10/03/2012 5:00 am
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When searching for local fundraisers to promote I came across this event which will support a local mom of two with the overwhelming medical costs that have come with her recent breast cancer diagnosis.
This Thursday October 4th, the vintage boutique Macalistaire at 1850 in Laguna Beach will be hosting a fundraiser for longtime resident, local jeweler and mom Stacey Garmshausen, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Stacey will be showcasing jewelry from her own line, Stacey G Jewelry – An eclectic collection of handmade art. Her pieces have been worn by celebrities such as Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Nicole Richie, Eva Mendes and Sheryl Crow.
All sales from the jewelry line and 30 % of the boutique sales on Thursday night will go directly to Stacey for medical costs.
Please stop by Macalistaire at 1850 between 5 and 10 p.m. and support a local mom. Complete details and directions can be found here: www.facebook.com/macalistaire1850
According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. While there is no guaranteed prevention for breast cancer, early detection can be your best asset. Be sure to check for lumps or skin changes often and see your doctor annually for an exam.
Exercise, eating well and reducing the amount of pollutants in your everyday foods and households products can help to reduce your risk and will set an example for your kids to live a healthy lifestyle.
Remember, your kids are watching your every move so make them count!
You can also visit me online at …Life With Lovebugs!
10/02/2012 6:00 am
Sometimes the activities and games that I play with the kids get a bit repetitive. My kids are young and let’s face it, they are not that good at I Spy. I know that “something red” means the playhouse and “something green” means the grass. And I know what happens if you give a mouse a cookie. So I thought of a few new ways to be interactive with the kids while maybe teaching them a thing or two.
Here’s what I came up with:
Talk about the difference between night and day. Have your child draw a picture of what they have seen during night and day.
Practice naming the days of the week and the months of the year. (This one I like to use while cooking dinner so I can multi-task)
While reading a story talk about the beginning, middle and end of the story.
Open a fruit that has seeds inside and explain how fruit grows from seeds.
Show your child a handful of change and ask them to identify the coins. Talk about size, color and value.
Talk about animals you would see at the zoo. What they eat, where they sleep, where they are from, etc.
Make a weather chart and have your child draw a picture of what the weather looks like throughout the day, or day by day in a week’s time.
Take a look at the moon and have your child draw a picture of what it looks like – crescent, full circle, half circle?
Show your child the town you live in on a map and point out where relatives live and the distance between.
Talk about the meaning of today, yesterday and tomorrow.
That’s a pretty good list, right? Well, at least for a month or so. What games do you play with your kids?
If you enjoyed this post, you can also visit my website…Life With Lovebugs!
09/13/2012 6:00 am
Now that we are in the second week of school I should be on track with the schedule and everything should be running like clockwork, right? Ummm, not quite. I am still struggling to get out the door with all of the kids dressed, bags packed and no return trips to get forgotten items. So I decided to make a list with a few ideas to get more organized for the morning
1. Get up before everyone else. Even if it’s only a half hour earlier it gives me just enough time to make coffee, check my email and start my day off right with a clear head.
2. Pack school lunches the night before. It may seem simple but when the lunches are already packed you won’t have to fight with the kids over what to pack in the lunches because it’s already done.
3. Make sure the diaper bag is always packed. If I need to run errands quickly, it never fails that as soon as I’m ready to go I grab the diaper bag and it’s empty. So be sure to refill the bag with what was used after each trip out.
4. Have a place for everything and everything in it’s place. If you have a designated place for commonly misplaced items such as shoes and backpacks it will reduce the last minute searching.
5. Check the kids backpacks after they get home for papers. Avoid the early morning requests for permission slips, supplies, bake sale items, checks, etc. by looking in the backpacks as soon as the kids get home. There’s nothing worse than “Oh, by the way Mom, I need (blank) today for class” as you’re walking out the door.
What is your secret to getting out of the house on time?
For more tips, tricks, recipes and crafts please visit my family blog…Life With Lovebugs!
09/06/2012 7:39 am
OC Mommies is putting on a Trike-A-Thon and Fall Festival called Trike 41 on October 05th!
This event will benefit Jessie Rees Foundation’s and will produce an estimated 500 JoyJars ™. What is a JoyJar ™? It is just that—a jar of love, hope and joy–filled with toys, games, activities and special note for the kids to “NEGU”. NEGU-Never Ever Give Up was 12 year old Jessie Rees’ personal motto during her courageous battle with cancer. Jessie’s message, NEGU, has become a symbol of hope and inspiration for thousands of kids fighting cancer. These jars will to be sent to children all over the world fighting cancer.
There are over 100 Orange County toddlers that have registered for this event and over $5000 has been raised so far. The goal is to reach $10,000 by the end of September, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month! Visit the Trike 41 website to more information on how to register or donate.
Event Information:
Trike 41 Info:
9:30am: Arrival and Check-In
10:00am: Trike the Track
10:30am: Carnival Celebration
11:45am: Concert by Jules Music for Kids
12:30pm: Raffle Prizes
Location
Woodbury Great Lawn
108 Lamplighter
Irvine, CA
Fun Attractions
Food Sold by Company 77 Mobile Pizza Fire Truck
Delicious Treats Sold by Kona Ice
Princess and Superhero Appearances by Princess Party Enchantment
Kids Concert by the Jules Music for Kids
Fun Decorations by Celebrate with a Sign
Face Painting by Face Formers
Balloon Twisting and Games by Party Karacters
Bounce house Fun by Bounce Boot Camp
Baby Play Station by Gymboree Irvine
Boo Boos and Band-Aids by www.justbreastfeeding.com
For more information on OC Mommies or the Jessie Rees Foundation, please view the full PRESS RELEASE.
I hope to see you there!
For more tips, tricks, recipes and crafts please visit my family blog…Life With Lovebugs!
08/28/2012 6:00 am
Today more than ever it’s been found that most children have a food allergy of some sort. All three of my kids are allergic to milk and it’s often difficult to find meals for them when we are away from home. Fortunately they are not as severely allergic as they could be and do require any medication.
So when I was told that my daughter’s school was “nut free” I wasn’t shocked. In fact, the entire district and most of the schools in California are. But if your child does not have an allergy to nuts, it can be difficult trying to figure out what the send for lunch.
Here are a few nut free ideas to get you started.
Pasta Salad – Mix rotini or elbow pasta with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, chopped basil and Italian dressing.
Broccoli Chicken Salad – Mix broccoli florets, chucks of chicken, cranberries and rice. Dress with a mixture of equal parts canola oil and orange juice.
Chickpeas & Veggies – Mix chickpeas with raw, diced veggies such as bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and/or carrots. Dress with a vinaigrette and let sit over night. Serve with pita chips.
Rice & Beans - Mix rice, black beans, corn and salsa. Serve with yellow corn chips.
BBQ Chicken Sandwich – Mix shredded chicken with barbeque sauce and top with shredded carrots or coleslaw. Serve on a whole wheat bun.
Hummus Sandwich – Spread hummus on whole wheat bread and sprinkle with diced bell pepper, cucumber or carrots. To mix it up, try flavored hummus.
Cucumber Sandwich – Spread cream cheese on whole wheat bread and top with sliced cucumbers. If your child likes lettuce, add watercress lettuce.
Yogurt Parfait – Layer vanilla yogurt with granola and fruit in a plastic container.
What do you send to school for lunch?
For more tips, tricks, recipes and crafts please visit my family blog…Life With Lovebugs!
08/14/2012 9:00 am
I have to admit, when I first saw this recipe in my Cooking With Trader Joe’s cookbook, I didn’t look twice. Avocado pesto sauce? That just sounds too weird. But with this heat I was desperate to try anything that was easy to prepare and did not require turning on the oven.
I was surprised at how good this was! I LOVE pesto sauce….but I LOVE this avocado pesto sauce more and despite the green color my kids loved it too. I changed the recipe a little from the book by adding some shredded cheese. But I tried both ways and it was still good without the cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb pkg of noodles (I used spaghetti, but any pasta would work)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled & diced)
- ¼ c lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium, ripe avocados (halved, peeled, and seeded)
- 1 c fresh basil leaves (approx 30 leaves)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ c shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to the package.
- While pasta is cooking, scoop avocado out of the peel and put into a blender or food processor with garlic, lemon juice, basil leaves and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Process until creamy adding the additional tbsps of olive oil if needed.
- Drain pasta (don’t rinse) and toss with the avocado mixture and cheese in a large bowl until coated.
I had some left over and kept it in the fridge for lunch the next day. I wasn’t sure if it would turn brown but the lemon juice kept it green. It was even tasty cold! When the heat lets up I think I will roast some cherry tomatoes in the oven with a bit of garlic and olive oil to go with this. So stay tuned for an “update” post for this recipe!
Thanks for stopping by, but I have to run….I can hear the kids waking up, Mom’s coffee break is over!
See you next week!
For more tips, tricks, recipes and crafts please visit my family blog…Life With Lovebugs!
08/07/2012 8:00 am
Sometimes my life as a stay-at-home mom to 3, a business owner, a blogger and a wife makes it’s hard to find time to get everything done. So, I love being able to use my household items for multiple purposes! I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks over the years and in this series I will share them with you. If you have any tips or tricks of your own to add, please feel free to comment!
New Uses For Old Things: Used Coffee Grounds
Beauty:
-Tip Nut offers a way to reduce cellulite using coffee grounds: Mix warm, used coffee grounds and olive oil to make a paste. Apply the mix into your problem areas and massage into skin. Rinse in the shower or for a more intense treatment wrap the area with plastic wrap and leave on for 15 minutes. For more info on this process, you can read the full post here: Tip Nut
-Coffee grounds can also be used to soften and add shine to dark hair. When shampooing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds will also add highlights. Do not use on blonde or light colored hair.
-Use coffee grounds to exfoliate your skin. Mix with olive oil and massage into skin, you can use it on your face and body.
-Coffee Face Mask recipe: 2 tbsp coffee grounds, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 3 tbsp yogurt , 1 tbsp honey. Massage mask into your skin and allow to dry for 15-20 minutes. Then rinse it off thoroughly. This mask will help tighten pores and remove oil. The coffee grinds will help reduce puffiness and swelling, while the cocoa, honey and milk will add moisture to your skin.
Around The House:
-Coffee grounds can be used as plant food. Plants such as rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias that prefer acidic soils will receive nutritional benefits from the grounds.
-Used coffee grounds can be used to repel ants, snails and slugs as well as adding nutrients to the soil.
-Place a bowl with used coffee grounds in the fridge or freezer to remove unwanted odors.
-Rub coffee grounds on hands to get rid of smells from chopping or cutting up pungent foods.
-Remove furniture scratches with wet coffee grounds.
-Coffee grounds can be used as a safe and natural abrasive for scrubbing any surface. You can clean greasy pans by scrubbing them with some wet coffee grounds and a cloth. The grounds will get rid of any greasy odor too.
-Used in the garbage disposal they keep the nasty musty odor away.
Thanks for stopping by, but I have to run….I hear the sounds of chaos in the distance. See you next week!
For more tips, tricks, recipes and crafts please visit my family blog…Life With Lovebugs!
