Nikki Beach: June 2011

Friday, June 17, 2011

sampler lunch plate

I think I love these plates more than the kiddos. Giving kids healthy foods is my top priority, and making it fun and tasty is their top priority. Behold the Sampler Plate. Everything is divided into tasty sections, not too much of any one thing and each section is devoured by 2 hungry boys. Todays lunch included: blueberries, carrots and hummus, grapes, a few corn chips, apples and a little nutella for dipping. I love filling each and every space with colorful food and I am a bit obsessed about not leaving a section empty. Stay tuned for more sampler plate goodness.

gonna get bendy on my new yoga mat :)

{tumblr}

things to do: make pinwheels

Every week I am posting a crafty thing to do during these fun summer months. These activities can be done with the kiddos or just enjoy for yourself! xo

Colorful pinwheels, made out of coordinating sheets of origami or lightweight paper, stand tall against a blue summer sky, poised to whirl at the slightest suggestion of wind.

Cut a thin dowel or skewer to desired length (clip pointed end from skewer); paint and let dry. Choose two coordinating sheets of origami or lightweight paper. Cut a square from each the size you'd like your pinwheel to be (ours range from 3 to 6 inches). Use spray mount to glue squares together. Fold in half, diagonally, and in half again, then unfold. Cut along each crease two-thirds of way to square's center, dividing each corner into two points. Bring every other point to center so points overlap. Hold in place, poke a pushpin through center, and, keeping points in place, remove pushpin. Insert a map pin into hole formed (the pushpin hole is slightly larger than circumference of the map pin, enabling the pinwheel to spin). Thread a small bead onto pin behind the wheel, and poke pin into dowel 1/2 inch from top. To prevent wood from splitting, soak the dowel tip in water before inserting map pin.

{instructions via: martha stewart, picture via we heart it}

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

beach TUNES

Music and the sea go hand and hand. Nothing quite like the laid back sounds of Donavon Frankenreiter and Jack Johnson or the quirky upbeat tunes of Eliza Doolittle. I love getting in the mood for kickin back on the beach preferably with a fire, food and friends. What's on your iPod for this summer?

Rise above plastics

There is a section of the Pacific Ocean twice the size of the continental United States called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Within it, 100 million tons of plastic swirl in a vortex of currents. There is so much plastic in the water that it outnumbers zooplankton by six to one!

This plastic ends up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. In fact, one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die globally each year due to ingestion of or entanglement in plastics.

Plastic is forever, with virtually every piece of petroleum based plastic ever made still in existence. That's why it's so critical to our oceans and beaches that we dramatically reduce our use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, starting today.

You can make a difference for our world's oceans, waves and beaches -- pledge to rise above plastics today.

I took the pledge today! I have many reusable shopping bags and we all have reusable water bottles but sometimes {well a lot of times} I forget to bring my bags to the store etc.... I am pledging to be more mindful in my daily life to search for alternatives to plastic.

{rise above plastics}