Happy Mother's Day!

Since today is MY day -- well... shared with all of you other mothers out there --  I am going to post some of my favorite things.

Tomatoes... fresh off the vine... grown in my own backyard.  They smell a tad like fresh dirt and taste like summer.  If summer had a flavor, it would be tomatoes, I'm certain.

 

 



Cilantro.  Seriously.  The more, the better!  The smell is reminiscent of grass and rain and it has a wonderful clean, earthy flavor.  Yummm....

 

Elephants.  What beautiful and amazing creatures!  I can only imagine the days when Wooly Mammoths were small in comparison to the dinosaur.  Elephants remind me that despite the absolute worst of situations, some sort of survival is possible.  Science is awesome.

 

 

 



 



Book stores.  I can be anything, do anything, travel anywhere, and step into a completely different world.... all within seconds of opening a book.  The first line in a book is magical.  Authors create visions with words and experiences with paragraphs.  Within seconds, readers can transcend time and space.  Reading rocks.

 

 

 

Walking.  Yes, some of you may run and try to get somewhere, but I'd rather enjoy the journey.  My destination isn't so much as important as is experiencing everything around me and who is with me.  Walks remind me of spending time with my family...  hiking through mountains in Washington with my parents as a child...  walking to the local ice cream shop as a treat after dinner with my siblings...  walking down the aisle to marry my best friend...  experiencing the overwhelming joy and love that comes from witnessing my children's first steps...  exploring our new town with my own family my husband and I have created.  Some of my best memories include the passage of one foot in front of the other.

 





And finally, for now.... The beach.  The golden sun warming my skin...  The hot sand melting beneath my feet with every step...  The salty water lapping up against the shore and bringing with it a refreshing coolness.  Ahhh....

 

 

 

 



If you are a mother, and its your day too, what are some of your favorite things?  Its hard only choosing a few because there are so many this world has to offer. 






Typically, all the photos that I post on this blog are my own.  However, some days -- like today -- the photos are not my own and are attributed to the owner, if copyright specifies! 



Tomatoes - epSos.de -- Cilantro - Flickr: QFamily  -- Books - Flickr: Uitdragerij -- Walk - Flickr: Peter Blanchard -- Beach - Flickr: Kansasphoto

Parents CAN Connect: Cozi

Gone are the days of forgetting your grocery list at home.

 

Never again will your husband forget your birthday or, gasp!, anniversary.

 

Forgetting to make cupcakes until 11 p.m. the day before the big bake sale?  A thing of the past.

How, you ask, am I able to keep everything together?  Its definitely not this memory of mine, I'll tell you that much.  I think each child I birthed took a little of my mind along with them.

 

I use Cozi. It is the ULTIMATE family organizer.  Its always at my fingertips.  Best of all?  It is great at reminding me what I have to do and when.  And, I will preface this by saying that in no way has Cozi encouraged me to write this blog.  I am not being paid or given free product.  I truly, genuinely LIKE using Cozi and it has helped my family immensely!  The pictures below were all screen shots from my iPhone 4.  You can check out the website www.cozi.com and check it out there. 

Below is a picture of the Cozi app on my phone.  I use it so much its on my first 'page' of my phone.  You know... where all the important stuff is... like Facebook.  And Pinterest.

Ok, Ok, Ok.  I realize I have 68 unread Mail Messages.  That's not what you are supposed to be looking at!  And really... its junk mail.  I promise!

 

So, now you are asking, what IS Cozi?  Its an app.  Plain and simple.  I use the app on my iPhone, Kindle Fire, and laptop.  I am fairly certain Cozi is available on pretty much any device you have.  There is both a paid version and a free version.  The free version includes ads, which aren't incredibly bothersome, but I can see where an ad-free version could cause less headache on small devices, such as a smartphone.  Cozi has a calendar, shopping lists, journal, meal planner, to-do lists... and more!  Plus, it is easy to stay connected with a family password.  My husband's Cozi app provides the same family information that mine does.  So, if I enter an item onto our grocery list, he can see it... and vice versa, of course.  Your family chooses a private password to access your account.  This way, your account is private, but still easy to share with family!

 

 

Cozi's homepage is very pleasant looking. Its easy to personalize and very easy to navigate.  I normally do have a family portrait there, but well.... You don't really want to see all of our ugly mugs.

 

 

 

 

I have our Florda Packing list in my shopping lists.  Don't ask me why I stuck it there.  I just did.  My husband and I are going to be SOOO on top of things this year when we pack the car.  No more, Did you pack the sunscreen, honey?  and, I think so, dear, coming from our lips this year!

 

And no, we are most definitely not that polite when packing the car for a trip to Florida with 3 excited kids underfoot.  For the sake of our marriage, we will pretend that we are....

 

 



 

 

The menus are easy to navigate and simple to use.  A+, Cozi!

 

 

 

 

 

I have yet to use the journal feature, as I find I do enough 'journaling' via Facebook.  However, it would be nice to keep some thoughts down as to places we went and how we liked them, for future reference.

 

 

 

Everything loads quickly.  One thing I hate about some apps is there tendency to make you wait and wait for them to load.  No waiting here!  In all actuality, I'm amazed I was able to catch a screen-shot of the loading screen.

 

 

I have to say that my most used features of Cozi are the shopping lists and calendar.  Each member of your family is designated a color -- you can change these colors in settings.  So, as you add events for the family, you can add it as a family event, or specify it for a certain member, or members.  I am a little OCD when it comes to pretty calendars, so this color coding is right up my alley.  You can have items repeat so you don't have to enter them in weekly or monthly.  You can even import your child's school calendar!!  I refrained from taking screenshots of the calendar to protect my own privacy.  You can add so much information easily, so I can stay super organized, but its not so great for sharing publicly. 

 

I really could go on and on about the benefits of this app.  It has made my life so much easier.  My husband doesn't have to ask what we need from the store.  I can easily take a look at my schedule and make sure things arent interfering wth one anoher.  I can go on my computer and print up our monthly schedule to hang on the fridge.  I can even print up a meal plan to help save us from eating out because we forgot to plan dinner! 

Sanity Saving.

Money Saving.

Life Saving!

That is the Cozi app in my life!

Cinco de Mayo

My excuse for eating Mexican food again this week! I love Mexican cuisine!


Just look at the beautiful day we are experiencing!


Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Kids + Technology

How long every day is your child 'connected'.  Are they watching TV the moment they get home from school?  Playing video games non-stop?  Downloading apps on their i-whatevers?

 

I played outside when I got home from school -- No, I didn't walk to school barefoot, up-hill both ways!  I do try to instill a less-'connected' form of play at my house.  This doesn't mean that my kids don't enjoy a little Sesame Street, Skylanders on the Wii, or playing Angry Birds on my phone.  This just means that 'connected' play is earned play at my house and isn't an every day thing. 

 

There are ways to encourage your children to utilize technology that also encourages exploration, creativity, and gets their brains thinking. 

 

My favorite way to do this is to hand my kids an old digital camera or even my iphone or ipod touch -- well protected, of course!  Lifeproof cases or Otterboxes are a MUST with kids!

 

The key here is to not be a dictator.  I have a hard time with this... or so says my husband!  Let your kids go.  Let him take pictures of what HE finds interesting in ways and angles that HE wants.  You might just learn a little bit about your child in doing this as well.  Is he taking pictures of nature or people?  Is he taking pictures of small details, or whole settings?  You might just find out what is important to your child... which in turn can help you become a better parent. 

 

 

Proud Parent Moment...

Yesterday, my 7 yr old took this photo of his sister, playing in the rocks.  Yes, we do fun things like playing with rocks at our house.  Be jealous.

 

I definitely think this is a printable and framable work of art that just might end up in my daughter's room.

 

 

 

There are so many projects that could come from handing your child a camera.  You could create a scrapbook with your child of all his or her photos.  You could frame them and put them on the wall.  With your help, your child could start his or her own blog!  He or she could bring them to school for show and tell.  He or she could create photo gifts for grandparents, aunts, or uncles!  The list goes on and on. 

 

So, next time your child asks to play Wii, maybe you could hand them a camera instead and go for a walk!

DIY Laundry Soap

I am always trying to find ways to be more frugal.  I love to shop, so this can be a challenge sometimes.  However, if I can be more frugal on certain items, than I can splurge on others -- like eating out!  Who doesn't like to eat out!!

I definitely have a list of things that I care about and things that I just don't.  Daisy sour cream, Kelloggs Rice Krispies, and Ziplock Freezer Bags would all be on my I care about list.  We all have those items that we just don't like the off-brand or competitor's brand for whatever reason.  Then, there are the items that just aren't worth the extra couple bucks and the store brand suits us just fine.

Laundry soap is one of those things.

Have you checked out the price of laundry soap lately?  Even the off-brand can be pricey... and all just to wash my clothes.  Yes, clothes are on my 'I Care About' list, but washing them definitely isn't.  Why would I pay $10/month on laundry soap when I can pay $10/yr, or less!

You read that right... $10 a year.  On soap.  To wash your clothes.

And.

It.

WORKS!!!

Its not hard and you can easily find all of the ingredients in your local grocery store.

There are several different types of bar laundry soap, but I prefer Fels Naptha.  It has a light, pleasant, clean scent and does a great job as a base for my soap.  Grate one bar of Fels Naptha.  These soaps are sometimes found near the body soaps, which I find completely odd.  Other times, they are near the laundry boosters.  You can almost always guarantee they will be on a bottom shelf.  I take no responsibility for bloodied knuckles due to grating a hard bar of soap.  Please be careful!

Fels-Naptha comes in white packaging.  The bars are sold individually for about$1.25 at my local store.  Maybe you can find one of these awesome 100th anniversary packages like I did!

 

My beautifully grated soap.  I didn't say this was going to be completely easy, but I promise it is well worth the work!

 



 

Next, I dump the grated soap into a DEEP pot of boiling water.  I don't put a lot of water in the bottom of the pot on purpose.  Once you get this stuff to a boil, it will start to bubble.

 

And bubble.

 

And bubble!

 

We really don't need a mess while making soap.  That seems sort of oximoronic.

 

If I would have to guess, I probably put 2-3 cups of water in the pot.

 I stir the soap as it is boiling. 

 

I really don't have a logical reason for doing this.  I think it just makes me feel like I am doing something productive instead of standing there waiting for soap to melt.

Once the soap has completely melted, you can start adding the other ingredients.  Oh, you can turn off the stove at this point, too!  I add 1/2 cup of Borax.  This is a detergent booster.  I just love that this has been around since 1891!  Something has to be right for this to have stuck around that long!  A large box of Borax costs about $4-5 and will last for years.  I'm not joking.

 

I also add some Biz.  I have made laundry soap without this and it just doesn't have the same stain-fighting power as it does when I add it.  This box of Biz cost me about $3.

 

I usually add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Biz.  There really is no reason for the variation.  Sometimes I just feel like adding more.

 

 

And this is where you would pretend to see a picture of Arm & Hammer Washing Powder. 

 

Right.

 

Here.

 

In.

 

This.

Spot.

 

I apparantly forgot to take a picture of this important ingredient.  I can't remember how much the Washing Powder costs, but I believe its about $4.  I've had my box for that long! I put 1/4 cup of the washing powder into the pot as well.

 

Mix it al together.  You can add a little more hot water if there isn't enough to dissolve all of the powders.

 

This is the fun part.  Grab an empty -- and clean -- milk jug.  Use a funnel --if you have one, otherwise GOOD LUCK!-- to pour the soap into the jug.

 

Top off the jug with hot water.  Let it sit overnight before using.  You may have to shake it around a little.

 

And just like the bottle says, you only need 1/2 tablespoon per load!  I use an old medicine cup to measure the soap into my washer.

 

This jug will last me months.... Now this item is really on the 'I Don't Care About' list!!

 

Do you use homemade soaps?  What is your experience with them?

Those Pesky Seeds

Tomato seeds should only be used for one thing... planting in the ground to make more tomatoes!

If you are like me and love everything about tomatoes and every type of tomato, then you also know the havoc an improperly prepared tomato can reap on your dishes. 

I've seen it too many time at too many picnics... you know what I am talking about... the dish at the pot luck that nobody seems to touch.  These innocent pasta salads and tossed salads didn't do anything wrong, but because of one simple step, they turned into a water yucky-looking mess.  I mean, really... who wants to eat a mix of tomato water and mayo... and what a disgusting color!!!  What a waste of some once-delicious produce!

Properly de-seeding your tomatoes prior to use can really add longevity to your tomatoes and help keep your prepared foods fresh looking longer. 

For this example, I am using a run of the mill greenhouse tomato.  Nothing much is in season right now, but my local produce market has had some great looking locally grown greenhouse tomatoes.  I can't wait to start my tomato plants so all I have to do is step on my back deck to grab a fresh tomato!

I didn't take pictures of this step, but I sliced my tomato in 8ths.  First in half, then the halves in half, then those halves in half.  This is what you end up with!  The tomato looks great, right? Well those seeds just HAVE to go.  See the stuff that the seeds are expanded in?  Well, add some salt to that and it gets awfully watery.  Watery is generally not a good description of anything I want to eat.

 

Get some cool water running in the sink at a moderate rate.  Hold your tomato under the water with the stream hitting right where your seeds are.  This will help rinse all of our unwanted tomato away.

Now, just rub your finger along the seeds.  You may have to pinch where the seeds attach to the tomato and sort of tear it away.  It doesn't take much force.

 

 

Lastly, pat your tomato dry, making sure to get all of those seed pockets dry along with it. 

 

I told you this was easy!  Please, please, please remember this step the next time you want to make a pot luck dish or something for a family picnic.  There is no reason for your dish to be passed up because of one small mis-step.  And really, it takes seconds to do. 

 

Don't let your next pasta salad become the neighborhood flub! 

This tip works great when you are making your Weekday Lunch Salads, as well.  Your salad on Friday will taste just as fresh as your salad on Monday, with this one simple idea. 

 

Who knew tomato seeds could cause so much damage?

A Real Morning Pick Me Up

I love coffee.  I really do.

BUT... after that little pick me up, I am drained.  Tired.  Yawning.  Low-energy.

So, instead of that reliance on the morning cup of joe, I decided to try another route...  The morning cup of smoothie!  I have been drinking smoothies for breakfast for at least 3 months now.  Not only do I have the same spurt of morning energy, but it lasts well beyond those early hours of the day.  I also find that I am not snacking as much as I used to when I paired my coffee with a bowl of cereal or - gasp! - a toaster pastry.  I am sated until lunch, which is a huge deal for someone trying to watch their calories.

We were gifted a Cuisinart Compact Blender -- basically, Cuisinart's answer to the Magic Bullet.  I am more than pleased with this kitchen gadget.  It makes creating delicious smoothies quick, easy, and most of all -- to someone without a dishwasher -- simple to clean up.  The blender comes with 2 different cup sizes and 2 different blades, as well as a normal looking blender pitcher.  The blades screw right onto the cups, which become the vessels for blending.  When the blending is done, you can screw the blade of an twist on one of the provided drinking lids and you are on your way!

So, what do I put in my smoothies?  I'm am non-discriminatory when it comes to making a delicious smoothie.  My basic smoothie recipe can be added upon to create your personal favorite morning meal-beverage.

I start with 1 whole banana.  I break the banana into pieces and toss it into the blender. Bananas will make your smoothie creamy and filling.

Next, I add 1 small apple.  Personally, I choose honey crisp apples because they are fabulously delicious, but you can choose whichever type you like.  I use my apple slicer gadget so I can quickly and easily ready the apple for the blender.  This removes the core and makes the pieces a little more manageable for the blender.

Apples do several things for your smoothie.  They definitely add sweetness and they bring a little fiber to the meal.  The main reason I use an apple is because of its ability to make the smoothie thinner.  The juice in the apple helps makes the smoothie drinkable without having to add extra fruit juices or milk, and therefore add extra unnecessary calories and sugars.  Yes, the apple does add both calories and sugar to the drink, but in my opinion, putting a whole apple into the smoothie is a ton better than adding an item that has been processed.  -- Okay... where was I?

Next main ingredient... PLAIN yogurt.  Yes, vanilla or other flavored yogurt might taste better straight up.  BUT YOU ARE NOT EATING THE YOGURT STRAIGHT UP! -- Sorry for shouting, but I just wanted to make sure my point came across. --  The plain yogurt contains more calcium and protein per ounce and is therefore, better for you.  The sweetness provided by the banana and apple have already sweetened your smoothie enough.  I add between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to the blender.  I really don't ever measure... just whatever looks "good".  I measured for a few days so I could provide some sort of guideline here!

 

Now, for the add-ins... I typically choose some sort of frozen berry -- aka, whatever is a good deal at the time that I am grocery shopping.  This week, its wild blueberries.

 

Once all of your ingredients are in your blender, hit puree and wait a few moments!  It really liquifies quickly in our personal sized model. 

 



 

I just love watching everything mix together and turn into a delicious liquified breakfast!

 

And Voila!  Looking at these pictures makes me want to whip up another smoothie right now!  Yumm!

 

 

I tried making green smoothies and adding some spinach.  I love spinach in my salads, but the bitterness it brought to my smoothie was not appealing to me.  The spinach was more of an after-taste, but nevertheless, it wasn't for me.  I get plenty of greens in my Weekday Lunch Salads, so I don't believe the addition of the spinach in the smoothie is really necessary.

Something else that I don't add to my smoothies...  any sort of protein powder or diet powder.  Have you read those ingredient lists?  I need a dictionary -- or google -- next to me to translate those things.  I look at them as added calories.  I use a calorie tracking tool on my phone that also helps me track my vitamin an mineral intake.  I find that with my smoothie alone, I meet my daily recomendation of Vitamin A and C.  I also found that with my regular diet, I have more than enough protein.  If you want to fill in the gaps of a lacking diet, the best way is through food.  Daily vitamins can also help, without calories, unlike those icky powders.  If you can't tell, I'm not fond of most supplements.

Some other options that I enjoy -- cuties --you know, those little tiny easy to peel oranges? --, frozen strawberries, pears, and peaches.  If I weren't allergic to pineapple -- I know, this is a travesty -- they would definitely be a regular addition to my smoothie.

What ingredients do you like to add to your smoothie?  I'd love to hear some of your ideas!

Saving Board Games, One Water Bottle At A Time

How, you ask, can I save board games with water bottles? 

Simple.  Save the caps for your water bottles when you are finished drinking and before you toss that bottle in the recycle bin and turn them into game pieces!

For this example, we are going to be making a Tic Tac Toe game, complete with a printable Tic Tac Toe board!

The best way I have found for my family to remember to save these caps is to put a ziplock baggie on the fridge.  The caps are very lightweight, so any decent magnet will do -- ours happens to be Darth Vader holding daisies.  I must also note that this doesn't have to be just water bottle caps.... any type of bottle with a drinking cap will work and may even eliminate a step in your game piece creation.

Our bottle caps add up pretty quickly in our home.  Our city water has a bit of a funk to it that isn't so good for drinking straight from the tap.

 For this specific project, we will need 10 bottle caps.

 

You will need two different colors of nail polish, preferably very contrasting colors.  I prefer to use a good quality nail polish (one I would use on my nails).  Chipped game pieces are just as ugly as chipped nails.  Today, I have chosen Sephora, by O.P.I. -- my personal favorite nail polish ever!

 

These are the steps that you may be able to skip.  If you have different colors of bottle caps -- say, from different sodas or sports drinks -- you wouldn't have to go through the effort of painting them.  This project just got a whole lot simpler for you!

 

And, if inquiring minds must know, the green color I'm using is called "It's Totally Karma".

 

 

The shimmery purply-blue color I am using is called "Here's Lilac-in At You Kid".  I'm not sure if my love of these nail polishes is for the vibrant colors or the whitty names.  Either way, they make for happy nails and fun game pieces!

 

 

And just like naiils... one coat is never enough.  Paint 5 pieces each in your 2 chosen colors.  I tend to just paint the top.  When you start painting on the bumpy sides, your pieces will have more chances to chip and won't last as long.

 

The second coat makes all the difference!

 

Now, all we have to do is wait for the paint to dry.  Make sure the paint is REALLY dry before giving these to your kids --I take no responsibility for nail polish stains on your carpet or dining table.

 

Now, we can save the Earth by reusing our tic tac toe board game over and over!  I know my kids are constantly going through sheet after sheet of paper playing Tic Tac Toe.  You may use the printable Tic Tac Toe board I have provided here for personal use, but please link back and/or ask consent for any other purpose.

Just imagine how many ways you can use these simple manipulatives!  I have some more ideas up my sleeve that you will just have to wait for.  Until then, hopefully you can enjoy some Tic Tac Toe, or even that game of Sorry you haven't been able to play due to lost pieces. 

Have fun and continue saving your Earth!  Happy Earth Day!

Fractions Are Tricky

or so says my 7 year old...

The only fraction you need to worry about here is 1/3.  The "rule of thirds" is a basic photography concept that can give your photographs some interest!  This isn't just a guideline for photographers.  Anyone who takes any type of picture, whether it be a DSLR camera, a point and shoot camera, or even a camera phone can benefit from this tactic. 

Most cameras offer a grid option that you can choose from your settings menu which places the 'rule of thirds' grid right onto your camera screen.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Now, what does the "rule of thirds" do??  Lets have a look...

Here, I have placed the subject of my photograph (my sunglasses) right in the center.  Yes, it is an adequate picture that shows off my $10 sunglasses -- if you lost sunglasses as much as I do, you'd understand that $10 is a steep price to pay for them. 

Looks pretty good, right?  I mean, its not going to win any prizes or anything, but its a decent black and white of a pair of sunglasses.  Now, lets take a look at our "rule of thirds" grid.

 Here, you can see how the glasses are almost perfectly placed right in the center of the photograph.  Lets take a look at the sunglasses again, this time with the center of the glasses placed at one of our intersecting lines -- One of our "thirds".
 

Its a little more interesting,right?  This would be the photograph where my mom would say, "Thats a really nice photo.  Too bad its not in the middle," and where I would turn my head with an amazing eye roll, thinking all the while "I'm trying to be artsy, mom!", but never actually saying it because... well... It is my mom after all.

 

 So, lets look at the rule of thirds applied to this example.
 



Right.  Here you can see where the center of the glasses is interected by the lines in that top right corner.  Rule of thirds.  Ka-Bam!

But.... but not exactly what we had in mind.  Where is our interest?

I have one last example prepared.  This is really what we are trying to achieve!
 

 Take a look at the glasses and their position in the photo.  They are turned to the side slightly. They may appear to be centered, but check out the focus.  There is a bit of a blur towards the bottom lefthand corner of the photo.  The sharpest point in the photo is again, at the intersection at the top right of the photograph.

 

Lets look at the grid.
 





 

I never knew I owned such interesting sunglasses!

 

Lets hope you have more interesting subjects than some $10 sunglasses, but anything inanimate can provide some great practice -- running toddlers? Not so much.

 

There you have it.  Photography lesson numero uno.