The Not Quite Crunchy Parent

How to End a Blog

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:10:00 +0000

Just returning from Blogher 11, I'm noticing that my last post here is from Blogher 10 - seems obvious I've outgrown my blog, lost interest or run out of things to say :-)

Whatever - it seems likely I won't be writing much here anymore.

When I started this blog, there were not too many moms writing about trying to parent somewhere between Waldorf and McDonalds. Now there are many; so not big loss I think.

If you stumble upon my blog, enjoy and if you're looking to read more about green parenting check out @greenmoms on Twitter or some of the great blogs on my sidebar!

Getting Ready For Blogher

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:22:00 +0000

I'm planning and packing for my trip to New York next week, to attend Blogher 2010.I think it will be interesting this year. As the conference matures, it changes...in social media time, in other words ...every year.

While I work on my schedule, I'm also working on my son's schedule...that is making up a list for Dad, ostensibly so he knows where my son should be a various times of the day. However....

Numbers 1-3 on the list:

1. Don't let him stay up to all hours of the night
2. Don't take him to McDonalds every night
3. Don't plop him in front of the TV the entire time I am gone

Am I the only one who has to do this.....?

Good-Bye Green Toys

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:11:00 +0000

I spent the weekend cleaning out toys. Unlike most parents...I haven't really done this before.
OK- here and there, but never on a regular yearly basis.

Guess what my house looks like?

This is the problem with not-quite-crunchy toys. They tend to be well made of wood, fabric, really strong plastic or other long lasting materials or. They tend to be open-ended so they can be played with in many different ways and IN different ways as a child gets older.

So...ummm...we've kept them for awhile...a LONG while.

Good-bye wooden farm that's been played with for 4 years. Good-bye plastic 7 year old Mega-Blocks garbage truck with garbage cans. Good-bye multi-colored xylophone. Good-bye- wooden car wash, fabric people, 25 matchbox cars, wooden airport and finally but sadly, the musical pirate ship and a load of costumes that no longer fit.

I KNOW my son will still play with these toys given half a chance...but only occasionally and being able to move in his room is preferable.

Doing it again, would I buy so many toys? Rationally and greenly, the answer is of course "no". emotionally: "load 'em up". I can only be happy we mostly chose toys that can be passed on years later.

On the other hand, the cheaply made crap isn't still hanging around my house!

(However, if you are still in the buying for a toddler stage...check out my recent review of Pop On Pals - it fits the strong sturdy, open-ended criteria I try to follow.)

Backyard Safari- Could You put It Down to Eat?

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 13:39:00 +0000

It's not often my son gets as excited about toys I receive to review, as he has about these from Backyard Safari But these have him carrying the various pieces around and begging me to let him take them to bed. I picked up a lantern from a recent blogger's brunch and was sent the Cargo Vest, Mega View Periscope and the Bug Vacuum to review.

My son has always been into science toys and I have always been leery of ...crap that breaks. These toys though are remarkable sturdy! The lantern really works and is strong enough to take on an actual camping adventure as opposed to ... the backyard kind. I also was happy to see that the cargo vest is well made with strong stitching and the periscope is solid, well molded plastic. As I said, I am very leery of junk toys that break easily. I've bought enough crappy science kits to last a life time.

OK- so a little bit on how well I think they have actually marketed this product too. These guys have done a good job getting where they need to be. It really is a niche product and could easily be and probably is displayed way back in the "educational" section of many toy stores. But, the very targeted advertising (we caught one ad in Boys Life), the extensive online advertising and PR campaign and the blogger outreach is so targeted that it's a great example of how to get a lot of bang for your buck.

So finally, a bit of disclosure. First I was sent there products to review for free. As is usual in this situation though, I leave the box for my son to open and the review gets written on his reactions...then mine. I also have a review policy which you can find here.

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Taking The Stairs

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:53:00 +0000

This is a post for the Green Moms Carnival, hosted this month by my friend Diane MacEachern, author of the Big Green Purse and an all around cool lady.The topic this month is transportation and I thought a lot about how to approach this from my suburban, car filled world.

Then it occurred to me that I was raising a child who not only never walked, biked, bussed or went by train anywhere, but also preferred the elevator to stairs!. This I consider a tragedy!

When he was an infant and toddler we lived in the city. We rode the bus to all of our Mommy and Me activities, walked to the playground and tooled around on wheels - me on my rollerblades, him in the heavy jogging stroller.

Since our move to the 'burbs though, much of that is gone, so much so that I've noticed that when visiting the dentist last week he whined to take the elevator rather than walk up the prettily plant decorated outside stairs to the second floor. Not an isolated incident yesterday he tried to insist we take the elevator down one flight from a parking garage- that's DOWN mind you.

So, I've been thinking about how all of this ties together. Raising children who don't walk anywhere...leads to having kids who don't walk ANYWHERE. And children who don't walk or bike or use public transportation (planes don't count) don't see the opportunities to do so and see no solution to the environmental harm too much time alone in the car can bring.

So, it's a new day in our house. Don't only do we now eschew elevators, we're gearing up for a summer of dragging out our wagon and walking to the nearest store...even if it's a mile away and I'll have to deal with whining as we drag the groceries home.

I think it will be worth it.

Green Moms Carnival Named Most Influential Group

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:45:00 +0000

Sometimes hard work pays off.

Today I heard that my group of eco conscious moms - Green Moms Carnival, was named one of the most influential groups in the blogsphere by groupable.com.

Started almost two years ago by my friend Lynn at Organic Mania, we're a loose collection of women bloggers who got to know each other online and joined together to support each others efforts to make the world a little greener. A number of our members have written books, most of us have been featured in stories in print publications at one time or another, a few have been named most influential blogger/tweeter in her own right and the group won the Shorty Award for Best Green content on Twitter last year.

A lot of environmental groups work outside the corporate world to try to change behavior. We've found the opposite has worked for us. Our members work with Whole Foods and Seventh Generation but also with Wal-Mart and other mainstream corporate entities. We're marketers and attorneys and writers and we've provided direction and input to major companies, agencies and thought leaders.

It's nice now to see just how influential we've become!

Thanks Groupable!

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:20:00 +0000

I keep hearing about the Green My Parents youth movement. It's popping up everywhere on my radar and frankly, it doesn't surprise me that children and youth are emerging as a force in the green movement.

Many marketers dub this generation of children born in the '90s and the early part of this century, the "Digital Generation", but they could just as well be called , the "Green Generation", the first generation to grow up aware of the harm that technology is doing to our health and our planet.

I think I am particularly aware of this movement because one of the founders Jordan Howard, 17, is a senior at Environmental Charter High in LA -

This high school an innovative green school is on this list for visit from President Obama to highlight his Race to the Top program for schools. So, it's big news here in LA!

Here's a bit about Green My Parents:

Youth-led movement to save $100 Million for American families by teaching kids how their families can save $100 by going green;
Launches Earth Day with a youth-led webinar via The National Wildlife Federation's SchoolTube.com. Webinar launches at 1 pm EST.

Plus, they have a book coming out for Download on Earth Day. I think this is a sign of things to come...if my own experience with my son hounding me to tiurn out the lights and turn off the faucet is any indicator.

The Not Quite Educational Birthday Party

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:45:00 +0000

I wasn’t planning on writing about my son’s birthday party this year, but I ran into a reader who started talking about one of my earlier parties and thought, oh - yeah- always a fun exercise. So, here goes.

Over the years we’ve vacillated back and forth – or done wild swings…depending on how you look at it, but the past 4 years we’ve gotten into a bit of a birthday party routine as follows:

1. - Pick a non-commercial theme

2. - Have it at our house with a bouncy house, another open-ended activity, a craft, and a treasure hunt

3. - Invite both parents and siblings and supply light snacks and drinks for all (supplemented by my awesome group of friends who chip in potluck)

4. - Add some more or less educational element

5. - Contribute to some worthy cause

Some of this has been easier than others. In past years we’ve done a “Save the Oceans theme” and a Safari/Cheetah theme. This year my son really, really wanted to do a Star Wars theme. He’s very into both the movies ( which I have been assured by various males has the archetypical male moral message – uh…OK) and the Legos…which we own by the hundreds it seems.

It’s taken me awhile to buy into both plastic Legos and semi-violent Star wars movies, but I’ve ~~gotten lazy~~ justified that he is now older and so it’s OK. I still, though held my ground on having a completely commercial, plastic/throwaway birthday party. I still have some crunchy standards!

So this year we compromised on a Space party with Star Wars elements. Our bouncy house, which I found out too late, was a bit old, beat up and rather small, it turned out, was in the shape of a rocket ship. Our alternate activity, which last year, for our 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme, was shooting Stomp Rockets at a cardboard submarine sort of thing we made, was continued this year.

Affixing cut-outs of the planets that we bought at a Teacher Supply Store, to tomato stakes, we created a Solar System on our side yard. My son appropriately wanted to add the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter, so we cut amorphous shapes out of cardboard and added them, as well as, printouts of The Lego Darth Vader ship we got from the web.

Thinking the kids could do a little math as they played, I taped a sign to our old art easel which read:

Star Troopers protect the Earth!

Earn 5 points for hitting an asteroid

Earn 3 points for hitting an enemy spaceship

Lose 3 points for hitting a planet.

Keep your score

I then dragged the easel out to the yard and supplied chalk. The kids completely ignored my instructions of course and made up their own games, which seemed to include at least 10 kids at any one time and a lot of laughing – oh well.

As is usual, rather than give out a Goodie bag, we coordinated the Goodie bag into the activities. This year, at Michael’s, I picked up small fabric bags insulated with a silver lining, intended to be used as water bottle holders but remarkably space-like for the kids to decorate in a space theme with Fabric markers. This was the main craft activity, but I also set up yarn, glue, tape, paper and small cutouts of stars and planets that various children used to make, pictures, mobiles and 3 dimensional art projects.

( As you may have guessed by now, I try to set up activities at the party that require no instruction, leaving ME time to enjoy the party rather than run around “manning” different booths or directing activities.)

Between these 3-4 activities and our open playroom the children found enough to do for about 1-1/2 hours until I called for the Treasure Hunt.

Ensuring everyone had their “space bag” decorated complete with name I called everyone together and handed out these sheets with a brief description of 9 major constellations. This turned out to be way more work than I planned. I finally found the illustrations on a disc that came with the DK Night Sky Atlas book we had and the descriptions on 2 or 3 websites…carefully edited to limit the amount of violence, incest and gore. (You really don’t want to tell your child the whole story behind the constellations unless you want to open yourself up to a variety of questions ranging from awkward to nightmare inducing.)

Giving them a chance to show off their knowledge, I asked a few constellation-type questions then handed out the star maps. I made 4 different routes through the constellations to avoid too many kids descending on each spot and told them to take on prize from each constellation. I had the constellations pictures blown up and mounted on tomato stakes (again) in our neighbor’s yard, somewhat hidden behind trees, bushes and rocks at my son’s request. By each was a cardboard box filled with “treasure”. One held “moon rocks”. One held space and Star Wars stickers, one held glow in the dark bracelets…you get the drift. A few had a sign in the bottom that said” No treasure here, keep looking.”

Since some of the smaller kids, knew would not be able to read a map, following it wasn’t required as long as you went to every station. What I figured out at the end was that I really didn’t need to give out both a map and the constellation guide, one or the other would have been fine…another lesson learned.

But, at least they went home with both an accurate map of the constellations in the Northern hemisphere at this time of year and descriptions of some of the major constellations.

We also had, as we also do, a “Picture spot”. This time with a full size cut out of Darth Vader, that was remarkably easy to find on the internet (who knew) and a rocket shaped Piñata from Party City. Luckily as I started to try to figure out how to mount our Darth Vader in the yard so it would stay up in the wind, I realized that one of the party guests watching me was…an architect! “Triangles are good” she explained and fixed up a few that guaranteed stability. Problem solved!

The cake which we always make from a Dr. Oetker organic cake mix and decorate with whipped cream instead of icing, fondant and plastic figures ended up being a last minute thing this year. ( Daylight savings time inconveniently started the night before the party, throwing all of my planning off by 1 hour.) My son drew a schematic that included a fondant moon and stars, a plastic astronaut and space ship and a few other embellishments. I made the cake early in the morning. Then 15 minutes before the party was to start ( after using all the earlier time making copies and picking up balloons, more tomato stakes and a party tray, plus assembling all of the activities) I grabbed the 3 cartons of whipping cream out of the frig and threw them into a mixing bowl. After 5 minutes of frantic whipping...still no foam. Uh- was one of those cartoons half and half? Yup. Crap.

My neighbor who was helping me get the cake together started looking around for powdered sugar for plan B, but we fortunately found a box of whipped icing that I picked up in the dollar bin at Party City while buying the balloons…saving the day. My son and 3 early arrivals quickly tossed the decorations on the cake and ran out to the bouncy house – the 15 minute cake decorating session – maybe I’ll give classes!

After all of that frantic activity, I was finally able to go out and relax at one of the tables which we cover each year with yards of themed fabric which we then recycle into table cloths for the tables on our patio all summer, at which point they are then so bleached out by the sun that we turn them into rags. More fun and more eco than plastic tablecloths!

All that is left at this point is to figure out what sort of charity works best with a space theme and send out thank you cards. my son though is already planning for next year!

They Must Be Green

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:18:00 +0000

I was driving my son to school yesterday and turned on a CD. Generally we listen to audio books or kids CD's in the car, but...I thought I'd branch out.

I had an old CD from the movie, The Big Chill, that I had dug out from somewhere and popped into my car CD player, so I put that on...thinking back to the scene where Kevin Kline is bathing his son who is singing..."Jeremiah was a bullfrog.."

Surely this would be a song appropriate for an 8-year-old? Not bad, actually. The interesting part was my son's interpretation of the line: "I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the wars..."

He said:

"Hey Mom, they must be green, too!"

Gotta love it.

Tug- A Brand Name or An Action?

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:55:00 +0000

This is my son's backpack.

Note the brand name: "Tug"

This is what happened when one of his friends took that word literally.

sigh.

Help With Earthquake Relief in Haiti

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:13:00 +0000

A little off topic today, but I awoke this morning to hear about a devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti yesterday.

Here in California we’re used to earthquakes. Every once in awhile we get a particularly huge one that brings down homes and buildings and we get a glimpse of the sorrow and feelings of helplessness rather more common after earthquakes in developing countries - because it is different there.

If you’ve ever been in an earthquake in the developing world, you know the extra sheer terror laid on top of the normal sheer terror of being in an earthquake. It goes something like this:

“I KNOW this building is going down because buildings codes here are nothing like in the US”

“If I get stuck in this building I’m never going to get out because rescue services are less efficient here”.

“I wonder what particular pipe is going to break and if whatever is in it is going to kill me because corruption caused the builder to skimp on safety codes.”

And more along these lines.

I had the misfortune to be in a high rise hotel during a fairly large earthquake in Mexico City awhile back. This is what ran through my head. That’s what came back to me when I heard the news about Haiti.

That's when I jumped on Twitter to see how I could help.

If you want to help, please check out this article on the Huffington Post that includes a variety of ways to do so.

If you are on Twitter or Facebook, please one of these phrases to your profile!

RT @mcmilker: EMERGENCY! RT PLEASE! ‎Earthquake relief 4 Haiti please text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 or go 2 www.yele.org

RT @huffingtonpost RT @mcmilker Haiti earthquake - How YOU can help: http://bit.ly/8ghHf4

Pass the word around and thanks for your help!! In these tough times we all need to stick together!

The Scary Traditional Tree

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Anyone else freak out a little when they see this tree with real lit candles? this was at a friend's house where he hosted a kid's Christmas cookie party. ( He doesn't have kids- bet you could have guessed that!)

It was fun and what you can't see in this picture is the fire extinguisher which he had handy tree-side.

Happy holidays!

5 Sites To Make Your Holiday Toy Shopping Easier

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:44:00 +0000

I'm in the midst of selecting toys not only for my son, but for my teenage niece and nephew, various family friends and a few friends with new babies. It's rough out there. So I'm making a list of some of the sites that I have found helpful.

1) ToyInfo.org - This relatively new site has lots on advice on what to buy for various situations, as well as downloadable play guides and discussion boards.

2) ToyAwards.Org - The toy industry "Oscars" - this site lists the toys chosen as the top toys in a variety of categories. I don't always agree with their choices but..it is a great place to start.

3) Parenting Magazine Top Toys - Both a popular magazine and well respected "Toy reviewer", this list of top toys is broken down by age group and includes article on choosing a toy and recall information.

4) Toy Tips - Published by my friend Marianne Szymanski - this is the "Consumer Reports" of Toys sites. She's fiercly protetcive of her unbiased and independant status

5) Best Green Toys- OK I have to put a plug in for this Facebook Page we created as part of the Best Green Toys contest. It includes photos and descriptions of 50 great green toys and a list of the top 10 selected in our contest!

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Send a Green Mom To Copenhagen

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:31:00 +0000

Those of you who follow my blog know that I'm part of a group of Green Moms.

Well, since we represent parents everywhere who are concerned about climate change, we decided to enter one of our own in the Huffington Post contest to send a "People's Ambassador" to the climate talks in Copenhagen! Diane MacEachern, author of The Big Green Purse and awesome green mom is who we KNOW would be an awesome Ambassador!

Of course, we just found out about this contest and voting ends on December 4th...but...we're rallying the forces and we think we can get enough votes out "elect" her (or is it appoint her?) Ambassador!

To vote just go to The Huffington Post Hopenhagen Post & scroll to Diane's video (She's in a red shirt) - then click on the vote box on the right!

If you have time, it would be great if you could write a blog post on this too, tell your friends and relatives to vote!!!

Anything you can do to get Diane to Copenhagen will be a vote for the people who really matter- the parents of the world!

Best Toys For The Holidays - Blocks and Building Toys

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:54:00 +0000

A few years ago I wrote a series of posts on the "best toys for the holidays"...from a Not Quite Crunchy Perspective. Since then, my child has aged...so I'm a bit more hip on toys for elementary age kids and I was involved with a contest to find the "Best Green Toy".

So I thought I'd update a few of my "Best Toys" posts. First, if you're looking for great eco toys for upcoming events - check out the Best Green Toys Facebook Page. there are over 50 great green toys listed here and you can add your own.

And now, please see my updated post on "Best Blocks". The last part on older kids is where I've added a few new favorites!

Yesterday, we scored a big box of unit blocks on Craig’s List for $50.00, an early Christmas present for The Hamster. I was ecstatic. I danced around. I gloated. I was perhaps a bit silly. My DH commented, “They must be gold encrusted.” when he observed my glee.

I was perhaps a bit too jubilant. But this is important. Really. Unit blocks are expensive. Unit blocks are important. Unit Blocks are….blocks!

Blocks are one toy recommended by most child development experts. They are open ended. They promote creative play. They aid in developing mathematical skill, spatial relations and physics. They demonstrate the effects of gravity; promote social interaction and improve hand-eye coordination. What more could you want in a toy?

As the Back to Basics movement gains ground this year and parents look beyond electronic toys to traditional toys that actually ARE educational, blocks may make a come back. Looking for something for the children on your holiday shopping list? Try some of the blocks on this list

For infants, small, soft blocks are for rolling, stacking and most importantly knocking over. As they get a little older they will find new ways to incorporate them into their play as doll accessories and cannonballs.

1. Non-toxic (duh), fabric blocks and/or made from organic cotton are best, since we know they’ll chew them.

2. Foam blocks are another choice, though be sure that they are rated for infants or you'll be picking bits of foam out of your little one's mouth.

Toddlers, with their better fine motor control enjoy wooden stacking blocks. They also begin to recognize the folly of stacking a large rectangular block on top of a small triangular. This makes the following two good choices.

3. Standard square alphabet blocks are perfect for the younger toddler. The constant shape makes stacking easier and less frustrating for this age group.

4. This is also the time to introduce a small set of mixed wooden blocks. Most major toy retailers carry these types of blocks but they may be in the back of the store or section.

The preschool and early elementary years are the perfect time to have blocks of all sizes around.

5. Oversize blocks of foam or

6. Cardboard are perfect for building forts, making towers and creating castles, a popular activity with this gang. These blocks need lots of room so be sure to find a good storage container or you’ll be tripping over them on a regular basis.

7. Unit Blocks, which I’ve written about here, are perhaps the most carefully calibrated blocks around. Designed by Caroline Pratt, a well known educator specifically to aid in teaching the 4 mathematical functions, a good set will set you back a bit but will be played with for years.

8. On the other end of the spectrum are Waldorf school recommended, tree blocks . Odd shaped and including the tree bark, these smaller blocks invite fantasy play and spark imagination.

9. Action blocks and build your own marble runs are also great for this age. Note I mention, “build your own”. Pre-build marble runs are what we call “10 second toys” around here. You play with them for a day or so then you’re done. A marble run with lots of variations provides greater play value.

Is nine too old for blocks? How about twelve or Fifteen? Well no, not for these blocks. As children begin their study of higher mathematics, physics, ancient civilizations too, blocks can be a great tool to enhance their learning!

10. Architectural blocks include shapes perfect for building castles, palaces, skyscrapers and pyramids. The smaller size makes these more appropriate for older children and creations can be displayed on a shelf or dresser top.

11. For master builders, brick building sets that include mortar for permanence may be attractive. Note: encourage the reusable version of play first or you may find your wallet a little lighter as you buy more and more sets

12. Legos - yes, they've been around for years. Yes, they have integrated a number of commercial characters and the sometimes violent themes may not be appropriate for younger children, but they remain a super building toy and one that lasts for years.

13. K'nex - I was only introduced to these this year, but they've found a place on our toy shelf because they offer a classic open-ended building toy with more options for three dimensional play than some of the standard blocks and Legos. (See a recent review here.)

14. Lincoln Logs - I have to add these because they remain a favorite in our house. I find my son uses them less as a straight building toy than as a prop for his storytelling - that's a good thing as it extends building into imaginary play!

Did I forget any? Do your kids play with blocks? what good ideas do you have?

More Holiday gift Ideas here

More Thursday Thirteen

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How To Fight Swine Flu -( I Hope)

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:29:00 +0000

It’s scary, it’s coming. Anybody else freaked out about the swine flu? A child at our school got it. A boy in our neighborhood had it too. My niece’s school in Pennsylvania was shut down for 3 days because too many children were absent with the flu.

Am I panicking because I’m paranoid or because I’m prescient. I’m even waffling on the swine flu vaccine. Should I get it? Should my son get it? What if he doesn’t get it and he gets sick?

Since it seems there is a rush on vaccines, it seems likely we will not be getting it.

My DH raised in Europe in the land of homeopathic medicine is against it. I’m OK with that, but have all my flu coping strategies in place. We are all taking echinacea and Vitamin C supplements. I’ve signed up again with my neighbor for Juice Plus supplements and I’ve located my son’s inhaler for when it inevitably goes to his lungs.

And I’ve started to stock up on all sorts of remedies. I received some free samples of Boiron cough syrup, and cold relief tablets to try. Since I’m already a big fan of homeopathic remedies, I’m anxious to give them a shot. You can try them too- get a coupon code here:
http://children.boironusa.com/)

Wait, hmmm…well, actually I hope I never have to try them, but it sure seems likely. I’ll keep you posted.

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Ford’s New Big Idea

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:17:00 +0000

It’s been a long time coming but one of the big three auto makers made a big hit with parents everywhere yesterday. They introduced inflatable seat belts for the rear seats. In other words, cars will now have a suitable version of the air bag for rear seat passengers!

I traveled to Dearborn this week to witness the big announcement and was not disappointed. I was able to see and touch the new inflatable seat belt and try it out myself. Plus, I received a tour of the safety lab This was really cool for a geeky person like me who likes to know all the whys and wherefores, though I had to strain to remember college physics concepts like g force and energy dissipation.

I was quite excited about this new option which will be available on 2011 model cars as an option…though at what cost and in what packages still seems to be a bit fuzzy.

This is a big deal because, as was explained to use, children’s bigger heads, softer bones and different proportions leaves them open to more injuries than adults. (BTW- elderly persons are also more prone to injury, more for loss of muscle and more brittle bones so this is also great if you have an aging parent for whom you care.)

The inflatable seatbelt works for all children in a regular booster seat- in other words, more or less, age 4 and up. I’m hoping this is a first step toward more protection for children of all ages.

Ford has had an incredible year this year, skipping the government handout taken by the other 2 big auto makers, aggressively pursuing greener and safer cars and even making a profit. Besides that, I found them friendly and willing to listen – seems like a model for American businesses across the board.

You can see more photos and more stories about this new innovation by following #fordsafety on Twitter or Googling "Ford inflammable seatbelts.

Aromatherapy On The Road

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:35:00 +0000

I'm in Detroit today visiting the Ford company. Check out what's going on on the Twitter feed #fordsafety. Since I've gotten to be a bit of a road warrior this year, I actually am starting to have a basis for comparison of hotels, airlines, etc. So, a couple of observations.

I almost hate to say this in case Homeland Security is reading this, but things are loosening up a bit. On my flight out a passenger in front of me gave his small lighter to the security folks and was told to just keep it. Female travelers flew through security with carry-ons...surely filled with many small tubes of liquids and gels. This, at first appears to be good news until on guard told me that they actually just "assess the threat". Sounds like racial/ethnic profiling to me....

On a different note, I was quite pleased to see that the Dearborn Inn, a Marriott hotel has just wonderful aromatherapy products- shampoo, conditioner and body lotion - yummy. unfortunately they are all individually packaged. I'd prefer to see them in a dispenser. While Marriott, I know is working on going green, dispensing with the Styrofoam coffee cups and individually packed toiletries.

I'll be home later today...probably should purchase some carbon offsets for this one day trip...

Pumpkins In Costume – An Alternative to the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern – No Cutting Involved

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Technically, they probably aren’t Jack-O-Lanterns, but my friend Tan turned me onto what has become a great Halloween tradition – turning small pumpkins into costumed creatures.

While we still cut out the obligatory Jack-O-Lantern face on a pumpkin every year, scooping out the gooey seeds and pulp, drawing a face with a marker and carefully (sometimes not so carefully) cutting out eyes, nose and mouth, in addition we make 4 or 5 or 6 “pumpkins in costume”.

Our Pumpkins in Costume start with small pumpkins, about the size of those mini watermelons. Using a glue gun or any strong glue, we add googly eyes. We put on hats, make tails from pipe cleaners and fashion costumes from bits of fabric.

Last year my son made a ghost by tossing a piece of cheesecloth over the pumpkin and adding pom-pom black eyes on the front. This year he made a ninja- which is what he will be for Halloween. Not having a daughter, I went girly and made a cowgirl, complete with finger-knitted braids.

We’ll make 3 or 4 more this year as the mood strikes us – a princess, an astronaut or a cat. An added bonus- they last a lot longer than a cut pumpkin…making them perfect for kids excited about Halloween waaaaay before the actual date!

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Review Time

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

I posted a few articles on my review blog this last week.

Jif Omega-3 Works For Me

and

The Eating Right Review

Check them out to see what the not Quite Crunchy Parent and child are eating these days.

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Soccer Snacks and Swine Flu

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Last week when I wrote about Healthy Waste-free Soccer Snacks, I was proud that I seemed to get buy-in from the other moms on the team. As I was team mom I was able to set a good example with fresh fruit in a large bowl to pass around...demonstrating both healthy and waste-free....

Not So Fast.

This past week, I found out that...maybe the message didn't quite get through enough. Snack mom number two brought a yummy mix of fresh fruit for the halftime snack...in individual plastic containers....not the sugar laden kind you buy at the grocery store, but fresh fruit cut up and placed in plastic containers with lids.

Hmmm.

I've started thinking now. Obviously that was either a lot of work to cut up fruit and put it in containers or those were pretty expensive to buy at a store. (I couldn't ask her because she was working and sent hapless Dad to the game with their son.) Could it be, my "big bowl of fruit" scared some parents?

With all the talk about swine flu going around in my mom circles, I began to wonder. Will swine flu delay the waste-free movement? Will parents prefer individually wrapped treats to avoid other children's hands on food going into their child's mouth?

Should I worry?

What do you think?

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Hey I'm Green

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Readers please welcome my sister Elle to the writing team at the Not Quite Crunchy Parent. She's on the green path and excited to share what she has learned along the way!

I must admit I am a little stressed out over the whole term. So, I decided to actually look up the term ‘Going Green” and see how far off the radar I was. Turns out, not too far.

The definition of Going green is “the process of changing one’s lifestyle for the safety and benefit of the environment.” Some of the things that define you as being green are as follows:

Sustainable Living- Okay, I cannot and I repeat cannot live without my flat iron.

Green Products- Buying organic and here’s a funny story. I was buying organic meat for quite a while when I read a report that the hormones in non-organic meat and dairy products were contributing to the early development of young girls ( think breasts.) Well, let me tell you how fast that trip to Whole Foods stopped. Suddenly I was drinking half gallons of regular milk like it was going out of style (and I’m lactose intolerant.) It was to no avail though as a doctor friend informed me that am likely to occur ONLY during puberty, Darn, I hate when that happens!

I absolutely visit my local farmers market at least twice a week. If you have one near you and most everyone does I highly recommend shopping there. The produce is fantastic and cheap!

Recycling and reusing – This is a big one at my house. We have so many recyclables, it’s embarrassing. But every Tuesday there they sit like some big mountain outside of my house waiting for Stan to pick them up. (Don’t you love that my garbage man is named Stan, get it?) Oh and one more thing, my husband changed all of the light bulbs in our house a couple of years ago to some weird ones that only get bright after they have been on for a few minutes so when you first turn them on, you think possibly you are going blind.

So, okay I’m not so bad but clearly I still have a lot to learn and I am determined to try harder to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Have any ideas for me? I would love to her your suggestions (within reason!)

Peace,

Elle

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Elle

Healthy Waste Free Soccer Snacks

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Another sport, another snack dilemma. I’m Team Mom for my son’s soccer team this year…so I’m feeling a little bit more in control…but just a bit.

In the short time that my son has participated in organized sports I’ve been fairly appalled at what other parents consider appropriate as a snack. Candy, sugar filled cupcakes with mountains of frosting, bubble gum, potatoes chips and every possible iteration of unhealthy snack you could imagine. And the stuff that’s thrown away…little paper bags filled with individually packaged snacks…or cut fruit in baggies!

I admit, I’m a bit hard core. Yes, I let me son have a piece of candy on occasion- parties and holidays, at someone else’s house or when his dad gives him one. But in general, processed, packaged sweets are not part of our lifestyle. That’s how I was raised too.

Though I was raised in a typical “throwaway” culture, I also find myself more and more trying to go wastefree – to conserve out resources.

So this year, as team mom, I gently suggested that we all bring healthy snacks for the kids each week AND bring a filled reusable water bottle or two – snack parent will not be required to bring a drink at the end (in a throwaway container).The response was, in most cases positive, with one exception who managed to talk herself out of it when I responded to her complaint with “oh” and “um” and “hmmm”. – I love that when that happens!

Since I was first on the snack roster, I felt obliged to set a good example. This, of course necessitated running out to the store at the last minute, since I only thought about what a good idea it would have been to make home made cookies at the last minute.

It also required me to make 10 little brown bags of filled with snacks…OF COURSE I should have run to Target and bought 10 little cloth reusable bags – sigh- someone else do that please!

I ended up buying oranges which I sliced and passed around in a big bowl rather than putting them in baggies.(Grapes, cut apples or any other fruit would work here too.)

In my snack bags I put a box of raisins, a bag of pretzels and a granola bar. Any dried fruit, Pirate Booty, cereal bars or healthy cookies would work too. Cheese sticks or chunks, carrot or celery sticks, even salami slices or crackers would be even better.

The waste free part is harder. OK- putting the fruit in a big bowl to pass around worked great for the half time snack. Reusable cloth bags are better than throwaway …but what about that snack at the end that is usually 2-3 things in a bag? Could we just have a few bowls of things? Would that work at your soccer games? Has anyone tried it or have any other good ideas?

This month’s topic for The Green Moms Carnival is “Conserve” hosted by Mindful Momma (Watch for her book “Practically Green” coming out in October.)

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Kindergarten Pressure – Here We Go Again

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I haven’t written a post about my opinion on super high pressure kindergartens and preschools. Probably because my son is now past kindergarten age, but hey, why should I let that stop me?

Since I’ve been working with Goddard Child Development Center recently (they sponsored me for the Blogher conference and I’m now judging an Eco Toy Contest for them) I’ve been thinking about early childhood education again.

So when I read this article in The Boston Globe, Pressure Cooker Kindergartner, I managed to get all riled up again. I’m a firm believer children learning to read and write and do math…when they are ready.

That’s why the best preschools, in my opinion, are those that offer the opportunity, but don’t push. Great preschools gather the children on the floor for storytime- every child needs lots and lots of storytime! Great preschools engage the children in physical activities and do lots of art and developmental play.Great preschools introduce the ABCs as the children gather around the rug but teachers don’t stress if a number of children are just there for the fun pictures and cute songs.

I think though great preschools also offer reading and writing and even math with manipulative for those kids who want them. My son’s school was one like that. Many of his classmates loved to go to the writing table and write their names (He preferred riding on the bikes.) Several of the children were happy to sit and do basic addition with manipulatives and yet others picked out words in books – all good. But for those who were not interested…there were lots of developmentally appropriate toys – toys that build prereading skills and teach pre-math skills.

Schools that offer foreign language – very easy to learn at the preschool and kindergarten level and great hands on activities are even better. So, this article about kindergartners being made to sit at desks and take tests…well just makes me mad!

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Learning To Read – Don’t Push but DO Support

mcmilker@gmail.com (NotQuiteCrunchy) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:45:00 +0000

As usual a week spent with Best, my crunchiest friend, opens my eyes to new ways of raising my child. I usually return with lots of great ideas she has given me as a result of her son’s attendance at her local Waldorf school. This time the tables were turned.

So much of the curriculum at Waldorf schools is supportive of growth in the whole child – learning to knit, play the recorder and exposure to different languages. In many ways though, Waldorf schools are just like any other school – you just can’t leave your child’s education up to the school.

This shocking “ah ha” (JK) came up during our conversation about reading. Waldorf schools delay teaching reading until first grade. While most kindergarteners these days are focused on basic reading skills, those in a Waldorf School get to play one more year. First grade is the start of academic work.

This falls under the theory of “don’t push”, with which I heartily agree. But, “don’t push”, doesn’t mean “don’t support”. Best has found that despite the delay in teaching reading, children entering second grade at her Waldorf school tend to have the same range of reading ability that can be found in just about any middle class first grade classroom.

This was surprising to me until I realized that, like some parents of children in any classroom in the country, those parents were teaching their children to read at home.

I had done this with my son. Over a period of perhaps 2 years, since he was 4 and first asked me to learn to read, our nightly routine of my reading to him took on a new component. I give him a reading lesson then I read to him.

These lessons were over in 30 seconds flat in the beginning. But it became a nightly thing – I pull out a Bob book, he reads one word and

then quits – highly appropriate behavior for a 4 year old.

I think though the key, that I learned from other friends was… I shouldn’t quit. Despite the frustration, despite the . ..ummm…lack of cooperation we continued.

It wasn’t until he started kindergarten and was learning in a structured environment though that my efforts started to pay off. Slowly he began to read more of a page, then two pages, then five.

And this I think might be the key. Don’t give up. My friend, Best... had. She was waiting until her son COULD read before HAVING him read. Her thought that sitting him down to read was pushing. I think sitting down with a very easy book every night and “helping” him read it is supporting.

And so I did that with my friend’s son – using the Bob books, helping him sound out words and giving him the ones he didn’t know. (For anyone who has done this you know that it takes a lot of patience and you will feel like jumping off a bridge at least once a week…or alternately giving up.) Don’t.

It worked for my son and seems to be working for Best's son. I’m just passing on wise ideas I got from my smart mom friends – don’t leave schooling up to the schools. We all have to “homeschool”!

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