My American Confessions

Wednesday: You Know You're from Utah if You Get This

2013-05-15T16:11:00.002-07:00

If you are from Utah, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about- especially this year.

Monday: 5 Ways to be Happier as a Stay at Home Mom

2013-05-14T12:15:00.001-07:00

Being able to stay home with you children is an incredible blessing. In the hectic world we live in, more than ever, it seems like every family needs a dual income to survive, so to be able to leave one potential earn
er at home while the other goes away to work is sometimes miraculous.

But.

Let's be honest.

While every stay at home mom loves her children (I'm sure) and wants all good things for them and feels grateful for them and enjoys time off from work and, and, and..... well, it can be tough. Frustrating. Hard. And it can make you feel unappreciated, dumpy, and undervalued. While hard work in an office can result in promotions, raises, and other forms of appreciation, hard work as a stay at home mom will result in great things- but often not seen or appreciated for years.

So.

While I acknowledge the blessing of staying home and the wonder that it is, here are a few tips to help you be happier as a stay at home mama.

Go on walk!

1. Go outside every day. I'm sure you've had those days when you go to bed at night and realize you never once turned the doorknob to go outside. Whatever your reason, whether it's a walk, to run to the post office, to get an ice-cream from Mc Donald's, I do not care. Just make sure that you see daylight (or moonlight) once a day.

2. Get completely ready BEFORE your kids are up. Whatever stage of life your children are in, make sure that you are up, dressed, hair done, and make-up finished by the time they are up running around. If you don't do it first thing in the morning, it will often not get done at all, or else haphazardly done throughout the day. You will feel worlds different if you can face each day knowing you look your best. It is a real challenge sometimes, but fully worth it. (Need help? Here are a few easy tips on how to not be a frumpy mom)

3. Always pursue at LEAST one personal interest. You love your little ones and most of your day revolves around them: changing diapers, giving baths, cleaning your home, making meals, and other incredibly repetitive tasks. In the midst of all of this, find one thing for YOU that YOU enjoy. This is NOT a free pass to neglect your children and focus selfishly on yourself; rather, it is a way to find joy and accomplishments outside of your children so that you can always feel that you, as an individual, have worth. Options? Gardening. Reading. Running. Gourmet cooking. Blogging. Photographing. Swimming. Just pick something you love and budget some time at least once a week for you to do something for you.

4. Get adequate rest. I say adequate because I know that you will not get all the sleep you want until your kids are out of the home. (And maybe not even then) You'll certainly be up late working on projects that can't be done with your children running around and then up again in the morning before they get up- but find some kind of balance.

Have your husband work on that late-night project so you can sleep. Or find a time every day when you can get an hour nap. However you swing things, do not allow yourself to run off of too little sleep. If you do, you will lose your temper far too easily, which will cause you to say/do things with your children that you will regret. You are staying home with your children to give them the best upraising they can get. Make sure it IS the best by giving yourself rest so that you WILL be your best self.

Make him cookies!

5. Love your spouse/significant other. It is easy to become wrapped up in your children's wants and needs. Very easy- because they want and need so much! Do not, however, allow this to take away from your relationship with your significant other. If you do not show love and affection for this person who is an integral part in your life, regardless of how perfect of a mother you are, you will not be happy. So whatever may work well for you, make sure to show your love to your husband each day in a different way. Bake him cookies, kiss him when he comes home, or hold his hand when you watch TV together. It doesn't mater how you do it, just make sure that you get it done!

Do you have other tips for what has helped you find joy in the journey of being a stay at home mom? Share them below so we can all benefit!

Mothering Joy
I don't co-sleep. It makes my husband worry, so we just don't do it. But, the other day, at about five am, my little bundle of joy just would not sleep. I picked him up and put him in the crook of my arm, and laid back down in bed. Though he was wide awake, he quickly calmed himself and fell asleep. Once he was asleep, I laid him back down, only to have him wake up again. I repeated this several times until I realized that all he wanted was for me to hold him. Though it seemed like an uncomfortable position to me, my little boy clearly just wanted his mommy, which to me, was a great feeling of joy.

Thursday: 4 Ingredient AMAZING Honey Mustard Chicken

2013-05-09T12:55:00.002-07:00

I've never really cared for honey mustard anything. However, we recently had some relatives visit who left us a bottle of mustard, something I didn't think I would ever use for anything. It stared at me each time I opened the fridge, staying, "Use me! Don't throw me away! Don't be a waster~!" and so, eventually, I caved in and discovered this amazingly delicious (and, of course, easy) honey mustard chicken recipe.

My sauce...

Ingredients
*2 chicken breasts
*1/2 cup yellow mustard
*1/2 cup honey
*1/2 cup brown sugar

Step 1: Mix the mustard, honey, and brown sugar together until blended.

Step 2: Sear the chicken breasts on both sides in a frying pan set on medium-high.

About to go in the oven....

Step 3: Pour the honey mustard sauce over the chicken breasts, cover the frying pan with an oven-safe lid/aluminum foil and pop it into the over at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. (Feel free to take your chicken breasts and put them into a baking dish if your frying pan isn't oven safe)

Step 4: ENJOY! I sered mine with plain white rice and it was amazing. Freakishly delicious.

Bonus: Use the honey mustard sauce as a salad dressing, too! (I made a salad the next day and used this- incredible. I can't believe I never enjoyed honey mustard before this!)

Mothering Joys
My little girl was crying in her crib, waiting for me to come pick her up. I knocked on her door before I entered and heard her little voice say, 'Hello?', though it sounds more like, 'Hewhoa?' I opened the door, and though she had tears in her eyes, her face instantly lit up and she started to bounce, with her arms reaching towards me, waiting for me to pick her up. There are few things better than a sweet child who wants nothing more than for you to hold them.

Tuesday: 10 Ways to Save on Your Electric Bill

2013-05-08T13:30:00.002-07:00

I have recently moved from a small apartment where my utility bill was combined with my rent payment to a large home where my husband and I are fully responsible for every drop of water every degree on the thermostat. While our home isn't terribly expensive to live in, our utilities are almost a quarter of what we pay in rent. That said, it is well worth my while to do things to cut back on my electric bill. And if you, like me, are looking for ways to cut down on what you spend each month, try out a few of these VERY easy methods. (I'm not going to ask you replace all of your appliances or paint your roof white)

1. Re-chargeable Flashlights Buy a few hand-crank, battery-free flashlights. Place them in dark closets or pantries where you may seldom go but each time you go into them, you'll need light. Rather than turning on the light bulb, hang one of these flashlights by the light switch and use it for those few moments when you're in the closet. You only need to wind them a few times by hand and you'll not only not have to pay for electricity to turn on the light, but you'll never have to pay for batteries, either. Added bonus: In case of emergency, you are good to go!

2. Run Your Washer at Full Capacity Your washing machine and dryer are both huge suckers of electricity. Get the most use possible when running it and always run full loads. Half and small loads, while using less water, will often use the same amount of electricity to run them. Just wait until you have a full load.

3. Find Your Dryer's Exact Drying Timing Again, dryers take a LOT of electricity to run. Save money by finding out exactly how long it takes your dryer to dry a full load of laundry. Many times, your clothes will dry completely in 40 minutes, but since your dryer is set to 60, it will wastefully keep running an extra twenty minutes. To find your dryer's exact drying time, put a full load in the dryer and check it every 5 minutes. (annoying to do once, yes- but you only need do it once!) Figure that out and then set your dryer to the time/setting that will get your clothes dry without having to pay for the additional fluffing.

4. Install a Motion Detector Light in Kids Rooms/Playrooms You are responsible and turn off the lights when you leave the room. Children either cannot because they are small or will not because, well, they're kids! Put a motion detector light in the rooms your kids play in and soon after they leave the room, the light will turn off all by itself without you having to continually watch it. The lights themselves are quite affordable and you can switch it to manual and turn it off altogether when you put your kids to bed.

5. Unplug the Microwave Between Uses Unless you absolutely NEED the microwave clock, unplug your microwave as soon as you finish popping your popcorn. Leaving it plugged in sucks energy without giving you hardly anything in return.

6. Unplug Phone and Computer Chargers As soon as you finish charging your phone/tablet/computer, unplug your device and then unplug the charger itself. Just having it sit in the plug will cost you energy (and, in turn, dineros...)

7. Unplug TiVo/DirecTV at Night While it is inconvenient to turn off your TV recording device when not using it in the day (as TVs often are turned on and off dozens of times a day), at night, there is no need to keep them on. As soon as you go to bed, go ahead and turn off your DVR altogether and save a few bucks.

8. Do a Night-Time Sweep You may have kids. A husband. Or just be forgetful yourself... which means that almost every day, there will be a light left on somewhere. Before you go to bed (when you're turning off your DVR), check the hallways, closets, basement rooms, etc., and make sure that the lights are all out. Try this for a few days and you may be surprised how often a light (or lights) would have been left on all night if not for your vigilance!

9. Set Your Water Heater to 120 Degrees At 120 degrees, you get a double benefit. One, your water, while hot enough, is not so hot that you create a danger of having your children accidentally scald themselves when they turn on the water. Two, (of course!) you save on your energy bill! According to the EPA, you can lose anywhere from $400-$461 dollars a year by having a water heater set at 140 degrees or higher because of having to keep water at such a high temperature or by having to bring fresh water up to that high of a temperature. WOW!

10. Move Fridge Away from Microwave and Oven Your fridge works very, very hard to stay cold. Keep your fridge in an area away from your microwave and oven (which work very, very hard to heat things up) and it will take less energy to keep your fridge and freezer at their cold states.

BONUS
Hardly a bonus- because it seems so common sense- but open your blinds and pull back the curtains! Let in as much natural light during the day as possible and you'll find that you need to use your light bulbs less.

Do YOU have any other (EASY) tips? Leave them as a comment for other readers to benefit from!

Mothering Joys
The other day, my newborn son of three weeks was crying and very upset. I was in the other room and as I came into the room where he was crying, I softly shushed him, saying, "Hey, sweetie, it's mama, don't worry, mama's here,". As soon as he heard my voice, he stopped crying. I couldn't believe that at such a young age the sound of my voice would soothe him before I could even pick him up. It made me feel like my little boy loved me already.

Monday: How Much is That Baby in the Window? Actual Prices for Labor and Delivery

2013-05-01T21:21:00.002-07:00

I just finished making baby numero dos. Wonderful to have two children, but, as everyone who has had children can attest to, it is also wonderfully expensive. I tried to prepare financially for both births, but had a difficult time finding reliable information online- all I could really find was general, "Your labor and delivery could cost over $10,000,".

Well, ok.

But how much to the hospital?

How much to the doctor?

How much for my epidural?

How much will insurance REALLY pay?

Needless to say, this information didn't do much to help me out. So, to give other new moms-to-be a leg up, I rounded up specific information for two live deliveries in the year 2013. You'll find the exact costs for each part of delivery, the insurance adjustments, and how much insurance paid. Hopefully it will help you to plan out your labor and delivery costs more accurately.

Stacy's Labor and Delivery 2013

Insurance Plan: $250 deductible*, 90/10** after deductible is met.

Item	Pre-insurance Price	Insurance Adjustment***	Amount Paid by Insurance	Final Cost
Obstetrician Fee	3,400	581.40	2311.74	506.86 (this was the first bill and so the deductible of $250 was included in this)
Pediatrician (baby is looked at after delivery)	100	-	90	10
Mom Hospital Stay (mother left 24 hours after delivery)	3783.97	-	3605.57	178.40
Anesthesiology Bill (epidural)	648.00	90.00	501.70	55.74
Baby Hospital Stay (24 hours)	2,027.85		1600.06	427.80
Final Out-of-Pocket Price				1178.80

Brenda's Labor and Delivery 2013

Insurance Plan: $2500 deductible*, 80/20** after deductible is met.

Item	Pre-insurance Price	Insurance Adjustment***	Amount Paid by Insurance	Final Cost
Obstetrician Fee	3,360	675.49	1,202.66	300.67
Pediatrician (baby is looked at after delivery)	189	122.70	53.04	13.26
Mom Hospital Stay (mother left 24 hours after delivery)	3,510.98	641.43	56.77	2446.56 (most of $2500 deductible met in this)
Anesthesiology Bill (epidural)	864.00	-	691.20	172.80
Baby Hospital Stay (24 hours)	2,158.19	1,850.40	307.76	307.76
Final Out-of-Pocket Price				3241.05

Just as an FYI if you need it

*Deductible: Most insurance plans have what they call a deductible. This is a flat amount of money that the insurance company requires you to pay BEFORE they will pay for any services other than routine well child checks and the like. If you have a surgery that cost $249 and a $250 deductible, you would pay the full amount. If you had a surgery that cost $300 and had a $250 deducible, you would pay the $250 deductible, plus a percentage of the remaining $50 dollars.

**90/10 or 80/20 or 70/30: The most common insurance breakdowns. Most insurance companies will, after your deductible is met, pay a percentage of all remaining covered costs. For 90/10, for example, it means they will pay 90% of the costs of services AFTER the deductible is met.

***When you go to hospitals/doctors, you general try to stay 'in network'. If you go to someone 'in network', it means that your insurance company may have some kind of deal with them, aka "I'll let you be a doctor in my network and you'll get lots of patients from me. In return, I expect special discounts." These special discounts are called insurance adjustments and basically you get a discount off the full price just because you have insurance.

Tuesday: How to Make DIY Mod-Podge Decoupage

2013-04-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mod-Podge decoupage. Crazy useful in numberless home projects and crafts, but it can cost you a pretty penny! I figured out an awesome plan for my plain, boring black coffee table that required a huge amount of mod-podge and I was not prepared to pay for it. Due to my general cheapness, of course. My table will be amazing (pictures to follow), but for now, here is DIY mod-podge. (I cannot lie- once you know how easy it is to make, you will NEVER buy it. Again. Ever.)

Materials
*multi-purpose white glue
*water
(the end!)

1. Heat your glue in the microwave until warm and mix it together with boiling water. (ex. two bottles of glue to one bottles worth of water) Stir together until it is an even consistency and pour it into any sealable container (plastic containers, freezer-jam jar, glass jar, etc.). (Extra note: It can be difficult to get the glue out of the bottle, so one thing that can help is to pour half of the glue into your mixing bowl and then add some of your boiling water into the half-full bottle, put the lid back on it, shake it vigorously, and then pour the contents out.)

Look! All done. So easy.

2. The end! Did I tell it was easy? Store it at room temperature and keep a foam paintbrush next to the jar and you'll be ready to apply it to all of your many craft projects. Hooray!

(Didn't I tell you it was easy?)

Monday: 5 (EASY) Non-Electronic Activities to Distract a Toddler

2013-04-29T21:35:00.002-07:00

I have a little toddler who toddles about my house doing hilarious and sometimes disastrous things. She's recently gained quite an affinity for toilet water and any objects that can fit inside of the toilet bowl. While I appreciate her creativity there, every time I see her with her hands in the toilet, I want to throw up a little. Yes, I know I can throw in a cartoon movie or put on some baby DVD to distract her from destructive activities when I need to get something done, but I hate the idea of just plopping my child down in front of the television. There are certainly times when it seems necessary (like when pregnant me is too exhausted to even stand) but whenever possible, I like to have an activity to give her where she will learn, develop, and grow mentally, rather than be merely entertained.

Thus, I give you a list of 5 activities (more to follow!) that
you can quickly give to your little toddler (or toddlers...) to do when YOU need to get something done besides chasing them around in circles.

1. Giant Paper Pad. Kids love to color, yes, but one way to make coloring far more exciting (and distracting) is to buy a giant paper pad from an art store (think poster-sized pages) and put that out for them to color on rather than your standard 8 x 11. Works like a charm

2. Edible Play Dough. Best given to your little one while in a high chair. All small children love to play with play dough, but at a young age, you can't really trust them with it. Make an
edible play dough and let them mash it to their hearts content. Don't encourage them to eat it (you don't want them thinking normal play dough is edible) but if they chew on it a little or swallow a bite, it won't harm them. In fact, since it is mostly salt based, most kids will take one lick and then keep it far from their mouth.

3. Fruit Rings on Spaghetti. All you have to do here is get a piece of Styrofoam, stick straight pieces of dried spaghetti/fettuccine all around it randomly, and give it to your child with a bag of fruit ring cereal, then encourage them to put the fruit rings onto the long noodles. Worried about your little one chewing on the Styrofoam? Use the edible play dough from above as your base.

4. Cupboard Mayhem. Pull out a few plastic bowls, a metal pot or two, then some wooden spoons, and let your little one have a party with their make-shift drum set. It only takes a seconds to pull out of your cupboard and yes, you'll endure a cacophony of sounds, but you'll have a few moments to finish frosting that cake or baking those cookies uninterrupted.

5. Paper Bag It Up. Take out four or five paper bags and put a handful of dry cereal into each one and let your toddler loose on them. (Works great on the kitchen floor, since you'll definitely need to sweep up at the end, ;)) They will have fun emptying out the bags, putting the cereal back in the bags, and eating their favorite pieces. A little messy, but a lot of fun for your toddlin' tot.

Tuesday: 10 Simple Life Hacks

2013-04-26T18:55:00.002-07:00

10 simple life hacks for saving money on hand soap, cleaning using fabric refresher, new uses for aluminum foil, and basically making your life just a little bit easier and simpler. Passing it on and hoping it makes life better!

Wednesday: Having a Newborn

2013-04-24T10:27:00.004-07:00

Let's face it- you can't really think straight when you haven't slept through the night in weeks and weeks and weeks....

Monday: When You're a Mom

2013-02-26T19:32:00.003-08:00

As someone who had a goal of visiting a new country every year until she had
children (and did!), this rings particularly true.

Monday: Save a Few Bucks AND Save a Few Lives

2013-02-21T20:34:00.002-08:00

For anyone that has read more than one or two entries from this blog, it should be very clear that I am all sorts of cheap and thrifty. If you can buy a $20 product for $10 or even $5, do it! Well, at least that's the way I think when it comes to shopping. So, what's better than saving a few bucks? How about saving a few lives? You can do both with a website I recently discovered called Save1.

Save1 is, in essence, a couponer's best friend. You go to their website, search for what you want to buy, and they'll connect you with coupons from all over the Internet to save you money with coupons from companies like Kmart, Walgreens, New Balance, Target, Overstock, Express.... you get the idea. Use their website and save money. Sound good? Well, it gets better. Save 1 receives a commission each time you use a coupon and they use the funds from this commission to feed starving children. The organizations that Save 1 works with are all accredited, respected charities, like Feeding America, Feed My Starving Children, and Project Peanut Butter.

An easy to understand breakdown from their website

So there you have it. Go to Save1, have some fun shopping, and know that every time you are saving money, you are helping to save lives. I'm glad that a website like this one exists, but I do wish that more people knew about it! Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, even MySpace, if you're feeling old school. It's really a win-win situation.

Wednesday: Star Wars Humor

2013-01-23T13:54:00.004-08:00

The M's burned out at my local Smith's store and every time I drive past it, this is what I think of

Thursday: Restaurant Refried Beans from a Can

2013-01-17T12:14:00.002-08:00

I have, for years, eaten terrible refried beans from a can. I had no idea how little it takes to transform an ordinary (and honestly awful) can of refried beans into a wonderful side for your Mexican food that tastes as good as your favorite restaurant.

Ingredients
*1 can refried beans
*grease from 4 slices of cooked bacon (not healthy, I know- but amazing!)
*1 1/2 tsp chili powder
*1 Tb onion salt
*1/2 Tb cumin

All you have to do is heat the refried beans over medium heat and mix in the bacon grease and seasonings. It makes all the difference and it tastes like heaven. I have never before had refried beans at home that I wanted to eat. They're delicious! And because of the bacon grease, you may want to enjoy them sparingly... but all things in moderation!

Monday: Online Couponing Made Easy

2013-01-14T20:26:00.002-08:00

Couponing. Sometimes I feel like it's synonymous with being a stay-at-home mom. Most of the stay-at-home moms I know coupon, either extreme-coupon style, or just a few diaper coupons here and there. I must say, it's those extreme couponers that give me major guilt. You know, when they brag about the two cases of green beans that they bought for a dollar each... So, it's only natural that I would coupon.

However.

I coupon with moderation.

Here, you'll find a basic compilation of the most useful websites for couponing and save you from the headache of searching, downloading, and sifting through hundreds of thousands of websites that are far from useful.

There are many websites telling you about various deals, sales, coupons, and perfect ways to combine them- but I mean it when I say there are MANY websites. Let me give you the top four websites that actually have coupons, and not just a list of sales.

Websites With Coupons
(Most require you to install a coupon printer- do so at your own discretion. Oftentimes, the website will try to piggy-bag a program or two on the coupon printer so that you will unknowingly install extra programs. To avoid this, watch the download steps very carefully and make sure to uncheck any extra program you don't want to download.)

1. Coupons.com

Coupons.com is probably the most popular coupon website, as it has the greatest variety of coupons. Most coupons have a print limit, generally only allowing two or three printings per coupon. Coupons are added and taken off daily, so it can be helpful to get on a few times a week (if and ONLY if you have the time)

2.SmartSource.com

SmartSource.com has a medium amount of coupons available at any given time, but their grocery coupons are mixed with a large amount of random website coupons, i.e. entering into a vacation raffle, buying flowers on line, etc., so expet to spend some time sorting through them all.

3. RedPlum.com

RedPlum.com doesn't have as many useful coupons available as Coupons.com, but it does have a fair amount of coupons. It also has a nice feature where you can either print the coupons directly or load them onto a card for use at the store, which requires no clipping/printing.

4. CouponCabin.com

While CouponCabin.com has many deals and coupons, it is a bit harder to navigate. It doesn't have as many direct coupons available, but the ones it does have are really useful. It can take some time to go through and find what is available, which is why it is number four on the list.

Websites With Couponing Information

There are seemingly infinite websites teaching, informing, and directing you in how to use coupons, where to use coupons, where to find coupons- it can be overwhelming. I was going to give you a few options, but, honestly, combined with the websites for printing coupons above, all you need is CouponMom.com

CouponMom.com

I can definitely give CouponMom.com the top ranking for websites that teach you to coupon. Its main features are that it features the ads of every area/state in the United States for nearly every store. All you have to do is create an account with them, select an area, and select the store where you want to shop (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, WinCo, etc.), and it will automatically show you a listing of that stores best ad prices, matched with coupons that are available. For example, if you select Target in Delaware, it would show you that Chef Boyardee pastas are on sale for .99 each, and that there are coupons available for .50 off of 1. (if it is an online coupon, CouponMom will also include a link to where the coupon is located) Then, it will show you the final price of .49 each. Helpful? Heck yes! Especially when you consider that it shows ALL of the ad prices for ALL stores in an area, combined with the best coupons available. Sweet!

An example of some of the great information available on CouponMom.com

Hope this helps start you on your way! Start saving a few bucks.

Friday: DIY Quiet Book

2013-01-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

I made this little quiet book for my baby girl for Christmas. I'll be honest, going through her hands (she likes to chew on books- guess she's hungry for knowledge?) I'm no sure how long it will last, but I loved how it turned out and wanted to share it in case you are making a quiet book, too, but are short on ideas.

Materials
*blank board book
*permanent markers
*stamps
*colored construction paper
*various printed scrapbook paper
*embroidery floss*washi tape
*reflective paper
*wood glue
*clear tape
*various 3-D objects (for the cover)
*card stock stickers

I'll give you a few how-to's for each page, but I mostly just want you to be able to look at my pages and see if it gives you ideas for your own book for your own little one. Good luck!

Front Cover
Buttoms on scrunched cloth, felt shapes, raised letters, and washi tape on the
right (covered washi tape with clear tape for extra protection)

Flowers are from a scrapbook print paper, washi tape for stems and surrounding edges.
Washi tape on edges secured with extra clear tape
Fish page is made up of little fish I cut out of textured cardstock (to make them fun
to touch) and the jelly fish has a few strings of embroidery floss wood-glued on,
then covered with the jellyfish itself

Textured shapes on the right, two colors, so you can focus on learning the shapes
Rainbow string page, I attached each piece with clear tape on the top and bottom,
then re-inforced the whole thing with a ton of wood glue and the blue piece of
paper on bottom and top. Bonus? Stretch the thread tight and it'll give a quiet
'ping' sound when your child flicks it

Left is reflective paper glued on adn then surrounded with washi tape (reinforced
with clear tape, of course)
Right is pink scrapbook paper and sticky die-cut shapes, so they are raised up
from the page and fun to touch

Alphabet stamps colred in on the left, and circles with numbers on the right-
makes it easy to learn counting, right?

Simple enough- colored rectangles to practice learning colors. The right is a heart
where a picture of my baby girl goes, I just haven't put it in yet- so then she can
lookat it and say, "Ah, my mama loves me".... ok, she won't say that, but I will
certainly tell her that's why I put her picture in the heart

Thursday: Perfect Peanut Brittle

2013-01-10T13:04:00.002-08:00

I confess, I used the recipe with cashews and
this is actually cashew brittle....

I am an avid candy maker, especially in the winter, when I'm cooped up at home, just staring at bags of sugar and corn syrup bottles, wondering what I can make. Through some trial and error, I have found a fail-proof (and I do mean fail proof!) method for making a perfect peanut brittle. It doesn't take a lot of time or a lot of fancy ingredients. I can guarantee you will have a hard time enjoying any other brittle once you've made this.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups water
1 pound Spanish peanuts (or cashews....mmmm.... cashew brittle....)
1 Tb baking soda

Spanish peanuts

Not too extensive of a list, right? And the directions are about as simple.

Step 1
Take a cookie sheet with sides and grease lightly with vegetable oil

Step 2
In a large pot, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup over medium to medium-high heat. Boil that sucker. If it is boiling too high (as in it seems like it is going to overflow the pan), turn the heat down. You want a constant boil, but nothing crazy. Stir every few minutes and wash the sides of the pan down with a pastry brush soaked in water

Step 3
Keep on stirring and boiling. Every 5-7 minutes, take a spoonful of your candy mix and pour it into icy cold water. If the mixture is soft and pliable, keep cooking.

Step 4
Once the mixture, upon hitting cold water, becomes hard and brittle (get it, brittle? I'm hilarious) and is the texture you want your peanut brittle to be, remove your pot from the heat and add the peanuts and baking soda. This stage of brittle candy is called the crack stage and should look like this -> when you pull it out of the water. (thanks to PinkPolkaDotCreations.com for a nice picture capturing what it looks like). Mix vigorously and quickly, QUICKLY spoon onto your greased cookie sheet, using a wooden spoon to spread the mixture evenly.

Step 5
Allow to cool. Then, once totally hard, smash that baby up with a mallet, knife, your hands, or whatever you want, and enjoy yourself some of the best brittle you'll ever have.

Wednesday: Need a Laugh?

2013-01-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Let's see how close your humor and mine are- because this made me laugh. Out loud. For real. Not just 'lol'.

Wednesday: I Got Diabeetus

2012-12-27T17:08:00.001-08:00

My husband cannot, for the life of him, understand what I think is so hilarious about these two memes... but they both make me cry because I'm laughing so hard when I read them- so I figured a combo fit just right.

Tuesday: How to Donate Breastmilk

2012-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog consistently (and chances are you probably don't), then you would know that I have donated breast milk before. After talking to a friend, a recent new mom, about my experience, I realized there are a lot of things to be learned about donating breast milk for those interested. In this blog post, I hope to answer a good number of questions for those interested in saving their own breast milk for others in need. I'll neglect to mention why I donate breast milk and focus on the logistics of HOW.

First of all, let us acknowledge that there are four main ways to donate breast milk and each requires a separate process.

1. Donating to a friend/relative
2. Donating to a national milk bank
3. Donating milk to create fortifiers, Helping Hands Milk Bank
4. Donating using a third party, Human Milk for Human Babies, etc.

Donating to a Friend/Relative

The easiest and also least likely scenario is to donate to a friend or relative who either produces too little breast milk or cannot produce at all.

*After your baby has finished their feeding, use a breast pump (hand pump, double electric, rented from the hospital...) to empty your breasts of milk.

*Pour the breast milk into special breast-milk baggies (sold at Wal-Mart, grocery stores, Babies-R-Us, etc.) and freeze them.

*Give the frozen milk to your pal in need. They will be able to thaw your breast milk in warm water and bottle feed their infant with it. NEWS FLASH Breast milk is valid for MONTHS in the freezer.

Donating to a National Milk Bank

I donated using the Rocky Mountain Milk Bank.
Why? I liked what they did with the milk (80% to NICU babies), its sterility, and the ease of donating.

*Register as a donor. Go to their web page and send them an e-mail letting them know you are interested. They are thorough in who can and cannot donate (thankfully) and will send you a form or two to see if you are eligible to donate.

*Once you have registered as a donor, you will have a brief phone interview to make sure you and your baby are healthy enough to donate. Given the thumbs up, you can start collecting.

*To collect milk, wash your breasts and use a clean breast pump to collect milk after your baby has finished feeding. Pour this milk into special breast-milk baaggies (sold at Wal-Mart, grocery stores, Babies-R-Us, etc. Additionally, the milk bank will ship some to you free of charge if you need them) and freeze them.

*Once you have a sizable amount of frozen milk (think 50-100 ounces [When you become a donor, you commit to donating 150 ounces during your donation time period]), call the milk bank. They will send you a special box in the mail to ship your milk.

*Once the box has arrived, call a shipping company (the RMCHF Milk Bank will provide you with the information you need) to set up a pick up. The milk bank pays for the shipping: all you need to do is call for a pick up and to buy a few pounds of dry ice. You will pack your frozen milk and dry ice via the instructions from the milk bank and the shipping company will pick up your package and whisk it away to the milk bank.

*NOTE* On your first shipment, you will need to send blood samples. With these, all you need to do is make an appointment with your regular doctor who will take the necessary blood samples (free of charge to you) and give them to you so that you can send them along with your frozen breast milk. The blood samples are another way to ensure the milk bank's high standards of clean, disease free donors.

*The frozen milk you ship will be thawed, pasteurized, and mixed with the milk of several other mothers to balance any possible nutritional deficiencies. It is parceled into 4 ounce containers and shipped all over the country to those in need.

*Hooray! You just donated life-saving breast milk.

Donating Milk to Create Fortifiers, Helping Hands Milk Bank

Any breast milk donating using this method is unique; all breast milk collected is used to make a fortifier for breast milk that is used for infants in the NICU. The method for collection is very similar to donating to a national milk bank, but the end purpose of the milk is different. To better illustrate the end purpose of the breast milk, I have a story from a mother who used the Helping Hands Milk Bank's fortifier when her child was in the hospital.

What they don’t tell you about the NICU is how scary it can be. The moment my little boy was born, that moment that is supposed to be beautiful and so rewarding, he was whisked off down the hall with little explanation other than that something was wrong. Watching my baby struggle for oxygen hours later, when I was finally permitted to see him, was one of the hardest things I have
ever had to do.

I had always planned on nursing, at least in the beginning. We all know that breast milk is the best thing for our children when it’s possible. But in NICU care, things don’t go always the way we plan. When babies are extremely underweight (2 pounds 12 ounces or less), they need more than their mother's milk to thrive. Once they are able to take milk, (either through a feeding tube or
bottle), a fortifier is added to breast milk to ensure the babies get the nutrition they need in their tiny stomachs. This fortifier is often derived from cow's milk, which isn't ideal.

It wasn’t until days after his birth that I was finally able to nurse for the first time. We were blessed in that my son was a full term baby and able to get his nutrition from me fairly quickly. As soon as we got the hang of feeding, I got to take him home. He is now a healthy, happy kid full of energy. I met other moms who had been in the hospital for weeks, without the positive outlook we had. If I could have done something to help them, I would have.

If you like what Helping Hands Milk Bank does, here is information you'll need to donate with them.

Helping Hands Milk Bank is a virtual milk bank that allows qualified donors to make breast milk donations from the comfort of their home. Prolacta Bioscience collects excess breast milk from mothers who donate through Helping Hands and processes it into a breast milk fortifier made from 100% human milk (rather than cow milk) for critically ill, premature
infants in NICUs.

The process is simple. Helping Hands allows busy mothers to apply online in about 15 minutes. Helping Hands supplies storage containers, and covers all shipping costs & supplies, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to the donor, and she doesn't have to travel anywhere to donate her breast milk.

Donate Using a Third Party, Human Milk for Human Babies

Similar to donating to a friend, you can use an organization to find someone in need of breast milk for their child and work with them to set up a pick-up/drop-off of breast milk. I like Human Milk for Human Babies, because they have many different local Facebook pages, so all you have to do is:

*Like the Human Milk for Human Babies of your area on Facebook

*Look at their Facebook page to see who is in need

*Contact the person who needs breast milk and determine an amount to donate and in what form (liquid, frozen, etc.)

*Donate your stored breast milk

(Human Milk for Human Babies doesn't provide any actual services/compensation/guarantees etc. They work only as a facilitator to connect two parties, one donating milk and the other receiving.)

In the end, breast milk is a pretty miraculous thing that our bodies can create. The opportunity to donate it to anyone in need is wonderful. Look through this list, find what suits your lifestyle best and, if your health and the health of your little one will allow, donate, donate, donate!

Friday: DIY Advent Countdown Calendar!

2012-11-09T15:29:00.002-08:00

My family is still fairly young and we are still establishing our family holiday traditions. This year, I thought it would be fun to have an Advent (countdown-to-Christmas) Calendar, and have a festive activity for each day til Christmas. Construction is simple (also cheap)- and shouldn't take much to do at all!

Materials*Colored felt (including white, or else have some cotton batting ready)
*Colored cardstock
*Needle and colored thread (including white)
*Tape (any variety, really)
*Black Sharpie/Wite-Out pen
*Rick-rack (or embroidery floss)
*Glue (optional)

Instructions

1. Make a house in your desired colors from a square and triangle shaped piece of cardstock. Glue/tape them together (I glued). *note* I won't give measurements, etc, so you can feel free to make your calendar as big or as small as you want- just make sure your sizes are proportional.

2. Using coordinating thread and rick-rack/embroidery floss, create a 'garland' on your house and then secure with a few stitches. (yup, just sew by hand through the cardstock.) *hint* tape your knots on the back of your cardstock to ensure they don't come loose.

3. Cut 6 1 1/2 inch long Christmas 'lights' from colored paper. If you have two sided paper like I had (black on one side, red on the other), even better, but just plain red/green works fine. Cut the 'light' shaped pieces out (with a quarter to half inch nub on the top) and fold the top over so that the 'light' will hang on your rick-rack 'garland'.

4. Once you've hung your lights, cut out a felt door and 'snow' from either cotton batting or white felt, and attach by sewing to your house. I used a cross stitch for the door on the left side, as the door needs to open- the 'snow' can be fully attached, as it does not need to be flip-open-able. *note* again, I put tape wherever I had a knot to further secure it.

5. Next, we'll be making windows! Cut out 12 square pieces of felt (yellow/white/blue work ok) and arrange into two six-paned windows, one on each side of the house. Attach each pane with a single, long stitch on the left or right side only (so that the windows can open, much like the door- remember, we have to put advent activities behind them!)

6. Next, below one of our windows, we'll make a flippable snow man. Using the same felt/batting, cut out two circles for your snowman. Create a face on the smaller circle (using felt, marker, whatever) and attach with a few stitches using white thread to ONLY the top of his head and then ONLY to the top of his body (so that the two pieces can flip up to reveal their secret activity...)

7. Almost, almost done! Chimney next. Cut a rectangle of brown felt, then three smaller rectangles of red felt, and a piece of 'smoke' from white felt/cotton batting. Attach each red 'brick' using a single long stitch on ONE side only (they'll flippers, too) and attach the smoke to the top of the chimney. Once your chimney is assembled, stich it on one side to the top of the house so that the entire chimney will be able to flip open, just like the door on the front

8. Really, REALLY almost done now! Using your black Sharpie and Wite-Out pen, number each flipper/light with a number 1-25

1- Chimney itself

2- Top brick on chimney

3- Middle brick on chimney

4- Bottom brick on chimney

5- Light one

6- Light two

7- Light three

8- Light four

9- Light five

10- Light six

11- Window pane one

12- Window pane two

13- Window pane three

14- Window pane four

15- Window pane five

16- Window pane six

17- Window pane seven

18- Window pane eight

19- Window pane nine

20- Window pane ten

21- Window pane eleven

22- Window pane twelve

23- Snowman head

24- Snowman body

25- Front door- Merry Christmas!

Numbered and DONE! All Finished~!

Once you've finished your advent calendar, figure out 25 activities for your family to do during the month, write them down on 25 different pieces of paper. Fold each one up and use masking tape to

tape them behind each of the numbered items on your calendar. Some ideas?

*Have a snow ball fight

*Go caroling

*Go sledding

*Make hot cocoa

*Fireplace fire

*Buy gifts for Sub-for-Santa

*Deliver neighbor gifts

*Make cookies

*Make fudge/caramel

*Go on a drive to see Christmas lights

*Read a favorite Christmas book

*Go to a Christmas concert

*Make gingerbread houses

*Shovel walk for neighbors

*Make a snowman

*Go Christmas shopping

*Visit a senior center with treats

*Make your own candy canes

*Decorate the tree

*Make garlands

*Go to the Nutcracker

*Watch a favorite Christmas movie

*Make a snow fort

*Rake neighbor's leaves

*Decorate for Christmas

*Hang the lights

*Donate to a food bank

*Volunteer at a soup kitchen

*Wrap Christmas presents

*Pick Secret Santas (kids pick their siblings names out of a hat and do kind things for them 'secretly' for a week, then try to guess who has who)

*Read the Christmas story from the Bible

*Act out the Christmas story using costumes

etc.

Have any other ideas? Post them as a comment to this post and share with everyone else! I can guarantee you it will be much appreciated. (especially by me....)

Tuesday: How to Clean Plastic/Vinyl Shower Curtains/Bath Mats Like a Pro!

2012-11-07T14:01:00.003-08:00

This is so incredibly easy (like most of the things I post on here, let's be honest. I like to save a little time and effort when I clean). I learned this from my mom, who learned it from my older sister. Where she learned it from? I can't say. All you need:

Materials*Bleach
*Washing Machine
*Baking Soda

You can see my curtain was a little wrinkled after the wash- I'll
be honest- I didn't care. I wash just glad I didn't have to
buy a new shower curtain.

How?
Take your (plastic/vinyl) grimy shower curtain off the rings and put it in your clothing washer with 2-3 cups of bleach and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Wash on hot. When the wash cycle is finished, re-hang the curtain on its rings and hang it on its bar to dry. Good as new. Well, maybe not new- but it will get rid of mold, mildew and other gross shower build-up. Great for vinyl bath mats, too!

Thursday: Perfect 4 Ingredient Autumn Wassail

2012-10-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

For me, there is something about a chilled glass of apple cider that makes me feel like autumn is coming- and once autumn arrives, in it's blustery chill, nothing warms me like a mug of warm wassail. This is a very simple, fail proof recipe I've been using for years. Truly a basic, and one you can easily make adjustments.

Ingredients
*apple juice
*orange juice
*cinnamon
*all spice
*nutmeg (optional)

I almost hate to give instructions; it's so simple!

Instructions

Combine 1 part orange juice with 1 part apple juice over medium heat in a saucepan. Add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of all spice per 4 cups of beverage. (i.e., 2 cups of orange juice, 2 cups of apple juice, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of all spice) If you are a nutmeg fan, sprinkle a dash in to taste. Simply heat to a slow boil, remove from heat, and enjoy your mulled autumn wassail with a good book and bowl of popcorn in front of the fire. You can also serve it with cinnamon sticks, just for a little added fun.

Tuesday: How to Fly with a Baby

2012-10-17T13:12:00.001-07:00

Don't panic.

I know that the thought of flying with little ones, especially a baby, can bring terrible fear to the heart of a young mother. Believe me: I've known it. When my daughter was about five months old, I took her on her second flight, this time sans my husband. We had two connections and to make everything lovely and complicated, at that time, I was feeding my baby pumped breastmilk, meaning I had to find a time and place every few hours to pump while juggling my baby in public. Fairly nightmarish, I will concede.

BUT! Let's not lose hope. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you fly without cause for concern when you're toting an infant along with you.

1: What to expect from the airlines

*You will still have to go through security. Many airlines have a special, expedited lane for mothers with children. Be sure to ask- it can save hours.

*You are allowed to bring a stroller and a car seat (both will be checked as you get onto the airplane itself, meaning you can take it all the way to the door of the plane) at no extra charge. They are not counted as extra baggage. If you have an extra seat on the airplane for your baby, you will take your car seat on board and sit your baby in their car seat and buckle them in for departure and landing.

*You will have to carry your baby, sans blanket, through a metal detector. Your stroller, car seat, luggage, shoes, belt, etc., will all have to go through the scanning machine, while you, barefoot, take your baby through.

*You are allowed to bring breastmilk/water for formula/already mixed bottles through security in spite of liquid restrictions. Additionally, you can bring an ice pack for your infants milk/formula. Often, TSA employees will want to scan your breastmilk/formula/bottles to make sure they are what you say they are- when they do, you can request them to change their gloves and put the milk/bottles on a clean towel, so as not to spread bacteria on them.

*On your boarding pass, it will need to say "infant in arms" if you have not purchased an extra seat and ticket for your little one. If your boarding pass doesn't have that printed, you can speak to any airline employee and they will direct you where you need to go to get it changed.

*Check with your flight before getting on. After making it through security and to your departure gate, go speak to one of the employees that is at the desk by your departure gate. Let them know that you have an infant with you and, if the flight is not full, they will often give you a seat next to an unoccupied one, so you have somewhere to seat your baby. If the flight is full, request an aisle seat, and one towards the back. You will likely be getting up to change diapers and soothe your infant. An aisle seat makes that easy. A seat in the back, near the engines, can be both calming, due to the sound from the engines, as well as muffle any crying your little one may go through. Not to mention, you'll be near the bathrooms. I guarantee you'll be heading there with baby often!

*You will be boarded first. Those with special needs, including flying with children, are seated first, giving you extra time to get settled in.

2: What to Bring

*Regularly stocked diaper bag (milk, treats, burp cloths, diapers, wipes) PLUS

-2 changes of clothes for little one
-1 change of clothes for you (just a plain shirt and leggings could be a lifesaver)
-Hand sanitizer
-Sanitizing wipes (for wiping down counters in public restrooms, etc)
-Changing mat (you WILL want to bring your own changing mat for the rest rooms on the plane)
-Extra binkies
-Baby aspirin (you don't want to be caught with an infant getting a fever and no way to relieve their temperature)

3: What you Need to Know

*Some people may be annoyed to see a baby one flight. Most, however, are extra friendly and over the top helpful. Most are parents and grandparents and know the potential trauma of flying with a little child. You can expect many friendly smiles, offers for help, and understanding looks. Far more rarely will you catch an annoyed face.

*You want your child sucking on something during takeoff and landing. The change in air pressure for your baby can be painful and lead to hours of unhappy crying. To avoid this, either be feeding your baby during takeoff/landing, or have a binkie for them to suck on. The sucking can help them to pop their ears.

*It's going to take time. Although airlines in general do quite a bit to make traveling with an infant less taxing, it takes time to get seated, go through security, and deal with any unexpected blow outs. Plan ahead and arrive with lots of time to waste at the airport.

*You will probably not be sitting by a window, watching the clouds go by, thinking deep thoughts. I do enjoy flying, quite a bit, but flying with an infant is a different matter altogether. Your time, thoughts, and efforts will all go to calming your child, holding your child, rocking them, feeding them, changing them, etc. While bringing a good book or Kindle might come in handy, it is far more likely that your every moment on the airplane will be devoted to your little one.

*Don't sweat it! It's a few hours, one day at worst, but it won't destroy your life. Be prepared, take a deep breath, and look forward to arriving wherever it is you get to travel!

Friday: DIY Turtle Pinata

2012-10-05T19:35:00.004-07:00

For my baby's first birthday party, we ended up having a turtle themed party. Why? Because..... I'm not entirely sure. Probably for my husband, actually, who has a turtle. Anyhow, I ended up having to make all sorts of turtle themed decor and food, including an amazing turtle shaped cake (and when I say amazing, I do mean edible and kinda-looks-like-a-turtle). But my pièce de résistance? This turtle pinata. It is...

*functional
*cheap
*simple to make
*kinda-looks-like a turtle

If you feel the urge to follow me in my footsteps, here is what I did.

Materials
*flour
*water
*balloon
*one newspaper's worth of newspaper
*green craft paint/ paintbrush
*green construction paper
*scissors
*duct tape

Step 1
Mix flour and water together in a bowl until it is about the consistency of thin pancake batter. Cut strips of newspaper about one inch wide. Blow up a balloon (not too full, or you'll end up with it popping before the pinata is done).

Step 2
Dip the strips of newspaper into your flour/water mix (glue) and pull the strip through your fingers to remove excess glue, so there is just a thin layer on both sides of the newspaper. Layer this onto the balloon, one strip at a time, until the balloon is mostly covered. As this is a turtle, the bottom third of the balloon doesn't need to be covered.

Step 3
Allow the covered balloon to dry completely (best when by a fan for 1-2 hours), then repeat the layering process. Continue this until you have 4-5 layers on your pinata.

Step 4
Now, you get to pop your balloon! Using a serrated blade, cut off any extra paper-mache that compromises your turtle-shape. (It's pretty difficult to get a perfect shape without needing to cut off extra, so don't be afraid to brandish that blade.)

Step 5
Paint your shell green. Next, cut out a basic head, tail, and foot shape from green construction paper. Bend the shapes at the edge at a 90 degree angle, then stick to the pinata using duct tape.

Step 6
Fill your pinata with candy, then use strips of duct tape to secure all that sweet candy inside of your pinata. Naturally, some tape will show on the bottom sides after you're done. Brush some green paint over the duct tape and no-one needs to know.

Step 7
Here's your final step. Poke two small holes right next to each other on the top of the pinata with a knife. Use the hook of the hanger to go in and then out of these two holes and voila! You have something to hang the pinata with.

Is it the most life-like turtle pinata you will ever see? Probably not. But, I thought I'd share the idea and hopefully give you a hand up when you are making your own pinatas. They do, after all, make a party a PARTY!

What a cute little buddy.... too bad he had to die

Wednesday: Fishin' in Alaska

2012-09-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

On behalf of my grandpa's favorite joke today.... he thought it was hilarious and I have to admit I did, too.