3 Reasons I’m a Fan of Grove Collaborative

Have you heard of Grove Collaborative?

I order all of my household cleaning products from there – laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, etc.

Here's why I've chosen to use it as my go-to source for all of my household necessities:

1. Discover new non-toxic products – right now I'm using Molly's Suds for my laundry and Seventh Generation dishwasher tabs for my dishwasher.  I love how I don't have to search high and low for household products that I can feel good about using.  I've discovered products that I don't think I would have realized even existed because the choices at the local stores are just not as numerous when it comes to non-toxic products.  Grove Collaborative is always adding new items too, and I love trying out new brands!

Here is a picture of my most recent order:

Some of the products I liked, some I didn't, but I was trying some new things this time.  Those Mrs. Meyer's fall scents, though!  Mmm!!

2. Auto-ship

Oh, where would I be without auto-ship?  Out of laundry detergent, most likely.  I'm one of those people that makes a shopping list and then forgets to take it to the store.  I LOVE having my stuff auto-shipped where I don't even have to think about remembering it.

It's so easy to switch around my subscription too, so if I don't need something or I want to try out a new product, I can very easily change things around or even cancel the next month's order.
3. VIP membership

With a VIP membership, I get free shippng on every order, plus free or discounted products throughout the year.  Every so often, they send me an email letting me know I can add a select item to my next order for free or at a big discount.  I've discovered a lot of new products this way that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

The prices are very comparable to what I would pay otherwise, and I love the convenience of having all my household needs shipped to me on auto-pilot.  I also appreciate how easy it is to turn off a subscription if I can't afford it one month.  They also remind me when it's time for my next shipment so that I have a chance to customize my order if I need to.  No shady business or jumping through a lot of hoops to avoid unwanted charges on my credit card – I really appreciate that in a subscription company because that does happen with some of them!

If you haven't tried out Grove Collaborative yet,you can get a free $10 credit to use on your first order when  you sign up through this link!

I'd love to know which brand catches your eye first!

One Simple Way to Take Better Care of Your Family’s Health

My family's health has always been very important to me.

I'm always reading and strategizing about things that I can do to make sure they get proper nutrition and keep their immune systems strong.

There are many, many reasons why processed foods are toxic to the body, and I've done my best to eliminate them and only feed my family whole foods or foods with the cleanest ingredients.

But I have an embarrassing confession to make.

There have been a number of seasons in my life where, in spite of my particularness about the groceries I buy, my family has still not been fed in a very healthy way.

What I mean is this:

Lack of proper planning has caused me to feed them thrown-together meals that, though they might be better than genetically modified boxed foods, are still very much lacking in nutrition.

Sometimes I feel like the dinner hour comes upon us, and I have no clue what to make, so I resort once again to the gluten free mac and cheese.

When they want a snack, too often I depend on “organic junk food”, which is still junk food, organic or not!

All of that is fine and dandy once in a while, but when I find myself doling that stuff out far too often due to my poor planning, I realize that something needs to change or my family's health will suffer because of it.

(By the way, the budget suffers too!  Pre-packaged and boxed foods, even brands that use ingredients I'm okay with, are not only lacking in nutrition, but they also cost much more than their homemade counterparts.  And when I decide to skip the packaged foods and go with only fruits and veggies, I still end up grocery shopping aimlessly, just grabbing a bunch of stuff that may or may not get eaten because I don't have a specific plan in mind for it.  Shopping that way costs so much more!)

For the past several months, my wonderful mother has done a good portion of the cooking for our family.  She has been such a blessing, helping me out tremendously while I've been dealing with chronic illness and a difficult pregnancy.

But I don't want to depend on her to do that forever.  That's a big job, feeding a family of 7!  I told her that I wanted to wean myself back off from depending on her to make dinner all the time and try to start cooking for our family again.

I knew that I'd never be able to do that without a solid plan in place, so I went back to my old faithful meal planning service – Build a Menu.

While I love the fact that I can pick and choose the items I want to cook, what's even better for this difficult season of life is that they also send a pre-made menu to my inbox each week, along with a ready-made shopping list!

You can get this same deal too!  Right now they have a special offer – buy the premium plan and get a year of Done-For-You menus free!

You can even choose menus for special diets if you like – such as gluten free or the super popular Trim Healthy Mama plan.

So, in a nutshell you get:

• Premium “build-your-own” drag and drop menu planning for one year
• A ready-made shopping list each week for the store of your choice (including my favorite – ALDI!)
• Plus an additional ready-made menu plan each week for a year

all of this for $40, or about 77 cents a week!  I'm very happy to pay someone 77 cents each week to do the legwork of planning a menu and making my shopping list for me!

They even tell me approximately how much the groceries will cost so I can stay within my budget!

Already I've noticed that I am less stressed because I know exactly what we're having and I can plan my day accordingly.  (That reminds me, I need to go get a roast put into the crock pot before it gets any later!)

My family is getting adequate nutrition.  We're eating balanced meals instead of whatever I happened to throw into my cart at the store.

I love that I am getting their bellies full at each meal and that I'm filling them with protein, fruits, and veggies.

Interested in trying out Build a Menu for yourself?

Check it out here!

(By the way, there is a 30 day money back guarantee, so if you're not thrilled with it, there is nothing to lose!)

Dear Mom Who Was In Tears Today

I bent down and looked into the refrigerator.  Everyone had already eaten without me, and the kids had already put the food away as they began their kitchen clean-up routine.  (Lest you be jealous that my kids were cleaning the kitchen for me — don't.  This is simply the training stage right now.  You can be jealous in a couple years when it's actually clean after they've cleaned it.  But hey, they're learning.)

I was so hungry.  My blood sugar was way too low and I was shaking.  I try to be very good about keeping myself fed, but today had just been one of those days where I couldn't seem to get the timing right.  Every time I tried to get a bite to eat, my precious little 7 week old decided it was her turn to eat first.

I hadn't felt very productive with the housework that day either.  She just needed a lot more attention than usual – probably going through a growth spurt – plus there was the usual grind of life with all the other kids.

As I dug through the refrigerator to figure out which container held the remainder of dinner, hoping that they had even saved me any, my hands were shaking so badly that I was dropping things on the floor.  I needed to eat – NOW – but it didn't seem like it would be an easy feat to get my food served up without creating an even bigger mess in the kitchen as I dropped food and dishes.

In an instant, tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks.  The hunger of the moment and the weariness of the day had finally gotten to me.

As I stood up and closed the refrigerator, what should be staring me in the face but a little magnet containing a Scripture verse that was exactly what I needed to see in that moment!

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  (Psalm 126:5)

I caught my breath, in awe that God should encourage me with a verse about tears just as my own tears had begun to flow.

It seemed such a pathetic, unimportant thing that I should be in tears over being hungry and tired.

But God cared.

In another instant, another verse came to mind:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)

That encouragement from God's Word gave me more energy than the food I consumed a few minutes later.

God gave me such a timely reminder that the daily grind of motherhood is worth it!  In due season
I will reap the harvest of all these days of hard work.

The sacrifice of my time and effort, and yes, even of a meal on occassion, will be rewarded with the pleasure of knowing my children have experienced a lifetime of learning about the love of the Savior both through my words and my actions.

So, dear mama who was in tears today, remember this:

 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

The Secret to Becoming a Less Grouchy Mom

The morning started out nicely enough.  I got up early, read my Bible, and then sent out an email about how things are going a lot more smoothly now that we're getting to bed earlier and we are getting into a good morning routine.

We finished up breakfast and tidied up the house, then got started on homeschooling for the day.  Sounds like we have the perfect little family, doesn't it?

But 5 minutes into the school day, things changed a little bit.

The table was covered in piles of stuffed animals that the kids thought should join them.  I couldn't think with the mess.  One seat is vacant because a child had already had a melt-down and was in her room until she could calm down.

The toddler was sitting on the table, and I was shushing her every few minutes so I could teach.

Thankfully the baby was being a sweetheart (she's such a good baby!), but it wasn't long after this that I had to excuse myself to take care of her blowout diaper.

The rest of the day never did get quite back on track.

There were more melt-downs.  There were attitudes.  There was a toddler potty-training accident and a bunch of toilet paper shoved down the bathroom sink drain. (I'm sure that will make my husband's day better when he arrives home from work.)  There was an impromptu bath after the accident and another accident (of the grosser variety) while she was in the bathtub.

There were interruptions and inconveniences galore.

But I didn't have a horrible day.

Now, I want to be careful with this next part because I don't want to sound all pious and like I'm little miss perfect who always has a great attitude.

Because I don't.

But, the reason I didn't have a horrible day is that I'm learning (ever so slowly) a very important lesson that is greatly helping me as I persevere through this season of motherhood.

I'm learning the lesson of expectation.

I've come to realize that my expectations of motherhood started out all wrong.  I spent a lot of time frustrated because things weren't working out like I thought they should.

I felt like the house should stay tidy all the time, the children should be sweet, and we should cuddle up and read books all day.

Anything outside of that ideal was, in my mind, a deviation from the norm and needed to be rectified as soon as possible.

A potty training accident?  What an inconvenience!  Sigh.
A melt-down?  Are you serious? Child, do you know how much I'd like to be snuggling with you right now with a book?  But I can't because you are interrupting the flow of our day!

But over time, I've come to realize a simple, yet life-changing truth.

Life isn't perfect.

Imperfection is the norm. And any day that ends uneventfully is actually the deviation from the norm.

Once I figured that out, I started to take things like having toilet paper shoved down the sink with a lot more grace and a lot fewer sighs.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying I like it when those things happen.  And I'm not saying we should just run our homes with a whatever-goes attitude without having guidelines in place to keep things flowing as smoothly as possible.

But…messes and kids just go hand in hand.

Motherhood is hard work, plain and simple.

In fact, there are way more “hard work” moments than there are commercial-worthy, happy, cuddly family moments.

Are the feel good moments worth every ounce of hard work that I put in every day?  A thousand times yes.

But I need to remember to expect the hard work rather than treating it as an annoying obstacle to the feel good moments.

The messes are going to be there.  The inconveniences.  The exhaustion.

And it's okay, because that's what life with kids is all about.

It's about loving them no matter what.
It's about being grateful for each moment I get to spend with them, whether that be disinfecting a filthy bathroom floor or snuggling up with a book.

Expect it, mama.

Expect to be tired.

Expect to work hard.

Expect life to be imperfect.

And when those chaotic moments come your way, they'll no longer seem like an inconvenience or a reason for a panic attack.  They'll just be another part of your messy, yet beautiful life.

Our Stay at Gatlinburg Falls Resort

This year has been so busy and stressful for our family, and we really needed some time to get away and just be together with no other distractions.

We could not have been happier with our accommodations in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

The quiet setting was just what we needed to focus on spending time together and unwinding from some of the stress we'd been under.

Special thanks to Gatlinburg Falls Resort for providing a cabin for us in exchange for this review.

The location

Gatlinburg Falls Resort is just a few minutes away from the main part of Gatlinburg.  It was nice to be able to drive out to the cabin and feel like we had “gotten away from it all”, yet be super close to food or other activities when we felt so inclined.

We also drove into Pigeon Forge a few times during our stay since it was only about half an hour away and there are tons of activities to do there too.

The Cabin

The cabin we stayed in was perfect for our large family (if you consider 4 little ones and a baby a large family – most people seem to!)

The only thing that would have been nicer is if it had more property where the kids could have gone outside.  However, the inside of the cabin was so large that the kids didn't have any problem with “cabin fever” while we were there.  They had plenty of room not to feel cooped up inside, plus the arcade games kept them well occupied!

When we arrived, we found that there was a large stack of coupons provided for area attractions.

Having a large kitchen made my part of the vacation so nice!  We saved a lot of money by bringing our own groceries and doing most of the cooking at the cabin rather than going out.  The kitchen was well stocked with everything I needed to prepare healthy food for lots of hungry mouths.

The upstairs also had a living room, master bedroom, and master bathroom.

This was the view from the master  bedroom deck!  It was sooo relaxing to wake up and go sit out on our porch and look at this every morning!

The downstairs had another bedroom, a separate bathroom for the kids, and a large game area.  This is where the kids spent most of their time (of course!)

Also, not pictured is the hot tub out on the downstairs deck.  I forgot to get a picture of it because we were too busy enjoying it!

Our Overall Impression

We are a pretty laid back family who prefers our vacations to be slow-paced.  We don't need to run around to a million attractions and restaurants, though we enjoy having options available to us.

Our family's personality made Gatlinburg Falls Resort the perfect location for us to spend time as a family.  We could spend lots of time just hanging out at the cabin doing pretty much nothing.  It was bliss!

Yet we were close enough to both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to eat out a few times and do a few activities together (like riding Go-Karts!)

We found everything in the cabin to be clean and in good working order.

The staff in the office were helpful when we needed extra linens.

I can't think of any problems that we had during our stay; everything was taken care of for us.

Although we were provided with a complimentary stay, my husband and I were both impressed with the prices listed on the website.

When you follow their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds you can see that they often have 50% off or buy one get one free specials, which is an awesome deal!

I hope our review has given you a good idea of where your family might stay next time you're looking for a family friendly vacation spot!

A Stroller For a Growing Family (Evenflo Sibby Review)

This post was sponsored by Evenflo as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received the Evenflo Sibby Travel System to facilitate my review.

Most of you know that we recently added another member to our family.  Now that I'm a mom of 5 children, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what gear you need when you have a lot of young children!

In my opinion, a travel system is a must!  There is always need for a stroller for the baby, and when you have a toddler in the mix, it's nice to be able to let both of them ride.

When I was given the opportunity to review the Evenflo Sibby Travel System, I was really excited to check it out.

At first glance, the thing that interested me the most was that it had space for both the baby and toddler to ride, yet it wouldn't take up nearly as much room in my trunk as a double stroller.

Other things I like about the Evenflo Sibby Travel System:

• Gender neutral, classic fabric
  I thought the gray denim-like color was nice.  Being a mom of multiple children, I really prefer a gender neutral fabric so that I can use the stroller and car seat over and over no matter what gender subsequent children are.  It's also really nice to have something that is not too trendy so that it won't look weird in a few years.  Although it has a denim look to it, the fabrice is actually very light and breathable. (There are other colors of fabric available as well.)
• Comfortable handle height
  This is another important feature in a stroller.  You don't want to be stooped over as you push your little one around!
• Smooth ride
  I was very pleased with how smoothly the stroller rides and how easily the wheels swivel.  I have used some strollers that are honestly hard to steer.  It's embarrassing to be running a stroller into things because you can't get it to go where you want it to go!  I didn't have any problems at all with the Evenflo Sibby.
• Large storage basket
  This is another must when you are a mom of multilple children.  The amount of things you need to have with you requires a lot of space!  I was happy with how large the basket under the Evenflo Sibby was.
• Easy to adjust the seat up and down
  Depending on which child is riding in the stroller, I need to adjust the seat frequently.  A younger baby would be lying down more often, while a toddler will usually want to sit up but may get tired and need to  lie back too.  Just a quick pull on the cord on the back easily allows me to adjust the seat wherever it is needed.
• Large canopy
  I really love having so much shade over my child when we're out in the sun.  If I'm using the car seat with the stroller, I can completely cover the baby by using the canopy from both the stroller and the car seat combined.

What I'd like a little better:

• Canopy does not adjust easily
  The canopy does not pull up and down very easily.  You have to wrestle with it a little bit to get it to go where you want it to go.  This gets old really quick.
• Ride Along Board should be larger
  If the baby is lying back, there is no room at all for my toddler to ride.  Even with the stroller seat adjusted up, there is not much room at all for her to stand.  I think the ride along board should extend out a little further so that there is plenty of room to ride.

The Evenflo Sibby Travel System is available at Target.  You can check it out and watch a short video here.