review – Page 8 – Mom Life in the PNW

Jenn

Natural Ways to Reduce Aches and Pains

One of the leading causes of most aches and pains is being overweight. Our bodies are not designed to cater to the extra weight which should be a no brainer. When I see or hear people complaining about how they threw their back out time and time again, I just shake my head and think silently to myself because no one wants to hear they’re not healthy or that being overweight is contributing to their pain issues.

When I was 40 lbs overweight, I had constant knee pain that would occur every time I had my knee bent. It would only go away when I straightened it out which is not something you can do if you’re traveling on a plane, in a car or any other place with tight knit quarters. It was not fun! I decided I needed to do something about it, like lose 40lbs which helped tremendously as I do not have any more knee pain!

There are other natural ways to reduce aches and pains as well, for instance; MELT Method Training.

The MELT Method® (MELT) is a self-treatment technique that helps people get out and stay out of chronic pain in just ten minutes a day. When pain becomes chronic, the body’s natural state of stability and balance declines. When a body isn’t stable, it can’t be efficiently mobile. By learning how to MELT, you can learn to actively partake in decreasing stuck stress daily so it doesn’t accumulate and cause symptoms that sap your vitality and energy.

To effectively do the MELT Method for natural pain relief, you’ll need to buy soft body rollers and balls in order to do the techniques in the book. Doing this method quickly re-hydrates connective tissue which then releases the bodies long-held tension. MELT also re-balances the nervous system and boosts the body’s natural healing and repair mechanisms.

MELT improves:

• flexibility & mobility
• posture
• the results of exercise
• range of motion
• sleep & digestion
• overall well-being

MELT reduces:

• aches & pains
• wrinkles & cellulite
• tension
• headaches
• risk of injury

I think I am going to have order the book so I can try this out for myself. I woke up with hip pain this morning and is still bothering me at this moment. It’s probably from being 33 weeks pregnant, but still, doesn’t hurt to try!

Have you ever tried the MELT Method before?

Jenn

Buttons Cloth Diaper Review

What I like about Buttons Cloth Diapers is that they were created by a mom and dad team in the comfort of their own home. They know exactly what the ideal parents need and look for when it comes to their child’s derriere; comfort, stability, leak-free, efficient, etc.

The Buttons Cloth Diaper really doesn’t get too much easier than this. There is no messing around with prefolds; just snap the insert inside and you’re good to go. We had no problem with Aislin’s new “Sweet Pea” Buttons Cloth Diaper leaking anywhere, not even around the legs which feature double gussets. I must stress that double gussets is a must have when using cloth diapers if you want to not have to clean up any blow outs.

We received 2 small day time inserts, 1 microfiber and 1 hemp/cotton, which are about 4 layers thick and have a soft fleece layering on top, which makes it ultra soft and non irritating against babies skin. I also ordered a 2 pack of small night time inserts that are about 6 layers thick, which means it’s absorbency is going to be out of this world. They do not contain the ultra soft fleece since its intended use is to be under the daytime insert. This will cause it to be super bulky on your little babe, but its better to be bulky than sorry at 3 am when you’re dead tired and have an ass-plosion to clean up everywhere.

The difference between microfiber and hemp is that the hemp is a real work-horse in the cloth diapering world. They’re super durable and absorbent. They soak up a lot of pee, which in turn makes the parents happy since you don’t have to do a diaper change every hour. Am I right? Microfiber is similar, but it doesn’t soak up the pee as well which may cause a rash if left on for too long.

When I received this, my husband told me I could use the inserts as feminine pads for myself cause he thought they were huge. He apparently hasn’t seen many cloth diaper inserts.

microfiber vs hemp/cloth

These covers sell for $11 and the inserts are $3.50 a piece which make these one of the most affordable cloth diapers for parents looking to save without sacrificing quality. Plus, you’re helping out fellow parents who own a small business.

Jenn

Ozeri 8″ Green Earth Frying Pan With Smooth Ceramic Non-Stick Coating

I’ve been in the market for a new pan set because the ones my husband and I currently have are worn, scratched and ineffective at cooking evenly. And don’t even get me started on the sticking! So that’s why I decided to browse Amazon where I came across the Ozeri Green Earth Frying Pan with a smooth ceramic and non-stick coating. I read some reviews and promptly ordered the 8″ to start since I didn’t know if it would live up to my expectations.

Once it arrived, I washed it out by hand with a little soap and hot water, dried it off, sprayed a little olive oil in it and put it to work making the thing that’s the worst at sticking, eggs! I can never make scrambled or an omelet style egg without it sticking to our current pans. They’re a royal pain in my rear!

But this pan was excellent. I was able to flip and scoop the egg out easily without them sticking, which gets an A+ in my book. I’ve probably used it about 6 or so times now in the course of a week. My husband noticed and asked if I liked it? Of course I like it, no, I love it! I want to buy a 10 and 12″ now, which he’ll probably do just so I’ll enjoy cooking for him more. Nothing is worse than cooking a big meal then have to deal with the scraping of the pans.

Product Information:

Unlike other ceramic cookware brands, the Ozeri pan utilizes an ultra-safe ceramic coating inspired by nature which is 100% PTFE and PFOA free
Delivers unprecedented non-stick performance without releasing harmful fumes or toxins at high temperatures
Features a scratch-resistant 100 percent ceramic coating that is super easy to clean
Made out of durable heavy-gauge die-cast aluminum with no heavy metals or harmful chemicals
Boasts a comfortable heat-resistant Bakelight handle, and a magnetized induction stove safe base for rapid heat transfer

I haven’t used it over a long period of time obviously, so I am hoping it survives heavy use because it’s currently my favorite pan. So far so good though. I plan to just use wood and plastic utensils on it and a soft sponge; hopefully that will keep it in tip top shape because I need it to last!

Jenn

Ordering Food Online With Schwan’s Home Service

Have you ever ordered food online and had it delivered to your door before? I absolutely hate going grocery shopping, so I opted to try Schwan’s Home Service just so I could avoid the store for a week.

I browsed the site a bit and picked out the best sounding meals which included the chicken enchiladas, the orange chicken skillet, meat pizza, the blackened chicken alfredo with fettucini noodles and of course I couldn’t forget my sweets; strawberry cheesecake ice cream and chocolate peanut buttercup ice cream. As soon as I got to my cart and tried to check out, I noticed that the only option was to pay to have it shipped to me, not the free service where they come right to your door with their freezer truck. This struck me as odd because I’ve seen the Schwans guy drive up and down our street before. After a couple weeks past, the service mysteriously appeared for my area so I finally got a chance to place my order, however, delivery wouldn’t be for another couple weeks.

*knock*knock*

My food was finally here!

The Schwan’s guy was very nice but I didn’t like that he tried to up-sale me more stuff as soon as I opened the door. I mean, if I wanted to order more items, wouldn’t I have done so in my initial order? This was my first time trying Schwan’s so I didn’t want a big giant bill nor the food if I thought it was sub-par. So I respectfully declined. He then went out to the truck and proceeded to find my food. Took about 10-15 minutes but everything was there.

The following day, I decided to try the chicken enchiladas. The seasoning and flavoring was pretty good and it was decent sized for 2 people only, anymore than that and you would probably still be hungry. So seeing as it says this is suitable for 6 people is laughable. Maybe if you added a bunch of sides to it like pinto beans and whatnot. Also, there was not much chicken in this, mainly just rice, so that was unfortunate.

I also tried the orange chicken skillet. Figured I would prepare it for my husband and I. I looked down at the pan and realized that this wouldn’t be enough to fill my husband and I both, he has a meatier appetite. There wasn’t that much chicken to make it a successful dinner for 2, so I had to make him a separate meal. I did not eat the entire contents, there was a tiny bit leftover, but I still feel like its not suitable for 3 people as it claims. Maybe if you’re used to super tiny meals. It did taste pretty good though. Loved the orange sauce, but I am partial to Chinese food. The chicken, however, tasted processed like a chicken nugget.

The only other thing I have tried is the chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream and it is GOOD! But, I feel like you could get the same thing at the store for way less. I guess it’s up to you if convenience is worth it to you.

I may give Schwan’s another try, but I am going to carefully read each review to make sure it’s actually well worth it as the meal portions seem awfully small for the price.

I’m also not looking forward to the Schwan’s guy coming back every 2 weeks to ask if I want anything. I don’t like to be annoyed by salesman, so hopefully I can opt out of this if I choose.

Do you order from Schwan’s?

Jenn

Double Barrel Roadhouse at Monte Carlo in Las Vegas

We were staying at the Monte Carlo so we decided to check the Double Barrel Roadhouse out as our first meal that evening in Vegas. I ordered a burger and garlic fries, my husband had the ribs and mac and cheese. My burger was alright, nothing super special and the garlic fries were definitely garlicy, but they were also dry and over cooked making them unpleasant.

My husband gave me a bite of his mac and I was extremely jealous that I did not order it too. Honestly, it is up there with some of the best mac and cheese I’ve had. I think it would be even better if it had jalapenos in it. We wanted to come back another night just to have it, but there were too many other options to try out and didn’t have time to come back.

The drinks were almost the price of the meals, so be forewarned.

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