Mean Mom Tip of the Day: juice

After Daughter drinks about 18-20 ounces of whole milk a day, she can have as much "juice" as she wants. and, boy, does she ask for "juice"

and I gladly oblidge.

that's right, Daughter gets as much "juice" as she wants.

but what Daughter doesn't know is a mean trick that Husband and I have been playing on her for over a year.

when she brings us her 10 ounce sippy cup and asks for, "more juice," what she actually gets is 8 ounces of water and 2 ounces of no sugar added, not from concentrate 100% apple juice.

She drinks so much more water when we flavor it a little. It's an easy way to keep her hydrated.

one day when this kid gets an actual cup of non-watered down apple juice, she'll be in for the surprise of her life!

seriously. when we're counting servings of fruits for the day. I'd much rather Daughter eat apple slices than drink a glass of apple juice. plus, she really doesn't know what she's missing.

muhahahahah

Wordless Wednesday: Husband, weatherman

Spirits Sunday: Auto-Moto Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Auto-Moto Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Last night the family was invited to a house warming party. this is someone who believes "wine is gross."

Christy and Husband to the rescue. I decided a great gift would be some fabulous inexpensive wine glasses [seriously, fabulous. I want them to replace our ugly ones that Husband acquired before he met me] and a 'starter bottle of wine.'

To World Market we went. They have a great wine selection and a wide range of price points, so I knew we'd find something great for her and a few great things for us to try. We got a nice sweet Riesling as a gift and then we started our selfish search.

I found a cava for $5.68 [I've been wanting to try a cava since I heard it mentioned as a great New Year's sparkling wine last year on NPR]

I also found some spiced German wine we had last year and really liked for under $8.

[reviews coming after we try them]

and Husband found this Cabernet for $11.99. Cabernets are his favorite red wine and after trying the Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon from Aldi, [review also forthcoming] I can say, I like it too. Husband picked it because it was the last bottle on the shelf. He figured if people kept buying it, it had to be good.

It's got a great label. yes. that's how I usually pick wines, so maybe that's why people kept buying it. The company, Auto-Moto, also has a great website, complete with recipes for meal suggestions to eat with each wine! They bottle Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

I enjoyed the wine. It's really dry, which is a change from the summer Rieslings, but the dryness definitely fits with the season. We enjoyed the whole bottle while cooking and eating on sale steaks and grilled potatoes -- I was wishing for asparagus, but I'm currently reading Animal Vegetable Miracle, so I resisted.

The description on the bottle as well as the website helped make it a fun wine to drink. It had a smoky flavor and while it tasted slightly fruity, I really couldn't pick anything out.

It's 13.5% alcohol and has a rubber cork.

[I've got about 4 bottles on the counter to tell you about soon. Husband and I usually like to have a glass of wine on Sunday evenings while we're cooking dinner and Daughter and Son are enjoying late naps]

will we taste one of our bell peppers this season?

only time [and the first frost] will tell.

yes, we're definitely learned our seeds only lesson. or rather we've learned that if we want to continue with seeds we have to start them in the house MUCH earlier than we did this year. This is our first bell pepper. it's probably about the size of a penny and one of the few remaining plants left in our garden from the spring/summer.

I'm hoping it'll do some super growing so we can at least eat it before the frost gets to it.

Spirits Sunday: Bailey's Irish Cream

if it's cool/cold outside I'm drinking warm drinks.

coffee.
cappuccino.
hot chocolate.

yes, yes and yes.

And sometimes for an added treat a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream. It definitely adds a little extra warmth to my beverage.

When I was "swag bucking" for an image [as opposed to googling], I pulled up quite a few dessert recipes using Irish Cream. Something to try in the future.

The label recommends trying Bailey's over ice. And I'm pretty sure it'd be good with milk too.

I've tried O'Reilly's Irish Cream because it's cheaper and sold in grocery stores, unlike Bailey's that we, in Alabama, have to get in ABC or liquor stores. And it's definitely not as smooth.

Husband bought me an entire liter this weekend and it'll last all fall, into the winter and possibly spring. making the marginal extra cost not such a big deal for the occasional splurge.

It's 17% alcohol

I love: kiss me mascara

this is my favorite mascara ever. period. I've never tried a mascara I like better. sometimes I adventure out, but I always come home to Kiss Me.

It's a tube mascara, which means it doesn't coat your lashes but covers your lashes and then STAYS THERE until you wash it off with warm water and a wash cloth. It wraps around your lashes and resists smudging, smearing and running.

it's fabulous clean coverage.

I'm not the girl who craves longer thicker lashes. I'm the girl who looks slightly drunk and partially asleep without mascara. Kiss Me really opens my eyes up and makes me look awake and fresh - even if I don't always feel that way.

In case you care, I have fair skin, green eyes and light/medium brown hair (thanks Clairol) and I use the Medium Brown.

This mascara is more expensive that your average drug store mascara (I first found it at the salon where I get my hair cut and eye brows waxed -- man, I'd love to get both of those done right now). but now I can find it for MUCH cheaper at an ebay store - and free shipping to boot.

it is a nice splurge and even while watching the saddest cry fest movie, it hasn't let me down.

Wordless Wednesday: Daughter and Gracie - two peas in a pod

I love: Dove Ultimate Visably Smooth

When I first saw the commercial I decided I had to give it a try. I hate shaving and I definitely hate feeling like I need to shave. especially my under arms. so if I could shave less just by applying deodorant (something I do daily anyway) why not try it?

Before the switch, I was using Dove Original (clean) and liked it, so this wasn't a leap so much as a hop to a new product.

and while I feel as completely confident in its powers as a deodorant and a shave minimizer, I do have one complaint. it smells strong. fragrant. I'm not a froo froo smell girl. I just like to smell clean. and the Nature Fresh is a clean smell, but it's also a strong smell. seriously, the only complaint. (the only other smell option available is Wild Rose and I smelled it in the store when I was trying to decide which scent to get, and it almost knocked me down. flowery punch right to the nose. but if that's your thing, it's out there.)

After about 3 weeks use, I can already tell I am needing to shave my underarms less. I don't miss the prickly feeling at all.

Honestly, I didn't even look for a price difference. so I can't tell you if this is more expensive than my previous odor blocker.

(I don't get paid for my opinions, but maybe I should)