One of the newest nifty items from Boon is the Stash.  The Stash can be used to store various things-in the bathroom, the kitchen, and the playroom.  We chose to use ours to store craft supplies.  It’s been perfect.  Instead of having crayons, markers, glue, scissors, etc. stuffed into a random drawer or on Noel’s desk to get inevitably eaten by a dog, they sit neatly organized on the table.  Both boys know where to put each type of coloring device back, and the formerly horrific craft area stays tidy.

As with every Boon product, however you choose to use your Stash, your sure to love it.

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Today, I stood in Loop, crazed, delerious, holding this skein of yarn from Black Bunny Fibers.

The owner said, “It’s beautiful isn’t it?  This is a local artist.  She just drops one or two off at a time.  That’s it.  All we have is all we got in.  I can’t believe it’s even still here.”

I don’t know what came over me.  I bought it.  I bought ALL of it.  I don’t even know what I’m going to do with it.  This is the most beautiful yarn I’ve ever seen.  It’s like spun gold.

I am in love.  Yet, I am so guilty because I have no right to buy yarn that costs what this yarn costs. Yet it is worth it.  But nothing is worth it. But this is worth it.  Oh yes.  Oh yesohyesohyes.

Spun gold.

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The Zippity is a large pad with a big, easy to use joystick attached.  The games usually begin by jumping to “start” your rocket, scooter, etc.  The game will then get your child thinking by asking them to find specific things, or move to a specific color on the pad.  All the games are very simple, and increase in skill as your child becomes more adept at using the Zippity. 

Noel loves using the Zippity and was able to use it out of the box.  The instructions are simple and walk your child through the process easily.  With some initial parent set-up (again, very easy), you’ll be Zippity-ing in minutes.  The Zippity will keep your children active during the long winter when it’s too cold, rainy, or snowy to go out and run around for any length of time. 

If you’d like one of your own, we’ve got one to give away! 

WIN IT!

Win one Zippety for your child to enjoy.  The Zippity is age appropriate for children about 3-5.  Go HERE and enter (use “Zippity” as the contest name)!  It’s that simple!  We’ll pick one winner on November 20th, 2009 at 10 PM CST.  Good luck!

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Recently, while watching season 1 of Felicity, Felicity mentioned growing an avocado tree in her room by using the pit.  I immediately set out to learn if this were really possible.  It is!

Here’s what you do:

1. Wash the seed. Using three toothpicks, suspend it broad end down over a water-filled glass to cover about an inch of the seed.

2. Put it in a warm place out of direct sunlight and replenish water as needed. You should see roots and stem sprout in about two to six weeks.

3. When the stem is six to seven inches long, cut it back to about three inches.

4. When the roots are thick and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil in a 10-1/2″ diameter pot, leaving the seed half exposed.

5. Give it frequent, light waterings with an occasional deep soak. Generally, the soil should be moist but not saturated. Yellowing leaves are a sign of over-watering; let the plant dry out for a few days.

6. The more sunlight, the better.

7. If leaves turn brown and fry at the tips, too much salt has accumulated in the soil. Let water run freely into the pot and drain for several minutes.

8. When the stem is 12 inches high, cut it back to 6 inches to encourage the growth of new shoots.

Have a great time.  We started our tree about a week ago and so far we haven’t seen any growth.  I’m worried that it may not be in a warm enough place.  We’ll see…

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For a couple of years now, Diane & Aaron have been waiting and waiting and waiting to welcome a child of their own into their happy home.  This week, their hopes & dreams were answered.  I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Diane & Aaron to the wonderful world of parenting.  Their son, Kai, could not ask for two better parents.  Please take the time to read their story.  Congratulations, Diane, Aaron & Kai!

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Be safe!  To make it easier the Halloween Safety Guide has published a nifty, well organized list of tips for a stick-free Halloween!

Halloween is a fun holiday and is certainly innocent enough for the under 5 crowd, but it also has a dark side.  Inevitably, pranks will be pulled and often go right over the line and into dangerous terratory.  It’s important to review safety rules and talk to your kids about the importance of these rules.

The Halloween Safety Guide website offers interesting advice for parties, parents, children and even pets.

Halloween advice is timeless, but we could all use the reminders like:

• If you set jack-o-lanterns on your porch with candles in them, make sure that they are far enough out of the way so that kids costumes won’t accidentally be set on fire.

• Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem like fun but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, clean up and damages can ruin Halloween. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they’ve made.

• If you work in a pet store, remember that this is the time of year that can be deadly for black cats. Some sick people who play at being what they’ll call a Satanist will buy them to “sacrifice” If you can, don’t take any black cats or sell them during October.

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The owner of the Hotslings frequented www.thebabywearer.com and I made sure to send her a photo. Hotslings has always had exceptional customer service and quickly developed a loyal fan base.

When I heard about the new adjustable pouch I became very excited. Finally a perfect gift for new parents! The MSRP of $48 is an affordable gift for any new parent and measuring for the perfect fit is no longer an issue. The pouch can be adjusted for use by wearers up to 220 pounds eliminating the need for multiple pouches of different sizes to fit different caregivers. The Hotslings Adjustable Pouch is recommended for babies from 8-35 pounds and can be used for several carrying positions.

The pouch comes attractively packaged in a matching fabric drawstring bag which can be used for storage or for carrying small items while out and about. I selected the La Vie En Rose pattern which is a chocolate with a bold floral graphic nicely suited for fall.

I love the safety arrow on the underside of the pouch indicating proper placement. A person who had never used a baby carrier could take this out of the package and put it on easily and safely using the enclosed instruction booklet. The size of the pouch can be adjusted using concealed buckles ensuring a perfect fit. The pouch is easy to tighten and loosen and is very comfortable on the shoulder. Padding on both sides of the rail mean comfort for baby’s legs if sitting upright or head if in a cradle hold or nursing. Additional instructions and videos are available at www.hotslings.com

I am very excited about this new adjustable pouch and it has exceeded my expectations. I plan to have several friends of  try it out and give their impression. Stay tuned for action shots photos and further thoughts!

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Who are you?  Give us the basic low-down of the genius behind Crankypants. 
Wow, genius?  Can I get that in writing to give to my husband? 

I am pretty boring, actually.  I am the mother to an only child, Henry, who is 6 and rocks the local first grade social scene.  I am married to an amazingly inspiring special education teacher who cooks.  (I know!)  We live in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina in a little green house with a barn roof and watch too many movies.  I have a serious thing for friendly monsters and other creatures who are sometimes misunderstood.  My favorite kids book is Leonardo the terrible Monster by Mo Willems.  It’s hard to answer a broad question about myself without sounding like I’m filling out an eHarmony profile or something.  I like Ira Glass, Haribo candy and am currently obsessed with the new Phoenix album even though I just heard one of the songs in a Cadillac commercial.  I dislike processed coconut, onions and blister packaging.  I have a degree in Literature with a concentration in Shakespearian studies, so I knit for a living.
Tell us a little about Crankypants.
Crankypants is a little store I run that specializes in hand knit pants called “longies” that can do double duty as a natural cloth diaper cover.  At first I did all of the knitting myself, but a little over a year ago I forged a partnership with a Fair Trade Federation, Pro Mujer and Green America approved knitting cooperative in Peru made up of head of household women who craft to support their families.  The wool is all raised, processed and dyed local to the cooperative which expands the economic growth in the area and also cuts down on the carbon emissions used to create the final product.  We also employ an awesome local seamstress mama who makes all of our sewn goods right here in Asheville while raising her kids.  We sell other products that don’t carry the Crankypants label as well.  These are mostly items that I have bought for Henry and loved so much that I wanted to share them with other parents like the boxer briefs, John Golden prints and whatnot.
How long have you been knitting?
I can’t really remember, to be perfectly honest.  I think I first learned when I was a young teenager?  I didn’t really pick it up again and knit seriously until I was pregnant with Henry, though, so 7 years?  I am an instant gratification girl, so knitting for wee beasties suits me well.  I get too bored knitting adult sized things.
What were the reasons behind starting a knit covers store?  What has inspired your creations?
There has been a HUGE boom in kids’ gear over the past few years, but when Henry was a baby I had a really hard time finding things I liked for him.  It seemed like everything was either covered in teddy bears or baseballs.  When I saw one of Henry’s little friends toddling around in a pair of longies I knew I could put my own spin on them.  I made him the first pair of Jolly Roger Crankypants when he was about 18 months and sent a picture of him wearing them to a friend.  She posted the picture online and it just kind of rolled on from there.  As far as inspiration… we are giant goofballs over here.  When Henry was a baby he had colic and was miserable a lot of the time.  If we weren’t goofballs we would have lost our minds.  I like silly things that make me giggle.  If one on-the-edge mama sees a giant monster on her kid’s butt and laughs instead of cries?  Win!   
Crankypants has expanded over the years.  What are some of your favorite new items?
Oooooh.  I have a new favorite but it hasn’t hit the site yet.  We have just started production on a line of hand knit dolls to go along with the Classic Crankypants longies for the upcoming holiday season.  We recently added a new design to our line of Classics (it isn’t on the main site yet but can be found in the Crankypants Etsy shop) called the Wee Toadstool.  The doll that goes along with those longies kills me.  I am going to have a hard time letting them go when they come in next month.  I also love the Tattoo You lounge sets that are only available in the Etsy shop.  (www.crankypantsknits.etsy.com)
If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
That’s a hard one because all the great super powers have draw backs, right?  Teleportation would be super cool, but I’d want to be able to bring people with me.  I definitely don’t want to be able to read minds.  I’m afraid of heights so flying is out.  Seeing the future would give me massive anxiety.  I wouldn’t mind having the powers of persuasion, but then I might turn into some sociopath who makes people do my bidding with no real relationships to speak of.  I’m over thinking this aren’t I?  I watch too much Batman the Brave and the Bold with Henry.  Honestly, I’d be happy if I could get my kid to eat something other than cheese and make the neighbor’s poodle stop barking at 5:30 every morning.

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As a person who enjoys a good “life” discussion, I find Soul Pancake quite enjoyable.  I’ve just become a member of Soul Pancake, but I look forward to looking into it more, asking questions, seeing how other people think.  I love learning about others philosophies on everything.  At Soul Pancake, you can articulate the questions that you’ve always thought about, and see others views on them.  Ask things like “Is Creativity Learned or Inherant?” and “What Does Art Have to do with the Soul?”  Personally, Ifind this all so fascinating.  I like seeing new perspectives, learning how other people view the world. 

Soul Pancake is cool.  I hope you’ll join me there! 

Follow Soul Pancake!

Follow me! I’m laurathemum.

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Some doctors will prescribe something like Tamiflu to ease flu symptoms and shorten the duration, where many will tell you to stay sequestered at home and to leave for no reason outside of impending death.  Personally, I feel that the best remedy for any controlled flu is lots of rest and lots of fluid.

Most people are wondering how to prevent the flu and what to do if you get it.  I spoke with nurse practitioner and health guru Elaine Hardy of Holistic Family Healthcare who gave me the following information:

With swine flu on everyone’s mind, people are searching for anything
that may provide natural prevention against swine flu. Dr John Cannell, a psychiatrist, and president of the Vitamin D council for the US, published a paper recently showing evidence that low vitamin D levels during winter can account for the increased flu seen during the winter months. He also that patients on his psychiatric ward who took 2000 IU of D a day did not get the flu, while the patients in other wards ( who did nottake vitamin D) did! The patients intermingled with each other so cross exposure was certain. Everyone, including babies, should be taking vitamin D. It is possible that the RDA for vitamin D may still be too low even though it was raised in 2008. I strongly encourage my patients to have a vitamin D 25 hydroxy blood test done to check their levels of vitamin D before taking more than the RDAfor vitamin D.

If you happen to come down with the flu despite taking your vitamin D and other preventative supplements, there is something that may cut the time you are sick in half! A study published in the Journal of International Medical Research found that flu patients given Sambucol ( black elderberry extract) recovered from the flu in just 3.1 days as opposed to 7.1 days in the placebo group. There was a previous study in the Journal of Alternative medicine with elderberry, and found that the Sambucol group was symptom free in 2-3 days, as compared to 6 days with placebo.  Sambucol is widely available at most health food stores and comes in a tasty liquid for children, or chewable lozenges for adults and older kids. Probiotics have also been shown to shorten duration of colds and the flu, so I recommend that all of my patientstake those too, especially during the winter.

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