All Dressed Up and Ready for Cake

We all have that strange array of stuff in our kitchens – mounds of molded cake pans, plastic cookie cutters shaped like “only-once-a-year” pumpkins, foil cupcake holders with faded shamrocks on them.  Occasionally we may dig through it all, hoping to weed out the unused baking supplies.  ”Throw [...]]]>

All Dressed Up and Ready for Cake

We all have that strange array of stuff in our kitchens – mounds of molded cake pans, plastic cookie cutters shaped like “only-once-a-year” pumpkins, foil cupcake holders with faded shamrocks on them.  Occasionally we may dig through it all, hoping to weed out the unused baking supplies.  ”Throw it away?  Recycle?  Can I recycle a teflon coated Easter Bunny pan?”  Next time you purchase a new item for the kitchen, try getting something recyclable.  Don’t know where to go?  I’ve been testing an Eco Cupcake Stand from GreenPartyGoods, where all their items are planet friendly.

Cupcakes are all the rage these days – kids get their very own little cake, all decorated and all to themselves.  Even weddings offer up more elegantly decorated cupcakes.  Cupcake stands give the baker the ability to stack up and arrange the cakes like a pyramid of goodies, which is a far sight more festive than simply piling them on a plate.

GreenPartyGoods’ Eco Cupcake Stand comes unassembled, which makes for easy storage, since when assembled it’s a surprising 20 3/16″ tall!  (Add the cupcakes and you’ve got quite an impressive party centerpiece.)  The recyclable cardboard is sturdy and white, making for a good natural backdrop without being “cardboard tan”, and the decorating possibilities are endless on this one.  The stand has a double-sided polished wipeable surface.  I also found assembly to be rather straightforward.  The end result is a sturdy display for your cupcakes.  And if your cupcake baking days every become a thing of the past, you’ll have no problem answering the question, “Can I recycle it?”  But after seeing the results of this one, those days are a long time coming.

Want to win your own Square Eco Cupcake Stand ($28.95 retail)?  Enter here!

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just visit GreenPartyGoods and tell me what else you liked or learned there. (***You may enter once a day, but please list a new item you like each time.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, Subscribe and/or Become a Fan on Facebook! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  This time just leave a separate comment for each (only one time for each extra activity completed), giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re an FB Fan and/or subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!   (Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

3.) EXTRA!!!  Become a fan of GreenPartyGoods on their Facebook page and earn yet another entry!  Leave a comment here telling me you did so.

Feel free to do all five to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, to enter.

Got GERD? No need to lose your head. Natural remedies may be just what you're looking for.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a “condition in which acid, bile and partially-digested food in the stomach back up into the esophagus.”  For many people, GERD is making a difficult time of their daily lives.  But there are [...]]]>

Got GERD? No need to lose your head. Natural remedies may be just what you're looking for.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a “condition in which acid, bile and partially-digested food in the stomach back up into the esophagus.”  For many people, GERD is making a difficult time of their daily lives.  But there are a few simple and natural remedies that can take the edge off the discomfort.

First, try not to eat when you’re stressed.  So many of us eat in a hurry, under pressure, or when we’re all stressed out – as if we’re still those cave men and women trying to get that meal in before the sabertooth comes along to claim his portion!  Before eating, give yourself a few moments of peace and quiet.  During meals, chew thoroughly to aid in digestion.  And think of Uncle Howard, the guy who always loosened his belt at the dinner table:  Don’t wear clothing that restricts your stomach.  (And here you thought Uncle Howard was just a little gross.)

Try and wait three hours after eating before lying down.  And when you do tuck in for the night, you might want to sleep on your left side, which will keep your stomach below your esophagus.

That most versatile of herbal remedies, chamomile, produces a fabulous tea that is known for its ability to soothe gastrointestinal spasms, so you may find a cup of this warm herbal brew is just the thing to naturally relax your GERD.

Of course it’s always good to consult your doctor, but by trying a few natural remedies before taking the trip to the office, you may just find conditions like GERD are controllable without the need for pharmaceuticals.  Nature’s just smart that way.  And so is Uncle Howard.

Lives of the Trees is a delightful hardcover filled [...]]]> If you’re a lover of trees and perhaps a bit of a history buff, and if you enjoy learning all manner of interesting tidbits about your arborial friends, Diana Wells’ book Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History will have a welcome spot in your bookshelves’ nature section.

Lives of the Trees is a delightful hardcover filled with a forest of trees, three or four pages devoted to each variety.  Readers will delight in the oftentimes surprising history of some of our most loved trees.  I myself have been looking at a few species in a new light!  Along with Wells’ treasure of information, you’ll find beautiful little illustrations by Heather Lovett, which greatly adds to the charm of this book.

Diana Wells, author of four books, holds an honors degree in history from Oxford University and is a contributing editor of the journal GreenPrints.

Lives of the Trees is a perfect gift book for the garden and nature buffs in your neck of the woods.  It’s published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and sells for $19.95.

Creative Commons Photo thanks to szlea and Flickr

Have you ever had one of those [...]]]> This is the first in a series of guest posts by Helen Laird of  Yoga in One Syllable. Helen is passionate about helping people see where yoga already exists in their lives and inspiring them to bring more yoga into it.

Creative Commons Photo thanks to szlea and Flickr

Have you ever had one of those niggling aches in your lower back? Perhaps you’d like to firm up your post-baby belly. Making sure you’re breathing properly may be the answer.

It was a sore back that led me to my first yoga class, hoping that a few stretches would help iron out it. But instead of leading me through a series of postures, the teacher spent time teaching me how to breathe. 

I was far from convinced that breathing would help cure the back pain. Boy was I wrong. Not only did my pain disappear, I discovered what it felt like to be relaxed. I’ve since become a passionate convert to the benefits of good breathing.

At rest, correct yogic breathing is what can be termed nose-belly breathing. Air should go up the nostrils and flow all the way down to fill up the bottom of the lungs. Your belly should begin to swell before any expansion occurs in the chest. 

Watch a newborn asleep and you’ll see that this is exactly how we were born to breathe. As adults we’ve had many years to tamper with our instincts – usually with less than desirable results. 

Proper nose-belly breathing activates our diaphragm, which helps to massage our internal organs, in turn improving our digestion. The constant movement of the diaphragm nourishes and strengthens our spinal muscles, while simultaneously improving the muscle tone of our pelvic floor. It ensures that we maintain correct blood-oxygen levels and brain function. In other words we stay calm and happy.  

Yogic breathing also works the muscles that wrap from the center of our back round to our stomach. Getting these active is the key to slowly but surely reducing the waistline.

During the final few weeks of pregnancy your normal breathing pattern is put on hold. As your baby grows bigger you’re forced to breathe from the upper chest – and you probably feel grateful to suck in the air you can. 

It’s clearly possible to survive on this kind of breathing, but it’s far from optimal for our bodies. For a start, chest breathing is energy intensive. It increases the oxygen saturation levels of the blood, which in turn increases blood pressure, suppresses the immune system and reduces our threshold for pain. 

Our body is also pre-programed to become stressed when we rely on our chest to breathe for us. Over time chest breathing dulls our thinking. It leads to a sense of lethargy and disturbed sleep. On the physical level, our posture suffers as those abdominal and back muscles lose strength. The result? Lower back pain. 

After childbirth, returning to a natural nose-belly breathing pattern is one of the most beneficial practices you can bring into your life. It requires no equipment other than the lungs you were born with, and you can practice it anywhere, any time. 

To check in on how you’re breathing right at this moment, place your right hand on your abdomen just above your belly button, then place your left hand on your chest near your heart. Now breathe in normally.

Did your right hand move before your left hand? If so, congratulations – you are an instinctive nose-belly breather. If your chest hand rose before your stomach hand, not to worry. With the next breath, slowly, consciously try to bring that air right to the deepest part of your lungs. 

You may need to sit or stand up a little taller to make space for the movement of the diaphragm. Sometimes the easiest way to try this is by lying down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

With a bit of practice, breathing correctly can become an instinctive habit, bringing with it a stronger body and calmer mind. After all, it’s no more complicated than relearning something we were born to do.

And this is where I've spent much of my online time these days...

Recently I was watching a PBS special (Lord of the Ants), and it was mentioned that Naturalist E.O. Wilson had started a website that he hopes will eventually include every type of living thing on the planet.  Massive project?  You bet!  That’s [...]]]>

And this is where I've spent much of my online time these days...

Recently I was watching a PBS special (Lord of the Ants), and it was mentioned that Naturalist E.O. Wilson had started a website that he hopes will eventually include every type of living thing on the planet.  Massive project?  You bet!  That’s why I had to go see for myself.  So as soon as I finished watching the show, I was at the computer checking out the Encyclopedia of Life (www.eol.org).  And now you may guess where the rest of my evening went…

The Encyclopedia of Life is not only fascinating, it’s surprisingly simple and easy to use.  I found it was a very straightforward way to, say, search for the plants and herbs I’ve been studying with the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.  The maps are great for finding whether or not a plant or animal lives in my area.  And most items have at least one photo, sometimes dozens.

I just wanted to share my discovery with you, because this would make an excellent resource for kids and their school projects, as well as for parents.  Boy, do I wish I’d had something like this for that 6th grade Birds of Michigan report!