Seedling Blog

The Story of Stuff

February 8th, 2010

We were recently sent this video The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard and thought it was quite worthy of sharing. It explains plainly how ’stuff’ is extracted from the environment, produced, consumed, and ultimately disposed of.  Its informative and effective and quite unnerving. Touch the image above to be taken to the site where you can view the video or click here. She gives many resources on the site for how we can all get involved in saving the planet, so check it out and start doing your part today!!

A healthy, simple recipe from Paige at The Little Seed!

February 5th, 2010

Here’s the truth. I can’t cook. Honestly, I can’t cook. I have no patience for recipes, I get bored, I fail to pay attention an then things burn or have no taste at all because I forgot to put salt in the pot. But I love food and I love my son. And the desire experiment with cooking was born the day that he was.  So for three years, have been trying and this is what I have learned: I love reading recipe books and watching cooking shows. I love the experience of cooking and smelling all of those wonderful smells filling up my home. I love when I make something from scratch and my son and hubby tell me that I get two thumbs up. And I mostly love knowing exactly what is going into my little boy’s tummy.

Cooking is a whole new world for me. I thrill at buying new veggies at the farmer’s market and using them in new and exciting ways. When Jackson started eating solids, so many of the mommies in his babygroup were interested in the cool looking snacks that I brought for him, I started bringing extra. No multi-colored goldfish or sugary yogurt sticks for him. Instead, lentil patties, kale chips and vegan applesause cake.

So I thought it might be fun to start sharing these recipes with you and perhaps some of you will share your special dishes with me. I’d love to hear your feedback. Together, we can keep our families healthy, happy and well fed.

XOXO

Paige

Sweet Potato Patties

1 Large Sweet Potato

1 Large Yam

2 Teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon of Fresh Crushed Garlic

Grate the yam and sweet potato in a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook in a pan on low heat for about 20 minutes until soft.  Remove from heat and let cool. Mix another teaspoon of olive oil with the crushed garlic and use this mixture to cover the patties as you are molding them into the shape of little pancakes. Place each patty onto a skillet on low heat and let cook until firm – about 2 minutes on each side. Let cool and enjoy!!


Little things we can teach our kids for a healthier planet!

February 3rd, 2010

We all know that kids learn best by example. At the Little Seed we believe that every LITTLE thing we do for the environment can make a difference and this is an important lesson to bestow onto our families in an effort to encourage them to go green.

If we teach through example, the little things we do in everyday practice, such as using a cloth bag at the super market or making sure to turn off the lights when we leave a room, can help our children create good habits for the future.  As a reminder, below is a brief list of some very simple and easy things to start doing that our children will most likely catch onto and start to practice as well.

1.  Shut off the water while brushing your teeth.

2. Walk or ride a bike when you can instead of taking the car out.

3. Purchase and use products that are natural and not over packaged.

4. Allow things to dry on a clothing line instead of automatically throwing them in the dryer.

5. Limit your time in the shower.

6. Utilize garbage or recyclables in arts and crafts projects to turn old trash into tomorrow’s treasures.

7. Use cloth bags instead of paper or plastic ones.

8. Start a compost.

Unplug electronics when they are not being used.

Take your children with you to Recycle.

Weleda and The Little Seed give-away winner…

February 1st, 2010

Congratulations to Henry Scoles and Family =) for winning the Weleda give-away!! He posted some really incredible family-olutions, that we loved all the way around. Below is an image of his three children, Kaden(10), Kendric(8), and Kolton(6). We have included his entry for you again below.

Thanks for all of your contributions to the blog. It was very difficult to choose and thus we will be sending a Little Seed canvas tote bag to the following people:

Rebecca D, Kaylla and Kathy

———

Henry Says:
I believe there are at least 4 things families of all ages should do every day.

1.) Breakfast
Try to start the day off with breakfast as a family. It let’s the kids know that you care and are available.

2.) Enjoy discovering food.
I couldn’t agree more with Paige about letting the kids know what is in food and let them know what food choices are available. All of my children love to cook and they all have their favorite, albeit weird, snacks. My 10 year old loves spicy stuff so he’ll often create a salsa or guacamole for snack. My 8 year old loves brussel sprouts. My 6 year old loves edamame beans. We get the ingredients together as a family at our local farmers market. We also plan and prepare our meals as a family. Kids love to cut, dice, stir and scoop.

3.) Game play.
You are never too old to play one of the express series games. One of our favorites is Sorry Express. Other games are card games like Uno, Phase10, or Set and there are also simple dice games like Farkle. All are very inexpensive and they get the family together around the table talking and sharing.

4.) Read together.
My wife being a librarian makes sure we all take time to read together. You’d be surprised what boys will sit and listen to if you take time to read.

Our major goal for this year is to hike and bike together more. We feel if we can make a habit out of this combined with all of the above activities that it will help make the children more aware of their planet and the abundance and beauty therein. We hope that as a result our kids will think about how they use resources.

Thanks for sharing your Blog.

Henry and Family =)

Fun Activity!

January 29th, 2010

Many times, when teaching our kids about the planet Earth and sustainability, we often times fail to mention some of the creatures we don’t see that often, those that dwell in the deep sea.  Since part of our mission here at the Little Seed is to make sure that we take the necessary steps to help protect our planet, we thought that we would make mention of something very exciting taking place at The Aquarium of the Pacific this weekend.  The first step in caring about the planet and all of its creatures is to learn about them.

Tomorrow, January 30th, The Aquarium of the Pacific is hosting a Family Fun day catered towards 4-6 years old.  For those of you who have never visited this extraordinary place, it’s really unforgettable and an experience that will help familiarize your little ones with marine life.  The 1 and a half hour program will feature:

Sorting animals into piles of vertebrates and invertebrates

Petting invertebrates in a private classroom touch pool

Taking a guided tour of all the sea jelly exhibits

Making your own sea jelly craft to take home with you

Examining a moon jelly up close in a classroom

Learning about sea jelly movement with a large parachute

Discovering which ocean creature loves a belly full of sea jellies

For more information visit: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/education/programdetails/saturday_family_fun_sea_jellies/

Valentine’s Day Window Display

January 25th, 2010

The talented ladies at the store worked on our window display for Valentine’s Day and we all agree its one of the cutest yet! Made with Cardboard Design’s lemonade stand, nontoxic paint and cardboard scraps. We love it!!! We have the Cardboard Designs Rocket and the TeePee available for purchase, just click here.

Puddle Jumping

January 19th, 2010

Yes, it’s the rainy season again here in Southern California, and we are all suffering the inconveniences that come with that. However, we were reminded of the joy that the rain brings to kids everywhere yesterday when a mom came into the store carrying her shoeless son in her arms, looking to buy a pair of socks and shoes and quickly! She explained that her toddler simply couldn’t resist the desire of jumping directly into a PUDDLE! She explained that he ran right for it and before she could stop him he was knee-deep in the rainwater splashing around. We had to laugh. We all felt a bit nostalgic for a time when a puddle was an exciting destination and not something to be avoided. We were able to help her with a cool pair of Simple shoes and all was right in the world for the duo. They headed out to get milkshakes!

Let us know what funny things about the rain your little ones enjoy - we can’t wait to hear!

Weleda New Family-olutions Give-away!!!

January 14th, 2010

“Happy New Year to all!  With fresh beginnings in mind, we’d love to be inspired by your New Year, New Family-olutions! What NEW family traditions will you be starting this year to nurture your loved ones and give your family caring time to connect?

Post your submission here by January 29th, and we’ll send our winner this beautiful FRESHEN-UP YOUR FAMILY gift basket from Weleda, with a value of $150!  It includes skin care goodies for mommy, daddy and baby and is sure to bring lots of smiles–leaving you and yours fresh-faced in the new year!”

**See what Paige from The Little Seed is doing with her family (comment below) to help inspire you!!

The basket includes the entire collection of the Weleda Calendula Baby Care Line, the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care, Almond Facial Care Kit and their famous Skin Food!!

Hug Time from Polar Bears!

January 11th, 2010

There is a great book called HUG TIME that we sell at THE LITTLE SEED. We sell very few books — only ones that touch us in interesting ways. HUG TIME is about a kitten names Jules who had so much love to give, that he traveled the globe to give all creatures in the world a hug. This seems like a magical event. Only in our dreams could we travel so far and wide to give love to everyone who needed it. And, just like in the book, it would certainly be fantastical for a polar bear to reach out and offer one back, right?

My friend, Jane sent this to me today. It reminds me that the world truly is a glorious place and as long as we remember that, our globe will continue to be filled with magic…
XOXO

Paige

Photography courtesy of Norbert Rosing

Tech mama

January 7th, 2010

The amazing world of cyber space pulls me in each and every day. Connecting with moms through the incredible world of micro-blogging is something that truly inspires me. I love that together we get to talk about topics that are closest to our hearts. Our children and careers, our hopes and dreams. It is through this world of discovery that I have realized I have become a tech mama. Sharing pics and words with those who are going through the same things in daily life. Getting little ones ready for school and questioning our biggest fears. Dreaming of the future and holding on to our past. At our finger tips lies so many others just like us. What makes you a tech mama? Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Soleil