Splash Pad

The Tempe Town Lake Splash Pad opened for the season yesterday. If your looking for a free fun activity to do with your kids this summer, this one will keep them cool. I took Hudson to the splash pad at the zoo the other day and I don't know if he is quite ready for it! Maybe we'll give it another try. Open 10am to 7pm. For more information call (480) 350-8625.

Strawberry Margaritas

I bought 4 lbs of strawberries at Costco this week and have been trying to use them up before they go bad. I made strawberry margaritas for Casey and I tonight and they turned out pretty good! Here's how I made them:

• 1 1/2 cups of strawberries rinsed with stems cut off
  
• 2 cups of ice
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, plus more to rim the glass
  
• 2 limes, 1 juiced and use the other to slice for garnish
  
• 2 shots of tequila
• splash of orange juice

Squeeze lime juice along the rim of the margarita glasses, then dip in sugar (or salt). Place the ice in the blender followed by the strawberries, sugar, lime juice, tequila, and orange juice. Pulse to break up the ice, then blend on high until smooth. Pour into the glasses and enjoy!

Pampered Chef

Paring Knife $1.75
These are great sharp little knives.
Wonderful for cutting up a variety of food for
my 1 year old son.

Scoop $13.00
Great for scooping cookie dough,
and they come in three sizes.

Grill Press $34.00
This make a yummy panini
and can be used for lots of other cooking!

Grill Pan $135.00
I love being able to grill chicken,
fish, and sandwiches inside on the stove top.

Round Stone $21.50
These stones make some really great cookies,
they turn out perfect every time!

Kitchen Shears $16.50
I LOVE these! I use them the most for
cutting food up for my son. I cut up sandwiches, chicken, fruit,
noodles, just about anything! They save so much time and are very sharp.

Mini Whisk $9.50
I don't quite know what it is about
this whisk that makes me love it so much...
Maybe the size and the handle is heavy and sturdy...

Citrus Press $17.00
An absolute must when making Mojitos!
(Right Carley? we need to get you one of these!)

I recently hosted a pampered chef show for my friend that just started selling their products. From hosting the show I got lots of great free products. These are some of my favorite items listed above. If you see something you like or want to host a show you can check it out online.

Healthy Snacks

Rice Pudding can be a healthy alternative
to other sweet treats, such as ice cream, and only has
about 130 calories in half a cup. You can also find it with no sugar
and made with soy milk. Add some of your favorite fresh fruit
or some cinnamon on top.

It can be hard to find a healthy snack to eat on the go.
Trail mix is a great choice, especially over a bag of chips or
some other over processed snack. Trail mix provides you with lots
of healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals. You can even make your own.

Yogurt and granola with some fresh fruit
is often what Casey and I will eat for breakfast during the week.
It is quick and healthy. However, it also makes a great snack
when you're craving something a little sweet!

Free Movie in the Park

Kiwanis Park is playing movies for the whole family every Friday night. You can bring a blanket, snacks or dinner, and enjoy the movie! Movies begin at dusk (approximately 7:00 p.m.) and will be shown by the fire pit on the west side of Kiwanis Lake. Call 480-350-5200 for more information.

• May 1 - Wall-E (G)

• May 8 - Bolt (PG)

• May 15 - Ratatouille (G)

• May 22 - Tale of Despereaux (PG)

Fun Birthday Cake Designs

These are some really cute cake designs that I found on parenting.com. Check out the link for more designs and step by step instructions for how to make each cake!

Brunch in a Bag

This past weekend Casey and I went to his Aunt's house for Brunch, and his cousin had heard of the idea of cooking an omelet in a bag. All of the ingredients were set out on a buffet table for everyone to customize their own omelet. First was a stack of plastic baggies with a sharpie to write you name on your bag. Next was a bowl of beaten eggs and milk that you could ladle into your baggie. Then there was a variety of veggies and other ingredients to mix in: spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, cheese, chicken, ect. All you have to do is toss it in, mix it around, and seal it up. Casey's Aunt collected all of the bags and boiled them all in large pot for about 10 to 15 minutes. I had never heard of anything like this before, and think it's so clever! It allowed for everyone to eat their omelets together.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
• 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (use a cookie scoop to get that rounded shape out of the cookies), 1 inch apart, onto two large baking sheets or I used my pampered chef cookie stone (and they came out wonderfully). Bake until golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Recipe from everyday food magazine, March 2009.

Spring Cleaning

It's time for some Spring cleaning, and here are three all natural products that can be used to clean your home. Vinegar, lemons, and baking soda can all be used as natural cleaning products.
The perks:

• These products are safer to use and do not contain added chemicals that are dangerous to you family's health.
• They can save you money. The cost of white vinegar, lemons, and baking soda are all very cheap.
  
• Each product has several different ways that it can be used to clean your home.
• Better for the environment!

Vinegar

Uses:

Vinegar can be used like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix up a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most of your home. Vinegar is also a disinfectant and deodorizer. It is safe to use on most surfaces, however if not diluted enough vinegar can eat away at tile grout. Vinegar should not be used on marble surfaces. You can use vinegar in some of these rooms of your home:

1. Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and counter tops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Mop the floor in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution.
   
2. Kitchen- Clean the stove top, appliances, counter tops, and floor.
3. Laundry Room- Vinegar can be used as a natural fabric softener. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively.
   

Lemon Juice

Uses:

Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. A lemon can also be used to clean and shine brass and copper. By mixing lemon juice with vinegar and or baking soda you can create cleaning pastes. You can also cut a lemon in half and place baking soda on the cut section, then use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. If you mix 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice and you can create a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture. Another great idea for a lemon is to put a lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It will freshen the drain and the kitchen.

Baking Soda

Uses:

Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces. Baking soda is a great deodorizer. Its most popular use is in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. However, you can place it anywhere you need deodorizing action. One idea is to use it on your child's stuffed animals that can't be washed and need some cleaning. Dust the stuffed animal with baking soda, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then dust off the baking soda.

Culture Pass

Arizona Science Center

Phoenix Zoo

Desert Botanical Gardens

Children's Museum of Phoenix

Starting April 1^st 2009 through March 31st 2010, library cardholders can check out a Culture Pass for FREE admission for up to four people at participating arts and cultural institutions listed below. The pass is valid for 7 days from the time of check-out. Passes will be available on a first-come first-served basis, and can only be used once during the 7 days. For more information check out this link: Culture Pass.

AZ Museum for Youth
AZ Museum of Natural History
AZ Science Center
The Bead Museum
Cave Creek Museum
Children's Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Mesa Contemporary Arts
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Taliesin West

Hudson's First Birthday Party

I haven't been as consistent with my postings lately, but i am going to say that it is because I have been busy with planning Hudson's birthday party and entertaining family. It is kind of crazy that his birthday was here and gone already. The first year went by so so fast! It has been an amazing year and we had fun celebrating it at his old-fashioned birthday party! For more birthday pictures you can go to EL Hicks Photography. (Hudson's pictures are found under portraits.) We went with an old fashioned birthday party theme. Serving hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch and banana splits for dessert. We had classic toys and games for the kids to play with, like hula hoops and pin the tail on the donkey. I had a candy station for guests to fill bags with on their way out as a favor bag. We had old fashion, colorful candy; gumballs, pixie sticks, m&m's, swedish fish, and candy dots. I made the silhouette of Hudson to decorate with and you can find more details on how to make one here.

Round or Tall Apothecary Vases

There's no limit to the uses you'll find for these remarkable Round or Tall Apothecary ... [More]

Price: 24.99

Sale: 24.99

Buy Now

Yoga Pants

These are my new favorite yoga capri pants. They fit really snug, but are still flattering and very comfortable. You can find them at Target. The solid colors are $21.99 and the pants with a color on the top are on clearance online for $15.39.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Handmade Mother's Day Card
$2.75 on Etsy by 30one

$40.00 Apron by That's Sew Lexi

$30.00 for a Half Apron
Get Matching Dishtowels for $17.00

$10.00 on Etsy by Paper Poppies
These are soo cute!

Personalized Pin Cushion
$9.00 on Etsy by Sarah Brown

These are all great gift ideas for Mother's Day. I think what I love most about these are that they are handmade and original. These gift ideas are even great to look at to try to get creative ideas for your own homemade gift for Mom.

Pin Cushions

$12.00 on Etsy by Love Laurie

$17.00 on Etsy by Crazy Cakes

$16.00 at Urban Outfitters
(online only)

There are lots of cute pin cushions out there! I got mine at Francesca's and is similar to the owl one found at urban outfitters except mine is a turquoise bird and they also make the pin cushion as a ladybug! It is nice because it it also a tape measure; clever!!! Etsy is also a great place to look for pin cushions, and a lot of other things.