DIY: Free Cardboard Furniture Handmade By You Via Foldschool

Given its unwavering appeal among both babies and toddlers, the cardboard box will never be old school. So parents, it's time to give in to the sturdy contraption that houses those brand new, sidelined toys and go to Foldschool. Free downloadable patterns and step-by-step instructions will enable you to make a stool, a chair or a rocker for your tot -- and your little one can decorate it with stickers, drawings or paint. Talk about thinking outside the box!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Wishing all of the dads out there a very Happy Father's Day -- especially my husband, who is the best, most caring and wonderful father I have ever known.

Cheery & Colorful Organic Storage from 3 Sprouts

I am absolutely loving these storage bins from 3 Sprouts. Since we're moving into a space that's much smaller than our current home, we'll need to be extra organized to avoid clutter. These cute catchalls would both act as darling decor and keep toys in line -- and they are made of 100% organic cotton canvas and detailed with 100% eco-spun felt appliques made from recycled plastic bottles.

Readers living in small spaces, what are your top tips for keeping your environment streamlined?

Kid Safe Screen, SPF 25 from Marie Veronique Organics

June 21st marks the official first day of summer, which means even more reason to head for outdoor adventures and sunny excursions. You'll want to be sure to slather yourself and your little ones with sunscreen, and I recently came across one I'd like to recommend: Kid Safe Screen from Marie Veronique Organics.

This all-natural sunscreen just received top honors in the Environmental Working Group's Sunscreen Guide. Click here to view the report. The 100% vegan formula contains no parabens, petrochemicals, fragrances, waxes, fillers, silicones, dyes or other toxic ingredients. Instead, it boasts a simple, yet effective list of sixteen intelligent ingredients that provide broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection in conjunction with non-nano zinc oxide.

The water resistant formula goes on smoothly, and requires little rubbing in. It also has the consistency of a luxurious lotion as opposed to a thick, greasy sunscreen -- which is helpful (and less messy) when blending it into a squirmy baby or toddler's skin. I can use this SPF 25 sunscreen myself, so it's nice that our whole family can get by on packing one bottle when we hit the park or the beach!

What No One Tells You About Cloth Diapers

I'm beginning to think cloth diapering is like childbirth. You can never really understand the concept until you're experiencing it -- and all throughout the process you're asking yourself, why didn't anyone tell me this is how it is?

Don't get me wrong. I am glad I made the switch from disposable Seventh Generation diapers to cloth diapers, waiting, until, as Dr. Sears advised, baby starts solids and poops solid. However, my son's poop is not at all solid and no one tells you how to handle a messy cloth diaper, which has been a comedy of errors for the last several months. Put it this way. One of the chapters of my book that I will write one day will now be entitled: "Poo under my fingernails."

I guess I simply wasn't prepared for the very intimate relationship with poop that I was signing up for when I decided to cloth diaper. I had no idea that I would be scraping it, shaking it, shooing it and swirling it all around my bathroom. I always thought toilet water was something you didn't touch until I realized I had no choice but to rinse diapers in it.

I just recently made a trip to the dollar store to buy rubber gloves, and spatulas, which were tips I heard about from other moms. So now I will scrape said poop off of the diaper with a spatula and hope this makes the process somehow more palatable.

And forget buying prunes if your wee one is constipated. Simply put him in a brand new shiny and fluffy cloth diaper and you can rest assured he'll soil it up quick! Cloth diapering is like the Vegas of motherhood... you gamble with the odds -- "Should I use a disposable insert until he poops for the day?" While we're on the topic: the disposable inserts that come with hybrid systems like gDiapers and Charlie Banana are ingenious. However, cloth diapering by nature is supposed to rule out any disposable waste, and the one-time use liners aren't cheap. Go big, or go home as they say. If you're going to commit to cloth, commit.

So, I want to know what all of YOU cloth diapering mamas do with the poo. As of now, here's my regimen:

1. Big Poop! Wince, wince, wipe wipe.
2. Take diaper to toilet, scrape off poop and swish and rinse in toilet.
3. Soak diaper in OxiClean in sink
4. Hang dry diaper
5. Add diaper to dry pail with other soiled diapers
6. Put diapers in washing machine on rinse cycle, then add detergent and wash on heavy soil setting.

Can anyone enlighten me as to an easier or more efficient system? Or are we all in this together?

HAPPYBABY Organic Fruit & Veggie Pouches Make Perfect Companions for Summer Travel & Roadtrips

My first introduction to fruit and veggies in a pouch was during labor with Mr. A. My wonderful doula had packed several easy to eat, digest and tote pouches to help sustain me and keep my energy level up. I loved them and knew Miss O would too. Apple-cherry is my favorite and you can get the best deal on HAPPYBABY pouches when you buy them in bulk on Amazon. See link at bottom of this post...

I know that ultra green parents (including myself at one point) shudder to think of the packaging involved with these products, the argument being, why not just pack an actual apple or banana? And I agree to an extent. But there are plenty of times in daily life wherein the trusty go-to and to-go pouch, which won't perish, get crushed or need to be handled with care is a great choice. Note: the packaging is BPA free and phthalate free, but only the caps are recyclable at this point. However, pouches boast a better overall environmental rating than the glass jars that typically contain baby food. Read more here.

Summer travel, and our upcoming road trip from Portland to California spring to mind. Organic HAPPYBABY Pouches will be a passenger in our packed car on the way to our new life. Both of our kids love them, and I must admit, I have slurped down several myself for a quick, healthy energy boost. As we all know, pureeing fruits and vegetables is a great hidden way to get tots to eat produce they wouldn't otherwise touch with a ten-foot fork, and I love that the clever, enticing combos in this line get spinach (combined with mango and pear) into Miss O. I can't speak to the meat-laden varieties because we are vegetarians...

 Another yummy snack from HAPPYBABY are their HAPPYMUNCHIES. Made with whole grain, non-GMO corn, these crunchy snacks pack the added punch of 25 grams of brain-boosting choline per serving. They come in broccoli, kale and cheddar, and cheddar cheese and carrot varieties. Say goodbye to the Pirate Booty once and for all.

Stock up on these healthy organic pick-me-ups to make your summer travels easier and free of sugar lows!

West Hollywood Here We Come! And Backyard Musings...

I've always thought the line: "You oughta be in pictures" applied perfectly to my children... and appropriately enough, we are moving to West Hollywood at the end of June. My previous post mentioned Redondo Beach, which we still love and hope to arrive at eventually, but for now this locale will serve our family best.

We'll be renting a duplex that is MUCH smaller than our current home in Portland, so I'll be featuring some of my favorite green storage ideas and small spaces to get inspired and geared up to streamline and downsize. Less is more, as the saying goes.

But first I'd like to start by saying in my nearly 18 years of renting apartments, I've never had a back yard... UNTIL NOW! I couldn't be more excited to have an outdoor space to garden and play with Miss O and Mr. A. But... I am looking for input on how to make temporary, inexpensive changes to the yard to best suit a toddler and a crawler.

I am in love with this DIY sandbox idea. And I would love to hear any other ideas you have, readers!

Image and Sandbox tutorial via Made

Piggy Paint: Non-Toxic, Natural Nail Polish for Girls

The official start of summer is less than two weeks away... but I'm sure many little piggies have already been running around in sandals and flip-flops. After buying this season's flip-flops, Miss O asked me to paint her nails. Thank goodness all-natural polishes such as Piggy Paint are on the market to keep the endeavor free of harmful toxins.

Available in an array of vibrant hues as shown above, we were fans of two of the more subtle shades of Piggy Paint: Sweetpea and Glass Slippers, which are a pale pink and a clear sparkly polish respectively. Piggy Paints are free of the toxins found in most conventional polishes, including, formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. The natural ingredients in Piggy Paint are listed here.

The folks at Piggy Paint shared the following information and beauty regimen to achieve the best results for using their polishes:

Piggy Paint typically wears a couple days shy of solvent-based polishes when applied as directed.  Wear depends of on the type of nails, the activities the nails are involved in (polish obviously doesn't wear as well on children because they are so hard on their nails), and how the polish is applied.

For maximum chip resistance, we recommend the following application instructions: Wash hands with soap and water. Apply 2 -3 thin coats of Piggy Paint, Air dry 60 seconds. Blow dry polished nails for 1 minute with hair dryer set on warm heat/low blower setting. Since our polish is water-based, it takes longer to cure and the blow dryer speeds up this process. For safety purposes, please follow manufacturer’s instructions on blow dryer and always monitor your child. 

(Tip: Sing 2 rounds of ABC's while blow drying for added fun!) Use Piggy Paint Primecoat for added scratch resistance and Piggy Paint Topcoat for added chip resistance. A little more effort is required to apply all three products, though the result is well worth the extra time. Since our polish does not contain the harsh chemicals found in solvent-based polishes, do not expect it to wear exactly the same (but pretty close).  Our customers tell us it is well worth the trade-off for a non-toxic, eco-friendly, odorless alternative!

Miss O loved her Piggy Paint. We applied it during Mr. A's nap time so we couldn't use the blow dryer, and admittedly the polish came off in the bathtub the same evening. So, I would definitely take the extra time to follow all of the instructions so your child's manicure and pedicure will last longer!

Be sure to check out the entire Piggy Paint collection, which also includes non-toxic nail polish remover, top coat and prime coat and this sweet pedi set!

USE CODE petiteplanet10 TO RECEIVE 10% OFF ANYTHING YOU ORDER FROM PIGGYPAINT.COM!

Miss O, above, is one happy customer wearing Piggy Paint in Sweetpea, to match her Minnie Mouse costume.

Eco-Friendly Hemp Dog Collars from Earth Dog

There's nothing more important in pet care than putting a collar on your best buddy to help ensure his safe return if he gets lost. Now that summer is in full swing and dogs will be running as free as the wind blows on beaches and in dog parks, get your pooch in gear with a stylish eco-friendly collar from Earth Dog.

We love the Martingale hemp collar which comes in 20 styles to suit the personality of every canine. These hypoallergenic collars are comprised of 100% hemp canvas construction and they may be machine washed and dried for added convenience after particularly frisky days for Fido.

Earth Dog also offers a wide collection of fine quality hemp dog accessories including chew toys, beds, blankets and pillows, leashes and more. All products are made in the USA and inspired by the company crews' sixteen rescue dogs!

Two paws way up!

Star Wars Crayons Carved by Steve Thompson

Perhaps you don't know this about me, but I'm a huge fan of Star Wars. These meticulously carved crayons of Star Wars characters by Steve Thompson make me smile. I just wish he had included Yoda, one of my favorite gurus of all-time.

Source

Summertime "Treats" from Felt Playground

My favorite felt food maker (aside from my husband) is at it again with a bounty of summer themed offerings to dish up the fun all season long! Felt Playground offers the sweetest interactive sets of play food I have ever seen. Case in point: behold the felt ice cream play set shown above, as well as the awesome pasta salad, fabulously detailed smoothie/milkshake, and succulent pineapple shown below. These food sets really come to life in play kitchens and teach little ones about healthy eating and food prep. I know Miss O would ADORE the smoothie set... she is constantly whipping up pretend smoothies out of air, and asking, "Would you like protein powder in yours?" And all of these items are made from eco-friendly felt and stuffed with sustainable bamboo fibers! Cheers!