When we heard about Disney Family Fun magazine’s “homemade ice cream from a baggie” recipe, we had to spread the word. It’s a fun activity to do with kids and it’s super easy to make. What a great idea!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salt (Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)
Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)
1 pint-size ziplock® bag
1 gallon-size ziplock® bag

Serves 1

Instructions

1.     Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.

2.     Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it’s done.

3.     Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag.

Looking for a quick housewarming gift?
Fill a basket, bucket or box with essentials that any new house might need. Get creative an include something for every room. You can include dishcloths, light bulbs, kitchen gadgets and even cleaning products. You might also want to throw in any useful local neighborhood information for those who are new to the area.

You can even pick a themed gift basket, such as a garden basket filled with gardening tools.

The results are in! Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey we posted for April Fool’s.  The results show that you were able to decipher between our real and fake products—with only one exception: The Talking Mirror. Although 51% of you thought it was a real product, unfortunately it doesn’t exist at Solutions.com.

In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, we came up with two fake products—just for fun! See if you can guess which two products are real Solutions products, and which two are the impostors.

Check back on Monday, April 4th and we’ll reveal the correct answers!

On April 22, millions of Americans and people from all over the world will take time to honor and celebrate planet Earth. They’ll plant trees, dedicate parks, clean up rivers, take public transportation and participate in hundreds of other activities that heighten awareness of environmental issues. Earth Day is a time to reflect on our planet’s fragility, resilience and recovery. It’s a unifying event that brings people together, no matter their age, race, nationality or political agenda. The thread that binds them is their desire to respect, honor and protect the planet.

The environmentally concerned statesman

Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, who in 1962 was concerned that “the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country.”

“All across the country,” he wrote, “evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not.” In 1963, he persuaded President Kennedy to take a national conservation tour. While it did little to bring the issue to the forefront, it did become the seed of what was to become Earth Day.

Overwhelming response

Through the ‘60s, Nelson continued to speak on environmental issues. While on a conservation speaking tour in 1969, he saw how non-violent protests called “teach-ins” were effectively used on college campuses to protest the war in Vietnam. He believed this grassroots approach would work well to heighten public awareness of environmental issues. Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970, there would be a nationwide “demonstration” on behalf of the environment.

“The response was electric,” Nelson said. “Inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes and air.” The country was ripe for such a demonstration, as evidenced by the participation of two thousand colleges and universities, ten thousand high schools and grade schools, and thousands of communities. In all, 20 million Americans participated in that first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

From activism to acts

This was the beginning of the environmental movement in the United States. That same year saw the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1980, multiple environmental acts became law: the Clean Air Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act, among many others. What started as a grassroots effort is now an international event celebrated by billions of people from around the planet. Until his death in 2005 at the age of 89, Nelson remained dedicated to improving and protecting the environment.

Get involved

Want to know what activities are planned for Earth Day in your community? Contact the mayor’s office, city hall, newspapers, radio and TV stations, children’s and science museums, colleges and universities, and non-profit environmental groups. You may not find a “teach-in,” but you’re sure to find an activity you and your family can participate in to show your concern for the planet.

Tidbits about Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day:

Governor of Wisconsin 1959-1962

• U.S. Senator from Wisconsin 1963-1981
• Earth Day founder
• Co-sponsor of the National Environment Education Act
• Counselor of the Wilderness Society
• Created legislation to:
  • Preserve the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail
  • Mandate fuel efficiency standards in automobiles
  • Control strip mining
  • Establish the St. Croix Wild and Scenic Riverway (MN/WI), and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (in Lake Superior off the Wisconsin shoreline)

Originally posted in 2008.

Every February 2nd, Americans eagerly await the groundhog: will the sleepy rodent’s appearance herald the arrival of spring…or foretell another six weeks of winter?

Groundhog Day has its origins in a Christian festival called Candlemas , which is traditionally celebrated on or around February 2nd. A European tradition stated that a sunny Candlemas meant an additional six weeks of winter weather, while a cloudy Candlemas signaled an early spring. According to German folklore, the matter was clinched by the appearance of a hedgehog: if the sight of his own shadow frightened the shy creature back into hibernation, Candlemas was officially “sunny.”

Because hedgehogs are not indigenous to North America, early German settlers adopted the groundhog, or woodchuck, as their weather predictor. In 1887, a newspaper editor named Clymer H. Freas along with a newspaper publisher and American Congressman named W. Smith organized a Groundhog Day festival in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The festival’s mascot, a groundhog dubbed Punxsutawney Phil, “told” the Groundhog Club president his prediction regarding winter’s end. On that historic morning, Phil saw his shadow at 7:32.

Now an annual event, the festival continues to be popular, inspiring films, fiction and other events and festivals around the country. Even Canada is in on the fun – our neighbors to the North look to “Wiarton Willy” to predict the arrival of spring.

Even if you can’t make it to the big game, you can enjoy a great game-day party at home! With the right preparations, you and your guests will have a good time, even if all are not big football fans.

Decorations

Have enough TVs.
Set up multiple TVs so all guests will have a clear, unobstructed view.

Tip: If you expect really rabid fans, maybe set up a TV in the bathroom for those inevitable interruptions.

Continue Reading Put the Super in Your Bowl Party

January 23rd is Yoga Day USA! Many of us at Solutions love the way yoga makes us feel – in fact, we have an on-site class once a week after work. Great for all fitness levels, yoga eases physical and mental stress, offers relief from pain without medication, increases your flexibility and even helps you manage your weight!

Check out your local gym, community college or recreational center for a yoga class near you, or visit your local library to check out a book or video with postures you can practice at home. And don’t miss these great products from Solutions to help you get started with your new activity!

84109 Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Safer to drink from than aluminum or plastic.
83786 Yoga Stick-e™ Socks (pictured above): No slipping as you exercise.
80817 Car Seat Vest Cover: Keep seats clean after a workout.