Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful on Thanksgiving - 100 Things We're Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate, Liz and I wanted to each share 50 things we are thankful for. Ready? Here goes.

Liz:
  1. family (esp my son and awesome hubby)
  2. health
  3. my love of music
  4. all the mistakes that I've made that have brought me to where I am today...thank you Avett's 
  5. cheese of any sort 
  6. ice cream AND frozen yogurt bars
  7. morning walks
  8. change of seasons
  9. the roof over my head
  10. my dog, Penny Lane
  11. friends
  12. our business and the wonderful people that we've met from doing it
  13. cold draft Miller Lite
  14. early morning trips to the beach
  15. this is really weird, but I'm now able to appreciate the low times in life because I know the high times will follow shortly
  16. my ability to appreciate art
  17. Gaby's friendship : )
  18. coffee with hazelnut creamer
  19. cold, cozy nights when I get to curl up with my family on the couch
  20. crisp mountain apples
  21. silence
  22. my education (not just from schooling)
  23. times of renewal
  24. my ability to forgive others
  25. changes that keep life interesting
  26. our gorgeous planet
  27. baby laughs
  28. the miracle of pregnancy
  29. my appreciation for diversity
  30. chocolate
  31. the memories I have of star gazing with my dad in the backyard 
  32. my guitar
  33. a child's innocence 
  34. our service men and women
  35. those that dedicate their lives to making the world a better place 
  36. smiles
  37. The cute language that Thomas as created
  38. Thomas hugs and kisses
  39. life
  40. Gaby asking me to do this because it's making me realize how much I have to be thankful for.
  41. teachers
  42. sleeping next to Thomas when he's not kicking and hitting me
  43. yo gabba gabba
  44. goes hand in hand with portable dvd players...enabling us to travel with Thomas
  45. Christmas decorations and music
  46. my ability to simplify (following my tendency to complicate)
  47. the sign on the door that says "We love our mommy/wife" 
  48. Living by the water
  49. Lazy Sundays
  50. All reality TV
Gaby:
  1. two healthy, adorable, sweet sons
  2. one healthy, pretty adorable, supportive man
  3. creativity
  4. french fries
  5. I second Liz's thankfulness of cheese of any sort 
  6. the ability to work from home and be with my kids
  7. living close to family
  8. every new day
  9. I have a home
  10. the most supportive and inspiring friends in the world
  11. the opportunity to share and help people by starting my own business
  12. making connections
  13. sound machines
  14. the internet--how did I know anything before?
  15. making virtual connections with so many amazing people through blogs
  16. two healthy, natural, empowered and inspiring births
  17. Liz's friendship : )
  18. nature: trees, the ocean, fall leaves--all of it
  19. the ability to grow my own food in my garden
  20. music
  21. my ability (and desire) to do 1,000 things at one time (almost)
  22. the fact that I know how to read and write and can teach my children everything I know and then some
  23. meditation
  24. massage
  25. camping
  26. rich, delicious microbrews
  27. Sunday dinners
  28. life
  29. sweets
  30. having had the opportunity to go down so many paths
  31. being able to speak more than one language fluently
  32. having lived and traveled to several different countries
  33. IKEA--I went there for the first time today. Holy moly.
  34. really good teachers
  35. really good musicians
  36. really good writers
  37. Baby T's fishy kisses - he puckers up and smacks you right on the lips
  38. Little boys who want to be held all the time
  39. a chill baby who puts up with hours of shopping, as long as he gets some nursing in and gets to ride in the Ergo
  40. the green of spring after a dull winter
  41. the chill of fall after a hot summer
  42. the privilege of living in a house with running water, the ability to adjust the temperature to always be comfortable, and so many amenities that so many people don't have.
  43. an inquisitive 2-year-old
  44. the knowledge to answer most of my inquisitive 2-year-old's questions
  45. the privilege to have gone to college
  46. the confidence to make my own way in life
  47. pinterest
  48. Etsy
  49. mothers
  50. love

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Want a Cloth Diaper Cake? Try a Floral Arrangement Instead

Just in time for the holidays and all the babies due this winter, Green Baby rolled out a brand new idea: the cloth diaper floral arrangement. You know how diaper cakes are so popular with disposable diapers but are a little more difficult (and expensive) to put together using cloth diapers?

Green Baby has teamed up with Lou's Flower World to create a cloth diaper floral arrangement that uses the same idea as a diaper cake, but it's a little greener. A cloth diaper arrangement makes a perfect:
  • Baby shower decoration
  • Shower gift
  • Holiday present
What you do is buy a bunch of baby accessories and cloth diaper covers or prefolds. Bring them over to Lou's Flower World at 5128 Oleander drive, where you can pick out a potted plant or have them create a floral arrangement for you. The florists will put together an arrangement using the items you bought at Green Baby, making a perfect bouquet that's perfect for a mom-to-be or a new mom.

Some items that you could put in your cloth diaper bouquet are:
  • Nursing pads
  • Diaper covers in a variety of colors
  • A bib
  • A burpcloth
  • Teething necklace
  • A few colorful onesies
Green Baby has a diaper bouquet on display just inside the door. Check it out next time you visit the shop! Our bouquet also features Fertile Myrtle, a cast resin statue created by local artist Justine Ferreri. We haven't had a chance to get in touch with the artist to find out the exact symbolism behind these statues, but we're pretty sure they won't make the mom-to-be any more fertile--but they may bring new life to her garden.
Fertile Myrtle statues at Lou's


Lou's Flower World carries the Fertile Myrtle statues, and they also have a large gift shop with other green goodies to add to your cloth diaper bouquet. We are always interested in supporting local green businesses, and Lou's caught our attention with their organically-grown flowers, shrubs, and vegetables. You can go to Lou's to stock your garden, enjoy a floral arrangement created by their full-service florist, or to buy goodies made by several local artists.

What's even cooler is that the business is run by a woman. That's right -- this is Lou:
She is almost always at the store, and is so friendly and accommodating. So whether you're doing some Christmas shopping or looking for a gift for a baby shower, shop local. Stop by Green Baby's and Lou's and put together a truly unique gift.
Always taking the time to smell the flowers.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The BeNETTAfit - a Recap

The BeNETTAfit last weekend could not have been more perfect. It was a beautiful day and the perfect excuse to hang out outside with family and friends. Netta, Matt, and Annetta were hanging out, and there was awesome music, food, crafts, and games. I had never met the Saggese's before, so it was great to see them and to meet the "belle of the ball," Netta.

And what's really awesome--besides all the fun that was had and seeing a community come together like this--is that more than $2000 was raised for the Saggese's. If you missed the event, you can still donate at www.greenbabybiz.com/benettafit, or buy a T-shirt at Green Baby Diaper Service.

Check out some pics from the BeNETTAfit below.
Friends

Making musical instruments

Having fun painting

DIY Banjo

Netta and friends

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A BeNETTAfit Update

As you already know, the BeNETTAfit is taking place at the Mayfaire Event Field this Saturday (November 12). It's not only a cornhole tournament, it's a family fun day. Here's a quick rundown of what you'll get if you stop by. <!--more-->

If you participate in the tournament as par of a two-person team, it's only $10 per person, and you'll get:
  • A boxed lunch from A Thyme Savor
  • A raffle ticket
  • 1 reusable cup
  • The chance to win the grand prize--a custom cornhole set--if you win.
  • All of the fun stuff below
If you don't play cornhole, stop by for:
    With sponsors like Pura Vida Water Co. and Sola, this event is going to be awesome!

    To register to play in the cornhole tournament or to make a donation, please click here.

    Green Your Laundry with Wool Dryer Balls


    If you do a Google search for "toxic fabric softener," you'll find a lot of articles that detail the toxicity of fabric softener. As with a lot of blog posts and information found on Associated Content, however, how factual is this information? Very, it turns out.

    I did a quick search to see if I could find actual studies that described the adverse effects of fabric softeners and dryer sheets. A study conducted on mice in 2000 found that the type of fabric softener sheets studied were made of chemicals that are known irritants, and those chemicals affected the mice's ability to breathe.

    Sunday, November 6, 2011

    Make Musical Instruments at the BeNETTAfit

    Among the many fun activities at the BeNETTAfit this Saturday, November 12, there will be a craft table (run by yours truly of Tmuffin) where we will be making musical instruments so our kids can jam with the bands. (Who are we kidding? We're going to be jamming, too!)

    Here's a little sneak preview of the homemade musical instruments we'll be making from repurposed materials: