Nanny to Mommy

Earth Day is a great time to teach children about sustainability and humans impact on the planet. There are so many different topics to cover, science experiments, and craft ideas to help teach little ones about their world. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. To complete this super cute craft idea above, all you need is:

tissue paper

construction paper

glue

and a printer

Have your child take small pieces of blue and green tissue paper to glue them in a circle on the construction paper. Then Take a picture of the child looking up and holding their hands in the air, resize to 3x5, cut their outline and paste on construction paper. Voila! What a memorable and adorable craft idea!

As you may know, we have been on a fitness and healthy lifestyle journey. We have completely changed the way we have been eating and we have actually been using our gym memberships instead of just wasting money like we were doing before. We wanted to create a better life for ourselves and our children. We have been exploring our world too through hiking (I will share more on that later) and I want comfortable clothes to do that in.


PACT Organic makes super soft cotton clothing that is better for both people and planet because they use organic farming practices that don’t pollute the soil or water while partnering with organizations that protect the well-being of the people who make the clothes. Organic cotton doesn’t pollute the soil or air and uses 71% less water and 62% less energy than conventional cotton. Growing organic cotton keeps farmers and their families safe because they are not exposed to toxic chemicals.

I told you all that we were going to be running our first 5k and I am happy to report that we did it! I was a nervous wreck before hand. I had been having serious pain in my hip and I didn't know if I was going to be able to power through. I decided my husband and I needed a non-weight goal to look forward to, so we signed up to run the Color Run 5K Atlanta. Since this was a fun run, you didn't have to run the entire time (just keep moving) which is why I loved it for our first 5k.

My husband and sister-in-law ran with me. My father-in-law was kind of enough to get up super early so we could head to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I was worried about what to do with my phone and if I should wear my Bluetooth headphones or even my Fit Bit because I didn't want them to get ruined by paint. But the paint is powdered and you don't have to get any on you if you don't want to. It was a little chilly that morning, but I just knew I would get hot once we started running.

I want to say first and foremost: This post may be a trigger for some people. If you or someone you know needs help, visit The Crisis Information for help. Saying that, I know I tend to talk about happy things here. I like to talk about my family, sometimes I like to talk about the ugly side of parenting, and as my children get older, I have noticed that sometimes it can get really ugly. This post is also going to get very personal, so if you just want the happy and fun posts, feel free to stop reading now. This post also might be a little all over the place, but it is real and raw. I honestly have gone back and forth about posting this, but I wanted it to be a conversation starter.

I have spoken multiple times about how difficult parenting can be. And I want to talk about something that although my kids are young, it can start from a very young age. Bullying. It can start as exclusion. And bullying isn't always physical. Rumors are a form of bullying even though it isn't directed to the person's face. If you don't know something to be true because you don't have proof or didn't see it with your own two eyes, then you don't need to say it at all.

Spring is finally in the air which makes it the perfect time for spring cleaning! Your list may already include dusting or re-decorating, but have you given thought to what you would be purging? There are so many things we have cluttering up our homes that actually have expiration dates. Many that I didn't know about. Make sure to check out my Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks, too.

It isn't any surprise how much I love subscription boxes. I have been reviewing this awesome foodie subscription box for a few months now. It has introduced me to so many new products I had never heard of, as well as try products that I had been wanting to.

What Da Fluff subscription boxes is a fun cloth diapering surprise every month. Each box will contain at least one diaper as well as cloth diapering products (wet bags, cloth wipes, cloth diaper safe rash creams and detergent). What Da Fluff knows that parenting can be hard and will always have a small treat for you included in each box. What Da Fluff is a great way to try new products and test out samples before buying. Fluff Mail has never been so fun!

Image by MamatheFox

Since we moved into our new house back in September, I have been exploring my creative side (while maintaining a budget) and learning more about home décor. I never really took the time before. Not that I didn't want to, But I would simply get overwhelmed by it all. We were in our last year for nine years and we plan on this house possibly being our forever home. We absolutely love it. So we have time. I don't have to get every new décor piece that I see and I don't have to get them all at once.

So since Spring is in full bloom, I thought I would share my Spring Home Décor with all of you. Maybe give some inspiration and hopefully I will be able to share many more home décor posts with you.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that we moved my son into his "big boy" bed. He was in a small toddler bed that has a mattress with next to no support. I love how his bed came together. The head and foot boards my mother-in-law bought at a yard sale, my sister-in-law gave us the box spring, we bought the bed rails and bed slats off Amazon, my mom bought his bedding for his birthday, and the mattress I was fortunate to get to review from Eight Sleep.

 I have been intrigued about ordering a mattress that comes in a box for a while now. How does it unroll? Is it comfortable? Is it too soft and not firm? Will it actually be big enough for the bed? That last question was actually my first thought when we were unboxing this mattress. The box didn't seem like it was going to be able to hold a mattress that would fit his bed. You can see an unboxing video below of how it expands once opened.

Parenting is a learn as you go kind of gig. Experience is definitely the best teacher. You can read every parenting book out there (and trust me I did), but they can only prepare you for so much. each child is different, each situation is different, and each family is different.

There is no one size fits all parenting formula. You have to find your own formula that works for your family. I send my kids to public school. That isn't for everyone. I used disposable diapers, some people use cloth, and some people use both. I breastfed both of my babies and used formula with my youngest when he needed it. You have to do what works for you and your family. Our parenthood formula is happiness. What works for one child may not work for the other and what works at one age may (and most likely will) change as they get older.

Since my family has started to aim for a healthier lifestyle this year, we have been cooking at home more and trying to make better food choices. One of things that has changed is we have been buying more organic items including shelf safe organic products. We made the switch to buying organic milk last year. We love how much longer the date is and tasting great. I'm not a straight from the glass milk drinker, but my husband is and says organic just tastes better.

I have shared my love of Annie's Homegrown products before. I even created this Some "Bunny" Likes You Non-Candy Favor with Annie's products because my family enjoys their products so much we wanted to share them. Recently, my family and I have been enjoying "Breakfast Bowls" with

During Spring Break, we decided to randomly take a trip to Chattanooga. My husband was looking on Groupon and at first we thought we would head to the beach, but everything was booked. Plus we needed to find a place for our dog to go. We are usually planners, so this was something different for us and I'm so glad we decided to do it. I called my mom asking if she would watch out dog for us (which she agreed to) and she recommended going to the mountains.

On the way to Chattanooga (Friday), we decided to hike at Cloudland Canyon State Park. You hike down to a beautiful waterfall and then you hike across a bridge to beautiful rocky ledges. We hiked about 5 miles that day, even the kiddos did. They loved every minute of it. We plan on camping there very soon.

My kids love Entenmann’s® Little Bites® so I was so excited to receive the opportunity to share about a fantastic way for you to go to see the new Smurfs movie at a discounted price AND eat some very yummy blueberry muffins that my kids absolutely LOVE!


Have you heard the news? The Smurfs are back! And this time they are not alone. Entenmann’s® Little Bites® wants you to see the new movie that came out in theaters April 7th, "Smurfs: The Lost Village". Entenmann’s® Little Bites® and SMURFS: The Lost Village™ are Smiling Together. Buy (2) 5ct, (1) 10ct, or (1) 20ct specially designed boxes of Little Bites Smurf Blueberry Muffins between 4/7/17 & 4/28/17 and get $5.00 OFF a Fandango ticket to see the movie!

As a parent, you want your kiddo to feel better when they are sick. I have shared my post about natural ways to reduce teething pain and I have shared our sick kid essentials. As parents, we hate to see our little ones in any kind of discomfort and I have recently came across a natural way to relieve earache pain that could be a life saver for parents.

So what is ClearPop Rapid Earache Relief and why is it a great choice for earache relief?

Easter is right around the corner and I am just now starting to find goodies for my kiddos Easter baskets. I have some ideas. Last year I was so fortunate to work with so many amazing companies that their baskets kind of fell together. This year is different. I want to continue to give them items that are meaningful and they can use over again.

Since we have been trying to make more healthy decisions in our day to lives, I have been trying to cut back on the creamer I put into my coffee. I do buy sugar free, but I really need to kick it to the curb. I'm having difficulties doing this. So I started researching and have found that tea is the way to go. Here are some of the health benefits of tea that I have discovered in my research.

The warmer weather is coming and it's time to start thinking about outdoor living spaces. We're so excited to share this backyard storage giveaway for the brand new Step2 StoneFront Patio Collection Cooler & Storage and a Ready Shed by Backyard Discovery (worth a combined retail value of $1,998!).

Since we have been on our journey to a healthier life, we have been more creative  in the kitchen and trying new products. We have even been enjoying Meatless Mondays! A great way to cut calories and save a little in your grocery budget. Did you know March was National Nutrition Month? Well we're celebrating a little late with plant protein!

Put your best fork forward this March for National Nutrition Month! Whether you’re already a nutritional expert or a foodie looking to nutritionalize your plate, let plant-based foods make your healthy eating journey a little easier – and more delicious! Nasoya and Lightlife make it simple to keep nutrition in mind without substituting the flavor. Celebrate National Nutrition Month with Nasoya and Lightlife this year.