Love and Logic

I don't have any fun projects to show you today, none that are done anyway. I am always working on a few here and there, it's just the type "A" in me that won't let myself share them when they're not finished. So I decided to share a parenting gem. Jim Fay and his son Dr. Charles Fay are parenting gurus and use a very simple, loving and logical manner to empower yourself, kids and family to live peacefully. It's called Love and Logic http://www.loveandlogic.com/ and it's used not only in homes but through out the education systems in schools. It is for all age ranges and is easy to pick and choose what works for you and apply it to any situation. They have books on tape and DVDs along with books concerning all age ranges and issues. I grew up on love and logic and now we use it to the best of our ability in our house.

plant labels

It is just amazing how one day can be lusciously beautiful weather and the next turns to torrential down pours all day. I had the garden all ready to plant corn, the ground was tilled the rows were marked and hoed, all I need to do was soak the corn, plant it and watch it grow, but the rain beat me to it. Now I have to wait for another window of opportunity to get it in the ground. We did manage to find an opening in the rain , all though very brief, to get out, blow some bubbles and hope that summer is really on her way.

A fellow gardener and I were discussing plant tags, plastic or wood? I label seeds I have planted in the greenhouse or plants in pots, but I don't put the labels in the garden. I usually can remember what went where or I draw a map. As long as no one else tries to do any gardening it's not usually a problem. For my tags I like to cut up plastic milk jugs to make my plant labels, but since we don't drink milk out of plastic jugs at home we have to acquire them some where else (family members).

You can buy the plastic tags at a store (they work great), but who wants to spend the money. This is just the place for my motto "I can make that", I don't like using plastic that much, but I figure I am adhering to one of the three "R's", REUSE!. I always use both sides of the tag and recycle the plastic when I am done.Many gardeners do like to put labels in the garden though (it makes sense doesn't it). I do understand that if you put plant labels in the garden you wouldn't want the plastic tags everywhere because you would have to pick them up at the end of the year (hunt for the plastic tag game), so cardboard tags will work for the season (the do get lost easy), or those large craft tongue depressors work great, they're wide to give you plenty of room to write those long plant names.

The wood and the cardboard will just grind up with a pass of the tiller or mulch into the soil when you put you garden to bed for the season. (Of course that's not grass you see growing in my garden rows, you must be imagining things)

We did had a little fun earlier this year making decorative garden signs. My mother is the artist who panted plants pics on Fir rounds that Ty cut from the back pasture and stakes he split from some fire wood. TY then screwed the round to the stake (nailing it will split the wood), then he sanded the surface of the round just a little to make it easier to paint. After it was painted we then sprayed a sealant on it to protect it from the weather. I think they turned out really neat and would make a fun project for older kids. Now if we can only keep the dogs from pulling them out and chewing them up.

Well off to re-pot tomatoes. Remember, "someone made it, why not you".

It's Back

Apparently I spoke too soon in regards to Spring being on her way. Yesterday morning we awoke to large, fat snow flakes tumbling towards the ground. Winter is a sore loser I guess and just can't leave without the last word. I can only hope we avoid a start to the growing season like we suffered last year, warm cold, cold warm. I love you mother nature but please could you be a little more decisive. The plants were so confused they didn't know which way was up so they just stay put. My tomatoes, even though they were in the greenhouse, stayed about 3 inches tall until they developed flowers and I tossed them out. 

Since it was more like wet cement out there than soft, fluffy, snowman snow we stayed inside by the fire and started Isaac's book of sounds. My mother, the kindergarten teacher, gave me the idea. It is really simple and can be made in so many ways. I went for the extremely easy, 

practical way. I took a 1/2 inch 3 ring binder and plastic sleeves (I have lots of these around for knitting patterns), glue stick, scissors and markers. Isaac and I chose a letter and started looking through magazine that I wasn't attached to (I kept my Interweave Knitting magazines hidden), we cut out any picture with the sound of the letter. It is a

simple, quick,  activity to do with the kids and they can read it 

with you afterwards, and it helps their small motor skills. 

I think Isaac will like to read it at bed time.

On a different note, today I happened to see a clip on the today show about breast feeding. A mother and not a health expert, is advocating for women who don't want to or can't breastfeed their children. She claims there is no scientific evidence to back up claims that breast feeding is a healthier than formula. Now I haven't gone to look for medically published articles or studies on breast feeding being the healthiest option, I only assume it is because it comes from a mother's body (so did the baby who needs it) and is made especially for that baby. Regardless of the common sense that goes with it, all you have to do is read the labels on the formula can. Now I'm not saying all formulas are created equal, so there must be better ones out there (I hope for babies sake) ,but we had some formula cans  sent as samples to the house ( I don't know why) and the label reads like a candy bar: 43.2% corn syrup solids (first ingredient), 11.5% high Oleic Safflower Oil (third ingredient), 10.3% Sugar (fourth ingredient), 5 different kinds of oils in it and countless other item that would take me a week to type. I think it was irresponsible of these woman and the Today Show to promote formula by saying there is no evidence that breastfeeding is better, where's the evidence that formula is safe? Just take a look at the ingredients. I won't let my 2 1/2 year old eat candy, I am defiantly not going to let my infant snack on it in the disguise of "milk". I participated in the chat on the Today's Show site, here's what I said, "There will always be mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, 

 so lets focus on improving the standards to which companies making formula have to stack up to and eliminate the terrible ingredients being used in today's formula." I don't ever participate in things like that but it was interesting to see what other women had to say, sadly they mostly criticized each other's decisions (a cat fight if I ever heard one). In the end it is a mother's right to choose, we need to push for BF mother's to feel comfortable to feed their children anywhere, I am sure mother's who bottle feed do.

 Well thanks for listening to my rant, I think is is time to go and help something grow to relax me,  I know! I'll go and BF my baby and help him grow!