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	<title>polka dot suitcase &#187; Fooling Around</title>
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	<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com</link>
	<description>family fun through creative living</description>
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		<title>Parenting blogs</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/parenting-blogs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/parenting-blogs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 09:37:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogathon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[haiku]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting blogs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3217</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So, the blogathon is wrapping up &#8212; about a week left. Doing a post every day has been both a challenge and a frustration, but I&#8217;m glad I&#8217;ve almost made it. After this, hoping to go back to regularly scheduled 5-a-week.
Wanted to share some of the other parenting bloggers in the group. Be sure to check out posts from yesterday &#8212; the haiku day. Trust me, pretty much everyone on the list was more successful in their poetry than my (oh-so-profound) attempts!
Karen Bannan – Natural as Possible Mom, Because natural isn’t always possible — or easy
Danielle Buffardi – Horrible Sanity, Going into the mind of a mother and freelancer
Heather Faesy – Blame it on the Full Moon, My kids, writing and reading

Jennifer Fink – Blogging Bout Boys, All about boys — raising them, educating them, learning with them
Nancy Mann Jackson – Growing Food and Kids, Gardening, harvesting, cooking and preserving ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blogathon haiku</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/blogathon-haiku/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/blogathon-haiku/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 May 2010 05:12:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogathon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[haiku]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3161</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As part of the May Blogathon our leader, Michelle Rafter over at WordCount, challenged us to do a haiku post today. You know, haiku &#8212; that three-line poem encapsulating one thought in 17 syllables  broken down thusly: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Hmm. Okay, I&#8217;m game:
Polka dot suitcase
Carries fun for everyone
It&#8217;s blue with white dots
ROFL! Oh, gosh, that hurts my eyes to look at. I think Shirley Temple first sang that. Don&#8217;t say it out loud, or your ears may fall off. Let me try again:
When I was a girl
I would cram my suitcase full
With flights of fancy
Holy shamoly, is the world lucky I&#8217;m not a poet or what? Last try:
Polka dot suitcase
You better read and comment
Or I&#8217;ll come get you
Um. I don&#8217;t know where that came from. I must be one of those dark poets, deep inside. Whose idea was this?
]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Three blogs for Thursday</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/three-blogs-for-thursday/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/three-blogs-for-thursday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 05:14:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging bout boys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[candy yum yum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dutch oven]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3178</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Of all the blogs in all the world, and you stumbled across mine. Thanks for being here! Now here&#8217;s a gift &#8212; as if you have all the time in the world to just poke around online and read blogs, right? &#8212; hand-picked blogs for curious and creative parents like you:
For the parents of boys: Blogging &#8216;Bout Boys. This one&#8217;s been a favorite of mine for a while now. It could be because I&#8217;m, you know, a parent to boys. But it could also be because Jennifer shares some interesting ideas and points of views about being a parent to boys.
For the parents of campers: Dutch Oven Madness. I initially fell for this blog because a) I love cooking outdoors and b) I&#8217;m always up for more Dutch Oven recipes and c) I thought the writer was an everyday camp cook like myself. But now I realize she&#8217;s actually some ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Happy Birthday, Big Fish!</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-big-fish/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-big-fish/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 05:19:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bass fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bass lake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[big fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birthday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pink cake box]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3114</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, the crew at Chez Polka Dot is sending out great big ichthyological birthday wishes to the king of our kingdom, Big Fish! Happy birthday to our illustrious leader! What&#8217;s on tap? Fishing, naturally. May the waters send nothing but the biggest and the best your way, BF.
Here&#8217;s a little secret: BF never reads Polka Dot Suitcase. In fact, I&#8217;m not sure he&#8217;s even aware he lives in a wonderful place called Chez Polka Dot. In fairness, I guess it&#8217;s not very manly. But that&#8217;s okay. He&#8217;s with us here in spirit, and that&#8217;s what matters.
So, everyone &#8212; think fishy thoughts today (uh&#8230;that didn&#8217;t come out right) for our guy, Big Fish!
And how cool is that bass cake at the top of the post? Amazing, right? I&#8217;d love to say the kids and I whipped that baby up for Big Fish&#8217;s birthday, but truth is if I attempted that, it ...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-big-fish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Wordless Wednesday</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/wordless-wednesday-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/wordless-wednesday-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2010 05:03:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[old-fashioned photographer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outer banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wright brothers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wright brothers memorial]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3086</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mother&#8217;s Day</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/mothers-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/mothers-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 May 2010 12:32:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chicklets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hummingbird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother's Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[picnics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3065</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Happy Mother&#8217;s Day to moms everywhere! Having kiddos has been The Best Adventure of my life, and I can&#8217;t imagine what things would have been like without them. And here&#8217;s a toast to my mom, too &#8212; who put so much time, effort, and love into raising my sibs and me. From teaching me how to blow bubbles (mostly because I caught her trying to swipe some of my Chicklets), teaching me (without realizing it) to build an internal soundtrack to live my life by, guiding us through the bumps and lumps of life, taking us on endless picnics, laughing at the right time, hugging us at the right time&#8230;thanks, Mom!
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/mothers-day/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are dumb kids happier than smart kids?</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/are-dumb-kids-happier-than-smart-kids/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/are-dumb-kids-happier-than-smart-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 May 2010 05:13:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buckets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smart people]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=3036</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the kids were little &#8212; around 3 and 4 &#8212; we went to visit friends. One morning, I went for a walk with my guys and my friends&#8217; children, who were about the same age as mine. As we walked, the kids were all picking up interesting stones and handing them to me to carry. After a while, I began to stagger when they&#8217;d hand me one. &#8220;Oh! Getting&#8230;too&#8230;heavy!&#8221; I said, pretending to struggle under the load. My guys thought it was hilarious, and of course piled more rocks on as fast as they possibly could.
But my friends&#8217; kids were stunned, staring at me like&#8230;well, like I had rocks in my head. &#8220;Those rocks cannot possibly be that heavy,&#8221; my friends&#8217; daughter said carefully, cocking her head and examining me as I paused to wipe my brow.
Their reaction surprised me. Didn&#8217;t they get the joke? Now, my friends are ...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/are-dumb-kids-happier-than-smart-kids/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tadpoles!</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/tadpoles/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/tadpoles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 11:56:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[composting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[escaping pets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tadpoles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vermicomposting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[worm]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=2969</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So along with strawberries, another sure sign of spring are the arrival of tadpoles, the little punctuation marks of the aquatic world. A friend just emailed, asking if it&#8217;s too late to find them, because she and her kids trooped all over with jars in hand, seeking a few for observation.
Is it too late? Dunno. I think it depends on the species of frog. I&#8217;m going to troop down to our pond later today to check on the tadpole status. But first, have I ever told you about Toadini&#8217;s Great Escape?
My kids attended a science class years ago and came tumbling out, clutching little plastic bags. Inside, they each had a couple tadpoles. As a mom, I have to say to teachers everywhere: PLEASE don&#8217;t give kids live animals to bring home. It&#8217;s like sending kids home with little time bombs that will cause broken hearts, end up costing money, ...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/tadpoles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blogathon 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/blogathon-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/blogathon-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 May 2010 13:42:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogathon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=2952</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last year&#8217;s blogathon, created by the amazing Michelle Rafter of WordCount, inspired me to write a post every single day for the merry, merry month of May. She threw down the challenge again for this May. I accepted the challenge. (Those who know me know I&#8217;m a challenge junkie.) So consider this my first of 31.
This month, my goal is to beef up the old Suitcase and share with parents some creative ways to spark up some fun in family life. My life here at Chez Polka Dot has been pretty darn fun with the kiddos, hubby, and medical marvel wonderdog. (You&#8217;d think she&#8217;d be a Dalmatian &#8212; polka dots, right? &#8212; but she&#8217;s not. She&#8217;s just a brown dog.) So why not share some of our tips with other parents, right? Right. Yes, I&#8217;m just incessently barking right now. So I&#8217;ll make this first post easy on myself and ...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/05/blogathon-2010/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hot dogs choking hazard? Build a better hot dog</title>
		<link>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/02/hot-dogs-choking-hazard-build-a-better-hot-dog/</link>
		<comments>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/02/hot-dogs-choking-hazard-build-a-better-hot-dog/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:18:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fooling Around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american academy of pediatrics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[choking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[choking hazard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hot dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hot dog redesign]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/?p=2769</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggested a redesign on the 300-year old street vendor special, the lowly hot dog. According to this article on the subject, experts say, &#8220;If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child&#8217;s airway, it would be a hot dog.&#8221;
Now, in all seriousness, I&#8217;ve dealt with a small child choking (on the hot dog&#8217;s distant cousin, a chunk of ham). It&#8217;s terrifying for both parent and child. So I don&#8217;t laugh at the implications, trust me. I used to cut my kids&#8217; grapes into small pieces, I banned cheese cubes, and, yes, diced their hot dogs. So please don&#8217;t accuse me of not taking our kids&#8217; safety seriously.
But.
The idea of redesigning the hot dog itself? That sparked my interest. After all, they&#8217;re not just suggesting cutting your child&#8217;s food into small pieces &#8212; ...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.polkadotsuitcase.com/2010/02/hot-dogs-choking-hazard-build-a-better-hot-dog/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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