The latest social-media craze is a virtual pin board, or scrapbook, to collect and organize your favorite images and ideas from around the Web. While the site has something for everyone, it’s dominated by home decor, fashion, food and crafts, and has become the new Internet darling — make that obsession — among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

“Pinterest is like fantasy ootball for girls,” said Jeannette Appold of Rosemount, Minn. The 44-year-old attorney and mother of two says the social bookmarking site has added value to her life by bringing out creativity that she never knew existed. “Michael’s (craft store) has gotten so much of my money lately,” she said of her newfound passion to imitate craft projects she’s found on the site.

Pinterest has been around since March 2010, but its popularity has recently exploded, making it one of the 10 most popular social-networking sites. The site grew to nearly 5 million users in November, from just 418,000 in May, according to metrics firm ComScore.

Here’s how it works: When you see an image that you want to “pin” to your “board,” you can capture it using a “pin it” plug-in and add it to your online profile. Everyone who follows you can view your pinboards, comment on them and add to them if they have permission. They can “re-pin” the images to their own boards and you can do the same with what you see and like on their boards. Clicking on the image usually takes users to the original source, so a pin of, say, chicken curry, should take you to the website or blog that provides the recipe.

Make sense? The best way to deeply understand how Pinterest works is to join the site and start pinning.

Many users are crediting Pinterest for adding inspiration and creativity to their lives in new and challenging ways. Appold has 17 different boards organized by books she wants to read, recipes she’s inspired to try and clothes she dreams of owning, to name a few. She also has a board of Pinterest-inspired things that she’s actually made: gifts for her children’s teachers, a prayer pot and chore chart for her kids and a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Appold also uses the site to organize ideas she has for her basement remodeling and a bridal shower she’s planning.

Other Pinterest users like the site for its abundance of practical ideas. Did you know you can use an empty egg carton to organize your junk drawer? How about using toilet paper rolls to store those pesky electronic cables? Such ingenious solutions leave Pinterest users asking — “Why didn’t I think of that?” — and keep them coming back for more.

“An addiction” is the best way for University of Minnesota student Courtney Reigh to describe her Pinterest use. The 21-year-old prefers “pinning” over Facebook and logs into her account five to 10 times a day, spending 10 to 25 minutes each visit scrolling for images of home decoration ideas, recipes and clothes. She’s expanded her style and wardrobe, and learned to make the “perfect poached egg, all to the credit of Pinterest.”

“I can get lost in that site,” she said. “I check it first thing in the morning, right before I go to bed and everywhere in between.”

Some Pinterest users are just getting the hang of it, but are devoted fans nonetheless. As the director of social media for Bentz Whaley Flessner, an Edina, Minn.-based fundraising consulting firm, Justin Ware is well-versed in all aspects of social media. He first became interested in Pinterest as a tool for nonprofit organizations, but he quickly began using it personally, too.

The 32-year-old Minneapolis man has started looking for vegetarian recipes and pinning them to his “good eatin’ ” board. He also has boards to house pictures of dogs, camping gear and photos of his favorite places.

But in the Pinterest world, Ware is an anomaly. Guys haven’t jumped on the Pinterest wagon the way women have. About 70 percent of Pinterest users are female and according to Experian Hitwise, most are 25 to 44 years old.

Not only are most Pinterest users female, but most of them live in the Midwest, where the site first caught on.

Midwesterners are up to 102 percent more likely to visit Pinterest.com than the average U.S. Internet user, according to ComScore.

By Aimee Tjader
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

The book came home in the library bag and I snuggled up on the couch with it, and a cup of tea – made by me, check off number 16 in the Home Life chapter. Colorado’s own Mo Siegel, founder of Celestial Seasonings, and I have the same philosophy of tea brewing. (Yes, I was drinking Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger.) 

Samantha Ettus is a personal branding expert. She launched the first-ever agency for personality-driven brands, writes a personal branding blog for ForbesWoman, and is a best selling author, according to her website. 

Ms. Ettus’ series of Expert Guides to everything from the baby years, to doing things faster, and life at home are compilations of essays by “experts” on the subject, or at least people with experience from which to speak. I think calling yourself an “expert” in all things babies or children is just asking them to throw you a curve ball, which they can and will with precision accuracy. “Person with experience in the trenches” or “Treading water through the toddler years” seems more appropriate. 

Flipping through the pages, I started to sort the skills into three categories: things I can certainly do, things I can do but not very well and therefore need a refresher, and finally things that I’ve not had need and am not sure I will ever have need but they are interesting to know about. 

My competitive nature made me tally up how many of the 100 things I can, and have, done. Total score: 90%. Yes! 

3 Things I Can Certainly Do 

Setting a formal table is in my book of experience and I could do it again, I tell you, if there was a flat surface in my dining room and a set of dishes that match or could at least pull off a themed look. My formal table could be an ode to art by my family with a collection of MakIt plates through the years, wine glasses painted by my husband, and tie-dye napkins by me. The only group who would recognize the formality of it all would be my fellow moms-in-arms, who also house a collection of MakIt plates. 

I have changed a tire. Once. It took an hour, or was it two, and I read the manual. At age 16, reading by the light of the car port having never changed a tire before was independence, personal empowerment, and belief in my abilities at its finest. The AAA card in my wallet marveled at my skill. 

Letitia Baldrige, social secretary to the White House and chief of staff for Mrs. John F. Kennedy, says teaching your kids how to shake hands will contribute to the socialization of America. My kids probably need more lessons in manners before they run off and socialize the country, but we’ve managed a start with training on the hand shake. 

2 Things I can do (just not very well).

Sure I can tell a joke but I often laugh too hard before I get to the punch line so I resort to miming the rest. It’s just not the same delivery. The audience is entertained with my wild gesticulations and laughter via hyperventilation but the joke is lost. 

James D. Maas, PhD says I should be getting more regular and uninterrupted sleep. Does he have children or pets? I would love to slumber away 8 hours a night but the snoring, barking, and occasional vomit – children, pets, or adults, take your pick – tend make the whole idea so outlandish it’s comical. Isn’t that why the retired community sleeps more? Making up for lost time during child rearing years. No caffeine after 2pm, no wine 3 hours before bed. Clearly the idea of coping-mechanism has not entered his doctorate world. 

3 Things I’ve Never Had to Do (a.k.a I’ve chosen not to do but it’s interesting to know something about it).

Ryan Newman, NASCAR driver, says it’s easy. So why don’t more people do it? I’ve never done it. The cost of an oil change is going up all the time. Getting an oil change four times a year vs. doing it yourself is equal to a really nice dinner out in the suburbs. I just might give it a go and enjoy the fruits of my labor and saved cash. If I’m covered in oil the next time you see me then you’ll know how it went.

Born and raised in California with the threat of earthquakes and a mother with a well-stocked canned soup and veggie cupboard, I’m even surprised that I don’t have a disaster plan. Tornadoes being the most common possible disaster perhaps I’m picturing all those cans hurling through the air at terminal velocity and therefore want to save my neighbor for being pelted with chicken noodle soup in the midst of a crisis. There are certainly other potential dangers lurking, as Marsha J. Evans, CEO of the Red Cross, describes. So as a responsible adult with off-spring, I should probably do an inventory of flashlights, batteries, meeting places, and perhaps consider putting together a 3-day duffel bag of essentials, just in case. 

Thank goodness Tucker Carlson is in the book to show me how to tie a bow tie, but alas, I have no silk tie to start practicing. Written instructions for tie tying are as cumbersome as the project. If I do have need, I think YouTube would be my go-to source, that is if I couldn’t find a clip-on. 

Who knew the mundane could be so interesting? Reading a Newspaper (check off number 8 in Morning Life) validated my method of non-sequential reading – it’s always A&E first. Growing up with Bob Vila, author and star of This Old House and Bob Vila’s Home Again, paid off in painting a room correctly (number 13 in the Home Life chapter). While I enjoyed reading how to apply lipstick (number 12 – check), I still think it’s a “sometimes” accessory for me and will stick with the shine of lip balm. (For a treat ,maybe I’ll get a tinted balm!)

 Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

However, my latest obsession Pinterest.com has surpassed them all.

And believe me, that’s really saying something.

I’ve gone from being a bored cook to being constantly inspired to try the onslaught of new, fabulous recipes. The endless barrage of crafts and styles motivate me to action and I am completely addicted to the holiday section where I have found a collection of the most innovative, creative and delicious offerings on the Web that are updated every second.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself here. If you’re not familiar, here are a few basics.

What is Pinterest?

According to Pinterest’s “About Us” page, it is a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things — recipes, holiday ideas, travel, crafts, kid’s activities. You name it, people are pinning it.

Why I love it

I am a visual creature and my computer’s bookmarks just don’t cut it. The process is simple: if you see a Web site you like, simply copy-and-paste the URL. Or, if it is already on Pinterest.com, simply “repin.”

How Do I Get Started?

Sorta Crunchy posted a great tutorial here. It’s very simple to get started and so very worth it.

My Favorite finds (so far!)

Honestly, there are too many great finds to really count (and I’ve only been active for a couple of months). Go to my page to see a few of my inspirations but some favorites have included:

Sure, we’ve all heard of gingerbread men but why not flip them the other way around to make reindeer?

This amazing autumn salad with spinach, pears, craisins, feta, green onions, bacon, candied walnuts.

I am totally making this edible tree on Christmas morning.

Harry Potter would be so pleased with this recipe for Butter Beer that has been floating around Pinterest.

These Santa brownie hats are fun and easy.

I’m totally going to do a family tree like this for my picture wall.

I love this site that has many ideas for Crazy Hair Day.

Want to spend more quality time with your kids? At dinnertime, here are 30 questions to ask them, one for every day of the month. This blog writes a new set of questions every month; some are silly, some are serious.

I appreciate all the great organizational helps on Pinterest. I really love this idea.

There are so many funny quotes floating around that make me chuckle every day.

See? Funny.

And fashion. Don’t even get me started on my fashion finds. I love this necklace: one half is your fingerprint, the other is your significant other’s.

And these boots? To die for!

I could go on but the important thing is for you to get on Pinterest.com. And if you’re already a part of the Pinterest community, what are your favorite things to pin? Note: Since it is still in Beta, leave your email in the comment section below if you’d like an invitation. Updated: Rumor has it there is a waiting list to join (a testament of its popularity). Be sure to leave a comment to get on it now!

Happy pinning! (But don’t say you haven’t been warned….)

VTech Toys have come a long way since my kids were born. Their first “computer” was VTech’s Tote & Go Laptop that they still enjoy several years later.

VTech’s V.Reader makes the old Tote & Go look positively archaic. This is the best-selling e-reader for kids in the world, with the recommended age range 3 to 7 years old. I was sent a V.Reader to review and give away and here are a few of our observations.

Features I love as a parent:

*This interactive e-reader is now equipped with updated software and increased internal memory.
*There is not a large learning curve to figure it out.
*It teaches core reading skills with a large color touch screen.
*The corners were rounded and had rubberized plastic for added protection.
*The V.Reader comes pre-loaded with the story book “What’s That Noise” and fun applications You can also download VTech’s Learning Lodge Navigator for additional software.
*A USB cable to connect the V.Reader to a computer is provided so parents can monitor their child’s reading activity and create completion certificates as progress is made.
*Connect V.Reader to your computer to download additional stories for more learning.

Cons::
*It goes through batteries very quickly. Buy an AC adapter for it, but one is not included.
*Cartridges are sold separately. This can get pricy at $19.99 a pop, which was likely the reason VTech dropped the price of the unit from $9.99 to $49.99. Download the cheaper digital versions online.

What my 5-year-old son loved about it:

*Selecting a personalized avatar to personalize his V.Reader.
*The fully animated stories with story narration and interactive reading games. (I loved that each line of the story is read aloud and can be followed on the screen).
*The reading games that helped him learn more about rhyming, syllables, lowercase and uppercase letters, and reading comprehension.

What my 7-year-old daughter loved about it:

*My daughter loves to draw and she thought the Art Studio’s drawing and painting activities were cool. (Note: for added interactivity, creations can be saved to an SD card and shared with friends and family).
*For older kids, there are difficult categories of activities including phonics, vocabulary, and word recognition games.

Contest
Mile High Mamas is giving away a VTech Toys V.Reader (a $49.99 value!) Please go here to enter. Contest deadline is November 30, 2011.

But the 20-year-old program has another fringe benefit: The parents of Colorado kids who get a book during their checkups are more likely to make sure their children regularly visit the doctor, a survey of program participants shows.

The national nonprofit Reach Out and Read expects to hand out about 25,600 books daily until International Literacy Day, Sept. 8. The child-literacy organization started at what is now Boston Medical Center and came to Colorado in 1997 after a pediatrician at Denver Health heard about the success Boston doctors had with “prescribing” books to kids who visited their offices for checkups.

“It grew very grassroots across the state as providers heard about it,” said Megan Wilson, executive director of Reach Out and Read Colorado. “Expansion in the rural parts of the state has been tremendous, and the need has been tremendous. In some communities where we’ve started, there have been no other resources for young children to get new, high-quality books.”

In Colorado, the number of clinics distributing books has increased to 168 from 53 in the past five years. More than 143,000 books from Scholastic are given out each year.

“She always asks for books every time we come,” said Laura Atkins of her daughter, Heaveneiya, 3, during a visit to Doctors Care in Littleton, which has served more than 20,000 uninsured or underinsured patients since 1988.

Heaveneiya received her first book from the doctor at 6 months old, and her frequent request — “Mommy, read me this book!” — has strengthened the mother-daughter bond.

“We get busy as parents, but this helps to sit down with them and a book, even if it’s just five minutes,” said Atkins, watching her daughter sitting on the exam table, avidly flipping the pages of her new book. “They enjoy it, and it helps them learn, to hear the words pronounced.”

Doctors Care has two floor-to-ceiling closets stocked with age-appropriate books, in English and Spanish, including such classics as “Goodbye Moon” and “Curious George.”

Practitioners hand out a book at the start of a visit, and talk with parents about reading’s importance to a child’s overall development.

To understand how parents were affected by the program, Reach Out and Read Colorado last year hired a public-education consultant to conduct a survey involving 207 parents and 49 medical practitioners.

While the majority (96 percent) said the children were happy to receive the gift of a book, differences were found between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families.

• Forty-three percent of Spanish-speaking families reported that a parent often reads to a child, compared with 73 percent of English-speaking families. English-speaking families said obstacles included a lack of time, or the energy required to get a child to pay attention, while Spanish-speaking families more often cited limited ability to buy or access books, and difficulty reading English.

• One hundred percent of Spanish-speaking parents said their child looked forward to getting a book, compared to 75 percent of English-speaking parents.

• Seventy percent of Spanish-speaking parents said they were more likely to go to their next well-child visit because their child will receive a book, compared with 48 percent of English speakers.

Reach Out and Read Colorado raises 65 percent of its own funds, gets about 25 percent from the national organization, and clinics pay for about 10 percent. But earlier this year, the national organization had lost its federal funding — about $6 million — because of severe budget cuts.

“We in Colorado are stepping up funding,” said Wilson, “so the clinics won’t notice.”

By Colleen O’Connor

Photo Credit: John Lebya

Local mom and writer Kyrie Collins has provided some fresh answers in her must-have book Playdate with Denver & Colorado’s Front Range: 200 Creative Adventures for Kids and Tots. Don’t miss our Q&A that gives the inside scoop on activities your kids will love.

What are some of your favorite lesser-known places to explore?

Discovering some of the hidden gems around Denver was the best part about researching this book! Here are some of my favorites:

That’s quite the list! What special “extras” are included in the book? I.e. prices, kid-friendly considerations.

The book offers all the basic information about each location (address, phone number, web address, price, hours) but I also included extra information so that families can make the most of their visit and go prepared . . . whether there are diaper-changing tables in the men’s and women’s restrooms, whether it’s stroller-friendly, whether you can bring in your own food (and save $20+), and where to find discounts.

At the bottom of each entry is a list of other destinations within 5 miles in case you arrive to a parking lot full of school buses or show up at an outdoor place just as it starts raining. The description of each place is quite detailed. I tried to provide enough information for families to know ahead of time whether a certain destination would be right for them. I also included 5 blank stars at the top of each entry so everyone can rate the places for themselves. Several appendices offer more information, including a Kids Eat Free section and Family-Friendly Festivals and Events throughout the state.

Who is your target audience?

I would say the majority of the destinations in the book are great for kids up to age 10 and even beyond in many cases, but the programs offered at the various places focus on the 5 and younger set. For example, Denver Art Museum offers Create Playdates the second Wednesday of each month for 3-to-5-year olds. Each month has a different theme like Roar, Bang, or Stomp. Watching my child connect with art at such a young age was incredible. Keep in mind that most places that offer programs for preschoolers also offer programs for kids of all ages. The idea was to provide fun, age-appropriate opportunities to explore different places throughout Denver starting at a very young age and then continue the discovery process as our children grow.

How old are your kids and did you have any memorable experiences as they were accompanying you during your “research?”

My sons are now 7 1/2 and 5, although they were 2 1/2 and 5 when we first began this project. My boys and I visited each destination in the book so we could give a personal description based on our experience, and they really got into helping mommy write the book. One of the jobs that was exclusively theirs was checking the mens’ bathrooms for diaper-changing tables. It reached the point that they wanted to check the bathrooms wherever we went, including the bank, King Soopers, and friends’ houses!

Perhaps our most memorable experience happened when we went to The Bay Aquatic Park in Broomfield. My younger son, who was 3 at the time, was still a bit timid in the water and didn’t like getting his face wet but I managed to convince him to ride down the water slide on my lap. The splashdown area was only about 3 1/2 feet deep and, for some reason, I thought we would slide down together and I could just stand up when we reached the bottom so his face wouldn’t get wet. I was very surprised when we both went all the way underwater. So was my 3-year-old! He was mad at me for the rest of the day!

Playdate with Denver & Colorado’s Front Range: 200 Creative Adventures for Kids and Tots is $22 and can be purchased directly through the publisher www.PlaydatePublishing.com (receive a 15% discount by using the code PDDMHM). The book can also be purchased at Tattered Cover, The Bookies, Boulder Bookstore, REI, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, The Wildlife Experience, Children’s Museum of Denver, and a number of gift shops throughout the Denver Metro Area.

Any number of websites or games draws her to my MacBook minutes after waking. American Girl. Poptropica. National Geographic Kids. At this point, my questions go unanswered. To, “What do you want for breakfast?” I get total silence, maybe some keyboard taps or grunts when she gets frustrated.

There is a new state campaign urging parents to limit their child’s recreational screen time – that includes TV, iPads, Droids, laptops, everything with a screen – to two hours per day. While it doesn’t seem like we’ve exceeded that, I fear that if I actually got a timer out I would be shocked by the amount of time my 8-year-old daughter is on the computer.

Not long ago, books captured her imagination. I could not keep up with her prolific reading. Lately, though, I have noticed she isn’t picking up books so readily.

So, it has become my parental mission is to change this. During a recent visit to our hometown Boulder Bookstore, I learned about a clever passport program for kids. A handful of local downtown stores – such as Crocs and Powell’s Sweet Shoppe – are featured on the “passport,” along with a recommended children’s reading selection – a challenging one and an easier read. When the child reads one of the books, he can visit the store and answer a question about the book. If he gets the answer, he gets a stamp in his “passport.” When the passport is filled, he gets a prize from the bookstore. The good thing is the books can come from the library, a friend, your own bookshelf, or a store. The stores win. Your kid wins. You win because your kid is reading. (The obvious downside is trying to exit Powell’s without a bag full of candy…)

My second stop was to the Bookworm, my favorite used bookstore in Boulder. I brought home some American Girl mysteries, along with a couple other books, including Island of the Blue Dolphins, a classic I read as a child. Last night, I saw her pick up one of the books as she prepared for bed.

Check out bookstores in your community to see if they’ve got summer reading programs.

Then, of course, there is always your local library. I imagine most libraries have summer reading programs that provide incentives and fun activities for kids to promote a love of reading and words.

EdNews Parent recently interviewed Caroline Hughes, early literacy senior librarian at the Denver Public Library, about how to encourage language and literacy skills over the summer. Read her great suggestions for readers of all ages and watch the video in this EdNews Parent post.

Her main piece of advice is to keep reading fun. Don’t make it a chore or a requirement. Let your son or daughter choose the books they want to read.

Oh, and it’s important that you keep reading, too. Hughes says the number one predictor of lifelong reading is seeing parents enjoying reading. So, let go of your guilt and pick up that glossy mag you’ve been eyeballing, or that best seller you were saving for vacation. Read it now.

Bio: Julie Poppen edits EdNews Parent, a nonprofit-funded website and newsletter targeting Colorado parents that focuses on healthy schools, teaching and learning, and school safety. Poppen is a former daily newspaper journalist most recently with the Rocky Mountain News who has covered a multitude of school issues in Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver. She’s also the mother of a fourth-grader in Boulder Valley schools and regular – though not always perfectly proficient – classroom volunteer.

The Metro-Denver’s Guide to Everything for Dad and Kids

I was a bit skeptical when I got Wonderdads in the mail. I always thought of myself as the kid guru when it comes to activities, where to shop, eat and play. Well, this compilation of ideas is giving me a run for my money! The book is fantastic. The contributors nailed so many of my favorites and even introduced me to some shops and restaurants I have not yet tried. This truly is an awesome gift for dad this Father’s Day.

First of all, the book even has an additional social media option for tech-savvy dads. You can get free access for one year on your iPhone, Blackberry or Andriod with free updates and more, pretty cool! Second, the book is divided into such easy to search through sections; any dad can navigate this guide.

The chapters cover all the basics and pick out highlights such as “top dad/child . . .things to do in Denver, restaurants in Denver, activities in Denver, outdoor parks & recreation in Denver, things to do on a rainy day, things to do on a hot day, full-day activities, splurges and most memorable.” Seriously, this book has got dad covered!

But, there’s more . . oodles of stores, restaurants, parks and activities, and a chapter dedicated to unique adventures that is pretty clever. Wonderdads covers the entire Metro area with events such as Denver Arts Week, El Dia de los Muertos, A Chocolate Affair, Cheeseman Park Independence Day Kids Parade, Dunk your Dad & Chili Contest and many more.

If dad pages through this book and can’t find an activity that matches the weather, location and mood of his children, then something is awry. The guide was written with extreme thought and care. I really can’t think of a better gift for dad on Father’s Day! Visit www.wonderdads.com for more information on the book, the authors and the Wonderdad series. There are numerous other titles out there that cover additional cities. You can purchase the book directly off the website as well.

Happy Father’s Day!

I had lived with the guilt of not recycling for years but last summer I decided I would make more of an effort. I called my HOA to find out the recycling retrieval rates and found out I’d already been paying for it as a part of our fee.

Whoops.

A year later, I am proud to say my recycling bin has more items than my garbage can and it has required very little extra effort. My reluctant husband, on the other hand, can’t be bothered. He remained indifferent when 6-year-old Hadley and I recently staged an intervention after she read Where Does The Garbage Go?

Though I can’t teach that old dog new tricks, I have been educating my kids. When Haddie and I were departing from a restaurant last week, I pointed out the tall garbage can full of pop cans whose home would inevitably be a landfill in the future.

“I know, Mommy,” Haddie exclaimed. “After school next week, let’s go to lots of different restaurants with garbage cans and see if we can find some things to recycle.”

Whoa, let’s back up a bit here. I fear I may have created a dumpster-diving monster.

=======

Easy Ways to Make Eco-friendly Changes

Many of us want to make eco-friendly changes but don’t know where to start or think we don’t have the time. A couple of years ago, I was given the book The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do To Make A BIG Difference and it has been a fantastic reference for all things green. The changes are as small as using the right burner, putting a tennis ball in your dryer to speed up the process, skipping the plastic stir stick in your coffee, and this one surprised me the most: don’t throw food waste in your garbage disposal. Check out these great tips below:

Put your dryer lint in the backyard. The soft lint is ideal for birds to feather their nests and is a much more eco-friendly alternative than throwing it in the garbage. Simply place the dryer lint in a pile on the ground and wait for nesting birds to retrieve it.

Use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach when you wash a load of whites. Bleach is toxic to marine life and has been linked to birth defects. Once it goes down the drain, its impact is irreversible. Hydrogen peroxide is just as effective. Add a cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to your wash instead.

Choose the right burner on the stove when you’re making dinner. You can minimize the amount of energy you use to cook dinner by using the right burner for the right size of pan. Also avoid using a pot that is too big; it takes a lot of extra energy to heat the contents.

Throw a couple of clean tennis balls in the dryer to speed up drying time. They keep your clothes from sticking to the sides and help fluff up items like comforters and pillows.

Keep food waste out of the garbage disposal. The peach pits and cucumber peels you put in the disposal eventually end up in streams and lakes where they deprive the water of oxygen and kill aquatic life like algae and fish. Running the disposal also uses a lot of water. Instead, add food waste to a compost pile or put food scraps in the trash. Once food reaches the landfill, it biodegrades over time.

Use cloth napkins at dinner. The average American uses 2,200 two-ply paper napkins per year. Switch to cloth and you’ll keep more than 662 billion paper napkins out of the trash.

Sign up for paperless billing. Ask your bank, energy provider and credit card companies to send your monthly statements via email. Paper bills account for almost 700,000 tons of waste and 2 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Turn off your car while you wait for your kids. For every minute your car idles, it emits almost 7 grams of pollutants like nitrous oxides into the atmosphere. You can also save gas: for every 10 minutes you let your vehicle idle, you use approximately 25 gallons of gas per year.

Skip the plastic stir stick with your morning cup of coffee. Americans throw away 138 billion straws and stirrers every year. You can mix your coffee without the stir stick: just pour the sugar in first, then add the mile or cream.

Switch to eco-friendly cat litter. Over 2 million tons of non-biodegradable cat litter ends up in the landfill every year. Traditional cat litter is made from clay using a process called strip-mining, a process that has destroyed thousands of acres of land. Choose cat litter made from wheat, recycled newspaper, corn cobs or other renewable materials.

Make a few eco-friendly changes to keep mosquitoes at bay. You don’t need harsh chemicals to control mosquitoes. Standing water in your yard is a breeding ground for them. Drill holes in your planet pots and trash cans and be sure to replace the water in birdbaths, water fountains and pet bowls regularly to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.

Donate your old eyeglasses to those in need. The visually impaired in developing countries are in desperate need for used eyeglasses. Organizations like Lions Clubs, Goodwill Industries and LensCrafters collect used eyeglasses, repair them and distribute them around the world.

Get the junk out of your trunk. If you’re driving around with a cooler, beach chair and the kitchen sink you’re not getting good gas mileage. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce your car’s fuel efficiency by up to 2 percent. Also boost your fuel mileage by removing the roof rack. The extra weight and aerodynamic drag impact fuel efficiency.

Donate old newspaper to your local animal shelter. They use newspaper as bedding for pets awaiting adoption. Ask about donating old, clean towels as well.

Turn off the water with the main shut-off valve before you leave on vacations. You’ll prevent the faucets from dripping, the ice maker from working overtime and the toilets from running. In the winter, it’s possible for pipes to freeze and break if the water is unused for long periods of time.

Clean the kitchen with a cloth dishrag instead of paper towels. If every family in the U.S. replaced on 70-sheet roll of paper towels with a reusable alternative, it could save 544,000 trees. That adds up to 6,528,000 trees per years for families who use one roll of paper a month. If you must use paper towels, make sure they’re made from recycled content.

Buy solar lights for your home or garden. Solar lights are charged by the sun. Once the sun goes down, the self-charging lights cast a soft glow along garden paths and light up the patio.

Change the setting on your printer. Nearly one million print cartridges are throw away every day. Stores like OfficeMax and Office Depot allow you to refill you ink cartridges instead of buying new ones. Extend the life of your cartridge by printing unimportant documents in draft mode, which uses less ink (check your owner’s manual for instructions).

Donate your used athletic shoes. The rubber soles can be recycled and turned into surface material for basketball courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds all over the country. The Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program is the largest shoe recycling program in the United States.

Don’t top off your gas tank. Though it’s tempting to do, you need to leave some extra room in your gas tank to allow the gasoline to expand. Topping off may cause gas to evaporate into the vapor collection system in your car, causing the vehicle to increase its emissions.

These are just a sampling of the 365 quick tips listed in The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do To Make A BIG Difference ($14.99) by Jodi Helmer.

What small things are you doing to make a big difference?!

Photos: Canon, Best Green Home Tips, Planet Green, Lions Recycle for Sight.

To celebrate, The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) and the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) is hosting Llamapalooza! at the Denver Central Library on Saturday, April 16 from 2-4 p.m. Join them for a fun-filled afternoon with English and Spanish-language readings by Mayor Bill Vidal and author Deborah Guarino, arts and crafts, book giveaways, and more!

And, of course it wouldn’t be Llamapalooza without llamas – meet their special guests: Mr. Magoo and Jurni. Snacks provided by McDonalds, with a special appearance by Ronald McDonald.

Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Denver Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave Parkway
Cost: Free

Preschool One Book, One Denver 2011 is presented by The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) and the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) and features community readings across the City and County of Denver. A complete calendar of events is posted on the DPP website (www.dpp.org).