Gnawing Away

As I was browsing Pinterest (yet again) I came across a recipe for teething biscuits. I thought, "Really? Hmm..." So I clicked on the link to check it out. Sounded like a great way to use up jarred baby food and rice cereal...since my picky little baby doesn't want either...at 8 months old, he wants the good stuff...the stuff that his brother and sister are eating. So, I thought it was a perfect fit. The very same night, I got in the kitchen and starting mixing up the ingredients. Half an hour later, it was cooling off in time to subdue the little dude once he started fussing later in the night.

The recipe was pinned from here. If you try it, I just want to note that I used apple sauce in place of the oil and sweet potatoes from a baby food jar in place of bananas. The dough is supposed to be uber sticky and hard to roll out...even with a layer of flour. Next time I might try some wax paper, but I think it might even stick to that. :p And once baked, the biscuit itself is supposed to be chewy as it is a teething biscuit. And that way it's a bit harder for a baby to bite off pieces and choke on them. They should be able to take their time with it. My little guy can handle little bits at a time. (Next time I will be making them smaller). And through reading the comments on the recipe post, I noticed that the author had introduced her child to it as early as 6 months.

You'll notice since it is almost Halloween, I decided to shape the biscuits like skull heads. But next time I'll just be making small bars. ;)

Short and Sweet. :)

Christmas Shopping Countdown!!!

Oh my goodness!!!! I am still scurrying around for costumes for the 3 kiddies and the hubby with Halloween a week away. Yet, despite the almost complete focus on my mission, I still notice that there are stinkin' Christmas trees up in the department stores already!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm no grinch!!! I absolutely LOOOOOVE Christmas! But I am so not ready for them this year. I'm usually counting down the weeks and days, but it seems that this year it just kind of snuck up on us. How in the world did that happen? Just in case it has snuck up on you, too, Christmas is exactly 9 WEEKS AWAY!!!!

Even if Christmas is not your thing, are you ready for those insane Black Friday deals?! That's part of the fun for me, going out the day after Thanksgiving to wait in line in the middle of the night for some awesome deal I've been waiting and researching for. But according to the local news, they are saying that Black Friday isn't that big of a deal anymore. Gasp! You can get just as good of deals right NOW!! From the news segment I saw, I've come to understand that certain retailers like Wal-Mart will be price matching even prices you find on the internet instead of just local competitors. So, if you find the exact same item on Amazon.com, show them the price offered online and they will give you the item for that amount. Pretty sweet, huh. But there are some pretty sweet deals to be found on deep discount sites that are becoming a huge trend these days. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for Christmas gifts now. I will list off a few of the ones that I frequent!

- 1saleaday.com - Here you will find electronics and jewelry for super cheap! Every day they have a Flash sale, as well.I have found a couple of items off of here that I've enjoyed. I haven't come across any significant issues with any of the products so far and they sometimes even offer Free Shipping which always works in my favor!!!

- nomorerack.com - This site has seriously grown since the first time I started shopping on it. They used to have such a small list of items and now they offer tons! The products range from electronics, toys, clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry and so much more. Shipping is only $2 per product and you can receive a $10 credit for every friend you refer that purchases from the site. I have bought several items off of here and have yet to be disappointed. Most items are at least 50% off, but usually a lot more!!!

- zulily.com - This site is great for keeping up with trends for the whole family and innovative home wares that are fun and modern yet practical. The shipping is slightly delayed because they do not order the items from their retailers until they have a buyer count. And some of the items can be a bit pricey, but this is because we are talking boutique quality...not mass produced and generic...and they constantly have new items every day. They also offer a credit for referring friends so please go ahead and click the link and check out what they have to offer. :)

There are also sites out there that offer discounts in other ways! Go to Mrrebates.com for small rebates on purchases made from huge retailers. And go to retailmenot.com for discount codes that you can apply to your online purchases as well. There are so many ways to save online.

However, if these sites are not for you...you're the type that likes to touch and smell and flip an item over and over before purchasing it...there are ways to save in your local mall as well. With your smartphone, download the free "Coupons App," which locates your position by GPS if you allow it to and up will pop coupons for stores and restaurants in your area. You can also plug in your location or search a specific store. This app even allows you to locate the cheapest gas in your area. I always check this app when I'm out!!! You can also sign up for mobile deals from Target. In doing this, they will text you mobile coupons straight to your phone and you can have it scanned at the register. Worth noting: You need to have access to the internet to use the coupons, though.

Now, back to my online browsing. :) Shop your little hearts out in the mall, online or at my Etsy shop.

Have a great night!

Splitting Chores or Heading to Splitzville

Earlier in the week, or maybe it was late last week (who knows these days), there was a lot of attention in the news media surrounding a foreign study that claimed that couples who share chores more equally are more likely to divorce. The conclusion was based on the correlation between couples who share chores and having a more modernized POV on marriage. They claimed that modern couples who no longer deem household chores as women's work don't put as much emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and are more open to the idea of divorce. It is also significant to note that within those couples who share household chores, women are more financially independent as well as they are working outside the home and rely less on their husbands as breadwinners. I can see where they are coming from. There is definitely a link among these ideas.

Now, in my own personal relationship, my husband and I do share the chores. Whether or not they are equally distributed is another argument. :p However, I do rely on my husband to help more with the children and at times to make a meal for the family and even to help pick up around the house. Yes, I do have a modern idea of marriage, but we each have different standards of the way we want things done within the household. And in those situations, we take a more prominent role in fulfilling them. For example, I like a clean house, but with 3 kids I am not going to trail 2 feet behind each one of them picking up every crumb and toy. My husband on the other hand does not understand why he comes home to a house where toys are flown about and crayons on the wall and open containers of food sitting on the counters. So, he is often hollering at them to pick up after themselves or cleaning (also known as tossing) these displaced objects. And I do well to pick out the cutest outfits for the kids and myself and therefore I am in charge of laundry, otherwise we would all have pink tie dyed wardrobes. On the other hand, we typically stick to the general rule of 1 person cooks the meal while the other cleans the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, the divide between household chores is cause for many arguments in our house. In fact, it's probably the number one fight between my husband and I. Otherwise, we don't have much to argue about. But most of it is still learning to live and accept each other's way of living and adjusting to make it work for everyone. We have been together for a nice chunk of time, but are still in the toddler stages of wedded bliss.

Despite the split in chores and the arguments that arise from it I do not see our relationship heading for Splitzville any time soon. In fact, I think we have a better relationship than many couples we know. That's not to say we are perfect, but we work together raising our family and we work together on our relationship and therefore I believe we will last. And we also have a little bit of those good ol' fashion values that put marriage on a pedestal. Fighting over chores is the least of my worries within my family. The most important factors in our lasting relationship is supporting each other and allowing each other to dream big and having the same goals for our children and being each other's best friend seeing as we are stuck together from here on out.

A correlation in studies does not result in cause and effect. It's called a coincidence.

On another note there are chores I don't mind and chores I despise. Bleh. Here's my list of Not-so-bad to Shoot-me-now.

1. Organizing
2. Washing laundry
3. Folding laundry
4. Cooking
5. Loading the dishwasher
6. Helping the kids with their homework and picking up their toys
7. Cleaning the kitchen
8. Bathing the children
9. Putting away the laundry
10. Putting away the dishes