Sending Love in a Lunch Bag!

It just feels like I don't get enough time or energy to really tell my kids all the important stuff. We try and there are certain rituals we have that help the family connect as often as possible. One ritual that I have always cherished is sending a little extra love in a child's lunch box!

My mom used to tape stickers to my sandwich or thermos with little notes of encouragement or just love! I have continued that ritual with my kids. I am always looking for cute and unique ways to send a note. Here are a few tricks and products I have found to help me with my mommy job.

• I like to send notes I keep small note cards and thin line sharpies in the kitchen by the lunch supplies so I can quickly jot down a note. I have found awesome small note cards at Michael's in the $1 bins! Some even in the shape of crayons or with the kids individual initials on them!
• During one trip to Michael's I discovered Lunch Box Love cards by Say Please. These little notes have positive messages like "I love spending time with you!" on one side and fun facts like "Your heart beats about 101,000 times a day!" on the other side! With my Sharpie I add "To my sweetie" and "Love, Mommy!" or a little reminder about talent show practice.
• A big favorite has been Lunchology Lunch Bags. Personally I used to groan when my mom sent me with a brown paper bag, especially when I wanted the oh-so-cool Princess Leia Lunch box! But these solve the brown bag boredom in a cool way. Each bag is full of puzzles, fun facts or positive messages. The kids have definitely expressed their love for the bags on rainy and cold days when the school keeps them inside for recess. The puzzles or coloring pictures give them something different to do and are popular with their friends.
• Of course a big way to show love for my kiddos is to make food they want and will eat, not to mention is healthy and helps them keep up their energy throughout the school day. My daughter loves hard boiled eggs (sometimes I draw hearts or faces on the shell) and my son prefers things he can assemble instead of sandwiches. Paying attention to what healthy foods they like and will eat helps them have a positive day at school.

None of these little tricks and treats are hard or take alot of time or effort, trust me I would never put in too much time or effort! But they work well for this family. A honest disclaimer here, too: I do have my kids buy the school lunches at least once a week. The food has gotten alot better!

Blog reboot!

Its like looking in the closet for a pair of shoes and finding a box full of stuff!
So yes I have been a negligent blogger, and I am sorry. But a goal for 2010 (not a resolution...that word is jinxed!) is to do more writing. Some to share my passions, some to vent my frustrations and some just for fun. So keep me honest and on track, comment, facebook, tweet and retweet and spread the word.

Invention at Play

One of the things we like to do around here is take our bare feet on a wander. Today we wandered over to DC and the newly renovated National Museum of American History! We hadn't been since the museum reopened and were eager to check it out. Unfortunately so were a whole lot of other people (DC + Federal Holiday + 4th of July weekend = CRAZY CROWDS!!) We fought through the crowds anyway and were thrilled with the changes as well as a few old favorites that did not change!

One new exhibit that was extremely rewarding and fun was the Inventions at Play area! This interactive exhibit was broken down into several different inventions (sailboards, kevlar, robotic ants...) some useful, some playful, and some just interesting. Each area talked not just about the thing, or discovery but the inventor. What was their story, what were they like as children? Now try something different with whatever inspired this particular person. Then there were areas devoted to inspirational toys, nature inspriation and problem solving! The kids and the parents were blown away! We had so much fun that we can't wait to go back when there are a few less people in town!


Right next to the invention area was the Spark!Lab! A hands on area for kids to get down and dirty with inspiration and invention! Isaac and Leah were drawn to different areas, but they were equally engrossed and hard to seperate from their activities. There were Lab Docents who hold hourly presentations. While we were there they were about to start two different presentaions, one about DNA and one about CO2. Again this area deserves more attention than our short visit allowed!

Living Barefoot is about inspiration, imagination, exploration, creation and making connections. These exhibits presented these values beautifully. See all the Blums having fun and getting creative!

So take your toes on a wander. Where do you go for inspiration? Exploration? Share! Or come out to DC and visit us and we will show you our favorite places, too!

Finding your Identity

Overheard in my home while children are watching Phineas and Ferb: "Buford gives wedgies to people he calls 'nerds.' We call them cool, smart people!"

My 8 year old son proclaims loud and proud "I am a GEEK!" He knows his dad is a geek (officially GeekDad). He knew his mom was a Geek even before I knew, I denied my geek mom status too long!

Friends and family members have expressed concern that his pride at being a member of the Geek tribe will draw trouble, bullies, and teasing.

My question is this:

Should I discourage him from proclaiming his Geekness?

Honestly the status of the geek label has changed since we were kids. Geeks rule the world! They keep all our technology toys and tools running. Even Barack Obama is a geek!

We are not just Geeks in this family. We have other hard to explain identities as well. The kids and I are Unitarian Universalists. My husband is an Atheist, who was raised in a Jewish household. I was raised as a Catholic. We are an interfaith family to the max. Does discouraging him to feel true to his self identity send the message that we shouldn't be the people we want to be just because other people disagree. Let's be honest, this is the root of so much teenage angst!

You know what? I never would want my kid to feel bad about who or what he wants to be. So I'm gonna let him be our fabulous, wonderful geekling!

What do you think? What would you do?

Avoid the Summer Slide

I love the site, readingrockets.org! A few tips from them on keeping your readers reading!

Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Try these strategies to help your reader improve her reading during the summer and beyond.

It's hard to keep up a reading routine in a season packed with distractions and diversions. These suggestions will fit into a busy schedule and make reading fun!

Six books to summer success

Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right – not too hard and not too easy. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. Libraries often run summer reading programs that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area.

Read something every day

Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:

• Morning: The newspaper – even if it is just the comics or today's weather.

• Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter likes the food channel, help her look for a recipe on the network's Web site – then cook it together for more reading practice.

• Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book he is currently reading (one of the six books, above). Have him rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help him be more fluent – able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.

Keep reading aloud

Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so she will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will increase her knowledge and expand her experience with text, so that she will do better when she reads on her own.

Do it yourself Summer Camp!

Do you have summer camp sticker shock? I do! $300-$400 for one week of Day Camp! WOW! We just can't do it for both kids. Luckily Gramma and Grampa are giving one week to our 8 year old as a Birthday Gift and I found a budget Girl Scout camp for our 6 year old. But that's only one week of activities for each kid. The rest of the summer will be filled with free trips to town pool and playgrounds, zoo and museums!

A group of Moms in our neighborhood have taken a different approach! They are holding their own summer camp for their kids. Each day a different family is in charge of activities. Kids gather at the host house for a hike, art project, game, or cooking activity! They are holding one this week for Pre-schoolers while older siblings are still finishing school. Later in the summer there will be another circuit for the elementary school crowd.

A few ideas for camp activities:

• Go on a nature hike: We live right up against a county park, so this one is easy for us. In addition to looking for real wildlife, that might be startled by a herd of munchkins tromping through the woods, hide small toy animals in the trees, brush and along a path. Just be aware of poison ivy!
• Water games: Have a good old fashion water balloon fight, water bucket relays, squirt bottle target practice. And who can forget Slip and Slide!!
• Obstacle course: Jump from hula hoop to hula hoop, jump over mop handles, ride bikes through plastic cones!
• ART!!: My favorite! Paint outside on large pieces of paper, have fun with shaving cream even paint on each other and then go to the water games!
• Have a sleep over: OK this one scares the poop out of me! More than one or two extra kiddos sleeping under my roof is a bit crazy! But if you have ambition and bravery, pitch a tent and roast some marshmallows. Goooood Luck!

I LOVE this idea and will be gathering a group of kiddos for fun and activities around our house. You can do it for a solid week, or as a playgroup style, meeting once a week at different houses!

Put on those creative caps and beat the bad economy by doing it yourself!

Home is where you read your books!

The move is done! We are here in our new house, boxes are being unpacked, photos and pictures are being hung on the walls, various and sundry things are being lost and then found, ahhh the joys of moving.

One of the very first things we unpacked was books, books, books and yet more books! I have oohhed and ahhhhed over forgotten titles and old favorites, and in the next breath cursed the pure volume of books in boxes, boxes, boxes and yet more boxes.


One book which was actually not packed and not unpacked but carefully transported from old home to new home. That book was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , the book we are currently reading as a family. I have written before about chapter books we read as a family. Now though we have realized the importance of this little ritual more than ever.

The very first night we slept in our new home, we made sure to clear away a few boxes and read a chapter. It helped keep us grounded in our theme for the move, same family, new location. It helped us all feel at home and calm down after the anxiety and excitement of the big move day.

Here's the thing, that's what our story time does for us every day. Every day we get together as a family and share a book. We cuddle and listen, gasp, sniff and giggle, all together as a family. I love this time of day! I love sharing this with my family.

So when friends tell me that they "don't read to their eight year old anymore, they are too old" or "don't think a six year old can enjoy a chapter book" I just tell them it works for us. This isn't a cause or crusade, its just our family!