Random Fun With Kids

 I'm loving his Luke Skywalker hair!  Yes, I guess that is an anarchist pamphlet on the floor.

 In one of my last posts I bragged about how cheaply I bought these kids clothes at the thrift store.  Well Lynden found an extra bonus in the form of a free Lego man that someone had forgotten in the pocket of his new shorts. 

A challenge to the reader: what kind of bug is that?

I don't know why but they absolutely love gutting melons.

One dirty baby!

Don't Buy Flowers, Pick Them!

 For a truly unique bouquet, go out side and pick flowers.  This floral gift will be on that reflects the seasons  and the unique beauty of your area. 

Use a very sharp blade and cut diagonally, (absorbs water better).  Be sure to cut enough stem.  Trim off most of the leaves, but leave a few to make the bouquet look full.  Be sure to get a good variety of colours!

Free Digital Art Creativity For Kids

 Here is a creative activity I setup for the kids.  What they are doing is designing their own 2d video game.  I start by downloading a set of free game tiles, and use a program called a tilemap level editor, a good free one is Tiled.  The kids click on different tiles and draw out their gameworld, adding in monsters, heroes and magic items.  This is a great activity for them because they feel like they are playing a video game, but instead of passively reacting to a game, they are pouring in all of their imagination and creativity into design their own (would be) game.  For them its not just a picture, its an entire saga unfolding.  The stories and ideas that come out of these sessions are incredible, and this keeps them busy for hours.  Here are their game world creations:

Planet B Concept Image

Here is a concept image for new game project, Planet B.  I drew the characters, based off pixel art from Legend of Zelda from NES.  The scenery tiles are a modified version of Lanea Zimmerman's Basic 16bit tile set from opengameart.org.

All I can say about the game at this point is that its an action game for Android devices based around 1 touch play. 

Thriftin it up in Harrow

Harrow, Ontario is a thrift store Mecca and a great place for a penny pincher to live.  It has 5 thrift stores, population 2,935.  Got shoes, toys, clothes, books and puzzles for all the kids.  Total of $18.50.

Qpaukl Kimmerly's Killer Koleslaw

Thanks for the recipe Qpaukl!

Ingredients:

Red Cabbage

Green Cabbage

A Carrot

Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Garlic, salt and pepper

plus a Cheese Grater

Step 1

Procure a variety of vegetables. I used a carrot, red cabbage and a green cabbage.  You can use other vegetables like onions, broccoli, cauliflower or whatever you have lying at the bottom of your fridge.

Step 2

Cut a third of the cabbages off.  Begin shredding you cabbage chunks into a bowl.

Step 3

Grate the entire carrot. I know it is a degrating job but we are talking about delicious homemade coleslaw here.  

Step 4

Your Killer Koleslaw is now prepared but you might like to add some dressing. I use some Balsamic Vinegar and Sunflower Oil. Plus I add in some garlic salt and pepper. You don't need a lot. Mix it thoroughly.

Step 5

This recipe would serve a family of 4 - 6 as a side dish. Now go and eat your Killer Koleslaw before the zombies show up and eat you. Remember this coleslaw didn't come in a bag. It was freshly made and you saw what ingredient were used to make it.

Sleeping With The Enemy: Why I'm Sleeping on a Straw Mattress

Your industrial mattress is disgusting.  Years of dead skin, dirt, dust mites and other nasties accompany you to bed every night.  When was the last time your mattress had a thorough washing?  Ok, you vacuum it sometimes, I hope that makes you feel better, really.

A new mattress costs several hundred dollars, some cost thousands.  You probably couldn't afford one so you bought it on your credit card or some retailer credit plan.  Or you got one second hand, now you snuggle up with someone else's years of accumulated body sweat.

Industrial mattresses are very carcinogenic.  "The place where you spend one-third of your life is chock-full of synthetic materials, some potentially toxic. Since the mid- to late '60s, most mattresses have been made of polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based material that emits volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation. Formaldehyde, which is used to make one of the adhesives that hold mattresses together, has been linked to asthma, allergies, and lung, nose, and throat cancers." [1]

Industrial mattresses are extremely wasteful.  There isn't much to do with one that fell out of use other than putting it in a landfill.  These massive sleeping pads are such a pain to move most people opt to just leave them behind.  Take a look around the parts of your neighborhood where litterbugs like to dump stuff, chances are you will see many mattresses (some burnt), poisoning the ground and providing a perennial eyesore.

Ok, so I convinced you to hate your industrial mattress.  Now you understand why I chose to sleep on a straw mattress.  I needed a new bed and I needed something that fit this criteria

• Affordable
• Washable
• Biodegradable
• Non-toxic
• Local and hand made
• Movable

How many of these criteria does your mattress fit?  None.

I would love to report that I made my own straw mattress by hand.  However I'm not that good with sewing, and I needed something right away. I didn't want this to become another abandoned project due to lack of skills/motivation.  I contracted the services of Tamara Kimmerly,  a local sewing extraordinaire.  I purchased these supplies

• 5 meters of cotton canvas
• 1 meter of zipper
• 1 spool of thick cotton thread
•  An old wool blanket was added as an extra cover

Tamara did a great job putting it together.  Now its time to get stuffed!


It took two bails of straw to fill the mattress.

The important part about this step is evenly distributing the straw.  You need to really break up the bail or else you'll get lumpy spots.  I use a broom handle to push the straw all the way to the back of the mattress.
 

The mattress is almost fully stuffed.  I take care to make sure the corners get filled in nicely.

 Now the mattress is fully stuffed.  The straw is quite loose now and the whole things is quite puffy.  I need to tamp the hell out of it, compressing the straw to get it closer to its final density.  Many nights of sleeping will compress it even more.  I cover my nose and mouth for protection from all the dust in the air.

 

All done, here is the finished result!!

Now its time to put the sheets on and go to bed!  Its not memory foam, but the straw mattress has charm that cannot be mimicked with an industrial mattress!  In 6 months I will take out all the straw, compost it, throw the mattress in the washing machine, and start out with a totally clean mattress.  

The straw mattress is very comfortable and cozy.  If you don't believe me, just ask my girlfriend!

[1] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/should-you-ditch-your-chemical-mattress