… before Halloween! One last weekend to head for the local pumpkin patch or a haunted house. Pumpkin Patches and More is an extensive directory of pumpkin patches by county. If you don’t see the links right away, just scroll down. They also have tips on carving pumkins, recepies and much more.
Jack O’Lantern Halloween Reflectors – cheaper by the dozen at the funflector webshop. Available in 5 and 12-packs.
If you hurry up, you can still order your Halloween decoration and costumes online. Vote with your wallet and buy American made products! Keepamerica.com has a large selection of cool Halloween items, all supporting US manufacturing. US made Halloween reflectors are of course available in our webshop! Don’t forget to check out our Halloween specials at shopinterest! We ship as fast as we can, but don’t wait much longer to place your order to get it in time!
Metal candy bucket, window decoration and bat earrings – all made in the US and available at keepamerica.com
Every Swede grows up with “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes”. If they don’t get it from their parents, they certainly hear it from teachers all the way from preschool and up. Since kids in preschools and elementary schools go outside every day, they are expected to have rain clothes, boots, snow pants, hats etc on hand all the time. Good gear for bad weather is a must. Active Kids Club wrote about “polar bear moms”, but it is not just moms carrying on this Scandinavian tradition, it is engraved in society.
Good (reflective!) outdoor gear for bad weather.
In other words, drizzling rain is not an excuse for not biking to school or work. So where do you find good gear for all weathers in the US?
We are big fans of making our footprints on earth as small as possible. Taking good care of the only planet we have, seems to be the obvious thing to do. So what can you do?
Here is one idea: Harness the wind — hang your laundry to dry in your back yard and save electricity and/or gas (and save on your utility bills)! We had our clothesline put away during the winter months, but now it is out again! A big load of shirts and pants dried in just a a few hours. If you have some trees to attach the clotheslines to, it’s an investment of a couple of dollars for a clothesline and some clothespins. If, not this Dutch drying rack might be the best solution. We bought ours a couple of years ago and it is still standing strong. A friend recommended it after trying several cheaper ones which didn’t even last through their first Midwestern storm. I was happy to see that this model is still available at Gaiam. For a couple of more days you can even get a $20 discount (and free shipping)! It is easy to mount, folds up quickly and can easily be lifted out of its base to be put away. As an extra bonus, the scent of wind dried clothes and sheets is the best! The Clothes Line Shop has clothespins and some practical accessories like baskets for clothespins to hang on the line. Good to know for when the green pouch, that I got in France 15-plus years ago wears out.
It’s not winter any more, but not spring either. The in-between-seasons nondescript weather only inspires one to dream about being elsewhere. I find myself longing for walking barefoot. Green summer grass or a warm floor on a crystal clear winter day…
Kids walking barefoot
In France, old stone barns are sometimes converted into charming living quarters. For a couple of years, I had the fortune to live in one. During winter, the floors were terribly cold no matter how many rugs and slippers we used. However, on hot summer days, the cool floors were a blessing. Ever since, for me it’s real summer if I enjoy walking barefoot on cool tile floors!
From France, I moved to Sweden and built a house on a cement slab with radiant (water) floor heating on the entire ground floor. The colder it was outside, the warmer the floors were inside! mmm…! What a shock moving into an American house with forced air heating and poor insulation after that. I’m still dreaming of converting to radiant heat…
Walking barefoot is informal, casual, relaxed and signals that the stress from the office and running errands has been left behind. That’s most likely why the book title “The Barefoot Home” sounds so intriguing. The book provided abundant inspiration for my last remodeling job. And yes, the new addition has a Mediterranean style tile floor!
Going barefoot, at least some of the time is good for your feet and your posture. When my kids were little, doctors told me toddlers should walk barefoot (where safe of course) to develop their balance and muscles properly. It might be cute to put shoes on babies even before they need them, but those tiny soft bones are better off not being confined.
Elisabeth
Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in Michigan are best barefoot!
Le bonhomme du neige – the good man of snow – is the french expression for snowman. And who does not like snowmen? Shoveling snow might not be our favorite pastime, but making snowmen is fun, creative and brings us outside. After the snowman has been adorned with a broom, stick arms, a carrot nose, a scarf and a hat, we dry our mittens and enjoy some hot cocoa or cider while we let our rosy cheeks fade away.
Snowmen safety reflectors – or Good Man of Snow as the french say.
As many Swedish Americans, we are super busy celebrating our holidays, Midsummer last weekend and Independence Day this weekend. A belated “Glad Midsommar” and Happy 4th! It can’t be stressed enough: the DAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER AGAIN! Inspired by all the good Scandinavian safety reflectors have done for decades, we’ll keep reminding you.
Funflector safety reflectors
Are you heading for festivals, amusement parks, evening concerts in the park, block parties, beach parties…? Temporary parking lots are often dark and not so well organized. A safety reflector or two will make you much more visible! Order yours from our web shop, as always with free shipping! Why are pedestrian safety reflectors so Scandinavian? This is a question I recently got from a fellow blogger, the Swedish American Mamma. Just don’t think he answer is as easy as “it is darker over there in the winter”. (After all, if you leave your office at 5 or 5.30, it doesn’t matter if the sun sets at 3.30 or at 5 pm. Even in America, it is dark after the sun sets…) Please head over to the Swedish American Mamma (or the repost on our blog) and read more about why Swedes are so excited about their cool, fun, colorful Scandinavian safety reflectors! Elisabeth
The other day, someone living in Florida tried to convince me that we would be better off focusing our reflector sales in the northern states and in Canada. Well, looking at when the sun sets tells us that our reflectors can save lives and reduce pedestrian accidents also in the southern states! So, how do the dark hours in the northern US states and Canada compared to the south? Well, in the summer, the sun sets earlier in the south. In hot climates, it is also often more pleasant to be outside after the blasting sun has set. We made a map to display sunset for a few North American cities on the longest day of the year. Dusk sets in 15-30 minutes before that.
Sunset (pm) for some North American cities on the longest day of the year. In most places, the sun sets between 8 and 9 pm and dusk begins 15-30 minutes before.
So, what can we conclude from this?
In most places, if you are outside after 7:30 pm (dusk included!), you are safer with a few safety reflectors!!!
This is midsummer. Now and a couple of weeks into July, you need ta make yourself visible even earlier.
We won’t insist on reflectors in Anchorage this time of year – but we will when fall and winter comes around…
This CBS news clip (2018 update: clip not available) from earlier this year shows a frightening accident where a police car hit a pedestrian walking her bike in the dark—in Florida. Imagine how much different this woman’s life would have been, had she worn a couple of reflectors, and had a bike light. Even if the car hadn’t managed to come to a complete stop, slowing down makes pedestrian injuries less life threatening.
Contrary to that, one of our Florida customers is well prepared to be out and about any time. Tee ordered funflector® tags from our webshop and sent us this kind note after receiving them : “Elisabeth – I rec’d my reflectors on Saturday. I couldn’t believe how quickly you were able to ship them! I love the funflector tags (they are on my bike & backpack already!) and I appreciated your email response and your personal note on the shipment receipt. I will definitely be passing on the word about your products to people that i know. Thanks again!! 🙂 -Tee”
The weather has finally gone back to “normal” in the Chicago area, so I’m enjoying the outdoors again. Being outside is amazingly refreshing for both body and soul, and there are so many ways to do it; taking walks in the neighborhood, enjoying the backyard, picking apples, biking to school, walking or biking to the subway/commuter train etc. Having grown up with the Swedish attitude that “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing,” means that being outside often is just part of life.
Girl climbing big maple tree outdoors
Kids Need Time Outdoors
This year, there has been quite a bit of buzz about kids needing to get outside more. Even yesterday afternoon’s Arthur show on PBS kids was about logging out from the computer in favor for a camp-out with roasted marshmallows. The most visible campaign is Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” , launched in June, but there are many others out there as well. Being in tune with nature and using all our senses to follow what’s going on with plants and animals is so relaxing. It also has so many health benefits. Exercising without even thinking much about it is the obvious benefit, but did you know it also improves vision and cognitive abilities and boosts your energy level?
Bring a picknick to the park is a great way to enjoy the fall and extend the time outdoors.
The easiest way to get outside is to simply take a walk. If you can’t do it where you live, find a beach, forest preserve or a park that you like and follow it throughout the seasons. A short walk is better than none at all, so keep it at a level that fits your day. You might not call it “nature” but urban and suburban environments often have enough trees and flowers with birds, squirrels, chipmunks or other small animals to follow through the seasonal changes.
Outdoors in Your Back Yard
Do you care about nature and the environment? It is more likely that your kids turn into dedicated environmentalists if you let them loose to play in the forest or along a creek. If it is not close enough to home you can bring a picnic blanket and take a rest. Do you know how relaxing it is just to watch the trees or clouds above you? If you can’t relax, bring the book “Free Range Kids.” The concept offers some ideas on how to teach kids to explore their surroundings safely by themselves. Pick one idea at a time and see how they grow!
The suggestions below and the web sites listed under “Outdoor Activities” in the right margin offer some ideas on what to do if you are interested in getting your kids and yourself outside more often.
Be lazy and let the perennials go to seed and find out which of your backyard buddies likes what.
The eartheasy site has lots of ideas. Especially intriguing is the article about making your backyard more wildlife friendly. Not only is it a great outdoor project to transform your yard, but most likely you will enjoy spending time there later. With a good choice of bushes and plants, the smallest garden can attract birds, squirrels and butterflies.
Outdoor Activities
Get together with some other parents and create an outdoor play group. Polarn O. Pyret, a Swedish line of children’s clothing has a great collection of outdoor clothes made for all weather and will sponsor new groups in the US with some free gear.
If you happen to be in the Chicago area on September 25th, you can let your kids get to know Mulle. Mulle is a Swedish fictional character who has taught many, many Swedish children (including my brother and his friends) how to enjoy and appreciate nature and outdoor life. The Swedish American Museum is organizing a “Mulle’s Outdoor Andersonville Adventure” which is open to the public. Reservations are necessary, www.swedishamericanmuseum.org or 773-728-8111.
Do you feel inspired? In case you search the web for outdoor daycare for your kids, put “outdoor preschool” in the search engine! Otherwise you might only find a place to send your dog for outdoor fun.
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