I love the magic eraser

So once upon a time I had a dirty bathroom tub and a dirty linoleum kitchen floor. Well, they weren't dirty, but they sure looked it. I cleaned them with every cleaner imaginable. I tried bleaching the tub. Nothing would get rid of the stains and marks! Nothing, that is, until the magic eraser:

Image from here.

Disclaimer: I actually used the target brand magic eraser, not the name brand. Still, this thing is amazing! I know I'm like five years behind on discovering this thing, but I must share the good news for those of you who are also behind the times :-)

Wordless Wednesday

Introducing Molly!

Hi guys!

I am finally done with another semester of classes. In case you don't know, I am earning a teaching credential in high school math. So what does this mean for you? It means I have the time to blog consistently! That is one of my summer goals. Here is the first installment, photos of our new dog Molly!

This picture was taken at Noah's (our first dog) birthday party. We'd had Molly for all of 48 hours, and she was still pretty zoned out from the shock of being recently spayed and then getting a new home. She slept for most of the party!

Molly was Noah's birthday gift from us. I don't think we could have given him a better gift. Having two dogs is amazing- they play and have so much fun.


This is Molly and Noah and my hubby a couple weeks after we adopted Molly. We took them for a hike. While Noah is my cute white fluffball (bichon mix we believe), one thing I love about Molly is how her fur doesn't get dirty as fast. We think she's a daschund/terrier mix.

Now the requisite plea to please adopt your pets! We have adopted both these dogs and have had nothing but wonderful experiences. Molly came from a pretty harsh LA County shelter, but that has had no ill effects on her temperament. In fact, I think adopted dogs love you more!

Oh! I almost forgot- angry moment!

Guess what happened yesterday? Someone took down a political yard sign we had put up! I was so disappointed that someone would infringe upon my right to free speech. Especially because I have a strong suspicion that it was a neighbor.

So, on Saturday afternoon, a friend of our who's running for state assembly brought a yard sign for us to put up. We put it in a little planter on the street, stapling it to the wood fence behind the planter for support.

Sunday afternoon, my husband found the sign by our trash area. This is why I suspect a neighbor: our trash area is behind a gate. It doesn't look like a trash area: it looks like a gate between two houses that would lead to a backyard. Why would someone open a gate that looks like it leads to a backyard? I don't think someone would unless that person knows it is a trash area. Who knows that? Only neighbors. PLUS, one of our back neighbors always throws his cigarettes over there after he smokes in the driveway (gross, I know). So he's used to being out front and throwing stuff there. Another point against them: from what we've seen, we suspect the neighbors have political leanings that are opposite to our own.

So what did we do when we found the sign? We got out the staple gun and stapled it to the eaves of the garage! It is now much more visible to passerby, and significantly more difficult to take down. Now if it disappears, it's 99% sure that our back neighbors did it. They're the only other ones who can get in the garage and take out the ladder that would be needed to take down the sign.

The thing is, who does that?! It really made me think less of our neighbors, that they would take down someone's sign. It's not an offensive sign, and the candidate is really moderate. Of course even if that wasn't the case, they had no right to take it down. We live in America! People should be better than that. Humanity makes me sad.

I guess a lesson can be learned: don't take down someone's sign. All it will do is piss that person off, and they'll do a better job reposting the sign :-)

Smoothies & Health

Hi there,

I have time to blog because instead of having a big 'ol lunch, I had a yummy smoothie that I made this morning! I *love* smoothies! Why, you ask? Well, they're delicious. They help me get my servings of fruits and veggies. I don't get any pots or pans dirty making them. I don't overeat with them. So what's not to love?

Today I had a smoothie because I've been feeling a little under the weather yesterday and today. We had friends over on Saturday night, and I had a few drinks. I really didn't drink that much, but I think my body has become more sensitive to alcohol. Recently if I have more than two drinks, I don't feel well for a while. I don't get hungover, I just don't feel well. I think that's because I'm so darn healthy the rest of the time, the alcohol really shocks my body. Who knows, though.

The other reason I wanted to have a smoothie is I've been feeling a little... large. As in, maybe I gained a pound or two. I've been bad about snacking recently, so a little weight gain makes sense.

To address these issues, I decided that in lieu of lunch I would make a smoothie and take that to work. How does that help, you ask? Well, it is a common practice in certain parts of the world to eat less when ill in order to allow the body to focus on fighting illness rather than distract it with food digestion. Plus, I'm getting all kinds of illness-fighting goodness in my smoothies.

Regarding the weight thing, drinking 16oz. of smoothie is a lot less calories than I would have in my lunch. Plus, since it's light and doesn't give a significant "full" feeling, it breaks the cycle of always needing to feel full. I have a bad habit of eating when I'm not hungry, and having a smoothie day reunites me with eating because I'm hungry, not because I'm not full.

What do I put in my smoothies, you ask? Well, I put in frozen bananas. (I buy big bunches of bananas at Costco. When some are really ripe, I peel them, cut them up, and freeze the pieces). I put in frozen blueberries (bought at Costco). I put in spinach if we have it (you don't taste it and it majorly ups the health factor). I also put in some ground flaxseed and chia. These keep me from feeling hungry soon after eating, and they add great nutrients. I put in soymilk, orange juice, and also some water. Then I blend! I used to not put in water, but it really helps the consistency without adding any calories. Plus there's already so many solids, some water doesn't make it "watery."

I now conclude my "ode to smoothies" :-)

I. Love. Buffy.

Image from http://planetwhedon.com/

Did anyone else watch Buffy when it was on the air? I loved that show. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing for me to watch at that age, considering how easily scared I was. Now, though, I'm enjoying revisiting the episodes. They're definitely dated, but whatever. They're enjoyable.