Kristie McNealy, MD

As a homeschooling mom, I’m always looking for fun, quiet toys that exercise my kids’ minds and creativity.  When we received a set of Qubits Construction Toys, I was anxious to see what my kids thought of them.

Qubits are a soft, flexible building toy that is CPSIA certified.  They don’t contain any magnets, motors, or other potentially hazardous parts.  They also come in a plastic storage case, which is a big plus for a toy with a lot of small pieces.

My husband and I played with the set a bit before we handed them over to the kids, and I have to admit, I couldn’t really wrap my brain around building anything with them.  Of course, as soon as I handed them over to the kids, though, they had magic wands, buildings and bugs built in no time at all!

Qubits are recommended for kids 5 and up.  My oldest daughter is 6, and she was able to copy some of the example designs in the instruction booklet, when she wasn’t busy doing her own thing.  She thinks “every kid should have these!”  My 3 year-old daughter was able to build with them too, as long as I made sure she wasn’t sticking connector pieces where they didn’t belong (i.e. up her nose or in her mouth . . .).

If you’d like to learn more about Qubits, here’s a fun video they’ve put together:

Last month, I blogged about my garden, and I’ve decided it would be fun to share updates all season long.  Since I last wrote about it, the garden in both our back and front yard has been flourishing, with the exception of our cucumbers.  I’m not really sure what’s going on with them aside from our nights still being a bit chilly, but none of them have grown much.  As I reflect on our relatively short growing season here in Colorado, I’m beginning to doubt that we’ll see any cucumbers this year.  Who knows, but every time I look at them I’m reminded of the pumpkins we planted two years ago which froze just days after setting their first fruit.

Unfortunately, just as the blossoms on our largest tomato plant (a Mr. Stripey the kids picked out) were opening, we were hit with a massive hailstorm.  We’re talking golf ball sized hail which lasted for about half an hour.

After the hailstorm, our gardens looked like they’d been attacked by wild animals.  Thankfully, everything seems to be bouncing back, and the tomatoes should have new blossoms any day now.

The mystery seedlings I mentioned in my last post turned out to be turnips.  Radishes popped up a few days later, along an adjacent soaker hose.  The last thing to come up in my back garden were carrots, which surprised us the morning after yet another massive rain storm.  Not that I mind the rain.  Thanks to all the recent storms, I haven’t had to turn my sprinkler system on for the past week.  Between rain, and some saved cooking water, we’ve had everything covered for both garden plots.

Out front, the corn is between 4 and 8 inches tall, and the sunflowers are a little over a foot.  Pinto beans, pumpkins and zucchini are going strong, along with the onions in our front planter.  The potatoes, which I had nearly lost all hope for, emerged this week and are growing like crazy.  The watermelon will have to get going, otherwise I’m afraid they are going to be overrun by them.  Unfortunately, I lost track of which potatoes the kids planted where, so I guess we’ll be surprised when we harvest them.

Our garden is organic, and so far we haven’t had any real problem with pests aside from a few bugs chomping on the radish leaves (we picked and ate the last of the first round of radishes this week).  I decided to try to head off some potential problems by planting some marigolds, which are supposed to deter insect pests and soil nematodes.  I certainly hope it works, because I really dislike the scent of marigolds . . .  I also added some basil near my tomato plants, which is said to improve flavor and growth, and repel some insects.

Thousands of people hope to find their perfect match for a bone marrow transplant that could save their life.  Right now, Be The Match Registry^SM (previously known as the National Marrow Donor Program) is running a Marrowthon until June 22, 2009.  The goal of the Marrowthon is to add 46,000 new donors to the registry, and to raise funds to save lives.

During the Marrowthon, it is absolutely free to join the Be The Match Registry^SM.  All you need to do is visit the Marrowthon webpage,confirm that you meet the basic eligibility requirements, fill out the online form, and wait for your kit to arrive.  When you get your kit, you swab the inside of your cheek, and return the sample to Be The Match to bentered in their database.

It costs Be The Match Foundation^SM about $100 to add a new potential donor to their database, so financial contributions are also welcome to help offset the costs of the Marrowthon, as well as to provide patient assistance.

I added myself to the registry last year.  It was simple, and could truly make an enormous difference in someone else’s life!