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Archive for June, 2008

Sometimes all you need is just a hug!

Posted in Book Reviews, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 29, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Professional Hugger

My son for the past year and a half has called himself a professional hugger.  Whenever he meets someone new or an old friend, the first thing he does is give them a big hug and tells them he is a professional hugger.  He even asked to have business cards made up to hand out to remind people to hug.  When asked what he wants to be when he grows up,  he says “Professional Hugger!”  Seeing what the power his hugs have is amazing. When the manager of a local bagel place we go to once a week is having a bad morning, his hug – a simple thing – can turn her day around because it is given from his heart.  So, it was to my surprise when I saw a gentleman in NY a few weeks ago wearing a shirt that said “Free Hugs” on the front and “Sometimes all you need is just a hug!” on the back!  What?!?  Is this person a “professinal hugger?”   I asked him about it and he told me about the Free Hugs Campaign.

 

Free Hugs

 

Free hugs actually started out with a the real life controversial story of Juan Mann.   Juan came to a point in his life where everything was turned upside-down and nothing made sense.  When flying home to Sydney, all he had was a bag full of clothes and a world full of troubles.  No one was there to welcome him home, and he didn’t even know if he had a home.  While standing at the terminal he watched other passengers getting greeted by loved ones with hugs and smiles.  Juan wanted that, someone to smile at him and to acknowlege that he was important by giving him a hug.  So, he got a piece of cardboard and wrote on it “Free Hugs.”    He was amazed at the transformation powers of a hug and thus “Free Hugs Campaign” was born.  His mission:  reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.   Pretty much sums up the mission of my son!

Juan has put out a 120-page  interactive e-book called “The Illustrated Guide To Free Hugs” – which is free for download!  It will inspire you with the story of Juan Mann and how he turned hugs into a worldwide movement.   In it, you willl find descriptions, anecdotes and even demonstrations of over 30 diffrent styles of hugs including:

  • The “Koala” or Side On Hug
  • The Surprise Hug
  • At Arms’ Length Hug
  • The Group Hug

 In this day and age, I think that we could all use a hug to remind us that we are human, that we are important, and that, perhaps, everything might just turn out okay!  And, if you run into my son, don’t be surprised if he gives you a hug to remind of all those things and more!

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Sanford Business: Beeswax Balm Company

Posted in Natural Baby Care, Natural Products, tagged , , on June 23, 2008 | 5 Comments »

I recently learned of a business in Sanford that sells all natural, beeswax balms.  I was excited to try the product after reading that the ingredients (in addition to beeswax) included shea butter and aloe vera.  There are several varieties of the balm. I got to test out the lavender, banana/coconut, and frankincense/myrrh.  My favorite was the banana/coconut!  The products have been around for five years.  There are many testimonials on the Beeswax Balm Co. website. 

balm.jpg picture by crunchymom76

Have you tried their products?   I would love to hear how these work out when used with babies and young children.  I bet the natural version would make a great diaper cream!  (They don’t mention anything about using the balms with children on the website.) 

I’m still learning about the company, but I wanted to get their info out there.  I believe it’s important to support local businesses whenever possible.

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Local Cloth Diapering Biz Recognized by Parenting Website

Posted in Natural Baby Care, tagged on June 23, 2008 | 2 Comments »

One of our contributing writers runs a cloth diapering business here in Orlando.  When I heard that she was being recognized by Parents Connect, I figured our readers would want to know about it!  She has been nominated for “Best Kids’ Clothes” in the Orlando area.  (There’s a poll up in case you want to vote for Kristy.) In addition to cloth diapers and supplies, she sells baby carriers and other parenting products.  I noticed that she sells Fuzzi Bunz through her webstore, Wee Willie Winks.  Those are the kind I used with both of my kids. We were very happy with them.

Related Sites:

Cut of Cloth

The Joy of Cloth Diapers

Diaper Pin

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Drum Circle Fun for the Whole Family

Posted in Coffee and Tea, Fun Stuff for Kids, Local "Green" Events, Restaurants, Vegan/Vegetarian Options on June 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Last night I attended the Summer Solstice Celebration at Dandelion Communitea Café.  It was the first drum circle I’ve been to so I thought I’d report on it from my first-timer’s point of view.  My three-year-old son went with me and we both had a blast.

While we were getting ready to leave, it was raining and I wasn’t sure if we were going to encounter wet grass or an abundance of bugs.  I dressed us both in long pants and tennis shoes and brought along a throw blanket for us to sit on.  My son picked out his lollypop drum and some shakers to bring and we were off.  We weren’t sure what to expect but we were hoping for some fun.

 

The drum circle gathered on the pavement outside Dandelion Communitea Café.  Everyone brought along their own drums or instruments in many unique styles.  Several people brought chairs to sit on while others sat on the ground.  It was very much a come-as-you-are and enjoy-as-you’d-like event.  Many people were dressed for the celebration in bright colors and flowing skirts.  The common themes that ran through everyone were community, friendship and celebration.  Personally, I ran into several old friends and also made a few new ones.  My son had the same experience and this was a great event for the whole family.

 

Jason of Giving Word Percussion facilitated the first hour of the drum circle and got the group going.  He started the circle copying various beats and moved on asking us to drum sounds that we thought corresponded to different movements he made.  It was very cool and a great start to the night.

 

Initially the center of the drum circle was fairly open with the kids drumming and dancing inside the ring.  As the night moved on, young gymnasts and belly dancers took turns inside the circle.  By the end of the evening so many people were up dancing that it was difficult to tell where the circle ran.

 

Dandelion Communitea Café is normally open until 11pm M-Sat so they were open for the whole event.  We stopped in for my son’s first Flutter Nutter sandwich (almond butter, bananas, and Ricemellow fluff).  There were also many vendors outside selling flutes, drums, bangles, henna body art and more.

 

It was a great celebration and such a positive gathering in the community.  I’d encourage you to go participate in a drum circle and hopefully this article will give you an idea of what to expect.  Drum circles are held on the full and new moons from 7-10pm.  Following is the schedule for the year but please check Dandelion’s website to confirm the event.

 

Fri, July 4th New
Fri, July 18 Full
Fri, August 1 New SOLAR ECLIPSE
Sat, August 16 Full Partial Lunar Eclipse
Sat, August 30 New
Mon, September 15 Full
Mon, September 29 New
Tues, October 14 Full
Tues, October 28 New
Thurs, November 13 Full
Sat, November 29 New
Fri, December 12 Full
Sat, December 20 – Winter Solstice Celebration

(no new moon circle Dec 27)

Kristy has one son and since his birth she’s been researching to find healthier ways to do things and live a life of less impact. In a city that is less than “crunchy” it has been an adventure and she hopes to share some of what she’s learned both here and at her store Wee Willie Winks where she offers cloth diapers and other earth/child friendly parenting solutions.

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Local Chapter of Florida Friends of Midwives

Posted in Action Alerts & Activism, Homebirth Midwives, Local "Green" Events, Natural Baby Care, Organizations/Activism on June 18, 2008 | 2 Comments »

If you support midwifery, if you think out-of-hospital births should be allowed, if you’re considering a midwife or interested in learning more, please join our group.  We are mothers, fathers, midwives, doulas, and friends from Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia Counties who are working to raise awareness, build membership, and support midwives.  We  offer both morning and evening meetings. Morning meetings are held at the Educated Mama (www.theeducatedmama.com) behind the Heart to Heart birth center in Sanford at 11:00AM.  The evening meetings are held at Infusion Tea on Edgewater Drive in Orlando at 7:00PM (www.infusionorlando.com )  Join us on the third Monday of every month at either location.  Everyone is welcome!  Please e-mail Heidi Crawford at heidicrawford@gmail.com for more information or to be included in our monthly e-mail update.

We also have our own yahoo group!

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Fourth of July Safety Tips: Just Say “NO” to At-Home Fireworks

Posted in Animal Advocacy, Fun Stuff for Kids, Health and Safety, Natural Pet Care, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Many families have traditions of lighting fireworks in their backyards, even handing lit sparklers to toddlers as they run in dizzying circles in the yard.  This is a safety disaster waiting to happen and a practice that needs to be abandoned.  Leave lighting fireworks to the professionals this year!  Take your family out to see a public firework display as a safer alternative to lighting fireworks at home.

Fireworks are dangerous!

The National Council on Fireworks Safety reports that every year nearly 10,000 people are treated for injuries related to at-home fireworks.  It is estimated that as many as 45-50% of those injured are children.

Never use homemade or illegal fireworks – their use accounts for 30-35% of all firework related injuries!

Never allow a child to play with or light fireworks – even sparklers!  Sparklers get very hot:  over 1800*F! That’s hot enough to melt gold!  They are simply not safe, especially in the hands of a child.  Six states have already banned all consumer fireworks, including sparklers.

  • Try offering glowsticks as a safer, non-toxic alternative to sparklers this year.  If you have a budding scientist in your house, you can even incorporate a science lesson on chemiluminescence (the science behind why glowsticks glow)!
  • Older kids (grown ups too!) might enjoying chewing on wintergreen candies in the dark and watching each other to see the resulting blue sparks.  Your budding scientist can tell everyone about triboluminescence!
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that “people should take their children to organized public displays of fireworks instead of risking injury or death with at-home fireworks.”  Join your neighbors and friends this year at one of these great events:

Fireworks from FreeFoto.com

Fireworks terrify animals!

Here’s another reason to abandon the tradition of at-home fireworks – they terrify animals.  Pets are not allowed at public firework displays and for good reason.  The sudden and very loud explosions are very damaging to our pets’ sensitive ears.  Animal shelters report a surge in lost pets during fireworks season as petrified animals flee for safety.  

  • Keep your pets inside in case your neighbors decide to set off fireworks.  
  • Turn on some soothing music inside the house and dim the lights to help reduce your pets’ anxiety level.
  • Make sure that your pets’ ID tags have current contact information in case they run away.
  • Do not bring your pets to a public fireworks display.
Fireworks are a threat to wildlife and the environment!
Even though public firework displays are a better option than at-home fireworks, many environmentalists argue that traditional gunpowder fueled fireworks displays are damaging to our health, wildlife, and the environment.  
  • heavy metals are used in fireworks to produce the brilliant colors and can contaminate the water supply 
  • physical debris from fireworks litters the ground and bodies of water
  • wildlife can eat the debris or become entangled in the remains of expended fireworks
  • wildlife become frightened and frenzied during fireworks displays just like our companion pets
Alternatives to traditional gunpowder fueled fireworks displays do exist.  
  • Disney World now uses only compressed air in their displays,
  •  laser light shows are far less environmentally toxic, 
  • and nothing beats a good parade.
Have a lot of fun celebrating this Independence Day while keeping your family safe.  If your family tradition has included at-home fireworks in past years, let this year be the start of a new, safer tradition!

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Summer Solstice Weekend Events!

Posted in Local "Green" Events, Spirituality on June 17, 2008 | 1 Comment »

If you didn’t know, Summer Solstice (Litha) is the opposite of Yule. Litha is the longest day of the year where light and life are abundant. And I’ve got four fliers on my desk today that are all happening in the downtown area over Summer Solstice weekend!

FRIDAY

Kicking the summer solstice weekend off, there’s the event put on by Florida Holistic School and Dandelion Communitea. It will have vendors, drumming and other fun activities! They will be starting at 6 PM over at

Summer Solstice & Full Moon Drum Circle
Dandelion Communitea Cafe
618 Thornton Ave
Orlando, FL 32803

June 20, 2008
6 PM

SATURDAY

June 21, 2008 has three things going on!

On June 21st, from 3 to 5pm at Avalon, you can attend the Sabbat class by the Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida. Cost is $5.00 for non-members or $3.00 for WRCF Members.

WRCF Sabbat Class at
Avalon
3208-C E Colonial Dr.
#202 Orlando, Florida 32803
321-285-7462

June 21, 2008
3 PM

Please RSVP to wrcf@wrcf.org by noon on March 16th if you plan to attend!

Then, change locations but keep celebrating Midsummer with WRCF at “Fairy Palooza!” Come dressed in your “fairy best!”

WRCF Fairy Palooza at
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
1901 E. Robinson Street,
Orlando, FL 32803
June 21st, 2008
5pm – 9pm

Also called Litha and Summer Solstice, Midsummer celebrates the abundance and beauty of the Earth. This is the longest day of the year, and will fall somewhere between the dates above depending on when the Sun is at its northern most point. From this day on, the days will wane, growing shorter and shorter until Yule. The trees and fields are full and prosperous. The young animals and birds are learning to frolic in the fields and trees.

This is a time of the Faery, when a festival called the Feast of the Faery is held. It is believed that at twilight on this day, the portals between worlds open and the Faery folk my pass into our world. Welcome them on this day and they may bless you with their wisdom and joy. This is a time to look internally at the seeds you’ve planted that should be at full bloom.

The feast is held immediately following ritual.
(If you wish to participate in the potluck feast after ritual, please bring a covered dish to share or donation for the food fund.)

WRCF hosts a Pagan Book Exchange at every Sabbat. Simply bring a book that you no longer need or want and exchange it for another book on the table.

Time Table of Events

  • 3pm – Midsummer Sabbat Class (held at Avalon )
  • 5 pm – Gathering
  • 6pm – Ritual
  • 7pm – Potluck Feast
  • 8pm – Raffle

There is a requested donation of $3.00 for members and $5.00 for non-members to help cover the cost of space rental, ritual supplies and decorations.
The WRCF is 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information on the WRCF, please call us at (321)285-7462.

A “Green” Concert!
You can linger after the WRCF event and catch a “green” concert over in the Sanctuary building put on by Black Cat Cafe!

“Jim Scott & James Durst Concert” at
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
1901 E. Robinson Street,
Orlando, FL 32803
June 21st, 2008
8:15 PM

Nationally known musicians and songwriters Jim Scott & James Durst will be having a concert on Saturday, June 21 at 8:15 at The Sanctuary, at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando.  Jim & James and folk-style musicians whose work focuses on subjects such as the environment and positive relationships.  Tickets are $12.  This is a family-friendly evening.  The concert is sponsored by the Black Cat Cafe, Central Florida’s longest-running open-mic night.  For more info contact Tom Cook at Blackcatter@yahoo.com or 407.766.1098

SUNDAY

It still doesn’t stop! The Mystic Grove group is also celebrating and hosts a Midsummer Festival with a ritual, feast, and games! Come celebrate the Sun!

“Mystic Grove Midsummer Festival” at
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
1901 E. Robinson St
Orlando, FL 32803
Education Building

The Midsummer Festival will be held in the Assembly Room and Courtyard of the Education Buulding. All are welcome! Side dishes welcome for the potluck. There will be a ritual with a Sun story, kid’s games, and more!

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Are you looking for Summer Eco-Theme Day Camp?

Posted in Deals Around Town, Fun Stuff for Kids, Lessons and Classes for Kids, Local "Green" Events, Spirituality, Vegan/Vegetarian Options, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Ever the “green events” party girl, I finished 5k racing and sock hopping and now I’m off to teach summer camp kiddies with a vegan and homeschooler friendly eco-twist!

Anyone is welcome to come aboard for summer camp, UU style!

It’s non-profit and camp registration costs basically go to put on the “eco theme “ half day camp. You do not have to be a church member to attend summer camp. We’re doing it for good, green jollies. :)

Seventh Principle Day Camp

Brought to you by:

Children’s Religious Education and the Green Team

What: A day camp celebrating our Seventh UU Principle:

We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

(We believe in caring for Mother Earth, the home we share with all living things.)

When: June 16 – 20, 11:00 am – 3:00pm

Who: Children of all ages are welcome to join the fun; however, we do request that children under five be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cost: $7 a day or $30 for all 5 days. All lunches will be vegan and we have lots of inexpensive and easy suggestions. We are also accepting donations of sunscreen, “green” bug spray, and clean spray bottles

Activities will include: creating a composting system, planting a garden, creating a wall mural in the courtyard, making ourselves camp tee-shirts, taking an eco-tour of our campus, visiting Dick Azalea Park, and celebrating Mother Earth and our seventh principle in song, dance, and play.

Campers have the bonus option of sharing their camp experiences with family and friends in the June 22, Midsummer Sunday Morning Worship Service.

Need more info?

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How to Speak Your Green Truth So It Gets Heard?

Posted in Action Alerts & Activism, Conservation / Environment, Organizations/Activism, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

I get interesting things across my Green Team desk sometimes. Today I offer you some food for thought on the topic of global warming’s impact in Florida and how to be heard and speak your green truth.

My “green team” counterpart and new friend over at University Unitarian Universalist Society, Gary Przyborski, was talking to me recently about trying to motivate Floridians to take more action on the global warming issue.

He had gone to the Earth Day Conference and was talking to Dr Sack, who was a speaker there.

Gary wrote rather eloquently about the problem of making people aware and let me read his follow up letter to Dr Sack.

(He’s been letting me peek at his letter writing — and he’s good! That’s one way armchair activists can help — UNITE AND WRITE!)

I offer his letter for my readers here to contemplate.

Dear Dr. Sack,

Enjoyed your talk on Saturday. I am glad that the commission is trying to address this issue. My feeling is that the one person who made the comment about these efforts not being enough is how we all felt in the room.

Unfortunately, due to ignorance, misinformation, and our culture bias that dismisses truth.

In one part, the problem is with the perception of science where some people think the climate scientists are trying to scare them with fears that could never play out, to get rich through PR. Whereas real scientists go out of their way to simply state the facts, and to err on the conservative side, while privately scientists are expressing real concerns about our future.

In regards to Florida’s future, the bit of news I mentioned was April 16 news: Svetlana Jevrejeva of the UK’s Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory who thinks that we could see a rise of 1 (39″) to 1.5 (58″) meters in sea level by 2100, versus the IPCC’s prediction of 28 (13″) to 43 cm (20″). These changes are almost three times the IPCC values. At this point it is clear that the IPCC prediction is conservative and did not account for the fast glacier melting that is being observed.

This information is something that Florida should take into account when setting goals.

The time to act on Global Warming was years ago, but even so now is the time for some real leadership to steer us away from the worst of these catastrophes.

Sincerely yours,
Gary Przyborski

What do you think? How DOES one speak out the green truths so the message is heard without turning people off or making people want to stick their heads in the sand?

In Florida, the rising of the sea would put a lot of us under water. Then what?

Post your ideas and thoughts in the comments! :)

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Holistic Weight Loss Seminar on June 26

Posted in Family Doctors, Food and Nutrition, Homeopaths/Herbalists, Local "Green" Events, Study Groups and Classes, tagged , , , on June 5, 2008 | 4 Comments »

Dr. Kalidas at the Center of Natural and Integrative Medicine is hosting a seminar on holistic weight loss and encourages many to come and join. He has many areas of expertise, including anti-aging, depression, hypertension. His center has grown considerably, and much of that is due to the seminars that he conducts on a regular basis. Once you visit his site you will be able to see and join his newsletter to learn about future events.

This one in particular will be focusing on successful strategies for a wholesome lifestyle with diet, hormones, and all that good stuff. You can call and reserve your spot at 407-355-9246 and refreshements will be served.

All the information can be found and located at the Center of Natural and Integrative Medicine.

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