Avery has been super snuggly lately. She sits for the book before naps and bedtime and once finished she curls up and rests her head on my shoulder. We're going on two weeks now and I love it. I guess tonight is the night to reminise about childhood books since Kelli did below too. But, we read this one tonight. You can't beat it. Every child needs Where The Wild Things Are in their library.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Where The Wild Things Are
Avery has been super snuggly lately. She sits for the book before naps and bedtime and once finished she curls up and rests her head on my shoulder. We're going on two weeks now and I love it. I guess tonight is the night to reminise about childhood books since Kelli did below too. But, we read this one tonight. You can't beat it. Every child needs Where The Wild Things Are in their library.
a new [old] find
I grew up with a book called Harry the Dirty Dog, which I remember loving. It's a simple story: Harry's a beloved family dog who decides to run away before bath time. He goes out on the city, turns into a black dog with white spots after his filthy adventure, and comes home to a family that doesn't recognize him. Right before he runs away for good, he remembers where he buried the bath brush and begs to be cleaned. This is out of character for Harry and the children love the idea of throwing the new found dog into a tub of bubbles. Of course, bubbles clean the filth and the black dog with white spots returns to the white dog with black spots. "It's Harry!" It's the perfect length for Cole's short attention span and the pictures are vintage and lovely. [And for us adult readers, it mirrors the wayward Prodigal Son story in a strange, touching sort of way.]
Harry the Dirty Dog does have a board book version, a version in Espanol [Harry, el Perrito Sucio] and a couple of sequels.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
violet:
the most obnoxious character in Charlie and the Chocolate factory and my favorite new modern gift-giving sight. Did you ever see the Oprah where Colin Cowie had an armories/closet full of gifts for when the occasion to give came up..? Wouldn't that be an amazing?! This sight is the second best. It's like a Red Envelope but a little more...hip. You can search by occasions or recipients or categories. So, whether you're looking for a birthday gift or a thank you or something for your "reliably hip" friends or a house gift for a morning person-in particular, they offer stuff like this:
Sunprint Eye Pillows, $18
Everyday Notebook, $20
Cards for a Year, $60
Sunprint Eye Pillows, $18 Botanical Coasters, $10
Everyday Notebook, $20
Cards for a Year, $60 The sight itself is really good looking (I'm in love with greens and blues and grays) and the gift options are creative and very "me." What would you have in your pre-stocked gift armories?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
sparrow and bull.
[and for post #4 today--I'm on a roll]
If you get the emails from Urban Baby, you might have already gotten a sneak peak of Sparrow and Bull clothes. I browsed and will add them to my list of clothes I will buy for Cole when I find extra cash. (I'm not so into spending $30 on a t-shirt for a one year old. That means $30 for a couple of wearings before he lands a stain or two. But I really like adventurous style. And sometimes it's worth a spurge...especially if you shop the sale section.) I'll show you a favorite for boy and a favorite for girl. This dressing a baby thing just gets better and better, now that they need rubber soled shoes and practical running around clothes.
If you get the emails from Urban Baby, you might have already gotten a sneak peak of Sparrow and Bull clothes. I browsed and will add them to my list of clothes I will buy for Cole when I find extra cash. (I'm not so into spending $30 on a t-shirt for a one year old. That means $30 for a couple of wearings before he lands a stain or two. But I really like adventurous style. And sometimes it's worth a spurge...especially if you shop the sale section.) I'll show you a favorite for boy and a favorite for girl. This dressing a baby thing just gets better and better, now that they need rubber soled shoes and practical running around clothes.
thirsty.
I love when I find the great finds that aren't fancy shmancy: when you get what you need without having to pay boutique prices or skimp on quality. After the big twelve month check up, I was determined to put the bottles in storage and stock up on a variety of sippy cups. It's only day two for us, put so far Cole has done really well with the Nuby cups I found. They seem like the perfect transition from nipple (be it breastfeeding or bottle): a soft rubber "spout," easy grip handles and pretty aesthetically pleasing. I brought home two twin handle cups,
and one without
(as well as a similar option from Gerber: a pack of two, which he isn't liking as much!) I like Nuby. I especially like the no-spill design, the optional lid for traveling, and the price.
I'm still in search of some other options for keeping milk cold when we're gone for the day, for example. Maybe this. And now I can find a reason to get one of these:
This one year old stuff is fun.
the organic buying guide.
So, here's a pretty complete answer to the question we've been pushing quite a bit: [Thanks to Martha Stewart: Body and Soul and Lindsey's tip..]
What are you really getting when you pay a little extra for organic? It depends on the food. Here's an expert list of what to buy organic -- and when.
Fruits and Vegetables
Why Buy Organic? When you eat conventional produce, pesticides and chemicals tend to show up in your body. The long-term health effects are unclear, but why risk it? The nonprofit Environmental Working Group studied 43 fruits and vegetables and ranked them according to contamination. Choose organic versions of the 12 worst offenders and you'll reduce your exposure by almost 90 percent: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, potatoes.
Did You Know? A diet containing the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables exposes a person to an average of 15 pesticides a day.
Peanuts, Soybeans, and Corn
Why Buy Organic? Peanuts rank among the top 10 foods contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, says the Pesticide Action Network. These chemicals linger in the environment for years and can also build up in the body's fatty tissues. As for soybeans, 85 percent of the 2004 crop was genetically modified (GM). Experts warn against buying GM foods since their effects haven't been adequately studied -- on us or the earth. The same warning goes for corn: Nearly half of all corn planted in America in 2004 was GM.
Did You Know? Americans eat about 2.4 billion pounds of peanuts every year -- about half as peanut butter. From 2000 to 2005, more than 2,100 new foods containing soy hit the U.S. market.
Beef
Why Buy Organic? To enhance growth, conventional farmers often give their cows hormones. The FDA says they're safe, but the European Union disagrees -- and has banned their use. Farmers also give cows antibiotics even when they're not sick, contributing to antibiotic resistance. Cows excrete antibiotics and hormones into the environment, too, potentially harming local ecosystems. Finally, the "food" conventional cows eat (like manure) would make your stomach turn. Organically raised cows eat organic feed and grass.Did You Know? In 2004, consumers spent more than $70 billion on beef. In 2005, sales of organic beef totaled nearly $49 million, according to the OTA.
Dairy
Why Buy Organic? The red flag here is recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a synthetic drug given to cows to increase milk production. Milk from these cows contains higher levels of a natural growth factor called IGF-1. Some experts link excess levels of it in humans to breast and prostate cancers. Although the FDA says it's safe, the European Union has banned the drug. Use of rBGH also increases infections in cows, prompting farmers to administer even more antibiotics.Did You Know? Large farms with 500 or more milk cows represented less than 4 percent of all dairy farms in 2004 but produced nearly half of America's milk.
Pork, Poultry, and Eggs
Why Buy Organic? Farmers use antibiotics on these animals in the same preventive way as with cattle, again contributing to the rise of resistant bacteria and potentially harming local ecosystems. And, like cattle, conventional hogs and poultry eat a range of stomach-turning "foods." In a 2006 study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) of supermarket chicken products, more than half of the samples tested positive for arsenic. One of the IATP's recommendations? Buy organic.Did You Know? Healthy U.S. hogs and poultry ingest about 20 million pounds of antibiotics annually; in comparison, 3 million pounds treat sick people.
Chocolate and Coffee
Why Buy Organic? Both crops naturally grow in the shade. But to meet increasing demand, farmers favor sun-loving varieties, resulting in clear-cutting and heavy pesticide use. Cacao, which is used to make chocolate, is one of the world's most heavily sprayed crops, according to the United Kingdom's Soil Association. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation tells us that if half of North America's 15 million college students chose organic, shade-grown coffee, they would prevent 3,885 tons of chemical fertilizers and 660 tons of pesticides from poisoning the earth.Did You Know? The organic standard doesn't cover fair trade. To ensure just compensation for farmers, look for both the Fair Trade Certified label and organic seal on chocolate and coffee.
Text by Mary Carmichael; photography by Jonathan Kantor. Mary Carmichael is a contributing writer at Newsweek.
What are you really getting when you pay a little extra for organic? It depends on the food. Here's an expert list of what to buy organic -- and when.
Fruits and Vegetables
Why Buy Organic? When you eat conventional produce, pesticides and chemicals tend to show up in your body. The long-term health effects are unclear, but why risk it? The nonprofit Environmental Working Group studied 43 fruits and vegetables and ranked them according to contamination. Choose organic versions of the 12 worst offenders and you'll reduce your exposure by almost 90 percent: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, potatoes.
Did You Know? A diet containing the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables exposes a person to an average of 15 pesticides a day.
Peanuts, Soybeans, and Corn
Why Buy Organic? Peanuts rank among the top 10 foods contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, says the Pesticide Action Network. These chemicals linger in the environment for years and can also build up in the body's fatty tissues. As for soybeans, 85 percent of the 2004 crop was genetically modified (GM). Experts warn against buying GM foods since their effects haven't been adequately studied -- on us or the earth. The same warning goes for corn: Nearly half of all corn planted in America in 2004 was GM.
Did You Know? Americans eat about 2.4 billion pounds of peanuts every year -- about half as peanut butter. From 2000 to 2005, more than 2,100 new foods containing soy hit the U.S. market.
Beef
Why Buy Organic? To enhance growth, conventional farmers often give their cows hormones. The FDA says they're safe, but the European Union disagrees -- and has banned their use. Farmers also give cows antibiotics even when they're not sick, contributing to antibiotic resistance. Cows excrete antibiotics and hormones into the environment, too, potentially harming local ecosystems. Finally, the "food" conventional cows eat (like manure) would make your stomach turn. Organically raised cows eat organic feed and grass.Did You Know? In 2004, consumers spent more than $70 billion on beef. In 2005, sales of organic beef totaled nearly $49 million, according to the OTA.
Dairy
Why Buy Organic? The red flag here is recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a synthetic drug given to cows to increase milk production. Milk from these cows contains higher levels of a natural growth factor called IGF-1. Some experts link excess levels of it in humans to breast and prostate cancers. Although the FDA says it's safe, the European Union has banned the drug. Use of rBGH also increases infections in cows, prompting farmers to administer even more antibiotics.Did You Know? Large farms with 500 or more milk cows represented less than 4 percent of all dairy farms in 2004 but produced nearly half of America's milk.
Pork, Poultry, and Eggs
Why Buy Organic? Farmers use antibiotics on these animals in the same preventive way as with cattle, again contributing to the rise of resistant bacteria and potentially harming local ecosystems. And, like cattle, conventional hogs and poultry eat a range of stomach-turning "foods." In a 2006 study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) of supermarket chicken products, more than half of the samples tested positive for arsenic. One of the IATP's recommendations? Buy organic.Did You Know? Healthy U.S. hogs and poultry ingest about 20 million pounds of antibiotics annually; in comparison, 3 million pounds treat sick people.
Chocolate and Coffee
Why Buy Organic? Both crops naturally grow in the shade. But to meet increasing demand, farmers favor sun-loving varieties, resulting in clear-cutting and heavy pesticide use. Cacao, which is used to make chocolate, is one of the world's most heavily sprayed crops, according to the United Kingdom's Soil Association. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation tells us that if half of North America's 15 million college students chose organic, shade-grown coffee, they would prevent 3,885 tons of chemical fertilizers and 660 tons of pesticides from poisoning the earth.Did You Know? The organic standard doesn't cover fair trade. To ensure just compensation for farmers, look for both the Fair Trade Certified label and organic seal on chocolate and coffee.
Text by Mary Carmichael; photography by Jonathan Kantor. Mary Carmichael is a contributing writer at Newsweek.
zooLOGICAL.
While I'm on the animal theme, I wanted to rave about the great art work Design Mom recently posted on her blog. National Badger [I know, sorry for all of the link inlays] is basically brilliant. When you're looking for art (or decoration in general) in the nursery, don't you just want color and simplicity that looks quality but playful? I do. And I'm getting really convinced to make a purchase when I undergo the decorating Cole's room project. I'm actually really excited to take this on...I love decorating and I love Cole. But it's just hard to do it when I'm not wanting to live in this condo for very much longer. I like these the best:
Great combination, right! [With 31 choices of animals, several color options, and 3 different sizes...and the option to customize, how could you go wrong?]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
