It’s Springtime and when I think of Spring I think of grass growing, trees getting their leaves back, flowers blossoming, animals running around, kids playing outside. Basically, when I think of Spring I think of “Life”.

With that being said I’m going to write about something that combines two spring like topics….

Life & Gardening.

Okay, before you start think I have absolutely gone bazerk let me explain.

There is a lesson that every parent should teach their children. It is the lesson of Respecting other Living things.

This lesson can be a very tough one to teach, but when you start teaching this lesson early and continue throughout the child’s life you have a better chance of raising happy human beings that won’t take life for granted. And, using Gardening can help you teach your children this life lesson without them knowing that you are teaching them any lesson at all.

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As a mother we have tons of responsibilities and duties to take care of throughout our day. We wear a ton of hats as a mom. And, much of the time moms feel they are taken for granted. We work hard and there isn’t a payday at the end of the week. However, our payday comes throughout everyday. No, nothing monetarily, but something worth so much more. A paycheck that is worth so much more than any bank can cash. I am talking about the sentimental things. The things our children do or say without even realizing they are giving us the strength as a mom to keep going and keep taking care of our family.

Happy Mother’s Day my fellow Mothers. I know you work so hard. And, you do it without thought or resist. Here are a few of the hats you and I wear everyday.

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The Easter Holidays are just around the corner. And, I don’t know about your household, but in my household my kids love to celebrate each upcoming holiday with some holiday crafts. Not only do crafts entertain my children, but it also builds their excitement for the Holiday itself. Plus, their artistic creations always fill my home with Holiday Decorations which the entire family and all that visit can enjoy.

So, with that being said, I thought I would do a link round-up of some of my favorite Easter Crafts I found through-out the blogosphere. Some of the following Crafts are more for the adults and some are meant more for children. But, all are sure to give your family plenty of Easter enjoyment. And, the Easter Bunny will be sure to know how excited your family is when he comes to your house for his annual visit.

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At Malt-O-Meal, we’re continually looking for ways to be better stewards of our natural resources and our environment. We look for ways to conserve energy, consume fewer natural resources, and leave less behind. And, we believe that everyone can make a difference by making small changes in their daily habits.

What are we doing?

➢    Our convenient re-sealable bags contribute significantly to a reduction in materials and disposable waste. Each year, there are about 2.5 billion cereal boxes sold in the United States. If even half of those boxes were bags, we’d save 90,000 tons of paperboard.* The energy saved could power over 11,000 homes for a year. It would eliminate 170 million gallons of waste water. By eliminating the exterior box, we’ve reduced the amount of packaging that consumers need to dispose of by 75%!**

➢    We’re working hard to reduce the resources we use to produce and package our cereal products. We have active programs to reduce energy and minimize water use at our Northfield, Minnesota plant. Since 1996, we have reduced the water used to make cereal by 41% and we’ve reduced our energy use by 10%. That adds up to millions of gallons of water and KWh of energy saved through conservation.

➢    We have many recycling programs throughout our company, and over 99% of the waste in our Northfield plant is recycled.

What can your family do?

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They’re more energy efficient and last longer, so they’ll save you money in the long run.
• Check dishwasher settings. Choose “air dry” or “no heat dry” to save energy.
• Shorten your showers. Every minute in the shower uses four to six gallons of water. Cut our daily shower by just one minute and you’ll save about 1,500 gallons in a year.
• Heat leftovers in a microwave. Faster heating equals less energy.
• Wait for the full load. Whether cleaning dishes or clothes, run your machine only when you have a full load.
• Shut down and unplug. Computers use energy even when turned off and chargers use energy if you leave them plugged in when not in use. On any appliance, a glowing light means energy is being used.

• Recycle. When you can’t reduce or reuse, recycle. Understand your neighborhood program to make the most of it.
• Minimize idle time. When waiting to pick the kids up, turn off your car to save gas and reduce emissions.
• Put on a sweater. Save 5% for  every degree you turn down your thermostat in the winter.
• Donate used clothing, toys and household items. If you can’t use it, perhaps someone else can.

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*Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator. For more information, visit www.papercalculator.org.

** Based on the net weight of empty consumer packaging of comparable size packages.  Even when their box size is smaller, the net weight of their box and empty inner bag is still greater than the net weight of the larger Malt-O-Meal bag when empty.

Our lives are super busy today. Parents tend to work long hours and in most households both parents have to work outside the home. Parents have to come home from a stressful day of work and help their kids with homework, make dinners, take their children to after school activities, bathe the children and put them to bed. After the children go to bed this is the first chance that many parents have had a chance to unwind.

Kids lives are not much easier. They have a busy day at school, come home to homework and after school activities. What little extra time they have before bed they like to get a little bit of fun which tends to be with video games and computers.

Technology doesn’t necessarily work in our favor for quality time with the kids as the things that make our lives easier also take our time away from each other. Cell phones, computers,texting, emails and the rest of the outside world tends to sabotage our precious family time.

I’m here to show you how a weekly Family Game Night can bring your family back together. Dedicating an entire night to your children is an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy time with your children. So without further ado… (more…)