Wordless Wednesday -- In Cancun...

Even the bathroom icons know how to dance and party.

Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand - Part I

After nearly 12 hours of traveling, I made it to Cancun.

Read more here...

It Drives Me Nuts That You Can't Recycle...Wine Corks

I have often wondered what to do with old wine corks (the wood kind, not the screw tops or synthetic ones).

When I was learning more about composting, I did read that they can be composted.  However, those sources are always quick to add that they don't compost well and that they can take ages and ages to break down.

So, needless to say, I haven't gone that route.

But I happened to stop by Whole Foods this weekend to drop my #5 plastics into the Preserve Take Five bins and noticed this logo on a box next to the plastics drop off:

I jotted down the web site to check out from home.

Well whattya know...you can recycle corks!  And this cool company can help you do it.

Here are some facts about wine corks directly from them:

• Environmentally Friendly Harvesting

  Cork is a 100% natural, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable material that is obtained through an environmentally friendly harvesting process.

• Hand-Harvest for Long Life

  Trees are not cut down to harvest cork, rather, the bark is stripped by hand every 9-12 years. Cork oak trees can live up to 300 years!

• Supporting Great Biodiversity

  Approximately 6.6 million acres of Mediterranean cork forest extend across Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France. These oak forests support one of the world's highest levels of forest biodiversity, second only to the Amazonian Rainforest.

• Providing Livelihood

  Opting for screw caps and plastic stoppers directly causes the loss of sustainable livelihoods as the cork forests are a vital source of income for thousands of families.

• Utilization of A Great Resource

  There is enough cork in the cork forests of Portugal and Spain to last more than 100 years. The introduction of new products, such as composite corks, allows even better utilization of existing cork resources, using granulated cork that can be obtained from smaller pieces of raw cork otherwise unusable in the production of conventional punched cork. 

 
So back to the recycling program.  Similar to the Preserve Take Five program, different partners sign up to collect corks.


At my Whole Foods, there was a receptacle right by the front door to drop corks in.

To see if there is a participating partner near you, just visit Cork Reharvest.

Are there random things you have always wanted to find out if you could recycle?  

Hair Extentions?

The other night, Caleb turned and looked at me.

He seemed to stop to think for a minute before saying:

You know, Mom, you still really have a boy hair cut.  Are you thinking you are going to do anything about that?

So not sure where to put that.

But I guess now we know we have at least one boy who likes girls with long hair.

I have to pack...

Hard to believe that Monday I will be headed back to Cancun.

Feel like that came out of nowhere?  Yup, me too.  But just two weeks ago, in the midst of my Twitter shopping excursion I received a unique invitation.

I was invited to head to Cancun (sans family this time) to be a guest of the Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand hotel.

Off to find that bathing suit (and hope I can fit into it).  Because come Monday morning I'm headed to Cancun.  You can follow along here or on twitter (#blogRH).




*The Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand hotel is bringing me to Cancun as their guest and will be covering my travel and accommodations.

Stuff I Love - TOMS Shoes

By now, many of you have heard of TOMS Shoes. I first learned about them about three years ago.

They were created by a guy (who is not named Tom) named Blake Mycoskie (he's the one in the picture) with a simple premise.  Make a great product and give a great product away.  One for One.  He focused on shoes.  And for every single pair of shoes the company sells, they donate a pair to a child in need.  And by that, I mean a child who would otherwise not have shoes.

To date, working on that simple premise, that have donated more than 600,000 shoes to children across the world.


I have purchased two pairs of TOMS myself and love them.  Not only are they cute and super comfy.  But, let's be honest, I love that each time I wear them I can think that, perhaps, somewhere out there is a kid wearing shoes because I am.

They just unveiled a new style.  The wedge.  L-O-V-E it!  I ordered mine today.

They have men's shoes.

Kids' shoes (ah, to have a girl...).  And how cool to be able to tell your kids when you are harping on them encouraging them to put their shoes on, that somewhere this is another kid wearing shoes because of them.

 And of course, they still sell their original classic styles, too. 

Right now they are having a summer sale at TOMS Shoes.  If you use the code "FATHERS5" you will get $5 off your entire purchase.  So there you be. 





I was not asked to do this post nor was I compensated for anything related to it.  This post does contain affiliate links.

Joys of Summer

Sometimes the best moments in summer are the simple ones. 

Like when you realize that a raspberry fits perfectly on your thumb making it fun to play with...

But even...

...more fun...

...to eat!

Thank you! Yeah you!

You know, it would be just fine if I looked like this...

 

Or this...

Or this would be fine, too.

And while that isn't a reality...I am now the happy owner of one of those dresses.

You can be too.  So in honor of hitting 500 followers, I decided to kick off a fun giveaway thanks to Shabby Apple.


But first, thank you.  To you, right there reading along.  Whether you have been reading for three years or 3 minutes, thank you.  Thanks for reading.  For commenting.  For support.  For humor.  For perspective.  For just being you reading along while we be, well, us.


If you want to learn more about this giveaway, come on over here.

The Sprome House

When my parents moved into their home, my dad found the perfect place to build what he calls a "Sprome House."
You see, a "Sprome" is part sprite and part gnome.  And all magical.

In the base of the tree, he added a small door and above it hung a mailbox.  The older boys have enjoyed corresponding with the Sprome for a few years now.  The write letters back and forth telling each other about their lives, hobbies, and families.

Sometimes, the boys get really lucky and the Sprome drops coins on the ground for them to find.

As one-year-olds last summer, Eli and his cousin, Elliette, had yet to discover the magic of the family Sprome.

Until this weekend.

Walking through the back wooded area, they spotted it.  Elliette was insistent on pounding on the door and pulling on the handle.  She just knew that it must open.  Eli, however, took a different approach.  He would simply stand back and yell at the top of his lungs, "KNOCK KNOCK!  KNOCK KNOCK!"  Pretty sure that he was thinking, "Dude, if whatever is in there comes out, I am not sure I want to be too close to it..."



Not sure if he'll be relieved or disappointed when he gets a bit older and learns the Sprome isn't a tiger.  But here are some images from their discovery.

Summertime Guilt

I was walking out of the office with a co-worker last night and she turned and said to me:

I saw where your kids went today.

And I had a moment of panic.  Did I screw up?  Forget yet another field trip?  Pack the wrong kind of lunch?  Just generally forget something important?  Did my kids go somewhere and I had no idea that they were even gone?

I think she saw the glimmer of panic in my eyes and rephrased her comment to tell me she saw where Eli's daycare center was located.

She followed that comment up with:

Working mom guilt in the summer is killer, isn't it?

Yes.  Yes, it is.

She is so right.  I am always the first to say that we all work.  Whether we are working in an office or a school or are home with our kids, I absolutely believe that it's all work.  Just some of us receive a paycheck for it.

It all has benefits and drawbacks.  It is all rewarding.  But it is all work.

But as working mom (meaning one who works in an office), I can tell you that the guilt that comes with doing that over the summer is killer.

Yesterday there was a string of emails about Noah's 1st grade class having a playdate at a local park.  The discussion centered around whether it should start at 2:30 or 3:30.  I said nothing.  Afterall, you don't have weekday playdates at 5:30 showing up in your heels and skirt. 

As I rounded the corner this morning with Eli in the back of the car, I could see the boys across the street in their backyard, on the swing set, in their pajamas.  And it was 7:30 and we were dressed, fed, in the car and racing.  Eli spotted them too and declared:

I want to go play there, too!

Sorry honey, we can't.  We're going to school.

On the way to work, I drive by a city golf course where there are kids out taking junior golf lessons as their parents watch from the side.

My kids have longer days than I do.  And yes, they do enjoy it.  They go to wonderful camps and programs and lessons and daycares.  But they have long days.

But they don't do those fun things with me.  Or with Brian.  And it makes me ache sometimes.

They wake up to their alarm at 6:30, jump into a routine that feels remarkably similar to the one they have all school year long.  We have to scold them to get ready,  we nudge them to inhale a breakfast and we race them out the door lugging their same old PBJ sandwich and juicebox.

We get home and I try to figure out a way to make something resembling a decent dinner quickly enough to get them bathed and into bed early enough to do it all again the next day.

And as they lay there in bed, they often call out to ask why the kids down the street can be heard yelling and cheering while they are in bed.  And I have to answer, with resignation:

Because they don't have to get up at 6:30 tomorrow.

I get that, to some degree, this is a choice we make.  To work (for pay) or to stay home.

But with that choice comes consequences.  And for me, right now, when it's summer and the sun doesn't set until 9:30...

That choice means guilt.

Box Tops For Education - I am a Convert

Recently, I was invited to attend the Box Tops for Education University program here at the General Mills headquarters.


Given that, on any given day, my kitchen windowsill looks like this:

...I was excited.


I didn't even really know what the event was all about, but I was excited.  As you can see from that photo, I am kind of a "low-hanging fruit" gal.  I don't always have as much money to give as I'd like.  So if there is a way to do something good (thus the soda tab for Ronald McDonald House) just by taking a simple extra step, I am all there.


So I already clipped Box Tops.


I am also the daughter of a teacher, so I knew first-hand how much teachers put in, not only emotionally and mentally, but also financially, to their classrooms.


And so I went.  I joined five other Minnesota bloggers...

...oh, and about 300 Box Tops coordinators from across the country for some education, idea sharing, recognition and encouragement.

Photo from the Box Tops for Education Team

I met people like Paula.

Paula flew, on her own dime, all the way from Arnco-Sargent Elementary School in Georgia.  Yes folks, I am in Minnesota and she is in Georgia.  Her own dime.  She is from a school of about 400 students and last year that school raised $1,213 through the program.


Why does she do it?  She is passionate about the ideas.  The school.  The people.  The potential.


Oh yeah, and the fact that each school could earn up to $80,000 through the program.  Nope, no typo there.  Up to $80,000.  Think about what that could mean for your school's budget.


You see, in the 13 years since this program has began, here are some amazing facts:

• They have donated more than $300 million to schools in America.
• They have enrolled more than 100,000 schools nationwide.
• Each school earns an average of $732 (mine earned about $1,500 last year).
• But each school could earn up to $80,000.

Schools use the money how they want.  One of the top earners built a playground with their earnings.  Another touched my heart.  They use their earnings to cover the costs of lunches for children who cannot afford them.

After the meetings, they had a celebration of sorts.  My goodness.  If you think bloggers like swag, you should see educators and volunteers.  But they deserve it.  Again, these are people like Paula.  They do this because it's important.  Because it makes a difference.

And so, to help get them excited about it...  And reward them for their work, there was an amazing Box Tops For Education Expo.

It was row after row of sample full-sized product.  To say thanks for all these coordinators do.

To help remind them of all of the products that participate.

And, like the teachers and educators and coordinators they are...  They lined up in an incredibly organized fashion.

And accepted their product.  And said thank you.

Myself included.

This is just a sampling of what I came home with.  And sure, while it's nice to have some great food to bring home...  You know what is also great?  I also brought home, on all of those things, more than 40 Box Tops which equates to $4.00 for my school.

So I know you couldn't be there with me, but I do hope you find the passion for this program like I did today.

I don't want to look at my windowsill and see 3 Box Tops.  I want to see a bag full of them.  And I have reached out to my school's coordinator to see how I can help.

To learn how you can do more here are some easy steps:

• Stark clipping.   Here are details on what to clip and ways to earn bonus money for your school.
• Check out the "Earn" section to learn about all of the ways you can earn Box Tops.
• Check out "Progress" where you can track your own school's earnings.

7

Happy birthday dear Noah.  I adore you.

Undivided Attention

Brian and the big boys headed off for a weekend at Cub Scout camp leaving me and the little guy to hang.


To say he loved the undivided attention would be an understatement.


I have never heard him talk so much.  But everything he wanted to do, he'd ask first, followed by an "Okaaay?"  Just making sure I was willing to do whatever he was suggesting.

Mom, you want to play with me? Okay?

 Mom, you want to see my money? Okay?

Mom, I attack you with my monster.  Okay?

 Mom, I read you a book with my neb.  Okay?

Mom, I teach you a song.  Okay?

I am linking this post up to Tuesdays Unwrapped.

It Drives Me Nuts That You Can't Recycle...Aerosol Cans

Having just finished the kids' desk project...

...I have been thinking more about aerosol cans than usual.


Which isn't hard to do because, really, I don't think about them very often.


But I digress.  Since finishing the project involved using a few cans of spray paint, I have been wondering what to do with them.  I know my curbside recycling program didn't accept them, so I thought I'd look and see what my options were.


Here's what I learned:


1. Yes, aerosol cans are able to be recycled. In fact, it is very important that they are recycled.  Once put in a landfill, they become a hazard due to their flammable and explosive nature.  If there were ever a fire in a landfill, they have the potential to explode which poses a great threat to the landfill workers and firefighters.

2. So yes, we need to recycle them.  And to do so, they need to be completely empty.

3. If they are somehow defective, and therefore are unable to be emptied, you should attempt to return them to the store that sold them to you as they will often accept them.

4. But once you have a can that is empty and ready to be recycled you just need to find a spot that accepts them.

5. To find locations that accept aerosol cans near you, just visit Earth911 and search based on your zip code.

That's it.  Easy as that.

I needed a project...

Last month I was getting one of those "I need a project" itches.  You know, where you just need to do something out of the ordinary to break up the routine of life?


And then I spotted this at a neighbor's garage sale.

It was $10.


I knew I had my project.  I tweeted a photo of it and got a response back almost immediate from Jessica.


And then she asked if I wanted to do a guest post on her blog.  So if you are curious how it all turned out, head on over there.

I'm Coming Home

I don't travel much for work.  Maybe three times a year.  And while it's sometimes nice to have the quiet and the experiences and the change.  More than anything, it's nice to come back home.

The seven-minute phone conversations are never enough.  The call in the middle of the night to learn that one kid is going to the emergency room means you sit up all night with anxiety and guilt.

The kids' voices sound both old and young at the same time.  And Brian's voice sounds alternately tired and engaged.

And so today I headed back to the airport at 4:30 a.m. (yes, that is Central Time) to get back.

To get back.


To this.

And, most of all, this.

Home.  To the routine.

The mess.

The chaos.

The bickering.


But also the routine.  In a good way.

And the mess, in a good way.

And even the bickering...in an ever-so-slightly "we're alive" way.


Back to our life.  Back to our same old life. 


And that is good.

Final 3 Washington, D.C. Trivia Questions (Giveaway)

And they involve these images:

So if you want to enter to win the Pear Tree Greetings giveaway I mentioned earlier this week, hop over to the community to check out the questions.  You have until Friday, June 18 at 6:00 p.m. CST to enter.

Washington, D.C. Scavenger Hunt-Part II

The second trivia question to be entered to win the Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway is up on The Snyder 5 Community.


And it involves this guy.

None other than President Abraham Lincoln.  Or at least his statue.

To play along, be sure to visit The Snyder 5 Community before Friday at 6:00 p.m. CST.  Remember, you don't have to be right to win.  You just have to try.

Washington, D.C. Trivia Quiz and Giveaway

I have a fun opportunity to give away some adorable personalized address labels to five readers this week.


Pear Tree Greetings has offered to give five of my readers a label set of their choice.


They are adorable and cool and hip and sweet and striking and a whole bunch of other adjectives.


Here's a sample:

But that's just 4 of the possibilities.  There are 449 to choose from.


I have never had cute address labels (still don't actually, these are for you, not me).  I tend to hold onto the free ones they send out when someone is trying to get you to donate money to something.

Which, yes, means I use Christmas stocking return address labels all year.  But you can be spared the embarrassment of having your electric company know you are cheap.


So here is what I am going to do.  I took five random photos while I was around the city today.  I have a trivia question that goes with each one.

To be entered to win, just answer the trivia question (or guess).  I'll draw a winner from each of the five photo questions on Friday at 6:00 p.m. CST.  Winners must be from the United States.  You don't have to be right to win, you just have to play.

You can come play on The Snyder 5 Community.

Here is the first of the photos.  Again, the trivia question can be found here.