The Best Preggo Mocktail Ever (& A Giveaway!)

At 33 weeks pregnant now and many days still feeling nauseous, which I never experienced to this extent and length before. But with a mix of diffusing peppermint essential oil, I've been loving this new Apple Ginger juice by R.W. Knuden Family which has helped a TON with the nausea. This juice tastes really good and it's a super easy way to incorporate ginger into your diet when you lack the energy and time to cook. Today I'm also hosting a giveaway for you to win two bottles of your own Apple Ginger juice! 

A quick low down on why ginger is only the best thing ever -- Ginger is among one of the healthiest spices on the earth, loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain. It has a long history of use in various forms of traditional/alternative medicine and has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea, as well as help fight the flu and common cold, and it also contains powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects as well. I saw some studies even site it may be just as effective as prescription medication(!) It has a long history of use in combating sea-sickness, relieving nausea and vomiting after surgery, in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and is cited as the most effective against nausea related to pregnancy morning sickness.
In addition to the ginger, this juice also contains apple juice and lemon juice, both of which are very high in vitamin C, which aids in the production of white blood cells, boosting your immune system and helping to ward off common colds and flu. Vitamin C additionally aids in digestion and detoxing, and has additionally been proven to naturally boost energy levels as well. So good stuff here.
On special occasions, I like to fancy this juice up and turn it into a little mocktail by adding in a splash of gingerale and garnishing with some fresh mint sprigs and cranberries, apples, or cherries. (Would be a great drink to serve to one of your preggo friends at your next dinner or cocktail party!) 

I love R.W. Knudsen Juice over other juice brands because their juices are made completely from wholesome ingredients without any artificial flavors or preservatives - all of their juices are made from organic single-fruits, with no added sweeteners and are 100% sweetened straight from the fruit, and they taste amazing. The R.W. Knudsen Family offers over 100 types of natural, organic fruit and vegetable juices, as well as celebratory beverages, bubbly Spritzers, and natural sports drinks, and you can find them at your local grocery stores, Walmart, and Target. But you may just be the lucky one to win two bottles of your own through entering my giveaway below!:)

 

All You Need To Do To Enter:

1. Simply comment on this blog post!! Please leave your email address so I know how to contact you if you're the lucky winner!

Good luck!!

*giveaway will run for one week from today and will close on 6/27/16 at 12:00pm. Winner will be notified via the email they provided.

Landon's SIXTH Birthday Party!

Celebrated Landon's SIXTH birthday yesterday and had such a great day. So proud of the little boy he is and is growing up to be- he is sweet, sensitive, thoughtful, & compassionate and kind. 

It was 95 degrees out yesterday but everyone had a blast in the slip n slide, pool and water games and couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for him. I stole these few pics from my friends, as hosting parties doesn't lend to photographing them too well but you can see some more snaps on my snapchat at mummassnaps :)

Bits of Life Lately

Garden shopping

Sifting for gold

Treasures

Landon's pose

The kids + a detective dog (?) at Touch a Truck

DIY Sunscreen with Essential Oils

Well it's June 1 and we're already out spending most of our days outside in this gorgeous weather we've been having. For the first time I started experimenting with a DIY sunscreen with some of my oils and really love the way it came out! It's very simple to make and is completely customizable to a variety of oils you have on hand. Here is the handy chart I used as a reference guide when making mine:

I filled a 2oz amber glass spray bottle with:
- 3/4 coconut oil (which has an SPF of 4)
- 1/4 sesame oil (which has an SPF of 6) 
- 4 drops lavender eo (SPF 6)
- 4 drops peppermint eo (SPF 7)
- 10 drops carrot seed eo (SPF 30-40!).

 

It smells great and the peppermint has additional benefits to your circulatory system and amazing benefits for your muscles and skin tone. And  of course, best of all, this is 100% natural!! So I have no guilt spraying and rubbing this all over me and my pregnant belly. BUT, because of the coconut oil, I do not put this on my face. Coconut oil is comedogemic, meaning it can clog your pores, so I'm still on the hunt for a good (natural) facial sunscreen, let me know if you have any recommendations! 

Happy & Safe tanning and fun in the sun! 

*Feel free to email me at mummascorner@gmail.com if you have any questions about essential oils or are interested in starting your own wholesale membership (& joining an amazing support team of oily enthusiasts!:))

Memorial Day Weekend

Spent the past couple of days in Lake Geneva with Chris celebrating a friend's beautiful wedding. I can't even express how nice it was to take a break from the kids and the constant cleaning and cooking and housework for a couple of days and nights. It's always so hard and I come up with millions of excuses not to leave but once I finally come around, I never regret it. Good times with good friends, adult conversation, getting dressed up and putting on make up for once, and spending quality time with the one I love. It's so, so important to take the time to nourish ourselves outside of being a mother. And usually we don't realize that until it gets too late. If you have the opportunity to get away without the kids, don't let one of your excuses take you from it. Do it, do it, do it.

29 week bump (dress is maternity from asos.com; necklace is francesca's)

Came home to some beautiful peonies in bloom at the front of our house...

& these little nuggets, completely fine and taken care of without my micromanagement. (I had no cell service! Which was actually kind of nice.. 😏)

Also, side note- I'm on snapchat! Come find me/follow me @mummassnaps 👻

Hope you all had a wonderful, long holiday weekend!:)

Bits of Life Lately

It finally feels like summer, we've been enjoying the outdoors, playing at various parks and playgrounds and out in our own backyard almost every day. Been doing a little more spring cleaning and working on various projects around the house as the weather's inspired, coupled with those old familiar 'nesting' feelings stirring inside me. We decided not to put together a baby nursery (at least we won't have one for at least the first 6 mo tha to a year) as we want to keep our guest room for my parents' and friends' visits this summer and fall. Our master bedroom has so much unused space so we have plenty of room to put the co-sleeper next to our bed, the rocker in the corner of the room, and all the baby's things fit nicely right in our closet, so we'll just be sharing our room for a little while. So since I'm not 'nesting' the nursery as in the past, have been channeling all those feelings to other departments of in the abode. Finally put together Blair's big girl bed & room, & working on several room make overs in the living room, dining room, and home office. Will hopefully share some more room tours with you soon :)

Loving our DIY shelves Chris made and put up for me in our dining room as part of my Mother's Day :) 

New custom facial oil cleanser for rosacea plus some new items up in the shop- check it out :)

A healthy 28 week doctor's check up, & getting to see this sweet little face on screen makes third trimester probs all worth it ❤️

DIY Bug Spray with Essential Oils!

I've been freaking out a little about Zika virus this summer and knowing how horrible the chemicals are in bug spray, so I researched and experimented with some essential oils famous for mosquito-repellent properties and have a new homemade bug spray recipe to share with you-- this is very simple to make, smells good, is 100% natural, and WORKS!! You can either make in an amber glass spray bottle or you could also make it in a roller bottle and apply to your wrists and other pressure/"hot" points (behind knees, elbows, neck, etc) which still works just as good. 

A little bit on DEET: The main ingredient in conventional bug sprays, DEET is really bad for you and highly recommended against using it if you are pregnant. Although DEET is approved by the (EPA), it is a known eye irritant and can cause rashes, soreness, or blistering when applied to the skin. DEET has also been linked to neurological problems -- according to the EPA, at least 18 different cases of children suffer adverse neurological effects, and the deaths of two adults has been associated with DEET. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that DEET causes diffuse brain cell death and behavioral changes in rats. DEET has also been shown to have a negative impact on wildlife and water sources in production and during use. DEET is also toxic to birds and aquatic life.
I am so happy I discovered this natural way to make my own bug repellent because I will definitely be using this for my kids (Landon is known for mosquito bites that turn into HUGE irritating flare ups) and also will continue using this for myself even after my pregnancy since it is so easy to make and it works so well. I hope you try making this for yourself, and as always if you don't have time to or don't have all the supplies, this item is listed in my etsy shop for you to purchase :)

What You'll Need:
- Your Essential Oils -- You can choose from a variety of essential oils, depending on your preference or what you have on hand. The best are: Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint.
- Natural Witch Hazel
- Distilled or boiled Water
- Vegetable glycerin (optional. This just give it a bit of a thicker consistency).

Directions:
1. Fill spray bottle (I used a 2 oz amber glass bottle) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
2. Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
3. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin (if using)
4. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be. My personal favorite mix is: Citronella (20 drops), Rosemary (4 drops) Tea Tree (4) and Lavender (4 drops). It works great and smells good too!

Some other simple insect-repellent ideas:
- Use a non-toxic, plastic-free insect-repelling band (I've heard good things about this one), which is easier to use on children and very effective.
- Add vanilla extract to your spray mixture or just rub on the skin. You can also mix vanilla with witch hazel and water for a spray version.
- Plant insect repelling herbs in your yard. I grow lavender, mint and currently on the hunt for some citronella to plant near our back deck.
- Rub lavender flowers or lavender essential oil on your skin, especially on hot parts of body (neck, underarms, behind ears, knees etc.) to repel insects.
- Rub fresh or dried leaves of anything in the mint family all over skin to repel insects (peppermint, spearmint, catnip, pennyroyal, etc or citronella, lemongrass, etc.) Basil is also said to repel mosquitoes and I’ve used fresh basil leaves with success before.