My little girl lost her first tooth last night! She was so super thrilled and beyond excited that the tooth fairy would finally be visiting Her! She is my third baby so it would be easy to just push it aside but we made just as big of a deal as we did when my first child lost his tooth. 
Stop and watch the magic in a child's eyes. The little details are huge to them. Try not to dismiss their feelings and make time to show them you are listening. 
I sew a little tooth pouch for each of my kids. It is a special bag for them to put their tooth in and then the tooth fairy will leave the money in the pouch. My daughter was beyond thrilled to find the $2 bill the tooth fairy left for her. What does your tooth fairy leave?

End of the month! We are wrapping up our month long discussion of kids and their health. Next month we will focus on FOOD tips! We encourage an interactive setting where we can inspire each other to eat better. We will try to keep the foods either gluten free or dairy free or both and certainly low on sugar and zero processed foods! Feel free to post what you are eating! Need inspiration or help cleaning up a recipe? Ask!
I wanted to share a bath bomb I made for my kids for their Easter baskets. I used to larger plastic egged to shape the bath bombs. Food coloring can offer a bit of color surprise and my essential oils will safely fragrance them. I love the way the ones look at the LUSH store at the mall but holy cow does that smell give me a migraine! Not the ones I made. I want a non- toxic, safe and effective swap out. The kids like them too and fight over who plops it into the tub. The baking soda and either Epsom or magnesium is soothing for skin. The citric acid makes it fizz. A fun project to do together!

Who is looking for ideas for Easter Baskets? I am gathering fun trinkets for my kids' baskets. We don't do alot of candy for our kids at my house. They get some but it is mostly about finding their hidden eggs both hard boiled AND the plastic ones. We fill them with money, chocolate chips, popcorn, vitamins, pirate booty, crackers, M&M's, nuts and cereal. That is all they have ever known so they don't complain. They of course love when they find the candy ones but money is right up there sparking pure joy.  
I find it crazy the amount of candy in the grocery store aisles this time of year. Why do we pump our bodies full of sugar, fake colors and rabbit shaped chemical storms? 
Easter is about family time, religious time and the thrill of the egg hunt. There are many religious events around Easter you can focus on too. We have an interfaith household so our focus is on family time as we split between Easter and Passover. Let's share ideas with each other for Easter basket ideas or how to move to a less candy-filled household without tantrums! What do YOU like to do?

I LOVE silver cream and silver solution. Silver is a mineral. The ions of silver are microscopic little particles that can invade and attack as well as promote healing. It helps so much with burns, wounds and speeds skin healing. It doesn't sting, rubs right in and has no smell. You can buy on Amazon or if you are local to me we carry it at my office. I personally use it instead of neosporin when appropriate. 
Let's talk about Neosporin for a minute. It is a triple antibiotic cream/ointment. Did you hear about all the antibiotic resistant bacteria out there? Use caution when applying or using antibiotics for every little cut and scrape. I am NOT suggesting you completely ignore all wounds however I AM suggesting you might not need to slather every one of them in antibiotic cream immediately. Neosporin is the 3 antibiotics, cocoa butter, cottonseed oil (likely GMO), olive oil, sodium pyruvate, vit E and white petroleum (crude oil). It says on it's package: "Every cut every time". NO THANK YOU! You can give the body a chance to heal itself you know. 
Interestingly enough, natural, raw, unfiltered honey is making a come back as a soothing treatment for skin irritations. Real honey from a real bee. The kind you see at a farmer's market. People used to slather that on skin irritations then the 20th century hit and it fell by the wayside. Well, now in our antibiotic resistant world people are turning to previous methods of healing. Interesting.... 
I really suggest trying silver cream instead for minor irritations. Skinned knees, minor burns, blisters, scratches, scrapes, boo boos, acne, wounds and rashes. To take it to another level, I will stir in a few drops of the essential oils tea tree, lavender and either frankincense or geranium. Make a little jar and rub on multiple times per day. You can cover in a bandaid when needed. Simple, natural healing without toxic chemicals or lab manufactured and altered products!

Daylight Savings Time can be painful when you have kids. Waking my daughter on Monday morning was like trying to bring a bear out of hibernation. It wasn’t our best morning, or day for that matter. One thing is for certain, kids need sleep…and a lot of it.
According to the Sleep Foundation, toddlers (1-2 years old) need 11-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Preschoolers (3-5 years old) need about 11-13 hours per day and school age kids, up to 13 years old, should get from 9-11 hours of sleep a night. Every child is different and it is important to pick up on signs of sleep deprivation such as moodiness, inability to stay awake for short car rides, difficulty waking in the morning, etc, when considering how much sleep your child should get. 
Night terrors can also be a sign that your child is overtired. They can be scary to observe and something that I am quite familiar with. I had them throughout my childhood and I experience them with my daughter as well. Getting your child to bed earlier, keeping them away from sweets or caffeine before bedtime and keeping a calm atmosphere at bedtime can all help. 
I get questions about kids and melatonin and it is my opinion that it should be used ONLY when it is absolutely necessary. When all other options fail, and their sleep dysfunction is affecting their health or their mood, it may be something to consider. The reality is, we just don’t know what impact it will have on kids short or long-term. 
Here are some healthy habits to implement with your children, in an attempt to improve their sleep habits, which will strengthen their immune system, improve their mood and….not to mention, it helps with OUR sanity:
• Set a bedtime and keep as close as possible on the weekends. The more regular the child’s schedule, the more likely they will get used to this rhythm.
• Stay away from screen-time for 1-2 hours before bed. This is BIG.
• Avoid sugar and caffeine for hours leading up to bedtime. In fact, if your child struggles with sleep dysfunction, caffeine should be avoided all together.
• Use a calming technique before bedtime. I recently saw a book titled, Good Night Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Bedtime Story. It’s on my wish list:). Reading, praying, mediation…are all great bedtime routines. We also like to talk about “happy thoughts” after lights are out. We discuss something that we loved about the day and something that made us laugh. It puts “happy thoughts” in their head before they drift off. (Something we need to do as adults as well)
• For those of you using oils, lavender or lavender and cedarwood are great to use in the diffuser. If you are unfamiliar with the diffuser, it is a machine that disperses essential oils into the air with a cool mist. The molecules hang in the air and we breathe them in. Both Dr. Heidi and I prefer Young Living Oils as quality is important here. Avoid fragrance and perfume oils. We breathe these oils in and it is important for them to be chemical free as they can affect our body’s chemistry.
• Young Living also makes a roller bottle blend called Tranquil. It is already diluted and ready to go. It is perfect for kids. You roll it onto the skin around the ears and back of head, over the heart and on the soles of the feet. The essential oil sinks into the skin and again, can affect body chemistry.
Here’s to getting better sleep for a better day! These rules don’t only apply to our children, they apply to adults too! I don’t know about you but I have some changes to make:).

Soak almonds and a pinch of salt at least 4 hours or better yet overnight. I use about 1/2 bag of raw almonds from trader joes.  Drain the yucky water off and rinse the almonds.  Pop the almonds and FRESH water into a vitamix or high powered blender. I had 2 cups of almonds so I added about 6 cups of water.  Whir it all around until completely combined maybe 3-4 minutes.  You have to strain the milk from all that pulp. I don't have a nut milk bag and cheesecloth is too messy but I do have a French press!  I smooth all the pulp to the bottom when I push the plunger down.  Then I can easily pour off the milk.  If desired add one teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. It is also yummy to add a teaspoon of your homemade vanilla extract for delicious flavor.  Store in the fridge and use within one week since there is no preservatives!  You can save the pulp and dehydrate it to make almond flour or compost.  

It is my opinion that probiotics should be taken by everyone…even our kids, or should I say, especially our kids! Probiotics are good bacteria. We have good and bad bacteria in our gut and when the bad overtakes the good, havoc will ensue. By replenishing good bacteria, we are helping to support proper digestive health and it can also help boost your body’s immune system. 
Antibiotics, sugar, stress and the Standard American Diet (among other things) all contribute to bacterial imbalance in our gut. They decrease the good and increase the bad. Not a good combination. If you think the gut isn’t that important, think again. Throughout my nutrition education, we referred to the gut as the second brain. If your gut isn’t healthy, nothing is healthy.
Did you know…research is showing that bacterial imbalance in the gut is contributing to Type 1 Diabetes in children (amongst other autoimmune disorders)? Peanut allergies in kids and bacterial imbalance have also been linked together. THIS IS HOW IMPORTANT OUR DIET IS PEOPLE!
In an effort to improve the bacterial balance in our children, decrease sugar and processed food and supplement with a daily probiotic. I suggest switching out the type/brand of probiotic on occasion as each one has different strains of good bacteria. I also suggest a refrigerated or stabilized probiotic to ensure that you are getting live cultures. BTW…yogurt is NOT enough…especially if it is flavored!
The following pics show some of Dr. Heidi and my favorites. If you don’t feel well after starting a probiotic, you may be experiencing some “die off” of bacteria, which is a good thing. However, if you don’t feel better after about 4-5 days, decrease your dosage in half or switch brands. Typically, the more imbalanced your gut is, the more likely you may feel a little yucky when you first start them.

Have you thought much about your toothpaste? Does it matter? Your mouth is one of the most absorbent parts of your body. That means everything that goes in it can get absorbed. There are some questionable ingredients that can be in a toothpaste. 
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) makes your toothpaste foamy so you think it scrubs better. Well it actually irritates your mucousal tissue in your mouth and contributes to canker sores. OUCH! Watch out for irritants like tri sodiumor tetra sodium phosphate, FD&C colors, DEA and fake flavors or sweeteners. Do you have sensitive teeth? Watch out for microbeads too. They are small enough to go thru most water treatment facility plants and out into the waters where our marine friends live. Don't hurt the dolphins! 
What is good? Xylitol, water, aloe, glycerin, calcium and oils. Stick with something natural for your family. This photo is really mine. These are all my toothpastes. I have a small hoarding problem with natural toothpastes. I LOVE to have clean and healthy teeth and gums. Same for my kiddos. It is super easy to get affordable and readily available non toxic toothpaste choices. 
You can even make your own if you want! Baking soda works awesome. Just add water to about 1 teaspoon and mix into a paste. Add essential oil to kick it up a notch. Peppermint, orange or lemon are all lovely for teeth. You can also add coconut oil and make more of a paste. Yes, the texture will be gritty unlike your smooth toothpaste you currently use. If you need it sweeter, add xylitol.
Natural whitening options? Both orange and lemon essential oil are amazing! Add one drop to your toothpaste every time you brush! It also elevates your toothpaste flavor to YUM! I personally open one tab of activated charcoal and pop that on my brush every few weeks to really scrub and whiten my teeth.

Happy 🍀 St. Patty's Day🍀! This is the perfect day to go green! Make a silly game about leprechauns today and encourage your kids to eat a lot of green food. There are many choices that will be easy and fun so at least present it to them.
We started our day with leprechaun 🍀 juice. My kids thought it was funny. The oldest said it was leprechaun pee and that got the other 2 started. Oh well, at least they eat and drink green stuff!
Try green apples, green grapes, avocado, celery, green peppers, salad, peas, turn your eggs green with natural green food coloring, Kiwi cucumbers..the list can go on and on. 
You can even make a rainbow of foods in the rainbow colors! Making food fun and not a chore is key to encouraging them to try new things. Take advantage of the day to make a theme of green. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀