thredUP shoppin'

School starts in a few weeks.  On Tuesday night we went to the mall, 1 hour later we had two huge bags of clothes and I...this is very important...did not wait in lines or have to squash verbal blow-outs with my girls.

You could also just shop online, which is how I will complete my shopping.  My favorite sites - www.Target.com, www.OldNavy.com and www.thredUP.com - The last one has new and mostly gently used clothing at stealing deals.  Gotta love eco-friendly shopping.

You can also send your gently used, clean clothes to thredUP and get a clothing credit.  I've got 20 bucks sitting in my account as I type.  Check out this cute Justice jean skirt for $8.99 I'm getting for Janae.  The site filters are great and allow you to narrow your search easy pleasy.  Happy shoppin'.

sharpies

Belle used a black sharpie (permanent) pen on...a kleenex...on...the dining room table.  Ahhhh!  I think I really did scream.  After my mad dash to the computer to google HOW TO REMOVE SHARPIE FROM WOOD, I had some options.  We used pencil erasers and then wiped it clean with nail polish remover.  Ever try eco-friendly soy based remover?  Here's some cool art (see pic) that you CAN do with a sharpie http://blog.sharpie.com/tag/eco-friendly/.

Chalkboard table

The girls were gifted a WHITE table five years ago.   Over the years, they have eaten on it, played games and toys on it (including play-doh) and they have drawn it...with markers and crayons and...sharpies.  I contact papered it a few times and you can read more here.  When the paper ran out, I decided to rip off the paper and spray paint it with black chalkboard paint.  Picked up some for $4 and went to town. I also painted a picture frame and tin can (see pic).  Ecos makes eco-friendly chalkboard paint for $30.  It's 100% non toxic, VOC free and allergy safe.

food buckets

I first ate some sand pudding last week (vanilla pudding, crumbled cookies in a bucket with a shovel as a spoon).  So when I began organizing the girl's summer splash party, I just had to use a plastic beach bucket for food.  I bought four at Walmart for a buck each. I threw apple sauce cups and spoons in one, graham crackers in another and cheeze-its in the third. The fourth one was used for minute to win-it games.  Next time I'm buying a small one for salsa and using a large one for chips. Ahhhh-dorable. View eco-friendly sand buckets by Zoe B here.  Been busy but I am back blogging!

bins baby

Forget shoe bins for shoes, how about for organizing your kiddie's toys. Especially those little tiny teenie toys that love to nestle sharply between my fourth toe and pinky toe.  In the morning.  Always.  Or late late late at night. I use clear shoe box size bins to organize:  markers, crayons, chalk, paint sets, littlest pet shop, legos, polly pockets, blocks, match box cars, Mc Donald's happy meal toys, hair ties, and whateva fits.  Use your large toy boxes for stuff animals and big toys otherwise you will find itty bitty toys hiding at the bottom. Label your bins with a sharpie or use some recycled kiddie art and create a label; this will ease toy clean up.  They come with lids and stack tidy on shelves.  View eco-friendly bins here and dollar store location finder here.

Freeze it baby

/freezertips

The freezer is your friend.  Repeat this again.  Before your left-overs go sour, FREEZE them puppies.  Use a plastic freezer bag or Tupperware.  Don’t forget to write it’s contents on the container and the date.  Nothing like defrosting some marinara sauce only to find it’s…surprise…chili.  I made a very healthy     easy meal of boxed macaroni and cheese, kosher beef hot dogs (from the freezer) and peas for the girls the other day.  Efficiencies – Save money by freezing your scraps. Save time by boiling your hot dogs with the pasta.  View eco-friendly freeze containers here.

sausage efficiency

2012 is all about efficiency.  This year, I will provide tips on increasing efficiency in your meals, parenting, shopping and living.  As you know, I enjoy quick tips so some of these blog will be well…short, simple and EFFICIENT.  

Home made sausage from Healthy Green Kitchen

Sausage.  The girls love love breakfast sausage and probably feast on this twice a week.  But I abhor the greasy sticky hands after forming refrigerated sausage rounds. Keep it frozen and then take a really sharp knife and cut slices. My other tip is to cook it on my knock-off George Foreman indoor grill.  Efficiencies - Less mess, way easier to clean, the grease drips off into a nice cess pool.  And your sausage have these cute grill marks.  View organic breakfast sausage and indoor grills here.  Here's a recipe to make your own sausage.

crayon making

Make new crayons from recycled ones!

Yes, you and the kiddies can make crayons. Too easy. Take the wrappers off your broken crayons, place them in greased muffin tins. Place in a 275 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Pour into lightly oiled (they pop out easier) candy molds or into cookie cutters placed on a foil lined cookie sheet. Then put them in the freezer for another 10 minutes.  Instant fun and crazy colored crayons.  Great inexpensive recycled Christmas gifts.

Eco-friendly orange days

Here's are four ways to make your Halloscream a little greener...
1. Borrow a costume or buy a gently used one.

2. Hand out organic candy (yep it exists) or pencils, stickers, etc
3. Instead of buying a trick or treat bag to collect the lute, make one or use an eco-friendly shopping bag.
4. Carve the pumpkin and cook those fiber rich seeds with a lil butter and salt for about 40 min at 400.  Yum.

no sugar soda

The girls loved it.  Every Friday and Saturday we have movie night with air popped corn and a 1/2 can of sprite.  But last night I served Talking Rain sparkling water with lemon lime flavoring with their corn.  No sugar. No sodium.  And oh so tasty.  FYI - one can of soda has about 27 grams of sugar which equals 7 teaspoons of sugar. Yuck. Or enjoy soda smartly with Sodastream - a great way to make soda at home and use less plastic bottles.  Use lemon, limes and oranges to add flavor or buy the lower sugar Sodastream sodamixes. 

Free bowling

Oh... free feels so good. This summer kids + bowling = free. Sign up at http://www.kidsbowlfree.com, find your nearest lane, print your coupon, take the kids to local bowling arena, and throw some balls for nada.  Gotta love this.  Have an old bowling ball that you want to re-purpose?  Check out this cool way to spice up your garden. 

barrettes

The girls and I just made some fab little hair barrettes.  All you need are:  feathers, a piece of felt, a hot glue gun, an alligator pinch clip, silk flowers, and beads.  You can buy all of this at Michael's.  Here's the skinny - cut a small square piece of felt and hot glue around the barrette so it covers all sides.  Then hot glue the feathers one at a time onto the felt and finish with a flower.  Or you can stuff a few beads through a feather, then glue gun to the felt on the barrette.  Here's an eco-barrette made with organic cotton.  Kinda pretty and super easy.

earth friendly snack bags on sale

In honor of Earth Day, Mama Luvs is having a sale!  Get 30% off your entire purchase with free shipping on all orders through the month of April!  Use code "SMDF Earth Day" to nab this exclusive savings.  Mama Luvs snack bags have new springtime fabrics. These are perfect for summer camps and packing meals for daytime adventures at the parks and beaches this spring and summer! - Taken from http://www.seattlemomsdealfinder.com

dirty candy

I forgot Valentine's day is like Halloween.  All that darn candy.  I have a friend who lets her kids eat as much as they can stand on the first day and then the bag disappears.  Our bag is still around and the girls have it on their mind as soon as their tired eyes pop open.  Here's an eco-friendly trick to get rid of the love day treats - compost them!  If you don't have a compost bin, you could just place them deep in your house plants or outdoor plant soil.  Or you could take them to work and let your co-workers gobble them up.  Here's some more tips from my eco-buddy over at Green Halloween http://greenhalloween.org/blog/?tag=how-to-compost-candy

Feeding the Reindeer

Santa is almost here.  While he delivers presents and chows down on the treats you and the kids baked, his reindeer are outside starving.  Hello. Ok, well they're hungry, so here's a recipe to fuel em- Mix 1 cup of oatmeal with 1 tablespoon colored sugar crystals or substitute the crystals with colored glitter for the bling effect.  You can even add birdseed to the mix but not with the glitter recipe.  Take the kiddies out and sprinkle on the lawn the night before santa makes his annual round so he can find your casa.  Make the dust with the kids, bag it, and hand it out to the neighbor kids or you could buy reindeer dust on Etsy.

solar christmas

So we set up our freshly cut tree, I turned Pandora on with the "Holidays with the Temptations" and the girls started decorating.  While the fake vs real tree debate lives on, there are options like replanting your tree or just recycling the bugger so it can be mulched.  Save some energy and try keeping the lights on for shorter periods. And check out these solar powered Christmas lights.  LED lights are always better too and easier to find.  Now go make some ornaments with the kids!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Belle has been fighting a cold off and on for a few weeks.  So I tried some ACV.  Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar has some natural bacteria-fighting agents containing stuff like potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, iron, etc.  Feel a cold coming? Mix 2 teaspoons of ACV into a cup of water and chug several times a day. I also threw some carrot juice to mask the taste but you could also add honey. The vinegar will help rebalance the body's acid level. Chest cold?  An old school home remedy touts soaking a piece of brown paper in vinegar then sprinkling one side of it with black pepper. Place the peppered side of the paper on the chest, cover with a towel, and relax for 20 minutes. For better results, purchase the organic ACV or make your own with this recipe.   Here's more interesting things you can do with ACV.  

welcome to crayon town

My good friend Darlene has a crayon town. In her carport.  The little area is all recyclable refrigerator boxes which you can snag from Home Depot for FREE.  Then grab scissors for the windows and doors, crayons, and a little shipping tape to create tunnels and help the town stay standing.  Let the kiddies play, crawl, and draw while you sit and reeee-lax.  Check out these soy crayons or eco-friendly recycled star crayons.  Happy coloring.

Organically Yummy

Ever have your little one eat a whole carrot and say "Thanks mom!"  Every other Tuesday I get a box of organic veggies and fruit from Full Circle Farm for $30. Delivered to my office.  There's something about receiving these boxes that makes my girls go bananas.  And I can customize my box to our favorites or let Full Circle surprise me.  I also get two new recipes featuring items from my box.  Organic costs more of course, but it really tastes better, ask my little carrot eater, and it's better for your fam.  Give it a peek.

40 ways

There are 40 ways to skin a cat and a few ways to have a pet hamster. Here's one. Janae turned 5 last week and received a pet hamster. I am not a fan of furry small creatures. This one works though because it has 4 wheels, a cute pink piggy nose, and it comes with a name. Jilly. A Zhu Zhu pet. Battery operated at $8 each. All the rage with the kiddies. It even squeaks and of course you can buy scarves, hats and blankets for it, a hamster tunnel, sleeping dome,and other absolutely unnecessary but cute items. To be eco-friendly you could for go the plastic accessories and use shoe boxes for tunnels and sleeping areas for your child's new pet. If your crafty, you could even sew clothes and blankets for it out of left over fabrics or unwearable, ill-fitting play clothes. Peep these at Target, Toy R Us, and any other toy laden dynasty that makes your kiddies run wild.