DIY air freshener

Mouthwash + water = air freshener 

WHAT YOU NEED:

-Spray bottle 

-Mouthwash 

-Water

Mix 1 cup mouthwash with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. 

Use air freshener in pet area, bathroom, kids room, kitchen, any stinky place!

This spray can also be used as a disinfectant to clean the bathroom. 

I'm sure you could find other stinky things to clean with it. Especially if you have kids and or pets. 

Being human

No matter who you are, no matter how old you are, being a human is complicated.

It doesn't matter if you have had an easy life or a hard life, worries will always weigh on your mind. I believe that to be a successful human we must learn how to stay positive. I stay positive by replacing negative emotions and worries with positive emotions and hope. I do this through daily meditation. I'm not talking about sitting down in a peaceful environment and meditating. Rather, I meditate by refocusing my brain when it starts to get out-of-control, multiple times a day. Meditating can successfully happen at any moment in life's chaos. No matter where you are, you can always take a moment to "control" your thoughts. 

Here is how I calm my worries:

When I am feeling overwhelmed or anxious; I breathe, relax my body from my face down, and think of happy memories. In each of our lives there's a time where we have felt especially proud or had unconditional love for something or someone. Now, harness this feeling of loving kindness. Let the memory associated to the feeling go but hold on to the feeling. Take a deep breath and replace the negative emotions with this positive feeling. 

This loving kindness exercise will help you to constantly replace negative worries with positive memories, tricking your brain into being happy. After time, many of the trigger feelings of worry, anxiety, and fear will be replaced by healthy feelings.

Thoughts are things. So don't let your negative worries eat away at your body and your health.

 A healthy mind comes from healthy habits. When you let your mind run wild, you are not in control. So remember that even when your mind feels out of control, that you are in control and you should act like it every day. It is okay to feel the emotional and physical pain of life. It is not okay to let it consume you! Acknowledge the feeling(s), allow it space to be or replace it, relax, and repeat as necessary. 

Remember to stay positive and don't let your mind run wild. Control your actions as well as your mind's actions by practicing this meditation TODAY! 

We may feel all alone but we are not. We are all collectively confused, therefore we are never alone.

 

Galactocele

Today, I would like to share my story about my Galactoceles. I have two in my left breast. One is the size of a ping-pong ball located above my Ariola. One is the size of a golf ball located below my Ariola. I am currently nursing my three month old Zander. Zander is my third baby boy. I nursed all of them.

With my first baby boy I developed one 

Galactocele in my right breast. It was small and didn't hurt very bad. I was encouraged to stop nursing so it could be taken care of. After he was done nursing I had it surgically removed. With my second son I developed one on the bottom of my left breast. While nursing him, I noticed that the right breast didn't produce as much milk since the milk duct was surgically removed. 

This time my cyst hurt and was red off and on for over a year. Once again I was encouraged to quit nursing to lessen my pain. When he was done nursing I decided not to get it removed or drained but just keep it to see what would happen. It's slowly shrunk and then eventually went away in about 3 to 5 years after I stop nursing.

Now that I'm nursing for my third time I feel like an expert on the subject. Yeah they hurt and yeah they're annoying but I enjoy breast-feeding and am fully committed to it. 

Right before the birth of my third boy I noticed a lump above my Ariola. Then about two weeks after he was born the one on the bottom of my Ariola reappeared. 

I have found that with my three episodes of nursing and dealing with the cyst that invasive actions don't seem to help anything. 

Galactocele seem to be all about the game of time. Stress seems to feed them so don't worry about it. Eating healthy and staying positive has been the most successful in shrinking them in my personal experience. Drinking lots of water and nursing on the infected side is also beneficial. 

I have met many women who have had it drained with no success. It seems that once it's drained it feels right back up as soon as you let down again. In all three of my cases my babies have never cared about nursing on the infected side. I always thought that it bothered me way more than a bother them. So this time around I am trying to keep my stress levels down and my optimism levels up. 

UPDATE: we have been successfully nursing for a year!!

The doctors want me to quit so I can get surgery but I said "hell no!". 

I plan to continue nursing until Z weans himself. 

Roasted veggies over rice and tomatoes

Toss green beans, onion, zucchini, and potatoes in oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Roast veggies single layer at 225' for 2 hours. 

Cook rice and set aside. While veggies roast, simmer 1-2 cans of stewed tomatoes over med heat with salt, pepper and garlic. Simmer for at least a half hour. 

To serve, layer rice on a plate topped with tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste.

ENJOY!!!

DIY Newborn Cosleeper

Safety warning: use common sense! Never cosleep while intoxacated. Never use with loose bedding.

Pool noodle + Pillowcase = DIY Cosleeper