This post isn't what it's supposed to be about either...

...mostly because I just made a new discovery and it will be quicker to write about than my other topic...that will come soon. This week just flew by!

I've mentioned before that I use Pinterest, and that I wanted to start trying some of those homemade cleaning solutions that I have a million of pinned. So yesterday I decided to try a tub and shower cleaner. It's not the most natural, but I feel a lot safer using it while pregnant than some of the harsh chemicals that are in other cleaners, and the smell isn't all that bad either.

I first saw it not too long after I joined Pinterest, and I kind of ignored it. Then a friend on Facebook posted that she had just tried it and how amazing it was. After that, I decided to pin it, but that was as far as I got. Until I was mopping my floors with hot water with a splash of vinegar, and was reminded of it. So here it is!

All you need is:
-1 sponge brush with a refillable soap dispenser in the wand (I bought one with a non-abrasive head because I was worried about the other one scratching my surfaces)
-1 part hot vinegar (I put it in the microwave until it was just about boiling)
-1 part blue Dawn dish soap (I don't know how important using the blue vs the green, yellow, or orange kind is, but that's what it called for, and that's what i had, so that's what I used!)

Stir the vinegar and dawn together until they are well combined, and pour into the refillable wand. Wet your surface down and then start scrubbing away.

Now here's where I stopped following the directions. My shower had a bit of build up on the walls, but it wasn't disgustingly dirty so maybe that's why this last part doesn't matter so much on my situation...I decided for my shower to stay clean, I should leave the brush right in there and use it at the end of my shower. Otherwise, out of sight, out of mind, and my tub would go back to being rinsed before every bath, but only scrubbed once a month (I know, eww! But really, if it looked that bad, I would be doing it more often!)

So basically at the end of my shower I scrubbed down the walls, then rinsed them off with the shower head. The directions say to let it sit on there 10-20 mins (I left it for maybe 30 seconds) but when I looked a few hours later, after it had all air dried, it was shiny and sparkling new looking! Zero buildup was left.

So now I'm kind of kicking myself for not trying this sooner! All the scrubbing and breathing in stinky fumes...this option is not only way less work (you hardly have to scrub at all), but like I said, it doesn't smell that bad either--just like vinegary blue dawn lol :)

Try it and let me know what you think! I promise you won't regret it!

A post about one topic that changed into another before you even knew what it was supposed to be about in the first place...and nope, I'm not ADD...

What are your thoughts on New Year's Resolutions? Personally, I think they are dumb.

Don't get me wrong, goal setting is very important. It is how we change and grow. But making a resolution just because you're "supposed to," that the majority of people that make them fail at keeping, just makes me not want to make any each year when January 1st comes around.

I like to make goals as new learning, issues, or challenges come up. One of those is keeping my house clean. If you have ever been to my house, you know that 9 out of 10 times when you come, it will be pretty messy, if not a disaster. Why? I mean, there are just three of us, and even when there were only two of us, I still had a hard time keeping it clean. I blamed it on not having enough storage space, shelving, or large containers, or on my house not being finished, or on not having the proper furniture to arrange things on to look nice. It basically looked like we were still in the process of moving in for pretty much the whole two years we have lived here.

When we first moved in, I was 8 months pregnant, and our basement, bathrooms, and kitchen were not finished, so I didn't do a ton of unpacking. I had a hard time settling into motherhood and didn't really do any housework for a long time because of exhaustion and a new-found habit of "sitting around." Finally, nine months later, our kitchen was finished and our bathrooms were mostly finished. Nine months is a long time to create a habit, and then to try to kick it, as anyone knows, is pretty hard. Our basement was then finished about six months later. So add the dust of an unfinished basement, then drywall dust, and then dog hair (our jack russel sheds like CRAZY--I can vacuum every day and it still looks like it has been almost a week). To make things worse, we still had a ton of stuff in storage--only finally getting the last of it out about a month ago--almost two years after we have moved in. So then came the "lack of storage" excuse again. I'm still working on things, but I have managed to go through everything. Now comes trying to sell the stuff that we don't need/want or donate it if no one else wants it (currently it is all on the over-the-stairs ledge in Mason's room--not the most ideal place). And then of course trying to find a new home for all of the "stuff" we are keeping. It really makes me not want so much "stuff" but it is hard to get rid of it when I know that it will be used, if not at this immediate moment in our lives. Throwing it out would just be a waste of money...then of course there are the days that I just do that anyways...

...but the whole point that I am trying to make is that change can be very difficult, but it is ultimately doable. I posted a while back about some "rules" for keeping your house clean. I still try to stick to some of them, but I find others more difficult when I have rooms in my house that are a disaster. The best tip that I have found, is once you finally have a room clean and organized to your liking, go back for 5-15 minutes (every day if it is in a heavy traffic area, or once a week if not), and do the little things that need to be done. The things that if you just ignore them will build up and again create a disaster. I like to actually set a timer so that I have to "race against the clock" to get things done. This works great for me because I tend to get distracted with other bigger tasks when I'm in a room, and then end up not really accomplishing what I came in there to do. I usually set the timer for 5 minutes for my kitchen, then 5 for my hallway and living room, 5 for my front entrance, and then 5 more for my kitchen. If it is mostly tidy to begin with, then this is a piece of cake and I use the "leftover minutes" in a room that needs it most--usually my kitchen. Clutter just seems to find its way there because it is right where we enter the house.

So now I just need to work on getting a few more rooms done before baby comes (20 more weeks to go!) Derrick is building us a storage building from an old grainery, so a lot of stuff will be able to go in there in heavy duty bins. I have a ton of books and "stuff" from when I took Early Childhood Education, so most of that will go in there. It's all for my dayhome, but the majority of it is for 3+ year olds, which means it is not being used at the moment for Mason, and as we are having another baby soon, I don't want to take on a lot more children. Then there are the bins of baby clothes (which I have gone through and downsized 3 times now) and a couple bins of maternity clothes. I don't like storing them outside because of mice and the bad weather we have here, but I'm hoping if I wrap everything in plastic and then we use heavy duty bins that seal well, we will be able to keep the mice out of it all, even if they decide to live in the grainery. I don't know, I'm still undecided about where exactly to store the clothing...but I know it can't stay where it is at right now (also on the ledge in Mason's room--yep, it's a big ledge...big enough to fit a bed up there, which is the plan as soon as I clear it off!)

So basically, if you come to my house, and it's a mess, please know that I AM embarrased by it , and I AM working on it. My biggest goal is to get it all done before baby gets here. Will that happen? If I made it a New Year's Resolution, then nope, probably not. But instead, I am thinking of other reasons to get it done, things to encourage me to move forward: if my delivery and baby are anything like my situation with Mason, then I'm going to be "down" for at least a month; people shouldn't have to see my mess and step over things to lay their coat on a box of stuff; I don't want to be embarrased anymore (although everyone is nice enough to not mention it--which I appreciate immensly); I feel "lighter" when my house is clean, and more able to relax; a clean floor is easier to vacuum and will be vacuumed more often than one where I have to pick up things every time, and a clean floor means less allergens floating around my house; I can invited people over more often and wtih confidence; and last but not least, my husband can be happy to come home to a clean house and not have to "remind me" about cleaning up (which for some reason he can do WAY faster than I can...although I don't always agree with where the "stuff" goes, which is probably why I take longer...haha!)

This post was supposed to be on nutrition and how watching 3 different documentaries has changed my idea and goals but I obviously got a little side tracked--it happens easily...so next time when I post, hopefully within a week, I'll talk about these three documentaries, what I have taken from them and am applying into my life, and how I'm using my new-found knowledge to change the eating habits of my almost 2 year old (easy) and my husband (not so easy). I love researching food, health, and nutrition, and am glad that I am able to be ina situation where I can put into practice the things that I already know with the things I have just recently learned or come to realize, and I hope to be able to influence others with these ideas, because they are really awesome and will change your life!

Bun making = EPIC FAIL

Are you good at making bread and buns/rolls? When I was first married, I was HORRIBLE! I didn't have a breadmaker or a stand mixer, so whenever I decided to "try it again," I had to do it by hand. Even a year after we got married, I cashed in some wedding giftcards and bought myself a really nice Cuisinart mixer (I went into the store with the intentions of buying a Kitchenaid, because, come on, they look so great on your counter! But while looking at warranties, motor size, wattage, bowl size, and accessories, not to mention prices...I ended up deciding to go with a Cuisinart, and haven't regretted my decision since!)...but back to the story....even after I bought a stand mixer, I was still too afraid to try the dough hook attachment and continued to try to make bread and buns by hand, resulting in an EPIC FAIL every single time. I mean, they tasted OK--not great--but they looked horrible and the texture did NOT have the soft, pillowy goodness that a bun should have.That and my arms, shoulders, and back were killing me afterwards everytime!
Then one day I stumbled upon a website....I don't remember if someone showed it to me, or I just found it while looking for a recipe, but I have to say that it changed my bun and bread making life!  :)

It's actually a very popular blog now and they have a couple of recipe books out. Everything that I have tried off of there has been absolutely delicious--the apple dip, the butternut squash soup, the overnight cinnamon buns, so many other things...including "World's Best Dinner Rolls."

When I found their bun recipe, I noticed a link to a bread making tip article that they had written, so I went and read it, re-read it, and then printed it off. It was THAT good. And like I said, it changed my life. SO now I'd like to share it with you. Even if you are good at making bread and buns, read it! There may be a few things that will make your life easier! I've tried lots of recipes since then and have found another that I prefer to theirs, but really, there are so many different types of buns that it makes it really hard to choose a favorite. And what one person likes about a bun, another person may dislike. Like for example, I like a bun that tastes yeasty and sweet, and Derrick does not. So, I try all kinds of recipes. Maybe one day I'll share the one that I have been making lately the most...but for now, here's the AWESOME and AMAZING article I was telling you about:  Tips for Yeast Doughs

I'd love to hear what you think about it and if you have any other tips that you'd add to the list!

I found one today in another recipe from their site that my sister in law shared with me yesterday---when a recipe says to warm up milk and butter until the butter is melted, and then cool it down so that it doesn't kill the yeast, instead of waiting forever or putting the pot on top of some ice, try keeping out 1/4 of the milk called for, and add it after to help cool it down. You may still need to wait a bit, but the time will definitely be decreased!

Here's our most recent family picture!

Homemade Crazy Bread!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE LIttle Caesar's Crazy Bread, with extra buttery-cheesy goodness! Unfortunately, the nearest Little Caesar's Pizza Place is an hour away...so I don't get it very often (which may actually be a good thing...). When Derrick and I were dating, we used to get their cheapest combo at least once a week--it was around $8 for a pepperoni pizza, crazy bread, and dipping sauce. Not exactly the healthiest supper, but when you're a poor student, it works!


I found this recipe for pizza dough a few weeks ago, and found a knock-off recipe for Crazy Bread a few months ago, so the other day I decided to combine the two! The crazy bread recipe used store-bought pizza dough, butter, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. Now unfortuantely, the stores around here (and by "here" I mean 30 minutes away) don't have frozen pizza dough--at least I've never seen any! So if I wanted that, I'd probably have to go to Lethbridge, again, an hour away....so I might as well just buy REAL Crazy Bread! So when I saw that the blogger that posted this recipe had turned hers into cheesy garlic sticks, I decided that I could do the same. 

So one day I decided that's what I wanted for part of my lunch, but of course decided this while I was making my lunch (the dough take about 1 1/2 hours so that wasn't going to happen)...so I used some fresh Naan bread that I had just bought the day before with the intention of turing into a pizza for Mason while Derrick and I had Buffalo Chicken Pizza. It turned out pretty yummy, but just wasn't as good as crazy bread in my opinion! The cheesy garlic sticks and pizza dough recipe can be found here.


So anyways, the other day I decided to make pasta with a creamy rose sauce that I had seen on Pinterest and thought Crazy Bread would go well with it. The pasta was an EPIC FAIL. Derrick wouldn't even eat it. He said the smell of it made vomit rise in his throat., which would have offended me, but I already knew it tasted kind of funny...Mason ate it, but then the next day when I tried to give him leftovers for lunch, he wouldn't let me put it in his mouth! I thought it was ok, but definitely missing something...all it was, was you sautee garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, then when the garlic starts to brown, add a can of crushed tomatoes, and simmer about 10 mins until thick. (I pureed everything before this next step because Derrick won't eat chunks of tomatoes). Then stir in 1/2 cup cream or milk. I think the bitter taste of the canned tomatoes, and the overwhelming taste of olive oil (it called for 1/4 cup!) was just too much...topped with lots of parm, it wasn't that bad, but then I'm not really that picky...so anyways, we won't be making that again! Derrick ended up just having crazy bread for supper! I guess that's what happens when you don't get home until 9:45--no time to make anything but a bowl of cereal, which he doesn't like anyways....haha!


Back to the Crazy Bread. I used the pizza dough recipe, splitting it in half and using canola oil and honey (those were options on the recipe), as well as unbleached all-purpose white flour. I patted it into a circle with my hands on a piece of parchment, then cut it with a pizza cutter into rectangles. I then baked it about 6 minutes on the parchment, on an upside down cookie sheet as she suggested at 500 degrees, and then immediately brushed it with a mixture of butter, garlic powder, and salt (I don't have garlic salt, and all it really is, is one part garlic powder to two parts salt...but I did about a one to one ratios for this...just eyeball it!), and then sprinkling it with lots of parmesan! You could use fresh garlic, but I wasn't going for that spicy taste that fresh garlic brings, I was going to the authentic Crazy Bread taste.

It was pretty close! And I think the dough part was even better than Little Caesars! It was soft and fluffy, yet a little chewy, the way pizza dough should be! It was so yummy and I ate wayy to much of it...forcing myself to save half of it for Derrick...I didn't even take a picture because it was half gone by the time I thought of it...I suppose I still could have, oh well! Next time!


If you're reading this and have a mixer with a dough hook, you should definitely make this! It is not hard at all! Your mixer does most of the work, and you just dump in ingredients!


In other news, Mason is now drinking slightly cold milk...haha, we'll get there soon....and if this weather ever decides to stay nice, I'll get his bed frame spray painted black (it's scuffed up and white right now), so I can set it up in his room! Maybe I'll do that before I take away his bottle, as his bottle helps make him nice and drowsy...hmmmm

In the meantime, can you guess what I'm making for Mason? Jake was "helping"... :P

Walking, bottles, soothers, cribs....

Isn't he just the cutest!? I love him so much! He is such a sweet, smart, curious, and happy boy! He's 14 1/2 months old right now, and has been walking really well for the last two weeks. He only crawls about 10% if the time now, and it's usually if he keeps falling down lol! He started pulling himself up around Christmas, and now, five months later, he's not looking much like a baby anymore! This summer I'm going to take away some of the baby things he loves (sigh): his crib, his soother, warmed milk, and his bottle...I should have gotten rid of the bottle by now, but I have been slowly working towards having him drink cold milk. Right now we're at room temperature. I could just switch him to a sippy cup with warm milk, but I hate having to warm it up, so we're getting rid of that...I tried to do it cold turkey a few weeks ago, but he wanted nothing to do with the sippy or the cold milk. If he was a chunky kid I'd say that wasn't a big deal, he'll drink it eventually, but he's slim so I worry about how the lack of calories would effect him.

Although, he does eat a lot of food, and he's not picky. I honestly don't know where he puts it! He has a little belly, but nothing like some children! I guess he's just like his dad!

So, a few more days (a week at most), and we should be onto cold milk. Then will be time to change to a sippy cup. I really don't like sippy cups either, I'd rather have him drink from a regular cup, but we'll see how things go! I suppose it could make things easier because he loves to drink from a cup!

Now with the soother, I know a lot of people have different ideas on how long a child should take a soother (if at all---I'm still on the fence about this one)...but I figure, the earlier you break them of the habit, the easier it will be. Mason has been sleeping great for the past few months (except for the odd teething episode or over night trip), so I think that now is the time. Whenever I go in there after he has woken up, he is standing there holding it out for me. And if I don't get there fast enough, he throws it out of his crib onto the floor, as if he's saying "No more soother, time to get up!"

I almost took it away about a month ago when he was sick because his nose was so plugged that he couldn't suck his soother and breathe at the same time, and that made him really upset, but I decided not to, because it still comforted him...so now the dilemma is which day of the week...and something always seems to be coming up! I prefer to do it on a Monday so that by Sunday he won't cry for it at Church. But Father's Day is this Sunday (and I don't want to deprive Derrick of a good sleep haha), and then next Sunday our baby neice is being blessed, so we'd need him to be quiet during that...and then Weds-Fri I watch another child around Mason's age, and I don't want him to be woken up from his naps by Mason crying for his soother....I know you can do it a little at a time too, but I think I'll just take it away and be done with it. He falls asleep in the car sometimes without it, so I'm not too worried...and we have earplugs, or if it is really bad, 2 other beds...that sounds horrible....at least Derrick could use one of them since he has to operate heavy equipment! The other dilemma is should I move him to a bed before taking the soother?

When I worked in daycare, children napped on mats once they hit 12 months. Those were the licensing regulations--no more cribs. And they slept fine, if not better, on the mats. I think the real reason parents keep their children in cribs is so that they don't escape lol and I totally get that! But my plan is to teach him to stay in his room when he wakes up until I comes in to say good morning, Wish me luck! I have a toddler bed for Mason, and I would move his crib mattress into it, so really, I could do it anytime. The upside: the room is outside of our room (for those of you who don't know, we have an ensuite[master bathroom] that we are using as the nursery (no there's no toilet or shower in there lol just a sink and storage cabinets). So once he moves, we don't have to whisper when we go to bed, and get ready for bed in the dark. I know that we could have trained him when he was younger to sleep through loudness, but seriously, when your baby is sleeping, who wants to chance waking him up!? Mason can sleep through some noise, and can fall asleep if it's noisy, but you still have to tread lightly. The downside of moving him: if he wakes in the night, it's a further walk, and the other downside: our living room/tv is right outside that bedroom door...but he'll learn to sleep through that I'm sure...I hope....lol

Thoughts? As it stands, I'll probably have him off the bottle in the next week or two, and be done with a soother and in a toddler bed in the next couple of months. I don't think I'm "forcing him to grow up" by doing this, but making his and my life easier in the long run...plus we'll still have lots of snuggles and playtime!

Delicious Fibre........Ummm...What!?

I found this recipe a long time ago on Pinterest, and have come across it again a few times, but just today decided to make it: No-Bake Energy Bites

Like usual, I changed it to suit what I was looking for: More fiber, and a better crunch.

I have this product called Nutracleanse that you can learn more about here. I got it from my mother-in-law, and she bought it at Pharmasave...I had never heard of it, but since acquiring it, I seem to see it everywhere! It is a blend of ground flax seed, ground psyllium husks, dandelion root powder, burdock root powder, and fenugreek seed powder. They recommend mixing it into hot cereal, or putting it in baked goods. Or, if you're in a "rush," they recommend mixing it in a glass of orange juice. Tried that, and not going to lie, it was pretty gross...I also tried mixing a large amount in yogurt, and same thing...yuck...They tell you to take 1/3 cup everyday for optimal health. So, when Mason was born with "pooping" problems, and I didn't want to use medication, I thought that this might help. I asked my doctor and she said it was find for him to have, so I started mixing it into his baby cereal or applesauce (and only 1-2 tsp). It worked great! And now, I hardly use it and he has NO problems! I'm not saying it's a miracle cure, but it's definitely worth a try!

So when I decided to make the energy bites today, I figured I would substitute Nutracleanse for the flax. Here is my adapted recipe:

In a bowl mix together 3/4 cup chunky (or 1/2 cup smooth) peanut butter, 1/2 cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Add 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup nutracleanse (you can do straight ground flax if you'd like!), and 1/4 coconut, stirring to combine.

Add 1/2 cup corn flakes, and 1/2 cup carob chips (or chocolate chips if you prefer), mixing gently to combine.

Cover bowl with saran wrap, and refrigerate about 30 minutes, or unti "moldable."

Using your hands, form into balls. I made ones that were "one bite" sized so I could just pop them in my mouth, but you could easily press the mixture into a square pan and then cut when firm. Just remember to keep it in the fridge, whatever form you make them into. And be careful, because they're a little addicting...especially if you like PB + Honey sandwiches!!

Let me know if you make these and what you think!

Tackling that clutter

I don't know about you, but I have a major issue with clutter...I don't like to admit it, and usually can find some excuse or another for it, but it really is an issue...I think it's kind of inherited though lol! I try to work on breaking the habit every now and then, but have never been able to beat it.

If any of you have been on Pinterest, you'll notice that there are often pins about house cleaning. I have re-pinned many of them, but today found the best one for ME. It's found here

I love how she lays it out nice and simple, but ultimately leaves it up to you to figure out your own tasks. After reading through the article, I wrote down the main points that stood out to me, typed them up, and then hung the page in my kitchen. I am excited to share it with my husband! He doesn't have a big problem with clutter, but doesn't really help with the issue either (clothes belong in the hamper honey, not by the bed, beside the couch, or in the front entrance! Praying for the day when we have a mudroom...lol!) Anyways, here's what I got from the article:

The Four Unbreakable Rules

1. Everything has a home.
2. Use it or lose it.
3. Never ignore or pass anything that needs to find its home.
4. Use "little minutes" every chance you get.

Lists

1. Daily chores
2. Individual rooms broken into tasks

Boxes

1. Toss
2. Keep
3. Sell/Donate

Time

1. One hour per day spent
2. 30 minutes for daily chores which can be spread over the day
3. No more than 15 minutes “deep cleaning” one room per day

4. Remaining 15 minutes doing something you like/goal/relaxing/etc.

Remember: You are not “cleaning,” you are “preparing” rooms so that you will have a nice feeling every time you enter them!

Great tips hey! She even jokes around in it, saying things like, 

"I'm so buried I can't find the shovel to dig my way out!

How to get started when it all feels so hopeless.

Don't start with a shovel. Start with a spoon. Or actually three boxes and one corner.

Now you can do one small corner can't you? Of course you can!"  

How can you not smile at that! I know that for me, the main reason I don't tackle the clutter is because it just seems overwhelming...but today I followed her advice and worked on my kitchen for 15 minutes. Now, my kitchen isn't really that messy. I'm a big believer in clean kitchens and do my best to keep it that way, but the parts that aren't used for food prep always seem to accumulate clutter (the bar on the island, the end of the counter near the side door, half of the kitchen table...). I always clean it up, but it always "magically" re-appears! I'm glad I can use the Four Unbreakable Rules to help stop this now! So now, my kitchen is clutter free! And, I'll follow her advice and work on another room for 15 minutes tomorrow.  

I would highly recommend for everyone to go and read the article...let me know if it helps you out at all! Even if it just changes the way you do one or two things! And I'll let you know how my clutter is doing in a week!