Goodbyn Giveaway and Reveiw

Check out http://familyliciousreviews.blogspot.com/ for a fun lunchbox giveaway. The Goodbyn is a fun and handy little lunchbox that kids and adults alike will love!

Ahhh yes pumpkin carving...

...it's time if you haven't already fulfilled this Halloween task. You can feel it at the tip of your tongue, the chill as it nears. At this point hopefully you have found the perfect pumpkin to carve, if not hurry out and see what you can find. You may actually find some of the perfectly deformed pumpkins that no one else wanted and need a good home. These can have the best results sometimes. Next you must brainstorm or play it by ear either way can be fun. Sometimes you can just take a good look at the pumpkin and start slicin' and wa-la you have a jack o' lantern at your fingertips. For those who might not get that oh so wonderful vibe you can check out ideas and printouts online to help get you going. http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm

Don't forget to set the mood. Put on some Halloween tunes, eat some pumpkin goodies, drink some hot cider and don't forget to get down and dirty. They invented brooms, soap and sponges for this very reason. Ok you can put down some newspaper to help with the mess and don't forget to save the seeds for cookin'. With a little salt and time in the oven they make for yet another scrumptious treat. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/toasted_pumpkin_seeds/

Happy carving!

Book Recommendation

An Overview of Last Child in the Woods
In this influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.
Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard.
This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book was originally published. It includes:
100 actions you can take to create change in your community, school, and family.
35 discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
A new progress report by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder has spurred a national dialogue among educators, health professionals, parents, developers and conservationists. This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children.

Costumes

What happened to creativity? Everyone has this whether they think so or not. Yes it takes a little time and effort but in the end it's well worth the effort and feeling of accomplishment. I think especially for children this is important. I don't know if it's because I was raised with a minimal amount of funds and material things or I just happen to enjoy the inner workings of my crazy mind and like to see what I can squeeze out of it. I remember a time when Halloween was upon us and the excitment grew because we knew it was time to brainstorm the plans for our costumes. We would get so excited, thinking so hard about the perfect thing to create for that years festivities that our heads felt like they were going to explode. Yes there were frustrations and dead ends and at times we would have to rethink the whole thing but this is what we call life. We had a trunk full of old clothes, knick knacks, and random junk and were let loose to piece together our wonderful mish mash costume for the year. Once we accomplished this we couldn't wait to show it off at the school parade and of course while trick or treating. We welcomed the years that people would say "and what are you suppose to be?" because then we had the chance to explain our elaborate thinking and our crazy thought process which we thought no one would ever care to ask us about. Yes there were occasional times we had to have something very specific and yes my mom would make a trip to Kmart or Pic N Save and grab one of those cheesy plastic garbs just to satisfy our childhood crisis but believe me those went into the trunk to be used in conjunction with costumes for years to come ( it was also lovely that my mom did sew so she could help us create those certain things we just could not manage to accomplish ourselves like a Hula skirt-thanks mom ). Now I'm not saying that the costumes of today aren't just so darn cute, I just feel that creativity is so important in life to get the chance to experience especially for children (I feel adults benefit too).
Make you and your children a deal, every other year you get to create a costume with things you already have, old costumes, old clothes, things from around the house. Let their minds flow and remember if they decide their costume is a grocery bag with glitter on it SO BE IT! We are only children once and will hold those memories dear to our hearts for years to come. As parents don't be afraid to get down and dirty with the kids, make a day of it as a family, turn the TV off, set up a area in the house or yard, turn on some Halloween music and create a memory, You Won't Regret It!

Picture of the Week

Pumpkin Patch is a must

First I must clarify if you are a creepy street dweller no ill intent was meant, all are welcome here in any walk of life. We choose our paths whether it be creepy, streety or dwellerish it's no place of mine to judge but it may be quit the topic for conversation and a chuckle at times but then again what topic ain't.

...so back to the topic at hand, aw yes the pumpkin patch. I cannot remember a time I did not visit a pumpkin patch during the month of October. It feels like a Halloween betrayal if I didn't. Now I'm talking about a REAL pumpkin patch, not a freakin' parking lot with trucked in pumpkins. I mean apparently if you throw some hay on the ground they think you'll feel like your on a farm, seriously? The white lines and blacktop kinda bring you back to the parking lot reality. Now if you need your Halloween/pumpkin fix and it's near impossible to find a genuine patch I guess these will due on occassion, but lets hope for the best. I want pumpkins in all forms, perfectly orange and smooth to bumpy,cracked and just darn broken down,what a real farm has to offer. Dirt, rocks, things growing out of the ground. This is something every child and adult alike needs to experience in life, it brings on the Halloween spirit like nothing else (well candy corn helps too but we'll concentrate on the patch for now). Kids need dirt! Let them experience the joys of outdoor life, feel, smell, taste, all the good senses we were born with.

Ok, obviously you have the internet (or are really freaky and have some other way to read my blog) type in pumkin patch in (your area, remember to put state too who knows if your town name is in another state) and go for it!

My very favorite Pumpkin Patch is Lombardi Ranch http://www.lombardiranch.com/ in Santa Clarita, Ca. Very old school ranch been around forever. If you're in the area check it out, great for kids and adults.
This year was the first time visiting Tanaka Farms in Irvine, Ca. Not too shabby. Great selection and lots to do. Wear sunscreen and a hat.

Happy pumpkin hunting!

Love it live it laugh it up...

...we all have to live on the border line of insanity. Whether you appear that way or not it all is lurking within us. I don't mean this in a creepy, street dweller kind of way just a normal dose of insanity that people fear to talk about. Why can't we admit that our lives are not perfect, we have insecurities, our marriages aren't perfect and neither are our children, we have money trouble, we don't always know what your talking about, yes I ate that last donut at midnight and didn't want anyone to know, you snore, you color your hair, you wax, we love the ridiculous television shows that obviously people watch or they wouldn't be on TV, our houses are a mess sometimes or all the time but don't want anyone to know we are human...seriously we could go on for days. I'm here to state the obvious or what many people hope is not the obvious in their lives just in others so we can secretly feel better about ourselves. Well come join me for a dose of life in whatever fashion it decides to rear it's ugly head. Facts, laughs, photos, books, parenting, marriage, and random nonsense. Jump on the boat, sit back and let it just take you for a ride.