Movie Day: Yogi Bear

E received the movie Yogi Bear from M's parents as an Easter gift. My initial thoughts were 'great! a kids movie that isn't based on looks, shape, and can focus on nature and a funny (yet stupid) bear'. Yogi Bear is a classic kids character, along with Boo-Boo. A pair of brown bears that can talk, Yogi is *obsessed* with stealing picnic baskets. I used to watch the cartoon on the television back in my kid days, and I remember thoroughly enjoying that show.

I have now watched the movie twice, and have formulated a few thoughts about this movie that I think are important to list for various reasons.

1. There is only one female character. This bothered me at first, and to tell the truth it still kind of grates. On the flip side though, it is entirely thanks to her that the conflict was resolved. If Rachel (female character) had not been there videotaping for a documentary, they never would have been able to knock the mayor down and show the people of that city what a corrupt leader he was. So although there was only one female, she was super important.

2. Lots of nature focus. There is a clear depiction of the importance of nature in the world today, including and especially in big cities. It's easy to lose focus on nature when you don't see it around you, but having a huge national park nearby can keep people grounded and appreciative of the real world as well as the industrialized world.

3. It's okay to be different and be yourself. Yogi Bear is known as a different sort of bear. He can talk and think, and plan. His plans might not always work, but he keeps trying anyways. Perseverance is one of his main qualities no matter how many failures he experiences. Ranger Smith is also a different sort, very nature based and eco-nerdy. And he's okay with that! He is attracted to Rachel because she is much like him, and they have many things in common that are different from the norm. Ranger Jones is different as well, and while he tries to fit in and fast-track his way to success, he ends up seeing the error in his ways and follows his heart to do what is best in the end.



This movie is a lot of fun, a few silly laughs, and some horribly over-acted characterizations. But it stands out as a true nature film where they showcase the importance of honesty, nature, and friendship. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys children's movies, especially those cartoons from 20 odd years ago made into live-action movies. Important lessons in movies are hard to find in this day and age, and Yogi Bear definitely nails a few of them.

This review was completely of my own opinion. The links in this review are affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase this movie, a portion of the proceeds will go to keeping SimplyGreen afloat. I recommend searching second hand stores and used movie shops first though. Thank you for your support!

Want a healthy glow, even in the winter?

There is a new study published December 24, 2010 that indicates that healthy looking skin can be influenced heavily by a nutrient found in colourful fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids are nutrients that are known for being found in carrots and are fantastic antioxidants.
Not only are they very effective antioxidants, but it turns out that they can give you a healthier looking skin tone, which many Caucasians (myself included!) suffer from a lack of in the winter. The lack of strong enough UV to produce a skin reaction and suntan causes many pale people (again, I’m as pale as you can get without having a pigmentation deficiency) to run to the drug stores to buy up some self-tanning lotion.

Instead of spending your money on these expensive and often non-functioning lotions, we can now opt instead to purchase colourful fruits and vegetables to give us a healthy glow that will go along with a healthier body.

A list of foods with carotenoids can be found at nutrientreference.com

The abstract of this study can be found at ehbonline.org.
Not only does this study show that carotenoids bring about a healthy glow in your skin, but it indicates that a large portion of individuals actually prefer the glow that comes from these nutrients as opposed to the glow from obtaining a suntan. Figure that out!

I can say that I will be keeping my eyes peeled for these foods more now that I had previously. Not only is it a healthy nutrient to consume, but it improves your skin tone. It doesn’t cost you anything extra aside from adding a little bit to your grocery bill, so that makes it a more believable source immediately.

So if you think your skin is looking a little bit pasty in the winter, take a trip to the grocery store and pick up some delicious fresh and colourful vegetables and fruit. Your skin will thank you, your digestive system will thank you, and your health in general will thank you!
 
(source: NaturalNews.com)

Sleep... or something like it

Sleep is hard to come by right now. I'm not sure why, but no matter how much sleep I get it just isn't satisfying enough. I'm constantly tired. It probably has something to do with the distinct increase in my coffee consumption, but it's just so darn tasty!

The strange thing is I fall asleep very quickly at night. Like, within 5-10 minutes. But I always wake up wanting more sleep. My body is used to waking up at 5am now, which is great because that's when I get up. Unfortunately my mind is still comatose at this point.

I'm trying to figure out how to make it easier to stay awake and coherent in the mornings, because I could be so much more productive in the morning. I could do more writing, do some yoga, make healthier lunches, the list goes on. I just can't think of anything that will help my mind wake up when my body does.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I actually can't sleep in past 8am, not even on weekends. Not even if I stay awake until past midnight. I am an anomaly, I think. I hope not.

The change in seasons seems to be what is exacerbating it, but I'm not sure on how to go about rectifying this. I don't have a dawn simulator (but I want one!) and I don't know any other ways to convince your mind it's time to wake up.

Chamomile tea is delicious, unfortunately it doesn't make me sleepy. So I look forward to hearing some insight and tips, because I am pretty much at a loss and getting more and more incoherent as the days go by.

What do you do when you find that your sleep just isn't cutting it? Care to share some tips? I've read countless "top five tips for better sleep" and "natural remedies for insomnia" articles, and I just can't seem to find anything that actually works.

Peace and serenity,

Simply Me

7 different ways to use salt

So, like I said, I love finding fun new information on the internet.

Found on AboutMyPlanet.com, a list of new ways to use salt. Regular table salt.

Fantastic!

Check out the full list here.

I love that these tips and ideas are actually practical, and use an everyday household item.

Let me know if you have tried any of these, and how they work! I am interested in seeing different peoples opinions of these uses.

Lots of love,

Simply Me

Day 8 of 30: Favourite Internet Friend ... AND fun new ways to reuse old coffee grounds!

So today's Challenge Tweet is to be directed at a favourite internet friend. This may sound surprising, but I actually don't have many internet friends. I have people who's blog I follow, or people who I talk to primarily over the internet, but no one who I can honestly say that I met online and only (or primarily) talk to online. So I'm going to send this tweet out to Crunchy Chicken, who despite being a mother and wife, and having a job, manages to keep the rest of her viewers and readers entertained. Myself included.


@CrunchyChicken You are an inspiration and a fantastic person. You reach out to people you have never met, both to support them and be supported. You rock!

Click HERE!

And for today, a fun little link for new ways to reuse coffee grounds!










We've all heard of throwing them in your compost, or sprinkling them in your garden to help keep pests away and fertilize them. Well, here at Simply Green, I am passing on a new list which piqued my interest.

Some of the fresh ideas are: skin exfolliant! (fabulous!) furniture scratch fix! (who doesn't need that when you have pets?) and deodorizer! (for your fridge, skin, shoes, anything!)

So if you like to reuse stuff, and love your coffee, click the photo caption above and read up on The Good Human's top 16 ways to reuse coffee grounds.

Lots of love, all,

Simply Me

My camping experience

So, like I said, I hadn't been camping in somewhere around 10 years. But this weekend was AMAZING! I loved it, the freedom, the fresh air, the lack of time constraints. It was just wonderful.

Now, for my first picture heavy post, here are some shots of the drive up to the campsite:

Driving in the countryside

It's so  beautiful

On both sides :)

Believe it or not, we're going around 80-90kph, and this is with a camera phone

As you can see by the occasionally blurry spots

But some are super clear :)

So much green! Love it!

And some shots of the campsite and the river, which had some GORGEOUS rapids right next to our site. It was fantastic:

Red flowers by the river

Purple flowers on rocks in the middle of the river

Red flowers on the other side of the river

The tiny silver speck on that rock is a pretty little dragonfly, who (with his many kin) kept me mostly safe from those evil deerflies :)

One of the many frogs I saw

Just chillin in the river, keeping an eye

One of the rapids, with a little bit of sea foam

More purple flowers, so pretty

Decent shot of the rapids

Closer shot of the rapids

Looking down the river from the middle of the rocks

Sitting in these rapids was like sitting in a jacuzzi that only blows one way, soo cool

Calm river shot as the sun begins to set

Shot down the other way from the rapids as the sun sets

And our glorious campfire that kept us warm and relatively bug free, unfortunately these shots are all after the sun has set, so they don't quite embody the awesome that was the fire:

All in all, had a fantastic time, swimming in the lake, up and down the river. I can't wait to do it again!

Wednesday's small step: New pastimes

Passing the time, beating boredom, is one of the easiest ways to fall into a trap. A trap where you feel like all you can do is sit on the couch, watch garbage TV, and eat junk food. You fall into the cycle, because you're tired, because you're lazy, but you're also bored.

One thing I've found, boredom can be beaten with minimal effort. Television, computer, or any type of technology is, is not needed for breaking through inertia. All you need to do is think a little bit outside of the box. Remember things that you liked doing when you were younger.

Me, personally, I love being artsy, being creative, and spending time outside. So my 'new' pastimes include knitting (right now, working on a curly scarf kind of like this one) or crocheting (which I'm not so good at, haha). I also enjoy thinking of new ways to use things that I have around the house. Such as a ripped pillowcase. Which I still haven't actually decided what I'm doing with yet, but I'm working on it.

And, on my weekends, when I have all day to do (pretty much) whatever I want, I love to do this. With my closest beach a 10 minute drive away, it's a great way to spend the day, and my daughter loves to swim. The water may not be the cleanest (we tend to get no-swim advisories every other week) but that's what showers were made for. And soap. So we go anyways. Still haven't caught E.coli, so I think we're good.

I also read. Fantasy, murder mystery, romance, non-fiction, anything you put in front of me, I'll read it.

What kinds of things do you do to disconnect yourself from technology, and from boredom, when the TV is calling your name?

Do you try to change it up, and be creative, or do you have tried and true pastimes that have stayed through the years?

I love Microsoft Paint! My first handmade blog photo :)

Peace and serenity,

Simply Me

Enjoy the Small Steps series? Let me know what you think below.

Follow up on natural cleaning products...

I realized the other day that my shampoo containers has this strange white crust on the edges that were touching the bathtub. I had thought I rinsed the tub well to get all the baking soda off, but I guess I didn't! The crust wiped right off, it was just a reminder to rinse better next time.

I also used hydrogen peroxide to clean the in- and outside of the toilet. The dust and animal fluff came off and stayed off, and the scum in the bowl wiped off easier than I have ever seen it before.

Anyone had any luck or failed attempts with other natural cleaning products?

Also, I need to call the Bulk Barn and Rainbow Foods to see if they'll let my bring my own containers for their bulk bins. Reminder to myself, will update here to let everyone that reads this know.

Much love

All Natural Cleaning products... found in your medicine cupboard and baking supplies!

So, to go along with the information received from Kitchen Stewardship in regards to the Get The Junk Out Carnival! I decided to finally make the step towards getting the junk out... of my cleaning closet.

My chore, every week, at home is to clean the bathroom. Very important, it's used up to 20 times a day, so it's important to keep it clean and organized. Well, I had been sick last weekend, so it didn't get done. so this weekend, it was extra gunky. Time to try out a few new tricks! Instead of Mr. Clean (I know, terrible, but it was bought for me) for general cleaning and Comet for the bathtub, I used rubbing alcohol for the sink and cupboards. Cleaned off the toothpaste like nothing else, and gave it a nice clean feeling. Mixed around 50/50 with water, enough to smell the alcohol. Onwards to the shower, I wiped down the walls and ceiling with a little hydrogen peroxide on a facecloth, and the scum came right off, way easier than when I used the other crap.

You know what, why not use rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide? It's good for disinfecting wounds, why not surfaces? And not to mention about 10x cheaper, at least.

Last but certainly not least, the bathtub. Soap scum and dried on who-knows-what. A little baking soda, and a facecloth to scrub. Worked better than Comet, and I thought Comet was a godsend. Not only that, but baking soda also works as a deodorizer, so it works out very nicely. Follow up with a quick wipedown with either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and it's disinfected and sanitized as well.

Haven't done the toilet yet, that's for tomorrow. Got too busy organized all my art paraphernalia. But I'm sure the toilet will sparkle as much as the rest of the bathroom by the time I'm done with it.

Anyone else have any great natural, eco-friendly cleaning ideas or products? Please feel free to pass them on. Also, if anyone knows where to find rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in something other than a plastic bottle, please let me know! Thanks!

Happy cleaning!