I felt so anxious at this point, it was if I could not visualize a baby in the birth canal, much less being born from me. All my anxieties about losing the baby during pregnancy seemed to manifest in my mind at this point and I began to cry while on all fours. “I’m too scared!” I told the midwife who was at my head, holding my hand. She told me I could do it, that I was strong and I could birth the baby successfully. I began to hyperventilate because I was so anxious, and the nurse and midwife at my head talked me through some different ways to slow my breathing down and relax. I was so worried, but I knew I had to listen to them. I remember thinking “You have to push the baby out, or they’re going to take it out!”
Read moreAldi Grocery List: What I Buy & How to Save
The wonderful thing about Aldi is it's price point on organic goods. I've been shopping at Aldi for about a year, and avoid going to the "regular" grocery store as often as I can, for fear of spending more on the same items I could buy at Aldi. People have asked me what it is exactly that I buy there, and how much cheaper is it, really? Throughout my time of shopping at Aldi, I discovered that I typically spend about $20-30 less per visit than at other grocery stores, all while buying many of the same items I would typically buy at any other store. In fact, I find that I am more apt to buy all organic at Aldi, whereas at another store I might skimp because of cost.
Read more5 Things to Know About Aldi
The reason Aldi is so much cheaper and concise is that they don't use brands for food. The foods they offer may very well be from a certain brand, but they are labeled with Aldi brands, similar to Trader Joe's (they are, by the way, owned by the same company as Trader Joe's). So, for example, you can buy Kind brand granola bars at Target for $3.09, but you can buy the same granola bar branded as an Elevation bar for $2.99. Or Organic Milk for example, a half gallon can be up to $5.49 at my local grocery store, whereas at Aldi, it comes at a price of $2.95. It makes eating organic affordable.
Read moreEasy Turmeric Tea Recipe
I am a yes (wo)man, especially when it comes to health kicks so of course I opted to try a cup of her tumeric tea when she offered it. I was expecting it to be bitter and strange, as I've only really consumed tumeric in curries, but it was surprisingly sweet and delicious. I felt great afterwards and found myself wanting to refill my mug. During my stay at her house we drank it daily, and since returning home two weeks ago, I haven't stopped yet. I find myself in the routine of making this every morning when I first get up. I like the routine, but mostly I like the way I feel starting each day off on a health kick.
Read moreThe Best Natural Beauty Finds on Amazon
Ever since I turned 30 I've started to notice a few signs of aging: mostly the wrinkles around my eyes when I laugh (which is a lot). In a perfect world I'd never show signs of aging, or I'd whisk away the possibility with a quick dose of botox. But in an effort to live healthier and happier, I've really worked to switch out my beauty products for more organic options, unfortunately Botox doesn't fall into that category. As a young mother, I want my beauty to routine to be simple, effortless and effective all at once, that's not too much to ask, is it?! I've been researching and trying all sorts of products this past year, but here are the 5 I keep coming back to:
Read moreMy Miscarriage Story
It was draining, it was painful, and it was emotionally insane. The strangest part for me was how long it went on. It felt like forever. I was actively bleeding for about 3 hours straight, so much so that I had to remain in the bathroom over the toilet--I really felt like I was going to go crazy in there. You don't really want anyone with you, but you also feel so alone. You literally watch your hopes and dreams go down the drain, and it is beyond upsetting. What's worse is that it seems to be just the beginning of the grieving process, which for me, has taken months to recover from.
Read moreThe Benefits of Using a Menstrual Cup and How to Choose One
The one thing I didn't consider that has become my biggest reason for using menstrual cups over pads & tampons is the sheer convenience. Seriously, they're so simple. I pop it in the morning when I expect my period and can leave it in ALL DAY. Yup, up to 12 hours. Of course there are days where you might have to change it more frequently than that, but even the fact that it is an option is remarkable, and without a warning for Toxic Shock Syndrome, too. This means no extra trips to the bathroom during your work day, no having to leave class for fear of leaking, and no having to ask around for tampons (or worse yet, have to buy one from the nasty machine in a public restroom, God willing it's not out of order). When I travel, I just throw it in a small cloth bag and put it in my toiletries. It's such a simple and easy way to deal with that time of the month, I really can't imagine doing anything else at this point.
Read moreThe Secret To Packing Easy School Lunches
Back to school means back to packing lunches. I for one find it hard to consistently pack healthy lunches for my son as well as myself now that I'm back to work as a teacher. I tend to feed him as many wholesome foods as possible, staying away from excess sugars and food dyes. For snacks, I'm all set: we eat a variety of fruits, raisins, trail mixes, freeze dried fruits, seaweed snacks, etc. But for lunches, I just can't seem to consistently make and pack hearty lunches for us both, especially as I'm tired from that day at work, and already trying to prepare a healthy dinner. As a mother, I find it so hard to do it all well, luckily I found a simple solution to the lunch time grind with Nomsly--a healthy subscription lunch service for kids!
At the beginning of the school year I was also in my first trimester of a pregnancy, feeling ever so ill and totally adverse to any sort of food. It was then, that I passed by the Lunchables section at a grocery store and actually paused. I had never considered purchasing my son a ready-made meal, but it seemed so easy, especially at a time in my life where preparing healthy meals seemed so daunting. I picked one up and read the long list of ingredients and decided against it, while it seemed so easy and convenient, I couldn't in good conscience feed my son a box full of preservatives on the reg. Instead, I remembered a subscription service I had come across at an expo last spring. Nomsly is a subscription service based in Boston, delivering chef prepared kids' meals to the greater New England area. They work with professional chefs and a nutritionist to develop a healthy lunch menu that features produce from local New England farms--can't beat that! So much healthier than Lunchables or the grab bag lunch I would throw together in a pinch. Each week there are 9 meal options, including vegetarian options. Check out a few meals from this sample menu:
So many great and healthy options! My son is obsessed with the Soba Noodle Salad! Image Credit: Nomsly.com
My son loves their Asian pasta salad dishes, and to be honest I've even eaten some of their meals (seriously the BBQ Chicken was incredible). I can't help but eat them as well, they're fresh and delicious and so convenient. Another great element of Nomsly is their great customer service, which I always appreciate. They run specials all the time on their website, Facebook, and Instagram page--offering free meals! In fact the first meals I ordered were shipped to me free, which was the perfect way to try this guilt free. Free fresh food? Less work for me? Ok!! Feel free to check them out with my code {click here} any order you place will provide me a little kick back, meaning more meals for J.P (and me, haha!). Also, rest assured that any promo code you come across will work in addition to using my link, so you don't have to give up any free meals to support me and my blog--mix and match them up and score some free meals! I was so pleased with my free meals, we keep ordering and haven't looked back! Thanks to Nomsly for making kid's lunches easy, stress-free, and healthy! So click here, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
