Organic...or not?

No sooner did I write this post about when to buy organic foods than I heard the shocking news: Organic food might not be any healthier than conventionally grown foods.

Ok, so I wasn't shocked. This isn't the first time that the label "organic" has been called into question. Its become such a popular term that everyone is looking to slap "organic" or "natural" stickers on their products, often without really meeting the standards the consumer is hoping or expecting.

I have a lot of questions though. For instance, the study suggests that the nutritional content is not higher in organic food than in conventionally grown food. That makes sense to me. But what about benefits that come from not having exposure to pesticides? Was that studied as well?

I've never been converted to the full organic lifestyle, though I do try to make that choice when it is affordable, convenient, and seems important to me. But intuitively, food grown without chemicals seems better to our entire eco-system than food with chemicals.

I'm not the only one with questions - an entire industry has been put on edge by the news. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more studies in the near future.

In the meantime, Organic gardening is all the rage this year, studies or no studies. After Michelle Obama planted an organic garden at the White House with her own hands, there was literally a run on organic seeds and plants at Garden Centers all over the world. Even the Queen of England started a garden at Buckingham palace, for the first time since World War II.

Now, my friends and I planted an organic garden this year as well, even before Michelle put her's into the ground. Who's to say that the Queen wasn't equally influenced by my garden?

Yeah, I guess not.

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Improving my diet, one BPA free meal at a time

This is the next post in our new series on Feeding our Family. If there is a specific idea or post topic you would like to read about as part of this series, e-mail us at dupagemamas(at)gmail(dot)com.

When it comes to feeding my family healthy-not-harmful food, I've long since decided that "perfect" isn't going to be my goal. Instead, I'm shooting for marks like "improvement" or "better." When I shoot for perfection I realize it doesn't exist, so I fail and get discouraged and end up doing less. When I shoot for taking baby steps towards improving I succeed and get excited and end up making real progress.

So, I'm always looking for rules of thumb or tips I can follow. I recently came across the three tips that EWG suggests for feeding your family. They suggest you limit your exposure to foods with pesticides, foods with BPA, and foods with growth hormones.

Ok, that sounds about right. But how?

Avoiding pesticides typically means buying organic, which I find is often easier said than done. The single most helpful "hint" I've found is this document, which lists the "Dirty Dozen" - the 12 items of produce that carry the most harmful pesticide residue - and the "Clean 15". So if you can only afford to buy some organic foods, this list will help you know what to prioritize and when its ok to buy conventionally grown foods.

Then there's the little matter of BPA. The main place where this nasty chemical will show up in our diet is in certain kinds of plastics and basically all canned products. The way to avoid it is to be sure that the plastics you use for storing water and food are BPA free. The worst plastic for BPA is the kind with a #7 recycle label, while those with a #1, 2, 4, or 5 do not have BPA. As for canned goods, by fresh or frozen instead of canned whenever possible. That goes for veggies, fruit, soup, pasta, beans...if it comes in a can, it has BPA.

As for growth hormones? These may be showing up in your non-organic meat and dairy, but cannot be used in meat and dairy that is labelled as organic. I personally haven't made this leap yet, and its a costly one.

So here are the rules of thumb for healthier eating:

• buy organic produce, at least when shopping for "the Dirty Dozen"
• avoid using #7 plastics for food or water and stick to #1, 2, 4, or 5
• avoid canned goods when possible
• consider buying organic meat and dairy

This isn't going to make my family's diet perfect, and I won't be following this perfectly either. But these tips have helped me improve our diet. One step at a time.

Do you have any rules of thumb or quick tips for improving your family's diet? Please share! You can leave them here in the comments or, better yet, write your own musings on feeding your family and we will post it as part of our series.

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Park District Roulette

One of the many wonderful things about living in Dupage County is the well resourced Park Districts in most towns. When you have little kids with lots of energy, getting out and doing something structured and fun can be a "must." I always pounce on the Park District catalogs when they come, looking for fun things to enhance our week. Park Districts are like the multi-vitamin of daily fun: a great supplement.

And I don't limit myself to just one town either. I'm not afraid to pay the non-resident rate if I find something we could do with friends or just looks fantastic. We've done soccer camp at one town, swimming lessons in another, and tumbling class at still another - though not at the same time.

But there is certainly a sense of spinning the roulette wheel when we register and show up for the first day. Some classes and activities have been home runs - like the Chicago Fire MLS soccer camps held by real players with cool accents and great coaching skills. But there have been some major busts - like the gym class that promised to get lots of wiggles out playing games in the gym for 40 minutes. They spent 10 minutes in the gym and 30 minutes doing free play in a chaotic classroom with only one supervisor. (We didn't bother going back to that one).

Having paid for my share of Park District wins and loses, I'm convinced it comes down to the quality of the teacher, which in many respects comes down to the quality of the Park District itself. I can remember a teacher who facilitated a great tumbling class, and my friend raves about a wonderful music teacher. But I also have a fresh memory of a terrible story-time teacher who didn't come prepared with anything more than two books to read to a room full of two years olds that had an hour to spend in her care. Total miserable chaos.

Reading the Park District catalog at home, its hard to know what you're going to get. Everything I've signed up for has sounded fantastic. Some have really lived up to my expectations. And some have fallen so flat I've asked for my money back.

What Park Districts, teachers, or classes have you had a great experience with? I'm much more likely to sign up with a strong recommendation than to spin the roulette wheel these days.

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Orange

We've been talking about feeding your family around here lately. But what about when the "family" is a seven month old?

As soon as he could hold his head up, my baby B howled with frustration at meal times because he wasn't getting any. As soon as he could move his hands he did his best to remedy that by swiping at our foods. As soon as the Pediatrician gave me the go ahead, I started him on solid foods.

Its been confusing though. Some days he'll gobble up the whole jar and start howling each time I take the spoon back to refill because it is now six inches away from his mouth and that is just Too Far. Other times when offered food he'll turn his head to the right and begin crying bitterly each time the spoon comes near, with a distinct tone of "you have got to be kidding me."

(Just for the record, I told my husband before B was born that this child would be more compliant but a horrible sleeper and a picky eater. No word yet on compliance but otherwise I'm 2 for 2).

In my sleep deprived state it took me until this week to recognize the pattern. He loves peaches, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. He screams with personal offense about anything and everything else.

Orange. I guess his favorite color is Orange.

My feeding-your-child philosophy has always been: Offer what is being served. If child does not want it, he can have a no-thank you helping. If that's all he wants, fine, he won't starve. If he's hungry enough he'll eat it. Under no circumstances will a separate meal be prepared. Avoid power struggles and slippery-slopes.

This is a seven month old though. Power struggles are still in the future, but the slippery slopes begin now. So I'm baffled - do I buy mostly Orange Stuff because he's a baby and needs to eat? (He is, after all, still a very little Bee). Or do I continue to buy and toss Other Colored Foods? (But what is the point of buying food I know will only go in the garbage?) Or, do I mix a variety of foods into a still-predominantly-orange blend resulting in a more balanced diet but not teaching him how to eat (and enjoy!) what is being served?

In the meantime, all our rags, bibs, and increasingly, clothes, are permanently stained Orange.

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Concerts and Conferences and Fairs, oh my!

Its Fair Time! We've said it before, but its finally here - the Dupage County Fair! There's so much to do - check it out.

Are any of you Bloggers going to BlogHer this weekend? Bloggers from all over the world are flying to our very own Chicago for one of the coolest blogging conferences around. I wasn't able to get a ticket in time (bummer!) but Farrah will be there so keep your eyes peeled!

Do any of you like Keb Mo? He's got some cool tunes, and he'll be playing at the Morton Arboretum on Friday, July 24th. And if that wasn't enough, Smokey Robinson is playing on Saturday, July 25th! So, head to the Arboretum and enjoy the music and nature together.

If that's not enough to choose from, Oak Brook's Mayslake Peabody Estate Open House and Art Fair is Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25th, with live music and theater and tours of the Estate.

Last but not least, my son's third birthday party is this coming Saturday - but not open to the public. :)

Its summer! Get outside, hear some live music, eat some donuts, and enjoy the sun.

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Three

In the weeks leading up to my oldest son's first birthday I had time carved out to reflect, to remember, to intentionally set down those things I didn't want to leave behind. My baby had grown up so fast. I mused over his transition from baby to little boy. I couldn't believe it had gone in the blink of an eye.

In the days leading up to his second birthday, I cut his hair for the first time. He looked so grown up, so handsome; he was so spirited, so independent. And I said, "if I thought the baby days were leaving us behind last year, they are clearly long gone now."

Now, in the hours leading up to his third birthday, I look back at the pictures from a year ago and contradict my former declarations once again. Surely it was this year, these twelve quickly passing month that truly saw him move from baby to boy. After all, this is the year where he left behind so much of the baby routines for Big Boy things instead.

Nothing can really compare to that first year. It begins with an umbilical cord and ends with walking and first words. If that's not an amazing journey, I don't know what is. Of course, there's also the nine months the preceeds it - beginning with bodily fluid and ending up with a person.

But this Two-to-Three year is nothing to shake a stick at either.

We left diapers behind this year, the high chair, the sling, wispy baby curls, sign language and transition words, rocking chair, bottles, and cribs. Instead we have Big Boy Bed, Big Boy Pants, Big Boy Chair...

I have a friend (you know who you are!) that used to sing this homemade song "She was a baby baby baby...now she's in college college college." Three is much closer to Baby than to College. But on some days, I can hear the echo.

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Which Sunscreen?

Its a sign of the times that I'm asking "which" not "if." When I was a kid - not that long ago, really - sunbathers laid on the tanning oils before laying out. Now, we don't even play outside without SPF 30. Its not a question of "if" we wear sunscreen, its a question of "which" sunscreen will provide the most protection and do the least harm.

According to the Environmental Working Group, three out of five sunscreens don't work: either they provide ineffective sun protection or they're full of dangers materials. During this brief window of non-winter-weather in Illinois, my boys and I are chomping at the bit to get out of our small condo and into the sun. Slathering them up each day is one of my least favorite chores. They're squirmy, screaming, eager to get out. If I'm going to go through all this work, I want it to be helping them.

I looked up the brand we use on EWG's helpful Sunscreen guide, a list of 660 available sunscreens they've tested and how they scored. Or at least, I tried to. Scrolling down the list of products I've never heard of (sorted by top scorers first) I was down to 200 before I gave up. That can't be good. I finally just used the search function to find it, and am frankly too discouraged to even report what they had to say. Well, at least I know what to buy next time.

Or do I? My kids and I have been all over in our mainstream-brand sunscreen, and frankly, so have most of the people I know. You name it - the zoo, the beach, the pool, mid-day, all day, Illinois, California. And we've never burned with it on or even close. So its doing the job I'm trusting it to. And I can both find and afford it.

Don't let my discouragement stop you. I would recommend checking out EWG's Sunscreen Guide for yourself - its an interesting education if nothing else. But I highly recommend their Shopper's Guide. This one lists the "best easily found" sunscreens, as well as information to be aware of when choosing and using sunscreen. This guide is helpful and not overwhelming. I really will choose one of these the next time sunscreen is on my list.

So here's to safety in the sun! Do any of you actually still use tanning oil? Do you slather your kids but not yourself? Do you wear SPF 50 even in the winter? What have you found works for you?

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Weird Picture Friday - Scary picture of Moi

What is this?? Strange art? Something that got twice exposed? Its a weird picture, that's for sure!

I was actually sitting in the car messing around with my camera when I took this self portrait. I expected it to be just my head but - lo! and behold! - the rest of me showed up as well, in the background, reflected off the car window.

So you know what this means. Its slim pickin's around here. Send in your weird pictures!

If you'd like to join in, post your own Weird Picture Friday photo to your blog and link back to us. Then, leave a comment so all the Dupage Mamas can stop by your blog and have a laugh. Don't have a blog? No problem. E-mail us the picture and we'll feature it right here in an upcoming Weird Picture Friday post!

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How "Waste Not Want Not" is not like "White Elephant"

When I was about five years old my family was invited to a White Elephant party at church. We were new to the community and hardly knew anybody. To us (well, to my parents), White Elephant meant "give away something no one wants, for the laugh." So they elaborately wrapped up a not-currently-in-use toilet seat and we prepared for a great evening. We added it proudly to the massive stack of gifts and sat down to enjoy the fun.

Except our mirth turned to mortification as we watched gift after gift be chosen and unwrapped - lovely, desirable, useful things. Sure, they might be second hand, but they were nice. We were pretty much ready to disappear entirely by the time one young man walked excitedly to the stack and chose the largest gift of all - our toilet seat. I vividly remember the look on his face as he opened it, and I was five years old at the time. My family made a pact to never, ever tell who gave that toilet seat.

I have to admit as I dug through my cupboards in preparation for the Dupage Mamas Waste Not Want Not party, I was having flashbacks. Who would really want this stuff I was ready to get rid of? If I didn't want it, who would?

When I saw the table covered in a spread of (mostly) delicious looking groceries, it looked like my fears were confirmed. Apparently the other party attenders had actually brought good stuff, while I had brought...well, stuff I didn't want.

Then I heard it. "This is fantastic! Who would give away this?!" one person exclaimed. I turned and saw that the item she had in mind was something from my own cupboard. For about twenty minutes we all browsed and grabbed and scored a bag of staples that met our needs perfectly. Hardly anything was left for our food shelter distribution, and nothing at all that I had brought.

So, my White Elephant trauma has been laid to rest. Cafe Galicia, and their Tapas and Sangria, was fantastic. The company was exquisite. The giveaways for Pampered Chef (thanks Becky!!) and Usborne Books (thanks Sharenda!!) were so fun. And a phone call from my husband brought the miraculous news that my infant had woken and managed to fall asleep without me.

What could make for a better evening?

If you are sorry you missed it and would like another chance to have some fun girl time, don't fret. We will hopefully be having another Girls' Night Out very soon. In the meantime, we are having a small get-together this Sunday to learn more about Usborne Books and all they have to offer for our kiddos. We would love to have you join us! Click here for more info.

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What adventures await

It started yesterday morning with a trip to the library to register for the summer reading program (side note: have you done this? Almost every library has one for kids of all ages and grown ups too! You get prizes for reading!!).

While there we checked out a book called From Cow to Ice Cream. A just loves learning about how things work and, well, so do I. Back at home we were pouring over the book when one particular page caught his eye. This picture, to be precise. I tried turning the page but he went back. "Read that part again" he said, pointing to the big mountain of raw sugar. It was pretty fascinating. I read it again. And again. And again. Every now and then we'd make it a few pages further in the book, but we always kept returning back to that mountain of sugar. And again. And again.

After awhile we really had exhausted all there was to see , so we turned to the internet. A happy hour or so was spent pouring over all the articles and pictures the internet could supply us on the topic of "raw sugar stored in warehouses." That's when we realized that our new sand table could easily be transformed into our very own raw sugar warehouse, complete with the necessary trucks and diggers. And so we did, spending another happy hour on our balcony with "sugar."

Even after it was time to come in, A spent the whole day using his hands and arms as cranes, transporting this and that, and talking constantly about raw sugar warehouses.

It was incredibly fun, even from my point of view. It kept us busy and entertained, imagining and learning. Plus you have to admit, a mountain of raw sugar stored in a warehouse and utilizing trucks and diggers is just pretty cool.

So today when we were out and about we just couldn't help but stop by the library to claim our prize for the first 12 books read...and pick up Cheese: From start to finish. I wonder what adventures we'll have today...

Have you run into any spontaneous adventures or good books lately?

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The farmer works from sun to sun...

I am about to sit down at last after a long day but B is crying, again. I change course and push the door open into the room that we share. He's in his sidecar bed, eyes closed, head frantically rubbing from side to side, looking for his pacifier, looking for me. I lay beside him, rubbing his back, kissing his head, singing and saying "shhhhh, shhhhh" for what seems like forever until finally he relaxes into sleep.

Tiptoeing out I hear A calling to me from the next room. Peeking my head in I see him trying to suppress a smile in order to convey the seriousness of his need. "I need something" he says, "I need someone to lay by me." Not being a snuggler, his is a request that has only begun in the past few weeks, though now he asks nightly. I crawl into bed with him and he puts his feet across my knees and his head to my head. Though I am a snuggler, my need for some rest at the end of the day sends me urgent messages - get out of here as quickly as you can! I do my best to supress the message and stay in the moment; its not often that A has the inclination or I have the time to just sit quietly alone with him. We both need this.

But I don't linger long, knowing that B was only lightly asleep and not wanting him to wake and get so worked up that I can't get him back down. And sure enough, as I close the door with a kiss blown towards still-wakful A, I hear the pitiful cries of my insomniac infant. This time, he will not be soothed until I nurse him. With a full tummy he is willing to lie alone in his bed, for a few minutes anyway. I gaze on his sleepy-baby body and try to conjure the feelings of wonder that come so easily to me when I am well rested. The only wondering I'm doing these days is "will I get a two hour stretch to sleep, or only fifteen minutes at a time tonight?"

Back out in the living room I've actually managed to sit down and look with despair at the dishes, the toys, the laundry, the paperwork, when I hear my name being called yet again. I walk to A's door and remind him that he has Blanket, that I've sung him his last song, that I rested with him already, that's he's already had water, that he can go pee-pee in his night-night-time diaper if needed, that he must try and go to sleep by himself.

And so it goes.

Is there a way that I could bottle up just a bit of the ongoing, never-ending, giving that fills every moment of the day and night and store it up for the days when they sleep not only away from me, but far away? I ask only for enough sleep that I can be present enough to realize that these are the best and most fleeting days of my life.

Cross-posted from Catherine's personal blog, everyday life as lyric poetry.

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Trouble in Illinois

Everyone knows that we've having economic trouble right now, and the impact this is having everywhere - Wall Street, Main Street, our families, our jobs. But I hadn't realized the impact on Government until I began reading about the "crisis budget" our Illinois State Legislature needs to pass before the end of the month.

While I understand that budgets need to be balanced - and certainly don't advocate for going further into debt or cutting, say, roads or schools - I have a hard time seeing how a state could function with no money going into Human Services. Some of the proposed cuts would mean, for instance, no state funding for Mental Health services, domestic violence shelters, substance abuse programs, disability services. Where are the people currently served by these programs (and this is just a few examples) going to go if their programs are cut and their residences closed? It is estimated that 20 percent of Dupage County residents will be directly hit by these cuts, not to mention the impact it will have on all of us to have these vulnerable populations suddenly without resources. This link will give you the specific impact to Dupage County.

I'm sure this isn't the first you've heard about the proposed budget cuts; I know my inbox was flooded with concerns from just about every Human Services agency and community-aware friend that I have when it was first announced. And the general consensus is that the state probably won't cut Human Service programs entirely as has been put forward.

But the fact remains - there's not a lot of money in the economy right now, and government is no exception (all the recent poor behavior hasn't helped that either). If not Human Services, then what should be cut? What are we willing to live without? Or are we ok with racking up debt? Or paying higher taxes?

I once heard that, before the Great Depression, recession was seen as a good and healthy thing. It caused society to consider its choices and readjust to meet with reality on individual and corporate levels. Since the Great Depression we've just been scared of what could happen. And I'm scared right now of what could and is happening - to individuals and family's, businesses, and governments. But maybe it is good for us to take a look at our budgets - at home and at work - and reevaluate our priorities.

Which makes me also ask - if our state does cut services to the most needy and vulnerable among us, will we as individuals and groups step up to fill the gap?

Well, I sat down this morning to give you a flavor of the news and events going on around Dupage County, but it looks like I got bogged down. I'll be back with our regularly scheduled links next week; in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. If you would like to take action, this link will hep.

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Motherhood is a journey

I've just gotten back from a two week vacation. Ah, the bliss of the beach, of getting away from routine, of helpful Grandparents.

And the time away offers me a rare chance to reflect. While navigating O'hare airport with my children (and their stuff!) in tow, my two year old insisted on walking the length of the terminal on his own two feet. So we walked, slowly, hand in hand to our gate.

As we walked, we (slowly) passed by a young woman nursing what appeared to be a very newborn baby. I looked at her, and our eyes met. I looked down at her tiny baby, then over at my independent toddler, then back at her. As I looked, my heart took in the brief months the two children represented and I felt awe and wonder at the miracle and the journey; of where we were 30-some months ago, and where we are now; of how much changes, so quickly. Our eyes met again, and I saw that she had followed the same progression as I had, only as my heart looked backwards, her's looked forwards. We smiled at each other, and understood.

It was a special moment, shared with a stranger. We know nothing about each other save for one thing - this shared journey we are on, and all that this journey entails.

Sometimes, frequently, I look at my first born and wonder where these almost three years have gone. Have I missed them? I must have missed them, I figure. The toddler I know so well, and the baby I can hardly remember - where are the countless hours and days that join them into one? Why can't I recall them in my mind, or see all the stages of his life when I look at his face today?

Because I didn't miss them; not even one day, hardly even a moment. I have been there for every stage, for unending minutes and hours and days. Sometimes around the clock, I have been there for it all. And yet, I cannot account for it, I cannot look at his baby pictures and then at him and tell you how the change came.

But I'm grateful to know I was there. I have loved every minute of this roller-coaster journey.

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Given in Love

Cross-posted from Catherine's blog, Everyday Life as Lyric Poetry.

I am weaving my way through the crowded auditorium, baby crying in the sling, earnestly trying to get out of the service and into the "cry" room before the fussing becomes screaming.

With small children going anywhere often seems like more trouble than its worth, and church is no exception. More often than not getting out of the house is just a lot of hassle in order to do the same menial childcare tasks in a less conducive environment. We are visitors today; I have special reason for wanting to be present. Instead this outing becomes just one more opportunity to be banished from adult conversation.

Finally finding the room, I pause and read the sign on the door. "Breastfeeding Mothers Only" it reads. Great. Not only am I to be relegated to a closet, but my sex determines that I am the only one in the family who can be. Putting my hand on the handle, I push the door open.

My senses and emotions are flooded before my mind has a chance to take it in. The room is dimly lit, perfect for soothing a child or a mommy's soul - it offers itself immediately as a sanctuary. The furniture is nice, comfortable. All my logistical needs are anticipated - there are Boppy pillows and tissue, a water pitcher and glasses. A silver tray is laid out with communion wafers and cups, awaiting my participation. Next to it is a plaque which reads: "Mother, what you have given in love has become part of me. I thank God always for you."

Immediately there are tears rolling down my face. I hadn't known I felt invisible until I felt seen. I hadn't realized the ceaseless sacrifices of Motherhood felt so frequently undervalued until someone showed me honor and value because of them.

Far from being relegated to a closet, I nursed and rocked my baby in tranquility. Far from being singled out for a lesser experience because of I was a breastfeeding mother, I lingered in the refuge created just for me.

It so often seems that the ongoing sacrifices of Motherhood lead not to a place of honor in society, but actually to a lack of status, a lack of desirability and value. The reasons and subtleties of this are many, but I was truly surprised to see the toll it had taken on me, the deep, deep place that was touched for the first time by the thoughtful preparations that someone in this church made for me, and others like me.

This is actually the second time I've had a significantly memorable experience in this same church's Cry Room, though each were in different buildings and for different reasons. Thank you, for seeing me, and for valuing me. Thank you, for thinking of the details that we must always be thinking of. Thank you, for caring not only for those with the freedom to sit quietly and think, but also for those of us who are called away to continue working and giving.

"Mother, what you have given in love has become part of me. I thank God always for you."

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Gotta love the Mom 'n Pop

Do you ever wish, out here in the 'burbs, that you could find that small town feel even in our busy area? I caught a taste of it recently in my own suburb - and I liked it.

I've recently been looking into the countless Halal sellers that are within a mile of my house. I knew living in a diverse neighborhood would come in handy.

And this led me to a delightful experience. After my online search I chose a Muslim grocer which I thought might be my best bet, and off we went. My son and I entered the small Indo-Pak store and went straight to the smiling couple behind the counter. The woman oooh'd and ahhh'd over Asher as I bravely summoned my courage and asked "Is the meat in this store Halal? Could you explain what that means?"

The husband graciously gave me a tutorial on meat that is Halal which, including my follow up questions and considering the language barrier, took a bit of time. They asked me "is your husband Muslim?" I was so obviously a young white American with a young white American child that I worried they would feel I was not being honest in some way, walking into their store and asking for a lesson in their food customs. So I explained that I wanted to honor God in the food that I ate and was hoping to learn from them.

I loved this couple. I wish I could have them over to my house. They were grandparent-types, friendly and hospitable. They answered my questions and offered my toddler some hard candy. After I turned it down the man walked away, perused his aisles, and came back with an entire package of cookies (energy biscuits from India!!) to offer. We happily accepted, but the gentleman refused my attempts to pay. Apparently, I was given a gift in exchange for taking their time, friendliness, and tutelage. I offered; they refused; I offered; they refused. I've never gotten the knack for how long this exchange is supposed to go on, or who is supposed to be the first to back down. I gave in and gave them hearty thanks.

As we turned to go, I felt discontented about having such a great experience, a package of cookies, and having given nothing in return. Half way out the door the obvious answer struck me - I couldn't pay for the cookies, but I could buy something else. Walking down the three short aisles I selected a box of green tea and a can of chickpeas. This gave me an opportunity to chat more with the couple - about my trips to India, about her chicken briani, about my interest in not only my Christian faith, but Islam and others as well. The woman nodded, telling me that her father had read the Qu'ran, the Bible, and the Hindu scriptures. We commented on the peace that comes when different peoples understand each other. We smiled. My son chomped on his cookies. I promised to be back with a meat order soon.

I'm not certain that eating Halal is something I'll continue to pursue but its a start for now - a baby step. Either way, this step was a blessing to me. I live in the suburbs, not the city, not the country. I don't associate a personality with my grocery store or my bank or my gas station. But I wish I did. This was a taste not only of India but of rich, full, real life - life with community.

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The day the TV died

I couldn't count for you how many times I've watched the clock, counting down the minutes until Sesame Street or Bob the Builder comes on. I'm sure I'm not the only one. But today is the day that the TV died.

Or at least, non-HD TV. Yes, after warning us about it for the past year, today is finally the day that television will broadcast only in High Definition, rendering all non-HD TVs (or at least, those without a converter box, provided nearly free by a government coupon) useless.

Our family opted out of buying either the fun new HD TV or the government-subsidized converter box.

We've actually been looking forward to it. We were hoping to have the television set on all day so as not to miss the moment that everything went to fuzz and static. But we're on vacation, so we'll miss the excitement.

When we come home there will be literally nothing on.

How about you and your family?

If you are still needing a coupon for a converter box, you can get one here.

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Roses, Tasting, and Cook Offs - Dupage News for 6/4/09

Its almost the weekend! And even better, its almost the weekend during summertime. So there's bound to be something exciting going on. Here's a few things I've found.

Roselle Rose Festival
Roselle is celebrating its 50th Annual Rose Festival, and the town is kicking it up with all kinds of different activities, going from June 4th through June 7th.

Taste of Wheaton
While Roselle is celebrating a 50 year tradition, a brand new tradition is being started just a few miles south. Wheaton has consolidated their "Cream of Wheaton" and "Autumnfest" celebrations into a brand new event - the Taste of Wheaton. Its a five day fest from June 3-7th, with free admission.

ConAgra Foods Healthy Kids Cookoff
If you have kids between the ages of 9-13 who enjoy cooking, this is the place for you. In an Iron Chef-style event, teams of kids, culinary students, and Chicago's chefs will compete to create "tasty, healthy, and low-cost meals and snacks." My two year old has loved cooking since he was born...I wonder if he'd pass for a nine year old??

Shopping!!!
And of course, nothing says summer weekend like garage sales! Here's where to find all that's for sale this weekend.

Do you have a great idea for local events or activities? Write up a guest post, or send us the links!

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We Touched Trucks!

One of the things I love about Dupage Mamas is that I'm always in the "know" about fun activities going on around town. When I found out about last Saturday's "Touch a Truck" festival in West Chicago, I knew my truck loving toddler couldn't afford to miss it.

West Chicago, you did yourself proud. Wow! There were way more trucks than I had expected. Mail trucks, snow plow trucks, fire trucks, police cars, tractors, diggers, bulldozers, cement mixers, a hydrolic crane, and many more that not even the hours I've spent reading truck books has prepared me to name. And some of these un-named trucks were huge.

All of them were up for grabs. Everywhere you looked toddler and school age boys and girls were climbing on trucks, honking horns, sitting in the driver seats. The truck drivers were nearby to answer questions and generally be looked upon with awe. There were hot dogs, plastic builder hats, balloons - everything you needed to make touching a truck into a full blown festival.

Who thought up Touch A Truck? I have no idea, but it was fantastic. I wonder what adventure we'll be going to next??

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Fill in the Blankie!

Every baby needs a blankie. I vividly remember the bond I had with my special blanket. And I can't imagine how we would pass the night if for some reason my toddler son was without his special blanket. I've spent a lot of rocking hours contemplating the magic that these blankets hold. What causes us to chose one over the other? Why do they become our first best friends? What is this need we have to attach that is so strong nearly every child has it, yet that can be met by a blanket or stuffed animal?

The answers to these questions elude me. Suffice it to say, I was excited to learn about Fill in the Blankie when I was expecting my second son. I placed my order and eagerly awaited the final product.

I couldn't have been more pleased. The packaging itself was darling; the beautiful, soft, blue blanket was neatly folded and tied with a ribbon, held together with a baby diaper pin. If I hadn't been so exicted about the blanket I might have just kept the package intact to look at for a few weeks.

But of course I didn't. I was equally happy with the blanket itself. Professionally made, the stitching and fabric seem of good quality. All Fill in the Blankie's are made with 100% woven cotton with two inches of satin. It has washed well so far. And - melt my heart - there on all four sides are the words I chose for my son.

So consider this my official thumbs up for Fill in the Blankie. Whether you want one for your own child or have one in mind for a creative shower or baptism gift, you can choose the fabric, color, message, font - almost everything.

We'll see what fabric item my son chooses to pour his affections upon, but I know which one is my favorite.

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Fun and educational website for kids!

Now that the weather is finally nice, the grass green, the trees and flowers growing, I'm eager to get out of the house every chance I get.  Running through a park with my kids is so much nicer than trying to manage their behavior in our small condo.  

But its inevitable that the occasional rainy day is going to drive us back indoor.  When this happens, I try to have an arsenal of projects up my sleeve - food to bake, crafts to make, books to read, games to play, work to do.  I try to limit screen time for all of us, but sometimes our projects lead us to the internet.  While the internet can be a major time waster, it can also be a great place for educational exploration.  Here's a few sites I've found that are great for a rainy day. 

Starfall

Starfall is hands down my favorite.  Totally free, the site is geared towards teaching Kindergartners and up how to read.  However, I began using the most basic tools on the site with my son before he was two years old.  As a result, he knew the names and sounds of all 26 letters around the age of two.  You can't ask for better results than that!  We've begun to dig deeper in the site, learning to put sounds together and other reading skills.  Some pages he enjoys but is not ready to read on his own.  For example, there are great pages that intro children to Classical music and various composers.  He loves these pages and I love the exposure it brings him - I simply do the reading for him.  A similar page introduces children to art and artists.  

I could go on and on about Starfall.  I'm grateful to have such a fun, educational tool available for me on rainy days.  

Dream Box

I have wished for something similar to teach Math skills as well, and I recently found this in Dream Box.  This website is pay-to-play: after an initial two week trial, you must have a subscription to the site in order to access it.  Again geared towards Kindergarten on up, I gave it a shot with my two year old.  I found that there was less low hanging fruit on this site.  He was able to enjoy playing the first few levels, but quickly found himself over his head in both Math and Computer skills.  The games did seem to effectively immerse kids in math skills within the context of an adventure game, so I'll look forward to trying this again in a few years.  

Earth Hour Kids

There's more to learning than reading and math!  This site was created by the World Wildlife Fund and features lesson-plans, games and songs children and their parents can download introducing them to ecology and how we can each play a part in keeping our planet healthy.   I'm glad that we have more tools now than ever to bring our children into the conversation of ecology and equip them with the tools to start making good decisions now.  

So there's a few ideas that I have up my sleeve.  Have you stumbled upon any website that are both fun and educational for children?

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