simple.green.organic.happy.

Category: Family, Parenting

  • Local Family Fun This Weekend: 5/13- 5/15

    Local Family Fun This Weekend: 5/13- 5/15

    alice in wonderland

    Adventures first… explanations take such a dreadful time.

    -Lewis Carroll
    (the Gryphon, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

    Dover Downs is this weekend, so bear that in mind for your travels.

    I’ve been told that this listing is helpful, and while I believe a large part of living green is supporting local, I want to keep simple. green. organic. happy. accessible to everybody. Sooooo for local peeps I am resurrecting Family Fun Delaware and my boys are going to shoulder most of the burden of maintaining it. It’ll be local reviews & events, plus kid reviews of movies, books, music, games, etc; also Maverick is talking about science experiments. We’ll see how it goes. At the very least, though, it’ll feature this weekly roundup of fave family friendly events.

    I’ll link to it next Friday, and keep ya’ll updated when it goes live.

     

    Drumroll please… my top picks this weekend:

     

    ProjectMUSIC Opera! presents Through the Looking Glass, a one-act version of Alice in Wonderland

    Friday (tonight!) May 13th, 7:00pm at Loudis Hall in the University of Delaware’s Amy E. DuPont Music Building. Features University of Delaware students and fourth and fifth graders from Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Admission is free and doors open at 6:30.

    Delaware Geocaching Trail

    Starts May 13th 2011. The ultimate treasure hunt in a quest to discover Delaware— hunt for a cache using GPS technology & then continue on to discover the next treasure.

    I honestly have no clue what geocaching is all about, it sounds interesting so I’m sharing, but I’m going to have to research it more. If you’ve knowledge or experience please share your expertise in the comments!

    Cecil County GreenFest

    Saturday, May 14th 10:00am- 4:00pm rain or shine at the Cecil County Fairgrounds & Ed Walls Activity Hall. Proceeds from GreenFest will support
    the Fair Hill Nature Center’s environmental education programming. This year GreenFest is highlighting the Green and Healthy movement “from the ground up!” Exhibitors will be showcasing the latest consumer products for home and garden with interactive family-friendly exhibits and demonstrations. Learn easy ways to save energy, make your home safer, and garden without harming the environment. Activities include Exhibit Hall Scavenger Hunt, Environmental Midway games, “Minute to Win It” Games, Make & Take Green Cleaners, Soil Tunnel Exploration, Salad Tables and Boxes, Rain Barrel Conservation, Backyard Water Fountains, Hayrides to the Nature Center, Stream Critter Hunt, Bug Hunt, Nature Crafts, Create a Fairy House.

    Italian Market Festival

    May 14th & 15th 10:00am- 5:00pm rain or shine. The nation’s oldest outdoor market and Philly’s largest block party. Annual Procession of Saints, live entertainment, the first-ever half-ball tournament to benefit the Mummers Fancy Brigades, and most importantly, streets lined with food vendors, including a 100ft long stuffed sausage at Esposito’s Meats (using Grandpop Esposito’s 100yr old recipe).

    Peanut Butter and Jams welcomes Joanie Leeds

    Saturday, May 14th 11:30am (doors open at 11:00am) at the Queen in Wilmington. Kid music parents can enjoy! NYC singer/songwriter Joanie Leeds, already known for her pop/soul sound in the grownup world, is now making waves in the land of kids’ music. Currently teaching music at four Manhattan schools, Joanie uses her students as inspiration for her original songs.

    World Fair Trade Day

    Saturday, May 14th from 12:00noon- 5:00pm at Village Imports Fair Trade Store, 165 East Main Street (down Traders Alley) in Newark. There will be free Fair Trade coffee and chocolate samples and door prizes. Event is free and open to the public.

    Attracting Butterflies to your Backyard

    Saturday, May 14th at 1:00pm at Bellevue Park. May is Gardening for Wildlife Month! Learn a few easy ways to attract beautiful butterflies to your own backyard, no matter the size of the yard. You will make and bring home your very own butterfly feeder to get started. This program is appropriate for all ages. Register by calling (302) 761-6963 by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Meet at the Arts Center. $6 per person.

    Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop: Inventor, Artist, Dreamer at the Franklin Institute.

    This exhibition from Milan is in its final days (running until May 29th). Hands-on interactive models of Leonardo’s inventions and machines, as well as state-of-the-art touch screen technology that recreates da Vinci’s personal notebooks (codices). All of the models were constructed according to Leonardo’s notes, drawings and designs, and were recreated using materials and techniques that would have existed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Includes a recreation of Leonardo’s workshop.

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    We’ve got double-header football tomorrow along with two soccer games, but I’m going to make it to the da Vinci exhibition if it kills me. I’m also sorting through the kids spring/summer clothes to see what needs buying (oh, my aching wallet).

    Whatcha doin’ this weekend? Anything fun?

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  • Gardening for Wildlife (with giveaway!)

    Gardening for Wildlife (with giveaway!)

    butterfly

    The universe is full of magical things,
    patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
    – Eden Phillpotts

     

    NOTE: I’m giving away a copy of the National Wildlife Federation’s Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife. Details are at the end of this post.

    Last week I talked about 13 great citizen science projects that kids can participate in, to foster a love & knowledge of the life all around us (while aiding researchers). To make those projects even more enjoyable & meaningful for your family, you might want to consider cultivating your garden with wildlife in mind. The better suited your property is to your local wildlife, the more wildlife will visit (and stay); the more for your kids to report!

    May is Garden for Wildlife Month, so I’m going to try to stay focused long enough to have our yard registered as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Foundation. It’s one of those things I’ve always meant to do… like, for over a decade.

    When you certify in May, the NWF will plant a tree on your behalf; in addition, for a fee you can receive a sign to place in your yard signifying its habitat status. (Why does this matter? Because studies show that people are more likely to do good when they see others doing good. Your sign might inspire passers-by to garden for wildlife too!)

    certified habitat signs

    Think of your wildlife garden as a square in a patchwork quilt. Your neighbor’s yard, the next square over. Build the quilt in your mind to encompass your entire town, city, state.

    How many of those squares are taken up by hostile, barren environments like shopping malls, parking lots, interstates, power stations?     How far does a hummingbird need to travel, from one nectar-providing oasis to the next? Is it any wonder that migratory animals encounter hardship? That many species of local wildlife are in decline?

    In so many ways making a difference for the planet is about fostering connections. Stand together or die alone, as the saying goes. How many people can you encourage and inspire to stitch a square onto your patchwork?


    Requirements to certify as a NWF wildlife habitat:

     

    Provide food for wildlife (need 3 elements):

    • seeds from a plant: remember to stick to native plants; your local wildlife has evolved to maximize nutrients from these plants. They are also more likely to do well in your climate (meaning less work for you).
    • berries & fruits
    • nectar & pollen
    • foliage/ twigs
    • nuts
    • sap
    • bird feeder/ suet feeder
    • squirrel feeder
    • hummingbird feeder
    • butterfly feeder

    We’ll have sunflowers up. We have a variety of nectar-bearing plants, a hummingbird feeder, a bird feeder, and a board mounted onto a downed log that we screw corn cobs onto for the squirrels and crows. We also have more foliage than you can shake a stick at, and wild raspberries and wineberries in late summer. (I don’t know if you can count those as a food source, though; the kids are pretty vigilant about picking the ripe ones themselves.)

    Provide water for wildlife (need one element):

    • birdbath
    • lake or stream; river; ocean
    • seasonal pool; spring
    • water garden/ pond
    • butterfly puddling area
    • rain garden

    We have a vernal (seasonal) pool— a more accurate description might be seasonal puddle & trickle— and a birdbath on our deck. We need to learn how to take better care of both so we’re not doing more harm than good.

    Provide shelter for wildlife (need 2 elements):

    • wooded area
    • bramble patch; dense shrubs or thicket
    • ground cover; meadow or prairie
    • rock pile or wall
    • evergreens
    • brush or log pile
    • water garden or pond
    • bird houses, bat boxes, bee shelters

    We’ve got this one covered: woods, brush piles, stick piles, evergreens, brambles (really just a forsythia that got overtaken by a stickerbush, but seemingly hundreds of birds hang out in there), the “pond”, bird houses. (I’m trying to convince Jeff to let part of the yard go to meadow but he seems to think that will invite the “wrong kind” of wildlife.)

    Provide a place for family time (need “at least 2 places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and then bear and raise their young”)

    • mature trees
    • meadow or prairie
    • nesting box (birdhouse)
    • host plants for caterpillars (good list here)
    • dead trees or snags
    • dense shrubs or thicket
    • water garden or pond
    • burrow

    We’ve got live trees and dead trees, shrubs, burrows, birdhouses, the pond if you want to count that (I’m not, since we’re going to be working on it and disturbing it). I think we have some milkweed that volunteers for the caterpillars, but I want to plant some more host plants just ’cause I like ’em.

    Garden in an Environmentally Friendly Way (need 2 elements):

    • Soil and Water Conservation
      capture rain water; xeriscape (water-wise landscaping with drought-tolerant plants); drip or soaker hose for irrigation; limit water use; reduce erosion (i.e. ground cover, terraces); mulch; rain garden
    • Controlling Exotic Species
      practice integrated pest management; remove invasive plants & animals; plant native plants; reduce lawn
    • Organic Practices
      eliminate chemical pesticides & fertilizers; compost

    Er. OK, Jeff bought organic soil and mulch (this is sort of a big deal, as I would never have said anything about it if he hadn’t. In fact, this tiny gesture meant more to me than I can ever say). He also has been yanking the never-ending garlic mustard. We have a compost pile and a worm farm, but fell off the composting wagon over the winter; I’ll try to get back on that. I’ll ask Jeff to make a rain barrel, since he’s always telling me that they’re too expensive and he can make one for nearly nothing. We conserve water, more out of a benign neglect than anything else 🙂


    And that’s it! We do qualify based on what we do already, but we’ll definitely try to do more. We’re mainly optimized for birds and squirrels (and deer, groan), but I’d like to see us being more hospitable to bees, butterflies, bats, frogs and toads.

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    How are you gardening with wildlife in mind?

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    GIVEAWAY! I have a copy of Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife (pictured above), by David Mizejewski, manager of the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program. This is my own personal copy, bought with my own monies. It is in used but Like New condition, with the exception of a little sticker gunk where the price sticker was on the cover.

    Leave me a comment telling me what bird, bug or animal you’d like to attract more of, for your chance to win!

    For a second entry, like my fan page on Facebook and leave a 2nd comment letting me know you did. (If you already like me 🙂 leave a comment to that effect.)

    **Must be a US mailing address. Winner will be chosen at random from all entries at noon on Sunday, May 15th.**

    Disclosure: I have no affiliation with the National Wildlife Federation and was not compensated or anything for this post. I just wanted to encourage everyone to garden for wildlife and thought, hey! Nice tie-in for a giveaway!

     

     

  • Mother’s Day

    Mother’s Day

    What I need is someone who will make me do what I can.
    — Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Happy Mother’s Day to every woman out there who fills that role, in any capacity. Who opens her arms and her heart to nurture another life.

    I wrote the following tribute to my own mother a few years ago, and I publish it again today to remind everyone to really remember to listen to your parent’s stories, if you’re lucky enough to still have them here with you; and to rectify any grievances before that chance is gone.

    Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are difficult, when your parents are gone, a million times more so when you are filled with “if only…”

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    Happy Mother’s Day, Mom

    This was my mother, sometime in the early 1970s, in her native Vietnam. She was about 36 years old- she was always sketchy about her age, but also proud of being “so old” (and not looking it).

    They don’t celebrate birthdays, apparently, in Vietnam as we do here; nor is age such an important part of one’s identity. Simply put, there are the young and the old; the young are to be envied, and the old to be respected.

    Marriage, in Vietnam at that time, was also not as we find it here in the US of A. If a man showed his preference for you, and you lived together, you were considered married. Marriage was not a legal state, as it is here.

    My mother found herself married at a reasonably young age and bore three children. Her only daughter died young, of cancer.

    Her husband left her. I do not know the reason. I do know that this left her in a state of disgrace in her village, a mother without a husband. She was shamed into leaving her children with her sister, who was respectably married, so that they would grow up in a proper family. She was told to go and work in the city, to pay for the upbringing of these two remaining children, my half-brothers.

    Somewhere around this point on the timeline, my mother met my father, stationed in Saigon. I know nothing of their courtship. I know that my mother thought my father was “so handsome.” I remember my father saying that when he first saw my mother, she was wielding a machete. The place? The year? The circumstance?

    I don’t know. It is so frustrating.

    I know that my father pledged that he would bring her to this country and they would be married here. What was that like for her, the waiting? Did she trust in his word? Did she continually hope? I would have guessed that she would have little trust in men, or their promises.

    My father returned to this country to find all his belongings gone, sold, and no room for him in his mother’s and stepfather’s house. Somehow he found a place to stay, a job. He saved money for some amount of time— again, the anger of not knowing how long— and secured the papers needed to bring my mother here. She boarded a plane, missed her connection in Los Angeles— what happened then? What was that like, to be in such an alien place, speaking virtually none of the language? How did she get to the East Coast?

    Somehow, she did.

    Somehow, this woman survived in a culture of fear, of violence, of war. She saw things, as a child, that no one should ever have to see. Never. I really don’t even like to think about it. But the images are horrific and vivid; they skitter on the periphery of my memory, along with the strange, blank tone of voice that she would use when speaking of them.

    She was so proud of her third-grade education; no other girl in her village made it so far in school. She was the smart one.

    When there was nothing to eat, she swam across the river and stole two fish from the village there, swimming back with the fish balanced precariously on her head. She was brave and wild.

    She put her faith and trust in a young American— barely more than a boy, more than a decade younger than herself— and traveled here, alone, to a land of peace and freedom, half a world away.

    I don’t know that she found freedom or peace here. Where she was once imprisoned by violence and gender bias, she now found herself shunned for her ethnicity, her lack of education, her heavy accent.

    She had not understood how far America was, had not known just how big the world was, had not realized that she would not be able to ever see her family, her children that she had left behind. She lived in a constant state of guilt and worry.

    My father worked long hours at multiple jobs. She had few friends. She was often alone.

    Then I was born, and nearly seven years later, my brother. We misunderstood her, were embarassed by her. We did not see how fortunate we were, in comparison to her other children. I think she was often angered by that.

    She was not perfect. Growing up where she did, when she did, a culture and a time so vastly different to my own, she had issues and neuroses I can’t even begin to tease out or understand. She had a hot temper. She was prone to violent outbursts. She was incredibly fearful and overprotective. She understood our problems and issues and hopes as little as we understood hers.

    Guess what— turns out I am not perfect either. Hopefully this is a fatal flaw that my children will overlook in me.

    “Endeavor to be patient in bearing the defects and infirmities of others,
    of what sort soever they be;

    for thou thyself also hast many failings
    which must be borne with by others.”

    -Thomas A Kempis

    I wish that I had asked more questions.

    I wish that I had said some things, and left other things unsaid.

    I wish you could be here, that my children could remember you, that you could see how special they are.

    So much of who I am, I am because of you. The good and the bad.

    Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I miss you.

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    Every year I share my mom’s story with my kids and my internet family on Mother’s Day, to keep it alive. Each year it hurts a little less. One day I’ll be ready to tell more of it.

    However, when I migrated from my old blog to this one I lost all my old comments. If my mom’s story touched you, will you please let me know? It would mean a lot.