My favorite summer treats to make with my son always include fresh fruit. Whether we are making frozen fruit treats, fruit infused water or most recently fruit tortes, picking the fruit is almost as much fun as making and eating the treats. We love to visit our local strawberry patch to pick our favorite sweet fruit, take it home and make it into a delicious dessert we can share as a family.
We recently had an abundance of strawberries, so we decided to make miniature vegan fruit tortes using our organic strawberries. These tortes are a perfect cooking project for children because there are so many parts of the recipe process that they can help with. From making the dough and pudding to cutting out the torte cups and putting the dessert all together. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon and the sweet treat at the end is a good time too! Jump over to Inhabitots for the recipe instructions!
It’s blackberry time! Blackberries are in season and these little blackish powerhouses are packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. Blackberries are super yummy are easy to grab for on the go. If you haven’t added blackberries to your daily menu, I suggest adding these little gems to your salads, yogurt, smoothies, and muffins.
What is your favorite way to add blackberries to the menu?
With our busy lives, it can be tough to make sure you and your family are getting enough exercise. It’s even harder if you don’t enjoy exercising or have a family member that fights you on it. We all know how important exercise is to our health and well-being. It is a necessary healthy activity that only makes you look and feel better! Read on for my 7 favorite, simple ways to get more exercise into your day and stick with it. I guarantee you will enjoy the results – once you get started.
#1: Schedule It Just like anything else, I am more apt to get my workout done if it is on my schedule. I actually mark it in my online calendar and even have an alert that pops up a few minutes before my scheduled time – giving me a few extra minutes to grab my workout shoes. This is hands down, the best way that I have found to get it done every day. (That and I schedule it early!)
#2: Skip the Car It is just so easy to jump in the car to run the kids to the swimming pool or to pick up a few groceries. However, it is much more eco-friendly if you walk or bike to your destination – and you get your exercise too. I try to get out every day to do some type of errand outside – I like to jump on my bike and load my basket up with groceries or library books.
#3: Make it Fun The mister will not do anything that even remotely resembles exercise – however, if it is packaged in a fun activity, he is there. This is why my family does a lot of biking, walking, paddleboarding, sailing, snorkeling, swimming and hiking – these activities offer a ton of exercise but are so much fun you never think of it as such.
#5: Go the Distance I am sure you have heard this one before – take the stairs, or park far away from your destination and hoof it. If I am going to do some shopping or running a lot of errands in one particular area, Eben and I will park the car in a central location and then walk to all of the different locations. We get a lot of extra exercise in and it also gives us alone time to talk.
#6: Make it a Family Affair My family has been trying to get more exercise in, especially after dinnertime. We have been taking Noodles our Pug on brisk walks around the lake in our neighborhood. The loop is 1 mile long and if we make it a couple of times, we really feel like we are all getting a little extra workout in. Plus, it is great for a Pug who loves to spend the majority of her life snuggled up on my sofa.
#7: Get Up As a blogger and virtual assistant, I spend the majority of my day at my desk. If you are like me, try standing while you work or take small standing breaks whenever possible. My favorite is BreakTimeApp. Not only is standing up and moving good exercise, it is super important to your health and is great for getting a new, fresh perspective when you come back to work.
What is your favorite way to sneak more exercise into your day?
My family loves terrariums and succulents. We have several throughout our home including these large recycled glass versions. However, Eben really wanted one for his bedroom in our new home. Terrariums are super easy and fun to make with children — they are so simple in fact that your child can do all of the work himself. They are also super low maintenance, teach your child responsibility (they need to be watered), they’re a great conversation piece, and they look amazing while providing fresh air. Every time we have friends and family members over they always check out the terrariums!
You can use any glass container to create a zen terrarium for your children. I suggest checking your recycling bin and kitchen cabinets. We had an old fish bowl and decided it would make a fun terrarium, especially for a kids room — it has a whimsical shape that just screams childhood. Everything else you can find in your garage or potting shed. Jump over to Inhabitots learn how to make a miniature dinosaur zen garden with your kids and get your hands dirty with them this week.
Did you know that in the U.S. alone, 50 million disposable diapers are used a day. A DAY! Disposable diapers take 200-500 years to decompose and are the 3rd largest contributor to landfill waste. It takes 3.5 times more energy to make disposable diapers than it does to use reusable ones. Ugh! No worries though, there are green alternatives out there, here are some to get you started.
#1: Reusable Diapers: If you can, choose organic cotton, bamboo or hemp reusable diapers. You can either wash them yourself at home (this is the least expensive green diaper option in the long run) or choose a diaper service that will pick up the soiled diapers and leave you with fresh ones. Bamboo and hemp are naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic and bamboo absorbs 60% more moisture than cotton and dries twice as fast. Hemp improves in absorbency and softens after washing.
#2: Biodegradable Diapers: You can also choose a biodegradable diaper. However, these diapers are only compostable in an earthworm bin. You could also try a flushable diaper such as . These cloth diapers have a special insert that is both biodegradable and you can flush them down the potty.
Are you looking for a great alternative to those wasteful baby wipes? Here is a natural recipe for a great baby bum cleanser that will eliminate your need for baby wipes. What you will need:
2 organic chamomile tea bags
1 tbsp hemp oil
reusable cloths
Directions: Steep 2 organic chamomile tea bags for 15 minutes, add 1 tbsp hemp oil and whisk well. Add to a clean reusable spray pump bottle. Shake well. At diaper change time, spritz cleanser onto a clean washable cloth and clean baby’s bottom. Keep refrigerated when not in use. What type of diaper do you use on your baby? Would you try homemade baby wipes? photo credit
