Thyroid Brain

We all have left our keys (or remote) in the fridge at one point or another. Pregnancy brain made me walk into Publix one day and blank completely on what I had planned for dinner that night. Mommy Brain has made me completely forget to out on a diaper on my baby before putting on his pants! Yes. That actually happened once. ONCE. I can't go into detail of how much I have forgotten do some days. From forgetting to turn the crockpot on, to putting an oven mitt in the freezer, my mind goes all over the place. It's been scientifically proven that pregnancy brain (a real thing folks) stays with us far past the delivery room. Now tie that in with thyroid brain, and you might have seem to lost your mind!

Thyroid brain? It's something I didn't know existed until I joined a few Hypothyroid support groups on Facebook and connected with other people who have experienced the same things I do.  You see, when I would forget my words in the middle of a sentence when I was pregnant, people would blame the pregnancy brain, but I felt embarrassed to say that I have been doing that for a few years before I ever got pregnant. When you start forgetting simple words, such as "spoon", you know there is a deeper issue than just brain fog. As my hypothyroid went untreated for years, I started stuttering. This is something you will rarely hear about, and there is jot much information as to why it happens. I started stuttering in adulthood thanks to my thyroid. So sometimes, when I'm trying to tell a story, my words get jumbled up, or I simply blank on words because I can't remember what I'm trying to say. This is why I prefer texting to talking on the phone, but that is not to say that I don't blank on words as I am typing as well. This makes me feel self conscious because it makes me feel unintelligent when I know it isn't true. There is not much that a person can do for it aside from working out their brain and taking supplements. I have experimented with a few different supplements and I am currently taking Excelerol.

Excelerol is a brain boosting supplement that also enhances alertness. Many of the ingredients in Excelerol are commonly known, like Vitamin B12, Green Tea extract, Peppermint Oil, Black Tea, and White Tea extract. The peppermint oil is very profound. I could smell it as soon as I popped one out of the box, and I could taste it for a few minutes after taking it. I suggest to drink a lot of water with these pills! The recommended dose is to take 2 capsules up to 3 times daily. I don't take that much, as I only take it when I need it. For example, I take 2 doses on a day when I need to get a lot of work done.

Excelerol is priced for around $75 on Amazon, but you can get a monthly plan from their website for much cheaper! The box comes with 72 liquid filled Vegetarian capsules and inside small boxes with 6 capsules in each. I love this because I can share them with my mom who also has horrible brain fog, or carry them around in my purse.

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Creating and Keeping Memories

I have been so busy the past few days being sick and moving from an apartment into a house. While packing all of our stuff, I always question if we should give this trinket of our past away or to keep for the future or as a tangible memory. I am a very sentimental person, but I don't like keeping things boxed up in the closet. I have boxes of pictures from my childhood and family pictures that no matter how many times are scanned onto the computer, I just can't bring myself to get rid of. I also have things from when I lived in Chile, that still smell like "home." I cannot get rid of these things. I've had them for years and they're the memories that I love to keep. Now, keeping baby items are a different story.

I have given some stuff away, like Aiden's playpen since he hated it, but other stuff I am not quite sure what to do with. Should I keep his clothes? I know there are at least a bag full that I WILL NOT give or sell. These I like to keep because they were my favorite outfits on him and, the ultimate question, "What if we have another kid?" I do not want to start with nothing again. But, when you live in small spaces, closet space is crucial.  We just moved into a one bedroom douplex, and I'd like to say that this is about 600 square feet. One closet. Yes. ONE. What do I even do with that? I don't want to throw precious memories away. I wish I filled out those baby memory books. I wish I had taken milestone pictures and made about collage of his "First" times or month by month marks. That way I wouldn't be worrying so much about keeping memories that I can barely remember because I had postpartum depression. Those 6 months were a complete blur in my head.

So when I do have a second kid, I will fill out that baby book. I will take those milestone pictures that look so cute on Pinterest that I know Aiden would never sit still for. I'm lucky if I can get one non blurry picture of this kid out of the 50 I took over the course of two minutes.  These cute stickers from iCustomLabel would make an amazing prop for those pictures I desperately wish I had taken.

Holiday Firsts Baby Month Stickers from iCustomLabel is a set of 12 onesie stickers in 4 inch sizes. Holidays included in this set are:

First Christmas
First Halloween
First Valentine's Day
First Thanksgiving
First Groundhog's Day
First New Years
First Birthday
First Fourth of July
First Mother's Day
First Father's Day
First St.Patrick's Day
First Easter

Check out this set at iCustomLabel.com

You can place these stickers right onto their onesies (I suggest white), or on a teddy bear sitting next to them. They're thick stickers, so they won't tear if your baby moves around a lot. These stickers are also water proof, which makes it great for kids with reflux! Another great idea is to post them on a board behind them with some special writing, such as "My Valentine" for Valentine's Day. This takes the stress out of trying to make those perfect Pinterest worthy pictures, that unless you are a photographer, you will never get. I'd love to do this with our next baby, but if we don't have another one anytime soon, I'll try to recreate those times with Aiden as a funny memento!

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

Cute Kid Goodies

A few weeks ago, I took Aiden to a Valentine's Day party for his preschool playgroup. We were suppose to brings some goodies to give out to put in everyone's goodie bags. I was falling short on what to bring aside from regular Valentine Cards. Then I had a cute idea! I decided to get some heart shaped lollipops and some glow in the dark sticks. I taped them all together and the kids loved it!

Why do kids love glow in the dark toys? Scratch that. Why does everyone like glow in the dark stuff? My hubby, son, and I all had fun with these glow in the dark bracelets! We decided make it a little more fun and cut off the ends of a few of the bracelets and splashed the wall with them. My son loved this! Painting the walls without actually having to paint over them? A fun activity with an easy clean up! The only thing you do need to worry about is the small broken glass inside the sticks, so I put shoes on my son and sweep it up right afterwards.  We started doing this activity around Christmas time. It made it a fun Christmas nightly activity that we haven't grown out of yet.

We got the Super Glow Stick Bracelets, which brings over 100 eight inch bracelets in 5 different colors. They come in blue, green, yellow, orange, and pink. It also brings the  100 connectors to make bracelets or necklaces. The bracelets last for 8 to 10 hours, but I did notice some don't last for more than 4. I do remember an old trick of putting them in the freezer for a few minutes before popping them to make them last longer.

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Finish It! Gear ; Running Belt

I love things that have multiple uses. I also love making multiple uses for something that is branded for a specific activity. For example, the Finish It! Gear Running Belt! I love how simple it is, so I can use it for other things aside from running. This running belt is comfortable and versatile. It has an inner compartment to hold your phone, and you can pull your headphones through to listen to your music safely. It has holders on the outside to hold snacks or other items. My favorite part is the 3MM Wetsuit Grade Neoprene, which makes it water and sweat resistant. This is great for Florida weather and for working out!

Like I said, I love making versatile options for certain products. I realized that I can attach my gardening tools to the outside compartments and make the Running Belt into my Gardening Belt. I can also keep my seeds and labels inside the compartments to have them handy anytime I need them. I use this as a running belt now, and then I can also use it as my gardening belt when spring hits! Another way you can use it is as a fanny pack underneath your clothes while traveling or on vacation. This is why I love simple products. I can use it for more than one purpose and not have to buy three different products!

Check out the Finish It! Gear Running Belt on Amazon. Use code 3G5GVV5Z to save 25%!!

*Finish It! Gear's best fitting, no bounce running belt takes the stress away from training and working out by delivering a rock solid military-grade running, training belt that will carry all the gear you need to feel safe, secure and connected.

* Two spacious 7.5" x 4" inner pockets protect your phone from scratches so you can carry your car or house keys, extra gear, passport when traveling, even a small wallet. The tight secret pocket, perfectly sized for credit cards and cash, keeps them secure and in one place for easy access.

* 3MM wetsuit grade neoprene guards against water and sweat and the extra polyester inner lining provides an additional layer of protection. The belt stretches tight over your waist or hips and with the dual adjustable sliding adjustment bars, will not ride up or slip.

* The high grade 610D PP straps will not wear out and stretch over time like many lower quality belts with elastic straps to save on cost. Two reflective dots keep you safe and seen at night.

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Red Brick Candle Loft No. 1

I have gotten quite a few candles over the past few months. All different shapes, sizes, and aromas! I am picky when it comes to aromas, as some tend to give me headaches and some just don't sit well with me once the candle is burned. I like warm and inviting scents like Coffee Bean, or Vanilla Maple. There's nothing like a great smelling home that makes your senses tingle! While some candles are small, or don't live up to the promise of their scent, this Red Brick Candle has all the right features.

This elegant candle brings the right type of attraction wherever you set it. It gives a warm amber glow, with a warm and inviting scent.  I have the Vanilla Maple scent, which is perfect for these cold winter nights. It makes my house smell like I just baked a plate of cookies! It came beautifully and carefully packaged, and it weighs over a pound with the glass the candle comes in. It also came with its own set of matches, which I loved because my lighter didn't have any fluid left! The candle slowly burns and last a really long time! Which is great for me because I go through candles like monkeys eat bananas. At first I was flabbergasted that the price of this candle of $28. After using it for a few weeks, I get what the fuss is about! This candle is greatly worth the money and I can't wait to try another scent.

Check out this Red Brick Candle on Amazon.

About Red Brick Candles

• IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS - From the moment you receive your candle, you will notice the attention to detail - from our packaging to the hand-poured wax. Our scented candles contain 10.9 ounces of premium grade soy based wax and provide 75-80 hours of clean, even burn time and rich luxurious scents. And of course, our wicks are all natural and lead free.
• GIVE LIGHT - Whether you are treating yourself or giving a gift to someone special, Red Brick Candles are the perfect gift for any occasion.
• LIGHT UP THE WORLD - Help make a difference by partnering with us in our Light Up The World campaign. Ten percent of all proceeds directly benefit urban revitalization and community development initiatives in the communities where our people live, work, play and burn candles.
• LOVE YOUR CANDLE - Enjoy your candles with the peace of mind of a 100% money back guarantee. Really. If you aren't satisfied, we'll ship you a new candle or refund your purchase. You don't even have to return the original purchase. But we are confident you will love them and want more.

Other scents available : Cinnamon Bark (No.2) , Lilac (No. 3)

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The Fruit Bowl

As a family, we eat a lot of fruits and veggies. It is rare that our fruit bowl is ever empty. We eat a lot of bananas and a lot of strawberries, and we usually buy many oranges to make orange juice. I remember coming home from school and grabbing an apple from the bowl in the kitchen nearly everyday. That is something that I want my son to be accustomed to. I feel like fruit and veggies should be more easily accessible than sugar and fatty snacks, such as chips and cookies. We usually just place fruit in a wooden bowl, but the bananas always end up getting bruised. Now we place our apples on the wooden bowl, while I place the bananas and other items in a metal fruit bowl.

Double Hammock Iron 2-Tier Fruit Bowl, Basket and Rack Display Stand, Chrome Finish : I love how this fruit basket doesn't take up a ton of space. I have been able to store more than double the amount of fruit than I was before. My bananas don't get dented anymore and slowly ripen due to the ventilation. The most I was able to stash in there was 6 different bunches of bananas at once. I thought the weight of the bananas might be a problem, but it is really stable. I like the chrome finish as it adds a modern look as well. It holds a ton of fruit for a great price, under $25!

Check out this fruit bowl on Amazon.

I received this product in return for an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Veggie Roll Up Bites

We eat so much salad in this house, so sometimes I get tired of eating the same salad. I'm not the kind of person that likes to add nuts or fruit into my lettuce bowl. I like my salad with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. There's usually a little variation as to whether I add the mix to shredded lettuce (I HATE chopped up lettuce), tomatoes, or cucumbers. Sometimes I'm in the mood for all three! So I add them all to the bowl and have fun. But then again, that gets boring too. This time I decided to make some Veggie Roll Up Bites. I made some vegetarian of course, and for some I added cold cuts for the Hubby. I also decided to add my homemade sprouts to it since they look like they finished growing!

Veggie Roll Up Bites

Ingredients
1 cucumber
1/2 carrot
2 Tablespoons Sprouts
Publix Mayo
Small bunch of Spinach

Instructions

1. First steps is to clean all the veggies. Then use a Julienne Peeler to peel and slice the cucumber and the carrot. Cut up the spinach and set aside. Have the sprouts nearby as well.

2. After prepping, start making long, thin slices of cucumber. This will be use to roll up everything in. 

3. Take a long cucumber slice, and add a light layer of Mayo. This will help all the veggies stick to the cucumber. Add the julienned peeled carrots and cucumber horizontally and some vertically. Then add the lettuce 1/3 of the way into the cucumber. Add the spinach and sprouts after the lettuce, so about halfway into the cucumber. Take a look at the picture below for a guidance.

4. Carefully roll up the cucumber, while helping everything stay inside. Place it on a plate. Repeat with all the cucumber slices until all the prep food is gone.

Optional:
Add a drizzle of salad dressing on top of finished rolls.
Add thin deli slices for those who are not vegetarian.

Tips:
I found that holding the cucumber slice in my hand while applying all the other veggies was easier than doing it on the counter top.
Add some avocado slices instead of dressing!

Check Out the Nikkouware Julienne & Vegetable Peeler on Amazon.

I used the Nikkouware Julienne & Vegetable Peeler for this recipe. It is double sided, so one side makes Juliennne style cuts while it has a peeler for the other side. I used the peeler side for the cucumber rolls and the Julienne side for the carrot and cucumber inserts. It cost less than $10 and works better than the sparilizers that I own. It is a little heavy, but that makes it sturdy to use compared to the plastic peelers. There are a ton of different things you cane make with it. You can use it to cut up mango, apples, or pears or stick to veggies and make an elegant salad.

I received this product in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.