We live in an urban neighborhood, not far from from one of the biggest cities in the country. We don’t have a dog or a cat, but we do have chickens. Some people think it’s weird, we think it’s great.

Last spring, as soon as they passed the law allowing us to have chickens, we headed out to the feed store and got some baby chicks. We made them a little home in the garage where they grew faster then I could ever imagine. When they were old enough, we moved them outside to their new coop. All five of them feel at home in our backyard, and we love having them.

I have to say that I wasn’t too excited at first, but several months later I’ve decided they make great pets. It doesn’t work for everyone because you have to have the space. Ours stay in a fenced off area of the yard. They’re over with the garden. This way they don’t interfere too much with the kids play space. Although I must say that some days the kids spend more time on the chicken’s side of the yard than their own.

Everyday one of us lets them out to peck around and eat the bugs. Right now they are finishing off the leftovers from the summer garden. They work their way around tilling up the soil. It’s nice to have them do the work so we don’t have to. They also leave their droppings. We don’t have to clean those up, and it’s great for the soil.

The kids love to play with them. They all have a name and each one has a different personality. Just this morning our 4 year old was out playing “tag” with the chickens. He would chase them around, grab their feathers lightly, and then let them chase him. Our toddler is often found chasing them around shouting, “Bock, Bock!” I bet you can guess what she named her chicken.

They also give the kids some responsibility. Someone has to take care of them. I must say it’s mostly Dad because they were his idea, but the rest of us help too. As far as daily maintenance goes, they need food and water and that’s about it. Occasionally they need their coop cleaned out. That’s not too hard, but it does take a little more effort. At night they put themselves to bed. We just have to close the door and say good-night.

We’re looking forward to the day they start laying eggs. It will be so nice to walk into the yard to get fresh eggs. I’m sure there will be a sense of satisfaction knowing they came from our pet chickens. We’ll even be able to share with our friends and neighbors. On average a chicken lays one egg a day. Unless we have eggs for breakfast every day, we’ll have plenty of extra.

Some people eat their chickens after they stop laying eggs. Since they’re our pets, we won’t be doing that. We’ll probably give them to friends who have more space then us, and start raising new ones all over again.

Having chickens isn’t the same as having a dog or a cat, and it’s not the best option for everyone. But it sure works great for us.

image source: me’nthedogs

Originally posted: 10/2007.

Chocolate chip cookies sound so much healthier when you mention they are made with whole wheat flour instead of white flour. It may even be a good enough reason to eat more than one. I tried this recipe and loved it. In fact everyone I have shared these cookies with has liked them too. If you’re in the mood to put a healthy twist on your next batch of cookies try it out.Here’s what you need:

• 2 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 cup softened butter or 1/2 cup margarine and 1/2 cup shortening (non dairy version)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl mix butter, sugars, and eggs until creamy. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and stir until throughly combined. Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

I found the article very informative.  It  gives reviews of several types of cloth diapers.  There are all kinds of things considered in the the reviews from price to ease of use.  There are 11 different types of diapers that were looked at and reviewed.

Have fun checking out all the different ways to diaper your infant.  Maybe you’ll even decide to use one of them.

Lately I have been trying to steer away from giving her treats, but rewards instead. She doesn’t get to choose if she wants her hair brushed because that’s just part of being a girl. But if she sits still I try to reward her with something other than candy. It may seem silly because she is so young, but I don’t want her to get into the habit that I am in of rewarding myself with food. In my opinion, “treats” should be given out just because and not as a reward for doing something. I am not perfect at this yet, but I am trying harder to change this habit I have created.

So here are some ideas of things we can reward our children with that do not contain sugar.

• Read them their favorite story
• Give them a sticker-I think all kids love stickers. And they last longer than candy.
• Praise them with words or give them a hug.
• Let them help with a project they are doing.
• Give them a few extra minutes of outside time.
• Let them stay up a bit longer before a nap.
• Let them invite a friend over.
• Plan a special outing.
• Create a sticker chart for them. If appropriate let them work toward a greater reward.

Remember that rewards should be age appropriate and toddlers need immediate gratification most of the time. Otherwise they will not recognize that they are being rewarded. And also, try to keep in mind that children do not need to be given a tangible reward for everything they do. If you do this you may fall into a trap of them expecting things. But a kind “thank you” or “good job” is always appropriate.

Since it’s made of this foamy type material, it does not scratch the surface and is super easy to clean. There are no straps to get in the way like other boosters which is very convenient.  It sits right on the chair and stays in place. It’s also very portable and perfect for travel.

Here are just a couple things to consider when thinking about purchasing this item.  It was a bit more money than traditional boosters, costing about $30.  Also, since it has no straps it’s intended for a child who can sit on their own.

I think it will last a long time at our house.  Our 5 year old likes using it so much that we may have to purchase two.

Team Sports-Are They Ready?:Here’s a small checklist to see if your child is ready to play team sports.

Our Children and the Environment: What can we do to make our children more aware?

Old Crocs Traveling to Needy Places: See how you can help someone else with your old Crocs.

Lookybook.com: Check out children’s books page by page before you buy them.

FreeRice.com: Help solve hunger while playing a fun game that increases your vocabulary.

Click Here 

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. It started as a political event, and the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother’s Day and St Valentine’s Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. The IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday, as in the listed countries the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season.

The first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. Among other relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (New York, 1911), where over 140 women lost their lives. The idea of having an international women’s day was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over working conditions. By urban legend, women from clothing and textile factories staged one such protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City. The garment workers were protesting what they saw as very poor working conditions and low wages. The protesters were attacked and dispersed by police. These women established their first labor union in the same month two years later.
More protests followed on 8 March in subsequent years, most notably in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. In 1910 the first international women’s conference was held in Copenhagen (in the labour-movement building located at Jagtvej 69, which until recently housed Ungdomshuset) by the Second International and an ‘International Women’s Day’ was established, which was submitted by the important German Socialist Clara Zetkin. The following year, IWD was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. However, soon thereafter, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed over 140 garment workers. A lack of safety measures was blamed for the high death toll. Furthermore, on the eve of World War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on 8 March 1913. In the West, International Women’s Day was commemorated during the 1910s and 1920s, but dwindled. It was revived by the rise of feminism in the 1960s.
Demonstrations marking International Women’s Day in Russia proved to be the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in Russia, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women’s Day was declared as a non working day in the USSR “in commemoration of outstanding merits of the Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, their heroism and selflessness at the front and in rear, and also marking the big contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples and struggle for the peace.”

The day remains an official holiday in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, and is observed by men giving the women in their lives – mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts. In some countries it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother’s Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned in Armenia. Instead April 7 was introduced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood.’ The new holiday immediately got popular among Armenians, as it commemorates one of the main holidays of Armenian Church, Annunciation. However, people still kept celebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resulted in the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7.
In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women. Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of the most common March 8 presents in Russia.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia, the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women sometimes get gifts from their employers too. School children often bring gifts for their teachers as well.
In countries like Portugal, it is usual, at the night of 8 March, groups of women celebrate in “women-only” dinners and parties.

In India, IWD holds a lot of significance. Many celebrations are held during the day. This portrays the power of women in the modern era and how vital their role is in the society. In 1975, which had been designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to and began sponsoring International Women’s Day. The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom.

Today many events are held by women’s groups around the world. The global women’s organization Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events (www.internationalwomensday.com) so that women and the media can locate local activity. Many governments and organisations around the world support IWD. For example, HSBC hosts a range of IWD activity including co-hosting of the UK’s flagship IWD event with women’s group Aurora. Global interest in IWD shows a steady increase. At the US Postal Service, celebrations typically include round-table discussions of celebrations around the world, especially in Belarus. This is widely attributed to a forward-thinking woman from that country who pushed (unsuccessfully) for the day to become a postal holiday.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the read and can take a few moments to discuss the importance of women in our society with your family!

• Check the tubes that lead into the burner for anything that may have made it’s way in there over the winter.
• Check all the hoses to make sure they are in good working order.  Cracks, leaks, and holes can lead to a problem.
• Replace scratched or nicked connectors.

All grills produced after 1995 must be equipped with these three safety features.

• A device used to limit the amount of gas flow to the burner in the event of a leak.
• A device to turn the grill off
• A feature that will prevent the flow of gas if the connection between the tank and the grill is not leak proof.

Take the time to check over your grill before you begin using it this year, and enjoy all that awesome food.