Honestly Wonderful

I am a huge fan of The Honest Company! If you haven’t heard of this wonderful company, please check out their site at Honest.com. I originally became a fan back when Wes was born and I started having continuous anxiety attacks after reading articles about how essentially every product that is made today is basically a death sentence in one form or fashion. Okay, maybe I’m over exaggerating slightly—but seriously y’all, being a first time mom is scary stuff.  After doing some research based reading, rather than just  basing my knowledge on opinions from crunchy mom blog posts (no offense crunchy moms—I’m right there with ya! I made the decision to do a complete overhaul on almost all of the products that I use on a daily basis in my home. Most importantly, I started with baby products. The Honest Company makes some fabulous shampoo/body wash and face/body lotion. I have been using both of these products for over three years now and they have worked fabulously on both of my children. Even my son who has pretty bad eczema responds very well to these products. The only time I have to use some aquaphor supplement is in the winter (when his eczema gets really bad).I personally use the face and body lotion as well, just on my body—not face. I have tried the shampoo/body wash in my hair and do not love it.  When using it I noticed a lot of build-up and my hair seemed to get really dried out. 

I have also routinely used the Honest diaper cream, which makes the most unpleasant area of our sweet little babes smell like fresh lavender. It’s quite lovely to open up a diaper and smell lavender verses---well I’ll just stop there. Finally, I would also highly recommend The Honest Company prenatal vitamins. I switched over to these vitamins when I was pregnant with Em because I was so sick during that pregnancy. These prenatals are coated in vanilla flavoring, which certainly aided in the process of keeping my lunch in its proper place! My son uses the kid’s multi-vitamins, which are also amazing because they are packed full of veggies (that he refuses to eat on a regular basis). I will say though, I have personally tried one of these vitamins, out of curiosity, and they may in fact be the nastiest thing I have ever tasted. I honestly have no idea how or why my son continues to eat them every day, but I just keep hiding my face each time he eats one. I’m sure mommy’s face of sheer terror and disgust would cause him to question what he was putting in his mouth.  Anyway, he’s eating them for now, and Emily is getting her vitamins through the Honest infant vitamin powder. It’s great because I just mix it in with her milk and she drinks it right up. Perfect! So overall, The Honest Company should probably just be paying me to advertise, because, as you can see we buy a little bit of all their products—but they are great AND we love them. Best of all, they are honestly free of SLS, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, fragrances, dyes, sodium chloride, formaldehyde, MEA, DEA, TEA, or most common allergens.

Now on to Honest Beauty. This part of The Honest Company has just taken flight not too long ago, but I of course, jumped right on board! I have tried many, many, many different plant based/non-toxic make-up/anti-ageing/face wash products and prior to using the Honest Beauty products I just never felt blown away by any one product. I have been consistently using the Honest Beauty refreshingly clean gel face cleanser for over three months now, accompanied with the younger face deep hydration cream, and I seriously LOVE them both! They have this AMAZING smell to them, that even my hubby noticed one night. I believe he leaned in to kiss me and said, “wow, what’s that nice smell?” That tells you something ladies, right?! I also just feel like my skin had this “glow” to it that I had never experienced before. Because I loved these two products so much, I decided to try some additional products. For almost a month now, I have been using the everything primer, the younger eye cream, magic balm, konjac sponge and eyeshadow trio. The eyeshadow trio is my favorite! You can pre-select what trio you would like and so I selected the smoky grey. I have never really been wild about the dark “smoky” eyes, especially since I have such light hair, but this trio gives my eyes just the right amount of pop that I was looking for, without being too dramatic. I just love putting it on every morning! I haven’t been using the eye cream long enough to say if it actually reduces lines, but I can update later! I’m obviously a huge fan and again love that they are free of SLS, SLES, sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde carriers, PEGs, MCI/MI, steareth-n, synthetic fragrances, or dyes. 

The Honest Company also does a great referral program, so if you are interesting in trying some products out, you can use this code https://www.honestbeauty.com?share=941608 and then I will get $20 off my next bundle. What’s a bundle, you say? Oh, just another fabulous perk to The Honest Company. If you bundle, you save 30%! Win-win. 

**Only catch is, they will send you a bundle every month if you don’t log in to your account and space out the shipment dates. I usually get a bundle once every three months. 

Has anyone else tried these products? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you!

2016 Update

Yes, I am aware that it has been a significantly long time since my last post. Being completely honest, the plunge from one to two kids rocked my world. After having Wes, my first child, pride had me thinking, “No problem, I got this! I can be a full time working woman, blogger, and Mom!" I guess I was able to do it then, but once Emily was born—that same pride describe above—slapped me hard in the face.   Suddenly I was left thinking, “how am I even going to have enough time to breathe?” Things had to be cut, and obviously, the blog was one of them.  Recently, things have slowed down slightly—scratch that—who am I kidding!? Things have not decreased in speed, in fact, they may be even crazier (if that’s possible) but I think the process of adaptation has helped to soften the blow. Either way, writing more often has been on my heart. Unlike reading, or watching TV, I can write at any time of the day, and not feel the wave of extreme fatigue come crashing over me like the largest tidal wave to ever hit the shore. It allows me to hash out my thoughts on paper, and there is something extremely energizing about that. I also have several new products that I am in LOVE with, and am dying to share with you all (so stay tuned for that).

Here’s a super short and sweet update on life, since my last post:

The birth of Emily Grace Baughman, and her 1^st Birthday!

Wes’s 3^rd Birthday—gosh, where does the time go?!

The start of preschool for both kiddos!

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Kelby's Wedding!

Brandon taking on a new position at Capital Bank—he continues to amaze me y’all!

Coming up next: Honest Beauty review

Baby Kicks

Along with the start of the school year has come many changes for the Baughman family.

Change #1: The addition of baby number two coming in March!

For sure the most exciting change for our family is the little miracle that is quickly growing inside of me.  This beautiful little girl has just started letting me know that she is  there through her fierce kicks.  It's amazing how quickly the second pregnancy goes by, and I had actually got to the point where I guess I didn't realize that I was far enough along to feel baby kicks.  After putting my hand on my belly to try and calm my active little bean down one night, I felt, what I presume to be, my baby girls foot against my hand.  It caught me so off guard! I had certainly forgot how amazing it is to feel this for the first time.  I remember when I was pregnant with Wes, I would sit for hours with my hands on my stomach waiting for that first time I would feel him kick.  It seemed like it took forever for him to let me know he was there, but this time it came as a very sweet surprise.  This little girl has already given me a run for my money as I was super sick during my first trimester, another thing that has been different with her and Wes.

Sweet baby girl, who we plan to call Emilie (or Emily) Grace (haven't decided on spelling yet) is due to arrive March 26th.  After talking things through with my doctor I have decided to have a scheduled C-Section, which means that we will be meeting this sweet baby about a week and a half before her actual due date.  I'm definitely nervous about dealing with the recovery of a C-Section while having a two year old to chase around.  But I am sure that I don't want to go through the same delivery that I went through the first time, so for me, I think it's the best option.

Change #2: Saying goodbye to Trestlewood Lane

Something that I was not prepared for, but has turned out to be a huge blessing in our lives, was having to say goodbye to our house of three years.  Although we loved this house, we knew that it was not a house that we could live in for the rest of our lives--for many reasons. It miraculously sold and we are now living with my parents until we close on our new house December 2nd.  It has been absolutely amazing to see how everything has happened in his process.  We found our new house immediately after our old house sold, and before the house had even gone on the market we were able to put in an offer.  The house is in an amazing neighborhood and was sold to us by its original owners.  We will be less than five minutes from our best friends, and a little over five minutes from my parents.  The house is in amazing shape and we are so excited to move in!

What hasn't changed is our spunky little 1 and 1/2 year old who keeps me smiling every day!

So excited to see him as a big brother!

Sweet Summertime

The end of summer is finally here, as much as I hate to say that out loud.....

I've decided that rather than talk about how sad I am to leave my sweet little boy I will talk about how crazy and wonderful this summer has been!

Day one of my summer break started by taking on two extra kiddos.  That's right...for the entire summer I was responsible for not one, but three, little ones.  Although many people think that teachers have it easy getting the summer off, one thing to keep in mind is that we don't get paid for two months. So, while the summer off is a great perk, unless you are able to appropriately save for the summer it can be pretty rough.  Normally, we have enough money set aside to get through the summer months but this year was different.  Being swamped with hospital bills left us with nothing short of a couple pennies to rub together each month, and unfortunately I was faced with the reality of finding myself a summer job.  Luckily good friends of ours were looking for someone to watch their two kiddos for the summer months and it worked out great for both of us.  I was able to stay home with Wes, while also making the money Brandon and I needed to survive the summer.  I have learned a lot from this experience...and most importantly I don't see more than two kids in our future.  ;) Just kidding...while three is a lot to take on I know it is very different when they are your own.  I have learned how to multitask like never before, run errands with three kids, how frustrating potty training can be, and most importantly, I have learned more about Legos than I could have ever imagined.

Several weeks into the summer, Brandon, Wes and I were able to take a trip up to PA to visit his family for a full week.  His sister was getting married and it was so nice to be able to spend some extended time with everyone.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful and Wes' debut as a ring bearer, although a failed attempt, was still extremely cute!  I so wish that we could see this wonderful family more often!

                                     
This summer was also the first summer that Brandon and I were not able to make it up to OCNJ for the yearly beach tradition with my side of the family.  It was very sad to miss out on this time but we are looking forward to next year.  What has made this a little easier is the fact that my parents bought a house in North Topsail and we have been able to enjoy the house on many different occasions throughout the summer.  Brandon and I also spent our first weekend away from Wes at the beach for our 5 year anniversary.  Most recently we spent the weekend with our wonderful friends, the Hurets.

Throughout the summer I was able to spend time with some of the amazing friends that Brandon and I have been so blessed to know here in Raleigh.  It has been such a blessing to have so many friends who also have little ones. I have so enjoyed getting together with these women for a weekly brunch play-date as well as our many pool dates.  I am seriously overwhelmed by the amazing friendships that have developed throughout our five years in Raleigh and I continue to revel in amazement at how we spontaneously ended up here, when really the Lord had it perfectly planned out for us the whole time!

 I feel refreshed from the summer and ready to get back to my kids and family at DDMS.  This year is certainly going to have a fair share of challenges, but I know it's going to be awesome! I'm so excited for Wes too because I know that he is going to be so greatly loved for and taken care of while I am working every day and for that I am SO THANKFUL! He gets to go back to playing with one of his best buddies and I know he is going to have a blast!

Tomorrow is the last day of my summer break, and coincidentally, it is also a very important and special day for Brandon and I! Looking forward to the adventures in the upcoming year!

This Week In Groceries

This week I decided to try a combo of Trader Joe's and Aldi and I am actually very excited about how it went.

Below is my list for groceries this week.  Before I head to the grocery store I always determine which meals I will be preparing for the upcoming week and what food I will need for those meals.  I also have to determine what else we will need for the upcoming week for lunches, snacks etc.  After my list is made I head to the store.  For this particular week I bought all of my groceries at Trader Joe's with the exception of my ground beef, which I bought at Aldi.

My total spent at Trader Joe's (when sticking to this list) was $91.01.  I also bought 2 lbs of Organic grass feed ground beef at Aldi bringing my grocery total to $99.95.  I also needed paper towels and toilet paper, so that brought my total for the week to $112.95.  Don't know if I mentioned this before, but Aldi is also an awesome option for paper products!  I did not need any cleaning supplies this week because I had stocked up the week before.  I also want to mention that Brandon's cousin is currently living with us, so my spending is a little higher than normal because I am cooking for three adults and one kiddo.

                               Here's some pictures of my meal plans to help put it all together!

Perogies, Turkey Kielbasa, Mac and Cheese, and Onion Rings (Don't judge--this meal was for Brandon and his cousin--we don't normally eat like this)

                           Spaghetti and Meatballs                                Stuffed Peppers

                          Salmon, Rice and Broccoli                Pork Chops, Green Beans and Potatoes

                                                    The rest of my groceries for the week

Hope this helps you all in your meal planning adventures!

5 Years Ago Today....

I married my best friend! I don't have time for a long post today, but I just wanted to share with everyone how wonderful it has been to be married to my best friend for five years.  He has not only been a supportive, hard working, caring and loving husband but he is now an amazing father as well. I'm certainly not here to make you believe that every day is a walk in the park, but I have been so blessed to have spent the past nine years of my life with him and the past five years of my life married to him.  We have shared some amazing moments together and I know there are many more to come!

As I think back to the day we were married I wanted to share the song that was performed for our first dance.  The lyrics are still so powerful to this day!

First Dance

Geneva College Days

Wedding Day

 Baby on it's way...

 2/7/2012 The happiest day of our lives!

 Our family today!

Love you babe!

The Quest For An Affordable Non-Toxic Lifestyle

And so the journey continues.....

I will say that although it is frustrating trying to live a non-toxic lifestyle on a budget, I have thoroughly enjoyed having the summer to figure out my grocery schedule for the upcoming year.  When I say grocery schedule, I am referring to not only when I will shop but also where I will shop once the school year starts.  I've got to do the research now and determine a set plan because once the school year starts there is absolutely no time to be going to three different grocery stores in one week--not to mention--who seriously wants to be doing that anyway!

After a recent post about my frustration with food I have decided to try/consider some different options.  Here's what I have tried:  

Option #1: Shop exclusively at Target
This option was most definitely the easy way out (for me--I realize not for everyone).  In my mind I would justify this option based on several thoughts.... I mean, I do have a Target Red debit card, so I am saving 5% on every purchase! Plus I could get everything I need in one stop! Cleaning supplies, paper products, groceries and more.  Although this option seemed good in theory, and it may work for many Moms, it didn't work for Brandon and I, OR our budget.  I generally try to spend about $100 a week for all of my groceries, paper products, and cleaning supplies.  With this option, I was spending approximately $120-140 a week! Nope, not happening. Although it is great that Target offers Organic options, they do not come without a cost.  Paying over $4 for half a gallon of Organic milk is just not going to work for us.  I have determined that I will continue to purchase my non-toxic cleaning supplies from Target as they will often have these products on sale and I will be able to take an additional 5% off with my Target Red. Keep your eyes peeled for the sales!

Option #2: Shop exclusively at Aldi or Trader Joes
I am and have always been a huge fan of Trader Joes.  Their prices are awesome! The quality and service--even better.  However, they do not have everything I need on a weekly basis, which forces me to shop at two grocery stores every week.  I don't love this option.  Aldi is very similar to Trader Joes, but I am not as big of a fan due to the quality of their products.  I am super pumped that they have decided to try a line of Organics, because truly you can not beat their prices!  Aldi, without a doubt, is the cheapest option for grocery shopping but they just don't have all that I need, and they certainly to not offer enough Organic options for me to shop there exclusively.

Option #3: Papa Spuds + Kroger (Or a similar grocery store...)
Papa Spuds is a local company that delivers produce and various other items to your door.  It offers a great variety of Organics and non-Organic (but still pesticide free) produce.  This is the option I am trying out this week.  I have ordered from Papa Spuds and will need to hit up a grocery store for the rest of the items I will need for the week.

So let's talk for a minute about Papa Spuds.  When determining if this was an option that I would like to consider I not only looked into Papa Spuds, but also Backyard Produce, which offers the same service as Papa Spuds.  Both services offer weekly deliveries to your door.  Both services offer several different packages based on how much produce you would like/need for the week.  Both services are based on a "credit" system.

Let's break it down:
 
Papa Spud's three packages = Small box, 15 credits ($18.44/week) - Regular box, 20 credits ($23.69/week) - Family box, 40 credits ($45.09/week)

The way it works is each week you will have the opportunity to create your box based on what produce is available from (majority) local NC farms.  Each item is worth a certain number of credits....here are a few examples: 3/4 lbs of Organic Green Beans are 3 credits, and 2 lbs (4) Organic Sweet Potatoes are also 3 credits.
I decided to go ahead and go for the Family box and here is a picture of what my box included:

Organic Kale, Handmade Perogies, 1lb Organic Ham Lunchmeat, 5 Organic Bananas, 3 Organic Pears, 4 Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Mushrooms, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, 1 All Natural Organic (grain fed) Chicken Breast

Papa Spuds offers a large variety of items including handmade pastas, perogies, and meat from local NC farms.  I was hoping that this $45 a week would cover ALL of my produce for the week.  Which would leave me with $55 a week to spend on all other grocery needs.

I also investigated Backyard Produce and decided against this company.  Although they offer essentially the same program, and even had some additional products that Papa Spuds did not offer, their credit system was slightly outrageous.  For example, Organic ground beef was as much as 38 credits for one pound.  I have also asked for recommendations from several Raleigh Mom's who have tried both services and they recommend Papa Spuds over Byproduce.


So then, I guess I am currently "trying out" option #3 as I have exhausted all other options.  Here's the thing though. If I'm being honest, I was not overly impressed with the amount of food I got from Papa Spuds for my $45 dollars.  I suppose I could be more thrifty and go with the "non-pesticide" options rather than the Organic options and see if this allows me to get more bang for my buck.  I am going to give it a try for another week and see if going this route provides me greater satisfaction.


Feeling slightly defeated---open to reader's suggestions, as always!