Geek Dad - Summer Book Review

My DH (...darling husband) is a self-proclaimed geek. Call him a gear geek or a tech geek, but either way a proud geek. I love it. I always know who to ask when I have a complicated question. Well, until I get a complicated answer... Now that he is a proud Papa, I guess you could call him a geek Dad and did I find the perfect book for him!

I was lucky enough to be able to review Ken Denmead's Geek Dad, a great book full of projects and ideas to bring out the geek fun for parents and their kids... I don't think father and son should keep this kind of fun all to themselves! Ken is an engineer and editor of the popular "GeekDad" blog on wired.com.


This is not your average activity book! The projects range from a home-made slip-n-slide, building a binary calendar out of Legos and finger painting with wind-up toys to composting and exploding ice cubes. Now that is one way to spend quality time together! I love the fact the projects are rated for cost, difficulty and reusability among other things. Easy to understand instructions and diagrams make these cool projects accessible even to the wannabe geek like myself.

Since my young son is learning his ABC's and starting to read, we are working on the Super Hero ABC book idea... ours is not strictly Marvel based, we have all sorts in there including Pixar's Bolt and Super Grover from Sesame Street. Regardless, it is a lot of fun to do together.

I already have a list of people this book would be perfect for. My DH is on the top of the list! I can't wait to see my two guys work their way through this book. I love hands on projects that capitalize on creativity and quality time for families. My only complaint is that there should be a whole serious of Geek Dad books. This book is very code writing and Lego heavy where I would love to see another book with Geek Dad in the kitchen or Geek Dad Goes Outdoors. Oh, the possibilities!

This book is currently available in stores as well as on amazon.com. Enjoy it yourself, gift it or save it for a great stocking stuffer this winter.

Also check out the book's Web site, www.geekdadbook.com

*Disclaimer - I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes. No monetary compensation was involved.

One Tantrum Away From...

...My head exploding! Oh, yeah... one of those days. My son woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Which means we all suffer...

Today there has been a "No touching your sister" rule implemented. Even seemingly "I love baby!" kisses end with her getting knocked down or crushed between toddler arms.

Every toy involves a fight. If baby girl digs a toy out of the basket, my son wants it. So all day I have heard Noooo....BABY!" and "It's mine-sch"

Usually yelling isn't a big problem inside, but today inside voice has been completely lost. The baby can't sleep through his yelling and banging episodes.

Nothing I have made for my toddler to eat has been good enough. He keeps saying "It's gross" and "I don't like that". Even the sugar cookies we made and decorated weren't edible in his eyes.

So, as I am ready to throw in the towel for today I will give-up, give my toddler a million and one kisses and go out to eat tonight. I deserve it! Okay ladies, ever had one of those days?

Ever had one of these days?

Aloha Friday - #24

Aloha Everyone! In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Can you believe it is already Friday? We survived the week, so to celebrate! Let's sit back, relax and enjoy a little blog hop. No heavy mental lifting today... just one simple little question...

What One Thing Do You Want To Do Before Summer Ends?

It seems like Summer is flying by! I am hungrily watching the local fruit... peaches will be ready soon... the wild blackberry patch near our home isn't quite ready... and tomatoes are just around the corner. Our family never had the chance for a family camping trip, though my son had fun backyard camping... It always seems like there is so much to cram into Summer. I still hope we have the chance to get to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I think my son would love it!

So, what about you? What do you need to do before Summer is over? Anything wild and fun? Relaxing? Do tell!

If you are looking for more Aloha Friday fun, go to An Island Life and check out the other posts on the Linky. Have a great weekend!

Scholastic Back-To-School Countdown!

There is a great blog tour going on right now sponsored by Scholastic that you can't miss. It started off with a bang over at Jolly Mom's blog and has continued over to The Mommy-Files. And it runs through August so there is plenty of time to check it out.



Is hosting a giveaway for $100 gift card to Zappos.com and a copy of the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary. Doesn't that sound good? This particular giveaway in the tour will end 8/11.

Outlast Can Save the Day

Last week I came down with a horrible stomach bug. Not my idea of fun and I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. I am pretty sure I picked it up from my baby... now that she can crawl, she is a curious explorer always on the move and putting everything and anything into her mouth. I am sure she is one giant cootie-mobile at the moment. Oh, well. Not much I can do about that. But, I can control our hand cleanliness.

Stashed in the side of my diaper bag is a fabulously small -sized bottle of Outlast Hand Sanitizer. Now, this may not keep me from having ever another stomach bug, but it can help me cut down on bacteria on my hands. Believe me, I will do just about anything to cut down on illnesses in our house. I just haven't the energy to be sick!

I know, I know... we all have heard about alcohol based hand sanitizers before. But, if you think they are all the same, you would be wrong.

• OutLast^TM Long-Lasting Hand Sanitizer works for up to 6 hours. Leading hand sanitizers only work for two minutes.
• OutLast^TM Long-Lasting Hand Sanitizer is alcohol-based, so it kills 99.99% of germs instantly.
• It isn't drying in your hands but dries quickly, making it easy to use.

I am glad I had the chance to review this product, and I will be recommending it to my friends. Or better yet, I will let them try it the next time we get into a sticky (or icky) kid situation while out. There is only one definite with kiddos... germs will happen! But, I can handle them with my small bottle of OutLast Hand Sanitizer!

*Disclaimer - I was sent a sample of this product in order to do a fair and honest review. No monetary compensation was involved.

Wordless Wednesday - Forts!

Always a great family activity... blankets, cushions, chairs and creativity...





Have a great Wednesday! Feel free to link up... and share some comment love.

Toddler Tuesdays - Play, Eat, & Sleep Hard...

Everything is big for a toddler... no holding back. Play hard - with every bit of energy and pushing the limits of physics. Nothing is impossible and the word "no" is ignored.


Then eat to refuel... don't savor food - there will be time for that later. Gulp down what you can in order to fast forward to desert. There is always room for desert. The more the merrier!


Then crash. Don't worry about the sore muscles or cricks in the neck that will come later in life. Just grab your puppy, a blanket and crash. But not because Mommy told you, or because she asked... naps are to be avoided. No, crash because you can't keep your head up or your eyes open any longer. Sleep so you can play some more...




My toddler never ceases to surprise me with his gusto for life, his sunny disposition, and hunger to learn each day.

Want to Link up for Toddler Tuesday? Head on over to Minnesota Mama's to find some other great blogs and share your own.

More Followers Monday!

I am always on the look out for new bloggy friends and hoping some will stop by my little neck of the blogisphere. So happy Monday!

I am a 30-something SAHM with two children under the age of 3. My DH farms and my passions include cooking, baking, crafting and well... blogging! Before the kids we had regular office jobs and I dabbled in the kitchen. Now that we have two kids with special dietary needs I try to make as much from scratch as I can. From my garden, through the kitchen and to the table... it is all an adventure here! Currently I am knee deep in potty training and getting ready to can.

For even more fun while you are here, take a peak at the giveaways I have going on right now (find them on the right). Stay a while and be sure to leave a comment or two. I love comments!

Aloha Friday - #23

Aloha Everyone! In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Can you believe we made it to Friday? We survived the week, so to celebrate let's sit back and relax. No heavy mental lifting today... just one simple little question...

Are You a Fan of Bundt Cakes? Have a Favorite?

My new Kuggelhopf Bundt Pan is here and I am smitten. I broke it in with an Old Fashioned Banana Bundt Cake... then turned it up a notch with a bit of banana butter cream. Oh, yes! Love at first bite.

After hours of internet recipe drooling I am pretty sold on my little bundt pan. I don't see many people use them anymore and this was my first. I feel like a whole secret society just opened up to me. I would love to hear your bundt thoughts. Or, just tell me what I should try next. I will have the recipe and pics up shortly. I just want to yell from the hills how great this simple cake was.

If you are looking for more Aloha Friday fun, go to An Island Life and check out the other posts on the Linky. Have a great weekend!

Follow Fridays... Lots of Blog Hops! (2)

Yay! Welcome back to Friendly Friday! I have missed a few weeks, and boy have I been busy. I have missed finding all the new blogs and inviting new followers to check me out. So, hi there!
A big hearty thank you to Christi at Frugal Novice, Charla at Healthy Home Blog , and Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier. I love that they are continuing the Friday fun.



This week is the 9th Friday Follow hosted by our awesome hostesses, Heather & Jessica from Saving Money and Living Life, Tami from Hearts Make Families, Harriet from Harriet and Friends, and Ian from The Daily Dose of Reality. Give these ladies a hand for all their hard work & check out their great blogs.

Thanks to Toddler Awesome for another follow opportunity! Can you feel the Friday love?

And yes, there are more! But, the more follows the better right? I commend all these ladies for taking on this great Friday staple.



And I just can't resist this adorable friendly frog! ...frogs are my absolute favorite!

As always, see the blog hosts for rules regarding each hop. There is usually a Linky listed with the highlighted blogs. Have fun and make some new bloggy friends.

If you are visiting, have a peek at some recipes, read some current events for bloggers and thrifty mamas, see some pics of my kiddos and get to know me. Oh, and don't forget to leave your comment with a mention of FF, so I will follow you back. I currently have a Tropical Traditions Organic Peanut Butter Giveaway and an Oregon Chai Tea Giveaway with more coming up! Veggies are in full swing so look for many new recipes on the horizon. Come join in on the fun!

Giveaway: Oregon Chai : The Joy of Me Time

Closed

A while ago I posted letting you all know about Oregon Chai's first twitter party. It was a blast! I met all sorts of other chai drinkers and even some people who hadn't tried it yet. Because of that, Oregon Chai contacted me to do a review & giveaway of their product. Of course I was really excited.

Back when I was a barista during college our coffee shop used only Oregon Chai (which, on the University of Oregon campus doesn not seem like a stretch!)... not as well known then and definitely not as readily available. I was hooked. It quickly became a cold or hot favorite of mine. The problem of course is not all chai is created the same. In fact, chai just means tea! So, the chai at your local coffee stand or supermarket shelf can vary widely. After many cups of chai... some good, some bad... I still go for Oregon Chai.

I was sent a fabulous kit to help me find a little "Me Time" and savor their product all year long. I was sent a double-walled acrylic reusable (BPA-free!) iced tea cup, a mug, a USB-powered mug warmer, a 10-oz. sample of chai, a flash drive and a mood ring. (very cute!) As a mom with two little ones this all goes a long way to help me carve out 20 minutes of time for myself. That is about the time my kids' naps overlap and I can savor a cup of chai. In fact as I type this I am using my ice tea cup and sipping my old favorite.


Though you can still buy Oregon Chai liquid, the powder is a great and portable way to take this drink along with you. If you enjoy chai, I would encourage you to try it... if you have tried and didn't care for chai in the past, give Oregon Chai a try... and if you have never tasted this tea and spice nirvana, well... what are you waiting for? Look for Oregon Chai in your favorite grocery store. Try the tea aisle first.

I am happy to tell you there will be another Oregon Chai twitter party on August 10th from 8-9 EST. Come join in on the fun, new friends and great tasting prizes. Be sure to follow them @OregonChai to stay connected. I hope to see you all there!

Oh, and wait! It gets better... the fine folks at Oregon Chai are giving you, dear readers, the chance to win your own hot or cold chai kit. 1 winner can win a 10-oz. canister sample and hot mug,

...and 1 winner can win a 10-oz. canister sample & acrylic reusable iced tea cup.


Cool, huh?

GIVEAWAY!

• Mandatory Entry Subscribe by email via Feedburner (right hand side) & let me know which other product of theirs you would like to try.
  
  For extra entries, do any or all of the following and leave a comment letting me know after you do the mandatory entry mentioned above:
  
  
• Follow my Blog via Google Friend Connect (1 entry)
• Follow Oregon Chai on twitter (@OregonChai) (1 entry)
• Subscribe to the Oregon Chai newsletter - botton right hand corner (1 entry)
  
• Blog about this giveaway with a link to my site (5 entries)
• Enter this on a Giveaway Linky & leave a link (5 entries for each Linky!)
• Follow me on Twitter (@notimeMom) & tweet about this giveaway. (2x per day at least 2 hrs apart) Feel free to use: " Win an Oregon Chai Prize Pack (2 winners!) @notimeMom http://bit.ly/d79Fb2 :: ends 8/9 #giveaway Pls RT!" Please include the URL (1 entry per tweet)
• Which recipe would you make? http://oregonchai.com/recipes/
• Comment on any of my other blog posts. Just let me know where you commented (1 entry per comment, 5 entries max.)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry to get full credit. Open to the U.S.A.Giveaway ends on August 9th at 11:59 pm PST. A winner will be chosen on the 10th via Random.org. and will be emailed as well as posted on this blog. They will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

*Oregon Chai provided me with a free sample of this product and tools to do a fair and honest review, and I was under no obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. No monetary compensation took place.

Flat On My .... Backside

With a to-do list a mile long I woke up and the room wouldn't stay still. Over I went! For some crazy reason I have been dizzy and nauseous all morning. Why do you care? Well, part of that to-do list included posting a new giveaway. I am so excited about this one. The folks over at Oregon Chai will be setting up two of my readers with samples and swag. Don't miss out! Check back later today... or tomorrow at the latest. I will have something fun (and tasty!) for you, I promise!

Notice Anything?

Yes... the aqua blue header looks odd at the top of this template... Well, my old design expired. Cutest blog on the block is no more. I really enjoyed that look... so now I am on the hunt for something different. Something very "me". Not sure what I am looking for yet, I will just keep looking. Either that or I will rework the header. Yeah, the header will probably get a little revamp here soon. My kids are older, cuter and should be represented. But, at least now my blog won't implode.

I like the extra column and the wider text area. What do you think? Suggestions always welcome.

Great Giveaway on Other Blogs!

First off I am in party planning mode. My little girl will be turning the big "1" later this summer. I have always thought buying banners every year was wasteful and was excited to see this giveaway for ADDIEBUGS over at Cake Mom.


Win a $20 gift certificate to the Etsy ADDIEBUGS shop!! ... to use towards a banner of your choice! For me, a Happy Birthday banner for my little girl to be used every year. This giveaway ends 7/28.

Co Sleeping... Over already?

Oddly enough I just posted about our co-sleeping dilemma. Not with my son the toddler, but with my little girl. I also recently commented on another blogger's co sleeping post (Dirty Diaper Laundry). I am proud that we practice attachment parenting and have enjoyed all those special moments snuggling with my oldest. In hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Sadly, I think last night was the beginning of the end of our co sleeping. I should feel happy... or proud to see him become more independent, but honestly I am feeling loss. When did my little boy grow up? I will miss our morning hugs and, "I love you Mama!"

Last night we tried an experiment. We don't have a toddler bed yet, but we moved my son's mattress down on the floor next to our bed. My DH set him all up with his pony pillow & McQueen sleeping bag. He was very proud of his new bed and settled down easily. He slept like a log all night. I guess that proves he was ready for his own space.

Good for us, great for him. Also pretty fabulous for our previous co sleeping headache. Our bed just got a little bigger and now I have the room to work on little girl's sleeping habits. So why am I feeling so sad?

It all seems to be happening so fast! I still remember finding out I was pregnant for the first time. I was in such a hurry to have that baby and get to know him. Now I wish I could go back and relive some of these special moments. We decided to stop at two. As a mom I only have two hands, right? There are only two parents and one on one are pretty good odds, right? I have been having a twinge. Oddly enough, this was the same time I had baby fever last time. When my son turned a year old I knew I wanted another baby. So, when do you know your family is finished?

I would love to hear from other parents out there. How did you know? A set number? Or a feeling? This mama has gotta know...

Summer Reading with VReader

So, you have seen ... or at least heard of ... the kindle. I am still keeping my eye on the dropping prices, someday I will add one to my diaper bag. But, VTechKids.com was great enough to include their own version for kids. Called a V.Reader, it allows kids to download or buy cartridges for books that are interactive. This sounds like just the thing for my tech loving little boy!

You can buy this little beauties at Target, or fromAnd if you are feeling lucky, you can enter to win your very own V.Reader at A Mom's Balancing Act. Giveaway ends July 23rd - yeah, a short one!



Wordless Wednesday - In 5 Minutes

Here is why you never take your eyes off a toddler....


Thanks for stopping by my Wordless Wednesday! For even more fun, check out some of the folks commenting.
(Sorry folks! The Linky wasn't working for me... I will give it another go next week)

Toddler Tuesdays - Pedaling Fun!

Welcome to another Toddler Tuesday! As my daughter is getting ready to walk I am terrified by the thought that soon, I will have 2 toddlers under one roof! Oh, help me. Well, there won't be a dull... or non-sticky moment.

This week is an ode to our new pedal tractor. At a friend's house my son was introduced to the big drivable trucks. He was so amazed! Even with a water slide, swingset and whole yard full of kids, he was fixated on the truck. Unfortunately he isn't the best at following instructions so he spend a lot of time spinning his wheels in gravel. After some discussion (...and a look at the price tag...) my DH & I decided he was old enough for something... but, maybe pedal power was more up our alley! I had horrible vision of him either running over his sister or my chickens. Saying he is a busy little boy is an understatement... (the band-aid, by the way, is testament to him being too busy to let scratches heal without help.)


And here it is. Since it is pedal powered he will need to build up strength in order to build up speed. This is much harder to mindlessly run into things. We are pretty happy with this find at our local farm supply store.


...and he loves it! He has his own tractor and he gets to work on it with his tools.

It doesn't get much better for a little boy. He can pedal it around the yard, fill the bucket up and dump it out again.

Thanks for stopping my for Toddler Tuesday. This meme was started by Minnesota Mama's. If you want to read more TT fun, or link up, just head on over to her blog.

Simple Pleasures...

Since we moved I have been trying to simplify our lives. Nothing is simpler than an old fashioned clothes line. What is better than fresh laundry off the line? Great for cloth diapers and fabulous for blankets and bedding. I just love the fresh smell. We didn't have a great place for a rope line, so I was on the hunt for a drying rack. This ended up being a harder search than I anticipated.


Finally DH's grandmother found one for us, and it is perfect! Look at those happy diapers drying on the rack. We already had the concrete pad and a hole, so now that spot is complete. So glad we live out here, far from the reach of home owner association restrictions on clothes lines!

Do you line dry your clothes? Or would you like to?

Voodoo Doughnuts - Part 2!

Oh, by the way... they mean it!

I think I mentioned in my original Voodoo Doughnuts post that a shop was opening up 2 hours closer to home, in Eugene Oregon. We headed up there for a day of fun, sun and swimming but couldn't leave without trying a few more delicious confections from this great doughnut shop.

With their quirky theme and scarily delicious doughnut concoctions, they seem like a fabulous fit for the always interesting city of Eugene. My DH & I went to school there and enjoyed our time with all the great shopping, famous Saturday Market and cultural opportunities all year long. Plus the food! Now Voodoo Doughnuts is up there on my list.


We tried to explore a few more creations this time around. At this rate, we will still have new doughnuts to try for years! Oh, did I mention there are vegan options, too? Sweet! My DH went for a plain old maple bar, his favorite and the standard he holds all others to. You can tell they use quality ingredients because there is no overly sweet maple after taste. Then he went for the shop named Portland Cream. Happily they use a custard style filling. My favorite!


So, what did I try? Well... I am a big apple fritter fan. But, they must be done right. They should be moist, but still crispy on the outside...light with real apple chunks and flavor. But, I didn't go for an apple fritter... another fritter cousin caught my eye. They serve a mean banana fritter with chocolate & peanut butter drizzle and then topped with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Oh, be still my little heart! I was in fritter heaven.

So to sum our trip up. We went, we devoured and it was good. Maybe not so good for my waistline, we will be back... and now that we have a Voodoo Doughnut shop closer to home... it will also be more often. As they say, "The Magic is in the Hole".

Oh, yeah... no compensation for this post. I happily bought my own doughnuts with my own dough and will do it again! .... and again.

New Giveaway Finds at Giveaway Scout!

I just wanted to share with you a brand new giveaway search engine available! Giveaway Scout will find the giveaways for you. Just subscribe and have all the latest contests delivered to you. Sounds pretty neat, if you ask me. And if you have giveaways to post, why not try them out. They will scan your blog and post your new giveaways... hourly! Sweet.

You may notice that I have added their widget to my right hand side. Go ahead take a peak. Find anything good?

For posting this, my blog will be added and you will be able to find my giveaways listed there. I hope you enjoy it. I am subscribed.

Saturday Sweet Shots - Join up!

Okay, I probably don't need another meme to keep up with, but this one I just couldn't pass up! This lovely little shot of sugar comes to us from

I bet I have your attention now! Just link up your own sweet (or savory) recipe and browse some other yummy ideas. Maybe it will give you some inspiration for weekend dinner? It has me all set to bake.

Hunts Deserves a Second Look!

I have a confession to make... I am obsessed with ridding our pantry of high fructose corn syrup. It is easier said that done! One of the biggest problems has been our ketchup. I do enjoy making our own food, and ketchup is high on my list, but that doesn't help me right now. Now, before tomatoes are available locally I am out of luck and at the mercy of our store shelves. I think my DH & I spent 20 minutes reading the back of every ketchup available at our grocery store. The result? We only found one brand that didn't contain the cow plumping high fructose corn syrup we were trying so hard to avoid. We bought it. But, at almost $5 a bottle, I was in pain. Well, in my wallet.

My toddler can eat large amounts of tomatoes with his diet and he is really into the dipping action. But, anyone with toddlers can vouch that more "dip-dip" gets wasted than eaten. And a bottle of ketchup goes fast!
I was excited to see that large companies are taking notice of consumers being pickier eaters... Hunts just launched a ketchup that is 100% natural. No additives or high fructose corn syrup in the recipe. The label doesn't contain a bunch of hard to read names or scary sounding preservatives. So, I bought a bottle. I want the big companies to know that we love this "new" approach. Simple is good. And the price? At under $2 it was much easier on our budget. So my son is back in "dip-dip" thanks to Hunts.

I didn't receive any compensation or product in exchange for this posting. I am just excited to see a new product that fits my family so well and I wanted to share it with all my readers. But, rest assured... I will be posting my ketchup adventures this fall.

*Disclaimer - this post was purely written off a personal review. No compensation or free product was received in exchange for this review.

Homemaking Blog Celebration

I just love bloggy events! Happily Domestic is kicking off her, Celebrate the Joys of Homemaking, event today. There are extra entries for posting her button and blogging about the event, but that ends today. So, what are you waiting for?

It sounds like a lot of fun and right up my alley. As it is, I need to get my sewing machine out and start working on a few dresses for my little girl... and peaches and beans are almost ready for canning! So, homemaking is on my mind.

The first giveaway will be posted later today, so check it out. Just hop on over to Happily Domestic.

Co Sleeping... My Current Headache

We are a co sleeping family. It was a simple choice for my DH & I. His parents did it when he was young and it seemed so natural to me. I was up every hour at night with my son making sure he was still breathing! Having him close made me feel better and made nighttime nursing so simple!

Oddly enough, co sleeping is a strange secret society. No handshake, but it is not talked about openly. In whispers I found that more people co sleep than I ever imagined! After our pediatrician gave us all the general warnings, she admitted that she also practiced co sleeping. I found this experience repeated over and over with friends and acquaintances. Yes, some of our friends find this crazy, but it works for us.

Fast forward to today... my baby girl has chosen to be more of a crib sleeper. She sleeps better in the early evening, but generally migrates back into our bed for nursing and we wake up with smiles in the morning.

Last night she showed her first preference. As I took her upstairs she began crying as I entered her room. She was babbling and pointing towards our room. I tried my best to snuggle down with her, but even as she nurses she migrates around the bed. Not terribly fun! At one point both her and my toddler were giggling and poking each other. Grrr...

So my current problem? I am trying to teach her how to fall asleep. I want to respect her request to join the family bed, but we also need to get some sleep! This process took quite a while with my son, but now the bed is a little smaller. My son is close to needing his own "big boy bed", but not quite. I think by his birthday we will have one set up at the foot of our bed. But, that is a few months away. I don't have time to keep laying her down and sing her to sleep. So far my DH threw out the idea of living room camping with our son. I know my son would love that.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Any suggestions? I would love to hear if there are any other co sleepers our there!

Solo Photo Contest!

I am not sure what it is about summer time... maybe as Mom I just want more time to spend with my kids and less time washing dishes! Or maybe it is the convenience... but with BBQs and parties on my mind, we like to get Solo cups and plates for easy clean-up. Have you had any parties decked out with Solo products? Well, if you snapped any pics you can enter to win Solo's exciting photo contest!
Just go to www.SoloCups4ever.com to enter. Good luck! Please come back and share with us if you win. I have my fingers crossed for you!

Enter the Solo Cup Company second annual online photo contest with a grand prize of $5,000 for the best photo featuring Solo products! You'll be able to enter your favorite photos at www.SoloCups4ever.com until August 6th. In addition to the grand prize, two $1,000 runner-up prizes will be awarded at the end of the contest. By entering, you'll also have the chance to win daily and weekly prizes of gift certificates and Solo products- a great way to extend the fun of summer well into the fall!
I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good! Think of the kind of party you could throw with that kind of dough! Par-tay!

This great opportunity was brought to me by MomSelect & Solo. I hope you enjoy their updates as much as I do!
*Disclaimer - For posting I was entered for a chance to win a giftcard. No monetary compensation took place.

Aloha Friday - #22

Aloha Everyone! In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Can you believe it is already Friday? We survived the week, so to celebrate! Let's sit back, relax and enjoy a little blog hop. No heavy mental lifting today... just one simple little question...

What Local Fruit or Veg. Blows Your Skirt Up?

You know what I mean. What do you look forward to coming into season each year? For me it would be blackberries. I don't know if I could ever eat too many! There is something so quintessential about picking and eating fresh vine-ripened blackberries. Maybe they just taste better with stained fingers?

I am still anxiously waiting for the wild berries to ripen. My DH brought home some local farm berries, but they weren't the same. *sniff* I already have blackberry pie and cordial on my mind.

I want to know, what about you? What fresh produce gets you all excited about summer? Watermelon? Strawberries? Tomatoes? I want to know!

If you are looking for more Aloha Friday fun, go to An Island Life and check out the other posts on the Linky. Have a great weekend!

Giveaway - Tropical Traditions Peanut Butter (+Chewy Granola Bar Recipe)

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

A month ago I had the opportunity to review Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil. Do you remember? Feel free to take a peak at my previous review. It was really yummy stuff! I wasn't sure how it could get any better, but I was then approached to try another of their products. I chose the Organic Peanut Butter. I mean, yum!

__________

I had my eye on this great chewy granola recipe that calls for peanut butter. Well, it called for butter too, but I went ahead and threw the Coconut Oil in also. This is my new favorite recipe. I haven't made it once, but 3 times and they are phenomenal! A real reason to never buy boxed again. I would love to tell you that I had tried many great recipes... but, well I am hooked on these granola bars!

You Will Need:
1 2/3 c. quick rolled oats (I also added a handful of old fashioned for texture!)
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. oat flour (just process up in a blender or food processor)
1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 c. dried fruit and nuts (as you like!)
1/3 c. organic coconut peanut butter
6 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 Tbsp. water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 9″ x 11″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ,coconut oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry and peanut butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. Use a piece of plastic wrap and really press down firmly.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They might seem a little under baked, but will set up as they cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.Use the parchment paper to help lift them out of the pan. Chilling in the fridge will also help with cutting. Store in the fridge wrapped up. Enjoy!

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The coconut peanut butter itself also goes well on toast, english muffins, you name it! I enjoyed the fact that it needs to be stirred. It just reminds me that it is natural. It does have a hint of coconut flavor in it which is my favorite part. I just love coconut.

Overall I am very happy with the product. Even my DH enjoyed it. I promise your regular peanut butter will be jealous. I mean, they can't claim to have only 2 ingredients. This stuff contains organic peanuts and organic coconut. That's it! Nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. This is something I can be proud to give to my family.


To learn more about the coconut products you can watch, “How We Discovered Virgin Coconut Oil - An Interview with Brian Shilhavy, CEO Tropical Traditions” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h6eycjf29M

Would you like to win your own jar of Organic Coconut Peanut Butter, just like the one I reviewed? Of course you do!

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Open to the US and Canada. Please leave a separate comment for each entry to get full credit. Giveaway ends on July 28th at 11:59 pm PST. A winner will be chosen on the 29th via Random.org. and will be emailed. They will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

*Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.