Pick of the Week: 5 Cheap Ways to Spring Clean Naturally

I have been using vinegar to clean everything around the house. I have found it to be very effective. I made this list because I wanted to share natural chemical free cleaning agents that were affordable. I also wanted to share good preventable uses that could be used all year long. It concerned me while doing research and finding out how hazardous mothballs can be. EPA has linked short-term exposure of mothballs to humans to be linked to cataracts, liver and neurological damage. Why are we still using these in our homes? We should be sharing this information with everyone we know. Happy Cleaning!    



1. All Purpose Cleaner - Vinegar can clean everything. 1/2 C Vinegar and 1/2 C baking soda is good for a drain cleaner and good for a scrub paste. Wipe away mold with strait vinegar. Clean glass and mirrors with water and vinegar with newspaper. For wood use 1/4 C White Vinegar and 30 ounces of water.

2. Air Freshener- You can keep the house fresh all year long by using your favorite essential oil on cotton balls and tucking them out of sight. Keep carpets fresh with sprinkling about a cup of baking soda to deodorize.

3. Clean Closets- Clean up the clutter and donate unused items. Donate what you have not worn or don't plan to wear. You can turn your heavier cloth into cleaning rags and reuse them with cleaning them in the washer.

4. No Moth Balls- Protect your clothes with natural bug repellent with: cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and whole cloves.

5. Clean Oven- Stay away from those harsh oven cleaners and use baking soda and water and let it stand overnight and wipe clean in the morning.

Pick of the Week: Amazing Grass Review

http://amazinggrass.com/

I wrote a Health Pick piece back in January on Amazing grass and how many great health benefits that wheat grass provides. The Amazing Grass company contacted me and a couple days later I received a sampler pack to try 13 of their great products with a shaker cup. I tried each sample in water to capture the flavor.

The lime energy sample had a very citrus flavor and would be a great addition in fruit smoothies. 

The Berry Bar was very fruity with nuts and had a lot of dates. It has a good texture to it. 

The Orange Dreamsicle powder is good and I am an orange icicle fan, but I don't think I would have this everyday.

The probiotics is good with juice and a great option, instead of taking probiotics in pill form. 

The chocolate powder was not as chocolaty as I thought it would be. 

The berry powder is my favorite powder and had the best flavor compared to the other powders. It is good in just water and if you really like sweet, you can add it to juice. When I tasted it, I remembered that I had tried it before at Whole Foods and it was really good. The first thing that came to mind was that it reminded me of Kool-Aid (when I was a kid and didn't know better.) The berry powder taste so much better though. A new healthy Berry Juice for kids. 

The chocolate and green bar is my favorite bar because it tasted more like a candy bar. I really enjoyed reviewing these products because they all provided organic nutrients and some provided a little extra energy.         
       

Pick of the Week: Pinterest Fun!

Pinterest is great for learning, but you can loose a lot of time. It is not a site that you can multitask with; it consumes you. Just yesterday I was pinning and I got distracted and lost a good two hours.  It is good to set times for you to be on Pinterest, because you can loose a whole day.

I first learned about Pinterest after seeing a news story on the local news. The story was talking about ideas on party entertaining. I was so wowed because I love everything about party entertaining. That night I went home and spent about two hours being amazed. I wanted to learn everything I could about this social media board.

Pinterest officially openly launched March 2010. I found it in early 2012. It is mobile with a Pinterest app for iPhone and Android. I was so serious about this site and wanted to be apart of it, that I signed up for their seminar. I watched their easy how to seminar and it was very helpful. The site is made up of virtual boards that you can organize your favorite interest. There are a lot of good ideas and inspiration. You can follow other people's boards and they can follow yours. Its a great way to connect with others that have the same interest as you. Happy pinning!                        

Pick of the Week: Last Free Museum Trip Of 2012

Poor Rock you didn't deserve this! Rock Napping!

I took advantage of this deal by accident when going back to LACMA. My husband and I were asked if we had our Bank of America Card and we did; we were in there for free! It took us two trips to see the whole place. LACMA has many different types of art from: American, Asian, Latin American, European and contemporary art. There are different exhibits that change quite frequently. I understand why people get a year membership to LACMA.    

You can get in for free this weekend to 150 different museums,  if you are a Bank of America card holder. If you don't have your lovely photo on your debit card you will need your ID as well. The museums are free on the first full weekends of the month. The free admission is to 150 museums located nationwide in the US. You can go to Bank of America's website http://museums.bankofamerica.com to locate a museum nearest to you. Just click on your state and the city nearest to you. Please remember to check the museum website you would like to visit and call to make sure they are honoring the free museum day.  

Pick of the Week: Best Shopping App in 2012

Out of Milk App has a Shopping List, Pantry List & To-Do List all in one app. I have used this app before shopping and while shopping. It has been a great way to stay organized and reduce those unwanted trips to the store because you always forget that one ingredient or the toilet paper. With this app, your shopping list can be with you everywhere, because its right there on your phone. The Pantry List allows you keep track of your pantry items like spices and other essentials for the pantry. The To-Do list helps you keep track of any other items on your daily list. There is also a cool option to scan the barcode on an item that you use the last of at the house and it will automatically put it on your shopping list. There is also an option to speak the item you need and you don't even have to type it in. You can prioritize your shopping list by dragging the item up or own on your list. When you tap the item on your list you can put in the quantity. You can also put in the price, a category like (produce, meat, etc.) You can put if it is tax-free or if you have a coupon for the item. If you still want to put more details about that item there is a note section. When you put your list together and include the prices it will tell you how much your items have totaled. This is a great way to budget. The Out of Milk App's website doesn't give the app justice because it doesn't list all the great things you can do with it.  This has truly saved me time, money and a lot of frustration. Most of all this saves a lot of paper from being wasted. This is shopping made a little easier.

Pick of the Week: Los Angeles HARVEST with Greg Laurie

September 8-9 2012

This is a Free Event.

Located at the Dodger Stadium

Parking Cost: $10.00 per car

                       $ 35.00 per bus

Schedule: 9/8/12  Gates Open:   4:30 P.M.

                             Event begins: 6:00 P.M.

Musical Artists: Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder and The Katinas

Schedule: 9/9/12 Gates Open:    2:30P.M.

                            Event Begins:  4:00P.M.

Musical Guests:Steven Curtis Chapman, Phil Wickham, Lecrae, The Katinas 

Special Guest: Nick Vujicic

For more information go to http://la.harvest.org

Pick of the Week: Have you tried a Sumo Tangerine?

Image found at specialty produce.com

This is the Sumo Tangerine. This is a fruit of beauty. It is sweet and juicy. The skin is the right amount of thickness, very easy to peel and seedless. 

In 1970 a Japanese farmer mixed a sweet satsuma and a large orange. It took 30 years of trials and errors and the crop was not released until 1991. Now the fruit is available in the United States, Japan and Korea. It is now also grown in California.

My first encounter with this fruit is when I was standing in line at the grocery store with my Husband. The people in front of us had the most weirdest looking (what we thought was an orange) fruit. Then the couple started to peel the fruit right there at the check stand. When they bit into the fruit they closed their eyes and started to make moaning "yum" noises. I have only seen this type of excitement with 2,000 calorie sweet desserts. They then went back to get more and kept repeating, "Everyone should try these." So, we went and bought one to try. And YES, we went back and bought more. Once we went Sumo we have never turned back. 

The season for the Sumo Tangerines is listed February through May. I have only found this fruit at Whole Foods for about $2.99 a pound and it only seems to stay stocked for about a month to six weeks. It is a good source of fiber, folate and potassium. It is low in acid which makes it great for people with sensitive stomachs. This is a Must Try!      

Pick of the Week: Tom Cruise Does it Again!

Image found at online movies hut.com

My husband and I did a Married Couples movie date night with our friends. We went to go see Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. ( in my movie announcer voice) This movie on a scale of a 1 to 10 , I gave it a 10! It has to be my favorite Action Spy Movie. There were parts of the movie where I actually jumped. I haven't jumped in my seat in years. Other movie patrons next to me where grabbing their face and covering their mouths. The spy tactics in this were mind altering.  This is definitely an IMAX movie; very worth it.  This is a must see.      

Pick of the Week: A Great Documentary!

This Pick of the week is King Corn!  This documentary changed my life forever. This is about two friends and one acre of corn. It gives you an inside look at the corn industry and how most of the corn that is grown on farms is not even edible. After I seen how corn syrup is made in a lab, I have been grossed out for life. This is a must watch and this is one of my favorites in my movie collection. 

Pick of the Week: Black Out Jenga is Fun!



Black-Out Jenga

We had a really bad wind storm in Pasadena, Ca this past Wednesday night.  We're one family trapped in a house, out of thousands without power. Wind gusts hit over 150 miles per hour. It felt like we were on the set of the Wizard of Oz.  My sister in law talking to her dog," Truffles, I don't think we're in Pasadena anymore." There were roofs disappering, trees falling like dominios and cows flying past the windows, just kidding about the cows. But this is how we turn lemons into lemonade, or trees into firewood. My Pick of the Week is playing Jenga in the dark with family.

Pick of the Week: Miss Piggy!

Image found at wdwdailynews.com

I saw the midnight showing  of the Muppets with the family. This movie had a great story line that had you cheering on the Muppets all through the movie. It was a great adventure and I want to travel by map to.  It was Funny, Romantic and brings back the kid in everyone. This is a great Pick!

Pick of the Week: What this weeks Pick did for me

Food Inc. is the movie that opened my eyes to the food industry. I own it and I highly suggest watching it. I am very thankful to everyone that participated in the making of this film because it changed my life forever. 

Pick of the Week: Need Energy! Check out this PICK!

I first discovered this drink at the Whole Foods in San Diego, Ca. I have been a fan ever since. It gives you a great energy boost without the crash. This is a Hot Pick!