Today only! 2 My Little Pony Equestrian Radical Hair Rainbow Dash for $7.50

If you are a ToysRUs Rewards member the dolls are $5 today only as a door buster. They are also bogo half off so the total was $7.50 for both.

New Trailer for INSIDE OUT

TruJoy Organic Candy Canes

Before we went nonGMO we stopped eating artificial dyes and avoided petroleum preservatives.  During our first dye-free Christmas my daughters really missed candy canes.  They missed them so much that when I found a safe candy cane you would of thought they had won the lottery.  I found the Organic TruJoy Candy Canes at my local Fred Meyer and not so local Whole Foods.  We have been buying these for a while and love them.  Even if regular candy canes became nonGMO and artificial dye free we would still buy them.  The candy cane is a lighter peppermint flavor than most candy canes but some how even more delicious.  My local Fred Meyer has them on sale 2 for $7.00 or $3.50 each.  We are currently on our second box.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – The Arena Spectacular

The WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – The Arena Spectacular returns to the Tacoma Dome Dec. 17-21!  We were disappointed that we missed the show last time they were here.  A classmate of my daughter's actually went for his birthday and he talked about it for weeks.  His grandmother told me recently that he still says that it was the best birthday he ever had.  My family and I are so excited that we will be attending this year.
The show is suppose to be simply spectacular:
According to the Tacoma dome site:
It’s a dazzling $20,000,000 arena spectacle of unprecedented size and quality set to captivate all ages. Marvel at the story of their 200 million year domination of life on earth. Watch them walk. Hear the roar. Be there as they fight for survival and supremacy. From the ripple of their skin to the glint in their eye, you will know the dinosaurs really are back!

If you are considering going I have a discount code to help you save. 
Ticketmaster
Tacoma, WA location only:
Offer Code: KIDFUN
$5 off Price Level 2: $44.50 (reg. $49.50)

$3 off Price Level 3: $26.50 (reg. $29.50)
 

Valid on all shows except Sat 11am/3pm & Sun 1pm

 

 

 

 

 

Santa at the Old Cannery

This is the only Santa that we can visit as, according to the girls, he is the REAL Santa!

Post Grape-Nut now NonGMO

My kids and husband adore Grape-Nuts.  They were so sad when I stopped buying them when we went nonGMO.  Recently I was grocery store, when I noticed that Grape-Nuts now has the Non-GMO Project seal.  When I see that seal I know that the food is safe for my family.  I bought two family sizes boxes and my family finished them in just one week.  I am so happy that more companies are removing GMOs from their products and even more so when they become Non-GMO Project verified.

Organic Horizon Sandwich Crackers Peanut Butter

 

A few weeks ago I found Organic Horizon Sandwich Crackers Peanut Butter at Target and then Walmart.  My girls both love these, as do I.  They have them in their lunch a few times each week.  Horizon also has a cheese version but we have not tried them. They are not Non-GMO Project Verified but since they are organic we consider them safe.

Garden of Eatin' Pumpkin Chips

I found these yummy Garden of Eatin' Pumpkin Chips at my local Fred Meyer.  They were perfect as a pre-Thanksgiving snack.  My husband adores tortilla chips with salsa before almost every meal.  I thought pumpkin would be fun for Thanksgiving.  My girls have been eating them as snacks and of course in their school lunch.  They actually taste great by themselves or with salsa (we like Costco's organic salsa).  Plus as a bonus they are Non-GMO Project verified.  I always feel better when eating any corn product if it has the Non-GMO Project seal.

Cascading Farms Fruitful O's

 

Since going nonGMO I am always looking for safe foods for my family to eat.  Organic foods are not suppose to have GMOs so if something is USDA organic I generally consider it safe for my family to eat.  I bought the Cascadian Farm Fruitful O's as a special treat for my girls.  I like the cereal as a snack but not with milk.  They are perfect for making cereal necklaces for your children if you want to avoid GMOs and artificial dyes.

Congrats SF Giants

First Day of School

I can't believe my princesses are in 6th and 4th grade!

Opting out of the GMO (Genetically Modified organism) Experiment

Our family is now nonGMO!
I  have eliminated GMOs from our diet while at home.

What are GMOs? (from the NonGMO Project)

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.


Why are we not eating GMOs? (the short version)

My youngest daughter has always been sensitive to foods. At 2 months old we discovered that she was sensitive to dairy, soy and possibly nuts, since I was nursing I had to remove them from our diet until she was 18 months old. She seemed to tolerate those foods at 18 months and we went back to a regular diet. She would sometimes complain about her stomach hurting but it was not all the time, there always seemed to be a reason or it would only last a little while. During the second half of first grade, her stomach started hurting almost everyday about an hour after lunch. She was in the nurse's office 2 or 3 times a week. The school and her doctor just thought she was upset or worried but I knew it was something more. Over the summer we took a trip and her stomach really started to bother her and I figured out it was artificial dyes and preservatives (both are made from petroleum). We eliminated dyes and those preservatives from our diet, which sounds easy but dye is in so many things even white cake and marshmallows.

I thought I found the entire reason her stomach hurt and she was so much better. I was only part right, since she would still get stomach aches but not all of the time.  She was having acid reflux (burb throw up as she called it) and her doctor wanted to put her on Prilosec at 8 years old. I was not going to put my child on a maintenance drug she might need for the rest of her life at 8 years old unless it was the only option. I decided to try diet modification first. I had recently seen Genetic Roulette – The Gamble of Our Lives and thought GMOs might be at least part of reason. I had already been eliminating GMOs from out diet but now I got rid of everything that had GMOs.
It worked!! The only time my youngest gets a tummy ache now is when we eat out since it is hard to avoid all GMOs when not at home.


What maybe a GMOs? (from the NonGMO Project)
(When shopping I assume anything on this list is GMO unless it is organic or NonGMO verified)

High-Risk Crops
Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)

Common Ingredients Derived from GMO Risk Crops
Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.


How do we avoid GMOs?

I buy NonGMO project verified products whenever possible.  For my animal products (meat, dairy and eggs) I only buy organic since almost all non-organic animal feed is GMOs.  I only buy wild caught fish as farmed fish are usually feed GMOs and sometimes dyed to look like wild fish.  If I can't find organic or NonGMO verified then I only buy products that have cane sugar (beet sugar is mostly GMO) and nothing listed above unless that specific ingredient is listed as organic.

What do I buy?
I will be posting reviews of nonGMO foods my family buys and eats. 

Marianne's Ice Cream in Santa Cruz, CA

As a pre-birthday celebration we stopped at Marianne's Ice Cream Shop for some delicious ice cream.  The line was long but so worth it.  If you go, just make sure you bring cash.

First really hot day at home!

Field day at school

Last Tuesday was field day at school. I can't believe school is out for the summer!

NonGMO hotdogs and buns

I bought Applegate organic hotdogs and made my own hotdog buns (I made the dough in my bread machine), since I can't find them locally. They were delicious!