Merry Christmas! Ornament Show & Tell

You may already know that we are eagerly anticipating Christmas in my home if you read the post Why I Believe in Santa Claus. When my friend Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife suggested an Ornament Show & Tell, I eagerly jumped at the chance to take pictures of our tree and stroll down memory lane. You can see the rest of the ornament show & tell from other bloggers by clicking the photo below.

My Favorite Things

We’re celebrating back-t0-back Baby’s First Christmases in this house and I am overwhelmed with joy this season. This summer, we purchased a new home and my husband has worked feverishly to complete all the updates on our fixer-upper in time to host his family for the celebration. They are arriving today and tomorrow from Kansas and Seattle. We can’t wait to welcome them into our home! I’ve been ‘working’ with Hannah to learn how to say Merry Christmas by reciting the phrase each time we pass the tree, but she has yet to attempt it. I have faith that she will catch on soon since she seems as enthusiastic about the season as we are. I can hardly keep her away from the tree and, luckily, we’ve only lost 2 ornaments to the clamoring hands of TODZILLA.

This authentic Douglas Fir fills our foyer with the spirit of the season.

Zac and I shared our first Christmas together in 2008. Our tree occupied most of the living room of our small apartment and we decked it with classic gold and red ornaments. Since that year, our family has furnished a delightful collection of ornaments to showcase along with a few of our favorites.

After the jump, I’m taking you between the boughs for a sneak peak at the ornaments I reach for first in the storage boxes. Plus, I’ve shared our Christmas e-card.

Merry Christmas friends and family!

Squooshi Reusable Food Pouches Review + GIVEAWAY

I’m so excited to introduce you to Squooshi reusable food pouches! They are an eco-friendly alternative to the handy puree dispensers that all our kids love. My favorite part is that the pouches boast a design of lovable animals that kids will love.

When I first saw food pouches in the baby aisle, I was skeptical. Since they were pricey and looked like a projectile food squeezer, I avoided buying any for my daughter until I started planning our recent flight to Florida. They looked so convenient, so I gave one a shot and she LOVED it. As soon as I knew that the dispenser was a sure-fire way to get my daughter to eat a healthy snack of fruits and veggies, I set out to find a way to make the snacks more affordable. I happily discovered the Squooshi.

The Squooshi is remarkably easy to clean and fill. It works just like a zip-lock baggie to seal in food at the bottom and comes with the same lock-tite fasteners you find on the disposable alternatives. You can fill your Squooshi with applesauce, yogurt, or a homemade puree. They will even go into the freezer! I prop mine on a bottle rack to dry, but you can also purchase a convenient wooden stand to dry yours.

I highly recommend using the Squooshi. A four pack costs about $18 and will pay for itself after just one jar of applesauce when you consider the pricey alternative of purchasing disposable food pouches again and again. Plus, they are better for the environment since there is no waste. If you do choose to purchase Plum Organics food pouches and you live in Chester County, I hope you will join my recycling brigade to collect and repurpose the pouches. Follow #ChescoPlumDrop and this blog for more information.

Get your Squooshis online here: http://squooshi.com/

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

You can have a chance to win your very own set of four Squooshis to refill and enjoy over and over (because we all finish them for our kids) right now. Simply leave a comment letting me know what you’ll put in your Squooshi. You can search their website for inspiration by clicking here. This contest ends on December 28.

Disclosure: Thank you to Squooshi for the food pouches to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Grow a Humanity Garden

There are many hearts that want to inspire change. From our next actions, we will grow.

We are all conflicted by the tragedy at Sandyhook Elementary School on Friday. If you’re like me, you spent your weekend thinking about the roots of the problem in our nation that is causing people to act out with such hatred against innocent victims. I do not think that a sweeping legislation will help us. However, I strongly believe that we can turn our nation around by returning to the same wholesome roots that rebuilt our nation during World War II.

In 1944, our president called on every citizen of the United States to grow Victory Gardens. He stated that home based gardens “made the difference between scarcity and abundance.”

We are still at war. We still do not have enough food to meet the demands of our growing population. We still need gardens to solve the basic needs of the next generation.

Hear these immortal words and join the charge. Let’s make 2013 the year of the green with HUMANITY GARDENS.

Because of the greatly increased demands in 1944, we will need all the food we can grow. Food still remains a first essential to winning the war. Victory gardens are of direct benefit in helping relieve manpower, transportation, and living costs as well as the food problem.

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Encouraging Victory Gardens from http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=16505

We, as a country, have all the resources we need to accomplish this goal in 2013. Don’t spend another second wondering what you can do to improve legislature for future generations. Begin planning your Humanity Garden now so that you can take charge of the situation this Spring! Involve your children, involve your friends, and involve your community.

We all need to participate in gardening for 6 basic reasons. The simple act of gardening:

Provides healthier food

Prevents idle behavior

Offers opportunity for physical activity

Allows access to sunlight

Builds community by sharing

Facilitates sleep through accomplishing work during the day

[Adapted from this list of 6 ways to combat depression: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-ways-to-combat-depression.html?page=1]

Ready to get involved?

I want to do everything I can to help you grow a bountiful harvest in 2013. First, take the pledge here and leave a comment with your commitment to grow a garden in 2013. Next, join the community on Facebook, where we will support one another with our plans for a Green 2013. Finally, use Twitter to share photos or quick snippets of your gardening activities with #HumanityGarden. Throughout the year we will recognize our star gardeners with Green Thumb Awards from Eco Incognito. We can’t wait to see what you grow inside, outside, on the roof, downtown, or as a group.

Keep it simple, keep it fresh, keep it hearty.

Green is the new Black Friday

There are lots of eco-friendly deals available at the kickoff to Holiday shopping. Whether you plan to shop online with coupon codes or in stores, now is a great time to save some green! Here is a roundup of the best local (Chester County) and online deals I have found. If you know of others, feel free to share them in the comments! I’ll continue updating this post as more deals arrive.

Lip Balm from Tulip Grease

Buy two, get one free on everything in the shop + Free Shipping over $50.

Toys from Bull Market Toys

Melissa and Doug Toys will be 40% off in store! This may just be the most generous deal in Chester County. They are located in the Wellington Square Shopping Center.

Bull Market Toys Black Friday Special

Clothes Mentor Consignment Shop

Buy One, Get One 1/2 off specials throughout the day in store. Find the shop just South of West Chester on Route 202.

Clothes Mentor Black Friday Specials

Cloth Diapers from Kelly’s Closet and Moms Milk Boutique

Active promotions throughout the weekend. Pay close attention to the coupon codes since you can generally only use one per order. The current promo code for Kelly’s Closet is BUZZFLUFF (Free Diaper with a $49 order.)

Baby supplies from Ash and Aly’s Babes

Friday through Sunday, receive a $10 credit for each $50 spent in the shop. On Monday, receive a free Twosie with $30 purchase or free babylegs with $75 purchase. Plus, free shipping Thursday through Monday!

Organic Twosie from Ash and Aly’s Babes

Handmade Ribbon Belts, accessories, and collars from Chesapeake Ribbons

30% off sitewide: Saturday Only! Coupon code: SMALLBIZSAT

Adorable Felt Toys from Bubba Pickles Market

15% off at checkout with coupon code JOY2012

Everything Eco Friendly from AbesMarket.com

25% off Hundreds of Products + Free Shipping until the end of the year. Wednesday and Thursday, take an extra 10% off with code SNEAKPEEK. Monday and Tuesday, save $15 on a $50 purchase with code CYBERKID.

Household Supplies from EcoMom.com

Up to 20% off plus special gifts to the first shoppers each day of the week.

Experience Adventure Aquarium

20% off Yearly membership with code FALL12

Natural Soy Candles from Sailfish Scentsations of Chester County

20% off a $30 purchase Friday through Monday with coupon code BLACKFRI12

Going out of Business Sale at Babee Crafts

20% off total purchase with code THANKYOU

Toys from Mama May I

Save 20% on everything in the shop with code BLACKFRIDAY.

Disclosure: These deals are assembled from promotional emails that I receive from the companies and my own savvy shopping. This post is not compensated (although it does contain some affiliate links), but if you’d like to see more posts like this please leave a comment!

Lessons from Aunt Jeannette

My namesake is one of the best Moms I know. She loves all children, encourages other Moms, and sets a great example with her own family. When I was a child, we called the time I spent with her “camp.” Now that I’m a Mom, I think of it as Motherhood Bootcamp. Aunt J does everything right, to the fullest extent, and offers helpful lessons to anyone she meets.

She’s conscientious about not being wasteful, but she’s also a resourceful consumer. On the eco-friendly spectrum, she is poised somewhere near the middle. Her cleaning and cooking methods are easily adaptable. Plus, they always save time, money, and energy so I would encourage you to use them in your own household. You’ll often hear her say, “I am the cheapest American” with pride. It’s a family mantra that she passed along to me. By being cheap on the day-to-day home operations, you can loosen the purse strings when it counts. A generous gift to a child is a much better way to spend money than an item you would throw away. By the same token, enjoying a meal outside of the home beats paying full price for groceries any time. She has shown me that you can have it all even if you don’t have all the money in the world. Prosperity through creativity can yield a very happy home.

As the lucky recipient of some of the wealth of her knowledge, I have hand picked my favorite tips to share with you!

Helpful Household TIps

Guest Posting at Green Child Magazine

I’m excited to be guest blogging for Green Child Magazine today! You can check out the post I wrote about DIY Cloth Wipes here:

http://www.greenchildmagazine.com/how-to-make-your-own-cloth-wipes/

If you’re visiting from Green Child, thanks for stopping over! I hope you’ll stick around and check out some of my helpful tips for raising babies on a budget. Here’s a link to my Top Priorities for Natural Living. You’ll see exactly what I’m doing around the house now and what my goals are for the future.

Please leave a comment to introduce yourself and feel free to visit often!

Photo Credit: Green Child Magazine

 

Top 5 Priorities for Natural Living

Natural Living encompasses a huge variety of topics and lifestyles. The range of efforts that families make in order to have less of a footprint is as broad as the characteristics of the families themselves. The more people that try to use sustainable practices at home, the better off we will all be so I applaud everyone who attempts to be green. As consumers, these decisions also impact corporations and that is where we can truly see large-scale changes. For that reason, I’m listing my top 5 priorities for Natural Living and I would encourage you to do the same. Feel free to leave a comment to let us all know what is most important to you!

Using Reusable Products

Diapers, pyrex, and kitchen towels are all items that can easily be used and reused in the home. Every time paper goes in the trash, it’s a waste of money. Instead, try to clean and reuse the most popular items in the house and you will instantly see savings! It’s important to be conscious of your water use, but in the long run the toll on the environment is much smaller. Stores that encourage reusable bags by offering perks or simply not carrying them are doing a great job to change our expectation of getting a bag. If you do take one, try to use it again at least once.

Practicing Physical Fitness

A healthy home and physical fitness go hand in hand. Regular exercise is so important for the whole family. Turn a leisurely trail walk into a hike, play with the kids on a swingset, or start a running routine outdoors to allow time to appreciate nature for all it has to offer. As often as possible, go barefoot and set free the kid inside. My husband likes to say that in life we must crawl, walk, and then run. If you’re not running, you’re missing a key component of living. In my short four weeks running, I’ve realized that I wholeheartedly agree.

Promoting Natural Birth

Choosing a drug-free birth plan didn’t happen overnight for me, but I’m so glad that I took that route. As with everything else I do, my goal is to make a better future for my girls. I want them to have access to skilled midwives and to feel confident that their bodies are built for birth. If you’re curious why I had a home birth for Audrey, you only need to read her beautiful birth story to understand. There’s No Place Like Home. 

Eating Healthy Foods

Cooking at home is the norm in this house, but I’m not a stickler for organic foods at this time. I would love to add more locally sourced produce into the mix, but for now the important thing is offering a tasty variety of foods for the whole family. By making a protein-starch-veggie combo and enough for leftovers whenever I cook, I can put dinner on the table and rest easy that there is an easy to assemble lunch available for the next day.

Minimizing Exposure to Chemicals

Before Motherhood it was easy to ignore the constant banter about chemicals and carcinogens, but it is in important topic now. We’re minimizing our exposure by using Green cleaning supplies and stainless steel cookware. It is time consuming to swap everything at once, so the goals for next year include making our own candles and assessing beauty products for issues.

It is helpful to reflect on what works and what doesn’t as you’re going green. I’m really proud of the steps my family has taken to lessen our footprint, but I know we can continue to strive to do better.

What are your Green Goals and what can I do to help you achieve them?

Cast Iron Inspiration

On Saturday mornings, our cast iron skillet is a member of the family. We’re creating a legacy of memorable meals with this indispensable kitchen tool. We’re not chefs, but my husband and I follow some great recipes for mouthwatering temptations like Granny’s pancakes, Tyler’s Ultimate French Toast, and oven roasted rosemary potatoes to name a few.

Zac was thrilled when I suggested buying a cast iron skillet a few years ago. I had just watched Tyler Florence whip up an amazing breakfast in a pan that belonged to his Grandma and I was inspired to start cooking in a pan that I could one day pass down to my future generations. Although I often joke that I’m lucky that my Mother didn’t teach me how to cook, it was important for me to learn how to cook well so that I can teach my girls. I’ve learned a lot from The Food Network and a lot from stumbling through recipes to improve as I go.

Our kitchen has been a work in progress since we moved this summer. My husband immediately set to work on an amazing redesign and built a kitchen that I never would have even dreamed of using. He’s rounding out the finishing touches and I’m finally starting to feel at home in front of the stove. (What can I say, the barefoot and pregnant thing worked for me?) Prior to moving, I did a ton of research on which stove to purchase for his masterpiece. Induction stoves piqued my interest, but they required all new pots and pans and were more expensive. I debated getting a hybrid stove for a time and easily nixed gas from our options to avoid having a tank on the side of the house. Finding out the dangers of cooking with non-stick pans sealed the deal for an induction stove. We found a great deal on the appliance and I ordered a reasonably priced (under $200) set of stainless steel cookware from a wholesale club. Happily, all the cast iron cookware works on the stove as well.

Although there has been a learning curve for some of my recipes, I’ve actually made quite a few stellar meals on the stove. We’re all eagerly anticipating a visit from Zac’s Granny for Christmas and I can’t wait to spend some quality time in the kitchen with her. She’ll be so proud of her Grandson’s hard work that she might just divulge a few of the secret family recipes.

This kitchen inspires great meals.

Teflon Party Crashers

Last night @BusyMommyMedia hosted a twitter party that was sponsored by Teflon(R) and got crashed by a group of green bloggers. The message was strong, “Don’t promote Teflon- it’s toxic” but it was rudely delivered. On twitter and in real life, you can’t rush into a crowded room, scream about toxins, and expect to be taken seriously. Rachel from Busy Mommy chose this sponsorship for a reason. Either she didn’t know about the toxic effects of the cookware, or the fact that they save time by being easy to clean is more important to her in comparison. She’s entitled to that opinion and we’re not going to sway her or anyone else by rattling off a list of chemicals.

Rachel, I’d like to invite you to my home for a delicious meal cooked in a good ol’ cast iron skillet or the beautiful stainless steel cookware we use on our induction stove. I know that you live far away, but the next time business brings you to Philadelphia I truly hope you’ll take me up on this offer. 

On behalf of the green bloggers who are trying promote eco-friendly living that’s also mainstream-friendly, I’m sorry your brand message was diluted. There is a better way to cook and we’d like to help you find it.

Green Pride

Up until a few years ago, I was just about as far from “green” as you can get. I’m racking my brain trying to think of a single thing I bought or consumed with any concern for the environment and I’m embarrassed that I can’t think of any. Becoming green has been an exciting challenge for me because it’s all new. The fact that I’m changing my lifestyle to incorporate eco conscious activities makes me a unique advocate for green living. Since I know and appreciate both sides of the spectrum it’s easy for me to “see the green” in everyone.

I don’t think I’m any closer to a wholly eco lifestyle than the next person, but I do feel like what I’m doing is great for my family. While I’m shopping or cooking or traveling, I make green rationalizations to decide what’s right for us. There’s always an alternative that is more or less eco friendly than what I choose, so I make the best decision for right now and keep my mind open for better options in the future. I’m eagerly anticipating the day when my family can grow a garden and harvest food, but we’ll do that more for a learning experience than an effort to take another step off the grid. In fact, I’ll probably still buy frozen peas by the bag at that point to save time. That still beats single-serve, right?

It doesn’t matter how green you are or how much effort you put into being green. The most important thing is to keep your mind open to the possibility of improving your lifestyle by connecting ecology, economics, and simplicity in the right blend for your household. We need to show our children that we’re willing to make compromises and put in extra effort so that they will have a cleaner Earth and healthier lifestyle. Don’t let green guilt keep you from getting started. Allow green pride to motivate you to do better each day for the next generation!