Are you anything like me and need some serious updates to your kitchen essentials? From cookware to ice makers, the Free Range will help you add and refresh some everyday items and we hope enhance your everyday life!
Cookware
Due to lurking health concerns with PFOS and PFOA, Teflon pans have taken a reputation hit in the last few years. Other materials like ceramic and granite have made an entrance to the scene of everyday cookware like this set from CAROTE. With stylish cream-white color and non-stick granite coating, this set is both luxurious and durable. As a bonus, the price is much lower than name brand sets.
Don’t need all the extras? Check out this single frying pan with lid from CAROTE:
2. Ice Makers
Countertop ice makers have become increasingly popular in the last two years. You can choose from all shapes of ice and different capacities to fit your needs. Below are some best sellers.
FREE VILLAGEIce Maker
There is a good reason the FREE VILLAGE ice maker is a top choice – it includes a compact size, speedy cube making, and a self-cleaning feature.
Frigidaire Countertop Ice Maker
This top name brand pick has plenty of features and an oversized bucket for added storage
3. Mini Refrigerator
Have you upgraded your guest room to feature a stocked mini-fridge? This best selling Wanai has 3.5 cubic feet of space plus comes in fashionable colors to match your space.
4. Packed Lunches
Bento Box Containers
These fashionable 4-compartment Bento Boxes give you and your loved ones something to look forward to after a long morning at school or work. Choose your color scheme for each set you order. My daughter is using the brights this year as she starts first grade!
Ice Packs
Throw in some cute ice packs to brighten up your little one’s day. These packs come in butterfly, dino, unicorn, or penguin! What does a penguin say? I don’t know but they sure are cute!
5. Chopper
Fall is just around the corner and you know what that means – chili season!! Bust out this handy chopper to simplify the prep work. Want to spiralize some zucchini? This chopper comes with a spiral attachment too!
Stay tuned for more modern and useful finds from the Free Range writers!
One of the greatest honors of my life has been getting to know many great cats. I love just about all animals, but as far as pets go, cats really are perfect for my personality.
Cats are almost universally hilariously funny critters, even if they don’t realize how amusing they are to us humans. They are naturally entertaining, getting into all kinds of things they shouldn’t. Just put a box anywhere, and they need to immediately go to inspect what’s in it. I get so many laughs everyday from my cats, just watching to see what they get up to. They are pure entertainment.
They love to play and can make a game out of almost anything. An old shoe string, a crumpled piece of paper, really just about anything becomes a toy to a cat.
As much as they love to play, cats are also champion sleepers. They love finding a cozy area to take a nap, and they’re always finding new places to sleep.
I love it that as far as pets go, they are very easy to care for. Cats are extremely clean. They spend so much time bathing and grooming themselves, that they always smell so good. Cats love clean so much, and they thrive in clean environments. While both my husband and I don’t have to have our house super clean, our cats do, so I clean for them.
Besides their wide range of personalities, cats are super cuddly and loving. They are such wonderful companions, and they enrich my life every day.
Cats love a good vantage point.
Meet My Cats
Our oldest cat is Santos. He got that name from his previous owners, and we never bothered to change it. We’ve had him since 2009, and he’s now 12 years old. Besides Santos, we also have our little girl cat, Callie. She is 9 years old, but could easily be mistaken for a very young cat.
Santos (Our sensitive boy)
Like all cats, Santos definitely is a character and is full of personality. When he was a kitten, he was super playful and full of energy. He could also be slightly aggressive and would attack us for no reason. He didn’t intend to hurt, but he really just never learned how to play. We believe that is because we adopted him too early. He probably should have spent more time with his Mama Cat and his siblings before we adopted him. Over the years, though, Santos has mellowed and is the sweetest little guy you can imagine. He just wants to be loved and held. He loves going out on our backyard on his leash. He’s a great sleeping buddy, and he especially loves for someone to hold him and walk around. Whenever her hears us talking or doing something in the kitchen, he always comes to see what is going on. He is a very sociable cat, and loves visitors. He truly is a good friend to all.
Nothing in the world has ever been more adorable than Baby Santos.
Santos is very sociable and loving.
This little fellow loves it when someone is in the kitchen. He is always curious to see what we’re making, and he especially loves it when we’re opening a fresh can of food. He’s great company while we’re cooking, just content and comforted by hearing our voices.
What’s for dinner, Mom?
Santos doesn’t like water, but he is fascinated by it. He especially loves it when we defrost our freezer each winter. He will sit by and watch the ice melt and drip down all day like it’s the most interesting TV show in the world.
Nothing beats watching the freezer defrost!
Callie (The playful one)
Callie is a special little girl. Despite being a fully-grown adult cat, she is still very small. She’s not as affectionate as Santos, but when she wants attention, she makes sure that she gets noticed and receives lots of petting. She absolutely loves to play, and can make just about anything a toy.
Where are the birds?
Scratching pads are especially fun when they are filled with catnip.
Before we raised all of our curtain rods to the ceiling, a funny thing that Callie would do was to climb the curtains and walk across the curtain rods. She is always up for adventure. Every day, she seems to get up to some new adventure, and just seeing what she gets up to is entertaining.
Those were good times, getting to inspect her domain from high up.
This little girl loves comfort. She somehow manages to find the coziest spot in our home where she can relax in style. She is shy around strangers, but has the sweetest personality to those who take the time to get to know her.
Feeling super cozy on her stack of blankets.
Our little girl is also very smart, and has a long attention span. She loves to watch youtube videos, and she finds ways to hunt birds. We still can’t figure out how an indoor cat manages to capture birds. And yes, we always take the birds from her and release them back into the wild.
Sweet girl loves to watch videos.
For anyone who has pets, you know how they become your family. It is especially true for us because Santos and Callie are like our children. Like a lot of proud parents, we think our cats are the cutest, funniest, and smartest in the world.
Well now, wasn’t the year 2020 something special? When I think back on it all, I just shake my head in disbelief because it was like nothing I’d ever seen. The covid-19 pandemic changed the world. For me, it was mainly good because I’m an introvert and enjoyed being stuck at home with my husband and cats. The only downsides I encountered were not being able to travel to America to see my family, and I saw the ugliness and selfishness of people who refused to follow public health guidelines. So many people have not survived the covid-19 virus, and I hope that in this new year we all can do our part to help eradicate it.
At the start of every new year, I always make a list of the things I want to accomplish, and 2021 is different because I’m publishing my resolutions on the internet for anyone to see. Hopefully, this alone will make me more accountable for my progress. So, it is with that in mind that I present to all, what I have resolved to do in 2021 and onward.
Focus on becoming healthier and eating right
Yes, everyone who decides to make new year’s resolutions makes this promise, but it’s always a good one to make. It is my hope that by eating right and exercising every day will lead to better overall health. At the time of writing this, we are now 29 days into 2021, and I have stuck to the eating right part of it. I have given up eating sweets and chips, unless of course, there is a holiday or special occasion.
Shop less and try to avoid buying anything from China
Even though I do want to become a minimalist, I love to shop. As a result of this inner conflict, I have way too many things that I don’t use. So, for this year, I have decided to buy only what is necessary. Instead of buying new clothes, shoes, decorative items, etc, I will try to use what I already have. The reason why I’m making this resolution is not only to save more money, but also for the environment.
Another part of my shop less resolution is to try to avoid buying anything from China. Why just China? Well, I can’t fully explain it other than to say that pretty much everything that I own from China is pure crap. The quality is not at all good, and I’m not sure if they follow good labor practices or environmental practices.
Read more books
This one is easy, and a very enjoyable resolution to follow. As a child, I read all the time, and loved it. However; in my adult years, I have mainly read magazines, online news stories, and very seldomly books. The books that I have read have been few and far between, and usually not really for pleasure. That all changes this year, and I have set the goal of reading 100 books this year.
Compliment and encourage someone every day
Look for the good is such a positive motto to live by, and this year I intend to do more of that. Instead of paying attention to the negative, I want to find those who are doing good in this world. When I see it, I hope to do my part to give support. This is such a simple way to add a little bit of positive energy in the world. Not only does it (hopefully) improve another person’s day, but it can also improve your own. Every day, I want to look for those who are doing good and to acknowledge it in some way.
Work on and improve the content of this blog
Even if not many people end up reading this blog, I want to try to make it the best that I can. I enjoy writing out my thoughts and goals, and putting them out there for anyone to read. It is my goal to learn more about making a good blog and improving the quality of my writing.
It is my hope that 2021 is a better year for everyone, and that we can all work to improve and learn to become better people. All the while, doing whatever we can to make the world better for all.
*All photos used in this blog post are not taken by me, but are all public domain stock photos.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Christmas music helps to make everything extra magical. I have loved Christmas songs ever since childhood, and while I love the traditional songs of the past, there are so many great modern songs out there. I have compiled several lists of my favorite Christmas songs that I hope will add to your Christmas celebration.
I seriously want everyone to have a very happy, magical Christmas. This year has been a crazy one, and I hope that even though Christmas is going to be different this year, I hope that it will be a great one. Listening to holiday music sure does add to the feeling of joyousness throughout the holidays.
While there are so many great holiday songs, and countless versions, I have narrowed down my list to include some of my favorites. Some songs have not been included because I’ve heard them so much, and some are included because I just can’t hear them enough. Everyone has their favorites, and I hope this list will include some of yours.
Enjoy, and have a Very Merry Christmas!
Happy Christmas Songs:
Sometimes, you just want to hear the Christmas songs from childhood, and here is the list that I’ve made for that:
Christmas Love Songs:
These are the songs that are about being in love at Christmas.
Classic Christmas Songs:
Here is my list of classic Christmas music, with some modern classics thrown in there.
Non-traditional Christmas
A little more bah-humbug, but still Christmasy.
Christmas songs can be enjoyed all times of the year. The great Dolly Parton once said, “Christmas is a state of mind. You just kinda throw yourself into the spirit, and it can happen almost any time.”
Today is the first day of my new diet, and I feel both excited to get started and sad because I’m having to start a new diet. Five years ago, I thought I was finally in control of my weight, and was making healthy dietary choices on a consistent basis. I had lost 26 kg (57 lbs.) and was exercising every day. Making health, exercise, and eating well priorities in my life was the norm, and I felt amazing.
Gradually, though, I started slacking, and I went back to all of my previous bad habits, and I gained all the weight that I had lost back.
So, here I am again, starting a new diet, and I hope that this one is going to stick. If you are also starting a new diet, or currently on one, I hope that you will find something to relate to in this post.
Good luck to all of us who are trying to make healthy lifestyle changes! Here are the seven rules I’ve set for myself, and I hope can be helpful for others:
Here’s how I’m approaching my new diet:
In order to keep myself fully engaged and focused, I’m going to weigh myself every day. I will also record my progress. In the past, I’ve only allowed myself to step on the scale once a week, but that’s not working for me. Sure, I know that everyone’s weight fluctuates depending on fluid levels and so forth, but I need that every day weigh-in to properly monitor my progress.
To avoid binge eating, I’m going to have my daily menu planed out in advance so that I will know exactly what I can eat. To begin with, changing my eating habits will be my main focus. I do know that exercise is important, but for now I will mainly be focusing on making healthier food choices, eating far less processed food, and portion control.
Accept that hunger is a part of it all. Instead of panicking when I feel hungry, I’m going to deal with my hunger in other ways (more on that in another post). Mindfulness, meditation, and filling up on water and tea are some of the things I’m trying.
Exercise moderately to begin with, but add more as I make progress. In the beginning, I’ll be walking and lifting light hand weights in order to burn calories, possibly tone up some, and for overall health benefits. Exercise always makes me incredibly hungry, so I have to keep things moderate for now. In the past, I’ve tried to exercise too hard, and have ended up binging on food.
Know my why. This is not at all my own idea, but something I learned from Weight Watchers. It’s not just enough to say I’m going on a diet, but you need to have a reason why it is important to lose weight and be healthy. Plus, it’s not just enough to keep your intention in mind, but you also need to feel and believe in the reasons why you are dieting. So, I’ve decided that my why for losing weight is to be the best I can be for myself and my loved ones. I also want to be stronger and have the energy to do the things that I want to do. That is my intention, and I hope that by having this focus it will be easier to stick to my diet.
No gimmicks! In the past, I have fallen for just about every fad and crazy lose weight fast scheme there is. Admittedly, I have had short-term success with a few of them in the past, but the results were nothing spectacular. Not only do gimmicks and fads only deliver minimal at best success, they are costly. You can end up wasting a small fortune thinking that some miracle cure diet is going to finally help you reach a healthy weight. When you don’t see miracle results, you can end up frustrated and feel like a failure. So, for this new diet, I’m not eliminating any foods from what I am allowed to eat, and I’m not buying any powders, supplements, special gear. Just real food, but moderate portion sizes.
No giving up! So many times in the past, if I haven’t seen immediate results, I’ve just given up. I would announce to everyone around me, “It’s just not meant for me to be thin,” and then just go back to eating whatever I wanted. For me now with this diet, it’s now or never. I’ve got the motivation going, and I just can’t allow myself to give up. I will get to a healthy weight and it will stay.
Once again, good luck to all, and here’s to a healthier life!!
“All good things are wild and free.” –Henry David Thoreau
Welcome to Free Range Writings – a lifestyle blog where we talk about making the most of every day. Our main focus is home life and creating the best space possible for ourselves and our families. Our articles feature wellness, recipes, product reviews, entertainment, self-help and more!
