Kids DIY: Simple Organic Pinecone Birdfeeders

Our backyard is a huge nature preserve and one of Eben's favorite spring time activities is to sit on our patio and watch the birds darting in and out of the trees. After a few days of minimal visits from our feathered friends, we decided to entice them to visit our backyard more often. We grabbed a couple of pinecones from the front yard, a huge scoop of organic nut butter, some baker's twine and a bowl full of organic nuts and seeds and headed outside to make them a little treat. This craft only takes a few minutes, however it combines everything that children love - getting their hands dirty, having a little snack, making something fun and nature. Read on for the full directions and enjoy an afternoon making simple, spring organic pinecone birdfeeders for your backyard.

What you will need:

• pinecones
• baker's twine
• organic nut butter
• organic nuts and seeds
• scissors

Step 1: Add the Baker's Twine
Simply tie a piece of baker's twine around the pinecone near the top. This would be the perfect time to reuse a large piece of ribbon, string or yarn that you have lying around the house.

Step 2: Add the Nut Butter
Roll the pinecones in nut butter until it is completely coated, you can also use a knife - Eben decided to dig right in and use his fingers and hands to get the nut butter into every nook and cranny. 

Step 3: Add the Nuts and Seeds
Then, he rolled the nut butter covered pinecones in the nuts and seeds until the entire surface of the pinecone were completely covered. He even pushed a lot of pieces into the folds of the pinecones for added hidden bonuses.

Step 4: Hang It
Pick a place in your backyard where you have seen birds visit before. We hung out pinecone birdfeeders next to our regular birdfeeder hoping that it would easily attract our friends.

Step 5: Listen and Watch
After we hung our feeders, we sat on the our patio and waited for the birds to arrive. We had a delightful afternoon watching the birds nibbling at our pinecone birdfeeders!

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This organic pinecone birdfeeder DIY was featured in this month's issue of Green Child Magazine, grab your copy here or download it on iTunes here.

Twelve

Today is a very special day - it is the birthday of my favorite person in the whole world, Eben. 12 years ago today my life was forever changed and has been better in every single way possible. Eben can always make me laugh, teaches me new things everyday and always has a hug waiting for me. I am very thankful that I get to share my life with this amazing person. He is my sunshine, my inspiration, my heart. He is the best thing that I have ever done in my life - my masterpiece.

Happy Birthday, Eben - I love you to the moon and back!

Ecocentric Mom Box Review + Mother's Day Coupon Code

As part of my partnership with Ecocentric Mom, I will be receiving one of their monthly subscription boxes for review each month. So fun! When I found this month's box waiting for me with my mail - I was super excited, kind of like it was my birthday. Eben loves it too - he immediately wants to sift through all of the goodies and pick out something fun to try!

If you are interested in giving Ecocentric Mom Box a try - you can get a 10% discount on any subscription with the coupon code ECOMOM10. Wouldn't this be a perfect Mother's Day surprise!

If you were a member this month, this is what you would have received:

#1: Natures Gate Rice Bran Facial Moisturizer
Free from harmful toxins including phathlates, artificial fragrances, mineral oil, parabens and petroleum. I really enjoyed trying this out, so yummy and refreshing.

#2: Good Green Bar
I loved this gluten-free, vegan wellness bar made from dehydrated super foods. I threw it in my yoga bag for a great post workout snack!

#3: Linwoods Super Food Blends
These are also gluten-free and vegan and are perfect for sprinkles
on your morning yogurt, cereal or your dinner salad.

#4: Biotin Shampoo, Condition + Body Wash
These are also made by Nature's Gate and are super yummy - I have really enjoyed using them.

#5. Fryefly Organic Serenity Tea
Tea is my thing - so I was excited to try the 100% certified organic herbal tea. I enjoyed the flavor and these are perfect for packing in my handbag for on the go.

#6: Nature's Kick Honeystix
Eben loves Honeystix, so he immediately confiscated these - I had to get them back and give them to him as a little treat when we are driving home from school. These would also be fantastic to keep in your handbag for that afternoon tea on the go.

#7. WEXY Biodegradable Snack Bags
These fun biodegradable snack bags are BPA free, recyclable and reusable too! They come in an assortment of fun graphics - perfect for your child's lunchbox.

#8. 7th Heaven 100% Natural Face Mask 
 I love a good face mask and this one is vegan and organic too! What a great way to pamper yourself after a long day of work.

#9: Boring Goats Goat Milk Soap
I love goat milk soap, it is so creamy and refreshing. This particular goat milk soap comes from a family farm located in Oregon. Fantastic!

#10: Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
We use this to substitute for butter or oil in our baked good. I also use it as a deep-moisturizing mash for my hair a couple of times a month.

#11. There was also an assortment of coupons for these particular products included in the box, including a Frego (plastic-free food storage) $5 gift card and a Bamboo Bailey (eco-friendly and recycled product emporium) $10 gift card.

Full Disclosure: As an Ecocentric Mom Team Blogger, I receive monthly subscription boxes for review. All of the opinions expressed are completely my own. Affiliate links appear in the post.

DIY: Upcycle Flower Pots Into Gardening Kit Gifts!

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and now is the perfect time to gather your children to make fun gifts for mom and grandma. Eben wanted to have creative control over the gifts that we will be giving to his grandmothers this year for Mother's Day. Both of them enjoy spending time outdoors, so he thought that giving them the gift of gardening would be apropos. This project is an easy undertaking, and when all is said and done, you have a cheery gift for kids to give any special lady in their lives for Mother's Day. You most likely already have all of the supplies you need to make this offering in your garage and craft closet. Jump over to Inhabitots to learn how to make these sweet upcycled flower pot gardening kits!

5 Sustainable Ways to Add Storage and Cut Clutter in Your Child's Bedroom

Right now we live in a large 3-level townhouse with 3 bedrooms and bathrooms. Next week we will be moving into our new much smaller home that is 2 bedrooms and bathrooms. While downsizing is super exciting to me - I am concerned about storage, especially in Eben's bedroom. He has so many small trinkets, art supplies, LEGO pieces, books, and other fun kids stuff. I want to reuse the pieces of furniture that we already own in any way possible. Here are solutions that I have implemented into his current bedroom and some ideas that I will be designing into his new bedroom to make the most of the space.

#1: Floor to Ceiling Shelving
Eben already has this amazing IKEA Expedit Bookcase - and we adore it! The mister and I jumped up and down for joy when we measured the wall in Eben's new bedroom and it fit perfectly. Eben is an avid readers for almost all of the shelves are packed books. However, I am hoping to downsize his book collection slightly so we can use some of the shelves to display his favorite keepsakes.

#2: Under the Bed Storage
I always feel like the storage space under the bed gets ignored. We have been using large sliding bins with lids under Eben's bed as a dresser for his socks, pajamas, swimsuits etc; While this has been working out, I really want to utilize the entire space under his bed. Since he is ready for a new bed, I would love to find something that is elevated with more build in storage underneath. Then, he won't need a dresser and it will free up more floor space in his room.

#3: Stacking Storage Bins
We have three of these fantastic Sortera stacking bins from IKEA in Eben's closet right now. They were designed to house recyclables in the garage - however, they are perfect for storing LEGO pieces. Since Eben has seriously over a million LEGO pieces, we are thinking of adding 3 more of these bins to the bottom of his closet to store all of the LEGO pieces. They are easy to slide out and since the lid comes off, they make clean up time a breeze.

#4: Top of the Closet Bins
The top of the closet can become a waste land of anything that your child throws up there that doesn't fall back down! We purchased large fabric bins and were able to get 4 of them to fit perfect side by side on the shelve. They are tall and deep, so they fill the shelf up exactly and this is where we store all of Eben's stuffed animals. Since he doesn't play with them often, however they have sentimental value to him, it's a great way to store them, keeping them off of the floor or cluttering up the bed.

#5: Rethink the Closet
Eben's new bedroom has a much larger closet which is great - except for the fact, that he doesn't have a ton of clothes. He wears a uniform to school - therefore he only needs a handful of outfits for the weekend and special events. We plan to remove the doors from his closet and transform it into his office space. We have a 6' slim desk in my office right now, that won't fit in my workspace at the new house. However, it will fit perfectly inside of Eben's new bedroom closet. We plan to hang all of his clothes at the far end of the closet, giving him the rest of the closet space to organize his art, photography, computer and animation supplies. We are very excited about this idea, because at first we were worried he wouldn't have space for his creative endeavors. 

What suggestions do you have for adding more storage and reducing clutter in a child's bedroom? 

photos via here, here, here, here, here, here.

How to Make Organic, Vegan Strawberry Shortcake for a Refreshing Dessert

Strawberry Shortcake is such a lovely and refreshing dessert to serve during springtime and summer. It's a real crowd pleaser, and it satisfies your sweet tooth while also incorporating a healthy serving of fruit into the indulgence. My recipe for strawberry shortcake is vegan and free of artificial colors and flavors. This particular Strawberry Shortcake is similar to a sweet biscuit covered with luscious strawberries and toppings! You can kick-off the fun by taking your kids to your family garden or the local organic farm to pick strawberries. Then come home and make these yummy organic, vegan strawberry shortcakes together.

Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

Hello, Friends! How was your week? What are you up to this weekend? We are having a beach party for Eben's 12th birthday. We are having it a little early so his best friend - who lives a few hours away can attend. We are super excited to spend a laid back day at the beach celebrating our favorite person! It has been raining all week long - however, we woke up to bright blue skies and sunshine. See, Eben even has a positive effect on the weather. Ha! While I gather up the beach toys, towels and cupcakes, here are a few green things I thought you might enjoy:

- Discover what may be killing our honeybees.
- Just another reason to be vegetarian, rat meat passed off as lamb!
- I really love and admire Target's School Library Makeover Program.
- Ugh. Mom's backing agricultural biotechnology powerhouses like Monsanto!
- Wondering why eco-fashion is so expensive?
- 6 Mother's Day gifts that give back!
- I am a huge fan of silly foods. You? 

I hope you have an amazing and sunny weekend - I will see you back here on Monday.

xo,
Sweet Greens

How to Grow an Herb Garden in Eggshell Planters

Now is the perfect time of year to plant a small garden with your children. We have enjoyed all types of gardening in our home throughout the years -- however, my son is always happy to make a simple herb garden with me. The only necessary supplies for this recycled herb garden are an egg carton, egg shells, soil and seeds! It's an easy project that your children can do entirely themselves and it's a great learning opportunity as well. Your kids will 'dig' the entire process -- from creating the garden, to watching it grow to harvesting the herbs and using them in their favorite meals. Gardening is also a great way to teach children the life cycle of a plant, and it instills in them a sense of pride when they watch their own garden grow.

How to Make Vegan Mini Avocado Cheesecakes

Avocados are so nutritious, versatile and delicious in everything from tacos to salads to chocolate pudding! We decided to give making raw cheesecake a try - using avocados as the star ingredient, to replace the standard cream cheese that is typically used to make cheesecakes. If your family loves avocado, you will definitely want to try out this healthier version of a classic dessert. It is simple to make since there is no cooking involved, and the recipe instructions are so easy that my son was able to make the entire cheesecake himself. You can grab the one-page printable recipe here and read on to learn how to make raw, organic, mini vegan avocado cheesecakes in minutes. They're the perfect sweet ending to a meal, or a yummy afternoon snack!

Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

Hello, Friends! How was your week? Mine was crazy busy! It started with me hosting an Earth Day Twitter Party with Balance Bar and just kept rolling from there. We like busy weeks - busy weeks are good!

This weekend, we are going to spend the majority of it packing for our move. We are so excited for yet another chapter of our lives, we can barely stand it! However, tomorrow we are sneaking away for the day to meet family for lunch, followed by a night celebrating Eben. He has been on fire lately - he brought home a report card with all A's, 2 B+'s and 1 B. Then, today while swimming in the intracoastal with friends, he saved two little girls from being swept away in a rip current. We are very proud of him, he is truly amazing!

I will be sharing more about our move in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, here are a few green things I thought you might enjoy:

- Getting married this summer? How about a bridal gown that dissolves when you are done with it?
- I find it so sad that many children no longer play outside!
- This dad is the coolest ever - he designs his child's lunch bags every day!
- OMGoodness, I am having a housewarming party like this when we move. Except zero waste!
- 50 gorgeous tree houses from around the globe.
- Looking to cut back on the junk in your diet - start here.
- I am totally craving healthy seven layer dip. Bring it on!

I hope you have an amazing weekend full of sunshine and fun. I will see you back here on Monday!

xo,
Sweet Greens