Mindful Momma

Green & Healthy Holiday Wrap Up

Ready or not it's winter break! Soon my kids will be hopping off the bus, eager to start their 2 week vacation from school. Meanwhile, I am still scrambling to wrap gifts, grocery shop and prepare for numerous holiday weekend meals. Here are a few things on my list....

Wrap Green

I always cringe at perfectly good paper being ripped to shreds in a present-opening frenzy. That's why I try to find greener ways to wrap, whether it's reusing old wrapping paper, wrapping with artwork, newspapers or last year's calendar or wrapping in reusable items like scarves, dishtowels or reusable bags.

Be Mindful

Instead of getting a holiday headache as I so often do, I'm trying hard to follow my own advice for a more mindful, meaningful holiday. See my Tips for a Mindful Holiday on J.R. Watkins Clear Conscience Blog for how you can slow down and actually enjoy the next week or so. You deserve it!

Bake a Healthy Coffee Cake

Do you have special holiday recipes you make each year? Similar to Thanksgiving, I enjoy finding new recipes to make and I try to make at least some of them healthy. This Applesauce Coffee Cake from Martha Stewart is on my list to try for Christmas breakfast. It's got rolled oats and fresh apples as well as applesauce and toasted pecans. Sounds like the perfect balance of healthy but indulgent!

Stay Active

Being cooped up in the house for 2 weeks with two rambunctious boys is not my idea of fun. Besides crafts and playdates, we have GOT to get out of the house! Weather permitting, we'll probably go ice skating and sledding and hopefully skiing. What do you do to keep your kids active in the winter time?

Get Crafty

"I'm bored!" I know I'll be hearing that some time during winter break. Especially after my boys use up all their allotted screen time for the day. My plan is to be prepared with some easy craft projects to pull out when the time is right. These dried fruit ornaments from red bird crafts look super easy and a fun project to make with the kiddos. And there's always junk sculptures - possibly the best, unstructured craft idea ever! Do you have any green craft ideas up your sleeve?

Wishing you a peaceful and happy holiday! See you in the New Year if not before!

XOXO,

(Image credit: applesauce cake by Martha Stewart Inc., dried kiwi ornament by red bird crafts)

Favorite Green Gifts: Reusables

Still scrambling for a few more green gift ideas? One of my favorite types of gifts are reusable products for home and on-the-go. I'm talking about things like snack sacks, lunch containers, cloth napkins and reusable bags.  For one thing, they are better for the planet because they eliminate the need for disposables, but part of what I love is that reusables are long-lasting gifts. The recipient will think of you (kindly, I presume) each time they use your gift for a long time to come!

You can find reusables at gift stores, natural product stores, food co-ops and so many places. If you can't find what you want locally, it's not to late to get things shipped in time for Christmas! Reuseit.com is my go-to place for reusables and they are offering 2nd day air shipping for $12.95 through Tuesday, Dec. 20th!

Some of my favorite reusables this year include:

KeepCup - A barista standard reusable coffee cup. Lightweight, BPA-free plastic. Dishwasher safe. Fits most car and bicycle cup-holders. Design your own in a whole slew of fun colors! Comes in 4 sizes from extra-small (for espresso) to large. Eliminates: disposable coffee cups.

PeopleTowels - Reusable hand towels. 100% organic cotton printed with eco-friendly dyes. Super absorbant and quick-drying. Fits easily in purse or backpack.  Eliminates: paper towels.

Lunch Pots - Stylish, reusable lunch containers. Set of 2 lunch pots that stack on top of each other when full and fit inside each other when empty. Durable, BPA-free plastic. Includes spork and carrying strap. Eliminates: disposable plastic bags, containers and wraps.

What are your favorite reusable gift ideas?

(Full disclosure - I received a KeepCup and PeopleTowels at no charge in exchange for my honest opinion. There are affiliate links in this post. Any purchase you make helps me keep this blog in business - thank you!)

Nourish Your Skin with Homemade Shea Butter Body Cream

Raise your hand if your skin gets extra dry over the winter. I'm seeing a lot of hands, right? I've often thought I should invest in a body care company for all the creams and lotions my family slathers on our bodies. Instead, I started making my own body cream.

This shea butter body cream recipe from my book is super easy to make and it only has 3 ingredients - shea butter, sweet almond oil and essential oils for fragrance. It's rich enough to stand up to a Minnesota winter - so I'm guessing it will work for you too. :)

My local coop sells unrefined shea butter and sweet almond oil in bulk so I can buy just what I need. If you can't find these things where you live, Mountain Rose Herbs is a popular online resource. Here's what unrefined shea butter looks like, in case you haven't seen it before:

Melt the shea butter in the top of a double boiler. Then add the sweet almond oil. (Note: If you're feeling fancy, try substituting a couple tablespoons of Vitamin E oil, carrot seed oil or evening primrose oil at this stage.) Finally, remove pan from heat and add the essential oils. The blend in the recipe is one of my faves but use any combination of essential oils you prefer. (BTW - I usually make a double batch - enough for about an 8-oz jar of cream)

Let the mixture cool slightly. Pour into a glass jar while it is still warm but not hot. Let sit overnight. The cream will solidify and be a milky white color.

Homemade shea butter cream makes a great gift but be sure to keep some for yourself! And if you're on a DIY roll, try my homemade lip balm with shea butter too!

(This post is linked at Healthy Child Healthy World and Your Green Resource at Live Renewed and Make It Yourself Monday at The Purposed Heart)

Non-Toxic Holiday Tips

You know what I would like for Christmas? I'd like to be able to shop without worry. To buy gifts without a lingering uneasiness that they might be unsafe in some way. To buy food without concern about chemical contamination. To make purchase decisions based on joy, not fear. Is that too much to ask?

I don't think it is. That's why the best gift I could hope for would be passage of the Safe Chemicals Act. My progressive Minnesota Senators are already on board to help get the bill passed but some Senators still need a friendly nudge to remind them that we need commonsense limits on toxic chemicals! If you haven't already, will you send your Senator your family holiday photo over on the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families website?

Meanwhile, since it's still the wild west out at the mall and the grocery store, follow these tips to make your holidays safe and non-toxic!

Shop safe

Obviously, you wouldn't knowingly give someone a gift loaded with toxic chemicals, but how are you supposed to know what's safe and what's not?

• Buy from companies you trust with a reputation for safety.
• Choose natural materials like wood and natural fibers over plastic and other synthetic materials.
• Skip the dollar stores. That cheap stuff made in China is more likely to contain nasty chems.

Resources:

Safe Mama's Safer Holiday Toy Guide

WVE Holiday Shopping Guide

Green Moms Carnival Green Gifts Roundup

Moms Rising Non-Toxic Toys and Non-Toxic Beauty Gifts

Mind what you eat

It's true, we do tend to eat a bit more than usually during the holidays, but it's possible to eat more and stay healthy as long as we're eating clean food, free of toxic additives. (the diet can start in January!)

• Skip BPA-laden canned foods.
• Buy organic when possible (at least avoid the dirty dozen).
• Avoid processed foods with artificial colors and flavorings.
• Use safe cookware and bakeware.

Resources:

Non-Toxic Kids Non-Toxic Holiday Tips

Katy Farber's Eat Non-Toxic Book

Essential Safe Products Holiday Gift Guide

Clean green

As we prepare for holiday entertaining, a big scrub-down of our house is in order. You can bet we won't be using toxic, conventional cleaning products to do the job!

• Scour the ingredients list before you buy any new cleaning product. A company that doesn't list ingredients has something to hide!
• Make your own cleaning products using natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.
• Use elbow grease instead of toxic cleaners.

Resources:

Groovy Green Livin - What's Hiding in your Cleaning Products?

Healthy Child Healthy World's Recipes for Safer Cleaners

15 Ways to Use Vinegar in the Home

What do you do to stay non-toxic during the holidays?

(image credit: deborah.soltesz via Flickr)

Green & Healthy Roundup

Hey Mindful Momma readers! How are you surviving the holiday madness? I asked that question on Facebook and Twitter this week and got a variety of answers - from I'll all done shopping and not stressed at all to I have way too much to do and wish it were over! If you're feeling stressed, I recommend a yoga class, a warm bath or even just a cup of tea and a good book. Don't forget to make time for you!

Here's what's been going on in my green & healthy circles this week:

Holiday photo for safer chemicals!

Send your family holiday photo to your Senator and ask them for the gift of safer chemicals. I submitted mine and it's on the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families website! Will you submit yours too? (it only takes a minute - promise!)

Twinkies for breakfast?

You wouldn't serve your child a Twinkie for breakfast, would you? Well, a new report from the Environmental Working Group shows that some popular children's breakfast cereals contain more sugar than a Twinkie! One Twinkie has a whopping 18 grams of sugar - so go check those boxes in the cupboard and see how your breakfast stacks up against this iconic junk food!

Holiday Shopping Guide from WVE

Women's Voices for the Earth is an amazing non-profit advocating for women's health. To help you make safer gift choices, they put together a holiday shopping guide, highlighting helpful resources and responsible companies. Much to my surprise, they included a link to my Make It Green page (which I just updated!). It's full of DIY craft ideas and healthy recipes - so take a peek!

Two Giveaways!!

Take a chance and put your name in the hat for the two green & healthy giveaways I've got going right now!

Conscious Box - A box full of green, organic & natural goodies from unique, small businesses! (through Tuesday, Dec. 13th)

My Mama's Love Herbal Remedies Gift Set - Wonderful, handmade herbal remedies to soothe the itchies and heal chapped skin. (through Saturday, Dec. 10th)

Hope you have a green & healthy weekend and I'll see you next week!

A Gift with a Conscience: Conscious Box {Giveaway!}

If you are looking for a gift with a little more meaning than a knick-knacks purchased at the mall and a little more excitement than a new set of dishtowels, may I suggest Conscious Box?

What is Conscious Box?

Conscious Box is basically a green goodie box, filled with natural and eco-friendly products! The mission of the company is to help people discover ethical, honest, eco-minded businesses and new products that may make their lives a little better.

• Products are handpicked from businesses who care about sustainability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
• Emphasis on smaller businesses vs. large corporations.
• Includes natural, organic, Fair Trade, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free etc...
• Most products are sample sized although some are pretty generous for samples.
• Packaging is 100% post consumer recycled cardboard.
• The company is mindful of the impact of shipping and uses as few resources as possible.

How do I buy it?

Each month, a brand new Conscious Box is created with a new assortment of goodies packed inside. Sign up for monthly delivery (you can cancel anytime) or get a 3 or 6 month subscription. The cost is $19 per month ($12 + $7 shipping) or $54 for 3 months and $106 for 6 months. Each box is valued at at least $30 if not more. I personally will be giving the 3-month subscription to at least one person on my list!

Can I have a peek inside?

Normally, you can't find out what is inside a Conscious Box - it ruins the surprise! But since I was sent a sample of the December box, I get to give you a sneak peek:

I already gobbled up the Daily Mocha Mantra bar (chocolate hemp!) and I'm very excited to try the Berryplus laundry detergent. There's a sample of Justin's almond butter, a couple of great-smelling soap samples and much more!

Win a Conscious Box!

One lucky Mindful Momma reader will win a Conscious Box of their very own! I am trying out Rafflecopter for the very first time. I've heard it makes entering a lot easier but let me know what you think of it!

6 Green Holiday Decorating Tips

Have you put out your holiday decorations yet? We'll probably get a Christmas tree this coming weekend and then we'll have to see if we can find our boxes of decorations - I'm afraid they might be buried in the storage space we rented when we started our epic remodeling project (which still isn't finished, much to my chagrin.)

One thing that always bothers me at this time of year, is how much emphasis there is on buying more and more stuff to decorate for the holidays. Does that bug you too? To help combat this, I came up with a few tips to help you step back from the BUY, BUY, BUY mentality and still be able to do up your home in eco-friendly holiday style!

Get Natural - Nature provides a bounty of free decorating materials - we just need to remember to use them! Think pine cones, evergreen boughs, holly berries and fresh mistletoe. I even throw in stones, bark, shells and wood!

Go Handmade - No need to spend a bunch of money to make a home look pretty for the holidays. If you are in need of ideas (I know I am!), check out this list of 28 homemade ornament tutorials and 5 easy homemade holiday garlands. Now get busy!!

Raid Grandma's Attic - You never know what you might find in those dusty boxes up in the attic. You could very well find some gorgeous heirloom decorations! Some of our most precious holiday decorations are those that have been passed down from the generations.

Shop Thrift - Why buy something brand-spankin' new when you can find loads of cute holiday decorations at thrift, consignment and antique stores. Be sure to check Craigslist and eBay too! I'm partial to vintage glass ornaments myself!

Less is More - It's easy to get caught up in the decorating madness and buy a whole bunch of new decorations each year because they're cute or on sale. In my humble opinion, simple and straightforward is much better than gaudy and packed to the gills. I usually buy one or two special ornaments or decorations a year and leave it at that (this year's treasures: a wooden tree & penguins from a favorite hometown gift shop)  No ceramic holiday teapots around here!

Reuse, Reuse, Reuse!! - It kills me when I hear of people doing a whole new themed Christmas tree each year. What do they do with the old stuff? Besides, part of the fun is pulling out all those special decorations that go on the tree year after year. For me, reusing is the only way to go!

What strategies do you use to make your holiday decorating more eco-friendly?

If you liked this post, you may enjoy my post about Mindful Shopping Techniques too!

(image credit: Chiot's Run via flickr)

Daily Deal and Giveaway: My Mama's Love Skin Remedies from Lullaby Organics

Got kids? Then you've got boo-boos, itchies and chapped skin, no doubt! Instead of treating them with conventional petroleum based, artificially fragranced products, wouldn't you rather use something natural and non-toxic? 

My Mama's Love is a Mom-run company making gentle and effective skin care and remedies made from natural ingredients like beeswax, olive oil and vegetable glycerin and healing, organic botanicals. I had a chance to try out the products in the Nature's Remedies Gift Set kit so I can attest to how wonderful they are! Here's what you will find in the set:

Kiss My Boo-Boo - Keep this twist-up tube of salve in your purse or diaper bag so it's handy for all those little scrapes, cuts, scratches & bug bites that come along in a typical day out with the kids.

Complete Skin Ailment Curative - An herbal salve perfect for diaper rash, eczema, bug bites, dry skin and more! Made with organic olive oil, beeswax, organic licorice and organic myrrh.

Mama Nose Best - An all natural alternative to petroleum based decongestant creams. Otherwise known as "Vicks without the ick"!!

The Daily Deal

As part of the Lullaby Organics 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals, you can get this special deal for today only:

    40% off the Nature's Remedies Gift Set

   30% off all other My Mama's Love products

Be sure to check out the rest of the 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals and Giveaways - I bet you'll find something you like!

• Each day for 12 days, starting Friday, 11/25, and running thru Tuesday, 12/6, a different eco-fabulous blogger (or sometimes two or three!) will post a review and giveaway from Lullaby Organics.
• In each day’s post, the blogger of the day will "REVEAL THE DEAL" for that day.
• Each deal might be on a single item or a collection of items, but when the deal of the day is sold out, that daily deal is over and there will be a different deal the next day! 

The Giveaway

I'm excited to have the chance to give away a Nature's Remedies Gift Set to one lucky Mindful Momma reader! For a chance to win, please visit the Lullaby Organics website and let us know what products catch your eye. For additional entries you may do the following:

• Share the giveaway on Facebook
• Tweet about the giveaway using @MindfulMomma and @lullabyorganics in the tweet. (sample tweet: Win a #green gift set from @lullabyorganics on the @MindfulMomma blog! http://ht.ly/7NBLk Pls RT!
• Subscribe to Mindful Momma via RSS feed or email
• Like my Mindful Momma Facebook Page
• Like Lullaby Organics on Facebook
• Action entry: The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 needs your support! Our current chemical safety laws (enacted in 1976) are severely out-of-date and leaving parents without the tools and information we need to protect our families. Please ask your representative to support this legislation so chemical companies will be responsible for proving their compounds are safe BEFORE they can be used in products we buy for our families, schools and workplaces!

That's 7 entries per person (please leave a separate comment for each thing you do). Winners must have a U.S. shipping address. The giveaway will be open through midnight CST on Saturday, December 10th.

Good luck and may your skin be nourished, soft and healthy!

(Full disclosure: I was given a free gift set to review in exchange for my honest opinion and participation in the 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals promotion with Lullaby Organics.)

The winner is Darcy! Congrats and enjoy your gift set!

DIY Gift Idea: Simple Handmade Snack Sack

Here's a little DIY project that doesn't take a huge investment of time or money and will be a hit with almost anyone you give it to: A Snack Sack!

If you ask me, snack sacks are one of the best inventions ever! We use them constantly - for waste-free lunches, roadtrips and any time we need food on the go. I've given many of them as gifts over the years, but I finally got around to making some myself. They are super easy to sew and once you've made one, you might as well make a bunch! Here's a quickie tutorial to get you on your way:

What You Need:

Fabric: Choose either PVC-free oil cloth (mine was from Mimi the Sardine although it's not clear if they still sell fabric by the yard. You can also try Etsy.) or organic cotton (check out the pretty prints from Daisy Janie, Betz White and others on Etsy.)

Coordinating thread

Velcro: 5-inch strip of 5/8 inch velcro

How to Make It:

For a finished bag of about 6" wide by 5" tall, start with a piece of fabric 7" wide x 12" long. (Make whatever size you want by adding 1" to the width and 2" to length of your fabric for seam allowances.)

On both top and bottom edges, turn fabric under 1/4 inch. Press (if using oil cloth, place a towel between iron and fabric and iron at a low setting) and sew in place.

Fold the same edges over another 3/4 inch. Press and pin in a couple places. Place velcro strip on each edge (the fuzzy side on one edge and the hook side on the other edge) and sew in place (see photo).

Fold material in half with right sides together. Stitch side seams at 1/2 inch. Turn bag inside out and push corners out with the end of a pencil if you need to. The velcro seams should match together at the top.

Voila - a simple snack sack!

Are snack sacks as indispensable in your life as they are in mine? Have you ever made your own?

Looking for more DIY gift ideas? Check out my Make It Green page for a listing of all my DIY posts all in one spot!

(This post is linked to My Green Resource and a round-up of DIY ideas at Healthy Child Healthy World.)