Mindfully Living Mama

This is my list of tried and true vitamins, supplements, and other products I’ve used and still use for my kids. I will continue to add to it as I have time 😂 and I as we continue to test and use different products. Feel free to check back frequently for updates!

Everything here are winners in our family. They have been tested by two different types of kids. Two completely different personalities, likes, dislikes, and preferences. And one who struggles with sensory processing.

While there are affiliate links listed below and I could make a small commission if you purchase, there is no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and am not being paid to write my review. I hope some of what I share here can help you too!

Iron Supplement

My first born doesn’t eat meat. It’s a texture thing. It’s a smell thing. It’s a personal preference thing. I’m cool with it. We don’t really eat much meat anyways, and were vegetarians before having kids so I get it. My second doesn’t mind meat but since we don’t eat much of it, we were lacking in iron overall. I tried a few different iron supplements. The drops 🤢🤢🤢 and a couple of the chewable options just didn’t pass the test.
So far, there is only one that works for us. It’s super small and dissolves almost instantly. There is a small tang to it but if they aren’t in the mood to put it on their tongue I put it in their yogurt or smoothie and it goes unnoticed.
Frunutta Kidee Under the Tongue Iron

https://amzn.to/3gPyqCt

Let me know if you give it a try!

Omega Supplement

I truly believe in the benefits of an omega supplement. As soon as I was pregnant, the first you’re told us to get on a prenatal and an omega. I’ve been on them ever since. That being said, it makes sense to me to give my kiddos the same benefits I did while they were in my belly.
Omegas can have a fishy taste so I had to be sure to find a really good tasting one that is also great quality. Omegas are great for a child’s overall development, but in particular brain development and studies suggest it could help with sleep quality.
Barleans Omega Pals Fish Oil

https://amzn.to/37gaUvs

We have tried all the flavors, but lemon is our favorite.

Probiotic

We have used several different products from the Garden of Life brand. We have been very happy with most of them. So when it came to a reliable, effective, quality probiotic, I was happy to see they offered one. It’s a bit hard to chew for my daughter (sensory) so I cut it into 4s but that’s just her way. The two flavors we have tried are the berry and the watermelon. Both are good. The probiotics help with sensitive tummies and overall health.
Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics Organics Kids+
https://amzn.to/3notDug

Diaper Rash

For this category, I have three products that are an absolute must have for me. Both my kids have had different diaper rash issues. I’ve seen it all having both a boy and a girl, it took several trial and errors, but thankfully we found the products that work for us.

The first one is a calendula salve https://amzn.to/3gWGGks. This product comes in a teeny tiny glass bottle. I’m telling you so aren’t shocked when it arrives. I use this for a really bad skin rash or break out. So it’s my “strong stuff”. Depending where I’m putting it, I just apply directly or mix with a little bit of A&D. A&D is my second must have. I have a tube in my room, the diaper bag, and a spare in the closet. By the way I will only use A&D, Desitin for me is the worst, it actually made rashes flare up. From my reading you either love A&D or Desitin 😂

The third of the products I use is Maty’s Baby Diaper Rash Relief https://amzn.to/2Lt0cJt.
It’s a large can so lasts a good while. It has ingredients such as aloe, lavender, zinc, and is mostly organic. I put it on my baby before bed. The lavender smell is soothing and it works all night to keep him dry and prevent anything from forming or flaring up.

Toothpastes

This is an extensive list of trial and error so check back soon for it being posted.

Being a mom. There’s nothing like it. There is no book or blog or person that could even begin to fully capture what it is to be a mom.

It is an ever evolving definition. We are constantly changing roles, moving from one phase to the next, right when we’ve figured out the last one, we are thrown into the next . Routines change weekly, milestones are bittersweet.

The days are long but the months are short. You find a rhythm amongst the chaos. You are exhausted from sleepless night blending in with more sleepless nights. Your child’s smile fuels you.

You hold onto each moment, even the hard ones knowing one day it shall pass. One day your linea nigra will disappear, a lingering momento of pregnancy gone. One day your baby will sleep through the night. One day your baby will stop nursing. One day they will crawl, walk, run on their own. One day they feed themselves and drink from their own cup. One day they will go to the bathroom on their own and be able to reach the light switch. One day your baby will say mom instead of mommy. One day they fall and won’t need you to pick them up. One day they will sleep in their own beds and brush their own teeth and wave goodbye with a smile instead of tears.

The thing is we never know when the One Day comes. It just comes and we realize it a day or a week or a month later that those One Days have come.

I look at my kids with so much love and tenderness. They have been and continue to be my greatest teachers. They have made me reach for strength I never knew I had. They have made me face my own demons and strive for change and healing. They have forced me to push myself outside my comfort level time and time again and grow each time. I can say that I honestly have savored as much as any person could from the moment I found out I was pregnant with my first til this very second.

Even though I know the One Days will come sooner than I want them to and try to be as present with my babies as possible, when the One Days come I feel so nostalgic and happy and sad.

As our kids grow so do we. Our identity changes alongside theirs.
Carrying them in our bellies, protecting them, nurturing them, guiding them. Going from Newborn mommy phase to big kid mom phase. It’s hard. It’s hard to say goodbye to those old phases no matter how challenging some aspects of them were.

Your baby’s cry in the night, walking up and down the hallway, your heartbeat calming them. The tears you have shed with them when they are hurt. The struggles you endured with them and the fears you helped them face.
The way they look at you changes, you are their whole world until One Day you aren’t.

Our greatest wish as a mom is that our kids are happy, healthy, and whole. That they are truly in love with themselves, that they can be confident in discovering their own life path because we gave them the unconditional love to do so. We want our kids to find their passion and their purpose and live their life with complete freedom and acceptance. For our kids to no longer need us is bittersweet. My babies will always need me and I will always be there for them, but it will be different. I’ll have to change again.
To me I will always see them as my tiny little newborns, their hands in mine, their feet sooooo small. I will always see them as wobbly toddlers whose faces would light up like the sun just by seeing me enter the room.

No matter what phase you are in as a mom whether your kids are just born or they are 50, those One Days come before you know it and before you’re ready. So kiss your babies extra, hug them a bit tighter, cuddle a little longer, read one more story, play one more game, breathe them in a bit deeper because One Days will come.

I bought a counting set for my 1.5 year old to practice stacking the little rings and color recognition and matching. He was interested but only for a few minutes. My 4.5 year old played with it for a while afterwards. We ended up practicing addition and subtraction as well as “greater than” and “less than”. So while it was intended for my youngest and he wasn’t interested right away (he will eventually), it actually ended up being a lot of fun for my oldest and became a fantastic, spontaneous math lesson.

Here is my Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/2JYgWrn

As always I only recommend things I use and love. If you purchase I will make a small commission, but there is no extra charge to you.

There are other sets that include:

Letters https://amzn.to/3grPMp9

Shapes https://amzn.to/37N5OpC

Deluxe Big daddy 😂. https://amzn.to/33VMOUK

There several to choose from with different colors and some have more pieces than others, but regardless of which one you choose, it’s a fun educational toy.

*Just be careful with small pieces if you have younger ones !!

All over Instagram I’m sure you have seen those beautiful rainbow collections from peg dolls to rainbow archs to rings and all kinds of rainbow painted loose ends and loose parts.

They are stunning and bright fun rainbow colors, made of wood, and hand painted. They are worth every penny the hard working mamas are selling them for.
However, that being said, it’s not really in our budget to buy all those toys even if they are super educational.

Why are they educational and not just a pretty set of wooden decor?

Learning Benefits

-Stacking and sorting practice

-Counting practice

-Color recognition

-Open ended play

-Fine motor skills

-Gross motor skills

-Shape recognition

-Letter recognition

-Matching

-And more!

Have I convinced you they are worth it?

Fantastic!

Guess what?

You can make them yourself at a fraction of the cost.

Will they be perfect ?
Probably not, but that’s what makes them special 😉 The little imperfections will give it that handmade rustic charm 👌

Supply List

I’m a self proclaimed Amazon loyalist since 2004 😂 so I would say almost everything we buy is from Amazon minus groceries (only because they don’t serve my area) and once in a while trips to the dollar store or Walmart.
Okay, back to the list. Here’s what you’ll need :

• Acrylic paint (love the range of colors in this set.) https://amzn.to/36VCDBe
• Paint brushes (I used ones that I already had from other craft projects)
• Wooden peg dolls https://amzn.to/2K5tVHF
• Wooden rings https://amzn.to/2VQhvGn
• Wooden unfinished loose parts – this could be seasonal such as snowmen or theme based on what you are working on in your lessons. Here are some examples :
  • Snowmen https://amzn.to/2VS0DyY
  • Wooden block cubes https://amzn.to/2K5JcbO
  • Mushrooms https://amzn.to/3n8sEP3
  • Letters and Numbers https://amzn.to/3gocoXj

That’s it !

With just a bit of acrylic paint, some brushes, and some unfinished wooden pieces, the potential is as unlimited as your imagination.

So now what do you do ?
Just paint. There’s no special tools or techniques. I did some with a clear coat on top to give it a shine and some with just the acrylic paint and honestly both ways are great. I think it’s just a personal preference. The clear coat may preserve it a bit but I haven’t noticed any scratches on the ones without a clear coat, so time will tell.

Have fun and get painting !

xo,

Elizabeth

Alphabreaths

I bought this book a while back to incorporate into our mindfulness routine. The idea is that I can introduce breathing techniques to the kids in a non intimidating, fun way. Each breath in the book is doable and approachable. The names of the breaths are everyday words which makes it relatable. It’s ABCs which also makes it educational in the sense of practicing letter recognition. An added bonus.
The artwork is sweet and simple, my kids love to flip through the pages over and over.
It’s been about a month now and when my kids are having Big Feelings and are having trouble finding center, they do a breath from the book… on their own!!

That speaks volumes to me, that they are taking what we read and practice to heart and are able to recall and use it in every day real life situations. I highly recommend this book for any family looking to learn about mindfulness and breathing is a fantastic way to help with emotional regulation. I even find myself doing some of the breaths from the book 😂

here is my Amazon affiliate link. It doesn’t cost you anything at all and if you purchase I may make a small commission. I only recommend things I have bought myself, used, and tested.
https://amzn.to/3lUHgQg

Slow Down

This book has become quite a treasure in our home. We have fallen completely in love with it. The book is a collection of moments in nature from Rainbows to A Snail’s Trail to A Kingfisher. The artwork is stunning and the stories are equally as breathtaking.

We have enjoyed this book a couple different ways. One is just reading through the book. We have also picked one story per week and set that as the intention. We paint pictures from it and we talk about it and apply it to ourselves. We make tea and cookies and have Tea Time. It becomes quite magical. I highly recommend this book for families with kids of all ages who would like to incorporate nature and mindfulness into their routines and everyday.
Here is my Amazon affiliate link. I only recommend things I have bought myself without free gifts or incentives. I may make a small commission if you purchase but there is no extra cost to you.



https://amzn.to/33RzUah

Breathe and Be

This is a gorgeous book filled with mindfulness poems. Poetry is such a great to explore literature and one’s own creativity. We also love drawing and painting pictures from the book and finding our own magic and wonder in our lives as it relates to what we read. My one year and half old loves just loves to look at the pictures 😆

Here is my Amazon affiliate link. I only recommend things I have used and loved myself.

https://amzn.to/3qEgfEr

 

1. Enjoy a cup of your favorite tea or coffee alone. For me, this is usually during my baby’s nap. My toddler reads and draws quietly while I get to sit for 15 minutes sipping slowly worrying about nothing. It is a great quick break both mentally and physically. 
2. Practice dry brushing. I am totally in love with this practice. I had received a dry brush as a gift and it just sat there for 6 months. I finally opened it up and used it once or twice. Finally one day I made the commitment to use it every day for a month. The results were so amazing, I haven’t stopped since. 
3. Take a nice shower or bath when it can be done without interruption.  I usually have one or both kids in the shower with me. If not, they come in and out a hundred times asking questions. So I usually limit those kinds of showers to a quick get down to business type of thing. But once a week, once everyone is asleep, I take a nice quiet shower. Just complete silence with some candles and some essential oils. It’s a great way to end your day. 
4. Splurge on a beauty product. Once a month try something new. It can be anything from a new lipstick to a skin care product to hair care. I’ve found it to be a lot of fun trying different products and I am happy to say I’ve become more aware of the environmentally conscious and ethically sourced products. It’s a whole new world waiting to be discovered ! At least that’s how I see it 
5. Treat yourself. I usually buy a little bag of chocolates or cookies and I’ll have one (or two) with my afternoon tea.yum! 
6. Garden. This can mean something different for everyone from growing succulents or microgreens or a full blown vegetable garden, maybe indoor houseplants or roses. Whatever it is, do it. It is therapeutic and relaxing. 
7. Get on Pinterest. I don’t have a lot of free time on my hands but once a week I’ll spend 15-20 minutes on Pinterest specifically looking at things that pertain to my interests and passions. There’s time for recipes or homeschool hacks, I’m talking about me! What I love and enjoy as an individual, not a mom. The topics can be anything from fashion to yoga to arts and crafts to new books or even about charities. When you nourish your interests, you nourish your whole self which is important especially as a mom. 
8. Sneak in a nap. Get your husband to watch the kids for 30 – 60 minutes. Preferably outside. Enjoy the quiet. Take a nap! Don’t worry about night feedings 
9. Take a walk. Go for a little walk and just enjoy nature. If you can, go alone, that way you’re chasing kids around and keeping them from danger. 
10. Do something you like. Read a few pages of a book. Color. Paint. Knit. Bake. Anything ! Something that is just because you like to do it. 

 

As moms it is so easy to put everyone above ourselves. It’s what we do. However, it is important to take care of yourself too, that way you can be the best version of yourself. For you and for your family. 

 

Xo,

Elizabeth 

(This article contains affiliate links. I can earn a small commission and doesn’t cost you anything extra.)

Hello everyone !

Lately, we have been spending so much time in the garden. It’s great bonding time and it’s a fantastic teaching tool for the little ones.

My 4 year old is the inspiration for this post. She loves flowers ! Who doesn’t right?

She is fascinated with the fact that we have begun growing our own food. The fact that we can go in our backyard and pick our own fruits and veggies amazes her (frankly me too! It never gets old).

So we have decided to try our hand at a Edible Flower Garden.

Why? Well many flowers are actually quite nutritious and hey who wouldn’t want to eat a plate full of colorful, vibrant flowers. It’s like eating a rainbow. That’s enough reason for us 🙂.

So to start our edible flower garden will include:

Borage

 

Nasturtium

Purslane

 

Shungiko

We will add more- I tend to go full speed on projects so I am making the conscious effort to start small and gradually add to the garden.

Stay tuned for my list of Veggie Garden Ideas, Herb Garden, and my favorite at the moment – Microgreens and Sprouts !

Try growing your own beautiful edible garden too! Just click on each name to order.

 

Xo,

Elizabeth

An Open Letter to my Daughter on her Fourth Birthday. 

My darling daughter,

I wish you the happiest of birthdays. 

While it is most certainly your birthday, it is in a way mine too. 

 

You are my first born my sweet girl and with that comes so many special moments, firsts, and experiences. 

 

Because of you, I am a mom. I thank you for that. You are the deliciousness of life I didn’t know I lacked. 

 

You are the rich nectar that brought true meaning and depth to my world. 

 

My daughter, I learned things about myself only because of you. 

 

I didn’t know I could fall in love with someone just by seeing their picture…. well sonogram. 

 

Thankfully our labor and delivery was pretty easy and without complication. Seeing you for the first time, is something I will never forget. It’s funny though, all those months of making birth plans and imagining exactly how it would all go went straight out the window. I ended up following my instincts. Or is that just me? 

 

Lesson to you my love. Don’t try to have everything figured out. Life doesn’t work that way and anyways what really ends up happening is usually way better. 

At least in my experience. 

 

You taught me true strength during the first few postpartum weeks. The recovery period is no joke and yet it was nothing in comparison to the joy I felt being able to hold you and kiss you and love you 24/7. 

Sleep? Who needs sleep? 

 

Enough about me. 

 

You my darling are someone truly special. I know every mom says that about their kids but it’s true! 

 

You light up the room when you walk in. 

 

People are drawn to you. 

 

You make everyone smile. 

 

You leave others with a sense of fullness and joy. 

 

You are kind and include everyone on the playground. That’s not easy!

 

When someone is a bully you stand up for those being picked on. Girl, you’re only four ! 

 

You my love always think of others and how you can help. 

 

You love your baby brother to life. You are his hero, his favorite person and to see you guys play together is the most awesome sight. 

 

I pray you two will be lifelong besties.  

 

You are as sharp as nails and have the quickest wit. You are stubborn and determined.

 

You will sing “Let it go” a hundred times in a row and not allow anyone to join in. 

 

You love acting and being My Little Ponies but man if I mess up the skit, watch out everyone !! You turn into Cruella, maybe Ursula, or Mother Gothel (a villain-you get the idea). 

 

You are very specific when it comes to your food and love to jump in muddy puddles. 

 

You love to bake with me- your favorite being our famous cottage cheese pancakes. 

 

You my dear are my piece of the heavens. My moon. My stars. 

 

Thank you for all the love and laughter you have brought into my life and all those who love you. 

 

Thank you for being you and I eagerly await with a slight feeling of nostalgia for all that is to come and all that you will do. 

 

I look forward to another year of adventure with you my love. 

 

Happy happy Birthday 

Xoxo 

Mommy