I recommend...

Whenever Rich is out of town I like to buy a treat for myself to eat after the boys go to sleep--a kind of reward for making it to the end of the day on my own. Yesterday I was running errands and listening to the radio. I don't even remember what I was listening to but they started talking about Twinkies. I thought to myself, "That sounds so good!" Weird. I don't think I've had a Twinkie in 10 years and I know I've never bought them in my life. Until yesterday. I don't know what overcame me but I couldn't resist that golden sponge cake with a creamy filling! I recommend eating them with some fresh strawberries. So, while I don't usually recommend Twinkies I thought I'd take the chance to share with you some things that I rather enjoy. It's quite a random list of things but here it goes:

Shaklee Basic H--since everyone seems to be "eco-conscious" these days this should be popular. Not only is it organic but you can use it for ANYTHING! Seriously. From cleaning windows and carpets to washing your produce. And it comes super concentrated so it lasts forever.

pinch bowls--I totally made fun of Rich when he added these to our wedding registry. Actually he only registered for one.... luckily we received more than that. They ended up being really useful. I love to put toppings in them. If we are having tacos or something they are the perfect size to put tomatoes, sour cream, olives, etc. in and don't take up much room on the table. Everyone should have a few pinch bowls around the house. (And if you're in a crazy mood you could use them like you're on a cooking show with all your ingredients pre-measured... ha!)


apple peeler corer slicer--In high school, before I ran off to seminary, I would use this baby for one last snack to eat on the way to the church. William loves to turn the crank to cut his own apple too! And in college when I made apple pies (and I made way too many my freshman year) it took me forever to peel and slice all my apples. This handy dandy contraption saves me tons of time! (Thanks mom for getting it for me!)



Organic Mother's Milk tea--For those of you who nurse their babies (and I know a lot of pregnant women right now) you might want to try this. My sister, Amy, recommended it to me who heard about it from her mid-wife. It's awesome! You only drink it for the first week or so. (It doesn't taste bad... a little like black licorice.) With William I produced way too much milk and was engorged.... Then with James I heard about this tea and never had a single problem. I hope that wasn't too much info... but I had to recommend it!




magic eraser-- I know just about everyone uses these or at least has heard of them... but for the few of you who don't this product is amazing! It really is magic!











Scripture Scouts--We used to listen to these all the time as a kid. They're all about Skyler, Sue, Baby, and Boo (the dog) and the adventures they have in their tree house as they discover the stories in the Book of Mormon. (They also have Old and New Testament and recently I've seen one on the Proclamation but have never heard it.) They sing songs and tell the stories in a way that kids understand them--and remember them. When I was in Old Testament at BYU I used to sing the songs for my roommate (who was also in the class). Wes, I think I sang a Scripture Scouts song on a tape for you on your mission--how embarrassing! I didn't even know you yet! Anyway, I got them for this last Christmas and have listened to them a few times with William. His favorite one so far is about heroes... Ammon, in particular. Be warned they might be a little cheesy for your taste--I don't think Jeff or Rich care for them.


Charlie and Lola--This is the cutest little show ever! My sister-in-law bought it in the $5 movie bin at Wal-mart. I love it! It's all about this boy Charlie who has this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. He uses his imagination to help her in all kinds of things. And the theme song is so great that you'll be whistling it all day long.





Tadoodles--These are the coolest little stampers. I found these on clearance at Target a few months back. William has a great time stamping away and I don't have to worry about ink getting all over his hands or my house!







freezing meals--Some days you just don't feel like cooking. That's when it's nice to have some frozen meals. We don't eat a whole ton at our house and recipes often make more than we want for dinner and/or leftovers. Sometimes I'll freeze them. It's so nice to have a quick, easy, homemade meal.



cookie dough balls--We can never eat a whole batch of cookies at our house before they start to get stale. So I usually bake a few and then freeze the rest of the dough into balls. That way we can pop in a few balls whenever the mood hits us and we have fresh from the oven cookies!


If you are a salt lover like myself then you have to try Real Salt. It is so much better than your regular table salt... and healthier too. Trust me.

What do you recommend?