Natural Fruit & Veggie Wash || Essential Oils

I'm partnering with Jennifer from Oily Babies to share a natural way to wash fruits and veggies.  I'm so excited about this because we're huge fruit and veggie eaters and its really important to me to use safe ways of cleaning them for my whole family. 

Here's a quick, natural way to wash your fruits & veggies using lemon essential oil:

20 drops of lemon

2 oz of distilled water

2oz glass spray bottle

Shake before use

Spray veggies let sit for 5 min and rinse

I really love that Olivia can help me with this too.  She's so interested in "cooking" and helping in the kitchen so this is perfect for her to help with.  It's also teaching her healthy eating habits and natural alternatives to cleaning and preparing food. 

She also sent along an immune boosting blend which I've been using the past two weeks.  Olivia recently had a cold and I seriously thought I'd be down for the count and sure enough it has passed me by.  Totally a believer!  Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us, Jennifer!  Be sure to follow along with her instagram (@oilybabies) to read more great tips and tricks to incorporate essential oils into your lives.  

Our Newport, Rhode Island Vacation

Hi friends! How are you today?  It's so nice to be home and settled from our Newport vacation, yet I miss being in vacation mode already! One of my friends told me that a vacation is no longer a vacation when you have kids.  It's a "trip." - Julia ;)  That's so true and although I love getting away from all the everyday hustle and bustle, it's hard work when you have little ones.  Packing up practically your entire house and driving somewhere to unload your house and every belonging you have into a different "home" for a few short days is quite the trip ;)  Mamas of little ones, am I right?  

Newport has been home to our family vacations for a few years now, and we just love it.  Great food, nice beaches, tons of shopping, and of course the gorgeous mansions.  Some of our favorite restaurants are The Red Parrot Restaurant , Brick Alley Pub , The White Horse Tavern , and there are tons of ice cream and cupcake places, too.  There are streets lined with stores and outlets for shopping and nice beaches to enjoy the day at.  Without kids, Castle Hill is beautiful for dinner.  On the way home from Newport, we stopped at the Mystic Aquarium and spent the afternoon there.  To read about where to eat, stay, and play in Mystic, read this post. 

Here are a few snapshots from the trip and head over to my Instagram to see more (@thebirdsnestblog)...

Overall, it was a great trip and I think Olivia really enjoyed herself.  I can't wait to go back again next year! 

Meet & Mingle || The Patricios

 

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  Today, I'm so happy to share Christina from The Patricios with you! I really love all of her "Introducing" posts - so great to find some new shops! I also love all of her book suggestions! Hope you enjoy getting to know her more with all of her answers to some fun behind-the-blog questions!

Your blog name & it’s significance

Hi, I am Christina.  I started blogging in 2008.  I wanted to start a blog so it would be like a diary of my life.  I blog about everything from daily life, motherhood, recipes, TV shows and movies, celebrities I meet, trips I take, crafting, sewing, Disneyland, fashion, and so much more.  I love blogging, connecting with other bloggers and reading blogs.  I am also a member of the philanthropy PINC.

Tell us a little about your family

I was a freshman in high school when I met my husband, Blake.  He was a junior.  We were high school sweethearts.  We grew up in Los Banos, CA and went to Los Banos High School.  Blake went to Santa Clara University and has a degree in accounting and I went to San Jose State University and have a degree in Liberal Studies.  We will have been married 11 years on July 10th.  We have been living in Fresno, CA since 2005.  Blake works in finance for his family's business and I am a stay at home mama to Carter (3 years old) and Kennedy (1 year old).

Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]...

I am a total simple girl.  In my shower there are 4 things: a razor, acne free face wash, Dove soap, and shampoo.  I only use shampoo on my hair.  My hair does not like conditioner.  I have very fine hair, so conditioner just weighs it down.

I never leave the house without...

I never leave the house without my cell phone,  hand sanitizer, diapers, wipes, sippy cups for both kids, snacks, iPad for the kids, keys, and my coupons.  Most of this is all stuffed into my diaper bag.

First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself

When I have moments to myself I will either jump on the computer to check FB, or blog.  I might get on IG or if I have enough time maybe watch a show that is on my DVR.

Favorite cupcake

There is a place in Fresno called Cupcakes Bakery.  I love that place.  My favorite is just a yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting.

Top three baby items you’d recommend to new moms 

Motorola Monitor, City Select Stroller, and a sound machine

Currently obsessed with…

What am I not obsessed with?!  My family, meeting celebrities, TV, movies, clothes, cooking, music, Disneyland, sewing, decorating, and holidays.

Top three meals you make for your family

Tacos, Chicken with Sundried Tomato and cream sauce, Chicken and vegetable kabobs

Favorite blog & why 

Favorite blog is Little Baby Garvin.  I am obsessed with her blog.  I love her pictures, her family, the way she writes, and everything she shares.  We follow each other on IG and when she comments or likes my pictures, I get so excited.  I think she has done a wonderful job with her blog and that is what I aspire to be like with my blog.

Social Media Links:

Blogger: www.thepatricios.blogspot.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/woitas99/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CMPatricio

Instagram: @christina.patricio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christina.patricio.3

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Christina! I just love learning about who's behind the blog...so fun, right?! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and follow along! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)

Meet & Mingle || Miss Mary's Marbles

  

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  Today, I'm so happy to share Mary from Miss Mary's Marbles with you!  I love her tagline: "Losing my marbles, but playing for keeps", aren't we all?! ;) Hope you enjoy getting to know her more with all of her answers to some fun behind-the-blog questions!

1.  Your blog name & it’s significance

My Blog name is Miss Mary's Marbles . I started blogging as a way to talk about my experience with Reiki, family life, fashion, beauty and a little bit of everything in between. The reason I named my blog this because I wanted something that was unique. I am known to be a little quirky, crazy and dramatic at times so I thought my tagline was perfect to a go along with it as well. "Losing my Marbles, by Playing for Keeps"

2.  Tell us a little about your family

I am a single mother to two daughters. They are 14 and 8.  Kyra- My oldest loves to play guitar and listen to rock music. She is a anime fanatic , and loves to play with her pokemon cards. Kyra also has ADD/ADHD and some Austism. 

 Chelsie loves to listen to Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, and Katy Parry. She loves to go for bike rides, draw.

I also have 2 direct sales businesses I am in called One Earth and Color by Amber. You can find out more about them on my blog. 

I love to watch the tv show Reign. I am praying that it keeps going so we can find out what happens with Fary ( Francis and Mary) it is loosely based on the royal families history through the years. 

I also LOVE to paint, write poems and listen to really loud music when I can lol. A few goals I have - learn to play the violin and harp. 

3.  Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]...

ohhhh do we have to go there? LOL There's a few products I couldn't live without in our bathroom.  Ours by Cheryl Hickey- Head to Toe body wash,  Haiku - Body Lotion. Haiku Perfume.   Avon's Moisture therapy Derma soothing body lotion for when my eczema/psoriasis flares up.  Matrix Amplify Shampoo and Conditioner so it can give me that extra "UMPH" my hair needs. Tooth brushes, tooth paste , hair brushes galore-we have 3 ladies in the house and we each have at least 2 to 3 brushes a piece.  Along with the many hair ties ( we seem to lose a lot of those too lol) Hair Straightener, Curling Iron's , Hair dryer.  Younique makeup- Love this stuff! 

4.  I never leave the house without...

My Purse! It has everything I need in it and more - and a few crystals/gemstones I keep in my pockets to bring Good Karma throughout the day.

5.  First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself

Meditate. I close my eyes and meditate on everything that life has brought forth. I am grateful for everything and everyone that walks into our lives and in our hearts, and every once in a while I will have a hot cup of tea to de-stress :)

6.  Favorite cupcake   - Strawberry Shortcake :) 

7.  Top three baby items you’d recommend to new moms -

 It's been awhile for me with this one, as my girls have grown up a little. There's so many new items I wish I had when they were younger. The top baby item's I would to use are : The Baby Bullet- would have helped me a lot back in the day! Crane Cool Mist Humidifier - Penguin - the new designs are so cute! Last but certainly not least Baby Einstein - 2-in-1 Safari Adventure Gym and Tunnel - works perfectly for both girls and boys.

8.  Currently obsessed with… 

Crystals and Gemstones- Anytime I am out for a walk I'm always looking for cool stones to take home with us. OHHH and I can't forget Reign! It's been a blast learning about Mary - Queen of Scots- and how the royal family progressed through each generation. Plus I love the details of the set as it was from the 1500's .

9.  Top three meals you make for your family

Our favorites meals are anything that has Chicken or Beef in it.  We don't tend to order out too much as we prefer home made meals. 

Kyra's favorite is Honey Garlic chicken with red potatoes and corn.

Chelsie's favorite is Potatoes, Steak, and Carrots.

Mine well I have a few but to keep it to the three - lasagna- Homemade - I tend to change up the recipe all the time so it's never the same twice :) 

10.  Favorite blog & why 

Now this is a hard one for me because I follow a lot of blogs here's a list by categories to make it easier :)

Fashion -Nataliastyle, Natalie Ast - natalieast.com

Beauty - Canadian Beauty, Henna Singh - CanadianBeauty.com

Health- Fitness Cheerleader - Janice - http://fitnesscheerleader.com

Spiritual- http://www.changeyourenergy.com/

These are just some that I love to read on a weekly basis. I do have other's but these top the list :) 

Social media links:

Miss Mary's Marbles : Website

                                  : Facebook 

                                  : Twitter

                                  : IG

                                  : Pinterest

                                  : LinkedIn

                                  : Google +

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Mary! I just love learning about who's behind the blog...so fun, right?! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and follow along! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)

Some Yumminess with Hello Fresh! {Promo code included!}

I'm stuck in a dinner rut.  My mom always laughs because I don't actually make dinner that often when Rob is working.  I'll have my sister over and cook for us or Livvy and I will go to their house and eat with them or I'll casually ask what my parents are up to for dinner on Friday nights ;) When I do cook though, I love it and I really love trying new things.  When Rob is on the day shift that all goes out the window and I'm struggling to create a weekly meal plan to cook 5-6 nights a week, #thestruggleisreal.  Anyway, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Jones Design Company and Emily was blogging about how Hello Fresh really helped that the stress out of the what's for dinner question.  I figured I'd try it and see how we like it and we ended up really enjoying it!  For our first box, I used a $40 coupon and it's free shipping.  I'll share mine at the end of this post so you can try it too! *This post is not sponsored at all, I just wanted to share how much we liked it. 

{Pictures via Hello Fresh} 

You get to choose three meals out of five recipes provided and they also have vegetarian options, which is nice if you'd prefer meatless meals. Each week, they feature different recipes so it really never gets boring! The three meals I chose were:  Mahi Mahi with citrus herb salad, Fusilloni with fresh ricotta and ground beef, and Lemony basil chicken with artichokes and brocollini.  The box comes on Mondays and is packed full of fresh ingredients, each sectioned out for each meal. 

The first recipe I tried was the Mahi Mahi and it was SO yummy.  I love that I was able to make it quickly myself and the ingredients were so fresh.  You can also keep the recipe cards to add to your own recipe box to make again. 

The next recipe I made was the lemony basil chicken with artichokes and crispy brocollini.  It was super simple and Olivia loved it.  I added rice to make it a little heartier and the whole meal came out fresh and delicious. 

The last one I tried was the Fusilloni with ground beef and fresh ricotta.  This is a fresh spin on a classic pasta and again, very flavorful and gobbled right up.  

I think this box is perfect for busy families and also moms who just need a little shake of freshness into their meal planning.  We got the box portioned for two people and there is a bigger box available for a family of four+.  It is subscription based, but I love that you can cancel at anytime or put ordering on hold for a few weeks.  I'd love for your family to try it to so I'm linking my promo code for $40 off your first box.  With every order through the promo, our family gets a credit towards another week too so it's great all around!  

For $40 off your first box, use my referral code: CYJJT6.  Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear! Enjoy! 

Meet & Mingle || Stingy, Thrifty, Broke

  

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  Today, I'm so happy to share Nina from Stingy, Thrifty, Broke  with you!  I love reading about great money saving tips, who doesn't, right?!  Hope you enjoy getting to know her more with all of her answers to some fun behind-the-blog questions!

Your blog name & it's significance

My blog is called Stingy, Thrifty, Broke. I started blogging so I could share my frugal ways to people. I am a very cheap person. I can’t buy anything at full price. I figured I could help others. Plus, I am studying to be a journalist. So blog writing is good practice. 

Tell us a little about your family

I am the third child. I still live with my parents, as I am currently a commuter college student. My big sister died when I was 15. I have a big brother and sister in law. I also have a three-year-old niece. I love her! 

My parents are awesome. My mom is an elementary teacher and my dad works at a doctors office.

Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]...

I use infusium shampoo. Venus Razor. Retseliney face scrub (sold on amazon). Clarisonic

I never leave the house without... 

My purse and my phone! I have to have a huge purse. I recently got a new Coach purse for 70% off. This thing is huge. It’s the best. My phone never leaves my side. I have an iPhone 6 and I am addicted! 

First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself…

I nap! I love to nap. I know that sounds silly, but I do. I wish I could take back all those naps I refused to take as a child. 

Favorite cupcake…

Hmmm. I’m not a huge fan of cake. I would much rather just eat the batter before it baked!

Currently obsessed with...

Netflix! I watch netflix all the darn time on my new apple tv (best thing ever.) Right now I’m watching X-files and Criminal Minds. Depending on if I actually want to watch or just have background noise.  

Top three meals you make for your family…

I’m not a great cook, so I don’t make much. When I do, I use the crockpot. Crockpots are my best friend. When it comes to feeding me, I like rice, mac and cheese, taco bell. 

Social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/stingythriftybroke

https://twitter.com/ninamcclain93

https://instagram.com/stingythriftybroke/

https://www.pinterest.com/ninamcclain93/

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Nina! I just love learning about who's behind the blog...so fun, right?! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and follow along! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)

Toddler Game || Learning Shapes

Hi! I wanted to share a quick game that Olivia loves to play and it's so simple to make.  It also is great for quiet time and self-guided play. 

While teaching, I made so many file folder games for kids to use individually while I was working with a small group so I knew this would be perfect for toddlers too.  You can make them using letters, numbers, shapes, colors, really anything you'd like to reinforce.  [Sorry for the less than great photos, it was an after nap time rush]

Here's what you'll need:

1 file folder

Different colored paper

Scissors

Velcro or magnetic strips

Laminator (optional)

Directions:

1.  Cut out different shapes, then trace them onto the file folder.  Label each shape. 

2.  Laminate the shapes if possible.  I have a mini laminator, which ensures the paper will not rip or show too much wear.  You can also use cardboard if you don't laminate.  #teacheralert 

3.  Apply one side of a small square of velcro onto the traced shapes on file folder.

4.  Apply the other side of velcro to the cut out shape.

Have fun learning and playing!