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My 4 year old daughter Paige is thrilled with a new addition to her library…the Nana Star books. Even better, these books come with dolls. What more could a little girl ask for?

I think these books are bound to be classics. They are so much fun and so enjoyable to read, especially when you have the accompanying dolls that make am appearance quite often throughout the books. They get a BIG thumbs up from mom too. The books are beautifully illustrated, very high quality, the story is wonderful, and the dolls are made of cloth.

The first story follows the adventures of a little girl who loves to frolic outdoors, listening to nature, and sleep in a meadow of flowers. It is after one such nap when she awakes to hear a soft call for help. After searching the little girl finds a lost baby star who has fallen from the heavens. The baby star calls the little girl Nana Star and she vows to help take him home where he belongs.

In the second book Nana Star and the baby star are journeying to figure out how to return baby star to his home. Nana Star starts to feel scared and alone when, with help from a new friend, she learns that she is never alone. The Moonman is always watching over and guiding her, even when she can’t see him.

The stories are really about building character and helping others and valuable for all children I think. Each book also comes with a storytime and sing-along CD. My daughter is absolutely enthralled with the story and though he won’t admit it…my 7 year old son rather likes it to.

Along with the book you can get a posable Nana Star doll and she comes with a baby star to take care of. The Moonman lovey glows when kids cuddle him and plays a sleepy “luvaby” when they hug his tummy! He’s a comforting presence as they drift off to dreamland.

The whole set has one several awards and we can’t wait for more books to be released. If you have a little girl this set would make a great gift!

TGIF! Have an awesome weekend everyone!

My blogging efforts have slowed just a bit in case you haven’t noticed. I think I am enjoying summer too much. I have been taking my kids and walking an air conditioned mall everyday for exercise. I have been hitting garage sales every weekend without fail looking for second hand deals, and I have caught all the summer movies I have wanted to see…including one just a few hours ago. It has been nice to spend more time unplugged. Well…kinda…I did just get a new sewing machine too.

But I have a few links you may want to check out….

I have a NEW blog! Check out Goddess of the Garden if you want to know more about raw foods.

Also my friend LaTara has a free Frugal Vegan Report that is really good. If you are vegan or trying to reduce meat consumption this is for you.

I really wish I knew how to knit because if I did…I would make this bag. It’s awesome! It has complete instructions as well.

I also found another reusable bag that had me in tears laughing. With all this talk about green guilt lately I just found this too funny.

Oh and I found a cool new use for a reusable bag that gets torn. Turn it into a bed pocket to store, books, reading light, the remote, etc.

And one last link….Frozen Grape Pops for the kids.

Have a good weekend all! I know I will.

Nutritional supplement companies have done a brisk business over the years because of the general concern that modern food processing and lifestyles preferences may be having a detrimental impact on our nutritional intake.

The message consumers are receiving from supplement companies is that there’s no need to worry if you’re not eating enough fruit, fiber and protein as supplements can help to make up for the vitamin deficiencies in your diet. The key point that consumers need to be aware of is that not all supplements are created equal. For some reason it never “clicked” in my mind that MOST of these vitamins and supplements, even the ones for children, are synthetic. The vitamin C is not real Vitamin C from a source like oranges…instead it is created in a lab from heaven knows what. Researchers are now finding that most vitamins do zip or worse because they’re synthetic.

Synthetic vitamins offer you much less than you think are receiving. Some studies have shown that certain synthetic vitamins give only 50% or less of the biological activity as compared to whole vitamins (vitamins that come directly from vegetables). Why do companies choose to use synthetic vitamins if they are not as effective as whole vitamins? Many argue they do so because synthetic vitamins cost far less to manufacture. I would have to agree. The vitamin business is a racket.

One synthetic vitamin causing much controversy is synthetic vitamin C. Some argue that this form of vitamin C can contribute to the thickening of the arterial walls of the heart by as much as 2.5 times. This is potentially very harmful. In another study, 22,000 pregnant women were given synthetic Vitamin A. The study was halted because birth defects increased 400% according to the New England Journal of Medicine, 1995.

In stores, ascorbic acid is often sold as vitamin C but it is actually only a chemically derived fraction of the whole food vitamin. In food, vitamin C is a complete complex made up of ascorbic acid plus rutin, bioflavonoids, K factor and J factors along with other substances.

The body is able to absorb and use this vitamin only when all parts of the complex is present. So when the chemically derived “fraction” of vitamin C is taken the body must first supply the other parts of the whole food complex. If the pill is taken on its own it will then be necessary for the body to complete the complex by taking the missing elements its own collagen tissue to complete the fractionated complex you supplied. This is the same reason why I am such a proponent of raw foods…raw foods have the required enzymes to digest and process the food, it is a package deal…when we cook the food the enzymes are killed and our bodies must scrape together what it can to get the job done. It stresses our bodies to have to do all this extra work to digest foods that should have come packaged with their own handy dandy enzymes. Vitamins too should come with all they need for absorption. It is no wonder we age so fast.

This whole process of robbing stores within the body to complete the complex can cause even greater deficiencies in the body.

Studies have shown that vitamin C from citrus extract was absorbed 35 percent more than ascorbic acid. Other vitamins have been shown to be more effective in their whole food form. For example the Medical Science Research publication reported that whole food vitamin E and vitamin A are more bioavailable than isolated, synthetic forms of these vitamins. The examination of vitamin A showed the food base product was retained 9.4 times more than the synthetic form.

Whole food vitamins do not cause deficiencies in areas of the body but instead supply the individual cells with the nutrients they need for vitality.

How can you tell a synthetic vitamin from a whole food vitamin? Look at the label. Instead of seeing a long list of chemicals you should find the names of foods listed as the vitamin source. A vitamin or mineral is synthetic if only its chemical and/or popular name appears, with no plant source. For instance if a label reads like this: Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide….then you know it is synthetic. These vitamins and supplements also commonly have added sugars, preservatives, and dyes. If it is a natural, whole food vitamin it will list the foods, herbs, or spices used like strawberries, carrot, alfalfa, etc.

So if you are ready to stop wasting money on synthetic vitamins that will provide minimal nutrition and maybe even a harmful side effect or two there are a couple whole foods supplements I like for children.

EveryKid Children’s Multi-Vitamin – This very eco-friendly company out of Vermont believes that nature got it right the first time. EveryKid is the first organic, whole food children’s multi-vitamin, without the aluminum dyes, artificial preservatives and flavors, or chemical residuals found in many current alternatives. They are powder pouches that you can just give to your kids as is. My kids really like the Brilliant Berries flavor. You would think I was giving them powdered sugar. Of course I had to try to…for research purposes and yes…quite yummy.

They are easy to digest, gluten free, vegetarian, and contain no artificial colors or flavors. Some of the food “sources” include strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries…all organic of course. My kids give them a big thumbs up.

Nutri Stars Multivitamin and Multimineral Children’s Chewable from a Rainbow Light. Besides all the regular vitamins and minerals you would expect to find in a chewable vitamin it has some bonuses like veggie concentrates from carrots, spinach, grean beans, broccoli, and beets. It also has organic spirulina and wheat sprouts. It is 100% natural with no artifical colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or other additives that are often found in other vitamin products. And here is the most important thing….kids like them.

Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears – This is a good whole food vitamin inside tasty gummy bears, so of course it won’t be hard to get kids to eat these. My kids always ask for these when we go to Whole Foods. Does not contain yeast, wheat, milk, egg, soy, glutens, salt, artificial colors, artificial flavors, salicylates or preservatives. Kids can have up to three bears per day.

And a good one for adults:

Green Pops and Purple Pops - A supplement whose ingredients are real foods minus the water and fiber. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices that contain all the nutrients in the real food - not just a blend of vitamins and minerals. The green pops are provide nutrition from veggie and sources and the purple pops are from fruit sources. They both have added antioxidants, digestive enzymes, and probiotics as well.

To your health!

A few years back I started buying wood toothbrushes with natural bristles. I like them fairly well but I didn’t feel quite right about using wood for such a disposable item. Then I happened upon Preserve Toothbrushes at Whole Foods and my whole family has been using them ever since.

The Preserve Toothbrush is made from recycled yogurt cups which is actually a BIG eco boost because most recycling centers will not recycle open mouth containers like yogurt cups…so they go in the landfill. Preserve has opted to use them to make their wonderful toothbrush and their popular razor. I was only too happy to support a company like that.

Also, when you are finished with your toothbrush..don’t throw it away. Go the Preserve web site and print a postage paid label and ship it back to them so it can be recycled again!

The BEST part of all this though is that they are affordable. You can buy them at any Target store for only $2.04. That is comparable to the mainstream and not-so eco friendly toothbrushes and better than any other price for Preserve I have yet seen. They come in lots of groovy colors and my family loves them. And if your kids NEED to have a more cutesy version they have a Preserve Jr. Toothbrush too.

Mom Central also has some printable coupons for a $1 off a purchase of two toothbrushes. Happy brushing!

It has always been really important to me that my kids develop the same love of nature and the outdoors that I did. It makes me really sad when I see kids so disconnected with nature that they couldn’t entertain themselves outdoors if they wanted to. I saw this just recently as a friend of my son’s came over to visit and he was LOST without video games. My son would be outside playing all day and most of that time his friend wanted to be inside, on the couch playing with his Nintendo DS. Oh and the friend was completely grossed out when he found out that lettuce grew in the dirt.

When I think back to my own childhood….horseback riding, camping, building forts in the woods, fishing, swinging on a bridge rope, tree climbing and all that other FUN stuff, I know I want my children to have the same type of childhood. I want them to love nature the way I do and for heaven’s sake not be afraid of getting good and dirty.

I really enjoyed reading a book that aims to help parents do this. It is called I Love Dirt and it has 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature. It is written by Jennifer Ward and the Foreward is written by Richard Louv, who wrote another awesome book called Last Child in the Woods. Everything about the book is fabulous from the rounded corners, the cream colored pages, the classic illustrations, to all the great information in it. It has 52 activities for 52 weeks of the year and they are organized by season.

Each activity is explained along with ideas of what you hope to teach your children by doing them. Digging in the dirt, looking for ladybugs, skipping rocks…all of these activities can encourage a love of nature and learning. My favorite activity hands down is called Time Out. It involves relaxing outside for a meal and story time. Selecting a nice wildlife story from the library and then reading it outside would make it all the more meaningful. Another activity my kids and I used to do all the time when we lived near a creek bed was water hole watching. We would go down to the creek and watch from a distance to see the animal community come out and drink. We were always hoping to see the mountain lion who lived in the area but usually we just got to see his/her tracks.

Todd Christopher of The National Wildlife Foundation endorsed this book by saying, “There may be no better way to ensure the well being of the natural world than to introduce children to its many small wonders today.” I wholeheartedly agree. If we expect future generations to protect our one home than we have to introduce them to it and help them come to love it.

Got any empty glass jars? Get creative and find ways to reuse them!

1. Beach in a jar - This is a fun project for kids who have visited the beach recently and gathered seashells. We just went to Florida and YES we brought home seashells and authentic Florida sand. Simply put some sand in the bottom of the jar (colored play sand works great for this) and add the seashells. A larger shell can be glued to the lid for a finishing touch. Letting the kids paint the shells first is another fun way to add some color.

2. Lantern or candleholder - This is a good project for a glass jar of any size. The kids can use glass paint to create a stained glass look. Use the candle for dining outdoors in the evening…add a citronella candle and you have a bug deterrent too.

3. Use glass jars as paint containers. Just fill with a little paint and away you go. They last longer than plastic, they don’t stain, and since you are reusing something you already have, they are practical too.

4. Flower vase - Glass jars make charming vases. You can give them a layer of paint or a ribbon if desired. Then have your kids pick some wildflowers and you have a lovely arrangement.

5. Snack jars! I like to keep nuts, raisins, shredded coconut etc. glass jars when I can. They stay fresh and they aren’t in close to proximity to plastic.

6. Bank - Jars make great banks. Simply cut a slot in the lid to put change in, and let your child decorate the outside as he or she chooses.

7. An ispy jar - Fill the jar with rice and a few secret objects like a coin, a paperclip, a button, a bead, a small toy, dice, etc and have kids see if they can find all the treasures. Of course make sure to keep and eye on young ones when doing this.

8. Jack-o-lantern jar - This is a great Halloween project. Cut shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth out of masking tape, and place them on the jar. Paint with orange paint, and remove tape when dry. Add a candle or small light to make it glow.

9. Candy jar - This can be decorated any way your child likes. Fill it with candy or other favorite snacks and give it as a gift, or keep it on the coffee table for guests to enjoy.

10. Planter - Put pebbles in the bottom of a small jar, then fill with potting soil. Plant herb or flower seeds, and put in the windowsill.

Got any more ideas? Comment and let me know!

Since I get asked so much…what we eat in our house… click to enlarge.