Let's All Go Fly a Kite!

I take Leif to story time at the local library every Tuesday and this week's theme was kites.  The kids all made their own cute but unusable kites to take home.  Leif had so much fun running around with his kite that yesterday when the wind was whipping, I promised him a trip to the park with a real one.  We waited for Jodi to come home and headed straight to the sandy beaches of our local state park where our big kite had plenty of room to do its thing.

 via bigwindkites.com

The next time we go we'll try making one of these first.  Click on the link to watch a great tutorial on kite making that is simple enough to pull off with regular household materials (they even suggest making the tail out of plastic bags) and with the help of a child.  The tutorial comes from a 30 year strong free kite making program called, "20 Kids, 20 Kites, 20 Minutes" at the Big Wind Kite Factory in Molokai Hawaii.  Check out the Big Wind Kite Factory's website to view their quirky selection of handmade designs.

Restoration Inspiration

When Jodi finally wraps up this school year he's planning to take a couple of weeks to (carefully) remove the horrid 1950s era, asbestos ridden gray tile in our dining room and hallway.  We bought a cheap rug last  year to cover the stuff and to keep Leif from picking at the broken tiles, but restoring the old pine underneath will be so much better. 

I'm hoping for a floor like this one.  The furniture, blackboard and all that natural light would be nice too...

via A Room Somewhere

Relief

We recently hit the 20 week mark which puts us at the half way point in this pregnancy.  It's been an eventful start with a scare at 10 weeks that led to extra appointments with the midwife and the discovery of blood clots in or behind the placenta.  I did what no mother should ever do and Googled my symptoms which led to plenty of worry about worst-case outcomes and a feeling that I shouldn't let myself become too attached to this growing baby inside of me.  

On Monday we had the routine 20 week ultrasound and though we chose not to learn the sex of the baby, we did learn that the blood clots are gone and the placenta and baby are both looking great.  As someone who finds it easy to criticize the medical industry's treatment of pregnancy and childbirth, I have to admit that I was so thankful to have the technology available to determine the problem and to monitor its progress.  

 Now that we've put that issue to rest we're on to some serious name brainstorming.  We have a girl name pretty well decided on using family names that we love, but are having a tough time with the boy name.  When we had Leif we used most of our favorites, not knowing if we'd ever have another boy to name (he's Leif John Henrik - John is my dad's name and Henrik is his dad's middle name).  It all sounds very Norwegian and is fairly unique which makes it a little hard to follow.  What names would YOU suggest for Leif John Henrik's little brother?

Pet Rocks

Inspired by Maya's stone dolls, we took on a similar project at Grandma's house over the weekend.  Leif spent most of his time concentrating on completely covering each stone - not what I had in mind, but he enjoyed it.
 

During a lull in the activity I quickly painted up a little penguin who has now become a treasured "friend". Leif looks out for this guy and loves putting him to bed.  I had to draw the line when he wanted to take him into the tub.  It's only tempera paint - we would have lost him.  

Who says kids need fancy toys? 

One More Reason to Love Wegmans

Front and center parking for expectant mamas - it really is the little things that make all the difference.  

Thank you, Wegmans!

We Have a Winner!

First off, thank you to everyone who committed to making a change (or 2 or 3 or 10) in an effort to make this world a better place.  Let's face it, winning shoes is great but improving your own life and inspiring others to do the same is pretty rewarding too.  

I was most impressed by the variety of ideas shared and have to say that many of them have inspired me to make further changes in my own life.   I had to laugh when I read Emily's commitment to switch to family cloth - NOT because the concept is funny, but because I was going to post about it as an idea for inspiration and I let my mom and her friend talk me out of it thinking that it was "too far out" and would scare people away.  It's something that we haven't started yet, but that I've been thinking about.  With a cloth diaper pail right next to the toilet it really couldn't get much easier to make the transition.  So, Emily, thanks for making that idea seem more normal!

On to our winner....  

It took some time to do the figuring and sorting, but we were finally able to separate the entries and I let Leif randomly pick our winner.  Congratulations and a new pair of shoes go to Angela who wrote:

 

Today I'll be sewing a stack of cloth napkins and a bunch of kitchen towels. My mom always brings me a huge bag of paper towels when she visits, and while I appreciate the gesture I can't stand the waste. For the second entry how about this blog:  http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com

 

I encourage everyone to check back and look through the comments from the original give away post for the great ideas, links and inspiration. 

It's Earth Day - What Are You Going to Do About It?

Still needing some inspiration?

 Watch Earth Days online at PBS.org and learn about the history of the modern environmental movement in America.  Unlike some documentaries that work mainly to expose problems, in Earth Days the focus is on the progress that's been made and the people who have shaped our environmental policies and consciousness.

Negligence is described as doing the same thing over and over even though you know it is dangerous, stupid, or wrong. Now that we know, it's time for a change. Negligence starts tomorrow.

-William McDonough and Michael Braungart

Cradle to Cradle

Cultivate a Healthy Home

 photo via apartment therapy

I've seen many articles in magazines, etc. talking about how to create a healthy and safe home environment.  They usually focus on the obvious or the commercial (wash your vegetables and buy that new "green" cleaning line put out by Clorox).  Those aren't the kind of tips I'm looking for.  I wanted some real advice so I did some research and found a great article at Healthy Child Healthy World titled, 10 Minute Healthy Home Makeover.  Sure, some of their suggestions are common sense, but most of them dig a little deeper and provide some real information.

If you've got more than 10 minutes and want to go further, here are some great links to check out:

Do it Yourself

-A recipe for making your own Febreeze inspired odor killer

-Got a family member in diapers?  Make your own wet wipes

-Learn about which house plants do the most to improve indoor air quality

-Make your own non-toxic cleaning supplies

-Bookmark this resource and check the toxicity of your kids' toys

-Try one of these recipes and make your own all natural deodorant

-Stop buying shampoo and give this plan a chance

-Give an old can new life by turning it into a kitchen compost pail

Products Worth Considering

-Because sometimes elbow grease is hard to muster - check out this Eureka steam cleaner

-Swap out your plastic Tupperware for American made glass containers from Anchor Hocking

-Natural and organic sunscreen from the makers of Badger Balm

Don't forget to enter to win a free pair of Aurora Shoes.  See this post or scroll down for more details.

Reusable Produce Bags

Our local CSA farm at the Ithaca Farmer's Market

I think we all understand the need for reusable shopping bags, but one thing I've been meaning to do for a while now is make my own lightweight and reusable produce bags.  I did some research and found a few great tutorials along with some shopping resources for the non-crafters among us (although, let's face it, this project can be about as easy as it gets).

Patterns

1.  Simple pattern using mesh fabric and a sewing machine (sewing can be done by hand too) 
2.  Slightly more involved pattern using sheer curtain material and string (requires a sewing machine)
3.  Simple but time consuming tutorial involving cotton and appliques (cuter, but slightly less practical)
4.  Interview with Betz White including a a PDF pattern for stamped muslin bags (cute and practical by the lady who has published books on repurposed sewing projects)

Ready Made

1.  Simple muslin bags, 6 for $12 on Etsy
2.  Cute American made organic cotton bags, $11-$13 each
3.  6 pack of mesh bags with a stuff sack, $12 on Etsy
4.  Canadian made cotton mesh bags, $5.70 (CAD) each

I'm going to get to work on a set of bags this afternoon using a sheer curtain that I bought and hacked apart for a silk screening project last fall (that's another story, but if you're interested you can find a tutorial here).  I think I'll keep it simple by leaving out the draw strings and adding enough length for a big top knot.  

Let me know what sustainable changes you plan to make in honor of Earth Day and enter to win a free pair of Aurora Shoes.  Check this post or scroll down for more details. 

An Earth Day Give Away

Thursday is Earth Day.  Now, around here we try our best to make environmentally conscious decisions every day, but there is something to be said for observing our yearly reminder to step it up a notch.  This week I'll be sharing tips, crafts and ideas inspired by my own thoughts about what it means to live green.  I'm also excited to use this opportunity to host an amazing give away sponsored by the very local, Aurora Shoe Company.

Aurora Shoes are an excellent model for environmentally responsible consumerism.  Aurora Shoes are made with pride in Upstate New York using only American sourced materials.  This means a lot in an age where most products are assembled under sub-standard or unregulated working conditions using materials that are often produced in even less desirable conditions.  All of these materials and products travel great distances to finally make it onto the shelves of American shops where the shipping, import taxes and marketing costs result in products whose pricing does not reflect their quality.

At Aurora Shoe you pay for what you get:  high quality materials, superior craftsmanship, serious comfort and a solid guarantee.  You can see the Aurora Shoe production process for yourself by watching this video, filmed by a local newspaper about a year ago.

Not only are Aurora Shoes an ethical purchase, they're also a renewable one.  Many of us walk in a way that causes the soles of our shoes to wear unevenly.  Aurora Shoe is one of the only companies I know that encourages customers to not buy new, but to re-sole instead.  This simple act gives new life to each well loved pair and saves materials, energy and a trip to the landfill.

In honor of Earth Day, the Aurora Shoe Company has generously donated one pair of shoes (any color, any style) for the very first Keep it Real give away.  To enter, leave a comment on this blog between now and 6pm on Thursday, April 22nd.  Comments should answer the following question:

What is one long-term change you can make today to contribute to a healthier planet? 

The emphasis is on making a change today that you'll carry into the future. I'll give you one entry per commitment to change and certainly encourage you to come up with several.  Bonus points and one additional entry per person if you share a website, blog or article that offers eco-friendly  inspiration.  On Thursday I'll collect all comments and will randomly select one winner to post on Friday. 

If you read this blog or know me personally, then you already know that I  have a family connection with the Aurora Shoe Company and that I write for their company blog.  This does nothing to change the fact that I  have owned and loved these great shoes for more than a decade before my family had anything to do with them!  

This give away is now closed, but we welcome you to keep up with the Aurora Shoe Company by visiting their website and blog.

Happy Friday

 Have a great weekend!

Simple and Healthy Home Made Ice Cream

via thekitchn.com

With the nicer weather Leif has been asking for ice cream (I made the mistake this winter of telling him that it's a summer food).  I've been making frozen smoothie and juice pops, but this recipe looks like a great way to satisfy all of our ice cream cravings.  Can you believe that creamy bowl of goodness is nothing more than a blended frozen banana?  You can bet we'll be trying this tonight.  Check it out for yourself @ the kitchn.

Update:  We made the ice cream, it looked just like the photo above and it was delicious on its own but even better with a few chocolate chips thrown in.  I did have to re-freeze for a bit after blending to let it set up for scooping.  We're going to be making this one a lot!

Etsy Necklace Inspiration

Even when we're on a tight budget, it's hard to fight the urge to start each spring with some new and colorful accessories.  I wear this simple necklace inscribed with Leif's initials every day and love it (thanks again, Mom!), so I decided to give Etsy a look and see if anything else hit me. Here are a few of the hand made necklaces that I liked:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RedChair
 

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/KentonBeadworks

http://www.etsy.com/shop/luxedeluxe

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/DeniseJewelryDesigns

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/beqi

Having a hard time choosing just one, somehow my necklace shopping led to bead shopping and it hit me - why choose one necklace when for the same price (or less, in my case) you can make a few of them?  So I got excited and ordered four strands from this great shop.  They arrived in the mail yesterday and now I'm daydreaming about all of the possibilities.
 

Decisions, decisions...

Home Made Wheat Crackers

I used to make crackers using a recipe from a well known recipe book for babies and toddlers.  Leif and I both thought they were pretty tasty and the whole process was easy.  Over time I guess I forgot about them and we slowly started buying our crackers again.  I justified it by buying the organic ones, but have recently slipped into buying the regular generic boxes at the grocery store.  I realize that in the great scheme of things, eating a few preservatives is no big deal BUT I do feel good knowing that I have the ability to make something better for my family when I choose to.

So I got inspired, looked for another cracker recipe and found this post from May 2008 Los Angeles Times.  The article, titled, Crackers?  They're a snap! includes lots of helpful tips and a few recipes for different types of crackers.  I chose the basic "thin wheat" cracker, the author's answer to the classic Nabisco Wheat Thin.  I'm saving the "4-seed snappers" for my other kitchen which is better equipped to chop seeds than this one. 

The recipe begins with a simple and sticky dough that's quick and easy to put together.

Next you knead the dough with lots of flour, roll it very thin and brush it with an egg wash before slicing or cutting it into cracker shapes.  I went with small squares, but I'd recommend going bigger as mine took some time to transfer.  The egg wash makes the crackers sticky and difficult to work with but they're crispier and glossier with it than without.

The end result was a huge batch of tasty crackers with a nutty flavor and a good crunch.  I can imagine making several variations in the future - cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese and sesame seeds would all be great dusted on top before baking.  

My only addition to the recipe's instructions might be to poke each cracker with a fork before baking to minimize the pillow puff that occurred in some of my later batches.  I can't say that I'll make these crackers every week (that egg wash really made them a pain to cut and transfer) but the recipe is definitely worth adding to the rotation.  

On a side note, I walked into my 300 degree pan and gave myself my first pregnant belly burn while making these.  My mom had done the same thing decades ago when she was pregnant with one of us and to this day she talks about how she soothed the burn with a cut raw potato (slice the potato and press the fleshy part onto the burn as soon as possible and for as long as possible).  Well, I tried it and must say that it works - it's a little pink, but no blisters or soreness.  Thanks, Mom!

Healthy Home Made Snacks for the Whole Family

I've been meaning to whip up some doggy treats ever since we adopted Lulu from the local SPCA almost 2 years ago.  She has never been a biscuit lover.  In fact, when we went to pick her out, the floor of her "room" was littered with little doggy treats.  They had little openings where you could slip a treat through so the dog would come closer and you could get a better look.  She'd just let them drop and leave them there.  We all know that Chips Ahoy can't compete with homemade chocolate chip cookies, so I thought that maybe like me, she was just holding out for the good stuff.

Flash forward 2 years and I finally took the time to find a recipe and whip up a batch of what I imagine are just peanut butter cookies minus the sugar.  

I used this recipe from Bullwrinkle.com and she loves them.   In fact, we saw a lot of dogs over the weekend and they all loved them.  The ingredients list couldn't be simpler and they came together very quickly.  

Kept in a glass jar, they've stayed moist and smell so good that if I didn't have a peanut allergy, I would have tried one by now.

Give them a shot and check back tomorrow when I'll tell you about our cracker making adventure...

Anticipation

Happier the eve than the holiday itself -- Japanese proverb 

I found this list* of Japanese proverbs in high school and copied it into my collection of quotes, poems and other wordy bits that I loved.  The list includes many others, but the proverb above struck me as the most true.  I have always loved the anticipation of a holiday, an event or a season more than the main event itself.  For me it's all about the preparations, the emerging signs and the daydreaming.  That's why I love spring.  

The weather isn't always great, but the signs are all there and they point to warm weather, soft green grass, shady trees and lots of time spent outside enjoying the fresh air. 

Once summer actually hits, the heat and humidity have me daydreaming about fall - it's all about looking forward, I suppose. 

This year I'm making an effort to think about the future a little less and to enjoy the moment a little more.

* Other favorites include:  "to live long keep a cool head, warm feet" and the classic, "the naked man never mislays his wallet".

Following Her Heart

As a person who strives to create a lifestyle that is healthy for myself, my family and our environment, I love the message that my friend, Lindsay shares in the video clip below.  She's starting a new business based on eco-friendly yoga wear and has created this video to apply for funding from the Chamber of Commerce.  Give it a look and see if you love her idea as much as I do.

Home Made Stain Remover

Today's tip comes from my smart and frugal sister-in-law who has a couple of active kids and knows a thing or two about stain removal.  She shared her recipe for home made stain remover several years ago and I've been using it to successfully remove food, grass, blood and even ink from my clothes ever since.  The recipe is as simple and inexpensive as you can get and I promise you'll never have to go back to buying your 

Shout/Tide/Oxy whatevers again.

Find an empty spray bottle and dump in a whole container of hydrogen peroxide.  Add about a tablespoon of dish soap, give it a swirl and you're done.

This mix can't really touch old set-in stains, but it's fun to watch it attack the new ones - organic stains like grass, fruit and blood cause the peroxide to foam up.  You can literally spray it on, give it a quick scrub and come back to find the stain gone.

I love it and you will too.

My Other Job

I opened my little blogger dashboard this morning to find a great little surprise:  this wonderful Aurora Shoe review by Amy, writer of the blog, Progressive Pioneer (which I read daily and love).

A great shot captured by my artistic mother

 As you might know, I do a little freelance work blogging and copy writing for the Aurora Shoe Company which my brother, David has been running for the past year-and-a-half.

If you know Aurora Shoes, then you can imagine how difficult it might be to sell them online.  The shoes are a huge hit locally where we can see them in action and trust our friends who tell us just how comfortable they are and how well they wear.  That's hard to convey on your company's website to total strangers.  Of course we're going to say that Aurora Shoes are the best, and the most comfortable, and well made - what company doesn't say those things?  So we found ourselves with a challenge:  how do you create the same friendly trust and regard that we have here, on a larger scale?

Leif loves them too

  Our creative (or not) solution was to work through the blogging world.  We created a company blog where we can let the world see what locals know to be true about our shop, our employees and our products.  We've also begun to think about how other bloggers can help to spread the word by sharing their thoughts about our great shoes.  It's simple strategy that we hope will lead to lead to a growing awareness about this small company and the really great shoes that the Aurora Shoe Company has been producing for the past 20 years.