Sunscreen, Finger-Licking Good Marinade, and DIY Sidewalk Chalk

School's almost out and summer's almost here, which means more trips to the pool or beach will be happening in your not-too-distant future. To block harmful UVA and UVB rays from your little ones skin and eyes your best tools are a hat, sunglasses, and clothing to cover them up, but since that's not always an option, you'll no doubt need the other summer essential known as sunscreen.

But like most things in life—not all sunscreen is created equal. Many contain harmful chemicals like oxybenzone or vitamin A, which are things you want to avoid, especially on children. Luckily, EWG has put together a Best Sunscreen Guide to make your life a little easier. I used it to pick out Badger SPF 30 for my daughter, which makes me feel a lot better when I have to slather her from head to toe in the stuff.

Recipe:

Lemon-Soy Marinade

This is another cherished recipe from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, and is a must-try if you're breaking out the BBQ this holiday weekend. The blend of lemon, tamari, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil is irresistible, so don't be surprised if the food disappears faster than normal.


Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 Tbs. tamari soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
1 scallion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1) Combine all ingredients in a jar with a screw-on top and shake vigorously.

2) Marinate most foods 4-8 hrs for best results.

Use with tofu, eggplant, mushrooms, and anything else you want to grill up to have delicious flavor.

Project:

Make Your Own Chalk

Now that sunny days are here again try this easy at-home project with your kids. They can pour, squirt, stir, and tape, and in the end they'll have giant sticks of chalk to decorate the driveway with.

What You Will Need:

Plaster of Paris (most craft stores carry this)
Tempera paint, different colors (powered or liquid)
Empty and clean plastic containers
Duct tape
Toilet paper tubes
Something to stir and scoop with

1) Decide how many pieces of chalk you'll be making, and prepare that many molds by covering one side of each toilet paper tube with two overlapping pieces of duct tape.

2) For each piece of chalk, put one cup of water into a separate plastic container. Add about 3 Tbs. of paint. Stir. Then add 1 1/2 cups of Plaster of Paris a little at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir until completely combined, adding a little more water if you used powdered paint, to acquire a thickness similar to frosting. At this point if you want to darken the color, you can add more paint.

3) Pour/scoop mixture into the prepared tubes, and let set for about an hour (should be solid to touch). At this point you can peel away the mold so that the chalk can finish drying on its own, or leave it overnight as is, and peel away cardboard as you use the chalk. (The advantage of keeping the cardboard is that you won't get as much chalk on your hands when using.)

Happy drawing!!!

A rose can say "I love you", orchids can enthrall, but a weed bouquet in a chubby fist, yes, that says it all. -Author Unknown