Small Things Are Big Things

We heart Dr Suess.

Who doesn’t??

With a couple of drops of green food coloring you can make Green Eggs and Ham (bacon).

It looks so gross…

But it’s not…

Ocean “Art”

I love reading about what Kara Noel loves and collects.
I don’t really think of myself as collecting much of anything. Looking around my house – two things are clear. I love the ocean.  I don’t like to spend money. There’s the framed Bed, Bath & Beyond paintings which I’m sure I got on sale and with the 20% off coupon that comes in the mail. The carpet is nautical navy. The walls are the color of sandcastles. Our throw pillows display surfboards and palm trees.
So this is the latest in my cheap art collection:

My daughter and I picked this $19.95 gem at the Sea Life Aquarium gift shop. We both loved it. It makes me happy to look at my mermaid muse. I love it when my hair swirls like that in the water. The barnacles on her sandy flipper. It makes me so much happier than those $2 pencils or $5 Beanie Baby dolphins. My daughter loves her, too.
Now I just need to get a frame for the print I got of this mosaic on the floor of the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hawaii:

I’ll probably use that 40% off coupon from Michael’s.

Michele Whiteaker is obsessed with parks because most of them are free. Check out her Fun Orange County Parks blog to discover playgrounds with views of the Pacific.

(I’m switching our “I got it at…” Carnival from Sunday to Monday!!)

I love getting packages!!

Who doesn’t?

This summer I got two really fun packages; one was a reusable cup some Fun Fizz from Kool-Aid and the other was a pitcher and sample of Country Time Lemonade!

(how much do you love the paper shreds!?!? You know I saved it to use later for gifties!)

We tried the Fun Fizz at snack time…

You drop the Alka-Seltzer like pellets into water, as it fizzes the water is transformed into a flavored drink!

 The taste test…

Thank you!!

We served the Country Time Lemonade at our Baby Shower BBQ. (We love this stuff and buy it regularly from Sam’s Club in bulk!)

We didn’t know the gender of our little guy before he was born and we didn’t need a thing because I’ve saved everything from Eli and Cora Jane.

We had a BBQ. Just an excuse to hang out with friends… and have a piñata!! I think a party isn’t a party unless you have a piñata…

Instead of gifts we accepted donations for the Horizon Pregnancy Center in Huntington Beach. We got a lot of awesome stuff to give…

 The pregnancy center didn’t seem very excited about the donations. When I do something like this again, I’ll find a smaller place that needs stuff more.

If you got something fun and blogged about it this week add to our “I got it at…” carnival…

Saturday you can head out to the Hammer Museum in LA to be a part of the Machine Project, an all day-long (11am-6pm) sound installation by composer Chris Kallmyer. Visitors will be given a bell to wear as they go through the galleries, courtyard, lobby, and other public spaces. Admission to the museum will be free if you participant. Other bell related sound stuff will take place throughout the day, including ice cream carts, animatronic Santa bells, and an African bell ensemble.

Wanna stay in OC and beat the heat?? Head on over to Wild Rivers in Irvine. Get $5 off admission by printing THIS coupon or you can enter the promo code: FUN2 if you get the ticket online.

We hit up the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus this week.

We go every year and I must say this year was my favorite!!

I feel like in the past the circus has tried to separate themselves from the stereotypical circus clichés but this year they embraced them in ‘Barnum’s FUNundrum’, and it worked!!

Six huge screens scrolled through vintage circus posters during each act. It was beautiful! The performers were spectacular and the whole thing, from costumes to acts, had a modern-classic-art-deco-type-feel to me. Loved it!

The kiddos were riveted…We tried to get a family photo, but this was the best of the bunch.

 The kiddos were on a sugar high from one of Staples Center’s delicious caramel covered apples. It has been a family tradition to get an apple when the dessert cart makes the rounds since Hot Hubby and I were dating. My mouth is watering just thinking about them!!

You can see the Circus in…

…LA at the Staples Center till July 18th.

…Ontario at the Citizens Business Bank Arena from July 21st – July 25th.

…Orange County at the Honda Center from July 28th – August 8th.

The folks at the circus are offering a multi-ticket MOM Discount! It’s $48 for a Family Four-Pack on select performances or $4 off single ticket prices on select shows. The discount can be redeemed online at Ticket Master or by calling (800) 745-3000. Use the discount code ‘MOM’.

Today’s guest post is my IRL buddy Andrea from BYOG. Remember the Labor and Delivery Gown I wore 3 weeks ago? She is the mastermind behind the fashion!

Marjorie Priceman how to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

My son (who had just graduated Kindergarten) brought this book home from the library last Summer mixed in with Star Wars comics and some gross out science books. I actually think he threw this one in by mistake or maybe he liked the illustration on the cover? This book isn’t just about baking. It is more a lesson in history, geography, chemistry and a tour of the United States. The story follows a little girl who goes on an adventure to find everything she needs to make a cherry pie. She travels to New Mexico to find clay to make her bowl, then Pennsylvania to gather coal for the pie pan while exploring National Monuments and gathering historical facts along the way. My husband was trying to encourage my son to read this book (or any book for that matter!) As an incentive for finishing the book, he promised they would make the Cherry Pie together when they were finished with the book. That did it! Noah was off and reading! I glanced at the recipe inside the book (which called for fresh or canned sour cherries and homemade pie crust ) and seriously had my doubts. I then pictured myself rolling out the dough with a rolling pin…do I even own a rolling pin? They finished the book on a Tuesday and the next day were off to the Farmer’s Market to buy cherries…a lot of cherries! I have never made Cherry Pie from scratch. O.K. who am I kidding? I’ve never made a cherry pie! I was wondering how they were going to get the pits out of all those cherries and how I would get the stains out of their shirts when they were done? Turns out there is a tool for that (the pits…not the cherry stains!) and that was part of the fun of making the pie…boy’s like anything that involves using tools.

I felt a little guilty for doubting their father/son baking skills as I watched them carefully place the lattice crust across the top of the pie and pop it in the oven. They did it without any help and only left a category 3 mess in the kitchen. I have to say…when this pie was baking, the whole house was filled with the amazing aroma of real cherry pie! Not the kind that starts from a can! I opened all the windows to entice our neighbors as they purposely unknowingly do to us all Summer long with their billowing BBQ’s. Yeah, that’s right, we may not have a fancy grill but, we bake cherry pies…from scratch! We couldn’t wait to try it and my husband Noah was so proud of his accomplishment. This book has definitely become a Summer tradition in our house. I am also happy to say that my son who had to be forced bribed coaxed to read a book last year is now reading non-stop and loving it! Like most boys, he is a hands on learner. Having an activity to go along with the story and a map to follow helped keep his attention and reinforced what he had read. 

GrEeN iDeA…

I love how the book explores how each item is made and where it comes from (before it magically appears at our local Target.) If we train ourselves and teach our kids to really think about the energy and resources it takes to make each common household item, these items will become less disposable and we will hopefully create less waste or find a way to repurpose things.

Recommended reading level for this book is ages 4-8 but, younger kids will enjoy the colorful illustrations and can follow the map inside too. If you read the book…don’t forget to make the pie and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Once you try fresh, homemade cherry pie, you will never waste calories on the canned version again!

Marjorie’s other books…

How to make an Apple Pie and See the World

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride

Thanks Andrea!!

See what me, Andrea and Donna (from Blessed Nest) have cooking over at MOMday Morning this Month!

(4th of July tees from Eli’s Lids)

(I’m not sure why the kiddos look so depressed. I swear they were excited about the fireworks.)

(My mom got glow bracelets and necklaces at The Dollar Tree.)

The End!

It’s the little things that make a person feel loved.

Like an unexpected meal from a friend because they know you suck at cooking aren’t blessed in the kitchen…

 A hand written map from a friend because you get lost around the block…

 Or if your friend drops by with a box of Malt-o-Meal because you happen to mention on Twitter that you are totally craving some…

 (As you can see I enjoy my Malt-o-Meal with applesauce in the mix and a side of leftover Valentines Day Kisses)

Did you blog about something you got this week? Want to promote a product, craft or giveaway? Add to our “I got it at…” Carnival:

Today’s guest writer is one of my friends, Allison, the resident go-to-girl for all things “Green” at OC Family. Check out her biz site, BuyGreen.com to find awesome green stuff! In this post she’ll answer all your questions about what you can recycle. We a big on recycling around here!!

Can I recycle this?

Of all the questions I am asked about going green, probably the most common is “can I recycle this?” Most people want to do the right thing by recycling, but it’s not always clear what is recyclable and what is not. Everyday, the average American produces 4.6 pounds of trash – 75 percent of which is recyclable if we just pay a little attention to how and where to recycle.

If you aren’t recycling at the home and office, start today. Many cities have adopted a “single stream” collection system so recyclables do not need to be sorted in separate bins. All recyclables can be placed in one bin and are taken away and sorted at the site. So really, it only takes the addition of one separate recycling can in your home and you are well on your way. Despite this fact, members of my own extended family (who shall remain nameless but know who they are) still can’t seem to participate. Of course this drives me completely crazy and I just end up just taking my recyclables home with me whenever I visit them. For me, recycling is just something you do as a member of society – like paying taxes or obeying the rules of the road. It’s just a given and there is really just no excuse for not doing it, except lack of information. So let me try to shed some light on the recycling rules for the different materials that we should all be recycling.

Metal – One of the most recyclable materials, virtually all types of metal can go in the recycling bin including soda cans; canned food containers (a quick rinse of these is fine, only remove labels if requested by your recycling facility); rinsed aluminum pie tins and foil; metal bottle caps; wire hangers; empty aerosol cans (yep, even aerosol cans as long as they are empty); and other scrap metal. Only note on metal recycling – no batteries or electronics. Those items should be dropped off at your local hazardous waste disposal location (check earth911.com to find the drop site nearest you).

Plastic – The key to plastics is the numbers found on the bottom of the containers. #1 and #2 are almost universally recyclable. Plastic numbered #3 through #7, depend upon the recycler, so check with your waste management company to see if they are what plastics are recyclable in your area. To simplify plastics recycling, here is the basic rule of thumb – if the plastic bottle has a neck that’s smaller than the body and has “alor2” symbol on the bottom, nearly every recycling program will accept it. But remember to remove the caps from the bottles before recycling them. If left in with the recycling, those little caps can ruin a whole batch of recyclables. Plastic bags are generally not recyclable in curbside waste collection (though many recyclers are beginning to accept them). If yours doesn’t, you can drop them off at most grocery stores – you will find a bin at the front the store for bag recycling.

Glass – Just rinse out glass bottles and jars and throw away or recycle their caps. Don’t worry about the labels. They will be burned off at the recycling facility. The only thing to remember about glass is that some programs won’t take certain colors of glass (particularly blue). Also treated glass, like broken dishes, incandescent light bulbs, and window glass should be thrown in the regular trash can.

Paper – Paper can be recycled up to seven times, and it is easier, cheaper, and more energy efficient to make pulp out of recycled paper than wood. So recycling paper makes a huge difference. In 2008, 57.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. You can recycle paper in almost all forms, from cardboard to newspapers, copy paper to envelopes (yes, even with that little plastic window), and even the glossy paper found in advertisements and magazines. You don’t even need to remove staples, paper clips, or spirals in notebooks; they’ll be taken out during the recycling process. The only thing to watch out for are Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), which can ruin an entire batch of recycled paper. So remove any complimentary address labels and other stickers before you toss your junk mail. The same goes for sticky notes. Stamp adhesive is fine, it’s just the peel & stick kind of stuff that gums up the paper recycling process. Also, don’t shred paper unless you really need to. Most recyclers are not able to accept shredded paper.

Probably the most important thing to remember about paper is to leave out anything that’s food-stained, like pizza boxes (though you can rip the box apart, discarding the soiled part and recycling the rest). Here’s an interesting blog post to check out on this subject from the Mother Nature Network. When in doubt though, throw it out. Food is one of the worst contaminants in the paper recycling process. Whole batches of otherwise recyclable paper end up in the landfill because of spoilage due to food. Also out: plastic-coated paper plates and cups (but flattened milk cartons are usually acceptable); heavily dyed, brightly colored paper (it’s just too difficult to bleach it back to a usable form); and books (but you can donate these to a local library, school, or charitable organization).

Still unsure about what can be recycled or where you can go to recycle your items? The best source of information on this topic can be found at earth911.com. Just enter what you want to recycle and your zip code to find out almost anything you need to know about recycling in your area.

Thanks Allison!! I had been doing a few things wrong!!