It’s All About What You Do Most of the Time.

Recently and somewhat frequently, I’ve been called a yippy, which I’m speculating is a yuppie hippy hybrid.  I am not offended. In thinking about this, I realize that even more than being a yippy, I am a Mommy Hybrid and most of my clients are too. Not the car necessarily (even better if you do drive one) but a mix of both worlds; the natural and the conventional.  I surely lean heavily in a natural direction but will the occasional brightly colored toy gifted by a well-meaning relative be the end of me?  I don’t think so.
As an expecting  mother you are pressured to pick sides from the very beginning; natural childbirth, epidural, scheduled c-section, you are probably familiar with the argument and as you know, it’s just the beginning….We then move on to breastfeeding, cloth diapering, attachment parenting, co-sleeping and the whole nine. How many times have I been told to ‘stop trying to be a mommy hero’?  Wait - what does that even mean?  Most mommies I know are already heroes, that’s for sure.
I however am not going to pick sides, I am staying out of it, I am staying neutral!  If I’ve learned one thing from my new epic adventure into motherhood, it is that almost all mothers are doing their absolute best with the limitations they have.  If I can educate and provide healthy alternatives that are easily accessible without judgment then my work is done.
I am going to continue to wear my baby around my neck at work and if I have to do it while carrying an occasional Starbucks cup (not too hot of course!) then I will forgive myself.  I will cloth diaper when I can, and if I use more Seventh Generation disposables sometimes then so be it.  If Ruby Jean’s Natursutten pacifier gets dirty, she may end up with the occasional pink plastic one in her mouth during emergencies.  I’m going to pump when I have to and serve it up in a non-toxic bottle.  If Ruby Jean never ever wants to sleep in her fancy eco-nursery, and it is looking that way, I guess that’s okay too.  If the occasional synthetic tutu wraps itself around her waist, or she finds herself in her Little Marc jeans ever so often, then that’s what it is.
Enter The Little Seed. They are just loaded with the most awesome products. They make it super easy to lean to the natural side of things.  Here are a few products from The Little Seed that I couldn’t live without;

Camden Rose Cherry Rattle.  At 4 months, Ruby Jean loves to grasp this, and I can feel good about letting her gnaw on it.

Orbit pram GREEN EDITION! This was not being sold when I purchased my Orbit set.  It’s so much fun to see them improve upon an already amazing product.

Kate Quinn Organics Classic Infant Sacque.  I am not trying to toot my own horn here people, but I really do believe there is reason this is the basis of our Newborn Essentials Collection.  Ruby Jean still wears these daily.   If you unsnap the placket, you can pull them up oh-so-easily from the bottom up; they are cake to get in and out of.

Under the Nile Veggie Toys.  Their tags are strategically located to make it easy to replace all your less-than-healthy stroller and hanging toys by just clipping them in.

Check out these products and more at www.thelittleseed.com!!!

The fact that most of our friends are traveling around this holiday got us to thinking, how easy is it to travel with kids? I mean we have been on those trips to Disneyland and Lego Land, but what about trips that leave the whole family satisfied?
A good friend of ours at kiddieuptravel.com offered us a wonderful solution to this dilemma.

Inspiring Vacations
by Jenny Shears

There’s family holidays, and then there’s family vacations. And while the two may often coincide on the calendar, an inspired vacation can be transformative, and restorative, in a way that Aunt Mary’s Choco-Coco-Chew-Chews or an Easy Bake Oven really can’t hold a (menorah or a nativity) candle to. Like a chance for the entire family to get away to a fantastic little eco-lodge and practice a little downward dog and come back with your chakras and your family bonds, fully aligned. World Family Yoga retreats do just that—it’s one of the few yoga vacations open to entire families. It’s really a fantastic idea, and one that I’m surprised is so not the norm: vacations at spots around the globe with optional daily yoga sessions available for both adults and kids. And the best part? They’re set at breathtakingly amazing spots all around the globe. I know, I’m ready to pack up my sticky mat and take off as well….read more and book or search for another inspired and inspiring family vacation here: http://kiddieuptravel.com/?p=185

images courtesy of worldfamilyyoga.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

-The Little Seed Staff

photo by mmahaffie

Now that the holidays are coming to an end, it’s time to start thinking about how to keep it green while clearing out all of our items that aren’t going to stay in the house year round.

Christmas Tree recycling is one of this biggest things you can do to help our environment. It is also surprisingly easy. There are companies and municipal programs that will either come pick up your old Christmas tree or guide you to a local drop off station where the tree can be recycled. Information and drop off stations are listed on earth911.org.

Another Christmas byproduct that turns into a lot of waste is wrapping paper. Things that cant be recycled like metallic paper and bows can be saved for next years wrapping. For everything else, determine what is recyclable and what is not and put what you can in your blue bin.

Looking for a fun project to do with the kids this holiday?  Ever made a Snow Globe? They are great and the kids love them. Our friend Leslie put together a very easy recipe for making your very own Holiday Snow Globe. 

Materials:

Recycled water bottle

Different objects that both float and sink

Glitter

Water (you can color the water with food coloring)

Hot Glue, Super Glue and Knife
 

Instructions:

To make your globe, start by taking a recycled bottle and cutting off the bottom. Tip: An easier version of this recipe is to just use the bottle’s cap as the base of your snow globe.

Once you have done this you can plan a scene you would like to make on the bottom of the bottle. We did a Christmas scene but you can do anything you like!

We used hot glue to stick an old rag to the bottom of the bottle as well as two christmas people and a tree.
After this step it is time to glue your bottle back together. Use super glue for this part and allow the top of your bottle to slide over the bottom a bit to prevent leaks (the overlap can be covered with paint after it has dried).

Once the bottle has been reassembled it is time to add your objects that float. Pick out a few things that will sink as well to make your globe look full. Toss them in the bottle from the top and fill it up all the way with water.

It’s finally time to add your glitter and put the finishing touches on your globe. We used white non-toxic paint to add snow to the top and bottom of our globe. We had so much fun making this toy and we hope you enjoy doing this little holiday project as much as we did.

This weekend I taught my son how to make holiday cookies from scratch using Grandmas’recipe. We made a few changes to make it a little more healthy. The tradition of baking cookies from scratch seems to have been lost on our generation as we can buy the dough pre-made and save a lot of time. We had the best time doing this together and here is our Grandmas’ recipe with a few changes for good measure. Enjoy!

Sand Tart Cookies
2 Cups Sugar (organic)
1 Cup butter (organic)
3 eggs (organic)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
4-41/2 cups flour (organic)

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs, vanilla
Measure flower and add baking powder
Blend flour into creamed mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing thouroughly.
Chill dough for i hour, roll thin and place on cookie sheets. decorate w/ sprinkles and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes

This Sunday night, La Golondrina, housed in LA’s oldest brick building on historic Olvera St. closes its doors to the public and has a special few nights of reservation only, family fun. Its one of our Xmas traditions. Great food and margaritas. A floor show with the kids sitting right there on the floor as Bob Baker’s marionettes dance followed by equally plumaged Aztec Dancers. Then there’s a procession around the restaurant of the nativity scene with the kids as shepherds (standard bearers). This is modeled on the much more somber big procession taking place outside the restaurant.

Looking for a way to save this holiday? Turn your trash into treasure! It’s the eco way to decorate and a great activity to do with your kids.

Hey everyone. Hope your holidays are going well. In a time when we are much more aware of our spending, we thought that it would be great to give you some ideas on gifts for under 30 dollars. Everyday amazing parents come into the store and ask for wonderful gifts that they can get on a tighter budget. So here is a list of our top pics. To get more information on each item, simply click on the photo. Hope this season is filled with love, joy, and happiness for you.

To win some of these incredible goodies in the new year email us at littleseedstore@gmail.com. Put your name and “budget shopping” in the subject line and immediately be entered to win.

Eco Fingerpaint $22.00Sophie the Giraffe $20.00

Rainbow Streamer $11.00It’s A Big World CD $15.00

  Not A Box BOOK $12.99 Not A Stick BOOK $12.99

Veggie Toy $7.00Veggie Toy $7.00

Crayon Set $21.00 Wooden Scoot $6.00

Wooden Elephant $18.00Wooden Whale $16.00

Wooden Zebra $18.00Wooden Lion $16.00

There is something magical about the idea of going on a treasure hunt. The folks over at Geocaching.com agree. They have set up a worldwide game of treasure hunt for any family who has a sense of adventure and access to a GPS.

Here’s the steps:

1) Sign up at www.geocaching.com They explain everything. There are caches all over the world, lots of them. There’s probably one within walking distance of where you’re sitting right now.

2) Go get last year’s GPS, the cheap one that radio shack has on close out. You need this baby for walking. Remember to put it in Pedestrian mode.

3) I like to bring a compass for orientation to north and a note book so I can jot down the clues and coordinates and have them on hand.

4) Solve the clues with your kids and then go out out out. Major treasure hunting FUN!

5) Don’t forget to bring some kind of little treat to leave in the cache to replace the one you take out.

Geocaching Guide and Photos by Meeno www.meenophoto.com

Both Girls are wearing Kit & Lili outfits ($70-$ 88)

For more information on these and other eco-friendly clothes visit us at www.thelittleseed.com/shop.aspx