We have had our Ubooly for awhile now, but the  Ubooly Lab and updates make this an entirely new and improved toy. It still has all the great features of protecting your iPhone in an adorable little soft toy and cute personality to entertain your kids, but the added features take the Ubooly experience to a new level of education fun.

Having 2 kids, personalizing Ubooly to know who it was playing with was so cool! Once you log in and personalize their interests, Ubooly tailors the playing and learning experience to what they like and appropriate educational levels. I was cracking up as she talked to Ella (age 9) about her favorite colors and foods because Ella had no idea how her little playmate knew so much about her. Ella says her favorite part of the new updates are the ability to customize her appearance and new additions to the Ubooly room.

Teagan, age 6, also loved personalizing Ubooly so that her friend didn’t look like her sister’s. As you play with Ubooly in her box, you child earns coins to decorate her box and give her snack.

The truth is, finding an iPhone game that I am happy to let me kids play is tough, but the Ubooly Lab updates combine cute fun with education in a way the held both my girls attentions. I highly recommend you check out this Ubooly intro video then enter to win one below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find more information on Ubooly here: website, facebook, twitter

This is a sponsored post. Opinions, as always, are my own. 

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Why would anyone chose to live in a small house? Because according to Graham Hill, “Small is Sexy!”
Not that I am trying to be sexy (I gave up years ago) but do you know what, I think he’s right. (I highly recommend watching this)

So what can we really do about it? I have been trying to figure that out for awhile, you can read more about our simple living beginning here. What if you had the chance to try out the simple living lifestyle, would you do it?

It turns out that we have a unique opportunity to try it out before we commit to it. and now for my big announcement…
We are leaving our big house and downsizing to a 960 square foot cabin in the mountains!!! Eeeeek!

No more 3 car garage, instead we will have NO garage.
No more dishwasher, just the sink and my hands.
No more his and hers walk in closets, one closet for his and hers.
No more 5 bedrooms, just 2.
No more 3 bathrooms, just 1 and a half.
No more upstairs laundry, I will have to carry it up and down the stairs.
and maybe most importantly for myself-
No more big fancy kitchen with gorgeous marble, a small kitchen with old laminate instead.

I am completely excited and scared to death, but my gut says this is the right thing for us.
While my husband initially thought I had totally lost my mind, and my mother still does, we are going to do it. We have a great house in a great neighborhood, but it’s way to big for me personally. It turns out that we only use about 1000 square feet of our 3000 anyway, so here we go. At least for now, how long we stay is still up for debate.

Next’s weeks simple living post will be from our new local in Big Bear, CA. A town of only 5,000 people and *gasp* without a Target.
Whoa, this is going to be fun, right?

Thanks for reading this far, now here is your free printable poster of the word art above. ( 8×10 without the gray border)

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I am so excited for summer! Picnics in the park or at the beach, backyard bbq’s and just chilling. If you need a dish to satisfy your vegan and gluten free friends, this is one dish to keep everyone happy. It also comes together quickly, stores and travels well and is really delicious. Oh, and it’s pretty

Using quinoa instead of lettuce in the greek salad makes this a really hearty side or main dish. It still surprises me how many people are not eating quinoa since it’s so versatile, try using it instead of pasta or rice with your favorite sauce. Whatcha waiting for, go get some quinoa will ya! and then let me know how you like to eat it…

Ingredients: 4-6 servings

1 cup quinoa
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled tofu
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1-2 tbs agave
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

prepare quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool. combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and agave in bowl and mix well. combine remaining ingredients with quinoa, add dressing and mix well.

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Phase I (Monday-Tuesday): Lots of carbs and fruits
Phase II (Wednesday-Thursday): Lots of proteins and veggies
Phase III (Friday-Sunday): All of the above, plus healthy fats and oils

Haylie is know as the go-to weight loss guru for stars like Cher, Jennifer Lopez and Robert Downey Jr. She also  looks healthy and talks about avoiding unnatural foods such as fat-free, artificial sweeteners and chemical additives which is also sound advice.

So what did I think about the book? I was turned off by the promises of eating more to lose more, it’s on the front of almost every diet book. Then I was surprised and delighted by her approach to holistic nutrition and was intrigued by the science of metabolism and digestion since I am currently studying those areas. The promise of a vegetarian option was exciting too because so many other books are things I would never consider eating, but the book really fell short in this area for me. The phase 1 breakfasts were ok as they were fruit smoothies. When you get to the phase 1 lunch recipes, you have Tuna, green apple and spinach salad, Open faced turkey sandwich, Sprouted grain turkey wrap, Chicken and barley soup, or Turkey Buffalo chili. Now which of those recipes is vegetarian?
That’s right, none of them unless you leave the meat out and you then have a salad.

This book may be helpful to non-veg-heads, but if you are vegan or vegetarian, you may be disappointed. Haylie recommends that vegetarians alter their diet to include eggs and fish (personally insulting to me that she even mentions this in the vegetarian section) but can also sub beans for the protein. After checking out the forums on the fast metabolism diet website, it seems that other veggies have the same concerns that I have.

Have you read the book? I would love to hear your opinions!

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/FastMetabolismDiet.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Every summer I have grand plans of fun which quickly go out the window, but last year we hung our empty bucket list where we could easily see it and were reminded to get out and have fun! It worked so we are doing it again.
We will ROCK this summer!   Who’s with me?

Remember when the summer was about the simple things? As we are still focused on our Simple Living plan, this summers list reflects time spent with the family and surrounded by nature.  I’ve gotta tell ya, we are all so excited about what this summer has to offer us, stay tuned for next weeks Simple Living Wednesday post for a BIG family announcement. Until then, here is our list…

The Prince Summer Bucket List 2013:
picnic in the woods
create a Prince family sandwich recipe
go on a water slide
make a new popsicle flavor
backyard vegan BBQ
watch the 4th fireworks
eat from our garden
swim time!!  

simply click the image to download, print and write in your own list. or use photoshop to add your list and family name.

then let me know what is first on your list!

and here is the other version, slightly updated. 

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Happy Mother’s Day to all of my mommy readers. Kick your feet up and pass these recipes along to your husband or kids and enjoy the day =)

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Pasta is always such a crowd pleaser, but you don’t have to stick with boring old tomato sauce. Traditional pesto is great and can be super expensive to make and this pea and walnut version has a great taste and is affordable enough for you to make it all the time.

While the peas make this slightly sweet, it retains the traditional taste of pesto with plenty of fresh basil and olive oil. What is your favorite kind of pesto?
Ingredients: 6-8 servings

The post pea and walnut pesto linguine appeared first on sunny vegan.

We did the work ourselves and you can read more about it here.
Anyway, it looks pretty tidy right? Wrong!

This is the butlers pantry (on the left through the archway) as you see it- * iPhone photo

this is what you see-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 and this is what it’s hiding!

While the house looks neat and organized, pretty much every cabinet, drawer and closet has this same kind of mystery mess. I have NO idea what is in there any neither does anyone else. So there you have it, my pathetic messy little secret. As I long as no one could see it, it seemed like it really wassn’t there. But it is really there and now it’s time to put my goal of a more simple life to the test as I ruthlessly edit the junk,  getting rid of it all. We have made progress the past few weeks and have a huge pile of clothes, shoes and toys to donate but there is still a  lot of house to get through. While this part if simplifying is NOT simple at all, I hope that at the end of this process my family and I will feel less of that drowning-in-my-crap feeling that has been bothering me for so long.

For those of you joining me on this journey, have you had any unexpected challenges or successes this past week?
and next week I will show you the after of that mystery mess cabinet.

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Throughout 2013, My Gym locations across North America will celebrate thirty years of providing fitness and fun to families by offering money saving membership and class discounts, conducting a search tocrown My Gym’s Fit & Healthy Family and hosting fun and fitness-filled My Gym 30^th Birthday party/ Open Houses.
* Offered April 1 through June 30, the My Gym discounts include free membership to families signing on for the first time and 30% off for four weeks of classes at participating locations.
* Also taking place April 1 through June 30, My Gym’s 30^th anniversary Fit & Healthy Family Contest is a initiative designed to encourage families to demonstrate how they have made fitness a key part of their family’s lifestyle and share their own family fitness tips with families everywhere through the My Gym contest’s social media. www.facebook.com/mygymfun
* In August, participating My Gym locations throughout the North America will open their doors for free-to-the-public 30^th birthday party/open houses – My Gym style.

 Open to families in North America, the My Gym Fit & Healthy Family Contest invites families with at least two members in the same household (and one member a child under the age of ten) to enter by submitting a photo of their family engaged in physical activity along with 100-200 words sharing their favorite family fitness tip(s). The photos and accompanying tips will be posted on My Gym’s Official Facebook Page for the public to vote for their favorite entry. Families receiving the most votes will become among the 30 semi-finalists from which the Grand Prize winner will be chosen. Semi-finalists will win prizes from My Gym’s official cleaning sponsor BabyGanics (babyganics.com), the leading provider of household and personal care products for every touch point in a baby’s life; DVD’s of the popular children’s animated series Chuggington (chuggington.com); a prestigious Recognition Certificate from the President’s Council on Fitness Sports and Nutrition (fitness.gov); and a specially-designed My Gym prize pack. The grand prize family will win the acclaimed sports activity toy line from Little Tikes (littletikes.com) along with a year free of My Gym classes and a birthday party
To download the discount coupon, to electronically enter the contest and for all details and rules, please visit www.facebook.com/mygymfun

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Bring on spring and the peas! It’s not a secret that I love peas and this is definitely my new favorite recipe. Most of the time peas are served  hot and smothered in butter, such a shame. They are super versatile, good hot or cold, with pasta or spinach, slightly sweet but they work so well with other flavors.

Here are a few Nutritional Facts about Peas you may not have known: per 1 cup
* 9 grams of protein
* 9 grams of fiber
* contain omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
* contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients

So go ahead and eat those peas, they’re tasty and good for you!

Ingredients: 4 servings

16 ounces organic peas ( defrosted if frozen, blanched if fresh)
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion
1/4 cup fresh parsley – chopped
1/2 cup tofu feta* Recipe below

dressing-
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper – to taste

Method:

combine peas, shallots and parsley in a large bowl. in a small bowl or jar, combine dressing ingredients and whisk or shake to mix well. our over pea mixture then top with tofu.

Here is my version of tofu feta: drain and crumble tofu into a bowl, drizzle with a little lemon juice add sea salt and allow to stand in the refrigerator for at least one hour. I tend to just keep some pre-made in the fridge because I can throw it onto a salad, pizza or pasta. Sometimes I just eat it out of the bowl and it doesn’t make it to top anything.

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