The quote on the back of my Seventh Generation dish soap inspired the idea for this week’s post.  It says,

“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” – From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

When I think about teaching green, I naturally think of my boys and what I can do to raise them to be environmentally aware.  Below are a few ideas to help nurture a respect for nature and a sense of responsibility for their environment.

1.  Get Them Involved: Recycling, composting and gardening are three easy tasks that kids can actively participate in and even take responsibility for (depending on their age) that will help instill an Earth friendly mind-set and open up the door for conversations about caring for environment.  Even the youngest in the family can help sort paper and plastic in the recycling bin or gather tomatoes from the garden.  As you’re going about these tasks, talk to your kids about why they’re important.  Ask them what they think and if they have any other ideas for reducing waste at home.

2. Enjoy Nature – There’s no better way to instill a respect for nature in a child than to let them experience the joy and beauty of it.  Go for walks or hikes exploring your neighborhood, local parks or hiking trails.  Create a scavenger hunt list of items you might expect to find in your local environment.  Flowers, animals, even weeds can all be on the list.  Bring along a camera and take photos of the items or purchase and inexpensive notebook and some crayons and let your kids build a nature journal.  Each of our boys has a small back pack filled with a blank notebook, colored pencils, glue stick and magnifying glass.  They take these on our nature walks or trips to the park and frequently draw photos of things they see or gather leaves and other items to glue in their notebooks and identify later.

3.  Read – There are tons of great books that teach kids the importance of everything from recycling to water conservation.  We have several that we love to read, but I’ve found that the boys favorites are the books that teach them about animals and their natural habitats. These have nurtured a love of animals that is starting to transition to a natural desire to care for the environment they call home.  I’ve created a list of some of the boys favorite books below.

What would you add to this list?  Do you have a favorite tip or book for teaching kids to be green?

This is the last week of the Growing Green series.  Check back on Wednesday for a guest post on greening your fitness routine and don’t forget to visit The Frugal Seed, I Dream of Clean and Laurel of Leaves for tips on TEACHING green.

Reading Unbound Birth reminds me how little I knew six and even four years ago when my boys were born. Looking back on my birth experiences, both in hospitals – with various complications because both of our boys were almost 4 weeks early – I’m reminded that no two pregnancies and no two deliveries are the same.  You can’t predict exactly how it will go, but being prepared and having an idea of what you want and how to work toward it is the first step to having a positive experience.

If you’re considering a natural birth or you just want to have a better grasp on your birthing options, Jenny Yarbrough’s new ebook, Unbound Birth, is a great place to start.  She shares a collection of real stories that offer encouragement and support as well as valuable expertise to help you shape a plan that will move you closer to the type of labor and delivery you’d like to have.  The book touches on everything from diet and exercise to the actual hospital experience, but it’s so easy to read.

As women, we tend to turn to our friends for advice, especially when it comes to childbirth, but not all of us have friends who’ve experienced or desired natural birth.  This book offers those real life examples from women we can all relate to.  The casual tone takes what can be an overwhelming topic and turns it into a simple conversation between friends.

I wish I’d had this book when I was preparing for the birth of either of my boys.  For me, the security of the controlled hospital environment complimented by an informed natural birth plan would have been both comforting and empowering.  With little knowledge about my options, I was at the mercy of the experts in the room.  I had no idea what I wanted or what was best for me and my babies. A book like this could have changed that.

Without going into all the (still scary to me) details I’ll simply say that I felt extremely out of control during my both of my boys’ births.  There were moments where medications were being administered, alarms were going off and I had no idea what was happening.  At one point, I was even introduced to a man who the nurse “jokingly” referred to as the shock doctor. He had the heart jumping paddles on hand and I still don’t know if they were for me or the baby. Luckily, neither of us needed them.

When my second son was born, I had an epidural test dose administered, which went up and began to numb my heart, face and lungs.  Because of this, I wasn’t able to have the epidural I anticipated and I was completely unprepared to deliver naturally, which was terrifying.  Turns out, the actual pushing was so much easier without the epidural.  I could feel what I was doing and adjust to the doctors instructions much faster than I could with my first son when I was completely numb.  When little guy #2  decided to turn his shoulders sideways at the end and got stuck in the birth canal, being able to feel how I was pushing became really important to getting him out quickly! I never really experienced a natural birth – but my second delivery was closer and honestly easier without the epidural.  If we had decided to have three I think I would have tried for a natural in hospital birth.  Our lifestyle has changed a lot since our boys were born.  We’re definitely a more natural family now.  But at that time I was honestly just afraid of the pain – which wasn’t as bad as what I had built it up to be in my mind.

It’s sad to admit, but our experiences were more scary and stressful than beautiful and joyful – because of complications – but also because I was unprepared.

I’d recommend Unbound Birth to anyone considering a natural birth in the hospital or anyone who is unsure of what type of delivery they’d like to have.  It’s an enjoying and helpful read.

If you’re expecting or know someone who is, you can purchase and download a copy of Unbound Birth here.  You can also ask questions, find additional information and interact with the Unbound Birth community and Jenny through Facebook and Twitter.

Did you have a natural hospital birth experience?  Would you consider it?

It seems that natural Easter egg dyes are all the rage this year and I LOVE it!  Our oldest is allergic to red dye so we chose the natural route out of necessity.  While I’ll admit it’s a little more “work” and takes more time – it’s also a lot more fun.

If you choose to use natural dyes for this year’s Easter eggs (and I hope you give it a shot), I’d suggest making an afternoon of it. We used it as home-school science project and charted the intensity of the different food dyes and the colors they made when mixed together.  You won’t get the traditional neons or pastels that the box kits produce, but you will come up with some really unique and earthy hues that are great for decorating.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Boil your eggs. We boiled a dozen white and a dozen brown.  The brown eggs actually pick up the natural dye really well and make some interesting colors.  I know it seems like common knowledge, but here’s how we boil our eggs.  Place them in a pan of water first (dropping cold eggs into boiling water makes them more likely to crack).  Put them on the stove and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Run them under cold water to cool them down before coloring.

Step 2: Choose your colors.  Spinach = light green  Blueberries = purple/blue  Beets = vibrant red  Coffee Grounds = brown  Yellow Onion Skins = light orange  Turmeric = orange  Most of the vegetables need to be shredded first.  We ran ours through the food processor.  The blueberries, onion skins, coffee and turmeric can go into the water as is.  Place your ingredient in a pan and cover with enough water to boil.  Bring each item to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Allow it to simmer until the water is a few shades darker than the color you hope to achieve for your Easter eggs.  I dipped a white measuring cup into the water to check the color levels.  When it’s ready, pour the mixture through a strainer and into your container for egg dyeing.  We used mason jars and large coffee cups.  Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to each color.  This definitely helps produce a more vibrant dye.  Allow the natural dye to cool before coloring your eggs.  You can put them in the fridge to speed things up.

Step 3: Color eggs as usual.  We dipped them, dunked them and double dipped to get a variety of shades.  And we had a great time doing it!

If your kids are a little older or you really want to get creative mix 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar with one tablespoon of the natural dye.  This makes a paint paste that you can apply to your eggs with a brush to make raised patterns.  Just make sure the eggs are completely dry before you try it.

If you dye your eggs naturally and have tips or other colors that work we’d love to know.  Please leave your tips and tricks in the comments or post a photo with the information on our Facebook page.

But the reality is much different.  We’re creatures of habit around here.  Our menu is limited compared to the foods and recipes I day dream about.  As much as I would love to cook a new recipe every night just for fun that’s not realistic for so many reasons and that’s ok.  Being creatures of habit is what works for us.  Eating healthy and eating a variety of foods is tough so relaxing into the foods that work for our family is something I’m learning to accept and enjoy.

I will say that meal planning, grocery shopping and budgeting are a lot easier because I know what works for our family and I have a pretty solid list of fridge, freezer and pantry staples that I know I can use to prepare healthy meals that my family will actually eat.

I thought I’d share some of our staples with you and in turn I’d love to hear some of your weekly staples.

I feel so grateful that my boys (and my husband) have learned to love fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks.  So we always have apples, oranges, pears, grapes, bananas and berries in the house. These mix well in oatmeal and yogurt, they make great juice in our Breville, and they’re good all on their own as snacks.  We also keep carrots, celery, kale, spinach, romaine, bell peppers, cilantro and onions in the house.  These are veggies my family will eat in salads, cooked with steak or chicken, juiced and they’ll eat some of them raw.  I have no idea how this compares to other families with young kids.  But it’s a big leap from where we were three years ago so rather than trying to force new choices on them at each meal we’re just enjoying what we can do with these.

Other staples that round out our weekly grocery list are grass-fed meats, pasture raised chicken and eggs, greek yogurt, sunbutter, quinoa, whole grain pastas, tortilla chips, salsa, hummus and nuts.

These aren’t the only foods we buy, but they are definitely key staples on our shopping list and they make a good variety of meals and healthy snacks.  I have convinced my family to let me indulge in one fun new recipe each week and I use those to introduce new foods and satisfy my craving for a little adventure in the kitchen.

I’m curious.  Are you creatures of habit in the kitchen or do you get adventurous?  What are some of your grocery staples?

I think a highlight for Kade was chopping up about a dozen green peppers for the meat loaves.  He was pretty proud of himself for using a real knife.  I’ve never let him use a knife in the kitchen before (other than a butter knife) and probably wouldn’t have for awhile.  He showed me that he’s capable of a lot more than I give him credit for.

He also helped mix up a vat of ketchup to top the meat loaves. The staff was so great about teaching him and involving him in every aspect of the process that if felt more like they were serving us instead of us serving with them.

At the end of our shift, the team took lunch orders and put together and outdoor feast using freezer meals they had on hand, plus a fresh salad, homemade ranch dressing, a pitcher of tea and chocolate pizzelles (an Italian cookie I grew up with) one of the other volunteers had brought in.  We ate on the patio while Kade played with a set of plastic bowling pins and had a great conversation about homeschooling and of course – food.

As a family, it’s been a goal to find more frequent and regular opportunities to volunteer together.  This was a great first experience with a program that we believe is doing great things in our community.  In addition to the ways they are already providing for families in need, they are also enthusiastic about getting kids, families and the community involved in every aspect so that we can all work together.  They didn’t see a six year old in the kitchen as a distraction or a burden.  They saw him as a child eager to learn and serve and they nourished that the same way they are nourishing our community – thoughtfully and with great intentions.

We’re working to put together a homeschool volunteer day and we’re already looking forward to our next volunteer day as a family.

Have you found any great ways to volunteer as a family?

FEAST Together is an organization that serves families in need, supports local farms and chefs, and offers hands-on food education while making it easy for hard-working families to eat nourishing meals together.  I told you it was perfect for us!  On Tuesday’s we get to bring our boys to the FEAST Together kitchen where they actively participate in preparing meals for the CSA families as well as families at a local homeless shelter.

I had the opportunity to meet with Benjamin Surmi and Jenny Vaughn Harrison, the FEAST Together founders, to learn a little more about their unique program.  Here’s how it works:

If you’re interested in eating healthy, tasty food prepared by talented local chefs with ingredients from neighboring farms – keep reading.  You start by visiting the FEAST Together website and choosing a local chef and their seasonal menu.  They offer a variety including vegetarian and allergy sensitive.  When you pick one you like, you choose to become an investing member – similar to a CSA.  Your membership fee secures you amazing, healthy meals to nourish your family without any grocery shopping, prep or clean up. the option vary by chef by they can be customized for family size and number o Your membership money makes it possible for FEAST Together to not only fund your meals, but to share the same real food with families who might not be able to afford any food let alone fresh, whole foods.

To learn more, watch this short video clip from Benjamin and Jenny or visit their website.  If you’re here in Nashville, this is definitely an organization worth looking into for education and access to healthy meals.  It’s also a great place to volunteer with your whole family!

Dr. Molly Miller, Earth and Environmental Science Professor at Vanderbilt University, accompanied by Anne Choquette, a Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, will lead a two mile walk through Percy Warner’s Mossy Ridge Trail. Participants will be shown major rock formations and learn the history they record. Hear about how Nashville’s landscape was once a Bahamas like paradise and a stagnant ocean bottom thick with dead algae eventually transformed into oil and gas. Don’t miss the chance to chat with the Mayor, learn about nature, meet people and get healthy. Dress for cold weather, bring your camera, and water. Also, wear walking shoes – portions of the trail may be muddy!

Walk will only be cancelled in the case of severe weather, snow or icy conditions.

The concept came from a Family Fun shark t-shirt I made for my son’s birthday party over the summer. It’s cute, easy and inexpensive to make. You can customize the paint colors and design for a boy or girl and this is easy enough that the kids can help.

Supplies:
- Any t-shirt (we used heather gray)
- contact paper
- scissors
- cardboard
- fabric spray paint (any color you like) (we used black)

Instructions:
Put a piece of cardboard inside the shirt to keep the paint from soaking through and to create a solid work surface.

Cut strips of contact paper and press them onto your shirt in the shape of desired design. We used a heart with an arrow and intentionally made the edges overlap and the design imperfect to get a casual, rugged look more suitable for boys.

Spray the front of the shirt paying special attention to the edges of the tape. Let the shirt dry then remove the tape. Wash inside out.

Here’s the final product.

To sum up a very long day as quickly as possible let’s just hit the highlights.  Got in the car to drive little man to Mother’s Day Out with a full day of errands planned once I dropped him off – but the car wouldn’t start.  Waited 90 minutes for AAA to come jump it, which was just enough time for some nasty weather to roll in.  Spent the afternoon watching the news and listening for the tornado sirens. The dishwasher officially broke and required a call to the plumber. By the time the weather cleared up, little man had fallen asleep.  So, we didn’t leave the house all day and none of the errands got done – including grocery shopping.  Normally this wouldn’t be a problem except that we literally had nothing in the house to make for dinner.  I mean nothing.  A rare occurrence, but we’ve had a lot of company and I desperately needed groceries.

I knew we had to venture out, but we were all in our jammies and I didn’t feel like getting dressed so it would have to be a drive through.  The problem is we don’t eat fast food, except occasionally Chick-fil-A. (They have some good choices.)  So that’s where we decided to go.  I read about their new healthier kids meals from Faithful Provisions so I thought we could  make some pretty good choices even though we weren’t eating at home.  It didn’t work out exactly as I had hoped – but that was fitting for our day.

I ordered a grilled chicken salad with veggies and no dressing and a cup of chicken noodle soup.  I got the boys the grilled chicken nugget meal with a cinnamon applesauce Fruit Buddy.  They both thought the Fruit Buddy was a cool idea, but neither of them ended up liking it and they refused to try the grilled chicken nuggets.  I seriously can’t understand why, but again, that went with our day.   Both boys were crying and starving, but refused to eat any of the food in front of them. So, against my better judgement – and to the entertainment of the drive through staff - I drove back through and ordered them each a regular chicken nugget meal.  (Should I have insisted that they eat the grilled chicken nuggets?  Probably.  Did I have the energy for that battle tonight?  Definitely not.)

So that was our crazy day.  Reflecting back now that the house is quiet and everyone is in bed, I’m grateful that all the car needed was a jump.  I’m grateful that all we experienced from the severe weather threat was heavy rain and strong winds.  And I’m grateful that both of my boys went to bed with full bellies tonight even it wasn’t my first meal choice.

And now, against my better judgement, I’m going to watch New Girls and drink a cup of tea instead of working out.

Tomorrow is a new day!  Hope you have a great one!

I remembered creating a vision board during a Ladies Who Launch workshop and decided to give it a try with the boys.  It was perfect because it made the exercise visual, which helped hold their attention, plus it gives us a point of reference to look back on all year.  It was fun to watch their little minds work as they came up with their goals.  I gave them a few general examples, but after that, I let them run with it.

Here are their boards and a few of our family goals for 2012.  I haven’t finished my vision board yet, but I’m working on one too

Jake needed help with the drawings, but he came up with all of his own goals and helped color the pictures.  In 2012 he would like to learn to read,  learn to write all of his letters, get all of his belts in Cubs TaeKwanDo (this may be a 2 year goal), go camping, save $15, and learn to hit a baseball coach pitch style.

Kade put his board together all on his own.  In 2012 he would like to learn to ride his bike without training wheels, save $200 to buy toys for kids who don’t have any, save $270 of his own money, go camping,  get his green belt in juniors TaeKwanDo, learn more about animals and learn to chop down a small tree.  I’m not sure where that last one came from, but maybe we’ll get a real Christmas tree this year so he can check that off his list.

Here are a few of our family goals for 2012:

1.  Watch less TV in the evening and spend more time reading or playing games together.

2.  Volunteer our time as a family once a month.

3.  Try a new food once a week.

4.  Share what we’re thankful for at breakfast every morning.  We almost always eat breakfast together (which is something I’m thankful for) so it’s the perfect time.

At the end of the year, we plan to look back and reflect on what we’ve accomplished, add any extra accomplishments we’re really proud of and have a big celebration.

Have you made a vision board yourself or with your family?  We’d love to see it!