Safe and Natural Baby Wipes? Sign Me Up!

*This post was sponsored by WaterWipes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Seriously, do you want to know what my new favorite "kid" product is? It's WaterWipes. This may be a sponsored post but I would have never tried them had I not been introduced to them. You know that I'm trying to be more conscious of what  my family is using, bath and body products, cleaning, hand soaps... you name it. I've been doing a pretty good job of it too but one thing I hadn't really been mindul of was the wet wipes I'd been using on the #PropahToddlah. WaterWipes is a chemical free baby (and kid and adult) wipe that contains only two ingredients, both of which you can recognize: 99.9% pure Irish water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract.  This is most definitely a safe and more natural option for my family.

Grabbed my WaterWipes at Walgreens!

Not only is it safe, it works and is comparable in price. I don't have to worry about sensitive skin or irritating a rash that's already there. It's at least one thing I DON'T have to worry about. I can also keep a package at the kitchen table (I know, I'm so classy) because table manners is still a work in progress over here. I often give one (or two) to the toddler and am like, clean yourself up, Kid. I don't have to worry if he gets it in his mouth and it's nice to have some peace of mind for sure. I can't say the same about some of the other well known brands. I'm always looking for better ways to take care of my familly and this is just one of the new ones that I've discovered. With another baby on the way, I know what I'll be using moving forward. No, really, I love these WaterWipes... and so does this jelly faced kiddo!

Our WaterWipes at the breakfast table!

Want to snag some WaterWipes for yourself at your local Walgreens? The folks at I-C and Walgreens have teamed up to offer five lucky folks the opportunity to win a $100 Walgreens gift card through the WaterWipes Walgreens Giveaway! It runs from September 16th through October 7th so there's plenty of time to enter. I-C will randomly select five winners from all the entries and send out the prizes. While you're waiting to see who won, you can visit WaterWipes on Facebook and Twitter or grab a package to try for yourself at your local Walgreens.

WaterWipes Walgreens Giveaway

What's your best "natural" find for your family? I love discovering new things to bring home to keep my peeps happier and healthier!

Homemade Yoga Mat Cleaner

What is living on your Yoga mat? I don't want to know but I have a pretty good imagination so I am guessing that those mats, where we find such peace and tranquility, can get pretty gnarly after even just a couple uses. I don't know if you caught a whiff of my new found love of essential oils but I thought it would be neat to make my own yoga mat cleaner, because I can and I will be crafty whenever possible + also like the idea of creating the scent that is perfect for me (and that I don't mind smelling while I am in practice). All I needed was a few ingredients and I had my own little "brand"... and everything was something I had in the house already!

What I Used:

• Tea Tree Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• White vinegar (you can also use Witch Hazel)
• Water
• Spray Bottle 

It's as easy as mixing the spray bottle 3/4 full of water and fill the remainder of the bottle with white vinegar. You'll only need a tiny bit of space for the oils and it's sort of up to you how much you put in. I love the clean smell of tea tree oil (and it's a natural disinfectant) but a little goes a long way. The lavender + peppermint oils are one of my favorite combinations for some reason. Maybe the fresh-calming? Dunno, but Mama likes. Then just shake, shake, shake it. I have used it to clean up big baby sized messes on my mats! ;-)

It's OK if you don't want to make your own. There are PLENTY of options that are ready to go when you are. Here are some of my favorites, though if I had to choose, I would tell you to pick up the Herban Essential Towelettes because they are individual, fit in your gym bag or pockets, no problem!

Manduka Yoga Mat Spray, Herban Essentials Towelettes, Hugger Mugger Pure Mat & Gear Spray, Jasmine Seven Fresh Feet Wipes

I'm Really Into Essential Oil Blends, You Guys

I have been really into essential oils lately and have been diffusing a combination of vanilla, grapefruit and ylang ylang in our living room. At first we were like, what the heck? How do you use essential oils? ...but now we actually really do feel calmer with different blends wafting through the rooms, like our own aromatherapy blends. I really do feel that there are benefits to using essential oils in our every day life. I am no doctor, nor do I claim to be but I am loving what is happening when I use the oils, people! You'll probably see a lot of people hocking essential oils out there but I think it's worth it to do a little research and find a brand that works for you. Because I am attending the WELL Summit in November, I received a sneak peek of some great natural and eco-friendly beauty products that the folks over there put together. One of the little treats that stood out most to me was the little sample vile of 21 Drops "Sleep" blend. Someone is out there creating essential oil blends for specific uses, y'all!

The #18 (out of 21) SLEEP blend of essential oil therapy touts the following: helps quiet an anxious mind, soothing feelings of restlessness and encouraging relaxation in preparation for a good night's sleep. Using Ylang Ylang to relax and encourage peace, Vetiver to sedate and reduce anxiety and Sandlewood to quiet the mind, 21 Drops would have us believe that this blend will help us sleep better... and you know what? I am a believer. I really do feel calmer when I apply it a touch before bedtime.

#01 Invigorate is a blend that I use before I go for a run or do something fitness related. Black Pepper enlivens and motivates, Cedarwood maximizes endurance, Juniper energizes, and Rosemary stimulates the mind. All is blended with 100% Jojoba Oil (a carrier oil if you're interested).  This is a good blend to motivate myself to get my butt in gear. I would like to think that it'a just my sheer will that keeps me moving but we all know that fitness isn't my most stellar area of expertise. I will take any help that I can get.

Another blend that I keep in my work space is #9 Focus blend. Focus, well, it can help you focus. It's a great way to jumpstart your mind. I use it every few hours while working and it definitely has proven to provide that little pick me up when I need it. Frankincense induces clarity, Peppermint stimulates the mind (so true) and Rosemary reduces fogginess. If you really give it a shot, you'd be surprised how your body reacts to essential oil scents. I was sort of skeptical at first but I really have been converted and no long scoff at the idea that oils can improve your environment and personal space.

Not only has 21 Drops really impressed me with these different blends, they are super charitable to boot. When I was talking to them about writing a post on their brand (all because of that little Sleep blend sample!), I mentioned our Boston Bloggers Jimmy Fund Walk fundraiser. They were on board immediately to donate to our raffle and the gift bags, without hesitation. That is the kind of brand that I like to support, one the puts good energy out into the universe.

What are your favorite essential oil blends? Do you use them in your home or beauty products?

5 Easy Ways to Make Your Home Earth Friendly

Yeah, it's Earth Day, which is wonderful! I love that we spend a day (or week or even month) recognizing that we have to take care of our planet, to keep it healthy for all time. In my opinion, every day should be Earth day; we should make the effort every day if we can. Here are some quick/easy/cost efficient ways to make your home eco-friendly with minimal effort. Every little bit counts, am I right?

Recycle/Reuse/Repurpose/Refurbish: This seems like a given but it's a simple way to limit the amount of waste that your home contributes to landfills. Set up bins in a convenient area of your home for recyclables (paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass bottles and some plastics) and make sure they get where they need to go. Have things that can be reused? Well find a way to reuse them. Image isn't everything. If I need to use that plastic container my rice pudding came in, for leftovers... well, you can bet I am using it.  Find ways to repurpose furniture and other household items instead of throwing them away. Try to fix things before you toss them. The more you contribute in the home, the less that ends up in landfills.

Conserve in Your Home: Another one that seems like common sense but it's also easy to be wasteful if you're not mindful of the space that you live in. There are so many SUPER easy ways you can make changes.

• Turn off lights when leaving the room. 
• Replace your incandescent with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs.
• Unplug your TV. TVs use energy when they are on stand by, which can be up to 17 hours a day.
• Turn down your thermostat and cuddle up with loved ones.
• Use Low Energy appliances, they use 10-50% less energy!
• Compost Kitchen scraps and organic matter. It's less garbage in the landfills and also eases the costs/efforts of trash removal.
• Clean with vinegar, it's nature's way of killing bacteria, germs and mold.
• Use the microwave, it uses 50% less energy than a conventional oven. If you're going to use the over, why not multi-task by using all the oven racks to warm multiple dishes at once.
• Always run a full load in the dishwasher.
• Don't let water run unnecessarily in your home. Washing dishes, brushing your teeth, watering your plants. Only let water run for what is needed.

Use Earth Friendly Products in Your Home: From great brands like Seventh Generation and Green Works, there are ways to stay Green and Earth Friendly with the products that you purchase. We use Seventh Generation toilet paper and paper towels in our home, which are made with recyclable paper. We need to use toilet paper so make an educated purchase when choosing the brand. This goes for cleaning products and what we clean our skin with as well. Good for the Earth = Good for You.

Grow Houseplants: Be green in your home and improve the air quality in your home by growing (and keeping alive) house plants. Plants remove toxins from the air and make your home a fresher and more healthy living environment.

DIY instead of BUY: Have that touch? Make cleaning and beauty products at home with all natural ingredients. Not only will you save money but you will save the packaging of buying in stores, which is often not easily recycled.

What do you do in your home to make it more Earth friendly?