Evie

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Evie. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

My eldest daughter is starting primary school this year. It means I am spending more time behind the wheel than ever before, and this is leaving less time for my hobby. During weekdays, I spend more than 2 hours driving to run errands, or to pick up or drop my eldest daughter to school. So when I heard about Evie, I immediately install it to my iPhone.

You must be wandering who or what is Evie. Evie is a voice-enabled application that helps you stay connected on a go. Hand’s free!! You just install this application on your iPhone and you can tell Evie what you want and Evie will do it for you. Isn’t this amazing? Among what Evie can do are: Make a phone call, play items on your iPod, find businesses or points of interest, and listen to Facebook news feed. Interested? You can download Evie for FREE!

Uploaded with Skitch!

You know what else? I also think Evie is going to be an ideal companion during knitting time. It’s troublesome have to stop and put down your knitting halfway in a certain row when you suddenly remember that you need to make a certain phone call. By the time you finished your phone call, pick-up your knitting back, you have forgotten the pattern. I am talking about lace knitting! Not a simple garter stitch or stockinette stitch. I think all the knitter out there agree with me.

 

 

Baby Blocks

Nope! That is not my baby. What I want to show you is the knitting baby-blocks. You can find the free pattern here.

However, these baby block can be easily made from your swatches (For non-knitter: Most knitting patterns that require the finished project to be a particular size will advise you to check your gauge before beginning. This is accomplished by knitting a gauge swatch, which will tell you how many stitches and rows per inch you get when you knit with the yarn you want to use in the pattern stitch that is called for).

So, if you have a lot of swatches from your past projects, you can sew 6 swatches to make 1 blocks (make sure they have almost same sizes).

Valentine's Day

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

The purpose of Valentines Day is to acknowledge your relationship and feelings towards one another. A relationship is built on shared and romantic experiences, so with this in mind, an experience you can both enjoy together is ideal for the occasion. Whether it is watching romantic movie together, cooking for a romantic dinner together, or probably you decided to splurge for a short getaway to a romantic place and stay in a romantic hotel like Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. They have special Valentine’s day special package, which include the following:

• Early check-in & pre-registration upon request

• In-room sparkling wine (where permitted by law) or cider upon arrival

• Access to hotel health club, pool and whirlpool spa (where available)

• Full American breakfast for two in their room (where available) or in the hotel's designated restaurant. At airport locations, guests can exchange their breakfast for a lunch or dinner discount

• On stays beyond one night, buy one entrée and get a second one of equal or lesser value at no additional cost. (Choose from either lunch or dinner in designated restaurant)

• Late check-out available upon request

Sounds good, isn’t it. The one that interest me is that we have access to the hotel health club, pool and whirpool spa. And, take a look at the Valentine’s day dinner menu! Beef tenderloin with seared Foie Gras, Tourne Yukon Gold Potatoes, Steamed Asparagus and Foyot Sauce. Yummmm! That’s it! I will persuade my husband to go.

If you are a mother with 2 toddlers like me, it’s heaven to be able to get alone with your husband without interruption. Admit it, when was the last time you had sex with your spouse? If you can not remember it, then it’s time to pack your bag, ask your mother/mother-in-law/relatives to take-care your kids and just spend value time with your spouse this week-end. You can use Valentine’s day as an excuse.

Are you procrastinating?

Do you often find it hard to get started on an important project, instead waiting until the very last possible minute? If this sounds familiar, then you’re also very likely familiar with the negative side effects of procrastination, such as stress, missed deadlines or lower quality results. Next time you find yourself procrastinating on a project, give yourself permission to make progress during a short work session.

When I’m procrastinating on a writing project, it’s usually because I’m feeling as if I need to finish the entire project in one sitting. And this feels overwhelming, stifles my creativity and makes it nearly impossible to write. By setting my timer for 30 minutes, I give myself permission to simply start my writing project and make progress, instead of piling on the added pressure of finishing.

Next time you’re procrastinating on a project, give this idea a try. Start by deciding to make progress on your project, instead of trying to finish it in one sitting. Then, set your timer for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Simply select a timeframe that feels doable to you based on the project and your stress level. Then, set your timer and start. Who knows, when the timer dings, you might just find yourself completely over the procrastination hurdle and ready to keep plugging along.

About Milk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Not every new mother is blessed with a good supply of breast milk. My breast milk only started to flow a week after my baby was born. I tried to pump my breast using a breast milk pump, but nothing came out. I tried everything to make my breast milk to start to flow. I massaged my breast and used the hot compress method, and also drank and ate food that was supposed to increase my breast milk supply. In the mean time, my baby started to be fussy and didn’t want to latch onto my breast. My baby did latch onto my breast, but after less than a minute she started to cry. I panicked and in the end had to give up and gave her formula milk instead. By the time, my breast milk started to flow, her milk intake already surpassed my breast milk output so I only give her formula milk during the day and breast milk at night.

Speaking of formula milk, have you heard about Bright Beginning formula milk? You can buy on diapers.com.

Shipping is free if you spend over USD49 and the most wonderful thing is that they even have a free 365 days return policy.

At this site, you can also buy stuff that babies use like diapers, soap, and even toys. So it’s a one-stop shopping site for the needs of a baby.

You can also can check their Bright Beginnings on Facebook.

Pool Cool Toy Bag

My girls loves to bring their toys to take a bath (off course I made sure that the toys are safe to put inside the water first). Bath time is always a fun time for them with the toys around. After a while it was so troublesome to keep the toys that scaterred all over the bathroom. The bathroom look a mess and it was difficult to clean the bathroom.

When I saw this pattern, I immediately like the idea and plan to make this right away. This can solve my problem. My bathroom looks tidy and it looks cute too. If you want to make it, here is the link to the free pattern.

What's the best way to treat diaper rash?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

Keep your baby clean and dry by changing his diaper frequently. That may mean getting him up at night for a diaper change.

Rinse his diaper area well at each diaper change. Some parents keep cotton balls and a squirt bottle or an insulated container of warm water at the changing table for easy, gentle cleanups. Pat your baby's skin dry — don't rub!

Using a barrier ointment — one that forms a protective layer on the skin — after every diaper change can help protect your baby's irritated skin from stool and urine. There are several good barrier ointments on the market, including petroleum ointment and white zinc oxide, which is thicker and good for protecting very sensitive skin.

Put your baby's diaper on loosely or use a diaper that's a little big on him to allow for better air circulation. If your baby wears cloth diapers, don't use plastic pants. If you buy disposables, try a different brand to see if that helps.

When the weather is warm and your baby can play outside or in a room with an easy-clean floor, leave his diaper (and ointment) off for as long as possible every day. Exposure to the air will speed healing.

Consider letting your baby sleep with a bare butt whenever he has a rash. A plastic sheet under the cloth sheet will help protect the mattress.

Lastly, use baby butt paste.

I said this based on my own experience. My daughter got her diaper rash while being cared for in the hospital within days of being born. Every nurse had their opinion as to how to clear it up. Nothing worked. After bringing her home after 9 days in the hospital, my aunt bought me Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I simply rubbed it on her bottom after her wiping and she has not had diaper rash since. I never saw it before in my life, although I heard that this paste was being recommended by Oprah herself. If you want a free sample, I suggest you to drop by to their website.

Identify the Scissors

I always tie a scrap of fabric to my cutting tools. Not only does it identify my items at a class (and help students keep their things separate) but around the house it ensures that the children & the hubbs know fabric scissors will have fabric on them.

It's Superbowl Time!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

It's Superbowl time! You know what that means, right? Chips, dips, buffalo wings, pizza, and beer! What a great tradition!

I started my own Superbowl tradition in 1996 when I started dating my boyfriend (now husband). My marketing professor asked us to watch the commercial during Superbowl. All of the Superbowl commercials as they are usually pretty funny. If you have never watched the commercials that air during the Superbowl, then there is something wrong with you. Watch them. Seriously, almost all of them are really funny. 

We won’t be cooking during Superbowl. We just ordered fast-food. I know it’s unhealty, but hey! It’s one a year thing, right….? My favorite fast-food is Pizza eating with TABASCO® Original Red. I think it enhance the flavor of the pizza and give it a little zest. Check out this Pizza Perfected or Game-Day Party Menu to get more ideas of what food to eat during Superbowl. 

Speaking of Tabasco, I got a recipe that simply heaven:

 

·  1 tablespoon olive oil

·  1 tablespoon lime juice

·  2 tablespoons chili sauce

·  1 tablespoon Tabasco

·  1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

·  Place fish in a large plastic bag. Add olive oil and marinate for one hour.

·  2 Remove fish from marinade and salt to taste. Cook on preheated grill for 8-10 minutes.

·  3 Combine chili sauce and Tabasco Sweet & Spicy sauce. Add a dash of regular Tabasco sauce if desired for more heat.

·  4 Baste fish with sauce and grill for an additional 5 minutes.