I know where Santa is - Do you?

Did you know that Santa has already started his deliveries this year?  It's already Christmas in parts of the world!

Have you found the NORAD Santa tracker yet?  It's become a tradition in our house to monitor Santa's progress across the world.  The folks at NORAD have turned their technology to assisting kids (and adults!) keep an eye on where Santa is at.  It adds a super fun element to the day!  As a kid I remember going out looking for Santa, but now with technology the kids can check in on Santa in their pj's too!

As a parent I love it because they have gone to extraordinary efforts to create videos and other geography lessons and it is educational for the kids as they learn small snippets of information about other parts of the world.  Last year my boys spent most of Christmas Eve checking in on Santa's location.  It was so much fun!

Here's the most recent video of Santa at the Taj Mahal, India.


Have Google Maps on your phone?  You can also simply type in "Santa" and it will load Santa's most recent location.

Thanks NORAD for taking the time to share such fun holiday cheer!  The site can  access here.

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Christmas Dinner Recipes from Carapelli plus Coupon!

I prefer to cook with Olive Oils rather than butter whenever possible because it's just plain more healthy.  I'm always on the lookout for unique and new recipes to cook with and wanted to share these delicious recipes from Carapelli Olive Oil.  I'll be trying the Brussel Sprouts with Carmelized Onions tomorrow!  Be sure to head here for a special $1.00 coupon on Carapelli 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

Tuscan Roast Turkey

Serving Size: 16

1 16-pound young turkey

Kosher salt, to taste

1 cup Tuscan Herb Paste

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

2 teaspoons celery salt

3 fennel stalks with fronds, rough chopped

3 onions, large dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

2 1/4 quarts chicken stock

3 ounces all-purpose flour

Remove giblets from turkey’s cavity, rinse cavity and pat dry, set aside. Season turkey inside and out with Kosher salt.

Mix Tuscan Herb Paste with crushed fennel seeds and celery salt. Starting at the neck of the bird, slip your hand between the meat and the skin to loosen.  Rub half the paste mix under skin, and rub remaining paste inside the cavity and over the rest of the turkey. Season all over with kosher salt.

 Place two-thirds of the chopped onion and fennel stalks inside cavity. Truss bird.

 Place turkey in a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F for 30 minutes.

 Reduce temperature to 325°F and continue cooking the turkey to an internal temperature of 160°F, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Baste turkey often during cooking with juices from pan. If turkey begins to overbrown, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

 As turkey roasts, simmer giblets (neck, heart and gizzard), the other one-third of the fennel stalk, onion mix and diced celery in 1 quart chicken stock until tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

 When turkey is done, remove from roasting pan and set aside to rest. Degrease roasting pan, reserving 3 ounces of fat to make a roux.

Deglaze pan with a small amount of chicken stock. Transfer stock to a saucepot, and add remaining stock and broth from giblets. Bring to a simmer and degrease.
 

Make a blond roux with reserved fat and flour. Add roux to the liquid, whisking well to prevent lumps. Simmer 15 minutes. Strain gravy through a fine-meshed strainer. Adjust seasoning.


Tuscan Herb Paste
Yield: 2 1/4 cups

3/4 cup Carapelli Extra Light in Taste Olive Oil

1 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1/2 packed cup fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 tablespoons fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
 

Blend herbs and crushed red pepper with light olive oil using a blender or food processor, then stir in extra virgin olive oil.
 

Serving Ideas: Rub under the skin of turkey for Tuscan Roast Turkey. Use to flavor vegetables for grilling and mushrooms for roasting.

 Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes

Serving Size: 12

10 8-ounce potatoes, (about 5 pounds) peeled and cut in half

3/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 cup Tuscan Herb paste

1/2 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

Boil potatoes in salted water. When cooked tender, mash potatoes. Mix salt and pepper with Tuscan Herb Paste, olive oil and warm heavy cream. Fold into potatoes.



Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

Serving Size: 12

2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, blanched, quartered

4 tablespoons Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, julienned

1 1/2 ounces prosciutto, sliced into 1/2-inch strips

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Trim stem end of Brussels sprouts. Discard wilted outside leaves. Boil in salted water until cooked through (about 7 minutes) until just tender. Shock in ice water. Quarter the cooled sprouts.
 

In large skillet over medium high heat, caramelize onions in olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan. Place in bowl, mix with prosciutto.

In the same skillet, over high heat, lightly brown Brussels sprouts. Add onion-prosciutto mix, toss.  Deglaze by adding white balsamic vinegar and scraping bottom of pan. Season with salt and pepper.

*Note no compensation was received for this post - but products were provided to facilitate the review.

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Last Minute Easy Craft Gift #ElmersHoliday #GlueNGlitter #CBias

My favorite presents have always been the handmade gifts, especially ones made by the children in my life.  I love continuing this tradition and having my sons make gifts each year.  One gift I keep coming back to year after year is a tree ornament.  They have a special place in the holiday celebrations, are easy to make and it's a great way to get kids in the Christmas Spirit.

This year I have been super short on time and extra energy so when it came to an easy gift for the kids to make I fell back on my trusted ornament.  I headed down to my favorite Super Walmart (you can follow along on Google+ here).  I absolutely love my local Super Walmart because it's like one stop shopping.  You can get everything on your list and know you are getting the best deal out there.  You don't have to shop around and waste gas running around everywhere to find the lowest prices.

This year the boys and I put together a fantastic ornament that costs less than $1 each, so they are absolutely fantastic gifts for neighbors, family and friends.  They also make fantastic accent pieces on presents!  Simple enough for the boys to make, yet flexible enough for me to make a few more elegant ones.  This project is fast and easy!

For this project you'll need a basic ornament (you can be creative and use any of the wide variety of ornaments, ones that are already glittered to semi-clear ones and the prices at Walmart can't be beat).  Elmer's Glitter Glue Pens (LOVE THESE!), X-ACTO Precision Scissors, CraftBond Dual-tip Flexible Pen, ribbon and construction paper.

Use your creativity and let the kids decorate the ornaments with the Elmer's Glitter Glue Pens, these are super easy for the kids to use!  Once you have created your design (note that the Glitter Glue Pen makes even the simplest "Merry Christmas" look elegant), let them hang to dry (I used the kitchen chandelier as a resting place).

Cut out the bows and glue them with the CraftBond Dual-tip pen and let them dry overnight.  Use the X-ACTO Precision Scissors to cut out a small square out of the construction paper and write to and from and loop on the ornament hanger.

In just a few short minutes you have custom made ornaments that Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and more will cherish for years to come!

For other great craft ideas you can go to Elmers.com or Facebook here.

*Note:  This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #ElmersHoliday #GlueNGlitter #CollectiveBias #CBias  All of the opinions are completely my own and the products are ones I already loved.  :)

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Easy Prepped and Amazing Desserts from fresh&easy!

Still planning that perfect dessert for your holiday party but running out of time?  Be sure to stop by your local fresh&easy to pick up some of these AMAZING desserts.  Trust me, they taste just as good as they look!  And yes, that is an absolutely scrumptious mini chocolate eclair hiding in the back...

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Free Specialty Coffees at Seattle's Best?

Sometimes I think coffee is the only reason I can get through my day.  A mocha a day keeps the the zzz's away, right? 

For those still doing holiday present shopping (which is most of us, right?) or prepping for those out of town guests be sure to stop in to your local Seattle's Best Coffee (Click here for locations) where you can get a free small beverage with the purchase of a seasonal bag of coffee.  This offer is good through January 3, 2012. 

If you're near the Culver Drive in Irvine location on December 17th or December 18th between 9am and 3pm, be sure to stop in and get a free reusable canvas bag (you can never have enough of these!).

I promise not to tell anyone you got a free Gingerbread Latte, Peppermint Mocha Trio or Sugar & Spice Latte when you bought their present...  :)

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I Cry FOUL at the Spelling Bee

Life has been busy around our house for the last couple of weeks.  Really busy.  Last week my oldest was in the school spelling bee - picked as the top speller in his class.

To say that my husband and I were beyond proud of him for just being in the spelling bee would be an understatement.  We both re-arranged our work schedules to attend.  My son was a pile of nerves that morning, but we did our best to remind him that it didn't matter how he placed - we were SUPER proud of him anyway.  Little did I know I would turn in to one of "those" pageant moms that morning.

He was picked as number one in the order to go and he breezed through the words skating all the way to round four.  What really floored me was the one family that thought it was appropriate to bring their baby to the spelling bee.  I honestly think it was a tactic to mess up the kids.  The kids were nervous enough as it was that one cough, one cry, one random disruption really threw a kid off.  The vice principal had given the audience (including the several classes present) a stern warning about keeping quiet so as not to throw off the concentration of the kids.  I really think he should have directed that at the parents because the kids were great!

The baby cried more times than I could count and the mother had to get up numerous times just to calm the baby down.  The mother was oblivious to the glares from the parents every time the baby would cry.  I feel so bad for the kids who has this baby cry out right in front of them as they are nervously trying not to make a simple little mistake.  Don't get me wrong - I LOVE babies, I just think it is important to be contentious of the event you are bringing the baby too.  This is the perfect example of a time when it would have been better to leave the baby at home with a family member or baby sitter.

I sat there praying that the baby wouldn't cry during my son's turn - knowing how visibly nervous he was.  Round five began and just after the word "witness" was read a woman's cell phone went off.  OMG, my mother bear instinct kicked in.  I could have strangled her.  She darts up and goes running to the back door her phone ringing the whole way.  Seriously people?  Ever heard of silencing your phone?  Think that might be important to double check, triple check, heck even quadruple check that before the spelling bee begins?  Yeah lady, because I took the time to double check mine - it didn't go off during YOUR sons turn. 

My son missed that very word and who knows if he would have gotten it right without the phone ringing.  He told me later that he lost his focus when it happened.

But we are proud beyond belief of how well he did regardless of dumb dumbs who didn't respect the other kids in the spelling bee.

Gotta say... I'm a tad tempted to inform her of how obnoxious that was the next time I see her and anyone who knows me knows that I am one that runs from confrontation!

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Thanksgiving last minute hints (or help!) for fantastic entertaining!

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving is off to a fantastic start!  I've been in my kitchen baking biscotti, scones and croissants all morning!  But I wanted to share a few resources (courtesy of some of my favorite go to magazines for everything household) for you in case your cooking doesn't go according to plan later today or you just need some last minute ideas ...

Thanksgiving 911

Your top Turkey Day problems solved! View a recent live chat with Real Simple food editors.

 Your Healthiest Thanksgiving

Follow this breakfast-to-bedtime plan and you’ll enjoy all the best parts of this holiday with none of the guilt.

 31 Easy Pie Recipes
Make your holiday meal complete with these festive, decadent desserts

THE CROWD-PLEASER’S HOLIDAY COOKBOOK

Wow your table with these variations from Cooking Light on the 5 best-loved dishes on the Thanksgiving table: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie.  Pick a dish from each category and you've got the ultimate Thanksgiving day menu consisting of classic recipes with delicious tweaks.

TURKEY 101

MyRecipes.com talks turkey with advice for how to buy, cook, and carve your Thanksgiving bird.

 

THANKSGIVING ENTERTAINING

Get inspired to create a Thanksgiving celebration your guests won’t forget with table settings that cater to your coastal style, and more.

From Farm to Feast

Meet the farmers who are producing our favorite Thanksgiving foods, from heritage turkeys and heirloom potatoes to vine-ripened cranberries, farmstead flour, and exotic mushrooms. Delicious recipes and a local buying guide, make this an indispensable resource for any cook who realizes that the ingredients truly do make the meal.

Makeovers for Thanksgiving Leftovers
Here are few new ways to enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers

Quick Fixes Before the Guests Arrive

The holidays are right around the corner and now is the time to take care of the improvements you've been procrastinating about all year long. From dead doorbells and jammed doors, to caulking the bath and replacing broken tiles, here are our top quick fixes, and all the information you need to get the job done right.

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Are you in line for those Black Friday sales yet?

This Black Friday is proving to be different than any other.  With stores opening on Thanksgiving to get a jump on Black Friday sales, planning your shopping has gotten even more complicated!  Do you skip dessert to get in line for the deals at Target (that opens at Midnight)?  Or do you start camping out right this very minute (yes, before your turkey is even cooked!)?  Well, I've got news for you, you're too late, unless you are reading this post from a tent camped in front of your local Target.  Yes, last night I saw people already camping in tents in front of our Super Target.  (I apologize for the picture above - I was trying to be covert about taking a picture!).

What Black Friday sales will or won't you be hitting this year? 

Below is a list compiled by CouponSherpa.com to give you the inside scoop on the sales this year.

Kmart has taken the lead this year, opening at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. Toys R Us pulls into second place with a start time of 9 p.m., one hour earlier than 2010. Walmart takes third, opening at 10 p.m. on Turkey Day.

Doesn't anybody "Respect the Bird" anymore?

For those willing to brave crowds on a turkey-filled stomach or rise well before dawn, here is a list of opening hours for 15 major merchants, along with a special deal each is offering. Keep in mind that hours are subject to change and some states don't allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day. For a comprehensive guide to Black Friday store openings and hours, check out CouponSherpa.com.

Ace Hardware - Midnight Friday
Enter to win a Craftsman 5-drawer Tool Center.

A.C. Moore - 5 a.m. Friday
Free $10 gift card to the first 50 customers.

Bealls - Midnight Friday
First 100 customers per store have a chance to win an iPad2, $250 gift card or $5 Bealls Bucks.

Best Buy - Midnight Friday
Best Buy will distribute entry tickets up to two hours before midnight.

Half Price Books - 7 a.m. Friday
First 100 people per store receive a tote bag and $5 gift card.

JCPenney - 4 a.m. Friday
Free collectible Disney snow globe, while supplies last.

Kmart - 6 a.m. Thanksgiving
Earn 20 bonus points for every $1 spent (twice the normal amount).

Macy's - 4 a.m. Friday
Shop online all day Thanksgiving.

Office Max - 6 a.m. Friday
Save $15 on a $100 VISA or MasterCard gift card.

Kohl's - Midnight Friday
Receive $15 Kohl's cash for every $50 you spend, through Nov. 27, with coupon from Black Friday flier.

Old Navy - 9 a.m. Thanksgiving and midnight Friday
Free Kodak Easyshare Sport waterproof digital camera bundle with $40 purchase (while supplies last).

Rite Aid - 7 a.m. Thanksgiving (at select stores) through 11:59 p.m. Friday
$10 reward when you buy a $50 Home Improvement gift card.

Sears - 4 a.m. Friday
Pick up a Real Deal Coupon Book with over $3,000 in savings that start Nov. 27 (while quantities last).

Sports Authority - 5 a.m. Friday
First 80 people in line at each Sports Authority receive Bonus Bucks valued between $10 and $500.

Target - Midnight to 11 p.m. Friday
Learn about unadvertised deals by texting "MORE TVs" to "Target."

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Moments of Meditation to Help You Survive the Holidays

I don't know about you, but the holidays are overwhelming me this year.  I just feel like I'm never going to catch up!

I've been a huge fan of Yoga and Meditation for years.  I just love that feeling of peacefulness after.  Unfortunately these days I just don't have the time to catch a Yoga class or sit down for a meditation session as much as I would like. 

Jeff Cannon author of The Simple Truth has put together the below guest post just for OC Mom Activities readers to help us make use of those spare moments in your day to center and ground yourself everyday during the craziness that is the holidays!

Moments of Meditation for the HolidaysThe Holidays are a time of joy and fun.  It’s a time for family and friends, holiday parties and of course the shopping.  But it can all get a little overwhelming no matter how much you enjoy them.  It’s why sprinkling your Holidays with a bit of meditation can be a good thing for you, and those around you.  Don’t worry you don’t have to set aside a half hour of solitude to enjoy the benefits of meditation.  You just have to take a breather from time to time as a way to maintain your equilibrium and enjoy the holidays the way YOU want to.
Here are five easy tips to do just that:

Breathe Deep

The key to real, ongoing relaxation is found in your breath.  It can calm you, lower your blood pressure, reduce your anxiety and keep you grounded no matter how quickly your world is spinning.  If you feel agitated, draw a full breath slowly into your stomach.  Feel your stomach expand for a slow count to eight.  Hold it for a count to two and slowly exhale it for another count to eight. Feel the air enter and then leave your body and focus on the sensation of your breath.  Take a few deep breaths to ground yourself when you first feel yourself start to spin.  Call it a mini-meditation and enjoy the calm it brings. 

Morning Meditation

There is no better time to set the pace of your day than when you first wake up.  Before you get out of bed in the morning, take a few minutes to notice your breathing. Put one hand on your stomach and take a few deep belly breaths.  Smile, as you feel your stomach rise and fall with each breath.  Don’t just jump into your day, give yourself the two minutes you deserve to balance your morning, steady your thoughts and guide your day in the right direction. 

Shopping Break Meditation

When your wits are at their end take a moment to sit by yourself.  Place your feet flat on the floor with your hands on your thighs.  Take a deep belly breath in, and feel your skin expand against your clothing.  Slowly count to eight on each inhale and each exhale.  Feel the calm start beneath you scalp and move down to your shoulders.  Identify each point of stress and take a moment to allow your inhale to wrap around it, relax it, and take that stress away as you exhale.  Use your three minutes to breathe in positive, relaxing energy, and breathe out negative stress. 

 
Mindful Eating

This is a path to power over your food and your stress.  Instead of just jumping in and trying to finish your meal before you’ve even started, take a moment.  Become aware of the food before you.  Notice the shape, color and texture of it.  Become attuned to your body, the way you salivate, the way you anticipate enjoying it.  Notice the taste, the texture, and the different sensations you feel when you eat.  Take the time to look around and become aware of the service around you.  Notice the place setting, the staff and the décor.  Appreciate and enjoy what you have before you rush back into your day.

Don’t Lose Yourself

During the Holidays family, friends and work associates want to rejoice and celebrate.  It’s what the holidays are all about.  Just don’t forget that you also need to spend time rejoice and celebrate your own self.  It may sound silly, but don’t feel like you have to do everything at your own expense.  Schedule time out for a quiet cup of tea to reflect on last year and think about the new one.  Make sure you schedule time to connect with yourself so that you don’t lose the most important person in your life to the Holiday shuffle.

Remember, the holidays are supposed to be a fun and joyous time.  If you ever feel they aren’t, STOP, BREATHE, and BALANCE yourself to enjoy the love of the seasons.

More about Jeff: 
He was a fast-track entrepreneur with a portfolio of successful businesses, who had published two books with McGraw Hill, produced documentaries and ran his own public relations agency.  Then it all came to a crashing halt at the end of 2009.  One day, he woke up on a hospital bed recovering from a ten hour surgery that removed six of seven brain tumors on his parietal lobe.

Jeff spent the next four months watching his brain reboot itself.  From dreams filled with unmoving black and white textures, to waking up to vivid flashes of memories, he witnessed his senses, and his body slowly came back on line.  A long time devotee to martial arts and yoga, he spent the next year applying his knowledge of Western science and Eastern philosophies to his recovery and his health.  He learned firsthand how the brain is hard wired just as it had been 40,000 years ago.  More important he learned how it could be reprogrammed through such practices as meditation and mindfulness.
Today he still has one tumor in his head that has miraculously stopped growing since his new beginning.  He now works with individuals and groups with a process of personal evolution he calls the Simple Truth.  His mission is to empower, enable, and ensure others live their own Simple Truth through the lessons he learned.

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Supplementing with #VitaminD for the Winter Months #CBias

Being a crazy busy Mom, it's easy to forget to take care of ourselves.  With shorter day and less sunlight we really run the risk of being Vitamin D deficient (especially if you leave for work early in morning and come back after dark!).  And who has time to eat the perfect diet, right?  Being Vitamin D deficient can cause all sorts of health problems from depression, fatigue, lowered immune system to other health issues.

With the way our food is grown these days the foods we eat contain less of the essential nutrients our bodies need.  Taking supplements to bolster the missing nutrients has become just the way it is these days.  I wish I had time to grow my own fruits and vegetables to have then vine ripened, but unfortunately that just isn't practical for most people anymore.

Taking a few minutes to stock up on an extra Vitamin D supplement to help prevent some of the winter blues (among other things) is so important.  I take a regular multi-vitamin, but having the extra boost for the Winter months when I'm not out in the sunshine so much is important.  Benefits of adequate Vitamin D seem to go on forever, Googled it lately?  I was shocked to realize how many different aspects of health Vitamin D really has an effect on.

I'm a creature of habit and when it comes to vitamins I'm even more so.  Buying vitamins from brands I trust is the only way I'll go.  Nature Made vitamins have been around for as long as I can remember and their quality is one I will trust to include in my medicine cabinet.  The prices are always great and you know you are getting a supplement you can trust.

Recently I had the chance to participate in s shop for Vitamin D by Nature Made to stock up and was thrilled because I already have a number of Nature Made supplements in my medicine cabinet.  You can follow along on our trip here on Google+ .

Absorbing some extra sunshine on our way home and noticing the trees are finally changing here in Southern California.

I chose to purchase the gel capsules because I have always found those easier to take.  I have to admit though that I hoped that the pretty blue lid on the bottle might mean that capsules would be a gorgeous blue, but I was wrong.  They are a small little yellow capsule - which in all honest is fine - I just love the pretty blue cap...

Do you change up your vitamin regime for the Winter months? 


Note:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.   #CBias #VitaminD.  But the opinions expressed above are completely my own and the product is one I already love and purchase the brand frequently.

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