Wordless Wednesday- collecting acorns!

Earth Hour

Hubby and I observed Earth Hour on Saturday March 27th, 2010.  When I heard about Earth Hour it was actually that day and I was on the computer and Hubby was playing his video games. Whenever we want time to ourselves that’s what we do. He plays video games and I have computer time. It’s not a great way to spend time together but sometimes you just need alone time.

Back to Earth Hour. I’m not sure if it changed the world but I am pretty sure it changed our marriage. I text Hubby to see if he wanted to observe Earth Hour with me and he said sure. He wasn’t too optimistic but we thought it would be fun. That was at 8:29 P.M, we started Earth Hour at 8:30.

We met in the kitchen and it was completely dark. We had no plans of what to do, just to spend time together without using power. So I scrounged up all the candles I could find. Hubby opened a beer and poured me a giant glass of wine. We don’t drink often so this was a nice indulgence. We decided to play cards but we don’t know any 2-player games. We then used Hubby’s phone (shh) to look up the rules for Gin. We started playing and actually ended up sitting there for 2 hours playing cards by candlelight. We just chatted and enjoyed each other.

The next night we took our usual posts at the TV and computer. A few minutes later Hubby text me to ask if I wanted to play cards again, so we did. It was so much fun. I think we might try to make card playing a weekly thing. It was nice to pretty much do “nothing”. It was so relaxing and we really enjoyed the company.

I hope Earth Hour made in impact but if not I know it made an impact on our marriage.

Yoreganics Review & Giveaway- Closed

I am a cloth diaper mama. With that comes some challenges that you may have to overcome. My diapers were stinky. I had tried everything and in my quest to find a solution I found Yoreganics Soap Nuts. Boy am I glad I did! Haven’t ever heard of Soap Nuts? Here is a little description from their site:
   
LAUNDRY BY MOTHER NATURE
SOAP NUTS fall from the Soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorossi) found in Northern India and Nepal. The outer shells of these dried fruit berries contain saponin, which creates soap when agitated in water. They effectively clean, soften and remove odors from your laundry!

Intrigued? I was too! The Soap Nuts are natural! Don’t most cloth diaper users want to be more eco friendly? Soaps Nuts are sustainable and biodegradable; they are also USDA certified organic so there aren’t any chemicals in them. You can read more about how to get the stink out on a review I did on Soap Nuts.
Soap Nuts are very economical running about .13 cents per load of laundry! The price is $12.99 for an 85-load bag.
 

I was sent the Trio Sampler to review; it includes a trial size Soap Nuts, a 2 oz Stain Remover and a 3 oz sample of Brightens & Whitens. I was also sent one of their Organic Lip Balms to try out. 


I am already a user of the Soap Nuts so I know I love those, but I was really excited to try the Lip Balm because I am an avid chapstick user. I use it multiple times a day and always know where a tube is. I am brand loyal so I wasn’t sure if I would like this new stuff. I put it on as soon as the package arrived. At first it has a minty smell and feeling that is really refreshing. It lasted for so long I don’t even think I reapplied it for a few hours. It has made my lips so much softer I don’t need to use it every hour like I used to. I was even out once and didn’t have any gum, I was talking to people and nervous that my breath was bad so I used a little Lip Balm and my lips were all minty again and I felt confident! If you are a chapstick user, I definitely recommend you give this a try!
 

As most of you know I have a toddler, with that toddler comes many messes. In all honesty I keep a stain remover on my bathroom counter at all times. That way at night when she has any spots on her clothes I can spray it, let it sit overnight and then rinse. I was really excited to get this purse size Stain Remover from Yoreganics. Many times I can’t get the stain out because we are out when it happens and by the time we get home it’s dried and too late. I kept waiting for the perfect chance to give the Stain Remover the real test. Finally one morning I was sorting out Nat’s laundry and I found a shirt with a stain on it. Dh had undressed her the night before for bed and never said a word. I gasped; we had lasagna the night before. There is NO way this is going to come out. I ran to the bathroom and sprayed the Stain Remover right on the stain. The bottle says to leave for a few minutes so I mentally told myself to go back after 5 min. Well I lost track of time and 5 min turned into 10. As soon as I remembered I went in the bathroom, scrubbed at the stain a little bit and rinsed it per directions. The stain came right out! An overnight lasagna stain and I assumed the shirt was ruined forever. Thanks to Yoreganics Stain Remover it was saved!
Spot Before

Spot After



Giveaway:
Kim from Yoreganics is giving away a Sampler Trio & Organic Lip Balm to one of my readers!

To enter:  Visit Yoreganics and pick one of their products you would like to try. Come back here and leave a comment.

Extras:
Publically follow my blog via GFC. (1 entry)
Follow me @Kaylynbuckner on Twitter. (1 entry)
Follow @Yoreganics on Twitter. (1 entry)
Refer someone and have them mention your name. ( 5 entries)
Tweet about this contest, include @Kaylynbuckner, @Yoreganics and link back to this site or use this:" @Kaylynbuckner is giving away a Laundry Trio Sampler including Soap Nuts from @Yoreganics!  http://bit.ly/az6i2K #clothdiapers #giveaway #eco " (2x per day)

Become a fan of Yoreganics on Facebook. (2 entries)
Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)
Make a purchase from Yoreganics, come back and let me know what you purchased. (10 entries)
Watch Yoreganics Youtube Video and either favorite it or leave a comment. (2 entries)

This giveaway will close at 9 PM Est on April 10th, 2010. One reader will be selected using random.org. They will have 48 hours to reply to an email sent to them before another winner is chosen at random.

*This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was given about the product.*

Winner!!!

The winner of My First Giveaway is Madison by following me on twitter! Comment #8
 
Result: 8 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

You have 24 hours to respond after I contact you! 

Life

Times have been hard lately. Well, not THAT hard but harder for me. I know there are people out there that have it much worse. In the heat of the moment though, I don’t always think of that. I try to remind myself that I don’t have it THAT bad. Natalie was sick with a cold for 2 weeks and from that cold she got a double ear infection. ¾ of the way through her cold I got the same cold. We were both sick and whiny and miserable. Then because of the ear infections she started not sleeping. If you have ever had a baby with an ear infection, you know exactly what I mean. They are miserable but there isn’t a whole lot you can do to help them. It’s a very helpless feeling and one of the worst ones that comes with being a parent. I will admit there were many days in the last 2 weeks that I wished I was somewhere else, I wished someone could come take my child so I could just lay on the couch, I wished that Hubby could take the day off so that I could relax and get well. Those wishes didn’t come true. Instead, Natalie and I endured the 2 weeks together, we fought through it and now we are so much better! After it all she has become very whiny and clingy to me though. I leave the house and she is fine with daddy but the minute I come home she is whining at my feet. I think it’s just a phase, I am crossing my fingers it’s just a phase. In lieu of all that I wanted to share a few things I remind myself to be grateful for when bedtime seems so far away.

I have an amazing Hubby and father for Natalie. I’m not a single mother, even though it feels like it some days. He still comes home at the end of the day and tells me he loves me no matter what kind of day he has had.

My daughter is healthy (for the most part) and living and loving. She’s amazing. She makes me smile so many times a day and we laugh out loud like we have our own inside jokes but she can’t talk.

I get to stay home all day long doing the things I love. It’s not always easy but it’s where I WANT to be.

We don’t have to worry about money or bills being paid. We have a house to live in and never have to worry where our next meal will come from.

My Hubby spoils me. He really does, I don’t like admitting it but he is wonderful to me.

I have great family and friends that are always there to support me even if I’m upset over something small.

These are just a few things I like to remind myself when it seems like our bad day will never end. I tell myself tomorrow is a new day and I’m the only one who can wipe the slate clean and try to make tomorrow better than today!!

Wordless Wednesday- Hair

Tasty Tuesday

Hubby’s Grandparents came home from Florida last week! What does this have to do with Tasty Tuesday? I’m glad you asked! Grandma is one of those grandmas’s that makes everything taste so good. No matter what she has made us in the past I have loved it! She has that touch. She always finds the good recipes and seasons it just right. Ever since Hubby and I got married almost 3 years ago I have been soaking up every single recipe she will give me. I didn’t have this with my grandma and I want things like this to pass on to my kids. We went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner last week and I wanted to share the recipe that she made. I made it last night again and it turned out great!

No Fuss Chicken

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp Rubbed Sage

1 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp Seasoned Salt

1 broiler chicken (2 to 3 pounds, cut up) we both used legs & thighs just fine

¼ cup butter

2 cups chicken broth

1.In a shallow bowl, combine flour, sage, basil and seasoned salt; coat chicken.

Reserve remaining flour mixture.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter; brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to a slow cooker.

3. Add ¼ cup flour mixture to skillet; discard rest. Stir until smooth.

4. When mixture begins to bubble, stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over chicken.

5. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2 ¼ hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes and veggie.

(At the end when the chicken was done cooking I had to remove the gravy and bring to a boil on the stove and add a little flour to thicken and use as gravy).

Enjoy!!

Do you have any of your grandmother’s recipes to share? Thanks!

Little Remedies

I LOVE Little Remedies products. I haven't tried them all but I'm sure we will by the time Natalie is grown. We have used the little noses and couldn't live without it. And the Little Tummy's Gripe Wster has gotten us through many nights!

I entered into a giveaway for my blog. All you have to do is click the box and vote for my blog! Simple!!!

Taxes

I am always really good about doing our taxes right away. Hubby can usually print his W-2 off at his work on January 1st. We don’t have a ton of other stuff to claim, usually. Before this year we didn’t have a mortgage to claim. In all honesty we usually have our taxes BACK by the beginning of February.  We always have a plan of debts that we want to pay off, money we want to spend and money we want to save.

This past year we bought a house that means that we qualify for the New Homebuyer tax credit, exciting right? Well, it is exciting but when I went to file our taxes on January 15th, the form for the credit wasn’t ready. It said it would be ready by January 18th. On January 21st I finally got an email saying it was ready. I hurried over to Turbo Tax to finish our taxes so that we could get them back ASAP and get the money where it needed to go. I get over to Turbo Tax and find out that because of the form we have to submit our taxes my mail… I knew it would be a while if we did that but it would be worth the wait. Well I asked Hubby to bring me home a stamp, 4 days later and our taxes finally went out.

Now the waiting starts, I keep checking the site about every other day. I know it says to wait a week to check again but I can’t help it, surely they could get it and update the status in a day or two. So I check and check and check. Finally on March 6th, they receive our taxes. And here comes the fun part, the website says that we should receive our taxes on APRIL 6th as long as there are no errrors. APRIL 6th?!?! I filed two and a half months prior to that. I have never had a return tax this long. Now we are all bummed because it feels like our lives are on hold. Ok it’s not that huge of a deal but still we have a really good plan for becoming debt free and we want to get the ball rolling now! Not on April 6th, now!!!

There’s my rant, I’m happy for the tax credit but it really stinks that it’s going to take so long!

My First Giveaway- CLOSED

 From reading my prior posts you probably have found that I love trying new diapers. You could say I’m addicted but we won’t admit that just yet. I like to see what works and what doesn’t for Nat. Sometimes there are diapers that everyone loves that just won’t work for whatever reason for your baby, but how do you know without trying them? That’s my stance anyway!

I have been working really hard to get my blog up and going. It’s been a pretty big priority of mine lately. I have decided to do my own giveaway!

I thought I would let the winner pick a diaper of their choice up to a $25 dollar value! I will cover shipping and everything else, just contact me with your address if you are the winner.

To enter: Tell me what your favorite cloth diaper is and why. This entry is mandatory.

Extras: (will only count if you do the mandatory entry first! please leave a separate comment for each if you want them to count.)

Follow my blog publically via GFC. (1 entry)

Follow me on Twitter. (1 entry)

Tweet this post using @Kaylynbuckner and link to this post. Or you can tweet this " Enter to win your choice of #clothdiapers from @kaylynbuckner http://bit.ly/btCEAE " (once daily)

Comment on any other post on my blog. (1 entry per day)

Leave me a comment here telling me what kind of diaper you would want to try. (1 entry)

Easy Entries!!! Giveaway will end on 3/21/10 at 9 P.M EST. U.S only. Thanks!!!

PR Policy

Mommy Mischief is a personal blog written solely by me & anyone I give strict permission to.  Posts & review are honest & true to my thoughts & feelings. At this time, I do not accept paid advertising or sponsorship, however, I'd like to keep that door open, so my policy may change.

Mommy Mischief enjoys learning about new products & I am willing to do reviews and/or giveaways for my readers & friends.  I will accept & keep free samples from organizations & companies who agree to work with me as a sponsor, however, I will maintain an honest & truthful review of my experience with each product.

If I am working with a sponsor on a giveaway, I ask that the sponsor provide a sample for both myself (to review) & for my giveaway winner, as well as the shipping costs to the winner, within 48 hours of notification from me.  If the sponsor would prefer to have a discount code, rather than a sample, given to my readers, that is something we can discuss as well.

If you would like to work with me, please do not hesitate to contact me at Kaylyn.buckner@gmail.com.  I look forward to working with you & providing my readers with information about great products that are available.

About Those Nifty Nappy's

When it comes to cloth diapering I love trying new diapers, but only when recommended by someone. I don’t like going out on a limb but if someone I know loves a diaper than I’m more likely to try it. Well about 4 months ago a really good friend of mine couldn’t stop talking about Nifty Nappys. I had to see what the fuss was about. I wasn’t a fitted user; we only used pockets because fitteds were too bulky or complicated for Dh.

I got my first Nifty Nappy in a diaper swap, so it was free! As soon as the package came I ripped it open (carefully). Out comes this cute pink diaper, it was seriously the softest thing I have ever felt. Then I got to the insert and oh my! I wanted to wear it, ok not really but if I had to wear cloth diapers, I would want this one. I washed it and prepped it and got it on Nat’s little bum as fast as I possibly could (did I mention our washer was broke when I got it?)

Here is a little bit more from her blog about the mama behind the diaper…

We are a homegrown company. Vilate is the mother of 6 kiddos and is dedicated to cloth diapering. She spent years coming up with the perfect pattern and fabrics. Now we have the perfect diaper to show for all those years!

You can follow her blog Nifty Nappy.

I didn’t have her wool cover yet so I just used a PUL cover, it lasted 3 hours and the outside wasn’t even damp. I’ve never been able to let her go that long without being completely soaked! I was very happy with the diaper.

Here is a little bit more from Vilate about her Nifty Nappy’s:

    Having a diaper that fits and is trim but also breathes and is cute is asking a lot, right?
I didn’t think so! I knew it could be done if I had the right materials and knowledge. I have spent many hours on line researching cloth diapers, along with years of testing different patterns and fabrics out on my own 6 kids. I finally found the right fabrics and with all the knowledge I had acquired, I started on a diaper. The pattern of the diaper isn’t too difficult right? Well, shape does matter, how soon you curve around the leg can make or break a diaper. Then there is making it fit from newborn to potty training. I succeeded in that too! I made the perfect diaper…at least I think it is.
Qualities of the Nifty Nappy:

    * Front snapping for a longer fit
    * Trim fit – looks natural under clothes
    * Organic Hemp and Bamboo for absorbency
    * Cute fabrics for your baby’s bum

There are a few other items that are good enough to join the Nifty Nappy in this shop:

    * Wool Covers- Upcyled from wool sweaters handpicked from thrift stores, these are practically bullet proof.
    * PeachyKeen Pocket diapers – These are made with the PUL qualities in mind so there is no leaking on the edges.
    * Snappy SwimzEaze – Keeps your babies tush comfy while keeping your mind at ease, knowing that everything will stay in the diaper and not in the pool.

I now have the Wool Covers and I’m not sure how I lived without them. They are so soft and they actually work. I can put a Nifty Nappy fitted on Nat with her wool cover and she stays dry about 4 hours! I really like that they are a snap on cover because Nat isn’t so great about pull up diaper covers. So they are very easy to use. I found too that the “wings” on the cover stretch pretty far to get a really good fit. Even better, they are a one size cover! I love that, there is nothing better than one size. When you order the wool cover you tell her whether you want Girl, Boy or Gender Neutral. She doesn’t have prints listed that you can pick from. At first I was really nervous about that, I like to know what I’m getting. When I got my first wool cover it was spot on. I love the style and somehow I feel like it “fit” with Nat’s personality! Now I love ordering them and waiting not so patiently to get them in the mail to see what Vilate has come up with!

Here is my stash right now

All around Nifty Nappy is a great company with great products. Vilate has awesome customer service! I also feel like I can ask her any questions that I have or just say Hi if I see her around Twitter.

Now I hope you will take the leap too and give her a try!

Wordless Wednesday- Cheetos

First time eating Cheetos!

Tasty Tuesday

This week I was trying to use up leftover produce and meat in the house. I sometimes buy meat with the best of intentions and then forget to use it. The other day I stumbled apon beef stew meat that I purchased a few months ago and forgot about. This was great because I carrots and potatoes that needed to be used too. After a few recipe searches I finally found one that Hubby would try. It turned out awesome! It was so good that it might become a regular around here in the winter months.

So here it is!
Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Stew

* I also added parsnips chopped instead of part of the potatoes.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 hours 15 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pounds medium potatoes, cut into cubes (about 3 cups)
4 medium carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/4 cups Swanson® Beef Stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 cup thawed frozen peas

Directions:

Season the beef with black pepper. Coat the beef with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.

Place the potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic into a 5-quart slow cooker. Top with the beef. Add 3 cups of the stock, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Stir the remaining flour and stock in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture and peas in the cooker. Increase the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.

*Or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours

Do you have a recipe to share this week? Something new you have tried or an old favorite.

Green Mama?

I lay in bed tonight asking myself, what exactly is being Green? Well a quick google search brought me to a few answers like this one; Green-A supporter of a social and political movement that espouses global environmental protection, bioregionalism, social responsibility, and nonviolence. Really?

Being Green to me means being more aware of my actions and how they affect our planet. Whenever I do something I try to think of how my actions will affect our planet and future generations. I have a 16-month-old daughter and I want her to have all the resources that we have. That being said, being Green isn’t always the easiest or cheapest choice but I still try.

When I was about 7 months pregnant with Natalie I came across cloth diapers. At first, I wrinkled my nose at the idea and thought anyone who could do that was er crazy. I couldn’t imagine why you would want to cloth diaper. I did a ton of research; I was addicted to cloth diaper research. I finally got up enough courage to talk to Hubby about it, thinking he would see how much money it would save us, how great it would be for Natalie and the environment at the same time. You see I found this mind-blowing fact: it takes 500 YEARS for disposable diapers to decompose in landfills! 500 YEARS! I couldn’t get that number out of my head; we were sure leaving something behind for Natalie and her great great grandchildren probably.

I approached Hubby with the cloth diaper idea. As expected he wrinkled his nose too. I didn’t want to press the issue because it was a pretty substantial starting cost and we didn’t even have a baby yet. We had no idea how much diapers or anything else would cost once she was actually here. He vetoed my idea, as much as I wanted to CD I let the issue go. I didn’t actually know anybody in real life or online who CD’d so I didn’t have proof that it was easy and cost effective.

Fast forward about 7 months, Nat is now 5 months old. Many of my online friends have had their babies and a few of them even started CDing. I had many questions for them and they were so helpful. I approached Dh once again and he said since I was a SAHM it was up to me. I was nervous but I took the plunge. I went head first into CDs and never looked back. That was one of the greenest decisions I have made and I don’t regret it!

We also recycle and have for a while; we pay $15 a year to recycle. It amazes me how much we save on what we put in the garbage just by simply recycling. I try to use natural household cleaners but when you are raised thinking clean is that “bleachy” smell it’s hard to get away from that. If it doesn’t smell clean then it must not be clean. When I use natural cleaners it doesn’t stink but it doesn’t have that chemical cleaner smell. We also switched out all the light bulbs in our house. It's a work in progress.


Things I would like to try in the future to become Greener:
Reusable Paper Towels
We are remolding our bathroom this summer and I want to use a low flow showerhead and a water saving toilet
Composting for my garden this summer
Add one meatless meal a week
Buy naturally raised meat
Natural makeup (I’m nervous to make this switch!)

While I was writing this I found this link of 10 Ways to Go Green . I hope you find it helpful!

What ways would you like to become Greener?