DIY Organic Pumpkin Body Butter and Facial Mask!

Fall is finally here! While I am not a fan of the weather, I am a fan of one thing...PUMPKIN PIE!  Come to think of it, I pretty much love everything pumpkin: Fragrances, lotions, potpourri, cookies, you name it - I love it. Since starting my organic journey, however, I have actually found that not only do I not love the ingredient list on most canned pumpkin purees but I am absolutely against the lotions that I used to love. Just looking at the label at the local store (you know the one..smelly and TONS of stuff) made me dizzy (and it wasn't the mixture of scents)! The ingredient list read like a science experiment and one that I had no plan to take part of.

Click HERE to see how I fixed this problem with a little DIY!

MOTHER's THERAPY ORGANIC HAND SANITIZER - Review and Giveaway

I am going to go right out there and say that I am not a "sanitizing" momma. I sometimes think that people go way too far on how often they sanitize their hands! I have friends who will do it after opening a restaurant door,  after viewing the menu,  after touching the table, and even after washing their hands. Now...while I don't bathe my kids in sanitizer (and think some people go a bit crazy)...I do realize that there ARE situations where hand sanitizer is a must.

Click here to see why I don't like most hand sanitizers and to enter to win one that I LOVE!

8 "HEALTH" foods you should avoid!

This "salad" has over 90 grams of fat and is LOADED with sodium..

I eat "healthy"..... 

Don't I ??!?!

Here are 8 "Health" Foods To Avoid!

Big companies and their marketing teams have caught on to our attraction to items labeled "healthy", "all natural", "low fat", "Multi-Grain", and other terms indicating healthy choices and boy have they risen the charge. Walking through the grocery store, you would assume that healthy choices are easy to spot and that your cart is full of high quality products offering amazing health benefits. This is not always true. Labels can be deceiving and sometimes when a product is altered to meet criteria or a label...it takes away everything that WAS good about it.

Since labels are conusing, I thought I would break down a little about some of the foods that are SUPPOSED to be good for you...BUT MAY BE HURTING YOU! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

2 Friday Bloghops ---OH MY!

This week... I am partying BIG! I am hosting the Friday Follow Along AND the TGIF Link Party with A Peek into my paradise!!!

So grab a hand and follow the leader!

If you have a blog or website with any article pertaining to family, fitness, being cheap (I mean frugal), crafting, recipes, or is just plain fun.... 

Then....swing by the TGIF Link Party and share too!

CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE PARTY PAGE!!! LINK UP, CONNECT, and PARTY

Easy to do! Homemade Playdough

We were sitting around having a lazy weekend when my kids started asking for something fun to do. My kids are already in front of a computer screen for school, they play computers quite a bit, and watch some tv....so I wasn't wanting to put them back in front of a screen if I didn't need to. I had to think back to what I did as a kid - when screens weren't around (according to my kids)....and finally inspiration struck...PLAYDOUGH!

Luckily for me, it can be made in less than 10 minutes AND uses ingredients that you probably already have in the pantry!

CLICK HERE TO GET THE 5 INGREDIENT RECIPE!

It's BLOGHOP FRIDAY! Two fun bloghops in 1 DAY!!!

This week... I am partying BIG! I am hosting the Friday Follow Along AND the TGIF Link Party with A Peek into my paradise!!!

So grab a hand and follow the leader!

If you have a blog or website with any article pertaining to family, fitness, being cheap (I mean frugal), crafting, recipes, or is just plain fun.... 

Then....swing by the TGIF Link Party and share too!

CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE PARTY PAGE!!! LINK UP, CONNECT, and PARTY

Mommy Monday Blog Hop - They let me co-host! Crazy Girls!!

Welcome to our Mommy Monday Blog Hop! Woot! Woot! Let's get this Monday started with posts from all different subjects that come from, that's right, you guessed it, MOMS! Forget Rules!

We just want you to show off whatever you would like! ALSO - enter to win some cloth diapers while you are here!!!

CLICK HERE.....We are WAITING FOR YOU!!!!!

DIY Tea Tree Oil Cleaner - A Must have for cold and flu season!

While growing up, my mom's home remedy for keeping the kids healthy was a teaspoon of bleach in every dish load. Actually, she used bleach for everything! I am probably one of the only people that I know of who absolutely LOVES the smell of bleach and gets a warm and home-y feeling when its aroma fills the air! She also had a jar of lysol in every room (that smell does NOT make me warm and fuzzy) and her cleaning arsenal was filled with TONS of bottles of cleaners.

Well, that was my mom and this is me. There was and is nothing wrong with how my mom raised us but I am taking a more natural and organic approach to life. I also don't need as many different cleaning supplies!




Click here to get my recipe and o find out how you can stay healthy and chemical free with Tea Tree oil!

Friday Follow Along Bloghop

It's PARTY Time!

So grab a hand and follow the leader!

If you have a blog or website with any article pertaining to family, fitness, being cheap (I mean frugal), crafting, recipes, or is just plain fun....  

 

LINK IT UP!!!

 

Click here so the party can get started!!

NOT SO WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Bloghop & PARTY!

It's that time of the week again where most people look for completely wordless posts...not us! We are super chatty and LOVE all of your posts - both wordless and not so wordless!!

Link Up and Post you LOVE and enter to win our giveaway for a brand new kitchen aid mixer! The party is happening NOW so swing by and LINKUP!

CLICK HERE... WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!

Super Easy & Healthy No-Bake Protein Bars!

Over the past few months, my husband has become hooked on a new vice. Of all the addictions in the world; smoking, drinking, gambling, etc....he picks PROTEIN BARS! I should not complain...it is a healthy problem to have BUT it is also a $3 per bar addition. Yesterday, I believe it equated to a $20/day habit.

So...as many of you know, I am a total DIY girl and save money wherever I can. I took to the internet to find recipes and was sad when the first few pages of recipes were LOADED with sugar, processed ingredients, and junk. The other portion I found called for some crazy ingredients that I simply did not have on hand. One part of how I make organic work for a busy (LARGE) family is to keep it simple. These recipes were NOT going to work!

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE THAT WAS FRUGAL, EASY, and GONE IN MINUTES!

Friends in Chicago can win FREE FOOD from Jerseys Pizza and Grill! and Fundraise there too!

If you live in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago...you HAVE to get to Jersey's Pizza and Grill in Hoffman Estates! They are a family friendly - sports restaurant with a fun and exciting atmosphere and AMAZING FOOD! Trust me...it is not your typical sports bar food!!

I absolutely LOVED our experience there. It was comfortable for the kids and for us. I wish we lived there so we could go more often.

The BEST part is that Jersey's Pizza and Grill DELIVERS their food to surrounding areas!!

They have also launched an AMAZING fundraising program where your group or organization (of any size) can earn 10% of dining events! If you are interested in fundraising with Jerseys...contact their Director of Marketing Catelyn at:  catelyn@wildcatinvst.com

So...I bet you want to know what I thought about the food! To be honest, it is usually hard for me to find food that I like...I am vegetarian and some restaurants give me a hard time about altering items. The staff was so nice and made my food exactly how I wanted it! Thank you Jerseys!

My favorites:

• Parmesan Balls (like breadsticks only Better!)
• Green Chili Burger (my hubby's favorite)
• The Pizzas are outstanding!
• The Onion rings - TOTALLY MY FAVORITE PART!
• The habanero mango sauce is awesome on ANYTHING!!

Starting TODAY...They are running an AMAZING contest where you can win FREE food just for taking a picture of you in your favorite sports gear, tagging the picture, and sharing! Check out the contest HERE!

Take a few seconds and and follow Jerseys via social media!

Jerseys Pizza and Grill on Facebook
Jerseys Pizza and Grill on Twitter






 
Click here to check out the CONTEST and WIN FREE FOOD!!!

Friday Follow Along BLOGHOP!

It's PARTY Time!

So grab a hand and follow the leader!

If you have a blog or website with any article pertaining to family, fitness, being cheap (I mean frugal), crafting, recipes, or is just plain fun.... 

•  There are no real rules-except nothing x rated! 
• Link up at least 1 post (max of 2) AND 1 social media site so we can all follow along!

• Visit as many links as you can and leave comments! 

• Its just like the game Follow the leaders (host &cohosts) and  follow at least the person ahead of you and behind you. Follow others via twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin', etc 
• Link back if you can and when!   Not required but appreciated!
• If you have a blog hop today or this weekend...go ahead and link it up

CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE PARTY!

NOT SO WORDLESS WEDNSDAY BLOGHOP!?

Are you a chatty blogger who wishes you could join in the Wordless Wednesday Bloghops?!? If so...this hop is for you! We both find it difficult to blog with only pictures so we don't expect you to!

Swing by and link up ANY post that has a picture or two in it! We don't discriminate- link up your DIY, RECIPES, Beauty Tips, Social Media information, BRING IT ALL ON!

We can't wait to see what you have been up to so let the party begin.

Click HERE to get to the linkup and to share your  chatty or not chatty post!