Dump Cake
Is it just me or every time I log on to Pinterest I see dump cakes. I have never tried one until now! It was super easy and very yummy. It seriously could not be any easier. I would say that is turns out more like a cobbler than a cake in my opinion [...]
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New Year’s Resolution Play List
So for most of us who ate entirely too much during the holidays, getting in shape in 2014 is definitely top priority. So in preparation for my return to consistent work outs, I am putting together some of my favorites together on a workout playlist. I love to listen to music during my work outs. [...]
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More Sling Information – Educate Yourself
I think this is a great article that was brought to my attention by my mother. She is a massage therapist and knows the benefits of taking care of our bodies even at a very young age. Great read, very informative. Thanks Mom! Educate Your Clients: The Advantages of Baby Wearing By Claudia Anrig, DC [...]
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Fall Time Recipes
Although I am not a huge fan of cold weather, I do love holiday foods. Below are two recipes I found on Pinterest that made me super excited for fall! and if you didn’t already know…Starbucks has their pumpkin spice lattes available. Now I am officially ready. Peek a Boo Pumpkin Pound [...]
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Fermented Cod Liver Oil: why it is awesome and how you can win some
I am really pleased to report that I have made good on several of my goals for 2012, one of which was to help our family get into the habit of (drum roll please) . . .consuming fermented cod liver oil. Yes I know, it sounds disgusting and no I did not divulge my evil plan to my family [...]
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MadeOn Skin Care Products: a giveaway and a special offer
As I mentioned previously, I would not typically disclose products that we decide not to offer on Mom 4 Life. However, I have decided to break the silence and make an exception for a few special companies. The first was Savvy Naturals which I spoke of here. The second was Milliwik games.
Today I want to introduce you to MadeOn Skin Care Products.
MadeOn is owned by Renee Harris a mom of–get this–EIGHT kids ages 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 10 (twins), 12 and 14 (isn’t that amazingly awesome)?!
Renee’s products were born in much the same way that many products invented by moms are–out of a need. Renee was in the kitchen a lot (surprise, surprise) and her hands were suffering. She says:
I had the worst pain from the tips of my fingers that were often covered in Band-aids from the cuts and splits from my daily activities and extremely dry skin. My hands were my most important tools, but they caused me intense suffering… until the lotion bar.
Renee discovered that three simple ingredients (coconut oil, beeswax and Shea butter) melted and mixed together to form “hard” lotion would change everything. She discovered that:
Not only did that first lotion bar heal up my skin within days, but we tried it with my son’s seasonal eczema, and I was ecstatic that his pain also ended with the lotion bar.
After this, her discovery took action.
Something that was so easy to make turned into a family business after my older boys and I took it to the farmer’s market for testing. I received great feedback from customers at the market, as well as several online groups who agreed to test it and fill out surveys.
Renee knows her stuff. Not only does she create some amazingly pure skin care products, but she goes above and beyond in extending a wealth of information on her website, blog, YouTube videos and newsletters. The products she makes are simple, so simple in fact that they can be done in your own kitchen and I love how she has taken the initiative to provide easy DIY kits for those who enjoy making things themselves. And for those of us who just want a quality product made from pure, safe ingredients, can simply order Renee’s finished products and enjoy the beautifully wrapped, finished product that comes right to your doorstep.
Around Christmas time a friend and I got together to mix up a large batch of homemade hard lotion bars for gifts using the three ingredients mentioned above. It was fun, but it certainly gave me a new sense of respect for what Renee does. There is a science to the measuring. At fist we used too much Shea butter and it was too sticky. Then it was re-melted and more coconut oil and beeswax was added and even though it wasn’t sticky, it was not as soft as I would like. Then I remembered I wanted to add some essential oil to the bars so I remelted it AGAIN and added some jasmine oil. In the end they turned out nice but I did include a little disclaimer on the gift tag mentioning how they were a little harder than they should be and might be best if used on feet:). In the end, I think it would have been much easier had we opted for the DIY kit that Renee offers. I LOVE her statement here:
I KNOW dry skin and the pain it brings. Because I’ve enjoyed the interaction that I get from my customers, I’ve created DIY videos for the lotion, as well as other products that we’ve developed based on customer request and our own family’s needs. Whether you purchase here, or create your own, give it a try and I believe you’ll be very happy with the results. Let me know how it works for you!
Isn’t that gracious and kind? It is true too, this stuff does work. As a delightful surprise, one friend who was gifted my homemade lotion bars reported back to me that her husband (whose hands suffer from Eczema) was loving my lotion bar and was seeing great results with it as compared to his steroid cream. Later her dog found it and apparently liked it too so let this be a warning to keep your lotion bars away from your pets 
!
I have tried a few of Renee’s products including her:
-Au Chocolat lotion bars These use cocoa butter instead of Shea butter and offer a lovely chocolate aroma that is simply delightful! I keep a small pocket size bar in my office and in my purse and a full size bar in my bathroom.
-Beesilk Junior lotion bars These are made for more delicate skin that doesn’t need the intensity of hardness and protection that the Beesilk hard lotion bar provides (perfect for babies, young children, or those dealing with extreme skin issues). Beesilk Jr feels more like a lanolin, but with easy application.) Click here to see Renee’s YouTube video of her Beesilk Junior lotion bar.
-Coffee soap which cleverly helps remove kitchen odor such as garlic or onions from your hands! It is made from Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Brewed Coffee, Coffee Grounds, Goat Milk, sodium hydroxide (lye). Click here to see Renee’s YouTube video of her coffee soap.
By now I have a feeling you are ready to get your hands on some of Renne’s products! Well I have good news for you, Renee has generously offered to give away TWO $20 gift certificates to her website AND is willing to offer all Mom 4 Life blog readers a special 10% discount (simply use the code “mom4life” on her website). The discount is good until April 30th.
To enter the giveaway: simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below (you need to be on the blog to see and use the form). There are several ways you can enter so have fun. We will choose our winner next Monday April 16th.
Putting together a homeopathic first aid kit
Last year I shared with you when I finally crossed something off of my to-do list that had been there for more than 3 years—making a homeopathic first aid kit. I would like to share my kit with you once again as it has been updated with a few new items. The goal: to purchase [...]
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5 juicing tips
You may remember that I decided to go 10 days juicing my breakfast and lunch at the beginning of the year. I wanted to follow up to let you know how that went. I can think of at least 38 other types of eating plans that would be be more difficult for me . I LOVE fresh [...]
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Cooking with beans
(Photo source) Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more . . . Let’s talk about beans today! One year ago I shared that my goal for 2011 was to add more whole grains, nuts and grains into our diet. I took the plunge by purchasing 5 large 25 pound bags of dried beans (kidney, pinto, Northern, black [...]
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Meal planning for dummies
Making my way though One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler has been a fun challenge. This week I was determined to get back into the habit of meal planning (item #5). For me, meal planning has been an on and off again routine. Whenever I am in the routine I [...]
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Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Lip Balm
I want to thank Kristina for this great guest post on how to make your own homemade lip balm! ~Heather
After having some trouble finding an all natural lip balm that I liked, I started looking around at lip balm recipes. I was floored by the amount of ingredients in some of them. Five ingredients? Ten??? The cost just to set up was staggering. Not only that, many of the ingredients I would use only for the lip balm, making the cost seem even more dizzyingly high. I just wanted something easy, something simple, something natural. That’s why I was delighted when I stumbled upon Green Bee‘s recipe for homemade lip balm. Super quick, super easy, and only three natural ingredients!
Of course, like most recipes I find, I modify them just a bit as I see fit. Below you find my slightly modified recipe for a nice mildly minty lip balm.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons grated beeswax
- 2 and 3/4 teaspoons sweet almond oil (not bitter almond oil!)
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
Materials needed:
- 2-3 lip balm tubes
- small pot
- Pyrex or heat resistant 1 cup measuring cup
10 days of fruits and vegtables
Welcome to the New Year mamas! Did you make any goals for 2012?
I am writing this post on the evening of January 1 from bed as I munch on a few pieces of Christmas chocolate. The rest of our super excessive amount of chocolate dipped Oreo balls, dipped Ritz crackers with peanut butter filling, molasses crinkle cookies, Ghirardelli chocolate squares, yada, yada, yada has just been sent to the freezer where it will require more advanced planning to enjoy. I am ready to cleanse out my system. The sugar has been threatening to have it’s way with my immune system and I will not go down without a fight!
Juice it up!
A while back a friend of mine told me about a documentary she watched called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.”
Clean and Sparkly Green Window Cleaner
Getting ready for company coming over this week for Thanksgiving? I’ll admit that cleaning the windows, mirros, and glass doors of our house is something that frequently goes by the wayside. When I do remember, I generally use a store bought window cleaner like most other people, but I find I need to wear gloves [...]
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Liquid Cocoa: drops of heaven
If you are like me, you smiled and breathed an AMEN when the news first came out that dark chocolate was good for you. However, did you know that you can get all the benefits of dark chocolate in the form of a liquid minus the fat and calories? Did you know it was possible for your kid’s chocolate milk to be healthy?
7 tips to getting your kids to eat more veggies
Elizabeth Pantley (author of The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution) has a few great tips to share on helping your kids to eat more vegetables below. If you have more ideas, I would LOVE for you to share them in the comments!
Over 65% of parents report problems getting their children to eat vegetables. Kids should eat 3-5 servings per day, but a third of kids don’t eat a single serving of vegetables on a given day. There are easy ways to encourage your kids to eat — and enjoy! — vegetables. Try some of these tips:
Juicing at home: our family’s story
A few months ago, our family was hit with sickness. Everyone except Trent had a runny nose, which then led to ear infections. And although Trent was spared ear pain, he had his own share of problems because he was fighting pneumonia. We were a pretty sad bunch. While vegetating on the couch one afternoon during this time of sickness, we saw an infomercial for a juicer.
We didn’t have to be convinced that the benefits to juicing are extensive, but I will highlight some of the major benefits here:
Bike Helmets are for Bikes
Several months ago, my 6-year-old received his first bike from another family whose son had grown out of it. He was so excited about the bike, and almost as excited about the helmet. In fact, he would sometimes wear the helmet while playing in the yard. I never gave it a second thought to it. [...]
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Homemade Slippery Elm Bark Lozenges
Okay my fellow #1 and #2 mamas, ready for another herbal homemade recipe? This one can be used to comfort digestive complaints (such as indigestion, diarrhea, colitis or ulcers) as well as to soothe sore throats or oral wounds (such as biting your tongue or lip). I found that these were really easy to make [...]
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A special giveaway: A month supply of Dr. Sears Family Essentials drinks, snacks & supplements
As I mentioned in my previous post about making homemade Elderberry Syrup, I am very interested in learning more about natural ways to help keep our family healthy. Like anything else, this is often best for me to take baby steps forward so that I don’t become overwhelmed or discouraged. It was fun to read [...]
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Homemade Elderberry Syrup
If you are like me, you have had to cancel or reschedule your fair share of meetings, play dates and activities this winter due to colds. In fact our family has been hit hard this week as my husband currently has pneumonia, our daughter has an ear infection, feaver and cough, our youngest has a [...]
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Slow Cooker Refried Beans
A friend split a huge order with me for dried beans from Azure Standard last year (if you remember, eating more beans was one of my resolutions last year). One of the kind of beans we bought was pinto beans. Since I had never used pinto beans for anything before, she shared this recipe for [...]
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How to: make homemade yogurt
This week I dusted off the yogurt maker that I asked for for Christmas 2 years ago. Since we started drinking raw milk (a few months after I got my yogurt maker) I haven’t had as much “left over milk” and as such had neglected making yogurt at home. Instead I had been buying the [...]
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C-section Scarring…Do I Care?
Last month I introduced myself and explained that I was going to be writing a 5 part series (one post a month) on the topic of cesarean recovery. Below is part 1 of 5, enjoy! Ok the baby is out but you have an incision, what now? A scar is the unavoidable result of surgery. [...]
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Cesarean Recovery
Thank you to Catherine Brooks for this guest post (she will be writing a 5 part series – one blog post per month) on a topic that has or will affect many moms: cesarean recovery. Ok, the baby is out. You are in love…and you had surgery. Any other time, a 7cm opening and abdominal [...]
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