Organizing Ideas from Magazines...(Clutter Buster!)

I don't currently receive any magazine subscriptions, but I have received several gift subscriptions over the last couple of years. Add these to the few magazines I can't resist at the check-out stand a few times a year and those passed on by friends and family members, and it could be over-load!

I should mention that I am a very visual--I would much rather work from pictures than words! I usually read articles and books quickly, but pictures or very short notes are what I would go back to time and again.

I am in the habit of keeping a a file folder titled "house ideas", for lack of a better category, on my desk. When I see a project or picture in a magazine (or online) that inspires me, I chuck it in this folder. Periodically, I add the contents of the folder to a 3 ring binder where the ideas wait for action. My loose categories in the binder are: outdoor projects, indoor projects, outdoor decorating, indoor decorating, and food (usually recipes).

So...I'm hanging on to two years of Mother Earth News and Natural Home, but otherwise, I'm clutter-free in the magazine department!

Today I condensed an entire box of magazines into a one-inch binder, with room to spare!

Category: Outdoor Projects...keep a permanent marker handy to mark the project you wanted to remember!

Category: Food

Category: Indoor Decorating

~Leslie

Red Means Stop

Several of our friends in Transitional PreK have enjoyed singing "Red Means Stop"! If you'd like to hear it, or download it, here is a link:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mrheath05


(#13 Red Means Stop)

Kai, Alex, Jack, Hannah and Maya especially love this one!

Homemade Deodorant!

Eliminating deodorant/antiperspirant from my life has been a long-time goal. Stinking has not been a goal, and so it has only been recently that the planets have aligned for the good of my pits (and my entire system, I believe).

My mom recently made deodorant using the recipe that follows, and after several weeks, I am amazed and delighted by its effectiveness. I smell better than ever, I am happy to report.

Here's the recipe my mom used:

5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
a couple of drops of lavender

Combine equal portions of baking soda & cornstarch. Then, slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the consistency you desire. You can place it in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.

If you experience irritation/redness when you apply it after shaving, add a little more coconut oil to the mix to reduce the % of baking soda. (But you need to have baking soda in it, because that's what kills the stink.)

I have noticed that if I have an especially sweaty day, and a short-sleeved shirt seam that rubs under my armpit, I can get a rash. Otherwise, I am A-OK. My mom added some more cornstarch to the second batch she made, and put it in an old roll-up deodorant container, which I keep in the refrigerator. If left unrefrigerated, the consistency is that of a loose salve that you have to shake to mix each time. If refrigerated, the consistency is that of a very firm stick deodorant.

In summary, I am happy to report that:
1. I and my clothes don't stink
2. I am not stifling my sweat response at the location of important lymph nodes
3. I am not subjecting myself to a dangerous daily dose of aluminum
4. I am using a product that has familiar, economical ingredients

~Leslie

Janie's review:
I really like it! I am a little sweaty. I don't notice that I have anything on--it goes on smooth.

Here is a similar recipe with a video showing how to make the deodorant:

Here a few links to get you thinking about whether or not to use commerical deodorants and antiperspirants:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/01/28/deodorant-cancer.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/16/aluminum-lurks-in-crystal-deodorants.aspx

I Confess...I Love Her Work

I love Martha Stewart's work...the woman, I don't know. You will now see a link to her on our blog, because it will help me keep up with Martha. Maybe you'll click on her sometimes, too.

~Leslie

Dare You

Staying on Budget-What to Cut Out at Home

I plan to share more about how we buy the best products, including grass fed meats, organic meats, and nearly all organic products on a tight family and school budget. As I started thinking about what information to include, I thought a good place to start might be where I don't spend money in my family budget!

At home, I almost never spend money on:

1. paper towels or paper napkins--We use 2-3 rolls of paper towels a month, and we rarely have paper napkins around. If I'm already doing laundry all the time, it's no big deal to me to use .49 cent IKEA dish towels to wipe up spills, etc. I have some inexpensive cloth napkins that were picked up at Goodwill, and I plan to make/buy more. We use the cloth napkins constantly at meal time, and the kids enjoy putting them out at meal time. I think using cloth helps the kids see that meals are special, and that not everything in life should be disposable. Oh, and I think this is a "greener" approach . . .

2. expensive cleaners--I keep baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, and hyrdrogen peroxide around. Each month, I mail order some green concentrated cleaners and laundry detergent (along with vitamins, body products). I feel that we've been duped into thinking we need a designer cleaner for every household situation, and I choose to keep all those chemicals and smells away from my family.

3. tissues--if it's cold season, I keep some boxed tissues around. Otherwise, my family uses the toilet paper that I'm already buying. Its not fancy, but it works for us.

4. ziploc bags in a variety of sizes--I usually keep a box of waxed paper bags around and sometimes a small box of plastic zip-top sandwich bags. We store leftovers in glass, moving away from plastic more and more each week. When I pack lunches, I usually try to assemble a variety of items in one large plastic tray with a lid, or I place snacks in reusable containers. I am still sourcing healthy containers for my kids lunches/school snacks.

5. air fresheners or other "potions" for the house . . . clean is clean. We don't need to smell like cinnamon potpourri.

6. "kid" bath/body products. My kids are almost 4, 6, and almost 10. While we kept things simple when they were little, we sure do now. They all use "adult" toothpaste, shampoo, and soap. They were taught to keep their eyes closed and tilt their head back to rinse at a young age! Kids' bath and body products are generally a disaster of dyes and sudsing agents. I generally mail order healthy bath/body products with some vitamins and concentrated cleaners monthly.

7. baking mixes--I keep aluminum-free baking powder, a couple kinds of flour, yeast, baking soda, vanilla and spices around so that if we want pancakes, a dessert, or some other concoction, there's not a boxed mix required. It's easy to find basic recipes that don't take much longer to make from scratch. In starting from scratch, you are controlling quality and circumventing trans fats and unwanted additives.

8. seasoning packets--I keep spices, fresh garlic, onion, and herbs around to season things myself. Most taco, chili, and dip mixes have MSG in them. Some of the organic mixes I've tried are pretty bad, and overly sweet. There are great recipes online for homemade dry spice mixes to keep on hand for your favorite meals.

9. "compound" or prepared foods--if I'm going to cook, I almost always start from scratch. The more someone does to your food to make it "easy" for you to eat, the more likely one or both of the following is true: it's more expensive, it's made with a bunch of ingredients you don't want to be eating.

10. drink mixes, juices, sodas, designer drinks and waters--we drink lots of water, the kids have a couple of servings of orange or apple juice each week, and my husband and I drink coffee every morning. Husband and I also drink a glass of red wine a couple of nights each week. Husband has a soda habit he's kicking, and I don't buy soda unless he specifically asks me for it. So . . .we're pretty boring in the drink category. I did buy the kids some chamomile tea for a treat--HA HA.

11. bulk items that last more than a month--I do love shopping at Costco for some items (more on that later), but I don't see any reason to purchase more than I will use in a month. At a restaurant, or in other businesses, you don't want to keep much money tied up in inventory, and certainly not inventory that isn't moving. I think that's a good principle at home, too. So, if I buy the awesome six pack of organic pasta at Costco, I committ to using it all in meals that month.

11. magazines, newspapers--I read online, enjoy some gift subscriptions I've been given, and share magazines with family and friends. I only buy a couple magazines a year, and it's hard for me to resist them at the check out counter!

12. books--I usually only buy "keepers" that are specific to my work or that I will reference again and again. If I just want to read for fun, I check out Goodwill or Half Price Books. I like the library, and my kids have a great school library they visit once each week. We have lots of books around the house--I just don't spend much on them.

Sound crazy? What I do may not work for you. I try to use my household family budget to focus on food dollars, purchasing the highest quality food possible, focusing on protein, fruits, and vegetables. We do eat carbohyrdrates, but I try not to keep too many empty carbs around for my kids to graze on, as it is an endless situation. Do you know how many Goldfish a hungry child can eat when they really need a chunk of cheese and an apple???

Finally, I love to go and do. If I stay on budget with food, I have money to get out of the house and explore our city! Money to enjoy a meal out! I can't do that if I have $100 tied up in a barrel of Goldfish, 25 pounds of flour, Renuzit air fresheners, and an 18 pack of paper towels.

~Leslie

21 Minutes--Give Me Just 21 Minutes!

For 3 1/2 years, every operational business day, I have tried my best to serve the children in my care the best food I could afford, and the cleanest food I could--free of preservatives, disguised ingredients, and hidden sugars. As my knowledge has improved, I have become more astute in playing the "food game" where marketing terms and brown packaging don't really mean that something is "natural" or "healthy". In fact, you could shop in a grocery store at least 1/4 your current store's size if you took out all the junk--food that has no nutritional value whatsoever.

I don't want you to feel badly; instead, I want you to feel empowered. You see, in taking shortcuts, using mixes, and eating out as much as we eat in, we have given up our power. Not many restaurants feed you nutritionally sound food because it is not profitable to do so! We rely on the latest nutritional advice sponsored by the milk board or the cheese council or the soy folks, and even physicians to suggest what is right for our children. The thing is, most of this information is just bunk or a marketing ploy to sell more stuff. Our country's food pyramid is absolutely upside down . . .eating government subsidized grains in excess makes you a diabetic hog. It makes our families sick. What mother wants this? What father?

The most important thing you can do for your health and that of your children is to become a quasi-nutritionist. Whatever it is that your family eats--challenge yourself to make it as clean as possible. Challenge yourself to make it yourself with 5 or 10 of the highest quality ingredients possible, and organic as much as possible. Think you can't afford organic? Try shopping just for organic ingredients that are seasonal or on sale, and let that guide your weekly menu. Start your own organic garden. Freeze and preserve food for later as our parents and grandparents did. If someone else makes the food for you, i.e. something prepared or semi-prepared, make sure you can pronounce and identify everything in it.

My sister has gone to great lengths deciphering labels, planning healthy menus, and sticking to a strict food budget for our small school. I believe larger schools can do the same, maybe even saving themselves money! In our homes, both my sister and I have added more and more fresh ingredients, and we've tried to feed our own families of four and five, respectively, with $100-$150 each week using nearly all organic and grass fed/humanely processed meats. None of this has been easy--it would be way easier to have a Sysco truck pull up to the back door of our school. BUT, if we can do it, you can, too. You can!

Please, please take 21 minutes of your life to watch Chef Jamie Oliver accept the 2010TED award in Los Angeles. The TED organization is dedicated to funding "ideas worth spreading"--ideas that the winners identify as their "wish to change the world". Bless Jamie Oliver for having the balls (yes, I said balls!) to call America out and the heart to fight for change.



You know, the best health care option would be to invest in healthy food and make it accessible to all people. The best health plan would call for better regulation of all food and food production in our country. The best health plan would encourage people to be physically fit. The best health plan would make sure our drinking water is optimum.

As a fellow parent and community member (and for some of you, the person that feeds your child 2, 3, or even 5 days a week), I urge you to join me in ensuring that the food we put in our families' bodies is life-sustaining, not debilitating.

Q/A

Do we eat fast food and restaurant meals? Yes, occasionally. We like a good burger and fries. We love to treat ourselves to a night out of the kitchen. It is true, though, that for the same money we spend eating out, we can serve a gourmet meal at home.

Do we fret over what we eat when we are out? Since seeing sick animals dragging their legs to slaughter on "Food, Inc.", yes, we do. So, we try to pick restaurants where meat is from a decent source.

Do our husbands get concerned about our food budget? Yes, but if momma's not happy and healthy, no one in the family is.

Do our husbands and children have trouble making changes to some whole grain products, organic products, or making other dietary changes? Yes, and we don't stop trying.

Do we have our own problems with weight? Yes, and that will become our focus this year. With healthy food in place, we need to focus on our own fat-making stress levels and physical fitness this year. To that end, we will begin work with a professional in April.

Do I have to clean out my fridge, freezer, and pantry, then start over? For me (Leslie), that works. I am sort of an all or nothing girl. I cleaned out everything and generally haven't gone back. Janie wants you to know that she thinks this would have been overwhelming for her. She did a small initial clean-up and has since taken one step at a time, eliminating MSG and preservatives. She has tried to buy very few boxed or packaged items, and focuses on everything going into the fridge, freezer, and fruit basket. For both of us, our pantry items are "pure"--brown rice, organic pasta, etc.

~Leslie

P.S. Thank you to one of our teachers, Jennifer, for first sharing Jamie Oliver's speech with me. She's one smart girl!

Vacuum!

Want to have your children do some meaningful work around the house? You might want to pick up a Dirt Devil Versa Power vacuum. It is very lightweight, and has very good "pick up" for a vacuum its size. The kids at school love using it! We purchased ours at Target for $19.99 a couple of weeks ago.

Nature Trays/Center Pieces

If you're looking for a way to slow dinner down or a way to make family time a little special, why not try a seasonal center piece or nature tray for your table? The children can be a part of gathering things, or (as we are finding at school) they love the surprise of what adults place on the trays. We light the candle on the tray before we sing our lunch song, then enjoy our meal together. The children blow out the candle when the meal is done and we begin clearing the table. Family life can be very busy, especially for those where one or both parents work outside the home. It is nice to slow down and make our time together something sacred.

~Leslie

January

Early February

Late February

Don't Waste Your Time

I saw this at my daughters' school today and I liked the message! ~Leslie

Bamboo Toast Tongs . . . A Step Toward Independence

My girls are 6 and 9 1/2. They are rightfully asking to take on cooking tasks in the kitchen. My husband and I aren't ready for burners alone just yet, but the girls are great at stirring things while we are present. How can we show our confidence in them without stressing ourselves out completely? Well . . . I am proud to announce that much to their parents' delight, my girls can make coffee virtually unassisted. There were a few strong pots, but now things are just right, and they DELIVER!!

A second successful independent cooking venture at our house has been using the toaster (after an incredibly stern and scary lecture about nothing going into the toaster but these wood tongs and with the toaster positioned far away from our sink, Dad). Now the world of waffles, toast, English muffins and bagels is theirs when they need a snack, or when we haven't started breakfast yet and they are ready for a little something. Oh, an I do use them when I am taking bagels out of the toaster. Can anyone explain to me why the smooth skin of a toasted bagel is hotter than molten lava?

At school, we use these tongs for fine motor activities like transferring cotton balls from one bowl to another. My son managed to snap a pair apart recently, and they shouldn't be placed in the dishwasher. We keep our tongs in a kitchen drawer under the toaster so they are handy for little hands.

These tongs were found at Central Market for $1.99. I have purchase several other pairs at Crate and Barrrel for about $3/each. Happy toasting!

Leslie

Hair con Melissa

Today our very pregnant friend Melissa came by to do our hair. I think she's nesting, but in a hairy way. I think she may be on a one woman mission to give all of her clients great hair before she gives birth to her son. Melissa is a true artist, and that's not an exaggeration. Her cuts usually take about an hour, and she makes you feel like going out to dance afterward. How nice not to have to go far for a coiffure, and how nice to sit in a pretty space like Sassy Pea Market and not under ugly fluorescent lights!

Thanks, Melissa!

(Oh, and we're trying to convince her to be available to other ladies at Sassy Pea during school hours so that maybe you could drop the kiddos off, have your hair done, and zip away for a marvelous lunch date before you have to pick up your little ones.)

~Leslie

Toy Store Ideas . . .

The thought of Toys 'R Us near the holidays makes me a little nauseous--bright lights, big city. Here are some ideas for fun places to pick up unique gifts. Also, put together your own fun for little dough. An apron, a whisk and stainless steel bowl from somewhere like Dollar Tree, and some wooden or cut-out play food would be nice. How about some sheets and wooden clips? Animal figures and wooden cars/trucks?

~Leslie

Sassy Pea Market (Leander)
www.sassypeamarket.com
Store Hours Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-5:30 PM
Fun ideas for kids--stick horses/unicorns, children's purses, handmade wooden tree blocks, children's aprons, hair bows, lip balm.

Kaleidoscope Toys (Round Rock alongside I35)
http://www.kstoy.com/
Store Hours Monday - Saturday: 10am - 7pmSunday: 12pm - 6pm


Terra Toys (North Austin)
http://www.terratoys.com/
Store Hours: 9-8, Sunday 12-6


Toy Joy (Central Austin/UT Area)
http://www.toyjoy.com/
Open 7 days a week, Sunday - Thursday 10 am - 11 pm and Friday and Saturday 10 am- 12 midnight. Extended hours Christmas Eve.

Anna's Toy Depot (South Austin)
http://www.annastoydepot.com/
Store Hours : Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5

Kid to Kid (Round Rock, Cedar Park--near Lakeline Mall)
http://www.kidtokid.com/index.php
Find details about the closest location. Great kids' consignment shop with new toys, aprons, hair bows plus great used toys and books.

Tiny Bird Organics (Round Rock near 79/I35)
http://www.tinybirdsorganics.com/
Store Hours Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 12-6pm (central time)

Tuesday Morning (a national franchise, I know, but a great place to find German blocks, wooden doll houses, play kitchens, train sets--lots of wooden toys). The best is off of Burnet Road in Central Austin, but the closest locations would be Round Rock or North Austin)
http://www.tuesdaymorning.com/indexCatalogOff.asp

IKEA (Round Rock--another biggie, but great open-ended toy section. I especially love the play dishes, children's furniture, and train sets. Don't forget the kitchen department for cooking items to stock a play kitchen for very little $.)
http://www.ikea.com/
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-9pm Sun 11am-7pm

Sonya's Toy Garden--Christmas and Hannukah, and Anytime Gift Ideas!

We have ordered several times from Sonya's, with fast, friendly service every time. Favorites at school are play silks, wooden clips, and beeswax crayons. If nothing else, this site provides lots of great (quiet!) alternatives and ideas to parents and grandparents alike--especially crafty ones! Note the discount for ordering by 11/15 as well as the free shipping offer.

~Leslie

From Sonya:

Holiday Gift Picks!We know that many of our customers read Mothering Magazine regularly, but for those of you who don't, we have exciting news. Mothering has selected 15 toys we sell for inclusion in their recent article on "Best Natural Toys of 2009."We think that you might agree that these are winners! Here are a few from this year and a few favorites from last year:

Felt Mail Set
Colorful Doll House Stacker
Mouse Family
Fruit Tree Puzzle
Birthday Ring & Flower Stacker
Walking Blocks
Felt Flower House
Recycled Recycling Truck
Foldable Gnome House
Stockmar Deluxe Paint Set
Music Maker
Bird Tree Puzzle

A few brief updates:

We are fully stocked with woolen undergarments and rain gear (Puddle Pants, etc.) but they are selling quickly, so please order soon for best selection of styles & sizes.
We are constantly restocking our most popular items & always adding new items, so check back frequently – we have wonderful new handmade treasures arriving daily.
For Hannukah, Christmas, and other holiday/birthday orders, please always order as early as possible for best selection & to allow time for delivery. Shipments take longer around the holidays – please tell us if you need an order for a specific date.

CPSIA update: The seriously flawed consumer product safety law passed by Congress last year continues to have tragic, unintended consequences for small businesses that make and sell handmade toys. We have lost many wonderful crafters who were making safe toys and using all natural materials but could not absorb (or pass on) the high costs of testing and labeling & tracking their products and the materials they use. In addition to many U.S. businesses closing, many of the best European companies that make beautiful, safe wooden toys and natural fiber garments will no longer export to the U.S. because of the CPSIA. If you see favorite products disappearing from our website, this is probably why. We encourage you to visit the Handmade Toy Alliance (www.handmadetoyalliance.org) for more information, updates, and ideas of what you can do to save handmade toys in America. In addition to offering lead and phthalate free toys, we want them to be beautiful, natural, unique, handmade, and a joy for children and adults to play with by for decades to come. For almost 10 years, we have offered one of the largest selections of handmade and quality toys available. We are committed to this mission and will continue to make, and search the world for the best, safest handmade and natural toys.

We are truly thankful for your continued support over the years. Without such wonderful customers we would not and could not continue in business. To show our appreciation, you are welcome to use a special code, “thankful1009” for 10% off your order over $50 placed by Sunday night, 11/15/2009. This only applies to new orders placed using this code (it is not retroactive).We appreciate your business and look forward to filling your orders for birthday presents, stocking stuffers, holiday presents, tooth fairy gifts, etc. Remember we always offer free gift wrap (within reason, please!) and the always popular Free Shipping for US orders over $200.Happy Playing! Sonya

Please visit our online store at:www.aToyGarden.com& forward this email to your friends!
In order to insure that you receive our periodic emails, please add "Sonya@aToyGarden.com" to your address book or safe sender list. You gave A Toy Garden permission to send you periodic email announcements. If you'd prefer not to receive emails from us, please reply with "remove" in the subject line.

The Sebring Clinic

My parents are young to me--62 and 68 respectively. Like many folks in their generation, they were starting "the slide". To me, "the slide" is the unnecessary heaping of prescription drugs on folks without addressing their underlying health problems. So, first it's one medication, then another to address the wrongs the first once caused, and so on. In my opinion, though my parents are fortunate to have excellent health insurance thanks to my father's retirement, they still weren't receiving the best healthcare. Their well-meaning physicians weren't helping them, just putting explosive bandages on their health issues, at best. For whatever reason, doctors listen to drug reps without reseraching new drugs themselves. Doctors often don't question studies and mainstream information as good scientists should. That's not good enough for my parents--I'm sorry. Their quality of life, for as long as they grace us with their lives, is important to all of us that love them.

I did a lot of reading, and really wanted to suggest another option to my parents. There were a couple of cutting-edge doctors to consider in Texas, and in the end, one is close. Kudos to my mom for digging in and starting right away with Dr. Sebring, and for taking my dad with her soon. Dr. Sebring has a clinic in Wimberly, in North Austin beside People's Pharmacy at 620/183, and another location in Westlake. He focuses on getting people well, and drug-free if possible. Classicly trained, he found that his own patients weren't doing well with the advice of mainstream medicine, and dug deeper to find a better way. I admire his willingness to seek out information that is simple, yet powerful. I admire healers.

Check out his website, articles, and podcasts, and I'll share my parents' progress with you.

http://www.sebringclinic.com/sebringclinic.asp

~Leslie

Pecan Grove Angus

As we work to build the farmer's market and seek local artisans, craftsmen and farmers we have stumbled onto a wonderful family that raises Angus beef. Deborah and David Hajda of D & D farms along with their four sons raise Angus beef along the San Gabriel river.

Let me just say that I am a born again beef lover! Yep--can I get some beef? Any cut will do as long as you get it from D & D farms. We have dined on their t-bone steaks, ribeyes, flank steak, ground beef and cube steak. Haven't been disappointed yet! Like butta......

Their cows graze along the San Gabriel river in a pecan grove. These are happy cow, folks. They are antibiotic and hormone free. No cattle prods are used which causes the muscles to seize up and makes tough meat.

You can purchase individual cuts of meat or 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 of a calf. Leslie and I purchased 1/8 of a calf and were quite impressed with the quantity, quality and price. The meat is locally butchered, inspected and vacuumed packed. The meat is frozen solid and keeps well in the freezer.

Experience what Leslie and I have been enjoying the last few weeks! The Hajdas are at the Farmer's Market every Saturday from 8 AM - 11 AM. You may purchase the day of the market or preorder, if interested.

Thank you Deborah and David for supporting our idea and for producing such a wonderful product!

~Janie

Thanks, Sarah!

Thank you, Sarah and Augie, for helping to groom our animals and for your kind spirit!

The Shark Steam Mop & Sol-U-Mel by Melaleuca

This Shark Steam Mop

+ this green cleaning product


= sparkling clean, disinfected floors!

As part of our green cleaning at school, we purchased a steam mop made by Shark. As much as we loved whisking around our Swiffer and cleaning like little fairies, we were using a chemical cleaner and too much of it, for that matter.

We have fallen in love with the steam mop for the following reasons:

• No chemicals or cleaning products are necessary--you can just use plain water
• It steams dirt and sticky residue from floors
• It comes with washable, reusable pads, so the mop creates no garbage!
• It has a super-long cord
• It's light and about the same size as a Swiffer mop, so it doesn't take up a lot of space

After serving "make-your-own pizzas" on Thursday, we had a real mess on the floor. Janie experimented with our new Melaleuca products and pretreated the tile floors with Sol-U-Mel cleaner diluted in a spray bottle, and then mopped the floors. The result? Not only were the floors incredibly clean, but the whole first floor had a fresh tea tree oil aroma. We were amazed that the combination of hot steam and the Sol-U-Mel cleaned the floors so well and "with such ease".

Eastside Cafe

Yesterday our school was closed for staff development. We took our staff off-site, first to Whole Foods at Sixth/Lamar to stock a "wellness cabinet" at school with healthy, energy-giving snacks for staff when we need them. We'll be adding vitamins and some supplements to the cabinet soon.

Next in our day was Eastside Cafe (http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/), just off I35 and Manor Road downtown. We all got some great ideas for our gardens back at school, and enjoyed a delicious lunch while we conducted our training session. The food was delicious, and the time together analyzing ourselves and our work with children was important.

Treat yourself to a walk through the gardens at Eastside, as well as their garden shop "Pitchforks and Tablespoons" and the cafe. You won't be sorry!

Green cleaning at school.....

We're proud to announce that we now utilize Melaleuca cleaning products at school. Melaleuca has been a staple in our homes for several months now and we're so pleased with the quality of the products, knowing that the products are safe for not only the environment but for our kiddos and the fresh feeling they leave our homes and, now, the school!

If you're interested in learning more about Melaleuca, feel free to ask! The best part about Melaleuca? It's like a fairy delivers top notch products to your door!