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  • Back to School: Heelys for Girls- with awesome video (we think)

    Back to School: Heelys for Girls- with awesome video (we think)

     

    Heelys Socialite

     

    Last week we did our back to school school shopping. I don’t buy a lot before school starts, since their summer clothes are fine for those first few warm weeks; just a few new tops so they look decent their first day and on picture day, a nice-ish sweatshirt or two, some dresses for Cass. Jeans I’ve learned to put off until the weather turns— Murphy’s Law dictates that if you buy long pants early your kids will invariably shoot up 3 inches before September 1st.

    I had a 20% off coupon to H&M from Discover so we did what we could there, and I was pleasantly surprised: we walked out with a ton of clothes for $160, much of which was organic. Their organic selection is primarily basics, stripes and plain colors, no graphics, which is just the way Maverick likes it. And they carry those distressed classic rock Ts which Jake likes (he picked out a David Bowie this time). Winning all around 🙂

    Shoes are usually a pain to pick out for Cass. They’re supposed to wear sneaks to school, for traction on the playground. She likes “girly” shoes, trying to talk me into the pink sequined flats and whatnot. I try to steer her towards more practical choices: Keens or Timberlands, but she thinks they’re ugly and clunky.

    I’m pretty pleased with this year’s compromise.

     

     

    Heelys sent Cass a pair of shoes from their Fall 2012 line, just in time for back-to-school. She was super excited about having Heelys like me (and Jake by virtue of his wearing the same shoe size as me)— but honestly I wasn’t sure they’d be school appropriate, or that she would be happy with them as school shoes. Heelys traditionally resemble a skateboarding shoe more than anything else: wide and with a “boy” vibe (basically the type of thing *I* like and wish she would too). Mostly I anticipated the Heelys to be after-school kicks to keep her active at the park while I did my evening run.

    “Oh hey, they’re like real shoes!” Jake said when he opened the box.

    They are. The Socialite is basically a sporty Mary Jane: patent leather and girly while sturdy and comfy, and the wheel is lower-profile. She can totally wear them during the day at school, even with dresses, with the wheels popped out. And then replace the wheels for evening skate.

    They’re a leeetle big right now, but she’s still learning to skate in them so I told her that by the time she masters her technique they’ll fit perfectly.

    Or maybe not even that long. It took me a long time for figure out how to skate in my Heelys, but Jake picked it up quickly and Cass even more so.

    With some coaching from Jake, she went from wobbly and tentative…

    to rocking and rolling in no time.

    Or more accurately in about 15 minutes.

     

    Some thoughts about Heelys:

    Heelys are a great way to get kids moving. Skating is something anyone can do, anywhere. You don’t need to get out to a park or a gym or have any special skills. Studies show that the more kids get outdoors, the more active and physically fit they tend to be, and Heelys are a fun & trendy way to support that.

    Heelys are multitaskers. You get the added physical component with a pair of sensible shoes, as opposed to having to buy a separate pair of roller skates or roller blades, which aren’t inexpensive. Bonus: keep the wheels in your purse and your kid can pop them in whenever you find yourself with a few free minutes for an impromptu visit to the park, or having to wait somewhere.

    Heelys come in starter styles. The HX2 line has double wheels for added stability for new skaters, which can be transitioned to the traditional one-wheel shoe as you become more practiced. That’s pretty cost-effective.

    Heelys come in a range of sizes. Seriously, anything active that adults can do with kids is awesome. Kids push their parents to play, and vice versa. That’s a very good thing.

    Heelys are not inherently dangerous. This is a pet peeve of mine. I hear people saying that they’ll never let their kids have Heelys (trampolines is another big one) because they’re one of the top reasons for ER visits. Once upon a time I’m guessing falls from trees, bike crashes and just plain roughhousing were top ER injury culprits. Know why they’re not anymore? Because we don’t let our kids do that stuff as much, and I think kids’ health as a whole pays a price for it. Childhood is a time of being physical, and that does carry a risk of injury. It’s how kids learn their physical limitations— and capabilities. We need to stop restricting them out of fear.

    Know what I bet is a top reason for kids in ERs? Car crashes. And we put kids in cars every day, it doesn’t make sense not to. I’m NOT saying, “Kids break bones and we need to deal with it.” I’m saying: wrapping your kids in bubble wrap and not letting them take (calculated) risks does them a disservice. Just do what you can to prevent and minimize injuries.

    That being said, use Heelys sensibly. Heelys aren’t allowed in school with wheels in. Well, OF COURSE NOT. Heelys with wheels in are SKATES and shouldn’t be on stairs, playgrounds or classrooms. Put younger and less experienced skaters in knee pads and helmets, and keep them in arm’s reach while learning. Heelys has a whole section of their site dedicated to safely learning to skate, use it. Supervise. Familiarize your kids with the safety standards Heelys includes with the shoes: sensible speeds, no skating down ramps or stairs, etc. The occasional scrape is going to happen, so carry cute band-aids. (That’s pretty much true of anything when you have kids.)

    I asked the kids to make a video of Cass learning to use her new Heelys since we made one when I got mine, and this is what they came up with. They think they’re pretty funny. Heck, I think they’re pretty funny. If YOU think they’re pretty funny, please leave a comment and hopefully they’ll come up with more videos for you 🙂

     

     

    It’s a spoof of the Malcolm in the Middle episode where Hal coaches Malcolm on skating to improve his street hockey game. If you’ve never seen it, it’s on Netflix and totally worth 30 minutes of your day.

     

     

    Disclosure: Heelys sent Cass a pair of skate shoes for review purposes. Opinions are as always entirely my own and likely more than the company bargained for. For more Heely info check out their website and Facebook page or follow on Twitter.

     

  • What is Enough? Lessons from an Ailanthus Webworm Moth

    What is Enough? Lessons from an Ailanthus Webworm Moth

    Ailanthus Webworm Moth

     

    … and then, I have nature and art and poetry,
    and if that is not enough,

    what is enough?

    -Vincent van Gogh

     

    Sometimes I think you almost have to deliberately not see how intricate and lovely the natural world is. I don’t think I’ve ever had the thought, “I should take some photographs,” and not been able to find something worth capturing. Even when living in the concrete jungle, you can always find a bird, something growing defiantly out of a crack in the sidewalk or an untended drainpipe, an insect, a secret smile on the face of a passerby.

    When you consider how beautiful a forest or an ocean is, this huge thing on the landscape too large for our eyes to even take it all in, and then consider how each part, each snapshot, contains its own beauty and wonder. Down, down deep to the microcosm, the plays of color and pattern on the smallest insect, in the detail of a feather, the crystals of a snowflake.

    I don’t believe in a capital G God, exactly, but I believe in a something that is bigger and greater than me, because I cannot fathom that this could all be born out of chaos.

    These are the sorts of deep thoughts I have while gassing up my car.

    And finding a lovely orange and white beetle on the gas pump.

    These roadside ruminations are only confirmed when I look the lovely orange and white beetle up in my field guide at home.

    It’s not a beetle at all. This guy is an Ailanthus Webworm Moth, atteva punctella, a moth that tucks and rolls its wings under when resting so as to resemble an untasty beetle.

    It’s a moth that disguises its beauty for safety.

    It makes me sad. It’s not like those bugs that have large circles patterned on them to look like eyes, which are just kind of cool; this is an evolutionary behavior. And while that is admittedly pretty cool, I can’t help but draw parallels and form allegories. It’s what we humans do.

    There are two lessons here today:

    • There is everything, all around you, swirling in pattern and color and beauty you cannot even fully see or comprehend. Shame on you if you feel you have not “enough.” Be amazed at what you have.
    • Though your safe face may in itself be beautiful: don’t be afraid to show your beauty in its full glory. Why hold back who you are? In what possible way is that not a disservice to you and those around you? Be you in every possible way. Be brave.

     

    There’s a third lesson in there too, which is that I probably shouldn’t be allowed to blog on 4 hours sleep and two Blue Moons 🙂

     

     

     

  • Drinking Up Summertime with Silk Citrus Fizz

    Drinking Up Summertime with Silk Citrus Fizz

    Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes,
    and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.

    A few of those days and you can become drunk
    with the belief that all’s right with the world.

    -Ada Louise Huxtable

    Every year, during the same week in August, we stay at our family beach house. It’s a summertime tradition that after more than a decade borders on hallowed ritual. Throughout the week, a parade of family and friends come to join us; some that we see often, some that we see only during this week, this standing date.

    It’s a time of catching up on each other’s lives, of reminiscing about shared memories and making new ones at a frantic pace, to remember next year. We play in the sand and water, we stay up entirely too late at night laughing together, and we contentedly sit on the wraparound deck together, lounging on Adirondack chairs, happy to read or nap or people-watch quietly during the hot afternoon. Grateful just to be together.

    It’s also a time to cook together; it’s funny how we all learned to cook over the years. We’re all grown up, we are. The fruits and vegetables of backyard bounties come with us; we stop at farmer’s markets along the ride down; we run out for seafood and chowda. We eat like kings.

    The drinks are important too. There really isn’t anything better than eating with friends and washing it down with summer lemonade or tea poured from a sweating carafe. Each summer week has always had its “it” drink- I remember vividly the summer we only made gin & tonics to sip on the porch; there was a year of Irish Car Bombs (I don’t remember that one as well, if I am being honest); the summer of White Russians. There was a series of summers dedicated to drinks made from ice cream- Strawberry Shortcakes, Oreo Mudslides, Orange Creamsicles.

    Now, of course, we all have kids (not just me!) and as I’ve grown older I can’t take the dairy anymore. Which makes me oh so sad (the dairy intolerance, not the kids). But I’ve discovered the perfect drink for Summer Retreat 2012. It’s got kid-appeal, tastes like a creamy orange dream, and contains zero dairy for the intolerant (me) and the vegans (not me). Hooray!

     

     

    It’s called a Citrus Fizz, and it’s one of a bunch of yummy summer drinks you can find over on the Silkology Facebook page(Silkology: combining the art of mixology with the delicious flavors of Silk). This recipe uses the soymilk I already buy, but there are concoctions using Silk’s Fruit & Protein drinks too. I would have loved to try one of those, but our little beach grocery doesn’t stock them!

    Why Silk? I like it a lot:

    • non-GMO; made from 100% North American-grown soybeans which can be traced by consumers down to the county level
    • soy- a complete protein, containing all your amino acids (I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ve cut way back on meat and protein intake is something I think about)
    • soymilk contains as much calcium & vitamin D as milk
    • Silk works with Conservation International on a Responsible Soybean Sourcing and Production Program, a non-profit dedicated to responsibility and sustainability
    • electricity used in production of Silk products is offset through the Bonnevills Environmental Foundation

    The recipe called for orange water, which we didn’t have, so we subbed in San Pellegrino soda in Blood Orange for the soda water listed in the ingredients. Result: refreshing orange creamsicle perfection that the kids gulped down.

     

     

    And for when the kids go to bed… well, I tried adding some vanilla vodka I found in the kitchen cabinet and let me tell you something. Ahem. I’m going to have to keep an eye on the bottle because it would be very easy to drink too much of this. Dangerous.

     

     

    All this to say: I’m ready, friends.

    I can’t wait for you to get here, to watch our kids play together, to laugh too loudly and sleep too late. This is the year of the Citrus Fizz.

    Let’s cook something delicious and make some memories.

     

     

    Silk inspired me to think outside of the bowl with their new Silkology-inspired drink recipes. How can you reinvent YOUR favorite summertime gathering?

    Let me know in the comments to be entered into a Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Silkology Prize Package, including ‘Silk for a Year’ (24 certificates for a free half gallon) and an entertaining drink set (pitcher, stirrer, shaker, tray and glassware).

     

     

    This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.