Christmas is a magical time of the year for families with kids, but it can also be incredibly wasteful. Why not try out these fun ideas to help make your celebrations both ethical AND enjoyable?

1. Make an advent calendar which ticks off special experiences

Rather than buying an advent calendar, make your own! Decide how many days you want your countdown to be (it doesn’t have to be 25), then cut out squares from old Christmas cards, scraps of coloured paper, or fabric. Write a number on the front of each square, and an activity on the back, such as baking Christmas cookies, watching your favourite festive movie, or reading a special holiday story. This is your chance to focus on the memories you want to make with your kids, so have fun with it! When you’re done, pin your Christmas countdown up in the kitchen, or hand out a card each morning.

2. Replace wrapping paper with fabric

If you’re tired of throwing out mounds of paper on Boxing Day, take inspiration from the Japanese tradition of furoshiki (beautiful cloths used to wrap presents). You can either use pre-made items like festive tea towels, or buy fabric, cut it into squares, and hem it to prevent fraying. Use good-quality twine or ribbons to tie up each parcel, and ask the recipients to either re-use the wrapping themselves or pass it back for you to re-use. If you can get other family members on board, you’ll reduce your waste even further.

3. Get creative when it comes to cards

Save yourself time and money while you save the planet by looking for alternatives to buying boxes of throwaway cards. You could:

* Show work colleagues and casual acquaintances that you’re thinking of them with a personalized online greeting.

* Write a thoughtful Christmas email to friends, reminiscing about good times in the past and letting them know how much they mean to you in the present.

* Send grandparents and other relatives a current family photograph or child’s drawing with a Christmas message written on the back. When the festive season passes, pictures like this will still have a place on the fridge or mantelpiece.

Bonus tip: If you’re looking for a sustainable way to keep Christmas leftovers fresh, check out our range of re-usable wraps at www.beewrappy.com.au

The post 3 Sustainable Christmas Hacks You Need To Try! appeared first on Bee Wrappy Blog.

When the weekend rolls around, as a family, we always have an important choice to make. In our local area, we are spoiled for choice with wonderful things to do, great weather, and a vibrant community. However, sometimes we know that if we overload the kids with too much activity, they will become tired, cranky and worn out. Sometimes, our kids just love a little bit of time at home doing arts and craft activities, which also lets us bond as a family and recharge our batteries.

If you find yourself in the same situation, we have put together this helpful guide you can use to plan a great weekend, whether you choose to stay in or to go out:

Stay in

Staying in certainly has its positives. It is cheap, you don’t need to battle with traffic and crowds, and it is not weather-dependent. If you choose to stay in, you can turn your home into a crafts wonderland. Why not clear everything off the dining table and set up a station with materials for colouring, painting, collaging, and creating. Craft supplies are low cost and will often last multiple uses, so a small investment up front will pay off with loads of fun. Kids love crafts, and as parents, we love to join in and discover our inner child, while seeing the delight that comes with creating and learning.

Go out

If you decide to go out, why not find a local park farm or farm stay in your area? This is a great way to educate the kids about the environment, food and animals. Most farms will have daily programs which include visiting the nursery, feeding animals, milking cows, tractor rides, whip cracking, cooking damper, and pony rides. Get back to basics and show the kids what life on a farm is like, helping them to foster an appreciation for their greater surroundings.

So stay in or go out? The choice is yours, but we are sure whatever you choose, you and your family will have a fantastic weekend.

The post To stay in or go out? How we make the most of our weekends. appeared first on Bee Wrappy Blog.

Let’s be real: sometimes, living a sustainable lifestyle can be challenging. Time constraints, lack of choice, lack of knowledge and the pressure to conform to our one-use culture all make reusing and recycling much harder.

You’re here reading this because like us, you want to invest in your sustainable future and do your bit for the environment. We’re here to help with these kitchen hacks – 3 everyday items that will save you time and money:

1 – Bee Wrappy Food Wraps

Our wraps are the very epitome of a sustainable, reusable product. Our Bee Wrappy food wraps keep food fresher for longer. They come in a range of cool, fun designs and one application of beeswax lasts up to 12 months.

2 – Plastic bottles

Reuse plastic bottles and lids to make your own watering cans. This is a great activity for young children. Pierce a couple of holes in the bottle lid, fill the bottle with a bit of water – say about ¼ full for a 2-liter bottle – then put the lid back on. Now, give your indoor plants a lovely drink.

3 – Ice block sticks

Reuse wooden paddle-pop or ice block sticks. These can be washed, dried out and saved. A cute and healthy alternative for kids’ lunch boxes, the cleaned sticks can be pushed into a slice of fruit for a fun-to-eat treat.

You could also write on your sticks to use as labels in your veggie garden. You’ll want to use a permanent marker so rain doesn’t erase your handiwork.

There are so many ways to reuse use everyday items that help us live more sustainably: these are just a few. Stay tuned for more coming soon. If you have a kitchen hack that reuses everyday household items, we’d love to hear about how it’s worked for you.

The post Kitchen hacks! 3 everyday items that will save you time (and money) appeared first on Bee Wrappy Blog.

Sometimes kids, for whatever reason, just won’t eat their packed lunches. You might find yourself day after day unpacking the same sandwiches and snacks that you packed in the morning. Sometimes kids get bored eating the same thing day after day, and sometimes it can be as simple as injecting a little bit of colour or fun into their lunch boxes to get them to take a bite. To help you get your kids to not only eat, but also enjoy their packed lunches, we have put together our top three creative tips for transforming their lunch boxes.

1. Make faces out of food

Kids love food that looks quirky and fun. Using a roll or a rice cracker you can make a cute face using hummus as a base to stick your features. You can then experiment with other items such as eggs, which make great eyes and capsicum or carrots, which are great for noses and mouths. You can place another cracker or close the roll on top, so that when your child lifts it off they will be delighted by their new lunch time friend.

2. Shapes and colours

We all know that sometimes how enticing a meal seems all comes down to what it looks like. Buying a handy bento box style lunch box that allows you to segment your kid’s lunches can make the entire meal look much more appetising. Use coloured fruits and healthy snacks like nuts to create variety. Your kids will be excited about sampling the different things on offer.

3. Get the kids involved

It might seem crazy letting the kids make their own lunch, but it might give you a good indication about what they like to eat, and will help them understand their own nutritional needs. It is recommended that parents let their children choose from a few different options and allow extra time for packing. You might be surprised, but kids are much more likely to eat what they have chosen for themselves.

We hope these tips help your kids start enjoying their packed lunches right away! See more at www.beewrappy.com.au

The post How to make them eat (and enjoy) their packed lunch appeared first on Bee Wrappy Blog.

They say first impressions are important. When you meet someone for the first time it only takes a tenth of a second to decide whether you like them or not.

So if you’re still reading this then you must be intrigued. So let’s get to it, because it’s time for you to meet the Bala’s.

Sam and Christine Bala are the founders of Bee Wrappy, Australia’s number one choice for beeswax food wraps.

To get to know them a little bit better, we’ve put together an up close and personal interview that will either leave a good impression, or have you wondering how Christine has put up with Sam for so long.

1. What do you do when you’re not working?

Christine: I love doing craft with the kids. I like painting and when I have time I try to watch a bit of telly and enjoy a little bit of reading. But most of my time is spent with the kids enjoying them!

Sam: I roam the house and make it messy (Just kidding!) We try to do the garden and I like to cook.

2. What makes you laugh the most?

Christine: The TV show ‘Would I Lie To You’ and the kids, they make me laugh all the time!

Sam: Our daughter Hazel makes me laugh. She mirror’s everything we say but with a really serious look on her face.

3. What is your favourite way to relax?

Christine: We don’t really relax but we’re happy that way. When I can, I like to watch anything documentary related.

Sam: There’s only one way I relax which is when Christine gives me a face massage.

4. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in his or her lives?

Christine: Go and see the Northern lights, they were amazing.

Sam: Use an expertly crafted Japanese chef knife. The joy you get from cutting so cleanly is something that gives me goosebumps.

5. What would you do if you won the lottery?

Christine: I wouldn’t mind to win it so I could do more for charities and organisations, but I wouldn’t change my lifestyle.

Sam: I wouldn’t  change a thing.  I would give it away to family and friends and put some in a trust fund for my kids. I know that if I changed anything  it wouldn’t make me happy

6. What is one thing you’re glad you tried but would never do again?

Christine: Scuba diving in Iceland, it was amazing but I wouldn’t do it again.

Sam: Skydiving, it scared me big time!

7. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

Christine: People ask me to listen to them.

Sam: Fixing stuff. When I asked Christine’s parents to marry her, they thought I had come for a chat and asked me to fix a radio.

8. What’s something you like to do the old-fashioned way?

Christine: I like to do things in an uncomplicated way. I wouldn’t really call that old fashioned but I like to keep things simple.

Sam: Anything to do with cooking, I like making my own butter. I like making my own bacon from scratch. I made my own laundry detergent at one point. I find it fun.

9. What gets you out of bed every day?

Christine: The kids and Otis the dog.

Sam: The dog, he just licks your hand and your face.

10. What is one thing on your bucket list?

Christine: To do things with the kids for their ‘firsts’. Just taking them travelling would be fun.

Sam: I want to go to the Millennium stadium in Wale, watch a rugby game and listen to the welsh men sing. The way they sing is amazing.

11. What would you tell your teenage self if you could go back in time?

Christine: I would say, there’s more to come and you’ll be blessed with a great husband and two beautiful children.

Sam: You’re going to marry a beautiful women, don’t worry about anything else.

12. What’s the best thing you got from your parents?

Christine: Where do you start? Everything! A strong sense of community and family. The grounding and stability they gave us. I loved the consistency they gave us, I want that for our kids too.

Sam: We’ve been very lucky, anything they do for us is amazing.

13. What’s one responsibility you really wish you didn’t have?

Christine: I don’t particularly like having to make beds. It’s hard for me to do it with the kids running around but I always I try to put a bit of love in it.

Sam: I hate going to sleep and then remembering that I have to do something. It sounds silly but once you’re comfortable in bed it’s the worst getting back out.

14. What goal are you working on now?

Our common goal is to have a successful business so we can achieve our original goals of flexibility, freedom and give back to the community.

The post Meet the Balas appeared first on Bee Wrappy Blog.