March 2009

The Pleasure in Today

by Stacy on March 23, 2009

KSW Spring Mosaic

A Prayer in Spring

by Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Excerpt from The Station: A Reminder to Cherish the Journey , Robert J. Hastings

“It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are thieves who rob us of today.”

“So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less.”

“Life must be lived as we go along.”

What a perfect motivation for Spring 2009, I’ll have no problem keeping up the eating ice cream and going barefoot part of the deal. I’m even looking forward to swimming in more rivers (although mine might be swimming pools) and laughing ALOT more, The part I’ll be working on this season, letting go of dread and regret. How about you? Ready to take a leap of faith and enjoy your life?

A brief moment for reflection and praise in honor of springtime- courtesy of all these wonderful folks on Flickr

1. Happier than happy square, 2. Perfect Gift, 3. Florecitas….., 4. Before the Smile Stealer Attacked, 5. Mrs Potato Head, 6. Rings colour, 7. Soft Pink, 8. EASTER CUPCAKES, 9. AMIGURUMI FROG, 10. mess making, 11. Anak ke dua?, 12. Bleeding Hearts on the vine, 13. Stripey Walk, 14. calendar wintersemester 2007/2008, 15. Untitled, 16. Cake Detail, 17. Flicka in Switzerland, 18. Reading, 19. Untitled, 20. Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine., 21. Colourful Houses, 22. Contrasting Leaves, 23. Tre Monti Cherries 6, 24. Childportrait test, 25. finer gauge Shroom

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Being GREEN can be EASY

by Stacy on March 13, 2009

Growing up, St. Patrick’s day was always my favorite non-major holiday. St. Patrick’s day meant a day with my dad, a trip to the parade, face paint, tons of GREEN, fried foods, and most importantly tons of fun.

That’s why I was astonished when it came to my realization, that I almost MISSED IT this year. My children are getting older and it’s time to start sharing some of my fond memories of this Irish Holiday with them. I’m new in town and not sure if there is a parade anywhere near by? Still, I did manage to find a few things online that can help us have a GREENTASTIC St. Patrick’s Day right here at home.

Thank you, Tara, for your fantastic collection of St. Paddy’s day crafts that got us started.

Look for this post to grow until the official St. Patrick’s Day!

Leprechaun Beards

Now here’s a mom I’d love to make friends with, look at these Leprechaun costumes she whipped up using finds from the Dollar Store

Another fabulous DIY mom, Morgan from One More Moore teaches us how to make these super cute Shamrock pins

Who could resist this super cute, super tasty easy green snack from a new to me site, Bright Ideas?

I thought it was almost impossible to top those amazing popcorn balls {above} but check out this super simple Over The Rainbow centerpiece from JesseKate Designs, I just may reconsider

Just happened on to this Clover Magnet craft recommended for kids ages 6-8

I have a feeling older kids would love constructing this amazing Leprechaun Trap from Artists Helping Children

Shamrock Mobil

Then there was the Crayon Shamrocks from Smile Monsters, that reminded us of the heart version we posted for Valentines

If crayon shavings & irons sounds a bit daunting for your Green Holiday, perhaps you would prefer this simpler Shamrock Tree from DLTK’s Crafts for Kids

If you can’t find one of your own Zakka Life has a great tutorial on how to make your own Lucky four leaf clover

Not sure what I like more, how easy this Shamrock Tee is to make or how happy this little girl is to be wearing it. Too cute

I have a feeling that little girl {above} would also love a pair of these Rainbow Streamers, consider them St. Patrick’s Day pom-poms if you will

These adorable Leprechaun Top Hats are made using recycled items from around the house and will soon be a stunning mobile, I can’t wait to see the final product on Viva Full House

Love this creative Shamrock necklace handcrafted by Sarah from The Small Object

If you wanted to spruce up your website or twitter page, try my favorite online artist Tricia Rennea. I’m loving this cute birdie she drummed up for my favorite day.

Look for us to add some great new crafts over the next few days and no mater how you’re planning to celebrate, we hope you have one AMAZING St. Patrick’s Day

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Gimme My Jimmies Giveaway

by Stacy on March 7, 2009

If you’ve got young kids in the house, then most days you probably feel as if you’d do just about anything to listen to some real music for a while. You know the kind that you actually don’t mind being stuck in your head all day long. While KSW may not be able to solve this dilemma completely, but we do feel there should be some sort of middle ground. You know, a place where music is entertaining for children and well, not so grating to us … enter the new KSW Presents Parent-Friendly Music series. We’ll try out many of the new tunes so you don’t have to and then let you know all about them right here. To get this series started, we’ve chosen an up and coming, hip NYC-based rock band for kids known as: The Jimmies you certainly won’t want to miss.

The Jimmies
http://GimmeJimmies.com
-An Oppenheim “Best Toy of 2009″ & Parents Choice Award Winner
-#1 on Sirius/XM Radio’s KidsPlace
See The Jimmies live at: Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, The Target Book Fair, World Cafe Live & The Bushnell

This five-man group (um,I mean four guys and one amazing girl) has managed to find a way to tap into their inner child and produce some of the most creative kiddie music I’ve heard in a long, long time. Since the moment I downloaded the CD, it’s playful lyrics and up tempo beats have had my toes tapping and my head bobbing (just as promised). It’s as if suddenly, someone made children’s music fun again and I get that “I’m a big kid again” feeling. Love that feeling, don’t you?

Why We Love It: Something about the Jimmie’s enthusiasm to entertain children speaks to us. We love the way they have taken ordinary topics and turned them into something truly extraordinary and educational at the same time.

KSW’s Recommended Tracks:

Hupsha – silly children’s reggae – perfect for getting the kiddies awake in the AM without going crazy in the process

PB & J- a zany take at a boring staple (not to mention some great new lunch ideas for parents)

Birthday Song – finally a great alternative to a tired old classic – you’ll want everyone singing this at your next birthday party

Toddler Recommended Tracks:

What’s on Your Shirt – my three year old REALLY enjoyed this song and was singing along mid-way through the first time I played it

And now for the really fun part … The Jimmies are graciously GIVING AWAY a CD to one lucky KSW reader!

Three Ways to Enter:

1. Leave a comment here to be automatically entered to win

2. Visit The Jimmies website, watch the videos and leave a new comment here saying which one was your favorite and why

3. Twitter a link to this giveaway - come back and leave another new comment with your Twitter name (I’m @steet if you want to follow me.)

Feel free to do all three to gain several entries to win! You have until 10pm EST on Sunday, March 15, 2009, to enter.

This Giveaway has officially ended. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Comment #11 - Wendy G {aka @MyGreenSide on twitter} for winning this fabulous giveaway. We’ll contact you soon to make arrangements for you to receive your CD.

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