Green Options

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Last week the editors at Green Options asked me if I wanted to write a review of Woogi World. “Uh, okay, I haven’t written a hatchet piece an ages.” was my unenthusiastic reply.

Here’s the deal in my house. My kids get 30 minutes of media; it can be a TV show or some computer time. I’ll give them longer for a movie when we watch together or an hour or more when they’re playing with pictures or Garage Band, but really, leaving my kids parked in front of the computer on a glorious summer day is not my idea of time well spent.

With all that being said, this review may surprise you.

The Sweet Line makes totally sweet, custom hand embroidered clothing for children, and they offer many organic styles.  If you are not the crafty type that can do embroidery, or you simply don’t have the time, the Sweet Line can give your children’s clothing that special touch. The t-shirts are made from 100% interlocked organic cotton, which is the softest organic cotton I have ever felt.

Early childhood educators suggest that using a child’s name is the first place to begin teaching your child the alphabetic principle.  Learning name recognition, as well as the letter names and sounds of one’s own name, is the logical and most appropriate way for children to learn their letters.  Custom items brandishing your child’s name, such as Sweet Line’s custom organic cotton embrodery t-shirts, give your child lots of opportunity to experience their name.  I still remember when my daughter was two-years-old and learned to spell her name from a custom clock her grandfather gave her. 

When it comes to going green, kids will learn best by example. Simple efforts that your kids can see and get involved with, like changing light bulbs, refusing receipts, and recycling as much as possible, are all great ways to get kids started in the right direction.

But another way parents can encourage green habits in their kids, other than reading books, is checking out Atlanta-based idBids, a company that offers cool eco-friendly starter kits that help kids take “iddy biddy steps for a greener world.”

It’s clear that many companies are jumping on a “green bandwagon” - creating eco-friendly products not necessarily because they believe it down to their very core, but because they know it’s popular and will sell.

Not idBids.

There are seven deadly sins. I can’t rattle them off to you but I’ll apologize in advance, because I’m fairly certain I’m guilty of some many most of them. With that being said I have two children and an obligation to turn them into stewards of the Earth. My children (like yours) are kind little people, but they have a propensity towards gluttony.

The common thread with families who conserve is that they’re part of a community and their children have a sense of obligation. Children are born narcissists and can evolve into selfish beings or amazing, giving and inspired members of our society.

How do we grow them up green?

License?

We don’t need no stinking license!

One of the most liberating experiences of homeschooling is the realization that you have the freedom to teach your children according to their own interests, needs, and maturity. It’s way different than a modern cookie-cutter educational style that assumes that physical, emotional, and psychological development are exactly the same for every kid of the same age. As homeschoolers, we can also tailor their education to be in tune with our values and morals, not society’s. That reason is a huge part of why we homeschool.

One of the things I hear from dads that don’t homeschool is while they have an interest in teaching their kids, they feel that because they work outside the home, they don’t have the time for it.

Fathers that work outside the home can still be active participants in their children’s education, even if their time for “homeschool” is limited.

This post, by our own Cassie Walker, was originally published on Friday, August 1, 2008

Over 80 million children and adults are enrolled in schools across the nation, representing about one-fourth of the population age three and older. With all of these students headed back to school, it’s no wonder that this period has become so important to retailers. August clothing sales, alone, are second only to the holidays in terms of dollars spent.

But before you head off to the mall willy-nilly, stop to think about how you can make choices to reduce your environmental impact.

You are what you wear (in junior high, at least)

First, the most important category to many kids: clothes. Of course, the greenest thing to do is to wear last-year’s clothes. Exaggerated eye roll. Hand-me-downs? Irritated stare. Thrift stores? “Gah-ross!” (Hint: try calling it “vintage”–much cooler.) And so the challenge begins.

Just when you thought that we didn’t need a World Breastfeeding Awareness week, yet another mother, this time a young mom in Berea, Kentucky, is asked to leave a restaurant for breastfeeding her child. Kentucky actually has a law that forbids public interference of a breastfeeding mother, but because she was not breastfeeding when the police arrived (who threatened to charge her with criminal trespassing if [...]

As someone who breastfed her two kids a combined total of 36 months, I, like many women, am fairly informed when it comes to the benefits of breast milk for babies. But when it comes to spouting off the same statistics when it comes to the benefits of breastfeeding for moms, I have a bit of a harder time. And sometimes, when it comes to encouraging [...]

We seem to be piggybacking off of each other here around Green Options lately - reading each others’ posts and writing new posts based on them. I just finished reading the post that Adam Williams wrote earlier today, World Naked Bike Ride: Is Anything Gained by Protesting Oil Dependency in the Buff?, and in the post he mentions that Last week ExxonMobil reported a record-setting $11.7B in second-quarter profits. These profits were gained, of course, at a time when Americans are paying more for gas at the pumps than they ever have in the past.

His post reminded me of something else I read earlier today, something else that had to do with ExxonMobil last week. On August 1, 40 local Dallas area high school students graduated from the 27th Annual ExxonMobil Green Team program. According to ExxonMobil’s website,

The ExxonMobil Green Team Program is a summer youth employment program where students are paid to participate in cleanup, environmental and beautification projects, as well as construction projects in public parks and economically depressed neighborhoods throughout the United States.

Dallas isn’t the only place ExxonMobil sponsors this program. It’s currently run in 9 U.S. cities. Students not only participate in environmental activities but they also work on basic academic skills in reading, math and writing and are taught the importance of education.

Toys nowadays seem to be so self-explanatory and automatic that the toys need toys to keep company. (Not sure if that made sense) Filled with blinking lights which I am strongly opposed to and a buttons that need power (i.e. costly batteries) to just function; I long for the good old days when a toy can simply be a toy. That means no buttons to push, no lights to blind your children with, and better yet, it can be a craft project that could be the next opportunity to simply be with your child. The crafty Socktopus is here to be the answer for those parents who long for the much simpler days (and toys). 

Friends of Socktopus are taking the concept of sock animals to a new level. Made out of old sweaters like the one your grandmother used to have; The DIY Socktopus kits turns them into a stuffed animal for your children to play with. However, it is recommended for children three and over since it does have buttons. A choking hazard for the wee ones. Friends of Socktopus are Eco-friendly because it recycles old sweaters and best of all, it’s made in the USA which guarantees that it’s Fair Trade. My only caveat is that its filled with polyester; I feel they could have used another fill that’s a bit more natural like hemp or even Eco-friendly bamboo; but I still love the concept regardless.

I also really love the concept of building something together. It can be a memorable for you to sew a Socktopus or one of his friends with your child. When time is a commodity and everything rushes by in a blur; taking the time to craft something together could be something you two can enjoy. I wish Layla was old enough so we can do this together. For the DIY kit, it is recommended for older children of ages 8 and up.

And in celebration of Mother’s Milk Series, Eco Child’s Play is having a second giveaway. Two DIY Socktopus Kits. To read more about the Mother’s Milk Series Giveaway, just click on the link.

I have the unnatural love for my California Baby Diaper Rash Cream; any hint of redness on my baby’s bum; I slather on the cream and viola! It’s gone. It’s also used under the chin because my little one has folds of chin and moisture seems to get trapped under there. The funky smell and the irritation is supposedly common in chunky babies; My pediatrician recommended vaseline and hydrocortisol cream, but I am not a fan of petroleum made products. I read the back of California baby which claimed its anti-fungal ingredients so I tried it. Totally worked. I also loved how it’s food grade so I felt it was safe enough to use around my baby’s face. I wouldn’t recommend putting it on where your little one can wipe it off and put it in ones mouth; but the triple chin on my little one did come in handy.

*** The Evidence of Triple Chin and how easily moisture collects there.

Other reasons to love California Baby Diaper Rash Cream

• Made in the USA
• Contains Organic and sustainably grown ingredients
• Eco-friendly and Biodegradable
• Cruelty Free meaning not tested on animals
• Contains Calendula and Arnica; both are which used homeopathically