Sunday Funday: Lava Lamps

Make your own temporary lava lamp, with this super cool experiment.

Materials:

• Vegetable Oil
• Water
• Food Coloring
• Fizzing Tablet (ex: Alka-Seltzer)
• Clear plastic bottle or tall glass
• As long as you have enough oil, type won't be an issue.
• Flashlight (not required, but could make it look cool in the dark.)

Instructions:

1. Fill the container with the ratio of 1/4 water to 3/4 vegetable oil.
• This is VERY important. I ran out of oil, so I didn't fill my glass as much as I wanted and the reaction wasn't as cool as it could have been.
1. Don't go crazy, but drop in maybe 10ish drops of food coloring. 
• Bright colors like red are recommended.
1. Now break the fizzing tablet into 2-3 parts.
2. Drop 1 part of the fizzing tablet into the container and watch the magic go!
• In a larger container (like a 2L), you might be able to break and drop the fizzies in different spots.

Note: You can keep adding fizzing tablets when it slows down. We even waited overnight, after the first time,  and got a reaction. Everything had separated and tah-dah! It worked again. 

Warning: Try to drop the tablet in the middle of the container or it kinda looks less cool.

Celebrate Saturday: Movie Night

It can be solo or with someone, because it's movies!

Snacks

• Pop the popcorn and add some seasoning salt or butter or nothing.
• Grab some sweet candy ready (put mini M&Ms in the warm popcorn) or nothing.
• Prepare your slushie, soda, exotic adult drink, or nothing.

The Marcus Theatre chain is actually selling combinations to be mailed or picked up, just for your special movie night. You could check your local theatre chains and see if they're doing similar things. Win-Win for you and them!

Comfort

• Find the comfiest pair of whatever you love.
• Get some pillows and blankets ready on the couch or chair or floor or somewhere.
• Invite your SD6 friend, pet, or family member to "cuddle" with.
• Turn off the lights (they reflect in my TV....).

Now turn on your mov... Oh... I didn't put pick a movie on the list. Well, here's how NOT to pick a movie. Do not spend 20 minutes scrolling through Netflix, Amazon Prime, or "other" looking for something to jump out at you, then be upset with you have to pay to rent or it won't load and play on your digital device. Stay away from TV shows. 

Instead, before your movie night starts, research what you might be in the mood for. Theme out the night if you want. Do whatever you want, but make sure you have the movie picked before you do anything else!

Foodie Friday: Hard Boiled Eggs

Eggs are known to be some of the versatile food items out there. The possibilities are endless, but what about those eggs you hard boiled and have leftover. Maybe you didn't want to make another batch of egg salad or another plate of deviled eggs or add some more crumble to that Cob Salad. There are so many things you can do with a hard boiled egg that you might not have even known about!

First, we have the cook the perfect hard boiled egg. 

We all have our methods, but I recently learned the best and most foolproof way that works for me HERE. It took me 3 tries to perfect what worked the best for my pot, stove, and whatever else. I'm never going back!

Now that we've created our hard boiled eggs, let's see what types of amazing ideas are out there for these eager little guys.

Just so we're clear, there are so many different types of deviled eggs you can make... I'm not going to list all of the excessively crazy ones here, but trust me... everything from buffalo deviled eggs to shrimp and pumpkin deviled eggs are out there for you. 

• Beet Pickled Eggs
• BLT Egglette
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cob Salad Pizza
• Creamed Egg Toast
• Curry Eggs Over Rice
• Deviled Egg Dip
• Dirty Rice Scotch Egg
• Egg Puffs - pastry
• Fried Deviled Eggs
• Hard Boiled Eggs Benedict
• Italian Easter Pie (savory)
• Jammy Eggs with Feta & Flatbread (Jammy Eggs are really neat, so definitely check this out.)
• Mardi Gras Deviled Eggs
• Pickled Eggs (Basic)
• Potato Scotch Egg
• Raised Pork & Egg Pie (by Paul Hollywood you Great British Baking Show Lovers!)
• Reuben Egglette
• Russian Cabbage Pie
• Scotch Egg
• Soy Marinated Egg (can use in all sorts of things)
• Spiced Egg Puffs
• Sriracha Egg Salad
• Thai Fried Hard Boiled Eggs

Other ways to experiment with your eggs:

• Add them to some different types of salads
• Pair smoked Salmon and Hard Boiled Eggs in a dish together
• Tuna and Hard Boiled Eggs work well
• Test out your own Egglette Sandwich idea
• Get some puff pastry and make an egg pocket combo
• Look for some of those Ramen recipes and add some egg

Jammy Egg - Yolk cooked, but stilly "gummy"	Egglette Sandwiches - Above are Reuben
Scotch Egg	Potato Scotch Egg (no meat)
Soy Marinated Eggs	Paul Hollywood's Raised Pork & Egg Pie

I think it's interesting all the different things you can do with an already hard boiled egg. I suppose it's helpful at Easter, but eggs are a staple in my house, so having interesting new ideas for how to use hard boiled eggs is perfect. These are rather Egg-celent ideas!

Share what you made or what you want to try! 

Throwback Thursday: The Dirty 30s Workout

I thought I would change things up for this week. I have found videos of women's exercises and men's exercises from the 1930s. Watch the videos and come up with your own exercise routine! (I personally like the Daily Dozen.)

Record your workout routine and share it in the comments or on social media for others to sample! Try for a few days in a row and see how it goes. What results came of it? 

Sidenote: Doesn't look like sweat was an issue in the 1930s and I see more barefeet or flats instead of all heel! The clothes are a bit skimpier, though. 

Walking/Wheeling Wednesday: Distance Goal

Last week you got going with a little bit of socially acceptance distance walking/wheeling with someone, but now it's about setting your own distance... for walking/wheeling that is.

Set the Goal! Will it be half a mile, a mile, 100 yards? Pick something. Commit to it and GO! 

No requirement for solo or SD6, but make sure if you go with someone, they can hack the goal, too. 

Reminder: If you can't do it today due to something and you don't have at-home-indoor equipment, you have all the time in the world to complete it! 

Here is some inspirational music to motivate you to never give up!

Toughen Up Tuesday: Water

60% of our body is made of water. Every single part of your body needs water in order to work and keep you going. This is especially true if you are exerting yourself with too much physical activity or if you're in a place with safe drinking water isn't an option.

Let's start with the basics. We all know that we're supposed to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day (AKA 64 oz). It has also come out that some of us don't need to drink 64 oz. Some people drink less and some people drink more depending on their personal health and wellbeing. According to MayoClinic.org, water "gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements, keeps your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, and protects sensitive tissues," just to name a few ways it helps our body. 

Additionally, it explains that Men need about 15.5 cups (124 oz, 3.7 liters) of fluid a day. Women need about 11.5 cups (92 oz, 2.7 liters) of fluids a day. But don't forget that water for our body isn't just consumed through drinking it. Foods we eat also help us to hydrate (cucumbers anyone?). I love this Good House Keeping article on how to calculate how much water you should drink.

Did you know you can actually die from drinking too much water?

"In severe cases, water intoxication can cause seizures, brain damage, a coma, and even death. Bottom line: Drinking too much water can increase the pressure inside the skull. This can cause various symptoms and, in severe cases, become fatal." (MedicalNewsToday.com)

What it all comes down to is that you should be hydrating throughout the day. Sometimes your body will tell you when to hydrate, other times you just need to know that you were extremely physical and probably need to replace some of the water you lost.

This could never be more true than in a survival situation. Having access to water is integral for survival. Generally speaking, you can live without water for 3 days. If you're stuck in a survival situation with limited water, make sure you stay away from salty foods (bread, prepackaged snacks) or coffee/tea, but do look around for safe fruits. Dehydrated fruits are not as effective as fresh fruits. It's in the name... de... hydrated.

If you are unsure if you are suffering from dehydration, here are some of the warning signs that MedicalNewsToday.com say to watch out for:

• sluggishness or lack of energy
• headache
• dizziness and confusion
• heatstroke and heat cramps
• stiff joints that may eventually stick and not work properly
• raised or otherwise unregulated body temperature
• swelling in the brain
• sharp changes in blood pressure
• seizures

Ways to ensure you can stay hydrated in a survival situation:

• Preplan and pack as much water as you can safely carry.
• Pre-hydrate appropriately for the activity.
• If you have containers for water, make sure you can reuse them to find additional water. You could also pack an empty container.
• Boil water if it's not clean. You'll want a find mesh strainer to get rid of sediment. Let it cool if you are not a fan. 
• Be careful when boiling, though, so you don't lose too much of the liquid from evaporation. Don't blast the water with heat.
• Make sure you have a thermometer with you to check that the water has reached the temperature for safe consumption. (70-100 degrees F). 
• There are also solar powered kettles.
• Pack some water purifying tablets.
• Use a water filter. I always think of Brita water for this, but you should click the link for the recommended options.
• You can also learn to make your own.

In conclusion:   

Gentle Reminder

Aggressive Reminder

     

Mindfulness Monday: Mood Rings

Inspired by Let That SH*T Go by Monica Sweeney.

Get a digital copy to print or make a copy of HERE.