Shaklee Basic H2 Review & Giveaway

I was super excited when Erin from Healthy Branscoms gave me the chance to review Shaklee's Basic H2 and do a giveaway on my blog.

If you are like me, finding a good all-purpose cleaner that not only does a good job, but is a safe and healthy alternative to other mainstream cleaners is a high priority.

The Basic H2 is truly a great find! Not only can you use it on any washable surface, but it is also nontoxic, natural, and long-lasting. With just one 16 oz bottle of concentrate, you can make 48 gallons of cleaner! And, it is only $10.35 a bottle for Shaklee members. Wow!

*For a limited time, Erin from Healthy Branscoms is offering a free membership with a $30 purchase and a Healthy Branscom's Special. Email Erin for more details before this deal is gone!*

To try out the Basic H for myself, I first mixed just 2 drops in 16 oz. of water for cleaning windows and mirrors and then I mixed 1/4 tsp. to 16 oz. of water for all-purpose cleaning.

Here's a look at what I did:

 Before (nasty!):

 After:

 Before:

(Aidan stuck some foam sticky things on my kitchen floor and they would not come off after much scrubbing)

 After: (TA DA!)

Before: (gross apt. carpet/stains)

 After:

Let me just say I was AMAZED that this did so well. First of all, it doesn't have a smell, which is the thing I hate most about other cleaners. Secondly, I was so impressed with the fact that it worked on these thing that other cleaners had not been able to improve. I really did not think that I could get rid of that age old stain in the carpet, but I think I now have a new obsession! Our carpet is horrible because they didn't clean it very well between the last renter and us. (I know, disgusting.) Thirdly, I would feel safe using this product around my children without worrying about smells. And, I could let Aidan actually clean with me too!

Okay, ready for the giveaway?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Healthy Branscom's is giving away 5 samples of Basic H2 to 5 of my readers. Awesome, right?

If you would like to win one of these samples, just do the following:

Comment and let me know what is one thing you hate to clean. (I won't make you become a follower to enter, but if you do, let me know you are a new follower of the blog!)

For additional entries:

*Follow Erin at Healthy Branscom's and comment here that you did.

*Like Healthy Branscom's on Facebook and comment here that you did.

*Share the link to my blog on your Facebook and comment with that link.

Please don't forget to leave your email address so that we can contact you if you are winner!

This giveaway closes on Friday, May 6 at 11:59 EST.

Thanks and good luck!

Krista

Easter 2011

So He Says...

While Nora was babbling in the car, Aidan informed us that "she's talking about the circus."

While sitting at lunch, he said, "I am a green ostrich and I am going to eat your bicycle."

More funnies:

"I am a bad king because I have a sword in my garage. I am going to use my remote to go get it."

"I'm going to nip you in the bud." (from Backyardigans)

"I'm the master of the skys." (supposed to be 'master of disguise')

Flying Solo

I feel like I am flying solo a lot....at least for the bulk of the day, but nothing quite compares to the actual process of flying across the country with 2 little ones.

Friends, I was truly dreading this trip...and you wouldn't even want to believe who decided to pop in for her monthly visit the morning we left. So, there I was, 4 bags, one double stroller, an almost 3 year old and 6 month old baby. We were a walking circus. Literally.

The first flight went pretty well. I dumped a jar of baby food in the seat pocket, but we managed to keep quiet for the most part. The most difficult for me was juggling all the stuff we had. I had to carry Nora, hold Aidan's hand and get all our bags off and on the plane, set up the stroller, and get the kids inside. It was quite the feat.

Our layover, which dragged on and on  as we became increasingly more delayed, was a nice respite from the confinement, but soon we were all exhausted. During one of our frequent bathroom stops (Aidan's requests to pee were so urgent and sudden on this trip that I was in a panic that he would have an accident), a kind lady asked if I needed any assistance. I replied with, "I"m sure I do, but I don't even know where to begin." We both laughed and she said had been there once. That moment of commiseration was good for my soul.

Then, we boarded our plane for the final flight home, or at least to Charlotte, where we would then drive 2 hours home with our huge suitcase wedged between the kid's car seats. Oh, the joy! This is where we hit a major breakdown. I had managed yet again to carry all the bags and children and get seated, only to find out that we couldn't actually sit in the seats we were assigned and had to move to another row. After everyone had been seated, I got up to begin the move. The most wonderful part about this was not only did Aidan flat out refuse to move, we were in the front row of the plane, so we had an audience. Aidan protested and protested. He even said, "No, you go Momma. I am going to sit here and you can kick me in the back of the seat." (Can you tell what we had been discussing on the previous flight?) So, he threw a fit, a screaming, flailing, you cannot control me and hold Nora at the same time kind of fit. So fun. After that subsided I asked if the lady behind me could hold Nora so I could take Aidan to the restroom. When we got back to our seats, the flight attendant came up to me, and said, "Ma'am, we are waiting on you, could you please sit down?" Ummmm, rude. And then we sat on that ridiculous runway for at least another 30 minutes. (no kidding) During this time, Aidan lost it. He wanted to sit in my lap too. He wanted something to eat and none of my snacks were good enough. He wanted me to hold him and put Nora down somewhere. He was tired. He didn't want to wear his seatbelt. (I had a feeling this would happen because we were way past nap time at this point, and getting closer to dinner after all the delays). The attendant kept coming and asking me if she could do anything..."Not unless you change the rules and actually let me hold him!" I didn't really say that, only thought it.  So, he finally just fell asleep. Which is totally unlike him, but he got so ridiculously crazy that he just conked out. It was wonderful. And, then after a time, he woke up...and it again was a mix of laughing, crying, and altogether crazy behavior until we landed. I have never been so glad to be on the ground before.

So, we survived. It was doable. Oh, and Nora....can you guess that she was absolutely easy going the entire time?..cause she was. And then she screamed bloody murder for most of the car trip home. Mostly because it was past everyone's bedtime and she was hungry, tired, and probably sick of being overlooked.

And really, it only took me like 2 weeks to recover. :)

Blessed.

About a year ago my Grandpa was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was fast growing and in a difficult area of his brain and was causing a lot of complications with his normal functioning. In July 2010 he went through extensive brain surgery to remove the tumor and suffered major loss of memory and speech. It was like he walked in as my Grandpa and emerged as a completely different person. He couldn't remember anyone, not even my Grandma, and his speech was so erratic and slurred it was hard to understand him. He didn't make much sense most of the time really.

It was really hard on the whole family. I didn't see him after the surgery and have only talked to him on the phone since. The doctors didn't expect he would ever recover or regain anything beyond what faculties he had after the surgery. They also didn't have much hope in his life expectancy.

It has been 9 months since the surgery and my grandparents just came to visit us. They got to meet Nora for the first time. And my Grandpa was doing so well I wouldn't have ever guessed that he had brain surgery. He was the same man I remember and it was such a wonderful blessing to see how much has changed over these long months of recovery. It is truly a miracle.

7 months

Sweet little girl,

You are 7 months old now. And crawling. And playing. And laughing. Oh my word. Love it!

This month has been quite interesting. You got 2 little teeth right as you turned 6 months and they are now very prominent and absolutely adorable. You love eating puffs, mum mums, teething biscuits, and food. You eat 3 little meals a day and nurse frequently still. I think you are going to be hard to wean, but you absolutely love nursing. You still won't take a bottle or really much from a sippy cup, but you love drinking water out of a regular cup and are quite good at it too!

You are still struggling to get the sleeping down. You dropped your 3rd nap which has actually been wonderful for us because you go to bed at a reasonable time now (8-8:30). You do fine during the day taking good naps, but nighttime is still difficult. You had a lot of sleep issues while we were away in Kansas and have had ear infections, colds, and tummy issues from taking antibiotics. You were waking about every 2 hours while in KS, but slept straight through the night when we got home for 2 nights, and then were up again every 2 hours with more sickness. Now that you are feeling better you are are starting to sleep all night (after I dreamfeed you around 11-11:30) or waking up just once. I can deal with that over 2 hours any day, but I would love for you to consistently sleep through the night by next month at least. You now weigh 16lbs. 11oz. and are 26.5 inches long. Definitely getting enough to eat...so you can last long at night.

You still enjoy playing and are so content when awake. Your favorite toy right now is your baby doll. You love to eat her hands and feet and just laugh at her. It is so cute. You are crawling already, and are pretty good at it too. You will sit for a long time though, playing with toys in one place until you remember your ability to be mobile. I love to watch how you explore, with such sweet little touches and inquisitive looks. You are such a little girl and such a contrast to your brother, that I am in absolute awe sometimes. You also started reaching for us this month. I cannot tell you how wonderful this feels. You love to cuddle and be comforted. And I love when you reach out to me. You love to rock in my arms when nursing and you always grab tightly to my shirt.

You love your brother....when he isn't antagonizing you. You are always watching him intently and laughing at him a lot, especially after you just wake from your nap. I love watching how you interact and can't wait to see how that relationship develops.

You have had 2 ear infections this month and it was really rough. You had just one ear infected the first time, and then just barely 2 weeks later both ears were severely infected. You have been on a rough round of antibiotics that have been a shock to your digestive system and it has been so hard to see you struggling with such discomfort.

This month we spent 16 days in Kansas with grandparents. You were an excellent traveler and a pleasant little baby even though you were sick part of the time we were there. You were so warm and sweet with all the new faces and you seemed to adapt to the new surroundings and activities very well. I do so love your flexibility.

My sweet sweet Nora, I continue to be amazed at how much joy you bring to our entire household. You make life just so much sweeter and are such a light in our lives. I am so blessed to have so many precious moments cuddling with you and I am savoring all the memories of you at this sweet stage because I know it will only continue to fly by. 

I love you,

Mama

Kansas Trip

Oh the trip....

Nora was our little late night packing companion.

We left early Monday morning (14th) to drive to Charlotte. As luck would have it, Aidan woke up with a stuffy nose. We arrived in Charlotte by about 8am and left a little after 9. The flights went well. Nora slept the entire way and Aidan was able to watch some of his favorite shows on Daddy's laptop. We were pretty exhausted by the time we got there, but it was so nice to see our family...especially my sister who had just got back from 6 months at YWAM.

 Nora and Aunt Steph

We spent the first week with Seth's family. Unfortunately, Aidan's cold continued and Nora caught it the 2nd night there. She got an ear infection and we ended up visiting our old pediatrician for some good ol' antibiotics. It was a long week of little sleep...but so nice to have family to help out.

The sick babies in their pj's

The first weekend there I went down to Arkansas to surprise my bestie Kara at her baby shower. Steph and I drove down together with Nora and did it all in one day. We also got to visit with some of my old time friends from ECS/childhood days.

Windblown pic, (2 pregnant friends), tons of memories with these girls!

We also got some family pictures taken by jami nato which was a ton of fun and I seriously cannot wait to get them put up at our new place (when we have a new place). :)

The second week was spent with my family. Seth left just a few days into that week and I stayed a whole week longer. It snowed a couple times that week. (crazy!) We were able to have a little birthday celebration for Aidan, have a play-date with a couple friends, and I spent some time working on stuff with our house. I ordered some furniture to stage the house for the next couple of months. It was kinda a drag considering the financial drain this house has been, but we are praying that this will be enough to get it sold by the end of May. Please pray for us if you think about it!

I wish I would have had more time to see more friends, but I felt like my days were so busy and with Nora's sleeping issues, I was pretty exhausted most of the time. I ate up the family time because I knew it would be a long time til we saw each other again and I really do love being with them--even if my sister can now beat me at Dutch Blitz.

Nora with Mita and Papi (Seth's parents)

Snow at the end of March! Kansas weather is so crazy!

 Aidan's new obsession

 Birthday egg hunt

 Fresents! (as Aidan would say)

 Decorating his birthday cupcake

Happy 3 years to Aidan!

 Had to have one of the sweet baby girl!

Mimi (my mom) reading to the kids by the fire (PRECIOUS)

That is our trip in a nutshell. One more post to come on flying solo with the kids....stay tuned if you want some tips on how to have a smooth, tear-free trip across the country with 4 bags, one double stroller, a baby, a toddler, and a layover. (NOT) :)

I'm a mothering pro

Okay, so the title of this post is just to make me feel better.

My day has been hilariously crazy, but just one of those reminders that my life really should be a reality tv show so that more people can benefit from the ridiculous situations I find myself in.

I got a book from the library the other night titled, I Didn't Plan to Be a Witch: And Other Surprises of A Joyful Mother. It is perfect...I skipped to the chapter titled "Toddlers are Horrible and Adorable" for a delightful read before bed last night. And then I lived it out today. :)

So, Nora is on this horrible antibiotic called Augmentin for her ear infections. I hate this medicine. Aidan took it before, so I knew to expect some horribleness from it. And horribleness is indeed correct. Yesterday, as I was putting Nora in the stroller for a walk, I thought she had baby food on her bottom...so I picked her up to inspect. Then I noticed my shirt was covered in the same substance (any guesses what that could be?). She had 4 "episodes" in 45 minutes. Then she recovered for a couple hours before going all over her daddy at the grocery store. Fun fun fun.

Anyway, today was my mom's group and I didn't want to miss it. Mostly because it is the chance to get a little break from Aidan. So we went, diarrhea baby and all. To do so, we had to first take Seth to work which always proves to be a huge ordeal. When we arrived at the church, Nora was doing great. I was feeling on top of it all. Dropped Aidan off at class, kept the little one with me. She had a little bathroom issue in the middle of the group, but I caught it quickly and we were spared any major mess. After my group was over, I needed to finish up the grocery shopping that got stalled due to Nora's bathroom issues last night. We made it to Wal-mart and Aidan started fussing for food. I handed him a container of apple sauce to keep him busy while I got a cart and got Nora situated. I came back with the cart and realized that Nora had a huge explosion while on the short drive to the store. It was all over her clothes. I scooped her up and placed her on a plastic bag. During this time, I noticed that Aidan had started eating his apple sauce with his hands...both of them. He had apple sauce all over his clothes, face, and car seat. So the poopy one sat and waited while I cleaned Aidan up and got them inside. When we arrived in the restroom, Aidan announced his sudden need to use the facilities....and not just quickly either. I had a major crappy situation on my hand (if you get my usage of the word). I hurriedly took him to the bathroom, but the toilet automatically flushed as he was sitting there and scared him to death...and then Nora started crying too. Poor little thing was still sitting there in her poopy clothes, just waiting to be cleaned up. I went ahead and got her all cleaned up and changed and we went and shopped for our groceries. Neither of the kids were particularly easy going after that whole thing and we were all tired and hungry.

Here is the icing on the cake: When we got out to the car there was a wasp swarming around it. Seriously? I kept shooing it away and trying to get the kids in their seats. It was rather silly. Then, when we got home, I noticed that a certain someone had left 2 frozen pizzas in the trunk from last night's grocery run. Ruined pizzas...not cool, but I still love my husband.

Unplugged Play

Found an awesome resource at the library last night: Unplugged Play. After two horrific days at home, I was relieved to find a book that has such great ideas for imaginary play.

Here is Aidan playing with his "grocery store":

I made some imaginary money, found some old gift cards to be used as credit cards, grabbed some food from the pantry and dumped it in a basket, set up his cash register, and grabbed a bag for him to put his purchases in...he's totally into it.
We also set up a doctor's office on our couch. All his stuffed animals are visiting the doctor and even getting stickers for being brave and getting their shots.
And guess what I am doing.... :)

I'm actually sitting near him and making a menu plan...and taking a little break to blog.

Happy 3rd Birthday Aidan

 

To the boy who made me a mother 3 years ago...

There is so much I could say about you. You have been my greatest challenge and greatest joy all wrapped up in one big package. I look back at pictures of you as a newborn and can't even remember those first few days with you, much less, that first year. You required so much of me, and still do, but I know that every last bit of it is worth it. You are a strong-willed energetic little bullet. I don't know what to do with you half the time. Keeping you entertained is a tall order, but I have learned a lot about how you think and have started to welcome your foreign personality with open arms. You make me laugh...a lot. You are such an observer and so full of questions that I wish I could sit and listen to you jabber all day. You test me, you push me, but you love me and that makes it so lovely to be your mother. You are still a diligent thumb-sucker (at night) and a good sleeper. You love to eat (i.e. "snack"), but you are a picky one. You have embraced the newness of South Carolina and this somewhat transitional/stressful time period with such willingness and happiness that I have been impressed. You welcome new faces and situations without a single pause to consider if you should be hesitant or concerned. You are sometimes a little too welcoming and can't seem to give people space to breathe. You definitely don't know a stranger. Your passion for life is evident every day. You are full of fun and excitement, but can change on a dime to dramatic outbursts and elaborate tearful pleas. You like to be in charge and, unfortunately for you, that is not how this life is going to go for you right now. You seem to forget that most days, but I am always faithful to remind you. :)

I love you so much and I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life. I can tell that you are going to do big things with your life and I only hope that I can foster and encourage those things as you grow. Thank you for letting me "practice" on you.

I love you,

Mom

Days like these...

It's almost 3pm and I'm finally sitting down and eating a little bit of lunch. After little sleep last night, I spent my morning taking Aidan to work (edit: Seth to work-totally had to leave this up so I could laugh at my tired brain), trying to get an extremely fussy baby to take a nap, doctor's visit for Nora, Target run to pick up antibiotics, and finally made it home by 2pm and successfully got both kids to sleep. Baby girl has a severe double ear infection...just 2 1/2 weeks after her last one (which was also her first). I have a feeling we are going to be singing the same song we did with Aidan when it came to ears.

On the other hand, the weather here is absolutely glorious. I would seriously be out sitting in the sun if I wasn't about to fall asleep in my plate of hummus right now. Oh, and if my babies were not like sleeping and needing adult supervision (uh huh).

I quit my job on Saturday. I hate being a quitter, but even though we really need the income, it wasn't worth stress. So, back to square one with that.

I was gone from blogland for awhile so I will be updating with our life events of the past 3 weeks....so beware...there will be a lot going on here the next couple of days.

Beautiful Day

The weekend before our trip to Kansas we ventured over to a nearby park to enjoy the sunny weather and a nice picnic lunch. The kids had a blast. Aidan threw rocks in the pond and Nora rolled around in the grass. It was such a nice day!

 Touching the grass for the first time

 Rolling over in the grass

My super sweet baby girl!