I know you've probably heard this song way too many times by now but this week's Live A Little theme is "Home" and it's what popped into my mind immediately. Of course, when I sing it, I change the words to "home is wherever I'm with Roo…"
I'd feel bad about not including Jasper's name but he absolutely hates it when I sing. No joke. My singing voice is really not that horrible, either… That boy is a conundrum. Mystifyingly, one of his favorite refrains is "I wanna go home!" which he repeats with a dire sense of urgency, even when tucked into his own bed. Not sure what that means but he says it an awful lot when he's sleepy.
I've always thought that home is more of a sense than a geographical location. Maybe I think that because I don't have a childhood home to go back to. I grew up in Hawaii and miss the islands but I think Austin, where I went to college, is a close second. And I did love Seattle. Now, home is where my family is. I suspect that as they grow up and find their place I will follow them. I wonder if they'll think of Wichita as home, or our house. They love our neighborhood, our street, their school. They have a very strong sense of home. I hope they hold it close to their hearts.
What do you think makes a home?
Share your Live a Little suggestions with the Skimbaco every Monday by adding the link to your Live a Little blog post in the InLinkz widget below. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com OR grab the InLinkz code for your blog post – or do both! If you post the widget in your blog post, please add the rules as well.
One of the best things about blogging has been learning about charitable initiatives and volunteerism opportunities. I am active in my local Junior League and many of the projects I have volunteered with in the past have been literacy-based. The project I am currently working on, Critter Campus, is a joint project between JLW and the Kansas Humane Society. We have created and established the Read to Rover program, which helps beginning and struggling readers gain confidence by reading to trained therapy dogs in a non-judgmental setting. Here is Roo reading to Chance during our pilot session:
I am a firm believer in the concept that reading is the cornerstone of all learning, the foundation on which a child's education is built upon. One of the ways we tried to be proactive in helping our kids to learn was by participating in our school district's Parents as Teachers program, which reinforces their eponymous concept from pregnancy through school age. Unfortunately, in our area PAT only has funding to spend three years with each family- meaning that Jasper stopped getting the home visits when he was about a year old since Roo had them one to three. We still keep in touch with our parent educators and believe strongly in the program. In many communities, there are early childhood programs, such as California's First 5 initiative. Definitely ask around and see what is available in your area.
I was trying to give you an impression about how strongly literacy ties into my personal volunteer efforts and our family life in order to give you some background on why I will be attending the National Conference on Family Literacy, which starts tomorrow in San Antonio. Collective Bias has asked me to attend the conference to give the National Center for Family Literacy some perspective on outreach to non-educators. They are hoping to use the power of social media to bring their message of collaborative and ongoing family learning into our homes directly, so that their powerful literacy tools can be accessed without being dependent on funding from grants and sponsorships. As parents, one of your most important roles is as your child's first educator, and that is something that is unfortunately overlooked too often. Teachers are not the only ones who teach! It's a simple enough idea but one that cannot be overemphasized.
I am so excited to attend this conference! This will be the 19th annual National Conference on Family Literacy and the lineup of speakers is stellar. Michael Oher and Collins Tuohy, the real life inspiration behind the Academy Award winning film The Blind Side (he is the central character and she is his adoptive sister), will be speaking about the power of family support in learning.
Monica Holloway is the author of Cowboy and Wills, the story of how adopting a puppy changed her autistic son's life and learning style.
As a blogger, I am perhaps most excited to hear Sir Ken Robinson, PhD literacy advocate and author of The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, speak about working with families to meet 21st century education needs and technology’s role in doing so. He is a well known speaker on creativity and innovation and I am sure his lecture will be thought provoking and the start of many conversations.
Disclosure: My travel, lodging and conference expenses are being provided but no additional compensation. I am grateful to Collective Bias and the National Center for Family Literacy for this opportunity to keep learning.
I'm always really curious to see what other people feed their kids, probably because mine are such sporadic and unadventurous eaters. Tamra Davis is a filmmaker, mom and kid-cooking guru… not necessarily in that order. The Tamra Davis Cooking Show is an online guide to healthy family meals. The latest episode is about packing school lunches, a process that gives me palpitations since Roo frequently comes home with her lunchbox still full, barely touched no matter how much effort I put into it.
It probably dates me but I get a giddy thrill out of watching Tamra do tag-team cooking with her husband, who happens to be Mike D from the Beastie Boys. Ah, yeah. He packs the lunchboxes while she makes french toast. Perfect harmony, even though they both look about as tired as I do on the average weekday morning. (Admittedly, watching any guy pack a lunchbox is pretty foxy to me these days. Oh my god, I am such a mom…)
Tamra also published a cookbook: Make Me Something Good To Eat is filled with healthy vegetarian recipes, plus ideas for all sorts of parent-related cookery like dinner parties, bake sales, brunches, etc. And if you're swayed by celebrity opinions, keep this in mind- Gwyneth likes it. So there.
Team Mom sent us a nice back-to-school surprise: a lunchbag filled with some of the products from Eating Right Kids, a food and beverage line featuring the Looney Tunes characters. Roo immediately fell in love with ol' Bugs Bunny:
The Eating Right Kids packaging features the color-coded Spot Your Needs System on the front, which means each product includes at least one Spot Your Needs dietary benefit– high fiber, low sodium, low fat, multi-grain, etc. To see the dietary benefits of any ERK product, just check the spot on the front of the box.
Roo and Jasper enjoyed the 100% apple juice, mixed fruit cup and chocolate coating chewy bar but were less enthusiastic about the Macaroni and Beef meal. I was pleasantly surprised at how short and recognizable the ingredient list was on the meal, considering how much it tasted like the coveted canned ravioli of my youth… my mom never let me have it but seemed to fill the pantries of all my friends which made it more desirable. (When I was in college, I went through a brief phase of buying all the crap my mom never let me have– spray cheese, canned ravioli, etc. until realizing that it didn't taste as good as homemade. Duh.) I like the easy microwave preparation, too, but was annoyed when I realized that the 160 calories listed was for half the container. So if you pack it in your kid's lunch, you need to be aware that it actually contains 300 calories and technically two servings. Which didn't matter for us, really, since Roo and Jasper split it for dinner.
Unfortunately for our family, Eating Right Kids products are available exclusively at Safeway stores and we don't have any locations in our area. If you do have a nearby Safeway, check out the new line and let me know what you think.
her comment... Heritage Ornaments with Jacquard Inkjet Silk- those are really cool and I'd like to make them.
Jacquard Products offers a dizzying array of creative color tools for artists, hobbyists and crafters. Their products are highly sought after for textile applications and run the gamut from jarred paints to pens and airbrush liquids. Although Jacquard Products are designed for professionals, they can also help beginners achieve fantastic results. Their kits make it easy for anyone to make beautiful keepsake projects, anything from screenprinting to indigo dyeing to silk painting. We received the Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit and Roo could barely control her excitement!
We picked out items from each family member's closet to tie dye and bundled them and twisted them and bound them with rubber bands. Then we soaked them in a soda ash solution which acts as a fixative for the dye.
While the bundles were soaking, I mixed up the dyes with tap water. These are incredibly vibrant dyes so gloves are a must!
We went out to the patio for the actual dye application, just in case of imminent disaster, but the squeeze bottles that come with the Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit keep mess to a minimum. To say that Roo loved squirting dye willy nilly onto our shirt bundles is a massive understatement. I must admit that it was a lot of fun, especially pulling back rubber banded areas to squirt in between layers.
After you're finished dyeing, you let the bundles sit for 24 hours. This was the most frustrating part for Roo since she wanted to check it out immediately. The next day, I rinsed the bundles and then washed and dried our creations. It was hard to believe that they were laundry-safe considering how much damp dye still remained in our clothes, but once they were rinsed there was no staining or leaching onto other items. Yay! I'm not usually a big fan of tie dye (too bright or hippie-ish) but I think our stuff came out awfully cute:
The Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit is recommended for up to five shirts but we had a LOT of dye leftover, so I think they must mean five extra super huge tees, not toddler and preschooler sized garments. We could have easily done twice as many items with this kit but if you have a bigger group or a huge project (drapes, duvet cover, slipcover), you might want to try the Tie Dye Kit for 15 shirts. We're going to try that one out with Roo's classmates very soon!
Entries will be accepted through June 24th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please.
Jasper's first birthday kind of turned into a party for Roo and her friends. We had fun but it wasn't really a celebration of his big day. I'm not the mom who puts together effortlessly chic, seamless shindigs, I am afraid. My poor kids deserve so much more! Well, there's always next year, right? And this time, I'll be prepared.
Dear Peppers and Pollywogs is a fantastic resource for planning kids' parties. Written by Lisa Kothari, an experienced event planner, the book answers all of the questions you might have about putting together a party that will be fun for everyone involved. Lisa addresses EVERYTHING, from guest list etiquette to favors and activities. The book is a companion piece to the Peppers and Pollywogs website, where you can peruse party themes, print invitations and even check out local talent according to US metropolitan area. If you have any party dilemmas, chances are Lisa will be able to solve them for you!
Do you know what your child is breathing outside your home? This is from a press release I received recently:
It may be hard to believe, but research shows the air inside our homes and schools can be more toxic than the air outside. Why? Because the very materials and products we use to furnish and maintain our indoor environments can release hundreds of pollutants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone and even biological allergens.
The evidence is significant because statistics show that children spend roughly 85 percent of their time indoors. Children are especially at risk, particularly those with asthma, allergies and respiratory diseases. One organization, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), offers a solution to parents concerned about the indoor air quality of their homes and children's schools: the GREENGUARD Children & Schools certification program with rigorous standards that address the unique sensitivities of infants and children.
GREENGUARD Children & Schools is one of three certification programs overseen by GEI. The industry-independent, non-profit Institute was founded in 2001 to establish certification programs to measure and verify that the levels of chemical emissions of products being used indoors are acceptable. As an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for building materials, interior products, indoor environments and building designs, and GEI is considered one of the world's foremost resources on indoor air quality.
Today, the GREENGUARD certification mark can be found on more than 170,000 interior products produced by over 150 manufacturers. Among those companies meeting the requirements for use of the GREENGUARD mark are DuPont, Georgia-Pacific, BASF, Owens Corning, Hunter Douglas, Benjamin Moore, bedding manufacturer Naturepedic and cleaning product producer JohnsonDiversey. Product categories undergo quarterly testing to ensure that products continue to meet emissions criteria. The ongoing testing is necessary for products to retain their certification.
"More and more parents recognize the importance of providing their children with an interior environment that is as clear of pollutants as possible," said GEI Founder Marilyn Black. "Unfortunately, it is very difficult to distinguish which products are truly environmentally friendly and which ones are not. The GREENGUARD mark ensures a particular product has passed rigorous testing to prove it will emit the fewest possible pollutants into the air."
***CONGRATULATIONS, Shelly!!!*** her comment... I love the Birthday Book and the School Days book
I've written about the wonders of Warm Biscuit Bedding Company before. Their luxurious custom bedding and upholstery look phenomenal and they also offer a zillion, trillion items that transcend mere cuteness. I love their vintage look and timeless appeal.
They have a whole range of camp accessories and outdoor toys. This Bug Catcher would be perfect for end-of-summer expeditions:
This Tree Swing would also be adorable in any backyard:
If your summer is rapidly disappearing and the impending school year is on your mind, Warm Biscuit has really sweet school supplies, too. This School Days Photo Album is on sale for $11 (down from $14) and would be a perfect thing to get now, before you forget!
These lovely Composition Notebooks feature illustrations inspired by Little Nemo and are so much prettier than their spiral bound brethren:
And I adore these pretty and practical Oilcloth Backpacks and matching monogrammed pencilcases. The patterns are bright and cheerful for preschoolers and the oilcloth makes them easy to wipe down, too.
***Superdumb Supervillain Bonus!***
Use code wbsbsv10 for 10% off your online purchase. Expires 9/15/08
To enter and win a $50 gift certificate to Warm Biscuit Bedding Company, please comment on this post with your favorite things from their website.
Entries will be accepted through August 13th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US/Canada readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please.
Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! Or, you may choose to check for your nickname at Prizey.Fetch, a site that compiles winners in one convenient place:
***Click Giveaways on my sidebar to see what else you could win!***
Unbelievably awesome kids' clothier Kea + Joby is going out of business. I was lucky enough to win a shopping spree there from The Family Groove a while back and I spent hours agonizing over my choices, getting a bunch of gorgeous things for both Jasper and Roo.
The clothes are so cute, with great color combinations and comfortable styling. Best of all, Kea + Joby's signature fabric is a rayon/lycra blend that is unbelievably soft and silky but washes like a dream. Every time the kids wear their Kea + Joby outfits (I am particularly fond of the pink/green skirt set), I am reminded that I wish all of my clothes could be so effortlessly chic and comfy.
Right now, EVERYTHING at Kea + Joby is 50% off. I'm sad to see them go but it's also a great opportunity to stock up on really lovely clothes. If you buy anything, please mention Naomi (superdumbsupervillain @ cox. net) sent you and I could earn some store credit to squirrel away some more super soft fashions for Roo and Jasper…
Have you met the Trendy Tadpole? This online emporium stocks some of the cutest baby and kid tees I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of t-shirts, let me tell you. This one is my personal fave, I can just picture it on my stoic Jasper:
And what baby doesn't have a Buddha Belly? Doesn't yours need a tee that proclaims it proudly?
I love the subtle sophistication of this cherry blossom onesie, I'd love it on a tee in my size:
These Meomi designs are adorable and slightly naughty. Jasper is totally a drool monster right now. And an oopsy! Thankfully, Roo is neither, but I think she would look pretty cute in both of these designs and get a kick out of explaining them to anyone who will listen…they just need a booger shirt to complete the triumvirate.
I doubt you can tell by this picture, but this tee is the softest cotton ever. Apparently that means you don't need to wear pants with it. Roo's only complaint? "It's not pink." Three year olds!
Jasper is loving his chirpy bird tee. Can you tell he's 1/4 Japanese? No one else can, either! But the hiragana on his shirt is a shout-out to his ancestors. And mommy thinks it's pretty cool, which is really all that matters to him right now.
Order online at Trendy Tadpole by December 16 for Christmas delivery. Shipping is free when you enter code, umm, "free" at checkout. I told you they were funny!
My dad and his lovely (really) wife sent me a new digital camera to replace the one that was stolen at the zoo. It's the same model and everything! I am so thrilled to have a camera again. Thanks, guys!
So here are some new kid pics, finally. First, the ever-growing Jasper in his indie/skate punk outfit:
Then Roo shows us how much she loves Star Wars. The old action figures now peacefully co-exist with Polly Pocket and Littlest Pet Shop toys. Who would have known? Oh, wait, I guess the three new Star Wars movies have gratuitous cutesy characters. And there were Ewoks. Never mind.
Roo had her hair in piggytail braids for the first time. Daddy did it.
Sometimes she looks so grown up, it's scary.
Finally, for the "awww" factor, sibling love at it's finest. Big sister and little brother:
I've always had allergies. Growing up on the damp windward side of Oahu, I assumed having a stuffy nose was just a part of life. When I adopted my first pet in college, a cat named Piewackett, I knew I would be battling allergies at least for her lifetime. I religiously popped antihistamines and kept an inhaler on hand for particularly nasty flare-ups.
Piewackett's old and even greyer nowadays and we live in dusty, dry Wichita, Kansas. I have two kids and, uh, seven cats, now so I'm a bit more concerned than I used to be with keeping allergens at bay. I wash the clothes and sheets frequently, vacuum as often as possible (not enough, admittedly!), and hope for the best. So far, neither of my kids seems to have allergies but their dad has developed them, probably a result of wood carving.
Roo's potty training experience had motivated me to get waterproof mattress pads for all the beds in the house quite a while ago, but when I read about CleanRest, a line of bedding products designed to protect you from allergens in your sleep, I was intrigued. What makes CleanRest products so different is that instead of being merely waterproof, they are allergen-proof. Instead of laying on top of a mattress, the CleanRest encasements actually zip around the whole thing, providing an all-encompassing barrier to moisture AND allergens. But unlike the rubber sheets of my youth that crinkled uncomfortably and made noise, CleanRest encasements are made of a high-tech breathable fabric called Micron One. Its weave is so small, no liquids or allergens can penetrate it.
Since both kids are staying in our room right now (Jasper in his moses basket and Roo snugly between us, ugh) we tried a CleanRest mattress encasement on our king sized bed. We usually have three cats in bed with us at night, too, so there was quite a panel of product testers. The CleanRest encasement was way easier to put on our huge pillow-topped mattress than I expected. I was initially apprehensive because it was crunchy and noisy right out of the package but it became much softer after washing and drying it before use, as recommended.
We've the mattress and pillow encasements for about a month now and I have to say that I am definitely breathing easier. Bob is, too, although it hasn't miraculously stopped his snoring, unfortunately. I also like the security of knowing that baby spit up or other nastiness from middle of the night nursing won't affect the mattress or pillows. I'm going to need a set for Roo's bunk bed once she moves back into her room, hopefully as soon as Jasper is big enough to move into his crib, which there is also a CleanRest encasement for…
If you'd like to try CleanRest out for yourself, I have one twin mattress encasement + one standard pillow encasement (total suggested retail value of set is $99.98) to give away to a lucky reader. To enter and win this set, visit CleanRest's site and comment on this post with the answer to the following question: How long does it take the average mattress to double its weight from dust mite infestation?*
Entries will be accepted through October 26th. US/Canada readers only, please. Make sure you leave an email address or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win!
*Hint: go to the Our Technology section of CleanRest's website and look for the dust mite.
Katja at Skimbaco posted recently about a fantastic Australian brand she's carrying called PaperWings. The clothes are extraordinary, kind of modern and old-fashioned at the same time, with bold screenprinting and incredible detailing. What is even more incredible is that their clothes for boys are as special as their girls' line. I want all of their things! Here are my favorites from what's in stock at Skimbaco:
This flouncy skirt is reversible!!! In my dream world, this would be Roo's school uniform. Pirates are always in style, right? Jasper already looks good in stripes.
And here are my top picks from PaperWings' online showcase:
Amazing sale at the online Naturino Outlet through Thursday. The outlet prices are already up to 50% off list prices! Enter code "AMERICA" at checkout for an additional 40% off your entire order of $150 or more. (One pair of Oilily boots would probably set you back more than that at regular price…) Naturino also makes Falcotto, Oilily, Kenzo, Moschino brand shoes. Here are some of my favorites. I ordered the silver ones because Roo's She-Ra boots are getting a bit snug but I really like to encourage her inner superhero.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)