Saturday, December 31, 2022
Shopping For Men at Fashion Nova Men
Is an ABSN Program Better Than a Traditional BSN?
People who have a bachelor's degree in a different field and want to change careers may find the accelerated programs available to be encouraging. Also, as the baby boomer generation ages, the skills of registered nurses with a bachelor's degree will be in demand.
The pandemic has also shown how important nurses are to the healthcare system every day and in emergencies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that between now and 2031, the need for nurses will grow by 6%. A lot of people are hence taking up nursing courses like BSN, MSN, and accelerated BSN programs.
But is an ABSN program better than a regular BSN program? Let’s take a deeper look at both programs.
Budgeting, Once Again
I have a confession.
I haven't budgeted since the middle of the summer.
As someone who talks about how important it is to have a budget, it is embarrassing to share that.
I've written before about building a bedroom for my son, something that I couldn't wait any longer to do. He was already nearly 13 and sharing a room with his two sisters, 8 and 10, and he needed his own space already. And I could only do it in the non rainy summer because in order to build it I needed to store the things that were in the stairwell outside during the construction.
But the summer was already an expensive one. I had promised my children to give them an enjoyable and meaningful summer and though I tried to keep costs down, the cost of the outings did add up.
Friday, December 23, 2022
Tips for a Successful Parent Entrepreneur
Thursday, December 22, 2022
How to start earning huge profits from Forex trading today
The Forex market is a world-famous financial market that is considered the largest and most volatile, with a daily turnover of 6.6 trillion dollars. Considering that an increasing number of people are interested in Forex, the competition in the market is growing significantly.
Also, many people who once managed to make profits as a hobby now find it much more difficult because Forex requires a lot of dedication and time. So, what does an individual trader need to know to achieve a meaningful professional career in Forex? Here are some tips.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Firecracker Peanut Butter S'mores Recipe -- Easy Homemade Medical Marijuana Edibles Recipe, Gluten Free Vegan Cannabis Cookies
Medical marijuana is a lifesaver for many people. I have been dealing with chronic pain with doctors basically telling me there's nothing they could do about it; I've been on all the medication suggested other than opioids and they didn't work and my situation was written up as being treatment resistant. I went to a pain clinic and the doctor there told me there was nothing he could do for me, while I bawled the entire appointment in frustration. What could be done? The only suggestions both the endocrinologist and spinal specialist had for me were that I should try medical marijuana, and apply for disability. Fortunately, I got approved for medical marijuana within 48 hours (I hear that is extremely quick) and I was lucky in that the medical marijuana almost completely takes my pain away.
I want to interject here and say that I generally call this pot. Or weed. Because why not? Some people think that if you're using something medically you should only call it cannabis, because that's the scientific name, and that using pot or weed makes you sound like someone using illicit drugs, but pot is pot, no matter what you call it. It should be legalized period, but at the very least if I have a license for it, I won't pretend it's something else other than what your "stoner" friend smoke just to sound more sanitized for people. Not to mention all the people that use it illegally either because they don't have a license or because of strict rules that they are in may very well be using it medically as well, since it helps so many different health issues. So throughout this, I will refer to it as either bud (the form it comes in), flower (its a flower bud), weed, pot, marijuana, medical marijuana, mmj (medical marijuana), or cannabis. They all are the same and I see no reason to stick to one specific name.
The thing is this. I never smoked because cigarettes are bad for you, and while smoking marijuana isn't nearly as bad for you as cigarettes are, inhaling smoke on a regular basis isn't amazing for your lungs. Edibles, though, can be really pricey to buy, or difficult to find if you have any food restrictions.
Homemade edibles theoretically would be the best option, but most of the recipes out there are complex with lots of steps and can be tricky to get right. But I learned about firecrackers and they have been a staple in my house now, the best way to consume medical marijuana without dealing with the smoke. They, unfortunately, can't be the only way for me to use it, because unlike smoking marijuana that goes into your lungs and then your bloodstream and has a close to immediate effect, edibles have to first make their way through your digestive tract and only then will start working, depending on your metabolism. I have a slower metabolism, and sometimes it can take up to an hour or two even for me to feel the effect of weed edibles, so if I am in a lot of pain and need immediate releif I still smoke it, but will use these more when I can predict that I'll be needing the pain releif in the future.
It is important to note that with edibles made at home it is hard to get exact dosing right, so you need to play around with this and figure out how to use what you made. The first time you eat a firecracker, take just a nibble and wait a few hours and see how long it takes to affect you and how much it affects you. This way you can guage it and know in future times how much you need to have the effect that you want.
The original firecrackers are basically a cracker spread with peanut butter and weed and baked together. I updated that and made mine with gluten free tea biscuits (petit burre) since we don't have gluten free graham crackers locally, and then I often add marshmallows and chocolate to make mine into smores, though that is just optional and fun and not required at all if you don't like those.
To make edibles, it's important to know and remember two important facts about marijuana. First is that it needs to be decarbed. This doesn't mean getting rid of carbohydrates, but rather, going through the process of decarboxylation, a process that actives the psychoactive compounds in the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant has both THCA and CBDA in it, acidic forms of THC and CBD that, according to Leafly.com have an additional molecular carboxyl ring, which prevents them from binding to receptors in the brain that make you feel the affect of the cannabis, and decarboxylation makes it more bioavailable. Heating the cannabis does this, so when you're smoking it happens automatically, but when you're eating it, that needs to happen separately.
The second thing to be aware of is that THC and CBD, the chemical components in marijuana that you want, are fat soluble. So if you want to eat them and have your body be able to digest them, mixing them with fats makes you get the most of it. (This is why cannabutter, cannabis infused butter, is so popular with edibles.) This is why you use peanut butter for this recipe, but you can also use other nut butters or even chocolate spreads like Nutella. If it's a fat and it's a spread, you're good to go.
I knew when making these that I ended up getting more bang for my buck with edibles than when smoking, but I don't have a quantifiable way to prove that since I'm not exactly testing THC and CBD levels in the firecrackers. But I tested it out and using approximately 30 small flowers, 1/4 cup of buds, I made 65 firecrackers. From my estimation, each firecracker gives me the same effect as one flower smoked, but this isn't a scientific thing. You'd have to test this out yourself and see about the effects yourself, trying just a bit at a time, and seeing its effects, to make sure you don't end up too high and uncomfortable.
I use primarily THC flowers because while both THC and CBD work for pain relief, THC specifically works for muscle spasms, and most of my pain is because of spasmed muscles because of subluxations due to my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I've found it to work really well, and surprisingly, when I'm in a lot of pain, the THC seems to go straight to the pain and doesn't make me high, whereas when I'm not in as much pain I get high more easily with the same amount. It is very curious.
I learned how to make this from this recipe on hightimes.com. And I either refer to these as my pot cookies or my medicine, depending on my mood.
Firecracker Peanut Butter S'mores Recipe -- Easy Homemade Cannabis Medical Marijuana Edibles Recipe, Gluten Free Vegan
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Successfully Navigating a Household Rodent Problem When On a Budget
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
6 Tips for Playing Golf on the Cheap
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Vegetarian Luxembourg Bouneschlupp Inspired Green Bean Soup Recipe -- Gluten Free, Frugal
I heard about bouneschlupp, a green bean soup hailing from Luxembourg, from my friend Juli. (She inspires me a lot in the kitchen, can you tell?) The first thing that came to mind when I heard the name is that it sounds like bone slurp, so I assumed it was a bone broth type thing, but nope.
It is a name meaning bean soup in Luxembourgish, which I didn't know was its own language until I was doing research for this post. It's kind of weird in my opinion that one of the smallest countries in the world (with only 2500 square kilometers) with only 600,000 residents has its own language. Luxembourgish is a Germanic language, but bean soup in German would be called bohnensuppe, and in Dutch, which is the closest language to Luxembourgish, bonen soep, so this bouneschlupp name is something unique to this tiny area of Europe. But I digress, kinda. I like nerding out on languages.
Though I based this soup off of various versions of bouneschlupp that I saw, it is in no way authentic, for two main reasons. Number one is that bouneschlupp pretty much always has bacon or sausage or both in it. That is basically the main reason that this is not bouneschlupp, it is vegetarian. The second reason is that the spice that very often gives bouneschlupp its flavor is summer savory, which I don't have, so I didn't use it. I used smoked paprika to give it the smokey bacon flavor, and I used consomme soup mix
This, therefore, is just inspired by bouneschlupp and it tastes great and is worth sharing, even if it isn't authentic. Feel free to play around with it to make adjustments to suit what is in your house or what your family likes to make it yours.
Vegetarian Luxembourg Bouneschlupp Inspired Green Bean Soup Recipe -- Gluten Free, Frugal
4 Tips on Protecting Your Finances as a Single Mom
Sunday, December 4, 2022
5 Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Children Stay Physically Fit
Here are some tips on how parents can help their children stay healthy through physical activity.
Is Crypto Staking Risky?
Saturday, December 3, 2022
The 12 Days of Ramen Advent Calendar
Friday, December 2, 2022
12 Scenarios Where You Might Need Your Emergency Fund
12 Scenarios Where You May Need Your Emergency Fund
Have no qualms about asking for what is rightfully yours!
Health
The first thing you should do to protect yourself financially in the event of an accident or illness is to get health insurance. Although it's an added cost you'd rather avoid, medical insurance will come in handy if you ever end up in the hospital. Can you fathom being hit with unmanageable medical bills? If you carry insurance, you won't have to worry about paying for any damages out of pocket. Don't forget that staying in good physical shape can help you avoid the need to file any claims at all!
Thursday, December 1, 2022
A Chore System that Actually is Working -- My Spin on Chore Sticks with Popsicle Sticks with Points
Before I get to this post, I need to say that if you've heard of "Chore Sticks" before, from what I've seen my method is quite different than the other ones I've seen online, so don't assume that you've seen it already; read on.
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The Messy House Problem
My house has a mess problem. By nature, my ADHD makes it really hard for me to focus on cleaning my house- I'm very scatterbrained, which actually has benefits for me in some ways, but definitely poses large challenges in other ways. People keep try telling me to just "clean as I go" but that feels impossible to me. I've tried multiple times to attempt that but my brain doesn't really allow me to do that.
Add in health issues and other stressors. While I was the stay at home parent throughout my marriage, I dealt with 9 months of nausea and puking (yay hyperemesis) and then once my kids were born I dealt with very challenging high needs babies and toddlers who didn't necessarily get much easier as they got older. This definitely caused tension in my marriage, as my then husband felt that since I was the one home all day long, I should be the one cleaning and organizing the place, but as hard as I tried I simply wasn't able to do as good of a job of it as he wanted, so he ended up pitching in a lot with the cleaning and organizing.
As a single mom now, it is all on me to get the house clean and keep it that way, or get my kids to help. Over the years I tried many different ways to get my kids to help around the house, but they all had their down sides, and all of them petered out because... guess what? ADHD makes consistency hard for me too!
Now it has been more challenging than ever to keep my place clean, since it I've been dealing with significant mental health issues and my body simply doesn't cooperate. Not only does doing most housework cause me immense pain, when my anxiety is bad (and it has been pretty bad lately) sometimes even doing basic life tasks is too much, let alone keeping my house up to snuff.
But while I don't have my ex at home grumping at me about the messy house, I have my sons, who are old enough to appreciate and desire a clean house, and are frustrated enough about the state of the house. I mean, don't get me wrong, I also don't like a messy house, and when it gets messy enough my anxiety gets so bad and it makes it even harder for me to function. But that appreciation for clean doesn't make it any easier for me to be neat.
I want to clarify that my sons do help around the house. They, since I separated from my ex over 4 years ago, have been the ones to take out the garbage. (I've taken out the garbage very, very few times since then.) They pitch in to clean up with various things, as do my girls, but they get frustrated because they feel like their sisters aren't helping as much as they are, and therefore the boys have to pick up the slack. (In the case of my kids, my boys are the older ones, 13 and 15, and girls 11 and 8.5, so its not about the genders, but the ages.) My daughters also have a hard time with neatness and cleanliness (yay ADHD and autism) and in general, it's just a situation where lots of people are frustrated.
Things needed to change.