July 22, 2009 by admin · 18 Comments
I recently moved into a new home and decided to take the opportunity to “start fresh.” Now I really think about every single thing that comes into my home: its ingredients, origins…everything. I was having a hard time finding home decor that fit my family’s style and from a company I wanted to support. I received a catalog in the mail from At West End and got on the phone to learn more about their company. The products were simply stunning, unique, eclectic, inspired by nature and made from recycled products. But I wanted to know more. The owner Doug Williams took the time to help me out and I am now their biggest supporter.
For over twenty years they have offered a well rounded selection of handmade products from around the world. They have searched all over so each piece in their line has a very artisan feel. Everything you buy helps the world locally and globally. The owners Doug and Susan have a “Kids Foundation” where they support, give service and are very involved in four different charities. The fund they raise help provide medical care, education, food and shelter for children in Haiti, Colombia and Honduras.
I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was to learn this part of their company, which they don’t push in your face. It took a bit of digging to understand how awesome they really are. For Father’s Day I bought my husband a recycled fire pit that he promptly announced was the best present he ever received from me. My office is full of furniture, magazine racks, mirrors, driftwood balls and coat racks from their catalog.
My home is now FULL of decor items from At West End, all high quality and which represent a mission I truly support and believe in.
July 20, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
Making correct decisions to help the environment and to be green is a lifetime learning process that can start at a very young age. Setting a good example for your children is the most important step to take in teaching them to reduce their carbon footprint and to love the Earth. The following are some other tips to help you start to teach your young children in their every day lives to be more eco-friendly.
- Arts & Crafts—Take the time to brainstorm together, check out a book from the library or browse the web to find activities that you can reuse supplies to have fun. Teach them to be careful with the amount of paper they use and to always recycle when possible.
- Errands—When possible, walk, not only is it helpful to the environment but it encourages a healthy lifestyle and gets their wiggles out! Arrange errands with neighbors and carpool, explain to your children why you are going on errands together.
- Family/Friend Outings—Plan activities, playgroups, vacations that can give you the opportunity to help the environment, support a charity or visit a place that can teach your children more about being eco-friendly.
- Snacks—Cut down on packaging by reusing bags, drink containers, etc. Get your children in the kitchen to help you make snacks to use throughout the week together!
- Meals—While at the grocery store or farmer’s market make shopping more fun by explaining to them why you buy organic and local food items.
- Chores—Involve them in the preparation of homemade safe cleaning products, explain to them why you choose to stay away from harmful chemicals. Give them a large part of the recycling job in your home by involving them in collecting, sorting and disbursing recycled goods.
- Nature—Start young by your example in teaching them how to love the Earth. Make sure they understand how beautiful everything is so you can help develop their care and concern for taking care of their surroundings.
July 17, 2009 by admin · 4 Comments
I am a huge fan of eeBoo toys! I was at a little boutique this past week and saw their new flashcard sets. The girls and I have been enjoying playing with them and I highly recommend them to everyone.
Respect the Earth Flashcards will teach your children how to recycle, promote conservation, shop at farmers markets and how to take care of our earth!
Good Manners Flashcards will give you a fun way to teach your children good behavior in family situations.
Good Citizenship Flash Cards include tips on how we can all make a difference with little acts of kindness and caring–from recycling and offering to help someone to helping set the table and giving thirsty dogs water.
July 15, 2009 by admin · 3 Comments
Organic popsicles…yes, I said it…that are bright colors, easy to make and full of ooey, gooey yumminess!
Ready for the super specific recipe? Here goes!
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5 or 6 or so frozen organic berries, any kind
1/2 cup to 1 cup or so of organic plain yogurt
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of organic carrot juice
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Mix together in large bowl.
Pour into rocket ship popsicle molds (that you can buy here)
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Enjoy!
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Here’s the thing, today they also had a huge cupcake and we visit McDonald’s more than I care to admit but I LOVE that most of the time they will eat treats like these. I say everything in moderation! Sometimes I have time to make organic, healthy popsicles and other days they get Otter Pops that have been in the back of the freezer way too long, but I love that they enjoy BOTH and it is quite fun pretending to be chefs with these two little gals.
July 13, 2009 by admin · 13 Comments
I really enjoy doing yoga with my girls. We each have our own Lotuspad yoga mat and a great children’s yoga DVD.
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This is something I have felt a strong need to start with my soon to be three year old, she can be extremely anxious at times and I know this will help her.
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Yoga can be a fantastic family activity, a wonderful thing to do for playtime and a good example of the importance of exercise to your children.
The following list of the benefits of yoga are from White Mountain Yoga.
Stronger Bodies
- Build developing strength and natural flexibility to minimize injury
- Improve body awareness and coordination
- Experience the joy of movement free from competition
- Improve breathing safely
Focused Minds
- Instill a healthy well-developed self-esteem
- Cultivate mental concentration and attention
- Reduce stress and learn problem-solving skills
- Encourages feeling good as chemistry of the brain is balanced
Peaceful Spirits
- Encourage creative expression and imagination
- Enhance body image and self-acceptance
July 10, 2009 by admin · 12 Comments
Crafting as a family and sending your treasures off to those who really need them would be the perfect family activity this week. Even though the holidays are still over five months away, there is no better time than the present to do something good for someone else.
Here are just a few of the projects going on that I know about:
1. Mama to Mama always has wonderful projects, the most recent one being Caps to Caps-Haitian. Right now they’re on the lookout for a new project; if you have any ideas feel free to submit them!
2. If you don’t have a family that would necessarily enjoy crafting have them collect things of need from family members, friends, community members, etc. You can have your family collect books for Books for Africa or collect shoes for Green Eyes in Africa.
3. Find out what is going on around you locally. You can visit Utah Cares’ volunteer page and browse available opportunities in your area.
July 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
We recently moved into a new home where landscaping needs to be done–and soon to meet HOA guidelines. However, I am completely lost and confused with all the options and don’t know the best decision. Whatever we do choose it needs to meet these guidelines:
1. Be safe for my children and pets
2. Be environmental friendly
3. Work with the dry climate of Utah
4. Be affordable
5. Not have much upkeep since I am the one in charge of the lawn care in my home
After much research this is what I have learned and hopefully it will help me make a decision!
AstroTurf
Having a real lawn in my state (Utah), let alone my city, will be n environmental nightmare. Using gas lawn mowers is very pollutant to the air and is one of my least favorite things to do or even pay someone to do. Why not consider AstroTurf? Using fertilizer, sometimes even an all natural kind, make our dogs very ill even after waiting the recommended time until they are allowed back on the lawn. It seems like the perfect solution; it is pretty expensive but looks beautiful. Will I be able to get over the fact that it is not real? That it makes a weird plastic “crunch” noise every time you walk through it? I have heard there might be unhealthy amounts of lead in AstroTurf so now I am on the lookout for an environmental friendly, all natural AstroTurf.
Decorative Plants
If we do or don’t decide to go with AstroTurf we can also “decorate” the lawn with plants. My state has some good recommendations for the process of choosing these plants:
- Identify individual existing species of plants and their particular needs for sunlight, water, soil, and nutrient conditions.
- Do not plant plants that are on the invasive plant list for your area/region. Remove invasive plants from your site.
- Using plants that grow locally makes your job of raising them easier as they are already accustomed to your local growing conditions.
- By using locally adapted or native plants you can reduce water needs to a minimum and eliminate the need for some irrigation systems in certain areas.
Landscaping
It is important when planning your landscaping that it be modified easily for your family as it grows, changes, etc. This means less work for you and less hurt to the environment . Planting deciduous, shade trees on the south and west side of the house can reduce summer cooling costs and lower energy consumption. Trees are also valuable in shading paved areas (streets, driveways, and terraces) to reduce the heat on your landscape, which would be important if I went with AstroTurf . In Utah we are also exposed to winter winds, so a tall evergreen windbreak planted on the windward side of the home can reduce heating bills and energy consumption.
Animal Waste
My husband is a dog trainer and we have dogs of our own so cleaning up after them is a huge part of our daily routine. And since our lawn must carry the “scent” of dogs it attracts all of the neighbors’ dogs that escape from their homes or are (annoyingly) roaming free. Droppings from dogs and cats and from other commonly kept animals like exotic birds, rabbits, lizards, goats and chickens may contain bacteria, parasites, nutrients, or viruses that are a health risk to other pets and people, especially children. If pet waste is washed into a storm drain it can end up in a lake, river, creek or coastal waters. Pet waste is a contaminant in many streams and rivers. Keep pet waste away from gardens, ditches, storm drains and waterways. Dispose of pet waste by placing it in the garbage can or pet waste digester (available at pet stores). Do not use pet waste for compost. Always carry a bag and scooper when walking a pet to clean up after them. Do not leave pet waste on driveways, sidewalks, or surfaces where it can wash into storm drains, streams, or waterways.
Writing this article has given me lots of ideas, better educated me in this area and hopefully will help me come to a decision! Any suggestions?
July 6, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
“Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives.”
~ Thomas Berry
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Catching Butterflies on a Hot Day, no explanation needed.
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I do have to add the neighbors got a good laugh watching us run around like crazy trying to catch butterflies!
“As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees.”
~ Valerie Andrews, A Passion for this Earth
July 3, 2009 by admin · 3 Comments
At the end of the book Last Child In the Woods by Richard Louv, he gives tips on exploring nature with your children. This was one of my favorites:
Keep a “wonder bowl.” Kids fill their pockets with acorns, rocks and leaves. Empty those pockets into a bowl, so kids can linger over their treasures.
This our wonder bowl. At dinnertime I let Abby decorate the table for everyone to see the fun things she has found in nature. It has become a special part of our home.
Over at Nature for Kids they show some great examples of nature boxes (pictured below). Head over there to get more details.
What a fantastic and simple idea!
July 1, 2009 by emily · 1 Comment
Travel on this road for miles and miles into the hills and mountains until the road ends.
This is where we stop to get ready for “exploring” as we call it.
Are you ready?
We listen to the animals hidden in here:
Stop and listen the sounds of this:
And when this happens…
…we dance around in it for a bit! (Unfortunately, Mom didn’t get the best picture of us dancing.)
Then we run to the car to eat our “exploring” treat:
What could be better than that?
Don’t forget to spend time together in nature today!
I will give a huge high-five to anyone who can guess the correct location of our “Secret Spot.” I want to see if it’s really all that secret!
Where is your family’s special spot in nature?
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