Hot enough for ya? Here in Florida, it’s hibernation time…we reminisce about being at the playground in the afternoon, taking long walks with our puppy, and not rushing in and out of air conditioned places because we’re afraid of melting or burning too fast. I’ve never gotten over this part of living in South Florida, and for kids with summer birthdays, it means an indoor party for sure.

Craft parties for kids are all the rage right now. Instead of paying a company to come and set everything up, hosting a craft-based birthday party is a welcome change from arcades or other loud, obnoxious venues. Art parties are fun, creative, and always get great reactions from parents and kids!

Fortunately, there are amazing resources to find ideas for birthday party crafts, for any time of year. My favorite kid’s crafty website right now is No Time for Flash Cards. Started by Allison McDonald, a former preschool teacher and now full-time mom to her two-year-old son, No Time for Flash Cards keeps kids busy and educated through thoughtful yet simple hands-on activities. The site is broken up into “Crafts,” “Book Reviews,” “Songs,” “Alphabet Activities,”and “Naptime Creations” (for older kids who don’t always get a chance to use smaller items when little ones are around).

There’s something for every kind of child here - quieter activities for more meticulous kids, and more open-ended crafts for those who like to throw around the color and stickers with reckless abandon. There are many crafts using recycled materials, which is a huge plus in my house. And, we love the book reviews - my girls often ask to go right to the library after I read Allison’s review to them!

Since the Fourth is coming up, my girls have been really into the concept of fireworks. The “Light Up the Sky” craft is a perfect way for kids to imagine their perfect fireworks display. Instead of gluing the “fireworks” onto paper, I’m going to have the girls attach them to paper towel rolls, to bring to the beach when we see them this weekend. It’s a great way to get kids into the spirit of the night!

With the 4th of July fast approaching, we’re in full summer party swing! There are so many ways to help green your BBQ, family reunion, or summer birthday outdoor extravaganza - and it’s easy and more affordable than you think! This week, I’m focusing on parties with kids. After my daughters received a plastic pail filled with plastic toys that have already been broken and thrown away, I was really discouraged. There are so many alternatives out there to make cleaner, greener party planning decisions.

Here’s a great place to begin. Think of Green Planet Parties as your eco-party planner, from table decor to goodie bags. You can outfit your entire shindig right here - from the tablecloth and reusable decorations, to plates and napkins, right to the little extra something sent home with the kids.

I love GPPs “Party in a Bag” - a generous set of plates, napkins, and utensils to make your celebration table chic and eco. Choose from Sugarcane Bagasse plates in white, or a more textured palm leaf plate, which has a great background story. These leaves come from India, where local villagers gather palm leaves that fall to the ground naturally. They are then thermoformed (heated and formed) and finished into a plate shape. No trees are harmed to make either plate, and both sets of plates are fully biodegradable and compostable after use, meaning they’ll return to the earth from which they came.

Each Party in a Bag contains:

25 - 7″ Earthenware Palm Leaf plates or 6″ Sugarcane Bagasse Plates

50 - plush napkins made from 100% recycled and 40% post-consumer materials

25 - 9oz cold cups made from PLA corn

75 - 25 each of spoons, forks, knives PLA corn based cutlery

1 - complimentary oxo-degradable garbage bag for clean-up

1 - complimentary reusable cotton bag for everyday use

Attention green party planners everywhere! Green Planet Parties is generously donating a “Party in a Bag” giveaway set for one party-giver (retail value $36.75 for palm leaf and $32.95 for sugarcane)! The rules are simple - visit Green Planet Parties, and leave a comment here with an answer to this: What item from Green Planet Parties will give your summer celebration the green kick it needs? It can be for the kids, for your table or an upcoming wedding. This giveaway will be open through next Tuesday, July 7th, at midnight PST. The giveaway is open to US residents only, the winner will be chosen at random. Good luck, and happy summer!

It’s cake and ice cream day for me, hooray!

If your kids are like mine, you must get invited to a lot of homemade birthday parties (whether it’s really anyone’s birthday or not)! I’ve always kept a set of birthday goodies around to play with over and over. We have a wooden cake set from Melissa and Doug, but as I’m a self-professed Etsy addict, I wanted a handmade, soft version as well. Lo and behold, what a hit I’ve found with The Fakery Bakery!

Isn’t the name the best? Paula McCrosky hand sews adorable cakes, cookies, cupcakes, donuts and even Pop Tarts, in a variety of sizes and colors. Made from felt, these yummy creations are sure to last many a tea party or birthday extravaganza with your children’s stuffed animals. You can custom order products in various foods and colors, to please even the pickiest “eaters”.

If you love a wonderfully cozy look to your play food, Crazy Daisy knits adorable confections that are totally party-worthy. You can even order a nice big slice for the birthday boy or girl with their age, to really personalize their day. I love the detail on Crazy Daisy’s page, including fancy fondant cakes and conversation heart cupcakes.

Now, off to get my REAL birthday cake fix!

Fifteen years ago, Melanie and Malcolm Rands made a commitment to their farm-based, eco-village in New Zealand. They developed ecostore, a line of plant-based and essential oil products, totally natural and biodegradable products that wouldn’t pollute their environment or the people who live there. Thankfully, they’ve expanded to the US with ecostore USA! From baby to bath to pet and your home, ecostore’s use and philosophy of “No Nasty Chemical” rings true with many parents these days. This month, ecostore USA wants to thank their loyal customers by holding a quick and easy video contest with a great prize - a $500 Visa card!

What you need to do:

• Make a 30 second clip of you using the lemon cream cleanser showing the effectiveness and how it is healthy and eco-friendly.
• Download your 30 second clip to any service such as YouTube, Google Video or Viddler.
• Link your video to the ecostore USA Facebook Fan page (you must also become a fan).
• One winner will be chosen by the ecostore USA team based on creativity, uniqueness, and effective use of the product.
• Video Contest begins June 16th and ends June 29th, 2009
• All Entries MUST Fill out our online entry form on their website.

What you get if you win:

• A $500 Visa Card
• A link to the ecostore USA website and blog to the winner’s blog, video or both.
• A link to the winner’s video, blog or both that will be used for a coupon at coupon.com to promote the lemon cream cleanser at Meijer stores.

Ok, so you don’t have a lot of time. BUT, a $500 Visa card to use for anything you want seems a pretty awesome incentive to get in front of a video camera. Can’t wait to see who wins! Good luck!

I’ve always had a major love for cereal, and can remember how all the boxes were lined up on top of my refrigerator. I would “eenie meenie minee moe” my way through the boxes, but never seemed to finish them.

These days, I limit the amount of cereal we have in our pantry at one time (usually two or three - two “healthy” cereals and one “fun” one). This saves money by not allowing the cereal to go stale, cutting down on food and packaging waste. It also allows my kids to rotate what they eat, so they can try new cereals and enjoy them for a couple of weeks.

When I found Three Sisters Cereal at Whole Foods (where is available exclusively), I judged it right then and there strictly on the packaging. There, among the shelves of boxes, were not-too-big (12.5 ounces), see through bags of naturally sweetened, whole grain cereal. No box! For the same amount of food, the price was less than most cereals, and no need to recycle a box, Three Sisters also explains that their cereals are produced using sustainable energy. Three Sisters purchases wind-generated electricity credits from Windsource, a Colorado renewable energy program. They estimate on the bag that if even half of the cereal boxes used were simply bags, it would save “90,000 tons of paperboard…the energy saved could power 11,000 homes for a year.” All because of a cereal box!

I bought the Cinnamon Sweets flavor, which was definitely sweet without being overpowering. My older daughter loved it, and I have to say I had a few bowls myself. That being said, it’s not the most nutritious line of cereals, which puts it in my “fun cereal” rotation. I was also disappointed to find that Three Sisters’ Sweet Wheat and Marshmallow Oaties are made with an animal-derived gelatin, making the cereal not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or people who are kosher or Halal (the other flavors are certified Kosher). Hopefully, this can change in the near future - and maybe cereal companies will catch on about Three Sisters’ innovative, waste-saving packaging.

I discovered the games/toy company eeBoo when searching for an inexpensive yet thoughtful birthday party favor for my four year old. I fell in love with their illustrator game cards, and have been hooked on all things eeBoo ever since. When my girls received the eeBoo Respect the Earth and Good Citizenship Flash Cards, I was once again reminded about how thoughtful a company can be, with a classically vintage twist that’s appealing to both kids and design-conscious adults.

The flash cards come in a pack of 48 cards, each one illustrated with a simple yet powerful suggestion fit for a child to understand. The Respect the Earth Flash Cards have sayings such as “When you play or read during the day…Use natural light. Turn on lights only when necessary!” “To better understand the planet…Spend time in Nature and see what it can teach you.” And, my personal favorite, one which I’m really trying to help my own kids - “Before opening the fridge…THINK before opening the fridge! Don’t let the cold air escape!”

Good Citizenship cards feature words of wisdom such as  “When someone is being unfair…Point out injustice!” “When a volunteer is needed…volunteer!” “When people talk about the news…listen and learn about your world.” Both sets of cards are great for kids who are ready to step up and learn about responsibilities both within the home and the larger world around them. Eeboo recommends these for kids ages 5 and up, but are a great tool for every child - as well as a reminder to parents about what’s important for children to learn beyond reading and writing.

Hello, all! It’s been almost a month since I’ve posted, but it’s great to see people are visiting teensygreen and gaining insight into living more simple, greener lives. I have a lot planned to write about this summer, and I thought I’d start off with a great giveaway!

I am not one to shy away from soda, but I have been trying to cut down/cut it out completely this year. One alternative I love is carbonated water, or club soda or seltzer, or “bubbly water” as my kids put it. I feel like I’m getting that carbonated soda-y feeling without the caffeine, sugar, or sodium. What I don’t like is buying bottles and bottles of seltzer and, even though I recycled the bottles, just felt like there could be an alternative to all the liters of water.

Sodastream is doing just that - liberating people from plastic bottles and soda cans by allowing people to make their own sodas and carbonated water at home. If the average American consumes almost 600 cans or bottles of soda every year, more than bottled water - doesn’t it make sense to stop the cycle and make your own, avoiding the waste? Here are the amazing environmental benefits of a soda maker -

• No batteries or electricity
• Reduces energy used to manufacture bottles and cans
• Reduces gas and pollution from shipping packaged beverages
• Eliminates pollution from batteries

I have the Pure home soda system, and I LOVE it. It doesn’t use electricity or batteries to work - just the power of carbon dioxide injected into their special water container. It’s very easy to use - install the carbon dioxide canister, fill the bottle with cold water, attach it to the system, and inject the CO2. You can leave the carbonated water as is, or add Sodastream’s large variety of soda-flavored syrups or natural essence water enhancers to give it great flavor.

I’m going to mention this about the SodaMix flavors. They do have less sugar than regular soda, but they are make with a Splenda-sugar mix, which is an often controversial alternative sweetner. I’ve tried a few of the flavors - ginger ale, root beer, orange - but am looking into alternatives to these syrups. My friend Tara Burner (follow on Twitter @taraburner) let me know about natural fruit syrups at Whole Foods, or simply adding fruit juice to the  water for a natural spritzer. It’s up to you if you want to use the syrups, and I have to admit, they’re good. I’m not comfortable endorsing a Splenda-flavored product, but it’s worth getting a Sodastream and using it as you’d like. I’m drinking more water now, and am happy to not have to add more waste, even to the recycling bin!

So, now to the fun part! I’m giving away one Pure Sodastream at-home soda making kit, which comes with a carbon dioxide canister, water bottles, and sample soda/water flavors. It’s a $150 value, and worth every penny! To enter, please leave a comment here with an answer to this question - What will you make with your Sodastream? Use these recipes as a handy guide, or make up your own flavor! I’m all about the Shirley Temple this weekend - ginger ale, grenadine, and cherries. And my husband think egg creams and black and white sodas are in order. Who’s with me?

The contest will be open now until next Thursday, June 11th at midnight, PST. Open to residents of the continental US only. The winner will be chosen at random. No PO boxes, please! Good luck!

I woke up on Mother’s Day with a great surprise (aside from beautiful homemade cards from my girls) - an interview I had given for the Miami Herald ran in the Living section for Mother’s Day (along with a picture of me and my daughters)! The article, titled “Tech tools helping moms stay sane, in sync” focuses on the digital revolution, and how moms everywhere are taking advantage of smart phones and social networking for not only support from peers, but for marketing purposes as well.

While I do use my iPhone for everything from my calendar to grocery lists to Twitter on the go, I’m still a paper purist. I keep a running to-do list in a notebook that never leaves my side. I also am very aware of my phone use around my kids, and I make sure they know that the phone goes away when it’s play time with them, or when we’re out at an activity. While I have fully embraced technology and all it’s conveniences, I read more and more about how moms can take it a little too far. They find themselves sleeping less because they can’t tear away from the computer, or becoming preoccupied with their kids via texting or checking email. I’m the first to admit I’ve been there! But, I’m also not going to let my phone dictate my day.

So, while all of these gadgets can make life easier, don’t forget to literally unplug and take some time for yourself and your kids! I’d love to hear from you - do you have a personal set of rules and regulations when it comes to your computer or phone? Do your kids know how to use the computer or phone better than you? Leave a comment, or find me on Twitter @teensygreen, of course!

I really, really try not to pay attention to commercials. I also rarely watch TV while my kids are around - ok, they love the Food Network, but you know what I mean. That’s why I had to stop, look, and listen for a moment this week when a different kind of commercial caught my attention.

This AT&T ad featuring TOMS Shoes snuck in during the spare minutes the TV was on a “Mommy channel”. And, for some reason, my daughters were mesmerized. Maybe it was the adorable children putting on adorable TOMS Shoes. Or the founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, who is, shall we say, fairly easy on the eyes. My daughters began to ask me questions about why these children don’t have shoes, where do they live, and on and on. It was eye-opening for them, and an opportunity for me to discuss topics of poverty and kids, geographical issues, and the importance of protecting your feet!

TOMS Shoes are made from canvas and burlap, and some shoes are made with hemp, recycled plastic, and are completely vegan. More than anything, TOMS “One For One” program is a genuine, exceptional way to help children in need when you buy their shoes. One For One does what it says - for each pair of Tom’s Shoes you buy, they’ll donate one pair to kids around the world.

The website explains that “TOMS has given over 140,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.” This is incredible on any level. We can plant a billion trees, recycle a million bottles of water, but to help 300,000 pairs of little feet - just amazing.

So, I encourage you to buy a pair of TOMS shoes. I’m debating between a flirty summery pair, or plain white that my kids can decorate themselves. Either way, somewhere in the world a child will be celebrating their new pair of shoes as well.

You can follow TOMS Shoes on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or simply sign up for updates on their website.

This week, I received an automated phone call from our Board of Education Director about swine flu, how to try and prevent it, and what will happen if it appears in any local schools. Since I’ve been reading and reading (and reading) about this illness for days, and since the flu comes around each winter anyway, I’m well aware of the facts. What struck me in the message more than anything was the recommendation, beyond handwashing, to use an alcohol based hand sanitizer when necessary.

For me, this shows how misinformed many people are about alcohol based hand sanitizers and children. Indeed, recommendations all over the web are for This swine flu “crib sheet” from the Huffington Post mentions using a sanitizer that’s at least 60 percent alcohol. Even this Parents Magazine article about the stomach flu talks about using “alcohol hand gel”.

Parents, teachers, anyone who is with kids - please think about this. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers is scary stuff when in the hands of kids. It can make kids seriously ill if ingested. A main ingredient in these sanitizers, Triclosan, is even considered a pesticide by the EPA. Do you want your kids putting this stuff on their HANDS? And check out this lawsuit regarding Triclosan and cancer - you may be shocked to see how many soaps and other products contain this potentially dangerous ingredient.

I am in no way trying to cause a panic related to this very serious issue. I do want you to know that there are natural alternatives available. Cleanwell is a wonderful, all natural line of hand soaps and hand sanitizers that is completely safe for your family. The “Ingenium” formula kills almost 100% of germs naturally, using the antiseptic herb thyme and other pesticide-free essential plant oils. They’re also alcohol free, and come in a great variety of sizes - even a travel pack that’s airplane ready. Cleanwell is available at Target, Whole Foods, Bath and Body Works, and Amazon.com. They also have a blog, A Better Way To Clean, to help answer all of your questions regarding swine flu and hand washing. They even answer the questions, so please don’t hesitate to speak your mind!