Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books has popped up on my radar several times over the past year. I really like their philosophy...

"This is what we care about: first, we're convinced that it's never too early to introduce children to other cultures. We believe too that children can appreciate high-quality art, and enjoy the music as well as the meaning of language from a very early age. They deserve the very best, and they are dependent on their elders to help them make connections — between themselves and others, between nature and culture, between learning and living."

...And, of course, their books. They offer several books that include Chinese culture, and I recently discovered the adoption-themed Motherbridge of Love, featured in Time Magazine's top 10 children's books of 2007...And I can see why. It's beautiful! You can view a reading of the book here.

P.S. grab a tissue.

Baby Food

Make your own baby food. I've really got to start doing this.

No Shoe Policy

My family thinks I'm nuts with my germaphobe "no shoe policy" in the house. Graciously, though, my mother has conceded and has purchased a pair of nice slipper to wear when she visits. I'm not sporting a new fashionable phobia, I swear. I mean, I'm not that nuts, really, and it's a loose policy at that. I don't accost folks at the door if they fail to remove their shoes. But, seriously, would you put your bare hand on the floor of a public restroom and then stick it in your mouth...I didn't think so. Nor do I want my near-crawling baby to be sticking her hands in her mouth after shoes have tracked in God only knows from outside. Here, see, I'm not crazy...

From healthychild.org

Tip 22: Leave the Dirt at the Door – Remove your shoes – by Laura Dern
In many cultures it’s customary to remove your shoes before entering a home for spiritual or practical reasons. And as a mom, of course I want a clean home. But as I did more research, I learned that great way to reduce your exposure to lead dust, pesticides, and other pollutants in the home was to invest in a good quality doormat. The professional cleaning industry estimates that we track 85% of the dirt in our homes in from the outside on our shoes or paws of pets. And in a recent warning about lead exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifically recommends that shoes remain outside the house. According to a report called the Door Mat Study, lead-contaminated soil from the outside causes almost all the lead dust inside homes, and it notes that wiping shoes on a mat and removing them at the door cuts lead dust by 60 percent. The study explains that limiting the amount of dust and track-in may also help reduce exposure to lawn and garden pesticides, wood smoke and industrial toxins, mutagens, dust mites, and allergens. Wiping our shoes off as we enter the home reduces the amount of contaminated dirt tracked in. Large mats, that cover two or three strides, will ensure that even those that refuse to wipe will leave most of the dirt clinging to their shoes on the mat rather than your carpet. The BEST solution is to take off your shoes as you enter your home. It is a good excuse to buy some great socks or slippers. And your flooring will stay clean as well as keep dirt and potential toxic threats from getting into carpets. If going shoeless is not acceptable to family members, suggest that they wear house shoes (that don't go outside), slippers or socks. And walking around in soft slippers, sock, or barefoot does another wonderful thing – it helps us relax and unwind.

Year of the Pig

Oliver Chin has written a series of books based on the Chinese Zodiac. And for my little piggie, I must get The Year of the Pig! This looks like a fun way to introduce her to another Chinese tradition.

Top 100 Books

Here's a list of parents and teachers top 100 books (results from an NEA 2007 survey):

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Tacky the Penquin by Helen Lester
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Doreen Cronin
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
Olivia by Ian Falconer
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Bunnicula by James Howe
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino
Jan Brett’s books
Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
No David! by David Shannon
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Empty Pot by Demi
The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
The Giver by Lois Lowr
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner

One Child Policy

Very interesting post on China Adopt Talk today. See full article below.

There has been a lot of discussion about various news articles recently published about the one child policy, and for the most part I’ve stayed away from discussing them.

There are two reasons I’ve stayed away, the first being that it’s a very complex issue and there is no way to say whether doing away with it would be a good or bad thing for China or the world.

And the second is that it makes me very uncomfortable to hear people who are in the process of an adoption freak out about the news stories. China should do what is best for her people, and the idea that people might want this kind of policy to stay in place in order to make sure babies make it into orphanages is just mind staggering. It makes my heart hurt. So, I’ll stay away from that and go back to my first reason.

Let’s look back in history for a bit to understand why the policy was put in place to begin with. After years of food shortages and people literally starving to death, the country was finally able to feed most everyone. But the government looked ahead and realized that if families continued having lots of kids that in another decade or two there would (again) not be enough food to feed everyone. Realize that in the late fifties and early sixties it is estimated that between 20 and 43 million people died, most of starvation. In some areas one out of every four people died of starvation. Imagine 16 of your friends and family, with four of them dead to starvation and you perhaps not far from it. Can you imagine how scary it would be to have the money to buy food but no food available to buy?

So, in the late 70’s when the one birth policy was put in place, it was done so in part to keep the population from exploding back to what it had been when there wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. This is a bit simplified of course since there was more at work during the famine than just population, but it’s a complicated subject and I’m trying to do this in a blog post and not a book.

If you’ve visited China then you know that there is plenty of food now. Well, there may be some shortages right now because the winter storms disrupted the crops, but in general terms, if you have the money to buy food, there is affordable food to buy.

It has been my experience that most Chinese people understand the reasons for the one child policy. I say this based on conversations I’ve had with them. They are sad that they are only allowed one child, but they understand the reasoning for the policy and they are not bitter about it. Many of them appreciate that it has kept the country from going back to the days of food shortages and say that it is necessary, even though they are sad that they can’t have more children.

But now the government is having to deal with a reality where there are enough people who can afford the pay the fines for more than one child that it has become noticeable. And those who can’t afford to pay the fines are crying foul. I’ve seen it myself, the fancy hotel elevator with the well dressed family that has three kids. Walk around the areas where the rich shop and you’ll see families with more than one child. But go out into the countryside and you will mostly only see families with one child. Now there is some bitterness, where there was not before.

The government is looking for a solution to this, and has begun putting political pressure as well as the threat of fines to keep their wealthy people limited as well.

And, they are starting to put out hints that they are reconsidering the law. But I really don’t see them doing that any time soon. And even if they do change it, my guess is that there will still be restrictions in place, they’ll just loosen it even more than it has already been loosened. It hasn’t been the “one child policy” for a long time. First, it’s really the “one birth policy” since twins and triplets are okay. And second, there are now many ways to legally have more than one child without paying fines. In some areas if your first child is a girl you get one more chance, though if your first child is a boy then you are done. Also, two only-children parents are allowed to have two kids, no matter the gender of the first.

But, back to our discussion of the ramification of taking the one child policy away. Let’s shift directions.

Think about this: There are almost as many honor students in China as there are students in America.
In 2005, there were 74.9 million children under age 18 in the United States (source)
In 2005 there were 352.7 million children under age 18 in China (source)
If you figure the top 20% of the population are the honor students, then China has 70.6 million honor students. I’ll say it again: There are almost as many honor students in China as there are students in America.

To further think about this, then realize that China has around 14 million college students (source) and the U.S. there were 15.9 million people in college in 2004 (source). They have almost five times as many kids as we do, and yet almost the same number attend college. I’ve been told that it’s harder for a Chinese student to make it into a relatively unknown college in China than it is for an American student to make it into Harvard in the U.S.

Now let us look at arable land. As of November 2005, China had approximately 122 million hectares of arable land, covering 13 percent of its territory. This amounted to 0.27 hectares per capita, less than 40 percent of the world per capita average, one-eighth the U.S. level, and one-half the Indian level. (source). According to Google conversions, 122 million hectares = 301.5 million acres.
The United States had 470 million acres of arable land in 2001 (can’t find anything more recent) (source).

Are you beginning to understand the problem here? If China’s population starts exponentially increasing then in todays global market we will be looking at worldwide food shortages.
I’ve tried to give you an idea of the population disparity. How crowded China is. Without seeing it for yourself, it’s hard to get it across. When trying to explain what it was like to go to a market in China I told my mom it was like a store in the U.S. the day before Christmas. Every day. And the traffic? Like the traffic around the mall the day before Christmas. Every day.

The Chinese government will do what is best for China. The one child policy is harsh, and cruel and sad. But the alternative could (in the long run) also be harsh, and cruel, and sad.

As I said, I haven’t talked about it because it is a complex issue. When I think of the individual people I know in China then I’d love for them to be able to have a huge family. But, when I think of the overall effect of this happening across China, I’m actually pretty glad I’m not the one making that decision.

Meals for a New Mama

I'm not sure if this is solely a Southern thing (you know, Southern hospitality and all), but in the South, when a child joins the family, whether through birth or adoption, a host of friends and family members line up to provide a calendar of home-cooked meals -- from pot roast, to lasagna, casseroles and spaghetti. It is truly a God-send to the sleep-deprived (and in our case, add jet lag) mamas and daddies. I was elated when friends and family volunteered to provide meals for us for a month after returning from China. It gave us a chance to focus on bonding as a family instead of running back and forth to the grocery, with a baby on one hip and a frantic new mommy plowing through the frozen isles at Kroger. A lifesaver! So if this is a Southern thing, and you've not ever organized this for an expecting mother, give it a shot. She'll be forever grateful.

Here are some recipes for a few of the dishes that friends made for us, as well as some of the dishes that I've cooked for other new moms.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Portobello Mushroom Almond Pesto Lasagna
Beef Daube Provencal
Greek Grilled Kabobs with Pine nut Orzo
Spring Vegetable Lasagna
Tortellini, White Bean, Spinach Soup

Thanks to all you lovely ladies who spent time in the kitchen on our behalf. Your dinners were perfect and baby girl was happy for the extra attention.

Creative Bug

I peruse Etsy and without fail I get the creative bug...or maybe it's envy. Nonetheless, I feel the need to get crafty. Article by Joann Snell on creativity:

"Why is it that some people seem to have a flow of creative genius and others are lacking? Well, in reality we all have the ability to be creative. It’s just some people don’t realize that they can acquire it just like any other skill. Hopefully through this article I can give you some insight to get your creative genius going.

So how can you get your creative juices flowing? First of all, read everything you can get your hands on. You want to take in as much knowledge and learning as you can. Throughout this process be sure to keep an open mind. You may find a few new facts you didn’t know about that will interest you.

Next, try to draw something every day. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just start out doodling. Yes this will seem like it’s too much effort at first. But think of it this way, every time you try something new it is an effort. Yes it will seem impossible at times. But the longer you keep at it the easier it will become. Just like every thing new you try in your life.

Speaking of new things, when was the last time you were out of your comport zone? Going to different Places often help broaden perspectives. Try going to a new neighborhood or even going to a museum for the first time. But don’t stop with these examples. Keep trying new things, think outside the box. Staying inside the box only limits the creative process.

Another creative thing you can try is photography. Get your camera out and start shooting. These don’t need to be anything spectacular. Don’t worry about capturing an award winning photo, yet. Just experiment and see what you can come up with. Start out small and work your way up.

Finally, just try to open up and talk to people you meet at the store or some other event. You can learn all kinds of interesting things by talking to people. Keep a journal of what you learn from each person. They may have an interesting story to tell. Then with all your journal entries, who knows, you could write your first book! Get Creative!"

Joann Snell is a freelance Graphic Designer. She specializes in print, corporate id, branding, and other marketing tools for small-medium sized businesses. http://www.josgraphicdesigns.com

Blog Love

Love reading blogs OR would love reading blogs but don't know where to start? Real Simple lists some of their top picks.