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Monday, June 18, 2018

Going Green on Father's Day

Father's Day 2018. As I reflect back on the day, I cannot help but offer up praise to God for gifting me with so much.


Deb and me October 2003

It's been a rough couple of weeks. I lost a dear friend of 43 years, thanks in part to wrong diagnoses starting in January. Deb and I were best friends in college and later shared an apartment together here in Pittsburgh. She had a vibrant smile that lit up a room whenever she entered it. She was so.full.of.life. How can she be gone? It's a question that runs through my mind daily.

In addition to that devastating loss, I had my own potential health crisis. A breast cancer scare that had me at the Cancer Institute at Allegheny General Hospital this past Friday. The tests were painful, but the news was good, with the radiologist telling me that he was 90% sure I had nothing to worry about. I'll take it. It was good to focus on other things this weekend.

Which brings us to today. After church, I came home and tended to brunch. I made a French Toast Casserole in the crock pot, which I turned on early this morning. I threw two hash brown casseroles in the oven (one with onions, one without for the grandkids), and I prepared my mixture for a big batch of scrambled eggs. I had prepared almost everything last night, including cutting chives from my garden to sprinkle over the eggs. It was a lot of work, but it was done in love and gratitude.


Father's Day 2018
Watching my husband as he was surrounded by his kids and grandkids for Father's Day was... I don't know how to express it. It was a bit overwhelming in some ways because we almost lost him back in October. Seeing the love poured out toward him is something I don't ever want to take for granted. So many grandparents rarely see their grandchildren, due to distance of location or distance of heart. Broken or strained relationships cause chasms hard to cross. The fact that we get to see our grandchildren for every holiday and often in between means the world to me.

As I was getting ready for church this morning, I thought of our new-ish neighbor across the street who was going to be alone today. Her mother died two weeks ago and I know how hard that is. So I decided to invite her to join us today and she did. That, too, was a blessing.

Now on to the green stuff. We had eight adults and five children here for brunch and did not use any single-use products. Not a one. I've gathered enough metal plates through the years to serve 24, so there is never a need for paper plates for picnics. We have at least 100 cloth napkins, some of which my mom made many years ago. She's the one who taught me that paper napkins were unnecessary. We certainly have enough flatware to skip the plastic, and we have plenty of mugs for coffee, glasses for water and iced tea, and champagne flutes for mimosas (after all, we had a lot to celebrate today).

Clean up was more work without the paper and plastic products that could easily be pitched into the trash and recycling, but I'll sleep well tonight knowing I did not only serve my family well today, but I served the earth well, too. And that, my friends, is what being a green grandma is all about!

I encourage you to find your own ways to cut down on waste.

Keeping it green with a heart full of gratitude,



Saturday, June 9, 2018

Dads Who Rock CD Collection Giveaway!

Remember the Moms Who Rock giveaway? Well, Dads rock, too. So here's a giveaway just for them!


Sponsored By: Sugar Mountain PR

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Winner Will Receive: 

A collection of wonderful "Dads Who Rock" CDs! 

Including:

Sugar Mountain PR is a public relations agency specializing in award-winning music and other media for children.
Open To US and must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates  
6/9 9:00 AM EST through 7/7 11:59PM EST



Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

prAna Review -- It doesn't get better than this!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received product and/or compensation in exchange for my honest opinion.



I have a confession. I hate my body. I know, I know... I shouldn't feel that way. We're supposed to embrace the unique bodies we have, blah, blah, blah. It's just not happening with me. And as I get older, it doesn't seem to be getting any better. 

Of course, I could diet and exercise and that would help. Yeah, I know that. I keep meaning to do so. 

Here's the problem with my body. Well, one of the problems. Maybe you'll see yourself in this one. I have relatively small hips and next to no butt. And when I do lose weight, that's where I lose it first!

Wait... do I hear her complaining about small hips??

If, and I mean if, I had a small waist, those narrow hips would be dandy. Therein lies the problem. I don't have a small waist. It measures the same, if not bigger, than my hip measurement. What am I -- a guy?

So... in order to get pants that fit nicely on my butt and thighs (which are admittedly thin), I have to find the perfect pants. I fit into junior's low-to-mid-rise jeans in a size 11. But if I have to wear pants that close comfortably at the waist, I'm up to a 14-16 and my butt and thighs swim laps. 

Leggings used to be the answer, but now I struggle with most of them because, here it comes, they roll when I sit. Yep, the waistband curls up and works its way across my flabby belly. NOT comfortable. Not at all.

However, I found the answer in these wonderful leggings from prAna. Not only do they fit perfectly (size L), but they don't roll! I'm so in love with these pants! 


Green Grandma wearing Leda Pant in Coal
Recently, I traveled across the state with my husband and I wore a pair of prAna leggings. Talk about comfortable... the entire day and night. I didn't want to take them off. And, don't tell anyone... but they made me almost want to exercise! I know one thing, I'll be wearing and packing them whenever I travel. They're great with sandals or athletic shoes, and they'll be equally fantastic with short and long boots this fall. 

I love the fit and comfort, obviously, but I also love the philosophy of the company: 

We strive to minimize our impact on the environment and what it means for future generations. We go the extra mile to design everything we make with the best possible materials and practices.

How many other clothing manufacturers can say that?

Leda Pant in Forest Green
I checked out the tag when the pants first arrived and this is what I read:

  • Recycled
  • Organic (100% Organic Cotton)
  • Bluesign
  • Fair Trade Certified (YES!)
  • Hemp 
  • Fluorine Free
  • PFOA Free
Wow. It doesn't get much better than that! And did I mention they're super comfortable? And they don't roll? 

Oh, and they have deep back pockets, which is a bonus!

I just wish you could feel them. They're great for this grandma's bottom... and I think they'd be perfect for postpartum bottoms as well! After all, all you new mamas deserve a bit of comfort, don't you think?

While they are a bit pricey ($79), they are worth every penny. I expect they will wear well for quite some time. And maybe, just maybe, they'll start me on the path to actually liking my body... at least when I'm clothed!

prAna isn't just about leggings, though. They have a fantastic selection of yoga pants, jeans (can't wait to order a pair!), bathing suits, tops, outerwear, accessories, and more. They even sell men's clothing. You really have to check out their website... and order something, of course!

I love when I review products that I can totally approve of and recommend. prAna pants are definitely one of those products. And based on their sustainability and the quality of their clothing, prAna is a company I can confidently award two green thumbs up!

But wait... there's more! To celebrate spring and travel and outdoor activities, prAna is offering the Green Grandma community 15% off purchases. Just enter the code TRHHS18 at check out! Click here to start shopping.

Reviewing it for you,