Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 11

The average consumer wraps 20 gifts during the holidays. If just three of those gifts were wrapped in reused paper or a paper alternative, the paper saved could cover 45,000 football fields!

• Use decorative newspaper ads, colorful pages from magazines, old book pages, music sheets, old maps, calendars, or Sunday comics to wrap with.
• Chances are that if you have a child, you have heaps of drawings and paintings that you are constitutionally unable to throw away. Use that old art for wrapping paper.
• Cut wrapping paper or children’s art to fit the top and bottom of a gift box and permanently attach it—that way the box can be reused without having the paper ripped to open it.
• Reuse old ribbons and wrapping paper (if wrinkled, press with a warm iron).
• Use flowers, evergreen sprigs, rosemary sprigs (yum!), pinecones, yarn, or reusable hair ribbons instead of plastic bows.
• Use the fronts of old holiday cards as name tags for this year’s gifts.
• Create a scavenger hunt in your home by hiding unwrapped gifts and giving each of your family members clues to find them.

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 10

If you’re doing any holiday baking this season, double the batch and take an extra loaf of homemade bread or a dozen holiday cookies to a neighbor or friend who may be ill or just overwhelmed this holiday season.

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 9

Sign up for a local Turkey Trot run/walk event. Many cities host events like this on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a good way to get out and exercise before sitting down to a big Thanksgiving meal. Plus, the registration fees for these events usually go to local non profit organizations.

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 8

Tens of thousands of families in need wait in line for hours to sit down to a hot Thanksgiving meal. Volunteer to serve Thanksgiving meals at your local homeless shelter or food bank. If you have older children, sign them up too.

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 7

Everyone loves the smell of a fire during the holiday season. But wood burning fireplaces introduce unique hazards, including the possible emission of toxic chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identifies some of these toxic chemicals as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxin and inhalable particulate matter. These air pollutants can cause a wide range of health problems such as burning eyes, coughing, headaches and bronchitis.

To minimize the emission of toxic chemicals with a wood-burning fire:

• Only burn dry seasoned hardwoods like oak, hickory and ash

• Avoid burning soft woods like pine and cedar

• Avoid burning wet wood and wood treated in any way (like painted wood, plywood, etc.)

• Never burn plastics, cardboard, garbage, gift wrapping, magazines, etc.

If you want the beauty of a fire without the big environmental impact, light soy or beeswax candles. Get several large pillar candles or varying heights and place them on a flat surface in your fireplace. They are cleaner and gentler on the environment, but are every bit as beautiful and fragrant. Plus they last longer!

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 6

Do another round of cleaning out all the closets in your house and donate them to a local charity. With the holidays coming up, there are plenty of organizations who need gently used items like clothing, books and toys.

Stop! Put down that Halloween candy!

I know, it's tempting - the basket of candy is just sitting there and the kids are napping.  They'll never know.  Plus, they don't need that sugar; you're really looking out for them, right?  Don't do it!
It looks like just a teeny-tiny Snickers, but just 4 of the Snickers minis (the itty-bitty ones, not the fun sized) are 320 calories!  If you are going to steal some candy, a better bet would be to eat just one fun sized pack of M&M's for only 90 calories.
OR you could do both your kids and you a favor and participate in a candy buy-back.  Not only do you get a $1 per pound of candy, but the candy will be shipped overseas to our troops along with toothbrushes and letters of thanks.  Northside Dental Clinic and James River Dental Center are both participating in this event today.

Great Deal on a Double!

If you are looking for a good deal on a high-end stroller, check out Mother of a Sale's price on the Zooper Tango.  It is not an all-terrain or jogger, but it is a double that will hold a car seat!  Here is the best part, the retail price on it is $499.99, but Mother of a Sale has it for only $185.99! 

You have to hurry, though, this sale ends TODAY!

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 5

Set the furnace thermostat at 68 degrees or lower, and the air-conditioner thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, health permitting. 3 percent to 5 percent more energy is used for each degree the furnace is set above 68 degrees and for each degree the air conditioner is set below 78 degrees.

Luna Moms Club - Moms with a Mission - 12 Weeks of Educational Tips - Week 4

With Halloween around the corner, here are a few tricks to save money and reduce waste.

• Use reusable bags or other containers that you don’t have to toss away after using.  Attach or draw some scary pictures to keep with the mood of the season, for example pictures of your children from last Halloween or ghosts, goblins, pumpkins, or witches!
• Reduce emissions of toxins by taking public transportation, using a bicycle or trying to stay close to your own neighborhood.
• Make sure that your children learn not to toss any candy packages or toys on the street as they trick or treat. Tell them to keep their trash in their bag and then help them separate it when you get back home.
• For a truly creative costume, reuse clothing you already have or swap costumes from last year with your friends.