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Rhockett Retreat 2015

Have you heard of Rhockett Weaving or the Rhockett Retreat?

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If you are a babywearer you NEED to check it out. Rhockett Weaving is owned and operated by Rhonda Brackett. After she fell in love with babywearing and discovered it was a necessity in her life, she began creating her own signature style wraps. She also takes custom orders, if you are wanting something really special.

This April, is the very first Rhockett Retreat. This is a place where people come together, who love wrapping as much as you! There will be good food, henna from Alternative Artistry, babywearing yoga, babywearing art, campfires & s’mores, and MORE!

There will be classes through out the the three-day, two-night event including weaving, dyeing fabric and learning different wrapping instructions. You can also check out some awesome local vendors such as Finnabug Bags, Starbright Baby, and Alternative Artistry.

The Rhockett Retreat is being held …

Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th

You can come by yourself, you can come with your little one OR you can bring the entire family. Not everyone needs to attend all the fun classes, but there will be no child supervision provided. There is also a charge for each additional person, to cover room and board.

This years Rhockett Retreat is being held in Ogden, Iowa. You can choose to stay the entire time or drive for only the day on Saturday and/or Sunday. You can register here for whatever option you choose! If you register for the entire retreat you will receive a FREE swag bag!

To help get everyone excited about this fun babywearing retreat, we are doing a GIVEAWAY!

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One lucky winner will win a waldorf inspired babywearing doll created from Rhockett Weaving scraps!

OUR BABY SHOWER

The contest begins TODAY and will end Friday, March 13th! I will post the winner on my Facebook page. Good luck!

MommyCon Chicago 2015

Guess what?! I found out that my discount code Midwestmom15 is not only good for the MommyCon Minneapolis Conference, it is good for any conference, nation wide! I am so excited. That means I can offer this code to anyone, anywhere!

Did you know that there is a MommyCon Conference much sooner then April, in the midwest? Yes, there is one Saturday, February 21st in Chicago. If you are in the Des Moines area, that really isn’t too far. So, if you cannot wait until April, I highly recommend making the trip to Chicago.

I attended my first MommyCon conference last year in Chicago. My best friend and I were both pregnant and we made it a fun, long girls weekend! The hotel was great and there were lots of yummy places to eat for us pregnant girls 🙂

I just received the MommyCon Chicago schedule and it looks awesome! Some speakers, workshops to look forward to …

  • Cloth Diapering 101 presented by Cotton Babies
  • Mom Body Fitness with Stephanie Lee
  • Babywearing 101
  • Books, Babies & Toddlers
  • Papa’s Perspective (Yes, bring your significant other!)
  • Nursing in Public presented by The Badass Breastfeeder
  • Becoming a Babywearing Educator
  • Car Seat Safety with The Baby Guy NYC (LOVE him, YOU will LOVE him)
  • And lots more!

MommyCon Chicago is being held outside of the city in Rosemont, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center from 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, February 21st!

There is a hotel block available at Hilton Rosemont for $99 a night. The cut-off to book a room for this rate is February 3rd! Rooms are almost sold out, so book quickly if you are planning to go! Use code “MCN” when you book online or if you call just let them know you are coming for MommyCon.

You can purchase tickets for MommyCon Chicago here. Make sure you use code Midwestmom15 when checking out to receive $5 off!

 Please let me know if you are going! I would love to know what you think!

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Cold and flu season is just around the corner or in some places has already  hit!

I hate being sick (I know I am not the only one), but I also hate seeing Monte sick. Having sick kids is no fun! It’s especially hard when they cannot really communicate what the problem is, but you just know there is an issue.

I am not a fan of the flu shot, which I will not get into details and a debate about, but I do not find the flu shot worth it.

I believe to stay healthy we need to do more natural things like live a healthy lifestyle! Yes, I know it’s hard this time of year. We start off with Halloween, loads of candy. Then comes Thanksgiving where we fill our bellies so full we cannot move. Then comes the Holiday season with baked goods, candy, sugar, more sugar and more baked goods! Of course, it’s also cold, dark and dreary outside. No one wants to get up and move and we all want comfort food.

We need to remember that what we eat fuels our body, so having these not so healthy items every once in awhile is okay, but we need to make sure we eat plenty of fruits, veggies, good fats, proteins, etc. We also need to get up and MOVE! If we exercise we will just feel better and it will allow us to make healthier choices.

I saw this picture posted on Facebook and it pretty much sums it up! LOVE IT!

Anyways, where I was going with this post is Elderberry Syrup! Have you ever heard of it?! I had not heard of it until recently and I am super excited about it!

This is something you can take as prevention from getting a cold or flu. It’s also something to have on hand when you are sick.

There are recipes all over Pinterest. I chose to follow this recipe. Here is what I did …

  • Place 1/2 cup elderberries, 3 cups distilled water, 1 cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 Tablespoons in pot and bring to boil.
  • Once boiling, turn down heat and let simmer 20-30 minutes
  • Take off burner and let cool
  • Strain through cheesecloth and discard the berries and cinnamon stick
  • Add 1 cup – 1 1/2 cup raw local honey. Stir.
  • Store in mason jar, in refrigerator

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Take 1 Tablespoon a day as preventative. If you feel like you are getting sick or achy, take several times through out the day.

Along with taking Elderberry syrup I also …

1. Take Emergen – C Vitamin C packets! I will take about every 4 hours

2. Remember my post about the essential oil Thieves? Well, here is another awesome use for Thieves! If you have a sore throat, take a spoonful of raw local honey, add a drop of Thieves, and swallow! You can also rub Thieves on your throat. Make sure to use a carrier such as coconut oil.

3. Hot water with raw local honey also helps soothe a sore throat!

 

What are your favorite remedies to fight off cold and flu symptoms?