Art supplies are wonderful and versatile. What other items offer fun play, creative expression, and learning all in one…for very inexpensive prices?

With art supplies children have the world at their fingertips. There is so much that can be done, be made, be transformed…but with toxic ingredients like lead showing up in kids’ products you want to be sure that the creative supplies are not only fun but safe for the little ones.

Stubby Pencil Studio offers the biggest selection around that I have found, of eco-friendly, non-toxic art supplies and old fashioned games and toys.

Perfect items to stuff in Easter baskets. I have a crafty family. All of us are DIY handmade type people, so craft supplies are always on hand; however because we are so crafty we tend to go through them pretty fast. Or they mysteriously disappear.

That is either thanks to my budding magician toddler whose disappearing sippy cup act beats anything Copperfield could offer, or it could be the invisible troll that also loves socks, not sure.

Anyway, we always need new crayons, paints and sketchbooks that rapidly get filled with wonderful ideas and beautiful works of art. (continue reading…)

I never go all out for Easter. I always keep it simple, a few things in the baskets, a little bit of candy and goodies.

I have friends that treat it like it is Christmas all over again. I think that’s crazy.

I usually toss a few things in the baskets that the kids will need for the upcoming Spring and summer seasons- like a summer outfit or two and some outdoor toys: balls, garden gloves, sandbox toys, etc.

Simple stuff.

This year I am putting forth a little extra effort to make sure Easter is both simple and sustainable. Some Easter things I’ve always done in an eco-friendly manner. The kids baskets get used year after year. Sometimes they even get pulled out and used for other purposes. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Patryk Galka

The biggest thing right now is being green, everybody’s doing it from celebrities to your neighbor on the corner. You may be wondering though, what can you really do to live a greener life that doesn’t cost a fortune or have you munching on granola.

Trying to wade through all the green information floating around out there can be difficult. Everyone’s popping up with green tag lines and green products, but is throwing out all your old stuff and buying new eco-friendly products going to solve anything? No, it just leads more stuff in the landfill which defeats the purpose of going green.

Here are simple ways you can go green without going broke or changing your lifestyle very much. These simple things can even save you money. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - Knape

Terra Wellington has written a great guide for any mom (or dad) interested in going green. From energy savings to green vacations you’ll get information, tips and ideas to help green your family in this detailed and well written green family guide, The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home.

Wellington doesn’t preach, instead she offers useful advice, green ideas, helpful tips and much needed information that will break through all the confusion and greenwashing going on today. She even includes handy little icons that let you know how beneficial the green aspect is and how much it is going to cost. Icons include those for health benefits, time savings, money savings, free stuff, and expenses that range from under $50 to over $1,000. (continue reading…)

My husband I were recently discussing the fact that food has become boring, that we’re both sick of the same old stuff.

Perfect timing for me to receive a new cookbook.

Now my husband isn’t much for eating healthy, I have to trick him to get him to try new food- the last I tell him is that it’s healthy. But he loves seafood and coconut and wouldn’t you know it The Best of Clean Eating is full of recipes featuring one or the other. I’m not much for fish but I do love shrimp so there’s even recipes that both of us can enjoy. Especially the desserts.

The desserts are something hubby and I can both whole heartedly agree on - like on page 152, you get the healthy sweet snacks Power Yogurt for One and Coconut Balls- both recipes sound delicious. But it’s the real desserts that will make you crave healthy decadence. On page 232 I am seriously drooling over the Molten Lava Cakes made with cocoa powder. On page 230 I see a cake I am going to make for my chocolate and coconut loving husband- Coconut Chai Chocolate Cake. Wow it sounds so yummy my stomach is grumbling in sweet anticipation.

For those of you who love carrot cake you have to check out page 226 the recipe for Slow Cooker Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Honey Drizzle will make non carrot cake lovers drool. Then there’s Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Orange Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake…On page 214 I spy the ultimate apple pie recipe- it’s a pairing of two of my favorite things- vanilla and apples. The Vanilla Bean Spiked Autumn Apple Pie is going on my Thanksgiving menu.

After going through this cookbook you’ll never ever again think that eating healthy is eating bland.

The full color photos are enough to inspire you into exploring new culinary delights then you read through the ingredients and your mouth will start to water.

So far I’ve only spoken of sweet delights but there’s so much more in The Best of Clean Eating, for both die hard foodies and those who simply love food or are looking to try something new.

Throughout the book you’ll find a huge assortment of recipes- gingery roasted squash, roasted cauliflower leek and garlic soup, golden mashed potatoes, apple grilled cheese, yummy hummus, clean eating tortilla chips, sweet potato spread, garlic bruschetta…is your stomach growling yet? Because mine is.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts…you’ll find clean eating recipes for it in this book.

My husband and I are currently marking pages and making a shopping list for all the amazing recipes we are going to try. I can’t wait- I’m actually excited about food again.

©iStockphoto.com - Kate_sept2004

You must have noticed the influence of food advertisement playing in TV on your kids. Interestingly the food advertisement budgets for children have grown staggeringly. In the year 1983, the food and beverage industries in USA spent $1 million targeting kids. In 2006, more than $10 billion was spent on the marketing of food and beverage for kids in America alone. Today, most of the food advertisements focus on kids. Why? These companies know exactly what your kids want to eat and drink. They are skilled in persuading the kids to eat their food. Food companies are going to gain a lot if they can influence the eating habit of the kids or control the decision regarding what do they want to eat. According to the estimates, 83% of the commercials played during the most popular shows for elementary kids were for fast food, snack, sweets or drinks.

A study carried out at Stanford University measured the effect of real-world marketing and brand exposure on young kids 3-5 years of age. The kids were presented with five pairs identical foods, one item of each pair in simple McDonald’s packaging and the identical items in the similar packaging without McDonald’s logo. The kids were asked to taste the food and were asked which one tasted better or if the food items tasted same. Despite absolutely no difference in the food items, children preferred the food coming with the McDonald’s logo. This was true for the fast food, milk and even for the baby carrots, which are not sold by McDonald’s!! (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - cstar55

Gift wrapping is one of the biggest problems greenies encounter during the holidays. It’s hard to find eco-friendly gift wrap options in local stores.

A large majority of the gift wrap we use ends up in landfills. According to Gift Bags Gone Green every year Americans alone spend more than $5 billion dollars on gift wrap, bags, and tissue paper.

So what can we do to make a difference? (continue reading…)