Sustainable & Creative Living
Hot Florida summer days call for some major cool down tactics around my house. My tiny toddler works up a major sweat running around the park and blowing bubbles in the backyard. DIY Summer Popsicles are an easy and healthy way to cool down overheated children without feeling guilty about [Read more…]
Beach vacationing with a toddler is not the same vacation I took pre-baby. Back then I had 10 swimsuits and they all fit and all I cared about packing was snacks, water, and a towel. Post-baby beach vacationing, whether it’s for a week or a weekend, the packing list has [Read more…]
It’s back to school for kids across the country. While this may be an exciting time for most, it’s also stressful for many kids. Why? Because there are countless families who can’t afford the basics when it comes to the dreaded back to school supplies list. Many children aren’t equipped with the basics: backpacks, pens, pencils, paper, and binders. According to Adopt a Classroom.org, K-12 teachers spend [Read more…]
We here at From Under a Palm Tree always strive to be more eco-friendly in our personal and professional lives. We have made it our mission to decrease our footprint by living more sustainable lives, reducing waste, and conserving resources.
In efforts to improve the quality of our Earth, I have signed the Plastic Free July Challenge and committed myself to Reduce Household Plastic Waste. Single-use plastic bags and bottles can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills, however, most don’t even reach them. A large number of throw-away plastics end up in our oceans, leaving behind chemicals and toxic particles, destroying marine life all over the world. [Read more…]
With the fourth of July just around the corner, I know a lot of us will be visiting family and friends for pool parties, cook-outs, camping, and probably fireworks. Ahh fireworks!! As a kid, I loved them and always looked forward to the family outing at the local mall where our town gathered to watch the beautiful display of what we, as Americans, associate our Independence Day with. But as an adult and new mom, I’ve come to [Read more…]
Meal time is stressful when you have a growing toddler. One day, all is good and they gobble up anything you put in front of them. The next day, they throw it your face. Dry, salty snacks that are loaded with carbs usually do the trick as a quick and easy snack, but they also get boring. If you’re looking for something a bit healthier than the average toddler snack, try these Frozen Yogurt Covered Bananas. They can be whipped up in a hurry from [Read more…]
Registering for baby gifts is one of the most exciting and highly anticipated stages of pregnancy for most expectant parents. Most can’t wait to send the barcode scanner into overdrive scanning anything and everything from diapers and bibs to car seats and strollers.
I was sick most of my pregnancy so no supermarket sweeping the baby aisles for me. I registered the boring way…online at Target.com and Amazon.com.
I did, however, end up really enjoying registering this way because it allowed me to [Read more…]
Since my son was born almost 2 years ago, I’ve made handprint or footprint cards for loved ones on every holiday. My sister makes jokes that I don’t have to buy a greeting card ever again.
Of course, that’s not entirely true; I’ve yet to make a Mother’s Day card for my mom with my own footprint. For babies and toddlers, on the other hand, there’s no better way to show how much they care than with a handmade card. For older kids, this DIY Father’s Day Space Ship Footprint Card is a fun way to use their imagination while expressing their love for Dad.
Watching our babies grow up is an inevitable part of life. It’s exciting, sad, happy, fun, terrifying, and occasionally heartbreaking. Basically, a bag of emotions that we sometimes have no words for.
Sometimes just a smile tells the whole story. Other times, laying it all out on the table to anyone who will listen is what really tells the whole story. Either way, watching our babies grow up is one of the most rewarding, gratifying and yes, difficult gifts we as parents are given.
Pizza is, hands down, my favorite guilty indulgence. I love it! One of my favorite pizzas is called the Magical Mystery Tour made by Mellow Mushroom. It has a pesto base with Portobello and button mushrooms, topped with warm, gooey feta and mozzarella cheese, a touch of spinach, and just the right amount of jalapeños for a bit of spice. If calories weren’t a factor, [Read more…]
Who says you have to slave over a hot stove every morning making delicious homemade oatmeal?
It’s the 21st-century people and times have changed. Yeah, oatmeal is still the same- nutritiously packed full of fiber, fluffy, and filling but the way you cook it doesn’t have to be the same.
Caring for a one-and-a-half-year-old child and working full time is hard work. Making meals, doing laundry (diapers and clothes), fishing dog food from my child’s mouth, and picking up the hundreds of toy cars is a full-time job in itself. The last thing I want to do is [Read more…]
For those of you who have read my previous posts, you know that I got married 7 ½ years ago on beautiful Sanibel Island. Naturally, it’s a moment in time that my husband and I will cherish forever and always remember fondly. Every summer we [Read more…]
Happy Mother’s Day to all the tired, hardworking moms out there. As I’ve gotten older and have since had a child of my own, I’ve come to appreciate my mom in a way only a fellow mom can. I never really understood the magnitude of being a mom until my son was born. The act alone of carrying a child is a feat in and of itself. And everything after birth, well it’s [Read more…]
