Sacrifices We Make

I do my best writing at night. At least I think so anyway. I have always been a night owl. I seem to get more creative at night, working on my girls scrapbooks or playing online. Maybe it’s not more creative, maybe it’s just loopy, but either way I would rather stay up all night and sleep late in the morning.

In order to be home more with my girls, I work two part-time jobs, rather than one full-time job. It was a choice I made so that I can be home during the day time.  I work two days a week doing accounting for a medical supply company – I have been doing accounting since college. I won’t tell you how old I am, but I can say I have been doing accounting for a very long time. :-0 I also work 3 nights overnight at a store that is a 5 minute drive from my house. I made the decision to work overnight so that I was home during the day with my youngest who is still just in preschool. I can attend field trips and “special days”, or be home to care for them when they are sick.  Except for the two days that I work in the office, I am home when my children are home.  We can make cupcakes, play dolls, color, run errands, and sing at the top of our lungs.  Also, one of my favorite things to do is put my girls to bed and give them sweet dreams.  It is that quiet cuddle time to talk a little more, and give them extra special hugs and kisses.  Some people think it’s crazy to work overnight. OK lots of people think it’s crazy and wonder why on earth I would make this choice.  Have I completely lost my mind?  Possibly.  However, for me, it just works.

I have decided that the time I spend with my girls is more important than anything else right now, so I might be sacrificing a little sleep, but I am gaining a whole lot of time with my girls.   My youngest will be in school full-time in the fall, and I won’t have those lazy afternoons of making cookies together, playing dress up, reading books, or just cuddling on the couch while watching TV.  Before the hustle and bustle of life begins, and school takes over the majority of every weekday, I will work my few overnights and enjoy my time with my children as much as possible.  They will only be young once, and I want to be there for as much of it as I can.

 

Review: Dr. Lucy’s Cookies

**I was provided free product in exchange for my opinions.  I was not financially compensated for this review. The opinions here are all my own and have not been swayed by a third-party.**

Who doesn’t love cookies?  I know my family does, but I also know that in order to keep them safe having cookies usually means quite a bit of work for me.  Not that I mind, of course.  But every now and then it would be nice to be able to go to the store and just grab some.  That is why I was so happy to find the Dr. Lucy company.  This company was started by a mom, who also happens to be an M.D.  She is a mom of a child with severe allergies and was always looking for safe foods that tasted great, but had a hard time finding them.  So, she created her own!  And they have a ton of great bonuses.  All her treats are made in their own carefully controlled bakery.  They are gluten free peanut free, tree nut free, milk free and egg free. Plus, they test for trace amounts of milk, egg, gluten, peanuts, almond, and hazelnut.  I love that they do all this, and I can feel confident that these are going to be safe for my family.  And, just when you think that these treats could not get any better, they are also certified vegan and verified non-GMO!

Just waiting to be eaten!

While I was super excited at how allergen free these were, I was a bit skeptical on how they would taste.  Based on past experiences, I know that a lot of times things that are so safe are often lacking in flavor.  Luckily, I was happy to find out that this was not anywhere near the case!

Cinnamon Thins

The first ones out of the package were the Cinnamon Thins.  They were fantastic!  Perfectly sized and a great texture!  We tried them first with a nice glass of Almond Milk and they held up great for dunking.  The kids were very fond of these.  I could not believe that these were free of so many allergens with how great they tasted!  They had the perfect amount of cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.   This package definitely did not last long in my house!  I will be buying some more of these.  These are going to be the perfect thing to use as a base for pies, with no worry!  While I have not done it yet, because we ran out of cookies, it is going to be very easy.  Toss the cookies in a zip top bag, smash them up ( let the kids help!) and then mix with a bit of melted butter and press into the bottom of your pie pan!  Look for a blog post in the near future with the complete recipe.

Ginger Snaps

Next came the Ginger Snap cookies.  Here again, I was a little hesitant, not being a huge fan of ginger.  Surprisingly thought, they were not at all overbearing, like other ginger items that I have tried.  They had a great ginger flavor, and just a bit of an underlying kick to the finish.  Nothing spicy, just a nice burst of flavor.  My daughter actually preferred these to the cinnamon thins.  My son also liked these, but he said the cinnamon ones were better.  My husband and I enjoyed these as well.  While I am still working on a recipe that incorporates the ginger snaps, my husband gave me a great pairing.  He had suggested pairing the ginger snaps with a nice cup of hot herbal tea.  I prefer Tulsi tea and so I made a cup last evening.  I sat down with my cup of tea and a couple of the ginger snaps.  What a great combination! A little dunking into the tea, a little nibble followed by a sip of the tea…anyway I paired them was fantastic.  These are a great way to wind down the day!

I would love for you guys to check out this company and see all of the other great products that they offer.  I can guarantee that we will be frequent purchasers!  Check them out on their website!  They are also on Facebook. I would also like to give my personal thanks to Dr. Lucy Gibney for taking on a great project and helping out all of us with allergic children!

Congratulations Wowbutter Winners!!

Congratulations Realia M!  You are the first winner of the Wowbutter giveaway!  You will be receiving a case of Wowbutter!  Please contact me within 24 hours with your information at allergywarriors@yahoo.com!

Congratulations #2 Connie!  You are the recipe winner!  You will be receiving a case of Wowbutter and your Wowbutter cookies recipe will be posted on the Wowbutter website along with honorable mention for submitting the recipe!!  Please contact me within 24 hours with your information at allergywarriors@yahoo.com!

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway!!  Be sure to like Wowbutter on Facebook!

 

The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Cakes & Cookies by Laurie Sadowski

What a great resource!  Click here to see information about this book on Amazon.  You can even look inside.