Feed: The Not Quite Crunchy Parent - AggScore: 83.3
It’s scary, it’s coming. Anybody else freaked out about the swine flu? A child at our school got it. A boy in our neighborhood had it too. My niece’s school in Pennsylvania was shut down for 3 days because too many children were absent with the flu.
Am I panicking because I’m paranoid or because I’m prescient. I’m even waffling on the swine flu vaccine. Should I get it? Should my son get it? What if he doesn’t get it and he gets sick?
Since it seems there is a rush on vaccines, it seems likely we will not be getting it.
My DH raised in Europe in the land of homeopathic medicine is against it. I’m OK with that, but have all my flu coping strategies in place. We are all taking echinacea and Vitamin C supplements. I’ve signed up again with my neighbor for Juice Plus supplements and I’ve located my son’s inhaler for when it inevitably goes to his lungs.
And I’ve started to stock up on all sorts of remedies. I received some free samples of Boiron cough syrup, and cold relief tablets to try. Since I’m already a big fan of homeopathic remedies, I’m anxious to give them a shot. You can try them too- get a coupon code here:
http://children.boironusa.com/)
Wait, hmmm…well, actually I hope I never have to try them, but it sure seems likely. I’ll keep you posted.
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It’s been a long time coming but one of the big three auto makers made a big hit with parents everywhere yesterday. They introduced inflatable seat belts for the rear seats. In other words, cars will now have a suitable version of the air bag for rear seat passengers!
I traveled to Dearborn this week to witness the big announcement and was not disappointed. I was able to see and touch the new inflatable seat belt and try it out myself. Plus, I received a tour of the safety lab This was really cool for a geeky person like me who likes to know all the whys and wherefores, though I had to strain to remember college physics concepts like g force and energy dissipation.
I was quite excited about this new option which will be available on 2011 model cars as an option…though at what cost and in what packages still seems to be a bit fuzzy.
This is a big deal because, as was explained to use, children’s bigger heads, softer bones and different proportions leaves them open to more injuries than adults. (BTW- elderly persons are also more prone to injury, more for loss of muscle and more brittle bones so this is also great if you have an aging parent for whom you care.)
The inflatable seatbelt works for all children in a regular booster seat- in other words, more or less, age 4 and up. I’m hoping this is a first step toward more protection for children of all ages.
Ford has had an incredible year this year, skipping the government handout taken by the other 2 big auto makers, aggressively pursuing greener and safer cars and even making a profit. Besides that, I found them friendly and willing to listen – seems like a model for American businesses across the board.
You can see more photos and more stories about this new innovation by following #fordsafety on Twitter or Googling "Ford inflammable seatbelts.
I almost hate to say this in case Homeland Security is reading this, but things are loosening up a bit. On my flight out a passenger in front of me gave his small lighter to the security folks and was told to just keep it. Female travelers flew through security with carry-ons...surely filled with many small tubes of liquids and gels. This, at first appears to be good news until on guard told me that they actually just "assess the threat". Sounds like racial/ethnic profiling to me....
On a different note, I was quite pleased to see that the Dearborn Inn, a Marriott hotel has just wonderful aromatherapy products- shampoo, conditioner and body lotion - yummy. unfortunately they are all individually packaged. I'd prefer to see them in a dispenser. While Marriott, I know is working on going green, dispensing with the Styrofoam coffee cups and individually packed toiletries.
I'll be home later today...probably should purchase some carbon offsets for this one day trip...
Jif Omega-3 Works For Me
and
The Eating Right Review
Check them out to see what the not Quite Crunchy Parent and child are eating these days.
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Not So Fast.
This past week, I found out that...maybe the message didn't quite get through enough. Snack mom number two brought a yummy mix of fresh fruit for the halftime snack...in individual plastic containers....not the sugar laden kind you buy at the grocery store, but fresh fruit cut up and placed in plastic containers with lids.
Hmmm.
I've started thinking now. Obviously that was either a lot of work to cut up fruit and put it in containers or those were pretty expensive to buy at a store. (I couldn't ask her because she was working and sent hapless Dad to the game with their son.) Could it be, my "big bowl of fruit" scared some parents?
With all the talk about swine flu going around in my mom circles, I began to wonder. Will swine flu delay the waste-free movement? Will parents prefer individually wrapped treats to avoid other children's hands on food going into their child's mouth?
Should I worry?
What do you think?
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Another sport, another snack dilemma. I’m Team Mom for my son’s soccer team this year…so I’m feeling a little bit more in control…but just a bit.
In the short time that my son has participated in organized sports I’ve been fairly appalled at what other parents consider appropriate as a snack. Candy, sugar filled cupcakes with mountains of frosting, bubble gum, potatoes chips and every possible iteration of unhealthy snack you could imagine. And the stuff that’s thrown away…little paper bags filled with individually packaged snacks…or cut fruit in baggies!
I admit, I’m a bit hard core. Yes, I let me son have a piece of candy on occasion- parties and holidays, at someone else’s house or when his dad gives him one. But in general, processed, packaged sweets are not part of our lifestyle. That’s how I was raised too.
Though I was raised in a typical “throwaway” culture, I also find myself more and more trying to go wastefree – to conserve out resources.
So this year, as team mom, I gently suggested that we all bring healthy snacks for the kids each week AND bring a filled reusable water bottle or two – snack parent will not be required to bring a drink at the end (in a throwaway container).The response was, in most cases positive, with one exception who managed to talk herself out of it when I responded to her complaint with “oh” and “um” and “hmmm”. – I love that when that happens!
Since I was first on the snack roster, I felt obliged to set a good example. This, of course necessitated running out to the store at the last minute, since I only thought about what a good idea it would have been to make home made cookies at the last minute.
It also required me to make 10 little brown bags of filled with snacks…OF COURSE I should have run to Target and bought 10 little cloth reusable bags – sigh- someone else do that please!
I ended up buying oranges which I sliced and passed around in a big bowl rather than putting them in baggies.(Grapes, cut apples or any other fruit would work here too.)
In my snack bags I put a box of raisins, a bag of pretzels and a granola bar. Any dried fruit, Pirate Booty, cereal bars or healthy cookies would work too. Cheese sticks or chunks, carrot or celery sticks, even salami slices or crackers would be even better.
The waste free part is harder. OK- putting the fruit in a big bowl to pass around worked great for the half time snack. Reusable cloth bags are better than throwaway …but what about that snack at the end that is usually 2-3 things in a bag? Could we just have a few bowls of things? Would that work at your soccer games? Has anyone tried it or have any other good ideas?
This month’s topic for The Green Moms Carnival is “Conserve” hosted by Mindful Momma (Watch for her book “Practically Green” coming out in October.)
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I haven’t written a post about my opinion on super high pressure kindergartens and preschools. Probably because my son is now past kindergarten age, but hey, why should I let that stop me?
Since I’ve been working with Goddard Child Development Center recently (they sponsored me for the Blogher conference and I’m now judging an Eco Toy Contest for them) I’ve been thinking about early childhood education again.
So when I read this article in The Boston Globe, Pressure Cooker Kindergartner, I managed to get all riled up again. I’m a firm believer children learning to read and write and do math…when they are ready.
That’s why the best preschools, in my opinion, are those that offer the opportunity, but don’t push. Great preschools gather the children on the floor for storytime- every child needs lots and lots of storytime! Great preschools engage the children in physical activities and do lots of art and developmental play.Great preschools introduce the ABCs as the children gather around the rug but teachers don’t stress if a number of children are just there for the fun pictures and cute songs.
I think though great preschools also offer reading and writing and even math with manipulative for those kids who want them. My son’s school was one like that. Many of his classmates loved to go to the writing table and write their names (He preferred riding on the bikes.) Several of the children were happy to sit and do basic addition with manipulatives and yet others picked out words in books – all good. But for those who were not interested…there were lots of developmentally appropriate toys – toys that build prereading skills and teach pre-math skills.
Schools that offer foreign language – very easy to learn at the preschool and kindergarten level and great hands on activities are even better. So, this article about kindergartners being made to sit at desks and take tests…well just makes me mad!
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As usual a week spent with Best, my crunchiest friend, opens my eyes to new ways of raising my child. I usually return with lots of great ideas she has given me as a result of her son’s attendance at her local Waldorf school. This time the tables were turned.
So much of the curriculum at Waldorf schools is supportive of growth in the whole child – learning to knit, play the recorder and exposure to different languages. In many ways though, Waldorf schools are just like any other school – you just can’t leave your child’s education up to the school.
This shocking “ah ha” (JK) came up during our conversation about reading. Waldorf schools delay teaching reading until first grade. While most kindergarteners these days are focused on basic reading skills, those in a Waldorf School get to play one more year. First grade is the start of academic work.
This falls under the theory of “don’t push”, with which I heartily agree. But, “don’t push”, doesn’t mean “don’t support”. Best has found that despite the delay in teaching reading, children entering second grade at her Waldorf school tend to have the same range of reading ability that can be found in just about any middle class first grade classroom.
This was surprising to me until I realized that, like some parents of children in any classroom in the country, those parents were teaching their children to read at home.
I had done this with my son. Over a period of perhaps 2 years, since he was 4 and first asked me to learn to read, our nightly routine of my reading to him took on a new component. I give him a reading lesson then I read to him.
These lessons were over in 30 seconds flat in the beginning. But it became a nightly thing – I pull out a Bob book, he reads one word and
then quits – highly appropriate behavior for a 4 year old.
I think though the key, that I learned from other friends was… I shouldn’t quit. Despite the frustration, despite the . ..ummm…lack of cooperation we continued.
It wasn’t until he started kindergarten and was learning in a structured environment though that my efforts started to pay off. Slowly he began to read more of a page, then two pages, then five.
And this I think might be the key. Don’t give up. My friend, Best... had. She was waiting until her son COULD read before HAVING him read. Her thought that sitting him down to read was pushing. I think sitting down with a very easy book every night and “helping” him read it is supporting.
And so I did that with my friend’s son – using the Bob books, helping him sound out words and giving him the ones he didn’t know. (For anyone who has done this you know that it takes a lot of patience and you will feel like jumping off a bridge at least once a week…or alternately giving up.) Don’t.
It worked for my son and seems to be working for Best's son. I’m just passing on wise ideas I got from my smart mom friends – don’t leave schooling up to the schools. We all have to “homeschool”!
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Like most of my blogging friends, I returned from the Chicago Blogher Conference with a bag full of SWAG.
After years of working in marketing and at different points in my career, managing a PR department and working in and for a PR agency, I know these treats are not given out of the goodness of the marketer's hearts. Marketers hope the recipient will write about them.
I also know, as one who has spent countless hours wrapping product samples in cute bags with shiny ribbons and creative, hand written cards, that most recipients will not only not write about them but will also not acknowledge their receipt.
That’s fine and those are the rules of the game (PR mailings are junk mail for journalists). So, I rarely feel compelled to write about product samples I receive.
However, I did receive a Land End backpack at Blogher. I don’t THINK I was the intended recipient. It occurs to me that perhaps I found this backpack lying on a hallway table with a bunch of other sample products that another blogger did not want and left for those who might – one of the “casual recycling centers” that seemed to pop up in the hallways of the Hyatt in Chicago that weekend.
But…I’m certainly glad I did receive this backpack as I just returned from a 5 day trip to Yosemite National Park with my best friend and our 7-year-old sons.
This sturdy, compact and lightweight backpack was perfect for treks and hikes from our tent cabin abode and had lots of hooks, pockets and compartments for storing all of our stuff-
So Thank you Lands End! I’ll be using this backpack for all of my hiking trips and we have many planned!
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Obviously back-to-school is a hot topic on the web these days. I’ve seen quite a few articles, blog posts and videos greening back-to-school too. But since our Green Moms Carnival this month is on greening back-to-school. I feel compelled to throw in my tips.
Realize that I have a grade-schooler who very un-greenly attends a school some distance from my house – I drive him a fair distance, wasting natural resources so he can go to a school that serves organic lunches, recycles and teaches eco-awareness- go figure!
So, the greenest thing that I could do, of course is to put him in a school that is closer, but…that isn’t going to happen, so I’ll share with you how I plan to make up for that- my own little version of carbon credits.
1. An Eco Lunch Box – I’ve been embarrassed this summer as I pack his lunch with a zillion little plastic bags. It’s a several years old lunchbox – so I guess that’s green, but the little plastic bags are defiantly not. I do wash and reuse to some extent, but not nearly enough.
So, I’m on my way today to search for a kids bento box. One of my friends has them for her kids and so, I have been able to get a good handle on how and what to pack. I’m feeling much greener already.
2. Use Cloth – while we’re on the subject, don’t forget to include a cloth napkin in the Bento box. We’ve been on a cloth napkin kick for about 2 years. I pick them up at estate sales, where they tend to have just beautiful ones.
I’m also planning to give up on the tissues this year, in favor of a handkerchief. I managed to dig out an old one that was my mothers for my use but am on a search for a few for my son. Of course they’ll get lost, so I’m looking for a whole stack at flea markets and estate sales.
3. Last year’s Backpack or backpack trade – There really isn’t any reason to buy a new backpack every year – that is, if you buy a fairly good one in the first place. I learned this the hard way. My son’s kindergarten one is still in great shape – I spend a fair sum for it from a good manufacturer. Then I slipped and bought cheap. The kindergarten one is too small now and the grade school ones are trashed. Fortunately, I picked up this eco friendly LandsEnd one at Blogher this year, so that will be my son’s backpack for a few years. ( You can also trade backpacks with friends!)
4. Walk, Bike Bus to school – this is one that I obviously won’t be able to take full advantage of, but I am going to try to work more from coffee shops around his school rather than drive home and back. Barnes and Noble now has free wi-fi so that should certainly help- as long as I don’t but 25 books while I’m there.
5. Scrounge for Pencils and Pens –I’m often guilty of buying new pencils, pens, markers every year, while I KNOW I have hundreds stuffed away in drawers. I think I’ll make a game of seeing who can find the most lying around the house this year instead of buying new- complete with prizes!
I’m sure I’ll think of a few more green ideas to share for back-to-school but, in the meantime what are yours?
This post is part of the September Green Moms Carnival - read more posts on greening back-to-school at Organicmania.com. Want to join in? Send your link to greenmomscarnival at gmail dot com.
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I’m in Chicago today at the Blogher conference. (Remember I TOLD you I was going!) Thanks to my sponsors Womego.com and Goddard Child Development Centers, I’m eating drinking and learning a lot.
A number of my “friends who live in my computer” are here and geez, they all look even better in person.
It’s obvious that green is hot as can be seen at this conference. Despite the masses of “stuff” being given away (which surely isn’t green) there have been some pretty good efforts to make this conference as eco friendly as possible.
You can read about them here.
A few last minute changes like Pepsico after a request from the Green team of Blogher changed their original idea of distributing bottled water. Put this in the “win” column. Put in the “lose” column that The Sheraton doesn’t seem to have the requisite card giving directions to those who prefer to reuse their bath towels more than one day!
The Sheraton gets a “sorts-win” for supplying Fair-Trade coffee in-room, albeit in disposable cups. In fact, there was perhaps a few too many disposables here and I had to fight the urge to pack my suitcase full of them for use in our recyclables art bin in our playroom.
I will, of course be returning with a mountain of free stuff – so much that I had to pack another suitcase!
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This last week, my son and some visitors built an elaborate fort from playstands, old curtains, laundry clips and old boxes. The usual contingent of children is playing in it...with their caterpillars.
That is, with the caterpillars they picked off my neighbor's sorry looking sunflower and ensconced in "homes" made of old shoe boxes, cling wrap and tape.
From inside the tent I heard:
"Do caterpillars get married?
"No," said my son, "they mate."
"What does mate mean?"
....long thoughtful pause
" yeah, they get married.
I encourage forts, they make eavesdropping so much easier!
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I’m starting to prepare for my trip to The Blogher Conference in Chicago and wanted to write a bit about one of my sponsors that will help me to offset the cost of my trip. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I have a very explicit review policy that boils down to – I only review selected products and am brutally honest in my reviews.
So though I discussed sponsorship with a few different brands, I have been very selective about with whom I am willing to work. So today I want to write about The Goddard Schools.
There was an article about Goddard’s yoga program in The Houston Chronicle this week.
I’m a big believer in yoga in schools. Several of my son’s teachers have incorporated it into the curriculum. It’s beneficial for children several reasons. The Yoga Journal cites:
“Yoga enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calmness and relaxation improves. Doing yoga, children exercise, play, connect more deeply with the inner self, and develop an intimate relationship with the natural world that surrounds them.”
I actually had the opportunity to visit a Goddard School near my home (they have over 330 schools for infants through kindergarteners across the country.) We talked about a number of green initiatives that Goddard offers, including simple things like automatic faucets and recycling bins to more complicated programs like solar water heaters and spending the extra dollars to purchase furniture and equipment made from recycled materials. (I, of course had to add my two cents by suggesting they add an organic vegetable garden in a corner of their (large and lush) play yard.) Not surprisingly, considering their focus on green, they liked this idea.
Spending so much time on sustainability, I tend to judge whether a company is committed to green by which initiatives they implement and how focused they are on the end result – which I perceive as constant improvement and publicizing the results. I don’t consider that greenwashing, I consider it education and increasing awareness with the general public. Goddard also has the responsibility of educating a new generation, which they do, by incorporating “earth-friendly” activities into the curriculum.
You’ll be hearing more about Goddard from me in the future – this is an early childhood development center I can recommend. You can follow them on Twitter too!
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