Boho dream catcher idea

Hi all. Growing up, I often had bad dreams. I was given a dream catcher as a gift from one of my moms friend and I've  always had dream catchers in my room since. Now my kids also have them above as well.

Recently I decided to make something pretty. Doesn't really classify as a dream catcher in the native sense but its pretty. My grandma has lung cancer and I wanted to do something nice for her and remind her to never stop dreaming. So this is what I came up with.

I hope you like it.

Bulletproof coffee!!

Ok this is weird.
I saw an article on fb from pioneer woman about this coffee and well... I like weird things and I love coffee so I though what the hell. Plus side, I had all the ingredients and had just made a fresh pot of coffee.

Supposedly there's an ongoing argument about it. Some claiming its healthy other claiming it is not. I personally don't see any health benefits other than the use of coconut oil which is of course one of my favorite things in the world right now. ;)

After reposting her article I had a friend mention that its supposed to prolong the effects of the caffeine. We shall see.

If you like coffee, try this out. Yum!

Ingredients:
12oz fresh hot coffee
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs butter

Blend it up and drink while still warm.

It creates this froth on top that is divine and its quite delicious!
Coconut oil is great for our bodies so that is a benefit.  And who wouldn't want prolonged energy? 

Enjoy and tell me what you think in the comments below!

- I do it for the smiles <3

Soothing nighttime lotion

So my 2 year old has decided she no longer wants ANYTHING to do with sleep. Period. Its bloody murder screaming when nap time and bedtime roll around.
I wanted to find something natural that would potentially stop all that screaming. She was born with a slight heart murmur and when she gets really riled up it causes the murmur to be more pronounced and messes with her breathing.
I normally have a routine at night for her where she gets a shower/bath and then I put lotion on her, give her a short full body message, get her in PJs and then brush out her hair, read a story and she gets milk. Recently I've been using coconut oil because she has eczema and she had another flare up, at which point her Dr gave me another round or oral and topical steroids. I'm not a fan. Anyway, the coconut oil seems to work pretty well and hasn't caused any issues. Well tonight I decided to add some lavender essential oils and see what happens.

I saw a recipe on pinterest for a coconut/lavender soothing lotion that calls for beeswax. I don't have any on hand so I just scratched that from mine.

I got about 1/2 cup of coconut oil. Put it in a jar and put that jar in a pan with some water. I heated it up over a low heat and just enough to get it nice and soft. I removed it from the heat and mixed in 10 drops of lavender essential oils. I let it cool and went along with our normal routine.

She still screamed but seemed to fall asleep faster. I guess we will see if she stays asleep. It smells and feels great. I used some and I'm going to bed now. :)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Heat over low heat until soft
Add oil
Mix well
Cool
Enjoy

Cauliflower crust

1 head Cauliflower

4 eggs

2 cups of mozzarella cheese

3 tsp oregano

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 more cups mozzarella cheese (for topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.

Prepare 2 pizza dishes or a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break down cauliflower and put pieces in food processor to chop down until its the size of rice pieces.

Place the cauliflower in a microwavable container and cover with lid. Microwave for 10 minutes. It will be hot.. Be careful.

Place the microwaved cauliflower in a large bowl and add the 4 eggs, 2 cups of mozzarella,oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix it all together.

Separate the mixture in half. You can either make 2 pizzas or pizza and breadsticks. Spread into a rectangular shape for the breadsticks. And onto the pizza sheet(s).

Bake just the crust for about 25 minutes or until golden.  Now add temaining mozzarella cheese and whatever toppings you want. I used chicken & pineapple. Put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Slice and serve.

 

 

Just in case

Monkey with her "just in case" bag and her new hulk!

Potty training continued....

This monkey is amazing! When your child is ready, they're ready!

I'd say the biggest thing is reward and act like u dnt care.

Day 1: She had lots of accidents but it was because she had another kid around n was busy playing. But once her buddy left, she went #1- #2 by herself. No prompting.

I rewarded her each time she went on the potty and didn't make a big deal about when she didn't. Don't show how bad YOU want it. They'll rebel!

Bedtime... I was so nervous to put her down without a diaper but she insisted!
I got up at 3am and woke her up to potty. Needless to say, she was NOT pleased. She hadn't wet herself and didn't use the potty.

I was sure she would pee herself while she slept. She did not.

Day 2: Woke up dry!! Used the potty!
I needed to go to target and the grocery store. I packed a change of pants and panties in a zip lock for her "just in case."

No accidents!
Then I had to drive an hour n a half to pick up a friend from the airport. No accidents in the car. She used the restroom at the airport once we got there. Then made is another hour and a half home.

Bedtime... Panties again!
No accidents all day!

Day 3:
With my friend and her pup here, I think my Lil monkey got a bit excited. We ended up having 2 accidents today.
The first one she ran to the bathroom and it was too late. She cried and cried and cried. :(
The 2nd time was the same story but she wasn't as hard on herself.
She did a #2 all on her own again. I think she really needs privacy for that one.

Day 4: We went to church and I had her bring her "just in case" bag and she got a cool sticker that said "I'm potty training."
No accidents!
After church we went straight to Nashville which is approximately an hour drive. We went to the grand ole opry and walked around for about an hour, even by some waterfalls. She did great!  No accidents. So we went to opry mills next door and had some lunch in the aquarium restaurant. I offered her a potty break everywhere we went. After a couple hours of walking around opry mills we went to a friends house about another 45 mins away and it was there that she helped herself to the bathroom. I guess she felt more comfortable there. After dinner there we drove the approx hour and a half back home.
All day no accidents!!

Day 5:
Woke up dry.
I didn't prompt her at all today. She did her business when she needed to and washed her hands after.
This evening, I took her to the store to pick out a new big girl toy for being officially diaper free!
She grabbed herself the hulk she's been eyeing every time we're there. :)

I know every child is different... But I really feel that kids give clues for when they're ready to get rid of diapers. Don't spend the money on pull ups. Just go all or nothing. Be ready for accidents. Don't make a big deal if they don't make it. And have a grab bag of goodies (I got a bunch of $1 toys. Dinosaurs, matchbox cars, bubbles, stickers, doll clothes, coloring books....) For when they make it to the potty.

You got this.

Potty training...

I guess its true what they say, kids really do let you know when they're ready to potty train. My 2 year old has been ultimately potty training herself. During our move she would take her clothes off and just take herself to the potty. Usually if I was in there. Or she would bring me a clean diaper as soon as she'd ... Well you know.

I kept saying "this is the last box of diapers." But then we moved and my husband deployed and it just fell to the back burner. So last weekend I took her to the store to pick out her own big girl panties. She got some Dora and some plane ones that were colorful. Monday and Tuesday I had appointments so most of the day was spent in diapers, running around town.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I went ahead and kept her in panties most of the day. I watched my friends kid while she was at the Dr and of course my monkey wanted NOTHING to do with the potty cuz she was playing!! 4 accidents later, my friend came to pick up her son. By the end of the evening my monkey took herself to the bathroom and did her business... #1 & #2!
Uh-mazing.
Before bed, I put a diaper back on her. Well this morning, I got up before her and took her straight to the potty. She was dry and didn't want to use it. I didn't push it. It snowed all night so everything was closed. My monster didn't have school so I made pancakes. Just about the time we sat down, monkey got panicky and said "mommy pee pee" and grabbed herself. So I picked her up and ran to the potty... She made it!! Her and her sister went n played in the snow. She stayed dry. She took a nap in panties... And stayed dry. Today was an accident free day! She's been trying to tell me she's been ready for this for a while and I ignored her. :/
Tonight, she went potty before bed and insisted on wearing her panties to sleep.

I guess we'll see what the morning holds for us, but I'm pretty freakin stoked! :)

How were your kiddos with potty training? What worked for you? What didn't? Were boys more challenging? Share in the comments below, I'd love to hear your story :)