Category — moms

I was really looking forward to keeping the theme all about Christmas this month, but something has come to my attention that simply must be addressed.

There was a congressional committee recently that decided to pass some regulations regarding products intended for kids under 12.  Really tight regulations.

I know what you are thinking… with all of the products coming out of China recently with lead in them, this is a good thing, right?

yes & no

The regulations are rather broad, and will affect more than just products imported from China.  It will affect small businesses in the USA, Canada & Europe that make good toys.  Natural toys.  Handmade toys.  Handmade clothes.  The alternatives to the plastic junk that lines the shelves at your local Wal-mart.

These small businesses will be put out of business around about February 10, 2009.  Yep, gone.  No more hand-carved wooden toys are craft fairs.  No more unique boutique clothes for your little ones.

Why will these businesses be gone?  They can’t afford to have each & every produce tested.  Rumor is pegging these 3-rd party tests to be around the $4,000 mark – not part of the budget for a work-at-home-mom hand-sewing boutique clothes and Waldorf dolls in her spare room.  Out of the budget for the grandfather who carves wooden toys and sells them at street fairs.

What can we do to help these businesses stay afloat?  Well, other than buy up as much as we can before Feb 10 (ha ha) we can get informed, tell others and tell our government that this is too over-reaching.  The Handmade Toy Alliance has some great modifications that could be made to these regulations, and still have the desired effect.

There are a ton of sites out there that have great info on this issue, so it is not hard to get informed.  Read through the regulations, see what small business owners are worried about, and see if there is anything that you feel led to do.

As for me, I already wrote to my congressmen and -women.  I also wrote to CPSC, asking them to take another look.  I’m telling you about it, and I have emailed many others about it.

Why do I care?

Well, I rather like the natural toys.  I like the handmade toys.  I would rather purchase wooden toys and fabric dolls than the plastic junk that lines store shelves.  I like to support small businesses.  I also happen to own a small business that could be affected.  If these regs stay as they are, I will no longer be able to sell handmade nightgowns, oven mitts and cloth dolls, because I can’t afford to get them tested.  Is there any possibility of lead in any of these products?  Not so much.  They are all made from cotton or wool.  No paint to worry about, but that doesn’t seem to matter.  No plastic to worry about, but that doesn’t matter either.

Why should you care?

Look at our country – we are already in a recession, people are already losing their jobs at an alarming rate.  Businesses are struggling to stay afloat as it is.  Come Feb 10, there will be a lot more people struggling to stay afloat.  There will be a lot more small business loans that go into default.  There will be a lot more small businesses that will have to lay off their employees because they can’t afford to pay them.  There will be a lot fewer small businesses open in America.  And a lot more unemployed American citizens.

Oh, and those small business owners may be your neighbors – neighbors who can no longer pay their mortgage payments.  More houses going into foreclosure or being sold vastly under market-value.  More people trying to figure out how to feed their kids.

Yes, we need to come together as a country to support our fellow Americans in this.  We need to care.

Please, take a few moments out of your busy Holiday schedule to get informed, to get active, and to tell others about this.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your support.

Merry Christmas!

… and now back to our regularly scheduled programing!

We are going to hit on a topic that is near to my heart today… waste.

The average school child who brings their lunch to school generates 67 pounds of lunch related trash each school year. That is PER CHILD. The average American school generates more than 18,000 pounds of waste each year. 18,000 pounds!!! And that is just one school.

Wow. That’s pretty impressive, right? It’s downright scary!

So, what can we, as parents, do to help cut down on the amoung of waste generated by our kids? Well, we can start by packing a lunch for our kids – that’s the healthy part – but make sure that we pack it into a container that will not generate waste!

I know, you walk through the grocery store and you see all of those easy, single-serve packages of stuff that your kids beg to have in their lunch, and it’s tempting! Believe me, I know the temptation! But I have found that with the right lunchbox system, I can make sure that my girls are getting a healthy, balanced lunch and cutting down on the waste!

What’s the secret?

First, I made sure that they have lunchboxes that either have compartments for everything, or that they are able to hold the containers I can re-use.

Our favorite lunchbox is the Laptop Lunchbox. I like them so much that I got one for my hubby too. They come with 2 large and 2 small containers, a mini container with a lid and a fork and spoon. One of the large containers has a sealing lid, so you can send “wet” things in there – applesauce, yogurt, etc.

laptop lunchbox

Yes, they are plastic, but they are tested to make sure that it is food safe. Laptop Lunches was started by 2 moms who wanted to cut down on waste and find a better alternative.

One thing that I love about them is that I feel this sense of obligation to put something healthy into each container. This helps me make sure that I get a good, balanced, healthy meal each day to send with them.

We picked up a couple of fabric bags that they carry them in each day, and we toss in a cloth napkin and a milk or their Sigg water bottles for a beverage.

Happy Balloon Bento Box

The other lunchboxes that we use come to us from Asia. I found some adorable bento boxes at Daiso for a few dollars each and the girls love to use them. The ones we use most are 2 levels with a lid for each. I put the sandwich in on e level, and put the rest of the goodies in the other. Ours have a strap that keeps them closed, but there are many styles that are self-locking. A fun thing about these in particular, is that they have a space set aside for the matching chopsticks to just fit inside the lid. My daughter loves anything Chinese (well, Asian, actually!) so this just made her day.

If you look online or have an Asian market nearby, there is a plethora of fun little things that you can use in a bento box – the Japanese use them daily, and they get quite creative with some of their lunches. As you can see above, these small boxes can hold quite a bit of food.

Now that we have the container squared away, what do we put inside? Think bulk. Think homemade. I buy a large jar of applesauce (or make it) and put it into smaller containers to send to school. I buy a large container of plain or vanilla yogurt and add some fruit to it in a smaller container to take to school. I buy lunchmeat and portion it out for the week – then freeze the rest for another week. I bake bread once a week, and occasionall bake muffins or cookies. I make granola. I slice up farm fresh veggies.

Each day they get a sandwich, some veggie sticks and dip, a treat – cookie, yogurt, applesauce, poki stick, etc – and either milk (that doesn’t have to be refrigerated) or water in their Sigg’s. I will usually toss in some fresh fruit too. All of this goes into their lunchbox, the box goes into the bag with a napkin and drink, and they are good to go! The only thing that goes into the trash is their milk carton.

On the rare occasions that I use a “traditional” lunchbox, I have some small Tupperware containers that everything goes into. Snack cups and sandwich keepers work great, and I have yet to have either of the girls forget to bring something home. They remember to put everything back into the bag, and their school has a big bin outside each classroom for lunchboxes to go into.

When I figure that our school lunch program increased the cost to $2.75 per student, per day this year, I figure that I am saving a few dollars, and my kids aren’t eating chicken nuggets and pizza every day. Fortunately, the split is about 50/50 between kids that bring lunch and kids that are “hot lunch” so they don’t feel weird about being the only ones eating a cold lunch.

Is this what we really want them to eat?

So, skip the individual sized packages and send reusable containers with your kids to hold their lunch. Get creative with it! You may just surprise yourself with what you find to use! Just don’t fall into the ziploc bag rut now that you have cut out wasteful packaging… that would be a bit redundant, no?

And I don’t mean the presidential elections!

I stopped over at MomDot.com this morning to see what’s going on, and lo and behold, I have been nominated for Miss Congeniality in The Dottie Awards!

I am amazed… dumbfounded… flabbergasted… you choose the adjective. I am also touched and honored. I think this is the first time I have been nominated for ANYTHING online, and I have to say, it’s pretty cool.

Miss Congeniality is the award that is generally given to the contestant that is most liked and respected by her peers. “The current definition of the award is that it ‘reflects the respect and admiration of the delegate’s peers, who voted for her as the most congenial, charismatic and inspirational participant.” – according to wikipedia.

Wow… this is a big honor to even be nominated!

Again, I am rendered *almost* speechless!

So, why am I sharing this with you (besides the fact that I am still slightly in shock)? So that YOU can go vote!

I’m seeking votes to win this thing, I will freely admit it! Yes, the honor is in being nominated (and it really is!) but to win would be so totally cool!

I Want YOU To Vote For ME in The Dottie Awards!

Just head over to MomDot.com and place your vote for me, Jennifer Hudson, keeper of the Design-my-handbag.com blog as Miss Congeniality! Hurry! Go Now! The voting ends Sept 22nd!

Oh, and tell all of your friends…

And, of course, THANK YOU!!!

Yes, I found another thing to sign up for (it’s a good thing Eric never reads this!)

But THIS one is really useful! Really!

Compacting: The Compact has several aims more or less prioritized below:
- To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc. — a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact.
- To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-or).
- To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact) .
(Copied from Mama’s on the Compact)

Well, I’m signing up to try this out for the next 4 months… yes, just in time for back to school and Christmas. ugh. It shouldn’t be too hard though, right?

Well, here goes. My Pledge.

I pledge (starting on Aug 1, 2008) to not buy anything new from a big box store for the next 4 months – through Jan 1, 2009.

If we need something, we will utilize freecycle, craigs list, goodwill, 2nd hand shops, etc.

I also pledge to donate un-used items through the aforementioned channels.

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Some exceptions:

As I have a business to run, I can purchase NECESSARY items for that – thread, notions, printer paper, etc. No fabric shopping sprees though. I really need to use up what I already have!

As the hubby has some projects that he wants completed by the end of Summer, we are allowed to purchase mulch and blocks to build the terraces in the back, although I will post to freecycle to see if there are any available there first.

In the event that we do not have enough canning jars left (after giving them away last year – filled, of course!) we can purchase some new ones – or find them on freecycle! I will need to purchase new seals though.

Christmas…
Christmas gifts will be handmade wherever possible. In the event that we do not already have everything necessary to complete a project, we can purchase the needed items provided that we already have 75% of the needed supplies, and there is no way to work around the missing supplies (like foam for that certain gift…)

Christmas Gifting can also be purchased through Indie/small businesses to help support my fellow independent crafters. Etsy is a good thing!

Back To School…
After looking over the supply lists, I think we have 95% of what is required. As I don’t have the tissue boxes & glue already on hand (and they want new ones for that!) I will need to buy new. New purchases will be on an absolute MUST HAVE as required by the school. No “oh Mommy, but I WANT it!” purchases.

As per tradition, Eric can take the girls to get 1 new outfit each. It’s just a Daddy thing. HOWEVER, I will be making a trip down to Others Mothers to trade in old clothes, and get clothes appropriate for school!

Before purchasing any new fabric for clothes, I will use up what we already have. There should be plenty for the next couple of years!

Shoes. As their feet are growing, we will need to get more shoes. HOWEVER, we do not need to buy 5 new pairs each! They can each have 1 pair of running shoes and 1 pair of dress shoes.

Tights. There really isn’t a way around this one… they need new ones, and 2nd hand ones just don’t seem to exist. I’ve looked, a lot.

Part of this pledge extends to school lunches. They each have a Laptop Lunchbox, and a bento box. We do not need to purchase plastic baggies for lunches. I will NOT do it! They will take their lunch each day, and they will be filled with wholesome, homemade food. No pre-packaged junk! This worked well last year, although I did have a couple of slip-ups.

Books.
We will utilize PaperBackSwap.com for new books.
This will help with cleaning out some old books too – a pleasant by-product.

Software.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of programs that we do need, and as we have funds, we can purchase those. No games though.

Flowers.
As per a prior agreement, Eric is allowed to buy flowers for the kitchen. Actually, he is allowed to buy flowers for any reason at all! ;~)

Music.
Electronic purchases are allowed. They don’t end up in a landfill somewhere, and are one of the few things that Eric spends $ on – and it isn’t excessive by any stretch. HOWEVER, we need to continue weeding out the CD’s we no longer listen to.

Birthdays.
We can purchase “specialty” ingredients to bake birthday cakes. We have wrapping paper, bags & tissue, and should have plenty of decorations. We can use regular dishes instead of paper plates. Invitations can be handmade. Gifts can be purchased from Indie shops or handmade. Even for the gents…

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Outside of these exceptions, we will re-use, recycle or do without. It should help on the financial front too. Honestly, Target is my biggest downfall. It doesn’t seem to matter what I go in for, I end up spending around $100 somehow. It’s frustrating.

For food, we should be set for a while.
- We get our veggies from a CSA farm weekly, and that lasts into October.
- We purchased a 1/4 of a pig, so we have meat for a bit.
- The currants are coming in, so we will have jam made to last for a few months. I need to go pick some berries though.
- Once the apples are in we can make some applesauce.
- I pledge to make bread at least once per week. It’s cheaper, and I know what is going into it.
- The herbs are doing well, and are drying now for use until next Summer.

I also pledge to not purchase any new plants during the next 4 months. If I really want something, I will see if someone else has a start for it. This will be a hard one! Anyone have Lemon Balm? How about Basil? I will trade Oregano for it! Or Lavender! Please?

I pledge to use cloth napkins and towels rather than paper. We have some paper napkins on hand that we can use for camping. We were doing this, but the girls found the stash & went back to paper.

Unless something vital breaks (a possibility!) we will not purchase new. Vital: the oven, washing machine, etc. The car already broke, so that’s no longer an issue!

Well, I think thats just about enough loopholes, don’t you?

If you have kids who love to color and write thank you notes, I have found the contest for you!

Tiffany over at Naturemoms is doing a contest for a free art kit from Stubby Pencil Studio! What do you need to do to win? Well, head over before Tuesday, June 16th and leave a comment on her blog. Yep, it’s really that easy.

This is a blog that I love to read – she reviews products that are good for the environment, and passes on the info to her readers. She also began homeschooling her son this Summer, and is sharing those joys as well.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do!

Mother’s Day is upon us, but it’s not too late to find an amazing gift! We have looked through the web and brought together a mini-gift-guide to help you find a fabulous gift for that special Lady.

Click on the pictures to take a look at some of the ideas below…

Send a gourmet cake to Mom for Mother’s Day – and if you’re lucky she just might share it with you too!

Not the cake type? How about cookies? David’s Cookies are absolutely delicious – we have tried them on many occasions, and can vouch for them. My favorites are the frozen dough – just pop in the amount you need and bake!

What mom doesn’t like jewelry? Blue Nile has gifts for every style – from sterling silver lockets to pearl or diamond earrings, you are sure to find a piece of jewelry that Mom would love!

Are you looking for something a little more personal? Julie over at Jules Jewelry makes the most beautiful family jewelry! We ordered in a Mama Love necklace for my Mom-in-law a couple of years ago, and it is wonderful! We included all of the kids and grandkids birthstones on the hearts. This year she has added the necklace above – and it is beautiful! Take a look!

With the special that they are running over at 1-800-Flowers, you can get your wife a dozen roses too – she will never know that they were the free bonus! Or use this great deal to get your Mom and her mom a dozen roses each! Personally, I vote to give the roses to your wife… being a wife and mom!

Flowers are always a hit, but cut flowers will fade and die. Send your Mom a flower that will continue to grow year after year and remind her of your love and thoughtfulness!

Is your Mom a gourmet? iGourmet has a variety of fabulous foods from chocolates to cheeses to wines.

Is Mom more of a coffee girl? Head over to Joffrey’s to find a wide selection of coffees and teas that she is sure to love.

These are just a few ideas to help you – every Mom is different, but we know that you will find the perfect gift just for her!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I recently purchased one of these at Costco, and it is so lovely that I have to share about it!

We are a family of 4, and the only crock pot that we had was a small one that was all one unit – the pot was NOT removable. This Smart Pot was a much needed upgrade for our family!

When I took it out of the box, I was again amazed at the size – and dreaming of all of the things that I would be able to make in it (as opposed to our little one). The first thing that I made was a Corned Beef brisket, and I have to say that I am totally impressed!

I can actually fit a whole roast or brisket, or 2 whole chickens(!) inside of this crock pot – which will be a lifesaver on days when I either have a ton of bags to get out the door or I have to spend the day at the girls school helping out! No more “Eek! It’s 5:00, and I haven’t even thought about dinner!” nights for me!

My favorite feature, though, is the removable pot. Can I just say how much easier it is to clean your crock pot when you don’t have the electrical issue to deal with? WOW! The pot, lid and spoon clean up very easily, and the stainless steel outside looks fabulous sitting on my kitchen counter!

If you are a busy mom who wants to have one less thing to worry about on those days, I highly recommend the SmartPot from Crock-Pot!

Now through March 31, you can get free shipping on a similar model, the Crock-Pot Portable Slow Cooker – Free Shipping!.

The next use will be Tortilla Soup – one of our families favorites! Only now I can make enough to have leftovers…

well, I couldn’t title it Happy New Year – that’s too much like everyone else!

2008 is officially here – everywhere now.  2007 has past, taking with it it’s own set of high’s & low’s – here’s hoping ’08 will be filled with a few more high’s!

The start of a new year is a harbinger of a chance to start over – a fresh slate, if you will.  People look at the past & decide what they need to change to bring about a better future – and once in a while they actually stick!

What are my resolutions?

1 – get over this cold - grrrrr it arrived at 2:00 am – the time that some form of disease seems to descend upon our house each Jan 1.  This is one that I can keep! ha ha

2 – clean  house  - take down all of the Christmas decor, fold the mountain of clean laundry, find a sparkling, clean sink somewhere in the kitchen, and de-clutter the house.  This will make the Mr. MUCH happier.  Well, once he gets over HIS cold it will…

3 – Keep the clutter at bay - tough -I’m a pack rat, and admittedly, I’m just lazy.  Add 2 young girls into the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster – hurricanes & tornadoes look to have blown through with regularity, and they start with A & M

4 – find a place to donate all of this excess STUFF - when we moved, goodwill knew me by car.  We donated soooooooooo much junk (complete set of James Bond anyone?) BUT – most unfortunately – we still have half of a garage full of boxes.  ugh.  I haven’t found goodwill up here 30 minutes from anywhere, however I think there is a kids clothing place.  That will help!

5 – become active in PaperBackSwap again - this requires going through the extensive library – again – and finding new homes for many dear friends – and a few mere acquaintances.  Haven’t heard about it yet?  Well… check it out below!

6 –  Continue with the healthier diet that we have begun.  We eat mostly vegetables with some chicken.  I just need to find a local CSA farm.  The drop for our old one is over 30 miles away – not quite eating local is it!

7 – cut down on the amount of STUFF that we bring in the house.

8 – reduce – reuse – recycle – reduce waste, reuse things as much as possible, and recycle everything that we can.  We already have the smallest trash can that WM NW offers, and we recycle 3 times as much as goes into it.  I also want to get the compost pile REALLY going.

9 – plant the vegetable garden.  we already have raspberries & red currants, but we need to add in the other veggies – carrots, long beans, sunflowers, garlic, potatoes, etc.  I have a ingenious thought on the potatoes – I’ll share more about that later.  It requires some straw…

10 – do what I can to help others realize just how much they consume and throw away.  We are a nation of consumers – wasteful, over-spent,  greedy, and blind to the world around us.  We don’t want to do anything that changes our cushy existence, or makes us stop for even a second to think about the effects of our actions.

We need to wake up and look at the world.  We are destroying it.

We are cutting down trees at an alarming rate, cutting down mountains to get the fuels that are located inside.  We pollute our water sources with toxins and poisons, throw away plastics at an alarming rate – plastics that float around in the waterways and oceans, and are consumed by animals that don’t know better.

We fill the products that we bring into our homes with toxins – and wonder why we are a nation of people that are always sick.  Cancer is rising – and those diagnosed are getting younger & younger.  We inject our children with metals disguised as immunizations and cause more diseases.

Why is it that the USA thinks that we need to alter the food that God created for us?  If farmers would husband the land rather than destroy it with chemicals, they wouldn’t have the problems with too many pests.

How is it that humanity survived for millennia without altering the chemical make-up of food and filling everything with corn, yet we are told that if we don’t do these things humanity can’t survive?  There is a difference in taste between fresh, natural, organic food that the mass-produced junk that fills our grocery store shelves.  And don’t get me started on the HFCS and hydrogenated oils and MSG that food factories fill everything with.  Gee, I wonder why our kids are so obese.  We fill them with sugar & fat & corn and sit them down in front of a TV or video games or computers for hours on end.

Get outside and enjoy nature.  Once you have an experience in nature – away from technology and cities – and truly look at the world around you, how can you NOT want to save it?

We are stewards – we need to take care of the planet that God created and told us to take care of.  At this rate, we will have to start colonizing other planets just to support humanity – or allow a massive war to kill half of the population.  Oh, and wipe out technology so we have to re-learn how to exist at a simpler level.

All of this is done in the name of progress.  Are we really progressing?  Or are we causing a huge problem that we cannot fix?

Just remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life – make the most of it!