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

Having a Baby - My Experience (Part One)

Photo Source (No, this isn't me.. And no, it was not this peaceful.. Lol)

Labor and Delivery.

Having a child is one of the most amazing experiences that has ever happened to me...

But, it is also one of the worst.

NOTE: If you are NOT pregnant, nor have you ever BEEN pregnant, but would LIKE to have children, DO NOT READ THIS POST. You've been warned.

People do this all the time. Having babies. It's natural. It's a miracle. It's amazing...

Yes, yes, and.... um... Not always...

I will tell you about my birth procedure. I'm sure that it wasn't the "normal" birthing even that everyone else gets to experience.. Why would it be? Have I ever been "normal"? Nope. Never. Not even once... Well, there was this one time in 7th grade... Oh wait.. No, that was a dream.. So I'm back at zero.

I did not go to the hospital that night intending to have my child. I was having an issue with seeing... My blood pressure was beyond scary high when I got to the emergency room, and they sent me straight up to labor and delivery.

"Awesome!" I thought this to myself as we were going up there because we were going to make sure that the baby was ok, I'd get some meds, and then we'd go home. Awesome. Nope. Not awesome. I went up there, was checked in, weighed, and my blood pressure was taken, and then I had to pee into a cup.. (Ugh. Those cups!) After that, I was told, "You aren't going to be leaving until you've got a baby in your hands."

0_0 - ...what?

I wasn't ready. Emotionally, I wasn't ready... Physically... Well, I had the flu hardcore at that point, so I couldn't breath through my nose to save my life... And I hadn't eaten sine about 10 hours prior... (Did they ever mention that if they induce you, they can't give you food or water until after you deliver?? Ya.. No one told me, either..) We had barely gotten the crib up a couple of days earlier, and I still had not gone to the store to get the remainder of things that I needed that were not covered by the baby showers I had. Um. I would not like to mention that we were less than a week from our due date, either... Bad planning... I know...

Well, here we go. My husband and I looked at each other, and that was that. It was decided. I will have a baby before I get to go home again.

At this point, I was terrified of the needle. You know, the one for the I.V.? Ya, I am not at all particularly fond of that.. Wasn't then, either. But, that's the first step to being induced (besides you being stripped naked of all your clothes, and modesty..). So, there's the needle. It's in... OW. Grrr. And here come the medications. The first one was magnesium sulfate... Yucky. This medication was given to lower my blood pressure, and keeping me from having a stroke (yes, it WAS that high). Let me just say that stuff makes everything taste like metal. Water, ice chips, what very little liquids I was allowed to have, it made it taste like booty.. Icky icky. (Also, be advised that this could change the flavor of your breast milk, so keep that in mind if you plan to breast feed and are given this for your blood pressure..)

The next medicine was up.... Pitocin. This starts the labor. And boy oh boy, did it start. I was going to try and be big and brave and not take any pain medications, but decided once the contractions started, and they had been going on a few hours, that I was too miserable being sick, hungry, and tired, and unprepared, and oh ya, IN PAIN to deny the medication any longer. They have meds that they can give to you to take the edge off of the labor pains, but don't cut it off completely. That sounded nice.... I went a few hours on this medication, every twenty minutes, and then after a while, it only worked for five minutes, and then I was in pain again....

Ok, baby... You win.

"I want the epidural."

I was terrified. I have quite an aversion to needles... Like, for real... So, I was absolutely scared to the bone. But honestly, I was in so much pain, that I was willing to cut my spine in half myself, so a quick needle prick in the back would be a better compromise. So the anesthesiologist came in, and I talked with him a couple minutes to make sure that he could clearly see and feel where he needs to go in, even though I was so fat. He could see and feel it clearly, and told me I'd be a good candidate.. So I told him to go for it. Honestly, I didn't feel anything. Apparently, they numb the area first, and then stick the cathing needle into your spine.. Who knew?

Immediate. Relief.

It was lovely.. Don't get me wrong, I could still feel the contractions, but they weren't not the least bit painful.. Just........... Tight. So weird.

18 hours later, it was time to push. Now, up to this point the whole nose stuffed up completely wasn't much an issue as it was annoying, but now it was big girl time, and I couldn't breath through my nose, and had a cough like a mad man. Pushing a small person out of an orifice in my body was not turning out to be as easy as I had thought without being able to take a deep breath without coughing.  And my awful substitute doctor (my actual OB/GYN was in surgery at the time..) was getting angry at me... And at the nurses, for calling him 15 minutes too early because I had to take a break to catch my breath... Can you imagine!? Trying to pushing out a baby and having people being angry at you for your lack of progress? (From starting to push, to having my child out, it was 30 minutes... NOT bad at all.. jerkface) Sorry if I feel OXYGEN WAS NECESSARY TO MYSELF AND MY CHILD.

-____-

Any who... I heard one of the nurses say they could see the head... I told them just to pull him out then... They said that wasn't how it works... Fair enough... So I finished pushing... And the second he came out of me - immediate relief. Not feeling of pressure, no feelings of bloating... Just... Relief. It IS that instantaneous. I had a baby. This baby was mine, I made him, and I have him... And he was perfect...

They sewed me up... (because again, the doctor was awful and would NOT cut me. ><) By the way, they cut your epidural the second your baby comes out... So you will probably feel them sewing you up down there if you need it, and they will probably get angry at you for pointing it out, and for you asking them to numb the area first.... Well, if you're as lucky as I was.. .. .. ><

I don't really remember the first few hours after the whole thing happened. I was really out of it.. I remember him sleeping on me for a while... and I remember having some family there... And they changed his first poopy diaper. (Thank goodness!)

This was only the beginning of that hospital stay. I will write out the second - and probably third parts some other time... But for now...

..to be continued..

-Ashley

Fake it 'til You Make It - "Homemade" Cookies

Cookies.

They are the epitome of every holiday and every family gathering. You are expected, as a wife, or a mother, to be able to make cookies, and to have the time to do so. Sometimes, that just isn't the case, and even if it is, the motivation just isn't there. That's where these amazing inventions come in:

These. Things. Are. A. Godsend.

Ok, well that is a slight exaggeration.. But you see where I'm going with this. You can actually customize these things to fit you tastes if you want. Like, with the chocolate chip lover cookie dough, I use mint Andes chunks on them as well.. And they are delicious. 

These things can look a little funky when you put them out though.. And when you bake them, they are slightly square, and it's a dead giveaway that you didn't make them yourself and they are these too-convenient-to-be-acceptable cookies. However, I have discovered recently that you can manipulate the dough to make them cook in a better shape, and then if you also customize them with your own chips and nuts, then people could actually believe that you made them yourself. Even if they don't think you did, they will still question it enough not to say it or mention it... Plus, your husband will just be excited that there are cookies in your house that didn't come from the packaged nonperishable aisles at Target. 

Just smoosh them. Yes, a highly technical term, I know.. But really, just smoosh them down with your palm. By the time you've broke the squares apart and set them on the cookie sheets, they are malleable enough to manipulate. So just squish them down, and form them into slightly better circles.

NOTE: Don't mind my walnuts.. I was snaking while making these. XD

Perfect! Wow, you're good at this whole housewife thing. ;)

Now all you have to do is put them in the oven to bake according to the package's instructions then DONE. "Homemade" cookies.

NOTE: We got a new stove on Tuesday... And Um.. I'm still not used to the temp difference between top and bottom!

Cleaning Out Your Fridge

Refrigerators.

I. Hate. Wasting. Food.

I'm sure a lot of you out there agree with me that wasting food leaves a terrible feeling inside of you. I don't only feel like I've wasted money and time that it took to go to the store to get that food, but I also feel like a complete failure because it just reminds me about the good intentions I had to cook at home - and didn't. *sigh*

I also feel, and please tell me I'm not the only one, that there is someone in the dump going around looking for scraps of food and will come across my food and think that I'm the most terrible person ever.

I'm usually very proud of my fridge, because I don't often have anything expired int the fridge, unless it isn't mine to toss.. Then it just stays in there until they've completely forgotten about it, and I toss it anyway.

Here is my fridge before I cleaned it out and threw out all the old stuff. (wasn't much to toss..)

Yucky. All disorganized. There was nothing sticky, or icky in there, because I already do this so often. If there is anything yucky in your fridge, you should really clean it and disinfect it. Not only doesn't it make it clean and healthy, but it also motivates you to keep it clean, because you've already took all the time out to clean it once. Any "touch-up" cleaning, I just use a Clorox wipe, right away so he problem doesn't stay around, and then wipe it down with a damp cloth to make it food-safe.

Making sure that your fridge it organized can really help to make sure that all of your food keeps cold. Stack things like yogurt cups and pudding, so that cold air can go all around them and keep them cold. Make sure that there is space in between everything so that everything can stay as cold as possible, and so the cold air can circulate around your fridge properly!

If you look closely, on the second shelf from the top, there is a wire shelf hanging from the top. I put packaged meats (pepperoni, hot dogs, liverwurst, etc)

in this shelf to not only keep them cold, but to also keep them visible and in one place. As you know, these usually come in small packages, are are very easily lost.. So the shelf helps to combat that issue.

Also on that shelf, I have two bins - one blue, and one green. The blue one has all of my son's drinks for lunch and dinner - juice boxes, and vegetable Capri Suns (they DO exist, and they are AMAZING). Those things are also very small and awkward, so putting them into a bin together is ok with me, especially since we put them in the fridge just to get them cold, and not to keep them fresh. They are a nonperishable item, so putting them all bunched up in one pile won't hurt them. =)

In the green bin on the right, I have my son's (well, anyone really who wants them..) fruit cups. I try really hard to get my son to eat fruits and vegetables, and he seems to like them cold, so I put them in the fridge. Like with the drinks, they are nonperishable, and won't go bad if you just throw them in the bin. I like these bins because they keep everything in one place, and I can easily tell when I'm getting low on something.

I also have a wire basket that houses all the left over condiments we get from our fast food escapades. Teehee. As you can see, lately there have been many of them.

Here is my fridge after I organized everything, and got rid of the wrinkly grapes:

 
It's a very dark picture, and I apologize for that. But, you're whole goal is to make it so that you can see everything in your fridge. If you can't see it, you won't use it, and it will go bad. There is no way to remember exactly what you have in your fridge, so making everything visible will make this issue go away.

My fridge looks rather full, because I just went shopping that day, lol!

Remember, your fridge should be full, because it cuts down on electricity bills... But you still want everything to be seen, and everything to be able to breath and the air to circulate. That's the key to an efficient fridge, and it will even extend the life of your fridge if it's not having to work as hard to cool void space.

Hope this helps! If you have your own tips, tricks, or you have any questions of concerns, please let me know in the comments! Thank you! =)

- Ashley

Coconut Shrimp (Yummy!!) Also, FOOL PROOF.

Coconut.

Coconut is by far one of my favorite things to eat - ever. Almond Joys. Coconut cake. Coconut shrimp. Coconut chicken... You name it.. I love it.

I found a recipe a while ago for coconut shrimp.. But I have altered it quite a bit to my own tastes... This recipe said mix panko and coconut for the outside... I say, "NO! The more coconut, the better!" Also, I thought it very important to spice it in some way... So in the corn starch, it is important to put in paprika  salt, and pepper to taste.

Unfortunately, I don't really follow a recipe anymore... So, I had to really pay attention to what I was doing this time, and take notes.

NOTE: You can also BAKE these in the oven instead of frying.

Here's what you'll need:

NOTE: Clean up is easier with throw-away plates/bowls

1 Bag Jumbo Frozen COOKED Shrimp Tail-on (uncooked if you plan to bake)
1 Bag Sweetened Coconut, shredded
Corn Starch - the amount needed varies with the humidity
2 Eggs - you're only going to use the whites
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Paprika - to taste
Oil - if you're going to be frying

Strainer
Bowl bigger than your strainer
1 paper plate
3 paper bowls


Ok, let's start. Take your frozen shrimp and put them in a strainer, and then the strainer into the bowl. Put your bowl in you're newly cleaned sink if you've seen my other post, Cleaning with Vinegar - Part One. Turn on your water to cold, and just let it run over the shrimp while you prep for your next step... I'm a poet.. ;)

Set up your three bowls side-by-side, like this:

In your middle bowl, crack your eggs and separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. We just want the egg whites because they are more suited to help to adhere to the cornstarch. To separate your egg whites, carefully crack your egg in two, and start passing your yolk back and forth from shell half to shell half. Go as slowly as you need. Also, if you just put the whole thing in the bowl, you can suck the yolk out with a water bottle. No joke..... I mean, noyolk. ;)

Mix the yolk until it's nice and frothy...

Then take the shrimp out of the running water, (you thought I forgot..) and put them on paper towel to dry them. 

Mmmm. So yummy!

While they drip-dry, put your coconut in the last bowl, and the cornstarch in the first bowl. In the corn starch (about 1 cup), add your paprika, salt, and pepper. about 1/4 teaspoon of each.. You can tell when it looks like this:

Now, this part takes a little while to do. Take each shrimp and dip it in the corn starch mixture, then in the egg whites, then into the coconut, and into your fryer basket, or onto a plate. I would start the deep fryer to the setting for your preferred oil that you're using.. I use Mazola. So I set mine to 375.

They will look like this when you're done. 

Now lets cook them! If you're using a fryer, or a pan, and frying them, I highly recommend that you use already cooked shrimp. That way you're only waiting for the coconut to brown and nothing more.. It add less stress and answers the question, "Is it done yet?"

For me, it takes about 2 minutes.

When it's brown, it's done. =)

They should look like this. =)

NOTE: I only used half of my bag because it was just me and my two year old

Yummy! You can eat them alone or with something else... Or you can dip them in a pineapple or spicy sauce... I eat them by themselves and I love them. =)

Any questions or concerns, please leave a comment! Thanks!

-Ashley

Late Night Thoughts

I was adopted.

I will warn you now, this is a long winded post.. And there really isn't any humor or anything.. I just wanted to get my story out there.

When I was 3 or 4 months old, my parents adopted me. I found out at a very early age, by accident, from a friend of mine when I was 6 or 7. I honestly remember exactly where, when, and how. We were in their tree house in Yucaipa, Ca. The conversation went a little something like this:

Friend: "My mom said you're adopted."
Me: "Really?"
Friend: "Ya. She said that your mom didn't have you by herself."
Me: "Really??? That's cool."
*continued to play with our mud*

Yes. I didn't cry. I didn't really react at all. I think deep down, I probably already knew, but this was a confirmation. What I did know at the time was it absolutely didn't change a thing for me. My mom was still my mom. She still is my mom, even though she's not with us anymore.

My siblings were all much older than me. There was about a 25 year or so difference between myself and my nearest sibling. Needless to say, I was the only child in the house growing up, and I consider myself an only child in that aspect. My brothers and sisters were still my brothers and sisters, and I love them and share a relationship with them to this day, but it's very hard as a young child to bond with your sister when she's doing her taxes and you're playing with your ponies.

When I was 17, my birth mother got in contact with me - through MySpace. I didn't really know if she existed or not any more, if she had other kids, where she lived, or anything. And honestly, I never really cared to look. Not because I was blocking her out of my mind, but more so as.... what's the point? In my mind, she had 17 years to contact me.. It's not like we were running from her... We were still in the same state, same city, heck, we were even in the same house that she came and visited me in when I was first going through the steps of adoption. So when she did contact me, it really caught me off guard. And what was one of the only things I had on my mind to ask her? Not "why" or anything emotional like that... But I wanted to know my health history. Yup. My health history. Ya. It's not that I didn't want to know anything else necessarily, it's just, that was what was most relevant at the time. I grew up being told different things about my biological mother, and then when she finally contacted me, she told me even more different things... I don't know any of these answers for anything or what is really truth, and it doesn't really bother me. The past can't be changed, so there really is no reason for me to want to pick it apart to try and please everyone's different version of the "truth". I just don't care.

I never met my birth mother, even though there were a couple of times set up for us to do so. I was always where I was supposed to be... But her end never seemed to come together for these meetings. I never went out of my way for these meetings. I always was in the area for different reasons - doctor's appointments, beach trips, band tours, etc. So I never lost out on anything when she didn't show up. And it honestly never really bothered me. As I type this, I know that there are people who might be reading this thinking, "There's no way she didn't care.." I was very apathetic about this whole situation. I think if I were to have been adopted by a terrible family I'd be more into this whole thing. But my parents gave me everything. They were amazing. Every health need I needed to have met, special speech school, multiple surgeries and therapy  emotional support.. Everything they gave and provided to me.. I was a very lucky, and I will be truthful and say it, and spoiled kid. They provided me with everything I needed to succeed in this world, and I believe that I am becoming more and more successful every day.

My father passed away from lung cancer three days before my high school graduation. I was 18. It was devastating to me. My first real experience of a loss in the family, and it was my father. That was the year that I met my husband, and I truly believe that God placed him in my life at the exact time in my life when I needed to meet and have my soul mate by my side. All I had was my mom. And a few years later, I also lost her. I happened to be pregnant with my son when she started getting sick, and by the time he was born, she was in a comatose state. A few months later, she passed away. I had no one. I had no bond to anyone, I thought. And then, I realized that God had placed my son in my life at the exact moment I needed to be completely bonded with someone through blood.

My son is the first being I've ever touched that shared the same blood as me. He is mine. Forever and ever. I made him. I created him. There was no one that could take that bond away from me. And it's just what I needed. He is my baby. And I have a family, and a husband, at the exact right time in my life. And I love it.

Everything happens for a reason. Everything. Our job is to trust this, and make the best out of the situations that have been given to us.

-Ashley 

Kids. Break. Things.

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Kids.



They break things.

Anything and everything. They break it. "Oh, this isn't breakable, there's not much that could possible break on it." FALSE. They. Will. Find. A. Way. Period.

Now, if you're a new parent to a bubbling little baby who is not yet mobile, first off, CONGRATS because parenthood is amazing... But I'm going to be honest, and that is why I'm doing this blog.. I'm here to help you not scare you, and to vent slightly, but mostly to help. ;)

Water bottles. Trash cans.  Drawers. Vases. Hampers. Handles. Tupperware. Earrings. Shampoo bottles. Cabinet doors. Toilets. 

Some of the things that I've listed, I'm sure you're thinking (unless you're a parent of a toddler or up), "There's no possible way for a baby to break that.."

They can.

And they will.

Heck. The first day we moved in with my sister-in-law, my son made his way from being inside the bathroom with me (parents don't pee alone..), to being all the way out in the front room, with a blue vase in hand... I yelled. He dropped. It broke. Chaos ensued. At that point, "Mommy Mode" kicked in. I run, grab the baby before he could take a step and hurt himself, and stuck him away. And then clean up happened. Swept twice, mopped once. Gosh, I think that took me about three or four minutes - total - to do. Because at this point in time, I have a two year old, and I'm a seasoned pro.

I would also like to point out the no one bothered to tell me that although baby boys are "easier" (debatable in every sense of the word) they do not stop moving. Never ever. Never. They may not be as "emotional" (debatable.. my son is one of the most emotional kids I know) or have as much of an "attitude" as girls (highly debatable, as well *sigh*...), they are quite destructive. This doesn't go for just their stuff. Or your stuff. Or any stuff that they might ever come in contact with ever... But they are also destructive to themselves. They get hurt. As a matter of fact, my son took a chin dive to the tile not even 3 hours ago. Busted open his chin (he's fine). He is always going. Always. Always. But, that's also what I love about him. His energy is amazing, and his Ora is brilliant all the time.

Those things that I've listed above, my son has managed to break at some point in his short life. I see many of my parent friends on my Facebook newsfeed talking about how their child keeps taking their prized porcelain figurine off of the shelf it goes on and they are afraid some day that they will break it (made up, but I need a fictional scenario because this happens often and I don't want to call anyone out obviously...). Um. Ok. In my opinion, it is MUCH easier on everyone to just remove those precious items from hand reach until your while is able to understand the word "no" and listens to you. Just remove those things from the equation. I promise you that you will be able to relax much easier knowing that you don't have to worry about those items being destroyed.

Kids are destructive. You need to expect for things to be broken. It's a part of life, and NOT a big deal. Things can be replaced, I swear. And if they are not replaceable (I get that.. I have a lot of my parents things that are absolutely not replaceable..) then please do yourself a favor and put them somewhere safe until your child is old enough to understand. And if you have a dog, you'll just never get to see that item again... lol! ;)

-Ashley

Cleaning With Vinegar - Part One

Vinegar.

Vinegar is by far one of the most versatile products out there. Cooking, cleaning, preserving, it does it all. In this post, I'd like to talk about it's amazingly convenient cleaning ability..

You'll hear me say a lot that I love to be clean, but I don't particularly love to clean. Vinegar helps in this aspect. Plus, when you're done and the vinegar smell dissipates  it will take any odors that were present along with it. How awesome does that sound for a lazy person like me? Um. Awesome. That's how it sounds. Absolutely awesome. And it's awesome that if I forget about it, nothing bad will happen. It's vinegar. That's it. As clean and organic as you can get. Vinegar. Y'all see where I'm going with this? ;)

Today, I decided to clean my kitchen sink. Although the sink is clean in most aspects of the word, we suffer pretty bad with hard water out here in Palm Springs, so we get hard water build up pretty easily. I haven't combated this issue in a while because I've been.... erm... busy? Yes. Let's go with that. So when I decided to clean it today, I thought it would be a great addition to the blog. So, you're welcome. =D

Here is my sink. Looks fairly clean.. However, because I don't always wipe the sink down after I use it... "Stuff" happens.. Not so pretty... "stuff"..

If you look at all the cracks and crevices, there is a lot of calcium build up. And hard water stains on the divider of the sink. I'm embarrassed to post these pictures, but I know I'm not the only one out there with this issue, and it's clean now, so I'm ok with it. Boom. =P

See, just ickyness. (Yes, it is also a word.)

In order to combat this issue, you only need three things... Vinegar, a bowl, and some paper towels. Step one, clear off your sink..

Ok, done. Next step it to pour some vinegar in the bowl.

Oh my gosh! We're so fast! After that, you need to rip strips of the paper towels, and dip them in the vinegar, and wrap them around the fixtures on your sink. If there are any drip spot issues, you will also want to take a folded piece of paper towel and place on there to break up all the icky. 

There! Now, we wait for a couple of hours and let the vinegar do its thang.. (teehee.)

DING! Time's up! Now, just take a Scotch pad, or something of the sort, and wipe away all the icky. And then wipe everything down with a cloth, and look at the shine! =D

 Ahhh. Much better. You're welcome. You're now able to sleep soundly at night knowing that your sink looks awesome. ;)

-Ashley