Mindful Momma

Quick & Easy Reuse Tip: Crayon Holders

We've been reorganizing the kids' rooms lately and I needed some dividers for crayons, markers and pencils for desk drawers.  I remembered that I had saved some plastic 'to-go' containers from a restaurant visit awhile back.  It did the trick!

  

Minnesota Minutes: Eco-Shopping for Baby!

If you have a baby to shop for, check out these eco-friendly Twin Cities resources:

Have you seen the lovely new baby store in Linden Hills called Oscar & Belle? WOW!  I have to admit when I first walked in, I thought it was probably a chain store....and a European one at that.  Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when I spoke with the owner and found out that she designs all the clothes and fabrics herself, that everything is made in the u.s.a. and that everything in the store is organic!!  If you are looking for a baby gift, this is the place to go!

Did you know you can buy cloth diapers and diaper supplies from The Natural Life at the Mill City Farmer's Market?  They will be there on the following Saturdays this summer:  June 27th, July 25th and August 15th.

Fresh, frozen baby food is all the rage.  But have you heard of the one that's Minnesota made??  Sweet Cheeks Baby Food is organic and comes in a variety of flavor combinations for babies of all ages and stages.  Find it at lots of Twin Cities area co-ops including The Wedge, Linden Hills, Seward and Mississippi Market.  It's even on the menu at The Birchwood Cafe!!  You can also find Sweet Cheeks for sale at both the St. Paul and Mill City Farmer's Markets this summer (check website for dates.)

g2g Green

If you are a teenager (or still have an ounce of techno hipness in your brain), you know what g2g means.  I had to look it up.  Got to go...

But it makes sense that Jenn Savedge's latest book The Green Teen uses texting jargon as a way to speak green to an age group that doesn't exactly want to be preached at.  Jenn's book is written with just the right touch to get teens interested and on board to help save the planet.

The book covers topics that teens care about - like shopping, eating and getting around and expertly weaves in information about things like recycling, energy consumption and greening your school.  Each chapter asks (and answers) one of the most common questions for teens - Why Bother? as well as dishing out a bunch of g2g Green tips, Top 5 lists and plenty of cool Sites to Surf.

Got a graduation party to go to?  Instead of the usual gift card or cash, give a gift that will help that grad make a difference in the world - their very own copy of The Green Teen!!  

Spring Break Fun

Our spring break seems really late this year.  But then again, so does our spring.  With my 3rd grader home from school I have to keep on coming up with solutions to the inevitable problem...."I'm bored - what can I do??" 

Our favorite boredom-buster is making 'junk' sculptures.  We collect all sorts of weird things and then glue them together with hot glue guns.  The kids come up with some amazing and amusing ideas.  The shoe race car was my idea but my 4 year old claims it was his.   If you ever wondered what to do with the cardboard insert from a new pair of shoes - now you know!   

Felted Easter Eggs

I saw some adorable felted Easter eggs at a local toy store yesterday.  They opened up so you could put something inside.  A nice alternative to the ubiquitous plastic Easter egg.  They were pricey so I didn't buy any but now I kind of wish I had.  

I looked on Etsy to see if I could find anything similar and I found these little cuties from wool food. 

I also found this sweet little felted egg and chick set at cozy cottage creations.

 

and also these amazing felted egg ornaments from waldorf mama.

        

Quick!  Maybe you can still get them in time for Easter!

Mindful Momma Giveaway: The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

I've been a fan of Barefoot Books for years!  They do such a good job with children's books - from brightly colored board books for infants to inspiring stories from around the world that appeal to kids of all ages.  The illustrations are always amazing too.  I'm especially enamored with the hand-stitched pictures by Claire Beaton, an illustrator for many Barefoot Books.  

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales by Dawn Casey is a collection of seven folk tales, each representing a different culture around the world and showing us how they live in harmony with nature.  Each story is accompanied by a craft project....like making a cornhusk doll, a mini water garden or a pot of 'anything-goes' vegetable soup.  The illustrations by Anne Wilson are absolutely beautiful too!

In celebration of Earth Day, Barefoot Books has teamed up with Eco-Libris to plant a tree for each copy of Earth Tales sold in the month of April.  They are also offering a coupon code for 10% off all online purchases through April 30th, 2009.  Just use the code SCETALES at checkout. 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of this beautiful, hardcover book just leave a comment on this post.  (one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address)  The contest will run through midnight, central time on Thursday, April 2nd.  Good Luck!

The winner is Amber who said:  "This book looks very sweet and fun! I love finding books like this for my son and I. Thank you."

(comments for this post are now closed.)

Kiddie Valentines

I wanted to make homemade Valentine's Day cards for my son's preschool friends but I knew that I would never get my high-energy 4 year old to spend a lot of time making them.  So I took a piece of his previously painted artwork (a typical preschool paint dump!) and used a cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes.

 

Liam insisted on using bags because he wanted to tuck a mini lollipop inside - so I taped the artwork hearts to the bags.  Then Liam signed each one.  Pretty darn cute, huh?

     

Aaaaaaak! Did I Just Buy PVC Toys for my Child?

Are your kids into Pokemon?  Mine are - big time.  Yesterday, I gave in to a little impulse purchase on the clearance shelf at Target.  A set of plastic Pokemon figurines.  I hesitated, not wanting to bring any more 'cheap plastic crap' into the house.  But these figures looked substantial and I knew my boys would absolutely love them.  It was also a little consolation gift for my 4 year old who didn't get to go to the big basketball birthday party that his oldest brother was invited to that day.  

Long story short, as I was taking the figurines out of their complex packaging (another reason I shouldn't have bought them!), I noticed that familiar smell - PVC - I know it well.  The 'poison' plastic off-gasses toxic fumes from phthalates and other chemicals used in production and has a very distinct smell. 

This surprised me because I thought toys made with PVC were typically squishy - like the classic rubber duckie.  I didn't expect these rigid plastic figures to be made with the stuff.  And I still don't know for sure if they are but I did a search on HealthyToys.org and found some similar looking figures that did test positive for Chlorine/PVC. 

This is exactly the type of issue that the CPSIA will address and I'm glad of that.  Meanwhile, what the heck should I do with these toys?  I really can't see prying them out of my crying son's hands.  It's so darn tough to find the balance between being safe and being overprotective.  My gut tells me that one little set of toys shouldn't be a problem - as long as he doesn't suck on them, which he is not inclined to do.  What would your gut tell you?

Not-So-Solar Car

I gave the boys this build-it-yourself solar car for Christmas.  Only problem is - you can't exactly use a solar car outside in the snow!  We tried charging it up through the window but it didn't muster up enough power to get the car going very far.

Meanwhile the car has found an alternative use - a vehicle for the royal family!

 

Creating Fun

This is the beauty of a week long visit at Grandma & Grandpa's house.  A Christmas puzzle and a set of dominos become an animal farm.  

Don't you love the creativity that comes from finding new uses for old things? 

(BTW - the Fisher Price people were mine when I was a kid!)