Safe for the Entire Family

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

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Germs are everywhere.

Especially this time of the year when everyone is inside, coughing and sneezing and sharing their illnesses with others around them.

At least inside your own home you have a bit more control over the spreading of germs amongst family members.

Then there are those little critters that find your home is the perfect place to make their home too.

In they move, set up their little nest, and start their families - all without you having too much of a clue in the beginning.

Once the family grows, then we start to see evidence of them - usually in the cupboards and under the sinks, as they search for food - and spread all their germs as they go.

Now you aware that it is time to begin some form of rodent control in your home.

But wouldn't it be nice to be able to stop them from moving in to begin with?

Victor has a full line of products on the market that are highly efficient, safe for kids and pets, and non-toxic.

Right now they have a special promotion on a combination of their electronic pest control devices that will get any mouse problem under control.

For $99.99 and free shipping, this kit includes (1) PestChaser Heavy Duty Sonic, (2) Sonic Mini PestChaser Ultrasonic Rodent Repellents, and (2) Electronic Mouse Traps.

These devices last for 5-7 years and will certainly pay back their initial cost in keeping these diseased pests from entering the home in the first place.

 

In a Food Rut

My mother-in-law was an excellent cook - I learned much from her in my early years of marriage.

But I do remember her telling me: I have been making 3 meals a day for over 50 years, and sometimes I get really tired of eating and making the same things over and over.

I couldn't relate at the time, but after all these years, I understand what she was saying.

And after a recent conversation with my son, it has me thinking, it really is time for some changes.

He appreciates the meals, but he is getting really tired of eating the same foods.

He likes eating at his friend's house - they have such different meals.

And she really likes eating here - she is tired of the meals at her house.

Sounds like we all need a new infusion of meals.

When I asked for suggestions of what everyone might like to try - I get blank stares.

I would say that I now need to spend some time on the internet - searching for some new ideas.

I visit several food blogs now and again - I will have to really look at some of the ideas they have to offer.

Once again, I am thinking of my dear mother in law, she never was able to experience the internet.

She would have loved searching for new food ideas - she was always clipping recipes out of magazines and newspapers.

I have my daughter to share any new ideas with, and she has come up with a few herself.

Looking forward to some changes - would love to hear from my readers too!

Too Cold for Being Outside

Too cold outdoors for any kind of outside activity today - unless it is running from the car to the house.

Temperatures were only in the single digits and when the wind chill is added in - it makes it below 0 degrees.

And doesn't it figure - I have spent the last two days glued to my computer and chair - trying to fix issues that were almost beyond my capabilities.

I really needed to do some walking - my legs get all achy if I don't move them around.

I guess the grocery store will have to be the extent of it.

A small snow storm is predicted for tonight and tomorrow, with temps reaching into the low 20's.

With enough layers, a few walks outside around the house are a doable thing.

I will say though, I have noticed that it now gets dark at 5:00 instead of 4:00.

Longer days - can warmer weather be far away?

Whole Wheat Flatbread

I had tried flat bread as a sandwich wrap a couple of years ago.

I don't remember what kind it was, but I do remember thinking, I am not very impressed with the taste or consistency of it.

It didn't hold together very well, and it was too dry.

Finding a package of it in the clearance isle, I decided to give it another chance.

I am so glad I did.

This oval of "bread" was made of 100% whole grain wheat - 9 grams of fiber in this thin bread.

It was extremely soft and flexible - not tough and dry.

We were off to a good start already.

Filled with chili, shredded cheese, and tomatoes, we wrapped it like a burrito - everything tucked in and folded.

Warmed it up in the microwave, cut it in half, and picked it up to eat it.

So delicious it was - and everything held together perfectly - no splitting, not dry, and not soggy either.

I will not hesitate to buy this flatbread again - and when it's on sale, putting some in the freezer will be in order too!

More Deals for Baby

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

Babies are expensive - that is a given fact.

Special food, disposable diapers, constantly outgrowing clothing, plus a multitude of accessories will keep a new parent's pockets on the empty side.

When one starts adding in the baby furniture, car seats, and the extra space needed for living, it can seem pretty overwhelming in monetary terms.

But, much of that furniture and clothing can be recycled from friends and family members, or even found in second hand shops for a fraction of the cost of new items.

When it comes to the diapers - well there's the disposable kind and the cloth kind.  I remember when I had my babies - they were pretty much the same when compared to the cost of disposable versus the time and hot water needed to clean and maintain the cloth ones.

We had only a couple of choices for baby formula though, and neither one of them was cheap.

Other then nursing, there was no way to get around the cost of the formula.

But new Moms today have so many choices, as my daughter found out months ago.

Formula can also be purchased online.  And if one were to buy on diapers.com there are ecoupons that can reduce the cost even further for many of the varieties of the Bright Beginnings baby formula.

Good deals - for sure.  By joining Bright Beginnings on Facebook you can keep up with all their offerings and deals.

Check the Fish

In my last post, I wrote about finding a great deal on some previously frozen cod fish at the market.

One thing I always do with my fish when I am preparing it, is to check for any creatures that might be living it.

That would be worms - fish is notorious for it.

And that is one reason I like to buy fish that has been frozen at sea.

In my experience, that type of fish is less likely to have these little creatures.

There is nothing I dislike more than paying good money for a piece of fish and finding it has them when I am preparing it for a meal.

I have taken it back, only to be told that all fish have worms - just cut them out.

Nope, not me, I will not eat it.

So, be sure to check your fish - especially if you get it for a really good deal.

Our sale was fine - no worms, and one heck of a fine fish chowder it is.

A perfect use for fish that had already been frozen.

Fish Chowder on the Menu

A quick trip to the market this afternoon had us making new meal plans for the weekend.

They were having an unannounced sale at the fish counter.

They had over-stocked on the previously frozen cod fish, and we just happened to be there at the right time.

The potatoes were on sale, as were the onions - just perfect for a fish chowder.

Just add some milk - which we buy all the time anyway - and we will have a delicious meal for the next few days - low fat and very healthy.

And it will just in time for the really cold weather that will be moving in over the weekend.

Monday is predicted to have a high temp of 16 degrees.

The hot chowder will keep the innards nice and warm!

Those Delicious Onions

The Vidalia onions were on sale this week at the market.

Now, I usually only buy these during the warmer months when we cook on the grill.

Chopping them up and wrapping them in an aluminum foil packet, they cook so nicely under the flame of the burner.

The regular yellow onions are what I buy for using in cooking and recipes.

And I don't usually cook them to eat as a veggie like I do the vidalias.

I really had a craving for them, and after caramelizing them in the saute pan, we placed them on the cooked meat.

Man, were they good - and they're good for us too!

Enhancing the Flavor of Food

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

Condiments - they are designed to add to or enhance the flavor of the foods we eat.

There are many different kinds on the store shelves these days.

Many are the traditional ones that we all use - ketchup, mustard, relish, and the many varieties of each of those.

The international isle in the store has it's own selections of sauces and condiments.

Something for everyone and every taste.

Many of them change the taste of the food they are used on and many of them add a special flavor to a favorite dish.

But there is one sauce that has been used in kitchens and restaurants everywhere since 1868.

It is the TABASCO® Original Red sauce.

This sauce is known for its heat, and it's what that heat does to the flavor of food that has made it such a necessary condiment all these years.

It doesn't add a new flavor to the food, it enhances the flavor that the food already has.

And my husband loves how it does that.

He is a big fan of my fried rice that has it's own special flavors, and by adding "his" heat to it, he swears it makes the sweet, sweeter and the spice, spicier.

After reading about some of the foods that other users have added this sauce to, I can't wait to tell him.

I bet he will just love what it will do to a pizza or a bowl of salad.

Check it out for yourself  - adding it to your Game-Day Party Menu - especially on the pizza - will bring your football Super Bowl party to new heights.

Pizza Perfected with Tabasco Original Red will be a game day tradition!

The Muscles Remember

I must admit, when I started my floor exercises back up at the first of the year, I hadn't done them regularly for a couple of months.

I think in the last two months of the year, I probably did them a total of three times, maybe four.

Not a good score.

I thought I would have a really hard time getting back into them.

I figured my muscles would react as they all those years ago when I first started my routine - really sore, weak , and shaky.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

They all remembered how to do them - only a bit of soreness.

They didn't protest the way I thought they would.

It certainly made getting back into the routine much easier.

And even though it is always a pain to fit it into the day, I really feel much better for doing them - both physically and mentally!

Partner in Exercise

I have always done my exercising alone.

My stretching and floor exercises, that is.

My husband usually accompanies me on the walks that we like to take.

This day two of the New Year has had me doing those floor exercises, and my husband has joined me with his own version.

I am hoping it is something we can keep up with.

As with many things, having a partner helps keep the motivation going.

Here's to another year - hopefully the good intentions last longer than they usually do at the beginning of each year!

Big Companies Promote Store Brands

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

Anyone who has had a baby in the past year knows all about the recall of the Similac baby formula due to beetle and beetle larvae problem at one of their processing plants.

There was a splash about it on the news, then we never heard anything more about it.

The repercussions were felt for quite a time afterwards by the consumers of this product - their babies were used to this formula and they didn't take too well to switching to a different brand.

My daughter and grandson were affected by this, and he eventually was able to get used a new kind, a store brand formula that my daughter wishes she had tried in the beginning.  The switch to generic formula cost her a lot less than the brand name ones.

We have always used store brands, and I have always promoted them in this blog.

And as more consumers are stretching their dollars a bit farther, they also have been trying the store brands.

When I  ran across an article by CBS moneywatch online, I was happy to see that even the big companies such as themselves were promoting the use of store brands.

We all want to get the most for our dollar, and this is one of the ways to do that - even for the government regulated items such as baby formula.