave it a whirl and boy, did I meet some "interesting" guys!  Long story short:  I finally did meet my husband through the site, but come to find out, my brother-in-law had already known him for 3 years!  They worked together at the time.  We got married in November of 2011 and our little girl was born in October of 2012.  Halfway through my pregnancy, I decided to find a job part time so I could spend more time with the baby once she came.  Dramatically reducing my income as a registered nurse required strong will power and self control of our finances.  Over the past year I have learned a lot about saving money and living a much healthier lifestyle.  Through this blog I hope to share my insights with you! 

Much love,

Lauren