Sharing something that I have accomplished

I often feel like everything I am doing in life is for nothing. I feel like I work so hard to accomplish absolutely nothing. In the meantime I over look the little things and neglect to give myself credit. And when someone points out an accomplishment that I have done, I find myself writing it off. "Oh that wasn't me or by my effort that got that task accomplished". 

I often under value the effort and work I put into this blog. (Yes, I mainly write it for myself, but still.) Did you know that I started this blog at the end of September of 2015? This blog is less than 6 months old. In the short time that I have been sharing funny parenting stories and product reviews, this blog has accumulated almost 900 views. (I am trying to think of a fun way to celebrate once the blog reaches 1000) And to be honest, I didn't think the blog would take off like that. For this to be my first blog, I am kind of impressed.

Additionally, I also been sharing my reviews on Amazon.com. I started writing reviews for the items I receive for free and discounted as well as for the items I buy about the same time I start this blog. Amazon keeps track of your reviews as well as how many other people find your reviews "helpful" and they create a sort of stack ranking. These rankings are updated about once a week. My first ranking on Amazon was around 1.5mil. (yeah, you ultimately want that number to be low) This week however, my ranking on Amazon as a reviewer is #33,134. That is a huge improvement. I am now officially in the top #50,000.

You can check out my Amazon Public Profile at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2L2WTRMI4FJAK

I know this may not mean a whole lot to you, but for me...this is me recognizing my own accomplishments, which I don't do nearly enough.




As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Girl Time

 My daughter an I are outnumbered in our family. A girl to boy ratio of 1:2 for children will do that. That often leave me and her to deal with boy things for entertainment. Sword fights and nerf gun shoot outs are common occurrences.

This past weekend, my husband took minion Number 1 to visit some friends out of town finally giving her and I a chance at some girl time (well after minion Number 3 went to bed).

We watch girl targeted tv shows. Surprisingly enough my daughter at 6 years old really got into the Amazon Original TV show "Just Add Magic". We binge watched the show for a few hours and at the end of each episode she would look at me and ask "What happens next?"

The show is about three friends who have an amazing talent for cooking who find a magic cookbook and the trouble they cook up. It is light and fun and in a way brings on the same spirit of friendship that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books did.

We also played a fun Yoga game from ThinkFun.

 

ThinkFun has finally provided me a way to incorporate my daughter in some of my Yoga exercises. The goal of the game is to collect a card of every color. Each color focuses on a different aspect of yoga (strength, flexibility, and balance). It also add a fun little competitive side to it by allowing you to steal others' cards, or getting to choose which color card they have to do.  The game was perfect for my 6 year old and it ended in just the right amount of time to where she didn't want to play again immediately after it was over nor did it bore her to where she didn't want to finish. 

The last thing we did for the night was beauty stuff (as she calls it). My daughter gets eczema flare ups from time to time. It generally get worse during the winter and she complains about it itching a lot. I try to keep her from scratching at it with her nails because that just causes things to get worse. I have found that finding a good loofah and having her use that to scrub (scratch) to her hearts content during her bath time and then having her apply a good moisturizing lotion as soon as she gets out works wonders. 

 

Green Heart Labs has an amazing exfoliating body cloth called the ExfoliMate. It is just the right amount of roughness to really satisfy itchy skin while also sloughing of scaly dead skin build up. It leaves skin beautifully primed to accept moisturizers better than just washing alone.

 As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Absence and Review Round Up

It has been a hot minute since my last post, and for that I do apologize. Here I would normally insert excuses about Winter Storm Jonas, my kids, or my work but to be completely honest what really has been the cause for the delay was a lapse in my medication for depression and a not so pretty minor depression episode. Nothing like what I experienced this time last year, but bad enough to where I just wanted to bury my head in the sand or to sleep all the time to make everything go away. At the insistence of my spouse I resumed my medication and I am working towards getting back to a more natural and balanced emotional rhythm.


So before I head into my review round-up, I do have a funny "horrible parenting" moment to share. Lately in our house, we have been running a little thin on sippy cups for Number 3. The small pieces that prevent them from leaking are either getting lost or getting eaten by the dishwasher. To further complicate things, it feels as though we never have the right lids for the available cups. This brings out count of usable sippy cups down to three. The other morning, while getting all of the kids ready for school, I holler at minion Number 1 to go fetch a sippy cup with milk in it for minion Number 3 while I changed his diaper and got him dressed. After a few minutes Number 1 reports back stating that there were not any available sippy cups, reminding me that I had just loaded up the dishwasher with all three right before waking the minions. Number 3 does okay with open cups with supervision and I instruct Number one to find the smallest cup and fill it with milk. A few minutes later, Number 1 strolls in to the den with a shot glass filled with milk. I had an internal struggle of about 10 secs regarding whether or not I should let the baby drink from the shot glass. Then I thought, 'good enough'. Kudos to Number 1 for indeed finding the smallest cup in the house.

Shot Glass - Bottoms Up

The shot glass that was used in the above story was a new shot glass I had received from Make Em Laugh. The shot glass is a little larger than most as it will hold a full 2 oz shot compared to the 1.5oz of other glasses. The shot glass is made really well with a thicker glass bottom to keep it properly weighted and it is free from any imperfections. The lettering on the shot glass is black and is easily legible not matter what is in the shot glass (clear spirits, dark spirits, milk) and best of all don't come off in the dishwasher. Yes, this shot glass is dishwasher safe. I once has a set of Boondock Saints shot glasses, and after using them my husband was going to be nice and have them washed. To wash them, he put them in the dishwasher. Much to my surprise I go to unload the dishwasher and I see a set of plain shot glasses without any designs.

Make Em Laugh has several different designs for their shot glasses and their sense of humor displayed on the shot glasses is evident in other aspects of their company. Here is their instructions for the shot glass.


Instructions For Shot Glass Use:

* Place Shot Glass on flat surface with open side up

* Pour Liquor(s) into the Glass

* Raise Glass off flat surface to lips in one swift motion

* Quickly empty contents into mouth

* Place Shot Glass back on flat surface

* Repeat if necessary

* Enjoy




Yummi Gear Divided Lunch Boxes (Set of 4)

These are a bit smaller than the ones I have gotten in the past, but are perfect for packing a lunch for my son and daughter. The main compartment perfectly fits a sandwich and the two smaller compartments allows two sides to also be packed providing a complete meal all in one grab-and-go case. (I like to fill all four at night and have the kids' lunches ready to go for the next two mornings. It definitely helps with that morning chaos.)

The containers individually seal with the lid, however the seal is not air tight. You might want to refrain from packing a side that is wet or you may end up with a soggy sandwich. I usually stick with fairly dry sides like baby carrots, grapes, and/or goldfish snack crackers.

Mr. CookWare Stainless Steel Grater Zester

I would inwardly groan every time a recipe called for lemon or lime zest. Gathering citrus zest was always such a pain. Who knew I was just using the wrong tool. I used to use a hand cheese greater with a super fine grate on it. First of all, getting any significant amount of zest would take a forever and secondly, the zest itself would be a super oily mushy mess. I always felt like I ended up with more zest on surfaces where I didn't need it and never where it needed to be.

This zester is fast and efficient. It is also very sharp, which is why I am very glad that it came with a cover. A little brush also was shipped with the zester. That right there was the icing on the cake. I can't tell you how many dish sponges have become victims to my graters. I can't wait to try it on some of the other foods.

Digital Kitchen Timer by kitchenen

 

I love just how portable both timers are.

Both the large and the small timer have large screens and are easy to read. They are super easy to set too. Both timers have a loud and clear chime for when they reach zero. The small one has a really thin design that can easily slip down into my pocket so I can clean while I bake and carry the timer with me. 

They will also be an invaluable asset for when I begin potty training Number 3. When I potty trained the first two minions, I took away their diapers for a weekend and put them in cloth big kids undies and set a timer. Every hour and a half, I would take them and sit them down on the potty. It is usually pretty successful. Is it messy? Yes. But if I notice a lot of accidents in between scheduled bathroom breaks, I schedule them to be much more frequent. If, by the end of the weekend the my kid has not once had a successful trip to the bathroom, I mark that up as they just weren't ready and we table the idea for about a month when we try again.

As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update.

Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Mommy's Day Off

So my day to myself included hanging out with my best friend, reading an awesome book, and making something called wine gummies.

Hanging out with the bestie, would not be complete without fermented grape juice, the drink of the gods in Greek mythology, or to my children "mommy juice". Usually hanging out with her is more like a festival celebrating the Greek god Dionysus.

Recently while browsing Pinterest, I came across an interesting idea. Using wine as a base for a gummy bear. So I packed up some of my wine is a plastic transportable wine bottle.





This travel bottle, made by Wine Anytime, is made of extra thick plastic. It absolutely does not leak. It can can hold a full 750ml bottle of wine to boot. I love it because it makes it easier to my wine places where glass bottles are not allowed or where the bottles might break (like in my trunk). At first I was afraid that it would be a pain to fill but it is surprisingly easy. I do inflate the bag first to make it just a little easier.






Wine Fruit Snacks – Wine Gummy Bears (or Hearts—whatever shape you want to make them!)
1 cup wine
4 Tbsp gelatin (I always use this kind)
1/2 tsp stevia (optional)
2 -4 Tbsp maple syrup (I always use Grade B, but any kind will work)


Click to see the original recipe.

I simplified this recipe a bit. Instead of using both stevia and maple syrup, I used honey. The main reason why I opted for honey is because it dissolves in liquids really well. Considering the trick to making really good gummies is to get the gelatin to dissolve not having to worry about the sweetener dissolving is a boon.

Once the wine had heated up, the grainy texture of the gelatin disappears and then you know it is ready to pour into whatever mold you choose.

I happened to have a silicone gummy bear mold.

My silicone mold is made by Status Kitchen, and thankfully came with a little dropper to cleanly fill each cavity.

I added all the ingredients into a zip top baggie, and then submerged the baggie in a pot of simmering water to help heat up the wine without breaking down any of the alcohol molecules in the wine. I, then used the dropper to fill each mold cavity and then set it in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set up.

The gummies that come out are absolutely adorable and well formed. The silicone releases the gummies easily without having to oil everything.

At the end of the day, back at home with my adorable little wine bear gummies, I curled up on the couch to finish reading the book I was working on; Wanderers: The Apprentice.

With this second installment in the Wanderer series, our journey with Rafe picks up shortly after where it left off in the first book. True to her word, Fate has found Rafe an apprentice to train. This is important now more than ever since Rafe has learned that he is one of the last of his kind. However, Fate has broken tradition. Rafe's new apprentice is female. Considering the side effects that working magic with a partner can cause is going to make training the new apprentice interesting for Rafe.

This book feels as though we take a short break from the over arching story of Rafe's pursuit of Rowle and the quest to stop Ragnarok. The story is full of action and there is rarely a lull. It is also fully of twists and turns that will surprise the reader and keep them guessing who Rafe can actually trust.

The story does tackle complex relationship themes like sexual tensions that often arise between mentor and trainee when consisting of opposite genders as well as the complex emotional state of obligation and responsibility that can cloud judgement when those you care for are in danger.

This plot is a great follow up to the storm that Bamberg started brewing in book 1.



As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update.

Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Another Round of Product Reviews

Here are some more items that I have had the pleasure of trying recently. These listed below made enough of an impression with me that I think they might make a good gift or spark some inspiration for those who are difficult to buy for.


A Gift of a Quiet Night: Anti-Bark Collars (Not to be used on the kids no matter how tempted I am.)


I can't tell you how many times something would sneak across the street (usually a stray cat) and get my dogs riled up for several hours of barking. I am a pretty light sleeper, and that would be all that it would take for me to get little to no sleep and revert back to the zombie like state that had previously only been induced  by having a newborn needing to eat every few hours.

I have a really large Golden Retriever/Lab/Chow mix. He is an adult dog that we "inherited" from a family member. He did not have any structured training in his formative years and as such has fully resisted several months of attentive training methods that worked for my Beagle/Boxer mix.

If I lived out in the country, his barking would not be an issue, but I live in an older well developed and otherwise quiet neighborhood. My neighbors know me and have been exceedingly patient with us and our large dog, but I can tell that their patience is starting to wear a little thin especially as I see the bags and dark circles under their eyes become more pronounced like mine.

For me training collars are the absolute last resort. I started off with the collar on the default setting, since he is a larger breed. At first, it did not phase him at all. I have since increased the level once and I am starting to notice a difference. My dog still barks, but it is less frequent and doesn't last as long. I will probably leave it at this level (5) as long as he continues to show progress. Hopefully in a few weeks we can try just setting it at the audible *reminder* setting.

A Gift of Relaxation: Calming Ocean Waves CD and Wine Aerator

Ryan Judd has composed a beautiful and relaxing soundtrack that will take you to the beach. 


The CD is exactly 1 hour long and offers consistent sounds of waves. There are no jarring noises like seagulls squawking to make you jump and get your adrenaline going while you are trying to relax. The CD comes in a thick envelope-type sleeve and not in a jewel case, which is no big deal to me but I thought I would mention it.

I use this CD for my meditation as well as for white noise to help my toddler fall asleep at nap time.





And when meditation fails to bring me calm and inner peace a nice glass of red will. Although I find that with a lot of affordable reds out there you have to let them breath for quite a while in order to get rid of that harsh tastes.

I found an explanation of this at the site Wonder-How-To: Food Hacks.

When wine is aerated, many volatile compounds like sulfides become oxidized and then turn into vapor. This means they don't end up in your mouth, where they can make the wine taste sour, tannic, or otherwise nasty. Ever sipped a glass of wine that has the taste of rubbing alcohol? That would be ethanol, another volatile compound. Exposing your wine to a lot of air reduces that harsh note as well.

So the longer wine is exposed to air, the more harsh flavors and notes begin to mellow out and blend together. If you have a very delicate older wine, you probably don't want it to aerate for too long or its singular aromas might literally turn into thin air. More recent vintages and very tannic wines (like Cabernet and Syrah) tend to be harsher and more concentrated. These can stand long periods of aeration and be better for it.

Since I usually don't have the patience to sit there and wait for a glass of wine to be ready, I like to lend a little hand to the breathing process. (No, I don't sit there an blow on the wine...anymore.)

I have graduated to using wine aerators. These little devices add air bubbles to the stream of wine as it is poured.

This was actually the second wine aerator I had purchased. While I love the one I originally purchased, it was awfully clumsy to use with out someone lending me an extra set of hands. You literally need three hands with my first aerator (one to hold the bottle, one to hold the aerator, and one to hold the glass.) It is not that big of a deal if you are pouring for others, but pouring for yourself will be a lesson in juggling.

This aerator by Vino Aria. It has a rubber collar on the small end that you shove into the wine bottle for a hands-free aeration. When I first opened up the packaging for the aerator and examined it, I was quite a bit disappointed as it is terribly light. My first aerator is heavy as it is made of hand-blown glass. As I got to thinking about it, the hardened plastic material suits me just fine. Out of all my wine accessories, do I really need another one that will shatter if accidentally dropped? With this one made from the hardened plastic, I feel comfortable carrying it with me and a bottle of wine over to my friend's house for a girls' night in.

A Gift of time: for those who are always late (and by that I mean a watch).

Topaz makes some surprisingly nice watches. The watch face is very nice. It was slightly larger than expected, but that makes sense as it it listed as a unisex watch. It is larger than watches listed as women's but smaller than a lot of watches tailored towards men. The numbers are easy to read and even though I have only had it a few days it appears to keep time well.

For more holiday gift ideas, check out Amazon's list of top toys for the season.



I had mentioned shipping deadlines in my last post.
Here is an update for shipping Christmas presents this year.

These are the published deadlines from the major shipping services.





USPS: December 15 is the last day the USPS recommends you use standard shipping if you want delivery on time; December 19 is the last day for First Class mail; December 21 for Priority Mail, and December 23 for Priority Mail Express.





 




UPS: December 18 is the last day to ship UPS 3 Day Select — if you want packages to be delivered before Christmas Day; December 22 is the last day for 2 Day Air, and December 23 is the deadline for overnight packages to arrive on the 24th.








 
FedEx: December 16 is the last day to ship FedEx Ground if you want delivery by Christmas Day: December 21 is the deadline for Express Saver, and December 22 is the deadline for 2 Day Air. The 23rd is the last day to send overnight packages for arrival on the 24th.



As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update.

Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.