New Fruits: Papayas

This summer I have decided I will try a few new fruits each month. There are so many varieties to try and living in CA we have many to select from. I am determined to find a fruit that my son will consistently eat other than bananas. Papayas are something I have always wanted to try. Odd that I have not tried one before. I think I am stuck in the rut of apples, bananas and oranges, all very healthy stuff I just want new flavors. We found some huge Caribbean Red Papayas at Sam's Club and for the price and size it was great compared to other stores.

I should have taken a picture before we cut it. It is a big piece of fruit. I shaved the outside with a potato peeler and washed it before I cut into it.

We had enough to eat for a treat and jarred the rest to stay fresh. I thought it tasted great. Its almost like if a mango and a avocado were intertwined. Very sweet but at the same time savory. I will add this to my list of must have again!

What fruits do you recommend I try?

 

Positive Pet Ownership Tips

I have been a dog person since I was a toddler. My mom has the cutest picture of me and our dog Snowball when I was only 4 years old. From then on I have had many dogs and as an adult a few more. There are a few things I have learned over the years about being a pet owner.

#1 Crate training is essential. 

Even if your dog is an outside dog having them be comfortable in a crate is important. I have a big dog, a black lab and we trained her as a puppy. Just recently she needed to be in her crate while construction work was being done for her own safety. 

Crate training is also a vital part of potty training early on. It will take about a week of dedication but it will pay off for you and your dog. With my dog we would have her hang out in the crate for an hour or so then take her to the back door and ring a little bell that was hanging from a string. I would ring the bell and then open the door to take her potty. After she went to the bathroom I would tell her she was good and jump around all excited. Then back in the house right away. For the first week the back yard or outside was only for potty. I did not let her play out there just yet. She would play and run around the house then into the crate for a bit. Each time she came out of the crate we would go to the back door, ring the little bell, tell her potty and go out back. We did this for a 4 day weekend we had and by the fourth day of this consistent routine she went to the door and rang her little bell and sat waiting for me. SUCCESS! To this day my dog has only peed in the house twice and she is 7 years old. Be sure when they are little to respond to the bell ringing. Even if your tired and she was just out there, say potty and take her out back. 

Without the crate being the spot she was in hanging out during training I am sure she would have found a hidden spot to pee or poo. The crate is what helped her know to wait since she did not want to pee in her own bed. 

I also want to add do not do the old fashioned "rub their nose in it" or punish a dog for a potty accident. This will create a fear driven pottier. I am not a dog expert in the slightest just have seen dogs positive attitude destroyed by the fear of needing to go. 

#2 Toys keep a dog entertained.

 Dogs just like us get bored. When you buy toys for them change them out with older toys. I buy toys for my dog when there is a sale like a holiday has passed and the toys have gone on clearance. My dog will not know a bunny or snowman is a seasonal thing. If you keep their toys on a cycle they will not get bored with them. This also works on my toddler lol

#3 Positive Praise.

Just  like kids dogs enjoy praise for things they have done good. Training is a constant for dogs, even older dogs need to be reminded that their good behavior is still appreciated. I know with my dog when she rings her bell I still cheer for her and its been almost 7 years. She still wags her tail and dances around with excited. 

#4 Learning new behaviors.

Keep training them. Dogs need to be learning new things and to practice learned skills. Starting with a dog training collars can be helpful for older dogs that may have already learned un-wanted behaviors to help correct them. My dog can sit, stay and come with hand commands. I dont have to say a word just a gesture. We still keep up the practice with little drills in the back yard. She needs to know I know she listens and is sharp with her skills. We are currently working on a new skill of high five. Its a tough one for her since I did not teach her shake or to put her paws up on people. We knew we would be starting a family in the near future when we bought our dog so we tried to teach her skills to be kid ready for when we did have children around her. 

#5 Personal space for your dog.

Dogs like alone time too. They should have a den like area even just a dog bed that would be all theirs in your own home if its outside or inside make your dog their own space. One that you dont mess with or the kids. We have a dog in our neighborhood that is always kept in the front yard on a busy street corner with a chain link fence. He barks at everything and appears to be under constant stress. He sees every one and animal that goes by and he is always on guard. He barks at cars too and its a busy street. I always say if he just had his own little house or some fencing that was not see thru he would be more mellow. 

Those are my 5 tips for a positive dog ownership. I hope you find them helpful. I am not a dog expert in anyway just a dog owner for many many years.

At a local dog show checking out the puppies

This post is brought to you as a part of the Dog Days of Summer Campaign, hosted by the folks at dog training collars. It is my hope that these tips help pet owners and their pooches have a harmonious summer.

Dessert: Healthy vs Temptation

When we were shopping at the store today I decided I wanted to try a new product for dessert. I found two choices and oh my was it hard to pick if I wanted the healthy Frozen Greek Yogurt Smoothies or be tempted by the Cheesecake Bite Size Multi Flavors. My husband and son were trying to help me decide between the healthy and the indulgence. I thought about it for a bit while we looked around at other food we needed. My final decision was to just get both lol. I will have one or the other depending on what I had for dinner that day. Its my own way of telling myself I am still sticking to a overall plan.

Which one would you have chosen?

Father's Day Gift Idea Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Video Game Review

For Father's Day my husband has a few wants. Video games, a new grill and to relax.  I can get two of the three in one by getting him video games. We are big gamers in my house. We spend the evenings after our son has gone to bed to play the big kid (aka my husband) games. We dont often play shooter gun play games so we were curious to review the game play and story line of the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Solider game. We have several game consoles and this game we reviewed on our XBOX 360.

Game Info from Ubisoft:

"In the escalating political climate of the near future—where strategies on the battlefield must be delicately balanced with maneuvers at the negotiating table—a new breed of soldier has arisen. Trained to be better than the best and outfitted with the most comprehensive array of high-tech gear ever assembled, the future soldier stands apart by his ability to remain undetected. He slips unseen behind enemy lines. He uses the perfect combination of diplomacy and force to achieve his objectives while remaining politically invisible. He is a Ghost."

Soldier games can be fun for adults to play. Remember this is NOT a kids game. Its rated M for Mature. Perfect for my husband to be able to have fun playing by himself or with friends. There is great team work game play and the missions are exciting. He liked that the game is a 3rd person shooter. It makes it easier to play than a 1st person shooter game. Missions often involve taking down a strategical target or rescuing a VIP. What makes this game a bit different than a typical shoot and rescue game is the open environments give you the freedom to achieve the objectives how you want but of course are best played stealthy.

Screenshot from Ubisoft

 Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is a very tactical 3rd person shooter game. The game is all about using cover, tactics like smokes, flashes to surprise and ambush enemies and take objectives. Simply running and shooting everything will result in your fellow players not making it but its great to be able to try it either way. My husband realized quickly its best to be stealthy in this game. My husband said the story line was a little long to follow but thats just because we dont have as much time as we use to for Mature games. It is a game that you can pick up and play then put down without much loss of the feel of the game. Some games we have played you feel like you have to get the hang of it again each time you play. 

Screenshot from Ubisoft

The AI in the game is a better than some of the games he has played. He said your team helps you with intel, cover and play as a team according to what your doing. Overall its a fun military style game for men to play. Not one for the kids to see but thats what the rating system is made for.

A great gift for the Dad in your life that enjoys shooter military style games.

You can find the game on sale at Best Buy , Walmart and other game retailers.

* I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was provided for free the toy mentioned in this post for my review by the Company/PR company. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Give A Little To Help A Lot

I know that most of us don't have wads of money to donate to good causes, and our hearts would like to help more than our pocketbooks will allow. That is very true for myself.
 
I live in the Seattle area, and we are fortunate that it is here that we have people like Bill and Melinda Gates who have donated a staggering amount of their wealth to charity through The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

I used to think that it was so great that this money was being donated from right here in my own backyard, and it was enough so that I somehow felt relieved a little from having to donate anywhere myself. I also felt that my tiny donations of money or goods were so small in comparison to others, would mine even matter?

It turns out that the answer is yes, every donation has the possibility of helping to make someone else's life better, and that every act of giving can have meaning.

I was so happy to come across this great book called How To Be An Everyday Philanthropist. There are hundreds of ways to help others both locally and globally. The ideas and examples in this book will inspire you to make our world a better place. There is a chapter that shows you how to give back and help out by using your computer, without even leaving home.

Big or small, our daily actions can truly make a difference in this world. Reading this book gave me clear guidance on using what I have to offer, and that the size of my bank account does not determine what I can do to help. Find out how easy it is to make a difference, and how good you will feel when you do.

Safeway June Dairy Ice Age Continental Drift Movie Voucher

Last week I went shopping at Safeway to buy Dairy products for a new recipe I wanted to create. I found inspiration in a cookbook and altered it based on what I found on sale at Safeway. For the month of June Safeway is having a Dairy Promotion for 2 Free Movie Tickets to the new Ice Age Continental Drift movie when you spend $40 in a month on specially marked Dairy products. It also includes a few non dairy items such as Simply Cranberry juice and select Pillsbury products. The tags with the cute Ice Age characters will show you which products to buy. 

It was simple to redeem the voucher. It was printed out when I got my receipt for my purchase and I took it home to redeem it online. I went to the site and selected the store I shopped at, for me Safeway. Then I entered my code in the box with basics like name, email and zip code.

I answered a few questions about my purchase and if I was going to see the Ice Age Continental Drift Movie with my voucher. You can use it on a different movie if you would like. We plan to save our voucher until the movie comes to theaters. My son loves the Ice Age movies. The first movie always makes me cry at the part where Manny gives back the baby they found to the humans, the look on the Dads face as it lights up with pure joy, so makes me cry. My son thinks the characters are funny. He makes the cutest "pphhhhrrrrfff" sound about the "elephant". I tell him its a mammoth but he tells me its an elephant. We have seen the other Ice Age movies too and this will be a special day to go see the new one. My son will be having his first official movie theater experience. Like me he loves to watch movies. He has his favorites and ones he loves to dance to. I look forward to sitting next to him eating popcorn and candy seeing the new Ice Age movie.

 After answering the questions and selecting the theater I wanted to use my voucher at I was awarded my movie voucher to print. I did not have my printer set up and I was worried that if I closed the window I would lose my tickets. But thankfully I was emailed a link to my voucher to print at my convenience.

#JuneDairyMovies

I look forward to going to see the movie with my little guy. He is growing up so fast and movies are a fun way to create memories. I will have his favorite banana pudding cakes that I made with the June Dairy items we bought to get our tickets waiting for us to enjoy together when we get home from our movie adventure. Even if he does not sit through the whole movie and we have to leave early I will be happy just to of had the experience of the smile on his face when we stand in line for popcorn, him clapping when the movie starts ( he always claps at the beginning when he sees the opening credits of a movie, so funny) and to hear him yell "yeah" and "wow" or "oh no" during epic parts of the movie. I love how animated he gets about a movie. He really gets lost into the story. Hes my little movie critic and love to be able to share the experience with him.

There is still plenty of time to go shopping for your June Dairy items at Safeway stores to get your voucher for 2 Free movie tickets. You have the whole month of June to accumulate $40 of the June Dairy marked items. We purchased items we normally buy and a few extras that I had a wonderful time creating a recipe with. You can find recipes for your June Dairy products online at Easy Home Meals and on their facebook page.


*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.
All opinions expressed in this shop are my own and your experience may vary. #Cbias #SocialFabric #JuneDairyMovies

My Garden is Blooming

Over Memorial Day weekend we set up an above ground garden and planted some plants. We purchased some big ones so we could have fruits and veggies right away. Other plants we purchased seeds. The seeds are starting to grow! We have green beans, brussels sprouts and watermelons starting to grow. My son has been having so much fun helping me water each day. Sometimes me and the dog get more watered than the garden but he is getting the hang of it.

Sunday Morning Cupcakes

I was feeling quite ambitious this morning so I asked my five year old grandson if he would like to make cupcakes with me. He obviously said yes, because here he is, still in his Batman pajamas. And I get points for being a cool Nana because he ate cupcakes for breakfast.
We bake a lot together, somehow it just happened that it became our thing to do, and I love it. He is the best helper but he does abandon me when it's clean up time, but that's okay.

I picked a recipe for devil's food because I just love the intensity of the chocolate flavor. I didn't have any chocolate sprinkles, and ours aren't quite as pretty as the picture in the book, but they sure taste great!

After all that work, time to eat! And time to clean up, too. I always wished I was one of those people who cleaned as they cooked, but I'm not. Oh well, we had fun, and I hope I'm making memories with this little guy. I hope he remembers that for no reason at all, we were silly enough to make cupcakes early on a cloudy Sunday morning in June.
Hope you are all having a great Sunday yourselves.

Sometimes Mom Needs a Nap

Found this cute pic at theberry.com

This has been an emotional roller coaster of week. Life has a way of piling up with small things that bug you but dont mean much, to loss and regret and then something in the here and now whacks you in the head. I am normally the most chipper, positive, always seeing the sunshine through the rain kinda gal and I still am. A lot of prayer and tears have made me realize to be happy for who I am, who loves me and what my future holds. Ive been exhausted and after about 2 1/2 years without one, I took a nap! It felt selfish to go in my room close the door, computer off, life on the back burner and just sleep. BUT oh man did I wake up feeling a million times better. My mind was so exhausted and needed it. I encourage you to when you are having one of those days or weeks to have a family member, even if you need to call one, to watch your little ones while you take a nap. Like the picture says, "When all else fails take a nap."

photo by me :)

Back to the Roots Grow Your Own Mushroom Kit Giveaway

Growing fruits and veggies is something we do as a family for fun but also to be more in touch with where our food comes from. I love to be able to show my son how we plant, water and grow some of our food. Mushrooms is something we eat often. I love them in pasta dishes, over a burger and fresh in a salad.

A company local to Northern California has made a fun product that is delicious and good for the environment. They created a Mushroom Growing Kit that allows you to grow mushrooms from home from coffee grounds. These are grounds that would have potentially been tossed out and now have been turned into a fun at home way to grow food.

You can find Back to the Roots products for sale at Whole Foods stores. The Back to the Roots' grow-at-home mushroom kit lets you grow up to 1 1/2 lbs of gourmet, tasty oyster mushrooms per box. You can harvest your first crop in as little as 10 days! If you order 2 Mushroom Growing Kits right now you can get FREE Shipping. 

Back to the Roots has started a fun new program for their customers. If you post a picture with your kit fully grown on the Back to the Roots facebook page and they will donate a kit to an elementary classroom of your choice to support youth sustainability education! 

I think the Back to the Roots Mushroom Kit would make a great Father's Day gift. Its a fun way to interact with your kids and simple. Three easy steps to grow your own mushrooms indoors. Open, mist twice a day (mister included) and harvest. Set in a window sill and watch them grow. The soil inside is 100% recycle coffee grounds. Safe, sustainable and 100% satisfaction guarantee.

To celebrate Father's Day we are hosting a giveaway for a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit.

 GIVEAWAY

Win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit 

 

To Enter This Giveaway: (mandatory entry before extra entries)


Visit the Back to the Roots Pinterest Oyster Mushroom Recipes board and tell me what recipe you would like to try.

 

( I think the Vegan Mushroom Tacos look delicious!) 

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

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-Follow/Add to your circle  Frugal Family Tree on Google+ ( right hand side) +1
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-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY, using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

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#Win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit from @BTTRVentures at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 6/22

 

 

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 8 2012 and ends on June 22, 2012 at midnight PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.