April 20, 2017 by Krista

3 Sleep Apps that will have you Sleeping like a Baby

Hi there and welcome! Thanks for stopping by today. Do you struggle with getting enough sleep? Is restful sleep just always out of reach? Are you up with kids during the night and the sleep you do get is anything but rejuvenating? There’s a way to change that. You can get the restful, rejuvenating sleep you so desperately need. And the answer is simpler than you might think. No medication, no supplements. Just a calm, peaceful, rested mind and body. These 3 sleep apps can help you attain the rest you need to conquer your days… and nights.

CAN YOU FALL ASLEEP QUICKLY AND REST DEEPLY WITH SLEEP APPS?

Are your days long and exhausting and your nights restless and leave you more tired than you were the day before? What would you give for just one night of restful, rejuvenating sleep? Would you dedicate 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes? Imagine a night where you crawl into bed. Your head presses into the pillow, the fabric soft against your face. Your mind is calm. Your body relaxed. Your eyelids close. And you sleep. When you wake, you are rested and ready for whatever woke you.

I’ve spent years with an erratic sleep pattern. Whether it’s crying babies, upset toddlers, sick kids, a snoring husband, a mind that just won’t quit or insomnia. I’ve woken up so many mornings wondering why I even bothered with sleep. I’ve tried it all – medication, supplements, oils, routines, meditation. I know how frustrating and exhausting it is.

But, that’s in the past now.

ARE SLEEP APPS YOUR ANSWER?

After I spent hundreds of hours researching sleep and sleep patterns, talking to my doctor, trying supplements, essential oils, and anything else I could possibly think to try, I was still exhausted.

Are your days long and your nights longer?
Are you awake multiple times a night?
Is it hard to shut your mind off when you climb into bed?
Do you get up in the morning, feeling even more tired than when you went to sleep?

If any of that describes you, then you need this. I can’t promise your results will be as awesome as mine have been, but I’ve been desperate too, and I promise it won’t hurt to try. I had to experiment and adjust things until I found the right balance for me. But, it’s totally worth it!

THE SLEEP APPS THAT WILL HELP YOU WAKE UP REJUVENATED AND READY TO FACE THE DAY

Our world is full of technology. My husband is a gadget guy and we like our electronics. I read about leaving the electronics in another room, about the harm blue light can do to your sleep cycles, and how technology is bad, bad, bad for sleep.

But, I figured if I wasn’t going to sleep anyway, I might as well have something to distract me from all the sleeping I wasn’t doing. One night, after I’d been up with my youngest and couldn’t fall back asleep, I was browsing the Google Play Store and found some sleep apps I decided to try. It changed everything.

HEADSPACE – GUIDED MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Headspace helps me shut things down. This app has so many layers, but the sleeping sessions are gold for me. It’s guided meditation that helps you relax your body, focus your mind and helps shut down that part of your brain that just won’t quit. There are even separate sessions for kids that have helped my 5 year old wind down when he’s having a hard time with bedtime.

There are sessions that build upon each other, or you can do a single session designed for whatever you need help focusing on.

Is the day just too much and you feel a breakdown coming on? There’s a session for that.
Do you fear flying and you’re waiting in the terminal? There’s a session for that.
Commuting and you’d like to relax before you get home? There’s a session for that.

The sleep sessions are part of the subscription, but you can try the fundamental “take 10” sessions for free. I did a fundamental session one day when I was feeling really scattered and it sold me on trying the full version of Headspace. There are four subscription options: monthly, yearly, two years, and forever. I opted to try it on the monthly subscription for $13, in the chance I didn’t like it. I’ve upgraded to the yearly subscription since.

WHITE NOISE: BACH BY THE SEA

Growing up, I slept with white noise; but, my husband likes it silent. In fact, he pulls the blankets up over his ears to muffle all noise. So, I stopped using white noise when I got married. But, I discovered that I need the white noise to sleep more deeply and restfully. Otherwise, every little creak, whistle of wind, child stirring and that far-away siren snatch me right from slumber.

My white noise of choice is Bach by the Sea. It’s the typical white noise ocean waves, but with beautiful works of Bach over the top. What I love about this is, if my brain hasn’t relaxed quite enough for sleep, I can focus on the music. If I’m already drifting off, I focus on the ocean sounds. I can pretty much fall asleep in less than 2 minutes with this. I just play it on the music player on my phone, but you can download the whole album at the links below. It works great on my kids too.

WAKE UP RIGHT WITH SLEEP CYCLE

I am NOT a morning person. Anything before 9:00 am is really hard for me. This sleep app hasn’t made me love mornings by any means, but it has made them easier. Some day… I hope to get up early before my family so I can get some work done – instead of burning the midnight oil, which doesn’t help my sleep problems.

Sleep Cycle tracks your movement with the accelerometer in your phone while you’re sleeping to wake you while you’re in a light sleep cycle, which is as close as you’ll to get to waking naturally when you have to be up and ready for the day in a timely manner. You just place it on your mattress – I place it near my pillow, not under it – and it’ll track all night. I was a little worried it wouldn’t work well with my memory foam mattress, but it does fine most of the time. And there’s still a snooze option, if you need it. There’s some interesting graphs from all that tracking too.

You can try it free for a month and see if it works for you, after that it’s $30/year. If my alarm clock can wake me up less drowsy and ready to conquer my day, it’s worth $30 to me.

SLEEP APPS THAT WILL HAVE YOU SLEEPING PEACEFULLY AND WAKING REFRESHED

So, just imagine. Tomorrow morning, your eyelids flutter open to a soft, peaceful alarm. You stretch and you’re ready to begin the day. Your mind isn’t hazy, your body feels refreshed. What are you waiting for? It can’t hurt to try; I made sure you could try these sleep apps out before you committed your pennies to it. If it doesn’t work for you, well, at least you know. But, what if it does? What are restful, rejuvenating nights worth to you?

December 7, 2016 by Krista

Feed Your Family and Save Money with FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer + Nachos recipe

I would like to thank Jarden Consumer Solutions for sponsoring this post. I was provided with a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and sealing material in exchange for this post. All content is mine, 100% original and true. Pinky promise.

I have 3 boys, and a six foot three husband, who eat ALL. THE. TIME. Keeping them fed is no small task, physically or on our wallets. That’s why we buy in bulk when possible.

The problem has always been buying meat and fresh fruits and veggies. We didn’t really have a good way to store them and keep them fresh when we bought them in bulk.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Buying in Bulk

That’s why I’m so excited about our new FoodSaver FM5000 vacuum sealer. We can buy meat and fresh fruits and veggies in bulk, seal them up, and freeze them for later. It’s much for effective and efficient than our previous method and the food is fresher when we pull it out to use it.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Buying in Bulk Ground Beef

I did a quality test with our new FoodSaver vacuum sealer. We have bought our ground beef in bulk for several years now. We used to divide it, then wrap it in plastic wrap and put 3-4 sections of meat into a ziptop bag. Then we put the whole package in the freezer. It worked fine, but the meat always turned brown before we used it. Even if it was just a couple of weeks after we bought it.

The FoodSaver vacuum sealer cut out the plastic wrap and the bag. And it kept our meat fresher! This meat had been in the freezer for 4 weeks. It was still red with just a bit of brown and was still very fresh.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Fresher Food from the Freezer

We decided to make nachos for dinner one night. We used the meat we put in the freezer, cooked up some beans, and cut up some toppings for a delicious dinner.

It was a hit! And I loved how fresh the meat was still, even after 4 weeks!

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Nachos

FOODSAVER VACUUM SEALER – NOT JUST FOR FOOD!

My favorite part of the FoodSaver vacuum sealer is that you can use it for more than just food.

Seal up your favorite sweaters during the months you aren’t wearing them to keep them in good shape.
Cook your food ahead of time and seal it for camping trips for super easy meals. Just warm it up.
Seal ice in a bag and you’ve got water storage when it melts.
We are going to Disneyland next month and will be taking a pair of each of our boys’ clothes and sealing it in a vacuum pouch to keep it dry.

NOT ALL FOODS SHOULD BE SEALED

There’s lots of things you can still with the FoodSaver vacuum sealer, but there’s a few things you shouldn’t seal. Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and garlic are a few things you should never seal. The gases created by these foods over time are toxic and will make the food go bad.

You can find more info on the FoodSaver vacuum sealers HERE.
We like to put cilantro lime rice on our nachos and tacos too. I love that it’s a super easy recipe you do in your rice cooker. Check it out. See our nacho recipe below. Enjoy!

THE RECIPE

Print This Recipe

Nachos

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 6-8 servings

Create delicious meals and save money when you buy in bulk. Seal your foods with a FoodSaver vacuum sealer for fresher foods from the freezer.

Ingredients

Tortilla chips
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 15oz cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
½ onion, diced
1 can green chilies
½ lb ground beef
2 tsp taco seasoning
Sour cream
Guacamole
Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a small sauce pan, combine 2 cans of rinsed and drained black beans, 1 diced Roma tomato, ½ onion, diced, and 1 can green chilies. Let simmer on the stove.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet on the stove. Season with taco seasoning. Cook until brown and temperature is 165°F.
When ground beef is cooked and beans are tender, lay tortilla chips on a plate. Layer ground beef, beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream on top of tortilla chips.
Serve!
We like to put cilantro lime rice on our nachos and tacos too. I love that it's a super easy recipe you do in your rice cooker. Check it out.

November 3, 2016 by Krista

24 Star Wars Gifts that your favorite Chef needs

The holidays are coming! Do you have your gift list all made out? If your list is anything like mine, there is at least one Star Wars fan on your list. I have four. And those are just the ones that live in my house. There’s another three Star Wars fans on my gift list that don’t live under my roof. One of my wannabe Jedis also loves to cook. I had no idea there were so many awesome Star Wars gadgets for your kitchen. Here’s 24 Star Wars gifts to get your favorite chef.

Click on any image in the collage below and you can find more information about that item. Or use the links below to navigate to the Star Wars gift ideas you like most.

Links in this post maybe affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of any purchase made through these links. Your cost is in no way changed. This is one way I keep this site running. Thank you for your support.

24 STAR WARS GIFTS FOR YOUR FAVORITE CHEF

Which of those galactic gadgets do you want in your kitchen? That tea infuser and the heat activated lightsaber mug are pretty high on my wish list! And that Death Star waffle iron?! Now that would be some pretty awesome waffles to wake up to.

So, which gift would your favorite chef just love to have?

June 30, 2016 by Krista

Does your PC need a FreshStart?

Hey there! Welcome! So glad you’re here today. Can I ask you something? Do you feel like your computer is less than it should be?

Do you have an aging PC?
Is your computer starting to show its age?
Are you near data capacity?
Maybe it’s riddled with bloatware, viruses, or malware?

Guess what?! There’s a simpler, more affordable alternative to shelling out hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars for a new PC or yet another trip to the service center: it’s FreshStart!

What is FreshStart?

It is the perfect alternative to a new, expensive PC purchase. It can make your old PC run like never before. Here’s just what FreshStart can do for you:

Adds years of life to an old PC
Makes an old PC run faster than when you bought it
Adds more data storage
Removes all viruses and malware
Copies all of your data and settings over to a new hard drive
Gives you a FREE 90 days of Norton Security
Turns your old drive into a secure backup drive

All of this done in the comfort of your own home or office—certified technicians will come to you within 30 minutes! Forget about waiting around all day!

Computer problems are so frustrating! With FreshStart, getting your problems fixed is as simple and stress-free as possible.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, trying to fix it yourself can cause even more problems. Dropping your PC at the service center leaves you without a computer for days or weeks. And a stranger has unsupervised access to your data!

Why use FreshStart?

FreshStarting your PC is easy: With one click, one of 10,000 nationwide certified techs will come to you and take care of the rest. After your FreshStart, you’ll have a PC that’s guaranteed virus-free with more storage, and several years more productive lifespan!

FreshStarting your PC is fast: A tech will be onsite to install your FreshStart drive in under 30 minutes, and the full process takes about an hour (depending on the amount of data you have). No more dropping off your PC at the service center and being without a computer for days!

FreshStarting your PC offers unmatched privacy and security: No internet downloads, and no strangers can access your data during this service.

FreshStarting your PC is affordable: A laptop service bundle is $168, and a desktop bundle is $178—both of which are a fraction of the cost of a new PC. If you feel comfortable with following a YouTube hard drive replacement video, the DIY kit is available on NewEgg and Amazon starting at just $89!

FreshStarting your PC is eco-friendly: Keeping your old computer a little longer means cutting down on waste. Save some money and help the environment when you FreshStart your PC.

FreshStarting your PC supports your community: FreshStart kits are assembled by Chimes, a charitable organization. They provide training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. All service providers are local contractors in your area, so all FreshStart services performed will directly support the independent technicians in your community.

Will FreshStart work for you?

There are some requirements your PC needs to meet in order for FreshStart to work. Do a quick run down this checklist to see if your PC qualifies for a FreshStart:

Can power on and boot to Windows
Must be a laptop or desktop PC, sorry no tablets
For Windows 7 users, the license key sticker must be legible to be able to get the free upgrade to Windows 10
Must be less than 10 years old

What are you waiting for?

If you feel like you’re stuck between a dying PC and a new purchase, try FreshStart. FreshStart is 100% satisfaction guaranteed, so if you’re not happy, just return the kit within 30 days for a full refund.

January 15, 2016 by Krista

Declutter Paper From These 9 Things for a More Peaceful Home

This post brought to you by Fellowes Brands. The content and opinions expressed below are that of While He Was Napping.

Did you make a new year’s resolution to declutter your home? Yeah, me too. I started in my bedroom… the black hole of our home. Or maybe that’s the garage…? In any case, it’s where things go to die. It’s the catch-all room. People are coming? Quick, throw all this in Mom and Dad’s room and shut the door! Which is really sad, right?! It’s definitely a bit of a hazard at best. So, we are on a mission to declutter this year. I’ve already completed one ‘declutter paper’ mission!

One of the first boxes I came across in my room was full of papers. We’ve moved this box three times, and I’m not sure it’s been unsealed since move number one. Like, why do I still have this at all, right?! When I started looking at them, I realized why I didn’t just pitch the whole box. Some of the papers are things I do need to keep – hey, that’s where the car title is! – and some of them need to be disposed of in more than just a simple trash can. That’s where my Fellowes 79Ci shredder came in so handy!

I got to looking around my house and realized that we have a lot of paper clutter. With all the holiday cards we just received, Christmas and the explosion that comes with that, the end of year mail that companies like to send and things that Big J brought home from school, we had stacks of paper hanging around that didn’t really need to be there. So, I decided to clean out these 10 places one afternoon and I can’t believe the difference it’s made.

DECLUTTER PAPER FROM THESE 9 SPOTS FOR A MORE PEACEFUL HOME

The mail collection. This was a HUGE offender. Since we’ve been on Winter Break, there were more people bringing the mail in everyday. And we were getting more mail the last few weeks too. I try to go through the mail when I bring it in and throw the junk in the trash. My husband and boys bring it in and set it all on the counter top. We had little mail piles all over the counters before I realized what was going on. This is a pretty easy place to start to declutter paper in your home.
The junk drawer. I am the big offender here. I like lists. Lots and lots of lists. Shopping lists, to do lists, phone number lists, calendars, gift lists, food preparation lists, you get the idea, right? I’m terrible at taking my notes and just sticking them in the drawer to sort through later. So, I went through them and recycled the irrelevant ones. The ones that still had worth went into a small basket in my drawer so I can actually find what I’m looking for until I can come up with a better filing system.
The desk. Our desktop computer is in our dining room and is shared by the family, although Mr. Napping and I use it the most. We both are terrible at leaving papers on the desk. and it’s not a big desk to begin with so whether they are bills, misprints from the printers or doodles that the kids bring us, the paper clutters up the desk in a hurry. I filed the bills that needed to be kept, shredded the ones that were already taken care of and recycled the extra papers and envelopes. I put the misprints in our scrap paper collection and the kids will bring us more doodles on those some other time. The doodles spend a few days (or weeks) on our art board and then they are recycled or filed to save. It’s condition was not conducive to productivity at all!
The laundry room. The offender here was all the tags from new clothes my family had received for Christmas. I had a small pile on the dryer that never made it into the trash. It took about three seconds to throw them out and my boys stopped knocking the little plastic pieces on the floor every time they walked passed the dryer.
School papers. I never realized just how much paper I brought home from school, but if it’s anything like Big J brings home… my poor mama! And I’m dreading the day it gets multiplied by more than one boy in school. Usually I go through his backpack when he gets home and his Friday Folder as soon as he walks in the door. All through the course of Winter Break I kept finding more school papers though. I recycled the unimportant stuff and filed the things I wanted to keep in his school box.
My planner. I still use a paper planner. My husband balks at this, but I like the tangible aspect from holding the paper and physically writing things down. It helps me remember important dates and commitments better. But I had a lot of extras stuck in it too. So, I cleaned out notes, receipts, cards and invitations and my planner is much easier to carry around now. I can even see all the tabs now!
My wallet. I don’t save receipts if I don’t have to, but for big purchases and expenses that I need record of, the receipts get stuck in my wallet. Christmas put more receipts in my wallet than usual and it was a bit of a mess. I filed the receipts I needed to keep and put all the Christmas gift receipts in a ziptop bag in my planner. All the others I got rid of.
The car. All those receipts I don’t save… yeah, a lot of them are on the floor in my car. They start in the console with the plan to take them in and get rid of them. But, somewhere between leaving the store and getting everything and everyone inside it ends up on the floor of the car. My kids leave their papers in the car too. It’s awesome how much better cups fit in the cup holders when wads of paper aren’t stuffed in them.
Diaper bag/purse. If you don’t have a diaper bag, I’m mildly jealous. Sure I like being prepared for whatever might arise when we’re out, but it’s just one more place to collect clutter too. And the latter seems to happen more often than not. Our new rule is that no papers go in the diaper bag… we’ll see how long we can stick to that! No diaper bag? Apply it to your purse.

When it’s time to declutter paper, a good shredder is a must-have to ensure your information remains safe. I absolutely love my Fellowes 79Ci shredder! It is great for anyone balancing busy schedules and seeking time-saving solutions. The design is sleek and the power is amazing. It’s got a Patented 100% Jam Proof System that eliminates paper jams and powers through tough jobs and it’s heavy-duty cross-cut blades can handle up to 16 sheets of paper per pass in addition to staples, paper clips, credit cards, junk mail and CDs. Such a time saver when you can feed handfuls through at a time! And with an extended 20 minute run time for increased productivity you don’t have to worry if you’ll ever finally shred the whole pile of papers you have just waiting for disposal. You’ll be able to declutter paper and so much more!

My favorite feature of the Fellowes 79Ci shredder is the patented SafeSense® Technology which automatically stops shredding when hands touch the paper opening. It’s such a sense of peace to not have that concern hanging over my head with all my little ones around. I also really love the SilentShred™ Technology that offers ultra-quiet shredder performance. We can still have a conversation while the junk mail and paid bills are shredded. While we usually keep our shredder off and unplugged, the Energy Savings System feature maximizes shredder energy efficiency 100% of the time – both in use and out of use.

You can find The Fellowes 79Ci Shredder at Amazon and Office Superstores with a suggested retail price of $239.99. Are you on a mission to declutter paper from your home? You won’t regret using the Fellowes 79Ci Shredder to help protect sensitive information on my declutter paper mission!