An opportunity to learn: Annular Solar Eclipse Tonight

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2012May20A.GIF

   I get excited about "space stuff". Stars, commets, phases of the moon, costillations, you name it.  Tonight is a cool event that you can be sure I'll share with the kiddos.  The Annular Solar Eclipse, where about 94% of the the Sun's surface will be obstructed by the Moon from our Southern California view.  It isn't a complete eclipse tonight though.  Since the moon travels around the earth in a oval orbit, it sometimes appears larger depending on what part of the oval it's in.  Tonight it is farther away from the Earth, making it appear smaller and not completely covering the Sun.  http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html

NEVER VIEW AN ECLIPSE WITH THE NAKED EYE!! 

Here is an easy and fun little project for viewing tonights eclipse:

Get two pieces of cardboard--one piece colored white to project onto. Cut a square in one cardboard, then tape a piece of foil over the square. Now make a pinhole in the middle of the foil.

With the sun behind you, hold the pinhole cardboard as far from the white cardboard as you can.

Remember, the farther you are from the screen, the bigger your image.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/card.html

Need an easier way?

Criss-cross your fingers waffle style to the sunlight, which will project the partial eclipse on the ground in front of you, according to NASA.

What time??
In the United States, the eclipse begins around 5:30 pm PDT. For the next two hours, a Moon-shaped portion of the sun will go into hiding. Greatest coverage occurs around 6:30 pm PDT.

Could this be the sugar solution?

I don't know why I didn't think of it before....duh!  Grow my own Stevia?  Hmmmm.   It came to my attention via a Facebook post that I could grow my own sweetener.   You'll recall that I have slowly been researching healthy alternatives, see here, and making the changes that I feel relevant to me and my family.  You also know that there is a great sugar debate, Sugar vs. Splenda vs. Stevia.  I've gone full circle and as far as I can tell a naturally grown sweetener just makes sense. 

What is Stevia?  Basically, it's a plant.  Its leaves have gotten a ton of attention as a sweetener and for many health benefits. 

So, why a sweetener?  It is 30 times sweeter than sugar, does not effect blood glucose levels, does not get metabolized thus no calories. 

Why grow it?  Well, how about saving money and having a natural sweetener available in my back yard.  In my part of the world, Southern California, it grows pretty well.  They can grow in containers or raised beds too.  The leaves are easily harvested, dried and chopped into the Stevia powder that we are familiar with. 

I'm going to give this a try......  I'll let you know how it goes.  I better get on it, harvest is in the Fall.

There's a ton of information on the Stevia plant, its benefits and how to grow it Here,

 if your interested in more info. 

Moms Summer Camp 2012

Last years "Mom's Summer Camp" was a huge success.

Not only did I get to spend the Summer with my kiddos, but we saved a ton of money by not sending the kids to a week of expensive camps. You can read about last years camp here.

I'm trying to plan ahead this year in order to come up with some really creative and new experiences for this Summer.

I'm keeping my eye out and keeping a little list.

Here are the weeks that I've come up with:

"Cruise Week"

We'll be hitting up the Titanic Exhibit this year.

I've tied this in with the movie and an inexpensive ferry ride on a historic boat.

Want more info? Click Here

"Music Week"

In our community paper I saw and noted that our favorite beach has Saturday night concerts by the sea. We'll check out one or two of these and visit the our making music museum.

http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/visit/visitorinfo

"Sports Week"

We are really fortunate to have an Olympic Training Center right down the freeway from us. We'll go take a tour and learn about some other international sports. My kids are old enough to do some online research now, so this will be their task.

"Pottery Week"

Most cities have one of those "paint your own" pottery places. We'll go hit this up and head down to a children's pottery making class. I'd like to visit one of our local Missions to see some historic pieces too.
http://www.spanishvillageart.com/classes.htm

"Grape and Cheese Week"

I was inspired by a little cheese shop in Seattle to create this one. I've seen recipes on Pinterest to make home-made cheeses. We'll try them. I also noted that a nearby area is having their "Balloon and Wine Festival" in June. So, we will go stomp some grapes and learn a little bit about the process of making wine. Festivals are great form kids and parents.

http://www.temeculawines.org/blog/tag/kids-activities-temecula-valley/

"Sand Castle Week"

The Annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition is happening this week. We'll get inspired and then spend the rest of the week at the Beach perfecting our own. We all like to go paddle boarding too, so we'll try to hit the boards this week.

Every year we do the Summer reading program too. We'll often seek out books that are in line with our theme for the week.

There it is! Weeks loosely planned out for a fun and educational Summer.

Some tips:

Start planning now to catch the local events going on in your area. This can save you a lot of money by seeking out specials, free or almost free things to do.

Find a theme. This helps a ton with planning and organizing.

Pick up your local area papers and write down the events that your interested in on a list. (Otherwise I forget)

Be flexible....if it doesn't work out. Don't sweat it. It's the time with the kids that's important, if they want to stay home, fine.

Want to know a little about Fat Tuesday?

During a recent trip to New Orleans I imagined what it was like during the celebration, as it was nuts on a regular night. Today is the big day and I'm not exactly sure what the celebration is about and why there are all of these traditions....are you?

Here's what I found:

-First, Mardi Gras is French for " Fat Tuesday" and Fat Tuesday refers to exactly what it sounds like, a night to eat rich, fatty, delish foods.

-Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday which is the day that the Lenten Season begins
-Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras is also called "Shrove Tuesday" a day to confess before Lent.

-"Ash Wednesday" is 46 days before Easter and is a period of prayer and fasting to signify a fasting by Jesus before his public ministry began.

Why is it "Ash" Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and the dusting of Ashes signifies sorrow and repentance. (There is a lot more to the day, which I may have to do an entirely different write-up on tomorrow)

So What about this King Cake?

Trying to describe the King Cake is opening big bag of worms! There are a ton of different variations in type, appearance and filling. The one above is the most popular American version. It gets its name from the biblical term "Three Kings" and is made with brioche and covered in icing with the traditional colors of gold, green and purple.

The tradition is that whoever gets the little baby is the "king" of the night. Getting the baby could also mean that you bring the cake next year.

Click here for a recipe

Read Here for a ton more information.

Why Gold, Purple, and Green?

Purple= Lent, Justice

Gold=Easter, Power

Green= Epiphany, Faith

Other Random Mardi Gras Facts:

-The beads have been around since the late 1900's (they use to be glass, now plastic)

-Flame-torches (flambeau) are another popular tradition during the parade. The carriers use to be slaves.

-The Mardi Gras Coconut (Zulu Coconut) use to be painted walnuts but switched over to painted coconuts and are a popular throw, along with the beads. They were a less expensive alternative to the original glass beads.

-Doubloons are small coins usually thrown from the floats. Now days they are minted with the year and are original to the specific float

The Best for Last :)

Why nudity?

Women have been showing their wares since 1889 in exchange for beads and trinkets.

Apparently it was the dang tourists to Bourbon Street that started this tradition.

Brown Rice Vs. White Rice

I truly never believed that I'd be blogging about rice. Well, here it is. Getting back on my plan for my next upcoming Figure Competition and I'm questioning the rice thing. Let's be honest, white rice just tastes better and it's easier to cook.

So, I did a little research.

Which is one piece of advice I have for anyone wanting to know what is going in there body or why one thing is "better" than another.

What is "White" rice?

White rice is created by removing the bran and germ portions of brown rice. By stripping the rice the healthy oils, magnesium, fiber and other nutrients are lost.

"Brown" rice?

A whole, natural grain that includes the above.

So, what does this mean?

Brown rice and white rice have similar number of calories and carbohydrates. The main differences between the two forms of rice lie in processing and nutritional content.

This also means, that I'll suck it up and cook my brown rice. Why eat something that could increase my chances of Diabetes and Obesity, when there's another option.

Push "Easy Button" Here :)

Need More?........

“The other consequence of the refining process includes loss of fiber, vitamins, magnesium and other minerals, lignans, phytoestrogens, and phytic acid, many of which may be protective factors for diabetes risk.”

"Refined grains “can wreak havoc with blood sugar levels and energy” and increase the risk not only for type 2 diabetes but for obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other health problems. "

"Harvard estimates that replacing 50 grams daily of white rice (uncooked, equivalent to a one-third serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 16%."

See my blog post here about some other "easy button" swaps and the Why's.

Find info here:
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20100614/brown-rice-vs-white-rice-which-is-better?page=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rice

Glamping!

A while back I was doing some research on Camping and got a chuckle out of it really. I'm not much of a "camper". We did the RV thing and honestly it exhausted me! Extra shopping, pack it up, messy it up, bring it home, clean it out...repeat. Don't even get me started on the whole "cooking" thing. However, I know that the experience is good for the family so I'm willing to give in a little.

As I cruised around the internet to find camping that I thought

I could tolerate,

I came across these:

Ok, so maybe not this last one....but crazy isn't it!

I was reminded of my blog intentions when I read this funny article in the NY Times.

Also, I am happy to report that I am not the only one who doesn't find the term "roughing it" appealing. There's a whole site dedicated to Glamping!

Check out http://www.glampinggirl.com/ for an awesome glamping experience.

Camping: nature's way of promoting the motel industry. ~Dave Barry

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong. ~George Carlin

Camping: The art of getting closer to nature while getting farther away from the nearest cold beverage, hot shower and flush toilet. ~Author Unknown

It's the perfect combination! Meal Planning and Couponing, the Lazy Girl Way.

I'm not going to lie. I do not see the value in couponing. I tried it.

I found alot of stuff that I didn't need. Alot of stuff that I don't need 10 of. Alot of stuff that is not a great choice nutritionally speaking. Alot of name brands, that frankly I don't buy because they're more expensive and why waste the time to clip the coupon on something that I can the "cheaper" version of already. I know that it's a craze and I'm hoping that someone will be so disgusted with me that they will attempt to show me the greener side of the couponing fence. I'm all about easy too. You know K.I.S.S (Keep it simple stupid!) Chances are good that I am not going to drive around town to save a few cents on my bread and I haven't done the math on the gas factor of doing so either.

So What's my point?!

I try to save money and my sanity by planning my menu. I already shared the most amazing Menu planning site that I have found to date. She puts together the menu, the recipe and the shopping list. Check it out here.

So, in comes all*you's Grocery Circular Roundup

This has got to be the best couponing site. From my shopping list, printed up from Eat at Home (above), I circle the things I need to get. Then I pop on to all*you and type in the items that I need. Searching by your area code, this site will pull up

all of the "deals" in your area right from

your own list!

No more shuffling through endless pages of circulars to find the stuff that you might actually get, finally getting to the store to find out that your coupon is expired or from another store.

I hate that!

The site also has printable coupons available to check out.

It might not be all of the deals and coupons that I could ever need, but it's an easy step in the right direction. If it's easy enough I will follow through. How about you?

So, I'm off to the store with my list and my "deals" and it took me about 5 minutes.

That I can do!

Check out all*you grocery circular roundup here.