A seasonal table or nature table serves as an indoor reminder of the changes of the seasons. Many families and Waldorf schools add to the table as they find natural treasures like rocks, shells, twigs, small squashes at harvest time, new leaves in spring, and anything else that strikes the fancy of adults or children…Read the full article.

Whether you are bringing indoors evergreen boughs, a whole tree, or just a smaller reminder of the turning of the seasons, decorating with nature helps your child to connect with nature and the cycle of life, death, and new life. This year, I adapted a velvet acorns project I found in a surprise issue of…Read the full article.

Would you like to avoid that embarrassing holiday garbage can? You know the one, full to the brim and beyond with boxes and paper from a few holiday gifts. Reusable gift wrap will save you the embarrassment, if that’s what motivates you. If you need more positive motivation, think of the good example and family…Read the full article.

Do you get too busy to really know how you feel? Do you give yourself a moment to check in and ask whether your busy-ness is helping you to be a happier, healthier person? Several of my friends are so busy that they aren’t making space for that downtime check-in, and I worry about them.…Read the full article.

On the most commercial weekend of the year, you are bombarded with messages to buy stuff so you can give stuff. If you are trying to keep stuff to a minimal in your house, you can extend that attitude to your giving. My daughter is my model of good giving this year. If you are…Read the full article.

Have you heard about Patagonia’s Common Threads Initiative? The initiative encourages Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle, and Reimagine. It’s about de-stuffing our lives—the part of our lives related to consumption of outdoor clothing, at least. They were already repairing used Patagonia clothing and taking back worn clothing for recycling, but now they are pulling all of…Read the full article.

With holidays and other events coming up, you may be planning a trip soon. If you are planning to travel by plane with a baby or young child, especially if this will be your child’s first flight, a few preparations will make the trip easier for both of you. 1. Bring New, Interesting Baubles When…Read the full article.

Do you ever think that it’s just faster and easier to make the meals yourself than to have your small children help? Don’t send them away! Your children need that time at your side to eventually learn to prepare meals themselves. My husband is the one who says it’s easier to do things himself. I…Read the full article.

What is green for me isn’t necessarily green for us. What is green for now isn’t necessarily green forever. Global sustainability as a standard isn’t necessarily the only way each of us makes choices for our families. One of our customers asked, “What is the difference between products that are green for the environment and…Read the full article.

Those of us trying to green our families and homes often, understandably, start in the kitchen. As our awareness of issues spreads, we start to see more changes we can make to create and model sustainability for our families. Questions that we’ve heard from a few customers are: What makes a difference in choosing children’s…Read the full article.