I don't know about your kids, but mine tend to get plenty of candy and sweets from their grandparents at holidays. Since I don't want them eating massive amounts of sugar I typically try to keep the amount of sweets in our Easter baskets and Christmas stockings to a minimum. I also try to steer away from junk that's just going to end up in the garbage after a few days or weeks. I thought others might be looking for some non-candy ideas for their family's Easter baskets too, so in this post I share some of my favorites. 50 Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas: Coloring books Reading books New crayons or markers  Seeds and gardening supplies Hair accessories  Beads and string for jewelry making Watercolors  Sidewalk chalk  Jump rope Bubbles Hot wheels  Playdough  Kinetic sand Toothbrush  Sand toys Bath toys Fruit- I like mandarin oranges. I had a friend growing up who always got a mango in her basket. Sun hat Craft or science kits Nail polish and nail stickers ...

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." I love this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. Many of the plants that are considered common backyard weeds actually have wonderful nutritional and medicinal benefits. In this post I share 8 of my favorite backyard "weeds" and how I use them.  Foraging Basics Before I get any further I want to mention a couple of safety tips: Only pick wild herbs from places you know haven't been treated with toxic pesticides. Always rinse your herbs before consuming them or using them in any product you plan to use on your body. Do not consume or use any wild growing plant unless you are certain of what it is and that it is safe.  Nothing in this post is meant to be taken as medical advice. Always be sure to do your own thorough research before using any remedy. Plantain - One of my very favorite backyard herbs, that is often called a weed, is plantain. There are several different varieties, and they grow just about...

I tend to get really dry skin in the winter time, but I'm not a big fan of the ingredients in most store bought lotions. A few years ago I decided to give homemade lotion a try, but couldn't find a recipe that didn't leave my skin feeling really greasy. I finally came upon a couple different recipes for lotion bars and tried them out. I immediately decided lotion bars were the way to go. They didn't leave my skin feeling greasy, and they're super simple to make. After a few adjustments, I settled on a recipe I really like.  Why Avoid Store Bought Lotions? There are a lot of potentially harmful ingredients in most mainstream lotions, including: parabens, artificial fragrances, and triethanolamine. Parabens are often added to lotions to prevent bacterial and fungal growth but are endocrine disruptors that have been linked to various types of cancer. Many artificial fragrances are also endocrine disruptors and can be irritating to the respiratory system. Triethanol...

I love essential oils, there are just so many awesome things they can used for. But as with any medicinal, they need to be used cautiously. Choosing a company that sells pure unadulterated oils is important. There are a lot of essential oil companies out there claiming to have the highest quality oils, so choosing the right company for your needs can be a bit confusing. In this post I share a few of the most important things to look for when choosing an essential oil company. 3rd Party Testing Choosing an oil company that is selling 100% pure unadulterated oils is the most important thing to look for. You don't want any nasty chemical additives in your essential oils. This can be confusing sometimes though because there are a lot of misleading marketing terms being used by some popular essential oil companies, like "certified therapeutic grade" or "medicinal grade". These terms mean very little in the aromatherapy world, as there is no governing board or ...

My kids love playing in the mud, and while it can be messy, I try to let them do it often. I remember the joy of making mud pies and sticking my bare toes in squishy puddles as a kid. Mud play is an amazing sensory adventure! And it turns out playing in the mud can be beneficial in many ways, especially for young children.  Benefits Of Mud Play Fine Motor Skills Play in general is essential for developing fine motor skills. Using a shovel, playing with kitchen utensils to make mud pies, scooping, and digging, all these actions help develop hand eye coordination and other fine motor skills. In order to have the proper coordination and muscle memory to accomplish things like holding a pencil properly, kids need opportunities to develop and practice using those muscles and skills.  Makes You Happy According to recent science, soil naturally contains Mycobaterium vaccae, a friendly bacterium that stimulates the immune system and increases serotonin production ( source ...

Many mainstream household products contain ingredients that are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. We really strive to avoid as many of these toxins that we can in my household. In this post I will share which chemicals are most important to avoid and my favorite alternatives to mainstream products with toxic ingredients. Ingredients To Avoid: Sulfates - Sulfates are found in almost all mainstream shampoos and detergents. Sulfates can cause skin irritation and have been linked to  endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity. Parabens - Parabens are estrogen mimicking chemicals often used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry. Artificial Dyes And Fragrances- Artificial dyes and fragrances contain a slew of carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. They've been linked to cancer, birth defects, allergies, and nervous system disorders. Phthalates - Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals often found in personal care products and detergents.  The...

We really try to avoid toxins in our household, including unnecessary medications. Instead we use herbal medicine and other natural remedies as much as possible. This isn't to say that mainstream medicine doesn't have it's place though. For serious medical issues, please consult with your doctor. But with cold and flu season quickly approaching, I thought I would share several of my favorite fever reducing remedies. Something to keep in mind: Fevers are generally not bad thing. A fever is part of the way your body fights off viruses and bacteria that make you sick. Reducing fevers interferes with your body's natural immune response and can actually prolong illness. Fevers typically don't need to be reduced unless they get really high or the child is really uncomfortable and needs relief. Otherwise, just ride a fever out and let it do it's job. On the occasion relief is needed here are my go to fever reducing remedies and methods: Tepid Bath A l...

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for new healthy snacks my kids will actually eat. In this post I share 20 of my kid's favorite simple but healthy snacks. - Apple slices and nut butter - Frozen banana slices - just slice a banana and stick in the freezer for about an hour until the slices are frozen. - Multi-grain chips with salsa or guacamole - Dill Pickles-  always a favorite in our house. - Fruit Kabobs - put various fruits and slices of fruit on a kabob stick. Our favorites for this snack are grapes, strawberries, pineapple chuncks, and marshmallows. - Trail mix - I love trail mix because you can make it with so many different ingredients. Our household favorites are peanuts, cashews, dried coconut flakes, craisins, and vanilla yogurt chips. - Smoothies - this is another simple snack with so many different options. Berry smoothies with greek yogurt and almond milk are a favorite in our house. If you need some inspiration, check out th...

We are definitely a critter loving household. We currently have two Chihuahuas, a cat, a Ball Python, an aquatic turtle, an African Water Frog, and 5 chickens. There are many benefits that can come from raising a pet with your children, in this post I share a few of them. Teach Responsibility: One of the most important things we have to teach our children is responsibility. Helping feed and water and care for a pet is a wonderful way to help kids develop responsibility.  It's also a great way to introduce basic care giving skills. People who have raised pets tend to have an easier transition into parenthood because they've already been the provider and care giver for another life. Emotional Well-being: Having and caring for a pet can have a profound affect on emotional health. Interacting with animals has been shown to reduce stress levels and can even help with impulse control, social skills, and self esteem.  Our older Chihuahua used to work a...

I struggled with terrible insomnia for years. It was awful, not sleeping makes you feel so irritable and unhealthy. I tried quite a few over the counter and prescription medications but none worked well for me. They either made me jittery, not sleepy, or made me so sleepy I felt groggy and tired for half of the next day.  Several years ago I finally gave up trying different medications to help me sleep and decided to try some natural remedies. I ended up finding several things that helped. In this post I share a few natural remedies for sleeplessness that I have found to be useful. Magnesium Lotion Magnesium deficiency is very common, especially among woman. Magnesium plays an important role in supporting deep restorative sleep. Magnesium is necessary for maintaining healthy neurotransmitter levels including GABA, a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting sleep. One of the easiest and fastest ways to raise your magnesium levels is applying a good magnesium lotion befo...

A lot of people seem very surprised and even a bit uncomfortable when I tell them that my children do not have a set bedtime, but it works great for us. Believe it or not, my kids are not bouncing off the walls until midnight every night, in fact they usually are in bed asleep before 9pm. In this post I will share a few of the reasons we skip the whole "bedtime fiasco" in our house. Circadian Rhythms Circadian rhythms are the human body's internal clock. It's what controls our sleep/wake cycles and they are heavily influenced by the sun. Our body's naturally get sleepy when the sun goes down and naturally feel energized when the sun comes up.  Forcing children to go to bed before their internal clock says it's time, can throw off their natural circadian rhythms, which can cause sleeplessness at night and tiredness during the daytime. Kids Are Capable Of Knowing When They Are Tired Just like adults, children are capable of knowing when they are...