Is it getting chilly in your neck of the woods? It is here in central Ohio. I am already putting my energy savings and stay warm plan into action. This week I hope to sew up some rice bags that will be mini space heaters in our beds, some draft snakes for windows and doors, and some window quilts. Because we know it will be cold and snowy for many months I have also been thinking about how we can entertain ourselves without resorting to watching TV all winter. Yes, we will be indoors a lot but we can find fun things to do that doesn’t require a captive audience. And I say this despite the fact that a little birdy told me that Nana is getting us a Wii this xmas. Oh boy…

So as part of my xmas shopping I have been heavily researching cooperative board games. We have a few already for younger kids but not so many that will keep my oldest boy begging for more and none that my hubby and I could play alone after the kids go to bed. I want something fun, educational, and if possible, cooperative or collaberative rather than overly competitive. I think I will pick one or two up NOW though so we can get a jump on the season.. my oldest has gone fishing on his own every day for a month but the past couple of days the trips have been short since it gets cold and dark earlier.. soon he may not go at all.

Luckily I had a few good games in mind, suggested to me by some wonderful unschooling moms, and those opened the door to even more awesome possibilities. Here is some of what I found. They are not cheap like what you find at Wal-Mart but supposedly the quality leaves the usual Hasbro type games in the dust.

Shadows Over Camelot- This is a 90 minute game that takes you into the world of Camelot and Knights. It is collaborative and it would be especially good for us since we have been watching and enjoying the BBC show Merlin. Evil forces are gathering around Camelot – The Black Knight was sighted atop a desolate ridge a scheming Morgan plots her revenge; the Saxon troops are on the move; and acres of timber are being felled for the siege engines. And yet Lancelot has all but vanished, with Excalibur yet to be recovered. These are heavy times indeed. Will you, young squire, come forth and pledge allegiance to your fellow Knights at the Round Table? Is your heart of pure intent and ready to sacrifice for the good of all? Or will the dark promise of power seduce you into treason? As the incarnation of the Knights of the Round Table, players work together to defeat the forces closing in on Camelot. This game was recommended by a TV free family I met on another web site of mine… for its educational nature. I think the next one would be good on that count too.

The Colosseum Board Game – My son and I watched a two hour documentary a few months back on the Colosseum and he was so enchanted with the structure and the world of ancient Rome that I ended up buying him several large Roman history books that he devours nightly. He is so much like me… I love ancient Roman history too and this game looks amazing. As commanded by the Emperor, Rome is in the midst of a 100 day celebration commemorating the opening of the greatest public arena ever conceived by man – the Colosseum. Players earn wealth and glory as one of Rome’s greatest impresarios by producing grand spectacles in the hopes of attracting the most spectators to your events.

Another game I know my son would love is Cleopatra And The Society of Architects. He and I both can’t get enough of ancient Egyptian history, mummies, pyramids, Pharaohs, etc. And Cleopatra is a tie in to ancient Roman history as well. In this game, she calls on the members of the Society of Architects to build her a magnificent new palace in Alexandria – with a Pharaohs ransom to the design that pleases her most. It includes a true, three-dimensional palace that players compete to build. Players strive to become the wealthiest of Cleopatra’s architects by constructing the most magnificent and valuable parts of her palace. The twist however is that players will be tempted to deal with shady characters and trade in materials of dubious origins in order to help them build faster.

Ticket to Ride- This is a game recommended to me by several unschoolers. It is great for learning about geography. It is an award-winning strategy game that challenges players ages eight and up to complete multiple train routes connecting major cities. As miniature trains begin to populate the board map of North America, secret city-to-city rail connections are completed or hopelessly blocked by merciless competitors. There is also a Europe version. These might be just what you need to help kids struggling with their geography or social studies lessons or classes.

Carcassonne- Yet another unschooler recommendation… how it is they find these awesome games? The Carcassonne is a clever tile-laying game. The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique roman and medieval fortifications. The players develop the area around Carcassonne and build cities, roads and monasteries in the South of France. The skill of the players to develop the area will determine who is victorious. The game is for ages 8 and up and 2 to 5 players. Who do you think is going to know more about medieval history.. the kid in a classroom or the kid playing a strategic game set in that time period? This game is actually pretty cheap in price and I think it may be because there are many expansions packs you can purchase to add on to the game.

They look like fun right? What games to YOU play to keep everyone entertained when the weather is less than optimal?

It is no secret that I love Etsy for just about everything under the sun. I buy toys, housewares, clothing, patterns, craft supplies, and decor. I love the fact that I can find mom made, hand crafted items there and supporting other moms is a wonderful thing. Last year, if you recall, I discovered The Enchanted Cupboard. The wooden fairy dolls in the picture above came from that Etsy store. My daughter adores that store and everything in it. Whenever she has a special event coming up, like a birthday, she wants to visit The Enchanted Cupboard to look around.

The owner of that store Beccijo, recently joined a group of mom and dad artisans to form the NaturalKids store. It is heaven on earth for a mom who wants natural, magical toys for their kids. I asked the folks there to chat a bit about their store and what they are trying to accomplish with it. Enjoy!

NatureMom: The Toys in the Natural Kids Store seem to be throwbacks to a simpler more natural time of the human existence. Do you agree? Do you try to instill “old school” values and a way of life in your kids and family life and if so why?  

Tonya – Knitting Momma – Yes, the toys may seem like throwbacks but it is more than that – children truly do not need fancy, noisy, excessive toys either in quantity or expense.  Children respond in a more natural way to toys made of natural fibers.  There is a connection to nature.  In addition, many of the toys are beautiful yet simple and require children to use their imaginations which stimulates creativity.

Since we use natural fibers in creating our toys, they are environmentally sustainable.  If for some reason the toys are no longer loved, they are compostable.  We do not use plastics and papers for packaging which also makes handcrafted toys good for the environment. Our family has chosen to live more simply than the average American, I guess.  We do not have television, are very careful about how often we participate in consuming new products, and we spend lots of time together working and learning.

Donni of Fairyfolk – I am hoping that we are on the cusp of a new era, a collective movement away from the frantic, shiny, plastic longing for more, bigger, better. My family and I have opted to take a step sideways, toward a simpler, calmer, more handmade life. It takes longer to bake a loaf of bread, but there is so much joy in the baking that is missed if we had not taken the time. The flour on my son’s nose, the smile on my daughter’s face as she bites into the warm, buttery slice she has just helped me bake. We have come to realize that the reward is in the human love that has gone into something handmade, a love that is tangible and magical and infuses our souls.

Joshua at Dad’s Wooden Toys (photo credit for picture above)

Yes in times gone by, these toys were the norm
You could say in a way we try not to conform

When my wife and I went searching to find
toys that were natural and good for the mind

The toys every where made noise and light
but I think the kids not the toys should be bright

I like that these toys say “life is what you make it”
not “whatever you find in the box, you must take it”

I enjoy the assurance that these toys won’t conflict
with the values my family and I want to depict

when buying the latest of a cartoon craze
a parent is tied to the values they praise

if that character lies or sasses its dad
then I promote that to my little lad

The toys in our store don’t come from a script
you can rest easy no values are shipped

Our toys come to you, a perfect blank slate
the lessons to learn are yours to create

NatureMom: Why types of natural materials are used in your craft and why is that so important?

Cyn at Fairies Nest – Natural fibers like silk, cotton, and wool are not only better for our environment because they are renewable resources, but they are also lovely to look at and wonderful to touch! Who wouldn’t chose
these over hard plastic or nasty polyester? Wool stuffed toys also
have the amazing property of feeling more alive. Wool holds warmth, so
as a child plays with a wool stuffed doll it warms to body temperature
and feels alive increasing the child’s bond to the toy. So much better
then cold plastic! (Image below by Fairies Nest)

Wendy at Birchleaf Designs- We use mostly wood, silk, and felted wool in our toys because it just feels good. It feels good to touch and to play with them. These materials came from the earth and to the earth they shall return. We try to stay away from plastic and other nasties that are not good for our bodies or the Earth.

Jen, SewnNatural- We use all natural materials, mostly organic and upcycled cottons, wools and silks. Our toys are mostly stuffed with natural carded sheep’s wool, which warms quickly in a child’s hands and gives a “living” feeling. We choose to use organic cottons wherever we can, because conventional cotton is far less “natural” than we might think. The average cotton T-shirt is only 73% cotton fiber – the rest is chemicals and resins. Now imagine a big baby blanket! If 10,000 people choose an organic baby blanket instead of a nonorganic one, we would keep the weight of over 22 people in pesticides out of nature. So using organic and eco friendly is better for the earth, better for kids’ bodies and better for nourishing their imaginations. (Image below by Sewn Natural)

NatureMom: How do these toys compare in terms of fun and creative use to mainstream toys?

Sara, Woolies – Spark Imagination – the child brings the toy to life. The faces on my animals and dolls are simply embroidered, so the child can decide if her toy is happy or sad.

Joshua at Dad’s Wooden Toys

New toys it seems have one use intended
Very few are made to be open ended

I want my kids to actively play
so I avoid toys they would just watch most the day

When you give kids a toy that’s hand made
it changes slightly how it gets played.

The toy is a toy but also a reminder
their mind is the actual toy and fun finder

the toy teaches kids that the things they may need
aren’t always bought on a treadmill of greed

instead one must give their thinker a chance
to find the solution for their circumstance

Beccijo – The Enchanted Cupboard- I don’t feel like you can compare these toys to mainstream toys. With open ended natural toys you are opening the child to their own imagination. Often times people look for and buy a toy that will ”do something”. The wonderful thing about handmade open ended toys is that the toy just “is” and the child does the “do something”.  Play time is early education and without basic creative play children lose the fondation to all good education.

Image credit: Fairyfolk

Not an eventful weekend, just some walking throughout the city with my favorite daughter, a small road trip to see some Fall leaves, and lazy days with family…

Like most moms who read and fell in love with The Creative Family, I was drooling a little when I first heard that Amanda Blake Soule was releasing yet another scrumptious book.

The Creative Family is a book that centers around creating a home environment that is a haven for creativity and artistry. It was a compilation of wonderful projects that a family could do together. I fell in love with it immediately because it was a close look at a lovely family and it was helpful to me since I want my home to be filled with creative influences and activities.

Handmade Home, the new book, is a wonderfully romantic look into the Soule family home and a compilation of handmade craft projects. It is a testimony to how much more we value things we make with our own two hands. Many of the projects were inspired by handmade items of decades past that were passed down throughout the generations. Our homes are places of comfort, nourishment, and love and making decor or functional housewares with our hands is just one more way to reflect our pride in our home and our love for our family. Our ancestors had no choice but to fill their home and lives with handmade things and this book can help bring some of those traditional values and activities back to the forefront.

The projects range from very easy to moderate. I saw nothing that was so difficult that a beginner couldn’t muddle their way through it. Some of the projects are very practical such as the hot pads, rag rugs, towel rug, mouse pad, and cloth diapers. Others are more “just for fun” like the Papier Mache Bowls and Portrait Bookmarks. Others help you get organized, like the Wall Pocket Organizer, Art and Hooks Rack, and the Beach Blanket to Go.

Many of the projects re-purpose or reuse things we already have so it is very much a sustainable crafts books too. For my first project.. and I plan to do MANY from this book… I decided to adapt the Towel Rug. I do need a towel mat for my bathroom but more importantly I needed a dish rack towel to lay under my dish drying rack. We deliberately bought one that had no plastic mat with it so we needed to improvise and a simple dish drying towel under it has worked fairly well so far. I say fairly because it did get soaked through pretty quickly! We have no dishwasher if you were wondering…

This project basically takes fabric and towels and repurposes them into a bath or kitchen mat/rug. In the book Amanda uses vintage sheets and towels for her bath rug. I decided to do the same. I went to my local thrift store and bought some old sheets with vintage kitchen throwback colors… olive green, orange, and mustard. I wanted something that would match my orange/melon color scheme. Just this week I decided WHY I must be on this orange kitchen kick… my grandmother had an orange kitchen with brown accents… I must be subconsciously trying to re-create the magic. I have orange walls, olive curtains, and brown accents :)

Did you spot that vintage coffee machine there? My hubby found that at a thrift store. I was so proud of him! Even if I don’t drink coffee. ;) It looks EXACTLY like something my Grammy would have had in her kitchen, plus it’s brown and it works!

Anyway, I couldn’t find an olive green towel at the thrift store so I went with a cream color. I cut (3) three inch strips for the top of the mat and sewed them onto one half of a pillowcase. Then I sewed the pillowcase half to the rest of the towel (cut to size), turned it, and topstitched it. The project is listed as a half day project in the book but it only took 45 minutes maximum. I have enough material leftover to make another one… for when it needs washing AND I plan to make a matching rug for the floor, under the sink.

I love the finished product.. it is so ME. And since I made it with my own two hands I feel a sense of pride in something as simple and mundane as a dish mat. THAT in a nutshell is what Handmade Home is all about… having pride in your home and wanting to give it those special touches. Also having so much love for your family that you want every part of the nook you share with them to be meaningful, special, and with a story.

This book is a must have for mom crafters and anyone who wants to bring a touch of the “homemade love” into their lives and homes!

This post is for my fellow Buckeyes (Ohio). No matter what side of the isle you are on… liberal or conservative I would hope that anyone who cares about the ethics and safety of food in Ohio will vote NO on Issue 2 come November.

This issue is no doubt being presented to us out of fear. Agribusiness in Ohio fears that one day they will be faced with legislation like what just went through California with Prop 2. Basically those dastardly Californians actually decided that livestock should have to be raised humanely. 

Ohio factory farmers want to head this type of legislation off by giving themselves a position of power NOW. By voting yes on Issue 2 in Ohio we will give agri-business representatives and their appointees the ability to create an agricultural board with unchecked power over livestock rules and regulations. Their power would be locked in by the constitution and never again would they have to worry about the people choosing for themselves how they want their food to be raised. It is a power grab. This issue will help ensure that they hold all the cards from now on.

If in the future the citizens of Ohio determine that some widely accepted agricultural practice is inhumane or unsafe for food production, we will have no recourse to fight it. Agribusiness will simply bring it to the board composed of all their own people, decide in their own favor,  and keep doing business as usual. There would be no plublic input, no forum for public comments, and no appeal. Their decision is FINAL.

Not only is it likely this board will be used to support unethical and inhumane production methods it could also be used to make it harder for small family farmers to operate, essentially allowing BIG agribusiness to weed them out.

Why should you care? Well, since we all eat food… and many of us try to eat lots of local food… I think we should have a say in the ethics and safety of our food production. We also have a right to choose our own food sources and we don’t want factory farms putting the little guys out of business and limiting our options. Even vegans will want to make sure that factory farms aren’t making their own rules for the humane treatment of animals. In short, factory farms and big agribusiness have no right to hijack our state constitution. If you are in Ohio vote NO on Issue 2!!