A Gloomy, Lovely Day
It is perfectly miserable outside right now. The world is grey. The snow is brown. The sky alternates between a misty drizzle and a drenching downpour. There is a small lake forming in its usual stretch between our neighbor’s property and ours. Every once in awhile the wind kicks up and the panes of our storm windows begin to rattle.
I love days like this. Not every day of course. But every once in awhile it is wonderful to have an excuse to hunker down and nest at home. I realize we have been hunkering more often than naught this winter because of the bitter cold and excessive snow, but today feels different.
Today there is a whiff of spring in the air.
And that makes all the difference, doesn’t it? I look out the window and I see grass. How exciting is that? Just the rain alone allows me to see a light at the end of the tunnel (despite the gloom).
So today we have cozy beeswax candles burning and a cd playing. I’m catching up on some much needed, and long overdue housecleaning and laundry. But we are also having some fun.
We are putting the finishing touches on our valentines.
I posted about green valentine ideas a few days ago, and for the past couple of days I have had a chance to test them out. They were definitely successful, but I have a few tweaks to the valentine crayons;
1. I got very nervous when I first started heating my glass mason jar full of broken crayons in the microwave. My jar was getting extremely hot and I was concerned that it would break. I ended up melting the crayons in an old stainless steel pot on the stovetop at low heat.
2. Crayons are a petroleum product, and our kitchen got pretty stinky as I melted them down. I ended up moving the kids out of the room for this part of the project and opened the door for ventilation.
3. We didn’t have heart-shaped ice cube trays or muffin tins, so I poured the wax into an 8″ cake pan. When it had cooled slightly but was still soft, I used a cookie cutter to cut out the hearts. I was able to peel them off the pan and lay them flat to cool completely. I reheated the scraps with my next batch of crayons. I will admit that I did have crayon waste at the end with this method, but I was using what I had on hand and didn’t want to go out and buy something I didn’t really need.
4. I prefer the valentines that were made from variations of red, pink, orange and white crayons. We made two other batches using different colours and the results were navy blue and brown. Not very valentine-like and I am slightly concerned that our brown hearts may look a bit too much like chocolate. Hopefully a three-year-old doesn’t try to test one out!
4. Clean up was surprisingly easy. Let the excess crayon dry and it should pop out of the pan or scrape off easily enough so that remaining bit can be washed away easily with soapy water.
Our felt hearts were quite easy compared to the slightly more challenging crayons, but I would highly recommend both projects and will probably do them next year as well. They are both fun crafts to do (especially when you are stuck inside on a gloomy February day) and the results are fun and unique.
What is your favourite way to spend a gloomy day?
Filed under Holidays, Life in General | Comments (3)My Green Valentine
In a few short days, lovers, schoolchildren and family members will be sharing tokens of love and friendship with each other. When it comes to valentines for children’s classmates and friends, the easiest thing to do is rush out to buy prepackaged Hannah Montana or Spiderman cards (does anything say ‘I love you’ more than SpongeBob Squarepants?). But by buying pre-made valentines, you miss an opportunity to show your kids that holidays aren’t just about making purchases. It can be more meaningful for them (and you) to set aside an afternoon to help them make their own Valentine’s Day cards.
This doesn’t need to be complicated. A single piece of 8.5 x 11 paper will do. Pull out some crayons and paints and then leave it to your child’s creativity. Fold the paper into fourths and then have them draw, write, and decorate a design in each of the sections. Once you’ve got four little masterpieces, scan the template and print it on your home computer using recycled cardstock. Or take it to your local copy store and save the wear and tear on your printer. Cut the copies into sections, and they’re ready to be filled out and signed.
Another idea is to cut out hearts from pieces of felt. Use puffy paint to write the name of each child and to sign it. These valentines can be embellished with lace doily, buttons or anything that their creative little minds can comes up with. We have a special drawer full of bits and pieces of ribbons, jewels and beads salvaged from other cards or crafts just for this type of occasion! You can also rescue this year’s cards that your child receives from the recycling bin by saving them for next year’s creative project.
Also, check out Green Bean’s idea over at The Green Phone Booth to make adorable heart-shaped crayons using all of those dull and broken crayons that you find scattered throughout the house (at least you do in my house). My daughter will be making the felt hearts for her class, but my son will be making these cute little crayons for his preschool class.
What are some other ideas for making your Valentine’s Day green?
Look for chocolate that is organic, fair trade, and offsets their carbon, too. It’s out there. You just need to ask.
Be mindful of the bling. If you’re going to buy your love a bauble , be sure and ask the important questions: where it came from, how it was made, and the practices of the jeweler. Make sure your diamonds are certified ‘conflict free’. Better yet, go vintage. You can even find jewelry made with recycled metal. Check out your local craft fair or visit etsy.com for handmade eco-friendly alternatives.
Buy potted plants, seed packets or local cut flowers rather than something exotic that needed to be shipped halfway across the world.
Make a romantic meal using locally grown/raised food and dine by candlelight. Now what can be more romantic than that?
These are just a few of the options for greening your Valentine’s Day–there are many, many more, so get creative! Leave me a comment to let me know some of your green ideas.
Filed under Holidays | Comment (1)Did I Say Simple?
I have been offline for over a week now and I would like to say that it is because I have been blissfully enjoying my children and husband throughout my wonderfully simplified Christmas season. We have been busy crafting homemade ornaments, thoughtfully writing out personal eco-friendly greeting cards to all of our close family and friends, and the kids are currently stringing popcorn for our tree and singing carols.
However, if l led you to believe that this scenario has played out even one day in our home this holiday, I would be a liar.
Here is the reality: Steve and I decided that I should start working asap to help alleviate some financial strain caused by a floundering economy. Thankfully, I found someone looking for seasonal work and began working at our local chocolate shop last week. An added bonus is that this is my absolute favorite store in town (for obvious reasons). A friend giggled a bit when I mentioned my new employer and said that all she could think about was Lucy and Ethel shoving chocolates anywhere they could as they whizzed by on the conveyor belt. I replied that I thought it would be a bit more like the movie Chocolat- yummy and a touch romantic. The reality is somewhere in the middle. There was a very amusing moment on Saturday involving a conveyor belt full of chocolates….but I digress.
My point is that not being gainfully employed for over four years has made me a bit rusty when it comes to schedule juggling. I’m only working part-time, but let me tell you that the new job has definitely thrown a kink into my whole ‘Simplistic Christmas’ plans. This really hit home today when a woman bought a basketful of chocolates for stocking stuffers and said that she was “Getting all of her last-minute shopping done.” It dawned on me that this is officially THE LAST MINUTE and I do not have much of anything done and don’t have much time in my schedule to get it done. This is the point where I run screaming for the rum-laced eggnog and try to sink into some oblivious stupor rather than deal with the reality of an overly stressful week.
At least I’m still doing my yoga. Breath in. Breath out.
So I’m going to re-assess my to-do list for this Christmas and see what can be cut out to help simplify and keep my sanity. If it turns out to be your Christmas card, I apologize.
In the meantime, here are a few links for some great, green, last-minute gifts in case you are in the same boat that I am…
Anamalz - These toys are so beautiful, I want some for myself! They are actually going to be stocking stuffers for my youngest. What I love is that they are organic, give a percentage to conservation efforts, and the price tag is phenomenal! I’ve seen them at both Mastermind Toys and local toy shops.
Affordable Mineral Makeup- My daughter is 7 and wants to start playing with makeup more at home. The chemicals in children’s makeup is even less regulated than adult cosmetics, which is quite scary. This online mineral makeup is inexpensive, safe and comes in all sorts of fun colours for her to experiment with. I’m giving her some Badger Balm and some extra vials so that she can create her own lip glosses and I don’t have to stress about what she is putting on her face. These guys ship quickly and cheaply-even to Canada.
Give an E-book- This is the number one gift that I am giving to all of my close friends this year (i’m sorry if I’m giving away your surprise). First of all, it is green. Secondly, depending on the book, it is free or low-cost. My favourite this year is Simple Mom’s Spend Less Than You Earn. It is actually a collaboration of several great bloggers and is chock-full of timely advice about ways to reduce your living expenses. Now who couldn’t use that?
Filed under Holidays, Sometimes it's Hard to be Green | Comment (1)Gifts for Teacher
One idea to simplify Christmas just walked through my door yesterday in the form of a note from Kate’s principal at school. Kate is still quite young and so far all notes from school has been on the positive side. I’m sure it’s naive of me to hope that never changes, especially with two boys still waiting to enter the system!
This particular note was requesting that we not give gifts to individual teachers this year, but instead donate to one of five charities listed. I have always contemplated how nice (and non-materialistic) this would be to do but have always feared that I would come across as George Costanza on Seinfeld giving gifts to a fictional ’Human Fund’.
It was nice to be given permission by the teachers to make this Christmas less commercial this year. I hope all of the parents will appreciate this way to make the holidays a bit less about ’stuff’. Plus, this whole experience provides good opportunity to talk with Kate about what is really important, rather than buying someone chocolates or bubble bath that may (or may not) be appreciated.
We had actually pared down on the shopping frenzy a bit last year by making Rachel Ray’s 5-Minute Fudge Wreaths for the people who are a special part of our lives. These are fantastic to make with kids because they look and taste great, they are fast, and the kids can actually help because the chocolate never has to get scaldingly hot. However, I have to admit that this year it will be a relief to make one or two less.
I will make sure that Kate takes some time to create a card with a genuine and heartfelt ’Thank You’ and let her teacher know who we contributed to on her behalf. I have a feeling that this process will be memorable and more meaningful for both the giver and the receiver.
Now that I think about it, this type of gift isn’t really simpler. But maybe not everything is meant to be.
Links to some great organizations to give to this year:
Roots and Shoots
Roots & Shoots engages and inspires youth through community service and service learning.
The Jane Goodall Insitute
This global nonprofit empowers people to make a difference for all living things by creating healthy ecosystems, promoting sustainable livelihoods and nurturing new generations of committed, active citizens around the world.
Habitat for Humanity
A nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need.
Free the Children
Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education.
The David Suzuki Foundation
The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based Canadian environmental organization, working to protect the balance of nature and our quality of life.
A Very Simple Christmas
So it is the beginning of December. Most of my decorations are up- just the tree left to do. Our wooden Advent calendar is sitting on a tabletop waiting for little elves to leave treats behind each little door every night while the children sleep. Today our family had the honour of lighting the first candle on our church’s advent wreath.
Although it’s lovely right now, this is the point of the holiday where my stress level begins to steadily creep skyward. We all tend to be bombarded with Christmas plays, pressure to get our greeting cards mailed, succulent dinners and parties to prepare for, children on sugar highs (and lows) and commercials that constantly demand that we need more to be truly happy.
Is that really what Christmas is all about?
I think we all know the answer.
I am determined that this year will be different. This is the year that I am going to pare down, simplify and focus on what is really important at Christmastime. I’ll be blogging my ideas on how our family plans to adjust this season to help make it more meaningful. I’ll also share a bit of ‘link love’ from other blogs with the same idea (there are a lot of smart people out there!). I have a feeling that doing less is going to end up giving us so much more this year.
I wish all of you much joy, love and sanity this Christmas.
Filed under Holidays | Comments (2)
