Giveaway Scout

Recently I discovered a site that I thought was pretty cool: Giveaway Scout. Thousands of bloggers and businesses link their giveaways on this search engine. Bloggers and businesses get more traffic and people looking for free stuff can go to one location to easily browse through giveaways to find one that is of interest to them. Everybody wins.

Chicago- Part 2: The Field Museum of Natural History

The Field Museum of Natural History

The Field Museum was our second stop on our trip to Chicago was the Field Museum. I didn't plan on spending as much time there because a family member who had been there told me that they didn't think my children would like it. That was a mistake. They loved it and we stayed until it closed. (Hours are 9-5) As mentioned previously, you can get a good deal on tickets through the Chicago CityPass. The Field Museum offers 52 Free Days here. Admission at the door for non-residents is $29 for adults and $20 for children. Adult tickets bought online ahead of time are $22 each. You can find a BOGO in the Chicago South Entertainment Book. Parking is between $16-19. If you park at Soldier Field you can pay with credit card and it is $16 for the first four hours, and $19 if you park for longer than that. If you park in the Adler lot, it is $16 cash for all day. Also, make sure that you never go on a day that the Chicago Bears are playing at Soldier Field, because there is no parking anywhere.

 The first thing that you see after the ticket entrance is Sue. Sue is the largest complete Tyrannosaurus Rex in the world. Sue is on the main floor, while the rest of the large prehistoric exhibit is on the second floor. My kids loved this part, loved the videos and would have spent many more hours there if we let them.

Another area that my kids loved was the Nature Walk. For those you from the Provo, UT area, it reminds me of the Bean Museum, except many of the animals are in dioramas and for every case there is a list of things to find. (butterflies, lizards, etc.) My four-year old loved this and if we weren't trying to get through as much as possible, we could have spent a lot more time there. They have numerous other animal exhibits that my kids loved. Her favorite exhibit was "What is an animal?" She loved learning about long tongues that can grab things and different parts that animals have adapted for survival.
 Then my kids tolerated a quick trip through "Inside Ancient Egypt". I wish I had more time to spend there. Some of the other great exhibits they have include Underground Adventure, Hall of Gems, Moving Earth and many cultural exhibits. My family and I loved this place and really, really wished we had more time there. If you have the chance I highly recommend that you take your family.
 A few more hints: tours are offered daily, and the staff can give you great stories and insight. Also if you're going to grab food at the museum, make sure you do it before 11 am or after 1:30 pm to avoid the crowds.

Anti-Itching Bath

This weekend my daughter woke up with itching bumps from head to toe. Chicken pox? It looked close, but not quite. She'd had the vaccine, but it is possible to still get the illness if you have had vaccine, the chances are just much lower. So we went to the doctor, just to see. (For the next few weeks we happen to be double covered on our insurance, so luckily it didn't cost anything.) As it turns out it's not chicken pox, but had an allergic reaction to her antibiotic. I swear I heard a dozen times in nursing school that antibiotic reactions usually happen in the first 24 hours, but as it turns out it is fairly common for children to develop an allergic reaction to amoxicillan 8-10 days after they start taking it. Sometimes even 3-4 days after they finish a 10 day course. Chicken pox or allergic reaction, the itchy bumps have to take their course and the best thing to do is ease the itching. I found this effective and simple recipe for a bath that eases the itching. (Some Benedryl helped too.) Supposedly it works for poison ivy, poison oak and any kind of itchy rash. I don't remember where I got it to give credit to.

Anti-Itching Bath
For each tub of water add
2 cups of oat flour
1 cup of baking soda


If you don't have oat flour handy, just throw some rolled oats in the blender or food processor and grind until powdered. I will warn you that this stuff makes a yucky film in the bath tub.

Ways to Save Money On Your Utility Bills In The Summer

It is July and I live in St George. In case you haven't ever been here, it's hot. Not as bad as Phoenix, but close. Most days I hide in my house between noon and six pm. Sometimes after dinner I may run errands and it's still 107 degrees. And this has been a mild summer compared to most. Next week it's supposed to get up to 114. I am not looking forward to what that will do to my power bill. With the AC running all the time, it gets expensive. Here's a some things you can do, some are simple every day things, others require a little investment of time and money, which can pay off in the long-run.

1. Have a home inspection. We had to do this anyway when we bought the place six months ago. This can help you find trouble spots that are costing you money. Like for us, our attic should have a few more vents than it does to adequately circulate air. In Utah you can have one done for $25 and reimbursed on your gas bill if you follow the recommendations. Or you can get a do-it-yourself-audit form here.
2. Clean your fridge. Your fridge sucks a lot of power, but there's something you can do to make it run more efficiently.The coils behind the fridge tend to attract dust, which coat the coil, making it work harder to maintain fridge temp. Unplug the fridge, pull it away from the wall and vacuum off the dust. You should do this about every 3 months.
3. Keep vents and temperature registers unobstructed. If air flows freely, your furnace/AC can maintain temperature more efficiently.
4. Clean your lint screen between every load of laundry. It may not look like it needs it that often, but without the lint, your dryer can work more efficiently.
5. Eliminate air leaks.
6. Close vents and doors to unused rooms.
7. Add things to block the heat. Drapes, shutters, awnings, shade trees, glass with reflective film and/or solar screens can help keep your house cooler. 
8. Solar Power Prices have really come down on this and it is something we are strongly considering installing.
9. Check rebates and tax credits that are available for improving the energy efficiency of your home, here.
10. Close the blinds and drapes on the sunny side of the house to keep the house cooler.
11. Keep closet doors closed so you're not spending money cooling space that you don't "live" in.
12. Regularly change air filters in your air conditioning. If they're clogged with dust they won't run as efficiently. In the summer you should clean or change them once a month.
13. Use a microwave whenever you can. It uses far less power than a conventional oven, plus it doesn't heat the house up.
14. Stock your fridge. Even if only with water bottles or pitchers. If your fridge is mostly empty it has to work harder to keep the inside cold.
15. Smart house features Automated home features have the potential to save you a fair amount of money. Plus they're just wicked awesome. You can start with smart surge protectors that are only slightly more than standard ones. (My husband has all kinds of plans and dreams about automating our house to make it more efficient. Someday.)
16. Take cold showers. They require less energy and can be rejuvenating in the summer heat.

I've also mentioned a few other money saving/power conserving ideas here and here.

Butter-Free Breakfast Buckle

Recently I saw my friend Lisa make some blueberry buckle with beans instead of butter and I had to give it a try. Except I used strawberries because I prefer them. I found the recipe on Recipezaar, but made a few changes. As I was putting it in the oven the first time I had a great idea that I could use orange juice concentrate in the topping instead of butter. It seemed appropriate for breakfast. My family loved this. I had extended family visiting and they loved it too, and no one could tell that there were beans instead of butter.

Strawberry Buckle

1/4 cup cooked and mashed white beans
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Topping
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

1. "Cream" beans and sugar. (Just like you would butter.) 2. Mix dry cake ingredients in a separate bowl. 3. Blend egg and vanilla into bean and sugar mixture. 4. Add milk to wet ingredients. 5. Mix dry and wet mixtures together. 6. Gently fold in strawberries. 7. Pour into a greased 9x9 or round cake pan. 8. "Cream" oj concentrate and brown sugar. 9. Mix in remaining topping ingredients. 10. Drizzle topping over cake. (Using the orange juice concentrate, the topping doesn't crumble as well, but it's delicious, cheaper and better for you too.) 11. Bake @ 375 for 50 minutes.

How to Get Your Children to Take Their Medicine

Last week my son came down with a nasty case of tonsillitis. A few days later my daughter started with a cough and sore throat. We went back to the doctor and she had tonsillitis, a respiratory infection and and ear infection. This means lots of medicine for the little people at my house. Getting small children to take medicine is easier said than done, but entirely necessary. I can't tell you how many time I've had patients admitted to the hospital because their parents couldn't/wouldn't make them take their medicine. I know that forcing your children to take their medicine can be unpleasant, but I can promise that it's not as traumatic as their condition worsening and then requiring blood draws and IV starts. Here are some tips for getting the job done.

1. Have a good attitude. You are the parent, not the punisher, and children will respond to your approach. Smile and use a happy voice.
2. Explain to your child in simple terms that they need to take their medicine so they can get better. Sometimes if you let them know what's going on they will cooperate.
3. Don't back down. This is not up for negotiation. Some battles are worth fighting and this is one of them.
4. Model with a toy or a doll first. Talk about how taking the medicine helps dolly to feel better.
5. Let them do it themselves. Some children will take their medicine with little fuss if they get to feel like they are somewhat in control of the process. (Many kids love to push the stopper on the back of the syringe themselves.) If they can't do it themselves, let them pick which spoon or what to drink it with.
6. Add food coloring. It can be fun if your child gets to pick what color the medicine is.
7. Bribery. Yes, this is not the best answer to every problem, but taking medicine can be unpleasant and sometimes they need a little incentive. Pick something that appeals to them, stickers, candy, an extra half hour of TV, a prize, whatever it takes to get the job done. (Whether we admit it or not, as adults we take bribes too. Like when I go into work extra when I'm exhausted and my house is a mess because they offer me money.) However, if they won't take the bait, don't give up.
8. Threats (valid and relevant ones, mind you) "If you don't take your medicine you won't get better, and if you're sick we can't play with friends or go to fun places." This generally won't work on 2 (and sometimes 3) and under. They have to be to the point that they're thinking about things past the here and now and making connections between cause and effect.
9. Hide it in food. Chocolate pudding, juice, smoothies and apple sauce are good mediums. Just make sure that you mix the medicine in a small quantity (but big enough to hide it) so you can know that they got the whole thing. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your particular med is ok to mix with food, and it's generally not a good idea if it is something that they need to take long-term.
10. Hide it in syrup. FlavoRx is product found in many pharmacies, grocery and drug stores. It comes in 42 flavors and is specifically for hiding medicine. Just remember that, it means that much more quantity that you have to get your child to swallow.
11. Less is more. If you do have to hide it, it's often easier to do so if your doctor prescribes the concentrated pill form that can be crushed and mixed versus the less-concentrated quantity (less potential for overdose) that comes with a children's elixir.
12. Offer a chaser. Something they like to wash it down with and get rid of the medicine aftertaste.
13. Distraction. I use this one a lot at work. Children can sometimes be fairly compliant when in a "TV trance" or watching bubbles. If they are distracted their mouth will usually drop open, offering "a window".
14. Have back-up available. Either to distract or hold resistant hands out of the way.
15. Use a small syringe. If the syringe is too big for your child's mouth, it is easier to shove it out of the way with their tongue. If your pharmacist didn't include a plastic syringe, ask for one. They're generally free with a medication purchase.
16. Aim for the back of their cheek and squirt so they don't taste it as much and it is difficult to spit out. If you squirt the medicine straight towards the back of their throat it can cause them to gag, cough and sometimes vomit. That's exactly what you don't need.
17. Pinch their cheeks right behind their molars with your thumb on one cheek and your middle finger on the other. Not my favorite method because it's uncomfortable for the child, but sometimes necessary and very effective. This will pry open clinched teeth and make it difficult for them to spit.
18. Small quantities at a time. If you put too much in their mouth at once it will come right back at you, making all previous efforts futile. Plus then you're sticky and smell like medicine.
19. Blow between their eyes. This usually works if they have it in their mouth, but are refusing to swallow. This method triggers a reflex that will get them to swallow. (This works best in the 3 and under population.)
20. Try something else. Perhaps you need another flavor, another brand, another route. Keep trying until the job gets done. Let your doctor know that what you're trying isn't working and s/he may have other suggestions.
21. Have a routine. This is especially important if it is a medication that they have to take long-term. 

CSN Stores Giveaway

Hey everyone, I'm excited to announce another giveaway! CSNStores.com is giving away a $40 gift certificate that can be used at any of their 200+ websites. To enter you must do three things: 1. Become a follower of this blog 2. Browse through their site(s) 3. Post a comment mentioning one thing that you would spend your gift certificate on. The possibilities here are pretty endless. You can get anything from a bed to medical equipment to shoes. Here are just a few things that sparked my interest:  The South Shore Lily Rose Mates Bed and Bookcase set, 2-in-1 Lego & Train Table, the KidKraft Personalized Pastel Sling Bookshelf, the Cadac Safari Chef Camping Stove, and the Rachel Ray 10-piece Cookware Set. What would you buy? (P.S. I noticed that most of their furniture includes free shipping, but if you live outside the United States, international rates apply.)


For an additional entry, you can blog about this giveaway and leave another comment with a link to your blogpost. The best of luck to you. This giveaway ends July 16th, 2010 at midnight. The winner will be announced July 17th.