LA Moms Blog

Lament for Tomatoes

It’s that time of year again, the one where I become increasingly frustrated at my inability to buy a decent tomato.  

This year’s frustration reached its peak this week as I cruised the aisles of my local organic/gourmet grocery store. I smiled as I realized I could smell the nectarines and peaches steps away from the display. This is of course the sign of a fruit in season. Not one to waste my money buying fruits out of season, only to come home with a cardboard-like facsimile, I wait until summer, then purchase enough for my family to gorge themselves. It borders on overdosing, but who cares, when months and months of apples and oranges await come October.

As I walked toward the tomato display, I half heartedly sniffed the air. I know better. Tomatoes don’t smell. Tomatoes barely taste.  Then for some reason I was furious. I know how tomatoes are supposed to taste. We grow them in our backyard. I remember as a child being able to buy a decent tomato in the grocery store. It’s a fruit for cripes sake- you are supposed to be able to smell it! The sweet scent should waft through the air like so much fruity perfume, blanketing the aisles with the rich tomato taste.

The Amazing Greening of…Everything

I was invited to lunch on the Queen Mary last week to give them some ideas on greening their property...er...ship. As opposed to giving some ideas I came away impressed with how far they have come in their sustainability efforts! The lumbering old ship, beloved by those of us who live in Long Beach is going green.

This of course started me thinking about how, though, we of course have a long way to go, everything  is a whole greener than it was just a few years ago. Corporate America has woken up to the little things that they can do to make things greener and not incidentally, save some money in the process.

Raising The Media Unsavvy

As a proponent of limiting media, especially at the younger ages, I’ve been viewed as everything from prescient to just plain weird. I’ve also struggled against everyone from well meaning friends to my significant other.

But now as my son is well past the infant and toddler years, where studies have finally confirmed that too much media is just plain bad, I find I cannot yet relax. Like probably many parents along the spectrum of media use, I still have to monitor my son.

This one of those, “I want my money back” moments! I severely limited his screen time during the infant and toddler years! He’s not supposed to be a TV/computer/anything with a screen addict! My job is supposed to be over. He is supposed to get bored and wander off to play with his Legos or read a book.

What’s Summer Without Camp?

 As a mother of an only child, I tend to be, perhaps more vigilant than most about making sure my son has something to do. Unlike parents of multiple children, I do not have to be alert to referee fights at any given moment, but also don’t have the luxury of an in house playmate. (Yes, I know this is oversimplified, but bear with me.)

 I certainly give my son adequate time to loll around the house, but try to make sure he has enough activities to keep him busy too. This comes to a head in summer. I like many Southern Californians live in a neighborhood with some, but not that many children. In practical terms this means that there is usually someone to play with the few hours of free time available during the school year, but in the long stretch of summer, with hours and hours to fill, I need to ensure it isn’t hit or miss.

Our Holiday Library Tradition

   Like in most families, the younger members of ours have two weeks off from school this year. This presents the usual problem of “what should we do?”

 While it’s a relief to be away from the hustle and bustle of school and sports and classes…all of which are on hiatus too, it’s too easy find kids and other family members bored after the frenzy of the holidays and looking for something to do.

 Our solution this year was to head to the library in advance of the season. In this economic downturn, though we are avid bibliophiles and media consumers, we’ve found we’ve had to wean ourselves from our Blockbuster/Barnes and Noble/Best Buy habit and have been delighted to discover the benefits of our local library.

 This week we made a pre-holiday visit and returned home with books, videos and audio tapes for the whole family. I like to leave them lying around in odd places to inspire everyone to skip the mindless TV shows, video games and computer and …umm  read or watch an educational DVD or listen to a great audio book.

 

Copenhagen Or Bust

My poor child has been ignored these days as I have been busy working for all the children of the world. Sounds grandiose, doesn’t it?

As sometimes happens, I get passionate about a subject and it takes over my life. Right now I’ve been working to send an ORDINARY mom to Copenhagen for the Climate Conference. O.K., she’s not quiet ordinary since Diane MacEachern wrote one of the definitive books on going green for ordinary consumers, The Big Green Purse, and speaks frequently on issues that most concern moms.

It turns out the Huffington Post is sponsoring a contest to send an “ordinary citizen” to Hopenhagen all expenses paid and with a press pass to cover the talks. It’s in conjunction with the Copenhagen effort to get ordinary citizens voices heard in Copenhagen,not just big business and scientific communities!

But I think Diane will be a better representative. If you haven’t had a chance to sign the citizens’ petition at Hopenhagen.org, please make it a point to do so. And vote for Diane in the Huffington Post/Hopenhagen contest – do it for your kids! (Hurry, voting ends December 4^th.)

This is an original LA Moms Blog post.

 

 

Of Fairies And Fun

I was talking yesterday with an online colleague about, as usual, business, kids, school, my life, hers. That’s the way it tends to go when talking with another mompreneur – whether or not you’ve actually met, which we haven’t.

 

Since I’ve been working with the Goddard Schools, she brought up a story that she heard about a great event they had a one of their schools in Milwaukee- a fairy festival.

 

Fairies are all the rage now with little and somewhat bigger girls, but they’ve been an integral part of the Waldorf curriculum for a long time. As schools all over look to get children in tune with nature, they’ve spilled over into the curriculum of those slightly ahead of the curve.

 

And I love it.

 

Sometimes He’s Not So Spoiled

I think a lot of us worry about spoiling our children. This is, of course while we shower them with toys and outings to a variety of places; send them to camp and fall all over ourselves to ensure both their physical and emotional needs are met.

After a summer of “fun and educational camps” ranging in price from $120- almost $300 a week (I cancelled the one that was OVER $300- does he really need that in first grade?) and outings to Water Parks, museum exhibits, aquariums and amusement parks (at least $20 - $15 per child) I wonder if he realized how privileged…maybe spoiled he is.

Probably not since all of his contemporaries enjoy the same privileges…except one. We don’t have air conditioning.

Living beachside, for the vast majority of the year, we really don’t need air conditioning – but for a few weeks in August, my son gets a taste of need. Not REAL need of course, he is fed, clothed entertained and pampered in style but, rather he experiences discomfort.

Kicking the Driving Habit

 

OK, I admit it. We drove to soccer practice. Yes, it’s only about 6 blocks from our house. Yes, I knew what time it started. Could I make it there in time? No.

Maybe it’s not specifically a California thing, but I seem to be inordinately attached my car. Last night we made three trips to two different grocery stores, neither more than ½ mile from our house…just to get the ingredients for Caesar salad! We, of course thought we had everything before we started and really…how many ingredients does one need for a Caesar salad without anchovies and with store bought dressing?

I just find myself driving and driving and driving…when really if I had better time management skills, I would drive nearly so much. In this era of thrift and ecological awareness, you’d think I could kick this habit – wouldn’t you?!

I’m Going Home To Recover From BlogHer09

Well, it’s over, the big BlogHer event. And yes, I’m exhausted. (I don’t get out much, you know.) I just returned to my room (which looks like a bomb stuffed with all sorts of consumer goods exploded in it) from the final event, The Recovery Breakfast!

Thank you Starbucks!

 Now, back in my room, I’m slowly sorting through my haul. Mr. Potato Head – yes; an entire bottle of laundry detergent- love to take it, but – no. Shall I take the hundreds of coupons? Will they actually make it to the store? And, no, I shall never need another reusable grocery back in my life since I collected at least 300 of them this weekend.

Like many bloggers who attended BlogHer, I had some sponsors.

Thank YOU Goddard Child Development Centers and Womego.com.