Try It Tuesday: Cardinal Bird Hand Print Craft

Well, a thunderstorm cancelled my son's nature camp this morning, so a project and some stories were in order to help fill his morning. I decided we would make this Cardinal Bird Hand print  craft.

Supplies needed: white paper, red and green washable paint, glue, brown paper bag, googly eyes & orange construction paper (or you could paint or color in a beak instead.)

Start by having your child re-purpose a brown paper bag by tearing it up in to small pieces that will be glued on to make the nest. Next help them paint their hands and have them place them on the paper.

Glue the brown paper pieces in the shape of a next underneath the birds. Glue on small triangle pieces of orange construction paper for a beak and glue on googly eyes.

Using a paint brush have the child paint the space above green for a tree.

Allow to dry and show off their creations! My son decided he wanted to make lots of birds, so he made one with 2 birds in a nest and another with 1 bird in a nest and 3 birds flying away.

Make It Monday: Brazilian "Lemon"ade

It may be called Lemonade in Brazil, but it is really made with limes. I first discovered this recipe when we were planning our New Year's Eve with some friends and all of our kids since Brazil hits midnight at 8pm and 9pm our time. This would be a wonderful summer beverage.

Brazilian "Lemonade"
3-4 limes, juiced (should equal 3/4 Cup)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 C cold water

Directions: Mix all ingredients and serve over ice immediately. If it sits for a while, just shake to mix again. Enjoy!

GIVEAWAY and Review: Jolly Time Popcorn

I was very excite to be picked to review Jolly Time Popcorn with Smart Balance. Our household are frequent popcorn eaters. So much so that I was lucky to be able to get any to try myself (I did though!) I typically buy Light Butter microwave popcorn at home (or I make kernels on the stove top), so I was able to compare the nutritional info on each of the light packages, and while all those "numbers" on the back basically read the same, the different came in the ingredients. Jolly Time Popcorn with Smart Balance contains NO HYDROGENATED or Partially Hydrongenated OILS! It uses a blend of oils that has 63% of the fat in the product coming from Mono and Poly Unsaturated Fats. This popcorn is going to be great to make my Microwave Caramel Popcorn (this is on our Summer Bucket List of 102 Things to Do as well!) If you are using this list, then you should give my recipe a try and use Jolly Time Popcorn.

 Some other health benefits worth noting about Jolly Time Popcorn with You get 3g of Dietary Fiber in just one serving (there are 2.5 servings in a bag) and it is also the only popcorn brand that is endorced by Weight Watchers. I know that when I did Weight Watchers a few years ago, I ate popcorn as a snack all the time because it was low in fat and calories and high fiber (great for when you are calculating points!) This popcorn works with "The Smart Balance Food Plan" to help support keeping healthy cholesterol levels within the normal range. Do you want to try out Jolly Time Popcorn for FREE?

Find out more information about Jolly Time Popcorn online:

Website

Facebook

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ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN 2 COUPONS FOR FREE JOLLY TIME POPCORN!!!

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Wordless Wednesday: Haystack Rock, Tillamook Lighthouse and Mount Hood

Tillamook Lighthouse

Haystack Rock

Mount Hood

Sponsored Review: Green Lantern Costume from BuyCostumes.com

My kids love costumes. My daughter does and my son does. And I love that they love it because it encourages them to use their imaginations and lets them try out different characters. When I found out I was picked to do this review I knew my son was going to be excited because he could pick pretty much any super hero costume he wanted. I had him sit down with me and look at all the choices that are available on BuyCostumes.com and he first narrowed it down to his top 4 choices, which were Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and The Green Lantern. Some of the other choices were Captain America, Iron Man (both regular and patriotic), Thor, Wolverine and more. To be honest, I was surprised that The Green Lantern made his top 4 and I certainly wasn't expecting him to choose it as they one we ordered. I thought for sure he would go with the really popular ones. As we looked through all the super hero costumes on BuyCostumes.com he was very curious about all the other super heroes that he was not very familiar with. It gave us quite a discussion and more of an education for me as he told me about them. I admit, I am not up on my super heroes but my son sure is, so I guess I will be soon too.





He also noticed that there were lots of female super heroes and thought we needed to get one for sister. He really thought she needed a Wonder Woman costume (I had to agree as I have a fondness for Wonder Woman when I remember by Wonder Woman underoos of my youth - do you remember those?!?!?!)

My son is in a size 4 right now, so I got the size 4-6 and it fits great and does have room it for him to grow with it. So, I would say that the sizing is pretty accurate on this costume. I just love the abs that are built in and the arm muscles. You need to have visible muscles if you are going to be a super hero. This costume comes in 3 pieces that include the main costume (shoes covers are attached at the bottom), a mask, and the Green Lantern Ring. It attaches closed in the back with velcro, so it can be easily put on & off. My son is wearing this over summer clothes, so it does fit well over clothes and does also have some stretch to the fabric if you need it to. What a fun costume! Thanks BuyCostumes.com for choosing me to review this costume. He absolutely loves it!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Try It Tuesday: Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam

Making your own jam doesn't get much simpler than making Freezer Jam. All you need are 3 ingredients and some storage containers. I used canning jars, lids & rings because I have them, but you don't need to. You can use any container that you have that can be frozen. Make this a family project from start to finish and take your kids strawberry picking with you and then have them help make it. Making it is super easy and no cooking is required.

Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients Needed:
* 4 lbs. strawberries
* 1 1/2 C sugar
* 1 package of Ball Freezer Jam Instant Fruit Pectin

Directions:
* Remove hulls and stems from strawberries and crush
* Stir sugar and pectin together in a bowl
* Add crushed strawberries and stir for 3 minutes
* Ladle in to clean containers and let stand for 30 minutes
* Store in fridge (up to 3 weeks) or freezer (up to 1 year)
* Enjoy!

Make It Monday: Potluck Tuna Pasta Salad

It's summer and that means picnics and potlucks. In the past it has meant pasta salad laden with mayo, but it doesn't have to anymore. Try this clean eating recipe for making a tuna pasta salad. You are not going to miss all the fat and calories from the mayo when you replace it with protein boosting greek yogurt.

Potluck Tuna Pasta Salad
1 box cooked whole wheat rotini noodles  (12-16oz.)
1 bag frozen (thawed) peas
3 cans tuna, drained
5 green onions, chopped
2-3 oz colby jack cheese (chopped in small cubes)
3 egg whites, chopped
1 6oz. container of plain greek yogurt
1/4 C skin milk
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp dehydrated garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Combine cooked noodles, peas, onions, cheese and egg whites in a large bowl
• In a shaker, shake up yogurt, milk, dill, garlic, pepper flakes, salt & pepper
• Pour liquid mixture of contents in the bowl
• Stir bowl to mix all ingredients and all items are covered with the sauce
• All to chill in the fridge for 1-3 hours before serving
• Enjoy!