The 413 Mom

Road Trip Worthy: Lavender Pond Farm (Killingworth, CT)

Lavender Pond Farm in Killingworth, CT is a delight for the senses. The beauty, the smells, the serenity -- a visit to this New England gem is as relaxing as the name suggests. 

On our recent visit we could smell the lavender as soon as we pulled in the long driveway. It was like when you get close to the beach and everyone rolls down the car windows to smell the sea! In July the fields are in full bloom and the lavender scent just hangs in the air (the bloom begins in June and can continue through August). 

The farm is a beautiful place to spend an hour just walking the paths between the lavender beds, enjoying the giant chess board, swinging on the giant wooden tree swing, and visiting with the chickens and bumblebees. There are a few picnic tables where you can enjoy your lunch. The kids loved exploring the farm. There is a grassy path that loops around the pond that makes for a nice little nature walk. There is also a beautiful gift shop that carries all things lavender (of course). We took home some of the lavender lemonade (so good), and lavender body products. It's a great place to pick out a special gift. 

Lavender Pond Farm is the perfect place to unwind and just enjoy the beauty of the natural world. It's a nice place to let the kids roam and explore as long as they understand that they need to stay on the paths and not enter the flower beds or pull on the plants. Do NOT forget your camera. Such a beautiful spot for photos. The grounds are stroller friendly. There are porta-potties in the parking lot. Leashed dogs are welcome to visit too. There is no cost to visit the grounds and no parking fee. 

It's amazing to realize this farm is relatively new. The first lavender plants were only set in place in June 2014. You can find more information about their events and specials by following their Facebook page. 

Lavender Pond Farm is located at 318 Roast Meat Hill Road in Killingworth, CT. The farm is open to visitors seven days a week from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The farm season runs from Mother's Day until Christmas. It's located about 20 minutes away from Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. You can easily combine the two in one road trip. 

#roadtripworthy #getoutside #supportyourfarmers

Cheap & Easy Container Gardening with the Kids (If they grow it...they WILL eat it!)

Overwhelmed by this prospect? Gardening doesn't have to be intimidating if you take it one container at a time. On this week's Better Western Mass show on Western Mass News I shared my best ideas for cheap and easy container gardening with the kids. Because research shows that if they grow it...they will eat it. Letting the littles grow their own tiny crop is a great way to encourage veggie consumption. You can check out the link here. 

Upcycle ideas for those over-loved children's books as seen on Better Western Mass

In honor of Earth Day I shared a few tips for upcycling damaged kids books on today's Better Western Mass show on Western Mass News. If you've got a stack of over-loved books on your shelf, check out the clip here! #raisingreaders #sneakylearning

50 Simple Ways to Help the Kids Be Kind to Mama Earth #earthday #raisethemup #gogreen

1. Plant a vegetable garden...no matter how small

2. If you're going less than a mile don't drive, walk awhile. 

3. Try to eat snacks without containers (think apples, bananas, oranges, pears).

4. Commit to turning off the lights when you leave a room. 

5. Upcycle small food jars instead of using plastic drinking cups.

6. Build a simple compost bin and use it!

7. Participate in an environmental clean up event.

8. Buy local whenever possible.

9. Gather up the too-short sweats, leggings with worn out knees, and torn jeans and cut into shorts.

10. Fill those recycle bins instead of the trash cans.

11. Start some seedlings.

12. Gather up all of the wire hangers in the house and bring to a dry cleaner's for recycling. 

13. Shop a second hand store. 

14. Commit to turning off electronics when not in use.

15. Hang the laundry out to dry. 

16. Plant a tree in the yard.

17. Eat meat free one day per week. 

18. Use washable rags instead of paper towels. 

19. Commit to turning off the tap when brushing your teeth.

20. Recycle large drawings and painting as gift wrap.

21. Commit to buying a few items (or as much as possible) secondhand. 

22. Get everyone a good travel mug and USE them instead of buying disposable drinks. 

23. Bring your unused plastic bags to the grocery store for recycling. 

24. Try making your own laundry detergent (the kids will love grating the soap!)

25. Give something away on freecycle instead of sending it to the landfill.  

26. Invest in metal drinking straws instead of disposable.

27. Use recyclable batteries. 

28. Pick up garbage around the neighborhood.

29. Utilize the library instead of buying new. 

30. Support a local farmer.

31. Set up a toy swap. 

32. Bike instead of drive around town.

33. Get some houseplants...they clean the air!

34. Remember your cloth bags when shopping.

35. Drink tap water instead of bottled. 

36. Give experiences instead of gifts for birthdays and holidays.

37. Don't use produce bags...just put the produce in your cart.

38. Let the grass grow a bit longer (you don't need to water it as often).

39. BYO Tupperware to the restaurant instead of utilizing takeout containers for leftovers.

40. Carpool.

41. Use the back of school worksheets for drawings and coloring.

42. Pay attention to expiration dates instead of wasting food. 

43. Take a hike.

44. Make your own household cleaners.

45. Take showers instead of baths.

46. Play outside in the fresh air and turn off the screens. 

47. Eat up leftovers.

48. Reuse plastic food containers instead of purchasing new food storage.

49. Repair instead of replace.

50. Make a DIY watering can from a milk jug (for your new garden!)

 

 

Love this for the littlest environmentalists! #earthday

Gotta Visit: Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory (South Deerfield)

When the calendar says spring but the weather is still holding on to winter, you've got to head to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield.

Magic Wings is one of the most enchanting places in Western Mass. It's an 8,000 square foot, 80 degree conservatory full of butterflies, moths, and beautiful vegetation. We're talking over 3,000 butterflies dancing through the air. There are other animals to visit with too -- lizards, button quail, koi, turtles. You can even witness butterflies emerging from their chrysalises. The conservatory is not a huge space so you can feel comfortable letting the kids take the lead and follow along as they explore. 

Spending part of the day meandering around the paths of the conservatory is pure bliss. It's a very peaceful place with so many beautiful flowers, plants, and ponds to appreciate. However, you also want to save some time to check out the adjoining exhibit room. There are even more animals to visit with here (on our most recent visit there were some brand new button quail chicks just hatched that morning -- cutest. things. ever), butterfly videos to watch, and lots to learn about migration, butterfly life cycle, and the environment. 

If you have a budding photog in the family bring him or her here. This place is a photographer's delight. There is a scavenger hunt the kids can conquer and animal encounters are offered as the staff feed and care for the residents (we got to pet a skink on our most recent visit). The staff is excellent for answering questions about all the animals and plants. But it's also lovely to just park it on a bench and take in all the beauty. 

You do have to warn the kiddos (especially the youngest) that you cannot chase or touch the butterflies and you have to watch where you step. Sometimes they take a rest on the floor and you want to be careful not to step on anyone. If a butterfly decides to land on you, lucky you; however, you cannot touch it or flick it off. 

I think it's also important to note that even though I think that Magic Wings is one of the most enchanting places in all of Western Mass, if you have a family member who is fearful of insects, birds or butterflies (it's actually a thing -- Lepidopterophobia) please don't subject them to a visit here. I've witnessed a few really fearful children in the sanctuary and it doesn't help to remind them that butterflies are peaceful and don't sting. It can be very unnerving for some people to have many winged things flying about their heads. Let the reluctant family members sit it out in the snack bar or lobby. There is no charge for visitors unless you want to enter the exhibit area. 

Magic Wings also has a sit-down restaurant (Monarchs) and a separate food court with many affordable options (think sandwiches, soup, soft serve, baked goods). There is no outside food allowed -- if you want to picnic you can do so in your car in the cold weather. 

Admission is $16/adult and $10/child. Admission is FREE for kids under 3. It's important to note that strollers are not allowed in the sanctuary. You definitely want to bring your carrier for itty bittys. It's a pretty toddler-friendly space so you should feel comfortable letting your new walker explore on their own. 

Magic Wings is located at 281 Greenfield Road in South Deerfield. They are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and only close on Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

It's Massachusetts Maple Weekend!

It's the most delicious weekend of the year in Massachusetts: Maple Weekend! There are tons of events going on all day Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the state's sweetest crop! Think sugar house tours, maple breakfasts, farm tours.  Here are a few highlights of the happenings here in Western Mass, but you can find the complete schedule here. 

The Maple Hut in Agawam will be will be boiling all weekend. Folks are welcome to stop by and check out the process on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..  

Williams Farm in Deerfield will offer tours, breakfast, and sugar on snow both days from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Maple Corner Farm in Granville will be offering tours and maple breakfast Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Stone Silo Maple Sugar in South Hadley will host show off their tapped trees, equipment, treats and more, both days 9 a.m. - 5 p.m

Paul's Sugar House in Williamsburg will offer tours both days from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., maple syrup and cream tasting, free cotton candy, maple products for sale. 

We tried out the maple breakfast at the Strawbale Cafe at Hanging Mountain Farm in Westhampton last weekend. The food was worth the wait (it was an hour) and while we waited we were able to watch the boiler in action. It was freezing outside but so warm in the sugar house. So. Much. Fun.

Maple Weekend and other agricultural events are a great opportunity to show the kids where their food comes from. It's an even better opportunity to support our local farmers. 

It's going to be a chilly weekend -- perfect for some maple goodness and hanging out in a sugar house with the boiler going. #nofarmsnofood #supportyourown #knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom

Winter Composting....anyone with me?

Until this year I've been a fair weather composter. I love to compost during the summer and fall when the weather is lovely but in the past have always given it up in the winter months. Who wants to trek out to the compost pile in the snow? Well, all of a sudden, this girl does!

I had such a successful compost season this past summer that I didn't want to stop just because winter arrived. I intended to move the compost tumbler (it's not really THE compost tumbler...it's a generic equivalent) closer to the house before the ground froze but it was too heavy. 

If I couldn't easily get to the dump site without putting on boots then I needed an easy collection system in the kitchen to hold the scraps so I would only need to make the trek a few times a week.

Thanks to a tip in Organic Life Magazine I realized I could use my plastic lemonade pitchers as collection bins under the kitchen sink. I only use the pitchers in the summer so they were available and they hold enough scraps that I only have to walk through the snow twice a week usually. The pitchers are lightweight and the lids pop on and off quickly so it's very convenient. 

Lucky for me, I drink a ton of peppermint tea so there is actually a pleasant mint aroma under my kitchen sink that overpowers the other compostable items in the pitchers. My compost mix is mostly made up of veggie scraps, fruit peels, tea bags and the occasional coffee filter with grounds. Also, since the pitchers have lids there is not much odor at all. 

I really thought my compost would not progress through the winter with the cold temperatures but apparently I have such a good cook going on that this pile just keeps on cooking. I add to it twice a week and give the tumbler a good spin. When I come back a few days later, all of the scraps are breaking down nicely. 

I'm so glad I've figured out a system that is working for me so that I can continue to compost all year long. I can't wait to add this mix to my garden beds in the spring. I love taking trash and turning it into treasure and composting is one of the easiest ways to do that. 

How about you? Do you compost? I'm glad I've finally got this figured out but I'm sure there are other tips I'm missing. Please use the comments field below to share! TIA!

Bathroom refresh for under $20? Here's how you do it....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know that January feeling when you want to upgrade the house, but it's, well...right after Christmas and the budget is basically $0. Or maybe $20? 

Yeah. Me too.

Which is why I challenged myself to see what I could do with this bathroom with less than $20. And lots of elbow grease.

What needed a do-over:

• Old, faded shower curtain
• Window curtain that hangs over the toilet paper roll
• Dirty marks above the window
• Empty walls
• Dim lighting

What I did over:

• New shower curtain $14.99 at T.J. Maxx.
• Coordinating hand towel $0 at T.J. Maxx. (Of course it wasn't really $0. The price was $5.99 but I was making a return in the amount of $5.99 so to me it's a wash.)
• Those new curtains are actually a set of panels that previously hung on our sliding doors. I cut the length and hand-sewed a hem. No more fumbling for the toilet paper. Cost $0. 
• Found an old can of the bathroom wall paint in the basement. The lid was rusted on and the paint was a little gummed up but after a good shaking I had just enough usable paint to cover the one stained wall. Cost: $0. 
• I also had a good can of white paint on hand so I repainted all the trim in white. Goodbye nicks and dings. 
• Removed the light fixture globes and soaked them in hot, soapy water. You would not believe the dust that came off of these things. The bathroom was immediately 25% brighter. (Gross.) Please don't underestimate a good scrubbing of the light fixtures when wishing to update a room. I also scrounged around other light fixtures in the house to find three matching light bulbs. What. A. Difference. It's like having a brand new light fixture. Cost: $0.
• I also searched the house for some wall hangings that were being underutilized. I found a set of three floral prints in matching frames that brighten up the room considerably.
• Don't underestimate a good scrubbing of the floor when wanting to renew a room. 

It only took a couple of hours to refresh the bathroom. And it was only $14.99 out of pocket. I'm super happy with the results and the fact that I was able to repurpose and or use up other things from around the home. #reduce #reuse #recycle #repair #redo

 

Calendar Collage - Don't recycle last year's calendar yet!

Quick, go grab your 2016 calendars out of the recycle bin. Let the kids cut out the images from the calendar pages and make collages. Free, unplugged, creative fun! Happy New Year!