My mom taught me at an early age about the importance of recycling. Now more than EVER we need to teach our kids about “going green” and how easy it is to reuse, reduce or recycle items. My son (he’s 3 almost 4) already knows which bin in our kitchen is the recycle bin and even for the most part what goes in it. So, I was thrilled to hear about a neat little book on “going green” called “William the Garbage Truck & Crew: William is Going Green” - the story is about a normal (i.e: “dirty”) garbage truck named William who loses his job at the local trash collectors and is forced to find another job. He stumbles upon a beautiful little town where RECYCLING is incredibly important. William learns about conservation, makes friends, and eventually transforms into a green hybrid recycling truck committed to recycling and the fight against global warming.

This is a wonderful book for teaching little ones about “going green” - even better is that this book is only the first in a series! Be sure to check out more of William’s adventures by checking out his official website. (You can also purchase the book there!).

You can also find the book at Amazon. Some other books you might enjoy (on this subject) include: “Why Should I Recycle?” and “50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth” also available from Amazon.

For more information about recycling please check out Earth911, Recycle City, Fun Facts about Recycling. and Green Tips for Kids.

When the world found out that Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn was knocked up there was what seemed a collective “OMG!” - I mean, we were all used to the Britney train wreck; but Jamie Lynn was the “good girl” who came outta left field. Mom Lynn Spears was even writing a book supposedly about raising children at this point! She (right along with her daughter) was crucified by people and the press. It still amazes me that in this day and age we are SO worried about some kid (even though she’s sorta a celebrity) getting pregnant. Anyway; along comes Miss Bristol Palin - the 17 year old daughter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin. Bristol is pregnant also. Bristol is not a “celebrity” by trade - but her mom Sarah now is - so that throws Bristol into the spotlight now also, right along with her “babydaddy” Levi. Apparently, in Alaska it’s OKAY for teenagers to get pregnant because Sarah (and Bristol) are being heralded while Jamie Lynn was persecuted.

Why is this okay? What makes Bristol Palin any better of a person than Jamie Lynn Spears? Both are the same age with the very same situation!

Here’s a statement the McCain camp released from Todd and Sarah Palin, which is identical to the quote in the Reuters story:

“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.”

“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.“

Lynne says the Palins are getting a “totally different reaction” to having an underage, pregnant daughter.

In an interview with Newsweek, Lynne says:

“I mean, the mother, [Sarah] Palin, was celebrated for this. Every woman in the world has applauded her strength and her convictions and poor little old Jamie Lynn - you saw how she was crucified. Everybody did, firsthand … I just feel like it’s been a very hypocritical situation … Do I promote teen sex? Of course not. Do I promote teen pregnancy? Needless to say, of course not. But when it happens, you deal with it and you do the best you can do.“

Lynne also defended her daughter’s photo spread in OK! mag as many people were saying it “glamorized” teen pregnancy.

Lynne said, “Sometimes, when you’re a celebrity, you have to choose the lesser of two evils. So she decided to do the OK! give a spread, give some pictures, and it really did ease off the paparazzi. It has lightened up her load a lot. If they call it glamorous, well I’m sorry. But everybody knows that once you get a new baby, it’s the most cherished time of your life - but it is not glamorous.“

So what do you think? Aside from the whole “is teen pregnancy okay” - I don’t care about that particular opinion; I want to know what you think of the Spears vs. Palin pregnancy dramz.

Autumn in Virginia photographed by Mike Love.

Tis the season for candles! It’s now officially autumn and I’m bringing out all my nummy scented candles, opening windows (when it’s not raining) and laying blankets and quilts all over the house. It’s time to bring out all my fall-ish decor like colored leaves (fake) and scarecrows (need a new one). I love this season - cool enough to be able to wear sweaters and scarves but not cold enough to HAVE to wear them. This is the season of baking cookies and stocking wood for the coming winter. I know, I sound a little “Betty Crocker” but I think this may just be the ONLY season I get “domestic” lol …

How are you prepping for Autumn? Is it already cold where you are? Do you have the “season changes” at all where you live? (We really didn’t get a “real” fall in Florida). Please share!

I picked up a copy of a great little book called “Sam Feels Better Now” written by author Jill Osborne (who’s blog can be found here!). I wanted to read it because it sounded like it could be used not only in a professional “counsiling” setting; but also could potentially be used by military families, the Chaplain and base psychologists when they are dealing with families where children have to deal with a parents deployment or military travel. I have to say I was not disappointed. This book could be used in any situation where a child has experienced some sort of trauma. Trauma for a child could be as simple as having a deployed parent and watching the news at night - this can be so scary for a child and they might not be able to express what they are scared of. Their fear could lead to other issues such as anxiety and nightmares.

I loved how simple this book was; it was a sweet picture book that had a short story about Sam and his “trauma” (a “trauma” that they never went into details about leaving it completely open-ended). Sam meets with a child psychologist and she helps him work out his fears using such tools as talking and drawing pictures. There are spaces in the book where your child can draw a picture of what he/she is afraid of and there are also questions you can ask them to begin some conversation.

I recommend the book to anyone dealing with children and scary situations. I’m going to tell my husband’s command Chaplain about this book also; I think it’s an excellent resource.

You can find your own copy at Amazon.com along with other reviews and a synopsis. More reviews can be found at Parent Reviewers.

This past weekend I got the chance to attend IzeaFest and BOY was it worth it!! I can’t even begin to tell you just how awesome it was to meet so many other bloggers and advertisers and learn all the information I’ve learned. Not sure yet how to actually utilize all that I’ve learned but I am still happy.

I’ve also realized that while this blog has completely taken on a mind of it’s own (it’s totally become a review blog and I plan on sticking with it!) - I’ve been really lazy about updating the past few weeks. So, I plan on babying this blog more often, stay tuned.

Also; I’ve a few reviews that will be posted this month - feel free to send me more. This includes product reviews and also website reviews - please make sure both can be used by either kids or families. I am going to be picky

Thanks for reading!

I’m one of those women who were really driven nuts by a certain popular “expecting” book - the book would be going along all positive - then BAM - something negative. The problem wasn’t that the book was reporting potential issues with pregnancy - but the way it was reporting them was so unsupportive. The book would report that “this may or may not happen” or “some women experience this and some don’t” - great, I get it. But all their “factual” information was “ehh .. maybe” and not only was it annoying - it made me a little crazy with worry.

Cue “The Joy of Pregnancy” written by Tori Kropp, RN! This book is amazing, reassuring, and is an incredibly easy read. Tori teaches her readers to slow down, stop worrying and enjoy the pregnancy! The book goes over what is and isn’t safe during pregnancy (including Europe vs. United States!) and includes a question and answer section. There is even a large section for “Dad’s” right in the middle of the book! Each month and trimester is discussed including what might happen each month and tips for getting ready and staying healthy. The book talks about what to expect during labor and how to prepare for it (without scaring the hell out of the expectant mommy!) and also brings up different birth options. It even diagrams “effacement” and tries to let the reader know (in non-doctor terms) what things mean.

Here is a little blurb about Tori from Amazon.com:

Known as “the Dear Abby of pregnancy,” Tori has been interviewed on national television and radio and in national print publications, including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Washington Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Chicago Sun-Times. She lives in Marin County, California, with her family.

The Joy of Pregnancy is a PHENOMINAL book - surely to replace the “other” popular book that most women purchase during pregnancy. I recommend this book if you are planning to get pregnant or expecting already.

Xander and I met up with a couple friends at the waterpark today. I was content to just sit with my uber-prego friend and bask in the … cloudyness? … but later on when the sun actually came out and the prego went to the bathroom I began to “catch” her daughter (under 2) as she went down the slide (her daddy was at the top). Well, Caitie was not wanting to go down the slide by herself, so a little bit later I was wading through the kiddy pool and she grabbed my finger (tight!) and walked with me up the steps to a slide. Little bean wanted me to go down with her - and since she’s such a darn cutie I did. First time getting wet that day … at least it had finally warmed up! We went down a few times and I followed her sister down another slide. I sorta miss playing … I should do it more often.

My husband HATES the Nick Jr. show “Max and Ruby” - I think it’s because the sister is such a bitch bossy butt to her baby brother and my hubby has flashbacks. Not that his sister is a bitch bossy butt or anything - she’s just an older sister. My sister is the same way.

Anyway, as much as Ruby is a snotty bossy older sister to Max it always ends up with Max being super sweet to his sister. Just now in the episode that my son (well, we) are watching Ruby is trying with all her might to win a stuffed panda from the fair. She can’t and she gives Max the last ticket for the fair so he can buy something. Max ends up playing a game and winning a stuffed panda for his sister. Another episode I’ve seen was Max trying to get the prize out of a cereal box and Ruby reminding him that he needs to EAT the cereal first. All the while Ruby is collecting “charms” for a charm bracelet - she has one for her friend, one that reminds her of her lost tooth, etc, etc. Max finally gets into the cereal and gets the prize - a rocket ship keychain or charm. Of course, he gives it to Ruby.

It sometimes turns out to be a sweet show

Do your kids do this? Torture each other and boss each other around only to turn around and do something selfless and sweet? Please do share!

I found this recipe online and I can’t for the LIFE of me re-find it to quote where I got it from. But, it was good and fast (less than 20 minutes) and super easy. I spent $5.99 on a small jar of sun dried tomatoes and then a couple days later found the same size jar, different brand for $3.50 - so, keep that in mind when you shop. Otherwise, the meal is very inexpensive also! Here is the recipe:

The Stuff
6oz Penne Pasta
1lb Chicken, cut into small chunks and seasoned w/salt and pepper
1/2c. sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drain into bowl and slice
2T. oil from tomatoes
4 green onions, chopped
1 small jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts (I didn’t use these)
2T. fresh basil

The Directions
Cook and drain pasta. Saute chicken until just brown (I used a combo of a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of the tomato olive oil), stir in tomatoes and onions (1-2 minutes). Stir in artichokes. Mix in pasta and remaining oil - cook through. Serves 4.