All of those Easter egg dye kits in the grocery stores seem convenient enough – especially considering how quickly they produce vibrant – although unnatural – hues of Easter eggs designed to make any child’s eye’s light up. After all, dying Easter eggs is a childhood rite of passage. But surely there is a way to make beautiful dyed Easter eggs without resorting to artificial coloration? If you enjoy living green and teaching your children more natural ways of enjoying the beauty of nature, consider using natural Easter egg dyes this year using all-natural ingredients.

Most households – especially those with children in them – do some type of decorating during the winter holiday season. Whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or simply to celebrate the natural beauty of winter, winter holiday decorations can be costly and consume a lot of natural resources. To make your holiday decorating more eco-friendly this year, consider taking advantage of some of these natural holiday decorations.

Love may be blind, but it can certainly see the joy of making that “someone special” feel extra special on Valentine’s Day.  With that in mind, this issue can become your personal Cupid, providing lots of information and ideas to help you have a fabulous February 14!

Remember, too, that love is also patient. So, before you start reading this issue, take this short quiz to get your heart and your head ready for Valentine’s Day:

1. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion Valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. For what holiday are the most cards sent?

A young woman woke up one Valentine’s Day and told her husband about a dream she’d just had. “I dreamed that you gave me a necklace for Valentine’s Day.” she said. “ What do you think it means?” “You’ll know tonight,” he said. That evening, the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, the woman opened it. Inside was a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams.”

If you’ve ever had a disappointing Valentine’s Day, try making sure it doesn’t happen again by taking to heart these three creative and inexpensive ideas:

• Rent a movie

Not just any movie, rent the first – or one of the first – movies you ever saw as a couple. Another romantic idea is to download a few episodes of a TV show you used to watch together when you were falling in love. Dim the lights, hold hands, and think about what life was like before the only movies you watched had a G rating and a talking animal.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for love, but the other 364 days are great for that, too. As a parent, you have the double-duty of wanting to make your spouse and your kids feel special – and all the more so on Valentine’s Day.

To embrace your kids with Valentine’s love, try these three powerful ideas that will leave no doubt they’re the apple of your eye.

• The power of kind words
Despite what’s said about “sticks and stones”, words can have a huge impact on how children see themselves. Think about the potentially negative impact of a phrase such as, “You are always doing stupid things!” Or, “You act more like a baby than your little sister.” We all know that raising a child can be frustrating (our words sometimes reflect that frustration), but let this Valentine’s Day serve as a reminder of the positive power of our words. Make a commitment to use your words to develop your children’s self-esteem. Praise their accomplishments, no matter how small. Let them know you’re proud, for example, of the A+ they got on their spelling test or the improvement they’re making in whichever subject. Talk about the beautiful colors they used in their drawings. Tell them how excited you are to see them when they arrive home from school.