Thrifty Domestica

So where have I been?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:50:00 +0000

Well, my 5 faithful followers have probably given up on my poor blog by now! I'll have to admit, my time and energy has been diverted elsewhere for quite some time now. It started back last May or so... my quest was to find my hubby's next awesome job. You know, the one that makes tons more mulah, and takes advantage of that hard earned master's degree?

So after I accomplished that, well then the house had to be gotten ready to sell, so the painting commenced (thanks to my wonderful parents and brother for all the help with that!) and then of course there was the packing, finding a temporary place to live while we waited for our house to sell, moving into such place (a cute, not too tiny appartment).

Then we had this weird limbo phase where we were going back to our house every weekend (fortunately only an hour and forty-five min away) to take care of the yard, go through all the random extra stuff I'd left at the house because the appartment wasn't big enough, (yeah, I got rid of most of it!) and just hope and pray that our house would sell. Well, praise the Lord, it did... and it didn't take forever, and we actually didn't lose money or anything!

So now we are pretty well settled in and have been looking for a house in our new city. This has been pretty fun, mostly due to the fact that our new church is the perfect culmination of God's soverignty; everything we have prayed for and hoped for in a church home!

I have about 4 "Ebineezers" in my life, I like to call them; marking stones that define where God did something so huge, it really was "exceedingly abundantly more than all I could ask or imagine". The first one was how God lead us out of youth ministry, totally reliant upon Him for a job and money to live, and through like 3 different avenues, God just totally provided for everything, and got my husband a job that was far better than what he'd wanted, and even set us on our current job track (that we hadn't even considered or known was possible!).

The second Ebineezer was our house in LS. There was nothing on the market that we could bring ourselves to consider. It was all too expensive or, ahem... gross. Well, there was one house that we liked, but not that much, and really couldn't afford, and we almost bought it anyway, except that God finally showed us He had the perfect house picked out just for us. On the lake. With 3 BIG bedrooms, and a kitchen pantry to make you swoon. And it didn't need to be gutted and everything redone and painted. Okay, okay, we came up with pleanty of projects while we were there, but most of the work involved the yard, so at least I got to enjoy the lake while riding the lawn mower around the 30 ancient pine trees. (*sigh* I miss my trees!)

The third Ebineezer was E's birth! The doctor saved her life at least twice! You see, she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck 4 times! She was also a week late before I finally gave up and let myself be induced (water popped) so she also asperated meconium, and had to stay in the hospital for a week of antibiotics. I was so afraid during the labor, knowing from the ultrasound that the cord was around her neck, that she would be oxygen deprived. Her heart rate would go down with each contraction, and the nurses would get that look, you know, the one that says they want to call the doctor back in AGAIN. But he was so great! He worked WITH me and E, stimulating her, and when the time came, getting her out quickly, and deftly removing that strangulating cord. God is soverign, that's all I know! She should have been oxygen deprived, she should have asthema, so many things that would have been fair and to be expected..... but He made her so perfect, so SMART, so much more than we deserve!

So the last Ebineezer would have to be CF, our new church home. Again, so much more than we deserve! The worship we've been longing for (teaching and music), the companionship of families with the same views and goals, and it's just so ripe with ministry opportunities and resourses.... it's like opening a new paint set and you get a flash of all the beautiful things that those colors will become. It's what we've prayed for, and hoped for, but was never sure was really real. It's not what anyone would imagine the "perfect church" is like: small, crowded, not enough parking, slightly disorganized... but it's just so genuine, humble, faithful in persuing what God's will really is, regardless of personal preference.

We would have never found it if God hadn't set us on the right job path (not of our choosing) and guided us to LS, through grad school, to apply for a job that was really a long shot, especially in the "current job market", to take us to a city that we never would have picked off the map to move to (no mountains, or trees) where this little body of believers was just waiting for us to come home to them. All I know is, God is soverign!

Morning Routine

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:24:00 +0000

I came across The Inspired Room's post about her morning routine. I guess I was just facinated by the many responses. It made me a little more reflective upon my own routine! Here is what works for me... there's no coffee, no dogs, and no bed making right away. (Though that's because my HH is still in the bed when I get up)

Get up, pee, put contacts in, brush teeth, wash face
Talk to HH for a min as he's getting in the shower
Go to the kitchen, take in the disaster left over from last night, and get to work
Make smoothies, make HH's lunch (big salad)
Get the kids up, and make them pee (I have a 3 year old, and a 20 mo old who is potty training)
Get them breakfast, kiss HH and send him out the door with his fuel for the day
Sip my smoothie, make my lists for the day, and keep working on the dishes
Set the kids down in front of something educational and take my shower
Make my bed, clean the room, get some laundry going
Then I sit down and check my e-mail, the weather, and other news

Then depending on what day it is, I'll do my cleaning, shopping, take my kids to the library, walk with a friend (we're stroller buddies), or take care of some things I volunteer with for my church. Then it's lunch, naps, and I try to get some more time on the computer, or work on my various projects around the house, or do some crafts. I may also try to get a head start on dinner. Then HH gets home, and we get some excercise. Then it's baths for the kids, dinner and bed time. HH and I watch a movie or a couple shows online and have our "us" time.

I am totally envious of women who have the energy of getting their kitchen cleaned up after dinner. By that time of the day, I am just ready to sit down, especially after getting the kids washed, fed, and put to bed. But eventually I'd like to get into the habit of cleaning up before bed. It would make the morning so much nicer!

Please share your schedule and any tips on keeping your morning organized and getting a lot done!

Low-Stress Entertaining

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:57:00 +0000

At our house, entertaining is a pretty casual affair! Over time we've decided that that's how we like it, and that's what makes our typical guests most comfortable! When making plans to have people over, those are two important things to think about: What would make the evening fun and relaxing for you? And, what would make it fun and relaxing for your guests? For me, not having a ton of dishes to do, and getting to spend more time talking with my guests than cooking is important. The grill out back is a great solution to both these problems! We like the party to start outside around the patio, then migrate inside for the actual dinner part of the evening.

There's several other tips we've found make our guests more at ease:

Have plenty of beverages, and let your guests help themselves. This gives them something to do and it communicates that the mood is relaxed and casual. I like to have a little area designated for drink choices, plenty of ice, and glasses. I also love those ice tubs for bottle drinks.

Have lots of seating! Nothing makes people more uncomfortable than having no place to sit. Some inexpensive lawn chairs outside, and some extra folding chairs inside is all it takes to make sure no one is stuck standing.

Don't feel like everything has to be perfect! This actually intimidates people. I know when I walk into a friend's house, and everything is perfect, it makes me feel a little out of place, and I start praying my kids don't touch anything. When the spread is too beautiful to eat, whatever I brought to contribute never seems good enough. Plus, how many times should I compliment the hostess about how nice everything is? Try to picture things from your guests' perspective. Also, if you are having female friends over, leave a little something for them to help you with, like folding the napkins. It gives you a chance to chat with them while you are finishing things up in the kitchen, and it lets them contribute a little something too.

Don't make everything yourself! It's really okay to buy the desert, or one of the sides. Time you save can be spent making the house a little cleaner, getting everything ready ahead of time, getting yourself ready, and just trying to relax and enjoy the whole thing.

Make yourself a good list of what you want to get ready before your guests arrive. Things like setting the table, making the salad, and lighting some candles should be done hours before the party. Try to do your major cleaning and shopping the day before. That way you can take care of your "problem spots", make a final toy sweep, and have an empty dish washer on party day. And have plenty of time to get yourself ready and into the party zone! A relaxed, happy hostess makes the atmosphere much more at ease, and the evening will be much more enjoyable by everyone! (including your husband and kids!)

Fiber Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:32:00 +0000

My junk-food loving husband has recently become obsessed with Fiber One Chocolate Oat bars. He eats them for a mid-afternoon snack at work, as a much needed blood-sugar booster to hold him over until dinner. I'm pretty excited he's volunteerily eating an extra 4 grams of fiber! So I was looking for some Fiber One coupons and found some for $1 off on their website (look towards the bottom). While I was poking around there, I came across a nifty list of 10 ways to get more fiber in your diet. I thought it would be nice to share, so here ya go!

Scan for Bran
Look for “bran,” “whole grain” and “whole wheat” on product packages and ingredient labels. These ingredients can help boost fiber intake.
½ cup Fiber One Original = 14g fiber
1 cup Fiber One Honey Clusters® = 13g fiber

Grab the Whole Food
Munch on a whole piece of fruit, in place of drinking a glass of juice. You’ll get the nutrients and the fiber too.
1 medium apple = 3g fiber

Savor the Skins
Eat fruit and vegetables with the skin on. Eating the skin helps to bump up the fiber, plus it provides texture and a bonus of other nutrients.
1 medium baked potato with skin on = 4g fiber

Screen for Beans
Replace your typical side dishes with high-fiber dried peas and beans, such as kidney, pinto, lentils or black-eyed peas. These fiber-packed legumes make it easier to meet daily fiber goals.
½ cup canned red kidney beans = 8g fiber

Go Nuts
Jazz up salads, vegetables, snacks and desserts with almonds, sunflower seeds or soy nuts. Nuts and seeds add fiber and fun-to-chew crunch to foods.
1 ounce roasted almonds = 3g fiber

Be Berry Wild
Choose raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries to add variety to your cereals. These berries have twice the fiber of many other fruit selections.
½ cup fresh raspberries = 4g fiber

Bring on the Brown
Use brown rice instead of white. Switch to whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat flour whole-wheat breads and whole-grain crackers instead of regular white versions.
1 cup brown rice = 3g fiber

Skip the Chips
Select snacks that are a good source of fiber. Instead of potato chips, go for low-fat popcorn, whole-grain pretzels or oven-crisped whole-wheat pita triangles.
3 cups popcorn = 4g fiber

Drink Up
Water is a healthy beverage choice—especially as you up the fiber. Your body needs more water to help process the added fiber you eat.
Aim for eight 8-oz glasses of water each day.

Sneak in Some Fiber One® cereal
Mix Fiber One cereal into your favorite side dishes or top yogurt, salads or oatmeal. Even a small amount of Fiber One cereal makes a difference.
¼ cup Fiber One cereal for sprinkling = 7g fiber

What every women should know (but no one wants to talk about)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:41:00 +0000

I don't know why I always forget how much of a pain it is! Every month I have two days from heck, followed by probably six days of interruption and concern. In my own defence, it wasn't always this way... after my daughter was born I got an IUD (Paragard). For many reasons, such as no hormones, total dependability, and my lack of ability to take pills daily, it was the best choice. I had never had crampy, heavy, drawn out periods before, but having the IUD has made a big difference. However since my stance on the big three factors I just stated, and since we do plan on having more children someday, the IUD will stay, and instead I have become more adept at dealing with that "time of the month".

With the dramatic increase in the number of tampons I use, I started thinking about where all those tampons are going. I hate the pre-programmed "flush it and it goes away" attitude of our society, so I've done a little research, and the news is, well... pretty gross.

Most tampons made today are "biodegradable" which means that when you flush them they will eventually break apart and decompose. In six months. Yeah, really, and not the whole thing usually. In fact, the Women's Environmental Network says that 70% of blockages in the sewage system are caused by sanitary waste. Yes, that's a lot of tampons, taking a very long time to decompose.

And speaking of "The Network", they'd also like to raise concern over the amount of pesticides being used on the cotton that will make it's way into your body's most absorbent place. There are organic cotton options available, like from seventh generation, but they are a little hard to find still. While times have improved since the high rates of TSS due to Staphylococcus bacteria, and other toxins such as dioxide (from bleaching) have been reduced thanks to information and education about these issues. The question still remains, "Are tampons the best solution?", and if not, what are our other options?

Here's what I've come across...

The Diva Cup (also Moon Cup and Keeper Cup), which is a silicone cup inserted just inside the vagina creating a seal preventing leakage. Several times a day, you remove it, dump and wash it, then reinsert it. They last a really long time, and there's no trash generated. I do have one of these and I do use it each month. However, due to my not doing enough kegals, and a really heavy start, it does sometimes leak. I don't usually use it the first 2 days, and since you need to have a sink reachable from your toilet, public bathrooms are not an option. But I do like it a lot; it does save me from using more tampons than needed, and for medium to light flow days, I'd say it's pretty great!

Fabric pantyliner, like Glad Rags which are washable and, from what I've heard, do a pretty good job. I do not speak from experience on this one, as I just don't think they would work for my horrible flow. But it's a very nice concept, if you don't mind dealing with bloody "rags". Women have done it for eons, so it's probably not all that horrible, once you get used to it. It seems like they usually have little buckets of vinegar water with a lid next to their toilet, or some similar preparedness. Women experienced in cloth diapering probably have lots of good ideas for how to deal with these in a smell/bacteria controlling way.

I should mention that the backing of regular synthetic pantyliner never biodegrades, so if you use them, please consider switching to the above. Thanks!

So then we're back to the organic cotton tampons, or at least the lowest impact ones. I admit, I live in a small town with pretty much no access to green products, other than through the internet. I usually buy o.b. tampons. At least they don't have the applicator to throw away, though the string doesn't ever biodegrade (polyester), the rest of it does, eventually. They are convenient and small, and take up less packaging. Mainly, I try to use the Diva Cup as much as possible, and make sure that I keep in mind what I am flushing, and continue to be proactive in finding a better solution that works for me!

I'm always open to the wisdom of other women, so if you have any tips you'd like to share on this subject, please comment!

Recipe Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:51:00 +0000

This is super-fun and just what every mom in a rush to figure out what's for dinner needs! The Recipe Puppy website searches tons of recipe sites according to the ingredients that you type into the search bar. So lets say you have chicken, broccoli and hmm, how 'bout some ginger? Oh, but a lot of the returns have cheese, and I'm fresh out! You can place a minus (-) sign in front of an ingredient you don't have, or that you don't want in the returned recipes! I've also found that it has an easier time if you put commas in between the ingredients. So go try it out! You'll be ahead of the game of figuring out what's for dinner!

Chores a 3-year old can do

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:09:00 +0000

I have a wonderfully active 3 year old son. Note the "active" part! I feel like all that energy needs to get put to good use, so I've come up with a list of easy chores he can help me with!

Put his shoes in the "shoe spot" This means less mess in the living room, and he's learning everything has place
Put his plate and cup in the sink after meals. Sometimes I have him do his baby sister and Daddy's too, bwaaa haa haa! (okay, I hate clearing the table) I'm hopeing to get him to put the salad dressing back in the fridge door in the near future.
Empty the drying into the basket. This works well when I'm putting another load in; he wants to participate and this is something that actually helps me get done a little faster.
Pick up specific toy items, like the blocks, trains, or legos. We're still not at the point of being able to clean the entire room by himself, but if he has one specific task to focus on he does pretty well (especially if a little treat is offered to help him stay motivated)
Sort the silverware. I take the sharp knives out first, but then open the drawer and let him stand on a stool and sort the spoons, forks and knives. I always fondly remember doing this for my mom when I was little, and it's good sorting skills for him to work on.

So what simple chores do you have your busy little person work on? Please share your tips and ideas in the comments!

Want to make a cute customized chore chart for your favorite helper? Check out these from Alenka's Printables. Just click one of the four designs and you can fill in your child's name and the chores and print it right off!

Know what you're eating

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:52:00 +0000

My nutritionist friend, Wendy Wallace, just sent me a few very interesting tid-bits that peeked my curiosity. These are some "hot topics" that I'd heard about, but hadn't really gotten around to researching. I've included the links where I got this information.

Genetically Modified Produce:

This is a controversial method of making "hybrid" fruits and veggies quickly and accurately by combining genes from other plants or organisms (animals, bacteria) with a plant's genes to give the GM plant specific desirable qualities (pest and drought resistance, nutritional value). Before this process, "genetically engineered" just meant a careful and complicated series of cross pollinations between similar plants with desirable characteristics. This resulted in prize-winning beefsteak tomatoes and nectarines and the like. The changes were incremental and took a while to get the desired result. However, genetically modified foods can be created relatively quickly, thus many varieties can be experimented with, and the changes that are made to the food can be less predictable. Some may not have a change in their outward appearance, but the change in genetics can make a big difference in the resulting plant.

To my mind, this is not necessarily a bad thing, if due caution is taken, and sufficient research is done to observe the implications of each variety on human health and the environment. However, as new GM plants are quickly propagated, I don't really foresee the appropriate amount of caution and research being taken before these foods quickly become a part of our diet, especially since our culture pays very little attention to where or how our food comes to us.

Here are a few sites for further reading:

Science, Religion and Technology Project
Genetically Modified Foods: Helpful or Harmful?
Mercola <- This one is more the scary stuff, but it does talk about how prevalent GM foods are already! It also talks about how to identify what produce in the supermarket is GM, which was very helpful to me.

High Fructose Corn Syrup contains Mercury:

Apparently, part of the process for making it can involve mercury. You would think that food manufacturers would know that they would get in trouble for this sooner or later, but hey, don't people who use lead paint on toys know that too?

Washington Post
Institute for Aggriculter and Trade Policy

This is just yet another reason why consuming high fructose corn syrup is a bad idea

Instead of being subjected to unhealthy sweetener, give some of the low-glycemic, natural sweeteners a try! Here are a few of my favorites! (Okay, organic honey and real maple sugar aren't low-glycemic, but they are super tasty!) Use these to put your body on a healthier and happier track!

Great Green Givaway from SHAPE

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:55:00 +0000

I love SHAPE magazine! It is a wonderful inspiration for me to be healthier in all areas of life. This month they have some especially good giveaways, including the super-awesome Envirosax, $40 worth of Seventh Generation products, and a book that I have been wanting: Big Green Purse.

There's other cool stuff to register to win for too, so click on over!

I got my subscription to SHAPE for free on all-freemagazines.com, though unfortunately they are not offering that particular one right now, they do have a ton of other popular magazines you can subscribe to for FREE. If you love parenting mags, make sure you check if there are any here that you're not already getting (there's tons of good ones!).

Fruit Salad Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:57:00 +0000

No, this isn't your toddler's peanut butter sandwich! It is, however a great way to get a little protein, healthy fats, fruit and fiber into your day, while you're on the run, of course! I got the inspiration for these at my local natural food store, which has a little smoothie/sandwich counter. Of course, they charge like $6 for one of these babies! Feel free to take creative license, and comment on whatever additional toppings you find to be delicious!

Fruit Salad Sandwich

2 large slices whole grain/high fiber bread
2+ Tbs nut butter (organic peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter etc.)
1 Banana, sliced
1/2 C sliced strawberries, blueberries, peaches, kiwi, apples, mango, or whatever else!
1 Tbs Honey

Spread the nut butter on both pieces of bread. On one side, arrange the sliced banana, then the other fruit, using the honey to help it stick together. Lay the other slice of nut-buttered bread on top and enjoy!

P.S. I just have to brag that I got those blueberries on sale at Wal-Mart for $1.50 a PINT! The strawberries were $2.50, which isn't great, but with my Strawberry Monsters to feed, it wasn't like I could pass them by. The delicious berries just make me wish summer was here and we could go pick them for ourselves at the farms close to us! My favorite berry farm (organic), the Greer Farm, just started selling their free-range brown eggs again, now that there's more sunshine during the day. (important for laying production) I can't wait to try some, as well as the organic veggies they are adding this year!

My Handy Hubby

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:28:00 +0000

My HH graduated from grad school in December, so since then he's been catching up on some projects that have been neglected around the house (he has worked full time, while going to grad school full time, so needless to say, my "honey-dos" took a back seat). But recently he has done a couple things that have just made me fall in love with him again! Behold, my very own wash sink! Any mommy who deals with exploding dirty diapers, and 3 year-olds who love mud REALLY needs one of these. I did my best without one for a long time. But HH finally bought the sink, built the stand for it, and did all the plumbing work for it himself! I love it; it's great!

The second thing he's done is help me with a couple things for my beloved veggies. Last year I carried ash from our burn pile to my garden in a wheelbarrow and dumped it in. I did not realize that the ash was still hot enough to smolder through my landscaping timbers!!! Yes, I caught the grass on fire, and would have burned down the fence, if I hadn't seen the smoke in time! Alas my poor garden went for a year without proper edging. You can see the nice new timbers down at the end in the picture, where my HH repaired them.

You can also see in the picture that I have a fancy veggie irrigation system now! Yes, my hybrid beefsteak beauties will never have to fear the drought again! He even put little hoses in my planters, where I'm going to try some herbs this year! What a guy!

Homemade Oatmeal Packets

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:11:00 +0000

My three year old loves oatmeal! I am very thankful for that fact, and try to encourage it. I came up with these packets so that I can save money by buying oatmeal in the canister and have a little more control on the sugar (and sneak some flax seed in there too! Shhh!) Thanks to the pre-packed portion size he can easily help himself (though I still pour the hot water) and I don't have to measure it out, and break out the brown sugar, flax seed, and cinnamon every morning.

Thrifty's Oatmeal Packets

For each packet:
1/2 cup quick-cook oats
1 Tbs ground flax seeds
1 Tbs brown sugar (You can use less of course. 1 Tbs brown sugar = 12g sugar. I will probably lower the amount for my son over time, but I want him to keep liking the oatmeal, so 1 Tbs is good to start.)
A couple dashes of salt
A few dashes of cinnamon.

Seal it all up in a little baggie, then all you have to do is dump it into a bowl, add hot water, and stir!

Other options you may like to add:
~Raisins or other dried fruit.
~Nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
~Nuts like cashew pieces, almonds, or pecan pieces

You can always add on top!
~Fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries or bananas
~Honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup (in which case you may want to omit the brown sugar from the recipe)

Have fun coming up with your own creations, and let your kids help! Feel free to share your ideas!

Great Kid's Christmas Book

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:46:00 +0000

I love my local library! We go every other week to the pre-schooler story time, and to check out new books! This past time I found a really great book created by the awesome author/illustrator duo who does the Bear books: Bear Snores On, Bear's New Friend, etc. Well, they did the cutest Christmas book called Mortimer's Christmas Manger, about a mouse who is looking for a house, and finds his people's Nativity set. He wants to move into the manger, which leaves this little baby statue without a home. Mortimer overhears his people telling the Christmas story (which they do a much better job of than most Christian books out there!) and decides that the baby Jesus needs the home more than him. So he puts the baby Jesus statue back in the manger and prays, asking God for a new home. The ending is super cute, and my son just loves it! I won't spoil the surprise, but this is a great book for pre-schoolers, to talk to them about some good Christian Christmas traditions, and enjoy some beautiful illustrations.

Amazon.com Widgets

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:33:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't posted in a month! My computer's hardrive is full, so I can't download my pictures, or do hardly any work without causing crashes! It has been so difficult, though I have been filling my time with lots of sewing!

I am doing almost all handmade Christmas gifts this year! I have invented a few new sewing creations but I can't tell you what they are yet, because I haven't given them out, and I don't want to ruin the surprise! I'll post some photos later!

Also, earlier this week I folded 25 gift boxes out of cute Christmas scrapbooking paper to put my homemade chocolate goodies in for my husband to give to his friends at work.

The whole family also had a blast painting some pottery for the grandmas! We did it at this wonderful studio where you pick out your bisque pottery, paint it, then leave it for them to glaze and fire in the kiln. We don't get to pick them up for a couple more days, but I am so excited with anticipation of how wonderful they will turn out!

Oh, my husband just graduated from grad school with his master's (in computer science!) so Hurray! We have kinda been putting the computer's needs on hold so that he could study, do his homework, work on his papers and his projects and take his final. But that is all done with, so hopefully my poor computer will get some luvin' now! Which will hopefully lead to a plethora of blog posts, and uploading pictures of items to put in my etsy store!

My Etsy Shop is finally up!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:27:00 +0000

I suppose I've always known I'd eventually get around to opening one. I've always loved the idea, but the question was, what would I sell?

Well, so many people have commented that I should sell my nursing covers, that making those to put on Etsy was almost a given. But I have recently discovered another crafting passion! Knit baby hats! The discovery came when I had a hard time finding a hat for my 1 year old daughter who has a small head. Newborn hats were too small, but toddler hats were way too big! Upon questioning other mom friends, I found that many agreed it was hard to find anything outstandingly cute for that hard-to-fit 6-18 month age. Once they saw the hats I was making for my little girl, they were hooked! (knitting pun, haha!)

I have some other ideas in the works for additional items to my shop, but you'll have to check it out later to see! In the mean time, my etsymini is in the sidebar, so please check out my items, and add my shop to your favorites!

Prima Princessa

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Have you heard about this wonderful DVD? My daughter is only 1, so I am not yet running in the "princess craze" circles yet, but when I saw this 40 minuet movie, I immediately could appreciate the educational value, as well as the quality and thoughtfulness of the production.

They combine a good use of repetition and variety to keep kids entertained, yet reinforce some choice ballet movements (jete', pirouette, etc.) for energetic ballet beginners.

A good part of the movie is excerpts from the Paris Opera Ballet's performance of Swan Lake, with the fairy narrating the story of what is going on. It's nice way to introduce professional ballet because the dancing is beautiful and mesmerizing, and they are learning the classical story that goes along with Swan Lake.

During the breaks between the 4 acts of Swan Lake, they interject some "ballet play time" where the little ballerinas watching the Swan Lake performance get up and dance to the music. Mixed in with this, they use young-ish students of the School of American Ballet to model the ballet concepts, and mix in some animals and toys to reinforce the vocabulary and action.

My 3 year old son watched it with me, and afterwards I asked him if he liked it and what his favorite part was. He said that he did like it, but instead of identifying the prince as his favorite, as I expected, instead he said that he like watching the little girls (who have fun pirouetting and and so forth between the acts). I thought that was interesting, since he didn't get up and dance with them, (he's not much of a dancer type) but I could certainly see that for most little girls, watching this movie would be a perfect "tutu time" to put on their tutus and dance along with the little girls and the music.

Another really cool thing about this movie is that it was created by two stay at home moms, Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller, out of their passion to provide an educational and cultural experience for their own budding ballerinas. What awesome motivation, and what a great achievement! I love it when moms are amazing!

What's even more amazing is that they are doing a giveaway on their blog TutuZone that includes an incredible prize! You get the Swan Lake DVD, a white swan princess dress up set, a cute stuffed swan (dancing partner?). This giveaway ends December 5th, and all you need to do to win is go to their blog post at TutuZone and leave a comment that includes a way for them to contact you if you win. (It's so annoying when someone wins your giveaway, and you have no way to tell them!) It's also polite to say "thanks for the giveaway" and "you guys are awesome" type stuff in your comment too. *wink* But mainly don't forget to leave your e-mail address! Okay, go comment! (Well, you can comment here too. A nice, "thanks for the great tip, Thrifty" is always appreciated!)

There are a lot of people registered to win, so if you know a little girl that just HAS to have this video, you can click above to buy it from amazon. Yeah, I would give you mine, but my niece has dibs until my daughter is big enough for it!

How Clean are your Kid's Toys?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:59:00 +0000

Well, school has gotten under way, and already germs are starting to get passed around! It's a scary time as everyone is tempted to reach for their hand sanitizer, yet also contemplates the repercussions of doing so. (read my posting here)

While you can't control how germs are handled at your kid's school, you can decide how to attack them at home. One front you may want to consider battling germs on is those residing on (and in!) your children's toys. Here is a great article on how to sanitize toys.

I, personally, like to use a solution of:

2 Cups Water

1/4 Cup White Vinegar

1/4 tsp Tea Tree Oil

Mix it together in a clean spray bottle and spritz on hard surfaces, toys, light switches and door knobs! It's easy, smells nice, and it's healthy for your kids and pets! (Who says living green has to be hard eh?)

To sanitize or not to sanitize?

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:59:00 +0000

Everyone was scarred when all the stories of kids being made sick by hand sanitizer was circulated. Many of us locked ours up, or at least hid it in the medicine cabinate or with our cleaning supplies. The health concerns are certainly justified, especially if you, like me, have a little one who loves sticking things in her mouth.

But while the safety concerns of hand sanitizer are serious, the stuff can also do some serious good, as has been proven by many studies. (Like this one, and this one) It can't be denied that there is good evidence that it is a proven defence against rotovirus.

There are some new, organic hand sanitizers on the market. They aren't perfect, but are a nice middle ground between highly toxic/poisonous and germ covered little hands.

CleanWell Alcohol-free hand sanitizer that is non-toxic and readily biodegradable.

Benedetta Made with non-GMO (genetically modified organism) alcohol and Jojoba oil.

EO Uses non-drying biodynamic grape alcohol and organic essential oils.

Always remember that good old soap and water is really the best thing for fighting germs and keeping everyone healthy!

Perfect Pico

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:18:00 +0000

I am not a great gardener. My husband teases me about my black thumb and my ability to kill a plant by not watering it for one day. (an exaggeration!) Yet somehow my little veggie garden is doing rather well, at least in the tomato and jalapeno sections. I had bought some huge sweet onions locally, and had some nice fresh cilantro on hand, so when I was desiring some fresh pico de gallo (and a way to use up all those tomatoes and jalapenos) I invented this recipe!

Perfect Pico

2 cups fine chopped vine ripe (best home grown) tomatos

5 medium jalapenos, seeded and chopped super fine

1 cup diced sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup lime juce

2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt to taste

Stir it all up and let it mingle for a couple hours in the fridge, for best flavor, or just attack it with the chips right away!

At Last! Behold the T-shirt Baby Sling!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:43:00 +0000

After I received a request for a baby sling pattern, I started thinking about all the baby slings I've ever made (only 3 really) and decided that I wanted to shake things up a little and offer my wonderful readers something new. To my knowledge, there has not been a t-shirt sling tutorial published before, but if so, I apologize.

I designed this tutorial to be the ultimate in simplicity, and frugality, with a little recycling thrown in. (you gotta love new uses for old t-shirts, right?!) So here we go!

You will need 2 t-shirts with little writing on them, unless you'd like the writing to be on the sling, which is up to you. I advise 2 XL t-shirts, unless you feel you need bigger. If you're a slim little thing a Large may do just fine. In this demo I use a larges, but that's because I couldn't put my hands on 2 XLs of the same color at the moment inspiration took hold of me. (sorry!) You will want to hold the t-shirt across your chest like this, from your shoulder to your hip bone. If it doesn't make it all the way across with a smidge of slack, go with bigger shirts.

Lay the two shirts down, and cut them across under the armpits. If the lettering on the shirts goes below the armpits you will probably want to just cut up as high as you can, without getting the lettering. You will have 2 tubes of t-shirt, hopefully about 15 inches from the cut to the hem. If it's going to be less than 12 inches, that's not enough, the pocket for your baby is not going to be deep enough! Pick a different shirt!

Now, we will re-shape them a little. You will want to line up the hems (bottoms of the t-shirts) because they will become the top opening of your sling. You will want to start cutting about 6-8 inches from the hems and make a nice curve down to the bottom making use of the full width down there. (the thin part will go over your shoulder and the fat part will be where your baby's bottom goes)

Once you are happy with the shape, turn ONE of the tubes inside out and stick it around the other tube, so that the right sides are together on the inside of the tubes. I prepared a loop for keys/pacifiers and stuck it in between the layers. Pin around the open tubes to keep the curves matching and help with any stretching.

(The loop is about to be slipped between the layers and pinned)

Once everything is pinned to your satisfaction, run a wide zigzag stitch all the way around the curved edge of the tubes to connect them together. (You are sewing through 2 layers, not 4! Sew around in a big circle, connecting the two tubes along the edges you cut.) Make sure it is nice and strong and sturdy, you don't want it ripping open and your baby falling out! You will now have one wide tube that is thinner on one side of the circle, and pretty nice and fat on the other side. Fold the tube along the seam you've just sewn and now you are ready to test it out!

One last thing, I like a nice pocket too, so I cut a little more material from one of the discarded t-shirts and added it close to the loop. I have it opening toward the shoulder, instead of the hem, because I think it holds things better at that angle. I also ran the zigzag around the hem edges to give it a little contrast stitching. That, and any other decoration options are limited only by your imagination, so go crazy if you want! Your little bundle of luvin' can only appreciate it more for the added personal touches!

Hope you enjoy! Please comment! Link your pics!

Ideas for squeezing in some EXERCISE!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:59:00 +0000

I enjoy exercising! I love it, in fact. I would rather be out walking, listening to a good informative podcast than sitting on the couch watching TV. However, after a long day and the kids are finally asleep, that's exactly what I often find myself doing. (My snugly, attention-starved husband also contributes to this behavior!) So I am on a quest to find time and ways to do my exercising during the day, while my kids are (gasp!) awake.

I was recently reading on the List Mama Blog and found that she's made a little motivational/idea list for just such a purpose as mine. See if she's thought of anything you haven't yet!

Make weekly exercise goals for yourself. This will give you some guidance and motivation. (Does putting it on my Google Calendar count?)

Wake up an hour earlier. For many people, the morning is the most productive time of the day. Capitalize on that by getting an early walk or jog in before the kids wake up. (Groans and knods)

Find a buddy. Use it as a ladies evening out. Meet on a trail or in the mall and start walking. (I have had success using this method!)

Wear comfy clothes to the bus stop and then when the kids have just pulled away, get your jog or walk in before you have time to come up with any excuses.

Take a break during lunch to sneak in a walk or an exercise class. (My MIL is great at this!)

Exercise before you pick up your kids from daycare or school. (This can't apply to me because I don't believe in either of those things, plus my kids are too young)

Wait until the children are in bed to climb on your elliptical machine or do a Tae Bo video. (I wish I could do this more regularly!)

Play tag or soccer or run races with your children. (That counts?!?!)

Take a family yoga class. ($$$)

Put on some music and everyone DANCE!

Have any good ideas of your own for squeezing in more excercise?

The JUNK arrives in Hawaii today!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:53:00 +0000

You may have heard about the two guys who are sailing a raft made up completely of post-consumer waste (JUNK!) from Long Beach to Hawaii. They have kept a detailed blog about their voyage, what they've found while at sea, and information about what is happening to our sea water because of plastic trash being washed out to sea.

Here is an intro about their journey.

Here's an example of videos they take while on their journey, floating toward Hawaii.

All that photodegrading plastic in the oceans has a big impact on sea creatures, fish, mamals and birds. Here's a video that's pretty gross, and brutally honest.

So what do we do? Well, in responce to this knowledge, I am examining the areas we produce the most trash in our household, and am aiming to start with reducing in the largest area first: plastic baggies, and plastic water bottles.

So what are you doing to cut down on plastics?

Power your own Cell Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:32:00 +0000

A Faraday-style battery charger is currently in the works by a company called M2E Power. The idea is that you can be charging your cell phone, GPS device, or other small personal device while you walk around during the day. (Brilliant!) The technology is based on Michael Faraday's Principle of electric current generation from electromagnatism, where either a magnet is passed repeatedly across a coil of wire, or the wire is made to vibrate next to a magnet. There is a nice wiki article if you are interested in the speceifics.

This is not a new idea, by any means, yet as we evolve into a more mobile society, and are increasingly concerned with renewable energy sources, we can see the value in honing this technology into widely usable applications.

Right now M2E Power is also working to develop recharging D and AA batteries for military use (for equipment like night goggles) which would be a tremendous help to soldiers who often have to carry a huge amount of batteries for their missions, and pack them out again so they don't leave evidence of their location. Having just a few batteries that are recharging while they are moving to a new location would be an excellent solution to the problem of all that extra weight. Plus, if the US military switched to Faraday rechargable batteries, think of how many fewer batteries would be expended each year!

Batteries that are recharged using kinetic motion are an excellent example of how old technologies can be honed into use for the small, more energy efficient devices that we use today. Faraday's Principle didn't have much practical use back then, but by combining technologies, and melding them together, they become incredibly powerful. Folks, lets face it, combined technologies is the furture of sustainable energy!

Lable Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Yea! I'm so excited about my new lable cloud! It's that big bunch of words in the right sidebar. Those are all keywords that I've tagged my various posts with. I converted my keywords into a "cloud" so that you can see what I've written about most frequently (the bigger words) and hopefully help you find past posts a little easier. They are all the rage these days!

To set it up, I used a great page by phydeaux3 that included code and instructions on how to implement the cloud for blogger. It was nice and clear, and took me less than 10 min. If you are looking to add a lable cloud to your blogger blog, check it out here!

Thanks phydeux3!

MomAgenda Givaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:12:00 +0000

I am so thrilled to have gotten my hands on these! I got two brand new MomAgenda Desktop planners for August 2008-December 2009! One of them is for me, of course, and I'll give you the inside scoop on all the details. The OTHER one, however, is for one lucky reader to win! To find out how, read on....

I first heard about MomAgenda through CoolMomPicks, though the company has also been featured in Real Simple and on The Today Show. Their focus is creating chic, yet practical organizational tools, mostly for moms, though they also have an option that works for anyone. (the MyAgenda)

What really impresses me about the MomAgenda is how much utility is packed into the thing. It's eye-catching exterior is highly durable and waterproof. It's not a spiral, or 3 ring type, so the pages turn easy and you don't have to worry about them ripping or falling out. It comes with two built in ribbon bookmarks to help you find the page you're looking for pronto.

The MomAgenda Desktop edition is organized into month at a glance (with holidays!), followed by weekly layouts. At the top of the weekly pages, right below the dates, it gives a large section for your activities, with a little space to the far left side to write your most important to-dos. It is in a Monday-Sunday layout, which I like because I often plan the week on Monday and hate it when Sunday church activities sneak up on me (potlucks!). Having it laid out that way does kinda mess with my mind a little bit though, because it goes across, like a calendar week, instead of down the page like in Amy Knapp's Family Organizer.

But the real advantage to the MomAgenda is that, under your schedule, it gives you places to write in each one of your kids' schedules. This is the way to go if you have to worry about after school practices, games and lessons! It has space allotted for up to 4 people's schedules besides your own. I use one for my husband so that I can remember which days he'll be out of town on business, and when his next doctor's appointment is.

Along the bottom of the weekly pages there is space given for you to plan your menu for the week. I love this feature because I can look at what I've got going on during the week and decide what nights need to be a quick dinner, or something more relaxed.

I do wish that there was more space on the layout for goals or to-do lists (like Franklin Covey or Amy Knapp's) as I really need those visual reminders. Sometimes I wish I could get a planner that was just a weekly layout of to do lists, along with grocery list and menu plan, oh and some way for recording the money I've spent! (I found this one with the to-do lists part at least)

A couple more features I should mention... the MomAgenda has a great example page on how to use the weekly layouts. It also has a REMOVABLE address book and birthday record, with a few pages for medical records, and website passwords thrown in. This awesome little bonus will easily slip out and get transferred next year's MomAgenda, eliminating the need to re-copy all that info, yet keeps it handy and organized, tucked inside your planner.

Okay, then it starts to make up for the lack of to-do lists with some terrific sections in the back for organizing your important (where the heck did I put that?!?) lists! It's got a birthday organizer, a place to write down what books and movies you'd like to read and see, spots for your nutrition and exercise plans, shopping, dining, gift records. It even has some pages for you to list your entertaining resources, like your favorite caterer and where to get those invitations you spotted for your daughter's next birthday. Then there's a great section to organize your party planning and guest lists, vacation ideas and details, followed by a nice big blank section for you to record whatever else your heart desires!

Yes, the MomAgenda has a good amount of space to write in, but it has slyly avoided being too bulky to carry around easily. It is not as slim as most spiral bounds are, but the quality and durability make it feel more likely to survive being thrown into your large purse or diaper bag. I love the waterproof cover, and the colors are so cheery and appealing!

(I fearlessly poured water on mine!)

So do you think you'd like to get one for yourself??? All you need to do is post a comment to this blog post, giving me your e-mail address (so I can contact you if you've won). You can spell it out like thrifty(dot)domestica(at)gmail.com or something like that, if your worried about it being harvested. AND please share your best tip for organizing your papers, lists, or appointments! I will select one person randomly on July 30th and notify them by e-mail that they have won! Oh, and if you have a blog or website, feel free to post a link of that too! I love to read my readers!

PS. To check out more MomAgenda products, be sure to visit www.momagenda.com