While we were celebrating Passover with family seders and others were observing Easter yesterday, I was also following two heartbreaking stories, via Twitter, about separate families who each lost young children. Now, while I do have opinions about personal blogging and Twittering, I’m not about to share them right now. But I have to say that I was blown away by the support, both emotionally and financially, that the blogging world/Twitterverse has provided to these families facing too much grief and profound sadness.

In brief:

On April 7th, Heather and Mike Spohr of the blog The Spohrs Are Multiplying (their site is down due to visitor overload) suddenly lost their two-year old daughter, Maddie. Maddie was born prematurely, and her parents are walking for The March of Dimes. Since the news about Maddie broke, their walking team has raised almost $30,000 - an amazing amount of outpouring not only for the Spohrs, but to support March of Dimes as well. I’m proud to have been a walker for March of Dimes for many years, and I’ll be donating this year to Maddie and other families who are walking for their preemie babies. It would be wonderful to continue this outpouring - please visit Maddie’s family page to donate, and be sure to leave your words of support!

Then, also unexpectedly, I saw via a friend that the family of the blog Gorillabuns lost their four month old son, Thalon.  I have been a Gorillabuns reader for only a short time, and am just floored at this news. Sarah from Whoorl has set up a Paypal page for the Myers family, to help with upcoming expenses. Or, if you’d like, just stop by and leave a message for Thalon’s family.

I’ll be spending the rest of the day hugging my girls, and thinking about those who have to suffer through these unimaginable tragedies. My thoughts and prayers go out to all. Thanks for listening.

Since Valentine’s Day is coming soon, I thought I’d take this week to blend my paper obsession with new favorite eco-friendly cards for kids and adults. Let’s start with a trip down memory lane…

modernemotive is a brand spanking new design and “social stationery” company out of hip Toronto. Totally awesome and eco-friendly, modernemotive’s cards and envelopes are printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, and are either 30% or 100% post-consumer recycled. The cards are protected in biodegradable, plant-based clear bags, and shipped in eco-packaging as well.

Adele, the brains behind modernemotive, has channeled your youth to the letter. This personalized “Love Doodles” card is just too perfect for words. It reminds me of junior high and beyond, when being bored in class plus endless boy drama equalled many hours of notebook doodles. Pretend you’re in puppy love all over again! Perfect for your high school sweetheart or your adorable kids, the card even has doodle hearts and a stray ink spot.  Simply leave the names you’d like to use in the “comments to seller” section, and modernemotive will take care of the rest. Order now, V-Day is coming up fast! This card will have a quick turnaround time, but always best to order early.

I have a feeling modernemotive will be coming out with a lot more green paper goodies in the months to come, so check back at their shop often!

Chanukah begins on Sunday night! For eight days and nights, Jewish families worldwide will celebrate the wonderous story of Judah and the Maccabees, and recreate the miracle of the little jug of oil that was supposed to burn for one day, instead lasting for eight days and nights.

Jewish Treats, the blog for the National Jewish Outreach Program, asked yesterday, “Chanukah - What’s the Mitzvah?” (mitzvah is a good deed. )While we’re supposed to be merry and eat yummy, fattening foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and jelly doughnuts fried in oil, lighting Chanukah candles is the most important aspect. Not only are we obligated to light candles on the menorah for eight nights, but we’re supposed to publicize it as well. This is why we’re taught to leave our menorahs in a window, where someone from the outside can see it and share in the beauty and glow of the candles.

Last year, a bit of controversy arose from burning Chanukah candles. A group who called themselves “Green Hanukkia” were asking people to burn one less candle for Chanukah. They stated that, since one candle burns about 15 grams of carbon dioxide (a tiny amount on it’s own), collectively it creates a significant  CO2 release. Let’s just say that the idea of compromising the most important part of Chanukah did not sit well with many people - and while I’ve tried to search for this group’s efforts this season, I have not been able to find any sign of them.

Green Hanukkia did spark something, however - how can one make Chanukah greener regarding candles? One way to green your Chanukah is to use beeswax candles instead of regular paraffin wax - they burn cleaner and come from a renewable energy source. I asked my six year-old daughter about the candle controversy yesterday, since she’s been eating and sleeping Chanukah for weeks. What about an electric menorah? Wouldn’t that be easier? I knew the answer was no, since you’re essentially replacing CO2 with wasting energy from the plug-in version. She explained it a different way, and very clearly. An electric menorah is not valid for Chanukah (my words), and that you’re not “doing Chanukah the right way” (her words) if you don’t burn candles. So there!

There are many other ways to make your Chanukah more sustainable, while still basking in the glow of holiday. GreenYour, a wonderful new eco-site, has a thorough and truly inspiring article about greening Chanukah, from composting dinner to presents to yes, the candles. While I don’t agree with everything they feature (I believe that Chanukah bushes are in no way part of the Chanukah celebration, for example), it’s a great resource for rounding out your Chanukah celebrations.

I did it! This year, I designed, ordered, addressed AND mailed all my holiday cards out on time. While I was particularly timely, many people we all know are not. Can holiday greetings be saved? I say, yes it can! Here are two e-greeting sites you may find yourself going back to again and again, without even stepping foot into a crowded post office!

First, I checked out the “anti-slideshow” video site animoto and haven’t stopped making fun, 30-second vids to send to friends and family. They are simple and totally economical to create. 30 second videos are free, full length videos are $3 each, and an annual subscription is $30 for unlimited, full length videos. Upload your pics, arrange them, add music and put the rest into animoto’s hands! It’s like magic - no two videos are alike, with funky accents and movements, all set to the pics you choose. The tricky part is figuring out how many pictures you can use for the video, but you can edit it quickly and easily. Check out their holiday page for a demonstration of how you can both give - and get - animoto!

Babymomento also features stunning, animated e-cards that you completely personalize. For around $30, you can send unlimited holiday cards with pictures of your choice, in clean-lined and modern designs that don’t harm any trees. They’re probably the classiest e-cards I’ve ever seen, and not just for the holidays. They also have birth announcements that are guaranteed to arrive right after the baby! The process is simple - order and pay for your design, send in your pics, proof the card and viola! It’s all yours to send to anyone, anywhere. If I wasn’t such a stationary fan, I’d be all over this - but I’m already thinking they’ve won me over for next year.

And if you’re reading this thinking you should have done cards, than click on over!

As much as I adore LeapFrog’s products, they are admittedly, not very green (aside from the cute green color, but you know what I mean). Encased in plastic, with no known method for recycling (so far as my research has taken me), it didn’t take me long to find a green twist to this enormously popular toy.

Not every toy my kids have is eco-friendly, although we try much harder now to make very conscious decisions about what we (and what we can influence) other people to buy for them. As they get older, the gadgety stuff is tougher to get away from, but for things like art products, blocks, dolls and more, there couldn’t be a better time to be a kid these days!

For battery operated toys, rechargeable batteries are green in more ways than one. First, you’ll save a ton of green by providing reusable batteries instead of disposable. You can use them in anything requiring batteries, from handheld video games to flashlights to the new talking doll that totally creeps you out. Rechargeable batteries come in alkaline form, lithium ion (LI-ion) or Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). There are differences with these, including price, charging speed and what kind of products the batteries work well in. Green batteries is a great place to start researching batteries and chargers. You can also check out this article from MetaEfficient, about the best rechargeable batteries for 2008.

Now you have no excuse to “forget” to replace the batteries in the obnoxiously loud toy your kids cried about for a year! Happy shopping!

This week, we sat down with our girls and talked about what we’re thankful for. Some thankful mentions were Mommy and Daddy, family, puppies, chocolate milk, books we love, food, the beach, flowers, bananas, big and little sisters and of course, cookies. Considering we make a special effort to give thanks to loved ones on a regular basis, I’m not sure if this is a momentous occasion for my kids. It’s refreshing, however, to mark the day with special foods and customs, and to spend the day with friends as well as family this year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing, fun and fulfilling Thanksgiving day! Whether spending the day with family or friends, far away from home or right where you’ve always been, make this a day to always cherish and remember. I’m sure my fellow green bloggers and I agree that helping to bring more green to Thanksgiving adds an extra element to the holiday season - and taking care of the Earth as well as our family has it’s own, amazing rewards!

My family and I will be off this week, celebrating Rosh Hashana. We hope everyone has a wonderful week, and if you celebrate the Jewish New Year, have a sweet, peaceful and healthy one to come! I’ll see you all Friday with a great giveaway and posts about our trip. Don’t forget to check out my other homes, 5 Minutes for Going Green and Filter For Good, to get your eco-fix this week!

All best,

Stefani

I love writing about wonderful stores that cut out the junk and feature natural, organic, and overall creative toys that promote open play without sacrificing your wallet. Started by a mom with a “wild child” who loves the outdoors, Wild Dill carries playtime and clothing lines that feature the magical green elements - soy fiber, bamboo, organic cotton, and are fair trade. They feature such lines as Barefoot, a fair trade animal doll company out of Sri Lanka; the adorable clothing line Jasper Hearts Wren; and the new (and often hard to find) Green Toys line, made from recycled milk jugs (go for the tea set!) There’s also a well thought out Gifts section, that will help you find the perfect present for the bug-bird-water-loving, rocking, artistic kid of yours!

This week, I’m so happy to offer a $35 gift certificate to Wild Dill for one lucky winner! Please leave a comment at this post with an answer to this (possibly) simple question - what is your favorite Wild Dill product? If you sign up for their newsletter, get 15% off your next order with a discount code that will be emailed to you. Sweet! This giveaway will close on Friday, June 6th at midnight, PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Thanks to everyone for entering!