Live A Little - Break Out of the Box

This week's Live a Little thought was inspired by our turtle, Tick Tock. We've had Tick for a couple of years now, ever since our neighbor brought him over in a shoebox. He was tiny then, about the size of  an egg, but he's huge now. I never expected him to have such a big personality to match, though. Who knew I'd have a turtle who would beckon me to hold him and let me scratch his chin? Crazy! 

Another thing that's crazy about Tick is how fast he is. He can move. And climb. Obviously, he's too big for his tank these days, but he can climb out and then we'll find him all the way back in Jasper's room at the other end of the house. Playing with Playmobil knights and dragons. Okay, that last bit is total hyperbole, but he does get around, which is pretty impressive for a common red eared slider.

Tick's intrepid spirit made me ruminate a little bit about boundaries and how we set them for ourselves, even if they're entirely imaginary. "I can't do that!" or "I'm not qualified!" are not things we should accept in our day-to-day lives. Instead, we should try to say "I haven't done that before but I'll give it my best shot!" Think outside the box that you've made for yourself and see what a difference it makes.

What walls will you tear down?

Share your Live a Little suggestions with the Skimbaco every Monday by adding the link to your Live a Little blog post in the InLinkz widget below. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com OR grab the InLinkz code for your blog post – or do both! If you post the widget in your blog post, please add the rules as well.

FTD for Mother's Day (Giveaway)

I received a surprise from my dear friend Zippy this week, lovely flowers from the Better Homes and Gardens collection from FTD. Actually, it's an extra-special surprise because I ended up getting two arrangements! Here's what happened. The florist tried to deliver the first arrangement while we were in New Jersey but I had to schedule redelivery when I got home.

I think they delivered the same arrangement, three days later. The flowers were pretty but a little wilted. I mentioned this to my FTD contact and they sent a replacement arrangement, via a different local floral shop. I think it's more "me," what do you think?

FTD has been America's flower expert for over 100 years and is a go-to source for Mother's Day gifting. Their Better Homes and Gardens collection features “Editors’ Choice” arrangements, designed by BHG editors. Each flower arrangement and plant is designed to reflect the style and elegance of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  For Mother’s Day, all Better Homes and Gardens Flowers by FTD come with an additional gift that is sure to make moms feel even more appreciated: a free one-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens! 

I especially love the idea of giving FTD potted plants, like bonsais and container gardens, because they keep giving well after the holiday is over. 

$50 FTD Gift Card Giveaway

Walkabout Wrap-up

April is almost over and that means Dr. Weil Integrative Footwear's Walkabout has come to an end. The weather here in Kansas has run the gamut over the past 28 days, from jaw-chatteringly chilly to 95º, with a tornado touching down in town and flooding rains tossed in to liven things up. Still, it's been nice to let the winter doldrums go and get moving again. Especially because it's miniskirt weather!

I'm sorry. You probably didn't need to see my weird dark sock and sneakers with ikat miniskirt look, did you? Especially with the charming mottled color that my ferocious spring break sunburn left me with. Oh, well, at least they're not glaringly white daikon legs anymore. My knees like to breathe free when it's warm out. An old friend of mine in Seattle told me that before he ever met me, his code name from seeing me out at shows was "short skirts." Yeah. I know.

The kids only have two weeks of school left (shocking!) so I know we'll be doing more walking as a family, which will be nice. I wish there were kid-sized versions of Dr. Weil Integrative Footwear, especially for Roo. I think more comfortable walking shoes would make her decidedly less sullen about having to go anywhere with us. One of the healthy changes I've made during the Walkabout is trying to be a better healthy lifestyle role model for her, so I've been working out regularly and the two of us are signing up for the Girls on the Run Mother's Day 5K. She seems psyched.

You know who else is psyched?

I probably ought to start thinking about getting some walking sandals soon. Let those toes wiggle free in the fresh air, along with my knobby knees.

I think my walkabout is just getting good. How about yours?

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that, as a brand ambassador, I received the complimentary sneakers mentioned above. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are, as usual, my own.

Wordless Wednesday - Mall Haircuts and Jasp in a Box

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ZeroWater Pitcher (Two Winners, Enter Now!)

Our water in Wichita is pretty icky compared to most other places I have lived. It's very hard and leaves a mineral scale on everything. Sometimes it even has a lovely poo smell due to algae bloom in the reservoir. Not so delicious. 

I jumped at the chance to review a new ZeroWater pitcher, much to my husband's bafflement. You see, we have a reverse osmosis system that makes our water safer to drink and much tastier. When we had it installed, we gave away our old water filter pitchers and thought we were done with them for good but I was intrigued by ZeroWater's built-in TDS meter, which measures the amount of total dissolved solids in your drinking water. I was curious to see how our water would rank, with and without the reverse osmosis filtration. Shockingly, our tap water measured 382 ppm– 500 is the EPA maximum!

I knew it would be high but that was more than I expected. Next, I measured a glass of water from the R/O tap:

79 is definitely much better than 382 but it still could be better. I decided to fill the ZeroWater pitcher with regular tap water to test how well it reduced the TDS levels. 

It did very well, getting it all the way down to 005ppm on the first pass.

Now I remember that my ancient water filtration pitchers recommended running water through the filter several times to remove any residual charcoal so that might account for the slightly elevated reading. ZeroWater is ready to go with one fill, though, making it awfully convenient for lazy folks like me. I also love the clever lid design that allows you to totally geek out and test your water at any time with the handy TDS meter:

I was a little surprised at the size of the ZeroWater filters and the weight of the pitcher, which is a bit heavy for kids to use in the traditional manner. Thankfully, the pour handle has a nifty integrated spigot:

My kids LOVE the spigot. They are constantly going to the fridge to get water now. I'm not even joking! We haven't bought juice boxes since getting the ZeroWater pitcher. It's increased the entire family's water consumption. And it tastes great, especially when we fill it from the R/O tap! I love having cold water at the ready, especially now that the weather is getting warmer.

Check your local TDS levels using the free TDS look-up on http://www.zerowater.com, then use code MC30 to get 30% off the 10-cup ZeroWater pitcher featured in this review! Learn more about ZeroWater on Facebook.

Giveaway
Two readers (US only, sorry international readers) will each win their own ZeroWater pitcher! Enter using the form below:

They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club

I know you love commemorative coins just as much as I do, so I thought I'd let you know that you have only until this Thursday to join They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club and receive your very own three-eyed FDR medallion! Okay, fine, it just made me laugh.


Roo and Jasper are more than a little bit obsessed with TMBG's excellent (and actually educational!) DVD/CDs Here Come the ABCs, Here Come The 123s and Here Comes Science which have saved me from hours of kiddie rock lameness over the past few years. I might have to actually join up this year. I hear membership has its privileges, even above and beyond the coveted FDR coin…

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received no compensation for posting this video. I just thought it was amusing. However, if you buy any of the TMBG stuff on Amazon via my affiliate links, I could get a few shekels. Not sure that I would get anything if you joined their fan club, although if they wanted to send me the cool birdie nightlight or some singles, I wouldn't say no.

Live a Little: Be Grateful for Change

I've always loved thrift shopping and combing antique malls and estate sales. You find amazing bargains and tons of bizarre and beautiful things. You can also gauge how society has changed, for better and for worse. For example, the highly collectable realm of pickaninny dolls and related ephemera featuring cartoonish black folk or white people in blackface. It's offensive and yet oddly appealing- so wrong it's hard to believe it wasn't a joke. I mean, Amos and Andy ran for thirty years on radio and TV! Crazy.

I was perusing the wares at a shop a while back and came across this book with phenomenal typography and illustrations. It caught my eye because the main character is named Jasper. But I couldn't justify buying it. First of all due to the ridiculously high marked price but also because it's totally racist- look at his lips and the watermelons. Ugh. 

I know our society is far from equal and that racism certainly still exists but I'm also glad that my kids are growing up with books full of characters from all ethnic and racial backgrounds peacefully coexisting. Sometimes the über-PC one-of-each color of today's children's programming is a bit heavy handed, true. It's not quite a small world, after all, but it's getting better about being thoughtful, and that's something.

Share your Live a Little suggestions with the Skimbaco every Monday by adding the link to your Live a Little blog post in the InLinkz widget below. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com OR grab the InLinkz code for your blog post – or do both! If you post the widget in your blog post, please add the rules as well.

Cox Conserves Earth Day Initiative

Cox Communications is our cable company, as well as our home phone and internet provider, so I was happy to learn that this year marks the fifth anniversary of their environmentally-conscious Cox Conserves program. Since today is Earth Day, it seemed like a particularly appropriate time to talk about it.

Cox Conserves is the company’s national sustainability program, designed to reduce Cox Enterprises’ carbon footprint by twenty percent. The plan reduces Cox corporate energy consumption by embracing alternative energy, conserving natural resources and inspiring eco-friendly behavior. The program engages each of the company’s major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Media Group and AutoTrader.com) and encourages Cox Enterprises’ more than 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices. For more information, visit: http://www.coxconserves.com/

Cox Conserves Green Initiatives

Alternative Energy: Cox actively identifies opportunities to harness solar energy and employ fuel cell technology, annually preventing more than 17,400 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the environment through its alternative energy projects.

Energy Conservation: Across Cox Enterprises, programs are in place to conserve energy, including producing alternative energy, constructing eco-friendly buildings, greening the company fleet, conserving resources and recycling materials.

Waste Management: Cox Enterprises employs a holistic approach to waste management including waste reduction, strategic partnerships for e-waste and customer engagement.

Water Conservation: Cox’s water conservation efforts save more than 20 million gallons of water annually and return high-quality reusable water to the community. This is accomplished through water conservation centers, motion-sensor faucets and well-water landscaping, among other programs. Cox also partners with groups such as American Rivers and the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to help preserve valuable water resources and participate in river cleanup projects.

Eco-friendly Fleet: With more than 12,000 vehicles, Cox Enterprises has one of the nation’s largest fleets. Cox embraces Eco-friendly vehicles and uses technology such GPS Fleet Management Solutions to lessen its impact on the environment. Commuter programs and green call centers encourage employees to make a difference.

Ways to Celebrate Earth Day, Everyday

Have your family establish one day each week as Energy Savers Day. Turn off TVs, computers, video games and any other electronic gadgets. Use the time to read or play games.

BYOB – Bring your own bag to the store.

Use distilled white vinegar in place of chlorine-based cleaners. Distilled white vinegar contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which makes it a great stain remover.

Reduce your junk mail stream by joining a no-send list.

Unplug unused appliances. Electronics use 40% of their full running power when left on standby. Annually, this translates into an energy loss equivalent to the output of 26 power plants!

Bike around town instead of driving.

Download all these green home tips and more from Cox Conserves. Browse the site for more green suggestions in specific areas like Office, Travel, and Water Conservation. And if you know someone who is working hard to advocate for the environment, consider nominating them as a Cox Conserves Hero.


Keep up on the latest news Cox Conserves news by liking Cox on Facebook, following @cox_comm on Twitter and subscribing to their YouTube channel.

I'm spending my Earth Day on airplanes, trying to fly home from my grandpa's 90th birthday party. Not necessarily the greenest activity…Especially since we missed our connecting flight and we ended up having to rent a minivan and drive back to Wichita from Dallas so my stepfather could make it to work on time Monday morning. We got in at 4am, ouch!


How are you celebrating the earth today, and every day?

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I was compensated by Cox and Everywhere Society for writing this post. However, all opinions are, as usual, my own.

Grandma and Grandpa

I'm in New Jersey for my grandfather's 90th birthday. We're all really missing my grandma's presence. She passed away five years ago, when I was pregnant with Jasper. They had a 62 year love story. Amazing.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wordless Wednesday - Nyan Cat a la Roo

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Live A Little: Let It Slide

So, you'll notice that my Live A Little Monday post is coming at you on a Tuesday. Whoops. Sometimes life gets in the way of other stuff and that's not only normal but also entirely okay. Let it slide. Ditch the guilt and the would've-could've-should've attitude and just keep going. The world is not going to end because you're running late or even if you majorly screw up. Assess the damage and try again. Listen to Mudhoney:



You know what? I started this blog post thinking about the "Let it slide" concept and realized there's a Mudhoney video that is even more pertinent to this week's thought. You have to love a song that starts off "Well I've made mistakes that I'm sure I'll make again, Guess I liked 'em enough the first time around…"



They look much cuter letting their full-on dorkness shine through. I never really thought I'd be looking for positive affirmation from Mudhoney but sometimes you just have to go with it, right? Live A Little. Let it slide. You're good enough. Now get on with it.

Share your Live a Little suggestions with the Skimbaco every Monday by adding the link to your Live a Little blog post in the InLinkz widget below. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com OR grab the InLinkz code for your blog post – or do both! If you post the widget in your blog post, please add the rules as well.

Pioneer Woman in Wichita

The Pioneer Woman was in Wichita last night to promote her new cookbook. She was gracious and funny, as ever, even serenading a PowerPoint photo montage of her basset hound, Charlie. And then she hung around for several hours to sign books. Some JLW compatriots presented her with a copy of Pinches & Dashes. I made her look at pictures of my basset hound, Stella, and she was very nice about the whole thing. Even though the glare off my forehead probably blinded her.

Rainy Day Fitness #Walkabout

Q: How do you keep active when the view from your front door looks like this?

A: Hit the gym.

We've had a lot of rain recently, the kind of torrential Kansas downpour that tries to make up for the year-round dryness. The parched soil can't soak up all the water quickly enough, which means we have a lot of flooding. Which means it's not a lot of fun to take walks, unless you're big into mud puddles.

So I've been taking my Rhythm Walkers to the gym. I had been wearing some lightweight running shoes to work out in, admittedly because they're neon pink and they make me laugh, but I thought the sturdiness of the walking shoes might help my form. I was right, they make a lot of difference with weight training, giving me a more solid footing and improving my posture. My knees feel less wobbly while doing squats, even. I don't think I would wear them to a cardio class but they're really great for step work, resistance training and, predictably, for the treadmill. 

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that, as a brand ambassador, I received the complimentary sneakers mentioned above. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are, as usual, my own.

Get Clean! with Shaklee (Giveaway!)

Winner selected with random.org 4/29: Congratulations, Connie from Misc Finds 4U!

You probably already know that April is Earth Month. There are plenty of ways to celebrate, starting right in your own home. Shaklee asked bloggers to take a look under their kitchen sinks and cross-reference the ingredient list in their current household cleaning products against the National Institutes of Health's household database to see what toxic chemicals are lurking: common ones include kerosene, phenols, cresol, lye, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, petroleum distillates, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, butyl cellosolve, phosphoric acid, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, morpholine, phthalates. Ick! Here's a picture from underneath my sink:

Overall, I'm glad to say that most of my product choices have been fairly eco-friendly. Most. This has been a long time coming, making conscious choices about the cleaning products we use so they more closely resemble our attitudes toward composting, recycling and environmental stewardship, in general. That being said, being a good steward of the earth isn't necessarily the most cost-effective move to make. Or is it? 

Shaklee thinks it can be - and should be - economical to go green. They believe that health isn't just about what you put in your body; it's about everything around you. To that end, they offer a full line of natural and nontoxic cleaning products called Get Clean that are "Safe for You, Your Home, and Your Planet" and have been endorsed by Healthy Child Healthy World. 

The Get Clean! starter kit is an all-in-one wonder featuring products to tackle just about every cleaning problem you might encounter in your daily life. It even includes measuring cups, scrubbers, and a caddy to keep everything organized:

It's available in a fragrance-free option which is nice for our family because my kids sometimes have a reaction to fragranced products. The products are concentrated and some can be diluted at different ratios for different jobs- so smart! I also like the refillable cannisters for dishwashing powder and laundry booster. This would be a superb housewarming gift or an unusual but incredibly useful baby shower present. Some impressive facts about the Get Clean! Starter Kit:

• No harmful fumes or hazardous chemicals.
• Outperforms 20 national leading brands.
• You would spend $3400 for ready to use cleaners to get the same amount of clean found in the Get Clean Starter Kit!*
• Features Basic H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate - just 1/4 tsp. makes 16oz. of all-purpose cleaner for only 3 cents.
• And when you purchase the Get Clean Starter Kit you also make a positive impact on the planet:
• Keep 108 pounds of packaging waste from landfills.
• Eliminate 248 pounds of greenhouse gas.

* Based on comparing number of uses as set forth on product labels of conventional, ready-to-use cleaners.

My favorites thus far are the dish soap (holy grease-cutting action!) and the laundry triumvirate. I was kind of weirded out by the odd texture of the dryer sheets initially (think waxed paper) but these suckers work, even on nasty, muddy kid clothes. In cold water. Love! Plus, they look cute on my eco-clean washer, right?

Win a Shaklee Mini Household Kit {$46.95 retail value} to help you make the switch to safer, greener products. To enter, look under your kitchen sink to see if you spot any of the toxic ingredients (kerosene, phenols, cresol, lye, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, petroleum distillates, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, butyl cellosolve, phosphoric acid, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, morpholine, phthalates) in your current products and let me know what you discover in the comments below. Entries will be accepted through April 25th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. Click here for official rules. US residents are eligible.

Additional entries (leave a comment to let me know):

• Like Shaklee on Facebook
• Follow @ShakleeHQ on Twitter

*Have you entered all of my Giveaways?* 

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that this review and giveaway was made possible by the Shaklee Corporation and Mom Spark Media. Incentives, product and support were provided but all opinions are, as usual, my own.

Rosie Flo’s Coloring Fashion Show (Giveaway!)

Winner selected with random.org 4/29: Congratulations, Jen from Big Binder!

I was never a big fan of coloring books. Too much constriction, you have to stay in the lines! Roo loves The Rosie Flo series of coloring books precisely because they don't have that ho-hum quality. Sure, you're supposed to color in the pages but you're also supposed to finish the drawings and add your own special you-ness. 

I think I was as excited as she was when we received Rosie Flo's Coloring Fashion Show, a pop-up fashion show that little ones can assemble themselves since everything is perforated to punch out of sturdy cardstock. Even the catwalk is easy to set up, with just a little folding and inserting of tabs. No adhesives are necessary– you can even dissemble the whole shebang, including the stage, models and audience seating, fold 'em flat and tuck them back inside the sturdy box it came in to show the collection in a different locale. Smart! 

So far, Roo has just been adding faces and appendages to the models in black and white. I suspect color and glitter will follow soon. Right now, it's looking pretty monochromatic and mod, which is kind of cool in its fashionable austerity…

If you'd like to win a Rosie Flo's Coloring Fashion Show of your own, visit Chroniclebooks.com and let me know what your favorite items are in the comments below. 

Entries will be accepted through April 25th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US/Canada readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please. 

***Have you entered all of my Giveaways?*** 

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received the set shown above to facilitate this review and I will be entered into a prize drawing for posting this giveaway. No compensation was provided and all opinions are, as usual, my own.

Wordless Wednesday

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PLNDR Shoes for a Year!

PLNDR is Karmaloop's flash sale site and it features stellar deals on clothing and accessories from top urban streetwear brands. Some items are up to 90% off! Like their cousin, PLNDR likes to hold crazy giveaways. This month's contest: invite your friends for the chance to win free shoes for a year PLUS a $250 shopping spree. Note: there are jeans on sale on PLNDR right now for $10… that prize could go pretty far!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I did not receive any compensation for posting about this contest. I just like shoes and if you join PLNDR via my link, I'll be entered to win a year's worth. All opinions are, as usual, strictly my own.