Pasta E Fagioli

Wyatt and I spent a good portion of the day at my mom's, where she whipped up this fantastic chili-esque soup off the top of her head. So jealous...

Pasta E Fagioli

1/2 lb ground beef

Small pasta, such as ditalini, orzo, or shells

2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, sliced thin

1 small onion, minced

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can white navy beans, drained

1 cup water

2 cups beef broth

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

chili powder, optional

Boil water for pasta. In a large pot, add water and broth. Add celery and carrots and let them cook until soft. While they cook, brown the ground beef and start pasta. Add all other ingredients to large pot and heat thoroughly. Serve over pasta.

Spring Has Sprung!

Wyatt under the crab apple tree

Camellias

Flowering almond

Tea olive tree. Tiny blossoms, but they smell amazing!

Crab apple branches

Forsythia

Little man in his Radio Flyer

The Big Three: Inaugural Edition

I've noticed lots of other blogs that feature weekly lists: favorite music of the moment, neat DIY projects, cool websites, and the like. (The Saturday Seven over at Positively Splendid and Sweet Green Tangerine's Fill in the Blank Friday posts come to mind.) I thought it would be neat to do something similar, but I don't think I can come up with seven new things every week. Instead, I'm introducing The Big Three! This week I've featuring three awesome purchases I've made in the last couple of weeks. No buyer's remorse here.

#1: Bobble Water Bottles

 The Bobble is probably the coolest water bottle I've ever seen. Of course it has the green thing going for it, but even better... it has a filter! It's like having a portable Brita in your bag at all times! Kenny bought his from Target, and I actually used the LetsGoGreen.biz deal that I mentioned here to buy mine.

We have the one liter sized Bobbles, but they're also available in the smaller 13 oz and 18.5 oz sizes. Replacement filters are also available.

#2: NUK Active Cups

We've finally found a sippy that Wyatt likes! Honestly, we probably should have started here anyway; we used NUK bottles, so why not NUK sippy cups? But, you live and learn. This is one of the few cups that I've found to be truly "leak proof," it's large enough to hold a good amount of liquid, and the parts are easy to clean. 

NUK has finally come out with replacement spouts for these as well, which means you don't have to buy an all-new cup every time you need a new spout. And, the parts are interchangeable with other NUK products.

Plus it has a pirate, and who doesn't like pirates?

#3: Eric Carle at Kohl's Stores

We're all familiar with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and you probably know lots of other Eric Carle books as well. I grew up reading them, and this book was one of the first that I bought for Wyatt. Right now, Kohl's stores are featuring Eric Carle books and plushes for $5 each as part of their Kohl's Cares program. 100% of net profits from the books and plushes goes to support kids' health and education initiatives around the country.

The books featured are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Foolish Tortoise, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and The Grouchy Ladybug.

So, there's this week's Big Three! What awesome stuff have you bought this week?

- Mother Nature Mom

A few deals for your Tuesday!

It feels like it's been a year since I've blogged! Work and school and life in general gets in the way of that sometimes. But, I ran across a couple of good deals today that I thought I'd share:

Another thredUP deal is going on at Eversave, a site that's similar to Groupon. This deal is a one-year PRO membership + a free box of clothes with free shipping for $20. Not as good as the Totsy deal in my opinion, but if you're interested in trying thredUP, this might be a good choice for you.

Gaggle of Chicks, yet another Groupon clone, has $25 of goods for $10 from LetsGoGreen.biz. When you sign up for a new account with Gaggle of Chicks, you automatically get a $10 credit, which would make this deal free! LetsGoGreen has lots of eco-friendly stuff from household cleaners and paper products to water conservation kits, BPA-free bottles, kids' plates and utensils, and (my personal favorite) reusable shopping bags. Shipping is not included with this offer.

Once midterms are over, I should have a little more free time to update around here. It seems like the month of February just flew by!

- Mother Nature Mom

thredUP Review

I have a fever... and the only prescription is more thredUP!

I have to say, I've become a little addicted to thredUP. (Don't know what thredUP is? Check out this post. Keep in mind the Totsy deal has ended.) It's a wonderful site with a great concept and a very lively and helpful online community on Facebook.

So far, I've listed two boxes, sold one, and bought two for myself. I've been very, very pleased with the quality - and quantity - of the items I've received.

It didn't take long to figure out that it's very important to "stuff" the boxes. Stuffed boxes sell. Boxes with only a few items do not. Of course, this makes sense. The boxes used through thredUP are all medium flat-rate shipping boxes, so everyone gets the same sized box. Would you want a few pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts? Or six complete outfits, two hats, two pairs of shorts, three pairs of socks, a bib, and ten onesies? (Yes, I packed ALL of that into a box!) Size does factor into this a bit, since bigger sized clothes are, well... bigger. But since everyone pays the same amount for shipping for the same sized box, who wouldn't want the most for their money? A lot of moms are willing to make custom boxes and post pictures of the contents through Facebook as well. (I recommend going through their Facebook page and looking at pictures. That way you'll know EXACTLY what you're getting!)

It's also possible to earn money simply by listing boxes. thredUP has a Low Supply List comprised of sizes that are in low supply on the site. The list fluctuates from day to day, with different sizes earning more money at different times. For instance, I earned a $4 credit toward my account by posting a box of 6/9-month clothing when 9-month clothes were in low supply. (The price has since dropped to $2.) Once the box is picked, the money goes into your account.

In contrast, there seems to be an overflow of newborn and 0/3 month clothes - the sizes babies grow out of the fastest. thredUP is a great way to finish out your layette without spending a fortune.

I think families with multiple babies/kids can really gain from this site: post boxes of your kids' outgrown, gently used clothes, potentially earn money for your boxes, and pick boxes of clothes that your kids can wear now or in the future. For cheap.

The only real downside I've noticed is that the site needs some work. They're new and they're working out the kinks, so the site can lag a bit from time to time. The search function also needs work, which is another reason why I recommend going through their Facebook page. Lots of moms link directly to the box from their picture, saving the hassle of using the sometimes-faulty search engine.

The Bottom Line:

A box costs a total of $15.95 (if you don't have any credits.) That's about what a really cute outfit would cost at any major department store. With thredUP, you'll get LOTS of cute outfits for the same price. Sounds like a winner to me.

 You've got that right.

If you'd like a personal invitation to thredUP from me, send me your e-mail address! You'll earn $5 immediately for signing up through me, and I'll earn $5 when you pick and pay for your first box. It's a win/win! Plus, you'll be able to invite other people to join and earn money through them. Just leave me a comment. (Don't worry, all comments have to be approved before posting, so no one else will see your address.)

- Mother Nature Mom