Month: January 2018

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

by kaella, posted in Buying Guides, Relationships

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If you are like me, you have no idea what to give the man in your life for Valentine’s Day. Plus this year we are on a budget for gifts so I wanted to find unique gifts that were affordable.

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Here are my top 5 choices:

For the Beer Lover:

Fuzzy Socks L&ZZ Unisex Funny Saying Knitting Word Combed Cotton Crew Coffee Socks for Men Women

For the Beard Men

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Beard Oil Beard Butter in Timber Mint 1 Ounce Handmade in Maine with Organic Oils Better than Beard Oil

For the Outdoorsman

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Soundbot SB210 HD Stereo Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Smart Beanie Headset Musical Knit Headphone Speaker Hat Speakerphone Cap,built-in Mic (BLK)

For the Sports Fan

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Philadelphia Eagle Black Metal Frame or choose your man’s fave team!

For the Nerd or movie buff

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Crazy Dog T-Shirts Mens Best Husband In The Galaxy Funny Nerdy Love Marriage T Shirt (Black) XL

I hope that you enjoyed my Valentine’s Day for him gift guide for this year. All of these gifts can be purchased and shipped with free 2 day shipping when you use Amazon Prime. If you don’t have Prime click the link below to start your free 30 day trial today!

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
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Happy Valentine’s Day to you and all of those you love ❤️

Kids Tissue Paper Heart Craft

by kaella, posted in DIY, Handmade Gifts

Today’s Teach me Tuesday is for the kids but adults can have making these too. With Valentine’s Day only a couple weeks away, I wanted to do a cute craft that kids could make and give as a gift or use to decorate their room. Plus, after the baby shower I have a TON of tissue paper because I just can’t throw it away so I am recycling it.

Now depending on the age(s) of the child(ren) making this craft will determine how much help they will need from an adult. An adult will need to cut a heart shape from cardboard which I used an exacto knife to do. For younger kids, an adult will need to cut the tissue paper into small squares.

Supplies:

Heart shaped cardboard cutout, tissue paper squares 2″x2″s, Elmer’s liquid glue, paint brush and string or yarn.

Directions:

Cut the heart out of the cardboard and put a hole at the top to put the string through later.

Cut the tissue paper into 2″x 2″ squares.

With the pain brush put a little bit of glue at a time on the heart so it doesn’t dry to fast.

Take the tissue square and squish it to create the texture and put it on the glue.

Keep doing these 2 steps until the entire heart is filled but make sure you don’t cover the hole at the top.

Once dry, thread the string through the hole and tie into a loop.

Now the heart is ready to be a gift or decoration.

This is a great way to let kids get creative with colors and make a handmade item.

To Tie My Tubes or Not To Tie My Tubes

by kaella, posted in Life, parenting, Pregnancy

My decision to tie my Tubes

 

I just had my post partum checkup which went very well except that I had to fight to get my surgery scheduled to tie my tubes or in doctor terms tubal ligation. The visit started out wonderfully. One of the OBs in the practice came in and we chatted about how I was feeling physically and emotionally. I was cleared from post partum depression though I do suffer from general depression, I am attempting to forgo medication until I am done pumping to feed Evelynne because the medication I need/use is one that isn’t on the approved list for breast milk. Then, I was cleared to exercise (this is what I am most excited about!) and to have sex again (not that with current events I am looking to get into this again). Then came the birth control chat….

The OB started out asking if I had an idea of what I wanted for birth control, which I explained that I was supposed to get my tubes tied in the hospital but they were understaffed (being New Years Day) so they couldn’t do it without me basically starving until they could fit me in. I was starving and needed water while breastfeeding so that was a no and I opted for this to be done at another time. She then proceeded to ask about my husband getting a vastectomy which I said he wanted to get one done as well as my tubes being tied. This where it went down hill….

She couldn’t understand why we would both want sterilization done especially since mine was a surgery. I tried to explain to her that it is my personal preference after having 2 preemies and 2 difficult pregnancies that landed me on bed rest for months. I didn’t want to repeat any risks of getting pregnant again. She went on about other forms of birth control like IUDs or repeating about letting my husband get a vasectomy….

Again, I repeated my wishes that I wanted my tubes tied not to be put on another birth control. So again, the OB asked if that was really what I wanted and AGAIN suggested I just let my husband get the vasectomy. At this point, I was biting my tongue because I really wanted to flip out. Seriously, I should have just starved and died of dehydration in the hospital and had the procedure done…

Instead, I calmly explained that I wanted to tie my tubes for my own form of birth control because you never know what will happen in the future and there is no guarantee that a marriage or relationship will last forever. No I was not going to go into the details of my marriage that is holding on by a thread but that was the gist of the situation. The look on her face was speechless. When she found her words she went on to ask if I wanted to wait to see in the future if I wanted it done. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????

I flat-out told her that the only thing I will consider is getting my tubes tied. She finally gave in and went over my options for the procedure. I picked the single, larger incision that removes both tubes. This procedure is one that reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, which female cancers run in my family, so anything to reduce my risk is a benefit to me. With my extreme anemia, we decided on waiting to perform the surgery until after my next hemotologist appointment in March to find out if I will need iron infusions beforehand. My surgery will be April 17th!

If I was younger or only had 1 child, I could see doubting my decision to go through with tying my tubes BUT I am 36 years old and have had 4 children. I am not looking to put my body through anymore torture of a pregnancy since pregnancy and my body do NOT get along. April 17th feels like a far off date being that it is only January but it will be here before I know it… now I just hope that the baby will be sleeping for more than 2-3 hours overnight so my recovery won’t be as painful.

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Create your own Coupon Binder

by kaella, posted in Couponing and Saving

It’s Savings Sunday and I am going to chat about my couponing best friend… my Coupon Binder! Through my research of extreme couponing, I learned that (after the coupons) a couponer needs to have a coupon binder to organize and keep track of their coupons. Each person has their own method to their couponing madness so I am going to share my Binder and madness with all of you!

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure page for more information.

To create a simple coupon Binder you will need:

1 Binder (I am using a 1″ Binder but I know others that use wider binders)

Scotch tape that has a matte finish because the shiny finish will wipe the pen/marker off

Sharpie or pen (I prefer a sharpie because it’s easier to write)

Clear plastic sheet protectors (I have a set of 12 but could use more to break down my categories)

Coupons of course (yes I am being a total smart ass now)

Now my preference is to use full size sheet protectors because I print a lot of coupons from the internet which tend to be on the larger size. Alot of extreme couponers use baseball card protector sheets because you can group the multiple coupons together. I tried this way and didn’t like that the sleeves required me to fold the big coupons in odd ways to get them to fit.

I use the tape to create labels for my sheet protectors. My categories are household, beauty, medicine, beverages, breakfast, pantry, frozen, meat, dairy, produce, baby, and miscellaneous. Ideally, I will get another set of protectors and breakdown these categories even more for easier organization.

The inside binder pockets are used to store my new coupons before I get them cut, the store flyer (when I can find them because our town doesn’t have them delivered to us which is just stupid!) and my receipts (because I like to keep track of my savings).

I now keep my coupon binder in the diaper bag so it’s always with me in case I need to make an unexpected stop for something.

This week’s savings update: I made this week a small trip because I was given the heads up, in the couponing group I am in, that this coming week was going to have lots of coupons and our local store was going to have super coupons. Better to get what we need and save the money for next week. What did I get? My deals…. 2 Chobani yogurts for free (could have been 3 but I forgot to take the coupon off of the printer), Orange juice for $.99, 3 boxes of cereal for $4.50, 6 pack of flavored water for Danyella for $.88 and waffles for $1.19. In total, I bought 13 items for $15! I can’t complain about that at all!

I can’t wait to see what this coming weeks deals will be!!

Brown Sugar Pork Chops Instant Pot Recipe

by kaella, posted in Food and Recipes

I’ve become obsessed with trying to create Instant Pot recipes since I received my Instant Pot for Christmas. Since I ordered the pot, along with other gifts for my mom since she doesn’t know how to really order online, I knew that I was getting this a month beforehand. I added Instant Pot tips and recipes to my Pinterest board so I had somewhere to start when I got it home.

That first time was a definite learning experience especially with timing and venting the Pot. After that initial first time I was on the go with dinners, making all kinds of meals. I was especially happy to be able to cook the meat frozen because I have the worst memory to actually take the meat out of the freezer and thaw it.

Today, I am sharing with you my simple Brown Sugar pork chop recipe for your Instant Pot. You only need a few ingredients and it’s simple to make. Add some noodles or mashed potatoes and a veggies and you have a delicious dinner!

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On saute setting, add some oil and brown the chops on each side
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Place the porkchops so that they are all in the juice you created

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Pork Chops

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A simple, delicious pork chop recipe for your instant pot.


Credit: mogulmomartisan.com

Ingredients

  • 8 boneless pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion or dried onion
  • seasoning or salt/pepper to season

Directions

  1. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode, add the oil and brown each side of the pork chop. Wipe the oil out of the pot.
  2. Add the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and onions. Heat for a few minutes.
  3. Add the pork chops. I seasoned each pork chop as I placed it in the pot.
  4. Set the Instant Pot to manual for 20 minutes. Vent with caution!
  5. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes and a veggie!

Creating A Vision Board #thankfulthursday

by kaella, posted in Uncategorized

What you want in life

About 15 years ago, I was watching Oprah and she had someone on her show that was talking about living a positive life. I don’t remember who the woman was but I remember what she was saying about mind over matter and changing your thoughts will change your life hit home. At that point in my life, I was living in a dark time and needed the positive influence to change things for the better to get out of the rut.

This woman and Oprah talked about Vision Boards and how they truly helped change their lives. Essentially, it was taking things that they wanted and put it into the Universe to become a reality by seeing these things on a board. They even presented a little kid that had a vision board which helped them stay focused and achieve their school goals. I wanted this board to change my life too!

After that show, I bought a bunch of magazines and cut a piece of cardboard to start my Vision Board journey. I didn’t know what I was really doing with that first vision board but I cut out all kinds of things I wanted for my life. Things I wanted to have, a job that I wanted, clothes I wanted to wear, an apartment I wanted to live in and other things that I can’t remember at this point. I would continually add to the board as time went on and I received some of the things on my board.

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Over the past 15 years, I have created 5 Vision Boards to help my life be what I want it to be. I have added words of things I wanted to feel like beautiful and confident, things I wanted to accomplish like running my business from home, the relationship/marriage I wanted to have in my life, things that I wanted in my life like a new phone and new computer, places I wanted to travel to like Las Vegas, even the baby that I wanted in my life and so much more. These things have all come true in my life though somethings haven’t ended the way I wanted but that is why a vision board is always evolving with your life.

For the new year, I started a new vision board but never finished it because life just became difficult. I let my vision board sit there for so long. With the new year, I knew it was time to get back to my Vision Board and my positive life. What did I want to see in my life this coming year? I want the house we have been looking to buy. I want my body to feel happy and healthy. I want to have fun and enjoy life more. I want to take my kids on a vacation and so much more! I can’t wait to keep updating my Vision Board… Are you ready to start your Vision Board today?

 

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My Vision Board for the past couple of years
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The start of my Vision Board for this year

Turning an Old Sweater into New Mittens

by kaella, posted in DIY

Turning an Old SweaterInto New Mittens

Continuing our series on turning an old sweater into something new, this week I took the same sweater from last week and created new mittens. The cowl neck of the sweater made the perfect pair of mittens. I could have done a little decorating with the yarn but I decided to keep these simple. All you need is an old sweater (the tighter the stitch the less unraveling when you cut), sharpie marker, scissors, yarn and a yarn needle. Optional: pins to keep the 2 layers together.

  1. Place the sweater on a table and optionally pin the sweater sides together to keep it in place when you trace. Trace your hands on the sweater with the sharpie. If you want a looser fit for the mittens then trace bigger then the hand.

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2. Cut out the mittens through both sides of the thickness

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3. Take the sides and put the 2 right sides together so the sem will be on the inside of the mitten when you turn it inside out. Take a long tail of yarn and sew around the mittens. At the thumb and curves, I double stitched for better re-enforcement when they are being used.

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4. Turn the mittens inside out. You can either decorate them with a yarn bow or other things or put them on and use your new mittens!

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The Increase of Hands Off Parents

by kaella, posted in parenting

plan the perfect

After trying numerous different sports and activities, Danyella has found her passion at a young age…. dance. For the past 3 years, I have supported Danyella taking several different dance classes and auditioning then making the Elite competition team. I sat in the lobby for hours while she was in class. Traveled to different competitions. Basically, I made her dance my life as well. It has been a wonderful experience for both of us…. until recently.

For this dance season, Danyella and I agreed that she could double up on some of her classes so that she move up another level in jazz and ballet. With my due date for Evelynne being in the middle of dance season, I set up Danyella’s dance schedule to be 7 classes and elite rehearsals on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This way, if I went into labor or needed anyone to take her to the studio it would be easier to fill 2 days then 5 days, like last year. Timing ended up perfect that I had Evelynne over the holiday break so Danyella only missed classes the one week because she was sick.

Typically, Danyella has looked forward to every single on of her classes because when she dances, that is when she is in her element, her zone. The past few months, Danyella has dreaded her Saturday morning classes because of the actions of some “mean girls” in 2 of her classes. These girls will talk nasty to the other girls, about the other girls to their fellow “mean girls” or to the teacher and his assistant. They will fool around in class and make it difficult for other kids to learn and take their passion seriously. They will sit on their cell phones and make phone calls during class. They will walk in and out of the class which makes the teacher or assistant have to go chase them down.

Some of the other parents and I watch and listen to all of this go on for an hour and half! These girls are 10-12 years old which means they know better than to act like the way they are but no one is there to discipline them. The teacher tries to take control of the class but these girls just laugh at him and do what they want. So where are the parents of these “mean girls”?

As a dance parent, I spend from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm at the dance studio on Saturdays because I want to make sure that Danyella feels safe during her classes. Don’t get me wrong, there are times where I have dropped her off and ran to do errands or home to deal with some stuff. Since Danyella has expressed how unhappy she is in the classes, I have parked my butt at the studio because if I need to intervene then I will.

There are a few dedicated moms or dads that stick around for the classes but not many. Even for that hour and half, the parents will drop these girls off and use the studio as a babysitter for their girls that don’t behave and then we wonder why they act the way they do. When a parent isn’t around, kids will push their limit until they find the breaking point. Is there a breaking point when the parents can’t bother to stick around for a simple class observation or to even make sure their child makes it into the class?

When did our society feel that sports and activities have become a babysitter for parents to drop their kids off and never know how their kids act? I know technology has aided in the “hands off parenting” approach but when you can’t even bother to support your child in the sport or activity they are participating in then don’t be surprised when your “angel” starts getting into trouble.

These parents don’t even want to believe that their “angels” could say some of the things they do or act they way they do. Then take the time to sit there like the “hands on” parents do and watch how their children act or be there to stop their behavior.

The actions of these “mean girls” and the hands off approach of the parents have caused other parents to pull their girls from the classes or even the studio. Danyella’s only reason to stick to these classes is because one of her best friend’s would be stuck in the class by herself. Danyella refuses to let her best friend to thrown to the wolves and be hurt by them. This shows me that I have done something right because Danyella has a loyalty to those that she cares about and loves. Maybe these “mean girls” could learn something valuable about life from the kind girls they pick on every Saturday morning.

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Finding Positivity During Hard Times

by kaella, posted in Uncategorized

I thought with the birth of my little Evelynne on New Year’s Day, that 2018 was going to be a great year…. my year. Well the trials and tribulations have just continued into this new year. So a new year doesn’t always mean a new slate, it just means adjusting your perspective and approach to those hard times that plague your life.

I am starting off this new year with having to find a new home for my family due to circumstances out of my control as a renter. I am having to make a decision that is breaking my heart about my marriage because the trust has been broken between my husband and I. I am having to make a decision about to do about going back to work and whether I want or have the heart to put my precious baby into the care of someone else. These are all changes I was not expecting to deal with 18 days into 2018…. 18 days after my little baby was born.

I won’t lie or sugar coat this at all, I have cried and cried and cried but those tears were not getting what I needed done or helping my family. My other concern about my tears is falling into post partum depression which I experienced after my first baby. PPD is not something any mother wants or should have to deal with especially if being triggered by outside circumstances.

How am I keeping the positive during these hard times? I am working on my self care. This is something I have consciously work on or I can find myself just sitting and wallowing in my sorrows for hours.

This means I am making myself get up and shower. I am making myself read and listen to my positivity books when I am sitting to pump or feed the baby. Those moments when I get down, I make myself pull out my notebook and write positive things about myself and my life. Lastly, I let myself cry when I need to cry as long as it does hinder myself from doing things I need to do for my girls and myself. (Even as I am writing this post, tears are flowing because sometimes I need to let them out).

Life isn’t always the way we want it to be but we can’t let the negativity pull us down. As a mother, I need to have the strength to be the best I can be for my children. Yes, Times will be hard and times will be sad and times will be easy and times will be happy but no matter what the times are for you… always find the positive even if it means taking the extra time to do so.

Upcycle Old Sweaters into New Slippers

by kaella, posted in DIY

Anyone who wears sweaters, has old sweaters that are out of shape, dull in color or out of style. I love to take old items that most people throw away and make it something new again. For the next 2 Teach Me Tuesday posts, I will be showing you how to upcycle an old sweater into something new just using the sweater, scissors, yarn and a yarn needle!

Today we are upcycling an old sweater into new slippers which are cozy and cute! My best tip is to use a machine knit sweater because they don’t unravel as easily as a handmade sweater.

Step 1: Cut the sleeves off of the sweater.

Step 2: Take a pair of shoes or flip flops to cut the sweater to create the soles for the slippers. You can use a marker to trace and cut the soles as well.

Step 3: Line up the sole to the cut end of the sleeve. I did pin them together just to make it easier for me. You might need to stretch the sleeve end to fit the sole.

Step 4: Cut a large length of yarn and sew the sole and sleeve together. I used a stitch that wrapped the yarn across the edge of the two pieces by threading the yarn through the yarn loop. You can use any stitch that is easy for you. For added strength, you can stitch 2 rounds.

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Step 5: this is optional! I added a weave of yarn at the top of the sleeve so I can tighten the top if I want to wear them different ways.

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Now I have a new pair of slippers for this snowy night we are going to have in New Jersey! Next week, I will be taking more of the same sweater to make mittens so be sure to stay tuned!