Filling our Bowls

My sister in law reminded me of this month's Empty Bowls event at one of our local community colleges. Our family tries to attend each year, but somehow I had missed the announcement! We made plans to meet and have a lunch of soup together. Each of the kiddos quickly picked out a bowl for their lunch. They chatted with their cousins about their choices and other hot topics of the day. It took me a bit of time to find the perfect bowl. I picked up and walked around the tables with quite a few different options. My brother offered his sage advice to go with function over form. I think I was able to find one that combined both quite beautifully.

On the way home, Eamon and Benton agreed that they couldn't wait to have cereal in their new bowls. We don't often have cereal in our home, but both of them love it. I decided to offer a variation on breakfast for dinner. We were going to have cereal for dinner, AND they could pick whatever cereal they wanted from the store. I wasn't going to check for food dyes, hydrogenated oils, non-GMO grains, or high fructose corn syrup. We were going to shop at Target not the health food store. They were ecstatic. They loaded our cart with Trix, Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch; I grabbed Rice Chex (can't get too out of control!). We waited until dinner time for the craziness to begin. Each of them poured their bowls of cereal and milk (except for Aine who doesn't like milk). Eamon ate several bowls before his belly started to hurt. Benton combined cereals and proclaimed it the best ever. Aine ate all the marshmallows out of her bowl. It was fantastic. They had so much fun. We have decided to make it an annual event. So now we have new bowls and a new tradition-empty bowls followed by crazily filled bowls.

Customer Service

I am a sucker for good customer service. When newly married, I shopped exclusively at Safeway for quite awhile due to their amazing customer service. Their employees would help you with anything. What do you need? Let me find that for you. At times I was afraid to ask for something, because I was sure they were running to their cars to find it at the nearby store!

I continue to be lured by good customer service. The way a customer is treated will keep them as your customer. Often businesses forget that I can walk away and spend my money elsewhere. Small businesses seem to know this. My husband frequents the same bagel shop at home because it is independently owner and the owner is now his friend. Why? Because the staff took the time to remember my husband and greet him. Such simple things.

Recently after receiving the replacement computer, I realized my iTunes was now empty. Not a big deal at first. Due to my buying history through Apple, I could easily replace those items. The piece missing, though, were our audiostories. At the end of last year I signed our family up for Sparkle Stories. My children really enjoy these tales. Initially I was just going to subscribe for the $1 trial month. I figured that would be enough. Nope. My kiddos wanted more, so we have continued our subscription and even given the subscription as a gift to family. Now the stories were gone.

I contacted Lisabeth at Sparkle Stories to see if there was any way to retrieve them. She quickly and kindly replied. Yes, she could help. After a few days, she sent me a file with all 24 missing stories!! This was a huge task for her, and she did it with aplomb. This morning, I downloaded the files, and we now have our complete set again. My kiddos will be so pleased when they find out.

Why am I telling you this? It all boils down to customer service. If she had scoffed and told me tough luck, I would have understood. It was a big request. However, she told me she thought she could help and did. She was prompt with her replies and helpful. I do hope her family business continues to flourish and expand. We do love the stories and now the company.

(the photos have nothing to do with Sparkle Stories-the kiddos took these yesterday)

Full

This weekend was a full one with a bit of busy and a bit of relaxing. After running around town, the kiddos and I headed to our local library complex on Saturday for some pottery and food. Our community participates in Empty Bowls each year. It is a fundraiser aimed at ending hunger in your community. Eamon and I began going when he was a wee, only child. We took a few years off as our collection of pottery bowls was sufficient, and our budget was tight. This year, down to one bowl, we decided it was time to go again.

The kiddos love to go and pick out a piece of pottery donated by our area high schools. Each one is very specific in what they want. Benton settled on his blue bowl immediately. He picked it up and declared it his own. No other bowl could sway his decision. Eamon and Aine took a bit longer. They lingered over the bowls changing their minds as a new one grabbed their fancy. Eamon took the most time with it and ended up switching bowls right at the end. Aine enjoyed finding one for Dave too. She found two that coordinated which became the mama and daddy bowls.

During our wandering, we talked about the area organizations the event would help. We are very familiar with them as our Girl Scout troop as well as our family volunteers time with each (iHELP and the Escalante Community Garden). Coincidentally we had spent the previous day in the garden weeding and thinning the beds with GS.

The kiddos ate bowls of soup and bread while we listened to music. Eamon ran into the ceramics studio to pick up his pieces from class which he doled out to each of us with pride (I now have a pin container, a pretzel, and a honey pot). As we sat I fixed an error in my knitting, enjoying our wonderful weather, vibrant community and full belly.

Baseball and the Homeless

We recently attended an ASU baseball game, so Eamon and Aine are working on singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." We also have been serving meals once a month to the homeless through an organization called iHELP. Aine has taken these two events and morphed them into her own song. She now belts out, "Root, root, root for the homeless!!!" I don't think she realizes her error in the lyrics. Benton is now singing it too.

Take a Stand

(cross posted on family blog)
We try to have toys that are from reputable sources. We avoid products manufactured in China, if we cannot determine the company's standards and policies. We tend to buy from small companies that offer natural products (e.g. Bamboletta dolls, Nova Naturals, North Star Toys, Willow Toys, etc). We have given away/thrown away toys that come from disreputable sources.

thus we were pleased when it became a national issue and Congress wanted to help protect children. However, we feel that the current legislation passed in August 2008 and taking effect in February 2009 will hamper our ability to choose the toys we want. It will especially affect small artisans and handmade products. If you are not familiar with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, please take a minute to read about it. It will require everyone to test. On the surface this appears to be a sound decision, however it will drive independent toy makers and artisans out of business due to excessive cost.

Please visit Help Save Handmade for yourself and contact your Representatives and Senators if you feel as we do.

Help Save Handmade

We try to have toys that are from reputable sources. We avoid products manufactured in China, if we cannot determine the company's standards and policies. We tend to buy from small companies that offer natural products (e.g. Bamboletta dolls, Nova Naturals, North Star Toys, Willow Toys, etc). We have given away/thrown away toys that come from disreputable sources.

thus we were pleased when it became a national issue and Congress wanted to help protect children. However, we feel that the current legislation passed in August 2008 and taking effect in February 2009 will hamper our ability to choose the toys we want. It will especially affect small artisans and handmade products. If you are not familiar with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, please take a minute to read about it. It will require everyone to test. On the surface this appears to be a sound decision, however it will drive independent toy makers and artisans out of business due to excessive cost.

Please visit Help Save Handmade for yourself and contact your Representatives and Senators if you feel as we do.

Leisure Reading

Safe Mom

Quick Soapbox

This is why we don't want or have plastic toys, sippy cups, plates, cups, etc.

http://www.oregontoxics.org/plastics1.html

Children are more vulnerable to toxic harm than adults because they are smaller, consume more air, food, and water for each pound of body weight than adults, and they put more things into their mouths.

Accordingly, children are more susceptible to damage from environmental threats because their bodies, brains, organs, and central nervous system are undergoing extensive growth and development throughout infancy and early childhood.

NEW RESEARCH on Children’s Exposure from Toxics in the Environmental

Exposure to toxics can cause irreparable damage to a child’s health and cognitive abilities. New research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that chemicals in the environment are implicated in asthma, acute bronchitis and upper-respiratory infections, cancer, mental retardation and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Scientific conclusions about what might be a “safe” threshold of exposure have been continuously revised downward. What ten years ago was considered a “safe” level of mercury for human consumption is now known to be a harmful level. Lead and asbestos, once commonly used and promoted as safe, have proven to be harmful at any level of exposure.

REDUCING TOXICS IN YOUR HOME SHOULD BE A GOAL.

This is why

we don't want or have plastic toys, sippy cups, plates, cups, etc.

http://www.oregontoxics.org/plastics1.html

Children are more vulnerable to toxic harm than adults because they are smaller, consume more air, food, and water for each pound of body weight than adults, and they put more things into their mouths.

Accordingly, children are more susceptible to damage from environmental threats because their bodies, brains, organs, and central nervous system are undergoing extensive growth and development throughout infancy and early childhood.

NEW RESEARCH on Children’s Exposure from Toxics in the Environmental

Exposure to toxics can cause irreparable damage to a child’s health and cognitive abilities. New research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that chemicals in the environment are implicated in asthma, acute bronchitis and upper-respiratory infections, cancer, mental retardation and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Scientific conclusions about what might be a “safe” threshold of exposure have been continuously revised downward. What ten years ago was considered a “safe” level of mercury for human consumption is now known to be a harmful level. Lead and asbestos, once commonly used and promoted as safe, have proven to be harmful at any level of exposure.

REDUCING TOXICS IN YOUR HOME SHOULD BE A GOAL.

Racing for the Cure

Although I wanted to run in the next one, I will only be walking. I am walking again for the fight against breast cancer. Please follow this link to add your support.

THANKS!!

This link sums it up for me nicely and leads you here. Like Molly Coddle, we don't watch much TV. We go in spurts, but my children know who Mr. Rogers is through some books and DVDs from the library. I fondl recall Mr. Rogers and have watched the program with my children. It is a heartening show in sharp contrast to the programming of today. I am off to write a letter.