Marlo took the kids on an evening stroll after dinner tonight. On their way back home, they came across two baby birds that had fallen out of their nest. At first they feared that the birds did not survive, but the tiny chicks started to move. The kids quickly called me to help rescue the birds.

With the help of my gardening tools, I moved one bird out of the grass into a cleared area, which was where its sibling had fallen.

Using his smartphone, Marlo searched “What to do with chicks that fall out of a nest” and found “A Guide To Assisting Wildlife Babies: What to do when you find them.” The article said to return the nestling birds to their nest, if possible. We looked up into the tree and discovered that the nest was turned upside down and dangling from a branch. Clearly, these birds could not be returned to their original home.

After reading the rest of the article, we decided to make a new nest. We felt we had to protect the birds from local cats, dogs, raccoons, oppossums, and other critters. I also did not think that the birds would be strong enough to fly away by the time the landscapers came back to take care of the lawn.

I poked some drainage holes into a plastic carry out food container. I also ran some pipe cleaners through the holes so the nest could be wired into the tree. Once that was complete, we lined the container with a paper towel, leaves, and dried grass. Using the aforementioned gardening tools, I gently placed the baby birds into the makeshift nest. Marlo used his ladder and secured the nest back into the tree as close to the original nest as possible.

While Marlo was up in the tree, I heard a strange noise that kept repeating over and over again. I searched the grass for another baby bird and realized that the noise was coming from up in the tree. It was the Momma Bird! She was calling to her babies. I think she even had bug in her mouth to feed her chicks.

As soon as the nest was safely in place, we all went inside the house to watch from the window. Sure enough, the Momma Bird reunited with her nestlings. We watched the mother bird fly back and forth to the new nest with food and other items for her babies.

We tried to use this experience to teach the kids the beauty of nature and the value of life. I think they were able to absorb some of the impromptu lesson, but they were very eager to look for worms and bugs to feed the baby birds. Since it was past their bedtime, I convinced the kids to let the Momma Bird take care of her babies from now on. I promised that we would check on them again tomorrow. It will be bittersweet when the baby birds are able to fly away on their own.

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1. Stuff Your Baby Doesn’t Need
2. New Use For That Baby Monitor
3. How To: Make Your Own Healthy Baby Food

Since I do not work outside the home right now, I try to save money wherever and whenever I can. I carefully study the grocery sale papers every week and clip or print coupons. I closely monitor how my children and I spend my family’s money.

As much as possible, I try to do my part to help others while still maintaining our finances. The biggest way I do this is by sharing my children’s clothing with family, friends, freecycle, and the Salvation Army. We appreciate receiving hand-me-downs, so we always continue the cycle.

Another thing I do is donate my unused and/or expired coupons to the military families stationed overseas. I clip ALL the coupons from my Sunday newspaper, even the pet food ones and others I know I won’t use. Sometimes I’ll even ask my friends and family for their coupons when they are done with them. Then once a month, I mail all the coupons to a military base in Japan that I adopted through the Overseas Coupon Program. Military families are allowed to use expired coupons up to six months past their expiration date. These families often have just one income, so these coupons can really make a difference. The postage to send the coupons overseas is the standard domestic rate since it goes to a US base, but an international customs form is required. This is an easy and inexpensive way to support our military.

“The Drugstore Game” is a method I learned from sites such as Money Saving Mom and Krazy Coupon Lady. Money Saving Mom wrote “In a nutshell, the Drugstore Game is taking advantage of the rebate programs at CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens to get household and beauty products for pennies on the dollar — or even more than free!” I go to CVS and Walgreens at least once a week to purchase items that are either on sale, have coupons, or generate Extra Bucks or Register Rewards. Sometimes a product is all three of those things, allowing me to spend only pennies for tax and then receive free items AND vouchers for future purchases. My bathroom cabinets are filled with body wash and toothpaste that I received free, or even got paid to take. I often collect these drugstore game goodies and take them to my local food pantry. I’m sure they would be greatly appreciated at a battered women’s shelter or homeless shelter as well. My local pantry is the Niles Township Food Pantry. They collect and distribute food, personal items, and even school supplies for children.

One of the easiest ways that I help my children’s school is by clipping the Box Tops for Education that are on all kinds of General Mills products such as Cherrios cereal, Nature Valley granola bars, Chex Mix, and Gogurts yogurt as well as other household items like Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, Pull Ups, and OverNights. Each little pink logo is worth ten cents to the school. While this may not sound like it’s worth the hassle of cutting out, participating schools earned more than $10 million in the 2008-09 school year alone! My children often bring me empty boxes and ask me to help them cut out the “moneys.” Then I just send their teachers an envelope full of the little pink papers so they can submit them and receive money for their school.

SuperValu and General Mills have partnered together for the Box Tops for Education program and are generously offering one lucky winner a $25 American Express gift card through MyBlogSpark. I believe this gift card can be used anywhere, including any of the SuperValu stores (ACME, Albertsons, Cub, Farm Fresh and Jewel-Osco.) If you would like a chance to win this $25 gift card, please leave a comment with a creative or unusual way you help your family, school, or community by June 8th. The winning comment will be randomly selected and announced on June 9th.

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2. 10 Steps to a Successful FSA Claim
3. Have You Thanked Our Troops Lately?

For a long time, house keeping materials in my home consisted mainly of my Dyson vacuum and baby wipes. Once I discovered that baby wipes could be used to clean baby food off of walls just as easily as a child’s skin, I began using them for everything. I have used baby wipes to clean dried yogurt off the kitchen table, mop up mud tracked onto my carpet, and even removed “washable” crayon marks from wood furniture. I cannot imagine how I was able to live the majority of my life without baby wipes.

In an effort to become more green and eco-friendly, I am trying to wean myself off of disposable baby wipes in favor of reusable sponges, washcloths, and towels. I am also avoiding antibacterial soaps containing triclosan and purchasing refillable products when available.

My favorite refill product so far is the White Tea & Vitamin E Dial Eco-Smart Refill.  This refill is packaged in a soft pouch rather than a bulky plastic bottle.

I use this liquid hand soap to refill both my regular soap dispensers and my foaming soap dispensers. My article “How to: Refill Foaming Hand Soap Pumps” describes how to add one part liquid soap to four parts water to make a less expensive, non-antibacterial foaming hand soap refill.

When MyBlogSpark offered me the opportunity to sample several Seventh Generation products, I was thrilled. On their about page, Seventh Generation describes themselves as being “committed to becoming the world’s most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home.” Seventh Generation uses natural CleanWell instead of triclosan to make their disinfecting products. Earlier this month, the FDA wrote “At this time, FDA does not have evidence that triclosan added to antibacterial soaps and body washes provides extra health benefits over soap and water. Consumers concerned about using hand and body soaps with triclosan should wash with regular soap and water.”

MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation sent me several cleaning products and supplies to sample and review. I really believe in the Seventh Generation philosophy, so I eagerly anticipated the cleaning kit in the mail. As soon as they arrived, my husband and I used them to give our kitchen and bathroom a much needed deep cleaning. The Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, Bathroom Cleanser, and Disinfecting Wipes all cleaned my hard surfaces quickly and easily, but we could not get past the oddly familiar yet slightly unpleasant Lemongrass and Thyme scent.

The brown paper towels we received were unbleached and made from 100% recycled paper. Unfortunately, they are not as absorbent as the Bounty paper towels I am used to. I ended up using twice as many paper towels to dry hands, wipe up spills, or soak up oil from food.

All the Seventh Generation Disinfectants are only available in the Lemongrass and Thyme scent, but there is an unscented Free & Clear line that I am looking forward to trying. I plan to join the Seventh Generation Nation so I can print coupons before my next purchase.

If you would like to try the Seventh Generation Disinfecting products for free, please post a comment below. One lucky reader will win a Seventh Generation Cleaning Kit containing disinfecting products, paper towels, a carrying tote, and “The Conscious Kitchen” book. The winner will be announced on Monday, May 10th. The cleaning kits have been generously provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.

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I recently discovered the Heavenly Homemakers blog. The woman who runs it, Laura, seems to do it all. She home-schools all four of her children, grows and cans her own food, cooks and cleans for her family, and still has time to maintain a very popular blog.

One of my favorite recipes on her site is the High Five Recipes: Cream Scalloped Potatoes. It’s a part of her High 5 Recipe Series with 5 ingredients or less. As you all know, I am a fan of recipes with five ingredients or less. I have already posted the following recipes with 3-5 ingredients on MarloElaine.com:
* Decadent Oreo Truffles Recipe
* Delightful Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe
* Hearty Chili Cheese Dip Recipe
* Perfect Prosciutto Pasta Recipe
* Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe

For dinner last week, I was able to make 2 different dishes with a total of only 5 ingredients. I made a variation of my Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe, so I modified the Heavenly Homemakers recipe a bit to accommodate what I had on hand. The results were delicious!

3 Ingredient Baked Costco Salmon
Ingredients:
2 pounds of boneless salmon fillet
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the salmon in a Pyrex baking pan or foil covered baking sheet.
3. Pour the olive oil and sprinkle the onion soup mix over the salmon.
4. Massage the oil and seasonings into the fish to coat all surfaces of the salmon evenly.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 145 degrees.
6. Serve with 3 Ingredient Cream Scalloped Potatoes and vegetables.

3 Ingredient Cream Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layer the potato slices in a Pyrex baking pan or foil covered baking sheet.
3. Mix the cream and the onion soup mix together, breaking up any lumps.
4. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes, stirring to coat.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
6. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove from the oven. The starch from the potatoes should have thickened the cream mixture into a lovely gravy.
7. Serve with 3 Ingredient Baked Salmon and vegetables.

Related posts:

1. Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe
2. Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Potato Soup Recipes
3. Hearty Chili Cheese Dip Recipe

I enjoy watching Mark Bittman as The Minimalist on our TiVo’d New York Times recordings. Today I watched him make Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler. Normally when I watch Bittman’s programs, I become hungry, but not necessarily inspired to cook. Today was a rare occasion. I actually had all of the ingredients on hand! Well, close enough that I could make my variation of his dish anyways.

I had some ground turkey in the fridge that I was planning on cooking with chorizo to make taco meat, but that never materialized. I also had some baby carrots and celery that I intended for snacking, but that didn’t work out either. I had half a carton of white mushrooms left over from last weekend’s sausage, mushroom, and onion egg white omelette. What pushed me over the edge was the refrigerated biscuit dough that I purchased just this morning during a really good sale and with a coupon (double bonus!). So I set about preparing my version of Bittman’s Chicken Cobbler, which he compares to a Chicken Pot Pie without all the work.

I really like this recipe because it forms a nice, creamy sauce without the canned cream of mushroom soup. This dish can easily be modified to control salt, fat, or cholesterol content. It can also accommodate whatever vegetables or meats you have on hand. Since I have a picky eater, I sneak in pureed vegetables whenever I can, just in case my daughter insists on picking out all the visible vegetable chunks. I have made my own pureed vegetables in the past, but this time I simply used a container of Stage 2 Carrots baby food.

MarloElaine’s Turkey and Vegetable Cobbler

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil (vegetable, canola, olive, etc.)
1 C chopped onions
6 cloves of garlic
12 ounces of ground turkey
3 small russet potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1 small container of pureed vegetables (baby food) *optional
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 cup water and 2 cubes chicken bouillion)
2 T corn starch
salt, seasoned salt, and/or black pepper to taste
1 tube of refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent.
3. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up into small chunks.
4. Brown the turkey meat slightly, then add the potatoes and carrots.
5. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft and the turkey is thoroughly cooked, add the celery and mushrooms.
6. If using the pureed vegetables, add them now.
7. Add the chicken stock to the saucepan, reserving 2T of liquid.
8. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and 2 T of the chicken stock or water. Mix to form a slurry.
9. Add the corn starch slurry to the meat and vegetables and bring the liquid to a boil.
10. Once the sauce begins to tighten up, season to taste.
11. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
13. Spoon the turkey and vegetable mixture into a baking dish. I used a 9″ x 13″ Pyrex glassware, but you could opt for a deeper one if you like a higher meat to biscuit ratio.
14. Spread the biscuits evenly over the top of the filling. Split the biscuits in half lengthwise if needed.

15. Place the pan in the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling.
16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

My son Sammy really enjoyed my Turkey and Vegetable Cobbler. He is very aware of which foods are healthy and which are unhealthy. Sammy proclaimed that his favorite parts of the dish were the vegetables, then the turkey and the “cookie” or biscuit.

I’d love to hear your reviews of this recipe, including any variations you make to it. Please post your comments below.

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1. Fresh Southwestern Salsa Recipe
2. Hearty Chili Cheese Dip Recipe
3. Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Potato Soup Recipes

My entire family loves chocolate and loves Cherrios. We almost always have a large Costco-sized box of MultiGrain Cheerios or regular Cheerios in the house. So when MyBlogSpark offered us a chance to sample the new Chocolate Cheerios, we jumped at the opportunity.

We checked for packages several times a day until the large brown box arrived. We brought it in during dinner, but could not wait for breakfast the next morning. My husband, my two children, and myself all ate the delicious Chocolate Cheerios with milk for dessert that night! It was one of the healthiest desserts we have had in a long time, considering that Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, has no saturated fat, and has only 100 calories per serving. The fact that it contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving, is cholesterol free, and is made with heart healthy oats doesn’t hurt either!

My daughter declared, “I can’t wait for breakfast so I can have more!” She also enjoys it for snack straight out of the box. My son prefers to mix the MultiGrain Cheerios with the Chocolate Cheerios and eat them together. He says it makes the lightly sweetened MultiGrain ones taste even better.

After we finished our sweet, tasty, crunchy dessert that night, we inspected the chocolate scented spa kit that came with the Chocolate Cheerios. We received a bottle of chocolate scented body wash, a chocolate body bar, chocolate bath salts, and a mini-bath sponge. I am looking forward to a few quiet moments to myself when I am finally able to indulge in a warm, chocolate bath.

Enter to win these prizes.

If you would like to enter a random drawing for your own chocolate scented spa kit, ceramic cereal bowl, and box of Chocolate Cheerios, please leave a comment below. All information and promotional items were provided by Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.

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Hasbro’s Elefun and Friends just came out with a new game called Scatterpillar Scramble.  The makers of Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Gator Golf, and Giraffalaff Limbo have another winner on their hands. This game would make an excellent Christmas gift for a preschooler. Keep reading for a chance to win this game!

Scatterpillar Scramble is a cute dancing caterpillar with four sets of hands.  The game is for 2-4 players, ages 4 and up.  Each player has a color coded set of tongs and marbles.  The goal of the game is for each player to place all of their marbles into the caterpillar’s hands before their opponents.

My 3 1/2 and 6 year old children love the game, but they find it discouraging to play the game according to the directions.  My husband and I even have a difficult time placing all the marbles while the caterpillar gyrates around to lively music. My kids like to race to place the marbles when the caterpillar is still, then turn it on to do a celebratory dance for the winner. The kids like to laugh and join in, then play again. They also like to play with their grandmother and anyone else who comes to visit.

This game would be excellent in a retirement home or rehab setting for people trying to improve their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. It would also make for an interesting time at a college party.

What games or toys do you like to play with your preschooler or school age child? Please post a comment below for a chance to win Scatterpillar Scramble AND Giraffalaff Limbo. Special thanks to MyBlogSpark and Hasbro for giving us the opportunity to review this game as well as providing a set of games to a lucky reader. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 16th. Thanks for reading!

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The swine flu vaccine has thimerosal / mercury in it, yet will be recommended for all pregnant women and children over 6 months old. I’m not sure yet if my family will get vaccinated. What are you planning to do?

I recently posted this on my facebook page along with a link to USA Today’s article “H1N1 and seasonal flu: Multiple doses, many questions“.

An overwhelming majority of my fb responders were NOT planning to vaccinate themselves or their families against the potentially deadly H1N1 virus. Some believe that they could survive the swine flu just like they would any other flu. Many feel that the vaccine is just too new and has too many unknowns. Several feel that the thimerosal component of the vaccine cannot be overlooked due to it’s association with autism.

A nurse practitioner friend posted that she has had some experience with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu believes it is very effective against the H1N1 virus. She believes that contracting and treating swine flu outweighs the risk of the vaccine itself because the previous round of the swine flu vaccine was associated with Guianne Barre Syndrome.

Guianne Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a paralyzing illness that at worse can cause death, and at best has a long, painful recovery with lingering paralysis or weakness. My friend Cricel’s husband Khalil was diagnosed with GBS last year. She documented Khalil’s struggles and his miraculous progress in order to share her family’s experiences with GBS. Cricel e-mailed me, “We are not sure what caused Khalil’s GBS, so we cannot really make a link between his case and a flu vaccine. But I did know that the old swine flu vaccine was linked to an increase in GBS incidence. Scary…”

USA Today reports:

“The government’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) … recommended that (the H1N1 vaccine) be given to pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care workers, people ages 6 months to 24 years and people 25 to 64 who have chronic illnesses or immune problems.”

When I asked my pediatrician’s office last month what their recommendations were regarding the swine flu pandemic vaccine, they said they were waiting for the American Academy of Pediatrics to make a statement before finalizing their medical group’s opinion. I plan to ask them again soon for their recommendation. My children usually get the seasonal flu vaccine, but I request the thimerosal-free vaccine that is normally reserved for smaller children. If the H1N1 vaccine does not come in a thimerosal-free version, we will most likely NOT get the swine flu pandemic vaccine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says:

“The H1N1 virus is a hybrid, with genetic elements of swine influenza, avian influenza, and human influenza…Because this is a new strain, seasonal flu shots do not protect people, so good hygiene is important to help prevent the spread of germs. The influenza is spread by coughing, sneezing and unclean hands.” They continue, “If you suspect your child has influenza, call your pediatrician. Antiviral medication, if taken soon after infection, can shorten the duration of the illness. These medications are effective against swine flu.”

My husband and I will carefully weigh the pediatrician’s recommendation along with pros and cons of the H1N1 vaccine before making a final decision about vaccinating my preschool daughter, my kindergarten son, my husband, and myself against the expected swine flu pandemic.

What are you planning to do to protect yourself and your family?

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This fall, my son will be starting Kindergerten and my daughter will attend pre-school for the first time. No more leisurely mornings and long breakfasts for us. It’s back to fruit, bagels, toaster pastries, or cold cereal. Luckily, MyBlogSpark sent us a Honey Kix promotional pack to review on our site.

The package they sent us includes a coupon for a full size box of Honey Kix, a large Honey Kix “cereal pitcher,” a full size Honey Kix cereal bowl, a honey jar with server, and a cool milk and cereal travel kit. The travel kit consists of an insulated bowl for milk that screws onto the cereal compartment for storage. The cereal compartment is a bowl with a cover that has a spoon built in.

My kids tasted Honey Kix cereal for the first time today. I poured their milk into small bottles so they could pour it themselves without spilling. I transferred the Honey Kix into the cereal pitcher and called them to the breakfast table. For once, instead of listening to arguing and playing, I heard the quiet sounds of crunching and slurping.

My picky daughter ate two bowls of Honey Kix, while my hungry son ate four! They served themselves, so I’m not sure how full each bowl really was. My son has already requested the same breakfast for tomorrow, the first day of Kindergarten.

If you would like to receive a Honey Kix promotional pack from MyBlogSpark for yourself, please leave a comment below to be entered in a random drawing. Comments must be posted by Friday, August 28th to be eligible. The winner will be notified by e-mail on Sunday, August 30th.

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We recently joined MyBlogSpark to sample and review new products here on our blog. The first products sent us were Nature Valley Nut Clusters. These are new snacks that remind me of those crunchy nutty granola bars, only bite sized. We tried all four varieties: Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut. They were all crunchy and sweet with just the right amount of salt added in. My kids and I really enjoyed them. My favorite was the Roasted Almond while my kids liked the Roasted Cashew best.

I am trying to steer my children away from the gummy, sticky snacks that can cause cavities, so these Nature Valley Nut Clusters are the perfect alternative. They are 100% natural and great for healthy snacking. They come in zip-top bags that are convenient for picnics, etc. I often leave a bag in my car for the inevitable, “Mom, I’m hungry!”

Stay tuned for more MyBlogSpark product reviews!

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