Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

Managing a Mess of Toys

When I was growing up, I remember one specific night when my mom announced that it looked like a tornado hit my bedroom. At the time, I didn’t know what she meant – all I saw was an amazing make-believe town and all of my Strawberry Shortcake dolls out after a day of play. Now that I’m a mom, I’ve definitely told my children that their bedrooms look like tornadoes ripped through our house. After noticing the tornadic tendencies of my children, I created a method to deal ... Read more

Buying, Storing and Passing Along Children’s Clothes

Before I became a mom, I never imagined the sheer volume of clothing one child could accumulate. I’ve discovered the clothing collection seems to be caused by three different issues: 1. Children are always growing – what fits them one week may not fit them the next. (I promise. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon.) 2. Different brands of children’s clothes are sized differently. Because of this, more clothes are in my family's drawers and closets than logically should be. Since my ... Read more

Help! I’m Working Too Much to be Healthy!

When I began my first magazine internship at the tender age of 20, I couldn’t believe how physically taxing it was to sit at a computer in a cubicle for 8 hours a day. I was used to changing classes in college and moving around throughout my day. Staying in one space for so long and focusing was incredibly difficult – and even a little painful, as my body adjusted to sitting for hours. Little did I know that I would spend 10 years of my life doing the same, sedentary computer work at ... Read more

Repelling Mosquitoes with Basil

I’ve been cooking with basil for years … in the summertime, there’s nothing like a Caprese Salad with fresh tomatoes from the garden, some mozzarella, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil leaves. Or pasta topped with lightly sautéed tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and basil. But over the past five years, I’ve been using basil to do more than make my food taste great – it offers some amazing healthy benefits – and it also prevents and repels mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are warded off by the fragrance ... Read more

6 Safe and Simple Ways to Prevent Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are nasty little buggers – and not just because they’re annoying and cause irritating bites. Mosquitoes are especially awful because they transmit diseases like chikungunya, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis, malaria, West Nile virus, and yellow fever. It’s important to repel them. I’ve written a new eBook, Repelled, where I’ve shared many mosquito repellent tips, including plants, essential oils, and 7 homemade repellent recipes my family has tried. (Download it today for ... Read more

Help! I Can’t Afford to Go Green!

If you’re on a strict budget, chances are you’ve noticed how expensive “green” products tend to be. (Have you checked out the prices of safe products at stores like Whole Foods or EarthFare? Shessh.) It can be easy to feel like these safe products are unaffordable. And, truthfully, they are unaffordable for many budgets. For example, as my husband and I shop for appliances, we've found that Energy Star products do tend to cost more. (In the long run, though, the energy savings is where the ... Read more

Help! I Don’t Have Time to Make Healthy Changes!

Hey there, busy reader. You know who you are. You’re taking just a little break to surf the web before you hurry back to your schedule and commitments. You have places to go, people to text and things.to.do. So very many things to do. Some days it feels like you might be drowning in your commitments and plans. In fact, if you add one more thing to your plate, everything will collapse. You’re good at juggling, but too much is too much. And even if you might like to entertain the thought of ... Read more

How Do I Love Coconut Oil? Let Me Count the Ways

Believe it or not, I had never heard of coconut oil until 2010. Since I bought my first jar four years ago, it has become an ingredient I wouldn’t want to live without. I love coconut oil because it’s so versatile – not only do I use it in the kitchen, but it’s a regular part of my personal care. Coconut oil is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, thanks to lauric acid. With these properties, coconut oil helps to prevent parasites and fungi that cause indigestion. (It also may help ... Read more

Concerned About a Lifetime of Unhealthy Product Choices?

For the first 30 years of my life, I made a LOT of unhealthy product choices. I know this, because making healthy choices when it came to buying food, cosmetics, and personal care products never was even a blip on my radar. Part of my problem was that I naively thought that products sold in America were safe. (Hel-LO! Did I ever stop to even contemplate the tobacco industry!?) The other part of my problem was that I just didn’t stop to think about my health. Because of my healthy youth, I ... Read more

All You Need to Know About Safe Sunscreens

Disclosure: I received sample sunscreen from Block Island Organics. All opinions are my own. Each year, at the end of May and beginning of June, I start thinking about sunscreens. Particularly safe sunscreens. My family doesn’t use sunscreen often – but when we do, I want it to be safe. For some reason, it’s easy for me to remember the two ingredients I need to avoid in sunscreen: Oxybenzone, and Retinyl Palmitate. (It’s not always so easy for me to remember what’s ... Read more

Help! I’m Overwhelmed By Healthy Changes I Need to Make!

Ever feel like nothing is safe or healthy in this world? Every day, it seems like consumers need to avoid one more dangerous product: Brown rice isn’t refined like white rice, but it has levels of arsenic. Many brands of apple juice contain arsenic and lead. Nonstick cookware is dangerous to your health. BPA-free plastic isn’t as safe as consumers wish. I could go on and on and on with discouraging headlines that make could make your head spin. What is safe in this world?? For ... Read more

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