HiHoRosie's Place

HaPpY bIrThDaY to my little guy, Caleb! He is 3 years old today, which brings me to tears because it's flown by so quickly. I love him more and more each day. He has brought so much joy to our home. I truly am blessed. Happy birthday sweet face. ` ` ` ` ` `

I guess I'm not bashful about shouting to the world that today is my birthday. *<:-) Hope it's a good day for me, you and everyone! ***

Please excuse me while I organize myself here. Some of my posts will basically be catching up posts and are more for me so you might find them less exciting, mundane or random. But here we go… First up, thank you for your support and loyalty . You guys are so cool . I knew you’d understand when I say I blog when I can. Life is happening all the time; blogging can wait any old day. I figure those who don’t understand aren’t real people anyway. Ha! For YS2’s birthday last month we got him a Strider pre-bike or a balance bike. If you’re not familiar with a balance bike, it’s a little tyke bike without training wheels or pedals so the focus is on balance . Everyone can pedal or easily learn, right? But balancing on a bike isn’t that easy. When it’s time to transition to a “big boy” bike there will hopefully be less spills and owies and instead lots more yays and smiles. YS2 has gotten the hang of it and now sits on the seat and not just walk with it standing up (that's how they fir...

My little bambino, Caleb (aka YS2, Yardsnacker Jr., Sweet Baby, Bugaboo, Chub-Lubs, etc.) is two years old today. Sigh. It’s been an amazing two years and life has never been the same. To my sweet boy- I love you because you’re a part of me and a part of your papa but you are all you and so very very special. I love you because you love all. I love you for your spirit, your sweetness. I love it when you see a metro bus you point to it and say, “Mama!” because you know I take the bus to work. I love that you have red hair and blue eyes, just like your Grandma S. I love that when something is broken you want me to fix it with tape, even flat tires. I love that you kiss your own boo-boos. I love that when others are sad you give them kisses and loves. I love that you love green apples (granny smiths). I love that there are many foods you love that many adults have never tried or heard of. I love you because you are adventurous. I love you because you are a little shy. I lov...

Today is my blog’s 3rd birthday! Yeehaw! Ah, it seems like only yesterday I wrote my first post . ::sigh:: It’d be fun to look back at some of the old Blogger comments but Disqus overrode them and I’m not sure how to fix that (if anyone knows how to export/import comments from one commenting system to another I’m all ears!). My blog and I have been through many changes and ups and downs over these past three years. I’ve also come in contact with some incredible people. You. I want to express my appreciation for everyone who’s stopped by my blog, especially the regulars. I appreciate and love the support. So many times I’ve thought about hanging up the keyboard but I never can seem to stay away too long. I have to admire other bloggers who blog regularly. See, I couldn’t even get today’s post up earlier! Ever since becoming a mommy (my greatest achievement!) it’s been even more of a challenge to blog but that’s okay; I’m actually not complaining. As you know, writing a blog is ...

So I made kale chips again this weekend. And AGAIN they’ve been snarfed before being completely dry. Ah well. That just means they were tasty right? But seriously, I need help keeping my paws away. I just don’t have the patience to wait for such tasty things, I guess. What will I ever do when I make an ice cream cake or something?! It'd be silly to think there'd ever be pictures... recycled pic from last time My cheesy kale chips consists of taking a cup of cashews (soaked or unsoaked – I’m typically lazy or forgetful so I don’t soak most times), a third cup of nutritional yeast, juice from half a lemon, half of a sweet red bell pepper, one garlic clove, one teaspoon of Celtic sea salt, half to a whole teaspoon of pure maple syrup (or agave), and one to two tablespoons of (filtered/spring) water (optional). Then blend it all up till smooth and massage onto kale pieces. I dry at 115 in my dehydrator until well, I never get that far. Until crispy dry if you’ve got the will ...

This is the last of my blog’s birthday bash giveaways but certainly not the least. Now, what can I say about Tropical Traditions Gold Label virgin coconut oil ? I’ve got three jars of it at home if that tells you anything. They often have great deals that are hard to pass up. We absolutely love coconut oil. It’s a great multi-purpose oil from cooking to hair conditioner to (ahem) other things. I have a little jar of it at my desk to moisturize my hands. Often we’re putting some in our smoothies and of course, we cook with it. Try using it in place of butter on toast or even garlic bread. So good! In fact, I’ve used it in waffles which were so good because it gave just a subtle hint of coconut without being overwhelming. I will say that Tropical Traditions is a little more fragrant than others I’ve tried but this doesn’t bother me. I enjoy it just the same. It takes me to the tropics even though I've never been. It’s certified organic, cold-pressed and unrefined so this ...

I’ve been a fan of Biokleen for awhile now. I’ve mentioned them in my Top 5 fave kitchen things and I also won some nifty cleaning products last year. Their Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator is awesome – really, everything I’ve used so far I’ve become a fan of. Recently, I got to try their automatic dish powder. I don’t have the greatest of dishwashers so some pre-washing is required, depending on the stuck on food (ew). So even with pre-washing some of my dishes could use some extra scrubbing. “Elbow grease” my mom would say. But you know I don’t have to do that so much when using the Biokleen. I still do some pre-washing but all of my dishes have come out sparkly clean – no washing a second or third time. Woo hoo!  image source  What’s cool about this stuff is you don’t need to use a whole lot per wash because it’s so concentrated. It contains no phosphate, no chlorine, no ammonia, or other hazardous materials. Plus it smells nice, not chemical-ly at all and rinses clea...

If you’re not familiar with Kroeger Herb Products , they are a health product company based out of Boulder, Colorado and have been around since 1978. Started by Hanna Kroeger, she was often referred to as the “Grandmother of Health.” She was very accomplished in the natural health care field and saw a strong need to share her wealth of knowledge and her herbal formulas. She has since passed on but the company continues to share in her philosophy and commitment to providing healthy herbal supplements that work naturally with your body. Their products are all natural and do not include any fillers. Plus if you ever have questions about any of their products they are happy to help! I’ve only had positive experiences with Kroeger Herb. In fact, I’ve worked with them before, which you can read up here . Up for review today are Healthy Gut and Turmeric . “A healthy body starts with a Healthy Gut.” I think we’ve all experienced tummy/digestive troubles from time to time. It’s not fun. Hea...