Back To School Series and Organizing Schedules the Electronic Way - The Cozi App

I am going to air some family secrets here and please, if you know and see my husband smile as if you know nothing. It is true that EVERY SINGLE one of our closest friends know that if you want to make plans with us, you need to contact me. I am the scheduler of the madness in our family, birthdays, sports, PTO functions, work schedules, vacations, etc. I do it. I was often having the hardest time with my husband in trying to get him to understand "Yes honey, we are booked 6 Saturdays from now, it's YOUR BIRTHDAY!". Seriously, that is how clueless my wonderful husband could be, he forgot the day he was born.

I took to a smart phone immediately. I was a Blackberry addict and from there my love of technology grew. Another family secret, if you know me, I love cell phones. I could tell you the best on the market for what you would need based on your personality :). I still miss my Blackberry, it now belongs to my 3 year old, who lovingly makes play calls to Grandma and Papa. It wasn't until almost 2011 when my husband got a smart phone. He got the most basic one he could get of a Blackberry, which was obsolete at that point. Finally a year later I got him into an iPhone 4 and with that came the Cozi App for me. FINALLY, I could sync calendars with our home computer and phones that we would know what was going on. 

I took my planning seriously too! Sunday evenings I got out my paper planner (I tried the exclusive electronic way and it got crazier as the years went by. More on that later) and would type all the new update information I could. 

I loved Cozi because it was Free, it synced, and also was color coded! Each Family member had a color, all 4 of use had our events highlighted in our designated color. I could include anyone in the family I wanted or just one to highlight "Jacob's Doctor Appt" Which it was me taking him, but I often excluded myself so my husband would pay attention a little more to the colors. 

I love Cozi because I do little Albums for the kids of things the say and they also have a Journal part of the App. I could open it and write something Anna or Jake said to put in their albums later. 

I have always used the free version of Cozi on our phones and haven't purchased the Gold Membership. It is a nice app to have for your family to sync and go. 

In a way our life is a little easier because I no longer get the phone calls or the sentences that start with "This weekend we are having Johnny over for dinner" yup, never mind that Suzie invited us over after Jake's soccer game. Those situations are NO MORE! 

What is the best for me, I get my PTO (Parent Teacher Organization, AKA a PTA) schedule a year in advance and I set up special warnings 2 weeks before for the both of us. Just in case if I need him to take a day of work for a major event, we both get the reminder. I have my schedule for School events well in advance for him to be there too.

Download it, try it, and see if it helps. I still have a paper planner because I am just that weird personality. One extra reminder for myself and for my husband goes a long way.

As the school year progresses, schedules get crazy. Use it as an extra reminder during the holidays too! Holiday cards and shopping can never start to early in my book. 

Have an awesome Wednesday! 

*****This post was not sponsored by Cozi or the Time Inc Corporation (owner of Cozi) or any affiliated company. I have used the Cozi application for a few years now. I have not been given monetary or a membership to write this post. All content and views are mine and of my own choice*****

Back to School Series The Homework Box and a GIVEAWAY!!!!!

So, I started this idea for my son in the middle of the 1st grade. I am sure other's have something similar, but for my son, it was genius. What you are going to see here is a base, after the school year starts I will add to it.

The homework box has everything so far my son will need. 

****Crayola, Target, Fiskars, nor Webster is sponsoring this giveaway or post.****

So, let's start with the basics. Pencils and a pencil sharpener, large erasers, crayons (24 count), colored pencils, a ruler, scissors, glue sticks, paper, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. 

Yes, I get we live in a digital age, but these two little books I  have my son use no matter what. It will reinforce spelling skills, help them understand the words, or not sound redundant in writing a book report. These are important to have to me... if they have to sound it out and look for the meaning. They will most likely remember it more than if they used a computer. Google is not a homework tool for us, these are.

We had to get Jake a new box this year. We found out how easily the old one could be broken into by his sister. It took 4 incidents of writing on herself with markers for me to be like "OHHHH" So this has latches!

As you can see, everything fits in there nicely! I hope if I have to add anything extra it will all still fit. 

Now for the FUN!

I will add, this is my first giveaway and using rafflecopter. So please be patient and kind. You will have a chance to win your own base supplied homework box. Everything in this picture will be given to one lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to School Series ... Planning now for the 1st day

So my 1st post was loaded with information on what I was planning and had also started doing to prepare for myself and my family for the new school year. I am going to cover in this post planning and making some lists.

First, and this might sound kind of harsh. I can't stand going to shop for school supplies when it is so darn busy and overhear a parent say "Gosh, I hate when the 1st day of school comes. It's like la la la and then BAM from the school we need THIS THIS AND THIS" Sorry, this Momma isn't buying that line. As the sun sets each day, you know the 1st day of school is coming.  You wouldn't take a road trip with out putting gas in your car would you? Planning ahead can be amazing and wonderful. Right now, if you are itching to get shopping For the week of 7/6/14 Staples and Office Max had some great stuff going on. Toys R Us is still doing the Buy a Backpack and get a free lunch box. It's summer yes, but deals start the moment it rings Midnight on July 5th. If you have an awesome deal, please share with all the other readers in the comments, we all want to save some money. :)

I can understand it can be a financial burden for some to purchase the supplies. There are school drives, churches, and even talking with your child's teacher about it. I actually spoke to a teacher and she tries to minimize the impact on parents. She buys HALF of the supplies she needs for EACH STUDENT so the parents will only have to buy the other half. She also plans on buying 10 Extra items the parents need in case of a student is in need or ther is a new student transfer. I was amazed by her wonderful generosity towards her classroom and her understanding of some families having financial burdens.

Let's talk lunches! I had the HARDEST time some weeks with my son who was a picky eater. Grapes and carrots. Those were ALL HE WANTED. If you follow my Instagram account devoted to lunches, you saw a lot of those. I worked super hard this summer to open his taste buds up to new things and I will continue to do so. Peaches, nectarines, snap peas, green beans, summer squash varieties etc. This will help my budget in the long run. Grapes can be expensive these days I mean $4.99 a lb, nope, time to try a new fruit.

With lunches, start doing a special day where they try new foods. The rule is "Once to try, twice to decide" so 2 bites. Don't go crazy like if they are a PB & J all the time sort of child and go have them try Escargot. Small steps (This is something that you will want to stick with me through the series. HINT)

When you get an idea of what it is you want, create a lunch list on your computer to print out. Pinterest has a ton, but if you make one customized to your family it might make it easier for you. I presently don't have a list, but I am working on ours. I do menu plan for each meal almost down to snacks and right now it looks a little sloppy since I don't have a planner.

See, it's hideous!

However, as hideous as it looks, it's ours and it's what we like. It don't follow it to a "T" but it does help a lot. When I finally get a planner, it will be planned out by the day and I can get ready. Less stress for a parent is the best "less" you can have. 

I know I hopped from supplies to lunches. So I have some homework for you (don't moan and groan, it will help you)

Assignment A- Make a list of your child's favorite foods. Organize it by category and also snacks. Hang it in your pantry, put it in your meal planning binder, or even on your phone. 

Assignment B- Call your child's/children's school and get their supply lists. Start now stocking up for the rest of summer. 

If you need any other lists, start working on those. School clothes, a list of "Who needs What", maybe if you need to get yourself some things. Like I need a new planner, so I am presently looking for one. Recipe ideas for dinners, a camera to take pictures, a fun sign announcing the grade your little one is going into... there is so much that can be done now to ease your stress.

REMEMBER, if you stress the week before, the night before, or on the 1st day of school. Your child will stress too. Their nerves are already rattled I am sure, having a stressed parent won't help either person. 

Murphy's law

So if you follow me on Instagram you saw that today was our last day of school. My relief was nonexistent as I was so tired from the day before, well really this whole week. I had been pushing the envelope so much to get all this end of the year stuff done on top of a few projects my husband and I were working on. We had our 8th grade promotion ceremony, a Sundae Bar for a 2nd grade class, errands, grocery shopping, putting away said groceries, and still home work, and making lunches. I did about half of this with my toddler on my hip towards the middle to end as she was very very tired. DID I MENTION I was in HIGH HEELS for 13 hours straight?

The day started off pretty good, but as it wore on, little things started happening. There was the sugar crash of my daughter who had an ice cream sundae. Grocery shopping with the after work crowd (not my favorite thing to do). I was so thrown off on my schedule, I left my list at home and did it from memory. I forgot some key items. So that is another trip I have to make soon.

Naps were not taken so of course crying and I am guilty of bribing to get through all the errands. A mom has to do what a mom has to do. She had been so wonderful, but running after the big school kids all day, she needed rest. She decided to fall asleep at 6 PM so that meant her bed time was going to be WAY LATER than normal.

Then comes the biggest incident... the HOMEWORK incident. It is the night before the last day of school. Their Big Math test was already done, but NO, NO NO NO. We are going to do a double sided division work sheet. Just for fun. I am trying not to crab to much, but come on, they are done. The Honor Roll assembly was the next day at 8:30 Grades are done. So my son is doing his homework at 9 PM way past his bed time and it starts. He literally finishes and here comes the worst nose bleed ever. If you have been following Arizona, it is REALLY DRY HERE. We have a lot of wildfires happening and the side of the highways with the dry landscapes are literally bursting into flames. So 20 minutes later, there is a mess from the dining room to the kitchen. His homework is not in any condition to be turned in.

My son is a serious 3rd (now 4th grader), I knew the teacher would understand. NOPE, he had to have his homework. I promised him, I would take care of it. I get everyone in bed, lunches made, groceries put away, kitchen cleaned. I grab my wonderful little pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food (best stuff ever) and I sit to get the work sheet from the Math Site. I press Print at 11:39 pm... NOTHING. I press print again... NOTHING. My printer was disconnected from the network. So after working with the horrible Windows 8, I get it back online. I press print again at 12:04 AM... a message appears (ink is low).

At this point, I am willing to take the F for the grade. I get out my legal pad and start writing all the math problems.... I messed up 3 times. On my 4th attempt to create the work sheet, I wrote the last problem wrong. I decided OHH Well.

BY 12:49 AM, my tired, hungry, sore self went to bed. I woke up deader than a Zombie and could barely walk. I went to the Awards Ceremony to see my son get the Honor Roll. I some how finagled a 3 hr nap from my daughter so I slept in a blissful Advil aided state. I woke up not feeling fully awake, but I was awake enough to go to Pack Meeting.

My son did get an "A" in Math... I guess Murphy wanted me to really earn my Summer Break

Wexy Lunch and Munch Bags Review

Long time no write, the past week and next week are going to be SO CRAZY. It's our last day of school a week from TODAY! Between end of the year activities, Baseball Championships, PTO events, and our regular routine. I am finding no time for writing and I find myself counting the days to May 23rd when we can finally sleep in.

With our hectic schedule, I have found there is NO TIME for constantly washing our snack containers and such that I pack for when we are going to be gone. I was emailed last week by Wexy Bags to do a review and I thought to myself "Perfect Timing". I knew I was going to be running all over and I would have a chance to use the product A LOT!

When I find out about a new company, I love to read their About Us story. You find so much out about the founders especially what drove them to create their brand. In reading about Wexy Bags I read about Carie and her needs to provide lunches and snacks for her son who had a Gluten Intolerance and various food allergies. Tracey believed in providing foods that weren't processed or filled with GMO's to her family. Immediately you can see just like most mom's out there they have wants and needs for their kids. In creating this product they felt kids needed to get excited about healthy foods. You see so many foods that are overly processed with fun characters on it. My daughter sees them and wants them too, but cartoons don't fool mom. Carie and Tracey felt that kids need to get excited about their food, along came WEXY bags! They have 4 adorable Monsters Sammy the Surfer, Scout the Soccer Player, Bailey the Bubble Maker, and Dusty the Diver

My daughter has fallen in love with Bailey the Bubble Maker, she took all the bags to her room at one point. They are super cute and SUPER fun and you can read more about the monsters here. 

I used these bags non stop since I got them, if you follow me on instagram you have seen them there in some of my posts. 

I am loving Wexy Bags for a lot more than just their cute monsters. They are also Bisphenol A (BPA) free, which as we all know is a major concern these days with our exposure to this chemical especially in kids. BPA has been known to cause cancer, asthma, heart disease, thyroid problems, even obesity. These bags are 100% BPA free! 

If you are concerned about recycling or post consumer waste, Wexy Bags are 100% biodegradable. When thinking about health, Carie and Tracey thought of everything. That includes the effects on the enviorment! Their product box is also 100% recycled cardboard and made in the USA! As Moses Henry Cass said "We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" I love this product so much that it honors a quote I love so much. 

I have fallen in love with these bags and as a mom on the go they support my ideals. I love that I have bags that are fun for my kids and friendly to the environment. With our summer activities too such as swim practice 2 times a day, we will be needing a ton of on the go snacks!

If you go to Wexy Bags you will find out all sorts of information, including placing an order. I found a small little something that ANY PARENT can use, and that is a FREE E-BOOK! In this little bonus are snack and meal ideas! The recipes are allergy friendly as well, and they explain the nutritional benefits to each recipe. I have recipe #12 planned which is Bailey's French Toast Bites planned for our first Breakfast of Summer Break and Recipe #4 Frozen Grapes is going now since Grapes were on sale this week! 

I included a few pictures from my instagram, as you can see, the bags add some fun to snack time. 

 

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post by  Wexy Bags. Wexy Bags AKA Two Moms on the Go, LLC provided the product for my review as compensation. All opinions and photos are mine and of my own views. Please ask to use pictures or an context from this blog If you have any questions please feel free to email me HERE 

Sources: Wexy Bags and Wikipedia Bisphenol A (BPA)

Plastic bags vs Containers in packing a lunch

My son's school is a year round school. We start in July so I am ahead of all the "Back to School" bargains that the stores offer. I made a promise to myself in the summer of 2013 to pack my son's lunch and see how far I could go before I caved and had him buy lunch at school. I am proud to say I only have 15 days left in this school year. I have packed lunches and breakfasts for him all year. This is a huge commitment, I wanted to pack fun meals that weren't just sandwiches every day.

After the 1st quarter we get a 3 week Fall Break. I began to get irritated at all the plastic bags in his lunch box after 2 weeks. So my research began on containers to pack his lunch in that I can wash and reuse. I decided to get the ziploc 3 compartment containers... those are now my "EMERGENCY" or "FIELD TRIP" go to. They gave up, where the line divider is on the width part, it gets and odd shape after you pull it off. Mine were done after a week, It couldn't latch on at all. So I began to look at what people call "Bento". 

I found Laptop Lunches due to their price $23.99 for their Bento Box!!!. I got my bento set the last day of school before break. I was super excited to see it in the mail box (fast fast shipping). I got up 3 weeks later and packed my son an awesome lunch in his new lunch container. I loved it and it paid itself off in 1 month compared to plastic bags. I was super sad to lose the container month later. So back to plastic bags for me and griping about the costs.

I decided to try a Planet box bento system next. This was an expense I wrestled with for a few months actually. I wanted the Rover Complete which is $59.95.  I had to do the math to justify the cost associated with it. The container came with a 5 year warranty which I was super excited to have

Here is my break down. 

Let's go off a 4 week month of 20 days of school. I bought the Target brand sandwich ziploc bags and 100 came to a box which were $2.64. I packed 4 bags a lunch (sandwich, fruit, veggie, and a small treat or snack) So I got 25 lunches a box and at 9 months a year (just lunches not anything extra and breakfasts it was getting costly) I kept losing track so then I just starting writing the dates on the boxes when I got them. I was getting a box every 1.5 weeks! So 2 a month, it was costing me $47.52 a school year ( 9 months and that doesn't include summer). 

So now that the boring stuff is over, I broke down and ordered the Rover from Planet Box. I am super happy with the container again like the Laptop Bento. I love each container for their own individual reasons, it really depends on the meal and the purpose I need it for.  I can say financially, there is major major advantages to using containers over plastic bags. If you follow me on Instagram with what I post for my son's lunches you can see sandwiches are there but not often. My son loves getting meals from home that he loves. Stir Fry is his favorite, macaroni and cheese, and Turkey Meatballs. His lunches are famous with a few of the teachers they have to see what he has. For me, I know what he is eating and he eats it all. 

There are a TON of lunch containers. Ziploc, Laptop Lunches, Planet Box, Yumbox, Easy Lunch Containers, Lunch Bots I haven't used all of these, but I have read reviews. I know tons of bloggers who use different containers. I am building my collection, it depends on your needs and wants. it also depends on your child's age. Some coordination is needed to open some of the containers, keep in mind if your school will help. (Yes, some won't help open a lunch container... shocking to me)

If you are on the fence on ordering containers, take into account your costs and number of kids. I only have 1 whom I pack lunch and breakfast for. Keep track in your own way for your budget. I am not a couponer so I can't get all the bags on sale. I don't have the patience with potty training of my toddler. Keep in mind what works for you and if you don't like it... there is Ebay or a friend who you can give it to. 

If you have any questions please feel free to comment here or use the email me link. 

Time to start buying... SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Yes, you read the title right. Now before you start throwing stuff at the computer mad because summer is literally almost here. Hear me out on my thoughts, as a PTO/PTA mom and also the VP for now 5 years running, you get to know the teachers. By January and especially February, this is what I hear... "I am almost out of copy paper. " "I need sanitizer, I am on empty" and things of this nature. Before you go "I bought them supplies at the beginning of the school year" I want you to think long and hard about what some schools are able to pay their teachers. For my son's school, and we are 1 RURAL school. I know our school budget isn't much and they make do on so little. I know we grew up hearing "The schools have no money" and it was true then and even more now. Think about the rising costs of living and how little a teacher's salary has gone up. I am not trying to guilt any parent here. At the end of the school year think about how little they have to work with.

So, my solution. The 1st day of school comes every year, same time every year. You know your kid is going to school and supplies are needed.The supply lists come out at various times maybe the 1st day of schools like ours. Other schools may mail it with your teacher assignment a few weeks before school starts. I long ago decided to divide and conquer. There are specifics you can not get until the list is in your hands, paper, markers, number of folders, etc. So I start buying now what I KNOW I will need.

Here is my list I am literally stock piling for the teacher
Tissues
Sanitizer
Sanitizer wipes,
Box of copy paper (some schools demand teachers supply their own)
Colored copy paper (2 or 3 reams)
Pencils
Crayons
Dry Erase Markers
Pencil Sharpeners (for your kid)

These are items that you can get some good deals on slowly to stock up. If they can't use it, there is another teacher who can. Sharing is caring for them or they will be trading Kleenexes for Sanitizer.

I am also stock piling for myself AKA buying clothes on clearance. Plus we order our backpacks and lunch boxes from Amazon. It is their downtime, so I want to get a good deal. Our favorite sports teams are from our home town, so Amazon has the best deals for us.

My list,
Backpack (My son goes through these once a year, this year we had 2)
Lunchbox (Another one of those things that gets a lot of wear and tear)
Thermos (for drinks)
I am shopping for a new lunch box system to have a variety depending on the meals. (Another blog idea)
Wide Ruled Paper (homework)
Homework Box supplies (I will post on this later)
Clothes you know your child will need (Shorts, school uniform items, sweaters, etc)

Start a list on your planner or on your phone. Add things as you think of them, stuff like this you NEED. If you can get a bargain or stock up to help the teachers it is a Dollar well spent

Lunch Box Love and why I am so glad I ordered them

I have been following a lot of blogs for almost 9 months now about packing lunches and like myself they post pictures on various social media sites. I always see these little cards that are about the size of business cards, that have just a few wonderful notes on them.

I kept checking the website, but I thought "Ohh my son won't like them." (my son is 9 and you never know at this age how they feel about public displays of affection... of any kind) Finally I broke down and ordered them when they were having a HUGE SALE. I decided if he didn't like them I would give them to friends or save them for my daughter when she started school. My delivery got here the Saturday before our school was scheduled to start their state testing. PERFECT TIMING!!! The delivery was super fast, I had ordered them on Wednesday.

I opened them up and yes immediately read all my cards, there are over 100 and they give you a few extra in each pack to write your own note if you want. The cards also on the back have a fun random fact or a joke which I love. I packed one for the first day of the daunting test, which I didn't let him see me sneak it in. The result was amazing. He came home with a smile and said he loved it. He shared the fun fact which I pick the funniest one about a Japanese butterfly having it's eyes on it's butt. Seriously, potty humor applies to all 9 year olds.

I added a few pictures so you could read some of the notes.

In closing, I love this product. I like packing his lunch, but this gives a little something extra for him. If he had a bad 1st part of the day, he can read something that might cheer him up. When you get your mail and have a card or a note from a friend, it means the world to you right? Plus a funny note or a joke, that is even better. I also feel it can promote kindness and kids need kindness. Our children need to see us as parents giving kindness so they can learn from our example.  

Please go to Lunch Box Love and poke around on their site. They have lunch cards and other things you might just love. 

Disclaimer! Lunch Box Love owned by Say Please did not compensate me in any way for this review. I wrote this on my own and the views here are mine and of my own. All pictures are property of One Happy Momma of Two and @lunchesby1happymommao2 on Instagram. Please contact me to use any of the pictures provided. If you would like please feel free to email me here

The disappearing weekends

School is almost out for us and as a member of our PTO executive board... we celebrate as much as the teachers. Baseball is going on right now, swim starts the following weekend after school, and then there is this move we are trying to maneuver. With school starting up in mid-late July (year round schools here) the following Thursday after the swim championships.  Every single weekend is book solid with games, swim meets, and other social functions.

I have decided things are going to have to change. I can't do this every weekend booked solid run run run. It's not fair to my husband who is RUN RUN RUN at work all week he needs down time too. He is going to want to veg out on the couch and watch a baseball game or a movie. Plus in Southern Arizona, who wants to be run run run in the hot hot heat?

The disappearing weekend seems to happen more and more these days and for long stretches at a time. With families and kids, do they need down time? How often do you feel is needed? I feel Sunday is church and nothing else unless. We do a Sunday dinner, take walks, and maybe have guests over for dinner. I am horrible at going and going then all the sudden I piled on to much and break down. I at that point cancel the weekend and we have our jammies on Saturday Morning until we go to church.

 What do you do to handle your schedule and make sure your family gets down time outside of sleeping and church?

What a CRAZY MONTH. February is almost here.

Back in the 2nd Grade I was in a play called "Lazy Old February" and it talked about how ALL the other months have important things to do... and February had all these days off. When in reality, as an adult all those holidays mean your kids have days off school. We also here in the grand old city of Tucson, have this 3 day break called RODEO...YES!!!!! Our kids get 3 days off for Rodeo, apparently it is a HUGE grand tradition. We have never been and being our last one, we won't be able to make it this year. February for this household is going to be MAJORLY BUSY. Birthday parties, a birthday of our own, packing up knick knacks and also fixing up our home to sell.

I can't even take a break now, 2 sick kids. My oldest with bronchitis and my youngest with a slight case of croup. Family just left town as well... no rest for this Momma. Not at all.

So, I have been doing research on things I want to change in my household. I feel in the past 4 years I have made some MAJOR changes with our family. I pretty much got rid of artificial dyes and colorings... (SEE ******** I am asteriking my self) I will admit on holidays (cookie decorating, birthdays, some exceptions are made). I am not going to deny my kids decorating cookies at Christmas or a slice of cake at a party. I want them to have a healthy understanding of moderation... and they are YOUNG. In our daily diet though, those things are not there. I have noticed a MAJOR difference when they get their hands on junk, WATCH OUT. I am humbled though by the changes, my son who is almost 9, should get some major props from other moms. Often, he chooses water over juice, carrots over chips, and over all just makes himself snacks that are healthy.

I often feel that I can do more. I am researching juicing vs making green smoothies with a blender. I know my oldest will NOT go for it. However, my youngest can't resist a fresh Mango Carrot juice. She couldn't resist if you gave her a choice between the juice and a new kitty. She would charm you and end up with both. So the two little ladies of the house are on board, I don't see the men touching anything green.

I am also reading a lot about essential oils. Ways to use them for your body and your home. I am so intrigued and apparently this is a HUGE thing. I have read about 7 different popular companies just TODAY.

I pass the essential oils all the time at my local natural grocery stores. I have never ever tried them, until yesterday. I cringe at Vick's Baby and the mess it makes on the bedding, floors, carpets, etc. My kids also can't stand the stuff.  I was buying some Hyland's Cough medicine and I glanced over and just thought "just go smell some, what could it hurt" Well a half hour later, I had peppered the poor woman in charge of the Whole Living department and left with Eucalyptus and Lavender. I added some to our warm mist humidifier and cold our cold mist one for the croup. VOILA, the kids slept through the night and so did mom. I was amazed, I called my friend who had been pushing me and gushed how excited I was. I am hoping for a repeat tonight of sleepful bliss.


Does anyone have any advice on Juicing vs Mixing or Essential oils? I could use some advice, why you like them. What appliances or brands you like. ANYTHING?

*** All opinions in this post are mine and mine alone. I have nothing against artificial dyes or Vick's and it's parenting company. This was not a sponsored blog from Hyland's or it's parenting company nor any other brand. Before starting a new diet, changing your diet, or starting new forms of medication please consult a physician. Thank you