Reducing Toxins in The Kitchen
Okay there is a lot to cover in this area of my journey to hang tight. I’m going to do my best to keep it as neat and tidy for you to follow as possible. If you missed my intro post about toxins, please check …
Family Fun, Recipes, & Healthy Living
Okay there is a lot to cover in this area of my journey to hang tight. I’m going to do my best to keep it as neat and tidy for you to follow as possible. If you missed my intro post about toxins, please check …
I’m not a doctor and since we live in the day of sue happy people I feel the need to disclose, I’m not a doctor or medical professional. I’m a mom sharing my thoughts, in hopes of making reducing toxins a bit easier than it’s …
Izzy and I made Nature Paint Brushes and what a blast we had! This activity is a great way to explore the outdoors. During this activity your child is working on gross motor, fine motor, hand eye coordination, and cognitive development.
Step 1
Go outside and collect sticks along with leaves, flowers, moss, petals etc. Discuss what you have found and look up unknown items. Talk about which ones you think will be the most fun to paint with.
Step 2
Tie item to the end of a stick. (We used hemp.) Depending on the age of your child, they may be able to help you. This is great fine motor practice.
Are some items easier to attach to the stick than others? Discuss these things and problem solve together.
Step 3
Set up your painting station. We used egg cartons for our paints and painted inside since it was 90 degrees outside.
Step 4
Paint away! As your child picks each brush, discuss the nature item on it. Compare how differently each brush paints and the different designs they make on the paper. Which ones hold paint the best? What shapes do you see? Which brush did they think was going to work the best. Which did they have the most fun using?
You can also discuss colors your child makes as they mix paints on the page.
Have a blast with this one!
XO Eryka
1. About My Dad Video or Paper I love when you can capture kids thoughts in a video or on paper. I made another video this year of Izzy talking about her Daddy. I also asked her the questions on this FREE printable. At the …
Keeping a house clean and tidy with kids sounds like an oxymoron, but it can be done. Now I will start off by saying, my home doesn’t always look tidy and I wouldn’t eat off the floors on the daily… although I’m sure my kid …
Izzy and I love books and Eric Carle books have alway been a favorites of mine. This morning we read A House for Hermit Crab. Izzy loved the story so much I asked her, “What if I make an activity to go along with the story?’ She was all in! So I quickly sketched out the hermit crab and items from the story. And now we all have an activity to go along with the book.
Allow your children to color and cut out their crab and his shell decor. Then have them create their own decorations for another crab. Do some research together. Look up what kinds of hermit crabs there are. How big can they get? Do their shells normally have living creatures on them? Enjoy exploring the ocean and hermit crabs together.
Hermit-Crab-Shell-ActivityHave a blast!
XO Eryka
Between having dogs and a child the floors can get so dirty. I can only imagine the germs we can’t see! My husband and I have a love/hate with spring. We truly dread the mud and dirt that comes with spring because it means extra …
This year for Izzy we wanted to have candy mixed with a bunch of activities she could enjoy. We are all about finding indoor and rainy day activities. If you follow us on Facebook or IG then you a likely saw these in our stories. …
Those of you that follow us on social media know we moved back to Maine from GA in 2019. That spring we moved into our home, however the yard wasn’t completed until mid July. Basically the builder came back and finished the back patio and leveling of the yard, along with putting down seed for grass in May/June. Since I had no idea what that was going to give us as a yard & moving is stressful. I worked on landscaping a hill area and gave myself another year to plan the garden I’ve always wanted.
We all know what happened in 2020. That spring was overwhelming because everyone was in gardening mode too. So much was on back order & everyone had basically bought up all of the wood, raised garden kits and things I had planned for my garden. That put me a bit behind. Everyone wanted to do what I had been planning since the spring before. I had no idea I would need to urgently buy the supplies I wanted & needed prior to March or April.
#1 buy your seeds and garden supplies now, before spring!
You will also want to start many seedlings 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Beyond that, people are now going crazy over gardening and many seeds will be sold out if you wait too long. When choosing seeds pick foods that you will enjoy eating or eat often and flowers that are native and good for pollinators. Consider edible flowers (such as marigolds), these are the ones I like to mix in my garden with the vegetables.
The first year is a big learning process and you don’t want to have a ton of plants to tend to and learn about.
#2 Seedlings can be finicky
They want soil that’s very light and airy. A peat moss mix for me has done best. Once they spout and grow a bit, I add them to a soil mix in a bigger space or in their final spot, whether that’s the garden or a larger pot.
When it’s warm enough I direct sow my seeds in the garden. But I do enjoy starting the seedlings in the house/greenhouse so I have some veggies to enjoy a bit sooner in the season. Now this brings me to the soil in your garden or raised garden beds. You need to make sure that the soil isn’t too dense and you can loosen it up & fuel the soil by using things such as compost & peat moss. Soil prep is one of the most important things, I suggest you really focus on this.
I linked some items below that we have found to work great for seedlings. I have found the Jiffy peat moss seedling mixes to be great, along with their mini greenhouses!
#3 Pick the size garden you want and where to put it.
As I waited on things to come back in stock I planned where my garden would be and started prepping the area. I picked a spot near the woods, just on the edge of our yard. I dug out stumps, removed dead/fallen trees and leveled the area. I had a lot of free time considering there wasn’t much marketing work for me during a time when companies were not sure what products would be in stock -plus many places had shut down their factories.
I didn’t want to take up our lawn space, which is why I cleaned up an area on the edge of our woods and lawn. This is a personal choice, you need to make that decision for yourself. I also wanted to make use of vertical space, so I planted some herbs in pots on the back wall of my garden. Mint can spread like crazy, so that’s a great one to put in a pot away from your other plants.
Your garden is going to need sun to grow, so make sure to find a spot that gets partial to full fun. Full sun is best, you can always plant your garden accordingly to help give more shade to the plants that prefer it. We had to clear some branches and dead trees that got in the way of the garden getting enough sun in the way right corner. Which you can’t see that well in the photo below.
#4 We Enjoy Raised Beds & Planters
I personally have found gardening to be easier on my back and for my daughter to help with the raised beds and our Green Stalk vertical planter! (save with code IZZY10) The vertical planter is great because I don’t have a massive garden, but can add so many more goodies for us to enjoy just by utilizing my Green Stalk. If you have a small space, I think this would be a great product to try.
#5 Research your plants
Some plants like shade, some want full sun, some love compost while others do not. Also some plants do well being planted next to each other and even help keep certain bugs away. This is called companion planting.
Companion planting basically means you plant different crops in proximity to others for any of a number beneficiaries reasons. Some are planted near each other for pest control (such as basil and tomato plants). Other reasons include pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial insects, or even maximizing use of space.
Marigolds are great for repelling bugs you don’t want in your garden. I also loved my borage last year. It’s a beautiful flower and works wonderfully for protecting your tomato plants and improving their flavor. Not to mention it’s beneficial for your pollinators. Basil will also improve the flavor of your tomatoes and helps to repel nasty garden destroying bugs such as hornworms.
#6 You can regrow some of your food scraps
I have regrown green onions, lettuce, carrots, potatoes & onions. I want to try ginger & garlic this year. You can see my quick video on how to regrow carrot scraps here. One of the easiest things to regrow are green onions. Cut the onion a few inches from the root (use the rest in your cooking). Set the root cuttings in some water for 2-3 days. Once you see some growth, you can move them to a pot with some soil. I have found peat moss mixtures have done well. Keep the soil moist & water daily. I clip my onions as needed right from my kitchen window.
#7 Get a silicone ring
Take off your fancy rings, if you have them and replace them with a silicone ring! I got a few rings from Groove Life & I’ve been loving them! Trust me, you are not going to want to scratch or have to clean your engagement or wedding ring. My husband and I basically only wear these now and have our other gold wedding bands tucked away safe.
I hope you have fun gardening this year. Even if you think gardening isn’t for you, I suggest you try making a spot for a mini raised garden your kids can enjoy. Marigolds and peas were some of Izzy’s favorites. She loved to deadhead the marigolds (it stimulates more growth) and pick out the sweet peas from the pea pods.
I hope my tips are helpful and you enjoy some delicious vegetables & maybe even fruit this year.
XO Eryka
Painting with a Purpose Teach your children about different types of art. Look on the internet or in books & discover different styles of art together. Discuss the artists that created the art. Now ask your child which style of art they want to try. …