Children need freedom to think for themselves

Tagline: History is not doomed to anything. Stand in the right place, at the right time, and you can't help but feel the moment repeated. A Wyoming advertisement.

My feelings that came to me when I saw this: I remember getting 'free time' or rather 'go explore while dad and I set up the campground' (ie: am scram and outta our hair please) whenever we went to varioud campgrounds along the Pacific Ocean. I got to explore and think for myself. I didn't have guided tours in elaborate parks to tell me what ride to do next or how I should feel about history. I got to sit and look and most importantly: THINK for myself. I got to have adventures of my own, that I could own myself. I want that for my son.
I read about a Lego tour w/ a water park attached, then I saw this. I was thinking how many personal stories I wrote in my noggin while trudging through hiking trails and "Who I might be and what I was doing there."

This image is incredibly effective.

Tortilla's - Make them yourself.. seriously!

I'm totally amazed at how much pre-packaged foods we buy. You can save yourself so much money if you buy bulk flour/corn (mesa) ground up and make your own things. I am going to try out french bread- the pizza and bread recipe really mirrors each other.

For the tortilla I bought a bag of corn meal? ground up corn to be powdered. I'm so elegant with words aren't I. heh.
I put a scoop of it, (comes with directions on the bag) and a scoop of water with a bit of added salt to taste (you don't even have to put salt from what I gather) and mix it like a dough ball and then smash them in my tortilla press (easy easy easy), lay them in a warm ungreased pan and I have floppy tortilla's for stuff in minutes.

I bet this would be fun for the kids to mix! When my boy gets older I know we are going to have a lot of fun in the kitchen. My plan is to make cooking a math thing. Instead of simply putting him in front of a worksheet he will get to make something. He will see how Delicious and Delightful math can be.

When we were in Mexico he would count the numbers in the elevator. We would go from 6th floor (where our apt was) to the 1st floor several times a day. He got to press the 6 and the 1 several times. He was so happy counting and getting to press the button. He is only 2.8 years old and he really has a grasp of his numbers because we just get him involved and exposed to those numbers that are in our life.

Holiday Card Holder

So, instead of putting your holiday card holder back in the box with the rest of the unused Xmas items that won't see light for another year.. keep it out!

I have strung my twine with little clips painted as trees on my wall, and now it holds coupons, and reminders and such. I love it. It keeps my most important items in clear view and coupons actually get used!!

Recycled Bookmarks

I LOVE bookmarks. I collect them and put them in my desk to collect a little dust, but it still doesn't stop me. I enjoy reading various amounts of books. Something in my cookbooks, a reference book but don't want to lose the page.

Anyways, I thought of the admission tickets I get on trips. They come in bookmark sized papers, and on a heavy cardstock. To keep it longer you might want to try laminating it. (Note to self: Find eco friendly laminating alternatives). Now you have a nice bookmark.

You could give them as gifts to those who went with you to the event. Take their ticket when you are there and laminate it, and then give it back to the book lover in mind.

I tend to use all sorts of things as book marks though. Sometimes if you want to remember something specific about a certain page in a refernce book- sticky notes work well, YOu can write on the sticky note "great recipe, but use onions instead of mushrooms" and move on. :)

I made Pants

I made hubby, Me and little guy some pants out of this pattern:
http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-some-easy-kids-pants/

I bought a 'regular' pattern but it was too much hassle then the one I found online. You can use any materal that is the right size. I plan on trying something with our recycled clothes that I won't give away. Instead of a quilt.

I'm wondering also what to do with the wedding dress. Quilt?

Schooling a Pre-Preschooler

It's amazing how much stuff is out there to buy and collect for the hope of teaching a child 'correctly' but I realize when I stop and observe how much is in our own environment already.

My son learns his colors by the fact that everything we live with has color. We don't need some toy to provide us. Pick up a banana, a bucket, a cup, or anything around the house that is different and realize these have their own color. Then you can simply say "mommy is drinking from her yellow cup today"
We were on the beach in Mexico, and my husband took the shovel my parents had bought and made letters and numbers in the sand. No elaborate book with a complicated system. Just a 'stick' and sand. We could make them big, small or any size. I thought it would be interesting to do lessons on the beach like this.
It got me thinking about clutter as well. We seem to save every scrap of paper, every art project and fluff our child makes out of respect to them as well as how cute it is and we want to remember it, gaze at it's awesomeness. But then we just mush ourselves with great clutter. That is another story, but I thought it was thought provoking to think... "Who started the collecting of crap" and made everyone else want to buy into this consumerism? We need file folders, holders and bigger houses (all costs more money to upkeep and get in the first place)

Anywho.