Sustainable & Creative Living
Summer fun always includes cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables. For me, raspberries are high on my list of delicious seasonal fruits. They’re right up there with strawberries and watermelon. I eat all of them as often as possible while they’re fresh and easily available. This Raspberry Skillet Cake makes a nice treat for breakfast, bunch, or [Read more…]
The right potty chair or seat can be the key to a smooth potty training experience. And I’m here to tell you that not all potty training chairs and seats are created equal. If your little one is potty training or close to starting, check out this Guide to the Best Potty Training Chairs and Seats. [Read more…]
When I first started thinking about teaching my 2 and-half-year-old son the alphabet, I thought the easiest approach would be to just sing the ABC song over and over and he’d eventually catch on. Wrong. He couldn’t even stand to hear me sing the ABC song let alone sing it over and over again. I’d get about 5 letters in and I’d hear my sweet boy say, “Mommy stop, stop singing!” Ugh! After being thoroughly offended for about 2 minutes, I had to think of a different approach. I decided to try using the Letter of the Week strategy and after about 4 weeks he was hooked on letters and singing his ABC’s anywhere and everywhere! My favorite is when he sings at the top of his lungs while we’re in the stall of a public restroom…it makes my heart smile every time! [Read more…]
A few weeks ago I shared my recipe for Homemade Coconut Aluminum-Free Deodorant so this week I’m sharing another one of my homemade personal care products. This recipe for Chemical-Free Coconut Oil Toothpaste is all-natural, chemical free, and eco-friendly. Over the past few years, I’ve really been trying to eliminate products from my life that are laced with all sorts of unnecessary chemicals in an effort to lead a more natural lifestyle. It’s not easy giving up products that I’ve relied on my whole life but with a little effort, I’ve slowly made some transitions. [Read more…]
Plastic shopping bags are a huge threat to our environment. Their impact is widespread- from the energy it takes to produce the plastic to the pollution they cause on land and sea. Yet they’re still one of the most used single-use convenience plastics. If these are items you’d like to eliminate (or cut back on), here are 22 Ways to Avoid Plastic Shopping Bags. [Read more…]
If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I’m pro-cloth diapers. They’re eco-friendly and healthier for your baby’s delicate skin. I love all the adorable patterns and prints and I feel good about doing something to reduce my footprint. Cloth diapering can be quite a commitment but doable if you’ve got all the right information. Much like using standard disposable diapers, you still need all the accessories like wipes, diaper rash creams, and changing pads. But, besides the obvious, here’s a list of the Best Cloth Diapering Accessories you may not have thought of. [Read more…]
Since I love my DIY laundry pods, I decided it was time to make my own DIY Dishwasher Pods. They’re super simple to make and just as cost-effective. Of course, I love them too! If you want to cut back on or eliminate toxic household cleaners from your life, give these DIY Lemon Dishwasher Pods a try! [Read more…]
Potty training can be a dreadful time for toddlers and parents. I’ve heard horror stories from friends and family about the awful process. Some parents warned me it could take months or years to get my son out of pull-ups and into underwear full time.
So, before I started the potty training process with my son, I did a lot of research on what to expect and how to prepare myself (and him). After endless reading and stressing, I came to the conclusion that no matter how many blogs I read, my process and my experience would be different because no child or family situation is the same. I just had to dive in, expect the worst, and hope for the best. [Read more…]
If you’re trying to adopt natural and more eco-friendly cleaning habits, one of the easiest places to start is with laundry practices. There are many different alternatives to harsh detergents if you want to go green in the laundry department.
Natural laundry practices are especially important because clothing actually touches our bodies, as opposed to the surfaces in our homes. Of course, we’d only want non-toxic substances touching our skin. [Read more…]
Depending on how familiar you are with cloth diapering, you might be thinking, “What exactly is a prefold diaper?” Simply put, it’s a 3 panel, rectangular piece of fabric that contains multiple layers of either cotton, bamboo, hemp, or flannel— traditionally with an extra layer in the middle for extra absorbency. They’re folded and fastened to baby inside of a waterproof diaper cover.
Before I even got pregnant with my son I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers. My mom used them with me and my sisters, and because there are significant age gaps between us, I still remember diaper laundry, safety pins, and plastic pants all around the house. Let me assure you that this sometimes referred to as “old fashion” way of diapering has come along way in recent years. [Read more…]
Lately, I’ve taken my DIY laundry techniques up a notch. After all, if I’m giving up harsh chemicals that touch the surfaces in my home, it seems only natural to give up harsh chemicals for clothing—items that actually touch my body.
One of the last remaining DIY laundry methods I’ve put into action is stain removal solutions. Removing perspiration stains can be especially daunting. As with any clothing stain, the best chance of removal occurs when [Read more…]
When I first started teaching my son how to recognize different shapes, I would draw them on a piece of paper, point, and tell him what each shape was. Before too long he would get bored and move on to a toy with wheels or sound and leave me in the dust. It didn’t take me long to realize I was going about my teaching style all wrong. He needed something to touch and feel in his hands to be more interested in learning his shapes. So I turned my original boring shape activity into a reusable, hands-on, and very easy-to-make Shape Recognition Activity with colorful felt shapes that can be stuck on and peeled off over and over. [Read more…]
I first learned about sensory development when my son turned about 14 months old. This was right around the time when he started walking and getting into everything he wasn’t supposed to. His curiosity to touch, feel, and taste everything in sight prompted me to do a little research on this particular stage of his development. This is when I noticed the phrase “sensory play” became a common idea among mom bloggers, educators, and psychology blogs. It’s a phrase I think I’ve always heard but never really bothered to understand.
