Livie & Luca Vegan Shoe Line

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I’m pretty new to the current toddler fashion scene, since my two youngest children are 10 years apart. The trends from 2007 are not necessarily what’s popular today.

Everywhere I’m turning lately, I’m noticing the most adorable little shoes you can imagine, and I quickly realized that ‘Livie & Luca’ are the brand these little feet are wearing.

‘Livie & Luca’ was inspired by a pair of handmade shoes, along with the purpose to ‘spread joy’! This brand is whimsical, beautiful and oh so comfortable for tiny toes. And I will gladly tell you that the quality of these shoes are top notch.

Livie & Luca continues to hand make every pair of shoes and they are proud to give back to their community.”With every purchase, Livie & Luca donates 10% of net proceeds to non-profits supporting children’s development and well being.”

But the very best thing about Livie & Luca is that they have VEGAN shoes!!! Yay!! And their new spring line is bright, colorful and truly lovely! I instantly fell in love with the “Carta II Mary Janes”! But I’m itching to get my hands on a pair of “Peppy Sunprint Sneakers” as well!

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Many vegans are weary to support a non-vegan company that offers vegan products. This notion is completely understandable. I’m 100% for supporting completely vegan companies. I do however believe in the importance of showing ALL companies that customers WANT vegan options and if they SELL them, we will BUY them. Vegan products are becoming more and more popular among consumers, and companies are taking notice. Let’s thank them and support their efforts!

Check out Livie & Luca’s vegan spring line and take advantage of free shipping and free returns. Sign up for their newsletter and receive 10% off your purchase. 😀

This is a sponsored post

Celebrating Easter ‘Vegan Style’

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Stressing about ‘Veganizing’ Easter this year? No need! There are lots of Vegan treats available & they taste even better than the non-Vegan ones!

Easter is a time of pure childhood bliss. Devouring chocolate bunnies & running around the yard searching for hidden eggs… What child doesn’t look forward to this all year long?

Obviously, The Easter Bunny brings most of the goodies. Not mom & dad. BUT many Vegan parents like to help the bunny out, and add a few goodies to the basket. I also like to paint eggs with my children. Wooden ones of course. I find them at Michaels, along with paint and other decorations like sticky gems and ribbon. The great thing about decorating wooden eggs, is they last forever and make wonderful gifts for the grandparents.IMG_2121

Easter egg hunts may be an issue. Many hunts are put on through schools, churches & towns. This makes if tough for a Vegan parent to ensure their child ends up with Vegan treats. I recommend allowing your child to participate. Holding your child back from this event may make him feel alienated and uninvolved with friends. What I do is have my kids hand me all the non vegan candies and give them to their friends, or donate them. Then we go buy a something special. This usually works just fine for most Vegan families. The thrill is in the ‘hunt’ for the eggs anyway!IMG_6682

Filling a Vegan Easter basket is ridiculously fun. Seriously, I LOVE shopping for Easter basket treats. My children’s baskets are filled with 4 types of items. Healthy Snacks, ‘Special Treats’, Fun Stuff (ex. toys & games) & Useful Things (ex. clothes, shoes, accessories).

Lets start with Healthy Snacks.
I often add foods such as dried fruits. ‘Peeled Snacks’ are a family favorite. Protein bars are always a hit with the teens. I recommend ‘Pure Bars’. I usually add a few packets of ‘RAW Protein Powder’ to my 14 year old son’s basket. A new favorite snack that will be added to our baskets this year are ‘Chockalet Kale Chips’. They are out of this world and your kids will not realize they are the least bit healthy!

Next up are the ‘Special Treats’

If you are only going to order one amazing type of vegan goodie online, you need to buy ‘Inglorius Monk Whoopie Pies!’ We enjoyed these delicious treats last month, and my kids went absolutely crazy for them. It’s hard to find a good Vegan Whoopie Pie in our area. Actually impossible. They offer pumpkin, chocolate chip, lemon (my favorite), peppermint and more. This company only uses sustainable, organic, non-GMO ingredients in their products and they partner with local family farms. I have been told that they have a special egg pie. I am excited & I will update this post when ours arrive. Order now for Easter delivery!Unknown-1

*UPDATE* The whoopie pie eggs have arrived and they are as adorable as they are delicious! What a great addition they will make to your child’s Easter basket! The eggs come in chocolate raspberry and vanilla raspberry. They also offer a super cute heart shaped chocolate dip vanilla pie. Did I mention how much I adore these whoopie pies?!?!
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What Easter basket would be complete without a chocolate bunny? Unfortunately almost every bunny out there contains milk. I do find however, that many health food stores sell Vegan bunnies this time of year. If you can’t get your hands on one locally, I have found a non-dairy bunny and lots of other vegan candies, including a very pretty peanut butter chocolate egg at ‘VeganStore.com’.
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As for ‘Fun Stuff’, my daughter loves the princess legos that are all the rage right now. My son is a teenager so a gift card will be perfect.

‘Useful Stuff’ is my favorite part of the Easter Basket buying process!! I purchase many of the items that my children need. So in other words, I have to buy these things anyway, so adding them to Easter Baskets is win, win for everyone! This years ‘needed items’ will include, toothbrushes, belts, hair bands, bathing suits, flip flops, sunglasses, laptop case, lunch bag, gymnastics leotard & soccer socks & cleats. Yep, I am putting a toothbrush and socks in my son’s basket. 😉

Hopefully this has given you some ideas about how to enjoy Easter with your children. Many newly Vegan parents fear holidays because they assume Vegan kids can’t celebrate like all of the other kids. But I can assure you that this is one worry you can throw out the window!!

Lastly I would like to recommend that you adopt a farm animal as a gift for your child. Farm Sanctuary has a wonderful ‘Adopt A Farm Animal Program’. This is a gift that keeps on giving and it will remind your children one of the reasons that your family has most likely chosen to be Vegan.Susie Moo_228x200

Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins

I was trying to come up with a healthy breakfast muffin recipe, without  white flour or refined sugar. Whole wheat flour, fresh fruit & maple syrup are perfect ingredients for these morning muffins. They are not super sweet, but put a little Earth Balance spread on them while they are still warm, and YUM~breakfast is served!

Set oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 cup almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large banana mashed

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix together dry ingredients. Then add the remaining ingredients. Blend well and scoop into greased muffin pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

A Review Of “Happy Thanks Living” Coloring Zine

I have recently come across a sweet & informative coloring zine called “Happy Thanks Living”, created by children’s author, Nathalie VanBalen.

This 20 page black & white book is filled with adorable illustrations and cute poems for your child to enjoy. Pictures of Turkey friends, apple trees & yummy veggies will not only foster your child’s creativity, but also teach compassion & respect for the inquisitive birds that represent Thanksgiving.

If you would like to purchase a coloring zine for a child you love, visit www.thorathinks.com

Let’s teach our children that turkeys are friends! Not Food!

-zines cost $5 each (this includes shipping within the U.S.)
-20 pages, black and white, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
-bound with thread rather than staples for the safety of little ones
-coloring fun for people of all ages! 🙂

Vegan Kids & Bullying, Is It A problem?

Any child who is perceived as “different”, whether it be their appearance, the way they talk, the way they express themselves, what they eat, what they don’t eat.. may be at a higher risk for being bullied. We have been hearing about Gay youth in the media quite a bit lately, and the term “bullying” is being used a lot. I started thinking about Vegan kids, and wondering how common bullying is with them.

I have gathered some feedback from other parents of Vegan children, and what they had to say was a bit surprising!

Most parents feel that their children are perceived as “different”, but most school aged kids don’t seem to have much of a “problem” with their Vegan classmates. They might make comments here & there, or question them a lot, but “put downs” & “intimidating behavior” are not much of an issue.

I was happy to hear that a majority of Vegan children, for the most part, are treated fine by their peers. I know by my own experience, that my son feels completely comfortable with his Veganism at school. Truthfully, he has not had one major issue with another student.

So what is it that I find surprising?? Many Vegan children are being singled out & having their lifestyle criticized. But not by other children…. by adults!

Many parents claim that friends, family members & even teachers, have some major issues with their children consuming a plant based diet. And these grownups are not afraid to let kids know exactly how they feel!

So is it okay, that aunts, uncles, neighbors, coaches & teachers, may single out your Vegan child and tell him that Veganism is dangerous, stupid, crazy or unhealthy? What if they simply make fun of your child a little bit, or embarrass him? Or secretly offer him sausage, and promise not to tell his mom, like a woman did to my son?!?!

The answer is of course, NO. It’s not okay, for these people to interfere, put down, or embarrass our children, because they choose a healthy & compassionate lifestyle. But in this meat loving world, where we are told that kids NEED dairy to survive & be strong, it is bound to happen.

Needless to say, your children will also meet & be surrounded by many adults who will respect & support their decision to be Vegan. My son has such a wonderful group of people in his life, who give him constant praise, and brag about his Veganism. So when he is confronted by a grownup, who simply “doesn’t get it”, he stays strong & stands his ground (and yes, he turned down the sausage offer). 🙂

Absolutely Adorable Children’s Book “Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice”


I have recently come across a Children’s book, that is not only colorful, comical &  tons of fun to read, but also has a really important message. It’s titled “Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice”. Got all of that? 🙂 The author is a lovely young lady named Nathalie VanBalen, and I have a feeling that her new book is going to have a lot of children asking the question “how does it feel to be food”?


The book’s characters consist of 2 juice loving Vikings, a compassionate & “thinking” girl named Thora and 2 little tweeters. And they all live together in one squarish house. The Vikings soon learn that the newest & greatest addition to their juice mixture should be ground up yellow spotted snail shells, because of their high protein and vitamin content. So of course they gather up as many snails as they can find.

As soon as Thora hears about this, she firmly reprimands the juice loving Vikings and says “yellow spotted snail shells are NOT for Vilkings”!!

What happens next??? I’m not going to tell you! But I will tell you that this book is a must have for your child! I think it would also make a perfect addition to your child’s classroom. It sends the message of compassion, yet it is not a strong “pro-Vegan” story, that some parents and teachers may not approve of. So basically it is a fabulous way to promote cruelty free living to children, without upsetting the “grownups”! 😉

In a nutshell, my kids & I really enjoyed this book & I highly recommend it! It’s a little “outside of the box” which makes it all the more interesting! I used lots of funny voices while reading it, and my daughter found that pretty darn hysterical!

Please check out the book’s website www.thorathinks.com , where you can purchase Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice and also enjoy some online activities with you child.

A Month of Popsicle Recipes – KitchenDaily

A Month of Popsicle Recipes – KitchenDaily.

Okay moms, this is a list of popsicle recipes that you will want to print out and stick on the fridge!!! I bought my silicone popsicle molds on amazon.com.

Just be sure to use non-dairy milk & yogurt as a substitute!!

ENJOY!!

“Crazy, Unbelievably YUMMY”, Vegan Rice Krispy Treats!!!

My kids were at a fun summer party at a friends house yesterday, and they were serving Rice Krispy treats. I was not there, but my niece, son, & daughter, all turned down this delicious dessert. I was so proud of them for staying strong, while on their own! So I decided to run out and buy the ingredients for Vegan Rice Krispy Treats. Unfortunately, our local grocery store did not have Vegan marshmallows, so I had to  find another way to create our treats. This recipe makes the yummiest Rice Krispy Treats EVER, and they only took minutes to prepare!!!!! I’m not going to lie and say these treats are healthy or low in sugar! But they are a “treat”, so as long as you are not making these for your kids every day, this “Vegan Mom” says….. ENJOY!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon soy margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 cups Rice Krispys

Heat syrup in saucepan over medium heat & add sugar. Stir continuously for a few minutes, when it boils, add margarine, then add vanilla, still stirring.  Pour Rice Krispys into a large bowl, and then slowly pour liquid over them.  Stir until all ingredients are completely mixed.

Form a rectangle on wax paper about an inch thick.

Allow Rice Krispys to cool and harden for about an hour, then cut into squares.

Prescription Drug Use On the Rise in Children

Prescription Drug Use On the Rise in Children.

It is such a shame that such a large number of CHILDREN are taking prescription medication for Type 2 Diabetes. Most of you know that Type 2 Diabetes is brought on by lifestyle. So poor diet and lack of exercise is leading to this completely PREVENTABLE disease. 😦

I wish that more parents understood the benefits of a well planned, plant based diet for their children. A Vegan diet  can save lives, yet so few doctors will recommend it to their patients. Drugs, drugs, drugs….. is this really the answer?

And by the way, well balanced plant based diets have not only been proven to PREVENT Type 2 Diabetes, but also to REVERSE Type 2 Diabetes!

For more information on this topic, please read “The China Study” by Dr. T Colin Campbell.

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