Monday, October 21, 2013

Coconut Oil

I cannot remember what came first, the craving of coconut with my third pregnancy (three guesses why that baby is nick named Macaroon.) or the Pinterest education of Coconut oil. Well, not matter the truth is I LOVE COCONUT OIL!

Do you? I remember back in my tanning days slathering on Hawaiian Sun tanning lotion and LOVING the smell of coconut. Come to think of it, with each pregnancy I desired coconut smelling lotions. Hmmm interesting.... Anyway! Doesn't the smell of it transport you someplace tropical? Forget that the most tropical places I have ever been is the Disney Land area and Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas. No matter, when I put on that lotion I can imagine white sandy beaches, crashing waves and warm sun!

Back to coconut oil, my new body "lotion".

So here I am in the locker room post work out and shower slathering myself in coconut oil. (I keep baby food jar full of it in my gym bag.) so I am dipping into my mysterious jar of lotion and this beautiful gal, in broken English, asks me "what is that lotion, it smells so good". Do y'all know how much I wish I got commission on this stuff? I don't but I will gladly pass on my love of it to you if you let me. (Oh....but I do get cash back when I shop at Trader Joes!)

What I use coconut oil for.
Moisturizer my face and body.
Slather it on my babies post bath time, they smell extra yummy!
Treat razor burn.
Diaper cream.
My husband and son use it as hair product. My daughter tries the same, but her hair is too fine.
I use it in place of butter on pancakes, French toast and breads.
Roast carrots, sweet potatoes or other yellow roasting squash.
Baking.
In my hot cereal.
To make chocolate candy.
Oil pulling.
Sunscreen.
Massage oil
And...well, I find new uses for it every day. You can check out my Pinterest board for more ideas.

Got to buzz, family will be back soon and I need to get some stuff done while little ones are out of the house.
-K




Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Busy Being Still

I'm sitting at my dinning table tapping away at my iPad's onscreen keyboard with two fingers,(missing how swift my fingers really move when my desktop is working) listening to my baby Macaroon not want to take his afternoon nap while the other two are falling asleep to a mom approved show on Netflix and thinking of my list of things I need to be doing.

I have a fair amount of blogs planned for the rest of this month of fun things to share, good deals to be had and just life.  But they are going to need to wait another day. Right now I am going to go practice Being Still and go snuggle with my little Pastries.

The next Make Your Home a Haven Challenge is all about family time. Well mine are a little too little for full on "family night" but they are not too little to need some more of mommy time. So I am taking the challenge in my own special way of finding moments to just BE with them. Right now that means mommy gets a much needed quiet time break with them.



Got to buzz, my kids need ME!
-K


Thursday, October 10, 2013

My Home, My Purpose: A Challenge

As y'all know I am on the search for less "busy" in my life and more living on purpose with a purpose. You know, we all have one right? And it's not just to change diapers, do the dishes, file the papers or punch the clock. But what is my purpose you might ask? I believe we have more then one. And I believe that when we live each day spending time with the Holy Spirit that He will guide us  flat out tell us what we should be doing. Now I'm not trying to be weirdo spiritual, I'm not saying I should stand in the kitchen and wait for Him to tell me to clean the kitchen so I can make dinner. Wisdom tells me that I need to clean the kitchen so I can make dinner. And I'm not saying I should not change the diaper until He tells me to. I can see smell feel the leaking diaper that tells me to change it.

But when I tune in, when I am not busy being busy I can hear Him during the day say to me "Pumpkin needs more hugs." "Your Honey needs you to  encourage him right now." "Your friend that you have not talked to in years needs you to call her." "No, your are not going to send him to that amazing school, you are going to home school."... and so much more. I think it's in those moments that I not only hear Him, but obey that I can say "this is my purpose".

I also know that my role as wife and mother and homemaker and...well some other irons I have in the fire are His purpose for me too. And because of that I am, like any great artist or craftsman, looking to hone my skills. To learn more, improve upon, or as the US Army says "Be all that you can be". (Do they still say that or is my age showing?)

Well, one of those areas I have been working on is the environment of my home. And I am so excited to find a great resource to share with you Making Your Home a Haven Week 1 a fall challenge from the gals over at Women Living Well. It just started this week and I would love y'all to take the challenge with me.

Got to buzz, I forgot to light my candle.
-K

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

I just got the best deal... Part 3 THE BEST DEAL!

Who has a yard sale in October? Apparently we do! And not just any sale, but a $1 sale. A what? Well, you have heard of Dollar Tree or The Dollar Store right? Well we marked everything at our yard sale $1 or less. Did we take a loss on some things? Yes, but you know what? We sold a bunch of stuff we most likely would not have otherwise....all things considered I'm pretty sure we came out on top.

But you know what deal I was most excited about? Sharing with one of the customers how they could also get free mobile service. This is how the exchange went.
Customer: (picking up a home phone) Does this work?
My husband: Yep, we just don't need it anymore. We get free mobile service.
Customer: That would be nice.
Me: You can too.
Customer: !!!!????!!!!

And now don't you want to know how to get free too?

Now before you start thinking this is some small, local coverage, no frill plan....it's not! It's over 300,000 members in a little over one year. Solavei uses T-Mobiles national network. It is UNLIMITED talk, text and 4G! It is all for only $49 a month.

Wait, what about the free? Simple, remember how you already have already been sharing deals and your special referral links with your friends? Yep, referral! When three people sign up at your special link you get $20 every month loaded onto your very own cash card...EVERY MONTH. But wait there is more (I know, sounding like an infomercial aren't I.) but there IS MORE. Every time three more people sign up at your special link you get another $20!

Now before you start thinking "this is one of those companies" or you think it sounds too good to be true, let me tell you more. Well, let our friend Jay-Jay Jagelka tell you more because he says it perfectly. 

"Just to clarify, Solavei is not a Network Marketing company or an MLM or anything like that. Solavei is an amazing savings and rewards program that saves you tons of money on products and services you are already using such as Mobile service, cable TV, Internet, gas, electricity and so on. There is no investment to become a Solavei member other than choosing to save with one of their money-saving services such as Mobil service. Most people become a Solavei member simply to save money and that's it. Others choose to share the savings program with others. The more you share the greater the Solavei rewards. You can even be rewarded with free service for the rest of your life for simply sharing Solavei savings with others. There is no selling involved at all. You can even get significant cash back each time you shop at places you already shop at daily such as Target, Subway and Starbucks just to name a few. There are way too many stores participating to even begins to tell you."

We started using this service and in less then 3 months my husband had over $1000 a month being loaded onto his card and its grown since then. AND I'm not too far behind. AND all that was before they started the cash back at retailers. And Jay-Jay was right about significant. How does 15% back at Starbucks sound? I know some of y'all could make some bank with your coffee addiction.

My husband phrases it this way. "Solavei members get as much as 10% and 20% cash back when they use their Solavei card to pay. This is on top of any other discount you might already be getting. So if you spend 300-500 a month at on stuff like Subway and Starbucks, do your shopping at stores like Old Navy and Walmart, extra. We are talking just your normal spending habits you'd get enough money back to pay for your mobile service. "




Like a said, THE BEST DEAL EVER! Check out the Solavei Marketplace video at Solavei or message me directly and I can give you more information. I would love y'all to be saving and even making as much as we are!

-Got to buzz, I have a date with cash back at Starbucks today.
-K









Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Reflecting on That Thyroid Thing

I love how God works things out for me. It always seems that when I'm dealing with or about to deal with a particular challenge He has already given me tools to prepare for it. Case in point, my thyroid.

In the weeks leading up to my O.B. discovering that lump, as a couple and in church we had been studying God's word about healing and had been reading a lot of Charles Capps. I had also started following one of my now favorite bloggers Naturally Knocked Up who was posting about THYROID! She has been a great resource and I strongly suggest following her for more then just thyroid or fertility health. She is a wealth of information! And to get your hands on Charles Capps teachings, it is life changing!

About a month after the complex cyst (cancer free by the way) was removed and had my final post-op with my ENT and received the official all clear but would need to follow up with an endocrinologist to keep an eye on my T Levels and all that jazz. So what did that mean? Thyroid "supplements' for the rest of my life? According to the doctor most likely. However even with the supplements I was STILL having symptoms. So what do I do about that?

I kept it in prayer, because He if my Great Physician. But I also looked into and continue to look at all ways of healing myself. In that search I have discovered a wealth of information about other who have managed to get off medications and heal their body naturally.

I choose, after much research and doing an elimination diet, that going gluten, corn and mostly grain free was the best choice for me. Cutting back on artificial sugars helps too. So much so that when I am good with my eating I have NO hypothyroid symptoms. (Remember, I was still having them even while taking medication.) Oh and my doctors even removed me from thyroid meds. Woohoo! I will still keep an eye on this are and I have more health changes to try but I am pushing them off until after I'm done breastfeeding Macaroon.

Another positive, since that cyst was removed I've pretty much gotten my old "before kids" metabolism back and the extra pounds I have been carrying around have been melting off. Yes!! Plus I will admit, this "angry red line" on my neck isn't nearly as bad as the first ENT made it sound like it would be. Or even how it looked like it would be in those first few weeks. I know, it's vain. But hey, it is what it is.

Got to buzz, time to start school.
-K

Monday, October 7, 2013

I just got the best deal...Part 2

So I am a big fan of shopping discount stores that sell NEW designer brands, so how great are these new lines of online retailers that offer me those same great deals all from the comfort of my own home. In other words no need to drag the kids along with me while I'm searching out a great deal. Add the fact that these retailers also give me "store credit" by sharing them, we'll folks its a no brainer these guys deserve my business and yours. Start shopping now and maybe you will even have all your Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving and have savings left to buy yourself something nice.

Zulily

They have new deals just about every day and I always find the best deals on toys! Really, they just have great deals across the board! You can shop by category: Girls, Boys, Women, Baby & Maternity, Home and Toys & Playtime or you can shop by "stores". 

Here is how it works. Sign up at this link Zulily
Register for FREE so Zulily can negotiate the best deals to pass on to you.
Shop super deals.
Share your special link with friends via email, Facebook or Twitter and earn shopping credit!



Gilt

Shopping Gilt is like getting to walk into stores I wouldn't dream of taking my 5 and under crowd even on their very best behaved day.  New inventory all the time for women, men, children and home. They even have a city category that you can select local deals like food tours, spa treatments and adventures! Ah, so fun!

Here is how it works. Sign up at this link Gilt
Register for FREE.
Shop super deals.
Share your special link with friends via email, Facebook or Twitter and earn shopping credit!

Do you know of other retailers that do this? I would love to sign up at your link! Please leave your link and why they are a great place to shop in the comments below.


Got to buzz, I hear Zumba and my little girl calling my name!
-K

Friday, October 4, 2013

Why I love social media.


Wanna know what I miss about "going to work"? Getting to talk with other adults! Yep, that is pretty much it. I think that is one of the reasons I love this whole social media thing, y'all are my water cooler! The place I can go and interact with other grown ups in the middle of the day. Don't get me wrong, there is no other place I would rather be then at home with my kids. Plus I realize that this "little kid" season is so short and will be gone before I know it and I will have "more time" for grown up relationships. But grown up relationships are vital to my mommy sanity!

Mommy sanity. You have heard of it right? Alright so maybe more often we hear of Mommy Insanity, but lets try to focus on the good. Lets take a look at some of the ways I keep my mommy sanity.

I turn on Pandora and rock out to some of my favorite jams and sing like I'm with the band. (The baby things mom is very talented!)
I take part in a daily women's Bible study group online: Good Morning Girls
I turn on YouTube and Zumba with my kids.
I check out chic-lit from the library.
I DVR my favorite shows and stream them to my tablet when the tv is otherwise occupied.
I brew and drink multiple cups of caffeinated tea in the morning and herbal in the afternoon.
I Facebook.
I Pintrest.
I follow blogs.
I email.
Sometimes I even get a phone call with my BFF, but mostly we text.
We have play dates.
I day dream.
I write.
I blog.

Now the next question, when do I have time  for all these "mommy sanity moments"? All day long! It is in between morning snuggles and breakfast, getting dressed and lessons, chores and play, bedtime stories and kisses that I find my moments. Do I ever feel like I am neglecting my kids to this "social media" eh, sometimes. You know what, sometimes I get lost in my book or day dreaming. And sometimes I put marshmallows in their oatmeal and let them eat ice cream for dinner too. And you know what else? I am still a great mom with amazing kids and they are great kids with an amazing mom.

Got to buzz, watching Shark Tank with my Honey.
-K

Thursday, October 3, 2013

I just got the best deal...

I am always on the hunt for a good deal.
When I love it I talk about it.
I wish a earned a commission when I did.

Wait a Minuit, I CAN. And so can you!

Pretty soon you will hear a new phrase Social Commerce Network n: Using social media and online media in conjunction with a centralized community of members that supports social interaction and user contributions, to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services and the direct reward of those members who participate in the actual creation and exchange of value.

But if you take a look around you will see the start of it in many places. It's in those places that this busy stay at home mom is finding new ways to stretch and even earn a buck.

Over the next few weeks I am going to SHARE with you all they ways I have found to do this. And with Christmas right around the corner can't we all use or benefit from saving an extra buck.

By the way, YES, these are affiliate links. That's how this whole Social Commerce works and its not a scam. It's smart marketing from these stand alone companies. In fact my hope is that you too will have your own set of affiliate links before we are done.

TyndaleRewards

I'm going to start with getting free books. Real honest to goodness paper back and hard cover books. The cost to join? Free! The cost to ship the books? Free! The time it takes...I would say less then 15 min to start and even less time the that if you want to keep earning free books.

Here is how. Go to this link at TyndaleRewards
Register for FREE.
Choose what FREE things you want to sign up for.
Share your unique referral code with your friends and family on Facebook/Twitter/Blog or email.

Want to earn more points? Sign up for the newsletter. Take super short surveys. (This is not one of those into the Bermuda Triangle kind of surveys! I have done three and cannot even change a diaper faster then they too.) Join the Birthday Club. Or write a Tyndale Product review. All the instructions are on the site and very user friendly.

Tyndale publishing is known for some amazing authors like Beth Moore and Francine Rivers. And beautiful Bibles as well. I used my first bunch of Tyndale points to get the kids a fun Hard back comic book style Bible for small kids called Rumple! Zap! Pow! by Diane Stortz. The graphics are fun, the stories clear and they even have activities to go along with them.

I'm currently saving up my Tyndale points to get a "grown up" Bible for my oldest but I also have my eyes on some fiction for me.

Got to buzz, I have some fall cleaning to do.
-K

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Miss me!

I have been missing you! If you have been wondering where this busy bee mom has been the answer is simple. COMPUTER DIED. Well I have hope it's not fully dead since I have a ton of homeschool curriculum and photos stored on it...but for the sake of blogging. D-E-A-D! 

Fortunately we were blessed with a free IPad 2! And despite the fact that I have not used an Apple product since high school I figured out that I CAN continue my blog on it. Woohoo! I was so disappointed at the thought of giving it up.

In the mean time I have been working on a few new blog series, in hope that i would be back up and running, that I'm pretty excited about. Plus I have some more every day busy bee mom life to share.

Got to buzz, lots of writing to catch up on.
-K

Sunday, August 4, 2013

My Husband is BRILLIANT!

My Husband is BRILLIANT! No really, he is and about lots of things. But when it comes to things of the kitchen I'm sometimes left wondering until he shared an idea with me last night. OH MY HE IS BRILLIANT and I'm just about ready to let him take over all the cooking because of this idea. No it's not disposable dishes. However he has picked them up on occasion so I wouldn't have to "do the dishes" if I didn't want to. In fact he does the dishes for me all the time and often cleans the whole house too. My man IS a keeper!

Nope this idea involved the slow cooker and the mass amounts of chicken breasts I got on sale and was planning to George Foreman grill up. It happened to be one of those days that I couldn't get ahead of the mess and was topped off with a teething baby who was also fighting a head cold. Oh, and big sister got that cold too; probably because she keeps running off with his sippy cup and other "chew toys". Ah, siblings.

So hear I am, finally got the kids to bed. Still have another load of dishes to do and 9lbs of chicken that I needed to cook NOW and it's the last thing I want to do. I was whining to my Honey about having to cook said chicken, asking him about boiling it and he says "Why don't you put it in the crock pot?"  I had cooked a whole chicken the day before and had my homemade broth cooking all that day. His idea, cook the chicken in that broth. I did and it was amazing, not to mention simple. Super moist, as slow cookers are known to make the meat and flavorful! (Next time I will add some, and by some I mean a ton, of garlic to the stock to add a bit more to the chicken.)

All the chicken is now cooked, weighed and put away in zip lock bags for use this week. Yes, weighed out into individual portions! We are trying to be more aware of the portion sizes and calories we eat as we are...work towards stronger and healthier bodies. We are pretty much just using the chicken for salads and mixed with vegetables. I'd done this last month by grilling the chicken on the Foreman and I'm sure I will still keep doing that but I like having this as an option too.

Do you have a food scale? I've found it amazing in training my eyes in portion control. It's even stretching our budget further because I am cooking only what we need to eat. I was even able to portion off a bunch of taco meat today for meals all month long. Well, if you do not have one I strongly suggest it, my kitchen will never be without one again.

Got to buzz, morning will be here before I know it.
-K

Friday, August 2, 2013

Summer Soup Almost Flop

I will admit it. I am one of those people who LIKES the rain! A cool day with a cup of hot tea and a good book next to the fireplace, listening to the rain fall outside. That is MY idea of a great vacation...even more so now that I have busy little kids that keep me on my toes. Another confession? I hope my kids like to read as much as I do! I love that my grandma and I enjoy the same books and want that same thing with my kids. At least one of them. At least they love mama reading them stories now.

Today the weather was cool, no rain but still a much needed reprieve, in my opinion, from all the great hot sunshine we have had. I enjoyed putting on pants and sleeves and not being a sweaty mess! And while the weather feels fall I wasn't ready for a hearty soup just yet,  but soup still sound amazing. So I made a HUGE pot of vegetable soup with cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, celery and chili powder. (I just read that chili powder is a great natural source of vitamin e and I'm trying to eat more of my vitamins these days.) Well, the soup was a bit of a let down so I will not bother to share with you my recipe. However I redeemed it with my "it's got a kick" taco meat. Tossed a little into my bowl and the bland veggie soup was the perfect compliment to it. Woohoo, saved the soup and maybe even some calories by eating my taco that way instead drowning it with piles of cheese, avocado and yogurt. I'll save that for another day when I've roasted a bell or poblano pepper to use as my taco shell. YUMMY!

However, I needed a win today! My Macaroon is teething and fighting a bit of a head cold that he also passed to his sister. She is a trooper and was my big girl helper shopping today, but by the time we reached check out she was done. We were a sight! My oldest was at the play place (thank God!) but I had the baby in the front pack and my girl sitting on my hip. (Yes, I was holding both at the same time! Who needs the gym?) She was crying and snotting all over my shoulder as my checker rolled her eyes, the checker behind me tried to comfort her and the manager on duty tried to bribe her with stickers. (Let's be honest here, don't we all think this is the moment that they should be giving mom something? Like some high quality chocolate!) Well I had flash backs to my pre-kid days and thought "oh the judging that is going on right now." But now I have kids and I know that these moments DO NOT  tell the whole story. Truth be told, I was pretty impressed with how calm I was during all of this. And how great she was doing despite the fact that she was feeling crummy. I'd like to pitch a fit like that when I feel crummy and nothing is going my way. Heck, I've done it! Just ask my poor husband. Wait don't! Just give him chocolate for being so patient with me!

Got to buzz, way past my bedtime and my little pastries wake up early!
-K

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Getting Ready for School

I know it's been too long since I've logged on to blog when I cannot remember my password. This was one of those times! So what has had me so busy I've had no time? Getting ready for school! And all the fun of day to day life.

My oldest starts kindergarten this year and we have confirmed our choice to homeschool. I had no idea there were so many options on HOW to homeschool. So I have been researching styles, curriculum and reading, reading, reading other bloggers who have already been doing this home-school thing and books by the bag full.

We have settled on Eclectic Home-Schooling, for this year. (Funny that's kind of our style for decorating too. Hmm, maybe there is something to that.) Our main focus will be language arts (I've gotten pretty much everything I need for that for only the cost of printing), Bible history over view (next year we will be digging deep into the history), Christlike character studies (Fruit of the Spirit, yes we are still working on that, Armor of God and such) and unit studies. Our first unit of study, students choice, will be ancient Egypt. And I'm pretty excited to dive in!

Speaking of my oldest, we had a great moment this past weekend at the post office. The wind was blowing pretty good and our nations flag was whipping around in the wind. It was beautiful to watch. Well, when we were done with our mail trip the flag was not blowing and Pumpkin was pretty disappointed. So I took the time to teach him the Pledge of Allegiance. It was so cute to see his little sister quickly follow hand over heart and try to say the words to.

A few days later we were making that same trip and as soon as we exited the building I was asked. "Can we allegiance the flag again?" And so we did, it warmed my heart! By the way, I know have "add American flag" to my shopping list for curriculum this year.

If you would like more information of some of the curriculum I am using please use the following links.

Free Language Arts for Preschool and Kindergarten:
Progressive Phonics
This Reading Mama
American Sign Language:
Devotional Motherhood 

Over all wealth of information and great deals:
So you call yourself a Homeschooler 
Bible Based Homeschooling
Me on Pinterest


Got to buzz, baby is teething!
-K

Monday, July 8, 2013

Adopted: The hardest thing, for me.

The hardest thing about finding out I was adopted was what I looked like. No longer could I look in the mirror, at my pictures and see my parents in me. I could not expect to see parts of my parents "show up" in my children. It felt like I lost them all over again, and in a way I did. So I avoided mirrors like the plague and put away all the photos of me that were easily visible. Each time I looked in the mirror my heart would break a little.My grief, not of being adopted, but not having that physical part of my parents is what hurt.

But that's all I lost, the physical. What I kept was the unconditional love, joyful memories and a foundation in Christ;  they gave me that. The same things I desire to instill in my children. And if we are ever blessed to adopt our self, why would I morn the loss of the physical? After all, the way my eyes look, the flecks of gold and green and brown, He made them that way! My smile. My cheeks. My monkey toes. He created me in His image. His design for me was before the foundation of the earth. I was made in the image of my Father! We all were and what a wonderful thing to see when we look in the mirror.

Now mirrors are no longer my enemy. Photos are on display and appreciated for the moments in time they captured. I no longer look for physical glimpses of my parents in my children but instead I look for the quality's my parents instilled in me that I'm passing on to them. And most importantly I am teaching them who they are in Christ, so that there identity is always rooted in Him.

Got to buzz, I've books to read with my little pastries.
-K





Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Menu Planning: Game Plan

June's menu planning was a bust, I think I tried to do too much while recovering. This once a month shopping and cooking thing is challenging to figure out, but I'm determined to get a handle on it. Time to come up with a plan.

Game Plan:

Make menu! I've discovered that this can be the most tricky thing of all. I could just choose what I want to eat...if I were single...but I'm a married gal and mama who needs to consider the needs and preferences of her family AND choose meals that we all enjoy while still easy and healthy. I'm sure that this combination is not the elusive Bermuda Triangle.

Make Shopping List. I pulled out all my recipe cards. (I'm old school that way and it works so much better then trying to pull up the recipes on my phone or computer. The only recipes I keep in my "book" are ones that we have had, that we like, that we want to have again.) Write down all the ingredients from the list on my shopping list by recipe. Then tally up how much of each thing I need if I will be doubling or more during the month. That way if the ground turkey that we always buy is on sale I know how much I need for the whole month and can stock up. If it's not on sale I also know how much I need just for the week.

Shop my Kitchen. Time to take my list into the kitchen and see what I already have on the list. I only have a normal refrigerator and that limits the amount of freezer space I have, so I also have to make sure I have room in the freezer.

Clean Kitchen. Not the quick wipe down, but the deep clean including the refrigerator and spice cabinet. This is a great way to make more room and also make sure you have all the spices and condiments you need for cooking. I like to do this the day or morning before I do my big shopping.

Eat and Pack Snacks. Oh my goodness, never ever go to the store without eating a substantial meal! And if you need to bring the kids feed them too! This includes nursing the baby before I leave. Oh and make sure everyone goes potty! Sometimes I even go twice! I also like to include some kind of snack thing on my shopping list for them that I can pick up withing the first 15 minutes of shopping or I pack something for them to bring along. Oh, and for my older two I take advantage of Fred Meyers Kids Club just about every time I go. Kid's love it. And my front pack for baby is a must when I need to fill the cart. In case you didn't know, car seats take up the whole basket!



Saving Money, Time and Sanity. I try and check my ads and any coupons that I stumble across. (I should take more advantage of those coupons!) And plan what stores I should go to in what order based on savings, time of day and distance. I don't want to waste my gas and I don't want to be shopping during nap time. Plus, if I'm going to take advantage of my Fred Meyer Kid's club I need to make sure I plan out that time for when the are open. Oh, and we are a one car family so I need to make sure that my shopping is before my Honey leaves for the day or after he gets home. Juggle juggle juggle!

Shop. Don't forget your list. Put on a smile. Take a deep breath. Smile and I try and remember all the Love and Logic I've read. And not going to more then two stores in one day. I tried three, well four but one of them ended up being a bust, yesterday and forgot more then half the stuff on my list.

Stores I shop:
Fred Meyers I like the reward points I earn and the gas discount. Oh, and did I mention the Kids Club?
Grocery Outlet I try and check them first since the selection is always changing. They tend to have great deals on organic food, cheese and wine.
Safeway. I tend to get great sale deals with my Just for U. And there Mom to Mom diapers are the best, not only for cost but substance as well. They also have gas rewards and saving money at the pump is always a win.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Trader Joe's Nuts. Coconut milk. Almond meal. Dried fruit. Produce. Ezechiel bread and wraps.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Albertsons.  I don't make it hardly at all, but last month I discovered they had a great Gluten Free selection, so I'm going to be keeping an eye on them from now on.
 Costco I have not had a membership in years so I called and asked if they had a trial membership I could use for the day and see if the savings would justify the cost of a membership. Well I confirmed this information with two different people at the store, however after I lugged all my kids into the store and waited in line at customer service I was told the information was incorrect. Customer service FAIL! No Costco membership for me.

Put the food away. If you manage to get your shopping done in the morning, cook everything you can now while you put the other food away. If I have meat to brown start with that right off while I put away the frozen food. Next, prepare produce for the week and store. And then just put everything else away.

Meals for the day. I also strongly suggest not cooking this night and making lunch super simple too. Take out? Frozen pizza? A freezer meal you already have on hand.

Next day. Cook. Cook. Cook. All those freezer or other make ahead meals you want to do. This is the day! And if you are a crock pot cooker like me, put that baby to work for you too!

So there you go. This is the advice I give my self and hope to follow as well. But don't forget that hiccups happen along the way, like your daughters diaper leaking! "Wet clean up isle one."  Yesterday. Or your baby has a blow out in your front pack. Last month. Or your daughter has an up her back blow out that ends up all over your arm and you think it might be the chocolate from the doughnut she has. Two months ago. Yep, those things they use in movies happen in real life!

Got to buzz, baby to put to sleep.
-K


Monday, July 1, 2013

Cherry July

Wanna know what I love about July? Cherries! Fresh, ripe cherries! There have been many a summer that I've eaten more then I should have and then mourned the fact that there were none left for breakfast. I have now learned the art of  measuring out my servings in advance and savoring each bite so they last longer. And (shh) since my little ones don't have the seed spitting thing down yet, I still get to hog most of them to myself.

So what is a cherry loving girl to do all the other times of the year? In the past I would go for Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, those cherry chocolate things that show up around Christmas, Shirley Temple or Roy Roger (yes, I know how bad maraschino cherries are for me) or my favorite candy bar! It's this chocolate cherry bar thing from Australia that is just a little bit of heaven in each bite. But I met that candy bars and other cherry treats three kids ago and now I'm trying to make more healthy choices. (FYI: will still eat those candy bars when ever I get the chance!)

In my quest for CHERRY bliss I've added two recipes to my family cookbook. Cherry Chocolate Shake and Cherry Banana Ice Cream. Don't be fooled by the names, these things are just as good for you and they are to eat. And even while the fresh ones are in season, the cold temperature of these make them extra perfect for these hot days!

Cherry Chocolate Shake
1 cup frozen cherries
1 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder
1 cup of milk, more or less to get desired thickness (coconut and almond milk are also very taste in this)
Optional add in: 1-2 tbsp chia seeds!

Combine first 3 ingredients in blender. Blend till smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy. If you add the chia seeds I suggest that you stir them into your glass, not using the blender, and letting it sit for about 5 minutes. If you can wait that long!


Cherry Banana Ice Cream
.5 cup frozen cherries
half a banana (I used a fresh one, but frozen would probably work to.)

Combine in blender or food processor till smooth. Scoop into serving dish and enjoy!

Got to buzz, I've got a monthly menu to plan and shopping list to make. You can bet fresh cherries are on that list!
-K

Added half of a ripe banana to my Cherry Chocolate Shake last night and so good! Try it!
-K


Thursday, June 27, 2013

It's not what I thought

My first born was about 7 months old when my Aunt and Uncle came by for a visit on their way home. They "had something important to talk to me (and my Honey) about". I was almost positive that they were going to pitch me on some multilevel thing and I was quick to excuse my husband from the pitch. Another small percent of me thought, maybe I've done something to offend them and they are getting ready to confront me about it. Whatever it was, I wasn't about to subject my hard-working husband to it and off he went. At this time we owned a small "mom & pop" cellular store and we were quite literally the mom and pop with our bouncing baby boy in tote with us. So off my Honey goes and I take over covering the store while my Aunt has this "chat" with me. The conversation the followed changed my world forever.

At 27 years old I found out that I was adopted.

And this is how my brain works. Alright, I'm adopted. My mom couldn't have kids and so....is my aunt trying to tell me that I was her baby? Did my dad have an affair? Do you like how my brain missed the whole "I was adopted" thing even as it acknowledged that I was? She didn't know too much about it because she was was very young at the time but felt that I should know about it. And she was right - and so brave! How afraid she was that I would not love her the same, that I would hate her for telling me this news. But God, He knew! And already had prepared my heart for this kind of news.

My mom was a foster child and because of that (or what I thought was only that) she instilled in me that adoption is a wonderful thing; that just because people do not share blood does not make them any less family, the same as just because you share blood doesn't make you family. So growing up I always saw adoption as a beautiful and wonderful thing. And it is! In fact, the desire to adopt is one of the things that drew my husband and I together when we were first dating. It was one of those deal breakers for me.

After my Aunt left I was pretty much in shock. And while I believed she thought she was telling the truth I wasn't positive she new the truth. I couldn't ask my parents since they both had passed away. And I didn't want to call my Grandma because, well, I was concerned about how the news would affect her if it WAS true. So I did what anyone else would do,  I went to Google for the appropriate number and made a call. I proceeded to give the lovely woman on the phone the story about what had just happened. She proceeded to tell me that Washington (the state I was born in) is a closed adoption state and she could not give me any information. At this point I asked "Can you tell me if you DO have a file on me?" This way I would at least know that this information was 100% true. It was.


Got to buzz,  dinner to put on the table. More on this later.
-K

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Fruit of the Spirit. More like withering on the vine

Fruit of the Spirit? More like withering on the vine. What is it about starting some thing new and healthy that all of a sudden WHAMMY! (Any other Warehouse 13 fans?) It's been one thing after another that has had me way behind on our lessons and sadly leaving our Fruit of the Tree project entirely too bare.

Well all this whammy has left me with some soul searching and low and behold I missed my very first verse that I shared at the start of this series.

 If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:7-8

ABIDING! Ug (head smack 80's style) how could I forget that? I have been trying to make myself and my kids produce good fruit in our own strength. Completely forgetting that it's His strength that makes it happen. Wanna know the kicker? It was my Pumpkin that helped me remember that. (I am learning so much by being these little guys mom.)

This is how the conversation went after I had that ah-ha moment when correcting something my oldest said.
Me: You know what Pumpkin, mama forgot something very important.
Pumpkin: You did?
Me: Yep! You wanna know what that is.
Pumpkin.: MmHm
Me: We forgot to plant God's seed in us this morning. Do you know what the seed is?
Pumpkin: No.
Me: It's God's Word. The Bible. Do you know how to plant that seed?
Pumpkin: Yeah.
Me: How?
Silence.
Me: Would you like me to tell you how to plant Gods seed in our heart.
Pumpkin: (Smiling now) Yes!
Me: First we have to till the ground. To do that we need to first pray and ask God to make our hearts and minds ready. Second we plant the seed by reading our Bible, so God's Word gets inside us. Third we water  the seed by praising and worshiping and spending time with God. What do you think about that. Can we do that?
Pumpkin: I can do that.
Me: I know you can and I can to.

Sometimes I need those great teaching moments to be toddler simple. And isn't that one of the beautiful things about God, He meets us at just the place we need. And I need more of Him! So I have been going back to my roots and listening, reading and watching Kenneth Hagin, Charles Capps and Casey Treat. While also filling up on some great teaching I've discovered in these past few years: Keith Moore; Rick Godwin and JD Henderson, just to name a few. I'm spending more time working on my heart so I have more fruit to model for my children. And more fruit for me.

In the mean time, I stumbled across a fruit of the spirit curriculum for toddles from the folks over at Intentional Homeschool and figured why create the wheel when life is already too busy as it is. I'm still going to use our House and Tree project but when you find great curriculum I say USE IT!

Got to buzz, nap time is almost over and I still have dishes to do.
-K

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Filling our house and trees

What happened to Friday? The weekend? Monday? Tuesday? Hump day? Oh that's right. I had my post-op follow up and received the "all clear" to pick my Macaroon up. So instead of getting my post completed I have been dancing around with my baby and over doing all the chores that I've put off for recovery.  And have over done it! Taking that as a good excuse to sit down, sip some tea and work on this despite all the other busy I have to do.

Fruit of the Spirit:2

Contentions, out-burst of wrath, envy, jealousies....the Bible is pretty clear that this behavior is wrong. So how did I end up just calling that kind of behavior "melt downs" "cranky" and "disagreements"? At what point did I just sugar coat my bad behavior and justified it with "stress" "sleep deprivation" and "it's not fair"? I'm not sure, but what I am sure is it's not behavior I want to model for my children. And it is not a behavior I want to take root in them. And it's not who I want to be!

Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 22-23) Don't you just read that and sigh. I can imagine me being this way, my children being this way and you know what, were not awful at it...were just not great. It's just lately I feel like these characteristics are being used to defuse the above mentioned not good ones more then they are overflowing in our life. So how are we changing that. How are we becoming a family that if filled with the Fruit of the Spirit? We are figuring that out as we go along on day at a time.

I started with reading Galatians 22-23 with my kids this week and we talked about how each tree bears it's own fruit. (My oldest has been learning about plants in preschool, so he really grasped on to this concept.) And that "love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" is the kind of fruit that God wants us to bear. Now this is were I love letting my children "lead" how were going to learn something. Pumpkin says to me "Mommy how do we be that kind of tree?" Oh, don't you just love that? So was born our first Fruit of the Spirit craft.


Our Home & Trees

 As you can see, the craft is pretty simple. I took my spectacular art skills and drew a house and let my oldest trace over my line with a marker. Traced our hands and forearms to make the trees and Pumpkin colored in the bark. Inside each frame of the window one of the fruits is written "joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" and on the door "love" with the description from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7


Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

This is how it works.


The House: Every time one of us catches our self exemplifying a fruit of the Spirit, with the goal of filling our home with all those good things. For example Punkin can show some "self-control" and "long suffering" when his little sister pulls apart his block tower and he can reward himself by placing a dot (we are using bingo dopers)  in the house.

The Trees: Each one for a member of our family. (Baby doesn't have his own yet.) Is for when someone else catches us exemplifying that behavior. For example my Honey can complement me on my "peace" when the kids are running a muck and the baby is crying and I'm not FREAKING OUT! Then I get to add a thumb print fruit to my tree.

The goal? Fill our life AKA tree and so much fruit that we are over flowing!!! If I can remember I will go back and write in on each dot or thumb print what fruit was shown so we can see what we are doing good at and what we still have to work on.

Next lesson, breaking down the fruits one by one. I think we will be starting and perhaps revising "self-control". It's one we can all work on in a variety of areas. Ahem, cookies anyone?

Got to buzz and catch my little pastries showing some good fruit!
-K






Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Menu Planning: June

I love cooking. No, I enjoy cooking. No, that's not right either....sometimes I find cooking very relaxing and enjoyable. But most days I just want the food put on the table without having to think about it! Last week was great! Our family was blessed with a week worth of dinners and all of those dinners provided left overs for my family while I was recovering from surgery. And I don't know about you, but food always seems to taste better when someone else cooks it. Makes me want to try and get a meal swap club going!

But now were back to the real world, and while I have my husband and mother in law taking turns helping me with the kids, because I am still recovering and cannot lift my youngest baby, I might as well get some freezer cooking done.

In my ideal world, freezer cooking day would involve the kids spending the day out of the house with daddy, some great music and a bottle of wine. But not having to stop what I'm doing every 15 minutes, more or less, to address one of my precious little pastries needs. Well, it is pretty darn close to ideal! Thank you Mom for your help!

On the menu this month is a few of our new and old favorites. Thank you Pinterest for helping me find some these great easy things to cook, that my family enjoys and so does my bank account.

On the crock pot & freezer cooking menu for this month
  • Ground Turkey Tacos with Rachel Ray's homemade taco seasoning recipe. Only I add salt.
  • Just like Mom's but Healthy Ground Beef Stoganoff
  • Spaghetti: I eat mine with sauteed mushrooms instead of noodles and it's amazing!
  • Stuffed Pepper Soup from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. I've adapted the recipe for my family and we use ground turkey and add 2 cups lentils, 4 cups vegetable juice, 4 cups salsa
  • Tom Kha Ga from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. In this one I add extra lemon grass, ginger and mushrooms. I also use precooked chicken.
  • Crock Pot whole chickens for salads and steamed or roasted vegetables
  • Coconut flour tortillas. This will be a new one for us and I hope they freeze well, if they do I will use them as mini pizza crusts.
We had the Turkey Tacos tonight My kids have quesadilla AKA "Taco Pizza" and my mother in law and I had roasted green peppers as our taco "shells".

Roasted Pepper Taco

Ingredients
Cooked Taco meat
Bell  Pepper or other large pepper of choice
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream or plain yogurt
Salsa
Cilantro
Additions condiment options: avocado, radish, onion, fresh tomato, hot sauce

Directions
Slice peppers in half and remove seeds. Broil about 5-10 min on each side till roasted. Layer meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro and additional condiments as desired. Eat and enjoy!


Got to buzz, kids are in bed and I'm going to go watch a show with that super helpful mother in law of mine.
-K

Monday, June 3, 2013

I'm a planner.

I'm a planner. An organizer. A list maker. I am one of those people who makes a "to do" list and adds "make to do list" onto the list just so I can check it off. If I know I'm taking a trip in 6 months, I start mentally packing for it the day I know I will be taking the trip. And thanks to Pinterest I have pretty much every birthday from now until they turn 18 planned for each of my children. (Alright, not really on that one, but you should see my party planning boards! I love to plan imaginary parties!)

So with this being my personality, one might think that menu planning is a breeze for me. It's not! If fact I hate menu planning, it stresses me out. The problem is my budget, both time and financial, need me to plan this area of my life.

Then a few months ago our oven wasn't working and that also put our range out of commission. Thankfully I had not started my monthly shopping yet so I broke down and planned out one after another of freezer meals for my crock pot. And you know what, it worked out great! So this month I'm going do some more menu planning and freezer crock pot cooking.

Got to buzz, I have a menu to plan!
-K

Friday, May 31, 2013

Summer Challenge: Attitude & Behaviors

In my previous post Thyroid Surgery  I mentioned "some attitudes and behaviors that need to change". And as I dealt with more then one melt down today, including my own, I was pleased that what kept running through my head was a verse my Honey and I were studying this morning. If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:7-8

I could use a lot more abiding and a lot more fruit in my life. Which got me thinking on The Fruit of the Spirit . But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22



I want to my kids to hear that scripture and think "hey, that's my mommy" and I want them to have the blessing that come with being filled with the fruit of the Spirit. So every Friday this summer I will be sharing something from our journey as we become a family that is abiding more in God's Word. I am expecting a lot of good fruit!

Got to buzz, I have some abiding to do.
-K




Thursday, May 30, 2013

Champagne Dish Soap Dispenser

I was at a girlfriends house when I first saw this idea and loved it so much I made one as soon as I got home. I'm smitten with the little bit of whimsy that this adds to my kitchen and always feel a little indulgent when I use it.

Champagne Dish Soap Dispenser
  1. Wash empty Champagne or wine bottle. A sparkling cider bottles work well too.
  2. Fill bottle with dish soap of choice.
  3. Add a pour spout with vent like this one Chrome Pour Spout.
  4. Enjoy some bubbly every day as you wash your dishes. 

 Got to buzz, dishes to wash.
-K


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Summer Scarf

The Summer Scarf. I have just never gotten it, for the love of peat it's summer! A scarfs job is to keep our neck warm and on cold days I gladly sport my favorites and on super cold days I even cozy up in my not so favorites for practical reasons. Now I do know that this is a much loved fashion accessories these days and I will admit I get a little jealous when I see you beautiful ladies pulling it off, but it's just not for me.

3 Reasons why a summer scarf is not for me

  1. I sweat! I don't need anything else to help me reach for my anti persistent of choice when what  I really want to do is take my flipping clothes off! And since wearing only a scarf is not a modest or legal (out side of the bedroom) option I'm going to have to skip it.
  2. I have a round face Actually it is more oval with chipmunk cheeks, but these post baby days were calling it as it is. Round! And that scarf, while it can hide that second chin that keeps showing up, just makes my face look rounder.
  3. I have a short neck. Well, not a really short neck. In fact I have mastered some great fashion tricks to making it look more swan like. Wearing scarf is not one of them.

So here is my secret, the only reason you will see me don a summer scarf in public is to HIDE something! You know like maybe a hickey? So as I sport a summer scarf from now until next spring I hope you think that is what I'm doing and get a little giggle out of it. Unfortunately, for me and my Honey, it is not the main reason for my scare wearing this summer. The main reason is to disguise my Partial Thyroidectomy.

I had my Thyroid surgery yesterday and it was a success! I briefly spoke with my surgeon as I was coming out of surgery and anesthesia but  I don't remember much of that but her smile and "it all went well". However, my Honey spoke with her and along with the "it all went well" "didn't find any cancer cells" "only had to take that one lobe" she also expressed her surprise that I had not had any trouble breathing or swallowing all this time because it was so large! I'm looking forward to my follow up appointment in two weeks to get all the details my self.

Frankly, I credit God that I had no complications from that thing living in me. And while I'm  not able to lift anything or anyone over 10lbs and I am in a fair amount of pain,  I'm doing pretty good thanks to a young girlfriend who is helping me with my kids, church family who is helping me with dinner and my spectacular Honey who is helping me with everything. Couldn't do this with out them!

Got to buzz, I have some healing AKA sleeping to do.
-K

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Chocolate Raspberry Breakfast Cookie

Mornings in our house go something like this. One of the kids, most of the time it's Pumpkin, wakes up the whole house. (We are working on the one.) And my Honey or I stumble out of bed and put on the hot water, its coffee for him and tea for me. While the water is heating we get milk and something easy to go along with it for them and us. My husband and kids will always choose some type of pastries if it is in the house and even when it's not my Honey keeps looking for one that it's going to magically appear.

Cupcake & Pumpkin enjoying today's Breakfast Cookie
My keep the family healthy solution? Breakfast cookies! I stumbled upon the idea when I was doing a sugar detox before I was pregnant with Macaroon. There was a recipe for oatmeal pancakes and while those were not a winner for us I was able to make some adjustment and DING DING DING we had a hit on our hand.

Since then I've tweaked the recipe many times and have a couple of variations but the base is always the same.

Chocolate Raspberry Breakfast Cookie
Base:
3 ripe (the browner the better) bananas
12 large eggs
6 cups of quick cook oats

Today's Variation:
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp pure vanilla
dash of salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
12 oz raspberries (I use frozen)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Blend cocoa powder, spices and wet ingredients well. Mix in oats till all are wet. Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips. Let sit for about 15 min as the oats "rise".

I love how the raspberries taste and look.
Cook at 350 for about 15-20 min or until firm. Makes about 28 1/4 cup size cookies.
Let cool and eat or refrigerate or freeze.









Disclaimer: I don't know how much fat or calories are in each cookie, that is not my thing. I just put the stuff in them and eat.

Oh and for the record I am not eating these right now, as they are a grain based cookies, but I do enjoy them when I do! In the mean time my family will enjoy them and I feel like a rock star mom knowing that they have them ready for the week while mom is recovering. My little helpers even got to help me whip them up while baby kicked it in his favorite spot in the house.
Macaroon kicking it.
Next week I will be cooking something up that I can enjoy too: Grain Free-Sugar Free-Pumpkin Banana Bread.

Got to buzz, off to surgery.
-K

Monday, May 27, 2013

Thyroid Surgery

Surgery. Full on knock me out take out part of my body surgery. Thyroid surgery to be exact.

About two years ago I was watching some day time or morning talk show and one of the gals was talking about hypothyroidism.Now I am not one of those "looking for something wrong" with me kind of people...but she was listing off some stuff that I'd been dealing with. Most of it I chalked up to being a new mom of one then two little ones and stress. The only "new mom/stress" symptom I couldn't write off? FREEZING FEET! Even in the middle of sweaty hot summer weather I was putting on super thick slipper socks. I couldn't shake that thought that this just cannot be normal. And then I find this lump on my neck and I'm all "I know I've gained some extra weight and I know I've got some extra chunk but this isn't no chunk on my neck, it's a lump".

So I make a doctors appointment and I tell them about the show and how the symptoms sounded a lot like what I'm going through and how I have this lump. Well, the ran some blood work and it came back normal and great! Normal is what I want! But what about this lump? Nothing, just brushed off as some over dramatic mommy.


Fast forward six weeks after Macaroon was born and my O.B. is feeling my Thyroid and says "I'm not an expert in this but this feels swollen to me." THANK YOU VERY MUCH I KNEW I WAS NOT CRAZY. And oh crap! Time to take it to prayer (like I should have from the start) because Dear Lord WHY was my Thyroid swollen? More blood work and still normal and that is still good. Ultrasound however revealed a complex cyst with nodules. Not the kind of cyst or nodules generally associated with cancer however still a risk and still something they test for.

So surgery, taking out part of my body...I don't know about you but to me this is kind of a big deal and I wasn't so eager for it. Heck, I'm still not eager for it. The first ENT Specialist I went too I just didn't gel with and his bedside manner left a lot to be lacking and since this is my body I wanted a second opinion. Second Specialist, same answer but took the time to explain things to me. Guess who I've chosen to do the procedure?

In the mean time, I have been researching holistic ways to heal my thyroid. I'm a Bible believing girl and that verse that tells me to use all means to heal myself, well I'm going to do that. So in this healing process I've cut out gluten and currently have given up grains. Not because I'm on some "these food's are bad for you" kick, I don't know the science to it so I will not blanket statement that thought;  but because in the short while I've done this I've seen a marked improvement in the symptoms I was having! And the couple of time I caved and ate those foods? Oh man I felt crummy!

I've come to realize that this is a journey not a quick trip and it's going to take some time to get my body healthy. Beyond the thyroid issue I have some extra pounds I'm dragging around as well as some attitudes and behaviors that need to change. Don't get me wrong, these changes have already come with plenty of  "it's not fair" pity parties. But I've three amazing little kids who need there mommy healthy and a husband that I'm crazy about who need's me to be too. I'm not going to let them or myself down. I'm going to press on and be the person I know I am meant to be.

What steps are you taking toward a healthy you? Or have you had experience healing your thyroid naturally? I'd love to hear from you.

Got to buzz, I have some grain free cooking to do!
-K

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Bathtub Brilliance

So I'm on baby number three and with my first I HAD to have a baby bathtub! However, I think I used it like once and then I just took showers with him till he was able to be in the normal tub himself. So with baby number two I used that same tub...ONCE and then received a second bathtub as a gift from my grandma. And not just any bathtub but the big daddy of baby bathtubs a PRIMO-Euro-Bath. I mean this thing is almost as big as our normal tub and in fact I'm pretty sure I could bath in it if I had too. I'm not even sure I used it as a bathtub with her but I did get some extra use out of it during the summer as a kiddie pool of sorts.

Now on to baby number three, he is only just six months old and for the most part I have used this hammock thing in the kitchen sink or he's gotten a quick shower with me. And let's be clear, by baby number three unless he can hold his own in the normal tub with big brother and sister, his baths are short and efficient! And that battleship of a baby bathtub is tucked away with no plans of seeing the light of day until maybe summer or the next yard sale!

That's my plan and I'm good with it! Then I'm flipping threw my free subscription to Parents Magazine and low and behold THE MOST BRILLIANT BABY BATHTUB IDEA EVER and I desperately wish I could claim this idea as my own but the truth is it was another mom featured in June 2013 issue of the magazine who thought of it first! And if you are anything like me, and you have not thought of this idea your are hitting your head in one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments. Because folks it is brilliant!

I am a super fan of things, especially baby items, that can do more then one thing. After all they out grow this stuff way faster then they can use it and then what? I'm all about more bang for my buck and this idea had it! Alright ready for it?

Baby in the bathtub with NO WATER! That's right use the bathtub with no water. So it's not going to get your kid clean if you use it this way but you know what it's going to do? It's going to keep your baby busy whether you are playing with him while he's in the tub or letting him play alone while you load the dishwasher. And it's going to save you money (especially if you already have the tub) because you are not going to have to buy one of those fancy infant sit up things that last about two months before your baby is crawling out of it. Now don't get me wrong, before I found this brilliant bathtub idea I really wanted one of those too. Now, forget about it. I have The Baby-bathtub!


Macaroon enjoying sitting up on his own with the help of the tub.



This tub is such a hit that within moments of putting Macaroon in it my Cupcake girl was right behind!
Cupcake loaded him up with extra toys and climbed in to play in the new "toy" too.

And after I pulled baby out big brother got into the tub AKA "boat" too. Actually, I had to save Macaroon from the boat because when the big kids saw how much fun he was having the both wanted in with him. This tub has gotten more use in this past week then the two years I've had it. Thanks Grandma for the super awesome too big bathtub!

Gotta Buzz time to bath them for real!
-K

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Start a Blog

I'm going in for surgery (more on that some other time) in less then four days. I have three little kids (5, 2 & 6 months) and a house that is a mess! You know not just one of those "I need to mop the floor, do the dishes, put the laundry away and dust messes" but one of those I've pulled out everything in some kind of life-changing-I'm-going-to-make-everything-run-like-a-well-oiled-machine MESS. So instead of prodding on with my too busy to sit project I am sitting down to start a blog. Crazy right? And, are you kidding me do we need another blog? No, we don't. But maybe one of my ideas or something I share that I've been inspired by (and you better believe I will always try to site my inspiration correctly) will inspire you as well. Or you just might glean some, as my husband calls them "Krystal-isms" from me. At the very least, maybe you will get a kick out of our antics.

Gotta buzz more life changing cleaning to do!

-K