Best Baby Products Series: What's the Best Diaper Rash Cream?

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Diapers rashes are the worst!  It's so sad when your sweet little baby has a red raw bum and is uncomfortable.  Breaks my heart.  The first time my son got a diaper rash I remember doing what every new mom does, google.  I frantically searched the web and called my mom friends to see what they had to say about which cream was the "magic" one. 

My two personal favorites are: Boudreaux's Butt Paste & Calendula Oil

So this week as part best baby products series I would love to hear from you moms what you think is the best diaper rash cream and would recommend to other expecting or new moms.

See what other moms are saying about the best:
Baby Carriers
Baby Wash
Pacifiers 

6 Year Wedding Anniversary!

This past weekend my husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.  We spent two days down in beautiful Del Mar at one of our favorite hotels called
L' Auberge.  We had the best time lounging, spending time together and not having any agenda whatsoever, which I have decided is the way I like to vacation.  I am pretty sure we ate and drank more than was probably necessary but when you are on vacation rules are somewhat forgotten as far as I am concerned.

Here are a few snippets from our weekend...

I love this man so much and could not be more proud to be his wife and baby Momma (hehe).  Marriage is not easy by any means and we annoy each other and go through ups and downs just like anyone else but at the end of the day I truly believe that God put Ian in my life for a special reason.  There is no other person on the planet that could be more perfect for me.  I am looking forward to many many more anniversaries together.

Homemade Coconut Butter

Lately I have been OBSESSED (that needed all caps for sure) with coconut butter.  I eat it by the spoonful, put it in smoothies, bake with it, drizzle it on fruit, use it as a sandwich spread, saute veggies with it and more.  Coconut butter is made up of the kind of fat that is good for you and your heart (just like avocado).  Coconut butter is not coconut oil and surprisingly tastes much different.  The taste reminds me of a candied coconut and let me just say it is freaking amazing.

Not only is this unbelievably good it is also the easiest thing to make and you only need one ingredient...
 
What you will need:

• 5 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut (do not use coconut flakes or "reduced fat" shredded coconut, it will not work) *

* I purchase already shredded unsweetened coconut in bulk from my local natural grocery store. 

 Directions:

1. Place the shredded coconut into a food processor and turn it on. 
2. Let it work its magic for about 10 minutes or until you have a nice creamy butter like consistency. 
3. That's it!

Place the coconut butter into a container with a lid and store at room temperature.  It will solidify at room temperature.  When you are ready to use it just place it in a glass jar and heat in a bowl of hot water.  You can also use straight out of jar as is (that is what I do).  Put it on anything and everything!

Enjoy :) 

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Trying and buying mulberries for the first time ever at the farmer's market.  They are insanely good and remind me of a super ripe concord grape mixed with a blueberry.

A perfect half moon.  I recently explained to max that a man once walked on the moon and now every time he sees the moon he shouts, "I see a man on the moon Mom!" Love that funny kid.

3 ingredient pancakes (well four since I add blueberries).  These are fail proof and my family loves them!  You can find the recipe here.

My new favorite sandals c/o ShoeMint.  They are so comfy and I have been wearing them with pretty much everything.  You can win a pair for yourself here. 

The start of Ronin's Happy Birthday Banner.  I am making it out of paint chips to keep the whole construction theme going.

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!  Any fun plans?  My husband and are going away to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary!  Woohoo!! I am so ready for a little romantic just us time.

Best Baby Products Series: What's the Best Pacifier?

Ahh binky, binks, paci, chewy, nummy, nukie, soothie  or whatever you call them are a must have in my book.  And just for reference we call it a "bink."   Now I am actually a little curious as to what your name for the little plug is (do tell).  I mean what's better than simply placing (or frantically shoving) a pacifier into a crying baby's mouth and the crying instantly stops?  Nothing...especially if you have a baby whose cry sounds like a dying dinosaur getting poked with hot sticks.  Ronin I am talking to you.

The pacifier aisle at a baby store is insane!  There are literally thousands of different kinds and it was one of those things that I remember feeling so overwhelmed about when preparing for both kids.

So this week as part of the best baby products series I would love to hear from you Moms what pacifier you think is the best (or was your baby's favorite) and would recommend to other expecting or new Moms.

See also:
Best baby carriers
Best baby wash

ShoeMint Giveaway! (CLOSED)

Thank you to all of those who entered.  This giveaway is now closed.  The winner is:

Congrats curlygirlpress! Please e-mail me at lindsay.kujawa@yahoo.com with your shoes of choice.

Today I am excited to partner up with ShoeMint to bring you a really great giveaway!  ShoeMint is an affordable, exclusive members-only website designed by actress Rachel Bilson and celebrity stylist Nicole Chavez.  The shoes are manufactured by Steve Madden and are made with high quality materials such as real leather and suede.  One of the best parts is new styles are added monthly based on the latest style trends so you are always guaranteed to be up to date with whats hot at the moment.

ShoeMint is giving one lucky Delighted Momma reader a pair of shoes of their choice.

To Enter:

• Visit ShoeMint and sign up for a free account.  Take a peek around and come back and comment with what your favorite pair is.

That's it! Simple. 

If you just can not wait to see if you won and need a new pair of shoes now click here to receive 20% off your first pair. For first time purchases only.

Good luck! A winner will be selected at random and announced on this post next Wednesday.

Giveaway is open to US and Canada readers only.  Thank you! 

DIY Natural Lactic Acid Mask

Lactic acid treatments in a spa can be pretty pricey and since not everyone has the time or budget to fit in a facial I am going to share a super easy and cost effective diy version.

Powdered milk is a natural source of lactic acid and when applied to the skin it is very effective in smoothing, toning and tightening the skin.  For those of you who have large pores (I do!) this mask is a must!  And when paired with apple cider vinegar (another natural alpha hydroxy acid) the results are pretty amazing.   

What you will need:

• 1 tbs of powdered milk (found at natural grocery stores)
• Raw apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Put the powdered milk into a small mixing bowl and add a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar until you have a smooth paste. If it is too watery add more powdered milk until you have a good consistency.  
2. Apply the mask evenly to a clean face with either your fingers or a mask brush (you can find at beauty store).   
3. Leave on for 15-20 minutes. 
4. Remove with a soft facial cloth and luke warm water. 
5. Follow up with a moisturizer and sunscreen if you plan on going outside.

* It is normal to experience a little stinging and post redness from this mask.

And here I am looking super creepy wearing the mask.

 I love the way this mask instantly tightens my skin, shrinks my pores and gives me that just had a facial "glow."  If you try this out please come back and let me know what you think!

If you have any questions regarding this treatment feel free to leave them in the comment section and I will do my best to answer. 

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

My sweet little Max who is obviously way too excited about the cheez its we made the other day.

A pretty bunch of French Tulips.  Is it weird that I like the look the look of tulips right before they die?  Like when they are fully open and a little droopy?  That is my favorite. 

Fresh out of the oven low carb flax rosemary bread.  Super yummy.  I have been using it for sandwich bread mmm.

A bin full of pretty art for only $5 a pop.

Ronin is completely obsessed with hammers, tools, dump trucks etc so I decided to have a "construction" themed first birthday party for him.  I made a trip to Home Depot and got so many cute little things to get the decorating ball rolling!  

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  

Best Baby Products Series: What's your Favorite Baby Wash?

This week as part of the Best Baby Products Series I am spotlighting baby wash and would love to hear from all you Momma's what your favorite baby wash is.  I will be leaving my personal favorite in the comments below along with everyone else. 

What you decide to wash your baby with is very important for most Moms.  Do you go for organic?  Something that makes your baby smell delicious?  A product that has been around for ages and is tried and true?  How do you decide and what is your best recommendation for other Mom's?  

See also best baby carriers, based on other Mom's opinions.

Flourless Cheez-It Crackers

One of the challenges I have as a mom is finding healthy on the go "cracker style" snacks for my toddler that he actually likes.  Let's be real, he is not totally stoked when I pack him a little baggie of trail mix when all his friends are eating Cheez Its and Goldfish Crackers.  Tradsies anyone?  So I have given in from time to time and bought boxes of crackers and I am pretty sure he might be turning into a cracker-aholic so I have decided to cut back on those processed little snacks.

Yesterday I decided to give homemade cracker making a shot.  I always imagined making your own crackers wold be a long time consuming project,  that only those Martha Stewart type Moms would attempt but I was so wrong.  This was a breeze!  Plus making your toddler a happy little camper is pretty awesome as well.  I found this recipe and made a few small changes and I can not believe how good and "Cheez It" like these taste!

What you will need:

• 1 3/4 cup of blanched almond meal 
• 4 tbs of nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt + a little extra for sprinkling on top
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs of melted coconut oil or *butter
• 2 tbs of lemon juice 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients together. 
3. Mix together the lemon juice and egg.  Add the lemon juice and egg to the dry ingredients.  
4. Stir in the melted coconut oil or butter. 
5. Mix well until dough forms. 
6. Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and using a rolling pin roll the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. 
7. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut crackers into desired size.  Using a ruler will help if you want to make them all the same size. 
8. Use a toothpick to poke holes into the middle of each cracker. 
9. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the crackers.
10. Place the parchment paper with the crackers onto a cookie sheet. 
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Keep an eye on the crackers and since the outer crackers will be done faster than the ones in the middle remove those one and keep baking the others until they are nice and crispy. 

* Tips

• I made a second batch (Max LOVED them so much) and in the second batch I used olive oil butter and they tasted even better.
• The thinner you roll the dough the better they will be.
• The browner and crispier crackers were the best so if you need to bake them a little longer do so.

The real taste tester for these babies was my son Max (he is almost 3).  He loved them!  He loved them so much I made a second batch so we could have more for the rest of the week.

Mother's Day Snippets

I hope all you Momma's out there had a truly special day yesterday.  This was the most memorable Mother's Day to date and my boys made is so special.  Not gonna lie...I kind of loved not having to change one poopy diaper all day either.  Here are a few snippets from yesterday.

My husband told Max that he could pick out whatever flowers he wanted for me and he chose this  little baby rose plant.  He said, "Mommy will love this garden hat."  I love him and I love my rose plant with the little straw hat :)

We had brunch at one of my favorite spots, which included outside seating (great for crazy non quiet kids and food throwing babies) and misters.  Ahh loved the misters especially since it was over 100 degrees in southern California yesterday.

 An extra spicy Bloody Mary.  So good.

That afternoon I met up with my Mom and we got pedicures, had delicious drinks and appetizers and ate the most sinful dessert maybe ever.  Oh and never ever get yellow polish on your toes.  Yucky.  Lesson learned.

I told my mom she could pick out whatever she wanted for dessert and she chose possibly the most sinful thing on the menu.  This is deep fried banana rolls with a huge heaping scoop size of caramel infused vanilla ice cream.  Woahhhhhh.

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

My sweet little man who will be one in less than a month!  So crazy.  I have just started planning his first birthday party and I am so excited to have a fun little bash for him, even though he will not remember one moment of it.

The cutest little white kitchen in a house that reminded me of a real life doll house.

Wedding season has arrived and so have all the fun invitations!

Salt & Pepper Chocolate.  It was interesting.

The best homemade pizza courtesy of my husband's Aunt and Uncle.  Total cheat and completely worth every bite.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day!