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   Seth Godin posted this amazing little post, “Ads are the new online tip jar“. In it he talks about how clicking on an ad is like tipping the person who wrote the content that you’re reading. I’ve tried to be very conscious of tipping the websites that I’ve visited over the years but the question is, have you?

   You know many times we get so caught up in our own struggle to succeed in our own ventures that we forget about the people who are in the same boat as us. Think of all of the moms (and dads) out there, who are really hoping to be able to make an income by blogging or providing some seriously useful content because they want to stay at home with their kids. Then there are millions of visitors who hit these sites everyday taking every ounce they can get in the way of information, resources, tips, etc.. and they never even bother to click on a single ad or leave even the tiniest little comment.

   The point is, let’s all try to do some conscious surfing today. Support the smaller blogs and sites that you visit. Leave a comment. Click on an ad. It’s a super easy way to say, “thank you for spending hours thinking, researching, writing, and editing that. It really enhanced my life today.” Pay it forward mamas. To give is to recieve.

P.S.  I don’t currently have a single paid ad running on this site. His post just really struck me. Your comments, however, are always sincerely welcomed and appreciated. Blog on!

   After reading this news article over at MSNBC, I was a little saddened.

Vaccine failure deepens Alzheimer’s mystery

Experimental shot stopped plaque, but not dementia, researchers say

 I don’t suppose there is any hope of relief for the thousands of caregiving moms and families out there anytime soon.

   You know, many of us are in what is being called the “sandwich generation”, where we are struggling to care for our small children and forced to help or care for our aging parents as well. Add to that the craziness of owning, operating, and running your own business and you could really have the makings of a mess or at least a really good way to lose your mind.

   It’s pretty amazing that we are able to do all of that and in many cases without any help or support. So tonight as I write this, I tip my hat to all of you ladies out there who need and deserve a break. I know that many of you continue on day after day caring for many loved ones in your life, including your children, husbands, parents, and in-laws. Perhaps in there somewhere you even manage to check-in on an aging neighbor or friend.

   Don’t forget, during a quiet in the storm, to savor a silent moment or two and to pat yourself on the back heavily for the underpaid, underappreciated job that you do. Isn’t it amazing how we are expected to do all that we do, and never have a bad day?

   Take a good, long, hot bath girl. As a matter of fact, go and get a good massage too (especially if you’ve never had one). You totally deserve it.

   Ok folks, I don’t think I’ll be installing solar panels anytime soon. They are just too expensive. So here’s a great list of real things you can do that will actually make an impact on the trail your family leaves behind on the planet and save some green to boot.

   Let’s think in terms of what a family uses alot of.

1. Grocery bags – Get reusable ones. Let the kids carry them into the store.

2. CFL bulbs – I don’t know about you but someone small is always leaving a light on at my house. Big culprits? Closets, bathrooms, garage, laundry room.

3. Buy biodegradable trash bags – Hopefully at least the bag will degrade so that what I put in it can break down too.

4. Recycle – Free, easy, and definitely makes an impact.

5. Laundry detergent- I do way more laundry now that I have two little ones. Get yourself something eco friendly. Your local water supply will thank you.

6. Dishwasher gel / powder – Ditto from number 5.

7. Compost- I cook more often and in particular, I fix alot more fresh stuff. Stop putting the peelings in the trash. Get a small bucket to collect your food scraps in. Let one of your kids haul it outside and put it in the compost  pile.

8. Commit to a “no-waste” lunchbox. 5 lunches per week X (Number of children living at your house) X (Number of weeks per year your children are off to daycare/preschool/school X (Number of bags used per lunch, usually 1 or 2) = OUCH! This one really adds up. Put the chips in a resealable plastic container. Get a reusable drink container for juice / water, etc..

9. Stop buying “snack packs” to pack for lunches or to give kids after school.Who are we kidding? It’s alot of waste for 30 seconds of convenience. Buy a bigger size and scale it down yourself in a reusable container. You’ll save alot of money here too.

10. Low-flow Toilets- With potty training and more people in general using our potty now, we flush way more than before. Especially when you consider that a potty training child (or even one way younger than that) is totally mesmerized by the swirl created by a toilet flush! Replace old toilets with low-flow toilets that use less gallons of water per flush.

11. Low-flow shower heads – If you have teenagers, get low flow shower heads too!

12. Low-flow faucet aerators – This is the little screen on your faucet. It adds air into the water by blocking some of the open space where water comes out. Great for families where they just won’t turn off the water while brushing teeth / shaving / washing hands.

13. Give your cast-offs to charity or Goodwill. – Consumerism is alive and well in America. Most American families probably have more than entire villages of people in developing countries. And let’s not forget how quickly kids grow out of their clothes and toys! Don’t throw the leftovers in the trash. Find a home for it. Many charities will even pick-up your items at your house, if you call them.

14. Recycle the odd-ball stuff.Yes, the main contribution here is time. Recycle your old cell phones, computers, leftover paint, old computers, printer cartridges, helium tanks from birthday parties, cordless phone batteries, CFL bulbs (they have some mercury in them), etc., etc., etc.. Even Crocs (yes, the shoes) can be recycled now.

15. Choose your plates carefully. Use real plates at home whenever possible. A plain paper towel works great to hold a sandwich instead of a paper plate. A paper plate is more biodegradable than a plastic one. A real cup or paper one is more biodegradable than a plastic one.

16. Get a filtering water pitcher for the fridge instead of buying plastic water bottles. You could also use a water delivery service, if you just have to have bottled water taste.

17. Use your local farmer’s market more often.Here in Charlotte, NC we have several farmer’s markets that are open during the week, not just on the weekends. Find out what markets there are in your town where you can buy local. This saves the gas from growing point to final destination, which can easily be from Chile or Brazil or even Thailand! Let’s face it – kids eat alot and often, so that’s a lot of gas saved in a year.

What do you use alot of at your house? Leave a comment to this blog post and let me know.

   Ok, I’ve had it. I started teaching my son things as soon as I noticed that he was holding his head up. It was at that moment that I realized that in fact he was not just a little blob that ate, peed and pooped and that in fact there was light at the end of the tunnel. As I started looking for lists of the kinds of things that he should be learning (Google ‘development checklist’ plus the age of your child and you’ll see what I mean) I can distinctly remember thinking, “uh oh, this is gonna be a lot of work!”

   So now, here I am, and my son is no almost 6 years old. We’ve been through a mountain of developmental checklists and surpassed most all of them before he was supposed to. He is about to finish up Kindergarten and quite frankly, I am unimpressed. As someone who has been, for all intents and purposes, hobby homeschooling my kid to keep me from loosing my mind over the past six years, Kindergarten has been pretty ungratifying. No, he can’t compute calculus yet. He didn’t start reading every book in the house on his own and he didn’t get signed a major league contract for his sports abilities. So now what?

   Well, I’ve noticed that there is quite alot that they don’t teach kids these days in school. He seems a little bored with just all the basics. So, I’ve decided to come up with my own Summer camp curriculum to fill in some gaps that I’ve been noticing. It’s going to be a huge Summer filled with learning creativity and thinking skills.

1. Manners & Teamwork - They teach bits of it but we are going to refine what he knows. It’s not really that funny anymore to hear him fart (although he stills thinks it’s a riot!).  This will include lessons in eating out. We already practice this one from time to time by going to the local cafeteria and having a sit down dinner together – just me and my two kids. Now, we’re going to add in the dressing up part too.

   I’ll also be teaching both of my children more about teamwork and being courteous to each other. Something that undoubtedly will become more and more important as they grow older. (I’m already nervous from the sibling horror stories that I hear from other parents.)

2. Sports lead-up skills and P.E.- Did you know that for your child to play sports and be pretty good at it that there are actually skills they must learn that lead up to that? I didn’t. Not really. I figured that they would get most of what they need from p.e. and their coaches. Not so. In case you haven’t noticed lately, p.e. programs are being cut around the country. We’ll definitely be working on a home program of p.e. and sports skills over the summer. I did find some books that should be pretty helpful. Catching, throwing, hitting a ball, swimming, learning to ride a bike without training wheels. Perhaps some roller skating and basic skateboarding can be thrown in for good measure. A little yoga and basic gymnastics would be fun too.

See: Physical Educator’s Big Book of Sports Lead-up Games (K-8); Ultimate Playground & Recess Game Book; 

3. Science – General studies and in-depth studies of:

Butterflies - I’d love to plant a butterfly garden around the yard again this year. I live in Charlotte, N.C. so we have some pretty great plant choices. Perhaps we’ll do different types of birdfeeders to attract different kinds of birds as well. My kids both adore butterflies and have a healthy dose of fear for bees. So a study of both should prove to be fun. Questions that I can think of at the moment include: what types of butterflies are common in our area? What are their favorite types of plants to get nectar from? What else can we do to entice them to hang around our yard?  (Lately, we’ve been seeing the Eastern Tent Caterpillar in droves.)

Honeybees – Why are they important? What do they do? What do you do if you get stung? What are their favorite plants? How can we help (or at least not hurt) the bees by the types of chemicals we use on our yard?

General physics including building some ramps and perhaps building a small car. My son loves movement, mechanical things, and building his own ‘inventions’. I’m currently trying to come up with more ways for him to creatively build his inventions.

Environmental studies including: recyling and the various ways to do it (including composting); various ways to get power including solar; and ways to save power.

See: Helping Peter The Butterfly;   Honey! I Blew Up The Bee!;  Green Thumbs: Kid’s Activity Guide To Indoor & Outdoor Gardening

4.  Art -

 Messy art – I love to do some ooey-gooey art projects this Summer. Messy art is great for the warmer weather. I’ve already got lots of ideas lined up! Paper machie, splatter art. homemade playdo that can be baked, etc… (We use washable markers and washable paint unless we move the painting to the grassy areas unstead of the driveway.)

3-d art and shadowboxes; basic drawing/art lessons (we are working on drawing art from a model now); torn paper collages to create a larger picture; unusual / not often taught art practices; basic woodworking

See: Disney Arts & Crafts Ideas; Paper Toys That You Can Make Yourself;  The Toymaker; Kidscanmakeit.com; Secrets to Generating Art Ideas (and inventive skills); About the drawings of 5 year olds and how to guide them (which is a part of the larger article

5. Various culture stories from around the world and across time.Think fairy tales from Ireland, Japanese children’s stories, Laura Ingalls, etc.. Yep, it’s time to get a globe.

6.   Cooking lessons shall continue.My kids love to eat. (Who’s doesn’t?) So, we get in the kitchen and cook things together from time to time. I’ll be progressing him along in the kitchen skills department. Ideas include: learning how to use a measuring cup to match the recipe, basic knife skills for cutting easy things, using the box grater (carefully!), making things from scratch that we usually buy in box mixes (cakes, cookies, etc..), trying some new fruit or vegetable that is unfamiliar to us, making some new recipes that look quite impressive (kabobs, rolls, tapas, crepe suzettes, cherries jubilee, etc.), playing around with food garnishing techniques, finding new recipes for things we love but that we always seem to fix in the same way (rhubarb, okra, yellow squash, etc..), perhaps we’ll even play around with bento boxes. I’d love to take the kids to a Japanese restaurant for a table side show! We also have an Italian restaurant here where you can reserve a table in the kitchen and watch everything be prepared.

(Google ‘food presentation’, ‘edible art’,) See also: Stack Your Salad (and other plating tips);     Garnishing & Food Presentation (including directions for cucumber boats, watermelon basket, green pepper palm tree, etc.); Edible Art article at FamilyFun.com (9 page article includes marzipan pottery)

Books include: Kids Cookies;    Garnishing: A Feast For Your Eyes;    Cooking Art: Easy Edible Art For Young Children;    Designer Desserts;    The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-To-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look!;    Edible art : tricks & tools for master centerpieces from carved vegetables;  

7. Math Practice – The ‘Summer slide’ as it is called, must be horrible at this age. So I plan on doing some fun little math activities. Adding coins to go to the bank; having him count out change to buy penny candy at the store; fast math (quick: what’s 2 + 5?); telling time from a new watch (not digital!); helping me read the prices at the grocery store and in the grocery store circular; etc..

See: Blank clock templates; K Math Enrichment Problems; 1st grade math enrichment problems; Make your own math manipulatives (including geoboard)

8. Writing / reading/ sight word practice – We’ll be writing letters to Grandma and Grandpa (who live across town) and perhaps to a family friend that lives about 20 miles away. Writing grocery lists. He’ll be making his own real book this Summer, too. We’re going to work on learning how to make a plan and then carry that plan out. (This is going to be helpful in many areas.) Perhaps we’ll try to find a non-violent comic book or two.

9. Field trips – You can’t have Summer without field trips! The pool, the local city parks and playgrounds, local museums (science, art, nature, etc.), perhaps a fishing trip or two.

10. A Summer scrapbook to remember it all in. – Documenting the big things and the fun day-to-day things too. He’ll be getting a little digital camera for his birthday. So we’ll be learning some basic photography along the way. Perhaps we’ll play with the color wheel to design a few of the pages here and there.

   I’m really huge on creativity and thinking outside the box. Music (playing anything and hearing it), sports, art (making it and looking at art of kids their age as well as 1 or 2 years ahead of them and looking at what you would make for the same project), science, nature, recycling, story writing, and reading are all wonderful ways to teach this.

   To quote the article entitled, Creativity Killers:

“In the tradition of the apprentice system, many assume that the apprentice learns by copying the techniques and looking at the master’s finished products. Some of this happens. However, what may not be nearly as obvious, is that particularly creative apprentices are also apprenticing the master’s idea generation process. The creative apprentice copies the master’s thinking methods, idea building sequences, questioning processes, warm-up routines, practice routines, habits of work, and so on. “

   This is exactly what your children are doing. They are watching you… copying you. What are you teaching them? What are your best ways to solve problems? How do you decode words that you don’t know? How did you best learn higher level math concepts? How did you improve in art or music? Break it all down to the tiniest little bit of the light at the beginning of that tunnel and you shall find exactly what you should be teaching your kindergartener / first grader. 

Additional Links Of Interest:

Child Development Stages;   Teaching Creativity (this is an excellent article!); Well Trained Mind: A Guide To Classical Education At Home (new edition due out in 2009);

Developmental theory –> Intellectual Giftedness;   Positive Disintegration (Dabrowski)