March for Babies

On Saturday, March 27th, I will be participating in the March of Dimes' March for Babies. I am doing this in honor of two special babies - my daughter and my friend's newborn son, who was born 11 weeks premature. My team goal is $1000 and my personal goal is $250. There are badges on this page where you can click to donate online and help support this cause.

Imagine if you had a baby who was born prematurely or with major birth defects. Wouldn't you want research to have provided medicine to help save and improve your baby's life? Do it for all the babies out there that are depending on us to give them a healthy start in life.

If you're in the Gainesville, FL area, come join me on this walk. It will be wonderful. Strollers and leashed dogs are welcome. There will be tents along the way with food and drinks and children's entertainment at the finish line. Let's March for Babies!!

Help me reach my goal!Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

Pantry Perfect........Cupboard Cuisine

I do not particuarly love to cook.

I like to try new recipes and do new things but on an everyday basis, I am uninspired and not really that interested in planning, cooking, and cleaning up for dinner, all the while listening to two screaming children (and that's no exaggeration, they usually are both screaming).

Enter what I like to call "Pantry Perfect" or "Cupboard Cuisine". These are quick and simple recipes made with things that I already have lying around. Recipe varies each time I make them, using whatever ingredients I have. Good last-minute things to whip up. I will start posting some of the ones that are good (or at least edible).

First on the list is Black Bean Enchiladas.



Black Bean Enchiladas

1 can black beans
Soft flour tortillas
Cheese
1 can corn
Onions
Cooked rice
Green Peppers (if desired)
Salsa
Sour Cream

Chop up onions and peppers. Put tortillas in 13x9 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon black beans, corn, rice, onions, peppers, and cheese on one side and roll up. Top with salsa (can also add cheese and corn to the outside for extra yumminess). Bake in oven at 375 for about 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and a side of tortilla chips, a salad, or choose to make the rice as a side dish.

*Meal tastes best when accompanied by a cold beer or margarita ;)

Green Product Find: Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme

Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme

I am always looking for a good styling product for my hair. It's hard to find something that helps smooth the frizziness and style it nicely. I decided to try Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme and I really like it. It makes my hair smooth and supple and manageable. It also smells like peppermint so it has a great invigorating scent. I would recommend this product to anyone with thick hair. Just don't use too much at one time or else it might leave your hair looking a little limp. Buy it at Beauty.com. You earn money back at any of the Beauty.com partners so it's well worth it.

Happy Styling!

Fishy Fun

Yesterday we went on a family day trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

We were meeting family and thought this would be a great place to entertain the kids so we could visit but WOW, we were ALL entertained. The grown-ups probably liked it just as much as the kids did. They had some great exhibits and shows too. Olive's favorite was the Penguin Promenade, which was pretty neat. The little penguins were so cute waddling around! They also had a shark show, a dive show, and a Wetlands show that we saw. There were so many fascinating aquatic animals. My favorites were the sea dragons - a creature related to the seahorse that looks like floating seaweed and lives off the coast of Australia. (see picture below) They also had a bunch of very pregnant seahorses - and did you know that the males are the ones that bear the children? How great!

There were also some "Touch Tanks" where you could touch sting rays, sharks, starfish, and sea anemone. Otters, alligators, and more were swimming around the Wetlands exhibit. One of Olive's other favorites was the outdoor playground. (go figure!) They do have a water playground in the warmer months.

The aquarium is located in downtown Tampa, right next to the cruise ship terminals. We saw two massive ships in the port, which was almost as exciting as the creatures inside.

Prices were fairly reasonable. You do get a $3 discount per ticket if you purchase online. Parking is $6 per car. They do have food there in cafes and the food was pretty decent and not terribly overpriced. (Tip: The kids meals are bigger than adult meals at half the price). Enormous gift shop that is fully stocked with everything (both cute and tacky). Olive came home with a stuffed striped pink fish and Buttons got a mermaid book (both very tasteful and adorable).

All in all, a great outing. So next time you're in the Tampa area, check it out!