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Post from: Natural Family Living Blog
Beads and Suncatchers - Wordless Wednesday
Post from: Natural Family Living Blog
Beads and Suncatchers - Wordless Wednesday
And who says you need a classroom to learn? This week my kids and I have done so many fun and educational things together I am in wonderment about why I didn’t take this approach before. My son requested that homeschooling commence immediately…no break for summer. This is just fine with me as it allowed me the opportunity to show him first hand how he can in fact learn without sitting at a desk doing drills or being lectured at. I included pictures from my flickr stream if you are interested.
First up we went to visit honest to goodness castles right in Ohio. They are called The Piatt Castles, built by two wealthy brothers. They were named after the Mac-A-Cheek valley where they reside, Mac-A-Chee
k and Mac-O-Chee. The names of the castles, the valley, and the stream that runs through it are all derived from the word, Macachack, the name of a Shawnee village that was located there in the late 1700s.
Announcing the winner of the cloth diaper giveaway from Monkey Doodlez! I chose a winner randomly using random.org
The winner is:
Comment number 83 - Melissa! Congrats!!!
Post from: Natural Family Living Blog
Attn: Giveaway at the bottom of this post!
I found a new eco company that I love a few weeks back. In fact I think it only took me 5.0 seconds to click the buy now button after I landed my on Stubby Pencil Studio. Not only do their products rock..the prices rock even harder.
One of my favorite product offerings are the 100% recycled greeting cards and invitations called Color ‘n Kids™. Not only are they eco friendly they allow for kids to call upon their inner artist as they can color the cards and personalize them. I HATE sending cards but sometimes you just have to. Now when my relatives send the kids some gifts we have some cards on hand to color and send. And what does Stubby Pencil Studio have for your kids to color with? How about their eco friendly colored pencils or their soy crayons? We have both and they are much better for artwork than icky petroleum based products that use unsustainable materials.
I am so energized by companies that do their part to make kid friendly products that are earth friendly too. The owner Kate Rosenthal, who is super nice BTW, started the company after she realized there was a need for eco-friendly, do-it-yourself stationery products for young children. I am glad she did see the need, her store is awesome.
Kate has also generously decided to host a giveaway here! One lucky reader will get a “Green to the Letter” arts + crafts kit including:
Seeking a good series of books for young girls that feature strong, compassionate, and eco savvy role models? In this day of Bratz, Barbie, Teen Beat, and text messages this might seem like a tall order but the Gaia Girls series delivers. These award winning books are aimed at tween girls and I love the strong and ethical characters. I was so impressed by the series I will keep up with reading them myself and save them for my daughter.
What I loved the most was that these characters are not products of our consumerist society. These girls aren’t obsessed with boys and the latest boy band, text messaging each other, or wearing make-up to school. The four girls featured in these books have a greater calling in life…to use the powers given to them by Gaia (the whole of the earth) to save and protect their local communities and the world at large from ecological devastation.
Air pollution is considered to be one of the leading environmental risks today. Traditionally the way we have addressed this problem is by eliminating the cause of the pollutants and to incorporate good ventilation in our homes with clean outdoor air. Sometimes, however, these methods are insufficient because of weather conditions, or inability to address the cause or risks inherent in the outdoor air (e.g. any contaminants that may be present outside for whatever reason). In these instances an indoor air cleaning device is usually required.
Choosing an air filtering device can be a little intimidating if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers some portable air filtration systems to be Class II medical devices. In the United States FDA approval is required before any product can claim that status. To get that approval a manufacturer must show that the device is safe and that it has a medical benefit. Look for the Underwriters Laboratory seal (UL) and as statement of the FDA’s Class II approval.
There are five basic types of filters.
Mechanical filters: These force air through a special mesh that traps particles like pollen and dust mites. These filters can also capture particles like tobacco smoke.
Electronic filters: These use electrical charges to attract and deposit allergens and irritants. The particles then stick to a collecting plate that is then captured within the system.
Our desire for something sweet to eat is very natural. The desire for something sweet is the body’s signal to you that it needs some energy packed food. Unfortunately with much of the processed sugar we eat, our bodies are not getting any of the substantial nutrients, vitamins or minerals that it expects and needs and that would normally be present in a natural, unprocessed food product.
I also find that when you regularly consume processed, refined sugars you come to accept that sweets taste a certain way and REAL sweeteners start to taste “off” to us. Even delicious fruits like watermelon and mango can’t compete anymore. When I had kids I decided that it was very important to me that their taste buds not get “ruined” like that. Thankfully most times my kids will pick juicy watermelon over a chocolate bar. I even got my mom hooked on Stevia.
Natural sweeteners provide the ideal solution for your taste buds and your nutritional needs. If you are going to have sweets why not make them health building versions right?
Barley Malt Syrup
This syrup is made from sprouted barley and is dark brown and thick with a distinctive flavor like molasses. It is half as sweet as white sugar and is best used in spice cakes, ginger bread and baked beans.
This week my son has been testing a new mom gadget called My Plate Mate. Basically is a band of circular plastic that fits snugly around 8″-9 1/2″ inch plates. It acts as a barrier or wall so that little hands aren’t pushing their food onto the floor or table while they eat. It basically gives them a leg up on the self feeding arena by making it easier to get food on a utensil and keep it on the plate.
I was impressed not so much by the idea of the product as I was the ethical way in which this company, HATCH in Danville, CA has decided to produce and market this product. It is made in the USA which is a rarity these days and it is made with safe plastics, making it BPA, PVC, and Phthalate Free. I just LOVE that so many companies are stepping up to make sure toxic plastics are a thing of the past.
The product is easy enough to use. You just fit it around the plate and let your 2+ year old go to town with it. It can be washed in the dishwasher (top rack) or just washed with soapy water. More so than giving it to your toddler I love the idea on the company site for using it as an assisted eating aid for the elderly and for those with special needs. It promotes independence, self confidence, and dignity at meal time. That is pretty cool. And of course the fact that using it won’t bring toxic chemicals and hormones to the dinner table is awesome too. They come in several colors including red, white, blue, and pink.
I came across a book recently that I think would be valuable for all grandmas and grandpas out there and for parents that want to make sure their children connect with the grandparents. This book would make an excellent mother’s or father’s day gift too.
My kids are fortunate…they have almost daily contact with my parents. My parents takes my kids to arena football games, drag races, monster truck rallies, out for ice cream, etc. My daughter calls my mom, “Mom”. They have deep bonds with their grandparents which is something I never really had. While I did love my grandparents I hardly ever saw them except for summers. What little time I did have with them was memorable though and I treasure each of those memories. I want my kids to have all the same memories in regards to my parents and my husbands parents.
So I liked the book The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting by Doug and Robin Hewitt. It was written by a pair of grandparents and they share 101 practical ideas and meaningful activities to share between grandparents and their grandchildren. It has ideas for grandparents that have unlimited time with their grand kids and those that may only have a few hours here and there.
Some of the activities included in the book:
Farm Tours
Trips to Museums
Baking
Storytelling
Making a Family Tree
Visiting an Nursing Home
Attn: Giveaway at the bottom of this post!
Moms have been emailing me quite often lately about cloth diapers…are they the greener choice, which
ones are best, etc. I cloth diapered two of my babies and I even owned a cloth diaper manufacturing company and store for a few years. I am a big advocate for cloth diapers. To the right you will see my daughter wearing a tye dye diaper I made for her.
So first things first…are they REALLY the green choice in diapering. Yes! Disposable diaper advocates are quick to say that cloth diapers use a lot of water and energy in the laundering process but frankly their arguments are LAME. I laundered cloth diapers for 4 years and it was a tiny blip on the energy usage chart in my house. Water, yes I did use more water…it equated to about 3 extra loads of laundry a week…big woop. I opted to conserve more “conservatively” in other areas to make up for it. Most of my children’s diapers were also made by me with organic fabric or I purchased from another WAHM like myself.
