If you’re at a loss for how you can get involved with color – on a small manageable hobby-like scale then you’re in luck because I’ve got 2 things you can joyfully colour and none of them involves eggs for Easter.
In no particular order of effectiveness, the following can be coloured with natural food dye. If you are deligent and you’ve got lots of time you could make your own colours with natural ingrediance such as berries but I would stick to organic food tint/colouring for quicker results:

1.    Hair…
Hair dye and food dye are both dye and while the latter will obviously only yield you temporary results, it’s much safer and certainly kinder on both your scalp and the environment. It’s a fantastic choice when you just want something different for the day and you can just shampoo it out if you don’t like the results. To tint your hair with natural food dye, just mix the color in the intensity you like into some conditioner and apply to your hair. Leave on for 20-90 minutes depending on your hair color and how deep you want the color to be. Then just rinse it out with cold water and there you have it instant tint. Alternatively you could add the dye to aloe gel and make colored streaks in your hair just as you would with the colored gel or mousse.
Note:  Natural food tint tends to work better on lighter hair.

2.    Flowers…
Yes I get that look on your face, flowers are already naturally with color why would you want to color them? Well these days flowers are coloured to achieve the unnatural – blue roses, black roses, green daisies…you name it they have it. But when I mention coloring flowers, it’s for a different reason. It’s for the art of flower pressing. Adding some color tint to your ‘subjects’ will ensure the color intensity stays after the pressing.

I would say taxidermy is an acquired taste. Those who like it would see it as art and a form of preserving the beauty of life, but those who don’t would probably see it as a creepy infatuation with dead things and trophies. We’ll I’m not a hunter and as much as I love animals, I really wouldn’t get involved with stuffing them. From a purely personal point of view, it’s disturbing to see something dead staring back at you and I think there’s just something about taxidermy and the lack of respect for the life that became art. But that’s just me.
But that’s not what I want to discuss about taxidermy. The point I want to make about this hobby, is how it’s anything but eco. It is very involving of nature as the whole idea is to ‘preserve’ nature as it was in the state of life but ironically, the whole process does nothing to actually ‘preserve’ the environment.

You see taxidermy is mainly about mounting or reproducing dead animals for display. And since the law of nature is to go ‘ashes to ashes and dust to dust’ upon death, preserving dead animals would have to involve a lot of chemicals. In fact part of the taxidermy process is tanning, so that ought to give you an idea of how toxic it can be.

I can’t go into the details of how taxidermy is done because there are quite a few methods that are available these days from molding to dry freezing. But the point here is taxidermy involves very poisonous chemicals and it won’t just affect the taxidermist but also anyone who comes in contact with it. Of course they will tell you that the animals are for display and not to be touched but like most chemicals, you don’t really need direct contact to have your health affected. So my advice is to be careful around these ‘artworks’ and I would avoid exposing children to them for more than just fear that they might have nightmares from it…

In my quest to eat healthier, I discovered “kefir,” a fermented milk product containing live bacteria and yeast. Kefir is in the probiotic category, meaning its live and good-for-you microorganisms are responsible for maintaining your healthy inner “ecosystems” such as your intestines and stomach…basically your “gut flora.”

Historically, kefir can be traced back hundreds of years to the shepherds of the Caucasus Mountains. These shepherds stored their kefir in leather pouches and consumed their kefir on a daily basis. Today, kefir is a popular drink in Hungary, Poland, and the former Soviet Union, and is gaining popularity in Japan and the United States. My husband works with a woman who emigrated from Russia to America, and she grew up drinking kefir for breakfast on a daily basis and can attest to kefir’s probiotic benefits.

What does kefir look like? Well, to me, it looks like cottage cheese curds and cauliflower florets combined. You take these kefir curds, called “grains,” place them into goat’s milk or cow’s milk to ferment further, and 24 to 48 hours later, you have your kefir probiotic liquid with which to prepare your favorite kefir recipe, such as a fresh fruit and kefir smoothie. After draining your fermented kefir liquid through a strainer and saving your kefir grains for the next batch, measure out your kefir liquid and either drink it plain, or add some yummy ingredients to make a healthy and tasty drink.

One recipe I love to use is 1 cup fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or peaches), 2 cups kefir liquid, combined with 2 cups homemade (or store-bought) Vanilla ice cream. Mix well in a blender and serve. Another recipe you can use is ¼ cup refrigerated chai and ¾ cup kefir. Blend with some ice cubes and you have a fabulous iced chai drink. For baked goodies, such as muffins, substitute kefir liquid for your milk. Fluffy and delicious!

Kefir contains quite a bit of vitamins and minerals, amino acids and enzymes: Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, Vitamins K, D, and A, B2 & B12, plus tryptophan (for a fabulous relaxing effect on our nervous systems) that help to nourish our bodies. Kefir treats metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, allergies, tuberculosis, poor digestion, candidiasis, osteoporosis, hypertension, heart disease, and even HIV. (1) Kefir also contains healthy microorganisms, which include lactobacilli, lactococci and Leuconnostoc for added benefits. (2)

Where do you obtain kefir? Ask around. Your neighbor just might have some additional kefir grains to share. Or purchase from a reputable source (I bought my starter grains from “kefirlady.com”). Beginning your kefir stash is as easy as 1, 2, 3…and in no time, you’ll be on your way to a healthier Y-O-U.

(1) http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kefir.shtml
(2) http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C11/C11Links/rawhealth.net/kefir2.htm

Exercise is great but too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and the nip and tuck and diet pills – you’re just putting yourself in the hands of unnecessary health risks. Frankly if you just kept to a healthy diet and maintain some activity in your lifestyle, you shouldn’t be worse for wear. But if you’re really looking to do something extra for better skin, hair and body then you really should consider the benefits of mother nature’s youth sustainers –watermelons!

Yes those large green balls of juicy sweetness does wonders for your body, more than any pill ever will. Watermelons are nature’s best source of antioxidants, especially lycopene which is what you need to protect cells from damage.

The fact is lycopene is renowned for its cell protecting abilities. It is used to treat cancer (especially prostate cancer) prevent the”hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis); human papilloma virus (HPV) infection – a major cause of uterine cancer. Lycopene has also been effective in treating cataracts and asthma!

But if there isn’t anything medically wrong with you and you’re just looking to improve your health then forget about taking lycopene in a pill. Instead just have a piece of watermelon a day and you’ll be impressed by how “you really are what you eat”. Just 2 cups of watermelon a day will guarantee you younger looking skin because lycopene works against the UV-induced free radicals that cause sunburn and wrinkling.

You get better rest if you have watermelons after dinner because watermelon contains polysaccharide carbohydrates that increase the body’s output of serotonin which is what helps you sleep soundly.

You get faster healing skin and less scaring if you consistently consume watermelon because the fruit is packed with the amino acid citrulline that they body converts into arginine. Arginine affects the speed of which white blood cells accumulate at injury sites and encourages the growth of new skin tissue. All in all this means faster healing and less scaring!

So if you want health and beauty, then all you have to do is eat at least 2 cups of watermelon a day.

So what do you do about it? You go green and take charge of how your car should smell like that’s what!
It’s really quite simple to get ‘scents’ to mask any stench in your car but the problem here is, if you don’t first deodorize the car, pleasant scents no matter how much you’ve spent on them simply will not last.

Here are some natural ways to deodorize your car:

1. Screwpine leaves
This is an Asian natural solution and it’s pretty neat. Screwpine leaves are fragrant on their own but they do an excellent job at removing odor as well as act as an incent repellent.  Just tie a bundle (a few leaves) into a knot and place it somewhere in your strategic in your car- like under the seats.

2. Coffee beans
If you love perfume then you’ll know there’s something about coffee beans when it comes to scent. Well coffee does more than just bring back your sense of smell, it also does wonders to absorb scent/stench. Just put a handful of raw coffee beans in a breathable pouch and be delighted as your car gets refreshed.

3. Baking soda
This amazing power does more than just whites. It removes odor by absorbing it. Now the tricky bit is how you are going to put powder in the car in such a way that will not deter its absorbing abilities. Well one method is to sprinkle it on the mat then vacuum it all up a week later, the other is to put it in a jar/can with the lid open – this isn’t really practical to me because it would probably just spill out anyway.

4. Charcoal
Tried and time tested, charcoal is probably the best at eliminating odor. Just get a few pieces and place them under the seats – if you don’t want to get “black” all over the car, just place the pieces in a breathable pouch.

5. Zeolite
If you want to get rid of that smoky stench, then zeolite is probably the answer. Zeolite is used to deodorize, clean, de-moisturize, and absorb fluids. You can get the little white rocks which are crystallized volcanic mineral from health stores.

In a world where being tiny is everything, the irony is with breasts the general perception is bigger is better. And women of all ages fall for that body trap. They would do anything, from applying all sorts of creams to massages and the extreme being getting plastic surgery to get the cup size of their dreams. Frankly I think how you feel about yourself is nobody’s business but your own, unless of course your perceptions are so messed up you’ve got a real case of Body Dismorphic Disorder going on.

So some women would like to be a cup size bigger or maybe two…but recognising the fact that implants and jars of cream might promise more than firmer breasts (cancer, intoxication of the blood, etc) these women might want to consider more natural alternatives. Now you may consider these ‘kitchen remedies’ old midwives tale but they have been known to work – with enough patience and diligence that is. If you’re expecting it to happen overnight, then forget it because it won’t.

Fenugreek
Widely used in the Chinese culture as a cure for various ailments, it is also used to enhance the breasts, making them firmer and fuller. But you’re going to need a dosage of 500mg taken three times per day for an extended period of time to see the effects.

Wild Yam
Extremely popular in Far East Asia, 500mg 3 times a day is a great herb to enlarge the breasts.

Kwao Krua, a popular herb for women in Thailand, has a beneficial effect on the hair, skin and  course breast  size increase.

Althea Root is known for its remedial properties related to cellular regeneration and hence breast growth.

Now all of these are natural herbs and won’t harm the body. In fact even if you find they don’t grow your breast by 4 cup sizes, they are beneficial for your health in general. So if you are just aiming for fuller and firmer breast then perhaps these herbs is a better choice than those jar of creams.

In today’s world, we strive to live eco-friendlier each day. And one way in which to do this is with bento box lunches…also called laptop lunches. The concept is simple: a waste-free lunch!

Instead of grab-and-go convenience foods crammed into a plastic sac or school lunches made with aluminum foil, waxed paper, baggies, and juice boxes, your lunch is made from healthy leftovers and foods bought in bulk. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, washable stainless steel drink containers, and reusable forks and spoons.

The Japanese have been making “obento” meals for centuries. “Obento” means a meal served in a box. They used these little boxes as an easy way to transport their food to work and school. Little did they know that future generations would incorporate their method of boxed lunches in order to help save our planet.

From fancy to utilitarian, elegant lacquered boxes to plastic containers, bento meals are served at the most formal of restaurants all the way down to the local train station. Mothers make elaborately decorated bentos for their children, and there are even bento competitions for greatest artistic themes.

Traditionally, the Japanese bento consisted of rice, a protein, and a vegetable. Today, your options are endless! Just be sure that your bento is healthy as well as tasty, and safe to eat at room temperatures if you are unable to refrigerate it until meal time. Some healthy bento meal ideas? How about an almond butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread, with grapes and carrots on the side…or a bean and cheese burrito with sliced mango and a garden salad? Or even homemade pasta salad with a turkey and cucumber sandwich wrap?

For more recipe ideas, go to your local library. Or for instant gratification, search for recipes on-line. And for your bento box needs, make sure you have a carrying case, a washable container with compartments — or smaller containers that fit within — a canister for your drink of choice, a cloth napkin, and silverware.

Happy bento box lunches to you!

Our use or rather dependency on plastic is quite alarming. We don’t just use them to carry our produce home, we also use them to store our produce! So basically when we bring out own bags, we’re just eliminating one very plastic involved activity, there’s still the other one to deal with back home.

What’s really great about storing produce without plastic is how it actually keeps your food a lot fresher. And all it takes is a glass or ceramic container and water! Of course granted it is a little more inconvenient but seriously how difficult is it to change a container of water every few days? Especially when you know the amount of carbon foot prints you are lifting off the earth?

Truthfully this is new to me, so I do not yet have my own solutions to keeping all your fruits and vegetables fresh and alive without the help of the Berkeley Farmers’ publishing. I swear it’s my new bible because they cover practically all sorts of produce! My old method would have involved keeping everything in the fridge but clearly sometimes the food just doesn’t keep well that way. Even Nicole Richie does it!

Please visit the Berkeley Farmers site to download a copy of how to keep produce fresh and healthy without plastic! Also if you’re really serious about getting into a life with as little as possible then you’ve got to visit ‘Fake Plastic Fish’ – Beth Terry, she’s my inspiration!

I use re-usable, eco-friendly cloth pads. Recently, while on-line at my favorite cloth pad store, I saw a photo of an African woman with a title beneath it, “Donate a Hope Pad.” I clicked on the link.

I was shocked to learn that millions of girls in developing countries do not have access to sanitary pads/napkins. Tree bark, leaves, or rolled up newspapers are used to try to manage their monthly flows, often leaking and leaving embarrassing stains on their clothing. Consequently, girls all over the world are missing up to 50 days of school per year. These young women then fall behind in classes, and eventually drop out of school. And for grown women who have entered the work force, the same dilemma occurs monthly: no adequate menstrual products. What a shame!

After doing a bit of on-line reading, I also discovered that most schools in developing countries have one latrine…reserved for teachers only. And if a school is blessed enough to have two latrines, there is no privacy in which a girl can change her sanitary pads or rags. I read a report entitled, “Addressing Special Needs of Girls, Challenges in School,” written by Qumrum Nahar and Rokeya Ahmed, which stated that on average, there is only one latrine for 152 students, and that there generally is no safe water or sanitation at their schools. And due to lack of safe water and lack of menstruation management skills taught by older female family members, these girls go on to develop serious, life-threatening infections.

But we can help.

There are numerous on-line organizations, both large and small, who are distributing reusable, eco-friendly menstrual kits containing reusable cloth pads, a wet bag for used pads, and information on the menstrual cycle and personal hygiene. Other organizations teach women in developing countries how to make their own sanitary pads using readily-available materials such as banana “paper.” Even some small work-at-home women groups in America are sewing cloth pads and shipping them to girls and women in developing countries free of charge.

To learn more about how you can help, simply type these words into your computer’s search engine: “sanitary pads in developing countries.”

Help bring women together from all across the globe…to stand up for each other, empower each other.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” penned Leonardo DaVinci. I think he’s onto something there.

There’s a cultural movement nowadays to live a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle. I believe that living an outwardly simple lifestyle makes me inwardly plentiful. My decision to live more simplistically began about a year or two ago. Here’s how I did it.

First off, I reduced a ton of clutter in my home. I have three children, several pets, and a husband who could be featured on a TV show called “America’s Top Hoarders.” I began by asking this question: Have we used this item within the past year or two? If the answer to that question was “no,” I donated it. There were boxes and boxes of goodies ranging from my first daughter’s bibs to my husband’s track shoes from high school. There were boxes of knick-knacks that sat and collected dust week after week, board games squished onto the laundry room shelves, pairs of dress shoes that were pretty but hurt my feet, and too many stuffed animals to count.

Then my de-cluttering frenzy took me to junk drawers. You know, those drawers that hold nothing but paper clips, pens that no longer work, Post-It notes from six months ago, old AA batteries, expired coupons, and pieces of junk mail from the last several weeks.

I created a filing system for my monthly bills. I even set up automatic banking withdrawals for the majority of my bills. I labeled folders for my personal business’s tax receipts, one for medical expenses, and one for receipts for tax write-offs.

Next was a weekly chores list. This way, we’re not scrubbing the home for five hours every Saturday. Besides my children having daily chores, so does my husband…which he’s not too keen on, but hey, it works! Keep your daily chores simple and concise. We each spend 20 minutes to ½ hour daily washing or folding laundry, wiping down sinks and countertops, or mopping floors and swishing out a toilet or two.

Cutting out all unnecessary spending was next. Do you have a satellite TV? Cancel it and read a novel or popular magazine instead. Better yet, get moving and get outdoors. The average person watches 2 – 3 hours of television daily. That’s insane! Think of the extra pounds you could shed by walking 45 minutes every day…or the bonding time you and your children can share in by playing a board game.

Eliminate excessive after-school activities that cause more stress than joy. Who says your child has to be involved in karate, ballet, and piano lessons? Pick one…okay, two…activities that your child likes best and eliminate the third. You’ll spend less time carpooling your brood around and have more time for family fun.

Finally, schedule time to relax and be alone. Take a quiet walk while your spouse bathes the toddler. Take a 20-minute nap on a Saturday afternoon. Enjoy a good novel while you eat your lunch in the shade of a tree.

Living simply…enjoying your days…making time to unwind and relax…it’s good for your body and soul.