Coupon code for the Better World Bookstore

This is a great online used bookstore and I wanted to post this discount here. For 10% off at checkout, use the coupon code: LITERACY.

BLOG COMING ATTRACTION: with all the rising prices, I've been thinking a lot about how to feed my girls nutritious, organic food but keep our bills down. That'll be the theme of my posts for a few weeks to come. For instance, my plan is to make and calculate which toddlers foods it pays to make from scratch given the premium on organic processed foods. I'll also write about my attempts to waste less food given the seemingly random tastebuds of a toddler.

Politics twin mom style

Confession: I work in the news business, but sometimes when I'm around informed friends I wonder what ever happened to the days when I really followed every lead and every bit of information. After I saw this SNL "political commercial" - and I saw it online, I could never stay up that late anymore - I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of where things stood. Enjoy:

Fitting multiple kids (with car seats!) into a small car

We can't be the only ones with a compact car who have wondered how on earth you can keep your small wheels and potentially transport 3 kids around. Car seats just seem so big. So far we've been very fortunate with our setup. Two Britax Roundabouts in a Honda Civic. With twins anything bigger, like the Marathon, just wasn't an option because we couldn't fit them in rear facing. We are still able to use the middle back seat to squeeze in one small adult - and often do - but I've wondered what would happen if we needed to get another car seat back there. Or even to make it comfortable for the adult back there.

I just learned about this Radian Car Seat line which I would have opted for in a SECOND over our Roundabouts if I'd known about them when we were buying. They're each about 1.25 inches narrower than the Roundabouts but add it up and that's 2.5 inches less car seat which in a compact car's back seat is significant. An added bonus of the Radian seats is that the bottom folds up into the back for really easy travel. They're supposed to have a great safety record too. Oh, and the sides aren't as high as the Roundabout's. Initially that seems like a nice comfort feature but it makes it difficult to maneuver the girls into their seats given the car's low headroom and if they squirm I often end up accidentally bonking them while getting them in their seats. Poor girlios!

And I just want to put in a plug for making due with a small car and twins. At first I was worried with the strollers and gear we'd be squeezed too tight. I don't rule out getting a second bigger car when we do more carpooling and traveling around with their friends but for now this is perfect.

Word of the day: Upcycle

The word upcycle has apparently been around since 2002 - it was coined by the authors of this book. But I've only recently been coming across it and kinda like it so thought I'd pass it on. A basic definition is to use waste products to make useful things. Of course I always thought that using waste products anew was the whole REUSE part of the R-R-R scenario. But I think the subtext of the word upcycle is up(scale)(re)use. I guess "haute reuse" didn't really have that earthy ring.

Here's a Canadian upcycle site with ideas for crafts for kids.

Green Mother's Day Gift Ideas

There are lots of sites suggesting green mother’s day gifts like local flowers, organic chocolates and organic cosmetics. But instead of just “organic-izing” the traditional options, here are some ideas that might appeal to someone who is working hard to lead a simple, green lifestyle. Of course I think crafty items are the most uplifting gifts from kids. Like pottery customized at places like this, or - for anyone in the Bay Area - the Institute of Mosaic Art has a great shop inside with staff that are really helpful at coming up with beginner projects.

That said, here are some other thoughts for green mothers day gifts:

• A subscription to Bookswim – the Netflix of books!
  
• If she's keeping on top of the kids all the time how does she have time to remember to charge her phone? Try a solar powered battery charger for her cell phone.
  
• This is a gadget for someone who is WAY into saving energy and is probably also a bit of a tech geek. It's called a Kill a Watt. It kinda looks like fun as well as useful. That's what my husband is getting for Dad's Day.
  
• A movie pass or theater gift certificate for two that ensures she’ll HAVE to get out of the house for some adult time
• A mushroom growing kit. My husband got his impossible to buy for Aunt one of these for the holidays and she loved it. Sent pictures of the mushrooms she grew to the whole family.
• If she doesn’t have AAA or other roadside assistance, maybe she’d like a subscription to the Better World Club. Or maybe if she has AAA she’d like to switch! The Better World Club is the only environmentally friendly auto club – which means it lobbies on behalf of cleaner air and it also offers roadside assistance for bicyclists!
• Insulated coffee mug (stainless lined – not plastic which can leach into hot drinks)
• SIGG water bottle
• If her pans are starting to wear out, a nonstick pan without a Teflon coating would be nice. Le Creuset is unfortunately very pricey and heavy but one of the few good options to Teflon that I’ve found out there. I was hopeful about the Martha Stewart GreenPan but it gets very mixed reviews on-line

Getting back on the sleep train

I thought that after months of constantly interrupted sleep with our infant twins, I would be the one sleeping like a baby when they could finally make it through the night. Not so! My partner was another story - wouldn't wake no matter how hard I'd try to get his company. From talking to friends I know there are a lot of couples out there with different sleep patterns. This Bert and Ernie Sesame Street sketch certainly rang true for me and was a good 3-1/2 minute laugh break:

(Have I mentioned how much I love surfing YouTube for entertainment? Low environmental impact, cheap to boot and keeps you connected with the creative world outside.)