Got Food? Give Some to Those in Need.

With the holidays coming up, we often think of the needs of those who might be hungry. It’s wonderful to share our bounty during the holiday season. But people aren’t hungry only in November and December. More than 47 million Americans use food banks for some or all of their meals YEAR ROUND.

Take some time today to donate non-perishables to a local food bank. They also need toiletries, diapers, wipes, and sanitary products. Why not make this WORTHWHILE SERVICE PROJECT part of your monthly family routine and teach your children the value of giving to others.

To find a food bank near you: http://www.feedingamerica.org

Save Seeds…Save Life…Spread Some Beauty

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the critical importance of SEEDS.  It’s not something we think much about, but our very lives depend on seeds.  Without them, we have no food.  And we all know how important food is.  If you hold seeds in your hand…you hold life.  Monsanto and other companies hold patents on seeds.  Think about this: THEY CAN CONTROL THE WORLD’S FOOD.  If we want to ensure biodiversity and ample food for future generations, we need to preserve seeds and all the abundant varieties of foods they represent.  How can we do it?

Saving seeds was common practice for our ancestors, to ensure that there would be food even during lean times.  As mechanization and hybridization took over farming in the 20th Century, the practice was lost….but thankfully, not forgotten.

SEED BANKS are popping up in an unusual place…your local library.  There are more than 600 seed libraries in North America.  These collections will provide a free packet of seeds, information on gardening and seed saving techniques.  SEED SAVERS is responsible for much of today’s seed library stock.  It has 25,000 varieties – many of them rare or exclusive – dating before WWII. These seeds belong in the public domain and cannot be patented. The goal is to get these seeds into as many people’s hands as possible.  Why not visit your local library and plant some seeds?

For more information on this important program visit: http://www.seedsavers.org

http://www.libraryseedbank.info

You can spread some beauty in your own backyard by making some wildflower SEED BOMBS. 

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Seed-Bomb

For more garden crafts visit:  http://www.redtedart.com/garden-crafts-challenge-get-crafty/

DIY Backyard Activities.

There is still plenty of summer left to enjoy.  You can get kids out of the house and keep them busy by making your own backyard a fun-filled oasis for the kids.  Besides the usual sprinkler, water balloon fights, and assorted water games, check out these really cool outdoor activities from Buzz Feed.  There’s backyard dominoes, lawn twister, bean bag toss, giant bubbles and a do-it-yourself slip and slide.

Many of the activities use things already on hand, so there is no need to invest in new gadgets.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/cieravelarde/suns-out-funs-out?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Parents%20614&utm_content=Parents%20614%2BCID_04fc34111fe2dc9b39baa67b7b04ef20&utm_source=BuzzFeed%20Newsletters&utm_term=.poglK3NawX#.cdy5Aw7rVb

Happy summer fun!

Starry, Starry Night: Stargazing 101

For a unique and fun-filled family evening, pack up a thermos of your favorite beverage, some cookies or other snacks, flashlights, and a few blankets.  Then head out to an open field or playground where you can view the stars.  The best viewing sites are those where there is little interference from ground lighting.

Kids will enjoy using binoculars as well or a portable telescope if you have one.  Leave electronic devices in the car.  All you really need is your eyes and  a willingness to relax, lie down on the blanket and watch the sky.  Play a game of “connect the stars” to make figures like ancient astronomers did with the constellations.

For serious star gazers, the best spots to view them around the country can be found at http://www.wholeliving.com/starstruck.

Let’s Go Camping!

Summer is a time of year where we usually enjoy spending more time outdoors. Hiking in parks and forests, visiting wildlife sanctuaries, swimming in lakes and beaches…so many great things to do on lazy summer days.  If the idea of CAMPING in the great outdoors sends a cold shiver down your spine, maybe you just haven’t found the right way to enjoy the camping experience.  Camping is WAY MORE than using port-o-potties, giving up showers and running water, and sleeping in a muggy, bug-infested tent in the middle of nowhere.

RV parks and campgrounds offer lots of amenities and are a budget friendly way for families to experience the natural world. Here are a few to consider when planning a family camping trip:

HERSHEY PARK CAMPING RESORT, HUMMELSTOWN, PA: Offers 300 campsites for RV hookups, log cabin rentals, pools, movie nights, and discounted admission to Hershey Park.  http://www.hersheyparkcampingresort.com

NORMANDY FARMS FAMILY CAMPING RESORT, FOXBORO, MA: If you don’t have your own RV, you can rent a YURT, pop-up trailer, or safari tent. Located between Boston and Cape Cod, this resort offers yoga classes, mountain bike tours, and a dog park.  http://www.normandyfarms.com

LAKESHORE RV RESORT & CAMPGROUND, OELWEIN, IA:  Located on the shores of Lake Oelwein, this resort offers swimming, canoeing, Frisbee golf, beach volleyball, and a day trip to the FIELD OF DREAMS movie site.  Every year some baseball legend emerges from the corn fields to have a game with fans.  http://www.lakeshoreiowa.com

AMERICAN HERITAGE RV PARK, WILLIAMSBURG, VA: For history fans you might want to try this resort where you can stay in a cabin or cottage as you enjoy nature trails, pool, volleyball and basketball courts and discounted tickets to COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG: http://www.americanheritagervpark.com

Be sure to check out state parks and campgrounds in your state for more opportunities to enjoy the camping experience this summer.

To get you kids in the mood, try reading some of these camping-themed books:

  a rustic camping journal to record all the moments and memories of the camping experience.

  “Goodnight, Campsite” is an award-winning children’s book on camping, featuring more than tents. Our book highlights RVs – Travel Trailers, Fifth-Wheels, Pop-Ups, Class A, Class C, and other camper options.” (description is taken from internet page)

  A camping alphabet book.

For more camping-themed book for kids of all ages, check out this link:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=camping+themed+books+for+kids&id=63353A9A8FD071C4C79134DD4B1B2A74D25F3C82&FORM=IQFRBA

GIVE SOMETHING AWAY DAY 4.0 with Kim Pfennigwerth and Darlene Beck Jacobson.

Hooray for July 15th! It is our fourth annual GSA Day or Give Something Away Day.

I am packing up a house and doing some serious pondering over which items stay and which go. It isn’t easy shedding 39 years of collecting …stuff. And while we have moved quite a few times, we’ve never gone through such a drastic cleaning out.

Children’s elementary school pottery – staying. Grandmother’s heirlooms some going to family members and a few staying.

Far too many kitchen items, going. Beloved knickknacks from over the years – a very good many are going. May the joy they brought me – go to others.

With so many items in every room – this move shows it is time to be practical. Time to simplify. We will appreciate the end result. So I am choosing what will still bring joy when I see it each day while at the same time looking for places that accept donations for many things that may help others.

But the absolute best thing about Give Something Away Day is something I talk about each year – something that cannot be measured. Giving something away is a kindness and kindness is a magical element. It is an action with absolutely no expectation for anything in return. What ‘something’ have you given away lately? What magic was gained from your kindness? Spending time with a friend? Holding the door for a parent with a load of groceries who is also holding a child’s hand? Reading to a child? Go ahead and plan on giving something away. It is guaranteed to lighten your mood and heart.

Hopefully, you will make Give Something Away Day fun too. Darlene and I would love to read your comments or plans.

P.S. I have two pair of ‘somethings’ that I am giving away this year that feature two friends’ work. The two Bunny Book Club picture books (Bunny’s Book Club & Bunny’s Book Club Goes To School) written by Annie Silvestro and the first two Mia Mayhem paperback chapter books (Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero & Mia Mayhem Learns To Fly) illustrated by Leeza Hernandez.

                     

Take a bunny who loves the library and sharing bookish adventures with his animal pals then add a friend who is a bit fearful of her first day of school and this same bunny and pals come to support her and make many new friends. That is the fun you will find in Bunny’s Book Club and Bunny’s Book Club GOES TO SCHOOL!

                                                                       

Mia Mayhem is a new chapter book series starring Mia Macarooney. Mia is known for leaving mayhem behind her wherever she goes. To her surprise she receives a letter inviting her to a very special after school program. Even more exciting, Mia learnsshe is a superhero and that her parents are too. These first two books introduce adorable Mia and start her on the path to learning her superpowers.

Darlene Here: I also have TWO items to give away in a drawing. A paperback copy of YA historical novel THESE SHALLOW GRAVES by NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Donnelly and a 30 page critique of an MG or YA novel in progress. Share your give-away experiences and be entered to win.  If there is something specific you’d like to be considered for, please let us know so we can make the give-away more meaningful to all.

Here’s a description of THESE SHALLOW GRAVES:  Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.
Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.
The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.
The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

When you give something away…you get back much more in return.

Go Treasure Hunting!

If you’re looking for a different family trip or activity this summer, why not give LETTERBOXING a try? Never heard of it? Letterboxing combines hiking with treasure hunting for a fun and unique experience for the entire family.

Letterboxers put small, weatherproof boxes in public places like city parks, campgrounds, state forests, and the like. Then they post clues online for adventurers to follow. The whole family can get involved in puzzling through the directions while visiting new places.

All you need to get started: a notebook, pen, ink pad, and rubber stamp.

1. Visit http://www.letterboxing.org  or  http://www.atlasquest.com for tips on how to find a hike near you. Then crack the code or follow clues to find the letterbox.

2. When you discover a box, there will be a logbook and a Rubber Stamp. MARK YOUR BOOK WITH THE BOX’S STAMP, SIGN THE BOX’S BOOK, AND STAMP IT WITH YOUR OWN STAMP to prove your family found the treasure.

3. KEEP IT GOING by looking for letterboxes on trips and vacations or by making your own letterbox for  to find.

Happy Treasure Hunting!