GiantMicrobes: Making it Fun and Easy to Learn About Tiny Microbes

It is so hard to teach young kids about the things they can't see: germs, viruses, micro-organisms, etc, but GIANT Microbes takes the mystery out of these hard-to-see things and makes them squeezable, fun and educational.  Well, fun to learn about.  Somehow I don't think E-Coli will be fun any other way!

The kids and I have had some fun over the past week playing with our little Bioluminescent Sea Sparkle, which in short, is the micro-organism that serves as a tiny little night-light in the ocean.  Both boys love the stuffed toy, but our almost-six year old really loved hearing about the facts, which spurred some fun ocean-themed conversations and some reminiscing about our last trip to the Seattle Aquarium.

The label the the Sea Sparkle came with is invaluable.  It gives the common name, the scientific name (in this case: Noctiluca scintillans), a real image of the cell and shows the size of the cell (in this case, a little smaller than a pin-head).  When you open the card, it explains the facts of the little guy.

The inside label reads:  FACTS: When you go to the beach or bay at night and see tiny sparkles of light coming from the water, it isn't your imagination.  It's Noctiluca! From the Latin for "night light," Noctiluca are also known as Sea Sparkle.

These tiny dinoflagellates float beneath the surface of the ocean by the millions.  When they are disturbed, they glow and produce bright flashes of light.  This glow is called "bioluminescence," and in the ocean it is usually greenish or blue, as these colors travel well through the water.

[That is just a snippet from the first two paragraphs taken from the Sea Sparkle tag]

Our Sea Sparkle comes from the Aquatics line, which is made up of eleven different microbes.  Sea Sparkle can be bought as the original plush toy that we have, or a Petri Dish that contains three small Sea Sparkles.

As a parent, I love that this is a fun and educational toy that spurred questions and conversations surrounding Ocean Life.  I can also see these little stuffed toys being great tools for teachers, doctors and educational presenters (zoo presentations, aquarium presentations, etc).  These are a great way to take the mystery out of the common cold, little tiny creatures, and some of the other little things we just can't see.

In addition to these great educational toys, GIANT Microbes also has a line of ties, mugs and ornaments.

Bioluminescent Sea Sparkle  
by GIANT Microbes 
$8.95 Find them on: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Edition Reviewed: Sea Sparkle stuffed toy - Review sample received courtesy of GIANT Microbes in coordination with a review campaign through Karma Media Team!

Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular is HERE in Seattle THIS WEEK (Get 25% off Tickets Thurs/Fri)

The Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular is here at the Tacoma Dome tomorrow!!!!!  Haven't got your tickets yet but still want to go?  Read on and see how you can save 25% if you go tomorrow or Friday...  But don't wait too long, the show is only here from December 6th through December 9th!

The live show was inspired by the movie How To Train Your Dragon, which is a favorite here in our house (as well as the cartoon spin-off on the Cartoon Network).  The show brings to life your favorite dragons and characters, and includes 13 dragons (some of which fly and breathe fire).  

The other day I saw an interview one of our local news shows did with the characters, and I can't wait to see the show!!

Visit the Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Live website special things like how the dragons were made, have a sneak peek at the show and get some behind the scenes information.



Description: (From Dreamworks)

Barely contained within the arena, the production utilizes the full venue, maximizing every dimension of performance space to transport audiences into a mythical world of fire-breathing dragons who soar overhead at great speeds. The state-of-the-art animatronic technology and large-scale cinematic projections interact seamlessly with the live actors to bring the story to life.

The show features 23 dragons, some with wingspans of up to 46 feet, Viking warriors and world-class circus artists and acrobats, to perform against a state-of-the-art, wall-to-floor immersive projection measuring more than 20,000 square feet.

Produced by DreamWorks Animation, RZO Dragon Productions and Global Creatures, the masterminds behind Walking with Dinosaurs, proudly presented by S2BN Entertainment.

Showtimes: 

Thursday Dec. 6th: 7:00 PM
Friday Dec. 7th: 7:00 PM
Saturday Dec. 8th: 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM
Sunday Dec. 9th: 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM

Tickets:

Tickets start at $21.50 on Thursday Dec. 6th and go up to $269 for the "Meet The Dragons" Experience, which includes a behind the scenes tour, special meet and greet, pictures in costume with a special How To Train Your Dragon backdrop, VIP parking, a VIP gift bag and more.  Use the special discount code MOM and save 25% on your tickets Thursday and Friday - hope to see you there!

Visit Ticketmaster to get your tickets.

Disclosure: I am excited to share the Dragons experience with you. I'm posting a series of posts in exchange for tickets to the show on opening night.

The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook: Full Color and Everything You Need To Bring Your Cooking to the Next Level!

For years, my husband and I have had a really old set of cookbooks that had great how-to instructions and photos that we have loved and relied on, but that all changed with the Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, which has beautiful step-by-step instructions (most of which have full color photographs) and scrumptious recipes just begging to be mastered and shared.

Did I mention the full-color photographs? And how many there are?  That is what sets this book above a lot of others.  With the exception of the index, I do believe that every single page (there are 320) has at least one full-color photo.  I'm fairly picky with my cookbooks now, and I really do value those that take the time and resources to include what a dish is supposed to look like.  Sure, my version of the dish very rarely looks as nice, but a picture can help us know what things are supposed to look like when they are done, and they can occasionally help us figure out something that is stumping us.

Speaking of stumping, I don't think you can be stumped with this Cooking School Cookbook, because there are such great instructions for how to do things (which include pictures as well) step-by-step.  This includes some basics in the introduction, like how to measure different ingredients the correct way (shown below), and How-To's, Tips and Information shared throughout the book in the outer margins.

In addition to great instructions with full-color pictures, the book has a great variety of recipes that cover simple to extravagant in each main area: Appetizers, Drinks, Better Than Takeout, Soups, Beef & Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Vegetarian, Side Dishes, Breakfast, Baking, and Deserts.

Here is one recipe I can't wait to try out at one of our upcoming Football Sunday Family Get-Togethers:

This cookbook would be a great gift, or a great addition to anyone's kitchen.  (Shhh - I'm actually thinking about replacing that old set we've been using for years).

Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook  
by Catherine Cassidy and Taste of Home  
Readers Digest; Original edition (March 15, 2012) ~ 320 pages
Non-Fiction / Cooking

Edition Reviewed:Paperback - Review copy received courtesy of the FSB Associates, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

About the Book:

Learn to cook with confidence with The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook based on the popular Taste of Home Cooking Schools attended by millions.

The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, "is just like having a Cooking School instructor in your very own kitchen," says Catherine Cassidy, Editor in Chief, Taste of Home. "This essential cookbook captures the highlights of our cooking school lessons and presents them in a way that allows people of all skill levels in the kitchen, to create memorable holiday meal moments in their own homes with family, friends and neighbors."

Learn fresh techniques, tips, secrets and entertaining ideas straight from the Taste of Home Cooking School team. Each chapter builds from simple, beloved classics to spectacular dishes handed down by families from generation to generation that are sure to impress family and friends. Better yet, all of these recipes can be created with affordable ingredients available at your local grocery store. As you move from one recipe to the next, you will enhance your cooking skills and discover new favorites.

Highlights Include:

- Low-effort "Cheat It" recipes with big rewards like the refreshing Lemonade Icebox Pie, the     10-minute Zesty Salsa and Chocolate Cooking Cupcakes
- More than 400 simple to spectacular recipes including mouthwatering Gnocchi in Sage Butter, snappy Sweet & Tangy Wings, and Fresh Cherry Pie
- 140 how-to's, secrets and tips shared by Taste of Home Cooking School experts from how to shape drop cookies to the best techniques for shredding meat for sandwiches and grilling salmon fillets
- Exciting twists on all-time favorites like burgers, pizza, Chinese takeout and more

About the Author: (from Amazon)

Catherine Cassidy, Taste of Home Editor-in-Chief.
Catherine M. Cassidy is Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Home, overseeing the development of four national cooking magazines, the entire book program, and more than three-dozen newsstand specials, "bookazines," and wall calendars.
She has toured the country doing events and national and local TV, radio, and newspaper interviews in support of the best-selling Taste of Home Cookbook, Taste of Home Baking Book, and Taste of Home magazine.
Most recently she has been named One of America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food, for the second year in a row, according to The Daily Meal.
Taste of Home’s unique staff of field editors is made up of more than 1,000 experienced home cooks located in each state and Canadian province, who regularly share recipes, well-liked menus and kitchen tips. Taste of Home is published six times a year and has five sister magazines, Simple & Delicious, Slow Cooker, Appetizers, Cooking for 2, and Healthy Cooking.

 *Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

Super Food Ideas Magazine: An All-New Favorite Magazine of Mine!

I have got an all-new obsession! I was using my free $5.00 voucher on Zinio, a great digital magazine provider... and I found an Australian magazine called Super Food Ideas that is now one of my all-time favorite magazines (I think I paid a whopping $3.18 for a year's subscription after applying my voucher).  It is FULL of yummy looking/sounding food.  The December issue (available now) has 421 recipes and ideas and I haven't made it through the whole thing yet!

Here is one of the salads I want to try (the one on the left... well, I want to try both, but I'm going to start with the one on the left).  It is a Rice Noodle, Chicken and Pineapple Salad that takes approximately 20 minutes to prepare.

Super Food Ideas Magazine   
December 2012  ~ 132  pages

Edition Reviewed: The Digital Edition I purchased myself
*Disclosure: If you want to check out this subscription or others on Zinio and you use my link, you will get a $5.00 voucher to use on a subscription, and I will also get $5.00 for a new subscription myself!  If you check them out, let me know what you think. :)

What You Can Do If You Get a Clogged Tear Gland (Which Is Different From A Tear Duct)

So, today I learned the hard way (after a few very painful days) that we have such a thing as a Tear Gland, that is kind of on the outer edge of your eye behind your eyeball.  

When I get stressed and tired, I tend to get Styes in my eyelids, which are very painful, but easily treated (basically, kind of a clogged folical in your eyelash area).  This one was different.  It was in the outer corner of my eye but INSIDE my eyelid.  I treated it how I normally would for a Stye and .... nothing!

I then put hot water on my face in the shower and it stopped hurting!  So I looked up the anatomy of an eye and saw a Tear Gland around that area... so I looked up clogged tear gland and found that it IS possible and does happen on rare occasions.  To fix a light case, hot compresses and massaging the gland a few times a day until it is gone will generally work.

I tried it, and have done it twice today, and it feels MUCH better.

Now, I'm NOT a doctor, or a nurse, so I can't offer advice, and I do know that more severe cases may need to be treated by medicine under a doctor's care.  But, I thought I'd share this as I'd never heard of it, and maybe my week's worth of needless pain can save you some time and trouble.  :)

~ Wendi

Vinyl Disorder (Review): Your Stop For Affordable Quality Vinyl Decals

I've been wanting to try adding sayings and other accents to my walls in a more professional way than stencils (don't get me wrong here, I love stencils and they work well on a lot of walls, but I tend to have problems with them bleeding under the edges due to the type of finish our walls have), and I got the opportunity to do that via an online store called Vinyl Disorder.

Here is my first project:

This is our master bedroom - yes, I need to repaint - when we chose this light green, we didn't know that it would turn a kind of gentle neon when the light over the sink was turned on. Lesson learned, will use a more muted color soon.

The saying above our headboard is from Vinyl Disorder and I LOVE it!  Not only does it look great, but it was easy and FAST to put up.  Plus, when I ordered it, I chose the type of decal that can be removed and reapplied to the wall, so when I'm ready to paint, I'll pull it up, paint, then put it back.


 Now for a close-up of the decal:

This decal is 36 inches and costs $25 from Vinyl Disorder.  Different sizes are available, starting at 15 inches at only $10.  They have 20 different wall colors, 20 car colors, and 6 specialty colors available.

Looking for decals for the playroom, a special theme, or for your car or craft project?  Vinyl Disorder can help!  They have a wonderful selection of pre-designed decals, and give you the option to design your own.

For my next project, I'm thinking of a pretty family tree design that I can hang small pictures around to create a wall of family photos.

They also have some GREAT holiday themed decals that would be nice to put on the walls and then remove when the holidays are over.

Live Every Moment F009 Vinyl Wall Decal  
by Vinyl Disorder
36 inches as ordered ~ $25.00
Visit them: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Edition Reviewed: Vinyl Decal - I received a review sample of my choice under 36 inches as part of a review campaign with Outburst Media.  All opinions and pictures are my own!
About the Company:

Vinyl Disorder creates vinyl artwork and decals that can be used on walls, cars, and crafts, as well as stickers, banners, and much more.

They use high quality vinyl products and create your products right before they ship it to you. Shipping ranges between $2.00 and $5.00 and if you spend $50+ you can select Free Shipping!