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4 Simple Tips for Saving the Bees With Your Family

September 23, 2014 1

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by Beth

Bees are essential in the production of so many of our foods which depend on bees for pollination. As bee population declines, prices of many foods are going to rise and their availability is going to drop, which makes a green lifestyle more difficult for all of us!

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

― Albert Einstein

How can you help the bees? If everyone were able to take these small steps it could make a big difference to the struggling bee population:

1. Plant a garden that’s bee hospitable.
•  Plant a variety of flowers that bloom from early spring to late fall. Some types of bees are more active at different times of year, so make sure your garden always has something to offer!
• Flowers with single petal blossoms are more accessible to bees than flowers with double petals so focus on the singles.
• Blue, purple, and yellow flowers are most appealing to bees.
• Plant wildflowers, especially ones that are native to your area. This will help support the bees in your area that evolved to visit those species of flower.
• Be more weed-friendly.   Flowering weeds are native flowers too! Dandelions especially are a great early food source for bees. If you let a corner of your yard freely grow dandelions or clover you’ll have a lot of happy bees.
• Use organic fertilizer and steer clear of chemical pesticides. The last thing you want to do is poison your bees, of course.

2. Make a nest habitat.
A neat and pristine yard leaves no place for bees to make a happy nest. If you leave a brush pile near your bee garden, bees will have a place to nest near a convenient food source. There are also good tutorials available online for making bee posts, bee hotels and other homes for solitary bees. How fun would that be for the family?

3. Check out your local farmer’s market.
Local made honey is almost always of a better quality than store bought honey. Some store bought honey is mostly corn syrup. And if you’ve moved to a new area, eating local honey can help prevent you from developing new pollen allergies. By buying local you not only get a better product, you support the bee population in your area. It’s good for everyone!

4. If you’re feeling adventurous…
Try beekeeping yourself! Obviously this isn’t going to be for everyone, or even most people. However, small scale beekeeping can support your local bee population, give you a new source of income, and be a very unique hobby.

Though you might be a little shy of bees at first, it helps to realize how beneficial bees are to humans, animals, and the environment, and they are not typically aggressive. As kids, I’m sure we got stung because we were barefoot and didn’t watch where we were going, and most adults get stung because they panic and swat.

Bee Tip: Use your breath to blow a bee away instead of swatting to avoid hurting it.

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Bees just want to live their lives, and as they do, they help us grow our crops. Do your part to help the bees!

 

Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

September 19, 2014 0

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Hello, Friends! How was your week? I hope it was a nice one. Are you experiencing fall weather or maybe even winter weather where you live? It’s amazing how quickly the weather changes, and all of sudden we are in fall. Even here in Florida, it has been a little cooler than usual. It will only last a couple of days though, so I better enjoy it! As the mister and I were sitting on the patio last night, he pointed at my legs and laughed that I had goosebumps!

The cooler weather has me thinking of Halloween which just makes me more excited. Am I the only one? I have found myself pinning all kinds of Halloween ideas lately! And I have already started to think of costume, food, and decor ideas too. I jokingly asked the mister if it was too early to break out the decorations – he just gave me the look. I guest October 1st is early enough for him. Ha! While I pin a few million more ideas, here are a few green things to take you into the weekend:

– This adorable piggy knows how to cool off in style.
– Have you ever tried Aloe Vera Water? I want to try it.
– You can still plant a fall garden, this will get you started.
– I am happy to hear Whole Foods is offering more affordable produce and core items.
– What if everyone swapped their cars for bikes! Yes.

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

xo,
Sweet Greens

Rock Your Child’s Lunch Box with These Great Green Options!

September 18, 2014 0

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Back to school time means so many things for all of us – new school schedules, jugging family/work, after school activities, homework; the list goes on and on!  With so many things on our daily agenda, you need a back-to-school lunch menu to get you through the week!

Ebens Lunchbox

When Eben was younger, we loved the Laptop Lunches bento box, we had an extensive menu that we would pack for him! Now, that Eben is in middle school – it means that lunchtime is actually social time, and lunch is really an after thought – we really had to get creative to ensure he was eating. So instead of packing him a huge lunch in a bento box that he won’t have the time to really sit down and enjoy, we have resorted to sending him with several mini-lunch options that he can nibble on throughout the day.

We participated in Rock the Lunchbox this year and received a bunch of great coupons and healthy lunch ideas, so we decided to take the coupons and start to build a new lunch menu for Eben. We have been packing an assortment of organic meats, cheeses, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds too – all in the Kids Conserve nesting tins! We also tried out the new Applegate Half Time Lunches, these are perfect for those mornings when something pops up and I start to run out of time! We already love Honest Kids pouches and utilize them when we are short on time too!

Lunch

For fun, I asked Eben to draw me a picture of his dream lunch – and I about died of laughter! I love the blue “natural Jello” – is that an oxymoron or what? And hi drawing a pickle is spot on! Too funny!

To learn more about Rock the Lunchbox, visit Rock the Lunch Box and grab your coupons and get more healthy lunch ideas to rock your child’s lunch box too! So, I’m wondering – what’s in your child’s lunchbox?

 

Full Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield – however, I would have told you about these products anyway, since we already use them!

The Top 9 Health Benefits of Ginger – Grab Some Today!

September 16, 2014 1

ginger health benefits

by Beth

Ginger is an incredibly versatile food that has been used by many cultures for thousands of years. From Africa to China,from Nepal to the Philippines, it is a root that is used in food and drink, ranging from ginger sodas to curry dishes. There is a reason why this amazing root is so widely used.  In addition to being a delicious ingredient, it also offers many serious healing properties.  Let’s take a look at 10 of my favorites:

1. Ginger contains the minerals zinc, chromium, and magnesium, which have been proven to increase circulation and help regulate body temperature.
2. Ginger aids digestion by increasing the secretion of digestive enzymes, from both the stomach and pancreas.
3. Ginger has been proven to be more effective than dramamine at settling the nausea associated with motion sickness.  To this end, it can also assist pregnant women who suffer from morning sickness.
4. Ginger has been shown to have antibacterial, as well as anti-inflammatory properties, helping to cure sickness and alleviate pain. Just 1/4 inch thick slice of ginger, either cooked in food or prepared in a tea, has been shown to significantly reduce the pain from arthritis.
5. Ginger inhibits the growth of cancer cells, both ovarian and colorectal, as shown by studies executed at the University of Michigan and Minnesota, respectively.
6. In certain parts of the world, women claim that ginger mitigates the pain and discomfort of menstrual cramps.
7. Ginger can help stimulate the appetite.
8. Ginger acts as an anti-flatulent.
9. Ginger can treat constipation.

As you can see, the benefits of consuming ginger are quite numerous.  Before you decide to grab Dramamine, Tylenol, or the antibiotics, try some ginger out first and you may be pleasantly surprised at the result!

Homework Vs. No Homework: Where Do You Stand?

September 15, 2014 0

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by Jennie

Now, that we are half-way through September, are you getting adjusted to your fall schedule? Have the kids fallen into their back to school routine? I always anticipate back to school with mixed emotions – happy that Eben will be learning new things (and he loves school), and sadness because I really enjoy seeing him all day and it reminds me that he is growing up quickly.

The mister and I attended the open house at Eben’s school last week. I find open house to be a little overwhelming – you start in your child’s 1st period class, the teacher has about 10 minutes to tell you everything they feel you need to know, a bell rings, you have a handful of minutes to get to the next period and so on. It’s a whirlwind of information that moves so quickly, if you aren’t proactive in asking your questions – you could easily leave more confused than you began!

What I did learn is it seems in many ways that the 8th grade of today is very  similar to my own experience. The teachers have the same teaching style, (some are fun/some more serious) and what might be completely acceptable in one class, another teacher won’t tolerate (chewing gum!) However, there was one very distinct idea that every single one of Eben’s teachers had in common, they do not assign homework.

I have to admit at first, I thought, “really, no homework – is that a good idea?” Then, I started to reflect on the ghosts of homework past in our house. There have been many times when Eben has come home with what I deemed a crazy amount of homework for one night and one class. There have been nights that we literally sat down for several hours simply to complete the homework that was due the next day. And I have seen Eben’s attitude towards a subject change based simply on the amount of homework that was coming home for that class – whether he loved the subject or not. Not to mention, after working all day – spending the little amount of time that I get with Eben at night doing homework seemed like a waste of perfectly good family time.

All of these things were a major concern for me and I am sure many parents can relate. Then, I took those thoughts a little deeper and wondered how parents with multiple children have time to get all of that homework done, not to mention parents who have to work at night or single parent homes. And to be honest, I don’t feel like Eben absorbed more information by doing all of this busy work each night – instead, I feel like we moved through it as quickly as we could so we would still have some family time to enjoy. Are you the same?

So, overall I am happy and excited to have a school year that is virtually free of homework. While I understand that they will still be special projects and book reports due all year long, I don’t feel like we have this “we have to get home right after school to do homework” attitude anymore. Instead, Eben can spend that time volunteering at the library, being a part of a school club, studying and creating art at his studio, or enjoying time with family and friends – which to me just sounds like a much better way to spend those after school hours.

What are your thoughts? Are you for or against homework? Does your child’s school give homework? Sound off in the comments section, I would love to hear your experience. 

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