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A Real Tree for Christmas
Posted by Marghanita on 27 Dec 2006 | Tagged as: Writing, General, Family, Design, Artists, Travel, Environment
We have just returned home after a wonderful Christmas Tree Hunt. Like all our past Christmas’s, we wanted to go on a Tree Hunt. Part of a Christmas ritual with us is to hunt down a real tree from a local tree farm. It’s really important to us to shop locally and support local farmers and crafters. We believe buying a real tree is better for the environment.
Fake trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (or PVC, otherwise known as vinyl), one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic.
We will take our real tree to be recycled into mulsh in early January.
Every little bit helps and we all feel better for it.
Christmas Day is over
Posted by Marghanita on 27 Dec 2006 | Tagged as: Writing, General, Family
Keeping Christmas simple made it the best one ever. It snowed on Christams Eve and we were woken up by 3 very excited children, to a Winter wonderland. They poured their contents of their handmade stockings on to our bed and we watched as they took turns to show us the treasures they had received ffom Santa. For parents, Christmas is a magical time of year, from the little drawings they leave for Santa on Christmas Eve and the carrots for all the reindeer to the sledging on Christmas Day and the singing around the log fire.
Another Christmas Day comes to an end, filled with wonderful happy memories ready to embrace the sledging and snow fort building along with yummy hot chocolate on Boxing Day.
I just love these simple slow days where you don’t have anything planned, no driving, no rushing around, just good old fashioned fun with your family.
A Greener Christmas
Posted by Marghanita on 17 Dec 2006 | Tagged as: Writing, General, Family, Design, Illustration, Environment
Time is running out for us mums that still have to find those little extras for the kids, something that isn’t plastic and made in China. A wooden spinning top or a handmade finger puppet would be ideal. Trying to go a bit greener this Christmas shouldn’t be so hard. It does mean you have to hunt that little bit harder but it really is worth it. As the festive season approaches my concerns for the environment grow stronger. All that wrapping paper, all the excess food and not to mention the huge strain on our electricity resources to light up everyone’s home. With my new kids project, the Little Humbugs, I am trying to get a simple message over to young children that they can help take care of their environment, after all it’s their future.
In the latest episode Butterfly Girl helps recycle the Christmas wrapping paper by making Christmas crackers. If we can get kids interested early enough hopefully it would make them environmentalists for life. Every little bit helps.
All to Quick
Posted by Marghanita on 17 Dec 2006 | Tagged as: Writing, General, Family, Artists
Where has the last few weeks gone? Am I the only one who feels every week just gets faster. I really cannot believe it’s only a week now until Christmas. It seems life is so much faster than I remember or are we just living much busier lives? The danger in being too busy lies in not allowing quality time for relaxation, our family, our neighbours, and ourselves. Luckily with 3 kids they keep you young and excited about the most silliest things which all too often as adults we tend to leave as we reach teenage years. Being a children’s author and illustrator I am continually disappearing into my inner child and remembering the most wonderful childhood encounters. Imagination is a wonderful thing and I hope I never lose. Keep young by being a child once in a while, do something daft and have a good laugh about it.
Yoga and kids
Posted by Marghanita on 10 Dec 2006 | Tagged as: Writing, General, Family, Illustration, Environment
Sadly, my Yoga/Pilates class has just finished for the year and won’t start back until January. I’m really going to miss the class, it was the only time throughout the week I was able to switch off and completely chill. What with the festive season approaching, all that extra food and alcohol, I was concerned my body would not survive the next few weeks. So I enlisted the company of my 11 year old daughter as a class mate and set up yoga class in the front room. After a few positions forcing us into fits of giggles we relaxed and had a really great time. I think there should be more mum and daughter yoga classes available or even family yoga on a Saturday.
After doing a bit of research on the internet I realised how beneficial yoga is for kids.
My new children’s book characters the Little Humbugs even do yoga. www.littlehumbugs.com
