Essential oil roller bottle for menstrual cramps

I always have awful cramps during the first 24 hours of menstrual bleeding every month. This month I gave this a try and what a difference it made.

Apply this to your lower abdomen where the cramps hurt the most. Then apply to the inside and outside of your right ankle, these are vita flex points for your reproductive organs. Using a heating pad can help release these oils into your body, especially the peppermint.

In a 10ml roller bottle added the following

• 15 drops of lavender essential oil

     Lavender is known for having calming and sedative qualities Source for lavender

• 10 drops of peppermint essential oil

     Peppermint is known for its cooling properties than helps with soothing aches as well as works similarly to acetaminophen (Tylenol) for headaches  Source for peppermint

• 5 drops of rosemary essential oils

Rosemary is great at reliving muscle pain and encouraging circulation 

Source for rosemary

• 5 drops of thyme essential oil

Thyme is better at dealing with with menstruation cramps then ibuprofen  Source for thyme

Fill the rest of the bottle with carrier oil ( I used grapeseed oil)

Fermented salsa

This is my recipe for a femented salsa.It os really easy to make especially if you already have some extra whey in your fridge.

Fermented foods are known for being packed full of probiotics, and this salsa is so yummy.

5 or 6 good sized Roma tomatoes
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1/2 yellow onion
1 or 2 chilies or peppers for spice (I like Serrano chilies)
Splash of Lime
Splash of lemon
Spices ( I used salt, cumin, red peppers, chili powder,)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of whey. (This is optional. You can ferment without the use of added whey )

Chop and blend ingredients together. Let it sit on the counter for a couple days, then enjoy! Last for 6 months in the fridge

Types of Cloth Diapers

One of the most overwhelming things about cloth diapers is the large variety in styles. So I am going to show you the main styles. Cloth diapers have come a long way since the days of large pieces of cloth being held on with some oversized safety pins



AIO:
These being the most expensive I have never actually bought one, but they are know for being the easiest to learn. They are great for grandparents or daycare. All of you absorbent layers are sewn right into the diaper right under the moister wicking material you see on top. They work very similarly to a disposable diaper, not very much learning here. Use just like you would a disposable, but instead of thin clingy tabs you can get these with snaps or velcro (Your choice!)

Photo from Etsy shop Artisans Garden. Check out her adorable collection of diaper and more.

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AI2:
These are cheaper than the AIO. Instead of having the absorbent layers sewn in you snap them in. AI2s can also be used as an Hybrid diaper. Instead of using a cloth insert you could buy disposable inserts and lay them in as well. The one thing I don't like about these is I find sometimes the inserts slide and bunches up at the bottom making them significantly less effective.

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Pocket:
These are comparable in price to the AI2. The pockets are definitely my favorite. These diapers have an opening in the back of the diaper so you can stuff them with your choice of absorbent layers under the moister wicking material used on the inside. The thing I like about these is the flexibility to add whatever inserts you want but still have the inside one uniform material so you don't have to worry about inserts moving around.


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Cover:
This is the cheapest option, and the one most people start off with. This diaper is made of waterproof material typically PUL. This is what you see on the outside of all the other diapers as well. This diaper however doesn't have anything else on the inside. You can easily place any insert in here most people go with the prefolds which is what i have shown in the pictures.

I plan on doing a series of posts on cloth diapers. Hopefully I will eventually answer all questions but to be sure comment below with whatever questions you have.

Breastmilk yogurt melts

I recently got asked to share my recipe for breastmilk yogurt melts. It has been almost a year since my nursling self weaned, but I still remember this easy recipe. I found these little melts were great for a teething toddler. and my daughter who was 9 when I first made these even loved them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup breast milk
• 2 tablespoons ground oats (optional for thicker consistency)

Put mixture in a ziplock bag and trim a corner off. On a cookie sheet small enough to fit in your freezer lay out some wax paper and use the ziplock bag to squeeze out small circles onto to the wax paper. When the sheet is full of dots place in the freezer. It won't take very long for the to freeze.

Picture from http://dailymom.com/

Homemade deodorant (Updated 8-21-17)

Okay, I told you I would post this here, so here it is!! My homemade deodorant. First off I would like to point out that there is a big difference between deodorant and antiperspirants. Deodorant kills bacteria when you sweat, so you don't smell. Antiperspirants stop you from sweating with aluminum. Aluminum is only one of the many hazardous ingredients inside of store bought antiperspirants and deodorants, most of which can heavily impact or hormones.
Secondly a lot of homemade deodorants use significantly more baking soda then you need to keep dry, in return you may end up with chemical burns this is what many people will tell you is the "transitional period". There is no reason that you body needs to endure pain to go healthy. Please if you have a painful reaction to something please find the source ingredient and limit use are stop altogether. Baking soda may cause chemical burns in higher concentrations, but  in smaller amounts should be perfectly safe to use. 

Recipe:

• 2/3 cups coconut oil
• 1/2 1/4 an ounce of beeswax (I prefer a softer deodorant so I decreased the amount of beeswax)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda(With the addition of shea butter I found I could increase the baking soda to teaspoon without irritation)
• 1 capsule of vitamin E oil (this time I used a bottle so I tried my best to eyeball it)
• 2 deodorant empty deodorant containers
• 20- 40 drops of essential oils I prefer at least 10 drops to be tee tree 

Some of the oil blends I like are

• 5 drops of thieves EOs, and 15 drops of lavender EOs
• 5 drops of sweet orange EOs, 5 drops of bergamot EOs, 5 drops lavender EOs, and 5 drops of Jasmine EOs

Mix all the ingredients except the essential oils in a small pot over low heat, until coconut oil and beeswax are melted. Take off heat and add essential oils. pour into your containers and set aside in the fridge for 2 hours or until solid.

This deodorant doesn't need to be left in the fridge. So feel free to put in your bathroom cabinet without fear of it melting. it goes on really smooth and my highly sensitive skin hasn't had a breakout since I made the switch. If you think you would prefer a more dense deodorant add more beeswax.

Golden "Tummeric" milk

The colder months are upon us, and with those months we find ourselves trying to avoid the flu and common cold, usually with out success. So let me introduce you to my new best friend Turmeric milk. 

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is obvious why we have been using turmeric to avoid falling ill for 100's of years With the help of turmeric plus some other great health-boosting spices you can make yourself a delicious cup of turmeric milk. I think it is time to put away the hot chocolate, and enjoy a delicious cup of "Golden Milk"

Ingredients (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups of low fat milk (alternative milks are great options too)
• 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• A pinch of salt (I prefer pink Himalayan  salt)

Warm the milk and all the spices on the stove-top slowly ( I usually do it at medium low) while continually stirring. Once the milk is warm (almost hot) and frothy pull of the heat and strain out the spices.

How to make yogurt

Yogurt is easy to make, and costs significantly less then store bought. So why did it take me to so long to start making my own?  Learning to trust the fermentation process has always been hard for me and even scarier when it comes to dairy, but we have been fermenting foods for 1,000's of years.

Now that I feel I have mastered yogurt I want to share with you the 2 worse things you could do when making yogurt: 1) curdle the milk 2) don't let milk cool enough before adding starter. In both of these situations you will still make yogurt, so take a breath and jump in.

This is the method I use to make yogurt

What you need

• 1/2 Gallon of high fat dairy milk
• 1/2 cup of starter yogurt leftover plain yogurt from you last  batch or any store bought plain yogurt that says it has live cultures will work
• Cooking thermometer
• Large pot
• Crockpot
• 2 large towels

First you need a 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably a high fat content dairy milk), pour the milk into a pot and slowly heat up the milk

I usually keep the stove at medium low while bringing up the milk temperature to 180 F - 190 F. This is to sterilize the milk

Pour the milk into your crockpot and wait till the milk cools below 120 F before adding in your 1/2 cup of starter. Make sure you mix the yogurt in well.

Wrap you crockpot in the two large towels to keep it slightly warm while it ferments. Leave it alone for 12 to 18 hours

Your yogurt should come out thick and creamy, you can get a yogurt strainer if you would prefer more a of a Greek yogurt thickness.

I usually add honey to half of my yogurt for breakfast, and keep the other half plain for curry and a sour cream substitute.

ENJOY!