28 August, 2013

23 before 23

I thought it would be fun to make a list of things to do before I turn twenty three on September 28th. Do you have a bucket list before your birthday? I know typically people do this over the entire year from birthday to birthday, but I got a little bit negligent on myself and mama time and thought this would help.

1. Go fully raw for the remaining 22 days leading up to my birthday.
2. Do more yoga.
3. Walk everyday.
4. Paint a picture and frame it.
5. Read 22 books.
6. Crochet a blanket for our bedroom.
7. Sew a dress.
8. Open my Etsy shop.
9. Donate my excess.
10. Go an entire day without complaining.
11. Go to a museum.
12. Donate to a food bank.
13. Fill my plant shelf.
14. Plant my garden.
15. Build a compost bin.
16. Build a doll house.
17. Turn our bedroom into a love nest.
18. Help someone less fortunate than myself.
19. Go to the U-Pick Farm.
20. Go to the beach.
21. Go to a local event.
22. Complete 21 Days in the Woods.
23. Get rid of the T.V.

Wish me luck on my list, and please feel free to link up to your birthday countdown below in the comments if you would like.
Light + Love,
Corrine

21 August, 2013

WANDERLUST: Get Going Already...

I've been feeling a bit stir crazy lately (complete utter understatement). Papa Wolf and I have moved many, many times since we got together and started this wolf pack and we've always just been chasing a place to call home.

Neither one of us really care for the city that we are in right now. There aren't a lot of options as far as activities go besides eating out or shopping at a chain store. Chicago is too expensive for how we want to live, so we have been talking, and talking, and planning. How the heck do we get out of here and where do we go? Before having kids we would have hit the road by now, but as much as I want to be wild and free, I do not want to compromise stability for my children. Not just financially, because believe me, I know, money isn't everything. But I think a home is very important to a child's sense of security.

We enrolled Mara in a nature program/preschool enrichment program that runs from September to May so we are here for now, but I am hoping we can come to an agreement on our list of places and get to planning and saving, and purging.

It's really hard waiting that long though, my anxiety gets the best of me. On a good day I am not feeling rushed, but now I feel hurried and restless. Talk about a great time to practice my patience!

Do you ever crave a new beginning? A new place to settle? Have you ever picked up and started your life somewhere completely unfamiliar as far as not knowing anyone? Would love to hear what you all have to say.

Light + Love,
Corrine

17 August, 2013

SUPPORT: Sunburst Beings Shop.

Hello! I am so excited to tell you about my dear, dear soul sister, Leah and her shop, Sunburst Beings. Leah is a goddess so dear and precious to my heart, words cannot begin to explain how much I cherish my friendship with her.
Leah is a beautiful mother of FIVE.Three big kids and two twins, whom we refer to as the twinkies. They are much, much better than the horrific hostess delight. I could just eat them up. Ha, like that little joke I just made? Anyway, Leah is gifted with a talent for making gorgeously dreamy, hippie, boho-esque jewelery for mamas and babies. She also has the maddest green thumb I have ever seen. She grew a bountiful garden complete with every veggie under the sun and like eight foot tall sunflowers in the middle of the blazing hot, super dry desert! And she has chickens, swoon! Are you in love yet? Because I totally am with her and her little family.
(see! twinkie alert! don't you want to gobble her up!?)

Leah has big dreams for her little, big family, and one of them is to move to Utah where Leah can grow her business from the current scale it is on (which is amazing to me---and HELL YEA! for Mama Entrepreneurs, right?) and offer her children a more diverse community and environment to grow up in, which is limited in her tiny town of Arizona.

So, to help this beautiful mama's dreams come true and raise some more moving money, and to show my love to my readers, Leah and I partnered up and she is offering you guys, The Tiny Wild readers a 15% off coupon code for the next month! How awesome is that! Her jewelry is such great quality and really affordable. I have a nursing necklace from her, Porter wears an amber teething necklace, Eisley has an adorable necklace that she looks so cute in...but when her chin rolls aren't hiding it, and Mara has a beautiful hazelwood turquoise necklace from Sunburst Beings. As a Mama Wolf it is so important for me to show my children that supporting the little guy is so much better than a big cooperation and I love knowing that each piece of jewelry is made by one lovely lady with so much love put into her work! So please, check out Leah's shop Sunburst Beings and give her shop page on Facebook a like to show the love and enjoy our coupon code and treat yourself and the babies in your life to something precious!
Use coupon code: TINYWILD15 at check out!

Here are some items currently available in the Sunburst Being shop:
Natural Wooden Teething Ring Nursing Necklace with Blue Glass Flower Pendant
Gorgeous and Unique 26 inch RAW Baltic Multi-Colored Amber Necklace with  Matching Stretch Bracelet

So much beautiful stuff in her shop, she even has some matching mommy and baby jewelry. Go shop, have fun, and show her some much deserved love!

Light + Love,
Corrine

10 August, 2013

NATURAL: TEETH BRUSHING.

A few months ago Bekah shared on her blog a new toothpaste that her and her husband had started using. A tooth powder from Eco-dent that is baking soda based. This intrigued Papa Wolf and myself and we decided to order us some and try it out. We have never gone back. Not only is it much cheaper than conventional toothpaste, but we also prefer it taste wise. Colgate, Crest, Aquafresh now all have a very sugary, thick taste, personally making my teeth feel coated with a gross film.

I didn't switch Mara and Porter's toothpaste right away. I was worried since we still have the occasional brushing where Mara forgets to spit, or Porter doesn't want to spit. I had purchased Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste for Mara, sheepishly believe this was a truly natural childrens toothpaste option for her. However one of the inactive ingredients is a carcinogen called: carrageenan.

"Carrageenan has undergone many long-term dietary studies under defined regulatory conditions en route to its current global regulatory status. While some indicate that carrageenan safely passes through rat GI tracts without adverse effect when it is a dietary ingredient,[2] other animal dietary studies have observed colitis-like disease and tumor promotion.[3] Recently, some scientists have raised concerns about whether the amount of "degraded carrageenan" (poligeenan) in food-grade carrageenan may lead to health problems, leading to a debate in the research literature.[4] It is yet to be determined whether such observations are pertinent to dietary safety considerations. Europe prohibits the use of carrageenan in infant formula, organic or otherwise, for precautionary reasons,[5] but allows it otherwise. In the U.S., it’s allowed in organic foods, including juices, chocolate milk and organic infant formula, as well as other types of foods."
(source)

As a Mama Wolf, that just does not sit right with me. So I began searching for an alternative and then the little light bulb in my mind flickered on, baking soda. For decades people have used baking soda to brush their teeth, why not my kids? I mean shoot, that's what Papa Wolf and I are using essentially with a few more ingredients. I searched online and was surprised that there were a lot of forums where people said that it was not worth the struggle trying to get your kids to try and use the baking soda, that it was awful, that they would hate it, etc. I didn't buy into it. We have raised our children to the best of our ability to make healthy decisions and positive decisions. When I approached Mara about brushing her teeth with the baking soda, she was a bit against it, she said she didn't like it. I encouraged her to try it, that it is what makes Papa Wolf's teeth and my teeth sparkly white and keeps our mouth clean, and she gave it a go, and we haven't looked back since. Porter didn't hop on board right away, but this is the little wolf that wanted to EAT the toothpaste out of the bottle because of the "Natural Mixed Berry Flavor" it possessed. But after about a week of getting him used to it (with just a small amount on his brush at a time and then using the finger brush) he is back to enjoying his toothbrush.

Several forums I read also stated that it is not safe to swallow, now, I do not encourage letting your children swallow it after they brush, because well, you want to swallow all the yucky particles that you are brushing off of your teeth, but it will not harm them if they accidentally swallow it. Baking soda has several uses, this site lists fifty uses for baking soda. I encourage you to check it out!

05 August, 2013

PINEAPPLE//FIG SMOOTHIE.


Portie and I awoke this morning before the girls. Dan had gone off to work before the sun came up and we woke just as the sun was coming up. I went through my first of the morning routine of: starting the coffee maker, taking Ari outside to relieve herself, coming back inside, washing up, dressing, and preparing for the day. Normally I do this before Portie or the girls are awake, but this morning Portie was up with a strong gusto for life and joined me in my routine. We found ourselves finished with the above to-do list and as I fixed myself an iced coffee and situated Portie with his morning drink, I decided to pull out the blender and make us a smoothie.

I had to stretch our food budget this past month so this week is our final week before we can go grocery shopping on Friday so we are getting creative with what is left over in the pantry and refridgerator! I grabbed a container of pineapple chunks, vanilla soymilk (We typically have almond, but this was free, and it was organic), two bananas, eight dried black mission figs, and eight deglet dates. 

Portie is at the age of endless wonder and awe and loves to discover and get his hands in on anything he can. What could be more fun for him then letting him get his hands wet and sticky with pineapple to fill up our blender? Not much! I first had him throw the dates and figs into the blender and I added some soy milk and we let the blender blend away for a minute or so. When the mixture was as smooth as I knew we would like I began to unpeel the bananas, letting Portie finish and throw them in. His eyes were filled with such delight and concentration as he was getting to help with such an important task. Next onto the pineapple chunks; he was in Heaven, I even let him splash in the pineapple juice ;) One more whirl of the blender until our desired smoothness, a spoonful of maca, a spoonful of hemp, we were good to go.

I poured us a tall jar of smoothie and of course Portie got the first sip. Or half, I should say. It was delicious and it really hit the spot.

Then this happened:
Yep, it's Monday.

Still a wonderful morning with Portie though and I enjoyed the alone time with him before the girls woke up. With three, sometimes it's hard to get that individual time with each, or as much time as we would like, but when we do get the time together, it is so precious.

Also, sometimes the best meals/smoothies/juices/snacks, come from cleaning out the pantry, don't you think? 

Light + Love,
Corrine

04 August, 2013