Cheers to all the mothers, grandmothers, and care-takers out there! To all the women who touch our lives across a lifetime…

Thank you for every skinned-knee you clean, bad dream you hush away, cookie you bake, and broken heart you soothe.

For every costume you make, story you read, school play you sit through and drawing you hang on the fridge…

May your day be filled with blue skies, rainbow-colored flowers, heart-felt hugs, and more laughter than you know what to do with.

I give you the gift of a giggle or two, and perhaps — just perhaps — a knowing smile.

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed! His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair, And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.

His workbook is wedged in the window, His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV, And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are all jammed in the closet, His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed, And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed! Donald or Robert or Willie or–

Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear, I knew it looked familiar!

Go be queens of your day!

xoxo – The Grass Stain Guru

Life is short.
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

- Mark Twain

xoxo – The Grass Stain Guru

Top photo credit: Tariqweb, Public Domain

 Merry, merry Christmas from The Grass Stain Guru and Not So Mystery Critter!

And don’t forget to enter The Christmas Box Challenge!

Peace and love, my friends.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

TGSG Note: It’s time for my yearly “ask” from Santa. Fingers crossed! xoxo- Bethe

Dear Santa:

In light of the economy, I am keeping my list rather short this year. (Um, that is, unless the  Sir Ken Robinson action figure I have been dreaming about has finally become a reality. If so, please put that near at the top of my list. If you think about it, 11 really is a reasonable number.)

I promise I have been a good fairly well-behaved girl this year. Surely you cannot will not hold a little road rage spirited comment action in the direction of morons on the road other drivers against a nice girl like me.

Anyway, so back to my list — there’s one more thing: I would like to share these gifts with all my readers and all the kids in the world, too. (Well, except the Sir Ken Robinson action figure, should it become available. I suspect that might cause some head-scratching and quizzical looks across the globe.)

Hope this is  not too much to ask, but I think you will agree — they are all really MUST haves. (And BIG thanks for the extra space in the sleigh this year!)

All I want for Christmas is:

1. The perfect stick for roasting marshmallows
2. A rainbow in the sky over a glorious rain puddle
3. Cool moss under my feet
4. Sand between my toes
5. The perfect red maple leaf to press in a book
6. Berries, ripe for the picking
7. Good kite-flying weather this spring
8. Lots of earthworms in the garden soil
9. A jar with holes punched in the lid for catching (and releasing) critters
10. A shiny new nature journal

xoxo – The Grass Stain Guru

PS: Love to Mrs. Claus and the reindeer. (Especially Vixen, who let’s face it, gets a bit of a bad wrap.)

PPS: The home-baked cookies should not be seen as a bribe. But, did you notice I carefully I coordinated their little outfits? Just sayin’.

 photo credit: GlynisArt

Dear beloved readers and friends:

Thanks for spending this play-filled year with me. For every tree you climbed, fort you built, trail you hiked. For everything that required crayons, glue and glitter. For every Mystery Critter case you cracked. For every belly laugh and gasp of awe-struck wonder you uttered. For every minute of playful spirit you modeled for those around you, I thank you. Gold stars and grass stains to you all! 

Here’s a little fun I’ve cooked up for you this holiday season. xoxo Bethe

On the 12th day of Christmas TGSG gave to me:

12 perfect snowflakes
11 stones a skipping 

10 stars a twinkling

9 children giggling
8 frogs a croaking
7 kites a flying
6 rainbows gleaming
5 forts to build
4 scampering squirrels
3 trees to climb
2 box turtles

And a grass stain on each knee!

No matter what you believe, or don’t, the holiday season is truly special.

May yours be filled with much love and laughter, and warmest wishes for a happy, healthy 2012!

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

<— Little GSG with her trusty stick. (In case you are wondering, I finally grew into that chin.)

 photo credit: seelensturm

TGSG Note: I wrote this post a few years ago after the loss of a friend. Today would have been his birthday, so naturally my thoughts are drawn to him once again.

Coincidentally, I have never needed to read the words that follow more. In one of life’s rough patches, I find myself almost a stranger to the good these days. But, I am ready to practice what I preach and let my capacity for joy blossom.  After all, this ain’t no dress rehearsal. – Bethe

This post is dedicated to the memory of my dear friend, Craig Tufts. He taught me so much about nature and wildlife, and was so full of joy and life.  He was a man that knew how to live and to share joy with others — the best sort of man. My thoughts and love are with Jean and his family.

Gather up your telegrams
Your faded pictures, best laid plans
Books and postcards, 45s
Every sunset in the sky

Carry with you maps and string, flashlights
Friends who make you sing
And stars to help you find your place
Music, hope and amazing grace

Maybe what we leave
Is nothing but a tangled little mystery
Maybe what we take
Is nothing that has ever had a name

- Mary Chapin Carpenter

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Slow down. Live your life to the fullest. Laugh until you can hardly breath.  Increase your capacity for joy. Enjoy the feeling of the breeze on your face. Focus on experiences and people versus things and labels. Wiggle your toes in the sand and mud. Unplug and PLAY. Jump for joy, and pass it on.

In your pursuit of happiness you have to remember that it’s always there inside of you. Even on days you scarcely believe it possible. Sometimes, you just have to kick off your shoes and look for it.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go feel the sun on my face and walk barefoot through the grass.

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

 photo credit: Tawheed Manzoor

Here’s what is going on inside of my head… 

You: Man, where is that lazy ass blogger anyway?

Me: Gawd, I am so lame that I can’t even manage a post. I write about work-life balance ALL the time, yet I can barely tread water this week. #fail

You: No seriously, I remember when she used to post all the time. I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow by. I FEEL NEGLECTED. #fail

Me: I suck. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Drool. ACK!

You: Hmmmmm, maybe I should break up with her and find a lovely new blog to love and cherish? Hmmmmm.

Me: OMG, they are going to break up with me. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Drool. ACK!

Me: Pie. Pie would help. Pie always help. It’s pie. It’s medicinal, right?

You: Sound pie advice. Just sayin’.

Me: Kind of you to agree about the pie, especially since I have been such a lame ass blogger.

You: Don’t get carried away, I still feel neglected.

Me: <Hangs head in shame. >

And scene. 

See ya outside my head soon! ~ The Grass Stain Guru 

 photo credit: GAPHIKER

Cheers to all the mothers, grandmothers, and care-takers out there! To all the women who touch our lives across a lifetime…

Thank you for every skinned-knee you clean, bad dream you hush away, cookie you bake, and broken heart you soothe.

For every costume you make, story you read, school play you sit through and drawing you hang on the fridge…

May your day be filled with blue skies, rainbow-colored flowers, heart-felt hugs, and more laughter than you know what to do with.

I give you the gift of a giggle or two, and perhaps — just perhaps — a knowing smile.

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.

His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–

Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Go be queens of your day!

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: fotografgruppen.se

Happy New Year, peeps!!!

Thanks so much for being a part of my world, and for adding your voice to the quest to improve the lives of children — and in the process, our own lives — by reconnecting with nature, making time for play, and putting the desire for happiness and joy above things and money.

I am rerunning my 10 Wishes for Today’s Kids post, which was one of the most popular posts of the year. I hope it resonates even more on this, the first day of a new decade.

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and play-filled 2011, my friends!

xoxo- Bethe

“Childhood is the fiery furnace in which we are melted down to essentials and that essential shaped for good.”

~ Katherine Anne Porter

As a writer, and I hope, a thought-leader on childhood issues, I spend a lot of time speaking to parents, educators, and other grown-ups. Today, I want to speak to the kids. Hopefully, some of their grown-ups listen in.

10 things I wish:

1. That the media stops scaring the crap out of your parents 24-7, so that they think the only place you are safe is tucked away in the house;

2. That the decision-makers get down to business with true education reform so that you have the opportunity to learn to LOVE to learn, and not just learn (um, maybe) what will be on a test;

3. That we “grown-ups” stop being so lawsuit happy, so that liability is not the first thing on the minds of educators, parks and recreation professionals, community associations, and other parents. I hope with all my might that you are actually allowed to play and have fun in this life;

4. That you realize that you have choices, and the right to make mistakes — and the world will not stop spinning when you do;

5. That your parents set a limit on screen time. I know, you don’t want to hear this, but trust me on this one — it’s a must;

6. That you learn to LOVE to read. Even if they do make a movie about it, you can bet the book is better. Learn to get lost in a story and try your hand at writing your own;

7. That you spend every moment you can outside. Check out the woods, the beach, the mountains, and everything else in between. Let nature awe you;

8.  That you learn to be fearless, bold, and let your freak flag wave. I don’t mean live dangerously — but I do mean have the guts and gumption to really live and don’t be afraid to be yourself;

9. That you don’t get everything you want, that things don’t always come easily to you, that sometimes you fall flat on your face, and that you figure out (um, eventually) that these are all good things; and

10. That you get the freedom to breathe and the space to explore the world and figure out who you are in it.

So, that’s it. I have a lot of hopes and wishes for you guys, but what I want most of all is for you to grow up knowing how to appreciate life as the rich and fascinating ride that it is, and to know how to dust yourselves off and pick yourselves up when things get tough, because they will. Oh that, and to really know how to laugh — deep, from the belly, bone-stirring laughter. It’s one of the greatest skills you can ever learn.

Enjoy the ride and great good luck, kiddos. I will be rooting for you.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: Haprog_

As some of you may know, my “day job” is working in early childhood education. (Naturally, my Grass Stain Guru skills come in quite handy!)

Wile I have worked K-12 for many years, I have to say that the need for quality early childhood education is so profound, that it has really stirred my inner advocate (as well as registered voter!) more than any other professional experience to date.

And speaking of powerful, please watch this video from The Ounce, which I hope will stir a fire or two…

Whether you are a parent or not — and regardless of socioeconomic status — this is on your doorstep. It’s on all of our doorsteps.

Step up America. Any way you look at this issue, including bottom line economics, investing in early childhood is investing in our county.

Thanks for indulging my less playful side today, folks.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: woodleywonderworks