Continue to laugh, learn, and live more green and natural with me.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Little Green Secrets Has Moved
I appreciate your readership and don't want to lose you, so please visit Little Green Secrets at its new home at http://www.milkandhoneymommy.com. I'm still fiddling around and trying to figure out what to do. WordPress.org is very humbling to an HTML-geek like me. Anyway, I'll figure out what to do. Meanwhile, please re-subscribe because the feed address has changed as well. I won't be back here, so please don't leave me any messages at this location.
Continue to laugh, learn, and live more green and natural with me.
Continue to laugh, learn, and live more green and natural with me.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
I am the Devil or Bad Mommy
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
I am the Devil…at least I felt that way after putting two stomach aching children to bed. Against my better judgment, I took my children to Burger King and well, I nearly killed them. Okay, it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but they have never responded in this manner after eating fast food.
As we were driving home, my daughter started telling me to never take her there again because the food smelled. I thought for sure she was kidding and decided to play along with her. She continued to talk and I gave her an occasional acknowledgement while listening to what I was sure would be recanted the next time we drove by Burger King and she wanted to go there. My oldest chimed in about how he didn’t like his food either.
By the time I put them to bed, they both were uncomfortable and feeling sick. McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. (fast food) has been crossed off their list of treats. I actually stopped participating in a playgroup because they had too many play dates at Burger King. I preferred my children meet and play at a park in the fresh air rather than jump around on an enclosed, feet smelling, play gym? Often, I felt bad about saying "no," when they asked for fast food and dreaded driving by one for fear of them asking.
One day, I had an epiphany. I’m the mommy! The reason I don’t like fast food is because it isn’t healthy eating. I love McDonald’s French fries, but feel bloated and sick after eating them and food shouldn't make you feel that way. Sometimes we’re caught without lunch and food on the go is convenient and necessary. Hungry people are grumpy and sometimes a little mean. Add tired too and you tend to make bad decisions.
I want to feel good after eating my food and I want my children to make good food choices. Fast food taste good and I don’t want them to get swayed by flavor before they really know what they are eating. It’s hard to stop eating something you’ve loved for years even after realizing how dangerous it is for you. I struggle now with a really bad sweet tooth. Recently, I was too tired to cook and I drove about 40 minutes round trip (sometimes living in the country ain’t so easy because everything closes a little too early) to satisfy a sugar fix. The cookies were disappointing and I experienced a miserable night.
Since I’m the mommy, our “fast food” choices now come from the likes of Whole Foods and Subway. I’m so happy Subway apologized for their gaffe because I love their sandwiches. My better judgment rules and we will not be eating fast food anytime soon.
Note: Everyone was fine in the morning. I ate some of the same food they had, so I don't believe it was food poisoning. Hopefully, it was just discriminating taste.
I am the Devil…at least I felt that way after putting two stomach aching children to bed. Against my better judgment, I took my children to Burger King and well, I nearly killed them. Okay, it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but they have never responded in this manner after eating fast food.
As we were driving home, my daughter started telling me to never take her there again because the food smelled. I thought for sure she was kidding and decided to play along with her. She continued to talk and I gave her an occasional acknowledgement while listening to what I was sure would be recanted the next time we drove by Burger King and she wanted to go there. My oldest chimed in about how he didn’t like his food either.
By the time I put them to bed, they both were uncomfortable and feeling sick. McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. (fast food) has been crossed off their list of treats. I actually stopped participating in a playgroup because they had too many play dates at Burger King. I preferred my children meet and play at a park in the fresh air rather than jump around on an enclosed, feet smelling, play gym? Often, I felt bad about saying "no," when they asked for fast food and dreaded driving by one for fear of them asking.
One day, I had an epiphany. I’m the mommy! The reason I don’t like fast food is because it isn’t healthy eating. I love McDonald’s French fries, but feel bloated and sick after eating them and food shouldn't make you feel that way. Sometimes we’re caught without lunch and food on the go is convenient and necessary. Hungry people are grumpy and sometimes a little mean. Add tired too and you tend to make bad decisions.
I want to feel good after eating my food and I want my children to make good food choices. Fast food taste good and I don’t want them to get swayed by flavor before they really know what they are eating. It’s hard to stop eating something you’ve loved for years even after realizing how dangerous it is for you. I struggle now with a really bad sweet tooth. Recently, I was too tired to cook and I drove about 40 minutes round trip (sometimes living in the country ain’t so easy because everything closes a little too early) to satisfy a sugar fix. The cookies were disappointing and I experienced a miserable night.
Since I’m the mommy, our “fast food” choices now come from the likes of Whole Foods and Subway. I’m so happy Subway apologized for their gaffe because I love their sandwiches. My better judgment rules and we will not be eating fast food anytime soon.
Note: Everyone was fine in the morning. I ate some of the same food they had, so I don't believe it was food poisoning. Hopefully, it was just discriminating taste.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Hangin' Out with the Crew
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
I am back and not much rested. My house is still a mess, but I can get to that later. It only gets messy over and over again. I started mopping my floors yesterday and I have yet to finish. Meanwhile, the children have managed to make the floor I did clean look somewhat questionable. So, I will probably do it again when I finish mopping tomorrow.
I don’t know about any of you, but I didn’t get much of a summer vacation and it’s time to start back to school. We did very little today with school. I am going to start them slow, but now so we can get a good start and be off running by the time September arrives.
The Little Green Secrets Crew (LGSC) has been off for the past few weeks. While I
took a break, they did too. A few weeks ago, the heat finally got warm enough for me and there was no denying it. It was time. We have lived in our home for about three years and it wasn’t until last year that we started enjoying the creek. There is a creek that runs through our property and it gets high enough for the children to play in, but not too high where we have to hold everyone for fear of them drowning. We are still cautious because we have “not quite able to swim yet” 
children. Mommy also dropped the ball and we may make it through our first summer with no swimming lessons.
Our weekends have been spent down at the creek swimming in the almost pristine and clear water. We can even see the fish (they’re small) swimming by, without us
having to wear goggles. The children do know not to drink the water. We have a great time and it’s a wonderful way to bring the summer to a close and welcome the impending fall.
My husband says he can already sense it in the air. He can’t wait for it to arrive.
Why is it that we long for the summer in the winter because it’s too cold and then turn around and long for the winter in the summer because it’s too hot? Since living here, I’m not sure if it’s my age or the fact that I get to actually experience seasons, but they seem to be coming more quickly. I wonder why it’s that way.
I am back and not much rested. My house is still a mess, but I can get to that later. It only gets messy over and over again. I started mopping my floors yesterday and I have yet to finish. Meanwhile, the children have managed to make the floor I did clean look somewhat questionable. So, I will probably do it again when I finish mopping tomorrow.
I don’t know about any of you, but I didn’t get much of a summer vacation and it’s time to start back to school. We did very little today with school. I am going to start them slow, but now so we can get a good start and be off running by the time September arrives.
The Little Green Secrets Crew (LGSC) has been off for the past few weeks. While I
took a break, they did too. A few weeks ago, the heat finally got warm enough for me and there was no denying it. It was time. We have lived in our home for about three years and it wasn’t until last year that we started enjoying the creek. There is a creek that runs through our property and it gets high enough for the children to play in, but not too high where we have to hold everyone for fear of them drowning. We are still cautious because we have “not quite able to swim yet” 
children. Mommy also dropped the ball and we may make it through our first summer with no swimming lessons.Our weekends have been spent down at the creek swimming in the almost pristine and clear water. We can even see the fish (they’re small) swimming by, without us
having to wear goggles. The children do know not to drink the water. We have a great time and it’s a wonderful way to bring the summer to a close and welcome the impending fall.My husband says he can already sense it in the air. He can’t wait for it to arrive.
Why is it that we long for the summer in the winter because it’s too cold and then turn around and long for the winter in the summer because it’s too hot? Since living here, I’m not sure if it’s my age or the fact that I get to actually experience seasons, but they seem to be coming more quickly. I wonder why it’s that way.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Winner of Food to Live By
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
Congratulations to Ruth M. for winning this book that is almost good enough to eat.
Congratulations to Ruth M. for winning this book that is almost good enough to eat.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I'll Be Right Back!
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
I always considered myself a great multi-tasker. Well, right now, I'm not. Between homeschooling, preparing for Green Aware Fair, and writing for other blogs, I've run out of time for life (my house is a wreck and my husband got only a card for his birthday) and my children. I will be taking a few weeks off from Little Green Secrets. Until I return, you can keep up with me at Green Aware Fair, 5 Minutes for Going Green, and Busy Mommy.
I always considered myself a great multi-tasker. Well, right now, I'm not. Between homeschooling, preparing for Green Aware Fair, and writing for other blogs, I've run out of time for life (my house is a wreck and my husband got only a card for his birthday) and my children. I will be taking a few weeks off from Little Green Secrets. Until I return, you can keep up with me at Green Aware Fair, 5 Minutes for Going Green, and Busy Mommy.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
We're On Fire
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
Eat fresh vegetables...check! Use organic toothpaste...check! Run three (3) miles...check. Inhale toxic smoke...ah, check? For the past few months, my state has been on fire. Every summer, it's expected there will be fires, but for some reason, it seems to be more devastating this year. I know that fire at anytime, regardless of the damage, is devastating.
Homes and acreage are burning less than 50 miles away from me. This is the closest that I have ever been to a somewhat out of control fire. The National Guard has been sent in and firefighters across the country have come to assist the overworked and very tired California firefighters.
The air quality has been very poor for the past few weeks. It has been thick on some days, not enough to notice visually, but after being outside for a while, eyes start burning a little and I've noticed tiny pieces of ash in the air coming down. The air we're breathing is not what anyone should be taking into their bodies. I can't believe that for some people (firefighters), this is a regular day and we were having only a mild experience.
Today, I received a messagewarning suggesting we stay indoors regardless of whether or not our health was good or poor. My oldest looked out of the window and said, "Mommy, it's going to rain." That is how thick the sky had become. The sky was missing and visibility was reduced on the ground. There is nothing unusual about reduced visibility, but during this time of the year outside usually looks like the first picture shown above and we have 90+ degree weather. Today, it looked like this
and still at 90+ degrees, which only made it more unsafe to be outdoors.
We stayed inside and amused ourselves, which was a bit of a jolt in our regular schedule because the children have been spending most of their summer days outside. I was able to come up with enough to keep the children busy, but then they do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves. We still are looking forward to getting back outside, which hopefully will be tomorrow.
We can eat the proper foods, get the proper amount of rest, and take excellent care of our bodies, but there are some instances in life where we will be placed that are not healthy for us. That is even more of an incentive to take better care of ourselves. I'm not sure how these past weeks will later affect our health, but at least I'm doing my part to ensure that we eat well, make healthy life choices because you never know when you'll be placed in an environment that challenges your health.
Eat fresh vegetables...check! Use organic toothpaste...check! Run three (3) miles...check. Inhale toxic smoke...ah, check? For the past few months, my state has been on fire. Every summer, it's expected there will be fires, but for some reason, it seems to be more devastating this year. I know that fire at anytime, regardless of the damage, is devastating.
Homes and acreage are burning less than 50 miles away from me. This is the closest that I have ever been to a somewhat out of control fire. The National Guard has been sent in and firefighters across the country have come to assist the overworked and very tired California firefighters.The air quality has been very poor for the past few weeks. It has been thick on some days, not enough to notice visually, but after being outside for a while, eyes start burning a little and I've noticed tiny pieces of ash in the air coming down. The air we're breathing is not what anyone should be taking into their bodies. I can't believe that for some people (firefighters), this is a regular day and we were having only a mild experience.
Today, I received a message
and still at 90+ degrees, which only made it more unsafe to be outdoors.We stayed inside and amused ourselves, which was a bit of a jolt in our regular schedule because the children have been spending most of their summer days outside. I was able to come up with enough to keep the children busy, but then they do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves. We still are looking forward to getting back outside, which hopefully will be tomorrow.
We can eat the proper foods, get the proper amount of rest, and take excellent care of our bodies, but there are some instances in life where we will be placed that are not healthy for us. That is even more of an incentive to take better care of ourselves. I'm not sure how these past weeks will later affect our health, but at least I'm doing my part to ensure that we eat well, make healthy life choices because you never know when you'll be placed in an environment that challenges your health.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
What I Found Wednesdays
[I've moved to http://milkandhoneymommy.com/. Please visit me there!]
I have wanted to write about these crayons ever since I saw them at Megusta Baby, an organic baby and children's store.
They are really cool looking in their birch wood basket and are the perfect size for my 20 month old whose hands don't return the standard size crayon in the same condition they were before handling. We end up with alot of broken and sometimes unusable crayons for my older two children. I thought these would be perfect because they were large enough for him to handle, but thick enough that he could not break.
Inntrax™ Twig Crayons
are handmade coloring crayons from Poland. They are made of sustained wood from remnants of bushes and trees cleared for the environmental preservation of planned forests. These crayons are perfect for the dedicated artist to the 20 month old who loves to draw fantastic pictures. They are available in set assortments and can also be purchased in a gift basket of 60 crayons with included coloring books.
The crayons are a bit pricey and require a utility knife to sharpen, which is not too convenient for a parent or safe for a child. On the other hand, sharpening is not required as often because the crayon is really hard.
If you're looking for that unique, really cool gift, that most anyone would love receiving, then Twig Crayons may be for you. They also look nice just sitting on a shelf as a decorating accessory.
Get a deal on these crayons.
I have wanted to write about these crayons ever since I saw them at Megusta Baby, an organic baby and children's store.
They are really cool looking in their birch wood basket and are the perfect size for my 20 month old whose hands don't return the standard size crayon in the same condition they were before handling. We end up with alot of broken and sometimes unusable crayons for my older two children. I thought these would be perfect because they were large enough for him to handle, but thick enough that he could not break.Inntrax™ Twig Crayons
are handmade coloring crayons from Poland. They are made of sustained wood from remnants of bushes and trees cleared for the environmental preservation of planned forests. These crayons are perfect for the dedicated artist to the 20 month old who loves to draw fantastic pictures. They are available in set assortments and can also be purchased in a gift basket of 60 crayons with included coloring books.The crayons are a bit pricey and require a utility knife to sharpen, which is not too convenient for a parent or safe for a child. On the other hand, sharpening is not required as often because the crayon is really hard.
If you're looking for that unique, really cool gift, that most anyone would love receiving, then Twig Crayons may be for you. They also look nice just sitting on a shelf as a decorating accessory.
Get a deal on these crayons.
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