Proof a Five-Year-Old is Smarter Than Most of Us When it Comes to Ecology

This week O's teacher sent home some worksheets and activities for the kids to do around Earth Day. Not homework, really, but activities to make them think about the planet and our effects on it. Which of course made me smile.

So there is a "blank" picture of the Earth, and the activity asks to draw things that are beautiful about the earth. So he drew flowers, water. :)

Then it says, flip over, and on the back, draw something showing one problem Earth has. He drew a dumpster, and "garbage". He said he drew an old TV that someone threw away, and a banana peel.

So I figured it would make sense to take the opportunity to explain the difference between those two types of "garbage". I explained that a banana peel is a fruit, so it comes from the Earth - it's a natural product that will simply decompose back into the soil, and the Earth will use those nutrients to grow other things.

I then explained the old TV, on the other hand, was man-made, with plastic and glass and metal. And those pieces don't break down into the Earth. So that becomes the waste we don't know what to do with, and why we have a problem.

So he looked at me, and said, "so why do we throw our banana peels in the garbage?"

(Dramatic pause as the adult realizes she'd better step up. Now.)

I attempt explanation. Well, we don't have anywhere to put them. The right thing to do is compost that stuff. That means we can collect it in a composter under the sink, and then transfer it to the garden. We're going to make our garden this weekend...would you like us to start doing that?

Yes.

Okay, deal.
I'll report on how it goes.

Limbo

I know it's Friday and perhaps some of you think I have Louis Prima or something playing in the background and I'm making everyone bend under a broomstick. But, no. That's not what I mean.

Limbo. Stuck between earthly life and heaven, technically, no? Analogy in 3, 2, 1...

Earthly life. Which is a good thing if you are thinking about our environment and doing all the right things that go with it. If you are thinking that you have daily drudgery, well, things can always be worse. Right now I'm in a little slow patch, which is actually (other than financially) ok now and again. I feel like it clears my head. I get to clean up (mentally...no I did not ask you to look at my house at the moment), organize, see friends or catch up. Things like that. Yet, missing a little something.

Heaven. Let's say this is the perfect state. For me that would be an ideal balance of something that challenges my head, inspires good thinking on a daily basis, and brings in enough cash to make things easier and buy new shoes while maintaining the home office situation, spending some time with kiddos, and keeping any commuting or travel to a minimum/non-existent state.

Tall order, perhaps. But I'm willing to wait. It will come.

Food

I like food. I like shopping for food. I like feeding my family and friends. I'd do it all the time if I didn't have to worry about making a living or any nonsense like that.

We hosted Easter this past weekend and experimented with a few new recipes. Success! I think I have a couple new "regular" dishes.

It's not hard. Cooking, I mean. It's the one thing in life that is very easy NOT to fall into a rut for me. And with more of a focus on organic and ingredients and evolving what we eat to even healthier than what we do now.

We have one rule about eating in this house. You have to try it. My kids are good about it. I'm not sure if that's because they are wired that way, or whether it's because both Chris and I are good examples, or whether my food is actually tasty. But for the most part, they comply. Okay, O does, regularly.

I wonder. I wonder if there is a place for someone who is NOT a trained cook or chef to have a point of view on how kids eat. How families eat. Would people care? Will I be talking to myself? Hmmm.

Easter...Bunny?

Today was Easter, and we host our family (families) each year. The crowd changes for a variety of reasons, mostly for the my family/your family rotation that just about any married couple deals with in some form or fashion - we were happy to have friends join us as well this year.

Tried some new recipes. Went with a Tyler Florence recipe for pulled pork in the oven, and I have to say...holy cow, I am making THIS again! Pulled pork, fantabulous. And the ham was good. And my MIL's lasagna. And my mom's rice pie for dessert. And like twenty other things. We have enough for for the week, I think!

O woke up CRAZY early today...this is the kid we need to drag out of bed every school day, and sleeps past 9 on the weekends quite frequently - yes, a bit odd for a 5 3/4-year old - wanders in our room at 6:45! Ugghhh. If he wasn't so cute. Really.

I always take a family photo on Easter. (Okay, this is the second year in a row. But it is a new "tradition".) Unfortunately I didn't get around to it until after my children had chocolate cake. You can see the residual damage on O. Lesson learned.

And yes, I am a super-dork and make us all coordinate. Note I said coordinate...and not "match". Very different. This retains some modicum of self-respect. Loved G's dress. Let me squish those almost-not-baby-limbs of hers. Yum.

I know. I am still working on post frequency - I'll rally!

My Own Little Droid

Everyone who knows me well knows that I am a Mac user, an Apple fangirl at heart. Since my early agency days when I was plopped on a blue iMac, and then a black Macbook, I fell in love. The side of me that loves all aesthetic nuances and ease of use just becomes happy. I'm writing on a MacBook now - the smallest, in white.

On the mobile side, I've had iPhone envy for some time. But if you know me well, you know I also have a pretty feisty practical side. My husband has a corporate discount with Verizon at work, and since we have our two phones, one for our nanny, and one for my mom...and Verizon actually does have better coverage in our area...I just haven't been sold on making the iPhone switch. It would mean switching us all over at the same time. So, I got a Blackberry when I started freelancing. Make that FIVE phones, since I didn't want to drop my old mobile # yet.

Well, a week and a half ago, I made the jump (after talking about it forever). I got a Droid. I lovvvvvvve it. It's very easy to use. It's not so thin and sexy as it's Apple nemesis, but coming off a Blackberry Curve, it feels like I advanced a decade. I've forwarded the old mobile number, so we're down to four phones again (well, physically, anyhow). It's got the slide-out keyboard but I find the touch screen simpler. I have small hands.

I haven't changed the alert yet. It sounds like I have a small Stars Wars character with me at all times. The kids get a kick out of it. So do I. "Droid" makes me giggle a little, still. I put a purple case on it so it looks at least a little more girly. Photos are great, apps, mail accounts easier than the Blackberry - must have something to do with that Google thing.

Next, Google Voice! I'm aiming to chop at least one more phone line off my bills. Will keep you posted on that adventure - so far I've assigned it to the wrong gmail account. Don't ask.

I love No Junk Food Week

If you've read this in the past, I've mentioned a few times that I love food. Cooking it, eating it, finding new ways to play with it, trying new things out on the family.

I have progressively been getting more green and eco-conscious about my food. I only buy organic meats now that I am certain have no hormones etc, have started buying bulk to omit all the packaging, and am trying out all sorts of new leafy green veggies on the family. More vegetarian meals in the mix. With good results all around! I've also figured out how to shop in Whole Foods without it costing a stinkin' fortune. It's do-able.

(On a side note...if you have not seen Food, Inc. - you should. I think it should be required for all Americans, like requiring people to also work either in retail or food service/hospitality in their teen years so they learn how to treat people properly.)

To borrow a phrase from one of my clients, everyone is on a different place in their journey toward being aware of how they eat and what they eat, and how what they do in this area affects the environment.

So, needless to say, I was thrilled to see O come home with a No Junk Food Week flier from school, and a "contract" that he has to fill out this week with a healthy snack a day. Sweeeet.

So far we've got guacamole for yesterday (yes, I helped him spell that one) and today he wrote down cheese for his morning snack he brought to school. I wonder if this is stressing anyone else out...we are lucky that we both grew up on "real food" so we try to take it a step further in our house. It's a journey.

Last week they all were asked to bring in empty cereal boxes - so I gave him one of the worst we've had in the house - Corn Pops. 12g sugar a serving. (Then they gave them blocks to illustrate exactly what that meant.) One of the highest in the class. So we picked some new cereal this week - completely his choosing, after label-scouring - that had just 7g of sugar in it. Much better.

Can we make it No Junk Food Month?

We have a Swimmer!

Mr. O has been taking swim lessons, as I've mentioned before.
I had started to have a little angst that my 5-year-old was not swimming yet. This past November (during the blog hiatus) in Aruba, we got both he and G the Konfidence vests - which I have to say, were stellar. Kept them upright, actually got them comfortable in the water. I think it made a huge difference when it was time for lessons.

Now G wants to jump in the water too!

We took this last week.




We are so proud.
So is he!