Sheep are a Hoot
We’ve recently discovered the Sheep books by Nancy Shaw and Margot Apple. These short rhyming books are a kick and usually get peals of laughter from The Boy. The illustrations are great and they are the perfect length for a before bedtime read aloud. Our favorite is Sheep on a Ship, closely followed by Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop.
Travel Toys and Tips
We used to be able to pack up the car (including the dog and all her paraphanelia) and hit the road quite easily. Now, with The Boy, packing has taken on a new meaning. We really have to consider every nook and cranny in the car and pack like we’re solving a puzzle with all the gear needed to keep a pre-schooler happy on a trip. And you can forget about the dog. She got demoted to a dog-sitter during vacations soon after The Boy was born.
Before you start cramming everything into your car and lashing stuff to the roof, consider these tips.
1. Many hotels and resorts provide baby gear such as pack and plays and high chairs. Restaurants provide booster seats. Call your destination before packing to see what baby/kid gear might be offered.
2. If you are traveling to a major city, there are usually baby equipment rental possibilities. Baby’s Away and Babies Travel Lite are two such rental outlets.
3. If you are traveling to visit relatives, ask them if they have baby equipment already or if they know of friends/neighbors in their area that might be willing to lend to you.
4. Unless you have a 15 hour flight or a seriously long road trip, you really don’t need too much for actual travel time. Keep your kids entertained with games like I Spy or the Alphabet Game. Take along books on tape or cd for the car. If they are old enough, give them a specific ‘travel’ bag that they can fill will activities. Or, my favorite, plan your travel for during nap time and hope they sleep most of the time!
Happy Traveling.
My Favorite Cookbook
About a year ago we started subscribing to a local farm. As CSA members, we receive a box of veggies and fruit every week. This has been great for our diets. We’ve begun to get a feel for what is in season and how good things taste when they are not shipped from another continent!
At first, though, I was at a loss as to how to cook all these vegetables. (The fruit is easy. The Boy eats fruit with almost every meal.) I shopped around and finally settled on From Asparagus to Zucchini; A Guide To Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce. This cookbook is amazing! It is organized by vegetable, with at least 4 recipes for each. Most of the recipes require other ingredients that are also currently in season. In addition to the recipes (we have yet to find one we really don’t like), each section has a brief history of that vegetable and cooking and storage tips.
Really, who knew there were so many delicious ways to prepare beets or how delicious a carrot almond cake could be? Pasta Pie with Fresh Greens anyone? How about Garlic Parsley Pesto or Penne alla Zucca (Roman Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce)?
f you are thinking of trying to cook more with seasonal produce or if you have a plethora of squash and need some ideas of how to use it, this is the book for you. If you want to introduce more vegetables (and not just the mainstream veggies you find at the supermarket) into your diet, this is the book for you. If you like to shop at Farmers’ Markets, but just don’t know how to fix that kohlrabi, this is the book for you. Happy Cooking and Happy Eating!
Watering the Rocks
Here’s a fun, cheap activity for a warm summer day. The Boy has his own small watering can (I think it was from the $1 bin at Target) and loves to use it to water anything and everything around the yard. Including the rocks. Every time we change out a 2.5 gallon water container from our emergency supplies, the old one goes out in the garden area on a shelf that he can easily reach. This way he can fill his watering can again and again without one of us having to turn on the hose or leave the water running.
Sunscreen
Parenthacks has a fun suggestion of how to use a make up brush to easily get sunscreen on your child’s face without too many tears. Summer is here in the northern hemisphere and sunscreen should become part of your daily routine. As us fair-skinned know, sunscreen can be necessary all year long, but on long days when kids are outside a lot, it is even more important. If you make putting the sunscreen on part of your routine throughout your day, then, just like brushing teeth or washing hands, it will become a natural thing for your child to do.
Here’s another reminder: Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to those ears and the back of the neck. Tops of feet are another easily forgotten, easily burned location, especially during sandal/barefoot season. Reapply when you are out in the sun for long periods of time and after swimming. If your child has fair skin and fair hair, consider sunscreen on the head too (or a cute hat!).