parenting

The scrap paper family tree tutorial at Crafting a Green World caught my attention. If your pre-to-grade-schooler can cut a circle (or other shapes) or operate a large punch, this is a really fun family project. I’m imagining it with extra artwork or other kid-friendly papers, too.

I was also inspired by the Learn to Print My Name stamp featured on Tiny Decor now that my oldest wants to print his name on everything! Like me, he has a not-so-typical name and spelling, so the fact that so many products are so customizable for kids these days is really cool. I haven’t ordered a stamp, but I did find and download a “trace font” so that I can print out any word he’s interested in writing. He has a lot of trouble with the “R” in the middle of his name and this is really helping.

resources

Tiny Choices shares a resource for recycling old jeans — they’ll be turned into building insulation! Send one pair or hold a drive, they’ll put them to good use. Fantastic!

Amanda from Kiddio writes at her new blog, house+made, about the advantages of shopping at Costco. Now that we’re a family of 6 people who eat (at least some) table food, we’re really reaping the benefits.

Re-nest introduces the beta of LendAround, a service that tracks sharing items between friends or neighbors or whoever. We have a tight-knit group of families on our block, this looks like a really fun way to save money on books and DVDs, and maybe kid stuff we’re not currently using. (The beta is for DVDs only, but the final release will cover more items. Excellent!)

No matter how pretty the flickr photostream is, I haven’t been able to get into the clothesline habit. I have to admit, the tips at Eco Childs Play addressing some of the common downfalls, it helps.

And if you’re feeling the last minute strain, tons of printable Valentines!