August 2010 Archives

My son and I were on a walk today when we came across a branch with an old nest that fell on the side of the path in the woods. Kellan is way into nests these days. He likes to build them - very much like real birds do it - with "found" objects around the house like clean laundry, stuffed animals, and bath mats. So when we were checking out the nest in the woods, he wanted to see the baby birds. I told him they grew up and built their own nests. He wanted to know why they grew up already. "Well, baby birds grow up really, really fast," I replied.

Well, baby humans grow up quickly too! I can't believe the baby I'd tuck into a carrier so I could vacuum the house (and lull him to sleep) is now starting his first full year of preschool. Last week, I went next door to pick up Kellan, where he was playing with a friend. I thought he'd be happy to see me, but when the door opened he shouted, "I'm eating something!" and then he ran away from me with a plastic donut in his hand. Apparently I was interrupting their picnic. I admit, it made me a teeny, tiny bit sad.

Of course, this doesn't mean he doesn't need me or isn't happy to see me. He's just a little less attached, and isn't that what parents want as their kids grow older? I want him to gain confidence when I'm not around, even if the mom in me sometimes feels a bit ambivalent about letting go. My baby bird is growing up, but thankfully, he won't be leaving the nest any time soon.

The new school year means getting a fresh start, and it often includes new school supplies.  If you are interested in going green for the school year, there are plenty of ways to purchase eco-conscious products beyond recycled paper and pencils.

Backpacks are a necessity, even for many preschoolers and kids in daycare. There are a number of Earth-friendly backpacks on the market that are made from recycled products from drink pouches to PET plastic bottles. You can also look for hemp backpacks. Hemp fiber is known to be stronger and more durable than cotton of the same weight. Hemp is less polluting than cotton and more sustainable than other materials. Make sure your child's backpack (and other school supplies) is PVC free. PVC (polyvinyl chloride), or more commonly known as vinyl, contains toxins that are known to be harmful to people and the environment.   

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice puts out its own list of PVC-free school supplies. You can also look for school supplies that are recycled with post-consumer waste, or waste materials that were used up in its original form and headed for landfills before being reused for new products.

Do you have your own green school supply suggestions?

Photograph courtesy of Marisa Torre, Flickr Creative Commons

Growing up, my brother and I were expected to do our share of chores. We picked up our toys, washed the dishes, and made our beds. (Actually, I made my bed, but I am pretty sure my brother never made his bed.) Now we are trying to get Kellan to participate more in cleaning up around the house. We encourage him to pick up his cars and trucks, which always seem to be underfoot, and we talk to him about putting things away (like paints and craft materials) after we use them. We make up games and have "races" to make cleaning more fun. For the most part, it works.

A new task we are trying lately is having Kellan bring his dishes to the sink. but he's not always willing. This morning, he dropped his bowl of cereal just as he reached me, splattering milk and granola bits all over the floor. Then he slipped on the mess and ended up soaked from front to back. I guess there's a downside to having a three-year-old put away his own dishes.

I'm not sure exactly when kids are supposed to start helping out at home. I figure it's never too early to start. Even if he's not always excited about helping out, it will probably pay off later to encourage him as much as we can. I can't imagine cleaning up after him when he's a teenager! Am I delusional or am I forgetting what it was like to be a kid?

A weekend trip to the zoo proved to be an important lesson for my husband and me. It had been a while since we were there last, and we were looking forward to Kellan enjoying his visit with some of his favorite animals. We even got there early in the morning so we'd have a chance to see some of the animals getting fed.

He definitely liked the animals but he loved the maintenance car. Never mind that the cheetah walked by or that the polar bear swam near his spot at the glass. He spotted a glorified golf cart and had to follow it! When it stopped, he sat on the ground, admiring its wheels for what felt like an hour. When we couldn't get him to budge, Erik and I just sat on a bench until he was ready to move on.

This reminds me of Kellan's first birthday when we were excited to eat cake and open presents with friends, but all he wanted to do was chew on wrapping paper and mash frosting with his chubby little fingers. Kids often don't need anything elaborate; the simplest moments can bring the greatest joy.  I'll remind Kellan of this sentiment if he ever wants a car for his sixteenth birthday!

I know I should enjoy every bit of summer, but I am already looking forward to fall. Cooler weather, fall colors, a consistent school routine - I'm ready! I am also looking forward to learning more craft ideas when my son brings home his artwork! A couple of weeks ago, Kellan brought home a rainmaker he made at summer camp. It was a decorated cardboard paper towel tube with rice inside and the ends taped shut. I love projects using materials I have at home. I am definitely going to replicate this craft at home on a rainy day.

This afternoon, I was doing some cleaning and Kellan amused himself by sitting inside a box. He said he was driving to "Min-sota" (where his grandparents live) and he would be back later. I asked if he wanted a steering wheel. Of course the kid wants a steering wheel!  So I cut one out of cardboard and attached it to a box flap using a plastic circle, which allows the wheel to turn. I have no idea where that plastic piece came from, but it was sitting around in our kitchen junk drawer. Now I don't feel so bad for having a junk drawer!

If I have a morning when my son is content to sit inside a cardboard box while I get some work done, it's an accomplishment. Once I get around to cleaning that junk drawer, then I'll really be on a roll!

Do you have a favorite craft idea for preschoolers?

Sometimes Kellan picks up my cell phone and pretends to have conversations with Grandma. I love how he cocks his head to one side and babbles,"How was your birthday, Grandma? My birthday was good!" Too bad he clams up, or even runs away when Grandma is actually on the line!

Turns out, that may be a good thing. While the debate still rages on the connection between cell phone use and brain cancer, I think it's wise to be cautious. Researchers have only recently begun researching the effects of mobile communication technology on children.  The Environmental Working Group has tips on how to reduce your exposure to cell phone radiation. It wouldn't hurt to take precautions, especially if you use your mobile phone frequently. You can also look up your cell phone model to see where it ranks on the list for radiation emissions.

I've always been reluctant to put a cell phone right at my son's ear. We always put the phone on speaker. It's not always the easiest way to have a conversation with grandparents, but it does add an element of fun for our kid. Just like allowing computer time, I think teaching moderation at an early age is a step in the right direction. Besides, don't all the kids text these days anyway? I'm still learning all the shorthand for that!

Back-to-school time isn't just about buying supplies and adjusting to earlier bedtime routines. If you are like me, you're also thinking more about cold and flu season. It seems unavoidable once your child goes to school that one child's sneezes and sniffles will eventually make the rounds to everyone in the classroom, but you can take simple - and green - steps to keeping colds at bay.

I've been reminding my son about the importance of washing his hands. It's the easiest way to stay healthy. Be vigilant about washing hands after you come home from an outing and before meals or snack time. This means parents too! Just plain soap is an effective way to get rid of germs. Antibacterial soap isn't necessary to do the job. In fact, there's evidence that triclosan, an ingredient in anti-bacterial soap, is actually harmful to the environment.

Take extra care cleaning germ zones in your home, like the kitchen and bathrooms. You can make your task Earth-friendly by using green cleaning methods. Common household products like vinegar and baking soda let you clean and disinfect every corner of your house without using chemicals. I'm also a big fan of castile soap, an all-purpose vegetable based cleaner.

Please share your green cleaning tips in the comments.

My son is crazy about bicycles right now. So recently, when I needed to keep him busy for a few minutes while I made dinner, I had a brainstorm. The beginning scenes of Pee Wee's Big Adventure feature a very cool bike! Thank you Netflix Instant Watch! Not only was Kellan entranced by Pee Wee's bike, but now he asks to see Pee Wee's bike almost every day, and . Now I'm wondering if this was a bad precedent.

I've had numerous discussions with other moms about the issue of TV viewing. Most parents we know let their kids watch age-appropriate television shows or DVD's. I guess my guilty feelings come into play when we get into the gray area of internet videos and movies that aren't necessarily for children.

My husband and I have showed our son YouTube videos of bike races, kids playing musical instruments, cute animal behavior, etc. Then there's Pee Wee. I've never let him watch the whole movie, and I'm not sure he could even sit through the whole thing if I let him, but he just loves the movie up until the point when Pee Wee's bike gets stolen. After 21 minutes, he's done.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend television viewing for children under the age of two and no more than two hours of educational, nonviolent programs for older children. We definitely try to stay under that two- hour mark and there are days when he watches nothing, but I have to admit, those days require more work. I try to screen movies beforehand so there are no disturbing images or inappropriate language. But I know t it is going to get tougher has his little world expands. I dread when video games capture his interest!

How do you handle your preschooler's' viewing habits?

Where have I been? I don't like washing and reusing those plastic ziplock bags, but I do it because I really don't like throwing them out after just one use. Then I saw these handy reusable snack bags at my local grocery store. Genius! I bought a couple and I've been using them for Kellan's favorite snacks. Best of all, they are easy to clean and dry faster than those pesky plastic bags.

You can find reusable bags online. Etsy has some mighty cute offerings and you can even get your opinionated preschooler to pick his or her favorite pattern. If you are a do-it-yourself type, I found websites that offer tutorials on making these at home.

School is just around the corner (and in some places, the school year has started) so it's not too early to stock up on Earth-friendly supplies!

If there's one thing that exasperates me - and amuses me - these days, it's my son's insistence on wearing his pajamas all day. When I tell him it's time to put his clothes on, he says, "I want to wear my PJ's all day." I laugh and call him my funny little lounge lizard. Then I get tough and make him put on some clothes!

The thing is, just once, I would like to wear my pajamas all day. I'm not always good at relaxing.  So if I had a day with no responsibilities and I didn't have to bother getting out of my pajamas, I would finish my cup of coffee in the morning before it got cold. I would actually read the newspaper instead of scanning the headlines on the front page!   

I'm just getting warmed up now. If I got to wear my pajamas all day, I would make pancakes from scratch and make a smiley face with blueberries in every one. I would ignore the breakfast dishes in favor of letting my food digest comfortably while watching something frivolous, like a makeover show. I would finish knitting the scarf that is taking me over a month to complete when it really should only take a couple of days. I would sit outside in the sunshine with a good book. Oh, and I would take a nap!

On second thought, maybe I should let my three-year-old have one full day in his pajamas. Sounds like we could both use a carefree day of lounging.

Food has been a big issue around my house this week. Besides rethinking how we eat, I've been thinking more about what we eat. We try to make healthy food choices, and that includes eating seafood at least once a week, but I feel a slight, nagging sense of guilt for buying fish. The health of our oceans and the fish population is a global concern and I wonder if we should stop eating fish altogether. It's a tough thing to even consider.

What isn't hard to understand is the state of the world's oceans. Overfishing is not only a threat to marine life, but also to the livelihood of 200 million people around the world. According to the latest report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 70% of the world's fish species are exploited or depleted. To make matters worse, destructive fishing techniques are harming marine mammals and destroying ecosystems. The statistics seem grim, but we can do something to reverse the tide. 

One very easy, but important thing we can do is be more knowledgeable about sustainable seafood.  Seafood Watch, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's program to help consumers and businesses make good choices, has a guide to seafood in your area. It's also important to buy from markets that offer sustainable seafood. If it's not clear, don't be shy about asking where the fish comes from and how it was caught. There are even phone apps to help you look up information up no matter where you are.

You can become involved in other ways by visiting the websites of organizations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium or Oceana to find out how you can help. National Geographic covers ocean issues extensively. World renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle recently talked with NG Kids and tells us why ocean conservation matters and how kids can get involved.  

If you are lucky enough to spend time at the beach this summer, you get a clear reminder of how vital it is to keep our oceans healthy for generations to come.

Just because it's summer doesn't mean we don't have a routine. This summer, Kellan has been going to a day camp, which he's enjoyed for the most part. But there are still times when suffers from separation anxiety. I thought that was supposed to end when the toddler years ended but I'm learning otherwise.

There are mornings, especially after the weekend, when my sonhe's is reluctant to go. Earlier this week, he clung to my leg and sobbed inconsolably. He said he wanted to stay home that morning, but I had no idea he would fall apart. After several minutes of reassurances, I felt awful prying him off my leg and leaving him there.

This made me wonder if my son had school avoidance - we call the day camp "school" since it's in the same classroom as his preschool class and he follows nearly the same schedule. After reading up on the issue, I 'm not sure that's what's going on right now. My husband told me he had anxiety about going school when he was in kindergarten and he'd go as far as pretending he was sick to avoid going. When I asked him why he did that, he said he just wanted to stay at home with his mom. Maybe our son just doesn't want to leave me? I had no idea I was that fun to be around. 

Joking aside, I do want to keep on top of this. His teacher let me know that Kellan recovered quickly after I left.  He played well with the other kids and participated in all of the activities. I noticed he ate his lunch, which is always a good sign. When I asked him about his day, he said he cried in the morning, but just a little bit. He still isn't able -or maybe even willing - to tell me what was wrong that morning, but I'm hoping lots of reassurance and quality one-on-one time will help put him at ease before the new school year rolls around.

I'd like to think I'm a creative person, but lately I have been stuck in a food rut and I'm struggling break free. Combine a busy schedule, add a dash of picky eater, and a splash of tired mom and you have a recipe for a food menu on permanent repeat.

Last weekend my husband and I went out for dinner with friends and I realized I could easily replicate some of the dishes we ordered. We had a delicious side dish made with quinoa, a high protein grain-like food from South America. I've made quinoa in the past, but I had forgotten how easy it is to cook and how simple it is to throw together a salad made with summer vegetables. The quinoa salad I made this week was pretty tasty and my picky eater even sampled a few bites.

My small success with quinoa motivated me to go through our cookbooks. They have literally gathered dust on the bookshelf lately. I marked recipes that are quick and require few ingredients so I won't scramble at the last minute to put a decent dinner together. When my husband is home from work earlier than usual, he makes an excellent sous chef. So it makes dinner less of a chore when we can play music and work side by side on different kitchen tasks. Too bad this doesn't happen more often!

I bet I'm not alone in my food rut. How do you get creative with meals?