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Episode 16- YOUinterview with My Daughters, Ellie & Hannah

August 1, 2019 by Laura

YOUinterview episodes are where I highlight everyday, normal women (like yourself), and see what products/services are being used, any pondering purchases, etc and see where the conversation leads us.

However, Episode 16 is a SPECIAL YOUinterview featuring my daughters, Ellie and Hannah. They are six and seven years old, just under 14 months apart and act silly as can be in this recording. I naively set out to have an informative conversation with these two and quickly realized I was way wrong in thinking this would be a simple episode to put together for you! 🙂

You can listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app or click the play button below. Hope you enjoy getting a sneak peek into my daily life living with these two little things, I affectionally call “my creatures”. 🙂

SHOW NOTES This post contains affiliate links. You don’t pay any extra, and I earn a small commission. I’d also like to call attention if prices I mentioned in this episode were prices I paid at the current time and may not reflect the prices you would pay at the time of reading or listening to this.

TREX (Crunch) TY Flippables – This link says it’s a dragon….it is not! 🙂
Barbie Newborn Dog (birthing mom dog toy)
Barbie Doggy Daycare Doll & Pets
Crayola 140 Count Art Set, Rainbow Inspiration Art Case
Moonlight Owl TY Flippables (Ellie calls hers “Hootie”)
Skechers Shoes– I can’t find Ellie’s shoes online! 🙁
Shoe String King Shiny Metallic Shoelaces for Sneakers and Shoes
Fila Gammatize Girls Shoe
Haktoys HAK101 Blue Upgraded Invincible Tornado Acrobatic Stunt RC Car

Episode 009- A Beginner’s Guide to Whole30 – My Experience

April 18, 2019 by Laura

In this episode, I do a deep dive into my thoughts and learnings from completing Whole30 in March 2019. If you are contemplating starting Whole30 yourself or know a friend who is, this episode will be a nice perspective to listen to (especially if you’re looking from a point of view from a non-fitness guru, like myself).

Unfortunately, eating well and exercising is not a passion for me nor is it something that I easily make time for in my life. So, attempting to do Whole30 was a HUGE stretch for me. I may have become a beast of a woman at times because I was hungry for stuff I wanted and couldn’t have, but I did see some benefits.

I hope you enjoy listening! If you think it was informative and helpful, consider sharing it with a friend!

Show Notes
This post contains affiliate links. You don’t pay any extra, and I earn a small commission. I’d also like to call attention that if prices I mentioned in this episode were prices I paid at the current time and may not reflect the prices you would pay at the time of reading or listening to this.

Melissa Hartwig- Whole30
The Purpose Show- Allie Casazza
Real Plans

Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works (book): by Evelyn Tribole and Eleyse Resch


Top Products/Food Items I loved during Whole30:
Sparkling Water (made from my Soda Stream)
Grapefruit
Cierro Prosciutto
Sweet potatoes
Primal Kitchen BBQ Sauce & Steak Sauce

Primal Kitchen Salad Dressings

Primal Kitchen Ketchup, Mustard & Mayo
Nonstick skillet for eggs

Products I Used To Get Rid Of Raccoons In My Attic

July 5, 2018 by Laura

Well, it has come to this. Another post about raccoons. It’s been a story of denial, pursuit of the beast(s), agonizing sleepless nights, newborn flashback reminders, and at the end of the journey…peace, gratitude for non-stomping animals, end of shrieking sounds, and no more raccoon hooligan nightly (and surprisingly daily) actions.

Honestly, I really thought my lack of a dishwasher for a month experience would do me in. Well…..let’s just say, things were put into a real perspective when Ms. Raccoon came around. At least, my non-working dishwasher didn’t affect my sleep….just my daily activities.

So, What Did You Use To Make The Raccoons Decide To Move On?

Well, as you know, I hired Rodent Man Person to remove the raccoons, which ultimately, didn’t end up happening due to the babies in the crawl space that no human can reach (of course). Roland might be the only Pest Control person whom I will ever come across who has the biggest heart for urban rodent creatures. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m with him on that, to a minimal degree. I wished no harm to these night varmint animals. I just wished and PRAYED and PRAYED and PRAYED for their little raccoon family to get tired of my “hospitality”.

Here Are The Products I Used To Attempt Their Departure:

1. Old Baby Monitor– I put this out on my deck (sorry for the dirtiness! One of these days, I’ll do some power washing) We faced it toward the hole to see if we could see any raccoons leave. Reminder, the main thing we were waiting on was the babies getting old enough to venture out of the hole. We couldn’t see very well in the night, but we would see little eyes glowing at times, so it was better than nothing. I really wanted to get a night vision webcam (and honestly, probably would have bought one if it had lasted another week).

2. Leg Up Coyote Urine– Wow. All I can say is “WOW”! Wow, to the fact that I even walked into a store and asked “Do you sell predator urine?” and Wow, to the fact that it smelled insanely terrible. I had my husband handle the little bottle of urine and put it in the attic. I was hopeful the smell would alert them that a coyote was up there, but I think they’re a little smarter than that. In fact, from what I gathered, they weren’t fazed one bit. Since then, I made (I mean “asked”) my husband to smear some of the urine on the chew marks where the squirrels are still trying to chew into my house. I really hope it sparks some fear into them!

3. Radio– I didn’t have an extra one around the house. I stopped by a Goodwill Store that was having a 50% off day. I purchased a cd radio clock for $1.50. HA! My intent was to disrupt the raccoons sleep during the day with talk radio blaring in the attic. Well, I think those raccoons liked it. The complete opposite of what I was going for! I noticed the nights where we kept the radio on, it made the babies extra rowdy. So, that ended pretty quick.

4. Toddler Soccer Balls– Here’s what actually did the trick! Someday, I might write a post about my one season of being a toddler soccer parent, but this is not that time. Spoiler Alert- it did not go well! Anyways, we at least got two very cute soccer balls out of the experience. I finally resorted to literally taking one of these balls and continuously hitting my master bathroom ceiling over and over and over again. Remember, the raccoons kindly made their nest right above my master bathtub. So, I just kept repeating and repeating throughout the day. Sure enough, that night, Mama Raccoon decided it was FINALLY time to teach her babies to get out of the hole. They actually didn’t succeed that night, but they did the next day.

For Your Viewing Pleasure….Finally, The Culprits Are Out!

TURN UP YOUR VOLUME! Listen To Why I Was Going Nuts….What Newborn Raccoons Sound Like In The Day And Night!

https://shortcutshopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Raccoons-1.m4a

So, What Now? 

I’m happy to report our household has been raccoon-free for six nights now. Rodent Man Person is coming tomorrow to patch up the hole. After my thorough research on this subject I never wish to encounter again, apparently, Ms. Raccoon will attempt to return to our house next year to birth another litter (in the same nest area). All I can say about that is “Over My Dead Body”! Ok, well, that may be a little extreme, but I may try to put a strobe light out on the roof next spring to scare away any repeat guests!

If you’re still reading this far, thank you for putting up with my raccoon rantings. If you can’t vent about your raccoon infestation on your blog, what’s the point of having one, right? 🙂

Until next time…Have a good week!

P.S.  That’s Rocco the Raccoon in the picture at the top. He’s been in our house for about a year now. I can’t look at him the same. I’m trying not to generalize because I’m sure not all raccoons are the same and each is individually unique in its own way, but Rocco is going to need to “hide” for a little bit, while I calm down over this whole ordeal!

SUMMARY

Products: Motorola Baby Monitor, Coyote Urine, Radio, and Toddler Soccer Balls

Purchase Location: Monitor at Amazon, Coyote Urine at local feed/nursery store (I didn’t think about looking on Amazon for urine. It is cheaper there!), Radio at Goodwill Store, Soccer balls at Amazon

Additional Product Links:

I can’t help but link to these additional styles of soccer balls….dinosaurs, butterflies, rockets! They’re adorable!

Dinosaur Soccer Ball

Butterfly Soccer Ball

Rocket Soccer Ball

Night Vision Web Cam– In case you need one…you never know! 🙂

If you’d like to read the entire “What Wildlife Is In My Attic? Series”, here are all the posts in order. (unfortunately, there are way too many!)

Squirrels, Rats, Possible Possum, and Being Talked To Like I Am Pregnant (I Am NOT)

An Open Letter To The Raccoon In My Attic…Part 1

My Mistake…You’re A Ms. Raccoon. Part 2

Ms. Raccoon Dared To Cross My Path…Part 3

This post contains affiliate links. You don’t pay any extra, and I earn a small commission.

Ms. Raccoon Dared To Cross My Path….Part 3

June 2, 2018 by Laura

Wow! How many blog posts can I have regarding my raccoon drama? The answer is “Not Enough”! Well my people, I literally stared into the eyes of the beast…aka..Mama Raccoon. Through this little window in my kitchen, Ms. Raccoon climbed down the tree again.
I quickly grabbed my husband’s phone and attempted to capture this moment for all to see, BUT it did not happen. I stood there, phone in hand, had every opportunity to take a good picture and IT DID NOT HAPPEN! I’m sure it’s how people feel once they’ve seen Bigfoot or the Lochness Monster.
It’s as if nature stilled my ability to even function. Ms. Raccoon and I locked eyes for a good 10 seconds with only a piece of glass between us. I gave a little scowl look to her like “the nerve you have showing your face here”, “I am disappointed”, “please access the Internet and read part 1 and part 2 of my blog, so there is not any confusion as to where I stand on my feelings toward you being in my house….above my master bath…where your presence looms every..single..day!”
After she saw that look and we had that intense moment that nature destined for us to have, she had an “oh crap” moment and ran back up the tree.  I’m assuming back to her precious little home…..aka my home!!!!!
Ugh.
Hopefully, I’ll have an update next week where maybe it’s time for her to move on with her little ones.
Until then, have a good week ahead!
P.s. I’m always up for some good get-rid-of-raccoon tips that I can pass on to Rodent Man Person if you have any!
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Hi, I'm Laura! I absolutely love sharing all the things I LOVE with anyone who can benefit from hearing. So, whether you're in the mood to learn about a product/service or just want a little randomness thrown into your life, you've come to the right place! Read More…

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