Motherhood...

My new favorite quote! :)

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My Favorite Things: Sally Hansen Hand Creme

Do you have cracked, split, dry skin on your hands during the winter? I do. Or DID. Before a nurse friend gave me this:


It's Sally Hansen's 18 Hour Protective Hand Creme. It has vitamins A, E and C along with grape seed oil and shea butter. The trickiest part of this is WHERE to find it. It is sometimes in with the hand lotions. But most often, I've found it near the Sally Hansen nail products.

If you put it on generously at night, you'll heal your hands and protect them from further drying, cracking, and splitting. I usually also put it on once each morning after I'm ready for the day. Bonus: the grape seed oil makes it smell good too!

You'll thank me later. Trust me. :)




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My Favorite Things: Top Ten Web Links

I thought it might be fun to share my "top ten" favorite sites on the web with you. You may already be familiar with many of these, but - then again - some of you may not be.

Please leave me comments with a few of your favorite websites!

Shopping Sites:

• Craigslist.org is an online classified ads listing service. Find your local Craigslist on the main homepage (linked).
• Freecycle.org is a Yahoo group that is similar to an online classified ads listing service, except that everything is FREE. Yup, FREE. You can post an OFFER for things you want to give away, and/or a WANTED for things you're looking for. Again, search for your local Freecycle group on the main homepage (again, linked).
• Half.com is a subsidiary of Ebay. It sells mainly used items and is a great resource if you don't care about an item being in mint condition. The shipping is standard bookrate at $3.49 per item, so it's really reasonable (especially when you find items that are listed for only a few bucks!). You can also sometimes upgrade on shipping and get the item faster if you prefer. I just bought three workbooks for my kids that were $15-20 each at the big-chain bookstore. I got all three, including shipping, for $25!!

LDS sites:

• Sugardoodle.net has helps for folks in all kinds positions from leadership to teaching in areas from Relief Society to Primary.
  
• LDS Clipart on About.LDS.com has an awesome collection of clipart from church magazines and art available for free download. I use this site all the time for my Primary lesson handouts & coloring pages.
  

Miscellaneous "Reference" Sites

• Microsoft Office Online Clipart is where I get most of my clipart images for this blog. It's free clipart with tens of thousands of clipart images at your disposal including sounds, photos, and moving clipart. Take a few minutes to explore the rest of the site as well as the clipart section. There's a lot of useful stuff on there!
  
• Internet Movie Database is a fun site if you're a movie buff like me. You can look up movies and see bios on your favorite actors/actresses. So, for instance, when you're watching a movie and you can't quite place where else you've seen a particular actor, you can look the movie up on IMDb, click on the actor's name, and see what other movies they've been in.
  
• AllRecipes.com is a fabulous resource for recipes. If you haven't heard of this site, you HAVE to check it out!

Kids' Websites

• Starfall.com is a great site for kids and teaches pre-reading and reading skills. My kindergartener thinks it's great fun to "play" on this site.
• ColoringBookFun.com has a great collection of black and white coloring book images. [For best results, save the image, paste it onto a word document, and stretch it out to fill the page before you print it.] They have holiday, character, learning, and themed coloring pages.

What are your favorite websites that I haven't included in my "top ten?"

One of My Favorite Things: Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Food Storage System

I'd like to introduce you to the Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Food Storage System. This thing is AWESOME!! It cost me around $7, and the bags it uses are not that much more expensive than the regular ones.

It is a simple little gadget... All you do is fill the bag with your food item up to the "fill line" on the baggie. Then you seal the top and lay it down on a hard surface. You put the tip of the vacuum sealer on the round sealing vent and push the button. You stop when the sound changes (which indicates the air has all been vacuumed out).

It doesn't work for high-liquid foods like soups, etc, but I have LOVED all the things I've been able to toss in the freezer in them. My cheese lasts longer, my salad doesn't get soggy, and my leftovers taste fresh. Freezer burn no longer exists in my house. :) You can re-seal the baggies until your food inside is gone, but the manufacturer doesn't recommend washing/reusing the bags after that because of the possibility of food particles getting caught in the textured surface.

If I'm going to buy freezer bags anyway, why not spend a few cents more and get the kind I can vacuum seal shut?? The kids love to operate the sealer, and it doesn't take up a huge amount of counter space like those expensive vacuum sealers. I love it!

For more information, go to the website for the Reynolds Handi-Vac.

One of My Favorite Things: My Slow Cooker - A Primer

I use my slow cooker (aka, Crock Pot) at least 2-3 times a week. It is probably my favorite kitchen appliance (with the possible exception of my bread machine... but I'll save that for another post...). In the past 5 years since I started using my slow cooker on a regular basis, I've learned a few things...

• Slow cookers prefer cheap cuts of meat – really! Less tender, less expensive cuts of meat are better suited for slow cooker cooking than expensive cuts of meat.
• Leave the lid on while the slow cooker cooks. The steam that condenses on the lid helps cook the food from the top. Every time you take the lid off, the cooker loses steam. After you put the lid back on, it takes up to 20 minutes to regain lost steam and temperature, which means it takes longer to cook.
• One hour on high equals about 2 to 2 ½ hours on low. High is about 300°. Low is about 200°.
• Fill the cooker no more than 2/3 full and no less than half-full, no matter what the size.
  
• Milk products such as cream, milk, and sour cream can curdle and separate when cooked for a long period. Add them during the last 10 minutes if cooking on high, or during the last 20-30 minutes on low, unless the recipe states otherwise.
• In recipes that use sauces high in sugar or milk (such as BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, or Alfredo sauce), sometimes the sauce will scorch and ruin the flavor of your dish if cooked too long on high. For best results, cook these dished on low heat for a longer period of time or add the sauce closer to the end of the cooking time.
• Liquids don’t boil down in a slow cooker. If the dish is “soup-ier” than you want at the end of the cooking time, remove the cover, set dial on high and allow the liquid to evaporate (for 30-45 minutes). You can also add instant potato flakes or tapioca to thicken the liquid, depending on what is appropriate for your recipe.
• To get the best flavor, sauté vegetables or brown meat before placing in cooker to cook. When cooking meats and vegetables together, place the vegetables on the bottom where they will be kept moist. Recipes that contain a combination of raw meat and veggies should cook at least 4 hours on high.
• To eliminate prep time and cleanup when preparing a slow cooker recipe that calls for browned ground beef, prepare it ahead of time in large quantities. Brown beef, seasoned to taste. Drain and cool. Freeze in pint freezer containers or Ziploc bags.
  
• If a recipe calls for cooked rice, stir in raw rice with the other ingredients. Add 1 cup extra liquid per cup of raw rice. Use long grain converted rice for best results in all-day cooking.
• Trim as much visible fat from meat as possible before placing it in the slow cooker to avoid greasy gravy.
• Always spray your slow cooker with cooking spray before adding ingredients. It makes cleanup simpler. Or, they now make “slow cooker liners” you can get at the grocery store – even simpler!
• A slow cooker on low does not burn food and will not spoil a meal if cooked beyond the designated time.
• When cooking on high, stir occasionally for more even cooking and improved flavor (if appropriate for your recipe).
• In place of ground meat in a recipe, you can use vegetarian burgers, cut up. No need to brown the meat!
  
• Using foods that are completely frozen in the slow cooker will extend the cooking time. For best results, use completely thawed foods, or partially thaw them in the microwave before adding to the slow cooker.
  
• Make sure the outside of the pot is not touching anything. The outside of the crock may get very hot.
  
• Recipes can be assembled and stored in the refrigerator the night before (unless they call for uncooked pasta). In the morning, place cold stoneware in cold electrical base. *Do NOT preheat electrical base! Once stoneware is in place, turn the dial to the preferred heat setting.

To adapt a recipe for a slow cooker:

Oven	Slow Cooker (High)	Slow Cooker (Low)
15 - 30 mins	1.5 - 2 hrs	4 - 6 hrs
35 - 40 mins	3 - 4 hrs	6 - 10 hrs
50 min - 3 hrs	4 - 6 hrs	8 - 18 hrs

I have a great collection of slow cooker / Crock Pot recipes from when I did a presentation for my church group a few years ago. Everyone sent me their favorite slow cooker recipes and I compiled them for the group. It has 82 recipes in it! If you'd like a copy of it, email me at cleverhomemaking (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send it your way... [**Or, if someone knows how to post a link to a pdf doc on my blog so folks can just upload it, let me know. I am obviously clueless on this concept!]

Also check out the blog A Year of Crockpotting for some great recipes. This gal spent all of 2008 cooking for her family using her Crock Pot. She even did a guest spot on Rachael Ray. :) You can also go to CrockPot.com for recipes, tips, and advice on using a slow cooker.

One of My Favorite Things: Google Reader

Google Reader is a program that checks all the blogs that you tell it to and lets you know which have new posts. It will show you updates to anything with an RSS feed. If, for instance, a blog is private, it doesn't have a feed, so you have to check those manually. Otherwise, Google Reader is awesome!

You simply log in to Google Reader and you come to a page with a listing of your blogs, with highlights on the blogs with new posts. You can either read them in Google Reader, or go to the blog itself to read it. (Sometimes authors only allow a snippet of the blog post on readers, and you have to go to the actual blog to read the post in its entirety.)

Google offers a tour of Reader HERE. From the Google Reader tour:

Stay up to date
Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you can be sure that you won't miss a thing.

Simplify your reading experience
Google Reader shows you all of your favorite sites in one convenient place. It's like a personalized inbox for the entire web.

Discover new content
Millions of sites publish feeds with their latest updates, and our integrated feed search makes it easy to find new content that interests you.

A basic explanation of a feed reader (like Google Reader) from Life Hack:

One of the core technologies behind the Web 2.0 “revolution” is RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Most websites that are updated with any sort of regularity have feeds of at least their headlines, and usually of full articles. Some sites also have secondary feeds listing their comments, videos, links, and other updates as well.

Because RSS is so common these days, keeping up with the rush of information that shapes our lives has become pretty easy (”really simple”, even). Instead of jumping from one site to another, you can keep track of all the content of the sites you visit regularly in one central place.

Why Google Reader?

While there are desktop applications that collect your syndicated content, reading RSS feeds is one task that justifies the buzz around “Web 2.0″. For reading news, keeping up with blogs, even tracking packages, little can compare with Google Reader — its easy to add feeds, easy to read them, and easy to organize them.

Google Reader offers several advantages over stand-alone desktop feed readers. First of all, it integrates tightly with both Firefox and IE7, making it simple to use. Second, you can access your feeds from any computer, and keep your reading in sync between them. Finally, you don’t have to worry about upgrades or performance issue — bug fixes and new features are added “behind the scenes” with no action on your part. And it’s free.

If you already use any of Google’s other services — Gmail, Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Groups, or whatever — you are already signed up for Google Reader; just log in with your existing account information. Otherwise, go to Google Reader and create a new account.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

One of My Favorite Things: Double-Sided Dish Cloths

I've always disliked sponges. I never feel like I can keep them clean. I have always used dish rags because they're so easy to toss in the washer when they get yucky.

A few months ago I found dish rags that are FABULOUS! They are regular dish rags, except one side is covered in a nylon mesh. These rags can scrub dried-on egg off the countertop, get splatters of spaghetti sauce off of the stovetop, and clean walls with ease.

I found mine at Wal-Mart, but I'm sure you can find them just about anywhere.

They are one of my favorite things!

One of My Favorite Things: Sinus Irrigation

Okay, so I hope I don't gross anyone out here, but I just HAVE to share my latest find with you.

First, a little background... I have suffered from hayfever and chronic sinus infections since I was a kid. My allergies bother me probably 7-9 months a year, and I seem to have at least 4 or 5 sinus infections a year. And the few months that I don't have allergies, I seem to get sinus infections from the colds I get in the winter. I am ALWAYS stuffy. Needless to say, I should probably buy stock in Sudafed and Kleenex.

Recently I was diagnosed with a sinus infection after suffering with a nasty cold for about two weeks. I took the antibiotics for ten days as prescribed, and felt better about 48 hours in. About 3-4 days after taking the last of the antibiotics, I either got another cold, or the sinus infection was back. Either way I was MISERABLE. I had read about sinus irrigation on a friend's blog and decided (since nothing else was working) to give it a try. I went out to my drugstore and purchased the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Nasal Wash starter kit. I followed the directions and within 48 hours I felt back to 100%. I went from being almost sure I had another sinus infection to feeling just fine! All without any drugs or antibiotics. I was convinced this was a miracle device, and I had to share it!

What it is (for those still reading...) is a little bottle with a cap that has a straw attached to a hole in the top. You fill the bottle with warm, distilled water and add a little packet of "pH balanced sodium chloride & sodium bicarbonate mixture" that comes with the kit. You gently shake it to mix it. Then you lean over your sink and put the hole in the cap against one nostril. You gently squeeze the bottle and the warm solution goes up one nostril and out the other. You use about half the bottle, then blow your nose gently and do the other side. You experience a split second of unpleasantness at the start, then it's not a big deal. It feels much like when you get water up your nose, but it only lasts for a second. It doesn't burn or hurt at all. It is WONDERFUL to get all the mucus, allergens, pollutants, bacteria, etc OUT of your nasal passages. And even Doctors applaud its usefulness.

The website says it helps with:
• Nasal Allergies & Dryness
• Sinusitis, Rhinitis
• Allergic Asthma
• Post Nasal Drip
• Sinus Pressure & Nasal Stuffiness
• Nasal Symptoms from Flu & Cold
• Nasal Irritation from Occupational Dust, Fumes, Animal Dander, Grass, Pollen, Smoke, & House Dust
• Nasal Congestion

No, this is not a paid endorsement. But I do "endorse" this product fully!

Lately I've been using my Nasal Wash every couple of days and I still love it. It helped me get through my last cold taking a LOT less medication. This one of my favorite things! Crazy, huh?

Have I grossed you out yet? :)