One Quick Thing. . . then again, it's me we're talking about

I just have one quick tip I'd like to share. Put your scallions and herbs in a wet paper towel, fold it around the base and store in the fridge in a produce bag (I reuse mine, and actually I hardly have them since I buy my produce loose). The water keeps them fresh and I think even growing. These scallions are a few days old and are firm and luscious.

I love scallions!

Come to think of it, remember when I mentioned Chaim's other other night job? And how I started this blog the day he got fired? So it's been about two years since then and we found out his unemployment is ending in two weeks. :( This is after an error in which they held about three weeks, which we had to go in in person and refute and still are waiting for it to come through. But it doesn't really matter so much because it's basically over. So now what? I have no idea. We're trying the gardening thing again, have a nice compost started, but something tells me we'll need more than that to live on. Hmmm.

The heat and hot water isn't on, which is a pain but hopefully the oil truck will come again tomorrow.

And children, why don't they sleep?? Do they want to be zombies? It's after 10, and I still hear Lyla in the room. Meanwhile I'm ready to pass out!

In case I didn't say so on here yet, Z is basically officially potty trained. So that's awesome! Lyla is officially in the middle of TERRIBLE TWOS!! NOT AWESOME!!!

I'll keep you posted on the news.

Natural Remedies

Probably because I always say I never wash my hair, my mother in law had mentioned a shampoo like product that doesn't actually wash out your natural oils and was supposed to be better for you. It turns out it was WEN cleansing conditioner and when I googled it, I wasn't sure how well it would work, or really, if it would work better than home remedies. I found this awesome site as well, and here are some new and old tips I wanted to list.

Hair: Plain and simple, wash it less if you can. I use vinegar with shampoo occasionally to get rid of build up, but I can't do that every time and definitely think I need shampoo, but I try to use less of it each time now. It can over dry super easily and I find it to be one of the top culprits. I'm not going to lie, its still not a super small amount, since I need to get my scalp clean, but I do use less now and just lather the top. Then I just let it run off instead of drying out my ends by shampooing them. Also try to never dye, bleach, or use heat styling. And go easy on products since they also cause drying. I used to do all of those things but now I don't do any. I sometimes blow dry my bangs with an ion dryer (I try to stick to 'warm') and use 'cool' after wards. I use Bio-silk sparingly and only sometimes, I don't dye, straighten or blow dry my hair anymore, or use any hair sprays, gels, or mousses. The worst of all those things is bleach and heat, just fyi. And occasional of anything is ok too, just be careful!

For conditioning, I like to use hair mayo sometimes and I really like suave with Shea butter as well. I have a Shea butter "leave in" made by Cantu, but its more like a light styling product because it does grease up my hair quicker than normal. But maybe that's a good thing since my hair is usually dry-ish and Shea butter is a protectant. Because of the dryness, I am able to go longer between washes, but the top gets greasy first and this causes break outs. :(

Skin: This is so weird but I swear its true - apparently vinegar is the cure for everything. Its a natural antiseptic which I knew because I clean with it. But if you dilute apple cider vinegar with 3 parts water and use it as an astringent, the results are amazing. Smelly yes. But amazing. It tightens up my pores like WOAH. I even use it under my arms and those bumps that have always plagued me are all but gone. Wow.

Another thing you can use is lemon rind, but it can burn if your skin is sensitive. Sometimes I just use the lemon when its all spent to rub the inside of my steel sink. It gets some grime out and smells nice. I think.

I also sometimes use Tea Tree Oil on stubborn pimples.

I like to follow with cucumber peels all over my face to soothe and help get rid of redness and under eye circles. It also helps wipe off some vinegar smell but I wait for it to dry. I actually let most things dry right on. So many products have cucumber in it and are so costly. I just use the real thing! It works.

This is another newer one for me personally, but I have to attribute it to one more cure. Vaseline. (I know you hate it Amanda!) I already use it for my lips and feet/hands in the winter, and even under my nose when I have a cold. But I started using it around my eyes at night to seal in moisture. I have to say, it REALLY works!! My circles have never been so diminished from any other expensive product. And I think its good for the lashes too. So far no break outs from it either. Then in the morning I wash with CeraVe foaming face wash which is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It's sort of like Cetaphil but actually gets makeup off. So far I'm just using samples but I hope to buy it soon. It seems to be very highly rated. I still use apricot scrub as well and sometimes other face washes.

I still get deep pimples that don't show, but hurt like hell. I haven't found a way to stop this. Maybe I do over cleanse, but I just hate hate hate them. I also get black heads and bumps, and I sort of have a nervous tendency to pick and them and I really can't stop. Sadly, this creates far worse skin problems than if I could leave them alone.

I also think cocoa butter lotion is the best ever. Any brand.

Edit: As far as skin and hair go, one really great tip is DON'T shower in super hot water. It totally dries out both. It's also a good idea to rinse with cool water too, to seal up the pores/follicles and prevent breakage.

Then there are a few more things that are actually products (and actually not natural) but I'll just put them here anyway.

I have to say, this stuff freaking works. Its not Latisse and I wouldn't want it to be, but I do feel like I lose less lashes and they seem more filled in. Maybe I'm just not wearing makeup as often, since that causes lash loss too.

L'oreal lash boosting serum

Another thing I really like is Maybelline's The Colossal Volum' Express mascara.


I've tried many others and I like this one so much more. I tend to like volume in my mascara and some people do not, but I like this even more than other volume ones. I also like the Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion which only comes in non-waterproof (I like waterproof) but its about the same caliber as Colossal. SO what bugs the hell out of me is why Maybelline wastes so much money on their stupid The Falsies campaign when everyone hates that mascara! >:( Just google the images to see the before and after. Even people who say they like it look like hell. For real. That's all.

The New New Addition to the Green List!

Compost!!!

Compost bin.

Compost bin.


Compost bin.

Compost bin!


We are starting a garden. These are my professional rock removers.

Here you can see the garden, complete with gnomes, in the background. All the way to the left in front of the fence is a pile of rocks. We are planning to go to that bush on the right. There are already some flowers there. Can you tell how far I weeded up to this picture? Lol. I did some more work on it after going to Home Depot. We really have to get started on planting NOW. I bought a few seeds such as tomato, cucumber, string beans, watermelon, radish, and lettuce. I also bought a sprigs that are supposed to grow into a raspberry and blueberry bush! We'll see how it goes! I hope I have enough room. If not, we'll skip some seeds this year. I'll try to post updates if anything grows! Wish us luck! :)

A quick tip.

When cutting your veggies, take the bits you would normally throw out, such as carrot tops, scallion bottoms, and these


And put them in a ziplock in the freezer.


You can then use these to make a soup broth for free without having to waste any new veggies! Just strain and chuck* the bits when you're done!


You can keep the broth in the freezer too, in a container you were going to have to throw away! Look at you, being so green! :) (This one actually has the left over "marinade" from my zucchinis. Its garlic, olive oil and spices, but the zucchinis give off some water too so you can totally use it as/with a broth!)


*A quick edit: Just strain and compost the bits when you are done! :)

New addition to our "Green List"!

Home grown scallions! Just keep the white part in fresh water and voila! :) I hope we can add to this soon, since we've had seeds lying around for months. The planter came to hold Chaim's paperwork! Lol! Some day we might even have a yard! Gosh Golly! :D

How I Diaper

First, I fold the diaper in three, into the middle which is the thickest. This is standard.


But what I do differently is flip it over. Then I simply lay a liner directly over the whole length, put one side under her tush, and pull the front up and between her legs.


I folded the front down because this is an extra long diaper. With some brands you won't have to do this. Then I pull the back flaps out from under her and tuck the front flaps under them and secure with a snappi. I use the bottom part of the snappi to hook the middle pieces and keep them folded together.


Cover with a diaper cover. I like Thristies 2.0.


I think the fold I use is just a standard fold, but inside out. I found the other way, which maybe was meant to hold the poop, just got it all over the sides as well as middle. This way it stays on the middle and since I use liners now, there is no need for a fancy fold to hold the doody. I've tried newspaper folds before and liked how it utilized that extra thickness on top. What are your favorite folds?

Mom Suggestion of the Day

Wear an apron while FEEDING your kids.




This is my rock star apron that I made, but y'all already know that since all of my followers are already friends on Facebook. :) But seriously, its saved a few stains.

The Green List

Many people differ on their opinions of "climate change", what creates it, or if its even happening. Despite this, we can all agree that cutting back or changing some of the things we do can actually save money, and have other benefits as well. And some are even easier than what we are used to. So in a nonpartisan way, I bring you The Green List: things my family does to save a little green that also, at the very least, doesn't hurt the Big Green and at best, is good for her. Hopefully, this list will grow, but for now I just like to see visually where we stand.

-We don't have a dishwasher. We wash most of our dishes in a small bucket that we fill only a little with soapy water, wash the dishes, and fill with rinse water and then dunk them.

-We use reusable bags at the store. I still have so many plastic ones that even with bathroom and diaper garbage pails along with cat litter, I still have too many!

-We recycle.

-We guerrilla recycle!!

-We shut off lights.

-Compact fluorescents baby.

-We don't use a ton of heat or AC, or at least we try. If you need a sweater in your house in the summer or wear tanks in the winter, maybe you should consider using less heat or AC!

-We turn down the heat or AC when we leave.

-We don't have a microwave, and I hate them.

-We have a TV, unfortunately, but we hardly watch it and I try to leave it unplugged. We use it the most to watch movies from our computer that we connect with a cable.

-I try to cloth diaper while at home, a sort of part time affair. To me, this is difficult, but I try.

-We line dry most of our dark clothes to prevent fading.

-We wash dark clothes in cool water, and if we do warm for light clothes, the rinse is cool.

-We don't use dryer sheets, fabric softener, and I try to use even less detergent than it suggests.

-We wear most of our clothes more than once before washing, if we can. And we use towels etc more than once too!

-We fix our clothes when they rip and give them away when we don't need or want them anymore, so they can be reused. Many of our baby clothes are hand me downs too!

-We don't use disposable dishes, EVER!

-We have one car, a "Low emitions vehicle". It gets an average of 30mpg.

-Chaim car pools or takes the bus to class.

-I don't eat meat, only fish.

-Chaim doesn't eat too much meat either, though not a vegetarian.

-We refill water bottles and we don't really buy them unless we're thirsty and have to buy a drink.


-We use old glass containers for grains and beans and things (Rubbermaids work too, but we need those for the fridge sometimes!) The reason this is good, other than re-using and buying less containers, is because our grains and beans were getting a lot of bugs in them, so this stops that! :)

-We rinse and reuse Ziploc bags.

-We have a gas stove. (I'm not sure how 'good' this is, but I prefer it. I can still cook in a black out, if I have a match.)

-We don't drink milk treated with hormones, though we don't get "organic" for the price factor.

-We don't let the car idle.

-We don't leave the water running when we brush our teeth.

-We let that yellow mellow. A few ounces of urine is not worth 1.6 gallons of water to me.

-I cut down on toilet paper (for #1 only!) by using my Peri bottle to rinse and then towel dry. I actually feel cleaner as well!

-Bye bye tampons! I now have a Mooncup!

-I hardly use paper towels.

-I switched to rags instead of sponges for the counter.

-We hardly use harsh cleaning products. Maybe once a month on average. Usually we wipe messes with water only or with soap. I use vinegar and baking soda when necessary and just got a few bottles of Seventh Generation cleaner and dish soap. The house still stays clean enough though, with just the right amount of germs for us to hardly get sick.

-I take longer showers than I could, but I also don't wash my hair more than once or twice a week.

-I don't blow-dry my hair, and I hardly use any products in it.

-We're broke, so we can't buy as much useless junk! LOL!

-Chaim plants trees. :)

-We try to stick to organic bananas.

-Sometimes Chaim uses me as a tissue. :)

Very Easy Recipes

I hate the struggle to find new and interesting foods every night. But with a baby who eats solids and my husband who is the picky princess, it must be done!

Often, I just make something up or modify a recipe. It doesn't always have to be exact or have all the little ingredients. It depends on what it is. It's different every time, but the idea is the same. Fresh ingredients and spices are key, so stock up! Some of my favorites are:

Italian: Cook a box of pasta, but instead of the standard sauce, throw on different veggies. Maybe with some sauteed onion and herbs for flavor. One combo I really like is fresh tomatoes, garlic, black olives and capers with some cooking wine and spices. Also a never-fail combo that many dishes are based off of is canned peeled tomato, black olives and spinach. Make it with pasta or with tortellini as a soup. Definitely experiment and have fun with it.

Pseudo-Indian: I usually start with chickpeas and go from there. I often add onion and tomato, among many others, but the spices are completely different. Fenegreek, curry, cumin, coriander seed, cilantro, ginger, etc. And I usually serve it with rice.

Mexican: Black beans and rice! Cumin is a must. My fave additions are oregano, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Another great thing is bean salads. Black bean salad is good with tomato and corn with cilantro, hot pepper, lemon/lime and spices, etc, and black bean soup is almost the same with a few modifications. Another great south of the border bean salad is with chickpeas. I used to make it with onion, tomato and cilantro, but one day I had a massive craving for it with garlic instead of onion. I was afraid it would be disgusting, but it is one of our favorites now! Though it is a far cry from authenticity.

Summer Snack: I love this one. Cucumber slices with cheese on top (preferably Havarti, but I'm sure Munster, Mozzarella or Monterrey will do.) with tuna salad on top of that. Its so easy and Zalah loves it. I just add some spices to the tuna and its done in 5 minutes. You can also make up more things like this with other veggies. Think lettuce wraps with shredded carrot and hummus, etc.

I also want to share some favorite recipes that I actually follow. Since I don't eat meat, these are mostly Vegetarian, some Vegan, but a few are fish.

Ethiopian Stew - http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=143

Men's Health Magazine's Spicy Lime Talapia - http://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/spicy_lime_tilapia.html

Basil Tofu - http://www.tofu-recipe.com/

Quinoa salad (of course I alter it based on what I have) - http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/quinoasalad.htm

Lentil Curry (for crock pot) - http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotvegetables/r/bl92c1.htm

Fish with butter and lemon - http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1817,148189-232201,00.html

For dessert, but a large container of Stonyfield Farms fat free plain yogurt and follow the recipe for low fat yogurt muffins under the lid. They are amazing!

I couldn't find links for these but they are so amazing I wanted to share!

Lemon Moroccan Stew

I LOVE this, but I half it because its so much! I also love it with cous cous.

2 Meyer Lemons, seeds removed and thinly sliced
3 (15 oz) cans of garbanzo beans
2 cinnamon sticks (I just used a tiny bit of ground cinnamon instead)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
2 (32 oz) cans diced tomatoes w/ juice
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 lb baby spinach
salt & pepper

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sliced lemons. Heat until rind begins to soften, about 5 mins. Set aside. In large stock pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and saute onions for 4 minutes. Add cinnamon and cumin seed and continue to cook until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, garbanzo beans, raisins, sauteed lemons, ground cumin and coriander. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes until liquid thickens. Stir in spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy served over couscous or with pita bread.


Zucchini Lentil Soup
Makes 6 servings
Soup Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut into ¼ inch pieces
4 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 large or 3 medium zucchini, with skin, cut into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup fresh dill, stems trimmed, loosely packed
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils

Soup Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, sage and thyme. Coon until the onion is translucent; do not allow it to brown.
Add the zucchini and dill. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until zucchini is a little shiny.
Add the stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft.
Add the lentils. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. (If you use regular lentils instead of Red ones, you will have to cook them longer.)


Enjoy! And feel free to share!

A few Tips and Beauty Products I like

I don't have a ton of beauty tips, but I have a few. One easy one for moms is using Johnson's baby shampoo as face wash. It is an excellent make up remover, where even some face washes don't cut it. Its also great for styes. Just mix it with water to suds it up and rub it right on in, then rinse. If you are prone to them, it prevents them if you do it daily. It tends to dry the skin a tad (which is why it works on styes) so make sure to use moisturizer or don't use it often if your skin is too dry. (I'm loving Dove's face moisturizers!) Not to mention, its great on mom hair too!

I also like to do a rinse with vinegar sometimes, which is great to get out buildup, but it can smell. If you don't want to risk it, give Johnson's a try. I want to try Loreal's kids shampoo as well because they have a ton of great smells and I imagine it would leave hair feeling really soft!

I also like using Hair Mayonnaise or cholesterol in the summer. That also has a distinct smell if you use it as a conditioner, but I coat my hair in it just when I'm laying outside. It protects it, and I think it keeps the chlorine at bay too when you jump in. And speaking of protection, ALWAYS use sunscreen! I am a big believer in that, even though I forget sometimes!

Another conditioner trick is to put some water in the bottle when it's almost empty so the last bits come out easier. My sister made a big Dove squirt bottle full of her last bits of different conditioners. We called it "the conglomerate". And it worked so well because it had everything in it!

Don't underestimate things in your fridge as beauty products! The hair mayo you buy is called that because of how similar it is to the real thing. Lots of eggs for protein. But don't eat it. Just rubbing a cucumber peel on your skin refreshes and soothes it. Thanks Oma for that one! I've also tried lemon when I was pregnant and had bad skin, but watch out for that one! It can burn sensitive skin.


We're all dead tired, but sometimes you don't want to look that way. Some of my favorite (CHEAP!) fake awake tips and beauty products are:

Wake up your face first. Face wash is great but I feel like a new person after I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub. For a cheap and easy astringent, try witch hazel.
If you have dark circles under your eyes, like I do, you to hide them to look even slightly alive. We've heard tricks about cucumber and tea bags, but for a quick fix, under eye cream and a concealer work really well. I like Loreal eye defense, but it can run high especially in NY. Also, a quick eyebrow tweezing really opens up the face.

For cover up, I've tried a ton of stuff, and I know if I splurged I'd find great stuff, but for a budget I just use any stick. But my all time favorite face makeup is The Body Shops All In One Face base. Its a pressed powder but its thicker because you can use it wet. I don't, but I love the coverage and that it doesn't look caked on.
A nice gold shadow under brow, not too dramatic or thick, but with a hint of shimmer to lighten up that area works wonders. I use NYC color Shimmer pot in champagne.
Another must have for even a "minimal make up day" is mascara. I've tried Bad Gal lash from Sephora for $20, but I'm fine with Lash Blast or whatever the newest mascara is. They tend to be a bit chunky, so one tip I always used was to use an old mascara brush that's cleaned off and use it to brush out chunks. I think it works better than a comb. It also works to brush excess powder out of your eyebrows, which opens your eyes more. I also like waterproof mascara, hence needing a good make up remover and face wash! Another mascara problem is that it can get under your eye if you do your bottom lashes, which only makes you look more tired. A q-tip solves this problem. If you know its going to be a long day, skip eyeliner as it runs and just go for light shadow and mascara.My fav blush is Loreal true match in precious peach.It may not work for everyone's skin tone, but thankfully, their line makes it easy to find one that works for you. And most stores let you return makeup if it wasn't what it looked like. Ask before you buy! For a more dramatic look, I put a darker rose color under my cheek bone and blend it with the peach on my apples. Over all, I like Loreal a lot. I also used to love Le Grand Kohl eyeliner for ages. Their bare natural mineral line is pretty good too if you don't want to spend $60 on the real thing. I love the eye colors too for a sexy smokey eye look that's subtle but still noticeable.
I strongly recommend that women switch to waxing. I know its daunting at first, and seems time consuming, but its so worth it. The easiest is armpits. You don't have to shave for weeks and it grows in thinner so it gets less and less painful. Plus its quick, just one or two tries aught to do it. I recommend a sugar wax that is water soluble because I've ruined outfits before with thick cream waxes. I also say be brave and venture south. You can always try to just do a bikini first before going all out. Yes, it sucks. But its so much cheaper and less irritating. Watch out though! It aggravates hemorrhoids and varicose veins! I use Moujan Hot and Cold wax. (But use it hot.)
I'm sure there are a lot more tips out there for moms to look good easily and cheaply. Feel free to share any you have!!