My famiy has a Hallmark habit. A bad one. You haven’t shown that you care if you haven’t selected exactly the right mass-consumer paper greeting. Because of the number of grandmas in our life (5), I spent $26 on cards in May, and then another $10 just for my dad for Father’s Day. Add in postage and we spent over $40 in the past two months on something that doesn’t mesh with our budgeting or environmental values. I say no more! I have a bulging pile of kids’ artwork on top of our microwave, and fine printables like these from hotcakes:

I just can’t pay into the “Your Greetings Must Come from Wallgreens” cabal anymore, you know?

We have so many people flying in to see us for the 1st and 4th birthday weekend at the end of the month that I think we need to buy some carbon offsets. At least the majority of them are taking the same flight, I imagine cosmically that makes some sort of difference, right?

It is so hard to stay within our budget and values for these events. What I’ve wound up doing is trying to stay green for each party element for at least one party, if not both.

Both party venues provide and clean up paper and plastic utensils, plates, and cups. We’ll have to decide if bringing our party plates to one is an option, or just too much of a headache when also shuttling 8 out-of- town guests and managing a half-dozen preschoolers. We can also bring along the mountains of plastic cups and utensils left from a potluck BBQ last summer, so that at least we’re decluttering our house a little in the process.

One party provides goody bags, which I think is mostly promotional material for the gymnastics center. I want to put something from us in the bags, I think, but have no idea what. We don’t really have a theme, but the cake has an edible Lego Star Wars design (all sugar and reusable Legos, so no waste!).

I do want to provide a favor for the little boys’ party, which has a pea pod theme. I’ve ordered several yards of this ribbon:

and am either making some treat bags with green and yellow m&ms (easy) or some seed packets with heirloom snap pea seeds (not so easy).

I made the invitations on picnik.com but did have them printed at a local print shop. For P’s party, we just made a facebook event since all of his friend’s parents are our friends, too. I designed a Lego minifig that looked like him holding some balloons, if that makes it all sound a little more festive.

I’m going to be making some more things, like some felt party hats (kind of like these from Skip to My Lou) and buying some plain bibs to applique. I had to buy interfacing for both projects, but I needed some anyhow. I’ll post pictures once/if I actually make anything!

It’s time to think about Valentine’s Day, and if you have school-aged kids, I’m sure your mind, like mine, is on how to create 20-30 cards without spending a bundle. I’m starting now because I need my 4-year-old’s participation and it’s hard to get him to commit to a project for more than 20 minutes at a time, so I need a few windows of project time to get everything done by the 14th.

This is a great craft for a variety of age groups using items you’re sure to have in your house. You could potentially have a green, upcycled holiday costing you $0!

You will need:

• One treat per classmate. If you’re an avid couponer, you likely have a stash of small candy you can use. We’ll be breaking out the warehouse-store box of fruit leather, or if you have the time and inclination homemade treats are always nice.
• One paper shopping bag per 4 classmates. My son has 28 in his class, so we’ll be using 7 bags to make 56 hearts.
• Crayons, markers, stamps, stickers, or other art supplies/adornments. Older kids can make magazine collages, toddlers can just scribble with a crayon to make one to send to Grandma. Alphabet stamps are especially fun for homemade “conversation hearts.”
• A single hole punch.
• Scissors.
  
• Yarn or ribbon and a plastic/dull point needle.

The fun part:

1. Cut open and set your kid(s) to decorating the inside of the bags
2. Based on the size of your treat(s), select a heart template (many sources online, including a Family Fun magazine PDF) and trace onto decorated bags, cut out hearts
3. Holding two hearts together, punch holes approximately 3/4 of an inch apart around the edge, starting at the bottom of the heart and leaving an opening large enough for your treats on the top
4. Thread plastic needle with extra yarn or spare pieces of thin ribbon and get your little ones sewing them together. Older kids can skip the hole punches and practice using the sewing machine!
5. Insert treats, punch additional holes at the top, and finish sewing around

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show someone how much you love them (and the environment) with recycled greetings!

I’m talking about greening birthday celebrations at BeCentsAble, and always looking for more ideas. I’ve just started designing the triplets’ invitations and thinking about a general theme (which I won’t spoil for those of you who know me IRL and will be at the big party!). And the theme for P, I think, is “run around the gym and get really tired!”

If you’re taking down holiday lights that maybe are no longer functioning this weekend, the Whole Foods blog has some tips on recycling them!

Back with more ASAP

He’s been mentioning wanting a doll for a few weeks so we told him he could pick one out for Hanukkah. I thought we’d take him to the store with educational toys and he could get a baby of his own made from sustainable fabric or something. Instead, today we were in Target bracing for a surprise snowstorm and he spotted this:

That’s right, he wants twins. These ones in specific, because he claims they look like his brothers. I would have bought it on the spot, he was so sweet, if not for all the lousy plastic…

If anyone sees anything better in their shopping travels, let me know!

I admit it: I boasted a long time ago about how I address my holiday cards by Columbus Day, but this year it just didn’t happen. Still hasn’t happened. I’m still running on triplet time, which means it takes me about 6 weeks longer to get to something than I expect. And who knows how long that effect will be in place?

Excuses aside, I have cards, I have photos, and I have photo cards. (Want some photo cards quick and free besides shipping? Freebies 4 Mom has the details. There is also information on a free photo book that you have to claim today and order by the 16th, if you’re looking for an easy gift.) I just don’t have any time! I will get to it soon and luckily all of the elements are in place. Plus, I’m behind on my deadline, but the real world deadline is still a full month away.

I also don’t have a gift list together. I’m hoping the economic situation means the exuberant side of my family is willing to pare back and do a swap. We’re putting it out there that we would like a “no stuff” holiday, and instead would prefer contributions for P to continue various (expensive!) classes and lessons, restaurant gift cards so we can go out as a family, and other experience-based gifts.

For our purchases, we’re joining in on the No Plastic Holiday Challenge!

It shouldn’t be too hard since I already challenged my self to a “tiny choices” holiday where we will be giving some of our favorite green household items to family and friends. Very ambitious, I know, given that I’m running on triplet time and all!

Let’s face it: You’re not going to be able to convince certain relatives to skip holiday gifts or to buy from local vendors or from Etsy, no matter how early you start or how persuasive your argument. I know, because I’ve tried!

Here are a two green items from mainstream stores that would be at home on many families’ gift lists:

The Eco-Friendly Cooking Center from Toys R Us:

The Wonderworld Cooking Center Play Kitchen Set is an ultimate must-have toy. This modern Cooking Center invites endless role play activity. The Wonderworld Cooking Center Play Kitchen Set features an oven with temperature and timer controls, a built-in refrigerator, a washing sink and steam hood. The fun will never end when your child is playing with the Wonderworld Cooking Center Play Kitchen Set! The possibilities for imaginative play are endless and the opportunities for creative growth are plentiful. Wonderworld uses only Water-based paint for our wooden toys so to minimize: child exposure to chemicals, a health factor use of underground fossil fuel, reducing CO2 emission, industry refinery reducing CO2 emission and chemical waste release to the environment. Wonderworld as a strong advocate of protecting the environment, insists on using only rubber-wood that is of replenishable source and widely accepted throughout the world as the environment-friendly material. Wonderworld strictly uses only non-toxic color and laquer constituent for all our products. This not only contributes to the safety proposition for children but also demonstrates our determined commitement to mother earth.

They have other play appliances, too. Nice!

Recycled (and recyclable) cardboard chairs from Land of Nod (via Ohdeeoh). These would be so fun for preschoolers to decorate with markers and stickers, or for crafty parents to customize to match a unique nursery.

What do you have your eye on that’s green but grandparent-shopping-friendly?

You might think I’m not in the Halloween spirit, but it’s just the opposite. I’ve had our costumes ready for weeks, we have a scarecrow on our front porch (named by P, “Duncan!” Duncan’s full name? “Duncan Donuts!”) and an oversized spider living in our bushes, and I’m pricing out the organic lollipops at Whole Foods next week.

Most importantly, the other day we started the neighborhood Booing. On a short jaunt to Target with one of the babies, I grabbed 2 tin buckets, some (hopefully reusable) garland for stuffing, Halloween pencils, and individually-wrapped Green and Black organic chocolates (On clearance! I couldn’t believe my good fortune!). We have a Costco box of fruit leathers, so I stole a handful of those when I got home and wrote up the little pumpkin notes.

On our way home from preschool, P and I left them at two of our neighbor’s houses. I chose the two moms that are the most active in planning block activities, knowing that they will definitely keep the chain going. I can’t wait to see how it spreads down the street!

I’ve tried so hard to come up with a creative post about greening Halloween, but it seems like those are everywhere right now and I’m seeing what I thought were my brilliant ideas in print after they apparently occurred to other brilliant mamas. I don’t want to be repetitive, so I refer you instead to the Green Moms Carnival featuring dozens of posts and to Green Halloween and I’ll get back to the winter holidays.

I was very inspired by the October Tiny Challenge to do small deeds that help others make green choices. I’m going to take it further by doing that for as many holiday gifts as possible. I already had envirosax on my list for my stepmother, and since I came up with this concept, more and more ideas are coming to me.

There is a preponderance of “Green Your Lifestyle” kits out there that run $35-60 each (here’s one example). How about buying the same materials yourself and making several kits for friends and family members? CFC lightbulbs can be bought in big packs at hardware stores. Pick up some of your favorite items or make bulk batches of homemade dishwasher powder to include. I’m guessing with a little ingenuity, you could do this for less than $15 each.

A sweet simple gift for a teacher or a stocking stuffer is a handkerchief holder with a new or vintage handkerchief that might discourage use of paper facial tissues. Likewise, if you have basic sewing skills, you can repurpose t-shirts or other linens into cloth napkins very easily.

So, like the Tiny Challenge, I challenge you to replace one conventional gift with another that will please the recipient but also help them trying something new and green! Let us know what you decide to do or leave a link in the comments to your ideas.