Here at Green Diva Mom, you will learn what it means to be “green inside and out.” We are happy to announce our Green Diva Mom Club! The GDM Club connects mothers all over the world wishing to share their knowledge, experiences and homeland customs with other mothers such as themselves. This website is a collection of ideas from mothers all over the world on just about everything mothers deal with when raising children.

Today, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when men stood up and acted against conditions that they found untenable. On this 233rd Independence Day, the untenable conditions in America no longer come from a colonial government, but are no less real and still require action. Fireworks are temporary. Here are some active ways for Green Diva Moms to carry on the spirit of Independence Day.

Declare Your Independence from Contaminated Foods

Plant your own produce. Although it is the middle of summer, in most areas of the country, it is not to late to plant quick-maturing summer crops like green beans and summer squash. In many areas, the end of this month is the time to plant vegetables for fall, such as peas, root vegetables, leafy greens and broccoli. When you grow your own, you know exactly what is on it. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - adlifemarketing

Scarcely into bathing suit season, and along comes a holiday weekend traditionally celebrated with cookouts featuring all kinds of unhealthy, high calorie foods. From barbecued meat dripping with sugar-laden sauces to salads drowning in mayonnaise, typical cookout fare is hardly bikini-body friendly.

Buying baked chips for the dip and 100% whole wheat buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs is a good first step to making over the barbecue menu with healthier alternatives. Be sure to offer thick slices of tomato and onion, and dark leaf lettuce (not the nutritionally-negligible iceberg) to top hamburgers. Vegetables on a bun are still vegetables. Here are some other easy recipe and menu makeovers for a healthy summer cookout. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - anouchka

Recently, I found I had more stress in my life than normal.  Having the kids out of school, meant more time together, adding summer activities meant more running around and having them at home also meant more home cooked meals.  As the weeks went on the pressure of keeping up increased and I seemed to have lost the order and control I normally keep in running a house with three children.  I had very little time left to work on my own business and no time at all to fit in a workout, spend time with my husband and be fun.  So after 4 weeks of running this marathon, I snapped and needed a break. 

Have you felt this way?

I had my husband take over for a day and I left the house to clear my head and gather my thoughts.  Being away was exactly what I needed to gain control and be a GreenDivaMom again. So, sitting by the pool, with a laptop in my hands I put a plan of action in hand to get back on track. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - iophoto

Summer is cookout season, particularly on holiday weekends. Barbecues, picnics and cookouts are a great way to get together with friends and family, but also provide a perfect environment for foodborne illnesses. Bacteria cause two thirds of the cases of food poisoning in the U.S., and the conditions around cookouts are ripe for Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella, the three most common culprits in foodborne illnesses.

Foodborne illnesses from bacteria cause stomachaches, cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea headache and fever lasting anywhere from a few hours to several days. While many cases of foodborne illnesses are mild enough confused with a viral infection and people will recover on their own in a day or so maintaining proper hydration, severe cases, including cases in children, the elderly and immune-compromised individuals can be life threatening or fatal. By paying attention to hygiene, cross contamination risks and temperature control, you can ensure that your summertime cookout is memorable, and not because everyone spent the next day in bed or in the hospital. (continue reading…)

ⓒ Kitchen Gardeners International

By Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International

With the global economy spiraling downward and Mother Nature preparing to reach upward, it’s a good question to ask and a good time to ask it.

There isn’t one right answer, of course, but I’ll give you mine: $2149.15. Last year, my wife Jacqueline suggested to me that we calculate the total value of the produce coming out of our garden over the course of the growing season. Initially, the thought of doing that was about as appealing to me as a recreational root canal. I remember replying something like: “OK, so let me get this right: in addition to raising three busy boys, managing two careers, volunteering in a school garden, and growing most of our own produce, you’re proposing that we weigh every item that comes out of our garden, write it down in a log book, and spend a few leisurely evenings doing math?” Jacqueline, an economics major in college and a native French speaker, answered with a simple “oui” and so the project began. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - gbrundin

Do you ever wish you had a greener alternative to wasteful pads and tampons? According to some estimates, a year’s worth of pads and tampons averages $96 and generates 80 pounds of garbage. Over the course of 35 to 40 years of menstruation, a woman will use the equivalent of one dump truck full of feminine hygiene products. The National Women’s Health Network reports that twelve billion pads and 7 million tampons end up in U.S. landfills every year.

Tampons carry health risks as well: the bleaching process can create trace amounts of carcinogenic dioxins, and tampons can leave behind dangerous fibers when removed. Even organic tampons are associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), can cause vaginal dryness, and still contribute to landfills. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Maica

If there’s anything more humbling than having kids, it’s having a garden. Sometimes things don’t grow, sometimes they grow too much and force you to spend all your time weeding and fighting Mother Nature. I’ve spent three years trying to grow a garden of three long beds at the back of my yard in a little section of our field that I’d tilled and planted. Each year it was an unending source of toil, stress, and mostly failure. It was such a dismal failure that I could even see how overgrown it was from satellite using Google Earth.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered a new way of gardening that’s been a complete pleasure and such a success that I haven’t even pulled one single weed in four weeks. Now that I’ve learned about Square Foot Gardening, I understand what I did wrong in the past and have a method to my madness–without the madness. (continue reading…)