Category — Guest Posts from Readers

Hey! I was already writing a review of the circus for KidsOutAndAbout.com (yes! you can read it here!), so I thought that you might like another perspective from my friend Hollow Squirrel who keeps saying that she’s going to write a guest post when I go on vacation and then she never, ever does. So I cornered her and forced her to go to the circus and report her findings to you. Thank you Ms. Squirrel!

My husband and I took our two boys, ages 4 and 6, to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily FULLY CHARGED! Circus at the Times Union Center last evening. Like any big event in any large city, I strongly urge you to check out parking options if you are unfamiliar with parking around the arena or if you’re a control freak, like myself. My go-to flat lot was filled with Circus trucks, so we ended up down a skinny side street to $5 after 5 parking –easy! Map out some possibilities beforehand, so you’re not stressed getting to the event.

There’s plenty to see and do before the event begins, and circus performers are wandering the big top an hour before the event! You can take pictures, for a fee, on top of adorably colorful circus animal statues, and of course, there are plenty of circus-related treats and souvenirs, albeit they are very steeply priced. Prepare for requests for $12 bags of cotton candy, $10 (minimum) sno-cones and $20 flashy wand-like thingamajigs. I did not prepare the kids as well as I should have for how reluctant I would be to purchase any and all MUST HAVES from my six-year old. My smarter friend had told her kids that they could bring their saved money to buy a treasure; alas, my son has no savings. We ended up buying a $10 resuable circus drink bottle of lemonade, 2 colorful plastic elephants filled with sno-cone goodness ($12 each) and a $12 bag of cotton candy (that this year came with a crazy circus hat). I recommend the sno-cones because it took a long time for the kids to consume them! Plus, they love the elephants now in their rooms.

Enough advice — onto the SHOW!

We loved it! In the beginning, several times between acts, and at the end, the entire ensemble parades out, and my kids were speechless and in awe of the colors, lights, various performers, and crazy vehicles vying for their attention. My four year old sat in a glazed awe, waving his hand at everyone both at the beginning of the night, and at the close.

The major acts included jugglers, horses, “strong men,” highwire, circle walkers, tigers, cirque de soleil-type acrobat type, human catapult, elephants, glow-in-the-dark pogo-like dancer/tumblers, and tumblers. I am probably forgetting some, and I apologize to the performers, because they truly were all amazing. In between acts, the lively clowns amused the crowd.

The opening act, three rings of different juggling acts impressed us all — too bad they were going on at the same time, because I had a difficult time focusing on one without stealing away to watch another group. Honestly, the best juggling acts I’ve ever seen; and, every time I thought I’d been amazed, they’d one-up it with another amazing feat which would figuratively blow my mind. Bravo, jugglers — you all deserved center ring spotlight.

Like the juggling, my favorite acts were the ones performed by humans, not animals — I was blown away by the two young men who walked and jumped in and on top of giant rotating metal circles.  Trust me. Go now. I was gasping, “wow”ing and clapping throughout their entire act. I took pictures, but alas, my camera and computer aren’t on speaking terms. Mostly, what I kept thinking was “do their MOTHERS know they’re doing this?!” Serenity.

My family have their opinions, too, on the acts not to miss. My four year old LOVED the circus — just ask his Papa, whom was ordered to go see it NOW, even though he’s 13 hours away in Michigan. He recommends the high-wire act, the human catapult and the “rumblers,” which we figured out were the tumblers.

My six year old’s highlights include, again, the human catapult, the bouncy glow-in-the-dark pogo-like jumpers (I’m sure they have a more marketable name), and the strong men (two partially clothed Asian gladiator-types with some pretty darn impressive feats of strength). I’m pretty sure you could bounce a quarter off their abs.

My husband also liked the 2 circle walker guys, the tumblers and jugglers…and the strong men. He, too, had trouble narrowing down his favorites, which is a great thing for the circus and its viewers!

If you’re considering going, I highly suggest you do. We had a fantastic time watching the performances and our childrens’ delighted and awed faces, and you will, too.

Here’s a guest post from Rose. She didn’t get around to sending one before I went to Disney, but she sent this along when I whined earlier in the week. In fact, I was lazy and didn’t even add the links. Thanks for letting me slack off, Rose!

Most of the time, I concur with Katie’s “embrace winter” philosophy. After all, we live here. Year round. And if anybody should be able to handle the challenges of the northeast, it should be us. We are tough. One time I showed up during a snowstorm for story time and there wasn’t one. Because the schools were closed. What did I know? I have one toddler who is not in the school system. I’ve biked with my (well-bundled) toddler in 40 degree rain. I’ve heard that people in Alaska say that there is no such thing as weather that’s too cold. It’s simply a matter of dressing properly. My philosophy is that if I wait for perfect weather at this latitude I’ll go outside a couple of times a year. And that’s not cool. So to speak. But sometimes it’s too vicious outside for even me. And when cabin fever sets in, here are some options outside the house:

Colonie Center Mall. This one is probably obvious. Wide open(ish) warm spaces, a padded play area, and a food court (snacks!) But think about the other things you can do: run the kid around on the second level. Looking down a story is really neat, especially if you can keep them from climbing over the railing. Also, going up and down the escalators can be the toddler equivalent of an amusement park ride. When the play area is overcrowded (which happens a lot on nights, weekends, and really nasty days), we will often visit the train table in Barnes and Noble’s children’s section. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to watch a kid-friendly movie at the theater.

Wilton Mall in Saratoga. Depending on where you live, it might be a drive, but if you want to change it up, this mall features a soft-surface play area that’s double the size of the one at Colonie Center. That area is free. There is also a bouncy-bounce area that you have to pay for, but from my understanding it’s open year-round and can be a great way to burn off older-kid energy.

The Empire State Plaza. If you have a cooped up kid who just wants to stretch their legs, the Empire State Plaza is a great place, especially after regular business hours, when most of the people in suits are gone. Here’s what the place offers: a. Long, long corridors with the occasional bench and interesting store. b. The State Museum, where admission is a voluntary donation. They occasionally have kids programs, and they have a discovery area where little kids can just play. c. For older kids, you can always take a free tour of the capitol building. d. The carousel is open during certain hours, and did I mention?  More escalators!

The Children’s Museum at Saratoga. I haven’t been there yet. I’m saving it up for this winter. 5. Other museums. Check your local library. Many have free passes to local museums.

Libraries. Lots of local libraries have play areas with puppets, train tables, and puzzles. The East Greenbush Library has a room with a Lego table, a nice selection of wooden blocks, a couch for parents to sit on, and a whole parenting collection (including parenting magazines) to peruse. Full disclosure? I work there. And it’s awesome.  Libraries also offer lots of free programs for kids of all ages including storytimes and many sessions wrap up with playtime or a craft.

Paid places to play. This includes Tumbling Tykes in Colonie, Joyful Jumpers in Latham, The TreePaad in Malta, and places that offer gymnastics and swim lessons. I don’t go to these often, because it can really add up, but it’s nice to know they are there.

Inside the House

A really miserable day might mean you can’t leave the house at all. So here are some things to try:

Bring outdoor toys inside. We’ve hung a plastic bucket swing from the rafters in our basement, brought a small plastic slide into our dining room, and filled the kiddie pool with balls to make an indoor ball pit in our kitchen. Obviously this won’t work for all toys or all indoor spaces, but depending on what you’re working with, it could be worth a shot.

Play with your food. Depending on the age of your child, they might be able to help make a special recipe. You can also plop a toddler in the kiddie pool with measuring cups, spoons, and a bowl of dried rice or beans.

Bring out the special toys or activities. These can be toys you’ve hidden for a while (they suddenly become new), or messy projects like finger painting, home-made (or purchased) play-dough, or other usually off-limits arts supplies.

Indoor water fun. Pull out the bath and bath toys or pull up a stool and let the kiddo play in the kitchen sink. Of course, they would need to be supervised closely. But water will keep my little one fascinated for ages.

That’s what I have for now. I’d love to hear your ideas. With snow in October, this could be a long winter. Who’s ready to face it? We are!

Here’s a guest post from June, my colleague at Kids Out and About. She occasionally (and it’s very occasionally lately–ahem!) writes a blog called My Name is June. I Like to Cook. She also wrote the post about making pancakes. Thanks, June!

Do you order pizza on Halloween to scarf down while you pass out chocolate to the trick or treaters? Really? Lame. Really lame. If you plan ahead a little, you can make this stew in advance and then just pop it into the pumpkin at the last minute. You still have two weeks to plan and cook it, because since you’re a good parent like me, you have abdicated all responsibility for the young ‘un’s costumes to the young ‘uns. It’s good for them. Makes them use their little noggins to come up with something original using only duct tape and the leftover tulle from their sister’s wedding. Can you say “Mummy”?

So, while the little ones thrash about desperately trying to complete their costumes before sundown on Halloween, pop this fun stew into the oven and you can pull it out just as the first little monsters show up at your door and demand protection money in the form of chocolate. And let’s not even get into those of you who are too cheap to spring for anything better than a mini tootsie roll. Puhleeze. It’s once a year. But then, who am I to judge? We live so far off the beaten path that I have never had a trick or treater darken my door. I have to go sit on a friend’s porch, but not before we eat the traditional Halloween pumpkin stew. Grandma Foodie used to make it every year when I was a kid. But I’ll bring a pumpkin roll and a bottle of wine with me to my friend’s house, so she’ll be happy to see me. I might even bring her a bowl of pumpkin stew.

Pumpkin Stew

3 T vegetable oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 chopped green peppers
2 chopped onions
2 lbs beef stew meat
2 chopped tomatoes
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 pkgs frozen corn
3 diced potatoes
3 smallish sweet potatoes, diced
2 C beef bouillon
8 peach halves
1 medium pumpkin (if you can find  a pretty large pie pumpkin, they are sweeter and not stringy)
3 T butter
11/2 tsp salt

In a large dutch oven, brown garlic, peppers, onions, and stew meat in oil. Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer 20 minutes. Add corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bouillon, and peaches and simmer 40 minutes.

Brush inside of pumpkin with butter and sprinkle with salt. Add stew and put lid on and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until pumpkin is tender.

Here’s a guest post from Danielle, a mom of 2 in Schenectady. She writes on Examiner.com as the Albany Acting Examiner.  Thanks, Danielle!

Recently on Facebook, I read a comment on a friend’s thread asking if his current show, Spotlight Players’ The Producers, is okay to bring kids to. After discussing tap dancing Nazis, the seduction of little old ladies and gay stereotypes, the mom decided that her 12 year old could handle it.
I was glad to hear a parent ask that question. As a mother of two kids under the age of 7, I ask the question “Can my kids handle it?” almost every time we go out. But live theater can be tricky with kids.

Start small and free or inexpensive. The capital region boasts a wide array of opportunities to introduce kids to live performances. Community theater, outdoor performances, library special events, middle school, high school and church productions tend to be more kid friendly venues. Gailsez.org lists everything produced by theaters- and has a page devoted to free or pay what you will listings in our area. Local papers cover almost everything else.

My biggest reason for free or inexpensive shows is that you have to be willing to leave. Potty emergencies, meltdowns, boredom, and fidgeting all happen at some time or other. My son started feeling feverish when we saw a show at Sand Lake middle school, and we had to leave shortly after intermission because he threw up. If you have kids, you probably have a story like that. And it’s a lot harder to walk out of a show in which you’ve invested fifty or a hundred dollars.

See shows they would like. Action, bright colors and music are always a hit. My daughter, at age two, sat through the entire Nutcracker at Proctors this December. I had planned an exit strategy, anticipating her behavior would be the same as it is in the movies or church where she gets up, walks around, and talks to everyone. But she stayed still with her little eyes glued to the stage, mesmerized by the movement and costumes.  Shows that kids might like, including Park Playhouse’s High School Musical and Seussical Jr. are great choices. It’s outdoor, and lawn seats are free.

Know your kids, and ask questions. The box office of almost any theater will happily let you know whether a show has adult language or situations. You can check their websites or just look up the show itself on the internet. Wikipedia has plot summaries of most shows, or you can find another company that produced the same show in Idaho or South Carolina if you just type the title into a search engine.

Don’t be afraid of the classics. They are a lot more accesible on stage than they are when reading in English class. I’m sure most parents have never seen a Greek tragedy or Shakespeare play live. When the kids are ready, you’d be surprised how much they grasp from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which can be seen for free in various venues around the capital region this month, produced by Hubbard Hall.

My developmental psychology teacher always stressed modeling behavior to the very young. If a child grows up seeing you respecting the theater, making it a big deal, dressing appropriately, sitting quietly and clapping when the time is right, they will learn to do the same. My kids made me so proud when we went to see Titanic this summer. They were mostly quiet, paid attention (especially my six year old) and had such joy on their faces whenever there was an opportunity to clap. They looked to the adults around them for cues on how to behave.

Remember, if it doesn’t work the first time, don’t give up. There is value in live theater that can not be gained through film or television. Don’t let your kids miss out on the experience.

Here’s a guest post from June, my colleague at Kids Out and About. She occasionally (and it’s very occasionally lately–ahem!) writes a blog called My Name is June. I Like to Cook. Thanks, June!

Last Sunday Hannah and I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. Now this is not a rare occurrence; we make pancakes fairly frequently for Sunday breakfast. I had bought some blueberries the day before just for this purpose. I did forget to get buttermilk, though. However, this day, Hannah decided she wanted to make them because we had eggnog in the fridge and she wanted to make eggnog pancakes, and so I said she could and I would go behind her and clean and make the bacon. She started gathering her ingredients while I started the bacon. As she pulled out the baking powder, she asked me what the difference between double-acting baking powder and regular baking powder was. “Oh god”, I thought to myself, “I can’t quite remember why they call it double-acting, I know I used to know, and I, the goddess of food, can’t let my offspring know that I don’t know everything!” Or something like that. Actually that’s really not true, I am fine with admitting that I don’t know everything to my kids, and a few others, but I will NEVER admit that to my hubbie. Or to you. I am the final authority on all things culinary! I am the goddess of food! Don’t forget it. So I mumbled something about people how in the olden days people had to make their own baking powder which consisted of a few ingridients mixed to gether in a certain proportion and when commercial baking powder became available ‘double acting’ connoted that it contained two active ingredients, only one of which I could remember at the time.

Hannah and I really are starting to enjoy cooking together. She is becoming enthusiastic about learning about cooking and willing to try new things. And really, isn’t that about all it takes? Oh, and learning that people who like food and care about it do not serve cheese in a can. Or a jar. (have you ever eaten that stuff? Disgusting!) So I find the times when Hannah wants to cook to be times when she will let her teenagerish attitude down and just be a nice girl again. She respects my abilities in the kitchen and sincerely wants to hear what I have to say about cooking. And so I may slip in a word or two about values, or things I care about, what I want her to know about life. Cooking together gives her a way to let down her defenses. I treasure that time together.

So, as we talk and cook, and drink coffee, (yes, I am a terrible mother. I let my fourteen year old drink coffee. Sue me.) we start to cook the pancakes on the cast iron griddle. I had a banana on the counter that was too ripe to eat, but perfect to cook, so we sliced that and added it to some of the pancakes as we laid them on the griddle. We made some with blueberries, some with banana and some with both. Oh, and don’t forget the eggnog. I wasn’t sure how the combinations would be, but hey, I am always up for experimenting. As we started eating them, with some really great maple syrup from Vermont provided by my friend Gi-gi, we started noticing that the texture was a little waxy, and flat. Maybe it was the eggnog? No, that wouldn’t have done it. Why were these so different? And then I realized: Hannah had forgotten to put in the baking powder. After our long discussions on the origins of baking powder. The pancakes had the consistncy of crepes or clafouti, and they were still quite delicious. We ate them all. We decided to call them pancrepes. It was fun.

Here’s a guest post from Sandra from Albany Kid. Thanks, Sandra!

Here’s a tip for Disney World that most tour guides won’t tell you.

It was something I learned the hard way on our first family vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth. My family had gathered in Orlando, Florida to celebrate my oldest baby sister’s wedding, which wasn’t at Disney, but near enough that a day or more in the park was a given. It also meant that we would be traipsing through the crowded amusement park with our own flotilla.

Naively, I thought that traveling with a large group ensured more adults to help with keeping watch of the kids. It never occurred to me that it was the adults who needed to be watched.

Keep in mind that this was March of 2000, long before ubiquitous smartphones. I can’t recall if we even had cellphones in those days; I suspect that we were still using those walkie talkies with a ½ mile range (which tended to fail in areas with high interference – like an amusement park.)

We were on our way to redeem our FASTPASS tickets at the 3D show, It’s Tough To Be a Bug!, a show that was guaranteed to give little kids (and their moms) the willies, when we realized that one of our party was missing.

I was wearing Baby Alex on a Bjorn carrier, my girlfriend had a good grip on the 4-year-old, and even the elder folks were doing a great job of keeping up in what was, for them, steam-room conditions.

And yet, somewhere between the group shot in front of the Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom and Bug’s Life, the father of my children disappeared.

We were worried, and for a brief moment, panic set in. Some of us were tempted to contact park officials, but this wasn’t a completely unprecedented occurrence. My husband had already failed in his brief tenure as my dive buddy, on a never-to-be-forgotten scuba diving trip, when he was distracted by fish long enough to completely lose me.

Given that history, there was no way that we were going to give up our FASTPASS tickets to It’s Tough To Be a Bug! – who knew when we would be able to see that again? (Note – Yes, the 3D show is still going strong.)

So, we watched the show, and lo-and-behold, when we walked out of the theater, we found my husband waiting at the theater exit.

Did he purposely skip the show? We’ll never know for sure, but I can tell you that he is not fond of bugs, and spiders scare the bejeebies out of him.

More importantly, we all learned an important lesson that day. Keep an eye on the adults at amusement parks, the kids will be alright.

Sandra Foyt writes about fun and education family travel on www.AlbanyKid.com.  After living in some of the most popular destinations: Buenos Aires, the Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Southern California; she now makes her home in upstate NY with a teen and tween, an outdoorsy husband, and an over-indulged Chocolate Lab.

Here’s a guest post from Fazana. For more on Jazzy Sun Birthdays, check out the Facebook page. Thanks, Fazana!

Hello, Capital District families!  My name is Fazana and I am a stay-at-home mom to a creative and sensitive seven-year-old daughter and a spirited and active two-year-old son.  I’m thrilled that Katie has given me the opportunity to let you all know about Jazzy Sun Birthdays, a project that I started six months ago and in which I believe many of you might be interested.  What is it I do?  I host personalized birthday parties for homeless children.

I believe that allowing children (particularly those who have been exposed to much more hardship than most of us can begin to imagine) to experience some of the simple joys of childhood is important.  Giving a child a birthday party may not be poverty-fighting, but it is smile-producing!  Most of the children in our lives are fortunate enough to be shielded from the harsh realities of the world.  Even if they are exposed to them, it is likely to be in a second-hand fashion.  The children I reach are those who know first-hand what it is like not to have a roof over their heads and possibly had their parents struggle to figure out the source of their next meals.  Celebrating their birthdays with cake, decorations, games, presents and goody bags will help them feel less like “homeless kids” and more like “regular kids”, if only for a few hours.

I have always loved throwing parties for family and friends–from surprise birthday parties to bachelorette parties to baby showers.  After I gave birth to my first child, I added children’s birthday parties to my repertoire.  I have derived great pleasure in putting together theme parties (often on a shoestring budget) for my children.  The joy in their eyes evident during each party is something I wanted to replicate in the eyes of children whose lives are in a state of flux.  There is a lot of focus on homeless children during the holidays in December but a birthday is a very special day for any child (and most adults!) because it is his/her day to shine.  Hence, the birth of Jazzy Sun Birthdays!

I am currently volunteering my time with St. Catherine’s Center for Children and hosting parties at their transitional shelter for homeless families in Albany County.  I hope to work with additional organizations (such as Joseph’s House in Troy and St. Paul’s Center in Rensselaer) in the near future.  At present, I do the following at the family shelter run by St. Catherine’s:

1)      Host age-appropriate theme-parties on the third Saturday of each month for all children whose birthdays are in that particular month.  (Past themes include Dora the Explorer, Disney Princesses, Justin Bieber, Mickey Mouse, Transformers and Spiderman.)

2)      Provide birthday children with 3 to 4 gifts, one of which is a book.

3)      Provide pizza and cake along with party games and arts and crafts activities.

4)      Distribute goody bags to party attendees (i.e., other homeless children living in the shelter who are not celebrating their birthday).

5)      Provide a photo book to each birthday child containing pictures taken during his/her party so they will have lasting memories of the event.

As most of you know, throwing a child’s birthday party generally takes a lot of time and resources.  I pound the pavements (usually with my toddler in tow) and send countless emails to try to get as many items as possible donated or sold at reduced prices since my funds are extremely limited.  For each of the past six months, different pizzerias have donated pizzas for the parties.  I am grateful that most of the cakes to date have been donated by individuals who simply heard about the mission of Jazzy Sun Birthdays and wanted to help out.  Many different people have donated gifts, party supplies, and goody bag items thus far.  When I do have to purchase items out-of-pocket, my go-to places are Dollar Tree, Yankee Dollar, Walmart, the clearance rack of Party City, Marshalls and Craig’s List.

To ensure that Jazzy Sun Birthdays continues to thrive and grow, I am constantly on the lookout for more wonderful individuals and groups who are willing to lend a hand and/or donate items.  I take advantage of all opportunities to get the word out about the project; hence, my excitement about providing a guest post here!  So…how can you, your friends, your family, and/or your colleagues help?  The beauty of this project is that anyone can be a part of it, no matter how busy your schedule or how tight your finances.

The following is partial list of ways to help:

1)      Volunteering at a party by helping with arts and crafts, serving pizza and cake, overseeing games, etc.

2)      Putting special skills to use by face painting, making balloon animals, taking photos, etc. during parties.

3)      Making up goody bags for 25 to 30 children.

4)      Helping with the purchase of gifts/party supplies.

5)      Baking a half-sheet cake.

6)      Thinking of craft projects to go with the theme of the party.

7)      Donating leftover party supplies/decorations and/or unopened gifts to the project.

8)      Spreading the word to people you know about Jazzy Sun Birthdays so that I can acquire more volunteers and/or donors of funds/gifts/supplies.

9)      Connecting me with business owners who might donate items such as cakes, pizza, paper products, gifts, books, etc.

I would love to expand to more shelters and make more homeless children feel like kings and queens for a day.  If you would like to help me do so, please contact me at jazzysunbirthdays [at] yahoo [dot] com.  Also, please “like” the Jazzy Sun Birthdays page on Facebook so that you can view photos of past parties, get information about upcoming ones and provide advice on gifts or craft projects, among other things.  If you’d like more background about the project, check out the article about Jazzy Sun Birthdays in the September print edition of Capital District Parent Pages. Thanks for reading this guest post!  I hope to hear from many of you soon!

I’ve mentioned that I’m a bit overwhelmed lately, and I’m going to be out of town 11 of the next 17 days, so I’m just warning you now: I’m going to shamelessly milk J’s party for all it’s worth by breaking up the various tasty Halloween treats and other activities. Here’s a photo of the snack spread:

Details on how to make things, and whether to bother, will follow, along with some party activities, one of which J invented herself.

I’m also putting out a call for Guest Posts. Yippee! If you’re new to Capital District Fun, when I go on vacations, I ask my gentle readers if they’re willing to submit a guest post. It’s a nice way to dip your toe into the blog pool or give some attention to an organization that deserves it. It can be a favorite Capital District destination, something fun to do. . .  whatever. Photos attached with the email are great (I’ll assume that you’re okay with me posting them, too), and links are great, too, but if you don’t know how to embed them, I will. If you have a blog and want to submit one of your old posts or something new, that works for me. I’ll link back, of course.

Oh, and I’ve added a new feature, in case you want to see some examples of guest posts: a new category over there on the right-hand column called Guest Posts from Readers. I did my best to find all of the old guest posts, but if I didn’t catch yours, let me know and I’ll tick the little category box so that it shows up.

Some people have mentioned to me in the comments or in person that you’re willing to do a guest post, and that would be wonderful, but I also won’t hold you to it. I know people get busy, so no guilt! I prefer, anyway, to keep my expectations low, set a deadline, and then work with what I’ve got. After I get submissions, I still need to read them over, ask questions if necessary, figure out how I’ll schedule things, and put items into the blog, so that’s why I’m firm on the deadline.

Email me with your submission by Tuesday, October 11th, at noon. That email is capitaldistrictfun [at] yahoo [dot] com. If you’d like to write me with questions before that, that’s fine. If you’d like to send submissions before then, that’s super-awesome.

Thanks to everyone who’s contributed in the past, via guest post or comments! I truly love hearing from everyone.

This is a reader-written post from Amy, who’s contributing for the second summer in a row. This time in verse! Hooray and thank you, Amy!

During a recent heat wave, when it was too hot to go outside, I wondered what would we do, me and my kids number 1 and number 2? Would we stay in the entire day? What would we do? What could we play? She almost six and he almost two, was there nothing, nothing we could do? Then I spied it with my eyes, I saw it and knew. I knew then just what we would do.

On the porch there sat a cardboard box just looking at me, waiting, begging, saying anything but the heat, please. Really? Yes, really! So, I stepped into the heat and brought it inside. I brought it inside, that box, and that’s when I saw them, those two sets of eyes open WIDE.  And even wider still when given a fistful of sidewalk chalk. A fistful of chalk to draw on said box whatever they pleased.  Then they went to work, the two of them did. She drew swirls and he, maybe a squid?  She drew curtains and throw rugs and such. He made of that chalk his own personal lunch. But in the end, no matter the means, the box became “not a box.”  It became something much more. It became something to occupy the living room floor!

If you haven’t read it, rush out to your local library or bookstore and pick up Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.  The dedication reads: “For children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes.”  I think that says it all.

Here’s a guest post from Louise. Thanks so much, Louise!

It seems like couponing is all the craze at the moment. I am by no means
experienced in this area. Originally from the UK we ‘don’t do coupons’, so
it’s a novelty to me. I’ve been watching the TLC series Extreme Couponing
and am amazed at the savings people achieve. But is it really possible to
achieve those savings in the Capital District and is it fun?

My husband and 2 year old toddler would definitely say it is not fun. My
husband witnessed me poring over the Sunday inserts for most of the day,
unable to comprehend my new hobby. He sits firmly on the side of it being a
waste of time and I’m not really saving money. My toddler thinks the best
bit is stealing the coupons I’ve cut out as a game of chase follows as I
try to retrieve the paper coupon, now mangled from his hand wondering if
the store will still accept it or whether they accept ones you’ve had to
tape together?

I’ve only seriously been doing it for 2-3 weeks. Last week I found more
information on the internet about how to do it from various blogs which
help you reduce your OOP (Out of pocket expenses- there’s a whole couponing abbreviation dictionary it seems). One of my favorites is Coupon Mom –it’s free but you have to create an account to access the information.
There is a lot of advertising on the site, which looks a little
overwhelming at first but it means you don’t have to pay for the site. It’s
not upstate NY specific so sometimes not all deals listed are available
here in New York. There’s also Savings4Mom, which is a blog written by someone in upstate NY and has all sorts of coupon tips, money saving offers, and even Facebook giveaways.

So far I have had the most success at the drugstores rather than the grocery store- which is disappointing as I spend most of my money at the grocery store- but then you don’t ever see coupons for fresh fruit or vegetables.

Who knows how long my latest hobby will last. My husband discovering the 9
tubes of toothpaste in the bathroom cupboard might have a bearing on that!