Diary of a Mad Housegirl...

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fun at the Chinese restaurant!

Seven months ago today, the reason I no longer dread this day arrived! After spending most of the past decade trying unsuccessfully to become parents (mostly through the "if it happens, it happens" method), I can say that I really did "hate" both Mother's Day and Father's Day. No more though! Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies out there (especially my own Mom {who is here with me for a week and a little bit}, my Mother in law {as close as we can be to it anyway}, my sister, & sister in law {who is trying to do it all over again and I can't wait to be an aunt again!})!

Just coming in from outside...

Also, coming up this week is the anniversary of my Dad's passing...13 years have gone by, it really doesn't seem like that long ago. Gabriel carries a little bit of his grandfather around with him (his middle name was my Dad's name), he also looks a lot like him in certain aspects. He does this forehead wrinkle thing that only my Dad could do...it's so cute! I really wish my Dad had stuck around to meet his grand kids...he would have had such a blast having 5 grandsons.

Here's the forehead wrinkle thing!

p.s.--I'm not a nut job, up early today (I wrote this on Monday and scheduled it...'cause I can).

Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips - A Review

2013-05-10T10:53:00.004-07:00

Time for another review of a product sent to me by BzzAgent! This one came around the same time I dropped off the low-carb diet again (I just didn't have a good support system in place and was struggling anyway and then had the issues of going dairy-free for a while on top of that), so I was happy to try these "chips"! Of course, the Zesty Cheddar ones do have dairy in them, but by the time the box arrived on my doorstep, we had ruled out a milk allergy for the little guy.

I'll start with the Zesty Cheddar flavor since I've already mentioned them. They are good...shaped a bit like Doritos, but don't expect these to taste like a Nacho Doritos, you will be disappointed! None the less, they are good and I would probably buy these again if I weren't going back on my diet as soon as possible (next week)! After several chips, I did notice a "vegetable" taste to them, or rather an after-taste, but I liked them.

The Sweet Potato chips I was really looking forward to! I had tried a version at my Mother's house that were actual sliced sweet potatoes and they were excellent! These are not...these are made out of sweet potato (and regular white potato) powder! They didn't taste like a sweet potato at all either. I received a full-size bag and several "snack bags" of this flavor. After trying one of the snack bags (you know, the single serving size you can get out of a vending machine or at Subway type), I took the larger bag in to my hand therapist's office and let them all share it. The assistant that does a good portion of my therapy treatments told me the bag was gone by the end of the work day! I also left all of my coupons for this campaign there so they could buy more if they liked them or wanted to try the Zesty Cheddar flavor.

Overall, these were good, but not great. Fir the price at Walmart ($1.98 for the full size bag), I might buy them for the kids, but at Kroger pricing (almost $5 for the same bag), I'd skip it and get them something better for them anyway.

Household Happenings...

2013-05-06T09:29:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, I finally accomplished a task that I have been meaning to get done since January (or so)...I got the Christmas tree taken down! I know, I know...it's May and the tree was still up...but no more! Also, we figured out why part of the tree wouldn't light up at Christmas...I missed a plug! There was an outlet plug dangling between sections when I took the center portion of the tree apart, oops! At least that means it should all light up next year (you know, in about 5 months), assuming I remember there are four plugs to plug in.

Taken while Garrick was searching the garage for the bag the tree goes in.

Also, a little update on my last post (this one)...I got a miniature hydroponic system set up over the weekend (it was a productive weekend). It's an $11 grow light from Walmart (the whole fixture is cheaper to replace than just the bulb), an "upcycled" water container (empty coffee can), a planter I paid $1 for and got four of them (Dollar Tree), a handful of decorative rocks (another Dollar Tree purchase, I can probably do eight of these planters with one bag of the rocks), a plant (in this case, a Celery regrow from the base of a stock of Celery I purchased from the grocery store and put in water to see if it would grow...it did), and an air "system" (teeny air stone {2-pack at Walmart for $1.38}, 8' line of 1/4" hose {Walmart in the fish section, $1.88}, and a small air pump {also in the fish section, $6.33 for the 5-15 gallon air pump}). I have the whole thing sitting on the back of the toilet in the Master bathroom because it gave me easy access to two outlets (one for the light and one for the air pump), but when I get the larger system done, I'll have to run a cord out to power the system. I turn the grow light off from 11pm to 7am (or rather 6:30am when I get in the shower), giving the plant about 16 hours of "light" if my math is right...

We are also loving Baby Led Weaning (or rather, Baby Led Feeding since he is not being weaned at all)! Photographic evidence to follow...

"Baby food"! Bananas, Apples, and Sweet Potatoes.

"Dinner" one night was steamed Apples and Sweet Potatoes with a fried Egg (yolk).

So serious about his food...

Whole Wheat Toast with Avocado smeared on...

He loves egg yolks...especially runny, but hard/medium is okay too.

Another hit!


Tomatoes are yummy too (but plug him up because he can swallow whole chunks without chewing well enough).

Gabriel's preferred method of eating a Banana, he doesn't like holding on to them!

Pre-dinner happiness out at IHOP! He had egg yolk (runny because they couldn't figure out how to hard cook an egg without scrambling it).

I love having a video monitor and really don't know why we didn't get one sooner (other than the fact that they cost an arm and a leg...)! I'm so glad Garrick noticed this one on clearance ($50, can you believe it?)! Now that we have it mounted on the wall, we don't end up with "creepy baby pictures" like this one because the infrared lights are out of Gabriel's line of sight, he does occasionally still look for it though.

Since Picture Me Studios went under (and took advantage of so many people...the parent company, CPI, owned all of the Sears and Walmart portrait studios), we've gone to JC Penney's portrait studio (run by Lifetouch...they do all school photos as well). They are expensive though! The paper quality is better, but I hate the studio itself...it's tiny and hot, and for the most part, if you want props that don't look like they've been run over by a truck, you have to bring them yourself. They also won't airbrush the photos like Walmart did...and since my child is prone to causing himself bodily harm (scratches while he sleeps), both his 6 and 7 month portraits have "head wounds" in them. I asked on the 7 month ones if she could "touch it up" to get rid of the big scratch down his forehead and got told they "couldn't do that"...it's all done digitally and the computer program should do it without issue....it irks me. Also, the camera stopped working halfway through his session, she didn't notice (other than that the camera wasn't reacting as fast as it normally does), and we lost some really great pictures of him! We ended up spending over 2 hours there trying to get portraits and order them. I'm on the hunt for somewhere else to go...what I'd really love to find is someone who can do them and give us a CD (or other means of digital storage) with the whole thing on it for less than what Penney's wants ($150 for a CD that doesn't include any of the photos they deem "unworthy", which are usually my favorites)! I like having them print 8x10s and stuff...but if I have to go have them printed somewhere, I'm all good with that too.

6 month portrait session!


7 month portrait session!

Other randomness...

In our "too small for Mom or Dad" baby carrier...it shouldn't be up on my neck like that, but that's where it goes...I'd love an ErgoBaby Sport carrier (in black)!

Tired baby passed out in the car...we get so many compliments for him in his shades! They have little red flames on the sides. Macular Degeneration runs in my family, so it's shades on when we go outside!

Rosie willingly lays down with Gabriel these days (this time he rolled to her though). He is very gentle...until he can reach her fur that he can sink his fingers into, then he pulls out handfuls!

One last "recent" project...from a few weeks ago actually. We finally got around to replacing the awful chandelier that hung in our Dining Room (which is now more of a Family Room that happens to be off the Kitchen and has a table in it)! It's darker overall than the old light, but with a few lamps we should be able to regain more light if we really need it, so far this has been plenty. A second one of these in the Kitchen would be great, but that's pushing my luck a bit since we replaced that fixture a few years ago (with an extremely cheap round light with three bulbs). As we slowly replace fixtures in the house, we are changing them all to Brushed Nickel...the old ones are all Brass.

Our new light fixture in our Dining room!

The best part about the new fixture though is that it is very close to the ceiling, so Garrick can easily move around the Dining Room without smacking his head on the lights! Even I had to be careful of where I walked or moved in there because I'd hit it and I'm an entire foot shorter!

My Latest "Cockamamie Scheme/Idea"...

2013-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

So...I know I want to grow "stuff" again this Summer. I also know I won't have as much time to devote to my plants this year (baby and all, you know). But, I got to wandering around on Instructables...because I wanted to see if I could easily set up a growing situation in my garage to use year-round. I'd really love it if I could grow tomatoes, Sweet potatoes, peppers, strawberries, etc... all the time, especially with starting up Gabriel on "real" food (we're doing baby-led weaning).

A Ginger Plant growing. Not mine...found here.

The first thing I found that I want to try (well the first thing I think I can actually pull off without spending an arm and a leg) is growing my own Ginger! We use this a ton during the Summer mostly! We love it on Barbequed Shrimp! The instructions were based off someone else reading this post and doing it himself (or herself). I need to clean a little space off of my Kitchen windowsill before I can start this one though...right now I have a Celery stalk that is "re-growing", 3 bunches of Green Onion (also re-growing), and 5 Avocado Seeds trying to sprout (the sixth one died). Also, I have my Stevia plant (a Sugar Bush) happily growing away up there, that means I have no "windowsill real estate" right now!

Something like this...maybe.

Some things I need to look into before even truly considering growing in the garage though...cost of grow lights (these can be very expensive) and fish (or other nutrient source). I could use trout, but then I'd need a huge set up and I'd have to learn to catch/kill/eat them too because otherwise they'd just get ginormous (I guess I could give away or sell them as they got too big too). I don't like trout, so that's going to take some thinking...also, where does one purchase live trout from? If I find a "homemade" setup I like and think I can do relatively easily (I did see someone growing lettuce above a Beta Fish tank (they didn't have to eat the Beta)...I could do that, fairly cheaply too), I may give this a small-scale go before going to the full-scale "farm in the garage" approach. Also, I'm horrible at growing anything from seed, so I'll need to look for plant starts I can get locally (love the herbs/veggies/fruits at Fred Meyer in the Spring....huge variety)!

Things I need to look at...

fish (yes/no? Type (goldfish, Beta, Trout...)?)
getting air in there (pumps, bubblers, etc...)
light source (grow lights or only use during the spring/summer outside)
nutrient source (either for the fish or for the plants directly)

For now, it's just a thought...we aren't passed the overnight freezes just yet, so I still have time before I really want to get anything going...and growing in the garage would probably be something to start now, but not get anything planted in until next Spring anyway (giving me time to gather all materials, run a small-scale "test", and do further research...and listen to Garrick complain about "yet another thing that he doesn't give a flying flip about").

I'm off to add Ginger Root to next weekend's shopping list!

Helping Where I Can...

2013-04-10T10:12:00.002-07:00

I feel like these days, I post nothing but baby updates and product reviews...which is about all I have time for, but I feel like a total slacker! You guys want recipes, chicken & garden updates, and craft ideas...right?

Well, those are all going to have to wait a little bit. (You thought I was gonna be productive here, huh?) Today I want to talk about another Mommy in my Facebook Mommy group(s) [We splintered into three or four groups a few months ago.] Yesterday, her family was devastated by a fire that engulfed their home, she, her husband, their little girl, and the family dogs are unharmed (physically), but they lost everything else in the fire. I'm doing what I can by sending off the size 2 diapers that our son has outgrown (her baby is on the smaller side), but that's only about half a package, along with a box of Rice Cereal, a package of wipes (that I swiped from Gabriel's stash), and then I plan to add a bag of dog treats and maybe a few small toys to the box to help fill in the space left.

She uses Gerber brand formula, so I'm looking for coupons for that (it's the one formula I do not have sample cans of, of course, or I'd send those too) and anything else I can help provide her family. Luckily, we have an awesome group of women and many others are also sending items to her family (clothes, essentials like shampoo, and housewares), I just wish I could do more! Heck, if I was closer, I'd make a road trip and take some clothes to them too (but, Pennsylvania is a bit of a drive from Washington)!

If you or anyone you know gets Gerber coupons, but doesn't use them, please consider passing them on to a Momma in need! I do this with all my "baby coupons", I signed up for all of them while pregnant, but since Gabriel is a breastfed baby, we don't use them at all (and we're also doing "Baby Led Weaning", so we don't use baby food either). I pass them along to those that do use them as they come in the mail to me (just sent a package of coupons out to a Mom using Similac and have an Enfamil coupon sitting next to me waiting to go out today/tomorrow to another Mom.

Triple Fun Exersaucer!

In other news...we got Gabriel a "new to us" Exersaucer at Sweet Repeat over the weekend and he loves it! I picked it up for $36 after using my 20% off card I had been saving!

Baby enforced weaning! He wanted to try my Apple slice!

Our freezer(s)! The bigger one is new because we filled the small one up!

New freezer packed so we can defrost little one! 16 soda boxes all filled with boob juice in there!


Crocheted "dynamite" in progress! Just needs stuffed and finished off!

Baby shades!

Easter! He was unsure about all the "stuff" (Cadbury's were for Dad...).

Nescafe Memento - A Review

2013-03-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Another BzzCampaign is coming to a close...

I was given the opportunity to try Nescafe Memento coffee drinks, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was given a box (each box holds 8 servings) of each flavor; Mocha, Cappuccino, and Caramel Latte.

Mocha tasted very chocolatey, but like a watered down chocolate, it was semi-disappointing to have such a "watered down" flavor. Frothy, yes, but I don't think I would purchase more than one box of these if I were trying them out on my own. Mocha is normally a favorite flavor in my house too!

Cappuccino, otherwise known as "Coffee flavor", was the least sweet flavor of the bunch. It did taste like a good, strong, cup of coffee and had a ton of foam on top! I wasn't impressed by the flavor, but when I got to the bottom of the cup, there were spoonfuls of foam left that I had to dig out with my spoon! I love a good foam...in fact, I think it's the best part of an "ordered" cup of coffee (a latte from a major coffee house chain...)! But, I would need to add some sort of flavoring to this one, it just wasn't "sweet enough".

Lastly, the Caramel Latte flavor! I actually tried this one out first and it is the only flavor I would purchase again, if I were to purchase them again (more on this in a bit). To me, it smelled and tasted a bit like buttered popcorn...but I'm still a little stuffed up, maybe more like Caramel corn (which would make more sense). By far, this was my favorite flavor.

Now for what I really didn't like about these...the sugar content! Each serving of this coffee flavored beverage has an average of 18 grams of sugar/other carbohydrates! This is what will keep me from purchasing these. Since I eat on a low carbohydrate diet (25-30 grams net a day currently), one of these eats up more than half a day's "allowed" carbohydrates! Yes, I drank 3 of these yesterday...I was having a bad day due to a sick infant and I said "To heck with it, I'm going to test these out and get back to the losing weight thing tomorrow", but my blood sugars were not happy with that decision and neither was the rest of me!

Overall, these were pretty good, just not my "thing". I would recommend them to someone not worried about the nutritional end of things, I just don't think I know anyone that falls into that category! My other half will enjoy the other 21 packets of these that I have (23 actually, I got sent a sample pack in the mail of two of them as well) floating around in the kitchen (in the boxes, put away in the cupboard)...or I will probably offer them to anyone who happens to wander up for a visit!

Waiting on the water to get hot!

Oh so foamy...

Food Porn...Low Carb Edition!

2013-03-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love taking photos of food I have created! Most of these came from recipes (I'll link if I can remember where they came from), some came out of my own little head (I'll share if I can). Enjoy the food porn!

For recipes from "Candice" on YourLighterSide.com, they are disappearing from her site March 19th at noon, so grab them while you can! I went through yesterday and saved every one of them as I have found I make them a lot!

Cranberry-Orange Chocolate Chip Muffin in a Minute (MiM), with a little butter on top.

Candice's Coconut Pancakes (made in my Ice Cream Sandwich Maker to look like mini waffles), eggs, & butter mixed with sugar free pancake syrup for dipping!

Chocolate Mousse (I know there's an "official" recipe out there somewhere but I made this up as I went...)

Chocolate Mousse recipe (for One):

1/2 Avocado
1-2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (I used dark chocolate)
Sweetener to taste (I used 2 Tablespoons Splenda)

Mash/mix until smooth!

Easy, I know! I was leery of this one...I mean, I love Avocado and all, but as a dessert? This one really hit the spot and I couldn't tell it was Avocado at all!

Anise Meringue Cookies (posted here)

Turkey Teriyaki Burgers (page 63, The New Atkins For A New You Cookbook...they call the Chicken Teriyaki Burgers, but I don't have access to pre-ground chicken, so we used Turkey!). Served on top of Romaine Lettuce with Swiss Cheese, a (liberal) sprinkle of Sesame Seeds, and dressed with Mayonaisse mixed with Low Carb Teriyaki Sauce (recipe to follow)!

Low Carb Teriyaki Sauce (as copied from a message board that I cannot find now):

1 cup Soy Sauce (Use the Low Sodium stuff! This is really salty if you don't!)
1 clove Garlic, sliced (I used the pre-minced stuff in a jar to save time and it keeps longer in the fridge than fresh cloves)
1 "thumb sized" piece of Ginger Root, sliced (I actually went out and bought a fresh piece rather than using the pieces I have in my freezer! It was not the "freshest" piece though and I ended up using the whole 6-inch piece after peeling away all the "bad" parts...use as much of this as you like, I personally love ginger!)
1 cup Splenda (or sweetener of choice)

In a pot, simmer Soy Sauce, Garlic, and Ginger over low heat. You do not want this to boil hard! Just a few bubbles...it will get "icky" if it boils hard, so resist the urge to crank it up and get it over with!
Simmer for roughly 20-30 minutes, you want to reduce this sauce to about 1/2 cup so it's nice and thick.
Remove from heat and strain out all the garlic and ginger pieces..

Stir in Sweetener of choice, pour in a jar/bottle and cool! I was able to fit the whole batch into an old "Better than Bouillon" jar (because I keep almost all glass jars that food comes in...they come in very handy when you make your own sauces and such).

My new GE 7-qt Slow Cooker! I am in love! The crock is non-stick metal and the lid "locks" on!

The "control panel" for my big crock...so pretty! I'm still trying to learn how to use it though...

Dana Kim's Kings Ranch Chicken (page 64-64, 300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes by Dana Carpender) served over Cauli-Rice!

"Secret Granola" (recipe by Lisa at 24/7 Low Carb Diner). I used White Chocolate DaVonci's because I didn't have any Vanilla! This photo was before it went into the oven to bake.

Secret Granola Ready to eat! This is a 1.5 ounce serving (for 2.85g net carb) sitting in a 1/2 cup ramekin with 1 cup of 0g net carb Almond Milk next to it! This is plenty filling too...I find I do need to take a little insulin when I eat this though.

Same serving with approximately 1/3 cup of the Almond Milk poured on top!

Dinner one night...just a couple of frozen hamburger patties cooked on the Foreman (we use our G5 almost daily), topped with some Cheddar Cheese and served with a little Teriyaki Mayo (see recipe above for Teriyaki Sauce recipe). Salad on the side topped with Ranch (included Romaine Lettuce, Cucumber, Shredded Cheese, and a Hard Boiled Egg).


My dessert fix one night when Garrick went and got himself a Blizzard...Ricotta Cheese, sweetened and a few sugar free chocolate chips!

Dessert Ricotta:

1/4-1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese (I get the Walmart brand...it's 2g net carbs per 1/4 cup)
2 Tablespoons Splenda (or sweetener of choice...to taste)
Dash (or several) Cinnamon
Dash (or a few) Nutmeg
Dash (to taste) Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Chocolate Chips (I buy Hershey's...the have them at Walmart right in the baking aisle)

With your spoon, mix everything except the chocolate chips until well blended and smooth.
Add chocolate chips and stir in.
Enjoy! I like to mix it up a bit here too...instead of Splenda and chocolate chips, try 1 Tablespoon low carb Jam (like the Blackberry Chai Jam) and a little Sugar Free Honey! Just remember to adjust your carb count for this according to what you put in it.

Dinner a few nights ago...2 frozen hamburger patties (cooked on the Foreman again) with Grilled Mushrooms (under the cheese), Smoked Cheddar Cheese (Borden's...it's a processed cheese, but pretty tasty), a little low carb Teriyaki Sauce on top of the Mushrooms, and all topped with a pile of Grilled Green Onion tops (just the green parts)! Served with a side of Mayo for dipping and a small salad with Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Shredded Cheese, 1/6 Roma Tomato, and Green Goddess dressing!

Dinner at Shari's last Wednesday...the baby is still too "wiggly" for the high chairs, but doesn't like to sit in the car seat either! Dad was playing with him, sending the mustard bottle scooting across the table...he was transfixed by it.

Blackberry Chai Seed Jam! I made a triple batch because those bags of frozen (no sugar added) berries they sell at Walmart are 3 cups of berries and I wanted to get the bag out of my freezer! I also don't have any liquid sweetener, so for my triple batch, I added 1/2 cup Splenda instead and just stirred it in after turning the stove top off (but left the pot on the burner to help melt the sweetener).

Blackberry Chai Seed Jam! What wouldn't fit in the jar...

Chocolate Chocolate Chip MiM topped with a little Blackberry Chai Seed Jam...it were yummy.

Putting my gadgets to work...Dana Kim's Kings Ranch Chicken in the slow cooker, Rice for Garrick in the red Rice Cooker (with the steamer basket full of Cauliflower in the fridge waiting to start cooking nearer to dinner time), and eggs cooking in the Egg Cooker (notice the 6 lovely brown eggs...our girls started laying again)!

Next week, I'll finally have my three-crock slow cooker and will be able to try some "small batch" recipes! I can't wait!

Baby Shades, Laundry, & a Craft Project!

2013-03-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

His future's so bright, he has to wear shades! Or rather, he has Macular Degeneration running in his family and he has to wear shades... At any rate, I was fairly unhappy with the sunglasses I got in the mail last week (I ordered them from one of my favorite baby shops, diapers.com) because they dug into his head pretty badly, even though when I put them on him, they appeared loose. The problem with baby shades is that they put a Neoprene strap on them instead of the arms that go over your ears (in most cases), these act more like swim goggles and Gabriel ended up with red marks in the shape of his sunglasses around his eyes. Also, when he had just had "enough" of them and tried to remove them (a good hour after they'd been put on), he snapped them back into his eye and nose! This new pair (purchased at The Children's Place for $3.50) has arms, not Neoprene...they are a little big on him, so the fit isn't ideal, but he leaves them alone for the most part. Ignore the pacifier...it's more of a "security blanket" than anything, if we don't have it with us he cries, if we do have it, he doesn't want or need it!

What happens when you have four loads of the baby's laundry and two more loads of diapers (not to mention two loads of adult laundry, not pictured)? A mountain of laundry to fold and put away, hopefully before it all gets used again! The stuff on top of the table (a card table) is all the stuff Gabriel fits right now, also up there is his pile of burp rags (only two of them were not in the wash, though they are both there now), and about half his towels (there's still one or two in the bath basket)! The square laundry basket right under the table has a few blankets, a couple of sheets, changing pad covers, and one or two sheet savers. Also, the ducky bag is a set of cloth diapers (with an AIO and an "extra" liner because the diaper it goes in is set off to be repaired)! Behind that is a half basket of stuff that I bought last week that is (way) too big still...18 month to 2T stuff I got from the resale shop when it was marked down to 50% off! And, another bag of diapers...

This is something I have been meaning to get to for a while now... The camo squares are breast pad sized rice packs! They're roughly the size of my palm and designed to be warmed in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and placed in my bra after nursing and/or pumping to help ease the nipple pain I've been experiencing since the baby was born! I know, I know...he'll be 5 months old tomorrow and I am just now getting around to it! Oh boy though, I should have made these before he was born! Most nights I go to sleep crying (or nearly crying) because my boobs hurt in some fashion...last night, I pumped (11.5 ounces, I really need to find more time to pump so I don't get "that" full) and then popped these in the microwave for 30 seconds. They were way too hot at that point, so I put them behind a breast pad (a reusable one) so I did not burn my nipples! Oh the relief of the heat helping to ease the muscle spams I get in my nipples! No more white nipples either, they got the much needed blood into the circulation system! I took them out after 15 minutes or so (once they lost most of the heat) and went to bed with "happy nipples" for once! Of course, then I laid awake humming a song to myslef because what else does a sleep deprived mother do when the day's chores are done, the baby is asleep, and you know you have to be up at 2am and then up for the day by 6am? Yeah...I finally drifted off some time after 12am, who needs sleep!?

I want to make some larger sized rice packs now...these are great for small injuries and I can see these being awesome when Gabriel is bigger and gets "boo-boo's" because they are small and light-weight. They are not washable though! If I had been thinking, I would have made the rice packet in a cheap cotton and then made a little "pillowcase" with the soft material so that it could be washed. That's what I'll do with the next set I make... For now, my "Booby-Boo-Boo Heat Packs" are "good enough" for my needs (I've been running around all morning with these stuffed in my shirt)!

Kroger Good For You - A Review

2013-03-07T09:58:00.001-08:00

Time to write another review for a BzzCampaign! This time around I was given a $10 gift card to go shopping at Kroger (Fred Meyer for all you West Coasters) and pick up some Greek Yogurt, CarbMaster Yogurt, and CarbMaster Milk!

As you may know, I recently went back on the low-carb eating plan (and am down 12.8 pounds in my first two weeks back), so this campaign could not have come at a better time! Sadly, my Fred Meyer does not sell the low-carb milk(s), so I was unable to try those, though both sounds really good and I am in love with Hood's Calorie Countdown (called Carb Countdown in other parts of the country)...so I had big plans for the milk that I didn't get to realize.

Nice and thick Greek yogurt...

The yogurts however are a different story, they have a huge display of them! I ended up trying four flavors of the Greek Yogurt (they also have a lite version, but I did not purchase any of those) in Peach (not sweet enough for me), Honey (tasted like Plain Yogurt), Pomegranate (tasted kinda "meh"), and Black Cherry (my favorite by far). I love the thickness of the Greek yogurts, but the flavors are less than stellar in my opinion.

I have always loved the CarbMaster yogurts...this round I tried a few new flavors, Black Forest (has big bits of cherry in it), Cinnamon Bun, Key Lime Pie, and Strawberry Colada (my absolute favorite of everything)! All of them were worth buying again, but I will probably not get the Black Forest too often as the Cherries were too big for me. The low-carb yogurts are just as thick as the Greek yogurts and at 4g net carbs per container, they make a wonderful snack in the evening before bed (when I have the carbs leftover at the end of the day) or as a light breakfast (served with an egg and some bacon or other breakfast meat, it makes a complete meal)!

Until my store starts carrying the milk, I will stick to a new found favorite as my "milk" drink...Blue Diamond has an Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk that is excellent to drink by the glass full and it's 0g net carbs!

Help A(the) Kid(s) Out?!

2013-03-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

Our oldest nephew in school (who doesn't love going to school in your pajamas?)!

I may or may not have mentioned this before...I meant to, but am not sure if I remembered to...but, my sister put my oldest two nephews into am online public school this past year. It's not quite like public school and it isn't home school, but a good mix of both "worlds"! This is their story, please give it a read and "like" it! They are in a contest to win a Kindle Fire! The top 10 voted for stories will receive one!

2 Boys No Longer Bullied | What's Your K12 Story?: I decided to make the switch to K12 and ORVA starting this school year because my boys had been being bullied at their school. They were constantly being pointed at as the one who started it. I would... Read the rest of their story by following the link!

Current and future "home school" kiddos! (Tanner, Wyatt, Gabriel, Riley, & Logan)!

Not only has it benefited the two going to school, but the next in line (my sister's #3) has already started learning to write and is being included in some of the learning opportunities (science experiments and such)! Poor Gabriel isn't even 6 months old yet (he'll be 5 months in under a week) and I'm already researching what sort of home-schooling I want him to have! I don't plan to ever put him in public school...

No Moldy Duckies Here!

2013-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this one isn't a "craft" per se...but, it does require a bit of skill with a glue gun! Now that Gabriel is really reaching and playing with his toys, it has been a challenge to hold on to him in the bath as he chases after the "water safety" duck (that says "hot" on the bottom and the letters turn white if the bath water is too hot, ours is a Policeman Duck)! So, time to break out the bath toys! But wait...they all have these giant holes in the bottom! Water goes in, but can't get back out...what a design flaw (or ingenious plan to make it so you have to replace them with new ones every few months)!

I saw this idea on Pintrest (which I still have no clue how to use, so if you "follow" me there that's why everything is so jumbled...) or maybe it was on a blog somewhere...I forget, I was like 6 months pregnant and didn't bookmark or "pin it" (because I don't know how to pin stuff...), I apologize to whomever it was that came up with the idea, I can't give them credit! But here it is anyway...with photos!

What You'll Need...

NEW Bath Toys with Holes in them (We have Rubber Duckies) (or totally dry, free of fluids ones)
Low Temp Glue Gun
Extra Glue for your Glue Gun (I use Multi-Temp Glue)
Glasses, Jars, Shot Glasses...anything to hold your toys hole side up

First, gather all bath toys with the ~~stupid~~ silly holes... All we have right now is rubber duckies and two bath books, we really need to get him a better variety of bath toys!

Now, flip them over! Hard step, I know... As it turned out, it was really difficult to do it this way, so don't bother doing this. Also, don't try to make the filler "flat" against the duck by sticking Aluminum foil to it...all you will succeed in doing is pulling the filler right back out, it's a waste of time and resources, I should know...I tried it first!

Instead, gather up glasses, jam/cheese jars, condiment cups, and/or shot glasses! Anything that will hold your duckies (or other bath toys) upside down and relatively flat where the hole is. If it's flat, you'll get a nice, symmetrical fill...if they aren't flat, you get a nice, asymmetric fill. Now, take your glue gun (pre-heated and ready to go, right?) and squeeze enough glue to fill the hole and leave a little mound of glue above it. I used two trigger fulls on the bigger duckies and one in the smaller duckies.

Here's a close up of the difference... The blue ducky was flat, the yellow was not. I don't think it makes much of a difference, but it might make them float "funny", I haven't taken ours for a test swim yet.

I think it is pretty darned important (and that's why I didn't mention it first...who would do that?) to mention that I used Low Temp Hot Glue! You don't want to use the High temp stuff...you could burn/melt your bath toys and really injure yourself if you drip it on you! The low temp stuff won't kill your toys and if you accidentally get a body part between the ducky and the glue gun (with a string of glue still keeping the two attached), you won't get hurt when said glue hits you too!

Also, if the glue starts pulling away from your toy, just pull it off and apply fresh glue! Just make sure there's no fluid in your toy.

Now, go glue all your bath toys shut! I need to go do laundry...

"Freebie" Cookies!

2013-03-03T13:08:00.002-08:00

After preparing Monday's dinner (a slow cooker chicken recipe), I had two egg whites to use. The directions said to "do something else" with them, so I immediately thought of Meringues! Not having my recipe handy though, I winged it this time! I think they turned out pretty well too (considering I ate the entire batch last night after dinner).

So, how did I do it? Well...I started with my bowl, I took my trusty old (and I do mean old, it was my Grandmother's, then my Mother's, and she gave it to me when we moved into our first house together) metal bowl and found space for it in my tiny freezer (more on that below). You want your mixing bowl extra cold to help the egg whites foam and eventually form medium to stiff peaks (I find a medium peak perfect for these, but if you are trying to get "pretty" shapes, stiff peaks might be the way to go). The cold bowl helps.

Now for the "recipe"...

Low-Carb, Low-Fat Meringues

2 egg whites (I made Dana Kim's Kings Ranch Chicken found on page 64 of the this cookbook and this is what I did following her instructions)
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3 Tablespoons Splenda (use more or less depending on your preferred sweetness level...and you can change this up for any sugar substitute, I just prefer Splenda)
1/2 teaspoon flavoring (I used Anise Extract this time)
food color, optional (I find this handy for when I'm making several flavors at once)

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 or more cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Start by taking your mixing bowl out of the freezer, if you used a glass bowl, don't drop it. Grab your mixer (I used my Gizmo with the whisk attachment), as a side note, if you freezer your beater(s) too, the process can go even faster. Now, dump your egg whites into the bowl (you can use more than 2 if you are separating them just for this recipe, just make sure you don't get any yolk in your whites!) and add the Cream of Tartar. Start mixing and keep going until you start to have soft peaks forming...this can take forever, but never fear you'll get there eventually. Now, add your Splenda (or whatever sweetener you chose) and extract/flavoring. You can use DaVinci's sugar free coffee flavorings, but cut down on the sweetener as that will make them sweeter too. I chose Anise extract because a Licorice flavor just sounded extra good to me last night! Start with 1/2 a teaspoon, if it wasn't enough flavoring, next time add 1/4 teaspoon more (but don't over do them, the liquid makes it harder for the egg whites to whip up). Also, if you choose to color your cookies, do that now too, again though, be careful of adding too much moisture to the mix. Go back to whipping/mixing your egg whites, it really does take a while to get medium peaks, longer for stiff, but be careful if you are shooting for stiff, if you go too far, they will "break" and all you'll have is a runny white white omelette mix that took forever to make.

Once you have medium peaks, carefully transfer the mixture into a Ziploc baggy or pastry bag. I use the baggy because I can just toss it in the trash when I'm done. Snip a small (tiny even) piece off a corner of the Ziploc and you are set to pipe your cookies! I made these "pop in your mouth whole" sized, but you can make them any size you want! They are totally dry and crumbly though, so I find this size perfect for not making too much of a mess with. I managed to get 49 cookies this time, but this varies on the size you make them.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes (for this size), or until golden brown and not burnt! Take them out of the oven and let them sit until cooled (10-15 minutes) so that they can finish drying out and un-stick themselves from the parchment paper. If you don't wait, you'll lose parts of your cookies to the paper!

Now for the good news...the nutritional information!

Whole Batch...
Calories: 32
Carbs: 7.8g (if you count Splenda)
            0.6g (if you don't count the sweetener)
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugar Alcohols: 0g
Net Carbs: 7.8g (if you count Splenda, I don't)
              0.6g (if you don't count the sweetener)
Fat: 0
Protein: 8g

Good enough to eat the whole batch, assuming you don't count sweeteners like me. But if you can resist eating the whole batch...here's the nutritional information for a "serving" of 7 cookies...

1/7th the recipe...
Calories: 4.57
Carbs: 1.11g (if you count Splenda)
            0.09g (if you don't count the sweetener)
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugar Alcohols: 0g
Net Carbs: 1.11g (if you count Splenda)
              0.09g (if you don't count the sweetener)
Fat: 0
Protein: 1.14g

Essentially, this can be a nice "free" snack if you can control yourself (at 7 cookies), but even if you can't (and don't count the sweetener carbs) it's pretty easy on the daily carb count. If you aren't worried about carb counts and are looking for a low-calorie, low-fat snack, this is perfect too! Only 32 calories in the whole batch and no fat!

February In Summary...

2013-03-01T11:24:00.006-08:00

This car took the most "visible" damage...

We have been so busy these last two weeks that I never got a chance to post about our accident! Yes, an accident... On the 19th, on our way home from lunch (My Mom, Garrick, myself, and the baby), we were rear ended at a stop light! Luckily, none of us were seriously hurt (sore backs and such), but the lady that hit us was seriously injured and was taken by ambulance as she was losing consciousness and had a pretty nasty "ouchie" on her arm (or so I was told, I never saw it). We still haven't got my car fixed (the 2005 Ford Freestyle), but it was drivable, at least enough to get us home. The impact was enough to move us an entire car-length (my car length) out into the inter-section (and then we rolled a few feet because I closed my eyes and took my foot off the brake when I saw/felt it coming)! While I was panicking (looking for my 4-way button and parking the car), Garrick and my Mom did a quick assessment of everyone in the car and then Garrick jumped out (after I figured out how to unlock the doors) and ran to see if the other driver was okay (and call 911 because she was definitely not okay). I was so shaken up that I couldn't move from my seat, Gabriel very nearly slept through the incident and didn't react until I started crying (damn "Mom hormones"). I had my Mom get him out of his seat and handed to me (so I could check him and make sure he was okay), after that, I calmed down enough to realize that I was sitting in a car that was sitting out in the middle of a busy inter-section and did not want to be hit again while sitting in the driver's seat holding my infant! So, I grabbed his blanket out of his seat and covered him up while standing on the sidewalk. Of course, it was raining lightly, and he wasn't in the warmest outfit (and I wasn't even wearing long-sleeves or a jacket)! Since before he was born, I have had a pink, flowery baby blanket that is fleece (the kind that looks like it came straight off a sheep) and fuzzy (synthetic fleece maybe?) in a bag in the car...I had someone get it out for me and wrapped that over the baby as well. I eventually calmed down enough to let Garrick put him back in the warm car, where he kept an eye on me, watching every move I made, until he drifted off to sleep, safe in his car seat.

After giving all of our information to the police, we were allowed to drive our car home, leaving the tow truck driver to collect the other car, which was not drivable. It was an eventful occasion, with 2 police cars (the responding officer and his superior that arrived a few minutes after he did), a fire truck (the accident occurred blocks from the fire station and they were on scene in under 5 minutes), and an ambulance too. If Gabriel had been a little older, he would have loved that!

Our car seat...(stock photo)

The "bad" news of it was we had just moved Gabriel into his new convertible car seat about 7 days prior to that! That would be the $300 car seat that we hemmed and hawed over getting (because of the steep price), but ultimately settled on because it is the only convertible seat that has "stay in car" bases (we ordered a second base that is still sitting in a box in my dining room) and excellent reviews. If you're curious, it's a Graco Smart Seat, All-in-One Convertible Car Seat (in Larkin, exclusive to Babies 'R Us). We chose this one also because it converts all the way to a booster seat with a weight limit of 100 pounds and a height limit of 57 inches (at 4 months old, Gabriel weighs around 18 pounds and is 27.5 inches). Of course, for the last 2 weeks, I haven't been ab;e to use it (car seats involved in car accidents are considered unsafe because they can't guarantee there was no damage to the seat) and we are back using the infant seat until the insurance company (her's, not ours) buys us a new one.

Back up sensor & corner damage...

No clue what this is...spare tire well maybe?

My tail pipe is broken-ish...

We take our car in on Monday to have the estimate done and are still holding our breath that there isn't more unseen damage that will make it so that they total it (Blue Book estimate is around $9000 still). The good thing I did, as far as escaping bodily injury, was take my foot off the brake as the impact occurred...letting the SUV take the full brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, I have been told by people more "in the know" than me that there is more likely a lot more damage that is not visible because of that. We know that the entire rear bumper needs replacing (including the back up sensors which are now dangling free from the bumper), the tail pipe needs fixing (or replacing), and whatever that big metal piece is...(it's right where the spare tire sits in the back of the SUV), other than that, we will just have to wait and see!

That wasn't my "whole" month, but a scary part of it anyway! Now, to make up for all that...baby photos!

First time in the stroller without the car seat! Sorry about the red eye...hard to catch good baby pictures!

Nursing...but I love how I was able to capture his beautiful eyes!

He's started to "discover" that he can interact with his environment! Toys that light up or make noise are especially intriguing! This is his Seahorse (Fisher-Price makes them and WalMart sells them for about $15)...he sleeps with it every night (it stays up against the crib wall at about head level so he can watch the lights...he sleeps in the middle of the crib)! Here though, he was playing with it at the hotel while we were visiting family in Central Oregon at the begooning of the month.

Can't forget the toys that don't light up or make noise though! Flatofrog has recently been taken away again because he's coming apart again...

Passed out cold during a nap while on vacation...

New toy from Aunt Stacy! This is an "allergy friendly" developmental baby toy that came with instructions on how to clean it so that it has no allergens attached to it (we don't have any allergies though).

Visiting other relatives in Portland! Here, he was visiting with his Aunt Nanny (my cousin Tana) while sitting on Grandma's lap.

Finger sucking!

Gabriel has developed a fascination with this box...and my coffee cups (no matter the color), he seeks this box out every time we go in the kitchen!

First time in the high chair! He didn't last very long this time, but since this, he's been in it a few times to play while we ate dinner and the other night he played in it while I cooked dinner (for most of it anyway, it was his dinner time too so Dad had to hold him while I finished up cooking our dinner).

Another new toy...this one was supposed to be a gift for someone else, but it accidentally got left out of the box and we had just watched Dumbo (with the dancing pink elephants on parade), Gabriel saw this and has been playing with it ever since!

Gabriel's first Valentine's Day! Well, a few days after V-Day...I got him this onesie on clearance on the 15th for 48 cents!

More playing with his toys...this is what he does when I have to set him down (to run to the potty or whatever). He pitches toys over his head and loses them...that's why he starts with so many!

Just sitting...(assisted, those are my legs on either side of him)!

The other "news" we got on the 19th was about my "sore thumbs"...I was diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel (hands going numb when slightly bent...so pretty much all the time), Trigger Thumb (joints catching...feels like the bones are popping out of joint and is very painful when they catch), and DeQuervain's (tendinitis)! I'm going to Occupational therapy twice a week for the month of March in hopes that therapy will make it better. I could do Cortisone shots, but from what little I can find on the subject, it isn't safe while Breast feeding (because no one has ever studied it). I need to call my Lactation Consultant and see if she has any information that I couldn't find on the subject. If all else fails, they could do surgery, but I'd rather not do that!

We now have a Johnny Jump up so that I don't "have" to hold Gabriel all the time ($13 at Sweet Repeat) and are looking for an ExcerSaucer that is affordable (or hoping the one from my sister gets here sooner rather than later...if not, I have other uses for them) so that I can entertain him without killing my hands. I have them both taped right now and am supposed to be wearing splints/braces, but cannot do anything with them on, so I have only managed to wear them at night while sleeping and while driving.

Hand therapy is kinda awesome though...on Thursday I got to dip my hands in a paraffin bath, then into plastic bags. Then, I got propped up on pillow things so that my hands were elevated and piled with warming balnkets, where I sat for a good 20 minutes. Afterward, my therapist did ultrasonic massage on the right hand (it's a little worse off than my left), followed by a massage (of my thumb region) and muscle stretches. Then, that hand got put in an ice machine while she massaged the left hand. I got iced on my left hand as well, then she taped up my thumbs and wrists using sports tape. After all was said and done, it was back in the splints and off to come back home where Garrick had been watching Gabriel and attempting to work at the same time (making both harder to do). I believe these last 2 therapy sessions (at the first I got the splints) have shown Garrick a little bot of how hard my days at home really are...he's decided to take time off of work in the mornings when I have therapy so that he can take care of the baby.

I'm doing very well back on the low carb diet too! In the first week I dropped 11 pounds! Fat Bombs are my life savers...though Garrick thinks I should put more peanut butter and add more sweetener to them (that would up the carb count in them considerably)! As are the new Atkin's Frozen meals (more on them another day), I have one for lunch every day (except some weekend days)! I've made Mocha Mini Donuts (minus the glaze) in my mini donut maker (I only got 19 donuts, but if I figured out my carb count correctly, it's 2.7g net carbs for 3 of them) and Breakfast Bonanza Muffins (page 236 in Low-Carbing Among Friends, volume 1...also by Lisa Marshall) to have for fast, easy to grab breakfasts in the morning while I nurse. Dinner seems to be where I'm having issues...but that's more because I'm just so dang tired by the time dinner rolls around! Last night I made Coconut Flour Pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner...I used my new (it was a Christmas present) Ice Cream Sandwich Maker (like the mini donut maker, but it makes 4 mini waffles at a time) to make "mini waffles" out of the batter! I ended up making a double batch and serving a whole batch worth to both of us (a whole batch is 5.69g net carbs)...I was really light on carbs for the day and could "afford" it and I was also "starved" by the time I got to making dinner (not a good thing)! A whole batch made approximately 12 mini waffles, so it could easily be divided among people and served with eggs and bacon, sausage, or any other kind of protein! These waffles would make perfect "breads" for breakfast sandwiches too...

This morning I "missed" breakfast because I needed the car today and had to take Garrick to work. When I finally got a chance to eat (after putting Gabriel down for his nap), I made a Muffin in a Minute! I added a few dried Cranberries (the sugar free ones I made myself), a little orange extract, and about 1 tablespoon of Sugar Free Hershey's Chocolate Chips! My Cranberry-Orange Chocolate Chip muffin was heaven with a good sized pat of butter on top! I made it in a large glass dish and sliced it in half, it nearly filled my small plate! And, with 1/4 cup of flax seed meal in it...I sure got my fiber for the day! For the sweetener in it, I used a packet of Splenda with Vitamin B in it too, for an added "healthy boost".

3-Ingredient Pulled Pork...

2013-02-24T13:25:00.001-08:00

Several women in my "mommie groups" posted about making pulled pork with only three ingredients, even more posted about making pork using Root Beer (What?!)! Turns out they were all talking about the same basic recipe!

Here (follow that link) is an example...they all look about the same, others have you add spices and such though. Now...how do we "healthy-fy" that? I mean seriously, it only has three ingredients (pork, root beer, and BBQ sauce for those that didn't follow that link)!

For the Pork...rather than an expensive Tenderloin, we bought Boston Butt (or shoulder roast or butt roast or pork shoulder...they're all the same cut), it's way cheaper! Last time we made it, we bought a 6 pound Butt for less than the 2 pound Tenderloin!

Root Beer was replaced with Diet Root Beer, cutting out all of the carbs from that! Really this is just the liquid you cook the roast in...if you must have regular, go ahead, but count those 39.2g carbs into our meat!

Barbeque Sauce...I made a low carb sauce to use, the one I made only had about 12g in the whole batch (and you use the whole batch plus more to go on top) because I used the 1g net carb Ketchup. Next time I'll sweeten this up a bit with Brown Sugar Twin I think..

All you do is plop (technical term) your meat into your slow cooker, add a can of (diet) root beer, and turn to low and cook for 9-10 hours. Once it really gets cooking, you may want to evacuate the house...it smells like what comes out of your rear end! We kept checking the baby for "number two's" and following the dog around looking for any "presents" she may have left us! Bare with your stinky meat though, it tastes wonderful when it's all done! At your 9 or 10 hour mark, pull the meat out of the slow cooker and dump the liquid down the drain, goodbye stinkiness! Now, turn off the slow cooker or set it to warm for a little bit. You need to "pull" all that pork! Don't pull it so far apart that you don't have to chew it...that's over-pulled pork and it mushes in your mouth (so much so that Garrick refused to eat the leftovers). I pull out the big chunks of fat and such because we don't like eating that part anyway. I put my pulled meat right back into the slow cooker as I pull it (which is why I turn it down, there's no liquid in there right now). Once all the meat is back in, dump your barbeque sauce in an give it a stir. When making your sauce, remember you need 18 ounces, or 2.25 cups, make more than that so you can top your pork with extra sauce! Set the slow cooker to high and let it go one more hour to heat the barbeque sauce and let it meld with the meat!

Serve Hot! For anyone who eats carbs, this goes on a bun or roll for Pulled Pork Sandwiches. For anyone watching their carbs, Cauli-rice is a good option, topping a green salad is another way to go, or (like my lunch today) just eat it in a bowl with a fork!

Now, I'm off to play with a baby and maybe get some cooking done tonight (dinner for sure)!

Revisiting the Fat Bombs...Already!

2013-02-23T17:04:00.001-08:00

Well, the fat bombs are a hit at my house (meaning I can;t stop eating them)! The first batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs are long gone, so is half the batch of Lemon Bombs (cream cheese and sour cream in these bombs)! Today though, I picked up a couple sets of Silicone "mini" muffin liners! Rather than getting one big bomb, now I can have two little bombs! This will prove especially handy if I ever get more than one flavor going at any given time (like if I make just Peanut Butter Bombs...yum), then I can mix and match for my snacking pleasure.

Not only have I miniaturized my bombs, I tweaked the recipe a bit as well. The idea of a fat bomb is not mine by any means, nor are the ratios (though I did accidentally double the coconut oil this time). All that is truly "mine" here is the flavor combination (or rather the ratios of everything I put in). What I did manage to do, mostly by being more careful with my ingredient selection, was reduce the net carb count from the original 2.3g I had figured down to a "measly" 1.2g net carbs for 2 Tablespoons (2 small bombs or 1 big bomb)! Hello chocolatey snacking goodness!

Without further ado, here is the updated recipe...

"New" Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs ala Marcy

1 stick (yes, the whole stick) Butter, I use Salted...it's yummy in "sweet" things!
1 cup Coconut Oil, Melted (Remember, do not measure coconut oil in it's solid state, melt it first)
8 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (I used Skippy Natural, Creamy because it is only 4g net carbs per 2 Tablespoons)
9 Tablespoons Sugar Free Hershey's Chocolate Chips

Melt Butter, Coconut Oil, & Peanut Butter in a glass bowl (I use my 8-cup glass measuring cup) in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Just until it's hot enough to get everything to mix and make a smooth liquid, it's very runny until you set them up in the fridge or freezer. Then add your chocolate chips (I keep mine in the freezer, so I probably need to melt mine fore longer than you would if you had them sitting out), give it a stir to start the melting process and break up the clumps a bit. Microwave another 30-60 seconds until your chocolate is almost melted and then stir until smooth.

Measure your bombs out into something you can get them out of easily once they have set up, I use silicone baking liners because you can just peel them away and reuse them over and over! Pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or in the fridge for much longer (I have two dinner plates covered in bombs in the fridge but I still don't know how long they take to set up, the batch in the freezer took about 10 minutes (I've eaten one already)!

Your nutritional information may vary a bit from mine...but to figure mine, I subtract all dietary fiber and sugar alcohols, I also don't count Splenda or the like as a general rule (there isn't any added sweetener in this recipe).

For the whole batch, the numbers are scary high, but remember this turned into 40 servings!

Calories - 4120
Fat - 420.5
Carbs - 105
Dietary Fiber - 17
Sugar Alcohols - 63
Net Carbs - 25
Protein - 33.5

Per Serving...things look much better!

Calories - 103
Fat - 10.5
Carbs -2.6
Dietary Fiber - 0.4
Sugar Alcohols -1.6
Net Carbs - 0.6
Protein - 0.8

That means I can still have two (or even three) for only 1.2 (or 1.8 for three) net carbs! Twice as much of thi batch is close to the original recipe!

Now I'm off to make Green Goddess Grilled Chicken (from the New Atkins for a New You cookbook) (2g net carbs) to go with a side salad with a bit of Green Goddess Dressing to go on top! Dessert tonight will be a Fat Bomb or two...all for well under my carbs for the day, yeah!

Campbell's Go Soup - A Review

2013-02-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Another day, another BzzCampaign review! This time, Campbell's Go Soup, I received a pouch of Spicy Chorizo & Pulled Chicken with Black Beans. According to the packaging, it serves two people, but it's only enough soup for one of my soup mugs...I ate the whole dang package myself one day for lunch (and had to eat something else to fill up)!

Nutritional Info (per serving, 1/2 the package):
Calories: 210
Total Fat: 7g
Total Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 710mg
Total Carbs: 25g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 11g

It was a good tasting soup, just not hearty enough for me. It was also very spicy! But, this is also 19g net carbs per serving, so I won't be buying it again any time soon. Sadly, since the pouch was such a small serving size, that I ate in a rush between the baby's naps, that I really don't have a ton to say about it! Give this one a try if it fits into your diet...email me if you'd like a $1 off coupon to give it a try too! I have three coupons left to give out!

MorningStar Farms - A Review

2013-02-21T10:57:00.001-08:00

Another BzzCampaign to tell you all about!

For this campaign, I was given a coupon for a free box in my choice of flavors, I chose Grillers California Turkey, which has bits of Avocado and Tomato in them. They were really good! Since I didn't have any buns in the house, I used regular old white bread with a little mayonnaise on it and I added a slice of Sharp Cheddar Cheese too.

These are a quick fix item, just a few minutes in the microwave, which makes them perfect for grabbing a quick meal while the baby is sleeping! I devoured my box (4 patties) over the course of lunch two days in a row, then I wished I had another box, they were that good! Of course, my time away from the low-carb lifestyle was short lived (in the grand scheme anyway...I was off the diet for 12 months), so I did not buy any more of these. Going meatless, even one day a week, I could see how these would make a good substitute for the real carnivores in your family! I never really have understood why these sorts of foods exist though...if you are choosing to not eat meat, why would you want to replicate the flavor of meat? Just eat meat I say. Or don't eat meat...I would think this sort of product would make you crave meat though.

Bottom line, if you are on a restricted calorie diet, these would be perfect for you (at only 90 calories per patty), as long as you have enough self-discipline to not eat the whole box in one sitting! Now that I have taken a good look at the nutritional information (here), these are only 2g net carbs per patty too!

This with a good salad would make a great lunch or dinner (or even a breakfast if you served it with an egg on top), assuming you don't react to anything in the ingredient list of course! 7g carb, but 5g are dietary fiber...yup, only 2g net carbs! These are way better than I had assumed they were. Looking at the carb/protein/fat ratios, it's pretty darn good too, assuming a 20-25g carb diet (oer day), you get 10% carbs (2g), 40% protein (9g), and 50% fat (5g), if you track that sort of thing (I do not, but I try to keep the pie chart tipped more in this fashion). These do have a lot of wheat in them though, and the main ingredient is TVP (texturized vegetable protein), so these are not a good choice for the gluten-free crowd!

Overall, this is a good tasting product that I would buy again. But, only as a treat when I really need a break from the "same old" foods that I tend to eat every day.

Starting Anew!

2013-02-20T12:16:00.003-08:00

After putting off (re)starting my low-carb diet because we had too much food in the house that wasn't diet friendly, or because it's just "easier" to not follow the low-carb diet, I have finally jumped back on the bandwagon! After replacing the battery in my bathroom scale yesterday, I was guilted into not putting it off any longer...it said I had gained 25 pounds since getting pregnant one year ago! That's half of what I had lost prior to that! So, we are resetting the weight tracker at 280.0 pounds...I still need/want to get to somewhere around 150 pounds, so I need to lose approximately 130 pounds (a whole person, all be it a small one).

Things that have helped me stay on track so far? My Mom made a batch of LC Monkey Bread (3.85g for a twelfth of the recipe), pre-sliced and bagged up in the fridge for fast breakfasts, Atkins Frozen Meals for lunch (I had Crustless Chicken Pot Pie today, 5g net carbs), and The New Atkins For A New You Cookbook! All of the recipes take around 30 minutes to prepare, which is perfect for Garrick to help watch the baby after he gets home from work while I get back into the habit of making dinner every night! So far, the Greek Meatball recipe is one of my favorites...24 meatballs with a grand total of 8g carb (it's supposed to be 4 servings of 6 meatballs), we split it three ways for 2.67g servings. It went together in about 5 minutes and only took 20 minutes to bake in the oven, we warmed up a little Spaghetti Sauce to pour over them...it was yummy.

Last night, I made Chicken Continental out of the 500 More Low Carb Recipes book (by Dana Carpender)...again, 8g net carbs for the whole recipe, split three ways instead of 4, we counted it at 2.67g per serving. This one is just chicken breast, ham, and asiago cheese! It took a little longer, about 40 minutes, but it was our favorite meal of all week!

Another "helper", to help curb my sweet tooth, is the Fat Bombs I made today...at 2.3g for a tenth of the recipe (which I will share with you), it made for a good dessert after lunch, and they only took 15-20 minutes to make and freeze (and have ready to eat)!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bomb

4 Tablespoons Salted Butter (or unsalted, doesn't really matter)
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted (don't measure it in solid form)
6 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (Use what you like, I used Chunky because that's what I have)
8 Tablespoons Sugar Free Hershey's Chocolate Chips (Or any sugar free chocolate really)

I cubed my butter, put it into my 8-cup glass measuring cup, added the oil and peanut butter, and microwaved everything for 30-45 seconds, just until the butter is almost melted (it came right out of my fridge). Stir to combine into a smooth liquid (melted peanut butter and oil...), then I added the chocolate chips, stirred, and put it back in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just to melt the chocolate. Stir one more time, then line a plate with silicone muffin wrappers. I decided to make my bombs with 2 Tablespoons each (1/8 cup) and I got 10 servings this way. If you have smaller wrappers, you could do 1 Tablespoon bombs that would only be about 1g carb per bomb (if you run closer to your max carbs for the day, but still need to up your fat, I'd go this route). Pop them in the freezer until solid, remove from freezer when ready to eat it, they melt extremely fast!

Nutritional Breakdown:
Whole Recipe: Calories;2002, Fat;184.4, Carb;23, Protein;31.6
1/10 recipe (2 Tablespoons): Calories; 200.2, Fat; 18.4, Carb 2.3, Protein; 3.2

Check your products though, the Peanut Butter I used had 7g carb, 5g net carb! Tastes just like a peanut butter cup though, and the bits of peanut were yummy!

My New Favorite...

2013-01-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Cleaners!

I have been using regular old dish soap (Dawn Hand Renewal) for my baby bottles and other feeding "accessories" since Gabriel was born. Lately though, I have become super frustrated with the film it's been leaving on the silicone pieces and how it sometimes doesn't work to get the breast milk off the dishes.

So, while at Babies R Us the other day, I came across Babyganics, it was on sale (buy 1, get 1 free) so I picked up the foaming dish & bottle soap and the tub & tile bathroom cleaner ($7.99 & $5.99) to try. I tried the soap first (I do dishes daily...I don't clean the tub that often) and was instantly in love with it! The clear silicone on my nipple shields was clear once again, instead of the foggy white from the other dish soap! The directions for using this soap say to put it on a sponge and not in a sink full of water, so I simply partially fill the small side of my sink with enough water to soak my bottles in, squirt a bit on the sponge end of my bottle brush, and get to work. I usually only need 1 or 2 pumps for all my bottles!

On to the bathroom cleaner! Before Gabe's bath last night, I needed to give the tub a quick cleaning. An even spray down and a wipe with a clean, dry, rag and I was done! If you haven't noticed in the photos, both are fragrance free! The bathroom cleaner really is totally free of fragrances, there was no smell at all! The dish soap does have a clean smell to it though. They do offer a citrus scent version as well. Cleaning has just gotten faster and easier, just what any new mom needs! Even though I did have help when I took on the tub, if I had been alone, Gabriel would have been just fine to play on his own while I cleaned, it only took about 2 minutes total!

Atkins House Party Kit is HERE!

2013-01-17T10:20:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to host an Atkin's House Party for House Party! Well, my party kit arrived a few minutes ago and let me tell you what....it was better than Christmas!

In my package I got, 9 boxes of Atkin's bars (3 each of a Meal, light snack/breakfast, and treat bars), plates, napkins, utensils, a cool water bottle for me, grocery pads with a magnet on the back for my guests, the new cookbook, reusable grocery totes for my guests (I hope they don't mind slightly used totes, I think I may need them when I go buy the 16 frozen meals for the party!), an apron (for me), and a starter kit! Also, 16 coupons for free frozen meals for the party and $1 off coupons for my party guests! The starter kit you can get by going to the Atkin's website and signing up for one. It comes with 3 snack bars (a meal, breakfast, and treat bar), a carb counter guide book, a small recipe book to get you started, and a coupon for a free frozen meal! They have revamped the whole package since I started low-carbing life a few years ago!

I've been off my low carb diet for almost a year now due to pregnancy, breast feeding, and finances (we just haven't gotten back to being able to "afford" eating all that protein)...also convenience...it is so much easier to have Garrick cook up a couple boxes of Mac & Cheese for dinner while I nurse! I will get better at this though and we will be going back on our diet soon!
Hosting this party gives me no excuse to not get back on the diet...I need to lose baby weight and get back on track with the weight loss I was enjoying before Gabriel came along! I love him to death, but I really want to get back out of my size 22 pants...I had just hit 18's last February!

Stay tuned for more details...we party January 26th (or as soon as Garrick gets home from his business trip that evening...I had to plan the party around going to get him...and then I leave town, so it'll be late by a few weeks...but will still be spectacular, lol)!

Playing Baby "Catch Up"!

2013-01-11T11:39:00.001-08:00

12/07/2012

Christmas pictures and beyond! I can't believe my little man will be 3 months old tomorrow! He is developing such a personality and is in love with his toys and has even picked out a few favorites. A photo blog because I can't seem to get time to write between naps, nursing, and pumping...

One highlight though...the mommy group I'm in is writing in to The Ellen Degeneres Show in hopes of being in the audience or on the show so that we get the chance to all meet! I know it's a super long shot, but it would be so cool if it actually happened! I have grown so close to these ladies over the last year! We "met" through the "What to Expect" forums, but left that group because of all the negativity. What we have formed on facebook is a close knit group of supportive friends (and we poop sprinkles and fart rainbows too). Below is the letter I submitted to the show...

I am part of a “mommy group” on Facebook, we started the group very early in our pregnancies and have been together ever since, through guessing our babies sexes, early labor signs and multiple false alarm trips to the hospital, to actual deliveries, including “our” first baby born in August (we were all due in October)! We are still together and supporting each other through sicknesses, being in the hospital for Jaundice, dehydration, RSV, and many other health issues, including those of our mommies and other family members. We’ve supported each other through a stolen car, a burned down garage (full of all the baby’s formula, diapers, etc…), loss of family members, and much more! We all watched via an online feed as one of “our” babies met his daddy for the first time when his ship arrived, we all cried when that ship came in!

We all live so far apart that most of us have never met, but these women are my best friends, I can tell them things I would never tell my partner, my family, or my “regular” friends! We have spun off into several side groups, exercise and weight loss groups, a book club, a single moms group, a breast-feeding support group, even a “sexy” group to help each other bring a little more intimacy back after having our babies. Each group is just as supportive as the original. We even exchange gifts, organizing “secret” gift exchanges!

It would mean so much to all of us to get a chance to meet each other; we have grown so close over this past year!

The submissions have to be under 1500 characters, so I had to leave a lot of detail out! However, I trust that the other ladies in the group will cover anything I left out, there are over 500 of us!

Baby feets!

Playing WoW with Dad

Mommy...07/29/1980!

Gabriel playing with the toys on his rocker.

12/24/2012!

All the cousins together for Christmas, my side of the family...

Ready for Christmas...

Gabriel's picture that we added to the collage our mommy group is making to send to The Ellen Show!

Daddy hamming it up after a poo explosion, our first!

Trying out the Bumbo for the first time...

Sticking his tongue out at Daddy...

Tummy time on our Fisher-Price Piano mat!

One of our diapers de-laminated...:(

Our Flatofrog!

Taking naps in the crib! "Baby" steps toward sleeping in it at night...

Loving Daddy time!

Our new Kawaii diapers, washed, stuffed, & ready to wear, with extra inserts for overnight use!

Wearing our new diapers!

We even used one of out new diapers overnight (until 3am when we got up for a bottle anyway)! It was great, no leaks!

Well, back to diaper changes, nursing, and pumping! I promise to try to post more often as time allows.

Redbox Instant - A Review

2013-01-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

Yet another BzzCampaign to talk about, 2013 is a banner year so far for campaigns that I am participating in! Redbox Instant is like Netflix or Hulu, it allows you to stream movies to your computer and the monthly service fee of $8 a month also comes with 4 DVD credits (each credit is 1 night for 1 movie). These can be used at any Redbox kiosk.

Here's the rest of the information provided to me by BzzAgent for this campaign:

You don’t have to be a Verizon customer to sign up for the service, but you do need high-speed internet access to use it
You can weigh in on what would make Redbox Instant even better and report any service issues via the Help Center at redboxinstant.com
Instantly stream Hollywood mega-hits to any internet-connected device, including smartphones (iPhone and Android), tablets, computers and Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray Players
The Redbox Instant by Verizon app is limited to certain devices, but is not needed to stream content
You can buy and rent movies digitally without a subscription, including today’s newest releases
Browse Redbox locations and reserve movies at the box of your choice using the app, too!

While I have a 30-day free trial that goes until February 2nd before I'll be charged the monthly service fee, I don't need the full 30 days to know I will not be resubscribing. While I realize that it is in Beta-testing and they may not have all of their movies available just yet, they just don't have enough to keep my interest! I probably watch more streaming videos than the average person because Gabriel and I watch streaming shows and movies while he nurses, but I watched everything that interested me on the streaming video list in a single day! I loved getting to watch Thor and finally getting to see Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, I think they may be the only movies on the list that are nearer than the mid-1980's!

I will continue paying my $7.99 a month for my streaming Netflix and using Hulu (the free version with commercials). I don't need the "hassle" of having to go "rent" movies from the kiosks, no matter how conveniently located they are (I don't go to the store everyday, so it would require a special trip out, not easily done with an infant).

Covergirl Blast Flipstick - A Review

2013-01-03T12:20:00.002-08:00

Another campaign is coming to a close, this time for Covergirl's Blast Flipstick Lip Color. What is it other than lipstick though, you might ask. First, it is double ended, two colors per tube! Both shades can be worn alone (one is shimmery and one is matte), but they can also be combined for a whole other effect! My favorite is Vixen, both shades are in the red/pink family. I also received Stunner (too orange for my skin tone) and Minx (a dark brown with a gold toned shimmer side), but neither of them really work well with my coloring and style.

Here are some factoids I received with the lipsticks...

Ultra blendable formula allows you to mix shades, just like a make-up artist
Dual ends let you create the current "ombre" trend on your lips!
Dual-sided stick features a creamy color on one end and a shimmery shade on the other
Created by expert make-up artist, and COVERGIRL Global Creative Design Director, Pat McGrath
13 colorful, complementary and expertly matched shade duos
Moisturizing formula mixes perfectly without feeling heavy or dry
Available in most groceries, drug stores and major retailers
Suggested to retail for $8.49
Online at covergirl.com and facebook.com/covergirl— visit the sites to see the shades, get tips on top lip looks and learn more

I haven't had much use for lipstick since the baby was born, mostly because I don't leave the house much and when I do, it's with him in tow and usually in a rush anyway...I also don't want to get lipstick on his handsome little face! But, when I do hve the chance, this is my new "go to" lip color! Though I do still prefer the Neutrogena lip color I reviewed back in June, these are handy for a color change on the fly.

Finally, here are all of the shades available:

Whisper: Taupe and pearl pink shades
Pucker: Light berry and lilac shades
Glimmer: Dark berry and soft pink shades
Flashy: Dark berry and lilac shades
Vixen: Burgundy and pearl pink shades
Perky: Bright pink and light pink shades
Tease: Red and gold shades
Cheeky: Bright pink and peach shades
Stunner: Bright pink and gold shades
Snap: Taupe and sand shades
Smooch: Copper and sand shades
Minx: Deep brown and gold shades
Intense: Deep berry and taupe shades

Enjoy!

Two Months, Already!

2012-12-12T09:07:00.001-08:00

Post Vaccine "stupor"...

I can hardly believe it has been two whole months already! Ok, technically it won't be two months for about 20 minutes, but close enough!

First time we ever used this SwaddleMe!

We had gotten out of the habit of swaddling Gabe because he just kept kicking out of the receiving blankets and struggled until his arms were freed. That is until we had not one, but 2 nights of zero sleep! After that we wised up and found a bigger blanket, lol. Sometimes those are too thick though and I remembered our SwaddleMe's. he barely fits in them! If you look really close, you can see his hand poking out. They fit up to 14 pounds, but don't account for length!

Daddy was blowing in his face and making him laugh!

Yesterday he had his 2 month shots and was measured at 23 3/4 inches and 11 pounds 14.5 ounces! He's already in 3-6 month sized clothes and is outgrowing some if those too! Mostly in length, apparently 2 month olds aren't supposed to also be 2 feet tall. So, he keeps ending up with the off-the-shoulder look going. I try to keep those for at home so he stays warm when we go out.

He loves the soft, snugly, blanket he's wrapped in!

Since going back to swaddling, we have even got Gabriel to sleep one whole night in his Pack n' Play! I still don't have sheets for it though so I lay a blanket in it and tuck it in nice and tight. On top of that is a sheet saver turned sideways, then baby all wrapped up.

Breast feeding and pumping are going well. Or at least working for the most part. We started transitioning away from the nipple shield, but in the last week Gabe has started refusing to even try to latch without it! No naked nipple in his mouth...

Each bag contains 4.0 to 4.6 ounces of Breast Milk!

Pumping is extra successful! I get around 25 ounces a day (which is the amount exclusively pumping mamas aim for to feed their babies)! That is on top of everything he gets "on his own". Since Gabriel still does take a bottle or two every day, I don't have everything just stored up, but I do have a lot in the deep freezer! As a "grand total", that doesn't include all I have pumped, just most of it, I have 931.9 ounces recorded! That is 116.49 cups or 7.2805 gallons. My freezer is very full right now! I am looking into donating some of it, but prefer to keep it local so we shall see what happens! Also, not sure if they would accept it because of my diabetes...

Boob baby...contemplating how long he wants to eat this morning (45 minutes)!

Christmas & A "What To Do?"...

2012-12-05T09:51:00.002-08:00

I want this happy boy back at bedtime!

Over the past several nights we have been having a worsening problem. It started out "okay", Gabriel would cry for a few minutes when we first went to bed, he's still sleeping with us...every time we try to move him to the Pack n' Play, he screams and screams until we put him back between the two of us. I assume this has more to do with the scent of us, being able to hear our breathing better, and our warmth than the actual Pack n' Play being the issue. He sleeps in it during the day with little to no issue, as long as I get him to sleep before putting him in it.

Since Sunday though (today is Wednesday, I think)...things have gotten worse and worse! Last night it reached the point where I now know I need to seek help in getting him comfortable enough to sleep at night! Last night, Gabriel spent the entire night screaming bloody murder! Garrick spent the whole night trying to comfort him because Gabriel wanted nothing to do with me and screamed louder if I tried to help/comfort him. Of course, he also needed to eat throughout the night... Since he gets his"bedtime bottle/boob" between 9:30 and 10pm, I got up to warm up a bottle of breast milk at 1am, two-ish hours into our sleepless night. By the time it was warm, about 5 minutes, he was asleep! We debated whether we should wake him up, in the end we did because I had to pump because I was so full. I (foolishly) thought he would go to sleep again once he was fed. After a diaper change, he was happy...until Garrick brought him into our bedroom! As soon as he crossed the threshold into the room, Gabriel started screaming again! This makes me think it is something in the room that is causing the issue, but what it is, I have no idea. The middle of the night feedings take 30 to 45 minutes, so by 1:45am, we were back at the screaming...Garrick was cuddling Gabriel and let me get a little sleep while he tried to get Gabriel to sleep. At 5:30am, it was time for another bottle (usually around 6am he is getting up for a boob, but I was the walking dead this morning), another diaper change and back in bed while I showered. By 6am, he was finally asleep!

How do I get him to sleep at night and not keep one or both of us up all night? It's currently ten minutes to 9am, he's been asleep for 3 hours, and I don't have the heart to wake him up...he literally did not sleep all night! I have "pre-pumped" the side he won't be nursing from when he gets up and am tempted to now pump the other side and just let him sleep until he wakes up on his own. But, I know that isn't the greatest idea either...I'll give him another hour to wake up on his own...four and a half hours in one stretch is long enough without eating, I get nervous about any longer than that still. He is only 7.5 weeks old after all!

Things I want to try...

heating pad to warm up the Pack n' Play before putting him in it (taking it out before putting baby in, of course)
heating pad in crib (he's never slept in it, maybe he needs a room change? Need to also get the baby monitor up and working...)
get over my fear of letting him sleep on his tummy...he can lift/move his head, but he sometimes wants to sleep with his face smooshed completely into the mattress, this terrifies me!

What else can I do? I've been giving him "baby GasX" after his bottle before bed, burp him a ton...

New ornament for the tree this year!

Oh, and...there's only 20 days until Christmas! That's less than 3 weeks and I don't even have my tree up yet! It is sitting in my Living Room as of yesterday though... Before it can go up though, I/we need to clean up the Living Room. That means Garrick has to move his office stuff into the small area off the living room that we have been slowly turning into our office space. Then, we need to get the curtain rod up (I bought a 12 foot rod several months ago) and find/add curtains to separate the room into two spaces. After that, the "great furniture reorganization of 2012" can begin! The tree is 7.5 feet tall, so it has a very specific area that it can fit in...we have to move an entire couch "out" of the area while also keeping it "in" the area so that we all have somewhere to sit Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning. After all that happens, then I can vacuum and start getting the tree up! Maybe this weekend I can get all that done... I also need to get the rest of our Christmas shopping done, we have a whopping two gifts for Gabriel and one of those is something I bought months before he was born!

We did manage to get his December/Christmas pictures taken last Saturday. The portrait studio (Wal-Mart) was so busy! What is the point of making an appointment though when a walk-in that is there ahead of us can just waltz in and make us wait for 45 minutes past our appointment time? They also gave our appointment to someone else who claimed to be me, they got to go ahead of us too! However, we did get some decent photos...I am so sick of the ugly mottled brown cloth they use to sit him on (in almost every photo)! He's all smiles at home, but he refuses to smile during portrait sessions.