Cirra By ShedRain At Target

Cirra By ShedRain

Cirra by ShedRain is available at Target this Spring and Summer. ShedRain is family owned and offers quality umbrellas for the whole family. This compact umbrella has an air vent canopy and it automatically opens and closes with a push of a button. It comes in a nice compact travel size. It's great size and my son can easily hold it when we walk home from school.

The last week or so has been one rainy day after another here on Long Island. I walk my daughter to pre-k and also pick my 2 kids up at school in the afternoon. This umbrella comes in handy and is very easy to use. Especially since I am carrying my 7 month old while I walk. I don't want her to get soaked. 

I have used ShedRain umbrellas before and like the quality. They are very reliable.

They also come in different styles and colors. They also have cute umbrellas for the kids. Check it out on the Target website.

Whatever the occasion there is a fashionable umbrella to go along with your wardrobe.

You can also find more info about ShedRain here on their website.

Barefoot and Loving It On YouTube

We love YouTube! My kids enjoy watching certain YouTubers play games online. My daughter also really likes to watch people opening up surprise eggs and blind bags. She tells me she wants to be a YouTuber someday.

I started a YouTube channel to go along with this blog. I have recorded some apps that we play on the phone and also some videos of the kids playing.





Do you have a favorite YouTube channel?

This Earth Day #CareAboutYourAir With Fresh Wave

This Earth Day sign the #CareAboutYourAir pledge with Fresh Wave. Do you know what ingredients are inside air fresheners? Many chemicals that can be toxic to you and your family. And don't forget about the environment. We want to use non toxic products that are better for our families and the earth.

3 Steps to follow:

Learn: Read the labels. Ingredients in air care products, household cleaning supplies and laundry products impact your family and the environment.

Act: Swap harsh chemical products for those made with natural ingredients, even if it's only one product - like your air care solution.

Share: Encourage others to take the #CareAboutYourAir pledge

Take the pledge here on the Fresh Wave website.

We like using the Fresh Wave odor removing spray because it has no chemicals and the scent is easy on the nose. I'm not a big fan of fragrances. I like floral or natural.

Do you have any plans or projects for Earth Day?

Harvest Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants Book Review

Harvest By Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis

In the recent years of my life, I have been looking towards natural remedies and healthier products. Harvest by Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis gives us 47 uses of garden plants. The recipes range from food to dye. All of the instructions are easy to follow and the photography is great.

I never realized how many garden plants could be used, especially for food. Before each recipe or DIY project there is a description of the plant being used. It also tells you when to harvest the plant.


3 Recipes/DIY projects I want to try this summer:

-Rosewater Facial Toner

Said to be the perfect scent for a fragrance minimalist like me. I have gotten quite sensitive towards smells, especially perfume. I like the more natural scents such as rose and lavender.

- Pomegranate Margarita

I love margaritas. Pomegranate flavor would be great for the summer.

-Smudge Sticks

Smudge sticks are dried herb bundles that are burnt as incense. In the book, rosemary branches are used. I also like the idea of mental clarity and calmness.

This book has such amazing ideas. I'd like to eventually try all of them.

The authors are co-founders of Homestead Design Collective. It is a design landscape firm that creates beautiful gardens that provide harvest. What a wonderful company. I dream of having a nice bit of land to have a garden and grow my own veggies.

This book would be great for any garden enthusiast.


POMEGRANATE MARGARITA
Classic cocktail meets holiday tradition, compliments of Stefani’s mom, Garna, who took the margarita and dressed it with a splash of festive red. Whether you are making a single glass or a pitcher, the ratio of the ingredients stays the same. Use more lime juice if you prefer a tart margarita or more pomegranate juice if you prefer it sweeter. 

MAKES 4 DRINKS 

1 cup of your favorite tequila 
1 cup triple sec 
½ cup fresh pomegranate juice (from about 2 pomegranates) 
½ cup fresh lime juice 
Large-grained salt such as kosher or flake salt 
Lime slice 
Ice cubes 
Handful of pomegranate seeds, for garnish 

Combine the tequila, triple sec, and both juices in a pitcher and stir thoroughly. Pour the salt onto a small plate. Rub the lime slice around the rim of each glass, and then dip the rims in the salt. Pour the margarita over ice in the salt-rimmed glasses. For a seasonal festive touch, garnish with the pomegranate seeds. 



Do you have a garden? What do you like to grow?


(*Blogging for Books provided this copy for the purpose of the review. All opinions are my own.*)

Second Chance A Mother's Quest for a Natural Birth After Cesarean Book Review and Giveaway

Second Chance By Thais Nye Derich

Motherhood. Birth. All experiences are different for each person. There are mothers who have children through birth. There are mothers who have children through adoption. Some mothers give birth vaginally and others through cesarean. Which ever way your story goes, it is your story and nobody should ever judge you for it. Being pregnant and giving birth is one of the hardest things I've ever gone through.

Second Chance: A Mother's Quest for a Natural Birth After a Cesarean is a heart warming story about the Author's choice and quest for a different birth the second time around. She goes through a lot of self discovery through the process. I enjoy reading and hearing of other women's birth stories. In a way, its a sense of connecting and knowing that we all go through similar situations. Sometimes these experiences are hard and upsetting. 

In the beginning of the book the author shares about calling her birth mother/biological mother. There is a sentence that the mom says that seems harsh and sad. I already started crying and its only the beginning of the book. Being adopted the book already hits home. But as a 6 month old I luckily had no memories of my motherland. Thais was a young child, with 2 other siblings when her mother gave them up. I couldn't even imagine leaving my 3 kids. Sure some days they make me nuts and I want to jump in the car and drive. As mothers we go through many emotions and this starts at pregnancy.

In this book, you will see that the first birth can be scary and nerve wracking. You can read all the books and take breathing classes but situations can occur to make your perfect birth...well, not what you had hoped for. I too had a rough first birth, but it didn't end in a cesarean. Some of my family members think it should have. I wasn't happy with the first birth and with my 2nd and 3rd I did not want any more vacuum assisted births. My second birth happened to be the easiest...and when I say easy, it wasn't painless. It was the quickest. 

I really like that the author, Thais Derich has become an advocate for mothers to be more well informed. It is possible to have a natural birth after a cesarean but there are hospitals that do not like the risk. You need to seek out other sources and learn what is right for you and your family.

I have known moms who have had only cesareans, I myself have had 3 vaginal births. I also have a friend who needed to have a cesarean the second time around. I think the main thing is that we all want healthy and happy babies. 

Please pick up a copy of this book on Amazon, release day will be May 9. 

Find Thais Derich on Social Media:

-Follow on Instagram

-Like on Facebook

We all need to share our stories with each other. Not to scare each other but to know our choices. 

I have a copy of the book to giveaway to one of my readers. Maybe you know a mom who went through a similar situation like the author did or maybe you went through it too. 

Do you have a birth story or an adoption story? I'd love to read them in the comments.

This giveaway is open to US, 18+ only. Fill out the rafflecopter form.

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(*I received an advanced reader copy for this review. All opinions are my own.*)