Are baby slings dangerous?

I'm a fan of babywearing. I love how it gives parents a simple, practical way to hold a baby close, while they get things done around the house, shop, take care care of an older child or even head out of town.

So when I heard that there was a big baby sling recall going on, and that the CPSC was advising caution for using slings with infants under four months, I was concerned. I wanted to know what was going on, research what the issue was and find out how far-reaching the problem was. However, Megan at SortaCrunchy saved me the trouble.

She wrote a fabulous post about safe vs. unsafe babywearing. As it turns out, it all depends on what baby carrier you're using and how you're using it.

If you are interested in more information, I would highly recommend checking out her post and the resources she links to.

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Photo by zimpenfish.

Sweet tricks for beating the treats

I thought these were some good tips for making Halloween a little healthier. They originally came from Shauna Johnson of Wellspring Academies, and I paraphrased a bit (of course)...

• Wait to buy your candy - Procrastination can be a good thing sometimes. And if you're worried about snacking on all that candy around the house, don't keep it around the house.
• Plan your own activity - Two words: corn maze. You're still getting some walking done, but you're not collecting piles of sugary badness at the same time. If skipping the candy altogether doesn't fly with your kids, just hit up a few houses and then move on to another activity. Or go to a party or fall festival where there'll be treats, but they won't be the whole focus.
• Ration the amount of candy eaten afterwards - Just because you collected it all on Halloween night doesn't mean you have to eat it all on Halloween night. Make it last! The trick is to treat yourself to sweets without overeating.
  

What do you think? Could this work for you? Do you have other ways of combating the sugar or keeping things healthy on Halloween?

Giving from the heart

Through Megan at SortaCrunchy, I heard a story that broke my heart.

Gabriella Vega has a rare heart disease called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy and was awaiting a transplant, when she had a stroke. She's now undergoing physical and speech therapy to recover. And she's 4 years old.

Meanwhile, her family is staying at Phoenix Children's Hospital Ronald MacDonald House, and, as you can imagine, expenses - for their stay, as well as for Gabriella's medical treatment - are mounting.

Being the compassionate soul she is, Megan decided to do something to help, and you can join in too!

She organized a raffle to raise money for the Vega family. Purchase a ticket (or two or ten) for a chance to win a fabulous prize (maybe an adorable Frog Organic Kids T-Shirt) and you are helping out this family who is going through a situation I can't even imagine.


The raffle goes today through Thursday evening (10/15). So spread the word and buy your ticket(s) soon! And pray for Gabriella and her family.


UPDATE: I realized I forgot to link directly to the raffle, which (as it turns out) is just as well, because there has been a change of plans. The way the donating was setup is not working out due to some PayPal lameness. So. To give to the Vega family, email sortacrunchy at gmail dot com. Megan will give you information on how you can do that.

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Photo 1 by vonKinder. Photo 2 from Bold Avenue shop.

Playing with dough

It's almost too late for me to tell you this...today is National Play Doh Day!


For a moment, let's forget the impossibility of removing it from the carpet and focus on the good times. Because I don't think it's (ever) too late to celebrate the fun that is little fingers squishing colorful dough, rolling snakes, making "food" and inviting you to eat some, and then smashing it flat and starting over again.

It doesn't have to be the brand-name kind, either. You can make your own. (If you're brave, check out Julie Finn's Play Dough Eight Ways, the first of which is Sawdust Dough!) Or you can get an alternative like Miss Brittany's Organic Preschool Fun Dough.


The main thing is providing an outlet for children to exercise their imaginations, work on their motor skills, enjoy just being kids - and maybe you can play along too!


P.S. You can get 20% off the aforementioned Miss Brittany's with promo code NPD09. And, no, they aren't paying me to say that. They just sent me an email, and I thought I'd pass the info on, in case you were interested.

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Photos:
1) By Diane S Murphy
2) Courtesy Miss Brittany's Organic Preschool Fun Dough
3) By Yogi

Traveling with children

I realized I've read some good posts about traveling with kids that I hadn't shared with you yet.

First of all, there's Every Last Thing I Know about Traveling with Kids. Since the "I" in the title is down-to-earth domestic diva Shannon of Rocks in my Dryer, "Every Last Thing I Know" is sayin somethin'! (On the other hand, if I were to have written that post, it would've started out "Bring snacks. Don't lose the kids." and then I think it would've been done.) All that to say: very worth the read.

Also, on that not-losing-the-kid point, Kay Green of My Precious Kid wrote an article on Vacation Safety that would also apply to a trip to the zoo, waterpark, etc. in your own town. She focuses on how to prepare ahead of time in case you and your child get separated, and what to do if that should happen.

More specific to babies and toddlers, Olga Nguyen writes about things to keep in mind when it comes to Babywearing and Traveling and how, oftentimes, a baby carrier is easier to travel with than a stroller.

Finally, in case you missed them the first time around, here are a couple previous posts about traveling and kids:

• This is child's play

• See the world. Take the kids.

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Photo by woodleywonderworks

Quick Takes: Better late than never?

One Friday I forgot to blog, the next Friday I just had some things I needed to finish up - a logo proof, a brochure quote, good stuff like that. Today I'm sneaking this in real quick while I wait for approval on an ad. So some of these items are a little overdue, but, still, here are my quick takes on this week the last few weeks:

(1)
Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blogiversary party! You made me smile and smile! I definitely felt the love! I hope you enjoyed "meeting" each other, too.

(2)
Also thanks to those of you who wrote a poem or chimed in for our Quatrain edition of Perfectly Poetical Tuesday!

(3)
The next PerPoTues is three weeks from Tuesday. Since the style is haiku, you could write one line each week and totally be done in time.

(4)
Work is still staying busy. I'm grateful. And tired.

(5)
The Hubs was pretty disappointed he didn't get to execute his meal plan last week. So he told me he'd take care of dinner this week. Have I mentioned lately that he's awesome?

(6)
We had a nice, relaxed Independence Day celebration with part of the Hubs side of the family. We didn't go see fireworks, but we did - at the insistence of his cousin's four-year-old - put candles on a cake and sing happy birthday to America. The kids blew out the candles on the country's behalf.

(7)
I'm pretty far behind on dealing with photos - getting them off the camera, posting them, etc. There's also a few things I've felt like I should post about, but haven't for one reason or another. I'm thinking of instituting Things I've Been Meaning To Tell You Thursdays. What do you think?


What are your 7 Quick Takes? Dish it at Conversion Diary!

The one where I get all old skool

I wasn't supposed to have Barbies as a kid. Instead, I had the Sunshines - a very sweet, wholesome, approximately Barbie-sized (but much more realistically-proportioned) family of dolls.


It was my Granddaddy, Mom's own father, who (probably unknowingly) went against her wishes and bought me for-real Barbies for my birthday. What could Mom do but grin, and let me welcome them into the Sunshine family?

I'm pretty sure my parents were similarly un-thrilled when Granddaddy decided that Michael Jackson doll clothes would be the perfect Christmas gift for me. But what could they do but help me write a thank-you note and sigh as I struggled to pull a single sparkly white glove (more of a mitten actually) over Crystal Barbie's built-in ring?


I was excited about the clothes, though. My older cousins had introduced me to Michael Jackson, and I thought he was pretty cool. So I happily dressed those formerly-contraband Barbies in red and black (fake) leather pants and jackets with all these extra zippers that didn't actually open, even though everything was just slightly too big for them.

In recent years, I haven't been a fan of Michael Jackson. Or Barbie for that matter. But scanning the radio stations in the car yesterday made me smile. When you look back at history, things aren't always so black or white. Remember the time before all the controversy? Before Michael Jackson - or the world in general - seemed so dangerous? Watching the Thriller video with my cousins. Trying to moonwalk on the playground. Thinking we were "bad," because we knew that bad meant good.

Those songs brought back happy memories from when I was growing up. At the same time, it made me sad to think that Michael himself didn't have a happy childhood. And neither did a lot of other kids. It made me want to do something. To protect the children, to make a brighter day, to heal the world...as if I'm the one who can do all/any of that. But, really? What can you do?

All I can think of is this: If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

*****

PS Oh yes, you did catch some MJ references in the last half of the post! From the "In recent years" paragraph to the end, there's about a dozen Michael Jackson song references, mostly titles. Find them all and you'll get....well...not a prize exactly...but definitely some survived-the-80s cred! Need a hint?

PPS Not sure where my old toys are, but I found them on Flickr - yay! I'm pretty sure those are the two MJ outfits I had. (Not the dolls, though.)

Photos by:
1) elasticcamel
2) Brimley
3) Sakurako Kitsa

Fitting in car seats

Since we've (kinda) been talking about traveling, I thought you might like to check out this Consumer Reports article about how to safely squeeze three or more kids into the car when some (or all) of them are in car seats.

Here ya go!


*****

Photo by mia3mom.

Can we build it? (This is the part where you say, "Yes, we can!")

Looking for a fun summer project? If you have kids between the ages of 4 and 17, you should check out the SKIL Building Memories Contest. ("SKIL" because it's sponsored by SKIL Power Tools - and Lowe's. Not because you have mad skilz. Although I'm sure you do.) Anyway, I think it sounds like a neat idea. It's a little inspiration to get parents and kids working on a hands-on project together.

Here's what you do:

• Sit your kiddo(s) down by the computer with you.
  
• Go to www.skilbuildingmemories.com.
• Pick out a building project - there are four different ones, categorized by age.
• Click on "download project plans" to get a handy (but not totally printer-friendly) PDF that has a checklist of the tools and materials you need, plus directions of how to make the game or birdhouse or whatever you picked.
• Take said kiddo to the hardware store to pick up anything you don't already have around the house. (Guess which hardware store they suggest. Yep. But the rules don't say you have to buy your stuff at Lowe's. I checked.)
• Designate a photographer or videographer to document the process. (You could do this yourself - after all, you have mad skilz. But you don't want to forget to take pics or be too distracted from the task at hand.)
  
• Have fun building your project together and try not to hammer any little fingers!
  
• Enter the contest.
• Win the contest! And share your prize with me 'cuz I told you about it! (Kidding.)
  

For dads who are into building stuff, this could be a really fun thing to do on Father's Day. Or maybe afterwards. The contest goes until July 12. You could also just download the plans, save them for the next time you want to do a project with your kids, and not worry about the contest/deadline. Either way, have fun!

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Photo by 1) pmsyyz

Deals on fun stuff to do this summer

Three great deals this summer:

• National Park Fee-Free Weekends - During three weekends this summer (6/20-21, 7/18-19, 8/15-16), you will be able to get into many U.S. National Parks free! Visit the NPS website for a list of participating parks.
• Movies for Kids - Harkins Theaters showing a different children's movie each week. Admission is $2 per person. (Adults and children, but they won't let you in without a kiddo.) If you're going to at least four movies, you can buy "season tickets" for only $7. Is there a Harkins near you?
• Culture Pass - This is a great thing where you can check out a pass from your library for free admission to museums and other sources of local culture. I know that Phoenix isn't the only place that has it, but I couldn't find a central Culture Pass website. So check with your local library. If they don't offer it, whine until they do.

Local to the Phoenix, AZ area:

Sunsplash - I had heard something about a deal for water park admission on Friday nights. Here's the scoop:

• Regular admission = $26.00 ($19.50 if you're under 48" tall)
• Evening Admission (after 4pm) = $19.00 (cannot be combined with any coupons)
• Night Splash Friday and Saturday (7pm to 11pm) = $15.00

Not exactly a freebie, but going in the evening will save you some money - and a sunburn.

Museums - Besides Culture Pass freebies, here are three more Valley museums with free admission times:

• Heard Museum - 3rd Friday of the month, 5:30-9pm
  
• Phoenix Art Museum - every Wednesday, 3-9pm and the 1st Friday of the month, 6-10pm (voluntary donations accepted)
• Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art - every Thursday

Quick Takes: Parenting figured out to The Big Switch

You'll be happy to know that after years (almost two) of research. I have parenting figured out. Ok, maybe not totally figured out even close. But I read this really sad article about this child in Siberia who has been severly neglected. And it made me feel - a lot of things actually...sad, angry, indignant, confused...and like, as a parent, you could easily do muchmuch better. There are some very basic (and doable!) non-negotiables to being a parent. Specifically, here's what I'm thinking: 1. Love the baby. 2. Feed the baby. 3. Keep the baby clean. 4. Keep the baby safe and warm. 5. Try not to drop the baby. I know that's not all there is to it, but it's a pretty good start, wouldn't you say?

I heard that there was going to be a performance of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe at Bethany Worship Center. I don't really know anything about it except what's on their site, but it sounds like it could be good.

Did any of you end up going to the zoo on Monday? Did you tell them I sent you?


You would think that the fact that TV shows are in summer reruns would make it easier to kick our habit. So far, notsomuch.

Did I tell you I added more organic clothing to my shop? Yeppers. Fabulous new colors - check it out!

I didn't do the menu plan thing this week, because I didn't have time to do it before I went offline on Saturday. It's just as well, though, since I haven't actually cooked yet all week. (More on that Monday.) Tomorrow it's back to actual food though.

I'm thinking about making The Big Switch and getting a Mac. I hear they're reliable and better for design work. They have stores with real live staff for you to talk to. Plus, Macs don't come with Windows Vista, which is good. Vista = annoying. Speaking of annoying, I went into a Mac store to try to get some info, and the people I talked with were kinda snooty. But, at least they stay at the store, whereas your operating system stays with you. Thus, I'm still leaning towards a Mac.


There ya go! Those are my 7 Quick Takes on this week. More Quick Takes will be up on Conversion Diary around 6am CT.

Phoenix Zoo for free

Briefly taking a break from taking a break to let you know about getting free admission to the Phoenix Zoo today.

They'll be announcing a secret password on their Twitter profile at 8am. That word is good for free admission from when they open at 9am (I know! superlate! hopefully it's not already superhot!) until 11am.

You don't need a Twitter account to see the Phoenix Zoo's updates - just visit http://twitter.com/PhoenixZoo after 8 this morning for their announcement about the password. (What is Twitter?)

You can tell them Bold Avenue sent you. Don't think that'll get you any VIP treatment - just thought it'd be cool to say that.

Making friends with a giant caterpillar and other summer fun

Since I started this blog and started paying more attention to children's products, I've gotten a lot hipper to what kids like. But I'm still light years behind parents and people who work with little kiddos.


So when my mom (the preschool director) (who's always up on the latest trends within the two- to six-year-old demographic) started telling me about the summer program she was offering at the preschool with that Hermie and Wormie curriculum, there was silence on my end of the phone for a moment.

(**thinking, thinking**) "Who?"

"You know...Max Lucado...Hermie and Friends...Splash..."

(Still silence on my end. All I could think of was that '80's movie with the mermaid. )

"Oh. Maybe you don't know."

Nope. Sorry. That's a new one for me.

I don't follow Max Lucado's career closely enough to have known that at some point switched from writing inspirational Christian literature for adults to doing DVDs and curriculum for children involving a 3D caterpillar and other assorted crawling critters, i.e. Hermie and Friends. (Wikipedia says that happened circa 2003. So...yeah...I'm on top of things...)


Anyway, once I got it all sorted out, I found out my mom's preschool is doing this really cool summer program where Hermie and Wormie come (in puppet form) and teach the kids Bible stories. And, of course, there are all kinds of fun activities and crafts that go along with each day's theme. It's based on the Splash curriculum by Max Lucado, but, knowing my mom and her creative teachers, I'm sure they've added their own fun twists!


Summer programs like this are a great way to give young children some structured (but playful!) time a few mornings a week, so parents can spend some time with older siblings who are out of school for the summer or just to get some errands done.

If you live in the Phoenix area, here's the info on Mom's Splash summer program:

date/time:
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
June 1-19
9am-11:30am

ages:
3 1/2 (potty trained!) to just-finished kindergartners

location:
Trinity Preschool & Kindergarten
Mesa, AZ
fee:
$65

sign up/more info:
call the preschool at 480.834.9120


If you don't live around here, check out preschools and libraries in your area or give your local Parks and Rec Department a call.

So, what's fun in your neck of the woods this summer?

*****
Photos: Hermie by b r e n t painting by merebearlandon girl by Pixzamillion phone by indi.ca

Water safety beyond the pool fence

I thought we should have a theme for this week. And I thought it should be...summer! It's certainly hot enough here already, and there's plenty to talk about!


When it comes to water safety, I'm assuming you know the basics. The abridged version: children can drown in even a very small amount of water and in a very small amount of time, so watch them like a hawk and keep the pool locked down like Fort Knox. (Need more of a refresher? Check how this "How to prevent drowning" article from Mayo.)

One very practical tip that doesn't get a lot of coverage is simply teaching children some basic swimming skills. Knowing how to hold their breath, how to float, etc. can help keep them from drowning. (You still need to watch them like a hawk around water, though.)


My friend Becky is a swim teacher and she wrote this fabulous post about how to get your kids ready to learn to swim. It's amazing how young they can learn. But they can't learn if they're still freaked out about the water. So before you take them off to swim class (or take them to the pool yourself), there are some things you can do to prepare them - no pool required. You can read all about it here.

*****

Photos by the Hubs and I.

Quick Takes: May Day migrants to migraine magnets

1. Happy May Day! Did you know that May 1st represents all kinds of very different holidays - from celebrating spring to migrant workers' rights? Yep. You can read about all that here.
2. If, however, you're just into cute May Day/spring crafts, then this is the site you're looking for.
3. Speaking of workers' rights, May 9 is World Free Trade Day, which is about producers and laborers around the world getting fair compensation for their goods and services. There's more info about that on my organic clothing page (but ya gotta scroll down to "World Fair Trade Day"). Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up, in case you wanted to hold or attend a Free Trade Day event.
   
4. I usually read blogs via something called a feed reader, which I would (normally) recommend. (Basically, it brings blogs, news, etc. to you rather than you having to go all over the internet to visit them.) However, if my feed reader doesn't deliver feeds, I get behind on my blog reading. I thought you bloggers had been awfully quiet. So, if I haven't stopped by your blog in awhile, don't think I'm mad at you or something. It's not you, it's Google.
   
5. As an addendum to yesterday's poetry links, I saw something very cool on Craftzine today: Poetry Reels. There are poems printed on ribbon and wrapped around wooden spools. So clever and beautiful!
   
6. Wednesday my cousin's babysitter fell through at the last minute (no, she didn't get the swine flu - she got American Idol tickets), so I ended up watching his son, E.J. (namesake of E.J. Peak) at my parents' house for about half the day. We had a fun time building blocks, feeding apples to Mom's chickens, trying in vain to make Weebles fall down, and watching Aladdin. He even took a nap! :)
   
7. Migraine-suffers might like to know they're working on a crazy new treatment that involves magnetic stimulation. Yeah. I can't even really wrap my head around that. But, hey, if they can find something - anything - that gets rid of those, more power to them, right?!
   

More Quick Take fun is at the Conversion Diary!

Perfectly Poetical: Dr. Seuss

Thanks for joining us for another Perfectly Poetical Tuesday! This week's style is Dr. Seuss, so I hope you're ready with some fun, Seuss-esque poetry!

If you're just tuning in, here's the deal:

• April is National Poetry Month
• Tuesdays in April are Perfectly Poetical Tuesdays here at The Little Stuff of Life
• Each week features a different style of poetry (announced the previous week)

Here's how to play today:

• Blog in "Dr. Seuss" style. (Something that reminds us of Dr. Seuss - you can define exactly what that means. Have fun with it!)
• Link from your post to this post. (Buttons are optional. But cool.)
• Leave your link and a comment here.

Style for next week - the final week of April: Epic. (This doesn't have to be pages long - just longer than a limerick. Tell us a tale of adventure and bravery in your every day life!)

Also, today...

• Starts a sweet contest over at SortaCrunchy (or so I hear) - you'd better go check it out!
• Is my mom's birthday. (Which is somewhat relevant because of the amazing children's literature she introduced me to. But mostly I just wanted to say "happy birthday, Mom!")
• Since every life writes a poem, tell us what yours says - Dr. Seuss style!

[Mine was inspired by Fox in Sox. And by hanging out with hubby's family this weekend.]

Kids in Pics

Kids
Kicks
Tricks
Pics

Kids with pics.
Tricks with kicks.
Kids take pics.
Kids do tricks.

Grown ups chit.
Grown ups chat.
All they do is sit, sit, sit.

Sitting and chatting makes kids sick.

I don't like to sit, sir.
I don't like chit chat, sir.
All this sitting and chitting makes me sick, sir.

I like to do kicks.
I like to do tricks.
I like taking pics of tricky kicks!

Kids do tricks with kicks for pics.
Kids take tricky pics for kicks.

Taking pics and making tricks, tricky kids don't sit and chat.



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Photos by me. But they were the kids' ideas. :)

Hands-on learning about Easter

Abstract concepts are especially hard for children to grasp. That's why it's so important to take big ideas and make them more concrete. Kids need to move, to touch, to color, to play in order to learn the best.

Here are three fabulous sites with activities to help your little ones learn about what Easter means:

• Living the Story
• Make an Easter Garden: A Visual Parable
• Holy Week Guide (via SortaCrunchy)

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Photo by - luz - .

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

The site that brought you "Kids' Parties Take a Pay Cut" is now featuring a list of the "12 Worst Baby Birthday Party Themes."


It. is. hilarious.

I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I will tell you that they have a very...creative idea for babies born on tax day.

So if you want to know how not to celebrate your baby's first birthday or you just want to smile, check it out.

*****

Edited to add: Photo by iamchanelle.

Little Women

What's fun in Phoenix this weekend? A fabulous production of Little Women!


It's based on the classic novel (not the movie), and I've heard great things about it! This would be a great introduction to theater for school-aged kids or a fun time for anyone who wants to enjoy a quality show and support local talent.


Show dates and times:
Friday, March 20 - 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 21 - 2:00 pm
Saturday, March 21 - 7:00 pm

Venue:
Mesquite High School Performing Arts Auditorium
500 S. McQueen Rd., Gilbert, AZ

Tickets:
online $12
at the door $14

*****

Rehearsal photos by Savanna Jezek. Used by permission.

Slaves, saints, snakes and shamrocks

St. Patrick was not a leprechaun. In fact, he wasn't even Irish.

He was a real person born in Roman-ruled Britain in the fourth century and brought to Ireland as a slave. Even though he escaped, he had such a heart for the Irish people that he later returned to the country to share with them about Jesus.


There are many tales from his life, but, like many figures of times gone by, it is sometimes hard to find the line between history and legend. Did he really drive the snakes out of Ireland? Find meaning in shamrocks? Drink green beer?

What better way to sort it all out (or at least have fun exploring it) than through a children's book with fabulous illustrations?


Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola was recommended to me by my mom, early childhood expert and preschool director extraordinaire. It tells the story of his life, followed by several of the legends about him. Although the book doesn't deal with the roots of green beer, it's a great read. Mom says it's best for 3- or 4-year-olds and up - a little too wordy for anyone younger than that - but definitely enjoyable for adults, as well.

So, check it out. And have a great day! Today we're all as Irish as St. Patrick!

*****

Photos by me.