I’m just back from a magical launch party from the on-line company Saplings. They have sourced an amazing line of kid’s room decor and taken the guess work out of co-ordinating bedding, wall furnishings, art work, even eco-filled stuffies! The fabrics, the concept, and the way their lines of bedding and decor easy works together removes the stress for consumers. Saplings has not only sourced high-end, sustainable room decor, but they have brought in different lines from suppliers that match and seamlessly appear like the ideas were all born from a single designer. They really have taken the guess work out of dressing a room for children so that everything is creative, unique, and fun.

The co-founders Chris and Joanne have created a company that stands behind it’s beliefs.
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Yesterday’s Mommy Footprint article included tips for freezing different types of berries and veggies. As a ‘part II’ to the topic of berry freezing, I wanted to concentrate just on blueberries.  This berry is so incredible with the antioxidant levels and is available now to be picked at so many farms.  Some of the health benefits of blueberries are anti-aging, lowering cholesterol, strengthening immune resistance to the flu, and reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease.  So what better way to improve the health of your children than visiting a no spray or organic, local berry farm and pick enough berries to freeze for the whole year!  Here are some tips from a chef named ‘Chef Dez’ published in our local paper:

♥  It’s best to freeze blueberries individually, so you can retrieve them in a handful, rather than defrosting a mass of them.  To accomplish this, lay them all out on baking sheets, freeze them completely, then transfer to sealable freezer bags.

♥  Wash them prior to freezing, but make sure they are completely dry before transferring them from the baking sheets.  Wet berries will freeze to each other and the sides of the bag.

♥ Keep frozen blueberries for up to a year for best results.

Most families have experienced the amazing taste of local produce, meat, berries, etc. via our Farmer’s Markets this month. Why not try and preserve this treat by picking blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries before kids return to school?  Kids love this activity and it’s very green and will save you money if you freeze your berries.  A friend did some research and wanted to share with Mommy Footprint readers tips about picking and preserving food from the farm.  Thank you Tracy!  What an amazing opportunity to feed your family with local food all year long!

Berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries):

-      For absolute freshness pick in the morning before the sun warms the berries and process in the afternoon.  If you can’t get to them the same day, keep them in a cool dark place for no more than 2-3 days.  For strawberries, keep the tops on since it will preserve freshness. 
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I’ve been slowly gathering ideas because there are a few special people in my world expecting babies.  What would a person that is starting to learn wayyyyy too much about toxic baby products give as a baby gift?  Here is a compilation of very affordable ideas that I’ve bookmarked over the last few months. I’m sure there’s a few you haven’t seen!

1. Milk Lush, organic baby quilt. Made by an amazingly talented new mom, her line of organic quilts are  the perfect size.  These are a special, affordable, and a unique present. Her choice of fabrics is magical and each quilt is one of a kind made with 100% cotton, stuffed with organic cotton batting, and the side that is dreamy next to a baby is minky. (If you haven’t felt this material…it is amazingly soft!) It has tabs for baby to chew and that can attach to the stroller or carrier so you don’t loose it. She is currently sold out of her quilts, but will have new designs on her Etsy site on August 15th so stay tuned!  Check out these sweet designs from Ashely.

2. Whipstitch Backstitch These Eco-friendly stuffies will be available in the Fall, (I’m just a tease) but I had to show off this latest find! A wildly talented artist has created environmentally conscious creatures that children will adore! Looking for the perfect 1st friend or stuffie for baby? These are hand stitched with love and are filled with Ecofill stuffing (recycled plastic that is non-toxic).
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Another inspiring day in the life of hanging with mom entrepreneurs.  I met so many lovely, Eco driven, knowledgeable moms at Mommies On Main today.  They’ve all created products that blossomed from their natural talent and passion from becoming a mother.  I got to spend a few minutes talking to Sarah, one of the talents behind Meals for Mums.   Is this company ever something!  The idea was ‘born’ when two Vancouver moms realized shortly after having babies, that friends and family stop bringing healthy, home-cooked meals by about week 4.  Working with two other women specializing in culinary arts and holistic nutrition, their company was started.  The goal is to create convenient food that is healthy, made from fresh, local, and when possible, organic ingredients.  So you can focus on being a busy mom (and wouldn’t this be amazing for mom’s that work outside of the home?) so you don’t have to feel guilty about quick and easy foods that are not healthy, but something we all do when schedules get busy.

They have incorporated so many other wonderful messages into this company.  Sarah mentioned that the majority of their clients opted to have their meals delivered in glass Pyrex dishes rather than plastic.  Concerns about plastic with food storage and thinking about reducing waste in the environment made this a standard feature of Meals for Moms.  Kudos on this environmentally responsible initiative by these moms - what a powerful message for other food establishments to hear.  When given the option, customers want to reduce waste for the environment, even paying extra to help our planet.

When you visit the Meals for Mums’ site, you can feel their passion for nutrition.  Like my nutritionist reference Jen, you can tell promoting healthy eating is their passion.  There is a section on their site that talks and educates customers about healthy eating.  I personally found the feeding a fussy eater article a good read!  Also, there’s a section that features a food of the month (spinach, rhubarb) with a description about why that item is healthy with an easy recipe to follow.  What an awesome feature for those of us who never think to try new ideas with our family (we just rotate the same 7 meals around here).

To begin ordering, you simply create a profile and start ordering meals.  This service is only available to certain areas of Vancouver, but I believe if you email about a surrounding area, Spud can assist with the delivery.  They have orders for large plates, kids food, lighter plates, and gift certificates!  Yummy…the smoked wild BC sockeye salmon pasta plate must be mine. The description and picture looks amazing. Wow - next time you visit your friend in the hospital with a new baby (or anyone facing a new challenge in life), take them a gift certificate instead of an expensive bouquet of flowers..wouldn’t that be the BEST thing ever?  Baby shower gift?  Helloo!  Offer your friend or loved one great nutrition as a way to send your congratulations.

I left this Mommies On Main symposium today, recharged that everyday moms are creating these magical businesses that help other families lead more sustainable and healthier lives.  A wonderful event that is well worth checking out for folks local to the Vancouver area.