Category Archives: The Everyday

by Wendy | October 6, 2012

Halloween Costumes: Finding the right balance of “eco-” and easy

I will admit that one of my struggles as a mom is never feeling like I’m as “Pinteresting” as I’d like to be. I always thought I’d be that mom…you know, the one who always made everything by hand, sending handmade goodies into school all the time, creating showstopping birthday cakes and stitching up totally Pinteresting Halloween costumes that put the storebought ones to shame.

I used to be her. I was a cookie-baking, crafty machine. But yeah…uh, not so much anymore.

To be honest, I still do pretty well with some of those things (like the daycare snacks), but when it comes to things like making Halloween costumes, I just can’t pull it off. I buy premade costumes. Continue reading →

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Filed under Green Living, Parenting & Family, Product & Restaurant Reviews, The Everyday

Tagged as 2012, costumes for kids, Disney costumes, green halloween, Halloween, Nemo costume, new costumes, reusable costumes

by Wendy | September 7, 2012

Choosing the Right Oracle Certification for You

Don’t tell my boss, but I’ve got to admit that our new baby-to-be has me considering all my career options, especially the ones that allow me a little more mobility. But do I have what it takes to be a techie?

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If you’re considering Oracle certification, the first and most crucial step you must take is to make a decision about which certification may be right for you. Oracle offers an incredible range of professional certifications and ensuring your choose the one that will serve you best in your career is essential to strategically investing your time, energy and money in career development.

Jumping headlong into the certification process without committing adequate consideration to which certifications may be appropriate given your current role in IT and your future career goals will only result in you wasting precious resources on a certification that may or may not meet your needs. Therefore, you must decide what it is you want to achieve through certification and make your selection accordingly for which Oracle credential to pursue.

One of the best ways to narrow down the Oracle certifications that may be a good fit for you is to use Oracle’s Certification Finder. You can locate the search function here: http://certification.oracle.com. This tool lets you select your current position in IT and the product area in which you wish to expand your knowledge and skills.

The search function will then kick out a list of certifications that may be appropriate for you. Read the descriptions of the certifications thoroughly in order to ensure the credential really will meet your needs. After you choose a certification to pursue, seek out exam prep help from a reputable provider like testslive.com in order to boost your performance on the required exams.

How about you? Do you have any tech certifications, or do you learn as you go?

*This is a Type A post.

No-Cook School Lunches (featuring Glad Food Storage)

I know, I know. I have said it a million times: I don’t like plastic.

When it comes to packing lunches, which I do every day, I much prefer to use glass or stainless steel. But a small wrench was thrown into the eco-works when my daycare provider told me she preferred we didn’t send glass. I respect her reasons, so I set out to find a plan that worked for everyone.

I hesitated at first when it came to using Glad Food Storage products, but then I did a little research. I found that Glad food containers do not contain phthalates or polycarbonate, and are BPA-free. (They also have snap-together lids so they don’t clutter up your cupboards…a HUGE plus in my book because loose lids always irked me like crazy when I used plastic in the past.)

Knowing that Glad uses safer plastics makes me feel better about packing food in them, but I still prefer not to microwave them. And that’s why I have begun packing no-cook, no-heat lunches on school days! (It’s also a little less work for the daycare provider, so everyone wins!)

Here are some of our favorite serve-it-cold lunch and snack ideas, all packed in Glad containers.

Roast turkey and baby swiss, or our favorite apple chicken salad, on organic multi-grain bread, along with a scoopable kiwi. This one fits nicely in the Entree Size container.

Fresh baby mozzarella balls along with quartered grape tomatoes from the garden are also a surefire hit when I drizzle them with Italian dressing and pack them in the Small Snack container.

The small snack container also holds the perfect amount of fruit for little tummies.

Another reason I’ve turned to Glad: summer picnics and school parties. If you use glass or stainless steel, you know those containers can be very expensive, and you sure don’t want to lose them. If our daycare has a party, I usually make our favorite carrot cake cookies (the kids all love them) and send them in a Tall Entree container. Since they’re so affordable, I don’t mind if it doesn’t find its way back to me.

Same goes for summer picnics, reunions, etc. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brought along one of my good dishes and never seen it again.

And, if you’re still thinking that you don’t want your food touching a plastic container, there’s always the option of wrapping sandwiches, etc. up in a cloth napkin (since lunch calls for a napkin anyway!) Plus, I’ve discovered something really fun about the Glad mini round size container! It’s the perfect size for a cupcake liner!

So, just line your container, add your snack, and snap on the lid! Works like a charm for hummus (I always make sure to bring some along to a picnic or party just in case there’s nothing there I feel comfortable giving my little man…)

See…how cute and easy!! :) I still love my glass and stainless steel containers, but there’s definitely a time and place for Glad!

Do you have your own back-to-school lunch tips, ideas or recipes? Share your “Mom Made” ideas on Glad’s Facebook page!

…and if you have some no-cook lunch ideas to share, please leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear them!

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I have partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz Moms to help promote their Food Storage products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to review this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you GLAD!

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Filed under Product & Restaurant Reviews, Recipes & Food, The Everyday

Tagged as Glad, Glad food storage containers, packing school lunch, school lunches

by Wendy | August 25, 2012

The not-so-cute and decidedly unfun side of pregnancy.

Wow. What a week. Mind if I cry on your shoulder for a minute?

We’re into the 14th week of this pregnancy now, and I was really hoping things would get a little easier in the 2nd trimester. It seems that may not be the case.

The week started out with a 24-hour urine catch (which required a huge jug that I had to store in my fridge!!) and my glucose test on Monday morning. The girls in the lab didn’t even know how to do the test, so my confidence level was not high. Plus, I had forgotten how completely awful that sludgy drink really was. Bleh!

I had another appointment on Thursday and the doc told me that all my numbers came back bad. My sugar is high, which points to gestational diabetes again. So now that I’m not feeling so sick and can finally eat, there’s nothing for me to eat. Or at least it feels that way. I can’t help but feel like a failure. I know GD can happen to anyone, but I just feel like if I had been in better shape or lost more weight before this pregnancy I might have been able to avoid it. But I know that once I get my head in the right place and put my game face on, I’ll be able to tackle the restricted diet just like I did last time. Only last time, I delivered in November. Just in time to enjoy the holidays. This time? I’m due in late February. This time’s going to be a challenge.

Which brings me to my blood pressure. It’s chronically high, but this doc thought it would be a good idea to switch my meds. So now, instead of 120 over 60, it’s running consistently around 140 over 90. So, off I go, to another appointment, to discuss treatment options.

Oh, and I’m hypothyroid, too. Did I mention that?

Ugh. What am I doing wrong!?

I hate to sound like a whiner, but there’s just so much going on, and so much to keep track of. Take your meds, don’t eat sugar, limit salt, get some sleep, keep stress under control, but continue working at a fast-paced job 65 miles from home, with a schedule that you have to constantly rearrange to accommodate multiple doctor appointments (they want me in every two weeks now.) And, my husband is starting night school. Who wouldn’t be a little overwhelmed?

But, and there IS a big “but” ( probably around month 8 ), I WILL be OK. You know how I know? Because I also had an appointment this week with a high-risk ultrasound specialist, and despite hearing the term “advanced maternal age” about 15 times, I got to spend about 30 minutes getting up close and personal with this new little one. I guess, after our losses, I had a little trouble believing any of this was even real. I spent every day prepared myself for the possibility of no baby, but I think this one has other plans. Everything measured just as it should, baby is growing well, and the heartbeat is nice and strong. I saw little feet, and a little profile with an even littler nose…it was just breathtaking. And when the tech said “Time to measure hands”, baby obliged by holding both hands high above its head for an amazingly clear shot at ten tiny fingers.

So, I’m back to apples and almond butter as my go-to snack of choice, and I will be odd-man-out in the office a lot once the holidays roll around and I can’t eat much, but that’s OK. Because after seeing that little face, and after feeling the beginning of flutters in my belly, it’s all worth it.

And for the ultimate prize of getting to be a mommy again, it’s a small price to pay.

Thanks for listening.