tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51610525564004814892012-02-16T06:23:50.694-05:00allisonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-83927953735284696462008-11-11T18:58:00.004-05:002008-11-11T19:18:34.679-05:00

I have been hard at work researching (what else is new??) green products on the market today. I have been in contact with some fabulous new companies, and am very excited to be able to share their products with our members, but more on that later! Right now, I need to point you in the direction of these incredibly cute shoes, because, quite frankly, they are the cutest green booties I have seen..

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-45498180470055680202008-10-31T23:43:00.004-04:002008-10-31T23:52:05.591-04:00

Here are some pics one of our members sent us (thanks again, Rita!!) some of which are going to be used in the local ParentGuide publication in an upcoming article!!

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-63518149227346742832008-10-25T20:28:00.004-04:002008-10-25T20:42:11.658-04:00

Where did the month of October go??? We have been as busy as can be, working hard to get the word out that we exist, and evolving the program to meet the needs of our local families too! We are constantly brainstorming to improve what we have, and have come up with several great ideas in the process...We have decided to open our doors to local moms groups, that normally meet at parks and

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-34945579287334460062008-09-16T14:10:00.002-04:002008-09-16T14:16:19.327-04:00

We just broke *1000 hits to our website*, and wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you for your interest in our program!While we are on the subject, our families also deserve a BIG THANK YOU! for being so supportive and understanding throughout this new adventure with us. It has been a long journey to get to this point, and we are looking forward to a bright future that lies ahead.

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-45384639532842584412008-09-14T18:10:00.009-04:002008-09-14T19:21:11.356-04:00

We have received a lot of good news recently that we are excited to report! First, we have several new members that have joined us as a result of the Open House on this past week. A big warm welcome to Brandon, Sofia, Andie, Isabella, Jamie, and more!Given our limited funds and commitment to being earth conscious, it has proven challenging to advertise - newspaper ads are expensive, and we

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-40019953826268322152008-09-04T17:09:00.007-04:002008-09-04T19:07:13.846-04:00

We have a lot of exciting news to report! First, we have touched base with Andrew Santo's The Crayon Bin, and we will be working together along with the non-profit organization, Color A Smile, to give local children the opportunity to recycle their crayons, as well as participate in a coloring activity that will be donated to nursing homes, meals on wheels programs, and individuals all across

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-70656076170528643422008-09-04T14:07:00.002-04:002008-09-04T20:08:59.237-04:00

I would like to take moment to say THANK YOU to all of the generosity we have been the recipients of, in our quest to put together the greenest playgroup program possible!For providing us with samples of his cardboard rivets, they are a simple, and genius invention! We LOVE their toys, their ethics, and their generosity! Thank you so much for providing our playgroup with samples of your high

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-90760732108242818072008-08-20T09:20:00.004-04:002008-08-22T14:43:07.597-04:00

We are pleased to announce that we are now first aid, CPR, and defibrillator certified for the upcoming school year. Patty attended the class this past weekend at St. Peter's University Hospital and is excited to have such useful information and instruction under her belt!It has been awhile since we have posted, but rest assured it isn't because we are sitting around twiddling our thumbs:). I

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-18489725059670854652008-07-30T14:26:00.000-04:002008-08-22T14:41:23.912-04:00

We went on a road trip to visit friends of ours in Maryland, and I simply have to mention the zoo we took them to...The Plumpton Park Zoo. Think the Turtleback Zoo or the Popcorn Zoo, but better! We saw a tiger, bear, giraffe, gibbon monkeys, horses, camels, an alligator, fox, snakes, and much more! All the animals have been rescued from various situations and are well cared for. The employees

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-72955345633357459702008-07-30T14:19:00.003-04:002008-08-22T14:26:16.715-04:00

NJ organic blueberries (last week,) NY very alternatively grown corn and ecologically grown peaches and nectarines, organically grown NY green beans, eggplant, a green bell pepper, spinach, yellow squash, butter lettuce, CA carrots, NY organic tomatoes and Peruvian bananas. We brought our share with us to Virginia Beach, and it was fun to share(impress) the fam with our fresh fruit and veggies!

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-55560054409698417842008-07-18T09:33:00.002-04:002008-07-18T09:47:58.151-04:00

What a delicious variety we received this Wednesday - bananas, PA cherries, NY basil, corn, Suyo long cucumbers, eggplant, romaine lettuce, red spring onions, peaches, sugar snap peas, collard greens, zucchini, CA carrots, cantaloupe and pluots(Marisa's favorite by far!). I made baked veggies last night with pernil, and am hosting a birthday party for my son here tomorrow where I will make a

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-1311169410810872172008-07-15T09:55:00.002-04:002008-07-15T10:01:24.445-04:00

It is official! We will be holding our Open House on September 8th, 2008 at the 4-H Log Cabin, 645 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. We will hosting a free playgroup session for each age group, have an information table for caregivers to learn about the unique and innovative toys and activities we have chosen for our program, and kick off our crayon recycling program as well. Come play with us!

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-27295344252529478962008-07-15T09:25:00.003-04:002008-07-15T09:55:43.918-04:00

We are thrilled to announce that The Crayon Bin, a crayon recycling program from Cherry Hill, NJ, will be joining hands with us to establish a crayon recycling program in East Brunswick. They traditionally work with schools with their crayons-for-crayons programs, trading each pound of crayons recycled for a new set of their "Recolor Our World" crayons in fun and creative shapes.On September 8th,

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-23749571096854947712008-07-08T20:28:00.003-04:002008-07-08T20:36:39.182-04:00

There must be something in the air....I just received this certificate via email:). You may have noticed I added a badge over to the right hand side of the blog, to help spread environmental awareness. By posting the badge, our blog helps offset 350 pounds of CO2 - that is equivalent to not driving my car for two weeks!

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-73933904361943751552008-07-08T19:56:00.005-04:002008-07-08T20:10:34.188-04:00

All this going green is paying off! I just received an award for my efforts in going green and helping the environment. Below is the certificate I was received in the mail from the County, and the letter that came along with it.

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-14483215342199562202008-07-02T19:56:00.004-04:002008-07-02T20:15:47.822-04:00

So after doing some poking around regarding organic fruit and vegetables, the costs, the benefits, etc. I have found a really interesting alternative I thought I'd share. This week, we gave this co-op called Purple Dragon a test run. For $46.00, we received a "share" 25-30 lbs. of organic fruit and veggies from local farmers, which equates to two full recyclable grocery bags worth of produce.

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-72085293895295709102008-06-23T11:13:00.001-04:002008-06-23T11:13:38.812-04:00

Whew! It has been a hectic couple of weeks with school winding down for the kids, and summer kicking into gear, but we are over the hump and been having FUN! As always, I have been reading in my spare time, and just finished the current issue of National Geographic's new magazine The Green Guide. As I reported to my mom promptly after finished the article, there is an interesting new product

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-35490278550194435442008-06-05T13:55:00.008-04:002008-06-05T18:41:57.030-04:00

Ever print out directions from a website like Mapquest or Expedia and end up with a page or two after the directions you needed, that have nothing but a banner advertisement or footer printed on them??? Personally the waste of paper and ink drives me nuts! This inexpensive software eliminates that waste by allowing you to select only the information you *want* to print. If all new computers used

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-37486528808405666022008-06-03T16:51:00.000-04:002008-06-03T16:57:21.621-04:00

Plastics are one of the many targets of the green movement, mostly because they do not decompose, and some cannot even be recycled. Children can be exposed to phthalates by chewing on vinyl toys. "While it is still legal for US retailers to sell PVC children’s and baby toys containing dangerous phthalates, the European Parliament voted in July, 2005 to permanently ban the use of certain toxic

allisonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-43427472593039786112008-06-03T16:28:00.005-04:002008-06-03T16:41:54.060-04:00

Did you know that bees are responsible for every 3rd bite of food? The kids and I have volunteered to participate in the Great Sunflower Project held by San Francisco State University to help hunt for bees! They sent us sunflower seeds, and in return, once we have flowers (in about 6 weeks) we record data for them regarding how many bees visit the flowers in 30 minutes, the type of bees (they

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-54686551629731909552008-05-25T21:43:00.002-04:002008-05-25T21:47:02.606-04:00

A YouTube favorite in this house:)

allisonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-23304622840999846962008-05-25T13:29:00.000-04:002008-05-29T13:39:25.657-04:00

Even our furry friends can go green:) While out picking up fish food today at PetSmart, Marisa and I came across these toys...they are adorable, and just as pricey as the rest of the dog toys (why ARE dog toys so expensive anyway??). Anyhoo, they are made of organic material and stuffing, and raise awareness for various endangered species - each stuffed animal is an endangered species and comes

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-47973415088500870612008-05-22T21:13:00.003-04:002008-05-22T21:31:04.274-04:00

With the economy the way it is, it can be difficult to find affordable ways to help (or at least, not harm) the environment. Solar panels, hybrid cars, and the like can be beyond the reach of many people who are struggling to fill the gas tank of the car they already own - myself included. There are so many little ways we can reduce our impact on the environment, that not only cost little or

Pattyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287420571103492072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-5562544987666352402008-05-21T20:41:00.009-04:002008-05-24T10:44:15.859-04:00

Well, today started with a bang! I should start out with a little background info. My husband's mother moved to Hawaii and the kids missed her dearly. Since it is incredibly costly just to fly there, we agreed that we would give up all our extra goodies this year to try to make it there at some point- for the kids, that means trips to the toy store/movies etc, for us it means giving up our summer

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-78665824233042118672008-05-19T10:12:00.002-04:002008-05-30T21:09:30.754-04:00

We have started playing around with idea for our cardboard structures for the playgroup sessions! In a quick morning activity, here is what my girlie and I came up with: a cottage an ice cream shoppeand a castle...we have since colored and painted this one and cut the top to look more "castle-like":)I should mention, our kids LOVE these boxes - they are taking up most of the room in the playroom

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-76235931721468525752008-04-15T22:11:00.001-04:002008-05-19T22:28:39.588-04:00

Meet Clean Up Boy. Our family has embraced the green movement:) Note: Keeping our Earth clean is serious business, and Clean Up Boy is in character, ready to suck up garbage with his vaccuum backpack:)

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161052556400481489.post-75215761915712505702008-04-01T22:24:00.000-04:002008-05-19T22:25:24.636-04:00

Hi there! I am excited to share our plight with you to make our lives greener here at home. The more I research for our business, the more I have been feeling the urge to make changes in our personal lives. I admit that I felt incredibly uneducated when I started Googling the "green movement" months ago and realized just how much important information is out there regarding our health and our

allisonnoreply@blogger.com0