Picking Perfect Fruit

One thing that I love about living in California is we are lucky enough to have such an amazing assortment of fresh produce to choose from. My sister, when she was living in Utah, said that the students there would go to Jamba Juice to get their "fruit" via smoothies. As much as I love smoothies (and trust me I make them daily), there's something about biting into a fresh piece of perfectly ripe fruit. Am I right?! 

I was thinking it might be helpful to some of you to name some fruits and how to choose a good one from the bunch. Nothing's worse than eating fruit that isn't quite ripe enough...or too ripe!

From my experience, this is what I've found to be helpful in picking out fruit.

Watermelon- I kind of knock on it and if it sounds hollow that seems to be the best kind.

Cantaloupe- I do the knock trick for this one too but what really helps is picking it up and smelling it. If you can smell it from the outside, it's perfect!

Bananas and Apples- Those are pretty obvious. I just go for the ones that don't have holes/scratches/ and aren't overly bruised. When the bananas at home get too bruised I either make banana bread out of it or peel them, break it up into two or three pieces, and put in a freezer bag in the freezer specifically for smoothies. I have one for strawberries too.

Strawberries- Not too mushy, perfectly red, no mold or holes.

Grapes- No mushy grapes!

Peaches- Not mushy and not too hard. It should be soft.

Those are my go-to fruits. Do you have any more helpful tips for picking out fresh fruit?

-Shelley

New Favorite Lotion For Dry Skin

One maybe not so good thing about living here is the dry weather. I don't know about you, but this year has been particularly hard on my skin. I have never had this bad or this many flare ups of eczema before. I tried everything to get it to go away and absolutely nothing worked as well as Cortizone 10 cream.

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I can't believe it took me this long to branch out and try something besides my regular lotions and hydrocortisone creams. But this stuff seriously works. I just thought I would throw that out there just in case anyone else has been suffering and looking for something that might help. I also was working on getting rid of my dry heals and this totally worked.

-Shelley

Paddle Boarding and Kayaking

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with some girlfriends in Newport Beach. One of the things we did there that was a lot of fun was kayaking and paddle boarding at the Newport Aquatic Center.

It was only $20 for two people for an hour of kayaking.

I didn't personally try the paddle boarding because I was afraid of falling into the cold bay. But it looks like it was a lot of fun and I will want to try it someday!

There was another place for kayaking that I've been to near Balboa Island but I think that was a little pricier. It was pretty cool though because we went by a ton of wild life near the docks.

What are some of your favorite places to do water sports?

-Shelley

Taking A Toddler To Disneyland

I recently took my daughter to Disneyland for her first time and it was way too hot. 100 degrees or so. Here are some tips I gathered for you just from my 2-3 hours (because we had grandma rescue her after we couldn't keep her in the heat any longer) at Disneyland with a toddler.

1. Don't go when it's too hot/too cold.
2. Bring plenty of water/drinks, food/snacks, diapers, and wipes.
3. Bring your own stroller and be prepared to run people over.
4. I might even suggest getting one of those baby backpack/leashes...
5. Let him/her run around every once in a while so they aren't stuck sitting all day.
6. Don't forget sunscreen!
7. Wear layers.
8. Fast passes are your friend!
9. Map out ahead of time which rides you want to take him/her on so you are sure to hit them all.
10. It's a Small World is one of the best rides to get indoors, relax, and entertain your kid.

-Shelley

Surviving A Long Commute

Does this look familiar? If you said no, then you're pretty damn lucky because most of us So-Cal peeps have to make our way through this disaster in order to get to or from work. Sometimes, both.

I know, pitiful.

I work in O.C. and live in Riverside so my commutes an average of like 45 minutes (on a good morning) to 1.5 hours (on a tough afternoon) every day. How do I survive it?

With the help of these key items:

XM Radio - No commuter should ever go with out it. I know because I tried & didn't survive more than two months. With over a hundred stations that very from 50s - 90s music, talk radio to news & traffic, you'll never get bored.

Flip Flops - Most of the time I drive barefoot but it's always convenient to have a pair of these in the car in case you have to run out to pump gas or grab something from your trunk.

Lumbar Pillow - What can I say, I have horrible posture. Yes, even when I'm driving.

Coffee - Any kind will do but I prefer a Frapp to help keep me alert while on the road. Nothing like a cold iced coffee on a hot day when you have to sit through traffic.

Snack - Who am I kidding, my snacks not always fruit. But that does look good doesn't it? Heck, most of the time my snack's a candy bar or stale crackers. The point is, by the time you're in the middle of traffic you'll probably get hungry and wont want to jump off the freeway for some grub so it's a good idea to have something handy. Hunger only leads to being grumpy-hungry which of course then leads to road rage. Ain't no one a fan of that!

So yeah, that's how I manage to get through long commutes on a daily basis. There's no way to avoid it but the least I can do is make the best out of it.

-Lin