Field Trip Mom - Sharing my story with you.

Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

I hope you will continue to follows us on our journey. 

Best regards,

Alma - Field Trip Mom 

How to make a succulent terrarium.

Mother's Day is just around the corner and a homemade terrarium will be the perfect gift for her.  First, you will have to buy a few items that can be found at a local gardening store or you can look at your local Target store.  Let's start with the tools and materials you will need.

Materials needed: 

Glass Container

Potting Soil for Succulents

Gardening Charcoal

Small Rocks 

Various Succulent Plant Clippings

Dry Moss 

Small Decorations 

How to get started:

1. Start with a medium size glass container. You can use a recycled pickle jar similar to the kind you find at Costco or even a clear vase.  I found the most popular jar for this craft is a medium size fish bowl.  I suggest you look around your kitchen cabinet first and recycle instead of buy.  Really any medium size glass jar will do. 

2. Once you have your glass container, you will need to add small pebbles or rocks.  The rocks will help with drainage preventing the roots from rotting.  The rocks can be found at your local gardening center or in nature.  You will need enough small rocks to cover 1 to 2 inch layer of the bottom of your glass container. 

3. Use the charcoal to help with odor, control moisture and improve drainage. Use enough to cover about 1/2" above the rocks.  Please see the picture below to see what it should like when you are done. 

4. Buy Potting Soil for succulents.  Use enough to cover the bottom of the container so that half of the container is filled.  By now, you should have three layers inside the container. One layer was small rocks, second layer was charcoal and third is the potting soil. 

5. Use various succulent clippings or buy small containers of the different types to add to the soil.  Choose the plants based on your tastes and what appeals to your eye.  Make sure that you place the plant approximately 1/2" into the soil making sure it can take root.  Tip: Colorful plants make a terrarium more attractive. 

5. Moss is used to decorate the terrarium and as decor to cover the soil.  It also acts as protection for the plants.  Now, you can start decorating the terrarium with decorative rocks, shells, ceramic animals or  plastic bugs.  Use your imagination and enjoy.

Photo Credit: NASA

Something to think about:

Quote directly from the NASA Kids page: "A terrarium has its own mini-climate. The container has just a small opening or sometimes even a lid to completely enclose the container. That makes a terrarium like a greenhouse. Sunlight enters through the glass and warms the air, soil and plants the same way that sunlight coming through the atmosphere warms Earth’s surface. The glass holds in some of the warmth, just as Earth’s atmosphere does."

The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California. #fieldtrip

The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California make flower growing look easy.  They have been planting and growing Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers on a 50 Acre lot for 85 years. Over the years, they have produced 10 million flowers.  Only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, this flower farm is beautiful to experience. The farm has several different attractions that are full of color such as the American Flag made from Flowers, the Sweet Pea Flower Maze, The Artist Garden, Cymbidium Orchid Greenhouse and the Historic Poinsettia Display.  Other fun attractions that many will enjoy include the Antique Tractor Wagon ride and the Carlsbad Mining activity for the kids.

On this visit, we started our tour with a tractor ride.  For an additional fee, we rode the entire field listening to fun facts about the farm.  It felt adventurous to just sit back and take in the view of all of the flowers with a beautiful Pacific Ocean back drop all at the same time. 

After our tractor ride, we headed straight for the Sweet Pea Maze passing the children's play area to smell our way out of maze.  This area is my favorite because the flowers smell so delicious.  It is hard not to want to cut some of the flowers.  The Sweet Peas are full of color and beauty so much so that you will want to plant your own.  This is a must smell and see attraction.  Watch out for the bees, butterflies and ladybugs, they visit this area the most.

Behind the Sweet Pea Maze, you will find the Poinsettia Display and Cymbidium Orchid greenhouse.  The Poinsettia display offers several different types of colors and styles that are in the same plant family.  The Orchid greenhouse is smaller but still it was interesting to see. 

Then, we headed up to the top of the hill to get close to the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus.  As we walked up the hill, we could see the different colors that decorate the 50 acres.  It was very exciting to see nature in full bloom.

Around the corner, along Palomar Airport Road, we saw a hillside with an American Flag made from Red, White and purple Petunias.  The strategically planted flowers are a tribute to the United States.  The hillside is approximately 300 ft by 170 ft in size and it can be seen from far away. 

As we walked out to leave for the day, we noticed that there was a mining activity that we all wanted to explore.  The kids had been obtaining stamps on their plant passports for activities completed and explored.  My oldest son gave me his plant passport and said, "Look Mom, it has a coupon for the mining activity."  We gladly took the coupon and proceeded to do some mining. 

As we left the flower fields, we headed towards the Pacific Ocean to experience more of San Diego.  It was a fun day just smelling the flowers. Our hope is that you find your way there one day and enjoy it just as much as we did. 

Boysenberry Festival Ends April 12th at Knott's Berry Farm

We had the best time at Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival. The food was amazing and the shows were fun and exciting. My family and I made some fun memories at the festival as well as tried new foods. The experience was one we won't soon forget. Let me share with you a few of our moments. 

Wine and Craft Brew Garden, located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall, sold an assortment of wine and craft brew labels, in addition to a variety of boysenberry inspired gourmet food. My favorite drink was the Boysenberry punch with fresh fruit and yummy crackers. 

The Boysenberry ICEE Float was delicious after a hot day at the park. I had two to cool myself down. Hubby had one and the kids shared one. Did I mention I loved the ICEE float! 

Deep fried Alligator with a Boysenberry aioli made for a hungry family of four was just right. After going on several rides we decided to stop and taste the other, other white meat. It tasted just like chicken! Yes, it was tasty and tender. 

Knott's offers a tasting card that allows you to try (6) food items for only $25.00.  This is a great deal for all who are visiting the park with the spirit of a foodie. I highly recommend purchasing at least one card and trying the Fried Alligator as well as the Spicy Boysenberry BBQ Wings.

We ate like kings and rode rides until nightfall.  Then, we danced until the park closed.  All of us danced to the most popular songs by the large fountain.  There was plenty of room for all of us to show off our mad dancing skills.  It was our first time watching our little kids turn into dancing machines.  Just like that, the night ended and we left to go home.  Our visit to Knott's Berry Farm proved to be a fun and memorable day. 

Disclosure: Sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts are all my own. 

I Heart Orange County, California. #IheartOC

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, The Orange County Community Foundation is asking everyone in your community for help in raising funds that will benefit over 350 local charities.  Their goal is to raise $2 million dollars for Orange County non-profit organizations in a 30 hour period.  

The hope is to inspire our community to come together with an extra-mile of giving in support of the exemplary work of local nonprofits. Giving Day starts on Tuesday, April 21 at 6 a.m. through Wednesday, April 22 at noon. There is a minimum donation of $25.00 dollars, however there is no maximum donation. You may also give to multiple non-profit organizations of your choice. All donations are tax deductible via a secure site at iheartOC.org.

To help you spread the word about this amazing event. OCCF has added a giveaway that anyone can enter for a chance to win $150.00 to grant to your favorite non-profit charity. Contest runs until April 20th, 2015 at 8:00 am. There is (4) ways you can enter.

(1) Follow OCCF on Twitter https://twitter.com/ocCommunityFdn
(2) Send out a tweet about our awesome event.
(3) Visit OCCF's Facebook Page
(4) Post a photo of hearts. (Get creative with nature or your own hands.) 
Click on the RAFFLECOPTER to link up to the giveaway:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


Find out more information by visiting their social media pages. 
https://www.facebook.com/OCCommunityFdn
https://twitter.com/ocCommunityFdn
http://instagram.com/occommunityfdn
https://iheartoc.org/#giveaway

Disclosure: Sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are all my own. 

Tart Cherries the super fruit!

Cheribundi sent us samples of their delicious Tart cherry juice a few weeks back to try. What I found when I read about this SUPER FRUIT was that it adds great benefits to one's  health.

For example, Tart Cherries have been known to be Super Fruits packed with antioxidants. This red delicious fruit is a natural sleeping aid because it contains melatonin. Consuming tart cherries also may help reduce inflammation in the body.

While Cherries can be found only in the summer in Southern California.   The juice Cheribundi is available all year round.

My Opinion:

I have been drinking and cooking with it for the past 5 days. So far, it has helped me feel energized. I consume one throughout the day. The best part is there are no seeds to deal with or big messes! I have made frozen smoothies and Ice Tea drinks. The other day I tried to add it to my chicken BBQ marinate, but the kids accidentally drank the last of the Cheribundi juice. It turns out this juice is a favorite after playing handball and getting a heavy workout.

Overall my opinion on drinking Cheribundi  is that it's delicious and great for a growing family. I recommend only drinking one 8oz glass per day with a healthy balanced meal.

Disclosure: If you are diabetic, please check with your doctor before adding it to your diet. #sponsored #Cheribundi

All thoughts and opinions are all my own.