Welcome to the 7th week of Pin It Thursdays – a weekly series on So Easy Being Green!

I am quite obsessed with Pinterest.  I love discovering new projects, tips, recipes, crafts… well, you get the idea.  If you are as obsessed like pinning as much as me, then this link-up is for you!

Pin It Thursdays is not JUST for bloggers.  Although my fellow bloggers are certainly invited, of course!  Share a pin of yours, a pin you came across that's your favorite for the week, a pin that you want to shout from the rooftops because the food tasted so good {or the hair tip was the best ever or the diy craft turned out the cutest – ok, you get my drift}!

Here are the rules…

1.  Link up a Pin or Two.

2.  Ok, there's really only 1 rule.  But if you choose to follow me on Pinterest, that would be cool.  It would also be great if you picked 2-3 pins that are linked below and share them, only if you really like them, of course. 

How to Link-Up

Please put the url of your pin in the first box.  Then a short description of the pin in the next.

The Linky will be open from Thursday until the following Tuesday Evening.  Each week I'll choose a pin from the previous week to highlight!

Featured Pin of the Week

The moment I saw this pin come through, I re-pinned for a future menu!  Honey Lime Chicken Skewers sound delish!  Thanks for linking up, Angela. 

You can see more recipes like this on Angela's blog Dayton-Mom-Spot.com and you can follow her on Pinterest too!

My Pin of the Week

If you're considering a 5K, thinking about doing the Couch to 5K, or just wanna have a good time – you should definitely check out a Color Me Rad Race.

Now – Are You Ready to Start Pinning?

Week 7

So Easy Being Green

My babies are growing up.  Moreaya is already 16 months old and Sophia, my baby, is going to be 3 in less than 2 weeks.  It just doesn't seem imaginable.  I still see them both, so tiny.

Even though I don't have a baby baby, I still love to look at baby products in stores.  Do you find yourself wondering over to the infant section and checking out all the new products?  I know I can't be the only one. 

I was sent a Mombo nursing pillow a few weeks ago.  Although I'm not currently breastfeeding, I do remember a few things about the subject and being comfortable {both myself and the baby} was one of the most important parts of the breastfeeding journey.  I can imagine that this pillow would be just that!

You see my girls think it's quite comfy for themselves now.  They were so excited when I pulled it out.  They each took a turn lounging…

What makes this pillow even more relaxing and fun to lounge on is the unique vibration pack that it comes with.

It's removable, easily turns on and off, and runs on 1 "C" battery!

The Mombo from Comfort & Harmony is also unique in that it has 2 different sides – a firm side and a softer side.

I would think that the firm side would really help in those early days of breastfeeding when latch is the key.  The softer side is perfect for lounging and the shape of this baby nursing pillow would be great to help infants learning to sit on their own too.

She's such a little Momma.

Although I've sold and donated most of my baby things because we plan on it being a few years before we try for a 3rd child, I have packed away a few favorite things.  When I saw the colors on the Mombo, I knew it was going to make it to the coveted space for Baby #3.  Lucky for me…

The mombo nursing pillow comes in a great, reusable package that makes storage a breeze!

The Mombo from Comfort & Harmony is available at Babies R Us stores.  The pillow I have show above retails for $49.99.  There are different Mombo pillows and covers also available at Babies R Us.

You can connect with the makes of the Mombo, Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter!

So Easy Being Green

I took the day off from Social Media on Mother's Day and honestly, it was a little harder than I thought it was going to be.  The moment I laid eyes on my surprise Mother's Day gifts, I wanted to share on instagram!

It was simply because I was shocked.  Don't get me wrong, I have a very sweet hubby but something just kind of changed after we had been married a couple of years.  He usually doesn't put much effort into gifts.  He'll ask me what I want, I say "Nothing" which translates to "Please, go out and spend a few minutes thinking about how much you love me and get me something that is heartfelt."  Apparently he doesn't speak Lindsey Language because he usually gets me what I really asked for…  nothing.

This year, oh, this year.  I was surprised with a Lollipop Gerbera Daisy!  I spied these a few weeks ago and gushed about their beauty.  {He was apparently listening}. 

Even better – he knew what an accomplishment my 3 races were last year and he framed my bibs, special pictures, and my times from all 3.

Thank you, Rob!

So Easy Being Green

There are some days that I miss working in child care.  Not that I miss kids, because obviously I have two that keep me busy, but I miss the crafts.  As the Director, I made sure that my staff and the children had a ton of craft supplies at their fingertips every day.  Crafting is so important to kids.  They feel a sense of accomplishment when they've created something.  Not to mention the joy they get with spending time actually making it.

So, lately I've been making Crafts at Home a priority – like it should be!

Along with crafts, Sophia has been doing lots of learning and has taken a huge interest in Science type activities.  If you follow me on instagram, you'll know the she is quite obsessed with dinosaurs right now.  In addition to dinosaurs, we've been studying lots of Spring type activities and animals too… including butterflies!

In my childcare center days, we always did this activity with the preschool kids.  You can purchase a Cup of Live Caterpillars – watch them grow, then when they make their cocoons, you transfer them to the butterfly net and wait for them to come out!  Sophia has been fascinated with this and we're waiting on our butterflies to come out any day now!

So, what better craft to make then a Spring Butterfly Craft!

This was a super simple project from start to finish and something Sophia could almost do completely by herself, with just a tiny bit of help from me.  It's amazing to see how independent she is when it comes to crafts now.

The supplies you need for this Spring Butterfly Craft will vary on how you decide to make it.  I made my own variation from a Butterfly Art Project that I found on the Elmer's website.

You can use coffee filters and paint them or do water color drops like we did.  You can even use colored tissue paper.  The body of the butterfly can be a popsicle stick or a clothespin and decorating ideas are endless!

The girls love to use droppers with water colors and coffee filters are inexpensive and a great fiber for letting the colors really blend.  Moreaya REALLY enjoyed squeezing the dropper!

While our coffee filter butterfly wings were drying, we worked on the butterfly's body.  Sophia chose to use a popsicle stick and decorated with blue antennae and googly eyes.  I was sent a bottle of the brand new Elmer's School Glue Naturals, along with a couple of Elmer's School Glue Sticks Naturals, that we used in this craft.  I really, really like this glue.  Not only does it perform just as well as their standard white glue, it's green {in more ways than just the label color}.

The Elmer's Naturals line is the first and only school glue made with naturally occurring ingredients AND recycled packaging!
The pourable glue is made up of 99 percent natural ingredients. The primary ingredient in the adhesive is plants, specifically American-grown corn!

Although, just like with most natural products, the price point is a little higher than it's original counterparts, the Elmer's School Glue Naturals product line is affordable.

The Elmer's Naturals products will be available nationwide at Joann and Michaels craft stores. 
You can also participate in the Elmer's Naturals Pin It to Win It Contest right now through June 28th for a chance to win a Elmer's Naturals Prize Pack and a $100 Gift Card! 

While all of our glued parts and painting were drying, Sophia and I talked about butterflies.  What they ate, how they'll come out of their cocoon, what we'll do with them when they do… This little girl is full of questions!

My favorite question from the conversation…

What's our Next Craft, Mom?

Do you regularly do Craft Time at Home with your Children?

So Easy Being Green

When I first started contemplating getting a Keurig, I was torn.  On the one hand, I saw how much coffee I would waste with a regular coffeemaker.  Hubby wasn't much of a coffee drinker, so making a pot of coffee for me to enjoy one cup in the mornings just wasn't economical.

I asked around, even on the SEBG Facebook page and it seemed that everyone was a Keurig fan.  Even though using a plastic K cup can't be the green-est option that I will choose in life, I choose to do other things to off-set this little K cup obsession of mine.  But, there's a huge accessory that so many Keurig fans are missing out on and I have the info to share with you.  My Keurig is GREEN!

With the My K-Cup accessory, I can get delicious coffee, one cup at a time with no trash to throw away after every cup.  Plus, I get to enjoy super, delicious, and sometimes exclusive coffee that I don't always get the option of in K cups.

Such as – the three exclusive seasonal flavors of Dunkin' Donuts coffee!  I don't normally purchase the Dunkin' Donuts brand, simply because it isn't available in K Cups, but like I said – that's not a problem for me anymore.

I was sent all 3 bags of the seasonal flavors and I didn't want to keep all of this yummy coffee to myself – so I invited over some of my closest girlfriends and their hubbies!  I really didn't think a Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Party was a party without a few donuts, so hubby picked up a couple dozen on his way home from work that day and I decided that since it was so warm out, we would make Iced Coffee instead of hot.

Let me just say, though.  I think the My K Cup is really not intended for the purpose of brewing cups of coffee over and over.  It got old pretty fast, emptying out the filter and re-filling cup after cup.  But to enjoy a cup in the mornings, it's totally doable!

I've never actually made iced coffee with my Keurig before, so I went by the recipe that I received right from Dunkin' Donuts.  I brewed the coffee like normal then mixed in some sugar, half and half, and Heavy Cream.  Let me just say – it was DELICIOUS!  The flavor of the Strawberry Shortcake coffee paired with the extra sugary ice was perfect.

That's what I love most of about these flavors – they're actually flavorful, well, without over-powering the coffee.  So many times I'm disappointed with a flavored coffee because honestly, you can't even taste it, especially after I had my favorite creamer.  The Strawberry Shortcake flavor is definitely still present and perfect.

My party guests were super happy with the girls conversation, donuts, and iced coffee.  They were especially excited when they found out they got to take a goodie bag home that included a Dunkin' Donuts Tumbler, coupons, and a surprise bag of one of the seasonal blends!

Want to know my favorite part of the party – other than the awesome friend and girl time, of course?!

Leftovers for breakfast the next morning! 

I love the option of being able to make my Keurig a green-er appliance in my house.  I love the option even more when I know I'm drinking delicious, fresh coffee!

Are you a Dunkin' Donuts Fan? 
Do you love their Coffee or Donuts the Most?

So Easy Being Green

My family spent this past Friday night at our local Relay for Life. It’s been an event that I’ve been involved in for almost 10 years now. My extended family has been affected by cancer time and time again – my aunt is a breast cancer survivor, my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather both lost the fight with cancer in the later years. For this reason and many others, the American Cancer Society has always been my family’s charity of choice. We participate in fundraisers and attend the yearly Relay Event.

A little over four years ago, the Relay for Life was being planned. My family had planned to take our antique cars to help draw spectators, and everything was normal. I got a call one afternoon that changed my experience at the Relay for Life Events from then on. I no longer walked the lap of a family member who had dealt with cancer – I walked as a Survivor.

I walked my first Survivor lap exactly one week before I had the surgery to remove my melanoma.  It was such a surreal experience.  I was 26, a newlywed of only 6 months, and had just been diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer.  I walked that lap with my family watching – all of us so emotional at what was lying ahead for my journey.

I am so honored to say that I continue to walk as a Survivor in our local Relays. I am honored to say that I am cancer free – 4 years now!  WAHOO!

I’ll admit – sometimes it’s hard to talk about the day I heard my diagnosis. I still well up with tears – I am doing so as I right – but I know it’s important. I know silence only means I lose and cancer wins.  Knowledge is power.

I share with my girls everyday how important sunscreen is. I share that fact with anyone who will listen. I want anyone that sees me to see that I find so many more things important than how tan my skin is – that the years that I wasted trying to be something I wasn’t, were all in vain and could have taken my life. Not the most popular viewpoint sometimes, I know – but it’s the truth.

And I won’t be silent.

I know I'm not alone.  How has cancer affected your life – your family?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the American Cancer Society.

So Easy Being Green

If you haven't heard of the Color Me Rad 5K, well, what rock are you living under?  Ok, maybe that's taking it a bit far, but seriously this 5K is taking the country by storm.  Events are selling out months in advance and for good reason.  It is FUN… and colorful. 

When I signed up for the race last year, months before the October run, I was a new Mom with a 3 month old, that still had the baby weight to lose.  I had never run a mile in my entire life.  A 5K seemed impossible.  But I set a goal for myself and I did it.

Here are my Top 5 Reasons that Color Me Rad should be your First 5K {or any 5K if you're already a runner!}:

Not Timed

One of the best reasons I can give you is… it's all about the fun, not time.  Last year we were told, prior to the beginning of the race, that if you were hoping to beat your personal record, this was not the race for you.  That's not to say that you can't run it fast, but there is no timing involved in the Color Me Rad 5K, so no worries about how fast you are – or aren't.

Fun and Colorful

Would you expect anything else?  There's something just FUN about being covered in bright colors head to toe.  I promise it makes the running a little a lot more enjoyable.

Support

Along with pelting you with color, the volunteers in the race really encourage you.  Seeing thousands of other participants enjoying themselves and getting active alongside you just stirs up some awesome emotions!

Freebies

Just saying.  It's one of the perks that I like with a race – ok, I've only done 3 now, but the freebies in my Color Me Rad Rad Pack were way fun.  Sunglasses, an awesome shirt, a RAD tattoo, and a color pack to do with what you want at the end of the race!

Charity

Every race, yep, every one of them gives a portion of the proceeds to a local charity.  Love that local part.  In our Knoxville race, the charity portion benefits East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

Speaking of children, I didn't even mention the fact that it's a Family Friendly Race – kids run for free and strollers are welcome. 

Check out the Color Me Rad website to see if a race is coming to a city near you AND sign up for their Newsletter to stay in the know about future events!

Are you planning to run a 5K?  Ever ran a Color Me Rad race? 

If you're a local reader, you're in LUCK!  I have a promo code just for you:

Save 10% with the code… "Green10".  Code valid until May 31st or until race sells out.

Even better?  How about we give 1 lucky local reader a Rad Pack – complete with 2 Free Registrations, 2 White Tees, AND 2 Color Me Rad Socks!? 

Just added:  Another reader will win 2 registrations and 2 White Tees to ANY Color Me Rad location that isn't Sold Out!

That means 2 WINNERS!

This giveaway will end on Sunday, May 19th at 11:59 pm EST.
It is open to US residents, 18+ only – please note the 2 Free Registrations are for the Knoxville Race {on August 10th only} and are not transferable to another location.  Please only enter if you'll be able to run on 8/10/13 in Knoxville, TN!
Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I paid for my Color Me Rad race last year and have shared my experience running it with as many people as I can, including on this blog in the last few months.  This year I'm getting a free entry for sharing this post, but I'd have wrote it anyways – everyone should run a Color Me Rad 5K to experience the awesomeness!

So Easy Being Green

About a month ago the extended episode "Quest for the Crystal Mickey" aired on Disney Junior and Sophia loved it.  She kept seeing the commercials before it came on and when it finally did air, she didn't move through the whole thing.  She loves "adventure" role play right now and often tells her Dad and I it's time "to go on adventures!"  She "sees" footprints on the ground that need to be followed, she's always talking of being a Detective, and loves to solve a good mystery – seriously. 

Somehow we forgot to DVR it, like we do most of time and she was a bit bummed because she only got to see it once.  Luckily, Disney Junior is releasing the episode, along with 4 others on DVD!

When our copy arrived, I think I was more excited than Sophia could ever be.  I just knew her little face would light up as soon as she saw the movie!

So, I told her that I had a surprise for her…

This gal LOVES surprises.  Well, she's like her Daddy and keeps asking "What is it, Mom?  What do you have?"

She was pretty excited too!  She loved all the episodes on the DVD including:

1. Donald of the Desert
2. Donald the Genie
3. Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey
4. Goofy’s Giant Adventure

But Quest for the Crystal Mickey is definitely still her favorite.  There is tons of adventure throughout the episode and all headed by "Kansas City Mickey".  The girls particularly love the songs in this episode, as well as all of Pete's shenanigans!

As a Mom, I adore the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series because it has tons of education involved – Mickey and the gang are constantly counting, naming colors, and showing positive social interactions that kids really do benefit from seeing.

If your child is a Mickey Mouse fan, this is definitely one to add to their DVD collection!

With over 2 hours of shows and an Adventure Activity Map and Stickers, the suggested retail price for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for the Crystal Mickey is $19.99 and it will be officially released on Tuesday, May 21st!

But guess what… 

One of you gets to Win It Before You Can Buy It!

This giveaway is open to US residents, 18+ only.
It will end at 11:59 pm EST on May 20th.
Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So Easy Being Green

The month of May is a special time to celebrate Mothers. Whether you are a mom yourself or you're doing something special for your own mom, the Something Special for Mom Giveaway Event is for YOU!

A great group of bloggers have come together to show you special items you might like to receive or give as gifts this month. You'll be able to enter to win these great products from May 10th-26th thanks to the Blogging Mamas Network! Be sure to hop around to all of the participating bloggers, in the linky below this giveaway, as they have some great prizes to share with you!

Are you ready for the fabulous Something Special for Mom's GRAND PRIZE!?

One lucky reader is going to win a $250 Gift Card to Mía Mariú! 

That lucky Mama is going to look so pretty with all that eco-friendly makeup!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents, 18+ only.
The giveaway will end at 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, May 26th.
Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So Easy Being Green

I admit, I had never even heard of secondary insurance up until a couple of weeks ago.  We have medical, dental, and vision insurance through my husband's job and really, I thought that's all there was to have.

Even though he has an absolutely wonderful job, the insurance at some times, seems a bit lacking.  We pay quite a bit in monthly premiums, but still end up paying when the girls go to the doctor for say, sickness.  And if I was to have another baby right now – oh my!  We would definitely be taking quite a hit in hospital bills – even with insurance.

I feel like we're close to your average family.  We have a Savings Account, but by no means is it full.  If we were to ever have a true Emergency, it would hit our little family of four hard.  Really hard.  Sometimes when the subject of money comes up between my husband and I, I try to avoid it like the plague.  I am so scared of the unkown as well as preparing for the future!  I know that's not smart at all.

I recently checked out the Aflac Real Cost Calculator.  Honestly, it scared me even more.   I really had no clue that something like a broken leg could end up costing us over $11,000 {including out of pocket, medical, and household expenses}. 

But even with routine checkups, like my yearly skin checks {because I'm a Melanoma survivor} end up costing us around $300 a visit and that doesn't include time and travel to my doctor's offices.

Of course, no one plans on a medical emergency happening, but what if it does?  The idea of adding a secondary insurance is one I think we'll start to consider.

So Easy Being Green