Sustainable & Creative Living
If we start at a young age, we can help our children learn the importance of celebrating Earth Day not just on Earth Day but every day. I’ve put together 5 Earth Day Activities for Kids that can help them learn how important it is to take care of our planet and the environment around them. [Read more…]
If you have a backyard herb garden and try to use your crops as often as possible, but sometimes find yourself not able to harvest them as quickly as you would like, this DIY Tin Can Herb Garden may be just what you need. I had a small herb container garden on the upstairs patio off my kitchen that I had to relocate downstairs because of my mischievous cats. When I found that I wasn’t using my herbs as much as I’d like to because of the trek downstairs and around to the backyard, I came up with this DIY Tin Can Herb Garden. [Read more…]
My 3-year-old son is finally at an age where we can do crafts together. I have found that over the past 6 months while teaching him the alphabet, I have used crafts to not only teach him letters but to also connect with him. Over Thanksgiving, we took a break from the alphabet to just focus on fun holiday activities. One of which is this [Read more…]
These days more products than ever are being recycled. Many of these items are things a lot of us never
considered to be recyclable. These 5 Items You Should Be Recycling are just a very few of those
products. I don’t know about you, but I find myself feeling more and more guilty when I throw something in the trash without trying to first figure out a way to repurpose or recycle it. At any given time I have 2 or 3, [Read more…]
I recently attended a Young Living workshop in my community with my mom and sister. I didn’t really know what to expect other than a sales pitch about essential oils. We were pleasantly surprised to not only thoroughly enjoy the woman delivering the Young Living “sales pitch” but to also be so drawn in by the way this woman spoke about her journey through discovering the Young Living Essential Oils brand. [Read more…]
Microfiber pollution is a form of pollution I hadn’t heard of until quite recently. Maybe you haven’t either. This type of pollution basically comes from microfibers that textiles such as synthetic clothing shed during the washing process. Every time we do a load of laundry, our clothing sheds microscopic fibers that end up in our water. They end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. From there, these essentially plastic fragments make their way to our [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…]
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…]
Babies and diapers go hand in hand, right? Dirty diapers are an inevitable part of raising children, right? Those slim, plastic lined disposable diapers are your only option, right?
WRONG!
I’ve been wanting to do a post for a while on cloth diapering but after working on My Breastfeeding Journey for nearly 6 months I needed a breather. I knew, much like that post, there was much to be told. So, I’ve decided to break it down into a series of posts that I will put out over a period of time—for my sanity and yours!
Since the invention of disposable diapers in the 40’s, parents have adopted a dependency on them. Their convenience and portability have made daycare, traveling, and life with children more obtainable and just plain easier. In some families, disposable diapers have allowed fathers to be more actively involved in the early stages of parenthood—dirty diaper duty isn’t all on moms now! And as early disposable diapers models evolved, usage skyrocketed. [Read more…]
A struggle I face on a weekly basis is trying to prevent tossing out my fruits and veggies that have either wilted or gotten moldy too soon. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be costly, especially if you’re buying organic – so I’ve started making a real effort to not just toss at first glance. Instead, I’ve been making a conscious effort to use wilted veggies like celery, spinach, and kale. But in order to prevent real waste I also needed to figure out a way to [Read more…]
I tend to save scraps and odd pieces that are supposed to be discarded. I always think, “Hmmm…could I make something out of this?” That’s how I came up with these Snowman Ornaments. They are made from Ashland candle jar lids from Michaels (but you can use anything circular).
Every time I get a candle with a lid I [Read more…]
Every year I try to incorporate as many eco-friendly practices as I can into my gift wrapping routine. This time of year is already a stressful time but that doesn’t mean we put our eco-friendly practices on hold. It just means that we get a little more creative with our holiday wrapping.
I’ve been looking for a way to help calm my 2-year-old son when his temper gets the best of him. About 7 years ago a family member made this DIY Calming Glitter Jar for her daughter to serve the same purpose. I made a mental note to give it a try when my own child came along, you know if I needed it.
Fast forward 7 years, the terrible twos in full swing, and I’ve quickly learned that toddler tantrums are tough to deal with. When your crazed child is [Read more…]
