I am hopeful that I have infected my children with the joy of reading. Sometimes I wonder, when they both get so excited about silly toys, action figures, games, etc. But the proof is in the pudding- when a new box of Barefoot books arrives on the doorstep, their eyes light up. We can't do anything until we've unpacked the new books, looked them over, and probably read them all. Both boys got books for Christmas, both Barefoot and other brands. I don't think I am pushing them toward one book or another at storytime- all books are mixed in together and they get to choose whichever they want. I'm thinking I should start keeping a chart of how many times Barefoot books are chosen as compared to others. It's definitely high! And all the higher this week since I got some of the new Spring releases in stock! Logan is addicted to the new lift-the-flap books, and Xavier thinks his teacher would like the Eco Activity Book.

I just hope that this love of reading and knowledge continues well into their adulthood, and that they infect THEIR children with a love of books!

It's January 12th- and we've hopefully made it through one of the worst rounds of winter weather here in Western Washington. We had weeks of snow (highly unusual here) followed by crazy amounts of rain. There was the flooding then, which didn't affect our neighborhood, but was a curse to many communities around us. We're now hopefully into that long stretch of bleak winter that we're good at- rain in varying degrees, with clouds blanketing the sky until April. Sometimes we are lucky and get breaks of good weather- but it seems like one long endless gloom until Easter.

It gives us lots of time to work on indoor projects, read books, bake, play games and huddle in front of the woodstove. Right now I'm the only one huddled in the warmth of the living room, mostly because I've roasted the kids into the other room at this point. I've got Barefoot work to do- printing sale flyers and writing fundraising letters. Maybe that's what I'll work on. Or maybe I'll end up in an online word game, wasting an hour or two. Or maybe I'll be snuggling up to my cranky 2 year old, who might not be so cranky if he wouldn't have tipped his little chair over backwards and said "Hello" to the entertainment center face first. Either way, it will be time well spent indoors- warm and cozy with people I love.

The boys and I just took a wonderful three day trip to Long Beach, WA with my mom... and it was GREAT. Long Beach is on the southern coast of the state, and is part of a large peninsula with several other small communities. I saw somewhere that it's the longest beach in the world, but don't know if that's true or not. I'd like to go back again and explore more- we spent time in the "main street" area of Long Beach, and in Ilwaco but didn't go as far as Oysterville and some of the other towns. There are tons of antique shops, tourist shops, etc ... more than I could possibly visit in one trip! The beach was wonderful- we happened to catch a time when there was no wind and a little bit of cloud cover. It was about 68 degrees, and the sand was nice and warm and soft. The boys had a great time in the sand- and made sure to get it in everyone's hair, ears, mouths, etc. The water was freezing, but that's pretty expected up here in WA. X and I discovered a jellyfish washed up that may still have been alive- it looked nice and plump and moist still. After about half an hour or so, the jellyfish was washed back out to see. Perhaps it's out there floating around and happy!

We rented a little cabin/house at a resort in Ilwaco. It was really nice- the neighboring cabins were unused (probably because we were there in the middle of the week) so we had a mostly quiet environment. The port was visable from our back deck, and there was some sort of concrete business down the hill from us, so we could hear clanks and clangs of metal every now and then, but not bad. It's probably quieter on the weekend. We spent time swimming at the resort's indoor pool, and enjoyed it for the most part. There were several other campers who weren't following resort rules so there were quite a few unsupervised children (from around ages 8-14) in the pool. Other than that, I enjoyed the resort and plan to return. Perhaps next time we'll try a motel in town... we'll see!

It was about a three and a half hour drive for us, which is just far enough to be considered a vacation for us! The drive down is nice, and the destination is well worth it. I think it may be surpassing my usual ocean destination, Ocean Shores. It's a little farther, but there's so much to do! I'm already looking forward to going again, hopefully with husband along this next time.

So here I am, living my happy Barefoot life... being the dutiful mom and always making sure to slather on the Super-Duper-Extra-Tough-Kid-Strength sunscreen with SPF of 30+, 45+, sometimes even 70+ protection. I'll admit, I don't necessarily know what those numbers mean, but generally I am of the understanding that the higher the better. And then along comes an article that makes me shocked, angry, and more than just a little worried. I read this article that talks about the dangers of sunscreen. Yes... the DANGERS of sunscreen. How can something so good possibly be bad?

First of all, we're not putting enough on our bodies. I believe the article quotes an amount equal to a shot glass full of sunscreen- that's probably more than I average for my grown up body, certainly more than I use on my kids. The article also lists the dangerous ingredients that may actually be doing more harm than good. One particular ingredient is oxybenzone- it is associated with photoallergic reactions and absorbs through the skin in significant amounts. Another issue are nano-particles. Normally, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are considered safe and effective. However, when broken into nano-particles, they could be subject to inhalation in spray and powder form.

This webpage Skin Deep contains information about the study that was done, the things the FDA should be doing (and hasn't) and most importantly.... it contains information about hundreds of sunscreens and their effectiveness and safety. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT. I will be heading out to buy safer sunscreen tomorrow- the two brands I have at home are both completely unsatisfactory. If there are safe alternatives, I see no reason to use something chemical laden that may not even work.

One of my favorite desserts to make is the infamous Jello Poke Cake. If you've never heard of one or been fortunate enough to taste one... never fear! A fast-and-easy recipe is here!

Here's the basic recipe:

one boxed cake mix (to make a 9x13 cake) ANY flavor

one 3 oz box jello ANY flavor

1 tub Cool Whip

Here's the directions:

Make and bake cake according to package directions. Cool 15 minutes. Use a fork or the back end of a wooden spoon (my personal favorite) to poke holes all over the cake at approx. 1/2" intervals. While cake continues to cool, prepare jello according to package directions. (not the quick set, just regular 2 c. boiling water directions). Pour jello over the cake and into the holes, letting it soak into the cake. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Top with Cool Whip and serve! **do note that you need to leave the cake in the pan when you pour the jello and refrigerate!**

The fabulous part is that you can use any combo of cake/jello flavors. Yellow cake with lemon, white cake with strawberry, devil's food with black cherry, the possibilities are endless! This can be made with festive colors (orange for halloween, red for Christmas, green for St. Patrick's Day, blue for July 4th....) Let your imagination run WILD and enjoy! 

Holy Cow is an appropriate name for these cleaning products! Holy Cow they work, Holy Cow they are environmentally and family friendly, and Holy Cow they don't cost an arm and a leg! SWEET! I first ran across these cleaners at an Ace Hardware store, if you can believe it. The store carries three products- the window cleaner, the all-purpose cleaner and the degreaser. I first bought the window and degreaser, and now went back for a bottle of the all-purpose. They are safe to use around pets and kids (super important in our house), don't smell like a fake pine forest exploded in your house, and get the job done. I am one of the messiest cooks on the planet, so if Holy Cow can clean up my kitchen messes- it deserves praise!

I think I've decided that I'll be adding a new sign to my Barefoot Books display. It's going to be as big as I can make it, hanging down from the front of my table and say, "YES... please TOUCH!". I've heard so many parents walk past and chant "Bobby, don't touch" or "Keep your hands off". I don't WANT kids to keep their hands off! Even if you're not going to buy a book or have a storytime party, let your child flip through a book. It's not going to jump up and bite them, I promise. When kids are interested in books, encourage it. Let them browse the bookstore. Let them flip through the junk mail. Let them read the cereal box during breakfast. For goodness sakes, let them TOUCH!

The official sign of spring is here... my hyacinths are growing! One week there was nothing, this week there are leaves and the blooms have begun. I think they'll be opening within another week or two. I'm so excited! This will be their third year- my very good friend Joyce gave them to me as a housewarming gift when we bought this house. I'm not sure I've ever kept a bulb going so long! I started weeding today, but didn't get very far. Most of the weeds are still too small- it's easier to yank them after they get just a little bigger and I can pull the whole root system out. As soon as the first flowers start, I get crazy and want to buy whole car loads. The bad thing is that soon Bryan will have to start mowing the grass... not his favorite project. I am kind of keeping my fingers crossed that we might be able to afford a cordless electric mower- they are so much better for the environment and quieter as well.
I hope you are enjoying the first signs of spring, or at least enjoying the last days of winter!

I have been waiting fairly patiently for spring to arrive... and it seems like it just keeps getting farther away! We've had such cold weather for the past several weeks. It was about 42 degrees today and I swear I saw at least four different people in SHORTS out in public! I did hear the birds going crazy outside all morning- so maybe it's a sign that my patience is paying off.

Around our house, when one person is sick... we all suffer. Baby Bean was sick Monday and Tuesday with stomach issues, and it just threw everything off. Big Daddy is out of town for work, so I had to deal with it on my own. Thankfully Bubba is a good kid and can take care of himself while I'm hovering over Bean. So far nobody else has gotten sick, whew!
The weather has been such a pain as well. It's really starting to make me crazy. Snow, ice, rain, wind. Winter is my least favorite season. I like the holidays involved, but not the weather. Give me a roaring fire and a cozy robe or blanket- and I'm a happy (er) camper. I'm looking forward to walking Bubba to school again when the weather warms up.