homegrown tomatoes

Everyday, Ava has been checking on her tomato plant. Anyone who comes over, she immediately wants to take out back to share how much her tomatoes are "growing." Occasionally we've been finding holes around it - dug up in neat burrows {still unsure what kind of critter is responsible...hmm....} But the tomatoes are still safe, and gardening has become one of Ava's favorite things to do. Today, they were riper than ripe... well one of them...

nowrouz 2011 celebrated

Happy Nowrouz! This past Sunday, we celebrated Nowrouz, which literally translates to "New Light" - and is a Persian holiday commemorating the first day of Spring/birth of new life/and New Year! I personally enjoy recognizing "New Year" on this day instead of the cold of January - because it really does feel like a new beginning today. I've started "spring cleaning" around the house {still a work in progress} which is also a customary thing to do in preparation - as well as giving each other gifts, buying new clothes, and visiting relatives and friends. 

Traditionally, I remember from my childhood sitting up late at night and peeling dried fruits for the Haft Mēwa or "Seven Fruits" dish we would make with pistachios, almonds, walnuts, raisins, and so on. But since my nephew is allergic to nuts, we skipped this and instead jumped into more child/spring friendly activities associated with this time of year... yep, an egg hunt, coloring, and confetti bash...

For their gift baskets this year, I went with an earthy/Spring theme, and found some garden gloves, shovels, rakes, and books about earth day... Fancy Nancy Every Day is Earth Day for Ava and Noah got a younger version called I'm Not Too Little To Help The Earth, with moving tabs and sensory pages.

When we got home, we took advantage of what was left of the daylight, and started planting our new "garden." The kids picked out plants from the nursery {tomatoes, strawberries, lemons} and Aaron and I added green onion seeds {these grow great in this climate} and cilantro {a salad staple}.

As they sowed their seeds into the dirt, we talked about the delicate process and patience it takes to bring them to life. Just as the New Year - today - marks a new beginning, so too does the deepening understanding that no matter where we are in our lives, we should take great care with what we are given - be responsible and respectful of ourselves, our environments, and most graciously, of time...

growing green thumbs

We are whirling into summer and just now stopping to take notice of the changing seasons after a lovely weekend spent in the backyard. A trip to Home Depot with the kids brought out the horticulturalists in all of us as we hand picked our flowers, plants and tree! Ava came home with 9 packets of seeds, of which I later had to explain that we simply didn't have the gardening capacity [nor patience] to grow onions or marigolds. So we compromised on the sunflowers and peppers - and she prepared her green thumb as her and Noah filled their watering cans and waited.... playing between the sandbox and pool...



Once Aaron and I got our gloves on, we realized the backyard was in serious need of revitalization. We trimmed, mowed, chopped, dug, raked, nailed, hung, swept, power-washed, and fainted [technically speaking]. And while we still have a ways to go, it was time well spent as a family together in our backyard, cleaning up and beautifying our outdoor spaces.

What's more, it was deeply comforting watching the kids so comfortable with nature... spotting snails on trees or marching behind ants... running, climbing, and exploring with barefeet and doing everything that makes the city girl in me shriek [literally speaking - especially when a garden snake came face to face with my hand shovel] and yet adire their free spirits to explore and learn about all things - crawling or slithering....



The reward for our laborous day was well received - it rained in time to cool us off, and make the children's playtime outdoors even more fun.

After the rain shower, Ava found her seeds and clutched them at her side with her shovel in hand - repeatedly asking if she could plant them "now?" But unfortunately the garden wasn't ready yet. So with my working gloves still on, I reached to grab Ava and give her a big hug for being so thoughtful - and in her most sincere but whiny voice she said, "Mom. You're getting me all glove-ily."

Our Family Gardening Tips
1. Share your list of chores - like raking and picking up large branches - with the kids. It not only gives them something to do, but also makes them feel important and engaged with what you are focused on doing as well. It's not a race to see how fast you can plant an annual - the idea is to share in the joy of doing so.

2. Children's garden tools come in all shapes and sizes. Stock up on a few and create a small area in the backyard just for them. They'll appreciate their own personal area and boost their confidence as a gardener.

3. Plan ahead. Our purchases were spontaneous on this nursery trip, but I would highly recommend having a good template to work with before you leave home. Count your pots [even note their colors] and where they will end up going to ensure you get a good balance of those vibrant summer colors you're looking for.

4. Start a nature collection - allow them to gather their interesting finds in a bowl to talk about later or even use in an art project...

5. Extend your green thumb beyond your backyard and give back by purchasing a tree for our rainforests. Several sites are available: Rainforest Rescue International, World Wildlife Fund, or Rainforest Foundation.

the world is in our hands

Earth day should in context be every single day of our lives. Ya know, celebrating its beauty, conserving its resources ... and feeling what Noah is feeling in this very picture with the earth pillow over his head.

We've been making small transitions to a greener life-style since moving into our first home 6 years ago. The extra space in the kitchen allowed us to store bins for sorting recyclables. And since watching Inconvenient Truth, I have been unplugging the toaster after each use - which is now only mildly annoying in the mornings.

Our Earth Day celebration started with a long bike ride to the library where we found a handful of books on preserving our earth. During the kids' nap times, a bird had flown down our chimney and trapped itself in our skylight. It gave up and flew to lower ground - the breakfast room where I have real branches draped over the windows. How perfect. Aaron was able to free the bird and afterwards declared, "today is Earth day - the day the Patenaudes opened their home to wildlife." While I got a chuckle out of this - both Ava and I got "eeeewwwww" goose bumps.

We spent the afternoon at a nursery in search of small trees and seeds to grow our own wild flowers and herbs. The kids were amused by the forest-like greenery surrounding them and the rich texture of leaves that tickled their finger tops.

Before going to bed, Ava and I read The Earth and I by Frank Asch. Ava noticed a dead fish laying in a bank of junk and said "fish is sad" - and I agreed, explaining what happens when people throw garbage into the rivers. "The fish get sick - but see, this boy cleaned out the garbage, and planted flowers around the river - and all the fish are happy again."

I spent a lot of time thinking about the "earth" today and how everything goes around in full circle. So when Aaron wanted to buy weed killer at Home Depot today - I protested - proudly.

Green Resources:

1) Going green and becoming more eco-conscious seems to be trendy in Dallas as with all new things in this southern metropolis. In fact, I stumbled upon a unique high-end eco-boutique by the yummy name, Strada Verde [which translates to "Green Street" in Italian] in downtown McKinney. The owner Diljit Binning approached me with a personal tour of her lines. Maybe she thought I was a reporter since I was holding a notepad [I just got out of a client presentation located off the square]. Evenso, I was smitten with her British accent and products of eco-fashion. Purses made out of upholstery from vintage cars, shoes made out of recycled plastic, bamboo cotton tees and rugs made out of flour bags.. many items handmade by "local artists." Their opening night was tonight in fact - and I'm sure it was a stunning event.

2) Go Online. More and more are popping up, but sites I found full of good ideas include:
WFAA Project Green I Dallas Green Zine I TreeHugger

3) Things to do today: Don't run water more than you have to; run full dishwasher loads only; switch to energy-efficient bulbs [don't like the ugly fluorescent color like me? swap them out in rooms and fixtures you don't use often - like the guest bath; recycle - it's soo easy its ridiculous; and finally re-use - think about how you can give things you are about the throw away new life [I use cans of formula to store my craft utensils, empty plastic food containers, like yogurt, as tupperware, and plastic grocery bags as trash bags.]