Green, Healthy, Organic Moms Helping Moms
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sugar is my new enemy!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Your Soul Is Important Too
We all go through “stuff” and that “stuff” differs for each person. Life throws at us many curves, and many opportunities to learn from. I will admit that I think I get more stuff than others, because some people do seem to live the “charmed life” but a friend of mind told me that perhaps it’s just that I didn’t learn my lesson in a past life and now I am here do it over and get it right (so to speak).
That resonated with me in a big way, and since then, I have been on a journey. This journey is very spiritual and has me doing a ton of homework in my “spare time”.
Who am I? Why do I react the way I do? Why do I wind up the same situations over and over again? What do I say to myself? What kind of energy do I bring to the table?
Soul searching is different for everyone. Some might be on a journey to help them simply get past a difficult situation and some stay on that journey for a lifetime - constantly evolving and figuring out how one works.
What I realized while going through some of this is that I really have no idea who I am or what I want but I have identified what I don’t want. But yet, I keep attracting it.
This is where things get confusing for me. There are so many different voices inside of us. We all have egos, we have an inner wounded child, we have belief systems and we have our true self. Not to mention, we have outside forces constantly telling us who we are or how we should react. The true self is really what I am trying to figure out and nurture.
How did I start my journey?
Awareness.
You first need to be aware of your feelings, what feels good, what does not, and then start to figure out why.
As people who know me can attest to, if I have a problem I look for a book. There are so so so many great books out there and I can’t tell you how many I have read but recently this book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle has intrigued me. Understanding your ego is huge in figuring out who you are and are not.
So, if you feel, like I have “what is this all about, why am I here and why do I act the way I do?”… then come on a journey with me.
Being healthy is not just about feeding your body the right foods, you also have to feed your soul.
Also, try asking yourself this “What if you weren’t afraid, then what would you do?”
Blessings.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Arsenic in Apple Juice??
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Fall Centerpiece
Beach Crafts: Part Three
Upon returning from a beautiful day on Fire Island, which if you don't know-- is part of Long Island but even more glorious-- I had a need to capture our fun day and utilize some beach shells we collected.
Beach Crafts: Part Two
Monday, August 1, 2011
Great Beach Craft
Fast forward to Sunday, when the McAs arrived late - way past high tide and discovered a very rocky shore. Collecting the rocks kept the kids busy and happy, as well as the anticipation of the craft to come.
When we got home, we picked out our favorites, got down the Earth's Best Organic Alphabet Letters (I know- we aren't even eating them!) and went to work painting the letters and the rocks and then gluing it all together and the result was......personalized paper weights or just fun rocks! You can use two rocks and put them together as with Meg's idea for "I love Mommy".... was great fun for all! See photo of the finished product here! Happy crafting!
School Days... School Days...
I wanted to share my bargains with you all, since saving money is also important to this Green Mom!
Fiskar scissors - on sale this week in Target for 1.00 but cheaper in Walgreens for .79
Index cards - Target prices are great!
Composition Notebooks - Walgreens for .59 (lowest price I have found!)
Crayola Crayons - Toys R Us - .25cents EACH for 24 count (not bad!!) or 4 for a dollar - which I took advantage of!
Backpacks and lunchboxes - buy one backpack get a lunchbox for free (ten dollar value) Toys R Us
Art Smocks - 2 dollars each also at Toys R Us
Got any good deals to share with me? Comment on facebook!
Happy Back to School Shopping!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Other websites are good too!
Here are four websites, that might be new to you and highly recommended by this green mom! Check them out when you have the time!
1. My friend April turned me on to a very smart woman who has a blog about healthy living that is also aesthetically pleasing to look at. (Me thinks I need a redesign!)
Check out Green Lemonade for tips, articles, and products that are all about healthy, organic, green living.
2. A personal favorite of mine, that I read daily via my facebook news feed is Healthy Child Healthy World, I suggest you like them on Facebook, to make it convenient for you to scan the latest!
3 & 4. Lastly, two shout outs to coupon sites that I love for various reasons:
First is a friend's site www.coupology.com(which satisfies all your coupon needs in one location!) and second is "the couponess " which just posted about a buy one get one free smoothie at McDonald's...
The McDonald's smoothies are quite good if you haven't tried one yet. I have a friend who keeps boasting about Red Mango and it's on my to do list to get to one this summer. He says "yogurt + atmosphere" is the theme here. If you've been, let me know how it is.
Enjoy your week!
New Product Alert - Hairspray!
Just came to my attention last week, when there was a free beauty give away at work.
TIGI puts out a product called Free UR Mind hairspray.
The packaging caught my eye- it says LOVE PEACE and the PLANET on it with a huge peace sign.
The scent is Cherry Almond (Yum) and get this.....it boasts: no parabens, no artificial colors, no synthetic fragrances AND for an extra added bonus, the bottle is made from 50 percent recycled material and made from plant proteins.
I think that is pretty responsible beauty product making.
Oh, and at the bottom of the bottle it asks "Please Rinse and Recycle Me"
What a great reminder.
Love Love.
Monday, June 6, 2011
It's time for SUNSCREEN!
I have to admit....I was unprepared and used a chemical based sunscreen. (Gasp!)
Was very excited to read this post on Daily Candy this morning and I am re-inspired to make sure I keep my kid's skin chemical free. Babo Botanicals are made from all natural, organic ingredients that grow on a farm upstate. Really, can you get any better? ;-)
Babo Botanicals - introduces a sunblock stick that is gentle for faces. They also have a shampoo/conditioner line. My only concern is that as a mom "on the go" I would love to see a natural spray of some sort.... still working on finding that. If any of my loyal readers find one of these, let me know!
You can buy online at the site: http://www.babobotanicals.com/index.php?cPath=26&osCsid=hk458bdsq9ne3o83c8mpetbs30
OR
You can buy in NYC at: C.O. Bigelow Chemists, 414 Sixth Avenue, between 8th and 9th Streets
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Natural Remedies for Sunburn
It started off innocently, I just wanted a bit of color and so I sprayed on my sunscreen AFTER I got to the beach but probably a tad too late.
We all do it and sometimes we miss a crucial spot on our kids and they get it too. Here are some good home remedies - Au natural- in case you too had a moment where you slipped back into your teen years.
Remedies:
Aloe: Take as many leaves as necessary from an aloe plant; refrigerate; peel off top layer of leaves; apply the side of the leaf with flesh exposed directly to the sunburn. Other remedies use aloe vera juice: for mild to medium sunburn, keep the affected area moist with aloe vera juice. Repeat frequently. This will reduce the pain and the amount of peeling. Aloe vera ointment works well, too, as it contains oil and will not evaporate. For a severe sunburn, keep the area moist at all times with aloe vera juice. Since aloe vera is an astringent, you may want to use aloe vera ointment or some sort of oil, such as olive or baby. Aloe is very effective in relieving pain and inflammation.
Combine aloe juice with ½ the amount of vitamin E. Dab on the sunburn. Vitamin E is a good moisturizer.
Apple cider vinegar: Apply apple cider vinegar to the burn with a cottonball, or make a cooling compress for a large area to relieve the pain. Keep the skin moistened. This remedy will prevent blistering and peeling.
Aspirin: Aspirin kills the pain and reduces inflammation and redness of a sunburn. It short-circuits the whole sunburn process. It must be taken within 24 hours of getting sunburned. Aspirin is preferable to ibuprofen or acetaminophen because it is less stressful on the liver and kidneys.
Baking soda: Dissolve some baking soda in water and make a compress using a clean cloth. Another remedy is to add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a tepid bath and soak. Instead of drying the affected area with a towel, let it air dry. Baking soda is cooling and will help the skin retain moisture.
Baths: Add 20 drops of each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to a tubful of cool water and soak for 10 minutes.
Bergamot: Add bergamot oil to cool bathwater.
Calendula: Put 20 drops of calendula tincture in four ounces of water and bathe the skin until the pain goes away. Calendula is also available in gels and salves. Calendula will help soften and heal burned skin. It is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, and can be used long after the burn to heal the skin.
Cucumber: Rub sunburned area with fresh cucumber slices. They are very cool and will soothe the area.
Epsom salts: Dissolve epsom salts in water and make a compress using a clean cloth.
Ice Apply ice or cold water to the burned area. This will stop the burning process and cool the skin.
Lavender: Mix 20-25 drops of lavender oil in one cup of water and bathe the sunburned area.
Lemon water: Mix the juice of three lemons into two cups of cold water and sponge on the sunburn. The lemon will cool the burn, act as a disinfectant, and will promote healing of the skin.
Milk Make a compress of whole milk (or buttermilk) and apply to the burned area for 20 minutes; repeat every two to four hours. Wash the milk off so you won't smell sour! The fat content of the milk is soothing for burns.
A similar remedy suggests using a cup of skim milk and four cups of water, adding a few ice cubes, and applying as a compress as recommended above.
Oatmeal: Put some oatmeal in tepid bath water, soak for a few minutes, then air dry yourself.
Oil Cover the area with cooking oil and sprinkle powdered ginger on the oil. This will promote healing.
Onion :Bruise an onion and rub on the burn.
Peppermint: Apply peppermint oil to the sunburned skin. You can also make a mild peppermint infusion and use it as a wash to cool the sunburn.
Potato: Grate a potato and apply it to the burned area. The starch will cool and soothe the burn.
St. Johns Wort Make an ointment or salve with the essential oil of St. Johns wort for burns that have not broken the skin. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial.Shower Take a warm shower to draw out the heat of your sunburn. The warm water will increase circulation to the area while hydrating it, thereby speeding the healing process.
Tea: Make some tea, cool, and apply to the burn. While any tea may be beneficial, mint tea, such as peppermint or spearmint are especially good. The teas have tannins that help the healing process.
Urtica urens: Put 20 drops of urtica urens tincture in four ounces of water and bathe the skin. This remedy is good for itchy, prickly skin.
Vinegar: See Apple Cider Vinegar remedy above.
Witch hazel :Make a decoction of witch hazel and apply with a compress.
Yarrow Native Americans used an infusion of ground yarrow as a wash.
Yogurt:Apply plain yogurt with live cultures, let it stand for a few minutes, then rinse off under cool water.
Another remedy using yogurt is to mix equal parts of yogurt and mashed strawberries and apply to the sunburned area for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water.
Caution! You may have sun poisoning if you experience chills, fever, or get blisters or a rash. See your physician!
Source: http://www.health911.com/sunburn
Monday, May 16, 2011
Healthy Cereals
Today I came across a great article that I wanted to share with you and it's all about cereal.
Though I try to make whole wheat pancakes and eggs as much as I can, by Thurs and Friday cereal is where it's at!
Since the usual kids brands are packed with sugar and other chemicals, I am always looking for healthy alternatives.
Real Simple (click here) has a great article here on good choices with no high fructose corn syrup. You have to look a bit closer at the boxes to see which ones have other chemicals absent but it's definitely a start!
Also, as a side note, since my kids LOVE marshmallows... I followed up on this brand: Three Sisters Marshmallow Oaties. Sold at Whole Foods, it claims to be all natural with no dyes!
I will be making a trip there this week to try this claim out.
Also a few of the brands are environmentally friendly and are packaged in re-sealable bags cutting down on the excess cardboard. (Note to all cereal companies - this is BRILLIANT and you should adapt at once. Anyone remember how CDs used to be packaged?? Member those???)
Friday, April 22, 2011
No More Waity Katie
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Au Natural Way to Dye Easter Eggs
Instructions
1. Hard boil 1 dozen eggs and allow them to cool in the refrigerator.
2. Decide how many colors you want to make and take out the appropriate number of pots.
3. To each pot, add: 1 quart of water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar
4. Add the following ingredients to each pot:
* Red: 2 cups Cranberry juice and 8 cups red onion peels (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)
* Red-Orange: 3-4 tablespoons chili powder
* Mahogany: 10-12 cups brown onion skins (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)
* Yellow: 3-4 tablespoons tumeric
* Blue: ½—¾ head chopped red cabbage
5. Bring each of the pots to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow them to simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare your eggs by wrapping them in rubber bands or putting on stickers (which will leave behind white stripes or patterns).
7. Pour the dyes through a strainer and return them to the pot or a clean bowl.
8. Gently lower some of the hard boiled eggs into each of the hot dyes.
9. The color will deepen the longer they stay in the dye, but an hour should do the trick. If you wish to keep them submerged for longer, you should pour the dyes into containers that fit into your refrigerator, and let the eggs soak in there.
ONE HOUR??!! Per EGG???!!!
Next year this might have to be a month long project. And does anyone have a grocer? Ha!
Let me know how you all do!