Kitchen Tips Tuesday- Vinyl Gloves!

Disposable gloves, either vinyl or latex. An absolute lifesaver. When I was working in a restaurant kitchen many moons ago I had issues with raw chicken: the feel of it made me gag. Not a good thing when you work in a kitchen. To solve the problem I picked up a $5 box of vinyl gloves so I could easily work with the chicken and I wouldn't get wigged out by the sensation.

It turned out to work for more than just that situation. I was in the back deboning some chickens when a customer came in (it was a small deli style restaurant with an open kitchen). The waitress was helping someone at a table and I was the only other one there so I slipped off the gloves and served the woman. Easy as pie! No hand washing required.

When I had my son two years ago I bought a box of vinyl gloves to keep in the kitchen because, inevitably, as soon as my hands touched raw meat of any kind he'd wake up/fall down/need my attention immediately and him screaming for whatever reason while I paused to wash my hands was not something I wanted to deal with. By using gloves all I had to do was take them off and I could touch him without worry and there was no stopping to wash my hands. I still do it because, as with any child, as soon as I'm unavailable he'll need me or my attention immediately.

Share your Kitchen Tips with us in our Recipe Forum on Mothers' Hideaway!

Thanks to Tammy's Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tips Tuesday!

Kitchen Tips Tuesday- Perfect Cheesecake

Thanks Jo for today's Kitchen Tip!!

I love making cheesecake and eating it! Who doesn't? Okay maybe 1% of the population. BUT you know what I hate the most? When my cheesecake cracks just as I take it out of the oven. Luckily, I've never had to give a cheesecake as a gift so people overlook the mishap and dig in.

What I found through trial and error to fix this problem is to make sure that all my ingredients are at room temperature and to slowly bring down the heat in the oven once it's done baking. If you bring it from hot to cold too quickly that is where the mishap starts.

I always bake my cheesecake (new york style--no other like it!) on 325 for about 1.5 hours (depending) and then put the oven to 225 and crack the door open until it deflates.

80% of the time my cake comes out PERFECT. The other 20%-- well, just dig in.

Come share your Kitchen Tips with us in MH's Recipe forum!

Thanks to Tammy's Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tips Tuesday!

Things I Love Thursday- Cleaning Delight

 Thanks so much Hillarie for today's blog!

I lied...cleaning isnt a delight.

I have yet to find joy in mopping floors or scrubbing toilets. The only thing Ive found delight or joy in is vacuuming and that's because I can turn on the music loud and rock out as I do it LOL.

However, I do have one little thing in my cleaning arsenal that makes me grin. My cleanser. Its my soft scrub type stuff that I got a recipe for and it works so well.

The first time I used it....my sinks shone in that sparkly white that you only see on silly tv commercials. You know with the sparkle stars leaping off the surface...thats what happened. I was hooked right then and there and it was so clean and sparkly that even my husband noticed and commented.

He NEVER EVER EVER notices when I clean ANYTHING, let alone comments. He's the kind of fella who wouldnt even notice a new haircut unless you had mentioned you were going to get one(and even then he might forget by the time you get back). So this was amazing to me.

Its a very simple cleanser that anyone can make and use. Its got regular dish soap, baking soda(a must for all cleaning...works great), vinegar, and water. I put it in a budget-friendly ketchup/mustard squirt bottle(you know those kinds you see at restaurants with the pointy lids). Much better than the old shampoo bottle I was using and it was less than a dollar. I think Id recommend using those for just about anything you need to squirt stuff out of.

So, I will post the "recipe" and if any of you use it...let me know what you think!

Budget-friendly and easy to make?? Cant be that bad, right??

Soft Cleanser Recipe:
16oz of baking soda
1/2 c. of liquid dish soap
1/3 c. of water
2 tbsp. of vinegar

Stir soap into baking soda.
Add water and stir til smooth.
Add vinegar and stir again.
Pour into bottle and shake before each use.

Come share cleaning solutions you love with us at our Mothers' Hideaway forums!

Thanks to The Diaper Diaries for hosting Things I Love Thursday!

Works for Me Wednesday- Natural Lip Exfoliation!

Natural Lip Exfoliation


Exfoliation is a term to describe the removal of dead skin. The importance of exfoliating your lips is that it keeps them healthy and gives them a fresher look after it's done. It can also help prevent drying and cracking. If you're a lip licker, you'll know what I'm talking about. Licking your lips can really cause them to crack. Lips do not moisturize themselves and so we all tend to lick our lips a little. Drinking enough water to hydrate your body will also help prevent cracking, peeling and dryness on your lips.


Honey is a great way to hydrate your lips. The ancient Egyptians did it and it's still used in tons of skin care products today. The more hydrated your lips, the softer they look.


Sugar is going to be used as our abrasive. It will help rub off the dead skin, leaving the fresh and new skin.


Rebekah's Honey and Sugar Lip Scrub

What you'll need:

1 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Sugar



Crush sugar using the back of a spoon, mix it into honey. You'll want the sugar to soak up the honey and make a thick mixture. You may need to add more sugar or honey until you get it to this point. Use a cotton ball or your finger to apply to your lips. Rub it around on your lips in circles and apply slight pressure.You can repeat this process as necessary.


After this apply your moisturizing oil to your lips. Natural Moisturizing Oil; olive oil, vitamin E oil, sesame oil and jojoba oil, etc.


The best part about this scrub is that it's completely safe for you (and edible)!

This post can also be found on Rebekah's blog, Journey to Juniper!
What works for you during winter? Share your tips with us in our Women's Health Forum!

Thanks to We Are THAT Family for hosting Works for Me Wednesday!

Things I Love Thursday- The Season of Giving

Thanks to Meshell for today's blog inspiration!

This time of the year seems to bring out the generosity in many people. The magic of the holiday season fills us with hope and joy and the desire to share that with others. In a season that has become largely about commercialism (and let's face it, a lot of us love the shopping!), it's amazing and humbling to be reminded what a difference we can make in other people's lives. It is easy to forget that world does not revolve around us and our hectic holiday schedule. A member of our forum posted a great story the other day.

 The holiday season seems to be the busy time for most charities. Everyone seems to be in the giving mood. DH and I received a check in the mail as a credit back from our water company from when we were in the other house. It was an unexpected $80.00 so we decided to buy gifts for the Angel Tree on base. We bought clothes and diapers for two different babies on the tree. We are hoping to do some volunteer work too and get into the habit of volunteering more often.

This post made me realize that caught up in my own hectic December schedule, I hadn't even thought about Toys for Tots that we make a point to do every year. I was slightly chagrined at how easily I could forget- and thankful for the reminder of what the holiday season means. It's time to get myself and my family in gear, and remember what the Christmas Season is truly about. And that is something to love.



Do you give to charities during the holidays? Is there a certain charity you give to every year or do you just give to one you see or hear about? Share with us at our Mothers' Hideaway Forums!


Thank you to The Diaper Diaries for hosting Things I Love Thursday!

Kitchen Tips Tuesday- Keeping it juicy in the crockpot!

With fall underway, the crockpot is in use now more than ever! A great meal that requires little effort is Pineapple Ham in the crockpot. I pick out a precooked ham at the grocery store that will fit in the crockpot. Then, I use a large can of Pineapple Juice. I pour half the can of juice in, then the ham, then a can of crushed pineapple, finishing with the remaining pineapple juice. Set the crockpot on low for about five or six hours, and you have a delicious pineapple-flavored ham. Mashed potatoes are a great side item, or try some macaroni and cheese for a quick alternative. The tip to getting the ham juicy and full of pineapple flavor is to take a knife and make half-slices around the ham- just enough to let the juices soak in. The result is ham that is juicy and full of flavor, instead of dried out meat. Enjoy!


What kitchen tips help you stay sane while taking care of your family? Tell us at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thank you to Tammy's Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tips Tuesday!

Tackle it Tuesday: Sandy's Basement Renovation!

Thanks MamaSandy for today's blog!

We're always doing some type of home improvement project at our house. Here are some pictures of the latest projects.

Kevin is putting a small powder room in the lower level and with that project he's also tiling and trimming out the hallway.

The tile is layed, grouted and sealed. He's working on staining and polyeutethaning the woodwork. Thank goodness he's so handy.

Here's the powder room which still has a long way to go but it's coming along

Here is the family room in the process of moving furniture and getting the concrete under the carpeting sealed

Here is the area that is going to be carpeted the evening before the carpet layers came. It's DISASTER but ready for them to "git'r done"

And TA DA, with the new carpeting (but before I had vacuumed the carpeting)

What projects are you tackling? We'd like to hear about it at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thank you to 5 Minutes for Mom for hosting Tackle it Tuesday!

Motivating Monday- Trying to Conceive

Thanks Jojo for today's blog!

How do you stay motivated when trying to conceive? What kept me motivated was the end result. I knew that whatever hurdles we had to go through was worth it because in the end we'd have our beautiful baby. Determination was also a big key factor in our TTC journey. I was determined to have a family. I wanted us to be a family more than anything and I wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop me.

I know this sounds like I'm some kind of psycho but the strong urge to be a mommy is one of the most strongest/purest things I have ever felt. Nothing stopped me. Not the terrible results of my husbands first SA not the month after month of failure. Nothing. Now that I think about it a year TTC isn't long at all but in that moment it felt like an eternity that was never going to end.



But it was worth it.



Tell us about your trying to conceive journey at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thanks to Garibay Soup for hosting Motivating Monday!

Things I Love Thursday- Scrapbooking!

Thanks Jojo for today's blog!

Things I love? There are so many things besides my family. I love scrapbooking. It helps me to relax and take some time for myself. I love to write and express myself but it isn't always easy and of course finding the right words isn't always easy. i always have this fear of being too corny but when I scrapbook it seems as if my inner most thoughts come out and I can express them so neatly on paper. It's how I feel and I'm not scared that any will read it because it's like my own personal journal.

I also love all the papers and embellishments that go along with it. They are fascinating. I am a minimalists though and don't like to crowd my pages. I know I've done a good job when I can sift through my work and read what I've done with a tear in my eye.

What do you love? Share with us at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thanks to http://thediaperdiaries.net for hosting Things I Love Thursday!

Kitchen Tips Tuesday- Slow Cooker to the Rescue!

Thanks Jojo for today's blog!

What mom doesn't need some help in the kitchen? Well, as I'm waiting for my sous chef to arrive, I have been picking up a few tips. My new found cooking tool is my slow cooker! It is amazing. I have the new calphalon 7 quart slow cooker and I absolutely love it.

I am not always able to stand in the kitchen and cook especially with a 6 month old bellowing for his mommy to hold him so I usually just dump all of my ingredients in there and let it cook. I recently made some chili, chicken with vegetable, vegetables with rice and chicken cacciatore in it and it all comes out quite delicious and warm. All you need is a little bit of creativity and whatever ingredients are on hand for a great meal. I am sure this is going to be used more often as the winter months start coming in. It really is a time saver and a sanity saver!


What Kitchen Tips help you out in your busy day? Share with us at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thanks to Tammy's Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tips Tuesday!

Motivating Monday! Weight Loss

Thanks to Jojo for today's blog!!

Weightloss has been a big thing for me lately. After giving birth to my son I have been the biggest I have ever been. At 38 weeks I weighed in at 198 lbs so I really don't know how much I weighed when I hit 41 weeks.

At my 6 weeks post partum check I had dropped 30 lbs. (I am still going according to my last weigh in. It could have been though.) This is the amount of weight I should have gained during pregnancy but I wasn't your typical pregnant lady. I was disappointed and discouraged. I had read that so many other ladies have dropped so much that they were smaller than they were pre-pregnancy or fitting into their jeans by week 4! I was jealous!!

So instead of moping and being crabby I did something about it. I stopped eating junk. I started using the excuse that I was breastfeeding to have that extra piece of chocolate or that sugar cookie. Don't get me wrong. I still indulge from time to time just not like I used to.

It isn't easy but you know what keeps me motivated? It's silly but it works! I look at old pictures of myself and pictures of what I look like now. I don't enjoy looking at pictures of myself. I downright loathe the camera. So I know that this helps to keep me on track. In the beginning of this venture I also bought 100 calorie packs for when I wanted someone sweet and they helped too. (the trick is to not eat the whole box!)

And my other motivation is my son. I know I will never look like I used to and that's totally okay with me. I know what my body did was absolutely amazing and a miracle and that is enough to make me realize that this will take time and if I don't ever reach my goal then that's okay because I have what's important--my family.


What motivates you? Share your motivation with us at www.mothershideaway.com!

Thanks to Garibay Soup for hosting Motivating Monday!!