Three Is the Magic Number

Easy, peasy. Help out mothers who walk miles every day just to make sure their kids have clean water. Turn your lights off for just an hour to mark your awareness of global warming this month. Here are three upcoming events that make it easy to show you care.

1. World water day is on March 22nd. As our press whirs with news of pharmaceutical traces in municipal water supplies, it makes sense to channel our angst towards global water safety. As GoodyBlog 'splains,

World Water Day was started by the UN with the hope to cut in half the number of people who live without sustainable access to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation by 2015. It's inspired by the example of women in water stressed countries who often walk 6 miles each day just to get water for their family. And even though it's hard to image anyone living without the basic need of clean water, more than 1 billion people around the world lack safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services.

You don't need to live in a city with a participating march (NYC, LA, Seattle) to be involved. You don't even have to give money -- you just need to sign up online.

2. Another World Water Day action campaign called the Tap Project aims to fund UNICEF programs that will make sure kids have clean water to drink (via A Mighty Appetite). Did you know that more than 5,000 kids a day are dying from water-borne diseases?

The little known truth is that lack of clean and accessible drinking water is the second largest worldwide killer of children under five. To address this situation, a nationwide effort is launching during World Water Week called the Tap Project, a campaign that celebrates the clean and accessible tap water available as an every day privilege to millions, while helping UNICEF provide safe drinking water to children around the world.

Beginning Sunday, March 16 through Saturday, March 22, restaurants will invite their customers to donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water they would normally get for free. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days.

3. Earth hour is on March 29th (hat tip to Grist). More than 100,000 people have signed up to turn off their lights and electrical equipment for one hour.

Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.

*Photo courtesy of xymonau at sxc. Read more!

Wrap it Up: Art at Kid Level

I'm in love with cheap and easy. Generally more enviro (using what you have, buying less), low maintenance, what's not to like?

Thought I would share our morning adventures on the living room coffee table since for some reason I would never have thought to do this myself, simple as it is.

Our friend Metadog used to do this daily with her toddler. Just cover any low table with paper (we used rolls cause we have lots stashed away but brown bags would be great too if you've got 'em) and let the kids go crazy!



Today we used crayons and paint dotters and rollers. Both kids got in on the action. This was really our baby's first extended experience with messing around with colors. He's still pretty mouthy so we had to keep an eye out for him shoving art supplies in his mouth.

EGirl really enjoyed herself and jumped into chattering, imaginary play as she painted and drew.

This is a wishing well, on the road to Australia.

It's the road to freedom.

We're going to save the finished pieces to use as wrapping paper.

What are your cheap, easy (and green) play options for kids?

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Lovely Lunches

Lynn from OrganicMania asked me to reminisce about my halcyon Berkeley food days after her posts about school lunch reform got me musing about times past. Thanks for the opportunity to guest post!

...In my students' minds, the crisp lettuce in the field we skipped through on our journey was just as fascinating as the computers that awaited amidst the stacks of books at our local library. It was 1998, and most of the young men and women loping past the garden had no access to computers at all (many had just arrived in the country). But it was the vegetables that held their attention. On a field trip off-campus with an English Language Learner class, I couldn't help but marvel at the audible excitement and interest over the garden and its teen gardeners. Teacher Patti Rathwell got her students into King's school kitchen routinely, brought food into the class to illustrate everyday concepts, and the students' families brought in delicacies representing cuisines from all over the world to mark special celebrations. Speaking over a dozen languages, the premium form of communication among our students was laughter, gesture, and the anticipation of flavor.

In 1998, I was a student teacher from UC Berkeley's MUSE Program apprenticed to two classrooms at Martin Luther King Middle School. The nascent Edible Schoolyard program, started in 1996 by a collaboration between Chez Panisse and the school (via the Chez Panisse Foundation), was thriving by the time I landed at King. As I recall, the kids called it the "Peace Garden" and every one of the kids I taught, from middle school second language learners ranging from 6th to 8th grade, to the 8th graders in my humanities class, was itching to get their hands dirty. You could almost see the infusion of energy into the crops. These kids were fascinated with what their peers were creating, with their bare hands and brains. They longed to be outdoors, to work with the soil. But even more, they longed to be in the kitchen, chopping and slicing and mixing and...eating! I've never seen such a worthwhile channeling of teen squirm in all my life.

I've been thinking about the Edible Schoolyard recently, as I face the reality of public school lunches here in DC for my daughter and her friends. I'm heartened by the fact that Berkeley, and other schools like Wisconsin's Appleton Central Alternative School (ACAS), have adopted programs harnessing the power of delicious and satisfying food to improve not just health but performance. Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, by Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes, is a riveting book that chronicles success stories like the Edible Schoolyard and Appleton's ACAS, while giving parents concrete suggestions: healthy recipes and contact info for organizations working to effect change in lunch programs.

One school that's crafted a school environment rich in healthy food and a focus on physical education is Appleton's ACAS (which banned vending machines and instituted fruit-and-vegetable rich breakfasts and lunches). Appleton has quantifiably documented the impact of providing "nonchemiccally processed foods that are low in fat, salt, and sugar, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables." Improvements seen include: more focused on-task behavior, increased cognitive development, fewer health concerns, fewer discipline problems, better attendance, and better nutrition outside of school.

Wouldn't it be great if all of our schoolchildren (many of whom rely on school breakfast and lunch programs as their primary source of nutrition) got a side of nutrition education and sustainable agriculture with their salad bar lunch?

Where to look for more info about transforming your own school? Check out the following organizations for ideas.

• The Center for EcoLiteracy
• Lunch Lessons
• Better School Food
• Food Change
• Farm to School

*photo courtesy of Dawn Allynn at sxc (see more of Dawn's work here.)

I'm a guest writer for OrganicMania today -- go check it out!
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Sandbagged

OK, this totally falls in the category of things that ought to be easier to do. I'm talking about buying safe sand for our kids' sandboxes.

I've heard before that there are dangerous types of sandbox sand, in fact, I've successfully bought washed river sand before because it's supposed to be safer (you know, the smaller bags of sand, the ones that cost 4x as much, and get snapped up in the first day they're put out?). But we had a few fabulous sunny days last week, and my kids are now addicted to being out on our patio playing in the 'box, so I thought I would run in quickly and grab some fresh sand before the waves of Asian Tiger mosquitos hit. It's early, right? It's not like I am trying in August so I should have a stab at a couple of the 14 bag-supply due to hit the DC area. After hitting up one hardware store and two garden supply stores, I am left with a resounding sense of frustration and it's not that I didn't let my fingers do the walking.

Can anyone please tell me why it is acceptable to have this warning label on a product labeled Play Sand? Marketed to children?

"This product contains small amounts of crystalline silica (CAS 148 08-60-7), a common mineral found in natural sands and stones. Excessive inhalation of respirate silica dust may cause cancer and lung disease. Avoid breathing dust. Wear appropriate respirator in dusty areas. First aid: move to fresh air." (emphasis mine)

The Green Guide basically says to keep your kids out of the sandbox (and off the asbestos laden pressure treated wood playsets for that matter). I can't do that. I mean, I survived sitting in the back of my parents' wood-paneled station wagon (the one with the rusted-out bottom floor we used to poke our feet through to run in place, Flintstones-style, at stoplights). So obviously I cannot deprive my children of the basic pleasure of sand. I just want either the sand manufacturers or the various sand-selling establishments in our area to wake up and realize there's a supply and demand issue here with the Safe Sand. (And a shout out to Strosnider's Hardware -- they don't have any safe sand but the manager actually thanked me for raising the issue).

The Berkeley Parents' Network has helpful archives, as always, on the subject, but we're still playing in the maze of tree roots in our former-fish-pond-of-a-sandbox (hey, you have a magnet of a drowning hazard in your backyard, you make lemonade).

Anyone know where to purchase safe sand?

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Kitchen Tricks

Today's post is all about the kitchen: recycling, reducing waste, and getting the most out of our food in the first place.

How about upcycling those annoying little produce stickers by mailing them to an artist in Colorado (via Emerald City) so he can make some more sweet Warhollian pics? Perfect project for little recyclers, eh?

Speaking of harnessing your trash, Terracycle's an eco-business that sells worm poop in recycled containers. You can sign up to sell them your used drink pouches, cans, yogurt containers, and energy bar wrappers. Sounds like a perfect school project. Or just a project for all of us with worthless recycling options. (via fellow DCUM WrekeHavoc)

Check out They Call You Mommy's post on produce to stop the crisper drawer rot festival (less waste plus more veggies + fruits in you!). Did you know you should store tomatoes stem side down? Basil at room temperature?

How to wash that basil? Those tomatoes? Whip up some homemade veggie wash with this recipe from The Dollar Stretcher.

Speaking of veggies, Culinate had an interesting piece a bit ago about how cooking some vegetables actually enhances their nutritive value. The research is incomplete, but the idea that all veggies are healthier raw isn't true across the board. Broccoli actually gains carotenoids and cancer-fighting compounds when steamed.

If you blow it and end up with some slimy green refuse? And your composter's still not assembled because your instructions decomposed? Where to put that wet trash if you've been using cloth bags? Hmmm? I know you faced this dilemma when you stopped getting bags at the grocery store! Here are two great threads that pose various solutions (biodegradable bags are generally agreed to be impractical for wet trash, hence the dilemma). One's at Emerald City (one commenter suggests keeping wet trash in a plastic bag in the freezer so it doesn't smell, hmmm, that spot's taken by my vegetable stock stash, thank you but maybe you folks have the room) and one's at Ask Metafilter. The AM thread has practical, helpful comments, including a breakdown (pun intended) of anaerobic decomposition and some complicated systems for balancing wet and dry trash.

Last but certainly not least, check out this supremely awesome Table of Condiments That Periodically Go Bad so you can have some clue how long that onion dip can sit in your fridge. (via bblog - 2 weeks.)

*photo courtesy of stickermanproduceart.wordpress.com
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Little People Swap

Anyone else hankering to break up the winter doldrums for their little 'uns? Want your kid to get a care package from some *other kids*? Check out this great pen-pal-type idea at Little People Swap, set up by a couple of friends and mommy bloggers (see full instructions at The Mama Chronicles but I've put the essentials below).

"You do not have to pick out a theme but that would probably be helpful as you pick items to send. It would be best to stay away from commercialized themes like Elmo, Barbie, and such. Instead a good theme might be make believe, mail, library, art, etc. You can make, buy, or send gently used items. If you choose to spend money then the upper end should be about 10 dollars plus shipping (this does not include the value you have of anything you choose to send from your home or your the value of your time.) The swaps will be organized by family groups. So you may have 2 children and swap with a family that has 1 or more children.

Things that should definitely be included in your package:
A picture of your family or at least the kids
A postcard or map of where you are from or photograph of your city/ house
A note, either written or dictated and transcribed by an adult

The commitment for this swap is :

1) email your partner introducing your family and answering a few provided questions

2) one package shipped by April 1

3) either an email thank you or send a thank you card
in response.

If you choose to do any more that is up to you. But this is the minimum.

To join in send an email to megandmag(at)gmail(dot)com In your email include your name, the names of your children, their ages and genders, your location, and how you heard about the swap. The deadline to sign up is March 10 or when we reach 50 number of participants, which ever comes first. My co-conspirator and I will try to match up similar age families, but can not make any promises."

Check out her site if you're going to participate; she has some great ideas. Read more!

Your Life In Six Words: Navel-Gazing Haiku

Join me in quick, pithy reflection.

What six words capture your essence?
Your cleverness may win bathtub fun.

Apparently Ernest Hemingway thought his best work was this six-word story: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Can you sum up your thoughts in six words?

The winner of the highly subjective SurelyYouNest Haiku Contest (probably awarded to whoever can make me snort a beverage through my nose) will win three fizzy bath bombs (I'll post the recipe soon, we're learning how to make them!). Enter as many times as you want. I will arbitrarily pick a winner within a couple weeks.

Can't resist passing on this challenge-- got soft-tagged by The Cleaner Plate Club to think of My Life in Six Words. I personally twisted the assignment to write parenting haiku but you can bust the categories wide open. It's your life!

I love the idea of a wide open meme, so I am tagging YOU (yes, you, the very person reading this). Write your own navel-gazing haiku (6 words, not traditional haiku) and blame it on MamaBird (if you're a blogger, link back so I can read your post!). If you're not a blogger, put your haiku in the comments (or email them to me - I will post them there for you).

If you're into this compact genre, check out Treehugger's six word contest entries and this recently-published book, compiled from a six-word contest held by Smith writing magazine. You can also see some of the more famous entries from the book here at the WaPo. My favorite?

"Well, I thought it was funny."
Stephen Colbert

Without further ado, here are some MamaBird reflections on parenting:

Dog was not baby in training.

Baby girl, baby boy: living love.

Exhort, commiserate, hug inspiring little people.

Forage, nurture, protect, nip with teeth.

Wipe butts, noses, tears, be snuggly.

Wet baby kisses: irreplaceably gross awwwws.

Babies trump movies, sleep, peeing, hobbies.

Babies turn grandparents into silly putty.

Relax. Your child is not you.

Let her be her own self.

Tiny smiling faces worth any sacrifice.

Exercise by far the best drug.

Keep patting, Mama, or I'll cry.

Need bottle, bath, bed NOW. Waaah!

Poor dog, after baby? Not alpha.

Wrote, taught, birthed, wrote, thought.

(...and, probably my best lesson learned...)

My way or the highway? Mistake!

Photo courtesy of Duchesssa (yes, that's three s's) at sxc.

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