organic lifestyle

GIVEAWAY! Era Organics Baby Line

Published on June 15, 2017June 14, 2017 by RLeave a comment

Look at this tub. Is this the most amazing tub?! I know people in other parts of the country are more familiar with having clawfoot tubs in their homes, but it is a SUPER rare thing in California, since most of our housing just isn’t that old.

However! Recently we moved to a century old Farmhouse, and for the first time in my life, I get to call one of these bad boys my own. Of course, my kids think it is the coolest thing ever! They like to pretend it’s a boat, and they call it the Walking Bathtub (Lock, Shock, and Barrel, the 3 trick or treaters from Nightmare Before Christmas, have a walking clawfoot tub that they use when they are about to kidnap Sandy Claws!) Bath time has become a total blast here having such a big tub.

If you’ve been hanging around the blog for the last year and a half or so, you know, I LOOOOVE my Era Organics skin care products, and they just sent me some fresh goodies from their baby line (previously known as HoneyBuns, but is now just branded under their general Era Organics label!) We have begun bathing our kids more frequently since living here, since we live in dirt– literally. We live on a dirt road off another dirt road! The kids spend so much more time outside, and Peachy, my crazy toddler, gets the filthiest out of everyone! Having a soap that is delicate enough for frequent use, while still packing a cleaning punch is essential for us.

The rest of the products in their baby line are outstanding as well, and their diaper balm is cloth diaper friendly! Their products are organic, cruelty free, talc free, fragrance free, and gluten free (which is a big deal for me lately since I’ve just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease!)

The folks at Era Organics have generously offered to give one of our readers a bundle of products from their baby line! Head over to my Facebook page for a chance to win a bottle of their baby wash, healing ointment, diaper balm, and baby powder!

Want some for yourself? Head over to their Amazon storefront and use the code: 20ROCKIN to get 20% off of Era Organic products! (And if you have prime, you’ll be getting FREE shipping! Woot!)

**This post has been sponsored by Era Organics, but all opinions in this post are my own!**

GIVEAWAY! Era Organics Facial Line

Published on July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 by RLeave a comment

Skincare. I’m really bad at it. I was blessed with really nice skin for a lot of years. I never had serious acne problems in my teen years, never needed face makeup, and I needed very little to keep up on my skin. People would say “I love your skin! Whats your facial routine?” and I would say, “Target brand face wash and a pump of store brand lotion for moisturizer.” But in the last year, my skin has aged noticeably. I guess turning 30 really does make you an oldie. I’ve begun wearing face makeup, and the store brand face wash and lotion, just hasn’t been cutting it.

If you’ve been around here a while, you know how much I love Era Organics. I featured their baby line, Honeybuns, a while back. Its a fantastic brand with amazing products that mix organic, natural ingredients with science backed formulas that WORK. After becoming totally sold on their baby products, I decided to try out their Cleanse + Restore face wash. Instantly sold. It was in the shower, so Milkman started using it too, and even he was impressed by how much better his skin felt after using it compared to the Neutrogena face wash we had been using. I mentioned to Tyler at Era Organics how much I loved the Cleanse + Restore and he had me try out their Revive+ scrub/mask and Complete moisturizer.

Now, I already told you, I suck at taking care of my skin. Both my sisters have kept to skin care routines with makeup removers, washes, scrubs, moisturizers, wrinkle cream, eye cream, and who knows what else. I am notoriously lazy, so less products in the regimen means I’m more likely to use it. Plus, between my biological kiddos and foster children, I have FIVE little ones in the house right now. I don’t have a whole lot of time to myself. Three products was pushing it, but I saw that the Revive+ scrub (that doubles as a mask) was a few times a week, rather than a daily requirement. This seemed doable for me.

The first time I used the full line in succession, it was love at first wash. The Cleanse + Restore face wash is the best because it takes off my makeup– and I wear A LOT of makeup. I wear long wear eyeliner and mascara, and I wear bright red lip stain that doesn’t kiss off or wipe off. When I have makeup on, my face is jackhammer proof. I have used coconut oil in the past to take off my makeup and its a many cotton pad and gobs of oil process. One wash with Cleanse + Restore and it is OFF. I swear the stuff is magical. As for the Revive scrub, I LOVE me a good exfoliant. In fact, the face washes I have used in the past have been daily scrubs normally, because I love the way it feels. This microdermabrasion scrub is made with walnut shells, and manuka honey (you’ll find manuka honey in a lot of Era Organics’ products!) and it smells like orange heaven once it’s on your face. There is something that puts you in an instantly good mood when you mix that scrubby feeling with the fresh citrus scent. Really wakes you up, and well… REVIVES you! Its true to it’s name. Lastly, Complete. Holy cow, guys. You need like the TINIEST little smidgen, and it covers your whole face with a satiny, light (yet substantial) moisturizer. It doesn’t make your skin feel greasy, but it feels hydrated. I do my skin care routine at night, and the next morning when I wake up after having used these 3 products, my skin feels dreamy, and it’s ready for my to destroy with loads of makeup again!

So, because I love you, and because I wanted to show that this line really freakin’ works, I had Milkman take pictures of me doing my skincare routine, including me, makeup-free, which is something I really don’t show to many people, because it’s scary, y’all. But I’m doing this for you, and for science, and for… I don’t know, I’ll shut up now, enjoy the awful lighting in my bathroom, and my paint-free face.

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So! There ya have it, that’s how I use these products. You should, too, because they are freaking rad. Best of all, you can find them on Amazon, and they are on Prime, baby! Click of a button, and the show up on your doorstep 2 days later. Here’s a coupon code to use on Amazon to get 25% off Era Organics products in your shopping cart: ERA15OFF #TeamNeverLeaveTheHouseAgain

But WAIT! There’s more! Head over to my Facebook page for a chance to win this line for FREE.

GIVEAWAY! Boost Your Morning Brew, with Lifeboost!

Published on March 30, 2016 by RLeave a comment

Successful parenting can be chalked up to several things. Patience, love, creativity, flexibility, and coffee. Let’s be real, coffee should be at the top of that list. I don’t think ours is the only household for which coffee is a near-sacred ritual. It goes beyond the caffeine in our home. For some reason 3 weeks after Captain was born, I developed a serious intolerance to caffeine in coffee. We aren’t quite sure why, but when I’m pregnant I can tolerate half-caf, but by 2 weeks postpartum, I get hugely jittery, nervous, and sick while drinking caffeinated coffee. I am pretty much sure this strange reaction will last for my breastfeeding years! So, when I say I am a coffee nut it’s true– because I’m willing to drink caffeine-free just to get the taste every morning.

I’ve loved coffee my entire life. I have super vivid memories of sipping the cold leftovers of my dad’s black coffee with sweet ‘n’ low in it. My mother is hispanic, and in many Mexican cultures, children start on coffee very young with a high milk to coffee ratio. I remember Saturday mornings, headed to church with my mom for meetings and her packing me a travel mug of hot cocoa with coffee in it. In fact, my kids and nieces enjoy “Nana Coffee” when they stay at my mom’s house overnight. Mornings always come with a cup of milk, coffee, chocolate, and lots of whipped cream! Needless to say, just because I had to stop drinking caffeinated coffee, didn’t mean I was going to give up coffee altogether– coffee is in my blood.

In the last 4 years since becoming a nursing mother, I have tried a lot of decaf coffees. Everything from light roast store brand to extra dark espresso beans from Starbucks. I love trying new coffees, and just because I can’t have caffeine doesn’t mean I had to give up on finding some good beans! But, I’ve found a new favorite in the last month with Lifeboost Coffee.

Lifeboost is single-sourced. It is from a 6-acre farm in the highlands of Nicaragua. The farm is surrounded by one of Nicaragua’s National Protected Areas, so the land is totally clean and pesticide free. Did I mention it’s organic and Fair Trade? Because it is! The Arabica beans are grown, harvested, cleaned, and roasted all on site. Unlike other coffees, this is free of mycotoxic presence. Myco-what? Mycotoxins are produced by molds which are not great for your health and show up in other lower-quality beans. This coffee is pure, unadulterated, Arabica goodness.

So how does Lifeboost Coffee taste? We have enjoyed a few different brewing methods with both the decaf medium roast and also regular roasts. (Milkman is reveling in having some good, fully-leaded beans in the house!) I didn’t think I could enjoy it much more than I did with a coarse grind in the French Press, but over the weekend, Milkman used a slightly finer grind and made it using the pour-over. This was ridiculously satisfying. Maybe pour-overs and presses aren’t for you, maybe you just like to have a down and dirty machine-drip first thing in the morning, and guess what? Still good like that.

This is the kind of coffee where, if you are used to drinking coffee with cream added, you don’t have to. It’s not bitter. Delightfully mild without tasting weak. Nutty and heady while still being delicate on the palate. You can taste the quality, and as an added bonus to your caffeine (or DECAF as the case may be) fix, you can rest assured that the coffee you are drinking is 100% Certified Organic and Fair Trade.

I enjoyed this coffee so much that after drinking it for just a few days I contacted Dr. Charles Livingston at Lifeboost and asked him if he would be willing to share some Lifeboost coffee with my readers! We agreed that no one needs a coffee pick-me-up more than parents, and because they offer both regular and decaf coffee, this is suitable for the parents of toddlers who need all the caffeine they can get or the pregnant or nursing mama who wants the flavor and comfort of coffee without the caffeine!

Huge thanks to Dr. Charles at Lifeboost for supplying us with the coffee for the giveaway! Make sure you check out Lifeboost on Facebook, on Instagram @lifeboostcoffee, and go to their website or their Amazon store to try out their coffee (it’s on Amazon Prime! HELLO! No shipping charge and delivered to your door? That’s how I like my coffee!)

So, head to She Rocks the Cradle on Facebook, and check out our giveaway for Lifeboost and enter for a chance to win the roast of your choosing absolutely FREE!
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