Things to Do in Southern Utah: Coral Pink Sand Dunes

I have reached that stage in my life where my children are not interested in watching anything that isn't a cartoon. Nor are they very cooperative in letting my husband and I watch non-cartoons. Let's just say that watching General Conference on Saturday is a joke. (Not to mention that I can not watch that much TV without falling asleep.) The solution: strap the kids in the car and drive for two hours. Driving for two hours took us to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. (Ok, it's not quite two hours from us, but after stopping at the bank, getting gas, and getting a late start it was about that.) Admission to the park (without camping) is $6 per vehicle. I recently got some sand buckets in the summer clearance section at Walgreens that were 75% off and then free with my Register Rewards. I used them to bribe the kids to be quiet on the way there. The fastest way to get there (from St George) is to drive through Apple Valley, down through part of Arizona and back up into Southern Utah.
I had heard many people talk about how great this place is and once we arrived I thought "Am I missing something? It's not even pink." Regardless my kids thought it was greatest thing and want us to come back "at least six times". They had a terrific time playing in the sand.

Whose definition of pink is that?

Still a fairly impressive sight. (My pics really don't do it justice.)

The view of the other direction.

The place is pretty much an enormous sand box.

Even though it is October, it was still about 95 degrees there. We're thinking that we'll have to come in January when it is much cooler. The bathroom and picnic facilities are descent. I liked that there are a couple of spigots with cold water to rinse off most of the sand before heading back. Bring sunscreen, a lunch and plenty of water. And towels for sand removal. We took the long way back through Zion's. A nice drive, but if you don't have a Zion's or National Park Pass it is $25, and yes they do take credit.

Food Storage Friday: Wheatberry Salsa

I think that one of the biggest hurdles that people have with using their food storage is wheat. I know that when I was growing up we ate many forms of food storage on a regular basis, except the wheat. We never touched the wheat.Yet wheat is so good for you! It gives you fiber, folic acid and protein. Not to mention that it is cheap, versatile and retains its nutrients for decades! If you grind it into flour the possibilities are endless, but there are many options even without grinding it into flour.

I was first introduced to this salsa/salad by my mother-in-law. She calls it Confetti Salad. Since then I have also seen it called Cowboy Caviar. A little over a year ago I went to a class taught by Liesa Card, where she served Fiesta Wheat and Bean Salad. It was similar to the other two, but added wheat. (Which is really an inspired idea.) Mine is mixture of the three. I have made and shared this many times with a bag of tortilla chips. At first people are skeptical, but they don’t stop eating until it’s all gone. I brought it to work once and a nursing student that I was mentoring insisted that I give her the recipe so she could serve it at her wedding reception.True story. It is one of our favorite ways to use wheat and it doesn't even require a wheat grinder. It's delicious and very healthy too.

Wheatberry Salsa

Food storage ingredients
3 cups of cooked wheatberries
1 can of diced tomatoes /c green chiles, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup Italian salad dressing (or a packet of dry Italian dressing mix and the ingredients to prepare it)
1 teaspoon of white sugar

Fresh ingredients
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 small green onions, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, cored and diced
1 Anaheim pepper, cored and diced
1 Tablespoon lime juice

1. Mix it all together and keep refrigerated.  Serve with chips.

A few notes: Let refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating to allow the wheat to absorb the other flavors, otherwise it will taste strongly of wheat. My mother-in-law uses shoe-peg corn in hers. The day I see a good price on that stuff by the case I will probably start using that instead. Leisa makes her own dressing for the salad, I use Italian because its faster. If you want to mix it up you can add an extra jalapeno or use different colored bell peppers.This salad makes A LOT. I always mix in my big Halloween candy bowl. If you have been my neighbor, visiting teacher, visiting teachee, co-worker, or relative in the past year, you have probably had this stuff. When I make a batch, it's almost impossible for my small family to eat it all before it loses it's freshness, so I share and let it be known that 'yes, I am that crazy lady who uses her food storage'.

One batch

  My husband discovered another great use for the stuff- Wheatberry Salsa Chicken
1. Take four boneless skinless chicken breast. 2. Rub chicken with enchilada seasoning. 3. Smother with wheatberry salsa. 4. Sprinkle with pepperjack cheese and bake until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!

September Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the Amazon giftcard is tyson2468. Congratulations! The winner was chosen using a random number generator.

Family Fun in Vegas Part 2: The Lied Discovery Children's Museum

Across the street from The Las Vegas Museum of Natural History is The Lied Discovery Children's Museum. (It's located in the same building as the public library.) Admission is $7.50 for children and $8.50 for adults. There is a coupon for $2 per person (up to 4) in the Las Vegas Entertainment Book. Current hours are 9 am to 4 pm, Tue- Fri & 10 am to 5 pm on Sat.
  One thing that I love about children's museums is that each one is different. We really enjoyed this one, it is possibly my favorite thus far. On the first floor there were a lot of things to do that were mostly play oriented and the second floor had many exhibits that were science oriented. While we were there my daughter sat through a chemistry presentation and loved it. A few of the exhibits were similar to those we saw at The Museum of Science and Industry, but it was far less crowded giving my kids a chance to actually see, try and learn. They also had several science exhibits that we hadn't see yet. There are many things to do on a variety of levels.  It's smaller than the Nebraska Children's museums that we visited this summer, but it was more science focused and most importantly less than a days drive. It is totally worth a stop if you are in Vegas with family. I highly recommend this place for children anywhere from toddler to teenager. It's a great place to encourage learning. We had a hard time dragging our kids out of there.

 

 My husband making a giant bubble for my daughter. Behind him, is a mom and daughter behind a bubble screen.

Another bubble screen which they really had a great time with.

My son spent more than an hour playing with this "ball popper".

Experiencing a hurricane.

I snagged this picture from their website, but I had to include it because the laser harp was just so awesome!

Other tips for your visit: Bring snacks/lunch as the food options are limited in the museum and we weren't impressed with the options within a few blocks of it either.d hand sanitizer because it is a 'hands-on discovery place'. It's less crowded in the morning, but even in the afternoon it wasn't too bad.

Book Review: I Hate It When Exercise Is The Answer

I picked up this book because it was convenient and I needed something to read while I was waiting for my car to be repaired. (Murg.) I Hate It When Exercise Is The Answer: A Fitness Program for the Soul by Emily Watts was not exactly what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. At first glance I thought I was going to be getting a book with "fitness hacks" or some other plan to improve your health with minimal effort. (Ok, if I had looked at the subtitle with that first glance I would have realized that's not what this book is about. Let's chalk it up to stress.) The author starts with the idea that just as it is important to strengthen your core muscles, it's important build your emotional and spiritual core, because "when the core is strong, everything works as it should." Building on that she came up with 31 exercises to do this and gave related stories from her own experience. It's a quick uplifting read. (Note it is very much geared towards and LDS audience, although many of her suggestions can apply to everyone.) Here are my favorite exercises that she suggested:

• Find Your Mission- Make a list of things that you are good at. that you like to do and times in your life when you've felt particularly pleased with your successes. Ask the Lord what He needs you to do with the interests and talents you've been given. Act on any inspiration received.
• Appreciating Moms- Write down five things your mom has done to help you become the person you are. Share the list with her if possible.
• Shining- Pick a day when you're out and about and make a diligent effort to smile and make eye contact with as many strangers as you can. Notice how many smile back.
• Recognizing Incremental Progress-Think of a negative behavior that you (or your children)  used to engage in that you don't anymore. When did you change? Was the transformation immediate or gradual? Consider how you can make little changes to add up to big progress in some area of your life.
• Cultivating Humility-The next time you are arguing with someone and are ready to shoot down all of their ideas, ask first "Help me understand why you feel the way you do". If it turns out that you were right you can preserve the relationship, if you were wrong you avoid looking like a total jerk!

Food Storage Friday: Taco Soup

This week's food storage tip is try to pick recipes that you already have the ingredients for. For example, taco soup. (Mexican food and soup together, love it!) There is not an ingredient in there that I don't normally stock for other meals also. It makes it easier to purchase cases of them and have them available. Using your food storage doesn't have to be super elaborate, it just has to work for you and your family.

Taco Soup

Food Storage Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can corn
1 can of olives, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles
1 can cooked chicken
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp chicken bullion + 1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth

Fresh Ingredients
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
1 tsp lime juice

Optional Ingredients
avocados, chopped for garnish

1. Dump all ingredients into a pot. Stir and heat until cooked through. (About ten minutes.)

Usually I used canned tomatoes because it's easy, but this time I used a couple fresh because I had them. It made the soup a little more watery and foamy, but still good.

I have tried at least a dozen versions of taco soup. This is the one that I always go back to because I like the way it tastes and it's so blasted easy. I've tried it with grilled chicken, beef, pork, ground beef, and ground turkey. (And it wouldn't be hard to make it meatless.) Canned chicken trumps because it is the easiest. When I was pregnant with #2 and working full-time nights I made this almost once a week. I can make it in my sleep. (And considering that I was working nights I probably did make it in my sleep at some point.) Enjoy!

Soup is on baby!

Time Saving Secrets for Moms plus Linky & Giveaway

I have two full-time jobs. I take care of sick kids and then I take care of my kids. Since I have gone back to work full-time in recent months I'm finding that sometimes my time is more valuable than money. My job as a mom is so important. My kids will never be 2 & 4 again. Now is the time that I need to be with them, to let them know that they are loved and help them to learn so they can grow into strong and productive people. Now is the time to enjoy their discoveries. However, this doesn't change the fact that my husband is currently going to school more than full-time and somebody has to pay the bills. (This is a short-term situation, only 2 semesters and then we're back to part-time working mommy. :D) So I thought I would share a few ways that I have found to cut corners without cutting out what is important.

1. I buy my diapers from Amazon. I hate buying diapers. I hate that they are so expensive, they're just going in the garbage. I hate that whenever there's a really good deal on them if I am not at the store within the first 3 hours there aren't any left in the size I need. However, if you buy them by the case from Amazon they are delivered to your house within 2 days (free shipping, baby) and are a significantly better deal than your average Walmart/Target prices, even without coupons. And you can have them shipped to you on a regular basis so you don't even have to think about it. I love that.
2. Bountiful Baskets I know lots of people have been talking about how wonderful this produce co-op is for awhile, and I finally jumped on the bandwagon. (I was somewhat afraid that if I bought one most of it would go to waste before we could use it. I hate wasting food.) I split a basket with a friend and got a lot of fresh produce, for less money and less time than if I had gone to the store/farmer's market myself. Plus I love the randomness. It forces me to add variety to our diet. 
3. I hired a cleaning service. This one was a little painful at first, and made me feel somewhat guilty paying someone to do something I can do myself. I just wanted someone to help me with the deep cleaning, which I really just don't have time to get to. It is kind of expensive to have someone else come and clean my house, but they can clean at least twice as fast as I can and more thoroughly (probably at an even faster rate if you take into account they are not distracted by small munchkins.) After they were done, I was so happy. I love it when my house is clean. It removes so much stress. And the next day I had off instead of worrying about cleaning my house I played with my kids. It was great.
4. I've stopped clipping coupons. Well sort of. I only clip the ones I need. Here's the system I use.
5. I use my food storage. (Usually with the aid of my crock pot) I know that I talk about food storage a lot, but since I've been working more I have been using it more than usual. When I plan my meals around what I have, not only am I saving money I also spend far less time grocery shopping. It may sound a little crazy, but give it a try and see if using your food storage doesn't make your life easier.

Now for the very first linky on my blog! Share what brilliant time saving hacks you have found that give you more time for the things that really matter. And of course a giveaway. This month I'm giving away a $20 Amazon giftcard. So here's how you can win it.

1. Be a follower. New or old, it doesn't matter. Just leave a comment telling me that you are interested in the giveaway. And if you don't follow through Google Friend Connect, just mention how you do follow.
2. Link up a time saving secret. Or you can just leave one in the comments.
3. Become my friend on Facebook. (FB is where I talk about any great deals that I am snagging, and if you're my friend and I find a great FB offer I will pass it on to you.)

 This giveaway runs from now until September 28, 2010 at 2359 MST. The winner will be announced September 29, 2010.