Travel Dreams: Thailand’s Floating Farmer’s Market

In Thailand local farmers spend early mornings in their boats full of a wide variety of fresh vegetables, produce, flowers and local wares as part of a floating farmer’s market.

I love the idea of floating along in a wooden boat selecting fresh fruit and vegetables for the coming week. I have pinned this to my Oh the Places I Will Go! board on Pinterest.

Would you go to a floating market?

photo credit

SLOWCOLOR: Premium Handloomed Linen Scarves

I love these premium handloomed linen scarves from SLOWCOLOR. SLOWCOLOR offers fair trade fashion accessories that are handloomed by artisans in India, who in turn receive a life-changing living wage. Fantastic! All of the fashion accessories are both naturally dyed with vegetable-based dyes and are environmentally sustainable.

These scarves can be worn several different ways – you can dress it up for an elegant night out or dress it down with jeans and a tee for an afternoon at the farmer’s market. It also looks great when you travel or even as a head wrap when you are the beach (I have been wearing my Boulder Scarf when we are on our sailboat)! The quality is fabulous and I can tell this scarf will be a staple in my wardrobe for years to come.

Do you wear scarves? What is your favorite way to wear one? I would love to hear your suggestions.

+ SLOWCOLOR BOULDER SCARF $85
+ SLOWCOLOR

Full Disclosure: I received a SLOWCOLOR scarf from SLOWCOLOR to review in exchange for my honest opinion. 

How to Go Geocaching with Your Children

If you are looking to get your family outside this spring for a little exercise and fun while using their brains at the same time – give geocaching a try. Geocaching is a sport that is similar to a modern day treasure hunt. However, instead of using an old map and searching for an X, you use a GPS device, a set of coordinates and provided clues to find the booty. While you won’t find a buried treasure chest heaping with gold and jewels, you and your family will find a cache of treats hidden in an eco-friendly hiding space. Sound like fun? Great, grab your kiddos and jump over to Inhabitots to discover the rules, etiquette and how to get started with your first geocaching hunt.

Have you ever gone geocaching? 

photo credit Luis Perez via Inhabitots

P.S. Eben and I just started geocaching and we are finding it to be super fun! I will share our adventures in a future post. 

What Does Healthy Eating Mean to You?

I was thinking about the ways that my eating habits have evolved over the years. I have tried many different types of eating including vegetarianism, veganism, and eating only organics and locally produced foods. I have even tried gluten-free eating for a short time. However, when I met the mister my eating habits changed – mainly because he started doing all of the cooking and I quickly realized that there are many foods that I wasn’t consuming that were amazing! And if your husband cooks – you smile, thank him and eat whatever he cooks. Ha!

So, instead of focusing solely on being vegetarian, we have for many years been eating whole, clean foods. Our menus focus on organic plant-based meals with small amounts of whole-grains and proteins mixed in. Think: half of our plates are filled with salad or fresh vegetables, a quarter is a whole grain and a quarter is a protein. Our family consumes a large quantity of beans, lentils, fruit, whole grains, and vegetables – those are the staples in our home. 

However, I have friends and family that view healthy eating in different ways too – I have a friend who eats strictly Paleo, (you only eat foods that could be hunted or gathered). I have several friends that are vegan and vegetarian. I have family members that eat completely gluten-free and others that are lactose and sugar-free. I have a friend who strictly believes in no snacking and eats only fat-free foods and an online blogger friend who eats completely raw -which I find absolutely fascinating! 

This had me wondering what types of healthy eating do you and your family enjoy? Are there any new healthy eating lifestyles that you have heard of that you would like to try? Is there a certain type of healthy eating that has worked for you over the years? I would love to hear your suggestions!

Green Montessori: How to Make a Rainbow

Looking for a fun way to add a little springtime to your child’s learning experience? What could be sweeter than a How to Make a Rainbow Kit from The Handmade Classroom. The How to Make a Rainbow Kit is a Montessori-inspired toy set that teaches children the basics of the phenomena we call rainbows. Each set includes a handcrafted rainbow, cloud, sun, and raindrops make using natural wool felt scraps and organic cotton and bamboo fibers. The pieces come stored in a muslin drawstring bag which your child can tote around with them. Wouldn’t it make a fun St. Patrick’s Day Surprise?

The How to Make a Rainbow Kit is part of the LifeCycles toy collection by The Handmade Classroom. There are other fantastic LifeCycles Kits including; the Monarch Butterfly, Apple Tree, Honey Bee and Pumpkin Patch. Aren’t they fantastic!

PS: Eben goes to a Montessori School and I could spent a whole day admiring all of the beautiful manipulative learning pieces in his classroom. And although, I may not find a How to Make a Rainbow Kit in his Upper Elementary classroom, I am sure it is a tool they use in the Lower Elementary. Sweet.

Does your child go to a Montessori School?
Or are you a fan of Montessori-inspired toys?