Gardening with kids

You know I'm a big fan of kids gardening. Actually, I think gardening can help anyone grow and thrive.

So I love this article from Summer Minor about how to garden with kids. It has some great tips for making gardening more fun for them - and you!

*****

Photo by me.

Children's television

I flipped on the radio looking for news and instead heard Diane Rehm talking about Sesame Street. Not something you hear every day, but former TV Guide editor Michael Davis just wrote a book about it. His comments on children's t.v. programming and the evolution of Sesame Street were so interesting that I just kept listening.


I appreciated how he emphasized children having plenty of time to play outside and simply be kids while recognizing that they're probably going to watch some t.v. - so it might as well be quality educational programming. He also encouraged parents to watch t.v. with their children, so they can discuss it afterward, rather than just using it as a babysitter. I know that's not always practical, but it sounds like a good thing to shoot for!


The book, by the way, is called Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. (Gotta love that title!)

Since they're (apparently) targeting a younger audience now, I've heard people say Sesame Street isn't what it used to be*, but that makes a "complete history" even more valuable, right?

*Ali: I couldn't find your post on this, feel free to link in the comments. :)

*Edited to add: The post I wanted to reference there is Mom to Henson, come in Henson from Ali at Sanguine.

*****

Photos: (1) by Lone Primate. CCL.(2) by johnmarkos. CCL. (3) by dalcrose. CCL.

For your little stickers...

Kids love sticking stickers. And they can get surprisingly pricey. So, fabulous stickers that you can download for free are definitely a great find!


Thanks to Craft online, I found this adorable sheet of animal stickers in retro colors by designer Lotta Bruhn. For the price of a self-adhesive sheet*, you can download, print, cut out, stick...and repeat as necessary.

*These are set up for an A4 sheet, but a letter-size (8.5x11 in) self-adhesive sheet should also work.

******

Photo by me of our niece enjoying sticking some free - but not nearly so cute - address labels we got in the mail.

Coffee anyone?

I got this sweet new coffee pot from my awesome hubby for Christmas. (He had some help picking it out - thanks, Christine!) I think it's coolest feature is that it's programmable, so when I wake up, I know that delicious caffeinated goodness is brewing downstairs.


Speaking of which, it sounds like it's about ready. You wanna try some? I'll pour you a cup. With cream, right?

Here ya go. Isn't it delicious?!


P.S. Thanks, too, to Christine's brother Josh for the fabulous coffee!

*****

Photos by me.

Speaking up for small business and children's safety

When it comes to the issue of the CPSIA (remember? new lead testing standards for children's products that are so strict they'd hurt many businesses), I haven't had time to look into it as much as I would've liked.



Here's the thing. Today is the deadline for public comment. Ready or not, even if we think we might want to speak up, today is the day to do it.

Here's what to do:

1. Go to the contact forms for your Representative(s) and Senators (for Arizona voters, that'd be Jon Kyl and John McCain.)
2. Fill out your name, etc.
3. Under "message," briefly type out your thoughts on the CPSIA or use a form letter.
   

I decided to go for it, even though I don't know as much as I'd like, and I certainly don't have all the answers. I just took a few minutes to voice my concerns. If enough of us do this, they'll re-examine the legislation. Here's what I wrote:

As a business owner, I am concerned that the CPSIA is more stringent than necessary when it comes to testing standards. I believe it is possible to keep children safe from lead poisoning without such extreme measures.

The testing required would be far too costly for many small businesses, especially at a time of economic crisis when retail sales are down and credit is hard to come by.

Also, with huge corporate layoffs and unemployment numbers climbing, many individuals are starting their own companies. Why limit their options unnecessarily?

I am glad to hear that some natural materials have already been exempted.

Please request that the CPSC consider further exemptions or revisions to the CPSIA, especially as it relates to small and micro-businesses.
- Could materials (paint, etc.) be tested rather than final products?
- Could small business get a one-time or annual certification proving their processes do not add lead to their products?
- Could we look at standards in Europe and Canada and determine whether they are rigorous enough on their own that products would not need to be re-tested once they are imported to the U.S.?

I appreciate your time and consideration of this matter.

See? Not perfect. Not complete. But making my voice and my concerns heard.

Your turn.



*****

Photo by me. Llama ornament by my talented sister-in-law Elizabeth.

12/24 recap

Phew! Lots to let you know about this last week! Finally have a chance to catch you up on the morning of Christmas Eve...


The people: Dad, my brother E, E's girlfriend Christine, Christine's brother and mom (in from out of town!), my hubby and - you guessed it - me. Wasn't sure how well we'd all fit our little dining area, so the Hubs helped me move the table out into the living room. Looked slightly odd, but worked great!


The food*:

• Sweet potato frittata with spinach and onion
• Red potato frittata with herbs and shiitake mushrooms
• Cinnamon oranges
• Honeydew melon
• Juice
• Delicious coffee from Christine and E
  

*Recipes in an upcoming post.



The shopping: We ended up splitting into groups to finish shopping for gifts. There were only a few specific items we were trying to hunt down, but we were largely unsuccessful. We did find some great stocking stuffers, however. And we had a great time in the process. We met back up at Bass Pro. Even on a busy day, it's always good to take time out to watch the fish swim by. (Isn't that how the saying goes?)

****

Photos: 1 & 2) By me. 3) By Dad (with his phone!)

New again

Maybe it's an arbitrary thing, this New Year's Day. There are other calendar systems out there that have other beginnings. But I love the feeling of a fresh start, so I'll take it.

This blog has a new look, and there are more changes to come. You'll hear more about all that later.

For now, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for...well...for just being there over this past year. Thank you for all the caring and insightful comments. For reading even when you don't comment. For laughing and crying with me. For the support and encouragement. For your patience as I still have SO much to learn.

May this be a beautiful year for each of you. May you receive the kindness you have so freely given. May the days ahead be full of friends and family and laughter and...new starts.