Thursday, February 28, 2013

Goodbye February Hello March

Seriously, can anyone believe its already March?  I feel like we were just ringing in the New Year.  How are those resolutions going by the way?  Ha trust me I really don't believe in them and if you think you failed at achieving your goals, stop it!  I think resolutions are just another thing we like to feel a bit guilty about.  Moms are notorious with the guilt gene and if we can just let one thing go like resolutions then you will have a lot less guilt.

Speaking of guilt...Did you do the tips of the week?  Okay okay I truly jest and hope this does not bring more guilt.  However, lets do a bit of review of those tips.  Underwear drawers should rejoice and getting ready in the morning should have become easier.  Does anyone still have the thong song in their head?  It is quite catchy!

Second tip if anyone recalls is just to pick a day for washing towels.  Now I had a girlfriend who told me that with her family of five that picking one day a week for washing towels does not work for her.  You can always pick two if you are finding out that only one day does not work for your family.  There were seven of us in my family and I don't recall my mom doing laundry till it was Saturday.  I'm not sure how she accomplished that because I don't want to spend my entire weekend doing laundry.  My mom was a hard worker though and made sure we were never without.  I do remember using towels more than once and trust me that is okay too.  Now with my daughter's cold I admit I washed towels throughout the week.  I did not want snotty towels from doing the baby neti pot laying around the whole week and thats just an EWW factor for me.

Last, but not least I recommended cleaning out your favorite coffee machine with some vinegar.  Pretty simple too and this should also make life a little bit easier.  Did anyone notice a difference after they cleaned theirs?  If you didn't then you might have some satisfaction that the outside looks nice enough to use it the next morning.

Now you might be saying why wasn't there a fourth tip since February has a good four weeks.  Well its because I did not feel like putting one up that week.  I might not have a tip for the whole month and variety is not a bad thing.  It goes back to that whole guilt thing and sometimes its nice not to feel like we NEED to accomplish something that week or even month.  Hope you had a great day today and tomorrow we can say hello to March!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When Stairs Attack

Yesterday, I took a nasty spill down the stairs while carrying my daughter.  Probably the most frightening thing I have done being 7 1/2 months pregnant.  I am quite bruised today even in places where I didn't even know I hit.  Thankfully, the baby is okay and the contractions stopped while I was being checked out at the hospital.  It is still scary when they tell you that if the contractions get worse then you are going to have a C-section.  It is something I want to avoid at all cost.

My right arm took the brunt of my fall and luckily I did not break it.  I have replayed in my head why my arm took the majority of the fall and not my back.  I am quite certain I did a side break fall which I have done a hundred times over the past decade.  It is a technique I learned while doing martial arts and it has served me well in the past.  A few years ago, I fell on ice while running in the mountains and I was not injured due to the position I managed to land.  Yes, it was a side break fall position.  Although this fall I did was on stairs and the thump thump thump all the way down was not easy on my body, I was able to minimize the damage as much as I could with such a landing.

By the way, if you are pregnant and fall, please go in and be seen by your physician.  I had no idea I was having contractions after my fall and it is a good thing to know that your baby is okay.  Delivering a healthy baby is the ultimate goal.

Monday, February 25, 2013

I'll never have the perfect home!

I figured I'll never have the perfect home and yesterday was a perfect example of why not.  I was going to get a shower and wanted to clean it before I got in.  My husband had taken our daughter for a walk and I thought to myself, I'm alone I can spend a good half hour to myself.  So I took my time and started cleaning the shower.  Well I was about 80% done with the task at hand when hubby texted me to tell me that our little girl kept looking back at the house seeing if I was going to come too.  I scrubbed about twenty seconds more and realized that sometimes you just have to put things on the back burner in order to enjoy the true things about life.  So I stopped scrubbing, sprayed vinegar on the walls so I wouldn't come back to cleanser caked to the walls, and headed out the door.  It was the best decision I had made that day.  As she pushed her little cart into my heels and me feigning "ouch," her little squeals of delight proved I had made the right decision.  It was definitely my lesson of the day and as for the shower, I never did go back to it.  Maybe that is why my house will never be 100% and that is okay with me!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Tip of the Week

Spend twenty minutes using your vinegar and some water to cycle through your favorite latte or coffee machine.  Trust me your morning brew will thank you.  My little machine was getting a bit funky looking and even the splatters underneath the machine are gone after I cleaned it.  I did run a couple of cycles of filtered water through it so maybe that is why it took me a bit longer, but I would prefer my coffee to taste like coffee and not vinegar.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Hangover Morning Sort of

Have you ever been out late as a parent and feel like you have a hangover just because you missed out on a couple of hours of sleep?  Well we didn't get to bed last night till 1:00 in the morning and today I'm hurting.  Its funny how I used to party in my early 20s and never feel the effects of a late night.  Now I just want to curl up on the couch and take a nap.  It was a rewarding night though.  I got to see friends and people I hadn't seen in awhile.  We all have lives to lead and busy ones for that matter.  It gets harder and harder to keep in touch with all the people you do know.  Its hard to find alone time to just spend with your spouse when you have kids that sometimes your friends are left on the back burner.  Last night I think I got to do both really.

As we sat listening to the speaker, hubby put his arm around me and gave me a peck on the cheek and I was in bliss.  Those are rare moments when we don't have this little munchkin trying to interrupt.  As we paid the babysitter, I realized we had spent 8 hours away from our little girl.  Now most of those she was in bed, but I don't think I have ever spent that much time away from her.  I came home and I almost wanted to look into her crib to watch her sleep because I missed her.  As much as parents need a break, there is a love that you cannot break.  So instead of the chance of waking her, I watched her on the baby monitor instead!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Feathery-Dos and so much more...

Did you know that you can date yourself with the style of your hair?  Its true.  Your hairstyle says a lot about when you had it all or at least thought you did.  Now if you are in the military where its mandatory to keep it short then you are rather exempt on this dating phenomenon.  However, it is amazing when you start seeing people who still rock the 80s classic feathery poof.  It kind of shocks you to the point where you actually want to go up to them and remind them we are in the year of 2013 or the snake year if you are following the chinese zodiac.

Now time slips away from me too and I realize that my hair becomes unmanageable and I desperately need a good haircut.  I find myself putting it back in a hair tie more and more.  It doesn't help that my daughter finds great fascination too with grabbing my hair when it gets to be too long. My husband's biggest fear is that I'll cut it all off, but I remember how short my hair was growing up and I didn't like it then so I can't imagine going back to it.

I had curly hair back then too and shuddering to think I actually got perm after perm to make it that way.  It was a lot of work making it look right too.  I don't have the time anymore especially as a mom. I need it to be easy.  Same goes with coloring it too and trust me I can afford to wait before I start plopping down money to cover those grays which I know are coming.  I don't miss coloring my hair either and I went through that phase when I was in college too.  I think every girl does, but my Grandma used to tell me I had such pretty hair and I think I have grown to the point where I agree with her assessment.  Now remember when streaks and highlights were all a rage a few years back?  I hated highlights and my hair would do it naturally.  My hairstylist would tell me that people paid good money to get my type of highlights.  I didn't even think it looked very natural.

So I wonder if guys pay any attention to our trends and if they care.  I know they usually prefer long hair over short.  I saw Miley Cyrus cut her hair and the way she did it was put it into a ponytail and cut it.  I thought that was the dumbest move ever.  Its like a five year old with scissors.  I promise you I will never go to those extremes.  Miley though just can't rock the short hair like Pink can and some people look better with long hair.  Although just like my college days, every woman goes through that phase where they need to do something to themselves and I think the easiest answer is to change our hair.

Now there are noble causes such as locks of love who use your hair for cancer patients and I managed to do that once.  It took me over a year to get the mandatory 10 inches and when I did it, it was pretty thrilling.  I don't know if I could ever commit myself like that again to growing my hair to that length, but it was nice to do something for someone in need.

Anyway, if you have not taken care of your locks then I definitely give you permission to go get a new hairstyle or cut.  Maybe that should be the tip of the week.  Are you holding onto your past and does your hair show it?  Do you miss those good ol' times and wish you could go back?  Do you remember thinking though that you wished it was the next year because of some drama at the time?  So how could it have been your ultimate year?  Now I'm no stylist and please don't come asking me what hair styles are rocking in this day and age, but if you are still in the feathery locks from the 80s then please go get yourself a new 'do.

Tawny Kitaen and her soon to be rocker husband in the best hair video of all time.  I was always amazed at her flexibility and gymnastics on two cars.


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Random Thought of the Day

I wonder what Freud would say if he knew I accidentally called my daughter by my husband's name.  She was being difficult while I was trying to change her and it literally slipped out of my mouth.  Don't worry I confessed to hubby that evening lol!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Baby Neti Pot

So the cold has continued to strike our home and now hubby and our daughter are doing battle.  When our little girl was just a small baby I started a saline rinse on her with a bulb aspirator and NeilMed saline packets when she had her first cold.  I would use a product called the Nosefrida to pick up any moisture and junk left in her nose.  Now that she is older, I don't worry about her choking on a little bit of extra saline in her sinuses.

Now she does fuss a little, but knows in a moment she is going to breathe again.  She claps her hands after every squirt of saline and we give her praise for being such a good girl.  You really should see how much comes out when we use the baby neti pot on her.  All we do is lay her on her side with a thick towel underneath her head and the snot comes right out on the towel.  We do this about twice a day and it works amazingly well!  We aren't spending all day trying to wipe her snotty cold nose.

FYI please boil the water before you do the saline rinse and make sure it is only warm when doing the neti pot.  I will put ice cubes in to cool it down if I have to.  It is just one cup of warm water and one saline packet mixed well.  The saline packets are so easy to use and yes you can save money in making your own, but the packets are the perfect combination of salt and baking soda.  I have tried to get it right doing my own and for some reason I am not talented enough to get this mixture 100 percent correct.  It is safer to buy the packets and use them on your child though.  I truly believe this.

If you are interested, I put all the items in my store page.  Now you can buy the 100 premixed packets, but trust me 50 of them should last you for awhile.  If you are interested in using a neti pot, I would recommend using a ceramic or stainless steel pot instead of the plastic ones you can buy.  I am not a huge fan of plastic anyway, but the other two you can throw in your dishwasher and get them nice and clean.

So the next time your baby has a cold and you know they certainly will, grab the neti pot and try it.  It should shorten the length of the cold and help them breathe during the day.  Last, but not least be gentle when doing this with them for the first time.  Our little girl is already a pro at it and knows we are trying to help her.  Your little one will need some time to adjust to it.  Give lots of praise and be patient with them.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Near Misses

Yesterday, we found out some dear friends of ours were involved in a bad car accident.  They came away from the accident unharmed and the relief to hear that they did is pretty overwhelming.  We had our own near miss yesterday in the HOV lane and the similarities are rather striking.  Our friends have a daughter just two months older than ours and both idiot drivers swerved into our lanes.  Thankfully, we both reacted fast enough to avoid any harm.

In our situation, we were exiting in the carpool lane and the single driver was in her lane.  For whatever reason, she decides to whip into our lane and I braked and swerved avoiding her.  I honked at her which I feel made her get back into the lane she was suppose to, but I will say she could have taken out my entire front end and myself as the driver.  My leg even hurt for having to brake so hard and luckily no one was behind us.  As I quickly drove past her, she was leaning forward as if she had a hard time reading the upcoming traffic directions.  Why she was even on the road if she was having difficulty reading, I have no idea.  I just know I even thanked my car for being so quick to follow my instructions.

So I am happy my girlfriend is okay.  I had just spoken to her via Skype and was lovingly told I looked like crap because of my cold.  See I value honest friends!  It almost chokes me up thinking though that could have been the last time I could have seen her.  She is another friend who is so amazing and fun.  I love that she can make me laugh and that she supports me in all endeavors.  I am not ready to lose any of my close friends.  So tell your friends how much they mean to you.  I know we just passed Valentine's Day with our significant others, but sometimes friends need to hear it too!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

I Want You I Don't Want Anybody Else

Yes these are the words you should be telling your Valentine today.  Now you might have bought the flowers or the chocolates, but say this to your partner today and see their reaction.  Do you still hold hands in public?  If not, when did it stop?  Is it because you are so tired that you can't find enough energy to summon up the romance?  Well kick those kids out of the bedroom and make time for you and your loved one.
No I'm not a fan of Hallmark and cards you will most likely forget in two weeks, but the day to day little things a spouse might do for another.  I watch my husband pick up the slack because I'm pregnant and tired.  I don't even know if he knows how much that means to me.  It is so easy to find faults with your spouse that sometimes its hard to see all that they do for you in the name of love.  So return that love today and write them a note of how much you still want them after all these years.  I know I have only one approved authorized source and yes he still my sun and when he is gone, life is not very much fun.

Do I do enough for him?  I don't think so.  I truly don't and I am surprised he has put up with my shenanigans for so long.  I will say that raging pregnancy hormones don't help much.  One minute I'll be fine then the next I'll be a mad wildebeest.  I'm lucky enough that he recognizes these symptoms and makes the right moves in order to survive them.

Anyway, back to your spouse and if you do enough for them.  Do you?  Truly?  Stop thinking of the ME part of the relationship and focus on them.  What have you not done in a long time that you know they adore?  Well today is the day to rekindle that romance.  Again, tell them you still want them.  Maybe thats the hardest part is admitting to yourself you still need them.  Again, forgot about Hallmark and their billion dollar business.  Cook their favorite meal tonight, leave a sticky note where they can find it, or say it aloud how much they mean to you.  I promise you won't be sorry.  On that note, I will leave you with a song to get you in the mood and to remind you how much you want them and nobody else...


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Tip of the Week

Since I'm struggling with a cold, lets make this one easy this week.  Are you constantly running out of towels for the bathroom?  Need a washcloth and are they all in the wash?  Well pick a day to wash your bathroom towels and stick with it.  I'm not sure why Monday works for me, but it does.  I actually will put them in the night before sometimes and Monday morning throw them in the dryer.  For some reason, I had two loads this week.  Do this every week and you will rarely if ever run out of towels.

By the way, I'm not a fan of leaving all the laundry till the weekend.  There is too much to do and quality family time that needs to be devoted on the weekends.  Why spend it doing laundry all day?  So I will try to work in a load a day.  Yes, I separate everything out, but I learned a long time ago that pink and white really don't mix in the washing machine.  Actually, that was hubby trying to be helpful and since then he hasn't touched my clothes.  Now I do usually have him run his load of clothes on Sunday so he has clean clothes for the entire week.  He's a guy and just puts everything in one wash and thats fine with me.  I just can't do that!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Friendships Should Be Easy

Today is two of my friend's birthdays and if they are reading this then I would like to wish them to have a great one!  I have known the one for over twenty years and the other for about two.  They are both amazing and talented and I am thankful they are my friends.  The one is so crafty and makes the most amazing crafty things for her daughter.  I am a bit envious I must admit since I don't have much craft in my body.  The other is probably the most talented photographer I have ever met.  She captures the inner part of people and can make you look like a beauty queen even in your bathrobe.  I did say amazing, right?

Anyway, both girlfriends make friendships seem easy.  I don't see the one very often and the last time I saw her was last summer, but it seemed like yesterday and we did not miss a beat.  I told her once years ago that if we had nothing in common and were just hanging onto the friendship for the nostalgia then lets call a spade, a spade and end the friendship.  I am happy to say it hasn't happened and we find new things to discuss.  I love that about her and our friendship.

However, most of us have friendships which should have been cut a long time ago.  We hold onto them and try to resurrect them from six feet under and really they should lay buried.  I cut a few relationships not that long ago and it was pretty painful.  I don't think I even understood why it happened, but it did.  We just stopped having things in common especially after I had my daughter.  One I realized I haven't spoken with her for about two years and I'm okay with letting it silently die that way.  My college days were a long time ago and we had a great time back then.

I have found I have things in common with other mommies.  I think that is the biggest thing about friendship.  If you cannot move forward then you are stuck in a rut and can't find common ground.  So why is it so hard to let go?  To admit we no longer have anything in common?  Is it ingrained deep down in us to save and nurture that we sometimes forget that friendships should continue to grow?

I always hope to have things in common with my girlfriends.  They are sweet, caring, and easy going.  There are no hidden agendas and no cattiness in our relationships.  I can tease the one about getting old although I am and always will be four months older than she.  When we were 21 that was pure delight...now ummm not so much!  I find a similar sense of humor in my other girlfriend and a flexibility I truly enjoy.  If we happen to be running a half hour late, its not the end of the world.  You know those friends who keep a stop watch tapping their foot.  That is not fun and easy.  So cling to your girlfriends who bring out that funny side of you and who make it easy.  The judgmental rest why don't you just bury them now?  Do you really have time to keep up with that now being a mommy?

To my girlfriends:  Here is your Birthday video clip!




Sunday, February 10, 2013

Accolades & Baby Showers

Yesterday, a receptionist was making polite talk with me about my pregnancy and of course it is the usual of when are you due and do you know what you are having types of questions.  When I told her I had no idea what we were having, she said, "good for you!"  It is interesting that I receive so many compliments about NOT knowing what we are going to pop out in a couple of months.  People express great surprise I can wait so long to know.  So have we become a society of instant gratification?  I rather lean towards more of a yes verdict on that one.  Anyway, we have nicknamed this baby "mystery baby" and I can hear in my head already the song "Secret Agent Man."  You can thank me later for sticking that song into your head too by the way.

My husband's aunt this week told me she really wished she knew what I was having so she could get a blanket for the baby and I need blankets as much as I need more toys in this household.  I actually think its a silly reason to want to know.  A blanket...thats not a good reason to know!!!  My sister found out years ago she was having a boy because her mother-in-law wanted to know since she was crafting the perfect blanket for the baby.  I remember thinking back then that was soooo stupid.

We tried to find out with our daughter and she wasn't being cooperative.  I was pretty sure I was having a girl and just like this one I think we are having a boy.  The tech who had been doing ultrasounds for years and years told us that she was in the 80 percent range that we were going to have a girl.  Well it wasn't good enough for me and we primarily bought all neutral clothing which in this day and age is trying to find a needle in a haystack.  I kept all the receipts for any girl or boy clothing we purchased and yes I bought more girl clothes than little boy outfits.  We now have enough small neutral baby items to clothe this next baby and that is rather nice.

copyrighted, by David Farley, d-farley@ibiblio.org
Maybe that is why people feel the need to have second baby showers these days.  I believe it is becoming more the norm to have more than one baby shower, but what possibly could you need is my question.  If the children are so close in age what else could you possibly get them.  I received the most adorable neutral gifts for our daughter and I plan to use them for this next one too.  I kind of feel that my friends contributed to one gift already that especially in this economy, I don't need to put my hand out and ask for more.  Everyone has received that invitation where it states 'Please No Gifts' BUT how often do people follow this rule?  A person feels obligated and if you go to an event without a gift and everyone else has then you literally feel like pond scum.  A few months ago, I did receive some very nice gifts unexpectedly from my husband's co-workers for the new baby and I was so surprised since I was not expecting such generosity and I felt very fortunate that they would think of me.  It was pretty amazing in fact.

So I will reuse the girly cloth diapers if the next one is a boy.  Our daughter did not seem to mind the blue ones I put onto her.  In fact, in her first walking expedition she wore a blue cloth diaper.  I know my mother had me in baby boy clothes and someone mentioned it to her one evening, but apparently it did not impact me at all.  Yes, if I have a boy I will buy boy appropriate clothing, but I can wait to see if I need to.  In fact, all the praises that we are having a mystery baby is rather nice and I will continue to enjoy them.  It is better than the "oh how old is your daughter and when are you due questions."  Yes, the two of them will be 18 months apart when all is said and done.  Now THOSE people I would love to yell at them that yes I do know how the birds and the bees work.  However, I try to be polite when answering them although I'm not sure how much longer with all these pregnancy hormones running through my system.  That though is ANOTHER post I'll have to do!!!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Holy Grail of Strollers

I'm officially a proud owner of a Joovy Double Stroller.  Double strollers are literally in the same category as trying to find the Holy Grail.  I did not purchase the stroller new and found it on craigslist instead.  I had already purchased the whole entire Britax travel system for my daughter and with another baby on the way in a few months, I needed a double.  So the search for the double started and it was a grueling kind of search.  I had looked at City Select strollers because Moms had raved about them.  They looked pretty amazing and the most appealing thing about these strollers is you can customize the stroller into 16 different combinations.  So if the kids are fighting, you can face them away from each other!

Why didn't I go with the City Select Double?  Well the stroller is a hefty 650 dollar price tag from Amazon.  I believe Amazon has the best deal on it too.  I did not think the City Select would be compatible with my Britax B-Safe car seat either.  The other high end strollers such as Peg Perego had the same problem and would not adapt to my car seat.  So I looked at Baby Trend and actually brought my car seat along with me to the store and the sales person was absolutely amazing in helping us see if it would fit.  I was hoping it would work, but nope!  The car seat sat crooked because of the Britax' click n go system. 

You might wonder why I just did not buy another Britax stroller.  I own the agile and if I had known I was going to have two close in age about two years ago, I would have purchased the Britax B-Ready stroller instead.  The B-Ready allows for an extra seat to be added to the stroller.  Now I do like my Britax Agile stroller, but the problem with Britax strollers is they recline too much.  There is only so much you can tighten the back strap to have your child sit straight.  I did read where a guy managed to set it up so the seat came forward more, but I'm not that savvy nor do I have the time to play with it.  My daughter wants to sit straight up and both the Britax strollers reclined too much for her.  I asked another Mom today at a store today and she agreed her daughter was not a fan of the lazy boy action.  The price tag on the B-Ready was in the 350 range and that does not even include the second seat.  

Most of the other strollers such as the Chico, the Eddie Bauer, and Phil and Ted did not work with the Britax car seat.  I am not a huge fan of the Chico brand either.  Hubby worked at a baby store when he was a teenager and they came back all the time.  I always see them in the consignment stores and I get the feel they are more about selling quantity over quality when it comes to this brand.  Thinking of quality, the BOB stroller is an amazing little stroller.  Okay let me rephrase that, the BOB stroller is a MONSTROSITY.  Yes, it takes the Britax B-Safe beautifully, but its like driving a double wide.  

Therefore, my quest for the ultimate stroller continued and I believe I asked every friend what double they used.  I felt as if I was stalking the Mommy Double strollers when I was out and about.  I researched the best double strollers and many were the double wides I was not interested in.  Finally, I came across Joovy one evening and that is where I began to ponder if my car seat would fit it.  I was not about to blindly buy one and hope and pray it would work.  I thought the Baby Trend would and I saw what happened there.  I could not find them in stores nor could I glean any information online from websites if the B-Safe would fit 100 percent guaranteed.  I tried it out on a used Joovy stroller and my fears were immediately put to rest.  However, the stroller was incredibly long in length due to it being a triple stroller.  I did not think it would even fit in my trunk and decided against buying it.  

Joovy does not make just one stroller though and they all look identical in some fashion.  I was not sure if the Sit and Stand would when I went to look at it today, but it did.  It is an older version of the current one Joovy is selling and it was in great shape with the additional seat being sold with it.  I believe it is smaller than the regular caboose Joovy sells and since they are not sold in stores, it is hard to compare.  Joovy seems to make a great quality stroller and I am extremely happy with my purchase.  I wondered if the second seat would fold easily or if I had to pull it out when folding it and sure enough it folded right along the original seat.  The nice thing is it is about the same size as my single Britax Agile stroller folded in my trunk and that is a definite plus.  I promise to load a better picture of the joovy in action with both tots sitting in it.

Along with the second seat with Joovy sells for $70 dollars, the parent cup holder, infant adaptor, and infant strap was included with the Joovy I purchased today.  I found it on craigslist for a total of $150 which is a great deal and the Mom I bought it from was pretty amazing too.  She said I emailed first and allowed me to see the stroller first before letting anyone else review it.  She even gave me a Mommy hook that she no longer needed.  So the hours of scouring the internet came to fruition and the best part is my daughter loves the upright seating Joovy seems to have perfected.  Now I would love to see the difference between the ultralight versions of Joovy, but three pounds difference to me did not seem worth the cost of the lighter stroller.  My one cat weighs more than that!  

If you are a Britax fan and not in love with their strollers then check out the joovy strollers.  I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.  The joovy strollers seem to fit in doorways easily which is a definite plus for me.  I feel a little like Sir Gawain when he found the Holy Grail for Arthur.  Isn't that what Mommies all over the world try to achieve?  Perfection and the saving of our lives?  Okay so I had to reference that!!!  


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Challenged accepted?

So have you been following the tip of the week or are you in the category of I have the perfect panty drawer?  Mmmm?  Do you dare to confess to yourself that there is no such thing?  For those of you who have taken this task to heart, are you enjoying the decluttering mission?  You might have come across the Jeeper Creepers, the Holey Moley Bikini, 80s High Rise, and the Year Sisqo made that Thong Song popular...2000 if you are wondering. Yep wonder if his hair is still dyed white.  Do we need to even debate if boy shorts are comfortable?  Victoria Secret models rock them so well, but lets be honest who in the world is a size 0 except for them?  So back to your FLING task!


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Random Thought of the Day

Babies need to come with a snooze button.  I know by the time they get to be teenagers you need an electric cow prod to get them up, but when they are babies a snooze button would be so nice.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Tip of the Week

Its Monday morning and like me you will probably shower and put on your favorite pair of underwear.  Who wants to wear those ratty ones that have been sitting in your drawer for all eternity? Please do not make comments about not wearing any or that you had to wear an old pair again. EWWW factor would be mighty high for anyone else involved. So this week, I encourage you to put on those pairs you don't wear for a day and remember why you don't wear them. Do me a favor and DO NOT put them into the laundry, but toss them into the garbage can if they do not meet your panty needs. I want you to do this one day a week for the rest of the week. Once you have accomplished this task, I give you permission to spend ten dollars on a package of new ones. Those you can throw into the laundry! Now Mommies who are still losing baby weight and/or pregnant might want to wait for this task. We all know how one thing fits today doesn't fit tomorrow. So if you have ever seen Revenge of the Nerds where they raid those ladies underwear drawers, that is what I want to do to your own. FLING FLING FLING! 


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Vinegar the Elixir of Life

Wait wait wait!  Did I just say vinegar???  Yes, yes I did.  So I am sure all you connoisseurs of wine and hoppy beers are screaming in agony, but do me a favor and let me explain why I love vinegar so much.  I came across vinegar at a young age and we only used it sporadically in our household.  Mainly it was for washing windows with newspaper and catching flies in the summertime.  Yes that old adage about catching more flies with honey than vinegar is just a household myth unless you are trying to get that wormy professor to see why you should have another chance at taking that exam.  Don't worry I will provide a link at the end of this blog with a few resources and one being the recipe for the fly recipe.  It really does work by the way.  Biting flies in the summer especially in the midwest can be highly annoying and keeping a fly swatter handy is not always convenient.  So besides destroying the innocent lives of those biting flies what can vinegar be used for?

If you go to your local library, one can probably find a book about vinegar or just google vinegar and its uses and you will find a plethora of information.  I have a little book by Margaret Briggs that describes the 1001 practical uses of vinegar.  Trust me I have not used all of them.  Like my mother, I have my favorite uses for vinegar.  One of my favorite uses is in the washing machine, I put vinegar into the rinse cycle.  My clothes do not come out smelling like detergent either.  I know some of you will be shocked to discover I do not use dryer sheets. I do not need to because the vinegar in my wash also softens the fabrics in the dryer.  I don't have the static cling that so many people have to deal with and my clothes get a sense of freedom from all the chemicals in those dryer sheets.  Now if you buy used clothing for your child, be prepared to run those clothes even with vinegar through a couple of cycles to get rid of the detergent smell.  Have you gone down the detergent aisle in a grocery store lately?  WOW!  It is more potent than going to those bath places in the mall.  Maybe not quite, but I refuse to reek of these scents.

So vinegar can be very useful just for laundry and who doesn't have laundry?  I never seem to see the end of it especially with a small toddler in tow.  I have no idea how one child can create so much laundry for me, but she does.  Thinking of my little girl, I have found out that she enjoys a cucumber onion vinegar recipe that my Mom always made in the summertime.  Slice some onions and cucumber, soak those in some water with a little bit of pepper and salt, and add vinegar before serving.  However, she loves to have the cucumber and onion if they have been soaking in vinegar for quite some time.  Play with it!  That would be my suggestion.

Besides, a great little snack use, I love to use vinegar to wipe down my bathroom and kitchen counters. My only problem is remembering where I last put the spray bottle of vinegar and water.  Sometimes bathroom cleanser can make your counter feel tacky and using a little bit of vinegar on a cloth can remove this buildup.  So the smell is not one my hubby enjoys, but I actually do not mind it.  Turn on a fan if it smells bad, but trust me the smell does not linger for very long.

Recently, I finally found the time to plant some African violets and a small cactus that had been sitting in water.  The little cactus had been in a shot glass and the glass did not look very pretty.  I ran it in the dishwasher and it still had a bunch of crud on the inside.  I put full strength vinegar on it and let it sit for two days and VOILA crud gone!

So yes vinegar has it uses in my home and I could go on and on about the uses of this one simple little product about how it can kill weeds to turning milk into buttermilk.  However, there are reasons that they have had to write books on vinegar and if I have piqued your interest then take a moment and google vinegar.  I am still skeptical that apple cider vinegar can make you lose weight, but maybe thats another blog experiment I will need to revisit someday!  Btw, if you are an experienced wine or beer maker then try your hand at making this elixir for your household.  I promise you won't be sorry!!!!

Fly Recipe
Vinegar Uses