Stamps Aren't Just for Scrapbooking Anymore!!!

     I feel like I am so lucky to be surrounded by great, smart, funny women who also have kindergarteners at Gabby's school. Everyday we wait for our little ones to get released from their teachers and have a wonderful time talking to each other and sharing tips and tricks to life. Since we are all from different walks of life, there is so much to learn from one another and right now I am going to share a really cool family activity that I learned about last night from my friend Heidi.

      While discussing activities that our Girl Scout Troop could do (did you know that I am a Daisy Leader?) Heidi mentioned an activity called Letterboxing which I have never heard of. Basically it is similar to Geocaching but minus the GPS and instead of trinkets it is a treasure hunt for stamps. This is the Wikipedia definition:

Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes usually contain a notebook and a rubber stamp. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp, either on their personal notebook or on a postcard, and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox's "visitors' book" or "logbook" — as proof of having found the box and letting subsequent letterboxers see who have visited. 

Apparently this has been going on since the 1800's!!!  For me it is super appealing because there is no GPS involved, there are tons in our area and when we travel we can still do it, and it is very family friendly. Sound like fun?? Here are some resources to help you get started:

Tips to Get Started

How to Make Your Own Stamp   (if you don't want to buy one!)

AtlasQuest   (Where you find letterbox clues in your area and other places)

Cool Stamps from an Etsian

My goal is to make our family stamp this week since it is Spring Break here... I am trying to decide between something Buddhist and something having to do with our Vibram FiveFingers since it is an outdoors activity... or maybe I will make two stamps and see which one I like more!! Oh, and the photo above is what a page from your notebook would look like... cool huh???

Bee Aware

So I have heard murmurs of the plight of one of our greatest natural resources- honey bees- lately and decided to check out some great Bee products and companies that are trying to save these little workers. I didn't realize exactly how many products I use are dependant on bees, from my chapstick to my ice cream. Apparently the hives are dying from something called the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) whic is leading to dissapearing bee colonies. Luckily there are lots of great companies who are trying to step in and save these essential helpers.

Two of the biggest helpers are Burt's Bees, an all natural personal care company that I should own stock in and Haagen-Dazs ice cream company. I love Burt's chapstick, shampoo, and most importantly my Milk and Honey lotion (which I cannot live without). And in my humble opinion, Haagen-Dazs has the best vanilla in the industry. Both companies are working really hard to fund more research for the honey bees and by buying some of their products you can help the effort.

Along with these products, there are some things that are just downright cute in their bee-ness. This cake pan from William-Sonoma for example. How can you resist pairing it with some Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream from Haagen Dazs?