Earth Day!

2015 marks Earth Day Canada’s 25^th Anniversary  Hooray!   

Earth Day is one of my all-time favourite observances.  I love the crafts, the ideas and excitement of participating in the fun and positive events of environmental action for our planet.   Earth Day Canada urges us this year to “Clean our Commute,” suggesting that we use self-propelled travel, walking, biking, skateboarding or roller blading. 

I am a great fan of walking.  People power gets me and my family moving, so I have taken a different approach to cleaning our commute.  Next week, I am planning to carry a bag and gloves as we walk to school and playdates.  Along the way every day, we will pick up trash, recyclable and other unsightly winter leftovers. 

Looking for some fun and easy ways to celebrate earth day with your family?    Here are 22 ideas to get you started:

1. Go for a nature walk.

2. Ride bikes. 

3. Have a picnic. 

4. Make a paint chip mosiac of the Earth.

5. Serve a vegetable flower snack. 

6. Plant a garden.

7. Decorate a recycling box.

8. Pick up litter in your neighbourhood or at a local park.

9. Go canoeing.

10. Make a batch of Earth Day cookies.

11. Go wading in a creek.

12. Make an Earth Day suncatcher.

13. Go for a hike in your favorite park (for FREE!)

14. Create a craft from nature.

15. Read "The Lorax."

16. Build a solar oven (and use it to bake your Earth Day cookies!)

17. Plant a tree.

18. Leave the car at home and walk or bike all day.

19. Buy local.

20. Go meat-free.

21. Turn off the tap.

22. Be outside.

Win Tickets to Kids Fest

Enter to win a family 4-packs of tickets to Kidsfest Ottawa 2015. 

The event runs on April 11 and 12.  Family passes are valid for 2 adults and 2 children and can be used on  

Want discounted tickets to Kidsfest Ottawa? CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets online and use PROMO CODE: Blogger11. $30 for a family pass and $3 off adult tickets purchased separately.  

For more info on Kidsfest Ottawa, visit: http://kidsfestottawa.ca/

To enter comment below with the name of your favourite kid.  

Mom in the Know has everything you need to get your Easter Weekend Hopping!  

 

Individual portions make dessert extra special. They also bake in a fraction of the time of a large cheesecake. To serve, drizzle each with maple syrup. 

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As a mother of a young daughter and a former teacher, I know the importance of teaching girls how to love themselves unconditionally. Did you know that 7 out of 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, their performance in school or their relationships with their families and friends? When I read this statistic it made me wonder just when do our girls lose their self-confidence? When do they go from little girls who do not have a care in the world filled with confidence and self-esteem to girls who are filled with self-doubt who do not love what they see when they look in the mirror?  As Mothers, Teachers and Friends, it is our job to Educate, Inspire and Empower our girls. 

On International Women’s Day, and every other day of the year, lead by example by Celebrating with them and encouraging them to reach out, learn more  and become empowered. 

Here are some great ideas for celebrating International Women’s Day:

Give her a biography of a woman who accomplished important goals in her life. if you can match the woman to the girl's interests, all the better.

Amelia Earhart 

Helen Keller

Anne Frank

J.K. Rowling

Research Organizations Promoting Girls and Women and make a donation or, better yet, sign up to volunteer.  Whether you’re designing pamphlets or helping organize events. There are so many awesome organizations out there, it will be hard to choose.

Take some time Reach Out to Important Women in Your Lives.  Think about some of the women who have had a great impact in your lives. Whether it’s your mom/ grandmother, significant other, best friend, or teacher, reach out with a card or phone call.  If you have time, drop by with flowers or a small gift.  

Celebrate each other. Go out for lunch, browse the local library, get a manicure.  Spend the day just being girls.