Mommypants!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Mail Time!

Check out what just arrived in the mail today!

This 'stuff bucket' from Neatnix. You can get one for yourself on thier website. This bucket is 8" tall and can hold TONS of stuff! So far Annabella has been using it for her new farm animals. But I plan to use it for my craft and sewing supplies.

The 'Stuff bucket" is 8" high and sells for $18.00. The website also has lots of other devices for organizing your closet like the Slide N stacks a vertical system for organizing your closet! Its like a files for your closet so that you don't tear everything off your shelves! I hope to try them in the near future

The "Stuff bucket" got here with superfast shipping. and arrived in some large bubble wrap, which normally I wouldn't like, but Annabella really ejoyed popping the larger sized bubbles so...

I won the bucket by being one of the first ten people to send the staff at Neatnix a picture of my disorganized closet! Thanks to Twittermoms for hosting the great RAMBO alert that told me about this contest

I received a free "Stuff Bucket" but was not required to write a review. These opinions are my own.

Ten Tips for a Greener Cleaner Home

Leave it to Twittermoms to come up with another post that hits so close to my home! I've always believed that if you use natural products in your home, then all you need are natural products to clean it. Most of my products come from the same places that my food comes from. With the addition of a few ingredients. I find that my cleaning schedule is simple. And after working for a cleaning company, I try not to put anything on my surfaces that we wouldn't find in the earth.

Ten Tips for a Greener Cleaner Home

Throw out the bleach: Its horrible, and you don't need it. Vinegar can kill bacteria just as efficiently, and it won't take the color out of your clothes. Use it to clean surfaces after they have come into contact with raw meats or just to disinfect.
Baking Soda: Use this to shine pots and pans, It polishes the surface without breaking down the enamel like other harsh clears can do. It also will get rid of the smell on your wooden cutting boards. Just sprinkle a little bit on and then use a sponge or cloth to buff the surface.
Polish Your Wood: Mix equal parts lemon juice and olive oil to clean and polish wood surfaces. I love this method and use it on everything in the house, it smells better then pine-sol because its real lemon juice! The olive oil conditions the wood and gives it nourishment as well as cleaning off dust and giving it a shine
Soapnuts!: I know that I have shared the benefits of soap-nuts with you before, they are hard to beat. They are my absolute favorite for the laundry, they are free of synthetic fragrances so they don't build up on my diapers, or on my clothes. They are also great if you grind them up and then use then to scrub off baked on grime.
Dr. Bronner's : There was a time in my life when Doctor Bronners was the only soap in my house. We used it for dishes, laundry, counters, shampoo, soap, even toothpaste. (I don't reccomend the last one) But the point is that you don't need a whole cabinet of fancy cleaners, an all purpose cleaner such as Dr. Bronner's can fill all your cleaning needs. I like to use it in my dishwater through the day to help release the dirt from my plates
Daily shower: This stuff is a lifesaver, it basically breaks down the soap on your walls so that it doesn't all build up and make it hard to clean I currently am using one by Method, try to have everyone use this after the shower, if not don't worry I just spray it after everyone is done taking showers for the day.
Essential Oils: This site has recipes for aromatherapy blends, building your collection of essential oils is great, you can use them to make your own cleaners that have scents. I like adding sweet orange oil to my cleaners for the kitchen, and I have some lavender cleaner that I made for the bedrooms, and living rooms. I like to switch it up in the bathroom depending on my mood.
Carpet Freshener: Is that carpet stale? Last time I tried commercial carpet fresheners, they left me with watery eyes and an itchy nose (my carpet was very clean though). Now I make my own my sprinkling some essential oils in a mason jar with some baking soda, I shake it up and then sprinkle it on the carpet. I leave it for about fifteen minutes and then vacuum it up. It leaves my carpet and my vacuum smelling great and extra clean.
Microwave cleaner: I love this trick for the microwave that I learned from my grandmother. Put a microwave safe container 3/4 full of water into the microwave and heat on high for about a minute. The steam will loosen everything off the sides and make the grease and grime wipe off easily.
Your Air: Clean the air naturally with houseplants, they filter the air and bring oxygen to the environment. My favorite are spider plants which can be grown in just glasses of water! Try your had at macramé and you can have some decorations that bring you back to the sixties, and make you and your family feel better while you are at it. I also have an Ionic Breeze Quadra Silent Air Purifier I love how I can see the dirt that comes out of the air on the filter.
Use those brown paper bags: If you're like me and haven't quite mastered remembering your reusable bags to the grocery store every time. . Then put all those bags to use and use them to hold your garbage when you run out of plastic bags, or your recycling. I always would end up with piles of brown paper grocery bags now I use them to hold my trash because they biodegradable instead of sitting in a landfill for years.

I hope these help to make your homes safer and cleaner, while saving you time and money, keep a schedule and do certain chores on certain days and sooner then you know it it will be second nature! Good luck, and happy cleaning

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Mrs. Meyer’s blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten Ways to Make Your favorite Foods Healthier

Hello everyone, Annabella's birthday was amazing. I'm getting some pictures together so that I can show all of you what a fun day we had!

In the meantime, I found out about this contest from Twittermoms, and I had some great ideas! Being a mother and since I've been pregnant, I have been more involved with making sure that I make the right food choices. Its simple to do if you know a few basic tips, and if you pay attention to the ingredients in your foods. Using whole and natural choices are the best ways to be sure that your foods are healthy!

Ten Ways to Make Your Favorite Foods Healthier

Brownies, Cookies, and other baked goods: Replace about a third of the flour in your recipes with whole wheat flour. This way, you can get back the bran and the germ from the flour. Wheat Bran and Germ are the parts of the wheat that are the best for your body. Be sure that if you are making a recipe with yeast that requires rising, remember that you only want to let it rise about 1 1/2 times bigger as opposed to double. To use all wheat flour in a bread recipe, be sure to add about two tsp gluten and some extra water.
Have a GREEN salad instead of a 'cooked' veggie: Lets face it, most (well at least most people I know) of us cook our veggies in butter, or oil. We fry them or bake them filled with bread crumbs. Smother them in cheese. Why not just have a small salad with diner. But make it a green one. Simply add some oil and balsamic. Bonus points if the greens are from your garden, they will taste fresh and have many more nutrients then ones that have been sitting on a store shelf.
Potato Chips: I know its hard to give them up, but replace the crunch with something a bit healthier. Share some of you're toddler's veggie puffs, they really are yummy. Or how about some pita chips with hummus. The mashed bean dip will fill you up better then just potato chips alone. So you will eat less, and get more benefits from the protein in the dip.
Baked not fried--try some panko: Panko crumbs become my best friend when I am trying to flatten my tummy a bit. Why?? They stay CRUNCHY! I love crunchy, fried....... anything! And who wants to replace crunchy deep fried goodness, with some mediocre chicken from the oven? Panko crumbs almost always stay crunchy. I love to grind up some peanuts, almonds or pecans and add them to my breadcrumb mix for a little added flavor.
Replace the pie with fruit: This one is easy (and yummy) Instead of baking a pie, just spoon some fresh fruit over some vanilla ice cream (splurge on a good pint fruit is cheap.) You can enjoy whatever fruit is in season. Or make a parfait with fruit, granola, and yogurt leave it in the fridge an hour then try it. These are quicker to make, and its much better to enjoy the fresh fruit. Having this instead of chocolate ice cream sundaes, will help kids learn to reach for healthier desserts.
Replace your butter with oil: Its okay in most recipes. Most of the time I don't notice a difference, and if there is its as easy to fix as adding some extra spices! If you are noticing that your stuffing needs something to replace the buttery flavor, add a little bit of extra marjoram and savory. I think that they give a smooth buttery Herby flavor to stuffing that can't be beat. Any chicken dish in my opinion can be improved with savory and marjoram.
Squash your pasta!: Literally, you can almost always replace spaghetti with spaghetti squash with surprisingly good and healthy results! My favorite ways to use it are in primavera, shrimp scampi, and underneath a red sauce (the ultimate surprise dish). To cook the squash, just cut it in half, drizzle it with olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven at about $350 till its fork tender, then use it as you would cooked spaghetti in your dish. I try to stock up at the farmers market when they are in season, local ones taste the best and because they are squash, they keep very well.
Add some sweet potatoes to your mashed potatoes: I LOVE mashed potatoes. I could eat them everyday. My favorite way to sneak some vitamins in them is to mash up a couple of sweet potatoes with the white ones. This adds a hint of savory sweetness to the potatoes. Its also unnecessary to add globs of butter because the potatoes already have so much flavor from the sweet potato. The color of the potatoes is almost that of a pale butternut squash they go great with roast chicken and green beans.
Have some soup: Instead of eating a sandwich for lunch loaded with cheese, condiments and consisting mainly of bread. Have a bowl of soup. Be smart and don't choose soups that are cream based. But a hearty minestrone or a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup can fill you up and will warm your belly in the coming fall months. If you must have some carbohydrates, go for some whole wheat crackers or slice of whole grain bread. If its too hot for warm soup, try some gazpacho a cold tomato soup that I love with slices of avocado.
Replace the mayo; I am a huge fan or using alternatives to mayonnaise, its fat and cholesterol. There are so many alternatives! Add plain yogurt to your potato salad. Use pesto or aioli on your sandwich. If I have to use mayo (like when I'm making tuna sandwiches). I always add lots of veggies to make-up for the mayo. Diced celery, onions and bell-peppers are my favorite things to mix in with the tuna. To the sand which I add tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts and avocado. If I have some I like to add a slice of crunch bacon. Yum.

I hope this helps everyone!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Last Year

Well tomorrow is the day that Annabella officially turns one. I can't belive its been a year since

This:

Annabella Lynn

Born 6lb 15.5oz

September 1, 2009

I thought that I would be a mess, I thought I would be in tears. My baby is growing up, and I've done quite a bit myself.

But I'm not, I'm excited, I feel the same excitement inside me, as if I'm turning a year old all over again. Because in a way, I guess I am. Tomorrow, I will have been a mother for a year. Its crazy to think that, because still when I look at pictures, it doesn't even seem real.

I've a lot about myself and the people around me in the last year. I've also (instinctively I guess) felt closer to the women in my family, and those that I've never met before.

Being a mother has given me the desire to become the kind of person I want my daughter to look up to.

My afternoons of shopping for clothes for myself has turned into play-dates with new friends.

My lace bras and matching undies, have turned into a set of nursing bras and whatever's clean.

Nights out at danceclubs have turned into snuggling on the couch watching Curious George.

I still go to festivals, but the late night jams are rarely caught, and instead of a hot sun waking me up. Its a hungry baby amidst the contents of our suitcase.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I won't be blogging tomorrow, I want to make September 1st as happy for Annabella, as she made it last year for me