/ Stay at Home Meg

World Rhino Day

September 22, 2019

World Rhino Day is today! And I love Rhinos! And I might superimpose my love of Rhinos on Jax as well 😂

Rhinoceros' have been around for 50 million years, but they are now a critically endangered species. Today, very few Rhinos survive outside of reserves, sanctuaries, or parks due to poaching and loss of habitat. A century ago there were 1 million Rhinos in the world, now there are only 30,000. But you can help in conservation efforts! You can make a difference.

1. Support/donate to Rhino cause-related organizations like World Wildlife Fund, Save the Rhino and International Rhino Foundation. These organizations are actively working at keeping Rhinos from going extinct. If you are looking for a cause to donate to, these are three good ones!

2. Supporting zoos that are partnered with Rhino Conservation Organizations. There are numerous zoos in the U.S. (and worldwide) that are partnered with programs and organizations that are dedicated to conservation and research efforts. One of them is the International Rhino Foundation, and one of the zoos partnered with them is the Philadelphia zoo! We had the opportunity to meet their Rhino named Tony in a behind-the-scenes tour, and he was the cutest! He loved to be brushed and it was amazing to see one up close.

3. Supporting zoos that work towards conservation efforts by researching breeding efforts. San Diego Zoo Global successfully artificially inseminated and birthed a White Rhino, an important step in ending White Rhino extinction. Being from San Diego I love this! I was even able to take Jax to the same Rhino Statue at the San Diego Zoo World Wildlife Park (formerly known as the Wild Animal Park) that I sat on about 28 years ago!

4. Adopt a Rhino! This could be such a fun way to "donate" and to support the Rhinos, and truly make you feel like you are a part of the cause!

September 13, 2019

Soooo I'm doing something you guys--I am starting an Etsy Shop!

I've always loved making handmaid signs, so I figured I would sell some to you as well! You can never have enough season-themed decor, am I right? My shop on Etsy is called StayAtHomeMegShop...pretty self explanatory 😁

Right now I have a few Fall-themed signs for sale because I LOOOVE Fall, which made this a good place to start. Keep checking back for new updates and more signs! Everything is hand-painted by me. Yup. Each sign is unique to how I make it just for you! I would love any support you could give and I hope that you can find one that would go up on the wall in your own home.

Love you guys!

August 17, 2019

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Bee Kind to Bees

I know what you are thinking-Why do bees even matter? Why would I write a post about bees..what a waste. But in reality bees are what keep our economy thriving and our ecosystems healthy. Bees play a key role in the food we buy at the store every day, because these little guys are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of the world's food crops, and on top of that, 90% of the world's wild plants. Those are big numbers. As the bee populations have been declining, food security, the economy and healthy ecosystems are all being threatened.

So, what can we do to help? I like to think we can all help in one way or another with small activities that are fun to do!

1. Purchase cute clothes from Wholesome Culture

As you can see in all the pictures in this post, I am wearing one of my favorite shirts from them! I chose to be a brand ambassador for them because they give 10% of their profits to animal rescue and environmental organizations 💁. They are a plant based, cruelty free, and environmentally conscious company, who strive to make as little impact on the earth as possible. They're also have a sale going on right now for World Honey Bee Day! Check out all their bee tees! 🐝

2. Buy LOCAL honey (and make a delicious honey based dessert with your kiddos)

Buying local honey 🍯actually helps reduce seasonal allergies! Weird right? It's because local honey producers filter their honey differently than store sold honey. This different treatment results in the local honey actually containing pollens from your local area and ingesting this small amount of pollen has been proven to help reduce seasonal allergies! It has also been proven to improve a person's immune system! Most store sold honey isn't actually considered "honey" because of the lack of pollen in it. You learn something new everyday, am I right? So go buy local!

3. Plant some flowers in your garden with your kids that bees like to pollinate

They love lavender, borage and marjoram just as a start! My son loves watching the bees and butterflies that fly around our lavender so I'm sure your kids will as well. Bees pollinate around 20 million flowers 🌸🌹🌼every day-that's a lot of pollinating!

4. Visit an outdoor farm/orchard

The place in all of these sunflower 🌻pictures is called Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. Arbor Day Farm is an active supporter of bees and in helping the bee population-give them a visit if you are ever in Nebraska City. Local farmers plant vast amounts of crops, flowers, and trees that need pollinating, so by supporting your local farms, you are helping support (either indirectly or directly) the bee population! Most farms also sell their own local honey that you can buy to help support your local beekeepers and bees. On top of that, it's always such a fun outdoor activity for your kids to participate in. Jax has a great time whenever we go to one of our local farms. Yesterday when we went it was such a bonus to see all of the gorgeous sunflowers that only bloom for around two weeks out of the year. You should have seen how many bees were actively pollinating! If you look close in the pictures below you can see them.

5. BEE AWARE OF THE DECLINING BEE POPULATION

The best way to help something improve is being aware of the situation. It is important that each person tries to make a better and healthier world for our kids to live in.

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July 25, 2019

Yup, we did it. We somehow managed to miss national ice cream day on Sunday. Something Jax and I both thoroughly enjoy. But in reality, who needs a national day for something when its normal for us to eat it every day. 😜Jk jk we only eat it every other day!

Soooo in honor of a great national day we thought we'd share another fun craft of something we love to eat. My last craft post was of watermelon so come on, at least we eat somewhat healthy... sometimes? Ice cream and watermelon is definitely enough sustenance to live off of right? Don't judge.

Anywho, this is a super simple, super easy craft once again---Obvs (short for obviously) my favorite kind. Who needs crafts that take FOREVER when you have a toddler? I know I don't! But, we actually somehow survived making three of these things for myself, his Aunt and Busia all in one sitting. They each chose different colors for their ice cream scoops which made them even more unique and adorable crafts for each of us to keep!

Once again, I'm all about that super cute but super easy sh*t, so take a glance at the short list of supplies below. You probably have them all at your house right now! As you can see, from Jax's ridiculous cheesy grin, he's super proud of his artwork.

Supplies

Canvas or paper

Paint

Toddlers foot

Paint brush

Directions

1. Paint kids foot, press on paper or canvas with enough room on top for the scoops (more space for those of us who like more ice cream than others).

2. Paint ice cream scoops.

3. Choose toppings or a cute saying to draw on if you wish!

4. Place on mantle for everyone to enjoy.

July 8, 2019

Summertime is a perfect time to find a dessert that everyone in the family enjoys.

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This recipe is Jax's Busia's (Grandma in Polish) fruit pizza recipe that my husband can never get enough of...and now Jax of course loves it as well. My husband has a summertime birthday and always asks for a fruit pizza instead of cake. It really is a perfect summertime recipe--It's light, cold, refreshing and uses all the summertime fruits! We just made it for the 4th of July and we'll be making it again in a couple of weeks for his birthday.

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients

1-2 16.05oz tubes of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough (or your favorite sugar cookie recipe)

13.5oz tub of Strawberry Glaze (won't use whole thing, so if you can find a smaller one use it)

8 oz block of Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Cool Whip

1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Almond Extract (or Vanilla Extract)

2-3 Bananas

1 tub of Strawberries

1 tub of Blueberries

Pizza pan (large or small--depends on if you want a thicker or thinner dough for your pizza)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to temperature that sugar cookie dough calls for.

2. Pick your favorite sugar cookie recipe, or cheat and use the refrigerator tubes of cookie dough. One tube of dough usually covers the pizza pan. I personally just get the Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough in the tube.

3. Pam or butter the pan if you plan on taking it off of the pizza pan to serve on another plate. Spread cookie dough evenly over a 10-12" pizza pan. For a thicker dough use a smaller pan. You can even use a pie pan for a "deep dish" pizza. For a thinner dough use the larger pizza pan.

4. Bake the cookie on the pan according to the recipe. Set aside and let cool.

5. In a mixing bowl or with a kitchen aid mixer, whip together 8 oz of cream cheese, about 1/2 cup of cool whip and about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Add about a tsp of almond extract if you like a more cherry flavor, or vanilla if you prefer that flavoring. Adjust according to your own taste preference. Whip together until smooth. Spread evenly over thoroughly cooled pizza cookie.

6. Pour boiling water over bananas to keep them from browning. It will make the outside of the banana look gross and dark but trust me this works! Peel bananas and slice 2-3 bananas thin. Layer the slices over the cookie until it is completely covered.

7. Cover the layer of bananas with strawberry glaze (you can also use blueberry glaze).

8. Use sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced kiwi, etc. to cover the top of the glaze. My husband likes just the blueberries and strawberries so that's all I usually use! You can randomly scatter the fruits around or make patterns like a flag for the 4th of July, a college logo for a graduation party, an initial, a birthday number, etc.

9. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut into pizza slices and enjoy!

Stay at Home Meg