spring showers

Enough with the rain. We live in the pacific northwest and the induction of spring only means more rain.  Sigh.  Besides going to the movies and indoor germ infested kiddie centers, here are some other ways we are beating the showers around these parts...roller skating, ice skating http://www.rinktime.com/skating_rinks/wa/washington_skating_rinks_arenas.cfm, library visits, painting pottery (like Paint the Town), or check out volunteer matches at http://www.volunteermatch.org/

springing forward

Bye bye winter.  Hello daylight at 8pm.  So hard to put the girls to bed when it's flippin' bright out.  Enter Eclipse Thermaweave curtains. I bought mine at Target for about $25 for two panels.  And they work great!  Not only do these triple weave construction window coverings help keep your babies napping and slobbering longer, you will save 25% on your home heating and cooling costs.  Gotta love saving a lil cheddar.  Read more at www.eclipsecurtains.com. 

tasty glue

Edible Glue.  You might refer to it as Ranch Dressing either delightedly or with distaste.  I'm going with the latter.  But the girls love dipping their veggies in it. And I am all for my babies getting their veggie fix on. I refuse to buy the bottles at room temp because the artificial smell of glue really shines on these.  Here's my workaround - O Organics refrigerated Buttermilk Ranch or any buy cold organic version.  You could also make your own!  And not the MSG laden powdered kind where you add mayo.  Weelicious has a recipe with the following that I made, that's not so bad. Here it is: Ranch Dip- 1/4 Cup Yogurt (I use Greek Yogurt), 2 Tbsp Vegansaise or Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp Fresh Chives, chopped, 1 Tsp Lemon Juice, 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard, 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder, 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder, Salt to taste.  Makes 1/3 Cup.  Happy dipping.

dirty candy

I forgot Valentine's day is like Halloween.  All that darn candy.  I have a friend who lets her kids eat as much as they can stand on the first day and then the bag disappears.  Our bag is still around and the girls have it on their mind as soon as their tired eyes pop open.  Here's an eco-friendly trick to get rid of the love day treats - compost them!  If you don't have a compost bin, you could just place them deep in your house plants or outdoor plant soil.  Or you could take them to work and let your co-workers gobble them up.  Here's some more tips from my eco-buddy over at Green Halloween http://greenhalloween.org/blog/?tag=how-to-compost-candy

cold mice

Ice cream good.  Mice bad.  An ice cream mouse...tasty.  We made these the other night at pre-school family night.  Here's what you do - place a scoop of ice-cream or frozen yogurt into a cupcake liner and then let the kiddies decorate it to make a mouse.  Use vanilla wafers or mini cookies for the ears, craisins or jelly beans for the mouth and eyes and a pretzel stick for the tail.  Make it organic by using - Julie's Organic Ice Cream and Newman's Own baked pretzels.

allergies and congestion

Janae has had chronic sinus infections for oh...about a year.  Her symptoms?  Yellow snot, headaches, and severe congestion.  Her pediatrician has been treating it with antibiotic which clears the issue but the infection pays a visit 2 months later.  So she had an allergy back prick test.  The cause?  Dust mites and grass.  We have now encased her pillows and mattress, kicked up the air purifier, dutifully vacuum her room twice a week and wash her bed linen once a week in hot water.  And she does a daily sinus rinse (nasal irrigation) and a prescribed steroid nose spray - fluticasone. It's working. Want a homeopathic sinus recipe? Just mix iodine-free salt, baking soda and water. Allergy Buster is a homeopathic nose spray option. And instead of the antibiotic, I now give her the allergy tablet cetirizine when her symptoms flair. Allergy shots are another option if your kids can deal.  There are side effects to everything, so do your research.

manners baby

We actually started the "Can I be excused from the table?" a month or so ago.  Had to.  Here's a taste of what they were doing - sitting and eating children, 4 minutes in, getting up, walking, running, playing, food in mouth, food on floor, mess.  I was done.  Tonight we sat down to eat dinner.  TV was off. I had the girls tell me things they could do to show good manners.  Eat with your mouth close.  No talking while eating. Saying excuse me when someone is talking or you walk in front of them.  They sat the whole time.  Talking.  In his weekly blog, Rosemond says - "We will spend at least as much time helping our children develop good manners as do helping them get good grades in school, which means we will cut back significantly on the time helping with the latter (in consideration of the fact that good manners, which are expressions of respect for others, will take one further in life than will good grades)."  Read more at www.rosemond.com

Happy resolutions.