Marni Fogelson-Teel

Forgo Drugstore Valentines for Eco-Friendly Cards from Letter C Design

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 02/07/12

No time to make your own Valentines? We found some ready to buy options that are eco-friendly and adorable. Etsy designer Cindy Slater prints her Valentine offerings on FSC-certified cardstock. Choose from several different designs complete with clever and slightly corny (in a fun way!) sayings like owls that say “You whoo,” or monkeys that say, “I’m bananas for you!” These eco-friendly Valentines will trump the drugstore boxed cards any day!

+ Valentine Cards $9.50 for 12

+ Letter C Design

HOW TO: Make Gooey Vegan Carob Pudding

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 02/03/12

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6 Ways to Have an Eco-friendly Family Valentine’s Day

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 01/30/12

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HOW TO: Make Easy, DIY Kids Valentines With Stuff From Around Your House

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 01/25/12

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5 Things to Know Before You Start the Adoption Process

As a continuation of our discussion of eco-friendly family planning options, we decided to provide some basic info on adoption that everyone should know before they start the process. Read on for five essential points to discuss as you explore welcoming a child (or children) into your home.

6 Sugar-Free Valentine’s Day Etsy Finds To Spoil the Little Loves in Your Life

Valentine's Day isn't just about chocolate goodies or sweet love notes: kids can wear their hearts on the sleeves (or shoes or hats) with these adorable Valentine-themed Etsy finds. While these goodies won't cause an extra trip to the dentist, they sure are plenty sweet.

Make Easy, Exotic Vegan Tofu Lettuce Wraps for Chinese New Year

Celebrating Chinese New Year, which begins on January 23rd, is a great excuse for expanding your family's dinnertime repertoire. Lettuce wraps have become more popular year-round at Chinese and Asian fusion restaurants recently, but they're actually a traditional food for Chinese New Year and contain several "lucky" ingredients: the Cantonese word for lettuce apparently sounds similar to "rising fortune," sesame seeds are known to bring luck in fertility, and the word for oranges is similar to the word for "wealth." Read on for a healthy, tasty recipe that offers a crunchy, lucky start to the New Year.

Keep Cabin Fever at Bay with 7 Eco-Friendly Winter Arts and Crafts and Activities

With the holidays now past, winter may seem a little cold, long, and dreary. Staying inside for days on end is enough to make anyone go crazy, so here are some creative crafts and activities to keep cabin fever away. Best of all, there's very little prep involved: you probably already have all the supplies in your house! Read on for simple and interactive ideas from snow coloring to making natural and recycled dioramas that will keep kids busy and Moms and Dads sane while winter weather keeps us cooped up.

Protect Baby’s Eyes in Style with Rubber Babiators Sunglasses

If the name of the company alone doesn’t make you smile, maybe this will help: Babiators‘ line of baby aviator sunglasses offers 100% protection from the full spectrum of UV rays and are made our of rubber instead of plastic. The sunglasses are also BPA and phthalate-free (so no worries if they end up, like most things, in Baby’s mouth), and they carry a one-year Wear and Tear Guarantee. Buying a pair of these bendable …

Throwing a Green Baby Shower for an Eco-Friendly Mama-To-Be

Throwing a baby shower is a great way to pamper and spoil a favorite mother-to-be in your life. Luckily, you don't have to spoil the planet as well - having an eco-friendly baby shower can be easy, affordable, and lets you get creative! Read on for green invites, flowers, decorations, and more!

Sticking to Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions With Your Kids

Staying fit without a gym and with kids? Sounds pretty tough, huh? New Year’s resolutions are tricky to stick with in general, and a lifestyle change can be intimidating, especially when you have to consider the effect it will have on your family’s meals, schedules, etc. While certain gyms have excellent childcare, others don’t offer any respite for healthy-aspiring moms and dads… and it seems a little soul-crushing to pay a babysitter to go exercise. So, include your kids in your healthy living plans. You’ll be setting them up for a lifetime of healthy habits, and they are likely to remind you that staying fit is fun. Read on for ways to keep the whole family fit during the winter.

HOW TO: Make a Party Garland from Recycled Gift Bags

I keep all of the bags that my family gets presents in. Not only has this saved me money, it also has prevented the "We have a party in 20 minutes, and I have nothing to wrap this present in!" moments that used to occur regularly. Recently, I decided to put those bags to another use: creating a festive garland to be hung during a baby shower. Read on for how to create a simple, eco-friendly, and re-usable garland that's festive and easy to personalize, no matter what the occasion. So all of the bags that holiday presents come in may get a second life after all!

Celebrate the Flavors of Kwanzaa with a Tasty, Vegan Peanut Butter Stew

Kwanzaa may be a relatively new to the winter holiday lineup (it was started in 1966), but the variety of traditional African and African-American foods served is impressive and delicious and steeped in diverse culinary heritages, emphasizing spices, veggies, and uncoventional taste twists. This groundnut stew is known around our house as "Peanut Butter Stew," named for the not-so-secret ingredient that makes this dish a standout. Read more for an irresistible meal (whether you celebrate Kwanzaa or not): What kid would turn their noses up at a stew made with peanut butter? Black eyed peas give an optional, but highly recommended dose of protein. They are also considered to be good luck for a new year - so serve up this Groundnut Stew for a yummy and prosperous start to 2012.

HOW TO: Make A Kwanzaa-Inspired Sweet Potato Cake with Creamy Double Coconut Frosting

While paging through cookbooks for traditional African-American and Kwanzaa dessert recipes, I was inspired by the heavy use of spices like nutmeg and allspice as well as how recipes often include a healthy pureed vegetable. This spiced, fragrant, and not-too-sweet sweet potato cake pairs with a decadent coconut cream cheese frosting to incorporate some tropical flavor into a more traditional, seasonal dessert. Read on to learn how to make Spiced Sweet Potato Cake with Creamy Coconut Frosting, a sweet holiday treat perfect for celebrating any holiday (even if that holiday is just a snow day).

HOW TO: Make Vegan Sugar Cookies for Hanukkah

Sugar cookies are a holiday staple. It's something about their sweet simplicity and their endless decorating possibilities that makes them a perfect baking activity for families. This recipe is a basic one, but made healthier with the use of organic ingredients and substitutions such as whole wheat pastry flour and vegan eggs and milks. Read on for fun twists on a favorite holiday tradition.

DwellStudio’s Toxin-Free and Colorful Puzzle Blocks Are Perfect for Stacking, Sorting, and Spelling

The name DwellStudio has become synonymous with bold graphics and bright colors and their latest collection of puzzle blocks doesn’t disappoint. Covered in animals, shapes, numbers and letters in funky fonts, the set is made from engineered hardwood and is lead-free and uses non-toxic dyes. Whether kids are working on building or basic math, these puzzle blocks will grow with your little ones and are sturdy enough to be passed on to the next generation.

+Eco-friendly …

Musical Ladybug Rattle Features Sustainable Wood and a Natural Beeswax Coating

SugarBooger’s ladybug rattle combines a simple, circular wood design with just enough color to keep baby’s attention. Made from sustainable European Beechwood, the rattle is finished with water-based inks, and a natural beeswax coating. Hours of worry-free teething and shaking by little hands (aided musically by the jingle jangle of a single bell) await: one of nature’s sweetest creatures in the hands of your own sweet creature!

+ Ladybug Baby Rattle $17.50

Animal Jigsaw Puzzle by Enzo Mari is a Work of Art and a Family Keepsake for Generations

We admit it: we did a double take when we saw the high pricetag for this jigsaw puzzle, by designer and artist Enzo Mari. That being said, we love his Sedici Animali wooden puzzle, made up of 16 different animals that snuggle in together to comprise this unique and accessible-to-kids work of art. The coolest part: the animals can also stand upright, making them the classiest game of play pretend ever. Only …

Give the Gift of Art Naturally with Glob’s Set of Stocking Stuffer Paint Packets

We’re big fans of Glob and have sung the praises of their botanical paints and collage kits in the past. The natural and biodegradable paint and pigment company uses fruits, vegetables, spices, and organic extracts to color their products and has created a set of 12 stocking stuffers to help spread a love for natural art as well as some holiday cheer. With fun colors including lemon verbena, blueberry, pomegranate, tangerine, plum …

Hopper Blocks Stay Simple and Sustainable For Hours of Creative Building

Hopper Blocks are the kind of kid's toy that we are thrilled is on the market because the creating is kid-powered, not battery-powered. Yes, there are still companies resisting the flashing light pyrotechnics, whirligigs, and sounds that seem to accompany many of the toys in more mainstream stores these days, and Tree Hopper Toys is one of them. The blocks are made in Chicago using sustainably harvested and smoothly sanded hardwood from the United States.