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Kitchen Tip: Got Dry Bread? Make Bread Crumbs!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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I hate it when I have to throw out a food product because it went bad. It makes me feel like a wasteful person. Sometimes we have bread that gets a little dry and crusty - not quite edible - like those end pieces of the wheat bread we buy...no one wants those.

Instead of tossing the bread, I save it in an open container and let it dry out completely. Once dry, grate it finely on a grater and store in a closed container. Now you have successfully made your very own bread crumbs to use in your favorite recipes! Enjoy! And be proud you didn't toss that bread.

Labels: Kitchen Tips, Recipes

16 comments:

CLOSED Juice Beauty Organic SPF Review & Giveaway

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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eJuice Beauty's mission is to bring skincare with the highest percentage of certified organic ingredients to customers worldwide. Juice Beauty created an antioxidant rich organic juice base, which means that every drop feeds your skin with powerful antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins, minerals and more! And this organic juice base, to which we add luxurious ingredients like organic jojoba or shea, brings our total organic content to a very high level. Juice Beauty has already received one patent on our unique formulations and we have several patents pending.

Labels: Beauty Products, Giveaways, Organic, Sun Care

294 comments:

I Need an Intervention

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Hi, my name is Aleksandra, and I'm a clingy mom.

I love my family. My life revolves around them, as it should. I love my job, too, and the life it affords us. However, outside of work, all I ever do is spend time with Lily and Adam. I mean, look at those two smiling cuties in the picture (we went blueberry picking early in July) - how could I NOT want to hang out with them in the little free time that I have? In Lily's nearly three years of life, we have been out alone to dinner two times when my family was in town visiting. We meet for sushi lunch dates and have alone time in the evenings, but I just can't bring myself to leave her with a babysitter and miss out on my nightly ritual of reading and snuggling and putting her to bed. I feel like one day she will be "too old" to snuggle and rock with me, and that's when I'll make the jump to a babysitter.

It really hit home when we were reading a book about a babysitter and Lily asked me what a babysitter was. I explained that it was someone who would come over to watch her while mommy and daddy went out. She literally chuckled and said "nooo, that's silly, I can just come WITH you." Adam and I used to go out alone at least twice a week. Heck, I haven't seen the inside of the movie theater since before Lily was born! The other month we went out to a nice restaurant with her and she inhaled most of my $26 sea bass entre while I got stuck with her cheese pizza. I told you, I need help.

So, what to do? I guess this is the first step to recovery; I've admitted I have a problem. Maybe I'll see if one of her daycare teachers could babysit. Maybe :)

Labels: My Life

10 comments:

CLOSED Gorton's Seafood Review & Giveaway

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Gorton's Seafood has been in business since 1894 and they run their business by a motto many of you may already know: Trust the Gorton's Fisherman.

Gorton's sells a wide variety of products - grilled tilapia, grilled salmon, grilled shrimp, grilled cajun blackened fillets, grilled garlic butter fillets, fish sticks, and lemon pepper battered fish fillets to name a few. You can view the full selection of the Gorton's products on their website.

Not only is Gorton's easy and quicker to prepare, but it's healthy for you! The FDA recommends consuming at least two servings of fish a week. We LOVE fish at our house - even Lily requests salmon for dinner so this evening I was able to oblige with the delicious Gorton's grilled salmon. Now, I'm a salmon snob. We purchase it fresh and like to grill it on cedar planks covered with fresh lemons. I was not expecting to really enjoy the Gorton's grilled salmon and to watch Lily gobble it up. I meant to save some for Adam (he comes home later) but...sorry, honey! Best of all - after a long day at work, it is a quick and healthy meal I can throw together without much trouble or time. I'm sold - thanks, Gorton's!

Labels: Food, Giveaways

380 comments:

Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta Recipe

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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This recipe originally started out as a shrimp, tomato and basil dish, but of course I rarely stick to a recipe and have twisted it into my own tasty (or so I think!) creation. It is easy to make and relatively healthy.

pasta of your choice, cooked and set aside
several cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
chunk of fresh ginger, finely chopped (it is rather spicy and adds quite a different flavor - we love it but you may not! Omit if you are weary!)
1/2 to 1 cups of pasta sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 large tomatoes, diced finely (or 14oz can diced tomatoes if you are out of fresh like I was)

bag of shrimp, remove tails

fresh basil, chopped (sometimes I substitue cilantro - I told you, we have odd tastes)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil on low heat. Do not burn - nothing ruins a meal like burned garlic! Add tomatoes and pasta sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. I usually add some salt and pepper here. Toss in shrimp and basil, then simmer another 10 minutes. Serve on top of pasta of your choice. I was trying to use up some rice pasta here (hubby said it was good, but I beg to differ). Lily loved her meal and said "need more shrimp here, but dig out those spicy gingers!" Here she is saying "cheese" with a mouthful of pasta - what a ham for the camera!

Labels: Recipes

9 comments:

CLOSED Red Letter Rising Necklace Giveaway

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Red Letter Rising sells lovely handmade custom jewelry, coasters, gifts and more. Corie is the woman behind Red Letter Rising and first-time mom living in California. Red Letter Rising is a wonderful representation of Corie's creativity - I was impressed by some of her projects and the photographs on her blog. Corie is also a new mother and has been posting the more adorable pictures of her baby on her blog, too. I love seeing the updates!

Labels: Giveaways, Handmade, Jewelry

351 comments:

Jamba Juice Smoothie Review

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Jamba all natural smoothies can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere. Just add juice and blend! Jamba Juice smoothies are loaded with all-natural premium fruits and yogurt. Jamba Juice fat-free smoothie kits include a healthy antioxidant boost, one full serving of fruit and 100% daily value of vitamin C.

Jamba Juice flavors include:
•Mango-a-go-go®
•Razzmatazz®
•Strawberries Wild®

Labels: Food, Health, Reviews

1 comments:

Book Review: How to Choose The Best Preschool For Your Child

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Lily will be 3 in October, and while she is currently in daycare, my husband and I are already thinking about pre-K and Kindergarten programs. Unfortunately she misses the state September 1st cutoff to start pre-K next year, so we are investigating private options and other programs since she is currently at the head of her class (her daycare teacher rocks!). I mean, the child came home naming all the planets and telling me the sun is stationary and patterns in the sky are called constellations. It was so cute to hear such big words coming out of her mouth! Oh and she told me Saturn's rings are made of ice and rocks and the planets revolve around the sun....OK, I'll stop now, promise!

Anyway, I received a copy of How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child by Jenifer Wana and was excited to start this book. It is easy to read and well-organized. I feel more prepared for what is to come. I really liked the "Real Parents Talk" quotes and insights included in the book, too. I will be sharing this book with my friends who have children Lily's age.

Labels: Books, Reviews

1 comments:

CLOSED Herman T's BBQ Sauce Review & Giveaway

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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I love BBQ and BBQ sauce. I use BBQ sauce in many of my recipes - homemade burgers, meatloaf - even mashed potatoes! I like to try different sauces and recently I had the opportunity to try Herman T's BBQ sauce mix thanks to the Family Review Network . Herman's T's BBQ sauce was created by Herman T Jones back in the 1950’s and his grandson has recreated the original recipe to share with the masses.

Labels: Food, Giveaways

103 comments:

5 Minutes a Day: Pantry Cabinet

Thursday, July 22, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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After some of the kitchen cabinets, I hit the pantry. I have a lovely, large pantry which includes a second sink, a second dishwasher, an ice maker and a huge wall of cabinets (perfect for hoarding...just wait till I post pictures in a few days...eek!). I LOVE my pantry...it was one of the reasons we fell in love with the house! However, the storage space makes for lots of hoarding opportunities. Not one week ago I found some Uncle Ben's that expired in 2004 (it was still edible - don't judge). There are some closed cabinets in my pantry that are stuffed to the brim. One belongs to Silvia, my hero and the savior of my marriage (she's the cleaning lady of the gods - and a savior because we no longer fight about cleaning!). The other belongs to us and has all sorts of random stuff in it. It looks nice enough from the outside...

Ahh! Light bulbs, picnic/lunch bags, old paint cans, old toys I've been meaning to donate, Ziploc storage bags purchased 3 years ago, a party bag stuffed with bows and ribbons that I'm SURE to use "one day," a bag of packing bubbles. Disaster. But at least it was easy work to clear it out and organize given the inventory of junk!

Labels: 5 Minutes a Day, My Life

9 comments:

CLOSED Zutano Kids Clothing Review & Giveaway

Thursday, July 22, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Zutano is a Vermont-based designer of children’s clothing and their Itzy Bitzy boutique is dedicated to showcasing its premier line of newborn and preemie clothing specially designed to fit newborn babies in their first days of life. A shopper can mix and match to create their own outfit for that special baby or purchase a coordinated giftset.

Labels: Baby Products, Giveaways, Kids Clothes

484 comments:

CLOSED CRICKET Children's Magazine Subscription Giveaway

Thursday, July 22, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Cricket Magazine Group began with the launch of the children's publication Cricket Magazine in 1973. Our current publications for young readers include fourteen different kid's magazines spanning ages from toddlers to teens and focusing on Literature & Imagination, History & Culture, and Science & Ideas. The mission of CRICKET is to inspire children to a lifelong love of reading and learning. In addition to our fourteen children’s magazines, CRICKET offers a unique assortment of enlightening and entertaining products with an emphasis on educational benefits. The variety of books, crafts, toys, and gifts not widely available, all bring a sense of fun to the learning process.

Labels: Education, Family Activities, Giveaways, Kids Activities, Paper Products

229 comments:

Mommy, You Need a Manicure

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Lily determined I needed a manicure. "This nail is all messed up, mommy!" So I got one. Daddy did, too. We love green play dough nail polish! Although I think it looks brown to Adam (...shh...he's a little color blind with green/brown...we still love him!)

And yes, my child knows all about manicures. She's often told me "this nail's peeling off, you need to take care of it, oh wait I peeled it myself!" Apparently we have brittle nails. And FYI, she picked that outfit out herself. What can I do.

Labels: My Life

21 comments:

Conversations With Lily: Manners Tutorial

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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My child is very prim and proper. Don't get me wrong - Lily enjoys finger painting and jumping in puddles and all that good stuff, but heaven forbid a bit of yogurt graces the corner of her mouth and it's all "I need a paper towel, I'm a mess, mommy!" Anyway....

One morning before my coffee and breakfast (the perfect equasion for CRANK), I may have accidentally told Adam to "hurry his a$$ along." My 2.5 year old looks me dead in the eye and says "Mommy, don't you mean his BOTTOM?"

Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant. His sweet, nice bottom. Thank you, Miss Lily!

Labels: Conversations With Lily, My Life

5 comments:

5 Minutes A Day: Lazy Susan

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Today I attacked the lazy susan cabinet, which is a misnomer since there's no spinning mechanism there (our builder rocked). We've used it to store lunch bags, paper towel rolls, random electronics cords. It's where I toss stuff when we're having company over. It's a horrible mess. This picture is AFTER I removed about 10 reusable grocery bags.

I also found cooking magazines from 2005, a volley ball, jenga game, 4 notebooks, a dilbert calendar from 2003, home building plans for the house we eventually plan to build next door, a tub of playdough, portable DVD player cables, purse-sized tissue packets, gardening tool kit/bag gifted to us 6 years ago (thanks Jason!), bag of train tracks, 3 aluminum trays, and a decorative basket with cat figurines (thanks mom!), a bag of pocket tissues, a broken hand mixer, an attachment for the blender, a file folder of recipes, an empty shoe box, a glass/plastic (?) shelf from the fridge, two binders, an old notebook. Eeek! Clearly all these items are essential :) By the time I was done the clutter was cut by half. Hopefully this doesn't mean that I've freed up room to toss stuff in there the next time we have company.

Labels: 5 Minutes a Day, My Life

14 comments:

CLOSED Golden Path Alchemy Review and Giveaway

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Golden Path Alchemy is inspired by the perfect harmony of nature. The five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water - reflect the balance of life within the universe and within us. Golden Path Alchemy is a holistic, handmade, herbal skin care company that combines Chinese herbs, Western herbs, therapeutic essential oils, flower essences and gem elixirs to create powerful healing blends that transform your skin from ordinary to extraordinary. Their products are handmade in small batches with all-natural, local and certified organic ingredients to ensure freshness and potency. Each product is rich with the all the nourishment your skin needs to reveal your radiant beauty.

Labels: Beauty Products, Giveaways

227 comments:

CLOSED Clearly Beautiful Review and Giveaway

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Clearly Beautiful

Clearly Beautiful Hydrating Collagen Masks offer a unique combination of all natural ingredients to give you the most beautiful skin you've ever had. The ingredients consist of a proprietary blend of proven anti-aging products not found anywhere else. After using Clearly Beautiful, you should see improvements immediately. Fine lines should be diminished and your skin will feel wonderfully hydrated. With their patent pending formula, your skin will continue to improve with each use. Clearly Beautiful's exclusive blend of all natural ingredients works together to increase and stimulate new cell turnover, combat past sun and environmental damage and keep your skin at optimal levels of hydration.

Labels: Beauty Products, Giveaways

166 comments:

My Compost: SunChips Bag Update

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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In early May I blogged about my coworker gifting me with an empty, used Sun Chips bag because it was compostable. I've been following its progress (or lack thereof) over the weeks and wanted to post an update. I have a compost tumbler in a heavily shaded area since it oozes black substances that stain the driveway. Check it out under the GIANT brown turkey fig tree (that tree is only about 6 years old). Below is the latest picture of my SunChips bag. According to their website it should take 14 weeks. They also have some great tips if you want to get started composting, too.

Also, for you other composters out there, I recently found an awesome list of 101 things you can compost on Karissa and Rachel's With Our Best blog. How fun! It looks I'm going to be composting a lot more stuff...starting with 3 clumps of cat hair I brushed out of my two kitties. Last but not least, I saw WORMS and wiggly bugs in my tumbler today! How exciting! Makes me wish I had a lawn so I could fill the bin with clippings.

Labels: Composting, Gardening

3 comments:

CLOSED Marble Racers Review and Giveaway

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Skulldruggery's Light Up Marble Racers combine the racing excitement of mini-toy sports cars and the classic amusement of marbles to create a fun new toy. Kids customize their Marble Racers with themed, easy to use, crack and peel racing decals, race their creations on standard tracks, and then watch as the flashing LED marble rolls to keep pace with their speeding car. Light Up Marble Racers are the anti-video game: an old fashioned-type toy that gets kids away from the catatonic video game state, piques their creativity, and helps them to interact with other children.

Labels: Giveaways, Toys

334 comments:

Starting my "5 Minutes a Day" Project

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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The other weekend while visiting someone's house (identity to remain a secret) I thought to myself "let this never be me!" Stuff, stuff everywhere, covering the counters, the kitchen island, kitchen table, just STUFF everywhere. My eye was twitching just looking at it all. I keep my counters neat and tidy. I put away all the clutter. I'm not a pack rat, right?

But this week when I opened a kitchen cabinet to get a dish and saw what was inside my cabinet, I was HORRIFIED. I had been blind to it all before, but suddenly it dawned on me that I am a closet hoarder. See the evidence below....nice cabinet when closed, cluttered with all sorts of STUFF when open...

In my nice, tidy cabinet of dishes I found the following: 1 unopened chapstick, 1 opened chapstick (not sure whose it was), 2 nail polish bottles, 1 bottle of remover, 4 note pads, 3 containers of chocolate covered pretzel sticks, half-used container of mini M&M's (potty training), a bowl of old Valentine's candy (we don't eat candy), a box of crayons, two old art projects from daycare, $300 in cash, a cup of Chuck E Cheese tokens, 3 coffee mugs, a box of stationary, an electronic labeler, and a puzzle. All these items were tucked in between my dishes. HORRIFIED!

Upon further examination, I found other kitchen cabinets filled to the brim. I mean, do I really need 10 beer cozies? We don't even drink beer from a bottle. Do I need 8 wine openers? Of course we drink (lots of) wine but 8 openers? So I started cleaning that very moment and shoving items into a bag. I tossed and recyled, sorted and organized. Then brought a bunch of random stuff to work and am hosting a daily "garage sale free for all" for my coworkers. The first day went well - only a few pens and beer cozies left on my desk when I came in to the office.

I don't have a lot of time each night after work, cooking dinner, playing with Lily, bath time, and bed time but I'm determined to spend 5 minutes a day de-cluttering my life. I was motivated to start this by my visit to the aforementioned cluttered home and also by Molly's 500 pound declutter. My own project will be to spend just 5 Minutes a Day cleaning up and de-cluttering. Who can't spare 5 minutes? Even a busy working mama can!

Labels: 5 Minutes a Day, My Life

17 comments:

her = healthy energy revitalizer Review

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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her = healthy energy revitalizer, is the first fortified active lifestyle beverage. her's pink lemonade flavor is refreshing and delicious while delivering the benefits of its B vitamin, calcium, ginseng, antioxidant and caffeine formulation. The result is a beverage with the nutritional benefits simply not offered by enhanced waters and without the typical crash of energy drinks. Whether sweating it out at the gym, scrambling to get the kids to school, cramming for that final exam or if you just need a healthy pick-me-up, her delivers the nutrition and energy necessary for active lifestyles.

her donates a percentage of proceeds to breast cancer research and awareness and domestic violence non-profits: one of the many reason's her's stylish pink and white cans have been featured on VH1 and Bravo and covered by CBS News, US Weekly and OK! Magazine, among others. With a commitment to charity and community, its easy to see why celebrities like Eva Longoria and Fergie are all about her!

I received some of her's sugar-free and original beverages this past weekend and let me tell you, they're all gone right now. I recently quit drinking soda (yeah me!!) but I'm still somewhat adervse to water so I often drink hot tea or coffee. her's beverages are delicious and a refreshing treat, especially right around 3pm at the office when I feel like the day's never going to end. On her's store locator, I saw that the beverage is available at a lot of Target stores in the Atlanta area. Yum! I'll be on the lookout for it!

You can follow her on Facebook and twitter to stay up to date with the latest developments.
This review was made possible by her. Thank you to her for providing the product for review! I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Refer to my Disclosure.

Labels: Health Products, Reviews

0 comments:

Bug Box Fun!

Sunday, July 11, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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My child loves bugs. Don't ask me why, it must come from her daddy. Although apparently when I was little, I enjoyed them, too, even though the thought of picking up a caterpillar or worm gives me violent shudders (which I try to hide from Lily). Yesterday we dug out my husband's old bug box that his grandfather (or someone) had made for him when he was little and went bug hunting. Lo and behold there were four (nasty, gross, ICKY) green horn worms munching away on our one lonely hanging cherry tomato plant. These beauties (ick, ick, ICK!) are now safely trapped in Lily's special bug box with some leaves and a lone stick. They didn't look too thrilled this morning. Maybe we'll toss them a tomato leaf or two.

Want a fun project with your child? Build your own bug box or insect habitat!

Labels: Handmade, Kids Activities, My Life

12 comments:

CLOSED Heart J Creations Handmade Review and Giveaway

Sunday, July 11, 2010 Posted by Aleksandra Nearing

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Heart J Creations offers customized, handmade bath and body luxuries. Jodi's handmade products are deeply scented and wonderful on your skin. She offers many different scented soaps using essential and fragrance oils along with great body care products. You can create a custom belnd fragrance, too! What a fun gift idea for yourself or a loved one. All of the Heart J Creations handmade soaps are natural with moisturizing ingredients such as cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil and glycerin. Her handmade soaps will get you clean while moisturizing your skin with natural oils. You can even shave with them since the bubbly lather is rich & creamy.

Labels: Bath Products, Beauty Products, Giveaways, Handmade

540 comments: