Pughville

Today was my daughter's second birthday. Birthdays mean alot to you when you are a kid(ok, not when you are two, but still) and, then as you get older, they are celebrated with less ferver. I have to say that I like my kids' birthdays. For me, it is a day to reflect back on how far we've come from that day that will remain etched in my consciousness for eternity. Two years...wow. How come I still haven't reached my prepregnancy weight? Will I ever reach it? That is a topic for another day.
We had a party for her. A small celebration with only family present(some cousins, aunties and uncles). She is shy. Although, she is beginning to break out of that shell and we reached about the limits of what she can take. This year, it has me thinking about a couple of things. First, the garbage that is produced from a day like that...even with recycling as much as you can--and composting. There is, inevitably, garbage to deal with. Second, the amount of stuff one small child receives in the form of gifts--even from a small crowd. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to sound unappreciative. Believe me, I like to get gifts for the kids I care for and to see their faces light up with excitement as they open them. But, birthdays have gotten out of hand. My kids need no more toys, no more stuff...they have more stuff than they could ever rattle off in a day. They have so much stuff there is stuff they forget they have--and they are little still! I had a nice conversation with my cousin and cousin in law about donating money to charities and giving small gifts in the form of books or puzzles, etc to the birthday child. And, I think this is an awesome idea. I'm all for it. In fact, I did it earlier this week for a friends little girl. On her birthday inviation, it read "no gifts please your friendship is present enough". So, I donated the money I would have spent on her gift to the United Nations World Food Foundation. It bought food for a family in an underprivaleged nation for three months and provided encouragement to send their daughter to school instead of to work. I like this idea. So, sorry to say that many of you will be getting e-cards from charities telling of the small donation I have made in your name for your birthday. Do not be offended. It is meant to spread the joy that my friends bring to my life.
On another note, I am volunteering for a "Green Film Festival in Celebration of Earth Day" here in Okotoks. One of my 'tasks' is to organize the kids event. That, and the fact that a couple of people have asked me if their children should see "An Inconvenient Truth"(the answer is probably no...most adults I know have a difficult enough time digesting the material within), have got me thinking about how we can get children involved in the climate crisis. Another volunteer suggested "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss which I read today and think it is the best book(there is also a film) on the environment for kids that I have come across. Someone else suggested "Miss Rumphius" which is one of my favorite books of all time so I am all over suggesting that one. And, Bob thinks that talking to kids about the issues of urban sprawl brought up in "Over The Hedge" is another cool way of addressing the issue. I am looking for your suggestions here, so I'll share what I think we here at Pughville already do. I have found that I talk to Jack about "precycling"...a concept I haven't really talked about here on my blog, but talk to Jack about whenever we go grocery shopping and he wants cheese strings or individual yogurts. We don't get them-except for a special treat-because there is too much stuff to throw out(in the recycle bin or the garbage bin). We have also taken Jack to the local landfill(on more than one occassion) and talked about how large it is and how recycling/composting helps to reduce the space needed for that(I always relate it to playgrounds...as in if we need space for this how will we find the space for more playgrounds?). Jack has toured a hydro dam in BC, taken every free kids coloring book on electricity, recycling, etc that we have come across, and come into the Okotoks recycling facility with us. We talk about our solar panels and what they are for and why they are special. We also point out other panels here in Okotoks and have taken him to see the windmills in Pincher Creek. And, if anyone wants to come to our house and show the panels to their kids--I am open to it. Just let me know. We can read "The Lorax", go outside to see the panels, and then they can watch "Over the Hedge" while we have a coffee and chat about "Greys Anatomy"(I love that show). Mostly, I think it is important to take them outside and show them how amazing it is to be outside and enjoy our environment. What do you think?