A 24 hrs. St. Patrick's Day

From sunrise to sundown here's some fun ways to go "green" with your kids today!

Breakfast: Shamrock French Toast

Using a shamrock shaped cookie cutter, cut the center out of bread slices. Prepare following your favorite recipe.

Adventure: Walk to a local park, picking up any trash you see along the way. When you get to the park have a 4-leaf clover hunt!

Snack: Pistachio nuts (naturally green!)

Lunch: Irish Bread PB&J's

Try an easy Irish Bread recipe HERE. To add a touch of green to your PB&J lunch, serve it with sliced kiwi & green grapes and raw broccoli & celery slices.

Education & Craft: Painted Blarney Stones

There's a world famous stone in Ireland called the Blarney Stone. For over 200 years people have been leaning upside down to kiss the magic stone. The legend says that whomever kisses the Blarney stone will be gifted with eloquence. Nobody is sure how the stone's powers came about, some say it is the stone that gushed water when Moses struck it. But, there are many stories of the Blarney's origin.

Help your child find a Blarney stone (any rock), clean it off and paint the rock like a rainbow or any other fun design they want using craft paints & their fingers.

Adventure: Plant an indoor patch of Clover.

Who couldn't use the luck of the Irish? A pack of seeds is fairly inexpensive and your little one can hunt for 4 leaf clovers year-round! You could also plant the seeds outside (they are spring seeds) but be cautious not to plant them near gardens or lawns that you don't wish clover to grow in.

Dinner: Pot of Gold Peppers

Cut the top off a green bell pepper, remove seeds. Layer cooked rice, black beans and corn so that the corn is the top layer of your pepper. Pierce the sides of the pepper with a fork and bake on 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Dessert: Scoops O'Lime

Serve up a little bowls of lime sherbet. Yum!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!

Sanitized Streak Free Shine

I have spent the last hour of my life cleaning a window. Yes, {a} window. Said window resides in our living room, wears a set of wooden blinds that possibly weigh 100lbs (maybe more) and were covered in a layer of hybrid dust. Wondering what hybrid dust is? Specifically, it's the dust in my house. Dust, so advanced that as soon as you clean it off and move on to the next area, a new impressive layer has formed. THAT is hybrid dust. I beat the hybrid dust and have sparkling clean windows! Here's how.

Step 1: Remove curtains and wash.
Step 2: Vacuum blinds to remove top layer of hybrid dust.
Step 3: GO TO TOWN on the blinds with alcohol on a clean rag.
Step 4: Clean windows with alcohol and newspaper (lint free).
Step 5: Don't laugh when the bird hits the window.

Disclaimer: this is not my weekly routine. This is my spring cleaning method. I prefer to use alcohol because it sterilizes. This way, I know my hard work is well worth it and my house is truly clean.

You can use two forms of alcohol.. rubbing alcohol (like you'd clean a cut with) or vodka, which is odorless and can even be sprayed on furniture and unwashables (is that a word?) to disinfect. Both evaporate away, leaving a non-toxic surface.

Another reason I use alcohol to disinfect...

WARNING: Causes eye and skin irritation. Do not get in eyes, on skin or clothing.

For sensitive skin or prolonged use, wear gloves.
Odors may irritate. Use only in well ventilated areas. Avoid prolonged breathing of vapor.
Not recommended for use by persons with heart conditions or chronic respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema or obstructive lung disease.
Harmful if swallowed.

Apply carefully, this product contains bleach. DO NOT use or mix with other household chemicals, such as products containing ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners or acidic cleaners, or with other Lysol products, as hazardous gases may be released. Avoid contact with clothes, fabric, carpet, wood, rubber, vinyl, painted and paper surfaces. Prolonged contact with metal, old porcelain, worn Formica and marble may cause discoloration.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

That is an excerpt from Lysol All Purpose Cleaner's MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) found on the US Dept. of Health & Human Services Household Product Database. I think the US Dept. of HHS would be giving more justice to the American people by removing products from the shelves, not posting info on a site that 90% of consumers don't realize exists, but that's a topic for another day.

Off my soapbox and back to cleaning... more spring cleaning tips to come!

7 Days of Spring Cleaning & Organizing

I hate loathe spring cleaning. This year I'm tackling the chore early so I don't waste a second of beautiful weather stuck indoors! You can too with the help of Audrey, today's guest blogger, and her easy 7 day solution. I'll post more tips on how you can make your spring cleaning, green cleaning.

Starting today, for 7 days straight, I plan to do a spring organizing and/or spring cleaning project each day. Here's what's on my agenda...

DAY 1 Begin outside clean up, including getting rid of any leftover winter brush, snipping dead branches from plants to get them ready for the warmer weather ahead and sweeping the walkway and driveway.

DAY 2 Put away any winter clothing for the season that is still in our closets, and bring out our spring and summer wardrobes. Iron anything that requires it.

DAY 3 Begin sorting through the outdoor toys (including sports equipment, skate boards, bicycle, etc.) from last year and determine what my son has outgrown and will no longer be using. I will create a list of a few items to supplement to provide him with items that are more age appropriate for this year.

DAY 4 Clean areas in our house that get neglected most of the year, such as the tops of our high cabinets, under the fridge and the bookcase shelves (empty, dust, and return all books again).

DAY 5 Begin to plan our family’s summer vacation for the end of August. By reviewing our budget and discussing ideas with the family, we will formulate a vacation plan so we will be ready when the end of summer comes around. (It arrives before you know it!)

DAY 6 Empty the fridge and freezer and clean them out before returning our perishables back inside. Also, defrost the freezer we keep in our garage.

DAY 7 Although I belong to a homeowners association, I suggest making arrangements for your summer help, including the lawn mowing service, and grass, tree and plant service. Check the outdoor furniture that was left out over the winter to see if it needs any repair (mine is made of wrought iron and might need to be repainted). It’s also a good time of year to make an appointment to have the car detailed.

By the end of these 7 days, I know we'll feel great and a lot will be complete and we can enjoy the Spring!

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Audrey Cupo is a full-time Professional Organizer and sole proprietor of A BETTER SPACE based in Bucks County, PA. She specializes in residential organizing and focuses her business on helping busy moms and women entrepreneurs get organized with her in-home services and her U Can Do It product line. To sign up for her free monthly newsletter "Organizing News You Can Use", go to www.4abetterspace.com

Drop TOMS not Bombs!

Have you heard about TOMS shoes? The amazing company that donates shoes to needy children 1-for-1 worldwide? That's right, every single shoe you buy from TOMS gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need! Does it give you warm fuzzies? And make you want to shop?

Generally speaking, consumerism isn't the most eco-friendly thing to do, so when you do need to buy something make it really count. Look for organic, recycled, refurbished, local, or sustainable products. The more you shop for products that meet that criteria, the higher demand for that type of products! Which means more companies making quality eco-friendly gear at lower competitive prices!

Now, TOMS makes the cut a different way. TOMS shoes emit goodwill & compassion. An equally fabulous feature. Several of TOMS shoes are made from sustainable materials and they also have a vegan shoe line! Check out our family's shopping cart (favorites) below!

Above: Youth White Canvas (x2) for the twins.

2 blank canvas (shoes) just begging to be drawn on. What kid doesn't love that?

1 pair of Tiny Toms Remarque

"Make Art Not War." - for the 2 year old (Maybe he'll stop hitting?)
1 pair of TOMS Madrina... for the Momma.

1 pair of TOMS Chocolate Canvas Stitchouts for the Rad Bad Dad.

Now, we just have to wait for our sizes to be in stock!!! I have a warm fuzzy feeling that it's well worth the wait. I'd love to hear from our lovely (and ever so silent) readers: what do you think about TOMS? Have you tried them? Think you will?

p.s. the tshirt in the first picture.. yeah, it's purchase donates a pair of shoes too!

Snapple, you let me down.

My husband, being the great guy that is, knows that I love Snapple and he also knows that I'm trying to get back into a bikini this summer. While he's standing in the refrigerated beverage section of the store he sees something new... Snapple Refresh, a low calorie juice drink. The bottle reads "Naturally flavored Noni Berry juice drink with other natural flavors." Sounds good right? He grabbed a bottle (along with my favorite) to try. Food Tip #1: never put anything in your mouth without reading the full label. That being said, let's take a look at the Snapple Refresh label.

Per bottle:

-30 calories

-0 fat

-3g Sugar

-3g Carbs

-15 mg sodium

Lookin' good Snapple, on to the ingredients:
Filtered Water, Pear & Noni juice concentrates, citric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavors (what does that even mean?), ASPARTAME, Vegetable and fruit juices (for color), natural green tea extract, CAFFEINE, Acacia gum, SUCRALOSE. PHENLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE. (even Snapple put this one in bold/caps font)

2 artificial sweeteners & 30mg of caffeine.

Snapple, "Made from the best stuff on Earth."

SNAPPLE: FAIL