Infusing Your Meal!

 

What is for dinner tonight?  Good question!  I feel like some days I spend a good chunk of time just wondering what is for dinner and I am the one cooking it!  It can be hard to come up with new recipes, ways to get the kids to eat something healthy, how to not dry out oven-baked chicken, and all the other barriers to the answer to that question!

Getting tender with my Cave Tool!

I love spices and flavors of all sorts, but my husband is more of a salt and pepper guy.  My work around is that I can get away with adding spice to a meat if I can make that meat so tender that it melts in the mouth.  After a ton of experimenting I found the best way to do this was to not only add some liquid, either your sauce or just plan water/chicken stock and cover for 3/4 of your cooking time, but to make sure the meat was well tenderized.

Evergreen Watermelon Cutter

 I love summer, the clothes, Popsicles, and the summer time fruit.  Just something about some nice cool watermelon on a hot summer day to cool down and add to the memories.  Problem with watermelon is that it takes forever to cut up and I end up with a huge mess on my counter-top and very sticky hands. Time to find some summertime solutions.

Torus Bowl Review

Where does the time in the day go?  No matter how much I do, how fast I move their is always something that needs to be done.  The more moving parts in your house the more little interruptions that come along and steal precious seconds from the rest of the to-do list.  One thing that I always seem to have the worst time keeping up with is the dog dish.  I have 3 dogs and they won't touch it for hours, then right when I am carrying a kid, laundry bin, and half a dozen other things I hear the slurping of the pups.  Wouldn't you know it, they empty the darn thing in 5 minutes flat and now I need to fill it up again.  It never ends!

Bath Toy Organizer Set by Bath Time Fun

I don't know about you but bath-time is playtime for my kids, but those darn bathtoys like to collect non-clean mildew and other grossness.  Not very mommy friendly.  I have gone through a few different bath holders and either they start to get gross because they aren't all mesh.  Then their are the little suction cup hooks that I usually hang the loafa's with always seem to fall down or to not hold on to the power of a 2 year old grip. 

Backseat Car Organizer and Car Visor Organizer

If you have more than one kid than you know that one of the best ways to save sanity is to make sure everything has it's own little home or place to go when not in use.  You will need this in order to find anything and to keep your home from looking like you belong on some TLC reality show or something, Lost in mommy-hoarding.  Half the battle with that, for me at least, if finding homes for things.  I'm constantly relying on Pinterest and products to keep my home sane, well sane enough for a family to function.

Cache Alaska Ski Hat

We have had a stretch of cold weather here in AZ and the normal hats don't always keep the wind from nipping at your ears as much as you would like.  Finding a good hat to wear up in the snow, or on weeks like this isn't easy when most of the clothes are geared for slightly cool, warm, or hot weather.

Topaz Unisex 5060ABK Robust Design Dress Watch Review

So, why is it that we women are constantly wanting to or actually just stealing our men clothes?  I thought I was going to be getting my husband a nice accessory, but somehow it ended up in my vanity?  Weird, right? How did it find it's way to my stuff?  Not sure.

Gummy Bear Silicone Candy Mold Promotion

My daughter is very into cooking right now.  Add to that, she is a kid and all kids are candy freaks.  That is why I'm excited to make some Gummi Bears with her.  She can use the dropper, pick the flavors, and I can do any stove work.  This way it's something we can do together, but she can do most of it herself!  

Switch Belt

I don't know about you but I am constantly fighting my belts.  For some reason they always seem to fit me in between the holes.  This means I either punch a new hole in the belt or I deal with pant gap.  That embarrassing gap in the back of your not quiet secured pants showing off Victoria's Secret.

Vino Mio Foldable Wine Bottle

Every once and a while we get invited to dinner at someone's house and I am faced with the dilemma of what to bring, red or white.  This is hard when you have no idea what they are cooking or you just have no idea what to pair with the menu they give you because it's not something you usually eat.  Like I need another thing to worry about as I'm trying to pack up and keep looking clean 3 little kids, but I don't exactly have the room to put two bottles of wine in my overly packed (prepared for every emergency) kid bag.

Cave Tools Kabob Set Review

As many of you know my daughter loves cooking.  For this Christmas I am looking for new cooking methods to introduce into her cooking knowledge.  One method I have had no idea how to start her on is grilling.  For her age it just seems to dangerous.  But I still want her to get to experience all types of cooking leaving me with the problem of finding a safe way to introduce her to grilling.  

#cujocontrol Bark Collar Review

After our recent move we all have felt a little stress.  New home, new location, new everything, and boxes galore.  Nothing is familiar yet and that doesn't always bring out the best in anyone, especially an already neurotic dog.  My middle dog has always been a ball of anxiety.  He tends to get distressed when alone.  Having more than one dog helps and before the move we didn't have to Kennel or use other methods to deal with his anxiety when we left the house.  The move, however, seems to have moved his Separation Anxiety right back into the front of his mind.

#QueHeads Oven Gloves Review

I don't know if you are like me but once July hits, I tend to try to make things last until the Christmas season.  Some of my things can end up looking pretty cruddy, I am ashamed to even admit to the scraggly nature that I will let things go to in order to put them on the want list to give out, or the deals list to get for myself when those awesome deals hit.  Its just sad.  

TeaVas Tea Bell Review

For those of you who couldn't tell, I am a tea-aholic.  I know I have a problem, but it is very hard to stop.  Even harder during cold/flu season when I need that boost of anti-oxidants.  If I'm honest I don't really attempt to curve any cravings I get for tea, unless I forget to buy some at the store and run out.  Instead I force my obsession onto my family.  That's right I bust out the Green and Red Tea and get to brewing hiding tea spoons of these immunity ninja's in whatever they are drinking.  Red of course for the kids since it's a root brew and not caffeinated and green for everyone else.  The thing I hate about making tea, is how much of it gets wasted!

Casa qoqo bamboo cutting board

I am already done grocery shopping for the upcoming holiday!  So proud of myself being all pro-active and ahead of the game this year.  That said I won't be cooking for a big group, just us, which makes it a little easier, but still done is done right?  So, now to gather the other things need to get things done.  If you didn't know we recently moved and if your moves are like mine, the moving gremlins tend to take off with items which are never again seen.  I don't know where they go, I just know they never seem to make the move from house to house.  So, time to bust out some new stuff!  It's times like these where I love being a blogger, helps with gremlin disappearance issues!

#Beetastic Face Paint Kits for Kids Review

Tis the season to start thinking of things to do while the kiddo's are home from school!  Why get a little silly and have yourself a day of carnival like fun?  Bust out the face paint and see what you can think of!

Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Seat Applelicious Review

My youngest just turned one and is now big enough to transition out of the infant carrier seat that I have been using.  Recently, their have been new suggestions and tests that suggest that a child should be rear facing until at least the age of two.  I am all about safety, but my last two transitioned to the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 which is forward facing.  I love our Nautilus and had no idea what I was going to get to tide us over for the next year.  Seriously, sometimes the things you get attached to as a mom come out of left field and I was a little surprised at how hard it was not to repeat the same big kid seat transition to the Nautilus that we had gone through in the past.  In a way it felt like a tradition was being broken and not just delayed as I have every intention of transitioning to the Nautilus when the little is 2.  Back on topic, what am I going to sit my kid in?

NeeBooFit Resistance Loop Bands

 I have been trying and failing at my New Years resolution to loose weight.  I have had a ton on my plate and little to no time to focus on working out.  But I have to push forward and make it happen for myself and my kids.  So, since weights aren't something one can toss in a purse or bag for those moments while the kids are at karate or dance class I needed to find a solution that would help make every move count.

2 Glow Stick Bracelets 100 Bracelet's Review

 In some places the kids end up cooped up inside due to rainy days, in Arizona they get cooped up inside because of the extreme heat.  Leaving us parents to try to figure out ways to entertain them while they are stuck inside.  We like to have little "parties".  Anything can be made into a party; movie party, popcorn party, dance party.  The only challenge is how to make whatever you are doing special so it becomes a party for the kids.