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!