Produce stickers - who knew?

*UPDATE* - This article gives a little more info on this if you are interested.

This is such a great tip - I read about it here. Basically, the first number on the produce sticker tells you a lot about the fruit you are buying.

So . . .

- If it starts with a 9 - it's organic.
- If it starts with a 4 - it's not.

But this is the big one that I will be watching out for:

- If it starts with an 8 - it is genetically modified.

Cool tip, huh?

Sunday Summary

Highlights of this week:

1. My sister Brittany welcomed a new little one to her home. Bruce Charles Gomez was born on Wednesday at 1:12 AM. I have never seen a baby look so much like his dad. Kinda crazy. I'll add pics when I get them. Happy babymoon Britt!

On a side note, that makes 4 nephews born in a little over a year that all have a name that starts with the letter "B." Braxten, Brecken, Berkeley, and Bruce. Is there some trend that I'm unaware of????

2. Ella's future husband had his fourth birthday party Saturday. It was so fun! Irene did such a great job with her train themed cake and games. I was way impressed. Check out this pin-the-caboose on the train game:



Notice that Josh's train is the closest by far. He felt for the wheels while he was blindfolded. So incredibly smart.

3. Dr. Mario was finally released on the Wii!!! Big, big news over here. I'm tempted to stop everything and just play all day. Such joy.

4. Season finale of Lost?? Did you see this???? Unbelievable. So many questions answered and so many questions left: (SPOILERS AHEAD)

*Last season Desmond told Charlie he had to die in order to get Claire on the helicopter. But Claire wasn't on the helicopter. What gives??? Is she dead? I think she died when the barracks were bombed and when Sawyer found her she was already dead. What do you think? Why did Desmond say that?

*Wasn't Sun amazing! Do you thing Jin is really dead? Sun said 2 people are responsible for Jin's death - we know her father is one of them, who is the other - Jack, Widmore?? My bets are on Jack. Is she teaming up with Widmore?

*What bad things happened on the Island after the 6 left? I think next season is going to be amazing.

*Who really is eyeliner man? I would love to see one of the episodes dedicated to his history.

*And the biggest question of all . . . what the heck was baby Aaron eating after being separated from Claire??

More Green Smoothie Info

One of my favorite message boards was talking about green smoothies today. There are some tips for making them cheaper, great recipes, and good advice. Click here if you're interested.

We are loving our smoothies over here!

Happy Green Smoothie Challenge - Day 1

Holy moly these things are good! I might have actually found a way to get more vegetables in me. We experimented with our first green smoothie today and I was pleasantly surprised.

Here are the raw ingredients:



I used -

1 banana
Handful of blueberries
Handful of pineapple chunks
4 mint leaves from my garden
Approx. 2.5 handfuls of lettuce mix (romaine, iceburg, red cabbage, carrots)
1 handful of fresh spinach

If you decide to try this, you can add anything you want - you just want to keep it about 60% fruit and 40% leafy greens.



Once it was in the blender, I added 4 ice cubes and about 1.5 cups of water. Out came these:



It was nice that they were actually green, I read that most "green smoothies" are really brown. It tasted just like a banana pineapple smoothie. Couldn't taste the vegetables at all. I think the greens actually sweetened the smoothie. Most fruit smoothies I make have honey in them because they are too tart for me. This was really sweet without anything added to it.

KID TEST: Ella loved it. This was no surprise coming from the girl who eats bell peppers and cucumbers for breakfast. Spencer tried it (which is a miracle in itself). He said he didn't hate it but he didn't love it either. He said he'd drink it if he had to. He loves apples so the smoothie tomorrow will probably be something with apples, kale, and celery. I think he'd enjoy that more.

DOWNSIDE: Money!! To do this for a month will be expensive! I have got to find some ways around the cost. I think I'm going to get frozen unsweetened strawberries from Costco instead of using fresh ones. I used a package mix for some of the greens today but I couldn't resist the 10/$10 deal that Safeway had going on. Iceberg isn't the best choice for lettuce but it was mixed with Romaine, carrots, and red cabbage. If you have any other money saving ideas for fruits and veggies, pass them on!

On my radar . . .

1. Happy Green Smoothie Challenge. We are taking on the challenge for a month. I'll report back and let you know how it goes. I know at least Ella will do it with me, not so sure about the boy who will not even eat a regular smoothie.

2. Saw this at Shannon's blog and in the Pottery Barn catalog. I'm planning on making the flower ones this weekend for Ella's room.

3. End of the year teacher gifts. Anyone have a great idea?? I've been following this thread.

4. Since Miley Cyrus's unfortunate magazine cover and the subsequent shopping trip with Ella where I discovered hardly any suitable tops for her, I've had modesty on my mind. Without going into my inner tirade right now, I've been delighted to find that several blogs feature Modesty Monday. It has been so refreshing to read intelligent, modern thoughts about modesty (including dress, appearance, language, intentions, etc.) I'm too tired to list links right now but if you are interested google Modesty Monday and read on!

5. On the subject of clothing, check out this fun blog. A personal stylist answers questions and gives advice, so fun!

Budding Poet

Spencer's latest project at school was to compile 20 of his poems and turn them into a book. Here are some of the poems from his book, along with what type of poem it is:

Limerick:

There was a man with a big mustache
So he never could go for a dash
For he would trip
And his sleeve would rip
And he would have a very big gash

Diamante:
Kart
Swift, strong
Racing, crossing, jumping
Always made for bumping
Bumping, spinning, crashing
Agile, capable
Car

Acrostics

My favorite sport

Bases
America’s pastime
Sliding
Exciting
Ball
Awesome
Line drive
Likeable


My favorite (and only) sister

Ecstatic
Loveable
Loony
Acrobatic

Cinquain:

Airplane
Fast, capable
Flying, soaring, landing
Sometimes made from paper
Flying machine

WFMW - Library Bags

We are a family of readers. One of our favorite activities is to visit the library. Between the four of us, we usually have 35-40 books checked out at a time. We are really good at getting the books, not so good at returning them on time (even though we literally live a couple of steps from the library). I realized that half the battle was rounding up the library books to return. About a year ago, I took a large canvas bag and put it in our living room next to one of our bookshelves. ALL library books are kept there. As soon as we finish a book, it goes back in the bag. This has made it much more easier to find books when we need to return them. We are hardly ever late now. This week though, I took it a step further. I noticed that most of our fines (when we get them) were on the kids books. So I bought two reusable bags from Trader Joe's and put a bag in each of their rooms for library books. It is much easier for them when they finish reading, to put the book back in the bag in their room than to bring it all the way downstairs. Such a simple easy idea, I wish I would have done it years ago.

For more tips from some amazing women, visit Works for me Wednesday hosted by Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer

A rose by any other name . . .

So I've been toying with the idea of changing my blog title and having pseudonyms for my kids because of internet safety blah, blah, blah. I was completely stumped on what to change their names to so Lance had the wonderful idea of asking them what they would have liked to have been called if we hadn't chosen their names for them.

Are you ready for this??

Indiana and Pablo (from Backyardigans).

I am 100% serious. You should have seen their faces. They thought these would have been the best names for them. Spencer did give a little and said I could call him Indy. Ella wouldn't budge. I then tried to explain the reason for new names. Spencer said "Indy or nothing."

I'm choosing option #2, can you blame me?

Great sites for kids

I love Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer. She has put together a list of great FREE websites for kids. There are all sorts of categories: general learning and games, math, animals, young toddlers, geography, art, stories, etc. I put a button on my sidebar that will take you to the list of links. Ella has been happily playing at Starfall (ABC's and reading) and My Little Pony today. Definitely go check it out.

Moms for Modesty

Ella had a HUGE growth spurt a couple of weeks ago so Ella and I had a girls shopping day. We hit the malls, went out to lunch, and spoiled ourselves. We had a blast except for one small annoyance - we didn't find hardly any clothes! I could not believe the styles that are selling right now for 3-year-old girls. I never thought it would be hard to find modest clothes for my preschooler. Who knew??

On a more comical note, Ella found a pink swimsuit that she fell in love with. I have never seen her want an item of clothing so badly. I was set to buy it until I noticed that there was a big hole cut out of the back of it. I told Ella we couldn't get it and showed her the hole. She looked at me and said "I know, we can fix it with tape and glue." She was as perplexed as I was about the hole in the back of the swimming suit.

Anyway, I found this wonderful site that is trying to promote modest clothing so more retailers will notice that there is a demand for more modest clothing. I printed their mission statement below but go check them out - what a great idea.

Moms for Modesty Mission Statement

As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women.
I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

SO EXCITED!

Season 2 of Flipping Out starts June 17th on Bravo! I love, love, love Jeff Lewis (I think we are long lost brother and sister). If you haven't seen it, it's a reality show about a guy with OCD/narcissistic personality disorder who flips houses. It is hysterically funny. Check it out.

Teddy Bear Picnic

A couple of weeks ago, Ella had a teddy bear picnic at preschool. All the kids were supposed to bring their favorite teddy bear, Ella chose to bring her bunny and told him to "pretend to be a teddy bear." She is such a crack up. I love this age. I'm so grateful that we are in a position that I can come and participate in these activities with her. We had a picnic with their 3 teddy bears, one bunny, and Elmo. Afterwards the kids performed "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around . . ." and went on a BEAR HUNT!

I have some video clips from the day that I will try and add later.

WFMW - Spinach Sweet Bread

For those of you who don't know yet, Works For Me Wednesday is a blog carnival that Shannon started over at Rocks In My Dryer. I have been getting so many amazing tips from there, I had to join in the fun!

Last week while picking up some flowers at our local nursery, they were giving out samples of food made using their herbs and vegetables from the garden. This spinach sweet bread was to die for - I had to get the recipe. I made it this week with fresh spinach from our farmer's market and herbs from my garden - it made me feel oh so Martha Stewartishy (is that a word???). My family devoured it. Hiding vegetables in yummy cake is what works for me this week. For more tips from some amazing moms visit Rocks in my dryer - WFMW

Spinach Sweet Bread
(Recipe from Heather Hill Gardens)

1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely crumbled mixed dried herbs (such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, mint, lemon verbena)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 cups chopped fresh spinach (if frozen, drain well)
Butter for greasing pans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Using a wooden spoon or hand-held mixer, mix all dry ingredients, then add oil, eggs, and spinach. Beat until well blended. Lightly grease one loaf pan or two half-size loaf pans with butter and pour in batter. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until edges are just starting to brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool. Freezes well.

Old School Mario Kart

Last Friday my mom bought the kids Mario Kart for the Wii (Thanks Mom!!). They were in absolute heaven. I haven't played it yet but I highly recommend it if anyone is thinking about getting it. It is a game that both kids are able to play together, which is wonderful. We got an extra wheel so both "drivers" have a wheel when they race each other. I can't even imagine the chaos that would occur if we only had one wheel.

Anyway, the love of Mario Kart has prompted Spencer to make his own race track and cars. Spencer and Ella worked on it yesterday and when I woke up this morning they had it all set up and were racing their own cars. Spencer was really sweet with Ella as he showed her how to make one.

I snapped a few pictures. Spencer wanted me to interview him and post it here but it was way too early and we had to get dressed and off to school!

Book Review #6

I am so behind on reviews. I know I have forgotten half of what I've read in the last month.

#22- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I really tried to have an open mind when I read this book. I read his first book, The Kite Runner, and had to put it down half way through the book. I just didn't get all the hype surrounding the book. I kept hearing everyone rave about his second book so I finally picked up a copy at the library. It was a really fast read. It wasn't a bad book but I'm completely at a loss as to why his books are so popular. It left me very underwhelmed. I feel like the plot and the characters were very contrived. He purposely tried to play on emotions without giving the characters enough depth to warrant the emotion. I wonder if I would have liked it more if I hadn't previously read extensively on the Middle East. Interesting story but definitely not great.

#23 - Run by Ann Patchett - Ann Patchett wrote one of my favorite books, Bel Canto, so I was really excited to see another book by her. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations. It was one of those books where you read the whole thing just waiting for it to get better, but then it never does.

#24 - A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren - I am a huge fan of Post Secret, although I have not read any other of his compilations. I really liked this book. It is easy to pick up and read a few and put back down. Don't do what I did and read the whole thing in one sitting. You will never want to see another secret again. (As an aside, when I was younger I used to tell my mom that when I grew up I wanted to be a therapist because then everyone would tell me their secrets - so Post Secret is perfect for me)

#25 - Escape by Carolyn Jessop. Another book on polygamy. I don't remember a ton about this book but I know I really liked it. It was interesting to me that she is actually related to Lance. The story is about her "escape" from the FLDS religion. Wow, I'm really descriptive today. Get the book from the library, it's good.

I think I'm going to stop here. I have approx. 10 more books I need to add but I'll save those for another time.