tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32422368732026412202012-02-09T09:31:53.483-07:00The everyday musings of a dirt worshipping, tree hugging mom and her quest to live in the moment, parent peacefully, create art, eat real food and walk softly on the earth.enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-49102303444185898642012-02-06T12:33:00.004-07:002012-02-06T12:51:31.341-07:00

Despite the lack of snow this year, the gray skies and cold, dirty air are taking a toll on my otherwise cheerful self, so I'm currently battling the winter blues by feeding my soul a hearty dose of wild and wonderful music and I have to say that it's working just fine. It's pure insanity that it took me so long to find it, but the self titled album by Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-61161363654975146952012-01-25T13:07:00.015-07:002012-01-25T14:07:44.030-07:00

Our family has come to know and LOVE a local singer/songwriter, Joshua James, who occasionally performs a lovely cover of Green Grass by Tom Waits at the end of his shows. Anyone who has seen it live can tell that it is quite magical! There is a small part in the song where Joshua kneels on the ground and charms all who are near with a set of rainbow bells.   With all the strumming and

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-8728512053362244252012-01-22T16:13:00.007-07:002012-01-25T14:56:47.715-07:00

My daughter has become very interested in her peace & justice studies in school, so we recently added a couple of new books to our home library to feed the fire and encourage her to learn more about the iconic peace sign and the hippie culture of the 60's and 70's. Peace: The Biography of a Symbol  Peace: The Biography of a Symbol is a well written history of the peace sign in the anti-war

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-28335087023343338812012-01-15T01:45:00.006-07:002012-01-15T11:54:41.361-07:00

Sooooo, things have been just plum crazy around here lately! I finally got around to accepting that Pinterest invite that's been buried in my inbox and, woweee, what fun it is! I've successfully avoided all my domestic chores for days now and I find it kind of funny how with all those boards filled with shiny happy homes, mine has become a total wreck since I got lured in. There is endless

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-67802396377710348362011-10-12T21:38:00.023-06:002011-10-13T11:57:09.717-06:00

As my daughter was giddily counting down the days 'til her 16th birthday, I was busy searching for party ideas that would satisfy her adventurous spirit. I knew that whatever the plans were to be, the celebratory activity was most definitely going to be a surprise. As the day grew closer, I was still coming up short on ideas that were both daring and beautiful enough to mark the occasion.

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-16389529757352388212011-08-19T11:41:00.005-06:002012-01-10T10:28:33.122-07:00

What can I say, simple stuff makes me happy. I'm no longer wooed by the plastic crap that once cluttered my kitchen. Somewhere in the process of getting rid of the toxic junk, I discovered these adorable bamboo sporks and they've become one of my favorite eco-geek finds! We've been using them for over a year now in our lunchboxes, on camping trips, on hikes and picnics. They're very durable and

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-12127287088321465692011-08-18T23:29:00.017-06:002011-08-19T14:32:27.954-06:00

After a year of waste-free lunches we've built up pretty nice stockpile of plastic-free food containers to transport lunches to and from school. Last year we actually used less a dozen plastic baggies throughout the entire school year which is kind of awesome! When you pack lunches on-the-go in reusable containers with reusable utensils it's surprising how easy it is to reduce your pile in the

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-53254644578002282052011-08-17T16:01:00.002-06:002011-08-17T16:02:54.728-06:00

This blog has always just served as a landing page of sorts for all my other online adventures, but you may have noticed that it has recently taken on a new life. The reason being, I have been cut-off, in a way, from the little corner of the web that used to occupy the majority of my work day. It was not a choice, not mine nor theirs. The interruption came from an outside intruder. I was alone

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-46244299582568278692011-07-31T12:10:00.026-06:002011-08-07T23:59:44.531-06:00

I have to say, that for me personally, (besides not having the budget to immediately replace everything toxic in my house), the most difficult part of choosing to live a greener lifestyle has been the transition from using personal care products laden with chemicals to finding natural, affordable alternatives that work. Having two growing daughters makes the challenge even more difficult because

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-24110465784940752032011-07-30T11:42:00.029-06:002011-08-01T11:26:22.670-06:00

It's been almost 2 years now since we decided that we were tired of paying for TV programming that was interrupted every 10 minutes or so by commercials. Over the years I have learned to mentally block them out, but still, I hated the idea of wasting that much time sitting around waiting for something I cared so little about. More importantly, I realized that my youngest daughter, then age 9, was

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-14579334746333516682011-06-19T10:03:00.005-06:002011-06-19T16:35:21.070-06:00

Choosing the perfect Father's Day gift was easy peasy this year! The girls and I knew that my husband would love a ukulele, -even before he started dropping obvious hints every day for the past week or so. It's hard to imagine him without an acoustic guitar in his hands, but after we surprised Starly with a soprano uke for her birthday in April he's been sneaking turns strumming on it after we've

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-32813895090502883872011-06-18T10:29:00.004-06:002011-06-18T16:59:56.777-06:00

It's easy to sound preachy when talking about things that you are passionate about because you truly want others to understand and see the world as you see it. Lately I've become guilty of this whenever the topic of conversation is food or living green. I try to stop myself, but then feel pangs of guilt for not warning friends, family and complete strangers about the toxicity of the things

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-64638150556640777572011-06-08T11:55:00.002-06:002011-06-08T14:04:20.474-06:00

I've been searching for a kick-ass popsicle recipe book for a while now, so I am pretty darn excited to tell you about Perfect Pops, a brand new cookbook by Charity Ferreira. After purchasing my shiny new popsicle molds last month, I really wanted to find some exciting (but not over the top) recipes to help us make the most of the summer with fruity flavor combinations that would tickle our

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-45810388394028800912011-06-03T09:16:00.011-06:002011-06-08T19:35:19.459-06:00

As much as dislike the idea of buying anything made of plastic, I have to admit that I caved when I found this nifty little invention with a price tag so small that it made decide it was worth a last ditch effort to avoid paying a plumber or do what I was really dreading, pouring toxic chemicals down our shower drain. With two daughters with long hair that occupy the bathroom in distress there

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-43819596007047793062011-05-09T16:11:00.010-06:002011-06-18T11:31:30.904-06:00

I love this time of year when the rainy days of spring are coming to an end and bright blue skies replace the gray haze. In anticipation of the warm summer months ahead, I wanted to surprise the girls with some new popsicle molds to help us find more creative ways to eat all those delicious seasonal fruits that await. Of course, plastic is no longer an option when it comes to our kitchen and

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-57110141382704698592011-02-03T14:49:00.005-07:002011-06-08T19:36:05.302-06:00

I just found another awesome use for my favorite coconut oil! (I just can't get enough of that stuff, ♥ it!) If you're tired of rolling toxins and aluminum under your arms every morning, you will love this recipe for homemade natural deodorant and it won't leave you smelling like a dirty hippie, I promise. This stuff really works! p.s. This deodorant isn't just for the ladies! My hard-working

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-55663130653422695782011-01-31T20:23:00.002-07:002011-06-18T11:29:12.590-06:00

I was really excited to hear about Rodale.com's Plastic-Free February because this is a challenge that our family has already wholeheartedly committed to over the past year. The invitation to take our waste-free habits a step further and commit to finding everyday solutions to completely eliminate our usage of plastic is going to be tricky, but I have a feeling that we will end up learning a lot

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-84196043150983323852010-11-04T12:09:00.004-06:002011-06-18T11:28:23.924-06:00

On the first chilly day of fall I realized that I needed to come up with some hot lunch ideas for the girls and my husband who is now working longer hours. Since we've managed to make it this far into the school year without using any plastic ziploc baggies, we really want to continue our waste-free lunch habits, so the search began for a good quality stainless steel Thermos that would keep their

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-80828885237015749632010-08-11T13:08:00.027-06:002012-01-02T16:26:24.346-07:00

After searching the web for the best stainless steel food containers to replace the hundreds of plastic sandwich bags and disposables that we use each year for school lunches, I am happy to report that it's going to be easier than I thought to pack waste-free, healthy meals for my daughters. Finding an eco-friendly lunchbox that is sleek and stylish enough for my teenage daughter was the biggest

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-68150730058296072532010-07-11T19:46:00.021-06:002012-01-31T12:24:11.333-07:00

My daughters and I decided to start the 2010 school year with a challenge to break our plastic habit. The plan is to completely eliminate plastic and disposables from our daily routine and pack a waste-free, green lunch, everyday. Lunch without plastic isn't going to be easy, but it's an important step towards our goal to reduce our impact on the environment by choosing eco-friendly reusables

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242236873202641220.post-83510625944118948182010-07-06T22:17:00.004-06:002011-06-18T11:24:23.540-06:00

The Kawaii Bento Club Where are meets lunch and they go out to play.

enslavedbyfaerieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14741728723351897577noreply@blogger.com0