Diaper Diva!!!

Stripping Diapers is not as fun as it sounds. Those diapers can get pretty nasty on ya. How do you know if you need to strip your diapers? Are you waking up in the morning to a baby who seems to pee pure ammonia, is your little one suffering from a "redness" or "rash" in that area? Then you may need a diaper stripping day!!! ( I try to make it sound fun ) Thank goodness I did all the trial and error and can relay the proper procedure. Hooray!

The Supplies Needed

So, all you need to use is probably under your sink, and in a drawer. Dawn Original Dishsoap, A plastic/wodden spoon, and rubber gloves. The gloves aren't for what you would think, we are gonna be elbow deep in some boiling hot water.

pans for water

• Gather all diapers, and separate individual parts as necessary. 
• Fill pots with warm water and set on stove to boil.
• Pour 1 tablespoon of Dawn Original Dish Soap into empty sink.
• Fill sink with boiling hot water, (not all the way, you are going to put diapers in there.)
• Let the diapers/inserts (separately) soak for about 20-30 mins.

Sink Soaking

After your diapers have soaked for a bit, they should be somewhat warm to touch, put on your rubber gloves and get ready for a workout. Here you are going to want to apply friction to your diapers/inserts. Kind of like rubbing your hands together, but with a diaper/insert in between. Individually work each piece and set aside. This is where I drain out my water that I soaked my diapers in. Move everything to the washing machine. We are going to have to check our settings here to ensure maximum removal of detergents/products from diapers.

Temperature Controls

This is where I ran into MAJOR issues with stripping. If you do not have a warm rinse cycle, prepare to boil more water. (fun, fun) So, you have moved all items from the sink soaking and placed them into your washing machine. Set the washer to the lowest possible water setting, DO NOT add additional soap. Here you want to start a wash cycle with HOT wash and WARM rinse. You will need to rinse until the water is no longer "sudsy". If you do not have a warm rinse, you can make one. Allow the wash cycle to complete, when you hear the sound of the rinse cycle, add your boiling water. NOTE: you will be running a "rinse" cycle several times to get the non-sudsy water you need. Which looks like this.....

Clean Rinse

I line dry, well I usually do, but in the midwest weather isn't always permitting. So the dryer is also fine. Just be sure that when you ran your last rinse cycle there were NO SUDS in the water. (there will be agitation suds, but those should dissipate upon turning the cycle off.) Don't let your washer fool you....

Finished Product

The finished product will be a clean fresh diaper that will no longer repel the liquid, or smell like ammonia. You may also notice a decrease in "rash" or "redness" if this was also a problem. Now you are ready to diaper like a pro!!!

Things I love this fall

 I am really enjoying the weather this fall, especially the past few extra warm days! We live in the heartland, and it has been quite a warm summer, so these cool yet warm fall days are very welcome. I already boxed up the summer stuff, so I am finding new and fun ways to use my old winter wardrobe...and being post baby, it's really like a whole new closet in there! So I am addicted to leggings and boots, when you pair them with sweater socks = darling! Here are a few more things I love this fall.

1.White Fringe-y Cardigan wraps!

2. Chunky Infinite Scarves

3.Sweater Socks!!!

4.Apple Cider

5.All the beautiful leaves

6.Biolage Hair Serum (all this wind)

7. Burt's Bee's Mama Bee foot Creme

8.Apple anything....yummy

9.Walks in the park at sunset

10.Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Of Course the view these days is quite eye catching. Makes you want to sit around outside and drink apple cider with your family.

Vegan & Gluten Free Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Eating healthy can taste GREAT! I whipped up a batch of these today, and they are already gone!

All you need:
1 c. low-sodium gluten-free vegetable stock or broth
1 c. fresh apple cider
1 tsp fennel seed, lightly crushed
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 tbsp Grand Selections olive oil
1 1/4 c. diced celery
1 1/4 c. diced onion
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans, optional
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
6 medium green bell peppers, tops cut off and hollowed
Fresh thyme, for garnish


All you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, bring vegetable stock, apple cider and fennel seed to a boil over medium-high heat. Add quinoa, cover and return to a boil. Simmer, covered, until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté celery, onions, apples, salt and black pepper for 5 minutes or until slightly softened.
Combine quinoa and sautéed vegetables. Stir in cranberries, pecans, thyme and sage. Spoon into bell peppers and place in a baking dish.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until peppers are tender and stuffing is heated through. Serve garnished with fresh thyme.

Easy Peasy Lemon Square's

I had a craving for something sweet that wasn't chocolate. ( I just made a german chocolate cake for my Mr's birthday ) And I wasn't in the mood for something that "heavy". Having a 4 and a half month old means I have to cook things that are quick and simple. Easy Peasy Lemon Squares to the rescue!

Ingredients:
Angel Food Cake Mix
Lemon Pie Filling

All you have to do is mix the two together. Bam, you are almost done!
Then put this incredible concoction into a well greased 9x13 pan, insert into oven pre-heated to 350 and bake until the top is golden brown (this took about 40mins)

While cooling apply a sweet layer of powdered sugar, and try to contain yourself for a moment while that all cools down...

Once they have cooled a reasonable time (because you can't wait any longer, you know it) then cut into the desired square size! It is a different texture than a regular lemon square, it is more like a thick lemon flavored angel food cake. Enjoy!

Merick's Birth Story

This is the story of Merick's birth. We waited...and waited...for him to make his debut into the world. We planned everything out, had every conceivable baby item in the house, and we thought I would be forever pregnant. Our "expected due date" was April 24th 2012, and we were 3 weeks out from then. I swear I was resigned to indefinite baby bumpiness. Soooo, since we were so far along we were willing to try anything, and I mean, Anything. I ate pineapple, walked for miles upon miles, and still....nothing! Then on the evening of May 15th,my midwife came over with a moxabustion stick, this is a stick of mugwort. (I know, it was weird to us too) this is used in Chinese medicine. Here is what we did. At 6pm that night, the midwife lit this mugwort stick, and held the burning end over several acupressure points that are linked to the uterus...these are located at the ankle,over the pinky toe, and over the belly. We did this three times on each pressure point. And she held it there until I could no longer stand the heat. And during this situation, I started having contractions! I was elated, thinking, could this really be it? So the midwife completed our visit and said to call or text should anything happen....

So, after that, we decide to go out to eat. At around 8pm. during the course of dinner,the contractions got closer, and stronger. We were going to meet our little guy soon! We finished our meal,and seriously debated shopping...lol. We decided against it. Once we got home, those contractions really kicked in. We waited to call the midwife until midnight, partially because I wanted to be sure this was the real deal. So, we called, she said to get the birthing pool filled up, and she would be right over. Once the midwife got to our house everything was ready. Lights were dim, candles were burning, and the pool was filled up and in place in the middle of our dining room. I was in serious labor. Walking, or should I say swaying and rocking, around the house, I wanted to wait to get into the birthing pool. I had read that the longer you wait, the more effective at pain management the water would be. So, what I would say was around 1:30 am, give or take, I made my way into the pool. It took the pain away INSTANTLY! All I could feel was a great sense of pressure, and I mean serious pressure. We all sat around the pool in low light, waiting for something to happen, for this labor to progress...at some point I heard a "popping" sound. This was the bag of waters breaking, after this, things got going quickly and I was in another world...I would call it a trance like state, or something similar. At some point, my midwife told me to reach down, and feel if I could feel Merick's head coming down the birth canal. I did, and at that moment, it was all so real and I was all too ready. From here, I have to go on what my man has described to me as to what happened,because I was seriously on another plane of existence. I started making animalistic noises, and grunting and wailing like some wild woman. I got into a position where I was against the pool, looking at my man, and holding his hands. All I remember was bearing down and pushing. I felt his head emerge from me, and after a bit more pushing, Merick was born in the water at 3:14am May 16th 2012. "my baby, my baby" is all I could say. I turned around and scooped him up out of the water. He was PERFECT. He did not scream or cry loudly, just a few little whimpers...as I sat in the pool, his father and I lovingly gazed at him for what felt like hours.

Soon after we made our way to our bed, and cuddled and started to breastfeed. Our midwife and her assistant made breakfast and cleaned up after our birth. She checked our son while he nursed and lay in our arms. He got an agar score of 9! He was wide eyed and alert the entire time. We slept with Merick in our bed that morning, and enjoyed our little miracle. I am so happy to have him in our family, and in our lives. The home birth was an amazing experience, and I am blessed to have had such a great midwife to attend it. Welcome baby Merick, you are loved by many.

The Best Caramel Popcorn

This is the best and the easiest recipe to make caramel popcorn. You only need a few ingredients...A bag of popcorn (I used the pop-up bag), Corn Syrup, Butter, Brown Sugar and Baking Soda...(Peanuts if you are gonna get fancy!) I made this in literally 5 minutes. OH SO GOOD!

Fast And Easy Caramel Popcorn Recipe - Low-cholesterol.Food.com - 223576

Belly Pics, and News

So, it's been about a month, and things around here have been crazy! We are getting things together for our homebirth, it's quite a task, that couples with getting ready for baby is a lot going on! So....we got our maternity/family photos back, and they are so nice. I wasn't sure about them, since I don't exactly feel photo shoots are a great idea right now, but they are going to be a treasure in the future. Not only that, I actually like them. Let's face it girls, we know when you are an extra 30-50lbs, you don't really want to be on that end of the lens. But we are so excited. Our little one will be here soon, we will be at 36 weeks or 9 whole months by Tuesday this week, and that simply means the day is getting closer. I know that we are ready to meet this little guy. Oh I dont want to forget about the sweet surprise shower we had at work for me. It was a real treat, they even had it catered by whole foods....they already know I am a nut, but it's nice they know I'm a health nut too....They really made me feel special...and not the short bus kind either...

Belly news!!! (it's a bumpdate...)

So today we got to see a 4D ultrasound of our little man. It was....breathtaking. You can feel them inside you all the time, but to actually get to view him in action was an awesome moment. Just to see how he is doing and what he is up to...also identifying those kicks vs punches. I am just so amazed at the whole process of pregnancy. It really is beautiful. Sometimes it can feel like the worst thing ever, and then a day like today comes along and you are waken to the fact that you are creating new life inside. That, alone, is awesome.

Snow and Tamales

So yesterday, my son had a snow day, I got stuck home with him ( sad huh ) due to no care. We did end up having a fun day. He shoveled the driveway and the walkway.  And I kindly rewarded him with hot chocolate... Because that's what awesome moms do. I also took the day to make some delicious tamales, I have really been wanting some and this snow day was the perfect chance!!!

The snow tamales

the shoveling son

hot chocolate reward! YAY

Bump News!

The bump at 29 weeks. He kicks alot more now, which is good ...Sometimes I need a break though, and the kicking super hard at 5am isn't always the best way to wake up. The good part is that I will be delivering him soon, and then I get to meet this cute little belly tenant that has been growing inside for a while. The wierd part about pregnancy, is that your belly kind of sneaks up on you. Of course its not a total surprise, but it kind of catches you off guard when you are maneuvering around your tiny cubicle and realize how little space you have.....or, when you see a side view of yourself in a photo (see above)... One day it seems it can't get any bigger, and then.......VOILA, it so does....

Easy chicken enciladas

This dish saved my day, better yet id actually MADE my day...You know sometimes how you forget to take the meat out of the freezer...yea I was having one of those nights...anywho here is the recipe...

8oz cream cheese
1 cup salsa
2 cups chopped chicken breast
1 can pinto beans
Flour tortillas 8-10
2 cups colby jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350, lightly grease 9x13 pan, in a small saucepan, combine cream cheese and salsa, when melted and well blended add the chicken, put the chicken mixture into tortillas, place in pan, cover with 2 cups colby jack cheese and bake covered for 30 minutes...

This was so yummy, and we had leftovers, lunch will be a treat!

Betty's Best Chili

Getting home after 6 stinks... I worked a 10 hour day, ran to my moms to pick up the kid, talked baby shower themes with my sister  and then headed back home only to get in around 7:15! WHAT, it was already 7:15, how does this happen to me (why, cruel world, why) so I had to get dinner done and quickly. Betty to the rescue. I whipped up some chili and saved the day! I even managed to make some chocolate pudding for dessert, the 5 minute kind of course. Who has time for anything other than that. So if you like red chili and you have an instant gratification day, this is it!

Betty's Best Chili



1lb lean ground beef
1 large onion
clove garlic
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (15oz) kidney beans
Shredded Cheddar and Sour Cream as desired
Crackers (saltines) as desired

1. Brown the Meat
2.in large cooking pot, combine all ingredients except Kidney Beans, Cheese, Sour Cream and Crackers.
3. Cover and Cook over medium heat for around 30 minutes.
4. Stir in beans, increase to high heat and cover 15 minutes.

Serve, Sprinkle with cheese add sour cream and crackers as desired.
Grab your napkins and go!

The Super Chicken Casserole

Last night I was tired, but still hungry. What to do? I tried this awesome casserole. It was so tasty. The only thing I would change would be to add more stuffing mix on the top (the crunchiness is the best!). All in all, this was a great win. It has everything, starch, vegetables, dairy, and protein....how could one go wrong. The best part is, this is an easily improvised meal, if you are missing an ingredient, its SO easy to substitute another in its place.....I guess that's what makes it SUPER!!!

Super Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing, crushed
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Broccoli Soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup elbow pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots, cooked and drained

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the stuffing, Parmesan cheese and butter in a medium bowl.
2. Stir the soup, milk, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder and black pepper in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir in the pasta, chicken and peas and carrots.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the stuffing mixture.
4. Bake for 5 minutes or until the stuffing mixture is golden brown.

The Mexican Lasagna

This evening, I decided to try something new after 2 days of previous meals leftovers....Enter The Mexican Lasagna.... It was fast to make, and really simple, with only 2 dirty dishes,always a plus on a weeknight, as anyone with kids can tell you. The only thing I would do different next time around is to add more tortillas in the mix, recipe calls for only 2 layers, it would be easy to add more. So all in all this will probably be a go to another night I am tired and just want to make something quick and yummy!

Mexican Lasanga

Manicotti

Manicotti

Tonight we made this delicious manicotti recipe and it was simply DELICIOUS! I have already added this to my box!


Ingredients• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 5 1/2 ounces manicotti pasta



Directions
1. Cook manicotti in boiling water until done. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
4. Pour 1/2 cup sauce into an 11x17 inch baking dish. Fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons cheese mixture, and arrange over sauce . Pour remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly.