Cleaning Produce with Vinegar

I try and buy local as much as I can. Farmer's markets, produce stands, & local mom and pop grocers and farms. I am also quite picky about organic vs. conventional. Though there is controversy and studies on organic not having more nutritional value
than conventional grown produce, I still pick the organic version where and when available. With the large amount of produce we consume in my home, I feel that the less chemicals I feed my family the better. When produce gets shipped cross country and in some cases across the globe, in order to survive the long journey to your local supermarket, produce gets treated with all sorts of chemicals to extend it's shelf-life. Unfortunately, running water from a tap does not take everything off. Peeling is good but not all goodies can be peeled. When you can not peel the outer shell off, try this!

Cleaning fruit and veggies with vinegar

Fill a tub or clean sink with water.
Add one cup of vinegar and stir.
Place fruit/veggies in the wash and let soak for 10-15 minutes.
Rinse with cold water and place in a clean container.
The wax and film will be removed along with dirt and bacteria that can grow in the cracks and under leafy stems.
This is great for all berries and will prevent mold, keeping them good in your fridge for weeks!
Let us know what you do to clean your fruits and veggies by commenting below.

Frugal Fashions: Swimwear!

I have the hardest time finding swimsuits for G - either they are too babyish or they are way too skimpy. So when I saw this suit on the racks at greenberries I was so excited!! It's adorable, looks great with G's pretty skin tone and is a one piece (which I know her papa appreciates). G was excited to get it; in fact she refused to take it off after our little photo shoot!

Gap swim suit retail $19.95 greenberries $6.95
 Old Navy flip flops retail $3.94 hand me down FREE!

Featured Product: Janod Toys

Again we have another awesome product from Janod. Since G was 18 months old, she has absolutely loved her little guys, small characters or figurines that she carries around, plays with, and talks to. As she gets older, she plays with them more and more, using her imagination and having all sorts of fun! These boxes are perfect for that type of creative play; they come with everything you need for a full day of fun and when the day is done everything packs neatly back into the box for storage. With an age recommendation of 3-8 years old, these boxes will be fun for the whole family and treasured for years to come.

Sneak peek: The newest project from greenberries!

If you're anything like me, reviews help you make a lot of decisions. Just today alone I used 3 different review apps to help me find my breakfast, a good parking area, and a fantastic hole-in-the-wall dinner spot. I love to hear what other people like about a place, service, or professional, and I trust what other consumers and moms with like minds say about their favorites. I also love to share my thoughts and opinions and am thankful often that I live in an age of technology that makes it so easy to share and find these reviews.

Even more helpful are the "best of" style lists, Zagat, Best of D.C., Best of Baltimore, Best of Howard County, the lists are a great way to find a quickly recognizable destination of quality with minimal research time, a bonus when you're busy hauling kids and whatnot all over. Well the hauling kids all over part is what spawned our newest project; greenberries Presents: Local Favorites.

We want to hear from you, our awesome customers, clients, fans, about your favorite local resources and professionals in categories that are applicable to parents in our area. We want to have a monthly vote for one of twelve categories a year that helps showcase favorites like pediatricians, prenatal and birth care, playgrounds, restaurants, birthday party locations, entertainment, and more. Each month we'll open nominations for the category of the month and for two weeks, we want to hear from you! At the end of the two weeks, one of you, our readers and fans, who voted, will win a store credit from a random drawing. And the winning business or professional or location? They'll get a certificate, title of greenberries Local Favorite for a year, an interview with us for a video blog post, and a showcase in our yearly hall of fame. We'll continue this monthly and cover all twelve categories in a year's time.

We all love our favorites, let's share them with each other! Are you looking forward to our first vote? Me too! It won't be long now. Tell us in the comments, what categories would YOU be most interested in voting on?

5 things we need to stop saying to other parents (number 2)

This one comes up surprisingly often. I hear it myself quite a lot, being the proud mommy of a very long haired little boy. Long hair, apparently, is for girls. Not according to my son, but according to many people who feel the need to let me know that most little boys have short hair. I know this. My son knows this (and he's two and a half, so it's not really a difficult observation to make), but he loves his hair. And it's his hair, so he gets to choose what to do with it. I make sure he knows his options and then I leave it at that. So far, he hasn't wanted to cut it. One day, he might. That would be fine. He hates having it brushed, and knows that there would be no/less brushing with a hair cut. So far, the tradeoff hasn't been worth it in his mind. I had a "long hair is for girls" speech take a comical turn when someone told me that long hair was for girls and I should cut his hair. I explained that it's his hair and he can choose to cut it. The concerned individual told me "His hair will get caught in a fan! You have to cut it. For safety." It took all I could muster not to jump into the can of worms that one opened up. Is it acceptable for girls to get caught in a fan with their long hair? Or are boys more susceptible to predatory fans? How many other things should be cut off in the name of safety? I managed to smile and joke: "I had very long hair for the first 10 years of my life. It never got caught in a fan, though I grew up around a LOT of fans. My pinkie finger got stuck in one once, but I'm glad my parents didn't cut that off just in case." The individual in question rolled their eyes and a few observers giggled, and that was that, but that's not the only incident I've heard where illogical gender roles are assigned to children in the strangest of ways, all quietly saying "this is what's expected", not leaving much open for imagination, personality, and choice.

Now I'm not calling for the melting down of gender into one gender neutral sea of sameness, far the opposite, actually. I'm just saying we should stop pushing so hard the idea that "this is not for you, because you're a BOY or a GIRL", and let our boys and girls choose what makes them happy, builds their imaginations, and lets them show who they are instead of who we expect them to be. I do think that shops should organize clothes into boys and girls, because that's a nice and easy way to organize them, but if my son picks a purple shirt with a pink unicorn on it and it makes him happy, he's free to take it home, because I'm not going to be the one to say "that's for GIRLS, you can't have it, put it back." But personal appearances are all we've touched on so far, and what I really wanted to get into was...

Toys. Baby Dolls, Construction Vehicles, Hula Hoops, Train Sets, Play Kitchens, Monster Trucks, Play Jewelry, Dragons, Fairies, and Fire Engines. It seems that everywhere you turn there are very deeply ingrained rules about which toys are for which gender and it's pretty widely accepted. I really hope we never see the day that my son puts away one of his favorite toys because someone told him it was for girls and he shouldn't play with it, but I know odds are good that's something we'll have to face. There are several infographics like this one out on the wonderful internets, and I think it rings very true, with a tongue in cheek reminder of who can play with what toy:

It's funny because it's true! We don't have to put our children's awesome and active imaginations into these tiny boxes of "boys only" and "girls only". We don't have to teach them that things are unattainable or off limits simply because they were born one way or another. We can be the parents that tell our children doors are open to them, not closed. We can start by encouraging other parents to listen and open doors to their own children, and we can be the support for them by paving the road, showing the way, and leading by example. There's nothing wrong with a little boy with short hair playing monster trucks in a mud puddle, or a little girl doing the same. And if my long haired little boy is whipping up some Melissa and Doug sushi in his play kitchen to feed his baby doll while a load of teeny doll size cloth diapers are in the imaginary washing machine, your little boy or girl is welcome to join him. We're hoping to keep doors open for him, whoever he turns out to be. And from one parent to another, you're doing just fine. I'm here to say it! And that toy your kid has? It's for anybody. Celebrate it!

DIY Stencil | Personalize Practically Anything!

Earlier this month, greenberries hosted a Bloggers Nite and we put together gift bags for all the attendees to take with them.  We wanted to greenberries-ize their gifts, so I came up with this idea that we could do in a pinch!  It did the trick.  I was really pleased with how they turned out and super über-düber stoked that it didn’t take that long to crank them all out! (And it let the artsy-fartsy gal in me come screaming out!  It had just been too long since I had done a crafty project like this.  Perfect motivation!)  

You know you want one!  Well, start a blog, keep it up, let us know about it, come hang out at the next event, and get you one!!  

What you’ll need:

·        Printed image to use as template

·        Stencil Blank (I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.99, you get 3 in a pack)

·        Pencil or Sharpie®

·        Tape

·        Scissors

·        Window or light box

·        X-acto knife

·        Piece of cardboard/paperboard

·        Fabric item (canvas tote bag, shirt, etc.)

·        Acrylic paint

        Stencil brush or sponge brush

        etail brush (or ELF eyeliner brush)

If you’re doing this with children, make sure you are the one using the scissors and X-acto knife!

Let’s get started!

Note: If you are drawing freehand directly on the blank stencil (not using a printed template), skip to STEP 5.

STEP 1:  Print out your image the size you want it to appear on your fabric.  You want something that is BOLD and just one simple object, like a word or a big letter. 

STEP 2:  Cut out a piece of the stencil blank that covers the image completely.  Make sure to leave ample space around the image.  This border will come in handy when it comes time to paint your fabric.

STEP 3:  Tape the image and stencil blank to the window (or light box) with the stencil on top.

 

STEP 4:  Trace your image onto the stencil material using a pencil or Sharpie®.  Trace around all edges of your image.

 

Note: If your image has voids, make sure to mark the locations that will remain intact to hold the pieces together.  You will want them to be spaced evenly apart.

 

STEP 5:  After removing your stencil from the window (or light box), transfer it to a protected flat surface.  A cardboard or paperboard backing is best (like the cardboard backing of a notebook).  Use the X-acto knife to cut out the shapes.  (Don’t cut through your marked tabs!).  

STEP 6:  Tape your stencil to the fabric.  

STEP 7:  Use the stencil brush to stipple over the stencil with the acrylic paint.  (I used an open edge of the stencil as my paint palette.)

 

STEP 8: Once all spaces are filled, remove the stencil slowly so you don’t smudge your lines.  You don’t have to wait for the paint to dry to remove the stencil. 

STEP 9:  Use the detail brush to fill in the gaps where the tabs were and to smooth out any rough edges.

 

STEP 10: Done!

Frugal Fashions: It's Julia!

More of Julia’s continued toddler style shines in this blog as she shows how stylish cloth diapers can really be! This cloth diaper cover is handmade from thegoodmama.com. While greenberries does not carry this particular style, we hope that you can see how fun the patterns of cloth diapers have become! My how they have evolved! Please come see us at greenberries for Cloth Diapering 101 class that is held monthly or stop in any day of the week for a glance through our vast cloth diaper selection. Have fun and find a pattern or style that suits your little one! Do you have a favorite pattern in your child’s cloth diaper drawer?

Salt Water saddle brown leather sandals , retail $40, amazon.com $25
No slippy hair clippy, Pink flower, available at greenberries $11.95
Gymboree green tank, retail $18.50, greenberries consignment $6.25
Cloth diaper, handmade thegoodmama.com $35-65, consigned $30
Amber teething necklace, available at greenberries $22-28
Pink children's sunglasses, available in a variety of colors at greenberries, $9

Frugal Fashions: A Perfect Summer Dress!

Gosh I love this dress!  It is so cute and since it is seersucker it never has 

to be ironed, which is always a bonus.  It is the perfect amount of patriotic 

for Memorial Day and Fourth of July, but still simple enough that it's not out 

of place for the rest of the summer! 
 
Janie and Jack dress retail $69 greenberries $12.95
Gymboree sandals retail $29 eBay $8.90 
Headband by Whimsical Fairy Tales. 

Her adorable clips can be found at greenberries for $6

You're Invited to our 4th Birthday Bash!

We love birthdays, and celebrating in a big way is never a bad thing, the only thing we're missing is you to join in on the fun! This is your official invitation to join us for our upcoming birthday celebration carnival! With loads of prizes, games, treats, a HUGE sale, and lots of surprises, this promises to be an amazing time for the whole family, and it's all happening right here at greenberries! Follow us on Facebook for exclusive party info, updates to information, and RSVP access. We can't wait to see you there!

Frugal Fashions: Meet Julia!

Julia is the fashionista of our very own sales associate, Jana. Jana is also the blogger from her own site, http://applejuiceandbooboos.blogspot.com/ This little lady has a little bit of sass and a whole lot of style! We just love her here at greenberries!

Salt Water saddle brown leather sandals , retail $40, amazon.com $25
Baby Legs, Bye Bye Bugs collection, available at greenberries retail $15
 Little Love's Designs, white flower headband, available at greenberries $14
White linen shirt, Consigned at greenberries $5.95
WollyBottom diaper cover, available at greenberries $24.95
Amber teething necklace, available at greenberries $22-28
Crocodile creek frog ball, available at greenberries $6.95

What is your favorite of the listed accessories here with Julia?

Featured Product Giveaway: Sustainablebabyish!

In our cloth diapering adventure I discovered early on that my absolute favorite diapers were soft fluffy bamboo fitteds. Essentially a fitted diaper is a prefold that has been made to fit around baby with elastic. They are easier than prefolds, hold in messes with their elastic and are very absorbent; because of their ability to absorb so much liquid bamboo fitteds make the perfect nighttime diaper.

Sustainablebabyish (usually shortened to sbish) snapless multi fitteds are fantastic. They are one size so there is no need to size up, they come with two thick inserts that can be folded for maximum absorbency, they are unbelievably soft, and you can use a snappi or pins. These really are the perfect diaper.

In celebration of greenberries new favorite diaper line we are doing a giveaway for a sbish starter pack (two happy little cloud fitteds in size 2, a pair of size 2 underwoollies and a jar of lanolin) entry details below.

(note: the package is to be picked up in store within 30 days of notification, or a new winner will be drawn and notified. Shipping can be negotiated at the winner's expense, handling courtesy of our blog team.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Summer Babywearing!

Warmer weather is upon us, and with warmer weather comes summer babywearing. Let's talk carriers first. The two carriers that should be avoided in super hot weather are the Ergo with the infant insert and stretchy wraps. These carriers have too much fabric over baby.

So what's a good summer carrier? Any carrier made of natural fibers, like a cotton or linen ring sling, or Mei Tai. Buckle carriers can get warm because of the extra padding on the waist and shoulders, but as long as you're not running a marathon in the dead of summer, you should be fine. Following a few common sense guidelines will help keep you both cool in the sun.

● Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.
● Bring an umbrella for shade if you know you'll be in the sun awhile.
● Dress babe as lightly as possible e.g. shirt
and diaper.
● Dress yourself lightly too!
● Take breaks often.
● Have fun!


A cool fact:
When a baby has skin to skin contact with his mother, the mother's body will raise
or lower her body temperature to help her baby regulate his own body temperature.