Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

Hello, Friends! How are you? How has your summer been going? We leave for our annual trip to the Florida Keys on Sunday. I am so excited I can barely stand it! Seven full days in the sun with nothing on the agenda except relaxation, well that and beachcombing, paddleboarding, snorkeling, swimming and hopefully we will see another octopus! Oh, yea and of course, soaking up every second of sunshine and time with my boys! I have been busy packing all afternoon, finished up all of the projects I was working on for my clients, made a list for the housesitter and plan to spend the rest of the evening having dinner by the pool with our great friends. Yay for summertime! While I grab my swimsuit, here are a few green things I thought you might enjoy:

- Wouldn't this recycled pool make the perfect companion to a container home?
- 16 landscapes to see in your lifetime!
- This cherry-almond breakfast bake looks like dessert, not breakfast!
- Learn how to keep GMO's off your dinner plate.
- Ooooo. I love these tiny self-sufficient off the grid homes.
- 6 of the world's coolest playgrounds! I want to play!
- I need to make these DIY Mason jar herb planters.

I hope you have an amazing weekend - I will be taking a little time on vacation to blog about our adventures in the Keys. I thought it would be fun to share our activities for the week! Stay tuned!

xo,
Sweet Greens

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P.S. One of my favorite parts of our trip to the Florida Keys is this drive (above photo). Isn't it amazing!

Organic Frozen Yogurt Delivery

Since the beginning of our "official" summer break, my family has been consuming insurmountable amounts of frozen treats! The other night the mister called me on his way home from work simply to ask, "Do we have ice cream?" And Eben quickly pipped up, "No, we don't, I already checked!" I had to giggle - Eben and I were home most of the day, we could have made a batch of ice cream or a few frozen fruit pops. Instead, we jumped on our bikes when the mister got home and rode to our local fro-yo shop - it is a five minute bike ride from our front door. This could be dangerous!

I saw that Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream delivers frozen yogurt make using real fruit, biodynamic (some organic) yogurt, and a touch of grass-grazed cream. The flavors include; grapefruit, apricot, lemon, lime, mango, passion fruit, and red raspberry. Can you image - frozen yogurt delivered to your front door? This would make an amazing Father's Day gift for the mister!

What are your thoughts? Have you ever received ice cream delivered to your home as a gift? Was it a hit or a miss? I would love to hear your experience.

How to Balance Summer Break and Working at Home

Today is the first day of summer break and I am so excited for lazy afternoons by the pool, entire weekends spent soaking up the sun at the beach, grilling on the patio with friends, and a couple of fun road trips along the way.

However, when  you work at home it can be tough to balance the time when the kids are home with getting work done! Since Eben is older we have put together some guidelines to help this summer run smoothly. The goal is to allow me to get my work done without being being distracted and for Eben to have some lazy unplanned summer days - you know like we all had when we were kids. However, While Eben already has plans with friends, and may do a summer camp here and there, I don't want him to spend all of the time that he is home on the computer or watching television. Read on for a peek at the guidelines that we have put together.

#1: Office Hours Only
On the days when Eben will be home, I still have to work and I plan to do so quietly in my office. I get up hours before he does (literally 4-5 hours!), which will allow me to get a ton done before he even sees the light of day. However, when he gets up, if my office door is closed, he isn't allowed to come in. Period. The only exception is if there is a life threatening emergency. I will catch up with him when I take my morning break and then again when I am finished with work for the afternoon.

#2:  What Am I Suppose To Do? 
We made a chart of items that Eben is expected to do before I get off work each morning that he is home. He marks them off as he goes - these "chores" aren't major, mostly items that he needs to do regardless with a few helpful household responsibilities mixed it. Interested in what is on the list? Here is a look:

• Take Noodles (our Pug) out for a morning walk and potty break.
• Make your bed. 
• Clean your bedroom. 
• Make and eat your breakfast. 
• Unload the clean dishes and load the dirty ones. 
• Fold any laundry in the dryer and start a new load in the washer. 
• Walk throughout the house and pick up and put away anything that belongs to you. 
• Take out the garbage. 
• Take a shower and get dressed.
• Brush your teeth and hair.
• Tidy up your bathroom. 
• Feed Noodles. 
• Take Noodles out for another potty break and a nice long walk. 

The idea is for him to use the time that I am working to get all of his work done so we can spend a fun, work-free afternoon and evening together each day.

#3: Now What? 
The "chores" that Eben needs to complete for the day don't take a long time. To prevent him from coming into my office and asking, "Now what?" We also came up with a list of projects and activities that he could work on to prevent him from getting bored. And since we have a strict screen-time rule at our home I wanted him to have a list of things to do that don't require any media. Here is a look:

• Cozy up on the patio to read a book. 
• Work on building your models - anyone's child into War Hammer like mine?
• Work on an art project (draw, paint, sketch etc;)
• Play with Noodles. 
• Create claymation creatures and film a movie. 
• Call a long-distant friend or cousin. 
• Make a snack. 
• Ride your bike. 
• Draw a comic book. 
• Go fishing (I can see the pond from my office).

We gave it a run this morning and it worked out perfectly! He had finished up all of his chores and when I finished work the house was very tidy, and he was reading a book on the sofa with Noodles. Win-win!

Now, it's time to decide whether we will spend the afternoon at the pool or the beach. Do you have guidelines for your child's summer break? 

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P.S. When we were kids, both of my parents worked full-time so my sister, brother and I were left home every summer alone. I remember spending a ton of time playing boardgames, telling ghost stories (especially on gloomy, rainy days), making Kool-Aid slushies in the blender, jumping on the trampoline and building forts in the living room. It was some of the best times of my life!

How to Co-Exist with a Decaf Coffee Drinker? Blu Tigres Single Serve Coffee Maker with Biodegradable Pods

I am a little peeved at the mister - remember our 30 day juice detox, where I experienced excruciating headaches due to caffeine withdraw? Well, I had decided that I wasn't going to drink caffeine again after that. That was until the mister switched us back to regular coffee without telling me. He didn't do it on purpose, he just figured that after the detox we would go back to regular. The worst part, I didn't realize until several days later when he mentioned how he was so happy to be drinking caffeine again. Ugh.

Today I received an email about a new green coffee innovation - Blu Tigres. Blu Tigres is a single serve coffee machine that uses biodegradable pods. Think: the Keurig but without the wasteful little plastic cups! I started to think, with one of those fancy little machines, I could be sipping my decaf at the same time that the mister is sipping his regular. And I think our mini-garden would love the biodegradable pods. I am definitely intrigued, especially considering their coffee is fair trade.

What are your thoughts surrounding a green single serve coffee maker?

Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

Hello, Friends! How have you been? I know that I have been missing in action - the past few weeks have been super-duper busy for us. However, we are finished moving and have finally settled into our new small space. The curtains and paintings are hung and every single box has been unpacked. I really wanted to push through getting everything unpacked and organized before Eben is out of school for summer break. Wednesday is his last day and I can't wait to have him all to myself for the summer. I didn't want to have to work on the house while he is home, I really just want to soak up as much of him as possible. (Yes, he is that sweet!)

This weekend, we are finally going to relax - poolside. No plans, no commitments, no errands. Just two full days relaxing and soaking up the sunshine and each other. We may invite a friend or two over to hang out by the pool. Simple pleasures. While I put on my swimsuit, here are a few green things I thought you might find interesting:

- Rouge Monsanto GMO wheat infiltrates an Oregon farm. Ugh.
- Got allergies? Real food is the solution.
- This world famous tree house builder just got this own TV show - I'll be watching!
- Monsanto loses in Europe - come on United States, get on board!
- Amazing free ebook that will get you eating healthy and safe foods!
- Fruity striped ice cubes via Oh Joy? Yes, please!

I hope you have a lovely first day of June and an amazing weekend. I will see you back here on Monday, I miss you already.

xo,
Sweet Greens

We are Moved into our New Small Space

Hello, Friends! How was your Memorial Day weekend? Were you able to spend the weekend with family and friends. We spent the weekend cleaning our old home and moving into our new one. We are almost completely moved in - the only things left to do are hang the curtains and organize the garage. Hooray!

Initially, I was concerned with the size of our new home, it is 1/2 the size of our last home and the smallest home that we have lived in since the mister and I married. This was deliberate, we wanted to downsize and have been talking about it forever. And while saying you want to downsize is very fine and dandy, actually doing it is quite another thing. I quickly realized that not all of our furniture or belongings would fit into our new space - so it was time to do a lot of editing. It felt good to donate a large portion of items to our local shelter and it's funny how you really don't miss "things" as much as you think that you would. We also found several simple creative ways to maximize our space - I will be sharing these ideas soon.

The best parts of downsizing so far include; being super close to Eben's school, the mister's work and friends (our commute has almost completely disappeared), a small two bedroom home takes just a few minutes each morning and evening to tidy up (not to mention heat and cool - our first electric bill just came - 1/2 the price of our last home and our large front patio is quickly becoming my favorite space, watch for the makeover to come soon as well.

How was your weekend? Did you move too - I hear that Memorial Day weekend is the busiest moving weekend of the year! I would love to hear how you are doing - what adventures lay ahead for you? 

Save Money and Energy with Electric Radiant Floor Heating

Note from Sweet Greens: The following post on saving money and energy with electric radiant floor heating is a post from Nick Johnson. Nick is an author and a contributor to Heat Tech Products, an online retailer of electric floor heating mats. Thank you for supporting the companies that help to run Sweet Greens!

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Underfloor, or radiant, heating dates back to the Neolithic and Neoglacial periods, when ancient Asians and Aleutian islanders used smoke from their fires to heat trenched dug into their floors and filled with stones. The heat from the stones rose, warming the subterranean living space. Today's radiant heating follows the same basic concept; it uses electrical coils or panels installed beneath the floor to heat the flooring itself, allowing the heat to radiate upwards into the room.

Electric in-floor radiant heating offers many benefits over traditional heating methods, for both one's immediate environment and the larger ecosystem as well. Forced air furnaces often suffer heat loss through leaks in their duct work, essentially wasting heat and energy. Furnaces system heat cold air, releasing warm air into the room, where it rises and dissipates, leaving cold spots and causing the system to continually cycle on and off as it calls for more heat. A radiant floor system, however, only heats the floor above it, and while the warm air still rises, it does so much more slowly. The flooring itself often retains heat for hours afterward, thus requiring less energy to heat the room. If combined with the installation of a large thermal mass, such as a concrete floor, and your utility company offers time-of-use rates, the energy and money savings is even more significant. The floor is "charged" only during off-peak hours, and retains enough heat to warm the room for 8-10 hours before requiring another charge. Large furnace systems can be quite noisy as they run through their cycles; radiant floors effectively heat rooms without disturbing sound.

Another big advantage of in-floor electric heating is the reduction of allergens and pollutants. Forced air furnaces blow air through ducts and vents, picking up dust and bacteria along the way, and distributing them throughout the home. Radiant heating heats only the floor, eliminating the need for dust trapping returns and vents. Radiant floor systems also create a safer environment by reducing moisture on floors and in rooms, thereby reducing mold, dust mites, and bacteria, as well as the risk of slipping on a wet floor. Electric radiant systems are even more efficient if installed beneath masonry surfaces like tile, terrazzo, and concrete, all of which have low volatile organic compound emissions(VOCs.)

Radiant floor heat saves money-up to 40% more than radiator or forced-air systems, and is a better, safer choice for our planet as well.

photo courtesy of Jamie Meares

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.