Category Archives: Holidays and Celebrations

How to Enjoy a Low-Stress Holiday Season

  By Donna DeForbes | November 25, 2014 - 5:00 am |
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How to enjoy a low-stress holiday season | Eco-Mothering.com

According to an American Psychological Association poll, Americans love the holiday season, but eight out of ten admit to experiencing a great deal of stress around it. And the majority of those stressed-out people are women. That’s not a surprise. We tend to do most of the planning and preparation around events and celebrations. But all that juggling takes a toll on our physical and mental state of being. It’s time to take a step back from the holiday madness and make some changes. From gifts and parties to personal health and resolutions, women bloggers share some ideas on how you can reduce your stress this season. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify! 5 Ways to Simplify Christmas from Red and Honey How to Keep Gift Giving Simple from The Humbled Homemaker 6 Simple Tips to Saying “No” (Without Being an A-Hole) from Mix Wellness Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Attainable from Eco-Mothering … Continue reading →

How to Maintain Healthy Sleep During the Holidays

  By Donna DeForbes | November 20, 2014 - 5:00 am | ,
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father-and-baby-sleeping

This is a guest post by Rosie Osmun. The end of the year is a wonderful time of celebrating and getting together with the people closest to us. However, all our busy plans can wreak havoc on a steady sleep schedule. To combat this, here are a few natural tips to help you and your kids sleep better through the holiday season. Practice Bedtime Yoga A fun, connecting activity the whole family can do before bed is nighttime yoga. The relaxing benefits of yoga will allow your kids to calm down, stretch out any tension in their bodies from the day and have bonding time with the whole family. Try these five kid-friendly yoga poses that release physical and mental tension, or this yoga sequence to help cultivate sleep in babies and toddlers. Dimming the lights, playing soft music, focusing on breath and using blankets and pillows while doing yoga makes the … Continue reading →

Guilt-Free Green Tip #77: Decorate with Nature

  By Donna DeForbes | November 18, 2014 - 5:00 am | ,
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Natural holiday decoration | Eco-Mothering.com

Welcome to a regular blog feature called Guilt-Free Green Tips. These will be easy action steps you can take to be a little greener, and each mini post will feature one tip. Choose the ones that appeal to you, and learn what eco benefits a single, simple step can make. Decorating for the holidays is a fun tradition, but did you know that this year Americans spent nearly $2 million decorating for Halloween? And in 2011, we purchased $6 billion of holiday decorations for Christmas! That’s a lot of money at a time when people often stress about not having enough for other things. Holiday decoration can be much simpler, sustainable, cheaper — and really quite beautiful — when you source items from nature. Sometimes the simple placement of a few eye-catching pieces makes a bigger impression than a house full of plastic creatures. (That even sounds a little creepy, doesn’t it?) … Continue reading →

Unique, Wacky and Gently Green Holidays to Celebrate in NOVEMBER

  By Donna DeForbes | October 31, 2014 - 5:00 am |
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Unique and gently green holidays in November | Eco-Mothering.com

Some people only think about an eco lifestyle on Earth Day, April 22. However, a little research showed me that every month has a few unique and earth-friendly holidays that can be cause for celebration. Pick whichever ones appeal to you, then get out there and celebrate! November is Child Safety Awareness Month — get started on that by avoiding these five toxins in your baby’s products. On the lighter side, it’s also National Sleep Comfort Month and Peanut Butter Lovers Month! November’s Celebrations by Week: 1st Saturday – Book Lovers Day (also celebrated August 9) Yes! A day just for reading. What could be better? Get your kids started with some of these eco-themed books. 3rd Thursday – Great American Smokeout Day A day to encourage people to give up the butt, which would result in less health problems all around. Saturday before Thanksgiving – National Adoption Day Share … Continue reading →

Infographic: Green Your Halloween

  By Donna DeForbes | October 9, 2014 - 5:00 am | ,
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Green Your Halloween | Eco-Mothering.com

It’s fun and easy to put a little green into all your holidays. This infographic hints at what you’ll find in my e-book, The Guilt-Free Guide to Greening Your Holidays, available on Kindle and as a PDF. Learn more. This post is shared at Natural Living Monday, Natural Family Friday, Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Blog Hop and Simply Natural Saturdays.  

Unique, Wacky and Gently Green Holidays to Celebrate in October

  By Donna DeForbes | September 30, 2014 - 5:00 am |
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A few unique and earth-friendly holidays to honor in October | Eco-Mothering.com

Some people only think about an eco lifestyle on Earth Day, April 22. However, a little research showed me that every month has a few unique and earth-friendly holidays that can be cause for celebration. Pick whichever ones appeal to you, then get out there and celebrate! OCTOBER is Adopt-a-Dog Month. My family did that in August, and our lives have certainly changed. Learn more about rescue centers and reasons to adopt a shelter dog into your family. October’s Celebrations by Week 1st Sunday – Change a Light Day Really. Just change one light bulb to an energy-efficient CFL or LED one and you’re all set. 1st Monday – World Habitat Day A day for promoting awareness about our growing population and advocating for everyone around the world to have proper shelter. Learn more. 1st Saturday – Frugal Fun Day Like it says, have fun for free or cheap! Go … Continue reading →

Top 5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Summer Entertaining

  By Donna DeForbes | June 27, 2014 - 5:00 am | ,
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Tips for Eco Entertaining | Eco-Mothering.com

Along with summer comes outdoor gatherings and backyard barbecues. While being outside may already seem green, here are five ways to go easy on the earth (and save yourself some bucks) when entertaining. Dine on Bamboo and Sugar Cane Several companies — including BAMBU, EATware and Treecycle — now make biodegradable or compostable plates, bowls and cups made from items like recycled plastic or sugar cane. When our parties aren’t too large, we prefer to skip the disposables altogether and use our regular dishes. If you don’t have enough, comb thrift shops and yard sales to create a funky collection of colorful tableware for entertaining. Dress it up with pretty cloth napkins or items from nature for a tablescape right out of HGTV. Drink with Less Packaging Fill glass pitchers with water, lemonade or iced tea instead of buying individual bottles. (They also look nicer on the table.) Nix the juice … Continue reading →