All Blog Posts Tagged 'kids' (10)

This week, my daughter (my little girl) is turning 10. Yes, double digits – what the heck?! I’m freaking out about this and I’m not sure why. It’s not a case of “wow, if I have a ten year old, I must be old”. It’s just that I’m enjoying my kids so much at the age they are right now, I don’t want them to grow up. My husband and I always say to them, “Can you do me a favor and please stop growing?” Which we are kidding about, sort of… Some unsolicited advice I would give to moms with younger kids… Continue

The Environmental Working Group just released this new report titled “Can Cleaning Supplies Contaminate Classroom Air?”. The answer, as you can imagine, is a resounding yes. Although I use natural, non-toxic cleaners at home, it didn’t really occur to me that my kids spend a… Continue

If you’ve turned on the TV, opened the newspaper, or been out shopping lately, you can’t avoid the fact that it’s almost time to go back to school (even if you want to). While I’m a little sad about the end of summer drawing near, I’m also excited for the kids to get back in a routine again and looking forward to an end to my daily juggling act of being a full-time mom and full-time business owner. Back to school usually means a lot of shopping. This year, get school started off right by making… Continue

This is the first post in a series on composting. Please do not be afraid and stop reading at this point - it’s not so bad, I promise. I understand how most people feel about composting. In my own journey to going green, composting was one of the last activities that I embraced. I was worried that it was complicated, time consuming, and that it would be messy and smelly. I also thought that I wouldn’t have room for a compost bin in my yard or have enough garden space to use the top soil it woul… Continue

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love the warm weather, barbeques, block parties and fireworks. Here are some ideas for making this year’s celebration a bit more sustainable. Recycle - If your neighborhood has a block party, volunteer to collect and recycle all the bottles and cans. Every year, my neighborhood has a huge Fourth of July celebration. A few years back, I was enjoying the party but then noticed that there were no recycling bins and all the cans and bottles we… Continue

Summer has officially started and my kids could not be more excited. About day number two though, I heard the dreaded “Mom, I’m bored.” Now I’ve already told my kids it’s not my job to keep them occupied all summer, but to help us stay busy (and me stay sane), I decided to look for some fun, economical, eco-friendly activities. Here is what I came up with: Museums and Exhibits – These are always a great learning experience, and generally economical too. For those of you in the Orange Co… Continue

My son’s birthday party is this weekend, and he is so excited. He can’t wait for his party. This year, we are keeping it simple with just a few friends coming over for a sleepover – very low key – and my son could not be more excited. Just goes to show, it doesn’t have to be over the top – kids are happy with simple things. And parents are happier too. I know I am. I can do without the stress and expense of a big party. Over the years though, my kids’ birthday parties have run the gamut, from a… Continue

Next week we celebrate Earth Day. The first official Earth Day was in 1970. It used to be celebrated on the first day of spring (the March Equinox) and still is by some. As a worldwide celebration, however, it is celebrated on April 22, the more widely recognized date. Earth Day is a great holiday to get the kids involved, and there are plenty of ways to do that. Here are some ideas for getting in the Earth Day spirit with your kids – • Pick up trash around your neighborhood, at your school or… Continue

The other day, I was driving my kids to school – my daughter had a field trip later that day. I asked her if she was excited for the trip and she said yes but then she paused, and from the back seat of the car she said, “Mom, there is one thing that I don’t like about field trips.” “What’s that?” I asked. “Well, I have to throw away all that trash from my lunch.” Right then, I just started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. It was so cute and I was also so proud. The thing is, whenever the kids have… Continue

The Blue Planet Run Foundation learned of a project that needed immediate attention. 1,500 students and their families were without safe drinking water in a region of Tanzania. The organization, PADI, was looking for support to provide wells for three schools. The Blue Pla… Continue