Motion Sickness

If you know me, you know I get motion sick. Like, really really easily. As in, I rolled with my child down a hill and horked at the bottom. Needless to say, I've tried a lot of meds to help this. From Benadryl to sea sickness patches, from bracelets to essential oils, from all kinds of meds to Zofran, I've tried everything. But these new Dramamine naturals with ginger were, well, effective. I was able to ride rides at the amusement park, ride in the back of a car, and even do a couple of spins. Amazing!!! Adding this product to my must haves!

f'real®

f'real®
I won coupons for free F'real milkshakes, and I was pretty surprised at how good they tasted. You pick your flavor and then it blends like a blizzard right there for you, in the gas station. You all know how much I love couponing so when I signed up for Smiley360, I knew it was just another way to get free things! This was my most recent, but I've also gotten hair conditioner, face wash, etc. It's awesome!

Oh, my!

Let's just skip those 3 months I disappeared, mmmkay? Between the hubs working 60 hours a week and me wrangling 2 small children who can only survive by mauling me daily, we've had a lot on our plates! As if I don't like my life busy enough, a couple months ago, I added a new title to my resume, "Independent Consultant for Thirty-One Gifts." As Joel sees it, I'm a bag lady. Whatever. Ok, I like bags. A lot. But I also like to be organized, which is really what made me fall in love with this stuff. Their home organization line is awesome for keeping all my shelves, closets, beds, and bookcases clean and organized. Laundry too!

Joel has finally been able to take some time off work, and with 2 mobile children, we've needed to get a new game plan. Life is chaotic, and while we love it, it can be stressful. So instead of bogging you down with the past few months of stuff, I'll recap in pictures. Then you'll be all caught up!

 

 

Product Rave

I know I've mentioned Skinny Taste here before, but once again, she blows my mind. Not only are these recipes absolutely delicious, but they are healthy too! Most of them contain vegetables in a way that you'd never think to use them or imagine that they would work. But each time, I go for it and I've never been disappointed.

My newest attempt was this recipe. It's a meatloaf cupcake with mashed potato frosting. I did not pipe the frosting like she did, I just plopped a spoonful on top and spread it around. But man oh man, these rocked. With lean hamburger, 1 cup of zucchini, and bread crumbs plus spices, it's very simple.

I made some bread crumbs a couple weeks back using some whole grain bread that was on the verge of going bad. That was equally as easy. Cut it into chunks, bake it for 10-12 minutes or until it's hard, let the pieces cool, then throw them in the food processor until they are crumbs. Store them in the fridge in an air tight container. It's so great to have a homemade and natural alternative to packaged breadcrumbs with unnecessary additives. But  back to the meatloaf.

So you mix the loaf ingredients together and put them in cute little tin foil cups, baking for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes. After mashing the potatoes, add some yummies. I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream (they taste very similar!) to sneak a little more protein in the recipe, and added the milk, broth, and butter. Then put on top of the cupcakes and serve.

It was really very easy. The best part? Less than 300 calories for 2 cakes. They're even husband and toddler approved, as both thought they were tasty.

I really should start taking pictures of the process, but hers are always better and I want to make sure the recipe is a success first!

GiGi is 85

This past weekend we celebrated my wonderful Grandmother's 85th birthday. We went out for a nice dinner (without kids!), had some cake, ice cream, and wine, and played some card games to celebrate.

Some things I love about my Grandma Lil:

• She is an old farm girl and is still very frugal.
• Her freezer is full of yogurt containers, washed and refilled with single servings of leftovers.
•  She always has cookies.
• She's always up for a card game.
• She remembers every birthday and anniversary,and always times it so it gets to you on your exact birthdate.
• She is an incredibly good cook, but her recipes are difficult to repeat.
• She'll drive an hour to watch a 20 minute program you are involved in.
• You can't arrive or leave her place without at least 2 hugs and a kiss on the cheek.
• She makes quilts for every child and grandchild.
• She walks 3 miles a day and does these awesome 1980's workout videos.
• She has my mom's high school senior picture hanging in her stairwell.
• She drinks Old Milwaukee.
• There's always room in her house and heart for one more.

Baking fun

Tessa loves to help in the kitchen lately. Every time I head toward that room, there is she, grabbing her stool and trying to get right in the middle of the action. She usually drags a dining room chair over so she can stand or kneel on it. This allows her to see and reach everything, which so far, is funny but also frustrating. She's begun taking it upon herself to grab snacks off the counter, open cupboards, drawers, wash dishes, etc. The other morning, Joel and Nora were still asleep so Tessa and I decided to make muffins. She had so much fun pouring in the ingredients and stirring, and the end result was a hit too!

Christmases

Being from a family that is very close in proximity and relationships means around the holidays, we have a balancing act.We coordinated quite a few Christmas celebrations this year. We visited my aunt in Ames, then had our family Christmas at home in Webster, then Joel's Grandma in Elkhart, then Joel's parents in Ankeny, then my parents in Des Moines, and finally, my Grandma in Guthrie Center. This does not count the Christmas we have the weekend before Thanksgiving.

We both love our families and enjoy our time with them, so between these Christmases and our work schedules, we found ourselves driving back and forth so much in that Christmas week. But, to spend time with everyone, it was well worth it! Here are some pictures to highlight how our week went!

tub painting

On a gloomy Sunday with a lively toddler, mommy had to get creative. It was late afternoon and Tessa was getting stir crazy inside the house, so I went to old faithful (Pinterest) for some ideas. Then, it came to me. Bathroom paint. Better yet, washable, nonstaining, smelling-like-apple soap, paint.

I took cornstarch, hand soap, and food coloring. I mixed up a few different colors in bowls and let her go crazy. If the pictures don't convince you, I don't know what will.

What a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. She got a bath and she thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. To be fair, it was pretty cool.

Luck

I sometimes go overboard when I find something I enjoy. The husband thinks I get obsessive, I just think I like to do everything at 100% and not half-ass anything :). So when I started stumbling across different deal sites, sweepstakes and contests online, I of course, had to enter them all. I was smart enough to set up a 2nd email address so Joel didn't have to sort through all the silly ones on our joint email account. Plus, then he doesn't know just how much I love the competition and thrill of possibly winning and beating "the man" by getting things for so cheap!

Lately, I seem to be pretty lucky! Between finding some smoking good deals and using coupons, I've been able to start getting Christmas presents early!

When I online shop, I go through Ebates. This site tracks all your online purchases and rewards you with cash back. It's as simple as going to their website first, then searching for the store you want to shop at, and clicking the link. By going through ebates first an then clicking the link from Ebates to the place you want to shop, you earn cash back. One of my favorites, Old Navy, offers 2-5% cashback on anything and everything. Amazon is 3%.  My newest shopping addiction, Zulily, has 3.5% cashback. Once a quarter, they just send you a check. It's so easy.

 I use Hip2Save to find all the best sales/deals/coupons. She posts everything for you, including the links to get them. This is also where I find most of my freebies that I get. I've gotten such a range of free stuff, including coffee mugs, make up bags, tons of product samples, tshirts, onesies, a 2 year subscription to Us Weekly, a 1 year subscription to ESPN the Magazine, and a 1 year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens. I've also gotten free coffee, cookies, candy, vitamins, the list goes on and on.

First, I won 100 k-cups, drinking mugs, an apron, and some biscotti mix. Then, I won a $500 gift certificate to my favorite cloth diaper store. Then, I won a handmade hat and scarf. Yesterday, I got an e-mail stating I'd won a $25 gift card from American Express.

Maybe I should play the lottery!

Birthday!

We celebrated Tessa's 2nd birthday on October 27 at our house. We were going to play tailgate games outside, but with the lovely Iowa weather being unpredictable, we ended up with 40 degree weather. Of course, 2 days before and after, it was in the 60's, but not on party day. So instead, we watched the Iowa Hawkeyes blow it again and enjoyed some good food and company.

The cake was a hit, but she had more fun watching the candles and playing with the football rings that came on the cake. It was a little chaotic putting that many people in our little 3 bedroom ranch, but it was fun! I'm glad everyone made the trip up to see us and Tessa got spoiled rotten.

I loved watching her face everytime someone new arrived. Her face would just light up and she would run to the door and yell who was coming. "Papa Steve, Grandma Laura!!" "Nama HAM! PAPA SCOT!!!" Knowing everyone was there to see her just made her so happy and I loved seeing that glee on her face. Even some of Joel's friends and their families came, which was so cool.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Tessa Kelly. We love you and your wild spirit!