sarah's sustainable life

always looking for ways to help the next generation be good stewards of the earth? me too!! perusing the new british periodical vegetarian living got the old wheels in my head turning today. here are some ideas to get your whole family going:

1) families can go organic for a fortnight! such a short time makes the price difference manageable, while opening your eyes to new food possibilities; this will also help you realize how much of what you normally eat is not organic. this is a fun project for kids who like to help in the kitchen!

2) kids can calculate their carbon footprint! it’s a fun little online quiz that compares the child’s results with that of the average american, while giving them ideas for small actions they can take to be healthier (while helping the environment).

3) toys can be 100% green! toys for babies and toddlers made of 100% recycled material. sure, they’ll need to be shipped to you, but i think we could all agree that knowing a toy is guaranteed safe AND completely recycled trumps alot of evils (not to mention most of your non-recycled toys are being shipped just as far).

4) anyone can grow a garden! going through the process of planting, watering, weeding, and caring for your own organic garden can give the whole family a new appreciation for how delicate and wonderful this world really is! we are currently in the middle of our first family gardening project on our tiny back porch in a san antonio apartment (we’ll let you know how that one works out).

what does your family do to keep up with the green?

the modern mom has so much pressure to be a super woman. we feel guilty for just about everything, and everyday there is a new commercial to make us feel even more that we are not doing the best that we can for our children. who has time to research the newest, most cost effective, and greenest ways to raise a child? ecomom does! this website was founded to “address the connection between the health of our environment & the health of our children…committed to making eco-conscious living easy, affordable, & rewarding with education, support, tools & products.” there is an online community, a blog, and a newsletter. not to mention easy online shopping for all products green, from organic foods and eco chic clothing to counter top composters and green party ideas for kids, this website is as complete as an environmentally conscious mother could want! check it out – you will NOT be disappointed!

my friend brandy recently turned me on to a website called the activity mom. awesome, awesome, AWESOME ideas for keeping your children busy with educational activities. this woman is so creative, you simply MUST check it out for yourself!!

my son has been using the computer since he could reach the keyboard. we have the cutest photos of him barely being able to walk, yet bellying up to my husband’s laptop to push buttons. josiah is also more capable on the iphone than most adults i know. i’ve always equated computer use with video games and television and tried to keep it to a minimum, but there may be a slight advantage to having computer savvy children. not only is it common to have children using computers as part of their schooling experience as early as kindergarten, but, according to a very specific study, “children who use computers more proficiently demonstrated less problem behaviors and better social skills, rated by their teachers“. with that in mind, i give you josiah’s top favorite educational sites (i don’t think he knows their educational):

1)RIF.org – Reading Is Fundamental. this was the first website i ever let josiah try his hand at, and i actually wrote about it last year when i first discovered it. it is split into sections according to age and offers great interactive reading and prereading activities for babies right on up to high schoolers. a winner!
2)kbears.com – this has been all the rage lately for my son as he has developed a keen interest in dinosaurs. they have wonderful photos and information about farm animals, dinosaurs, sea creatures, even a section on geography complete with music from around the world. the site is sort of low-tech and can take awhile to load, but that doesn’t seem to bother josiah who requests daily to “look at the dinosaurs”.
3)national geographic kids – at age 2, josiah is still most interested in the animals and photos of exotic places that can be found on this website, but i really feel this one will grow with him. lots of science project ideas, math based games, and real life stories about kids in other countries are sure to keep him coming back to this one for many years.
4) ready, set, learn! – this website is sponsored by the discovery channel, and has too many fun things to tell you about (you’ll just have to go look yourself!)

i’m not quite sure who or what is to blame, but my son has become totally obsessed in the last few weeks with blowing bubbles (well, really with popping them when i blow them). this fad caught me quite by surprise and i had very limited supplies ready. for those of you who may find yourself in a similar situation, i give you today the recipe i found for soap bubbles in an old church cook book:
giant soap bubbles
1/2cup liquid hand dish soap
5cups water
2T glycerin
bend a metal coat hanger into a loop. mix the water and soap, add glycerin. dip the coat hanger loop into bubbles and wave for giant bubbles! the longer the mixture sits, the better it works!

as my son gets bigger and louder everyday, i am forced to deal with the fact that he is not a baby any more. worse than that, i am forced to deal with a whole lot of baby items that are of no use any more. if you find yourself in a similar situation, you have two options (as i see it):

1)find someone who has a baby to take your old stuff (if they even want it)
2)find a new use for it

as josiah has been pretty brutal on all his possessions, i have opted for the latter of these two. here are a few new uses i have come up with for old baby stuff.
*bath cushion: you know that foam-rubber kneeling pad you’ve been using to give your baby a bath? it works great under your knees when you are scrubbing tubs, toilets, and floors! and because it’s washable, it’s a great pad to rest on while you do gardening (if you are into that).
*cloth diapers: most moms i know have had cloth diapers around, even if only for burping cloths. these little absorbent monsters are spectacular for a myriad of cleaning projects, but my favorite has been to use them as a swiffer cover. slightly damp for dusting or hot and soapy for mopping, the texture of cloth diapers works great for cleaning! and they go right into the wash with some bleach or disinfectant to be used again.
*baby shampoo: i know i am not far from josiah wanting to pick out his own bubble gum scented shampoo in a monkey shaped bottle, so what can i do with these giant economy sized bottles of baby shampoo i have acquired? the best use i have found is as an eye makeup remover. no tears but plenty of suds to scrub away excess eye makeup at the end of the day.
*baby food containers: i may be the only one who wishes baby food still came in little jars with screw top lids, but even the plastic snapping lid container have been quite useful in our home. i use them to pack condiments and sauces in lunch boxes. just to warn you, not all baby food containers have leak proof lids, so be careful how you pack it. (if only they all came in jars with screw tight lids…)
*knit items: finding a little more time to knit and crochet as your baby learns to play more independently? any knit item can be unraveled and hooked into something more useful. i have my eye on a pair of knit socks that he outgrew months ago to become his first scarf this winter.

also, remember that most 2nd hand kid stores will take gently used clothing and toy donations as a credit toward newer stuff for your child!

ok, so i just recently gave you an awesome recipe for homemade play dough (anyone else try it yet?). i’m not trying to be redundant, but all kids and moms know there is a big difference between play dough and modeling clay. so for those times when you would like to have your child’s creation as a forever keepsake or a cheap christmas present for the grandparents, here is a link to the recipe for oatmeal modeling clay from disney’s family fun website. while you are there, check out some of the other awesome ideas they have for crafts, games, and fun pastimes.

i have many wonderful memories of the years when my mother stayed home with me. pancakes shaped like mickey mouse (which i still can’t do), watching “i love lucy” reruns on television (there was no such thing as cable), popcorn on the stove (you guessed it, no microwaves either), and playing michael jackson records on the turn table. but one of my greatest thrills was when my mom would make homemade play dough. with just a little flour, water, salt, and food coloring, i would have a toy that would keep me busy all day long. fast-forward twenty some years on a rainy day and i am racking my brain trying to come up with an activity for my son so that i won’t have to turn on the tele. homemade play dough – BINGO! so i mix up some water, flour, salt, and food coloring, and guess what? i make a HUGE mess! there was no recipe for this stuff, my mom just knew how to mix it. i had almost put play dough in the boat with eared pancakes when i came across a recipe in an old church cook book for homemade play dough. it’s not at all like my mom’s, a few more ingredients, some extra steps, but i did it! i made some beautiful pink play dough that has lasted several weeks and is still in great shape. today i am going to share that play dough recipe with you, courtesy of lynn ross and the st clair’s church of Christ in bath nc with one disclaimer – this is not as good as mom’s play dough! but it will have to do…

1cup all-purpose flour
3tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2T oil
1/4cup salt
1cup water
food coloring

blend all the ingredients in a sauce pan, and then cook on high heat until mixture pulls away for the pan and becomes “globby”. pour out and knead dough. store in air tight containers.

what is it about our computer that keeps josiah coming back again and again to tug on wires, punch on keys, and click with the mouse? i’m not sure, but when i heard about rif.org, i decided it was worth a try for an activity that should encourage prereading skills and give us another possibility on the “no tv” list. rif (reading is fundamental) is an interactive website that has games, songs, and many other activities to introduce young children to reading in fun ways. it was so exciting to see josiah spring into action with the finger plays of “head, shoulders, knees, and toes”, “the hokey pokey”, and “this old man”; he knows a lot more than i thought! believe it or not, i really do not care for technology of any kind, including computers. but you can’t argue with what works! make sure that if you have children in elementary school or younger that you check out this web page. it’s just fun and fantastic!

isn’t all resale green? yes, in a way, but today i saw what can happen when an environmentally conscience individual decides to kick it up a notch.
as anyone with children knows, kid’s clothing, toys, and accessories are outgrown on almost a daily basis. with that in mind, it is easy to see how so many children’s resale shops stay in business around the city (my last count was five in san antonio, each with several locations). in the spirit of discovery, my buddy beth and i ventured to the green baby resale boutique on bandera rd in north west san antonio this morning. i was so thrilled with what i found! this boutique has a wide variety of clothing and toys, most of them made from organic or sustainable materials, all at extremely reasonable prices! the owner was friendly and helpful, and they accept consignment for cash or store credit.
if you are a parent and live in the san antonio area, you should definitely give this store a visit. when you get there, ask about the other green business practices they use (oh yes, there are many more)! and write a comment to let me know you visited – i’m excited to hear your impressions!