When I think about my childhood, the memories that immediately come to mind are: riding bikes with my sister, playing outside until it got dark, tobogganing, being excited to buy candy at corner store with the quarter I found on the sidewalk, seeing the Thriller video for the first time and being afraid to sleep, school track meets, skinning my knees because I was carrying too many kids on the back of my bike, watching fireworks with my family, playing marbles for hours, winning all of my sister’s marbles, her crying, me having to give them all back...

Each time I sit down to wrap a gift, the same thought always comes to mind—why am I spending so much time making my gifts look so pretty when the wrap is ripped off in an instant and immediately thrown away? This always makes me re-think what I am doing, especially since most store-bought wrapping paper is not recyclable. I bet you didn't know that! Here is why you can't recycle it:

When I was growing up, my grandmother was a very strong influence in my life. One of the things that I will always remember about her is how she was so compassionate about those who were less fortunate and how she always gave to them in whatever way she could. This is a lesson I have happily brought into my adulthood and I am, in a way, instilling a little bit of my grandmother’s values into my children.

When I first bought our artificial Christmas tree many years ago, I didn’t know a whole lot about eco-friendliness or about the safety issues I needed to consider. Now that I am in the know, I am faced with this dilemma: What kind of tree is better for the environment and healthier for my family? A real tree or an artificial tree?

Back when I started to switch over to natural body/beauty care and safer household cleaning products, there weren’t very many resources around for me to turn to. As a result, I spent countless hours reading and researching everything I could get my hands on so I could learn what was considered safe and what wasn’t.

We’re all in a different place when it comes to “greening” ourselves and our homes. Maybe you are a mom-to-be who wants the best for her new baby but aren’t really sure where to start. Or maybe you are the parent who has already made many positive changes around your home, but you are still learning and trying to do better each day. Or maybe you are the family who composts and has traded in your gas guzzler for a hybrid or an electric car. My point is we’re all a “different shade of green” but still evolving to be better each day.