Menu Plan: End of Summer

Where did summer go? Does anyone else feel like it went by quicker than usual? Preschool graduation feels like it was yesterday. What do you mean school starts this week? I'm trying to get back into the groove of crockpot meals and once a week grocery shopping (as opposed to over the summer, when I felt like I was at Safeway constantly). I'm also trying to use up all the fresh produce before the supply dries up. (As a side note, if you have tomatoes you are trying to rehome, the answer is always yes.)

Here's what I have planned for this week:

**Tangy Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes--This is one of my fave pork recipes. Don't be turned off by the long list of ingredients, it's quite easy to make, and the sauce is so worth it. Steamed veggies and salad to go with it.
**Beef Roulade--This is a make and freeze recipe, but I'm skipping the freezing step. This will get rid of some sun-dried tomatoes and spinach that have been languishing. Salad and some kind of veggie to go with it.
**Key West Avocado Sandwiches--Mangoes are on sale this week, so I'm going to pick one up and make these yummy and easy sandwiches. Sun Chips and maybe something else on the side.
**Hearty Vegetable Soup--This soup is not only healthy and filling, but crockpot worthy. Bread and salad as side dishes.
**Creamy Spaghetti with Pancetta--Pasta is always a hit with the kids. I usually leave the pancetta out of this recipe and enjoy it with garlic bread.

What are you cooking now that fall approaches and school is starting again?

Maintaining The Friend Connection

Earlier this year, when my city was faced with a budget crisis, the mayor started making noises about eliminating bulk trash pick up. I knew the time had come to tackle a major chore I had been putting off for years--cleaning out the basement.

I'm not normally a procrastinator, but the enormity of this project was keeping me from forming a plan and getting to it. Our basement is accessible only by a very heavy trapdoor in the floor, and has low ceilings. Over the years, my husband and I had gotten into the bad habit of shoving things anywhere down there and it had become messy and crowded. I truly had no idea exactly what we had stored down there.

As I said, I did it. A big part of creating order down there involved giving away or selling baby and toddler gear and clothing that we no longer needed. Out went the double stroller, the baby toys, the infant pool float and the baby pool. I gave the pack n play and the baby gate to a friend having her first child, and the changing table and boppy pillow to another friend.

The basement looks great, but I realized the other day that my house is no longer a baby and toddler friendly place. We don't have gates anymore. Outlet plugs don't always get replaced when they are removed. Legos and other chokables are on low shelves. When friends with little ones come over, I try to remove the obvious hazards, but the parents need to be on their toes for everything else.

Earlier this year, we went out to dinner with family, including my brother and SIL and their then-20-month-old son. My nephew was seated next to me, and when I accidentally put my large steak knife down next to my plate, within reach of him, my brother leaned over, rolled his eyes at me and relocated the knife. He figured I would know better, but it's funny how quickly your forget. My kids don't grab knives, put non-food items in their mouths, or need help getting off the couch or up the stairs.

I've forgotten what it's like to scarf down your food while your partner walks with the baby outside. I've forgotten what it's like to plan things around naptime. Stroller accessibility doesn't play into my choices of where to go. I no longer have diapers or baby wipes on me at all times. In fact, I carry a regular purse.

I'm enjoying all the stages as my kids, now 6 and going on 4, grow up, but I've also found that it makes me feel a little disconnected from friends with babies. I love it when my Facebook friends post photos of their newborns, but find I have little to contribute when it comes to baby questions because so much has changed in just a few short years. When mine were small, it was okay to let your baby sleep in his infant carseat, crib bumpers were thick and padded, and pediatricians still recommended waiting to introduce peanuts until age 3. Many of my friends are just starting their families and my family is in a completely different place. How do you connect with a friend that wants/needs to talk about teething and breastfeeding when you want/need to talk about sending your child to school and peer pressure?

It reminds me a little of after high school, when the people who went to college drifted away from people who went directly to jobs, or the time after college when people who got married drifted away from their single friends.

What do you think? Have you been able to remain friends with people at a different life stage? Have your children changed your friendships with childless couples? Has the age of your kids made it difficult to stay friends with other parents? **Crossposted at API Speaks.

All Natural Home Pest Control Giveaway from EcoSMART

In April, I had the opportunity to try all natural home pest control products from EcoSMART and also gave away product to a reader.

It's now August, and those products really came in handy during our hot, humid and buggy summer.

My favorite of the bundle was the insect repellent, pictured at left. It worked great to keep bugs away, and I felt fine putting it on my kids skin, knowing the ingredients were all natural.

In addition, the natural ant killer worked great to keep the nasty little buggers out of my home.

THE GIVEAWAY
EcoSMART has offered one lucky reader the opportunity to win one product of your choice from the EcoSMART line. To enter, visit the EcoSMART website, take a look around, and leave me a comment telling me what product you would like to try. This giveaway will be open for one week, closing at midnight on Friday, August 27. I'll choose and notify a winner on Saturday. If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I'll have to choose a new winner. I'm sorry, but this giveaway is only open to US residents excluding Alaska and Hawaii. I MUST have your email address for your comment to count as valid! If I can't contact you, I can't get you your prize. Good luck!

Kindergarten Means...

The years my son was 3 and 4 were hard years. He was an easy baby and a reasonable 2 year old and I had gotten lulled into the idea that the Terrible Two's were a myth and that I had a pretty low maintenance kid.

The defiance, limit testing and stubbornness of 3 threw me for a loop, and even when I found out it was normal, I often felt like shouting, "Terrible Two's my ass! How come no one told me 3 was so much harder!!??"

4 was better, but coupled with my son's intense energy meant I was constantly exhausted, constantly trying to keep up.

It made me feel guilty, but I spent two years looking forward to kindergarten.

But then something funny happened--he turned 5. 4 took some time to wear off, but 5 turned out to be a pretty great age. We decided to wait a year, due to his one-day-past-the-cutoff birthday.

At 5, he still had plenty of energy, but was mature enough to funnel it into creative activities, and physically more capable as well (2-wheel bike riding burns a TON of energy). He's willing and helpful, funny and friendly, and a lot more reasonable with his demands and expectations.

Suddenly, with kindergarten looming, I'm sad.

I've been thinking lately that it's the fear of the unexpected that makes things harder. A Type A person like myself likes to be prepared. Giving birth to my second baby was easier because I knew what to expect, and breastfeeding was easier the second time around. But I've never sent a child off to kindergarten before, I don't know exactly what to expect, and the enormity of how big this transition will be for the whole family has me feeling a little anxious.

Kindergarten starts in a few weeks, on my son's 6th birthday.

Kindergarten means...

1--An earlier schedule. School starts at 8. We've spent the better part of 6 years not having to regularly be anywhere any earlier than 930. That means we need to implement an earlier bedtime and a strict morning routine, something we've never really had, to make sure he gets there on time.

Maureen, however, does not need to be at preschool until 915, so I'm wondering if it's possible to not wake her up in the morning since they share a bedroom.

2--More germs. We've been pretty healthy so far. In his almost 6 years, Johnny has had ONE vomit virus, a couple of colds every year, and one diarrhea virus. Last school year, he didn't miss any preschool. His 3 year old sister has had colds and one diarrhea virus and missed one day of preschool. We have not had strep, head lice, chicken pox, pink eye or the flu, but I'm dreading those types of illnesses coming home from kindergarten. Especially as I've heard they spread like wildfire through families.

3--Fundraising. Look, I know fundraising is a necessary evil, and I put in my time as a band member pestering the neighbors to buy subs or pizza or sponsor me for this or that. But ugh. Just UGH. I have mixed feelings about having kids sell overpriced crappo wrapping paper anyway, so hopefully the fundraisers will be something else.

4--One child at home with me. People keep mentioning how much extra time I'll have, but I still have a kid at home. She needs to be entertained. And she's also losing her main playmate and I'm sure she'll miss him. However, I AM looking forward to not listening to sibling bickering and fart jokes all day long.

5--Exposure to celebrities and pop culture--We don't have cable and I'm not a gossip mag fan, so the kids' exposure to all things Hollywood has been minimal. And since we have a cat that is part goat, I'm glad Silly Bandz have not made it into our house yet. But all that is coming. Goody.

School starts in just over 2 weeks. The uniforms are bought, the backpack filled with shiny new supplies (although I have not labeled them yet). He's ready. I'm not so sure I am though.

Tips?

Blowing In The Wind

In June, a horrendous heatwave overtook the East Coast and would not let up. The worst part about it was that our clothes dryer heats up the house terribly, causing the AC to run continuously. Our unit is on the old side and we're hoping to not replace it before we move. So our choices were either to run the AC to keep the house comfortable and risk overworking the unit, or not run it and fill the house with hot damp air and not be able to sleep, breathe or function. Both choices sucked.

Plus, energy is expensive.

Instead, I decided to try a third option, so the day after the 4th of July, I went to the store and bought a clothesline and a package of pins.

Previously, I had considered line drying clothes in the city to not be an option because of city dirt and birds. But when a friend who lives nearby said she does it, I thought I'd give it a try.

I hate doing laundry. There are other chores I hate even more (dishes, dusting, ironing), but laundry is at the top of the list, probably because it's just so never ending. Our laundry room is small, so to keep the dirty clothes from piling up, I find myself doing wash constantly. It gets old. Fast.

I started line drying our clothes simply to avoid a hot house and hopefully save a little money. I never expected to enjoy it! I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the being "green." Maybe it's a revolt against the endless tide of technology, maybe the comforting rhythm of hanging and clipping, or the challenge of reading the weather.

Quite possible, it's the imaginary middle finger raised to BGE and their ridiculous rates.

But line drying has taken a tedious and never ending chore and turned it into something that I sort of enjoy.

No one is more surprised than myself.

On the pro side, it definitely reduces energy costs. Not just in the energy it takes to run the dryer, but in our case, the energy it also takes to run the AC. The heat of the sun is free.

On the con side, it does take some planning ahead and a peek at weather conditions, and it does take more time to put the laundry up and take it down. I also don't leave my clothesline up all the time, so it takes a few minutes to put it up when I want to use it. I was fine with leaving laundry to hang all day if the weather was nice. On more than one occasion, when I had plans to leave, a little voice in my head said, "Take down the clothes before you leave." And I'm glad I listened because despite sunny skies at the time, it later downpoured.

In the beginning, I also found that my towels and denim were uncomfortably stiff. I experimented with hanging towels differently, having read that allowing the wind to billow towels into a "bag" helps soften them. I didn't see much difference.

Ultimately, I ended up using liquid fabric softener in the rinse cycle. And when the clothes were dry, I tossed them in the dryer on air fluff for a few minutes with an old rag with about a tablespoon or so of fabric softener poured directly on it. This seemed to fix the crunchy towel problem, and the air fluff also removed lint or any random gnats that made it into the house.

I've been pleased enough with my experiment to continue, and plan to keep hanging my clothes until winter.

Do you line dry your laundry? If so, do you have any tips to add?

Downy Oshun 2010

Milly The Pinkest Kitten Review and Giveaway

My three year old daughter is all about the color pink. And cats. Especially pink cats. So I was pretty sure she would love the newest stuffed animal line from Aurora, Milly the Pinkest Kitten.

We received two samples from the kind folks at Aurora, the company that makes Milly. The Milly Wanna Be Fairy is dressed much like my daughter dresses, in a pink and green fairy dress with wings and a rose headband. The other Milly comes in a carrier that looks like a chocolate cupcake.

At around 8 inches each, the cats are small enough to be carried, put into my daughter's many sparkly bags, or cuddled while riding in a car. As a cat lover myself, I like the pink stripes she has, and the pink color is muted enough to not offend my eyes. The Cupcake Carrier is supposed to be scented, but it's very faint.

My daughter is pleased with her two additions to her stuffed cat collections. Thanks to Aurora for this opportunity.

THE GIVEAWAY
One lucky reader will win a random selection from the Milly line, most likely the Milly Wanna Be Fairy or the Cupcake Carrier. To enter, leave me a comment below telling me what you think of Milly the Pinkest Kitten. This contest will be open for one week, ending on Sunday, August 15, 2010. I will choose and notify a winner on Monday. Sorry, but this contest is only open to US residents. I MUST have a valid email address to contact you, so please either adjust your Google profile so that information is visible to me, or leave the address in your comment. If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I will choose a new winner. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was provided the two Milly stuffed animals at no charge. I am not being paid for a positive review and all opinions are my own.

edited to add: Congrats to GinaChick, she wins a selection from the Milly the Pinkest Kitten line. Enjoy!

Pool Time

It only took all summer to get this photo.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Win a 100$ gift certifcate to Threadless.com!!

Threadless Kids Gift Certificate Giveaway

Dressing kids is fun. When they are babies, it's fun to put them in itty bitty sleepers and ironic onesies, and as they get bigger, it's fun to find clothes that match their personalities.

Threadless is an online t-shirt company that gets designs from a worldwide community of designers and artists. There are also two retail locations in Chicago. Today, Threadless is launching it's first kids exclusive line of tees, hoodies, onesies and hoodsies. In addition to 12 classic designs, the collection will feature 12 brand new designs only available in the kids line.

It's hard to choose a favorite, but I like this yellow birdie tee for Maureen.


And Johnny would get a giggle out of this funny tee.


THE GIVEAWAY
I have a 100 dollar gift certificate to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, visit the Threadless website, peruse the new kids designs and tell me which you like best. I MUST have a valid email address to contact you, otherwise your comment will not be considered. You can either enable your contact information in your Google account or leave your email address in your comment. This contest will be open for two weeks, closing on Sunday, August 15, 2010. I will choose a winner and notify you by email on Monday. You have 24 hours to get back to me, otherwise I will need to choose a new winner. Good luck!

edited to add: Congrats to Kuckie, who wins the $100 gift certificate to Threadless.com. Happy Shopping!

Keeping Your Breast Milk Healthy

Breastfeeding is widely touted as the healthiest way to feed your baby. Each mother's milk is tailored to her baby's specific needs. Breast milk is highly digestible and full of maternal antibodies. Breast milk from the source is always warm, never spoils and has never been recalled due to contamination.

However, several recent stories in the news have raised concerns about a mother's influence on the safety of her milk. After a mother was arrested and charged with neglect for breastfeeding her baby while intoxicated, many wondered how much alcohol, if any, is safe while breastfeeding. Then the issue of environmental toxins in breast milk was brought up after numerous articles about detectable amounts of DDT, PCB's and other chemicals in breast milk.

Personally, the articles about chemicals in breast milk wouldn't have kept me from breastfeeding. But they do alarm me because they highlight the vast presence of chemicals in our everyday lives, chemicals that we may not be aware of or identify as dangerous. If a nursing mother is passing toxins into her breast milk, how was she exposed? Was she aware of her exposure? And what can nursing moms do to reduce or eliminate exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals?

In Your Home

• cleaning agents--If you haven't already made the switch to environmentally friendly household cleaners, now is a good time to think about it. White vinegar, baking soda and essential oils will clean just about anything, or if you're not up to making your own cleaners, most large retailers carry safer alternatives. You should also wear gloves when cleaning to block absorption through your skin, and be sure to open windows for air circulation.


• insecticide and rodenticide--Practically everyone I know battles at some point or another with ants, flies or the occasional mouse. While spraying with insecticide might work in the short term, in the long term, do you want those chemicals in your house? Experiment with natural methods of ant and fly control instead. With regard to mouse and rat poisons, as a vet tech who has seen way too many accidentally poisoned animals, I'm not a fan of rodenticide. Consider using traps in the house instead of poisons, and plug up any holes in your house to keep the rodents outside.


• plastics--the dangers of bisphenol-A, a chemical found in certain plastics, ate well documented. Most people now know to not heat styrofoam or other plastic containers and to use safe plastics for storage. Some countries have banned BPA altogether, and bans on BPA in children's products are popping up across the US. However, the chemical is still present in the lining of canned beans and vegetables, and you still need to do your homework when it comes to kid and baby products.


• on the stove--Teflon, the coating on cookware that keeps food from sticking to it, releases toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures. Stainless steel, cast iron, enamel and aluminum cookware are all safer options. Cooking with these alternatives can have a learning curve. If you find yourself burning your food, turn the temperature down and try again.

Personally, one of the most used products in my house is simple tea tree oil, which I purchased at my local Whole Foods. When diluted with water, it works fantastically to kill mold, deodorize stinky trashcans and deter ants. I've also dabbed it full strength on blemishes and used it to kill white mold on my marigolds.

In Your Office

• air quality--Beware of air fresheners in the workplace. Remove it if you can, and use baking soda to absorb odors instead. And put a plant on your desk to improve air quality.


• BPA free bottles for pumped milk--if you're pumping milk, be sure your storage bottles are BPA free.

In The Kitchen

• grow your own food--plant your own veggies, fruits and herbs when possible, then don't put any chemicals on them. Depending on your climate, you could even try for a winter garden! Freeze or can any excess food so you can enjoy homegrown food all year long.


• organic produce--If you can't grow your own produce organically, try to purchase as much pesticide free produce as possible. If buying all organic isn't in the budget, check out the 2010 Dirty Dozen list for the most contaminated fruits and veggies and either buy those organic or avoid them altogether.


• eat whole foods-avoid or limit processed package foods that are usually too high in salt, calories or fat, and loaded with unhealthy and potentially dangerous chemicals like MSG and HFCS.

In Your Garden

• natural gardening techniques--hand weeding is not only pesticide free, but great exercise! Try not to shake weeds as you pull them to keep seeds from scattering, and put them into the trash, not your compost pile. Mulch heavily to keep weeds down and to reduce dryness. Talk to a garden specialist about organic pre-emergents for lawns or other large areas where handweeding isn't possible. Boiling water will kill weeds (and ants), as will white vinegar mixed with a squirt of biodegradable dish liquid. However, this mix also kills plants and grass, so spray with care. When it comes to pests on your veggies or soil-borne disease, there are lots of options (including beneficial predatory insects) for treating them without using chemicals. Talk to a specialist or do some research online before reaching for the poison.

Other Resources:
The Environmental Working Group's website is loaded with information, including the Skin Deep cosmetic database and the 2010 best and worst sunscreen safety guide.
Organic Gardening Magazine's website can help you identify pests and plant diseases, then help you fight it without chemicals.

**Crossposted at API Speaks