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The Main Differences Between Living in Costa Rica and the U.S.

September 9, 2014 1

Costa-Rica

by Beth

For those of you I haven’t bragged to yet, I live with my boyfriend, cat, and dog in Costa Rica. Yes, it’s everything you’d imagine it to be! We recently moved to a beautiful space near the Arenal Volcano, with a view of the largest man made lake, Lake Arenal. I could write for days about how wonderful Costa Rica is, so I’ll start off with the basics, and some differences between Costa Rica and the U.S.

Costa Rica is so incredibly different that the United States in many ways. For one, it only has two seasons, the dry, high, tourist season, which runs from November to May, and the wet, low season, which runs from June to October. This means of course, no snow! But that being said, there is plenty of variation between the seasons to keep things interesting, although spending Christmas in 90 degree weather will be quite a change! We moved to Costa Rica at the end of April, after a very, very harsh winter in Cleveland, so being here during the rainy season has been such a great change. We’re excited to see what the dry season brings!

With no official winters, this means that there’s exotic fruit available all year round, and there’s always something tasty in season! We head to the fería (farmer’s market) and buy pineapple, papaya, mangoes, oranges, star fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, and the like and enjoy fruit as our snacks. It’s great! We also get raw chocolates, raw goats milk, and can buy handmade jewelry, as well.

The culture here is very hard working, but laid back at the same time. All people let the elderly and seniors get on the bus first, eat first, drink first, etc. People are all generally nice to one another, and will do what they can to help you.

And lastly, Spanish is the main language, and if you don’t know any, you can seem to get by on hand signals and pointing! We know a couple who literally know zero Spanish, and they’ve lived here for three years. How crazy! I on the other hand, prefer to know enough Spanish to get around, which makes things much, much easier.

Of course the United States is beautiful in so many ways, but Costa Rica brings a tropical beauty that is incomparable. It is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world, aside from the Amazon rainforest, and brings with it an amazing array of plants and animals, some of which can be deadly!

All in all Costa Rica is an amazing place. I can’t wait to write more about what it offers and how we live a simple, green life here. If you have questions or would like me to cover a certain topic, let me know in the comments section above!

4 Great Eco-Friendly Ways to Green Your Home For a Better Future

September 4, 2014 1

Green-Home

NOTE: This post wasn’t written by me – thank you for supporting the companies that help keep Sweet Greens in business.
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These days we are all called upon to be as green as we can be when it comes to our everyday lives, so that means we recycle where possible and try to cut down on waste. However, we could also apply these green habits to our environment, designing our homes to be as eco-friendly as possible. There is one major advantage to going green in the home, and that is it can save you money too. In some cases, quite a lot of money. However, adopting a green way of living also provides an excellent example to our children, teaching them how to appreciate the planet they live on and to be aware of the value of money. Read on for 4 great eco-frendly ways to green your home for a better future!

1. Making a Green Start
Windows are a great place to start with in the home. If your windows are looking a little worse for wear, consider having them replaced with energy efficient windows that have special coatings designed to reflect the heat of the sun and provide insulation. This way, the rooms in your home will keep cool in the summer and retain the heat in the winter, keeping cooling and heating costs down. Make sure seals are tight and work efficiently by installing window shutters as dressings rather than curtains or blinds. Consider replacing small windows with larger ones to take advantage of as much natural daylight as possible, obviating the need to have artificial lights on during the day.

2. Paint by Numbers
Make your home healthier by using paints on the walls that have no or low volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), or opt for wallpaper instead. You can also use other eco-friendly wall coverings such as ceramic or cork tiles, or even recycled wooden panels. These will also add texture and interest to your walls – giving your home an overall unique look and feel.

3. Friendly Furniture
Turn your back on man-made, synthetic materials for your furniture and embrace natural materials instead. Wood is the prime resource for furniture, and solid wood, such as furniture made by Ercol, is not only extremely hard-wearing, making it suitable for most uses, especially those suffered by a big and busy family, but you can also find wood that is sustainably harvested. This is especially true if you ensure your wooden furniture is FSC-certified. This is a stamp that certifies the wood has been sourced from sustainable forests and is a great ethical as well as environmental choice.

4. Bring Nature Indoors
This is a simple touch, but bringing foliage into the home can add beauty and interest to rooms and also help to improve the quality of the air. Plants will remove harmful chemicals from the air by performing a natural filtration. A great plant to use in this way is the Aloe Vera plant, as it also develops brown spots on its leaves when pollution levels get too high in the home.

Turning your home into a green haven will not only help to create a healthy and peaceful environment for you and your family but will also benefit the planet, and there are not many things you can say that about these days.

Happy Labor Day!

September 1, 2014 1

Marthat StewartHello, Friends! I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. Hooray for bar-be-ques and outdoor parties! We plan to spend the day at the beach soaking in the 1st day of September.

I saw these photos on Martha Stewart’s Labor Day Party Ideas page and fell in love with the Sangria – I am definitely adding it to my Labor Day menu!

I hope you enjoy a fun Labor Day full of watermelon, sunshine and corn on the cob!

 

6 Great Kid-Friendly Uses for Organic Coconut Oil

August 27, 2014 1

CoconutRemember the father in law in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” who used Windex to cure everything? Well, I’m that way with coconut oil. I’m convinced it does everything that duct tape can’t. But we all know by now that coconut oil is practically a deity when it comes to health, wellness, and being green. I use for everything from conditioning my hair and brightening my smile to soothing chapped lips and rough elbows! You may be wondering how your children can benefit from coconut oil too? I put together a list of my six favorite ways to incorporate coconut oil into your child’s daily routine – you will want to pin or bookmark these, they are pretty amazing!

1. Lotion + Diaper Cream:
Coconut oil is a great diaper cream for those who use cloth diapers, and a great lotion for babies and kids alike, especially those with sensitive skin! It’s also great because a little goes a very long way and it can even be mixed with other lotions or oils to make your own lotion creation!

Coconut oil is a great diaper cream for those who use cloth diapers, and a great lotion too!

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2. Frizzy Hair Tamer:
Coconut oil can conquer the static and frizz putting a wrench in those busy school day mornings with just a quick dab in the hands and a finger comb through the hair.

3. Lice Treatment:
Mix coconut oil with apple cider vinegar, and you have a natural lice remedy. This one is great to have in your arsenal for the younger kids, especially now that school is back in session!

Mix coconut oil with apple cider vinegar, and you have a natural lice remedy.

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4. Chicken Pox Anti-Itch Remedy:
The little ones are bound to get Chicken Pox at some time or another, and why should they suffer through the itching? Rub coconut oil on their spots and they’ll feel some relief and be able to get more rest.

5. Safe for Cooking:
Growing kids will ask for something that’s not good for them, it’s fate! Why not be a little sneaky and use coconut oil to add a healthy twist to their indulgence, and it may even turn the whole meal into a healthy treat! We use coconut oil when making popcorn – it takes a simple treat to a whole new level!

6. Immunity Superhero:
Scrapes and sickness are two things almost guaranteed to happen to your little ones. Coconut oil is great as an antibiotic cream for scratches, and can be taken internally to fight the cold and flu. It’s also perfect in a cup of tea to sooth a sore throat, and naturally heals thrush too.

YOUR TURN: What are your favorite uses for coconut oil?

#shopcartons to Save Trees this Month!

July 11, 2014 1

Choose CartonsDuring the month of July, you can help donate a tree just by tweeting! The folks at the blog, Choose Cartons, are partnering with Trees for the Future to donate a tree each time the hashtag #shopcartons is mentioned!

By partnering with Trees for the Future, Choose Cartons, an Evergreen Packaging initiative, aims to help replant as many of the valuable resources they use for their packaging as possible.

In fact, they are donating up to 10,000 trees during the month of July. All you have to do is tweet. Pretty cool, huh?

Learn more about !

Choose Cartons is a blog for eco-conscious parents (particularly moms!) that teaches the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling through DIY projects, up-cycled crafts, and fresh ideas. They also speak to the importance of using renewable resources, and as the name suggests, the positive effects of choosing cartons at the grocery store!

Top 3 Reasons You Should Choose Cartons at the Grocery Store:

  1. They are recyclable & renewable
  2. Cartons keep the contents inside super fresh
  3. Cartons take up less space in your fridge so you can buy even more groceries for the kids!

Discover more about Choose Cartons.

Full Disclosure: I received compensation for this sponsored post which wasn’t written by me.

 

 

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