How our nest does it...

So I've talked about WHY our nest does 100% organic, but HOW do we do it exactly?

Well, first of all, let's talk about our budget. For 2 adults and 1 breastfeeding/solid eating toddler, we spend an average of $100 a week on 100% organic groceries. Probably about $50 of that is spent on fresh vegetables and fruit. Lately, Lovebug has been eating alot more vegetables, so sometimes it's $125, but most of the time it's right at or around $100.

This amount does not include supplements or personal care products, as we get those from other sources. It also does not include any cleaning or laundry products since we make all of them with supplies mostly from Mountain Rose Herbs. Since we cloth diaper/wipe, this amount also does not include those, which saves us quite a bit of money. Further, that amount does not include any cooking/baking oils, herbs, spices, salt, pepper, and so forth, because we also get them all from Mountain Rose Herbs in bulk.

We do our weekly shopping at Central Market but make a monthly trip or so to Whole Foods as well. From April - November, we go to the local farmer's market every Saturday morning where we stand in the long line at the ONE organic stand. At any of these places, if they don't have it organic, we don't buy it. It's really that simple. Even if that means changing things up that we had intended on doing, we go in another direction or find an organic substitute that will work.

Things that help us buy 100% organic 100% of the time:

-My Love keeps great track of what we are spending. As he is the "top chef" around our nest, he also does our grocery shopping. Sometimes Lovebug and I tag along especially when it's farmer's market season, but alot of times, it's just my Love heading to the store early Saturday morning with the list we carefully made together. He has his ipod and listens to music while he tallys up things as they go into the basket. Somtimes he put things back if we're going to go over what we had intended and sometimes he calls me to say "do we want this or that this week?"...And we make that decision based upon what we really need. We never ever take anything away that is for Lovebug though as her health is our top priority!

-Simply, we don't overbuy. Probably most anyone that would come over to our nest and look in our refrigerator or pantry would probably think both are pretty bare, but to us, they're completely full. We just don't overbuy and keep to our list, which helps tremendously. Actually, come Saturday our refrigerator does look pretty empty! :)

-We buy in bulk. As mentioned above, about every month we load up on organic agave, maple syrup, and other things from Whole Foods. Also every month, I generally take a trip to another grocery store, Market Street, to load up on organic nuts and chocolate chips because they have the best prices on those. Then, every couple of months, we load up on LOTS of beans, lentils and such from Whole Foods. Buying in bulk truly helps! Plus, you're using less packaging (especially if you re-use your own bags).

-We keep our paper products to an absolute minimum at our nest and this helps our budget a great deal. So that means no TP (except for guests), no paper towels, no napkins, no paper plates, no diapers, and so forth. These things can quickly add up...

-As mentioned above, from April to November we go to the local farmer's market every Saturday morning to load up on organic vegetables. This helps our budget a TON because we can go and spend $35 on veggies with the same amount normally costing us $50 at Central Market! Find your local farmer's market here.

-Since we eat by far mostly vegan (with the very rare local eggs and fish we catch), our organic protein sources are much cheaper than meat-eaters. Organic beans cost a great deal less per pound than organic chicken or beef, so that's something to consider. Even if you can't go vegan, vegetarian, or pescetarian, then consider at least making more of your meals meat/chicken free per week than not. You'll end up saving money for sure!

-We drink a ton of water and don't buy bottled beverages hardly ever. We don't buy soda and I know this is kind of crazy to most people, but we just don't drink the stuff. We also don't buy bottled water, but instead have our reusable bottles that we re-fill. This saves us quite a bit! We do buy a carton of orange juice every week that we partake of a little bit every day, but a treat is when we can get an organic beer for my Love and a GT's Kombucha for me! :)

-We don't buy packaged foods - no cookies, crackers, cake mixes, boxed dinners, and so forth. That stuff can easily add up in more ways than one, so we just don't buy them. Plus, fresh is just best...

-This may seem minute, but we compost and recycle like crazy. Thus we don't buy trash bags but once a year. We only put out trash maybe once a month if that, so this is something little but a small money saver.

-We are still breastfeeding and practice baby-led eating/weaning. This also might seem minute, but it has saved us money for sure. However, financial savings is by far NOT the reason we have done either of these things, but rather, an added benefit. We have never done baby food, cereal, formula, bottle-feeding, and so forth, but instead have only breastfed and started to offer cut up fresh vegetables to Lovebug around 10 months once she started to show interest. She has always fed herself and decides how much/little she wants to eat. Her vegetable intake continues to increase although her breastfeeding really hasn't decreased much :), but we have definitely noticed a small difference ($15-25) here and there certain weeks in our grocery bill due to this and know it will only increase from here.

SO these are some things that came to mind in how we save and are able to keep to the 100% organic diet. However, we also have to do away with other things (like cable, etc.) to maintain it. There are certainly ways that we can improve though:

-We would love to get where we always make all of our breads. I make them here and there and always make our pizza dough and baked goods, but would love to make all of our tortillas, and sandwich and pita bread as well. Currently for these things, we buy Ezekial 4:9 which is sprouted and very delicious.

-Currently we buy a big thing of purified water every week, but really hope in the near future to install a whole house water filtration system so we don't have to do this. We had Eco Water Texas come out not long ago and test our water - eewwwww! Disgusting what's in it!! Really. I highly recommend getting your water tested and not drinking tap water!

So, maybe some of this will help a few of you. It IS really hard, especially with today's economy to stay within budget and make things work...but I truly believe if it's a priority, everyone's diet can be 100% or at least mainly organic.

The above is what currently works for our nest, but I would love to hear any tips of how you make it work for you and your families as well, so please share!

Oh and the photo is a little box I've been working on by making use of all of the organic produce stickers we go through :)...

The importance of eating organic

In my last post I talked a bit about organic and local food. Everyone probably knows by now the importance of eating organic, but I thought it might be helpful to be a tad more specific. Not only is your food going to be better for you as organic fruits and vegetables retain more nutrients, but it's healthier because you're NOT ingesting all the pesticides and nasties that non-organic food is sprayed, grown, or produced with. PLUS, you're helping the environment as you're supporting organic farming methods that do not pollute the soil and wildlife. Further, you're NOT supporting or contributing to the negative health effects that farmers, their families, and workers can experience by breathing in all of the pesticides and chemicals that conventional farms use.


So, the benefits of eating organic go beyond you and your family's health, which is something really important to remember! It's especially important for anything babies and children eat to be organic because they are more sensitive to pesticides and their developing organs are less able to get rid of the toxins and chemicals. This very much applies to pregnant women or anyone with a decreased immune system as well, but we strongly believe it's best for everyone! Plus, it just tastes better! :)

Now in regard to local, I LOVE grocery stores like Central Market and Whole Foods that list where the produce is from as it's something very important to also consider. Do your local stores do this? There are alot of opinions out there about organic vs. locally grown in regards to the environment. Many say, and I would have to agree, that locally grown is better for the EARTH than organic produce shipped to the U.S. all the way from South America, because your carbon footprint is MUCH less. BUT, organic is better for YOU and your health, so it's a toss-up. Organic AND locally-grown would be IDEAL, but that's not always available, but certainly check places like your local farmer's market for this perfect combination.


Ok and obviously, if you can just walk out your door and pick your organic vegetables from your own garden then that is the absolute healthiest and most green option! We do this with herbs and arugula currently and it's such a joy. We have plans for some more vegetables this season and then big plans for the future, which we'll share with you along the way whenever we're able to make it happen. With the pictured arugula gathered recently from our yard my Love made a delicious pesto - YUM!

Also, keep in mind, it is ideal for all of this to apply to non-produce food as well...it's always best to buy organic beans, meat, dairy, nuts, grains, breads, oils, condiments, and so on and on. By buying organic everything, you're ensuring to the best of your ability that you and your family's bodies are not ingesting chemicals, hormones, preservatives, dyes, and so forth, not to mention the positive environmental effects.


If you're not able to make your diet 100% organic just yet, then I would urge you to try to buy at least all of these things organic, which is a great list I ran across awhile back. These are especially important to buy organic because they retain more of the pesticides and whatnot than other food. If you can't buy them organic, I would suggest not buying them at all and getting something else. I felt it was going to be too long and overwhelming to include HOW we do 100% organic within this post as well, so I'll save that for next time...Until then! Have a great Monday.

UPDATE: Michelle Obama broke ground last Friday on a White House kitchen garden!!!! YEA!!! What a dream. The garden is going to have greens, vegetables, fruit, and herbs...and two beehives as well! Pretty cool. Mrs. Obama talks about how her family has had plans for such a garden since they first moved in and notes that her girls are more likely to try something if they have been involved in the planting, caring, and picking of it. Alice Waters is quoted a little bit at the end of the article and I'm sure she is just ecstatic...as am I!! According to this article, the organic seedlings to be planted are from the Executive Mansion greenhouses and the raised beds will be fertilized with White House compost, crab meal, lime, and green sand! The total cost of the seeds, mulch, and everything was just $200. I really look forward to seeing more on this, the impact it has, and the importance of organic and local food from the Obama's. Thank you Heather Jane for sharing the first article!

Those darn yellow pages

Today was just beautiful here so we enjoyed ourselves outside for a good while! The next two days are supposed to be extremely nice too so we'll have to take advantage of it while we can!

Alright friends, so every once in awhile we get that massive yellow book on our porch and every single time we put it straight into the recycling bin...You too??? Not so green, is it? We just don't have a use for it. I am sure there are many people that still use them (like my sweet Mommy) but we just don't. I really do not like that we get them unsolicited in the first place as it's alot of wasted paper. If people want one, they should have to ask for it, right?

But anyway, when I saw this grassroots campaign called Yellow Pages Goes Green recently, it made me very happy and I immediately "opted out" of receiving the yellow and white pages here at their website. They will contact the publishers with the names of whomever opts-out, BUT the publishers are not currently liable if they continue to send the books to you unfortunately. The campaign's goal is to get the industry to stop the 540 million books they are currently delivering unsolicited on their own (uh-huh). If that doesn't work, they want to get a National No Delivery Register set up (like the National Do Not Call one). So hopefully it works, but we'll see. It certainly is worth a shot as it's free and only takes a minute...

I've gotten tagged here twice so maybe Friday I'll do a little of that for fun...and then I have that darn birthday party post of Lovebug's that has been sitting in my Draft folder forever so maybe Monday on that one. Hope everyone's weeks are going well! It's already Wednesday...WOW!

Green Light, Recycle Light

I remember growing up how much fun it was to decorate for Christmas...an enormous amount of jolly music, a great deal of laughter, so many yummy holiday treats, and just a ridiculous amount of fun. All of that is still true, but now I get to decorate my own nest with my Love and it's even more enjoyable!

In order to green up your holiday decorating, if you need new lights for your tree or outside, go get some LED strands!! They are WONDERFUL...we've had ours for 3 years and have never had a single bulb go out or break!!! Of course, proper storage is key once decorations come down, but our LEDs are "fade/chip/peel/break resistant" and so far so good. LEDs also use about 10% less power than traditional incandescents, are cool to the touch, and they will last much longer! PLUS, if one bulb does go out, it won't affect the whole strand! Now, THAT is a huge plus, isn't it?

I was first introduced to LEDs as an event designer when we switched from traditional lights to LEDs for event lighting and the difference was huge!! The quality of the light, the options we had with them, but mainly how much less power they use! They might be more expensive up front but they will end up saving you money as they will last you longer and lower your electricity bill. Three years ago we got ours (Philips Indoor/Outdoor Set) at Target but I know they're even more widely available now at home improvement stores and whatnot. Our LEDs burn brighter and have a cool look to them that we really enjoy, but I know they also have "warmer" toned strands now as well for those of you who would prefer that.


Holiday LEDs is a wonderful website that sells a TON of different options, so you should check them out as well...but what is REALLY amazing about them is they offer FREE Christmas light recycling!!! Well, the recycling is free but you have to pay for shipping obviously. Here is all of the info with details of how they go about recycling the lights. It's just so wonderful because with traditional incandescent strands, it seems people are constantly having to get new ones (I know we did growing up) and those strands which contain PVC, glass, copper, and lead are just ending up in the landfills which isn't so great for the environment. SO instead of just tossing your old strands, send them to Holiday LEDs and in return, they will send you a 15% off coupon! Pretty cool...

They prefer the light strands sent in a cardboard box (so it can be recycled) and they ask that you include your name and email address so they can send the coupon to you! For more details, check out their website...

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
2500 W. Argyle St.
Jackson, MI 49202


As another option, I had heard Home Depot was collecting any type of holiday lights for recycling as well but only for a limited time. I called my local one and they ARE still accepting them, so maybe check them out first as a local option.

Please do keep in mind though that whether incandescents or LEDs, all light strands contain some amount of lead as a stabilizer for the PVC. So wash your hands thoroughly after handling lights and keep little kids away from them!

WELL, this weekend is going to be busy...got my 10K I've been training for tomorrow and then Lovebug's birthday party on Sunday - YEA! I'll let you all know how they go...Have a wonderful weekend!

Oh Christmas Tree...

On Sunday we made the trek to Cowtown for the yummiest pancakes in the world at our favorite restaurant! Then we headed to a local farm to cut down our Christmas tree...it's a fun tradition we started once we got our little green nest. Although it was pretty cold and extremely windy, it was a whole lot of fun! We started another tradition by loading up on vegan cupcakes and brownies at Spiral before leaving so we had treats on the way home! :) Next year, we need to bring along hot cocoa or spiced apple cider to wash it all down though...

It seems that more and more people are doing cut trees instead of artificial ones, no? I have always enjoyed real trees so much more. Mainly the smell and the natural beauty of them, but they also have many wonderful environmental qualities that make them perfect for green nests. Artificial trees are made from PVC which you really want to steer clear of because PVC is typically stabilized with lead, amongst its other eco and health negatives. So something to think about...

Our first year we found a small organic tree farm which was so cute, but unfortunately they are no longer in business. Last year, we ran into a problem when we went to another tree farm and found every single one of their trees had been spray painted and looked so un-natural...we left right away and ended up cutting down a Eastern Red Cedar from our family's lakehouse :). This year we tried another farm and their Leyland's were NOT sprayed thank goodness even though their other kinds were...so we went with the Leyland, which we really love. Here's Lovebug and I in front of our tree before my Love cut it down.


As always, it's always best to support your local farmer, rather than the lot down the street that is supplied by large-scale out-of-state farms whose trees have been hauled cross-country and released a good deal of CO2 along the way. After everyone buys their trees and the holiday season is over, the tree farm will plant more trees in their place. As the trees grow, they will provide habitats for birds and other animals as well as turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. I know it's not always an option dependent upon where you live, but seriously, you might be surprised by what is right around you...Go to Pick Your Own Christmas Tree to find a farm near you!

If you go with a real tree, what are you going to do with it after the holidays are over? Most cities offer a recycling progam where they turn them into mulch...or you can compost it yourself, which is what we do. If you have a pond, you can put it in there for structure and habitat for the aquatic life. Depending upon what kind of tree it is, you could plant it in your yard, but this isn't typically an option with most kinds. Anyway, if we do cut trees, we need to make sure we properly take care of them after the decorations come down!

Well things are busy around here getting ready for Lovebug's 1st birthday party this weekend...More of that to come later :)! Gosh, I can't believe it's already Wednesday - this week is flying by! Alright, gotta run...Have a good one.

Thanksgiving

Next Thursday is quickly approaching, isn't it? Thanksgiving is always a beautiful fun day! Ours starts with the traditional 5K Trot around downtown "D" followed by a day of giving thanks with both of our families.


Here are some things we can all do to make our Thanksgiving healthier for our families and the environment:

*Use LOCAL ORGANIC ingredients...hit up your farmer's market (find yours here) this weekend and use whatever they have to make some delicious entree and/or side dishes. They may not be the dishes you usually make for Thanksgiving, but why not change things up to keep them interesting?! Support those local hard-working farmers and their harvest!

*If you can't buy local AND organic, then at least go ORGANIC (some would disagree and say go local in lieu of non-local organic, but we always go organic). Your food will be healthier for your family, plus benefit the environment as well by supporting sustainable non-destructive farming methods.

*Healthy up your ingredients in your traditional dishes in whatever other ways possible! I'm no expert, but if any of you have any questions on how to do this, I'll certainly give it a shot with a suggestion of what we would do!

*Don't use anything disposable. Ensure less waste ends up in our landfills by using cloth napkins, your pretty plates, and real glasses and silverware!

*Create a Thanksgiving tablescape with beautiful items gathered from nature and/or organic seasonal squash and whatnot that you can end up eating afterwards.


I know it's incredibly wishful to think that many Amerians would forego the traditional turkey in lieu of a vegetarian entree, as I know to many of you (and it was the same for me before going veg) that it's not really Thanksgiving without turkey. However, even your turkey choice can be healthier (and more humane). Search LocalHarvest.org to find a local farm within driving distance for an organic one. You might be surprised by what is right around you! However, if you cannot find one, then you can buy organic heritage turkeys (and so many other organic ingredients) from Local Harvest's Thanksgiving Specials page.

Or give your local health food store a try and see what they have - you want certified ORGANIC, PASTURED/FREE RANGE, and HERITAGE - those (3) things. "Organic", which means no hormones, antibiotics, steroids, and other nasties were used in raising them. "Pastured"/"Free Range" meaning they weren't stuffed in a cage with who knows how many other turkeys. Instead, they roamed around with 24 hour access to fresh air and ate native grasses and other natural vegetation. Lastly, you want to buy "Heritage", which are the ancestors of the broad-breasted White breed that most people buy. The Heritage turkeys have a longer life-span, eat a very diverse diet, and are making a comeback within the market which is a great thing.


Next week, I'll share the dish we're making for Thanksgving this year...Here's to a healthier and greener Thanksgiving for all of us!

Catalog Season...

Have you all seen the new Nova Natural catalog (or is catalogue, which is how I've always spelled it)?? WOW, it is filled with such beautiful toys, crafts, and living products and I love nearly every single thing! If you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend doing so! We have their organic terry ball and some of their wooden books, all of which Lovebug adores!


Here are some of my new favorites:

*Bubble Buggy...these come in such fun colors!
*Baby Boo Silks...Lovebug would adore these!
*Wee wooden mug...she's not quite ready for this but how precious!
*Rainbow stacker...don't tell her but Lovebug is getting this for Christmas!
*Rainbow bowls...this would be so much fun for her!
*Four Elements set...LOVE this of course, but I know Mama and Dada would have more fun playing with this right now than Lovebug though :).

And really, that's just the beginning of all of my Nova loves and I could go on and on. However, much of it isn't age appropriate for Lovebug just YET. Anyway, check them out if you haven't already.

Speaking of catalogs, this time of year our mailboxes can easily get pretty full of them, right? I have tried to get off nearly all of the lists either by calling the company, emailing them, AND going to Catalog Choice, which is a free service that lets you pick and choose which catalogs you want to receive. That way you're no longer getting the ones you don't want (and just end up recycling), but still getting the ones you do actually enjoy going through (and then saving or recycling:)!

I love getting Nova Natural because all of the beauties in it, but I also love getting it because this is the first one all year we've received. I really appreciate that since some companies waste a ridiculous amount of paper sending new catalogs out every couple of months (I'm talking to you Hanna Andersson!). We bought an organic sweater from Hanna after Lovebug was first born and on came the crazy amount of catalogs...thankfully, I was able to end that (finally). But then last month we bought her some special organic pajamas for Christmas Eve and the catalogs have started again, so I have to get on that asap...


However, HERE is something wonderful about the Hanna Andersson catalog - Lovebug loves it! She loves going through it and seeing all the babies and children and tearing it up (as seen above:)...It entertains her for quite awhile! So when Mama or Dada need to get something done - we give her the Hanna Andersson catalog! :)

The invitation shot

Well hello everyone. Hope all is well with each of you! Things are busy here, just as everyone else seems to be around this time of year. Can you believe it's November? Gee-whiz! I've got the holidays on my mind, as I am sure each of you do as well. They will be upon us before we know it!


But first comes Lovebug's 1st birthday - YEA! Seriously, I CANNOT believe she is going to be ONE in about a month...super super super crazy. Wow, what a year! SO, this event designer has been working away on the details of this super duper special day (I keep saying "super", don't I? :). Anyway, I'm trying to design and plan a day our little baby will enjoy and seeing as our girl loves animals, it's going to be farm animal-themed. Her grandparents gave her an adorable wooden farm animal puzzle she has loved to play with ever since she was itty bitty, so the other day I took advantage of her playing and snapped away in hopes of getting a shot invitation-worthy.


In lieu of traditional invitations, we typically do email ones to save on paper and money. We used to do Evite, which I like, until I was introduced to Pingg, which I just love, as it's Evite's chic older sister. There aren't as many bells and whistles with Pingg, and it's alot simpler and cleaner looking, but Evite is fun and has cute themes, so they each have their place. With Pingg, you can upload your own photo but they also have a good amount of cool stock photos to choose from as well. Both Evite and Pingg are completely free, but another cool thing about Pingg is that you CAN buy postcards of your invite with the picture on one side and the info on the other for $1.25 each plus postage! Great for scrapbooking or keepsaking in memory of the event AND for the grandparent or family member that doesn't have an email account and needs to get a hard-copy :). I definitely would recommend checking both of them out for your next party or get-together!


Anyway, thought I'd share the shots in the running...


Hope all of your weeks are going well!

Wastefulness

This sort of thing really really frustrates me. Lovebug and I were enjoying ourselves on a walk Friday, which is also trash/recycling day around here, and we ran across such wastefulness that I had to take shots of it.

Can you believe this?


And this?


AND THIS!!!!!!!!!?


I wanted to walk up to these houses and say - WHY do you have so much trash??? WHY aren't you recycling (more or at all)???? WHY aren't you giving away things to charities??? WHY are you being so wasteful???? SO much of the above could be recycled, especially ALL those boxes!!! SO much could be composted and used in their garden/yard! And SO much could be given away to a charity for someone in need!!!

People are just so very wasteful though and don't seem to care, although to be fair, I'm sure some people are just uninformed or ignorant to their choices. We have a friend who used to live up North and he said they were charged for every trash bag they had, but recycling was free, so this motivated people to have as little trash as possible. Isn't that wonderful???!! Is that true for where you live? Gosh I wish that was in effect here, but I've never heard of that anywhere around us. It really makes me want to get involved somehow in my area to help things like that happen!

I would say that the vast majority of people around us don't even recycle and these pictures are really not unusual, which is so sad. What's crazy is that the recycling containers are free from our city (some cities you have to pay I've heard) and you can go to the city and get as MANY as you want (we have 4!) and recycling is SO easy - I mean REALLY, how much extra effort does it take? Plus, we're very fortunate that our area recycles pretty much everything and there's very little that they don't accept, so it's hard for me to undertand why everyone doesn't do it.

There are even local charities that leave notes on our door saying they need this and that and tell us what day to leave the stuff on our porch, and then THEY come and pick it up...SO easy!! But people constantly throw things out that could be used by someone else in need! How you ever been to a landfill? GO!!! It will really open up your eyes to the ridiculous levels of wastefulness in our country!

We reuse, compost, and recycle everything as much as possible, give away to local charities everything that we think could possibly be re-used or enjoyed by someone else, and then what's leftover is SO minute that we don't even put trash out every week. It's normally every other week and then only 1/2 a trash bag full with a couple of recycling containers. BUT most of the people around us put out trash TWICE a week and have at least a couple of bags every time and mostly no recycling. Arrrgghhhh!!

Of course, what is really important is precycling and only buying what you truly need or want and not overbuying! That's where it all starts...People just accumulate way too much stuff and don't put alot of thought into their purchases. Anyway, I wanted to share and see if this was the norm where you live (gosh, I hope not!). I'm thinking I might do a couple posts on recycling (and composting) in the upcoming weeks to share some different things we've learned over the years.

Hope everyone had a great weekend (we did!) and try to have a beautiful (not wasteful:) Monday!

Recycling while traveling

It can be done! Many of you might already do it actually, which is wonderful! Sometimes it's not the easiest thing to do and most of the time it takes some planning, but it can be done. Prior to our trips over the last couple of years we have called ahead and found out about recycling where we're staying (if there is any) or googled it and have been able to plan things accordingly.

We mostly drive when we travel and thus bring 1-2 of our city recycling containers (but a plastic bag, container, or whatever would work as well) and collect the whole group's recycling for the trip. Then have either found a location locally to where we're staying where we can drop it off, but if not, have strapped it to the back of the car and headed home with it. When we have air traveled, such as to Mexico, we will partake of the bottled water (we always use our Klean Kanteens but not in Mexico ya know:) and adult beverages, so we'll bring a little plastic bag for any cans/bottles and fly home with them in our checked bag - they take up hardly any room once crushed.


The pic is from our Hill Country trip we took in the spring - you can see our recycling container on the left side strapped down. I know that's not an option for some people with a small car, but maybe it could be strapped to the top or put inside the trunk, which then maybe a plastic bag would work better...different things will work best for different people.

Obviously, the ideal thing is to have the least amount of recycling possible (well, least amount of trash first, but you get what I'm saying) and to use non-disposables, but traveling often changes things up and sometimes requires that you use more disposable things than normal. The really ideal thing would be that you're staying somewhere that has recycling or recycles on their own - gosh wouldn't that be so incredible if every place was like that?! Some day, some day...

As always, something to think about. Probably alot of people see vacations/trips as their "break" from such green acts, but it's not in my blood...I just can't do it. I've tried, but I can't. So anyway, maybe next time you head for a trip call ahead and ask about recycling or google it on EcoSearch...you'll feel better - or at least I do :)!

Have a lovely weekend!

Vacation Time!!!

Thanks for everyone's sweet comments on the blessing stuff...I'm so loving this blog world and meeting new blog friends:). Well, we're off to one of our favorite places - the beach!! YEA!!! We're so looking forward to feeling the sand beneath our feet, hearing the roar of the waves, smelling the salt-filled air, and spending some time with family (and the above pic from last year is making me so wish I was already there:). We're very much looking forward to introducing Lovebug to it all and seeing what she thinks! So, I'll be taking a break from regular posting but I am going to try to do a scheduled post with a video I wanted to share, so stay tuned for that.

BUT first, here's something I MUST pass along...I heard the other day on a green podcast that alot of white distilled vinegars (especially budget brands) are actually made from petroleum!!!!! YES people, that incredibly awesome clear liquid that does AMAZING things - especially when cleaning (or cooking) - is often made from petroleum...crazy and oh so gross!!! I had never heard that before (had anybody else?)! Of course, I quickly looked at my bottle (Heinz) and it is grain-derived - thank goodness! But check your labels...I saw at Heinz.com that theirs is completely grain-derived, but be careful with other brands...Always learning something new in this green life of mine and I LOVE it :)!!!

So, be back soon and can't wait to hear/see what everyone else has been doing whilst I'm away!

Little green step for the BIG orange

So I think the folks over at Home Depot read my CFL post :)...Yeah right, but they did do something very green - every one of their 1,973 stores now accepts and recycles CFLs - YEA!! The program started at the end of June apparently (so this might be old news to some of you). Here's the full release on it, but to sum it up, it's free and you can take in any expired, unbroken CFLs and give them to an associate at the returns desk. For broken CFLs you still need to dispose of them as hazardous waste though (see my CFL post here for info on that).


This is a great green step for the world's largest home improvement store, and they have some other eco things they're doing as well, like switching all their light showrooms to CFLs. LEDs are definitely the bulbs of the future but until the pricing comes down on them, switch to CFLs!...Home Depot just made recycling them alot easier!

Candlemaking & Gem Separating

So we're getting ready for sweet Lovebug's blessing and just trying to take one day at a time. It's really hard getting stuff done with this extremely mobile and curious 7.5 month old :)!
Yesterday it was candlemaking and glass gem separating...

I made soy pillar candles with eco cotton wicks (no lead), and got all my supplies here locally. Although they are super simple to make, it did take me awhile - well, because of the 7.5 month old, and I only have three molds. They turned out well though...just added lavender EO (essential oil) to give them a little scent. As far as the amount of EO, I really just eye it and see what works. Been making soy candles off and on the last couple of years and it's really enjoyable. It takes me back to when I was young because every year we went on a field trip to this place where they lived like pioneers in log cabins. You got to make candles there, amongst other things the settlers regularly did like butter-making and weaving, but I always looked forward to making my candle!


Little info on candles...I know candles can be lovely - they create a certain ambience and can often smell wonderful. But green homes should do away with traditional paraffin candles, as they are not very healthy for the earth or for you and your family. Paraffin candles are petroleum-based (and we all need to do what we can to reduce our petroleum use) and produce alot of carcinogens and soot. Unfortunately that soot is gathering on your walls even if you can't see it and whilst breathing in that yummy apple cinnamon scent, you're also breathing in those carcinogens :(. Plus, most of the "yummy" scents are made up of not very natural ingredients and many traditional candles still have ones with lead (ones that are imported, as the U.S. actually banned the use of lead wicks) which is emitted into the air and can accumulate in your body. Not so lovely...

Soy and beeswax are the most eco friendly candles out there. Both types of candles burn cooler and slower (thus, last longer), which helps distribute the fragrance better. They are VERY easy to clean up, are non-toxic, and produce far less soot than traditional paraffin candles.  However, these eco candles are typically expensive (why, I don't know) so if you can, try to find materials to make your own and you'll save some money, or if you can afford it, there are some great eco options out there. Whether making your own or buying, essential oil-scented ones are best to look out for instead of synthetic ingredients and cotton/hemp wicks. Mmmmmm - much more lovely!


Oh, also as an alternative to candles - something we often do is put some drops of our fave EO (or fresh herbs from our garden) in a pot of boiling water on the stove and let that simmer for awhile which makes the whole house smell wonderful. Sometimes we'll walk around with it too in order to disperse the scent or leave it sitting somewhere (in a safe place) that needs some deodorizing. :)

The glass gems are from my sis's wedding and I'm still trying to use them here and there. I only want the clear ones for Lovebug's blessing, so I've been going through and separating them (and being extra careful so my very mobile daughter doesn't find one on the floor and put it in her mouth!). I'm going to be making little favors out of them as well as using some in the decor...I think. We'll see!


More blessing stuff to come - it's going to be a busy weekend - let's see, some sewing, painting, flower-making, and more....Have a wonderful one!!!

Clean Your Air - Household Cleaners

Awhile ago I did a post on cleaning your air with plants...wanted to follow that up with how to clean your air with healthy household cleaners. In college, I bought Windex and the "typical" cleaners because that's what my Mom used, but once we got married and started re-analyzing our choices, the way we lived, and the effects these had on our home, health, and the environment, we knew a change needed to be made. Started by buying green cleaners but then soon after that began making our own, which ends up being a far cheaper alternative, but more on that later...


Since so much time is spent indoors and the air quality is much poorer than outside air, it's really important to do as much as we can to keep it clean. One of the best ways this can be done is by NOT bringing toxic cleaning products into our homes, as the majority of indoor pollutants are actually from cleaners. So what is supposedly cleaning our houses is dirtying the air we breathe!! Have you ever gotten a headache or been irritated at all whilst cleaning and wondered why? I know I used to!

With most regular cleaning products you're allowing toxic chemicals into your home that can lead to fatigue, illness, and disease. Especially if you have children (or are pregnant), you need to be careful, as little one's developing bodies are MUCH more susceptible to damage, specifically their nervous, reproductive, and respiratory systems. Think about where children play - on the floor - where they are much closer to the pollutants than adults are, because the floor is where allergens, dust, and heavier-than-air chemicals settle and collect. Further, children are constantly putting their hands into their mouths and thus more easily tranferring the toxic substances into their bodies...AND household cleaning chemicals are the most frequent type of chemicals involved in children's poisonings, which is scary.

I would suggest getting rid of the toxic cleaning products you have RIGHT NOW (some would suggest finishing them and then starting over "green"/healthy, so that's another option, but I think it's better to just rid your home of them). BUT don't throw them away - you have to dispose of them properly - if you just dump them, those chemicals end up in our landfills and then in our waterways!!! SO, contact your city or go to your city's website and find where/when to dispose of hazardous waste, because that's what your cleaning products are - HAZARDOUS waste! Isn't something wrong when what we're "cleaning" our houses with is considered hazardous??


Most people just continue to buy what they have always bought or what their parents did (me!!!) without really looking at what's in the products. But we need to, have to, because WE are responsible for our health, we can't trust the government and certainly NOT big business to take care of us! It's our responsibility, especially as parents. Thank goodness, there are many green options readily available now for purchase...Seventh Generation has some great products...and Ecover.

Look for products that ARE:

Biodegradable
Bio-based and made from renewable sources - plant, vegetable, or fruit-based
Color-less/Clear - NOT formulated with dyes
Non-flammable

DON'T buy products with these ingredients:

Petro-dyes
Artificial perfumes (like if it says "Fragrance")
Petroleum distillates or crude oil
Ammonia
Bleach
Chlorine
Benzene
Ethylene
Formaldehyde
Optical Brighteners
Solvents
Acids
Phosphates
Borates
Nitrates
VOC's - volatile organic compounds
AND any Synthetic ingredients

Here are some others that you should look out for!

BUT really be wary of greenwashing from companies..."Greenwashing" is basically advertising and marketing of a product/company that makes it look "green" when in fact it really isn't - it's very misleading! S.C. Johnson and their GreenList line is a good example of this. The commercials and ads for their "green" products really upset me because some of their ingredients are certainly NOT green, not healthy, and are actually toxic (ethylene glycol and isopropanol, amongst others) and they themselves created "The GreenList" that their products fall under, which doesn't really make sense. So just be careful - really read the ingredient list and any warnings that the product has. Some others offhand to look out for include Target's Method line (thus the pretty colors of their products - and they have SLS and petroleum-based ingredients in some of them), and Clorox Green Works...supposedly Green Works is 99% "natural" (which really doesn't mean anything), but that 1% of "un-natural" ingredients is from petrochemicals (dyes) which give it that light green color, namely Kathon, which according to the MSDS for it, can be irritating to skin, damaging to eyes, and may cause long term adverse effects to the aquatic environment..." Hmmmm...doesn't sound very green!


As mentioned previously, I highly suggest INSTEAD making your own non-toxic cleaning products from common household items like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, castile soap, and pure essential oils. That way you know exactly what ingredients are in your products, and if you buy in bulk from places like Mountain Rose Herbs (try Costco or a grocery for bulk vinegar), you're reducing the amount of packaging you buy, as well as saving money. Find some inexpensive containers and spray bottles you can label to store your products in, some good reusable cloths, natural bristle brushes, and there you go! Here, here, and here are some excellent resources for making your own cleaning recipes - we use many of them and they work great!! BUT THIS ONE, this one is the best !!

One concern some people might have about non-toxic cleaning products is that they don't clean as well...well I'm here to tell you they REALLY do - I promise!!! A mixture of vinegar and water is the BEST window/glass cleaner I've ever used and baking soda is AMAZING - nothing cleans our sinks, showers, tubs, etc. better - seriously! Vinegar is effective at killing mold, germs, and bacteria due to its acidity and it's extremely economical - here are 1001 uses for vinegar, involving everything from cleaning to pet care! Baking soda is another cheap incredible cleaning ally and here are some great uses for it! Many pure essential oils have amazing antiseptic and antibacterial properties, such as tea tree, lemon, lavender, and many others, plus they smell beautiful! Really, you can get your home as clean (and healthier) with non-toxic products!

In the long run, it ends up being much cheaper and is SO much better for you and your family's health, as well as the health of the environment. Plus, it's so simple and easy....Do you see a pattern in my posts?? - Simple, easy, and inexpensive...:) So get to it - do some green summer cleaning - and get your home (and air) truly clean!

Change your home/search page!

Thank you everyone for the sweet comments on our girl! Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was a simple but oh so enjoyable one for us - we relaxed, made our weekly trip to the farmer's market and grocery, monthly trek to Whole Foods for organic bulk items, cooked bean burgers and baked carob chip cookies (YUMMY!), did some closet organizing/simplifying, switched out some spring decor with summer stuff (YES, finally), and just hung out and enjoyed our little family. Good times!

Saw this last week and wanted to share it with as many people as possible...it's a really simple way to help the environment! Change your homepage and search engine to EcoSearch.org (just click on "Make EcoSearch your homepage" and "Add to Internet Explorer Search Bar" on the bottom) - it's a Google powered search page (which is GREAT because I honestly don't know what I'd do without Google...seriously!), so same results you get from Google, except with this you're helping the earth!

Ecosearch is a non-profit corporation that donates 100% of their profits from ad revenue to WONDERFUL environmental charities and non-profits, such as Rainforest Alliance, National Resources Defense Council, and Heal the Bay (amongst others)...So it's a great cause and super super easy! Please pass it along to everyone you know and search away!

Make the switch

I got this video clip sent to me earlier this week...was aware of what he spewed (parts that are true at least)...poor guy comes across (to me) as an ignorant Texan man (HAS to mention Monday night football, Dimebox, and OH how wonderful coal plants are of course:)...and as a Texan myself, I was a bit embarrassed and annoyed by the guy. He does bring up one or two interesting points and some issues that are highly misunderstood regarding CFLs though...Been meaning to post on them for awhile now so I thought there was no better time than the present.

Early on this last year we decided to give CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) as Christmas gifts to promote their use. I think most people thought it was a funny present but in reality it's a very practical gift (and money-saving!). We also made sure to include info on CFLs, and where/how to properly recycle them (which is very important - more on that later) per each person/family('s) location. When we bought our house one of the first things we did was put CFLs in - a more expensive investment up front but well worth it! We researched them greatly before doing so and decided it was the best option currently out there. The way we see it, replacing your incandescents with CFLs is something that can easily be done by everyone to reduce your home's energy use and, thus, it's greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some interesting info/facts on CFLs:

-CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescents
-CFLs last 10 times longer
-CFLs are 4 times more efficient
-When you replace an incandescent with a CFL you keep a half a ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb
-If everyone in the U.S. used CFLs we could retire 90 avg size power plants
-CFLs can be used nearly everywhere incandescents can and are readily available at local home improvement stores

New CFLs give off warm inviting light (they're no longer harsh)...there are dimmable, 3-way, flood, and candelabra CFLs, as well as ones with globe and dome covers that look like standard incandescents in case you're not a fan of the spiral. There should be a CFL out there for all of your needs! REALLY!

NOW, CFLs as the guy mentions DO contain mercury...they are not perfect YET and do contain a small amount of the toxic metal...BUT here's some info on that...The average CFL contains 5 milligrams (mg) of mercury...compare that to the wrist watch that many of you wear - the battery inside contains 25 mg of mercury...the old wall thermostat that many of you still have in your houses or buildings may contain up to 3,000 mg, and glass thermometers contain about 500 mg...So that gives you an idea of how small the amount is...SO it would take quite ALOT of CFLs to equal any of those amounts, but ANY mercury is not good for sure! The levels have already gotten much less since CFLs came out (there are ultra-low mercury bulbs available too -check below) and the industry is saying in 8-10 years, they will all be mercury FREE so that's great news.

NO mercury is released when they are in use - only when they are broken and the concern is when they are broken HOT not cold...and any breaks are most likely to occur when they are being installed/uninstalled at which time they would be off and thus cold. AND the glass of CFLs is much thicker than incandescent glass so they are harder to break...BUT, if you happen to break one, DON'T panic - most of the mercury adheres to the glass anyway, but here's what to do:

1.) Open a window and leave the room for a bit and close the door - the longer the better as the mercury will circulate out the window(s) ...
2.) Use gloves and carefully scoop up the pieces and the powder w/cardboard and place in a glass jar with a lid
3.) Wipe down the area with damp paper towels and place those in the jar as well.

* If the breakage occurs on a rug or carpet, follow the first and second steps above, but then use sticky tape to pick up the powder and any remaining tiny pieces...

NOW that jar needs to be disposed of (as well as CFLs once they reach their end-use)...they SHOULD NOT just be thrown away because then that mercury in the bulbs can end up in our lakes and oceans, which will build up in our fish, and will then be transferred to fish-eaters...This seems to annoy some people -that they have to make an extra effort - come on - it's not that hard! Just check your city website (normally with Household Hazardous Waste info) to see how/where you're supposed to dispose of them...Most cities have somewhere for you to take them, along with your household chemicals and whatnot. Some cities even pick up your hazardous waste curbside, so check...A couple stores also take them and properly dispose of them (like the wonderful Ikea)...Hopefully more retailers that sell CFLs will do this soon too - like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart...

Check locally first to purchase your CFLs, but a wide variety can also be purchased at websites like Earth Easy...they have the LOW-mercury ones that contain about 3 mg of mercury, like the Philips Alto...the Sylvania micro mini, and I believe GE has a low-mercury level one as well. This is a great site to help you find where to dispose/recycle your CFLs - but check your city website first. Here's another helpful website w/ CFL info...AND HERE is a awesome kit that you buy for $17.50 from this company - once you fill it with any broken or end-use CFLs, you simply send the pre-paid box off to be recycled - easy as pie!!

There's some interesting opinions out there that argue that CFLs actually keep a great deal of mercury out of the air as a CFL uses a very small amount of power compared to an incandescent...and most power in our country comes from the beautiful coal plants which constantly release ridiculous amounts of mercury (actually they account for about 40% of our country's emissions). Thus, CFLs can help to reduce mercury emissions from the coal plants because the electricity needed for the use of an incandescent bulb emits 13.6 mg of mercury into the air, compared to 3.3 mg of mercury from a CFL. However, all of that mercury from the coal plants that is emitted from the use of both CFLs and incandescents is unrecoverable unfortunately, but it's less mercury with CFLs...Further, the mercury inside a CFL - IF it's taken to a place where it's recycled - will be contained and recycled/reused to make new CFLs...and it will never be released into the air!

One argument against CFLs the Rep. in the clip had is that ALL CFLs are made in China...well, not ALL but yes, most of them unfortunately...some of the Philip Altos I've found are made in Mexico...Lights of America did have a U.S. CFL plant but I've read it no longer exists since 2007.

Like I said, in 8-10 years (or sooner hopefully) CFLs will be mercury free, even more efficient, and (hopefully much sooner) easier recycling of them will be available...but until then we still think they're the way to go in order to lessen our negative impact. Probably by then though, LEDs will have taken over the market as they are a MUCH MUCH more efficient light than CFLs overall...time will tell but for now go out and get you some CFLs (preferably the low-mercury ones listed above) - the pros really do outweigh the cons and they're worth making the switch, both financially and environmentally! Gosh, this ended up being REALLY long - geez! Sorry - just trying to get the info out...:) Hope I made some sense!

End of an era...for now

So we had our last day of cable...it is no longer. We could not justify the cost of that luxury anymore (especially since there are only a couple of shows we actually watch on it) and saw it as another way of simplifying our life - getting rid of something else that is not necessary...

However, us foodies will miss our "Top Chef" (my pick was Antonia from episode 1 and Jonathan's was Richard...but Stephanie is awesome too - DON'T tell me what happened tonight - I don't want to know YET:)...DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THOSE ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE ANYWHERE? I looked on itunes and no luck! I'll miss the creativity on "Project Runway" for sure with Heidi's "we're going to have a chat", "one of you will be the winner, and one of you will be out", and Tim's "make it work!"...


I know we'll miss the Tennis Channel for when one of the "opens" is on...and the occasional decent movie that you can find on some random channel. Jonathan will miss Anthony Bourdain's travel/food show (and my "Nooooo Reservations" impression every time it comes back on -right honey?:) and a sport or fishing show from time to time, but other than that we don't watch much of anything else on any of the ridiculous number of cable channels we've been getting. We're followers of "Lost" and "The Office", but those are local channels so we're safe on those -whew - thank goodness!! First thing I did was unplug the receivers so they're not sucking vampire power ANYMORE (need to post on vampire/phantom power soon!) and put the TVs on a power strip so we can flip the switch when not in use...

So it's a bit sad but also exciting because we're really interested to see what we can do with that little bit of time some evenings we might spend in front of the TV...read, paint, crafting, projects, home remodeling (YEA!), and just overall more family time together. Not that you're not having family time when you're laughing over a show and sharing conversation about it, but you know, different family time -a greater quality of time I would venture to say...


Anyway, we're going to see how it goes...I have to admit though that it was really nice after little Miss was born to be able to find SOMETHING on while I was up nursing her during much of the night/morning, so we'll see if when baby #2 comes if a new era of cable begins :)! REALLY wish though that you could pick whatever channels you watch and pay for just those - but of course not - dang cable companies!

Oh yeah and these pics have nothing to do with the post, but since I'm a photo gal, I like pics with posts...but they are of me and my wee one playing in the grass which she loves oh so much - she's an outdoor gal for sure! We're relaxing/playing which...hmmmmm...IS something we can do more of now that cable is gone so maybe YES they are related to the post in a roundabout way :)!

Clean Your Air - Add Plants!

The air inside houses and buildings is very very dirty and we are surrounded by toxic chemicals - gross! Actually, according to the EPA, the air inside is 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. There are many unpleasant reactions to the toxicity of our air such as headaches, asthma, fatigue, mood swings, etc. etc....and long term exposure has been shown to be a cause of many different types of cancer. BUT there are many things you can do to help clean your air and I'm going to write a couple of posts about different ways to do that.

Open your windows for one and let the spring breezes in and the toxic chemicals out....turn on your fans and maybe your attic fan or a/c unit fan to help circulate the air.

You can buy air purifiers, which do work, but they're expensive, require power, and many of them put off alot of ozone and end up creating home smog which isn't desirable to say the least and kind of defeats their intended purpose. However, air purifiers with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters are the BEST and do NOT put off ozone, but they are the most expensive as well.

A cheaper, prettier, and overall better alternative is to buy houseplants!! Not only do they help bring nature inside your house and are beautiful, but they also help clean your air significantly. Plants function like air pumps basically and can accumulate the toxic chemicals inside your home or office.

Three of the major air offenders in most homes/buildings is Formaldehyde, Benzene, and Trichloroethylene...and the plants that are best at absorbing these chemicals from the air include:

Spider Plant
Ficus
English Ivy
Draceana "Janet Craig"
Peace Lily
Bamboo Palm
Snake Plant or "Mother-in-law's Tongue"
Golden Pothos
Philodendron
and Spathiphyllum...amongst others

From my experience, I think the easiest to start with is a Golden Pothos or a Draceana "Janet Craig"...For you locals, Nicholson-Hardie has the best selection of houseplants I've seen anywhere!

We have many and are planning to get more and I love having them everywhere! They say that for an avg home of 2,000 sq ft, 15-18 houseplants are needed in 6 inch or larger pots for the best results. We constantly give houseplants as gifts to our fam and friends which they probably tire of :) but I think they make great green gifts!

We spend so much time at home and in our offices, and thus they really need to be healthy environments for us and our loved ones - so let's try to make our air cleaner! ...Oh yes and the adorable button flowers in the one pot - my friend Emily made those and I LOVE them!

Make EVERY day Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day - a day specifically designated to remind people to love and care for the Earth and all of its creatures. Our planet isn't doing too hot (actually it's just getting hotter) and we have to take care of it! We need to be good stewards of the Earth as God asked, and that means living a "green" life in which you conserve as much as possible. Our little nest has been a green one for quite awhile now, which I'm so proud of, and we truly try to live each day conscientious of our decisions and the impact they have on our planet, on others, and on us. But there is always something else we can be doing or NOT doing to make our nest and our planet healthier...and that's part of the fun - always adapting and evolving to better ourselves in some way and lessen our negative impact. We want to have the GREATEST impact on the planet with the SMALLEST footprint!! I hope that even if you're already living the "green" life that today your eyes will be opened in some way to something else you can do to better the Earth. For you others, I pray that you will see the importance of what we're doing, join the green team :), and learn to make EVERY day Earth Day!!!!!

Here are some green keywords/tips:

SIMPLIFY!!! Learn to live SIMPLY!!!!
Give away! Don't buy excess!!! Buy used!!! Buy only what you need!!!!
Eat local!! Eat seasonally!!! Eat vegetarian!!!! Eat ORGANIC!!!!
Rather than hug a tree, PLANT a tree! Plant native!!
Clean naturally!! Say NO to chemicals!!! Make healthy smart decisions!!!!
RESEARCH!!!
Have houseplants!!! Open your windows!!!!
Turn off your A/C and ON your fans!!!!!
Turn your refrigerator to 37 degrees and freezer to 3!!!
Turn OFF your lights!!!
Install CFL's in your home!! Wash laundry COLD!! Air dry your laundry!!!!
THINK!!! ACT!!!!
Buy organic cotton products or other sustainable materials!!!
Buy fair trade!!!!
GREEN REMODEL/BUILD!!!
Walk and bike where possible!!!! Take public transportation where possible!!!
Use biodiesel!!! Install low-flow showerheads!!
Collect rainwater!!! DON'T overwater! Install a water filter!
Get a reusable water bottle and coffee mug!!!! DON'T buy bottled water!!!
Buy and USE reusable bags in lieu of paper or plastic!!
COMPOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Refuse!! Reduce!!!! Reuse!!!! Recycle!!!!! Restore!!!!!! Precycle!!!!!!!
CONSERVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Earth Day!!!!

Green Your V-Day

The time is almost near and Cupid will soon be here!! I love Valentine's Day and always have - my Mother made it a very special day. Granted, she's the best Mom there is so she made every day special but V-day was especially so, and with every meal there was something red! She would make something wonderful for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was the most special - with lots of red yummy food and she would have little presents for each of us kids at our setting and the eating area would be decorated in reds and pinks. You're the best Mommy - I only hope I can be half the Mom you are!

I know it's a "marketing" holiday and I truly believe that you should treat your loved ones like it's Valentine's EVERY day and do random special things, but I still think it's a fun day! Here are some ways to make your V-Day GREEN:

-In lieu of flowers, buy potted plants so there is no waste after a week AND you're giving something that will help clean your loved one's air!!
**Best air cleaners include: Janet Craig dracaena, Peace Lily, & Rubber Plant, amongst others.

-If purchased flowers are what will make your love the happiest, then buy organic flowers from Organic Bouquet, California Organics, or Manic Organics Flowers...Whole Foods now carries some organic flowers as well - so check your local natural food stores...Look for in-season, locally-grown flowers!
**The commerical flower industry is very scary with unfair labor practices, excessive consumption of natural resources such as water, and a ridiculous amount of toxic chemical use (that are illegal w/i U.S.) that pollutes our environment and harms the workers that work on the flower farms, who often suffer from skin and respiratory problems, fatigue, blurred vision, and premature birth. The flowers are fumigated, sprayed with pesticides, and soaked in preservatives...Do you really want that brought into your home for you and your loved ones to breathe in?

-Buy organic fair-trade chocolates - yummy!! I love Dagoba and Green & Black...
**Non-organic cocoa is 2nd only to cotton in terms of the most pesticides used on the crop, which is scary as exposure to pesticides is being increasingly linked to various kinds of cancer. Buying "fair-trade" ensures that the employees and farmers that harvested the cocoa beans were treated and paid fairly and sustainable environmental practices were in place.

-Look for Valentine's cards that are made from recycled paper content....or make your own for a much more personalized touch from materials you already have...or send an Evite card or e-Card!

See, even a holiday like Valentine's that evokes the color red can be made green...Happy Valentine's everyone!