This summer, my children and I went to a sleep-away camp in the beautiful Poconos of Pennsylvania. What a neat way to get back to nature! My kids spent most of their days outside! They swam in the lake, went horseback riding, did arts & crafts, and more. This was an experience that I was able to provide them with because of my background in education. While they were playing with friends, I was checking on campers, supervising counselors, and communicating with parents. Sure, it was hard work, but I got to spend my summer with fabulous kids in a place that was completely different from Orlando. For the most part, the weather was beautiful, and like my kids, I got to spend most of my time outdoors! I know it makes me sound like I’m 12, but I made some really good friends at camp, too. What a neat experience! We were in PA for 9 weeks.
When I started this blog many years ago, I planned to get new posts up weekly, and for a while, I did exactly that. My goal was to write about every new “green” business in Orlando, along with covering local events that would interest CFGG readers. I also wanted to see our site have great content that relates to green living and holistic health. Therefore, I recruited a number of individuals (mostly moms) who were interested in blogging about such topics on a regular basis.
Writers have come and gone, contributing what they could when they could–leaving when they could no longer make time for blogging or to start blogs of their own. My life has changed dramatically over the years, and this has resulted in inconsistent writing on my part. Having started this blog as a full-time parent, I found it hard to keep up when I returned to my teaching job in 2008. I’m home with my children again, but now I’m working towards another degree in education at the University of Central Florida. I spend my weeks with my children and my weekends doing homework, so blogging regularly about natural living has been a bit of a challenge.
We’ve been back from PA about a month now, and we’re having fun reconnecting with family and friends. Now that the kids and I have found our homeschool groove, I’m looking for ways to get more focused on green living. One idea that interests me has to do with my 4th grader, David. I’m thinking about helping him write some articles for the Green Guide. This would be a great way to integrate language arts and science. I might be able to involve my 1st grader as well! We’ve never had a kid’s perspective here at the GG!
We’re visiting Our Vital Earth (a worm farm) next week with our homeschool group. I’m ashamed to admit that we have not been composting. It’s been on my “to do” list for years. I need to just go ahead and get started. I’ve also been talking about a rain barrel for too long. What else? We moved to a new home and need to look into water filtration again. I’ve been so out of touch–I don’t even know what’s out there.
Oh, and if you’ve been wondering, the site’s name change was not intentional. This website is designed for those living in Orlando and the surrounding areas.
The Orlando Green Guide is a labor of love. If contributing appeals to you, please email me to get signed up AFTER reading the Guidelines for Writers. This is a non-profit site, but you will be allowed to add your link in exchange for monthly contributions. Do you have a child who would like to submit an article that relates to a green topic? What about a book review? We’d love to hear from you!
Melita Franzen
