Comments (3)

By Mom Unplugged, October 21, 2007 10:31 am

Amanda from The Rowdy Pea drew my name out of a hat as the lucky recipient of her “crafty giveaway.” I was quite surprised, since I never win anything. But sure enough, Amanda’s package arrived a few days ago much to the excitement of us all!

I wish I had taken photos of how everything was wrapped, because even the wrapping was lovely, but I didn’t get to my camera in time. The children and I joyfully opened the package to find:

- A lovely handmade baby smock (here it is on the baby). Can you see the adorable pattern on the fabric? Kind of a retro kitten print:

- Some clever handmade note cards with sweet illustrations and the cutest little doll I have ever seen (the children have named her Loreena for some reason):

- There was also a very handy Burt’s Bees Lip Balm that my 7 year-old daughter was excited to appropriate.

Amanda’s handiwork is just gorgeous and I am deeply impressed. Not being a “crafty” kind of person, I simply can’t imagine the painstaking work involved in crafting little Loreena for example.

Amanda has just opened an Etsy shop called Dream Child Studio where you can buy your own Loreena and friends, as well as gnomes and adorable wool felt dress-up crowns. Her shop seems to have really taken off as I notice that she has sold most of her inventory already. Please keep checking it though, since I am sure she will be restocking it as soon as she can make some more treasures.

One last thought: Amanda’s acorn-capped dolls and gnomes would make perfect stocking stuffers and they are lovingly handcrafted in Minnesota by Amanda (no toxic ingredients!).

Thank you so much Amanda, for sending us your sweet gifts and brightening our day!

Comments (4)

By Mom Unplugged, October 17, 2007 9:17 pm

There is another blogger out there who is trying to turn off the TV for one week, just to see how it goes. Becky of Boys Rule My Life (mom of three boys!) and her family have decided to try going without TV for one week. Becky says:

“Jeff and I have been talking about this for some time and after reading this post on Unplug Your Kids and seeing a tv commercial today showing a child coming home from school and the parents being too “busy” for their kids we’ve decided that it’s time: We are unplugging the tv for a week. ”
-We’re Going Unplugged, October 10th

One thing I think is clever, but perhaps obvious to most besides me, is that Becky actually physically unplugged the TV in order to avoid little fingers turning it on. Of course even the littlest children know how to push buttons and could turn on a TV with no problem. Plus, as Becky says: “…it is truly unplugged, which also means that I have to make a conscious decision to turn it back on.”

Becky is also trying to cut down on the amount of time she spends online. I must admit that the computer is also my weakness. During my TV Turn-Off Week Blog Challenge I cut back too, but it was hard.

Read about Becky’s first unplugged day here. It sounds like it was a pretty good day. Her oldest boy Will (age 5) was thrilled to play more trains, and Nathan (age 2) was a bit perplexed, but all was going fairly smoothly as of the time of her post.

She also posted an update today:

“Mornings have been less hectic. I don’t have to remind Will *quite* so much to get ready, brush teeth, etc. because the tv is not on to distract him. We’ve played trains or read books before school every day this week. The house is quieter. It’s nice.”

They have not been completely TV-free. The family has turned it on for a little while around 3PM, but only for a bit. The reduction in the amount of TV her family has watched seems to have made Becky pretty happy so far. She and her husband Jeff have been able to spend more time as a family, which was their main goal.

Becky’s “unplugged week” continues. Please stop by Boys Rule My Life to follow her family’s progress and wish them well!

Comments (5)

By Mom Unplugged, October 7, 2007 9:34 am

I just want to say a big thank you to DeepBlog for choosing to list Unplug Your Kids as one of their “Promising New Blogs. ” DeepBlog is “an easy to use guide and portal to quality blogs for newcomers to the blogosphere.”

They also published my two “why I blog” posts (Why am I Doing This? and Why I Blog) on their “Why I Blog” page. The “Why I Blog” page has essays and first posts from a wide variety of bloggers from all over the blogosphere writing about (…obviously…) why they blog and what they get out of blogging. It is definitely worth a look, especially if you wonder, as I constantly do, why we do this crazy thing!

Thanks so much for the support DeepBlog! I am honored.

Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer penywise for this great picture!

Comments (2)

By Mom Unplugged, September 18, 2007 11:28 am

My oldest daughter gave me a present: the first cold of the school year. How sweet! The past few days I have been too busy blowing my nose to write an inspired post.

Today I feel like writing a post entitled: “How to Nap Peacefully in Your Bed All Day While Caring For a One Year-Old” If I find any information on how to do that, I will be sure to pass it on.

So, all I have for you today is a plan to draw your attention to some links in my left sidebar. Andamom published some interesting web links on Andamom.com and I thought this was a good idea. Since I have already found the links I am going to introduce, not much thought is required on my part. Perfect for today.

I don’t think many people have noticed the sites I have listed under “Wonderful Websites.” It is a bit swallowed up by “Blogs I Like” above, and “Unplug TV Resources” below.

1. Backyard Nature with Jim Conrad: This is a site packed with nature facts and information. Kids (and adults) can read about plants, animals, fungi, geology, ecology, gardening, names & classification, and “tools for the backyard naturalist.” One of my favorite parts of the site is “101 Nature-Oriented Things to do this Summer.” If the kids say they’re bored, then send them outside to find a lichen or some insect eggs (#10 and #43). How about participating in Operation Rubythroat (a humming bird observation project, #84)? Summer is almost over, for those of us residing in the Northern part of the globe anyhow, but many of these ideas would be doable in winter too.

2. National Wildlife Federation “Green Hour”:
The goal is to get kids outdoors for at least one hour per day, the “Green Hour,” for “unstructured play and interaction with the natural world.” The site has a page called Discovery Journals and Activities where different outdoor activities are suggested and readers can search past activities by season or topic. How about an Alphabet Hike or a Worm Safari? Green Hour publishes a blog too.

3. Arbor Day Foundation “Nature Explore”: Tons of ideas to help connect kids with nature. Be sure to check out their Sourcebook page. There is also a Nature Explore Club to join (we have not done so yet) where, for $20, the Arbor Day Foundation will send your child a package ten times a year with the following:

“1 : 10 engaging, colorful stories—to take imagination to new heights
2: 10 outdoor activities—that children and adults have fun doing together
3: 10 different “Explorer’s Tools” like a tape measure, leaf shapes, and a viewfinder to make discovering nature even more fun
-Plus more!”

And finally, for a change from outdoor nature activities, or on a rainy day, be sure to visit :

4. The Toymaker: Artist Marilyn Scott-Waters has here remarkable creations for parents and children to print out and make for free! Here is Marilyn’s introduction:

Welcome to my odd, little world of paper toys, holiday cards, valentines, sun boxes,

baskets and bags, origami and ephemera… all for you to make.

My goal is to help grownups and kids spend time together making things.

It is my wish to amuse and delight.

Enjoy,

Marilyn.

All her creations are positively gorgeous, plus they are easy and fun to make. You can look up ideas by Holiday, or simply browse all the fun Paper Toys. Don’t miss the Otter Paper Dolls and clothes too! Everything is completely free to make for fun or as presents, all Marilyn asks is that you not sell her creations. Marilyn has an interesting blog too. Thank you for giving us all the lovely gift of your site Marilyn!

Thanks to photographer mantasmagorical and morguefuile.com for this photo.

Comments (4)

By Mom Unplugged, July 20, 2007 12:33 pm

I just discovered another Backyard Wildlife Habitat slideshow made by Tiffany and her family over at Nature Mom’s Blog!

Several weeks ago, I wrote a post describing how to certify your yard as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. This can be a fun family project that can teach kids a lot about nature and make them look at their own backyard in a whole new way.

One of my readers, meeyauw made a slideshow of her property showing the different habitat elements. Meeyauw’s slideshow inspired Tiffany to create one of her yard too.

This slideshow idea seems like a lot of fun! Go visit meeyauw’s and Tiffany’s slideshows and then make one of your own. Be sure to tell me about it and I will link to it here.

Thank you both for taking this idea one very creative step farther!