21st Birthday Cake Ideas
February 22, 2012 | 
Author Top the cake with 21 candles: A traditional cake can be topped with 21 candles or two candles in the shape of a 2 and a 1. This leaves plenty of room and emphasizes the wonderful flavor the birthday celebrant looks forward to all year. Fill between layers with a favorite flavor like strawberry. Blowing out 21 lit candles is a whole new experience and can be fun to watch. After that, even a 21 year old, realizes they’re getting old.
Make the cake in the shape of the numbers for 2 and 1: Everyone loves cakes made in special shapes. Large numerals made of cake really say it. Years later, it will be easy to tell what birthday it was from the photos. Since a great deal of the cake will be cut away to make the numbers, you should use a full sheet pan or two half sheet pans. Make sure you have plenty of frosting ready because the cut sides of the numerals will gobble it up like crazy.
Make the cake in the shape of wine bottles or a beer mug: 21 is the legal age for drinking. I don’t promote drinking, but a cake in the shape of a wine bottle or beer mug can be fun for the right person. The shape may have to be oversized to have enough to serve party guests. The label on the wine bottle provides an opportunity for some humor. You can use the year of birth as the vintage and a play on the birthday celebrant’s name as the name for the wine. Some wine glasses with ribbons can be set nearby to share a toast. Serve sparkling cider to those under 21 at the party.
Make the cake in the shape of a car: Driving is important to a 21-year old. A cake in the shape of his or her favorite car is a great way to celebrate. Use at least two layers, one for the body of the car and a smaller one for the passenger compartment. Tires are easy if you use dark chocolate cookies frosted and pressed on the side of the car (cake) body. Silver or black are very difficult frosting colors for the car body. Use wild colors like hot pink or lime green for the car body frosting and have fun. The glass in the windows can be done with light blue frosting and a few white highlights to indicate reflections. Very little detail is needed to make it look like a car once you have the basic shape and wheels. Soon your 21 year old will be driving away with a tasty piece of cake. Have fun!
Show And Tell – A Springboard For Math And Science Education
Before I started teaching, I imagined Show and Tell would consist of an interested group of young children listening politely to each other and passing items around with care. This assumption fell apart fairly quickly during my first year as a teacher. Although there were times that things ran smoothly, the problems with Show and Tell were many and I found myself avoiding the experience. Even four and five year old children competed about who brought the coolest things. The event became even less appealing as students wanted to have a turn playing with toys, bored children fidgeted, squirmed and lost interest or upset children disrupted the class routines as they tried to keep their items a secret. Show and Tell often became a weekly advertisement for the latest toy or fast food restaurant freebie.
Parents also complained of the stress of trying to remember Show and Tell days, of trying to help their child choose items to show or of dealing with indecisive children who wanted to bring something that would impress their classmates. Other parents took over the task completely, selecting objects and sending them with detailed notes to be read to the class or with instructions that no one was to touch the item nor was it to get broken. There had to be a better way.
In an effort to make Show and Tell work for the students, for me, and for busy parents, I picked one day a week for the activity and scheduled it as part of my math and science time. Everyone in the class was asked to bring the same item each week. I usually brought a few extras for the few who forgot. Instead of using show and tell times to give children practice in public speaking, I scheduled different days for them to speak in front of the class about something they had recorded in their math and science journals.
Parents received a letter explaining that the purpose of show and tell would be to extend the math, science and literacy programs by building vocabulary and practicing classification and comparative skills. The children were to have the responsibility of choosing the items, but from much narrower criteria.
The rules were: do not bring…
anything valuable, anything that could not be touched by all, or anything that would upset the student greatly if it got broken
anything alive, as students often have pet allergies and bugs in bottles are too often neglected
items too large – ask – can they fit in a brown paper lunch bag? (exceptions here – books, and occasionally other items)
toys – as they caused too many problems as mentioned previously
The parents were to remind their son or daughter to choose an item from the list, but not to interfere with their child’s choice as long as it fit with the weekly list.
I also sent home a Show and Tell list for the whole year. This had a short note that suggested that the parents post the list on the fridge at their child’s eye level, that they encourage the child to cross off each item weekly and to start looking for the next item, and that they remind the child to pack the item in their backpack the night before.
Classroom Show and Tell rules were: students were to bring the items into the class at the beginning of the day, label them with name tags (children have printed name tags in their take home boxes; tape is in most centers) and put them on the Show and Tell display table. The children were always very excited on Show and Tell mornings and I scheduled some free time for them to look at the items on the table and to tell a few classmates about their items.
Sample Show and Tell list
When creating a yearly Show and Tell list, put the date first, then the item to bring, illustrated with a simple drawing and finally a brief description of what the class activity will be. Keep the font large. Here is a sample from my list.
An apple (not for snack) – sorting, classifying and measurement
Something round – math vocabulary such as edges, face, circle, circular, classifying items by a variety of criteria such as size, color, material
A leaf – sorting shapes, colors, counting points, graphing similar types, tracing leaf shapes on papers and creating charts of similar and different leaves
Something shiny – comparison, vocabulary – reflection, reflect, testing (with a flashlight) how each item reflects light
Something that can be recycled – knowledge of recycling, classifying items, counting, more, fewer
An old greeting card – measurement with blocks. How many blocks long is your card? How many one inch squares cover your card? Graphing holiday images
A shell – classify and sort by size, color, shape, observation drawings
Something about Canada (map, flag, book, trinket) – awareness of Canadian symbols, shape of country, shapes of provinces, counting provinces, graphing occurrences of similar symbols
I generally chose objects that complemented monthly themes.
Sample Show and Tell Lesson with a Rock
The children place their Show and Tell rocks on the center of the carpet, and then sit down in a circle around them. I start with observation type questions. “What do you notice about the rocks? How are they the same? How are they different?
Let’s sort the rocks by size. Which rock looks the largest? Which rock is the smallest? Let’s make a long line.” Everybody takes a turn placing his or her rock with student or teacher suggestions to rearrange the rocks when necessary.
“Now let’s sort the rocks by darker colors and lighter colors. We can put the darker rocks on this plastic mat and the lighter ones on the other mat and the striped or speckled rocks in the middle.” When this activity is finished and depending on the group attention span you can further investigations. Examples, “Are there more dark rocks or more light rocks? Are there fewer dull rocks or fewer shiny ones? Let’s sort the rocks by which ones wobble and which ones do not wobble. “
Counting items, graphing, extending math vocabulary or practicing other math concepts are easy to integrate into the lesson when there is a large quantity of the same object. Gear the lesson to the attention span of the whole group. Children who want to continue comparing their rocks, for instance with a balance scale, can do so at center time.
Next I model an observation drawing on chart paper. Draw with a marker and talk out loud to describe your thinking. “I noticed that there are more wobbly rocks and fewer rocks that do not wobble. I am going to draw that for my observation drawing. I will draw a line down my paper and put more wobbly rocks on one side and fewer rocks that don’t wobble on the other. The rocks are mainly round shapes so I will make circles. I will add dots to some to make them look speckled. I am putting little lines beside the rocks on this side to make them look like they are moving. Now I will color in with crayons so I don’t cover up my drawing lines. I will color some light grey and some dark grey. Now I need to print the word, wobbly under my wobbly rocks. What sound do I hear first and what letter do I use? What is the next sound and letter?” Do the same with the words not wobbly. Finish with a drawing of individual rocks. “I am going to draw the rock I brought to show on the other page. It is black and has white stripes.” Stamp the drawing with the date stamp.
The children then sit at tables and record one or more of their observations about the lesson in their science and math journals. This is an open-ended activity and results will depend on the developmental level of each child. The children take turns stamping the date on their page.
This method worked well for the children, their parents and for me. All the children had an opportunity to be involved during each Show and Tell day and reviewing old, or learning new, science, math, and literacy concepts were a part of each Show and Tell experience.
Check out these pages for more information about teaching preschool and kindergarten science with Show and Tell.
How Alcohol Makes You Fat
If you glanced at the title of this article, you might have cringed. When it comes to fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and overall health, many of us have trouble areas. There are some individuals who have a glass of red wine with dinner every night. Others skip the drinking completely on the weekdays, then start throwing a few back on Thursday or Friday night, and keep it up until Sunday. Still others won’t drink for two to three weeks, then have a weekend binge of a few dozen drinks or so (you know who you are!). Finally, while there are scores of individuals out there who don’t drink any alcohol at all and really won’t find this article personally useful, I encourage you (if you are one of those people) to read it anyways, and share the information with someone you think it might help.
So…how does alcohol make you fat, especially when it doesn’t have any fat in it? To understand how this process occurs, let’s examine the consumption of a 5 ounce glass of red wine by a fictional character named Vinny.
Vinny takes a drink. As the alcohol enters into digestion, it is split into two compounds: fat and acetate. The fat is taken through the bloodstream and stored wherever Vinny tends to deposit fat. The acetate is taken into the bloodstream and used as Vinny’s primary energy fuel.
If you take anything away from this article, read that last sentence again. The acetate is used as Vinny’s primary energy fuel. This means that rather than burning carbohydrates, protein, or fat as a fuel, Vinny’s body relies on the acetate for energy. It completely stops burning anything else. Suddenly, Vinny has a surplus of carbs, protein, and fat circulating in the body with nowhere to go. So where does it all end up? You guessed it…it’s converted to fat and deposited on Vinny’s waistline.
But that’s not the only effect on Vinny. Alcohol also acts as a potent appetizer. Ever heard of an apertif? It’s an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite, and many restaurants realize that this is a great way to get you to order more food! Several studies exist that show a sharp increase in caloric intake when an alcoholic drink is consumed before a meal (compared to a glass of water, or even a soda!). So now Vinny wants either: A) another glass of wine or B) food (probably something salty or greasy).
That’s not all! Let’s say that Vinny succumbs to his appetite and finishes the bottle. Just a single bout of heavy drinking will vastly increase the levels of the hormone cortisol, while significantly decreasing the levels of the hormone testosterone. In addition to his headache, here’s why Vinny should be concerned: cortisol causes the body to breakdown muscle and suppresses recovery from exercise, while low testosterone makes the body less likely build lean muscle or to burn fat as a fuel. So Vinny’s getting a big belly, and skinny arms and legs.
Now let’s consider the actual caloric content of the glass of red wine. Before we begin, bear in mind that at most parties, social gatherings, and restaurants, a typical glass of red wine is really more like 6-8 ounces. But we’ll be conservative. So Vinny’s glass of wine contains about 110 calories. Contrary to popular belief, there are very few carbohydrates in the wine – only about 5 grams. This is because when grapes are made into wine, most of the fruit sugars are converted into alcohol. For purposes of comparison, this glass of wine has about the same amount of alcohol and calories as a 12 ounce light beer or a shot of 80 proof spirit (yes, that means a shot of tequila = about a whole glass of wine). A regular, non-light beer, is even higher in calories, since it contains over twice as many carbohydrates as light beer.
But realize that alcohol itself contains about seven calories for gram, making it almost twice as calorie-laden as carbohydrates or protein, which contain only four calories per gram. However, these calories contain no beneficial nutrients, vitamins, or minerals. Sure – Vinny gets some benefit from the compounds present from the grapeskins and grapejuice, butif he drinks a big glass of red wine every night with
dinner, he consumes over 1000 additional calories per week, and gains a dozen extra pounds of fat a year!
I haven’t really discussed mixed drinks and won’t say too much. If you read my article “How Sugar Makes You Fat” you know about sugar’s potent effect on fat levels in the body, and if you’ve read the label lately on any soda or mixer, you know how much sugar it contains. A ton! Basically, you can take everything I just illustrated in the case of Vinny, and multiply by 4-5. Margaritas, Long Island Iced Tea, Mudslides, and other sweet mixed drinks can do more damage to your diet than a Big Mac with cheese.
So let’s be practical and assume that you are not going to completely give up drinking but want some tips for your next social event. Here’s some ideas:
Dilute alcohol with diet soda. While there are health problems with the artificial sweeteners and chemicals in diet soda, this will reduce your overall caloric intake.
Use lots of ice. It makes your drink seem bigger without adding actual calories.
If you have to choose between fruit juice and soda in a mixer, choose fruit juice.
Avoid the salty snacks. They’ll make you want to drink more.
At the bar, restaurant, or grocery store, try to find a top shelf product or good wine that you enjoy, then pay those extra bucks and sip it slowly. Savoring a drink will reduce overconsumption.
Drink as much water as possible. Try to have two drinks of water for every one drink of alcohol.
Did you enjoy these tips and tricks? You may want to check out my free blog and podcast at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which offers weekly advice on everything from nutrition to fat loss to sports performance. Bookmark it now!
Quick And Easy Way To Home Package Cookies With These 8 Yummy Creative Ideas
You’ve spent the time and effort to bake your delicious homemade cookie gifts, now it’s time to package them!
Don’t spoil all your hard work with boring cookie boxes and packaging ideas.
You want cookie gifts that say “Yummy!” – Perception is everything!
First impressions are truly important. So it’s unavoidable that you make a little effort to package your home-baked treats.
But where do you start? Here it is…
Theme:
Think about what the theme is for your cookie gift packages. For example, it is a birthday gift or for Christmas holiday giving? Perhaps it’s for your Valentine? Use the theme on your packaging.
Ingredients:
What are the main flavors or the cookie ingredients you used? Apply this element to help enhance the aroma that you may want to portray on your cookie boxes or packages.
Protection:
Are your cookies fragile? Or do they need to be air-tight and stored in the fridge? Consider using for example, zip seal bags, if necessary.
Hygiene:
Always clean any used containers (or even store-bought new boxes) and dry before using.
When decorating your packages, be sure to use food safe items. Eg. Don’t use glues where cookies may be in contact. Consider the point that your cookie gift recipient may not always be as careful as you when replacing cookies back into containers. Think from their viewpoint and see whether there is an alternative method for better hygiene.
With that said and done, here are your “8 Yummy Creative Package Ideas”:
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 1:
“The Coffee Cup”
You may have seen a similar idea before, using a mug or coffee cup, but this is really a brilliant idea as people associate coffee cups with aroma.
Whether it be coffee or tea, this idea spells: ‘Good times with a friend over a cup of coffee/tea and some sweets!’
- Pre-pack about 2 – 4 cookies in cellophane or sealed bag and place inside cup.
- Embellish with a gift tag and fabric ribbon around cellophane. (You can also write a message or recipient name on the mug).
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 2:
“Milk Carton”
This is perfect for butter cookies or packaging cookies for children. Either way, the milk carton makes a great packaging box.
- Wash and dry container before use. Carefully open the top without tearing the cardboard.
- Place cookies inside.
- Seal top with staples or strong sticky-tape. (Do not use glues as they are unhygienic and not re-openable.
- Decorate exterior with wrapping paper or fabric and ribbon.
If you are computer savvy, you could create a milk carton label with recipient name, theme graphics and colors to print and apply to your cookie carton!
Use one litre carton for giving to an entire family or a smaller carton for children or single recipients.
This is a great container for refrigerating your cookies also. Plus, the benefit is that the design of the carton semi-closes on its own with the folding techniques incorporated.
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 3:
“Peanut Butter Bottle“
Great for peanut butter cookies! The theme, feeling and association is already there! And you don’t even need to worry about pealing the bottle stickers off. Use it instead to create a quirky cookie packaging.
Use a square piece of fabric almost twice as large as the lid size and cover cookies before closing with the lid to create instant effective packaging.
Create a label digitally and print out for a dynamic gift. You don’t have to cover the entire glass or bottle, leave a bit of room so they can take a peek at the yummy cookies you baked.
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 4:
“Butter or Margarine Containers”
Unusual but very effective and fun. What’s more, it has a lid and is lightweight for posting your cookies. Just keep in mind that most butter containers aren’t air-tight.
You can decorate the exterior by creating your own labels, or sticking appropriate wrapping paper over. I recommend a food style, earthy tones and colors for this method.
Lastly, tie a ribbon around the package like you would a gift box. Large wide ribbons would give you a dazzling package.
Great for milk and butter cookies.
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 5:
“Milo or Food Tins (with lid)”
Tins come in all different sizes and are great for air-tight cookie storing. And you won’t have to pre-package your cookies in bags first.
Ideal for cookies that do not need to be refrigerated.
Also makes a great cookie gifting idea for boys or men.
You can even etch in writing or graphics onto the tin if you have the proper tools and use correct safety precautions.
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 6:
“Candy or Chocolate Boxes”
Candies and cookies go hand in hand! These are little treats that the whole world love!
- Place your cookies lying flat into the box. You may need to take out the pre-made mould shapes used and use cardboard dividers to separate your cookies.
- Simply tie with ribbon and gift tag the package!
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 7:
“Cocktail or Martini Glass”
Great for alcohol-based cookies like rum balls during Christmas season!
- Place one cookie or two in cellophane, seal and place inside glass.
- Seal glass with clear food wrapping. Add ribbon and gift tag on glass stalk.
HOME-BAKED COOKIE PACKAGING IDEA 8:
“Tea Box”
Use small aroma infusion tea packaging boxes – usually ones that have only 10 tea-bags in each box. You can pack 2 to 3 cookies in each box and give more than one tea box for fun.
- Seal cookies with cellophane or food bag first and place inside decorated tea boxes.
Why not leave one tea bag in front of your cookies? It’s a perfect invitation to a relaxing snack with a drink.
If you do not have any of these containers handy, you can easily buy them and transfer contents to other containers. Just make sure that it’s well washed and that most of the original scents are gone (except in the case such as the peanut butter bottles).
Not only are these 8 Yummy Ideas creative and fun, they also bring out the aroma of your delicious homemade cookies.
Start using these mouth-watering cookie packaging ideas. It’s a sure way that your cookies will be eaten instantly!
Free Machine Embroidery Patterns – More Designs to Choose From
Are you a beginner in the art of embroidery trying to figure out what kind of design to work on? Or are you an experienced embroiderer who is running out of design ideas? Perhaps you might be an embroidery fanatic who loves to make designs come alive on fabric but do not have the artistic skills to conjure up your own designs.
It is really fulfilling to be able to finish an embroidery project and see a pattern translated onto fabric. But it could also be challenging to create your own designs. Fortunately, there are several free machine embroidery patterns available for you to use these days. You just have to select your favorite among a wide variety of embroidery patterns and you can start stitching right away.
Choosing machine can be a very enjoyable experience because of the large number of choices available. No matter what your personal preference is, you are sure to find free patterns that will fit your specifications.
For instance, if you are looking for dainty free embroidery patterns to decorate your little girl’s room, there are several designs that include bouquets of dainty flowers or pink ribbons and laces. If it is your baby boy’s room that you want to decorate, you can go for the free embroidery patterns that have sports patterns on them like baseball bats or soccer balls.
Free machine patterns will also give you several choices if you want to create a gift for a loved one. Out of the almost unlimited number of free patterns out there, you can select the ones that would most reflect the personality of the person to whom you are giving the embroidered item.
Once you have chosen the patterns you like, all you have to do is download it to your computer or to your digital embroidery machine. You can then modify the design and customize it to your own style. Once you are sure the design is what you really like, you can then start sewing on the fabric.
If you are artistically inclined and have a talent for creating your own designs for embroidery, then you probably do not have much need for free machine embroidery patterns However, it is undeniable that free embroidery samples have some benefits if you want to finish your needlework faster and with less effort.
With free machine patterns, you just need to transfer the design onto the fabric or into your digital sewing machine. There is no need to spend a lot of time trying to refine the design you created to make sure it looks good on the final product.
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Which Juice Drink Is Best?
Now that the entire world is more aware of the rich antioxidant capability of Mother Nature we are seeing more and more products entering the market. This is a field bursting at the seams practically with some companies choosing the retail shelf path of your local super market and Costco’s along with the tried and true network marketing strategies from companies laser focused in the field such as Mona Vie International based in Utah. There are literally hundreds of variants of the fruit juice drink products and the labels and not as easy to follow as one would hope. In addition, our evolving medical delivery system is a variable that needs to be referred to when taking on new juice products such as the acai berry from MonaVie. Consultations with your medical professional team are paramount to starting an all natural supplement program. Today’s medicines are more complex than ever and the need to understand the combinations of foods and medicines is vital to a healthy and well maintain health program.
Juice drinks come in all sizes and shapes. There are those packaged as bottles looking like soft drinks and still others shipped in box like servings and of course the elegant wine bottle packaging of Mona Vie. Beyond the packaging and all the marketing glitter does provide us a product. There are juice drinks that focus solely on one fruit and then others that create formations with multiple natural fruit such as MonaVie. The important details to look into are the antioxidant capabilities of the drinks along with the manufacturing of the formation from harvesting to bottling. There are many companies that outsource their processing needs which make perfect sense. Then there are others that are vertically oriented and manage the process from beginning to end so-to-speak. Companies that manage the full production cycle of the juice drinks tend to be pricey but well worth it!
So, how do you choose which drink to buy. From our research at Planet Berry we have found the following high level groups from which you should do your own research:
· All Natural Juice Drinks: No additives, purely for improving overall health
· Energy drinks : can be all natural but with additives that boost your energy levels
· Social drinks: they claim all natural but lack the ratio of high content all natural blends versus water
I’m sure you will find more sub categories as we all have our own views driven by our needs, knowledge and what ad we saw last! I am a stickler for looking into the companies claims on “All Natural”. Not the easiest thing to figure out but if you probe deeply enough you can usually find the right web site to answer your questions. I have even resorted to writing emails to the web sites and asking point blank questions on this topic. Various results of course. Most tend to hide behind their secret formula and thus they cannot divulge their formations. Be skeptical with these but sometimes there is good reason and legal issues for protecting their intellectual properties.
What Creates a Successful Restaurant Kitchen Layout?
No matter what your style of cooking be Classical French Cuisine to Southwestern Fusion, as general rule the bigger your operation the more services and features your commercial kitchen layout must employ.
There are several factors you must consider when looking at designing a successful restaurant kitchen layout: the workflow, what type of service you will be providing such as the number of customers to be served, whether or not you have self-serve, cafeteria style or plated dining.
Then there is the actual size of the kitchen itself and the equipment that will go in it. And of course your budget will have the ultimate say on what your commercial kitchen design will finally look like.
5 Keys to a Great Restaurant Kitchen Layout
A great restaurant kitchen has a layout that allows the staff to work more effectively and efficiently. The better the kitchen layout the easier it will be for cooks to move from one work area into another without bumping into each other or being unnecessarily distracted which can lead to accidents and poor or sloppy service. And any of these situations can cost a good restaurant to slowly fall into the red and stay there.
Commercial Kitchen Layout Key # 1 – Have an Adequate Delivery Area. Never underestimate your need for a large storage and off-loading area for dry goods, chilled or frozen items. Many suppliers and vendors have a minimum delivery size, so you must have space in storage to meet their requirements. Also if possible, keep delivery personnel from entering the food prep and cooking areas.
Commercial Kitchen Layout Key # 2 – Setup your food preparation correctly. The “prep” or preparation area should ideally be setup between your bulk food storage and the cooking workstation. In order to cut down on the risk of cross-contamination you should separate the raw meat and fish blocks from the other foodstuffs. But in a small workspace, where separation is not possible, you need to add in mini-sinks for hand-washing and utensil cleaning.
Commercial Kitchen Layout Key # 3 – Plan the Cooking Area carefully. Be aware that cooking workstations are the biggest trouble spots in a commercial kitchen design. You need to not only consider the size and type of cooking apparatuses but also the basic power structure of the building itself (gas is not always available). Here the layout must emphasize ease of workflow and staff safety and protection from fire, smoke inhalation and electrical hazards.
Commercial Kitchen Layout Key # 4 – Food service should large enough to prevent bottle-necks. Many time architects and inexperienced owners don’t allow for enough room in the food service workstation which causes back-ups, dropped trays and plates, and worst of all cold food!
Commercial Kitchen Layout Key # 5 – Plan for an efficient dishwashing operation. Unless you customers are using paper ware and plastic trays, you need to make certain that you have adequate workspace to collect, scrap, recycle, wash up plates and store refuse when your staff is “humping the Holbert” dishwasher.
Once you have planned around the above workstations and removed or negated any issues concerning them you will have a complete commercial kitchen design.
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3 Important Reasons to Go Eco-Friendly
We hear it every where – reasons to go eco-friendly, green products, save the environment and recycle. But what does it all really mean and why do we need to become more eco friendly?
1. One obvious reason is so that we can save our planet. Just thinking about the stash of plastic bottles that are thrown away every year which cannot disintegrate into the land.
2. Saving animals from extinction is another reason. So many of the various breeds of animals and insects and all manner of living creatures are becoming threatened because of our habits.
3. Greener, environmentally friendly products are kinder to our health.
For example when using plastic bottles the likelihood is those dangerous chemicals will leech into the liquid inside. We don’t know that it is happening because it neither discolours the liquid (even if it is transparent like water) nor has a nasty taste.
The manufacturers of these products do not put any warnings or labels on the bottle stating this fact and the poor unsuspecting customers (us!) are the innocent victims.
Chemicals such as phenynol A are toxic and can cause cancer. These bottles and food containers may be lighter in weight and cheaper to produce but is it worth the possibility of using something that could cause you to become ill?
I always buy stainless steel drinking and food containers even though they do weight slightly more and they do cost a bit more. I am more concerned with the health of my family.
But another reason to go eco-friendly is to be able to use organic fresh foods that will not be tampered with in any way. There is absolutely no point in having a environmentally friendly product and filling it with junk food or ready made meals that already contain certain chemicals and additives.
The same applies to drinks. I first filter my water from my own filtering system at home and I then fill up the children’s school bottles. I know that I am doing all that I can to keep my family safe.
I know that you too, wouldn’t want to see your family suffer with painful, life threatening diseases just because you didn’t make some changes.
It is very important to keep your water pure as this is a liquid that we use on a constant basis and without filtering it you have no idea what chemical compounds are being put into your body.
Be safe, be healthy and filter your water today. For more information on how to filter your water and the very best filters for giving you healthy mineralized water visit my website http://www.clean-safe-filtered-water.com today. And find your reasons to go eco-friendly.
Homemade Gifts For Men
If you want something different this Christmas then homemade gifts for men are an easy and rewarding way of doing it. Any type of homemade gift will be appreciated no matter what the occasion and you have the added bonus of the gift costing very little money.
So Much Choice
There is a big variety of things you could consider when making homemade gifts from food, clothes, decorative articles, cosmetics or even jewelry.
Excellent homemade gifts for men could include a hand knitted scarf. Very easily done with any color of wool, you could even use leftover rolls of wool you have lying around. If you don’t have any patterns at home you can find them on the internet with different designs and styles available or another alternative is a charity shop.
Other hand knitted items you could consider if you feel confident with the knitting needles would a pullover or hand knitted socks, both very nice presents.
Homemade Food Gifts
There are lots of recipes for home cooked presents and all would be excellent homemade gifts for men. Nice marmalade for instance or other jams can make thoughtful gifts. Homemade chocolate or cookies can also show that you’ve put some time and thought into preparing your gift.
There are so many different things you could consider and lots of cooking books to look at, even scouring the internet provides excellent choices and great homemade recipes.
Lemon Curd
Everyone loves lemon curd and it is easily cooked, all you need are 3 lemons, 150g butter, 450g sugar and 4 eggs. Grate the rind of the lemons and squeeze out the juice. Heat up everything in a bowl over hot water while stirring until it thickens. Sterilize a sealable glass jar and put the lemon curd inside before sealing it tightly. Decorate the jar with a nice piece of fabric secured around the lid with ribbon.
Chocolate Truffles or Pralines
Small chocolate pralines are easy to make at home and they taste great. Simply melt a bar of dark chocolate, cut some dried apricots into quarters and dip them into the chocolate. If you want you can add some drops of brandy or whisky into the chocolate when it’s melted to give the truffles a subtle liquor taste.
Beauty Products
Men are using more and more beauty products so why not make your own homemade liquid soap. Scented with a few drops of a male aftershave or any perfume oil, liquid soap is a great homemade gift for men.
To make, grate a natural soap bar, add distilled water or vodka and heat it up in a saucepan while stirring with a wooden spoon and it will turn into a nice smooth liquid soap. If you want to give it a color just add some drops of food coloring put it into a plastic bottle. Create a personalized message on some decorative paper and stick it to the front of the bottle.
Homemade Jewelry
Other homemade gifts for men could include homemade jewelry like bracelets made out of leather bands or key holders with little things attached, it could be anything from little plastic toys to little wooden peaces hanging on the key holder.
Wood Burning
Pyrography is the art of burning pictures into wood with a wood burning iron. It is possible to buy a wood burner cheaply from any hardware store and burn names, quotes, personalized messages or patterns on wooden pieces which look very original and could be used as a rustic decoration at home.
Be creative and consider what the men in your life will appreciate when you’re making homemade gifts for men and your gift will be remembered.
Painting by Numbers
You don’t have to be Van Gogh to draw a nice painting in oil or acrylic, all you need is a piece of canvas, oil or acrylic paint which you can buy rather cheap nowadays and some paintbrushes then just let your imagination flow. Don’t be scared to try different variations. Nobody is perfect but your paintings will be unique and very personal. You even could copy a photo of the man you are giving it to and glue that on the canvas and integrate that into your piece of art!
Liquor
There are many recipes available for homemade liquor, so you can make a personalized gift for your man easily without costing too much. Homemade wine, homemade beer or even recipes for vodka, Irish whiskey and other liqueurs can be relatively simple. Once you’ve bottled your creations, you can personalize the labels to give your gift that thoughtful touch.
We hope you enjoyed our homemade gifts for men suggestions. If you have tried any of these ideas or maybe have other suggestions and you want to share, we’d love to see your comments here.
5th Grade Science Experiments Made Fun and Easy
5th grade science experiments are fun because the children are able to work more independently and find answers out for themselves. They don’t need as much adult assistance and are expected to shoulder much of the responsibility in thinking up their own topic, question and experiment to find the answer.
There are many possibilities for fifth grade science experiments, including seeing if the color of a light affects how bright it appears in fog or in water, finding out where the best place to store apples is, such as fridge, wicker basket or plastic bowl, or finding out if the temperature of a magnet affects it’s magnetic field lines. To find out, the students will need a few magnets, one from the freezer, one kept at room temperature and one heated up. Have the students trace the magnetic field lines of each magnet by putting iron fillings on a sheet of paper over the magnet.
Another experiment students could try is to see if the starting temperature of water affects how long it takes to freeze. All you need to do is get three ice cube trays (or one and label the rows with the temperature of water you started with) and start with three different temperatures of water; hot, cold, and room temperature. When done, the tray is placed back in the freezer. The temperature of the water will need to be monitored to see which one freezes first, second, and third. Be sure to have the students record the results for all experiments!