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Pound Cake from Scratch

  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of oil
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit! So stinking simple, and so good!

This is my most simple, yet super yummy, go-to recipe for pound cake. It is moist, but still cakey, and can be divided or doubled easily. It was a favorite of mine growing up, and now it’s my kid’s favorites too! It has saved me many times, because it can be “whipped up” quickly and uses ingredients you have on hand!

You can tell this is a “well loved” recipe in our house!

What We Are Reading This year-

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation with no cost to you.

These are just a few of the books we are reading right now! You can find some of them at the local library, but I’ve posted the Amazon links in case you want to purchase them.

40 Valentine’s Day Random Acts of Kindness

I love doing random acts of kindness! I think the best part is to see the reactions of the unsuspecting people that are on the receiving end. I’m not sure when I first heard about RAKs, as we call them, but I get the biggest blessing out of doing them. It’s even better when you can do them anonymously, and sit back and watch! We always take a day and do some at Christmas time, but I feel like people sometimes expect nice gestures at that time of year, that is why I love to do them all year round!

Share some love this Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of the days we usually do some RAKs. I like to either do them anonymously or let my kids hand them out. You can get really extravagant with the gifts and treats or you can make it really simple. We usually keep it simple so we can do more. When I say treats I mean, a candy bar or homemade cookies. As far as gifts, I mean the travel size lotion or a small candle. It doesn’t have to be fancy to make someone feel loved. We usually attach a small card (which I attached below if you want to copy or print it) and you are done! I promise, it’s simple and such a fun family activity!

Why not jump on board and share the love this Valentine’s Day?!

Here’s some random acts of kindness ideas to get you started:

*Some have links for ideas or extra information!

  • Leave treats for the mail carrier
  • Visit a nursing home (take chapstick or tissues or make cards if you want)
  • Leave cookies or cold drink (in the hot weather) for garbage man
  • Give out treats or small gifts to cashiers (gas station, Walmart, grocery store)
  • Donate diapers and wipes to a crisis pregnancy center
  • Donate food to a food pantry or shelter
  • Leave dollars (in the dollar section) toy isle
  • Leave snacks and drinks in the maternity wing of the hospital
  • Tape quarters to the vending machines in the ER
  • Pay for someone’s meal
  • Give the waiter/waitress an extra big tip
  • Donate a bag of dog food at an animal shelter
  • Take food to a shut-in elderly person
  • Leave small detergent bottles in the laundry mat
  • Give treats to a drive thru worker
  • Leave a quarter on the gum ball machine
  • Give treats to the bank tellers
  • Tape a package of wipes to the changing table at a public bathroom or play place
  • Print a coupon for a free Redbox movie and leave it on the machine
  • Tape a bag of microwave popcorn to the Redbox machine.
  • Pay school lunch balances
  • Make a care package for a missionary/military member
  • Volunteer at an after school program
  • Clean headstones
  • Pick up litter on a section of road
  • Secretly mow someone’s yard (or rake/ clean up bushes/etc)
  • Give treats to (school) bus drivers
  • Order pizza and have it delivered to someone (anonymously)
  • Donate old coats/clothes
  • Make a sunshine basket for a stranger
  • Take food to a new mom
  • Buy gift cards and hand them out to people shopping/eating in that store
  • Pay a bill for someone anonymously
  • Donate to a charity in someone honor/memory
  • “Candy cane bomb” a parking lot (hang candy canes and an encouraging note on all the cars) You could change this a little for another day of the year.
  • Pay for someone’s groceries
  • Send flowers to someone anonymously (and randomly)
  • Send thank you notes to teachers, coaches, people who have made a difference in your life
  • Leave a basket of treats in the teacher’s/nurse’s lounge
  • Donate a backpack and luggage for kids in foster care

Click HERE for a copy of this FREE printable!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup in the Instant pot

Another day, another soup. 😊 Soup is my favorite food and I don’t discriminate. This is one of our favorites and super easy to make, especially if you have an instant pot!

  • 2 large heads of broccoli (cut up)
  • 3 carrots (sliced)
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 1/2 onion diced (I use a couple tablespoons of dried onion when I don’t have fresh)
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 2-4 cups of water (depending on how thick you want it to be)
  • seasonings to taste (I used salt, pepper, celery salt, and garlic powder)
  • 2 cups of cheese

Saute the butter and flour in the instant pot. Add the milk and whisk. Add all other ingredients except the cheese. Secure lid and set to manual for 10 minutes. Quick release. Stir in the cheese. *I choose to use the immersion blender and blend it until smooth, but you can eat it without blending if you like the chunks of broccoli and carrots. I’ve had it both ways and its delicious!

This is a family favorite of ours! It’s cheesy and creamy, but you don’t feel as bad since it has vegetables in it. 😉 You can very easily convert this to a crockpot or stovetop if you don’t have an instant pot. Plus, it’s easy and delicious!

How tea Time saved my Homeschool!

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

I have read to my kids literally since they were in the womb, and still they HATED story time! Like legit, they would cry REAL tears and have a melt down when I would get the books out to read. I think they just didn’t want to sit still, or stop what they were doing, but nevertheless, it was terrible for this bookworm mama’s heart! I love to read! Always have. I remember going to the library and getting stacks of books, climbing a tree above the tractor shed, and reading for hours. When I started homeschooling, I envisioned these sweet quiet times, where I would get a stack of books out and we’d curl up on the couch and read for hours. Not so much. I was so frustrated and sad that I couldn’t make my day look like I wanted it to. I knew how important reading aloud can be, especially with a few struggling, late readers, but I just didn’t know what to do to make them enjoy it, sit still, and listen.

I was beside myself and questioning how I had screwed my kids up! All the studies say you have to:

read to your kids for 20 minutes a day to increase brain development,

that they learn everything they are going to know by age 10 (or something like that 😂),

and all the adults in prison weren’t read to as kids, etc, etc, etc.

I was sure I had messed up somewhere. I decided I needed another approach. The last straw came when I was so fed up with them not listening, that I threw the book across the room. Yes, I did that! 🤦‍♀️

Soooo, I started tea time. I’m not that creative, I stole the idea from some Pinterest mom, I’m sure. Doesn’t sound too earth shattering, does it? It’s not some super extravagant idea, but it totally changed reading time for us! My kids do like hot tea, but we also do cider and hot chocolate too. And I think I was needing a pick me up (coffee) about this time of afternoon too. Starting out, I tried to have some kind of special treat like cookies or muffins, but now we often just settle for the tea. I had only a couple of rules for tea time,

1.you had to find a “quiet activity” (coloring, legos, farm animals, watercolor painting for big kids) and

2.you had to stay in the same spot once you sat down. I made my kids do deep breathing and yoga before we started. 😂😂😂 Yes, I did! They thought I was a nut, but we did it and I think it helped calm them down.

I started reading just a few pages of a chapter book or a short elementary book, but now we have several books we read from during this time. And I have to say it is one of their favorite things to do! They will now sit for an hour or more and listen to me read and they beg me daily to do tea time!

Try these for your own tea!

Not only does it reset our day, with some slow time, but we get a lot of work done during this time too! We try and get the majority of our book work done in the morning, and then when the baby and the toddler are down for a nap, we have tea time. We rotate between geography, art, history reading, Bible memorization, our Classical Conversations (our curriculum) review, poetry, or just free reading on what book we are reading at the moment. The main reason we love homeschool is because of the freedom and flexibility of our time. So, if our day doesn’t look like this, or we have an appointment, or the toddler refuses to sleep, we just save it for after supper, before bedtime. It’s taken a long time to get to this point of enjoyment for me and the kids, with quite a bit of tweaking, but I feel like we may have finally found what works best for us.

So, take heart friend! If your day/homeschool/parenting doesn’t look like you thought it would or how you want it to be, don’t be afraid to change things up! Even simple things can make a difference! Don’t give up on what you want for your family/homeschool/life. Like me, it may take some time to get there, but it will get there. I mean, we did deep breathing 😂 And when in doubt, remember, it turns out kids will do just about anything for snacks!

Fresh Apple Bread From Scratch

Y’all know I’m all about using what I have on hand to make things, well this week it was apples! Lots and lots of apples. I bought several cases of apples back a few weeks ago from a school fundraiser with the intention of making apple sauce and apple pie filling during Christmas break. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. So, now I have a lot of apples! I pulled this recipe out from a family cookbook and it was a hit with my kiddos.

It’s super easy, made with ingredients you have on hand, is pretty versatile, and above all, easy! I used the pink lady apple variety, but in the past I have used just about every kind of apple you could imagine. I’m not sure if this is technically a bread or cake, but either way it’s a great snack, breakfast, or dessert! This time I made a loaf and muffins so, like I said, it’s versatile! Plus, it uses apple sauce in place of the oil so it feels “healthier”! Hope you enjoy!

Fresh Apple Bread:

3 Cups of Apples

2 Cups of Flour (self rising)

3 Eggs

1 tsp of Vanilla

1 Tablespoon of Apple Pie Spice (I used a cinnamon sugar mix I had)

1 Cup of Chopped Nuts

2 Cups of White Sugar

1 1/4 Cup of Apple Sauce (Or you can use oil or use 1/2 oil and 1/2 apple sauce)

Mix dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients one at at time. Mix well and pour into greased muffin tin or loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown and firm in the middle.

Bow Tie (Lasagna) Soup

This soup is so easy and has become one of our family’s favorites! My husband likes it because it is heavy on the meat and the kids like all the cheeses. It’s really suppose to be LASAGNA soup, but my kids thought the lasagna noodles were strange in the soup, so I just started adding whatever noodles I had. Bow tie noodles seemed to be their favorite so that’s what we mostly use. However, I’m all about being frugal so you can use any noodles you have on hand. (Kinda like in my picture 😂)

I’m all about using what I have on hand so sometimes, I omit the onion and add onion flakes instead. Sometimes I make it more Italian-y with extra fresh basil and sometimes I make it a little more spicy by adding rotel tomatoes instead of tomatoes. I also use home canned tomato juice when I have it. You get the picture. Feel free to adjust as needed.

  • 1 Pound of Ground Beef
  • 1 Pound of Sausage
  • 1/2 Cup of Diced Onion
  • 1 Cup of Chicken Stock
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 can of Crushed Tomatoes (15 oz can)
  • 2 cans of Tomato Sauce (15 oz can)
  • 1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon of Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon of Pepper
  • A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
  • Bowtie Noodles

Directions: Cook the sausage and the ground beef with the onion and drain. In a large pot add meat, water, tomato sauce, chicken stock, tomatoes, and all the seasonings. Simmer for 30 minutes. Cook the noodles and add just before serving.

The BEST part: We call this the Cheesy Yumminess! Once you’ve dipped your soup in bowls, add 2 spoonfuls of cottage or ricotta cheese, a handful of shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Mix it all up and eat it with some good French bread. Tastes just like Lasagna, except better!

You Just Never Know…

There have been many times someone would say, they are so weird, or they are always angry, or they are so_______, whatever, you fill in the blank. I always say, you never know what’s really going on with people.

No matter what it looks like on the outside, everyone has some junk going on that you don’t know about. You never know where they are in life. You never know what their financial situations is. You never know what they are grieving. You never know what they are feeling. You never know what family drama they may have going on. You never know what state their marriage is in. Like I said before, everyone’s got some junk going on in their lives. I promise you they do. Their junk may not be as huge as yours, but they do.

Just. Be. Kind.

It may not always be a huge gesture or an in-depth conversation, but even a simple smile or a kind word can go a long way in someone’s life. It can literally make or break their spirit.

For example:

There are whole groups of people that hate my husband and me. Mostly his politics, but some hate us personally too. They hate the very people we are and everything we stand for. I’m not telling you this for sympathy or to cause any arguments. We know what we believe and he thinks long and hard and weighs all the consequences and all the people it will affect before he takes a stand for or against an issue. We know what his position in state politics means for our family, and sometimes you see the ugly side of friends and neighbors. That’s the hard part, friends and neighbors. Or for me, since I live in my hometown, it’s people I’ve known my whole life.

About a year ago, one of these groups was mad about an issue and because of the day we live in, it was all over social media. They questioned if we could even be Christians, accused us of taking bribes, being corrupt, passing legislation for personal gain, etc. etc. I usually just close my account for a few weeks or sometimes months and that way at least I don’t have to see or hear it, but this was everywhere. We were in the thick of baseball season, which meant, me all by myself, packing my 6 kids and growing belly, all our baseball stuff, supper (because it gets expensive eating at the ballpark every night!), all the toys to keep the toddler occupied, and the diaper bag etc etc (you get the gist) to whichever ballpark we were playing at that night. I was sitting there waiting for the game to get started when I heard it-a group of people talking about me, my husband, and what horrible people we were. Yes, they said, those exact words. We were horrible people. You can probably imagine how I felt. The thing about it is when a few people hate you, you start to feel like everyone does. That’s kinda where I was at, at this point in life. (Again, don’t feel sorry for me, I’ve hardened over the years, and that is NOT the point of this story!) BUT then, a lady came over and spoke to me. I know her and her family, but I wouldn’t say we are best friends. We didn’t talk long, she asked me a few questions about the baby. We exchanged small talk and then she left. What was so earth shattering about this was because it was her profession that had been so nasty. It was a group of her colleagues that had said those things just minutes earlier. She had NO idea that I was sitting there all alone after a really hard day, trying to fight back tears because someone had just called me a horrible person. She had NO idea that I felt like her entire profession hated and misunderstood my family. She had NO idea that I just needed someone to be kind. But she was. It took NOTHING for her to have a 3 minute conversation with an acquaintance at the ballpark. It takes nothing to be kind ya’ll.

Just. Be. Kind.

My mother died quite unexpectedly when I was 25. It changed me in ways I can’t possible even explain, but one thing it DID do, was make me AWARE. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 11 years since her death is, you just never know what people have going on.

Just. Be. Kind.

I remember a few months after she died, I was at the grocery store, and a lady was really short with me, and I remember thinking, I just wish she knew. I just wish she knew how sad I am, and that I just need someone to be nice to me. I think about that now, and I wonder how many of these opportunities to be gentle with hurting people that I have missed because I was busy or just didn’t care. I’m not always perfect at this, but the last 11 years have taught me that there are a world of hurting people out there that may not always look like it on the outside. Christ is the ultimate comforter, but He can use us! How many times have I missed a chance to be Christ’s hands and feet to someone who needed a “touch” from Him? We have opportunities all around us to make their situation better or worse, sometimes with just a smile, or a hug, or phone call, or maybe a simple conversation with that lady sitting alone at the ballpark.

Lactation Cookies for Breastfeeding mothers

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

Breastfeeding has by far been one of the most stressful, yet rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’ve been on this journey with 7 babies for over 11 years (still going 😉) and each of them is a little different. Once my milk came in, I didn’t worry much about how much milk I had, but there were a few times that I felt like I need to boost my supply for one reason or another. These cookies are not only yummy but also will help to build supply. You can also read HERE for some more tips on breastfeeding troubles.

Need a boost in your milk supply? Try these delicious cookies!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 6 Tablespoons of Brewer’s Yeast
  • 1 Teaspoon of salt
  • 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon of baking soda
  • 3 Tablespoons of ground flax
  • 5 Tablespoons of water
  • 1 Cup of butter
  • 3/4 Cup of brown sugar
  • 3/4 Cup of white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon of vanilla
  • 2 1/2 Cups of old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1/2 Cup of coconut (optional)
  • 1/2 Cup walnuts (optional)
  • 1 1/2 Cups of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix flaxseed meal and water together. Let it set for 2-4 minutes.

Mix together flour, brewer’s yeast, salt, cinnamon, baking soda.

Cream together butter, sugars, and eggs. Stir in flaxseed mixture and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well.

Last, stir in oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts. Stir until blended.

Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, drop onto baking sheet.

Put in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

ENJOY with some milk 😉

A few of my favorite ingredients:

Trouble with the Girls (aka Breastfeeding Problems and solutions)

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

**Disclaimer: MEN, you may want to shield your eyes! Graphic pictures and content of breasts doing what the girls were made to do…feed babies!

After nursing 7 babies, I think I’ve had just about every problem and breastfeeding-associated ailment, that you can name. I actually did a lot of research before I had my first child and I still wasn’t prepared for some of these! I’m sure there are many other conditions and problems that are possible, but these were the common ones for me and how I dealt with them. As always, this is my personal experience and advice. I’m not a healthcare professional and do not claim to be.

Clogged/blocked ducts: These can happen for a variety of different reasons such as oversupply, poor latch, change in feeding schedule, not fully draining the breast, or pressure on certain spots (such as an underwire). The main reasons I have personally experienced these is because of underwire and skipping feedings. This is probably the most frequent nursing related ailment I have struggled with, even to the point that I’ve delayed solids because inevitably when I started introducing solids and altered my feeding schedule, I would have multiple clogged ducts to deal with. I exclusively breastfed until around 8 months, and this seemed to help with this transition.

What helps: Make sure you have a good latch. Their jaw needs to be dropped and their mouth needs to cover the areola, not just the nipple. Think “open wide” 😂 I noticed that clogged ducts were more frequent when I wore underwire so I had to pretty much stop wearing bras with underwire except for occasionally. I found some really supportive breastfeeding tank tops (link below) and that is what I pretty much live in for a year! The other thing that helped me was to just try and keep a pretty regular feeding schedule. With my first few kids this was hard, life was busy and I felt like I was just planning my life 2-3 hours at a time, but the more comfortable I have gotten with feeding anywhere (and I promise, I’ve fed just about everywhere!) the easier it is to keep a schedule and not let my breasts get too full. Short term, hot compresses, showers, loose clothing, plenty of fluids, massaging the area while nursing, changing nursing positions (football hold or nursing on all fours so gravity can work), pain relievers, and rest are all things that have helped me deal with clogged ducts.

Mastitis: The very mention makes me shudder! 😩 If you’ve had mastitis, you get it. SO painful and awful! Mastitis is a painful infection of the breast tissue due to a clogged duct or bacteria entering the breast. It can result in swelling, fever, chills, heat of infected area, and breast pain. Luckily I’ve only had mastitis a few times, but when I did, it started out as clogged milk ducts that I didn’t “take care of” and it ended with mastitis. You basically feel like you have the flu!

What helps: Antibiotics. If you have mastitis, it is recommended that you see a doctor. There are some natural home remedies you can try, but if my clogged ducts ever got far enough that I had fever, an antibiotic was the only way I could get it to clear up. Short term, hot compresses, hot showers, loose clothing, rest, fluids, and try to keep nursing even though it HURTS!

Build supply: Early on, my lactation consultant told me that breastfeeding was supply and demand. It really is! There have been a couple times that I wanted to build my supply. It was not an overnight success, but it can work with some patience and consistency.

*Side note: One thing to remember is how little your baby REALLY needs! I hear Mom’s say all the time, that they don’t have enough milk, and that is true in some cases, but for the most part, I think we just expect them to need more. As new moms we are worried about how much our babies are eating, but especially in those first few month’s their stomachs are so small they don’t need quantity just consistent small portions. I have heard it described that when a baby is born, there stomach is the size of a gumball! That puts things in perspective!

What helps: What worked best for me was pumping after feeding. I would feed the baby and then I would pump for a few minutes after each feeding. At first, I would not get very much milk, but as I stayed consistent, my supply increased. I will not lie, this was hard and time consuming, but it worked. I also used lactation cookies and herbal tea (links below) that seemed to help in conjunction with pumping. If you want to take the herbs by pill or capsule look for fenugreek, blessed thistle, and alfalfa.

Blebs: This was something I did not deal with until my fourth child and had never heard of them! A nipple bleb is a white or yellow spot that forms at the end of a milk duct. It is a pooling of the milk under the skin. Often times they are in conjunction with clogged ducts, but not always. Blebs can be caused by friction form a powerful suck, or rubbing from clothing on the nipple.

What helps: Again, make sure you have a good latch. Drink plenty of water and fluids. These seemed to be directly correlated with my diet. If I didn’t drink enough, if I’d gotten busy and not eaten well or had alot of greasy food (can we say pizza?), then I would inevitably get one of these. Lecithin. It works so well that I take one pretty much everyday to keep the blebs at bay. It can be found at any store that sells vitamins. Apply heat and massage while you nurse to try and work it out or open it up. You can “pop” it, but it may or may not help. This has helped mine a few times, but mostly, I feel like it just opens it up for bacteria. Keep your nipples moisturized. Sounds funny, right!? Some people pay lots of money for wrinkle cream, and I say a good nipple cream is worth it’s weight in gold! 😜 Keep those girls moisturized and keep on nursing! They will eventually “work themselves out”.

Weaning: When it’s time to wean, your baby will let you know. I have fed all my babies for around a year, some a little longer, but I’ve always known when it was time to wean. I will say this is probably different for everyone, but this is my experience. If you want to feed your baby until they are 3, go for it, if you don’t, go for it! Your baby, your business. Your child will give you cues that they want to nurse for food or comfort. As they get older (over 1 year of age), I don’t turn them away, but I don’t offer unless they have shown signs that they want to nurse. As your child grows, they will gradually nurse less and less over time and in my opinion, this is the best scenario for you both. That way you don’t have any engorgements and they still feel safe and comforted. My kids have gradually cut back until they are only breastfeeding before nap and bedtime. This way they, are mostly nursing for comfort and when the time comes, something else can be replaced to comfort them at bedtime. Again, this is different for everybody, but a gradual tapering off has been the best for me and my kids.

Sore Nipples: Mostly this is a problem early on in breastfeeding for me, when the nipples are “toughening”, but anyone can experience soreness from time to time due to dryness, cracking, biting, or long nursing sessions. Out of necessity, as with most of my home remedies, I made my own cream because of dry, cracked, and sore nipples. You can check it out here.

What helps: Breastmilk is magic! Putting some breastmilk on your nipples after feedings can help. It is antibacterial and provides plenty of moisture! Keep them moisturized with a good nipple cream. Make sure the latch is good. Again, think “open wide”. 😉 Change up positions frequently to avoid friction on specific parts of your nipple. Gel pads and compresses are always helpful to me and sooth soreness. Also, realize that more than one factor can be causing sore nipples and it may take a little time to figure out what is the root problem. In the mean time, my advise is to keep a good latch and moisturize!

FIND SUPPORT! Whether it be from friends or family members, professional lactation consultant, or a group through the La Leche League, support is SO important! I have been blessed that I had a very great and supportive lactation consultant early on, and I am 100% sure that if I hadn’t had her advice and answers to my unending questions, I would never have been successful at breastfeeding. So find your support, find your people!

MY FAVORITES: (supplies for breastfeeding)

My favorite nipple creamhttps://www.etsy.com/listing/757282119/happy-hooters-nipple-cream

My favorite nursing bra without underwire– I’ve tried ALOT of nursing bras with my 7 kids, but this is one of my most favorites! It is supportive without underwire, soft, and super comfortable. It has also held up really well through a lot of washes and wear.

https://www.motherhood.com/seamless-removable-pads-maternity-and-nursing-bra

Easy and Delicious Lactation Cookies: These are super easy to make and taste good too! RECIPE HERE!

Best nursing tops– These are THE BEST! I’ve had alot of nursing tops over the years, but this style is by far my favorite. They are extra long so they cover plenty of my postpartum belly. They are also really stretchy so they fit no matter what stage of postpartum my body is in. And they are surprisingly supportive for a full bust size without underwire that may cause irritation.

My FAVORITE leggings– These have been a lifesaver for me post partum. You can imagine what my stomach muscles are like after 7 pregnancies, so these are supportive but not uncomfortable. They are high quality and have lasted through all my washes. I have literally worn them at least 4-5 days a week since I gave birth in July. They are thick and soft, but not too hot. They come up really high so they give support AND hide my belly while nursing, but unlike others they don’t roll and fall down. They stay in place all day no matter what activities I’m doing and I don’t have to constantly tug and pull on them. In my opinion, every new Mama needs these!

My favorite nursing nightgown– It is super soft and comfy and makes nighttime nursing SO easy.

Lactation Tea– You can check out what I made here. Or you can always purchase the ingredients at a health food store or online and make your own! I like to use Mountain Rose Herbs. If you are making your own, make sure you have reusable tea bags. I love these for all kinds of tea and have truly gotten my money’s worth out of them! You can find them HERE.

Gel Nursing Pads– These are so good for when you first start breastfeeding and have some soreness. These can be put in the freezer and used cool to help soothe your breasts for a variety of reasons.