Tropical Traditions Aluminum Free Deodorant - Review & Giveaway

{Congratulations to #9} I've consciously been buying aluminum-free baking powder, baking mixes, and baked good for quite some time. I also purposely avoid drinks in aluminum cans and aluminum water bottles. So it only made since that the time would come when I'd eliminate the biggest source of aluminum in my life - Deodorant!

I was scared to do it. You've heard it hear first - I am a very sweaty person. I sweat when it's hot. I sweat when it's cold. My body just sweats. It's gross. It's embarrassing. It's smelly. For the past few years, I've even been using the "clinical strength" deodorants.

I tried switching back for cost reasons, and I just couldn't do it. I was too sweaty. So it was with good intentions and a bit of fear, that I tried Tropical Traditions All Natural Aluminum -Free Organic deodorant.

I chose Lavender because I know how good it smells. I grow lavender in my yard. Since I grow it organically, I have a neighbor that snips it off and cooks with it. It's supposed to be calming and I've been meaning to figure out a way to use it in my home. It's on the list.

Even though this deodorant is all natural, aluminum-free, and was given to me for free, I was hesitant to try it. How could this innocent little bottle of natural deodorant stand a chance against my sweatiness. I opened it and it smelled like lavender.

I ended up wearing it every day for 6 days in order to form my opinion (and I'm still wearing it.) Here's what I found: It smelled nice, and was really strong. I almost felt like I had perfume on and that surprised me. My first few days wearing it, I didn't notice any armpit stinkiness or excessive wetness.

So I did the unthinkable. I decided not to shower for 3 days and see if I would get extra stinky. In that time; I gardened, went on walks, cleaned the house, ran errands, started our big construction project and all my usual activities. I didn't "exercise" but I always shower after exercise so that wouldn't have been fair. By day 2, I was still very fresh and garden smelling. But by day three I had a bit of a funk. In my eyes, that's a good deodorant.

In case you're wondering, I have a very keen sense of smell. I developed it with my first pregnancy and, try as I might, it won't leave me. So I know when I (or anyone else!) stinks.

I was surprised, impressed, and very happy that this deodorant worked for me. I am ready to leave the aluminum behind!

If you'd like a chance to try Tropical Traditions Aluminum-Free deodorants, you're in luck! They are offering one Suburban Jungle reader a free bottle.

To Enter: Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter. Come back and leave me a comment that you signed up.

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave 5 comments, and at least one link)

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest. (include @suburbanjung in your tweet)

1 Extra Entry for telling me which scent you'd most like to try

1 Extra Entry for following on google friend connect

1 Extra Entry for following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for following on Feedburner

1 Extra Entry for following @troptraditions on twitter

This giveaway will end on 4/12/2010 at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Successfully Propogated Wild Black Raspberries!

Last summer, I found wild black raspberries in our forest. Since I want more of them, I tried an experiment. I tip layered the berry canes to see if they would create new growth.

I had meant to go out this winter and clip the tip from the parent cane, but we had way too much snow cover. Amazingly - the cane snapped itself and you can see by the second picture that the tip did indeed sprout roots and has begun to grow leaves. Where there was once 1 - now there are 2. Wahoo!

The cane is the purplish J-shaped stick in the middle. It snapped right in the middle.

New growth on the tip layered cane!

I did tip layer one other black raspberry, but it was damaged by my neighbor's dog. :( Oh well, next year my 2 will be 4.

Bellybuds Review

If you've ever had a baby in your tummy, then you know how responsive they are to sounds and music. While pregnant with my son, I taught myself to play the cello and he danced and danced whenever I played. I also bought a few classical music CDs and played them often.

Technology has changed a lot since my babies were born and baby gear has changed right along with it. I was fortunate to be given the chance to review Belly Buds. I'm not expecting (ever again) so I gave them to someone that is expecting her 3rd. She agreed to try them out and share her experiences.

Here's an exerpt from her email to me:

Here's my take on the Bellybuds. I really enjoy music and like you, I had music playing a lot for my first child. But with my second and third pregnancies, I just feel like I haven't had the time to focus on the new baby. I know that sounds horrible. My biggest problem was getting them on without my other children touching them. The buds have to stay clean and can't be touched on other surfaces.

I also had to remember not to wear lotion if I was going to use them. Since I'm trying to avoid stretch marks, that was tough. I found that I didn't like wearing them while I was standing. It just seemed unnatural to me.I tried wearing the belly buds while cooking or doing daily activities first. They were comfortable but I was otherwise occupied and didn't feel like I was connecting to the baby.

I found the best way to use them was after my other children were in bed, when I could lie on the couch and just spend some time with my new baby. It's something I hadn't been doing enough of, and Bellybuds helped me to slow down and make some one-on-one time with her.

I've been able to take some time with her 3 or 4 times a week. It's a precious time and I'm thankful to be able to share music with her. I've been playing all sorts of music from my iPod and she reacts differently to each one.

The system was really easy to use and was small enough to store easily. I was happy that they had a fixed volume level. I would have worried about playing them too loud otherwise. Thank you for sharing them with me. And P.S. LOL about your suggestion to try them while exercising. I'm sure they'd work well, but you won't catch me exercising until a few months after she's born!

No compensation was given for this review. A special Thank you to Team Mom for providing the Bellybuds for review.

Link & Win Mondays: Stop in to List and Win Tons of Giveaways!

Link up your giveaways in the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to check out all of the great giveaways for your chance to win!

My giveaways this week:

Baby bunch Egg Nests ($40 Value)

Add more ~Ing to Your Life

Protect-A-Bed Queen Mattress protector

Linen Kids Giveaway

Seventh Generation Cleaning Kit

Aluminum Free Deodorant

Last Child in the Woods

I'm currently reading Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorderby Richard Louv. Halfway through the book, I started thinking "what in the world am I doing?"

It's a good book. A well written and interesting book. But it's everything I already know/feel. The book is filled with the science behind why playing outside and being involved in nature is important.

It's nice to know that research backs up what I already feel to be true, but a book like this isn't meant for someone like me. I would, however, recommend it to anyone trying to change a school curriculum or who may need some encouragement to get outdoors.

We spend most of our days in the forest. Here are a couple of shots of my kids enjoying a spring day in the forest behind our home.

"Fishing for Seaweed"

Throwing sticks -they could do this for hours

What bad mother lets her children climb on unsteady structures? Oops, that's me.

The most awesome fort ever! And more dangerous climbing, lol.

Each season brings it's own joys. The winter is a beautiful and entirely critter-free time to explore. Spring is my favorite. As soon as the weather hits 30 degrees, we spend every available moment in the woods. The bugs and poisonous leaves haven't woken up yet and the forest is my favorite place to be. After having spent so many hours indoors, it's wonderful to get out into the fresh air and sunshine.

We can explore the woods for hours and plan for the summer. As the ice melts and the buds start to open, we get to see everything come alive. Then everything comes alive. I'd love to tell you I was "smart" enough to stay out of the forest in the summer but it just isn't true. Even head to toe poison ivy (circa 2006 - requiring 1 whole month of prednisone) can't keep me away. The endless supply of wild berries and the cool retreat from the blazing sun are all too tempting.

When fall arrives, I can't explain the majestic beauty. The leaves, the colors, the breeze. You can't keep us out in the fall. Or any season. The best part is that my children also love the forest and have unlimited access to it. We chose carefully when we moved because we wanted so desperately to be close to the woods.

My friends and neighbors think I'm crazy (and maybe you do too.) They are afraid of the animals and sociopaths. Honestly, I'm not afraid of any of the forest animals. And that's not romanticizing nature. I've witnessed the sheer brutality. I just know my odds against most animals.

The only wild animals that might be trouble are cougars and bears but they're also the least likely. I'd also be surprised if we came across another human being. But if we were to meet up with a cougar, bear, or sociopath, rest assured I've planned for it. A good scout is always prepared. With that being said, it's not worth worrying about. A life is not worth living if you're not willing to really live it.

Recession Proof your Wardrobe?

In an effort to save money (and reallocate my budget toward organic groceries) I stopped buying clothes and accessories for myself. It's been an interesting few months as I've bypassed sales racks and the jewelry section all together. But I've saved money.

Just when I was dreaming of running off to TJMaxx and going on a wild shopping spree, I got an email from them. I'm not kidding! They were offering me $50 to spend at TJMaxx and Marshalls to see if I could snag any great fashion deals. How did they know? I told you this world is a crazy place!

I gotta tell you, I would have went for free. ;) Just the mere suggestion would have sent me to get my car keys. But sending me with $50 to spend was so much better.

I happen to live just a few miles from both stores, so I headed out and filled up my shopping cart.

I went in the dressing room over and over again with the maximum number of items. I tried on jeans, tops, shoes, scarfs, dresses, and skirts. And even though I had mad money to spend, I checked prices. Diligently.

I found an awesome pair of Seven Jeans at a steal of deal, but alas, they didn't fit just right. I was so close....to joining the club, lol. But here's what I did find.

A super cute black top (it looks so much cuter on!) and a pair of skinny jeans. You heard right - skinny jeans!

Another pair of jeans and a white shirt (an always welcome staple!)

In case you can't see the prices, I took a close up for you. This was the going price for jeans at both TJMaxx and Marshalls. I was shocked. It's been awhile since I've had to buy my own jeans (thanks to a former shopaholic sister - Thanks Steph!)

I may have bought jeans sooner if I had known they were this great of a deal. Especially during times of weight fluctuation. Do you know how long I dealt with jeans cinched as tight as a belt could cinch that still fell down. Don't hate me for losing weight. Hate me because I looked like I had a dump in my pants!

If you're dealing with pants that don't fit - honestly, they were $12.99 people!! TJMaxx repeatedly says their prices are 60% less than department stores. $12.99! You do the math.

I did pay $5.99 for a white t-shirt. To me, that's a good deal. Much like my sneakers (my sisters and husband have my permission to roll their eyes,) white tees are a staple in my closet. I'm positive that I could buy a pack of men's t-shirts for less, but B-A-R-F. Men's clothes fit like men's clothes.

I came away from the store feeling like I had found some great bargains. And I had 2 pair of jeans that actually fit. Mission accomplished.

*Disclosure: I was given $50 in gift cards to shop at TJMaxx and Marshalls for this review. This did not sway my opinion and all opinions are my own. I do regularly visit both TJMaxx and Marshalls even when not asked or paid to do so.

Dance Class - with a side of guilt

Today was my daughter's last dance class for the season, but it wasn't the last class for the rest of her friends. We opted out of the recital and the last few weeks are spent entirely on recital readiness, so I decided to save us both the annoyance and end lessons early.

She had been asking for a break and the timing was perfect. Or so it seemed. Apparently, her teachers did not share my sentiment. As the only one that opted out of the recital, I'm sure they saw me as the ultimate cheapskate.

I'll be honest, we saved over $400 by not participating in the recital. Yes - I said $400. But that wasn't my only motivation. My daughter loves to dance, but she hated the "routines."

She said the structure of the class made her "exhausted." It took the fun out of dancing for her. That's why she was begging for a break. And the recitals are 4 hours long. For 4 hours, the girls wait behind the stage with their teachers. At some point (unknown to all but the dance company) they come out for their first routine. Then they head back stage for a costume change and wait some more. Then at some point they have their second routine. 4 hours, a crabby brother, and an exhausted little girl later, the recital is over. I didn't want to do that at 3 or 4 years old.

Maybe next year. Or maybe not after today's fun filled conversation with her dance instructors. I went up to their desk to inquire about her dance trophy. They were originally scheduled to be given out in March and since it was the last class of the month and we wouldn't be coming back, I wanted to be sure she got one. Not because I want more junk, but because she had been looking forward to it.

So I asked. They told me to stop by in the summer and pick it up and...."oh by the way, why are you taking the next month off from dance?" Well, she wants a break and since they'll only be working on recital details, it seemed like a good time. "What will you be doing instead?" We'll be hanging out at home, playing outside, that sort of thing. "Sounds boring." Hmmm... "You know, she's really good at dance. She would have been great at the recital." I'm sure she would have been great. Maybe next year. "Yeah.... you know she would have loved the stage. You really should have had her in the recital." Okay. I'm going to get her things ready.

Like moms need any extra guilt! This was a new form of peer pressure that I wasn't ready for. But whatever, I know why they're mad she isn't in the recital. And yes, part of it was a money saving situation. But a bigger part was a stress saving situation. I'm not going to put our family through extra stress or financial burden just because someone else thinks I should.

These same instructors coerced my friend into signing her daughter up for 4 consecutive dance classes (on top of swimming, gymnastics and kindergarten.) Her poor mom is run ragged and she's only 5. She spends so much time running from place to place and to competitions on the weekend. I don't want that life. Especially not at 3 and 4 years old. No thank you!

Will Completing Swagbucks Special Offers Get you more Bucks?

If you're like me, then you love swagbucks. I already search the internet (daily) and winning prizes while searching just makes it that much more fun. But searching isn't the only way to win on swagbucks. You can shop through their marketplace, turn in old cell phones/games, hunt for codes, and complete special offers.

Of all of these, searching is the best way to win. But with the 3.0 change, you can now win swagbucks from the special offers daily. I win between 2-4 swagbucks each time I scroll through the special offers page. In my opinion, that's not worth doing every day, but if you have time to kill, why not?

But I was wondering....what if I actually completed an offer...would I win more swagbucks? So I completed 2 separate offers. One was a coupon printing offer, and the other was a newsletter sign-up. Guess what happened?? I won the same 2 swagbucks I would have won if I didn't take the time to complete the offer. And so the offer skipping goes on.

Instead, I print my coupons from whichever blog I'm reading at the moment. Keep that in mind if you were tempted to "earn" more swagbucks by completing any of the offers. I haven't tried any of the more involved offers but I'm not willing to go through any of the hassle or end up with a zillion spam emails to find out.

I can tell you that I have won big with Swagbucks. I almost always turn my swagbucks into Amazon or Target Giftcards. And I turn them into paypal cash whenever that option goes on "sale."

If you want to sign up for Swagbucks, click here and fill in our info. You'll automatically get 30 swagbucks just for signing up.

Pre-Order "Bringing Up Girls" by James Dobson

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you've probably heard me mention Bringing up Boys by James Dobson. The book was a wealth of information for raising healthy boys, but a few years ago I heard a rumble about a book focused on girls and I have anxiously awaited it's release.

Well, that time is here! Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Womenis now available for Pre-order on Amazon. The book is available April 13th. Happy Reading!

Link & Win Mondays: Stop in to List and Win Tons of Giveaways!

Link up your giveaways in the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to check out all of the great giveaways for your chance to win!

My giveaways this week:

Baby bunch Egg Nests ($40 Value)

Mirra Beauty products

Exergen Temporal Scanner Thermometer

Add more ~Ing to Your Life

Protect-A-Bed Queen Mattress protector

Duracell Battery 12-packs

Linen Kids Giveaway

Baby Bunch Easter Review & Giveaway

{Congratulations to Kimberly #97, the Baby Bunch winner} Spring is all about new life, and this spring you can celebrate the new babies in your life with any of the many cute gifts from BabyBunch. I recently had the chance to review their baby egg nests. And all I can really say is cute, cute, cute.

Each egg basket comes with 3 pairs of baby socks made from 100% organic cotton. They are the cutest little baby gift. They rival even the cutest baby outfit for itty-bittiness. My kids were all over these and thought they looked just like birds nests.

They mangled my nests and sadly they had to be given to my pregnant friends "used." I was embarassed but my friends still thought they were the ultimate in cute. I had to give mine away to friends with babies, since my baby days have come and gone.

BUT - if I were going to have another baby, I would use one of these to "tell the grandparents." What could be more awesome then giving your mom an "Easter basket" and when she opens the eggs and realizes they are baby socks, she'll have to think for a second. Then she'll figure it out and start squealing, and.... Of course you steal back the socks and keep them for your new baby, but what a cool way to break the news.

If you'd like a chance to fill someone's Easter basket with a Baby Bunch Egg Nest, then you're in luck. Baby Bunch is offering one Suburban Jungle reader the chance to win 2 Egg nests of their own- one pink and one blue (a $40 value.)

To Enter: Visit BabyBunch and comment here about something cute you found.

Extra Entries:

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (leave 5 comments + your link)
2 Extra Entries for tweeting (be sure to include @suburbanjung in your tweet)
2 Extra Entry for Following @babybunch on twitter
1 Extra Entry for Following @suburbanjung on Twitter
1 Extra Entry for Following on google friend connect
1 Extra Entry for Following on Feedburner

*This contest will end on April 1, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. This contest is open to US residents only. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and notified by email. No compensation was received for this review. I did receive a complimentary egg nest for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

War is Good!

I absolutely hate war, but WAR - the card game - has been tremendously helpful in teaching both of my children basic number skills. My 4year old is excellent at this game! Math for little kids has a little bit to do with numbers, and a lot to do with patterns, quantities, the concepts of less/more, and shapes.

WAR not only teaches number recognition but helps children quantify and compare the numbers (less/more.)

So do your kids a favor and play WAR with them. You'll be teaching them some pretty fun (and competitive) math. Who said math was boring? Definitely not me!

Raw Energy - Review

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

I love raw food! In fact, during the summer (coming soon - wahoo!) my diet is around 70% raw. I love everything about it - health, taste, and environmental impact. So when I was recently given the opportunity to review Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Bodyby Stephanie Tourles, I happily agreed.

The book is relatively short but filled with yummy raw recipes and unbelievably gorgeous whole food photos. The first few chapters are dedicated to all the reasons why raw food, real food, and snacks are healthy.

The information was complete and succinct, a great start for beginners. For me, it was preaching to the choir, but I found her information to be accurate and engaging. I knew I could see myself really liking the author when she referred to the "rawsome goodness" of raw food. Love it.

Even though I am already an enthusiastic raw food dabbler, I did learn some interesting things from this book (as well picking up a few must-try recipes.)

Something I think is worth sharing is a statistic she references stating that recent studies suggest 95-99% of toxic chemical residues come from meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. I have been trying my best to rid our home of all processed food, but haven't gone all the way organic. I have gone entirely organic with beef, chicken, dairy, and eggs. I've had mixed success with pork and produce.

The selection just isn't readily available and I often feel like I'm the only one that visits our stores organic produce section. Sure, that often means deals to be had, but it also means the same produce is there week-to-week, and old produce is yucky produce, organic or not.

We're getting there bit-by-bit, but I am so happy to have made a bigger leap in animal products. Obviously, the quote was mentioned to encourage lower consumption of meats (most raw foodies are vegetarian or even vegan) but even if you eat a minimal amount of animal products, it makes sense to buy the "cleanest" meat/dairy/eggs possible.

I've also renewed my interest in keeping bees and have a new found interest in trying bee pollen.

There's plenty of raw-info nuggets in this book, but also tons of great recipes. There are nut milks, desserts, dips, veggie chips, salsas, smoothies, bars and puddings.

I already make nut butters, trail mixes, and eat a lot of raw fruit concoctions, but was happy to see some raw veggie recipes.

My must-try recipes from the book are raw chocolate turtles, raw brownies, almond stuffed dates, and raw chocolate pudding. I have a thing for chocolate. :)

Amazingly, I have all the ingredients in my pantry. You just might have them too.

Here's my bottom line interpretation: Raw is good. Raw is healthy. Raw doesn't have to be tough. The recipes in this book are amazingly easy. And if I can make them...then you can too. :)

The only negative comment I have for this book is in the recipes themselves. The recipes are great, but there are few pictures of the actual dishes. I would have loved to see (and drool) over real photos of each recipe. The book is very colorful and loaded with clear pictures of berries, nuts, and all sorts of yumminess. Just not a lot of the actual recipe pictures.

What if you won the lottery?

What would you do if you won the lottery? Have you ever thought about it? I've thought about it quite a bit.

But I can honestly tell you that I will never win the lottery. You have to play to win, and I never play. lol

Just because you don't play the lottery, doesn't mean you shouldn't think about it.

Take a second and think of the Top 5 things you would do if you won the lottery. What you'd really do! Then start making those things a reality (unless of course your plans are revenge, then you need to start over and come up with 5 new things.) ;)

Here's what I would do:

1. Buy my 88 year old neighbors house and accompanying 5 acres. I'd let them live there and garden for the rest of their lives, but I'd take the other 4 acres and build an orchard and free-range chicken and honey bee farm.

2. Buy only organic produce, and only pastured humanely raised organic meats. I'd also spend my days lobbying for political change in our food industry.

3. My husband would quit his job.

4. I'd bump up my travel plans. We'd still go to Hawaii this year, but we'd probably set sail for Egypt and Italy too.

5. I'd have plastic surgery. OMG!! I'm just kidding. I'd work out a plan to make an impact with the money I was given. I'm not sure what it would be, but I'd want to make it count.

Okay, so pretty much none of those things are possible without winning the lottery, but answering the lottery question gives you a pretty good idea of what your goals are in life. And there are ways to start working on them.

This is how I'm working toward my lotto-goals:

In my case, I'm making the best berry orchard I can with the yard I have. And the garden...we'll be expanding it this year. Wahoo! I'm growing a fair amount of organic veggies in my garden. Enough to make it through the summer and most of winter.

Even though it's costing more, I'm buying more and more organic produce. And I ONLY by pastured animal products (as humanely raised and preservative free as I can find.) We've taken a few giant leaps and a few small hops on our way to a more organic lifestyle, and the journey's not over yet.

I may not be lobbying congress, but I do write letter and make phone calls. I also talk to everyone that will listen (and many who won't) about why cheap food is not a good option for any of us, and how they can buy better products, waste less, and spend less all at the same time.

My husband is obviously unable to quit his job, but by saving more now, and by eventually going back to work when my kids are in school, I'll be contributing financially and helping to speed up his eventual retirement. Every little bit helps. Now if the stock market could take off. Just kidding. Not really.

As far as traveling, we're making it a priority to take more trips. At least one large one and a few small ones each year. More for the experiences and building memories together than anything else. We always travel frugally whether we're in Morocco or Hawaii. It's possible to do it without a whole lot of money, it just takes some finagling.

While I may never have millions to impact the world, I can still do it one bit at a time. Especially by focusing time on my children. And by being open to what ever comes my way. So, before it's too late; figure out what you really want to do with your life and then start working toward your goals. You'll be glad you did.

If you like cats, you'll like this video

If you love cats as much as I do, I think you might really like this video. Yes, it's a Christmas song, but it's cats. And they are so.....cute.

Blueberry Apple Crisp

Whenever I hit a big apple sale, I either make apple rings, sauce apple crisps. Below is a recipe for my favorite apple crisp - Blueberry apple crisp. I make my apple crisps with less crisp than most people (half to be exact.) So if you like a lot of the crispy topping, feel free to double the crisp portion of the recipe. You can adapt this recipe by swapping out almost any fruit. I like to make peach crisps, and all sorts of apple/berry combinations.

Blueberry Apple Crisp (with half the crisp - double all but the fruit if you light a lot of topping)

3-5 Apples

1 cup of blueberries (frozen is fine)

3/4 cup flour (I use half whole wheat, half all purpose)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup melted butter

Peel and cut enough apples to fill the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. Mix the remaining ingredients. It should be crumbly. Press the mixture onto the apples. I usually just dump it on, but my husband stamps it down tight. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. Until the apples are soft and the crisp is slightly browned.

If I'm making this for just me and the kids, I'll half the butter and sugar and add in some shredded coconut, pecans, or walnuts. It's easily adaptable. So have fun with your fruits and make them into a tasty crisp before they become over ripe.

Take a Fun Family Vacation in Florida

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

For some people, vacations are all about relaxation. Not me. My ideal vacations are all about adventure. I've been lucky to travel all over the world and my favorite vacations are the ones packed with activities. In my opinion, it's important to see and do all the things that make your destination unique. To do the things you can't do at home.

I've been asked to write this post about visiting Kissimmee, Florida. It's only a few miles away from Orlando, and though I've been to Orlando twice, Kissimmee had never crossed my mind. And that is an absolute shame.

Both of my trips to Orlando were fun, but not quite the way I like to vacation. For example, two years ago we spent a week at Disney. The whole week, minus a few amazing hours at the Discovery Cove. Otherwise, it was all Disney, all the time. That's just too boring for me.

We'll go back to Disney one more time when my kids are older, but I'm spending less than a day there. I'll spend one day at the Discovery Cove, and the other days I'd really like to visit Kissimme.

In fact, I'd probably stay in Kissimmee. With less congestion and Disney-mania, I wouldn't be surprised if we could find an amazing deal on our hotel accommodations. But there's more than that.

Kissimmee is so close to everything you would ever want to see in Florida. It's only an hour away from the Atlantic Ocean. If you've never shown your children the ocean (or seen it for yourself) - do it! Even if you've seen it, watching the wonder in your kids' eyes when they can't wrap their imaginations around such an endless body of water is worth every dollar it took to get there. It's also a lot of fun to hunt for shells and outrun the tide with young kids. Well worth the trip.

You can easily get to the the theme parks, go shopping, or relax on the beach (if that's your style.) But I'd be going there for even more than that.

Kissimmee is a very active place to visit. I checked out the Kissimmee visitor page and was amazed at the incredible things to do! A few of my faves: zip-lining (yay! - We'll be doing this in Maui shortly, but I'm willing to do it twice...or thrice - lol,) horseback riding, birding, biking, hiking, airboat rides, and the Kennedy Space center. All of these types of activities are on my vacation to-do lists.

In the perfect situation, I'd go hiking, biking, zip-lining, hang out at the Atlantic, see a few gators, travel to Discovery Cove and Sea World, and visit the Kennedy Space Center.

Check out these pictures from the Kennedy Space Center.

This would be awesome for any adult to experience, but imagine what your kids would think! I'm annoyed that this was just a few miles away while we were aimlessly roaming Disney. Kissimmee is loaded with active, memory making vacation fun! It's the kind of vacation I want to have! And it's the kind of vacation I will have, next time I head to Florida.

When your kids are sick...Feed them OREOs

We all want our kids to make healthy food choices, but it seems that kids naturally gravitate toward junk food. Maybe it's the marketing or the way we feed them. But either way, I have a potential (yet completely controversial) idea on how to stop a few of the most entrenched cravings.

It's simple. Feed them the most unhealthy foods when they are sick. Most notably, when they are likely to vomit. And according to anecdotal evidence, this may create a lifelong (or at least decades long) aversion to the vomited food.

Here's my evidence. When I was 13, I was hospitalized for severe asthma. The nurses gave me apple juice. I quickly vomited. I did not drink apple juice again for 14 years. I hesitantly tried it when my son was a little over a year old. I had a hard time with it, and it's still my least favorite juice. Because it reminds me of vomit.

My neighbor will not eat bananas since she vomited them as a child. My sister-in-law will not eat mushrooms because she vomited them into her hair. My neighbor's daughter vomited macaroni and cheese at 5 and she's now going on a year of no macaroni and cheese or anything cheddar cheese related. My own son has a huge aversion to eggs due to a vomit incident almost 3 years ago.

So....next time your child tells you their tummy hurts and you think they may need to puke (especially if it's flu season) break out the Oreos. Or fruit snacks. Or any junky food you'd like to nix from their diet. ;)

The trick is keeping the junk in the house without anyone finding it and eating it (including moms.) Feel free to support or negate the theory.

Perhaps you've vomited nachos and they're now your ultimate fave. Or maybe you've hurled oreos and just seeing the picture on the screen has sent you to the bathroom. Either way, I'd love to hear it.

Boys Adrift - A book recommendation for mothers of boys

While discussing parenting with a mom of 6 boys, she mentioned the book Boys Adrift and recommended I read it. I immediately put it on hold at our library. To be honest, boys are so much different than girls and sometimes I can't believe we're even related.

I am still so unbelievably grateful for the many times I have read Bringing up Boys by James Dobson. I read it when I first learned I was carrying a boy and have read it twice since. It opened my eyes to a whole new side of boys I never knew existed and helped me understand why I didn't understand them. It's proven invaluable to me as I've taught my son to read and have been helping him to find his place in this world.

It helps me to know what's normal and how his needs differ from my daughter's and mine. But Boys Adrift brought up a whole new world of concerns.

The book focuses on the (5) five major factors leading to our culture of unmotivated and underachieving men. I've noticed it in many of the men I know (remember a certain leech that moved into our home for 2 months last year - Grrrr, don't even get me started!) as well as the beginnings of trouble in my own son.

It's an excellent read and very eye opening. Some of the factors were familiar to me, like the impact of video games and environmental toxins. It reinforced for me the importance of making sure our family is eating (and living) as healthy as possible.

But the book also described issues around drive and motivation that are unique to males. Things I didn't really think about before. Amazingly, I also learned a lot about raising my daughter from this book. You can't really effect a generation of boys without effecting a generation of girls, and vice versa.

For example, the book discusses self esteem and learning abilities in girls and boys. After reading the book, I remembered how and why I was really good at math in school. Hopefully you can use this story in encouraging your sons and daughters.

I was an average math student up until the 3rd grade when fractions threw me for a loop. I couldn't figure them out and I stumbled through a few weeks before we got to adding and subtracting fractions. Because I didn't understand the basics, I was completely lost and I finally went to my parents for help.

My mom didn't know how to explain the system and rules for adding/subtracting fractions, so she did something else with me. She cooked with me. She explained what 1/2 and 1/4 looked like. What they meant. When I finally understood that, I could rationalize in my mind what would happen if I took 1/4 out of 1/2 and eventually I figured out "the rules."

But although making it real for me helped me learn the basic math steps, it's not what propelled me to skip a grade in math, and be #1 in all my math courses even throughout the highest levels of Calculus and Quantum Mechanics. No. It was something else.

My mom checked up on my math homework and told me how good I was at math. At first I was skeptical because it was still hard for me. But my mom routinely asked me for help figuring things out. She had me add her taxes. She asked me to figure out budget issues and asked me to cut recipes for her.

For a while I doubted her intelligence, but when I saw that I could do these things and not everyone else could, I started to believe her when she said I was good at math. Then the teacher told me I was good at math. And I became "good at math" for the rest of my life.

According to the book, if you tell a girl that she is good at something, she will be good at it - forever! If you tell her she's bad at something, she will be bad at it - forever. It's not the same for boys. They're driven differently. Take a look for yourself, but my interpretation from the book was that you shouldn't just tell boys they are good at something. You should challenge them and let them show you.

I could tell my son he's a good runner, or I could challenge him to a race and let him strive to beat me. When he beats me (in a hard won race) he will believe he is a good runner.

And there's more - oh, so much more - to be learned from this book. Something I've been ruminating about for quite some time is a quote he mentioned from Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology.

“The foundation of all mental illness is the unwillingness to experience legitimate suffering.”

Taken out of context of the chapter, this may not seem entirely relevant. But it's highly relevant in our modern virtual and overprotective society. Children (but especially boys) are being negatively impacted by our instant, virtual, and often unfeeling world. It's prompted me to start reading Last Child in the Woods and I'll share what I discover.

More than ever, boys need to get outside and play. They need goals to attain and a sense of purpose. They need a safe and healthy home to thrive and grow. They need to be treated and taught differently than girls. They need positive male role models. And they need to feel valued. As an independent girl, this last part is hard for me to swallow, but the men in our lives need to know how much they are truly needed.

If you have sons or grandsons, I'd recommend giving this book a read. I'd also recommend Bringing up boys and I'll be the first one to get Bringing up Girls when it finally comes out (April 13, 2010!!) That's where my swagbucks will be going. :)

*This is not a sponsored review. Just my thoughts about an influential book.

A Cheap and Easy way to Teach the story of Easter

Every Easter, we hide eggs for our children to find. I put together this set of "resurrection eggs" for my children so they could learn and have fun. After they find all the eggs, they get the opportunity to tell me what each piece in their basket means. If they get it right, they get a chocolate coin. My kids love chocolate and coins, so it's a win-win.

You can easily make your own resurrection egg set from every day household objects or printouts from the internet.

Here are the contents of our eggs:

Nail
Cross (I made ours by tying twigs together with a ribbon)
Sponge (our is a section of cut kitchen sponge)
Spear (cut toothpick)
Stone
Empty
Palm Leaf (a piece of a fake plant)
Cup (cut out picture)
Praying hands (cut out picture)
Coins (dimes inside a small satchel)
Crown of thorns (made courtesy of of our raspberry canes)
Leather

We also use a velcro set to tell the story. It's a fun, interactive way to make the story more kid-friendly.

Karma is a funny, funny thing

A picture of a field vole - the ones that are causing neighborhood strife.

Last summer, there was an assault in my neighborhood. The voles had destroyed many lawns over the winter (my own included) and my neighbors were understandably angry.

So they took it upon themselves to hire a pest control firm to rid the neighborhood of voles, chipmunks, boxelder bugs, wasps, lady bugs (yes, lady bugs!) and many other insects. There was a huge push to get every household involved. I refused.

Fourteen of my closest neighbors encouraged me to join in the battle. I still refused. I quarreled with my husband and he defaulted to me (wahoo!) He was sure that every insect and rodent would use our yard as a safe haven and we'd be inundated with vermin and damage.

Knowing my husband's opinion on my over zealously organic ways, I was a bit worried. But I needn't be! The snow has finally melted and we spent the day outside.

And that's when we saw it. Vole damage. Lots of it! It happened in every one of my neighbors yards and stopped right right at our property line (in 3 distinct borders!)

We're really close to all of our bordering neighbors and they came out to inspect their damage. And laugh. At the irony.

Protect-A-Bed Napping Day Giveaway!

{This giveaway has closed. Congrats to #244 Ronda} It's National Napping Day! Wahoo - let's all jump back in bed and take a nap! I wish! As a mom, naps are pretty much out of the question, but that doesn't mean we can't try. If your children are still young enough, they may fall for the "napping game" or "let's see who can be the quietest the longest." Those are my favorite games.

If you're lucky enough to eke out a nap every once-in-awhile, be sure to share it with @Protect_A_Bed on twitter. Follow them on twitter and send them a tweet with hashtag #nappingday telling them the funniest (or strangest) place you've ever napped. You'll have the chance to win (2) two premium pillow protectors. The twitter contest is Monday, March 15th only, so hurrry!

But wait - Protect-A-Bed will not let you take this National Napping day lying down! One Suburban Jungle reader will have the opportunity to win a Queen sized Protect-A-Bed Mattress Protector (valued at $79.99!)

Why do you want one of these? Just in case it's not obvious, let me tell you a bit about mattress protectors. They rock! If you have young children or pets that may occasionally have potty accidents (or the dreaded vomit!) on your bed, you can just take the mattress protector off, wash it, and go on with your day (or night.)

We have them on both of our children's beds and they are life savers! Especially for vomit. I only wish I had one on my bed during the breast feeding days. TMI - really! But it's no joke.

Assuming none of your family members lose any bodily fluids, mattress protectors also keep dust mites and other allergens out of your mattress. I once read a statistic about how mattresses gain weight over the years. Gross. And I can tell you that in my recent vacuuming spree, I have vacuumed quite a stash out of my own mattress. Someone needs an adult sized mattress protector! Thankfully, Protect-A-Bed is about to rescue me from my own disgustingness. Just being honest.

And if you think Mattress protectors are stiff and plasticky - times have changed! Protect-A-Bed's mattress protectors are made of natural cotton toweling over the stain barrier layer and do not change the feel of your mattress. They're also designed to fit like a sheet and lay flat on the bed. How do I know? Besides the manufacturer's information, I own two of these. The two protectors my children use (including my son's pillow protector - he's asthmatic) just happen to be this brand.

I originally bought one for my daughter when she was first potty training and it worked so well, I bought one for my son. He was way beyond potty trained, but he's had the flu a few times and both protectors have paid for themselves and then some in time, cleanliness, and stress relief.

But enough about my sleeping arrangements, how do you get your hands one one of these mattress protectors?

Here's how to enter: Head to the Protect-A-Bed site, then come back and leave a comment sharing something you learned at the site.

Want extra entries (and who doesn't, really?):

5 Extra Entries for blogging about this contest (be sure to leave 5 comments plus your link)

3 Extra Entries for tweeting about this contest (be sure to include @suburbanjung in your tweet)

3 Extra Entries for tweeting out your crazy nap location with #nappingday (Monday only, sorry)

1 Extra Entry for following on google friend connect

1 Extra Entry for following @suburbanjung on twitter

1 Extra Entry for following along on Feedburner

2 Extra Entries for leaving a comment on this post telling me a time when a mattress protector would have saved you time/stress/frustration/etc.

This contest is open to US residents only and will end on March 29, 2010 at 9:00 PM, EST. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here, and contacted by email. No compensation was received for this review/giveaway, but I did receive a free queen sized mattress protector. All opinions are my own.

Link & Win Mondays: Stop in to List and Win Tons of Giveaways!

Link up your giveaways in the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to check out all of the great giveaways for your chance to win!

My giveaways this week:

Free Organic Valley products

Mirra Beauty products

Exergen Temporal Scanner Thermometer

Add more ~Ing to Your Life

Protect-A-Bed Queen Mattress protector

Duracell Battery 12-packs