What is the top reason I love juice concentrate?

It’s better for the earth. 

Honestly, I wish I remembered to buy it more often. I’m definitely trying to get into the habit of purchasing concentrate instead of plastic jugs of juice every time. Flavors I’ve seen are grape, apple, fruit punch, orange, lemonade, etc.

One way it’s better for the earth is because we are using our own containers to put it into. When we buy a plastic jug with juice in it, that plastic was partly made from oil. So, every time we buy juice concentrate, we’re saving oil.

We’re also saving the energy that would have been needed to recycle the plastic container. It also takes less space in trucks to transport juice concentrate than large jugs of juice. Try to remember to pick up some as you stroll down the freezer aisle.

If you’re like our family, you can make this switch to juice concentrate at least some of the time. What do you think?

Every little bit helps as we try to buy time for the earth!

~ Carrie

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Here is the one question to ask when kids come to your house or you meet them somewhere else where food is present:

“Do you have any food allergies?”

And if you try to ask in a way that doesn’t make the child embarrassed if they do have allergies, that’s even better.

Food allergies are extremely common compared to when we were kids. 1 in 13 kids has a food allergy. Many of these food allergies are life threatening, in that if the person ingests the allergen, it could cause their throat to close and make them unable to breathe. Scary.

I’ve always thought it should be more commonly referred to as food anaphylaxis instead of food allergy.

If the answer is yes, they do have one or more food allergies, you’ll have to be careful not to have any exposure to the allergen. Depending on the age of the child, be sure to talk to the child or the child’s parent about the best way to avoid the allergen(s). They may have an Epi Pen or similar auto-injector that is used if they appear to have ingested the allergen.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so keep that in mind as you make these decisions when kids are at your house, church, sporting events, etc. And it’s always best to make the kids feel as included as possible.

What are your experiences with food allergies? Are you already in the habit of asking kids this question?

Below I have a couple of resources in my TPT store that are related to food allergies, in case you’d like to check them out.

~Carrie

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I’m sharing my three favorite children’s books by Todd Parr. He has so many great books that are colorful and have their own unique style. The three I’m highlighting today are about three of my favorite subjects: the environment, education, and growth mindset.

The Earth Book is great for Earth Day or any day of the year. It has lots of easy ways to help the earth. It’s especially great for younger kids.

Teachers Rock! Teachers make a challenging job look easy and this book celebrates how amazing teachers are.

It’s Okay To Make Mistakes is a funny book with a wonderful message. It’s a lesson we all need. It’s also great for introducing growth mindset.

Do you have a favorite book by Todd Parr?

~Carrie

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It’s summer and that means coolers, ice, etc. To save time and money, I do a couple of different things instead of buying bags of ice to fill our coolers.

Freeze Blocks of Ice

I use plastic containers that I might have otherwise recycled and I make big ice cubes with them. After they’re frozen and ready to go, I let them thaw for about five minutes so they won’t be stuck to the container and then put them in the cooler. Lastly, I fill the containers again and put them in the freezer so they’re ready for the next time.

Reusable Jug of Ice

I also have an old milk jug filled with water that I can take out of the freezer and put the whole jug in the cooler to keep groceries or drinks cold. Then, I just stick it back in the freezer when I get home and reuse it infinitely.

In general, I like to use the bigger blocks of ice compared to ice cubes from my refrigerator. The bigger blocks last longer. Sometimes I supplement with ice cubes from the fridge, though.

You can save lots of money with these techniques because bags of ice cost between $2 and $5, depending on the size. It’s also a great way to reduce plastic because you’re not having to buy the plastic bags filled with ice.

What’s your favorite way to keep things cold in the cooler? Have a great summer!

~ Carrie

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I think about the future of our planet a lot (more than I’d like). The importance of protecting the environment should get way more attention than it does, especially in the USA. We can all move toward better eco practices all the time. But, doing the eco-friendly thing isn’t always convenient.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing as we try to reverse global warming. We don’t have to be eco martyrs.

For example, I tried trimming our bushes with hand clippers for two years. After that, I realized having electronic hedge trimmers was worth it. I still use the hand clippers sometimes. But, we have a lot of bushes, so purchasing the electronic ones has been nice.

Maybe you use disposable diapers, but buy some of your kid’s clothes and toys at a thrift or consignment shop. Maybe you use cloth diapers and buy most of your clothes new.

You don’t have to compost every single coffee ground.

You can use your Keurig with a disposable pod when you’re in a hurry, but opt for a reusable pod or regular coffee maker on other days when you’ve got time to spare.

One day you can shop at your local grocery co-op or farmer’s market and the next day you might shop at Walmart.

Maybe you live in a larger home than you need (raising my hand on this one), so you try to make up for it by making sure to not run the air conditioning when it’s not needed.

The carbon and water footprint of animal agriculture is shockingly high. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, that’s great! But, if you try to reduce your meat consumption yet still enjoy bacon or a burger every so often, that works too.

Sometimes you can linger in the warm shower, while other days you challenge yourself to make it quick.

You might buy Lunchables for your kids once in awhile. And sometimes you make a meal using up food from the fridge.

Sometimes it’s just not convenient to do the eco-friendly thing. Sometimes you just can’t plan correctly for it. We don’t have to be martyrs, but we can be intentional to reduce our environmental footprint.

If many of us intentionally do eco-friendly things much of the time, it’ll add up. It’ll slow down some of the damage while we’re waiting for our government to lead on reversing global warming.

What do you think? Are you an imperfect tree hugger as well?

~ Carrie

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