Green Gifts That Give Back

We might be part of the 99% here, but to much of the rest of the world, (and I mean human, animal and vegetable) we're the 1%. If you're feeling scroogy about parting with your dough to truck to the mall and add to the (sarcasm coming....) "lifestyle enhancing' pile of rubble under the tree" this season, you might want to opt for something much greater--the greater good.

I'm often daydreaming of the day I'm a gajillionaire and can set up my own foundations, but until that time (and it IS coming soon), I've tracked down the best ways to donate to the causes that may be close to the hearts of your nearest and dearest, from organizations that support orphans or feed the hungry to those that protect animals. And since donations are welcome in amounts from low to high, you can stay within your budget while making a big impact—and who can put a price on that?

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A TV Guide for Kids on Summer Vacation

As the school days dwindle down to a precious few--ok who am I kidding?--we are on a speeding freight train to Summer Vacation! And no matter if you've got a swanky family getawy planned or are preparing yourself to blow up the kiddie pool, chances are your kids are going to have a lot more free time on their hands (and yours) and will be gratitating toward one screen or another. In this first of our series on kids and screen-time, I'll offer some tips that may help you curb the urge to use the idiot box as a full time babysitter, and embrace it for the good, and sometimes even great, things it has to offer your kids.

For most households in the US, a totally TV free home is not very realistic, and perhaps not too appealing, either. I am right there with (most) of you. I’m no unimommer--but when my kids were really little we were, happily, TV free…so carefully making the transition into welcoming that seductive colorful box is what this is all about. Because you don’t want to end up with a free-for-all gorge on 899 channels, and a bunch of couch potato zombies, I’ll offer you several different approaches to a green and modified TV, (and computer.)

Here’s the abbreviated story of how it went for my family:

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Meat Free Mondays: Lemon Pasta

This fit and frugal dinner is a savory and surprisingly light go—to if you're looking for a serious crowd pleaser tonight—and more good news, if you have any left over (which I sincerely doubt) it's terrific on a bed of leafy greens for a cold lunch tomorrow.

You won't even miss the carne—I promise.

Here's what you'll need:

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Top 5 ways to Save Money and Go Green for your Organic Baby

photo: Linda Skoog

Who doesn't want to save a little green while you save the Earth. Babies do need stuff, but not as much as we may have been led to believe.

Here are 5 ways to save green and live clean with your beautiful baby:

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Top 10 Ways for Kids to Do Better in School

AM I BLUE?

Childhood depression and anxiety are on the rise. And numerous studies now suggest that those blue feelings may be coming from blue food coloring, and red, and yellow….The chemicals in fake food have side effects. In a very real way, we are implicating our kids in a massive chemical burden test, a living breathing human guinea pig experiment.

Commonly used food additives may affect behavior. You wouldn’t give your kid a beer for breakfast and then wonder why he scored badly on a test, but in many ways that is just what we are doing, serving them chemical time bombs in the form of “nutritious” lunches. We know that 30% of the U.S. population is MSG sensitive, with side effects that range from dizziness to lack of focus to fainting, yet there is no ban on MSG in school food; in fact, it is one of the most ubiquitous additives.

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Green Day

Man, it's amazing to leave a day's work and see palm trees swaying outside. But forget that beauty, what's going on inside the Natural Products Expo is even more gorgeous. Our very first appointment was an interview with fashion bible WWD. I really enjoyed talking about the significant difference that clean and safe body care can make for our youngest citizens, and highlighting the positive differences in our new Green Babies line: no parabens, no sulphates, no petroleum by products, YES certified organic botanicals, YES 50% post consumer recycled packaging, YES mom-friendly bottle shape, YES big bubbles, YES retail price points far below any other great clean lines in the marketplace.


A plethora of goodness followed with retailers and old friends in the industry visiting to welcome our newest addition. The day wrapped up with an interview of me by one of my greatest heroes, Peggy from Mothering Magazine, an amazing force for good and a powerful advocate for children, it was a great great day and a Green day. I hope yours was wonderful, too!

We are birthin' more babies-Green Babies!

Green Babies body care: In store April 2011

A rebirth for our website, the new birth of our stream-of-green-consciousness blog, and (drumroll please) the delivery of our green dream...years in the anticipating, nine months in the making, Green Babies baby body care! Woo hoo, welcome baby, the earth is your home!

I'm writing to you from sunny California (yes you north easterners, there is a sun shining somewhere) to introduce our healthy, fit and fugal newest addition at Natural Products Expo West the world's largest trade show for natural and organic products. Pretty much every trusted natural brand is out here, from mom n pops to household names. I will have more to tell you about our trip here and our wonderful new Green Babies products soon, but for now I just wanted to share our announcement and joy with you. Both Parents and babies are all doing well.