Reuse, Recycle, Go Green!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic or on her personal blog.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Were back with our favorite girl from Tuscon, Arizona Creative Kismet blogger, Regina M. Lord!  Recently, she took some pictures in celebration of St. Patty’s Day and we thought we’d share a few with you to celebrate with her!  Here at Green Halloween, were all about the green!

Were celebrating St. Patty's Day with Creative Kismet blogger Regina M. Lord

Get the luck of the Irish with these Rainbow filled cupcakes made by Regina!

From the Crazy Sexy Diet, two green detox cleansers

Regina recently tried the Crazy Sexy Diet on her blog with a green juice and a green smoothie, check out the book if you’d like to kick your St. Patty’s Day into healthy green action!

Regina is from our founder, Corey Colwell Lipson's Hometown in Tuscon, Arizona

May the luck of the Irish be with you, may you live in a world that’s green, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Can you smell fall in the air? We can! Here at Green Halloween we are so excited for all the delicious treats and Halloween festivities that are in store.

This year, Green Halloween is being powered by Veritey, a website and community that helps families get to the root of healthy living. At Veritey we research and analyze beauty products, clothing, food, decorations such as the party table linen and external toys, and home goods that are not only eco-friendly and healthy, but also effective. Veritey comes from the Latin word veritas, or truth, and is combined with the sound of “tey” in tailored and the “y” in you meaning a site comprised of truths tailored for your life. Adrienne Peres and Amy Ziff are the co-founders and lead Capidealists*™ at Veritey.

The pair created Veritey when they realized there were very few resources to truly help them distinguish which products were the best for their families. Both Peres and Ziff know how overwhelming it is to sift through the massive amounts of information out there and want to use Veritey as a tool for healthy living education. Amy Ziff is an experienced journalist and business leader. Ziff has done thousands of interviews appearing on many programs including the Today Show, Good Morning America, and CNN. Her work has been quoted in publications like The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post and more. Adrienne Peres is a marketing and management expert specializing in start-ups and small businesses. Veritey is near and dear to Peres’ heart as her family has a history of illness. Veritey is a way for Peres to manage her own health as well as help others find natural and preventative healthcare solutions. Peres is an avid runner and competes in marathons and triathlons. The pair met on their first day of work at the travel website Site59 and preceded to work together at Travelocity for over a decade. They are also both Moms and they love Halloween!

I recently threw a party for my youngest daughter’s 9th birthday and in celebration of spring decided to turn it into a garden party!  Kids love to get their hands dirty and there’s nothing more special than taking home a party favor that you planted yourself.  This little shindig is not only easy and cost effective to pull off but an organic experience for all little nature lovers.

All you need is a pair of gloves, potting soil, a flower, and a pea pot to throw a Garden Party!

How to Throw A Garden birthday Party:

You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like.  I chose a local park favorite, Boca Ciega Millenium Park in Seminole, Florida and stole a park bench and a patch of grass for kite flying and fairy flower cupcakes.  Then it was time for the digging to begin!  The kids just plant a flower in the pea pot, add a little potting soil, then take it home as their own personal party favor.  It’s that easy!

Gardening helps kids appreciate our beautiful planet Earth

Finally, a party that you can afford! Dollar pea pots!

What to Bring:

pea pots (A dozen for a $1.00) at the local dollar store

Potting soil (Bag for a $1.00) at the local dollar store

A dozen pea pot size flowers (any variety will do) $10.97 at Home Depot

Little wooden push up flowers in pink ($1.00 each) at Joanne’s Fabrics

Kites ($1.00 each)  at the local dollar store

It's okay to get messy for this party

Everyone walks away with a flower and a smile

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

It’s hard to believe that January is almost over and Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Have you been keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions?  Carry your resolutions through to February with these fun and simple ideas to having a little bit of heart for Valentine’s Day.

Use old recycled cards to make a special Valentine's Card

Resolution #1: Convert your love of volunteerism.  How to do this? By sending out handmade valentine’s to the cause of your choice.

For example, you could sit down with your children and send out handmade Valentine’s cards to soldiers to support our troops.

Craft: Handmade Valentine’s Cards

What You’ll Need: Red and pink construction paper, recycle old cards, crafting scissors, a glue stick, and any stickers, buttons, fabric or other recycled materials that you can find around your house.

What to do? Cut out red and pink hearts, some small and big.  Overlap your hearts with the glue stick.  Now for the fun part!  Take the cut outs from the images on the old recycled cards and glue into a design.  Now add sparkles, stickers, and anything else that strikes your fancy!  Then follow the troop link to send out your specially hand crafted, eco-friendly card.

Resolution #2: Heart your body.  How to do this? By spending time in nature while stealing a workout and your heart!

For example, hiking is one of the easiest ways to fall in love with fitness.

Work-Out: Easy, breezy walking while picking up the pace accelerates your heart rate while boosting feel good endorphins.  So easy that even the kiddies can do it!

What You’ll Need: A good pair of walking shoes and a hiking trail.  Check out your local parks or map out a hiking trail.

What to do: Lace up your sneakers and hop on the trail.  Being in the heart of nature gives you an appreciation for this planet.  It makes you feel connected.

Laurali Star stops to enjoy the view

Resolution #3: You can still be sweet as candy without the sugar!  How to do this?  By choosing your Valentine’s Day sweets wisely for your family.

For example, substitute a regular cupcake recipe by replacing eggs and oil with applesauce to create a fluffy, light texture.

Healthy cupcakes with fruit snack toppings

Recipe: Healthy Choice Valentine’s Cupcakes

What You’ll Need: A box of gluten-free cake mix in the flavor that you like, applesauce, omega 3 enriched flax seeds, Greek yogurt mixed with organic honey for the frosting, and real fruit snacks for the topper.

What to do:  Follow the gluten free box recipe as usual except replace oil and eggs with applesauce and sprinkle flax seeds into the mix.  Pour into cupcake tins and bake.  After cooling, frost cupcakes with Greek yogurt and honey.  Then let the kids top with sugar free fruit snacks in heart shapes.

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Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Why should Christmas have the all fun?

Build a (yummy) family tradition your kids will scream for (in a good way, of course). It’s an activity, decor and dessert – all rolled into one!

Just use a traditional gingerbread recipe (swapping conventional ingredients for local and/or organic, when possible) OR organic graham crackers as the “house.” Decorate with edibles and organic/all natural confections that conjure the Halloween spirit.

Colors to consider: orange, black, purple and of course, GREEN! For a list of Halloween foods colored naturally by Mother Earth, visit out food page. (Who says you can’t use kale grass?)

Don’t have time to cook, but want to create the tradition? Buy the kit (photo above) online from Magic Cabin.