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! 

How to: Get baby poop out of carpet

Naked Baby Time is getting tricker since starting solids. I try to give Itty Bitty plenty of time to "air out" since it gets so hot here, and my carpet is paying for it. 

Earlier this week we went to the beach. I tried SO hard to keep sand out of the baby's mouth, but alas, I failed. She built a sandcastle in my living room the next day. Talk about a total fail. 

This morning I noticed she was a little too quiet. To my "delight" I found a very happy and entertained baby. Apparently poop is fun to play with. Yes, she was sitting (on the carpet) in a pile of pooh, just as happy as could be digging around (GAG!). Thankfully, I stopped her just as the fingers were heading for the mouth. 

Now my dilemma. We rent, and I would, at some point in time, like to get my security deposit back. Oh what to do? 

Off to Facebook I went, seeking the advice of my more experienced mommy friends. I got a lot of great ideas... but the most effective one would not work on my not-white carpet. Again, I would like my deposit back, and a peroxide stain might not be conducive to the end goal. I also do not like using chemical carpet cleaners. So I tried something on a whim, and it worked AMAZING! Here goes: 

How to naturally clean carpet stains: 

You Will Need

Glass Jar

4c HOT water

1/2c 20 Mule Team Borax

White Cloth

Directions:

1) Pick up any solids and dispose in toilet 

    (This is THE MESS)

2) Mix 4c HOT water and 1/2c 20 Mule Team Borax in the glass jar 

3) Using a white cloth, sponge/blot mixture onto stain until it is gone

4) Let carpet dry

5) Vacuum 

This worked on a 3 day old spot I had already tried to clean (the sand castle), as well as the new mess. 

Happy Cleaning! 

 

   

Mom's Coconut Granola Trail Mix

Just wanted to post a quick granola recipe I came up with that turned out to be quite good... better (for you) than the store bought kind, and super easy:

Mom's Coconut Granola Trail Mix

1c Oats
1/2c Shredded Coconut
1/4c ether honey or maple syrup
1-2c your favorite mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc)

Directions:

Pre-Heat oven to 350*
Blend oats and coconut together. Add sweetener and mix well.
Spread on a cookie sheet and toast 20-30min, until just crunchy
After oats cool, add in your favorite mix-ins and store in individual snack bags or large container

Teething, UGH!

There is no pain like tooth pain (except, maybe labor). I can not fathom what these poor babies are really feeling while teething. Itty Bitty is in the process of cutting two new ones at the moment. It is a little known fact that redheads have a lower pain tolerance than others. Thanks for the genes Mom and Dad. Needles to say, my ginger babe is miserable right now. 

This post is dedicated to those things we love to help ease teething pain. Please comment with your favorite (natural) suggestions. 

Momma's Top Teething Solutions: 

1. Hylands Teething Tablets: I know there has been some controversy over the use of Bella Donna, and ingredient in these tablets. I have done my research and am satisfied with the safety of this product. Not just satisfied. I love them. Hylands rock. 
2. Baltic Amber: The stones are NOT to chew on. You really should not get the necklace/bracelet wet. Babies body heat causes the stones to release an acid that is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps relieve the pain and excess drooling. They must be in contact with the skin to be effective. Inspired by Finn is a great site to order from.   
3. Celery/Carrot Sticks: Itty Bitty loves them right out of the fridge. I would only give this to older babies (6m+) and watch them VERY closely. 
4. Mesh Feeder: I fill Itty's up with chunks of frozen apple, banana, or blueberries (the berries make a HUGE mess, FYI). You could even just used crushed ice. This really is a must have though. 
5. Chamomile: I talked about Chamomile in a previous post. It is so great for soothing. Brew a bag of chamomile tea, soak a washcloth in it. Let the cloth cool in the fridge, then give to baby. 
6. Sophie: yes, the $20 squeaky hunk of plastic. Worth every penny.
7. Teething Biscuits: See below for a super yummy make at home recipe. 
8. Nursing: It just solves every problem Itty Bitty has. She is a milk monster. I think the pressure on her gums is soothing also. 

So what are your tried and true solutions? 

 

I have a thing against most pre-packaged baby food. The wholesome, organic pre-packaged food I would buy is wayyyyy out of my budget. So I make a lot from scratch. These are my favorite teethers... Itty better watch out or Momma is going to eat all her cookies:

Vanilla Maple Teething Biscuits:

1 egg yoke (beaten)

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbsp oil (I like coconut)

1/4c milk (I use Almond)

1 tbsp oatmeal (baby cereal or ground)

1 c whole wheat flour 

1) Pre-heat oven to 350*F 

2) Blend first 5 ingredients, add oatmeal and flour

3) Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll thin

4) Cut into desired shapes (make sure they are little hand friendly... I use the top of a

    glass and just make circles)

5) Put on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 15min  

Aloha! 

 

 

Let's Talk Seeds

Part two in setting up our garden:

Itty Bitty and I have been hard at work getting our garden together. There were two small beds already in place when we moved in, although they were overgrown. I cleaned both out, but decided to start small and only plant one this time around. If we are successful, I may expand next time around.

This is a picture of the garden. The left side is after we cleaned, added new soil tilled and planted. The right is the side we left fallow and more of a "before" picture.

I made the choice to use seeds rather than starter plants. It was hard for me to find a local farmer with seedlings for sale, and I did not want to buy from a big-box store like Walmart. I wanted to know how the plant has been treated from the moment it entered the soil. 

I was not prepared for the effort needed to pick out some simple seed packets.

Hello Google! 

It turns out Monsanto purchased a company called Seminis in 2005. Seminis has 40% market share for all the vegetable seeds sold in the US. Not all the companies under the Monsanto/Seminis umbrella produce GMO seeds, but they do all funnel your money right back to the mothership. Here is a list of all the seed companies owned by Monsanto/Seminis:

Audubon Workshop
Breck’s Bulbs
Burpee
Cook’s Garden
Dege Garden Center
Earl May Seed
E & R Seed Co
Ferry Morse
Flower of the Month Club
Gardens Alive
Germania Seed Co
Garden Trends
HPS
Johnny’s Seeds
Jungs
Lindenberg Seeds
McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers
Mountain Valley Seed
Nichol’s
Osborne
Park Seed
Park Bulbs
Park’s Countryside Garden
R.H. Shumway
Roots and Rhizomes
Rupp
Seeds for the World
Seymour’s Selected Seeds
Snow
Spring Hill Nurseries
Stokes
Territorial Seeds
T&T Seeds
Tomato Growers Supply
Totally Tomato
Vermont Bean Seed Co.
Wayside Gardens
Willhite Seed Co.



There are many (smaller) companies that provide an amazing, quality,  product without trying to own or genetically change our food. The Safe Seed pledge is an amazing project. You can learn about it HERE as well as get a list of LOCAL companies in your area selling safe seeds. 
Moral of the story... do your research. Don't encourage the destruction of our planet by greed. Know what you are growing and how it is treated. 
*Hops off Soap Box*
I ended up planting some Chamomile, Basil, Cilantro, and Parsley from Seeds of Change and Tomato, Cucumber, Green Bell Pepper, and Lettuce from Ferry Morse. Yes, Ferry Morse. I checked the list of Safe Seed pledgers when I purchased the seeds and this company had signed. It was only later, after the seeds were in the ground, I discovered they were owned by Monsanto. Shame on me for not doing due diligence first. Lesson learned. 
The next phase of our project will be setting up a small compost bin to help nourish our plants. 
Please pray they grow!