We are currently (FINALLY!!! Don’t ask — long story) going through the joys of potty training with Reilly. We also just got a puppy. So I recently realized I absolutely cannot live without this product — BAC-OUT Stain and Odor Eliminator from BioKleen.
If you’ve got pee happening where it’s not supposed to, and you’ve got carpets, this is the stuff for you. (more…)
If you are hitting the stores early for holiday shopping this year, here’s one not to miss: Childtrek Natural Toys, which opened in Freighthouse Square last summer.
They specialize in “unique, natural and eco-friendly toys for babies and toddlers … made of natural, biodegradable, recyclable, and/or recycled materials.” They have all the great brands — lots of beautiful wooden toys from Haba and Plan toys, as well as a fun new discovery for us … Automoblox cars, which are beautiful little high-performance race cars with interchangeable parts. (All the neighbor kids are getting these from us for birthdays! My husband even got one for his 40th.) They also have my absolute favorite, Barefoot Books! (I love these so much I sell them … see ad at right). (more…)
I found a neat blog recently: Tacoma Green Families. It’s run by Melissa, who runs Kindermusik classes at the Minuet Studio, and it’s worth checking out.
I signed up for the mailing list and just got an e-vite to an event they are hosting at Jefferson Park next week to make your own home cleaner. Bring a bottle for some home cleaner and bring any other natural home cleaning ideas and recipes you have to share. It’s Thursday, June 26 4:30 at Jefferson Park, 3920 N 9th, Tacoma WA 98406.
The organizers suggested bringing suits for the kids to play at the Sprayground, and bringing a picnic dinner and having working parents join later. We are planning to attend and look forward to meeting other members of this group!
This sounds like it’s going to be neat! Here’s their blurb:
Tacoma-Pierce County’s Livable Communities Fair
Saturday May 17, 2008
9:00am - 4:00pm
Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall
It’s Free, Fun and Informative
The fair is a county-wide effort aimed at raising awareness about projects and programs that make communities more livable.
Like a garden or home show, the fair provides interactive displays on a wide range of topics including energy conservation, carpooling, recycling, neighborhood emergency preparedness, affordable housing, water quality, public safety, clean environment, agriculture, recreation, health, education, community involvement, children’s activities, and much more.
For more information: www.livablepiercecounty.org or 253-798-7477
Here’s the schedule of events, and check out the long list of exhibitors. See you there!
It’s Spring, my favorite time of year, and I am getting ready to roll up my sleeves and dive into the dirt. This year I plan to really get Reilly involved by growing a back yard vegetable garden. (more…)
The Tacoma Nature Center (itself a nice find - check out the events and classes for kids - we missed a really cool sounding earth day event that we’ll have to hit next year and it looks like they run some neat nature summer camps for older kids) is hosting the Spring Native Plant Sale this Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Follow this link for location and other info.
The great thing about Native plants is that since they evolved here, they grow well in the local climate and require less water and often, less tender loving care than other plants. Yes, those two lovely words: LOW MAINTENANCE. GREAT for busy parents whose gardens, like everything else, have taken a back seat since the munchkin(s) arrived.
My mother runs a Native plant nursery in California, so you could say I’m biased, but there’s a wealth of information showing the benefits of using natives in your garden. A few good sites I found in a quick search: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Plant Native, Washington Native Plant Society, and the organization my mother is affiliated with (which is, of course, for California natives, not Washington, but she IS my mom and it’s a nice site) East Bay Chapter CNPS.
Whatever you plant though, gardening is a wonderful activity for children. It builds a personal link to nature, respect for the earth, teaches the fruits of one’s labor, creates an understanding of where our food comes from, illustrates the cycle of life in your own backyard, etc., etc. The best part though, is getting dirty together! No greater bonding experience, as far as I’m concerned! There’s a lot on the web about gardening with children. Here are a few: Kids Gardening News, Kids Gardening, Benefits of Gardening with Children.
Reilly is already committed to saving worms from certain death on the sidewalk (though certainly soon he will be chopping them up with a shovel), and loves to help water, and to pick dandelions and help weed. This has been a great opportunity to positively reinforce his “helping” skills without worrying about cleaning up after the fact. A little extra water or dirt is much easier to deal with than the mess on the counter after he helps stir things!
But before you get your children digging, you may want to check out the lead and arsenic levels in your soil. Some Pierce County communities have soil contamination due to the chemicals blown from the ASARCO copper smelter that used to be down on Ruston Way. According to the literature from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, North Tacoma, West End Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, western Lakewood and Steilacoom are the places most affected. Oddly, some of us closer to the old smelter location have less contamination due to the wind paths.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Dirt-Alert website has some “healthy actions” and tools for minimizing risk, and offers free soil sampling if this is a concern for you. There’s a link on the website to request a test. We had it done and it was easy and very helpful. We live on the edge of the historic district near Steele St., and do not have levels of lead or arsenic that pose an immediate health risk, but they are higher than the Washington Department of Ecology standards and may pose a “long-term health concern.” I got way more adamant about hand washing, leaving shoes at the door and vacuuming than I was before the test, but at least am not afraid to let Reilly get out in the dirt. I’ve layered in good soil in all the areas we plant, and try to stick to digging and playing in those areas.
The bottom line here is happy planting, everyone! Get out there and get dirty!
P.S. If anyone has any good gardening sites, local native plant nurseries, or garden projects with children, please let us know. We are planning to do a veggie garden with Reilly for the first time this summer and would love to hear what has worked for you or any plants that your children have particularly enjoyed growing.
Lest you really begin to think we are Microsoft millionaires, (based on my last few blogs), lets come back to reality and talk about where we really shop instead of where I like to dream about shopping. Here are two great “gently used” kids consignment stores that other mommy friends and I swear by:
Once Upon a Child, www.ouac.com, located at 3815 S. Steele St., Tacoma WA 98409 (beside the Pho restaurant and Dollar Store, directly behind REI).
This store just opened recently - I think it used to be on Hosmer St. but closed there because of the construction of the new Lowe’s going in. (I checked, yes-same store, new owners).
It is large and has a really great selection of clothing. These stores are great for getting a little cash or store credit in return for passing on those large plastic items we all love and those baby items we can’t live without for all of 3 to 6 months, but then have absolutely no use for or room to store. I love to buy books and especially movies at these stores, and staple clothing items like jeans. It looked like they had a really nice selection of cribs too. We got a Monster Inc video today for $2.50. Woo hoo!
Also check out Kids Kaboodle (aka Other Mothers for those who have been around a while) located at 6409 6th Ave, Tacoma WA 98406 behind the El Jimador Mexican restaurant. (253) 566-8344, kidzkaboodle@comcast.net. I found some great clothes here when Reilly was smaller but last time I went in did not find a lot of 2T and larger items. I bought a small port-a-crib here that really helped us travel a little lighter and I have friends that always seem to find beautiful things here.
Like any consignment stores, these are businesses, so be prepared not to get as much as you’d like for the items you sell, but I always figure it would only go to Goodwill (or god forbid, the trash!) otherwise, so it’s a win-win, all the way around.
With our annual Easter Egg Hunt coming up we’ve already bought all of our colors, but maybe next year we can take advantage of those beets that only Ruth seems to be looking forward to cooking.
With the weekend forecast, we’re actually looking forward to a sunny hunt for the first time in 3 years! We’ve also cut way back on the number of invites; believe me, there’s only one thing that many kids, that early in the day can lead to…
Wish us luck!
Mike found a great article in The Green Guide: Green Room to Grow In about it being easiest to make greener/healthier lifestyle changes when you have a baby. This article has some great things to think about in terms of what your child is exposed to in the nursery, but even I started to read it with the “oh give me a break that’s not going to kill them” outlook.
Here’s a little known tidbit that we learned from our wonderful pediatricians at Union Avenue Pediatrics during Reilly’s first year: dryer sheets are poisonous! Yes, POISONOUS!