Kids' Day in Green Bay!

While looking up Green Bay area farmers' markets, I stumbled upon the website for Green Bay's Kids' Day!

Kids' Day is held every year on June 25th (six months from Christmas). It's a fun community day for kids in Green Bay, with lots of FREE activities.

Some of the best picks include: educational programs at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (and free corn for feeding the geese and ducks), free admission to Bay Beach Amusement Park, free swimming at many area pools, and free admission to the Neville Public Museum.

Kids are required to get a wristband in advance for the events, there's a list of locations to pick up wristbands here.

Kids' Day is MSG because:
1. It's FREE - saving money is definitely wise.
2. It's close - you don't have to travel far to have a blast (think of the gas you'll save!)
3. It supports the community of Green Bay.
4. Wildlife Sanctuary - need I say more?

Speaking of Gardens...

I should probably first share with you that we’re expecting in November! With this news, this awesome twosome decided to get back to our “roots”. Getting back to the way we were both raised, on garden-grown foods, living off the land more successfully and permanently. Not to say we haven’t been kind to the environment already, because we have both kept childhood practices in tow, but now that there’s someone else to think about, it’s about time we solidify our choices and stand by them for good.

With that in mind, we were able to discuss our options and secure one of the gardens at my parents’ house. In it, we will have a full selection of foods we can eat now and foods for baby! Squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes fill part of baby’s list, while we’re going for peas, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and musk melons. Huge list, but I know my appetite will be just as large for these healthy home grown items once they’re ready. We will also provide some pictures along the way as the growing season develops.

In addition, I will be posting about the other various decisions we’re making about our little one before he or she arrives this fall. Yay!

My Whole Family Has a Cold!

I haven't been posting for a while; my daughter, husband and I all came down with a rather nasty cold. It's been many nights of fevers, coughs, runny noses and body aches at my house.

Back in October, the FDA released a statement recommending that OTC cough medicines no longer be given to children under the age of two. Since then, there has been additional research that cough medicines aren't effective for children under six. The dosage is too small to do any real good, and a larger dose could be harmful to a child. With that information, I'm hesitant to give cough syrup to my two year old.

And for myself, I have unpleasant side effects from most cold medicines, so I rarely take anything.

But never fear! In the usual MSG fashion, I revived an old standby solution that my mom taught me. Chances are good you've heard this one, but it never hurts to repeat it.

Mix equal parts honey and lemon juice in a small container (I used an old baby food jar). You can warm it if you like, I usually don't. For a child, give a baby spoonful. For an adult, a teaspoon should do the trick.

*WARNING* DON'T GIVE HONEY TO CHILDREN UNDER ONE! Young children could develop infant botulism from eating honey.

The honey coats the throat, soothing the cough. The lemon juice helps break up the stuff in the back of the throat. As an added benefit, little ones who want "Doctor Mom" to treat them will get the comfort of medicine.

The best part about this is you can use this as often as you like, no waiting 4-6 hours. Plus, it tastes great (much better than artificial cherry).

For the cold I currently have, the honey and lemon works the best for when I wake up in the middle of the night with a dry, scratchy throat. I just love it when the simplest solution turns out to be the best!

Reflections on Mother's Day

Yesterday morning, my daughter called me into her room. I sat on the floor by her bed, talking to her and feeling sentimental over Mother's Day, and what being a mom means to me. She sat up and gave me a big hug, and I thought, "This is why I do what do." The little girl is the reason I cringe when someone tosses a can in the trash, or I see the yellowish smoke belching across the sky from that factory near the bay.

I think of the world I want her to live in, and I owe it to her to make it the best I can for her. That's why I'm striving to live greener. I also want to model good behavior for her, which is why I try to reduce my consumerism and be less wasteful.

I once read a mean-spirited comment on another green blog that has stuck with me. The person who made the comment was charging that if you cared about the environment, you wouldn't have children. That comment continues to bother me, because in truth, without children, why would anyone care about the environment?

If there weren't a single young person in your life (be it child, relative or child of a friend), would you really care about what happened to the environment? The Earth's only gotta last you another eighty years, tops. If there weren't a child that I cared about, I would see little reason to care about what happens when I'm gone. (One might argue that you'd care for other children you've never met, but I don't think many people would sacrifice having children to save the future for the offspring of people who wouldn't make that sacrifice themselves.)

No, I don't live green for myself. I do it for a two-year-old girl with strawberry blond hair. And that's all the reason I need.

photo by: planetka

Mainstream Green Does Kids' Birthday Parties

My daughter recently turned two. Here's how I made it Mainstream Green, and suggestions to help you do the same for your next party:


Decorations

Use things you already have. My girl's party was teddy bear themed, so we put groups of her teddy bears on the tables and an over sized bear to greet the guests.

Find natural rubber balloons, which are biodegradable. (Remember to closely supervise young children playing with balloons, and take away any that pop.)

Use beach balls instead of balloons. These cute ones would be great for a tropical theme (maybe next year). They would also make nice take home favors.

Skip the crepe paper and paper table cloth. No one really remembers those, anyway.

Make the snacks double-duty. Find snacks that go with the theme, and put them out in bowls. We used Teddy Grahams and gummy bears. Colored Goldfish crackers would be great for that tropical theme mentioned above.

Food

Let's NOT do lunch - or dinner. A morning or afternoon party with snacks, cake and drinks is just fine. Since my daughter naps in the afternoon, we planned a light brunch.

If you can, Enlist help for the food. We are fortunate to have three sets of grandparents all willing to help with their granddaughter's party. If you can get help, use it!

Keep the menu simple to prepare, and more healthful, too. In my experiences, fresh fruit or a plain fruit salad goes over better than any whipped cream or marshmallow fluff concoction. And it's easier to prepare, too. Just keep an eye out for what's in season, as fruit can be pricey.


Location, Location, Location

Hold the party somewhere centralized. Both my husband's family and my family live about 30 miles from us. It made more sense for us to drive that distance than to have everyone come to us. In green terms, we had one vehicle driving 30 miles instead of six vehicles.


Invitations

Use the phone. I have graphic design experience, so this was a difficult decision for me. But in the name of all things green, I skipped the paper invites and picked up the telephone. Just be sure the guests know that the call is the official invite.

If you must do paper invitations, use postcards. You'll save on postage and use less paper, too.

The typical birthday party leaves parents with an empty wallet and a bag of trash. Concentrate on what's really important (for me, celebrating with all sides of my family) and cut the unnecessary. By thinking outside of what is "expected" for a kid's party, you can save cash and be a little greener.