DIY Clean Your Oven Filter-- so easy!

This is the easiest post I've ever created because this is so simple that I really can't elaborate on it very much.

I think we all know that everyone should clean your oven filters every now and then. They collect and a lot of grease and grim. It's so easy to do it naturally!

This is how you do it...

1) Grab a big pot
2) Boil some water
3) Add baking soda SLOWLY or it'll fizz over. Add baking soda until the water becomes cloudy.
4) Add filters.
5) Watch the grim come off.
6) Be grossed out

No scrubbing! No hard work! Very minimal effort. I don't know how this could be any simpler.

DIY Dishwasher Detergent without Borax with Review

I've been looking for a dishwashing detergent that I could use that is more environmentally friendly and it's hard! Of the 88 dishwasher detergents listed in Environmental Working Group's new Guide to Healthy Cleaning, nearly 70 percent scored a rating of D or F, indicating that the ingredients offer 'likely' or 'potentially significant' hazards to health or the environment.

In terms of how they affect the health of humans it's hard to determine which brands are safe. Many detergents leave a residue on the dishes which is consumed when you use them to eat or drink off of. Others (like chlorine bleach) can cause respiratory problems or allergic reactions. 

REVIEW: DIY Almond Milk

Okay, so I've been trying the DIY almond milk I posted about a couple of weeks ago and I know it's natural but it keeps separating in the fridge and quite frankly it is grossing me out. It doesn't look like something you actually want to drink. It reminds me of that crap you have to drink before you get a colonoscopy or an upper GI. Nasty, pasty, chalky crap. Thankfully, it doesn't taste like it! It really tasted like the almond milk from the store.

1) It is definitely a thin type of milk. The consistency is just a little above water.

2) The flavor does taste like the unsweetened almond milk even with the extra sugar I put in. It makes me worry about how much sugar is actually in the store bought almond milk! Eck!

3) The separation is what really got to me. If you make it, I think you should put it in some container that you can't see through if you're a visual person.

If you've tried making your almond milk-- did you get any different results?

Cat Drama and Kitty Prozac

Leo, the chill new cat

In November I adopted a new kitten my parents rescued. He's pretty darn cute, I named him Leo, but I call him "Little Dude". He's laid back, affectionate, sweet, super lazy and has a huge personality.

The problem is that my other cat, Sadie, has a huge personality as well... and according to the vet--apparently some mental disorders, too.

Yes, mental disorders. I have a crazy kitty! Figures.

Anyways, I took her to the vet today because we have been having some aggression towards towards the new cat which I just couldn't figure out. She would be nice to him sometimes. She would cuddle with him sometimes. She would share food with him sometimes. And other times-- she would just kick his ass. And by kicking his ass I mean attempted murder.

I consulted a behavior specialist and she said, "Oh, put him in a crate and let her walk around him to get use to him." Hahahaha. Ridiculous. In a 5 minute time span she went from "I don't care about you" to "I want to kill you" to "let's play!". Seriously, she has issues.

I tried positive reinforcement around him. When he was around was the only time she got treats, she played with her favorite toys or she got any wet food. She liked that and she was nice to him for those things, but as soon as it was over... bam! bam! bam!

I tried those fancy calming collars and sprays. They helped the cats who were already calm, but Sadie-- it made her more high strung.

Sadie, the bipolar kitty

This is Sadie and she looks mean, right?! The man says she looks like she is debating on killing me for  taking her picture. However, she is actually a really sweet cat. She's playful, affectionate, and extremely loyal. She has always been a bit tense and high strung. She runs away from everything... a lot. She loves to hide if anything different happens. She's a routine kind of girl.

The man thought that maybe she was so mean to Leo because we closed the doors to the bedrooms. Random idea right? That's what I thought, but I'm desperate. I opened all the doors. It worked.

IT WORKED. Opening the doors made her nice. IT WORKED.

Me = shocked

The moment we opened up every door was the moment she started being nicer. She still isn't all hugs and kisses, but she only attacked him once today and they've been out together all day. Major, MAJOR progress. She is still staring at him like she hates him, but hey-- you can't ask for miracles.

Anyways, I took her to the vet today and she was diagnosed with OCD, anxiety and depression. I can call her crazy because I have OCD and anxiety, too and I call myself crazy all the time. They say that owners and their pets resemble each other, right? So true.

So the vet has given me kitty prozac. She said that she thinks that it will benefit Sadie in the long run. I had research this option on the web and there really wasn't that much information about it so I thought I'd write about it for all you cat lovers who have a mentally and emotionally challenged feline.

The kitty prozac took a week to really kick in and then Sadie was all lovey dovey. She was licking the boy's face, cuddling with him on the sofa and they were playing. It was like a miracle.

I kept her on it for a month straight and then slowly weaned her down the following month with no changes. She and Leo are still buddies! Yay!

I LOVE kitty prozac!