Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Good Friends are Good to Have and Mini Magician Makes Things Disappear

The other day the wind was so bad here in Michigan I had a catastrophe at my house. The wind blew off almost all of the siding from the front of my house. I walked into my kitchen, heard a strange noise and saw something flapping in front of my window. I looked out and discovered it was my siding. I was in shock then I was mad.


I freaked and called my husband who was over an hour away. He said he would call someone. he did, called me back and said T and J were coming over. I had hardly hung up with Rob (hubby) when T knocked on the door. In minutes he had a ladder and was up against the house nailing and hammering. Then J dropped by and they determined they needed bigger nails and more tools. My husband made it home in record time and they went to Home Depot got what they needed and put my siding back where it belonged so I could stop panicking.


Sorry, I did so not want to have to deal with the insurance company and days maybe weeks of no siding on the front of my house.


Too bad in all the hubbub of fixing the siding they crushed and trampled some of my flowers.


Oh well, small price to pay to have my house fixed.


It is just so wonderful to have good friends to call on, they were here in minutes...and it is always like that with these guys. If they call Rob he's out the door in seconds, if he calls them they come running.


Good friends are rare and precious gifts.


On another note having a mini magician in the house is not so precious. My toddler who will be three in a couple weeks has the gift of being able to make things disappear. Books, DVD's, toys, clothes, and umost frequently... sippy cups.


Every day at least once we go on a sippy cup hunt. One time we lost one for over a year. Yuck! We finally found it in the back of a little used cabinet. Gross.


Now the problem is my little guy's shoes. Yes, his shoes are gone. We can not find them anywhere and it is driving me nuts. One minute they were there then when we were ready to leave they were totally gone. GONE. My house isn't that big and I have opened every closet, cabinet and cupboard even drawers and found nothing. Where on earth could the shoes have gone.


I might actually have to go buy him new shoes if they don't turn up soon and that is going to really tick me off since those were his new shoes.


Where could my mini magician have hid his shoes?

May Mania

The month of May is upon me. Yes technically it doesn't start until Friday but my May Mania has already begun.

The month of May leaves me with A LOT to do. Saturday kicks off my daughter's 10th Birthday. So this week I am cleaning, shopping, and planning her small sleepover party.

The following weekend is my husband's birthday. More cleaning, shopping and party prep. Then Sunday is Mother's Day. Yippee, more cleaning, cooking and cleanup or whatever. I would rather not do anything to celebrate. That would be my celebration, a day of nothing to do.

But no my mother would never dream of or understand such nonsense. She wants a big dinner at home or out somewhere which means lines and crowded restaurants and stuff I do not like.

I would love to have even 2 hours alone, no one, nada, nothing to bother me- not even the freakin cat.

Then after all that my littlest child's birthday is May 21st, he'll be 3. More shopping, blah, blah, blah... and more cake. After May I am so done with cake I never ever crave it...ever. I am not a cake person to begin with.

After that is Memorial weekend, parties, cookouts, stuff to keep me busy on top of the mile long to-do list I already have everyday then there's my garden and the lawn and all that stuff that needs to be done outside.

Arg. Can I skip May? As you see I am usually an easy going person but May Mania drives me crazy and makes me just want to skip it all.

30 Ways to Have a Green Summer

Today I have a special post by Mary K. Boehmer the creator of BeamGreen.com

Summer is right around the corner and here are some ideas to make it a fun and green summer!

1) Give Green. (plant a tree)

2) Have your family clean your house with non-toxic cleaning products.Play your favorite music loud on your iPod.

3) Veggie Challenge: Who can eat the most veggie/plant-based meals in one week? Whose plate is the most colorful i.e. red peppers, yellow peppers, purple beets, orange carrots?

4) Breakfast Table: Say one thing with your family you will do today to help the earth. Dinner Table: Re-cap what you did during the day to contribute to a greener, cleaner World for us all.

5) Eliminate Microwave Use: it genetically modifies your food.

6) Plant a Garden: If you live in a city plant in some flower pots.Plants and Flowers are GREAT air-purifiers and increase oxygen in the home. They are less expansive then the air purifying machines you buy in a store.

7) Stop buying bottled water. Invest in a home-system water filter. Goon a family mini weekend vacation with all the money you will save from giving up bottled water.

8) Say no to toxic nail polish for one month! Indulge in a "Buff"Manicure and Pedicure. This is for men and women and boys and girls!

9) Another option for Veggie Challenge! 30 Days of 1 Salad a Day -have at least one Salad a Day for 30 Days: the greener the salad the better!

10) Invest in a Mini-trampoline the entire family can use! I.E.Rebounding; its fun, healthy, and increases the flow of a person's lymphatic system which is the "garbage disposal" of the waste and toxins in your body.

11) Build an Organic Vegetable Castle out of Fruits and Vegetables. Decorate Castle with Maple Syrup and Chocolate Sauce.Serve as an appetizer at a neighborhood dinner party or children's play date. This also makes a great activity for ALL holidays. You can make veggie/fruit Gingerbread Houses at Christmas, American Flags on July Fourth! This is yummy and memorable and brings awareness to how much fun fruits and vegetables can be during special occasions.

12) Make homemade non-toxic eco-friendly SOAP : smells SO GOOD! This is a great thing for children to make and "sell" to friends and family.

13) Old School Lemonade Stand: UPGRADE: fresh lemonade made with agave or stevia! Give the money made to an eco-company, foundation or organization of your choice.

14) Make eco-trail mix! So many combinations!

15) Have an eco-picnic party. Gather friends from around the neighborhood pack an organic, local picnic basket and head to the park. Spend the day picking up trash around the park and then indulge in your yummy eco-picnic party. Play Frisbee or wiffle ball. Everyone MUST wear GREEN.

16) Flashlight Night! Turn off all the lights in your house for one night. Turn off all the computers, tv, phone. Turn on your flashlights. Sit around the living room and tell your favorite jokes!Feel good about the amount of energy you are saving.

17) Grow a tray of wheatgrass for PENNIES a week!

18) Bring someone in need a Vegetable Gift Basket from your local Farmer's Market; share with them what your favorite local, organic vegetable is and in turn ask them what their favorite vegetable is

19) If deciding what to buy learn what foods should be organic? Learn the difference between "most contaminated foods" vs. "least contaminated foods".

20) If you cannot afford organic or local - use 1/4 cup vinegar in a sink full of water to wash produce and dissolve pesticide residues from the skin surface.

21) The average distance food travel from place to place is 1,500miles - support small, local businesses and seasonal produce.

22) Learn about produce -"most perishable" vs. "least perishable"

23) Shopping Tip: When buying in a store, it is difficult to know how long a product has been on the shelf. The busier the store, the more likely it is that a product has been there for less time. Ordering from online suppliers or buying locally will generally mean a fresher product. Buying larger, bulk quantities will get you a better price and split a case with others to save money.

24) Have an Organic Cook-Off Dinner Party: Everyone bring a dish they made from organic or local produce and at the end of the evening you award a Top 3 Best Dishes. You can do this everyone month at someone house, and by the end of the year you will have your own Cook-Book of great recipes. Going Green and Healing This Earth is mostly about being kind to your neighbor, about connection, community, and unity.Buy sharing a meal with neighbors, friends, and family you are putting towards efforts of love, joy, and healing - healing that will heal this Earth. The more love there is, the more loving people who take ultimate responsibility for this Earth - the Greener and Cleaner this Earth will be. Start small. In the home Start in the Kitchen. Start with the Fridge. Fill the Fridge with local and organic produce, fill your bodies with life force, fill your communities with fun events that contribute to society AND WE CAN HEAL THIS EARTH. Now - in the next 10 years.

25) Learn to breathe deeply, especially when you are near sources of oxygen (the ocean, fields and forests, running streams, green-houses,air-purifiers that produce oxygen.)

26) Spend 20-30 minutes outside each day before 10am and after 4pm! Sunlight is a wonderful immune-system builder.

27) Enjoy nature: Build a Tree House.

28) Buy Organic Bras and reduce Breast Cancer.

29) Become Your Own Unique Eco-Savvy Individual! Everyone is part of The Green Movement! Blog! Volunteer! Recycle! Reuse! Reduce! Make a YouTube Video! THE POWER OF ONE CAN CREATE AN ENORMOUS RIPPLE EFFECT!

30) Love Yourself. Love this Earth. Do not do anything to this Earth that you would not to do yourself. We are all one. We are in this together. We are getting Greener every single day.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Eco Mother's Day Crafts and Tips from the Authors of Celebrate Green


Simple, Earth-friendly, Meaningful Crafts for Mother's Day
from the Authors of Celebrate Green



Money is tight right now. But money doesn't have to stand in the way of honoring your mom (and Mother Earth). You can make a beautiful and more importantly, meaningful, gift for Mother's Day. And what mom would not be thrilled to receive an item infused with meaning made by hand from someone she loves?


Here are a few ideas. Most cost little to nothing in money or environmental terms because you're rescuing items that often are tossed or left sitting in a closet or drawer.



Picture frame jewelry holder






1) Choose an old picture frame and remove any backing. You can decorate the frame with paint, fabric or other appropriate decoration to match mom's bedroom or bathroom decor or leave it plain.


2) Cut a piece of window screen that overlaps the back of the frame 1/2 inch. (Remember when the dog charged through the screen and ripped it to shreds? If it's still lying around, here's the perfect use for it.)

3) Staple or nail the window screen to the back of the frame.

4) Screw in some cuphooks along the bottom of the frame to hold rings and/or in the top corners to hold necklaces and bracelets. Earring backs fit through the screen.

5) If you want the holder to hang, add a picture hangar to the back. Otherwise, it can sit on a small easel or rest against the wall.


Picture ball





No doubt you've got bunches of photos lying around from B.D. (Before Digital). One picture ball uses up 20 of them. This is a fun project that takes about a half hour and while a little tricky, once you get the basic idea, they're easy to make. Craft several with different themes--you as a baby, you as a teenager, you and your siblings.


Watch how one is made here or see the directions here.


Meaningful charms






Most moms have a several necklaces from which they can suspend charms. How about adding to mom's collection with a little creative crafting?

Any object in which you can punch a hole can be turned into a charm. Think about your mom's talents, work or leisure activities. For a teacher, make a pencil charm. For an artist, one from a tiny paint brush. If she's sentimental, a delicate baby spoon that belonged to you.

Artists are using this technique to create amazing and wonderful jewelry from objects that would normally be tossed. One of our favorites is Susan Lenert Kazmer.

Here's how to make the watch charm pictured here.

If your mom has an old watch that sits in her drawer, ask her if you can remake it, or pick one up at a yard sale (although it will be more meaningful if you use one one she already has).


1) Remove the face.

2) Glue it into a bottle cap.

3) Punch a hole in the cap near the top.

4) Fashion a loop from a piece of wire.

5) Add to a necklace or present on its own.


Here's a "charming" container for any small gift






1) Remove the label from an empty soup can.

2) Wash it.

3) Paint mom's favorite color.

4) Let dry.

5) Glue paper or ribbon all the way around the top edge.

6) Punch a hole on each side near the top and insert a piece of wire through the two holes forming a handle. (You can string on some buttons and charms after feeding one side through as done in the example.)

7) Once this is done, mash down on the top of the can so that the opening is no longer round, but more oval (although you don't have to do this either if you prefer a perfectly round can).

8) Glue on decorative accents and /or words cut from newspapers or magazines. A quote about mom or simply the words, "I love you, Mom," will work well.

9) If you have a shredder, fill the can with shredded paper (from a magazine to add color if you like). Fill the can leaving just enough room to rest the gift on top.

10) The can later can be filled with flowers and hung outside.


Top eco-tips for Mother's Day

1. Don't assume you know what mom wants to do or as a gift. She may prefer a picnic over brunch in a fancy restaurant.

2. When buying gifts, think locally made.

3. Avoid using wrapping paper. Substitute fabric wraps you make yourself from scarves or other fabric you have on hand, or purchase from a mom-owned company like Bobowrap. These can be used over and over again.

4. Give the gift of yourself. Whatever you can do for mom most certainly will be appreciated whether it's washing her car, cleaning her gutters, or sorting and organizing old photos. Find something you can do that costs nothing but your time. Repeat once a month for a year!


Top eco-picks for Mother's Day

1. Many moms appreciate receiving gifts that give. Give her a gift card from http://www.tisbest.com/ and she can donate to any of more than 300 non-profits.

2. Organic flowers are best for mom and the planet. Order from a local farm or online from http://www.organicbouquet.com/

3. If you don't have a store nearby that offers sustainable gifts, try any of these:

http://www.gaiam.com/
http://www.bestecostuff.com/
http://www.ecoartware.com/
http://www.ecomeme.com/
http://www.greenfeet.com/
http://www.thegreengiftbox.com/

~ Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net