tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68280816208541789082024-02-07T20:29:26.946-06:00Naturally Thrifty MomsAmy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-7807812903195923532016-02-12T05:05:00.001-06:002016-02-12T05:05:18.393-06:00Check out Live. Eat. Save. Simplify!Hey! Amy here. It's been almost 3 years since Meagan or I posted on this blog. We have both been busy with life, kids, work, etc. However, I'd like to invite you to come over and check out my new blog at <a href="http://liveeatsavesimplify.com">www.liveeatsavesimplify.com</a>! It will focus on eating well, saving money, simplifying live, and many other things! Thank you for continuing to read the posts here, we really appreciate it!
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-62451119805283215262013-06-27T10:00:00.000-05:002013-06-27T20:12:48.705-05:00IPSY Glam Bag Reveal - June 2013<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ze9MKBa74AA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>June 2013 IPSY Glam Bag Reveal. I made this video a couple weeks ago and forgot to link it. :)
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-74827282277967187932013-06-26T11:34:00.001-05:002013-06-26T11:36:04.634-05:00How to save BIG on a new carseat<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone knows that I am "thrifty" (AKA cheap) but one area where I will not compromise quality are car seats. I don't mind buying things secondhand, but when it comes to carseats I would rather be safe than sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I recently found two car seats on a yard sale site for a VERY good price. They were nearly $300 each new and the seller was asking $40 each. I considered it but ended up deciding that it wasn't worth it. The seller told me that the seats had never been in an accident, but I didn't know the person and I had no way of knowing if that was true or not. They didn't expire for several years, but it wasn't a risk that I was willing to take. I am not going to make this post about carseat safety, there are many other guides out there about carseat safety and I am not an expert. If you are parent, PLEASE educate yourself about carseat safety. I really didn't "know better" when Kainan was younger and I did a lot of dumb things like forward facing him too early and probably not properly installing his seat. If you don't know how to use your carseat correctly, just ask! Someone will be able to help you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is important to remember that a more expensive car seat does not mean a safer car seat. All car seats in the US pass the same safety tests. The higher cost of more expensive can be due to several things. Sometimes seats have more expensive materials, or convenient features. Other times a more expensive car seat will rear face or harness for a larger age/size range. If you have larger children like I do, they will probably outgrow a cheaper seat before they are physically ready to be in a booster seat or seat belt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what are some ways to save on car seats without compromising quality?</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Skip the infant seat. Yes seriously! They can be an added expense that just isn't necessary if you buy a convertible seat. I'm not a fan of leaving a baby in an infant car seat all day anyway, it isn't good for their development. I am not buying an infant seat this time because my babies used them for such a short amount of time. If you are worried about how to carry your baby while out and about, buy a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Wrap-Baby-Carrier-Leaf/dp/B005VC5VQK/ref=sr_1_6?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1372200780&sr=1-6&keywords=moby" target="_blank">Moby </a>or another safe carrier instead (hint: you can get cheap much cheaper used! Some things are totally safe to buy secondhand.) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do surveys or sign up for <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/AmyEBrown" target="_blank">swagbuck</a>s! You can cash our your rewards for Amazon gift cards. It shouldn't take very long to add up enough points to buy a car seat. If you start when you are pregnant, you can definitely get one before your baby is born.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the exact seat that I got!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Check out deal sites like <a href="http://www.nobetterdeal.com/shop/en/nbd" target="_blank">No Better Deal</a>, I just discovered this site and it is AWESOME. I bought a brand new Recaro ProRIDE Carseat for under $135!! Just as a comparison, this is the exact same seat on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recaro-ProRIDE-Convertible-Seat-Blue/dp/B003IT4YAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372263671&sr=8-1&keywords=recaro+proride" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. I had already decided to buy this seat, and I am glad that I waited and found a deal, I saved almost $100! I also used the promo code "WELCOME" and saved an extra 10%. I also spotted a Graco MyRide 65 for $74. Mikaela has one of these and we paid over $130 for it. There are other "good" carseat brands like Britax at great prices. I also saw car seats from brands like Evenflo and Graco for under $40. They had infant seats and booster seats too. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So there are plenty of ways to save money while making sure that your child is as safe as possible. If you have any money saving tips on car seats, I would love to hear about them! Leave a comment and let us know. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /> </a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Note** I don't get any kind of kickback from any of the links on this page (except my referral link through SwagBucks.) I am just sharing these deals!</span> Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-91167511035818008792013-06-15T12:23:00.003-05:002013-06-15T12:23:32.009-05:00DIY Compost Bin<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I haven't been blogging much lately, but I actually have a good reason! I am having a lot of pregnancy problems (again) and have been pretty limited on what I can do. I haven't been doing a lot of projects lately, but this one is pretty fun! Maybe I just say that because I'm not really the one who did it. We had some extra dirt and no where to put it, so my husband decided to build a compost bin. My husband works a lot but has taken up woodworking a little bit in his spare time (something that his dad does too.) I wasn't able to find very good plans for building a compost bin, so we guessed. I don't recommend trying to do math in your head at 8AM, we ended up forgetting something and having to go back to the lumber yard. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Materials: </span></b><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Chicken wire,</i> 12 feet (3 feet high) and we had extra so 10 feet would be enough</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>2x4</i> - 32 feet (10, 10 and 12 feet, I don't recommend getting 12 feet unless you have a very large vehicle, we had to tie ours down.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>1x4</i> - 20 feet (10 and 10)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Total Cost: Around <b>$40</b>. This could be cheaper if you could find a discount lumber yard, or use scraps. He had just used most of his scraps to build a shelf for our laundry room, so we had to go out and buy new materials. $40 is still a good price. We bought a $50 plastic compost bin at Sam's Club a few years ago and it fell apart in a few months. This will last a lot longer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0dPe06HKIWMNDkFFGin_0_LAvbNW06FvWzVJNfn4DZJGnmWlAGHEPF9CdeANdofUc5XYdwqYDr129ctaMd9mt7y1uPUK3s0VficW7FxAOH2JTe3_cN-yB5jlNYGDImTBlxlRv2CEAUY/s1600/compost1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0dPe06HKIWMNDkFFGin_0_LAvbNW06FvWzVJNfn4DZJGnmWlAGHEPF9CdeANdofUc5XYdwqYDr129ctaMd9mt7y1uPUK3s0VficW7FxAOH2JTe3_cN-yB5jlNYGDImTBlxlRv2CEAUY/s400/compost1.jpg" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I should have taken more "in progress" shots, but I wasn't feeling well and he got a lot done in a short amount of time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpUCKkAP7PHGnxrt4PCOYUr4AsF16dCTVWjd-Y_zDes0V394K7ylL01UzWRgVyExXRFJuGOq-m9HGzMY2I4za3YWD13Pg7ordrThhHjKOxO7sd17AUqvIl_KsXM1aGkyIUrNJIrTV5PU/s1600/compost2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpUCKkAP7PHGnxrt4PCOYUr4AsF16dCTVWjd-Y_zDes0V394K7ylL01UzWRgVyExXRFJuGOq-m9HGzMY2I4za3YWD13Pg7ordrThhHjKOxO7sd17AUqvIl_KsXM1aGkyIUrNJIrTV5PU/s400/compost2.jpg" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Almost finished. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pwDZb7O4NHZMCeWqa9fkq4Gm3lpKZiz_LaAr4q6Yi7kNdx5ScCe13k3sx7KaSu_wqBhqdcrurICkVaQpF4zGNkDRZjmnpIIH4b8dVYjukezR_1tz-QmMNahz4-7z2nLTHyk8wN9i9Vw/s1600/compost3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pwDZb7O4NHZMCeWqa9fkq4Gm3lpKZiz_LaAr4q6Yi7kNdx5ScCe13k3sx7KaSu_wqBhqdcrurICkVaQpF4zGNkDRZjmnpIIH4b8dVYjukezR_1tz-QmMNahz4-7z2nLTHyk8wN9i9Vw/s400/compost3.jpg" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Close up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpv4lo29CiOSH4hKfEgS7T9Od8OeRoQcitXT3DPKfnbtTHsUIN2-7PGRKef-KoJSB8r1Gz0fk-fgHb7YWR2ylOD00TJooJjRBXcno7hf2wd7kZprP-ePFdxc5XHmWwMC6d_brfhxr-2zA/s1600/compost4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpv4lo29CiOSH4hKfEgS7T9Od8OeRoQcitXT3DPKfnbtTHsUIN2-7PGRKef-KoJSB8r1Gz0fk-fgHb7YWR2ylOD00TJooJjRBXcno7hf2wd7kZprP-ePFdxc5XHmWwMC6d_brfhxr-2zA/s400/compost4.jpg" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is where we decided to put it. As you can probably see, our yard is on a VERY steep incline. This was the only place other than the backyard (which would be very inconvenient from the kitchen) to put it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenaEXW_hJIuPVwKhPkiFu134VykbvAbPQ1SfdK5c96thQyF0O2U-iYP2DiaKBH6wQi-dxJU8rIh3RdgTYfC25jVWwiZeimplA6Owg8HAyJ7zG5LZVGNPCmqTwee9g2qHlgwRg5xc3U4A/s1600/compost5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenaEXW_hJIuPVwKhPkiFu134VykbvAbPQ1SfdK5c96thQyF0O2U-iYP2DiaKBH6wQi-dxJU8rIh3RdgTYfC25jVWwiZeimplA6Owg8HAyJ7zG5LZVGNPCmqTwee9g2qHlgwRg5xc3U4A/s400/compost5.jpg" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It might look a little unstable but it actually isn't at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It only took a couple of hours and it turned out pretty nice. Now I just have to remember to stop throwing the compostable things away. :) </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-71087645284356555322013-06-11T16:10:00.003-05:002013-06-11T16:11:17.485-05:00End of Year Teacher/Staff Gift Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsamRTBJH9z5vF9v-6ayaAmDLpgD5_12UAgP-3BjKoKH2-VIPir0sg8X3z626jDE8aYR0tEatr3k_dgsg3WA6lTO4aHiR7Ks6Do8zlf4XRww4qpe9GPi_MiinNh0K3O3Isk3ggubPiiXk/s1600/DSC01953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsamRTBJH9z5vF9v-6ayaAmDLpgD5_12UAgP-3BjKoKH2-VIPir0sg8X3z626jDE8aYR0tEatr3k_dgsg3WA6lTO4aHiR7Ks6Do8zlf4XRww4qpe9GPi_MiinNh0K3O3Isk3ggubPiiXk/s320/DSC01953.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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My son's last day of school was yesterday. He was so excited to be out, but wanted to do something nice for his teacher. I knew I had to find something reasonably inexpensive and easy to make. We decided on a decorated flower pot with a plant. Here is a loose tutorial on how we made it. I know this is probably too late for most parents, since schools are out or almost out everywhere already, but hopefully if you like the idea, you can use it next year. Just an FYI, I did not take these pictures with the intention of writing a tutorial, so I'm sorry that some steps are missing pictures.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Decorated Flower Pot</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwtNFfnv-UVKt_0ucYQRT8YAznMtEMckTaf-1TjUs2wKYH21WvOvvEXHu2ARQUiB4FbLdVwU-J0AUeaVc8MZVr4hRBSy6ubqha_2rbAmF0Zy5bj2jbXVL9nrDyP3Fo36c0E8HUo1MyyI/s1600/DSC01933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwtNFfnv-UVKt_0ucYQRT8YAznMtEMckTaf-1TjUs2wKYH21WvOvvEXHu2ARQUiB4FbLdVwU-J0AUeaVc8MZVr4hRBSy6ubqha_2rbAmF0Zy5bj2jbXVL9nrDyP3Fo36c0E8HUo1MyyI/s320/DSC01933.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Materials</td></tr>
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<b>Materials:</b></div>
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* Terra Cotta Pot</div>
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* Acrylic Paint (black, yellow, white, and 1-2 other colors)</div>
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* Sponge brushes</div>
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* Small paint brush</div>
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* Flexible measuring tape</div>
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* Pencil</div>
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* Plant or flower(s)</div>
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* Soil</div>
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<b>How to Make it:</b></div>
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1) Paint the rim in yellow. This will probably need 2-4 coats depending on the shade of yellow you use. Allow 15-20 minutes to dry between coats.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4zp6p424J4ot-CTGF-I76wyp7fSLmpp46g-MOE5sWdIdNPAFtPlrgoJkkpTgm8oZQTLS3xgp4acWkZ4r6gKhkAYmiTFTzAFJ0wuZbyuW7FQ0hSn-7vPsoqUKnAhscGEYDtch0UszTUE/s1600/DSC01934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4zp6p424J4ot-CTGF-I76wyp7fSLmpp46g-MOE5sWdIdNPAFtPlrgoJkkpTgm8oZQTLS3xgp4acWkZ4r6gKhkAYmiTFTzAFJ0wuZbyuW7FQ0hSn-7vPsoqUKnAhscGEYDtch0UszTUE/s320/DSC01934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2) Once the yellow is completely dry (at least 1 hour), start painting the lower portion of the pot black. The black will probably need 2-3 coats to completely cover the pot. Try and make the cleanest line possible along the rim where the yellow is. It will look nicer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMl2f3Yq_GZ1aEceISDZkhpLx7-_ZXrQ7wRjkr7n8NOaPorSAo4qdETBkj_YD7He6E5yGzrND6S5nRuVoDAWwQDLPB1iDKsLd-odnBBGR1bgpaZfAe_SeDfSomZsfEgzbXlDt7Kt5mE8/s1600/DSC01939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMl2f3Yq_GZ1aEceISDZkhpLx7-_ZXrQ7wRjkr7n8NOaPorSAo4qdETBkj_YD7He6E5yGzrND6S5nRuVoDAWwQDLPB1iDKsLd-odnBBGR1bgpaZfAe_SeDfSomZsfEgzbXlDt7Kt5mE8/s320/DSC01939.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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3) While the sides are drying, you can flip the pot over and start painting the bottom. You don't have to do this, but I think it looks nicer this way. The bottom only needs 2 coats. </div>
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4) Take your measuring tape (a sewing tape works great) and wrap it around the rim of the pot. Tape it in place in at least 3 spots, so it doesn't fall off during this step. <i>(Sorry, no pictures for this step.)</i></div>
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5) Now you are going to mark every inch and half inch on the pot with the pencil. You don't have to write the numbers, just put the lines. Depending on what size pot you are using, you may have to fudge the last few lines if they don't line up right. <i>(Sorry, no pictures for this step.)</i></div>
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6) Once your lines are on your pot, remove the tape. Now go over the lines with a small paint brush in black paint. I think you could also use a thick permanent marker if you wanted to. Once all of your lines are filled in black, you are going to write the numbers under the "inch" lines you marked. Start with 1 and continue all the way around the pot. It doesn't matter what number you end on. I think mine ended on 26.</div>
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7) Now you need to decide what you want to write on your pot. I suggest you use white paint for words, if you want it to look like chalk on a chalkboard. We wrote "Thanks for helping me GROW" on one side, then put my son's right hand print, then wrote "Luke, 2012-2013" on the other side, then put his left hand print.</div>
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<b>Finished Product: </b></div>
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She absolutely LOVED it when we gave it to her yesterday! She couldn't wait to take it home and show it to her husband. We also wrote her a little thank you note for being such a great teacher this year. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is my first month of the IPSY Glam Bag subscription. I am really happy with it! If you'd like to check it out, here is my referral link: <a href="http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfmwvd42imp5ix" target="_blank">http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfmwvd42imp5ix</a></span><br />
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Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-25480910165071496692013-05-14T13:04:00.000-05:002013-05-14T13:04:09.019-05:00Why Use Wool Diaper Covers?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are new to cloth diapering or if you are considering it, you may be curious about wool. Wool is used as a cover for cloth diapers. Wool covers can be in the form of soakers, shorties, longies, and a few other options. There are many variations of wool covers, but they all do the same thing. Wool keeps sheep dry, and it can keep your baby dry too! Wool is very breathable, so it even can be worn in the summer months. Wool that has not been chemically treated is not scratchy at all, it is actually very soft. Wool is able to absorb moisture without feeling damp, so it is ideal for heavy wetters, for naptime, or for bedtime. You can even use wool over a disposable diaper! Wool is naturally anti-bacterial, and doesn't have to be washed as often as other fabrics. I know that sounds gross, but it really isn't! If your wool gets damp, you just hang it to dry and any smell will dissipate. If it doesn't, it's time to wash!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Washing Wool:</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Washing wool isn't as difficult as some people think that is is. There are many different methods for washing wool. If you buy your wool from a company or work-at-home mom, the wool will usually come with instructions. Some people wash their wool (especially interlock) on the "wool" setting on their washers with a gentle soap. Most hand wash with either special wool wash, or a simple chemical free baby shampoo. I will put up a more detailed post of various washing and re-lanolizing methods at some point. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Types of wool covers:</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Knit or crochet</b>: Crafty moms can make their own wool covers if they know how to knit or crochet. There are many work-at-home-moms who make and sell knit (or sometimes crochet) wool covers. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interlock:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Wool interlock covers are very popular. They tend to hold up very, very well. They can be bulkier than other options, but they also can work the best.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recycled: </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recycled wool is made out of recycled sweaters or other materials. Recycled wool is one of the cheapest options, especially if you know how to sew. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More About Wool:</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, wool covers can also double as clothing. Wool pants (or longies) can be worn over a diaper and used as pants. Wool soakers can also be worn underneath clothing or pajamas without adding a lot of bulk. Other types of wool clothing include skirties, leggings, dresses and just about everything in between.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what are the advantages and disadvantages of using wool over other types of diaper covers?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Advantages: </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool is the only type of cover that is anti-bacterial</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool absorbs moisture, unlike other covers wool rarely leaks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool is a natural material and is gentle against babies skin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool is a very "green" and sustainable product</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool covers can be very budget friendly, if you are crafty</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disadvantages: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unless you make wool covers yourself, they typically cost more than other covers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some people have allergies to wool </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wool requires more upkeep than PUL or fleece covers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have never tried wool, I strongly recommend that you give it a shot! Wool, like most parts of cloth diapering, has a learning curve, but once you learn you can save a lot of time and effort because it really does eliminate a lot of laundry by preventing leaks. Do you use wool covers? If so, what brand is your favorite? I love Wild Coconut Wear interlock covers, but there are many other brands and lots of work-at-home-moms that make great covers too. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-77847320260926831762013-05-14T12:58:00.000-05:002013-05-14T12:58:34.017-05:00Organizing Kids Clothes<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am not going to pretend like I have all of this figured out, I don't! I am working on a system to keep my kids clothes purged and organized. With two kids and one on the way, the clothes really start piling up. I spent a few hours purging and organizing my kids clothes last weekend. This is what I came up with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best advice that I can give is that you probably don't need as much as you think you do. I have really simplified my kids clothes and it works a lot better. Go through your kids clothes and ask yourself these five questions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>1. Do you love it?</b></i> If yes, keep it. If no, go on to #2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>2. Do your kids love it?</b></i> If your kid has a ratty t-shirt that they LOVE, keep it. It's special to them. Get rid of something else.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>3. Does someone else love it? Will they see it again?</i></b> If Great Aunt Gertrude from somewhere far away bought your little girl a terrible dress, take a picture. Take a picture, send it to Aunt Gertrude (or put it on Facebook) and get rid of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>4. Does it fit? </i></b>If it is too small or just a bad fit, the answer is obviously to get rid of it/put it away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>5. Does it match anything? </b></i>If there is one item that you love but doesn't go with anything, you should either get rid of it or buy something for it to go with. If your goal is to purge, get rid of it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that you have a pile of clothes to get rid of, separate them into three more piles. One to keep for future or younger children, one to give away or sell, and one to toss. Throw out anything that is really worn or ratty, donate or sell anything nice, and keep the nice stuff if you have younger children of the same gender, or plan to have more. I read somewhere once that you can't really pass kids clothing down because they wear them out too easily. This is NOT always true. Believe it or not I have some clothes that my son, my daughter, and my nephew have all worn and they are still in good shape and waiting for baby #3. If you are keeping clothes for younger children, I advise putting them away in tubs or boxes and getting them out of the way. Otherwise they might make their way back into the mix of clothes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I do a LOT of laundry. I cloth diaper. I am potty training a dog AND a daughter, so we use a lot of towels to clean up accidents. My husband works two jobs and has two dirty uniforms on most days of the week. It's a lot of laundry. Because of this, I don't really need my kids to have 100 outfits. I went through the clothes that my kids have and got rid of a lot. This is what I ended up with for my son:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbA4GfgWwf3Wkrzrmhl9fOKq5qbRi2AIYn1I46IAinoJUjyxI6lDqXqbKrGy2KASA9s_6GDY-ZiQfYrP-p2IqKoxRm4hF0zW8OuIQqOdS7ajlYxeOQlQ61omID_hzmLtMT482tGXzub6Y/s1600/blog-2827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbA4GfgWwf3Wkrzrmhl9fOKq5qbRi2AIYn1I46IAinoJUjyxI6lDqXqbKrGy2KASA9s_6GDY-ZiQfYrP-p2IqKoxRm4hF0zW8OuIQqOdS7ajlYxeOQlQ61omID_hzmLtMT482tGXzub6Y/s320/blog-2827.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Underwear/sock drawer. I have learned that white socks are horrible. If you want your kids to easily pair their own socks, colors or print are the way to go.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3sUQNa6mbiLSB8PtyWhe8kzWzelQZQDdbBrhWTG-_RRRpk7ckzNxVCkIKcWzdm4r9SiisyNFdqav89XJ-CtYMHUmE_olCRSCXlWMigpTjht4rs24IStAqPxyyivnsD19Y0gro1GofN0/s1600/blog-2822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3sUQNa6mbiLSB8PtyWhe8kzWzelQZQDdbBrhWTG-_RRRpk7ckzNxVCkIKcWzdm4r9SiisyNFdqav89XJ-CtYMHUmE_olCRSCXlWMigpTjht4rs24IStAqPxyyivnsD19Y0gro1GofN0/s320/blog-2822.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pajama drawer. I got rid of a bunch, how many PJs does a kid really need??</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpdtjQyYDKuCNJZVDDXVbOoxWzEi91kUMpQFYbEaZ5NeZRAbKBwvWFg3hgonnyJAlKmzKeb2vsS6ez-HwVVbe6fdbOCr6dAL7tFHxK0aOaCJAzIQo0h1dAPsHXlPdzRdA_pXrlTmiDX0/s1600/blog-2821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpdtjQyYDKuCNJZVDDXVbOoxWzEi91kUMpQFYbEaZ5NeZRAbKBwvWFg3hgonnyJAlKmzKeb2vsS6ez-HwVVbe6fdbOCr6dAL7tFHxK0aOaCJAzIQo0h1dAPsHXlPdzRdA_pXrlTmiDX0/s320/blog-2821.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shorts. Play shorts, "nice" shorts, and swim shorts.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL8H_MeVrFACek-54oGz2HJUGCtQYWimaR-5ZcCLuEVRGvmNzAVaYzi0iqg1A-GkSIqW4KDGyPfqnpg1jkkKga-F-14Zz9MyEWpKs2_eSgCM-HcS4LKbLAyvDq-qT9V4J5B9-nVQROI4/s1600/blog-2823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL8H_MeVrFACek-54oGz2HJUGCtQYWimaR-5ZcCLuEVRGvmNzAVaYzi0iqg1A-GkSIqW4KDGyPfqnpg1jkkKga-F-14Zz9MyEWpKs2_eSgCM-HcS4LKbLAyvDq-qT9V4J5B9-nVQROI4/s320/blog-2823.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pants. Jeans on on side and non-jeans on the other side.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOLCgzKU9cY1-YjLYJrq4Iufz7c0GyBDeIfVv_PkDlZqKb3V6G6OEOOuVrdHEcyX4huhiKDvRthiAdg7RtO9kiBwzhzr2xsc9TdK-PAqP000SvKxsaaggp5U58ohrBrbTjZEtnJHdVpU/s1600/blog-2824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOLCgzKU9cY1-YjLYJrq4Iufz7c0GyBDeIfVv_PkDlZqKb3V6G6OEOOuVrdHEcyX4huhiKDvRthiAdg7RtO9kiBwzhzr2xsc9TdK-PAqP000SvKxsaaggp5U58ohrBrbTjZEtnJHdVpU/s320/blog-2824.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shirts go in the closet. There are a few different sizes here but they all fit him or are a little big. I have regular/play shirts on the left and his nicer shirts (yes, polo's are as nice as we get around here) on the right. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9kR1Q3GcpqMrCtuU2cCGgfJFsKjJKWRnR9QqLySICKjX2_xXRwgvIKKclhxMYerWEc0CLGpnBqvbZAwBjzvhf-HYOaRa6yNjL9NnQZapNmkpvJ-9yyoNMCMeG7UUzDyI8cMFEdIOQuw/s1600/blog-2825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9kR1Q3GcpqMrCtuU2cCGgfJFsKjJKWRnR9QqLySICKjX2_xXRwgvIKKclhxMYerWEc0CLGpnBqvbZAwBjzvhf-HYOaRa6yNjL9NnQZapNmkpvJ-9yyoNMCMeG7UUzDyI8cMFEdIOQuw/s320/blog-2825.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the back of his closet are long sleeved shirts that I expect will fit him this fall, along with a jacket. I also have a few things hanging up in the very back that are much too big. I always buy in advance out of season because it saves a ton of money!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMWJbthLc4XibbzQYx3mtrbWWYIJGCnWsNOAur5fjPxbh7N0VlVerh4LlX3Bic2MonuXTixrRlSUXvNC39i8p2FSAw1lE_yKPfpcLZ53naTeWl6B9x_bz8_gVkm2ASbbLqgUn2Lh59Y4/s1600/blog-2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMWJbthLc4XibbzQYx3mtrbWWYIJGCnWsNOAur5fjPxbh7N0VlVerh4LlX3Bic2MonuXTixrRlSUXvNC39i8p2FSAw1lE_yKPfpcLZ53naTeWl6B9x_bz8_gVkm2ASbbLqgUn2Lh59Y4/s320/blog-2826.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I keep Kainan's dress up clothes in a bin under his bed. He has some super hero costumes/capes in here. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiIHq9olbaE8pFLB_-D3GmCSQw7pjzDCTdQlwnc8-eWHQYoCIGYB6IK0hwHt8D2lvAinQp0bM7Utf1_IFsCamtus6rK6Co7G73h_7doPzbC1Mr6rW_mt-oDg9F5VxrBvRm_0ICKctP7M/s1600/blog-2828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiIHq9olbaE8pFLB_-D3GmCSQw7pjzDCTdQlwnc8-eWHQYoCIGYB6IK0hwHt8D2lvAinQp0bM7Utf1_IFsCamtus6rK6Co7G73h_7doPzbC1Mr6rW_mt-oDg9F5VxrBvRm_0ICKctP7M/s320/blog-2828.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kainan has a large dresser, so half of it stores baby clothes. This drawer has bibs, socks, hats and woolies (cloth diaper covers) for the new baby.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqoPgXKwO_3UWmFezVSCT1aTci5qsDM-XKAV5QlXmODcww9Wa870Q4qhU93Ocna_18epMqfKRq1z80zMU6oRXZSWUgdZA_bNxCnuh95pfjM4f5xPLaF9n5a4yOO3zOfs-y18soGaboDQ/s1600/blog-2829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqoPgXKwO_3UWmFezVSCT1aTci5qsDM-XKAV5QlXmODcww9Wa870Q4qhU93Ocna_18epMqfKRq1z80zMU6oRXZSWUgdZA_bNxCnuh95pfjM4f5xPLaF9n5a4yOO3zOfs-y18soGaboDQ/s320/blog-2829.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other drawers have baby clothes by size. This is newborn and 0-3 months. The other two drawers have 3-6 months and 6-9 months. I am keeping anything above 6-9 months in a large bin in my laundry room for now.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Well there it is! My daughters room is pretty similar. She has a few more things because 1) she is a girl and 2) she goes through clothes a lot quicker than he does. She is a little mess! I will take pictures of her room in another blog post. She has a lot more "big" clothes saved for later, because I recently found some really awesome deals on 3T and 4T girl clothes. They do have extra clothes at each set of grandparents house, but I think this is a good amount to have here. I am going to try to keep on top of getting rid of things that we don't need or use. I am going to tackle toys next. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One more piece of advice. When buying clothes, think ahead. I recently bought this outfit for my daughter. The shirt is a 4T and the shorts are 3T. The shirt fits her more like a dress right now, but I think it's cute and you can't tell. The shorts fit great over a cloth diaper (if underwear she could wear a 2T, but she isn't ready for underwear yet.) I purposefully bought this outfit too big, because I know she can wear it again next year! She can wear the shirt as a shirt, and the shorts should still fit since she should be potty trained for a while by then (let's hope.) </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEqfOdeBwBBPhZrsUXfdob2jzBvLOTZVvzEUuNmHkcXqFbqkFDVNVj0xuuCp0GG6zQz_RX2aiuYdFY2hfH7SMLEZrX0qXZQz1SCCceRVwcYcBXBFFybbRc1-eiW7aYS4d4h9LMv_SXqI/s1600/mikimayfb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEqfOdeBwBBPhZrsUXfdob2jzBvLOTZVvzEUuNmHkcXqFbqkFDVNVj0xuuCp0GG6zQz_RX2aiuYdFY2hfH7SMLEZrX0qXZQz1SCCceRVwcYcBXBFFybbRc1-eiW7aYS4d4h9LMv_SXqI/s320/mikimayfb2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to tell here, but the shorts are the same color as the top of the shirt. From the Old Navy outlet (on sale, of course)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope this was helpful! It's a learning process but hopefully this will make laundry and dressing the kids a little bit easier. If you have any tips for organizing kids clothes, I'd love to hear them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-42194256181676987202013-05-05T09:56:00.001-05:002013-05-05T09:58:16.964-05:00Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop Review: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We recently did some renovation and purchased new hardwood bamboo floors. The floors look awesome when they are clean. The problem is between two kids and a dog, they get dirty really quickly! Anyone who has ever had hardwood or laminate floors knows that they start looking dirty before carpet does. That doesn't mean that carpet isn't just as dirty (gross) it just hides the dirt better. I had been using a Shark Steam Mop in my kitchen and bathrooms, but it just didn't cut it on the wood floors. I found the Rubbermaid Reveal on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Reveal-Spray-Mop-FG1M1600GRYRD/dp/B003UA7F46" target="_blank">Amazon</a> for $39.99. I was going to buy it on Amazon, but then I found it at Target (in store) for $19.99! The only difference is that the mop from Amazon comes with two microfiber pads. I don't know about you, but I don't think that one extra microfiber pad is worth $20. If you find the same deal at Target, you can always buy an extra pad on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-1M19-Reveal-Mop-Cleaning/dp/B0042YU6RC/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_z" target="_blank">here</a> for under $6. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>How did it work?</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I LOVE this mop!! Is it weird to love a mop? Oh well, I guess I am weird. I used to have a Swiffer mop and I HATED that you had to either use their solution (yuck) or go through a huge hassle to use your own. With the Reveal mop, you can choose whatever solution you want to use, or make your own. I love this because you can easily use different solutions for different floors. I also love how well it swivels and that the mop itself is pretty wide. I will definitely need to purchase an extra microfiber pad, but they are pretty cheap. I don't really have any complaints about the mop, it work great! It doesn't spray too much liquid, so the floors dry quickly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are looking for a new mop, I highly recommend this one! It is definitely the best of it's kind that I have tried, especially for the price. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I strongly prefer this mop to my Shark steam mop. I will probably use the steam mop only in the bathrooms. The Shark mop is narrower, which seems like that would mean more work. I do have a cheaper version of the steam mop, but it still cost over $50 and this mop was under $20.</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you can find this at Target (or maybe Wal-Mart) fo $20, it is a great deal!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /> </a><br />
<i>**NOTE** This is my personal opinion and experience with this product. I purchased it at full price and have not been compensated by Rubbermaid in any way.</i> Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-39320136595405901032013-05-04T17:12:00.000-05:002013-05-04T17:12:01.368-05:00Today's Lunch: Gluten Free Lunch Ideas<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a new blog feature that I am going to try to post 2-3 times per week. I will simply show you some gluten free lunch ideas. This is something that I have been asked about. They will usually be for kids, but sometimes I might post my lunch too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Today's Lunch:</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepegAl6UyYCAHPRzyQ2wH2oStojSkNmeOXNUZOVemRfcXn3aUjvMrAJ3PkMLEOdEkXyJJaNXrKSw3VmNV8A_u35SHGl_kDN_-mEz62-cxNtGZSxkzPsM-MrbbYGU677Ylwxlu6PbVhs4/s1600/gf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepegAl6UyYCAHPRzyQ2wH2oStojSkNmeOXNUZOVemRfcXn3aUjvMrAJ3PkMLEOdEkXyJJaNXrKSw3VmNV8A_u35SHGl_kDN_-mEz62-cxNtGZSxkzPsM-MrbbYGU677Ylwxlu6PbVhs4/s320/gf.jpg" width="240" /> </a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gluten free chicken nuggets, smiley face fries, green beans, organic ketchup </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was Miki's lunch, Kainan's was exactly the same, but no fries (he doesn't like them.) </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-497028573570527152013-05-01T20:17:00.000-05:002013-05-01T20:17:19.733-05:00Easy DIY Disinfecting Cleaner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoBSL913Pq4rx8_HGl0jHlrs4q68rOdxr6mmhNpd-KxmqvBoebiu9ckhB4Bg95ucutaYorxxi5qYLS4uXS_PJkM0NpIPtwmr4uoE5yZEEO_ITllS8MyPUGvpFjELmJ8N05kudLI0-pPU/s1600/orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoBSL913Pq4rx8_HGl0jHlrs4q68rOdxr6mmhNpd-KxmqvBoebiu9ckhB4Bg95ucutaYorxxi5qYLS4uXS_PJkM0NpIPtwmr4uoE5yZEEO_ITllS8MyPUGvpFjELmJ8N05kudLI0-pPU/s200/orange.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I haven't posted anything like this in a while. Here is a recipe for a very easy DIY disinfectant cleaner. Only two ingredients! All that you need is regular white vinegar and orange peels. Put the peels in a container with the vinegar and let it "infuse" for a while. I used a mason jar because I think they are pretty, but you could always just put the peels directly into a spray bottle with the vinegar. Use this spray anywhere, especially in the kitchen. The orange peels give it a nice smell, and vinegar is one of the best cleaners out there, enjoy!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-2578632721160609232013-04-27T21:34:00.001-05:002013-04-27T21:34:45.806-05:00The Many Uses of Baking Soda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcViC0rySMHcxn0v-5MZUKqEytVtcnKWpMegKcYJH4pTy6VprivWpIV-HyWbo3udLmpJn1A17_Ld2nYvdfRT6iw2g3946pbV6PZ-rX1ZKph1VD2KaNN7jXPI51OQkRQz4J6kAAEN7yNk/s1600/519BCP514ZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcViC0rySMHcxn0v-5MZUKqEytVtcnKWpMegKcYJH4pTy6VprivWpIV-HyWbo3udLmpJn1A17_Ld2nYvdfRT6iw2g3946pbV6PZ-rX1ZKph1VD2KaNN7jXPI51OQkRQz4J6kAAEN7yNk/s1600/519BCP514ZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have been cleaning with natural products for quite some time now. Baking soda is one of my </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">favorite products for natural cleaning because it is cheap and it works great! I love baking soda for cleaning, but is is also a great bath and body product! I have a large box sitting in my bathroom, and I have been using it a lot. Before you get completely weirded out, just keep reading! It really works. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Baking soda as a face wash:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have been using baking soda, a little water, and some coconut oil to wash my face. The coconut oil removes makeup, and the baking soda is an excellent cleanser for the skin. You really do not have to use baking soda every day. Sometimes I just remove eye makeup with coconut oil and wash my face with water. The baking soda makes your skin feel extra clean and smooth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Baking soda as a toothpaste:</b></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can use baking soda as a toothpaste! I ran out of my Tom's of Maine, so I have been using baking soda for toothpaste. Just make a paste with water and brush. It's really simple. Your teeth feel really clean, and it helps make them brighter. You can also use hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda. My mouth is really sensitive right now (pregnancy) so I am not currently using the peroxide. If you can use it, it will whiten your teeth! If I want some minty-freshness, I just use my Tom's of Maine mouthwash. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Baking soda as a shampoo:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is this advice getting weirder? YES. Use baking soda to wash your hair. Use just enough water to make a paste, scrub into your hair, rinse. It's easy, it works, your hair is clean. I have been doing this and my hair doesn't feel any weirder or more disgusting than when I used regular shampoo and conditioner. Oh, and it's CHEAPER!! You can get a big box of baking soda for less than $2. I use apple cider vinegar to rinse my hair after, and it feels great. he vinegar smell goes away within a couple of minutes. I don't really know why I would go back to using normal shampoo and conditioner, this works just as well!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have heard that you can make deodorant out of baking soda. I haven't done that yet. I am pretty happy with my Tom's deodorant. If you think these ideas seem crazy, just try them! If it doesn't work for you, you aren't losing anything. I was very skeptical about using baking soda as a "shampoo" but now that I have used it, I love it! If you have any "strange" uses for baking soda, leave a comment and let me know what you use it for!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-76140539398176698202013-04-26T20:05:00.002-05:002013-04-26T20:05:44.432-05:00Gluten Free Bagels and Freezer Meals<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr2ZAEQqs-Ts2e4uZOQ_IAiMqjgjj-6fZx-2kSS0DwuEKn21mrhKLuVVtBIAXiH_nVzZE3eOD-679FBq6fluotw29lgn1iw5mmNuzmgClAWoRiZRzZa7ThQqUiD11QfD55VjrrrXyASk/s1600/udisbagel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr2ZAEQqs-Ts2e4uZOQ_IAiMqjgjj-6fZx-2kSS0DwuEKn21mrhKLuVVtBIAXiH_nVzZE3eOD-679FBq6fluotw29lgn1iw5mmNuzmgClAWoRiZRzZa7ThQqUiD11QfD55VjrrrXyASk/s320/udisbagel.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went to Wal-Mart in a different town today and found GLUTEN-FREE BAGELS! I have been craving bagels since.. um.. always, so this was wonderful news for me. I actually had a regular bagel a few weeks ago and it was NOT worth it. Every now and then I get this genius idea that maybe I can start eating gluten again and I will be fine, it never goes well for me. Anyway, this Wal-Mart didn't have a dry gluten free section (I was looking for granola bars) but oddly enough, they had a small section of gluten free foods in the freezer aisle. Neither Branson Wal-Mart has anything like this, in fact I have never seen one in any Wal-Mart in the area. I don't shop at Wal-Mart very often.. I am hoping it is a new thing and will catch on. The Bagel's are Udi's brand. Udi's also has really yummy cinnamon rolls and double chocolate muffins, but sadly my grocery store rarely has them in stock. If you eat gluten free and can get your hands on some of these bagels, DO IT. I wouldn't call them healthy or cheap, but they are delicious! Udi's website even has a handy dandy store located <a href="http://udisglutenfree.com/store-locator/" target="_blank">here</a>, so you can find a location near you that sells their products. Their bread is also pretty good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I may have eaten four bagels today (yes, four.. don't judge me, there is one left!) but I also did something productive. I have decided to try making crock pot freezer meals. I use my crock pot all the time, but it seems so much easier to spend a couple of hours once a week prepping all of the meals. Some you can cook before hand and just re-heat, but most of what I did isn't cooked yet. This is what I made today:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chili (cooked in the CrockPot, I will freeze half for later)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Taco meat (browned before freezing, made with home-made taco seasoning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hamburgers (not pre-cooked)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Orange Chicken</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brocolli chicken alfredo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beef Stew</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marinated Steak</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chicken and Steak Farjitas</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I will make another post in the next few days with ingredients and recipes. All recipes are gluten free. I am also working on eliminating GMO soy and corn, which means buying organic or non-GMO certified. I need to get some kind of system together, but ideally I would like to do this once a week or every two weeks. I think that the entire prep time took less than two hours. I had to run to the grocery store in the middle of prepping (ran out of freezer bags) so I didn't really time myself. I am pretty bad about following recipes and taking measurements, so I will need to figure all of that out before the next blog post. The only things that I pre-cooked were the chili and taco meat. If you make freezer meals ahead of time, I would love to hear about how you do it! Feel free to leave some recipes in the comments!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-51927934614340229302013-04-25T18:29:00.000-05:002013-04-25T18:29:41.223-05:00Make Your Own Laundry Detergent - Part 2! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back in 2010, Meagan wrote<a href="http://naturallythriftymoms.blogspot.com/2011/05/make-your-own-laundry-detergent.html" target="_blank"> this post</a> about making your own laundry soap. It was fairly popular, and we have sent several people to the post to check out how we make our laundry detergent. I made the liquid version once and I liked it but didn't love it. Meagan uses the powder version, and she swears by it. While I liked the liquid version, I wasn't completely comfortable having a large bucket of laundry soap on my laundry room floor. I used a lid, but it still didn't feel completely safe. I usually stock up on detergent during sales, but I had recently ran out and decided to make my own again. I found another variation on the homemade laundry soap recipe. It uses the same ingredients in similar quantities, but has a very different texture!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 cups of water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 bar of Fels-Naptha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup of Borax</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup of Washing soda</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Note:</b> you should be able to find all of these ingredients at any Wal-Mart, Target, or Grocery Store. Fels-Naptha is about $1 per bar. Borax and Washing soda are $2-$4 for fairly large boxes. They should last a while!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Materials:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 quart sized mason jars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medium-large sauce pan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blender</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Grater or food processor</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Directions:</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grate </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">the bar of Fels-Naptha. If you have a food processo<span style="font-size: small;">r, this should be easy. If yo<span style="font-size: small;">u don't, <span style="font-size: small;">use a hand grater. It's really a pain, but it works.<span style="font-size: small;"> I don't <span style="font-size: small;">have a food processor so that is wha<span style="font-size: small;">t I had to do. Now put four cups of water into a <span style="font-size: small;">me<span style="font-size: small;">dium or larger sauce pan and bring to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, mix the Bora<span style="font-size: small;">x and Washing Soda together <span style="font-size: small;">thoroughly. <span style="font-size: small;">Slowly add grated soap to the pan, it should look like this:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_0I0VHiUg_kqqpbkNIrJEP7wm2rLKluWvIdhNFmlDsdc7SSOE69mW8n9hMisI1qpXHKMCCF5xQu-gZUyFGdep9iwd5vYPLMk9WDrfgQn2RWBK8FXeALzPpBVSVShplUnZWR_DwJm9n4/s1600/IMG_2795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_0I0VHiUg_kqqpbkNIrJEP7wm2rLKluWvIdhNFmlDsdc7SSOE69mW8n9hMisI1qpXHKMCCF5xQu-gZUyFGdep9iwd5vYPLMk9WDrfgQn2RWBK8FXeALzPpBVSVShplUnZWR_DwJm9n4/s400/IMG_2795.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Turn the heat down to medium. N</span>ow you are going to s<span style="font-size: small;">tir. You will be s<span style="font-size: small;">tirring for a while, so I suggest you fin<span style="font-size: small;">d something else to occupy yourself. I used Pinterest on my phone. You will need to stir until the soap <span style="font-size: small;">dissolves</span>. Don<span style="font-size: small;">'t skip this step. You will re<span style="font-size: small;">gret it. Do<span style="font-size: small;">n't a<span style="font-size: small;">sk me how I know.</span> It is not <span style="font-size: small;">"good enough" until all of the soap is dissolved<span style="font-size: small;">, th<span style="font-size: small;">is took me about fifteen minutes. <span style="font-size: small;">Remove from <span style="font-size: small;">heat and s<span style="font-size: small;">tir i<span style="font-size: small;">n the dry mixture <span style="font-size: small;">until <span style="font-size: small;">it <span style="font-size: small;">no longer feels grainy. <span style="font-size: small;">Th<span style="font-size: small;">is should take about five minutes. BONUS: Your house will smell really clean, and your pans will BE really clean. <span style="font-size: small;">I use st<span style="font-size: small;">ainless pans and t<span style="font-size: small;">his one is sparkly now. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5kqkVvzsHrGkx67AK3NEHF0ctFGs4sTwG-ASA-kDzM8v-RlzO6gVJfs99h41r_gDJSx2wtPkqhuxHiNirTrCo4kmUpwjj43j_Nx9E-GDiWAtPS4JZJtkfj5OFmxn-TIl49UMMjhqOQ0/s1600/IMG_2796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5kqkVvzsHrGkx67AK3NEHF0ctFGs4sTwG-ASA-kDzM8v-RlzO6gVJfs99h41r_gDJSx2wtPkqhuxHiNirTrCo4kmUpwjj43j_Nx9E-GDiWAtPS4JZJtkfj5OFmxn-TIl49UMMjhqOQ0/s320/IMG_2796.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borax and Washing Soda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now you will want to carefully pour your mixture into two mason jars. They will be about half full (or half empty, hahaha..) Add water to the jars until they are nearly full, leave about 1/2 in. Seal the jars and shake them, and then turn them upside down. Now leave them on the counter (upside down) for about a few hours. I left mine for four hours. The mixture will separate. Sorry I don't have a picture of that, my camera died. Open the jars VERY carefully, the top layer will be liquid and it can make a mess. Again, don't ask me how I know. I would put a towel (or prefold diaper) under the jars when you open them. Pour the contents of one jar into the blender. You may need a spoon to get the stuff at the bottom. Blend until you get a whipped consistency. It took less than a minute in my Cuisinart blender. Carefully pour back into the jar, and repeat with the other jar, You're done!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaIXc-t_slCBlgH6ImTodpHt7L3GJd0BVNwls4ujPaar0nRetARMxa7t3OvObCmrl6GEYULGEFjAp0UuTIKCD1s1BBa81Y-C64S_5JcFm3Qxjob-niqyRLkMG0_lGukvbXpe8AM9krtU/s1600/jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaIXc-t_slCBlgH6ImTodpHt7L3GJd0BVNwls4ujPaar0nRetARMxa7t3OvObCmrl6GEYULGEFjAp0UuTIKCD1s1BBa81Y-C64S_5JcFm3Qxjob-niqyRLkMG0_lGukvbXpe8AM9krtU/s320/jar.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Product</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Use 1 TBSP per load of laundry. It is safe for top loaders, front loaders, and YES, it is safe on cloth diapers! I didn't want to post anything until I had actually used it. I have washed both blankets/towels and diapers with this today, and it works great! This recipe will make two full jars and only using one tablespoon per load, they should last a while! The entire recipe cost less than $2 to make I didn't count the entire cost of Borax or Washing soda since 1) I already had them and 2) I didn't use all of it! I love this recipe because it is less messy than powder, but safer and less of a hassle than liquid. I am posting a video below to exactly what it looks like. Let me know if you make this and how it turns out! Make sure to clean your blender and pan right away to avoid any big messes later! What other home products do you make yourself? We'd love to hear about them in the comments!</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zYW5M1aF7d8" width="420"></iframe>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /> </a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">NOTE: This is NOT my original recipe! I found a few different sites that had tweaked the original recipe and kind of combined them.</span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-14484607836073424372013-04-23T16:40:00.002-05:002013-04-23T17:02:32.608-05:00VIDEO - Thirty-One Gifts Summer 2013 Add-on Kit<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbwx7kTnTRuyiJIoWSx9MTs7r3YIdLBcUO_1rPNmvnkDkz875KOJnlb0cqpvWD8N1bZkxUnGaa0Z1KnCZNZyK39VsppH69U09bhn0Fke-SbvTdqzLubkKP1ne7cnoUzPGVVo3z3JOULs/s1600/LUT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbwx7kTnTRuyiJIoWSx9MTs7r3YIdLBcUO_1rPNmvnkDkz875KOJnlb0cqpvWD8N1bZkxUnGaa0Z1KnCZNZyK39VsppH69U09bhn0Fke-SbvTdqzLubkKP1ne7cnoUzPGVVo3z3JOULs/s200/LUT.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Large Utility Tote - One of my favorites and shown in the video!</u></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know this is something a
little different! I just added this to our YouTube Channel. I have been a
31 Consultant for a couple of months now. I really enjoy it, and wanted
a way to show customers and others some of the products. Check out my
31 site <a href="http://www.mythirtyone.com/amyewade" target="_blank">here</a> to take a look at some of the items that I show in the video! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbwx7kTnTRuyiJIoWSx9MTs7r3YIdLBcUO_1rPNmvnkDkz875KOJnlb0cqpvWD8N1bZkxUnGaa0Z1KnCZNZyK39VsppH69U09bhn0Fke-SbvTdqzLubkKP1ne7cnoUzPGVVo3z3JOULs/s1600/LUT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> </div>
Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-22310698274748870902013-04-21T17:30:00.001-05:002013-04-23T17:06:02.506-05:00VIDEO - My Favorite Cloth Diapers<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZhOQ5S_Fq1eHrJ3snzSkUHQRK1gOhJw_Sp2dBTbK7Bj0JZ8k3tUp1GoDXs8GGXJgf3hapsTl5oSWYo47Xu2EAcV38JVYyHCqm3lYdKluoGflJKTDLzyRFVVgvp2dXN1aCOXGjvwaff0/s1600/bumstoppers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZhOQ5S_Fq1eHrJ3snzSkUHQRK1gOhJw_Sp2dBTbK7Bj0JZ8k3tUp1GoDXs8GGXJgf3hapsTl5oSWYo47Xu2EAcV38JVYyHCqm3lYdKluoGflJKTDLzyRFVVgvp2dXN1aCOXGjvwaff0/s1600/bumstoppers.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This video is about my
favorite diapers, and what I use right now. I have done a few blog posts
about diapers that I like, but this is my first video. I tend to ramble
a lot. Sorry :) <span style="font-size: small;">My favorite <span style="font-size: small;">diapers are AI2s and Hybrid <span style="font-size: small;">Fitted diapers from Bumstoppers (right) and BumGeniu<span style="font-size: small;">s Elementals. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feel free to comment with any questions!</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NxKbut5hkbc" width="420"></iframe>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /> </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZhOQ5S_Fq1eHrJ3snzSkUHQRK1gOhJw_Sp2dBTbK7Bj0JZ8k3tUp1GoDXs8GGXJgf3hapsTl5oSWYo47Xu2EAcV38JVYyHCqm3lYdKluoGflJKTDLzyRFVVgvp2dXN1aCOXGjvwaff0/s1600/bumstoppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-19159577500501324482013-04-19T19:56:00.001-05:002013-04-19T19:56:14.241-05:00Gluten Free Beef Stew<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZqcadGwcFAUxSAw393NSKhrX-BhG3tyjaVmZJ38I0YKOMeQ1WnaZmwPGvt_nsILz6RFU7WBANaiFLB4udiTQZARQDD-M116bZqcklGmC84FDl3orBbUY6b1WeX5Pb4tbFX-3opY693c/s1600/beef+stew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZqcadGwcFAUxSAw393NSKhrX-BhG3tyjaVmZJ38I0YKOMeQ1WnaZmwPGvt_nsILz6RFU7WBANaiFLB4udiTQZARQDD-M116bZqcklGmC84FDl3orBbUY6b1WeX5Pb4tbFX-3opY693c/s320/beef+stew.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind the cell phone picture. :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is another Crock-Pot recipe that I make pretty often. It tastes good, requires minimal effort, and everyone loves it. I am a decent cook, at best, so minimal effort is important to me. :) It is really simple to make a gluten free beef stew. Simply skip the breading of the meat entirely, or use tapioca starch (or cornstarch) instead. When I use frozen stew meat, I don't thaw it or "bread" it at all. I just throw it in the crock pot as is. Today I did (using tapioca starch) because I had stew meat that wasn't frozen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beef stew meat (I used just over a pound, I usually make more)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tapioca starch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Garlic, minced onion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Parsley, Bay leaves, salt, pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chicken or beef broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Slow cooker (I think mine is 4 quarts)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Coat the stew meat in tapioca starch (you'll need less than 1/2 cup) and brown in a pan on the stove. Don't worry about "cooking" it, just brown it a little. Put it directly in the slow cooker, chop up your veggies and add them too. I used 5 regular carrots and 5 small yellow potatoes. I use more veggies if I have more meat. Use 1-2 boxes of chicken or beef broth, depending on how much you are cooking. I used one today, but with two pounds of stew meat I use two. I didn't put much broth in my bowl, but there was plenty in the Crock pot. The picture just doesn't show much! I always use chicken broth. I buy an organic store brand chicken broth, and I feel like it has a lot less "crap" in it than beef broth. The beef will cook in the broth all day, I promise it will taste like beef! Add your seasonings. I use a lot of garlic, some minced onion, parsley, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. I try to cook on low all day (6 hours minimum, more for frozen meat) but you can cook on high for a shorter time, just check the meat. Today, I cooked it for about 10 hours on low. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /> </a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just a side note, make sure that your broth does not contain gluten if avoiding gluten is important to you! Some of them do. </span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-47675992108699883732013-04-19T15:57:00.000-05:002013-04-23T17:07:46.444-05:00VIDEO - Cloth Diapering a Newborn, Is it worth it?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1WMs6IQHTbFWk7q1-vxiNTvbjF6sjNGygC_2PFzYMYobIh6USoivIpwDgL14wh1HZuLO0NZYXiSLmf0MtU-zDoHEnwqVnQNOd4WJrbYoowsh_Zr-MeBDwr3nwrBVYQfCBcelNAtqrNc/s1600/bg.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1WMs6IQHTbFWk7q1-vxiNTvbjF6sjNGygC_2PFzYMYobIh6USoivIpwDgL14wh1HZuLO0NZYXiSLmf0MtU-zDoHEnwqVnQNOd4WJrbYoowsh_Zr-MeBDwr3nwrBVYQfCBcelNAtqrNc/s320/bg.gif" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a "quick" video that I
did about cloth diapering a newborn. I share my experience as well as
some of my favorite diapers and what I plan to use this time. I was told
that I haven't been doing enough cloth diapering posts lately, so I
will change that! Thanks and feel free to post here if you have any
questions! In case you are wondering, no, my house is not always so
quiet! I had to wait until Miki was napping, Kainan was playing Sesame
Street on the Kinect and the dog was trying to get in my room. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q9sWIKBHmwg" width="420"></iframe></span>
</div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/141/369B2E9919B6FB11E845118ABD67B3B1.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a> Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-50448024046059615252013-04-18T16:32:00.002-05:002013-04-19T20:03:38.584-05:00Gluten Free Bread Recipe --Edit 4/19-- I made this again with three slight changes. I used 2 whole eggs instead of 3 egg whites. It seems less wasteful and the results were even better. I also used apple cider vinegar instead of regular white. I accidentally used a lot more than was recommended, but it was still delicious. I greased the pan with olive oil spray, and the bread came out a lot easier.--<br />
<br />
I found <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/gluten-free-french-bread-180306" target="_blank">this recipe</a> and it seemed to have some good reviews. I followed the recipe almost exactly. I tried to use my
mixer, but it kind of sucks. I really need a Kitchenaid stand mixer. It is on my list of things to buy.
Despite the crappy mixer, I made it work. Here is what I did:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA7JybFTIDJ6tQKBIW8ExlLYXcOxw85VFyjJTEf2c6Lc2I4MMEmjlyY_93A0gQ7x4BNzDM3xSQpYOeydDpNl_qwIsuIqpmRxqrPerplYAG0XdWjLQbQd9DXRiAJGFPj566oAh2_IhTg0/s1600/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
2 cups rice flour <br />
1 cup tapioca flour<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons salt<br />
2 tablespoons sugar<br />
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water<br />
2 tablespoons fast rise yeast<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
3 egg whites, beaten slightly<br />
1 teaspoon vinegar<br />
<br />
If you check the original recipe you will see that I left out the xanthan gum. I found that gums give some people bloating issues and aren't necessary for most gluten free baking. I don't even buy them. I also used REAL butter (of course) and skipped the egg sub because it seemed like a weird thing to use (and it's not something that I buy.) Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly, which is something that I rarely do. I mixed the flours and salt together first. Then I mixed the sugar into the water and added yeast. I let it sit for about 5 minutes then I put it all into the mixer plus the egg whites, butter and vinegar and mixed on "high" for a while. Fortunately Josh was home to separate my eggs for me. I am not very good at that. I need to add "egg separator" to me things to buy list. I guess one of the kids is getting egg yolks tonight, I wouldn't want to waste them. Organic eggs are expensive. My crappy mixer made a huge mess all over my kitchen, but everything seemed to mix together okay. I only had a normal loaf pan, so I used that. It seems like many other people who commented on the recipe did the same thing. I let the bread rise for 25 minutes and then baked at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. <br />
<br />
THE VERDICT:<br />
<br />
It smelled good, so that gave me some hope. It looked.. well, not so good. I did grease the pan with
coconut oil, but apparently I didn't do a very good job. I practically needed the jaws of life to extract the bread from the pan. After doing all of that, it didn't LOOK pretty.. but it tastes good! It tastes like plain white sandwhich bread. The only other gluten free bread that I have tried was Udi's, it was good, but not $5 for a small loaf good. I'm not really sure what this cost to make, but even though most of the ingredients are organic I'm sure it was MUCH cheaper than that. I will definitely make this again. Next time I will grease the pan better, and I might end up trying a few new things. I will definitely update here when I do!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA7JybFTIDJ6tQKBIW8ExlLYXcOxw85VFyjJTEf2c6Lc2I4MMEmjlyY_93A0gQ7x4BNzDM3xSQpYOeydDpNl_qwIsuIqpmRxqrPerplYAG0XdWjLQbQd9DXRiAJGFPj566oAh2_IhTg0/s1600/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA7JybFTIDJ6tQKBIW8ExlLYXcOxw85VFyjJTEf2c6Lc2I4MMEmjlyY_93A0gQ7x4BNzDM3xSQpYOeydDpNl_qwIsuIqpmRxqrPerplYAG0XdWjLQbQd9DXRiAJGFPj566oAh2_IhTg0/s320/bread.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? It was STUCK.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-55949963229312100072013-04-17T18:01:00.002-05:002013-04-17T18:02:43.846-05:00Gluten Free Chicken and Rice Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yCS5kEilz8iLDTTnLka9Ub7789AeJpgmcU0BLepZAzTyCZ4ITpNVQOGEp4aNi0_eSWDp2Mzh39U2eSq1n-bDBggyTqZGK9EnxhxFTjgnaxi8esHahe-JYCHwqwAU4pc2bZ-CR2FtRrI/s1600/CRsoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yCS5kEilz8iLDTTnLka9Ub7789AeJpgmcU0BLepZAzTyCZ4ITpNVQOGEp4aNi0_eSWDp2Mzh39U2eSq1n-bDBggyTqZGK9EnxhxFTjgnaxi8esHahe-JYCHwqwAU4pc2bZ-CR2FtRrI/s320/CRsoup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is one of our favorite meals. Everyone in my family likes it a lot. I have been making this for <span style="font-size: small;">quite a </span>while and sometimes I do slight variations but I make this soup almost once a week! It makes enough for leftovers (unless you have a large family) and it is fairly healthy and inexpensive. If you can't have chicken noodle soup, this is a really great alternative. I am not a huge fan of most gluten free noodles, so I prefer the rice. <span style="font-size: small;">Here is what you need:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About 2 lbs of chicken. I typically use boneless chicken breasts but you can use whatever you have one hand.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 1/2 - 2 boxes of chicken broth. I use store brand organic, but you could use homemade with a little extra salt (1 box = 1 quart)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fresh or frozen veggies, whatever you have on hand, I normally use carrots and celery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup of brown rice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spices</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lemon (optional)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Put your chicken in the Slow Cooker. I have used both fresh and frozen. Throw your veggies (1-2 cups) in a blender, add some chicken broth. I like to make somewhat of a puree, to make the broth thicker. You can do this or you can just chop it up. You could also chop them up yourself and just throw it in if you don't mind a very thin broth. You can also puree half and chop the other half. Dump the veggies into the slow cooker and cover with the remaining chicken broth. If you have a smaller amount of veggies, use only 1 1/2 boxes of chicken broth, use more for more veggies. Add one cup of brown rice. I used white rice once, it doesn't make a difference. Season however you like your soup. Check that all spice blends are gluten free (they should be.) I always use parsley, but I usually throw a few others in too. I will occasionally add the juice of a lemon or two, which gives it a different (but nice) flavor. You will definitely need to add salt if you are using home made chicken stock. Cook on low for as long as possible, I usually leave mine on all day. Use a fork to shred the chicken before serving. The rice tends to "explode" after being cooked all day. I really don't have a problem with this and neither does anyone in my family. If that is something that would bother you, I wouldn't advise making any kind of rice soup in a slow cooker. I think it makes the soup better! Like any soup, this one is even better the next day! My kids both love this, I hope you family loves it too!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/142/C7BB8A503F9F470C714B269E30E2B774.png" /> </span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-91677481746994107752013-04-14T18:06:00.002-05:002013-04-14T18:13:19.128-05:00Going Gluten Free - How To Get Started (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRWeMQWljV3gGNthyphenhyphenCS32TXF1me2z8ZrIlMsBX4Vo_Q_Y-CiEtk8gkRFlIHXr4C3sTjq2NgQfaIJuGd2eZh7D0HSHqDcMpgcW6lWTnhXDipA4zw1wfJQOPfKVhDJDSh3h4dVBc63BwjE/s1600/GF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRWeMQWljV3gGNthyphenhyphenCS32TXF1me2z8ZrIlMsBX4Vo_Q_Y-CiEtk8gkRFlIHXr4C3sTjq2NgQfaIJuGd2eZh7D0HSHqDcMpgcW6lWTnhXDipA4zw1wfJQOPfKVhDJDSh3h4dVBc63BwjE/s320/GF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I have had quite a few people ask me how to get started eating gluten free. I am going to be honest, it isn't easy! There are so many things that have gluten in them, and many that you don't realize until you start reading labels! It does get easier though, a lot easier! And it is completely worth it. <br />
<br />
The first thing that you need to determine is whether you are losing the wheat just to be healthy/lose weight or if you have an actual problem with wheat. There are some who say that wheat has an adverse effect on everyone, I don't know if that is true, all that I know is that it has an adverse effect on ME. If you have Celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, you need to be extra vigilant in avoiding wheat. Eating even a small amount of wheat can cause whatever problems that went away to flare back up. Even if you have no issue with gluten, you will probably see some benefit in giving it up. Most people lose weight, or are at least less bloated.<br />
<br />
If you are avoiding gluten, you should obviously avoid traditional bread and pasta, but what else? Wheat, barley, and rye are the main things to look out for. Some people with Celiac disease don't do well with oats either. I suggest cutting out Oats, and then adding them back in later to see what happens. Gluten free oats (make sure to check, most are not certified gluten free) are fine for most. BEER is also out, unless it is labeled gluten free. So what CAN you eat? I will try to briefly cover what you can eat without worrying, and what you should check.<br />
<br />
<b>Gluten free at the grocery store:</b><br />
<br />
You can have meat! Make sure that there aren't any additives. The best thing you can do is to make things yourself. If you don't have time to cook from scratch, check labels. The more processed that a food is, the more likely it is to contain gluten. Processed foods are very unhealthy anyway, so you will really be doing yourself a favor by cutting them out. Most meat that you buy should be fine, always check labels on hot dogs, pepperoni, lunch meat, etc, but you will definitely be able to find gluten free versions. Be very careful with beef jerky, most soy sauces contain gluten (don't worry, not all of them do) and it will be in most brands of beef jerky. There are a few brands that are gluten free, but you will need to check. Old Wisconsin is a good one that last I checked was gluten free.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiY_l4Ib_KDLckK5BaxZ49zzZP5vmURS_Ksx_KXL0dbmHCHn_WAS8cVvumQUFt1tWXHkpiJiGNOwgieb8xyG6FEO0oNEQproeL-Cb2UREfpjIeMYeNS6yewLRq5KI6sBFVVZkYjoI6tQ/s1600/fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiY_l4Ib_KDLckK5BaxZ49zzZP5vmURS_Ksx_KXL0dbmHCHn_WAS8cVvumQUFt1tWXHkpiJiGNOwgieb8xyG6FEO0oNEQproeL-Cb2UREfpjIeMYeNS6yewLRq5KI6sBFVVZkYjoI6tQ/s200/fruit.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Eat your fruits and vegetables! Fruits and veggies are naturally gluten free. Nuts and seeds are fine <br />
too. Check the label of anything that comes in a package. If you are going gluten free, you should be doing this anyway. Some sauces that come with fruit or veggie packs may not be gluten free. The fruits and veggies themselves always will be.<br />
<br />
Dairy and eggs are safe. A rare example would be something like rye cheese. Also be sure to check yogurt and ice cream that have added ingredients. Anything with cookies or any kind of baked product will likely contain gluten.<br />
<br />
Rice and quinoa are great for people who have gluten issues. There are other grains that are fine too, but these are the most common. On a side note, I bought quinoa flour to make tortilla and they were disgusting. I am trying to talk myself into trying to make something else with it. Again, if it comes in a package, check the label. Corn products may be fine. Some people have reactions to corn and some don't. As far as cornbread goes, unless you make yourself it probably contains gluten. I learned that the had way. <br />
<br />
Most stores have a gluten free section and there will be lots of products that are rice or corn based. If you are trying to avoid GMOs, go with rice when you can. Organic corn products or products that are labeled GMO free are the exceptions. Many gluten free brands are GMO free. The Asian section should have rice noodles and crackers, but be careful with soy sauce!! The regular Kikkoman is NOT gluten free, La Choy is. Bragg's Liquid Aminos is another great soy sauce replacement (and GMO free) if you feel like spending a little more.<br />
<br />
Always check condiments to make sure they are gluten free. If one particular brand isn't, there is probably another that is.<br />
<br />
Last but not least you CAN have wine, and liquor. From what I understand the distillation process gets rid of gluten, even if the liquor is distilled from grains. I almost mentioned gluten free beer, I'm not sure how easy it is to find, but I know it's out there.<br />
<br />
This is just a short non-comprehensive list of what is generally okay to eat on a gluten free diet. I am going to make a completely separate post about going out to eat. Going out to eat is a completely different ball game and really needs it's own post. I have said it before but I will say it again, the best thing that you can do is to check labels! I hope this is a little bit helpful. Please follow the blog if you like these series, there will be a lot more coming soon! If there is anything in particular that you would like to see, feel free to leave a comment or send us a message!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/142/C7BB8A503F9F470C714B269E30E2B774.png" /> </span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-9517553969223033532013-04-13T09:57:00.000-05:002013-04-13T09:57:10.104-05:00Gluten free tips for kids and adults!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRWeMQWljV3gGNthyphenhyphenCS32TXF1me2z8ZrIlMsBX4Vo_Q_Y-CiEtk8gkRFlIHXr4C3sTjq2NgQfaIJuGd2eZh7D0HSHqDcMpgcW6lWTnhXDipA4zw1wfJQOPfKVhDJDSh3h4dVBc63BwjE/s1600/GF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRWeMQWljV3gGNthyphenhyphenCS32TXF1me2z8ZrIlMsBX4Vo_Q_Y-CiEtk8gkRFlIHXr4C3sTjq2NgQfaIJuGd2eZh7D0HSHqDcMpgcW6lWTnhXDipA4zw1wfJQOPfKVhDJDSh3h4dVBc63BwjE/s320/GF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I am currently working on a series about going gluten free. I have been gluten free for a little over a year now, and I feel great! My iron levels are normal for the first time EVER. I am pregnant, so that is saying a lot. I had incredibly low iron with my other two pregnancies. If you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, eating gluten can cause you to not absorb nutrients, like iron. I won't get scientific, but there are lots of other sites with more specific info on the science of it. I am not here to talk about the evils of wheat, but I will give you some tips and tricks that have worked for me! My son seems to do better without wheat as well. The best way to see if you have a gluten issue is to cut it out completely, tests are not always accurate. Give it at least two weeks, a month is better, and see how you feel! I will be posting soon about how to start eating gluten free and what to look out for, until then, here are a few tips!<br />
<br />
The best tip that I can give is that you do NOT have to go out and buy everything in the store that is labeled gluten free. A lot of people have asked me if eating gluten free is expensive, it doesn't have to be, but it would be if you did this. The best thing you can do is just eat the foods that you love that are naturally gluten free. If you love pretzels, buy some gluten free pretzels, but only replace what you have to and skip what you don't. I have found that I don't "need" bread. I could buy some $6 gluten free bread, but I don't miss it enough to spend that kind of money. You can always make your own MUCH cheaper.<br />
<br />
There are ways to get fiber that do not involve "whole wheat." You have probably heard of these things called fruits and veggies, they are full of fiber. I know this sounds really snarky, but you have no idea how many people have told me that I must not get any fiber without my fortified whole wheat. Poor me. I could tell you how much better my digestive system is now without the wheat, but that's kind of gross. If you really don't think you are getting enough fiber, <span style="font-size: small;">try some </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span dir="auto">psyllium</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>husk<span style="font-size: small;"> or hem<span style="font-size: small;">p protein.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
My kids love fruit, fruit is healthy and relatively cheap. Fruit is a much more filling snack than crackers or candy, so you can eat less and feel more full. Apples, grapes, and bananas are easy quick snacks that I always try to keep on hand. Veggies like carrots or celery are easy and kid-friendly too.<br />
<br />
Skip the gluten free aisle/section or only shop there sparingly. Everything in this area will be really marked up and rarely go on sale. There are usually rice crackers in the Asian section that are much cheaper. Actually, there are a lot of snacks in the Asian section that are gluten free, just read your labels! You can find gluten free coupons from time to time, and Amazon is really great for gluten free products or flours in bulk. I buy Glutino pretzels and Annie's gluten free snacks on Amazon.<br />
<br />
READ YOUR LABELS. I said it already, but it's important. There is wheat in EVERYTHING. Not to get all conspiracy theorist on you, but I have read that companies put wheat into everything because it is an appetite stimulator and will make you buy/eat more. It makes sense, but I am not going to get into that here. For whatever reason, wheat is in everything and lots of times you wouldn't expect it. Soy sauce, ketchup, basically any boxed food, etc etc. Depending on the brand, they may or may not have wheat/gluten. Oh, and twizzlers. Sadly, twizzlers have wheat in them. I found that out the hard way, so you're welcome. One brand of chicken broth has gluten in their ORGANIC version. I prefer organic, but not with this brand! Our store brand of organic chicken broth <i>is</i> gluten free, so you really never know. You have to read labels. Reading labels is probably the most important part of being gluten free.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbwcr8W8EW0TEw1J5JkqxRSRUHktuezMk7-xMhjEr01hFvXIU1nbAENDH7W5Z-Rzz-IuOa39DG-Q9Xox3fZkWaiFB1s2IACyEuOk5z6ryATvug-OiPHLlB58SYtpNeSVGxwIiYMKN1Uo/s1600/CP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbwcr8W8EW0TEw1J5JkqxRSRUHktuezMk7-xMhjEr01hFvXIU1nbAENDH7W5Z-Rzz-IuOa39DG-Q9Xox3fZkWaiFB1s2IACyEuOk5z6ryATvug-OiPHLlB58SYtpNeSVGxwIiYMKN1Uo/s200/CP.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Better yet.. buy food that doesn't have labels. You have probably heard to only shop around the perimeter of the store for healthy food. Healthy real food probably won't have any gluten in it. The more processed that a food is, the more likely that it will have wheat in it. Extra bonus, when you eat REAL food, you aren't as hungry. It's true. If you make most of your own food, you will know exactly what goes into it. Being busy or being a terrible cook is no excuse, the slow cooker is the best invention ever. <br />
<br />
Speaking of making your own food, non-wheat flours can be expensive. One of the best places to buy these flours is Amazon, because you can buy in bulk and get a discount. You can also try bulk bins at grocery or health food stores, just be careful for gluten contamination. I like rice flour. I also use tapioca starch instead of corn starch (because of GMO corn.) I have used almost and coconut "flours" with mixed results. Although they are not actually flours, they are extremely healthy. I prefer rice flour when I am trying to substitute for something that is traditionally made with wheat flour. There are plenty of gluten free flour mixes out there, but I have had success using rice flour and a small amount tapioca starch to replace wheat flour. <br />
<br />
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<b>Our favorite quick and easy gluten free snacks: </b><br />
Apples, Bananas, Grapes<br />
Blueberries, Strawberries <br />
Cheese<br />
Baby carrots <br />
Lunch meat/cheese roll ups<br />
Yogurt<br />
Applesauce <br />
(and as for the boxed snacks..)<br />
Annie's fruit snacks<br />
Annie's gluten free chocolate/vanilla bunnies<br />
Glutino pretzels<br />
Van's cheese crackers<br />
Glutino fruit bars<br />
Van's gluten free granola bars <br />
<br />
There are plenty of other snacks that we like, but these are the quick ones that don't have to be prepared! Going gluten free can be a difficult transition, but for me, it has been worthwhile. I know that it isn't for everyone, but if you eating gluten free or trying to, hopefully these tips can help you a little!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>**DISCLAIMER** </b></span></div>
Despite all of my comments, this post really isn't trying to tell anyone not to eat wheat. If you are curious, <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/#axzz2Jsra1Vkc">this</a> is a good article about grains (particularly gluten) and why they aren't necessary. I do eat rice myself because I have found that I have no reaction to it. I also recommend the book Wheat Belly. It is very informative and far more scientific that I could ever be. <br />
You should always talk to your doctor before changing anything and blah blah blah. I am not a doctor, or a dietician. This is what worked for me. Some people think that I am just crazy. Am I? Maybe a little. You know what I'm not? Sick. And not being sick all the time is pretty freaking awesome. So if you are having any kind of issue that can't otherwise be explained, try cutting out gluten. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't help. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/142/C7BB8A503F9F470C714B269E30E2B774.png" /> </span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-57246129658648403892013-04-12T21:12:00.001-05:002013-04-12T21:12:13.461-05:00Gluten Free Chicken & Dumplings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixS_0lFtbFYjfds7ygY7-xEKM9MZCoXdTAEzajDIWWs2Sf51iszKG97O7DyVw-yLEyJJG9QCULEfuO2xaaAQ_5HKRGcoGX5yUcd0EB6d6dQXY56Eyt_5KuYstAFUlxjWEh81LDcyE9tDY/s1600/CD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixS_0lFtbFYjfds7ygY7-xEKM9MZCoXdTAEzajDIWWs2Sf51iszKG97O7DyVw-yLEyJJG9QCULEfuO2xaaAQ_5HKRGcoGX5yUcd0EB6d6dQXY56Eyt_5KuYstAFUlxjWEh81LDcyE9tDY/s320/CD.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Chicken and Dumplings are a staple in the south. I live in Southern Missouri, so while not truly the "south" we do have lots of southern food here! Chicken and Dumplings were always one of my favorite foods and after going gluten free I was sad to give them up! Well after a little trial and error I have come up with a solution! I found the original recipe <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-and-dumplings-soup.html">here</a> and changed it a little to fit my needs. It is DELICIOUS!! My entire family likes it, even my four year old who typically doesn't eat "bread-y" things. Just a little note, this is not a healthy recipe! It is totally gluten free, but I certainly wouldn't call it health food. :) Here is what I use:<br />
<br />
(Sauce-cream of crap substitute)<br />
4T butter<br />
4T organic white rice flour<br />
2T tapioca starch<br />
1 cup milk (I used raw this time, I have also used organic, and regular milk)<br />
1 cup organic chicken broth<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
parsley<br />
thyme<br />
garlic powder <br />
(sorry for the lack of measurements, I just guess..)<br />
<br />
-<br />
<br />
2 lbs +/- chicken breasts. I have used frozen or not, with similar results.<br />
1-2 cups vegetables (this time, I used frozen peas and not-frozen carrots)<br />
<br />
- <br />
<br />
(Dumplings)<br />
2 cups Gluten free Bisquick <br />
1/3 cup butter, melted<br />
2/3 cup milk<br />
3 eggs<br />
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Okay take the first set of ingredients and mix in a sauce pan until it thickens. It won't take long! Plop the chicken and veggies in a crock pot. Feel free to use more of a variety in your veggies to make it healthier, but I am not used to veggies in my chicken and dumplings so that is what I used! Pour your home-made sauce over it. Cook on low for 6 hours. Use a fork to shred the chicken. Mix the dumpling ingredients together. Note that this IS the recipe on the box for gluten free biscuits, with the exception that I used butter instead of shortening (because shortening is gross..) I am sure there is a better GF recipe for drop biscuits with better ingredients, but I had some gluten free Bisquick that I needed to use. Anyway, just drop spoonfuls into the slow cooker. If it does get stuck together, use a knife to separate it after the dumplings cook. Chicken and dumplings are not a pretty food. :) It usually takes about an hour for the dumplings to cook, just keep an eye on them. That's it!<br />
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Sorry I am not a chef, or a recipe writer!! I've had a lot of people ask for my gluten free recipes, so I am going to start posting them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/142/C7BB8A503F9F470C714B269E30E2B774.png" /> </span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-47843854340793117362013-03-05T11:49:00.000-06:002013-03-05T11:56:47.206-06:00All Natural "Flu Shot" Juice Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk9mD4hQQd8gvpKDs-qUVppwJ03YFUktrXXDLcDQ5qnjvUi8iUkZttBg0JsFi_Hb4tOFJu5ENcUbm5eMzp-teq1FcY2k-q956IDwH5og3x_Aw5_13xbBWx6Ts9JZX0XHsCmit0OV1GMI/s1600/flushot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk9mD4hQQd8gvpKDs-qUVppwJ03YFUktrXXDLcDQ5qnjvUi8iUkZttBg0JsFi_Hb4tOFJu5ENcUbm5eMzp-teq1FcY2k-q956IDwH5og3x_Aw5_13xbBWx6Ts9JZX0XHsCmit0OV1GMI/s320/flushot.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I found a few recipes for various juice drinks for when you have a cold or the flu. Everyone in my house is a little bit sick right now. Nothing too bad, just colds. I am pregnant, and I don't like to take medicine anyway. I don't know whether drinks like this actually help you feel better or not. The fruits/veggies do have vitamins and minerals, so it certainly won't hurt anything! This particular juice is my own adaption on several that I found. I have the Tru Juicer, and I love it. I got it on clearance at Wal-Mart for about $25.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2-3 stalks of celery</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 green apple</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 piece of ginger (about 1")</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">handful of carrots</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 lemon</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Juice all ingredients together. This will make about 4 shot sized servings. Sprinkle your "shot" with cayenne. The juice by itself doesn't taste too bad, but I couldn't get my son to take more than a zip of it (without cayenne.) You might want to grab something to wash it down with, the cayenne will really get you!</span></span>Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828081620854178908.post-84222597645716967772013-02-03T19:38:00.001-06:002013-02-03T19:39:15.360-06:00Organized Space: Bearded dragon cage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay truth time, I forgot that it was organized space day. I was starting to fix this disaster when I remembered, so I grabbed my camera. Excuse the crappy pictures, I am tired and didn't feel like editing them. Organizing doesn't always mean spending hours cleaning out a large area, you can still get a small sense of accomplishment from organizing a very small area. Tonight, this area was the top of Oscar's cage. Oscar is a bearded dragon. He belongs to my husband/kids but none of them would think that the mess on the top of his cage was a problem. I don't clean the cage (my husband does, it's his pet) but I knew that if I didn't find a home for the accessories, no one would. All the crap beside his heat lamp was probably a fire hazard too!! Anyway, here is the cage before:</div>
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I know it's dark, but see all the crap on top? Food, extra lights, stuff that he coats the crickets in (crickets not pictured, they are in a small cage underneath.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbMQ8n9j0n403lcFVMUnnmAnESBawJ0t3aviuJ4pVSH_4bh7aHib53HyDDlyb3eQEnqOqdxtRdPYCoLmD_8ugw_a49kSedOloYyZjCb7URQGfwyLgAwELFWCYZVKg8qc07NMDA7JSiUY/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbMQ8n9j0n403lcFVMUnnmAnESBawJ0t3aviuJ4pVSH_4bh7aHib53HyDDlyb3eQEnqOqdxtRdPYCoLmD_8ugw_a49kSedOloYyZjCb7URQGfwyLgAwELFWCYZVKg8qc07NMDA7JSiUY/s320/IMG_2054.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
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I cleaned out part of the cabinet for a place to put Oscar's accessories. Don't mind the fish tank, we just moved and it is only their temporary home. </div>
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This is the stuff that was originally in that cabinet. I had an empty drawer, so I put the kids plates and a few cups down here so that Kainan can set the table. The other cups and extra bowls are still in the top cabinet. </div>
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I got a bunch of these baskets from the Dollar Tree. They are really great for organizing! I use bins and baskets all over my house because it looks a lot better than just shoving things in a drawer or cabinet. I put everything in the top of the cage in here, except for the lights. Now the food, cricket "treatment," and extra lights are all in one place.</div>
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Here is the basket in the cabinet. I really should have taken a picture of the "after" cage, but I forgot. :) So there you have it, just a few minutes and it made a huge difference in my dining room! Yes, the lizard is in the dining room. Not my idea, he was originally downstairs but it is much colder there and he almost died. So dining room it is.<br />
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<br />Amy and Meaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00952237808403828555noreply@blogger.com0