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The Crunchy Mommy’s Guide To Keeping Kids Healthy On-The-Go

This is a sponsored post from MomeezChoice. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Confession: This is the busiest time of the year that I’ve yet to experience with my children. Mini is preparing for her first Nutcracker performance AND robotics competition all happening the same weekend. Abc is, well, a four-year-old. And BC is an inquisitive 1-year-old who is trying to get into all the things. We’ve been experiencing late nights, full days, and lots of running around. Oh, did I mention that my husband happened to get called out of town for work giving me a week’s notice to figure out how to manage all this plus work and keeping kids healthy?

How To Handle Mud Butt Without Messing Up Gut Health

Aaronica

**Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by DiaResQ and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

Mud butt. It’s more officially known as diarrhea but in my household we’ve given it the lovely nickname of mud butt for the obvious reasons. It feels like it was just yesterday that I dealt with our first bout of terrible diarrhea with Mini.

5 Must-Have Essential Oils This Fall

Aaronica

Fall is around the corner and with that comes the awesomeness (insert sarcasm) that is cold season. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be a victim to all that is cold and flu season. The best thing to do is prepare a toolkit to build your immune system and create an environment that fosters health.

What’s In Your Cold Care Kit? Here Are My Essentials

Aaronica

**Disclaimer: I’ve partnered with Ezy Dose Kids on this sponsored posting. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cold and flu season is about to hit strong and when it comes, you want to be ready—especially when you have kids. One of the things that I like to do around the beginning of September is prime my family’s immune system. What does that even mean, right? No worries, I’ll share all that too but today I’m focusing on making sure that my cold care kit is ready for impending arrival of cold & flu season.

How I Beat Thrush Naturally

Aaronica

Thrush. It's literally the worst ailment that afflicts both mom and baby. Ok, so maybe it's not THE worst but it certainly felt that way when BC and I had it! Here's how I beat thrust naturally despite a doctor telling me it wasn't possible.

At BC’s 6 month check up we were diagnosed with thrush. My first response to the doctor telling me this was,

But my boobs don’t hurt!

And literally as soon as that statement left my mouth, they started hurting. After nursing for more than two and a half years with two previous babies, I now have thrush. I did what any responsible mom would do–I hit up Google to see what fellow moms were saying about thrush.

I Found Great Information

There was great information out there. I felt really prepared to heal this thrush naturally, especially after my the doctor scoffed at my notion of healing him without medicine. The combination of other mom blogs, Facebook friends, and my Instagram stories, I was ready to get this party started and the thrush gone.

Here are some of the links that I found that were helpful:

Mama Natural
eMedicine
Candida Specialists

Here’s What Those Handy Dandy Links Didn’t Tell Me

I want you to know this:

Thrush. Hurts. Like. Hell.

No one really talked about how when your milk comes down and you’re nursing it feels like a million little needles are trying to make their way out of your milk ducts. I’ve had THREE unmedicated births that I feel like I handled like a champ. But guys. I want you to really feel me when I say this:

Thrush almost broke me.

via GIPHY

This was going to be it. I was tapping out of one of my favorite parts of motherhood–breastfeeding. Surely something that is so good for both BC and I shouldn’t hurt me this way, right? Anytime he latched, I flinched. There were tears–not from him as he was completely unbothered. Oh, but did I mention that he was cutting his top teeth at the same time?

Yeah, there’s a special place in heaven for me because I didn’t let the fact that I had BLOODY, bruised, and what felt like permanently damaged nipples stop me from nurturing this last little bundle my body had created. So how did I thrive despite thrush’s attempts to destroy me? This is what I did.

How I Beat Thrush Naturally

For the first 3 days I put Just Thrive probiotics directly on his thrush two times per day. After each nursing, I wiped out his mouth with the Jack N’ Jill Mouth Wipes. This helped A LOT. I was watching the white gunk come out of his mouth–super gross but whatever. During these 3 days, I also doubled up on taking my probiotic as well.

Because I’m not a glutton for punishment, after suffering that first day through the pain, I started taking 800 mg of ibuprofen every 6-8 hours–yes, just like when I gave birth. I also made some natural antibiotic and anti-fungal wipes using this recipe:

1 c of water
1/2 c of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 c of melted Coconut Oil
10 paper towels cut in half

Put all of the paper towels in a tupperware container. Mix ingredients together and pour over the paper towels. Cover them and shake to make sure all the solution gets in there. Use these wipes after every nursing.

Ok so by day 3 we still had thrush. Mine was going away as was evidence by the lessening of the pain in my boobs but he still had the white lesions in his mouth. I had ordered some Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) from Amazon (bae) and I created a solution daily for the next 3 days that had 10 drops of GSE with 1 oz of distilled water. I used Q-tips and swabbed this in his mouth 3 times daily. During this 3 day period we tried the medicine the doctor prescribed and he vomited it all over my bed so we were done with that.

So now we’re 6 days in and I see a huuuuuuge difference in the lesions. It’s completely gone from his tongue and most of it is gone from his cheeks. For the next couple of days I let it ride as I waited for the Gentian Violet to come in the mail from Amazon. This was the most highly recommended remedy. But we were nervous about trying this because it would turn his mouth purple–like all of it.

We tried it. I gave him two doses of it two nights in a row. Once the purple cleared I saw that his lesions had cleared as well.

Yes, I danced and sang and almost cried tears of joy.

via GIPHY

So yeah, that’s how I beat thrush naturally.

How We’re Snacking Happy With Organic Valley Grassmilk Kids Yogurt

Aaronica

This post is sponsored by Organic Valley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Mini looked around the kitchen the other day and says to me

Mommy, we have a lot of Organic Valley stuff.

And you know what? She’s right. I’ve shared a lot on my social media about my love affair with Organic Valley Ghee and coffee creamer but it doesn’t stop there. Organic Valley has recently released their Grassmillk Kids Yogurt and I’m happy that I can share this with my kids.

Snacking Happy

I never realized just how much my kids ate until I started homeschooling them and snacks became a big part of our curriculum. I say this jokingly but I’m so serious! I don’t have picky eaters and they’re always planning out their next meal or snack while they’re eating their current one. Something that I’ve learned through trial and error with them is that if I give them a snack or meal that’s higher in protein and fiber, they’re less likely to eat me out of house and home.

Giving them a snack of yogurt gives them some of the protein they need to sustain them until the next meal and I love this.

Not All Snacks Are Made Equally

Who doesn’t love a sweet treat every now and again? I know I do and both of girls do as well. One of the things that we love doing is freezing the tubes of the yogurt. I’ll either pack these up for a picnic at the park or they squeeze them out and boom, frozen yogurt aka ice cream!

Many foods–especially dairy items–are chock full of nastiness. There are often hormones and other harmful additives in there that we aren’t 100% how they’ll affect the little bodies of our children. I want what’s best for them so that means being more intentional about what I offer them to eat. Does this mean that we ALWAYS go without things like Hot Fries? No. But what this means is that in our home, we have a ready supply of fresh fruit, low to no processed snacks, and healthier options to feed our sweet teeth.

Why Organic Valley Grassmilk Kids Yogurt

I first REALLY encountered Organic Valley when I was at ShiftCon in 2016. They had their creamer out and when I tell you that it tasted like Jesus himself stirred my cup of coffee, I mean it. You may laugh but when you try it, you’ll see what I mean. Organic Valley as a company has a different and higher standard for their products and this is something that I love. I love that for my body I can make wiser choices easily and now I don’t have to share (yes, mama has a problem sharing ha!) my snacks with my kids.

Did you know a recent study found that 100% grassfed dairy is more nutritious?

The science shows that whole milk from organically managed cows fed an essentially 100 percent grass- and legume-based diet:

Contains 147 percent more omega-3s than conventional whole milk, and 52 percent more omega 3s than organic whole milk.

Contains 125 percent higher Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) than conventional whole milk and 90 percent higher CLA than organic whole milk.

Contains a balanced 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3s are beneficial fats that have been linked to brain and eye health, especially in young children and developing fetuses. Studies have shown that CLA can boost immunity, heart health and cancer prevention. Because Americans consume, on average, at least three servings of dairy products each day, a simple switch to organic grass-fed dairy could provide more nutrients, in addition to those associated with consumption of other types of milk.

— Source

In a nutshell, when cows eat well, you do, too. Their newest product, an exclusive with Publix, is this Grassmilk Kids Yogurt. It’s the only 100% grass-fed organic yogurt for kids out there. As a mom, you can bet that I want portable and convenient for my kids, but I want as little sugar as possible, too. Organic Valley Grassmilk Kids Yogurt is available now at Publix, and will be available later this summer at other groceries and retailers.

Because I Love You…

I’m giving you two things:

1. Mini loves making her own smoothies using the Organic Valley Grassmilk Kids Yogurt and is sharing one of her recipes today so check her out!

2. I want you all to be winning SO I’m doing a giveaway for a month of free Organic Valley Grassmilk products!!!!!! Enter the giveaway here:

One Month of Organic Valley

How To Beat Food Intolerance Without Losing Your Appetite

Aaronica

Food intolerance is very different than having a food allergy. While they are very different, paying attention to foods that fall into both categories for you is very important and Pinnertest can help in identifying those intolerances from the comforts of your own home. Read more here.

Food intolerance is an important aspect of our health not getting enough attention. I’ve partnered with Pinnertest to share my experience with food intolerance testing in this sponsored post.

I’ve dedicated this year to becoming the best version of myself yet and I’ve started off on the right foot. I’m learning how to manage stress in a healthy way. Business is going well. I’m managing the kids better than before. And I’m prioritizing my health.

This last piece is huge for me.

I typically will put everyone else’s health before mine with the thought of, “As long as they’re taken care of, I’m taken care of.” Writing this out sounds just as foolish as it should. Making sure I’m doing whats best for me enables me to care for others–not the other way around. A major facet of this is what I eat. This is actually something that I spoke on during my keynote panel this year at Shiftcon.

We are what we eat, so what is my diet saying about me?

If I’m being completely honest, I normally LOVE to follow the trends on diets and stuff. I was big into juicing and green smoothies and paleo and veganism but this year I was talking to my friend Brittany and we were basically saying the same thing: We’re tired of following these trends and diets but not know if they’re actually good for US. Sure, everyone and their mother’s are out here consuming all the green smoothies while chomping on gluten-free muffins and GMO-free lemonade but is it what really good for THEM?

This is what I started my year out wanting to know so that the work that I thought I was doing in cleaning up my diet wasn’t actually counter productive to my goals. While my goals are pretty much always to lose weight, but they also include adopting a lifestyle that I can maintain.

If you are what you eat than you'd better make sure you're eating what's healthy for YOU!Click To Tweet

Food Intolerance Vs Food Allergies

How crazy would it be if I was over here making all these kale smoothies and stuff BUT I HAD A FOOD INTOLERANCE FOR KALE!?! I would be pretty upset, honestly. Or even worse, if I was allergic to it. Did you know that there’s a difference between food intolerance and allergies?

Food intolerance occurs when our bodies cannot properly digest and convert the foods we eat into the necessary nutrients that fuel our systems.
More simply, food intolerance occurs when you eat something but it fails to be properly broken down in the intestines. The main reason for this failure (maldigestion) is due to a lack of digestive enzymes– it’s their job to break down food molecules so that they can be properly absorbed into the bloodstream.

A food intolerances and a food allergy can sometimes have similar symptoms, but the way they react with your body is very different.
The main difference between an intolerance and an allergy is that an allergy will manifest itself almost immediately after inhalation or consumption of a particular substance. Food intolerances, on the other hand, are more deceptive. Depending on the individual, symptoms might arrive anywhere between a couple hours to a couple days.

–www.pinnertest.com

Most people know about food allergies because many of them can lead to death. Tests are normally run by the doctors and in some more extreme cases, shots are given in increments to help to deal with said allergies. But did you know that there’s a test for food intolerance as well?

Testing For Food Intolerance

In order to find out if your body had an intolerance for a food, you used to have to use an elimination process. With this, you basically eliminate everything from your diet and slowly add things back in noting how it makes your body feel. This requires lots of time, effort, planning and journaling. This method is still used by many. But there’s actually a simple blood test that you can do at home that will also give you results. Yes, this means that you have to prick your own finger and send it in but I swear it’s super easy.

Pinnertest

Pinnertest is a company that tests for food intolerance in the comforts of your own home.

Pinnertest utilizes advanced IgG (FC Fragment Specific), Antigen, Antiserum, Control tests to determine an individual’s food sensitivities.

So for those that are like me and don’t exactly understand that this means, here it is in layman’s terms: they take 2 drops of your blood and are able to test it against 200 food samples to see what you may have an intolerance for. It’s super easy and took me under 5 minutes to get myself set up, pricked and shipped out. My results came back in about 4 days.

So what do I have a food intolerance for? Cow milk, Soybeans, and corn. That’s it.

Do you know how comforting it is to know that I don’t have to cut out things like black beans or nuts or different spices??? I am so relieved!

Why Food Intolerance Matters

Did you know that food intolerance have been linked to weight-gain, weakened immune system (hello flu-season!), depletion in our serotonin production (this hormone is responsible for maintaining mood balance, social behavior, libido, memory, and digestive health), increases in cravings for carbs and sugars, gastrointestinal problems, brain fog, joint pain, acne and chronic fatigue. I’ve never heard of anyone saying that they want to deal with any of these things.

Interested in finding out more about your own food intolerance?

Get tested by Pinnertest today and find out what you should, and shouldn’t be, eating! Use coupon code “THECRUNCHYMOMMY” for $60 off!

5 Everyday Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar

Aaronica

I love Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). I jokingly say that ACV, breast milk and essential oils can pretty much heal anything. I joke but there’s a little bit of truth to statement. There’s MANY uses for ACV but not all can be used daily so here are 5 everyday uses for Apple Cider Vinegar.

5 Everyday Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Cold Remedy

It’s cold and flu season which EVERYONE hates. In fact, this flu season is a rather nasty one. ACV has natural immune boosting attributes. It also rids your body of excess mucous which harbors disease and bacteria in your body.

How To Use: At the onset of symptoms, mix 1:1 ratio of ACV to honey with hot water and drink 3 times per day.

2. Stops Hair Breakage and Shedding

Between the cold and dry air that comes with winter and my postpartum hormones, I can certainly attest to the effectiveness of ACV in stopping your hair from breaking and shedding. How? The ACV restores the natural pH of your hair follicle while removing build up of hair products. It’s also a natural conditioner and hair detangler. I didn’t quite believe the detangling part until I used it on my hair–which has grown an insane amount lately.

How To Use: Mix 1:1 ratio of ACV and distilled water in a spray bottle. After shampooing hair, saturate your hair from root to tip. Let it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing.

3. Skin Care

There are 2 ways that I’ve used ACV on my skin: as a toner and to mix in with bentonite clay for a facial. As a toner, it brightens and detoxes your skin. As a mask, it REALLY pulls the impurities from your skin. I use the mask on my face, underarms and groin area to keep my lymphatic system detoxing because of my Hidradenitis Supportiva.

How To Use: As a toner, mix in a 1:3 ACV to water ration. Keep refrigerated. To use it with the clay mask, mix it until there’s a creamy texture and then apply to the affected areas.

4. Enhances Weight Loss

Yep. You read that right. ACV can help you lose weight. How? I wish I could say it breaks down fat cells but that’s not how it works. In fact, I’m not sure exactly how it works but you can read more about it here.

How To Use: Take 2 tablespoons daily in water.

5. Acts As A House Cleaner

Well, it doesn’t clean the house for you but you can make your own cleaner with it.

How To Use: Mix 1:1 ACV to water with 2 drops of lemon essential oil, 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil, 2 drops lavender essential oil.

So what are you going do with your Apple Cider Vinegar first?

How To Get A Prenatal Massage That Saves Your Life

Aaronica

Pregnant? You need a prenatal massage. But not just any prenatal massage. You need one of those that cures your body's pains and this is how you get one.

At 35 weeks pregnant I’m feeling the best that I have since becoming pregnant. How? I invited someone to my home who delivered the best prenatal massage that I’ve ever had.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not a believer in the power of the prenatal massage. Each pregnancy I’ve had one and each one felt like I was just paying someone to slather me in oil. While my skin appreciated the extra TLC, my muscles, aches and pains were still present. When my prenatal massage therapist, Ebony, arrived, I told her just that–I’m not a believer but I’m pretty ashy so I’m still here for it. Well, she flipped my entire belief system on the prenatal massage.

What To Look For In A Prenatal Massage Therapist

I met Ebony while she was pregnant with her now 3 month old at the Blogalicious conference last year. She has a beautiful smile, the cutest freckles and a calming energy about her. I knew that she was a blogger looking to grow but I had no idea that she was a massage therapist–let alone one certified in prenatal massage. In talking to her about my previous experiences with the prenatal massages, I realize the I went wrong in choosing my massage therapist. Our chat led to the following conclusions when looking for the proper prenatal massage therapist:

Make sure that they’re certified in prenatal massage. While any massage therapist will rub up on your back, a certified prenatal massage therapist knows the ins and outs of the pregnant woman’s body and how to navigate properly to give an effective massage.
You need to feel complete comfort with your massage therapist. This seems obvious but as she was massaging the most tender and painful parts of my lower back, I realized it was easy to relax into it and breathe the discomfort away because I was completely comfortable with her.
Get a woman who’s gone through pregnancy. I know, this is a little sexist but women who have had children know intimately what you mean when you describe certain pains. It’s like going to another mother for advice on children. While every woman’s body is different, at least this woman has a higher chance of understanding what you’re body is going through.

The Benefits of an In-Home Prenatal Massage

All of my previous massages have been at places of business. They’ve been beautiful places too but there’s something so different about the comforts of your own home. When Ebony arrived, I forewarned her that my house was a mess. It was Sunday which is normally our cleaning day. And by “our” I mean my husband and kids because I’ve been in so much pain that doing just about everything has stopped outside of grocery shopping and cooking. This was probably the only source of tension but she didn’t care. She came in, set up her table and had an essential oil diffuser going that had my living room filled with bergamot easing pre-existing tensions.

I didn’t have to leave the comforts of my sweat shorts and husbands white tee to get treated professionally and I loved that. We turned on my Google Home and let the sounds of Pandora whisk me away into a pain-free euphoria. Once it was all said and done, I didn’t have to put shoes on, sit in the hot car and head home. I rolled off the table and felt no pain in my body for the first time in months. I feel so good I’m almost tempted to clean the house–almost.

Let Me Gush For A Second…

This pregnancy has been hard. From the time my little egg was fertilized, it’s been rough. From non-stop puking and extreme exhaustion in the first trimester to constant pain beginning in the second trimester, I honestly didn’t think I would get relief from anything I’ve been feeling. My creativity and writing has taken a hit because let’s be real, who can be creative and think happy thoughts when constantly in pain? I was apprehensive about Ebony coming over. She made no promises to how I would feel but delivered on every broken one that I’d previously received. This woman is truly gifted with her hands. She gave me a deep tissue massage that hit every point of pain that I’d been experiencing and massaged it away. When I stood up after she was finished, I was able to do so without wincing in pain. My lower back is no longer a source of issue for me. I walk, bend over, take the stairs and put on panties (super winning) with no pain. It feels amazing.

Who Is Ebony and How Can You Reach Her?

I’m not the selfish type. Ok, I am. But I feel amazing right now and I want others to feel this way too. For those of you in the Atlanta area–pregnant or not–here is her information:

Healing Mother Massage & Wellness
Ebony Ricks, LMT
757-292-9769
info@healingmothermw.com
healingmothermw.com

I encourage you to let her come and nurture you! Tell her I sent you!

Mamas, have you had prenatal massages while pregnant? What was your experience like?

It’s Ok To Be Happy

Aaronica

I’ve been in a writing funk since the end of last year. Ok, it’s not just been a writing funk, it’s been more of like a life funk. This may or may not give great advice to anyone struggling since I haven’t planned out what I’m going to write but I know I need to just write it out because sharing my words is my happy place. My happy place. It’s a place I haven’t been in sometime.

I Forgot How To Be Happy

I know… How do you forget? I did.

It started with the election. I typically don’t discuss politics or religion here because I don’t want make anyone feel polarized and there’s nothing that people can say that can change my views on these things. But let’s be honest here, I’m a black woman raising little black girls married to a big black man. In the eyes of many people in the world, all of us are a threat and one of the worst people in the world has been elected leader of the once free world. As he slowly dismantles life as we know it, I struggle to be able to happy as I experience much of my life. I wouldn’t say that I’m living in fear but I feel guilty being happy.

People are crying.

People are dying.

And it’s killing me inside.

How can I possibly be happy when pictures of Syrian refugee children being killed are circulating on FB? How can I be happy when my Muslim friends and family are being targeted and falsely accused of being terrorists? How can I be happy when my Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters are living in fear of deportation? How can I be happy when there’s a civil war brewing?

It’s all so much to digest.

via GIPHY

I Need To Feel Happy Again

I’m a creative. I love to help people. I love creating things that help or inspire people and in my sadness I haven’t been able to either. I haven’t been able to feed my spirit and it’s been starving. I used to laugh all the time and smile. Now I find these moments fleeting and I hate it. I need my happiness. My kids need my happiness. My husband needs my happiness. The new life inside me growing and sending me in vomiting rages needs my happiness.

I want to belly laugh so hard that I cry daily.

I want to see my kids light up again.

I want my husbands smile and jovial nature.

But all of these things have been missing because as the nucleus of the family, this isn’t what I’ve been giving them. I’ve been sad. I’ve spent so much time in the bed and just not taking care of the things and people that I love that I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like. I need to be happy again. I need to be productive again. I need to regain the power over myself again.

via GIPHY

It’s Ok To Feel Happy

This is something that I’m struggling with. I’m an empath and take on the feelings of those around me to the point where it’s hard for me to tell what I’m feeling versus what they are. But I need to give myself permission to be happy because what is going to happen is going to happen regardless of how I feel about it. I come from a lineage of survivors–if they weren’t, I wouldn’t be here.

It’s ok to be happy that we finally got pregnant after months of trying.

via GIPHY

It’s ok to be happy that I made the decision to homeschool my babes.

It’s ok to be happy simply because I feel like it.

And it’s also ok for you to feel happy if you’re struggling as well. I’m hoping that by getting this off my chest that it’ll open up the creativity that’s been held captive by my happiness’ vacation. And if it doesn’t, I’ll just have to try something different because I’m committed to feeling happy again.