Monthly Archives: March 2010

Laundry Tips…Exciting? You May Be Surprised!

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OK, maybe not that exciting. But laundry is about as rambunctious as it gets around here, minus the light saber fights, that is.  So here are some tips for making your laundry day, you know, better.

*First of all, check out my Homemade Laundry Soap post.  Now go make some and watch everyone say, “Wow, she even makes her own laundry soap?!”

*Hit your spin cycle one more time. No, that’s not a new Brittany Spears song, it’s a laundry tip.  With really heavy loads like sheets, towels and jeans, you can run the spin cycle a second time to get rid of excess water.  Your dryer will work less as hard saving time and energy!

*Wash out your lint trap.  Don’t just wipe out the lint.  Once in awhile, run it under some warm water and get all of that residue off the lint trap.

*Stinky Washer
If you deal with a stinky washing machine, this may actually be exciting for you.  Does your washer have that nasty mildew smell?  Do your towels always end up with the small as well?  Mildew smell is one of my least favorite things and I searched everywhere for an answer to the problem.  Here are a few!

The inner basin of your washer remains wet long after your load is done.  Then you close the washer lid and that wetness sits and ferments and gets moldy and full of that nasty mildew smell.  So here is what you can do to clean it up and then keep it clean!

*Leave the lid up!  No men, we are not talking about the toilet here, don’t get excited.  Leave your washing machine lid open to give it time to air out.  Just this one act alone will help rid that smelly washer problem!

*Use less soap!  You do not actually need to use as much laundry soap as the measuring cup that comes in the box suggests.  Too much laundry soap clogs up the basin and makes it easier for the build up to happen in the first place.  So use about half of what you use now and see what a difference it makes.  You’ll also save money while using less soap!

*Run a hot load once in awhile.  Washing your laundry in cold water is great for saving energy but it’s good for your washing machine to run a hot load here and there as well.  So run at least one load a week in hot.  I usually do my towels in hot since they are white.  That hot water is very helpful in washing out your basin.

*Products to clean your washer with:  If your washer is super duper stinky, you may need to take some drastic measures.  Such drama, I know.

-Vinegar: Good old fashioned vinegar can clean that mess right up! Just use1/2 cup vinegar on a warm soak cycle and then run a hot cycle.

-Bleach: You can run a load or two of whites with some bleach in it and it will help clean out your basin as well.  Con: Bleach can be harsh and smell very strong.  But if it’s all you have, it should do the job!

–Smelly Washer: I wasn’t a fan of the smells using the two products above so I found this product and bought it.  It really helped rid my washer of it’s nastiness. I like that it is made with all natural ingredients and for as long as the bottle lasted, the price is very reasonable!

See, that was exciting, wasn’t it?! Happy Laundry!

Pesto Tortellini with Chicken and Veggies

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This dish is YUM. I just can’t think of anything else to say about it!  It would be equally as good without the chicken for a meatless meal as well.  Unfortunately for me, my husband does not know that the words meatless and meal can be used together.  But anyway….
Pesto Tortellini with Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup chicken broth (or more as needed)
1 package (9 ounces) of cheese filled tortellini (I also like to use the spinach filled kind)
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup basil pesto
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a skillet or pot (you are going to need a decent sized pan!).  Cook chicken until brown then remove from skillet.  (OR use chicken from your freezer that you have already cooked to save time!)

Add broth and tortellini to pan, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 8 minutes or until tortellini are tender.  You may need to add more broth as it simmers to keep the pasta moist.

Add in chicken, zucchini and bell pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding broth if needed until the vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes.

Toss with pesto and sprinkle with cheese.

Think, man that Tasha has some good recipes, I’m going to have to send her chocolate.

Enjoy!

Check out Beauty and Bedlam for more Tasty Tuesday recipes! 

Also linked to Blessed with Grace Tempting Tummy Tuesday 

and!!!


A Southern Fairytale


Because I like to share

Not Me! Monday: Dear Mom

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No, I would never post something after my husband advised, “You’re not really taking a picture of that are you? Ok, well at least don’t put it on your blog.”

No, I would never post something and disregard my Dad’s words, “You shouldn’t type fart on the internet.”
And no, I would never embarrass my son just for a good laugh.
NEVER.

I don’t know what’s funnier, that the kid left me a note or that is says AGAIN.
No, my son would never do something like this.
NEVER.

Visit MckMama to see what other Moms are not doing!

Recipe: Mexican Lasagna

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This is one of my family’s favorite meals.  If you have a small family, you can freeze the uneaten half.  We always end up wiping out the whole thing though!  Also can be prepared and frozen to be baked at a later time!

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbs taco seasoning
6 soft shelled tortillas (8 inch) I like to use whole grain ones for a healthy oomph!
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese

Grease 9×13 baking dish (I use my Pampered Chef stone that is really seasoned so I don’t have to grease mine) You can also line the pan with foil instead.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground beef with onions in a large skillet.  Drain.  Add salsa, beans, seasoning; mix well.

Arrange three tortillas in a single layer on bottom of baking dish.  Cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese.  Repeat all layers.  Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until casserole is heated through and the cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

Top with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Love and Logic Parenting – What Kind Of Parent Are You?

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The wonderful people at Love and Logic sent me their book Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay.  The book is all about teaching children responsibility and in the mean time, if I might I add, saving your life!  I dove right into the book as soon as it came in the mail and spent a lot of time on the second chapter where it discusses the different types of parents.  I thought it would be interesting to share those parenting types with you and see exactly where do we all fit?  My eyes were truly open when I read this and got honest with myself about my parenting.  NO WONDER things have been difficult with my children.  We were doing it all wrong!

The Helicopter Parent:
This type of parent thinks loving your children mean revolving your life around them.  You are constantly meeting their every need, correcting every mistake and “protecting” them from everything and everyone.  You make sure your child never experiences disappointment.

Children of Helicopter Parents grow up to become “wanderers” who are unable to think for themselves, makes decisions or handle problems on their own.

The Drill Sergeant Parent:

This type of parent believes that a child should be TOLD what to do.  Your child will listen…OR ELSE.  The parent always thinks for the child and in doing so teaches them, “You can’t handle this, so I’ll handle it for you.” and “You can’t think for yourself, so I will think for you.”

Children of Drill Sergeant Parents become followers.  When they are away from their parents, they will look for anyone to TELL them what to do.

The Laissez-Faire Parent:

This type of parent is so confused about what to do when it comes to discipline and often lives in parental guilt.  So they become too lenient and let the child do whatever they want, whenever they want.  There are no boundaries, lots of threats and no real consequences for bad behavior.

Children of the Laissez-Fair parent are spoiled brats.  Period.  We all know what kind of adult they can become. *yikes*

The Consultant Parent:

This type of parent involves their child in decision making.  They ask questions and give choices.  They do not TELL their child what to do, they TEACH them to make good decisions.  They establish options within limits.  


Children of the Consultant Parent become confident in making decisions and weighing out consequences.


So, what type of parent are you?


I admit, I am was a Helicopter Parent.  I have been trying for some time now to back off.  To let my kids make decisions, to give choices, to let them fail.  It has been hard, but so rewarding as I watch my boys learn how to behave, how to choose.

I will speak for my husband, Matt, and say that he is a Drill Sergeant Parent.  He says jump and he wants them to ask, “How high?”  But we are learning together that both of our ways of parenting are simply not the way we want to parent anymore. We have to be on the same page and we have to work at changing the way we react to our children and instead respond to the situations before us.

Did you catch all of those very important bold words? 

I think it’s also very interesting to note that the different ways my husband and I like to parent are the ways our parents parented us!  (Not that you all did a terrible job, Moms and Dads, I think we turned out pretty darn good.)

Also check out Love and Logic’s book Helicopters, Drill Sergeants and Consultants: Parenting Styles and the Messages They Send By Jim Fay.

My next Love and Logic post will be about letting our children fail.

Oh it’s gonna be good.

Disclaimer: Love and Logic sent me this book free of charge in turn for my honest review. Because I love it SO MUCH, I will be posting weekly Love and Logic ideas and thoughts to share with all of you instead of one review.  Also, the product links used above are my Amazon Affiliate links, which means I will make money if you purchase those items through my links.  So, you know, do that.  🙂

Eat This Not That: Better By Half

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I love the tips and advice I get from the daily Eat This Not That emails I receive. Today’s email is tips on how to Improve Food: Better By Half.  The tips included using half a not so healthy cereal that you just can’t give up (like Lucky Charms) and mixing it with half of a much healthier option (like All Bran cereal).  Also, mixing half of  a fruit yogurt which are generally really full of sugar with half Greek yogurt.  Love these ideas, check out Improve Food: Better By Half for more!

Salsa Chicken

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A quick and easy way to prepare chicken is to freeze it with a marinade and then on the day you need it, take it out in the morning and let thaw in the fridge. By dinner time the chicken will be thawed and soaked in the marinade! Just pour the chicken and sauce into a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees until cooked through (the time will depend on how thick your chicken breasts are).

 Here I froze chicken breasts in salsa and teriyaki sauce.

I use salsa, italian dressing and teriyaki sauce the most often for marinades. Here is the “recipe” I use for making Salsa Chicken.

I’ll thaw the chicken and place in a baking dish at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.  I’ll then top the chicken with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  I’ll serve with spanish rice (which is basically rice and salsa mixed together!) and a vegetable.  Because the chicken is baked and the salsa is full of veggies, it can actually be quite good for you! (assuming you don’t overdo the cheese and smother it with sour cream as I sometimes do!)

 

Homemade Babyfood

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Gone are my days of baby food and plastic utensils.  Sometimes I miss it, most days I’m glad that the majority of food served actually goes into my boys’ mouths.  But many of you are still in the baby food stage or will be very soon.  So here are a few products that I would recommend.  Some I have seen first hand, some I have simply heard of through friends and other blogs.  All of them are items I wish we had when I was in the baby food stage!

I’m sure there are lots of books out on how to make baby food, here is one I have heard good things about, but take a look around Amazon and read some reviews to find the perfect one for you.

The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book: 300 naturally delicious recipes to get your child off to a healthy start (Everything Series) By Kim Lutz and Megan Hart

 The Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker – If you are a first time parent and plan on feeding many little ones to come, this product will be worth the investment. You can steam, puree and cool all in one.  Very handy little machine for someone wanting to make homemade baby food and save time!

Babyfood Freezer Trays: Just to make homemade baby food making a little easier, these portion ready trays for the freezer can save you a whole lot of time and the prices are very reasonable.  Here are few different ones I have heard good things about:

Beaba Babycook   

Baby Cubes   

Fresh Baby Freezer Trays With Lids

Make feeding time easier with these handy feeding tools! Boon Squirt Babyfood Dispencing Spoon and Boon Catch Bowl with Suction Cup Bottom

Green Spouts Baby Food Mill – For when your little one is ready for a bit chunkier foods.

Bumkins Waterproof Super Bib – I preferred the bibs that were water proof and that had a little pocket at the bottom to catch the drips and chunks, like this one.

I did write a post about steaming and pureeing veggies which can also be used when making homemade baby food.
You can also read some tips on baby food making from my dear friend (and family member!) Andrea at Moments in Color.

Happy getting covered in slimy slop baby feeding! 

I was not compensated for my opinion on these products.  The links provided are Amazon Affiliate links.