So as I was checking out Facebook this past week, I saw a post by my friend Annie mentioning that she’d made homemade granola bars and how good they were.  This immediately grabbed my attention, as Allison LOVES granola bars, but as I’ve told you before, *I* do not love high fructose corn syrup, which is found in many store bought granola bars.  I’ve managed to avoid it, but only by buying the more expensive bars that cost almost a dollar each!  Like most mamas, I try to save every penny I can, and at a dollar a pop, granola bars are a rare treat in this house.

I asked Annie to share her recipe, which she happily did, and I was thrilled to see that not only was in inexpensive to make, but it was easy too! Allison loves to help me in the kitchen, and I love having her as my little sous chef.  I also firmly believe that kids are much more likely to eat what we want them to if they are able to help in the preparation, so this was the perfect recipe for us to try.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

4 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and press into well greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees until brown and bubbly. Do not overbake.

How easy was that?

Although this recipe calls for walnuts, I replaced those with chocolate chips (I’ll try carob next time) and the results were fabulous. I’m going to experiment with other ingredients as well, such as cranberries and other dried fruit.  Allison and I both LOVED these, and Annie, you’re right,  it’s really tough not to eat them all in one sitting!

I’d love to hear what YOU think — leave a comment or email me at oneupskimom@gmail.com.

It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. – Aristotle

The reasons to get an earlier and more productive start to the day extend far beyond simply acknowledging the words of a mellinia-old philosopher. The general consensus among people is that they would love to wake up earlier and hit the ground running. But, like most life adjustments, it’s much easier said than done!

We, as your Chief Motivation Officers, are going to provide you with a blueprint on how to wake up earlier and be more productive as soon as you hear that annoying alarm. It’s not going to be easy, but we are here for you, should you need a little moral support. It will take a few weeks to get into the swing of your new routine, so stick with it OK?

Ease Into It – Start by setting your alarm 20 minutes earlier than your current time for a few weeks, as your body will adjust more easily with a gradual change. Drastically altering sleep and wake up times may leave you feeling equally exhausted.

Consistency – This is probably the hardest aspect of getting up earlier. No Snooze button and absolutely no sleeping in. Well, at least for a few weeks. Your body needs to fully get in the habit of waking up at a consistent time before you afford it such luxuries!

Intent – You’re getting up early for a reason, so embrace it. Set the tempo for the  rest of your day by getting up and getting things done. Give yourself something to look forward to waking up and doing!

Convenience – Have your gym or work clothes laid out, the coffee pot preprogrammed and any tweaks that will save you some time in the morning. It’s not cheating if it gets you up and going in the morning!

Get A Good Night’s Sleep – Don’t fall asleep with the TV on, eat a huge meal shortly before bed or drink coffee past mid afternoon. These will all negatively affect your sleep, which makes waking up that much harder.

Accountability Buddy – Are you trying to wake up early to fit in exercise? Find a friend to join you. Make a pact to go at least three times a week and hold each other to it.

Schedule – The best way to stay on track with your new goals is to stay organized. This means keeping a record of your sleeping schedule and planning out your days to make sure you are accomplishing everything you need to while still getting your work, exercise, sleep and meals in.

We encourage you to try out an early morning routine. If you have any other tips for getting going in the morning, do let us know! Hey – even if you have a new favorite coffee that’s fine with us!

Photo by Arria Belli / Creative Commons license

Americans, we love lobster—but do we ever stop to think about where our lobster comes from? I thought they were trapped in lobster pots, but that’s not always the case. A lot of buzz has been circulating as under cover reports reveal that cheap lobster is coming at a high cost. Demand is higher than ever and prices are dropping, so much so that the lives of Honduran lobster divers are in serious danger.

Lobster fishing off the Honduran Caribbean is a source of livelihood—often the only source—but also a source of death and injury. Not only the lack of safety regulations, but the demand for low cost lobster has left nearly half of the Miskito Indian lobster divers physically disabled.

According to a recent article from the Tierramerica News Service (IPS), in 2002, according to sources of the Honduran Central Bank, lobster exports brought in 31 million dollars in state revenues. Most are sold to the U.S. restaurant chain Red Lobster, whose spokesman assures that the company purchases only trap-caught lobsters, not dive-caught, but recent media coverage tells a very different story.

IPS also reported that a study by the Honduran special ombudsman for ethnic groups and cultural heritage, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), based in Washington, found that there are 4,200 divers—of the 9,000 populating the area—living with injuries. The working conditions of these lobster fisherman violate the most basic safety regulations of professional diving, say the authors of the study.

The Miskito Indian divers who are the first link in the supply chain have moved farther and farther out to sea as stocks vanish in shallow waters. They descend to depths of 100 to 120 feet, repeatedly diving and resurfacing, pushed by poverty to ignore all the safety rules. A few die every season; many more are paralyzed by decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends. They dive with old, faulty equipment with no warning that their air supply is running low and they do not decompress on the way up.

Compression sickness occurs when a diver ascends too fast and nitrogen in the bloodstream that is normally expelled by the lungs forms bubbles. The bubbles can lodge in the joints or along the spinal cord, causing paralysis. A bubble that reaches the brain causes an arterial gas embolism, which can be fatal.

In the hyperbaric chamber, the atmospheric pressure is raised to what the diver would experience underwater and then reduced over several hours as the diver breathes oxygen through a mask, allowing the nitrogen to be expelled.

Many of the injured divers have spent days on a boat after becoming sick because captains are reluctant to lose money by returning to shore. Dr. Mejía who runs a modest local clinic treats these deep-sea lobster divers. He has a small hyperbaric chamber and has shown that, contrary to standard medical thinking, it is possible to cure patients even after a delay.

According to an article on NYTimes.com Sept 2011, during a two-week fishing trip, Miskito divers make as many as 12 to 16 dives a day — no more than two are recommended at that depth — to scrabble for a catch that earns them about $3 a pound. (On a productive trip, they may catch as much as 100 pounds of lobster, but they must pay expenses that total about 40 percent.)

Aside from the drug trade, most Honduran Miskito Indians have no other way of making a living. They live in a region so remote that it is reached only by sea or air, and they are among the most neglected inhabitants of an already poor country. Even though injury and death face these divers on a daily basis, after they leave Dr Mejía’s clinic, they go right back to lobster diving. For these men, there is no other option.

According to Dr. Mejía the only way to avoid the deaths and the injuries is to shut down the lobster diving completely, but you can’t do that unless you can provide alternative ways for these men to earn a living. And, once the lobster is shipped to the US, it’s almost impossible to know exactly where and how it was caught. A dilemma that is costing lives and unfortunately, there is no easy answer.  For now, a spotlight is shining on the problem and we can all ask the question…where did that lobster come from?

Allen was found wet, cold, and crying behind a postal truck tire one rainy February morning. Unable to leave a six week old kitten to starve in Chinatown, his owners decided to bring him into their home. As it turns out, Allen is one special cat; spend some time with him, and you’ll fall in love. The vet says that there is some Russian Blue in him, and we think that is where his personality comes from. He’s curious, friendly, and VERY nosy.

Name: Allen DeGeneres
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Age: 1
Size: Long and lean
Favorite Toy: Bottle caps. If he knows you’re holding onto one, he’ll poke you with his paw until you give in and play with him.
Favorite thing to do: Running around on a bed while chasing a toy mouse.
Weird habits: Making Chewbacca noises when excited, sticking his tongue out, whining while staring at a corner until you call his name.
Cool tricks: Jumping through a Christmas wreath and fetching bottle caps.
Favorite place to nap: On a chair or next to shoes. We suspect he likes anything that smells.
Diet: Wellness Healthy Indulgence

Daniel Ramirez Flickr/cc license

We, the editors at eco18.com, have decided to chronicle our travels and highlight some of the green aspects in various cities. Please feel free to submit city ideas and information for upcoming Green City features.

When people think of Las Vegas, the word green doesn’t usually come to mind. I was fortunate enough to live there for two years and I saw a much different side to the city than most visitors ever get to see. When you aren’t there on a business trip or for a bachelorette party and you have some time to explore attractions besides the trade show floors, dance clubs and slot machines, there is a lot to this great city I called home that will surprise you.

Sin City is known for excess, everything is over the top and that includes the hotels. From the older hotels like Caesars Palace and the Tropicana, to the new ones like Cosmopolitan and Aria, they all try to out-do each other in lavishness and grandeur.  One of the ways they compete is by going green and now it’s almost a necessity for hotels to have an eco-friendly aspect to them. Even the President goes green when he stays in Las Vegas; during his most recent trip he stayed at the eco-friendly Element by Westin hotel. Other sustainable hotels that are LEED certified are the Palazzo and hotels located in the CityCenter including Aria, Mandarin Oriental and Vdara.

The CityCenter, a 67-acre metropolis situated on the strip between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo hotels that opened, opened its doors in 2009 and became the largest green initiative the city had ever seen. This collection of hotels, casinos, shopping malls and restaurants were designed with sustainability top of mind. The CityCenter will save approximately 50 million gallons of water annually as a result of conservation efforts, will save enough energy to power 8,800 households every year and currently houses the first fleet of compressed natural gas-powered limousines.

During your stay in Las Vegas, the most eco-friendly way to get around is by walking (if its not too hot) to take in the sights on Las Vegas Boulevard. You can also take the monorail, which will get you from one end of the strip to the other in 15 minutes. In 2010, the monorail helped to reduce emissions from vehicles by more than 37 tons.

For some non-gambling and non-drinking related entertainment, the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio are a must see, exhibits vary throughout the year and it’s free. Another free attraction at the Bellagio is the fountains, which go off every 15 or 30 minutes depending on the time, or you can check out the Wildlife Habitat at The Flamingo, which features flamingos, of course, among other animals.

If you are able to get away from the strip during your stay, make it a point to visit the Springs Preserve and the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, both are breathtaking and you won’t even feel like your in Las Vegas. The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre outdoor sanctuary dedicated to educating people on sustainable living and features museums, botanical gardens and hiking trails. The Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, which attracts rock climbers from around the country, features a collection of hiking trails and a 13-mile scenic loop you can drive through to take in the view of the beautiful sandstone and limestone rocks.

Whether your next trip to Las Vegas is for work or play, try to take some time to enjoy the eco-friendly aspects of the city. You’ll see a whole new side to Las Vegas you’ve never seen before and will have a new appreciation for it.

gaelenh flickr/cc

When it’s snowy and cold outside, it’s easy to want to be as minimally productive as possible. It’s much more enjoyable to stay inside your warm house and laze around. Well instead of sitting inside doing nothing but let the winter blues take over, we have some tips that will keep you entertained and taking delight in the weather.

1.  Arts and Crafts – Arts and crafts don’t have to just be for kids. Take a look around your home and see what inspires you. Maybe the wine bottles in the recycling pile can be salvaged and turned in to candle holders or a vase—flowers are sure to brighten up your home on a dreary day. Another idea is to take old tee shirts that are no longer worn and turn them in to a quilt.

2. Declutter and organize your house – A  snowday is the perfect opportunity to go through your house and clean out closets and storage bins. It’s time to donate all of those old clothes that you don’t wear and are just taking up space; gather old children’s toys and items that are outgrown or no longer played with; and recycle old papers and receipts that are no longer needed. Afterwards, take the time to re-organize. You’ll feel love the feeling of productiveness—and the clean and organized home.

3. Baking – Everyone loves baked goods and treats. For whatever reason, sweet treats taste so much better when baked on a cold winter day! This is the perfect time to experiment with a new cupcake or brownie recipe. Get out that cookbook and make a scrumptious treat that the whole family will love.

4. Help out the elderly – If you have an elderly neighbor who can’t get out much, chances are winter is especially tough for them. Volunteer to shovel their driveway or walk way, or ask if you can pick up some groceries for them when you go to the store. It’s always a good idea no matter when to show someone that you care.

5.  Go outside! – Remember when you were a child and you couldn’t wait to go outside and play in the snow with your friends? Why not relive those memories? Bundle up and go outside with your family to build a snowman or have a snowball fight! Fun for the whole family is always a good idea.

6. Hot Apple Cider – Who doesn’t love a delicious steaming mug of everyone’s favorite winter  time drink? Here’s a great homemade recipe that will warm you up and please your taste buds, courtesy of AllRecipes.com. Afterwards curl up with your favorite movie and enjoy the rest of the day.

We hope these ideas will give you some insight as to how to spend your next snow day! If you have any other ideas, we’d love to hear them. Please sound off below in the comments.

The New Wave of Coupons

If you look at my keychain, you’ll see approximately one dozen store loyalty cards. While for several years, these cards were used so I could get the advertised price of an item as a card member (instead of paying a much higher price) simply so stores could track my spending, many stores are now finding more ways to help their customer’s save by using these cards. A&P stores (which include Waldbaums and Pathmark) now have a service that allows you to log onto their website and link coupons to your loyalty card. When you purchase the items on a shopping trip, the coupons are automatically applied. There are two caveats: the coupons will not be doubled (like they do with paper coupons) and if you happen to have a paper coupon (forgetting about the one on your card), only the one on your card will be honored. Another thing to note is that you don’t need a card for each store in a “family.” I have a Pathmark card that works at Waldbaums and A&P, so I save plastic and time by linking everything to one card.

There is also a new company, Linkables Network that is beginning to offer coupons that can be linked to your credit card or debit card. By simply linking your credit card, and then linking offers to that card, you can save money when you go shopping. Some of the offers they have had include: $3 off a $15 purchase at Whole Foods and $5 off a $40 purchase at Publix. Currently there are offers for Stop & Shop, PetSmart and Home Depot. In my experience, the money I save has been deposited into my PayPal account 5 days after a qualifying purchase. While I like this service, it definitely needs to be expanded. I would love to see manufacturer coupons linked to credit cards, this way you could shop for deals at any of your preferred stores (instead of linking coupons to your loyalty card for each individual store).

There are several sites online where you can obtain manufacturer coupons, as well. I like this option of printing coupons because I only print the coupons I will use, thereby minimizing paper waste. I only wish the coupons would print closer together on a sheet of paper so more than three coupons could fit on a page. However, since I know only three will print per page, I always select my coupons in multiples of three. My favorite sites for obtaining printable coupons are: coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com, Cellfire, CouponNetwork and MyGroceryDeals.com. In addition to having the option of printing coupons from these sites, most of them will also allow you to link deals to your Store Loyalty Cards. You simply choose your stores from a drop-down list—unfortunately many more stores still need to be added to this program in order for it to be fully-functional. If you would prefer not to print coupons and would rather use coupons from a coupon circular, why not ask friends, family and neighbors for their coupon circulars (if they don’t use them)? It’s amazing how many people simply throw out their coupons rather than take the time to clip them. You’ll be surprised by how many people will gladly hand over their coupon circulars (and you’re rescuing those circulars from the recycle or trash bin).

Before you go shopping, it’s always nice to be organized—especially if your children will be in tow. I am not a fan of printed store circulars, as I find them difficult to read and I find it time-consuming to compare deals—not to mention being a huge waste of paper. I discussed MyGroceryDeals.com before regarding coupons, but what I most like about the site is that I can access all of my store circulars in one place. The site offers a number of ways to look for deals, including by store and by category. I like to search by category so I can see which store is offering the best deal on a product before I go shopping. Another feature I like about this site is the coupon-matching section—it tells you which store has a deal and lists coupons that can be used with that deal. If you’re looking to save time with your couponing, this is a great resource, although there is still room for improvement. In the company’s defense, I have seen improvements in this section over the past several months, and the company’s Vice President of Business Development, Ed Hladkowicz recently reached out to members asking for feedback on what could make the site better.

These resources should help you save time and money at the grocery store while not being a burden on the environment. If we all take steps to use fewer paper coupons and link digital coupons to our credit cards and store loyalty cards, we can cut down on our paper waste. Additionally, those linked coupons will help you get through the check-out line much quicker, minimizing the chance of your children getting antsy from sitting in one spot for too long. So, go ahead and use those linked coupons and online circulars and feel better that your carbon footprint is getting a little lighter.

ccharmon flickr/cc

This post comes from a guest contributor, Nancy Parker.

Whether it be for a friend’s birthday, a Valentine’s Day present or just a nice ‘thank you’, what’s better for the environment than making your own gifts out of recycled or reused materials? No wasted money or materials here, just good, old-fashioned gifts that anyone can make or enjoy. Anyone from age 3 to 103 can give these gifts to the people on their holiday lists.

1.     Cookies in a jar – There are many variations to this simple standard- soup in a jar, chili in a jar- you get the idea. Whatever food the receiver likes best; you can make a gratifying, attractive ‘kit’. All you need is a large mason jar (preferably recycled) with a lid and a few ingredients. By tidily layering the ingredients, the jar becomes an objet d’art as well as an easy-to-make meal. Enhance the jar with a piece of pretty scrap material over the lid or painted patterns along the glass. Make sure that you include a recipe so everyone knows how to recreate the treat later!

2.     Pen holder/candle holder – Any tall, thin container can be made into a pen holder. Old coffee cans, jars, and even drinking glasses can be used. Wrap the outside in a scrap of attention-grabbing fabric or paper or paint it. It is as simple as that. Personalized pen holders are particularly great for offices and add a stimulating touch of color. An old wine bottle or glass bottle of any type can be treated similarly and used as a candle holder.

3.     Paperweight – Essentially anything weighty can be used as a paperweight. For anenjoyable(and kid-friendly) project, find several hefty rocks and clean them off. If they are smooth, you can draw on them with markers or paint or even decorate the rocks with sticky eyes (pet rocks). If the rocks are too uneven then they can be enclosed in scrap material, painted with acrylics, or decoupaged. Monster or alien paperweights are a fun gift for little boys to give.

4.     Bird bath/bird feeder – Do you have a clay pot and saucer lying around? Yes? Then you can make a bird bath. Tough and easy to work with, clay pots provide a great medium for many art projects. Turn the pot over and attach the saucer on the ‘bottom’ of the pot. Presto, you have a birdbath. You can even leave it unattached or unglued if the saucer is heavy enough to stay on by itself. That way it is easier to empty out the old water and refill it. You can paint or use markers to adorn the pot. Don’t forget to decorate the edges of the saucer too! Fill the saucer with water for a bird bath or seed for a bird feeder.

5.     Wind chimes – There are countless ways to make gorgeous wind chimes. One of the easiest and most environmentally friendly is with a small clay pot, a rope, and a sea shell. Turn the pot upside down and thread the rope through the drainage hole. Tie a knot large enough that the rope will not fall back through. Then, using a portion of fishing line (or other thin, sturdy material),tie a sea shell to the knot, making sure it is suspended halfway out of the bottom of the pot. Hang the pot up outside and listen to the pleasant chiming. For more color, paint or draw on the pot. You can even decorate the sea shell.

There are many other easy, fun gift ideas that can be made with recycled materials. Take a look around and see what you can come up with!

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

london road flickr/cc

Only one U.S. president was born in New York City. Raised in a townhouse at 28 E. 20th between Park Avenue South and Broadway in a “romantic” enclave of Gramercy Park is (also known as Theodore Roosevelt Way) where Theodore Roosevelt would grow up to be our 26th president. A walk around Gramercy Park is an ideallyic way to spend an afternoon and it’s also where Edith Wharton, the famous author, lived. Lady Mendel’s at the Inn on Irving Place is a great way to recount the afternoon while enjoying tea in a Victorian setting.

Theodore Roosevelt become immortalized on Mount Rushmore along with Presidents’ Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. However, he started life in New York City as a sickly, but smart youth from an upper class family who exercised to improve his health. From there he began a lifelong passion for the “strenuous life.” He was born in the house on October 27^th, 1858 and lived there until he was 15. The house was restored in 1923 and opened to the public as a museum. The Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association and the Theodore Roosevelt Association jointly donated the museum to the National Park Service in 1962. Today you can see uniformed Park Rangers leading the house tour.

Although the gallery is closed for renovation you can see the rooms and furnishings, which he was surrounded by in his formative years. It was in the living room where I first learned that his father, Theodore Roosevelt Senior, was one of the Founders of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. The founding members would have discussions about it in the mansion’s living room.

TR’s other homes included Sagamore Hill, located in Oyster Bay, Long Island which is an amazing home/museum and which pays tribute to his enduring love of nature. After all, the stuffed animal called the Teddy Bear was named after him. Can’t think of another President who has been associated with such an enduring childhood toy. Pretty cool.

The more I learn about Teddy Roosevelt the more intriguing he becomes, not so much as an elected official, but as a conservationist and NYC native. He was very well known as the “Conservationist President” establishing five national parks and 18 national monuments throughout the US. The New York native has a park named after him called the Theodore Roosevelt National Park located in the Badlands of North Dakota near a small historic town called Medora. National Geographic stated in an article “the park honors the president who probably did more for the National Park System than anyone before or since.”

As far away from NYC as his preservation of the North Dakota Badlands is and his exploration into the depths of the Amazon Rainforest at a time when there was little to protect anyone from its treacherousness he managed to endure. You can read more about his true life Amazon adventures in the book entitled, The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard.

“There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.” ?Theodore Roosevelt’s Confession of Faith Speech, Progressive National Convention, Chicago, IL, August 6, 1911.