Mom Goes Green

The chores are done, the day’s “to do list” is complete, the kids are asleep and you need to relax… drinks anyone?

I’m sure many of you are waving frantically enough that I’ll feel my monitor shaking!  I, for one, am always up for a nice, new, green adventure that goes beyond the daily routine of regulating water and energy usage, keeping harsh chemicals at bay, reusable bags and recycling!

Thanks to Paul Abercrombie, I can look forward to an adult beverage adventure in his new book Organic, Shaken and Stirred.  It’s the first book of its kind, full of unique creations and, the photos are so deliciously tempting, I want to lick the pages… and then grab my car keys and head to the store!  (Okay, so a bike would be greener transportation, but balancing the bottles can be tricky!)

In all seriousness, just like all of the foods and beverages we consume, cocktails made with organic alcohol and ingredients also mean organic growing methods that are less harmful for growers, better for our environment and more sustainable. (See, when you host an “Organic Mojito Night” you’re actually being environmental!)

Speaking of… I love, love, love Mojitos… so this speaks to me…

Prickly Pear Mojito

• 2 ounces organic rum
• 3 organic mint leaves
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice
• ¼ ounce organic prickly pear juice (canned or fresh)
• splash of club soda

Combine the first four ingredients in an ice cube-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into an ice cube-filled glass. Top with the club soda and give a quick stir.

Mmmm… can you already taste yourself relaxing?

Now, the next time you host a party, whip up a tasty concoction for a few friends, or simply settle in for the night with your beloved, skip all of those commercial, syrupy mixers and eco-unfriendly ingredients, and instead… get Organic, Shaken and Stirred.

The next few weeks will be high time for parties! (I love parties! And I mean for any and all occasions!)

And of course, who DOESN’T love a party!?! BUT, they can also become occasions for an abundance of waste and trash making.  Whether you already have a party planned, are helping to host a party or might just throw together an impromptu soiree(!)… here, once again this year, is my standard list for keeping it turned toward the green end of the dial:

• Try evites or create your own electronic invitations instead of mailing the paper store-bought version.  Sure, you might have a few guests who aren’t email users, but where you can minimize… minimize! (Be careful if you mention your party on Facebook… your guests list may grow exponentially!) For guests requiring mailed invitations consider using last year’s holiday cards and turn the front of the card into a postcard.
• Decorate using live plants and maybe even give them to guests at the end of the night.  Toss pine cones or evergreen clippings from your yard (or your neighbors!) into a bunch of beautiful bowls or vases you already own.
• Turn off an excess of lights.  Blaze up the soy candles. It creates great ambiance too!
• Turn down the thermostat. Bodies = heat, so set it to the cooler side!
• Use your real plates, serveware and glassware. Or, if you don’t have enough, consider buying biodegradable and/or compostable tableware.  Eco Products offers a variety of tableware made from corn, sugarcane and paper.  Or check out Verterra for tableware with some real character – made of leaves!  Orrrr, if it’s in your budget, rent real tableware and utensils… not in my budget, but maybe someday!
• Hit a dollar store for linens.  (I bought four-packs of cloth napkins for a dollar last year!)  Skip the poinsettia print.  Pick flat colors so they can be used for many other occasions.
• Consider local beers and wines (if you have local choices) or locate organic choices… not always easy to find, but they are certainly out there!
• Buy organic fruits, veggies and meat-products.  I know that is an expensive proposition, but as many as you can afford is better than none at all (consider the “dirty dozen” and the “clean 15″ if you need help in making the choices too!).
• Set up a receptacle for recycling. Clearly mark it and ask everyone to jump on board.
• If you feel comfortable with the group of guests, ask them to remove their shoes.  Shoes track in some really nasty and unhealthy things, believe me! (Read more here).
• Set up a numbering system where only “every fourth guest” who uses the bathroom flushes.  Haahaa!  Obviously, this one is a joke!  I’m not that crazy!

But sincerely, just do your best! Many of the choices aren’t expensive and can actually be less expensive in the long run when you weigh all of the factors.  And if your prep and set-up has all of the best choices in place, you will be able to “eat, drink and be merry”… and content that your party is a little greener.

And seriously… for the second time!… STOP considering that numbering system… it was a joke…(yea, kinda gross!)

I know this for a fact, because this weekend, our kids reminded us!

Saturday morning was spent sleeping-in (far too late), but after we got moving, we really GOT MOVING!  After long discussions about how we should spend the day, we decided to make the best of an unseasonable warm Ohio day (68 degrees!) and simply get outdoors.

We went to our daughter’s school and ran around looking at all of the amazing wonders in her school’s Land Lab. This area in front of her school has a pond, decks, walking paths and large planter boxes that the families can adopt.  We cultivated our box and planted some bulbs (and will eagerly await their Spring arrival) and added a little metal sign that said “GROW”! (…somewhat of a double entendre for growing some of nature’s gifts as well as growing little minds!)

We came home and planted more bulbs in our own yard, raked leaves, the kids ran around playing every sport imaginable and jumped in (and sometimes destroyed) our perfectly raked piles.  Fortunately, living on a ravine, our leaves are simply raked down the hill so they can decompose and be recycled by nature.

The kids spent a half hour cracking open acorns to “make hors d’oeuvres” for the squirrels!  We even made ourselves S’mores over an outdoor fire and continued to run around and play, and enjoy the day long after darkness fell.  Everyone was in a fabulous mood.  And I don’t doubt for a second that it had everything to do with simply being outside and enjoying breathing the fresh air.

I sometimes forget that a great day with my family doesn’t need to include museums or amusement parks, trips or expensive events or vacations.  Everything we need is outside our own backdoor or a short, local drive away… all found in nature, most often for free.

Kids today spend twice as much time indoors as we did (a very sad fact), so if you need ideas, reasons or simply more encouragement, check out NWFs “Be Out There” program and you’re sure to find something that clicks!

At the end of the night our daughter could hardly relax as she settled into bed.  She talked about how excited she was to see our flowers grow and proclaimed the day as “the best day ever”!

Thanks for the reminder, my little sweet pea!

I’ve always been a city girl at heart, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate nature.  In fact, I may even appreciate it more as I see the direct effect of suburban development near my home (and the herds of deer that have taken up residence in the ravine behind my house and spent one night devouring all of my landscaping!)

And while I’m not one to ‘rough it’ either, I realize that getting back to nature doesn’t mean you have to spend a small fortune at the outdoor store and drive for hours to set-up camp in some remote region of the country.  Your own backyard can be the ideal campsite.

This Saturday (June 27), in fact, is the Great American Backyard Campout.

Conceived by the National Wildlife Federation, this is a day they have created to invite families to reconnect with nature and the outdoors, and remind us that we can manage life “with a little less”.  You can set up tents, cookout over a fire pit, explore your surroundings, play flashlight tag, star gaze and our kids’ ever-favorite… gorge on S’mores!  Shut down all the lights, computers and TVs in your house and even save a little electricity while you’re at it. (Indoor latrine, via flashlight, permitted of course!)

If you want to find out who’s camping nearby, or register your own outing, check out NWFs site for more information.

I think this is a great opportunity to join families all over the country in embracing everything the great outdoors has to offer.  Now the only fear I have is waking up to find Bambi staring me in the face!