Rethinking Toys for Tots

As a semi Hippie-city Momma who is more eco-conscious, I often hear

buz words in the mainstream like Green-parenting, Green-Mommies...ect.

In mommie circles and get together s Mother's are always looking for better

and healthier ways to care for their little munchkins.

As a more Conscious Parent, what Toys are the safest for your little one?

Do you know?

I get this question a lot from other new mommas,

What if we take it a step further and rethink the whole toys store?

I read this blog post I ready today written by a sweet Mother re-inspired me.

I will give you the post that inspired me today in a moment,

but first I just want to say that as a already "on the fringe" mother,

I love finding ways that I can be even more mindful and improve Life as a whole.

This of course varies mother to mother depending on what feels

really good and where you want to focus your energy.

For me personally, I love to find ways I can lessen my consumer imprint.

Some ways we already practice with great excitement and ease are:

First we as a household always bring our own bags to stores.

This goes for grocery stores/farmer's market/ thrift stores /ect.

(bulk items and spices included)

Secondly we re-fill our stainless or glass bottles of water from our own 5 gallon

re-fillable jug.

This not only saves BIG MONEY, it saves the landfill of thousands

of used-once water bottles a day just from our home alone!

For example. 1 whole gallon of water at the re-fill station costs .30 cents!

Compare that to around $1.25 you will pay for 16 oz of water.

Free Spring water is always a treat too if you have the chance.

www.Findaspring.com

and lastly, we as a household use cloth rags instead of throw away paper towels.

I love towels because they are re-washable, durable and I feel better knowing no trees had to come down for me to wipe a counter or clean a mess that can easily we wiped with a regular towel.

so...what inspired me to re-think Toys for my son?

This blog comes from RoseGoddess from RoseGoddessBliss.com

http://www.rosegoddessbliss.com/toys

I loves her post because it shares her perspective about Toys

which come from a very sweet and honest space.

As a parent to an 20 month old I am reminded

everyday just how entertaining places such as our own back yard is for Zavi

and that it is not only free, but it is ever changing because of the seasons, the critters and even the weather. Being outside with just the elements encourages him to interact

with his environment and get some sun on his little cheeks on imagination!

What are your thoughts of the Blog by RoseGoddess?

Enjoy the post!

Exciting News to Share!

Are you ready for some great Info! Stay tunes for the launch of my new site!

www.Melissa-mango.com

We are moving!

Hi there!

I am embarrassed that it has been since December that I wrote.

Great news....

I will be buying a new domain name and moving all of you with me!

Details coming very soon!

My new site will have videos on healthy recipes, tips for new mommas, fitness tricks and much more!

See ya soon in my new digs!

p.s Zavi is doing great! We think his new word is Hot!

He knows what keys are what! enjoy the clip below.

~Melissa

Raw Food Recipe : Brownie Bites & Update

Oh Dear Blog:
My apologies for neglecting you since this summer. Truth is, I have been doing more living, and less time on-line and bloggin’.
Wow! I had no idea that Zavi being mobile would need so much of my time to the point that I wouldn’t even have time to give you a quick update. So here it is. The Update and of course a lovely recipe just in time for the Holidays. Chewy-fudgy-Brownie bites!

Zavier is now a year young! We celebrated by going to Au Lac Restaurant in Fountain Valley Ca.
What an amazing little man he is! At about 1o-ish months he began taking his first steps! Since then he has been helping me with things like sweeping, mopping the floor with his favorite fruit and of course reorganizing the lower cupboards and drawers in each room. He absolutely loves the access to clean water found in the toilet and thinks the stick with the brush is a fabulous tool to bless things around the house.
If he can reach the baskets of seasonal fruits in the kitchen pantry shelves, he will pick out the perfect juicy one (persimmons this time of year) and have an elaborate ceremony all over the kitchen tile floor and himself. He really knows how it’s done and with such passion!
We purchased a high chair off of craigslist.org which was a brilliant purchase I must say! It is an Eddie Bower all wood high chair with a clever second table design for quick clean up without having to remove the child from the chair. Because we dine at a low to the ground table (similar to a large coffee table) with cushions around it I at first did not see the point of getting a tall chair for him to look down on us while we eat. We have a routine now that Zavi seems to be a huge fan of. We place him in his wooden throne and feed him the green smoothie while we stand near him and sip ours. This way we can all be together enjoying our meal at relatively the same eye level, connecting. When we take time to connect through the eyes or through close conversation with Zavi I have noticed makes a big difference in how he acts and behaves. Zavi sits calmly and talks to us (in his language) and feels “included” which is important.
Not only does Zavi sit still while we feed him his green smoothie every morning; it gives us a few moments of uninterrupted time to clean up after his reorganizing adventures and fresh fruit sacrifices.
Now onto the food. There is one recipe in particular I want to share today because I have given it out at least five times in the past two weeks for treat ideas friends can take to Holiday gatherings.
Brownies are one of the simplest recipes and are incredibly decadent!

Fudge Brownies / bites Serves however many are closest to the plate
2 c walnuts
2 c packed of medjool dates pitted
Pinch of pink salt
½ tsp cinnamon (more if you wish)
1/2c -3/4 c cacao powder ( the more you use, the more chocolaty it will be)


Step 1: In an emergency Must-Need-Brownie-Now situation you may omit this soaking the walnuts step. There may be a slight bitter flavor because of the walnuts not being sprouted, but it will still be delicious.
Two days before brownie time, place walnuts in water and soak 6-8 hrs. Rinse well then place in dehydrator and dry at 118° until all moisture is removed. Apx 1 full day.
Ding so will get rid of the “bitter taste” or tannins walnuts have when not sprouted.
Step 2: Place all ingredients into food processor and pulse several times until brownie consistency is reached.
Step 3: Using a small ice cream scoop or TB measurer, form brownies into fun shapes. You may also gently press the brownie mix into a lasagna pan or round torte pan and cut into desired brownie sizes/ shapes.

Place these brownies on a decorative platter and watch them disappear!

Recipe variation: You may press this into a pie pan as chocolate crust!

Enjoy!
Melissa Mango

For 112 more recipes, nab a copy of Melissa’s Ebook here!