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!