Have some squirrely kids at home these days? Mine are all climbing the walls and going to school full-day and having physical activities afterwards isn’t denting their energy! I’ve realized this time of year it’s extra important to get that dose of fresh air! We tend to go into hibernation mode this time of year but kids need to get outside even more. Many schools keep kids indoors if it’s raining so they get very little outside time in wet North American climates. I get a lot of inspiration from the websites I’ve listed below – they have amazing ideas for keeping kids engaged with unique activities for encouraging the outdoors! I’ve also teamed up with a new sponsor this season and it’s very exciting. A local mountain, Cypress Mountain has offered my family some excursions on their Mountain to experience this ski season. This is my favorite mountain to ski and I’m so excited to enjoy some bonding time with my children up the mountain. Can I be honest? I went up Cypress Mountain with my boys last winter and it was one of the best days of my parenting journey. I don’t know what happened… could it have been all that fresh air, the memories of skiing when I was a child? I don’t know but some magic clicked that day and the one-on-one bonding time a had with the boys was intense. You want maximized quality time with your children? Take them into the wilderness or up a mountain. Talking while riding up a chair lift, the comradely checking on each other while going down the slope, the exhilaration you experience while enjoying a truly beautiful sport is wonderful and it’s one I hope all parents can enjoy once with their children. If you don’t ski – I would suggest an equally great time is snow shoeing, tobogganing or tubing on a ski slope. It is carefree fun and your kids need to see this side of you, completely relaxed and loving the outdoors.
This is a picture of my sons and I on New Year’s Eve. Our first time night skiing and the city lights in the backdrop were stunning!
Two sites that offer wonderful tips on enjoying outdoor winter activities are:
Let The Kids Play – an blog that is probably aimed at more preschool aged children but their articles are so incredible, order children would benefit for the activities too!
The Grass Stain Guru – helping parents make a resolution to impact physical and mental health for their children – PLAY MORE!
Related Articles:
Resources to Get Parents and Children Outside Enjoying Nature
Summer Fairy Garden and Fairy House
Geocaching – Eco Activity For Entire Family
With my journey to research sustainable products I sometimes struggle with Disney. It was harder when the kids were younger and I was left to wonder what types of plastic many of their toys are made from. But there are some things that you can’t argue about Disney and it’s an emotion and feeling wrapped up in a whole lotta magic. We are an old school Disney family as our kids loved the Disney classics: Snow White, 101 Dalmatians, Lion King, Peter Pan. And when your children believe in a place filled with dogs that communicate via The Twilight Bark, a Princess that enchants forest animals, and my favorite; a land where there are lost boys, pirates, mermaids, and a captain with a hook, it’s priceless and I wouldn’t take away any Disney memories from my kids. My kids entire childhood is filled with these Disney visions and we’ve never been to Disneyland. But we have read stories, watched movies, and had attended 2 Disney On Ice Performances. When the boys were very young we attended Nemo On Ice and it was amazing. The boys are now ages 7 and 9 and squealed with joy when I told them we’re attending Toy Story 3 Disney On Ice this week. That is the magic of Disney – you can be any age and truly just feel joy when you see the characters stepping onto the ice. I can’t wait to see the reaction from my twin daughters that haven’t been to a show yet!
Check out the Vancouver show featuring moments from different Toy Story movies and taking place at the Pacific Coliseum. Mention the code LOTSO by phone or enter it online and pay only $15 per ticket for children! This deal is available for these shows so hurry to book as tickets won’t last:
- THURSDAY Nov 24th @ 7:30 PM AND SATURDAY Nov 26th @ 12:00 PM
Vancouver is hosting eight shows from November 23 – 27, 2011. Tickets for Disney on Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 in Vancouver are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000. You can check out video clips of all Disney On Ice shows by visiting the official Disney On Ice site.
Haha…everything I’m not young and hip, although I think I’m pretty easy to buy for. We all have those wonderful people in our lives that are impossible to shop for because they can purchase high-end, very hip items themselves. No I’m not talking about kids. Whether it’s grown nephews, nieces, siblings, child care providers, teachers, or friends. Well – I have the store for you. Seriously, I’ve shopped there a few times, I’ve written about it a few times, and every time I see Billy Would’s new products I’m more convinced that this is the only store you need to find amazing gifts for those ‘hard to buy for’ people on your Christmas list. Another bonus is Billy Would is an online store so you don’t need to be local to enjoy Adea’s designs.
So many times it’s hard to classify a designer that produces jewelry or accessories so closely resembling art so I won’t label Adea – owner of Billy Would Designs. Her highly polished modern wood jewelry collection are sourced from reclaimed hardwoods that are clean and earthy in design – perfect for any person on your ‘tricky’ to buy for list. Hard to imagine these eco-friendly pieces were once defected wood or discarded furniture. My all time favorite design is her tree pendant. I gave this necklace to a very special friend for Christmas two years ago and she just loves it!
Crank up the cool factor and check out the Billy Would belt buckles made from throw away skateboards. All of these buckles are literally one of a kind and super cool you can see the layers of the skateboard when you turn the belt buckles on it’s side. I purchased one of these last week from Billy Would for the toughest person to buy for on my list. The story behind these accessories is guaranteed to wow any lucky recipient. The finished product is also very contemporary and fresh – they really stand out with a pair of jeans on both men and women. Also a great price point at $35. Best chance at finding these skateboard buckles before Christmas is if you’re local to Vancouver, is checking out the One Of A Kind Show in Vancouver this weekend. Billy Would is showing there with so many more talented artists, designers, craftspeople that are so inspiring and amazing.
My mom was with me when we checked out the Billy Would table last weekend and she thought the pendants and skateboard buckles were very cool and interesting too. So whatever the age, people just appreciate art and the stories behind them. This is such a trend with gift giving this Christmas and I’m so happy to write about these talented people. Thanks and happy holidays!
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and many parents are busy shopping for tasty dinner ideas. Lucky for me I’m attending, rather than hosting this year but listening to friends talk about shopping and prep work got me thinking about local neighbourhood grocery stores. Most communities are littered with small grocers that serve an invaluable purpose as they offer specialized items and provide high end alternatives, including organic, but these stores could also use some improvements. I’ve often said the change for any retail store will not come the first time you ask for change. It won’t happen the 2nd, or 3rd time either. But imagine a Produce Manage or butcher that receives the same suggestions multiple times per day? How could it not ignite change? Here’s a challenge and I’ll be approaching my own local store as well and will publish the results. What sorts of things can you request that would improve human health and the environment? Read these suggestions:
Sell Re-usable Produce Bags
I think most grocery stores sell cloth shopping bags at check-out in case customers forget to bring our own – but what about produce bags? I often forget to bring my reusable produce bags shopping because I make unscheduled grocery stops. The solution is a grocer that sells Carebags. I have tested these bags and think they are amazing! The key with producing a great reusable produce bag is they need to be thick enough to protect produce from touching the scale or turnbelt at the store, but thin enough so they don’t add extra weight when you’re checking out your product..so you’re not paying extra for your food. Carebags are affordable, easy to clean, and offer a great size 9″x11″. You can purchase these bags directly at the Carebags site or ask your local grocery store to sell them. Then when you forget your produce bags – you can pick up more bags rather than using cheap, non-recyclable, PVC and phthalate leaching plastic bags. Picture below from the Carebags site:
PVC-free Plastic
While we’re on the topic of PVC-free, the topic of PVC-free plastic wrap would be a great suggestion for your grocer. Small stores are always wrapping cut fruit (1/2 watermelons, packaged corn on the cob, etc.) with cling wrap. Not only produce, but all salmon and meat packed at the in-store butcher is covered in plastic wrap. Like most little ‘extras’ I would bet the plastic wrap is made from the cheapest bulk plastic wrap the store could find because they use large amounts of it. Ask your local produce manager and butcher to start using PVC-free plastic wrap and to replace the styrofoam clam shells that the meat is sold and wrapped on.
Locally Sourced Food
Have you seen the documentary Food Inc.? Watch the trailer and you’ll be hooked. Just hearing a farmer admit “If you can grow a chicken in 49 days, why would you want one you have to grow in 3 months?” It is a must-see documentary, life changing and it will change how you shop for and view your food. A bonus for me personally was it didn’t totally gross me out. I was expecting to see animals being tortured and it wouldn’t take much for me to stop eating meat all together. Well, I highly recommend watching Food Inc. and you will come away feeling empowered to make better choices with your food. The biggest thing I learned was to start sourcing my meat locally. I am trying to purchase chicken and beef at a local farm that meets a healthy criteria for meat production. What does this mean for my local grocer? I’m not buying meat from them. But that point is worth mentioning to them because if I can source my meat through a local distributor – why can’t they?
Produce Stickers
Everyone curses the dreaded little stickers that come on produce. I’ve found up to three stickers on 1 organic apple before..it’s not only annoying, but the glue attaching these stickers is rubbing off on your food. Unless the grocer is making a concentrated effort to purchase labels that are biodegradable – can they not just skip putting these labels directly onto our food? I would think the checkout person knows the difference between the types of produce available. Ask that these stickers not be put directly on our food (touching the skin) to save on ingesting glue. I was researching this topic because I remember reading a blog article about the glue used on these stickers being toxic (can’t find the article to reference this fact) but I came across gardening blogs that talked about the only recognized thing in their composter after everything else dissipated was the stickers from apples. Makes you wonder exactly what they are made from, printed with (ink), and attached with (glue).
Locally Sourced Trinkets
It seems weird to make gift type purchases at a grocery store…but when you’re heading out to a friend’s house and want to grab a quick hostess gift, it would be great for the store to not carry imported crap. A local grocer should support local artisans and locally made cards and gifts. It just feels good to source and purchase locally made gifts.
Ask Parents What They Want
I would think a local, small grocer would sell items that are used daily – stuff families are always running out of. Examples of this? Laundry soap, milk, bread. My husband is constantly getting the phone call on his way home to pickup the same items because we go through so much with our 4 children. A local grocery should be aware of this and stock healthy alternatives in these items. Don’t just carry regular laundry soap or dryer sheets. Why? Because every family I know has someone sensitive to fragrance and the phthalates traditional companies contain. Why not stock soap nuts, wool dryer balls, or more organic solutions that are convenient and eco-friendly. Don’t know what parents want? Ask them! Hold a contest or simply ask people by walking around your store and find out what items a parent would like a healthier alternative. Parents are great for helping source great products because we have become advocates for our children’s wellness.
Helpful Links
For all you readers that participate in social media, here are some related links and companies to follow:
Carebags Twitter ID @Carebags
Carebags Facebook Fan Page
Soapnuts Twitter ID @buysoapnuts
BaaLLS Twitter ID Get BaLLS
Mommy Footprint: PVC Plastic ~ The poison Plastic In Your Home
~
When I first saw the hand painted notebooks from local artist April Lacheur I instantly knew what my Mother’s Day pick would be. These days, who can resist an affordable, one-of-a-kind, unique, hand painted, and locally supported artist and beautiful mother’s day gift? Certainly I can’t, and when you check out her amazing portfolio (right down to her signature tree trunks) you’ll understand my excitement. And for those Mommy Footprint readers that aren’t local to my West Coast roots, April has done her sourcing of the notebooks locally so if you are ordering them from another Province or State, she’s already looked after keeping the footprint light.
First a small glimmer into the product that caught my eye and inspired me to write about these notebooks. Most of you know I’m a very practical person and I think the price point for these usable and unique pieces of art is great! The journals come lined or un-lined and can be found here on April’s site and were sourced at Those Great Little Books that have a very cool and eco story all on their own! Read the story about Sandy’s Book and you’ll quickly understand the very cool things this company can do with notebook design and creativity! Back to April – check out these amazing functional (and original) journal covers with her lovely hand painted designs. Just a perfect gift for a busy mom who would love the first page to be filled with notes from her husband or children about why she is special.
While you are on April’s site you might also notice her hand painted totes – another great gift idea(PVC-free) for mom this year with another great price point under $30.
It’s also very cool to watch the evolution of April’s paintings. Her latest from her Facebook updates is just wonderful and fills me with happiness. This is what the West Coast has looked like over the past few weeks with the beautiful cherry blossoms…combined with the whimsical tree trunks that are truly April’s signature:
My thanks to April for the earthy inspiration and for helping us learn that words like local, hand crafted, hand painted, and unique don’t have to be translated into the word expensive.
Related Articles:
