WW: Paper Mache

The boys are on Spring Break. Travis had them do some research on Ancient Mesoamerican History. They are making Alebrije, which are brightly colored Mexican Folk Art Sculptures of fantastical creatures. They started out with writing about their character, then drawing it, and now they are building it out of paper mache.

Yep our living room is a mess for awhile...

Two Board Books By Ripley's Believe It or Not! Review

I've always loved reading to my kids. Right now I'm reading, Wonder to Isaak. Yes he knows how to read, but he gets intimidated by bigger books. No child is too old to read to.

Recently Ripley's Believe It or Not! introduced two board books to the market. My kids are passed board books, but I have two nephews Edison and Emerson that will love them!

I like Ripley's Believe It or Not! is adding this new line of books.

Both books use the illustrations of Ripley cartoonist John Graziano. He also illustrates for the Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon. Illustration is my background. I happen to really like his style!

About Both Books:

• They should be in the stores now. The publication date was March 7, 17
• There are 26 pages in each book.
• The books are small enough to fit in a purse, or diaper bag. They are 6"x6"
• Text is simple, easy to read, and there's a good amount of contrast from the pages to the text. That's what I found difficult when my kids were little - some text is hard to read at night because there's little to no contrast from the text to the background. These books are easy to read!
• I found when my children were at the age where they were beginning to read many books had different fonts used, which my kids didn't know because that's not how they were trained in school how to write. These books will not be a problem with early readers. 

The first one is Ripley's Believe It or Not! ODDphabet

About the Book:

• If you are looking to buy it the ISBN: 978-1-60991-170-6
• Funny images! There's a singing donkey, a parrot has on skates, a turtle has a mohawk and brush, vipers that sips on lemonade, and more. 
• This book goes through the whole alphabet.

 

The second one is Ripley's Believe It or Not! Wacky123

About the Book:

• If you are looking to buy it the ISBN: 978-1-60991-170-6
• There are funny images in this book as well. Two joined cows, a tiger on a skateboard that has four wheels, a frog with six muddy prints, seven goats in a tree, an elephant that paints on a canvas with it's trunk, and more.
• This book counts up to twelve. 

Do you like to read? Do you like non fiction, or fiction books?

Disclaimer: I received two board books from Ripley's Believe It or Not! to assist with this review. I wrote this post, and was not influenced at all with an opinion. I only review things that I find interesting, or that would benefit my readers or family. 

White Chili #Recipe

I love Chili! It's just one of those comfort foods to me. Usually I make the usual: Red Tomato Chili. This weekend I decided to make a White Chili that I haven't made in awhile.

It's super easy to make, and it's so good!

Recipe: 

Scroll down for instructions.

White Chili by AlissaSpiehs-Apel on Scribd

Travis and I love spice! 

If you're not a big fan of spicy things, then you may want to use less Cayenne Pepper. I think the Green Chilies add to the spicy flavor.

The boys aren't spice lovers. They used to even say that regular toothpaste, and soda were all spicy! They used natural toothpaste for years, and rarely had soda. Soda was only consumed when we went out to eat, which wasn't often. Maybe it was the fizz in the soda, and strong mint taste in the toothpaste that they had trouble getting used to. They like those things now.

I've been making the boys try spicy dishes since they were itty bitty. They still haven't acquired that love for spice that I've been waiting for. It will probably happen when they are out of the Apel house, and into their own Apel houses.

I think this recipe is the bomb! It's fairly healthy too!

What foods do you like on a cold, dreary day?

Ebeauty Fidget Toys 10 Pack Stress Relieve toy Review

Do you like to fidget with things? Like that one person that won't stop putting their knee up and down, or that other person that bites their fingernails.

Mica's a fidgeter. He always has a small Lego toy, or something in his hands. I found the perfect fidget toy for him made by e-Beauty. It's a Stress Marble Hand Toy.

A small bag comes stuffed with 10 of these toys.

Colors:

Colors vary. On Amazon the pink is purple.

My favorite is the red one.

Yellow

Blue

Green

Somehow I missed pink that can be more of a purple.

About:

$8.99 in a pack of 10. 

Great for people with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and Autism. Really for anyone that fidgets.

I have a box of fidget type things full of puddy, squishy ball things, puzzle cubes, and this will now go in the box as well.

What do you like to fidget with? In the art world there is a kneadable eraser. I always found myself playing with it. 

Disclaimer: I received Ebeauty Fidget Toys to assist with this review. I wrote this post, and was not influenced at all with an opinion. I only review things that I find interesting, or that would benefit my readers or family. 

Bigelow Tea

Recently I've been participating in Nature Savvy's facebook talks and twitter parties. They happen to land on my lunch break because I'm in Central Time Zone, and they are Pacific. I don't mind eating, and following along. I learn something every single time! They had a speaker that talked all about oils to cook with. I learned a lot. In fact I went to the store, and bought some of the oils they talked about. 

Recently Nature Savvy had a twitter party with Bigelow Tea! I won a set! They've been making tea since 1945. It's so good.

Give the Gift of Tea

Midterms were last week. I gave a few bags of tea from each box to the Education Director to put in a basket. She passed the basket around for students to take some tea. They loved it! College students need tender care at time all the time.

What the Set Came With

Looking to Stay Well Every Day - Lemon and Echinacea Herbal Tea. I've been having this because I don't want to get sick on top of my other health problems with nasal polyps, allergies and asthma. I kind of can't wait to have surgery at this point.

Refresh - Turmeric Chili Matcha Green Tea. This one was popular among the students. It's great to drink this right at the low point in the day. For me that's about 3:30.

Sleep - Chamomile and Lavender Herbal Tea. I don't know that the Education Director passed this one out to the students. We didn't need extra sleepers in class. This is a great one before bed. I've had trouble sleeping for months on end.

Calm Stomach - Ginger and Peach Herbal Tea. I haven't had stomach issues in a really long time. It used to be that I did. I contribute it to the fact that we eat steamed greens most mornings. I do know that ginger does reduce inflammation, so I drink it for that.

Balance - Cinnamon and Blackberry Herbal Tea. This one is my favorite. I like the cinnamon taste. I don't know that I'm totally in balance after I drink it, but I find that tea in general puts me at ease.

Radiate Beauty - Blueberry and Aloe Herbal Tea. I'm certainly the prettiest woman in the room when I drink this. ;) It's my second favorite. I must love berries.

Variety

I love all the variety that each box had! On their website they have all kinds of recipes you can use the tea in.

What would be the tea that you would go for right now? If you're not a tea drinker, what tea would fit what you need right now: Sleep would be the one for me right now. 

Disclaimer: I received Bigelow Teas. I was not asked to review this product. I wrote this post, and was not influenced at all with an opinion. I only review things that I find interesting, or that would benefit my readers or family.

Avocado Pudding Recipe

When I see something a little different I want to try it.

Recently I saw a recipe for Avocado Pudding on facebook. Travis was making a Mexican dish, so I thought I'd try this for desert.

Avocado Pudding Recipe

I looked up recipes for, "Avocado Pudding" there are a lot of recipes. Apparently this isn't a new idea.

It's super easy to make. Everything goes in a food processor in any order really. I left the amount of sweetener up to you. At first I just added a drop of plain liquid Stevia. That was fine for Travis that doesn't have a sweet tooth. The boys and I wanted a drop more added to each of our own servings.

Avocado Pudding by AlissaSpiehs-Apel on Scribd

Options: 

I thought just like chocolate bars come with different flavors, you could add flavors into this recipe easily for a different variations.

• NuNaturals Nustevia has different flavors for their liquid Stevia. You could try using a flavored Stevia instead of one without any flavor.
• We just got chocolate bars that had a sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper in them. I could see that in the Avocado Pudding as odd as that sounds, it could work. Just don't add too much. Just a sprinkle!
• Another thought was to add peanut butter powder if you're a peanut butter lover like I am. 
• If you don't like Stevia you could use any sweetener really: White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Syrup, Agave Syrup are just some ideas.

Cool:

You will want to make sure it's chilled before eating. I thought the cold milk would chill it enough. I tasted it when I was done making it, and it needs to be chilled more for sure.

I won't say it tastes just like the pudding from the box. It has more of a Mexican Chocolate kind of a taste. It's healthier for sure!

It makes enough for 4 servings. Perfect for my family. If you are making this for just 1 person consider cutting the recipe in 1/2. You can serve it in ramekins like I did, or the Avocado skins like I saw on facebook. 

Do you like to try different things like I do, or do you stick with eating what you already know? 

Random Tid Bits

1. I love listening to the stories of the Dalai Lama in a CD I won called The Book of Joy. I won it off of Mom's Own Words. He's all about peace, which is what we need right now. I get sick of negativity, people being put down, and being called names: left wing, right wing, and so on. I say it's name calling because those terms are generally used in a negative context. Even our president, and last president I've heard being called names. If one doesn't agree with someone, does it give them the right to call that person a name? I don't think so. We learned that when we were in elementary school. I wish just once that we could see that we all have differences. I wish we could see one another from all sides like Picasso drew. Maybe our differences is all we have in common. That's ok. I wish you all even though we may be different - peace, love, happiness, and understanding in this difficult thing we call life.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Lately I've been swiped - unfriended on facebook by two people. Most normally I wouldn't care. I do care. Why does it bother me? I just wish they'd message me a heads up, so I could understand what I did wrong. After all we're adults. If I said something offensive I could apologize. I have no way of knowing what I said, posted, or did to swipe me from their friend list.
   
   There was one person I unfriended. The reason? She attacked another friend on a thread I posted. I won't stand for attacking others. Especially when they didn't know each other. Typically I'm for free speech. Even if I disagree with you - I won't defriend you. That's just not in my character. 


3. Mica has an interesting way of looking at things at times. Yes sometimes I learn things through my own children. He said, "Mom I just don't understand why kids my age (11) would have a facebook page. It's not legal to have one at my age. You have to lie about your age to have one." He's very matter of fact about everything. On safety patrol if someone is not following the rules they get written up by Mica. It doesn't matter if they are friend or foe. I like that neutral quality about him. He's very by the book.
   
   There are times when his loved trait can be a not so good trait. Everything has a little yin and yang to it. He points out when he thinks something isn't fair. He said, "Mom the leader at camp only gives candy to some kids who win. That isn't fair. They should give it to all the kids in my opinion." I said, "Mica then all the kids in the camp would have nothing to work toward. There would be no goals to achieve. By only giving candy to the winners, others will try harder the next time." I think he got it. Remember he was raised in a society where all the kids get a ribbon no matter if they won something, or not.
   
   If you're a rule breaker, or not a very fair person stay clear of Mica. If you a fair person that follows the rules he'll be your best friend ever!


4. Isaak is sweet and sour. Don't cross him! He won't let you forget it. Be nice to him, and he'll have your back like he has his own back. He's managed to hang on to his friends for all of elementary except 1. That 1 has issues at home, feeds off of negative behavior, so he lost the whole group.


5. There's always one student in every class that seems to want to call the teacher out on their mistakes. I have one in each class right now. I'm far from perfect! I will admit that. One I can handle. The other I steer away from. She called me out last week. I was going over multicultural design. I was talking about how we don't eat bugs here, but how they do in other countries. I had a video that was featured on Fast Company's blog some time ago that had a company that was proposing the idea. She looked it up on her cell phone trying to figure out if the company went anywhere. Apparently they didn't get the company off the ground. I did find it, but the design was horrible. Part of me wonders if the company that proposed the big idea got bought out. First off they are not supposed to be on their cell phones during lecture - period. Second I never said the company went anywhere. I only proposed it as an idea. Third I connected it to the news that discussed a few weeks ago that a group at University of Lincoln is making bug products to sell for protein. The way this student says things is like - ha I got you! It's like she's trying to make someone feel small. Have you ever had anyone in your life try to push you down, and make you feel small?

Rock On! Giveaway

Things that we've always collected are: Rocks, Arrowheads, Fossils, and Mineral Specimens.

We got the spelling of our son Mica from the mineral Mica, which is a shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, found as minute scales in granite and other rocks, or as crystals. It is used as a thermal or electrical insulator.

We have arrowheads hanging up in shadow boxes in our hallway.

I was super excited to review and giveaway Rock On! The Geology Game of Brains and Sheer Determination. 

What the Set Includes:

• A Fun Learning Game
• A 15 Specimen Rock Collection
• 60+ Small Polished Rocks
• Cards with Fun Facts on Rocks and Minerals
• A Hard Plastic Carry Case

The Game

Mica liked the set because Mica is in it. He enjoyed playing the game with me as well. The game reminded me of bingo.

There are 5 levels for up to 6 players. The game is educational. It's filled with science. It's meant for elementary ages, and beyond.

If you don't care for games, it's just cool to look through the rocks and minerals. 

 

The rocks are fairly small, and are all polished. 

Identify:

The set comes with card to help identify everything. 

Cost:

$26.95

Win It:

One of my readers is going to win Rock On! The giveaway is open to residents of the US, 18+, and will run through 3/23. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email before a new winner is selected.


No PO Boxes. Open to the US.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I received Rock On! to assist with this review. I wrote this post, and was not influenced at all with an opinion. I only review things that I find interesting, or that would benefit my readers or family. 

WW: Us {Linky}

Just a photo of us:

I'm Still in a Fog

I scheduled my ENT appointment for later this month. That's when they could get me in.

I've already messaged my allergy/asthma doctor twice. The first time was to get a sheet that they forgot to give me at the office. I don't blame them for forgetting. I kept them there an hour past closing time.

Here's my original post if you feel like you're reading this, and you're lost.

Here's a list of foods I shouldn't have during season where their counterparts are in bloom or in seed:

First column is spring, second is summer, third is late summer and early fall, and last is fall.

I can have any one of these things. Just not when their relative is in seed, or in bloom. 

We were very successful with growing tomatoes last year. Luckily we don't have them very much during the summer. We canned most of them late fall and winter. The tomato liquid was frozen into ice cube trays, and we use them for soups, beans and rice, and dishes like that.

We can make sauerkraut with the cabbage we grow. Then we can have cabbage at any time.

Fruits that shouldn't be consumed in one season can be frozen for smoothies for another season. 

I like peanut butter, but should stay off it now. Almond butter would be ok though.

Isaak and Mica should stick to this pretty well too. They don't have the asthma I have, but did get some of my allergies. Not nearly as bad as me. Both can be around dogs. Isaak can be around cats with no problems. Mica sneezes and his eyes itch around cats. They both have seasonal allergies. Isaak's poor eyes get it bad! 

I've been waiting for a list like this my whole life. They never had this when I went to an allergist before. 

Another message was sent in to Doctor Shakir. I was to be off my meds for 5 days prior to seeing my him - my allergy, asthma doctor. I need to know if I should be off anything before seeing my ENT. Doctor Shakir was very clear that he wanted to get my polyps down in size. If I go off my meds they will get bigger. That's good because then the ENT can see what he's up against surgery wise. It's bad because he won't really know their real size. I know they've gone down. I can breathe through my nose a bit.

I still have a cloudy WTH feeling going on in my head. That's from the powerful steriods I'm on. They're stronger than a typical inhaler used for asthma. 

Of course it's hard to focus on school things. It's midterm week. I couldn't even read papers one day last week. I did get through them the next day. If I can just finish writing the tests, I should be good. They are already there from last year. There's a computer program that grades them for me - YAY! 

Have you ever been on a med that made it hard to concentrate?