Monday, March 14, 2011

Mama Kenz is leaving the building...

For quite some time now I have disliked my little blog here. 

I have long been frustrated with my name. 

The look doesn't suite me. 

The entire feel of it has just seemed to be missing the mark. 

I almost exclusively do reviews here, which is not my heart- I am a writer and artist at my core and I want my blog to reflect that. 
So, I have decided to break ties with this here place that I have resided in for 3 1/2 long years-
HUGE, I know! 
I'm packing my bags and heading for my brand new blog- on Wordpress no less!  I will be returning to the essence of blogging- writing about beauty and life and truth.  I'm not setting boundaries or expectations- just going to blog the way I really want to.  Some days I'll be funny, some days I won't.  What is important is that I will be blogging, and much more consistently at that.

Are you curious yet?  Want to know my name and new identity?  Alright, here goes...



You can hop over there to see a little bit of what I have already posted, why I chose that name and how things are shaping up in general.  I am still in the "moving-in" phase, but it feels good and right.  I feel inspired again which is wonderfully refreshing!

Of course, I would love for you to follow me there and join me in this journey- I wouldn't be a blogger if I didn't!  You'll see a few different ways to subscribe and follow in my new blog's sidebar and I dearly hope you will take advantage of them.  It would be exceedingly cool too if you dropped me a line to let me know what you think of my new digs!

I will still be blogging about our homeschool and family life over at The World According to Them and will pop back up here a few times over the next couple of weeks, finishing reviews and tying up loose ends. 

Some of you may also be curious to learn that the idea I had behind the blog I started last year- The Research Years (writing letters to my kids and their spouses for them to read in the future)- will also be moved and finally carried out on BOLD Turquoise.  So if you are interested in that, please do come check it out.  You can learn more about the whole idea right here.

I want to thank you all for being wonderful followers!  Just knowing that you're listening is what drives me on and gives me motivation.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you!  And I hope to see you soon at

BOLD Turquoise!





Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby- Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review The Christians Mama's Guide to Having a Baby, and being the doula and birth advocate that I am, I just HAD to check it out!

I should just say that I knew from the get-go that I probably wouldn't see eye-to-eye with a lot of what Ms MacPherson had to say about birth itself, however I had high hopes for the Christian aspect that she would bring to pregnancy.  As far as that went I would have to say that she didn't disappoint.  I thought that she did a very good job of giving Christian and Biblical perspective of dealing with the woes and worries of pregnancy.  She sites lots of scripture throughout the book, and in the sense of keeping you focused on the Lord while you're growing a baby I do think that this book could be a valuable resource.

As for the medical side of things.  Ms MacPherson admits right from the start that she is not a medical expert and is a lover of epidurals.  Even with that said however, I do believe their were a few small things that she mentioned that were probably based more on hear-say than medical accuracy.  I was glad to see a good amount of page-time given to midwives and out of hospital birth, but the whole idea of home-visiting midwives seemed to be completely missed.  She also lumped the tests and procedures of pregnancy performed by doctors and midwives during pregnancy together, which is fairly inaccurate as well.

Erin MacPherson has a nice writing style and put a good amount of effort into being relatable.  I would likely only recommend this book to my clients or friends who I felt had a good, factual basis to rest their ideas about birth and pregnancy on already and who I thought wouldn't be skewed by some of the obviously more hospital/doctor-friendly parts of this book.  However, I would recommend it for ways that women can remember the Lord through their pregnancy.

And here is the required review info for me to include with a FIRST Wild Card Tour:

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between!  Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:


and the book:

GuidepostsBooks (March 1, 2011)
***Special thanks to Sharon Farnell, Publicity Manager, Planned Television Arts for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Erin MacPherson lives with her husband and their two adorable children in Austin, Texas. She was an editor and staff writer for the Nickelodean ParentsConnect website for years, where she spent hours each week researching pregnancy, talking to obstetricians and midwives, and giving out tips and advice to new and pregnant mamas.


Visit the author's website.


SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Filled with helpful tips, amusing anecdotes, and encouraging advice, here's one mama's take on everything pregnancy -- from stretch marks to weight gain to figuring out how to rely on our creator through all of the uncertainty and joy of the next nine months. Pregnant women may discover that while they are thrilled about the baby, pregnancy can be another thing entirely. Instead of glowing they're glistening. There's morning sickness. And suddenly a favorite pair of jeans no longer fits. Erin MacPherson has created a comprehensive guide that's packed with information that every newly pregnant mama needs including exercising while pregnant, a detailed guide to each trimester (including sleep, doctor check-ups, pregnancy sex), what to buy and not buy for your baby, how to use your Bible as your pregnancy resource, and how to use this time of waiting to really draw closer to God through prayer. Filled with helpful tips (how do you quell that not-just-in-the-morning sickness?), humorous accounts (doesn't everyone crave peanut-butter-and-olive sandwiches?), and supportive spiritual advice (what does a godly pregnancy attitude actually look like anyway?). The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby has the advice a mama-to-be wants to hear. Erin MacPherson assures, 'at the end of nine months, you really will be glowing.'


Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: GuidepostsBooks (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0824948580
ISBN-13: 978-0824948580

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:



Introduction

You're Havin' a Baby!


      The fact that you're reading this probably means you're pregnant. Yep. YOU are pregnant. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? If you thought your graduation day or your last birthday or even your wedding day was exciting and exhilarating and amazing, just wait until you hold your little bundle in your arms for the first time. The feeling is breathtaking. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it. That said, you have eight months (give or take) to wait before that misty-eyed moment so don't start packing your hospital bag yet.

      I've always wondered how God created the heavens and the earth in seven short days and yet it takes nine long months to create a baby. Nine months. Seems like an eternity, doesn't it? I remember getting so irritated when people told me that my pregnancies would pass in the twinkle of an eye. They swore that I'd be holding my baby before I knew it. That's kind of hard to believe when you're carrying around twenty (er, thirty) extra pounds and gagging every time you catch a whiff of someone else's dinner.

      But, really, your pregnancy will be over before you know it. In the meantime, you're probably going to need some girlfriend-to-girlfriend advice to get you from point A—the miserable, exhausted, growing-by-the-minute, gagging, vomiting and sweating point that you're most likely at right now, to point B—the glowing, ecstatic, sleep-deprived-but-you-don’t-care-at-all point that you'll be in less than forty weeks. And that's why I wrote this book. 

      I remember during my first pregnancy, the first thing I did after peeing on a stick was head to the bookstore to find a book that would keep me informed about what to expect (nausea, bloating and night waking) and what not to expect (a glorious time where I could eat unlimited amounts of ice cream while my husband massaged my feet). Not surprisingly, there were oodles of choices; there were pregnancy guides for new moms-to-be, old moms-to-be, young moms-to-be, and tall moms-to-be. There were pregnancy guides for dads-to-be and grandparents-to-be and second-cousins-to-be. But there was nothing for Christian moms-to-be.  So, I did what any somewhat sane mother-of-two would do.  I wrote my own Christian pregnancy guide. 

      The good news is that I’m not going to bore you with medical jargon. It's not that I don't like medical jargon (when I was pregnant, I loved reading books that told me all about the medical feats that my body was performing while growing a baby), but simply that I'm not a doctor. In fact, I don't have any medical training at all (unless you count the fact that I took—and passed—health education in high school). So, if you're looking for medical rhetoric and big-word-laden advice for a magical medical breakthrough that will quell your ever-present nausea and keep your weight gain to a minimum, this probably isn't the place.

      But, while my medical expertise stops at "take some Tylenol and go lie down," I do have some pregnancy expertise. I've been pregnant twice. My sisters have all been pregnant. My friends have all been pregnant. Heck, a few months ago, my dog got pregnant. I've been surrounded by pregnancy nonstop for the past six years, and as I dealt with morning sickness and weight gain and decorating a nursery, I gleaned some pregnancy knowledge.

      I also had horrible pregnancies. I know. I shouldn't be saying that to new moms-to-be, but for the sake of honesty, I'm going to throw it out there. I went through the ringer during my first pregnancy and swore up and down that I would never, ever survive and that if by some miracle I did survive I would never, ever, ever get pregnant again. Well, I survived. I fell in love with my baby and promptly got pregnant again. And you know what? I survived the second awful pregnancy too. And, if we're being honest, I'd take another pregnancy (or two)), God willing. In an instant.

      You probably don't want to hear this right now, but it is worth it. Every time you gag. Every time you throw up into your mouth. Every pound you gain. Every sleepless night. All of it. It's worth it. Just wait. I promise that nine months from now, you're going to be e-mailing me and telling me I was right.

      I won't say I told you so.





Chapter 1

Getting Into the Pregnancy Groove

Being Pregnant and Loving It


      You figured out how to actually get pregnant (go you!), now you have to figure out how to be pregnant.  And contrary to popular belief, being pregnant isn't as simple as remembering to take your prenatal vitamins, which is a feat unto itself.  Pregnancy is exhausting, exciting, exhilarating and stressful all at once, which means that you're going to be exhausted, excited, exhilarated and stressed for the next few months.  Not an easy thing to be—especially when you're gaining weight at a rate of three pounds per week.

      I hate to even say this to a pregnant woman, but the next few months might not be the best months of your life. (Sorry!)  I think my biggest misconception about pregnancy was that I expected it to be easy. I thought I'd be bubbling with baby-growing joy for the entire nine months. Maybe that’s true for some people, but it wasn't the case for me.  Pregnancy was hard. And stressful. And super-annoying at times. And I wrestled with emotions that I'm embarrassed to even admit.  (But we'll get to that later.)

      Interestingly, while I was trying to get a handle on the stress and emotions of pregnancy, I felt an overwhelming urge to draw closer to God.  There's something about impending motherhood that makes a girl really reflect on who she is and who she wants to be.  I knew that my future children needed a godly mother, and I knew that I fell (far) short of the mark.  This caused me to spend a lot of time reflecting on the characteristics of godly mothers and how I could become one.

      As Christian women, we have to live up to a pretty high standard. The legendary Proverbs 31 woman is gracious and kind and long-suffering and probably never snapped at her husband for leaving dirty clothes on the floor.  I'm not even close.  I find myself living in a daily battle to live up to God's standard for my life.  I wake up praying that I'll live with patience and integrity throughout the day…and find myself losing my cool before breakfast.

      Yet, at one of the most stressful, emotional and trying times of my life (my first pregnancy), God drew me closer to Him.  I actually felt His presence as I spent time praying and reflecting on my baby and my future as a mother. It's comforting to hear His voice in a time of need and feel His presence when you're feeling your worst.  And, hearing God's voice (and knowing he's there) is great motivation to have a godly attitude throughout pregnancy.

      Of course, I was still the same old girl who couldn't seem to make it to breakfast without losing patience about something.  (Have I mentioned the dirty laundry that is always left on the bathroom floor?)  Still, God did show me that purposefully choosing to have a godly attitude resulted in me feeling closer to Him.  That, in turn, allowed me to have a more gracious attitude about my pregnancies.

      Sounds a bit trite, doesn't it?  I mean, if it was all about choosing to smile through any situation then every day would be gumdrops and preggo-pops, right?  Not exactly.  But God does call us to be content in any circumstance (even morning sickness!), which means choosing to focus on the reasons we have to be grateful, even when it’s tempting to be grumpy.

      And trust me, when I was pregnant, I had lots of reasons to be grumpy.  But, I did strive to have an attitude of gratitude about my pregnancy.  Here's how I did (and didn't) do it:

How to Get into the Pregnancy Groove


1.  Get Yourself Pumped Up: 

      When I first got pregnant, I was giddy with excitement.  And who wouldn't be?  I was going to have a baby.  I couldn't stop thinking (or talking) about it.  But then I got tired.  And sick.  And bloated.  And suddenly I wasn't so giddy anymore.   In fact, once those pregnancy symptoms kicked in, I turned into a whiney, moaning, self-pitying mess.  I resented my baby for making me feel so bad and resented everyone else because they didn't feel as bad as I did.  I resented my job because I had to go to it.  I resented my husband because he could sleep and I couldn't.  I even resented my dog because she could spend the entire day basking in the sunshine while I had to actually get up and function.

      So, how exactly do you start thinking about rainbows and baby booties when you've spent weeks hugging the toilet bowl?  One thing I did was immerse myself in babyland.  I bought books about pregnancies and babies.  I hung out with friends who had babies.  I ogled over baby gear on the Internet and rented funny movies about babies and watched them over and over.  The only thing I didn't do was volunteer to babysit because that would've taken way more energy than I had at that point.  But if you're feeling up to dirty diapers and peekaboo, go for it.

      The point is, the more time you spend around babies (and other mothers), the more excited you will be about your own baby.  And believe me, the only thing in the world that is worth nine months of pregnancy is a baby. And you're getting one.  So hop on board the baby train (I don't have to tell you twice, do I?) and start living baby. 


2. Turn that Mommy Guilt into Glee (Or at Least Contentment): 

      That resentment that I felt because I was sick, tired and fat quickly turned to guilt.  I felt guilty for resenting my baby who was supposed to be my pride and joy.  I felt guilty for resenting my husband who was honestly trying to help me as much as he could.  Mostly, I felt guilty that I wasn't thrilled to be pregnant. 

      I started to wonder if God didn't approve of my pregnancy and my baby.  Crazy talk, right?  I know that now, but at the time, I felt so awful and so confused that I started to doubt God's providence.  Of course, once I realized—duh!—that God blessed me with the pregnancy, I wanted to be grateful to Him regardless of how I was feeling.  God wants us to be content in our pregnancies, even when we're not feeling good. Tough job, huh?

      It was a long, uphill battle for me.  And I had to constantly remind myself of God's grace and mercy. But in the midst of the battle, God taught me many lessons that I wouldn't have otherwise learned: how to depend on others, how to trust and what it means to truly depend on God for strength 

3.  Pray for Your Baby

      Another way to get into the pregnancy groove is to start praying for your baby in-utero.  Sounds obvious, right?  Well, it wasn't for me. (I was tired and sick, okay?)  It took me several weeks of pregnancy to start praying for my son.  I was so stunned and overwhelmed by the idea of being pregnant that the idea of praying for my baby didn't cross my mind.  One day, one of the girls in my small-group Bible study mentioned that she had prayed for her baby throughout her pregnancy, and suddenly the light went on.  I wanted to pray for my unborn child, too!

      I could go into the mushy details about how my husband and I lay in bed and put our hands on my slightly protruding tummy and prayed for our son, but I'm sure you get it.  In fact, you've probably been praying for your baby since the moment you found out you were pregnant.  But just in case there's another woman out there like me who didn't think of it, I thought I'd mention it.

4.  Think About the Pros of Pregnancy

      There are some (okay, lots of) wonderful things about pregnancy.  What other time in your life do you have free license to eat extra calories, sleep late and buy baby clothes without reservation?  

      Plus, when you're pregnant, everyone (and I mean everyone) gushes over you.  I remember walking into church just as I was starting to show. Two of the guys in our Sunday school class ran to grab me a chair.  My husband got me water and my girlfriend brought me muffins from the class next door.  They had blueberry crumble!  Everyone oohed and aahed.  Part of me hated all of the fuss—uh, who am I kidding?  I loved the attention!  Who wouldn't?

      But aside from the minor benefits, when you're pregnant it's easy to dwell on all of the things you're missing out on.  You can't eat sushi.  You can't wear your favorite pencil skirt.  Your bras are all too small. And you're too tired to stay up late watching chick flicks with your hubby (as if that happened before).  I remember bursting into tears in the middle of our church group's Christmas party because the eggnog was made from raw eggs, and I was a little uneasy about exposing my unborn child to salmonella.  I actually sobbed.  Totally irrational, I know—especially considering the fact that there were a million other drink options at the party—but I felt so deprived. 

      The thing is that pregnancy isn't about deprivation.  Sure, there are things you shouldn't and can't do, but there is also one huge thing that you can do:  Nurture your own child inside of you.  What an incredible privilege. I'm sure some of our husbands are secretly envious of us that we get to do it and they don't!  How else can we account for their sympathy weight gain?

      The best way to get out of a pregnancy funk is to think about the reason for the pregnancy.  I know that sounds obvious, but focus on your baby.  Focus on the privilege.  It'll help you to forget the pain.  And if that doesn't work, think of all of the things that you can get away with during this brief period of your life.


Things You Can Do While Pregnant (That You Would Never Get Away With Otherwise)

1. Wear flip-flops or clogs every day.  Even to church.
2. Leave the toilet unscrubbed for the nine entire months (might as well make it an even ten).
3. Order dessert (and eat it all by yourself).
4. Wear sweats to the grocery store, to work and to dinner at your mother-in-law’s.
5. Skip your morning shower.  Three days in a row.
6. Add half and half to your decaf (or half-caf).
7. Send your hubby to Sonic for a foot-long hot dog at eleven o’clock at night.
8. Eat a foot-long hot dog at eleven and wash it down with Chunky Monkey.
9. Go to bed at seven on a Friday night.
10. Spend your entire Saturday camped out on the couch watching A Baby Story.
11. Borrow your husband's T-shirts.
12. Chat about baby names on a baby names message board.
13. Go to BabiesRUs and camp out in one of their rockers for an entire afternoon. (You probably need to test it out, so go ahead and take a nap if you'd like.)


Pregnancy Rocks (Even Though it Sometimes Stinks)

      The fact is, in spite of all of the nausea, bloating and constant peeing, there's also an ecstatic, blissful, giddy joy that comes from the fact that you have a baby growing inside of you.  It's amazing.  And no matter how bad you feel, you can still cling to that. I remember being hunched over the toilet puking up my guts and thinking to myself how amazing it was that there was a tiny life growing inside of me.

      The truth is, it's okay to be a little ambivalent, depressed, scared, worried, nervous, angry, irritated or annoyed by your pregnancy. Feeling that way is natural. And feeling that way about your pregnancy has nothing to do with how you're feeling about your baby. Of course you love your baby. But you don't have to love pregnancy to love your baby! Just because you're thrilled to be pregnant, you don't have to ignore all the aches and pains and annoyances.

      So, enough pep talking… you're ready, right? Time to get down to the nitty gritty. What are the next nine months really going to be like? What can you do to combat morning sickness? And bloating? And the rest of those icky pregnancy symptoms? And, perhaps most importantly, how much longer (in minutes) are you going to be able to fit into your favorite prepregnancy jeans? Let's talk first trimesters.




Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Wretched Muffins and a Scrumptious Pizza!

I had great plans for posting my baking adventure last week.  I even went so far as to make a double batch of a new muffin recipe, mixing apple into one (and freezing) and blueberries into the other for the next morning's breakfast.

Pre-baking, when I still thought they were good :-(

So, imagine my horror when after my son's complaints about breakfast (typical in general but not usual for muffins) I walked to the table, picked up his muffin took a huge bite and nearly gagged to death.

It gave me flash backs to a time in highschool when I went to a late dinner after a long day of performances with a couple of my theatre friends.  We were tired and a little goofy.  One of my friends ordered a cubed chicken pita- we all agreed that it sounded delicious.  When it came and she took a bite, however, she started very nearly throwing up on the table while searching for her napkin and we got the giggles so badly we could hardly explain to the waiter what was going on.  At last my friend concurred our waiter's bemused expression and practically forced him to take a bite (can you believe it?  The waiter actually tried her food!).  After spitting it into a napkin he told us that is tasted like A$$!!  Our waiter!  He actually said that!  We were almost on the floor laughing!

He was a great waiter.

He probably got fired.

Eh, he was new- maybe they cut him some slack.  I mean, we were at Sharrys!

Anyhoo- the muffins.  They sucked.  Another one of those recipes whose source shall remain nameless (not the same one as the pretzels, thank goodness, or I would have completely lost all faith in her, but a typically very reliable source none the less).

Huge. bummer. waste. of. time!

And freezer space!  Which reminds me, I need to get that's second batch out of there.


Saturday I decided to redeem myself and head for a recipe source I KNEW would not fail me!  You guessed it- The Pioneer Woman!  I don't think I've mentioned it, but I received her AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL cookbook for Valentine's Day and had been dying to make her potato bacon leek pizza ever since!

Her pizza crust recipe was simple and (of course) well photographed.  And I, of course, employed the use of my handy dandy BOSCH Universal Plus Mixer to make the whole thing even simpler. 

A-MA-ZING!

Her toppings, however, were out of this world!  I actually liked the potatoes better on the reheated version the next day, but regardless the thing was just amazing!  The thick bite it had to it was so darn satisfying and the leeks were, well, cooked in bacon drippings- they had no choice but to be crazy good!

I made my hubs the caprese' version which he also enjoyed very much.  We are so ruined for take out!  I mean, you just can't go back after an experience like that!  It would be blasphemous!




Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Voices of the Faithful II- Review

I recently received Voices of the Faithful II from Thomas Nelson Publishers and I honestly didn't know what to expect since I was not familiar with the series by and Beth Moore.  But knowing I very much enjoy pretty much anything by Beth Moore, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

The book is a year long devotional with a short story or testimonial for each day written by a missionary from around the world.  Each day also includes a short scripture that pertains to the devotion and a prayer about the subject matter, for the foreign peoples, or for the missionary.

Although I am not typically drawn for any significant length of time to these sorts of devotions, I have found these to be refreshing and enlightening.  In fact, this morning as I was reading the prayer for a specific family who had shared their account of God's miraculous provision, I thought, "Wow- now this family in the third world has prayers being sent up specifically for them all around the world!  How amazing is that?!"  I would love to hear what has happened for them since the time this book was written as I am sure the Lord is still working in powerful ways for them.  It was crazy to think what a huge impact a simple book could have.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light and short devotional to round out their quiet time and either start out or wrap up their day.  You can purchase it here on Amazon, and by the way, it's on sale for only $7.80 right now!





Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review

I was beyond thrilled to receive an invitation to review Earth Mama Angel Baby's Angel Shampoo & Body Wash along with Earth Mama Bottom Balm and New Mama Bottom Spray, late last year. I had been wanting to try the wash out for quite some time seeing as how Earth Mama Angel Baby is one of the VERY few body care companies that has proven a zero toxicity rating in their products. I'm always looking out for the least harmful, but still effective, body care products for my family so Angel Baby Wash sounded like a great possibility.

So, once I got the bottle of Angel Wash into my anxious little hands what did I think?  Well, my first thought was, "mmmmm- orange!" A generous amount of orange extract is used to give the wash a lovely fruity quality, which I instantly loved.  However, (and this may sound a little odd) I realized after using it on Lion Cub that the scent didn't mix well with his natural scents.  He tends to emit a very distinct scent, not bad, just distinct, and when mixed with the orange oils it got funky.  He just didn't smell sweet and like himself anymore.  But with that said, I DO love using the Angel Wash for myself and have had no complaints from the hubs.  So, I guess it's a bit of a love/ hate relationship in the scent department.

The other thing I can't help but point out is the foaming dispenser.  At first I thought I would love this feature, however I quickly felt jipped as my precious bottle of angel goodness began disappearing all too quickly.  To be honest, for the money, I think you should receive a full bottle of concentrate and then could possibly add a pump bottle for an additional buck fifty or something.  I would probably skip the pump all together though, as we use loofas in this house and it is difficult to get a good lather in a loofa with a foaming dispenser.  I should mention that you can just buy the wash in a larger, refill bottle, but it still is not concentrate.

As far as the wash itself went though, in its effectiveness and feel, I loved it.  It rinsed off cleanly and was the closest thing to luxurious that I have encountered in a zero-toxicity product.  There is definitely something to be said for that!
But let's move on, shall we?  I have nothing but good things to say about the Mama's bottom products they sent me- Earth Mama Bottom Balm and New Mama Bottom Spray!  Cause ladies, let's be real here- if you have taken any more than an hour to push a baby out of your bajango, let alone more than one, then you probably have issues "rear" up in this area from time to time.

I found their products to be soothing and downright lovely.  Plus, I would much rather have someone stumble across one of these nicely packaged products in my medicine drawer than a tube of preparation-H!  Ya' feelin' me?!

I can't thank Earth Mama Angel Baby enough for the opportunity to test out their lovely products!  I also want to mention that Earth Mama Angel Baby has a lot of great resources on their website, along with their products, for breastfeeding help (they even have a free "Herbs & Breastfeeding" ebook for download) and pregnancy and infant loss, among other things.  Even if you decide to not purchase anything from them, their website is a must-see/read!  Oh, and did I mention it is also beautiful?! Cause it is!

Thanks again Earth Mama Angel Baby!



I received products free of charge from Earth Mama Angel Baby for honest review.  All opinions are solely my own.

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!