NOLEO, An Earnest Review + Instagram Giveaway.

NOLEO, An Earnest Review + Instagram Giveaway.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I recently had the privilege of sampling the NOLEO Baby Box (pictured above) on my littlest Earnest kiddo. Inside the Baby Box (which can be purchased one time or as a monthly subscription) includes one bag of NOLEO 150 Disposable Organic Cotton Pads,one 8 fluid ounce pump bottle of NOLEO Cleanser & Moisturizer and one NOLEO travel bottle.  https://www.noleocare.com/collections/noleo-organic-3-in-1-diaper-care-best-sellers/products/babybox-diaper-cleanser-moisturizer-organic-cotton-pads-travel-size-refill-bottle

The NOLEO Disposable Cotton Pads are large rectangles of buttery soft organic cotton. To test softness before applying to my earnest little’s bottom I used them on my face. Used with an organic rose water toner, the cotton pads cover a large area and are still usable when folded in half (great for wiping messes on bottoms). Their organic cotton pads are produced without insecticides or pesticides and free from all allergenic, carcinogenic and toxic chemical residue. When it comes to my littles’ skin – these factors are extremely important to me.  https://www.noleocare.com/collections/noleo-organic-3-in-1-diaper-care-best-sellers/products/organic-cotton-pads-150-count

The NOLEO Cleanser & Moisturizer comes in an easy and convenient pump bottle, making application a breeze. To use (with the cotton pads or dry reusable wipes, non-woven gauze, dry wash cloth) shake well before use (organic oils naturally separate), apply a pump or two to cotton pad and use to clean baby’s diaper area. Gentle and natural enough to use at each diaper change for optimal benefits and protection. The Cleanser and moisturizer does not require rinsing as it cleanses, moisturizes and protects by remaining on skin. One 8 ounce bottle of NOLEO Cleanser & Moisturizer on average lasts 4 weeks. Each bottle eliminates up to 150 non-biodegradable baby wipes and the countless other products (baby lotions, diaper rash creams, baby powders, corn starch, etc) manufactured for the diaper change. *love this* The cleanser has a light scent, it smells like oil – the smell is mild and I did not mind it at all. https://www.noleocare.com/collections/noleo-organic-3-in-1-diaper-care-best-sellers/products/diaper-cleanser-moisturizer-8-oz

The last item included in the NOLEO Baby Box is the NOLEO travel bottle. The travel bottle is meant to be filled for convenient on the go use. I love that they have included an easy way to make the NOLEO Cleanser & Moisturizer portable. It helps me to have my diaper bag prepped and ready to go and before NOLEO I would have an extra pack of wipes designated for the diaper bag so I would not go with out. I like having the travel bottle and 6-10 cotton pads in a reusable bag for quick on the go use. Trying to be more eco- friendly does not mean it has to be more work. https://www.noleocare.com/pages/how-noleo-works

If you are wanting to try NOLEO for yourself, check them out at http://noleo.refr.cc/rebeccaw and get $5 off of your first order.

Interested in our giveaway? Head on over to https://www.instagram.com/earnestmomblog/ and look for the NOLEO x earnestmomblog Giveaway Post and enter there.

x. earnest mom

It is Okay Not to Know How to Feel Right Now. We Are in This Together.

It is Okay Not to Know How to Feel Right Now. We Are in This Together.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today marks six weeks since the earnest kids’ school announced a two week closure. Three days later our entire state was in total lock down and under stay at home orders. Three days later earnest dad was informed his home inspection business was non-essential and since we have gone without any income. Six weeks ago, the world as I knew it changed; as it did for many. Since then I have not known what to write, what to say, or even what to feel.

Yesterday for the first time in a few weeks I went to the grocery store. Gloves, mask, hand sanitizer, paper list and trying to get out of the store as fast as possible. There were taped off line markers on the floors, safety “MUST WEAR A MASK” signs, one way aisles, one way only entrance and exit, Plexiglas separators, empty shelves and an unfriendly silence. It took me a few moments to process grocery shopping once I was done. I sat in my car, removing my mask, sanitizing my hands and feeling the relief of going home then, I cried. I cried because I felt this new “normal” to be so foreign, to be overwhelming uncomfortable.

I am one who enjoys smiling, saying hi and complementing the people I see at the grocery store, I would try to be a light in their day. Instead we are all just rushing to get out, to take of our masks and feel safe at home. I tried to be kind and thank every grocery worker that I passed for working, but I found myself trying to yell through my mask just so they could hear me.

I do not know about you, but there are days where I feel like things are okay and that we can handle corona-schooling our earnest littles, our favorite places (parks, church, libraries, zoos and museums) being closed, staying home as much as possible, and being limited to shopping for essentials. Then there is a sudden moment, a realization that we are in a stay home order, there is a constant threat of an invisible virus and I am overwhelmed.

When I hop on video calls with my mom groups and church groups or friends and they ask how I am, there are times where the honest answer is ‘I do not know.’ I am all things at once sometimes. I am happy to be safe, sad to feel stuck, frustrated for being overwhelmed and tired from keeping my house up, children fed, children schooled and children entertained. Sometimes I simply do not how to feel, and I have come to recognize that feeling unsure in these strange and unfamiliar times is an okay feeling to have.

I am writing this for all of us out there, when we feel those moments of laughing, crying and screaming all at the same time. It is okay to be there, and it is okay to not be there. I have found so much freedom from these confusing emotions by telling someone how I am feeling. Oftentimes they respond to me that they feel the same way. It is not an understatement to say “we are in this together, separate but together.” Whether we are working from home or showing up on the front lines everyday; together we are all going through this. Moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles; to your family and friends you are totally life-essential. You are not alone even when you feel alone, reach out, call out and even cry out if you need. Just as much as we are in this together, be encouraged – we will get through this together.

Sincerely yours from quarantine,

earnest mom.

Did Disney Give us Frozen 2 to Help Cope with COVID-19?! Maybe Not, But There Are Ways We Can Cope Together.

Did Disney Give us Frozen 2 to Help Cope with COVID-19?! Maybe Not, But There Are Ways We Can Cope Together.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

IMAGE COURTESY OF MOVIES.DISNEY.COM

God bless Disney+, they released Frozen 2 this past Sunday – a whopping three months early just so we could have some extra entertainment during our quarantined situations. As I sat through the movie for the 14th time by Wednesday, I actually started listening to the lyrics that I had been singing for the past few days. Then I noticed something, were these songs Disney was preparing us for the current state we would be in? Whether you are in complete lock down, shelter in place or have simply been urged to stay home; social distancing is now the new normal.

Is something coming? I’m not sure I want things to change at all. These days are precious, can’t let them slip away I can’t freeze this moment, but I can still go out and seize this day…

Some things never change
Turn around, and the time has flown
Some things stay the same
Though the future remains unknown

Music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

This will all make sense when I am older
Someday I will see that this makes sense
One day, when I’m old and wise
I’ll think back and realize
That these were all completely normal events

I’ll have all the answers when I’m older
Like why we’re in this dark, enchanted wood
I know in a couple years these will seem like childish fears
And so I know this isn’t bad; it’s good

Music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Every day’s a little harder, as I feel my power grow
Don’t you know there’s part of me that longs to go

Into the unknown
Into the unknown
Into the unknown

Music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

I won’t look too far ahead
It’s too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath, this next step
This next choice is one that I can make

So I’ll walk through this night
Stumbling blindly toward the light
And do the next right thing
And with the dawn what comes then?
When it’s clear that everything will never be the same again
Then I’ll make the choice to hear that voice
And do the next right thing

Music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

So maybe I am just seeking comfort and reason in the everyday things around me (like a Disney movie that plays several times daily), I will give you that. I feel like that is an okay place to be. I earnestly want to slow the roar of the news reports, the re-sharing of the under reporting, and quiet the worry monsters that build daily. I have chosen to scroll minimally, not read the news or listen to every single live update and keep my husband my news giver – unless it is urgent and pressing I want a small debrief once or twice a day.

Some ways of focus and redirection that has helped me are praying/finding moments of quiet and focused breathing; Alexa is a great DJ and she plays my favorite worship songs that we can belt out and dance to. I have also found that getting outside in our yard or a brisk walk AWAY from people can revive my worried and tired soul. This morning we slowly drove through our neighborhood with our windows down, our favorite Rend Co Kids songs on full blast as we belted them out at the top of our lungs.

Mamas (and papas too because this stress is real for all of us), we are entering uncharted territory, all of us together into the unknown. Knowing that we are together, this connection can help in the tough times too. Reach out to those you have not heard from in a while and if you need to talk, reach out even more. Community will be so important right now, even if it is online. Find an online moms group, or community group (Erie currently has a Facebook group called We’re In This Together, where they focus on uplifting and sharing kindness), or even starting a messenger thread with some of your closest friends where the goal is to share inspiring and uplifting quotes daily. Any little bit will help.

Know this, we truly are in this together and focusing on the things we can control like what our children read or watch online, what we can eat for meals, whether or not we can walk or drive to get out of the house can help. Making a point to look at those things or other things that we can actually control will help to move the focus on the great big unknown that is changing hourly. And if that is still too much, put on the Frozen 2 soundtrack and sing along, there is some comfort in singing about just doing the “next right thing.” Hang in there mamas, and stay safe!

x. earnest mom.