DIY bath bombs

DIY Bath Bombs

This is an overdue post but I wanted to share because these were so much fun to make!  Now that I know how to make them, the possibilities are endless.  

We had a wee little BLIZZARD here in Maryland about a month ago.  It snowed about 3 feet, and we were all stuck inside our houses for days.  Things got a little crazy, picture 'The Shining' but not just one family in a big hotel, but a couple thousand families in multiple houses!  No joke, the minute the plows started to get to the neighborhoods, the traffic in our town looked like Christmas Eve shopping traffic.  Er'body went CRAZY being stuck inside for so long!!  The snow was so fun and pretty though, I love a good snow storm.  And who wouldn't love being snowed in with a cute baby?!?!  Shameless plug for cute Zach pics...

 

He wasn't big fan of the snow, but who can blame him?  It's cold and wet and momma wouldn't let him play in it yet (because hello...it was taller than he is!) so we'll have to try again next time.

So, in order to save my family from a crazy wife/mom/stepmom, I got to work on fun little projects during our 2nd winter break from school.  I've been wanting to make my own bath bombs.  I got together a ton of supplies that a few different websites mentioned, but didn't end up needing everything here in the picture.

I landed on this recipe from The Beauty Bar, and it worked great.  If you follow that one exactly, but change what oil scents you use, you will love the result.  I wasn't sure how it would work with coloring these substances, but it was so easy, and hands work the best.  Sure it's a little messy, but it goes fast.  I made all 12 bath bombs during nap time...which was about an hour that day.

It was so simple.  Just mix, color, mix and then put into molds or cupcake liners, like I did.  You need to let them dry out over 24 hours, but then they are ready for use!  I wondered if they would hold up after drying and they totally did!

I am definitely ordering little molds for these so I can make legit "Lush-like" bath bombs.  Ashley and I are obsessed with LUSH, but we each spend about $40 every time we go...and that is way too pricey for 4 or 5 bath delights.  This is MUCH cheaper.  Healthier wallet = Happy Tina :)

This purplish-blue one is Lavender/Relaxation.  Here you can see it fizzing in the bath...it was so exciting!

I didn't make mine too dark in color, because I was fearful of staining the bath or myself, but I shouldn't have worried.  The color went down the drain with the water, no stains on either of us!

Let me know if you try them, and what scents you liked best.  Mine were Lavender/Relax; Green/Deep Muscle relief; and Rejuvenating/Lemongrass & Orange.  I need to work on some better labels.  Next time!

Enjoy!

All things mom

Good morning!  It's 5:00 am! A certain someone woke up a bit early today, he was hungry, of course.  This little Valentine of mine is going through a growth spurt and getting 4 teeth at once!  So we had a bottle and he is back in his crib, Momma is currently trying to get him to fall back to sleep but so far, it has not been a very successful mission.  I keep trying to tell him that if it's dark outside, we sleep!  He hasn't gotten the memo yet, but hey, he is only 8 months old.  
I took a long break from blogging when I went back to work in September.  I needed the time to transition into a full time mom who works (lol, not a full time working mom.  I feel Mom-ing comes first, everything else comes second!)  It wasn't too bad a transition, although my heart definitely breaks every time I go to work now.  
Being Zachary's mom has been amazing and full of joy.  Yes, I guess you could say it's hard too, but I try not to focus on that part of motherhood as much as possible.  Those first few weeks are tough, but after that I think I got my groove.  Part of the hard is the WORLD.  There are so many things to worry about, so many opinions to dodge, so many reasons to think I am making a mistake with my child.  So many thoughts that can make me believe I am not a good mom.  Thankfully with Jesus and tons of prayer, we are getting through this parenting thing day by day and loving the adventure, whether we are good at it or not!
The lessons I am learning as a parent are beautiful ones too.  These lessons sometimes contradict what I felt I have always believed, or fly in the face of things that other people believe, but I am surprised to learn how much my love for this little person makes me just not care about what I used to think or what others think.  My house is usually always a mess, but I have learned to love that.  My space has been taken over by all things baby and you know what?  I love it.  If we all need sleep and that means Zachary sleeps (safely) between Dave and I?  We do it.  If I needed to stop breastfeeding at 2 months for everyone I love and their sanity (but mostly mine and Z's), that was a decision I made and haven't turned back since.  Being a mom, I've learned very slowly that I have to do what works for us, what makes Zachary happy, what makes me happy, and just go with it.  When my decisions are backed in love and prayer and doing what I think is right, I am much more confident about myself.  
I used to think we could spoil a baby, but I don't believe that anymore.  Zachary runs the show right now, and we are ok with it.  From he beginning until about a month ago, our world completely revolved around him and his needs and his schedule.  We are slowly starting to make a transition where his schedule doesn't rule us all as much, and where he can't get "everything" he wants anymore, but that is because since he has been mobile, he has been more demanding of things he can't have.  Things like climbing up the stairs, and putting trash in his mouth, and trying to drink momma's wine, lol.  It's a tough change when you have to start saying "no".  We are trying hard to say things like, "Not right now" or "Not for Zachary" or even "Maybe later!!"  You should see his face when we tell him he can't have or do something, what a little attitude!  We have to constantly tell ourselves not to laugh, because I am sure that will come back to bite us later when we really have to start disciplining!  
I have found that being a parent, especially after our loss of the twins, has come with so much happiness.  I love every.single.moment.  I can't wait to wake up and see him in the morning.  I can't wait to get home from school and hug him.  I try to do everything in my power to make this little human happy.  His smile lights me up from the inside like I never knew was possible.  I cherish every new sound, every new movement, and every one of those 4 brand new teeth.  Yes we have bad days, and times where one or both of us just need a sanity break, but overall we have so much joy in our little home because of Zachary.  God as truly blessed us, and we are ever so thankful.  
Zachary is 8 and 1/2 months now.  He grows before my very eyes.  One moment he is a tiny baby who sleeps all day, and magically he is now this little ball of energy who wakes up smiling every day, standing in his crib and waving to me as I come to pick him up.  He sleeps through the night most of the time, 10-12 hours.  He has been crawling since Christmas Eve, that was a truly special time.  He says all sorts of sounds, but the only coherent one is "Mama" which right now he says to everything but when he says it to me, or calls me, my heart melts in a million puddles.  At church a few weeks ago, during worship, he started singing.  This baby is so HAPPY, his smile can light up anyones day!  He eats all kinds of things, I gave up on making the baby purees about a month ago because he would rather pick up little pieces of whatever we are eating and feed himself.  I still spoon feed him yogurt, my homemade applesauce, and some of those Annie's soups.  He just loves all food.  He will still be formula fed until he is one, but let me tell you I can't wait for the day we don't have to make that stuff as much anymore.  Although I can't even think about him turning one in a few months, time goes way too fast when they are this little, doesn't it?  I think every stage so far has been my favorite stage, but this age he is right now has been so much fun.  He really is our little explorer and it's a honor to get to watch him learn and grow!
Now that he is a little older, I feel that I have time to do some of the things I used to love to do before we had this little monster.  I have time to read, I have time to be creative, I have time for friends and fun.  Of course, in the earlier months I DID have time for those things, but I chose to sleep instead!  Sleep was important to me when I could manage it, because I never knew when I'd be able to sleep again.  Anyways, I'm back to blogging about life because it's something I really enjoy!  There have been so many things I've wanted to blog about over the past few months, but the thought of actually doing it made me tired ;)  Now I think I am ready again.  I love sharing our life and little tips about love, life and parenting that I find along the way.  So I'll see you again really soon!
PS: The baby fell back to sleep, Praise the Lord!  I'm going to go drink some coffee in silence! ;)