Winter has started because we had our first snow today! I love winter and especially snow because it is equally fun to go outside to play in it and stay inside warm and cozy. The first snow almost always requires outdoors playtime as the flakes fall and the snow piles up. Snow provides a great way to have “green” play. Beyond outerwear, nothing is needed. Coats, hats gloves and mittens can be passed down or recycled from one kid to another since most children seem to grow out of them before they wear them out. Sleds are nice but optional. They are easily made (cardboard, plastic signs and other odds n’ ends work great) or obtained at a thrift shop or freecycle. Snowballs, forts and snowmen are very natural, and are returned to the Earth at the end of their life.
She’s Still Nursing?
At two and a half years old, Abby is still a nursling. I often get raised eyebrows and questions when people find out. Here are ten reasons my active toddler still nurses:
- She likes it!
- Breast milk is a healthy snack, available anywhere when I am with her
- Breastfeeding 2 years or more lowers your risk of breast cancer by 25%
- I do not need to worry about her nutritional intake
- It is comforting to her
- Breastfeeding gives us some Mommy and daughter snuggle time
- She never misses a meal
- It keeps her healthy by providing antibodies
- There are benefits science has yet to find out about
- She likes it!
My mother thinks I breastfeed still because I want more “baby time” (which is true) but it can be a pain more often than it is fun. Yes, she nurses while I write a post, talk on the phone, watch tv, try to go to sleep, grade papers, think, sleep, relax. Anytime I sit down, there is a fairly good chance Abby will run over and want to nurse. Mostly, I do it because I love her and want to provide her with the best. Right now, breastfeeding is best!
Review of Fabkins Cloth Napkins
I have used cloth napkins exclusively for over a year now. We started with napkins my mom gave me; lots of yellow, orange and green styles made of polyester. They are serviceable, but hardly the best-looking napkins especially since they are older than me (although hardly used in the last 20 – 30 years)! Still, they are much more eco-friendly than paper napkins, and since I throw them in with the towels and other kitchen laundry, it doesn’t really affect our water consumption to use them.
One of our cuter napkins, a vintage Vera Neumann pattern
All last year, I sent Ari to school with a cloth napkin in her lunch.She never complained about using her napkins; in fact some of her classmates liked them! I know she wasn’t crazy about the days I sent her in with some of the not so cute napkins, but she never said a negative word about them. Fast forward to this summer. I was looking through some of the blogs I follow and came across a giveaway for Fabkins cloth napkins for kids on Over Coffee: The Green Edition. I left a comment, and moved on to reading my next blog.
New Rules
Kids need time outdoors. Studies show that kids who have unstructured playtime outside and in nature are happier, more cooperative, expressive, calmer and more intelligent. As a teacher, I have taken numerous groups of kids to outdoor education. The change in some kids is amazing; some of the loudest, most boisterous kids become calmer and focused. They focus their energy on a task in ways they can’t seem to indoors. I have seen quiet, introspective children blossom as they put prior knowledge to use, often surprising their classmates with knowledge of the environment.
When I was growing up, Continue reading “New Rules”
I Want That!
I’m frustrated right now. My oldest is on a never-ending shopping spree in her mind and she just has to have everything. As Americans, we are bombarded with ads telling us we need the latest this or we have to have that. Today I have been “told” I need to go back to school shopping for clothes, shoes and a backpack by my daughter. We “need” to buy licensed binders and lunchboxes. And that’s just school supplies.
I have been around a couple of decades (okay, three) and I have learned to ignore the constant steam of information from companies stating their product is best. My six year old daughter is not so immune. At age four, an ad would come on TV and she would immediately whine “I want that!” We talked to her about it and we thought she learned. Little did we know she had simply learned not to tell us what she wanted. As five years old came, we saw her mature. She opened a savings account. She was happy to see her money gain interest. We thought all was well.
At six years old, Ari now believes she knows everything and has to have a word in every conversation. However, a few weeks ago it got downright scary. My husband and I were reviewing our shopping list and planning our trip for the fewest store visits. During the discussion, Ari piped up “We should go to WalMart. They always have the lowest prices.” We both stared at her, jaws gaping. She said “What? They have the best deals.” I think my brain exploded, because I can’t remember how I recovered.
Sadly, its not just about turning off the TV. For most of the summer Ari watched very little TV, and most of what she did watch had few commercials. But her eyes always spot what I no longer see; an ad on the back of a magazine, on the side of a bus, characters on backpacks and slogans on t-shirts. You can’t be free of it. My child doesn’t just want a backpack, she wants a Wizards of Waverly Place backpack. She wants high heeled shoes like some tween pop star I’ve never heard of. She told my husband today she wants an iPhone. She’s six.
I’m moving to some magical place in a non-existent land where televisions were never invented and advertising is illegal.