Emergency Car Kit!

So on one of my LONG drives to school, I was thinking of how I can make sure my family is fully prepared in any situation, whether that be an emergency or non-emergency. 

I started thinking about all the seasons and what kind of tragedies come with every season we see. I finally got to winter and was imagining the worst!!

I was thinking of crazy snow storms with visibility next to impossible. I was not okay with this thought so I started wondering, "what could I do to make myself more prepared if I get in this awful situation?"

THEN IT CAME TO ME!

Yes! It is amazing!! (Except I mislabeled and said tub not kit!!) Anyway, I went to Hobby Lobby and got a little tub for like $7 and went to town when I got home!!

I was stuffing everything I could possibly think of that I would need in any emergency!

This is what I put in there:

~Waters (enough for each person in the family

~3 protein bars (just in case we are stuck and hungry!)

~Band aids

~Vaseline (who knows, your lips might be chapped!)

~Bags (just in case we got sick children)

~Flashlight & Batteries

~Sippy Cup (Just in case I forgot one!)

~A book (so my child doesn't get bored!!)

~Diapers and wipes

I also have a big blanket in my car which you should ALWAYS have with you just in case! 

Honestly this little tub makes me feel a lot better when traveling out in the snow! You never know what can happen, and I want to be the most prepared as I can be! Not only for myself, but for my family :) 

Transitioning From a Crib to a Toddler Bed

I was always dreading this day when my son was first born! First, it meant that my little baby boy would be growing up right before my eyes, and second, more sleepless nights for me toting him back to bed!!  I wanted to wait until the last possible second to put him into a toddler bed because I knew it was going to be tough! But as soon as he started crawling out of his crib and hurting himself, I knew it was time!!

Soon I realized it wasn't going to be THAT bad!

My hubby and I removed the side of B's crib and put a railing (one from Target) on the side so he would learn to not roll out of bed. The first week was awful!! B would come walking out of his room all the time and my hubby and I would walk him back to his room until he finally stayed there!

After a while, I finally got a gate so he would learn that he has to stay in his room when it is nap time or bed time. This helped a lot, but he would still open the door and say "Dada? Mama?" SOOOOO it was still a little hard. 

I even posted a status on my Facebook asking mothers WHAT TO DO WITH B!!!

I got many responses until my cousin told me to simply change the door knob....WAS IT REALLY THAT EASY??? yes. My son's room had a handle instead of a knob and so he could easily flick the door open. As soon as we put that new door knob on, BAM, he stayed in his room without opening the door!!!! 

After we thought our problems were done with and he would be a perfect angel and all the sudden start sleeping in his bed, B started something else.

He would fall asleep on the floor, in his closet, in front of his door, and on his rocking chair. 

NOT HIS BED!!!

So my hubby and I pondered this and thought, do we keep moving him back to his bed? Or do we let him figure out that his bed is more comfy? Well, I wasn't a fan of just leaving B on the ground sleeping, so I would go into his room around 10 P.M., when my husband and I go to bed, and I would put him back in his bed. 

Well, my hubby didn't think this was the best thing for him. He though B would be reliant on us to put him in bed and not himself. So one night we tested this, (All the 1st borns are the guinea pigs for parents!!), and B found his way back to his OWN BED!! 

We have kept this up for about a week and now he knows to stay in his bed!!!!

PHEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so relieved we finally found a suitable solution for my little man :) 

His schedule is back on track and he is starting to get back to normal now!!

My advice for transitioning your toddler, do what you feel is best!! People can tell you soooo many different ways on how to train your child, but ultimately, it's up to YOU AND ONLY YOU!

 Never give up because you have a few sleepless nights, cause I promise you will!!! Just know that what your doing is best for your child :) 

Much love my friends :) <3

Essential Oils

DoTerra Essential Oils are the best investment I have ever made. 

I have never been the person to run to the medicine cabinet and get an Advil when my head hurts, or take antibiotics when I have a cold. I have always let my body work through the problems itself. 

When I got pregnant, I never took a Tylenol for my head aches or any medicine other than my prenatal vitamins to help me get through a cold. I was NOT about to put medicine in my body that is not supposed to be there. 

A few months ago my cousin invited me to her essential oils party and I decided to see what it was all about!! And I am SO GLAD i did!!

DoTerra Essential Oils are amazing. I use them constantly on myself and my family. They are safe enough to use on children and they will never have side effects if used correctly. 

I use essential oils for things such as head aches, digestion issues, diaper rash (for my little man!) and also for aching muscles. When I used my oils on my son for his diaper rash, I noticed an improvement within a few hours! Compared to desitin or any other diaper rash cream, my oils worked so fast and gave him relief quickly!! 

I also use my essential oils for cleaning purposes. I hate spraying chemicals I'm my home and breathe them in as soon as I start cleaning. I don't want to put harsh chemicals in my home so I use my Lemon Essential Oil and it works just as good as pledge. It smells amazing and it leaves my table, and granite counter tops absolutely amazingly clean! 

Essential oils are ESSENTIAL in my family life :) We replaced many common household medicines with these oils and for a fraction of the cost!! :) 

If you would like to know more about DoTerra Essential Oils and how they work please visit my website:

http://www.mydoterra.com/jessievincelet/

If you would like to purchase any oils please contact me on my website and we can get you set up :) 

Couponing!!

If you know me then you know....

I LOVE TO COUPON!!!

I think couponing is the best possible way to save money! I used to just fly past the sale racks and not even care about saving $1.00 on shampoo and conditioner. That was until I realized my shopping habits were out of control and we needed to start cutting back. 

So I created my coupon book :) 

I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased a 3 ring notebook, and then a coupon organizer! It was probably $10 total! I started cutting the coupons I needed then made my grocery list based off of that. 

(I normally make a grocery list for 2 weeks of food!! PLAN YOUR MEALS!)

I only started taking 3 coupons to see if I could even save anything off of my grocery bill, and from then on, I was hooked!! 

Here are a few tips to help you begin couponing :) 

1. Cut a few coupons you know you need for example: toilet paper, soap, razors, etc..
2. Right down your weekly, or monthly budget for grocery shopping and STICK TO IT!
3. Just remember, you are saving money whether you take 3% off your tab or 100%. 
4. Take all your coupons to the store with you and if you see a sale and have a coupon for that item, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!! :) 

Since I have been doing this for a while now, I set up an excel spreadsheet that calculates my total grocery bill with coupon savings included! I take that shopping with me and make sure I have every single coupon I need. 

Our budget is very tight at home and I have to make sure that every dollar is stretched to it's limit. Couponing has really helped my family and gives us the opportunity to save for other things. I feel like I am contributing more when I save money for our family. Just remember, couponing is easy!! Once you start, I PROMISE you will be hooked :) 

Traveling With the Little One

My little man is now an international traveler!!

I was sooo worried about the trip right before we went, because I wasn't sure how he was going to be in the plane. 

So, in hopes of making this 4 hour plane ride the best it can be, I created an amazing thing...

A SURVIVAL BAG!!

This amazing survival bag really made a difference on the plane!

Let me tell you what I packed.

1. Diapers (of course!!)
2. Wipes
3. 3 books (little touch and feel ones)
4. 2 stuffed animals
5. PLENTY OF SNACKS
6. 1 blankly
7. coloring book with crayons

I loved every single one of these items I brought because it kept him entertained. He was a little annoyed that he couldn't walk around the plane...so that was the worst thing!!

So the plane ride there was kind of crazy! I was so anxious about the long ride and I think he knew that so he was panicked. So my advice, stay calm. Because your babies will know when you are stressed out :) 

The worst part of the flight was when we were descending. My little mans ears weren't popping and he was in pain!! He was screaming crying the entire way down and I couldn't do anything to help him. I felt so worthless...I tried giving him his sippy cup so he could pop his ears, he wouldn't take the sippy. I tried making him look up so it would open his ear canal, he didn't want to look up. So I was literally sitting there with him just trying to comfort him when he was in pain. Nothing I did was working!!

In a moment like this, I realized I didn't care if people were staring at me because of my screaming child, I didn't care that people were getting annoyed. It's not about them. My baby was hurting and I wanted to do everything I could to make HIM feel better, not THEM. 

He turned out to be very well behaved, until the end of the flight. He was very very tired and I couldn't get him to lay down and take a nap at all! Finally, my mother comes to the back of the plane and grabs him and forces him to lay his head on her shoulder and take a nap!! I was so relieved :) 

On the way home, he slept the entire time!! We had a late flight so when he got in the plane he passed out!! Even before we began to taxi out to the runway!! it was amazing!!

Don't be afraid of plane rides with the little ones! If they scream, WHO CARES!! If someone gives you  a dirty look because your child is crying, then forget they are there and focus on the issue!! 

Just remember to have that survival bag and you will be okay!!

Whatever the struggle that comes with traveling, know that you are not the only one that has gone through it :) 

Organic or non-organic???

ORGANIC ORGANIC ORGANIC!!

I used to be the biggest skeptical of organic food because there were never any studies showing that it was in fact healthier then normal grown food!

So I did some research....

Clearly I still cannot find the EXACT reason why, so I made some reasons myself as to why I feed my baby boy organic :) 

~The farms are not allowed to spray ANY pesticides, or use growth hormone in their animals feed for at least 2 years before they are certified organic

~Most the time, the organic fruits and veggies last longer in your fridge

Why would you want to eat something or give your child something that was artificially grown?

~The less artificial flavoring the better it is for you! :) 

First of all, I am not the richest person on the planet, so I cannot buy organic food all the time! But, there are certain items which I will ONLY buy organic. 

~Butter

~Chicken

~Apples

~Onions

~Peaches

~Apple Juice

If something organic is on sale, I take advantage of that and stock up!! But honestly, if I can't afford the organic choice, I won't buy it. I do however, budget my grocery lists and try to get as much organic food as I possibly can! I don't cause a scene when there isn't an organic option, but I want my baby and future children to be as healthy as they can. 

If you can afford organic, why wouldn't you buy it? There is no reason to be buying the bad, non-organic food just because it's cheaper. Budget yourself and you will find it is easier to buy organic food then you thought!! :) 

organic is best :) 

Stay Organized!

Organization.  That word used to make me cringe until I realized...IT WAS FUN!!

My house used to be a mess all the time and I would get sooo overly stressed because things weren't exactly where I needed it! 

Truth was, I never made a place for all the stuff! Once I started organizing and realizing it was a GREAT stress reliever, I turned into an organization queen.

If you are where I was, and HATING organizing and thinking you never have enough time to put things back in their space and you have better things to do, then take in what I am going to share and maybe YOU too can love organizing :) 

1. Create a space for items. 

If there is a designated area for items, then there is no reason why you shouldn't be organized. Make sure everything has a place and those things get put BACK in that place when they are done being used. Buy a toy box for toys, get a binder for your coupons, etc. HINT HINT: either hand made labels or the electronic label maker will be your new best friend when you do this step! :) (you can find either one at Hobby Lobby!!)

2. Don't let things become a chore

When my husband and I first moved into our new home, I never cleaned up and things would just pile up throughout the house. Until one day my mother told me, don't let things become a chore. I started putting dishes away right after i was done with them, I started vacuuming at the end of the day around my sons high chair, and I began to pick up my sons toys at the end of each day. Let me tell you, it made my stress load go down!! I can hardly stand a messy home now. 

3. Get a family calendar

Getting a family calendar is probably one of the best ideas I ever had. At target you can get a big monthly dry erase calendar and hang it up in your home! Mine is right outside of our kitchen and I (as well as my husband) constantly look at it and make sure we know what exactly is going on the upcoming week. During family home evening, we go through the calendar and write down anything that we missed!

4. Get yourself a pocket planner

Once I schedule out the family calendar, I get my personal planner out and make sure I have any important dates, appointments, or work schedules down in that planner. I first realized I was so unorganized when I scheduled 3 different things at the same time on the same day. When you make an appointment, you can easily pull that planner out and make sure you can fully commit to your appointment. 

5. Create one day a week and CLEAN/ORGANIZE YOUR HEART OUT!

If you set aside one day a week when you can get all of the household chores complete, then your cleaning will be LESS OF A CHORE!!! I can hardly wait for Saturday's when i can finally clean the house. At first, I hated cleaning the house so much, but then I started asking myself, "how did I ever wait longer then a week to clean!!" Once you start cleaning and organizing, you will learn to love it!! 

These are just a few tips that REALLY helped me with becoming a better homemaker. I wanted to make my house a wonderful place to be! And nothing is better then coming home to a clean home! 

When your home is de-cluttered, your mind will be de-cluttered :) 

Getting Little One's on a Schedule!

SCHEDULE SCHEDULE SCHEDULE!!

My mother always taught me that babies are happier when they have a solid foundation of a schedule. Which I find compeletely true! So, I promised myself as soon as my little man was born, that I would set him on a schedule even if it means I would be tired!

From the minute he was born, he was on a set schedule. OF COURSE that schedule changed and adapted the longer he slept through the nights and afternoons. It was very hard not putting him to bed when we went down, but I knew it was for the best.

Here's a little overview of a typical day :) 

7:30-8: Get up and Eat Breakfast

11-11:30: Down for a nap (like clockwork!)

1-1:30: Gets up from nap and has lunch

8 P.M.: BED TIME!! 

I swear by this schedule and I NEVER compromise it. However, when church comes into the picture at 1 right at the end of nap time, I have to be flexible. Schedules are hard to get a baby on, but you CANNOT give in and let the schedule be compromised. If you set a schedule for your child and KEEP it, your child will learn a little discipline at an early age, as well as getting the correct amount of sleep every day! I lay my child down in his crib now and he knows he needs to be in bed and sleeping. He hardly cries, because he knows I wont come get him (depending on the type of cry!) 

Your child needs sleep! Below is a chart that tells you the amount of sleep your child should be getting every day and at what age! Check it out!

Getting your baby on a solid schedule will not only benefit your child, but will also benefit you! I cannot wait to put my little man down for a nap so I can get things done around the house! AND I love knowing exactly what time he will go down!! :)

I hope you find this advice helpful :) Much love!!

Pregnancy Problems!!

Ladies. We all think about being pregnant and how amazing it is going to be! But, we also think of the HORRIBLE things that can go wrong as well. 

I am here to tell you, I thought of those things ALL THE TIME, but I decided I was not going to let those scary "side effects" bring me down during an amazing time in my life! :) 

During my first trimester, I was nauseous all the time, but I never aactually got sick!! I couldn't even take my prenatals because I would gag them up every time! I know, horrible. I even had to take the long way to work because I lived near a burger king and I couldn't bare the thought of driving by it! But once I got past my first trimester, I WAS A WHOLE NEW WOMAN!!

I had sooo much energy and I LOVED being pregnant! I had a few friends that were pregnant around the same time I was and they all looked at me like I was psychotic and I needed help. They were having the toughest pregnancies one could ever imagine. 

Every single woman in different. HOWEVER, I do believe that if you think you are going to have all the negative side effects happen to you (like back aches, morning sickness, and so forth), then they will! Your mind is an powerful thing and I was not going to let myself fall apart and be a miserable pregnant woman. Because lets face it ladies, we are not the only ones who have to deal with our mood swings! (Our poor hubby's!!) 

Below is a picture of me at 36 weeks. I was running around my work (to the point where guests were telling me to slow down because I was making then nervous!), laughing, and being a happy pregnant person!! If I can do that, you can too my loves :) 

Get past all the drama you see that most woman have and try to make your pregnancy a relaxing, and exciting time for you and your family! :) You are creating a little human being that will change your life forever, and for the better :) 

Co-Sleeping

Alright everyone, I decided for my first OFFICIAL post, I was going to talk about the negative impacts that co-sleeping with your children, has on your child.

I am no psychologist, but from what I see and hear and also read, co-sleeping can be detrimental to you and your child's life. FIRST OF ALL! When your child is an infant, it's easier to keep your baby next to you so you can breast feed every 2 hours and you wont have to go very far to do so. Well, there are many reasons why this is bad, but I will only name a few.

1. You can suffocate your child so easily. Once you stay up and deal with a baby, you are so beyond the point of exhaustion, that you wont even wake up if you roll over on top of them.
2. It will be harder to let go of your child and create that sense of independence for them. A child needs their own space. If you, as a parent, are always with that child, they will become dependent on other people. 
3. Making your chid sleep in their own bed once they are older will be hard to accomplish. the child will get so used to sleeping with you, that they won't want to move to their own room. I have seen this first hand and I swore to myself I would NEVER co-sleep with my child.

I also thought of my marriage/relationship with my significant other. If a child is always between you guys sleeping in the bed, where is your alone time? You eventually will forget about it. Imagine what that will do to your marriage. 

I long for bedtime when Hubby and I can sit down and talk about things together and be together without any interruptions. SO my advice to every parent out their, don't even entertain the idea that co-sleeping is a good thing. Because it's not. :) 

Hope those of you who have opinions on this matter will comment! I will take good and bad reactions! BRING IT ON!!! :) <3

WELCOME!

Hello everyone!! :)

I was thinking about my road down motherhood lane and discovered that I want to share my experiences--good and bad--with everyone who is either planning to be a mother or is a mother. This blog will go through everything from co-sleeping, to what I feed my child at lunchtime and dinner!!

I really hope some of my advice and will help those who are struggling in areas where I have been!

I love you all and can't wait to start this blog and make it great!!

(I also have a cooking blog which you can check out! http://jessiesdeliciousdishes.blogspot.com/)