Sunday Surf: Kid Stuff & Green Stuff

It has been an odd week. I gave notice at my FT job on Monday. Sasha had a fever that kept me up most of the night Wednesday, so I stayed home with her Thursday. She maintained a fever ALL day. Saturday morning her head looked a little rashy. She is now covered with a rash that doesn't itch. Thanks to the moms at the Natural Parents Network on FB, I have figured out that it is most likely Roseola, of which I'd never even heard. She isn't uncomfortable, so we're just waiting it out based on what I've read. On to the links:

• KID STUFF: Starting at Natural Parents Network's article on Toddler and Preschooler Activity Bag Fun!, I followed a link to one activity that really caught my eye. It is a tutorial from Filth Wizardry on making a Shower curtain village play mat. This looks SO cool! I like a lot of the activity bags I found on NPN and through the links and even subscribed to yet another blog! Thanks NPN!
  
  
• GREEN STUFF: I've "friended" BlogHer on my FB profile. I get these occasional seemingly random links from blogs by women. This week I got one that caught my eye. I Went Soap-free and I Liked It. As it is, I've reduced the number of showers I take, especially this Winter. I don't wash my hair very often. This looks like a cool idea to me. I appreciate the jumping-off point, if that makes any sense.
  
  
• KID STUFF: Support Breastfeeding in Public on Rachael Ray! I was kind of shocked to hear that Rachael Ray knocked BF in public on her show with a guest (a breastfeeding celeb). I haven't watched Rachael in a few years, but I loved her show and watched it every morning when I was on a different schedule / routine. I love how down-to-earth she seems. This is just not cool, though. I'm sure that the majority of her fan base is moms, so help get the word to the show that BF in public should be more accepted! Click the link for details on how you can easily help the cause.
  
  
• GREEN STUFF: By now you know that I am a big fan of TheOrganicSister and this week she posted a thought-provoking take on how stress is effecting people. I love how it is clearly explained that stress (like traffic) puts our bodies in a "fight or flight" mode, packed with endorphins. We have so much stress in our lives that we're spending too much time in that mode, which will literally shorten your life span! Read her article for a deeper explanation. I so dig her! Things like this are another reason I'm ditching my FT job.
  
  
• KID STUFF: I admit it, I sometimes have to stop myself from being a helicopter parent. I have to stop myself from trying to keep my children too safe. They really need to take their own risks AND learn that there are consequences. That may sound mean, but read Mama Eve's take on this in 5 Playground Lessons I Never Knew I was Teaching posted earlier this month. This really hit home for me and was a poignant reminder.
  
  
• GREEN STUFF: I totally just stumbled upon an image that left me digging for the source. It started with a photo of a watermelon hut on a FB ad. That lead first to Crazy Aunt Purl's post and finally to Lessons of the Square Watermelon. That's right, I said Lessons of the Square Watermelon. Even if you're not interested in the story of how Japanese markets are very small and round watermelons were inconvenient, you have just got to click on the link to SEE these things! They are crazy! Crazy Aunt Purl is determined to grow one herself, though that was back in 2006. I don't know if she ever succeeded.

I hope you found some Kid Stuff and/or some Green Stuff here that interested you this week and even inspired you! Thanks for stopping by to see what interested and inspired me this week!

Stick Figure Kids Clip Art credit: FunDraw.com.
Green Globe Clip Art credit: clker.com