Butterfinger Bars Recipe

I am currently 3 weeks postpartum, and I was looking for an easy recipe to make for snacks today. I came across a recipe for Butterfinger Bars that looked relatively simple, so I decided to try it out. My almost four year old pulled up a chair to the kitchen counter and helped me make them. These bars don't taste like the candybar, but they are quite yummy. My husband informed me that they were not going to last long around here!

Butterfinger Bars

Crust:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Topping:
6 oz. chocolate chips (about half a bag)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crust ingredients together well. Press mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan, bake for 15 minutes. Next, melt topping ingredients together in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, stirring constantly until a smooth consistency is reached. Spread topping mixture evenly over crust. Chill in the refrigerator approximately one hour.

Vitacost Free Shipping February

Vitacost.com is offering free shipping during the month of February on orders over $49. No coupon code is required, but it is only valid on orders placed online. If you need to place an order, now would be a good time! This offer expires 2/28/11.

Free Math Website - Preschool through 8th Grade

Just thought I would share a cool math website. It is free, and has interactive games and practice exercises for mathematical concepts ranging from preschool age through 8th grade. We will be utilizing this resource with our children, it looks to be promising as a supplement for strengthening their math skills! Membership is also available via this site for a fee.

http://www.ixl.com/

Common Courtesy

I have been noticing lately that there seems to be lacking basic manners and common courtesies amongst the public. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am currently 9 months pregnant. Or maybe it's because we are just finishing up with a busy holiday season, which can bring stress on for many people. It just seems like the last few times I have ventured out into the public, I have run across rudeness in many different forms. Maybe it was the rude lady at Sam's Club today, who curtly said, "Excuse me!" and shoved past my very pregnant form, that was the last straw for me. So, since I have a blog, I decided that I was going to vent out loud about the recent rashes of rudeness I have experienced, in hopes of inspiring others to think twice about how they respond to and interact with others, and perhaps show a little bit of kindness, even when they don't feel like it.

Don't get me wrong, most people are polite and pleasant when I go out in public places. It's usually only a handful of people that have issues. It used to be common place for others to hold open a door or offer a seat to the elderly, disabled, pregnant, or the mama with her hands full. Not so much anymore. And if someone does hold a door open, how many of those being served by this kindness remember to say thank you for the good deed? Or how about the crowded parking lot scenario? Someone has been patiently waiting for a parking spot, complete with a blinker indication that they are planning on parking there, only to have another car speed up and take the spot real fast, regardless of the fact that someone else was obviously waiting to park there. That happened to me (yet again) this last week. Or how about people swearing in public places and talking about inappropriate subjects when small children are close by? BIG pet peeve, I tell you!

I know that I don't have to let these acts of rudeness get to me, and I am in charge of choosing how I handle and react to it. Often times, if someone flips me the bird in traffic, I smile and wave. I try to choose to be positive and friendly back to those who act unbecomingly. Most of the time, it is not worth it to confront people on their rudeness, and in this day and age, discernment must be used in doing so. And sometimes, reacting kindly is not what people expect, and hopefully it makes a positive impact on those who choose to act like barbarians.

I am encouraging others to please remember your manners, common courtesies, and kindness. Hey, it's a new year, it could even be a resolution! Say please and thank you to those who serve you (restaurants, stores, other businesses, etc.). The poor door clerk at Sam's Club today was visibly frustrated when she asked several customers to see their Club Card, and was repeatedly ignored. She was just trying to do her job, cut the working people who serve you a little slack! Say "excuse me" politely if you are trying to get through a crowded aisle or past someone. Hold the door open for others. The world is a tough enough place as it is. Spread a little bit of goodwill and cheer by being courteous and kind!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn Recipe

I am in the midst of holiday baking, and thought I would share my latest recipe creation. I have spent plenty of money in the past buying chocolate covered caramel corn from various children's fundraisers. I thought I would try my hand at my own version of this tasty treat. I will be giving it out as part of our treat gift packages for Christmas. This is my own original recipe.



Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn



14 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 packages of milk chocolate almond bark



Pop the popcorn (I have a regular popcorn popper, and 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn yielded 14 cups popped). In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Heat on medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is lightly boiling. Continue to simmer and stir until mixture is a caramely texture. Immediately pour mixture over popcorn, stir and mix well until popcorn is evenly coated. Allow caramel to set. Take the chocolate almond bark, a few squares at a time, and melt in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Roll chunks and pieces of the caramel corn in the chocolate, and place on waxed paper to cool. Let cool, then enjoy or gift wrap!

Probiotics Help Allergies?

I am by no means a medical doctor or expert, but I do try to keep educated and informed about ways I can improve my health, especially in ways that do not require putting medication in my body. Don't get me wrong, I do believe medications can be a blessing in many ways, but if I can find a solution to my health issues without using medication, I will try to go that route.

For many years, I required prescription medication and treatments for my allergies and asthma. If necessary, I will seek those treatments again, and I still have my rescue inhaler handy at all times. However, I have, through natural remedies and dietary changes, been able to keep my allergies and asthma at bay. One of the things that I have recently discovered that affects my allergies and asthma are probiotics.

Recently, I had run out of probiotics and had decided I could just forgo them until I was ready to put another order in at Vitacost.com. A week had gone by, and all of a sudden I was having allergy attacks, which often lead to asthma attacks for me. I got to thinking about why my allergies were flaring up suddenly again. Then I remembered I had stopped taking my probiotics for the time being. Curious, I decided to look up online whether or not probiotics affected allergies. Sure enough, there is ample evidence that suggests good bacteria in the gut affects allergies. I stopped by the local drugstore to pick up some more probiotics for the time being, and shortly after starting them, my allergy issues began to subside again.

There are many good food sources that contain probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, raw honey, raw milk, etc. I am not always good at getting these foods into my diet regularly, but they definitely do contribute to a healthy gut (if you are ever looking for some interesting health reading, studying up on how the gut affects overall health is fascinating!). While I try to eat some probiotic foods, in order to positively affect my allergies, a probiotic supplement is what seems to have the most effect. My preferred probiotic supplement is called Kyodophilus and contains several strains of good bacteria. This link is one of the Kyodophilus products that I have successfully used: http://www.vitacost.com/Kyolic-Kyo-Dophilus-45-Capsules .

Obviously, my story is more of an anecdotal type of evidence, but when looking into the issue, the scientific evidence backs up my experience. For further reading on this subject, you can click on the links that follow: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AllergiesNews/Story?id=4727318&page=1 http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/probiotics-and-the-gut http://www.beyondallergy.com/allergy-news/probiotics-for-allergy-relief.php . For even further reading, an internet search should turn up additional information.

Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments Craft Project

Yesterday, the kids and I started the process of making some Christmas ornaments out of a homemade salt dough. It was really simple, I mixed up the dough, then we rolled the dough out with a rolling pin and used cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. You do have to bake these ornaments, but before I put them in the oven, I used a skewer to poke a hole in the top of each ornament, so that we can use some ribbon, yarn, or string to be able to hang them. We will be keeping some of these for our own Christmas tree, but will also give a few for gifts. I got the recipe for the salt dough from http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/christmas-ornament-dough.html .

Salt Dough Recipe

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

Mix ingredients together well and knead dough until well blended. If too sticky, add additional flour a little bit at a time until the right consistency is met. If too dry, add additional water in small amounts until desired consistency is achieved. Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters, place shaped dough on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, then paint.

I was going to buy some special paint to decorate the ornaments with, but the article at the above posted link suggested nail polish as a nice, decorative paint. Since I had plenty of nail polish around, we decided to try that out. I must say that it adds a nice touch to the ornaments, and the shine is lovely!

Overall, this was a great activity to do with the kids, and they loved it!