Category Archives: Diversions

The stuff that didn’t fit elsewhere.

The time I spent the day at the Mother Earth News Fair

04/13/2016 Nichole

Saturday was a frigid, blustery day, and I spent most of it outside at the Mother Earth News Fair. My mom had wanted to go, so I bought passes for us a few months ago. But Saturday morning rolled around and she wasn’t feeling well, so I recruited my friend Carrie to go with me instead. She’s a good sport.

I went in to the day thinking that the Mother Earth News Fair was pretty much a hippie festival. It turns out it’s more about homesteading and farming, both of which I believe hippies are into. So I guess I was partially correct.

But the fair was about other things, too. Like mead, wood-fired ovens, and “prepping.”

Lots and lots of prepping.

I have mixed feelings about the prepping movement. On one hand, I would like to be prepared for a natural disaster or something that would knock power out for awhile, etc. On the other hand, I’ve read a lot of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, and I’m not keen on living in a society where I’d have to get into a knife fight over a piece of beef jerky or a shoelace. So it might be best for me if I stay unprepared for that sort of scenario, so I meet my demise swiftly after the doomsday event.

Anywho.

I only went to a few of the presentations, and I wasn’t overly impressed with them. There were a lot to choose from, though, so maybe I just picked a few duds. The expo area was pretty fun to explore, though, and I tried a number of new things there. Such as:
– I patted a tiny goat.
– I tasted five varieties of hickory syrup, which until Saturday I didn’t know existed.
– I tried several flavors of hemp soda and didn’t care for any of them.

The goat was very soft. I did not pat the bunny.

I bought a jar of sweet and spicy pickles from GR Picklers. They are delicious and so spicy that I can only eat one little pickle chip at a time. Speaking of spicy, I also bought a jar of Fire Cider. It’s apple cider vinegar with a touch of habanero and horseradish, among other things. It tastes terrible. I bought it for Rockford’s dad, who takes apple cider vinegar every day and loves horrifically spicy things. I haven’t gotten a report back from him on his opinion of it yet.

Other cool things I saw at the fair:

This wreath was made from succulents, and it was lovely and oddly soothing to gaze upon. It was also $70, which is why I did not bring it home with me.

The hand-forged garden tools from Homestead Iron in Missouri were so beautiful that I don’t know if I’d be able to put them in the dirt. They looked very sturdy, and they come with a lifetime guarantee. I was very, very tempted to buy one, but I didn’t because I was low on funds and I don’t do much gardening. Carrie bought a trowel, though. I look forward to finding out how much she loves it and then buying one of my own from their website.

I don’t normally make a practice of accepting free cookies from people in trucks, but I made an exception for the King Arthur Flour people. The King Arthur Flour truck is ridiculously cute, with a big red spatula on the top and a rolling pin bumper on the front. They were matching donations made to the local food bank, so I left some money and took two cookies and a recipe for their chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

Other than the Arctic winds, it was a nice way to spend a Saturday. I’m not sure I’d buy a pass for the full weekend again — we didn’t go back on Sunday — but I’d like to go again next year just for the expo.

Diversions, sponsored

5 fun ways to keep the kids occupied on Spring Break

03/23/2016 Nichole

Picture perfect

Scavenger hunts are fun, and photo scavenger hunts are even better because they allow you to capture items like A Creepy Bug or Something Gooey without actually having to tote them back home with you. Photojojo has some terrific tips for planning a large-scale scavenger hunt, but you could also use the list from My Kids Adventures to have a snap-happy good time.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Pete likes to collect recyclables and turn them into buildings, streets and vehicles for his “Trash City.” The city councilors require him to tear it down and rebuild every now and again, mostly so his room doesn’t look too much like a landfill, but that never seems to bother him all that much. The joy is in the construction. Bored Panda and BuzzFeed each feature an impressive compendium of items you can make with recyclables.

Refresh the toy bin

This is definitely the one my kids would vote for, but we aren’t in the habit of buying new toys just to assuage boredom. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to provide some new toys without buying them? Hold on to your hats, because there is! Pley subscription access to more than 400 LEGO sets and other popular toys. Pley packages are delivered to your door, and when the kids are done playing they can return them for a new toy. (And also Pley sponsored this post.)

Working at the car wash

I’ve mentioned before that we’ve had success setting up a mini car wash for the Hot Wheels in our household. I can only imagine the car wash sprinkler from Lowe’s would be an even bigger hit with the kids. It looks like it would take a little time to set up, but your driveway would be the place to be if you had one of these set up. And if you aren’t feeling industrious enough to DIY a kid car wash? Set the kids loose with some soap and sponges on your own car. You’ll have squeaky clean wheels and a happy crew in no time.

Flex your green thumb

It’s not quite time to put plants in the ground where we are, but your small fries could help get your garden heading in the right direction by working on some egg carton seed starters or by turning rocks into garden markers. Not ready to turn your tomato futures over to the kids? Set them loose on their own terrariums!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for the subscription toy service Pley.

Music, partner campaign

This is what Gwen Stefani’s “Truth” sounds like

03/18/2016 Nichole

The first concert I went to with my friends was in February 1996. I was a senior in high school, and a group of us drove two hours to see Bush. We were all there to see Gavin Rossdale & company, but all we talked about on the way home was Gwen Stefani and No Doubt. By the next day we all owned copies of “Tragic Kingdom.” (I still have mine.) No Doubt was good, but Gwen Stefani was great. She was all energy and electricity, and it’s no wonder that Gavin fell for her.

Yeah, it was that tour. The one where No Doubt opened for Bush, and Gwen and Gavin fell in love. All of which paved the way for Gwen’s new album, “This is What the Truth Feels Like.” It’s all about old, broken love and exciting, scary new love, and it’s pretty personal stuff.

Some of the lyrics on the new album — from “I don’t know why I cried, but I think it’s because I remembered for the first time since I hated you that I used to love you” to “I feel worthless, I’ve been hurt so bad, I get nervous you won’t love me back” — seem so personal that I felt a little weird listening to them. Like I was reading her personal emails to Gavin Rossdale or Blake Shelton. Of course, this isn’t the first time Gwen has written pretty transparently about a relationship. Most of “Tragic Kingdom” is about her breakup one of her No Doubt bandmates, but even 20 years after that album her lyrics strike me as shockingly frank.

“This is What the Truth Feels Like” is just as confessional as “Tragic Kingdom” was, but its sound is far less raw. Gwen’s look was more track star than movie star two decades ago, and her music now sounds more recording studio than garage band. A couple of tracks on the album, such as “Misery” and “Asking 4 It” (featuring Fetty Wap!), sound like they would be right at home on the soundtrack of a high school romance movie. I like high school movies, so that’s not a bad thing. Other songs are decidedly more post-graduate. I’m looking at you, “Send Me a Picture.”

For an album that came out of what had to have been a very upsetting and confusing time, “This is What the Truth Feels Like” is packed with danceable tracks. And when I say “danceable,” I mean I can very easily bounce around the kitchen to them while I’m making dinner. People who actually know how to dance would probably find songs like “Naughty,” “Make Me Like You” and the scorned-woman anthem “Red Flag” actionably danceable.

You can buy “This is What the Truth Feels Like” starting today at iTunes, Target and other retailers.

Disclosure: Nichole participated in this sponsored album review program as a member of One2One Network. She was provided the album to review, but all opinions are her own.