Happy Halloween! {Our Bo on the Go Costumes and How We Do Halloween}

Happy Halloween!

Whether you celebrate Halloween, Reformation Day, Dia de los Muertoes, Samhein, All Saints Day or Harvest...I hope your celebration was (or will be) fun and safe.

Costumes
My little guy dressed up like a dragon and I dressed up as Bo from Bo on the Go to complement him. For the uninitiated, Bo on the Go is a Canadian television show which is available in the US through Netflix (and maybe other places....we watch on Netflix). My son really likes it and as a mom I like it because it encourages kids to move while watching TV. When he's not watching TV, Bo-like scenarios fuel his imagination and he frequently tells me he needs to "crawl like a critter" or "jump like a kangaroo" to accomplish an everyday mission while playing at home. I recommend it for kids age 2-5.

Desadore "Dezzy" Dragon {$12}: While I LOVE homemade costumes, sometimes there is something to be said for efficiency. I bought my son's costume on sale at an Old Navy outlet store for $12. I'm sure I could have spent $12 (or easily more!) and several hours to make a costume but this one was darn cute and the right price and did not require any extra work from me. His belly isn't pink like Dezzy so it's not quite perfect. If I was really motivated, I could have added some pink fabric over the top of the dark green to make his belly the right color.

Bo (on the Go) {$17}: Bo's distinguishing features are her blue pig tails and her big eyes. For my hair, I made pigtails that I folded over to make them look shorter and then colored my hair blue with Beyond the Zone brand Color Bombz spray on temporary hair color that I picked up from Sally Beauty supply for about $7 a bottle (bought 2. Used 1.15). I have pretty dark brown hair and it did a great job actually looking blue (if you've ever tried to color dark brown hair, you know what I mean!). I also put some glow bracelets around my pigtails (i bought 3 packs at the dollar store to get the right combo of colors).

For my eyes, I watched a few video tutorials on you tube for how to make your eyes look bigger with make-up. I also colored my eyebrows blue with hairspray (spray on finger, apply to eye brow) and blue eye shaddow.

Then I just wore a t-shirt, yoga pants and some more glow bracelet "power bands" and I was all set. Overall, the costume was easy to put together. The most time-consuming part was doing my hair.


Trick or Treating
We try and emphasize friends and fun on Halloween more than candy. We had two other families with kids who are similar age over for a potluck dinner, trick or treating and games. We didn't do too much trick or treating - just a walk around the block, which ended up being about 12 participating houses.

We handed out little boxes of organic raisins. Most kids seemed plenty happy with this option although one kid looked confused (and then unhappy) when he learned he got raisins instead of "real" candy. Sorry kid. We're anti-GMO in our house and I'm sure these were what you were looking for:

The Candy Fairy
Every year parents wonder what to do with their kids candy. Our house follows the tradition of the Candy Fairy. The Candy Fairy is the Tooth Fairy's cousin. The Candy Fairy is the Tooth Fairy's cousin and since everyone knows that the better conditioned teeth are worth more in Tooth Fairy-landia so she helps by trading candy for presents.

On Halloween night, my son got to pick out 2 pieces of candy he wanted to keep (you get 1 piece for every year old you are) and the rest was left on the dining room table for the Candy Fairy. In the morning when he wakes up, he'll find presents from the Candy Fairy in his bucket instead.


Do you have other healthy Halloween traditions? I'd love to hear about them!

A Natural Mom's Guide to the Fourth of July

Forget fireworks, bugs and sun burns, this natural mama's biggest fear on the fourth of July is all the crazy artificially colored foods packed with sugar that are going to be at family festivities. Don't get me wrong: I love a cute Pinterest project, but can we do it without tons of Blue 2 and Red 3? (and you know, the risk of thyroid disease, cancer, food allergies and hyperactivity associated with them? If food coloring issues are new to you, check out this short article from the Food Network).

Now, there are natural food coloring alternatives out there. Check out this great looking kit from India Tree (which I have not used myself but it looks pretty awesome) made from concentrated vegetable color. But when nature makes so many beautiful and tasty foods come in patriotic colors all ready, why go to the extra time and expense?

Check out some of my favorite natural Fourth of July recipes!

(remember many of these recipes contain berries which absorb pesticides that can't wash off. Go organic when you can)

Drinks

Left: Strawberries, blueberries and pineapple are the star of the show in this patriotic sangria from PunchBowl.com.

Center: Make a pretty, red, watermelon strawberry lemonade following the recipe from Frosted Bake Shop (is it just me, or does this look like the best thing ever?).

Right: If you're looking for something a little deeper red and less sweet, Good Housekeeping has a great recipe for Red Strawberry Tea that features red tea, strawberries and pomegranate cranberry juice. Make a pitcher for everyone and then make a seperate pitcher for the grown ups with a little something-something added in.

Naturally Red, White and Blue

Left: There is no summer side more classic than a potato salad. Use a mix of red, white a blue potatoes to make yours pop with this recipe from Proud Italian Cook.

Center: Berries are a natural choice for a sweet side. Serve them simply as they come in paper cones to make it easy to mingle and snack on a small handful. Photo from Better Homes and Gardens.

Right: Both potato chips and corn chips come in natural red and blue varieties (though the red corn chips are usually a result of adding tomato) that are easy to find at local supermarkets. Serve up red and blue chips with a creamy white dip. Like the fancy cones? Follow Martha Stewart's post here to make your own.

Printables

Left: Your food doesn't need to be red, white, or blue to be festive! Download the free printables from Le Partie Sugar to dress up your otherwise plain foods. I also love her addition of colorful paper straws to add flair.

Center: Make patriotic little snack cups for pretzels, nuts or trail mix using these printable snack cups from the Mardi Gras Outlet blog.

Right: Magnolia Creative Co. has a variety of patriotic printables available for free as well. I particularly love the hot dog wrappers.

Dessert

Left: Make a heaping cherry and blueberry pie following this recipe from Women's Day that focuses on using pre-made ingredients so you can spend more of your day enjoying your day.

Center: Top your favorite cupcakes with blueberries, raspberries and coconut and arrange like a flag or follow this recipe from Good Housekeeping to make a tasty lemon cake from scratch.

Right: Follow Betty Crocker's recipe for shortcake stars to make a showstopping dessert from your latest trip to the you-pick berry fields.

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I hope whether you're a natural mama or you're just starting your journey of avoiding artificial junk in your food that you found at least one idea that will make your Fourth of July holiday a little more festive and worry free.

A special thanks to all the bloggers and women's websites that featured such great content. I was delighted to feature you.  If you like showing off your "as seen on" swag, please feel free to grab a button if you'd like one.

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Healthy Easter Treats: How to Make Cheddar Bunny "Carrots"

Aside from all the plastic junk that accumulates around the holidays, the other thing that makes this green mom  crazy, is that Americans are conditioned to always celebrate holidays with large quantities of sugar. Candy candy everywhere! So if you aren't filling your little bunnies' easter eggs with candy, what do you put in their basket or bring as treats to class parties?

Creative Carissa's Favorite Healthy Easter Options

• Make your own playdough
• Books  (I just bought brand new Dr. Seuss books at Goodwill for $1 each)
• Socks
• Non-Toxic Nail Polish like Piggy Paint
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Healthy Snacks 
• Cheddar bunny carrots!

What you need
These carrots are super simple and were made with things I already had on hand. You will need:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunny crackers
• Plastic baggies **see my note below about plastic bags**
• Scissors
• Green Yarn or ribbon

**An important note about plastic bags**

Beware of the triangle shaped party bags often sold in the seasonal section of department stores as the plastics used often contain questionable ingredients like BPA. Instead, purchase baggies made for food that are explicitly labeled to be PVC, BPA and phthalate free. I personally use the bags from Whole Food's 365 brand as they are 100% polyethelene and free of these questionable ingredients.

Step 1: Fill the bag
Open a bag and pour in about 1/2 cup of crackers.

Step 2: Check for "carrotiness"

Make sure your bag is filled to the right level to make you happy with its carroty shape. Add more crackers if needed.

Step 3: Trim the top
Trim the top zipper edge off the bag.

Step 4: Tie the top
Pull out a length of about 2 yards of yarn. Keep folding the length in half until you have a large loop about 6 inches in length. Tie it around the top of the crackers.

Step 5: Make it pretty
Slide your scissors in the ends of the yarn loops and trim them to make a cute little tuft of fringe.

Step 7: Repeat
Keep going until you have all the little carrots you need. If you are bringing these to a class party or group event, be sure to keep or photocopy the ingredients list from the box so anyone worried about food allergies can check them out before enjoying.

If you have a favorite non-toxic or non-sugary Easter idea, I'd love to hear about it! Please feel free to share in the comments.

A Green Family's Gift Guide

Have you seen the piece that Fox did this week on the 7 foods you should never eat? These are things green moms have been talking about for a while, so I'm glad to see it getting some mainstream attention! Seeing lists like this can be overwhelming, though. I mean, how do you live without canned tomatoes?! (ps I have an answer).  If you have a green family on your list who is interested in cleaning up their family's food act, these might be some great presents to consider giving (or putting on your own list for Santa!).

What: A Pressure Canner (and canning supplies)

Why? Commercially canned foods almost universally contain the hormone-disrupting chemical, BPA. High acid foods like tomatoes, cause even more BPA to leach into food than with lower acid ones. BUT you can can your own tomatoes, beans and more at home. In glass jars. This severely reduces the amount of  BPA that your family is exposed to - especailly if you are big on canned food items like diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Where to get it: This pressure canner from Presto  is affordable and basic. For a little bit more you can get a canning starter set that includes everything you need except for jars. You'll want to make sure you get a pressure canner that comes with a pressure gauge. You can pick up jars in varying sizes at your local grocery store.


What: A Glass Popcorn Popper

Why? Chemicals that line bags of microwave popcorn like PFOA are linked to human infertility and certain types of cancer. Manufacturers are promising to phase these chemicals out by 2015. But let's be honest. That's a long ways away. In the meantime, do microwave popcorn the non-toxic way with this rad popcorn popper  (which on my personal Christmas list this year). There are a variety of air poppers on the market, too. But this one won't blow a fuse and it can also go in the dishwasher.

Where to get it: This is pretty much the only glass popcorn popper I've seen on the market. Pair it with a sampler of different kinds of popping corn. You can pick up fun popcorns at Whole Foods or Target, or get a ready-made sampler from Etsy Seller DellCoveSpices.


What: A CSA Membership

Why? Many kinds of non-Organic produce like apples and potatoes still retain traces of the pesticides used to grow them on or even in the fruit or veggie itself. Plus when the fruits and veggies at your corner store had to fly halfway across the globe to get there, the carbon footprint is high and their nutritional value is reduced. Enter the CSA: CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture." You pre-pay a local farmer for a share of the harvest and every week you get a box full of locally grown (many times organic) produce and sometimes eggs or milk, too!

Where to get it? Check out Local Harvest for more information about CSAs and for help locating a CSA program in your neck of the woods.


What: Glass Food Storage Containers

Why? Even if you use BPA-free plastic containers for your leftovers, other hormone disrupting chemicals called phthalates can still be lurking. In fact, some BPA-free plastics have even higher levels of phthalates than those that kept BPA in the mix (read: bad news). In a world of green-washing and marketing hype, go with glass. Know for sure that you're keeping crazy chemicals out of your leftovers and use pretty containers that can also go in the freezer, microwave, oven and dishwasher.

Where to get it? The Pyrex set above is available online and at most department and home stores like Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Other brands make similar products but Pyrex is the one we use and love in our home.


What: Non-Toxic Nail Polish

Why? Most nail polishes contain a long list of highly toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, phthalates, actone and more (read more about it here). These chemicals don't just go on your nails - they get into your lungs even long after the polish is dry as the chemicals continue to off-gas for days. Keep toxic chemicals off your hands and out of your lungs by using non-toxic polishes like the ones from Piggy Paint or Gaiam.

Where to get it? Amazon sells lots of colors and gift sets from the Piggy Paint line. Also check naturals stores like Whole Foods or your local cloth diaper store (the Cotton Babies store in Vancouver carries these!). Hint: "Like" Piggy Paint on Facebook as they frequently post promo codes for discounts on certain colors or sets.

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I hope I've given you some great ideas as you shop for loved ones or put together your own wish lists. If you're a green mom or dad, leave a comment and share what you're jonesing for this year!

This is a non-sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine. No free products or compensation were given by the companies mentioned above for including their products or naming them in this guide. Some of the links above are my affiliate links. See my affiliate links note in the sidebar.

The Candy Fairy

 Halloween can be a funny holiday. I have never enjoyed the creepy, gross-you-out, super scary things that some people like to do for Halloween. But I do love pumpkins, leaves and costumes (non-scary ones of course).  As mom to a little guy, though, Halloween brings a whole new dynamic....what to do with all that candy?!

Last year, we didn't go trick or treating. I made K a Yoda costume, Joe was a Jedi and I was Princess Leia. We went to a Halloween party and K was so little we just wore him around in the sling all night. We had a blast but because we didn't go trick or treating, there was no need to worry about piles of candy when we got home.

Halloween 2010 - K is 5 months old

This year was a little different because K can walk and could actually go trick-or-treating. K's friend Evie came over and we took them out trick-or-treating. Evie was a cheerleader and K was a monk (You can even check out my monk costume tutorial), although he was also frequently mistaken for being a Jedi. We just went around our block but still came home with a nice little bag of candy.

Halloween 2011 - K is almost 18 months old

So now, what to do? We have a bag of candy and we don't really eat candy. K, especially, doesn't eat candy. I got a lot of "let him have one piece a day" advice (and a lot of looks from people who thought I was nuts for wanting to avoid giving my 1 year old candy), but I just didn't feel comfortable going from one piece of candy or a bite of a cookie about once every 10 days or so to once a day. Why? Primarily because most candy has high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient - which is made almost exclusively from genetically modified corn. Most candies also include artificial food dyes, which studies are starting to show can cause behavior problems in some children, especially those with an intolerance to food dye, like my nephew. So, uh, no thanks.  

But back to my original question....what are we going to do with the candy?  Enter...

The Candy Fairy!

I read about the Candy Fairy online and thought it was such a genius idea that we decided to adopt it. The Candy Fairy, you see, is a cousin of the tooth fairy. Her job is to help her cousin's mission of pristine teeth by removing excess candy from homes post-Halloween. Once you are done trick-or-treating, you can pick out one thing from your bucket for every year old you are. Everything else gets left for the candy fairy. She comes overnight and takes the candy away and leaves a cool toy in it's place!

The Candy Fairy is also industrious enough to wrap presents in a blankie and  ribbon from Mommy's studio

Whoa! Cool alphabet toy!

What do you do with all your Halloween candy? Does the Candy Fairy visit your house? Do you bake it into cupcakes? Do you give it away?  I'd love to hear about it!

[Easter] Sunday's Coming!

Last week was my birthday which means....Easter is on its way!  Just a little less than a month until Easter and I'm deciding what things we want to do to celebrate and decorate around the house.  Here are a few Easter ideas I'm totally loving:

1) Grow Your Own Easter Grass

(Picture from Zakka Life)

The number one Easter idea I am TOTALLY loving this year is growing your own Easter grass. Who wants that plastic, stringy stuff anyway? It's just going to end up in the trash. Plus it's a choking hazard for both my dogs and my kiddo. When you're done, juice it or compost it.

Basic how-to:
1) Pick a pretty basket
2) Line the bottom with foil or plastic. Add a thin layer of potting soil
3) Sprinkle some rye or wheat grass seeds on the surface
4) Water and keep warm

Sustainable. Pretty. Non-plastic.  I'm sold!  We're actually heading to the nursery tomorrow to get seeds so we can start growing our grass baskets this week.

If all the good ideas are already taken, why can't I find anyone selling this thing?

Plastics are poison. There I go...sounding like a hippie again. But it's true. I'll admit I was one of the biggest skeptics about BPA messing with your hormones and causing cancer when they first started talking about it in mainstream media about 4 years ago. But I'm a convert.

But even BPA free plastics aren't totally safe.  In fact, some BPA-free plastics are even worse at transferring Estrogen-Affect chemicals that non-BPA plastic. So what's a mom to do?  All I want is a cup I can drink from without poisoning myself.

Oh, I have a stainless steel water bottle. But that's hard to use when you are driving a manual shift car, walking, talking on the phone, or doing anything other than standing still and drinking. So I really want a straw, too. And a lid (in case I slosh). And It needs to hold 16-24 ounces because any smaller and I'd be refilling it a lot. I guess I'm kind of picky.

Lazy Green Parenting: Reusable Diapers

Have you guys seen the Lazy Environmentalist?   I discovered Season 1 of his TV show on Netflix (you can check it out here) and am in love. My mantra when talking about the green parenting choices we make has traditionally been "I am Not a Hippie." Because really? I'm not. Promise. I'm way too lazy and too mainstream to qualify as a hippie. BUT I do think taking care of the earth and our families in the least toxic, least wasteful way possible is important. I'm more like "The Lazy Green Mom." Which is why we use reusable (AKA "cloth") diapers: a solution that is both lazy and green. Love it!

Kaypha rocking a Bum Genius 4.0 Diaper.