Diaries of a Domestic Goddess

How to Organize Your Life

2013-05-16T15:45:48Z

Do you ever feel like you’re drowning? Like, no matter what you do, it’s not good enough or you don’t have enough time to accomplish it all?

That’s how I’ve been feeling lately. My house is a cluttered mess, yet the more I get rid of, the more cluttered it seems. I have renovation projects that have been started, yet there is never any time to finish them. The kids are busy with school and sports, so I’m always running them from one place to another. And to top that all off, my husband travels A LOT for his job. So needless to say, I feel a lot of pressure on my shoulders to keep it all together and I fear I’m failing miserably.

Yesterday, after staring at a wall for about an hour (literally), I realized I needed to take charge of my life. Sure, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t miserable…because I am. Who likes to feel this crazed and alone? There are so many aspects of my life that I am not happy with. I mentioned a few with my house and not having enough time, but I am also unhappy with how I look and feel. I spoke to a friend about a week ago about this and she gave me some good advice…“start scheduling things out”. So that’s exactly what I am going to do. Schedule my life. But in scheduling my life better, I am going to start scheduling some me time in there also. Not everything has to be about the house, my kids, my husband or even this blog.

About a month or two ago I lost my blogging planner. Now if you read my post on that planner, you would know how much I love that little planner (though I recommend getting the larger one. I hate writing small). I have no idea what I did with it. It’s no where in my house, so I must have set it down somewhere when I took it with me someplace. At any rate, I’m lost without it. As a side note, if you would like to purchase a blogging planner for yourself (which I truly recommend you do), please feel free to use my affiliate link. Yes I get a little back from you using my link…I’m saving for a MacBook Air. I’m thinking I will get one around 2016!

Anyway, yesterday I decided to get my life in order. To do that I needed a planner. Sure I could use the calendar app on my phone, but I needed something a little more than that. I also needed it now. So I ran to Office Depot to see what they in their planner department. All they had were a bunch of planners that started in July 2013 and ran until August of 2014. That wouldn’t work. Feeling a tad discouraged, I went to Target for a little retail therapy. As I was walking down their aisle with planners I saw one that jumped out at me. Not only did they have one that was undated, but it also has a menu planning section, and the calendar section was broken up into “Mine” and “Theirs” sections.

While I like this and will use this, I still recommend the blogging planner and fully plan to purchase a new one once I have a little more cash in my Paypal account.

So what did I do first? I flipped to the calendar section and wrote in all of the kids appointments, practice schedules and games for this week. Next I wrote “gym” as the first thing for me to do each day. No matter what else I have going on each day, the gym is something I will be making time for. Finally, I wrote down the blog posts I needed to do for this week.

The menu planning section was a little more difficult for me. I’ve been a really bad parent when it comes to making dinner. I’ve fallen off my weight loss wagon and pretty much stopped cooking good, wholesome meals. Well no more! I may hate the fact that I am cooking for just me and the kids (I like family, sit down all together type meals), but this is our reality and I just have to go with it. So I scheduled out our meals for the rest of this week and I took the meat that I need out of the freezer so it will be thawed and ready to go!

It’s a start. I’m hoping that in a month I will feel less like I’m drowning and more in charge of my life. I’m also hoping to get my blogging planner back!

What do you do to keep life from running you over?

Ivory 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash Review

2013-05-15T17:44:43Z

I love shampoo. It’s an addiction of mine. It drives my husband absolutely insane. When I was in high school and was reading YM magazine, I remember reading an article that said we should not use the same shampoo every single day. So from that moment on, I always had at least three different bottles of shampoo and conditioner in my shower at one time. And they all claim to do something different. Right now I have four bottles. One is specifically for people with brown hair (supposedly makes my hair shine); another great for the scalp…because you know, great hair health starts with great scalp health; a third bottle is for color treated hair; and the last bottle is the new Ivory 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash.

Here’s What Ivory Has to Say

Simplify your shower with Ivory 2-IN-1 power!

Cleans from head to toe with dual action formula
Washes away dirt and odor
Leaves hair clean and conditioned
Free of dyes and heavy perfumes
Saves shower space with just ONE bottle
50% more than other 2-IN-1 brans
Made in the USA

I was a tad skeptical to try this. I usually need a lot of conditioner in my hair to weigh it down. While I didn’t care for this as a shampoo, I love it as a body wash and to shave with. My husband and kids, however…they really liked it as both a shampoo and a body wash.

Zachary, who likes to see just how fast he can shower, likes the fact that he only has to use one thing and be done with his shower. I really think he puts it on his shower puff and rubs it literally from head to toe! I’m serious!

Bella, who is going through that “I don’t want to shower” phase, also likes that she only has to use one product and be done. However, as her hair gets longer, I’m thinking she will also need a little more conditioner to weigh her hair down. But for now, it works great!

If you would like to purchase this product for your family, you can pick it up at Walmart, Target and drugstore.com and it runs about $3.50.

For more information, you can check Ivory out on Facebook and Twitter.

Doctor Visit Update

2013-05-14T16:23:33Z

This has been the longest week of my entire life. Last week I told you about a little issue that came up at my annual exam with my girly doctor. Everyone told me to just “sit back and relax” and “it is what it is and we will deal with whatever it is“. But let me tell you, that’s a little easier said that done. I had a million and one thoughts going through my head this past week. And my way of handling stressful situations is to crack jokes. So when I started to over think things, I’d look at my husband and say:

“Well if something bad happens, at least I’ll get a matching set in the end”

“Just figures. It takes me forever to grow my hair long and then this potential issue pops up”

I know for some, my joking around may seem inappropriate or insensitive, but for me, it was the only way to cope with the week of unknown and scary thoughts. Thankfully I only had to worry for a week (originally it was going to be two weeks, but the nice woman scheduling appointments got me in sooner). Today was my appointment. I did ask my friends about how mammograms are done. It’s almost embarrassing to admit what I thought they did when they did mammograms! Watching This is 40 last night helped give me the visual of a mammogram, as well. And while my boob was in the vice today, I did start giggling…if you saw the movie, you would know that she started yelling “hey that’s my boob in there“!

While I didn’t start yelling like the main character in the movie, a few obscenities may have come out here and there. The first few images didn’t hurt at all…sure it was uncomfortable, but it didn’t hurt. BUT, the last three the tech did on my left side (the questionable boob), did hurt. Especially the very last one. She pulled out a smaller plate smasher thing and told me that this would take a much clearer and more magnified image. I took one look at that thing and knew it was the Titty Torture Chamber. Boy was I right! She got everything set up and told me it was going to get a little bit tight. Not bad so far. Then it got a little tighter. Bearable, but starting to hurt a bit. Well then she clamped that baby down quickly and told me to take a deep breath and hold it. Unlike all of the other times, once the machine was done taking the image, the clamp did not let up. I had to stand there and wait for the tech to hurry back and release a bit of the pressure, all while she’s telling me to not move. That one HURT!

So after the mammogram and the ultra sound, I waited for about 15 minutes before I was called back again to hear the results. I have NOTHING to worry about, right now. My boobs are very dense and it’s that dense tissue I am feeling. She said that unless my doctor says otherwise, I can wait until my 40th birthday to repeat the Titty Torture Chamber!

Thank you for all the good thoughts and emails you sent my way. They were very much appreciated!! Yay for good news!

At Home and On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas with Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat

2013-05-14T03:38:52Z

When I can, I like to make all my bread from scratch…but let’s face it, I’m crazy busy with the kids and the last thing I have time for is kneading bread dough. So as an alternative, I buy the (following link takes you to Arnold bread) Arnold Italian bread. I like that it doesn’t have any high fructose corn syrup in it. Despite that stupid commercial with the people eating Popsicle’s, it’s not good for you!

Recently I was asked to try out the Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Sandwich Thins. Since I love the brand, I definitely jumped at the chance! My husband and kids really like to eat breakfast sandwiches. Using the Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Sandwich Thins, we made the following breakfast sandwiches (I had pictures, but my daughter decided to delete them, so imagine how delicious they look!):

Egg, Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients

Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Sandwich Thin
1 egg
Ham
Swiss cheese

Directions

Toast the sandwich thin in the toaster.
Fry 1 egg and place it on the sandwich thin.
Add one slice of ham and one slice of Swiss cheese.

We’ve tried different variations of this sandwich. Sometimes my kids want bacon or sausage in place of the ham. As for the cheese, my husband and I are the only ones that like Swiss…the kids prefer cheddar cheese. You can pretty much do what you want with your breakfast sandwich.

Soon I’d like to make a bunch ahead of time and try to freeze them for even quicker and easier breakfast options!

Have you tried these before? What do you add to your Sandwich Thin?

**I was provided with a coupon to pick up a package of Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Sandwich Thins. No other compensation was received.

Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts

2013-05-12T03:04:48Z

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I know there are guys out there who are scrambling to get last minute gifts. Shoot, my husband is out right now! Target has the gifts moms want! And…if you use your Target REDCard, you can save 5 percent on all of your purchases! (please note that all of the links below will take you to the Target website. I receive nothing by posting them).

Keep Mom Clicking

Take amazing photos with the COOLPIX S01 camera! It’s tiny, but at 10.1MP, it takes beautiful pictures!
You have to have something stylish to put your new camera in, so definitely check out the Macbeth case!

Keep Mom Organized

For less than $200, you can get mom the Nook HD!
If you get her the Nook, be sure to pick up a stylus…those are a must have!
Of course you need a cute little case to protect your Nook.

Keep Mom Moving

We all know working out is not exactly fun…but make it fun for mom by getting her a Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker!
If you’re like me, you have to listen to music or watch television while you work out. Get mom the Yurbuds that are guaranteed to never hurt or fall out!

Keep Mom Accessorized

I’ve had my iphone 5 since it came out and I am STILL looking for a case. Check out the Speck Fab Shell.
Be sure to check out the Mara Mi cases for iphone 4/4S and iphone that are exclusively made for Target!

Happy Mother’s Day!! Please leave me a comment and let me know what your kids did for you!

The Words I Thought I’d Never Hear

2013-05-11T01:52:59Z

It was exactly 11:54 a.m.

I know this because I looked at my phone to see how long I’d been waiting in the room, naked, for my doctor to come in. You see, I was at my annual exam at the “girlie” doc and you have to completely undress and cover up with one of those gowns that never seem to cover you in all the places you need covered. Thankfully they went back to fabric gowns. The last time I was there they had paper gowns and by the time the doctor got to the room, it looked like I wrestled an alligator. Every time I moved, the gown ripped. Not good!

After going over the whole “what’s been going on since I saw you last” stuff, she asked me to lie back so the exam could get started. As she was doing the breast exam, she asked me if my mom or sister have ever had breast cancer. I told her no. So I was told mammograms would start at 40. I was relieved. I was in no hurry to get my boob smashed between two pieces of glass. Who is? And then the exam came to a screeching halt. The doctor said seven little words I never wanted to hear.

“I don’t like what I’m feeling here”

She had me feel and there was definitely something there. I could feel it. My heart sank and a bunch of things started running through my head all at once. I don’t even know if I heard anything else she had to say. Other than the fact that I was no longer waiting until I was 40 to get a mammogram. I heard that.

As soon as I got in the car I called the Women’s Health building on Tuesday at 8 a.m. to have my mammogram and ultra sound. Thankfully my husband can be home to be there with me. My doctor told me that I would have all the news about what exactly this mass is before I leave there, which is good. I don’t think I would be able to survive another minute wondering what in the world is going on. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. How can I not be?

I will update once I know more, but in the mean time…any good vibes you can muster up would be greatly appreciated. I almost didn’t write this post, but writing is what I do and sometimes it makes me feel better. Plus, you can never get too many good vibes, prayers or juju sent your way in tough times, right?

Say YES to Dairy Again with LACTAID!

2013-05-09T15:24:54Z

My first experience dealing with dairy sensitivities was when my daughter was just about a year old. We just started giving her little bits of cheese and yogurt. I started to notice that her diapers were horrible. Within about 20-35 minutes of eating, it would all run through it and it would be the worst smelling diaper. But the worst part of it all was that if I didn’t catch it almost IMMEDIATELY, it would burn her bottom to the point of it blistering. It was horrible. So I eliminated dairy from her diet. To my surprise, it still happened. We then realized that she couldn’t have anything that had dairy proteins in it. My life got a whole lot more complicated. Do you realize how many things has dairy in it???

I took Bella to a couple allergists and because her allergy tests came back negative for a dairy allergy, I was told I could feed her anything because she does not have an allergy and there is no need to keep it from her diet. I had one doctor even tell me that I wanted something to be wrong with her. I finally found a doctor that specialized in food allergies and sensitivities who believed everything I told him; he looked at the many pages of notes I had gathered, etc and he told me that she should not have any dairy or dairy proteins AT ALL until she grew out of this (and he was confident that she would grow out of it). FINALLY! Finally someone believed me! Bella is now six and while she can’t go crazy and drink a gallon of milk and eat a lot of ice cream at once, she can tolerate it in bits. Which is nice for when we go get ice cream. I always hated that she had to have sorbet while we ate ice cream.

When The Motherhood approached me about working on a campaign with LACTAID, I knew it was a perfect fit. Not only do I have the experience with my daughter, but I also suspect I am lactose intolerant myself. This past week I had the opportunity to speak online with Melissa d’Arabian, spokesperson for the LACTAID brand and NY Times best selling author of the book, Ten Dollar Dinners. Also part of the webinar was Michelle Harrington, RD, a pediatric dietitian I learned so much about what exactly lactose intolerance was and all about LACTAID products and how they can truly help those of use with dairy issues!

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Most people produce that natural enzyme, lactase, which breaks down lactose (sugar in milk). The amount of lactase your body produces will determine how much lactose your body can break down.

What is LACTAID?

LACTAID products provide the lactase that the body cannot produce enough of which allows people to enjoy the dairy products they love.
LACTAID products are 100% real dairy, just with a natural yeast-derivative enzyme added (the lactase).
LACTAID Lactose-Free products include milk, cottage cheese, ice cream and eggnog.
LACTAID is the nations #1 lactose-free dairy brand.

Tips for Eating with Lactose Intolerance

Eat products containing lactose with food.
Yogurt contains live cultures that help digest lactose. Greek yogurt has double the protein and less carbs, which means LESS lactose!
Aged cheeses have less moisture or whey, which means less lactose. Examples of aged cheeses are: Gruyere, Pecorino and Swiss.
Butter is low in lactose so there really is no need to cut it out of your diet, unless for health reasons.

The nice thing about cooking with LACTAID products is that you can substitute it without any modifications to recipe. You can read all about the nutritional information on LACTAID products on their website by going to this link: http://www.LACTAID.com/products. Soon I will be sharing with you a recipe I make using LACTAID milk. Be sure to tune in to the Today Show on June 25th where Melissa d’Arabian will be sharing a delicious recipe with the viewers!

Do you want to give LACTAID a try? One lucky reader will win a coupon to try LACTAID for FREE! Easy entry below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash

2013-05-09T02:57:44Z

Not too long ago I told you about two different Dial products that I really like. If you missed it, you can read it here and here. Growing up, Dial is a brand that we always had in our house. So it’s definitely a brand I trust.

When I was asked to review (please note the next link is a link to the brand website) the Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash, I was definitely in! Not only do I love Dial products, but you should see how excited my kids get when they know they get to help me review things! I’m telling you, I wish I would have video taped their reaction. You would have thought I gave them a box of Skylanders!

For 65 years, the Dial brand has been developing trusted personal care products for clean, healthy skin. The Dial brand now enters into the kids’ personal care segment with new Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash introducing age-appropriate variants to address the specific skin needs of children.

Developed with Pediatric Dermatologists

Tear free
Hypoallergenic
No artificial dyes or added parabens
Ph balanced

For Children Ages 2+

Perfect for children aged 2-5 that have outgrown traditional newborn soaps yet are not ready for adult strength body and hair wash.
Dial Kids Peachy Clean variant provides ultra gentle cleansing with a fun, light scent!

For Children Ages 6+

For children ages 6+. Dial brand offers mild cleansing without drying out your child’s delicate skin.
Dial Kids Watery Melon and Berry Cool variants contain bright, vibrant colors and fun scents that take bath time to a while new level of fun!

Bella is like me…she likes shampoos and soap. My husband fears we will go broke when she’s a teenager when it comes to shampoo. I have an obsession. If you looked at my shower right now, you would see 5 different brands of shampoo and conditioner. And yes…my daughter and I use them all…not at the same time, but in the same week, sure! So Bella was VERY excited to try a new shampoo, especially one that smells so good!

Zachary…he was more excited that I bought him one of those shower puff things to use to wash his body. Though, I’m thinking that may have been a mistake. He was taking a shower and I told him to only use a little bit of soap on the puff. I think he used half the bottle. There was so much soap in the shower, it was nuts! But I will say, it is DEFINITELY tear free!

A 12-ounce bottle costs between $2.99 and $4.49.

After you check out MY Facebook page and “Like” it, head on over to Dial’s Facebook page and “Like” them too!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey on DVD

2013-05-06T19:14:00Z

When my son was little, we took him with us to AAA. As soon as you walk in there is a huge Magic Kingdom display with the castle and characters. My son looked at it, eyes super wide and says:

“What is this place?”

Um…what? How does he not know? I thought every kid knew about Disney World! Apparently my child was the only kid who had no clue about Disney. However, I think the second Bella was born, she knew about Disney and all of the Disney Princesses (especially Arial). One of her favorite shows on TV was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I really liked that I could put that show on for her and not have to worry about what she was watching. I knew it was always appropriate.

For the first time, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse will be on Disney DVD on May 21, 2013, with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey.

Synopsis

Join Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and all their pals in the newest Clubhouse crusade. When the legendary Crystal Mickey goes missing, Mickey and friends go on an adventure to save the Clubhouse from losing its magic. Grab your hat, buckle your seatbelt, and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for the Crystal Mickey!”

There’s no time to lose after greedy Plunderin’ Pete snatches the legendary Crystal Mickey statue from the Clubhouse. Without this sparkly statue’s magic, the Clubhouse will disappear forever! Can the world’s most extraordinary hero “Kansas City Mickey”, get the magical statue back in time? Only with the help from young viewers at home…and the right Mouseketools can Mickey journey across the Sandy Desert, brave the Rushing River and make his way through the Hidden Jungle. But watch out for Pete’s trickiest traps!

Episodes

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for the Crystal Mickey

Donald of the Desert

Donald the Genie

Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey

Goofy’s Giant Adventure

This DVD will be available on May 21, 2013. It is approximately 120 minutes long and you can purchase it for $19.99 U.S. and $24.99 Canada.

Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2013-05-06T03:09:03Z

You may remember, not too long ago, I made these AMAZING Rolo Stuffed Sugar cookies. My kids literally devoured them! Today, being Orthodox Easter, I knew my kids would probably not like the desserts at dinner so I made some of their favorite cookies for them. Though, this time I decided to change things up a bit.

Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

Rolo Candies
Chocolate Chip cookie dough (I used store bought)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Unwrap a bunch of Rolo’s to make it easier to grab one as you need it.
Eat a Rolo…come on, you know you want to! Plus, it’s part of the directions so you have to now!
Slice off a chunk of cookie dough, place a Rolo in the middle and roll the cookie dough around it forming a round ball shape.
Bake for 14 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about 3-4 minutes (sometimes the Rolo will poke through the bottom, but not always).

If I thought the Rolo Stuffed Sugar cookies were a hit, these were an even bigger hit! I brought several dozen of these cookies to my mother in-laws house and they were gone…fast! You could totally make these with your own, homemade recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough, but I wanted something quick and easy!