Do late afternoon lulls have you and your kids climbing the walls?  The witching hour usually starts at 3:00 and goes until dinner is ready - right?  The best way to avoid a melt down is to head outside or throw on an awesome, danceable, CD and rock out with the kids.  I normally enjoy picking out single MP3s, but these two CDs are worth getting because all the songs are awesome!

Our all time favorite is the Happy Feet Soundtrack. This CD is loaded with awesome music!  We have been listening to this CD for over a year…it never gets old. At 1 years old the girls would do their ‘happy feet’ pretending to tap dance.  It so easy for parents to enjoy the songs because it features great artists like Prince and Pink.  The songs are classics, but kids find them catchy to dance and sing to.  A few highlights from this CD are:

♥  My Way - Robin Williams (this is the BEST song Francesco and I have ever      danced to!! It makes you want to move your hips!!)
♥  Tell Me Something Good - Pink
♥  Boogie Wonderland - Brittany Murphy
♥  Heartbreak Hotel - Nicole Kidman

 

I could go on and on listing favorite songs…check it out.  You won’t regret purchasing this CD!

The other soundtrack is from the movie Barnyard.  OMG there is nothing more funny then watching my twin 2 year old girls rock out to Shaggy. I had no idea they were fans until we bought the DVD and discovered this untapped source for great music. You know, sometimes Paramount Pictures or Warner just knock a soundtrack out of the park. Well, this is one of those movie sountracks. Our favorites from this CD are:

♥  Hittin The Hay - North Mississippi Allstars
♥  Wild and Free - Rednex
♥  Boombastic - Shaggy
♥  Father, Son - Peter Gabriel (warning it’s a tear jerker)

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I’ve waited almost 1 month to post the reactions from parents and their children to the eco party we hosted to celebrate Francesco’s 6th birthday.  Nobody, and there were 20 kids with parents, had a single negative thing to say.  I wasn’t worried about the reduction of party supplies concerning my guests and I was pretty sure they would like the give-aways…it was feedback about Francesco not getting any presents.  I even had visions of children telling me I wasn’t a nice mommy for taking this away from him, but everybody, including the children loved it!  Most parents had never attended a party where the birthday child’s parent requests that a small donation is brought for the birthday child in lieu of a gift.  The total amount of dollars from the party is split in 1/2, the birthday child can purchase a special gift with their portion and a social cause is the recipient of the other 1/2.  Parents just LOVED this idea!  And the children all thought Francesco was the coolest for helping save the tigers.  Comments from parents included “Love the idea of reducing plastic from the large amount of toys everyone receives at children’s parties” and “My older children heard about Francesco saving the tigers and would like to help the planet at their birthday party too!” .

The best comment from a parent regarding the give-away (planter that was wrapped with a brown recyclable bag, with dirt and seeds) was “This is bar none, by far, no doubt about it.. the VERY BEST giveaway we have ever seen. And I love the fact that there is nothing commercial about it!! And it’s so… well, uh…. GREEN!!!! The planter alone serves as a constant reminder that we need to “get back to the basics” with the kids…  LOVE IT!!!”

As mentioned before, Francesco decided to donate 1/2 of his birthday money raised at the party to help the tigers.  We donated his money via the online donation through the Wildlife Conservation Society’s website.  If your child is a fan of wild animals, their website has some great information, very child friendly, and interesting.  Their commitment to involving children with the conservation of wild animals is clear.  One feature of their site has an awesome game for kids to play and learn (no donation is required) how their actions affect wild life and the planet.  The page is called The Human Footprint and there are three steps to complete.  First you choose to ‘Learn’ and you select one of the 31 animals featured.  It gives you information about where that endangered animal lives, the problem the animal faces, what the WCS is doing to help, and how your child can help in the long term or within 24 hours.  Pretty neat that my child can feel immediately empowered that they are helping their favorite animal!  The 2nd step to this exercise is to ‘Act’ , so you select the ‘I want to help GO’ arrow where your child can read about global challenges and options they can commit to in order to help their animal.  They can then select the ‘I want to do it’ box and realize that a very easy act can help make a difference for animals and the planet.

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What a wonderful reason to spend time with your children…Mother’s Day.  Some might call it a commercially created holiday for consumers, but mothers will not agree. We see the little things our families do to make this day special for us.  Francesco has been scrambling to cover his handmade card at the craft table the last few days.  I can’t wait to see what he’s created.  That is what the day is about for me.  Being so proud of the fact I’m a mom and even more proud of my children.  And if it creates moments that I can remember forever, then I’m SO grateful that this holiday exists.

This year, I’ve already received my gift.  I have the memory of my Mother’s Day tea at Angelo’s preschool, not just the incredible time in the classroom, but of all the adorable comments and actions surrounding it.  If there wasn’t a Mother’s Day, I wouldn’t have the memory of Angelo asking me if I’d wear my cloppy shoes (heels), a pretty dress, and fix my hair nicely.  Francesco chimming in to request makeup even though he wasn’t attending the event. <smile>  Then watching Angelo’s beautiful little face proudly hold my hand the entire tea and sing all the songs in ernest because he was so happy to have me by himself.  After, we would take a magical forest walk and freak out with excitement when we saw two wookpeckers or when we discovered tracks in the mud and decided they were deer tracks (thinking a bear was way to scary), then coming out of the forest and walking by a property with horses where we would sit and talk for an hour. Those 3 hours I got alone with one of my children was the best present I could ever receive and I thank my amazing husband for realizing by taking the day off work to handle the other kids, he has already given me a gift that I’ll always cherish.  Typing this memory makes my eyes brim with tears - I hope I’ve given the day justice with it’s description. 

Many years ago when I was expecting Francesco, I wrote something to frame in his room.  I’m not a great writer, but maybe it describes the feeling you have for your children.  Happy Mother’s Day.

From the first time I could imagine how you would look, I wanted you more than anything.
From the first time I saw a Mother calm her baby I knew this was my purpose.

Cry and I will soothe you.  Fall and I will kiss you.
Always know that two people tried harder than anything to have you.

Come to me quickly because I need you to complete my life.
I already know I want brothers and sisters for you.

Come to me quickly so I can kiss your cheeks and rock you to sleep.
All the while your father will sing.

Come to us and always know you are a miracle.

I received a question via ‘Ask Suzanne’ from a parent concerned about BPA being placed in their children’s cavity fillings.  Thanks for this question!

With the debates regarding BPA usually targeting baby bottles or canned food items, the topic of BPA in our dental work may have flown under your radar. (I mean really, how much BPA information is one parent able to retain?)   I’ve heard grumblings on other blogs about this issue, but the information on BPA leaching from household plasticsfar outways this topic.  Studies have found detectable levels of BPA in the saliva of patients after they received sealants or fillings.  Maybe not a big deal for adults who have a larger mass to absorb chemicals, but what about a toddler or child that requires dental work?  The thought of BPA leaching even a miniscule amount into my kid’s mouth is a horrible thought.

Most pediatric dentists have said the affect of this is minuscule - no affect.   See more on these opinions via this news clip from CTV news.  But the words of Aaron Freemen, policy director of Environmental Defence, from the same interview, put me on edge. 

“Regardless of how low the exposure level may be, BPA is a toxic substance that shouldn’t be used in any consumer products.  This is not the sort of chemical that we should be putting in people’s mouths, particularly children’s mouths.”

BPA is, after all, the chemical that Canada declared dangerous. Would you want something toxic put in your mouth?  Of course not.

So as parents, what can we do?  If your child (or yourself) is getting a cavity filled, ask your dentist if the sealant or filling contains BPA.  Remember, we’ve just stopped using mercury-based amalgam fillings after years of controversy.  Hopefully your dentist can put you at ease.  If your dentist is using BPA what are the alternatives?  Alastair Nicoll, president of the British Columbia Dental Association says, “derivatives of BPA are still the most common ingredient in sealants and fillings because alternatives such as porcelain don’t work as well and aren’t as practical.”

Health Canada is compiling a list of all materials that contain BPA, but as a mother of 4, I don’t know if I’m more scared or curious to see the next place this chemical is lurking.

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Wow - if the experiences I have on Etsy continue, I can kiss my mall and Ebay shopping goodbye.  I keep having these amazing on-line conversations with Etsy artists and their customer service is off the charts.  These unique, funky, adventures just keep happening when I poke around the Etsy site.  

I wanted to purchase some unique clothes for my kids so I went straight to the Etsy site.  I’m lucky that my friends pass along their girls hand-me-downs, but I wanted to do some research (really Ray, it’s not called shopping…it’s called research!)  Well I found some amazing moms that run Etsy stores and I have to share my findings. 

The first is a self taught seamstress and her store is called Sweet November.  I don’t think my girls have ever worn skirts before (dresses of course, but I haven’t gotten the hang of skirts yet).  Well I saw her skirts ** in the owl print none the less!! ** and I had to place my order!  I was worried about the fit, but OMG….they look adorable and the fit is perfect!  The girls LOVE them and have been wearing them over their pants since they arrived.

I also fell in love with monster t-shirts by sister in laws Nissa and Lisa.  Their store is called Nissalisa and their clothing has such personality.  Check out these monster tees and onsies…what an incredible present one would make for a little kid or baby!  My 6 year old saw me checking out their store and asked if I would buy him one.  He has absolutely no interest in fashion or clothes, but one of the monsters look like an alien and he has to have it!  So now I’ll be ordering 4 for my monsters (whoops did I say that out loud?!) I mean my children.  Think of the cute pictures I’ll get with all four in these shirts.

So while I’m excited to visit my first farmers market this Sunday and start supporting the purchase of local produce, I think it’s also important to take another look at supporting all local and/or handmade items.  Honestly, why would I get in my car, drive to the Gap, drag my hysterical 2 year olds around the mall, leave frustrated, when I can support a stay-home mom who is creating these unique items to purchase on-line?  I challenge you to have an Etsy experience!  You can tell the vendors love what they do and really go the extra mile to help you and answer questions.  Also, the shipping cost for my Etsy purchase was $1.50…people are so honest with prices.  I am proud of this purchase because I’d rather help a fellow mom with my business, rather than supporting the huge stores that won’t miss me. 

If you have a special story about an artist or small business like my Etsy experience, please let me know.  I am finding so much inspiration from these creative people.