Monday, December 12, 2011

12 Days of GREEN! Choosing a Christmas Tree

Balsam Fir
Many people choose to have a Christmas tree this month and opinions about what type of tree is best are as varied as anyone can imagine.  Many people argue over whether or not a fake tree is better than a real one...and is more sustainable because you can reuse it every year.  Well, think about where the tree comes from and how it is manufactured and that will give you insight on which is better.  The fact is that most real trees sold as Christmas trees are FARMED, just like many other crops and food sources and are planted every year.  That fake tree is most likely made of plastic using petroleum, harmful chemicals and excessive energy to produce (most likely in China) and the fake tree often releases harmful toxins into your home even years after you open the box!
Here is an interesting statement from the National Christmas Tree Association:

MYTH #4: It's better to use a fake tree because you can re-use it each year.
BUSTED: That’s a very short-sighted perspective. According to research, most fake trees are only used 6 to 9 years before they’re disposed. Even if you would use one for 20 years or more, it will eventually be thrown away and end up in a landfill. And unlike Real Trees, which are biodegradable and recyclable, fake trees are always a burden to the environment.

 
For more myths and answers about Christmas trees, go to: http://www.christmastree.org/myths.cfm

Another commonly held belief is that a live, potted tree is better... well, it's a nice thought but more often than not, these trees, even when planted promptly after the holidays, do not live because they have either been exposed to drastic temperature and humidity changes or were not properly cared for.  So is it worth it to buy a potted tree instead of cutting one down?  If you keep it outside and partially bury the pot - possibly but then you miss out on having that Christmas Tree scent in your home!
More Christmas Tree Facts from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service:
  • Real Trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead.
  • There are more than 4,000 local Christmas Tree recycling programs throughout the United States.
  • For every Real Christmas Tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring. 
  • There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas Trees in the U.S., and over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the industry.
So the more GREEN option seems to be purchasing a cut tree from your local tree farm or in my case, the street corner or plant store.  But now your decision is "Which type of tree do we buy?"
The following evergreen tree species or types are sold and grown in the United States for Christmas Trees and are thought of as the best for different characteristics.

Fir Trees: Common name (Botanical name)

Balsam Fir(Abies balsamea) – Native to the northeastern United States, the Balsam Fir is named for the balsam or resin found in blisters on bark.  The needles are flat, ¾” to 1 ½” long rounded at the tip and generally last long on the branches.  The color is dark green with silvery cast.  Balsam Firs have good form and are fragrant.  Factoid: Balsam fir oil is an EPA approved nontoxic rodent repellent.


Fraser Fir
Fraser Fir – (Abies fraseri) – The combination of form, needle retention, dark blue-green color, pleasant scent and strong branches has led to Fraser fir being a most popular Christmas tree species. Fraser Fir has dark green, flattened needles with a medial groove on the upper side and two broad silvery-white bands on the lower surface and are ½ to 1 inch long. When crushed, the needles have a very pleasant woodsy scent. Factoid:  Named for the Scotish botanist, John Fraser, who explored the southern Appalachians in the late 1700’s.



Needles of White Fir


White Fir or Concolor Fir(Abies concolor) – Commonly found in the western/northwestern US, the White Fir has  blue-green needles are ½ to ½ inches long.  They have a    nice shape, good citrus-like aroma and good needle retention. White Fir is named for its light-colored bark and the silvery or "glaucous"  color of its needles. Factoid:  In nature the White Fir can live to 350 years.

Douglas Fir branches
Douglas Fir(Pseudotsuga menziesii) – Although not actually a fir, the Douglas Fir is one of the most popular trees for Christmas Trees. They are softer with  1” to 1 ½” flat needles and have one of the best aromas among Christmas trees when crushed. Douglas fir has a good conical shape (and often are sheared on the farm to maintain the "perfect" shape).  Named after David Douglas who studied the tree in the 1800’s;  can live for a thousand years. It is also the state tree of Oregon.


Pine Trees - Common name (Botanical name):

White Pine
White Pine(Pinus strobus) – soft, blue-green needles, 2 to 5 inches long in bundles of five; retains needles throughout the holiday season; very full appearance; little or no fragrance; less allergic reactions as compared to more fragrant trees. Largest pine in Eastern United States; state tree of Michigan & Maine; slender branches will support fewer and smaller decorations as compared to Scotch pine. It’s wood is used in cabinets, interior finish and carving. Native Americans used the inner bark as food. Early colonists used the inner bark to make cough medicine.  Good choice for families prone to allergies or sensitivities to fragrances. Caveat: Branching can be too dense for large ornaments. Needles can be too slippery and soft for heavy ornaments but it's soft appearance takes on an elegant appearance simply with just white lights.


Scotch Pine branches
Scotch Pine(Pinus sylvestris) – Another common Christmas tree, the Scotch Pine is native to Europe and Asia and is predominant in Scotland. It is readily identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark.  It has stiff branches, stiff, dark green needles in pairs one inch long and holds needles for four weeks - needles will stay on even when dry which makes it very popular for indoor Christmas trees. It has open appearance and more room for ornaments and also keeps aroma throughout the season. The Scotch Pine was introduced into United States by European settlers. Factoid: Pinus sylvestris is the only pine native to northern England and is the National Tree of Scotland.

Spruce Trees - Common name (Botanical name):

White Spruce branches
White (or Canadian) Spruce – (Picea glauca) – Leaves (needles) are needle-shaped, and are often somewhat crowded on the upper half of the branchlets. Needles are usually 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, blunt at the tip and green to bluish-green in color.  Crushed needles have an unpleasant odor but have good needle retention. As a Christmas tree, white spruce has excellent foliage color, short stiff needles and a good natural shape. Needle retention is better than some of other spruce species.  Factoid: State tree of South Dakota.  


Blue Spruce branches
Blue Spruce(Picea pungens) – Color is dark green to powdery blue with very stiff needles, ¾” to 1 ½” long. The needles are 4-sided and have a very sharp point on the end. It is this point which gives the species its name "pungens", from the Latin word for sharp as in puncture wound. Needles are generally dull bluish-gray to silvery blue and emit a resinous odor when crushed; good form; will drop needles in a warm room; symmetrical; but is best among species for needle retention; branches are stiff and will support many heavy decorations. Factoid: State tree of Utah & Colorado. Can live in nature 600-800 years.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Don't Miss Cyber Monday's Biggest Deals!


Amazon has the largest selection on Earth - and their Cyber Monday Deals are the best around!  Because they sell just about everything, you can complete all your holiday shopping in one fell swoop, plus they make it so much easier to bargain hunt and find the best deals without leaving home!  Make sure to check out their Lightning Deals, which are updated hourly to find really deep discounts on select items - but hurry - these items are only on super-sale for a limited time...
Amazon.com might be more known for books and music but some of their biggest deals may just be in electronics. Click here to go to Cyber Monday Electronics Deals.

Amazon also has some great deals on toys and games...  Some of the great deals include 44% off select Lego Star Wars sets, up to 35% off Green Toys, 50% off select Hasbro Flash games, 50% off select Crayola sets and up to 55% off My Pillow Pets. 
click here for all Cyber Monday Toy Deals

Click on any of the ads on this post to go directly to Amazon's Cyber Monday pages - there are just too many deals to list here!

Happy Shopping!!
~ Sprout

Friday, November 25, 2011

Don't Miss Amazon's BLACK FRIDAY Deals!

Amazon.com has the largest selection of, well, just about everything AND some of the best deals around! They make it really easy to forget about the crowded malls, traffic, waking up at the crack of dawn just to get the best sales or going to a store then finding out they don't have the item you want... just stay at home and comfortably do all your holiday shopping at one place - Amazon.com!

Check out some of their Black Friday deals by clicking on any of the following ads:



Saturday, November 19, 2011

Stay at home and shop Leap Frog Black Friday Deals!

LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. Leapfrog is leaping into the holiday season with great deals on some of the best edu-fun toys books and games around! Forget the crowded malls - shop online for great savings on holiday gifts for kids!

Click here for: Black Friday Savings! 20% off books & games with promo code HOLIDAY20. Offer valid 11.23 through 11.27 ONLY!

See also: Black Friday Hot Deals! Select gifts up to 60% off! Limited quantities available. Offer valid 11.23 through 11.27 ONLY!

My kids have had many Leap Frog games and toys since they were infants (starting with My First Tad) and now at ages 2 and 5, really enjoy their Tag Reader and Leapster2.  They have several Tag Reader books like The Cat in the Hat, Tinkerbell, and Fancy Nancy as well as the USA Map.  Some of the Leapster games we have include Star Wars Math and Reading, Wall-e, and I-Spy Treasure Hunt.  I highly recommend these for anyone with preschoolers and young elementary students.  These have been great things to take with us on trips too!  Check out their website for great deals to kick off the holiday shopping season!

LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.
LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Give a Cheer for Cheerios! Giveaway!

OK!  I've done it again and feel so bad that I have neglected my blog for TOO long!  It has been a very busy autumn so far with the new school routine, social events, family wedding and other family functions...and thankfully things have been busy at work as well so by the time I sit down to my computer at night I'm so tired that I barely get through my emails!!! And as many of you also know, being a mom is a full time job as well - everything else is just something we do when sleep-walking! :)

So because I am so happy to have loyal followers and hope to keep the new ones interested in reading my blog, I am hosting another Thank You Giveaway by sending out a Cheer for all my readers!


I am giving away a 14 oz box of Cheerios to 2 of my lucky readers!

To enter simply follow these instructions:
Mandatory:  You must follow me on GFC (Google Friend Connect) or Networked Blogs - please leave a comment below stating that you do with your email address to contact you if you win.  Giveaway ends Saturday 11/19 at midnight EST.  Winner will be selected by random.org.

Extra Entries (each one = 1 entry unless otherwise stated):

  • Follow me on Twitter (@sprout5) - leave a comment with your twitter name
  • Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment below with your post address (tweet once every 6 hours only - don't want anyone ending up in Twitter Jail!) Sample Tweet:  @sprout5 Cheerios #Giveaway! 2 winners - enter now: http://sprout5.blogspot.com ends 11/19 PLS RT
  • Like Sprout's Green Family on Facebook
  • Sign up for my email newsletter (on right sidebar) - leave a comment stating you did along with your email address
  • Follow along on Networked Blogs (if you used GFC as your mandatory entry) - leave a comment stating you are with your profile name
  • Follow me on Blog Frog
  • Comment on any other Sprout's Green Family post (see right sidebar for recent posts and labels lists) and leave a comment telling what you commented on (1 entry per comment)
  • Refer a friend! Have your friend sign up to follow Sprout's Green Family on GFC and leave a comment with your friends GFC name - worth 2 comments!
  • Purchase anything from Sprout's GREEN Store and leave a comment tell what you purchased - worth 6 extra comments!!! (just leave 6 separate comments stating what you purchased and number each one)
Winners will be chosen from the comments and randomly selected using random.org.  All comments will be reviewed for compliance and winners will be notified by email.


Disclaimer:  I did not receive any compensation for this giveaway or review of product - this is just me trying to boost my blog by giving away free stuff!  If you have a product you would like me to review and/or have items to giveaway, I am  more than happy to discuss with you - please contact me by email

Thanks much!
~* Sprout

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Giveaway Winner!
 
I'm pleased to announce that our Picnic Pack Giveaway Winner is comment #60 - Alicia C!
 
Alicia C. said... 60
I follow on Networked Blogs alicia crenshaw ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

I will contact the winner by email.
Thank you all for entering and look for more giveaways soon!

~Sprout

Check out these great deals:
20% Off a single Item in the Cart from SpiritHalloween.com! Use Promotional Code: SPAFF20

Shutterfly.com

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Quick Picnic Pack Giveaway ENDS SATURDAY 10/16

Win a Picnic Pack in this quick giveaway!


This collapse-able stylish picnic bag has a cooler compartment on the bottom for food, drinks and cold pack and a top compartment complete with dishes, silverware and cups to make your picnic complete!  The bag itself is stylish - black with white scroll design and has an easy to carry handle.  All compartments are zipper closure.

Mandatory:  You must follow me on GFC (Google Friend Connect) or Networked Blogs - please leave a comment below stating that you do with your email address to contact you if you win.  Giveaway ends Saturday 10/15 at midnight EST.  Winner will be selected by random.org.



Extra Entries (each one = 1 entry unless otherwise stated):


  • Follow me on Twitter (@sprout5) - leave a comment with your twitter name
  • Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment below with your post address (tweet once every 6 hours only - don't want anyone ending up in Twitter Jail!) Sample Tweet:  @sprout5 #Giveaway! Stylish Picnic Pack for your fall getaway http://sprout5.blogspot.com ends 10/15 PLS RT
  • Like Sprout's Green Family on Facebook
  • Sign up for my email newsletter (on right sidebar) - leave a comment stating you did along with your email address
  • Follow along on Networked Blogs (if you used GFC as your mandatory entry) - leave a comment stating you are with your profile name
  • Follow me on Blog Frog
  • Comment on any other Sprout's Green Family post (see right sidebar for recent posts and labels lists) and leave a comment telling what you commented on (1 entry per comment)
  • Refer a friend! Have your friend sign up to follow Sprout's Green Family on GFC and leave a comment with your friends GFC name - worth 2 comments!
  • Purchase anything from Sprout's GREEN Store and leave a comment tell what you purchased - worth 6 extra comments!!!(just leave 6 separate comments stating what you purchased and number each one)

Friday, September 30, 2011

Five for Friday - Natural Cold Remedies

Feel Better Naturally!

It's that time of year again... cold and flu season. Protecting yourself against the inevitable by getting enough sleep, eating right and reducing stress never seems like enough when you get sick... So I thought I would share five great natural remedies that will help you get by and make you feel better.



1. Boiron Oscillococcinum
Take Oscillo at the First Sign of Flu! Oscillococcinum (o - sill - cox - see - num) is safe, natural and easy to take. Oscillococcinum, an FDA drug - regulated, over - the - counter homeopathic flu medicine, is currently available in 43 countries. Oscillo is the #1 OTC flu medicine in France and the #1 homeopathic flu medicine in the United States. Clinical trials have shown that when taken at the first sign of flu, 63 percent of Oscillo users showed clear improvement within 48 hours; so keep a box on hand! (pssst... save 15% on this item by clicking on the image to the left and select Subscribe and Save!)


2. Ricola Cough Drops
Great tasting. Naturally soothing and refreshing. Ricola Sugar Free Lemon Mint throat drops combine refreshing, natural Lemon Mint and Ricola's delicious mixture of Swiss alpine herbs. For over 75 years, Ricola has been making pleasant tasting natural herbal products for natural relief of the discomfort due to sore throat and minor irritation due to coughs, hoarseness, dry throat, and loss of voice. Ricola is nature's way of calming coughs and soothing sore throats. This item is also 15% off when you select Subscribe and Save from Amazon - click the image

3. Bioron Chestal Cough Syrup
Chestal Cough Syrup is an effective homeopathic cough syrup that naturally brings relief to a wide array of coughs. Safe and natural, with no side effects, Chestal treats all kinds of coughs, does not interact with other medications, does not contain stimulants, non-drowsy, great honey taste, honey and sugar base soothes the throat.  I like it because it tastes great and works well!


4. Traditional Medicinals Tea
Nothing is more soothing than a cup of herbal tea - especially when you are sick.  Traditional Medicinals has an incredibly great line of organic teas that are highly effective, taste great and even are produced with solar power!  Try this sampler that includes Throat Coat, Echinacea Plus, Breathe Easy, and Gypsy Cold Care varieties.  This is also available by the case (of 6) with Subscribe and Save so click the image to save 15%.


5. Nature's Way Echinacea Supplements
Echinacea herb supports the Immune System and promotes general well-being in cold and flu season. Echinacea (comon name is Purple Coneflower) grows wild in the midwest, and was used by Plains Indians more than any other herb. Echinacea supplements are a great preventative measure to help boost your immune system before you get a cold, but it may also help during a cold as well.  (Please discuss this with your doctor before taking)  Amazon also offers this item through Subscribe and Save!

For more homeopathic children's remedies, check out my past post:
http://sprout5.blogspot.com/2010/06/top-5-homeopathic-natural-remedies.html 

Have a great weekend and Be Well!
~ Sprout

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hello Kitty is ready for Halloween - Hurry: limited time only!

Are you ready for Halloween? Build-A-Bear Workshop just launched Orange Hello Kitty! Hurry, this is a limited offer only Click Here.


This week, Hello Kitty® gets into the Halloween spirit at Build-A-Bear Workshop® ! She comes dressed in a Hello Kitty® Halloween Outfit and Black Peep Toe Heels, and with her Fun Orange color, she's welcoming the spookiest of holidays in style! Better act fast – this is a limited time offer!

Additionally, from 9/21 - 9/27: Free shipping on $40 or more. Click here and Use code 96680.


As a friendly reminder, until October 31st, customers will receive FREE USPS economy shipping when they spend $50 or more!

Build-A-Bear

drugstore.com, inc.