A Few Simple Ways to Green Your Summer {Natural Living Blog Carnival}

Welcome to the June 2014 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Eco-Friendly Summer. This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and Crunchy Farm Baby through the Green Moms Network. This month, our members are talking about how they are keeping their family eco-friendly during this summer season. Stop by all of the posts listed at the bottom of mine to get ideas on how your family can keep it safe and natural this summer.

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After what seemed like an endless winter, summer has finally arrived! Finally we can put away our jackets and break out our swimsuits...and enjoy the outdoors and everything there is to offer! Summer also brings many great ways to become a little more eco-friendly. If you're looking for some easy ways to make your summer a little more green, check out the suggestions below:

Plant a Garden. I've mentioned earlier that one of my resolutions this year was to start a garden. I believe I've also mentioned that this would be the first time in my life that I had planted anything...and I'll be honest, it has not gone as well as planned. Despite putting our garden in the highest spot in our yard, it has continuously flooded. Several weeks after the initial planting we realized that the flooding had caused the seeds to float to the top! Currently, the only thing really growing is tomatoes...and they are still quite small, so we're not sure if we'll get anything from them. STILL, despite our bad luck, it has been a fun learning experience for my son and I. We have enjoyed the time together working on it outside, and have learned how to make improvements for NEXT year! It's also a great way to teach kids where their food comes from...which is NOT from a box!!

Open the Windows. With the frigid winter temps, our heating bill skyrocketed and we're still recovering! We decided with the warm weather we would try to limit our air conditioner time as much as possible. Instead we open our windows and turn on a fan as needed. Our bills have decreased tremendously and I love letting the fresh air in! Thankfully, our weather has been fairly mild so far, so we've only had to turn on the AC a couple of times!

• Pick Berries. We are lucky enough to have SEVERAL mulberry trees in our backyard. They are everywhere. Not only do they make a tasty, healthy snack...but it's also a fun activity to do with the kids! Stay tuned for more fun ideas to be done with mulberries!
• Walk. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone. Though we are close enough in theory to walk nearly anywhere we would want to go, I also have an almost seven year old with autism who WILL walk into traffic and busy main roads that do not have sidewalks...so unfortunately we cannot walk as often as we'd like. When we lived in California, we walked everywhere- the library, the park...even the ocean. If you CAN, it's a great way to enjoy a little sun and stay in shape too.

How do you keep your summer green? Are you a gardener? Do you can your own foods? Any favorite eco-friendly kids' outdoor toys? I'd love to hear ALL about it!!

Visit Happy Mothering and Crunchy Farm Baby to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed: