I have written about a green Easter a couple times before so I won’t reinvent the wheel. I will redirect you to some of my old posts. Have a happy Easter!

Eco Friendly Easter

Recycling Your Plastic Easter Eggs

Eco Friendly Easter Gifts

This weekend my two youngest and I made the trip to one of the Metro parks in Columbus. There are 15 amazing parks and we plan to visit them all this spring and summer. When we move to Columbus it is pretty important to us that we live next to one as well.

When I came home last night I informed my husband that we MUST move to Westerville, OH and get a condo right next to Inniswood Metro Gardens. They have condos and apartments that are literally a two minute walk from the main entrance. I was dreaming of walking every morning with kids and turning my oldest son loose on the rollerbladingand biking trails. My daughter loved this park so much she pulled a full on 5 year old tantrum when we had to leave. There is no playground there that I saw just flowers, big trees, benches, waterfalls, little ponds, ducks, and nature galore. It was absolutely a slice a heaven. We only covered a small portion of it too. I am absolutely giddy about going back to Inniswood AND exploring the other 14 parks!

Here are some of my best shots for Monday. See more here.

This week we had the pleasure of reading yet another OUSTANDING book from the Barefoot Books collection. For other barefoot books reviews go here and here.

This particular book is our new favorite… the Barefoot Book of Earth Tales. It is perfect for earth conscious children and families and perfect for Earth Day activities. Earth Tales is a beautiful anthology of folktales, that helps give our kids a glimpse into different cultures around the world and how they live in harmony with the rhythms and patterns of nature. There is a story called “The Sun Mother” that is set in Australia and “The Magic Garden” is set in Kazakhstan, for instance.

Each story is beautifully written and the illustrations are absolutely fantastic. That is what I have come to associate with Barefoot books… books that are meaningful and beautiful. They are probably the most spectacular line of kids books you could ever ask for and this particular book does not disappoint.

After each folktale you come to an activity page that you and your kids can do together…like I said… perfect for Earth Day. Some of the activities include making a cornhusk doll, making a pinecone birdfeeder, and creating an aboriginal song-line painting.

If you happen pick up a copy of Earth Tales this month I saw on the web site that Barefoot Book is has partnered with the environmental organization Eco-Libris to plant trees for every copy sold this April. This 10% off discount code may help too: SCETALES

Mondays nights my daughter has weekly t-ball practice. Pretty soon we will be spending our Saturdays at her games. She is just “tickled pink” by her t-ball gear which includes a helmet, glove, and a reusable water bottle… all in her signature color… pink. If her pants or shirt that we get from the coach next week have pink in them I think we might go into pink overload!!

The Pura water bottle is VERY nice though I have to say. I am itching to get a lime green one myself but since I have a couple other bottles already I will have to be content to covet hers. These Pura bottles are service grade, electro-polished stainless steel, no chemical liners, they are reusable of course, BPA free, and they come with a lifetime warranty. The lids are stainless steel as well, so that you don’t have to worry about any plastic pieces touching your water. The colors are pretty awesome too.

I am sure that Paige will be able to convert many of her teammates to reusable bottles just because of the “pink” factor. ;)