Posted in Coffee and Tea, Deals Around Town, Health Food Stores, tagged bargain, green, sale, shopping on June 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I went down to get my produce and noticed the sale this weekend:
Last day of Evolve Store = Savings for you!
This Saturday – 11 am – 6 pm – One Day Only
622 N Thornton Ave, Orlando
407-595-3731In light of the merger of the Evolve Store and the Homegrown Co-op, we will be leaving our building at 604 N Thornton Avenue.
We are happy to announce a ONE-DAY-ONLY clearance sale on SATURDAY JUNE 27 from 11 am – 6 pm. Select items will be discounted at a greatly reduced price.
Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, tagged 4th of July, fireworks, orlando science center, osc on June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I just got this year’s flier for the members only “4th of July” activities at the Orlando Science Center. It is from 6 PM to 10 PM for members. If you bring a friend, they get 10% of their OSC membership.
We’d done this with our daughter several times because the sound of fireworks would freak her out when she was a baby. Over at the Sun Terrace, you get to see many displays all over the city, but the sound is very low or non-existant. Perfect for little ones their first time out for fireworks!
For more info about this or other events, check out the Orlando Science Center.
Posted in Dance & Exercise, Farmer's Markets, Fun Stuff for Kids, Lessons and Classes for Kids, Parks and Recreation, tagged central florida railroad museum, daisy's childrens boutique, downtown winter garden, garden music school, sweet traditions winter garden, tri & run, west oragne trail, winter garden farmers market, winter garden feed, winter garden fencing academy, winter garden wheel works on June 23, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Saturday mornings in historic downtown Winter Garden offer visitors the opportunity to exercise, explore and relax. The West Orange Trail runs right through the middle of downtown on the center median of Plant Street. The West Orange Trail is 19 miles long starting in Oakland at the County Line station going up to Apopka. The Winter Garden station is at mile 5. On Saturday mornings bikers and runners go zipping by safely in the center median.
If you don’t have a bike but would like to explore the West Orange Trail downtown Winter Garden has two bike shops and a running shop. Winter Garden Wheel Works offers bike rental at reasonable rates (starting at $6 per hour with a two hour minimum). You can rent a bike for each member of your family and if needed a trailer to pull your younger child. They even offer rentals of tagalong bikes, a half-size kid’s bike that attaches to an adult bike. Tri & Run of West Orange offers triathlon and marathon training programs and running shoes and clothing. Both are located right on Plant Street in the heart of downtown Winter Garden.
Winter Garden also hosts a Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. It is located at the corner of Plant Street and Lakeview Avenue. You can find fresh produce and plants and an array of other food and unique items. I shop there each weekend and often save almost 50% on my produce purchase over buying in a grocery store. I have always found the items to be fresh, colorful and tasty. Bring your own shopping bags and green bags for things like small potatoes or tomatoes. These are priced by weight and it helps to have green bags for each item.
Once you have gotten your exercise and produce shopping out of the way, it is time to relax. There are many stores to explore and restaurants offering good food and outdoor dining. Sweet Traditions is a French bakery and cafe offering a long display case of pastries and yummy breakfast and lunch items. You will often see groups clad in biking gear dining outside the cafe.
Heading off Plant Street down Main Street be sure to check out Daisy’s Children’s Boutique. Daisy offers many toys crafted from environmentally friendly and organic materials. Along the way you will also discover Winter Garden Fencing Academy, Garden Music School and Winter Garden Feed & Seed. Winter Garden Feed & Seed offers items to feed and care for horses and livestock. They also have great deals on items for smaller family friends like dogs. If you have not been in a feed store, definitely stop in and check it out. They often have small animals like goats and chicks for sale and they have their huge pet pig in the back.
Following Main Street will also take you to Boyd Street and the Central Florida Railroad Museum. The Railroad Museum is free and offers a fine collection of Florida railroadiana. It is operated by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and they also operate the Heritage Museum, History Center and The Garden Theater. All of these wonderful resources are located right in downtown Winter Garden. Be sure to click through the Hertiage Foundation link for information on locations and hours.
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. She also hosts Cloth Diaper News.
Posted in Parks and Recreation, tagged Florida Trail Association, hiking on June 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Florida Trail Association is inviting the public to come and hear Ed L’Heureux, historian and author, discuss Florida’s natural ecosystems and how they are valuable. The discussion is free and will be held on July 9th at 6:30 pm at Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Avenue, Palm Room, Orlando.
The Florida Trail Association was founded in 1964 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit volunteer organization. Its purpose is to build, maintain, protect, and promote the 1,400 mile Florida Trail. It is one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the United States. In addition to maintaining these trails, the Florida Trail Association also provides educational opportunities to help people learn to appreciate the natural beauty of Florida and what they can do to help protect it. They also provide recreational opportunities for hiking and camping such as Grab-and-Go Hikes, State Park Hikes, and Long Distance Hiking.
Posted in Alternative Education, Homebirth Midwives, Local "Green" Events, Natural Baby Care, OB/GYNs, tagged parenting, pregnancy on June 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This free event is on June 27th 2009 for all pregnant and planning women in Central Florida and is organized by Jennifer Fitzpatrick. It is held at
401 Center Point Circle
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
(conference room)
10 AM to 1 PM
The various sponsors are donating items to raffle off as a door prizes and providing their products to add to the complimentary gift baskets. The raffle includes off a belly casting session worth more than $150!
Some of the sponsors are
Guest speakers will be talking about all things from pregnancy to parenting on your terms and the importance of breastfeeding.
Come meet a doula, midwife, prenatal massage therapist and many of the other professionals in the birthing community!
For more information, please contact Jen Fitzpatrick.
Posted in Bakers/Bakeries, Farmer's Markets, Food and Nutrition, Natural Pet Care, Organic Gardening, Vegan/Vegetarian Options on June 20, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Ava getting her hands on some local, organic produce.
I stopped going to farmer’s markets for many years because I was always disappointed by the lack of . . . well . . . farmers. But recently I’ve noticed local produce popping up at the various markets around town from time to time. While this is exciting to see, most of the farms I’ve come across have only sold one or two items. I found one selling tomatoes and another selling sprouts – both wonderful to pick up but nothing that gets my grocery shopping done.
So you can imagine how excited I was to finally find a local farmer with a 10′ x30′ tent full of produce. And not only produce, but organic produce! Meet E.T.’s Homegrown Produce from Grant, FL, one of the newest vendors at the Victoria Park farmer’s market. So far, I’ve found both their produce (quality and selection) and their prices to be excellent. The couple that owns the farm are incredibly nice, and they always indulge my son’s passion for gardening and my daughter’s love of baby eggplant and yellow squash.
In case you’re not familiar with Victoria Park, it’s a community in DeLand less than a mile off I-4 (exit 116) and its market is open every Sunday from 7AM to 1PM. The 20-minute drive from my home is well worth the effort to be able to load up on local, organic produce each week. And while the rest of the market is still pretty small, there are several other vendors worth mentioning:
I’ve also seen a vendor selling all-natural pound cakes and another with a large bulk selection of raw nuts, dried fruit and other snacks there on occasion.
I’m so happy to have finally found local, organic farmers! Be sure to pay them a visit so they keep coming back!
Posted in Action Alerts & Activism, tagged beth hollenbeck, eco-action, whole foods on June 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
It will soon be the first anniversary of the Whole Foods at Phillips Crossing.
Whole Foods
8003 Turkey Lake Road,
Orlando, FL 32819 USA
Part of the activities includes helping out Eco-Action by doing your shopping!
Eco-Action was formed to protect and preserve the natural environment by encouraging, creating, and supporting ecological education, responsible consumption, development of alternative energy sources, and public participation in addressing environmental issues.
Here’s more info about the event as well as volunteer info:
WHOLE FOODS MARKET, Phillips Crossing
5% Day to benefit ECO-Action! Thursday, June 25, 8:00 am – 10:00 pmWhole Foods Market at Phillips Crossing is having their 1st Anniversary Thursday, June 25. Congratulations to our friends on this special day! Whole Foods Market has invited ECO-Action to their celebration in a big way – they will donate 5% of their sales that day to ECO-Action, and as you know, it could not come at a better time!
ECO-Action needs volunteers for our table which we will set up in the store all day to meet to promote our organization and answer questions, recruit volunteers, and reach out to this area of town where we don’t have much opportunity to meet and greet! It’s a long day, so the more ECO-Action volunteers who can take a shift, the shorter each shift will be. This is our chance to use our enthusiasm for the protection of wildlife to inspire others to change habits, be more aware of litter, and perhaps even join us as we do a clean-up each Sunday afternoon. Please help out if you can. This is a challenge, since most of us have day jobs, yet we all know we can’t continue without money. Your support will help all of us.
Our part of the bargain is to recruit shoppers to the Whole Foods Market on Sand Lake/Dr. Phillips on their anniversary! The more sales they have that day, the larger the contribution to ECO-Action will be, too. Another win/win situation – just like we like it! They chose us because of our demonstrated commitment and our missions are compatible, as both entities support the sustainability and health of the planet.
So please do your major stock-up summer shopping at Whole Foods Market at Phillips Crossing on June 25!! And any ECO-Action members or volunteers who are able are URGED to contact the ECO-phone and volunteer for some time to help out that day! We are grateful for the generosity Whole Foods Market is offering us, and we need to be on hand. Once again, our friends at Whole Foods display their commitment to the community and support of the environment by donating a percentage of the days’ sales to ECO-Action so we can continue our work to protect wildlife.
Please spread the word – and contact us to volunteer some time on this wonderful party day!
Please email beth@eco-action.net, call 407-695-5050
Posted in Alternative Education, tagged FLorida School of Holistic Living, FSHL on June 10, 2009 | 1 Comment »
If you haven’t been to visit Florida School of Holistic Living, you are missing out on some neat activities and classes! Here’s a brief sampling for July but you can get prices , detailed descriptions, and RSVP too!
| Date | Time | Class |
| Thu Jul 2 | 7pm – 8:30pm | Food as Medicine series: Healing from the Hive |
| Fri Jul 3 | 7pm – 9:30pm | Gaiacology: Herbal Support for HPV |
| Sun Jul 5 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Introduction to Flower Essences – Six Week Course |
| Mon Jul 6 | 7pm – 8:30pm | African Drumming with Jason Isla |
| Tue Jul 7 | 6:30pm -8:30pm | Energy Healing for Families with Kathy Ford |
| Tues July 7 | Sunset | Full Moon Community Circle at the Florida School of Holistic Living Garden |
| Sat Jul 11 | 10am – 12 noon | Empowered Living Series Module 2: Practicing Holistic Nutrition |
| Sat Jul 11 | 1pm – 4pm | Survival Skills – Orientation & Navigation |
| Mon Jul 13 | 7pm – 8:30pm | African Drumming with Jason Isla |
| Thu Jul 16 | 7pm | Food as Medicine Series |
| Mon Jul 20 | 7pm – 8:30pm | African Drumming with Jason Isla |
| Tue Jul 21 | 7pm – 8pm | Every Breath You Take: Indoor Air Quality |
| Tues Jul 21 | Sunset | New Moon Community Circle in Florida School of Holistic Living Garden |
| Thu Jul 23 | 7pm – 8pm | Healthy Home Cleaning |
| Fri Jul 24 | 7pm | Home Brewing 101: Mead |
| Sat Jul 25 | 10am | Introduction to Permaculture |
| Mon Jul 27 | 7pm | African Drumming with Jason Isla |
Posted in Uncategorized on June 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »
The bi-annual Holistic Health and Psychic Fair is coming back to Eustis again! There will be raffles and door prizes, live music, great food, and TONS of vendors selling all kinds of goodies from books to stones and crystals to clothes and jewelry to flower essences and natural body products. This fair has EVERYTHING!
Come get your cards read by trained tarot readers and adorn your body with beautiful henna! Talk with holistic health professionals offering a range of different services and enjoy a great atmosphere. You might even meet new friends!
What: Holistic Health & Psychic Fair (hosted by The Om Bookstore)
When: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Time: 11am – 5pm
Where:
Eustis Community Center
601 Northshore Dr.
Eustis, FL
For vendor information, contact Kali Telena at 352-978-1181
Natural Family Living Blog
Mrs. Zeiger
Melita Franzen
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