31.7.13

July happenings

July... the last month before school returns. Where did the time go? Here's what we've been up to...
{such a fun night with the very talented Roger Wermers ~ sculpture in progress}
{daddy's birthday ~ I didn't have enough candles.}
July was pretty wonderful, even though temps dropped into the 40's!
I might have said I was moving to a warmer climate a few times. :)
 
Looking forward to fun adventures in August!


26.7.13

Healthier Living

As promised, here are a few of my favorite products from Vitacost plus some additional health tidbits. :)

Chapstick, something I always use. Did you know many chapsticks are made with harmful ingredients and/or have never been tested for safety? Yikes! Not only do I want something safe for me to use but also for my daughter who likes to think it's lipstick and wants to wear it to be like mom. For all products (food and beauty) the fewer ingredients used the better. The best would be you know what all the ingredients are that are on the label. It is also good to go with a product that has the USDA certified organic label.
Knowing that information, my favorite kind of chapstick to use now is "Dr. Bronner's Sun Dog's Organic Lip Balm Naked". I've tested a couple different organic brands from Vitacost and I chose the naked one since I'm not big on smelly chapsticks being on my lips.
Dr. Bronner's Sun Dog's Organic Lip Balm Naked from Vitacost

 

Another big thing is chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? Since we found out our daughter was allergic to dairy, milk chocolate products were off the list. You are probably wondering how is chocolate healthy? Well when you get to the rawest form of chocolate which is cacao, it is healthy and it doesn't have dairy in it! Win, win for us!
"The nutrient density of raw cacao benefits every function of the body." (via Secrets of Longevity) Among many different health benefits, one biggie is that cacao is high in magnesium which many people are deficient in. How awesome is that? To find out more interesting facts about cacao, read about it at Secrets of Longevity.

 
TerrAmazon Organic Cacao Powder -- 4 oz
At first I didn't know if I would like it or use it much so I went with the 4oz size by TerrAmazon. But when it was gone I went with the large 16oz size by Natierra. Both are great! 
Natierra Raw Cacao Powder -- 16 oz - Vegan

I use it most often when I make banana oatmeal cookies. Adding the cacao makes it nice and chocolaty. Know that cacao is not sweet by itself, so the banana is a great natural sweetner option.

Veggies make up the healthiest foods... maybe it's just me but sometimes I want something else to snack on but don't want something that is unhealthy. I found pumpkin seeds to be a good option. They are high in protein, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.Vitacost offers a variety of options but here is one that I've tried and liked:
 
One of Kaelyn's favorite snacks is Double Chocolate Crunch granola. Enjoy Life makes many allergy friendly products. It isn't the healthiet option, I wish their items had less sugar. (This one has 13g for 1/2 c.) The granola does have some good vitamins and mineals though and our daughter thinks it is a fantastic treat.
 

I believe that some of the lotions and soaps I have tried have contributed to my estrogen dominance. I know there are many contributers but many products today are made with Xenoestrogens, which are estrogenic chemicals. To find out more about Estrogen Dominance Syndrome, causes and ways to fix the problem I suggest reading more at Live to 110. The last couple months I have been using Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap and have really liked it. A little seems to go a long way. The info on the bottle is pretty entertaining to read as well. If you get it you'll know what I mean. :)
 
There are so many more wonderful products at Vitacost from supplements to household products. By ordering from Vitacost online, you can get products for a fraction of the price. Shipping is free when your order is $49 or more. (That is easy to do!) I like being able to shop comfortably from my own home. The detailed description plus list of ingredients on each item is so helpful when you need to know what you are buying. The products above are just a few that I've tried and thought were worth sharing. If you have favorites I'd love to hear. I hope I didn't bore you to death and you found some useful information.
 
Have a fantastic weekend!

3.7.13

June Snapshots

June was kind of a blur. Most of the month I was busy with Vacation Bible School. First was coordinating/decorating/helping with VBS for 6yr olds through 6th grade then it was helping with crafts for the 3yr-5yr olds VBS. It was busy and a bit chaotic but the kids seemed to have fun. Here are just a few other happenings...
 
David's time trial race in the rain. Yucky weather but he did good!
First in his age group and third overall.
 
{Wisp Woods walnut table in progress}
 
{walnut table in the finishing stage}
Hubby delivered the table while I was at VBS so we never got a good finished shot of the table.
Hope to get one soon. It turned out beautiful!
 
{Father's Day}
 
{K didn't mind the cold water.}
 
 
 
 
 
{more prints for Unglued}
Unglued in Fargo has had so many fun events at their shop and so many more in the works. If you are in the area it would be worth checking out. There is a Street Fair in Fargo July 18-20th that I'm sure will be a lot of fun!
 
{Greens from my garden!}
My first year of growing lettuce, spinach and swiss chard!
It has been so exciting but also a lot of work trying to keep up two gardens.
{David's first criterium bike race.}
 
 
{Such a fun race to watch since the racers keep doing laps and he got first place!!!}
July is looking like another busy month. I am still hoping to get a post up on some of my favorite healthy Vitacost products. I haven't forgotten that I said I would do that, just haven't had the time lately... but I promise it is coming.
Until then,
have a fun, relaxing and safe Fourth!