Organic Baby Nook’s Weekly Roundup (October 5)

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Wow, when I wrote the date up there, I realized it’s October already. (I have a toddler. I am allowed to forget the date.) How can we possibly be in the 10th month of the year? Soon the stores are going to drag out the tinsel and start playing holiday tunes. The Internet is already gearing up for the gift-giving season with some pretty nifty lists of kid-approved toys. It’s crazy out there, I tell you.

Thankfully, some of my favorite bloggers have also put their feet down and demanded we celebrate autumn before jumping into winter. Thank goodness for that! I love peppermint hot chocolate (mmm, peppermint schnapps) as much as the next girl, but first I want to breathe in the heady scent of crunchy leaves and crisp mornings. I could really pass on the raking though.

I digress. Back to topic. It’s always hard to pick out my favorite posts from the past week, but I’m willing to take one for the team and try. So here we go:

An Ode to Mouthwatering, Delicious Toxins

Remember when we talked about those studies that found arsenic in our food? This week, Ado (rhymes with playdough) from The Momalog contemplated her horror at all the toxins present in our foods (including arsenic). In her quest for a healthy kitchen, Ado burned some extra fossil fuel driving to the health-food store for organic grass-fed beef; then tried to eliminate dairy from her family’s diet; and finally contemplated going vegan. She cries, ”It’s like I’ve been stricken with a new form of first-world OCD that has to do with obsessing on organic, vegan, non-toxic foods. Suddenly the homemade Irish beef stew I make in the slow cooker isn’t so wonderful anymore.” I’m laughing, but mostly because I feel her pain. We’ve all been there. So what does Ado do? She throws in the towel and whips up a surely delicious NFCCBLT – a Nitrate-Filled, Cancer Causing, Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. Thanks for the laugh, Ado!

Fall Crafting

Myra from My Blessed Life inspired me this week with 12 fall crafts for kids, including a super simple felt leaf garland that even my above-mentioned toddler could help with (hey, it’s a lacing activity!). She also gave me an idea on how to class up my windows – and stop the birds from crashing against them and scaring me out of my skin: tissue paper “stained glass” window decorations. She rounds up many more ideas for celebrating fall while getting your little ones involved. And quiet. All hail Myra!

You Know You’re a Mom When…

If my humor is even drier this week than it normally is, it’s because I haven’t slept in… I don’t know. How long is forever? Have I mentioned how much I hate teething? Anyway, I really needed a good chuckle, and Lisa-Jo Baker delivered with a list of 100 Ways You Know You’re a Mom. She’s got gems on there like, “You consider Goldfish crackers a food group” and “You feel naked if you leave the house without Cheerios.” And then Lisa-Jo rounds it out with some feel-good items that remind me of how fiercely I love my little guy: “Your love is so ferocious it scares you sometimes” and “Some days watching them is like seeing your heart do somersaults in front of your very eyes.” Seriously, go read her list.

Toddler Ooohs and Aaaahs

I have a serious love affair with Pinterest, but so many of the ideas on there take time. People, we’re talking more than five minutes to put together. What parent has five consecutive minutes to do anything? I can’t even shower by myself. Anyway, imagine my delight when The Imagination Tree posted a Pinterest-y activity that takes less than a minute. Under SIXTY SECONDS, people. We’re talking about sensory/discovery bottles, and they are awesome. Just grab a few empty and washed plastic bottles, fill with fun stuff (pipe cleaners, beads, rice, buttons, whatever), seal the top, and hand ‘em over. My son is obsessed with our discovery bottles, and they have even enabled us to get through a diaper change without horrific screaming. Thank you thank you thank you.

Gift Giving

You didn’t think I’d mention holiday gifts and then leave you hanging, did you? Baby Cheapskate is starting a list of toys that get played with – all listed by age group. For green parents, Great Green Baby introduces us to sweet, handmade Lullaboos, while Inhabitots shows us some eco-friendly plush toys that are full of personality. (Inhabitots also updated us, way back in February, on their 14 favorite green toys from the 2012 American International Toy Fair.) More gift-giving suggestions to come in future weekly roundups!