I’m lucky. My son is a vegetable lover. He will happily munch on fresh cherry tomatoes or red bell peppers. And his lunch of choice is a fresh spinach salad with herb vinaigrette. But like most children, there are times when Monster doesn’t eat enough vegetables. So I have gotten into the habit of adding veggies into other foods whenever I can. I do it for myself and my husband as much as I do it for my son.
I have not posted on this blog (or really had anything to do with One Part Sunshine) in months. Instead, I have been confined to my bed overwhelmed by nausea, vomiting and extreme fatigue. We found out we were pregnant with our second child shortly before Christmas. And a week later, I was a mess. I became one of more than 60,000 women each year to be afflicted by a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). HG is a condition that occurs during pregnancy characterized by extreme nausea and vomiting which leads to dehydration and weight loss.
My goal this holiday season is to step up the DIY. I’m handcrafting gifts, ornaments, decorations and snacks. And I plan to involve my son as much as possible. To get a look at my Christmas craft inspiration, check out my Pinterest board. You can see the crafts I did last year in my blog on My Green Christmas 2010.
It seems as though the cold weather is driving all of the bugs to find warmth in our house. We are currently battling ants, fruit flies, stinkbugs and these little black beetles. Of course, using conventional insecticides is not an answer in our home. Such products are poisonous to both people and house pets. And children are particularly susceptible to the dangerous effects of insecticides since they are more likely to pick up that roach motel or crawl on the floor where you just sprayed ant killer.
About a month ago, I asked Monster, “So what do you want to be for Halloween?” His answer: “A lightening bug.” Of course, I was extremely happy with his answer. I was dreading that he would say something like Buzz Lightyear and I would be forced to go to a Halloween super center in order to find his costume. But a lightening bug I could do . . . somehow.
Now it is the day after Halloween and I am pleased to report that the lightening bug/firefly costume was a huge success. And I was able to do it without buying anything! It was cheap, green and safe. Here is how I did it . . .
Vampires, witches and ghosts have nothing on a child made of toxic chemicals and artificial ingredients. Our 100% organic cotton t-shirt is the perfect frightening Halloween accessory for your green kid. You can easily turn it into a one-of-a-kind Halloween costume by accenting it with a third eye, green hair or smears of slimy face paint.
When I asked my son what kind of party he wanted for his 5th birthday, he immediately replied, “A garden party.” He is definitely a boy after my own heart! It isn’t surprising after all of the time we spent in our garden this summer. We grew everything from spinach to pumpkins and even constructed a beautiful bean tepee which really didn’t flourish until the very end of August.
There are so many options for school and art supplies that we can’t possibly feature them all! So we have put together a list of brands (to save you some trouble). Happy shopping! Binders and Folders Naked Binder – binders, folders and tabs that are made of 100% recycled material, 100% cotton cloth, and FSC-certified… Read More
There are so many options for lunch boxes and accessories that we can’t possibly feature them all! So we have put together a list of brands (to save you some trouble). Happy shopping! Lunch Bags and Boxes BaZura Bags – made by a women’s co-op in the Philippines using used drink containers Crocodile Creek –… Read More
There are so many options for green baby shoes that we can’t possibly feature them all! So we have put together a list of brands (to save you some trouble). Happy shopping! Aigle Rain Boots Bear Feet Shoes Bobka Baby Keen Kidorable Rain Boots Little Soles Livie & Luca Sanuk Simple Shoes Soft Star Shoes… Read More
