ECO Store baby shampoo

I have been enjoying using Eco Store's Aromatherapy Baby Shampoo that I won on cyber Monday

on my ten month old, Jensynn for a week now! This shampoo is very lite, mild and also has a great smell of eucalyptus, lavender and geranium. I didn't notice the geranium smell but defiantly noticed eucalyptus and lavender. I did find that the shampoo is slightly runnier than other shampoo's I have used.( User beware don't squeeze the bottle too hard like I did!) It's no big deal though, because this makes the shampoo distribute throughout the hair evenly! I also loved the lather on this shampoo and you don't have to use much at all(about dime size amount) 

After using this for a full week I noticed my son has softer shinier hair and I can also noticed he has a bit more curl to the back of his hair. This shampoo is $8.50 on http://www.ecostoreusa.com/baby-shampoo/

 I'm happy to say I will be ordering more Eco Store baby products once this shampoo runs out! Pleae also visit Eco Store on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ecostoreusa

*2012 Update* 

Sadly after using Ecostore for a while We had to stop using it due to  my son developing eczema. All of the baby products I tried by them  which include; Baby Sleepytime Bath, Baby Bar Soap, Baby Moisturizer and the Baby Shampoo. These have all given my son a reaction after trying them one at a time. The only product that did not cause a reaction was the Baby Nappy Balm.

I will be trying to find new safe,natural and eco friendly baby products that help Sooth eczema. I feel I have a hard journey ahead of me. As soon as I find something that might help anyone else adult,child or baby that also suffers from eczema I will do a blog on it. Hope this was helpful to anyone that is going through the same thing.

Sam Mills gluten free foods

                                      Sam Mills gluten free foods

 Hey everyone! It took me quite a while to complete my review on Sam mills products, but now I can finally post my blog review and share with you the excitement I have for this great gluten free company!

These opinions are all my own and I was sent these products free to review and was not paid to do so.

First off I would like to list the products that I was so generously sent for review from Sam Mills. 

• Corn Fusilli 
• Corn Cornetti Rigate
• Corn Lasagne Corte
• Corn Rigatoni
• Corn Tubetti Rigate
• Corn spaghetti
• Kids corn alphabet pasta
• Kids corn ducks pasta
• Corn polenta
• Corn flour
• Corn grits
• Corn Meal

I found all of the Sam mills pasta to be full of flavor and Al dent, just as they claimed it to be. I love the fact that Sam Mills has so many different varieties of pasta and they also make some very cute pasta for kids! My son really loved the alphabet pasta, He is 11 months old so it was the perfect size for him to be able to eat without a problem. 

I love the fact that Sam Mills is healthy and is a very affordable gluten free pasta. The pasta starts at $1.99 for a 16 oz. bag and the grits,flour and corn meal start at $2.49 for a 1lb bag!

I made a macaroni and cheese bake and used corn flour and corn meal to give it a bit of a crunch. It ended up being one of my husbands favorites!

The only con I could find about Sam Mills Corn Pasta is that you can't use put it uncooked in a pasta bake in the oven because the pasta has to be rinsed of the residue left after it is cooked. 

I boiled it and used it in a couple of my pasta bakes and it turned out fantastic and did not become mushy and broken up like most corn pasta. 

I can honestly say Sam Mills Corn Pasta is a new family favorite and we will continue to buy it!

If you would like to learn more about Sam Mills and their other products please check out their website below

http://www.sammills.eu/sammillsusa-en.html

& also check out my review on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfuNP11B0Jw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTztSQUh4Po

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvzZEijd-2g&feature=related

Erewhon Corn Flakes

                       Erewhon Corn Flakes 

Today I'm reviewing Erewhon corn flakes, I have to say, these taste like your regular corn flake but with a tiny bit more flavor, they did started to get a little soggy after about 3 minutes, corn flakes really don't stand the test of time though in milk. I did add some sugar to my bowl of cereal just because I like a little bit of sweetness to mine. I can't say I was blown away by how much better they taste than your average corn flake cereal but remember, It does truly matter what is inside!

Ingredients

• Organic milled corn
• sea salt

 Two simple ingredients. It's nice not to have to worry if your cereal has soy or any  unpronounceable "things" in it. It's great to know there is always the organic gluten free certified corn flake option rather than risking it and eating a cereal that is not certified gluten free and of course the simple ingredients are what makes Erewhon cereal so great. over all I enjoyed these!

I would like to Thank Attune Foods so much for letting me try their cereals to review them, your such a great company!

Erewhon Rice Twice cereal review

                                Erewhon Rice Twice cereal review

 

Ingrediaents:

• Organic brown rice
• Organic brown rice syrup
• Organic honey
• Sea salt

 Today I'm reviewing Erewhon's Rice Twice. I tried this cereal without anything,with milk and also made

rice crispy treats out of it (Or should I say Rice Twice Treats!)  This was also a special treat for my husband because in his opinion they taste just like Smacks cereal, which he can no longer have. Apparently that was one of his favorite cereals that he missed and Attune Foods was able to bring this favorite back to him!

 I loved these because they are not packed in sugar and are lightly coated with honey. when I ate Rice Twice in milk it had the slightest hint of sweetness, but when I ate Rice Twice just by it's self they were much sweeter. These are perfect for eating something healthy when you have a sweet tooth they also lasted a little longer in the cereal without getting soggy like most rice cereal.

 These are defiantly going to become a pantry staple in our household now!

Erewhon Strawberry Crisp cereal review

 Hey guy's! Got another great gluten free product review for you this week! I was recently sent 3 boxes of Erewhon cereal from Attune Food's so that I could review them.

 Today I had the pleasure of trying strawberry crisp, I have listed the ingredients below.

• Organic Brown rice
• Organic corn meal
• Organic evaporated cane juice
• Freeze dried strawberries
• Sea salt
• Natural strawberry flavor

 I really appreciate the fact that the ingredients are simple and pure! I found that there are just the right amount of strawberries and the corn flakes were actually thick and not thin and flimsy like most corn flake cereals. There are some brown rice crisps in the mix as well, so it was full of texture. This is not a super sweet cereal but it doesn't need to be because that would take away from the flavors. I also found that it didn't get soggy when I let it sit in the milk for a couple of minutes and up till the last bite it still didn't get soggy! I didn't end up eating the normal amount of cereal I usually eat because it actually is very filling, which I honestly loved! Thank you so much Attune Foods for letting me try out your great cereals!

My overall opinion of Erewhon strawberry cereal is that it is a filling and very tasty cereal and I felt good about eating it because It's organic and the ingredients are sinple, what a great addition to the gluten free cereal! For those of you who are looking for your favorite gluten free corn flake cereal with strawberries, I think this is it! 

please also check out my video review http://www.youtube.com/user/jthompson1882?feature=mhee

Please check out attune foods website at  http://www.attunefoods.com/

 and also their facebook page http://www.attunefoods.com/

Celiac disease awareness month

 Hey everyone! It's nearing the end of my favorite month, October! and If you have celiac disease then you are most likely well aware that October is celiac disease awareness month.. My husband and I got some great deals this month on some sales that were going on for a couple gluten free brands, Shar and Tinkyada.

 I did another video on gluten free products to kind of celebrate and help put out the word on some really great brands. So since my husband has celiac disease I no doubt end up eating some gluten free products a lot! I decided a couple months ago that I would love to help those that are newly diagnosed with celiac find their way through the gluten free food world. I figured since I am able to eat wheat and gluten I could do some taste tests on gluten free foods and review them. and let people know which brands are most like, if not just like a non-gluten free product!

 My husband's mother also suffers from this disease so I try to keep her informed of products as well. I will be posting gluten free recipes soon as well as reviews on gluten free products to this blog. I have also shared my gluten free lasagna recipe on my You Tube channel (check out the links below ) also check out my gluten free product review below. If you like my You Tube channel please also subscribe! I look forward to trying new stuff and letting all of you know a non-celiacs opinion!

My You Tube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/jthompson1882?feature=mhee


                                          My gluten free lasagna recipe

                                          My gluten free products review                                                 

Celiac disease: Living the gluten free life

 For a couple of years now I have been researching celiac disease, I myself do not have it but my husband does and his mother as well. It's a very difficult disease to live with at first but it does get easier. Some of my tips for anyone suffering from this disease would be this

• Research,research,research
  
• Study your food labels Very well!
• Join a celiac disease forum. (this helps with finding out the latest news on the disease)
• Learn how to bake and cook. (if your not the greatest at it.)

 I do the cooking and baking in my home, so my husband is pretty lucky when it comes to cooking a gluten free meal. It's difficult finding products that taste "normal" and it can get pretty expensive trying out different brands to find the ones you like.

Here is a top list of some of our favorite brands that might really help anyone starting out

Pasta

•   Schar
•   Mrs.Leepers 
•   Barkat
•   Ancient harvest-quinoa
•   Ener-G
•   Sam Mills

Bread

• Schar
• Udi's
• gluten free pantry(bread mix)

Cake,cookies and pancakes

• Betty crocker gluten free products
• Pamelas products

That's really all the definite brands that are favorites right now, but that list will still be growing and I will add to it.
 Now on to restaurants! It's always a risk eating out, you stand the chance of cross contamination..You should always do your research before eating at a restaurant. I always look online at the food allergen info on the menu's. Below I have listed some restaurants that a great for gluten free food. Again there is no guarantee that you will not be cross contaminated. It is also a good idea to limit the times you do eat out a month.


Restaurants


Old Spaghetti Factory(GF pasta)
Maggiano's(must call ahead to ensure they have GF pasta available)
Uno Chicago Grill (GF pizza)
Olive Garden(GF pasta)
Mellow Mushroom(GF pizza)

Be sure the server at the restaurant is knowledgeable about celiac disease, if you mention it to them and they look at you like they have no idea what you are saying,ask for a manager or better yet just choose not to eat at that restaurant.

SLEEP?

 So I have been a little busy the past couple weeks being deprived of sleep and my sanity! Jensynn is teething and it really felt like a nightmare of no sleep and a forever endless screaming baby! I decided to try my wellements gripe water for some relief for him and I both. The results within a day were a calmer more happy baby. I also would like to try the natural teething tablets, I think the key of these products working is the  chamomile in them. I also tried some chamomile tea last night for bedtime, it was an organic chamomile tea with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Either I was just a lot more tired than I realized or this stuff really does the trick. I felt very relaxed and calm before I drifted off. So now I am really interested in trying herbal remedies and aroma therapy.


A girl named Loni (ljewkes)on my youtube channel first got me interested by trying out herbs and aroma therapy and I thought, hey if it is working for her it will probably work for me. So that's where I'm at right now in the journey through mommyhood I look forward to trying new natural ways of coping with stress and natural ways of helping my little man to feel better. If anyone has and suggestions on products please let me know!

First impressions of being a stay at home mom

 OK, one word, paradigm shifting! If your not a parent yet Imagine this if you will, parenting is like taking care of this little thing that is attached to you, that no matter how tired you are or how busy you are you have to stop everything you doing to meet the needs of this " little creature" To sum it up, yea that's how it goes.

  
I want to tell my story of being a parent and my struggles! Being pregnant with Jensynn was one of the most difficult things I think I will ever do, but also the best thing ever! It was a little more difficult for me because I have a bad back"herniated L5 S1 disc" and I have depression and anxiety. I was lucky that I was able to take zoloft and for zoloft to have worked for me, otherwise I think I might of went into preterm labor from being stressed out! I remember spending a lot of time crying while i was pregnant and in pain from my back, then later on came the carpal tunnel in my hands which ended up leaving my fingers numb even up to a little over a month after Jensynn was born. When he was born it was crazy, it was like it wasn't real!?
 As Jensynn got older I found myself starting to feel more and more depressed and anxious,the older he got the more i noticed the increase in crying spells. it was happy to see him growing and changing and sad at the same time because I am slowly losing my little baby boy and I can't help but imagine him older, as a five year old and not needing mommy anymore.
 Jensynn is 3 months old and 9 days shy of being 4 months now. I have insomnia so bad, maybe it's from worrying about him too much, I find that i get about 24 hours of sleep total through the week. imagine trying to keep the house cleaned up, and remember when you have last showered and find time for yourself, besides when you put the baby down for bed at night or just simply remembering things.
 I does get a little depressing watching my husband get away when he goes to work. he doesn't have to answer to the calls of the baby while he is at work and doesn't have to worry about being able to fall asleep before the baby to get sleep, or have the constant questioning in the back of your mind as to if maybe you can take a bath before the baby wakes up before you get some sleep.
 Being a mom means you will always have that attachment like your baby is still physically attached to you, that being said whether some believe it or not stay at home moms do have a 24/7 job physically and emotionally. You may not always be physically on the clock but you are emotionally/mentally

 It is worth every sleepless night,all of the pain it took and every tear I have cried 

My first ever blog!

 Hey everyone, I just wanted to start out by saying this is my first ever blog! I'm so excited to get started! Some of the stuff I will probably mainly talk about is life as a mom, my son Jensynn, product reviews,cosmetics,cooking, gaming and anxiety and depression. 
  I would love to be able to make some new friends that are mommies as well! Thanks for checking out my blog!