My Font-loving Five Year Old

I'd like to share something my darling daughter did for me the other day; I'm so proud of her.

We were cataloging our curriculum closet at school during a staff meeting. My daughter always attends the staff meetings with me and usually plays in the background (they are held, after all, in a preschool classroom). Well, with books all around her, she had tons of fun "reading" (she's almost 5) but even that lost her interest eventually. As my daughter watched all of us adults look through the titles and then write something on a piece of paper, she decided she would like to write too.

I had established a mental list of the books we would need to add to our home collection - how can you look through piles of books and NOT want to have them all for yourself? Anyway, I put my daughter to work writing the list for me. I said, "Could you copy the title of this book for me on this piece of paper?" I expected her to write the title in her own handwriting, which is pretty good for her age. I knew I'd need to decipher the extra and/or missing spaces that she's still working on.

To my surprise, my daughter actually copied the font of the book title. It took me a minute to realize why her "f" looked weird, then her "Y" looked weird. I almost said, "Why are you writing so wonky?" but then I looked at the book cover. Her "f" and her "Y," as well as all the other letters in the title, mimicked the serif font of the title. Seriously? I mean, really, just look at the "r" in Butler. How amazing is my girl?

I have always been drawn to the differences of fonts, the effect a font can have on a project... Whether it's in web design or paper crafting, fonts matter in my work. I am amazed (and basically stoked!) that my daughter has an eye for them already. How cool is that?

Apparently, I'm Fabulous!

Hey, according to Victoria over at Life Starring Ellie and Eve, I'm fabulous!  How cool is that?  Of all the blogs in all the world, she somehow walked into mine...

This award does have some conditions.  First, I must list my top five addictions.  Second, I must pay it forward and award five other blogs for their fabulousness! 

Hmm... five addictions... here goes:

1. Twitter
2. Starbucks sweetened black iced tea
3. Salty snacks
4. Anything with roasted red peppers
5. Several reality TV shows: So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, America's Next Top Model

That was actually pretty easy to do!  Let's see if I can narrow down my favorite five blogs:

1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - By Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver, accompanies the book by the same name.  This book changed my life... how I eat, how I shop... an incredible MUST READ.  The blog gave me more insight into Barbara's garden and the seasonal workings.
2. Feels Like Home - Aside from having loads of interesting and helpful information on her blog, Tara is a lovely gal.  She is so helpful and sweet.  Get to know her on Twitter too!
3. Resourceful Mommy - Amy is a blogging maven (no really, she is... check her out on the Maven Track at Blissdom '09) and she is the reason I have this blog.  First I learned dreamed of being a writer.  And then I watched her do it.  And then she taught me how to network online to make my dream of crafting as more than a hobby come true too!  Her blog is phenomenally informative too... she is truly resourceful! Get to know her on Twitter!
4. From the Land of Pleasant Living - This is a biased choice, I'll admit.  My longtime friend just started her own blog and I just love it.  Dana's sense of humor comes shining through her writing and I enjoy keeping up with her and her kids through her blog.
5. A Year of Crockpotting - Yep, you read that right. Stephanie has cooked a meal for her family in her crockpot(s) every day for an entire year.  I subscribe to her blog and receive her posts via email (that's how I learned to make Thanksgiving's sweet potatoes in the crockpot!) but I also use her site as the world's largest crock pot recipe source.  It's easy to search for recipes by type (i.e. side dish) or ingredient (sweet potatoes).  The best thing is that Stephanie is a real person!  I emailed her about the sweet potato recipe (wondering how long to cook it if I changed the recipe amount) and she replied that same day.  Amazing.

I hope you enjoy your fabulous award, everyone.  I certainly have enjoyed all that you've shared through your blogs.

Interesting Discoveries: A Trip to the Toy Store

My mother lives in Florida and, for Christmas, she sent each of my children $25 so that they could buy what they wanted instead of guessing what they might like.  First, they were THRILLED to receive mail and then they were thrilled to find cold, hard cash inside the holiday cards.  They're thoughts raced of possible purchases... 

So today was the day.  We loaded up and headed to Toys R Us.  Normally, I would take them to a lovely little toy store right in our town (to buy local) but they don't carry LeapFrog products and I was hoping my son would buy a language arts Didj cartridge so he could practice his spelling words.  (If you have a son, age 5-10, who is really into video games but you hate the thought of him wasting away in front of a screen, you MUST check out Didj by LeapFrog.  Fabulous graphics and MATH and SPELLING that you can adjust via the Internet.)

My son did not, in fact, decide on a Didj cartridge and upon removing his choice from the packaging, I was quite disappointed.  My son chose the Indiana Jones and the Lost Temple of Akator playset by Hasbro (photo to right from Amazon.com).  This toy retails for approximately $42.00 but he paid $24.99 plus tax.  The deal was good but the product?  Beyond being more plastic junk (my opinions about buying more plastic junk were quickly vetoed), we already have this toy.  Did my son own it before today?  NO.  Did my son own the Star Wars Lava Mountain?  Yes.  Are they the same toy?  YES!  Can you believe it?  Hasbro has simply regurgitated the Lava Mountain toy, in a new color and with a few minor scenic adjustments.  The balls of lava that shoot out of the volcano's mouth are now giant boulders that roll from the top of the mountain, the lava pit is now a pool of quicksand and the nubs for electrical towers (not shown) now hook up to trees.  I'm thoroughly disgusted.  Take a look for yourself:

  

My daughter's choice redeemed the day's experience, thankfully.  She choose a Barbie Thumbelina doll ($12.99 at Toys R Us, $15.99 at Amazon.com).  What I love about this toy is not that it's more plastic (can't avoid it altogether) but the packaging is environmentally friendly.  The box even discusses the fact that the cardboard can and should be recycled and it offered a little green tidbit ("Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a TV for three hours.")  And, believe it or not, there were no twisty wires holding the doll in place!!!  Just a few tiny threads held the doll in her packaging and let me say, after working my fingers raw removing toys from their packaging on Christmas Day, I was thrilled.

I'll be honest... I've never liked the way toys are made to "supplement" movies but this new approach to packaging by Mattel impresses me.  I already love the Barbie movies for their positive messages and gentle themes and now I actually appreciate their toys. 

Philanthropy Boy

My oldest son made me very proud today. He walked into the kitchen after school and said, "Mom, can we have a hot chocolate stand?" I said, "Sure, hon," thinking this was a great way to spend some time outside since it wasn't actually freezing (a welcome break from our recent weather). But then, my boy said, "We're going to donate half the money we earn to a homeless shelter, a quarter to an animal shelter and then who ever works at the stand will split the rest." Seriously? My seven year old son thought of this? My son thought of this instead of making a Christmas wish list to mail to Santa? My heart filled with love and pride as I thought, "That's ma' boy!"

So I put on the kettle of water and scrounged up some holiday mugs and cocoa mix. He brought up a kid-sized table from the basement and called our neighbor for a marshmallow donation. Within ten minutes we were set. And the timing was perfect... it was just dark enough to really see our Christmas lights shining bright!

We're lucky to live on a court full of children eager to help. As employees, they were entitled to a share of the profit, of course. Each took their duties seriously whether it was advertising (knocking on every door), measuring out the cocoa mix, stirring the water, adding marshmallows, taking the money or babysitting the youngest staff member (my 14 mo. old).

Considering they were out for just an hour (before it was too dark and cold) and only 4 out of 7 houses had someone home, they did pretty well. After deducting their salary, the children made $12! Not bad considering their customers were 2 adults and themselves. How sweet it was that after setting everything up, they all ran into their houses to fetch a dollar and buy a cup of hot cocoa from themselves.

The math went out the door in the end; the proceeds will be divided in half. We plan to donate $6 to our town's homeless shelter and visit our county Humane Society with our $6 (plus lots of love for the animals). Sure, it's not much but isn't the point just that he had the idea? I love that he's ready to make a difference and already believes he can.

---

And as if the evening weren't rewarding enough, I was even able to finally snap a picture worthy of a holiday card. Here it is - our holiday card 2008 photo - da da da dum:

Children's Books -- MUST HAVES

I have three children. My eldest is a 7 year old boy, my middle a 4 ½ year old girl and my youngest child, a boy, is 13 months old. Of course, three children means we have three times the norm of many, many things: food, laundry, doctor’s visits, TOYS.

So, as we approached my youngest child’s first birthday, I thought long and hard about what to give him. Friends asked, “What does he need? What doesn’t he have?” Do you know I couldn’t answer? Sure, our doctor kit is now approximately five years old and missing a few pieces, but do we need a new one? No. Sure, my son already enjoys pushing around cars and trucks but since he’s got so many left from my eldest, does he need new ones? No. How about clothes? Nope, have them left over from my eldest as well as many friends. Hmmm…

Then, it hit me. Can you ever have too many books? No way. I don’t know about you, but I read 2 – 3 books per night, per child so that’s a lot of reading. Translation: that’s a lot of repetition. We’ve been reading the same bookcase-worth of books for seven years now. Ouch. (It actually is painful sometimes.) With this is mind, I decided to have a book-themed party where everyone could give the birthday boy a copy of their favorite book. This worked beautifully for our guest list as the vast majority of kids invited were the friends of my other two. They’d been read to all their lives so I figured they had to have favorites. I was so right and, as I gazed at the very manageable stack of new books after the party, I was at peace. Gone was the usual post-party angst regarding where we’d put all the new stuff. Where would all those tiny pieces go so they didn’t get lost? How long would it take my fingers to heal after untwisting all those wires to free all this stuff? Instead, it was “Ahhhhh. Look at that lovely pile of books for us to read.”

But I’m not the only one with a lack-luster library. Why not consider rejuvenating your friends’ libraries this year too? They will thank you for not giving their child another thing to collect dust once the thrill wears off (ever notice how the thrill doesn’t wear off of books for kids?). To get you started, here are my absolute favorites, appropriate for children birth through third grade (at least):

On The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
This gorgeous tale describes the wondrous happenings across the planet as your child was born. I’ve made sure each of my children have their own copy so that they will always know how very connected they are to our environment.

I Hate Everyone by Mij Kelly
A selfish Queen Bee learns to be polite in this clever story. The typography lends to the excitement; as the Queen yells louder, so do the words on the page! The richly colored images are sure to in trance your child as they learn that being nice is the best way to be.

The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Can you spot the little flea in each picture? Did you notice each animal moves just a bit on each page? Your child will enjoy predicting what’s next by looking at the pictures in this fun book. The day may start sleepy but it sure ends up bright!

My Very Own Name Personalized Storybook
Animals gather round as a new baby joins the wood. To decide the baby’s name, each animal offers a letter. “D” might come from a donkey or a deer, for example. Based on the information you provide upon ordering, the animals spell out your special child’s name. The birthdate of this woodland baby matches that of your child as well. I’ve purchased this book for all of my children. When they were younger, they loved hearing their names as part of the story. As they grew, they began identifying the letters presented my each animal. The illustrations are gorgeous as well.

How Do I Love You? By P.K. Hallinan
This fun rhyme describes all the lovable things about your child (“I love it when you’re happy and I’m sorry when you’re sad. And even though it may not show, I love you when you’re bad.”). It’s a wonderful way to reaffirm a parent’s love for their child, no matter what their behavior. The drawings are vividly colored and lots of fun!

This author/illustrator has an entire series of love-affirming books worth checking out.

Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
If you’ve never read any of the Bear books, you are in for a treat! In this episode, beautifully illustrated rhythmic poetry tells of Bear’s friends caring for him when he is sick. Each animal does something special for Bear and, in the end, Bear cares for them when they become sick.

Also look for Bear Wants More (featuring American Sign Language for “more,” Bear Snores On, Bear’s New Friend, Bear Stay’s Up (a Christmas story) and Bear Feels Scared.

Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
This quick board book is such fun to read. Your child will love how they, as the reader, speak directly to the mouse about his juicy, red, ripe strawberry and the very big hungry bear who loves to eat them!

Go Track a Yak! By Tony Johnston
Go on a silly journey to save the little baby who won’t eat. Thanks to outstanding typography, you’ll find yourself in character as a dim-witted dad and cranky witch. My children have enjoyed the story on many levels over the years; different parts make them laugh as they get older.

Sixteen Cows by Lisa Wheeler
Join Cowboy Gene and Cowgirl Sue as they each call their eight cows in for the night. But, when a storm blows down the fence, the herds mix and mayhem ensues. Through witty rhymes, we find Cowboy Gene and Cowgirl Sue in love and the herd size doubled!

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Do you deal with any picky eaters? Can you imagine SEVEN of them? This rhyming tale will entertain you and your picky eater as you watch one mother become exhausted by her seven silly eaters… and then watch their favorite foods magically combine to make one delicious birthday cake for Mom!

Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
This fable describes how all things are connected here on Planet Earth. Beautiful watercolors vividly depict the land and creatures of our world. This is a MUST read for children to help them understand the importance of preserving Earth’s ecology.

For even more book ideas, check out my list “Children’s Books – MUST HAVES” on Wishpot.com.

HSM3: A Trip Down Memory Lane?

Have you seen it yet? Have you seen High School Musical 3? I took my kids on Saturday but to be honest, I was just as excited as they were. And even though my expectations were high, I was not disappointed. For 112 minutes and 12 songs, I lived vicariously through these six+ individuals going through the angst of high school graduation, college selection and long-distance first loves.

As a base review, let me say that the song and dance numbers are a real step up from the made-for-TV movies, though not all-together original. They pay homage to many movies from "my day" -- I recognized "Footloose," "The Breakfast Club" and "Grease" at the very least. But, you know what? Those musical numbers work; they were used appropriately at just the right time to convey the same types of emotion as in their predecessors. And they are darn catchy (the soundtrack is bound to be in my little girl's stocking this Christmas).

What I didn't expect was to go on such a personal emotional journey. Suddenly, I was seeing my future... As Gabriella sang about dreaming of prom her whole life, my eyes welled at the thought of my daughter going to prom (true, she's 4 1/2 now but time is flying!) and as Troy gave his graduation speech, my eyes welled AGAIN at the thought of my now 7 year old son graduating from high school. Wasn't he born yesterday? How is he in 2nd grade already?

And on top of that, I began reliving my own history as well! And I don't just mean senior year of high school. Instead, it was like I was five years old watching Grease at the movie theater (which is my earliest memory of being in a theater). Sure, in hindsight the content was SO inappropriate but I certainly didn't get it at the time. What I did get was the wonder of the music and dancing. Soon after, my sister Monica and I had the double LP. Do you remember it? It looked like the Formica diner tables with pictures laid across. We listened to it over and over again, standing on the couch as we performed with one another. Monica was always Danny Zuko and I was always Sandy Olson... why, I don't know. Maybe it was because I was the youngest and poor Monica had to give in or I'd cry for days? Regardless, we loved re-enacting the whole thing, start to finish. So now I wonder, will the High School Musical trilogy be for my kids what Grease was for me? Will they be off at college, dancing in a bar and suddenly screech because the DJ is playing a montage of HSM songs that they haven't heard, let alone thought of, in years? Will their memories of seeing the movie (and subsequently dancing and singing in the kitchen with Mom) come rushing back to them as they dance along in some random bar while away at school? I hope so!

(The soundtrack to High School Musical 3 is offered on Amazon.com for $9.99 and on iTunes for $12.99.)

Website or Design Vehicle???

Ack! I'm supposed to be marketing myself for design team positions with this blog... yet I can't seem to stop designing it! I am a web designer by trade and just can't help myself! The HTML is there... just taunting me... Change me... Change me! So I have and I'm not sorry! I can't wait to see what I can do when the kids go to bed!

Oh, wait! I do have something to say!

So part of my hesitation to start a blog was the worry I wouldn't have anything to say. But you know what? I do! Every month, I write a column for my local MOMS Club chapter... I'm the Philanthropy Chair and I write about ways to help others and the environment. Sure, some of the info is MOMS Club-specific, but most of is not. And now I have this new platform for sharing the helpful info I find. Totally cool! So check back every once in a while to learn how you can make a difference.

Why Blog?

Why do I have to blog? Because the powers that be say so.

I craft. I do it to relax but have always been told "You should sell your stuff." That'd be nice but I'm not pressed. What I do want to do, though, is join a design team. I look through craft magazine like a teenaged boy looks through porn... I can't get enough. But as I look through them, I think, "I could do that. I could do better than that. They seriously just published that?" So now I've finally gotten up the nerve to try out for some design teams but, guess what? They all require blogs! What? What does having a blog have to do with paper crafting?

I get it, I really do. They want someone who can explain how to do a project. They want someone with personality. I've taught adults and children alike, and I've got loads of personality. What I don't have is the gumption to sit down at the computer every night and write about it.

But, they want a blog. So here I go...