Baby Safe Natural Bug Spray

Oh how I love all things summer... watermelon, sunshine, swimming, hours of daylight, fabulous mosquitos (just kidding on the last one). Seriously, summer is my absolute favorite time of year. Turns out all kinds of little critters love it too. They also love Baby L. 

I know she is just the sweetest thing on Earth, but really mosquitoes, must you make dinner out of my little girl? *sigh* 

Any who, what is a crunchy mama to do but find a safe way to protect the little ones. Turns out, there are quite a few essential oils that repel the pest quite effectively. 

Ether Citronella or Lemon Grass are a must have. The first time I made this I just used citronella and it worked great... you can also add any of the following to boost the bug repellant factor and change the sent: 

Lavender

Clove

Rosemary

Tea Tree

Eucalyptus 

***Note: from my research Tea Tree and Lavender are safest for infants***

You will also need a base of witch hazel and water and a spray bottle. 

Directions: 

1) Fill spray bottle about 3/4 full with 1/2 water 1/2 witch hazel. 

2) Add about 15 drops of ether citronella or lemongrass

3) add 10-15 drops (adjust this to your preference for sent) of whatever other oils you would like to include. 

Vola! Yucky chemical free bug spray! 

Ancient Turtle Ponds

Earlier this week L and I took and excursion with one of my fabulous Peaceful Parenting Network group to the Ancient Turtle Ponds. All I can say is AMAZING! This is the PERFECT beach for the entire family, and super safe for the little ones.

The Turtle Pond is a stone pool created by ancient Hawaiian fishermen. They designed this area to easily gather Honu (sea turtles) for the Ali'i (Royalty). In Ancient times only the Ali'i were allowed to eat Honu meat. A commoner could be killed for breaking this rule.

We did see honu swimming near by, although none came inside the pool area. The water was crystal clear, warm, and shallow; perfect for little swimmers. Older kids and adults would enjoy snorkeling and swimming in the fabulous water outside of the pool.

Although this beach was over an hour from our house, it was well worth the drive. L had an amazing time and got very brave in the shallow water. I think she will be swimming in no time.

Aloha Summer

Wow, it has been a good long time since I have sat down to write a post. Not the best way to keep a blog following for sure. A lot has happened in the last few months, but I am glad to be back.

It is my favorite season in Hawaii... sweet summer time! I am a true sun worshiper, and anything below 75* is just to cold for me. This year, I plan to take the girls exploring. Who knows how long we will be bless to be here, and I want to make the most of this fabulous experience as we can. At least once a week I plan to check out a beach or place around the island we have never been. 

This week we actually didn't venture too far, and found this great little spot called Chun's Reef. The tide pools were cool and perfect for Itty Bitty, and the rocks were great for B (the pre-teen) to go exploring. The water was brackish, fed by a fresh water spring flowing from the mountains, and as crystal clear as could be. This will go on our favorite beaches list for sure!