HaleyAs September is winding to a close and October begins next week (and hopefully more fall-ish feeling weather here in Georgia), I thought I’d share some of my favorite things from September.
I’ve been using essential oils for a few years now. I especially love the pre-made roll-ons from Plant Therapy! I know it’s MUCH cheaper to make your own roll-ons, but convenience has been a huge lifesaver for me. For this fall and winter, I figured it was time to step it up a notch so I bought my first diffuser. I wanted one to put in my kids’ room at night (my oldest three share a room right now!). So far, I’ve been using this diffuser all month and it’s been great. It seemed like the right size for a bedroom, has a one-, three- or six-hour option and also barely emits any light. Oh yeah, and the price can’t be beat. Right now, I’ve been diffusing Germ Destroyer by Plant Therapy or SleepyIze or SniffleEase by Young Living. I know it’s super easy to make these blends yourself, but I love the convenience of the blends and that they are approved as kid safe.
I know I’ve recently mentioned Nutpods in a post, but I just had to again because I’m obsessed. Now that I’m dairy free for Grady, using this delicious creamer feels like a luxury. If I could order a palette of Nutpods, I would! It’s that good. Sure, it’s not as “clean” as straight coconut milk/cream, but it’s so good. Even when I add dairy back into my diet down the road, I could totally see replacing heavy cream in my coffee with Nutpods. Besides truly being creamy, I love that it has no sugar so that I can add as little or as much of a sweetener of my choice. My local grocery store sells Nutpods at a much better price than Amazon, so check around for the best price.
We had been using a 6-cup Brita pitcher, but seeing as how we are home a lot, I felt like I was refilling the pitcher five times a day. This large filter popped up on an Amazon Lightening Deal one day and I snatched it up. I HAVE to drink cold water, so I wanted something I could put in the fridge. This one fits perfectly and it’s a great size for our family.
Costco
I had not taken a trip to Costco since I was maybe 8 months pregnant, so I was itching to go again. I was a little nervous about taking Grady by myself because I could just imagine having to abandon my massive cart full of food in order to feed him. In all honesty, I probably would have just plopped down on the outdoor furniture and nursed, but thankfully I took my mother-in-law along on my first trip back to Costco as backup. You don’t even want to know how much I spent, but I can happily say that my freezer and pantry are restocked. I LOVE having tons of meat that I can just pull out as needed. Costco has great prices on organic ground beef and organic chicken. And a plus is the meat is vacuum sealed so you can put it straight into your freezer. Costco also keeps adding more and more organic options, from frozen vegetables to dairy to juices to bread. Grady did great during our shopping trip, which means I can confidently venture back to shop again in another 4 to 6 weeks.
I tried so hard not to buy too many new baby items, but buying a new swing was completely justified. Around the 4 or 5 week mark, Grady became more awake and only prone to 15 minute naps UNLESS someone was holding him. While I would love to hold him during all his naps, I had a bunch of freelancing work that was piling up and very hard to do one-handed while holding a napping baby. We loved using the swing with our other babies, so I bit the bullet and ordered a swing for Grady. It took me forever to find a swing big enough to potentially fit him for the next 6 months. Many swings had a weight limit of 20 pounds or an age limit of 6 months. Given that he started wearing 6 month clothes at 6 weeks old and was more than 13 pounds at 6 weeks, I knew I needed to get the largest swing I could find. Luckily, this swing holds a baby up to 30 pounds. Surely he won’t weigh more than that at 1 year old.
I don’t care for pedicures or even painting my toenails any more, but I had sorely neglected my feet during this past pregnancy. My heels were dry and cracked and embarrassing. My mother-in-law suggested using a pumice stone and it’s crazy how something so simple and cheap can work so well. I keep it in the shower and use it on my feet once or twice a week.
My husband has used whey protein powder for years, and I would use it occasionally to whip up a quick breakfast shake by adding in banana, nut butter, collagen and almond milk. When I went dairy free for Grady, I quickly realized that I’d have to rethink my protein shakes. A friend told me about this whey-free protein powder and I have loved it. It’s nice having one more option so that I feel less deprived.
Our medicine cabinet was getting out of control. And because it is high up out of the kids’ reach, I couldn’t easily find anything in the tupperware bins I was using. So I did a huge cleanout and ordered these tiered racks, which would also be great for spices or toiletries. Now that I reorganized using these racks, I can easily see everything in our medicine cabinet. It’s just one more thing to make mom life easier.
I hate to even type this out for fear that I might jinx something, but my kids are really into puzzles right now, which makes their puzzle-loving Mama so happy. I used to do huge puzzles before I had kids, but we all know what a choking hazard they can be as well as the mess that a 1,000-piece puzzle can make in a home with little ones. At any rate, I was looking for some quieter activites for my kids to do on rainy days, in winter or just when they need a slower pace. I ordered three different 100-piece puzzles on Amazon for less than $8 each and I must say they have absolutely loved them. Knock on wood, but they will sit together and complete a puzzle without fighting one bit even though they are INCHES from each other. And on the mornings that Scarlett isn’t in preschool, my little three year old will pull out a puzzle and can do the whole thing herself!
My kids absolutely love coconut butter and ask for it as dessert. And I’m happy to oblige them with a spoonful nearly every day since it’s so good for them: good fats and low sugar (1g per tablespoon). It’s basically just pureed coconut, but to them it’s a special treat and I’m secretly hoping they never catch onto the fact that it’s actually good for them! I also use it periodically in baking.
Charles Martin Books
I’m most of the way through reading the non-fiction book Love Does, but honestly, I really just need a good fiction book at night that doesn’t cause me to think 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, Love Does is great, but I feel like my brain just can’t absorb all it’s goodness at night. I’m much better off if I read non-fiction during the day. Charles Martin books are still one of my favorite easy reads. Currently, I’m halfway through Long Way Gone and must have snagged it during some special because I only paid $2.99. I honestly haven’t read a since Charles Martin book that I didn’t think was good.
What are your favorite things from September? Anything pumpkin? I’m saving those for October!
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