Monthly Archive for December, 2007

Happy Holidays!

Published
by
Lauren
on December 24, 2007
in Holidays and This n That
. 0 Comments

I am not a baker.  I’m a good cook so I can adapt to just about anything but my ventures into healthy baking have always produced pretty dismal results.  SO….I made a decision to first excel in the not so healthy baked goods and then gradually convert my recipes that rock. 
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So this is the result of 2 days of baking not so healthy stuff (all purpose flour, florida crystals, brown sugar, etc), my neighbors and local friends are happy.  :)  We’ve got oatmeal raisin (dh’s favorite), chocolate peanut butter chip, sugar cookies with homemade icing and good old chocolate chip.  We made truffles too that looked really pretty but tasted not so good. 

Enjoy your holiday!

A Christmas Song Favorite!

Published
by
Lauren
on December 20, 2007
in Holidays and This n That
. 0 Comments

Dear Santa…

Published
by
Lauren
on December 19, 2007
in Holidays and This n That
. 0 Comments

I found this in my email box this morning and it is cute enough to share…..

Dear Santa,
 
I’ve been a good mom all year. I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I’ll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.
 
Here are my Christmas wishes:
  Continue reading ‘Dear Santa…’

Free Range Eggs are More Nutritious!

Published
by
Lauren
on December 17, 2007
in Healthy Eating and This n That
. 0 Comments

Mother Earth News has tested free range in comparison to conventional eggs and the results are amazing.  The test, originally done in 2005, was redone recently with similar results. 

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Free range eggs have;
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
than their conventional counterparts.  Now that’s ALOT to think about! 

Toxic Toys - Finally a solution

Published
by
Lauren
on December 13, 2007
in Bisphenol A - Pthalates issue, Non Toxic Living and This n That
. 0 Comments

I’m sure that most can agree that the lead (and other plastic toxins) in toys is disheartening.  What is even more disheartening is the feeling of helplessness as one sits around waiting for the next recall, wondering if its something your child is sucking on at the moment.  

Finally, a solution brought to you by a partnership of environmental research groups across the nation

Healthy Toys          

This groups has tons of information that really shouldn’t be missed by any parent.  They maintain and are growing a database of toys which they are testing for lead and other toxins. These are toys ON THE SHELVES!  These are toys your children could be playing with. You can also ask for a toy to be tested. There are currently over 1,200 toys in the database.

Please please please share this site with your friends and family who have children.  This is information that should not be known only in alternative/natural circles.

“LED” the Way! A Green Christmas

Published
by
Lauren
on December 12, 2007
in EcoWarrior, Frugal Living, Holidays and This n That
. 0 Comments

Last year we started gradually changing over our incandescent christmas lights to the newer, and BETTER LED christmas lights.  This year, we’re just about done with only some white incandescent light wrapped garland that we use on our front porch left to change over.  We’ll be waiting until Christmas is over and all things Christmas go on sale to get the last of our LED lights. 

If you haven’t looked into LED, there’s a world of good in having them.  They burn tons less energy (TONS), last MUCH longer (200,000 hours compared to 2,000), do not heat up (fire risk), have no glass (its a nearly indestructible epoxy lens) and much more.

The colored mini lights are bright and cheerful.  The white lights take a little getting used to and you can not string them next to incandescent white as the glow is completely different.  But on their own, they are not bad at all.  We bought ours for a deal at Costco but if you want to learn everything there is to know about LED Christmas lights, I have the site for you!

Get with Green’s; Holiday Lights - 100+ Best Places and Best Reasons to Purchase LED Lights 

And going on now (only for another week or so) at HolidayLEDs  is a Christmas Light recycling program that can earn you some discounts on LED lights. 

I’ve emailed HolidayLEDs to see if they will continue the much needed recycling program after the discount period ends on Dec 20th.  Will update.

Also, keep in mind that there are other ways you can help to make this a green Christmas.  If you are going to send out Christmas cards,  please use recycled paper (we haven’t sent them out at all, the past couple of years).  Try newspaper comics or old maps for wrapping gifts or use reusable gift bags.  You can even contact local newspapers to see if they will give you the extra paper left at the end of the newspaper rolls after printing.

Also, keep in mind that ALL green wiring in holiday decorations does contain lead so be sure to wash your hands and keep your little ones away!  Another thing to keep in mind, is that if you are just plain done with your old decorations and ready for new ones, Freecycle is the way to go to keep unnecessary stuff out of our landfills.

Its that time - Teacher Gift Ideas

Published
by
Lauren
on December 11, 2007
in Holidays and This n That
. 0 Comments

This is going to be short and sweet. 

There’s so many things that I’m sure a teacher would appreciate but we’ve always just given gift certificates.  Either to Barnes & Noble, Target or just a Mastercard/Visa gift card.  I’d much rather our favorite teachers be able to buy what they truly want or need than picking something out.  They can then choose to use it in the classroom or on themselves/their family. 

We will sometimes bake and send the giftcard in with some goodies.  Don’t forget the folks in the office who work hard, we will usually try to buy or make a plate for them as well.  Any other good ideas?

Conversation with a 5 Year Old

Published
by
Lauren
on December 10, 2007
in Humor and Our Amazing Kids
. 0 Comments

Sometimes I think my brain shuts down and runs on automatic, at least when it comes to things that “I” say to my kids, usually in response to their myriad of questions. Here is a conversation I had last week with my 5 year old son after reading his bedtime story.

O:  Where do people come from?

Me:  They grow in their mommies bellys made from love from the mommy and the daddy.

O:  But where do the mommies come from?

Me:  They grow in THEIR mommy’s bellys.

O:  Sighs.  (not satisfied with the answers but moves on)  Okay well, whaty’re these?  Note that he’s lifted his PJ top and has each pointer finger on a nipple. 

Me:  Those are your nipples.

O:  Whaty’re they for?

Me:  They’re for decoration.  lol.

He, of course, didn’t believe me but I’m still laughing at myself…lol. 

Free Organic Gardening Subscription

Published
by
Lauren
on December 2, 2007
in Frugal Living, Organics and This n That
. 0 Comments

If you’re like me, there’s nothing like FREE to open up your eyes and make you sit up straight.  So while purchase is necessary, its something I already buy regularly and so might you! 

There’s not alot of time left so if interested, you have to get rolling.  All you need to do is buy 4 of the large 2 lb organic Stonyfields yogurt tubs and collect the foil pull off tops.  Then mail them to the address noted on them.  That’s it!  And voila, a free subscription.  You only have until January 31, 2008 but if your kids are big yogurt eaters as mine are, it shouldn’t be a problem.  :) 

 Enjoy!