Chronicles of a “green” (mostly) birthday party
The ins and outs of a “green” birthday party. For my daughter Jade’s fifth birthday I tried my best at doing her birthday a bit more “green”. To me that meant trying to produce less waste, and use less plastic, junky stuff. While there were a few misses along the way, here are some tips for a fantastic birthday party with an added eco-friendly (mostly) element. There’s no place like home Initially I proposed going out somewhere for Jade’s birthday party. The thought of not having to clean...
read moreCelebrating Earth Day Weekend at Evergreen Brickworks
Earth Day weekend and there’s no better place to celebrate it then a day at Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works. It was their Earth Mudder weekend with lots of fun stuff on for the kids, hikes, bike workshops, guided hikes, etc. We hit Chimney Court, the hands-on kid zone for some serious get your hands dirty fun. Zoe loved all the fun buildings to explore. I think the yurt was her favourite. Or maybe the clay house with the cool round windows. There must be something about these round windows that...
read moreEco-Styling Kids – save money, have fun, be green
While rummaging through my older daughter’s closet in prep for our trip to Mexico (more on this trip later), I realized that about 90% of her clothes are either hand-me downs or second-hand. And she’s a pretty styling kid. And her little sister gets the benefit of all these amazing hand-me-downs. Here’s the thing – I love cute clothes on my kids. Who doesn’t? Who says I can’t love fashion AND be green? Not me. Here are some tips for being eco-minded while keeping your kids in fun, cute clothes. Hand-me-downs Jade loves...
read moreDreaming of a Green Christmas
I’m making a list, I’m checking it twice. I want to find gifts that are eco-friendly, locally-made, experiential, and nice. Eco-Santa is coming to town. It can be really hard to be eco-friendly at Christmas time with all the glittery temptations out there. But once you look beyond the plastic, and make a little effort, it can be a green world. Here are my tips for a green Christmas. Say “No!” to plastic toys I do this by avoiding mainstream toy stores altogether. I mean forget about the big box ones (I have, long ago, and will...
read moreFavourites from the One of a Kind Christmas Show
This time of year means one thing for folks like me that love all things local and handmade: the One of a Kind Christmas Show in Toronto. I’m planning on skipping all big box stores this xmas so this one-stop-shop makes life easy. It’s great to not have to check labels (too closely) because everything is Made in Canada or the USA. And it’s all handmade by artisans, so that means no sweatshops. I loaded up on all kinds of yummy things to make food baskets for my brothers. Creams and pretty smelling things for my mom. And...
read moreSistering and Dream Child – Supporting Women at Risk
Yes, it’s true, I can be pretty stubborn. You see, I could have gone an easier route and had Dream Child duvet covers made in China. But it seems everything is made in China these days. How would I know they weren’t made in a sweatshop? No, I wanted to do things differently – to make sure that the entire production cycle is sustainable and socially and environmentally responsible. A friend of mine put me in touch with Sistering. She had hired Sistering for the creation of her baby playmats called Shniggles. Our own Shniggle had...
read moreWhy I started a line of organic, eco bedding for kids
First, it’s really hard to find organic cotton duvet covers for kids. It shouldn’t be so hard. It’s relatively easy to find organic baby bedding: crib sheets and blankets aplenty. But it’s a different story for our growing kids. Lots of parents demand organic cotton for our babies. Shouldn’t we also demand toxin-free cotton in the bedding of our growing kids? I mean what – now that they are toddlers (and beyond) it is ok for them to absorb all the nasty stuff in conventional cotton? This is NOT OK for my kid. Secondly, parents...
read moreWhy choose organic
I’ve been there, wondering about organic cotton options. Does it really matter if I buy organic cotton? Here are three good reasons to choose organic cotton for your kids’ bedding. First, organic cotton is grown without the really nasty chemicals that are used in conventional cotton. Second, the production process doesn’t destroy the soil and pollute water. Last, organic cotton just feels SO GOOD. The full scoop on organic cotton vs. the conventional stuff … Conventional cotton growers use a large amount of pesticides...
read morewelcome to dreamchild
Welcome to Dreamchild! After a year in the making, I’m excited to introduce you to my first line of organic cotton duvet covers! Emily Varty a Toronto-based designer created the funky playful prints. I have to say, I love them (and her!). The organic cotton was milled and printed with care in India. And the duvet covers were sewn by hand in Toronto. It’s a production cycle that is sustainable from seed to seam to sleep. Creating this new line of duvet covers wasn’t about putting out more *stuff* in the marketplace. I wanted...
read moreabout dreamchild
In a marketplace where organic cotton bedding is plentiful for babies but little toxin-free bedding exists once a toddler graduates to a big kid bed, Dream Child believes older kids also deserve to sleep free from harmful chemicals and parents need an alternative to big box bedding stores. Dream Child, a Toronto-based social enterprise, works with Sistering, a social service agency that operates the On The Path social enterprise to enable vulnerable women to earn income. We believe our kids deserve to sleep in organic and dream in...
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