The days are getting longer, the sun is shining, and kids want to be outside. Soon there will be a whole summer full of long days and energetic kids spending hours outdoors. Yet there are a few things that can put a damper on summer fun fast…sunburns and bug bites.
How can you keep your kids safe from burns and bugs while being healthy and green?
After years of experimentation, I have come up with the perfect recipe for easy, hearty, healthy, stick-to-the-ribs tasty chili, right in the slow cooker. And I’m going to share it with you.
But first, let’s talk about what you can do to make your chili — and all your cooking, really — more “green.”
More and more homeowners are using rain barrels to conserve water while collecting soft, non-chlorinated rainwater to nourish grass and plants.
This weekend, in Calgary, Canada, Clean Calgary Association, in partnership with the City of Calgary, will hold its 8th AnnualRain Barrel Sale.
With spring coming, local residents there are thinking about their lawns and gardens. Water usage in Calgary doubles in the spring and summer due largely to lawn irrigation.
The days are getting longer and sunnier, which increases the need for sunscreen. Yet with so many unsafe ingredients popping up in everything it is hard to find products that are safe.
KINeSYS sunscreen has been voted the safest and most effective sunscreen by the Cosmetics Databaseafter investigated over 1000 sunscreens. KINeSYS is also a proud signer of The Compact for Safe Cosmetics and strives to be a carbon neutral company. Their bottles are even made from 100% recyclable, BPA free plastic and they avoid excess packaging whenever possible. Read the rest of this entry »
Two things my girls have enjoyed doing this Spring: playing in the rain and helping me start the garden. The perfect activity for combining these twoo things is collecting rainwater! With how dry it can be here in Utah we need to save all the water we can. Rainwater can reduce the reliance on city water and save resources, especially as water ordinances and restrictions tighten and water becomes more scarce. Collecting rainwater for your spring/summer garden is the perfect solution and a fun experience for your kids. It is also a great way to teach your children water conservation–and you’ll enjoy the lower water bills!
If you have a small garden like mine (we just have an herb and salsa garden) you can have the children place their buckets and pails outside when you know a rainstorm is coming. This will ensure you have enough water for a couple of weeks.
As a family we are always looking for ways to cut down on our grocery bills. We like to cook with fresh herbs and use a lot of them, which starts to add up! So for at least half of the year we grow our own herbs on our windowsill. When you grow your own produce it tastes fresher, minimizes pesticide exposure, you don’t have to worry about recalls on tainted produce and you can have fun doing it as a family! Although, sometimes I have bad luck with growing certain herbs from seedlings which is why we are huge fans of Bonnie Plants.
Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”
There is nothing like getting dirty and finding things in nature. Children learn when they see, do, touch, and experience. To be a green mom, I have to let my kids just get dirty. They have to dig for worms, feel the soil, sometimes taste it and figure out what those worms are doing. It means scrubbing finger nails and taking long baths to soak but it helps the children understand for themselves what a worm is, how nature works and exactly what it feels like to figure something out. From all of my children’s exploring they have figured out, without me teaching them, that worms like dark, moist places to live. They know where the slugs are and which rocks to turn over. I did not teach them any of this but through exploration they have learned.
If you live in a northern climate like I do your kids are probably going stir crazy and take to the yard any day that the sun is shining. Cabin fever is probably driving you all a bit mad but maybe you don’t have much money to spend on taking the kids out for entertainment. The good news is you don’t need a lot of money if you know where to look for fun and often free events for kids.
Keep reading for tips on where to look for fun and free things to do with your kids and for a list of upcoming events in the Flint and Genesee County, Michigan area. Read the rest of this entry »
It took awhile before I became okay with the idea of drinking wheatgrass juice. In realizing the benefits of wheatgrass it was something I didn’t want to miss out on. Wheatgrass shots at your local health food store can be very pricey. So, last spring we started to grow our own wheatgrass for it’s health benefits.
Currently, I take wheatgrass shots about once a week to boost the Vitamin K in my system (did this w first pregnancy, too). This way we can opt out of our son receiving the Vitamin K shot after birth -unless there are visible signs of bruising.Be sure to consult your midwife or physician if your are pregnant or nursing before consuming wheatgrass.In any case, we set up a seed starter tray with soil and planted wheatgrass.
Growing wheatgrass, otherwise known as, “Liquid Sunshine” is very easy to do. Wheatgrass grows quickly. It only takes 3-5 days to emerge in soil 1/8 of inch deep. You can grow it all year round but the preferred temps for wheatgrass to grow is between 50-80 degrees. In warmer climates where I live it will grow too fast and turn yellow quickly and wilt. Therefore, wheatgrass is great to grow in a window box which is what we did after a few attempts in the high heat. Wheatgrass is a uniform green foliage that it gives off a beautiful look when planted into a small pot or tray. It’s vibrant green color is the beholder of it’s many advantages.
As spring is in the air (when the north wind does not blow), I have begun longing for the good times my children and I have at the local farmers’ market and contemplating our participation as vendors this year. I can’t tell you how much we look forward to our weekly adventures at the farmers’ market, and how excited we are if we happen to visit a neighboring town on the day of their market; however, that could all change.
H.R. 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 could end farmers’ markets as we know it by requiring growers to register, be subject to inspections of their gardens by federal agents, and maintain safety records related to food production or face large fines.
The days are getting longer, the sun is shining, and kids want to be outside. Soon there will be a whole summer full of long days and energetic kids spending hours outdoors. Yet there are a few things that can put a damper on summer fun fast…sunburns and bug bites.
