The Domestic Mom

Remember my friend Fabulous Gwen??  If don’t, just go back & read some of my posts about her … she’s the knitting Queen!!  Here’s her recipe for homemade taco seasoning …..

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 cup chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. salt (optional)

Mix all together. Keep in air tight container. After browning ground beef, add 3-4 Tbsp + 2/3 cup water.
(Works just like the packets you would buy from a store. I use only 3 Tbsp because it’s thriftier… I get more servings per batch. Also, I don’t put in the salt. I think meat is salty enough. Plus, if I watch my salt, the weight comes off faster - I’ve lost 25 lbs since we moved out to Iowa!

For those of you that are knitters … Gwen does have a website for you to visit!!  Check her out at GW Knitting! You name it, she can knit it!! Thank you Gwen, for giving me my start into the world of knitting!!!

The Domestic Mom

I came across this site & thought it would be great to share!

The New World Pasta family of brands is running a sweepstakes to give away FREE groceries!  Go to this link, http://tinyurl.com/mvcp8l & submit your entry!  With this economy who doesn’t want a chance to win some FREE groceries!!!

The Domestic Mom

This is the reason why I had no aloe gel in my house, to help with my sunburn … I made my own hand sanitizer.  Why would I do that you ask?  Child #2 is the “green police” in our house!  She is on me about reuse, reduce, recycle … I am seriously trying to do this, but it’s a lot of work!  Here’s what I did … 2 parts aloe gel to 1 part rubbing alcohol (I used 1c. aloe & 1/2c. alcohol).  I reused the original Purell bottle, which reduced the plastic in the land fill, which also qualifies as recycling!  Child #2 was a happy camper!

I had green aloe gel on hand (I believe it was BananaBoat aloe gel, but any aloe will do the job) & 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.  Once I mixed the 2 parts aloe to 1 part alcohol, I just shook it up until it was all mixed together.  I suggest that at the end of summer when all the sun products go on clearance … stock up then on the aloe.  (Store brand alcohol is already inexpensive.)  There is wintergreen alcohol & I’m sure that would add a nice scent to your hand sanitizer.

The Domestic Mom

I have shared before that my oldest daughter, child #3, is a soccer goalkeeper.  Once again, we are embarking on another season. Not that it ever ends, because she plays year round. We do get extremely small windows of down time.  Which we fill in with training, so I guess there really is no down time.

I will get to the sunburn part shortly!  Basically, I have a travel bag that I pack for the trips.  Always including snacks, blankets & jackets (you never really know the weather when you travel) … sunblock is the one item that gets left out come winter, because it’s all indoors. (love playing in domes, so much more comfortable for the parents!)

As we get ready to head to New York state this past weekend, I pack the travel bag.  We make the long journey & once there I realize I never put the sunblock back in the bag!  I didn’t even have an umbrella in the car to use!  Please realize these games are all day affairs … I was out in the sun for a few hours with no sunblock.  Did I mention that I have that Irish fair skin??  The positive is that I did use a tanning bed a few times before this to avoid the serious sunburns from soccer season (which is known as the soccer mom tan).  Thankfully, I didn’t burn on my face … just my left arm & left leg … due to the sun coming from that direction.  I took one for the team & sat there & fried.  Now later that day I have the sunburn in full force, stinging away … what to do?  Aloe?  No, out of that (used all that to make hand sanitizer! That’s another post!).  I have nothing to put on my lobster arms!  I then turn to Facebook (surprised I didn’t turn to Twitter)!  Two of my friends post to put vinegar on my sunburn.  I then drench a hand towel with vinegar & wrap it around my arm.  Now I watched a movie during this time, so I have no idea how long I had it on.  I smell like an Easter egg at this point.  I wake up the next morning & the sunburn did not sting … not even when you touch it!!  It worked!!  An I no longer smelled like an Easter egg!  Will I buy aloe for sunburn?  No, I’m stocking up on vinegar!!  Besides, vinegar is much more economical than aloe gel.  Vinegar is the item that’s in our cabinets year round!

Yes, I did put the sunblock back in the travel bag!!

Vinegar takes the sting out of sunburn!!!!

The Domestic Mom

Did you ever bite off more than you can chew??  I’m #1 in “Biting Off More Than I Can Chew” … so that would probably make me president of the B.O.M.T.I.C.C. Club!  (think of a bomb just ticking to explode!)  I really earned my membership in this club, this past week.

For starters I committed to making little fliers for a ministry at church … that were to be handed out this past Sunday.  You guessed it … I completely forgot with all the chaos going on!  I also committed to baking two red velvet cakes with homemade buttercream icing for Sunday fellowship … I did bake those cakes, but decided to skip the icing, since I was already on the road to insanity.  (who knew that road is a very short one?!)  In the mix of all this, throw in 3 kids who are very busy & need running all over the planet earth.  I also decided that this was a great week to find & attend a knitting class … yes I did find a place & attended!  I’m adding that to my weekly checklist now, along with the Mom’s Bible Study I go to.  Did I mention I also work outside the home??

I’m was also in the process of planning child #2’s birthday party for Sunday!  Then, I decide to make her birthday cake!  (by the way, finished it 11pm Saturday night!)  Here’s a picture of my creation (it’s supposed to be a hula girl)

Now here’s the kicker ………. I FORGOT WHAT TIME I PLANNED IT FOR!!!!  I realized this Saturday after one of the mother’s called to RSVP & said, “see at 12!”  I hung up the phone wondering why she said 12, because I think the party starts at 1pm!  I’m now rationalizing that she wants me to just bring her daughter home with us from church, since they don’t live close by … no problem!  Sunday morning I get up and get my mental game plan in action … leave church by 12 & then home to set the food out.  As I’m driving to church I start to panick … wondering what time my own childs birthday party actually starts!!  I get into the church parking lot & Fabulous Kelli & her hubby stop to see if I need anything from Walmart (they were making a quick Walmart run before worship) …. I say, “No I don’t need anything, but I do have a really dumb question … What time is my kids party today???”  She breaks the news to me that I planned it for 12 & not 1pm!!  I actually questioned her, “Are you sure I but 12 on the invitation & not 1pm??”  Fab Kelli assured me, my childs party started at noon!  Now the real panick sets in … great my mental game plan is now all flustered!  As soon as worship is over at 11am, I’m trying to wrangle up the kids to get home … child #1 insists on going to Sunday school (I’m not complaining, but on all days!!!  She’s 15 yrs. old, she’s the built in helper!)  I get home & am thankful that my hubby decided to skip church & put all the decorations up (hawaiian luau theme).  Now I’m attempting to rush around to get all the food out … by the way, I failed at that!  Kids were arriving & I was like a fish out of water!!!  Okay, so I dropped the ball on this one … but this is where my FABULOUS friends jumped in!!!  Fab Kelli & Fab Denise came to my rescue in the kitchen!  Fab Kelli even got to make my famous deviled eggs with the secret ingredient! My neighbor came in to help too, Rachel!  She actually did my dishes … I thanked her & she didn’t realize I have a dish washer!  The party went off without a hitch then … everyone had a great time & no one seem to mind that the party ran over by almost 45 min.

The point of all this is … Don’t Bit Off More Than You Can Chew & remember that your friends are blessings from God!

The Domestic Mom

Go to Dunkin’ Donuts today and purchase an Iced Coffee to support Homes For Our Troops!  For details go to the Dunkin’ Donuts nearest you!  For each small iced coffee (16oz.) for 50¢ (plus tax) you buy on iced coffee day, 10% of the purchase price will go to support Homes For Our Troops!

Great cause, please support it!

The Domestic Mom

I thought the same thing when I first heard of this … yeah right!  I finally saw a commercial for the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter & was amazed.  I have never seen a tomato plant grown upside down from a hanging planter.  My thinking is, how great!  It takes up no space in my garden & I won’t have to worry about constantly staking them up!  Am I going to try this … oh yeah!  Last year, I tried growing tomatoes in pots & it was difficult … no sooner I would stake them, I would have to go back & rearrange the stakes to fit my fast growing tomato plants!  My hope is that the Topsy Turvy will be easier to care for!  Besides it will free up some space in my new garden this year for other vegetables!

Look for my update on the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter!

The Domestic Mom

This week at my local Shop-Rite, Breyers ice cream is on sale!

(I’m saying local, because I’m not sure if all Shop-Rite’s follow the same sale flyer or if it’s done by region.)

Here’s the sale: Breyers ice cream is $1.99 with the Price Club card … that’s a $2.00 savings!  (limit 2 offers)  In my Sunday paper there’s a $1.00 off coupon of 2 Breyers ice creams.  I’m actually getting 1 Breyers for $1.99 and the other for only 99¢!!   In the end, my actually savings for 2 things of Breyers ice cream will be $5.00 with the use of my Price Club card & my coupon!!!

Don’t forget to use your re-useable “green” grocery bags at Shop-Rite!! I get an additional 5¢ per bag used off my grocery total!!  The nice thing I like about my local Shop-Rite is that the cashier’s automatically ask you how many bags you’re using!  At my local Weis markets, if I don’t remind them to take the discount for using my “green” bag - I don’t get the discount! (which is only 3¢)

With a little research work you can save some money on your every week groceries!

The Domestic Mom

Here’s a great deal on a new product!!!  Snuggle has a new fabric softener … Snuggle Creme!  Here’s a link to get a $2.00 off coupon for Snuggle Creme …. http://snugglecreme.com

My Mr.Z’s/Weis Markets has this product on sale this week:  It’s normally $4.49, but with your price club card you get it at a $1.00 off … which brings it to $3.49 … now you use the $2.00 coupon & get it for $1.49!!!!  That’s a savings of $3.00!!!  Yes, I stocked up on Snuggle Creme Fabric Softener this week!!!

Take advantage of this great offer!!!

The Domestic Mom

I came across this video “Tim Hawkins talks about Moms”.  Found it so funny, because I actually use these lines on my kids!  Enjoy this clip!

The Domestic Mom