Wordless Wednesday

I think I need to get this girl a cape. Baby Z wore her blanket like this for like 20 minutes while walking around the house. If it fell off, she would drag it to us and whine until we put it back on her. haha

P.S. This super cute, high quality blanket is from Apricots & Honey! I get compliments on it all the time and its even personalized with Baby Z's name. :)

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CampusBookRentals Review

As the wife of a full-time college student and being a former student myself, I know firsthand how expensive college books are so I am always looking for ways to save money on them. I have found just the way to do it! Did you know that you can rent your textbooks instead of buying them?? I wish I would've known about renting textbooks when I was in college, it would've saved me some major money.

Just recently, I have learned about CampusBookRentals.com even though they have been trusted by over 5,871 campuses (and counting)! 

CampusBookRentals has some incredible perks:

- you save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

- you get free shipping both ways

- you can highlight in the textbooks

- they have flexible renting periods

- they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

Already have your textbooks but need to sell them?? Don't! You can actually rent them out to other students at RentBack.com and make 2-4 times more than you would by selling them! I'm going to do this with my husband's books from now on.

My favorite part about CampusBookRentals.com? They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented. From the Operation Smile website: "We work to transform the lives of children who suffer from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. Our approach to solving the problem globally distinguishes us and is leaving a lasting legacy — and a world of smiles."

Basically, you can help Operation Smile save lives by renting your textbooks. You can find more information about Operation Smile at: http://www.operationsmile.org/about_us/who-we-are/

So, if you're a college student or know a college student, I would seriously look into this (and pass it on!). You would be saving money AND saving lives. It doesn't get much better than that! To find out more about CampusBookRentals.com, watch the video below!

Although I was compensated for this post, I only recommend services that I believe in.

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Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

If you're looking for a fast and easy dinner, look no further! We tried this Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe the other day and it was really good. There's a few things we will change next time to better suit our family but I pretty much followed this recipe exactly and it still turned out really yummy.

Ingredients:
12 oz frozen popcorn chicken
16 oz pkg frozen bell pepper stir-fry vegetables
2 (8 oz) cans pineapple chunks in juice, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
2/3 cup La Choy Sweet and Sour Sauce
2 tbs soy sauce (I used La Choy)


Directions:
Prepare chicken according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add frozen vegetables and reserved 1/4 cup pineapple juice to skillet.

Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Add pineapple, sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce to skillet; stir to combine. Heat 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened slightly. Add hot chicken to mixture; stir gently.

Serve over rice.


My Notes:

• To save money, next time I'm going to just cut up chicken breasts into cubes to use. I think it would taste just as great that way and it will be way, way cheaper (and healthier without the breading!).
• We're really a "vegetables on the side" sort of family so next time instead of making stir fry and mixing everything in, I'm just going to make veggies on the side and just mix the chicken and sauce by themselves.
• Although we liked the pineapple flavoring, we love the sweet and sour sauce so much by itself that we could live without the pineapple juice but I will keep the chunks because they were super yummy.

Overall, this is truly a great recipe and you will not be disappointed. It will be easy to figure out how to change it up to better suit your family's taste and I'm sure some people will prefer it just as it is!

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In Memory of My Dad

I have sat down and tried to write out my feelings about the loss of my dad many times but I just cant seem to find the right words. I’m so happy for him yet so sad for myself. I guess I naively just thought this day would never come. After all, he was the Miracle Man. The Answer Man. The Professor. 

I feel like a huge piece of me is gone and I can't believe the world is carrying on around me as if nothing happened. Life seems so much emptier now. Everything I do reminds me of him. I can still hear him laughing and whispering to me “you're my favorite but don't tell the others.” I would give anything to hear his voice one more time. The thought of him not seeing Z grow up just breaks my heart even more.

Dad, thanks for all that you've done for me. For doing my chores when I had forgotten, for helping with my homework, for going to all of those concerts with me, for building the bookshelf with me, for everything… I’ll never forget our inside jokes, our Tuna Tuesdays, and all of memories together. I know you're in a better place but I miss you more than anyone will ever know and I’ll think of you every day for the rest of my life. I cant wait til I get to see you again. I love you. ♥

“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24 (NIV)

I wrote that a couple weeks after my dad died in December 2012. Reading it now for the first time since then made me burst into tears as I rocked my little girl. I feel like my memories of him are slowly slipping away but the pain of the loss is as strong as ever. Sometimes I can't remember the sound of his voice or his laugh. Its been 8 months now since he's been gone and I feel like he has already missed so much. Every milestone in my life feels bittersweet because he's not here to share it with me. I miss him with all of my heart and my life just isn't the same without him.

For those who do not know, my dad lost his life to brain cancer at the age of 55, after battling it for 6 years. I was only 17 when he had his first seizure and I was 23 when he died and Baby Z was only 11 months old.

My only wish is that they find a cure for cancer in my lifetime. Enough people have suffered and it needs to end. To learn more about brain cancer and what you can do to help visit http://www.braintumor.org. Together we'll find a cure.

My Daddy and I when I was about Baby Z's age.

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What's On Your Wish List Event Blogger Opp

What's On Your Wish List Event

Organized by: Mom Powered Media

Prizes: $1,000 {visa gift card, amazon gift certificate or select your favorite store}

Event dates: 11/1 - 12/1

Open Worldwide

Referral prize: $50 Amazon E-Code or Paypal Cash

Requirement to join:

* No more than 2 blogs per person allowed

* Agree to post the giveaway html on the date the event begins and promote at least 3x a week

Bloggers: Sign Up HERE

**Please tell them Shannon from I'm No Domestic Goddess sent you!**

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FREE Tape Measure!!

Hurry on over because I don't know how long it will last!

http://www.indochino.com/tapemeasure

Let me know if you score one!!

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What To Do And What Not To Do When It Comes To Salt Dough Handprints

To me, salt dough handprints are the easiest, cheapest way to beautifully display how little our babies truly are. I have made several handprints and footprints for Baby Z. I've even given some away as gifts (my mother-in-law and grandmother absolutely love these!). Salt dough has been around forever and its fairly easy to do. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water
food coloring (optional)

Things needed:
bowl
cookie sheet or aluminum foil
rolling pin (or something else to flatten the dough)
knife or molds

Optional Things I Use:
latex gloves (optional but I prefer it)
toothpick
straw
ribbon

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I See Me! Review and Personalized Lunch Box Giveaway

I'm so excited to introduce you all to one of my favorite brands!! I See Me is an award-winning company that offers personalized gifts for kids including storybooks, placemats, gift sets, coloring books, and now LUNCHBOXES! One of my favorite things about the I See Me! brand is that they stand behind their product with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Now, I have a confession to make... I'm addicted to the I See Me! personalized books. Baby Z has four of them with two more on the way and I feel absolutely no shame! My personal favorite is The Very Happy Birthday board book (pictured to right), Baby Z "reads" it to herself every day and giggles at the bright pictures.

The quality of the books is astounding. Each one is completely unique and inserts your child's name into the story and on the cover. There is even a dedication section in the beginning of each book to write a special note to your little one. I just know that these books are going to be something Baby Z will treasure as she gets older. I would recommend them to anyone and they make awesome gifts! I got my 4 year old nephew the My Very Own Pirate Tale Storybook and he absolutely loved it!

I'm very excited about their new personalized lunch boxes! They are made out of tin and have 8 styles for you to choose from ranging from butterflies to outer space. Each one can personalized with your child's name  and they all have a chalkboard on the inside so you can write a special note to your child every morning!

In celebration of their new personalized lunchboxes, I See Me! has generously offered to giveaway a lunchbox of choice to one lucky I'm No Domestic Goddess reader!!

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Our Trip To The Detroit Zoo!

As a family, we love going to the zoo. For the last year, we have been a member of The Toledo Zoo but just recently, we switched our membership over to The Detroit Zoo. It was Baby Z's first trip there and even though it was a million degrees out (ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration), we still managed to have a lot of fun.

We've been taking Baby Z to zoos since she was 6 months old (I guess it was more for ourselves than her at that point). Nonetheless, she has always thoroughly enjoyed it and we love going as well! At 18 months old, she really loves watching the animals but I think she likes people watching more. lol

Baby Z and I in front of the camels.

 This little meerkat was so cute. He sat there pouting like he was in time out!

That's how I sleep too, Mr. Bear!

Baby Z and Daddy by The Arctic Ring Of Life entrance.

Touching the ice wall. I love when zoos are interactive like this!

I grew up in Metro Detroit so all of our field trips were to The Detroit Zoo but it has changed alot since I was a kid! Major exhibits (some old, some newer) include the Arctic Ring of Life, Australian Outback Adventure, Great Apes of Harambee, National Amphibian Conservation Center, Holden Reptile Conservation Center, Penguinarium and Butterfly Garden. The zoo is situated on 125 acres and is home to more than 3,300 animals of 280 species!

For $5 you can feed the giraffes but you have to get there early before tickets sell out! We are looking forward to feeding the giraffes at some point this summer but Baby Z and I are not morning people so that will have to be a day my husband drags us out of bed. haha

The only problem I had with the Detroit Zoo was there wasn't a lot of shade along the pathways so on a 90+ degree day, you REALLY felt the heat of the sun. We are going plan on our trips on cooler days from now on for this reason!

For more information or to plan a trip there, visit the zoo's website. You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube!

Overall, we had a great time and we look forward to many more trips to the Detroit Zoo!

Have you ever been to the Detroit Zoo? What is the best zoo you've ever been to?

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Ashley-Sleep Pillow Review

My husband and I just got new Ashley-Sleep Large Contour Pillows and they are WONDERFUL. Sleeping on one of these pillows is what I imagine it would feel like to sleep on a cloud. No exaggeration needed. The first night I slept with this pillow was the first night since my dad died in December that I actually felt like I got a good night of sleep.  They are so comfortable that I have to wrestle my 19 month old for them. (I usually let her win because she's just so dang cute.)

Pros: 

• They are amazingly comfortable.
• They come with a removable pillow case for easy washing.
• They come with a warranty (that's when you know you have a great pillow!).
• They are made from environmentally-friendly Ecofusion Memory that uses 30% less oil than conventional foams, reducing the amount of petrol based chemicals – 30% Castor Seed Oil to 70% Polyurethane.
• Ashley-Sleep® Technology utilizes ventilated memory foam and Tencel, a wood pulp-based product that dissipates heat, so you never have to worry about that uncomfortable "hot bed" feel.
• They support the gap between your shoulders and head to reduce that morning stiff neck and back.

Cons:

• They are a bit on the pricey side for a pillow but I promise they are worth it. You deserve it and your body deserves it. 
• The pillow itself is not machine washable. This is normal with a memory foam pillow but is still is a bummer.

Overall, I would give this pillow 5 stars. I think it is well worth the price and a great investment for your health and happiness! I cannot get over how truly comfortable they are and how happy they make me. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

From their website: "Ashley Sleep is manufactured by Ashley Furniture Industries, the largest furniture manufacturer and #1 retail furniture brand in the world. Making its own place in the sleep industry, Ashley Sleep is one of the fastest growing mattress brands in the world. First introduced in 2008, more people are sleeping on Ashley Sleep mattresses than ever before! By leveraging our global resources, we are able to build our mattresses, foundations, and pillows with better comfort technologies normally included in mattresses sold at much higher prices. Also, each one of our mattresses must pass over 200 quality control tests before leaving our manufacturing facilities. We recognize the vital role your mattress set plays in your home and are committed to providing you, our customers, with outstanding sleep products, all at an Ashley Value. Ashley Sleep products may be found at select Ashley Furniture HomeStores and other sleep retailers."

You can purchase the pillows I have at an Ashley Furniture HomeStores near you or online at Amazon and other various online retailers. 

Be sure to visit the Ashley-Sleep website and see everything else they have to offer including memory foam mattresses (I want one of those next)! You can also follow them on Facebook and Youtube!

**I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

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Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

After mastering my own laundry detergent, I decided to take a whirl at making my own liquid hand soap as well. I was truly overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and recipes there is online for this! So many different variations and a lot of conflicting advice as well.

 Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

1 grated bar soap (I used Ivory)

2 TBS of glycerin (I found at Meijer next to the band aids for $3, regular or vegetable is fine)

1 gallon of water (I used distilled water **see note at bottom)

Things needed:

Large pot

Cheese grater, blender, or food processor

Handheld mixer

First, put the water in the pot and heat it on medium/high. Don’t bring it to a full boil, just make it warm enough that you see steam coming off of it. While the water is heating up, take this time to grate the soap. When the water begins to steam, take it off the heat and add the glycerin and grated soap. Mix until the soap is completely dissolved and

by the end it will just look like soapy water. If you let this sit for 12 hours or so, it will take a more solid, gel-like shape. Then, use your hand mixer and mix it until it is the desired texture.

I had my husband help me funnel the soap from the pan to the containers and the whole time all he talked about what how the texture was like slime! This was a complaint some people had online but it doesn't bother us at all.

For a whole gallon of soap, we paid an estimate of $1.50. Not too shabby! I do not know the shelf-life of this soap because I've only made it once but I will be sure to update when I figure it out!

**I recommend using distilled water (less than $1 for a gallon) because it is pure and will save a step. If you choose to use tap water, you need to boil the water and wait for it to cool down a bit before adding the soap and glycerin. Also, I used the distilled water jug to store the soap. Cleaner than a milk jug!

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Cheating is not acceptable.

Just a little early morning rant...

Apparently people find the need to try and cheat to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card giveaway. Really?... REALLY? For $5? I'm just dumbfounded at the moment. As if the cheating wasn't bad enough, thinking they could outsmart a giveaway app by putting different emails and names was just plain stupid. Ha!

To those who entered the giveaway fairly, fear not, as I have deleted all of the cheating entries and notified the cheater through a couple of the phony email addresses that they have been disqualified. They can enter as many times as they want now because all of their entries will automatically be deleted.

On a lighter note... here's a cute kitty!

I hope everyone has a great day! :)

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Chili Cheese Chip Dip Recipe

My husband and I could eat this dip all day long. Yes, it's that good. And so simple too; only two ingredients! I always make this for parties and it is always a really big hit! For parties and gatherings, I just double the recipe and sometimes I even stick it in the crockpot.

Ingredients:

1 can of Hormel Chili No Beans
1 lb of Velveeta cheese 

Things needed:

Pot

Spoon

Directions:

Cut the Velveeta into 1 inch blocks. Throw the cheese cubes and the chili into the pan. Stir until the Velveeta cheese is melted. Voila! Most amazing, easiest chip dip ever! 

We love this recipe the way it is but it would also be great as a starter recipe to add more flavors too. Add whatever other flavors you love like Rotel or jalapenos! 

What's your favorite food to share at parties?

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FREE One Day Pass To Sam's Club

Confession: I'm a coupon freak. I don't think I'd qualify for Extreme Couponing but I qualify for "if I want to make my budget work, I had better figure out a way to save money!" and I do that mainly through shopping sales and couponing. Eventually I'll incorporate all of my couponing skills into this blog but for now, I'll just let you know if I see a really good deal that everyone should take advantage of!

Right now there is a printable Sam's Club coupon for a free day pass! If you don't have a membership or you've been considering getting one, take advantage of this and stock up on bulk items. In this house, we'd save a ton of money by buying ranch and ketchup in bulk. I always joke that I should invest in stock for those items because we go through them so fast!


Anyway, enough about my family's obsession with ranch and ketchup, here's the link to the coupon:

http://www.coupons.com/coupon-codes/printable/?cid=32495_2

Just print it out and take it your nearest Sam's Club. You can even browse online before you go into the store! Expires 07/31/13

If you print it out, shoot me a comment to let me know so that I know to post more deals! :)

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Cardstore.com Review & Discount Code

Chances are if I know you, you've received a card from me that I made at Cardstore.com. If you've never heard of Cardstore before, you are really missing out!

Cardstore.com is a website where you can personalize greetings cards, invitations, and thank you cards. I have used Cardstore for my Christmas cards, Baby Z's party invites, thank you cards, and almost every holiday! Everyone just loves to receive cards with Baby Z on them and who can blame them? ;)

Pros:

• There are 2000 designs created by over 50 artists and brands.
• Cards can be personalized with up to 14 photos.
• There's a choice of 18 fonts and 10 colors for your text.
• Cardstore.com offers additional services including addressing, stamping and mailing your cards for you.
• You can schedule your cards to go out in advance so you never miss a birthday or holiday!
• Cards are eco-friendly, printed with digital technology on mainly recycled paper, using wind-generated electricity.

Cons:

• None!

I truly have loved every card I've created at
Cardstore. The quality is great and the price is even better. You can sign up for their email list here (at the bottom of the page) and they'll send you coupon codes and discounts throughout the year!

Want to order some cards? I have a discount code for 20% off your order!! Just use code CKP2628. Expires 7/31

You can also follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and Facebook.

**I was not compensated for this review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Wordless Thursday?

Now if only she would do this in her bed....

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$5 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

My First Giveaway!!

I'm so excited to start my new blog that I thought I'd start things off with a bang! Its a simple giveaway for a $5 Amazon gift card. Who couldn't use a little extra Amazon money?

The giveaway will run until August 1st and I will pick a winner at random, verify all of their entries, and then notify them through email. They'll have 48 hours to email me back or they forfeit the prize. Once verified, I will email the winner their Amazon gift code.

Good luck to everyone and thank you for supporting me with this new adventure of my mine! :)

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Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been making my own laundry detergent for a couple of months now; it’s so easy and cheap that I can't believe I didn't start sooner! I did a lot of research to figure out what recipe I wanted to use and there are so many different recipes and variations out there that I felt really overwhelmed. All I knew was I wanted to make it as natural as possible. I’m tired of hearing of toxins and chemicals that we are putting into or onto our bodies. I liked the recipe at DIY Natural so I gave it a try.

Ingredients:

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda

1 grated bar of Ivory (or any other natural soap)

Things you need:

1 cheese grater, blender, or food processor

1 container to store detergent in
1 large bowl

All of these items can be found at a local grocery store. I found all of mine at Meijer but I've seen them at Walmart too!

I start with the bar of soap; I prefer Fels-Naptha but its so much harder to find in stores around me. If I dont have any Fels-Naptha on hand, I like Ivory because it’s free of dyes and heavy perfumes and cheap. Really cheap. To grate it, you can use a cheese grater (that’s what I do) or just stick in a blender or food processor. The smaller the grated pieces, the easier they'll dissolve in the washer (although, I haven't had a problem with the cheese grater pieces).

Next, you mix the grated soap, washing soda, and borax all together (make sure it’s mixed really well!) and put it in a tightly-sealed container. I use an old Clorox wipe plastic container and its perfect.

You only need 1 or 2 tablespoons per load, how awesome is that?! Also, because it’s powder and not liquid, the shelf-life is really long.

Many thanks to Joy at Simply Bloom for the free laundry label printable that can be found here.   

I hope you try it and let me know what you think!

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IndieBambino Etsy Shop Review

In our house, we are big fans of wooden toys so I was ecstatic when I found IndieBambino.  Indie Bambino is a shop where a wonderful WAHM, Mindy, sells all natural wooden toys for all different ages. I could spend all day looking in her shop that is filled with wooden teething rings, waldorf toys, matching and sorting sets, and more!

 It was so hard to choose what I wanted but The first thing I decided to get was a personalized teething ring. Some of my favorite things about the teething rings are you can choose to personalize them to say any name you like and you can choose the finish she uses (organic flax, organic coconut, or beeswax and olive oil). My daughter has such a unique name that we can never find anything with her name on it in the store so personalization is extra special for us! It is absolutely perfect for her when she’s teething and she seeks it for comfort quite often. I highly recommend these for teething babies and they would make great baby shower gifts!

I also got baby Z a Rainbow Hand Kite (shown above). It is absolutely beautiful and I put it away for Christmas (she’s going to love it!), I cant wait to see her running around the house with it. The Rainbow Kite is just darling, it is made from a teething ring and rainbow of colored ribbon. You can also personalize the Rainbow Kites to say any name you want! I think once my niece sees Baby Z’s, she’s going to beg me for one as well. Such a beautiful little toy that girls and boys both would love!

Some other items from her shop that I love are the Wooden Sorting Acorns and the Wooden Bowling Game in Rainbow.  All of her prices are very reasonable and she is so friendly and welcoming! She shipped my order as soon as she could and I got it within a week! I cant wait to order more from her!

Love what you see? Go check out her Etsy shop IndieBambino (you wont regret it, I promise!).

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review in any way, all opinions are my own.

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Cloud Dough

Since, this is my very first blog post, I thought I'd start out with one of my favorite toddler activities! Cloud Dough!

Cloud dough is an amazing type of dough that starts out crumbly like sand but when you put pressure on it or hold it in your hand, it has the characteristics of play dough. Its really easy to make and would be perfect for a child who loves to help! Its so soft and is only made out of flour and oil.

The ratio for the dough is 8:1 flour and oil.  I used 8 cups of flour with 1 cup of vegetable oil and it made the perfect amount. I made my dough with vegetable oil because it's what I had and it's safe for toddlers but I've also heard of it being used with baby oil, sesame oil, canola oil, and olive oil. So, whatever type of oil you have should work just fine!

Baby Z doesn't like to have anything on her hands so I wasn't sure how much she would like this activity but she had a great time scooping it up and moving it from one side of the container to the other. This activity can be rather messy so it would probably be easiest outside but if you do it inside, I recommend laying down something underneath the tub just in case (you can use a shower curtain or tablecloth from the dollar store!).

I've heard of people adding essential oils for the aromas but if you have a toddler who still puts things in their mouth, I would stay away from those for awhile.

When done with your dough, don't throw it away unless its dirty! I keep mine in a tightly sealed tupperware container and it has kept pretty well so far! Although, I can't wait for it to "go bad" or "get dirty" because that means I get to make some more. I think I heard someone say they made pumpkin cloud dough?! Sign me up for that!

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