Each fall, I get excited about pumpkin. Of course, because I love it’s taste and bright orange color, but also, I think, because I only ever eat pumpkin in October and November. So it always reminds me of wholesome fall days, complete with sweaters, crisp blue skies, and blustery winds. It also reminds me of being warm and cozy at home with my family, since we always eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. What’s more, I’m willing to bet you feel the same, because pumpkin seems to be one of those foods that evokes universal feelings and memories. Kind of like corn on the cob or watermelon.

For the last couple weeks, I’ve seen huge piles of pumpkins (plus gourds and squash) sitting outside of nearly every market around town. It really made me want pumpkin pie, but deep down I know it’s not quite time yet. Instead, I left the cinnamon and nutmeg in the spice cabinet, and made this savory stir fry. Served over rice, it’s a light meal, but you can bulk it up with cubed tofu or tempeh, too. What’s more, it’s cozy, invigorating, and satisfying—sort of like fall itself.

Pumpkin broccoli stir-fry
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ of a medium sugar pumpkin*, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½-inch cubes
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Stir and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over high heat, warm the canola oil until shimmery. Add the pumpkin cubes and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté 5-7 minutes more.
3. Add the garlic and jalapeno pepper, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture, stir again, and remove from heat.
4. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve.

Serves 4
Per serving: Calories 163, fat 8 g, protein 3 g, carbohydrates 22 g, dietary fiber 5 g

*You can use the rest of the pumpkin to make a puree for use in pie, muffins, or pancakes. Peel, seed, and chop the other half of the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes and roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove the oven to cool. Once cooled, process in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. The puree will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or up to six months in the freezer.

Want even more yummy ways to enjoy the orange squash? Check out our top five pumpkin recipes at kiwimagonline.com/pumpkin.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

When it comes to bringing a new dog or cat into the family, I’m a strong advocate of supporting local animal shelters or rescue organizations. Pet adoption not only saves countless dogs and cats from euthanasia, it’s also a stance against the puppy mills and kitten factories that supply pet shops across the country. 

That said, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that San Francisco is considering new legislation that would ban the sale of dogs, cats, birds, and other small animals. Instead, residents looking for a pet would have to adopt, thereby reducing the city’s shelter population while eliminating support for large-scale breeding operations that typically favor inbreeding and force animals to live in squalid conditions.

Opponents say the initiative takes choice away from consumers and could negatively impact the pet shop industry—to which I say, who cares? Pet shops that earn the majority of their profits from selling factory pets can find new, more humane ways to make money, while more local citizens will begin to consider the importance of animal welfare. If the proposed legislation becomes law, everyone in San Francisco (furry or not!) will benefit.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Getting a new computer is always exciting (it’s so fast! there’s no file clutter!), but figuring out what to do with the one it’s replacing, well, isn’t. Often, old computers simply end up in the landfill or—for those of us who are good-intentioned but too lazy to ship them off to the manufacturer for repurposing—collecting dust in a dark corner of the garage. No more!

A new program from Dell and Goodwill, Reconnect accepts any brand of computer (plus almost any device that can be attached to a computer) and recycles it for free. All you have to do is drop off the old equipment to a participating Goodwill location, and you’ll receive a receipt for tax purposes. The payoff? Some extra money for you, (slightly) less clutter at home, and a lot of good for the environment. 

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Here’s a stat that’s startling to any parent: at any given time, there are nearly 500,000 American children in the foster care system. Whether they’re waiting to be reunited with their biological family or looking to be adopted, kids in out-of-home care need stable, loving care from a nurturing adult. This month, hundreds of events are taking place across the nation to honor foster parents, raise awareness about the foster care system, and engage caring adults to change a child’s life by becoming a foster parent. To learn more about the National Foster Care Month campaign and how you can help, visit fostercaremonth.org.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Whether your child loves to read or needs a little pushing to open a book, we have some great ideas for finding great books and making the most of your reading time:

* Check out Bookworms, the KIWI book review page. Our fantastic reviewer, Mary Talalay, scours through all the new releases to find and recommend the very best.

* Visit We Give Books, where you can read a book with your child right online. It’s free, and for every book you read, Penguin (the book publisher that stocks the site with their classic titles) will donate a book to a child in need.

* Explore One Potato, a lovely little online bookstore with great choices you might not see highlighted at your local big-box bookstore. You’ll buy through Amazon, but browsing here is like talking to a very knowledgeable children’s librarian.

* Speaking of children’s librarians, be sure to support yours: Visit the library today!

-Sarah, KIWI editorial director

By now, you’ve probably heard that the Gulf of Mexico oil slick that’s been looming near the coastline finally hit Louisiana’s shores this week, and with oil still gushing from the damaged rig, there’s no telling when matters will improve. It’s a devastating situation, to be sure, and one that’s only made more frustrating to eco-enthusiasts who want to help but aren’t sure how. Turns out, you can do some good—that is, if you’re up for a haircut.

Hair for Oil Spills is a program started by the folks at Matter of Trust. Since hair (and fur, for that matter) does a great job of collecting oil (that’s why we shampoo, after all!), the planet-friendly nonprofit is encouraging salons, groomers, wool farmers, and individuals to donate their clippings. Once collected, the fibers can be stuffed into nylons or woven into mats to create what could best be described as sponges that sop up oil along the shoreline.

Sounds crazy? Maybe…but after seeing a photo of a sea bird covered in crude oil, I’m considering a haircut. To learn more about how you can help, visit matteroftrust.org.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Remember the movie Pay It Forward with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment? It centered around a kid who works to make the world a better place by doing one nice thing for three other people after any time someone did something nice for him. Whenever he helped someone out, he encouraged them to continue the spread of kindness by paying it forward. Sounds pretty good, right? Turns out, people all over the world agree: today is Pay It Forward Day!

28 countries have pledged to participate in the event, including the United States, Canada, England, France, and even Herzegovina. What’s more, while participants can pay it forward with pretty much any good deed imaginable, the Pay It Forward Day website has some fun suggestions to get you inspired. A few of my favorites:

• On a rainy day, buy a few umbrellas and give them to those who don’t have one and are getting wet.
• Buy a train or bus ticket for the person behind you.
• Get a bunch of people who travel for work and frequently stay at hotels to donate the free soap, shampoo and conditioner towards a group that would benefit.

For more ideas, plus printable Pay It Forward leaflets and cards, check out payitforwardday.com.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

I’ve come across some great contests for kids lately. Is your kid ready to win big?

• Got a kid who loves to cook? Don’t miss KIWI’s own Next Great Young Chef contest. You still have a few weeks left to enter his or her favorite recipe. We’ve received lots of adorable videos already–don’t miss out on showing us how cute and talented your kid is! Not only do the winning kids get featured in KIWI, but they get cash too ($2500 for the grand prize winner!).
• Is your kid great at building things? In honor of Earth Day, PBS KIDS GO!’s Design Squad recently launched the Trash to Treasure contest, which challenges kids (ages 5 to 19) to create a new invention out of—you guessed it—trash. Three winners will get to go to Boston and be on the Design Squad show. Super cool!
• Does your kid have great ideas for helping others? The Be BIG in Your Community Contest is sponsored by Scholastic (and Clifford the Big Red Dog), and encourages kids to think of big ways to help out their communities (last year’s grand prize winner wanted a playground that would work for everyone, including kids with special needs). The winning team gets $25,000 to make their big dream happen!
  

-Sarah, KIWI Editorial Director

Here at KIWI, we get a ton of products sent our way–food, toys, cleaning supplies, etc. The problem is we’ve got such a small staff, we can’t possibly use, eat, or play with every item that comes through our door (although we may want to!). So a few weeks ago, we cleaned house. Everything was jam-packed into in our prop closet (seriously, we could barely walk in there!). So we researched a few charities and decided to make some donations.

City Harvest is a food rescue organization that aims to feed New York City’s hungry men, women and children. They’ve got a great community food program where they deliver meals by truck, bike, and on foot. We donated nearly 80 pounds of food and drinks from our closet! For more info, or to donate something from your pantry, visit City Harvest.

Grand Street Settlement offers programs from early childhood (Daycare, Pre-K) and youth development (Summer Day Camp) to community support for adults and seniors (Baruch Elders Services Team (BEST) Program). They also provide services for low-income families and individuals. We donated a ton of beauty, bath and hygiene supplies for their “Take Back the Night” event for teens and tweens. If you want to volunteer or make a donation yourself, check out Grand Street Settlement.

Even after that, we had just a little wiggle room in our closet. Next up, we’re donating baby items to Room To Grow, a nonprofit that provides essential baby items and support to parents raising their little ones in poverty. For more info, visit Room To Grow.

Seriously, it feels so good to give back!

-Nicole McGovern

Last spring, nearly one billion people in 4,100 cities worldwide supported the fight against global warming by going dark for Earth Hour. The annual event, which asks people to turn off their lights (and TVs, and computers, and cell phone, etc!) for one hour, takes place again tomorrow, March 27th at 8:30 pm local time. Mega landmarks across the globe like the pyramids of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge, Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, Las Vegas Strip, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (just to name a few) are all participating—so join in on the planet-friendly fun! Pledge your participation and learn more at earthhour.org.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver are well underway, and while the athletes are getting gold, silver, and bronze, Vancouver itself might be up for a green medal. The host city’s commitment to sustainability might not be getting as much coverage as Apolo Ohno, but it’s at least as carefully planned out as the skater’s famous soul patch.

A few things Vancouver has done to make the Olympic Games green:

* All the venues were designed using LEED sustainability objectives. One example: You know all that rain that’s been messing with the event schedule? At the Richmond Olympic Oval, it’s being collected and used to flush the building’s toilets.

* That amazing cross-country torch relay? Carbon neutral.

* The Olympic Organizing Committee signed a protocol with Four Host First Nations (the aboriginal groups that have inhabited Canadian land since long before there was a Canada) to work together to create a successful Games. This is an indication that to Vancouver, respecting native people is a crucial part of sustainable living.

Yes, some argue that keeping a huge torch lit for 16 days isn’t exactly green. And we’re all plugging in our TVs to watch. But I think we should applaud Vancouver for its efforts, and I hear that London is planning a greener Games, too. What do you think? Good job, or not enough?

-Sarah, KIWI editorial director

If you have a teen or tween, I’m willing to bet she (or he) is pretty fashion-conscious—and is constantly trying to update her wardrobe with the latest trends. But what to do with the old clothes your kid has (literally or figuratively) outgrown? If the item in question is denim, consider donating to Jeans for Teens, a campaign that collects gently used jeans for homeless teens.

Taking part in the program is easy: Just drop off any pair of used jeans to a local Aeropostale store between January 19th and February 14th. The pants will be given to a local homeless shelter or charity—and participants will receive 25% off a new pair of Aeropostale jeans. I say, take it to the next level and encourage your teen to collect used jeans from her friends, or even start a jean drive at her school!

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

We’ve already showed off KIWI’s 2009 Best Green Toys & Gifts, plus our picks for eco-friendly online retailers—but alternative options like charity donations abound this holiday season. Here, some organizations we love:

• Go wild. Adopt-an-animal programs from organizations like Oceana and the World Wildlife Fund allow gifters to sponsor lions, tigers, and bears (and more!) in the name of the individual of their choice. What’s more, the sponsorship comes complete with a photo and certificate of adoption!
• Support good health. While the U.S. might currently be undergoing healthcare problems of it’s own, it’s nothing compared to the lack of resources in many Asian and African countries. Help moms in third world countries give birth safely with a Safe Motherhood Kit, or buy bricks to build one room in an Bolivian health clinic.
• Have a cow. Instead of a box of chocolates or coffee sampler for the foodie in your life, let them help others beat hunger through Heifer International. The organization promotes food self-sufficiency by providing families with cows, sheep, chickens, and other livestock.

Will you be giving charitable gifts this holiday season? If so, who do you plan to support?

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Despite the best efforts of many eco-conscious individuals, families, organizations, and businesses, a new report by the Global Carbon Project says global emissions have jumped 20% in the last decade. Yikes! According to the study, one of the biggest continued contributors to the increase of CO2 in our atmosphere is developing nations, whose emissions percentages rise each year. (That doesn’t say developed nations in North America and western Europe are blame-free, though—their already-high CO2 levels have simply remained stable rather than decline.)

If you’ve been working hard to do it’s part in the fight against global warming, the study’s findings might feel discouraging. After all, if your family’s lifestyle changes—like making sure to recycle everything, eating less meat, or keeping the thermostat cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer–don’t seem to be making a difference, why bother? In fact, because the only way progress has ever been achieved in society is through persistence.

Instead of declaring the war on climate change un-winnable, take the opportunity to serve as an example and keep doing what you’re doing (and maybe consider even doing a little more!). The eventual result? A healthier world for our children and grandchildren.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Go the extra mile to be kind on Saturday, August 8th for The Great Kindness Challenge. Created by Kids for Peace, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting the world through love and action, the event seeks to engage over one million children worldwide to participate in as many acts of kindness as possible throughout the day in an effort to foster a lifelong commitment of service to others and the planet.

Looking for some ways to spread the love? Here are ten of our favorite activities from The Great Kindness Challenge Checklist:

1. Take a treat to your local firefighters
2. Push someone on a swing
3. Leave a flower on someone’s doorstep
4. Feed the birds
5. Bring a teddy bear to a child in the hospital
6. Donate something to an animal shelter
7. Read a book to a younger child
8. Wash a neighbor’s car
9. Pick up ten pieces of trash on the beach
10. Compliment 5 people

What are some of your family’s favorite R.A.O.Ks?

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

Ice cream trucks are a hallmark of summer, but what about a fresh produce truck? The Veggie Van is just that, brought to the people of central Ohio through The Greener Grocer, a food market that seeks to promote local and artisanal products from small-scale farmers.

A sort of farmer’s market on wheels, The Veggie Van delivers fresh, sustainably-grown local produce to Ohio communities. In keeping with their mission to spread food justice, The Veggie Van accepts food stamps, as well as works in collaboration with Local Matters, a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing the availability of fresh, local foods to central Ohio residents.

What a cool concept! When you think about it from the angle of a ice cream truck, we love how The Veggie Van offers healthy snack options–biting into a perfectly red, ripe strawberry beats a sno-cone any day. What’s more, it’s well-known that lower-income areas often have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables, so the fact that The Veggie Van is seeking to address this issue in an innovative way is really commendable!

My only question: Does it run on veggie oil, too?

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

Are you (or do you know) a mom who’s made an exceptional effort to create a healthier environment for children and families? Healthy Child Healthy World, a non-profit seeking to inspire parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals, will hold their annual benefit gala this October, where the organization will recognize one enthusiastic, health-minded mom for her work.

To nominate yourself or someone you know, share the extraordinary story! Submissions will be accepted until August 15th.

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

Whether it was time spent at the local animal shelter, reading to sick children, or preparing meals in a soup kitchen, I always leave my time spent volunteering with a real sense of optimism. This might seem counter-intuitive–after all, I’m sometimes exposing myself to some pretty upsetting situations. However, giving back always makes me feel like something that really needed doing was done, and fills me with a sense of empowerment that it was within my capacity to do it.

Volunteering is one of the best ways to instill in our children a sense of social responsibility and compassion. Fortunately, there are countless ways to give back no matter what your family’s interests, especially during the summertime when schedules tend to be a little more open. You can check out Volunteermatch.org to find opportunities in your community, or consider some of these family-friendly options.

1. Elect to take part in an Adopt-A-Grandparent program at a local nursing home or assisted living facility. Better yet, find out if any of the residents have summer birthdays, and throw a giant birthday bash complete with balloons, simple party games, fun music, and from-scratch cupcakes.
2. Hold an all-natural lemonade stand where you know you’ll get lots of thirsty customers (maybe a local baseball field or community pool?). Donate all proceeds to your favorite charity.
3. Make fun kits complete with coloring books, non-toxic markers or crayons, stickers, playing cards, puzzles, and pocket novels, then deliver them as a family to patients at a nearby children’s hospital.
4. Wake up early one morning and head over to your local park with a supply of trash bags. Have a competition to see which family member can find the most litter.
5. Special Olympics games occur throughout the summer in nearly every state, and volunteers of all ages are needed to make the events happen. To find one near you, click here.

Does your family have a regular volunteering outlet? How has it helped everyone grow and learn?

-Marygrace, KIWI Staff Writer

If you’re in the Philadelphia area, help Heart Gallery Philadelphia promote adoption awareness on June 20th with its Fourth Annual Gala exhibit. On display at the Please Touch Museum during the month of July, the exhibit features portraits of 30 foster children awaiting adoption in the Philadelphia area. The Heart Gallery seeks for the exhibit to raise awareness for the need of adoptive families through providing a face and voice to some of the children in the area looking for their “forever family.”

To learn more, visit heartgalleryphiladelphia.org.

-Marygrace, KIWI Staff Writer

In a few months’ time, I’ll be moving halfway across the country, so this year’s spring cleaning ritual has taken on even greater necessity.  I want to keep the clutter out of my new apartment, so that means paring down my possessions as much as possible.  More specifically, it means paring down my shoe collection.

Luckily, I can recycle my footwear by donating it to Soles4Souls, a charity that provides used shoes to people who need them.  The group has currently teamed up with Meryl Starr, an organization and motivation expert, for a nationwide Spring Cleaning program aimed at encouraging people to donate their gently-worn shoes.

According to Soles4Souls, approximately 300 million pairs of shoes were tossed in our landfills last year.  This is pretty unacceptable, not to mention entirely unnecessary!  Thousands of shoe stores across the country are accepting donations and holding shoe drives–find one to stop at on your way to the farmer’s market!

Marygrace, KIWI intern

An article in yesterday morning’s paper reported that this year, thrift store sales have skyrocketed.  Considering the current state of the economy, as well as the ever-growing movement to reduce, reuse, and recycling, this comes as no surprise.  Whether it’s out of concern for the planet or simply an effort to save some money doesn’t make much difference to me–people are consuming less, and that translates to less focus on the material, as well as less junk in our landfills.

While people are embracing the awesomeness that is second-hand (where else can you find a perfectly worn-in pair of Gap jeans for $6?), however, the article also reported that thrift store donations are way down.  Clearly there’s an imbalance here, and it needs to be fixed!

March is the perfect month to take on some spring cleaning.  While it’s tempting to make a little extra money by selling your unwanted goods at a garage sale or consignment shop, think about organizations like Goodwill or the Salvation Army who could really use them.  And remember, these places don’t just take clothes–thrift stores will happily accept your old linens, cookware, toys, furniture, and even electronics.

Marygrace, KIWI intern and thrift store junkie

When we moved from downtown Baltimore to the suburbs, my daughter had just turned one. We enjoyed our outdoor decks on our high-rise condo, but we didn’t have our own space for our family so we decided to move.

The first thing we did when we moved was to plant a belated first birthday tree for her in the back yard. We chose an apple tree and selected a young tree that was about 4′ high. Ever since then, we have planted a new fruit tree for each birthday – plum, cherry and peach.

My daughter just turned 4 and she has a special stewardship of these trees; she checks on each one to make sure it isn’t thirsty and she even worries about them when we go on vacation. We take a photo of her with each tree and we watch the growth of Mimi and her trees each year. This year, we enjoyed the bounty of the plum and cherry trees and it was the best fruit we all had ever tasted.

Fortunately, my husband’s family has a summer home in Maine so we planted a small pine tree for my daughter there (we simply relocated a small seedling that was growing in a bad spot on the property) onto a special place closer to the house. We visit Mimi’s tree in Maine every year and take photos there as well.

Our next project is going to be planting a tree which will serve as our family’s Christmas tree each year instead of buying fresh and bringing it indoors or buying a man-made tree. Since my husband is Jewish and I was raised Christian, it is also a nice compromise for our household. We decided on this new family tradition too late to actually plant one for last Christmas (it was already freezing and the ground was too hard). I want to find the perfect spot so we can decorate it with treats for the birds and see it from our family room. I am not sure we have room for one Christmas tree each year but we’ll
plant one this summer and see how it goes.

We had a young woman visit our home a few months ago who grew up in our house.  She pointed out a cherry tree in the backyard that her dad had planted for her when she was just 4 years old.

I think trees are one of the most lovely and memorable gifts you can receive.  My daughter’s teacher cried when we gave her a flowering cherry tree from her class.  A little research on which trees thrive in your area, a sturdy shovel, a bag of fertilizer and you are ready to go.  If you don’t have room outside, lemon trees usually thrive in an indoor environment and grow at a rate which is suitable for indoors.  And, there are many, many organizations who will plant a tree for you in someone’s honor.

I have to admit something. In addition to having a theme song for
every new adventure, I tend to decide on a project, embark on it
zealously and then move on.

I was writing an article on school gardens for Kiwi Magazine (Sept
issue) and decided the best way to get motivated was to finally find a
spot in my yard and create a vegetable garden. I had in mind that I
wanted to spearhead an effort to create a garden at my daughter’s
preschool and decided this was my audition to see if I could really
make it happen.

I had created a compost pile which was being turned into fertilizer
gold by thousands of hard-working worms. Unfortunately, that was on
the opposite side of the property from the perfect garden spot.

I read about lasagna gardening and decided that was the best route for
my garden since the soil was not rich and was also very rocky. I
carefully tapped a series of posts to mark my territory but ended up
making the garden way too big for my first attempt. It’s currently 8′
x 20′. I carefully laid newspapers on the ground and covered them
with about 5 inches of fresh compost which took me at least 10 trips
from the compost pile. Sweating profusely, I filled every inch of my
too-big garden with worm-filled compost.

I decided to plant tomato plants instead of starting with seeds
because I wanted immediate gratification. But, I did plant seeds for
cucumber, beans, watermelon and pumpkin and they’re all doing quite
well. This summer seems to be the perfect conditions for a vegetable
garden and the site I chose seems to be working out well.

I am only telling all of you this because I often just wing it. I
started throwing table scraps into a pile of leaves in a place where
my dogs couldn’t access and *poof* I have a very productive compost
pile. I toss in shredded newspaper and hay, turn it every so often,
but largely ignore it. The worms do all of the work.

I also largely ignore my garden. I just make sure it’s not too dry
and that the tomato plants are tied to stakes and leave it alone. I
don’t weed, trim, groom or talk to it. And it is growing like mad.

Some plants are faring better than others, but the lesson I learned is
to just give it a go and you’ll be so surprised. And, if it doesn’t
work the first time, step back, rethink it and try again.

The best part of all of this experimentation is that my daughter wants
to be outside most of the day to corral worms, water the garden and
check on her plants. I get great exercise from digging the compost
and then taking it for a ride in the wheel barrow. And, we all can’t
wait to taste the fresh vegetables that we grew without pesticides or
products.

Finally – A book about how to transform grocery produce into plants.

My daughter loves to plant. We really did bury a lollipop once
because she was convinced a lollipop tree would grow. Since I am from
a family of researchers, I thought that showing her that it wouldn’t
work was better than just telling her.

But, my daughter wants to plant everything. The seeds from her apples
and the various bits and pieces that drop from our trees. We rarely,
if ever, have had success in growing plants from seeds unless we
specifically purchased the seeds in a tidy little packet. The only
exception we have is when some pumpkin plant mysteriously grows out of
the compost pile on its own accord.

There is a new book called Don’t Throw It, Grow It, by Deborah Peterson
and Millicent Selsam (Storey Publishing, 2008), which is the definitive
guide to growing plants from kitchen scraps. It tells you the best way
to prepare the seeds or cuttings for planting and how to make sure
that your crop thrives. We’re going to start with a lemon tree!

Ok, kid. One kid. One four-year-old girl. I now have the utmost respect for my mother who had seven children in tow and wondered why or how she ever planned camping trips for us where you have to bring all of the gear, down to the toilet paper.

We traveled by plane and car from Baltimore to the small town of
Surry, Maine for a week. I’m writing this in past tense, but, indeed,
it’s our last day here in this lovely oasis of nature, ocean and
absolute peace. While sitting on the conifer-protected deck
overlooking the Atlantic, we’ve seen schools of dolphins swim by and a
seal who seems to just ride the gentle waves all day. Until the
lobster farmer with his loud engine roars by to check the traps.

I find traveling to be one of the hardest times to be green when
you’re with kids because you just want them to be happy, entertained
and, well, quiet when you’re on the plane or on a 3-hour car ride. I
found a few toys, games and treats that made the trip go a little
smoother:

- Books, books, books. I bring many soft cover books in our carry on
for travel entertainment and bedtime routine. I often buy these at
second-hand stores and we donate the ones that don’t meet our very
high literary standards (depending on the week, Dora is in or out). 

-  We also write our own books about our adventures.  We’d love to share them with you (as soon as I put them in a web-friendly format!).  I bring blank sketchbooks and paper and tape and we create stories about everything from Emperor Penguins who have no clothes to Clown Weddings.

- Photo albums. I always bring a small photo album or two for my daughter because she is mesmerized with her own baby photos and photos of family in general. She has loved to have her own albums since she was younger than 2, so I make them for her regularly and always have one in my bag to keep her entertained.

- I haven’t figured this one out yet – where do old sticker books go to die? My daughter can whip through 150 stickers in 10 seconds flat but I know the coated paper is not recyclable. I am in search of recycled and recyclable stickers. I want to make my own, too, so add a comment if there is a certain brand of sticker paper you like (or premade stickers) which are eco-friendly. We had an Usborne sticker book called the Shells Sticker Book which was gorgeous – 150 shells with information about their type and location which kept us busy for hours.

- Crayons and paper. The go-to entertainment always works if mom or dad join in the coloring.  The water-color crayons are really cool when spritzed with water.

- Post-its. For some reason, post-its in all sorts of colors, stuck to everything from the airplane tray table to the car window are fun, fun, fun.  We take out magazines and make new outfits out of post-its for the fashion don’ts

- DVDs. I admit it freely that we bring our portable DVD player and our favorite DVDs. Wonder Pets (all of them are excellent), Max & Ruby and HBOs Classical Baby are our current favorites.

- iPod. I load up my iPod with my favorite tunes and then make a playlist for my daughter. The new iCarly CD is fantastic if you like faster songs, as are Dan Zanes and Father Goose. Frances England, Elizabeth Mitchell and Lisa Loeb are always reliable for more mellow tunes.  I bring along one of those speaker pillows so she can listen while lounging.

- Snacks. Organic popcorn, pretzels and cereal with full Sigg bottles of water (filled after we go through airport security) and organic lemonade.

- Klutz’s The Fabulous Book of Paper Dolls. Paper dolls have evolved, finally! I still think I am onto something with my post-it note dresses (see my birthday party post), but Klutz has the best paper doll book I have seen, complete with storage pockets in the back for all of the clothing. My 4-year-old couldn’t quite pop out the dolls by herself so a couple are now limb-less, but we had fun dressing them. (www.klutz.com)

And, while in Blue Hill, Maine, I went into an adorable shop called New Cargoes (http://www.newcargoes.com/)  which had some great finds for the vacation week and the return trip home. Many of these have appeared in Kiwi’s pages already, but I was happy to stumble upon them for my personal use on this trip. Some of my favorites were:

- Crocodile Creek Matchbox Puzzles. We found these 3″ x 4″ puzzles
in, yes, what appeared to be small matchboxes. They had an array of horses and dinosaurs; they’re really cute and entertaining (and fast – 12-13 pieces each). My daughter called the finished puzzles her IDs (because of the size – it looks like my Johns Hopkins ID badge) and she spent hours putting them together and taking them apart. They were $2 each. (www.crocodilecreek.com)

- Envirosax eco-friendly bags for $10 each. If you’re like me, I have many eco-friendly shopping bags from my local grocery store. I actually bring many of them on vacation, using them to wrap shoes in our luggage or for dirty clothes on the way home (the bag and the clothes go straight in the laundry). But, I could not resist the stylish waterproof polyester bags with crazy aliens, dinosaurs, and even pretty patterns for mom. They roll up to nothing for easy portability. I bought the alien bag and started using it immediately, and was stopped twice in the next 5 minutes to ask me where I got such a cute bag. The waterproof feature is excellent because we had many
swimming adventures in Maine and storing icky wet bathing suits and clothing was a breeze with these cute bags in tow. (www.envirosax.com)

- All Terrain Herbal Armor Mosquito Repellant DEET-Free Lotion with SPF 15. Skeeters are the price you pay in gorgeous coastal Maine. They’re big, persistent and they come out at all times of the day (depending on the type of mosquito, some are day feeders and some are night feeders) and this stuff really worked to keep us bite-free. But those tenacious mosquitos bite through clothing, so you really have to
apply this lotion to your whole body and then get dressed to really work. (www.allterrainco.com)

- Greggo Magnets – Magnetic Birds. We were staying at a house with a refrigerator, therefore magnet play was de rigeur. Greggo has magnets of every shape and style and we chose two (at $13, we didn’t want to get too many but it was tempting). We got ones that were birds with the color photo and name of each bird (very handy when you’re out of your area and having trouble identifying the types of birds.  We also purchased the sea animals which are also wonderful. And, when your child is mass producing artwork like a crazed Picasso, these magnets will obviously be functional for hanging up the masterpieces on the fridge.

My only complaint was that the manufacturer packaged the magnets with double-sided tape onto a carboard backing and it was really difficult to remove the magnets without having goo all over them (plus a magnet or two ripped). Make sure, too, that the ones you choose are age-appropriate because swallowed magnets are very dangerous. (www.greggomagnets.com)

- The one thing I always seem to neglect bringing enough of is bath toys. My daughter likes to go on a bathing hiatus on vacation, but I can usually convince her by day five, when her curls are cemented together, by tossing in toys, cups and bubbles. I ended up buying a tube of birds from Safari Ltd. which are made in China but listed as
phthalate-free. These are for children over the age of 3. (www.safariltd.com)

- Yummy Earth organic vitamin C pops. This is the bribery candy which buys us time in traffic jams and airport lounges. If my daughter is begging for sweets, I carry these pops and I feel just a little better than if I just whip out the corn syrup-laden goodies. These are vegan and organic, but, yes, they are still sugary treats (fortunately, the neighboring town of Blue Hill has a co-op with all sorts of organic
and locally grown goodies.) (www.yummyearth.com)

-  I recently learned of a company called BabyPlays.com which is a subscription toy service, much like Netflix is for movies. They have a feature where you can have toys sent to your address on vacation. I am definitely going to try this out for my next vacation, even if it’s at my own home address!  The coolest feature of all is that they test their toys for lead and other safety issues.

We are fortunate that our entertainment in Maine is nature. We take
walks on the beach and walks through the woods to explore and see
“critters.” So, we were active all day, every day and fell into bed
at 9pm every night. I find the “out of sight, out of mind” rule
applies to my daughter, so we removed the DVD player from her sight
and she forgot about wanting to watch television (most of the time)
and wanted to be outside learning to skip rocks into the ocean or
search for minnows in tide pools.

Do you have special tricks and tools you use on vacation to keep your
kids happy?

I will be writing about traveling with kids from a safety standpoint
in the next blog entry. We rented a car with a booster seat on this
trip but I was really disappointed with the age, quality and
sturdiness of the seat we got. Stay tuned to talk about seats for
airplanes/cars, travel strollers and other travel products.

“Nearly every American hungers to move,” writes John Steinbeck in Travels With Charley, an account of the author’s travels across America in an RV. After a three-week, business-related stay in a hotel room, the Janssen family realized they wanted to downsize their life. Eventually, this lead to their own cross-country adventure, complete with a modern twist. Thus, the Live Lightly Tour was born.

After finding a used RV on Craigslist from an 84-year old man in Illinois, Matt and Sara Janssen took it to Golden Fuel Systems (www.goldenfuelsystems.com) where a custom conversion kit was installed, allowing the camper to run on veggie oil. According to Sara, the RV’s tank holds 100 gallons of eco-friendly fuel, which allows for about 800 miles of travel.

Why abandon your home, as well as the majority of your possessions, for something so tiny? “For some, going smaller is a challenge, but we enjoy it,” Sara explains. “We have gained such a connection as a family and also with the outdoors.”

For Matt and Sara, along with their young daughter, Bella, having the freedom to travel anywhere they want is an exciting opportunity. And while they sometimes miss having a consistent group of family or friends around, this is offset by the privilege of meeting all kinds of new people and creating many new relationships. Plus, the option to visit home is always available. “We don’t have our own yard to play in, but we have an entire country […] with parks on every corner! For each challenge, there is an equal benefit,” Sara tells me.

The response to veggie oil, as well as the tour’s larger message of living simply and following one’s dreams, has been overwhelmingly positive. Says Sara, “[T]hey are sick of punching a time clock and living in a cubicle. They want to follow their dreams and take the same leap of faith that we took.”

While its easy to be overwhelmed by the numerous aspects of green living, the Janssens encourage people to start small. The family believes incorporating lots of small changes over time will add up to larger ones, and strives to spread this message with the people they meet across America.

Want to learn more about the Live Lightly Tour and the Janssen’s take on green living? Visit www.livelightlytour.com.

-Marygrace Stergakos, Editorial Intern with KIWI Magazine

I try to do something eco-friendly every day and add new things to my repertoire.

In addition to my newest eco-additions of a righteous, worm-filled compost pile and a new garden plot, I have tackled some other baddies to try to be better.

I don’t idle my car at the top of the driveway to get my mail. I am now getting into paper mache crafts and using recycled paper insead of heading to the craft store for more supplies.

But the one thing that is eluding me at present is all of the catalogues. I am very careful not to sign up for free contests and offers because, well, nothing is really free. But, if I get one more Oriental Trading catalogue filled with plastic trinkets, I am going to scream.

I signed up for GreenDimes (www.greendimes.com) which I think is a very good organization. The only problem is that I took the time to fill out all the forms, enter all of the catalogue names and customer numbers. I just went on the site to enter a few more and every single entry had an “action required” button.

So, each and every mail order company requires something different, all of which costs me money and more time. It is so frustrating. Some need a letter (which GreenDimes writes for you) but it requires a stamp (there are at least 20 of these on my list). Some require a payment to be removed (ok, it’s a dollar but requires writing a check).

I think these mail-order companies are purposely obtuse when it comes to removing my name, but it is automatic to get on the list.

So, what I thought would be a 15-minute project to up-green myself is taking a couple of hours. I have to be honest, I don’t believe that all of these companies will actually respond appropriately and quickly to my request.

I wonder if there is a way to refuse delivery and have all of the mail returned to them at their expense? Now, that would send a message loud and clear, wouldn’t it?

I’m interested in hearing about your up-greening experiences!

-Edamaddy, I mean Edamommy

I am trying to figure out how and where to plant a garden in my yard but I have some serious obstacles. As I mentioned before, I have two very wild and crazy dogs (Mya and Stewpot) from Bratislava (kidding) who have the run of my backyard. When I say “run,” it isn’t in jest. They have run through my backyard chasing critters and actually made the pachysandra retreat and die. We have a wooded lot, so there isn’t a perfect spot in the back to plant where I wouldn’t need a 6-ft fence to keep the mutts out.

The front yard is more lush (no dogs) but the deer have realized through their pee-mail network (my husband’s joke – we have email, critters have peemail) that the dogs don’t go there. I really should install a sneeze shield and take-out containers in the front because it is one giant deer salad bar. And, I don’t want to be the eyesore of the neighborhood by building a 6-ft fence around a garden plot (although the neighbor across the way is very unfriendly, which is an incentive to build something and paint it pink).. But I really want to grow vegetables. I refuse to take down trees and container gardening just doesn’t inspire me.

I need an intervention. My mom who is 82 tells me stories about the garden her father planted and how her mom got them through winters during the Depression by canning and storing every fruit and vegetable. We always had a large vegetable garden when I was growing up in Pennsylvania. I actually used to dislike it because one of my chores was weeding it. If I had to write a country song about it, it would be titled: I Was Composting Before Composting Was Cool.

CONGRATS TO BROOKLYN MAMA WHO IS THE WINNER OF THE COMMENT CONTEST AND WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF EARTH MATTERS   The contest is now closed, but comments are always welcome!

While I ramp up to go raw next week (for three months), I wanted to tell you all about the eco-friendly party I planned for my daughter’s 4th birthday this past weekend.    

This blog entry now has a comment contest!  I will choose a comment at random (once we hit 50 so tell all of your friends and frenemies) to win EARTH MATTERS book by DK Publishing, which is an excellent green guide for kids and explains everything from carbon to ecosystems.  It’s for ages 7+ but it has lovely photos so any kid or parent will enjoy!!

You know how parties go – some things worked, some didn’t.

Let me tell you what didn’t work first:

• I called a local nature center (Irvine Nature Center) to see if I could hire (or donate money) to have a nature education specialist walk the kids from the party through our woods and identify plants, trees and animals. I was going to make a field guide for the kids to use to identify the flora and fauna, and take photos of the walk to upload and make a photo book. Nixed. The nature center doesn’t do anything for private homes, even for a fee or freelance.

• If I had thought of the field guide idea earlier, I probably could have tracked down someone (a landscaper, local botanist, college professor) to do it, but it was too late. It’s still something I want to implement for another time because, well, those trees and squirrels aren’t going anywhere. Although I think it’s a great idea, but I would probably have a nature expert come a few days before the party so I can scout for poison ivy and prepare the guide before the guests come.

• I also failed at making little tea cakes using the Williams-Sonoma tea cake pan with a pound cake recipe. I suppose you have to only use their recipe to make the cakes come out properly. Mine stuck to the pan and wound up in the compost pile. However, I made a few crayon tea cakes from broken crayon pieces melted down, and these are super cute. Forget the cakes and make crayons.   We have had great luck using the “bug” pan from W-S for muffins (we call then “buggins”) and things, but this pan is so detailed that it’s hard to get the right result.

What worked:

Tea party theme:

• My husband’s mom is from Exeter, England, so we had the master make her famous scones (want the recipe?  Add a comment and I will post it) and cucumber sandwiches, which were a big hit.  We made them into “finger” and “toe” sandwiches by cutitng them with metal hand and foot cookie cutters (the plastic cookie cutters don’t cut sandwiches very well.)

• I didn’t realize that my daughter was stuffing scones into our homemade gourd bird feeder.  She wanted our feathered guests to feel welcome, too.

• I planned to just use my dishes and silverware instead of disposables but I ended up buying some eco-friendly plates because I panicked. We used regular silverware for the adults and some Zoopal plastic cutlery (which my sister had given us). We rinsed the eco-plates and put them in the recycling bin. 

• All of the food waste (dips that were in the sun, stale chips and some veggies) were composted.  We had very little left over.

• We didn’t go vegan, but we went vegetarian. It was a hot day, so I wanted to serve only cold food, so the menu also included:
  • Mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, basil in balsamic vinaigrette
  • Mexican pinwheels made from organic spinach tortillas, lowfat cream cheese, chopped sweet red peppers, chopped red onion and taco seasoning.  The extra filling was served with Trader Joe’s Organic Vegetable tortilla strips (we found the bear in the chip aisle and won a fruit leather on this trip to TJs).
  • Veggies with lowfat ranch dressing including these interesting pale yellow carrots I found at Wegman’s.  Everyone was amused by them although questioning the amount of beta carotene in yellow carrots (never invite scientists to a birthday party – total party poopers!).
  • Broccoli sprouts on everything except the cake
  • Blueberries, blackberries & raspberries (Intentionally, I left out any type of berries that had to be hulled or cut up to reduce prep time.  These berries were just washed and placed in bowls.

Desserts/Birthday cake:

• Did you know that a Christmas tree cake pan, if turned in the other direction, looks suspiciously like a crocodile? Add marshmallow eyes and teeth and Voila!

• I am a big fan of homemade cakes because you know exactly what is going into them.  We make our cakes with butter and sugar so they’re not health food but there aren’t preservatives if they’re made fresh in your own kitchen.   I couldn’t find any natural/organic food dye, which was the only bummer. But, I think kids enjoy helping with the food preparation, especially mixing and decorating cakes so we’re going the homemade route until my daughter declares it isn’t cool.
• We made “firecrackers” which are big pretzel rods dipped in dark organic chocolate with red, white and blue sprinkles.
• I had a sundae bar with ice cream and all sorts of toppings, all of which melted within seconds of being brought outside. I used glass sundae dishes instead of plastic or throwaway dishes just to add to the festivities. We’ll use these over and over for parties.

Drinks:

• Honest Tea has a new kids juice pouch which is organic and has less sugar. I love them, but my daughter doesn’t actually like them (the other kids seemed to really like them so you’ll have to judge yourself!). If you collect enough of the pouches, you can recycle them at Terracycle (www.terracycle.net).

• I made fresh iced tea in two flavors: decaf green tea and black tea. Both from Brassica tea products because that’s my husband’s company (www.brassica.com) and it’s also really great tea.  Kids actually will drink the decaf green sweetened with raw sugar or blue agave (my daughter likes hers sweetened with honey, both hot or cold tea).

• We planned to make fresh lemonade but simply ran out of time. I bought Newman’s Lemonade.

• Water. I know this is problematic to have bottled water, but I fought my conscience against hydrated guests or no plastic bottles but it was 90+ degrees. The bottles won.  I would have loved to give each guest a Sigg bottle if I had the budget or time. I have green guilt but all of the bottles were kept for my next mini-golf adventure.

Decorations:

• The table with the tea party setup and paper dolls was the main decorative element. I just took a piece of blue gingham fabric that I had from making my daughter a Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) costume and used that as a tablecloth.

•  The yellow envelopes on the table contain a color copy of the original Wee Wonderfuls doll pattern with some clothing. I made some smaller versions (5″) of the doll and also very small ones (1.5″ wine charms) which I punched a small hole, put an elastic ponytail band through, and tied up their goody bag with it. Inside the envelope was also a little wooden (flat) teapot and cupcake from Michael’s because, well, even paper dolls get thirsty and hungry!
• The little pitchers were actually from Wal-mart and they were with the measuring cups – I think the label said they were for creamer.  But, who doesn’t love little tiny pitchers?  Each girl could pour her own drink which is the best part of a tea party! I lined the washed pitcher with a paper toille napkin.
• The placemats are eeboo Fairies of the Garden wall cards which I laminated.  I put the letter of each girl’s first name at her place.
• Green toys has the BEST plastic tea set and cooking set, both of which I had on our table. The products are made in the US from recycled milk jugs and they’re pretty colors and totally kid friendly. ( http://www.greentoys.com/)
• I bought a real china tea cups (mismatched), teapot  and linen napkins from the local Goodwill for the party. They were cheap, adorable and replaceable. Plus, these are things I can see being used for years and years on the playdate circuit and even for grownups. I like to buy things second-hand and multipurpose them.

Games:

• You just can’t beat eeboo for the coolest party games (www.eeboo.com). We had:
  • Stick the Fairy on the Flower. The gorgeous fairy poster was too pretty to just tape on a door, so I put it in a large IKEA poster frame and we stuck the fairies on the front.  The poster is now hanging in our playroom for future playdates.
  • The Tea Party game (our favorite)
  • The Picnic Game
  • Go fish card game
• Unfortunately, no one played any of the games at the party because everyone was outside, but my daughter loves them and we played them all the next day. Great for little girl playdates or smaller settings.

• I made a mini-golf course out of recycled cardboard, cream cheese tubs, boxes and plastic.  I have to admit some of the “holes” were lame but the party goers were all 4 years old, so I kept it simple. I was also worried about rain so I didn’t put as much time into it as I could have.

• I named each hole (9 holes total, I think) after each partygoer (Pizza Mia, Mimi’s Pet Shop, Sam’s Bagels, Lily’s Flower Shop, Ava’s Kites, Elisa’s Ice Cream, Tony’s Broccoli Sprouts and Fill Dirt (inside joke), and Izzy’s Beach Rentals). I took everything from a toy dump truck to an inflatable bagel and made them into easy putts (See photos.) Next time, I plan to make fewer “holes” and make them a little more complex. I think everyone spent most of their time playing golf.
• I bought straw hats and used leftover ribbon and craft supplies for the girls to decorate. It was a cute idea but the kids just wanted to play outside so no one decorated a fancy hat (sniff).  I was going to have a “pink carpet” made from a roll of pink floral wallpaper to make a fashion show when the girls finished their hats, but that whole idea flopped.  I think that’s an idea for next time.
• I downloaded a free gorgeous paper doll template from Wee Wonderfuls (weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/store/paperdolls.html). I transferred the pdf into Photoshop and change each doll’s eye and hair color to match the partygoer. I printed them out on photo paper and laminated. I then thought of a way to dress them without glue, tape or other messy things by using post-it notes.  I simply cut a post-it note into the shape of the lavendar dress you see in the paper doll photo below. The sticky part of the note were at the doll’s shoulders. The post-it notes can be decorated with markers, stickers, etc… Those super sticky notes work the best).
• I made smaller versions of the paper dolls for “wine charms” for the girls’ party favors and cups. No one played with these, either (double sniff). I found a bag of hard foam blocks (from when we had our rugs cleaned – used to lift furniture off of rug) and made these the holders for the dolls. They didn’t have enough weight so I glued on glass marbles.

1. I also ordered Kites on a Roll (http://www.kitesonaroll.com/) which are recyclable kites that come 20 per roll for about $40. You can also add on biodegradable tails. The kites are packed by people with disabilities and the company owner is a sweetheart, so this company is a wonderful find. Only a couple of kids did this craft.

• Outside, we had squirt guns, chalk, bubbles, tents and balls. Despite the heat, the kids pretty much played with this stuff or the mini golf.
• We received various kid tents as gifts so they were outside and the kids seemed to enjoy playing in them.

The goody bags:

• I made a mix CD for the party so I just made copies for the guests and made my own CD covers which can be colored by the birthday girl or her guests.  The songs were dance tunes from Will Smith (Switch) to Deee-Lite (Groove is in the Heart).
• One rock candy stick (it would have been fun to swizzle in the lemonade tea party if they had been inside!)
• One homemade hair bow.
• They took home the paper doll, mini lemonade pitcher and kite. Somehow, the hats remained behind but we’ll try the hat decorating again soon with a playdate.

Invite the best guests in the world:

• Our guests were so kind. My daughter was thrilled that her teacher, our friends and neighbors came to celebrate her special day.
• Everyone helped keep the kids happy and hydrated. Everyone helped get the food out and in, even my friend Sher who is due with baby #1 any day.

Lessons learned:

• Have babies in cooler months. June birthdays are hot ☺
• Don’t panic and add additional food and beverage items. People don’t eat that much at parties, especially in the heat.
• Limit the crafts/activities. I had plans B,C,D, and E in case of rain which was too much. But, we had so much fun prepping for the event; my daughter and I had made paper dolls, picked out tea sets, decorated the table, and made a kite.
• Hire a babysitter or ask a friend to come over the morning before the party starts so the birthday child is happy and occupied. You’re rushing around to get things out (no matter how much you do in advance) and everyone is calling and it becomes pandemonium.
• Do your best when it comes to recycling and reducing consumption. Make it easy for guests to toss cans and bottles in the recycling bin. Make food fresh instead of from packages. And, if you do have waste, compost it or turn it into a mini-golf course!

I completely forgot my daughter’s lunchbox today at school. I spend a fair bit of time preparing her fare, so it wasn’t just a sammy with chips.

It’s a lot of work to make her waste-free lunch:

• I use a thermal bag made from recycled plastic
• a wrap n mat for sandwiches
• I do use plastic (EEK!) containers with twist on tops for things like cucumber slices, hard-boiled egg and grapes
• I really have to get a bento. Considering my husband goes to Japan regularly, I imagine it won’t be that hard. Check this link out for cool lunch box ideas, www.lunchnugget.com. The original bento lunchboxer is here www.veganlunchbox.com. Inspirational, albeit a little intimidating.

Anyhow, back to the left lunch. I seriously contemplated pulling a Ferris Bueller and having a pizza and lemonade delivered to her classroom because I was in such as rush to meet some Kiwi and other deadlines. But, I sucked up the carbon footprint and drove home to retrieve the left lunch. Fortunately, it was out of doggy reach and still safe.

Admittedly, I had several phone meetings and articles to write, but I was rushing because I had a hair appointment. I am one of those people who goes to the salon about 3 times a year, and I always call to make my appoint within 4 hours of getting it cut (I wake up, decide I have to have my hair cut, and call around til I find someone to do it). I go to this cool place called FX Studios (just north of Baltimore MD – www.fxstudios.com and I had a new stylist named Grace who was very sweet and gave me a great cut. You can watch a movie as you get your hair cut (it reminds me of those kiddie cut places where the kid is parked in front of a DVD so they won’t notice). The funny part of the cut to me was the review of all of the hair products as organic, natural and vegan. I’m all for it but the chances of me using 8 hair products in one hair styling event at my home is about nil. I did like that they had a whole lobby full of natural nail care products which work really well and don’t peel off in sheets when you take a shower.

I was making my family some brownies the other night and the two of them would have eaten the whole batch if I hadn’t had a sugar intervention.

Here’s where the nickname came in.

I looked over at my daughter and she had a streak of brownie goo which connected her two eyebrows. The resulting name (which I won’t utter in front of her)?

Unibrownie.

I think it’s interesting the way we label everything and everyone. I was uneasy being a vegan mainly because I wasn’t sure I could live up to the regulations associated with the name. Would people judge me for wearing leather shoes? Or scrutinize my beverages? So, I’m not a big fan of labels.

I think that might be the key to something the trendsters are calling green guilt. You try really hard to recycle, compost, reduce waste, carry a water bottle, eat local, eat plants, grow your own…but then you get to the gym and forget the water bottle. Or you jump on a treadmill and feel guilty because the thing is plugged in. It should be the other way around, right? If you pedal, run, step or walk, shouldn’t you be generating electricity?

My green guilt comes from my house, mainly. I am desperate to install solar panels, get rid of my lawn with attractive moss and groundcover, have a huge and bountiful garden (impervious to deer and bunnies), get a new eco-mattress for every bed and ditch the rugs for renewable wood floors. But, it’s not in the budget in the short-term. And, you have to remove things which have to be recycled, disposed of or somehow evaporated.

We do our best.

What is the past tense of vegan?

Vedone?
Vegone?
Vewitched, bothered and vewildered?

Here’s the deal. I love being Edamommy (I am keeping the moniker) and my alter ego, The Vegan Mary. I also like to think of myself as the 40-year-old Vegan.

But, I am ready for a new challenge, and that’s where you come into the picture. I happened to catch an episode of Sex and the City where Miranda described non-dairy vegan ravioli as kindergarten paste. Foreshadowing? I am wrapping up this vegan venture soon just because it’s time for something new to fuel my ruthless journalistic fire. I never reached the point where I fed my dogs kiddle (that’s the soy version of kibble) but I think I gave this gig a fair shot.

I have some options here. Eventually, I would love to have a gig like Matt Lauer where I am sent around the world to tropical places where someone carries my bag and does my hair and makeup, but the publisher hasn’t agreed. Yet.

So, where are we adventuring next? You can rate these items with the following – *YAWN* OR *DARE YA* (as an added bonus, feel free to suggest your own theme song)
1. Raw foods – This one makes me really nervous. My editor calls this vegan x 10, which of course makes me really want to try it. (Theme song: If lovin’ you is RAWNG, I don’t want to be right)
2. Waste-free kitchen – all compost, no plastic waste, waste-free lunches (Theme song: Guns n Roses Welcome to the Jungle)
3. Shopping diet – Not even my favorite thrift shop. Nothing except food staples. Or food and staples. (Smokey Robinson – Shop Around)
4. Keep on vegan, baby! (I can’t think of a song except Last Night a Vegan Saved my Life)
5. Your suggestion? Keep it clean and legal, please.

And here’s the coolest part! By just voting with your comments, you can be randomly chosen to receive a really awesome vegetarian cookbook.

I will announce the results of the vote in late June.

It seems only fitting to introduce a new theme song. I chose Madonna’s Like a Virgin.

I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didnt know how lost I was
Until I found tofu.

I was meat incomplete
I’d been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new

Like a vegan…

Who’d have thought that to help increase the population of some dwindling species, all we have to do is eat them?!

That’s the premise behind Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods, a new book by Gary Paul Nabhan (Chelsea Green Publishing, $35).

The book takes readers on a journey across North America, introducing them to more than 1,000 edible plant and animal species, most of which they probably have never seen on the shelves of the grocery store.

But that’s exactly the point of the book. Because these items aren’t an everyday part of our diets, their numbers have dwindled over the years, as they’re not being cultivated for our consumption.

It’s all about supply and demand.

If there’s a demand for a certain food product, inevitably, a supply will be produced to best meet that demand. Nabhan hopes that his book, filled with cooking tips and recipes, will create a demand for food stuffs that once were part of our American culture. With a new interest in incorporating native foods into the American diet, farmers and ranchers will once again have a reason to cultivate the plant and animal species that have long been forgotten.

So don’t be surprised if sometime soon, you see Makah Ozette potatoes, Ojai Pixie tangerines, or Tennessee Fainting Goat meat on a menu near you! It’s all just a part of the plan to create a resurgence in native North American species.

-Jena Parise, Marketing Coordinator for KIWI Magazine

Here’s an interesting list for you to chew on. A well-known animal rights organization has a list of everyday junk food that is vegan. I’m not saying it’s healthy or good, but it’s vegan approved.

Things that are vegan:
Krispy Kreme Fruit Pies (Peach)
Thomas New York Style Bagels (Plain)
Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate (Double Chocolate)
Kool-Aid Drink Mix
Nabisco Uh-oh Oreos, Spring Oreos, Chocolate Creme Oreos
Newman-O’s (Chocolate Crème)
Pez Candy
Smarties (U.S. version only)
Ben & Jerry’s Jamaican Me Crazy Sorbet
Mrs. Smith’s Dutch Apple Crumb Pie Slices
Froot Loops
Pop Tarts (Unfrosted Strawberry)

Things that are not vegan:
Grilled salmon
Plain yogurt
Skim milk
Honey
Most sushi

I am having a major Andy Rooney moment. Not the unfortunate eyebrows part, but the “did you ever wonder” part. Did you ever wonder why all of the new diet books on the shelves are just plain mean?

The latest trend seems to be “if we abuse you, you will lose you.” Not that I need a big, authentic, reaffirming Oprah/Eckhart virtual hug every day (Imagine a day where Oprah, Eckhart, Oz and Uma are all on one show) but even Mary Poppins knew that a spoon full of sugar attracts more bees or something like that.

I just want to know what the appeal is of all of these new books that ridicule readers, oh, and happen to have a vegan-agenda. The books remind me of that girl in my college sorority who would say something nasty, always followed by the word ‘kidding” and some smug grin.

If you bought one of those books and crossed out all of the expletives and nonsense commentary with a black marker, it would read like a redacted FBI document.

Maybe I have become a humorless, cranky vegan who needs more vitamins but I could use a little more Elvis Costello – what’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?

I have never been a picky eater and I really get annoyed when dining with one. My nieces who are 18 and 20 still only eat food that usually comes with crayons and a seek-n-find placemat.

I find that to be ridiculous, although my daughter has narrowed her food selections significantly lately. She used to eat bean chili (extra mild), burritos, guacamole and bean salad. Now, it’s chicken, eggs, Caesar salad (my influence), plain pasta and pizza (and Cheetos with dad when I’m not around. But it’s hard to hide a Cheeto-fest with all of that orange evidence). She will eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies (especially broccoli sprouts) as I mentioned, but I am trying to broaden her horizons a little.

She even drinks decaf green tea, but she is the dairy queen, ruler of all things milky and cheesy. She even asks me to tell her bedtime stories about milk. The one we made up is (scroll down to the next day if you can’t even stand the thought of reading this):

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Miriam and she lived in a castle with her dogs Mya and Stewie. And this princess loved milk. Milk, milk,milk. Milk for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. And cheese. And yogurt (“Mom – don’t forget to say ‘yogurt drinks’, too.”) But one day, there was no more milk in the kingdom of Talalay. Not one drop. Every sippy cup was empty. Princess Miriam was so sad. She asked her mom, “Hey Mom! Where’s all of the milk?” “Dunno” Princess Miriam realized if she wanted answers, she’d have to investigate it herself. She went straight to the dairy farm and asked the cows. The cows’ publicist issued this statement: ”Due to the fact that no one says thank you for milk and very few children even know where milk comes from, we are no longer providing milk.” So, Miriam says, “Well, I can understand how you feel. I love milk and I love you. Thank you for all of the milk you’ve ever given me.” From that day on, there was milk for everyone, occasionally chocolate. THE END NOW GO TO BED

I have been telling more people about my vegan venture. Some people think it’s cool and trendy. Others think I have lost my mind. I have given up coffee, too, and my sister thinks that alone qualifies me for a 5150 in California.

The coffee part isn’t going very well at all. I think about coffee a lot and sneak it. Always decaf. I switched to soy and stevia. But, it’s still coffee, no matter how you grind the bean.

I was in the Peace Corps in the former Soviet Union from 1998 to 2000. I joined when I was 32. Talk about raising eyebrows!

Going vegan is nothing compared to telling friends and family I was ditching it all, getting rid of most of my stuff and moving to a country no one has ever heard of. Slovakia is the former half of Czechoslovakia and is bordered by Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Hungary. Speaking of Hungary, I’m starving.

I’m almost three weeks into this vegan thing. I don’t look different. I don’t feel different. I try to run 3 miles every day and I’ve been struggling more than usual.

Temptations are getting harder. I’m knocking on mozzarella’s door. I want a quickie with quiche. I can’t fight this feeling anymore (sorry – a new theme song from REO Speedwagon is trying to invade the Supreme’s space and I am blocking it with all of my vegemight).

I am going to renew my commitment to being a vegan. I want to make vegan friends. No more secret meatings. No more raving cravings. I am renewing my efforts. Starting tomorrow.

I have a soy dream.

I’m back on the vagon.

Even without a vegantini, I am struggling more than I did in the beginning. I plan to stick with this for 3 months and give it a fair shot.

I would love to say that I will adopt veganism for life, but I think it’s inevitable that a choice will come down to having a cup of yogurt (not vegan) or a faux chicken nugget. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I think the healthier choice for me is yogurt.

It’s hard to change my perceptions; I embraced dairy for 42 years. Perhaps it’s habit more than desire, but I still associate dairy and eggs as healthy choices. I think lean organic chicken and grilled salmon are also good for me.

I don’t think fake breaded chicken nuggets (or anything with the word nugget in its name) are good for me. I have a severe case of cognitive dissonance. Yes, I realize that example took the best from one lot and the worst from the other, but you see my point.

I’ve worked hard to eat a healthy diet and avoid all things breaded and fried. I have avoided hot dogs, hamburgers, bacon and doughnuts. But, there are vegan versions of all of these things and I think it might not be a good idea to eat them even if they don’t contain animal products. Of course, this may not be about me. What?

I found a vegan website that actually has vegan versions of s’mores, Twinkies and cinnamon buns. Although I would love to try them out of sheer curiosity, I might like them and somehow give the green light to food that I have avoided for decades.

I guess the best way to continue is to always be prepared, find fun vegan food choices and do my best until my blog is bought by Omaha Steaks or Wendy’s.

I cheated. Now I am a cheatin’ vegan. I am a fair-weather vegan.

In my defense, I have been dedicated and fearless in the face of pudding, ranch dressing and Brie. It was a big date with my husband who has been traveling a lot lately. We rarely get a night out alone. I had a vegantini (no animals were harmed, but I think I was) and my inhibitions were down.

I wanted it. I had to have it. I couldn’t keep my hands off of it.

No, I’m not going to get spicy here. I wanted meat. Specifically pot stickers and a sashimi tuna martini. And they tasted amazing. Sure, I felt a little guilty but it was with my husband and it didn’t mean anything. It was just physical. It won’t happen again, I swear. I’ll go to counseling. I’ll do anything for another chance.

Say you want to try vegan food and don’t want to have to cook different meals for your family. In the early stages, it’s daunting and time-consuming to figure out how to maintain nutritional balance and not fall back into old patterns. Prepare to be amazed. Two words: Hungry Vegan. Meet Amy Townsend. (Amy, Future Vegan. Future Vegan, Amy.) Now kiss and hug her. Amy started the Hungry Vegan (www.hungry-vegan.com) which is a company that ships prepared organic vegan meals nationwide. I don’t live in Manhattan and even getting the pizza guy to find my house is a struggle, but somehow Amy managed to send a cooler of vegan food to my doorstep. It’s some of the best food I have ever tasted. The mushroom bisque with thyme was delicious and cleared my sinuses. For around $85 per week (delivery charges vary based on location), I have been eating delicious, nutritious food which requires minimal prep time. Amy has about 50 clients per week who order her prepared meals and most of them are women (she also mentioned that most of their names start with the letter J. I would have thought V). Her next step is to launch a second vegan menu geared toward reversing diabetes and heart disease. It will be a no oil/no salt added/low glycemic diet that follows the guidelines of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine. As the Vegan Mary, I hereby declare Amy to be Vegemighty.

 I am re-running this post to get your Friday creative juices flowing.  It’s a comment contest!!  I am going to choose, at random, one person to receive a Wrap-n-mat reusable sandwich wrap for the best new moniker for vegans (nothing snarky, please).  I know, I know – Edamommy already suggested such good ones.  But try your best.  The Vegan Mary is already taken.  I’ll announce the winner in one week and send you your Wrap-n-mat. Ready – set- comment!  I see these comment contests work, so stop back often for more prizes.

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

Now that I am an experienced vegan of two weeks, I feel I need to lobby to change the moniker. Vegan doesn’t sound welcoming or happy. I came up with a few which I will try out on the public: Edamommy - nurturing, warm and happy, but gender-specific Vega – the brightest star in the constellation Lyra (I think it should rhyme with Degas) Vegas – already taken but very interesting how one small letter change makes a huge difference. Fun, festive and a little naughty Vegemighty – sounds like a new superhero – if you eat xx amount of vegan food, you could earn a superhero cape!Veggin – friendlier and hip – Just veggin’Weeeegan! - way more funThe Vegan Mary - I guess that would only apply to me and other Marys-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

I belong to a moms’ group and one of the members is an amazing artist (www.happytomatokids.com). She is also a meat maven, pork princess, lamb lover, veal vixen, hamburger helper and a chicken champ. She stalks follows famous chefs and all of their culinary creations. We are the Laverne and Shirley, the Odd Couple, the Charlotte and Samantha, or the Homer and Ned Flanders of the great meat debate. We discovered our dueling blogs (hers is www.happyhoarfrost.com) through a mutual friend. Turns out, my meat-loving friend just ate her with f-f-f-fava beans. You’ll have to look up the term hoarfrost on your own. I can assure you it only sounds naughty.

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

I have to say, the ramp-up time is more significant than I ever imagined. Do you realize how many products contain some form of animal in them? And honey?Some very strict vegans won’t consume certain sugar products or wines because of the way they’re filtered.I have to just look the other way when it comes to the wine. You can only ask for so much.I keep saying (joking) that I am going to write a book (I actually am writing a book about being 32, single and joining the Peace Corps, but that’s another entry for another day) called Chicken Soup for the Vegan Soul.Surprisingly, people are taking me seriously. Either my bagel disequilibrium has really thrown me off course, or I am just not funny. I am going to write to the Chicken Soup publisher and see if they bite on the idea. I guess maybe I am turning into one of those people that says “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

I know I am not a full-fledged vegan. I’m still not sure joining TV (Team Vegan) is my ultimate destiny.But, on a non-vegan front, I believe I may have reformed the Reform Judaic Seder at my daughter’s preschool with a decidedly non-vegan move. I was asked to bring hard-boiled eggs to the Seder celebration yesterday and I posed what I thought was a typical question: peeled or unpeeled? Then, I happened to mention to the preschool director that I buy eggs already hardboiled and peeled.Complete silence.“You do what?”Feeling sheepish at my flagrant lack of knowledge of Seder customs, I responded “I buy them already cooked and peeled.”“You can buy them cooked and peeled???” They responded in unison in complete disbelief. “Where, oh where, can we buy these eggs?”

Apparently, making the hardboiled eggs is a major thorn in the side of Seder prep, at least for these two women. Ironically, we attended the children’s Seder and the meal that followed; someone had made their own eggs and they were not cooked all of the way through (Salmonella Seder?). Sometimes it pays to cheat.I have to tackle one other awkward non-vegan/Seder subject. I have to admit something, in addition to the embarrassing habit of choosing theme songs for events in my life (see Day 1).I fall down miserably when it comes to bagel equilibrium. Bagel equilibrium is achieved when you have enough bagels and their accoutrements including cream cheese (I eat with peanut butter now) and broccoli sprouts (more on sprouts later – I married into the broccoli sprout empire so there might be some shameless promotion for www.brassica.com).I always am short of one ingredient—tubs of cream cheese, no bagels, no sprouts; dozen bagels, no cream cheese, 3 boxes of sprouts. You get the picture.So, I finally, finally reached bagel equilibrium and now it’s Passover. No bagels, just matzah for a week.Happy Passover. I hope you achieve unleavened equilibrium.

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

The most challenging part of this transition is not at all what I expected. I don’t miss meat (yet). I am ok with soy yogurt, although I wouldn’t want to be stranded on a desert island with it yet. The most difficult part is the time it takes to read through every ingredient and really try to determine if the product could be vegan. I love when the product actually says it’s vegan right on the label because it cuts my shopping time significantly. I just want to thank Amy’s Kitchen for a) labeling their products vegan (or not) and eliminating my neophyte guesswork AND b) making really delicious vegan food. Why, they even have vegan pizza! I am trying to eat tons of fresh fruit and veggies, but there are just some evenings where I am making dinner for my beloved meat eaters (or they want to eatpizza) and I can not be tempted because I have a few prepared foods on hand. It’s not an every day occurrence but it is very helpful as an option.

Amy’s Kitchens also has an awesome section on their website about using their food to diet. I think it’s pure genius. I have a family member who goes on one of those commercial diet plans every year for about 6 months and it costs a lot of money (she told me $100 or more per week in food when you include fees and delivery). My theory is to buy healthy frozen food from Amy’s, buy lots of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and buy a great pair of walking shoes with the money you save on fees. Amy’s gives you free downloadable diet and other tools. I have a trip planned this week so I am going to give it a whirl when I return. Let me know if you’ve tried it. I need to lose this baby weight before my baby is driving. I am also trying to keep everything organic as much as possible. You can certainly eat a lot of junk or less healthy food as a vegan, so keeping it fresh and organic is important to me. One of my dearest friends (Hi Jessica!) warned me that, when she went vegetarian 12 years ago (she’s mostly vegan from what she described), she managed to find every junk food product possible. Jessica and I have a major sugar addiction which we are trying to tame (any ideas out there?) I switched to stevia and blue agave (and just raw sugar), but I am talking sweets like chocolate and baked goods. Every time I write my blog, I get hungry. -”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

Although I did not set out with a strategy to veganize, it is evolving slowly. I am trying many of the convenience foods out of sheer curiosity. I have to think it’s easier now than ever to be a vegan because all of our vegancestors (I just made that word up) experimented with egg, cheese, milk and meat substitutes and figured out a way to make most of it taste good and be better for you. The vegan cheese I tried goes in the same category as carob; it looked like cheese, smelled like cheese and tasted like toe jam or a refrigerator science experiment. Should cheese be spongy? In my experience, the only edible cheese that is spongy is cheesecake. I just had a Homer Simpson moment. Mmmmmmm. Cheesecake. Although I want to reduce my family’s meat consumption, it does concern me that there are so many ingredients in packaged meat-replacement products. As this vegan-venture continues, I still want to try prepared foods periodically, but plan on finding great cookbooks so I cook fresh ingredients and healthier dishes.

My very picky daughter loves Morningstar Farms chicken nuggets which I mistakenly assumed were vegan. But, she eats chicken or turkey most days so I am happy to find what I think may be a healthier option. Happily, she eats fruit and vegetables with gusto. I don’t give her very much packaged food but I do keep some on hand for emergencies or general lack of preparation on my part (you know – it’s 5:45 and you have no idea what dinner will be). Through our highly scientific testing (I eat one, my daughter eats one, the dogs each get one), not all “cheatin’ chicken” nuggets are created equal. I found some (brand shall remain nameless) which are vegan and no one could eat them. They had a grey, spongy (do you notice a theme about eating spongy food?) interior and there were not enough condiments in my house, even the hot buffalo wing sauce I put on everything, to cover up those bad actors. The dogs seemed to enjoy them, but they often eat inappropriate things. Including my daughter’s Easter basket (just the basket, not the contents.)-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

I read an article in the New York Times about vegansexuals. That’s a new one. So, pity the poor singletons today who not only have to worry about finding true love, but now they have to make sure they are culinary-compatible. I met my husband when I was 37 and he was 49 and I am soooooo happy that I never had to worry about smelling like meat or worrying that my yogurt addiction was detrimental to my relationship. The article was alarming. Does your date eat some meat, no meat, no eggs, some dairy? Holy cow! Time to get a dog. They don’t care. They lick you when you come home all sweaty from the gym, think the mailman looks scrumptious and think you are agorgeous, intelligent, witty genius.

One quick Google and I see there are many lifestyle-based internet dating sites; I’m talking food orientation. The home page of one of the sites has a couple kissing next to a buffet of vegetable crudités (uh-oh – I spy ranch dressing:. “You’re not a vegan! You lied to me! You probably eat hot wings in your closet. You, you cheatin’ vegan!”)Well, I am shouting it from the mountaintops: I am a vegan (sort of) and I am in love with a bone-afied meat-eater! There. I said it. -“Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

I have a question.

There’s Tofurky, soy hot dogs, fakin bacon and soy sausage. In theory, you can use soy to make any kind of meat, right?

So, I think we should get really creative. If it’s just soy and not real critter, then why not:

Tofeasal – weasel

Tomingo – flamingo

Tofunky – monkey

Tofoceros – rhinoceros

Tofuffalo – buffalo

Tolar Bear

“Honey, your toshrew is getting cold!” “I’m not sure what goes best with tofaardvark. White or red?” “Mmmm. I’ll have the steamed tofedgehog.”I just don’t see why not. If it’s not meat anyway, let’s get exotic! It will probably all taste like chicken, only gamier.

-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

I haven’t mentioned how I am going to approach the non-food side of veganism. I do own leather shoes and handbags. I am sure some of my cosmetics have lanolin and honey. When I was a Pre-V (pre-vegan), I bought mostly organic food and more natural cosmetics and products. Although I won’t be removing all non-vegan items from my home, I won’t be buying any more items which contain animal products for myself, and I’ll try to find non-animal substitutes for my family.

Here’s a loophole which I plan to exploit shamelessly. I am a big fan of consignment and thrift shops, so I feel less guilty about giving clothes a second life even if they contain wool or leather.

I went to my local Goodwill today and I spent $9 on clothing. Here’s what I got in the kids department: Three Laura Ashley summer dresses, two flannel-lined jeans, two Gymboree capris, one very sparkly dance leotard, one Hanna Andersson spring dress, a light spring jacket, a VHS tape (the Wiggles with Bindi the Jungle Girl) and an Elmo book that talks. Nothing I bought had any animals in it, but the VHS tape had animals on it (that’s ok).

Hope I am still in good standing with all of the vegans I haven’t met. Not sure how I will know if I am not. I wonder if a little “V” will appear on my forehead, like Harry Potter’s lightening bolt.

-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine