MonkeyGrass Clippings

Second Day of School

Well, I just got home from dropping off carpool for the second day (first full day) of school. Somehow today seemed even more difficult than yesterday... It was a little less chaotic, thus a little "special," and the little guy just seemed a little more at ease getting out of the car, and a little more like he was steeling himself and figuring out which way to go when he got to the door. Our first grade neighbor, who so sweetly walked him in yesterday, was sort of hustled off by a teacher to his building, leaving my new Kindergartner a little lost looking.

I imagine he has found his way now, but I just wish I could go back and check on him. (That might be a little bit embarrassing for him, though, I suppose!)

Back to School!! Yikes! Where did the summer go?

 Well, our little guy starts school on Tuesday, and it is totally freaking me out! (Luckily, he seems relatively unfazed, and only becomes agitated when I try to get him to read, write, or do anything that even resembles education! Hopefully his teacher will have better luck!)

With so much back to school "junk" out there, it's tough to restrain ourselves sometimes, much less our children. As I may or may not have mentioned, while I don't shop alot on a regular basis, when we're going away, getting ready for a project, change, trip, etc., I have an almost compulsive need to "stock up" on all sorts of gear that is almost never all necessary. This seems especially true of children's products- going all the way back to my own extremely important Trapper Keeper , the "must have" item of the early 80's, and the soup Thermos that matched my lunch box (even though I don't recall ever bringing soup, or anything resembling it, to lunch!) The same goes for the pencil cases (never really understood those, since I think I started carrying a purse when I was 8), and the various and sundry other "must haves".

Amazingly, it seems it's even worse now, and certainly more expensive, what with the computers, etc. that kids have to have now... Anyway, while we do have some also back to school stuff in, or coming in (you knew there was a plug coming, right? I mean, this is connected to a store), TRY to restrain yourself and/ or your kids with the purchasing of this stuff. The school will probably give you a list (frankly, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for a list so I could do my classic "gatherer" routine, only to discover that the supplies are all provided by the school, and $150 is charged to our account...there had better be a rockin' Trapper Keeper in there!) but don't go crazy. Get what they need, and wait on the rest. Sometimes, it does seem like in the effort to include everything that someone might need, they end up with a list filled with stuff, most of which no one needs.

Within the next week, check back here, or come in the shop for awesome, hip, recycled notebooks, the completely awesome Laptop Lunch Systems, or fun and funky Sigg Water Bottles (unfortunately unavailable online at the present time due to overwhelming demand worldwide, but still available in the store), O'Bon Pencils made from recycled newspaper, Crazy Crayons, and Vy  & Elle Tri Media Folios, great for school, presentations, or any sort of note taking. Not only arethese products just great for their ability to either reduce or recycle, but they also will hopefully start the conversation with other children, and their parents, to create a bigger circle of involvement and awareness.

Please feel free to post any great ideas for back to school DIY supplies, crafts, or resources.

Last Vacation of the Summer

Well, again I must apologize for my lengthy absence. We took our last trip before Kindergarten starts (yikes!) and we've been in the wilds of Maine, with no internet and barely phone service. Ironically, while sometimes it's so difficult to come up with things to say that are even remotely "blogworthy," when I had no internet access I came up with TONS of ideas. Isn't that always the way.

The day before we left, I did my routine run around town, stocking up on all the "provisions" that I thought we would need for our trip, and I thought to myself that it was pretty interesting that though I've been for years sort of anti- junk/ stuff/ conscious consumerism (or should it be called "unconscious consumerism?" the act of buying things by something like a Pavlovian, or reflex action"), and here I am, every time we are getting ready to go away, running around like crazy, stockpiling all sorts of things that I would never normally buy. Then, I get home, after the daze has worn off, and I'm standing around looking at all of these things.

That, at least, would have been the post I would have made at that moment. After we arrived at the airport for our 7:30 flight (admittedly, at the ragged edge of the allowable time) we discovered that they had for some reason had me booked the day before, and showed me as a no show. Of course after they got that straight, we had missed the flight, and had to go home. After we came back at noon, we boarded, but had to wait in Richmond on the tarmac for 2 hours, then again for nearly 3 hours in Philly, before arriving in Maine and needing to drive an additional 2 hours to the cabin.

Let me tell you, I sure did appreciate all of the "stuff" during that incredibly long, grueling waiting and traveling. I had gotten a number of snacks, luckily all healthier things, like nuts and granola, trail mix, etc. That ended up being our lunch, and largely, our dinner (at least until we got to the cabin at 10 to find lovely lobsters awaiting our arrival!)

The workbooks definitely came in handy as well, although the little guy still isn't reading (did I really think I could get him to read on a one week vacation??) but he definitely enjoyed the playing and the puzzles. I don't know what we would have done had we not had those things. I will say that we definitely didn't need the travel size soaps and things like that- I always think I need to be prepared for any situation, and often, almost none of the "situations" ever happen.

Back tomorrow with more vacation info...

On a "new offering" note: Today we FINALLY received our IdBids toys!

These are absolutely awesome, cute as a button, with a terrific message to boot!

From their website:

Meet the Idbids. Scout, Lola and Waverly.
Likable (make that lovable) characters (make that friends)
here to find little partners (make that children)
who discover the big (make that important) part they can play
in keeping our Earth happy, healthy and green -
one iddy biddy step at a time.

These super cute all organic cotton dolls are packed in recycled and recyclable packaging, and include not only the character, but also an organic cotton sack, a trail guide that the children can use for marking their progress in their iddy biddy steps, and a story book. They are also coming up with some online information ad tie ins for them.

Voted Top Toy of 2008 by Time Magazine- you have to check these out!

Safe Sippys are here!

At long last, and just in time for preschool- Safe Sippys are here! If you've been looking for a cool, BPA alternative to a true sippy cup, look no further! Not only are these stainless steel, but they are encased in a soft silicone sleeve that helps keep them from sweating too much, and prevents possible dents from drops at the hands of the little ones. The silicone also adds a terrific punch of color. They're available in Green, Blue, and Pink, for only $17.00, but they're going fast, so order yours now!

Back for the moment...Summer is flying by!

Well, once again, I must apologize for the lengthy delay since my last post. It has been a crazy week, with the little guy at camp at the Y, then at Go Green in the Garden Camp this past week. It seems like the summer just started, and with only a couple weeks left, it's going to be back to school. (Or, in our case, starting Kindergarten! I can't seem to wrap my brain around that, no matter how hard I try!)

A couple of notes on both the end of summer and back to school...

Check out ourSummer Sale! We still have tons of stuff, both online and in the store to move out before the first bit of fall is upon us! There really are some great deals to be had, from Summer Sand Sets by GreenToys (made entirely of recycled milk jugs!) There are lots and lots of things that you can snap up now, that will make great grifts, even for the holidays!

With school coming up, I also just want to mention a few things that might be "must haves" or at least helpful, as the back to school flurry goes into full swing!

I am a real fanatic about what my child eats, and that does not include junk. However, one thing that I've learned from our camp experiences is that once your kids are out of the "bubble" of home, they are intrigued and tempted by all sorts of varieties of what seems to me really gross, overprocessed foods. Mine came home the other day exclaiming about the wonderful cookies he had tried from a friend, and they are of course cookies that he now wants, and that I would never, normally at least, purchase. I can only see that this is going to be a continuing problem, that will only get worse as he gets older. With more people lured by the convenience of all of the single serve packages of virtually everything from pickles and ham to apple slices and and more. I've posted before about the Laptop Lunch Systems from Obentec, but with school just around the corner, I must mention them again. Based on the classic bento box, the case features a clever inner container with smaller boxes, perfectly sized for perfect portions of salad, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, vegetables, etc. There is even a small container for dipping sauce!

Another great idea for back to school- Envirosax Kids designs. Fun and funky, they make terrific light bookbags, gym bags, or a handy bag to tuck into the backpack to carry anything extra that might come up!