Pork - Be Inspired BzzCampaign

I was recently selected to review Kroger's Moist and Tender Silver Plate pork as a part of a BzzCampaign.

As part of the campaign, I received some coupons for pork (including one that was $5 off!), a recipe booklet, a basting brush, and a potholder. 

We don't but a lot of pork, maybe once a month or so when pork chops go on sale.  I tend to buy the lean chops, then throw them in the crock pot with italian dressing, honey, and a squeeze of lime or lemon.  It's tasty, but it dries pretty easily.

So, with my $5 off coupon, I decided to try something that I normally wouldn't get.  The 'regular' ribs were pretty expensive, but the country ribs were very inexpensive ($6.06 for just under 2 lbs, which made it just over $1 with my coupon - SCORE!).

I was concerned that the meat would be dry, so I visited my 'go-to' website for recipes, allrecipes.com.  I found this easy recipe, it took around 2 hours (45 minutes to boil, an hour to bake), but it was so good.  Pretty fatty (since they were country ribs), but DELISH!  I can't wait for ribs to go on sale so I can make a rack or two using the same recipe.

Today's Creed

I've been struggling.  A lot.  I've been seeing evil (in the world), I've felt abandoned, I've felt not good enough.  I've lost sleep, made mountains out of mole hills, and have either not cared for myself, or have been so focused on myself that I've neglected others.   I've been worried about things that may not happen, I've been worried about things that may happen.  I've cried, I've lost joy, and I've found myself in a dark rut.  And I'm done.  I'm over the worry, I'm over the anxiety, I'm over the bad. 

I am blessed.
I am saved.
I am kind.
I care and I love deeply.
I am favored.
I am gracious.

I will not allow anxiety to rob me of joy, confidence, sleep, sanity, relationships, honesty, or life.

Life is bigger than this.

God cares. My anxiety is His, for I am His.

I will find joy in EVERY day.  For my children, for myself, and for the one who gives me each morning.

I refuse to focus on evil.

I will delight in truth.

Truth is love.
Truth is good.
Truth is real.
Truth is Godly.

I choose joy.
I choose love.
I choose truth.
I choose to live.

Yesterday was worry.
Today is a new day.
Today is truth.
Today is peace.
Today is hope.
Today is the only day.
Today is new.
Today starts now.

I am ready.

Specialists and Evaluations and Therapies. Oh My!

I don't know how to start with this post.  I guess a warning would be good - this is probably going to be long.  I want to cover the last few months of what's been going on without skipping over details and all that our X-Man has been through.  So, grab a cup of coffee, and let's talk.

Last fall, X-Man started playing basketball.  We knew he wasn't going to be the star-athlete on the team.  He doesn't have much muscle mass (he weighs only 37 lbs at 6 years of age), and isn't quick on his feet (maybe from clubfoot).  What I wasn't expecting was to leave practice one night sobbing.

At his practice, I noticed something wasn't quite right.  When the other kids were listening to the coach, he was rocking back and forth staring at the ceiling.  When the other kids were dribbling the ball, he was jumping up and down and putting his hands all over the other kids and making unusual sounds.  When it was his turn to dribble across the court, he couldn't without trying to shoot a basket every time he walked past the basket.  He was the disruptive child on the team - the one the coach had to constantly redirect and correct.
My hubby was the assistant coach, and he started to notice too.  Basketball was pointless.  It was basically a time for X-Man to act excessively silly and disrupt the team.  There were a couple of games that the hubby couldn't make due to work, and I would have to walk across the court and try to calm/redirect/correct X-Man's behavior.  He played the whole season as I didn't want him to quit mid-season and he still loved going.  He was very discouraged that he hadn't made a basket, but he still had fun.
So, I called his pediatrician (whom we adore) and she asked that we come in to the office to observe him and help us come up with an action plan.

We spent time discussing things that concerned us, as well as some questions that she had for us.  She recommended that X-Man have evaluations for autism spectrum disorders, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.  We filled out multiple evaluation forms, met with specialists and came up with an action plan.  We would do PT once per month, OT once per week, and thankfully, it was determined that he does not have any form of autism.  It was, however, recommended that we have him screened for ADHD.

I've been having mixed feelings about getting a diagnosis for ADHD.  I feel that there is such a stigma attached; besides, I homeschool, so an IEP really isn't something that he needs at this point.  I talked to our pediatrician about these concerns and she explained that there are support groups and parent-led groups that could possibly help us learn how to cope and help him.  I told her about my concerns with stimulants and that I wouldn't be interested in putting him on medicines.  I'm biased, but X-Man is SO smart, and I'm concerned that medication would alter the way he thinks, and that's the last thing I want for my brilliant child.  I asked if there's some dietary changes we could implement to help his symptoms. She explained that there is no scientific proof that dietary changes help, but on a case-by-case basis, there's anecdotal evidence that it can help.  We decided to cut out gluten, red food dye, and cut back on other dyes, artificial flavors, and sugar.  It has seemed to help.  He was having daily meltdowns, now he has them every three days or so.

He did have the biggest meltdown of his life two weeks ago, which resulted in many stares, whispers, and judgmental glares by patrons of the zoo.  It also resulted in the biggest meltdown of my life, but that's another blog post on another day.

X-Man attended physical therapy in January, February, and March.  His therapist was very surprised.  She said that considering how inflexible his feet are, that he is able to do more than almost any other child that she's seen! In those three months, he greatly improved as we would spend time implementing stretches and exercises at home.  And, at our last visit, he 'graduated' from PT - she recommended that we put flexion-stops back on his magic shoes, and that we continue his exercises and stretches.  She said we could also contact her whenever we had concerns or questions.

X-Man has been going to occupational therapy each week.  Unfortunately, it took a while to get us in as the locations we preferred had no openings.  We go to the main children's hospital, which isn't as bad as I thought - I tend to stay in my quadrant of the city, so I think it's a good thing that I'm being pushed to go somewhere new.  And I absolutely adore his occupational therapist.  She is so patient and kind and easy to talk to, which is great.  About two weeks ago, she asked if we had ever had him assessed for sensory processing disorders.  I told her that we're going to get him assessed for ADHD, but that there had been no conversation about SPD.  So, she described it to us and explained that sometimes SPD is misdiagnosed as ADHD.  We filled out a questionnaire and Audrey (the fabulous OT) scored it for us.

He had two 'senses' that fell within the normal range (I think they were vision and body awareness), the rest fell in a light gray area, which means 'some problems'.  Thankfully, even though some were close, none fell in the dark gray 'definite dysfunction' area.  She also gave us a lot of information on SPD as well as activities to help him throughout the day, called a sensory diet.  So far, it seems to be helping.  He had one of his best, focused days of school to date.  We started the day by having him carry the jug of milk to the table, push a basket of laundry across the floor to the laundry room, load the washer, and then had him chew on chewy jellybeans while he did his math work.  He didn't complain about his math work, and didn't forget to do any of his problems (nearly every day he forgets to do a few problems).  His handwriting actually looked better too! 

There are many times where I think he is just not listening (constantly tossing a ball up in the air, acting very silly, getting very wired when he 'rough houses', making sounds over and over again, etc.), that may actually be him 'stimming', which is something he cannot control.  When we do certain activities on the list, it really seems to help - which is quite amazing.

I feel very happy that he isn't in the definite dysfunction category, and even happier that we now have ways to help him.  I'm still not sure about getting the ADHD diagnosis (or ruling it out), and I'm trying to figure out just what SPD means - I'm currently reading The Out of Sync Child which was recommended by some SPD parents and am spending probably too much time researching - but in the meantime, it feels good to have some answers.  We're going to keep working with him, and doing all that we can to help him.  If you or someone you know loves an SPD child, won't you please share any tips you have?  We could also use prayers for discernment (please no prayers for patience ;) ).  I also want to thank all my friends and family members who have already been praying for us and checking in for updates - your support means the world to us.

Kroger Good For You Campaign - CARBmaster and Greek products

For this campaign, we were given a $10 Kroger gift card to try Kroger's CARBmaster and Greek yogurt products. We purchased four CARBmaster yogurts (strawberry-banana, strawberry-colada, caramel spice cake, and banana cream pie), four Greek yogurts (strawberry, vanilla, peach, and pomegranate), and one Vanilla CARBmaster milk. 

I typically buy 'normal' milk, and the CARBmaster milk does cost more.  Honestly, since we don't have a need for lactose-free milk, we likely won't buy this again. The kids loved the vanilla milk, it was sweet and delicious on cereal.  I was a little surprised at how thin the milk was, I just expected it to be really thick.  It has a rich taste, almost like a milk shake.  We also used a clementine, banana, some crushed ice, a Greek yogurt, and some vanilla CARBmaster milk to make a smoothie.  It was REALLY good.  Maybe in the summer we'll consider purchasing some more as it is lower calorie than our regular 2% milk (60 calories versus 100) - and it did make a fantastic smoothie!

Now for the CARBmaster yogurts.  The price is really good - about $.40 per cup. I am NOT a fan of lower fat/sugar yogurts - to me, they all taste artificial.  Unfortunately, this yogurt was no different.  I tried each of the flavors we purchased (I will say that I am impressed by the extensive flavor selection).  I was really looking forward to the banana cream pie, but like any other low sugar yogurt, it tasted artificial to me.  My kids loved each yogurt though and gladly finished each cup for me.  Of the four we purchased, I liked the strawberry colada the best.  If it weren't for an artificial-sugar-substitute aftertaste, I probably would purchase this flavor again. 


I love Greek yogurt.  Again, I'm not a fan of lower fat/lower sugar yogurts, so I purchased four 'full-fat' Greek yogurts.  I really like Dannon Oikos yogurt - and I gladly spend $1-$1.10 per cup because it's worth it to me.  The Kroger Greek yogurt costs roughly the same - a little less than $1.00 per cup.  So, I knew, unless this yogurt was incredible, I wouldn't replace my current yogurt with the Kroger version.  Again, I liked the large selection of flavors.  The yogurt is good.  It's thick and creamy, the was Greek yogurt should be - just like the CARBmaster yogurt, my issue was an aftertaste.  Kroger Greek yogurt is sweetened with stevia.  I understand that stevia is a natural product, but the aftertaste has nothing natural about it - it tastes pretty artificial too.  I added some candied walnuts to the vanilla yogurt, and that did make a big difference, I liked it much better.  However, it doesn't come close to Oikos for me.  My kids enjoyed it, but I won't be replacing Oikos with the Kroger brand. 

I think someone who enjoys low sugar/low fat yogurt will enjoy the Kroger CARBmaster and Greek yogurts.  Unfortunately, for me, they were just okay.

Bzzagent Review: Schick Hydro Razor

Let me start by saying that the worst razor I ever purchased was a Schick razor. Because of this, I haven't purchased a women's razor from Schick in a few years (my husband does like the men's razors from them). So, to be honest, if it weren't for this Bzzcampaign, the chances of me trying this razor were very slim.

 First, I liked the packaging. It was shiny and pretty - not confusing at all. I like that the razor came with a replacement blade and a holder which suctions to the shower wall. I really like this option as it makes it very easy to keep out of the hands of my little ones. The design of the razor is also good. The handle is easy to grasp, it has almost like a rubbery coating which makes it pretty non-slip. It also has little etchings on the handle which also makes it difficult to slip around in your hand. I've only seen the razor in blue, which is fine; I just think for families with more than one woman, the option of purchasing other colors would be helpful.

The razor was very easy to load. I also noticed, that unlike my current razor, it is impossible to load the razor upside down onto the handle. I've cut myself with my old razor by accidentally loading the razor upside down. One thing I really like about the design is that the razor head maneuvers very well; it actually flexes/rotates about 60 degrees. My current razor is no where near this. It made it very easy and kept my wrist from having to turn and bend awkwardly.

 The first time I used the razor, I was very scared. There are five blades. FIVE. I've been known to cut myself with one or two blades, so I thought for sure that I would annihilate my legs with this one. It also had some moisturizing serum on the top and bottom of the blades (I figured that would be helpful for the many cuts I was about to experience). So, I took a deep breath and started my first use. According to the directions, you need to get the razor wet to activate the serum. So, I ran it under a little water, and then began my shave. It didn't feel like the razors were making contact, but my legs did feel moisturized (kind of slimy in the shower). Even though I couldn't feel the razors, they were doing work. The razor removed all my stubble (I get stubble every single day). Oh, and I didn't cut myself. I've probably used the razor a dozen or so times and haven't cut myself!

 The day after my first use with the Schick Hydro, I noticed that unlike nearly every other morning of my adult life, I had no stubble on my legs. So I skipped shaving. I was actually able to skip two days of shaving (it's a miracle!) before I was able to notice any stubble. I haven't experienced any red bumps on my legs or underarms, so it does seem to moisturize well.

I've used the razor for the past two and a half weeks, and the blades still work very well. The moisturizing serum lasted for about five or six shaves.

 Schick Hydro really surprised me. It is my new favorite razor. I am now a loyal Hydro user and WILL purchase blade refills.

Bzzagent Review: Morningstar Farms Corn Dogs

So, my most recent campaign was for Morningstar Farms.  My family really likes their spicy black bean patties, so I was really excited to try another product by the Morningstar Farms brand.  Below are a few photos and my review.

My Bzzkit

Corn Dogs!

Okay, let me start by saying that our family has tried (and really likes) their spicy black bean patties.  They are very flavorful and when we eat them, no one misses meat.  They really have a great texture, and wonderful flavoring.

I decided when we received our kit (seeing that we already had spicy black bean patties in the freezer) that we would try something that I normally would not purchase.  So, we decided to try their corn dogs. 

They were easy to find in the frozen food section.  All the Morning Star products were grouped together - all I had to do was look for the green section (all their boxes are green which makes it very easy to see them right away).  I purchased the corn dogs, which came in a pack of four. 

A few days later, I remembered they were in the freezer - I had actually been putting off trying them because I was afraid of what the texture of a meatless hotdog would be.  So, I baked them for 20 minutes like it said on the package.  My kids scarfed these down so quickly, that I had to practically bribe them to get one nibble. 

The bite I had was good.  There was a good crunch to the outside (the next day I baked them for 22 minutes, and that was even better!), and the texture of the 'hot dog' wasn't bad.  As to be expected, it wasn't the typical texture of a meat hot dog.  One pro to this; however, is that you won't get any of those hard little bits that you sometimes find in hot dogs.  My kids didn't notice a difference.  My only issue with the corn dogs is the aftertaste.  The hot dog aftertaste was just a little odd, but nothing that a little ketchup or mustard couldn't fix.

The price on sale isn't bad either.  I don't think I'd pay full price for them (of course, I rarely pay full price for anything), but we will most definitely purchase them again when they go back on sale. 

As I mentioned above, I never would have tried these had it not been for this Bzzcampaign, but now, we're going to be regular consumers! 

Prebaked

Also, please note that the picture is of the corn dogs before they were baked - my children ate them so quickly that I wasn't able to snap a shot of them (still intact) once they were cooked!

Checking In and (finally) Catching My Breath

As usual, December was a whirlwind.  Actually, the last few months have been a whirlwind.  I'm finally able to sit down and catch my breath.  And, I wanted to update ya'll.  Okay, so we have a few friends from Texas, and I now say ya'll - not often, but sometimes.  I swear, I pick up dialect like some people catch colds.

Anyways.  Homeschooling is going very well!  X-Man loves it.  I had a schedule planned earlier in the year - the schedule is no longer applicable.  X-Man has been loving math, so he's a few weeks ahead there.  And, we took our time to study the planet Earth, so we're a few weeks behind there.  We've also added in some Presidential studies (X-Man can tell you the order of Presidents, which number each one was, and the dates of their Presidency - I however, cannot).

Also, we started back (after taking a couple weeks off for Christmas) last Monday, and now we begin each day with a quiet time.  I work on my Bible study, X-Man reads devotions, and L picks out some picture Bibles to look at - she often prays during this time (unfortunately, she thinks this means she can play  but call it praying "No, I'm praying over here!").  Overall, this change has been great!  It gives us time to ease into our day, and starts the day in the right mentality. We also added a basketball hoop to our classroom.  If X-Man starts getting antsy, he can hold the ball (it seems to help him focus) - he also gets to shoot a basket between each subject if he was a good listener.

I feel much more confident, so we often change what we were going to learn about to make it more interesting for them.  We've been using our library and are loving that.  Anything he wants to study is easy to study when you have a fantastic library with tons of resources.  We've been adding activities and games and even movies - all of which have been great.

Our family also started 2013 by adopting a weekly budget.  I take X-Man grocery shopping while Little Lou is at school.  He brings a calculator and keeps track of how much we're spending so that we don't overspend.  I also have him help me cut coupons - this helps him with fine motor skills, alphabetization, and matching similar items.

Little Lou is still loving preschool three days a week.  She is still learning Bible/History and Science with us, we also read some stories before she goes to Preschool.  The days she is home all day are much easier (I thought it would be easier when she was at school). 

Oh, and one more (huge) thing.  Remember when I left my job to begin homeschooling?  We talked about how this meant that we'd be bringing in less money.  Well, God again provided for us in ways that we never planned!  The hubby was offered a new job (a few months ago) that has more than provided the amount of lost income from my old job!  And, he loves his new position.  Again, I'm so thankful and can't wait to see what God has in store for us this year.  And, He has great things in store for you too :)

Thanks for reading!