Thursday, February 28, 2013

Photo Gallery


Hey y'all! Rissa here with another great tip! Today's tip is about hanging photos in a collage! Wanna see how I did it? Then keep reading...


Step One
Layout the photo's on the floor first to get an idea of how you want them hung on the wall.

Step two
Use craft paper or packing paper to trace the frames and layout. *When tracing the frames remember to mark where the nail goes for easier hanging


Step Three

Use the cut outs to put the layout onto the wall and this makes it easier to hang the photo's also.

Step Four

Hang em up! It's much easier to do with all the prep work that was done! Just use the cutouts for accurate placement of the the nail then remove the paper before hanging the photo.
 How easy was that!?! I will be posting soon about how to organize your photo's so stay tuned!

~Rissa

Thursday, February 14, 2013

This is a great tip for making up toddler beds!



Hey Loves!
Rissa here with another great tip! Today's tip is all about making late night bedding changes much  easier!

With Jack's recent obsession of taking his diaper off at bed time (I have NO idea?!?!) we have had our fair share of wet beds in the middle of the night. Well to avoid the dreaded task of changing the sheets and possible waking him I thought to myself, well what if I make the babies beds in a way that would just allow me to only have to remove the wet sheet and keep it moving. After several ideas and trials here is what I came up with:

Step 1. Start with your crib mattress
Step 2. Put your 1st fitted sheet on as usual
Step 3. Turn the mattress over to the back
Step 4. Add the 2nd fitted sheet to the back of the mattress
Step 5. Now put on a mattress pad to protect the sheet from leaks
Step 6. Add the 3rd and final fitted sheet




Now the point of this is to avoid having to dig through and get a clean sheet for the bed when your child has an accident in the middle of the night. If there is an accident just remove the sheet and mattress pad and there is a clean, dry sheet already in place! Now if there happens to be ANOTHER accident in the middle of the night then you can flip the mattress over for a clean, dry sheet! Great right?!?! This is especially good if your child is sick with a stomach bug or something and there may be multiple accidents in a day. I hope this is useful and if you have a tip for making a toddler bed please comment below!


My silly bug! She loves her bed. Isn't that the cutest bedding?

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Food scams!!!


Hey loves! Rissa here with another tip!
Today's tip is all about health foods and how we are being scammed! Yes I said scammed. I personally am outraged about what I have learned and felt that it is important to share this. So, yesterday Dr. Oz was talking about counterfeit foods and how we are being ripped off at the grocery stores. Well this just made me think twice about the things I buy, thinking that I am making healthy choices for my family and in the end I'm getting tricked! This is infuriating and overwhelming!!!

So here is what I gathered from the show and I will be sure to link the articles and videos below. Scientist believe that 10% of the items we buy are likely tampered with by adding fillers, swapping ingredients or using misleading labels. This is especially true with fish, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, spices, milk and tea.

photo credit www.sanraku.com

Fish
Oceana conducted a study revealing that about 38% of the fish (mainly cod, wild salmon, red snapper and grouper) we buy is mislabeled by being swapped with a less expensive fish that have a similar appearance and taste. This was proven through a DNA analysis so the results are accurate. What it comes down to is it's all about PROFIT! It starts with the farmers, then the distributors and finally with the grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

Not only is this frustrating because you are not getting what you paid for but this can also be harmful to ones health or cause sickness. For example Albacore tuna a very popular fish choice especially in sushi is being swapped with Escolar. What is Escolar you make be asking, well let me tell ya. Escolar is also known as snake makeral and has be called the "Ex-Lax of fish"!!!! What tha! This substitute for Albacore tuna has a toxin in it that causes diarrhea, intestinal distress and many more sicknesses. It is advised not to consume more that 6oz of Escolar at a time and the FDA advises against eating it AND it is BANNED in Italy and Japan but still legal here in the US! Huh? Makes ya think twice about those tuna rolls down at the sushi bar doesn't it?!
Tip: In restaurants if the menu advertises the Tuna as "White Tuna" avoid it!

Other common swaps are using tilefish as red snapper which is a health danger due to the amount of mercury in tilefish  (this is very important for pregnant women), the FDA has listed tilefish on the Do Not Eat list. This just gets more disturbing. Catfish is being disguised as grouper which is just totally ripping you off in the wallet department. In fact the most common counterfeit fishes are tuna, snapper, salmon and grouper. C'mon now you know that is just dead wrong!  Fortunately Oceana is campaigning to stop fish fraud.

So how can you avoid being scammed?
  1. Ask questions. If your retailer or restaurant is not able to answer questions about the seafood they are selling, you may want to make a different choice.
  2. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. If a price seems unreasonably low, it may be a sign it’s a mislabeled fish.
  3. Popular fish are commonly swapped. The four fish you need to be extra careful about buying due to frequent mislabeling are some of the most popular species: tuna, snapper, salmon and grouper. Consumers should make sure to ask extra questions when buying these fish.
  4. Buy traceable seafood. Some retailers and restaurants are making commitments to only sell traceable seafood. By supporting traceable seafood, consumers can have more confidence in the seafood they eat. 
  5. Buy the whole fish whenever possible. You can ask for it to be cut into fillets at the store. The more processed your fish and the more hands it passes through, the more opportunities for a bait and switch.
  6. Be extra careful when ordering fish at sushi bars. In every city we tested, sushi venues had the highest rates of seafood fraud, with 100% of the sushi bars visited in New York City selling at least one piece of mislabeled fish. And remember, most everything labeled as “white tuna,” is more than likely escolar, as only albacore tuna is allowed to be called “white tuna” and only when it is sold in a can.
  7. Buy your fish from larger chain supermarkets instead of smaller grocery stores when possible, as your odds of getting a mislabeled fish are much lower. Oceana’s New York City testing revealed 12% of seafood purchased was mislabeled in larger supermarkets versus a whopping 40% for smaller markets.
photo credit www.igourmet.com


Olive Oil
Scientist have conducted studies showing that 70% of the Extra Virgin Olive Oils that we purchase are FAKE! ***gasp*** I personally enjoy using EVOO for the health benefits and I really just like the taste of it. So when I found this out I was just so upset. Its reported that 65% of imported oils doesn't even meet the standards of EVOO. So how are we being fooled by these fake oils? Well these oils can be sunflower seed, hazelnut or even industrial oils that are being passed off as EVOO by adding ingredients to make them appear, smell and taste like a real olive oil.
Again it is all about the MONEY here. Using cheaper ingredients and passing them off as something it's not. Saddens me.
So here are some tips to make sure your extra virgin olive oil is real:
  1. Look for dark glass bottles that protect the oil from light and avoid clear bottles.
  2. Look for the harvest dates this lets you know when the oil was made. Buy the oil within 15 months of that date for best use by date.
  3. Look for a Quality seal. California Olive Oil Council requires EVOO's to pass strict testing to get their seal.
  4. For imported oils avoid brands that advertise a combination of oils from multiple countries, instead look for a specific producer.
  5. This is not 100% accurate but you can put your EVOO in the fridge and if it freezes then it's most likely pure.

This is just some of the ways we are being scammed! Take a look at the following links for even more information.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/bait-plate-avoid-fishy-business-seafood-fraud
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dangers-over-counter-pain-medication-safety-tips
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/counterfeit-foods-buyer-beware

What are your thoughts on this disturbing news? Feel free to comment with your thoughts!

Happy eating!
~Rissa