Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

It’s that time of year again.  We live a few miles away from an amazing pumpkin farm complete with a huge barn filled with amazing hand painted pumpkins, and outside a picture perfect setting with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes along with a corn maze, hay maze, hayride and petting zoo — we have had so many hilarious memories since we started making the trek when first born, Heidi was just a baby. 

The one thing I love most about the pumpkin farm is the absence of candy!!!  Is it me or is every year getting worse with the amount of candy taking up the aisles — it’s not just in the candy aisle anymore — it’s now in the produce section, again by the apples, by the bakery area, in big displays in the snack aisle and special large sections in front of the checkout area.  Yikes. 

Looking for a way to make the upcoming holiday season fun, safe and environmentally friendly – then you need to check out the new “Green Halloween” movement that is taking root in Seattle, thanks to Seattle area Mom Corey Colwell-Lipson…

Help Turn Halloween Green

Who says Halloween has to be unhealthy? And who says healthy can’t be fun?
Green Halloween is about making Halloween happy and healthy and about creating family traditions we can all be proud of.

Conceived by Seattle-area mom Corey Colwell-Lipson, the effort to revolutionize the way we celebrate holidays in the U.S. has begun and you can play an important role.

Starting this Halloween, we’re out to prove that holidays don’t have to be about candy and that going junk-food free can be easy, fun and affordable. We’re tackling the childhood obesity epidemic head on by working with community partners such as Whole Foods Market, Overlake Hospital, ParentMap magazine and many more to highlight new, creative, sustainable ways to celebrate the holidays, starting with Halloween.

We’ve launched our website, www.GreenHalloween.org as a way to connect with people like you who want to improve the health of our children and our planet.
www.GreenHalloween.org  is packed with:

• Dozens of ideas of what you can give out instead of candy
• Ideas for staging a Green Halloween party
• How to get started turning your Halloween Green
• Games and an e-book for kids
• Locations of Seattle-area Green Halloween events (take part in turning the Puget Sound green through our interactive map)
  And much, much more.

Help, help, we need you! Want to join the revolution? It’s easy.

Green Halloween is a not-for-profit community effort. It will only succeed if individuals decide to join in and do something different starting this year, with this holiday. Whether it’s switching from candy to honey-sticks, turning an annual Halloween party green, or spreading the word, everyone can play a role. Here are six great places to start:

1. Forward this e-mail to everyone you know including parenting groups, green organizations, message boards, neighborhood organizations, friends, co-workers and relatives.
2. Contact us to volunteer at a Seattle-area Green Halloween event.
3. Contact us for a community-impact kit to help you turn your neighborhood (or place of work) green this Halloween.
4. Sign up for our periodic Action Alerts. We’ll keep you up to date on what we’re doing, post volunteer opportunities and ensure that you are a real part of the Green Halloween adventure.
5. Attend a Green Halloween event, especially Whole Foods Market’s Community Giving Day at the Bellevue and Roosevelt Square stores on Thursday, October 11th (this event is a fundraiser for Treeswing, our partner and a 501(c)3.)
6. Add a link to Green Halloween (www.GreenHalloween.org) from your website or blog.

Live outside of the Puget Sound but still want to get involved?  Fret not! Our website has loads of suggestions and tips on how to make your Halloween healthy and Earth-friendly, but be sure to mark you calendar for October 2008 when Green Halloween goes nation-wide.   This year, why not think outside the candy box and help create a child and Earth friendly Halloween?

Copyright 2007 - Stacey Kannenberg, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

What are your ideas for creating a Green Halloween and/or 2007 holiday season?  Are you ready to take the Green concept to a new level?

I made some positive life changes to my diet and exercise program a few months before I turned 40.  I was working out like a banshee, eating right and the weight was coming off.  I was finally on track until the unthinkable happened.  I had a knee and elbow injury that forced me to take some time off and recuperate. 
I actually had a doctor’s order not to exercise and I was never so miserable in all my life.  The lady who hated to exercise–I still hate to exercise, but I so love how I feel after I exercise–was told to take it easy.  I didn’t listen and ended up having a more serious injury that kept me away from the workout routine that I had been doing for 2 years.

My body was ready to begin at the 6 months mark, but it took another 3 months before my mind was ready to actually begin the journey again.  Sadly, in 9 months I had gained back all the weight it had taken me 2 years to lose.  I was back to square one. 

Fortunately, it only took me 6 weeks to get back on track and settle into a daily routine which included exercise and healthy eating habits.  I am down 10 pounds and I’m ready to share what has been working for me this second time around:

• I schedule 35 minutes on my exercise bike every day before the kids wake up.  From 6:30-7:30 every morning, I bike ride while catching up on work reading.  I am in the publishing business and have piles of books to review, so for me this is killing two birds with one stone.  Yes, I don’t burn as many calories reading a book, but it is making a dent in my reading pile, so it is a trade off that works for me.  Also, I often find myself riding longer than the full hour allotted because I just can’t put down a great book!  It provides me with the added bonus of being eager to exercise and read the next day!

• Twice a week, my husband and I take a group exercise class with weight training/ball/kickboxing.  It is also a scheduled date with my husband on the calendar.  We do it together as a team and enjoy it greatly.  With school starting, I will be moving to mornings two days a week, to allow me to be home at night with the girls, staying on homework detail.  But we still will be working out on the same days doing the same class, just at a different time. 

• I watch what I eat.  I am at the point where I don’t need to journal, as I know what works for me.  Breakfast:  Fruit or 100% orange juice with oatmeal, whole grain cereal, or a slice of whole grain bread toasted dry, with a thin layer of peanut butter spread on top; Lunch:  Fruit with either soup, salad, baked potato easy on the margarine and light sour cream or a bagel with melted cheese and a slice of ham; dinner is always a protein, veggie and fruit.  I am in charge of the kitchen, so it is easy to keep the entire family on track with making healthy choices.

• I don’t eat after 6PM. 

• I have healthy treats, veggies and fruits on hand when I need a snack.

• I am lucky that I get to read books on weight loss, motivation and self-help for my job.  Filling yourself full of positive thoughts goes a long way to keeping you away from the refrigerator.  Call a friend, read a book, take a bubble bath, clean a closet, do something else (anything positive and/or productive) to redirect your energy when you are feeling the urge to eat out of boredom.  

• Listen to your body.  If you are in need of more fuel, fill it up.  Protein is a great choice to give you some long lasting energy:  a slice of cheese, a spoonful of peanut butter, cottage cheese or a glass of 1% low fat chocolate milk will take you much farther than a bag of chips.

• I use the scale every morning to help me stay on track and help me plan my day.  If it is up, I need to try harder that day.  Perhaps I add more exercise and make better food choices.  If it’s down or the same, I rejoice!  You can’t expect to loss weight every day, 2-3 pounds a week is realistic and staying the same means you are closer to a loss!  So rejoice that you are going in the right direction!

• I like myself.  I live in the present and look to the future.  So it happened, I am trying again, working harder this time to not re-injure myself and taking every day as one step toward my goal.

• Keep Moving!  I am doing this for my family and myself because it makes me healthy, happy and terrific.  It has become another passion that I don’t want to live without.

Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

What’s working for you on your quest for healthier eating and daily exercise?  Is it a journal?  A firm plan?  A promise to yourself or your family?  Let’s do some healthy dishing!