Living green has never been easier, and this month’s beijingkids shows how you can save the planet in your daily life.

Discover the magical soapnut berry, find ways to compost in the capital, learn to spot certified organic products, get the scoop on reducing your carbon footprint, and find wild life in the most unlikely places. Check out our easy guide to birding in Beijing and get tips for minimizing pollution in your home.

Spring is in full swing, so pack up the car and head into Miyun county for a rustic weekend. Jackie Yu introduces the region’s best spots for families, including Cloud Cave Valley for easy hikes, White River for camping and rock-climbing, and Taoyuan Xiangu for waterfalls and lakes. But don’t worry if the family’s not ready to rough it; it’s easy enough to check into a resort. If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend in town, bring the kids to eat crepes at Season Café by 798 or hire a babysitter and book a table for sushi at Len Len in Sanlitun.

Global financial crisis got you down? Well, we can’t prop up your dwindling investments, but we can start a conversation on what everyone’s doing with their money these days. So come, all ye financial voyeurs. How do Beijing families approach saving and spending? How much does it cost to splurge on the high life in the capital? Can you really squirrel away a lot of cash without giving up a lot of luxuries?

If you’ve ever wanted to know what your neighbors spend, how much, and why, check out the latest issue of beijingkids. Five Beijing families – both expat and local – share their financial philosophies as well as their monthly budgets on travel, tuition, rent, domestic help, eating out, and more.

Of course, belt-tightening doesn’t mean cutting out all the pleasures in life. In our brand new Living section, Adam Pillsbury recommends Richang for a family outing and explains why Café de la Poste is worth hiring a babysitter for the night. Belle Zhao finds out whether custom-tailored hair care really delivers glossy, healthy locks.

beijingkids rings in the new year with our annual family dining guide, replete with 54 top picks for restaurants that both parents and kids will love. We scoured the city to find the most family-friendly establishments and rated them on everything from whether the aisles are stroller-friendly and if they have playrooms to whether the non-smoking sections are really non-smoking.

Want to know where to indulge in mango madness with the family and which restaurant has the best healthy desserts? We also tell you where to go for a romantic dinner, a restaurant where you’ll actually want the little ones to eat with their hands, and the best destination brunch in the city.

Spring Festival starts on January 26, and with the holiday comes Beijing’s famed temple fairs. Check out Amani Zhang’s guide to the fairs at various parks, where you can find kung fu performances, acrobats, the city’s best stilt-walkers, reenactments from Chinese literature, and even a high-tech celebration in Zhongguancun. And if you need to bone up on the basics of Spring Festival, Cecily Huang has the primer on what China’s most important holiday is all about.

Wanna be a popular parent? Throw the pajama party of the year with help from beijingkids. This month Tania McCartney dreams up a Sleeping Beauties slumber fest that should please little girls everywhere. Host a mini pampering session, make an easy-yet-personalized cake, and play games into the night. Hyperactive boys? We’ve got a roster of high-energy games that will occupy your kids for hours. (To be safe, consult Chona Rodriguez’s five rules for playdate etiquette beforehand).

Has living abroad created relationship problems? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In a feature by Donna Scaramastra Gorman, expat wives open up about the relationship challenges of living abroad, from money woes and control issues to isolation and identities in flux. And editor Amani Zhang explores the experience of expat kids who attend Chinese schools. Would a local school be a good fit for your child?

The Inaugural Women In Business Showcase kicks of tomorrow at the Landmark Hotel. An impressive line up of female business leaders from a wide range of fields are set to speak at the conference. The theme for this year's event is “Extraordinary Times Call for Extraordinary Women: Are Female Leaders Born, Made or Do They "Make" Themselves?” We caught up with one of the event organizers Robin Adams earlier this week and asked him a few questions about what participants can expect from the event.

For more information about the showcase visit the official site or take a look at the agenda here. To register, click here.

Attention all new expats! Lost in Shunyi? Worried you’re paying too much? Check out our “Beijing 101” feature for 19 mini-guides on living in the city, including how to nab a bespoke qipao a la Maggie Cheung, start a band, quit offending your Chinese friends with your small-talk, order a Chinese banquet like a pro, and beat the expat spouse blues. Before long, you’ll be feeling like a lao Beijingren.

Lost in transition? Donna Scaramastra Gorman tells you how to bridge the expat gap. Jessica Pan dives into the world of third culture kids and finds out how they cope with the regular globetrotting.