Navigation

Archive | TRAVEL AND BOOKS

Fall Family Trip Inspiration: West Coast vs. East Coast

September 4, 2013 0

Every fall, the Sweet Greens family hits the road for a fall family trip. We usually spend a week in North Carolina, it is a great place to see the leaves change from green to the bright hues of Autumn. It is also perfect for pumpkin patches, winery’s, corn mazes, caramel apples, woolly worms, antique shopping, hiking, hot tubing and breathing in the cool smell of fall – and it isn’t too far away from our home.

Last year, we spent our fall family trip with our best friends in Bozeman, Montana. This was another amazing trip full of ghost tours, hot springs, Elk bugles, Yellowstone, candy stores, hot springs, amazing waterfall hiking, and zip-lining. Sharing fall with friends who are like family is the best!

This year, we want to incorporate camping into our fall family trip. Also, we want to stick closer to home, since Eben doesn’t want to miss a lot of school (he started a new one this year!) However, we also want to get a little of the things that we love about fall. Living in South Florida makes that tough! We don’t get the quintessential fall – we get a not-as-hot-as-summer fall. So our plans were to find somewhere North to camp – possibly St. Augustine again, however we decided to move that trip to December since they have amazing holiday lights and festivities.

Then, while lounging at the beach last weekend reading Florida Travel + Life magazine I came across an article on Gainesville. Gainesville is only a few hours drive from our front door, and is suppose to have a vibrant cultured, outdoorsy and creative community. It’s a college town (which we know we already love – remember we lived in Fort Collins, Colorado!) Here is the deal maker though, Gainesville has four seasons – a rarity in Florida, with brilliant foliage in late fall. And they even get frost from December to February – and sometimes snow too! What? I am super excited – the mister is busy finding the perfect spot to camp, and I am already daydreaming of our fall family trip!

Does your family take a fall trip? Do you have a go-to spot that you have to visit? Have you been to Gainesville – I would love to hear about your experiences, please leave your comments below!

How to Be a Green Driver

July 22, 2013 0

Hello, Friends! This post wasn’t written by me. Thank you for supporting the companies that help to run Sweet Greens!

While many of us dream of an idyllic life in which we walk and cycle everywhere, loading our shopping into quaint panniers and hiking through the countryside on our days off, the reality for many people living in the modern age is that having a car is just a necessity of life. Whether you have a long commute to work, have children to take to school or friends and family in far-flung places, many people simply need a car in order to live their lives. The question is, can you own a car and still be green? By taking a careful look at your driving habits, you can work to minimize the impact you have on the environment by owning a car.

One thing that many car owners easily forget is that having a car doesn’t mean you have to take it everywhere! If you can, why not walk or cycle with the kids to school? It will stop you from getting caught in all the traffic at the school gates, and as an added bonus will help keep them fit and healthy too. And while many drivers struggle to relax with another person behind the wheel, getting over that fear and car-sharing with others is better for the environment and improves your social life to boot! Many workplaces have organized car-sharing options for people living in the same area, and if yours doesn’t why not set up your own? Similarly, if you’re planning a long journey, you can visit websites such as liftshare.com to team up with others looking to travel the same route. Not only will this save you money, it will help prevent unnecessary amounts of traffic from taking to the road.

When planning journeys, try to avoid peak times whenever you can. Getting stuck in long traffic jams uses up more gasoline, making your journey more expensive and worse for the environment. If you can, why not consider traveling at night? School holidays also mean more traffic on the roads in places like beaches and popular holiday attractions, so if you are able to be more flexible with your travel plans try and avoid these areas at these times. If you do need to travel at peak times to popular destinations, why not consider public transport as an alternative? You can pick up some great deals on trains if you book far enough in advance, and can avoid getting stuck in traffic jams.

Finally, which car you choose can make a huge difference in terms of impact on the environment. While electric cars and hybrids are popular choices among the eco-conscious, not everyone can afford the high price tags they come with. But there are some cheaper options too. Many eco-friendly models and are known for their commitment to bringing down CO2 emissions, while the Honda prices on carsales make the manufacturer’s range of environmentally friendly vehicles accessible even to those on a lower budget.

While it is undeniably a contributor to pollution, car travel is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. So, if you are a driver, make sure you do your part to reduce the impact you have on the environment by making responsible choices about your driving habits.

photo credit

Thrift Store Thursday: 8 Food & Wine Cookbooks for $16 (Savings $223.60)

July 18, 2013 0

I am a huge thrift store shopper – I have been my entire life. I remember when I was little, I lived for hitting the thrift, antique shops and swap meets with my grandmothers. They taught me where and what to look for and how to haggle for the best price.

When I was a teenager, I purchased the majority of my quirky clothes from the thrift store. I never had to worry that someone would show up at a party or dance wearing the same dress I was. Ha! As an adult, I have honed the skill and am usually able to find exactly what I am looking for. My favorite things to look for are cookbooks, novels, quirky ceramic and pottery pieces, and expensive jeans.

Eben is getting quite good at thifting too, however he is more drawn to antique shops and comic books stores.  Needless to say his favorite thing to look for is books. I usually have a hard time getting him to leave, he is usually sitting in a corner somewhere with a huge stack next to him.

Eben and I try to hit the thrift store at least once a week, I recommend going first thing in the morning before everything has been picked over and the store is still quiet. Yesterday, when we stopped I was on the lookout for new cookbooks for the mister.

We are huge fans of Food & Wine magazine, so when I found 8 of their annual and Best of the Best cookbooks I knew I had to scoop them up. The mister was excited to have a new set of cookbooks, they are all in perfect condition and they look amazing on my media center – I love the colors! Here is a breakdown of the retail cost, what I paid and the savings.

+ Retail Cost: $239.60
+ Thrift Store Cost: $16
+ Savings: $223.60

Do you shop at the thrift store? What is your favorite thing to look for? Do you like these types of posts? I would love your thoughts – it helps me to decide whether to continue them.

Contigo Reusable Travel Mugs and Water Bottles Review + Giveaway

July 2, 2013 18

Once in a while I will wake up in the morning to find coffee drips down the hallway tile or down the staircase to the front door. The mister gets up very early for work and during his morning routine spills as he walks through the house getting ready for his day. Even better is when I bump my morning cup of Joe with my elbow while typing and spill cover all over my desk or knock it completely off onto the floor. Ugh. Does this happen to anyone else?

Then, there is another problem all together: while I love my cup of coffee, it takes me forever to drink it in morning and inevitably by the time the cup is halfway gone, the coffee is super cold and I need to reheat it. The mister has this problem at work to – except he drives most of his day and heating up a cup of coffee isn’t usually an option.

We were super excited to receive a package of reusable stainless steel travel mugs from Contigo. Contigo’s line of reusable travel mugs have an autoseal technology that automatically seals between sips – meaning that when I knock my coffee over at my desk, or the mister bumps around in the morning, no spills! The mugs and bottles are 100% spill proof and believe me we have tried – and they don’t even leak a little bit. They also have superior insulation properties that keep your beverages hot or cold for up to 8 hours! These are amazing.

If spilling coffee isn’t a problem for you – check out their reusable water bottles. Everybody needs one of those and Contigo’s water bottles are fantastic too. I have been using mine for everything from biking, exercising, yoga, paddleboarding, and for sipping water during the day. There are no caps to open and no lids to remove making it super easy to take a sip while riding a bike or using the elliptical machine! The water bottles also have the autoseal technology which means I can throw it in my handbag or yoga bag and it doesn’t spill. These are also great for the kids, they are BPA Free, and come in a rainbow of colors. Eben always leaves his reusable bottles on the backseat of my car. However, now there are no spill marks on my cars eats! Yay for technology!

I love Contigo reusable mugs and water bottles so much, I want to share them with you. I am giving away a set of 5 Contigo Reusable Mugs and Bottles. One lucky winner will receive and ! These will be perfect for home, school, work, exercise or a trip to the beach!

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
————————————————————————-
Contigo is offering all Sweet Greens readers 20% off their entire order using coupon code COMMUTERPROMO 

Full Disclosure: I received a set of Contigo reusable travel mugs, water bottles and gift card compensation. However all opinions are my own and I would have purchased these reusable mugs either way. 

Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

June 29, 2013 0

Hello, Friends! How was your week? After an amazing vacation last week in the Keys, it has been fun getting back into the swing of things. Vacation always grounds me, I come back energized and ready to take on the world! It does wonders for the mister too – he went to the doctor this week and she told him that his blood pressure was the lowest that it has ever been! It has been a good week for Eben too –  his best friend is staying with us. It’s been Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft around here!

Can you believe it is almost July! Is it just me or is summer just zipping by? Do you have any amazing 4th of July plans? We will be visiting our dear friends in Atlanta and I can’t wait. We lived in Georgia a handful of years ago, it will be fun to go back and see how things have changed. Or stayed the same. Eben can’t wait to visit the Georgia Aquarium again – they have the most amazing whale sharks, his favorite!

Tomorrow morning we are getting up bright and early to hit the ocean on Bambolina, our sailboat. I am looking forward to a day of sunshine with my boys. My favorite part of sailing is sitting back while the mister controls the sails and the wind blows through my hair. It is an amazing feeling! While I hit the great, big blue, here are a few things I wanted to share with you:

– Whenever I see an Airstream I smile, maybe I will rent one!
– 10 places in the U.S. where bikes and boats rule – no cars! 
– Now that we live in an Audubon neighborhood – I need this FREE online birding guide.
– I am a huge fan of bugs – these shots of them up close are fantastic.
– I miss camping in the West – here are 25 amazing last-minute campsites for you lucky westerners.
– IKEA unveils solar powered emergency shelters that come flat packed. Fantastic.

I hope you have an amazing weekend, I will see you back here on Monday!

xo,
Sweet Greens

Older posts Newer posts