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Apr 30

Choosing the Right Summer Camp

Oh the memories of Summer Camp; making new friends, time away from my parents, playing games, time away from my parents, learning new things like horseback riding, and of coarse time away from my parents. Mom’s, don’t kid yourself, your kids need some time away from you just as much as you need it from them. Summer camp is a great opportunity for you to get a small and needed break from carpools and piano lessons and your kids have an opportunity to socialize outside of the texting and e-mailing world. I am writing this, not from the perspective of a new mom (I don’t think I’ll be sending my one year old off to summer camp anytime soon) but as someone who remembers camp fondly as an influential part of my childhood.

Choosing the right summer camp is not rocket science but it does need some good communication with your children; you need to be aware of their likes and dislikes and their comfort level with either a sleepover camp or day camps. For example, if Joey is really into tennis these days then you will want to look into a tennis camp and if Peyton is really into playing the drums then she may want to go to a music camp. One thing you will want to consider is if, regardless of the specific focus, it’s a well rounded camp. Is there free time to socialize with other camp goers, does it incorporate activities that challenge you child with things they have never done before. These are all important learning and growing experiences.

Other more practical and logistical decisions will be where the camp is located, the experience of the staff, the quality of the environment, and the cost. That will require calling each facility you have in mind and asking your own questions about the camp.

So, when you’ve picked the one that makes the most sense and sounds like fun for your kids all you have left to do is decide what yoga classes you want to go to each week , the best time to take your daily naps, and what night your girlfriends are going to come test out those cocktail recipes you found online.

Have fun!

Article by Megan Stremmick

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Apr 29

The Non-Exercise

Know the worst part about exercising? It’s finding the motivation to get up and do it. So, what’s the best way to get over this? Find an exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise at all!
Here are a few idea’s below:

Gardening
This is usually thought of as a low intensity and a relaxing activity. But really. If you decide to plant beautiful spring flowers, or a vegetable garden- you are in for a good work out. There’s weeding, planting, fertilizing and watering to be done which can all add up to a killer workout! Not only do you get your heart rate up, but you can contribute to a healthy diet too. Who doesn’t love a freshly grown salad on a summer afternoon directly from your own garden?

Cell and Stroll
I bet you can think of about five family members that you’ve been meaning to call and just haven’t gotten around to it. Or maybe some old college classmates that you would like to get close to again? Grab your cell phone, head to a park, and dial away. My friends are quite chatty, so I usually end up doing extra rounds around the park because they haven’t finished their stories yet (no offense, I love you all J).

Dance like Someone is Looking
You can go out for a night on the town! Switch those hips and get down to the beat! You can bring an entire group of friends to dance the night away, work up a sweat and get one heck of a workout from it. If you’re the shy type, you can dance it out at home for half an hour a day like Napoleon Dynamite!

Go to the Mall!
Window shopping is always fun! Don’t use any elevators or escalators. Not only might you get some great ideas for new Summer fashions- but the spaghetti strap tank tops might just give you that extra motivation to keep going. Another great thing about this is that it doesn’t matter what the weather is outside- you have no excuse why you can’t exercise!

Try a Summer Sport
Try out Hang gliding, Kite Surfing, Wake Boarding, Skateboarding, etc. all of these activities are super fun and you will be proud of yourself for trying something daring!

The trick is to have an active lifestyles that will get you up off your butt!
Not only that, but these activities are a blast! Soon enough, the feeling of lacking motivation to get up and exercise will be a thing of the past.

Go out, have fun, and get healthy all at once!

What is your favorite way to get in shape for the summer?
Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Fitness

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Apr 22

Non-Composting Moms Can Still Make a Difference

Post by: Megan Stremmick

You may have seen the Oprah Earth Day episode a while back with Julia Roberts talking about and showing examples of how she composts at home. It was a great episode that you can still see on Oprah.com, and after watching it I can remember feeling inspired to turn myself into an environmentally conscious, compost loving, Prius driving conservationist. Then…the reality of my life began to take hold and my car that was already paid off and still ran well seemed more economical than purchasing a brand new Prius and the idea of fitting in composting to an already overflowing schedule just seemed down right daunting. I started to feel guilty as if I was being socially irresponsible by not planting my own organic garden in the backyard but then I realized that there are plenty of other things that I was already doing and could start doing that would not be so overwhelming.

Get Back to the Basics— Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These are self explanatory things that we have all been learning since we were young and they are easy to put into practice.  Take stock of how much you consume and what you may be wasting. When you are at the store and buying groceries for the week are you sure you’re going to eat all of that produce before it goes bad? When you grab a paper towel to dry your hands, could you have just as easily used a dish cloth? You have friends and family over for a get together and they all know where the trash can is but do they know where your recycling can is? Did you know you can recycle that piece of foil that was covering your leftovers in the fridge when you couldn’t find the matching lid for the Tupperware.

If It’s Yellow Let It Mellow

Ok, I wouldn’t recommend you go that far, especially with curious little one’s wandering the house, opening lids and putting there hands and faces into things…yikes. There are other ways of cutting down your water consumption however, so let’s start with the dishes. Many people have a dishwasher these days but even if you do chances are you are still washing plenty of things in the sink—non-dishwasher safe plastics, big pots and pans, and those beautiful wine glasses that your aunt Nancy gave you as a wedding gift. I catch myself turning the water on hot and letting run while I scrub away at the sink and the majority of that water is not even helping me clean, it’s just running down the drain while I use a little elbow-grease on my dirty roast pan. Now I fill one side of the sink half way with hot soapy water (preferably the disposal side so that the bits of food that you are scrubbing off don’t clog the sink) and use the other side to rinse off the scrubbed dishes with clean water. This way you scrub-a-dub-dub without the water running then just rinse all at once. The same concept applies when you brush your teeth or wash your face, do you really need it running when you brush or lather?

Bag It!

Reusable shopping bags are popping up everywhere from the $.99 bags at the checkout to the trendy “that would even be a cute diaper bag” bags that can run upwards of $20 and a variety in between. No matter what you choose I recommend getting enough for even your biggest trips to the store, you know, the times when your cart is overflowing because you haven’t shopped in three weeks and the household is down to a brown banana, an apple with a mysterious bite out of it, limp celery, cereal but no milk, and a couple boxes of mac ‘n cheese. You just keep the bags in your car (put all of the bags into one and keep in your trunk or back seat) just don’t forget to bring them in the store with you. I am so adamant about using mine now that once I was in the check out line, forgot my bags in the car and ran out to the car to get them. When everyone in line realized what the hold up was for none of them minded in the least, I even got a couple supportive comments like “hey, that’s great dedication to our environment”. So pass on the paper or plastic and use your own.

How are you celebrating on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day? Let us know on Twitter or on Facebook!

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Apr 21

Paper Mache Recycled Hanging Suns!

I know my sun looks a little crazy. :0) But it was fun to make and I love
how it turned out!

Know what tomorrow is?!?

That’s right! The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!

I get so excited for this holiday every year because it means several things:

  1. Spring is here!
  2. We get to celebrate our amazing planet!
  3. I get to make recycled crafts with all of the kids in my family!

I try to get together the younger kids in my family like my nieces and nephews to teach them the importance of appreciating our environment and caring for it!

Craft: Recycled Hanging Suns

What you will need:

  • Colored pipe cleaners
  • An old newspaper
  • White flour (I cup)
  • Water (1 cup)
  • Paints
  • Paintbrushes
  • Rafia Twine (you can get this from any Craft Store)
  • Balloon/s

Directions (be sure to read this with your kids):

  1. Blow a balloon to your preferred size (keep in mind this will be the size of the globe of your sun)
  2. Mix the water and flour together in a bowl to make a paste to paper mache your balloon
  3. Tear the old newspaper into long thin strips
  4. Dip the strips of newspaper in the paste and start covering your balloon
  5. Make sure you have covered the entire balloon with strips of paper and paste. You do not want any gaps except for at the knot of the balloon. Make sure to layer the paper mache two or three times so that it will be strong.
  6. Let the paper mache balloon dry over night.

1. Now the fun part! Paint your paper mache balloon yellow (or whathever color that inspires you) so you have the globe of your sun. tip: hold the balloon by the knot while you paint the globe so you don’t get your hands too covered in paint. Here’s where you can let loose and paint whatever you want on the sun: a face , or flames, symbols, a mural of all things happy and fun! It’s your sun, have at it.

2. After the sun has dried, have an adult help you poke holes around the side of your paper mache sun with a pin. This will pop the balloon inside, which you can throw away afterwards

3. Bend the pipe cleaners in zig zags or swirls and insert into the holes to make sunshine.

4. Once you have added as many pipe cleaner “flames” as you like- take some of the raffia twine, fold in half, and tie a knot at the fold. Place this knot inside your sun and it should be large enough to stay in place.

5. Pick a place to hang your sun! Wherever you need to brighten your day! These also make great Mother’s Day gifts.

Happy Earth Day everyone!

What are you doing for Earth Day? Make sure to let us know on Twitter or on our Facebook page! We are always looking for cool recycled crafts that we can do with the children in our lives.

Can’t get enough sun? Neither can we! Make sure to enter our Draw Your Own Sun Contest to have a chance of winning $1,000 in art supplies for a K-12 school of your choice and to be featured on our new packaging! There will be 100 winners- that’s $100,000 in art supplies! Enter Now!

Crafts

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Apr 20

Recycled Crafts for Earth Days’ 40th Anniversary!

We here at 8th Continent Soymilk have so much to celebrate this month! April is National Soy Foods Month and we will be joining Autism Speaks at the Walk Now for Autism event on April 24th in LA.

We have been so busy already this month and I wanted to make sure everyone remembers April 22nd is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day!

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to create a cute Spring-inspired recycled craft with the kids? Not only is it fun, but also it helps teach them the importance of recycling and caring for our environment.

Craft: Earth-Friendly Flowers

What you will need:

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Empty egg container
  • Green pipe Cleaners
  • Spring themed Tissue paper
  • And a vase to display your awesome project!

Steps:

  1. Cut 2 double-layered square pieces of tissue paper
  2. Cut one egg cubby out of the egg carton
  3. Poke a hole through the first squares of tissue paper with the pipe cleaner
  4. Follow the tissue paper with the recycled egg carton cubby
  5. Poke a whole through the last squares of tissue paper with your pipe cleaner and twist the end of the pipe cleaner so the parts do not fall off
  6. Place two fingers below the squares of tissue paper closest to the end stem and slide the layer of paper and the egg carton cubby up until it scrunches the top square of tissue.

7.Put a dab of glue on the outside of the egg carton cubby and paste the bottom tissue paper against the outside.

Remember: the flowers you make will not all look the same- just like flowers in nature.

Make as many of these Earth-Friendly Flowers as you would like and insert into your vase. I put tissue paper at the bottom of my vase and some decorative pebbles to keep the flowers positioned and arranged! Also- you can trim down the stems if the flowers are too tall.

This is a great craft to do with the kids and an adorable centerpiece for any Spring-time meal!

What are you doing to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day? Let us know on our Facebook or on Twitter!

Crafts

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Apr 14

8th Continent Soymilk and Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Walk Now for Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest grassroots Autism walk program, is Autism Speaks’ primary fundraising and awareness event. On April 24th, 8th Continent Soymilk will be at the Walk Now for Autism Speaks in Los Angeles.

8th Continent Soymilk is a proud supporter of this event. We’ll be at the expo for the duration of the walk giving out samples, coupons, and hosting the Draw a Sun Contest that we’re using to give $1,000 in art supplies to 100 schools across the country!

In addition to showing our support by presence, we are proud to say that 8th Continent Soymilk is a gluten and casein free product, as it’s been shown that Autistic children react better to gluten and casein free diets.

Powered by volunteers and families with loved ones on the Autism spectrum, this successful grassroots fundraising effort not only generates vital funds for Autism research but also raises awareness about the increasing prevalence of Autism and the need for increased research funding to combat this complex disorder.

Please come out and join us for this fun event for a great cause!

Hope to see you all there!

Sara Lopez
More details here!

Related Posts:

About 8th Continent Soymilk Events

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Apr 9

A New Spin on Spring Cleaning!

Blog Post by: Megan Stremick

I have been on a mission (my husband’s response to that would be “when are you not on a mission?”) to spring clean the H-E-double hockey sticks out of our house. And by that I don’t mean pulling the furniture away from the walls and vacuuming up dust bunnies, I mean “out with the old in and in with the new”. It started with the master bedroom because I just never cared for the way I decorated it. The next thing I new I was ordering new furniture, selling the old furniture, repainting, and…I love it!

It felt so good to de-clutter the room that I wanted to do it to the whole house. So, room by room I went through all the drawers, closets, and cabinets and filled storage tubs with things we don’t use, don’t like, and have too many of (but hang onto for no good reason). I have picture frames up the wazoo, accessories that are not accessorizing anything but the back of the guest closet, and an extra file cabinet that files empty file folders (all color coordinated though).

We sold it all on Craigslist and at a garage sale and anything that didn’t sell we donated. De-cluttering the house, making some extra cash, and donating items to help those in need, now that’s what I call spring cleaning.  A tip, for the “extra things” that you use just not very often like candles and decorations for entertaining: put them all in segregated storage bins, label them and store them in the garage or under the guest bed–then they are out of the way but organized and easily accessible.

So this year put the expression “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” into action while doing your spring cleaning and you will no doubt find how great it will feel to de-clutter your home.

Other suggested Spring Cleaning Links:

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Apr 9

Welcome Megan Stremick!

Megan Stremick and her son Charlie

Hey everyone!

I want to introduce you all to Megan Stremick. That’s right, “Stremick”, as in Stremick’s Heritage Foods that 8th Continent is part of. She’ll be contributing some posts to this blog about her life as a yoga enthusiast, soymilk lover, mom and all around amazing person.  That’s the kind of company 8th Continent is; we’re all a part of the community just like you guys.  I’ve worked with her for a little over a year and have gotten to know her as one phenomenal chica. That’s why I’m really excited she’ll be contributing every now and then because she got some great things to share.

So please give her a warm welcome!!!

Family Megan Stremick

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Apr 2

Happy Easter!

This Sunday is April and some of us have plans to decorate eggs or hide baskets. My plan is to make Easter Bunny Bread that I got from our friends over at Vegweb.com!

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

  • 3/4 cup 8th Continent soymilk
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegan margarine
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon flax meal mixed with 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups vegan powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy milk

Directions:

Mix flax meal and water and let sit while moving on to the next step.

Heat 8th Continent soymilk and margarine in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until margarine is melted; cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water.

In large bowl combine margarine/milk mixture, dissolved yeast, 1 cup flour, oats, sweetener, flax mixture, salt and cinnamon; mix well. Add enough additional flour to make soft dough.  Knead on lightly floured surface 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Shape to form ball. Place in greased large bowl, turning once to coat surface of dough. Cover; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double in size.  Punch dough down. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half. For bunny body, shape 1/2 to form a 36″ long rope.  Loosely roll up rope spiral fashion; pinch dough to seal end tightly. Place about 3″ from bottom of greased large cookie sheet; press down slightly.

Divide remaining dough in half. For bunny head, shape one half to form a 25″ rope. Loosely roll up rope spiral fashion; seal end tightly.

Attach to top of body on cooked sheet by pinching dough together. Divide remaining dough into thirds. For tail, shape on third to form a 15″ long rope.  Loosely roll up like others; pinch to seal end. Attach to side of body on cookie sheet by pinching dough together.

Shape remaining dough to form two 3 1/2 long bunny ears. Attach to head by pinching dough together. Let rise about 1 hour or until nearly double in size.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire cooling rack.

For icing, remaining soy milk and powdered sugar, mix until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled bread.

Serves: 1 bunny shaped loaf

Make sure to let us know what you are doing for your Easter! You can check us out on Facebook or let us know on Twitter!

From the 8th Continent Soymilk family we wish you and yours a very happy holiday! Oh and by the way- have you drawn your sun yet???

Recipes

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Apr 1

April is National Soy Month!

April is here!

And we all know what that means…

  • April Fool’s Day
  • Easter
  • Spring
  • Flip Flop weather

But my favorite thing about April­: it’s National Soy Month!

April is the time of year when I get to bask in the fact that I work for an awesome all-American soymilk company: 8th Continent Soymilk.

We wanted to highlight a couple of ways we’re celebrating by giving back.

Coupons!

Giving Back to Schools

  • We’ve still got the Draw Your Own Sun Contest going to donate $100,000 in art supplies across 100 schools.  That’s $1,000 you can win for your school! If you’ve already submitted a sun, you can submit another and tell your friends to submit also.  Because the more entries you’re school has, the more chances it has have to win. And DON’T FORGET TO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO VOTE.

There’s more to come, so be on the lookout!

Also for the kiddies – download this free coloring book about Soy McCoy, courtesy of the Ohio Soy Bean Council!

Other National Soy Month Related Articles:

National Soy Month- Healthy Kids

National Soy Foods Month

Also make sure to hit us up on Facebook and Twitter and let us know what your favorite soy food is!

Contests

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