Monthly Archives: March 2010
My Eco-Friendly Easter Eggs
| March 31, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I decided to try out two different methods of dyeing Easter eggs. I was able to get some older eggs from my mom (she has her own chickens) and I used somethings I already had around the house.
Naturally Dyed Eggs:
If you plan to eat the eggs use this method!
Following Method 1 on Crunchy Domestic Goddess’s blog about naturally dyeing eggs, I made two blueish grey eggs and two golden yellow eggs.
To make the blueish eggs I used some blue natural food dye I had, it’s starting to go bad so thought it would work well. Now the site says not to use them as egg dyes but with vinegar and letting them sit a long time it worked for me.
For the golden yellow I had some onion skins and orange peels, I threw those in plus a little of the yellow natural dye.
Tissue Paper Dyed Eggs:
Don’t eat these eggs! I didn’t think about it this time around but next time I will “blow out” the eggs first so I can keep them.
For this I took little bits of tissue paper I had been keeping for some craft project. They were to small for gifts but I didn’t want to throw them out. Now some tissue paper won’t work for this but if it doesn’t just try a new piece of tissue paper. Also I dyed my hands blue doing this, if like me you don’t want to wear rubber gloves have some rubbing alcohol around.
- “Blow out” your eggs out or hard boil them.
- After they are cool enough, take and egg and put one piece of tissue paper around the egg for a single colored egg or lay out a design on your egg.
- Then spray it with some water.
- Let it sit for a little while.
- Carefully peel off the wet tissue paper.
- Put on cut up rings from a paper towel roll or in an egg carton to dry. Be careful as the dye is staining and can come off your fingers and mess up the egg. My tissue paper eggs are the brightly colored ones in the basket above.
I let my eggs sit for awhile in a cardboard box that I put some bubble wrap in.
Anything like that you have laying around the house will work. Just be warned it may get dyed.
Both of these methods are fun ways to dye eggs with your kids (or by yourself in my case lol). Have you tried either method? If so how did they turn out?
What’s Wrong With Our Food?!
| March 31, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I found some really old (I believe over a year old) popular American cheese in a family member’s frig and it had no mold and it looked the same as the day it was purchased. In contrast if I forget about a piece of my local cheese in the back of my frig it molds after a few months (if not sooner!).
Still not sure it’s really worth it to feed your family real food? Check out this almost 14 year old McDonald’s hamburger. Doesn’t that look yummy?! That isn’t the only blog with a old McDonald’s, here’s a 1 year old Happy Meal. And here is an almost 4 year old burger and fries.
What about ice cream that doesn’t melt? Laura at Heavenly Homemakers did an experiment to see what happens to store bought ice cream when you leave it out. You would think it just melts right? You would be wrong. You have to check it out to believe it.
So what can we do about this? You may have seen Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, well he needs us to help by signing a petition to help change this messed up food system in our schools. This is a great way to kick start a revolution to our whole food system. So watch this video from Food Revolution and go sign the petition! Oh and of course EAT REAL FOOD!
Product Review: Smelly Washer
| March 30, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Smelly Washer is citrus based and while they don’t seem to fully disclose their ingredients if you have tried the homemade options with no luck this seems to be the most natural option on the market. Mold in your washer isn’t good for your health and hopefully once it’s gone with making sure your washer is totally dry and being more (not using fabric softener, using only laundry soap made for front loaders, etc..) you should be able to keep it away.
They also now make Smelly Towel which is a product to remove moldy smells from your towels. You know for when someone forgets and leaves a wet towel on the floor.This product isn’t on the website yet but will be soon!
What’s In That Sippy Cup?
| March 29, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Those cheap plastic sippy cups by not be worth the bargain. They can contain BPA, which many (including myself) believe to be unsafe. It’s been linked to obesity, neurological issues, thyroid, cancer and more. It just doesn’t seem worth the risk. Don’t worry though, there are great options out there, here are just a few.
Klean Kanteen is my stainless steel bottle of choice for myself and my family. They are unlined, use non-toxic paints and the lids are BPA-free. They are dishwasher safe though the paint will fade. I hand wash our painted bottles but put the plain stainless steel ones in the dishwasher. They come in a wide range of colors- blue (pictured), black, green, orange, grey, pink, stainless, and red.
The Kid Basix Safe Sippy 2 is another stainless steel option. It’s unlined, bpa-free, phthalate free, and PVC free. The great thing about this sippy cup is as your kids get older you can take off the sippy part and replace it with a straw to get even more use out of it! It’s dishwasher safe and unlike the Klean Kanteen it has handles. It also comes in a range of colors- pink (pictured), blue, and green.
The Foogo stainless steel sippy cup is another wonderful option. It is also of course BPA-free. It’s also has vacuum insulation and will keep drinks cold up to 10 hours, making it great for trip. It is also dishwasher safe. It comes in pink (pictured) or blue.
Find more options at Nubius Organics and The Soft Landing, LLC.
FTC: I’m an affiliate for Nubius Organics and The Soft Landing but I was not paid to write this post and these are my honest views.
Earth Hour is Tonight!
| March 27, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
At 8:30 p.m. people all over the world will turn out their lights for one hour in support of the environment. Deanna over at Crunchy Chicken has a great way to get people on board for Earth Hour.
Just remember this isn’t to save tons of money on power but to bring awareness to environmental issues. So will you join in? If so what are you doing for your hour?
Can I Recycling This?
| March 27, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Erin at The Conscious Shopper posted a list of places to recycle all kinds of items and I wanted to share it with you. I also have a few to add.
CFL Recycling:
Home Depot will recycle CFL’s. CFL’s have mercury and should never go in the trash.You can also get a kit to mail them in to Waste Management.
Cosmetic Recycling:
Origins started recycling cosmetic jars, bottles and tubes last year. I’ve done it twice so far, each time they gave me a little sample of one of their products. It’s so nice to feel rewarded for doing the right thing!
E-Waste Recycling:
Gazelle has a great e-waste recycling program. They will pay you for your e-waste and if the item can be fixed they wipe all personal data off and sell it. 80% of the items get reused! What is recycled is done in the US.
PVC Recycling:
Earthworks takes PVC like hotel keys, credit cards, etc… You can contact them for info on mailing your items to them.
#6 Plastic Recycling:
Timbron takes back some #6 plastic. Check out their website for more info.
Other Recycling:
Check out TerraCycle to find out about setting up recycling to raise money for your group or school. My church recycles Lay’s chip bags through them.
If you have more ways to recycle post your info! As always it’s best to reduce before recycling but few of us can make no waste so it’s best to recycle everything we can. 
Disinfecting Without Pesticides
| March 25, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Did you know that antibacterial cleaner you are using is a pesticide? Bleach and triclosan (which is in most commercial cleaners, soaps and now even in plastics!) are two very common ways people disinfect their homes. However the over use of antibacterials have been linked to helping to create super bugs.
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to disinfect is by using vinegar. Vinegar is great for killing all the nasty germs but it doesn’t leave behind anything harmful, plus if your kids get in to it, it’s safe.
There are many other ways to keep you house clean and safe. As a wife of a public school teacher I want to keep viruses way as well. Here are my favorite products to use.
First off I love Dr. Bronner’s it’s an organic and fair trade castile soap, it’s safe and works great to clean everything! In the bathroom and kitchen I like to fill up the sink a bit with hot water, put in a few drops of Dr. Bronner’s and with a Skoy cloth use it to clean pretty much every surface. This is great for everyday cleaning.
When cold and flu season hit or someone is sick I like to use For My Kids’ Vinegar of the Four Thieves. It has white distilled vinegar and certified-organic herbs and spices that hold antibacterial and antiviral properties. It doesn’t smell great (at least to me) but it’s a wonderful product and totally safe!
Another safe disinfectant I use is Pure Green 24. My husband even uses this in his classroom, since it has no smell the kids don’t mind it at all. It cleans using silver ions and citric acid. It’s even an EPA registered, broad spectrum antimicrobial disinfectant and deodorizer. It also holds the EPA’s lowest toxicity rating. This cleaner kills pretty much everything (other than us!) and is a really good choice for the work place.
The last item I use is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is great for killing mold, even toxic mold. It’s very strong so it doesn’t take much and it works great!
This is my post for the Spring Cleaning Carnival: Get The Antibacterials Out. Check out the other wonderful posts at Kitchen Stewardship.
*Disclaimer: In the past I was give a sample of Pure Green 24, Skoy and For My Kids to try out. I was not paid by either company and these are my honest options. *
Earth Day Giveaway: Kids Konserve *Closed*
| March 23, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
In honor of the 40th annual Earth Day, Kids Konserve is giving one lucky reader an orange Food Kozy. Their Food Kozy’s are BPA-free and phthalate free. They are great for sandwiches and work to replace those disposable baggies. Plus unlike a plastic baggie a Food Kozy works as a placemat as well!
If you don’t win or just can’t wait, Kids Konserve has a coupon codes for everyone to use! You can get 15% off by using the code earth15 before April 30th.
To learn a bit more about Kids Konserve read my friend’s review of their products.
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. (if you have a blogger account that has your e-mail that works as well, or if you fill it out in the info, just somewhere please!)
2. Go to Kids Konserve and tell me what product, other than the Food Kozy, you would like to try.
3. Enter by March 31st at 11:59 p.m.
It’s open to anyone in the continental US.
Extra Entries (post separate comment for each):
1. Blog about the giveaway, post link.
2. Post on Twitter, post link.
3. Add me on Twitter @retrohousewife5, leave username in comment.
4. Follow me, let me know which way you are following. (Google, NetworkedBlog, E-mail, other)
5. Add my button to your site. (the button and code are on the right side of the page) Be sure to leave a link for where you put the button.
6. Become a fan of Retro Housewife Goes Green on Facebook.
7. Become a fan of Kids Konserve on Facebook.
8. Follow Kids Konserve on Twitter, leave username in comment.
Remember post a separate comment for each of the above ways to enter! They will only count if they are separate.
*This giveaway is sponsored by Kids Konserve. The prize comes from them. I was given a product to review but I was not paid for this post. These are my honest views on the product.
Stewards of Earth: Kids will one day Inherit the Earth!
| March 22, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
This article is from Kids Konserve.
Forty years after the first Earth Day, there is unprecedented opportunity to renew our future. Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to educate, raise awareness, and make a difference. Earth Day is a great day to get children involved in recycling and clean up activities.
We have heard them many of times; the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle). Some of our kids point them out more than we do. You do your part. You buy green products, recycle, conserve water, and even save for a hybrid car. Let’s face it: our children are going to inherit a less-than-perfect world. We must educate, motivate and, of course, demonstrate.
Earth Day activities take on many shapes and forms such as parades; celebrations at zoos, aquariums and children’s museums; go-green expos and fairs; and earth-walk fundraisers. However, activities dedicated to fostering budding environmentalists are perhaps the most important. Some examples are working to restore local habitats; picking up litter; learning to compost; recycling old cell phones, inkjet cartridges, batteries, plastic and electronic equipment; carbon footprint-reduction contest; and wetlands cleanups.
It may be the grownups who make the decisions, but it is the kids who will one day inherit the planet! Teaching kids about sustainability will better prepare them for the choices they will make in the future.
Here are five ways that kids can help protect Mother Earth-every day:
- Recycle – Take the time to review what can and cannot be recycled. Talk to your children about the hazards of landfills. To learn more, visit the National Recycling Coalition website.
- Launch a Waste-Free Challenge – The average school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year and the average sized elementary school generates 18,760 pounds of lunch waste per year, you can make a big difference by packing waste-free lunches and snacks. Learn more on how you can go waste-free and raise money for your school with Kids Konserve.
- Enjoy nature – Walk and Roll! Enjoy a nice walk to a local park or bike there! The National Park Service “Find a Park” Web page makes it easy to find a national park near you.
- Participate in a clean-up effort – Hook up with a local environmental organization and, together with your child, volunteer for a river, ocean or land clean-up effort. Discover a project that needs your help at the Environmental Volunteers website.
- Plant a tree – They consume carbon dioxide, release oxygen and allow us all to breathe a little more deeply. The Arbor Day Foundation is the perfect place to buy a tree because the money they earn goes to promote tree education and conservation.
Check back tomorrow for a giveaway and coupon from Kids Konserve!
*Here ya go FTC: I wasn’t paid to post this article. In the past I have received free products for a review but I have never been paid by Kids Konserve. I’m posting the article to share with my readers because I believe in this company.*
Have a Green Easter- Part Two
| March 21, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Now that you have an eco-friendly Easter basket and eggs you need things to put in those baskets. Here are some fun eco-friendly ideas.
These fun non-toxic soy crayons make a great Easter gift for the artist in the family.
These cute little handmade 100% cotton bunnies won’t get in your garden. Green bonus: They are fair trade!
Who doesn’t love playing with dough? Sadly the leading brand has some questionable ingredients and let’s face it, sometimes it looks good enough to eat! No worries with this dough, it’s 100% food ingredients!
Isn’t this little knit bunny so cute? It’s made of organic and natural cotton, so it’s totally safe for your kid to cuddle with.
Barefoot books has a great selection of environmental books for kids.
And of course don’t forget the candy! The Natural Candy Store has all kinds of great treats for Easter. You will find organic, fair trade and even allergy free treats!
What will you be putting in your kids baskets this year?
