Guest Post by Kiyasu Oka (Kiyasu Green): More Letters in the Mailbox

Here is some more about how mail can affect people around the world Kiaysu Oka is one of my lovely sponsors and we met through letter writing! Although I don't have many pen pals left, I do cherish the friendships I've made through giving and receiving meaningful mail. Join us as the lovely Kiyasu shares what it means to be a friend.

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Hello, again! I'm Kiyasu Oka from Kiyasu Green, and I am a professional illustrator whose official title is “color magician” instead. Thanks to Shary, you'll be seeing me do a guest post here again! It is my pleasure to write for her, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be on here! (I also LOVE doing guest posts, so if YOU would like me to write for you, please get in touch with me!) More information about me can be found on my website, Kiyasu Green. I also have an Etsy shop for those who are interested!

You can e-mail me at kiyasu [at] kiyasugreen.com if you want to chat with me, or write me a handwritten letter (my mailing address is here) for an interesting experience! :D

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NOTE: The mailing address in the photos is outdated. Please write to the address on this page instead if you want to send me a letter or postcard!
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Letters can be a shooting star of beauty in YOUR life,especially when they are from your friends!

In my previous entry, Guest Post: Letters in the Mailbox by Kiyasu Oka (Kiyasu Green), I shared a bit about how, no matter who you are, I believe receiving a letter can reach you—especially your heart and soul! I also shared a bit about the relation between strengthened friendships and unexpected letters! (Please have a peek at that entry if you haven't already!)

I believe that letters of love is a powerful way of strengthening the friendships you already have! It is a powerful way to make life more fulfilling, more enriching, and more beautiful.

It doesn't matter whether you are receiving a letter from a friend or sending a letter to a friend, I believe that, either way, you are involved in something extremely special.

Something so beloved. Something so cherished. Something so amazing.

Something so magical.

I LOVE hearing from my friends via the post, and I always feel as if I've done something extremely profound, made-a-difference-to-the-world-like,  and magical when a friend tells me that my mail (unexpected or otherwise!) cheered them up, made them laugh, and brightened their day.

And that they LOVE everything I sent...! (Awww!)

Few things I've done for a friend can have such powerful, long-lasting effect to me every time I look back at the “I received your letter!” messages from my friends many years ago.

Seeing, knowing, and, most importantly, feeling that my mail was like an ever-powerful shooting star of beauty and a magic torch of light to a friend's day has ALWAYS stuck to me! And to know that even though we lived so far away and have never met, yet can have such powerful friendship?! That has always been something incredibly meaningful to me.

… And can I also add that friendship is a BIG part of me?

Friendship is something that makes me cry. It is something I feel deeply for in ways you cannot even imagine, and something that I am incredibly soulful about! In short? I believe I myself am a powerful symbolism of friendship. Period. (Whoa!)

I believe that I am the seed, the root, and the soul of friendship. And letters in the post is like a Supreme Catalyst of making friendships become Even More Beautiful Than Ever! (Sweeeet, huh?)

This is one reason letters is something meaningful to me, something so Fight-For-A-World-Cause-like to me, something so “Wow! ;__;” to me.

Friendship is the root of my letter writing passion, and the fire of love and light inside me will shine forever and ever. This is what I know

Bells and whistles,
Kiyasu Oka (Kiyasu Green)

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I have to admit I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have are very special to me and I'd fight for them no matter what.

How do you feel about friendship?

Do you have a  few special gems or are you a social butterfly including everyone in your wonderful life?

How to Chop Off Your Hair in 3 Easy Steps

In case you didn't know, I live in Florida. I don't remember suffering this much as a child, but I know the past few summers have been brutal. We've been breaking records since April and I have a bad feeling about this summer, guys and gals. It's bad enough to barely have a winter, but to have such intense hot weather... well it's enough to drive a girl batty!

I have notoriously long hair. Now when you see pictures of my with said hair it doesn't look that long really. I am aware of this and I am not bragging about my lovely locks. (See what I did there?) I think what makes it so prominent of a feature is that there is a lot of it. You know that song by Dashboard Confessional? "Your hair is everywhere!!!" Yeah, that's about right. (It's called "Screaming Infidelities" in case you're clueless and want to YouTube it.)

But, living in Florida, I have been known to chop it all of every few years. Call it boredom if you will, but truth be told it's inspired by times of intense heat or life changing events. For example, I have a new baby and I'm tired of pre-washing my hair with spit up. Last time I cut my hair was 5 years ago when I had Gaia. I maintain the normal length by self trimming, but I do entrust a professional when making "The Big Chop."

Is it scary? Yes. 

But don't be afraid. I'm going to tell you exactly how I grow the balls to completely change how I look for long periods of time by going from long hair to short. It's liberating!

Step 1 - Tell yourself it is just hair. You must believe that it is literally dead stuff hanging from your head and it will replenish itself over a few years. I'm lucky to have super fast-growing hair, but normally hair grows about 6 inches a year on average. Don't mourn the loss of your locks. If you improve your diet you can even replace them with even healthier dead stuff. You have to love yourself and forget about the hair!

Step 2 - Keep your hair type in mind and your daily activities when choosing a cut. You are not going to have a pixie cut as cute as Natalie Portman's if you don't have hair like Natalie Portman. If you have no idea how to judge which cuts are good for your hair type, talk to your hairdresser. They know what to do as soon as you say "I want to go short" but they also need to know how you style it. Do you use styling tools everyday? Do you use products in your hair? When you go out without the kids how does your routine change? Discussing your daily activities gives them a better picture of what you're trying to accomplish. Taking in photos doesn't hurt, but don't expect to look exactly like someone you look nothing like, you know what I mean?

Step 3 - When you finally believe you can do it, go to someone you trust. If you don't know a hair dresser, then remember you get what you pay for. I wouldn't recommend going to Wal-Mart to get your hair did when you're making a drastic change. I don't want to spend $60 either, so I opt for the mall. I am comfortable spending $20 every 5 years when I'm feeling ballsy. Considering that I do all my hair maintenance myself, it's an expense I don't mind.

If you follow those three steps you'll have the easiest transition into a short 'do. I'm honestly considering going even shorter if you can believe it. My hairdresser didn't want me to go into shock (I have issues with step number 1 even if I put on a good show on the outside), so she thought we'd start small and step it up if I still wanted to after a month. I like to think this cut is channeling Maggie from The Walking Dead. I feel like I can finally kill zombies now that I don't have all that hair in the way, if you know what I mean.

Do you prefer long hair or short?

Do you like to change up your hair every now and then?

Look Out Spring: Here She Comes Giveaway

Welcome to the Look Out Spring: Here She Comes Giveaway! 

Hosted by: The Nurse Mommy
 Sponsored by: IzzyBee Creations 

Last week, I wrote a review of IzzyBee Creations adorable accessories sent for my Nugget.

This week, you have an opportunity to 

WIN some IzzyBee Creations Fandangle for your little one!!!

IzzyBee Creations is going to give one The Nurse Mommy reader an adorable spring themed headband and legwarmers set! We like to call it "Look Out Spring: Here She Comes!!"

Here's some pictures of her legwarmers in action modeled by her little cutie!!!

One winner will receive the "Look Out Spring: Here She Comes" gift set.
Giveaway runs from May 14-31st.
Limited to US/CAN.
Winner has 48 hours to reply to notification email or another winner will be selected.
ALL ENTRIES ARE VERIFIED. Good luck!
Please enter via Giveaway Tools Entry Form below.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Michelle from The Nurse Mommy received items in consideration for a review. No additional compensation was received for this posting. Our blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. We will only recommend products or services that we feel are of benefit to our readers. The Nurse Mommy and other participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social media outlets and are released of any liability as such. Links enclosed may contain affiliate links. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle from The Nurse Mommy at babagrlshell {at} gmail {dot} com

Don't Waste a Drop!

If you've ever been that new breastfeeding mother you know how precious your breast milk is. Even in the beginning when your mammary glands are working like a broken faucet you still have a certain attachment to every single drop of milk. I personally had issues with leakage and I could have bought stock in nursing pads. (I should have prepared myself with a few days' supply of washable ones, but I didn't think ahead.)

On top of that, I had to feed both my baby and my pump. When I could get them both going at the same time I was elated! But being tired and needed a minimum of 3 hands... well it didn't work out that way all the time. So I was pumping when I could around Anders's nursing schedule. Less sleep... awesome!

And then we got thrush. So I was boiling my parts for 20 minutes every night to try and keep the yeast beast at bay. I guess I took a cat nap at the wrong time, or maybe I just spaced out trying to write a paper. I can't remember what exactly happened, but I came to with the sound of a hissing from my kitchen. And I knew right then... I let my pump parts boil down to melted status...

Yes. I also managed to ruin my favorite pot. It was a sad day indeed.

So there I sat, crying and feeling helpless. How was I going to preserve my baby's milk now?

Luckily I had a Milk-Saver. Milkies created the Milk-Saver to help catch every drop of breast milk during those times where a mama is most likely to leak. While I waited for my replacement parks to arrive in the mail, my Milk-Saver saved my routine. I was able to feed Anders and have the other breast catch all my falling milk. Then when he was done eating I used the Milk-Saver to hand express. I would dump my milk into freezer bags and then use my nifty Milkies Freeze.

Milkies Freeze helps to organize those crazy freezer stashes. It can hold up to 60 ounces of freezer bag milk and makes first in-first out so simple! I love my Milkies Freeze because it is so compact making room for lots of freezer goodies!

I have a working pump now, thank goodness. My supply has evened out now and I leak less these days, but my Milk-Saver is still awesome throughout the day during feedings. I can catch an extra ounce and a half or so each day just by using the Milk Saver instead of a disposable pad. When you're a mom trying to build a freezer stash, and extra ounce and a half is a lot. Got to save every drop!

Disclaimer: I received one or more of these products free of charge for review. All opinions are my own. I shall not tell lies!

Omi's Naked Mice Recipe (no mice needed)

I hope all you wonderful mamas had a fabulous day today. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary really, but my baby must have gotten special vibes because he let me nap and have a pretty fuss-free day. I am glad I saved some dairy-free chocolates, too. The urge to cheat was intense today, let me tell you.

One thing that is easy about going dairy free is that I can still eat all the meat I want. I'm definitely a carnivore and so most of my diet is meat-based anyway. Since going dairy free I've been eating more veggies, for sure. But meat... meat is on my list of most favorite foods after baked goods.

My mother was here to visit a few weeks ago and she spoiled me with her good cookin'. One of my favorite dishes is "Naked Mice." I actually thought this recipe died when my Omi passed, but my mom had it tucked away in her mind and busted this bad boy out to celebrate the arrival of my son. It's too good to lose or not share, so I'm letting you take a peek. Don't worry, no mice are harmed in the making of this delicious main course.

Naked Mice (no mice needed)

Ingredients:

• pork tenderloin or beef (top round is good)
• pickles
• onions
• different colored peppers (the more the merrier)
• hot mustard

For the gravy:

• 1/4 cup flour
• water

How to Make Naked Mice:

1. Pound pork or beef thin and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slather one side of each flattened piece of meat with mustard. Slice pickles, onions and peppers into thin strips. Put a few strips on each mouse and roll up tight. You can tie them with kitchen string (like Omi did), or you can just put the edges down in the pan to cook first (like my mom does it).
2. Cook on low to medium heat while occasionally rolling to flip until all the mice are cooked through (about 45 minutes). Remove the mice from the pan.

For the Gravy:

1. Add a bit of water (a cup to 1 1/2 cups) and stir to get the good bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Take about 1 cup of cold water and add the flour and stir together till all the lumps are gone. Once the water in pan is boiling slowly stir in flour water, stirring constantly. (You may not need all of the flour water. Just pour until the gravy is the color you want it to be.)
3. Let the gravy simmer for a few minutes till thickened.

Serve with mashed potatoes or colored noodles and whatever veggies you want. Make the potatoes dairy free by using milk and butter substitutes.