Been a While...

Wow, it has been a while since I posted, but hey, that's what the Holidays will do! I just wanted to share a different project I've been working on - it's called Cre8 and Re-Cre8. It's a blog about making useful stuff and making stuff useful. Let me know what you think!

Wrap Rage

I went to Amazon.com today and found a messgae from Jeff Bezos right there on the front screen addressing "wrap rage". I was so excited to see that they have acknowledged this is a problem and are doing something about it. I hate these clamshell plastic packaging. I always end up cutting myself trying to get them open. It also really sucks to try to get a kid's toy out of the packaging while they are standing next to you harassing you and you have 50 million little do-dads to unravel. Not to mention the useless waste from this packaging. Now COSTCO needs to just follow suit. They are really the worst offendor.

Getting Kids In Touch with Nature

Having 3 little boys and witnessing the effect that television can have on them, I have become pretty gung-ho about making sure they experience nature and gain an appreciation from the natural world. I find that if you spend two hours exploring the outdoors (be it in my back yard, at a park, or camping) they are much happier kids than after the same two hours of being inside watching TV or even just playing with toys.

Unlike previous generations when you went outside to play at the first chance and came inside "when the streetlights came on", it is an effort to get these kids to spend time outside. I found a great new resource that is just starting out called "Nature for Kids". It is a blog and a discussion forum and additional resources all about just activities to do with kids in Nature. I just love the concept and I hope that it gets much more participation!

Take a Time Out

One of the funniest video shorts I have seen in a long time is called "Time Out" by Robbie Chafitz. It was premiered at Sundance.

Geeky Things: A Cubicle Playset for Adults

I know when I am very bored at work, I have always wanted to have a little cubicle playset of my very own to pass the time. In the spirit of Dilbert cartoons and Office Space, "The Cubes - Cubicle Playset" available at ThinkGeek. lets you enter the fantasy land that might be your very own job. Maybe you are not the "Unix" guy, maybe you have always been the "Windows" guy and you've just always wanted to be the "Unix" guy. Well, now you can PRETEND TO BE THAT GUY with your very own Cubicle Playset.

One More Thing - A Book Thing

This one is in the spirit of life simplification. As I have been trying to find good home for books I am ready to let go of, I came across this organization in Baltimore, MD: A Book Thing. It seems that the main point of their organization is to give books away for free to people who want them. What a great idea! They need book donations, especially children's books. They also need plastic grocery bags - and I'm always looking for a new home for those as well (although I have started using BAGGUs for grocery shopping to cut down on the use of plastic grocery bags).

So Cute.... Had to Share

I came across the followin blog that I had to share for those of you who love working with Yarn. It is called the Mochimo Blog. This is a yarn artist who knits and crochets toys - lots of innovative work I had never seen before.

Also, she has incredible pictures of her MIL's yarn stash which is uunbelievable. As much as I would love to own that yarn - it is totally contrary to my "live simply" mantra for this year.