Celebrations are a joyous time in our lives.  These various occasions calls for quite a bit of preparation and planning.  The following are simple steps for you to keep your celebrations eco-friendly all year long.  This also saves money as you plan your upcoming home entertainment events as well.

1) Buy and use decorations that can be relevant for various occasions
For example, I have three table clothes (in red, golden yellow and blue) that can be used for various celebrations (Valentine's Day, Christmas, Birthday parties, Fourth of July, etc.).  By keeping to a versatile color scheme, you save on money and time (don't have to shop for new decorations each time you have a planned party).

2) Use the chinaware not paper plates
For some reason, some people equate casual parties with paper plates usage.  Break this trend and use your dinnerware.  The amount of time it takes you to toss the bags of garbage filled with paper plates, you would have already loaded your dishwasher with the dinnerware.  Also, when paper plates are available, individuals tend to use new ones for second servings and generate even more waste.  For some reason, individuals are able to better keep track of actual dinnerware.

3) Have a dozen permanent markers available for marking up the plastic disposable cups so individuals are less likely to use new ones.  For your more sophisticated parties, consider using actual glasses.

4) Lower your thermostat
When there are more people at a home or single location, the crowd generates heat so you can lower your thermostat and people will not notice the five degree difference but you will notice it in your utility bill.

5) Use actual household plants for centerpieces instead of fresh cut flowers or consider displaying various bowls of fruit.

6) Designate a recycle garbage can and label it accordingly.  Instead of having possible recyclable bottles and other recyclable items tossed out, a simple designated recycle garbage can will enable guests to clean up and recycle responsibly.

7) Forget about giving away party favors and if you really feel compelled to give party favors, make them eco-friendly.
I've attended a fair number of kids' birthday parties and don't really want another bag filled with dollar bought plastic toys that break easily and are basically glorified landfill items.   So, avoid giving away party favors and if you really feel compelled to give something away consider giving away one or more of these eco-friendly items: mini-bag of seeds, recycled crayons, homemade mini-journals, BPA free water bottles, recyclable lunch bags, recyclable shopping bags/totes and  cloth made coin pouches.

It is the middle of winter and my skin has really taken a beating.  I have seasonal ezema (a term that I conveniently coined myself) in which my skin becomes irritable, chafe and dry during the cold winter months.  I usually lather up with tons of lotions and they work wonders but don't last long enough.  So I decided maybe I should exfoliate my skin first and then use lotions, etc.  I used the Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish from www.renskincare.com.  This body polish was a refreshing and invigorating experience!  My skin was smooth and soft (after I rinsed off the body polish).  Even my dried scaly hands looked and felt nice and smooth.  Besides the great smooth skin, I love the moroccan rose scent.  It is like a mini-spa experience you can have in your own bathroom.  It comes in a great gift set with a Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil (which is great for warm baths).  

The Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish does not contain any petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrance synthetic colors.  Great natural skincare treatment for your skin. For more information about the Ren Skincare products, please visit www.renskincare.com.  Visit the website today, because they are currently offering a 10% off your favorite product for life!

Whenever I bring my kids to their various activities, I always used to panic over whether I have packed what I needed.  To help me with my organizational skills, I have empowered my son to begin packing his stuff for himself.  He uses a blue ecogear bag for his gym and Y activities.  It easily fits his gym clothes, towel and have side pockets for his water bottle.  The bag is made from organically grown cotton and non-toxic dyes.  Since it has a drawstring top, I do not recommend it for school use (loose items such as pencils and school supplies can drop out).

For more information about their product, please visit www.ecogear-products.com.  They also make travel bags, laptop bags and sleeping bags as well.

Some additional organizational skills that are great time savers include the following:
- leave kids bags (and yours) pre-packed in your car so you don't have to worry about grabbing it from the doorway in the morning.

- have a need to repair or find a matching set bin in your laundry room so that you can set aside any items that need mending or a single sock in need of a match.  Sort through the pile once a week.
- have an extra set of snacks (and drinks) packed in your car so in case your kids are hungry on your way to activities, you can also have they have a snack in the car.