Organizing outdoor clothing.

With winter coming on, how we organize winter clothing is a big issue. With 8 sets of outdoor wear, it can be really cluttered. I keep all the kids' coats in the bedroom closet nearest to the front door. The room belongs to a couple of boys, and they don't need as much closet space as they have, so they don't mind.

We keep mittens and hats in a crate near the front door, and boots go in another crate.

This works really well!

Fire safety can be read here.

We really enjoyed the rain yesterday. So glad that it finally came, but I do wish it had arrived a week earlier.

The kids helped at a shelter in the area the other day, for those made homeless by the firestorm in Southern California. They cleaned bathrooms; nothing exciting, but they were happy knowing they'd helped.

I saw an ad for Paxil during last week's episode of Saturday Night Live. The ad failed to mention that the drug is now illegal to give to kids in the UK because it's making some kids homicidal and suicidal. Of course it didn't mention that. They're just hoping for sales, regardless of who might get hurt.

Here's a good site for getting recent news on psychiatric drugs: Current Scene

More nature art

When we take nature walks, we collect lots of things. Seeds, berries, twigs, leaves, feathers, etc.

The kids like to paste these things to paper and make pictures. They can color or paint on the paper, too. This is a very creative way to experience the seasons!