Recognizing that there are guests among us (hello husbands, fathers, step fathers, uncles, and sons), we will cut right to the chase with regard to today's gift theme. As promised... each day for the week we are going to celebrate a different mother and the best gift she remembered either giving OR receiving. Then, I throw out a prompt (yesterday... "extravagant") and the readers share their ideas around that theme. For you men out there... consider it a focus group of women sitting right there in your office and telling everything you need to know to be a hit on Sunday, May 11. Your award winning ideas will be listed under the comment section at the bottom of today's entry (just click on "comments"). Check back throughout the day... as people post a various times.
In honor of Mother Earth... today we will look at suggestions for HOMEMADE Mother's Day gifts.
Now for the rest of you readers not in a rush to move along... I thought we could spend a couple of minutes sharing a few ideas about celebrating Mother Earth's Mother's Day... Today... Earth Day. You might be worried I am going to spout off some elaborate ideas about cookies you can bake (though I did do that with Cassie and Jessica on Sunday. See fun pic), a party you can whip up before day's end, or some fun and creative prop you could build (or better yet... decoupage) in honor of Earth Day. No, if ever there was a woman who didn't require extravagance for Mother's Day,it's Mother Earth. Au Contraire.
No. The schtick for today is SIMPLE things you can do with little to no preparation. The idea... capitalize on the things you are already doing or use small, five-minute pockets of time. I'll list a few and then maybe you'll add on... at the end of your recommendation for a Homemade Mother's Day gift (either given or received).- Take the stairs instead of t
he elevator: Saving energy matters no matter how small the effort might seem. - Catch the cold water that comes out of the spigot, while heating your kids (or you) bath water, in a bucket and then allow your kids to use it to water a plant or flower. Talk to them about the importance of conserving water.
- Going to the grocery store after work to pick up a few items for dinner? Say "no thank you" to a grocery bag. It is great role modeling.
- Show your kids the amount of junk mail you received today. Then talk to them about how much waste it translates into over time. Better yet, collect all your junk mail for the next two weeks and then have the conversation. You can top the whole experience off by canceling subscriptions by going to catalogchoice.org.
- Examine the boxes, containers, and cans you use while preparing dinner. Have a brainstorming session at dinner about how you could reuse the containers for something different (pen holder; cereal-sized boxes as magazine holders).
- Before or after dinner, walk your neighborhood with a BROWN BAG and host your own mini clean-up.
- Replace just one light bulb in your house with a LED bulb.
- At 7:00 p.m. do a quick inventory to see how many lights are on in your house. Do they need to be?
- Celebrate Mother Earth by each family member pointing out something beautiful ( a tree in your yard, ivy growing on the side of your house; a body of water; a bird nest in a nearby tree).
- Have a five minute dinner conversation about the words Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and brainstorm ways you might apply it to life in your household.
- Plant a flower.
Thanks for playing. Tune in tomorrow and as always - with only 91 visitors yesterday and 791 more hits to go... 
No comments:
Post a Comment