Parenting, Travel

Visit to NJ Capital

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So recently we were invited to NJ State Museum and The NJ Statehouse.  We had a fun day and learn somethings too.  I grew up in New Jersey  but never tour the Trenton Nj capital till recently.  Jersey Family fun planned the day for us and it was such a treat.

We started with the NJ State Museum which is free,  (you leave a donation if you wish).  The have wonderful museum 3 floor.  Which contains Dinosaurs, Nature, Nj History, and art exhibits.  So a little bit of everything.  The also planned a head for kids and through out the Museum is a kids stations so children can also do small interactive things as well. Like designing a quilt or looking to a microscope.

While we were there that had a singing performer and a large Dino puppet(man ) walking around.

Also the Museum has a Planteriam and for a small fee of about $6.00 you can see there exhibit.My daughter and son loved it because it was 3-D

Then we headed over for a NJ Statehouse Capital Building Tour.  Where we heard about the building and the legistrative process.  Because the house and Nj congress was not in session we really got to see the behind the scenes.

Take a look at the building:

My son got to attend a Mock hearing of law making which he loved in the bottom of the capital building which he loved.  I have to say we had a great day.  I would recommending packing a lunch because there is no place to eat near the capital or museum.

I loved the idea it was in with in a 1/2 drive from where we live in north Philadelphia.  We had a great day it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Thank you to Jennifer at Jersey Family Fun, NJ State Museum and NJ State House for having us for the day.

LIfe, Uncategorized

Internet Goes Black


Do you want a limited view of the world?

Today you might have noticed the internet went black and so will many other sites. The reason is Sopa and Pipa laws that are up for a vote in the US  if passed will end the internet as we know it. They are laws suppose to help protect copywrite but they are reckless and need to be rewritten not just a blanket fix.  I urge you to read more.  Then call your Sentor and tell him you are opposed to censorship on the internet.

SopaStrike

Google reason for blackout

 

I know  you think how does it effect you but it does.. sites will be taken down for sharing content.

You may ask why have I not heard about this.  many of the large media companys suport this bill,  because it helps them.  Think about free sharing has killed the newspaper bussiness .. whay is next ..the news. Twitter broke the BinLaden killing.

Here is where you can go and get your US Sentors phone number.. Call it takes 1 minute to protect your rights.

Want to add your site to my Stop Sopa pinrest board

Cooking

Avocado Egg #TastyTues

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egg in an avocado

I am obsessed with Avocado and eggs so I combined both.  It is a yummy cool avocado and tasty breakfast add tomatoes and you have a healthy meal. Avocados in eggs is also one of the prettiest meals you can make in the morning and all brain food to kick start the day.

Egg Cooked in an Avocado

  • 1 egg
  • 1 avocado (firm not  mushy)
  • Butter
  • Tomatoes
  • salt
  1. Cut your avocado in 1/2

  1. Remove the avocado pit (hit the pit with a sharp knife then slowly pull back pit should come with the knife)
  2. Cut the bottom off  the avocado(ok if you cut into the pit hole- helps egg to cook)cooking avocado
  3. Place butter in pan, place in avocado in pan
  4. Separate yoke from white,  place yoke in avocado hole in frying pan, you can add hot sauce in the holeegg cooking in a avocado
  5. Cover the Avocado with lid and cook on low, till yoke is starting to cook, you might have to add a little water to the pan to steam the egg depending how hard or soft you want your egg.
  6. Then carefully remove avocado /egg
  7. Cook whites and garnish the Avocado with tomatoes, add Hot Sauce (I prefer wing sauce) tomatoe egg and avocado

enjoy!

This avocado egg is a surprise and different meal in the morning.

LIfe, Parenting

MLK Day not Important?

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Today is  Martin Luther King, Jr.Day, teaching your kids about MLK the man and participating in day of unity and service is important.  Depending where you live in the US determines if this day is important (apparently).  My sister in-law lives in Northern PA, and for some reason this MLK day  that our government deems a Federal Holiday and is not  important enough to shut down their school down for (My Sister  in law thinks it’s wrong (so do I)).    This is the same school district that shuts down for the 1st day of  hunting season.(apparently school children are hunting. WTF)  .  It might be said that this school district has no African Americans so they can not relate. This is a National / Federal Holiday,  this is not a holiday of color. Martian Luther King stood for for equality and unity.  Even the poorest of children have something to give, it is important to teach that.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’ .

Ok so that is my 60 second rant …

Great ways you can help others with your children:

Encourage your kids to give back every week as part of their responsibilities to the family and community. I encourage local giving with kids so they can see the charity people that they are giving to.

Help the Animals: Your children can also save there coins and donate to a local pet shelter. Or collect old towels, pet food, kitty litter. Plus I bring my kids to shelter to stress the importance of so many animals that need a home. We can’t save them all. But you ingraining early the adoption bug it will save animals when they are adults. Or go online Humane Society

Do the Can Can: Encourage them to give pick one item at the food grocery store to give to the local food pantry, don’t know where one is stop by a local church they always have a food pantry. I always say”make it something you love to eat so the child you are giving it to will also”.

Share the Sandbox: Teach kids the importance of sharing there toys with others. Every year right before a holiday or birthday or major school break. I teach my kids about purging, and giving to others. My son is fine long as it goes to another child. Have the child help in donate the toys or clothes to a organization like Crayons to Cradle

Give a Plate: Giving meals is a wonderful to encourage your children to be party of there community. If there is an older American on your street who lives alone. Take him or her dinner or better yet invite them for dinner. When I talk to senior they say the hardest thing about being alone is the meals cooking for one stinks so they don’t eat or cans are the meals. I always make extra soup when I make I, my son will run the meal to my neighbor. It is never planed and I figure he can always freeze it. It makes my son, part of the giving process.

Sick to Smiles: Don’t forget the local hospitals / nursing homes and the sick people in them.  Many people don’t have visitor or people who come to see them.  Have your kids make cards and trinkets to brighten others day. Organize some kids to sing at a local nursing home or play a game of checkers. All the care locations have volunteer contact person so call and ask.

Make Card: You don’t always have to leave your house. On these cold winter days when you are snowed in encourage your kids to write letters and card to our service men overseas, box them up and mail them to the following. Here is a link:  Do Something
or the address:
A Million Thanks
Care of Do Something.org
17853 Santiago Blvd., #107-355
Villa Park, CA 92861

Sweet Dreams : Have the kids save to buy PJs for other kids Many children do not have PJs at night to sleep in Pajama Program

Wow it is Cold: Some American parents can afford to buy coats for their children because they are busy putting food in their bellies and keeping the heat on. Try Coats for kids or One Warm Coat

Check out the MLK Day Site for more ideas.

Every day every person had the opportunity to make someone else life better for kids it could be a kid at the play ground inviting him join it or to a senior member of our society talking to them with a hello how is your day.

So what are some of your ways to teach your children to “Do For Others”.  How are you contribution this year?

Cooking, Travel

I am going to Taste Of the NFL Superbowl Weekend with RedPack Tomatoes

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So after years of working with the NFL and design NFL Jerseys in my prior life.  How do I get to the Superbowl weekend with my blogging and Red Pack… I am ecstatic!!!.   I am headed to Taste of the NFL Superbowl weekend with RedPack Tomatoes with 7 other bloggers. Taste of the NFL is a “Party with a purpose”  a charity dinner and auction benefiting local food banks in every NFL city.  All the chefs are representative every NFL city as well.   Every chef will also have a NFL player from the city assisting him at his food station.  So for my town Philadelphia  it is Chef Jack Mc David and former Eagles Player Jerry Sisemore.  35 chefs wine… Tell me this is not a foodies dream. It’s mine.

 

Photo by Peter Ross from www.tedallen.net

This years host is Ted Allen from Food networks “Chopped.’  So hopefully I will get a picture of  Ted Allen because I am a seriously Food Network junkie.   The music this year is Sara Evans.  There will be TLC’s Cake Boss stars Mauro Castano and Joey Faugno. The newly crowned Miss America will be on hand to greet guest.   I am looking forward to the entire evening.

While visiting in Indiana,  I will also be touring the Red Gold / Red Pack facility and learning about there manufacturing.  I love the idea that they are a Made int he USA company keep jobs here in the states. Also to learn about how Red Pack processes there Red Gold tomatoes to keep them fresh tasting. It is going to be a great weekend away.

Here are the posts I wrote about Red Pack to win the contest.

Holiday Blue Ribbon Chili with video

Sweet BBQ Ribs

Black Eyed Pea Soup with smoke Turkey Leg with video

I will  be sure to report more before I go. Be sure to follow along on my Facebook page BabyPop Designs and twitter @babypop Superbowl Weekend.

Disclosure: I  have received the Taste of the NFL trip from Redgold Redpack tomatoes all the opinions in this post are of my own.

LIfe, Parenting, Photography

20 Ways to beat Winter Blues

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Beating the Winter Blues…  It has been a very odd last 2 weeks.  I am not sure if it is after holiday blues or just winter blues.  But I have been dragging unmotivated.  Now the Christmas season is over for me and I am back on “normal” schedule.  But I can’t seem to get moving.  We have not had snow yet so it just feels gloomy.   This is the 1st time I have experience winter lows so it is throwing me off.  So I came up with ways to avoid winter depression.

20 ways  beat avoid the winter blues or lows:

  1. Read a book- a summer trashy paperback with lots of smut
  2. Buy Flowers and thrown them away just before they turn then buy more (so cheap at the supermarket or produce stand)
  3. Call up a friend and go out for lunch.. don’t have the time.  Meet for a drink after work. Just get out of your house
  4. Buy pretty underwear and wear them
  5. Watch a movie during the middle of the day and not feel guilty
  6. Eat more oranges vitamin C will pick you up
  7. Take a walk
  8. Color your hair or have it colored , you might need a change
  9. Color with crayons in a coloring book- it works for kids
  10. Start a small project like a making a card and mail it to a friend- you might make their day
  11. Shower with lots of smelly body wash preferably tropical summer smell
  12. Clean your car (better yet have someone else do it at the car wash),  make your escape vehicle a place of serenity
  13. Join or start a group, book club, knitting club, cooking club you can probably go for several months and meets some new people.
  14. Go out and get a ice cream cone they don’t melt in winter
  15. Turn on music and dance and sing (it works on Grey Anatomy)
  16. Put on flip flops, and a big skirt with a sweater over the top to feel girl …who cares if you have winter sock underneath
  17. If you were thinking about it adopt a pet.. granted it is extreme but you are home and have the time to train an animal, they will make you smile.
  18. Take pictures of your kids in bright happy clothes ( kids can somehow brighten your day)
  19. Build a fire somehow embracing the winter with hot cocoa seems to help
  20. Plan events for the weekend so you have something to look forward too-zoo out in winter, art museum, or  indoor expo

Here is my attempt to fight of winter depression off .. Taken this morning on the way to school

umbrella girl

What are some ways you beat the January blues?

 

LIfe

The News Sucks

When the local news comes on .. I get frustrated (guess what is on).  Where you live directly effects the news and how they report it.

When I loved in Florida I noticed the news was up beat and perky.  The news personalities  in Florida were glamorous, young, and beautiful.  It think it because Florida was a tourist state and happy place.  They wanted the tourist and retirees to feel safe.   Did crime happen of course it did?

Now that I live in Philadelphia.  I notice the news is much more serious and depressing they say it all the good, bad and crime ridden.  The news anchors are older more seasoned less fluff. I like the experience reports but it depressing to watch.

They spend a lot of time on the weather in Philly.  Florida weather was always sunny.  They also feel like Philadelphia Meteorologist can predict the weather for the entire winter.   Some weather guy in a bow tie  is clairvoyant and can tell you in October what February will look like.

I feel the smoke and mirrors from them reporting about crime.  Really other markets have moved on.  I am sorry that crime happens murder of a some innocent person.  Do they need me to help?  I am not a police office they normally are not asking for tips.   So I don’t get  it there is so much good in this City but they allow the negativity to come from our news..

Even my mother say New York news is not this depressing..  Apparently New York has no crime anymore.. since the  local news does not report of any.  I wish Philadelphia would get a marketing perception make over NYC did it.

Cooking, Product Reviews

Black Eyed Pea Soup with smoked turkey leg

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The 2012 is upon us.  The 1st meal of this year  should be Black Eye Peas  Soup which symbolizes  Good Luck in the New Year.   I enjoy making this soup is super easy and if  left to sit a day, the flavors meld into fulfilling meal on New Years Day.   My Black Eyed Pea soup is  lovely fresh veggies, and smoke flavor.  Red Pack tomatoes which I prefer are lovely compliment to this soup pack in there own juices.   This soup low in calories and a healthy soup which make it a great soup to start the new year. Resolutions and all..

  • 2 cups of dried Black Eyed Peas
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 stalks of celery diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 can of Red Pack Petite  Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 tps salt (added as needed)
  • 1 tps thyme,
  • 2 cloves garlic Minced
  • 1 smoked turkey leg
  • 8-10 cups of low sodium chicken broth (an additional 4 cups needed if you want to stretch)
  • Optional :spicy sausage to add flavor
  1. Bean cooked on low in slow cooker for 2  hours covered in 4-5 cups of broth
  2. When black eyed peas are firm /rehydrate but not to cooked add other ingredients
  3. add smoked turkey leg, spices, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, RedPack Tomatoes and  remaining broth
  4. Cook for 5 hours (now add sausage) break up the turkey leg
  5. Cook for another 4-5 hours.  Remove bones from turkey leg.
  6. You can eat now but if you make a day ahead add more both 2-4 cups let sit overnight.. this soup gets better the longer it sits.

You can also omit the turkey leg (sausage), add ½ tbls cumin and make a vegetarian version

 

Want to print this recipe out Black Eye Peas Soup

Disclosure:  I received the RedPack tomatoes free of charge but all the opinions in this post are mine.