Meal Prepping - Ground Turkey, Rice and Corn

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Healthy Made Easy.

Well, that also depends on who you ask about what "healthy" really is.. But for me, and the past five years of my life where I've been eating so much fast food it's laughable, this IS healthy for me.. I've been trying to eat clean for the most part, and having already prepared foods ready to go at my disposal when I need them is FABULOUS. It keeps me on track, and takes the guess work out of my meals, generally for the next four days when I "meal prep". 

My husband works long, weird hours, so our eating schedules are NOT in tune with each other. Meal prepping has also allowed me the ability to make a home cooked meal that both my husband and I can enjoy when it's convenient for us.

Another awesome thing, Grayson will eat the stuff that I prep, as well! This helps out tremendously, and lets me know that he's eating good, healthy, CLEAN food (for the most part) and that I don't have to worry about any allergic reactions! Yay! =D

The meal I'm going to share with you today is just a concoction I like to eat..

(Most of these AREN'T recipes, but more of assembling and pairing options.. Clean eating is actually really easy as far as preparing food is concerned.)

Here are the ingredients that I used:

1lb Ground Turkey

1 cup dried organic long grain brown rice

1 can whole kernel corn (or vegetable(s) of your choice)

That's it. Super easy.

Brown the turkey on medium low (I find that temperature helps to keep it more moist). 

Cook the rice (don't forget that brown rice takes a little more tweaking than white rice, at least it did for me.. I end up adding about 1/8 of a cup more of water..).

No need to cook or heat the corn, unless you are eating part of it right after you make it.

I drain the corn, if that was a question in anyone's mind.. When I put it into containers, I layer it: turkey on the bottom, rice in the middle, and vegetables on the top. When reheating, I add a teaspoon or so of water to it, and then heat it. It adds a little moisture to everything, especially the turkey. 

I do season the turkey while I cook it with just simple salt and pepper. And when I eat it, I sometimes will add a small amount of soy sauce to it, although I generally don't because it's delicious as it is.

This is one of my favorite meals in general, not just favorite healthy meals. 

Generally, I can get three or four meals out of the whole pound of meat, but out of all of the ingredients I listed up there, I got two meals into containers as shown above, my dinner for tonight, as well as my son's dinner for tonight as well. 

When meal prepping, it's important that you pay attention to the expiration dates of everything. When combining everything in a single container like this, it's important to note that the ENTIRE meal now is only good until the earliest spoiling food.. In this case, brown rice. Surprisingly, brown rice only lasts COOKED in the fridge for 4-5 days, where as ground turkey will last COOKED in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

I, myself, won't eat any food "prepped" meals that have been in the fridge longer than 4 days. 4 days is my cut off. However, if the foods are all separated, then I will go to the actual recommended time limit. That's just my own preference, you may feel more comfortable with the recommended time frame. 

This is a really easy combination that I love to eat, and that I use to food prep all of the time. I'm no expert in the matter, but from the research that I've done, it's perfectly safe to cook, put into the fridge, and reheat all of this, even together, as long as it's put into storage and into the fridge right away, and not in the "danger zone" for too long. =)

I hope this helps you! I will have some more "recipes" up for you soon. Thanks for reading!!

Also! DON'T HEAT ANYTHING IN PLASTIC!!! Put it into a glass or non-plastic container when putting food in the microwave! (Plastic releases chemicals when heated! Look it up!)

Much love,

Ashley

And The Research Continues

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No Peanuts for Us, Please!

As I've been doing more and more research about peanut allergies, as well as allergies in general, I've become more and more obsessive about it... I have it in my mind that the more research I do, the more safe my son is going to be and the more protected he will be from a possible reaction. His reactions in the past have been pretty bad.. Below are some pictures of his soy bean allergy. Just for your information, they rate a severity of an allergy on a scale from 1-5 (at least on this particular test we had, sometimes it's 1-6) and Grayson's soy allergy is a 1 (the lowest, but still an allergy) and his peanut allergy is a class 5 (high highest or worse..).

These allergy reactions happened with ranch dressing and.... Something else... I think barbecue sauce? Both of these contained soy bean oil, but NO NUTS. This is the reaction that happens with A CLASS 1 reaction with my son. My son has never actually EATEN a peanut, or a nut, or anything with peanuts at all. Ever. The only two times he's had a reaction to peanuts have been my fault.. Checking his mouth after him brushing his teeth (I had just eaten a PB sandwich, and I DID wash my hands) and another time, his FIRST reaction to peanuts, I had residual Reese's on my hands, and touched his face. I don't have pictures or documentation of those reactions, because honestly, I was freaking out, and driving to the ER. After showing the allergist the pictures of the reactions above, (the one on the bottom left, particularly) he said that he is having an anaphylaxis reaction to the soy bean oil, and that I was "lucky" it wasn't worse. Next time, he could go into anaphylactic shock JUST FROM THE SOY. (Because he has a rash above his neck, AND he's swollen.) Supposedly, if this were to happen now that I have the EpiPen, I would have o give it to him if he presented with this allergic reaction again. That is insane to me, and terrifying. Terrifying because that is just a class 1 allergy, and his peanut allergy is a CLASS FIVE. 0.0

After a lot of research  it seems that you can't just base the reaction levels on the blood tests alone, but you also have to base it off of past reactions, as well as a skin prick test (SPT). We have a SPT coming up at our next visit. We will see how he does with that. We also are testing him for other allergies, and we will have the results of those tests as well. We are also going to come up with our plan of action for when he's being taken care of anyone besides myself. I have been stressing too much about this lately, and honestly I've not been sleeping well just in general, and this isn't making it better. I'm awake at night reading blogs and trying to educate myself as much as I can, trying to keep my son safe and alive. Halloween is tomorrow... Ugh. God, help me stay sane! I just want to go to the house ahead of time and give them stuff to give to my son, so he's not getting Snickers and Reese's in his candy bucket.

I'm beginning to understand the isolation that adolescents with a severe food allergy feel, because I am starting to feel the same way just trying to keep my son safe now, and he's not even in school, yet. And honestly, I'm considering NEVER sending him to school. There are too many stories about kids dying at school from an accidental exposure, even though the school took all the precaution they could. 

This is scary. I'm scared. And Grayson doesn't even know what's going on. Which is even more scary.

I guess it's good that he's so into the EpiPen trainer device. "Try? Try?" Why yes, Grayson. You may try. Get familiar with it.. It's going to be your best friend for the rest of your life. =/




Much love,

Ashley

First Allergist Appointment

Well, Here We Go!

Today we had our first allergist appointment.. It was enlightening, and terrifying. My son has a severe peanut allergy, as well as a soy bean allergy. The doctor decided that since they only did a small panel of allergy tests, that we should test for a few more things.. Mostly testing for all of the rest of the nuts - or as they call them, "tree nuts" just to make sure where those level are, if there are any. According to Stanford School of Medicine, there is "a 35% chance of developing an allergy to another nut" which isn't awesome, in the slightest.. Up to this point, I've been keeping him away from all nuts.. Because they scare me with my son. However, based on the fact that my son outgrew his milk allergy and egg allergy, I assumed that he had outgrown his soy allergy, as well. Unfortunately, I've been giving him some things with soy in it - soy sauce, and ranch dressing, mostly. However, he reacts with soy quite a bit, mostly topically. However, according to the allergist, it isn't good for me to give him soy, because given sporadically, I can exacerbate the allergy and make it worse. 0.0

Awesome. -___-

So at this point, on top of his already pretty strict diet of nothing with artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors, nothing with too much sugar, and no peanuts, I now have to avoid soy as well. I don't know if you've noticed, but in processed and packaged foods, a lot of stuff has either some type of nut or soy in it.

I will have a lot of food changes happening... First one being not keeping peanuts or peanut butter in the house anymore.. It's my favorite. I love it.. But it's too easy to miss a spot or have trace amounts left on my hands.. But anything to keep my son safe.


Much Love,

Ashley

Potty Training - Day 0.5

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May the Pee Be Ever in Your Favor!

I bought my son a potty today, after him showing sighs of interest a few days ago. I let him pick it out (he picked the cheapest one, smart boy, lucky mommy!) and he was so excited about it the whole time we were in the store! And the second I got it home, he wanted it unboxed, and he wanted to be naked, like the child in the picture on the box - I don't know what I'm doing, so I was like... OK!

I have heard that naked is the way to go during the first few days... Well, generally speaking, my son HATES being naked - this is not the case for potty training, I guess! He's perfectly happy sitting on his potty! We got home around 6pm and his bathtime/bedtime routine starts at 8:30. At least it did today, I've been trying to make it earlier. Any whooooo.. We had him naked, and he pointed to the potty and said "poo. pee." and I said, "Yes! That's where the poopoo and the peepee goes! You're right!"

So... He sat down for a little while, and then got up, and said, "PEE!"

He had, in fact, pee'd in the potty!

=D

I was a very proud mama. So we took the peepee to the toilet, and he got to flush while I rinsed it out. At that point, I stuck him in his new underwear. (I didn't want him to be in them, until he had already pee'd, so I can track time.) And I went and got his dinner.

Well, he decided that he wanted to sit on the potty with his dinner at one point.. Thinking he just wanted to sit on it, I told him no, and to put his plate back on the table. From there, he came back to me, (no food this time) said "potty" and I asked him if he had to go. He told me yes, so I pulled his underwear down, and TADA! He went potty AGAIN!

This happened one more time before it was bathtime, and I am one happy mama. No accidents. He seems to already know exactly what he is doing. He's 2 years and 10 months old, so maybe he does in fact know what he's doing. I'm hoping a full day of potty training goes just as smoothly as these 2.5 hours went. If so, I will be so happy!

This is the potty he picked out: 

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I got it at Target, and so far I just love it. And, it's soooo cute!


Until tomorrow....



Much Love,

Ashley

Baby Teething Relief!

Who Needs Teeth, Anyway?

Everyone goes through teething in their lives at some point or another.. But we don't remember it by the time we go through it again with our own children. When my son went through the teething process, he went through it four times.. One of these times my special boy got all eight of his molars (including his 2.5-3 year old molars) at 18 months.. That was a great time, let me tell you (not.).

My son didn't teethe as often as the average child, but when he did, he teethed HARD. So, I have here a list of remedies that I've found worked the best on Grayson, and other options that I've found or have heard about! I'm not a big fan of Tylenol or Ibuprofen for teething..... I don't even like giving them to my son when he's running a fever. So, that being said, most of these options are organic, homeopathic, and awesome. =)

1) Green Onion
     
Green onion has a natural numbing agent to it. Just let your child gnaw on it for a little bit, and it will numb their gums. If the child is too small to chew or gnaw on it, or you're just worried, you can scrape a little of the outside with your fingernail, and then rub it on their gums yourself.

2) Ice Cubes

Ice cubes have been used for teething relief for ever. I'm exaggerating, of course... But it's been a really long time! It can be messy, though. I didn't mind the messiness of it, because it's just water after all. I also had one of these things:

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These are made by Sassy, and can be purchased at Target, Walmart, and Babies R Us. I bought mine online, and I had a few of them. You can find them here and you can also get replacement mesh parts that you can find here. They are dishwasher safe, and they come with an ice pack type of device built in, which is great if you want to put frozen fruits in there, as well. (My son's favorite was frozen peaches). 

3) Humphrey's Teething Tablets

My favorite and most effective teething tablet for my son was Humphrey's Teething Pellets. They are 100% all natural, and easy to use. Just take a spoon with a few drops of water and let the pellets dissolve. Then give it to your child, making sure that it's rubbed into the gums. These also seemed to relax my son, which made him much happier. 

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I've heard from a couple of people that they are getting harder to find.. I found mine at Walgreen's, but if you can't find this brand, Hyland's also makes a homeopathic version, as well.

4) Teething Rings

Who hasn't heard of teething rings at this point? They make some amazing ones now! My favorite by far, and my son's as well, was the vibrating berry teethers by Infantino. We had several, and they were awesome. Here is a picture of the grape one. 

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I got mine at Toys R Us, but I've seen them at Walmart an Target stores, as well.

My son did really well with teething, and a I only gave him a pain reliever one time (but it turned out he had an infection, which was the cause of the fever, not the teething.) I feel like there are so many ways to help to combat the pain, giving my child a medicated pain reliever just wasn't something that I wanted to do. That's not to say that other parents wouldn't need it for their own child, it just wasn't for us.

I hope this helps! I'm in by no means an expert... But I just wanted to write about what worked for me.


Much love,


Ashley

Home Made Ranch Dressing!

Who Doesn't Like Ranch??

To answer that question, lots of people. However, that's not the point of this post! My son started having adverse reactions to the ranch dressing that we've been using with him forever. I know, weird. But, it happens, so I roll with the punches. 

I came across this recipe earlier today, and decided to give it a try! It turned out really good! I ended up adding twice the mayo, because Grayson likes a sauce to dip in, and the way the recipe is written it's a little on the more liquidy side.

What I love about this is that I know EXACTLY what's in it! I can customize it, and even completely substitute out ingredients if I want to! It's awesome! One down side... It only lasts 3 days in the fridge.. REMEMBER THAT!!! 

In addition to using this in a ranch dressing, you can also use the seasonings in sour cream, as you would a ranch dressing packet!!! Awesome. Two dips in one for a party!!! =)



Much love,

Ashley

Having a Baby - My Experience (Part Two)

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Postpartum Regression.

I should coin that term right now! Postpartum regression. That's what it was like after delivery. See, I was around a lot of kids growing up, and being around babies was not a big deal to me. I was comfortable with them, I could change one, and feed one.. Yadda yadda.. However, the second my son was born.. BOOM! Regression. Apparently, I couldn't even remember how to feed myself (yes, that's a true story...). They gave me this baby, and somehow, I was supposed to take care of him now.. I was responsible for another human being! (Side note: Did you know someone can go have a baby and they just let you leave when you're done? With the baby. Like, in your hands.. Yours.. Your car.. It's true. I'm not lying.)

I had to ask really stupid questions. Well, I guess they weren't stupid.... I had to know how to feed him and I had to know how to burp him.. Stupid in the sense that I knew how to do these things, once upon a time. But somehow, as if by magic, BOOM, regression. It could be the fact that I was still on some meds. Or, it could be the fact that my uterus wanted to do everything but contrct back down to a normal size.. Upon learning this, and trying everything that they could to shrink it back down, they decided to induce "labor".... Again. After squeezing my belly for a day, and pushing and prodding  they were going to REINDUCE my LABOR with the BABY already out of me. 

0.0 

OK..

I don't know anyone this has happened to, so let me explain (because this is my blog, and you're still reading..).

The nurses took PITOCIN, and put it back into my body. I had "contractions" and "labor" pain all over again, only this time, they didn't give me an epidural... Obviously.. But this was such a weird experience. I believe my husband was there.. I think.. Otherwise again I had no recollection of where my baby was.. I can't imagine they would do this to me without someone else there..... Would they??..... Moving on. After a couple of hours of "labor" pain with MY SON RIGHT NEXT TO ME, they stopped the pitocin, and let me get some rest. Thank goodness, my uterus finally started to contract!

Prior to this, we just kept waiting for the uterus to contract, mostly because I was.. let's say.. releasing.. Yes. Releasing blood clots.. Out of me.. And not just any blood clots, oh no.. These were the size of HUMAN LIVERS, to which when I saw the biggest one come out when I went to sit on the toilet, I screamed to my sister-in-law, "Go get a nurse! Something came out of me! Liver!". Not the highlight of my stay, let me tell you what..

After all is said and done, my uterus does what it's supposed to do, and I stop releasing blood clots. At this point.. The worst part was still being sick, as well as having an IV in my hand the LENGTH OF A POOL NOODLE and that hand being useless.. I will be there one more day, totaling up to four days in the hospital. Haw sad.. My son was cleared from the hospital before I was!!! Always in a hurry, that little one. =)




Much love,

Ashley

Artificial Colors and Kids

Fake Stuff, Fussy Butts.

Within the last year, I've seen Grayson developmentally grow like crazy. He's a problem solver, a builder, and artist, and every other thing that obsessed parents swear that their kids are. Along with these amazing things, I noticed he was also getting more moody, and challenging behaviorally. He was throwing more tantrums.. Crying a lot.. Hyperactive in every sense of the word. Ok, I understand he's a toddler, and toddlers are naughty.. I know. But, this was weird, and not bad every day like you would think it to be. I started doing research and found a lot out about artificial colors! Giving children artificial colors, which are in A LOT of things, may be linked to childhood ADHD and other behavioral issues! Here are some articles, if you're interested:

This one is from WebMD
This one is from a fellow blogger who has references
Here is a cool video with a transcript from a doctor

Any ways, after doing my research, I conducted my own experiment... I took all of the artificial colors out of his diet for a little while.. Needless to say, there was a DRASTIC improvement! He listened better, he acted better, and he just seemed... Happier. Now, he was never drinking sodas or anything.. But he used to have sugar free Jello (he doesn't get sugar free anything anymore, for reasons I will post about later..) and Kraft Mac and Cheese, and other things like that which are packed with artificial colors... I am a firm believer in taking artificial colors away from kids, at least mine, because I've witnessed it work first hand in my own life. I suggest if your child is hyper, or seems to be more naughty than nice, try changing his diet before thinking about taking him to the doctor and medicating them.. Just my two cents. =)


Much love,

Ashley

Peanut Allergies and Me

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Peanuts suck.

I found out my son was allergic to peanuts when he was 6 months old. Obviously he had never had peanuts before, so when his blood test came back as him having a class III/IV peanut allergy, it wasn't such a big deal for us.. We would just avoid it. On that same test we found out that he had several other allergies as well, such as a class III milk allergy, a class II soy allergy, and a class III egg whites allergy. My son was formula fed because of difficulties with me producing my own milk, so the formulas were all milk or soy based, so it was hard on my son. Fast forward to his first birthday, and he had pretty much outgrown all of his allergies, just on introducing it little by little into his diet through desensitization. Sometimes he still has an issue with soy, but it's not a bad reaction. However, peanuts still terrify me.

A few days ago we went into the doctor's office to follow up on his blood tests he had for his physical, as well as an added test I had done for my own peace of mind, an allergy panel. All of his allergies came back great! Lots of class I and II, but those aren't very concerning levels, seeing as he's exposed to all of these things every day. However, the doctor recommended that I go and see an allergist, and put a RUSHED referral into my insurance for us to go see one.. I concerned me because I had gotten the referral a few days prior to the visit, and it was never discussed, which freaked me out! Turns out, his peanut allergy level was alarming to the doctor... Which is understandable! His levels came back as a class V/VI peanut allergy. o.o What? His numbers had risen dramatically, instead of going down as I had hoped. Up to this point, he has still never ingested a peanut, or peanut product. A topically he's had some pretty bad reactions just from contact after I've eaten a peanut butter sandwich or coming across some peanut M&Ms. (I know, we are crazy for having this around, but supposedly he was supposed to get BETTER >.<)

A while ago my husband and I had decided that we want to homeschool our son. For me, this is a no brainer.. I'm TERRIFIED of leaving him with anyone unless it's one-on-one because of things that could happen. What happens when I send him to school, where there is one teacher and 35 kids? One of those kids could have some type of peanut product, and easily cross contaminate.. Having a child going into anaphylactic shock in their classroom is not something I'd ever want to put a teacher through.. Also, if it ended terribly, I would never want that child to feel badly about it, the teacher, or the parents of the child that had the products. I just feel that since I'm able to do so for the time being, I'm going to go ahead and handle his schooling until I feel confident in his ability to understand his issues and his own body, as well as how to treat himself if accidentally exposed.

I've researched a lot about kids and peanut allergies, and feel passionately about educating people on the severity of this allergy. As I find useful information, I will write a post. I know I don't get very much traffic, but I hope the people who really want to learn about this issue can, as well as me being able to educate the people I love in my and my son's life all in one place. =)


Much love,

Ashley =)

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I haven't been on in a while.. I apologize for that.. But, I'd like to share with you all one of my favorite recipes.. Cheddar Bay Biscuits.. Like the ones from Red Lobster.

They are tried and true, and DELICIOUS. This recipe yields quite a few.. About 18 or so biscuits so I'd budget for that.... Unless you REALLY like these biscuits.. Then make the whole thing (like I do..)

The recipe can be found here. I happened to just come across this one day, and they are actually dead on as far as tasting just like the Red Lobster biscuits.

So yummy! Enjoy!

Weight Loss Update

FIVE POUNDS LOST!

I'm so excited! I'm actually getting somewhere on this "diet" which is basically just me eating right and exercising. I'm excited to see what I can accomplish this year, and the food choices I'm making are actually delicious! I though I would be starving, but I'm actually eating all day long! It's crazy! Some of my favorite food choices:

Chicken Breasts (Organic!)
Ground Turkey (Organic, 97/3)
Cauliflower (Organic, sauteed in a pan!)
Brown rice (Organic!)
Strawberries (Organic! [they are only around 50 calories for a whole cup!] )
Kiwi (Only about 50 calories each, also!!)
RICE CAKES (You can eat a lot of these for only a small amount of calories! And they fill you up until your next meal!)
Avocados (High in calories, about 230 for a normal size, but great if you're behind on calories for the day, and they are delicious and good for you!)
Baby Carrots (Make sure they are organic, or cut your own into sticks! Easy!)

These are currently my favorite foods and what I live on. I also cut out soda (even diet soda) completely from my diet, which I'm sure has also helped cut down the bloating..

I will keep you up to date on my progress! Thank you for the support!! =)

-Ashley

Weight Loss - Update

I've been really good about dieting and exercise since the last time I wrote to you.. And I'm proud to say that I'VE LOST 2-3 POUNDS!

So exciting. Just wanted to give you the update.

Thanks for the support!

-Ashley

Find Time For "YOU"

Parents:

I look at this title, and I just laugh... ME time.. What a crock.. Every time I'm alone, I'm thinking about my child any way, so what's the point??

I think that is the point.. Being able to be fond of your child... Or children. For me, I only have one... I don't work... I go to school, but it's online... So I don't leave the house much, unless it's grocery shopping.

Before September 2012, I lived completely away from family and friends... from the time my son was three months old until September 2012... (one entire year) I was away from my child for a total of 4.5 days.. To put that into perspective, three of those days were a whole weekend for a wedding in Las Vegas for my niece, (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and he spent the night at my niece's house a few times totaling up to a day and a half or so..... I'm not putting this on here to play pity party... I'm writing this to tell you that I UNDERSTAND and you can trust what I'm saying because I get it.. I know people have got to have it even worse than I do. But right now, we're focusing on me... ;)

Finding time for yourself doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be completely away from your child... I liked to re energize during my son's naps....  Or even during bath time.. Although I'm still in the bathroom with him, I'm usually cleaning something... Or like this moment in time.. Blogging.

You might not consider that "you" time.. But think about it... They are contained  playing, and happy... Aside from the occasional speckles of water that you have to wipe away from your computer screen, they aren't harming anything, themselves, or others.. That's a vacation.. That's a rest for your mind. You obviously cannot completely zone out during bath time because there are dangers... But for those 15-20 minutes you don't have to get up and chase them, make sure that they aren't in the trash can, getting your small dog out of harms way.. It's just... Nice.

I have started leaving my child behind for big shopping trips, as he's now two and has tantrums.. A lot.. So, for everyone's best interest in mind, I leave him with my sister for an hour and take care of business. That is also what I consider "me" time. When I get back, I'm not frustrated.. I'm calm.. And I miss him which is good for both of us. (He's also forgotten at this point that I wouldn't let him have a cookie earlier, and thus, has forgiven me.. ;] )

I'm convinced that "me" time isn't about it just being you but more about de-stressing and relaxing..

I've become fond of an Apple app called Hay Day... I play that multiple times throughout the day... It gives me something for me rather than watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse all day long and playing cars... (That is most of my day... Plus the occasional kitchen time to feed the monster...)

Even something like knitting can be very stress relieving.. Find something easy that you like to do, and do it. Even if you're child plays by themselves for five minutes, it's ok. They will live, I promise.. =)


-Ashley

A Change is Coming.. (weight loss.. BLECK)

Losing weight.

Just the sound of it is awful... When I had my son, the night I went in to have him, I had at that point gained 87 pounds since before I was pregnant.. Yes. 87. That's like an entire 6th grader.. Since I have had my son, I've lost 63 pounds.. I haven't really done much to lose that weight, and honestly, I lost about 45 pounds within the first two weeks after having my son.. (water weight...)

When I got pregnant I was about 15 pound overweight... To get to where I want to be, at this point in time I need to lose 33 pounds. I'm 33 pounds from being perfectly content with my body. My doctors want to see me at that weight, and I would like to see myself at that weight... I know that being 155 at 5'4" doesn't seem like a healthy weight, but it really is. I look skinny at that weight.. But not unhealthy. So that is my goal. 33 lbs to go. Since our Valentine's Day was yesterday because of my husband's work, today is going to be the start of this new adventure.. And you're going to go on that journey with me.

From here on out, I am going to start adding random updates to my journey on here. I know you probably don't care about this journey.. But this is holding me accountable, and motivating me, in some strange way.. Ugh, I'm so awkward.

No sweets for me any more, and also no regular soda. Eventually, I will give up soda completely, but right now I need to take baby steps if I'm going to be at all successful.. I'm also going to start exercising again.. For the first time since pre-baby. We are going to see how this goes, but I feel really confident that I will be successful with this if I take it one step at a time. Also, I bought myself a new exercising outfit, and who doesn't love showing off a new outfit??? ;)

So there you out in cyber world go... 33 pounds.

Not only that, but I plan to lose this by Thanksgiving.

I'm determined. I want to feel good about myself again. It will happen, and I will prove myself to everyone, and myself.

I will update you in a week and we will see how it goes! =)

-Ashley

Baby Products That I LOVE

Babies.

They are awfully small, awfully cute creatures.. But, no matter how small they are, babies come with A LOT of stuff... Some stuff isn't necessary, I realize.. But sometimes convenience is the goal and mess-prevention the finish line.. For me, I CANNOT handle being sticky. At all.. I know it's an inconvenience to most people, but I will literally cry, and I have, on several occasions from being sticky.. Some of the most recent bouts of stickiness stem from the fact that I do, indeed, have a child. A toddler, to be exact. They LOVE being sticky. Love it. They live for it. They crave it. (Maybe not, but that's what it seems.) I believe that my OCD for being sticky-free has rubbed off on my child.. He doesn't like to be sticky either, and also doesn't like food on his clothes, or stains, or hair... Etc. A child after my own heart. =]

I have found that if you're a severely OCD person, having a child may help to combat that issue and help you to overcome it. However, it may also drive you completely mad to a point where you just lock yourself in the bedroom because at that moment in time, it is the only room in your home that is clean..

I want to share with you some of my favorite products that I've found to be the most useful in the "sticky and icky war".

1) Playtex Twist 'N Click Products (Found Here)
       

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Truly, the most leak-proof products as far as liquid goes.. And trust me, I've tried TONS of them.. Almost every product out there I've tried for my Quest Against Stickiness.. If you take care of the products, like hand washing everything by the cup part itself, they last a long time and keep working properly. I've successfully put all of their products into the dishwasher with no problem, but I don't think that they recommend it... And a plus is that they have every product for drinking - from sippies, all the way up to insulated toddler cups.

2) Playtex Twist 'N Click Snacker Cup (Found Here)
       

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I know, I've already mentioned the Twist 'N Click line above... BUT these are amazing.. They have an airtight lid, and that's awesome because you can just screw on the lid and stick it in your bag. I was using the Munchkin brand of the snack cups.. But then my son decided that he needed to have the lid off ALL THE TIME. Messes ensued . Mommy cleaned.. A lot.. It wasn't pretty. Until I found these. And I STILL use them. They are amazing.. I love them..

3) BabyGanics Products (Found Here)

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This company really knows what they are doing. Their products are completely organic, and baby/animal/plant friendly. If you don't have the time (or energy!) to make your own organic cleaners, this is a good alternative to that. They have a whole line of products from cleaning, to laundry, dish soap, hand sanitizer, even baby body wash. They all smell great, or you can get everything unscented, as well. And the best part? They work. No joke.

4) Disposable Changing Pads (Found Here)

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These were awesome.. I used a changing table religiously.. So using these really cut down on the amount of times I needed to wash the changing table pad cover. These were also nice to take with you for your travel changing escapades, as well..

5) Diaper Genie - DUH! (Found Here)

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This is a great idea. A great tool. Just.. Awesome. All the stink. All the diapers.. In one place.. And easy to use! (This was obviously going to be on the list..)

6) Pacifier Wipes (Found Here)

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These things are a God sent. They are nice for when your newborn drops their pacifier and you're somewhere that is somewhat clean.. You can just wipe the germs away with these wipes. They have the cleaning power of baking soda, making it the perfect choice for your little ones. They also have apple flavored ones. =)

7) Baby Food Pouches (Found Here)

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These things are awesome. I started feeding with spoons up until the time where  my son wanted to feed himself... Which he couldn't physically do yet.. And then meal time because the most messy thing ever. I lived in a very small apartment... Pretty much all carpet.. So I hated meal time... This helped to alleviate the problem... I would use these for his lunch time, right before his nap so that he wouldn't be all messy when he needed to go to sleep. At night and in the morning I still used a spoon because he'd get rice cereal in the morning, and then at night I could deal with the messy and just give him a bath right after. These are also great for going out during a meal time for baby, because they can just suck out the food that they want. It's an awesome concept, and you don't have to worry about a glass jar breaking in your bag. Genius. (Only get them on sale though..)

8) Munchkin Dishwasher Baskets (Found Here)

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These are great little tools you can get for all the little things that need to be cleaned in your life... Pacifiers, nipples, bottle pieces, etc.. I even used these for the Dr. Browns bottles.

9) Munchkin Spoons (Found anywhere)

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These were my favorite spoons. They also have soft ones that change color depending on the temperature of the food so you know it's not too hot for baby. These were my favorite because they were easy to clean and durable.

10) Cup Straps (Found Here)

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These are great... For obvious reasons. And you can attach them to ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. You can put them on the stroller, high chair, even the shopping cart.

11) Munchkin Bottle Brush (Found Here)

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I've tried many different bottle brushes to use for both my Dr. Brown's bottles and all of the sippy cups that I had.. This was the best choice and worked the best, while also not breaking the bank. Best choice, in my opinion.

This is my list for now. As I think of other fantastic products, I will be sure to do a second version of this list. Thanks for reading!!

Any questions or comments, please comment, and I will get back to you ASAP!

~ Ashley

You Use That For What?! - Toilet Wands

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Cleaning.

I like to be cleaning... But I don't necessarily enjoy cleaning because I'm a rather "lazy" person in general... My body is usually in pain... So, the thought of getting on the floor, down on my knees, and cleaning is not, in my opinion, the best use of my time..

I, as most of you know, have a 2 year old son. He likes baths.. Baths, full of bubbles... Which cause soap scum.. Which builds up over time and causes ickiness... Toilets also build up ickiness over time.. And they have these wonderful products to clean them..

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Toilets are icky.... Bath tubs are icky.... This gets rid of ickiness in the toilet.. Why not the bath tub? So, one day I tried it out, and it worked... WONDERFULLY. It was great to not have to kneel beside the bathtub forever to clean it, but only to rinse away the debris when it was finished and make sure there was no residue left behind..

I know this probably sounds gross... But it really does work. (I don't use the same pad on the toilet then the tub... Separate one for each lol.)

Use it the same way you would in the toilet, and then use the wand to scrub off the gunk once it's done doing its job cleaning.

It works. And I love it.. Makes the cleaning much easier in the bathroom, let me tell you. Just remember to clean off the wand between uses on anything... Keep germs where they belong - down the drain!

Recipe Storage

Recipes..

We all have them. We all have tons of them. In every shape and form.. I know I had a ton already, and when my mother passed away, I wanted hers as well... Even though I'm not sure which version of "meatloaf" out of which cookbook she actually used... But I'd like to find out one day..

For my recipes, it's all about organization....

I want to know where they all are... And, I want you to know where all yours are, too.

Let's be honest.. We all like to go online and find awesome recipes. Well, at least I do.. (Pinterest!!!) When I find a recipe, I try it, and if it turns out well I will print it out.. But, what to do with it then?? Also, I find small recipes and full page recipes in my magazines all the time... Whether it be Women's Day, or Everyday with Rachel Ray, they all usually include some type of recipe I just HAVE to try. All these flying papers and piles of sliced trees... Where do they go.

A binder. A RECIPE binder. 

I searched high and low for the perfect recipe binder.. It took me about 2 weeks before I looked hard enough and decided to go to Office Max to look.. And then there it was.. The perfect recipe binder. Here it is:

I made the cover myself. I love it. It's a trifold, so there is plenty of room in there for other things and additional books/magazines as well. 

I used the trifold area to hold all the random stuff.. I have a slow cooker magazine, and a couple of small recipe pamphlets, and some other singular recipes..

In the plastic covers (I use plastic covers because they are easy to wipe clean!) I put random recipes I find online, as well as recipes I find in magazines. This way, I'm not flipping through a billion magazines, because they are on in this binder already. =)

-Ashley

Any questions, comments, or concerns, leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP. Thank you for your support!!

Hospital Bag - My Personal Choices

Hospitals.

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I was very familiar with them already, prior to having a child. However, I never planned to be at a hospital months before it happened, it was usually a spur of the moment thing, and I was only there over night, or a couple of nights.

When I had my son, I guessed on what I needed. Boy, was I wrong. I had my poor husband going back and forth from the house to the hospital multiple times because of things I had forgotten or didn't realize I needed.

(NOTE: In all fairness, we didn't go to the hospital that night to have a baby.. We went because my eyes were blurry and I was light headed.. Preeclampsia.. So, I was ill prepared and preparing my bag that day as a matter of fact, because my due date was about 4 days away. So... Yes, excuses lol)

So, here is a list of things that I had/wished I had while I was at the hospital... By the way, there were complications with my delivery.. Well the recovery from it... So I was there for four days I believe.

FOR YOU: (please keep in mind you may be getting blood all over)

1) Insurance papers! - Usually, they have you come in ahead of time, and fill out everything so there's no stress about it later.. But sometimes that isn't the case.

2) Chapstick - I had the worst chapped lips in the hospital.

3) Your favorite lotion - Again, it was very dry...

4) Hair ties - (LOTS!)

5) Make up - Just the very basic ones.. Mascara, blush, foundation... Many hospitals offer new born photos, and having these there will make the experience a little better for you, even if you decide not to use them.

6) Dry shampoo - They give you the option to shower... But I didn't because I was scared it would hurt, and I didn't have anyone with me usually to help with the baby.

7) Camera & Cell phone - AND THEIR CHARGERS!

8) Snacks - Meals seem very scarce in the hospital, especially if you're not used to being awake most of the day and night.. with only a few hours of sleep at a time.

9) Water Bottles - The hospital give you water, but if you were like me, you were drinking a lot, and sometimes they take a while to refill the jug.. Especially with all the screaming women in labor.. Better safe than sorry!

10) Toiletries - Deodorant  preferred soaps, shampoo, conditioner.. Tooth brush, tooth paste.. Hair spray or mousse to keep your hair controlled.. Floss, lotion, etc.

11) Socks or Slippers - non skid.

12) Big shirts and sweats - Remember, they will probably get gross. I bought new ones in packages before hand, and just took the whole pack. Couple of sweats and a package of XL tshirts.

NOTE: I didn't really wear any pants.. My uterus wouldn't contract, so I bled blood clots for almost two days before they REINDUCED me.. This time with no meds... >< Felt like labor all over again to try and get my uterus to react correctly.

13) Pen and Paper - You'll want to write down some thoughts and journal in the hospital. It's a very surreal time.

FOR BABY:

1) A couple receiving blankets - You'll get one from the hospital (which I still have my son's..) but you'll want a couple more. You'll find reasons for them. Trust me.

2) Onesies - I WISH I had these.. I didn't have any clothes for my son, besides the outfit to go home in.. And he would spit up on the ones the hospital provided, and they would take FOREVER to get a clean one... So, use the hospital ones, and bring your own for back up.

3) A going home outfit.

4) A cute outfit for pictures.

5) For little girls: Cute head bands, if you choose.

6) Little Hats - For the hospital and the ride home.

7) A heavier blanket - for the car ride home to help protect from the sun and possible cold.

8) Your carseat - For obvious reason, the hospital won't let you leave without one. Make sure you put it together ahead of time, and it's approved!

That's it! If there's anything else you can think of, please let me know in the comments so I can add it to the list! Thanks for reading!

-Ashley

DIY Mickey Mouse Centerpieces

Kids.

NOTE: Don't mind my bandaged hand.. Burned myself that day... Because, I'm awesome..

They like cartoons. And, they often find themselves infatuated with a certain favorite character during any point in their life.... For my son right now, he is in love with Mickey Mouse. It only seemed fitting that when his second birthday came around, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party was in order.

These are the centerpieces that I created for the special occasion. I bought a case of those mini half-sized Pringles at Sam's Club before the planning began, and I decided there just MUST be something I could do with the empty cans. 

I started with the Styrofoam balls.. I found them at Joann's, and they came in a package 6 and a package of 12. PERFECT. I also picked up some cheap spray paint at Walmart.... But, it didn't work out so well..

The Styrofoam melted. Yes, that's right... MELTED. So, I was automatically down to 5 center pieces.

Near the Styrofoam, there should be some type of painting options for it. Make sure it's craft paint, and read the back to make sure you can use it on Styrofoam. I used Simply Spray black project paint. It was about $5, but it covers very well, and I still have half a can left for other projects.

I used toothpicks to hold the ears on, and that was it. I put them on only half way until I sprayed them and let them dry. That way there were no white spots left.

I went to the store and bought some pinto beans to use as filler... "We're splitting the scene, we're full of beans..." (From the Hot Dog song..)

Well, my center pieces are ALSO full of beans!

To cover the can, I just bought one large piece of red card stock. I marked it and cut them to fit, then I hot glued them on the Pringles cans. They looked a little boring, so I put the Mickey Mouse swirls on it, and did a little design along the bottom of the can, as well as finding these super cute holographic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stickers at the Dollar Tree... Stuck them on there, too!

I created these stars by stamping out the craft foam sheets with fondant cutters. They stamped the shape I needed perfectly enough to see the lines I needed to cut without having to draw all the stars out by hand. (I'm lazy..) There were three small stars and three large stars per each centerpiece. I used three different sized colors. The large stars were red and yellow, and the smaller ones were blue and white. The blue stars and the red stars are the same size. I just out all the pieces and then hot glued them together. 

For the wire, I picked it up at Home Depot for about $3. I only used one roll. The larger stars have longer swirls (about 10in) and the smaller stars had shorter wires.. (about 8in)

Then I wrapped them around a whisk to curl them. But, you could just use anything you have that is round and long and cylindrical. Broom stick, mop, dowel.. Anything you've got.

I used a metal skewer to poke holes in the Pringles can lid to ensure that the beans stayed put if it fell over, as well as making sure that the stars stayed where I wanted them to.

Then I twisted the stars into the base. And voila! Mickey Mouse Centerpieces. They were a big hit at the party. I was very proud of them.

I have other Mickey Mouse Party decorations that I did for the party that I will post a little later.

Thanks for reading! Any tips, tricks, comments or concerns, leave me a comment and I can get back to you. =)

-Ashley

Cleaning with Vinegar - Part Two

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Vinegar.

As you know, it's one of my favorite things to clean with...

Don't get me wrong, the cabinet underneath my kitchen sink is completely filled to the bring with cleaning products - both organic and uber toxic... But I would rather clean with something I could in theory straight up lick and not be worried or get sick.

Vinegar is a great cleaning agent because it has such a high acidity level, which also happens to be why it's such a good tool to use to get rid of odors.

I also have a dog. And they are rather.... Unintelligent when it comes to licking.

And as you know, or even if you don't, I have a toddler... And my house has windows... And with a toddler, those windows get dirty, pretty fast, because those windows act like portals into the most exciting world they have ever known - the outside.

To use vinegar as a window cleaner, take an empty spray bottle and mix together 2 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 teaspoon dish soap. Mix it together, and use it as you would Windex.

Also, while you're by your windows, you can deter ants with just straight vinegar, by spraying it around your widow sills and door openings.

Hope this helps!! I know I always have an issue with using harsh cleaning agents unless I have to. ( bleach tabs in the toilet... Can't help it! Those rings are gross...)

-Ashley