I am loving kale lately!
World Water Day 2013
We shower, wash our cars, water our plants, do our dishes, drench our lawns, drink our 8 glasses… it is very easy to take water for granted. We can’t live without it yet 783 million people on this planet do not have access to safe, clean drinking water.
A child dies every 20 seconds from a water-related illness
Today is World Water Day when we bring awareness to this global crisis and support those suffering every single day deprived of clean water and adequate sanitation. 90% of the nearly 2 million deaths caused by diarrheal diseases each year from lack of proper sanitation are in children under the age of 5. It’s a problem even here in the United States, 8% of us do not have access to clean drinking water. We need to raise awareness today and every day. WaterDay.org would like everyone to post photos via Instagram with the hashtag #waterday in support of the cause. You can also help by donating and spreading the word, tweet this and post it to Facebook.
“The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our survival is just as much at stake as it was at the time of Pearl Harbor, or the Argonne, or Gettysburg, or Saratoga”
~Jim Wright, U.S. Representative, The Coming Water Famine, 1966
4 Healthy Things Moms Can Do To Take Care Of Themselves
Women are busier than ever these days. Whether you’re a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, you’re juggling a multitude of things. We’re working, keeping house, raising our kids and trying to take care of everything and everyone.
As crazy as our lives get, we must also take care of ourselves or we can’t properly care for those around us. I’m a busy mom, doing it all with no nanny, housekeeper or family to help but I carve out time and look after myself with exercise, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. There are simple things we can do that really make a big difference… Read entire article at Just Between Friends.
Whole Foods Announces They Will Label GMO Foods
Last week Whole Foods made a smart decision. The health food chain announced that they will begin labeling all genetically modified foods and by the year 2018. Kudos to them!
“Today, we stood up for the consumer’s right to know by announcing that all products in our US and Canadian stores containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be clearly labeled within five years. We heard our customers loud and clear asking us for GMO labeling and we are responding where we have control: in our own stores.
We are the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency. By 2018, we will require our supplier partners to label products containing GMO ingredients, and we will work in collaboration with them as they transition to sourcing non-GMO ingredients or to clearly labeling products with ingredients containing GMOs.”
They predict that most of their suppliers will comply long before the 5 year deadline is up and the Whole Foods 365 brand is already nearly fully labeled. They are doing this even though Prop 37, that would have required GMO labeling for all foods sold in the state did not pass in California last year. Fortunately they realize the importance of letting consumers know which foods have GMOs.
Chances are, many of the foods in your pantry are genetically engineered because up to 80% of processed food in the U.S. contain genetically engineered ingredients. At least 85% of corn, canola and sugar beets are grown from GMO seeds. Soy and papaya are also often from genetically modified crops. There is no conclusive verdict on the the safety of GMOs but there are no set safety standards and there is significant scientific evidence that shows they are harmful and pose health risks including antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, reproductive disorders, organ damage, allergen exposure and accelerated aging – uh, no thank you! If you want to avoid GMOs go organic. The USDA certification of organic foods ensure that they are not bio-engineered in any way.
Thank you Whole foods for looking out for your customers, I hope all grocery stores follow suit and begin labeling all foods containing GMOs because consumers have the right to know what is in the food we spend our money on, whether it’s a law or not.
‘My 3 Cents 0n Cancer’… Jack Andraka
Happy Birthday To My Wonderful Dad!
Happy Birthday Daddy!
My dad, Jake, is a great man and a wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather. I am proud and very blessed to be his daughter ♥
My dad has had an amazing life. He is a true American hero who served in World War II for nearly 3 years, receiving four medals. 3 Bronze Stars and a special medal for fighting on D-day. He was in the 121st Engineer Combat Battalion of the United States Army and battled in 3 major special series combat campaigns including D-day. His was one of the first American units to storm the beaches in Normandy. He married his high school sweetheart 3 weeks after returning from duty.
He owned his own business while I was growing up but he’s always been a song and dance man! Over the years, his talent, wit and charismatic charm has won him roles in plays, musicals and commercials. You might have seen his latest commercial for Kayak, it’s pretty funny, he plays Mr. Carroll…
Who’s More Dangerous On The Road – Moms Or Teens?
The Bay Lights Of San Fransisco
Stunning light sculpture on San Fransisco’s Bay Bridge
San Francisco has such character and charm. It’s one of my favorite cities and now there is another reason to visit. Pioneer of computer driven imagery and use of LED, Leo Villareal created this dazzling display of the world’s largest LED sculpture. Inspired by the 75th anniversary of the Bay Bridge, this work of illuminative art has 25,000 white LED lights. That is eight times the scale of lighting they did for the 100th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower. The Bay Lights grand lighting was Tuesday, it will be lit from dusk until 2:00 am every evening through 2015. It is estimated to bring over 97 million dollars to the local economy. It’s something amazing to see for those visiting the city by the bay and people living in the bay area are lucky to enjoy such an incredible view!
Review: Get Your Groove On With The BassBoomz Portable Speaker
I love my BassBuds earphones so I was very excited to review the BassBoomz high performance portable Bluetooth speaker. Music lights me up so the idea of playing it anywhere, anytime fills me with joy. This is a fantastic speaker. Designed with an innovative Bass Expansion System, BassBoomz gives you great sound quality with amazing bass.
It’s Small enough to fit just about anywhere (even in your pocket!) but gives huge sound amplification. BassBoomz are compatible with smartphones, laptops, tablets and MP3 players; they have a Li-ion battery that recharges fast giving you 5 – 6 hours of music. One speaker is loud but if you really want to blast your tunes and crank it up, hook 2 up with the dual connectivity option. It’s great looking and comes in a variety of cool colors. Mine is pretty pink which matches my fabulous BassBuds earphones!
Its easy portability is such a bonus because I love playing music while I’m making dinner, doing housework, etc, music makes life more fun. And I can’t tell you how nice it is to just put it anywhere and not have to bother with an electrical outlet. My iPod dock will not get much use now that I have BassBoomz! I’m excited to take it to the beach and pool this summer and it will be great to have when we host outdoor BBQs. Remember when we had to lug a big giant boom box everywhere? Wish I had the BassBoomz when I was in high school!
They have generously offered my readers $85 off the retail price so you can get them for only $46 for the entire month of March! Enter the voucher code: BBZUS026506 at check out. Grab one, get your groove on and let me know what you think, you know you want one!
Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” -Dr. Suess
“If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good” -Dr. Seuss
His are some of the first books we read as children, fostering the all important love for reading. He helped create book lovers out of many of us. In honor of his birthday, my son and I have been reading Dr. Suess books all week at bedtime.
His best selling book is my favorite Dr. Suess book, Green Eggs and Ham. You just have to love the cadence of that spectacular rolls-right-off-the-tongue rhyming! Most of his books were written in anapestic tetrameter giving them that fun beat. He won a 50 dollar bet with his publisher by writing Green Eggs and Ham with only 50 words and all but one of those words has only one syllable.
The extraordinarily talented Theodor Geisel (Suess is his middle name) even won an Academy Award in 1947 for writing the documentary feature, Design For Death.
He published 46 children’s books, the final one, “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” was published in 1990. What is your favorite Dr. Suess book?
“I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny. But we can have lots of good fun that is funny” -from The Cat in the Hat
