Back to (green) school

 

Green school recently had the pleasure of working with a school in Toronto.  The Eco Team Leader requested their school logo on the green school mini totes.  An ideal way to show school unity, spirit and environmental awareness.  We were all thrilled with the outcome.

Thanks for thinking green Crestwood!

 

 

Cottage gifts

With cottage season upon us, I thought I would post about this article “The List: 14 Great Cottage Gifts”  that was on the Savvy Mom site.   There are some unique suggestions for cottage gifts.  I think the beach towel idea is a fantastic one.  It doesn’t need to be a name brand towel, perhaps some of the fun, brightly coloured beach towels that can be found at Costco would be appreciated. Cottage games are always a hit.  How about a new board game for the kids at the cottage?  My kids love the Hedbandz game and Pictureka! when we are away at our family cottage.   Everyone enjoys outdoor games like bocce ball and horseshoes.  Be creative and think of how your hosts enjoy spending their time at the cottage when thinking of your gift.

 

Photo Ideas

I just bought a new camera for myself and don’t like the idea of keeping my photos hidden on my computer.   I want to do something with interesting with them.  Seems like we are getting away from printing our photos and instead just let them pile up on our hard drives.  Or maybe that is just me!

My sister put together a fantastic coffee table book for my dad’s  birthday this year.  The quality is superb.  She used iPhoto to have the memories made into a book.

There are some good ideas in this article from Savvy Mom.

Picture Perfect Resolutions
Photo Organization Services

What to do with your treasured family photos after the fact—that is the question.

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of abandoning your images to the hard drive, never to be seen or enjoyed…or to take arms and find better solutions to ensure such fine photos are appreciated and treasured for years to come.

We’re going with the ‘take arms’ option after discovering some great ideas for our holiday shots.

Canadian-based elephoto makes creating photo books, cards, posters and calendars simple with a quick sign-up page and easy to navigate instructions. Elephoto imports pictures from your computer, Facebook, Flickr or Photobucket accounts and then offers a range of customizable features for each page (such as colour text or symbols). They offer linen, photo-wrapped or leather covers and take pride in a printing process that ensures vivid and colourful prints. If you’re new to creating photo books, they have a short and helpful online tutorial and a customer service help line that is actually staffed to help. We like them for thank-you gifts if you happened to have been guests over the hols somewhere as well.

If you’ve resolved to organize your home, simplify your life and save money this year, photolab.ca will help deliver on all fronts. With locations across Canada in many Loblaws and Loblaw-owned stores (No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore etc.) photolab.ca makes it easy to order and pick up…because when are you not picking something up from the grocery store? Select your cover style, theme and colour then painlessly upload and edit photos. In general, photo books from photolab.ca can be ready in approximately 10 days from the order date. Photolab.ca also offers shipping for a small additional charge.

Looking for something extra special to do with your photos? Posterjack offers an excellent way to surprise or celebrate anyone in the family (think birthday or graduation) with a new peel-and-stick option that allows you to place any sized image literally anywhere. Imagine a life-sized image of your child playing their favourite sport for their room. You can stick them on walls, doors or wrap them around corners and more. The peel-and-stick feature allows you to move the poster around time after time, so they never tire of looking at themselves.

Shape Collage allows you to create collages of your pictures in hundreds of shapes (think hearts, an initial, numbers). The genius program has an internal algorithm to ensure that the photos are spread out so as much of each photo in the collage can be seen. Shape Collage allows you to customize from there, adjusting the collage size, size of the photos, or number of photos. Change the background, the colour of the border, and more. Save the image as a jpeg and have it printed anywhere. There’s even a Facebook application for all the images you posted to your profile.

When it comes to photo organizing, picture this as an incentive: a lifetime of memories creatively catalogued and saved for generations to enjoy.

 

It’s that time of year again….

With cold and flu season starting up again, we need to remind our kids about proper hand washing.  I am constantly on my kids to wash up after school.  I have worked in their classrooms and have seen those runny little noses being wiped on everything but a tissue!!

This article is from the EcoMom website.  Good information about a product that many of us use when we aren’t able to wash with soap and water.

Is Your Favorite Antibacterial Hand Cleanser Actually Making You Sick?

by Kimberly Danek-Pinkson on November 18, 2010

 

Whether in the car, purse, home or classroom, you’ve probably got some hand cleanser somewhere. Particularly as the cold and flu season kicks in, you think you’re doing good by wiping down hands, door handles, and desk tops, with your favorite antibacterial gel, spray or wipe. Problem is, it probably contains Triclosan, a registered pesticide often used in conventional hand cleansers. You can avoid chemicals like Triclosan by using good old fashioned soap and water when at home, and on the go, opting for hand cleansers made with essential oils to kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria, without any chemicals.

Need more convincing as to why to avoid Tricolosan? Read on:

• Triclosan disrupts hormones, builds up in body fat and may interfere with other important hormonal and cell signals in both human and animal life.
• Triclosan (and many other harmful chemicals) migrate. It has been found in our bodies and in the breast milk of women using personal care products that contain the chemical.
• Triclosan has been found in water downstream from wastewater treatment facilities (which means it isn’t being totally removed from wastewater) and in the sludge applied to fields as a fertilizer.
• Triclosan has also been found in dolphins, earthworms and frogs, and it may be disrupting their development.
• Triclosan may lead to bacterial resistance, and the American Medical Association has recommended avoiding antimicrobial agents because of resistance concerns.

 

 

Pet-Safe Lawn Control

I am having a grub and skunk issue in my backyard.  Every time I let the puppy outside, I am shocked at how much more of the lawn the skunk has dug up from the previous evening.  It is very frustrating.  I have actually seen this fat skunk wandering across my lawn in the bright morning sunlight.  Are they not nocturnal??  Apparently this one didn’t get that memo.  Driving me nuts!!!

This article has some good information about pet-safe lawn control.  It has to be people-safe too.  Fertilizers are not the answer.

Pet-Safe Lawn Grub Control

By Kimberly Richardson, eHow Contributor

updated: October 14, 2010

Pesticides may cause skin reactions, or worse, on your pets. Although manufacturers test their products for adverse effects, many pet owners prefer to control white lawn grubs through non-chemical means.

Lawn Health

Maintain a healthy lawn to control grubs. A healthy lawn survives moderate populations of grubs, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension suggests removing a section of turf in late summer and monitoring the grubs. Up to five grubs per square foot is not harmful. Aerate compacted soils, apply fertilizer as needed and water according to your climate and grass type.

Nematodes

Parasitic nematodes are not harmful to people, pets, grasses or even earthworms. These microscopic organisms target white grubs and often begin controlling the grub population within hours. Use live nematodes in late summer for the best results and follow directions carefully; sunlight, dry conditions and temperature extremes quickly kill the nematodes. Buy beneficial nematodes online or from many home-improvement stores.

Milky Spore Disease

Less effective than nematodes, milky spore is a disease that only affects Japanese beetle larvae and does not harm pets or people. It is not effective on the larvae of other beetles, such as June bugs. Unlike parasitic nematodes, milky spore disease may take years to affect the grub population, and grubs must be present to spread the disease. Retailers sell milky spore as a powder.

Read more: Pet-Safe Lawn Grub Control | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7330698_pet_safe-lawn-grub-control.html#ixzz148Ju31JR

New Addition

I have a gorgeous new addition.  She is just precious.  Her name is Georgia and she is now 11 weeks old.  Georgia is our new shih-poo puppy.  We are enjoying every minute with her.  The kids just love giggling at the little fluff ball whipping around the house.  She has yet to master stairs or jumping up on any furniture…thank god!  I know it will come soon enough.  Her tiny baby teeth are grasping at every pj pant and shoe that walks by.  She can’t get enough of watching the leaves fall, hearing the birds chirp and seeing the squirrels scamper by.  This is too fun!!!

I was holding her leash and some poop bags the other day and decided that the green school mini tote is fantastic for holding “incidentals” while walking the dog.  I can fit my blackberry; poop bags and treats in the mini tote and attach it with a carabiner (that metal hook and loop thingy) to my leash.  I happened to have a carabiner on my water bottle lid, so I tried it out.  It works great!!!  I love thinking of new ways to use the totes.  I labelled my tote “Georgia” and it now goes with us when we walk.

Here she is….

 

Halloween Tips from the Environmental Working Group

Just read this article today from the EWG.   There are some great Halloween tips and suggestions.

EWG’s Tips to Green your Halloween

Dressing up and celebrating Halloween can be fun – especially for kids. It’s easy to make it a

healthy holiday for your family and the environment. Just follow these simple steps to green

your Halloween routine:

1. Pick play makeup carefully. Many children like to wear colorful cosmetics as part of their costumes.  If they do, make sure they’re using safer products and applying them as directed. Visit cosmeticsdatabase.com to look up your products and find safer ones.

Kids should avoid:

• Face paints can contain lead, which can impact brain development at extremely low doses, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis.

• Lipstick can contain hidden lead. Because little ones tend to eat almost as much as they put on their lips, it is best to avoid lipstick all together. Opt instead for a shiny beeswax-based lip balm.

• Nail polish often contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer. If nail polish can’t be avoided, choose carefully by using cosmeticsdatabase.com.

• Cosmetics in powder form can easily be inhaled. Depending on the particle size, the powder can lodge in children’s nasal passages and even lungs – where it may cause damage.

• Fragrance products Read ingredient labels and avoid products listing “fragrance” – EWG research found that fragrances may contain allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals.

2. Skip the (colored) hairspray. Many hairsprays contain toxic chemicals and fragrance. Kids can easily breathe in sprays. Instead, find a great hat or wig at a second-hand store; or create a great hair-do with ribbons, barrettes and safer, non-spray hair products.

3. Burn more eco-friendly candles – if at all. Candles can offgas toxic compounds. Choose fragrance free candles made from bee, palm or soy wax. Traditional paraffin-wax candles are made from petroleum by-products.

4. Don’t wear synthetic facemasks or teeth. Masks and fake teeth are made from a variety of synthetic materials that aren’t always labeled. Plastics may be softened with endocrine-disrupting phthalates.  Rather than cover your head in unknown, possibly toxic materials, make your own mask from simple materials or try a half-face, masquerade-style mask instead.

5. Offer treats that you would like your kids to receive. Hand out items that have fewer, more natural ingredients.

6. Create a low-impact costume. Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends.

7. If you are going to a party or planning a quick meal, skip the single-use dinnerware. Choose a more sustainable option, like compostable products.

8. Decorate naturally. Grab pumpkins, gourds and hay bales from a local farm to create a haunting scene and reuse decorations from year to year.

Mom to Bed by 8 – green school giveaway

Visit the site Mom to Bed by 8 for an opportunity to win one of two full sets of green school totes.  Each set includes a pencil tote, mini tote and book tote.

Thanks Teri for a great product review!

I always enjoy learning about alternate uses for the totes.  They were originally designed with school in mind, but the options for use are infinite!

Enter the giveaway and check out a great site at the same time.

Cashless Schools

Our school district is quite progressive and has been piloting the cashless school concept for some time now.  Being a cashless school means that parents can pay online for field trips, pizza days, milk program and other school activities.  This is convenient, secure and helps to eliminate lost payments and forms.  It works very well at a high school level where there is a cafeteria as well.

My children’s elementary school has just become cashless.  We received a memo from the school and were asked to register online for our account.  It does not seem to be optional at this point.  It is easy enough to set up and the fees are minimal if you transfer less than $25.  If you transfer more than that from your bank account, there are no fees involved.  At this point the pizza day payments, field trips, milk orders and school spirit wear orders can be handled online.  I realize that this greatly assists teachers, office staff and of course parents who volunteer their time to count money and sort through forms for school programs.

I personally like the fact that cashless means fewer paper forms home and therefore is a “greener option” that we all benefit from. Funny how that wasn’t mentioned in the introductory letter for the program!

Today I sent a green school mini tote with a cheque and Scholastic order form with my daughter.  She wished to purchase a book and even though we are cashless at our school, Scholastic Books is not part of that program.  I expect that there will be lots of other incidentals that arise that are not part of the cashless program.

Back to School Supplies

Our back to school supply list wasn’t as painful this year!  We had to get more pencil crayons, some new pencils for home and school use, lined paper and a geometry set for my oldest daughter who is in grade five.  I had talked to the kids about reusing as much as we could from the previous school year and they were fine with that.  I bought well fitted, durable backpacks last year for the kids and they are still in good shape for this school year.  Our green school pencil totes had last year’s supplies and we added the new pencils and a few pencil crayons to top it up.  I have to admit that I just love the durable, canvas green school pencil tote.  It will last them forever and holds everything!

The geometry set we bought unfortunately did not come in a sturdy carrying case.  I was happy to see that it all fit perfectly in a green school mini tote.  We labelled it “geometry” and my daughter will be able to keep the compass, protractor, triangles and pencils together in one separate case.  I just love finding alternate uses for the green school totes!!