Tea Tips

Did you know that tea bags have other uses, besides drinking? Well I didn't. Laura Childs, author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, really opened my eyes!

Here's some ways to use your tea bags:

A tea bag can be an air freshener in your car. Just stick an unused tea bag in the air vent!

A used tea bag can be placed in your refrigerator or litter box to absorb odors.

Used tea bags, especially Chamomile, can be placed on puffy eyes to reduce swelling.

Use can use tea to dye fabrics like cotton.

Use can also compost your tea bags.

Eco-Friendly Invites

Have a party coming up? Check out Evite. Evite offers loads of invitations in any category you can think of. The invitation is e-mailed to your guest and evite keeps track of who accepts. I love how organized this process is. I know who read the invite, replied or didn't reply.

It's so easy and saves you money on postage and paper invites. Plus, you're saving trees!!!

Crafty Corner

If you need a new bath mat, here it is. You use left over fabric scraps or fat quarters to make this beautiful mat. Go here for step by step instructions.





I love this project! I will be making this one for both my bathrooms.

DIY Beauty

With all the toxic ingredients out there, I love the idea of making my own stuff.

Here's how to make your own:

Lip Balm

Bath melts

Sugar Scrub

And, if you're brave enough, homemade deodorant.



Good luck!

Kitchen Clean Up Tips

I'm always looking for great tips for cleaning the kitchen. I guess I'm just hoping to discover a way to have a self-cleaning kitchen! One day, it WILL happen, but that's probably a loooong way off.

I saw this article for quick kitchen cleaning tips and thought it offered great eco-ideas. Check it out and let me know what works for you.

Crafty Corner

I found a cute craft that can be done with the kids. Daily Danny shows how he made Mr. Roboto. He think he's so cute! Just another great idea on reuse what would otherwise go to the landfill.

Tropical Storm Fay

Greetings from the rain drenched state of Florida.

Since Fay is inching her way up to my neck of the woods, I'm going to power down. I'm not sure what the next 24 hours holds for me and my family. So I'll preparing for power outages and a possible evacuation (in case of tornado threats).

To all of you in storm free states, please pray for all of us. I hope this isn't the beginning of more threats to Florida. We're still recovering for the trauma of 4 years ago (5 hurricanes in less than 2 months).

I'll be back in a few days, barring any major power outages.

Trans Fat = Breast Cancer?

According to a new study by the American Journal of Epidemiology, less trans fat equals less chance of developing breast cancer. The study's conclusion:

"A high level of trans fat, presumably reflecting a high intake of processed foods, is probably one factor contributing to increased risk of breast cancer in women. "

Translation:
Read your food AND ingredient labels. If you see hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, put it back and walk away, even if it says trans fat free. Companies are allowed to claim trans fat free if it's less than .5 grams. All those .5 grams add up quickly!

Also check the nutrition handouts at your favorite fast food places. Arby's and Krispy Creme are loaded with trans fat heavy foods, but Chick fil A has healthy options.

Item of the Week

If you're looking to repaint, check out Mythic Paints' new line of non-toxic paints. These paints offer high performance, lots of colors, and are free of off gassing VOC'S (volatile organic compounds). No wonder they have been featured as Parents Magazine's pick for your nursery.

Crafty Corner

Daily Danny has yet another great idea! He's reusing CDs in an unbelievable way. I would have NEVER thought of this, but I LOVE it!

He has taken 150 CDs and made Barbells! Now that's creativity!

Here's a picture:

Go visit Daily Danny to learn how to make your own shiny set.

August Giveaway

I'm giving away ONE tube of Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste in peppermint flavor. Here's a desciption from the website:

Our Whole Care™ toothpaste helps maintain good oral health by delivering cavity prevention, tartar control, whitening, and clean, fresh flavor using only natural ingredients.

Refreshing natural flavor. Real flavor oils, not artificial sweeteners like saccharin, leave your mouth feeling clean and fresh.

Fights cavities. Naturally sourced fluoride remineralizes soft spots on teeth before they turn into cavities.

Controls tartar. Zinc citrate, a naturally occurring mineral, interferes with the calcification of plaque into tartar.

Gentle whitening. Natural silica (derived from sand) improves cleaning and gently whitens without bleaching ingredients or harsh abrasives.

Leave a comment below between now and August 31st. If the winner does not respond within 3 days of the drawing, I'll pick another winner.

Good Luck!

Publix Sales 8/14-8/20

Organic
Publix GreenWise Market Top Sirloin Steaks
$7.99 lb
Boneless, USDA Choice, Antibiotic-Free

Cascadian Farm Organic Cereal
2 FOR $5.00
Or Chewy Granola Bars, Assorted Varieties, 6.2 to 17-oz box

Immaculate Baking Co. Cookie Dough
2 FOR $5.00
Better Bakes: Chocolate Chunk, Vanilla Sugar, or Oatmeal Raisin, 14-oz bag

Non-Organic, but Safe
CA Seedless Grapes
$1.69 lb

Broccoli or Cauliflower
2 FOR $4.00

Honeydews
$2.99

Blueberries
2 for $5

Cantaloupes
2 for $5

Healthy Dairy All Natural Yogurt Smoothie
Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
Assorted Varieties, Nonfat, 10-oz bot

Naked Juice
2 FOR $5.00
Assorted Varieties, Ten Flavorful Varieties to Choose From, 15.2-oz bot.

Clorox Green Works Natural Cleaner
2 FOR $5.00
All-Purpose, Glass & Surface, Toilet Bowl, Bathroom, or Dilutable, 24 to 32-oz bot.

Grocery Sales

Sales @ Publix for 8/7 - 8/13

Organic:
Publix Greenwise Market Strip Steaks @ $11.99 lb

Non-Organic, but Healthy
Pineapple @ $3.99 each

Simply Orange, Apple, or Grapefruit @ 2 for $6

Honeydew Melon @ $2.99 each

Cantaloupe @ 2 for $5

Red Raspberries and Blueberries @ 2 for $5

All Natural 4 Grain Eggs @ 2 for $4

Silk Soymilk @ 2 for $4

Sales @ Winn Dixie for 8/6 - 8/12

Organic
Winn Dixie 100% Organic Tomato Juice @ 2 for $5

Non-Organic, but Healthy
Winn Dixie 100% Pomegranate Juice Blends @ 2 for $6

Broccoli Bunch @ $.99

CA Seedless Grapes @ $1.99 lb

Cantaloupe @ 2 for $5

Avocados @ $1.29 each

Hormel Natural Choice Lunchmeat @ BOGO
Save up to $3.99 on 2

7th Generation 2x Laundry Detergent @ $7.99

Greenworks Bathroom Cleaner @ 2 for $5

GE Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs @ 2.99 each

Winn Dixie Reusable Bags @ $.99 each

Crafty Corner

It's time to gather up all the broken and stubby crayons you can find. Once you do that, you can create something new. Over at Daily Danny you can find out how he recreated his old crayons.

I really like this idea and will be using it in the future. If you don't have an old baking pan, line your pan with tin foil. Make sure all the sides are covered and then you can lift your crayon mixture out when it's cool.

Product Review: gdiapers

After a lot of debating, I finally picked up the gdiapers Starter Kit. I like the idea that they are part disposable, part cloth diaper. I get to dispose of the yucky part and reuse the good part and I'm reducing the number of diapers in the landfill.

The Starter Kit contains: 2 cloth diapers, 4 plastic snap-in liners, 1 swish stick and 10 disposable pads.

The diapers are fairly simple to use. You insert the pad into the diaper and put on the baby. At changing time you put on a fresh gdiaper and take the other one into the bathroom. At this point you have two choices, throw it away or flush it. I flush it, even though this is the trickiest part. To flush, you have to tear down the sides and let the middle fall into the toilet. You then use the swish stick and break it up. Next, you drop in the outer covering and then flush. It might sound time consuming, but it only takes a minute or so.

After a week, I have concluded that I like them and will continue using them. They fit well and we haven't had any leaks. Of course, we only use them at bedtime right now. But that will change as I start to run low on my disposable diaper stockpile. Well, unless my 23 month old decides to potty train in the next 2 months.

I know, yeah right!

You can buy gdiapers from their website, Native Sun, Amazon, Drugstore.com or Ebay.
The Starter Kit runs between $26.99 and $29.99. The inserts run between $14.99 and $15.99.

Newsflash: Fast Food Kids' Meal are NOT healthy!

After reading this article I asked myself three questions.

1. Seriously, who is truly shocked by this "new" revelation?
2. Why is this suddenly front page news?
3. Am I the only one that laughed out loud while reading this article?

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/08/04/kids.meals.ap/index.html?eref=time_health

A "new" study has come out and said that most fast food kids' meals are full of sodium, fat and trans-fat. Wow, but here's the shocker, "Nearly every possible combination of the children's meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, the report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest said."
What do parents expect when these meals are comprised of fried foods? Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, fries, sodas, etc are NEVER going to be healthy people.

More of these restaurants need to offer healthy options that you don't have to pay extra for. Burger King offers apple "fries", but you have to pay extra! Instead, maybe I'll go to Wendy's and not have to pay extra for mandarin oranges. Or better yet, head over to Subway for raisins, apple slices, or yogurt at no extra charge.

My favorite quote from the article is, "Parents want to feed their children healthy meals, but America's chain restaurants are setting parents up to fail," CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan said in a statement. "McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and other chains are conditioning kids to expect burgers, fried chicken, pizza, french fries, macaroni and cheese, and soda in various combination at almost every lunch and dinner."

Come on! A parent that wants to feed their kids healthy meals would not be feeding them fast food morning, noon and night! The blame falls with both the parents and the restaurants, but I agree that the restaurants do need to lay off the trans-fat and bring out more "real" food.

Hello

I'm back at the keyboard! It's been a rough couple weeks for my family and we're slowly getting back to our day to day life. Thanks for all the kind condolences, thoughts and prayers.