DIY salt scrub soothes dry summer skin!

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a relaxing week with my family at the Jersey Shore (it's not all GTL, folks!). We played on the beach, took long bike rides, checked out the island's many playgrounds, did some bird watching in the marshes, and just generally had a fabulous week of active family time.

Monty's "Bee" gives him a lesson in shallow water boogie boarding

All of these great activities left us covered in sweat, sand, and sunscreen at the end of the day... a stinky and sticky combination! Luckily my mom left a batch of her homemade salt scrub in the enclosed outdoor shower for all to use. My skin has never felt more refreshed! So I thought I would share with you all this super easy homemade salt scrub recipe so you can all feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Enjoy!

DIY Salt Scrub
Ingredients

• Coarse salt (sea salt or kosher will do)
• Baby oil
• Plastic container with a lid (any "tupperware" container will do)

Directions

1. Pour salt and oil into the container. The ratio is 1:1 (1 part salt to 1 part oil). No need to mix as the salt inevitably sinks to the bottom. Make as little or as much as you want.
   
2. Apply in small amounts in the shower with a circular motion using your hands, washcloth or bath mitt- avoiding sensitive areas like the face and neck. Rinse and pat dry. Your skin should feel gently exfoliated and moisturized.

Possible substitutions- You can substitute raw/turbinado sugar for salt but beware of attracting ants. Other oils that you can use include almond oil, extra virgin coconut oil, scented baby oil, or vegetable oils (but you probably want to avoid olive oil because it is a bit smelly). A few drops of essential oils can be added for fragrance as well.

A word of warning: this may leave your bathtub/shower feeling a bit slippery because of oil build-up on the tub/tiles so be careful!

Staying Fit on Vacation

Here's my little guy on the beach in Ocean City, NJ- he LOVES the beach!

I've been so blessed this summer with a couple of wonderful family beach vacations. One week in Holden Beach, NC with my husband's family, one week in Ocean City, NJ with my family and various weekends with more of my husband's family in Carolina Beach, NC. While it is a treat to be at the beach it is not easy to fit in my workout when I am away from our daily routine!

A few weeks ago I drafted this blog post for WRAL's Go Ask Mom blog and it has been such great accountability for me. I can't go on vacation and not workout after writing about staying fit on vacation! Plus- I knew I had my Stroller Strides ladies to come home to... I couldn't come back out of shape!


So please read my latest blog post... at this address:

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/goaskmom/blogpost/8020727/

And leave me a comment if you want to share about the exercise you got while on vacation!

In January of 2010 my son celebrated his 1st birthday. Around that same time, people started asking that age-old question, “Ready for another one?” My response at that time was, “The only thing I’m birthing right now is a business!”
This post marks the birthday of another “baby” of mine- this blog! What a big year 2010 has been already! And no- I don’t have any other future birth announcements to make at this time- but I’ll keep you posted!
So to catch us up here I’m going to give you a brief synopsis of our year so far:

*January- Monty turned 1 and it snowed!


*February/March: I bought a Stroller Strides franchise and become a certified prenatal and postnatal fitness instructor and then left the country for a week! Our tropical getaway, Isla Mujeres, was a great break from reality and fun times with family!



*We celebrated the very first Stroller Strides class at our Grand Opening Event on April 23rd!


*Classes continue, our group grows and I love all of the moms and kids who come to our classes and Luna Moms Club activities.


Full disclosure: I’m not a writer or an experienced blogger but I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a nurse, an educator, a prenatal and postnatal fitness instructor, and a mompreneur (though sometimes I forget that I own a business and I find myself telling people that I’m a SAHM (stay at home mom)). I’m just excited to share my motherhood and mompreneur journey with you… thanks for coming along for the ride!