Mommy Goes Green

The following is a guest post from Tracey Bianchi, author of the newly released book “Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet.”

The Magnolia Tree just outside our kitchen window is the first to bloom every year. When I see these fuzzy little nodes erupt into flowers a soft smile creeps into my very soul. It is officially Spring, and Springtime in the Midwest is no small thing. This seasonal shift means emergence from a cocoon of duvets and wool socks. It means flip flops and pale white feet hit the pavement everywhere.

Come late-March, my children are like caged animals that have been released into the wild. Shrieks of joy, a flurry of sidewalk chalk and bike helmets litter the driveway. They rip open the patio door and dash outside still hopping and pulling on shoes along the way. It is bedlam and bliss all rolled up into one sunshine filled afternoon. The sign of many more to come.

And as a mom who has hollered and cajoled her way through the long winter I am just as giddy for fresh distractions and a reunion with big wheels and bicycle helmets. This change of place has been a long time coming and I find myself yelling less and playing hop scotch more.

Finally.

I am completely and utterly thankful for Spring (well, almost).

You see, all this sunshine and balmy weather means that I also need to plot out my garden. The fresh vegetables that will dance across our table all summer. Sugar snap peas, broccoli and beans. A web of crooked carrots that hide underground and renegade pumpkin vines that take over the lawn.

I need to find the garden gloves, shovels, stepping stones. I need to tie back the random rose bush that has cropped up in the middle of our little plot. And more than anything, I need to find time and energy.

Time and energy. Time and energy.

The hot commodities of motherhood. The thought of it all actually makes me long for February once again. Less pressure to perform.

I confess, I am a “green mom” but a reluctant gardener.

But I will forge ahead this year just as in the past. I will plunge my hands into the dirt as my toddler daughter drags behind me stomping on all the seeds I so gingerly settled into their homes. I will water and weed. I will stand with my earth-laden hands on my hips, brush my bangs from my face, and I will sigh.

I know people who love to garden. I envy them. I wish I had an eye, a heart, a passion for it. Sort of like I wish I was Rachel Ray on occasion. Oh to have food and festivity just splash out of a pan whenever I wanted.

Not me. I was born with a normal, peach colored thumb.

But I will carry on this Spring and begin planting lettuce next week. And if there is any part of you that can rally the strength to do the same I beg you to join me. Reluctant or not, there is no greater joy at the dinner table than eating the food your family grew in the backyard. There is no “greener” endeavor you can embark upon other than connecting yourself to the very plants that give us life.

To see my wiry son pull a handful of string beans for dinner, to watch my saucy little daughter pop a Roma tomato right off the branch and into her mouth beats pounding a bag of fruit snacks any day. And to watch my second child, with all his defiant middle-child-ness drag a cucumber into the house is to officially trump our industrialized food industry, the grocery store chains, and the picky-eater syndrome all in one glorious moment.

As Spring gives way to Summer I beg you to grow something. Even if you find yourself garden-challenged like me. Drop basil into a pot, toss cilantro on your window sill, or plot out that long awaited vegetable garden. Then sit back alongside your children, with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and just watch it all grow. There is no greener endeavor.

Tracey Bianchi is a mother of three who lives in the Chicago area. She is the author of the newly released book “Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet”. She is a freelance writer, speaker, and is the Coordinator of Women’s Ministry at her church. You can catch her musings on a more sustainable life at http://traceybianchi.com

Check back tomorrow for our review of Tracey’s new book and a great giveaway!

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Parents Magazine has a lot of great safety tips in their August issue including one about garden hoses and lead that I hadn’t heard anywhere before.  There is no safe level of lead consumption so we should try to limit exposure to ourselves and our family as much as possible.  The magazine’s advisor, Ari Brown, M.D., noted that many hoses are made of PVC, a material that contains lead.  ( lead is just ONE of the problems with PVC )  Since lead can leach into the water coming out of the hose, you should run the hose for a minute or two before using it to fill baby pools, for example.  Whether we like it or not, we know our kids drink the water in the pool!  They also suggested never letting children drink directly from the hose. 

 This is a great practice for in the house, too.  We recently had the water in our home tested for lead and it came back positive.  Our house was built in 2007 so lead exposure in your house does not just apply to older homes.  The advice we received from the testing lab was to run water for a couple of minutes until it’s cold before drinking and never to drink hot water from the tap – always heat cold water in the microwave or on the stove.  We are also purchasing a water filter – more on that in the future!

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My wonderful husband built me a garden box for Mother’s Day this year and then my daughter and I filled it with wondeful veggies to eat this summer!  This is only the second summer that I’ve grown food ( in my life ) after growing tomatoes in containers last summer.  Well the veggies must love the new box and organic soil because they are growing like weeds!  I planted all of this about 3 weeks ago and it’s going crazy!  In the box, we planted cherry tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, onions, celery, summer squash, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers and orange bell peppers.  All in one 3×11 box.  Now I may have packed too much in there – I’m just learning – but the joy of seeing my daughter’s delight and learning while watching everything grow is wonderful and we can’t wait to start eating the veggies of our labor this summer!

You still have time to plant fruits and veggies this summer! If you don’t have the space for a box, it’s easy to grow things in containers.  We started last summer with tomatoes only and it was so easy to grow them.  You’ll find that your kids love going out to water and pick the fresh produce every day and I tell you – tomatoes from your garden are amazing compared to those in the store!

What are YOU growing in your garden?

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You often see vinegar used in DIY cleaning solutions but vinegar is an amazing product that can be used in many more applications than cleaning and it’s so inexpensive – try out a few of my favorite uses

• Cleaning your coffee pot
  White distilled vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers from hard water. Fill the reservoir with white distilled vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle.  Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished. (Be sure to check the owner’s manual for specific instructions.) Works great!

• Kill Weeds
  Spray white distilled vinegar full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until weeds are dead.  We tried this and found that some weeds fell over dead and a few couldn’t have cared less. I just pick those.

• Freshen Baby Clothes
  The addition of 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to each load of baby clothes during the rinse cycle will naturally break down uric acid and soapy residue leaving the clothes soft and fresh. I particularly use vinegar on anything with urine on it.

• Glass Front Fireplace Doors
  Wash fireplaces with a 50/50 ratio of water and white distilled vinegar to remove the blackened soot on glass front doors. If the doors have a spring-loaded clip, remove it, then take out the doors. Lay them flat on newspapers, spray with the vinegar/water solution and soak. Wipe it off with newspaper. I’ll be using this once we turn off the pilot light on our gas stove for the summer.

• Freshen a Lunch Box
  It is easy to take out the heavy stale smell often found in lunch boxes. Dampen a piece of fresh bread with white distilled vinegar and leave it in the lunch box overnight. This is my new favorite vinegar use- it’s so hard to keep my daughter’s lunch bag smelling good!

• Make a Volcano Explode
  First, make the “cone” of the volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2cups salt, 4 tablespoons cooking oil and 2 cups of water. The resulting mixture should be smooth and firm (more water may be added if needed). Stand a soda bottle in a baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Do not cover the hole or drop dough into it. Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color (can be done before sculpting if you do not take so long that the water gets cold). Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents. Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to the liquid. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. Watch out – eruption time! How cool of a mom would your kids think you were!

• Vomit in Car
  Remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor. Hasn’t this happened to every mom?  It’s SO hard to get that smell out, particularly on hot days.

• Clean Vegetables
  Get rid of expensive ‘veggie washes’ and use vinegar, particularly for non-organic produce.

• Deter ants. Discourage ants by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar outside doorways and windowsills, around appliances and wherever you find the pests coming in. These pesky critters often move in unannounced and next time I will be welcoming them with this great tip!

• Remove sticky residue.  To remove the sticky residue from bumper stickers on your car, price tags on a new product or stickers your 2 year old put all over your window ( a recent development at my house ), use full strength vinegar.  This works great and replaced my bottle of Goo Gone (saving money and the use of more chemicals than we actually needed ).

For many more tips, visit The Vinegar Institute ( yes, one exists ) for their Vinegar Tips and Tricks Guide or VinegarTips.com for 1001 vinegar tips and tricks.

Vinegar is so versatile – what are YOUR tips for using it?

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Recycled Glass Balloon Vases - VivaTerra carries these beautiful, unique vases made from recycled glass. I love their simple, classic beauty. Lopsided in just the right way, these oversized, delightful melon-shaped vases can be grouped as a threesome to hold tall flowers and branches, placed individually on tabletops, or clustered as a transparent accent.  From $39.00

Teething Necklace - This is a great gift for a pregnant or new mama!   They were created so moms wouldn’t have to give up wearing pretty jewelry, but would also be something safe for baby to grab and put in their mouths.  Available in 12 colors, they are non-toxic and dishwasher safe. Made from phthalate, BPA, PVC, and lead free silicone. $19.00

Year of Seeds - This gift, from Red Envelope, keeps continues to give with a year-round windowsill garden. Simply place the included soil and seeds into the pots, add water, and watch the flowers come to life.   Set includes seeds, bag of soil, 12 pots and easy growing instructions. 10% of proceeds go to the March of Dimes. $79.95

Custom Scrabble Tile Art Pendant by PendantLicious - I love how this mom repurposed Scrabble tiles into sweet necklaces. Send in your favorite photo and see it turned into a custom pendant.  Each pendant comes with a 2mm 18″ Ballchain Necklace ( other lengths available, upon request ).  These are so affordable, every mama needs one!  $8.00

BookSwim - If you know a reader, this is the perfect, unique gift!  BookSwim is the first online book rental library service lending you the latest bestseller, new releases and classic paperbacks, hardcovers and college textbooks Netflix®-style directly to your house!   Starting at $9.95 per month. For Mother’s Day, you can purchase a $50 gift card for $40. CODE: MOTHERSDAY2009

Envirosax - Have I mentioned what a HUGE Envirosax fan I am?  Envirosax are chic, inexpensive reusable bags.   They have a fantastic Mother’s Day special – Buy any pouch (set of 5 bags) and receive a Retro Kitchen pouch absolutely free ( value: $28.50 ) It’s only valid for pouch purchases until May 5. The free Retro Kitchen pouch will not show up in your shopping cart but will be added to your order by staff. $8.50 each or $28.50 – $37.95 per pouch ( set of 5 ).

Organic Bouquet – Take a traditional route and send flowers but this year, choose eco-friendly flowers from Organic Bouquet.  Their flowers are VeriFlora certified, grown with the least environmental impact.  Growers must meet rigorous criteria to achieve certification including fair labor practices, sustainable crop production, ecosystem protection, and product quality. $44.95

Kiwi Magazine Subscription - Mamas interested in a greener, natural lifestyle will love Kiwi. KIWI features the latest in everyday natural and organic family style – helping you to raise your children the healthiest way possible.  $11.95

Pacifica Soy Candles – Candles are such a treat, I love to curl up with a blanket, book and several candles.  Conventional candles are composed of  paraffin wax, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances, which are toxic to produce and result in indoor air pollutants. Cheaper wicks may contain traces of heavy metals ( like lead ), which can get released into the air during combustion. Choose a safer product – soy candles.  Pacifica Soy Candles are handmade with vegetable soy wax, lead-free wicks and Pacifica’s signature perfume blends with essential and natural oils. $22.00

Handmade with Love – Any mama is honored to receive homemade gifts.  Gather the kids together, pick a project and get to work. FamilyFun.com has a great group of projects for all ages.

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