I know most people like to hear wind rustling through leaves or maybe even the sound of birds, but me, I like the sound of play. Play is missing from my neighborhood and my guess is play is probably missing from yours, too. According to KaBoom, a nonprofit dedicated to saving play of America’s children, The Play Deficit is a national problem.

I remember my favorite park as a child. A giant, pipe-like, jungle gym with faded out, colored pieces connected bars and hosted legions of climbers. Two metal slides stood on the tree line; one twenty-five feet high for the risk takers and a smaller version for the weak. Two wooden teeter-totters allowed me to assist the bossy, neighbor girl in accidentally becoming airborne. A saucer with the metal head of a smiling bear allowed riders to sail in endless circles.

Kids could spend hours at parks, and they did. But today, even with elaborate outdoor, plastic kingdoms, play is sparse.

Wooden play sets remain empty, trampolines underused, and bikes, well, it’s much too dangerous to actually ride bikes, so bikes take up space in garages. Parents shuttle kids back and forth to activities, technology remains on, and fear about safety often trumps common sense.

The results of less play for our kids means many things:

• Communities in which neighbors don’t know neighbors
• Childhood obesity
• Stifled creativity and stagnant imaginations
• Stunted social development
• Anxiety and depression
• Lack of connectedness with others

The bottom line: we need play. Play is necessary. Play is vital. Play enhances our lives and our communities.

KaBoom knows this and that’s why KaBoom has built over 2,000 playgrounds across the country. And guess what? Kaboom awards grants to playgrounds in need of a little sprucing up, tips on DIY play space improvements, and is working to map and rate local playgrounds across the United State.

Now that’s putting play first.

Is play happening in your neighborhood? Do your kids play? Do you?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Can one beyond blessed family move from addicted to themselves to devoted to others? The author of this post shares honestly at Amy L. Sullivan about her family’s attempt to become less me, me, me focused and more others centered. Amy writes for print and online publications and is also writing a nonfiction book about serving others as a family.

It might be tempting to just buy a few cans of baked beans at the grocery store, but making them from scratch isn’t hard, I promise. If you haven’t used dried beans before, fear not! Dried beans are some of the most inexpensive and versatile ingredients you can buy and I always have a variety stocked in my pantry. You do have to plan ahead and start the night before by soaking them in cold water and yes, this recipe requires the beans to bake for close to five hours, but once you mix the spicy-sweet sauce with the beans, the rest of the cooking is totally hands-off so you can go grab a cold drink and put your feet up to enjoy everything that Summer has to offer.

Maple Baked Beans

Adapted from The Kitchen Sink

Special Equipment: Oven-safe Dutch oven/pot

Ingredients:

1 pound dried Navy or Great Northern beans
2 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. molasses
1 8oz. can tomato sauce (unseasoned)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2-3 thick strips bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions:

Place the beans in a colander and sort through to remove any debris or discolored beans. Rinse the beans under cold water and transfer them to a large bowl, covering them completely with cold water. Soak overnight.

The next day, strain the beans through a colander and transfer to a large pot. Cover the beans with cold water and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat so the water simmers and cook the beans until tender, about 1 hour. Drain the beans through a colander and transfer the beans back to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, molasses, tomato sauce and maple syrup. Add the mixture to the cooked beans and mix well. Stir in the bacon pieces. Cover the beans with just enough cold water to cover them. Cover the pot with aluminum foil followed by the lid. Place the pot in the preheated oven and bake for 5 hours, checking hourly to make sure the beans are not drying out. Add more water to the pot if necessary to keep the beans submerged. During the last half hour of baking, uncover the pot to brown the top if desired.

When keeping in touch with those far away, it is sometimes hard to find a time you can both chat on the phone. Social media makes it possible for quick communication that allows everyone to be connected with each other while doing their other daily tasks.

Facebook is a great way to see what loved ones are up to. You can view a friend’s status and their pictures so you know what they’re doing even if you don’t get the chance to talk to them.

Skype is a fun way to both see and talk to those at a distance. Using a webcam allows you to see the person you’re talking to and feel as if they are right there with you. But you do need to find a time when both sides of the computer screen can meet.

With social media at our finger tips, it is easy to send text messages as well. Email and instant messaging can be a quick way to communicate one on one.

Social media can be used to strengthen relationships and connect with those you love. Even if friends or family live at a distance, you can still be a part of their lives and show you care. Use social media to your advantage!

How to Make an Educational Treasure Map

Supplies:

• “Treasure”/Prize
• 8 1/2 x 11 Tan Cardstock
• Ink Pad

Directions:

First, we went to the store and had him pick out the prize, or “treasure,” which was a couple of Dagedar balls. I set a price limit of $10.

Then, I prepared a treasure map.

On a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 tan cardstock, I made a crude version of a stereotypical pirate treasure map, with “X” marking the spot of the treasure and simple pictures and the names of three stops along the way: the “Waters of Aluban” (the bathtub), the “Fires of Dometris” (the oven), and the “Forest of Springlis” (the bushes out front). Notice my amazing illustrations. I crumpled the cardstock several times, then distressed the wrinkles and the outer edges with a chestnut-colored, cats’-eye-sized chalk ink pad. Then I cut it into four curvy-edged puzzle-like pieces.

Then, I prepared the clues. Each clue led to a place in our house or yard where he would find a task to do that involved either solving multiplication problems, answering a science question, or selecting the proper spellings of particular words on a spelling sheet. Upon completion of the task, he’d receive a piece of the treasure map. This was my list of clues:

1. Solve a page of 3x multiplication problems to get the first piece of the treasure map. This piece showed that, from the beginning point, he would need to seek the “Waters of Aluban,” (i.e., the downstairs bathtub), which he found with a few subtle hints from me.
2. To the shower curtain of the bathtub was clipped the first clue, which was: “Seek ye now the portal which/Helps you to the backyard switch” (meaning, the gate to our backyard).
3. When he reached the backyard gate, he found the spelling list taped to it. When he finished that, he got the second piece of the treasure map.
4. That piece pointed to the “Fires of Dometris” as the next destination, which he again found with a few hints from me. On the top rack inside the oven lay the next clue.

5.  That clue read: “This next clue lies deep within/The fiery furnace of the Dragon Zin/A cave downstairs and dimly lit/Holds what you need to find IT.” He headed straight for the furnace room.

6.  On the floor in front of the furnace, he found a picture of a dragon, one I’d just found by googling and printing. On the back of the picture, was the question: “How many planets are there in our solar system?” When he answered that correctly, he got the next piece of the treasure map.

7.  This third piece indicated that the “Forest of Springlis” was his next destination, and since there isn’t much vegetation in our yard except for the bushes out front, which grow as wild as if they truly were in a forest, it wasn’t hard to find them. The final piece of treasure map was tucked in amongst their branches.

8.  The final piece said that “X” marked the spot of the final treasure, which was at the “Pillow Clouds of Moeserus.” He was able to find the large beanbags in our family room relatively easily, under which the treasure he’d chosen was found.

It really didn’t take that long to put this together, maybe an hour or two. It was worth it when my son exclaimed as he ran from bathtub to bush, “This is so fun!” not grumbling at all about spelling but excitedly and accurately doing it so that he could get to the next thing. Try an experiment like this to help your family’s enthusiasm for learning, and let us know how it goes!

There are many solutions to infertility, as varied as the couples who experience it, but those solutions generally fall into four categories: medical, adoption, foster parenting, and surrogacy. I myself tried to solve my infertility medically, with hormone pills, surgeries, artificial inseminations, and an in-vitro procedure. Lindsey Redfern of TheRHouse, our friend, has two adopted children. For Adrienne Arieffe, who we talked about here, surrogacy was the right answer. Whatever you do, there are some important things to keep in mind, which were mentioned during a recent on-line chat with Adrienne and other infertility sufferers.

1-Do your homework.

This is so important, in the context of understanding your symptoms, communicating with doctors or other professionals involved in helping you get a baby, and researching doctors/professionals/adoption agencies. Don’t trust one source alone. Ideally, involve your partner in the process.

2 – Be your own advocate.

Your doctor or adoption agent is not necessarily going to be solely your advocate. My sister‘s doctor recommended she have a full hysterectomy for uterine fibroids; after visits with several other doctors, she found a much more viable option and it became apparent that the first doctor had made his recommendation based on insurance reimbursements, not her needs.  Whatever option you pursue, you will likely spend a fair amount of time answering questions from friends and family. Some women choose not to share the details of their battle, and that’s okay. Others tend to talk a lot, as I did, in the interest of raising awareness, correcting misconceptions, and gaining support. Keep in mind that whichever approach you take, there will likely be those who will still misunderstand, even disagree, among your circle of acquaintance. Says Adrienne: “Let the naysayers be that. You can’t let other people get you down.”

3 – Find support.

Ryley, a member of the chat who was both born by surrogacy and a surrogate mother, says, “It seems like everyone bends over backwards to give the surrogates support but the intended (biological) parents have no clue what to expect either.” So she has two surrogate support groups on Facebook: one through her agency and one state group. There are support groups offered through Resolve, the national infertility association as well. If you do not find sufficient support from your husband, partner, friends, family, blog followers, or therapists, consider joining a support group for people in similar circumstances. Infertility can be a lonely road, but you shouldn’t try to walk it completely alone.

If you suffer from infertility, chances are you will, at one time or another, feel you have been unfairly excluded from the club of motherhood. Take heart in knowing that you most definitely are not alone; there are many other women who have this problem and there is hope through the many options available to you.

Feature photo courtesy of Flickr.

Simple Family Fun Activity Ideas

Family Game Night

Trust me when I tell you this is NOT easy. I often work through dinner or right after we eat; working for a start-up—as amazing and inspiring as it is—means a lot of schedule juggling (God BLESS the fact that the company focuses on online organizing; meaning I’ve become an organized machine). But I know that all my hard work means nothing if my daughter doesn’t get to look in my eyes and talk to me on a regular basis. So once a week, after dinner, we play games. Simple, technology free games like Go Fish and, a serious family favorite, Jenga. Which my daughter ALWAYS wins; it’s like she’s an innate engineer.

Farmer’s Market Outings

We also go to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in nice weather. We have a small one in our little borough, and there’s a larger one near a popular park a few miles away. We buy fruit and veggies my daughter picks out because then there is a teeny possibility that she’ll actually eat them later. We enjoy the live music that is always there, and we enjoy seeing neighbors (my daughter often sees friends at the local farmer’s market, which is fun).

Interactive Car Games

There are smaller things we do, too. In the car whenever we’re driving somewhere, we all play “What Am I?” This is a game my daughter adores where you have to list attributes of the thing you “are” and the other players try to guess what it is. Or we play I-Spy, rather than let her turn on the car’s DVD player. This helps a lot.

Bedtime Routines

Then there’s my favorite thing: bedtime. I put my daughter to bed each night (My husband gets up with her—I know, I’m the luckiest woman in the world.), and we have a great time. We read a book, and recently we switched from me reading the books to her reading them to me. Then we talk for a while. My daughter calls this “getting all her talking out” so she can sleep. It’s my happiest moment of the day. Then I sing her lullabies (Her favorite: Amazing Grace. I KNOW.) and she goes off to sleep.

I realize there are much bigger ways to have family fun traditions: a yearly family vacation to the beach, for instance, or going to amusement parks, zoos, and museums. Don’t get me wrong, we do all those things, too. But I believe in my heart of hearts that it’s these small moments of routine that will stand out in my daughter’s mind more than anything else.

I know they’ll stand out in mine.

What are some of your simple family traditions?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr. Picture courtesy of Flickr.

Cecily Kellogg is the mom of nearly six year old daughter, a wife, and the social media strategist for AboutOne, an online family organizer that turns your phone into a remote control for your life, working with your existing calendar and contact tools so you can automatically organize, store, and share family memories and household paperwork. Through web and mobile apps, AboutOne guides you along the path to organization, rewarding you along the way for meeting your organizational goals.

For this DIY Fabric Basket (or Box) Project, I chose the Verona Collection.
The turquoises and fun flowers won me over, and I was in need of ‘Spring’ fabric in the worst way! I was also in need of a  little girl time, so I invited a couple friends over and we set to work making our own little boxes/baskets.

How to Make Fabric Baskets with Riley Blake Designs

In six easy steps you can create these gorgeous fabric baskets. We used several different fabrics in our boxes. What will you make with this fabric?

Supplies:

• Fabric
• Cereal Boxes
• Sewing Machine

Directions:

Step One

• Save up a bunch of Cereal Boxes. I know it sounds weird, but they seriously work perfectly to give the baskets shape.

Step Two

• Cut out the size of box you want for your finished basket. I wanted little 6 inch boxes, and one friend tried out a larger trapezoid shaped box.
• Cut 5 squares of the cereal boxes (all 6 inch square for a 6 inch box). Cut Trapezoid sides and a square bottom for a wide angled box.

Step Three

• Trace around the cereal box squares onto your fabric, adding ½ inch for seam allowance for the outside fabric.
• Repeat this step for the inside fabric. (You’ll have 5 squares for the inside and 5 for the outside.)

Step Four

• Place the 5 outside pieces right side up in the shape of a plus sign with one square in the middle. Sew the 4 edges of the middle (bottom) piece to the 4 side pieces with just less than (scant) half inch seam. Then fold the plus sign in half diagonally (again, with right sides together) and sew the 4 side seams to each other one at a time.
• You’ll end up with a square basket/box but it won’t stand up very well. Leave the tops unfinished for now.
• Repeat with the 5 inside fabric squares, leaving top seams unfinished.

Step Five

• Fold down and iron a scant ½ inch of the unfinished tops of each fabric box (inside and outside). You will fold the right side down, so wrong sides will be touching on the fold.
• Turn the outside fabric box so the right side is facing out.
• Line the fabric box with your 5 cereal box square pieces. Test to see if they fit well. You may need to trim a bit if your seams were larger than the ½ inch.
• Turn the inside fabric box so the right side is facing in (like a lining). Place it inside the cereal box lined fabric box.

Step Six

• This is the toughest step: You will pin and sew the tops of the two fabric boxes AND the cereal box pieces together all at the same time! Your needle will easily puncture the cereal box, but you can use a larger needle if you want.
• Pin at the corners and even use small clamps to keep the fabric a bit above the cereal box pieces.
• It can be tricky when sewing around the corners. Just be brave and pull and twist hard!

Finishing

I was in love with the idea of girly pinwheel flowers. So we made our own!

• Cut a 20×3 inch strip of coordinating fabric for a 1.5 inch flower.
• Fold in half WRONG sides together. Hand stitch a running stitch along the length of the strip with a knot at the end of your thread.
• Pull the thread tightly to gather the fabric strip, allowing it to coil around in a circle. Use the rest of the thread to sew the coiled strip in place. The middle will look unfinished, but don’t worry, we’ll cover that with a fun button!
• Hot Glue a decorative button to the middle and then glue the whole thing to your fabric basket/box.

Ideas for your little fabric baskets?
Give them away as gifts to teachers, mothers, friends, or anyone else who likes cute things. Use in a little girl’s room for her treasures or in your sewing room for craft supplies!

ENJOY!

How do you like to use fabric to dress up your home organization?

Tutorials I took inspiration from:

• Urban Nest Blog {Full download pdf instructions! Love that!}
• Sometimes Crafter {shows the diagonal fold of the plus sign really well!)

NOTE:  I was given the fabric for this project to play with at no cost to me. However I was not compensated in any other way and I was free to create and design to my heart’s content whatever I wanted!

10 Bite-Size Ways to Help by Talking

1. Call a grandparent to say “I love you.”
2. Call (don’t text, DM, tweet, etc.) a friend you haven’t talked to in a week or more to see how they’re doing.
3. Write one Facebook post about an accomplishment or positive trait of your husband. Better yet, tell him directly.
4. Write a letter to yourself, as if you were someone else, expressing your love and appreciation.
5. Write your own obituary. Pretend you’ve lived a long, full life, and write down the qualities and accomplishments you hope people you will remember you for. Make a goal to do the kind of actions that demonstrate those qualities once a day every day starting today.
6. Write your own family manifesto. Check out Isabel Kallman’s for an example.
7. Visit an organization that serves children removed from the custody of one or more of their parents, like The Christmas Box House, a group home, or a women’s shelter. See if you can spend one hour with a few of the kids, hear their stories, and share some encouraging words.
8. Ask a question like, “If you could be any character on TV, who would it be?” at the dinner table, and see what conversation ensues. See this post about conversation jars for more question ideas.
9. Strike up a conversation with at least two people you haven’t met before at your next church or school meeting.
10. Ask your cashier at the grocery store how they’re doing next time you go grocery shopping, and listen to their answer.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• Have you ever done any of these things? How did it go?
• What other acts of service have inspired you?
• How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.

With my older son, he took his learner permit test, passed it and then began driving. I have to admit, I was a wreck every time he got behind the wheel. I felt like I was teaching him everything for the first time. This time around, when my daughter turned 15, I had her take a driver’s education class first and then go and take her test. She will still be learning how to drive with me, but I am feeling more confident that she understands more of the do’s and don’ts of the road. I thought it would be helpful to share the process of getting a learner’s permit.

Steps for Teens to Get Their Learner’s Permit

• You must be 15 years old in Utah. Check with your state’s law. I grew up in Idaho and actually received my learner’s permit when I was 14. Sounds a little scary, doesn’t it?
• Pick up a driver’s training manual at the local DMV.
• Study for the learner’s permit test.
• Fill out the application for a driver’s license at the DMV. I was able to fill out the application online for my daughter and it saved us time.
• Show the DMV appropriate proof of identity. We had to bring a Birth Certificate, her Social Security card, and proof of residency.
• Take a DMV photo. These mug shots never turn out pretty. Don’t worry about dressing up for this one.
• Pay for you learner’s permit. In Utah, it was $15.
• Parent signs for financial responsibility. You read that right. It is up to you to make sure your child is driving safely out on the road. This sounds easier than it is.
• Pass an eye test, and written exam. You have 3 chances to pass the written exam. What they don’t tell you is that if you fail it twice in one day, you need to wait a day before you can take it again. Be prepared to see a lot of frustrated 15 year old kids at the DMV. Luckily my daughter passed on her second try. She missed it the first time by 1 point.

Enroll your child in a driver’s training program before or after they take they their learner’s permit test. My daughter took this through her High School. It usually costs between $80-100 dollars depending on where you go. I had her take the course before she received her license. I think it helped her have a better understanding of what to expect on the road. Once a student has receive their permit, they will spend at least 6 hours driving with an instructor in their driver’s training class, and spend 3 hours observing other students in their driver’s training class.

After  your child has their learner’s permit, they must also drive with a licensed parent or legal guardian for 30 hours. When they have completed the hours, passed their learner’s permit test, taken the driver’s training course, and done their required hours on the road with a parent, they are eligible for a permanent license when they are 16 or older.

When did your child learn to drive? What was the scariest part for you?

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 17 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. A few years ago, Jill went back to work in sales. She is now working for the Mom It Forward team as their Community Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.

Featured image from flickr

Are you all getting enough calcium and exercise? Take the quick Calcium Quiz to know for sure. Chances are, everyone in the family could use more calcium in their diets. Kids today break more bones than we parents did when we were young. The best way to prevent bone fracture in childhood and osteoporosis in adulthood is to ensure that every family member nine years and older has three servings of dairy every day. Low–fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese provide calcium and vitamin D, both important for building and keeping bones strong. Weight-bearing exercise is another great way to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Try walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or aerobics for the biggest benefits. So let’s celebrate the end of the school year, walk to the kitchen and build strong bones by making this simple Baked Rice Pudding.

Baked Rice Pudding

• 1 cup Uncooked white rice
• 1 cups Water
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 3 cups Nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup White sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Raisins
• 1 pinch Ground nutmeg

Place uncooked rice in a 3 quart saucepan, and add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well. Stir in rice and raisins. Pour into a 10x6x2 inch baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes; stir pudding and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake additional 30 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center comes out clean

Nutritional Information Baked Rice Pudding 11 Servings Per Recipe: Calories: 165 Total Fat: 2.4g Cholesterol: 61mg Sodium: 145mg Total Carbs: 28.9g Dietary Fiber: 0.4g Protein 4.5 g

The following resources are available to help you build stronger bones:

Calcium Quiz

Vitamin D: What You Need to Know about the Sunshine Vitamin

Bone Up On Milk

What foods will you try to build strong bones for you and your family?

Trina Robertson, MS, RD is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in sports nutrition. As a Meals Matter Mom she shares her positive approach to healthy eating with the goal of inspiring others to prepare and enjoy foods. As a Project Manager with the Dairy Council of California, Trina develops, evaluates and promotes nutrition education materials for students and adults. At home she enjoys cooking and sharing meals with her family. Her most rewarding accomplishment is that her tween boys are good eaters and are learning to cook. Follow Trina on Twitter @TrinaR_RD.