Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The February 28, 2009 Edition

My local library has an RSS feed for all their new books. I generally let that list backlog to about 1000 titles, and then I GO TO TOWN. Which simply means I put too many books on hold at once. But I can't help myself. It's an addiction. And addictions do not act with balance and reason.

So.

Here's a few of the books I plan to speed-read in the next couple of weeks:

151 Quick Ideas to Improve Your People Skills :: Oh, YOU laugh. But SOME of us have to read books to help us even find our human side. Whatever that is.

Music of South Africa :: Watching The Power of One and seeing The Lion King on Broadway both changed my life. Not only did they get me thinking about justice and the people of Africa, but they also turned me on to the music from that region.

Pizza: A Global History :: This is just the kind of book that feeds me those trivial tidbits I can pull out at parties. (See: "People Skills.")


Reading anything good these days?

Quesa-Pizzas

The more kids I add to the brood, the lazier more efficient I get in the kitchen. Anymore, I can't even bear to stand at the skillet ("phone booth") flipping a bunch of sloppy quesadillas. So, I made up my own little recipe I like to call "quesa-pizzas." These open-faced quesadillas are cooked in the oven, which gets me out of the kitchen and everyone's meal done at the same time.

When I serve this dish up, it looks happily like thin-crust pizza. So if my kids start giving me any balk, I tell them it's taco-flavored pizza AND JUST EAT IT ALREADY.

Continuing on the "kid-friendly" theme, I urge you to use mild salsa, unless your kids happen to like a little "kick." In the interest of selfishness, I use medium salsa and then get to listen to all three of my kids holler "itztoospicy! itztoospicy!" throughout the entire meal.

So, you know. My selfishness gains me about two seconds of happiness and 20 minutes of misery.

WELCOME TO PARENTING.

So. Learn from me. Use mild salsa in the mix, and just top your piece off with some hot salsa at the table.


Quesa-Pizzas

1 small onion, diced
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 whole flour tortillas
cooking spray
1 cup shredded cheese

Sour cream
Salsa

In a skillet, saute the onion for a few minutes; then add the next six ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. With a pizza cutter, slice each tortilla into four quarters. Spray two cookie sheets with canola oil, lay out the 16 tortilla pieces, and then spray the tops of them with more canola oil. Top each quarter with a spoonful of chicken mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese on top of each piece. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa if desired. 6 servings.


More recipes over at Ann's Food on Fridays, Saturday Stirrings, and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Geography: It's Not Business. It's Personal.

I didn't start cramming geography facts down my kids' throats until geography facts became important to me.

And when was that?

It was when I was introduced to someone new in my life--a little girl I today call "my daughter."

She's from a place called "China," and up until then--that country was just some far away land I might have reached if I dug with my shovel long enough.

But the moment I pulled out her picture from a FedEx pack, geography became personal.

She blew open my world, really. What I thought was the simple adding of a child to my family became so much more. Suddenly I "got" that there were other people in the world. And I "got" that there were real people with real feelings and real needs.

Recently, I gave you a big ol' list of recommended resources for teaching kids about geography. But there's more than facts and figures when teaching them about the world. It has to be personal. Kids need to put a face with a place to make it sink in.

Here are several ways you can help them do that:

• Host an exchange student or connect with a family who is hosting an exchange student
• Sponsor a child through Compassion or World Vision
• Support a missionary working in another country
• Take a missions trip to another country
• Send regular letters to someone serving in the military overseas
• Interact with a family who has adopted internationally

What would you add to the list?

Learning From Our M-I-S-T-A-K-E-S

My first grader recently asked me how "spelling class" was done when *I* was a kid. I explained how I wrote with a "stick" on a "clay tablet," and once my answers were written "in stone," then they were graded and that. was. that.

Okay. Minus the clay tablet and plus a red pen.

But it got me to thinking about "right answers" and "wrong answers" and "test scores" and "what the heck is a good education all about anyway?"

(I promise. This is not a public school versus homeschool debate.)

I know that in any school, the emphasis can veer too quickly towards "getting the right answer" and that mistakes are left in the dust.

Let me pull out the book I've been reading:

All through school, we are shown that making a mistake is a bad thing, something for which we are downgraded. This reveals how little conventional schools are interested in learning, because we never learn by doing something right; we already know how to do it.

We can only learn experientially from our mistakes, by identifying and correcting them. But schools seldom give us an opportunity to do this; when a mistake is made and graded, it is indelible. So, we learn that mistakes are to be avoided at all costs.

[Let me repeat. Read the word "schools" in that quote as ALL types of schools. M'kay?]

************************************************************************************

Let's pause for a commercial break, where I take y'all back to my 20s...

I switched my major in college because of what fabulous things I had heard about a professor. He was unconventional; he was effective. But most importantly:

He. changed. my. life.

He was the first teacher I met who cared about learning, and not about regurgitating facts for a test. Oh, his classes were tough. But with every assignment I turned in, he made notes on what to improve, and then *I* had the chance to do it again. I could turn that assignment in as many times as I wanted--until I was satisfied with what I had learned and with my grade.

Shocking.

It was his influence that inspires me to do what I do today: Teach.

************************************************************************************

I don't have nailed down what this means to me as a parent / teacher. Maybe y'all can help.

What does "learning from our mistakes" mean for...

• spelling words?
• reading comprehension?
• relational skills?
• math skills?
• anything else that comes to mind?

From whatever schooling perspective you come from--I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Truly, you guys are an intelligent (good-looking, witty) bunch.

Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The February 21, 2009 Edition

Well. It appears that I have picked every depressing book off the shelf. Carry on.


Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away :: Race? Adoption? A heart wrenching story? I'm sold.

Comfort: A Journey Through Grief :: This mom writes about knitting and her grief over the death of her five-year-old girl. Somehow those two things are related, and I'm going to cry my way through the book to find out how.

Night :: A book about the Holocaust. (See? It's getting worse. I've gone from the death of one child to the death of a race. Someone. Pull me out.)

Anyone reading anything a little more chipper than this?

Family-Pleasing Sloppy Joes

My kids like to play a little game while I'm fixing dinner in the kitchen. I call it "phone booth," and the goal of the game is to get all four of us crammed into a three-foot space. Bonus points are given each time I accidentally back into them, whack them with a utensil, or splash them with water.

Oh, wait.

It's not a game.

It's my life.

So.

I still love cooking, but I try to cut back on the adventure of "game time" as much as possible. Even the thought of opening a box of frozen pizza ("Mom! What's that?" "Gimme a pepperoni!" "Me too!" "More!" "His piece is bigger!") and sticking it in the oven ("Can I help, Mom?" "No!" "Stand back!" "Hot!" "I said, 'HOT!'" "Keep away!" "Where's the timer?" "WHO TOOK MY TIMER?!") sounds exhausting.

These days I go for what's easy.

Not too hard to see why.

I like this sloppy joe recipe because it uses items from the pantry, goes together in a snap, and tastes good to young taste buds. When I serve it to the kids, I usually skip the bread part and let them eat just the meat with a spoon. A spoon that usually ends up looking a whole lot like their fingers--followed closely by--a napkin that closely resembles a shirt.

I digress.


Family-Pleasing Sloppy Joes

2 pounds ground turkey (or beef)
1 large onion
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
8 sandwich buns, split

In a Dutch oven, cook turkey (or beef) and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes* or until heated through. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture onto each bun. 8 servings.

*Just enough time to cook some fries in the oven.

Source

More recipes over at The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap, Ann's Food on Friday, and Saturday Stirrings.

Look Out, I've Got My Quiz Kid Racer

If this post doesn't seal my Mother's Pack Rack Status, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL.

You see that handheld game to the left? My Quiz Kid Racer?

FROM NINETEEN SEVENTY SOMETHING?

My mom just sent it to me in the mail.

And it still works.

I told my seven-year-old, "See, son? You have no need for a Wii. You've got THE - QUIZ - KID - RACER. It's even in the HANDHELD GAMES MUSEUM."

He wasn't impressed. But he still uses it when I'm not looking. And you'd better believe I'll be sticking that electronic math game in the van for sneaky geeky times table learnin'.

Meanwhile, I continue to look for math games online. I like the flash card idea and all, but HEY. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH THE BONDING.

Maybe you had the Speak and Math, which IS NOW IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

And since I already feel as old as the hills, I decided to spend a little time with the Speak and Spell. Go ahead. Click that link. You'll love it.

What other retro handheld games am I missing? Come on. Let's feel old together and just get it over with.

Wii schmee.

An Adoption Update. Subtitled, The Most Unflattering Picture You'll See Today.

I just finished nine evenings of training required for our next adoption. I ended up calling that 27 hours of instruction, "Whereupon I Ripped Out My Heart And Drove Over It With A Mack Truck."

So, in other words, exhausting. In every possible way.

Here I am with my binder:

Hubs took his training back in January, in one lump sum over a weekend. Now we're officially well-trained parents who can categorize and give labels to the mistakes we make.

Bonus!

We have sent all our paperwork to the agency, that is, if by saying "we" I really mean just "me." So you know, I'VE BEEN BUSY.

Not that I'm prone to exaggerating, but this (THIRD) time around, in all seriousness, we had to obtain ELEVEN separate background checks.

I'm still not a criminal. But I'm getting awfully close.

Next we meet with the social worker, whose job is to evaluate every nook and cranny of our lives looking for signs that we are indeed Complete Failures of the Homesteading and Parental Kind.

She won't have to look very far.

Until she comes, I'll be spending my time in prayer stashing stuff at the neighbor's house. If social workers were smart, they'd make a surprise visit to the house the night before the scheduled meeting to see, ummm, how shall we say, how things really are.

On second thought, scratch that.

I like the censored version a whole lot better.

So. Once our kids' minds are erased house is cleaned, our social worker will conduct some interviews, write up a glossy report, and then we'll start to see pictures of available kids to adopt.

Piece of cake.

Stay tuned for future parenting and housecleaning tips adoption updates. Better yet, follow me on twitter for the nitty gritty. The ride will only get wilder from here.

Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

It's that time of year where Strawberries On Steroids start showing up in stores. Not the sweet, in-season, locally grown delights, but the HONKERS from WHO KNOWS WHERE. I'm not sure how those berries are grown, or where they come from, but Valentine's Day cannot go on without them.

I've never mastered the chocolate-covered strawberries, but no matter. This fondue recipe is easier, and gives you full control over the strawberry to chocolate ratio.

In my case, it's the strawberry to CHOCOLATE ratio.

Best thing about this recipe is that it uses ingredients you likely have on hand. So lovey-dovey holiday or not; this fondue's for you.


Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk (or low fat milk in a Make This Right Now pinch)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; immediately stir in cocoa. Add sugar and evaporated milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. 6 servings.

Serve warm with assorted fondue dippers: cake pieces, cookies, marshmallows, cherries, grapes, mandarin orange segments, pineapple chunks, strawberries, apples, bananas.

Can be made ahead and stored in fridge; simply reheat over medium-low heat. Can be kept warm in crock pot (low) as well. This recipe also freezes well for make-ahead ease.

More recipes over at Ann's Food on Fridays, Saturday Stirrings, and at The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Geography Resources For Kids

I've developed a new love: Geography. It appeals to the felt need I like to call, "I Finally Got Something Right For Once In My Life."

Colombia! I know where Colombia is! And I can usually show it to you right here on this map!

What few people know is that I entered this homeschooling gig with the full intent of educating myself. I have no idea what happened to all that stuff I "learned" in school, but most of what I remember involves Food Items And Where They Were Placed On My Cafeteria Plate.

So as you can see, important stuff.

This is the first year I've taught the subject to myself my kids. I'm a cheapskate know-it-all, and because of that, I spent just five dollars on geography curriculum this year. These were my goals for the subject:

1. Memorize all the countries in the world, one continent at a time
   
2. Learn about several countries through books and videos from the library
3. Experience the different cultures through trying new foods
4. Practice basic map-reading skills
   

I figured that plan was sufficient for first grade, especially since *I'd* never learned that stuff to begin with.

My list of resources isn't exhaustive, but maybe there's something in here to help you out. Here ya go.


PRINTABLE BLANK MAPS

• If you like big, wall-sized maps, check out mega maps. I like to print the four-sheet by four-sheet size, which fits nicely on the side of my fridge. Then when the troops are least expecting it, I holler out, "Point to Guatemala!" It's great fun.
  
  
• From that same mega maps website, I also print a couple notebook-sized maps to keep with our books. I color one page and leave it unlabeled. I make him color the second map and then write in the names of the countries. His sheet becomes the "cheat sheet" and my unmarked map is used as the "quiz sheet." We go through the map once a week day.
  

GLOBES AND ATLASES

• We keep a globe within easy reach. We've handled that thing more than I ever thought we would. It comes in handy mostly when we're not studying geography. You can spend a lot of money on a globe, but I don't recommend it. Unless you have children who are Delicate and Sweet, I can assure you that the globe will get destroyed just like every other possession in your house.
  
  
• I also keep a notebook-sized world atlas in another part of the house, along with the school books. That resource gets used just as much if not more than our dictionary.

ONLINE GAMES

• www.kidsgeo.com. There are several drag-and-click-the-country-to-the-right-spot kind of games. The timer counts up, so you can race against yourself. Not that speed has anything to do with learning, mind you. But still. There are the competitive types in the crowd. NOT THAT I'D KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, HELLO, PATHWORDS. This site has other games as well, including a longitude-latitude search, and a state capitals and world capitals quiz.
  
  
• www.sheppardsoftware.com. There are a whole variety of "put the country in the right spot" kinds of games. What is great about this site is that there are several level of difficulty, making the games fun for beginners and geography geeks alike. You can print maps from this site too.
  
  
• www.lizardpoint.com. This is a basic game but it is thorough and keeps score, which is helpful for parents.
  
  
• www.maps.com. A potpourri of games.
  
  
• www.travelpod.com. This one's for the geeks in the crowd. It's a total ego-boosting (or busting) game. Addicting.
  
  

VIDEOS

• I'm not going to shout from the rooftops my deep and admiring love for the Families of the World series. However, they're good enough, I can get them from the library, and they give me 30 minutes to take a nap get some work done. Here are the titles that are currently available:
  
  Families of Australia
  Families of Brazil
  Families of Canada
  Families of China
  Families of Costa Rica
  Families of Egypt
  Families of France
  Families of Ghana
  Families of India
  Families of Israel
  Families of Japan
  Families of Korea
  Families of Mexico
  Families of Puerto Rico
  Families of Russia
  Families of Thailand
  Families of United Kingdom
  Families of USA
  Families of Vietnam
  
  
• There are TONS of Globe Trekker DVDs available; too many to list. My only grief with this show is that the some of the hosts are difficult to understand. So while the Families of the World series is great for kids but dull for adults -- the Globe Trekker series is just the opposite. But that doesn't stop me from recommending them. The Globe Trekker DVDs are of such good quality that kids can learn a lot just from the visuals.
  
  
• Rick Steves is another good host with a full series of DVDs. If you're fortunate, you can catch him on PBS, the TV channel for geeks.
  

MAP SKILLS

• Maybe I just have a genius for a son (COUGH COUGH) but the map skills books I've used have always been waaaay below his level. However, they've always taught him things that I never would have thought to teach him otherwise -- like compass directions, longitude/latitude, and how to use a legend. The only reason I continue to use the Map Skills (School Specialty Publishers) series is because they're cheap, yet still get the job done--albeit quickly.

One of the rewarding things about studying geography is that it helps so many other things make sense. I wasn't kidding when I said that one of the main reasons I teach is to learn. And it's forty-seven kinds of enjoyable to learn alongside those I spend every waking moment with love the most.

Now. I'm certain you have a geography resource I'll love. What is it?

More tips over at Rocks in my Dryer!

Macadamia Berry Dessert

Valentine's Day is coming up.

Whooo-peeeeee.

As you might imagine, I'm not a big fan of "Hallmark Holidays" and "Contrived Affection."

Yes. Yes. Feel sorry for my husband my family the whole world around me.

I'm one of those wives who had to convince the Hubs to not give me flowers on Valentine's Day. That flowers offend me. They cost money! And die! And are endlessly uncreative!

Well.

I can see I've not only ruined Valentine's Day for me, I've ruined it for you as well.

You're welcome.

But alas, I will share with you one of my favorite special occasion desserts. It is pink, which automatically qualifies it for a perfect Valentine's Day Treat. You can also make it ahead of time, thus giving you time to dream up a more meaningful lovey-dovey expression for that day.

XOXO.


Macadamia Berry Dessert

1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (about 32 wafers)
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
10 ounces raspberries, frozen (sweetened), thawed
8 ounces cool whip , thawed
fresh raspberries, for garnish
whipped topping, pressurized, for garnish
raspberry jam, for garnish

Combine the wafer crumbs, nuts and butter. Press into the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. In a mixing bowl, beat the milk, orange juice and lemon juice on low speed until well blended. Add raspberries; beat on low until blended. Fold in whipped topping. Pour over the crust. Cover and freeze for 3 hours or until firm. May be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove sides of pan. Drizzle dessert plate with melted raspberry jam and top with slice of dessert. Finish garnishing with whipped topping and fresh raspberries, if desired. 12 servings.

Source


For more recipes, hop on over to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap or over to Ann's Food on Friday's.

100 Things About Me

It's your choice to read this or not. I make no promises you'll still be awake at the end.


100 Things About Me

1. I grew up as the second child in a two-kid family.
2. But I'm as responsible and bossy as a first-born.
3. I like to study people and then put them into boxes.
4. I'm stuck in the Melancholy-Choleric box, if that means anything to you.
   
5. If not, it just means I need a lot of time to think.
   
6. And that I get a lot of my self-worth from accomplishments.
   
7. That worked well in Corporate America.
8. But then I had kids.
9. I stay home with my kids. I'm blessed.
   
10. But I rarely, if ever, get my needs met.
11. Especially the needs for "neatness" and "order."
12. I haven't seen my carpet since 2006.
13. I plan to regain control of my house someday.
    
14. But by then, I won't be at home much anyway.
    
15. I'll be traveling the world.
16. I'll seek out the most educational and heart-wrenching stuff.
17. Because I'm a geek who enjoys pain.
18. So does my husband, which is why I'll be taking his camera and his creative self with me.
19. I tend to make plans for other people's lives.
20. We're going to Africa first.
    
21. I met my hubs in 1992 and we've been best friends ever since.
22. He has a dry, situational type of wit. That's what got me hooked.
    
23. If I don't laugh every now and then, I get really depressed.
    
24. Which is why I also enjoy a good cry.
25. I schedule that in about once a month.
    
26. Music has moved me in ways the spoken word never has.
27. I took piano lessons for twelve years.
28. That's a lot of money.
    
29. But I'm glad my parents did that versus filling my room full of stuff.
    
30. Accompanying is my favorite. It has all the joy of expression without all the attention.
31. I also played the sax.
32. But I wish I'd played the oboe. It's harder to play, more soulful in sound, and less flashy.
33. I'm weird like that.
34. Band and choir were my favorite classes.
35. There's something about playing music with others that is like nothing else in this world.
36. I miss that.
37. I've also played the cello and the accordion. I loved them both for vastly different reasons.
38. I also like to sing but I think the word "loud" best describes my style.
39. I like public speaking but not one-on-one.
40. If you laugh at my stories, you make my day.
    
41. But sometimes my humor is odd.
42. That stems from an overactive imagination.
    
43. I've perfected the art of steamrolling.
    
44. I tend to be a know-it-all.
45. Preferring tasks over people.
46. I don't get invited to parties.
    
47. But if you ever need an overbearing expert, I'm your gal.
48. I get bogged down with my weaknesses.
49. I spent my teens ignoring my faults.
50. And then my 20s drowning in them.
51. But my 30s have been a relief. I self-loathe only six days a week.
52. That tends to come out when I write.
    
53. I write to teach.
54. But mostly to make people laugh.
55. If I accomplish both those things, I feel like I've hit a home run.
56. I started tutoring my peers in second grade, and had to miss recess to do so.
57. I didn't mind.
    
58. I have a teacher flame in me that will. not. die.
59. That's why I homeschool my kids.
    
60. I plan to be a trainer some day.
61. I love to be up-front, entertaining and teaching a crowd.
    
62. Just don't come up and hug me when I'm done.
63. I got kissed in kindergarten by "Grody Jody."
64. There's another boy from that class who consistently pops up in my dreams.
65. I hate to go to bed.
    
66. I'd rather go to the library than shop at the mall.
    
67. I wish I didn't gag while eating fish.
    
68. I grew up on an 80-acre farm in Ohio.
    
69. I liked to stare out my bedroom window.
70. Especially when it rained.
71. Now I live in the urban Pacific Northwest.
    
72. And I love it.
73. There's something rather comforting about being (very closely) surrounded by people.
74. Even the weird ones.
75. Of whom I am Queen.
    
76. My favorite kind of music is country.
    
77. It takes me back to my roots.
78. Plus I love a good story.
    
79. I also love Jesus.
80. Though I often take over as Savior.
81. That's one reason I chose to adopt.
82. I thought I could save the world.
83. But I was given the world in return.
84. My girl is a delight.
85. But when she sleeps, I hold tight to her hand and cry.
86. I can't see her without seeing her mom.
    
87. I absorb the world's pain as my own.
    
88. That's why I don't watch the news.
89. But I read quite a bit.
    
90. My kids have taught me more than any book ever has.
91. I've got a son (8) who acts just like me.
    
92. And a boy (5) who's as sweet as pie.
    
93. My China girl (3) is a Party In A Box.
94. She has transformed me.
    
95. As did my trip to China.
    
96. I had a miscarriage in 2003.
    
97. Worst time in my life.
98. But I found out I have friends and family who support me.
99. And a God who won't leave me.
100. That means more than anything else I've put on this list.

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Care Package Items For Homeless Men And Women

It's not unusual for me to see a homeless person each time I take a trip around town. When I first moved to the city, it was seventy-five kinds of awkward to sit at a stop light with a man holding a cardboard sign right outside my door. It didn't help my guilt any that I had little voices inside my head shouting, "Who is that? Why is he there? What is he doing? Can't you give that man some money?"

Oh, wait.

Those were my kids.

They keep me honest.

Now that I've been around awhile, I know to not give a homeless person cash; it most likely only funds his addictions. Addictions, I might add, that are not Starbucks and PathWords.

I finally started keeping a stash of granola bars in my van, along with info about the nearest rescue mission taped on top. They're quick to hand out, meet a small need, and soothe my overactive conscience.

Since then, I asked my local rescue mission for ideas of other things that are of use to a homeless man or woman. This is what I was given:

• Socks
• Toilet Paper
• Toothbrush / toothpaste
• Individual anti-bacterial wipes
• Hand lotion
• Chap stick
• Small New Testament
• Fast food gift certificate
• Granola bars
• Bottle of water
• Soap
• Shampoo / conditioner
• Poncho
• Razor / shaving cream
• Deodorant
• Resource guide (homemade or more official)
• Gloves
• Hat
• Comb / brush

The idea is to keep these items in your car. Any of the items are useful on their own, or can be assembled into a small care package to be handed out at as well. This type of collection makes a great project for groups of all shapes and sizes to do.

For more tips from around the blogosphere, head over to Rocks in my Dryer.

Let's Have Some Geography Pun

I'm on a real geography kick these days, so you'll have to Bering Strait with me.

So. While I was Rome-ing around at Amazon.com, Iran across a book about China. And Kenya believe it? It was aptly named, China ABCs. That book seemed perfect for my girl, and I enjoyed my time France-ing around the internet, Peru-sing for things just for her.

Even in all my Russian around, I managed to read the one and only review of that book on that site:

I wanted to find some books that I can relate (Chinese culture in general) and share with my two girls. Disappointingly I discovered it's very China Chinese. For example, the M is for Mao ZeDong (father of the PRPC), Q is Qing Dynasty (who would know that but Chinese or people study Chinese history), T is for Tienanmen Square, W is for Wuxue (martial art). Yikes, this is the book for children really want to learn about China and ONLY China. Just a personal dislike about the A to Z vocabulary selection.

I read that and said to myself, "That one-star comment...Israel?

Imagine that. A book on China that is actually about...

CHINA.

Good Greece.