My Resolutions For 2009

I am pretty private about my resolutions and things like that because if I change my mind or don't stick to them (for one reason or another). I always feel like people will feel disappointed in me or they will pester me about it and that is something I don't want. Then I read Stacy's (Squirrel Chatter) and was inspired to give it a shot. Here goes.

1) Find a church (that isn't outside of our comfort zone). Long story but we used to belong to a really neat little church that ended up dissolving. Then tried church shopping at several churches that were so, uh, not us. Then we just got a little freaked out on church period.

2) Be more positive. Whether that means in general or being nicer too, I am going to strive for this. BUT, this doesn't just mean on the outside, I can do that very easily. Trouble is that I often have little one liner jokes in my head all the time that I either hold in or say out loud. I have always loved to give people crap. Not necessarily in a mean way, I just love to make people laugh. Problem is that people don't always know that I'm joking. The police department is full of sarcasm and wit, I think that this is how the cops cope with the stress of their jobs. I am married to a cop who brings a lot of this home. In turn, I have been noticing myself talking a lot more like this. Probably because it is my way of coping with the stress of being married to a stressed out cop. If that makes any sense?

3) Possibly take a family trip somewhere and/or an overnight with my husband. Either of these sound fun but are a lot more work with a child. Even when they aren't coming with. I still nurse Little Buddy before bed and when he wakes up so that is a concern. Plus, we still do not have a will made up and leaving Little Buddy without some sort of plan I feel is selfish and foolish.

4) Get a will. This I feel is so vital. Not only that we organize everything and have some kind of plan in the even we die together without Little Buddy, there needs to be a plan for him so there is less of an issue for his life, happiness, and welfare. Even if Little Buddy and I survive, we need some kind of a plan to carry on. After all, being married to a cop is very high risk and we need to get everything organized just in case.

5) Get pregnant. This one is pretty self explanatory. We took December off but need to get "back in the saddle again," once the new year begins. Maybe it is in the stars for us, maybe not. Either way, Little Buddy is a blessing, a miracle, and a gift of God and we appreciate every minute we have with him. These days will not last forever and one day we will look back and miss them because they went sooooooo fast. I digress, we would love to add on. This little family of ours is a pretty cool thing.

6) Lose weight. Obviously this will not be happening if we do in fact achieve number 5. If we don't or until we do I am still overweight from having Little Buddy. I lost 30 pounds last year and then went up about 10 (darn holidays), but still need to be lighter. Life must be so excellent for thin people, it was for me back when I was thin. I really despise being fat, ugh!

7) Organize photos. Have prints made and put prints into frames and into Little Buddy's photo album. Send out doubles and extras I have loaded up in boxes, etc. Have some old black and whites of old relatives blown up and framed and even gift them accordingly.

8) Take Little Buddy even more places, do more things with him. The possibilities are endless. I want to show him the world. It is a complete joy and wonder to see the world and everything in it with and through the eyes of a child.

9) Take a yoga class. Just something I've wanted to try for a long time. It's very hard to commit to a class because of my husband's crazy schedule. They have a day care at the gym BUT Little Buddy did not do well there the last time I left him there.

10) Renew my FOID card and re-certify. I am not a fan of guns or violence. Years ago I got my FOID card and certified at a range as a fun thing to do to take part in my (now) husband's interests. To tell you the truth, I was a pretty good shot. I now see that it is vital to know how to use the guns in our home. Being married to a police officer is very high risk. For one, they are gone all kinds of odd hours. The dog would most likely be the best burglar alarm but if someone makes it past him I'd at least have a way to defend myself. For two, people who are arrested and/or thrown in jail or prison because of my husband can get a little nuts. It would be highly unlikely but people have been known to go after the arresting cop and/or his family. I don't want to take any chances. If it came down to someone coming in my home and grabbing Little Buddy or attempting to hurt my family, I would have no reservations, NONE! The one big thing that has held me back for the last 3 years was the lead exposure from the ammo (year one I was pregnant and the last two years I have been nursing, which I still am). I just learned (from my secret service agent friend) that there are lead free bullets that you can request, COOL!

Dog Pile Soap?

Just ran across this soap from Lily Bay Soap & Sundry while snooping around on Etsy. Thought it was funny and original. Check it out. Oh, and it's chocolate scented, how appropriate :)

Busy Baker, Buyer, Wrapper, Gifter

Well, I still have loads to do for Christmas. We will have 3 Christmas get-togethers this year. Thank God that the third is on New Years Eve so we have a little more time, rest and another payday in between. Christmas Eve we will go to my FIL and SMIL's house. Hubby has the night off, woohoo! It gets very exhausting packing up Little Buddy and all his things, gifts and my own junk oh, plus a dish to pass when I am going places without him when he's working. He also has New Years Eve off so that will be nice too. Christmas Day daddy works but not til the afternoon. So we will be able to wake up on Christmas Day and have our own little Christmas with Little Buddy (the best part of the whole year). Then we get ready, pack up Little Buddy and all the gifts (in 2 separate cars) and head to my sister's house to have Christmas with them. Then Daddy leaves from there to head to work. Phew! It does get a little exhausting, help or no help. I deeply resent divorces for all the separateness that it creates especially during the holidays. It's near close to impossible to say that we will be spending Christmas elsewhere once you have a child.

Anyway, I am relieved that many of my family and hubby's family are being a lot more frugal this year and spending less and not getting and giving all the extra stuff. I have decided to bake a lot of cookies and put them in small cellophane bags along with small candy canes and Ghirardelli Squares and give that with a small gift. After all, who doesn't like to get a few homemade cookies during the holidays? I have narrowed it down to three different cookies. I WAS going to make an assortment of different flavored spritz cookies, but then decided against that. Too much conformity. So, I have selected to bake: 1) Chocolate Crinkles: never made them before but love eating them and that will fill the chocolate cookie requirement. 2) Snickerdoodles: One of my all time favorites. This is only the second time that I am attempting to make them but found a recipe with cream cheese and apple cider vinegar that sounds REALLY good. 3) Libby's Great Pumpkin Cookies: Never made these either but love pumpkin anything. I also plan to ice or glaze them and will skip the nuts and raisins. I feel the need for a creamy vanilla taste with pumpkin kinda like whip cream on pumpkin pie.

So, that's that. I have finished making the snickerdoodle dough and chocolate crinkle dough and have it chilling in the fridge. I will have to make the pumpkin dough later tonight. I stayed up late last night wrapping presents and am just so feeling so lifeless today. I have hardly been eating anything lately. Not sure why, maybe a little overwhelmed, maybe a little depressed too. This time of year I have high expectations. Not as far as gifts and money but just that it should be very memorable for us as a family and for Little Buddy. Instead, it turns into a stress fest and I just run around last minute like a nut. I am very happy and we will have extra money to get presents for people without using the charge card once. I have counted it and we end up gifting about 26 people. That does not mean that all 26 people get "gift" gifts, but we give something to at least 26 people. Maybe that's nothing compared to some people but it gets to be a lot for one person to take care of. Some of these people we are not very close to but we still want to give them a little something so we I will probably give them a card and little bag of Christmas treats. I love giving, I really do but it is a lot of work to get it all together especially when I am home by myself most of the time with Little Buddy needing my attention. Anybody out there get overwhelmed this time of year? The 26 people does not include co-workers or mailmen or anything like that.

Looking forward to Christmas for Little Buddy. There are just so many things I keep seeing that are really cool for him but I go very easy and just get a few. Plus, his birthday is just a month away from Christmas. Can't believe that the little stinker is gonna be 2. Where did the time go? I can hardly believe that I ever contemplated not having kids. What I would have missed seeing and experiencing in this life. I actually used to think that maybe I would just skip it. Now I think it's humorous when I meet a young person that says that. I think, "What do they know?" and "Oh, how you will most likely change your mind, just like I did, most of them anyway"

Oh yes, and I'm down 7 pounds. No wonder.

How are all of you doing this time of year? I stay home with my son and am out of the loop so to speak. I'd love to hear what other people's lives are like. Good? Bad? Stressed? Simply perfect? I know I read all your blogs and I know WHAT most of you are DOING, but I don't usually get to know how you are DOING this time of year.

Happy Holidays All!!!!! Keep yourselves safe, warm, and appreciative. Oh and sane too :)

*Little Buddy's first visit with Santa. No crying but couldn't snap out of the "deer in headlights" look. I love him!

In Seek Of The Perfect Lasagna Recipe

Hi all! I am just beside myself with crap I need to do so I apologize for slacking on the blog. I am however already thinking of party ideas for my son's 2nd birthday at the end of January. I plan on making a big pan of lasagna and salad and some type of garlic bread. That should make a nice meal for all (after all, who doesn't like a nice hot cheesy, piece of lasagna?). Just curious if anyone out there has an awesome recipe for lasagna? I am hoping to find one that uses fresh garlic and real cheese and also has a good yet simple recipe for the marinara/tomato sauce. I am open for suggestions, recipes if they don't meet those criteria. Thanks in advance for any help you can lend in the lasagna department.

Support Farting?

I saw this magnet on the back of a car the other day. I was at that moment in a tense/stressed mode and started laughing out loud uncontrollably. Needless to say I saw it at the exact time that I needed a good laugh. Enjoy! Farts ARE funny!

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Well, Little Buddy is back to sucking his thumb again. About 2 weeks ago his thumb got so dry and cracked from all the saliva, sucking, and dry cold weather, (plus, I still need to get the house humidifier up and running) that it started to bleed. It didn't do this last winter. I noticed it was getting bad but left it be thinking that if it got bad enough maybe he'd stop sucking it. Yeah, right! It got so bad that one night when he was eating corn chips, he began to cry and make a pain face and was rubbing his little thumb all over his shirt. It took me a bit to figure it out. We thought he was having a painful poop or something. Turns out the salt was getting into all the cracks and burning really bad.

I called the pediatricians office and asked the nurse if she had any recommendations. She told me that I could put Neosporin and a band-aid on it but to be careful because if he kept sucking it he could choke on the band-aid if it came off with all the saliva and suction. Then she told me that there was a good chance that he'd either start sucking the other thumb or that he'd wait til the sore one healed and go right back to it and it would just be a vicious cycle all winter.

So I got big knuckle band-aids and Neosporin and bandaged it up. It was very frustrating for him. He was used to soothing himself to sleep that way for so long he was very restless. He's keep sticking it in his mouth if he was going to sleep or sad or scared and then pull it out right away and look at it all pissed off. (It was kinda funny, am I the worst mommy ever? Oh, well.)

Before long his thumb healed and he wasn't sucking it anymore even with the band-aid off.

Then about a week ago I went in to check on him during nap time and saw him sucking away. It was very cute. I was a little happy that he found it at least for sleeping purposes. He was not sleeping very soundly when it was bandaged. Think it will be OK if this is just an occasional think he does in his sleep. Turns out usually when I go in to check on him he isn't sucking his thumb. Just once in awhile for short periods.

Discount Laundry Room Re-Do

OK! I did it! I did it! I did it! It was agonizing and probably the hardest room to do in the whole house despite the fact that it's the smallest next to the bathroom. I actually re-did the laundry room with a little help from my mom and my husband. I had to do a low budget, low dust, and most of the time low noise re-do. We have since we moved in re-done every room in the house except the garage and the laundry room until now. The garage even got new insulation and drywall a few years back. The laundry room was the pits though. Honestly, I could have cared less BUT it is right off of the kitchen and the door is open the majority of the time so I had to look at it and it was so gross. If you haven't seen the before pictures check out my original laundry room post called Val's Big Idea. I wanted to get this room done forever and my deadline was to get it done before Thanksgiving when we were having 20 people over. It had never been properly painted since it was built. The popcorn ceiling had cobwebs loaded with dryer lint hanging from it. The light fixture was from the 70's and so ugly. The one outlet in the room had only one working receptacle in it. The light switch was completely dirty and grimy like one in a car repair shop and had been clawed at by a large dog from long before we moved in. The blinds we hung needed to be shortened and the AC drainage hose was grotesque transparent vinyl that was loaded up with dirt and mineral deposits, was barely attached and had become a toy for Little Buddy.

Anywho, I couldn't go hog wild patching and sanding due to noise and dust with a young toddler in the house. So I did my best and used a wet sanding sponge for most of the evening out of the plaster patches. I asked for gray paint on Freecycle and actually received some fairly quickly. When I picked it up it was more like a light blue but I noticed it was originally from Home Depot so I took it there and asked if they could tint it for me. They said that the bargain paint (originally purchased for $1.61) was 6 years old and most likely had expired. Then after telling them that it had been stored in a basement and being checked, they decided that it was in fact still good. The tinting process took over and hour, Little Buddy was such a good boy. I had a kitchen floor tile with me so they had an idea what I was aiming for shade wise.

I painted a sample patch of it on the wall and left it there for a few days to see how I (and my husband) felt about it. He said it was way too dark. Then a few days later he said it looked really good. Men?!. So, it was a go.

The floor, is not my favorite. I am not a fan of linoleum BUT was told by the guy that did our kitchen that we would have to go that route due to the fact that there was a sloping floor for the utility drain in there. I purchased a few single tiles from Menard's in various styles to see what would look the best. I had several that were faux stone or ceramic looking and one that was faux wood. We have real light wood floors through our house so I didn't think that the darker faux wood would work. Then when I placed the faux stone and ceramic next to our real ceramic kitchen tiles it looked totally bad. The faux wood surprisingly looked like it would work pretty well due to the fact that it was pretty far from any of our actual wood floors and was not too far from the shade of our kitchen cabinets.

If I thought that contorting my body in all kinds of bizarre and painful positions to paint around and behind and under the appliances, water heater, and furnace was bad, the issue of flooring in there was another story. I laid many of the floor tiles in the center of the room fairly quickly by following the marks on the floor from the old floor tiles. Then came the hard part going around the doorways, under the water heater's feet and piping, around the furnace, and under and behind two monstrous appliances. My mother helped me one Sunday evening for 7 hours (the absolute hardest parts of the room) and then I finished up the remainder of the tiling which took half a Monday. Again, making paper templates and a hundred little cuts and angles, lots of cutting, measuring and back aching!!!

So, below is the breakdown of the cost involved in my discount laundry room redo. I cannot believe that it came to less than $100!!!!! Keep in mind, we wanted the room to look nicer but do not plan on living here much longer than we have to. I think it turned out pretty well for a budget redo that I did mostly alone minus the help from my mom with the flooring and some roller painting my husband helped with (the easy, gratifying part of course).

Peel and stick floor tiles $56.88 Menard's (On sale, 79 cents psf down from $1.09 psf)
Paint Brush $7.99 Menard's
Painters Tape FREE (Found on the ground in the parking lot)
White paint for ceiling and trim FREE (Leftover from previous house projects)
Gray Paint FREE (Asked for on Freecycle then brought it in for tinting at Home Depot to more desirable shade, tinting also FREE because paint was originally from there)
New Light Switch and Switch Plate and Insulation FREE (Leftover from previous house projects)
New Outlet .39 cents Menard's, Outlet Plate and Insulation FREE (Leftover from previous house projects)
Slim Roller Refills $8.99 Menard's
Spackle and Caulk FREE (Leftover from previous house projects)
Cable Ties FREE (Leftover from previous house projects)
Utility Hose $2.88 Menard's (Drains AC condensation, old one was trashed)
Hose Clips $4.99 Ace (Positions hose onto floor and into drain and makes it harder for little hands to yank around)
Light Fixture $5 On Sale at Menard's (Floor model, I asked if there was a discount on floor models, the guy gave me an additional 20% OFF!)

The rest of the items we had leftover from previous house projects like the paint roller pan, stepladder, rags, etc.

Phew, so much easier on the eyes and cleaner to look at from the kitchen :) I love how the gray looks with the white trim, ceiling and appliances. Amen! Now what do I need to work on next before Little Buddy's 2nd birthday at the end of January? JK! That should do it . . . . . I think?

Sigh . . . . .

Well, lately I have been totally neglecting my blog. I have been sooooo busy. I just had 20 people over for Thanksgiving and was scurrying like a mad woman to get my laundry room re-do done in time. Which I did. I will be posting pictures very soon. I just quit drinking coffee for 3 days and today is the last day of the experiment. Bedtime has been so much better for Little Buddy and nap time has been alot better too. Though he refused to take one today. Now that it's 3:42 pm, he must now stay up til at least 7 pm. That's the way we roll. It began a little over a month ago with this sleeping bit. Issues, issues, issues. It became impossible to put him down for a nap AND to bed at night. He was so tired and so was I. Very frustrating. I finally decided that most likely the coffee that I had begun to drink again after not since I gave birth to Littler Buddy was creating problems for Little Buddy's sleep. His naps became later and later and then he would wake up at 5 and 6 pm screaming and kicking for up to 30 minutes. It was horrible. So a few days ago I called my LC again and asked her if she thought it could be the coffee. She told me to do this little experiment for a minimum of 3 days so that most of the caffeine was out of my and Little Buddies system. I noticed results the very first night. Then more the second day. He is also not crying out and squirming all over his bed either. I was so happy to have my beloved coffee back to charge me up and help me through my days. Looks as though I will be saying goodbye to coffee again til Little Buddy weans unless I have conceived by that time in which case I will not be drinking it at all during my pregnancy like last time. Boo!

Anyway, I have not been able to blog like I like to and have not had much time to myself for much else due to the fact that my husband has been working all kinds of overtime and side jobs possible so we can have plenty of money for Christmas. I am very fortunate to have a husband who busts his ass to provide so that I can stay home and we can have all the things we need and a few things we want too. Thank you God.

Now my husband has a three day weekend and he had a string of residential burglaries last night and didn't get to sleep til 2 am so is now napping. Today is a wash. Tomorrow however we will be taking LB to hang out with grandpa and head to a movie. Ahhhhh, time alone. So precious and rare. So important the longer we have been together and the older that Little Buddy gets. I don't need fancy hairdos, manicured nails, girls night out, expensive clothes, wonderful furniture and electronics, etc. BUT . . . . . I DO NEED a night out with my husband once in awhile to see a movie or grab a bite together.

My scale is my worst enemy. I have through much of this time been working my ass off caring for a non napping, crabby Little Buddy and prepping the house and food for Thanksgiving, and re-doing the laundry room. So, without my husband around I have completely neglected going to the gym much of the time. Now I have gotten back into the swing of things. BUT, the horrid scale shows me that I have eaten too much over the holiday and need to keep myself more active especially in this cold weather when much of the time we are stuck inside. Tried to bring Little Buddy to the day care at the gym yesterday which went OK for a bit then he just stood around the caretaker all sad and crying. Enough of that. Some days, I do feel a little trapped into being inactive and fat when it seems like everything fights me when I try to invest in myself and being active. Blagh!!!

Anywho, I will be posting my laundry room pictures very soon. As I type, Little Buddy is pulling at my arm and saying, "Ma Ma!" "Ma Ma!" Ma Ma!"

Keeping my eyes on all your blogs meanwhile. How is everybody? I see a few of you also haven't been blogging as much. How's it going?

Check out this bizarre collectors Barbie I found at Walmart last night. Ha! Thinking it may give little girls nightmares, don't you? Love the doll though. I am a huge Hitchcock fan.

Almost forgot, any movie recommendations? Haven't read the book but I checked the trailer for Twilight and wasn't impressed. Comments, comments?

"Moh!"

So the other night I had my son on the changing table and I was talking to him while I was changing his diaper. We go over all the things on or near the face and have for months. Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, cheek, hair, ear, etc. Lately, he has been into the eyebrow. Maybe he just likes how the word sounds. Then he started pointing at my moles. It took me a minute to realize what he was pointing at. To tell you the truth, unless I'm looking in the mirror, I often forget they're there. Then I said, "That's a mole." Then he immediately pointed at the other moles on my face and said, "Moh!" I died laughing. It was so cute. I just hugged him and laughed. There is this overwhelming feeling of love at times that I cannot put into words or explain. This was one of those times.

Thank God he was not pointing out the dimples on my butt . . . . . . . .

My Blog Is Loved?

Gulp, I can't hardly believe it. It seems like only yesterday that I wrote my very first post. Now, my blog has grown and changed and been with me through the good times and the bad. That sweet blogger pal of mine Stacy from Squirrel Chatter awarded me with an, "I Love Your Blog" award. I am stunned and extremely thankful. My very first blog award. All my hard work and commenting and caring for others blogs and feelings was not in vein. Now all I have to do is pick 7 bloggers to pass the award on to from here. Right back at you Stacy!!!

1. Goose Juice
2. In Blue Ink
3. Living On A Whim
4. Red Pens & Diapers
5. Wylie Mom
6. PanHandler
7. A Sense Of Humor Is Essential

Part of accepting this award is:

• Displaying the award.
• Linking back to the person who gave it to you.
• Paying it forward & nominating 7 blogs.
• Leaving comments on their blogs telling them they’ve received one. Enjoying the award.

Mothers Of Little Boys Work From Son Up Til Son Down

I love this sign. I want to buy it. Check out all that's fabulous and handmade on Etsy if you haven't already.

Camera Phone

Val's Big Idea

So, after living in our house for 4 years now we have remodeled every square inch of it, except the laundry room. Even the garage got new insulation and drywall at one point. I am completely nuts. I decided that we are going to re-do the laundry room before we have 20 people over for Thanksgiving. I know nuts! This will be a lower budget type re-do because after all it is only the laundry room, BUT I hate having to look at it all the time because it is directly connected to our kitchen and the door is open 99% of the time. Have a look at the current beauty of it. I personally love the gold floor tiles that have partially been ripped up. I have been patching cracks in the popcorn ceiling this week and am done with that. Now I have been working on small wall patch's too. Some larger areas will have to be sanded near where the circuit breaker was replaced and the wall was butchered. Basically, this whole re-do will mean patch and paint walls, popcorn ceilings, trim, and remove old peel & stick floor tiles and put down new ones. The whole thing shouldn't be too bad. My biggest obstacles will be the washer and dryer in the way AND the wall sanding without blasting our home/lungs with plaster dust, which gets EVERYWHERE! These are all the before pictures. Feel free to enjoy and comment, and yes, I already know that I am nuts!

Thumbs Down: Biokleen

I gave this natural automatic dish powder a try a few months back and am still trying to get through it. It left a film on everything and whitish water on the tops of everything. Yuck! It smells really nice though like grapefruit and orange. Chlorine & phosphate free with natural oxygen bleach. I purchased the 32 oz. size which cleans 64 loads because it is super concentrated. I keep trying to add it to the other stuff I normally use so I don't waste but use it up. I just do not feel comfortable using anything that leaves film on it where mouths and food will go. Even though it's safer than the toxic stuff, it's still not OK to eat it or the residue for that matter. Sorry Biokleen. Anyone out there have any other suggestions for safe automatic dish powder that doesn't leave a film or white water on the tops of the glasses, etc. (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a tiny box)?

Just Unveiled At Madame Tussaud's Studios In London

It's In The Bag . . . . Or Is It?

Well, I just wanted to write a little something regarding the plastic bag issue. I would like to say "Yay!" for Fruitful Yield. They recently changed over from the common plastic grocery bags at their stores to a corn bag that is completely biodegradable. It looks the same but feels a little different. I just wonder how much the cost is for them to use these instead of plastic bags. I am still trying very hard and usually remembering to bring in my cloth bags but often I am running around with Little Buddy like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get things done and it is honestly the last thing on my mind. Also, IKEA has permanently gotten rid of their plastic bags. They started charging for them awhile back but now they got rid of them altogether. Totally awesome! You can purchase a reusable bag from them or carry your purchase out to your car/home. I have been taking ALL my plastic bags to the plastic bag recycling bin. I do like to have some of them around for the dog poop and the very overly poop filled diapers.

I truly wonder what would be the absolute best solution for all the bagging issues. I think that most stores now sell a cloth bag but I don't think many people are making the switch. It would really be nice if they offered a discount if you had your own bags to use. I think Whole Foods used to do that (maybe they still do). That makes so much sense. They have to buy the bags anyway. If they took off a small amount per order for providing your own bags (have to be cloth though). I've seen some people bringing their own used plastic grocery bags to the store to use. They are really crappy bags. People use them like tissue. Sometimes people have to use several bags together to hold everything. Have you seen anything regarding bags lately that really was awesome or disgusting? Do you have any ideas for what can be done? Do you use cloth? Every time? Really every time?

Hey, maybe SuzyQ of Squirrel Chatter or Claire from Momma Tried will start making these next on their sewing machines. Not sure where you'd find the pattern but it would be so cool to make your very own bags with whatever fabric you wanted. What a statement. I'm guessing that SuzyQ will be the first one to make on of these. If you have no idea who I'm talking about, click on their names and make a point to visit their blogs today!

Drool On My Forehead?

I went to Super Cuts or Cost Cutters (can't remember which) yesterday for a quick trim. While the stylist was shampooing my hair I felt a glob of liquid hit my forehead which did not come from the water or shampoo. The stylist apologized and wiped it with her wet soapy hand. She drooled on my forehead. Yuck! I hope that it was drool and not from her nose. Totally weird. She was very young and sweet and appeared very clean cut so I didn't make a big deal about it. Not sure I'll be heading back to that place very soon. Wish my old stylist would move back here from Atlanta already. I miss her!!! "Kim in Atlanta, come back!"

What's Your Superpower?

So, some people have fabulous jobs, friends coming out their ears, lots of money, hot bodies. I can currently make milk. Guess, that may be small potatoes to some but I think it's pretty cool. What can you do?

Camera Phone

I am starting a new series of photos to share with you called Camera Phone. We just got new phones with removable memory and higher quality capabilities. We had so many pictures on our old phones that we wanted to keep, so we had to e-mail each photo to our e-mail. From the time just shortly after buying our house, to remodeling, to our dog being our baby, to us before and after parenthood, and my husband becoming a cop. Sorry that the quality is not so great but they are still interesting to see. They are mostly of Little Buddy. Enjoy!

Natural Dish Soap

Hi all. Another product review. I try to buy natural dish soaps from Fruitful Yield or health food stores. I shop at Meijer Grocery Stores quite often. I was looking for some dish soap there so I could save money and I could save a trip to Fruitful Yield just for dish soap. I found they have 2 new dish soaps available. They are part of the Meijer Naturals line. They have 2 that are Free and Sensitive. One is Eucalyptus Lemon which I have not tried. The other one that I love has Aloe Extract. It is so nice. It is clear and has no smell and does not bother my hands. I have some odd little itchy bubbles that act up once in awhile often when I used regular dish soap with colorings and scent. This is from their website:

Meijer Naturals Ultra Concentrated Dish Detergent - Free/Sensitive
1 Pack = 25 fl oz (1 pt 9 fl oz) 739 ml; Natural Dish Detergent - Ultra Concentrated - Free and Sensitive. With aloe extract. Free of dyes and perfumes. All clean. All natural. All safe. Meijer Naturals Dish Detergent gives you enough cleaning power to cut through tough grease and soil, leaving your dishes, glassware, and fine china and stemware sparkling clean. Meijer Naturals products are: non-toxic, biodegradable, safe for septic systems, not tested on animals - contain no animal ingredients, no petroleum based cleaners, and no dye. We're pleased to offer you and your family this natural choice. Made in USA.

And . . . . . It's cheap!!!!! Also, cuts grease really well. I have tried a few natural detergents that left everything kinda slimy and filmy. I truly consider not just what I use on the dishes but also what coats the dishes that we eat off of. Try it!

Product Review

Just wanted to share with you some products that I have been recently in love with. They are both reasonably priced and found at most grocery stores. Milton's Multi Grain Crackers are wonderful and full of all kinds of neat grains and seeds. Everyone loves them in our house including little buddy. They are awesome plain but we like to top with Sabra's Roasted Pine Nuts Hummus, once in awhile some co-jack or cheddar cheese pieces. Sabra's Hummus is also great on veggies, pitas with veggies, smeared on toast, pitas, on veggies. Sabra also makes other flavor hummus but I think that the roasted pine nut flavor is the best. Milton's also makes other crackers. We bought a box of the "Everything" cracker on our last shopping trip that resemble the taste of an everything bagel but they are a little garlicky and also have a strong rye taste from the caraway seeds in them. Still good but a few go a long way. Try them if you get the chance or give me your opinion if you already have. Thanks!

Saturday Night

My husband arrived on the scene with no backup to a call on Saturday night. Seems as though 911 was called by one of the three children that lives there. As he arrived there. He went to the front door and 2 of the kids answered and old him to please help their mother because she was dying, their father had stabbed her. The house was pitch black and the kids had no idea where their father was. As he approached the bedroom door he grabbed the doorknob which began to turn in his hands. He pointed his gun forward and prepared for the worst. The mother opened the door with half of her face cut away. She said, "Help me," and then fell backwards. She was stabbed in the chest, shoulder and in the stomach area several times. The bleeding was so heavy that he grabbed a large beach towel and placed it on her abdomen and told her to apply pressure. He went on to check out the house for the husband. The smell of natural gas was so intense that it burned his eyes. He made his way to the kitchen still in complete darkness to see if he could find the source of the gas as well as the husband. The stove was ripped from the wall. Finally backup arrived. My husband and his fellow officer decided to grab the moms hands and feet and move her outside in case the husband was still in the house and was going to light a match and try to blow up the place. After they got the mom outside, they also learned that the oldest child who was 18, was also stabbed by the husband. The parents were separated and there was an order of protection against the husband for previous episodes but nothing like this. The father was found in a neighboring city.

The mother is in critical but stable condition.

This was a typical, middle-class, white family that lives in the suburbs.

There is a somber feel in our house tonight . . . . . . . .

The Day The Camera Died

I took this photo the day that "The Camera Died," or actually the day that Mommy dropped the camera on the ceramic tile. Oops! Finally got the camera back in the mail today from Canon Repair Center and was able to get the picture(s) off the card. Think this is from 2 months ago in the heat of summer. We actually have 2 digital cameras so I have been able to use the other one. Daddy dropped the other camera in the hospital when I was having Little Buddy. He thought he broke it and raced out to buy another one so we wouldn't miss a single photo opportunity with our newborn. A few months later I found the "broken" camera and wiggled the zoom lever around a bit and it was fine. Hence, we have 2 cameras.

Our New Routine

Our new routine works MOST of the time. Now that my husband is on midnights everything has changed in our house. In the morning I wake up to Little Buddy squawking for me about 7 or 7:30 am. My husband has been working all night and doesn't get home til 8am. Then I go in and nurse and re-diaper Little Buddy. Recently the breathing treatment has been following the morning diaper change. Then we head downstairs to make some breakfast. I make breakfast while (hopefully) Little Buddy plays with his ride-on truck or other toys. Usually while we are eating breakfast Daddy comes home, kisses us hello and then we all head upstairs (most days, unless he has court or a late arrest, etc.). I hop in the shower and Daddy plays with Little Buddy for awhile. Then when I hop out of the shower, Daddy gets Little Buddy ready for the day with a teeth brushing, and face wash, etc. Then when I get done and sometimes before if Daddy can't keep his eyes open I get Little Buddy for the day and Daddy goes to sleep. Usually, I then take Little Buddy on some errands or odd little Momma Val excursions or field trips. We try to get and stay out of the house for awhile. Not only does this break up the monotony but I can't stand staying in the house all day. Funny, I'm a stay-at-home-mom but I hate to stay in the house. Then we usually return around lunch time if we don't have lunch elsewhere. After lunch I typically let Little Buddy play for a bit while I clean up then play with him after that. I take him up for his nap around 1pm and nurse him to sleep. I usually wait about 10 minutes or so to make sure he's asleep. Just enough time to change into my workout clothes and turn the monitor on in our room where my husband is sleeping. I then head to the gym and workout for an hour. When I get back I take a quick rinse off and get 1 or 2 small things done while Little Buddy finishes his nap. That's how it's supposed to work anyway. Unfortunately, while Little Buddy is on steroids and the breathing treatments he does not nap as soundly. Luckily, my husband is there in case Little Buddy wakes up while I'm not home. That is something that we hope does not happen. Today it did. It is the middle of the night for my husband, so naturally he wants Little Buddy to go back to sleep. He got him to go back to sleep today. I got home and noticed Little Buddy's door was open and he was not in his crib. Then I quietly and carefully checked our room and this is what I found. Too cute, I had to get a picture of it. My guys.

Fabulous Moment

OK, now Little Buddy is sick with some type of respiratory virus. So he has to have breathing treatments every 6 hours. He's still nursing and to this point has only had colds. No diaper rash, no ear infections, no diarrhea or vomiting. The colds are quick and common. I have mastered the care of an infant and toddler with a cold. Even though it sucks because nobody wants you around when you have a sick kid in tow. This was different. It started with a cough. The cough sounded different and for days before he actually got sick he was so clingy I couldn't hardly move. Not easy to make breakfast or clean while holding a 26 pound weight. He also has to be on steroids. I went to Walgreen's to pick up the breathing machine and thought I was renting one. They handed me a brand new one and said it was mine and there was a DVD inside to help me use it. Nobody ever told me that I would have to be giving my toddler all this crap. Yuck! I am so anti-medicine! The doctor said that if he did not get the breathing treatments and the steroids then the phlegm would not be able to get out of his lungs and he would most likely NOT recover. I am a naturalist by heart but did not feel like seeing if he could tough it out. Who would gamble and let their kid get sicker? Not me.

So getting your 19 month old to sit and inhale from a scary mask with smoky looking stuff coming out of it is just horrible. Daddy has been working a lot and had traffic court and a grand jury trial today. I was on my own again with than darn machine and Little Buddy. It works a little better when daddy is there to help. Oddly, Little Buddy did really well. Better than ever. I had to crank up our PBS station on the TV in his closet. Then I sat him on my lap and sat in the rocker. It was fine. I can't wait til he's done with all this. Think he is starting to sound and feel a little better.

We are still having a war with the ants. Seems as though they found their way in our house during all the heavy rains. Then they discovered that it was warm and dry and smelled like food inside and decided to stay. It is near close to impossible for me to keep all surfaces crumb and food smear free with a toddler, dog and husband. It's been really gross. I HATE ANTS! I have mopped everything with hot water and Orange Guard. It is kid/pet/food safe. That kinda worked. Then I had my husband spray the perimeter outside with the poison yucky stuff. Do not want to spray even the safe stuff inside with a child with a respiratory virus. Every day they come back worse. Today I decided to wipe everything down with hot water and Murphy's Oil Soap. I wiped the cabinet bases, dishwasher, back door, room perimeter, and every square inch below the sink where the garbage is including the cabinet fronts where the garbage goes. That has seemed to do the trick so far. Hope that I am not jinxing us by posting this. I think that tomorrow I will spray the kitchen and living room with the bad stuff and then open all the windows and leave til nap time at around 1 or 2. I wish I could just not use it at all but this is a reoccurring problem and I can't have that going on all fall and winter every time there is a heavy rain. They want in and all the safe products in the world will not keep them out. When I had them crawling onto our plates, on the dog, on our pans and cookie sheets while cooking, out of my hair in bed, I knew that I had to bring in the heavy artillery. The Murphy Oil Soap really did work wonders though. Who knew?

My husband is no longer on probation. He is completely official now. They have a 2 year probation period for new police officers. The probation ended last night at midnight. Woo Hoo! I told him that we will have to celebrate.

Ooh, also found that there is a new Mediterranean restaurant by us. Yum! I love just about all Mediterranean food. We tried it on Sunday and we were both blown away. Even Little Buddy had some chicken shawarma and freshly baked pita with freshly made hummus with us. Wish I could serve this for Thanksgiving, but think that is out of our price range for 19 people and I don't think I could learn how to make a Mediterranean Thanksgiving by then. Maybe I can make some Mediterranean salad at least. I will post the recipe if I do. It is so good.

Gotta go. I gave Little Buddy his breathing treatment during his nap and he did not sleep long. Working out is going well but with all the sickness, flooding and ants I have not been able to go as much lately. Will get back into the swing of things as soon as life gets back to normal around here. Ha! Like that will ever happen. Hope that you are all having a wonderful Thursday. Maybe I'll get a shower tomorrow? Ick!

Oops, almost forgot. My fabulous moment. Last night in the midst of all the ants and virus. I did a quick little vacuum touch up upstairs with our little rechargeable vacuum. My son just watched me wherever I went (he has always been terrified of vacuums and screams and cries when we run the big vacuum). Then when I was done. He got a big smile on his face and came real close to me and clapped really loud and stared at me with a big smile on his face. Ahh! The payoff off for all the yuck going on. I was applauded by my son for vacuuming. These are the things that keep me going. What a wonderful boy! I can do this.

Water Status

Well, we aren't flooded. Not even close. My sister in a nearby suburb (blocks from the Fox River) has been trying to keep the water away, and has to this point succeeded. My mother's apartment building is OK but several areas in her town (on the DuPage River) are totally flooded. My hearts go out to those that are having flooding and water related issues. I can't imagine what that must be like. My sister flooded two to three times in the last 2 years and had a horrible house fire back several years losing almost everything. We keep close tabs on her and her family during big storms. Her neighbor is currently having raw sewage pumped out of his house into the storm drain.

Our back yard floods when we get lots of water in the fall and spring. Whatever I was pathetically trying to keep alive in the drought we were having with my little sprinkler has definitely gotten plenty of water now. The water never comes in this house but being that it is on a slab the ants that live under the slab come up into the house. This has happened many times but it is really yucky when it happens with a baby in the house. They were crawling all over the toys last night. We had to stay out of the living room. They weren't even interested in the kitchen where I had just baked fresh banana bread. My dog (by the way) jumped up to the kitchen counter when I went change a poopie diaper and gnawed half of the loaf of banana bread. AGH! Dog for sale!

Keeping up with the news. It's hard to watch even thought I want to know who got what and what's happening where. Can't believe how many people are wading around in the flood waters without a thought. Even without shoes. That isn't just innocent rain water they are standing in. Last flood, the news kept reporting to not stand or wade in the water if you don't have to and make sure to keep shoes on in case there is something sharp in the water. Yet, I keep seeing lots of people wading in short shorts almost up to their . . . . .

Hoping all my blog pals are doing OK and that this rain is almost over. It has stopped here and they reported last that it would be stopping today. Now hopefully we can all start to enjoy our lovely fall. I'm looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Oh, I just invited 19 people over for Thanksgiving. What, am I crazy? I figured that some people would decline as they usually do but nobody did. Not sure how that's going to work out but I'm sure it will be OK, somehow.

Agh, another ant!

Anyone out there have any water issues?

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. ~Ancient Proverb

Easy Morning

Well Little Buddy, Tango, and I all went out back to hang out for awhile. Seems as though Little Buddy just loves to eat the apples from our tree in back. I have to scurry out to make sure he doesn't start to eat a rotten one (EWWWWW, he has and he does with ants, flies and all, yuck!). He does this every time we go in back. At first I was afraid he'd choke but he has NO problem. He absolutely loves to gnaw on the fresh apples so I decided to roll with it. What mom wouldn't want their kid eating loads of fresh, organic, apples every chance they got? I got several not so great shots as I usually do but then suddenly I got the perfect shot which looks a little to me like an advertisement for apples. He does not pose or usually cooperate with being photographed. Tango had fun chasing the ball while I swung Little Buddy in the swing.

Tonight is my husbands first night back on mids. He hasn't been on mids for almost 9 months. The shift bids go by seniority and he is only a few from the bottom. Seniority is based on time at the PD as well as academy testing scores. He was the highest. Today is a little goofed up as far as routine goes. The transition from one shift to another is the hardest part for the employee and especially the family too. He tried to stay up late and made it til 4 am but now is up to watch Little Buddy so I can go work out. Little Buddy is shifting to one nap and so the whole house is upside down. We were in the last routine so long I am having a brain fart trying to readjust to a new schedule.

No plans for today except hopefully working in the yard later when Little Buddy takes his nap. Maybe we will try to go to the forest preserve and look at rocks and sticks and bugs. Chances are it will be too crowded to really relax and enjoy that being that it's Labor Day so maybe we will just hang around the back yard with Tango. See now I'm already forgetting that Daddy will be around tonight where normally he isn't (while he's on afternoons). Aghh!

Hope that you all get to do something that you enjoy today. Even if that means just organizing your world better to make new starts in routines, jobs, school. Sometimes that can be the best vacation day. Just getting it all together. Maybe a special meal or just leftovers in your peaceful backyard. Have a good one!

Fun With Photo Booth

Can you tell from the last picture that it's almost nap time? Thank God! This has been a very screamy, shouty day and my head is killing me. I still haven't missed a day of my new work out yet. Today I was not on top of my work out. Think my muscles are getting very fatigued. Taking a day off tomorrow. Besides today, I can't tell you the last time I felt this good. I sleep better too. Now I have to cut out all the crap in my diet once again. I am eating all kinds of good stuff. I'll have a huge heirloom garden grown tomato for a meal and am eating lots of garden fresh veggies too. I just made a double batch of vegetarian chili. Just all the little extras that I could live without like M&M's. They are just so hard for me to live without. Still on the all water kick. It finally rained today. My yard & plants look all pathetic, shriveled, & droopy. I know it's bad when the established plants are wilting. Oh, and I have some new friends . . . . . . fruit flies. Seems as though all the fresh produce in the house has brought these guys in. I have a glass with white vinegar, water and suds on top. That has caught many of the flies. Anybody have any natural homemade remedies for getting rid of these little buggers? I'm glad it's pretty much the end of summer. Sad too but I love fall and I think I just may attempt Thanksgiving again at my house this year. I had fun last year doing it. Probably won't be getting the turducken again even though it was good. Maybe I'll make a seafood feast or possibly filet's? I like tradition but I love to break it! Another Freecycler coming tonight. This woman is getting a bunch of my day lilies. They are beginning to take over near my shed. Need free city mulch, maybe we'll go get some tomorrow? All these thoughts and ideas. Wanting to take an exercise class too. Phew, starting to feel smoke coming out of my ears. Happy Thursday everybody!

Why Does Everything Have To be Scented?

I enjoy natural scents on some things, but I have no idea where they get the chemical concoctions that they sell at the stores from. Why would you want your laundry to come out of the dryer smelling like apples? Is this good for our skin to have these chemicals against it all the time? Nothing really smells like what the label says, it is so fake smelling. Our subdivision really stinks when a few houses do their laundry at the same time. Kinda like Cool-Aid, yuck! I could understand a light smell of flowers or herbs or nothing. How about nothing? The AAP recommends using dye and perfume free detergent on children's laundry. Not sure how the Dreft made it's way onto the market for babies. It too has fragrance. A fragrance that is what babies are supposed to smell like? If it's bad for sensitive little babies, what makes it OK for us adults? I went to the gym this morning and I was on a treadmill next to a woman about my age who had so much perfume on I could hardly stand it. Why? At the gym? I could see some extra deodorant but perfume? And on Sunday morning to boot! Come on. P.U.! I was relieved when she was done. Maybe she was fearful of smelling bad. Think I'd take a little B.O. over the 5-10 squirts of whatever she was wearing. Did you know that having all the artificial scents in your home/world cause headaches, allergies, sinus problems, asthma, ear infections, etc. ? Check Google on that for more info. Honestly, I have to go out of my way to buy just about everything unscented. Why is it that hard to find and why does it cost extra? It should cost extra for the scented. I know that there are a lot of people out there that like everything scented and love all the Vanilla Tide and Berry Burst Dawn. Why on earth are they still selling deodorized tampons? Can anyone possibly think that these are OK for you. Sticking chemicals where chemicals don't belong. Is anyone out there a scent free person like myself. Tell me what you think of the scent issue please. I'm interested. Sorry for my rant but I just don't get it. I do like some scented things. I like to get soap that has real lavender in it. I also like to have "a" candle that is burned occasionally (few times a year) that smells and is made from real cinnamon, vanilla, or herbs. I just think that all the artificial scents are too much. Come on my eco-blogger friends I know you got something to say. Oh, did I mention that these are just more chemicals in our environment? In our sewers, air, out our dryer vents, on our skin.

Wordy Thursday: For The Love Of Trees!

My Life Right Now

Gosh, it's just about the end of summer and I can hardly believe how the time has flown by. I just hacked my monstrous rose bushes yesterday when Little Buddy took a nice long pm nap. For the most part they were about 9 & 10 feet tall at the highest parts and taking over our back yard. You can see that there was once a nice little planted area with small rose bushes, wild grasses, peonies, and some really tall hedges that are now about 20 feet high in the middle. The roses are taking over and with a small child and a dog in the back yard all the time it's high time that the roses are tamed. I hacked and hacked and hacked . . . . . . . that was just the tip of the iceberg. It seemed to take forever but I finally got everything hacked down to less than 4 feet. Now I will be able to transplant my peonies in September and my husband can stain the fence without getting caught in all the thorny branches.

I have been going to my sisters house just a few towns away about once a week to visit her and sometimes my niece and nephew, but they are teenagers and often aren't around. We go for lunch or just go on long walks. Those are my favorite. Little Buddy does not sit for hours on end like last summer so we make several playground stops. She lives in the house that I grew up in and it's great to see my old neighborhood, hometown, house, yard, etc. I really hate where we live right now because nobody gives a rats ass about their house or their yards and there is garbage and crap everywhere. They tend to look down at me with a smirk every time I try to garden or hack rose bushes for example or clean my gutters or repair my Freecycled Adirondack chair. It gets so old. I love to go to my old hometown or the town where my in-laws live which is also the town where my husband is a police officer. Most people are working on their houses, cars, yards, etc. regularly. I love to walk around and see how people fix up their yards and get ideas and see all the plants and stone. That is what makes me VERY happy. Feels good. Like my therapy. Nature, beauty, peace, & order, plus I get lots of ideas. Now my sister is back at nursing school this week and her summer of long walks and talks with her sister and playing with her nephew is over.

I've also been going to my mother's apartment about once sometimes twice a week. I lived with her in that same apartment for close to 13 years. It's a building with 8 apartments in it. Old school with glitter laminate counter tops in the kitchen, elementary school tile throughout the entire building, old aluminum windows, no disposer, no dishwasher, single basin kitchen sinks, you get the idea. We had been frequenting Chipotle. We both would get the vegetarian bowl to go (but eat it there and save the rest for later), and then I'd get Little Buddy 1 or 2 containers of guacamole. He'd eat it straight. This was all before they stopped using fresh jalapeno and now their food is a little too salty and hot for Little Buddy. Still go to my moms and hang out though. Lately been going to the forest preserve and see my husbands old friends (yes he was a forest ranger before he became an officer of the law). I take Little Buddy with my mom and let him throw rocks in the lake. He LOVES it. We also walk around but not too much if he feels like lolly gagging and the bugs are out.

My husband is going to midnights most likely in September. Not a favorite shift of mine but I'll take it over days. Hardest part is trying to keep a boisterous & noisy toddler quiet in the dead of winter during the day so daddy can sleep. OY! I get great sleep when I have the bed to myself but feel a lot more vulnerable in the event that something bad should occur in the middle of the night.

BIG NEWS: I started working out at a gym. With a real gym membership and everything. I am not a gym person at all but once I had one child and am now 35 the weight likes to hang around. My weight loss was fabulous I took off 30, then put 8 back on and leveled off. I need an little mp3 player though. Keepin' my eyes out for a tiny little cheap dealy that holds like 20 songs (that's all I need).

We are constantly on the move. I never nap but am often tired. The inside of the house has been neglected because all my free time I'm in the yard. I still keep up with the dog, dishes, & laundry but everything else . . . . . . oh well. Want to move . . . . . .badly. Neighborhood is getting worse every week. I promised to post some pictures of the hood, which I will but hate to bring everybody down. Yuck!

Gotta go, my hubby just got home with Pizza Hut. What's new with you?

Too Funny!

Too bad I don't have a little girl. I'm thinking this is one of the cutest and funniest little costumes I've ever seen. That is unless one of you out there has a link to something better? Guess I'll be making Little Buddy's costume again this year. Anyone out there need a Dracula costume for 12-18 month size? I got one, E-mail me with your address. It's cute!

Wordless Wednesday (It Is Wednesday, Right?)

Who knew?

This is what Oxi clean is... did you know that???? 3% peroxide

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana
'I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars.'

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe)

No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle)

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of 'Peroxide' to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4 After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years - until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes severa l times a day.. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors with, and there is no smearing which is why I love it so much for this.

I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner.