GET: Personal Lubricants To the Rescue

OK - now, here's a topic no one wants to talk about. Head lice. They're the most democratic of bugs and there is a great new way to get rid of them. I almost fell out of my chair when my children's pediatrician suggested it: Personal lubricants. That's right - this gigantic, booming market (lots of baby boomer women looking for a lube job) - has found a new expanding market in: lice eradication. If you think I'm joking, check this out: http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/spew/2009/01/wet-works.html. Now, I know that it's not glamourous, but IT WORKS!

MAKE: Being Prepared for April

April is a funny month. It's not really hot, not really cold. Somedays are just right for curling up in front of a fire with a good book, others for kite flying. I say, be ready for both. To that end I spent the last week with Kikuro Harami an world-reknown calligraphy kite master from Osaka. She showed me how to carefully transcribe my favorite texts onto kites. Each page of text takes about 2 hours to move onto a kite. But, think of the upside! An octagonal box kite can fit almost all of Anna Karenina if you use both sides of the fabric. I was so thrilled with our results. I sat all of Sunday with a cup of echinacea tea under a faux (or real!) cashmere throw reading my kite and then, when the sun came out, ran outside with the kids (who were quietly reading with me) and flew it. Our Make It Yourself instructions are easy to follow. And, as far and I know, these are the ONLY ones that Kikuro has made available. Happy Flyeading!

DO: Thoughts on Our Heated Planet

I've been very focused recently on global warming (WHO HASN'T!). In this day and age, it is essential that we all focus our inner and outer resources on areas that will have the most positive impact for the greater good. Usually this also means the most positive impact for own's own personal good, but not always. So, it makes sense to turn off the lights, unplug all unused electrical appliances and gadgets, not use airconditioners, and bicycle whenever possible - all things that would be good for our glorious, irreplaceable planet, but - for me personally that would all be bad. However, it's important to think about and hope that millions of other people (less focused on and actually financially capable of achieving both existential and physical comfort simultaneously) will do it. If you, dear reader, are one of those people, God Bless You.

DO: Feeding The Spirit and The Body

It's REALLY important to feed your kids. If you don't they might die. I know it seems obvious, but some people just don't realize how important it is. We looked into the importance of food to kids' growth and found incontrovertible evidence that it's essential. My own three children grow like weeds since I started feeding them 12 years ago. I learned from the start that not feeding them was not an option. For some people this is an overwhelming chore, but I know that if you stick with it, you will be happy in the long term.