​If your kids are anything like mine, they love hot cocoa. And who could blame them? It’s the perfect treat on a chilly day. Also, if your kids are anything like mine, hot cocoa might make them a little crazy. The caffeine that is naturally found in chocolate and the energy of a toddler seems like the perfect storm.  Fortunately, I’ve found an alternative that gives my little guy all of the cocoa feels, without the cocoa crazy.
 
We call it maple milk. It’s basically frothed almond milk with a tiny bit of maple syrup added for sweetness. It’s a fun treat for a cold day that I don’t feel bad about giving to my little guy. 

My family and I will be doing the Whole30 during the month of January. My husband and I feel like we really both need a “reset” so to speak just to get our sugar cravings and individual relationships with food back in check. If you’re familiar with the Whole30, you’ll know that ghee is a major cooking staple (If you aren’t familiar with the Whole30, you can find out more here). 

​Yoga is one of my favorite forms of self-care. The sense of calm and well-being that I get from practice always amazes me. But nothing puts a damper on my practice like a mat that feels and smells less than clean. So, I like to make a spray using essential oils that will kill any germs and add a fresh scent. 

​It’s no secret that winter is rough on skin, especially a Michigan winter.  Typically, my hands and face are flaky and dry by this point in the year, but so far I’ve been able to keep the flakes at bay. Here’s what has been working for me:

*Full disclosure, a few of the products that I recommend are Beautycounter. I'm a Beautycounter Consultant, so I do have a small financial interest in these products. The reason I recommend them, and the reason that I'm a consultant is because after MUCH research these are some of the safest, high performing products I've been able to find - so naturally I recommend them! 

Are you wanting to look a little more put together when you leave in the morning, but not quite sure where to start? Or do you already have a pretty large makeup collection, but you're wanting to get back to basics, and get rid of some of your toxic products? I feel ya, Mama. As a reformed product junkie, and aspiring minimalist I just recently purged my makeup collection of a lot of the toxic products that I had. And to be quite honest, a lot of them I hadn't used in a while. As a busy Mom of two, it's not realistic to put on a full face of flawless makeup every morning, and really that's not my style anymore. The older I get, the less I feel the need to cover up every mark or imperfection on my skin. I want to look like myself!

I wanted to pare down my makeup collection to just a few products and tools that would help me get out the door fast in the morning, but help me look put together. I also wanted these products to be clean and safe. I've come up with a routine that I'm happy with, and I wanted to share with my Mama tribe! 

Tools - In an effort to keep things as simple as possible there are only 4 tools I use on an average morning: an eyelash curler, a makeup blending sponge, a foundation brush, and a powder brush. 

This year I decided to make some immune-boosting goodness to gift to a few friends, because ‘tis the season for errrbody to share those warm cozy germs. I use an adaptation of Katie at Wellness Mama's recipe (just google Wellness Mama elderberry syrup - it will be the first thing that pops up) - I'll share it below. It's super simple and easy to make double and triple batches to store in the freezer or share. I bottle up and put in the fridge what we’ll use in about 3 weeks and the rest goes in the freezer to thaw out when needed. 

I love cooking as much as I can with cast iron. It’s healthier than a lot of other options (I’m looking at you, Teflon), and I love that it enriches our food with extra iron (so important postpartum and for littles that may not get enough in their diet). But cleaning it is a bit different than other cookware, and many people are daunted by that. However, once you know the proper technique it's actually really easy, and if your pan is well seasoned, you may only need to wipe it out when your done using it! But if there are some stubborn bits hanging on, you can follow these steps: 

1. Soak for a couple of minutes in HOT water (not too long though- you don’t want it to rust! This will just loosen up anything that doesn’t want to budge. 
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2. Dump out the water and sprinkle a good amount of salt in the pan.

Bees Wrap VS Trader Joe’s Waxed Cotton Wraps – Which is better? You guys asked for a side by side comparison, so here it is!