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June, 2012

  1. Finding Good Vegetarian Eats

    June 28, 2012 by admin

    Where do vegetarians find good food when traveling?

    It can be quite a challenge to find healthy, vegetarian food choices in a small town. Even larger towns or cities sometimes have nothing to offer beyond fast food.  Thank goodness for Subway and QDoba.  Otherwise the fast food choices become pretty grim and you end up piecing together a “meal” of side dishes: greasy grilled cheese or breakfast eggs all day long.  And as much as we like Subway and QDoba when we’re traveling, we find that we often just really want to sit down in a restaurant/café and eat some hearty, quality food. 

    Recently when traveling to Sheboygan, we approached the lunch hour with no easily spotted prospects for food.  Then we happened upon a food co-op, the Goodside Grocery, and decided to run inside to ask where they’d recommend we go for lunch.  Thanks to this quick stop, we ended up at Paradigm  (see later post for review) and had a wonderful meal in a fantastic atmosphere.

    Tip 1:  Asking the locals where to eat can lead to wonderful discoveries.  If you have specific dietary needs, like vegetarianism, finding a co-op/health food store or funky little coffee shop to inquire within usually results in some good recommendations.

    Tip 2: Asking the locals also leads to interesting conversations!  Don’t be afraid to say ‘Hello!”

    Category Advice & Reviews | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  2. How to Turn Your Kids Into Great Travelers: Car Critters

    June 27, 2012 by admin

    Meet our small menagerie of car critters.  They live in our car and serve as valuable friends for the final haul of a long trip, or to help sooth minor injuries.

    • Hammy:  Hammy has an important job- he holds all parking and toll receipts, so everyone in the car always knows where they are.  His station is just over the front passenger seat’s window to the delight of toll attendants.  He’s a hard worker, but when he’s off duty he can play with kiddoes.
    • Zebra:  Zebra sits over the driver’s side window. He comes out to play more often than Hammy because his job is to watch the car when no one’s in it.  So he’s always off duty while we’re driving!
    • Green Bean:  Green Bean is tough- Rahr!  He used to be the car guard but he comes inside more often now.  Green Bean turned his duties over to Zebra.  Green Bean has been with us on many, many adventures.  He’s a good friend and a mighty fine dancer.

     

    These critters offer comfort on a long drive and distractions during traffic jams.  They can lift the spirit of anyone in the fam!  And since they are always in the car, a kiddo who needs a boost can ask to see them.  When we’re tired, we can all use the hug of a stuffed friend.  And no one can resist the dance of a tiger.

    Since these critters mostly stay in the car,  they have an air of specialness that gives them enhanced powers of comfort and fun.  We encourage you to gather your own set of car-only toys to help the longer drives seem not so long.

    Category Road Trippin' | Tags: ,,,, | Comments Off on How to Turn Your Kids Into Great Travelers: Car Critters

  3. Art Imitates Life

    June 26, 2012 by admin

    “I can’t wait until my child is old enough to go to the art museum.”

    Walker Sculpture Garden

    We occasionally hear comments from parents proclaiming, “I love museums but So-and-so is just not old enough to go yet.  I sure hope So-and-so grows up to appreciate the Arts.”

    The best way to get your child interested in fine art is to BE interested in it yourself!  Try not to treat the arts as something that requires a certain maturity to appreciate.  If your household doesn’t go to museums and if you don’t have art books lying around, then your child isn’t very likely to grow into an art appreciating adult.

    Fine art doesn’t require a certain level of education or experience to appreciate.  Get rid of the notion that fine art is only for the upper class!  Throw out the idea that you won’t be able to understand it.  Fine art isn’t scary.  Just head out to a museum and see what you like.  Even your youngest will have opinions about which pieces speak to them.

    Many art museums welcome the public for free or for “donation only” admission, so it is an inexpensive outing that is sure to spur conversation and memories.

    We have taken our kids to art museums and sculpture gardens since before they were old enough to walk.  Bluey experienced the Art Institute in Chicago when he was six months old.  We have tons of books exploring the many genres of fine arts from Degas to Bill Watterson.

    Skokie Sculpture Walk

    One of the most casual entries into discovering the world of fine art with your family is a trip to a sculpture garden.  When art is experienced in the outdoors, there is no need for “library” voices or curbing an enthusiastic kid.  People tend not to be crowded together whispering their lofty opinions on the artist.  You can run, laugh, and most often TOUCH the art around you.

    One of our favorite experiences was at the Minneapolis Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden. We also enjoyed the Skokie Sculpture Walk.  Many colleges have outdoor art displays too.

    The Beloit College campus

    Next time you’re looking for something to do, check out your local art museum.

    Category Rambler Ramblings | Tags: ,,, | 2 Comments

  4. Inspirations: Abby Goldberg Fights Big Plastic

    June 25, 2012 by admin

    Kids are so awesome.  We get tired of reading about the bad kids, we’d rather celebrate the good ones.

    Go Abby!

    Abby Goldberg is trying to stop the use of plastic bags in her hometown, Grayslake, Illinois.  She ran into a problem when a bill started moving through the Illinois legislature which would prohibit towns from making their own decisions about things like plastic bags.  This ridiculous limitation of local government is supported by the plastics industries, under the guise of improving recycling programs.  So Abby’s goal of restricting plastic bag use in her town hit a roadblock at the state legislature.

    Did she give up? No!  She took to the internet and started a petition urging her governor, Pat Quinn, to veto the bill.  Over 130 thousand people have joined her cause.

    Did I mention that she’s just 12 years old?

    It would have been so easy for her to give up.  When we were young we heard: “You can’t fight City Hall.”

    Abby says that you can.  Abby fights not just city hall but also the State house.  She’s not backing down.

    We hope our kids will be like her, the kids who stand up to bullies!  Whether these bullies are on the playground, in the statehouse, or just transnational corporate conglomerates.

    We hope our kids will not give up when faced with an obstacle, but will find a way around it or through it.  We hope our kids will be as righteous as Ms. Abby Goldberg.  Abby, your energy inspires us.  We will join your ranks and do what we can to stop this bill so that you can stop plastics from polluting your town and our world.

    Sign and share her petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/governor-quinn-don-t-let-big-plastic-bully-me

    Follow her campaign on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ActivistAbby

     

    Category Inspirations | Tags: , | 2 Comments

  5. You can read it in the Sunday Paper

    June 24, 2012 by admin

    The Sunday State Journal

    When seeking out coupons and such, don’t forget the Sunday paper!  This tried and true method still packs a wallop of inserts each week.  A subscription to your area’s Sunday newspaper shouldn’t be costly and it will certainly pay for itself with the paper coupons you’ll be able to snip!  Our paper, the Wisconsin State Journal costs $70 for six months of service 7 days a week and $12 a month if you only want delivery on Sundays.  We easily save more than the subscription cost with the coupons we find in the paper.  One BOGO coupon for your brand of shampoo and you just paid for about 2 weeks of your newspaper!

    • Plus it has news.  It’s important to stay informed of current events and to teach your children how to think critically about the world.
    • And crosswords and sudokus!  Build that brain power!
    • And comics for the kiddoes (and kiddoes at heart)!  {Admit it!  You are curious about what Prince Valiant is up to these days.}

    So check out your Sunday paper.  It has a lot to offer.

    I wonder what Garfield has gotten into today?….

    Category Rambler Ramblings, Thrifty Tips | Tags: ,,, | Comments Off on You can read it in the Sunday Paper

  6. Play Ball!

    June 23, 2012 by admin

    Third baseline at the Duckpond.

    We are lucky to have an active minor league baseball team in our town, especially one so dedicated to getting families to come to the game.

    We love our Mallards!

    Mallards warming up.

    Some things we like about going to minor league play:

    • Tickets are comparatively inexpensive and many local business offer free tickets at various points during the summer.
    • All the games and the silliness in between innings.  At every change-up, there’s a different promotion or trivia game.  The kids really get into it.
    • They have a great variety of food-stuffs, so everyone can find their favorite snack.
    • Since tickets are free or inexpensive, we never have to feel bad about leaving early.

    We had a great time with the Mallards.  Mille and Maynard Mallard and Bonehead the Dog are available for photos with the little ones.  The ball players are also pretty approachable and friendly.  There are lots of games out on the midway, including a big sandbox, to help out young ones that don’t have the attention span to follow baseball.  Everything is family friendly.

    Our Mallards play in the Northwoods League, which is comprised of college players, but there are numerous farm teams around the country too.  Do yourself a favor and find your local minor league team for a fun night out with your fam.

    Category Jaunts | Tags: ,,, | Comments Off on Play Ball!

  7. Just a Taste…

    June 22, 2012 by admin

    Can you teach your kids about food and nutrition, encourage them to explore new places, and have them enjoy the process of grocery shopping while expanding their palates-  all at the same time?

    Yes, you can!

    Many supermarkets have regular taste testing in the aisles.  Keep your eyes open and pay attention to what times/days offer the best tastings at your local store.  Then see if you can arrange for that to be the time you typically go shopping.

    A Madison store that we like, Woodmans, has cheese tastings in the mornings in the dairy aisle and pizza tastings at the frozen foods aisle most afternoons.  After chancing on these a few times, Bluey now looks forward to heading to this store.  He’s eager to see what they might have for a snack!

    We recently tasted and then purchased Renard’s Cheese, after meeting a sales rep at a sampling table.

    Trader Joes has constant samplings in the back corner of the store.  We head there first for a small drink and to see what delights they have for us to taste.  It’s a chance to talk about foods, flavors, and to expand our pallets.

    Our local food co-op also has tastings, especially in the afternoons.  We recently discovered a new type of mozzarella thanks to a sampling.  It became an instant favorite in our family.  This is exactly why stores have free samples—to create new sales!

    We never feel guilty about taking samples because we know we’ll make it up to the store in purchases.  We also use the free samples as a chance to teach our kids about being polite, taking only our share, and letting everyone have their turn.

    Any trip to the store can become a chance to learn and explore.  Who knows what you’ll find?

    Category Rambler Ramblings | Tags: ,,,,, | Comments Off on Just a Taste…

  8. Where the Wild Things Are: Mackenzie Wildlife Center, Poynette, WI

    June 21, 2012 by admin

    Whoa!  Was that a badger?

    Yes, it was.

    Whoa!  Is that a wolf?

    Yep.

    The Mackenzie Wildlife Center in Poynette allows you the chance to see all types of Wisconsin wildlife up close.   These are rescued animals that are either being rehabilitated in preparation for a return to the wild, or they have been deemed medically unable to be released and will live at the center for the rest of their lives.  It is a great opportunity to see the wild animals of Wisconsin, both rare and common.

    The animals on exhibit change over time.  On a recent visit we saw bison, deer, wolves, a coyote, a badger, raccoon, an otter, porcupines, a skunk, a bobcat, a lynx, a mountain lion, two hawks, and two owls.

    At the start of the main trail, there is a large fire tower to ascend.  The stairs are at a steep incline which make the way back down a bit more treacherous – especially for the very young and the old.

    At just over 30 minutes from home, it’s the perfect way to fill in an afternoon.  The trails are okay, but not great, for a stroller.  You will only find porta-potties along your hike but the information building on the property has restrooms.  Parking is plentiful.  For a longer explore, the trails wind further from the animal pens into the surrounding woodlands with occasional informative signs about the trees and vegetation.

    Tip:  Afternoon feeding time for the animals is around 2pm.  Most of the animals are up and about in anticipation of a good meal.

     

    Category Jaunts | Tags: ,,,, | Comments Off on Where the Wild Things Are: Mackenzie Wildlife Center, Poynette, WI

  9. Junk in the Trunk

    June 20, 2012 by admin

    We highly recommend that you open a junk email account as well as a junk Facebook (FB) account.  A large majority of coupons require you to enter an email address.  Unless you are ok with your main email account being flooded with offers and newsletters (and potentially SPAM!), there is no getting around creating a junk email account.  You can use the same account for freebie offers and sweepstakes that may also lead to a ton of junk mail.  And the same goes for FB.  A ton of coupons and freebies now require that you grant permission to access your FB info or post directly to your FB wall prior to getting the offer.  We don’t allow the associated spam to clog up our private FB account.

    Tip:  Make your new account sign on name easy to remember and it’ll be easy to use.

    Places to get free email include Yahoo, Gmail, Mail.com and Hotmail.There are others, too!  Just make sure it’s an account that you won’t worry about getting overloaded with spam.

    Once you get your free email account, you can use it to set up a dummy Facebook account.  This keeps your private FB feed free of countless offers and updates from every store and company under the sun.

    Category Thrifty Tips | Tags: ,, | Comments Off on Junk in the Trunk

  10. Instructions vs. Suggestions

    June 19, 2012 by admin

    Our Bluey is very meticulous when examining a new toy for the first time. Recently, he got a box of Builderific.  He carefully examined the pictures on the box before opening it.  And once opened, he explored any instructions that indicated the various designs to be created.

    And then Bluey got stressed out that he couldn’t recreate the designs shown on the instructions or the box. We want to encourage him to find his own way to enjoy his toys!

    So we’ve invented some terminology to ease the stress that toy instructions create for our Bluey.

    Rather than refer to these inserts as instructions, we call them SUGGESTIONS.  Why should some corporate writer dictate how your child plays with a toy?  Yes, some games will work better by design if you follow the enclosed instructions.  But those toys could also be a great source of creative play if you allow your child to explore it in the way that they’re naturally inclined.  Your child may even find a new and better way to use a toy that wasn’t anticipated by its designer.

    Isn’t the whole point of playing with something like Builderific or Duplos (or any toy/game!) to enable your child’s creativity?  Why stick to instructions on how to make specific structures and stifle your kid’s innate desires to explore?  Let your child’s imagination take over!

    We can always return to the instructions but we certainly don’t allow them to limit our play.

    Category Parenting | Tags: , | 3 Comments

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